Extreme Big Bang Participant Interview
Nov. 27th, 2014 10:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wyndewalkerThis is the full list of questions and answers.
· How did you first get into fandom?
I don’t remember exactly other than that it was through the Sentinel fandom. I was in college so it was over 15 years ago now. I found Sentinel fanfiction online which led me to Cindy Comb’s Sentinel/Mag7 ATF crossover Ghost Train and into Mag7 fandom and the 1997(?) M7 Global Gathering. Without the friends I made there and at the following MediaWest I probably wouldn’t be near as involved with fandom as I am.
· 100,000 words: have you ever written that much before? In a year? For a single work?
For a single work – no. The closest I’ve come is 78k. I routinely write about 200k+ in a year. Whether or not that translates to actually finished fics is another matter entirely. LOL
· What made you decide to sign up for the Extreme Big Bang?
I love long, novel-length stories and have several that I’d really really like to get written. I’ve been hoping this would be the impetus I need to actually get them done.
· What would you like to share about the story you'll be writing?
Hmm. I guess that this is a story that I really hope I can do it the justice it deserves. On the surface it’s a mix of tropes – Time Travel - Groundhog Day Style, Soulmates/Soul Marks, Presumed Dead, and Trapped in a Dream; which all on their own make for a decent story idea. Below the surface though it’s really about opening yourself up to other people. Both of the main characters have suffered loss in their life – death of loved ones, abandoment – and have developed thick walls around their hearts. Despite being marked soulmates both are wary but to save both their lives they’ll have to learn to trust each other. So I’m super excited and seriously dreading this story.
· What's a fic you've written that's not getting the attention it deserves?
Hmm, probably my Eureka fic “Sexbots. Definitely Sexbots” but I’m not really surprised by that. I’m literally the only person I’ve found who has written Jack/SARAH/Deputy Andy so calling it an unusual pairing isn’t exactly a stretch. But I think it’s the hottest sex I’ve ever written and I wish more people would read it. LOL
· If you could shadow any character for a day, maybe pick their brain a little, who would it be and why?
This is a tough one because most of my favorite characters are, quite honestly, assholes – Rodney McKay, Dean Winchester, Chuck Hansen, Tony Stark. Hmm, actually if I could just be a fly on the wall of Tony Stark’s lab and watch him work that would be pretty cool. Other than that, no idea.
· What's a trope you'd like to see trending in fandom? In professional fiction?
Other than more well written long!fics? Hmm, certain fandoms I really enjoy fix-it fics – Pacific Rim and Hobbit come to mind. I actually really enjoy not dark Apocalypse fics. A good example that I was recently reading, which is unfortunately an On Hiatus WIP, is After Tomorrow by Hyper Mint on AO3. It’s a Day After Tomorrow/JPIII/Eureka/Mag7ATF crossover that’s really well done. Unfortunately it hasn’t been updated since July and is still in the first third of the movie events.
· What's your most popular fic and do you think it deserves the popularity?
Right now I’d say it’s a toss up between my Pacific Rim fic “Where My Demons Hide” and my Eureka fic “I Do… Wait. What?” as to which is most popular. Do they deserve it? I like to think so. Demons is my NaNo baby from last year and I’m rather proud of how it came out, so yeah, I’m definitely happy to see it getting the recognition. “I Do… Wait. What?” was a fun accidental marriage trope fic that I really enjoyed writing and feel it came out well so, I’m also glad to see it get recognition. And considering both are for fairly small fandoms the fact that they consistently get kudos every week is nice to see.
· Is there a fanfic author whose style you admire?
There’s a lot of authors that I admire but I think the ones that I currently admire most are Keira Marcos, JoeLawson, Macx and Araceil. All of them are excellent world-builders. They take the canon for a show/movie, tweak it just a bit and then enrich the hell out of it without drowning you in ‘facts’ all while telling an engaging story with three-dimensional characters. Frankly they are the kind of storytellers I aspire to be.
· Where do you see your fannish self in five years?
Pretty much where I am now with most likely a couple more fandoms and hopefully I’ll have broken the million words posted mark. Actually I’m really hoping to have broken the 2 million words posted mark at that point but that’s probably pushing it a bit.
· Do you prefer writing for closed or open canons? Solo stories or series?
I don’t really have a preference. Closed and Open canon both have pros and cons. Closed canon I pick and choose what I like, ignore what I don’t and hope that everyone else in the fandom isn’t enamored with the parts I don’t like. Open canon still has possibilities but there’s a good chance the writers can/will go in a direction I really really won’t be happy with, so I can only hope they don’t.
Solo stories vs Series – again, I don’t really have a preference. Some ideas only require one story to be told others require several. I just go with what the story tells me it needs.
