Dreamsmith
Hi there.
Wow, an interview. Sort of like feedback, but in reverse, with me doing all the talking about my own stuff, huh? Okay, pick a topic and I'll bore you to tears. (I can write pages and pages with no trouble at all; It's my job!)
"A Thing of Terrible Beauty" is truly an epic work, as was your recent Faith story "Virtue of a Warrior". I am continually impressed at how you never lose track of where you want the story to go. So, here's my first burning question - how the heck do you do it? Do you write from a basic plot outline, or do you just wing it? Or is there another method?
Hm.
Well, those stories are 'epic', in size if not in scope, mainly because I have a basic inability to gloss over even minor parts of whatever tale I'm trying to tell. I write EVERYTHING that's going on, at length, and that very quickly leads to a short story that's several hundred pages long. Along those same lines, you made an interesting comment; 'you never lose track of where you want the story to go'. You need to understand, if there's one single thing I DO know about a story I'm writing, it's where everyone will be when it's time for the end credits to roll. When I'm thinking of starting a story, that's the first thing I ask myself; 'Okay, what will have been accomplished, what will be different when the dust settles, how will they have learned and changed and grown? How does it end?' So it's never a question of struggling to keep track of where the story needs to go; I've already got that firmly in mind.
Once I know that, I can just pick a starting point, a point of view character to begin with, and then start typing. After the first scene is down, to establish where we are and what's going on, that's where the hard part begins. Outlines (at least, what I think of as an outline) are not a big thing with me. I tried one on this latest Faith story (Virtue of a Warrior), but it turned out not to be as helpful as I'd hoped. The reason why is that even though I know where the story is ultimately headed, things usually take a lot of unforseen twists and turns along the way.
Ever read a 'choose a path' book? My writing is a lot like that. As I'm working my way through the story, there are all these characters, each with a role to play, and I'm constantly shuffling them around, changing their actions in a given scene, and then trying to trace the consequences of that forward through the story to see how it impacts the rest of what needs to happen. Sometimes I'll do a little rewriting to accomodate an idea that occurs to me, sometimes the whole thing has to be redone, nearly from scratch in order to tighten things up and make it a better read. ('Interludes' is the best example to date of rewrite hell, though 'Virtue' is likely to eclipse it before all is said and done).
What I do have, instead of outlines, is what I call a 'scene progression'. While I'm still in the first chapter or two, I'm in the process of filling up 6x8 notecards with brief descriptions of the scenes all the way through till the end. Not more than a line or two, showing who's point of view is to be used, and what events of import take place. If that sounds like an outline, trust me; it ain't. I tend to work from that as I actually type, though about a third of the time I change my mind when I get to a specific point, because sometimes you don't know what will work until you get there. The order of scenes often gets shifted, also, and sometimes I'll decide I don't need one. (This doesn't happen often; it's much more common for new scenes to spring up out of nowhere.). I also fill cards with notes on what characters are going to be showing up, who they are and what they're about, and (most importantly) detailed breakdowns of the key scenes of the story.
Like I said a second ago, I'm usually finding new, small scenes even as I'm writing something, stuff that hadn't occured to me until that moment but in hindsight was important to the logic of the thing, or to the sense of flow. Those are all well and good, but any story has a few key scenes that are crucial. Nancy Dibell (in her excellent book 'Plot') calls them 'Set pieces', the big scenes that hold the big turning points of the story. I tend to map those out in detail way ahead of time, figuring out who does what, when, and why. Sometimes I'll even go so far as to do dialogue for a scene like that, even though it won't take place until the last chapter, and I'm still in the process of typing my way through chapter three. (In point of fact, I sometimes go out of control in that regard. I have several scenes of the second sequel to 'Virtue' plotted out beat per beat, word per word... and I'm not even quite done with the first book yet!)
On the other hand, action or battle scenes are almost impossible for me to map out ahead of time. Those I usually write as I get to them, and all I can do is try and keep things as plausible, interesting and dymanic as possible.
O_o Uh, did that answer your question?
Japanese folkore and anime seem to have had a big effect on your writing. What is it about that genre that appeals to you? (This question refers more to "Virtue of a Warrior" than to AToTB, but I've often wondered.)
