Adding to the meme-age...
To further prove I am in fact a nerd, I actually read the wikipedia article on memes, and found it interesting. In other news, I don't think I ever gave a big thank you to
goddess_loki for her CSI:NY friending thing. And from said new friends, I have a meme I actually want to do. Lovingly ganked from
mahoni because anyone who also thought Wesley Crusher rocked is good people in my book:
1. How about a brief introduction?
You don't want to know who I really am, do you? That would take all the fun out of the mystique. Here I am mbnola on fanfic I am Madison Bellows. On Talk I am NOLAGRRL and I think I might be MadisonB or something of that variation on the other boards I joined for spoilers but haven't been to in forever or never really believed in in the first place. All relating to said name, which may or may not be on my birth certificate and New Orleans, the city I love and call home whether I live there or not.
2. What got you into fan fiction (and/or adopting muses)?
I wrote fan fic for years before I knew it was an actual genre out there, accepted by somewhat normal people. Most of my early fan fics are scribbled in various journals and will never see the light of day. At least I don't think they will, but maybe if I become an actually famous published author and die some horrible tragic death that my husband or some family member wants to bank on and finds said work and gets around copyright laws and ends up publishing it. How I got "into" it is I am creative, love to write, have been an insomniac since birth and sometimes didn't like the way certain movies/books/tv shows etc turned out. Or maybe I would self-insert as a wee lass before I knew about such evils and Mary Sues.
3. What kind of fan fiction do you write?
Hrmn...let's see some of my early works involved...wow, I don't know, perhaps I should ask my mother who has kept every scrap of everything I have ever done (pick the only child), but stuff I did in high school revolved around Anne Rice and her vampire series (see "New Orleans = home) and some Better than Ezra musicfic. I am sure there was some ST:TNG stuff in there as well. I also think I co-wrote a piece on Legends of the Fall that was written by passing a notebook back and forth with my friend Becca between classes. Now my fanfic is centered around CSI:NY and I am trying to use it to hone OCs that I could spin off into something that could be published.
4. Do you write for the same pairings/characters?
Well yes and no. All my current storied do feature Flack and my OC, but I could totally ship him with Angell if I wrote just a gen fic. I also ship canon in my canon stories (Mac/Peyton, Danny/Lindsay) but I have a lot more fun with my AU ships that either are or could be (Hawkes/Adam, Mac/Stella, Danny/Flack)
5. What is your most popular fic and why do you think people like it so?
Well seeing as I only have 4 stories that are "published" for others to see, I am going to have to go with the pure stats:
Yep, gonna have to go with NOLA Rising being the front runner for now, but it is the oldest/longest so...
6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic you've written that you're most proud of?
I am proud of them all, even the ones that aren't fit to print, because I created something, even if I did bounce off of others ideas to do it first. Better than just sitting around being another couch potato sheep. But I probably am liking What It Means the best because other than the "borrowing" of established characters, the rest of the story is mine all mine.
7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What aspects do you struggle with?
Easy. Sometimes too much so, because I go off on tangents and have little bits of a million stories stashed everywhere (ex. backs of receipts, napkins, ticket stubs, money). I find getting the cojones to actually write a full original fic and shop it to agents/publishers/even vanity publish it to be paralyzing difficult. And I am not sure if I am more frightened of success or failure, which is the real story of my life.
8. Write a few sentences of your favorite pairing or character.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? See, I will admit I am not the best about proof reading or having my stuff gone over by a beta or that my spelling is the best or that I even am a grammar goddess, but I hate when things are vague like this. About my favorite character, do you mean one of my own creation or one from an existing genre? My OC Gus is pretty cool because she is real, likable, and I so want to be her when I grow up. I paired her with Flack because I could, he is the perfect combination of old school cop mixed with new school intelligent detective, he is hawt or at least the actor that plays him is but I think even on a fictional plane he would be described as hawt (yes, I am using hawt with an ironic element) and the snark cannot be beat. Now the Of part I am a little stuck on...
