Working Stiffs Interview with Sheryl Nantus aka Sheryl Martin

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Interviews by Fans
Title: Working Stiffs Interview with Sheryl Nantus
Interviewer: Nicola Simpson
Interviewee: Sheryl Nantus
Date(s): October 2000
Medium: online
Fandom(s): X-Files
External Links: part one; part two; part one reference link; part two reference link
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Working Stiffs Interview with Sheryl Nantus was conducted in 2000.

It was posted to the website Working Stiffs.

Other Interviews in the Series

Some Excerpts

I actually tripped across the online community when I "bought" (as in: not paid off yet) a used Mac from an ex-boyfriend in the fall of 1994. I had been watching the show for years, but never realised that there was anything online and fell over the atxc group just before Christmas.

Actually, to be brutally honest I was appalled at the type of stories being offered for reading. Either they were multi-part epics of 25+ pieces and crossing over into every universe including Thundercats, or they were pretty well Mary Sue smut that wasn't even that much fun to read. I really just wanted a couple of fun, quick stories that wouldn't take storyboards to understand and that actually accentuated the relationship between Mulder and Scully.

Didn't find much.

Wrote my own.

'Nuff said.

I was a shipper before the phrase was coined - in fact, I think I was surprised when I was announced/denounced as a shipper, since I didn't think of myself as that way when I wrote anything other than my mind candy... chuckle... The Shipper/Noromo debate really influenced fanfic more than people think it did. I think that a lot of the Mary Sues that were writing were Noromos and with romantic smut beginning to be more common on the newsgroup, there were a lot of hurt feelings - a lot of stories began to become very Anti MSR, though we didn't see it up front - most of us just ignored it and kept on writing, which infuriated them to no end.

I’ve always had hope for it because I believe in True Love (or twu luv for the disdainful among us). I figured that the Rift and Fowley were just speedbumps in the eventual romance because that was the only way it could be. Period. Kinda like when you know that everything will work out right in the end because that's the way it has to be. Trust me, as a cancer survivor, that's the only way to look at things.

I don't see MSR in a different way in the fanfic form because with the exception of the NC-17 stories I've written, I've stayed in canon with the show for the entire five years I've been writing - with the result that some will find glaring errors in earlier stories where I just didn't have the backstory (or CC changed it, more likely...)

I can't get into reading AU or anything other than what fits in with my version of the show, which is the way I am. Not that there's not GREAT writing in the other mediums or that canon is the only way to go, but that's my way. Shrug.

Does it change? Sure, for everyone. Some people believe they've been shagging from the "Pilot", some from "All Things," some from the movie. Some never. (Pity them!) But for fanfic to be a realistic reflection of the show, it has to appeal to everyone and all aspects of it - just as there is no one True Reality on the show, you can't have just one True Version of fanfic.

But I'm still a Hopeless Romantic.

Oh, God… Writing in canon sucks horribly because you tend to hold yourself to a higher standard than CC does - which inevitably ends up giving you a migraine as you attempt to make sense out of something that CC and Co. blissfully ignores. I've tried to make sense out of the mytharc; tried to reason away a lot of the problems but it's horribly hard, rather like trying to ignore that huge pimple that appeared on your nose overnight. It really makes writing that much harder when you can't do exactly what you want, like kill off the LG or have Skinner grow hair...

[Darned flattered [that my OFC, Jackie St. George, is used in other people's fiction]- as long as they ask permission!

There was an unfortunate incident a few years ago when I tripped over a Babylon 5/XF crossover that started off with Jackie being a Ranger - and NO permission. The disclaimer stated flatly that the author didn't bother to even TRY to contact me, since he was sure I wouldn't mind.

I did.

One fast e-mail later and he pulled the story from all the archives along with a long apology.

I hate laziness. One short email and I would have given permission gladly.

But I think it's pretty lame to assume anything, especially in fanfic.

Etiquette is dead [in the fanfic community]. Period. It died when "authors" decided that there was no reason to spell check their stories before posting them and then whining that someone dared to criticize their spelling errors; it died when "readers" decided that if you didn't outline everything in your summary that was going to happen, then they had the right to whimper that you'd ruined their life by not including "Warning - EVERYONE dies" or some such thing. It died when the "new" authors decided that anyone who had written before they arrived were "old" authors and therefore hogging all the cyber glory for themselves and began whining that no one read their stories. It died when the "old" authors set themselves up as personal critics and began to dictate how people should be writing and who they should be corresponding with and who they shouldn't.

