It's time for a new interview with another fabolous writer... Nefduliniel!
This is a great opportunity for you to find out who Serena really is.
It was a great pleasure to hold this interview and I hope you enjoy reading it :)
So without further ado, here are her answers to our questions!

Personal

Tell us a little bit about yourself

Where do I start? My full name is Serena Fast, I’m 19, a sophomore at Baylor University majoring in Linguistics with a minor in Political Science. I’m the oldest of five kids and I’m originally from California (but I live in Texas most of the year now because of school).

When and why did you decide to start writing fan fics? Did you have any sort of experience in writing before this?

I guess I really started writing fan fiction my freshman year of high school. But I didn’t really write anything too big then, mostly drabbles and some unfinished shorter works. But I’ve been writing just in general for as long as I can remember. In elementary school I remember they used to have these yearly “Young Author” competitions and I always participated (and I won a few times as well).

Which stories have you written so far?

Unfortunately, I only have one finished fic, After the Summer. But I have a handful of unfinished ones (that I will finish one day) including Autumn Nights (the sequel to After the Summer), The Maze, All That Jazz, and Jinxed.

What do you think joint fics? Would you do it?

I think joint fics are a great idea if you have two authors with similar styles who can get along well. There are a couple people on the site that I would do one with.

What mostly inspires you?

Music. I love rock music and can’t write without it in the background. Also, my friends. They’re so crazy, some of my best ideas spring off of something they do or say.

What authors do you admire? (Real life and on this site)

My favorite authors are Tom Stoppard, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Shakespeare, and Cervantes. On this site, there are a ton of really fantastic authors. Two of my best friends, Jewelz and Celandine, post their stories here and they are such fantastic writers. I also really admire Amber (Ambrosia), Pat (Airefeaiel), Alli (4everElijah), and Cat.


Writing

How would you describe your own style of writing?

I try to make my fics flow evenly and I include my own dry, sarcastic sense of humor in to them. I’ve been most deeply influenced by Stephen King and Neil Gaiman, so my stories are mostly horror, suspense, and fantasy.

To you, What are the bad sides of writing?

I don’t think there is a bad side to writing. If I could just write for the rest of my life and not do anything else, I would.

How big of a place does writing have in your life?

It’s a huge part of my life. I want to be a speech writer when I finish my degree but along with that I want to write. I write whenever I can. I thrive on competitions like NaNoWriMo because they push me to write more than I normally have time to.

Other than writing, do you have any artistic sides?

I have a Photoshop addiction. I make icons for my live journal like a madwoman.

How does your writing make you feel? How important is it to you?

When I’m writing, I’m happy. Even if I’m just scribbing in a beat up notebook in the back of one of my classes. It’s extremely important to me because it’s the way I express my self. I’m not much of a talker normally.

Have you ever suffered from a writersblock and if so how do you deal with it?

Who hasn’t suffered from writers block? I get it all the time and I deal with it by putting down whatever I’m working on, going for a walk, consuming a lot of coffee and just waiting for my characters to get their act together.

What different genres, if any, would you like to attempt writing? What do you feel would challenge you the most?

I’m not very good with romance, mostly because I’m not too great in that department. I think writing a truly good romance would be challenging for me which is probably why it’s taking me so long to write All That Jazz.

Do you consider yourself an organized writer (make outlines and notes) or do you have a more whimsical, creative approach?

There isn’t a single aspect of my life that is organized, including writing. I sometimes try to organize it, but it just doesn’t work.

The story

Do your characters set where the story is heading, or do you find characters that match the storyline you already have in your head?

The characters completely control my stories. I might have a faint idea of what is going to happen in the back of my head, but if the character starts going a different direction, I just let them. It’s more fun that way.

Are the characters you create inspired by people you already know or are they just a creation of your mind? Basically, what shapes them?

My characters are definitely inspired by people I know, or other characters in books or on TV. I see a lot of myself in my main characters because I’m normally such a secretive person that it’s easier to let the world know who I am through my characters.

Where do you mostly get your story ideas, do they just come to you or do you have a more complicated way of finding them?

A lot of the time my stories come from something a friend of mine said or something I saw on TV or at the movies. For example, most of the events in After the Summer were inspired by conversations I had with my writing friends. And All That Jazz was born after I watched Chicago for the bazillionth time.

