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Welcome! |
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Welcome to Naughty-Seduction.Net, NS for short. This is your number one source for Chlex! We have plenty of content to look at, including fanfictions and an awesome forum to browse through. Some content require that you register, but that's FREE and just a few steps.
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[Interview] January 2009 Interview: westwingwolf |
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Dec 31, 2008 - 10:26 PM - by westwingwolf
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Hey everyone, I'm putting this up a day early because a few days ago my laptop refused to boot up, then last night the desktop killed over, and Radio Shack is closed until Jan. 2nd so I have to wait until then to try and get my laptop fixed or look into buying a new one. Meanwhile, I'm at the Public Library trying to be stealthy so none of the ladies catch the website I'm on and get on my case, also trying not to smack the two teenagers who are being rude with talking above the necessary level not only for a library but just by the mere fact that they are sitting right next to eachother while also talking on cell phones that are supposed to be turned off. Suffice it to say, I won't be able to update anything or work on anything new for a few days.
Anyways, I've decided to take the month of January because it's my favorite month (hopefully it will be better than December was for me) and I have the power to do so. All that said, I still feel guilty that this interview is longer than most of my updates. Oh well, chalk it up to egotism. Oh and if you like Twilight, stop reading before the last question.
Interview: westwingwolf
1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?
There are many different times in history that I find fascinating for one reason or the other. I would choose the Golden Age of Hollywood, specifically the 30’s and 40’s. I love the screwball comedies from that time and would love to work either onscreen or offscreen at that time.
2) Have you ever met anyone famous?
Let’s see I met Ron Jeremy when he came to my college to participate in a debate about sex in the media. The author Bret Lott was my college professor for Creative Nonfiction. He wasn’t too keen on my work but I wasn’t that into Creative Nonfiction so it was a fair trade. I live up the street from the artist Jim Harrison, but I’m not sure how famous he is since he doesn’t have a Wikipedia page. May just be a South Carolina famous person.
Most of the time, I’m some how connected to people who know famous people. For instance, my best friend’s sister’s best friend is the niece of Stephen Colbert so you know he’ll be returning my phone calls soon. My Introduction to Theatre professor worked with Michael Rosenbaum in the production of Unto These Hills and he told us what I thought was a funny story about him from that time. I’d repeat it but I feel like I’ve already told everyone this story so if I haven’t let me know and pass it along. Sadly, I think I was the only one who perked up when he mentioned MR, coincidently that was right around the time when I had just gotten really into SV. Kismet, I tell you.
3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?
I would like to meet Steven Spielberg so I could easily get into the movie business. I wouldn’t leave him alone until I got some kind of job that would get me a movie credit. I’d work for Kraft food services just for that.
4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.
Matthew Perry’s girlfriend. Whoever she is or will be, I just want to be her as long as she’s with him and then when she stops being his girlfriend I switch into his next girlfriend.
5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?
I could go contemporary and popular and say J.K. Rowling…or I could go collegiate and say William Shakespeare. But in all honesty, it’s screenwriters M. Night Shyamalan and Aaron Sorkin. These two made me fall in love with the idea of writing professionally. They made me see that movies were inspiring me to want other careers and that what I really wanted was to inspire others through writing.
6) What is your favorite book and why?
Something in me won’t let me reread a book like I do fanfiction or like I’ll watch a movie again and again. I’ve reread certain passages but generally when I’m done with a book, I’m not going to pick it up again for a full read through. That said, while I know this is a play, I’m going to pick Shakespeare’s Othello. I fell in love with Iago’s manipulating ways from the get go and he’s what drives the entire story. Plus I think it makes some great points about human nature and like all of Shakespeare’s plays can be interpreted different ways.
7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?
Garth Brooks…I grew up listening to country because of my dad and at least one of Garth’s songs can always fit my mood.
8) What is your favorite song and why?
“Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks. It’s got a fun message, but I also love it for nostalgia’s sake. I loved that song since I was a kid and mainly because I confused the lyrics when I was younger, when I finally did realize the lyrics I still liked it because it’s a fun song. It is my fail-safe karaoke song.
9) What is your favorite movie and why?
The Princess Bride, it may be a cliché to say so but that’s just because it’s got everything you could possibly want from a movie. Even if you don’t like storybook love stories, it’s not really one because it makes fun of itself. And it’s grown with me as I’ve gotten older. I love it when I can watch a movie at different ages and pick up something I didn’t get before. Of course, I’m not that old, but if I make it to 60, I bet I’ll still be laughing with this movie.
10) What is your favorite television show and why?
To be fair, I say you can’t compare sitcoms to dramas, but I’ll choose Friends. Even though I use The West Wing for part of my screenname, it’s Friends that I can always come back to at the oddest moments in life. Random things will always make me think of Friends. It was and still is an obsession that’s just synonymous with me, and even more than a love for Matthew Perry, it’s the idea that you can be such great friends with someone that they are more than just a person you see on occasion. It’s the kind of friendships I like to have.
11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?
If we go classic it’s Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, each would just light up the screen in all their movies. Modern, it’s Matthew Perry and Sandra Bullock. I love Matthew’s humor and Sandra has this fun personality that I would want to be friends with her and rarely has she played a role that I didn’t like. I really would love to see them in a movie together.
12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.
