Del Floria's Interview with Orockthro
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Del Floria's Interview with Orockthro |
| Interviewer: | Del Floria (Live Journal) |
| Interviewee: | Gilda Elise |
| Date(s): | April 12, 2015 |
| 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 Orockthro 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
Why MFU? What is it about the show that fuelled your creativity?This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot. “Oro, why the hell are you falling for a show that’s 50 years old?” And, “Oro, why the hell do you have like 5 stories started for this and not something sensible like Avengers or Leverage or any other show at all?”
Beats me! But this is pretty fun, so I’m not complaining.
But to answer the question: I love partnerships, I think that’s what it boils down to. That’s what’s sucked me into many a fandom, because it means so much, and leaves so much room to play on the creativity/fandom side. Partnership means trust, intimate knowledge of one another, and the backdrop of the 60s just makes it that much more... intriguing. The constant bondage, fistfights that end in fainting, dangerous situations, snippy quips, spy stuff, and silliness didn’t help at all. ;) Let’s be real, I was a goner.
Do you feel as passionate about your creativity now as when you started? Why/why not? I’m pretty new to the fandom, so the first blush of honeymoon writing is still kicking in my veins. However, I’d say my urge to write is waxing, not waning. When I first started watching the show I was fairly pretty convinced it wasn’t the sort of show I would actually feel the fandom bite for, just a show to unwind with after work. Months later, I have more fic started than I want to think about, and that stack seems to be growing... I’ve found the more you work with something, the more your brain continues to produce ideas, even as you draw one particular project to a close.
How would you respond to a critic who says, “Oh, you write fan fiction. You’re not a real writer.”
Lol, fuck you.
Are you swayed by other’s reactions to your work or have you set a course and stayed upon it?[gift giving culture]] we are. It’s really lovely.Ha! Well I think this is particularly a factor for people who write and post WIPs, which none of my MFU fic have been. Some things I do for me (Lipstick and Vodka) but I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t enjoy a good reaction. I don’t think it sways me a lot but knowing people like what you read is a great thing! So sure, sometime I might write something that I know will be well received. I think there’s nothing wrong with that, especially not in a small fandom like this. It’s not like any of us is gonna get famous, lol. That said, writing should also be about putting something into the universe from your own perspective. So there should probably be a healthy balance of writing for others and writing for yourself.
Writing for others can be so fun, though! Something I love about fandom is what a [Gift CultureWhat would you like to say to a new writer?
WRITE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Seriously. Weird kinky shit? WRITE IT. Original characters that you’re afraid someone might call a Mary Sue? WRITE IT. Case fic with plotty drama? WRITE IT. Snuggle smut? WRITE IT. Just write whatever makes you happy, write whatever you wish there was more of out there in the universe. And if you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to start, I suggest starting with drabble prompts! Just write 200 words of an idea and test it out. If it’s a dud, no harm no foul, just move right along to the next idea. :) Eventually you’ll find something you want to sink 500 words into, and then maybe a few more.
But don’t get discouraged. It can take a lot of crappy words to get to any good ones, and it’s a system I’ve certainly not figured out myself yet, lol. I waste sooo many words.
Just write.
(I need to take my own advice!)
If you had to do it all over again, would you and what would you change in the process?In the process? Of writing? Ha-ha. Well I’d save myself thousands of wasted words and hours. Seriously. For Lipstick and Vodka I think the actual fic is only like 6K or 7K long, but I’m pretty sure over the course of all the different iterations and turns the process took, I probably wrote a good 20K of unusable and deleted words. Or rather, old docs. Because I hate actually deleting things I tend to just create a new document for every turn I take and end up with 15 saved files before I get to the final one I like.
But you can’t really do that, though, can you. Because deleting those words is how you figure out what doesn’t work. Sometimes it’s a long process, but I think it’s a necessary one.