Writers' showcase revisited

What have you been up to since the last interview?
Since I believe mine was one of the first Writer's Showcases, quite a bit! :) I had to skim my old interview answers to remember what I was doing back then. <g>

In the last few years, I've kept myself pretty busy with FoLC stuff. The S6 project completed its run in the fall of 1999, and I am just so incredibly proud of how it all came out. It was everything I hoped it would be and more! In addition to coordinating the season (with the help of Pam Jernigan), I also wrote 2 of the 14 episodes. Episode 7, "Fatal Attraction", was the culmination of an idea I'd had floating around in my head for years, and Episode 11, "Movers and Shakers" (co-written with Nancy Merkle), was a sequel to the Alt-Clark story line began in S5's "Through the Looking Glass". I am very happy with the way both stories turned out. :)

I also took over as "list mom" for the L&C Fanfic Listserv in 2000, and have sat on the Kerth Committee since the 1999 Awards. Both of these activities are very enjoyable.

The biggest change in my FoLC life, however, was that I recently retired as the Editor in Chief of the L&C Fanfic Archive after 3-1/2 years. It was a hard decision, but with my second child born in March 2001, the time was right to step down. But I know that LabRat will do an outstanding job in her new role as EIC! :)

Although a FoLC is forever, are you still an active part of the fandom? What holds your interest now?
Yes, I'm still active in the fandom, though I'm less visible. "Real life" has been increasingly busy for me over the last few years, and I haven't had as much time to IRC and keep up with the message boards. However, after recently retiring as EIC, I am hoping to have more time for socializing. :)

Are you still writing? If so, what is/are your current project/projects?
I have taken a break from writing for the last several months due to a very busy schedule, but would like to get back to it, maybe even later this year. I completed "the epic" ;) story "When Friends Become Lovers" in the summer of 2000, and found out I was pregnant with my second child not long after. A combination of increased family responsibility, a part-time job, and my ever-increasing volume of volunteer work has forced me to put my fanfic writing on the back-burner for awhile.

That said, I still have several stories that I would like to finish. Of primary interest is the sequel to "When Friends Become Lovers", entitled "When Lovers Become More". I was able to get the entire story plotted and approximately 25% written before I had to put it away. I would love finish it before the end of 2001, but I'll just have to see how that goes.

I also still have several stories in the works from a few years back -- namely both the prequel to my nfic "Winners", and the sequel to the same story. It's a fun universe to work in, although it's been so long since "Winners" itself was released, I may well be the only person still interested in what happens next! :)

Do you think your writing style has evolved? How? Why?
That's a good question -- I really don't know! I can't think of any major changes that my writing style has gone through, but maybe other people would have a different opinion. :)

Has your view on the characters and the show changed, and why?
I can't think of any specific ways in which my views have changed, but I definitely think character discussions on the listserv and message boards are fascinating. There have been numerous times when someone's post has caused me to rethink my views of a character or character's action. Even when I have argued the other side, I have found my views tempered based on the great discussions we have.

Are your tastes in fanfic, as well as your view of writing in general, different from what they used to be? Why?
In my early years in FoLCdom, I would read anything and everything, then hunt around for more. Stories have also gotten a lot longer than they used to be, though, and more plentiful, so the days of "freebasing fanfic" are over for me. <g>

Thus, whereas before I'd give pretty much any kind of story a try, now I limit myself to my favorites -- usually romances that aren't too angsty, or stories that simply look fun to me. The descriptions on the Archive have an influence, too; when the description piques my interest, I'm much more likely to open the file.

My views on writing fanfic haven't changed, though -- I think it's a wonderfully creative way for fans to express themselves and their views on the characters, as well as to explore questions they may have! Whether a story is technically perfect isn't always the point. Yes, it is much more enjoyable for readers if a story is well written, and the author is much more likely to receive feedback. But the bottom line, IMO, is whether an author enjoyed writing the story.

What are your most recent picks of other fanfics in the fandom?
One of the ironic things about being so busy with the Archive was that I haven't had much time to read fanfic lately. There are numerous stories released over the last couple of years that I hope to catch up on. Many of my 2000 favorites were represented in the last Kerth Awards, but since this year has been so busy for me, I haven't been able to create a good "favorites" list for 2001 yet.

Open forum for author comments.
I have enjoyed my time in the FoLC community immensely. Writing is something that I never would have imagined as a hobby for myself before I discovered L&C, so I credit the show -- and my fellow fans -- with awaking an interest I never knew I had. In addition, I have met so many amazing people through FoLCdom, many of whom I consider to be real friends. I am proud to be a part of this fan community, and very glad that I have been able to give something back, either through my stories, or through the time I've given to various projects such as the Archive, the listserv and S6.

Kathy Brown Kathyb@lcfanfic.com