Writers' showcase revisited

What have you been up to since the last interview?
In real life, I managed to move 3,000 miles, going from a West Coaster (native Californian) to an East Coaster. I spent a traumatic year teaching in a middle school, where my writing came to a complete stop due to the stress. This year, I'm teaching K-2 Developmentally Delayed students, and I just love it! I work in a fairly small school, 350 students, with a large population of Special Ed, so I have a great deal of support from those around me.

Although a FoLC is forever, are you still an active part of the fandom? What holds your interest now?
I'm not as active as I used to be. My visits to IRC are few and far between, but I always enjoy myself when I'm there. I'm getting better about showing up more often <g>. I attended the 2000 FoLC Fest in Boston, and had a wonderful time. I stay in contact with the Raliegh/Cary bunch of FoLCs, and I've seen them several times since moving to this coast. I managed to make it to the Kerths, and was reminded of all the fun I used to have, so I think I'll be making more of an effort to stay current with the fandom. I even learned to post to Zoom's list after I got a newer computer, so in a way I'm more active than I've been in a long time.

Are you still writing? If so, what is/are your current project/projects?
First, I'll catch you up on the last 3 years or so... I wrote a complete series of romance novels, with all original characters. That was a challenge, but a fun one. Each of them is just short of novel-length, so publishing would be tricky. Still, I learned a lot from them. I got tied up with the Buffy fandom for a while, wrote a couple of very short fics there, but the fans just aren't terribly friendly. It's still a minor obsession, but it's nothing at all like FoLCdom. I found the same thing with the Sliders fandom ... it's out there, but because the show is canceled the fandom is dwindling. I just don't have the energy to try to stay involved. Most recently, and perhaps most pervasively, I've become involved with the X-men fandom. It's a friendly group, very prolific writers, and many of the same romance opportunities that L&C presented (I'm partial to Jean and Scott... a married couple). There are more characters to work with, and more timelines and alternate universes than I know what to do with. I found a great editor there, who is actually a REAL editor and professional writer, and she's positively brutal. I just love her! I think my writing has definitely improved because of her.

Oh yeah... I'm writing! It's what keeps me sane. Right this moment, I'm in the middle of two X-men near-novels. One is a pretty straightforward story about "my own" X-man ... my attempt at an original character that isn't a Mary Sue. X-men is very much like Superman in that we have "heroes" making a difference. I wanted to take a less powerful hero, and address the issues of inadequacy and value that have nothing to do with abilities. I have 8 of 9 chapters done, and I've been pleased with the responses. The other story I'm working hard on is crossover between X-men Movieverse and Lois and Clark. Now, don't get worried... I won't put it out unless it's decent, and the two stories blend far better than you'd expect. Both are current with their characters, and Jean and Lois have a whole lot in common. I'm having fun playing with their reactions and situations from the others' perspective. No projected date for completion, but I do have high hopes for it.

Do you think your writing style has evolved? How? Why?
Definitely! The why is easy ... good editors. I don't just mean the grammatical errors that we all make, but I have a lot of little quirks that I'm learning to lose. I've always had difficulty with conversations and action scenes, and writing in X-men has forced me to write those, then the editors force me to fix my mistakes. It's good exercise. As for style, I've gone from shorter stories and in-betweenies into mostly longer pieces (average story length for me, now, is about 40,000 words, 2/3 of a novel). It requires a lot more of me, in plotting and character development, but it's easier because I don't have to be as concise. My editor has also taught me to check scenes for value -- what they accomplish -- and eliminate the "deadwood" from my stories. I think my pacing has improved, as well as my content.

Has your view on the characters and the show changed, and why?
Unfortunately, yes. For a while, L&C was everything -- I watched it, lived it, wrote it, read it -- you get the picture. I'm not quite sure how healthy that was <g>. I still love the show, though. Just this morning I caught GGGoH on TNT and smiled through the whole episode. Last spring, when I had to spend 6 weeks in an ICU waiting area while my mother was so ill, I held on to those episodes with a death-grip. L&C can still reach me when little else can. However, you can only watch a series so many times before it becomes repetitive. The comfort of that is a good thing, but I also enjoy new challenges. That's one of the reasons I drifted away from the fandom. There are so few stories that haven't already been written, so few discussions I haven't already had. It all began to feel very repetitive. Now, having been "away" for a year or so, it seems fresher to me. My interest is back. I think that's why I'm writing again, and enjoying it. I guess I just needed a breather. Smallville has also provided me with some thought for fanfic-fodder. I haven't done much with Clark as a child, and I'm thinking that it might be a fun direction to move in...

Are your tastes in fanfic, as well as your view of writing in general, different from what they used to be? Why?
I take my writing a lot more seriously, now. I think that's a measure of my story lengths. Full Circle was the first "big" story I wrote, and it really spoiled me for anything less. I also learned original characters there, and now I find it difficult to write without them. I tend to prefer to read the longer works as well, although I don't have as much time for them as I'd like. While I still read the occasional in-betweenie or comedy, I much prefer the longer dramas. Also, I'm not as interested in the n-fic works as I used to be. I don't mind sex in a story if it serves a purpose (more of the "deadwood" theory), but I won't read a vignette just for the love-scene itself.

What are your most recent picks of other fanfics in the fandom?
This is the embarrassing question <g>. I really haven't read anything L&C in ages. I finally got back on the list. I have a whole list of "read this as soon as you can" stories. I'm especially looking forward to Kathy and Demi's story. I haven't had the time yet to sit down and spend the time reading it beyond a quick-skim, and I've been looking forward to it for years.

Open forum for author comments.
It's wonderful to see that FoLCs are still holding the fandom together, even when some of us drift. I loved seeing the Kerths, and how many were in attendance. It says a lot about a show that it inspires this level of dedication from it's fans. The show has been off the air ... what? 4 years? 5? More? Still, it's as fresh to some of the newer fans as it was to me when I drifted in, way back in 1998. I look forward to getting back into the rhythm of things, especially as work is less of a challenge than it's been in the past.

I did finally manage to get a website up for all my fics... L&C and otherwise. It's located at: http://www.bsg03fanfic.com/