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
Jen Stosser or Jenerator on IRC
E-mail addresses
jenerators@optushome.com.au
Residence
Oz, near Kansas, by way of Smallville (aka Melbourne, Australia)
List, AOL, or web affiliations
I'm a member of LCFic, afolcslife, lcnfanfic & loisandclarknaos yahoogroups, mostly lurking and on digest on all but the LCFic one, because I like to get the stories separately. I am seriously behind in reading most of the fanfic (I have over 1900 unread story parts put aside for "one day" reading. I occasionally read Zoomway's message boards, I used to chat all day every day on #Loiscla and then #lanekent on IRC, but these days I manage to get in there to visit perhaps every second day or so.
Lois and Clark or Superman Status
How long have you been watching L&C?
Since before it aired on TV in Oz. A friend from NJ taped the first three eps and converted them for me to PAL as an Xmas present one year. I think I may have been one of the first Aussies to see the show, because I went to a comics convention a little while later (I think maybe in March, '94?) where they were showing the Pilot on a big screen and I was going "I've seen that!" and they all wanted to know how! I watched and taped right from the beginning, but it wasn't till the following year (probably in March again - I was pregnant with Megan then) when I attended another comics convention in Sydney this time, that I met another FoLC (anyone remember Mel Rich?) who let me know about on-line folcdom. She had a whole lot of printed out spoiler notes, which I read avidly, and when I got home, I pestered Joe to set up mIRC for me, in the good old days when I had 90 minutes of online time allowed per day. I quickly got addicted!
How long have you been a fan of Superman?
I started collecting comics when I was 14 or younger. (I still have the first comic I ever bought, it was a black and white Australian reprint of a number of Supergirl stories, with no publication date on it. The first American comic I bought was cover dated Jan '78. I think I'd been collecting the b/w reprints for a few years prior to that. And thanks go out to a wonderful FoLC who finally managed to find the original colour version for me of that first Supergirl comic I'd ever bought, a couple of years ago. I actually stopped collecting the Superman titles earlier this year, they just got too silly for my liking, and I didn't even like the art work anymore. But I still collect other comics titles; speaking of artwork, my claim to fame in that area is that after I met Phil Jimenez at a convention a couple of years ago, he put me in a comic! (For anyone interested, it's part three of the JLA/Titans crossover, The Technis Imperative, on page 10.)
How long have you been writing?
I wrote what would have to be termed a fanfic after seeing the second Chris Reeve Superman movie (when it first came out), in which Lois (having forgotten the events of the movie) discovers she's pregnant, and doesn't know how it happened!
How long have you been writing L&C fanfic?
My first fanfic was a collaborative effort with another FoLC; I had an idea for an nfic, and shopped it around a little; the story came out in the end nothing like my original idea, but a good story nonetheless. It's called The Private Life of Clark Kent, or Practice Makes Perfect. I'm not sure where it's now available on the 'net. I would like to write MY idea into a story one day <g>. I was also involved in one or two round robin stories, apart from the one story I've done of which more details below...
What types of Fanfic have you written?
Regular fic, nfic and round robins
Most recent story posted? Where?
...the Chicken or the Egg, posted in various places including the archive, and my website. It was also translated into Hungarian for another FoLC's website, and I have half a French translation of it somewhere on my hard drive and it was picked up for publication in a MacWombat L&C Fanfic collection. Pretty good for what I consider my first attempt at fanfic (if I do say so myself...)! I should mention too that I didn't write it all myself. The scenes at the studio were written by another Aussie FoLC, because I drew an absolute blank on what it would be like in such a place!
Favorite story you have written? Why?
...the Chicken or the Egg. See above. I have to say that it's really nice when new FoLCs discover the story and send me feedback on it.
Current project/projects?
I have a couple of stories that have been sitting on my hard drive for a few years. One of them is that rewrite of that first nfic story, which I've named Educating Clark, but it hasn't got very far yet. Another was based on an idea I had some years ago when I went to see Billy Joel and Elton John in concert together; that one is an alternate universe one, called Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. When I first had the idea, and mentioned it online, a few FoLCs shot it down in flames, but I still want to write it! It involves a universe where Clark comes to Metropolis at the end of what we know as Season 1. Lois has married Luthor, and is now running LexCorp, as he's in prison (Mindy was the "woman scorned" who "arranged" for Lex to be there). In my story, Lois is NOT a nice person, but once she meets Clark, things begin to change. The question is, will they change enough, and in time, for L&C to get together or not?
As I said though, it's been sitting on my hard drive for a few years. Don't expect to see it any time in the very near future -(
Personal picks of other Fanfics you have read?
Oh geez, there's way too many to pick and choose. Lots of great older ones out there; I miss some of the ex-FoLCs work, such as Gorn, and Jiji. I'm currently enjoying reading Imbalance by Wendy and Phil each week. I think I prefer the epic pieces, although some of the fluff recently posted on LCFic was great too!
General Interview Questions
What attracted you to writing Fanfic and what about it do you enjoy?
I enjoyed reading the fanfic written by other FoLCs, and when I had an idea for a story (that became ... the Chicken or the Egg) it was just begging to be written. I figured I might as well have a go at doing it myself. I was temping at the time, so I often had a bit of time on my hands to write bits and pieces here and there. I carried the story with me on a floppy disk and worked on it wherever I could!
What did I enjoy about it? I think the way the characters seemed to channel through me. I would put them in a situation and just listen to what they said and type it up. They did kind of take over the story, even though I had a plot outline to work from.
What about the L&C and the characters do you like the most?
