Bex by Author Interviews
Summary: Interview with Bex.
Categories: Author Interviews Characters: None
Genres: General
Tags: None
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 3536 Read: 1794 Published: 08/04/2006 Updated: 08/04/2006

1. Chapter 1 by Author Interviews

Chapter 1 by Author Interviews
Who is Bex? Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm 31 years old and I live in the south of England. I'm married with two little girls and I claim to still have baby-brain, so if I become incoherent and ramble endlessly it's not my fault. I squeeze my fanfic in around the school run, the shopping, the housework and my part-time job, which is currently seasonal work in a Polo office, a world away from Logan, Marie and Xavier's school for the gifted! I'm a voracious reader given the time, enjoy watching TV/films and I'm a teeny bit of a sci-fi geek.


How did you discover fan fiction?
I'm proud to say that it was through being a fan of the X-Men films and a Wolverine and Rogue shipper. A cyber friend I met through a messageboard recommended jj blazer's fanfic as a good place to start and, of course, the WRFA, and I was hooked. I emailed jj and devildoll, and they recommended some other writers, and that was it. I've since dabbled a little in Firefly fanfic, but Wolverine and Rogue remains my first love, and will always have a special place in my heart. Plus Logan gets really pissy when he's being ignored.


You stated that "Just One Kiss" was your first attempt at writing fanfic. What made you decide to put that first story down on paper and what was it like to post it for others/strangers to read?
It's a cliché, but I simply read a lot of other people's fic and thought - I can do that! Once the idea was in my head I couldn't let it go, my first experience of a plot bunny sinking its fangs into my ankle. Plot-wise, 'Just One Kiss' is a typical wish-fulfillment scenario. I was desperate to get the two of them together, and I thought about the films and then just had a stab at what I thought might be a realistic way for them to get it on, preferably including a passionate clinch because that's what we're consistently denied in the movies. I was mainly thinking about it from Marie's point of view - if I was in love with Logan would I ever be brave enough to just come right out and ask him to kiss me, just once, so that I'd know what it was like. Posting it was sooooooo nerve-wracking that I felt sick, although I think it helped that the people reading it would be strangers. To this day none of my family or friends know that I write fanfic. My husband knows, but I don't let him read what I've written, mainly because I don't think he'd get it, not being a big X-Men fan, but also because there's something very revealing about writing, and I'm not ready to share that with people who think they know me yet.


Are you finding writing has become easier with experience or more challenging?
Oh, that's difficult. The process itself is easier because I've done it before and I feel more confident about it and less self-conscious. Coming up with new ideas and new ways of looking at the characters is more of a challenge. I don't just want to retread old ground again and again, but that's often what I find myself doing because I've fallen into a particular way of writing the characters, and it's hard to break away from that.


What sort of feedback have you gotten on your stories, and how important is it to you?
My feedback has generally been overwhelmingly positive, and I'm so grateful because feedback is one of the most important things about writing fanfic to me. It's important to find out that what you're doing is working for your readers so that you can improve your writing, but also on an emotional level it boosts your confidence and makes the whole process worthwhile. I'm always on a complete high when I get nice comments about a fic I've posted, and I always leave feedback if I've read and enjoyed a story myself. I love feedback, it's a good thing.


During what part of which movie did you realize that Logan and Rogue should be more than "just friends?"
When I saw X1 I thought that they had a really interesting relationship, but I'd be lying if I said that I became a shipper on that day. The scene on the statue of liberty really did get me, and I was vaguely disappointed that Logan seemed more stuck on Jean, but that was about it. When I saw X2 I actually quite liked the idea of him and Jean. (I've slapped myself, okay?) It was only after seeing the music videos made by claire (and saved at wolverineandrogue.com) that I saw the full potential of their relationship, and she directed me to the WRFA and to jj's writing at blazeplace. I became a Wolverine and Rogue obsessive almost overnight. Why didn't I see it before? I don't know. I was blind and stupid, but I'm making up for it now.


