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Featured Fic Author Interview with FairLady, Part 2 of 2
Continued from Part 1, this is the second half of the Featured Fic author interview with FairLadyZ2005.
FairLadyZ2005 Interview Part 2: On the Craft of Writing
- Lunatique: Moving onto more general writing matters, what do you see as your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
FairLadyZ2005: Dialogue is definitely my greatest strength. It comes from my extensive background as an amateur actor of numerous years. I just seem to have an ear for it. I think a famous person once said, "If you hear voices in your head, you're either a schizophrenic or a writer." I definitely hear a lot of those voices when I write – characters cadences, rhythms, accents, etc. I can usually tell when something doesn't sound right. Flow of a scene is also very important to me. A character beat, which essentially means what happens from the time a certain character enters and exits a scene. If a new character enters or an old character exists, that starts a whole new "beat." A strong opening image/sentence and a final closing one are always something I try to leave the reader with in every story.
On the flip side of that, description is my greatest weakness. When it comes to writing play scripts, they're mostly dialogue with minimal stage directions. It's up to the director and actors, not the playwright, to define the action. Prose writing does not have that luxury. It's up to the writer to describe everything as well. Unless I have an action suggested to me already by a character, it can be hard at times to find something. This is actually one of the benefits of fanfiction though. The characters and mannerisms are already well known to the audience, so you don't have to invent them from scratch as you do with original works. It's great practice. Fanfiction is wonderful as a form of writing exercise.
This is why characters like Toph, like I said above, are more fun for me to write. Zuko does that for me too on a lot of levels with his raw emotions and wearing his heart on his sleeve. I tend to enjoy characters who speak their mind, or if they are duplicitous, do so in a very wordy manner like Azula with her lies. Characters like Mai who are both restrained in their words and speak through their subtle actions are like pulling teeth at times until I can find the right angle with which to come at it. It takes a lot of trial and error sometimes before I can hit the target. But it's in dealing with these challenges that make me a better writer.
- Yes, writing fan fiction has helped me hone my writing as well. That familiarity is also a great basis for short stories, because you can write these "missing scenes," as you said, these gap-fillers without writing a novel-length story to set everything up. I'm reminded of something Larry Niven is supposed to have said - that "You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money's in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed." And I agree with that sentiment.
- On the other hand, let me also play devil's advocate for a moment here. In an article about writing media tie-ins Roger MacBride Allen has this to say about playing with established universes:
- What would you say to Mr. Allen's statement? How does a fanfic writer who might also have independent literary aspirations use fan fiction as a springboard like you did for your own writing career?
These three follow ups on the positives and negative of fanfiction all go together in my mind so I'll tackle them in one go. Writing short stories before you write a novel is a bit like learning how to walk before you run in my mind. You have to be able to get around your own block successfully in shape before you can tackle a marathon to continue the running analogy. Plus, if you want to learn to write you might as well make it as fun as possible, sometimes the exercises in those writing books one can get from the bookstore or library are just plain boring. The best way to become a better writer is to write. The only way to do that is to practice, practice, practice.
I'm also of the opinion that fanfiction is what happens when fans who suddenly feel too old to being playing with their action figures on the local playground due to social stigmas of "cartoons are for kids and you must grow up" need a new outlet for their creativity and imagination. And our imaginations have no limits, all of us keepers of a mythology and story that has touched us deeply on some level. We don't want it to end. As Jim Henson once said, "You cannot leave the magic!" The desire to write fanfiction is really as much about the connections and community we form with other fans as much as our own ego. One of the best conversations I ever had about fanfiction happened in the ladies room of a Transformers convention in Toronto when some ladies recognized my screen name from my badge and told me they had read and reviewed my work and which point I recognized them from their name badges as reviewers and writers whose own fic I had enjoyed and reviewed in turn. Sometimes it really is a small world after all.
