When I saw how graciously Chelsi accepted her nominations for Thieves and Liars and how surprised she seemed to be by them, it just seemed the next logical step to feature her here.
You can read her stories at her LiveJournal, here. I’d strongly recommend The End of Forever, her story from Boomerang, but you should also read some of her shorter hancest and slash stories.
Why did you start writing hanfic? How long have you been writing?
I started writing regular stories when I was about eight or so. Then when I was around fourteen or fifteen, I found Hanson fiction and I dove in, reading everything I could find. It was during that time that I tinkered with my very first hanfic story because it seemed like a natural next step. When it didn’t really go anywhere, I let it go but continued reading, and eventually I started writing stuff again, showing friends, and putting them up online on my geocities website. I guess I started writing it because I thought it was really cool to be able to “see” glimpses into the lives of the boys that I wouldn’t get to see otherwise (even if they were fictional glimpses). I think that’s still my biggest motivation in writing fanfic.
You write Tokio Hotel fic too. How is that different from hanfic?
I think the biggest difference is the band members themselves. The dynamics of the two bands are so completely different, the way they interact, the way they get along, the issues that they deal with. In everything I write, even though it’s fiction, I like to make sure that there’s at least a little bit of realism in it, so I pick up on those little nuances between band members. In Tokio Hotel, two of the four members aren’t related at all, so that adds something new to the combination. And the two members who are related are identical twins, so that adds a completely different aspect to the band dynamic than Ike, Tay, and Zac have. It’s a completely different world.
I write about Hanson when I need to fall back on something familiar and comfortable. I write Tokio Hotel when I want to explore new things, and experiment with different situations. Maybe one day I’ll start experimenting with the guys like I do with Tokio Hotel, and throw them into crazy, off the wall situations. 😉
What are your favorite hanfic stories and authors?
I actually have to admit that I don’t read nearly as much hanfic now as I used to, though I’m trying to get my head back into the game. I’ve always been a huge fan of Kerry and Leigh’s stories. Kaylee was one of my absolute favorite hanfic writers back when Perfect Girl was online and the trilogy (which I can’t seem to remember the name of right now). I very frequently think back on and recall different scenes from Trash by Brittney as well as Damn It by Nat and He Loves Me Not by Hayley. Lily Fox also used to write amazingly detailed oneshots, and I love oneshots.
These are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head. There are some very talented authors in this fandom.
What is your writing process like?
I don’t know that I have a specific process. Like, I don’t have a certain time, in a certain place, with a certain drink or whatever. I tend to write best in the mornings when I’ve just woken up and my mind is still running pretty freely. But I also have a habit of tinkering with things every free moment that I have throughout the day. And if I’m not writing, I’m thinking about characters or plots. Sometimes I’ll be doing something mundane (the dishes, driving to work, whatever) and a line will pop into my head, and it will end up being the first line in a story, or I’ll think of a scene, and it’ll be the climax to a story. So, I don’t really have a process other than just constantly having it on my mind. I just sit down and do it, even when I’m not feeling it, because I can always go back and edit later. Writing is like second nature to me, at this point.
Where do your ideas and inspiration come from?
Anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes a lyric in a song will trigger a story, sometimes just the music itself will evoke a feeling that I want to convey. Sometimes someone will say something to me, or tell me a story, or I’ll see something out of the ordinary that raises a red flag for me and I’ll start asking myself questions about it and forming a story in my head.
I try to write down all the ideas that come to me, too, for when my inspiration is feeling kind of dry. Then I can go back and see the things I’ve already thought of, and maybe something with trigger it back to life and I can add new ideas or elaborate on old ones.
Which stories are you most proud of having written?
I was really proud of “Between State Lines” when I finished it because it was my very first NaNoWriMo attempt, and I did it with flying colors. I loved the story and the characters and all of it. I was also really proud of finishing my Big Bang story, “The End of Forever,” from this past year because I hadn’t written more than a Hanson oneshot in years, and it was a heavy subject matter, but I managed to fight my way through it and complete it, and I thought it turned out decently.
Favorite songs to listen to while you write or which inspire your writing?
I listen to anything and everything that strikes a chord. I tend to make a playlist for each story and listen to that on repeat. For example, while I was writing “The End of Forever,” I ran up the play counts on With You In Your Dreams, Cancer by My Chemical Romance, and Just Breathe by Pearl Jam. For “Between State Lines,” they tended to be more upbeat, summery songs for the most part, as well as a whole bunch of Beatles songs, because the main character sang Beatles songs quite often.
Thank you, Chelsi, for being the April spotlight. I really appreciate it and I’m glad to see how happy you were about your (very much deserved) award nominations.