Has X3 (and its lack of Logan/Rogue interaction) changed your view of the couple? Is there still enough inspiration to sustain your writing of them?
Yes, and yes. Although I was bitterly disappointed in X3 as a film it has provided quite a lot of fic fodder: Logan doesn't see himself as a father figure (yay!); Bobby and Rogue seem to be about to break up (yay!); Rogue has taken the cure (boo!); as a result Rogue and Logan can touch (yay!).

X3 changed my view of Logan in that he came across as a big wussy-pants who was in love with Jean, and I really didn't like the way they portrayed his character throughout the film. It didn't seem in keeping with the friend and protector of X1 and 2 that he would just let Marie go off and take the cure. It should have been Logan trying to find her, not Bobby, dammit! But in fic I could choose to ignore that, or change the outcome, or have him beg Marie's forgiveness on bended knee, and that's the beauty of fanfic - you use the bits you like, discard what you don't and generally play around with it.


What types of stories do you like to write most (humor, romance, drama, angst, etc.) and why?
Foof. And foofy romance. I do love to have a bit of humour in my stories because it makes me happy. While I can enjoy reading other people's dark, angsty stories it doesn't come naturally to me to write that way. I have flirted with angst and drama in 'Cagefight', and I fully intend to do so again at some point, but foof is what comes easiest. Plus I'm a happy ending type of gal at heart. I want Logan and Marie riding off into the sunset together, maybe on a motorbike. That would be nice.


Do people suggest plot ideas, or do you usually come up with them on your own?
The first few fics I wrote I came up with myself, but then I discovered the challenge generator at wolverineandrogue.com and I've never looked back. Coming up with new plot ideas is difficult, so it's good to have some help. Plus it comes up with scenarios I would never have thought of myself! Then there's the additional challenge of having to fit in the suggested object, which can drag a fic in an entirely different direction.


"Logan hitched his bra strap up with a hiss of exasperation," is certainly an attention-grabbing first line! :) How do you get from a great beginning like that to the end of a story? What's your writing process like?
I'd love to tell you that I have the story all planned out in great detail, but that would be a big, fat lie. A first line just pops into my head and I go with it and see where it takes me. Often I have a vague idea of the direction I want to go in, but I frequently veer off on the way. I also do a lot of revising and rewriting as I go, and if a good scene pops into my head I'll bend the story to fit it in. It's not unusual for me to start a fic with no idea of where it will end, so my writing process is haphazard at best. Having said that, there has only ever been one story that I started and never finished, so I seem to get there in the end!

One thing I am frightened of is writing a fic with more than one part. Because I do rewrite and make changes, and because I'm never sure exactly where I'm going, the idea of having people waiting for chapters that I may never write scares me silly. I suppose one day I'll have to give it a whirl, but for now all my fics tend to be standalones.


Have you ever suffered writer's block? How do you overcome it?E
I have had periods when I can't seem to get my writing to flow, and I always just walk away and leave it for a while. Forced writing just doesn't work for me. Similarly, if I'm just not in the mood to write for whatever reason then I go away and do something else. The best ideas always seem to come to me in the shower, on a train or somewhere far away from the computer anyway. If I go a long time without writing anything I like to tell myself I'm composting - letting the ideas I have in my head mature and settle before putting finger to keyboard.


