orangeautumnbox ama session! (please bear with us)

Welcome! For this chapter, me (the orange) and @octoberautumnbox (the box) will be hosting today’s chapter in the Tavern Talks and it is an AUA (Ask Us Anything but it should be an AMA so whatever) duo! Some are from readers and some are from our fellow writers!

It has been a really fun time answering all of the interesting questions (and some goofs which are likeable and cry-able if anything) and hope this chapter from us two will help aspiring writers be piqued to know our opinions and approaches on certain scenarios and things in writing, and hope for the fellow writers to possible know us more and to digest our advices if ever.

This chapter will mark the answer from each question by the respective emojis shown: 🍊 for me (orenji) and 📦 for octoberautumnbox (if these aren’t obvious enough LOL)

Enjoy reading and stay cool and cooler!

By: 0cta9on

what are yalls writing processes like? do u need music in the background/complete silence? do u outline beforehand or just wing it the entire way? answer in 1500 words, on my desk by tomorrow morning pls thenk

🍊 - honestly, i think i work in a different way than the others. i rarely listen to music when writing because i approach it in a way where silence focuses me, and has that hidden surge in writing. this is how i approach the way i write:  i have an idea in mind, and an outline (or outlines) to work with and i’ll just expand it whenever i write it along the way. I discover certain kinks, scenarios and etc. once i have an initial thought in mine, i find a way to jot it down as soon as possible hehe. but if it’s a fic that is pretty big, i really write an outline of certain scene and how it unfolds!

📦 - writing process........................

hmm idk. it always starts with an idea. i wanted soft dom choiyuj bc i saw a video and she was adorable but also older than me

it helps greatly when theres a song. Like I Do was this one. makes it so much easier because if i run out of plot points, i can run through the lyrics (i play guitar too so that helps) and find something to talk about in-fic

more often than not i just rawdog without an outline. choiyuj noona was written in a day because the idea and the song hardcarried, but for something longer or more meaningful (like Little More Lovestruck and Optimus and Megatron!) i will generally have at least an outline of plot points to build around. but usually, like choiyuj noona, one plot point is enough and not worth making a wholeass outline for :DDDD

sometimes the idea is a song itself! i wrote scrap box chapter 1 (why did i name these like this) where i was trying to figure out if i like choom, and i guess i do but not enough to make a fic out of, if that makes sense?

https://fanprose.com/stories/the-cute-and-caring-noona-in-apartment-424

https://fanprose.com/stories/a-little-more-lovestruck

https://fanprose.com/stories/optimus-and-megatron-like-a-shoebox-of-photograph

https://fanprose.com/stories/scrap-box-of-janky-ideas-and-literary-duct-tape/chapters/1

By: -shin

1. How much do the idols’ perceived image affect your approach to describe/depict them in your stories?

2. How do you approach on writing idols that you are not familiar with in the first place? And do you think writers should just stick on writing idols they’re familiar with?

🍊 - 1) pretty much all the time since i wanna invoke some of their mannerisms, attitude, their headcanons and the way they would approach certain scenarios. it’s not all the time but for me, it’s a great wall to showcase realism and the authenticity of the fic where the idol’s character is being herself. also, writing some headcanons exploring your creativity in certain situations and scenarios within the idol is a great way to know them more.

2) oh this a great question. honestly, i’ll watch their content a little just to know them, or a quick google search will do. mostly, i can come up with a headcanon off the bat based on their facade most of the time, but this barely happens yet this is how i’ll approach it. also not really, it shouldn’t be a hindrance when a writer is sticking to idols they’re familiar with because i think that discovering more idols to write is great when it comes to delivering dynamics in certain fics or scenarios, but of course, the writer should be comfortable with this still, this is just my opinion. :D

📦 - the more an idol is a stranger to me, the easier it is to write them! i have no idea if sooin smokes so ill just toss up and say she does, but god forbid i write yuri bc her only sibling is a little sister and she cant wink with her left eye and she grew up sorta kinda poor and jalkfgjsdklfjghklsdjfh see what i mean LMAO the less i know the better bceStare2

idk if ive ever met a writer who had an ult and only wrote them. stay long enough around and u will inevitably want to test urself with new challenges, and writing outside ur biases is one of the most common challenges a writer will want to encounter!

so to answer ur question, writers should stick to what they wanna do, whether its staying within or moving outside of their comfort zone. and if they chance upon a girl called jo yuri, ill welcome them with open arms :sitt:

By: Azelfty

To both authors: What do you think of the use of y/n to refer to the main or original character in a 2nd POV fic? There seems to be a divide within kfic writers about using y/n and switching to POVs besides 2nd!

