My approach prioritizes psychological complexity and relational dynamics over plot-driven structure. Characters are built around internal and external tensions, such as status versus vulnerability, duty versus desire, and unified identity versus dissociation. These tensions function as the primary engine of narrative. Events are secondary: they serve as stimuli that reveal how a character behaves under conflicting pressures.

Interpersonal dynamics, especially family hierarchies, sibling roles, and power asymmetries, are treated as structural elements rather than background. Characterization is also supported by concrete sensory and behavioral details (setting, gestures, small objects), which ground the more dramatic or psychological content in believable, lived-in realism.

LANCE: I think the most important thing in my writing style is understanding how my characters develop their feelings and what makes those feelings meaningful to them? I mean, I like exploring the little things that lead someone to fall in love, grow attached to another person, or realise that their feelings have changed over time. For me, it’s not only about the relationship itself, but also about the circumstances, conversations, and seemingly ordinary moments that bring two people closer together. I want my characters’ feelings to feel natural and genuine, as though they grow out of their experiences rather than simply appearing out of nowhere. Whether I’m writing romance, unrequited love, or platonic affection, I always want to understand the why behind what my characters feel before deciding how to put those feelings into words.

SEL.ᅠapa ya ... jawaban ini bisa berubah sewaktu-waktu, tapi belakangan ini aku berusaha menuliskan suaranya karakterku. Jadi mungkin point of view? Selanjutnya rasa, lalu riset, diksi dan tata bahasa. Tulisan-tulisanku kebanyakan jadi bahan percobaanku setiap kali mau coba sesuatu atau baru belajar sesuatu, jadi mungkin akan berasa inkonsistennya. Kepuasan dan kelegaanku setelah menuliskannya juga penting. Untuk metodenya, sekarang aku lebih suka drafting untuk menjaga konsistensi alur karena aku pelupa. Sebisa mungkin di tulisanku juga "show don't tell", lebih ke ingin menguji diri sendiri pas baca ulang tulisanku apakah goal untuk menyampaikan rasa itu sampai atau enggak ... tapi gatau juga ya, rasanya kurang valid kalo yg nilai penulisnya sendiri. Gitu deh pokoknya, Viff. Jawabanku menjawab pertanyaan ini gak ya? 😭

Kalau di level substansi, belakangan harus ada tema. Tema ini lebih kayak gagasan apa yang ingin dibawa dan terus muncul di karakter yang gue tulis. Kayak misalnya, Kanra itu temanya menjadi monster yang kau lawan di masa lalu. Terus Zufar tentang resiliensi warga di tengah impitan lanskap urban. Ajal soal merebut kembali agensi tubuh perempuan dan queer. Tema membuat gue paham apa yang perlu diceritakan dan seperti apa gue mesti menggerakkan karakternya.

Kalau di level narasi, punchlines. Gue suka banget nulis kalimat pendek yang kerasa nonjok. Jadi dalam sebuah tulisan gue usahakan ada kalimat ini. Kalau gak sebagai awalan, biasanya akhiran.

This gonna be long... but bear with me. I will hold your hand when I told you this.

I suppose my approach to writing is fairly simple. First thing first, do I enjoy writing this? I always ask myself whether I want to explore the story further, whether I’m curious about where the characters will take me, and whether I would enjoy it as a reader. After all, I’m the first target audience audience of my own work.

Second, I believe every story should leave something for the audience to think about. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a complicated plot or some grand revelation. Sometimes, it’s as simple as wondering why a character made a certain decision, whether they could have acted differently, or what really led them to that point. I want people to have something to discuss after the story ends, something that makes them look back at what they’ve read and question their own understanding of it. Whether I always manage to achieve that is another matter, but it’s something I keep in mind.

As for the technical side, I won’t pretend that grammar and writing conventions are my greatest concern when I’m drafting. Of course, they matter, and I’ll make revisions when necessary. But if the story makes sense, the characters feel right, and I can convey what I intend to say, then I’m good.

My writing tends to lean toward descriptive and narrative prose. I enjoy taking my time explaining things. I like giving the reader enough context to understand the situation, make it as if they’re standing in the room with the characters, watching things unfold for themselves, isn’t fun?

I suppose that’s also why I spend so much time thinking about characterization. Human is complicated after all. Sometimes, a character makes a decision that even the audience disagrees with, but that doesn’t automatically make it a bad decision or bad writing don’t you think? It’s the character, you can’t read people and being right all the time. All decisions whether there’s a reason behind it or not, fiction or not, I don’t think we need to always put deeper meaning into everything.

That said, I don’t think every scene needs to carry some profound meaning, nor does every character have to be great or carry some grand mission. Everyone has something in their life that gives them purpose. Whether that purpose is big, small, fun, or even boring, let the writer have fun exploring their story.

Especially in OCRP, where we write for fun, I don’t think we need to take everything so seriously. Everyone has their own standards, writing styles, and methods. As long as nobody gets hurt, I think we’re all good.

That’s at least how I approach this.

/ Trying to give my best answer because I'm still learning to find my writing comfort and style. Yang pertama, baca fiksi yang menurut kita bagus dan nyaman dibaca, juga yang bisa dijadikan referensi tulisan kita. Selama baca biasanya saya sambil mencatat diksi atau kalimat yang sekiranya 'baru' karena suatu hari bisa diadopsi dan modifikasi buat tulisan kita (baik English maupun Bahasa Indonesia). Khusus Bahasa, paling penting belajar EYD. Kalau English, kurang lebih sama. Banyak-banyak koleksi vocabulary juga. Masalah grammar juga masih bisa mengikuti sambil belajar (saya juga sering error but it's FINE) selama percaya diri, kenapa tidak? Oh, also ... Do your drafts in order (karena biasanya memengaruhi mood buat menulis kalau semuanya rapi)

Tapi, apapun itu ... semuanya adalah proses belajar asal tidak merugikan orang lain. Mungkin kita belum menemukan style yang nyaman tapi proses yang kita jalani akan selalu membentuk sesuatu.