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Our First Victim...er Interviewee...

Our first author is Nancy, the genius behind The River Styx...she seems to torture Vin sooo well. Nancy took the time for me this weekend and answered a list of questions I gave her.

Me: For starters, tell us a little about yourself.

Nancy:I was born in Roswell, NM. Some people would say that explains a lot. ;-)  I grew up in the Southwest, but I have lived in the deep South for several years now. When I am not writing, I am building massive quantities of web pages. It's an addiction.

(You said it hon. )

Me: When did you start writing fanfic, Mag Seven in particular?

Nancy:I suppose I really started writing it in 7th grade, when a friend and I used to write stories using members of our favorite rock bands and characters from our favorite TV shows. But, we didn't know anyone else did this. We kept the stories buried in a box in her back yard until we were sophomores in college whereupon we took them out, read them one last time, laughed long and hard, and then burned them.

I didn't start writing fan fic again until the writers of Forever Knight (may they all rot) decided to end the series by leaving 8 of the 12 recurring cast members dead. 5 of them bought it in the last two episodes. It was just too much, so I was moved to write a story that resurrected everyone. It was tricky with some of them, and Duncan MacLeod had to make an appearance at one point - you gotta do what you gotta do. After that, I wrote several other Forever Knight stories. River Styx is the only Magnificent Seven fan fic I have written. I started it in early October and planned to have it done by Hallowe'en.  Good thing I didn't specify a year....

Me: Where does your inspiration  come from? How do the Muses speak? (Or bash in my case)

Nancy:Well, it's always fun to hurt the ones you love. So, mostly it's a challenge to see what you can come up with to cause your characters angst or conflict, or, of course, pain. Writing Forever Knight fan fic was good creative training, because one has to be especially devious when working with vampire characters. Not much harms a vampire, and you can only throw holy water and garlic juice in their face or run a stake through their heart so many times (like maybe twice) before it's cliche. By the time I started writing FK fic, that  was long since "been there, done that," so I was forced to come up with new ideas.

With The Magnificent Seven, where you have seven guys with dangerous jobs  (who aren't supernatural), it's much easier to come up with plot devices that will activate the old Smarm Alarm.

Where do the ideas come from? I have no idea what the general answer to that is. Specifically, though, my ideas often come from other stories, or from episodes of the show itself. River Styx was inspired by an X-Files/M7 xover called "Men in Black." The two stories have nothing in common, except that in "Men in Black" Vin had been throroughly traumatized. The story played  it for laughs, because it wasn't a story intended to be taken seriously, but, it did get my beta reader, Barb G., and I discussing what more realistic circumstances would possibly do that to someone like Vin who doesn't appear to be afraid of much of anything. Out of those discussions came River Styx.

Me:How do you write? Do you prefer the computer over good old fashioned pen and paper?

Nancy: I definitely prefer a computer, because I never like anything the way I write it the first time. I usually go over each part of my story a half dozen times before I decide it's okay to send to my beta readers, and then I go through it again and make whatever changes they suggest (IF I agree with them - I usually do, but sometimes, I will just have to say "Gosh, darn, I like it better MY way!)

As for how I write, the first thing I do is just get all the basic ideas down. Then, I go back and re-read it and sometimes, I find myself  saying "Gee, that's pretty good, isn't  it?" and other times hitting the delete key because I am embarrassed that even my computer knows I wrote something that lame. After I weed out all the drek, then I try to flesh out the good parts.

Me:How did you start writing Mag Seven fanfic?

Nancy: I originally started discussing story ideas with Marg Baskin, who wrote "Ace in the Hole" because I knew her work and she knew mine from the Forever Knight fandom. We tossed around several ideas for JD stories, but when she wrote "Ace" I was humbled. She had such a handle on the characters that I didn't feel equal to the standard she set. M7 fandom has some astonishing good writers, and I would read their stuff and think "Man, I can never do the Seven that well." Then I read "Penance" which was a no-holds-barred h/c marathon, and people were  totally loving it. I loved it, too, and I thought what the heck, I will just hurt somebody and get it over with. Poor Vin paid the price.

Me:Do you have a favorite character that you find you prefer writing about?

Nancy:In the two fandoms I have worked in, I have indeed found that it is easier to write certain characters than it is to write others. All of my Forever Knight stories focus on a secondary character who only appeared in 10 episodes. With Magnificent Seven, I started out wanting to write about JD, because he is my favorite character, but for some reason, it just wouldn't work. I couldn't get inside his head and see things the way he might.

Me:Do you do any reasearch before you write about a certain aspect of your story?

Nancy:Uhhhh.... no. Never. I suppose I should, but mostly, if I don't already know about it, I don't write about it. I have seen fan fic writers try to get into areas where they have no knowlege or experience, and sometimes, the results are comical when they don't want them to be. Luckily, for me, the h/c stuff comes easily because I have been reading medical books since I was 10, and got the rest of my medical training at St. Elsewhere and Chicago Hope.

Me:Do you use beta-readers and if so who are they and what do you appreciate most about them?