What is your idea of the perfect story? What do you dislike reading most in a story?

The perfect story has to be funny, smart, and intriguing. There has to be something to keep me turning the pages. I hate repetitive stories, where the events in the story are basically the same from chapter to chapter.

When you read something, what makes you tell whether it's good or not?

If I finish reading it and realize that an hour has gone by and I didn't notice or that there are tears streaming down my face from laughter or crying. If I can feel the emotions of the characters, I know I have a good story.

What makes you stop writing a story?

It takes a lot to get me to stop writing a story. Sometimes the characters just aren’t working with me or sometimes I just get really caught up in other things (as much as I’d like to just sit around writing all day, I still have to go to school and work).

Is there anything you would like to share with us, you think is important/ funny/ handy to know?

I guess if I were to give beginning writers some advice it would be this: Get a beta. Even if you are the greatest writer in the world, it’s hard for you to see the flaws in your own writing. A fresh pair of eyes can catch your mistakes better than you can (and you will make mistakes, we all do) so don’t be afraid to have someone look over your stories. Bad grammar or spelling can ruin a really great story.

Great interview Bunny!
I think you did well.

It is nice to get to know you better Serena. I knew very little about you but I have the feeling that has definitly changed.
I especially like your advice at the end for beginning writers. I am totally agreeing with you on that.

Oh and I am definitly with you on the rock music part :yay:

Yes! I was so excited when I saw this! Awesome interview bunny, you're questions were fantab!


I don't know how I failed to know that your name is Serena! That's like my all time favourite name!! I've loved it ever since my Sailormoon obsession as a kid hehe. I'm jealous of you now :P

I really admire that you're working on a genre that's more challenging for you than others. That's really awesome. And from what I've read of 'All that Jazz' so far I think it's going to be a great romance ^_^

And your advice is tres bon. It's so easy to miss the mistakes made, and I find it really embarassing when I post a chapter and it has like a thousand mistakes in it that I didn't even notice.

:love: Love ya!

Hey,

Great interview Bunny. I love this section because you get to know why people write the fics they do it is amazing. I love the advice about beta it is important. Good luck with All that Jazz, its hard writting in a genre you not sure in but you are doing a great job.

Great to kinda get to know you better.

with love
Anneka

You guys are great!! I really enjoyed doing the interview!

Oh, and Cat, you probably didn't know that was my name because for the most part, I go by Jinx.



~Jinx!

Awww, you love me, you really love me! lol :hug:

That was a great interview! I feel so special knowing you in person, it's like you're famous or something having been interviewed. ^_^

*dies laughing* Jinx, do you remember that one day in Environmental Science when you, me, and Jewelz came up with the whole Orli/Sean cheeseburger thing in After the Summer? Or even better, "And that was how they met Billy." lol, those were good times.

*bunny*, you did a great job with this!

Loved the interview *bunny* and it's so cool to know more about you Serena! *huggles* *starts singing* Fighting evil by moonlight...writing fics by daylight....lol

*squeals* You like my work! thankyou!!

:heartbeat: Pat

Ohh, what an informative interview! So many things I didn't know about you, dear....starting with your name, I reckon. :laugh: I always thought of you as Jinx, so it's nice to hear your real name.

And, I didn't know you were at Baylor! That's awesome! It's always nice to hear that someone is in Texas...it's sorta close to me in Louisiana. Sorta. ^_^

Also, thanks so much for saying that you admire me as an author! That was so sweet of you, and you know I feel the same way about your work. Speaking of...any updates in the near future? *blinks* I know I know, I couldn't help myself! ;-)

Awesome interview, Jinx!

And, you did a great job, Bunny!

Pat, you're weird...but I luv ya anyways.

Celly, you guys are hilarious. Some of my best moments have come from you guys.

Lol, Amber, you're great. I'm working on updates currently (I've pretty much resigned myself to not finishing NaNoWriMo this year) and will hopefully have some up in a couple weeks.




~Jinx!

omgomg! You watched Sailor Moon TOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Had to have my spazzoid moment there. ^_^

Great interview, Serena! It's always interesting to learn about people you don't know too well...hopefully we'll see more of each other in the future. :)

Jaime