September by Author Interviews
Summary: Interview with September
Categories: Author Interviews Characters: None
Genres: General
Tags: None
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 3580 Read: 2232 Published: 11/05/2007 Updated: 11/05/2007

1. Chapter 1 by Author Interviews

Chapter 1 by Author Interviews
"Two Weeks" was the first fan fic story you ever wrote. How did you discover fan fiction and why did you decide to start writing it yourself?

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I’ve think I’ve been writing fan fiction in my head ever since, well… forever. I’m appallingly bad at sleeping, and I used to create stories in my head about the characters I loved to help me fall asleep. I didn’t discover what I was doing had a name though until a couple of years ago.

As far as writing it myself goes, even though I’ve always written original stories, it never even occurred to me to write any fanfiction down until discovered the online fanfic world through a series of fantasy books I loved. I’m a compulsive shipper at heart, and in this series there was almost no chance of these two main characters getting together (he was 30, elusive and mega powerful, she was 17 and totally kickass… hmmmm… actually now I write that, it sounds so familiar! Talk about not straying from the path! Ha!) Anyway, I used to hunt for fanfic on them, and one day stumbled across the old WRFA instead… After guzzling up a tonne of the stories on there, I thought that maybe I could have a go myself.

Now that you've been writing fan fic for a while, what is it you enjoy most about writing? What do you dislike the most?

I think more than anything I love the freedom to create worlds within worlds… so to speak. Heh, actually that sounds kind of pretentious! It wasn’t supposed to :o) I like letting my imagination run wild and not really having any idea where it will take me. Losing myself in a story lets me do stuff and say things I would never dream of doing or saying in real life. It’s an outlet, and I love the escapism it brings.

Dislikes… well… writer’s block? Realising the plot has trailed off into mind numbing dullness? Loosing the sense of my characters? Starting a story and never getting around to finishing it – yeah that’s my worst. I hate that! And I do it all the time as well. Shame on me.

When you're not writing fan fic, what are you doing in Real Life--i.e. interests, hobbies, work, etc.?

I work in admin and finance in the real world… which is about as exciting as it sounds. Although saying that, as far as jobs go, it’s not bad - and they appreciate my sense of humour, which is a good thing! Hobbies… well I play and teach the piano, I’m in an indie rock band, and I own a rescue horse who’s about as mischievous as they come. Jogging and horse riding keep me fit, which is good because I hate the gym. On top of that, I love to read and I’m hopelessly addicted to costume dramas (Mr Rochester…sigh…)

How did you become a Logan/Rogue fan?

I watched the cartoons growing up (but always preferred Thundercats – shh!) I didn’t become a Logan/Rogue fan until one of my friends practically dragged me to go and see the first film with her. Then she came out the cinema mumbling that the cartoon was much better, I came out all hyper and ‘OMG the chemistry!!’ Was a secretive closet fan for years – until I finally came out when I joined the WRFA.

Considering most of your stories are AUs, do you even have a favorite X-Men movie? If so, which one and why?

Oh yeah, the first movie is definitely my favourite without question. I like a film that focuses on the characters, and this one really let their personalities unfold. And of course there was the Logan/Rogue chemistry. And the soundtrack. I loved the soundtrack. The second and third movies were never quite the same after the composer Michael Kamen died. Just listening to his ‘Logan and Rogue’ piece makes me feel all shippery.

How do you think *your* fic characters/characterization diverge the most from the way they are portrayed in the movies?

I think my foof/humour fics are most guilty of this, the worst probably being Stalker (…heh, but that was fun to imagine!) I think that most of my foof fics really play on pushing the believable character boundaries, that’s what makes them funny. Sometimes my characterisations vary so much from the original that I find myself having to put in visual devices (like Logan’s cigar) to make the story work when he’s singing/dancing/stripping.

But then saying that, it does depend on what sort of fic I’m writing. An angst fic is far more likely to be true to character. Runaway for example, was supposed to fit between X1 and X2, so I tried to keep the characters as honest to their portrayal in the movies as possible.

