Me: How about we start with your background? Who are you and what do you do when you're not writing fanfiction?
Catseye:Ah, what everyone likes to know. :) Basically, I'm female. In my twenties and I live in California. I'm single with no pets (bad allergies). I speak three different languages and I'm attempting to learn my fourth. And I make a wicked homemade lasagna that includes a sauce made from scratch.
Can I have some?
Vague enough? Do I still maintain my air of mystery? :)
As for Mag 7 involvement, I also run the Chris and Mary mailing list and the Chris and Mary webpage. I'm trying now to get a Nathan Webpage started, but I've been so busy with other things. Hopefully in a few weeks it'll be good to go.
Can't wait. Luvv Nathan
Me: So how'd you get hooked on our boys anyways?
Catseye: My first episode was "Working Girls" and the only reason I tuned in for it was Michael Biehn. I've been a Michael Biehn fan for a while, but the last few years, due to a very hectic real life schedule that left little time for TV, I didn't really follow his career. When I heard he was going to be on "The Magnificent Seven", I made a note to try to catch it, but I didn't manage to do that until "Working Girls" aired.
When it did, I immediately recognized Laurie Holden since I'm also an "X-Files" fan. I knew who Ron Perlman was and I've seen Dale Midkiff before too. It took me about two or three more episodes to realize that Eric Close was from "Sisters".
To be honest, Mag Seven didn't really "hook" me in until the re-runs in the summer. Like I said, at the time, Real Life was very hectic. I was pursuing a graduate degree part-time at night while working as a lobbyist in DC full-time during the day. More often than not, the TV was on merely to provide background noise as I did other things. I did know that Iliked the show enough to make the effort to have the TV on during that time. Trust me, at the time, that was an indication that I liked the show a lot.
However, when the reruns came on last summer, Real Life had slowed down and I was able to sit back and enjoy the show. I also had time to seek out the mailing lists.
Me: Getting to the actual show, what do you percieve its greatest strengths to be and likewise its weaknesses?
Catseye:I think the greatest strength of the show is the interaction and relationships between the characters. That, in my opinion, provides the heart of the series and the driving force. They've done a nice job of taking these eight different characters and showing that initial discomfort and distrust they feel in the beginning of the relationship and evolving it into stronger bonds.
I would say the greatest weakness is the fact that there is a rather large cast and it makes it difficult to flesh out all of the characters. Season 1 seemed to focus primarily on Chris Larabee at the expense of some of the other characters. I mean, Nathan was virtually ignored. But what was nice was that we still managed to glean insights into these other characters.
That's a real testament to the actors and writers' talent and skills.
The second season they appear to have it more evenly balanced as far as developing characters, but I still think that it could have been done better. Of course, with only 13 episodes, they could only do so much.
Me: Here's a what if for you. If John Watson called you up tomorrow and asked you what you would change on the show what would you say?
Catseye:Again, my biggest problem is the balancing of characters. If Watson called and said they had a full season of 22 episodes, my first comment would be that they need to devote at least two episodes primarily to each of the eight characters to allow each character to grow.
I would also suggest that instead of trying to have all seven or eight appear in an episode, to consider perhaps just having one character in an episode byhimself/herself.
For example, Ezra goes to a nearby town and becomes involved in some incident there. The entire episode could focus entirely on him with only the other characters making an appearance at the beginning and end of the episode. I think they could be well served in taking advantage of the fact that this is an ensemble. They don't need everyone in one episode since by now each character is well-developed enough to carry an episode by himself/herself. Or even have an episode that focuses on three or four of them instead of seven or eight.
Me: How do well or how badly do you think the show handles its women characters? Are they realistic or did the writers completely miss the mark?
Catseye:I really like the Mary character and how they've handled the evolution of her.
Mary came under fire in the first season and I'm sure many people have many different reasons for liking or disliking her. I happen to like her a lot because she has been shown as a flawed character. They've also done a nice job of showing how she's changed over the months the series has covered. How often do you get to see so much evolution in a character on TV?
As for the other women characters, to be honest, I think they've portrayed a lot of the women in sterotypical modes. I know a lot of people liked Lydia, but to me she was the "tough, but caring hooker" stereotype. I'm sure if they had more time, they would have developed her a lot more. Casey is again another stereotype "tomboy with a crush". Inez "tough, sexy chick".