I never really considered Anime as an influence before, but it probably is. I'm not exactly an Otaku, but I am a fan of all that stuff. Shirow's Manga, Adam Warren's Dirty Pair, various Anime including (but not limited to): The Slayers (Heh; appropriate, neh?), Macross Plus, El Hazard, Tenchi Muyo, Lodoss War, etc. The action/adventure stuff is my favorite, especially where the hero/heroine is forced by a turn of events to discover something within themselves that then allows them to press on and ultimately prevail. The better anime can explore that theme very well.
Japanese culture in general is something I know only a little about. In 'Virtue', I was trying to show that the 'bad guys' weren't, by their own lights, evil, just as Faith, at the time, felt that her actions in Sunnydale were justifiable. The Japanese in the story have a sense of honor and obligation, even though their ultimate goal is a selfish desire for power. Faith enjoys power too, but her ultimate goal, once she realizes it, is something very different.
Which leads us to the next question:
I don't think I'd be far off if I guessed that Faith was your favorite character. Why?
I think Bulletproof said it in her interview with you; Faith is the most interesting character on either Buffy or Angel. Her struggle to fit in, her failure at that, desire for/hatred for Buffy (Yeah, I'm a F/B person, deal and move on) her walk on the dark side, her tough facade that fails to hide the vulnerability and need for love and support... she's just amazing.
As to why she's my favorite character to write... well. I don't want to scare anyone, but the reason I like writing about her, and why I can, perhaps, do it reasonably well, is that she's me.
No, I'm not female, not a teenager, not a wild child with a love of parties and murder, but still.... When I write about her, there's a resonance. I might not have lived a life as grim as hers (thankfully), but I've felt a little of what she feels. When she's standing outside the window, looking in on the gathering of friends that she was never really a part of, I know what she's thinking. When she feels trapped by circumstances and doesn't know what to do next, I can feel it too. Depression, desperate, empty rage with no legitimate target, self-loathing so deep that you wonder if you can make it through to the other side... I've been there. Writing Faith is a kind of therapy for me, and I feel better because of it. Exploring her psyche has shown me some things about myself, and now that I know they're there, I can deal with them.
Watching Faith make her own discoveries, and try to put herself back together, is a fascinating process. I can't wait to see what happens next. ^_^
"AToTB" explores Buffy as the Slayer in a way that (until now)hasn't really been addressed on the show. In your universe, it's as if the Slayer is taking over the person to an extreme degree. And now, it looks as if Season 5 will be examining the same issues. What made you decide to write about this aspect of Buffy's Calling?
AToTB is the first Buffy story I started, long before the 'first Slayer' thing came up. What I'm doing in that story isn't so much about something 'taking over' Buffy. It's more of a look at what it would be like to have your very being remade and redefined. As a Slayer, Buffy is so much more than she was that she's really not a human being any longer. It seems to me that through Season Four everyone was ignoring that; including Buffy. So I just tried to write something showing what it must be like, to be isolated from those around you not because you're just a little different, but because you are so very different that you're practically an alien being, and no one, not even you, is sure just where the change has taken you.
Fanfiction - a fun, yet unique hobby. When did you first start writing fanfiction? How do you feel about the first story you wrote? Do you share your writing with friends and family?
Around eighteen months ago I was working on some background material for a ShadowRun campaign. I'd run various Roleplaying games for a longlong time, and in recent years I found myself growing more and more dissatisfied with them. I couldn't figure out why, until one day I was jotting down a few background notes on an NPC (My fellow gamer geeks will know what that means), when suddenly and without warning the notes turned into this stream of words. It was the oddest feeling, watching this little three page story flow through me, out of the back of my brain, down into my fingers and out onto the screen. When I was done I sat back and read what I'd done, and I thought 'Hey, that's pretty neat.'. I shared it with a couple of friends and they agreed that it was neat.
One of those friends, who goes by Candy Kane online, suggested I try a Buffy story, and so I did. The first couple of chapters of AToTB followed, along with a couple installments of 'Ninety-Six Days'. Candy was also the one who introduced me to the concept of the mailing list. Until then, I'd had no idea that they existed. So I posted what I'd done on the first couple of lists I found, and soon some very nice feedback arrived, which led to more chapters, and more feedback, and it just went on from there.