You've come up with various scenarios, from their truck breaking down in "Stranded" to crashing the blackbird in the ocean in "The Last Chance" to get Logan and Rogue alone together. Do you think the characters need to be in dire straights in order to admit their feelings to each other?
Lol! No, I don't feel that way, although it certainly helps as a plot device. I blame all those scenarios on the challenge generator. It came up with 'stranded' as one of the challenges, and the other was 'We're going to die. Let's have sex.' Both of them imply peril of some kind, so that's why I came up with those situations. It is useful to get the characters alone, though, as their focus then has to be on each other without any distractions. It's not always easy to get them alone in the school with pupils and teachers everywhere, although it's fun to make Logan declare himself in front of lots of other people. I can be so cruel! *g*


Can we expect a 'lost on a deserted island' scenario sometime in a future story? :)E
Would you like that? Actually, now that you mention it, it sounds pretty good to me - all that surf and sea and sand for them to play in. Logan being forced to strip down to his undies so he can make a hammock for Marie from his leather trousers…. *Bex goes off into a happy daydream*


You don't often include other X-characters in your stories. Do you not like writing the other characters, or, do you just prefer to concentrate on Logan and Rogue?
Both. I have a guilty confession to make - I have never read one of the comics. Ever. I hang my head in shame. Therefore I'm pretty much limited to the characters that have appeared in the movies, which is why Gambit has never appeared in any of my stories. I know a little about them from reading other people's fic, but not enough to feel confident about writing them myself. All my fics are based in the movieverse, and even then I limit my use of other characters. I use the other X-Men when it suits my purpose, but because I write self-contained stories I'm limited by time and length constraints so my main focus will always be on Logan and Marie. Sometimes it's fun to have a little interaction with other people, and I like slapping Storm around a little (sorry Storm fans!), but generally it's just the two of them. Logan is such a larger than life character he tends to take over anyway.


What inspired the hilarious story, "Body Swap"?
At the risk of sounding boring, it was that darn challenge generator again. Body Swap was the challenge it churned out, and I just had a sudden vision of an alpha male like Logan trapped in Marie's petite, curvy body. I imagined that he'd be pissed off and unbearably turned on at the same time. He'd get to see what Marie was hiding under her clothes and then he'd be a lost man. Heh heh.


Do you find writing humor easy or hard?
Easy. I find that when I put Marie and Logan together they spark off each other, and then words just seem to pop out of the page. I swear that sometimes they write themselves without any input from me at all. Of course there are times when I just get stuck, but generally I find the emotional, angsty stuff much harder. Sometimes I try so hard to be serious but flip remarks keep getting in the way.


"Body Swap" is the ultimate 'seeing things from another's perspective.' Which character, or character's POV, do you find easier to write, Logan or Rogue?
I find Rogue easier to write because I'm a girl and I fancy Logan. No imagination required there really. However, I find Logan's POV more fun to write in many ways. Logan is more guided by his instincts, and they can lead him places that he doesn't always want to go. I love it when he is reluctantly drawn to Marie, and I love fics that separate the Wolverine and Logan and have him battling his baser desires. I love that animal part of him that sees things in black and white, that wants Marie and won't be denied.

I don't always write in just one POV. My first fic, 'Just One Kiss', had some scenes from Marie's POV and some from Logan's, and I think that can work pretty well as long as you keep a firm grip on which character you're meant to be at the time! Sometimes it's nice to see things from both sides and gradually weave the two together.


If *you* could change bodies with any X-Character for a day, who would you be and why?
I'm a bit torn. On the one hand I'd like to be Logan and lock myself into the bedroom all day. On the other I'd choose Mystique, transform myself into the woman Logan desires the most (obviously Marie, but I'm hedging my bets) and then lock us both into the bedroom all day. Are you sensing a theme here? lol!


Prior to X3, Rogue's mutation had to be taken into consideration when writing love/sex scenes. Since several of your stories are NC-17, how have you dealt with this aspect of the character?
In some I've had Marie gain control of her powers gradually, so that she can turn her mutation on and off. I think that's the solution I like best, as it's good to think of Marie being happy in her own skin. I always felt it was a bit harsh in X1 when Xavier implied she might never be able to touch anyone. Never? In other fics I've just ignored her mutation (poison skin, what poison skin?) In 'Body Swap' I imagined that the exchange of DNA meant that she could only ever touch Logan - not a bad way to live if you ask me. In others I've had Logan think up ways around the problem. He can be a creative man with the right incentive.

