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Author Topic: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75  (Read 14782 times)

RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #15 on: April 01, 2015, 10:37:31 PM »

Tracy, thank you!  It means a lot to me that you said I'm like a grab bag at genres because even though I'm mostly known for my medical dramas (which is fine because we all know that's my favorite genre), I really have tried to branch out, especially in the last few years since I finished the Broken series.  A lot of that, like 00Carter, was just experimenting and going with the flow, but I learned a lot about writing that way and am a much better writer because of it.  Thanks for the mention of my Harry Potter crossover, which I have neglected and need to get back to, along with SAMS and Undead and all the rest LOL.  Maybe talking fanfic this month, plus having a little time off with spring break, will get me going again.
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RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #16 on: April 01, 2015, 11:06:16 PM »

And Jen, I shouldn't have been surprised to see a post like that from you in here because you always have the nicest things to say about my writing, Broken in particular.  You are, without a doubt, Broken's biggest fan, and you've brought so many people onto the Broken bandwagon, or whatever you wanna call it.  I can't thank you enough!!

I forgot that I sent you the end of BMS a day early, but that doesn't surprise me.  No one else would have been more deserving to be the first to find out how it all ended but you!

My whole "turn Broken into an original novel" project never really planned out, but the dream is definitely still alive.  I get inspired every now and then, especially lately with the "cancer couple" (I'm coining this term if it's not already a thing) being on trend thanks to The Fault in Our Stars and now the show Chasing Life.  You never know!

I think my favorite part of the fanfic community is how many friendships I've formed because of it.  Many of my current circle of BSB friends that I cruise and/or go to concerts with actually came out of this story - you, Laureen, Lynsey, and Liane, to name a few.  You were the second online friend I met in real life, after Laureen, and it's been so awesome to get to hang out with you more regularly the last few years thanks to the cruises.  You are always a blast!

Thank you again for 10+ years of your friendship and support for my stories! You're the best!
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~Julie

"Sometimes writers and sociopaths are hard to tell apart." -J.K. Rowling

RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #17 on: April 01, 2015, 11:21:18 PM »

For a long time after reading these stories I kept watching Nick for a limp!!!

Congrats again Julie!!! I'm so happy for you!

I have to confess, every time he tweets an article about advances in cancer treatment, part of me is like, "Good for you for caring about that, Nick," and another part of me thinks of Broken/Curtain Call and shudders.  It's scary how life can imitate art.  If only he knew! LOL

And btw, today, being April 1st, is the choppage anniversary in Broken universe LOL.  I only remember that because it happened on April Fool's Day in the story, which reflects my twisted sense of humor right there.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2015, 11:24:28 PM by RokofAges75 »
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~Julie

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julilly

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #18 on: April 02, 2015, 12:56:39 AM »

There were two comments that got missed, sorry about that. Here they are so get ready to write some more replies! :)

Quote
I probably met Julie about 12 years ago, after I had decided to send her some feedback on one of her stories. We chatted online for years after that and eventually went to a concert together. We have since done almost everything bsb related together since meeting. I couldn't have asked for a better bsb buddy or friend.  

She has become one of my closest friends since that one night I decided to send her a giddy little email anxiously waiting for an update! She is not only a great friend, but she is also an amazing writer. It's because of her and her stories that I have met so many other amazing people in this fandom!  

So Julie, I owe you a huge thank you!  Enjoy your feature this month, you so deserve it!!!! -- Laureen


Quote from: julilly

I'm pretty excited to see that Broken was chosen to be your featured story this month. Honestly, I've read it at least three times. At least. Each time I discover something about it that I didn't notice the previous time (either that or I have the memory of a gnat, but I like to think it's hidden gems) that makes me feel like I'm reading it fresh.

Broken was one of the first medical fics I was ever really able to get into because it felt realistic. I found it believable (your hard work researching the topics apparent on every page), relatable (the dialogue and feelings always came off as being genuine and I could hear the character's voice's clearly in my head) and painfully honest.

