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--What feedback or advice have you received that significantly changed your approach to this current story, or to writing in general?

I think for the book I'm currently working on, the constructive criticism I've received has been largely about how difficult it is to follow a wrestling match in text, without the visuals. So I've pushed myself to be as clear as possible and use as little jargon as possible, which is a big challenge! Like describing a fight scene but with super-technical language for each kind of punch or kick. How about you, have you gotten any useful feedback in your career?

--How do you handle writing scenes that are emotionally difficult for you personally?

Ohhhh, I confess I mostly don't, haha. I'm not into fic to write things that are painful to me! I think for some people, with some issues, it might be cathartic--but I can't imagine writing about someone's mother dying, it would be too hard for me. Luckily with fic I'm allowed to dodge difficult things unless I really want to, you know? I'm curious how that works for other writers, though...

--What aspect of your writing voice feels most authentic in this story?

Oh, that's a vague question but kind of interesting! What part of you is your most recent work connecting with authentically? I'm working on a new edition of my wrestling book, and dealing with writing about my favorite's terrible neck injury, so there's a lot of my fear about the future and the very finite mortality of wrestlers in it. That's been a huge difference between superhero comic book fandom and wrestling fandom--Batman and Superman are eternal and there will always be new versions of them, but wrestlers are extremely tied to the real physical actor and there's no transcending that. So it's been interesting to deal with my emotions about that as I write.

If you're having problems writing this week, maybe talking about what real parts of you it's connected to will help?

--How do you decide what to show versus what to summarize or skip entirely?

Here we are with battle and fight scenes again! Basically, unless there's an important character beat, I'll summarize fights as much as possible. No one needs to hear every single move that happens! It's enough to be like "there was a flurry of activity that Bruce couldn't follow--he wasn't sure even Clark could have--and at the end of it Darkseid was holding Black Canary by the throat." Character and relationship beats often DO happen in fight scenes, but if they don't I say summarize and move on. (I'm the same way about sex scenes at this point, I'm not interested in writing them for the sake of writing them unless something important happens to the characters or the relationship).

What are you detailing and what are you summarizing this week? In the history I'm writing, there's about a year with no real interaction between my two characters, so I'm compressing that a lot.

--What writing technique or craft element are you focusing on improving in your current story?

In good news, I've been approached by my publisher about doing an addition to my book now that one of the subjects is back from career-threatening injury! And it's basically formal fanfic that follows canon very closely, so I think I can apply questions to that project.

What would I like to do better this time around? I'm struggling to make sure that my writing doesn't sound too much like AI writing, to be honest. In part because so much AI was trained on reams of freely-available fanfic, AI writing has a lot of the tics and habits that my writing tends to have. I don't think it's any good weeding them all out (I'd be left with the flattest prose) but the writing goes more slowly when I'm constantly second-guessing myself. I guess really the true answer to this question is more "I'm trying to relax and not get too hung up on worrying about it."

(I also am trying to make sure I stop using "very" so much! I cannot break myself of this bad habit, lol).

I hope things are going well with you and your writing!

--How do you know when a scene is working versus when it needs to be completely reimagined?

Oh, the anguish of writing a scene that somehow isn't working and you're not sure how to fix it! I think for me the hint is that it starts to feel like I'm running into a wall. What's going to come after this scene? It's like the road disappears into fog. That's usually my best indication that things are going off the rails and I have to back up and find a new path (which sometimes can take me WAY back, which is very depressing).

I hope whatever you're working on is going smoothly this week! I've been on the road visiting family, which was lovely, but it's also nice to be home (and talking about fanfic with you!)

--What's the most challenging scene you've had to write in your current WiP so far, and how did you approach it?

Well, so far all of them, alas! Right now simply finding the time to write at all is almost impossible. In the past my most challenging scenes have always involved either the Joker or Harley Quinn, because writing erratic and unpredictable characters is always hard for me. Honestly I think once of my hardest scenes ever was at the climax of a fic where Harley was threatening Batman by putting civilians in danger, because between the logistics of creating the deathtrap and also having Harley be unpredictable I was really stretched thin! It took forever to get through it and my beta really had to re-write large swatches of it.

What have you struggled to get through and how did you do it?

--What partnership or team dynamic in your story brings you the most joy to write, and what makes their chemistry work?

I mean, in my case, obviously Bruce and Clark, lol. The Jeph Loeb Superman/Batman series was very formative and I love the way he writes their banter (over time, his ability to write a plot that actually hangs together has become more suspect to me, but boy do I love his interpersonal dynamics).

I also really enjoyed Dick (as Batman) with Damian as Robin for that run! I found the flipping the a fairly upbeat Batman and a very grim Robin fascinating as an inversion. Probably doesn't work as well as Bruce/Dick in the long run, though!

Who on the many teams and groups you write is compelling to you?

--How does the city or location itself function as a character in your story, shaping events and atmosphere?

I mean, any time you write in Gotham or Metropolis or Smallville, the way you see the character of the city can make a huge difference in the storytelling! In the past I've often leaned into seeing Gotham as a nearly supernatural, almost sentient being, though it's rarely done in canon in a way I enjoy. Superhero cities especially can be really resonant, but I feel like the character of the setting is really important in a lot of fandoms. Though when I think about it, in professional wrestling writing the city itself often isn't terribly important because when they're on tour it can all become a blur--the only setting that matters in the ring, because all the arenas and stadiums end up feeling much the same.

--What original character has surprised you by becoming more complex than you initially planned?

I try to keep original characters to a minimum, but in one series I had to have a tour guide around as Clark and Bruce were visiting Japan--of course they didn't technically need her, so as a result her POV got more ironic as she slowly started to realize that, which was fun! She was one of my favorites, I think. Where have your original characters taken you that you didn't expect?