9. Are there any fan fiction trends/cliches you hate?
Writing in "text speak", OTPs that aren't, blatant self inserts and Mary Sues, bad writing, people not able to think that characters could be OMG teh gayz!!! (Yes, I am stealing the snark). I don't really get Wincest either, but maybe because I don't watch the show, but incest depicted as a "good thing" weirds me out. Another thing that gets my goat is when people pair characters of a certain age (late 20's +) with (self inserted) characters in their teens. It is illegal, it is unhealthy. Oh any my biggest issue, because it bleeds from my real professional life to my writing/reading life is when therapists sleep with their clients. It is just WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, I have a lot of pet peeves.
10. Are you guilty of any of the trends you hate?
I constantly worry if my OC is too Mary Sue or too self inserted (because I am paranoid and I also have a friend who thinks Gus is like me, but I think she meant that in a good way not in a you are just using her for your own wanky needs). Gus is me a thousand times better and worse. Plus a lot of traits from people I know and love or sometimes hate. As in all my writing it is based on some truth because the best writing is.
12. Name your OTPs and explain what it is about them you love to write.
I don't really believe in OTPs. Because I am not sure they exist. Look at divorce rates or relationships in general. I could get into a whole are humans even meant to be monogamous debate right here, but I won't. But if I could pretend to believe in them, I love D/F even though I don't publish it because it pisses people off (see teh gayz). I love writing hints of Smacked because it should happen, just not in canon because I want the show to be a police procedural and not a soap opera. Oh and in happy, fluffy bunny land it is Gus + Flack 4evah, but my plot bunnies are way more sinister than that. Plus, I am the most cynical optimist I know.
13. What would you call your writing style?
Witty, sarcastic, realistic, sometimes cynical, sometimes hopeful, I hope it is enjoyable and I love when others think it could be the actual show.
14. Do you read other people's fan fiction? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Yes, if it is good writing, though sometimes I will linger on something that is so terrible it burns my eyes, but I think that is train wreck syndrome. I like reading about other OCs that are well written because I think it helps me to be a better writer. I also love good slash from time to time. Though sometimes I wander on het smut if done well (but I have really high standards for both). I tend to read mostly in the CSI:NY genre, but I have read some Miami and some Criminal Minds and some Without a Trace and Cold Case and a couple of Degrassi:TNG (but most of it sucks). To find my most read go here.
15. Name one thing you'd love to write but have been too afraid or too shy to do.
I am not afraid to write much of anything, but I am afraid to publish my smutty slash scene, because I am not a gay man, I am not sure if I am on the mark and I like to keep it real. I suppose I could have one of my many oversexed gay friends read it first...I also want to try to get some real writing out there, hence why I have been chasing freelance jobs in my RL.
16. Do you feel uncomfortable taking criticism? Or worse, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I love constructive criticism. I hate bashing because I break up people or don't update fast enough or don't toe the line. Anything that helps me to be a better writer, I am fair game. But if you are going to tell me I suck, could you do it in a PM and not in my reviews?
17. When you write, is there anything that helps?
Music. In another life I would start my own record label. If reading is my food, then music is my air.
18. What inspires you?
People. In general a lot of people are f**kwads, but I find inspiration in many regardless of what tools they may turn out to be (because I write a lot of villains in crime fiction). Plus, sometimes they surprise you and turn out to actually leave me hope for humanity. I people watch a lot and I am extremely intuitive and empathic, so I can soak a lot up in my surroundings, I find inspiration in every person, really. God that was Hallmark/Lifetime cheesy, wasn't it? Inspiration is not always a good thing, btw!
19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fan fiction experiences and you as a writer?