In my view, Broken is the benchmark for all of your writing that came after it. Being such a large piece of work, it's easy to see the development in skill as the story goes on and I really feel that by the end of it you had set the standard for what all of your work that followed would achieve at a minimum. You've definitely refined those skills over time, but Broken is really what set the bar and I hope if there's anyone out there who hasn't read it (unlikely) they will take the time to do so this month.

On a personal, non fanfic note, I want to say how great it is to know you outside of this world. Getting the tour of Chicago this summer is a great memory that I will carry with me for a long time to come. It was great fun and I'm so glad you could be part of it. Thanks.

Congrats!
« Last Edit: April 02, 2015, 12:58:31 AM by julilly »
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FrickingKaos

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #19 on: April 02, 2015, 03:36:05 AM »

Tracy, thank you!  It means a lot to me that you said I'm like a grab bag at genres because even though I'm mostly known for my medical dramas (which is fine because we all know that's my favorite genre), I really have tried to branch out, especially in the last few years since I finished the Broken series.  A lot of that, like 00Carter, was just experimenting and going with the flow, but I learned a lot about writing that way and am a much better writer because of it.  Thanks for the mention of my Harry Potter crossover, which I have neglected and need to get back to, along with SAMS and Undead and all the rest LOL.  Maybe talking fanfic this month, plus having a little time off with spring break, will get me going again.


You're welcome. I meant every word too. I felt grab bag was pretty accurate especially after pandaskunk LOL. I can't wait to see how SAMS ends after beta reading for you.
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RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #20 on: April 03, 2015, 05:08:14 PM »

Aww, I'm glad someone thought to contact Laureen!  I don't know if she'll make her way over here to see this or not, but thank you, Laureen!  Broken is the story that started our friendship, thanks to Laureen taking the time to send feedback, which led to many late night IM conversations and eventually a real life friendship as well.  Laureen only lives a couple of hours away from me, so she was the first online friend I met in real life and has been my concert buddy ever since.  I'm so thankful for our friendship!
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~Julie

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RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #21 on: April 03, 2015, 05:11:21 PM »

Julilly, thank you so much for your kind words!  You don't get all warm and fuzzy very often, which makes it even more special and meaningful when you do.  You are such a brilliant writer and are so good at making all the details seem realistic that positive feedback like that from you always means so much to me.

It's also been great getting to know you better and hang out in the real world!  I hope someday I can make it up to your neck of the woods so you can show me around!
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~Julie

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mare

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #22 on: April 04, 2015, 03:55:30 AM »

Aww, I'm glad someone thought to contact Laureen!  I don't know if she'll make her way over here to see this or not, but thank you, Laureen!  Broken is the story that started our friendship, thanks to Laureen taking the time to send feedback, which led to many late night IM conversations and eventually a real life friendship as well.  Laureen only lives a couple of hours away from me, so she was the first online friend I met in real life and has been my concert buddy ever since.  I'm so thankful for our friendship!

I know she's an important part of your life, I just didn't know her personally so I asked a few people for help. Luckily Julilly was able to reach out. I'm glad she was a part of this.

Now for my first question...

Why did you choose the type of cancer you did and did you know from the start that Nick's leg was going to go? Was there ever a time as you were writing this that you thought about killing him?
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RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #23 on: April 04, 2015, 11:18:47 AM »

Why did you choose the type of cancer you did and did you know from the start that Nick's leg was going to go? Was there ever a time as you were writing this that you thought about killing him?