--How do you maintain each character's distinct voice when writing rapid-fire dialogue or group scenes during tense situations?

Basically, how do you deal with the challenge of group scenes? Personally, I know I often try to weasel out of them by either finding ways to avoid them entirely or summarizing everyone else's part ("There was a chorus of disagreement, but Clark stood firm" rather than saying what each character said.) Like we were talking about last week, unless one of the group characters is getting character work in a story, it doesn't seem always necessary to focus on them (but sometimes with a group I'm really comfortable with, like the animated Justice League, it can be fun!)

--How do you handle ensemble dynamics when multiple characters all deserve attention and development?

For those of us working on a story that has a big ensemble! This can be a problem in superhero fic, wrestling fic, and anything else based on a large workplace or from a large universe, because they tend to have VERY large casts of compelling people and you don't want to neglect characters, but you also don't want to get tugged too far away from your main characters. I've had readers get frustrated that my focus has stayed really tight sometimes, or that I've used other characters as plot devices for my story--I try to avoid it because every character is a favorite character for someone, but sometimes you really need a plot device, lol!

Which supporting character is tugging at your attention right now?

--We're all writing about people who have careers that are important to them. What details about their job—the routine, the paperwork, the small moments between crises—do you think add texture to your stories?

Superheroes are not known for doing a great deal of paperwork (one way I envy them!) But I do love writing those moments on the Watchtower in between crises when everyone is hanging out--there's got to be a few of them, right? In the AU I'm poking at, Clark is a sheriff, and there's a lot of down time keeping guard over criminals in the jail, for example, that serve a lot of the same purpose.

I was in the US last week playing watchdog for 26 young students, but am back to think about fic this week! (Speaking of job details...)

--What would your characters miss most if they had to leave their world behind?

That's pretty open-ended depending on how you define "their world," huh? I'm imagining if the Gaslight Clark and Bruce found themselves in the regular DCU suddenly--they both seem pretty unrooted interpersonally right now, Clark just met Lois and Jimmy and there's been no mention of the Kents at all, Bruce has a fiancee he doesn't seem to think about much, lol. So not that, probably! I think Clark would find the modern world unbearably noisy at first--long quiet stretches would be hard to come by, and he'd really appreciate the idea of a Fortress of Solitude.

However you define the world for your characters, what would they miss if they left it?

--What sensory details are you using to make your world feel lived-in and real?

AKA the Cigarette Smoke Question! Having grown up in the 70s I can testify it was basically a fog that hung around everything.

Wild West in the 1880s... lot of dust, smoke, and horses! Clark likes to whittle in this world and keep his hands busy, so the sensory feeling of carving wood definitely is a part of it. (I just realized writing this that whittling a bat to silently give to Bruce would be a very nice way of letting him know he's figured out his secret identity!)

--How does the time period or setting of your story amplify the themes you're exploring?

We're all working in pretty different time periods and settings! I can definitely see some of the new technology marvels of the late 19th century being really key to the Gaslight universe--that steampunk influence. And also the frontier feeling of the West that permeates the most recent canon. There's a sense of wonder and exploration that really suits Clark especially, and contrasts nicely with the more "punk" side that Batman represents, all shadows and grime.

I know both Brady and Svgurl are writing in times and milieus that were much more repressive for same-sex couples, which is an extra challenge!

How do the social, political, or cultural systems in your world shape your characters' choices and conflicts?

Part of what I love about these kinds of questions is thinking about how interesting your answers are likely to be! The historical research that Brady is doing, the possibility of the Russian cultural influence Svgurl might be digging into--it's really fascinating. For me it's mostly the urban/rural divide of the Victorian age and the tension between the "frontier" (which Kansas kind of is at the time) and the more elegant city life is really interesting, I am very eager to write Clark visiting Gotham for the first time!

--What research rabbit hole have you fallen down for this story, and what unexpected discoveries did you make?

I think most of my research so far has been on Thunderbird myths in the different Native American tribes in the Kansas area (which has been fun!) I love that touch from the Gaslight series that Clark is connected to the Thunderbird and was in some way mentored by Black Condor (and I also learned there have been three Black Condors and the first two were white guys!) 

What research have you been doing, whether it's into illnesses, flowers, New York or Edwardian times?

--How does the physical environment of your story reflect or contrast with your characters' internal landscapes?

Back to Gotham and Metropolis again! It's such a classic case of the setting being practically an outgrowth of the characters' personalities. The story I'm (hypothetically) working on is a steampunk version, so Gotham's a little more ornate and grimy (though really, the canon version of Gotham is pretty steampunk at its base!). Bruce embodies Gotham at both the high society, glittering top level and the dark underbelly full of shadows beneath it, while Clark's Metropolis is a much more evenly sunny experience--not so many dark dirty corners there (fitting for its avatar).

How is your setting reflecting, and reflected in, the characters you're writing right now?

--What detail about your setting surprised you as you developed it, and how did it change your story?

Time to talk about setting! I feel like setting tends to be surprisingly important in superhero comics--how different cities have different characters that reflect the tone of their superheroes (I mean, obviously Gotham and Metropolis are the the most famous examples!) The version I'm looking at is a Wild West Smallville, which so far hasn't surprised me, but it's been interesting. I feel like Gaslight Metropolis is closer to this Smallville than in DC canon, just because traveling from the East Coast to Kansas feels like it must have been so much more difficult back then. Lots more train travel for Bruce, for example! 

Where is your most recent fic set, and what difference is that making in your writing?

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