Getting back to using fanfiction as a stepping stone tool for one's own original writing, I do think there is truth to Mr. Allen's statement about it's limitations. Certainly you are working with preexisting characters and worlds. And while it can be counterproductive if your goal is to say work on your skills of worldbuilding, other times it can be a great advantage to have the setting and characters already defined if your goal is, say, point of view instead or some such thing. Sometimes by taking a few factors out of the equation it allows for the writer to focus on just that one task of the exercise. I think as a prose writer Mr. Allen may have a point when it comes to other prose fandoms, but translating the setting from a visual cartoon like Avatar into a prose piece is a writing exercise in itself in understanding the difference between storytelling media. Not to mention that there are always corners of any fictional universe that will always remain unexplored for the fanfic writer to enter and share with the rest of the world. What does the all day echo chamber in the Western Air Temple look like and do anyway, for example? There will always be stones left unturned and Korra has recently given us seventy years worth of stones to turn over in the Avatar world, before we get the canon answers. The possibilities in fanfic are literally endless which explains the endless variety and while there is a lot of crap, it's the gems that make it worth the effort.
Also I'm a great believer in archetypes. How might one train for example to write a great surrogate parent/child relationship for their own original novel? Perhaps by finding out what makes Iroh/Zuko work so well, or what makes a good ruler in exile type plot by studying Zuko's journey. This should not be confused with stereotypes or outright copying, one of which is just bad writing and the other of which is just plain wrong. Rather, I'm talking about the hero's journey as defined by scholars like Joseph Campbell, the main character, his villains, and his supporting cast.
As for plot, it can be complicated to work a fic in between the gaps of established continuity, but I see it a challenge to come up with something very specific which is not always an easy thing for a writer to do and hones certain skills of its own. That's the odd duality of fanfic, it can be very open on one level especially in fandoms that are not full of tight story arcs, and then you have those that are that require a laser like precision. I find that it's hearing a reviewer say that a writer has recaptured that world to the point it feels like the show (even a piece of it) through description or dialogue or whatever, to be one of the highest compliments for a fanfic writer to receive. And it's not an easy task or ripping off the original if it's done right, but a labor of love, like Brian Sanderson finishing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series or Eoin Colfer doing the same with Douglas Adams. It's like a comic book writer who has been passed the torch from one guy and will one day pass it along to someone else. Writing fanfic should never be done at the expense of ignoring one's own call to write something original, but it's a wonderful companion to have along the way and to keep returning to whenever the inspiration strikes.
I write fanfiction because I can't draw and I can't kitbash, but I can write. So this is my contribution.
- Could you describe your writing process? How do you get ideas, and what does it take to bring a story to a finished product? What about editing and beta?
I handwrite everything first in notebooks. I can't imagine writing a first draft any other way. I could never type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. Notebooks free me, allowing me to write anytime, anywhere instead of chained to my desk and computer. Plus, it guarantees I have some sort of hard copy no matter what happens to my computer or flash drives. It's in the transfer from notebook to computer that I do most of my editing. I usually do another edit when I transfer and save my documents in my Fanfiction.net account before I post. But I probably could use a beta more often, at least for longer fics.
As for where I get my ideas, I never know when one is going to strike so I always write it down in my notebook when I have one for later reference. I simply ask myself, what didn't I see on the show that I would have liked to have seen. It's not always that easy to answer but I usually get a seed of an idea to work from. It's usually a mental picture or a line of dialogue or even just a desire to see two characters interact. It's a game of "what if." I ponder the idea, plan a spot to begin and end a scene as well as the goals I know I need the scene to accomplish, do a bit of role playing in my head with the characters, and then start writing it down as a first draft. But it's not like I plan every story--sometimes I'll just start writing with that initial image and see where it takes me.
- It seems you've written a lot of short stories, and so far only short stories for Avatar except maybe Unexpected Visitors, which is longer. What do you think are the strengths of the short story form? Any plans for a longer story in the Avatar fandom?
Most of my stories can be classified as "missing scenes," stuff that takes place between the episodes, or a continuation of what happened after the ending. I like the short story format for a couple reasons. I know it works, for one thing. I've used it successfully my Green Arrow fanfiction already, so it seemed like a perfect format to use for another fandom and Avatar just happened to be the next fandom for which I wanted to write. I like working in this format because it allows me to have a finished story to post, but also the promise of future chapters for any readers who like my work. I also started using this format as something different from my long Transformers fics, which can take a long time to write. I find it harder to craft the next chapter of an ongoing work as opposed to writing a short story. Not that crafting a short story is easy, but it's easier and allows me to post more chapters a lot quicker.