If nothing is on and I’m really bored, I’ll watch The Girls Next Door or Keeping Up with the Kardashians. I know I’m the first to say that reality tv is crap unless people are actually working to prove themselves for a job, but in my defense I haven’t watched in a while and those people are all too crazy not to watch.
13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?
My friends do and my mother has seen that I’m on what she calls ‘that naughty site’ though I constantly tell her it’s just a name and not what she thinks it is (even though it so is!).
14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?
Yes, my friends do, one even reads my stuff though she doesn’t watch SV and has no idea about the characters. I also had to tell my parents because I had to explain how I won that Friends’ script.
15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?
When I was 14, I wanted to read West Wing fanfic because I was dying to see Josh and Donna together somehow and knew I’d have to wait for it on the show. And yes I so read the naughty stuff and clicked that I was 18 when I wasn’t.
16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?
I wrote a West Wing piece back when I first started reading but I never published it. I’ve lost it now, which is for the best because it was a weird WW/The Devil’s Advocate like crossover. I didn’t really start until summer of 2007 when I told that the shoutbox that I had been writing a story which became “Suitable Specimen”, and was then forced into posting.
17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?
I want to be a screenwriter, I’ve just got to get over this fear of failure and crippling laziness/procrastination.
18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?
I rewrite history on Wikipedia, I watch tv and movies, surf the net for fanfiction, listen to music, and occasionally look into job opportunities to starve off the idea that I’m a lazy bum.
19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?
Here’s the part where my horrible secret comes out, though I’ve posted it elsewhere. When I first started watching SV, I wasn’t all that interested, I just though MR was hot and I liked the character of Lex. I don’t read fanfiction unless there is romance and I needed to pair Lex with someone. Now, keep in mind that I wasn’t really paying attention to the show so I didn’t think about Chloe. Basically all I knew of the show was Lex, Clark and Lana, and being that I was already a fan of Lois & Clark, I knew who Clark was going to end up with so I thought it couldn’t hurt to read Lexana. Found out quickly how wrong that was, I couldn’t get through one fic without being bored to tears so I cut myself off completely. I didn’t get back into the show until 5th season and that was because my college roommates were always watching the reruns on ABC Family and being bored with nothing better to do I watched. I finally paid attention to the greatness that is Chloe and immediately went to ff.net. When I was done with everything viable there, I went searching for fics via Yahoo Groups and found one called electricchlex. They didn’t have much but someone on there told me about NS and here I am. I think one of the reasons I’m so adamant about a hatred of Lana is because I’m overcompensating for that initial thought of pairing Lex with her when I didn’t know any better.
What I love is just how human they are. They get to be both wrong and right and suffer the consequences when they are wrong. There is little to no ‘oh that’s okay, you didn’t know better, you weren’t yourself’ for them. They have faults and I like imperfection. And I’m big on belief that quality banter (that that doesn’t feel forced) between characters equals unsaid sexual attraction and tension. Chlex has what I think of as the F or F quality, in each scene they look as if they want to fuck or fight, or both. Alternatively I also call it the K or K quality, kiss or kill.
I hate Lex’s random love for Lana because it was clear it was just done to cause problems for Clana and there was no real progression and no explanation for it. I hate when Chloe seems to be on board for everything Clark is: “Let’s save Lana!” “Clark and Lana have the most perfect love!” “Lex is evil and absent of love!” And I believe that by now she would have broken down and snapped more at Clark; she’s done it some but not enough where she’s either forced Clark to accept his shitty treatment of her and changed or broken off their friendship. I know firsthand keeping in those feelings makes you snap repeatedly until you face the situation and deal with it. I think that’s something Chloe should have done by now.
20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?
I was reading ruafair’s “Under a Bewitching Spell” and loving it but wondering what it would be like if instead of every guy be attracted to Chloe, if she in turn could only stand to be around one guy, all others making her sick. That stayed with me until it got to the point where I had to start writing the story or drive myself crazy keeping it inside my head and therefore “Suitable Specimen” was written. From then it just spiraled, mainly as a need to rewrite the crap from the show.
21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?
I love real AUs, the kind that put them in different places and time periods but stay true to the essential Chlexy nature. Must have some quality banter. And I love anytime Lex gets really possessive…yeah yeah I know that’s not politically correct and whatnot, but the fangirl in me just squeals anytime Lex wants to punch a guy for getting to close to Chloe or when Lex asserts that she’s his. And I’m only for it, if he believes that he’s equally only hers.
I don’t like it when a problem is solved too easily, though I’m probably guilty of that myself. I also won’t read a fic that features one or more of the couple is with someone else and it’s going so well that my couple is in serious danger of not getting together. I don’t multi-ship, once I’ve chosen my couple, that’s it and nothing can change my mind.
I just realized that all of that, the love and hate could really be applied to any fanfic I read. Oh well.
22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?
I don’t write for any other fandoms. I do get ideas for others, but I’ve never really taken the step to actually write them down. As for what I read, the main ones are: Josh/Donna for The West Wing; Snickers for CSI; Spuffy for BtVS; and Tonks/Remus for Harry Potter. And if some people got around to writing Eliot/Parker for Leverage, I’d read that.
23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.
It really depends how I’m feeling at the moment, sometimes I need music or background noise. Sometimes I’ll get so irritated by sounds that I’ll mute everything. One thing that is essential is having the tv on all the time, even though I mute it most of the time, I like to stop and look over to see that something is on.
24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?
