olzziii asked:
And kinda off topic but I'm curious: did you maybe think of writing a book in the future?? I feel like you would come up with something amazing (and super angsty obv) and omg I would love to read it <3333
Omg thank you!!! Short answer, yes: I want to be a novelist, and in particular, I want to write books with lots of representation of people of different genders, sexualities, ethnicities, etc. If I could sum up my “mission statement” in one sentence, it would be that I want to write YA books for lesbians, sapphics, wlw, and basically any non-men who love non-men, because LGBT books with sapphic stories are really hard to come by.
I actually already write novels. In the past six years, I’ve written 8 full-length novels not including fic, and I’m currently revising/editing my most recent project in hopes of getting it published. I’m also pursuing a BFA in creative writing that will hopefully help me learn even more about my craft. (If any of you live in Boston, HMU).
To be honest, writing fic on AO3 has been sort of an experiment for me. For the past half a decade, writing has been a really solitary experience. I can’t picture my life without it, but it’s not a part of my life that I can necessarily share with those closest to me—getting my friends and family to read anything I write is sort of like pulling teeth. I understand it—asking them to read eight 400 page novels is sort of a big ask—but that means it’s pretty hard for me to get feedback on my work. I’ve also faced a lot of discouragement from those closest to me, my father in particular.
AO3 has allowed me to transform my solitary hobby into something connective and community-oriented. Even more importantly, for the first time in my life, I’m getting feedback from the audiences I want to write for. The fact that thousands of people are reading my stories of their own volition honestly means more to me than I can express after years of struggling to get people to review my work, and I can feel myself growing so much as a writer because of the incredible community that I’ve found. Every comment, kudos, and message is helping me on my journey towards making my dream into a reality.
I’ve said before that you guys mean the world to me, and that your support for my stories means more than I can say, but I don’t think many people realize how true that really is. Having people read my work is incredibly validating after discouragement from close family, and it’s also an incredible learning experience. So, from the bottom of my heart, thanks to every single one of you.
I won’t say exactly what my current novel is about, and it also won’t be by “noelleification"—some of you know that Noelle is a pseudonym I use for writing fic. But I’ll definitely post about it here when I get my first novel published (and I do mean when, because I’m going to get my stories out there no matter what). If I had to describe my current project in one sentence, it would be this: an LGBT superhero spoof novel with both heart and humor in abundance that focuses on love/found family, mental health, and the true meaning of courage. Despite the genre, rest assured that it has PLENTY of that good angst—not quite as much as BMR, but anyone who knows me knows that I can’t resist some hurt/comfort. It’s also sapphic, and as most of my wlw peers will know, it can be really hard to find decent sapphic literature.
Thank you for your constant support and encouragement. I really couldn’t do it without you guys. <3 <3
helila