Interview: JennyD13
1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?
At the moment I’m reading the novel Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough so, I’d have to say I would like to visit ancient Egypt, Rome, and Greece. I’d like to be one of Cleo’s ladies in waiting; just to be a fly on the wall! I would actually like to figure out how those damn pyramids were built (and if there were aliens involved).
2) Have you ever met anyone famous?
Unfortunately, I have never had the honor.
3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?
I would love to meet Edgar Allan Poe, but I think the poor fella would be a little depressing to chat to. I would like to go and have a coffee with Allison Mack because she seems like a really nice and interesting person to know. Of course, I’d love to meet Michael Rosenbaum, but I have the feeling that at one point during the night, I would be charged with sexual harassment.
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.
Jeez, that’s a hard question. Although my life hasn’t been all peaches and cream, it’s pretty good, if I do say so myself. And if I did want to switch lives with someone, what if that someone had a seemingly great life on the surface but ended up being like Jack the Ripper or something. That would suck. Can it be a fictional person? I wouldn’t mind being in Bella Swan’s shoes from Twilight. Granted, I’d probably choose Jacob instead of Edward. Or both. I could TOTALLY handle them both!
5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?
Emily Brontë is my favorite author because she gave us the fabulousness that is Wuthering Heights.
6) What is your favorite book and why?
Wuthering Heights. If you are reading this and you have not read it DO SO NOW! It’s awesome. It has everything. Passion. Love. Betrayal. Ghosts. I love it so much, I think, because the main characters you both love and hate because they are not nice people, but you feel for them because it wasn’t really their fault they grew up that way.
7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?
Etta James is my favorite singer. She was a blues and jazz artist from the 50’s and 60’s and she was just awesome.
8.) What is your favorite song and why?
“Long Long Way To Go” by Lionel Ritchie. It reminds me of my uncle who passed away.
9) What is your favorite movie and why?
The Exorcist/Night of the Living Dead. Because it scared the poop out of me.
10) What is your favorite television show and why?
If Chloe and Lex had been put together, I would say Smallville. I have to say Star Trek.
11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?
I love Kate Winslet. She is gorgeous and is brilliant. (Everybody watch Quills!)
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.
The Berenstain Bears. I know. It’s sick and I need help!
13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?
Yes; my friends.
14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fan fiction?
Yes; said friends also read my fan fiction.
15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?
Holy cow, I don’t know. I remember the first one I read I was told to read by a friend. It was a threesome between Joey, Pacey, and Dawson from Dawson’s Creek. I was both intrigued and disturbed.
16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?
The first Fan Fic I wrote was an Alias one between Sydney and Vaughn. I used to be obsessed with reading those fan made stories and I thought, ‘Hey. I’d like to try that.’ So I did. It wasn’t my best work, but we all have to start somewhere! I gave it to my friend to read, and because we are both dirty minded individuals, we kept ourselves occupied both reading and writing our own fan fics.
17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?
Writing is my passion and I do hope to pursue it further. I’m presently working on my first novel. Fan fictions are not only fun to write, but they are also great practice. Dabbling with characters that are already defined (and that I love) helps me find my own style. So I hope I’m doing it well!
18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?
I read and write, mostly. I’m quite a homebody.
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 fell in love with both the characters as soon as I started watching Smallville. They are the characters with the most depth to them in the show. I love Chloe, not only because she’s smart and funny and vulnerable, but because of Allison Mack. She is an amazing actress and she really makes the character for me. I LOVE Lex. We get to see that he wasn’t always a villain. We get to see how all these external things made him twisted inside. I spend much of the series feeling so sad for him. The poor bugger couldn’t catch a break. His father was a horrible man that hated him and everybody else judged him and hated him because of his father. Michael Rosenbaum plays him very well.
20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?
I decided that I didn’t like the way the series had taken and that I would have some fun with the characters myself.
21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?
My pet peeve is not getting the characters right. You can put them in any situation, but when I read fan fic, I love when the author really nails the characters. That’s what I really try to do when I’m writing. I want to do the characters justice. Hopefully I do!
22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?
As I mentioned before, Alias. I think that’s the only one I’ve written for besides Chlex. I read tons and tons of Buffy/Spike fan fiction though.
23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.
When I need to write, it doesn’t really matter where I am because I block everything out anyway. I usually try and find a song to play that matches the mood of the part I’m writing. Hence, I usually have soundtracks to all of my fan fics!
24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?
Idea’s usually just strike me at weird times. I could be out to dinner with my friends and talking about something and I’ll have to stop and write down my idea. I have the brain of a 90 yr old, so if I don’t write them down while I have them, they are completely gone in the next couple of minutes. I have a number of outlines for novels that I would like to someday write that came from nightmares that I’ve had.
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?
When I come up with an idea for a story, I usually have to mull it over and create a rough outline of what I want to see happen. Then when I write I add or scrap things depending on if my writing does it justice of if it doesn’t belong in the story. For example, In ‘Bite Me’ I had planned an extra scene with Chloe, Lex and Clark that I scrapped because it just didn’t fit in.
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?
Yes, sometimes I do. I had Chloe listening to John Mayer in one of my fan fictions. I think I also had her drinking a peppermint mocha in one, too. Sigh. John Mayer and a Peppermint Mocha. Heaven.
27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?
Oh hell yes. Again, soundtracks. I seem to have a lot of time on my hands.
28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?
I like the quickness of writing a short story, but longer, more complex stories are much more satisfying in the end.
29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are they equally hard/easy?
I think dialogue comes pretty quick to me. Description is what I usually mull over.
30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?
If I think it fits in the story and if it’s tastefully done, no.
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?
It may sound weird, but to cure writer’s block, I usually lie in a dark room and let my imagination go nuts. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes I just stare at the ceiling.
To all new writers: Post your stories! If you have written them and like them, you won’t be the only one! It’s really hard at first to put yourself out there, I know! I was practically forced by one of my friends to post my first fan fiction. I found it nerve-wracking, and truthfully, I still do. I want to write a story that people will enjoy! Everybody at NS is so awesome with their comments and suggestions, that they make you feel welcome and very comfortable. The only people on this site are those who truly love the content and we LOVE new stories!
32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?
Oh yes. For example, “Accidents Happen’ by scifichick774 GOLDEN! I enjoyed that story so much, I still go back and read it when I have nothing to do. It’s funny and sexy and just great! Everybody go read it!
33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?
Yes. The writers on Smallville who should have gotten Chloe and Lex together, damn it!
34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?
I usually finish a story before I post. But, I do not have a lot of confidence in my writing ability, so the reviews are very important to me. It makes me happy that people are enjoying something I’ve written and peeps here at NS are just so nice and supportive; it helps me a great deal. It makes me WANT to keep writing!
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?
As I said before, I do like to finish a story before I post because I don’t write in a consistent way. I have gone to change later chapters when I’ve read reviews, though. Suggestions are always awesome and appreciated.
36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?
I would rewrite some seasons for free and kill of Lana in the first couple of episodes. Darn it!
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?
No, I haven’t. But now I want to watch Star Wars and examine Han Solo.
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?
Ummm, I think I would feel awkward. Just because, I’d be afraid that they would think I’m writing with them in mind when it is in fact the character that they play. I’m not saying that they don’t contribute some of themselves into their character, but the character and the actor are two separate entities to me. Does that make any sense at all?
39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?
I would like to have telekinesis. I would use it to annoy everybody. I am a shit-disturber.