"Unexpected Visitors" (Chapters 11-13) is a multi-part story in which Zuko and Mai meet Iroh's new girlfriend. I knew pretty earliy on that this would be more than one chapter. The decision to keep it as part of Crown Prince Chronicles and not its own story was two-fold. The first reason was one that was out of my hands. Fanfiction.net that month was experiencing technical difficulties, making it impossible for anyone to upload new stories, and hard to upload new chapters too. You could say that it was a case of necessity breeds creativity then. Which led to the second reason, a simple "why not" answer. There was no law that said each chapter had to be self contained. Those were rules I made up for myself. I could break them just as easily. The only theme I had for "Crown Prince Chronicles was that it dealt with Zuko's relationships with the other characters. So this three-parter allowed me to use cliffhangers and develop my first original characters for Avatar, especially Xian (the Jasmine Dragon's new cook). I also have plans for a sequel that will be a couple chapters long as well when I get around to it, probably as something special to do around chapter 25.
"Unexpected Visitors" was also the first time I was able to reference previous chapters of my story, "Tea" (Chapter 1) and "Iroh's Greatest Challenge" (Chapter 6). It wasn't long after that that I made a reference to "Dragoneye" (Chapter 5) in "Call Down the Heavens." Also, "Sisters" (Chapter 18) contains a subtle reference to "Burned" (Chapter 4). So while almost every chapter is a self contained story, they are starting to build a bigger tapestry for me to work from which I'm really starting to enjoy. I know that tapestry will only grow bigger the more I write. It's just one of those elements of world building that happens once one reaches a certain point in their writing be it fanfiction or original work. It's a self validation if you will of how far you have come.
I'm currently planning a spin-off fic from Crown Prince Chronicles called Adventures at the North Pole which will involve Zuko, Mai, and the Gaang's ambassadorial trip that I mentioned in "Unexpected Visitors." The idea came from wanting to do something else set after the series' end, but the number of chapter ideas grew that I thought it best to make it a separate fic. The format will be similar to Crown Prince Chronicles with each chapter being its own short story but with more references between chapters with the possibility of mulit-part chapters if needed. But first I have a few more chapters for Crown Prince Chronicles to write and post, at least one or two of which will be referenced in the new fic.
- Do you write original fiction, and do you have any original fiction projects you're working on if you can tell us?
I do write original fiction. I wrote poetry and short stories in high school and I've co-written some original musicals which have been locally performed. I finished writing my first original novel last year which I never would have had the courage to do if I hadn't been writing fanfiction. My Transformer fic "The Art of Death" taught me a lot about plot and structure and proved that I could write something that long. My original novel is a middle grade fantasy about a fairy trying to save her people set in medieval Germany. It's a little bit Brothers Grimm, a little bit Last Unicorn, and a little bit Peter Pan. Despite all the work actually writing my novel was, it feels like that was the easy part compared to getting an agent or publisher interested. I'm still working on that.
Meanwhile, it's time for me to decide what my second novel will be. I've been fascinated with the idea of blue fire long before I ever saw Avatar ever since middle school astronomy class. Of course, my blue flame girl would be the hero not a villain. So perhaps one day, if I can find the right story to tell to go with such a heroine, but until then I have many books in my head wanting to be written.
- Follow-up question: Speaking of blue flames and villains, does any of that idea stem from ambivalence about the character Azula, whom I notice you don't write a lot about? I mean, the character was awesome in her own way, one of the most powerful characters in the story, who wasn't anyone's love interest and tried for the top spot in a male-dominated power structure. She turned out to be a complete monster and her last appearance was of her ending up crazy, tied up, and crying hysterically. I found that bittersweet, as though the message were that it's fine to be a badass girl, but you'd better have a boyfriend and not try to usurp a man's place - or THIS will happen. Not what the creators intended, but it had some unfortunate implications. Any comment on this?
