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submitted by dreamingwanderer
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1. Tell us about your most recent project (written or published). What inspired it?

Let me get to that in a moment.  This’ll make sense when I get down to it, trust me.

Up to this point, just about every story I’ve written has been in one of two categories.  In one, I was writing for submission.  Just about every anthology has at least a broad theme, so just to start with I’m working under thematic limitations.  Even in situations where the theme either coincided with my own interests or was broad enough that I could do my own take with it, there were always word limitations, or content limitations–things I had to include, or things that I wasn’t allowed to include.  Not that I’m saying they’re restrictive, mind you.  If you’ve read a few of the anthologies out there, I think you’ll find that the stories included are usually quite diverse.  It’s just that while going in, I’ve always got this image in mind that’s pretty tightly boxed.  The story must be about this long, and it must contain these themes, and here are the lines in the dirt across which I must not put a toe.  Anthologies are great for keeping the writing juices flowing.  There are even a few stories I’ve written that wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for these themes.

In the other category, I’m writing just for my own enjoyment–quick pieces to post online, or longer challenges I came up with for myself to hopefully make myself a more adept writer.  These are usually don’t conform to any particular limits, and in the past I’ve explored some rather more extreme topics in them.  I’d like to think that these pieces are what I use to really grow as an author, but I’m not fooling myself.  They lack focus.  They wander through the plot.  When I read back through them, they’re little morsels of golden prose, linked by an otherwise mediocre framework.  It’s the type of work that any competent editor would take a big red pen to–and on the few occasions that one’s gone into print, that’s exactly what happened.

So back to your question.  Over the last year, I’ve spent a lot of time working on my first full-length novel.  Unlike the anthology submissions, it’s really unbound by any particular limit–except that it needed to be long enough to be a novel.  And unlike the ones I’ve written for my own enjoyment, I’ve taken the time to give it a good polish.  At the time of answering your question here, it’s done and sitting in a slush pile.

2. What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?

I think I’m about as far as you can get from being a pantser.  In fact, I’d like to state for the record that I “pants” as little as possible.  I prefer my stories with no pants at all!  Before I torture this metaphor too much further, I’m actually telling the truth.  My process for story writing is to think up the world, plot, and characters, and then tell myself their story over and over and over in my head until I feel it’s ready to come out.  The process of writing for me only really starts once the story is done.

That said, the process of writing is a bit of a battle for me.  It’s a combat between ‘the way it sounded in my head’ and ‘the way it reads best on paper’.  I know what needs to happen, so the hours I spend at the keyboard are primarily spent looking for the most clear, concise, and beautiful way to tell the story that’s running through my head.  If there’s any “pants” to be had in my process, it’s the struggle to fit the whole scene in my head into as few words as I can manage in print.

3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?

Absolutely sci-fi.  I grew up with (and still love) fantasy, but I’ve slowly grown out of the world of magic and wizards.  I think at this point I’m too much of a desk chair scientist to be happy with an answer of “It works that way because it’s magic.”

4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?

Oooh, are you tempting me to reveal my dirty secrets of self-insertion?

Well, I do have a few characters I’ve written that I can identify with.  As many of my friends were quick to point out, the fox in the story “On the Bright Beach” is quite clearly my own attempt at wish fulfillment (You can find that one on my SoFurry).  Okay, fine.  I admit it.  I wrote the story as if I were there personally.  But really, it was meant to be just a fun romp, and I didn’t see any harm in it.

But that doesn’t really answer the question well.  It’s a bit of a cop-out to answer ‘With whom do I most identify’ with ‘Myself.’  I think if I had to pick a character in another story that I tried to put the most ‘me’ into without settling for self insertion, that would be Taj from “Seducing the Sky.” (This one’s in Hot Dish from Sofawolf Press.)  I don’t think I really have the credentials to claim to be what he is–a trained symbiote-pilot from a super-advanced predatory alien species–but the personality I drew from experience.  I really like the concept of a warrior-philosopher.  Even though my analytical side calls it complete bunk, the idea of a soldier that follows the mantra of Sun Tzu’s Art of War intrigues me.

5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work?