My problem with the female characters is that they haven't done anything with any of them aside from Mary. I think this again has a lot to do with limitations on time and working with such a large cast. I do think they did a wonderful job with Tyne Daly's Ma Nichols character and I really liked Nettie Wells and Terry Greer, but I wish they would do something more with the two re-occurring female characters of Casey and Inez. I don't dislike either of them, I just find them uninteresting.
Me:So how'd you start writing fanfic? Your Mag Seven fics in particular?
Catseye:I started writing fan fiction as sort of a stress reliever. I was involved in a fandom before Mag 7 that I still have some ties to.
I'm one of those people who, if unsatisfied with an ending to a book or a movie, would sometimes think, "Well, I would have done this", so fan fiction became a natural outlet when I discovered it.
As for Mag 7, the first story I started on was a story involving Chris escorting Mary to a nearby town. Like I said, "Working Girls" was my first episode and from that one episode, even though I wasn't paying much attention, I could immediately spot the sparks between the two characters.
Not just the sexual tension, but other things as well such as clashing of beliefs and methods. So, I decided to do this little Chris and Mary piece and it just took off from there.
Me:Which of the Seven, or the female characters, do you find is easiest to write for. Which one do you favor?
Catseye:I find Mary the easiest to write for. I don't know if it's because I'm female and I'm able to visualize what she'll do in a situation or what, but she's always been the one I've had little trouble writing which is why she features so prominently in my work. I also enjoy writing for Chris as well.
I think I have a pretty good handle on all the characters except Josiah. I haven't quite gotten him down yet. I don't know why, but I have a difficult time writing for him.
Me:Do you use Beta-readers? What do you appreciate most about them?
Catseye:I occassionally use Beta-readers. When I did the Buffy-Mag 7 crossover, I used a whole stable of them because it was my first cross-over story and my first Buffy story.
Hey! I Beta'ed on that one!
The one thing I ask the Beta-readers to pay attention to the most is whether the character "sounds" like the character. All too often, I'll read a piece by someone and think, "Well, X wouldn't do/say that." I'm worried thatI might do something that will seem out of character for someone, so I ask that Beta-readers take special note of that. Right now, I have one or two people that I usually pass things by to ask their opinions on. I'm happiest when they're brutually honest and tell me if something is not up to par. I know people are trying to be nice and not discourge writers, but I ask that my betas be honest. That's why I only use one or two. And trust me, there have been a few stories where my Betas have said they are not up to standard and are still sitting on my hard drive.
Me:Do you do much research for a story?
Catseye:Depending on what it is, I'll do some research. I'll either look something up or ask someone I know is knowledgable. I try not to write myself into a situation where I have to do a lot of research though I do have a few ideas for future stories that'll require it. I like to do more character studies in my stories that focus on the person's emotional and mental state.
Me:Do you sometimes suffer from writers block? What's your favorite cure?
Catseye:Good Lord yes! I don't know of anyone who doesn't get writer's block. I have a dozen unfinished stories that I've started and never finished.
There's no known cure for writer's block. It comes and it goes. Sometimes it might be something someone says that gets me started again orsomething I see or hear.
Me:What do you find is the hardest part about writing stories?
Catseye:Finishing them. Seriously, I might start out with this idea and then it'll take a completely different turn and I'll have to figure out an ending for it. Plus, with time restrictions and Real Life, makes finishing a story hard.
Me: What's your take on Smarm and H/C stories?
Catseye:I find it kind of amusing that a lot of writers enjoy beating up their favorite character! :) I have no particular view on it. I guess I do the same thing on an emotional and mental level since I've been accused of torturing Chris, my favorite. In a new story I'm working on, I just had Ezra verbally skin, gut and hang Chris out to dry, so I guess I am hurting the boys in my own way too! :)
Me:How do you write your stories? Do you plan out your stories before you write them or do you just go into it with a general idea?