Several other X-characters, besides Logan and Rogue, appear in many of your stories. Which one in particular do you like or enjoy writing and why?

Ha! Scott! I love Scott just as much as I love Logan. He’s brilliant! I love playing the pair of them off each other as well. They squabble so easily… except when I’m writing foof, in which case there always seems to be some sort of underhanded flirting going on! I also enjoy writing Hank, but I find him harder to write than Scott, so he tends to be relegated to more of a background character. Poor Hank…

How do you get started on a story...where do the ideas come from?

Oh god, the ideas hit me a million different ways… bunnies run rampant in my head and feed on my brain :o( I’ve forgotten what it’s like to live life without randomly picturing Rogan scenes in every song/movie/event and thinking…oooh…that would make *such* good fic moment. It’s almost annoying.

I guess quite a few of my ideas originate from music or song lyrics. Some develop from dreams (like White Rabbit), others come out of the blue. Sometimes I’ll get one line stuck in my head and a whole fic will develop from it. In fact, that’s how Through Touch started, just from the line ‘Breathe, that’s all I have to do, just breathe.’ Rogue was lurking in my head saying that for weeks before I gave in and started to write anything down, and even then I had no idea where it would lead. I guess you could say that my writing process is haphazard and hideously unstructured! Which probably explains the amount of unfinished WIPs I have hiding on my harddrive (it’s not pretty…*g*)

Once a new story takes hold in your head, do you start writing immediately, or do you do some planning first?

Ooops, I think I’ve already kind of answered that. I let ideas lurk in my head for a very long time before I start writing anything. Some never make it out of the murk of my mind. My theory on planning is that if an idea sticks around in my head for long enough, then it’s probably worth writing. If I forget it because I didn’t write it down – then it can’t have been much of a loss! By the time I actually get around to putting a story on paper, it’s only because it’s constantly distracting me and I have to write it down before it keeps me awake at night. And as for structure, I do attempt it… occasionally… but if I plan things in advance, nine times out of ten chances are that I won’t stick to it. Everything evolves. And I’m fickle!

Would you say your stories come easily, or do you encounter stumbling blocks along the way?

I would say it’s a mixture of both. Some of them flow right from the word go and almost write themselves. I find foof much easier to write than angst. Joker, for instance, took me about an hour from start to finish. Swashbuckle… and Leather Slippers, that was another easy one (and out of all of them, probably the most fun fic to write!) But then Runaway and Addict, they took much longer. In fact, both of them skulked on my computer for months before I finished and posted them (which is a pretty awful attempt considering how short Addict is!)

My main stumbling block is, for want of a better phrase, lack of staying power. I’ll start writing something and be full of enthusiasm for it… until another idea takes hold and I start writing something else. Then I find it really hard to go back to the original idea, so it gets deserted. And the cycle continues…

You seem to have a flair for foofy, humorous stories as most of them contain some very funny moments. Is this your favorite type of story to write...your specialty, so to speak?

In a word…yes *g*. I love making people laugh! (I used to get into a lot of trouble at school and uni because of it. That and practical jokes…) I like bending the rules and pushing the characters as far as they can go in weird and wonderful directions. And if I can take them somewhere they’ve never been before, then even better.

Did any story make you laugh out loud while you were writing it?

Ha! Yeah, all the time (although I’m easily amused!) Especially Right Said Logan. I laughed so hard I cried when I got the idea for the last scene… which I’m sure is fairly tragic! Whether a foof/humour fic makes me laugh or not, is my judge whether to post it. If it doesn’t make me laugh – then it goes in my deadfic folder never to be seen again.

Logan often finds himself in humorous/embarrassing situations in your stories --performing Santa Baby on stage in "Chuck's Revenge" is one of my favorites. :) Why do you like to target/make fun of his character so much?

