Article written by westwingwolf (15 Articles)
westwingwolf writes the Fanfic Author Interviews.
Article written by westwingwolf (15 Articles)
westwingwolf writes the Fanfic Author Interviews.
Interview: toryjhay
1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?
I’d like to go to the future, just to see how the people are doing, if the earth is still around and all that.
2) Have you ever met anyone famous?
Andy Garcia. I was working as a cashier and he was a customer. He has a lovely family.
3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?
This might be dorky but I’d like to meet Abe Lincoln. He’s my favorite American President and I’d love to ask him about his thoughts on what was going on during the civil war.
4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.
I really don’t know. Guess the pessimist in me can’t help but think of all the downsides, for example if I lived during the Victorian period, all I can think of is the fact that women were subordinates to the men, so I guess I’m pretty satisfied with this life.
5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?
Paulo Coelho. There’s just something about the way he writes that. I’ve read a lot of books and his is just… there’s just something there.
6) What is your favorite book and why?
Veronika Decides to Die, call me weird but the story was interesting to me, the idea that someone who decided to die and then lives only to find out that she’s dying. I guess it’s because it’s a story about choosing life, despite all the trials and tribulations that this life has to offer, it is still worth living, the ending was just powerful.
7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?
I like bands. Metallica, I love their songs, their sound. And for the moment I am liking the Crashtones, Sam Witwer is a riot.
8.) What is your favorite song and why?
Not a song actually, I really LOVE Rachmaninov’s “Concerto # 2 in C Minor-1 Moderato.” I love the way that it starts off as a depressing piece but then you just feel a bit of hope as it concludes. Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto”, also a favorite of mine.
9) What is your favorite movie and why?
I like a lot of movies but the top of my list: Lord of the Rings, such a visual masterpiece, only my opinion of course. And Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is definitely another favorite, the writing and the acting, so impeccably done.
10) What is your favorite television show and why?
The thing is I watch a lot of tv. And there are so many shows out there. I have a couple of favorites:
Eli Stone, I like the musical numbers, what can I say? And also I feel inspired whenever I watch one of the episodes. It shall be greatly missed (ABC unfortunately decided to cancel it).
Supernatural, wasn’t a fan originally. I was actually put off by both Jared and Jensen. I didn’t like Jared in Gilmore Girls and I didn’t like Jensen in Smallville, so I decided to pass on the show. Then I happened upon an episode when I finished watching SV, I think during the second season of SPN and I’ve been hooked since.
Brimstone. I don’t know a lot of people who saw this show. I actually just caught some reruns on a cable channel. They were having a marathon. The premise is interesting, the way they solved the case was cheesy, but there was just something about it. John Glover being in it was a major selling point. He sure played a great Lucifer. Oh and the protagonist’s name was Ezekiel, I happen to love the way that Glover said it, so awesome!
And finally I used to be a diehard fan of Veronica Mars; I loved that show. I always thought that the writers and the creator had such respect for the audience; they didn’t seem to underestimate the intelligence of the viewer. It was the show I truly got hooked on. I was basically heartbroken upon its cancellation, to this day I can’t watch the show, I can’t open up my DVDs and actually sit down and watch it. I think that Rob Thomas basically screwed us (the cult-like fans) over. I’m really pretty sure that I hate his guts, at least until he gives the fans the ending that we richly deserve.
11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?
I like Kathryn Hepburn; I absolutely loved her in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and didn’t particularly care for the remake. And her acting in Little Women, she’s the only incarnation of Jo March that I truly love.
12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.
Zoey 101, I don’t know why I watch, it is so…opposite of my nature, but I watched the finale *cringes*.
13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?
Not that I’m aware of. But I won’t mind if they ever find out.
14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?
Yep. I think I even encouraged a roommate of mine to start writing as well.
15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?
Almost eight years ago, I feel old now.
16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?
This is embarrassing, but it was because of a cartoon, Hey Arnold! I think Helga and Arnold belong together!!! And I promptly wrote everything that way. Although my first fanfic, it was about how a teenage girl copes with the death of a first love. I wanted to write an original fic but I ended up writing for the fandom instead.
17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?
I don’t know yet, right now I just like writing.
18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?
I go to work; I go to school, hoping to finish my ever elusive degree. That and I’m hoping to get into law school sometime next year.
19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?
I got into reading Smallville fanfics, I started off with the usual Chlark but then I read some Chlex and I realized how much better those two were together and here I am. I like Chloe’s inquisitive nature; she epitomizes the words intrepid reporter. I like the darkness in Lex; he is evidence that there is a certain darkness in all of us, it depends on how you act on it that defines what kind of human being you are. I hate Chloe’s need to be around Clark, she’d be so much better off without the BDA. As for Lex, I hated the way he kept trying to get back in Clark’s good graces in season 4; I actually liked him in the latter seasons when he no longer cared, just not crazy about the entire Lex/Lana debacle.
20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?
