fully agreed – Meg's Mumbles

salt-of-the-ao3:

runrundoyourstuff:

Starting to write fic for a new fandom is weird. Because in the fandom I’m experienced with, I’m familiar with the characters. Writing them feels less like writing, and more like transcribing conversations I hear them having. And yeah, I come up with the premise, but that’s it. Once I do that, all I have to do is drop the characters in and listen to them.

In a new fandom, I’m still getting to know these characters. Sometimes, I hear them, and sometimes I don’t. Most of the time, it really feels like I have to write them. It’s like climbing down a ladder–in the fandom I’m experienced with, I don’t have to look at my feet. I know where the rungs will be. In the new fandom, I have to grope around looking for the rungs, and even when my foot finds them, I have to step on them tentatively, test them out before committing to the step.

But it’s kinda a joy, too, because I can (just barely) remember feeling this way about the fandom I’m experienced with too. And now it’s so natural. And this time, I feel myself learning.

Reblogging this because it’s a fascinating insight into creating fanfics.