· What's the total body count of your fics so far? Or give an estimate, if it's too many to number (you evil fiend).
It took me a bit to figure this out.
I have 114 posted works, 5 works currently in zine only, and 8 finished but unposted works for a total of 127 finished stories. I won’t even go into how WIPs I have. Word count for finished works currently sits at about 641,811 words.
But what this question is really asking is how many characters have I killed off in my stories. Scarily, I think I fall into the evil fiend category. If I don’t count apocalypse fics in which the bulk of the world’s population has been killed off then my body count currently sits at roughly 107 humans, 11 demons, and 5 kaiju aliens. If I count the apocalypse fics then, er, about 10 billion people give or take. :-)
· Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere? It’s hard to say. I can be watching a movie or tv series or listening to a song, reading a story or overhearing a conversation and just get hit out of the blue with an idea. I actually once plotted out an entire story on the back of a placemat while at a restaurant. Thankfully I was with a bunch of other writers so none of them thought I was too crazy.
· How do you title your stories?
This is another tough one. Song lyrics tend to be a bit of a go to for titles but I try not to do that too often because a lot of people use lyrics. Sometimes I’ll pick a phrase from the story itself. Sometimes I just know what the title is going to be almost from the minute I get the first idea other times the title is the very last thing I come up with and I’m not thrilled with it. I do always insist on titling my works though. I will never post something as Untitled.
· What's the ideal writing arrangement for you?
I have two places that I like to write. At home it’s in my storage/writing room. I carved out a bit of space where I setup a desk with a bulletin board. It has a computer but I rarely turn it on, preferring to handwrite everything first, but when I do turn on the computer the only internet connection is my Dropbox. My second preferred spot is at the Barnes & Noble café not too far from my house.
· Do you have a plan for tackling your word count, or are you just winging it?
I had a plan. It was a great plan. Then I got sick, again, and the plan has gone right out the window. Sigh. I am attempting to make a new plan but we’ll see how it goes.
· On a scale of Bob Ross to Joe Pesci, how much do you swear?
Once upon a time I was Bob Ross, then I blew right past Joe Pesci to Boondock Saints and now I’m probably around Dean Winchester levels.
· Last movie you saw in theaters - what was it and would you recommend?
I go weekly with a friend so the last three I saw were Big Hero 6 (awesome), Interstellar (visually beautiful, a bit WTF at the end), and Mockingjay Pt 1 (surprisingly good, can’t wait to see Pt 2).
· How much time do you spend writing in an average week?
When I’m actually writing and not blocked then probably around 10-15 hours a week.
· How do you take your coffee or tea?
I have a variety of creamers I like to use by themselves and together to get some yummy concoctions. Caramel & Coconut creamer with Chocolate Truffle coffee is like drinking a Samoa. Mmm mmm mmm.
· What's one thing you've learned while being in fandom?
Fandom friends are for life and will spend five hours trapped in a car listening to you ramble about your latest story without complaining… much. LOL
· If you could add ten new writers to any fandom (or pairing or character or trope), which would it be?
Pacific Rim – Raleigh/Chuck or Eureka – Carter/Stark – both of these have some talented writers but nowhere near enough.
· What's a recent epiphany you've had (fannish or otherwise)?
Having two 11 week old kittens living in your bedroom is not conducive to restful sleep.
· Are you reading any good long!fic right now?
I’m on a bit of a Harry Potter kick right now. I just finished Harry Five-O by Mjimeyg (135k FFN HP/H50/Lilo&Stitch Het), Firefly by Araceil (80K FFN HP/Avatar Slash), and I’m reading Easy As Falling by Lomonaaeren (119k AO3 HP Slash) and Harry Potter and the Manipulator of Destiny by Wheezy1 (175k FFN HP Het). All of them are great fics. Harry Five-O is fun and quirky. Firefly is heartbreaking early on but the world building Araceil does, both for the HP world and Avatar is just amazing. Easy As Falling is a fun look at how Harry becomes a benevolent and snarky Dark Lord who really isn’t dark at all. Manipulator of Destiny is standard manipulative!Dumbledore/Ron/Ginny notstupid!Harry but it’s a fun read.
· Do you ever travel for fic research?
Specifically for reasearch, no, but I do like to pick up brochures and references materials about interesting places I’ve visited in case it’ll come in handy later.
· What's the most challenging thing you've ever written?
Where My Demons Hide. Between the length, some of the subject matter, and wanting to make sure I did not go down the dub-con road with the A/B/O dynamics it was definitely challenging.
· In your own estimation, do you spend too much time on fandom or not enough?