🍊 -  i don’t really mind the use of y/n in fics but for me, portraying a character in a different way like pronouns or anything you can think of is way better, especially in 2nd person. i am not really discouraging people to use it, but not using it is way better and with a greater description, the fic has a different vibe since most writers and readers i know have an ick when a fic uses y/n LOL.

📦 - even prior to being active in this community ive been somewhat avoidant of it. back as a reader i saw ddeun talk about this in tumblr (circa 2020?) that it breaks immersion, and while i didn't fully understand at the time i do now lmoa. not that i care if it breaks immersion for my readers but i personally dont like it and have formed the habit of steering myself away from it before i have to consciously avoid it again.

as it stands ive only ever wanted to use y/n once in my entire career, and only very very early on, and only in a very very specific instance, so i think its easy enough to avoid, and ur a more technically skilled writer to be able to steer urself away from needing to use it at all. :nise:

By: Xndrpndr

Do you find yourself wanting to write your biases (or idols in general) consistently across different fics? Obviously it depends on the fic, but do you have a head canon that’s more prevalent than others that you have to sorta look past as to not be too derivative of yourself?

🍊 - no, because me having a variety of idols that i really really like and isn’t really a one trick on a single idol (ahem box ahem jk). sure thing, i would like to write my biases but i tend to go out of my comfort zone and discover other idols, and then fit my certain biases where they would fit into the story better. mostly, it would be just cameos because before writing a fic, i tend to really lock in a pairing before starting. also, i don’t really have a prevalent headcanon or anything that makes me think that it’s pretty inaccurate or a thorough derivative of anything, because with certain idols, it’s mostly influence, them as a person for what i know and my ideas with them where i think they fit, which i balance them all.

📦 - wanting to? nope

not that every yuri fic i write is the same in-universe yuri, but they are, in varying degrees, derivative of my birthday fluff series in that its what i think is peak yuri

as for headcanons, i want to say that the headcanon does prevail but that would not be true lol. i have a tripleS Kaede draft where she cheats but my actual headcanon is that shes wildly jealous of Dahyun so i think i have to say no it doesnt work like that n shit just happens, and i think its a positive direction to head to since ykno test my creativity for coming up with fleshed out characters and interesting plots and how putting this certain lil guy in this certain lil situation is gonna play out

https://fanprose.com/stories/express-moon

By: Valentine

How do you settle on the plot that you create? Is it vibes, something that you’ve been planning on doing, or a different reason entirely?

🍊 - pretty much these fours culprits: my mood for the day (mostly on a quick or short fic), the scenario i want to have in mind for certain idols, to experiment on a storyline that i think would be different from my usual style, and mostly my motivational drive to write on a certain timeframe. mostly when i write, if the setup for a plot i have in mind fits well, i just go and let my hands do the work (also my brain, duh).

📦 - those are the same thing to me! not that i plan vibes, but if a vibe survives for long enough in my head (or does enough damage idk) i decide its worth trying out with a test scene or two. my scrap box is a bunch of these vibes that didnt stay long enough for me to give them a chance at blooming into full fics, maybe take a look and see which ones almost make the cut vs the ones that are their own standalones that did :DDDD

https://fanprose.com/stories/scrap-box-of-janky-ideas-and-literary-duct-tape

By: Anon

yo this is one for the tavern: i just want to know how y'all deal with sitting down and trying to write, but your mind goes blank as soon as you start writing, is that a thing that often happens to y'all? and of course, how do you deal with it?

🍊 - it happens most of the time and it doesn’t help that i have adhd. i’ll mostly invest myself into a soothing situation to ease up my nerves and unlock that writing state whenever i can. Sometimes, having a healthy mindset to start writing just a minuscule amount of words or whole fics and paragraphs is how you can come up with something that can be worth your while and something you can be proud of.

📦 - first things first

strike while the iron isfucking hot jdfhgjkdsfhg open ur notes app, post it on fp thoughts, grab a napkin for gods sake!

let me take a leaf from defmaybe's notes, i also mainly write hype moments in a way. prael's advice to def was to start there and work backwards to the beginning of the fic. distilling this into my own words, write the fun parts! bridge them later! no rules! (again taking from def's notes, the only rules are the content guidelines)

By: Friedrich Hatzerlin

Q: "What are the skill checks in terms of writing skills? I really love your works and wish to be like you in a way, can you tell me the milestones/steps one need to take to achieve it?"

🍊 - thank you! well, in writing in terms of experience, you should be honing and building up your skill levels in terms of wordplay, dialogue, build-up and engagement. I think engagement is a skill you must really look forward to improving since readers would love it whenever things capture their emotions and what they like in your fic, thus, elevating engagement.