Catseye:It depends. Sometimes a story idea will start with some innocent little remark someone says or it might be a scene and I'll build a story around that. For example, I had this image of Mary being shot and crawling to safety while she's bleeding and wonder how Chris would react if he had that same image in his mind. "A Pale Rider Will Come" evolved from that one snippet. Sometimes I'll plan something out in my head, just the barebones. The Buffy/Mag 7 crossover, my longest story yet, was laid out in a bare, mental outline in that I knew how I wanted the story to progress and end.
Me:How long does it take you to write a story?
Catseye:Depends on the story. I think "Pale Rider" took about five days while the Buffy crossover took about three or four months.
Me:Do you have any advice for Mag Seven fanfic writers who are just starting in our little corner of fandom?
Catseye:Especially if this is your first time writing, start small. Don't get elaborate and try to come up with this big convoluted plot or a lot ofother characters. You run the risk of getting lost if you do that.
Focus on the known characters because it'll make the story accessible to your readers and it'll keep you on track as well. All too often I've read stories where people have come up with a new character and eventually the story begins to focus on that new character and leaves the Mag 7 characters out, or worse yet, the writer starts to write the Mag7 characters in a way where you don't recognize them any more.
It's not intentional because the author is focusing so much energy and attention to the new character (and creating a new character requires a lot ofattention and energy) that they loose the focus on the established characters. I try to keep in mind that the reason people are reading these stories is because they want a Mag 7 story. They don't want a story where Catseye's own character is taking center stage.
That's not to say you can't have new characters, just don't let them take over the story until you've gotten a few stories under your belt and you feel comfortable writing the regular characters.
Another piece of advice I give to some writers is if they're having trouble is to pretend they're actually watching an episode on TV. What do they see on TV? What do they hear the characters saying? Then write down what they "see" and "hear".
Me:The show has a lot of threads developing. And that leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the Seven. What questions would you love to see answered in fanfic?
Catseye:I actually prefer seeing episodes over fan fiction, but if I can only get it in fan fiction, I guess I'd like to just see the relationships develop more. I'd like to know more of each of the characters' pasts.
Me:Where do you get your inspiration for stories from? For example not many people would think to crossover Mag Seven with Buffy: TVS and come up with a very good story.
Catseye:Thank you. Like I said, it can come from almost anything. I have a Nathan story idea that came from an article in the newspaper.
Another story that I'm working on now came from a discussion on the Chris and Mary list. It can be anything.
As for the Buffy crossover, Buffy is one of the few shows I will watch regularly and the idea of Buffy Summers and Chris Larabee meeting was just irresitible. So, I had to figure out a way for them to meet. Then I noticed a few similarities between the Buffy character and Chris and thought it would be fun to make her his descendant even though the two of them hated each other.
Me:What's your favorite way of writing? Pen & Paper or Computer? IE do you write them completely on paper and transcribe to puter or do you write entirely on computer or do you do both?
Catseye:Completely on the computer. I do about 70 wpm so I can type faster than write. Eventually it'll have to be on the computer anyway, so this saves time. However, if I'm somewhere and I don't have my laptop handy and inspiration hits me, I'll write it down.
Me:How do you view the relationships (ie friendships & romances) developing on the show? Where do you see some of them going?
Catseye:I know some people are against the Chris and Mary romance partly because they say it will be the death of the show. However, I doubt that will happen primarily because Mag 7 is an ensemble piece. If Chris and Mary were the two main, and maybe only characters, I would say, yes, it could damage the show, but since there are six other regular cast members, I don't see that as happening. Plus, the possibilities are so ripe. Here are two different people with very strong opinions. Their relationship won't be a bed of roses given their natures and pasts. I think Chris and Mary would eventually get together, but it would be a rocky path littered with misunderstandings and arguments and perhaps a break-up before the ultimate step, which I guess would be marriage, would take place.
I also love the Nathan/Ezra conflict and wish this was played out more. Ezra, because of his odd man out status, has a lot of really fascinating possibilities. He seems to get along best with Buck, but there's a tension between Ezra and Nathan and Ezra and Chris that I'd like to see played out more.
I also liked the little bits and pieces they've given us this season where the Chris/Buck friendship is concerned. I'd like to see more of that.
Well thanks for braving my questions Catseye and as for the fanfics you've got in the works...Hurry up!Links
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Catseye's Chris and Mary Page