LOL There was actually a lot of thought that went into that decision.  I can still remember sitting on my bed, brainstorming a list of different types of cancer and weighing the pros and cons of each.  (Yes, there are "pros" when it comes to giving Backstreet Boys cancer.)  I had already written one cancer story where Brian had lymphoma, which is also what Nick had in Swollen Issues, so I knew that one was out.  I was inspired by Swollen Issues, but I wanted to be careful not to blatantly copy Swollen Issues.  Leukemia is similar, so I quickly crossed that one off the list too.  Then I started thinking about different organs and parts of the body, and eventually I thought of bone cancer.  Here is a dramatic reenactment of the discussion that happened between the little voices in my head after that:

:batman: (There's no devil smiley, so I'm using Batman instead):  Ooh, if I gave him bone cancer, I could amputate one of his limbs!

:angel:  *gasp* You can't do that!

:batman:  Just joking... maybe.

:angel:  That's just wrong.

:batman:  But interesting, right?  Not something you see a lot in fanfic.

:angel:  That's because it's crossing a line, permanently maiming a Backstreet Boy like that!

:batman:  But it might be fun...

:angel:  Come on, you couldn't really do that...

:batman:  It would be a challenge, for sure.  But I'm Batman.  I love a good challenge.

:angel:  You are sick.

:batman:  Heh... so is Nick.  I'm a poet, and I know it!

:angel:  You win.


So the leg choppage idea kind of started off as a joke, but once it was in my head, I couldn't get rid of it, so that was the direction the story was heading from then on.  It doesn't seem like a big deal to me now because I've done so much worse since, but at the time, amputating a Backstreet Boy's leg (and it was always a leg, for whatever reason) seemed like the most horrific thing I could do.  I had killed Backstreet Boys before, but somehow, permanently disfiguring one and making him live with it seemed worse.  There's probably some psychology behind that, maybe me being a teenage girl at the time and overly concerned with my appearance and how others saw me or something, because I look back now and I'm like, "Meh, there are so many worse things that could happen to you than losing a leg."  But I was really nervous about doing it and researching it and writing it realistically because I was way out of my element at that point.  But then, the challenge of it was also what made it appealing to me.

I don't think I ever seriously considered killing Nick in this one.  It probably came up at some point early on in the planning of the story, but I was kind of like, "What's the point?"  I knew I was going to torture him so much that it just seemed too cruel to kill him after all of that.  I'm all for fictional cruelty to Backstreet Boys, but at the end of the day, I like a happy ending.
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~Julie

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #24 on: April 11, 2015, 08:44:27 PM »

Aww, I'm glad someone thought to contact Laureen!  I don't know if she'll make her way over here to see this or not, but thank you, Laureen!  Broken is the story that started our friendship, thanks to Laureen taking the time to send feedback, which led to many late night IM conversations and eventually a real life friendship as well.  Laureen only lives a couple of hours away from me, so she was the first online friend I met in real life and has been my concert buddy ever since.  I'm so thankful for our friendship!


Julie I made it!!!!  It's been quite awhile since ive posted in any forum.  It's not because I've moved on or forgotten,  it's just life got busy!   Julie,  thanks for mentioning this to me on our drive home today,  if not for that I don't think I would have seen this.  What else can I say that others don't already know...in the words of my teenage self You Rock!!!   :D
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RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #25 on: April 11, 2015, 11:15:29 PM »

You made it!!  Thanks, Laureen! :)
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~Julie

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Rose

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #26 on: April 12, 2015, 01:19:04 AM »


Julie I made it!!!!  It's been quite awhile since ive posted in any forum.  It's not because I've moved on or forgotten,  it's just life got busy!   Julie,  thanks for mentioning this to me on our drive home today,  if not for that I don't think I would have seen this.  What else can I say that others don't already know...in the words of my teenage self You Rock!!!   :D

Laureeeeeeen! I miss you guys :( lol.
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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #27 on: April 16, 2015, 02:18:50 PM »

Well done Julie, and I loved this story so much!
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RokofAges75

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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #28 on: April 16, 2015, 10:05:09 PM »

Thanks!
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Re: FS for April: story #99 Broken by RokofAges75
« Reply #29 on: April 17, 2015, 06:43:55 PM »

When you were writing Broken, did you know you'd end up writing a sequel or did that idea come after the fact?
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