They usually come as I’m outside walking around and listening to music. I like to pretend that I’m actually in a story or show, so I’ll come up with a plot and act it out in my head while I listen to music. Sometimes the music directs how the plot is going to go, sometimes I’ll into a plot and search for right music to pair with it. Mostly, I just think up dialogue and act out expressions or actions while imagining another character’s actions. I’ve been caught several times talking to myself, singing, dancing, doing lame ass karate style moves. It’s a wonder I haven’t been locked up yet.
Sometimes the dialogue comes out of nowhere usually as I’m trying to get to sleep and I have to write it down or I won’t sleep. I also having trouble shutting my brain down for the night so I think of a plot as kind of a cool down or essentially telling myself a bedtime story. Of course, it can backfire and that’s when the idea will become so prominent that I’ll have to write it down. Oddly, “Modern Step-Family” dialogue showed up just as I was finishing wrapping Christmas presents. Chloe’s reaction to Gabe’s news just popped in from nowhere and before I know it, Lionel and Lex had to have their say as well.
Most ideas I let go knowing I’ll never write them because they usually rely on an original character and even though I never pair the OC with anyone, I don’t want to be accused of writing a Mary-Sue. Plus the plot is just too random that I doubt I’d be able to explain it properly. So those ideas go to the wayside and are just to amuse me.
25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?
I get a basic plot and that usually has a beginning and an end with some high points for the middle of the story. Some plot points come as I’m writing and most of the story is written as I write it. I like to know how a story will basically end before I commit to writing it. I know all the important plot points for “Back to the Present” and “Fulfilling Her Request” from now until the end, I just have to get myself back on task to write them.
26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?
Yes, but usually only if I have a deeper reason behind it. I had Chloe like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups because I think it’s a common candy that people love but the idea of Lex shopping for them instead of some imported expensive chocolate was to show he cared more about what she liked than showing off. And I had them watching The Cutting Edge, because I think if Chlex had been allowed to flourish, they would have gone from that reluctant partnership to respect and love with all the witty banter thrown in. Plus it was a great example of a love that isn’t all puppies and roses.
The exception is the Wiki Series because that was born out of random discussions in the shoutbox, so nothing in it would probably actually appeal to Lex & Chloe, but it’s a fun and different way for me to vent my frustrations.
27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?
I like to listen to music as I write and certainly while I think about story ideas. I’ll hear a song and think it would make a great video. I’ve gotten really close to writing a songfic once or twice, but held back. I like to use lyrics when blocked for titles. “Accidents and Accusations” came from the Dixie Chicks’ song “Easy Silence.” Music propels me to write but I’m not sure if I could go back and tell you what song I was listening to as I wrote something.
28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?
Somehow, I can’t get a story to be as long as most people can. I can’t do novel length, 30 plus chapters though I’d want to and feel pathetic when I can’t. According to my professors, my writing problem is that I don’t explain enough or expand my thoughts, but I get to the point in writing where my brain just won’t go any further and nothing I could say will improve the story. So as much as I’d like to do the longer stories, it seems the quicker ones are all that I can get out.
29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?
Dialogue, every story that I write happens because a huge portion of dialogue pops into my head. If it was just a plot, I could let it go, but once the characters start talking to me, I feel like I’m killing them if I don’t write. Sometimes I’ll just write straight dialogue and then I have to force myself to go back and add expressions, feelings and whatnot. It’s really difficult when I don’t know what to say but I want to add more than just dialogue tags of ‘he said/she said.’ I think it’s because I’ve trained myself to write in play/script form and going back to story is difficult when you could just get away with writing an action in the form of Chloe: [soft laughter] then change it to Chloe smiled softly as she pretended not to laugh at the joke Lex made about Clark’s lack of fashion sense.
30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?
I would have said smut but I did try it even though it wasn’t hardcore. Not sure how long it will be before I attempt that again because that was more difficult than anything else, so I’m in awe of those who can do it so well and make it flawless. I think it’s a safe bet that I will never pair Lex or Chloe with anyone else beyond it being a plot point just to make them realize they want each other. My brain just isn’t programmed to accept multiple pairings. Disney and fairytales really got into my head.
31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?
I move on and get my mind away from writing when the ideas stop. Sometimes, I go for a walk or take a bath because I know that’s when I’m most likely to get an idea. I don’t try to write through it because I don’t think it will be good and I don’t want to write something I don’t like but force myself to use it because I have nothing else.
I’d give the story to someone I trusted to get an honest opinion if you are worried about posting for the first time. And I’d really listen to their opinion if you want to post something that will get good reviews. If they say they don’t like something or they think something is confusing, it’s not because they hate you. If they did, they’d let you post it and get flamed while they sat back and laughed. I still run ideas by people before I decide to make it a permanent part of the story.
32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?
No, I’m generally happy to get to read a cool fic and I like that I don’t have to do any of the work. That doesn’t stop me from wondering where it’s going next and what I might do if I wrote it, but I always like what the author does with the story.
33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?
All the freaking time! But only the stories that are still at their most basic plots like what if Lex was a western outlaw in the 1800s. Once I get dialogue or the plot gets so complex that I know beginning, middle and end, then it’s mine for life. “Fulfilling Her Request” and “Modern Step-Family” were ideas I tried to pawn off on someone else, but then the dialogue popped into my head and I had to take them.
34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?
