Author Interview: houroflead

Oxymoronic8's Recommendation: Porcupine Embrace By houroflead

1. What was it about the Twilight Fandom that made you want to write fanfiction for it?

I didn’t even know fan fiction existed until a few months ago. It still sort of surprises me that it does, and so broadly. The fact that I have my own fan fiction story now is beyond bizarre to me.
I had an idea for a short story, it just happened that a theme in Twilight fit in nicely with it. Pretty cut and dry, Twilight inspired no original stories for me, only one canon story that is currently in the works, and that story is based on a problem I had with New Moon.

2. Is writing a new venture for you and how are you finding your way through the process?

I’m not new to create writing in general, but as far as fan fiction and having public feedback to what I write, yes, that is completely new for me.
If I’ve learned anything from the process it’s that you learn as you go. I’ve learned that creatively, it is impossible for me to write under pressure. Normally, I’m a procrastinator who flourishes under last-minute stress, but as far as writing goes, I can not be creative if I am just trying to get something out within a timeline.

3. What made you choose the genre you write in versus the others? Human vs. Vamps as an example.

As far The Porcupine Embrace (human) goes, it was just a story in my head. Someone once told me that I lived a “porcupine life” and the phrase always stuck with me. From there, a story was born that had nothing to do with Twilight. It was a lot of random dialogue and scenes that I slowly pieced together and decided to use for a fic. Pretty unromantic, but true.

4. What do you do to avoid writer's block? If it's unavoidable, what do you do to surpass it?

I waited until The Porcupine Embrace was nearly complete before posting it, so I had the luxury of starting and stopping as I felt like it.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a serious case of writer’s block, but I have definitely been at a total brick wall with a particular scene, and what I do is pull up the document and force myself to just start typing – just anything, whatever comes to mind, even if its crap, that usually at least gets the gears in my head going again. Then later I can go back and edit.

5. Do you find that any certain characters are more difficult to write than others?

Only characters that are minor. They are the hardest for me, and I sweat over their words like none other.
I don’t like to throw in dialogue just for the sake of dialogue; if any of my characters say anything, I want it to serve a purpose. Gratuitous use of minor characters bothers me, it’s just unnecessary and distracting in my opinion.

6. What do you like to see in a review?

If someone takes the time to review, I appreciate it. Even if its “update soon” or “Edwards an asshole”, I do genuinely appreciate all types of feedback.
If someone wants to be critical, constructively or otherwise, that should always be done on a private platform, i.e.; pm/email.
In an ideal review, the individual notices not just the plot, characters and their actions, but the writing itself. Those tend to be my favorite. Vanity, much?

7. What made you pick your pen name?

It’s taken from my favorite Emily Dickinson poem, “After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes”

This is the hour of lea
Remembered, if outlived,
As freezing persons, recollect the snow-
First, chill, then stupor, then the letting go

I couldn’t say why. The poem’s theme is beyond melancholy – it’s straight up dark. It’s about death and yet still, somehow, intensely beautiful and serene.

8. Tell us the guiltiest pleasure you indulge in ;).

There isn’t really a “guilty” pleasure I have that I’m not totally open about. I’m narcissistic enough to think that if I like something, that automatically means its cool. Fan fiction is probably the only thing that I indulge way too much in.