Author: spaceyshipper: Tumblr link | Ao3 Link| Review of Expressoself!

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid and have always enjoyed it, but my fanfic is by far the longest work I have written, and is the only creative writing  I have done in around a decade and a half.

What was your inspiration for this story?

I honestly think a lot of this story was inspired not by my life experiences, but rather my life desires. It is a projection of what I wish would happen — perhaps as is the case with many works that include romance! It also held some emotional truths in the sense that even though the events themselves did not reflect my own life, the feelings associated with them did. Also, I read a lot of fanfic, and I thought, “Hey! I could tell a story in this setting.”

What scene was your favorite to write and why?

This is a difficult question! I honestly don’t think I have a favorite scene. However, I do have least favorite scenes — I think the first chapters were pretty rough while I was still acclimating to writing fiction!

Did you make an outline or write as you go?

I made an outline. I adjusted said outline as I wrote, but I planned ahead of time what scenes I wanted to include, what phrases I wanted to use,  when characters would be introduced, etc. If I’m not organized I lose focus. When I thought of a new scene, I put it in the outline!

Is there any backstory to this fic you’d like to share?

I attempted to portray a diversity of sexual orientations in my fic without commodizing the queer community. I have only encountered characters who feel and love similar to the ways I do in fanfiction — never in “respectable” commercial literature. I felt like, in writing these characters, I was able to have a voice and representation.

What was the most fun about writing this story?

Writing became my reward at the end of the day! I do a lot of academic writing, so it was so refreshing to be able to write humor or about awkward social situations instead.

What, if anything, was the least fun about writing it?

I began a routine of posting new chapters online every couple days. Sometimes I would feel stressed about making the “deadline” for posting, especially because I had lovely readers who would comment on my fic! I didn’t want to disappoint them. That being said, I also think posting my work online was the only reason it was actually completed. Having people read, comment, and want more was a huge motivator!

What is your writing routine?

Whenever I finish with everything else I have to do for the day, I curl up in bed with my laptop and start writing! This is generally pretty late in the evening.

What’s the weirdest thing you had to Google for this story or any story?

My story didn’t include much outside of my repertoire of personal experience — probably the most Googling I did was for recipe ideas!

Of all the stories you’ve written, which one is your favorite and why?

I have only written one story, so this is an easy question!

Do you write commercial fiction? If so, please share links to buy them.

Unfortunately I do not — yet!