Mostly just the right amount of time. It’s my main hobby and where the bulk of my friends are. You can never spend too much time on that.
· How did you first get into fandom?
I don’t remember exactly other than that it was through the Sentinel fandom. I was in college so it was over 15 years ago now. I found Sentinel fanfiction online which led me to Cindy Comb’s Sentinel/Mag7 ATF crossover Ghost Train and into Mag7 fandom and the 1997(?) M7 Global Gathering. Without the friends I made there and at the following MediaWest I probably wouldn’t be near as involved with fandom as I am.
· 100,000 words: have you ever written that much before? In a year? For a single work?
For a single work – no. The closest I’ve come is 78k. I routinely write about 200k+ in a year. Whether or not that translates to actually finished fics is another matter entirely. LOL
· What made you decide to sign up for the Extreme Big Bang?
I love long, novel-length stories and have several that I’d really really like to get written. I’ve been hoping this would be the impetus I need to actually get them done.
· What would you like to share about the story you'll be writing?
Hmm. I guess that this is a story that I really hope I can do it the justice it deserves. On the surface it’s a mix of tropes – Time Travel - Groundhog Day Style, Soulmates/Soul Marks, Presumed Dead, and Trapped in a Dream; which all on their own make for a decent story idea. Below the surface though it’s really about opening yourself up to other people. Both of the main characters have suffered loss in their life – death of loved ones, abandoment – and have developed thick walls around their hearts. Despite being marked soulmates both are wary but to save both their lives they’ll have to learn to trust each other. So I’m super excited and seriously dreading this story.
· What's a fic you've written that's not getting the attention it deserves?
Hmm, probably my Eureka fic “Sexbots. Definitely Sexbots” but I’m not really surprised by that. I’m literally the only person I’ve found who has written Jack/SARAH/Deputy Andy so calling it an unusual pairing isn’t exactly a stretch. But I think it’s the hottest sex I’ve ever written and I wish more people would read it. LOL
· If you could shadow any character for a day, maybe pick their brain a little, who would it be and why?
This is a tough one because most of my favorite characters are, quite honestly, assholes – Rodney McKay, Dean Winchester, Chuck Hansen, Tony Stark. Hmm, actually if I could just be a fly on the wall of Tony Stark’s lab and watch him work that would be pretty cool. Other than that, no idea.
· What's a trope you'd like to see trending in fandom? In professional fiction?
Other than more well written long!fics? Hmm, certain fandoms I really enjoy fix-it fics – Pacific Rim and Hobbit come to mind. I actually really enjoy not dark Apocalypse fics. A good example that I was recently reading, which is unfortunately an On Hiatus WIP, is After Tomorrow by Hyper Mint on AO3. It’s a Day After Tomorrow/JPIII/Eureka/Mag7ATF crossover that’s really well done. Unfortunately it hasn’t been updated since July and is still in the first third of the movie events.
· What's your most popular fic and do you think it deserves the popularity?
Right now I’d say it’s a toss up between my Pacific Rim fic “Where My Demons Hide” and my Eureka fic “I Do… Wait. What?” as to which is most popular. Do they deserve it? I like to think so. Demons is my NaNo baby from last year and I’m rather proud of how it came out, so yeah, I’m definitely happy to see it getting the recognition. “I Do… Wait. What?” was a fun accidental marriage trope fic that I really enjoyed writing and feel it came out well so, I’m also glad to see it get recognition. And considering both are for fairly small fandoms the fact that they consistently get kudos every week is nice to see.
· Is there a fanfic author whose style you admire?
There’s a lot of authors that I admire but I think the ones that I currently admire most are Keira Marcos, JoeLawson, Macx and Araceil. All of them are excellent world-builders. They take the canon for a show/movie, tweak it just a bit and then enrich the hell out of it without drowning you in ‘facts’ all while telling an engaging story with three-dimensional characters. Frankly they are the kind of storytellers I aspire to be.
· Where do you see your fannish self in five years?
Pretty much where I am now with most likely a couple more fandoms and hopefully I’ll have broken the million words posted mark. Actually I’m really hoping to have broken the 2 million words posted mark at that point but that’s probably pushing it a bit.
· Do you prefer writing for closed or open canons? Solo stories or series?
I don’t really have a preference. Closed and Open canon both have pros and cons. Closed canon I pick and choose what I like, ignore what I don’t and hope that everyone else in the fandom isn’t enamored with the parts I don’t like. Open canon still has possibilities but there’s a good chance the writers can/will go in a direction I really really won’t be happy with, so I can only hope they don’t.
Solo stories vs Series – again, I don’t really have a preference. Some ideas only require one story to be told others require several. I just go with what the story tells me it needs.
