The interview meme...

[valis2]

privatemaladict's questions for me:

1) What was the first fanfic you ever read, and what do you think of it now? (If you can't remember, pick one that stands out as something that drew you into the fandom.)

The first fanfic I read was a Mummy fanfic. Actually, bookwench2096 read it to me over the phone. (The first fanfic I actually read was my own, but I don't think that counts.) It was rather poorly written and I started to crack up. Then I read all of bookwench's X-files fics and her Mummy fics. We had a friendly little Mummy competition going on. It was great fun. We would write chapters and then constantly read them to each other. Good times.

In HP, I honestly can't remember the first one I read. But the first one that really affected me profoundly was something switchknife wrote where I realized, oh my goodness, it can be so artistic, and moving, and it really validated fanfic as an "art" form for me.

2) If you could have one wish with regards to what'll happen in HBP, what'll it be?

Oh, great question! I would love it if Severus didn't die, honestly. That's what I'd use my wish for. If I was really convinced that he wasn't going to die, then I would have JKR write a bit of realism into the Slytherins. And give Lucius a lovely oiled NC-17---er, more scenery to chew.

3) What's your guiltiest pleasure?

Alinosi's ice cream with Australian ladyfinger banana liqueur or coffee liqueur from the Mt. Uncle distillery with a bit of chocolate sauce. Or spending day after day on the internet.

4) How did your fic get so long, and is there an end in sight?

It was meant to be long, honest! Heh. I had a 15 page outline in the beginning, and now it's 18 pages.

To be honest, I just don't believe that these two characters could have any sort of realistic relationship unless it developed very slowly. I thought that the "slow-burn" style was the best for them. Recently I finished the backstory and the set-up that propels the rest of it. Severus and Sarah had three conversations: one where they put the past to rest, one where they talk about what's happening now, and one where they think of the future. I really tried to wrap up everything so that I could concentrate on the next few chapters, which form an important story arc about Severus and are action-packed.

Then there will be another ten chapters or so that develop the next leg of the story, and at last another action-filled mini-arc, and then the conclusion.

So 15-20 chapters. I will be so relieved when it's over. I honestly loved the experience and the writing was a blast. But I started it too early. I should have poked around fandom a little longer first. See, OC fics rarely get rec'd, they rarely get Niffled on FicAlley, and, in general, they do not get the respect that CC fics receive. They're perceived to be a "stage" that every fic writer goes through, and many times they are part-and-parcel of the Mary Sue stage. So even though I wrote my Mary Sue fics years ago, the very presence of the initials OC is enough to frighten off a lot of the serious reviewers/rec'ers/Nifflers.

If you look through the Niffled fics on FictionAlley I believe that there is only one SS/OFC Niffled fic (Darkness & Light, the one with Maud Moody). It's just that there are levels of reviewers, just as there are levels of writers, and most of the more sophisticated reviewers have been so badly burned with the tremendous number of Mary Sue fics that they won't even touch an OC fic. I find myself avoiding them too. CC fics often have their own Sues and their own OOC problems, of course, but it still seems to me that there is a "taint" around any romantic stories with an OC.

Whew, rant out of nowhere there. Just feeling a little teeny pity party for myself tonight about not being Niffled and such, that's all, though I shouldn't be upset at all. I have lots of reviews, and I'm really happy about writing such a long fic and getting past the Page 36 Curse.

5) Did you ever show your Earthmother Sue story to anyone, and if yes, what did they say about it?

Heh...actually my lovely friend of a million years, blumsmile, has read the entirety of the Earthmother Sue story. She's also read nearly everything else I've written. She's even read that horrible story where cats wearing native American/D & D outfits walk on their hind legs and use heart-shaped balloons to travel. Wow, I should find that one and post excerpts. Or maybe not.



If you want to be interviewed, leave a comment and I'll ask you five questions.