When Jaerie sent me an email thanking me for featuring her story last month, I decided I would do her one better and feature her this month.
Her first long story, The Breeders, is making a pretty big splash right now in the fandom. It’s a very different sort of Zaylor tale, set in a dsytopian society. You can read it and her other short stories on her LiveJournal, here.
Why did you start writing hanfic? How long have you been writing?
I originally started writing fanfic in high school probably around 2000. I was a very creative teenager always writing songs, poems, descriptive short stories and so taking that into my fandoms was just a natural process. I have a large box full of notebooks with fragments and finished hanfic that has moved around with me but I haven’t posted much of it on the internet. I was always attracted to the way descriptions came so easily to me in writing and transferring that to hanfic was a way to have my words read.
The genre you write is rather controversial. What draws you to it?
I unfortunately am a person who can call the endings and plots to so many movies and books. I am always on a quest to find things that can stump me or leave me yearning to know what happens next. I don’t see Zaylor as the taboo topic so many people place it in. I see it as a pairing that has more options to explore. The emotions and progressions of their relationship can be more complex and unique. I have written some very racy one shots because, well, they are both very attractive men and a little smut never hurt anyone. My story, however, would not make sense with a normal relationship. The universe I created relies on things that we are not used to in our real life world and this unusual relationship is just one of them.
What are your favorite hanfic stories and authors?
Right now one of my favourites is Perfect Fit. I also love the unique storylines of The Listener and The Innocents. I read almost everything that is out there right now, though, even if I cant pull all the names from my head.
One of my all time favourites is Kerry’s As Long As I Come Home to You.
What is your writing process like?
I have recently started my first attempt to finish a story of a substantial length with The Breeders and because of this my process is not very organized. I let my characters decide where they are going and just let them run with it. It can be a longer process, though, because I often don’t know where I am going with a chapter until I’m halfway through.
Where do your ideas and inspiration come from?
For most of my writing I find a lot of inspiration from music. I find myself turning lyrics into ideas. For example You Can Breathe by Jack’s Mannequin is a song that inspired a story I’m currently throwing around in my head. It puts a vision of a specific scene into my mind which makes it easier to run with it. The idea for The Breeders originally came from a dream I had when I was about 12. It just never had a home until I committed to writing it as a hanfic.
Which stories are you most proud of having written?
Once I am finished with it, I think I will be most proud of The Breeders. I have always been a short story writer and being able to structure and finish something larger is going to be a big accomplishment for me. Outside the hanfic world I have had several things published on a small level but I don’t feel as attached to them.
Favorite songs to listen to while you write or which inspire your writing?
Oddly, I have found that a lot of country music sets emotions rolling which make me want to write. I get too distracted from my words if I try to listen to music while I am writing but a good mix of Jason Aldean seems to do the trick for some reason. Not normally a country fan, it must change my mood just enough.
Thank you, Jaerie, for being the December spotlight! I’m loving The Breeders and I can’t wait to see both where you go next with it, and whatever you write next!