I will finish a story because I’ll feel like a bitch if I don’t, but I’m more eager to write when I get reviews. Of course, sometimes I hold off after a while and the reviews drop off because I’m not writing, and because I’m not getting a review I think no one likes the story and I go into a downward vicious cycle. I’ve really got to learn to keep writing while I’m getting reviews and then everyone will be happy.
35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?
When the reader doesn’t understand something because I didn’t explain it enough is very helpful because I know sometimes my brain will go in circles that even I have to stop and remember how I got there. I’ve been known to have a dizzying intellect like Vizzini during that whole deal with the Iocaine powder in the wine. So it helps me to know how to walk the line for being subtle in order to not give away too much and when I’m just flat out not getting something across. But I’ve never made any major changes because of a review, just fixed something that if I had been thinking correctly wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?
So much so that I rewrote almost all of season 7. Though if I really had the chance, I’d start over with season 4. Pretty much the same as anyone else: Lana stays in Paris, Lois never comes to Smallville, Lex and Chloe continue their friendship and expand it into something more which troubles Clark because of his friendship Chloe and his mistrust of Lex along with the fact that she’d still discover his secret. So it becomes a struggle for her to be truthful to her relationship with Lex and not wanting to risk harming Clark. Drama without pointless relationships that make people want bang their heads against a heavy object. Did I mention no Jimmy or Kara? Maybe Oliver will show up once or twice just because I think Justin Hartley is hot, and I’ll give him someone better to hook up with than Lois.
37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?
When I was very early into my Chlex obsession, I was watching Rebecca for my Hitchcock class, and I kept comparing Lex to Maxim and thinking Lana was like Rebecca. Of course, Chloe is so much stronger than the 2nd Mrs. De Winter so it didn’t work so well. Usually for older movies it happens, like His Girl Friday. This is why I would have given anything for Lex and Chloe’s relationship to have been more than complete hatred when he took over the planet. But the comparisons do creep in even though I’d never write anything based off it because I know I couldn’t get close to how good the movies are and I’d end up hating the movie if I tried.
38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?
I think if they ever read The Wiki Series, they’d be scared and/or think the entire Chlex fandom is crazy. Probably just laugh it off if they read anything. I’m not entirely sure KK would be angry at the ways I kept killing off Lana, something tells me she’d be on board with it. I would be fine with them reading it so long as I never had to hear their opinion face to face.
39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?
I would like to time travel so I could learn the mysteries of the past and know exactly what happened, like who really was Jack the Ripper. But I wouldn’t change the past because I know you can’t, you’d only create a paradox that would fix itself once you didn’t change the past in the new timeline because you had no reason to change the past. So I guess it would be a neutral power, maybe a little good because now people don’t have to wonder, maybe a little bad because I could at least try to fix things and didn’t.
40) nonky asks “If you could get away with murder, who would you kill?”
First off, I think I should start by saying murder is wrong and I would never do it without necessary defense/self-defense reasons. Now, that the legal stuff is out of the way. I would murder television executives who thought more of wasting money on several pointless reality shows than a few quality scripted television shows. Who cared more about ratings than stopping to think that some shows bring in more loyal viewers on a weekly basis than other shows who will bring different people in big numbers but who likely wouldn’t give a crap if the show stopped airing all together.
Again, murder is wrong.
41) nonky also asks “Why do you hate The Middleman?” with a follow up of “Why must you be so cruel?”
I do not hate The Middleman. I just don’t watch the show because I’m not into comic book based stories. I know I watch Batman because I like Michael Keaton and Tim Burton, but that’s the only incarnation that I like. I watched Lois & Clark because I thought Dean Cain was hot and the romance of Lois & Clark was interesting. And of course, I watched SV for MR and because of Chloe and Lex. But those are the only exceptions of the general rule that I don’t like comic book/superhero stuff. And I know that you will counter that Matt Keeslar is hot and he is but it wasn’t enough to make me watch. I hope you can understand that I just don’t want to watch the show just as I know you don’t want to watch every show I like. This in no way means that I hate The Middleman or disrespect your love for him because when I saw the previews I did think it was cleverly written and added something to the genre. Again, just not a genre I happen to watch.
As to why I’m cruel, I don’t know maybe that extends from my feelings of abandonment after my sisters lost me at the state fair.
42) Avalanche asks “Who is your favorite hero and why?”
Indiana Jones because he’s smart, sexy, witty, and has flaws. Plus, you gotta love a man who basically just says “Screw it!” and shoots a guy during a sword fight.
43) Avalanche would like to know “If you could erase one movie from existence which would it be and why?”
I’ve already gotten permission from Ava to extend this into erasing the book Twilight so that I’d in essence erase the movie. The book and subsequent movie just takes away everything we’ve built vampire lore on, everything that makes them great, and everything that gives them a reason to be such a longstanding myth. The new generation will grow up not knowing how freaking sexy Spike could be as the Big Bad. Plus it’s an insult to authors who put effort into making their characters interesting and developing a real troubling love story. “Oh woe is me. I love a vampire who is not at all scary and neither of us have any real problems keeping us apart because the author relied on the lame excuse of ‘I’m (supposedly) dangerous’ to keep readers dangling throughout four books.” I’d erase it so fictional vampires everywhere can go out at night without the fear of being mocked, because you know they’d only go out at night and they aren’t afraid of anything owing to the fact that they’d BURN in daylight and would KILL anything that slightly pissed them off. Expect a future installment of the Wiki Series to build more on this.
