Del Floria's Interview with Mrua7
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Del Floria's Interview with Mrua7 |
| Interviewer: | Del Floria (Live Journal) |
| Interviewee: | Mrua7 |
| Date(s): | July 8, 2012 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Man from U.N.C.L.E. |
| External Links: | full interview is here, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Del Floria's Interview with Mrua7 is an interview with a Man from U.N.C.L.E. fan.
It is part of a series at Del Floria's. See Del Floria's Interview Series.
Excerpts
What do you say to someone who approaches you about the creative process? Are you encouraging or initially discouraging until you decide his or her level of commitment?I believe in encouraging anyone who’s interested. It’s not always easy to write and everyone who at least wants to try it needs a little nudge forward to bolster their confidence. I like to give positive feedback when I comment on a story, especially to a new writer. If I see something that needs fixing or doesn’t make sense, I’ll message them privately. Public comments pointing out errors or criticizing a writer’s story or their take on the characters to me aren’t always the right way to go. Some writers’ egos can be very fragile when they start out (or in general) and I think we need to be a little gentle with them until they find their voice.
Sometimes a harsh or negative comment can upset and discourage people. I know of a writer who was ready to quit after receiving a rather harsh comment. The person commenting was making a valid point but presented it in a very negative way.
I think anything negative should always be dealt with privately and as writers we need to help each other, and not rip a person’s story apart publicly. These stories are very personal to some writers, and are their dreams and fantasies...who are we to step on them? We’re part of a community, and need to remember ‘community’ as the operative word and welcome any new cousins and help them as they start out on their journey.
What is the story you “dare not write” or the picture “you dare not create”? I don’t want Illya and Napoleon to get old in my stories. I like keeping them active and in the field. I enjoy reading other writers stories about Illya and Napoleon’s post Section II lives, but I just don’t want to have them age in my stories. I suppose that’s a sort of immortality for them.
How would you respond to a critic who says, “Oh, you write fan fiction? You’re not a real writer.” I’d say it’s obvious they haven’t read much fan fiction. The amount of talent out there is amazing, and I’d tell them to stick their toe in the waters and test it out. There are a phenomenal number of writers who have never published books, nor do some want to. Fan fiction is written because of a love and fascination with a particular subject and there’s nothing wrong with that.