Random stopping at 19. Anyhow, mostly good, a learning experience and hopefully something that makes me a better writer. Even though I hate the phrase "makes me". But recent wank of DL vs DF has been a bit annoying, though viewed through the eyes of some f'listers has made it way more amusing than sad.
goddess_loki for her CSI:NY friending thing. And from said new friends, I have a meme I actually want to do. Lovingly ganked from
mahoni because anyone who also thought Wesley Crusher rocked is good people in my book:
1. How about a brief introduction?
You don't want to know who I really am, do you? That would take all the fun out of the mystique. Here I am mbnola on fanfic I am Madison Bellows. On Talk I am NOLAGRRL and I think I might be MadisonB or something of that variation on the other boards I joined for spoilers but haven't been to in forever or never really believed in in the first place. All relating to said name, which may or may not be on my birth certificate and New Orleans, the city I love and call home whether I live there or not.
2. What got you into fan fiction (and/or adopting muses)?
I wrote fan fic for years before I knew it was an actual genre out there, accepted by somewhat normal people. Most of my early fan fics are scribbled in various journals and will never see the light of day. At least I don't think they will, but maybe if I become an actually famous published author and die some horrible tragic death that my husband or some family member wants to bank on and finds said work and gets around copyright laws and ends up publishing it. How I got "into" it is I am creative, love to write, have been an insomniac since birth and sometimes didn't like the way certain movies/books/tv shows etc turned out. Or maybe I would self-insert as a wee lass before I knew about such evils and Mary Sues.
3. What kind of fan fiction do you write?
Hrmn...let's see some of my early works involved...wow, I don't know, perhaps I should ask my mother who has kept every scrap of everything I have ever done (pick the only child), but stuff I did in high school revolved around Anne Rice and her vampire series (see "New Orleans = home) and some Better than Ezra musicfic. I am sure there was some ST:TNG stuff in there as well. I also think I co-wrote a piece on Legends of the Fall that was written by passing a notebook back and forth with my friend Becca between classes. Now my fanfic is centered around CSI:NY and I am trying to use it to hone OCs that I could spin off into something that could be published.
4. Do you write for the same pairings/characters?
Well yes and no. All my current storied do feature Flack and my OC, but I could totally ship him with Angell if I wrote just a gen fic. I also ship canon in my canon stories (Mac/Peyton, Danny/Lindsay) but I have a lot more fun with my AU ships that either are or could be (Hawkes/Adam, Mac/Stella, Danny/Flack)
5. What is your most popular fic and why do you think people like it so?
Well seeing as I only have 4 stories that are "published" for others to see, I am going to have to go with the pure stats:
Yep, gonna have to go with NOLA Rising being the front runner for now, but it is the oldest/longest so...
6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic you've written that you're most proud of?
I am proud of them all, even the ones that aren't fit to print, because I created something, even if I did bounce off of others ideas to do it first. Better than just sitting around being another couch potato sheep. But I probably am liking What It Means the best because other than the "borrowing" of established characters, the rest of the story is mine all mine.
7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What aspects do you struggle with?
Easy. Sometimes too much so, because I go off on tangents and have little bits of a million stories stashed everywhere (ex. backs of receipts, napkins, ticket stubs, money). I find getting the cojones to actually write a full original fic and shop it to agents/publishers/even vanity publish it to be paralyzing difficult. And I am not sure if I am more frightened of success or failure, which is the real story of my life.
8. Write a few sentences of your favorite pairing or character.
What the hell is that supposed to mean? See, I will admit I am not the best about proof reading or having my stuff gone over by a beta or that my spelling is the best or that I even am a grammar goddess, but I hate when things are vague like this. About my favorite character, do you mean one of my own creation or one from an existing genre? My OC Gus is pretty cool because she is real, likable, and I so want to be her when I grow up. I paired her with Flack because I could, he is the perfect combination of old school cop mixed with new school intelligent detective, he is hawt or at least the actor that plays him is but I think even on a fictional plane he would be described as hawt (yes, I am using hawt with an ironic element) and the snark cannot be beat. Now the Of part I am a little stuck on...
