Ah, now there is a good question. If you want to be specific, I’ve been writing since I was seven. I was a huge comic fan, and when it came time to write stories and what not for school, I always used the X-men. Granted, I didn’t even know what “fanfiction” was at the time… but I guess you could say I’ve been writing for 14 years now. *But those stories will never see the light of day. I’ll spare you all! ;)*
What do you find most and least enjoyable about writing fan fiction?
When I write, I have a process. Generally I tend to start with a story idea, and then I set it all out in front of me as a very detailed plot outline. That is definitely my favorite part of this process, because it’s the easiest! Getting the story organized, including bits of dialogue that may stick out to me, certain scene locations and actions… that’s the most enjoyable part of writing for me. When it comes to LEAST enjoyable… writing in general? Kidding.. mostly. Because I have a two year old, and a Marine for a husband, life tends to get in the way. I find it least enjoyable when I wind up with a massive plot bunny, which requires more time then I can honestly devote to it. It’s frustrating!
When you're not writing fan fic, what are you doing in Real Life--i.e. interests, hobbies, work, etc.?
Ahhhh, Real Life! As I mentioned, I’m a Marine wife and mom to a two year old. Real life generally has me running after the Little Man, taking care of the Husband, cleaning the house, or snuggling with one of my three cats and the dog. I’m fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom, and when I actually get some down time, I’m usually reading or writing. I’m a HUUUUUUGE comics fan, so every now and then I dig through my collection and pick random issues to boost the inspiration.
What drew you to the X-Men fandom?
An X-Men comic was the first thing I learned how to read on my own. I was five/six and my parents were going through a nasty divorce. As a result, we moved in with my grandparents for a while. I was an uprooted southern girl who suddenly found herself living in New York, and of course I got teased for having an accent. *I think we can all safely guess at this point who I could associate with.* The thought of super heroes with amazing powers was appealing enough to me as a little kid, add to the fact that it was a great escape from the real world and that I could easily associate with one of the characters…. I was hooked. I started saving my allowance and hitting the local comic shop. It’s been a love affair ever since.
Which movie has given you the most inspiration in regard to writing Logan/Rogue? Or are you more of a comics fan?
That’s the funny thing, actually. I’m sure everyone remembers Book Fair in school, right? Well, when I saw the paper back “Cerebro Files”, of course I had to buy it! Inside this book were the watered down, (and slightly altered) versions of the X-teams “defining moment” on the team. Rogue’s involved Logan, and I altered it to read like they were involved. *I was a shipper before I knew what it meant!* There was always something that bothered me about Rogue and Gambit, and when I saw X-1, everything just seemed to click into place. While comics are my main source of inspiration, I’d have to say X-1 was the movie that cemented Rogan as my OTP.
Are there any other X-characters you particularly like? Do you include them in your stories, or stick mainly with Logan and Rogue?
I was a big Psylocke fan actually! There was just something about Betsy that I loved, and next to Rogue, she was my favorite. Generally when I write tho, I just stick to Logan and Rogue.
Real Life can be quite busy, when/how do you find the time to write fan fic?
I take forever!! I’m actually working on about three different stories, with plot bunnies waiting in the wings. I have terrible insomnia, and tend to do most of my writing at insane hours.
How long does it usually take you to write a story and what is the process you go through?
Oh dear lord. This is the question of the hour! Depending on the story… it can take MONTHS for me to write. My process looks something like this… A)Get bitten by furry bunny that refuses to leave me alone B) Write down Plot Outlines and significant moments in writing notebook/ research material I’m unsure on. C) Handwrite bits of story or clearly defined scenes D) Attempt to connect all of the above and stick to plot lines E) Scrap half of it, and start all over again If I can generally get to that point, then the story will find its way to my friend C, or Sare (Deep_salt_water on LJ)
Is a story ever influenced by other factors, such as the expectations of the readers?
My stories are generally influenced by a million things. I find myself leaning towards baby!fic a lot because it’s something I’m comfortable with. I have a baby, and therefore I tend to translate that into my writing, and have to stop myself. Marie on my Mind was originally meant to end badly, but some of the readers… let’s just say there were some not so veiled threats of death and dismemberment if I did that… I can face a two year old toddler, I can face the United States Marines, but Angry Rogan Shippers… No thank you!
“A Quiet Mind” includes song lyrics at the beginning of the story. Did you get your inspiration for the story from the song, or did you just include the lyrics as a way of setting the mood of the story?
My playlist is very much an inspiration for me. “A Quiet Mind” was completely built around that song, and the song itself was played repetitively until the story was out.
Do you often write with certain songs in mind? Not necessarily song fic, but songs that help you get in the right frame of mind to write certain characters?
Oh, absolutely! I have a playlist specifically for when I write. If I have to write angst, certain songs put me in that frame of mine. If I have to write anger, I rely on another set of songs. The stories that are being written now, have their own soundtracks. I really should include that in my writing process ;)
Which character, Logan or Rogue, is your favorite to write and why?
I think because I associate with Rogue more, she’s my favorite to write. A good portion of my inspiration comes from everyday life with The Husband. He’s very much a “Logan”, and I find myself getting stuck on Logan when writing. There are times that I will present a situation to The Husband, and his reaction will become Logan’s reaction. When it comes to Rogue though, her reactions are all me.
“The Glass You Break to Touch” was your first attempt at writing smut. How do you think you did? Was it more difficult or easier than you imagined?
Honestly, I’m never really happy with what I write. I can go back a million times over, and nit pick a story to death… and I did for this story. Smut, is HARD! I’ve been practicing, and with anything, it gets easier the more you do it. Perfect Practice Makes Perfect, so I’m still perfecting the practice.