I like Azula quite a bit. She's a unique and well-crafted villain. She's been the focus of a least two chapters "Zuzu" (Chapter 9) and "Sisters" (Chapter 18) with strong mentions of her in a third "Colors" (Chapter 10). Perhaps it's my lack of direct dialogue and action concerning Azula that you are referring to. I find Azula's downfall to be bittersweet as well, though it has more to do with her youth and whether there is any possibility for redemption by Korra's time though I find it highly unlikely. I don't really see any accidental reinforcement of patriarchal values in her breakdown, but rather a tragic lesson of what could happen to anyone that young in such a position of power regardless of gender that lacks love and support from anybody in her mind, be it a lover or more importantly in Azula's case her parents. How much genuine love Ozai had for his daughter vs. whether he tried to use her in the same way he tried to with Zuko and she was just more receptive is a question we have no real answer to. The more "kiddies" storytelling trope would be to say that the master manipulator fell victim to the lies of her own father's manipulation and being the one-dimensional Saturday morning baddie Ozai never cared for her at all. But that seems a little too easy of an out for me. I've seen both interpretations play out in fanfiction.
I'm really not interested in writing much about villains' motivations in my fanfiction though I like reading about it from others. I find heroes and anti-heroes (which I consider Zuko to be) more interesting to explore, though I quite liked trying to come up with original villains who aren't your moustache-twirling stereotypes for my own original novel. It's been said that true villain never thinks of themselves as the villain but as the hero of their own story in their own mind. And if a villain ever is a mustache twirler they should make up for their cliché by being so full of charm or badassery that you can't help but love to hate them. A lot of Decepticons come to mind for me in this regard.
Finally, my statement of wanting a fire hero has less to do with Azula herself but more my general pet peeve of fire being the element of the bad guys in two many fictional stories of this type. As someone who sees fire as their favorite element, it's a bit frustrating that for two full seasons the Fire Nation are portrayed as one-dimensional baddies with the lone exceptions like Iroh and potential Zuko to be otherwise, which is also what makes their side story so interesting. Of course there's also Jeong Jeong, but he sees his element as a curse, not for its beauty. Then Book Three happens and a lot of these assumptions about fire get blown out the window, again as a testament to great planning behind this series, and why I love "The Firebending Masters" so much. But still, I would like to see a story where someone with fire was a definite good guy from the beginning. All the elements have their dark sides and require balance. Katara can bloodbend. Think about what those Earth Kingdom soldiers almost did to Iroh's hands. And remember just how many dead Fire Nation soldiers could be found next to Gyatso skeleton in "The Southern Air Temple" despite the fact those soldiers had the power of Sozin's Comet at the time. Peaceful airbending monk? Not when his people are threatened with genocide! It's this idea of balance with each element itself in addition to the balance between the four of them that really intrigues me and I will be exploring in upcoming chapters of my fics and maybe even as thematic fuel for an original novel. I don't like cold much. I hate the winter. Maybe my next novel's villain could be trying to usher in a new ice age or something that the fire heroine has to stop.
- Ha, a quasi-ecological fable? I like that! And I'm with you about liking fire, and the redemption of the Fire Nation and Zuko was one of the highlights of the show for me.
- Thank you so much for a wonderful interview, I think this series is getting off to a great start. Any last words? Um, that didn't come out right. Closing thoughts?
Thanks Lunatique for allowing me to do my first author interview, and thanks to my fellow Avatar fans and readers without whom none of us would be here.
- May it be the first interview of many. Thank you again, and good luck with your writing - both fanfic and original!
You can check out FairLady's profile on Fanfiction.net, and her Avatar stories Zuko: Crown Prince Chronicles, Call Down the Heavens, and A Long Night. She has also written stories for Transformers, Magic Knight Rayearth, DC Superheroes, Blakes 7, and more.
FairLadyZ2005 Interview Part 2: On the Craft of Writing
The best way to become a better writer is to write. The only way to do that is to practice, practice, practice.