I think Rogue taking the cure is handy for fic writers in many ways, although I've always enjoyed the various ways other writers have got around the problem with bodystockings and bracelets. It's a bit of a challenge, but it makes for some very hot fics!


In regards to writing love/sex scenes, do you find it easy, difficult, or somewhere in between?
I get very self-conscious when I'm writing sex scenes. It's ridiculous really, as it's just the computer and me, but it can be quite embarrassing. *blushes* Maybe the problem is that if you get a sex scene wrong it completely shatters your whole story - there's nothing more off-putting than a badly-written sex scene - so the pressure is really on. Now Lady T writes the best sex scenes ever. I'd kill to write as well as she does. As it is I just try to ignore the crippling self-consciousness and hope that what comes out isn't too cringeworthy.


"The Last Chance" is sexy *and* funny. Why do you think humor and smut/romance go so well together?
Because you can say things in a humorous fic that would come out all wrong in a serious context, like: 'Let's hump like bunnies'. Plus in my opinion humour diffuses a lot of the voyeuristic aspects of smutfic. You can be just as graphic, but everything feels more comfortable somehow. (Or is that just me?) That's not to say that I think there's anything wrong with a hefty dose of serious smut now and then, but personally I find that much harder to write, and I really admire those who can.


My favorite image from your stories is Peeping Tom!Logan sitting in a tree spying on Rogue in, "Looking Out For Marie." Can you explain a bit how the gruff loner came to find himself in such a position? :)
Poor Logan! I really feel for him in that fic. I suppose the obvious answer to your question is that Logan's feelings for Marie put him in that position. She is his weak spot, and he will do things for the sight of her that he wouldn't dream of doing otherwise. He hates sitting in that tree, he knows how stupid he must look, and yet he just can't help himself.

Also I can be a bitch. I like to force the gruff loner into ridiculous positions just for the hell of it, but at the same time try to make it into a workable fic. The hardest part was getting him into the tree. Once he was there the rest was easy. I haven't finished with Logan yet - who knows what I'll make him do next time? Mwah-ha-ha-ha.


In general, how does the characterization in your stories compare with what we see in the movie?
It varies. I think that the characterization in my first fic, 'Just One Kiss', was probably closest to the characters in the movie, because I was trying to be very realistic and was full of first-time-fic nerves. Once that was out the way I was able to play with the characters a bit more. As you mentioned above, in the films Logan was introduced very much as a gruff loner, and in many of my fics I've made him a bit lighter and more playful, because it can be more fun that way. I think I take more liberties with Logan's character than I do with Marie's.


Which story are you the most happy with how it turned out?
Er, probably 'Body Swap." I wrote it in about two days, posted it with very few revisions and am still fairly happy with how it turned out. That's a small miracle, because I still cringe when I read some of the others.


What do you get out of fan fiction (writing and reading) that you didn't get from the movies?
Aside from nakey Logan? The first movie set the scene for such a beautiful relationship between Logan and Marie, and we're still waiting for that to really come to fruition. That's what the fanfic does so fantastically. Whether the story ends happily or not, at least we have a continuation of that promising pairing that we've so far been denied in the films. I hate loose ends, and to me Logan and Marie are one huge, dangling loose end that need to be tied up one way or another. X3 just added a few more tangles.

I think that the screen writers could take lessons from some of the talented people we have in this fandom. Some of the stories that are posted are so beautifully written that it would be a pleasure to read them even if I hated the whole idea of Wolverine and Rogue getting it on. I hear there are some strange people out there who really do feel that way. Weird!


If I were sitting down to write my first story, what would your advice be?
Go for it, let your brain wander and just splurge your thoughts down, because nothing is ever set in concrete. There's always the delete button if it goes all crappy. (That's a technical term by the way. I'm certainly not cursing just for the sake of it. That would be rude.)
This story archived at http://wolverineandrogue.com/wrfa/viewstory.php?sid=593