Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Lois & Clark The New Adventure of Superman Writer's Showcase. At the bottom of this web site you will findlinks to past featured writers. Just click on the any writer's name you might have missed or want to read again and you will be taken to their interview.

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

Annette, Labrat, Kaethel, Avia

Personal Information

Author name
Blaise Pascal

E-mail addresses
blaisepascal@hushmail.com

Residence
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

List, AOL, or web affiliations
Zoomway's Message Board and Yahoo! Groups

Lois and Clark or Superman Status

How long have you been watching L&C?
I started watching when the premiere first aired in September of 1993. I was immediately hooked. It was the first TV show of which I was a big fan. I then decided to take a break from all things L&C in May of 1997, right before the airing of the last three episodes and right before the series got cancelled. Consequently, I didn't see the last three episodes until Summer of 1999, when my interest in L&C returned, in spades! Since then, I've actually avoided watching the show, because at that point I've seen the entire canon a few times, and because I feel that L&C fanfic is in many cases better than the plots of the episodes themselves!

How long have you been a fan of Superman?
I'm not really a fan of Superman. I've seen the four Superman movies with Christopher Reeve when I was younger, but they didn't spark any interest. On the other hand, it was because of my interest in L&C that I read Roger Stern's "The Death and Life of Superman". It's a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

How long have you been writing?
Since grade school, when the teachers would make us write those stupid book reports. ) Before I started writing L&C fanfic, I had never written anything, fiction or otherwise, outside of school. I was not interested in writing then.

How long have you been writing L&C fanfic?
Since October of 1999. At that point, I had been lurking on Zoomway's Message Board for about three months, gobbling any L&C fanfic I could get my hands on. I then started feeling a little guilty that I was able to read so much L&C fanfic but not contribute anything on my own. Thus, my first story was born.

What types of Fanfic have you written?
With one exception, my stories take place in the future, after the series ended, in a L&C 'universe' that I had created beforehand. I was responsible for creating a 'family tree' of Lois and Clark because I wanted a 'reference point' to base my stories on. This 'family tree' not only had names and dates of our favorite characters but also names and dates of Lois and Clark's descendants, all the way to their great-grandchildren (what can I say, I'm a stickler for details <g>). I had intended for all my stories to be in the same continuity, where events from one story could be inferred in another. This means, of course, that the order I've written my stories does not follow in chronological order from the end of the series - I've jumped around in the future timeline. )

Most recent story posted? Where?
The last completed story was "John and Lois and Clark and Joan" (the *exception* I mentioned earlier - this is an alternate beginning story), and it was posted on the L&C fanfic site recently.

Favorite story you have written? Why?
I don't have a favorite story. I make a habit of *not* rereading any of my stories once they are posted on the L&C fanfic site, because I'm very critical of myself and I'll only notice my mistakes. ) I just don't like reading my own work, I guess.

Current project/projects?
Because I began my first full time job in the Fall of 2000 (on top of another part time job), I haven't had as much time as before in reading and writing L&C fanfic. I do have one story in progress, however, which is posted on Zoomway's Message Board. I also have a few ideas in my head, but whether I'll be able to put them down on paper is beyond me. ) Because I am interested in the German language, I had the first fic I had written translated into German (with the help of Nicole Wolke - thanks Nicole!). I would like to translate more of my *shorter* stories into German, but again, there's a question of time... (

Personal picks of other Fanfics you have read?
I think there is a consensus that there are a *lot* of great fanfics out there. I couldn't even begin to tell you what I like. I have different likes, depending on the subject matter. For example, for stories on L&C in marital bliss I enjoy Alicia Utowski's stories, but for nfic it's someone else.

General Interview Questions

What attracted you to writing Fanfic and what about it do you enjoy?
In my case, writing fanfic just happened. I also enjoy being able to be creative, to be able to invent new storylines, new twists, new problems for our favorite couple.

What about the L&C and the characters do you like the most?
The romance, of course. ) I am a closet romantic - very few among my friends and family know of this - and I guess writing L&C fanfic also allows me to show this side of me. I like the stories about the love of L&C that prevails, despite all the obstacles, the problems, the fears, the insecurities.

How do you interpret them in your work?
Because the 'universe' I had created is an extension of the series, I try to stay true to their characterizations as much as possible. When I come upon a situation that Lois and Clark hadn't handled in the series, I ask myself (and other FoLCs) what would they do in the situation, and proceed accordingly.

How did you begin writing in general?
As I mentioned before, I was a little guilty because I was reading everything but wasn't doing any writing of my own. I also viewed writing fanfic as a challenge, because until then it was something I had never done before.

How do you feel about being nominated for a Kerth Award?
I haven't been nominated for a Kerth Award. The problem with the Kerths is that they tell you that you were very good a particular year, but they don't tell you how you could be better. In this respect, the general feedback is more valuable, because FoLCs who provide feedback can critique my stories and make suggestions as to how to make my stories better. I do not consider myself a strong writer, and so these suggestions are indispensable.

What are you working on now and where do you see it going?
See my response on current projects. I can also tell you that I have no idea where my current story will lead - I tend to come up with a general idea first and then jump right in with the writing, worrying about details as it comes to me. I'm sure this isn't the best way to write fanfics. )

What is your opinion about the following types of L&C fanfic's?
Action?
Action is good.

Drama?
Drama is good.

Humor?
Humor is good. )

Round Robin?
Round robin is something that I had never seen before, and I find the concept very interesting. I've never participated in a round robin, but for the most part I've found the stories very enjoyable.

Nfic?
I like reading it. I seriously doubt that I'll be able to write it, though. :(

Has *everything* been done in your opinion, and if not, what is left?
Every time I would think that everything *has* been done, some author would post something new that no one has thought of. What's funny is that I, on two occasions, was able to write a story on an unexplored premise. But still, new premises are hard to come by these days.

What do you think makes the best story?
A right mix of action/drama, humor, and WAFFs.

Would you like to add a link or URL to your favorite fanfic for the readers to sample your writing?
As I mentioned previously, I don't have a favorite fanfic of mine, but here's a link to my last completed story http//www.lcfanfic.com/stories/2000/johnand.txt

Where is the best place for a reader to locate your work?
The L&C Fanfic Archive. While I do post works in progress on Zoomway's Message Board, I remove the posts once a story has been posted on the Archive, because I like all of my stories to be found in one, centralized place.

Open Forum For Author Comments
What a FoLC community we have, still going strong almost four years after the series ended. It's not utopian, of course, with debates going out of control on message boards and some people boycotting stories of others. But I am very glad that I chose the FoLC community to be my first audience for my writing.

I offer two pieces of advice. If you have an interest in writing L&C fanfics, and haven't done anything yet, *please* do so! To date I have not seen a story that was rejected outright. If you are a reader, *please* submit feedback on what you've read. I think I can speak for the other authors when I say that *we* need to know if *we're* doing it right.

Blaise Pascal
blaisepascal@hushmail.com