- Lunatique: Moving onto more general writing matters, what do you see as your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
FairLadyZ2005: Dialogue is definitely my greatest strength. It comes from my extensive background as an amateur actor of numerous years. I just seem to have an ear for it. I think a famous person once said, "If you hear voices in your head, you're either a schizophrenic or a writer." I definitely hear a lot of those voices when I write – characters cadences, rhythms, accents, etc. I can usually tell when something doesn't sound right. Flow of a scene is also very important to me. A character beat, which essentially means what happens from the time a certain character enters and exits a scene. If a new character enters or an old character exists, that starts a whole new "beat." A strong opening image/sentence and a final closing one are always something I try to leave the reader with in every story.
On the flip side of that, description is my greatest weakness. When it comes to writing play scripts, they're mostly dialogue with minimal stage directions. It's up to the director and actors, not the playwright, to define the action. Prose writing does not have that luxury. It's up to the writer to describe everything as well. Unless I have an action suggested to me already by a character, it can be hard at times to find something. This is actually one of the benefits of fanfiction though. The characters and mannerisms are already well known to the audience, so you don't have to invent them from scratch as you do with original works. It's great practice. Fanfiction is wonderful as a form of writing exercise.
This is why characters like Toph, like I said above, are more fun for me to write. Zuko does that for me too on a lot of levels with his raw emotions and wearing his heart on his sleeve. I tend to enjoy characters who speak their mind, or if they are duplicitous, do so in a very wordy manner like Azula with her lies. Characters like Mai who are both restrained in their words and speak through their subtle actions are like pulling teeth at times until I can find the right angle with which to come at it. It takes a lot of trial and error sometimes before I can hit the target. But it's in dealing with these challenges that make me a better writer.
- Yes, writing fan fiction has helped me hone my writing as well. That familiarity is also a great basis for short stories, because you can write these "missing scenes," as you said, these gap-fillers without writing a novel-length story to set everything up. I'm reminded of something Larry Niven is supposed to have said - that "You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money's in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed." And I agree with that sentiment.
- On the other hand, let me also play devil's advocate for a moment here. In an article about writing media tie-ins Roger MacBride Allen has this to say about playing with established universes:
"I am firmly of the opinion that writing in someone else's universe is, generally speaking, not a good thing for a beginning writer to do. Books and stories are built out of three interlocking things: plot, setting, and character. If someone else has already dreamed up the people, and worked out precisely what the world they live in is like, that's two out of three — character and setting — that are gone. You, the beginning writer, will have no chance to practice creating the people and places in your story. All you are left with is plot, and even there, your freedom will be severely limited by all the things that have already happened."
- What would you say to Mr. Allen's statement? How does a fanfic writer who might also have independent literary aspirations use fan fiction as a springboard like you did for your own writing career?
These three follow ups on the positives and negative of fanfiction all go together in my mind so I'll tackle them in one go. Writing short stories before you write a novel is a bit like learning how to walk before you run in my mind. You have to be able to get around your own block successfully in shape before you can tackle a marathon to continue the running analogy. Plus, if you want to learn to write you might as well make it as fun as possible, sometimes the exercises in those writing books one can get from the bookstore or library are just plain boring. The best way to become a better writer is to write. The only way to do that is to practice, practice, practice.
I'm also of the opinion that fanfiction is what happens when fans who suddenly feel too old to being playing with their action figures on the local playground due to social stigmas of "cartoons are for kids and you must grow up" need a new outlet for their creativity and imagination. And our imaginations have no limits, all of us keepers of a mythology and story that has touched us deeply on some level. We don't want it to end. As Jim Henson once said, "You cannot leave the magic!" The desire to write fanfiction is really as much about the connections and community we form with other fans as much as our own ego. One of the best conversations I ever had about fanfiction happened in the ladies room of a Transformers convention in Toronto when some ladies recognized my screen name from my badge and told me they had read and reviewed my work and which point I recognized them from their name badges as reviewers and writers whose own fic I had enjoyed and reviewed in turn. Sometimes it really is a small world after all.