Nancy:I most definitely use beta readers. Even though I am pretty good with grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. sometimes a good beta reader can give you ideas and insights you may not have thought of, and many times can suggest a way to say something so that it sounds so much better than what I wrote. I have used three beta readers for River Styx, including Barb G. who has worked with me on most of the fan fic I have written. I had to get her hooked on the show just so I could write fan fic. ;-)

Me:How did you become a fan on The Magnificent Seven?

Nancy:When the Forever Knight character I like to write about was introduced to the series, he was using the name "JD" and I kind of stuck with calling him that in my fan fic. I saw the first previews to the Magnificent Seven some time in December of '97, and they included Andy Kavovit's "My name is JD Dunne..." scene. I thought "That's pretty cool, they have a character named 'JD', too..." (plus I did think Andy was awfully cute!)  By the time the show premiered, I had such a strong feeling I was going to like it that I taped the first show - something I have never done. The rest, as they say, is history...

Me:What do you think are the show's greatest strengths and likewise its greatest weaknesses?

Nancy:Its single greatest strength is the male-bonding thing. You have seven guys who for the most part have no roots, no place to call home, no one to call "family" - and they find each other and each of them fills a specific role that in one way or another fulfills some need that one or more of the others have. They have become a family, at times a dysfunctional one, but one where there is respect, acceptance and unity. None of them had that before, and it's what draws them and holds them together. The fact that the writers and the actors can bring this out without it ever being directly mentioned or referred to is one of the things that makes the show so sublimely excellent.

Its weakness, if it could be said to even have one, is that there are so many characters that there is less opportunity to focus on them as individuals than we would like.

Me:If you could change anything about the show what would it be?

Nancy:Besides 3-hour long episodes? ;-)  I think I'd like a few more glimpses into their pasts and personal lives. We get an occasional peek with some of them, like JD and Ezra, but with the others, we never  see them do anything but sit in the saloon when they aren't going after bad guys.

Me:Do you like how the show portrays its female characters? Do you think it needs more women or is it fine the way it is?

Nancy:Originally, I considered the female characters a distraction, but they have done such fun things with them - Buck's unrequitted love for Inez, JD and Casey's relationship, etc. that it would seem like something were missing now were they to get rid of them.

Me:Getting back to your writing, do you get writers block? If so what do you do to get rid of it?

Nancy:Oh definitely. I think all writers get it at some point. The way I overcome it is to read fan fic by other writers that I have especially enjoyed. I will very often find new inspiration in them.

Me:What's the hardest part about writing for you? What's the best?

Nancy: The hardest part is definitely the fact that I am not a very creative person. Ideas just do not pop into my head. I am amazed at fan fic writers who can turn out a 200-page story in 3 weeks. It can take me that long to write one chapter.

The best thing has got to be when someone tells you the story knocked their socks off. To know that you created something that has brought enjoyment to someone else can be extremely satisfying.

Me:What's your take on smarm/hurt-comfort?

Nancy:I think it can be carried to excess, to the point where it exceeds the bounds of credibility, but heck, even then it's still fun to read. For the life of me, I cannot figure out the psychological aspect of it. We gleefully delight in things happening to fan fic characters that we would never in a million years want to see happen to real people. But, I confess, I love reading it, and I love writing it.

Me:Do you plan out your story arcs or do they just happen?

Nancy:I plan out the general story. I never start a story without knowing how I intend to end it, because I have seen too many fan fic writer paint themselves into a corner and then have to abandon a story. But the specific details pretty much unfold chapter-by-chapter.

Me:How long does it take to write a new part of your story?

Nancy:It can vary with how much time I have, how interested I am in the part I am writing (because out of necessity, some chapters just have to be a way of getting from point A to point B, which can be boring), and how "inspired" I happen to be at the time. It can take me anywhere from 4-5 hours to three weeks to turn out a chapter.

Me:Do you have any advice for new Mag Seven writers just starting out?

Nancy: The advice I would give to any fan fic writer is "Know the show." I am a stickler for adhering to cannon. If you are new to a show, get a beta reader who has seen every episode, so that you don't end up writing something that is going to have die-hard fans snickering. A beta reader who is familiar with Magnificent Seven will tell you that it would probably be a good idea not to have Vin reading Shakespeare, or a plotline where Nathan's mother shows up.

Me:Do you have any plans for future stories or additions that you can share that is ?

Nancy: I always have plans for future stories. Actually writing them is a different thing entirely! But, I do have an idea for my next Magnificent Seven story. I am going to try writing about JD this time. I have thought of a way to bash him that hasn't been used yet, although I imagine if I don't hurry up and write it soon, it will be!!

Me:Anything else you'd like to add?

 

Nancy:I would like to thank everyone who takes the time to let fan fic writers know that their work is appreciated. Fan fiction is written entirely out of love, for the characters, and for the show, and the only reward the writers can ever hope to expect is to know that their efforts brought enjoyment to someone!

Thanks Nancy for answering the questions!        

links

My Main Page
The River Styx
Interview main page

Email: vinsvixen@hotmail.com