How long have you been writing?:Oooh, a good five years now for fanfic! But much longer if you’re counting original stuff. I keep unearthing embarrassing things I wrote when I was eight years old, but hey, at least I know that I have actually improved.
What was your inspiration for this story?:There was a hilarious post that went around about two years back about Sam being possessed by Gabriel, and the general shenanigans they would get up to, and initially I started off writing what I thought would be a one-shot based on that idea. Then it ate a few more headcanons, and before I knew it the story snowballed, and here we are!
What scene was your favorite to write and why?:Probably the final scene! I just had such a vivid mental image of what I wanted to describe that the words flowed right onto the page, it was great. Saying that, I do have a soft spot for the dream scenes as well, and the ones involving the interactions between soul and grace. To be honest, there were very few scenes I didn’t enjoy writing!
Did you make an outline or write as you go?:Definitely not initially. I wish I had! This story started out as two dozen disconnected scenes, which slowly grew itself a plot. Eventually it got so big that I had to plot it all out to get it organised in my head, but for at least the first 30k I was writing both blind and out of order, which was, uh, not great. I still have about 6k of material which couldn’t be shoehorned into the plot so didn’t make the final cut.
What was the most fun about writing this story?:Without a doubt setting up the various plot twists. I never realised how fun it was to plant deliberate foreshadowing, but with such a long fic I had time to pack more in!
What, if anything, was the least fun about writing it?:Probably not having a solid plot initially. It created a writing hump where eventually I had to stop and figure out where I really wanted it to go- I actually re-wrote the ending twice. That was a bit grueling.
What is your writing routine?:For the bulk of time I was writing this, I was also doing my practical fieldwork for my final dissertation at university. For me, this included hours and hours of standing outside at sunset freezing my toes off and watching birds, and getting my writing done while I was at it! Currently? I’m much more productive when I’m setting myself short periods of intensive writing where I know what I’m going to write. Sprints and word wars are your friends.
Of all the stories you’ve written, which one is your favorite and why?: Tough one! Overall, I’d say the Man in the Mirror, just because I feel like this one definitely has the best plot, and better writing than some of my earlier stuff. And I just really enjoyed writing it once I knew where it was going!
Now read the review of The Man in the Mirror, if you haven’t already!