· What's the total body count of your fics so far? Or give an estimate, if it's too many to number (you evil fiend).
It took me a bit to figure this out.
I have 114 posted works, 5 works currently in zine only, and 8 finished but unposted works for a total of 127 finished stories. I won’t even go into how WIPs I have. Word count for finished works currently sits at about 641,811 words.
But what this question is really asking is how many characters have I killed off in my stories. Scarily, I think I fall into the evil fiend category. If I don’t count apocalypse fics in which the bulk of the world’s population has been killed off then my body count currently sits at roughly 107 humans, 11 demons, and 5 kaiju aliens. If I count the apocalypse fics then, er, about 10 billion people give or take. :-)
· Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere? It’s hard to say. I can be watching a movie or tv series or listening to a song, reading a story or overhearing a conversation and just get hit out of the blue with an idea. I actually once plotted out an entire story on the back of a placemat while at a restaurant. Thankfully I was with a bunch of other writers so none of them thought I was too crazy.
· How do you title your stories?
This is another tough one. Song lyrics tend to be a bit of a go to for titles but I try not to do that too often because a lot of people use lyrics. Sometimes I’ll pick a phrase from the story itself. Sometimes I just know what the title is going to be almost from the minute I get the first idea other times the title is the very last thing I come up with and I’m not thrilled with it. I do always insist on titling my works though. I will never post something as Untitled.
· What's the ideal writing arrangement for you?
I have two places that I like to write. At home it’s in my storage/writing room. I carved out a bit of space where I setup a desk with a bulletin board. It has a computer but I rarely turn it on, preferring to handwrite everything first, but when I do turn on the computer the only internet connection is my Dropbox. My second preferred spot is at the Barnes & Noble café not too far from my house.
· Do you have a plan for tackling your word count, or are you just winging it?
I had a plan. It was a great plan. Then I got sick, again, and the plan has gone right out the window. Sigh. I am attempting to make a new plan but we’ll see how it goes.
· On a scale of Bob Ross to Joe Pesci, how much do you swear?
Once upon a time I was Bob Ross, then I blew right past Joe Pesci to Boondock Saints and now I’m probably around Dean Winchester levels.
· Last movie you saw in theaters - what was it and would you recommend?
I go weekly with a friend so the last three I saw were Big Hero 6 (awesome), Interstellar (visually beautiful, a bit WTF at the end), and Mockingjay Pt 1 (surprisingly good, can’t wait to see Pt 2).
· How much time do you spend writing in an average week?
When I’m actually writing and not blocked then probably around 10-15 hours a week.
· How do you take your coffee or tea?
I have a variety of creamers I like to use by themselves and together to get some yummy concoctions. Caramel & Coconut creamer with Chocolate Truffle coffee is like drinking a Samoa. Mmm mmm mmm.
· What's one thing you've learned while being in fandom?
Fandom friends are for life and will spend five hours trapped in a car listening to you ramble about your latest story without complaining… much. LOL
· If you could add ten new writers to any fandom (or pairing or character or trope), which would it be?
Pacific Rim – Raleigh/Chuck or Eureka – Carter/Stark – both of these have some talented writers but nowhere near enough.
· What's a recent epiphany you've had (fannish or otherwise)?
Having two 11 week old kittens living in your bedroom is not conducive to restful sleep.
· Are you reading any good long!fic right now?
I’m on a bit of a Harry Potter kick right now. I just finished Harry Five-O by Mjimeyg (135k FFN HP/H50/Lilo&Stitch Het), Firefly by Araceil (80K FFN HP/Avatar Slash), and I’m reading Easy As Falling by Lomonaaeren (119k AO3 HP Slash) and Harry Potter and the Manipulator of Destiny by Wheezy1 (175k FFN HP Het). All of them are great fics. Harry Five-O is fun and quirky. Firefly is heartbreaking early on but the world building Araceil does, both for the HP world and Avatar is just amazing. Easy As Falling is a fun look at how Harry becomes a benevolent and snarky Dark Lord who really isn’t dark at all. Manipulator of Destiny is standard manipulative!Dumbledore/Ron/Ginny notstupid!Harry but it’s a fun read.
· Do you ever travel for fic research?
Specifically for reasearch, no, but I do like to pick up brochures and references materials about interesting places I’ve visited in case it’ll come in handy later.
· What's the most challenging thing you've ever written?
Where My Demons Hide. Between the length, some of the subject matter, and wanting to make sure I did not go down the dub-con road with the A/B/O dynamics it was definitely challenging.
· In your own estimation, do you spend too much time on fandom or not enough?
Mostly just the right amount of time. It’s my main hobby and where the bulk of my friends are. You can never spend too much time on that.