I think there’s three authors who’ve most heavily influenced my writing.  First, I grew up reading books by Mercedes Lackey.  She has a way with characters that makes me care about them so passionately that I’ll get genuinely angry or sad or elated for them.  Even though I have some difficulty going back to those books now, I remember how they made me feel–and that’s exactly what I aim for when I’m writing my own characters.

Second is Terry Pratchett.  Besides being a thoroughly enjoyable read, his novels have taught me one thing: A character is made more vivid by their flaws than by their strengths.  Every one of his memorable characters are truly flawed people–and because those flaws are more than skin-deep they’re so much more lifelike to me than popular media’s endless crusade of grizzled marines.

Third, and I think most importantly, is an author named Paul Kidd.  I bought his book A Whisper of Wings way back when it first came out.  I saw an advertisement for it in something–I can’t remember what it was, maybe Yarf?  I was young enough that I had to have my mom cut a check and mail it off to get it.  Even though I can deconstruct it now and see a lot of the character archetypes for what they are, at the time it was an inspirational read.  Since then, I’ve collected a good amount of his novels and quite thoroughly devoured them.  I think that it was his book Fey that convinced me that not only could I write, but I should.

6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?

I read Ready Player One on the plane flight over to the states for Rainfurrest this year.  I really should have tried to get some sleep.  By the time I arrived, I was absolutely shattered.  I blame the book entirely for this, because it was fantastic.  I didn’t want to stop reading.  By the time I arrived in Seattle, the book was done, I was tired and about ready to collapse, and I didn’t regret even a single minute of it.

7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

Gaming!  I know that’s a pretty general answer, but I’m a pretty general gamer.  Sure, I like the bog-standard vidja games like any good child of the nineties, but I also love tabletop gaming, both board gaming and roleplaying games.  I’d say that a vast majority of my free time is spent playing games with friends–that’s the time I have to carve my writing time out of.

8. Advice for other writers?

Write.  I know, that’s a bit of a no-brainer, but I have to think that it’s less obvious than it seems.  I run panels at Eurofurence and Confuzzled in Europe, and even though attendance is great, I get lots of guilty looks when I ask people about what they’ve recently written.  Too often I hear people talking about this story they wrote this one time a while back, when what I really want to hear is about one of the many stories they’ve written recently.  Writing is a skill that degrades with time.  If you’re not writing, then at some point in the future, you will no longer be a writer.

9. Where can readers find your work?

Best bet is to check out kandrel.sofurry.com.  I do upload stories to a few other places, such as Weasyl and FA, but I maintain that SoFurry is currently the best platform for reading stories.  In addition, keep an eye on @Kandrel over at Twitter.  I’ll talk about recent projects and things I’ve been published in.  Hopefully, sometime in the near future I’ll get off my ass and mock up a site with my full book list.

10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?

No matter where I go, there are friends there.  I’ve had the opportunity to travel around the world, and it seems that no matter where I travel, just a few pokes online finds me locals to visit, and I know that going in we’ve already got something we share.

 

Check out Kandrel’s member bio here!

submitted by Ryuu_Girl
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After becoming that much more well-known the world over (thanks to a certain hit live-action movie, we hear), both Rocket Raccoon and Groot (the talking tree) found time to star in their own full-color comic book series from Marvel. What fans wanted though, of course, was for them to team up again and bring more of their own special brand of mayhem to the galaxy. Wishes granted! Now Skottie Young (writer) and Filipe Andrade (illustrator) have returned with a brand new series called (what else?) Rocket Raccoon and Groot.  And this time, Rocket is… an interplanetary crime boss? Say it isn’t so! See what they DO say over at the Marvel Comics web site, where they interview Mr. Young for his perspective on this. [And with that, we’ll see you after Further Confusion!]

image c. 2016 Marvel Comics

submitted by electricfoxx
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submitted by Cyantler
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Legit, I've had really awesome, talented people who are way better at art than I am watch me just because I put ridiculous titles on my submissions.

