Writer's Showcase
created by
Annie Lansbury

Dear Readers,

Welcome, I am glad you have chosen to drop by and read this week's interview. I hope you enjoy it and you will come back week after week. Also, you will find links to past featured writers at the end of this interview. Just click on the writer's name and you will be taken to their interview.

This week's Featured Writer is another FoLC who has been a Superman fan since the 1950's. She has seen the Superman character change through the years and has completely fallen under the spell of Dean Cain's Superman. With this in mind she has written a very deliciously hot nfic called "Oops!" and is soon to begin on the second installment of it. This talented lady has, also, written numerous RR fanfics and nfics and her latest endeavor is the much anticipated Lois and Clark 1999 Calendar.

Now without further ado, I am proud and honored to present this week's Writer, in the Writer's Showcase ...

Featured Writer of the Week
Chris Paterson

Personal Information

Author name
Chris Paterson

E-mail address
cp13607@aol.com

Homepage
none

Residence
San Diego, CA

List, AOL, or web affiliations
? LOISCLA LISTSERV,
LOISCLA GENERAL
Loiscla at IRC

Lois and Clark or Superman Status

How long have you been watching L&C?
I've been watching Lois and Clark since the pilot.

How long have you been a fan of Superman?
I read the Superman Comics when I was a kid and I have been a Superman fan since the 1950s.

How long have you been L&C writing?
I have been writing for about one and a half years.

What types of Fanfic have you written?
Lois and Clark fanfic is the only thing I have ever written. I did help edit some Star Trek fanfic years ago.

Most recent story posted? Where?
My most recent stories have been the IRC Round Robin ones, but I wrote an nfic titled Oops! Last year. It was posted to the nfic list and is also on Zoomway's nfic site.

Favorite story you have written? Why?
I think my favorite story was one of the Soulmates Round Robins called The Tai. It was really different and a lot of research went into it, but I think we managed to portray the Lois and Clark characters really well.

Current project/projects?
My lastest project is making and distributing a home made Lois and Clark 1999 calendar. If anyone is interested in this calendar just email me and I will give you more details. I am also, currently working on a sequel to Oops!...Really...I am! Plus,I am also working on a story that will be one of a series of nfics by a group of writers.

Personal picks of other Fanfics you have read?
Anything by Chris Mulder, Sheila Harper, Demi, Kathy Brown ...the list could go on...

Interview Questions

What attracted you to writing Fanfic and what about it do you enjoy?
I think what made me finally sit down and start to write my own story was this idea I had for a couple of years that wouldn't stop bugging me until I wrote it down. I had gotten a little practice writing some Round Robins on IRC and realized that maybe I really could write something interesting. Before that, my only writing experience had been papers for school, and those had been the assignments I hated worst. I was pleasantly surprised to find that writing could be fun. )

What about the L&C and the characters do you like the most?
I started watching Lois and Clark for the Superman myth, but I had been intrigued by the idea that the show was called Lois and Clark. I had always hoped that the movies would allow them to develop a relationship, but had been disappointed. This show sounded like it had possibilities. I tuned in to the pilot and went, "Wow!" I watched faithfully after that, taping it when I couldn't watch, little realizing I would be kicking myself for not taping every episode.

How do you interpret them in your work?
I think I stick pretty close the the show's interpretation of the characters.

How did you begin writing in general?
I started writing just for fun on IRC when we were doing Round Robin nfics, but I had an idea for my Oops! story that had been screaming at me to write it down, so finally, I bit the bullet, wrote it down and had a few people critique it for me. To my shock, they liked it, and after some editing, I submitted it to the nfic list.

What are you working on now and where do you see it going?
Right now, I am working on getting the calendar out and getting ready for a house full of relatives for the holidays, but after that, I should have time for some serious writing, and I will finish Oops2. I have some other ideas, too, but I'll wait till I finish what I'm working on now.

What is your opinion about the following types of L&C fanfic's?
Action?
I like action stories, but not if it is all Superman and no Lois and Clark.

Drama?
I also enjoy drama stories, but I hate sad endings and detest death fic.

Humor?
I love humorous stories. One of the things I enjoyed most about the series was the way they could mix humor in with the serious stuff.

Round Robins?
I enjoy Round Robins, but I think it is probably more fun to write them than to read them, although the IRC group is getting better and better, and I think if you didn't know the latest ones were Round Robins, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. )

Nfic?
I like nfic...obviously, since I write it, but I prefer it to have a plot other than just boinking. )

Has *everything* been done in your opinion, and if not, what is left?
There are plenty of stories out there waiting to be written, whether it is a rewrite of something you didn't like about an episode, a missing scene form an episode, or an entirely new situation like Elseworld stories such as Alt Clark stories, or even our Soulmates time travel stories. I think there is plenty of good fanfiction yet to come.

What do you think makes the best story?
Personally, I think the best stories present Lois and Clark with a problem to be solved, and while they are working on it, we also get to see how they relate to each other, and there can be many interpretations of this depending on where in their relationship they happen to be. One thing I found interesting in the series is that their ways of interacting changed as their relationship developed just as in real life. It didn't remain stagnant as these things usually do in TV series.

Where is the best place for a reader to locate your work?
Most of the IRC Round Robin fics can be found on the archive. My nfic is on zoomway's nfic site or can be requested from joyceef@mcs.com if you are 18 or over.

Open Forum For Author Comments
There's been a thread on the fanfic list recently about writing fanfics not being a good training ground for people who are interested in writing professionally. That might be true, but I'm sure there are many people like me who never realized that writing could be fun. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoy writing about characters I love, and even more surprised to find that people like what I write. I hope to write a lot more in the future, and I will continue to read and appreciate all the fine Lois and Clark fiction as it comes out.

Thank you to all of the talented authors out there, and to those of you who are hesitating to try your hand at writing, go for it. It's fun!

chris :)