Writers' showcase revisited

What have you been up to since the last interview?
In terms of FoLCdom, quite a lot! I've written lots more stories... (Yeah, I know, too many!). In relation to my own stories - shameless plug here - the one I'm proudest of is For The Greater Good, which explores the limits of Clark's desire to do what's right for the world, as opposed to considering the needs of those he loves. Just how much is he prepared to sacrifice in the interests of 'the greater good'? Not long after my first interview, I was honoured to win two Kerth Awards, including one for the Best New Author of that year, and I was overwhelmed and hugely flattered when that was followed by more Kerths and nKerths the following year. (Yes, I *did* go on to write nfic, despite what I said then! <g>)

I've also co-written stories with some of my favourite writers: Strange Visitor Revisited with Irene Dutchak, Brief Encounter with Yvonne Connell, and several 'unintentional' duets with Tank Wilson, which turned into a series of challenges. A couple of other co-authoring projects are still on the go - see below.

Besides writing, I became a General Editor for the Fanfiction Archive three or four years ago. I'm one of a team of people responsible for editing and rating every story before it's uploaded. It's an important responsibility, but also great fun - we get to read some terrific fics before anyone else! <g>

I've also discovered the delights of beta-reading, both in terms of using beta-readers for my own fic (and my readers, you know who you are and you're very much valued!). I also beta-read for some of my very favourite authors, which is an enormous privilege and very enjoyable. It's a highly rewarding experience!

Oh, and I've actually managed to meet a few of my writer friends in the flesh! Who says online friendships aren't as meaningful as 'real-life' ones?

Although a FoLC is forever, are you still an active part of the fandom? What holds your interest now?
See above, really! <g> I'm a diehard fanfic fan, both in terms of reading and writing. That, as well as the many wonderful friends I've made through FoLCdom, holds my interest. I love to see new writers emerge and go on to become favourites: that's one thing which really delights me about Lois and Clark fanfiction. It's four years now since the series was cancelled, and yet new and wonderful writers emerge all the time, both people who've been around for a while and only just started writing, and those completely new to the fandom. Zoomway's message boards have me hooked; what a place to post and discuss works in progress? It's a wonderful community over there, and I know that the boards are responsible for encouraging many new authors to dip their toes in the fanfic waters.

Are you still writing? If so, what is/are your current project/projects?
Am I still writing?! /me watches people collapse in hysterical laughter...

As I mentioned above, I'm co-writing stories with two people: another comedy with Yvonne Connell and a long Alt-world story with Phil Atcliffe. Imbalance, the Alt-world story, *may* be finished some time this year, but don't hold your breath! Though since we've now started to post it, we don't have much of a choice about finishing... ;)

Besides that, I have three stories seriously in progress: Second Thoughts, currently being posted to the fanfic section of Zoomway's Message Boards (http://www.lastson.com/boards); it will find its way to the Fanfic Archive and Annesplace after that. Also in progress are Tangled, an Alt/our world crossover, and another as-yet-untitled story, which is both a rewrite of Top Copy and a sequel to my first Kerth-winning story, That Super Man of Mine. (Yeah, I'm rewriting an ep other than TOGOM! <g>)

And after that... who knows? ;)

Do you think your writing style has evolved? How? Why?
Oh, it's changed dramatically, largely through exposure to so much excellent fanfiction, and due to my involvement in the writing process through General Editing and beta-reading. Using beta-readers for my own stories has also taught me a lot about writing. The most obvious change is that I'm far more careful about point of view than I used to be, and now only change POV when I begin a new scene. And when I look back at older stories, I certainly notice the difference!

More generally, my stories have mostly got longer - but then, so has most of fanfiction, and *I* don't hold the record for the longest single story, do I, LabRat? <g> I also write more angsty stories than I used to, and with more introspection. But occasionally I try to vary that and I'll write something short or a more comedic or WAFFy piece, such as Just Another Undercover Assignment - or even my last long story, Green Card, which tried hard to be a comedy.

Having said that, recently I wrote my shortest story yet: My Friend, coming in at just 11KB.

Has your view on the characters and the show changed, and why?
I'm not so sure that it has, really. I think I'm better at judging when characters are *in* character in fanfic, and I hope I'm better at writing them in character, both overall and for the particular season the story might be set in. As for the series overall, I'm not sure. I re-watch episodes less frequently now, but then that's because I've seen them so often; there are favourites I'll sometimes skim through to get to the Lois and Clark interaction. There are episodes I will never watch again if I can avoid it, too! However, it's still the TV programme which has most moved me in so many ways. It's addicted me, and I can still say that it's the only one which has inspired me to write fanfic. As much as I enjoy a couple of other programmes on TV, none of them has ever inspired this need to write in me.

