From the Bard's Quill Interview with Silk
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | From the Bard's Quill Interview with Silk |
| Interviewer: | Tom |
| Interviewee: | Silk |
| Date(s): | May 14, 1998 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Xena: Warrior Princess |
| External Links: | From the Bard's Quill Interview with Silk |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Silk was interviewed in 1998 by for the Xena: Warrior Princess site Tom's Xena Fan Fiction Archive.
Other interviews in the series: From the Bard's Quill Interview Series.
Some Excerpts
Q: XWP fan fic has created a mythology all of its own - separate from the TV show. Do you find in your own writing that you try to stay true to the series or have you also added to the fan fic mythology?
Both... sort of. I first started with "A Crown of Laurel" and I did my best to keep the story 'by the book', so to speak. The sequel to that story, "Passage Into Darkness" is a far different story. The whole trilogy takes place between "Gabrielle's Hope" and "The Debt", but I found my muse playing with Callisto, Ares, Xena and Gabrielle in ways that later episodes make it contradictory. Some of that I can do damage control on later on in the story, and I've got ideas how to do that, but I still do my best to keep the story on track. I do find it's VERY hard to keep the information from later episodes away from my story though.
"Tapestry of Life" on the other hand seems to be a blend of both from the beginning. The trilogy was basically made up of 3 episodes, The Return of Callisto, The Deliverer, and Bitter Suite, which in my mind where some of the most defining episodes in the series. I took the episodes and expanded on them, twisting it with angst, but in the end it's always true to the episodes. The Fates in the third story "Fate's Choice" were almost completely my own creation. I hadn't seen "Remember Nothing" so I had to bring the Fates to life in my own way.
Finally, no one that has written Uber (except for Janice/Mel stories) has written "true to the series", so I guess that since I've now started my own Uber story I'm messing with the "truth" again. But... even in this story I've kept to the show in regards to one or two things that have cropped up.
Personally, I don't believe in changing was has happened in the show in regards to ff. Add to it, tell us what's going on behind the scenes, give us the reasons 'why', but don't change. In a way I think it's a cop-out. Although, I've read some fantastic stories that have changed certain key moments in episodes PERMENTALY, I don't agree with it. Find a way to work with it is my motto.
Q: Many readers feel that the fan fic often surpasses the TV series in its appeal. What are your thoughts on this? Do you find yourself attracted to themes which are not normally explored on the TV show?
Personally, I love the third season and find the show very satisfying. But, if I didn't find that I wanted more, or that there was something beyond just that 40 minutes of television that I was missing, then I never would have started reading ff or writing it for that matter.
Of course there are themes that aren't explored on the show that I enjoy reading. Uber for one (I used to not like Uber but I've changed my mind) and altfic in general. Although for the most part I don't get too indepth with the subtext in my stories (I'm a chicken..or rather a turkey!), I do enjoy reading alot of the other ff writer's contributions. Yes, we see subtext between the tv Xena and Gabrielle, but it's subtext. They play with us..teasing, enticing. Personally, I love it and I don't want them to 'come out' as it were. I think that's the ff niche and I'm completely satisified with hearing Gabrielle talking about "knowing herself" and getting a huge kick out of it. I do think they could go a bit further with the subtext (like in "The Quest"), but I'd rather see the alt stay in ff. Hmmm...have I gotten off the subject? *G*
Q: Do you read fan fic written by others. If so, do you have any favorite authors? Have you been influenced by any?
Do I read FF? Does Argo disappear at the drop of a hat? (*G* after I wrote "A Warrior's Friend" I had someone suggest I write a story explaining where she disappears too. I think I'll let that stay a mystery for now.) I read like a feind, although lately I've found that I only read certain authors to save my time. There's just a huge flood of material coming out there right now and my tastes seem to be changing slightly.
Overall, my favorite authors are Katrina aka Bearblue, BLMiller, Bardwynna, S.Bowers, L.N.James, Missy Good and Ella Quince. In general though, there's many more authors out there who wrote one or two stories that I just love.
As for whom I'm influenced by, that's the easiest question to answer. No one. Perhaps subconsciously, but I rather doubt it. I'm more influenced by the show itself.