9. Are there any fan fiction trends/cliches you hate?
Writing in "text speak", OTPs that aren't, blatant self inserts and Mary Sues, bad writing, people not able to think that characters could be OMG teh gayz!!! (Yes, I am stealing the snark). I don't really get Wincest either, but maybe because I don't watch the show, but incest depicted as a "good thing" weirds me out. Another thing that gets my goat is when people pair characters of a certain age (late 20's +) with (self inserted) characters in their teens. It is illegal, it is unhealthy. Oh any my biggest issue, because it bleeds from my real professional life to my writing/reading life is when therapists sleep with their clients. It is just WRONG!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, I have a lot of pet peeves.
10. Are you guilty of any of the trends you hate?
I constantly worry if my OC is too Mary Sue or too self inserted (because I am paranoid and I also have a friend who thinks Gus is like me, but I think she meant that in a good way not in a you are just using her for your own wanky needs). Gus is me a thousand times better and worse. Plus a lot of traits from people I know and love or sometimes hate. As in all my writing it is based on some truth because the best writing is.
12. Name your OTPs and explain what it is about them you love to write.
I don't really believe in OTPs. Because I am not sure they exist. Look at divorce rates or relationships in general. I could get into a whole are humans even meant to be monogamous debate right here, but I won't. But if I could pretend to believe in them, I love D/F even though I don't publish it because it pisses people off (see teh gayz). I love writing hints of Smacked because it should happen, just not in canon because I want the show to be a police procedural and not a soap opera. Oh and in happy, fluffy bunny land it is Gus + Flack 4evah, but my plot bunnies are way more sinister than that. Plus, I am the most cynical optimist I know.
13. What would you call your writing style?
Witty, sarcastic, realistic, sometimes cynical, sometimes hopeful, I hope it is enjoyable and I love when others think it could be the actual show.
14. Do you read other people's fan fiction? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Yes, if it is good writing, though sometimes I will linger on something that is so terrible it burns my eyes, but I think that is train wreck syndrome. I like reading about other OCs that are well written because I think it helps me to be a better writer. I also love good slash from time to time. Though sometimes I wander on het smut if done well (but I have really high standards for both). I tend to read mostly in the CSI:NY genre, but I have read some Miami and some Criminal Minds and some Without a Trace and Cold Case and a couple of Degrassi:TNG (but most of it sucks). To find my most read go here.
15. Name one thing you'd love to write but have been too afraid or too shy to do.
I am not afraid to write much of anything, but I am afraid to publish my smutty slash scene, because I am not a gay man, I am not sure if I am on the mark and I like to keep it real. I suppose I could have one of my many oversexed gay friends read it first...I also want to try to get some real writing out there, hence why I have been chasing freelance jobs in my RL.
16. Do you feel uncomfortable taking criticism? Or worse, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I love constructive criticism. I hate bashing because I break up people or don't update fast enough or don't toe the line. Anything that helps me to be a better writer, I am fair game. But if you are going to tell me I suck, could you do it in a PM and not in my reviews?
17. When you write, is there anything that helps?
Music. In another life I would start my own record label. If reading is my food, then music is my air.
18. What inspires you?
People. In general a lot of people are f**kwads, but I find inspiration in many regardless of what tools they may turn out to be (because I write a lot of villains in crime fiction). Plus, sometimes they surprise you and turn out to actually leave me hope for humanity. I people watch a lot and I am extremely intuitive and empathic, so I can soak a lot up in my surroundings, I find inspiration in every person, really. God that was Hallmark/Lifetime cheesy, wasn't it? Inspiration is not always a good thing, btw!
19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fan fiction experiences and you as a writer?
Random stopping at 19. Anyhow, mostly good, a learning experience and hopefully something that makes me a better writer. Even though I hate the phrase "makes me". But recent wank of DL vs DF has been a bit annoying, though viewed through the eyes of some f'listers has made it way more amusing than sad.