Is there one particular genre you prefer writing, or do you like dabbling in several of them?
I like dabbling. Like I said before, Real Life is probably my biggest influence. I’m not always Foofy, or Angst Ridden, and my mood tends to have a huge effect on what I write.
Do you beta read for other authors, and if so, does that help you with your own editing process?
I do, actually. I tend to Beta more than I write! I started on “Jailbait” (Which I’m STILL trying to get her to continue) and then moved onto beta’ing for my friend C (even though she ships Romy) before doing all the beta work for Sare (Deep_Salt_Water on LJ). I find that it DOES help me, not just with editing, but getting the creative juices flowing. While beta’ing for Sare, we discovered that we work REALLY well together- and now have a few joint projects in the works.
One story I know you had beta help with was, “Marie On My Mind.” Can you tell us how they helped and if the story is different in any way because of them?
Commas! I use commas WAY too much. C made MomM bearable, not to mention that she did my Remy. I would tell her what I wanted him to say and she would translate it into “Gambit-speak”. She also helped organize my thoughts, and keep me on track. MomM was a massive undertaking for me, because before that point I’d only ever written drabbles…. or things that STILL haven’t seen the light of day.
A title is a very big part of the story itself – it can make or break it. How do you choose titles for your stories?
You should see one of my discussions with Sare about this; God knows we bitch about it enough! A title either hits me, or it doesn’t. I can write an entire story and not be able to choose a title for it until it needs posting, or I can have one in mind from the get go. Sometimes the lyric from a song will be fitting, sometimes it’ll be a line from the story itself… then there are the times I’m so damn frustrated with it, that I lay it at the feet of my beta’s, and let THEM decide!
Which title do you think best describes its story and why?
Right now I would have to go with TNL. It’s short for “The Narrative Lego” and is the nickname Sare and I have dubbed our ULTRA TOP SECRET PROJECT!! *Cues lights and thunder* Even though it is only a nickname, it best describes the story. She and I are writing it together, and it really has become a narrative lego. I love building the foundation of the story, and then the two of us working off of one another.
First, second, or third. Which POV do you prefer writing in and why?
I don’t really have a preference; I just happen to use whatever works best for the story at the time. I think they all serve their purposes, and take advantage accordingly ;)
“I Won’t Let You Fall Apart” and “Marie On My Mind” were written in response to challenges. Do you like to use challenges as inspiration, or is there another reason you respond to them?
Sometimes it’s just a matter of what strikes my fancy. Sometimes a challenge will get the bunnies working on overtime, or I’ll use it as a distraction from whatever story might have me burnt out at the time.
What happens when you get stuck in the middle of a story—write/push through it, or step away from the story for awhile?
As was evident with MomM, when I write/push through the chapter tends to come and rushed, and crappy! I’ve stopped doing that now, because it was a learning experience for me. Now, I step away before I do something rash and god-awful, and let the story come to me. Sort of a natural progression… That’s probably why I have so many open fics at the moment…
Which of your stories is your favorite and why?
So far, “Mornings with Marie (Let it Run)” is my favorite. In all honesty, there was nothing original about it at all. Real life had been kicking me around for a bit, it was a Saturday morning, and my husband REFUSED to get out of bed! It ended up being the nicest day that I’d had in a while at that point, and turning it into a fic just kind of immortalized it for me.
Looking back, is there anything you'd like to change about a story given the chance, and if so, what would it be?
I’d make them better! I wouldn’t rush, I’d fix the stupid little mistakes that I didn’t catch because I was so tired of looking at that chapter/fic, I wouldn’t post it at three in the morning, there is always something. Even certain dialogue… or situations, or characters… like I said, I’m never really happy with anything I’ve written. We are our toughest critics.
If you could give Logan and/or Rogue one piece of advice, what would it be?
Logan, Quit being so damned stubborn! Both of you, communicating isn’t that hard. Rogue, Bobby is an IDIOT. If Logan is willing to sacrifice his LIFE for you, chances are he won’t mind lots of happy bunny sex on a regular basis.
What are you working on at the moment? Can you give us a little teaser?
I have a few open projects, one of which is TNL (But as it is TOP SECRET, I can’t really say much about it. Sorry!! You’ll just have to keep an eye out for it!) I’m also working on the Prequel to Sare’s “C’mere” with her, as well as a story called “Not a Stranger”. I can give a teaser for NaS, even though it is currently on the backburner to my joint projects. She’d left while the sky was black and the mansion was quiet. The air had been still- the kind of calm you found before an intense storm. It had nearly been five years to the day since she first found herself at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, a pretty name for what truly lay within the impressive brick walls. Mutants, outcasts, the newest plague on humanity, the forsaken. She had thought she’d finally found a haven at the time. She had thought that the impressive Professor Xavier, with all his knowledge, money, and power, would be the answer to her prayers. He would find a way for her to touch again where all the doctors and psychiatrists her parents had hired had failed; he would be the one to cure her. There was no cure, and it had taken her five long, lonely years to figure it out.
Any closing remarks or anything else you’d like to say to potential readers of your work?
Thank you to everyone that has ever given me feedback, ever given me ideas, put up with me and my ramblings, and that actually reads the stuff I write. There are so many amazing authors out there, and it really is an honor to be counted among you. I have to say a special thank you to Soulless_Lover and Sare for everything, as well as Jesse for giving me the original kick in the ass needed to post. Hopefully I didn’t bore anyone to tears, and I look forward to all of the fantastic fic probably waiting in my inbox as I type this. ;)