People don't even commission me for my art at this point they just want to see my fucking titles, I swear.

submitted by starsyringe
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submitted by GetToSreppin
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submitted by The_Matkat
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submitted by youfuckstookallnames
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Furries in the documentary "Fursona" come to Utah to compete in the Slamdance Film Festival
Furries in the documentary "Fursona" come to Utah to compete in the Slamdance Film Festival
"FURSONA" DOCUMENTARY
“Fursona” is a documentary premiering at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City on Jan. 22. It’s a first time effort for director Dominic Rodriguez that focuses on the world of furries, people who like to dress up like animals. “I think that part of what the journey of the movie was the struggle and making a good solid definition because there are so many people in it," said Rodriguez.

“I had called myself a furry but I never really understood it until I was about 17 years old. I went to work as a mascot for a Single A baseball team, surprisingly as a raccoon. And the first time I got in that suit and that mascot was just completely surreal. I mean, I could be as energetic, as happy, as crazy as I could be and people loved it." - Diezel
"Since it’s different to everyone that is in that community," Rodriguez said., "it’s hard to say something that is all inclusive.”

Rodriguez who is a furry himself, said he wanted to shed some light on the furry community. However, because of the negative media coverage in past years, it’s difficult to do.

“There’s a lot of fear in the furry community about it being misrepresented," he said.

You can see furries all around at amusement parks, mascots at football games, and sometimes even on Main Street promoting a company or event. For some furries, it’s a profession, while for others, it’s a lifestyle.

“So many of us are into creating art and street performance basically with our fur suits.”said Cameron Liddiard, a furry who lives in Utah.

“A lot of furry conventions have dance competitions because there is a big dance art community in the fandom. It’s different than any other fandom because like here, no one cares who wins, everyone supports everyone, and like it’s just a big family.” – Skye
Throughout the documentary the audience is exposed to conflicts within the community. Everything from how to be a furry, to politics within their society.

Uncle Kage is a researcher by profession and is also a chairman of Anthrocon, a furry convention. He wears a lab coat at his speaking engagements opposed to his furry costume.

“I’ve got a professional reputation that I have to maintain.” - Uncle Kage

Another fursona is Boomer. He’s the antithesis of Uncle Kage who made his own costume out of clothes and shredded paper. He sweeps parts of his hair on top of his head making puppy ears.

“I love furries so much I want to see all kinds of people have it and enjoy it if they’d like to. And I’d like them to see all sides of furry, you know good and bad, whatever it is. I don’t think there’s much bad to it. People try to discover themselves in different ways.” - Boomer
“I didn’t want to just turn it into, like this tight, neat, little story. I wanted to get to know the people so we spent years,” Rodriguez said. “Like when I first met Boomer, I was shocked by his lifestyle but then the more I got to know him the more insight he shared with me and I sort of realized what a good handle on all of this he has.”

Rodriguez realized throughout the making of the documentary that something complex can still be positive.

“It doesn’t necessarily need to be like a PR piece to still have an overall positive effect,” he said. “I think if furries are portrayed as humans, you know as like flawed human ... that isn't necessarily a negative thing.”

And when all is said and done, as Rodriguez said, he hopes people walk away with a better understanding of who they are.

“It seems so strange at first,” Rodriguez said. “I hope at the end of it it’s not about furry anymore for the audience and they've just gotten to know these people. But see them as people and I think that is so important to me.”

submitted by out_foxed9
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submitted by hellowombat
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Also what's funny about it is because it's on the same day as Further Confusion!

EDIT: Thank you so much everyone! I had a fantastic birthday! hope you have a good day as well! <3

submitted by Leechy111
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submitted by Megadaman
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submitted by Gratlofatic
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submitted by SirisTheDragon
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submitted by TheVloginator
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submitted by tangocat777
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For me personally, it's been getting to know others on a deeper level, and trying clean roleplaying.

It's refreshing checking in on people and seeing their different lives, viewpoints, and quirks, especially in relation to my own.

And I discovered that roleplaying is like writing a living story, that combines your own plot, while letting the other person create and mix their own. Like a turn based novel. It's refreshing to try something that I previously though of as a dry, kinda nerdy subject. It's good to see the world from a different angle.

What have you discovered or like?

submitted by Wahots
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