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5 Replies | 49 Views
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[Feature] NS Blog |
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Dec 13, 2008 - 2:39 AM - by Julie
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Hey guys!
I've recently implemented a blog over at http://blog.naughty-seduction.net/ which you can check out  I plan to update it as often as possible with the latest news on NS. It will include not just news about the forum, but also about the network sites (like the Advent Calendar) and other tidbits
I have some stuff planned out for 2009, so you will be able to read more about that soon on that blog
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[News] NS Advent Calendar 2008! |
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Dec 01, 2008 - 4:35 PM - by Julie
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Thanks to the help of some awesome people, we managed to pull of an advent calendar this year as well!
The first fanfiction part is already up, and a new part will be posted each day until the 24th!
So check out the Advent Calendar right away!
There might be a few kinks to iron out to begin with, so if you notice some errors, if something doesn't work like it should or is hard to use, just let me know!
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19 Replies | 688 Views
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[Interview] December 2008 Interview: TheAmazingApe |
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Dec 01, 2008 - 7:50 AM - by westwingwolf
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Thank you to TheAmazingApe for taking the time to do this interview. I found it very interesting and humorous even if you do love the book that spawned the miniseries that to this day still creeps me out if I'm left alone in a bathroom with the lights off. ~ Mindy
Interview: TheAmazingApe
1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?
That's actually a tough question that comes with its own barrage of questions. Am I just dropped in in my modern clothing with a lot of explaining to do and depending on the kindness of strangers? Eh, I'll just pick the early thirties. I'll join a vaudeville troupe and give early Ethel Merman a run for her money.
2) Have you ever met anyone famous?
Several. But it's only because I'm a once-in-a-long-while working actress and I used to do extra work. But the most thrilling was a random sighting of Dean Haglund (Langley on The X-files) in a bar. He's very friendly and funny.
3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?
Bette Midler. We'd meet at a bar and do tequila shots and sing showtunes for hours.
4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.
Bernadette Peters. I'm a Broadway nut and I'd kind of like to be her for a day. Maybe it's just about having her hair and all her cool friends.
5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?
Stephen King. Not every book he writes is a treasure, but he's one of those authors I can still pick up and reread and still get chills as if its the first time. I just marvel at how possible he makes it seem and how well fleshed-out his towns and characters are. Also, he's not a one-note author. I'm always telling my friends the more dramatic works he's done and they always react with surprise.
6) What is your favorite book and why?
God, why don't you just ask me which of my children I'd kill (kidding. I don't kill my children. I don't have my children yet). I'll have to say Stephen King's IT. Once again, mostly for how possible he makes it seem and how much history he puts behind it. Also, horror is just a little scarier through a child's eyes.
7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?
Judy Garland. Every song she sings seems so deeply felt that I just want to reach through my TV and give her a big hug and tell her everything's going to be okay, even knowing it won't. Poor, sweet Judy.
8) What is your favorite song and why?
Tough. But I'll go with "Once in a Lifetime" by The Talking Heads. It always gives me chills for some strange reason. I'm not saying it's Mahler, just that something about it always gives me this feeling of urgency, as if I have to hurry on and get my life to where I want it.
9) What is your favorite movie and why?
If I have to pick one... The BBC's version of Pride and Prejudice. It's just very well done and I can throw it on any time and still feel engrossed. It always feels like the first time. I just can't believe those crazy kids will get together.
10) What is your favorite television show and why?
X-files. Nothing has yet reached X-files level obsession for me. It was just very creepy, yet understated and there was such a wonderful unspoken romance at the heart of it.
11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?
Gotta go with Kathy Bates. I like that she started late and stayed chubby. Judy Dench is another idol of mine.
12) What is the one movie/television show that you would never admit to family, friends, co-workers that you watch? Yes, I know asking defeats the point, but spill your guts anyway.
I don't have much shame about my shows, really. I have a large collection of Frasier and Wings and The Nanny DVDs and I refuse to be ashamed of them. But my Smallville fixation is often met with scorn.
13) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?
Come to think of it, no.
14) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?
Some of my close friends and family know I write fic and post it on forums. But I don't give out which. I don't want them reading it as it's smutty. Could you imagine my father coming across it? *shudders*
15) When did you first start reading fanfiction?
About six years ago. It was way cheaper than books.
16) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?
Almost a year ago. I'd written two still unpublished novels, but I just decided to jump in and write something where people would read it.
17) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?
I'm still trying to go further, but it's so hard to write real fic when fanfic is so tantalizing. You have that instant gratification of readers and comments.
18) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?
Preferably, at an audition and nailing it. But this is, as I said, instant gratification. I post and I know at least one reader will love it. It's more tantalizing than anything, really.
19) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?
I like that they're both intelligent and well-read and verbally, able to spar. I never felt any other character was, intelligence-wise, on par with either. And, to me, smart is sexy. I hate that the show had Lex descend into evil with so little screen-time devoted to it. I also hate that Chloe became such a Clark cheerleader, not giving him any shit as in other years. I think they were both served badly by the last season. I also hate that the show never explored Chlex romantically (or even lustfully).
20) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?