Are your tastes in fanfic, as well as your view of writing in general, different from what they used to be? Why?
I'm more fussy about what I read now, both in terms of fanfic and published fiction. Like probably everyone else, when I first found the Archive I avidly read every story, absolutely amazed and delighted to discover that this resource existed. Now, though, I am much less likely to read badly-written stories. With the Archive's stringent editing process, not a lot of errors get through, though of course no editor can spot everything. But there are stories on other sites where the spelling and grammar are so poor that I just won't read them. Style, sentence construction and the 'flow' of a story also matter. Technical issues aside, I don't enjoy stories in which the plot isn't thoroughly worked out, or in which the characters are badly out of character, or in which the author has introduced a huge conflict and then resolved it in far too convenient a manner in the space of a page.

Like every reader, I suppose, I have my own favourite types of story; there are also types of story I'm less keen to read. Favourites include romance stories, revelation stories and in particular stories involving these themes which are long and angsty. Alt-world and elseworld stories also fascinate me. I enjoy episode rewrites. And there are some next-gen stories which enthral me. However, I'm less likely to enjoy stories which focus on Lois being pregnant/giving birth (yeah, I know, I wrote Super Night/Super Life!), and in which young children play a major role; crossovers are less of interest to me as well, apart from the exceptional and compelling Timeless, by Becky Bain.

As for published fiction, I can't just read anything any more! Weak plotting, plot holes, poor spelling and grammar, convenient plot devices, inconsistent characterisation and the like all stand out like sore thumbs for me now. So - like fanfic - I have favourite authors, from whom I will read *anything*, and I'm more careful about further work from authors whose work has disappointed badly. As anyone who's read my reviews on Amazon.com will know!

What are your most recent picks of other fanfics in the fandom?
Oh, where do I start?! All three - almost four - parts of Yvonne Connell's Fear of Discovery series - WOW! Then there's LabRat's Are You Lonesome Tonight, which is so lyrical, angsty and WAFFy; an incredible story. Add her Caped Fear to the list... And Chris Carr, a newer writer, whose Learning Curves astounded and delighted me. Kathy and Demi's 'epic' When Friends Become Lovers; Carol Malo's wonderful Connections. Kaethel's Near Wild Heaven - when do we get Part 2?! And two other new writers from 2000 wrote stories which left me stunned at their talent: Tracey's A Love Well Worth The Wait and Shayne Terry's Dear Lois. One of this year's most impressive new writers, Christy Landrum, stunned me with her amazing The Hand That Rocks. ML Thompson's come up with some great fic lately too, in particular Out Of Time and Cause and Effect. Which reminds me... can't forget Pam Jernigan's ingenious and delightful Tryst! And I'm almost forgetting Irene Dutchak; why not just recommend all her next-gen series while I'm here? <g> Don't forget her hilarious Taking Responsibility, and her current WIP, In Cat's Corner. Missy Gallant's lovely Strangers series. Jessi Mounts' For Better Or For Worse. Erin Klingler's The Accidental Husband. And, if you can take slightly darker fics, Tank Wilson's A Future Not Now/A Future Revised/A Future Restored is an incredible trilogy.

I'd better stop before I list just about every fic I loved in the past two years!

Open forum for author comments.
Oh, lots of things... First, many, *many* thanks to Annette for resurrecting the Authors' Showcase! I always thought it was a brilliant idea, and now I can look forward to reading new, fascinating interviews with some of my favourite newer authors. And can I add that I'm honoured to be asked to do a follow-up to my original interview - thanks, Annette and the Showcase team!

Second, I've been an online FoLC for about six or seven years now, and this is my fourth year of writing and 'publishing' stories. These have been truly wonderful years, for so many reasons. It's been fantastic to know that so many people enjoy reading my work, and I am so grateful to everyone who's ever given me feedback. You guys are a major part of what keeps me writing. I've been overwhelmed and honoured by every Kerth award I've won, and can't thank enough those people who liked my work enough to vote for it.

But most of all, what I've got out of being a FoLC is having made so many wonderful friends. I've met some of those I count as friends; others I've only corresponded with on email and IRC. Regardless, they are all friends I value very much. So much so that I could add that FoLCdom isn't purely a fandom; it's a way of life. :)

Special thanks to everyone who makes this fandom easier to participate in: KathyB and LabRat for the Fanfic Archive, Zoomway for the Lois and Clark Message Boards and her comprehensive website, Annette for the huge resource of Annesplace, which - among many other things - gives nfic writers somewhere to store their stories, Debby and Joyce for the nfic email distribution list, Demi for the Lois and Clark Fantasy Land, ChrisP for maintaining #lanekent, and many more besides. We couldn't do it without you!

Wendy