#also can't go wrong with using fiona apple lyrics for your title

[underdark-dreams]

You are such an amazing writer! I hope I can write as well as you one day! would you be willing to talk about your process and how you come up with your amazing ideas? (like your Rolan x Tav A Strand to Climb it is a work of art!)

Love your work! please keep writing Rolan fics!

I am so humbled by this! Thank you so much!! I’m really glad you enjoy A Strand To Climb, it is honestly the first long fic I’ve attempted. As such I was a little ashamed to answer this ask 🫣 So I apologize that I had to stew over the answer for a few weeks. My writing process is pretty improvisational, poorly planned, and spur of the moment.

Thankfully I have been saved by the bell somewhat by @dutifullylazybread's amazing answer on a their writing process! Their advice is pretty much exactly what I would tell anyone else, and it helped me sort through some of my own WIPs better after reading. Just read their fic Deeply and Immovably So and see how well crafted it is.

Finding the process that works for you personally is honestly the best advice you can follow as a writer, whether that’s outlining all the chapters or finding the story on the way. I know many very talented writers who use both methods, so don’t be scared to give both a shot and see which works for you. I can tell you, for me, my goal is to outline my fics better in the future. I occasionally go back and read my works and cringe at the little inconsistencies that better planning could have avoided.

It’s also a real privilege to write for a game that’s already as well-written as Baldur’s Gate 3 is. The framework of events and the character development are already fleshed out beautifully in this game, which has made writing for Rolan or other characters much easier than it could be.

Personally, I do find that moments or scenes come to me very strongly. For ASTC, I’ve written many chapters just by having one or two key events in mind that I know I want to fit in somehow. Then I write all the connecting bits of the chapter around those. For example: 

Ch3 - Wanted to see a heart-to-heart conversation between Lakrissa and Rolan, since I find their personalities similar yet contrasting in interesting ways

Ch5 - Wanted to give Rolan and Tav a quiet, hurt/comfort moment together in a bath (who doesn’t love that trope)

And in general, I encourage you to read or listen to books in the Forgotten Realms universe if you’re looking for ideas! Having the world/atmosphere built up in the back of your mind is super helpful when you’re drafting out a story. Fight scenes are not my strength, but I knew I’d need to write some in ASTC and in other stories. Reading Baldur’s Gate by Philip Athans was a huge help with that. Really, doing lots of reading will always help your writing!