I'm a Chlarker primarily (as well as a Chlois supporter), but I found it hard to stay away from the naughtiness of Chlex. I read. I liked. I never thought of writing it, really. Then, smack in the middle of a Chlark trilogy, I found myself writing a Chlex scene. It had to do with Chloe using her wiles to ditract him while trying to get information. I found myself loving the writing of it and every word felt dirtysexywrong in the best way. Though it was more of an interlude in that fic, I kept wondering if I should write something even Chlexier. Along comes season 7 and I'm so frustrated with Chloe's arc that I wonder if she should chuck it all and sleep with Lex. Lo and behold, I wrote Deep In The Bottle.
21) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?
I like when it stays true to them and who they are. I mostly like sexy, doomed interludes as it gets me right back to the show and seems believable. I don't mind Chloe and Lex riding into the sunset happily if there's enough to make it seem plausible as an obvious departure from canon. I don't mind Chloe and Lex riding off into the sunset evilly, either. I just still want that bridge to get me there.
I kind of hate when fics make Chloe and Lex band together and talk shit about the other characters because, though I wouldn't put it past Lex, it takes some of Chloe's soft heart away. And I think her caring and willingness to believe in people is part of what makes me love her. I think she could descend to that level, but I have to see the journey for me to believe it.
22) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?
I used to read lots of X-files. I still read certain fics once in a while. It's the unspoken Mulder and Scully romance that gets me. They're devoted to each other, yet the show never let them explore the romance (there's a precedent to why I'm a Chlarker, obviously). But I also liked to read Scully/Krycek. Though I never thought of them as a romantic pairing, I liked the intensity and heat that a writer could bring to them (and there's the precedent to my Chlex love).
23) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.
Usually, extreme quiet. I sometime use certain songs to help me get in gear, whatever fits what I'm about to write. But I write on my laptop, outside, and usually end up smoking more than I should (really want to let go of that last crutch).
24) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?
They usually come to me when watching the actual show. They're "what-ifs" usually. I usually open a new file and type up a bit, then leave it till I can get to it. But they never disappear. The best ones tickle at the back of my mind until I have to write them or die.
25) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?
I usually have certain moments pre-planned. The ending is, for the most part, there. I just have to get from point a to b, then to c... and so on. But I outline ahead and, when a particular piece of dialogue or a scene sticks in my mind, I write it somewhere towards the end of the file so I remember that it has to be said or done down the line.
26) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?
Not so far in Chlex fics. I did write a Chlark fic where I had Clark constantly reference The Changeling (a truly great ghost movie) and I had Chloe reading T.S. Elliot and Jane Austen and Sylvia Plath. For some reasons, my Chlex ideas don't take in everyday interests. Both Chloe and Lex are way too intensely focused in them to take a break and read/listen/watch. Maybe that's because I see them as an intense combination.
27) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?
I find Garbage gets me in a Chlex mood. Also Nine Inch Nails. Anything dark, angry, and hot.
28) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?
Layered. I don't think that those short stories are necessarily easy, though. I find them much harder to write than a multi-chapter fic. Any one-offs I've written were still very, very long. I'm just not succinct by nature.
29) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?
I'd say dialogue. Even just thoughts unsaid are easier for me. My descriptions are usually laden with thoughts from whatever character I am writing the POV of. It's hard to have anyone do anything, for me, without a thorough examination of it. I'm crazy like that.
30) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?
Hmmm. I usually don't write anything below R. I have a hard time staying away from the sex (a girls got to get her kicks where she can). But, as an adult writer, I've never wrote anal sex. To be honest, I don't find it sexy. I can understand why some people might. With the risk and the pain involved, both parties might have to have a level of trust. But I never found it sexy because, as women don't have a prostate, there is nothing of value in it for the woman. As I'm a woman, I never want my heroine to do anything I myself don't like. It's the sexual equivalent of eating liver and beets for dinner for me.
31) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?
I usually have a few going at once. Right now, I have two. If I hit a wall on one, I move to the other. Usually, I find myself able to come back fresh to either after walking away.
If anyone is afraid to post their stories... Don't be. I have found the fanfic community to be warm and eager and ravenous (especially between seasons).
32) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?
Oh, many times. Or I'll read it and wish they'd gone in this or that direction instead and I almost want to beg them for a redux. But I don't. I have my tastes, they have theirs. I can dig it.
33) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?
No. Not really. I'm very possessive of my ideas. It's not that I think I'm the best and no one else can do it like me. But it's about preference. If someone else took my idea and took it in a direction I didn't want it to go... then I'd feel sort of sold out, I think. Everything I write is something I'd like to read. My ideas are my babies as sure as the execution of them are. Ain't nobody else gonna raise my baby.
34) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?
The reviews are a definite spur. But, once I start, I'll finish regardless. The reviews just dictate how FAST I'll finish. Supply and demand and all that...
35) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?
Sometimes. But you cant let that happen too often. There are times when a review makes you realize the people want more resolution on something you thought was clear. And it's good to clear things up (as things are often clearer in my mind than they might be to my readers). But my stories are usually written, like scenes from a movie flashing by fast. I know where it will end up. If more smut is in demand, I'll oblige (but in my own way, a la dream sequence, even flashback), but you can't please everyone. In the end, you have to write what you set out to.
36) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?
Oh, I'd do it for free. In fact, I'd pay them... Not much, mind you. I'm a starving artist.
37) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?
