Ask the Author: big pink

Interviews by Fans
Title:	Ask the Author: big pink
Interviewer:
Interviewee:	big pink
Date(s):	June 10, 2008
Medium:	online
Fandom(s):	Supernatural
External Links:	interview is here; reference link first page; page 2 of comments; reference link, page 2 of comments
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big pink was interviewed for Supernatural Roundtable.

Some Excerpts

• I stumbled into fandom three years ago via Television Without Pity’s Supernatural forum. I was bored, sick in bed, and had every intention of mocking whatever this ‘fanfic’ stuff was. The very first story I read was by eighth_horizon, which pretty much shut me the fuck up.
• I have written eight multi-chapter fics, including Red, Dazzleland, Fire in the Hole, and The New Deal (these novel-length fics can be read as a series and are all found on my lj or on my website), as well as a number of one-shots.
• My personal favourite is Old Rebel Yeller, because it deals with the Civil War and issues of how we remember and honour the past. And I got to write from a possessed dog’s POV, so what’s not to like?
• You’ll notice from my flagrant use of the letter ‘u’ in my non-fic that I am Canadian – I come from the west coast, and until fairly recently lived in Vancouver and, yes, that’s one of the reasons I first started to watch Supernatural.
• Though I read all over the spectrum, I get (quite rightly) classified as a Gen writer; I tend to write to canon. I should qualify that ‘write to canon’ thing, because there’s an exception: the Bear Hunt comics. These are cracktastic location map/online comic books born of the twin demons that are caffeine and alcohol. Me n’ the betas (sasquashme and lemmypie) find Supernatural locations in Vancouver and re-shoot them...with Snuggles the fabric softener bear enacting a cracked-out storyline.

I tend to base OCs on people I know, which might be why they seem real, I guess. It's a balance, though, making sure that they don't take over the story -- they are the spice, after all, not the main dish. They're there to reveal things about our central characters. While I never want to write one that's throwaway, I also don't want to write ones that compete too much for attention. Except for the Wolf. I kinda wanted him to take center stage. He was based one a few different things, some of which were real, and others things that I'd read about.

Much as I'd love to indulge in the rampant squeeing of my slash sisters, I'm going to take a raincheck on the Sam/Dean. The closest I've come was Verbal, which was a bit of a nod and a wink.

I've written queer love in some of my non-fannish work, so it's not that. In this particular Supernatural situation, my personal POV is: I just don't see it. I don't buy it. What I see on the screen (and remember, I write to canon) doesn't convince me that this is where the relationship's going. So I don't write it. Doesn't mean I won't read it, but I have to BELIEVE what I'm writing in order to invest myself, eh? I absolutely LOVE it when a writer can convince me that a sexual relationship between the boys is what's true, because that's some mean feat.

I just can't convince myself.