I'd have to say I like the way the characters interact best. I didn't like Lois in the first season at all, couldn't figure out why Clark was interested in such a bitch, but the relationship grew on me! I wished we'd been able to see more of Cat after first season, and I would have been interested to see the other version of Mayson, where she was planned to have actually been an Intergang connection, not pure and innocent. But I did like that she was only interested in Clark, not in Superman, and would have liked to have seen that taken further. Here's a fanfic idea what if Clark had met Mayson before he became Superman? Would she have turned into an Alt-Lana, trying to forbid his use of powers? Or something else? (Anyone who wants to run with this idea, please do. I'm not going to!)
How do you interpret them in your work?
I don't interpret them; I write what I hear them saying and see them doing. I mean, if I put them into a situation, I just watch to see what happens next and write it down!
How did you begin writing in general?
I read a heck of a lot, and often used to get ideas from what I had read elsewhere. I guess I did a lot of what might have been termed fanfic when I was a kid. I wrote a Mary-Sue Pern story once, and a variety of Superman stories. The only non-derivative story I've ever done was still a superhero one; it involved a girl who, having had cancer that was in remission, decided to do stuff to help people, and decided to put on a mask to do it. I'm in awe of people who can write truly original stories!
How do you feel about being nominated for a Kerth Award?
Honoured!!!!! That first year for Kerths, there were so many stories to choose from, and so many of them that were wonderful, that to be amongst that select and elite crowd was a great ego boost!
What story of yours was nominated for a Kerth Award and could you tell about it?
I've already talked a lot about ...the Chicken or the Egg quite a bit, above. In summary, the idea I had was "what if Tempus kidnapped Dean and Clark and swapped them over?" The title isn't really explained all that well in the story, but the idea behind it was that Tempus had been involved somehow in the casting of L&C on our Earth, and had chosen Dean for the part because he looked like the real Superman, so the question was, "which came first? The chicken or the egg?"
It was quite fascinating that within a couple of weeks of my story coming out, Debby Stark and Margaret Brignell came out with Swap Meet, which is basically the same idea, but treated quite differently! I'm a big fan of both Debby's and Margaret's writing, so I'm very glad that my story is still remembered and didn't just sort of fade into insignificance beside their story!
Have you ever been nominated for the Kerth Award before? If so, please name the fanfic and tell something about it.
Nope, that's it.
What are you working on now and where do you see it going?
Well, I mentioned Educating Clark, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road above. I think that GBYBR will be finished first, because it's the one I was enjoying struggling with most. The original idea has changed quite a bit, I wasn't going to have L&C pair up at the end, but that was the bit that got shot down in flames, so I've rethought that bit. I have a sort of plot outline, and a few scenes written, and I've saved all the comments that people have sent me or made on IRC regarding it, so hopefully someday it'll see publication.
What is your opinion about the following types of L&C fanfic's?
Action?
Sometimes necessary to further a plot; don't like to see too much of it.
Drama?
Good, so long as there isn't too much angst, which I can't stand. I was chatting this morning with some FoLCs about Jean Auel's books, and I said that I don't like stories where the main characters argue over a small misunderstanding, or because they don't bring the same information as each other to a situation, then spend the rest of the story not talking because of it; only to sort it out just in time for an end to the story. Unfortunately, that describes a lot of stories that some people categorise as "dramatic" and I'm sure there's more to it than that!
Humor?
It has its place. I like small bits of humour in a story, but a really great story will have some of all of the above, and merge them well, to produce a masterpiece.
Round Robin?
An interesting & challenging way of writing. I used to find that I was only able to write short bits, and twists, rather than actually further plots in a sensible manner.
Nfic?
It's funny, I used to be absolutely addicted to nfic, and would read anything that was published anywhere. But I've noticed in recent months a distinct lack of interest in me in nfic for the sake of nfic. If the story is written by a favourite author, I will probably read it. There used to be some great concepts out there for how Clark would deal with being "different" from earth-born humans, but I haven't seen any interesting takes on those ideas for a long time, which is a pity, I think. I'd still like to see an nfic chapter for Imbalance, but I don't think it'll happen -(
Has *everything* been done in your opinion, and if not, what is left?
I doubt it! There's always different takes on the same story idea. And I find it fascinating to see how different authors treat the same ideas, so rewriting episodes is always interesting too.
What do you think makes the best story?
What if ....? That is, what if this or that had happened differently? How would our favourite characters (and villains?) have reacted? What would have ended up differently? What would have stayed the same?
Would you like to add a link or URL to your favorite fanfic for the readers to sample your writing?
http//www.geocities.com/jstosser/chickegg/prol1.html is a link to the first part of ...the Chicken or the Egg.
Where is the best place for a reader to locate your work?
The archive, or my website.
Open Forum For Author Comments
FoLCs are among the best people on the internet. Almost without exception, FoLCs are kind and caring, and a pleasure to know and chat with. I'm often surprised when I develop a (usually short-lived) interest in another fandom how easy it is there to be flamed, or encouraged to flame others; this almost never happens in FoLCdom, and it makes me proud to be one of you!
I wanted to say how wonderful it was to meet up at last with some other FoLCs in Los Angeles this past July & August.
Please know that if any FoLCs are planning on visiting Oz, and/or Melbourne they'd be more than welcome to stay here at Stately Stosser Manor (one at a time perhaps) and if they were to be in Melbourne and NOT contact me, I think I'd take offense (and hit them over the head with one of the palings<g>)! I'd even be prepared to take you to the Daily Planet for a visit