Cascade Library Interview with Mackie
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| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Cascade Library Interview with Mackie |
| Interviewer: | Cascade Library |
| Interviewee: | Mackie |
| Date(s): | July 19, 1999 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | The Sentinel |
| External Links: | interview is here, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
In 1999, Mackie was interviewed for Cascade Library.
Some Excerpts
I started Remote Control in August of 1997 after a very long estrangement from fan fiction. At the time, I was writing for my own pleasure and had no plans to let anyone else read it. Jim and Blair simply captivated me, and for the first time in years, I felt like writing a story. In fact, no show since Simon and Simon has involved me to the same degree of obsession as The Sentinel, and it's nice to know there is still a kid inside who actually cares if a show gets cancelled or not! I was fairly new to the web, but once I stumbled across Guide Posts, I became a very happy reader. The idea of creating my own website was born. The first story I actually posted (to Guide Posts) was an epilog to Prisoner X, Layers of Dark and Light. The instant feedback was a rush, and I've been a feedback junkie ever since.
It was ages before I found the courage to ask for a beta reader. I know my grasp of grammar and punctuation leaves a lot to be desired, but I felt uncomfortable asking anyone to help me. Finally, I worked up the nerve to ask one of my favorite authors, Tate, if she'd ask one of her betas to read one of my stories. Since then, working with Joanne has been painless and enlightening. I've been spoiled rotten by her skillful application of the red pen and attention to detail ("...don't you think Jim should get *dressed* before he rushes out the door?").
I deliberately avoided putting a meter on my page because I didn't want to know how many people were reading my stories. I was determined to write for my own pleasure because I've been in fandom long enough to know every writer will find an audience, even if it's just one other person who loves the idea of Jim and Blair being mermen who live in the warm waters off Tahiti and battle evil, multi-tentacled beasts intent on conquering the ocean realm....(with apologies to any writer who may be contemplating just such an AU!<g>) Lofty intentions aside, I've turned into a feedback junkie. But as much as I love to hear from readers, I have to write the sorts of stories I would also like to read.
The web page [Mackie's Idol Pursuits] grew out of laziness. I live in terror of the beast known as html, and I didn't know how to put the GeoCities guide on my webpage. I took the coward's way out and sent them money so I wouldn't have to do it. That gave me a ton of space. I really admired all the hard work Guide Posts was doing to maintain an archive for writers without a website, so I gradually opened my doors to include a few of my personal favorites (which means I get to read their new stories first, so there's a definite upside!) I hope to continue this practice, but my poor site-sibs have been neglected while I stumble through the mine field of Virtual Season 5, RL, beta work, and my own writing efforts.