Getting back to using fanfiction as a stepping stone tool for one's own original writing, I do think there is truth to Mr. Allen's statement about it's limitations. Certainly you are working with preexisting characters and worlds. And while it can be counterproductive if your goal is to say work on your skills of worldbuilding, other times it can be a great advantage to have the setting and characters already defined if your goal is, say, point of view instead or some such thing. Sometimes by taking a few factors out of the equation it allows for the writer to focus on just that one task of the exercise. I think as a prose writer Mr. Allen may have a point when it comes to other prose fandoms, but translating the setting from a visual cartoon like Avatar into a prose piece is a writing exercise in itself in understanding the difference between storytelling media. Not to mention that there are always corners of any fictional universe that will always remain unexplored for the fanfic writer to enter and share with the rest of the world. What does the all day echo chamber in the Western Air Temple look like and do anyway, for example? There will always be stones left unturned and Korra has recently given us seventy years worth of stones to turn over in the Avatar world, before we get the canon answers. The possibilities in fanfic are literally endless which explains the endless variety and while there is a lot of crap, it's the gems that make it worth the effort.
Also I'm a great believer in archetypes. How might one train for example to write a great surrogate parent/child relationship for their own original novel? Perhaps by finding out what makes Iroh/Zuko work so well, or what makes a good ruler in exile type plot by studying Zuko's journey. This should not be confused with stereotypes or outright copying, one of which is just bad writing and the other of which is just plain wrong. Rather, I'm talking about the hero's journey as defined by scholars like Joseph Campbell, the main character, his villains, and his supporting cast.
As for plot, it can be complicated to work a fic in between the gaps of established continuity, but I see it a challenge to come up with something very specific which is not always an easy thing for a writer to do and hones certain skills of its own. That's the odd duality of fanfic, it can be very open on one level especially in fandoms that are not full of tight story arcs, and then you have those that are that require a laser like precision. I find that it's hearing a reviewer say that a writer has recaptured that world to the point it feels like the show (even a piece of it) through description or dialogue or whatever, to be one of the highest compliments for a fanfic writer to receive. And it's not an easy task or ripping off the original if it's done right, but a labor of love, like Brian Sanderson finishing Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series or Eoin Colfer doing the same with Douglas Adams. It's like a comic book writer who has been passed the torch from one guy and will one day pass it along to someone else. Writing fanfic should never be done at the expense of ignoring one's own call to write something original, but it's a wonderful companion to have along the way and to keep returning to whenever the inspiration strikes.
I write fanfiction because I can't draw and I can't kitbash, but I can write. So this is my contribution.
- Could you describe your writing process? How do you get ideas, and what does it take to bring a story to a finished product? What about editing and beta?
I handwrite everything first in notebooks. I can't imagine writing a first draft any other way. I could never type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. Notebooks free me, allowing me to write anytime, anywhere instead of chained to my desk and computer. Plus, it guarantees I have some sort of hard copy no matter what happens to my computer or flash drives. It's in the transfer from notebook to computer that I do most of my editing. I usually do another edit when I transfer and save my documents in my Fanfiction.net account before I post. But I probably could use a beta more often, at least for longer fics.
As for where I get my ideas, I never know when one is going to strike so I always write it down in my notebook when I have one for later reference. I simply ask myself, what didn't I see on the show that I would have liked to have seen. It's not always that easy to answer but I usually get a seed of an idea to work from. It's usually a mental picture or a line of dialogue or even just a desire to see two characters interact. It's a game of "what if." I ponder the idea, plan a spot to begin and end a scene as well as the goals I know I need the scene to accomplish, do a bit of role playing in my head with the characters, and then start writing it down as a first draft. But it's not like I plan every story--sometimes I'll just start writing with that initial image and see where it takes me.
- It seems you've written a lot of short stories, and so far only short stories for Avatar except maybe Unexpected Visitors, which is longer. What do you think are the strengths of the short story form? Any plans for a longer story in the Avatar fandom?