Sometimes. I actually see Chloe, Lex, Clark and Lana in that great classic Some Kind of Wonderful. We have an oblivious, shy boy in love with the prettiest girl in school, who, while not a bad person altogether, is in no way right for him. Then we have his best friend with short, blonde hair who quietly pines and acts like everything's fine. Then we have a bald bad-ass who takes our young hero under his wing in a way. Luckily. the plucky friend gets the guy. Heh! If only Smallville would turn out like that. But I see Chloe and Lex, as a pair, a bit darker. I see it a bit like Unfaithful. It's wrong and dirty and hot and naughty. And Chloe is, in a way, cheating on her emotional husband (Clark. Who she's basically married to without the ceremony or the sex). But who can resist the temptation that is Lex?
38) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?
Well, they're smutty. Always smutty. Again, I'm a girl with no sex life and have to get my jollies where I can. So that colors whether they would even touch my fic as Smallville isn't soft core and is still, though loosely sometimes, family entertainment. But I think Tom Welling would be embarrassed about his voracious sexual appetite in my Chlark fics. That and the way I rhapsodize about his... everything. I think Kristin Kreuk wouldn't be particularly offended. I'm mostly kind to Lana, if a little condescending. I think Al and Miles would stay far away (there's obviously not enough Lana). Allison would... I don't know. I think she would be mildly uncomfortable. In some interviews, she's said she wasn't into being a sex symbol. I think MR might get a kick out it all, actually. He has a twisted sense of humor.
39) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?
Teleportation. I don't know if it counts as good or evil, but I'd use it for convenience. Appear back in Philly to visit the family, then blink back to California for an audition (without the annoying freeways). Heck, I could start the most lauded delivery service in the world.
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[Interview] November 2008 Interview: PMD |
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Nov 02, 2008 - 12:02 AM - by westwingwolf
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Thank you to PMD for taking the time to answer these questions. ~ Mindy
Interview: PMD
1) If you could visit any place at any time period, where would you go and what would you do?
I like where I am right now.
2) Have you ever met anyone famous?
I like to think that my friend, Jay, is famous---fanfiction writer famous and someday, book famous. But we've only met through IMing. Still, hoping one day to meet one of my best friends.
3) If you could meet any famous person, alive or dead, who would it be and what would you say/do?
I'd love to met Michael Muhney one day and thank him being there for his fans and treating them more like friends than fans.
4) If you could switch lives with any person, who would you choose and why? If you want to switch with a person who is dead, we’ll assume that you wanted to live their life while he/she was alive.
I like being me and trying to be the best me I can be.
5) Who is your favorite author, alive or dead, and why?
James Patterson is my favorite author. I just love the way he creates a book that you just can't put down. His female and male characters are equal in strength and aptitudes to solve crimes. Whether it's the Women's Murder Club or Alex Cross---I love his books.
6) What is your favorite book and why?
Although I do love the Alex Cross series, my favorite series of books is The Women's Murder Club. The reason for that is that James Patterson creates women characters that are strong and capable, while still being able to show their vulnerable side too.
7) Who is your favorite singer, alive or dead, and why?
There's not just one favorite---I like a lot of singers.
8) What is your favorite song and why?
Now this is easier. My absolute favorite song of all times is Unwritten. It reminds me of why I write. Maybe it's not my own life I'm writing about, but it's the lives of the characters I love on a show that I try to envision on paper.
9) What is your favorite movie and why?
At the moment---Ironman. I love it because it's all about redemption---and becoming who you were supposed to be. That and I'm a big Marvel geek when it comes to movies.
My second favorite is Eragon. It's all about being reluctant at first and then meeting your destiny head on. I still stand in awe of the movie and the books it's based on because of my love for Dragons and how integrant the story is.
10) What is your favorite television show and why?
Well, I actually have three. One is CSI NY. I love it so much because it's all about friends who are more like family. And how they are there for each other, no matter what.
Number 2 would be Eli Stone. It's all about a human being who changes for the better, because of a twist of fate. It's really hard to explain it beyond that, except to say, I really do love the quirkiness of it.
Number 3 is Heroes. It's my favorite because it's very character driven. It's not about a person who has super powers as much as about the person whose abilities can be used for good or bad, depending on their personality. And how they can change and be redeemed, in the eyes of the writers and the audience.
11) Who is your favorite actor/actress, alive or dead, and why?
Well, my favorite actor is Kevin Spacey. I've followed his career since Wise Guys and although I haven't seen all his movies, I've pretty much seen most of them.
12) Do people in your Real Life know that you are a member of NS?
Nobody in my real life knows I'm on NS. I tend to keep my real life separate from my online life. That doesn't mean that someday I might tell somebody but at the moment, there's no need to.
13) Do people in your Real Life know that you read/write fanfiction?
A couple of people in my Real Life do know that I write fanfiction.
14) When did you first start reading fanfiction?
Let's see---I started to read fanfiction about 12 years ago.
15) When did you first get started in writing fanfiction?
I believe I started to write fanfiction about 12 years ago.
16) Is fanfic writing just a hobby for you or do you hope to go further with your writing?
Fanfic writing is a hobby to me but recently I have been writing original poetry. So, who knows---maybe I might go further than fanfic writing and have a book of poetry out there someday.
17) When you aren’t writing awesome fanfics, what do you do and/or want to be doing?
When I'm not writing or reading fanfics, I moderate and co-own some lists and love to IM with friends. Offline, I love to bead and watch TV.
18) How and why did you first get interested in Chlex? What do you like most about the characters? What do you hate about them?
I watched a rerun of Kinetic and my interest in Chlex was cemented by that eppy. Although, it did start to glimmer with Craving.