Somewhere along the line, I realized that the reason I'd gotten frustrated with roleplaying games was that I'd been trying to tell stories there for a long while. Either through the medium of my own character, or through the campaigns I'd run, I was looking for a way to show plots evolving, to show characters meeting obstacles and overcoming them, becoming something greater in the process. Ultimately those attempts would always fail, just by the nature of the games they were in. So I more or less retired from gaming and concentrated on the writing, where the only limitation is the time and energy I put into things. (By the way, if you're interested in that first little story, I'll include it on the site after the upcoming reconstruction)
As for my friend's take on the writing....
They don't understand it, and they hate me. (Well, most of them do) They would much rather I kept on running games for them instead of doing something for myself. One of the most enthusiastic players, someone who before this would have claimed they were my best friend, hasn't spoken to me in over a year now. In fact, once it became clear that I was serious about the writing thing he vanished without a trace.
What a friend, eh?
Others will still talk to me, but I don't see them much these days. Which is okay, I suppose.
Then there are a few who have encouraged me tirelessly to keep going with it, despite the lost entertainment opportunities for themselves. Those people know who they are, and they know how much I appreciate them.
My family? As far as I know, only my mother has managed to track down my stuff online. I can only imagine her expression as she's read some of the sexual and/or violent material, but she's made approving noises, as moms seem required to do. Actually, she wanted me to try writing a long time ago, but I always dismissed it as something that only smarter, more talented people than myself were capable of. (I still feel that way when I read some novels; there is just no way I can equal some of the professional writers I admire. I've had to convince myself that being a lower-tier professional writer is something that's within my grasp, and that I should be thankful even for that).
Now the cheesy question, but I must ask. Do you have a favorite BtVS/A:tS episode? (I usually ask about character too, but I'm guessing it's Faith *g*)
Ah.... It would be a lot easier to list the eps I don't like. Xander-centric eps are a waste of my time; I don't like him. 'The Zeppo' wouldn't even be on my buffy shelf if it weren't for the Faith scenes. Overall, Seasons One through Three are my favorites. I think the show hit it's high-water mark at the end of season Three. Four was, overall, a disappointment, and Five is shaping up to be the same. There are still good episodes, they they're not as frequent as they used to be.
The standout eps for me would be: Anything with Faith, though some of them (like Graduation Day I) are too painful for casual viewing. The eps where Buffy shows us just how dark and lonely her path sometimes becomes. (Prophecy Girl, WSWB, Innocence/Surprise, Becoming, Anne, etc.) And yes, my favorite character is Faith.
Are there any routines you follow when you write? (as in music you listen to, a particular setting, etc.)
I tend to do all of my notecard stuff (plotting, scenes, etc) at work, though a lot of things occur to me while driving. The writing itself, by necessity, has to happen at my home computer. The routines are still evolving, though: No TV. In the beginning I kept it on, but it was too distracting. Now it stays off if I'm even thinking about writing that day.
Music is optional. The first three or four chapters of AToTB were all written while listening to 'Shadow of the moon', the first CD by Blackmore's Night. Then I went through a bunch of random stuff, and eventually I got to a place where most music was too annoying while I was trying to write. During 'Virtue' (maybe because it's such a huge story, and it's stretching me to my limits) I wanted something simpler to listen to, so I went to these 'Lifescape' CD's. So that one was written to very simple instrumental music, mixed in with ocean waves, and falling rain, and the rumble of distant thunderstorms.
Regardless of which story I'm working on, I have to have a bottle of water and a large supply of diet Sunkist soda. Alternating between them keeps me both caffinated and hydrated through the night. Oh, and a bottle of Tylenol is a good thing to keep close by, for those story/stress induced headaches.
My WORST writing habit is that I stay online as I'm working, and every so often I'll spend a few minutes or an hour surfing the web. I'd be much more productive if I could break myself of that habit.
Are there any songs, stories, poems, etc. that inspire you?
I'm a sponge; I'll see something, or hear something, and then store it for a week or a month until I need it. A lot of the little details that show up in various scenes are things I notice and then file away. Also, a single phrase from a novel I'm reading has been known to spark a wonderfully grinchy idea for my own stuff.
As for stories inspiring me.... This might sound mean or something, though I don't intend it to be, but... fanfic stories that are good enough to read, but that contain elements which I dislike tend to inspire me. Faith, especially, has had a dozen--no, a hundred stories written about her in the last few months, and in virtually every one of them she's a weepy, whipped little girl who wants nothing more than to beg Buffy for forgiveness.
