A conversation about all things fanfic with Chrissy!
First of all congrats on being #10 on our all-time favorite author’s list on AC!
Thank you! Wow, it's a huge and unexpected honor to be here. I'm really happy that you guys haven't forgotten about me even though I've been on a fanfiction hiatus for so long.
I sometimes feel like GRRM (the author of "Game of Thrones" / "A Song of Ice and Fire"), making everybody wait years and years for an update. I'll do my best not to make you wait too much longer for a new chapter of something. I'll at least beat GRRM to the next release (I think). Anyway, on to the questions...!
When did you first begin writing fanfiction?I can't pinpoint exactly when it all started, but I know that by the time I entered high school in 2000 (oh god, was it really 14 years ago?!) I was making some—what I now consider—embarrassing attempts at Buffy the Vampire Slayer and BSB fanfiction. Like seriously, things that would make you groan and say, "Is this how you think people really interact with each other?" Haha... looking back, it's quite awful.
Explain your pen name, and is that the same one you have used for all of your writing?One of my best friends gave it to me, actually! As a joke, I had lifted something off a friend without him noticing and sat there smiling innocently, waiting for him to realize that I had it while he pointed fingers at everyone but me. When they finally realized it was me, my best friend said, "Look at that little Filipino! She's a kleptomaniac! She's a... She's a FiliKlepto! ...Either that or we could call you the KleptoPino." As I did not much favor the idea of sounding like a pepper, I held out for the former name.
It's still my penname on AC, but in most places now I go by some form of my current nickname Hachi.
Where do you get your inspiration for your stories?
I used to daydream a lot, especially before the advent of smartphones and being able to constantly distract oneself with Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. So a lot of my fics are based on the stories I would distract myself with when I was bored.
"On The Rails", though, was inspired by real historical events in American history. It's possibly my oldest story that I'm still working on because I started it back in 2003.
Do you ever model your characters after yourself?I used to, especially when I was younger because it was a helpful way for me to process the things I was going through at the time. Most of those fics never made it as far as getting posted online for public consumption. However, Carla from "On The Rails" does have a complicated relationship with her family, which was something I could really relate to back when I started writing it.
Which story is the most personal to you?Hmmm, maybe the ficlet I did for Nick's birthday challenge back in 2011: "In Which the Heroine Vows Never to Throw Anyone a Surprise Party Ever Again…" Even though she is not actually modeled after me, in the end, the main character's spazziness and tendency to overthink things ended up feeling very personal.
I know there are authors who write fics that are quite personal to them, inspired by the death of a loved one or a deeply emotional experience, but I don't know if I'm ready to share that much of me with the world yet. Maybe one day.
Which story is your favorite?Oh gosh, do I have to pick? Can I pass on this question?!
To be honest, I actually really like all of my stories, but maybe "In Which the Heroine..." is my favorite of the batch if only because I got to tick off the "Completed" box for once.
Do you ever plan on finishing either On Nightingale Hill or On the Rails?Yes and yes! I know my track record for updating hasn't been too good for... a few years. (Feel free to pelt me with tomatoes or what-have-you. I completely deserve it.) However, I already know how both stories are going to end, as well as most of the road map to getting there.
Like I mentioned before, my goal is to not be GRRM and to finally finish these stories. Let's just hope I can have these done before he releases his next book!
Are you still writing fanfic or any fic at all?Since I became a professional writer/editor, I actually find myself working less on stuff that's for me and not for work. Maybe because work taps all the inspiration from me. :/
Anyway, in a fit of procrastinatio
n I did churn out some smut last winter. I actually wrote it completely on my iPhone in a coffee shop when I was supposed to be studying for a certification exam for work, haha. Later I had the sense to take it down from my main fanfiction account because I think it's wiser not to have it associated with my name, but it is up on AC under a pseudonym. If anyone wants to read it, feel free to PM me for the link. Wink
Who are some of your favorite authors and do you draw inspiration from them?Oh gosh, that's a tough one. I've just devoured books since I was very young, so it's hard to name anyone specific. I've always had a thing for classic British literature, though. I'm a Jane Austin junkie and have read P&P and Emma both about a dozen times. But you know what, the more I think about it, when it comes to fantasy genre I've always been a fan of Robin McKinley, and I guess you could say her style of prose and treatment of lore both have rubbed off on me. I can definitely see its influence on "On Nightingale Hill".
What are some of your favorite novels?Too many to name! But if you really want to hear it:
The "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman
"Pride and Prejudice", "Emma", and "Sense and Sensibility" (in that order) by Jane Austen
"The Blue Sword" and "The Hero and the Crown" by Robin McKinley
Anything by Thomas Hardy (not any specific novel; I just like his style)
What was the name of the very first fanfic you wrote?It was a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic that I don't even remember the name of! And it was very bad!
What about the first one you read?This is going to sound awful, but I was in 7th or 8th grade, and it was some smutty Nick fanfic that I stumbled across before I even really knew what fanfiction was. Some nonsense about Nick having a guardian angel who was in love with him and then who became human to be with him. It was absolute garbage, but my friends and I printed out the chapters and would take turns reading it in class.
Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you outline your stories? Do you typically know how they are going to end before you post them? Have you ever reconsidered a plot point and changed it before posting it or while posting it?As mentioned above, I usually come across an idea while daydreaming. The first scene is always the most vivid in my mind, but I try to see as far as possible to the end of the story in order to decide if I actually want to develop it. After getting the first chapter down onto the page, I then sketch out a rough outline for the story.
I have definitely had to reconsider a plot point in the middle of a story. This actually happened with "On Nightingale Hill" where I managed to write myself into a corner that I couldn't get out of. It took me the longest time (and a 3 chapter detour) to write myself back out of it.
Recommend one story for us to read that maybe has helped to inspire you.If you mean fanfic, then "Curtain Call" by Julie (RokofAges75) is a great example of the kind of fic I aspire to write one day—something that captures the true spirit and voice of the boys and makes you feel like you're really in their world. I couldn't put it down, and I cried a ton at the end.
If you mean novel, then "The Hero and the Crown", which I mentioned above, for anyone who hasn't read it yet because it is awesome and inspirational.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me!Thank you for interviewing me!
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Topic: FS for August and #91 is - On Nightingale Hill by Filiklepto (Read 26641 times)