Because he’s so easy to pick on when you’re safe behind a computer screen and controlling his every action :o)

I think there’s probably a big ‘Hugh Jackman on Broadway’ influence in there, and I enjoy playing around with that because Logan’s character is so completely the opposite. The thought of him being anything but gruff and manly makes me laugh – and anything that makes me laugh is good.

On the other hand, you've only tackled angst in a couple of your stories. How are stories such as, "Through Touch" or "Addict" different to write from your usual foof?

They take me much longer! I worry about them more as well, and I think I take greater care in what I’m writing. When I’m writing foof, any old thing that comes into my head generally gets put down on the page and if it makes me laugh, then it gets kept in. When I’m writing angst, a lot more thought goes into it. I play around with the words a lot more; focusing on sounds and shapes of sentences. I like to play around with the rhythm and structure as well; I think you can convey a lot of the emotion of a situation just by the way it’s written.

You often make mention of songs in the author notes of your stories. Tell us about some of the music you listen to as you write and what influence it has on your stories.

I listen to a mixture of absolutely everything in my car, and this tends to be the stuff that influences my stories the most. I would say that Keane is probably my biggest influence at the moment. Or Lily Allen (see? Completely different!) I would love to write a Lily Allen influenced fic. Rogue would be seriously kick-ass.

When I actually sit down and write however, I’m far more likely to listen to movie soundtracks, if anything at all. Pan’s Labyrinth is my favourite at the moment. I’m rubbish at concentrating on writing if I’m listening to anything with lyrics… I’m easily distracted and I end up humming along and not actually writing anything. Also I find soundtracks are brilliant for getting into a certain zone, for example if I want to write a fight, I’ll listen to a bit of 300. Totally revs me up!

In the "Therapy" series, each story is written from a particular person's POV and the premise is a good way to get into their heads. Was anyone's POV easier to write than the others?

Probably Logan’s POV, but only because I’ve had a lot more practice at writing foof Logan than anyone else. He knows the drill by now. I just stick him in a random situation, and he practically writes himself. And it never goes the way I expect.

Is "Scott and Jean on the Couch" the final story in the Therapy series? If not, who else would you like to "get on the couch" so to speak?

I’m sure there will be more. I think Hank needs a turn on the couch - he’s got some unresolved issues to talk through :o) I’ve started writing it, although ok I’ll admit, that was about a year ago now… One day I’ll finish it…!

How do you decide whether to break a story up into multiple chapters or to make it into a series?

Ha! It’s like a pop quiz question *g*. I generally only use a series if the sections/chapters are a story within themselves, like in Therapy. This doesn’t happen very often though. I’m far more likely to write chaptered stories that develop as they go along. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m far more likely to write one-shots! Much easier that way.

You've written several stories in response to challenges from other people. Do you like to write for an audience? Do you usually take the readers? expectations into consideration when writing?

Sometimes a challenge gives me a push in the right direction – I can be a very lazy writer :o) Writing for an audience gives me something to work for, and I do like to take other people’s expectations into consideration, but then I also enjoy playing with those expectations and twisting them around into something completely different, like in Feral. I love a good twist!

Challenges are brilliant, they can take you places you never thought of going before, and it can be really refreshing.

"Echoes of a Night" is a sequel to "Two Weeks." Was it always planned that way, or did feedback for the first sway you into writing the second?

After writing Two Weeks I distinctly remember telling someone that I wasn’t ever going to write smut, so there wouldn’t be a sequel. Ha! Apparently I have zero willpower! I think my resolve lasted all of a week before Echoes of a Night got the better of me, so no, it wasn’t planned. Two Weeks did finish right in the middle of the crucial moment though, so I suppose it’s only fair I wrote a sequel for it :o)

I think that was a one off though. I’m usually pretty awful at writing sequels. I’ve promised several and they’ve never seen the light of day (sorry!) – I get carried away with other things.

I love the documentary story-telling style of, "The Mating Dance of the Lesser Spotted Wolverine." Can you tell us how this story came about, how long it took to write, etc.?

