you know I just realized I never gave my final thoughts on this one lol
So all I have to say is this one will always bring back memories for me. Being the first suspense fic I ever read, I just remember getting this adrenaline rush while reading it. It was awesome and when I saw the sequel being posted it was like an added bonus.
Chaos never stop writing! You're too good at what you do!
At the risk of being overly nostalgic, I have dug up the interview I gave him in 2003 when we first discussed this fic on fanfic fun. I thought it would be fun to post this. Chaos you'll have to tell us if any of these answers have chanced since then.
[1) If you could go back and change anything about Ground Zero, what would
it be? Would there be a personality change, perhaps a different BSB lead or
a different ending? etc...]
As an admitted neurotic, I would change a lot of things. LOL. I can never
read back through my own work and not find a ton of things I would change. I
wouldn't change a whole lot plot-related, though I probably would have gone
a little bit different in the suicide near-attempt than I did--it seemed a
bit...unbeliev able to me (my beta-reader at the time didn't think it was,
but it still bothers me). I would definitely change the beginning to bring
the other guys into the story a bit more--I didn't know the characters well
enough to include much of them at that point--I'm a stickler for detail and
can't write about characters I don't know.
[2) What made you choose first person for this story?]
I like to delve into character's heads and explore thoughts, etc. In
addition to writing, I do a lot of acting, and one of the things I have to
do for each role is to completely get inside the character's head...which I
think is really the same for writing effectively. You have to really know
your subject and your characters. In third person, it's harder to convey
thoughts of the characters effectively. While you still have to know all
your characters, you have a little more flexibility to know some better than
others. I also think first person is more effective in mysteries because
often how a person (the narator) sees something at one time, he (or she) may
look back on that same thing later with a totally different
perspective--that's a lot easier to convey in a first person story than in
third. (Plus with third person I tend to get way too bogged down developing
*everyone's* thoughts...lol .
[3) Are there any stories you are currently working on now, BSB or non BSB
related?]
Yes. I'm working on a few BSB stories (End of the World, Nobody Else Can
Walk it For You/Turning Tables, and Frick & Frack are Dead. I'm also working
on an untitled (and thusfar unpublished) Harry Potter fic, and a few Buffy
the Vampire Slayer fics. I'm also working on a children's book (yeah, that
surprises everybody who's seen my other writing lol), an origianal
screenplay, and am co-writing a non-fiction book. (And people wonder why it
takes me forever to update anything...)
[4) Why did you end the story the way you did? Did you always have the
intention of writing a sequel or were you going to leave it open to the mind
of the reader?]
I have always had the intention of writing the sequel (it's all in my
head...). I hate loose ends, and Ground Zero has several of them (namely the
motive--I'm a meanie and am not opposed to leaving open ended fics, so the
ending is not the loose end that I need to wrap up, really lol). I also
wanted to keep Ground Zero completely from Nick's view, but wanted to be
able to explore some of the other characters more, so I also want to do the
companion story that is from other views.
[5) Besides suspense and action, do you see yourself writing in any other
genre?]
I mainly focus on those genres because that's where a lot of my experience
lies. (Oooh yah. Zakheriash, man of action...er... okay not exactly, but I've
had a lot of things happen to me and around me through my life that it makes
it a good genre for the "write what you know" theory.) I also dabble some
in humor, but generally it's not the main genre because then I start
focusing too much on being funny and it becomes forced and/or plotless. I do
write for children (mainly my niece, but also used to volunteer as a
storyteller at the hospital, and work with kids in my other volunteer job).
I don't really see myself writing a full-fledged romance. I have written a
couple semi-romance stories (I personally didn't count it as such, but
several readers classified them that way) but that's about as close as I'll
get. I also don't really see myself writing a "space" type science fiction
(I do write fantasy/other sci-fi), and I can pretty much bet on never
writing a classic western. Other than that, I'm more a believer in writing
the story, than writing a genre, so I guess if I have a story to be told in
a different genre, I'll tell it.
[6) How long have you been interested in writing and is it something you
have ever considered doing for a living?]
I've been interested in writing as long as I can remember. I have been a
storyteller since I was first able to talk, and a writer ever since I was
able to write. My sisters and I were not allowed much television growing up,
and we didn't have much money for books or anything, so we had to find ways
of entertaining ourselves and each other. My contribution was always telling
stories. As for doing it for a living...I would *love* to. Unfortunately, I
have very low self confidence and am constantly finding things wrong with
everything I write (and have had more than one English teacher that told me
I'd never be a writer *semi-g*). I fear that I would probably starve to
death if I had to rely on my writing to survive.
[7) What's your favorite color? (LOL just kidding, I just couldn't resist) ]
LOL. Green.
Other random answers:
Lasagne or Cheese Pizza
Rejection, Heights, Clowns *shudder* and penguins *bigger shudder* (okay, jk
about the penguins)
Boxers
Pepsi
Gonzo, Rowlf the Dog, and Sam the (American) Eagle
0
"Dang, I think I just busted a move."
and mint chocolate chip (hmmm. that reminds me, I'm hungry...)
~Chaos
Author
Topic: Featured story for February 2007 - Ground Zero by Chaos :O) (Read 11715 times)