That doesn't sit well with me; it isn't the way I see her, it isn't the way I write her. Vulnerable doesn't equal weak. Faith has failed, tried again and failed again, she's made bad choices... but she isn't evil and she isn't weak. Even the end of '5x5' tends to provoke a certain hostility in me. It's a wonderful episode, but still....
When I was three hundred pages into 'Virtue' and the end was still months away, I'd read yet another of those 'cringy Faith' stories and my flagging resolve would firm once more. Now, some of those WimpFaith things are well-written, I don't deny that, but I want to get my version out there, to balance the scales. I suppose that's a kind of inspiration, isn't it?
Finally, who do you like to read, both in the fanfic world and published works?
Wow, that could be an extensive list.
Fanfic is pretty easy, as there just aren't that many truly great writers spending their time on fanfic. Liz Estrada comes to mind first. Read her Faithfic, it's excellent. Erin's up at the top of the list also. I've never gotten into her Buffy/Willow stuff, but her Faith/Buffy is just incredible. She has an insight and a grasp of emotion that humbles me. Adam Windsor has done some very good work in the last few months, though I don't always agree with where he choses to take his plotlines. Melanie does great Faithfic, and her epic Mayor stories are extemely good also. Sasha Chase did a great series of Faith/Kate stories (if only Kate were written as well on 'Angel'!). Pat Kelly had a great storyline going with Faith/Buffy, but somewhere around twenty 'stories' back he went off into stuff that didn't interest me as much. Kirsten's epic Faith stories are worth a read (and not just because I had a very small hand in them, either).
There are others of course (and I hope they'll forgive me for not mentioning them all here), but those are the ones who've made the biggest impression on me. (Okay, I have to add: Brigit, please write more! I'm still waiting for the rest!)
On the 'published' side, I'd say I've been influenced by Roger Zelazny quite a bit, though you might not be able to tell by looking at my stuff. He wrote with a very sparse style; very minimally described scenes, whereas I'm hyper-descriptive by nature. Still, his work echos in the back of my mind whenever I'm at the keyboard.
More easily visible is the influence of R.A. Salvatore. Although he seems unable to write anything interesting EXCEPT for his dark elf series, the man knows how to describe action and movement. Half of what I know about action scenes I learned by running Roleplaying games. The rest I learned by watching Drizzt Do'Urden in battle. Gael Baudino, just because her stuff describes the incredible and wonderous while still ringing absolutely true. David Weber; master of warfare, on every scale, in all its forms. CJ Cherryh; who must have been an influence on me, because reading my stuff can be almost as difficult as reading hers. Random positive influences by Ed Greenwood, Alan Dean Foster, Sharon Green, S.M. Stirling, David Drake, Walter Jon Williams, Larry Niven, Fred Saberhagen....
Angst and emotional energy supplied by Lina Inverse, Sharon Apple, Ryoko, Tenchi and rest of the gang, Ifurita and the cast of El-Hazard....
Denise, and her amazing artwork for my stories have been a huge inspiration, as have you (looking at Amy/Ames) and the other kind archivists who post my material.
I can't forget Diana, who was the person who single-handedly convinced me that my stuff was worthwhile, and that it should be taken seriously. I could talk about her for a page or three, but even then you wouldn't have a clear picture of how much she's helped me, so I'll spare you all of that. I know, and she knows (I hope), and that's enough.
And finally, each and every person who has ever sent me feedback. Do you have any idea how amazing that really is? That someone takes the time to read through one of my stories (and some of them are looong stories, too)? It's because of you people that I wrote anything after chapter 3 of AToTB. It's because of you that I'm still doing this now. Because of you, I have an ambiton to pursue. It's taken a while, but now I know what I want to be when I grow up. I'm going to be spending a lot of my writing time doing other stuff, but I won't forget about you, or these characters. I'll be writing about Faith, and Buffy, long after the shows are gone. There will always be more stories to tell, so long as someone is willing to listen.
Thank you, all of you.
Alan
aka
DreamSmithSitting in a room with a computer, Faith's knife, a whole lot of books, and a sleeping cat,
Somewhere in the American midwest,
November 1, 2000
You can read more of DreamSmith's fanfiction at his website DreamSmith's Fiction Library.