Author Interview: Blackmare
Author Interview: Blackmare
Blackmare wrote 5 wonderful pieces that are featured on the House "What-If" Rec List, including some in collaboration with nightdog_barks and one as a member of the black_cigarette collective. You can find her online as blackmare [LJ] [FF] [AO3] [DW] / third_owl [LJ] [DW] / blackmare_9 [tumblr].
Please give her a warm welcome, and interact in the comments section below.
The What-If Genre
As a writer and/or as a reader, what draws you to what-iffy fic?
The freedom to play. Play play play.
As a Reader
What was the first House fic you remember reading, and why has it stuck with you?
It was either The Devil, You Say by kidsnurse, or The Secret Language of Owls, by nightdog_barks (as Double Dog, over on ff.net). The Devil story caught me because of its sharp edges -- medically accurate and very insightful about House's inner life, the way he might think and feel. Owls stayed with me for the mystery of it, for what had gone wrong between House and Wilson (we never know), and how it might play out.
What types of fics draw you in / are you drawn to as a reader?
I'm not sure I can answer that. The "what" in fic for me is often less important than the "how" and whether the characters sound like themselves. I love love love good dialogue, and someone who can bring the characters' wit to life is likely to draw me in.
Some of your favorite House fics, and why? (Can be in what-iffy genre or any other type - categorize any way you like.)
Way, way, way too many to list. I'll either be here all night or else I'll leave out a lot of stories I should name. Er… check my "memories" on my LJ?
What kind of fic would you like to see more of in the fandom?
ALL THE KINDS. Any kind. More!
Favorite author or piece that you feel more people should read?
Sorry, can't choose. Too many fantastic writers in this fandom. Although I will say that I personally want to be pwcorgigirl when I grow up.
As a Writer
What genre/length/pairing/challenge/prompt do you most enjoy writing?
I really love fairly compact stories in the 2K to 10K word range. Unfortunately mine have a tendency to grow tentacles and turn into gigantic story krakens. I loooooove my great big AU ficverses, and they also frustrate the hell out of me.
What do you struggle with as an author?
Time and energy. My art career is getting more and more demanding, which is good, but between that and the loss of so much fandom activity and discussion, it's difficult to stay motivated and to have time to write. I got a lot of creative fuel just from talking to people, and that's harder to get now.
Do you plan to continue writing House fic? (Please say yes.)
Oh hell yes. :-D
What is your favorite/least favorite part of the writing process?
I write mostly as a collaborator these days, and that's my favorite part. Bouncing ideas and scenes and lines of dialogue back and forth, watching the story develop, surprising ourselves. Then there's The Slog with hashing out how to pull it together in a coherent way.
Self-recs - your favorite fics that you've written (and why)?
I don't have just one, so I'll say Dreams of the Gimp-Legged Nuthatch. Just because I like it a whole lot and it's a bit older and I feel it's been sort of forgotten. But most of my favorite things have been collaborations like Roll the Bones, which I worked on with Corgigirl and Nightdog after one of them started it. That story was sparked by Corgigirl, who was in Georgia, overhearing an honest-to-God conversation which included the sentence, "No, Colt Forty-five is the baby's name."
How have you grown as a fanfic writer?
I don't abuse italics so much anymore. Or exclamation points. I'm learning to trust that readers don't need so much of that. Reining in the overt emotion in general.
On the other hand I'm less afraid to let my id show, which is how Distress Call happened.
Oh, and I write slash now. That was a bit of a journey for me, although the truth is I've shipped House and Wilson right from the start. There are still a couple people on my friends list who don't know and I don't want them to, because I know them offline and they're… conservative, let's say.
What genres/works outside fandom have influenced you as a writer?
I grew up with folk music and Johnny Cash, so lots of shadows and murders and freight trains and such, but also a lot of humor. And the Twilight Zone, and a lot of SF stories; I was also a Doctor Who fan from about age 12, and I'm sure that's had some impact somewhere. Douglas Adams and Dave Barry both left scars which I hope will never fade. I don't read much Serious Literature, frankly. I've read the usual suspects from school, I've read a few good literary novels, but the things that stay with me tend to be folk tales, or "pop" or genre stories.
What are you currently writing?
What, tonight? A new part of the Stationverse, probably. I've got a LOT of drafts in progress, but that's the one I've been playing with this week. Tomorrow it may be something else. Most of it is collaborations with Nightdog.
