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Anonymous · 29d
You mentioned that next year will be 10 years since you started this story, and honestly that's incredible!
Did you ever have moments where writing felt hard, or where you lost motivation for the story? How did you keep going?
I've been working on my own story for almost a year and a half, and sometimes I feel like I'm taking forever with it, so I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I started writing Dekaeptaia right around the time I started getting into Seventeen (my love for groups has always inspired my writing). Like every author, I’ve had moments of writer’s block. Or sometimes, I just had more important things to do than write a fic. But I always had the story I wanted to tell in mind, the things I wanted to see happen and bring to life. Even when I’m not writing, I’m always imagining storylines and telling myself that I absolutely have to share them! That I have to write them down so these ideas are never lost.
Dekaeptaia is a bit special in that regard because I consider this fanfic a lifelong project (since I’m 22 this year, Dekaeptaia is almost half my life haha). I feel like I can’t really lose motivation anymore because it’s a part of me. Plus, I’ve always known that Dekaeptaia would be a particularly long story: there are 13 or 14 main characters, each with their own individual story, plus twice as many secondary characters, tons of historical references, and reimagined myths… I knew from the start that I was in for many, many years, but even when I get tired, I always end up coming back to it, because telling the story I’ve imagined is what makes me happiest.
When writing gets harder, I like to share my ideas with friends and watch their reactions! Seeing them laugh, shout, and sometimes cry reassures me that my stories are worth writing.
Anonymous · 29d
Can you recommend me a book or something for greek mythology. I am interested in knowing more. I was thinking like The Greek Myths : The Complete and Definitive Edition by Robert Graves.
I’d say the best thing to do is to read the ancient authors directly! Find a myth that particularly interests you and see which texts mention it. Generally, it’s recommended to read the major, foundational works, such as the Homeric epics or Hesiod’s Theogony. But as for academic references, I looked through my class notes for materials in English:
The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology, 8th Edition by Robin Hard
The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion
These two are the most general resources, the others I have are specific to a particular topic
Anonymous · 29d
Was there ever a moment where you didn’t want to write a chapter a certain way because it didn’t align with your ideology but had to write it for the sake of accuracy? Like greek mytholgy can be intense.
That’s a really interesting question! There are obviously moments that are harder to write than others, but I’ve never thought I wouldn’t write them simply because they don’t align with my values. If these things are essential to the story, then they have to be written! And I don’t think what I write has any aim to be a manifesto of any kind or to demonstrate a certain moral purity. Rather, it’s meant to evoke emotions in readers, whatever those may be.
And if I were reluctant to tackle difficult or controversial topics, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to base my work on Greek mythology.
For example, incest is a recurring theme in this mythology and therefore in Dekaeptaia, but within the story itself, I make no moral judgment about it: that’s just the way things are.
Anonymous · 29d
How long did the whole fic writing process take for dekaeptaia? The world building is insane. I personally stuggle with long fics because i end up contradicting myself or creating plot holes when writing cuz i forget what i wrote in the initial chapters. Like do you keep going back an forth to see what you wrote or do just remember?
Dekaeptaia is a special case for me because it’s truly my biggest project, and next year will mark 10 years since I started working on it! I began by writing the story for the first time, with just a rough idea of the main plot but without really knowing where I was going. Starting from that initial draft (which was full of inconsistencies!!), I went back to the major, essential points and jotted down everything that needed to happen before and after those events to make them logical.
Now, when I write, I rely on a timeline I prepared in advance (though it’s always subject to a little adjustment depending on how I feel). I’d also say I have a pretty good memory, which saves me from having to regularly check what I’ve already written, but I do sometimes reread past chapters just to be sure.
My notes are pretty chaotic because I use so many different formats (character sheets, spreadsheets, or even just notes on my phone), but that’s what works for me.
Anonymous · 3mo
I’ve always wondered what it’s like to leave comments long after a chapter or an entire story has been posted. Sometimes I don’t have the time to comment right away on a fic I’m following, because life just gets in the way. I might only get the chance to read it a week, or even a month later. And then I start wondering… is it still okay to leave a comment after so much time has passed? I wonder what you think about it as an author.
It's more than okay!! I feel genuinely so happy when someone comments, whatever the fic, whether it's as soon as I post or weeks later 🥹 If anything, getting a comment long after posting something feels really special, like you're so invested in reading that you want to react, and that really means a lot to me! So if you ever want to comment, please do 🥹🫶