What have I been saying about how hanfic would pick up steam in 2010? The author for this month is my newest hostee, Evelyn. She contacted me totally out of the blue to ask for hosting and I was very, very flattered.
Check out Evelyn’s stories on her site, Sidewalks. She may be new, but I think her stories look very promising. You might recognize On The Verge as last month’s featured story.
Why did you start writing hanfic? How long have you been writing?
I used to write just regular fiction. Stories I made up or from real experiences. I may only be 16, but I’ve already gone through so much in my life. Not only personal experiences, but I’m a huge observer. I people watch even people I know. I’ll sit down in my best friend’s house and watch how her family interacts, hear her mother’s stories growing up with an abusive step-father and an alcoholic for a mom. But then when I got back into Hanson and really let them and their music become an escape for me (especially the song Breaktown) I was able to write about them and write about what I’d like my life to be or what I think would be a better life or even just a different life.
You’re younger than most hanfic writers these days. What’s that like?
I think the younger writers aren’t given enough credit just because of their age when most of us are highly mature. It almost comes with this fandom because so many of us come from broken homes, broken paths, or just feeling ‘weird’ from being a fanson that we’re forced to think a little older, a little more mature. I think I’ll still be writing in ten years, though it may not be hanson fiction at that point.
What are your favorite hanfic stories and authors?
My favorite hanfic story thus far would have to be the one where Taylor has cancer. I still haven’t been able to find it or recall the name, but it was so pure and so whole. I can’t even remember the specifics as bad as that is so I’m not really sure if it was true to real life or not, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t. Either way, I remember reading that story in my room in the dark and just bawling my eyes out. As for my favourite author? Well, I simply can not choose. There are so many great ones out there! 🙂 Which I realize is a huge copout to the question, but oh well.
What is your writing process like?
There’s nothing to it, really. Throughout the day stuff will come to me and I’ll write it down. Sometimes it’ll be just a sentence and other times it’ll be a whole page in my notebook. It’s just fun to watch nature, people, or just nothing at all and let your mind run wild.
Where do your ideas and inspiration come from?
Like I mentioned in the first question, a lot of my inspiration comes from real life stuff and what my life could be or others lives could be. I see a girl and boy holding hands walking and she looks away and I see a sad glimpse on her face and my mind runs wild with what she could’ve been feeling or thinking in that moment. A past lover? Her dog dying? Her brother in Iraq? That boy holding her hand hitting her earlier? So many possibilities that my pencil can hardly keep up.
Which stories are you most proud of having written?
I’ll get back to you on that 🙂
Favorite songs to listen to while you write or which inspire your writing?
Obviously, Hanson. But the most that really help me are the sad ones. Which may make me out to be a bit of a pessimist, but I don’t mind that. Songs like Breaktown, Weird. Or the ‘personal’ ones like Madeline, Lucy, and Yearbook. I also like listening to John Mayer and Michael Buble`.
Thank you, Evelyn, for being the September spotlight. It’s awesome to see younger writers being active in the fandom these days.