Clark is an idiot, when I realized that he didn’t deserve Chloe’s attention, and discovering all the lovely stories about Chloe and Lex, well I hopped on the bandwagon and never looked back.
21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?
I’m usually willing to read anything, but lately between work and school, I tend to just go with the authors I like.
22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?
Logan and Veronica (they’re epic?) and the way their story played out in the last season, it deserved a whole lot of rewrites.
Chloe and Oliver. Someone from NS asked me if I could write a Chloe and Ollie, so I did. From there everything just went out of control and I know that I actually have more Chlollie fics than Chlex but the truth is that Oliver is easier to write, no matter what’s going on in the show he is at the shallow end of the pool, Lex requires more thought.
Chloe and Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). This is just a recent attempt. I like the darkness in Bale’s Bruce. He slightly reminds me of Lex. I’m not sure if I’m going to actually pair the two together, but I am enjoying the process of writing for the characters.
Chloe and the Winchester boys. I know there are a lot of fics concerning this crossover universe and I couldn’t help but join in. It’s so fun trying to write for Dean and then thinking of the ways that Chloe can respond to him.
I read Betty and Daniel from Ugly Betty, I love the way they’ve been portrayed on the show. Lately I’ve been reading about Dan and Blair from Gossip Girl, they sure have the verbal judo going on between them, though I stopped watching the show because of the utter lack of character growth.
23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.
I need mood music. Especially when I’m trying to get ‘into character’, I actually had to resort to looking for music that reminded me of the characters, just to silence the voices in my head (I know I sound crazy). But for me, these characters just sound different from one another, so when I am writing for a specific one, I tend to stick with the music I associate with them, for example, Lex: classical music, some of Josh Groban’s songs and AFI’s “Prelude 12/21”; Oliver Queen: John Mayer; Dean Winchester: AC/DC, Metallica (no offense to Led Zeppelin fans but I get sleepy listening to their music).
24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?
I always bring a notebook with me for when inspiration hit. I write them down, start an outline, if I get around to writing it then swell, but there are times that I just let an idea go, though I sometimes mourn their loss.
25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?
I used to let the chapters just come to me with the first few stories of mine, but eventually I realized that if I don’t plan it, well the story would lack coherence, now I usually outline them, I always have the option not to go the way I initially started from.
26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?
I used to, but then I made the decision that these characters are not my own, I would rather let them keep their own person, if that makes any sense. Although, there are times that you have to make a conscious decision on their preferences, like movies, food. I try to at least give them plausible choices, which don’t always coincide with my own.
27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?
All the time. Music is the driving force behind my writing.
28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?
I think I’m more into layered stories; I find that one chapter does not really deliver what I want the story to say. I can do one shots but I sometimes feel compelled to add more.
29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?
Dialogue, I suck at descriptions, I remember the first time I wrote my first story and I had my friend read it, she told my about the kissing scene and how awkward it was, so I try and imagine the scene and then I have such difficulty putting them into words, oh well, working on it.
30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?
I can’t do slash fics, not that I have any objections to their existence; I just don’t think I can ever write them.
31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?
I really have no cure. I sometimes force myself to write even when I don’t feel like it but my work just doesn’t turn out the way I want, so I just usually wait it out. Keep writing, it doesn’t matter how bad you are initially (I know I was bad and I still need to improve), but if you just keep writing you tend to evolve and you get better.
32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?
No, I don’t think so. I guess there are so many ideas floating around that I don’t really feel that someone else’s coincided with mine. Although I have read a couple of fics that have the same plotlines but they almost always differ through the course of the story.
33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?
Not really. Because my idea could very well not be in line with someone else’s, I even have a hard time suggesting story ideas to someone. I can usually listen to one and add a couple of points but that’s about it.
34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?
It’s good to get reviews. Especially from this community, love the reviewers to pieces! It can encourage writing. But I have a compulsion to finish what I started, so even if someone doesn’t read and/or review I’d keep at it, probably finish it sooner or later, but I would finish.
35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?
Yes and yes. I remember my non-Chlex fic, I somehow found myself writing a Chlark because of a reviewer, in that same vein I wrote in a Chlex history because of Kathy(yes, I am naming names).
36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?
Not that badly, I guess it’s because I can always opt to twist their world into what I want to happen. Although given the chance I would probably rewrite the fourth season, it should have paved the way for Chlex.
37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?
I haven’t really thought of it. I do think that I am drawn to characters who can engage in witty banter, it’s what I adore about the Chlex relationship.
38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?
I honestly don’t know how they would react; I do wish that they would appreciate the fact that the characters they play are beloved. And if someone from the show ever read my stories, well I’d probably say Ha! You may ruin the show but in the fanfic realm, you’re in the fans’ territory.
39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?
I never really thought about it. But if I ever think of one, I’d probably use it for good and evil, alternating probably every few years, just so I don’t get bored. I mean, I really don’t want to be a goody like Clark. But I don’t want to be a full blown evil one, because I do care about them Earthlings.
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