Describe how you collaborate with other writers to produce fic (co-authoriing, betaing, etc.).
I'm pretty shameless. If someone's story sparks an idea for me, I'll just start writing and then, when there's enough of it, show them what I'm doing and see what they think. If they don't care for it, I'm fine with that; I don't get bruised feelings because it's just play, to me. But often what happens is, they tell me to run with it, or else jump in and start adding to what I've got. That "OMG YES and then THIS happens" is my very favorite thing.
I will also beta, which sounds so formal for something I approach as a casual conversation. My usual beta method is: put me on the list of people who can see the draft, and I'll read and discuss it with you in the comments.
What's one of the most memorable comments/reviews (sentiments) you've ever received?
I hesitate to get into this because I've seen so many people get discouraged thinking they can't write well enough to meet some sort of standard for what constitutes "good feedback," so they keep quiet, when what's mostly wanted is "Please talk to me in some way."
But, for being the only one who's done it, I'll give a shout out to the person on Tumblr who made a music playlist for Distress Call. It was all really good, really apt -- including one song I knew well and had already filed under "Vamp!House and Wilson," so that was amazing. That person actually is the reason I was motivated to polish up the most recent chapter and get it posted.
What was the most surprising turn your muse took in the middle of a piece (and do you know what inspired that to happen)?
Writing [ Light Fuse and --], a follow-up to Nightdog's Welcome to Wherever You Are, from the POV of her undercover agent, "Tooey," who popped up out of nowhere and started talking to me. I hadn't expected to ever write from his POV in the first place, but the story was going really well. Then I realized -- to my horror -- that Tooey was going to deliberately provoke House into a fight. He was working out which buttons to press to get House to punch him, and there was no way I could stop him. That was the first time a character surprised me that much.
Could you describe a memorable moment of fic inspiration?
Distress Call, which was sparked by a National Geographic type show about venomous animals and how little we understand the incredibly complex chemistry (hundreds of different compounds, mostly unidentified and their effects unknown). It featured medicinal trials of certain venoms or drugs extracted from them, and… then that wire connected with an old loose wire from reading Octavia Butler's Bloodchild ages ago, and…
What is the strangest/most interesting thing you ever researched for a fic?
Aside from poisons and diseases? Probably ancient Middle Eastern magical artifacts, particularly a thing called an incantation bowl with a spell painted into the inside of it in ancient Hebrew. The story this is for is still in its drafting stage. Canon
Favorite House episodes? When did you start watching?
I don't have a favorite, but have a big soft spot for The Social Contract because it explicitly confirmed my headcanon about Why Wilson Needs House.
I can't quite recall when I first started watching. Just before Tritter, I think. I'd been avoiding the show because its promos looked like it was serious medical drama and I really had no interest.
Personal headcanon(s)?
Wilson learned a lot of his repressed, hold-it-in-until-whoops-you're-throwing-things emotional behavior from his mother. And one of his parents was cheating on the other when he was a kid, and he knew and couldn't tell because he felt that he had to keep the fragile peace in his house.
The reason Blythe never told House who his biological father was, is that she's never actually been sure. Those hippie peace rallies she used to attend when John wasn't around, well… things got fuzzy, with the alcohol and the drugs and all. She'd hoped it was Bell, but she'd never known for certain.
Which House characters speak to you (while you're trying to do other things…), or resonate with you?
Most of them, at different times and for different reasons, but primarily House and Wilson. Their relationship is like crack to me.
Other
Did you write fanfic before you got into the House fandom? What/when were your first fandom(s)?
Yeah, I'd been writing classic Doctor Who fic for a couple years. I worked out some of the worst of my n00b klutziness there, I think.
What are your favorite House comms on LJ, or other fan sites?
I love sick-wilson and house-wilson. I'm on Tumblr but the lack of conversation gets really discouraging, so I'm not all that active there.
Do you make fan vids or other non-fic fandom endeavors? Where do you post them?
Not really. I make art for a living, and it crowds out the fanart I'd like to make.
Anything else you'd like to share about yourself?
I'm still fairly active on my LJ, DW, and Tumblr accounts, and I respond to comments everywhere (on the occasions I don't, it's because RL got me or Tumblr ate the Ask, which has happened to me a few times). I enjoy talking to people and don't care if they're strangers or newcomers or whatever; I also leave anon commenting enabled.