What I love about the characters is that they are both very intense: light and dark; good and bad; seekers of truth; and both seem to admire each other in some small way. And possibly are smart enough to fear their own abilities to read the other too---especially Lex.
I don't think there is anything I hate about the characters that I saw in the three years I watched---but I can say, I hate the fact that there wasn't more Chlex friendship interaction on the show when I was watching. There was a fair amount in season 1 and 3, but not much in 2. And that's a darn shame, since MR and AM have great chemistry.
19) How and why did you first get interested in writing Chlex fanfiction?
Well, it was the last eppy of season one and the need to get Lex to save his father in order to save his soul. And the person I chose was Chloe. Hence began my journey into writing Chlex. That and I read some amazing stuff (and still do) when it comes to Chlex fanfic.
20) Is there anything while reading Chlex fanfiction that you really like/hate?
I love to read Chlex married with children. Just something about giving Lex a chance to see he can be a good father melts my heart. I also love the verbal judo within stories. And a vulnerable Lex.
I can't read angst (although I am sure there is some great ones out there) or death of Chloe or Lex. I also have problems following stories that have bad grammar and misspelled words. It might be a great premise but wading through it, wanting to beta it while you read it, not much fun for me. I usually just abandon it and move on.
21) What (if any) other fandoms do you read/write for and why?
I used to write for the X-Files. At this time though, beyond Smallville, it's Veronica Mars, Jericho, and several other fandoms that I dabble in. That includes House, Class of the Titans, CSI, CSI Miami, A Knight’s Tale, to name a few.
I guess I write for them just to explore the characters further.
22) What type of environment do you need to write? For example: extreme quiet, blaring music, subtle background noise, etc.
Quiet is what I need.
23) How do your ideas come to you? Do you always write them or do you let them disappear?
Well, they come from various sources. It can be my muse (internal or external - my friends, for example), a movie, a tv series, walking outside, a song, etc.
I tend to write them down in a synopsis. Then I write them out---sometimes they end up being a story to post---or sometimes not. If it doesn't work for me, it won't work for anybody else.
24) Do you plan a story from the beginning to end or start with an idea and let the chapters come to you as they do?
Beginning to end for me. In fact, I need a title before I can even start.
25) Do you ever input certain aspects about yourself into the lives of Chloe and Lex? For example: Do you have Chloe listen to your favorite song or have Lex watch your favorite movie?
Yes, I do. In fact, I did a series where Chloe loved Dawson's Creek. And I do songfics, including some songs I love in it. And sometimes they end up singing the songs themselves.
26) Do you associate your writing with any songs even if it isn’t a songfic?
Sometimes I use just the title of a song in a fic rather than having the song there.
27) Do you prefer writing easy, quick stories or long, layered stories?
I usually just do quick and easy. Although, I do have a series that is still going. But they are all stand alones while being under an umbrella title. But I have been known to do sequels to stories.
28) Which do you find easier to write: dialogue or description or are the equally hard/easy?
Both are equally easy to me.
29) Is there anything that you won’t write or feel uncomfortable writing?
I don't do smut.
30) What do you do to cure writer’s block? What advice can you give to new writers who might be scared to post their stories?
I just turn off the computer and do something else. To try to force it out of you just won't work.
The advice I would give to new writers is this---write for yourself, first and foremost. And that everybody is scared the first time they post something but you also will feel excited too. And that's one of the best feelings in the world. And don't let the lack of feedback scare you off---sometimes people have time to read but not to feedback. And just remember that not all will like it but it's your dream and it's a very brave thing to share your dream with the online world and be proud of that.
31) Have you ever read someone else’s fanfic and wished you thought of the idea first?
Sometimes, yes. But it's because of how their love for the characters flow into their story---just the fact that I feel like I've witnessed an incredible moment in a fanfic that one day, I hope to experience. Not the idea per se as much as the feeling within.
32) Have you ever wanted someone else to write your story idea?
Oh yes. Some things I know I can't do---like writing really lengthy pieces. And a friend of mine did take my challenge and write an amazing story that I just never could do.
33) Are reviews vital to keep you writing or will you finish a story even if you aren’t certain people are reading?
Reviews are great but not vital to me finishing a story that needs to come out.
34) Have you ever had a review that made you think something about your story that you never thought of before? Has a review ever made you want to make a major change to your story?
I remember one story where I ended it with part of a sentence that was very suggestive---but I had an unsuggestive answer in my head. And the answers I got from people in feedback really made me think, I never thought about that answer. <g>
35) How badly do you want to write for Smallville or at least rewrite some of the seasons?
I know that I could never write for Smallville since Chlex was never really a part of it and that's what I write.
36) Do you see Chloe and Lex or other Smallville characters in different television shows or movies? Meaning, do you watch a movie like Star Wars and start thinking that Lex is just like Han Solo?
I watched Eragon recently and it hit me that the character who saved Eragon at one point, reminded me of Lex. And I can see a bit of Lex in Tony Stark (Ironman) too. The only difference between the two is that Tony had a great support system; Lex didn't.
37) What do you think AM and MR would say about your fics if they read them? How would you feel if someone from the show did read your writings?
I would hope that they would see the love I have for the characters and their ability to bring them to life for me in the three years I watched the show. Other than that, I don't know.
38) If you could have any super power, what would it be and why? Would you use it for good or evil?
I really don't know. But if I did have one, I would use it for good.
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