Most of my stories can be classified as "missing scenes," stuff that takes place between the episodes, or a continuation of what happened after the ending. I like the short story format for a couple reasons. I know it works, for one thing. I've used it successfully my Green Arrow fanfiction already, so it seemed like a perfect format to use for another fandom and Avatar just happened to be the next fandom for which I wanted to write. I like working in this format because it allows me to have a finished story to post, but also the promise of future chapters for any readers who like my work. I also started using this format as something different from my long Transformers fics, which can take a long time to write. I find it harder to craft the next chapter of an ongoing work as opposed to writing a short story. Not that crafting a short story is easy, but it's easier and allows me to post more chapters a lot quicker.
"Unexpected Visitors" (Chapters 11-13) is a multi-part story in which Zuko and Mai meet Iroh's new girlfriend. I knew pretty earliy on that this would be more than one chapter. The decision to keep it as part of Crown Prince Chronicles and not its own story was two-fold. The first reason was one that was out of my hands. Fanfiction.net that month was experiencing technical difficulties, making it impossible for anyone to upload new stories, and hard to upload new chapters too. You could say that it was a case of necessity breeds creativity then. Which led to the second reason, a simple "why not" answer. There was no law that said each chapter had to be self contained. Those were rules I made up for myself. I could break them just as easily. The only theme I had for "Crown Prince Chronicles was that it dealt with Zuko's relationships with the other characters. So this three-parter allowed me to use cliffhangers and develop my first original characters for Avatar, especially Xian (the Jasmine Dragon's new cook). I also have plans for a sequel that will be a couple chapters long as well when I get around to it, probably as something special to do around chapter 25.
"Unexpected Visitors" was also the first time I was able to reference previous chapters of my story, "Tea" (Chapter 1) and "Iroh's Greatest Challenge" (Chapter 6). It wasn't long after that that I made a reference to "Dragoneye" (Chapter 5) in "Call Down the Heavens." Also, "Sisters" (Chapter 18) contains a subtle reference to "Burned" (Chapter 4). So while almost every chapter is a self contained story, they are starting to build a bigger tapestry for me to work from which I'm really starting to enjoy. I know that tapestry will only grow bigger the more I write. It's just one of those elements of world building that happens once one reaches a certain point in their writing be it fanfiction or original work. It's a self validation if you will of how far you have come.
I'm currently planning a spin-off fic from Crown Prince Chronicles called Adventures at the North Pole which will involve Zuko, Mai, and the Gaang's ambassadorial trip that I mentioned in "Unexpected Visitors." The idea came from wanting to do something else set after the series' end, but the number of chapter ideas grew that I thought it best to make it a separate fic. The format will be similar to Crown Prince Chronicles with each chapter being its own short story but with more references between chapters with the possibility of mulit-part chapters if needed. But first I have a few more chapters for Crown Prince Chronicles to write and post, at least one or two of which will be referenced in the new fic.
- Do you write original fiction, and do you have any original fiction projects you're working on if you can tell us?
I do write original fiction. I wrote poetry and short stories in high school and I've co-written some original musicals which have been locally performed. I finished writing my first original novel last year which I never would have had the courage to do if I hadn't been writing fanfiction. My Transformer fic "The Art of Death" taught me a lot about plot and structure and proved that I could write something that long. My original novel is a middle grade fantasy about a fairy trying to save her people set in medieval Germany. It's a little bit Brothers Grimm, a little bit Last Unicorn, and a little bit Peter Pan. Despite all the work actually writing my novel was, it feels like that was the easy part compared to getting an agent or publisher interested. I'm still working on that.
Meanwhile, it's time for me to decide what my second novel will be. I've been fascinated with the idea of blue fire long before I ever saw Avatar ever since middle school astronomy class. Of course, my blue flame girl would be the hero not a villain. So perhaps one day, if I can find the right story to tell to go with such a heroine, but until then I have many books in my head wanting to be written.
- Follow-up question: Speaking of blue flames and villains, does any of that idea stem from ambivalence about the character Azula, whom I notice you don't write a lot about? I mean, the character was awesome in her own way, one of the most powerful characters in the story, who wasn't anyone's love interest and tried for the top spot in a male-dominated power structure. She turned out to be a complete monster and her last appearance was of her ending up crazy, tied up, and crying hysterically. I found that bittersweet, as though the message were that it's fine to be a badass girl, but you'd better have a boyfriend and not try to usurp a man's place - or THIS will happen. Not what the creators intended, but it had some unfortunate implications. Any comment on this?