Blackmare wrote 5 wonderful pieces that are featured on the House "What-If" Rec List, including some in collaboration with nightdog_barks and one as a member of the black_cigarette collective. You can find her online as blackmare [LJ] [FF] [AO3] [DW] / third_owl [LJ] [DW] / blackmare_9 [tumblr].
Please give her a warm welcome, and interact in the comments section below.
The What-If Genre
As a writer and/or as a reader, what draws you to what-iffy fic?
The freedom to play. Play play play.
As a Reader
What was the first House fic you remember reading, and why has it stuck with you?
It was either The Devil, You Say by kidsnurse, or The Secret Language of Owls, by nightdog_barks (as Double Dog, over on ff.net). The Devil story caught me because of its sharp edges -- medically accurate and very insightful about House's inner life, the way he might think and feel. Owls stayed with me for the mystery of it, for what had gone wrong between House and Wilson (we never know), and how it might play out.
What types of fics draw you in / are you drawn to as a reader?
I'm not sure I can answer that. The "what" in fic for me is often less important than the "how" and whether the characters sound like themselves. I love love love good dialogue, and someone who can bring the characters' wit to life is likely to draw me in.
Some of your favorite House fics, and why? (Can be in what-iffy genre or any other type - categorize any way you like.)
Way, way, way too many to list. I'll either be here all night or else I'll leave out a lot of stories I should name. Er… check my "memories" on my LJ?
What kind of fic would you like to see more of in the fandom?
ALL THE KINDS. Any kind. More!
Favorite author or piece that you feel more people should read?
Sorry, can't choose. Too many fantastic writers in this fandom. Although I will say that I personally want to be pwcorgigirl when I grow up.
As a Writer
What genre/length/pairing/challenge/prompt do you most enjoy writing?
I really love fairly compact stories in the 2K to 10K word range. Unfortunately mine have a tendency to grow tentacles and turn into gigantic story krakens. I loooooove my great big AU ficverses, and they also frustrate the hell out of me.
What do you struggle with as an author?
Time and energy. My art career is getting more and more demanding, which is good, but between that and the loss of so much fandom activity and discussion, it's difficult to stay motivated and to have time to write. I got a lot of creative fuel just from talking to people, and that's harder to get now.
Do you plan to continue writing House fic? (Please say yes.)
Oh hell yes. :-D
What is your favorite/least favorite part of the writing process?
I write mostly as a collaborator these days, and that's my favorite part. Bouncing ideas and scenes and lines of dialogue back and forth, watching the story develop, surprising ourselves. Then there's The Slog with hashing out how to pull it together in a coherent way.
Self-recs - your favorite fics that you've written (and why)?
I don't have just one, so I'll say Dreams of the Gimp-Legged Nuthatch. Just because I like it a whole lot and it's a bit older and I feel it's been sort of forgotten. But most of my favorite things have been collaborations like Roll the Bones, which I worked on with Corgigirl and Nightdog after one of them started it. That story was sparked by Corgigirl, who was in Georgia, overhearing an honest-to-God conversation which included the sentence, "No, Colt Forty-five is the baby's name."
How have you grown as a fanfic writer?
I don't abuse italics so much anymore. Or exclamation points. I'm learning to trust that readers don't need so much of that. Reining in the overt emotion in general.
On the other hand I'm less afraid to let my id show, which is how Distress Call happened.
Oh, and I write slash now. That was a bit of a journey for me, although the truth is I've shipped House and Wilson right from the start. There are still a couple people on my friends list who don't know and I don't want them to, because I know them offline and they're… conservative, let's say.
What genres/works outside fandom have influenced you as a writer?
I grew up with folk music and Johnny Cash, so lots of shadows and murders and freight trains and such, but also a lot of humor. And the Twilight Zone, and a lot of SF stories; I was also a Doctor Who fan from about age 12, and I'm sure that's had some impact somewhere. Douglas Adams and Dave Barry both left scars which I hope will never fade. I don't read much Serious Literature, frankly. I've read the usual suspects from school, I've read a few good literary novels, but the things that stay with me tend to be folk tales, or "pop" or genre stories.
What are you currently writing?
What, tonight? A new part of the Stationverse, probably. I've got a LOT of drafts in progress, but that's the one I've been playing with this week. Tomorrow it may be something else. Most of it is collaborations with Nightdog.