Common courtesy, as in the real world, is scarce now in the fanfic world. People see no problem with slagging authors and their stories when they feel that they haven't been "served" properly or that their demands haven't been met. Authors get upset when readers give feedback or don't give feedback and threaten to stop writing. Readers scream when you don't produce fifty stories a day.

If you can't get off your duff and activate your spellcheck or send feedback to an author to say "thank you!" for a good story or ask permission, then it's a much sorrier world. And it's become that way, unfortunately.

Well, the "Old Guard" can still be a rather nasty bunch of people, so don't think I'm going to portray us/them as being Gods of ATXC and whatnot — we brawled and fought and many feelings were hurt big time. But I think we differ from the "New Guard" in that we don't feel the need to drag everyone down if they've been around longer than six months. Every few months I see posts denouncing the fact that certain authors have a fan base and "new" authors don't/can't get read, and somehow that's the fault of the older authors (sometimes just a few months old!) that the new kids on the block (of any age) aren't automatically acclaimed as the Second Coming of Fan Fiction. Those of us who were around a few years ago never thought about competing really, we just wanted to write. The idea of an Archive was a new thing to us, much less fan mailing lists and awards. I think the competitive edge has put a damper on a lot of the authors out there who now see getting a nomination for this award and that award as being the have all and be all of their fanfic existence, and will do anything to get and win that award - no matter the quality of their fanfic...

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with saying this author is better than that one (though you'd think so in some threads!) but the awards have now become a political statement for various factions to display their friendships and support in public instead of just WRITING THE DAMN STORY!!!!

[Do I work with a beta?] Oh, God... no.. and never...

I'm one of the few writers, I suspect, who have great fears of working with beta readers. My concern (and it's MINE, so don't state this as a fact for the majority of writers) is that beta readers aren't really qualified to tell you how to rewrite your story. They're in the same spot as you are; wanting to tell a good story. They're NOT editors or emotionally disengaged from wanting to make you happy by telling you that it's a good story.

Maybe it's just the stories I've seen, but I"ve seen a lot of "beta-read" stuff that is truly horrible. Bad grammar, bad spelling... and the dedication to the "good friends" who helped make this atrocity get about five paragraphs of thanks. You can't have a beta reader who's a good pal and just wants to snuggle up with you for the credit.

I don't/can't use one for two reasons, mainly. First, when I was in my heyday I didn't have the time to send stuff off to a reader who might get it back to me in a month or so - I wanted it to be posted now or ASAP... Second, and it's my ego talking here, so bear with me - I went to college for two years to learn how to write. I spent thousands of dollars learning how to construct stuff. Excuse me for not wanting to hand it over to anyone under an assistant editor to trash it. Trash it, yes - but please be at a level where I can respect and assume that it's not motivated to suck up to me and gain my thanks in the disclaimer or for my fan base to grow 'cause if you read mine, I have to read yours.

Yah, it's a very biased view. Sorry if it offends, but I've seen too many beta readers (and authors!) who should spend a few bucks picking up an actual BOOK and learning some of the basics. <shrug>

Fanfic canon developed because something hit a main nerve and resonated with the fanfic audience - the Chinese food is a big one because everyone relates to having takeout and enjoys the idea of Mulder with chopsticks; dropping noodles everywhere. We love to read about Scully's shampoo smell because we want to think that even she has a few minutes of luxury in the shower when the world can just damn well wait... Fanfic canon is a good thing because it illustrates that a common thread exists among all of us, no matter what age, sex, lifestyle or location we happen to be.

[My advice for new writers]: Get Rid of The Awards. Get Rid of The Personal Mailing Lists. Get Rid of The Egos.

Not going to happen, but I had to say it. I think a lot of the fan fiction being written today isn't for personal exploration and fun, it's to gain acceptance into the cliques that they want to hang with - the New Kids on the Block vs. the Old Timers vs. the Youngsters vs. the (fill in your favourite character here) ists...

They don't write because they have a story to tell, they write because they want the instant fame and acclaim of being with a group who then brawls with the other group for supremacy on the boards. Yawn. They don't do it for fun and that's sad. Even the Old Timers are guilty of this; writing crap and then advertising it as the Next Coming since they miss their feedback smack and need a fix.

And don't believe anyone doesn't want feedback. It's addictive and yes, it's great to be told you're a hot writer. God, it's great. It's addictive as hell and hard to break.

How to avoid it?

Get A Life.

Really.

Step Away From The Computer and see it for what it is - fun and a great way to communicate. It's not going to Save The World, although some fanfic writers have taken up great causes and made it work wonderfully, AGAINST the outcry that met many of their writings. When the first rapefic hit the board, the screaming that came back should have scared the writer back into hiding for good. Thank god it didn't.

References

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