I like Azula quite a bit. She's a unique and well-crafted villain. She's been the focus of a least two chapters "Zuzu" (Chapter 9) and "Sisters" (Chapter 18) with strong mentions of her in a third "Colors" (Chapter 10). Perhaps it's my lack of direct dialogue and action concerning Azula that you are referring to. I find Azula's downfall to be bittersweet as well, though it has more to do with her youth and whether there is any possibility for redemption by Korra's time though I find it highly unlikely. I don't really see any accidental reinforcement of patriarchal values in her breakdown, but rather a tragic lesson of what could happen to anyone that young in such a position of power regardless of gender that lacks love and support from anybody in her mind, be it a lover or more importantly in Azula's case her parents. How much genuine love Ozai had for his daughter vs. whether he tried to use her in the same way he tried to with Zuko and she was just more receptive is a question we have no real answer to. The more "kiddies" storytelling trope would be to say that the master manipulator fell victim to the lies of her own father's manipulation and being the one-dimensional Saturday morning baddie Ozai never cared for her at all. But that seems a little too easy of an out for me. I've seen both interpretations play out in fanfiction.
I'm really not interested in writing much about villains' motivations in my fanfiction though I like reading about it from others. I find heroes and anti-heroes (which I consider Zuko to be) more interesting to explore, though I quite liked trying to come up with original villains who aren't your moustache-twirling stereotypes for my own original novel. It's been said that true villain never thinks of themselves as the villain but as the hero of their own story in their own mind. And if a villain ever is a mustache twirler they should make up for their cliché by being so full of charm or badassery that you can't help but love to hate them. A lot of Decepticons come to mind for me in this regard.
Finally, my statement of wanting a fire hero has less to do with Azula herself but more my general pet peeve of fire being the element of the bad guys in two many fictional stories of this type. As someone who sees fire as their favorite element, it's a bit frustrating that for two full seasons the Fire Nation are portrayed as one-dimensional baddies with the lone exceptions like Iroh and potential Zuko to be otherwise, which is also what makes their side story so interesting. Of course there's also Jeong Jeong, but he sees his element as a curse, not for its beauty. Then Book Three happens and a lot of these assumptions about fire get blown out the window, again as a testament to great planning behind this series, and why I love "The Firebending Masters" so much. But still, I would like to see a story where someone with fire was a definite good guy from the beginning. All the elements have their dark sides and require balance. Katara can bloodbend. Think about what those Earth Kingdom soldiers almost did to Iroh's hands. And remember just how many dead Fire Nation soldiers could be found next to Gyatso skeleton in "The Southern Air Temple" despite the fact those soldiers had the power of Sozin's Comet at the time. Peaceful airbending monk? Not when his people are threatened with genocide! It's this idea of balance with each element itself in addition to the balance between the four of them that really intrigues me and I will be exploring in upcoming chapters of my fics and maybe even as thematic fuel for an original novel. I don't like cold much. I hate the winter. Maybe my next novel's villain could be trying to usher in a new ice age or something that the fire heroine has to stop.
- Ha, a quasi-ecological fable? I like that! And I'm with you about liking fire, and the redemption of the Fire Nation and Zuko was one of the highlights of the show for me.
- Thank you so much for a wonderful interview, I think this series is getting off to a great start. Any last words? Um, that didn't come out right. Closing thoughts?
Thanks Lunatique for allowing me to do my first author interview, and thanks to my fellow Avatar fans and readers without whom none of us would be here.
- May it be the first interview of many. Thank you again, and good luck with your writing - both fanfic and original!
You can check out FairLady's profile on Fanfiction.net, and her Avatar stories Zuko: Crown Prince Chronicles, Call Down the Heavens, and A Long Night. She has also written stories for Transformers, Magic Knight Rayearth, DC Superheroes, Blakes 7, and more.