Describe how you collaborate with other writers to produce fic (co-authoriing, betaing, etc.).
I'm pretty shameless. If someone's story sparks an idea for me, I'll just start writing and then, when there's enough of it, show them what I'm doing and see what they think. If they don't care for it, I'm fine with that; I don't get bruised feelings because it's just play, to me. But often what happens is, they tell me to run with it, or else jump in and start adding to what I've got. That "OMG YES and then THIS happens" is my very favorite thing.
I will also beta, which sounds so formal for something I approach as a casual conversation. My usual beta method is: put me on the list of people who can see the draft, and I'll read and discuss it with you in the comments.
What's one of the most memorable comments/reviews (sentiments) you've ever received?
I hesitate to get into this because I've seen so many people get discouraged thinking they can't write well enough to meet some sort of standard for what constitutes "good feedback," so they keep quiet, when what's mostly wanted is "Please talk to me in some way."
But, for being the only one who's done it, I'll give a shout out to the person on Tumblr who made a music playlist for Distress Call. It was all really good, really apt -- including one song I knew well and had already filed under "Vamp!House and Wilson," so that was amazing. That person actually is the reason I was motivated to polish up the most recent chapter and get it posted.
What was the most surprising turn your muse took in the middle of a piece (and do you know what inspired that to happen)?
Writing [ Light Fuse and --], a follow-up to Nightdog's Welcome to Wherever You Are, from the POV of her undercover agent, "Tooey," who popped up out of nowhere and started talking to me. I hadn't expected to ever write from his POV in the first place, but the story was going really well. Then I realized -- to my horror -- that Tooey was going to deliberately provoke House into a fight. He was working out which buttons to press to get House to punch him, and there was no way I could stop him. That was the first time a character surprised me that much.
Could you describe a memorable moment of fic inspiration?
Distress Call, which was sparked by a National Geographic type show about venomous animals and how little we understand the incredibly complex chemistry (hundreds of different compounds, mostly unidentified and their effects unknown). It featured medicinal trials of certain venoms or drugs extracted from them, and… then that wire connected with an old loose wire from reading Octavia Butler's Bloodchild ages ago, and…
What is the strangest/most interesting thing you ever researched for a fic?
Aside from poisons and diseases? Probably ancient Middle Eastern magical artifacts, particularly a thing called an incantation bowl with a spell painted into the inside of it in ancient Hebrew. The story this is for is still in its drafting stage. Canon
Favorite House episodes? When did you start watching?
I don't have a favorite, but have a big soft spot for The Social Contract because it explicitly confirmed my headcanon about Why Wilson Needs House.
I can't quite recall when I first started watching. Just before Tritter, I think. I'd been avoiding the show because its promos looked like it was serious medical drama and I really had no interest.
Personal headcanon(s)?
Wilson learned a lot of his repressed, hold-it-in-until-whoops-you're-throwing-things emotional behavior from his mother. And one of his parents was cheating on the other when he was a kid, and he knew and couldn't tell because he felt that he had to keep the fragile peace in his house.
The reason Blythe never told House who his biological father was, is that she's never actually been sure. Those hippie peace rallies she used to attend when John wasn't around, well… things got fuzzy, with the alcohol and the drugs and all. She'd hoped it was Bell, but she'd never known for certain.
Which House characters speak to you (while you're trying to do other things…), or resonate with you?
Most of them, at different times and for different reasons, but primarily House and Wilson. Their relationship is like crack to me.
Other
Did you write fanfic before you got into the House fandom? What/when were your first fandom(s)?
Yeah, I'd been writing classic Doctor Who fic for a couple years. I worked out some of the worst of my n00b klutziness there, I think.
What are your favorite House comms on LJ, or other fan sites?
I love sick-wilson and house-wilson. I'm on Tumblr but the lack of conversation gets really discouraging, so I'm not all that active there.
Do you make fan vids or other non-fic fandom endeavors? Where do you post them?
Not really. I make art for a living, and it crowds out the fanart I'd like to make.
Anything else you'd like to share about yourself?
I'm still fairly active on my LJ, DW, and Tumblr accounts, and I respond to comments everywhere (on the occasions I don't, it's because RL got me or Tumblr ate the Ask, which has happened to me a few times). I enjoy talking to people and don't care if they're strangers or newcomers or whatever; I also leave anon commenting enabled.