This came about by me having the TV on in the background while I was trying to write something else. Actually, I think it was a job application (like I said before, I’m easily distracted!) David Attenborough was halfway through a spiel on penguins when I imagined him talking about Wolverine instead. I got the giggles, the job application never got completed and the fic got written! I think it pretty much got completed in one go, but I wasn’t sure if it worked or not, so it got filed away and forgotten on my computer for a good month or so. When I went back and read it with fresh eyes, it passed muster, so I thought what the hell…I’ve posted weirder fics!

You have many unusual, eye-catching titles. :) Do you purposely try to come up with titles (and/or summaries) to draw people into reading the story?

Lol – I have issues with titles, it takes me ages to think of them! Yeah, I think a title is important to drawing someone into a story – kind of like advertising. Mainly because I’m one of those lazy people that skims over things, and I’m far more likely to read if a title catches my attention. If I had a choice between two stories, one called… say ‘Logan’s Day’ and the other ‘Handcuffs and Multiple Screaming Orgasms’… I know which one I would read! – Ha! Ok, so that makes me sound like a dirty tart rather than making my point, but ahh well! LMAO – someone should write that fic!

Titles can be fun when they work. And (it’s been pointed out to me that this is weird!) I also enjoy writing the disclaimers and summaries… They’re like foof-lite.

Which is your favorite story title and why?

Hmmmm… probably ‘How to trap a Wolverine (without getting clawed)’. Mainly because it was the first decent foof title I came up with. I was pleased with its catchiness and the way it read (which is rare!) It holds fond memories :o)

"Chocolate Fudge Brownie" was written as part of the "Ice Cream" series. Did you start this round robin? If so, how did you recruit the other writers to take part? If not, how were you convinced to take part?

Yes, I’m guilty of this one! It came about from a discussion we were having on Live Journal – something along the lines of how many different things could you do with Logan and a tub of ice cream. I put a shout out on Live Journal and wrbeta to see if anyone was interested in doing a round robin, and it just grew from there. I made sure everyone picked a different flavour, organised the order of posting, and the rest was up to the individual authors. It was good fun to write and read, what with the UST getting hotter in each one… actually, I think by the end it became RST rather than UST – but that’s what happens if you mix Rogan and ice cream!

Which of your stories is your favorite and why? Least favorite?

I think my favourite is Just a Kiss, just because it’s not angsty, it’s not funny, it’s just…sweet. And it made me feel all Christmassy and loved up when I wrote it.

Least favourite, I think that has to be Ritual of a Return because it’s so goddamned depressing. I’m not really a fan of depressing fics, I tend to avoid reading them, so I have no idea what inspired me to write one. The thing haunted me though, it seeped misery into my other fics until I put it down on paper. Maybe I was having a bad day or something.

I hope you found this interview as interesting to do, as your interview of Logan in "Interview With a Wolverine" was to read! :) Let's turn the tables, what question do you think *Logan* would ask *you* if he could and what would be your answer?

Heh…

…Three things bub – no I don’t care I’m only supposed to get one, I’ve been through a lot as muse and I want my three. First… seriously, what the hell you playin’ at making me sing, dance and dress up in drag? It damn well ruins my reputation and I aint never gonna get a girl like that. Do I do that to you? No. I don’t. Yeah… you should feel bad. Then you go an’ make it worse and suddenly there are sly glances at Scooter? What the hell? I mean… even when I’m flirting with Rogue? You have no conscience. None at all. Nope, don’t interrupt me. I aint done yet, ‘cause you’ve got a lot to answer for and I…where the hell is my beer?

1) Because it keeps me amused… and because I’m massive Rocky horror show fan and I think he’d make a fantastic Frank’n’furter! Honestly. It’s worrying how clearly I can see him in stilettos and a corset. 2) Ever since I saw the Scott/Logan scene at the beginning of X3, even though I’m a die hard Rogan fan, I think there’s untapped slash UST in there. And it’s so much fun to tease with *g*. And 3) Nowhere. Because I drank it whilst trying to think up an answer to this question Mwahahahhaaaaaaa (*runs and hides*)
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