sick_wilson | In The Writer's Studio with Nightdog

Entry tags:

discussion,
meta

In The Writer's Studio with Nightdog

nightdog_barks has contributed 53 sick fics to our archive over the past 5 years, focusing on different aspects of the spectrum: emotional hurt (Kissing The Unicorn), recovery/disability (Duck Duck Goose), and physical injury (Loss Reserve). Her story Bad Company caused the Black Cigarette Collective to form (Nightdog is a member) and as a group they penned Aftershocks, which is a classic recovery fic and the sequel to Bad Company. Along with the Collective, Nightdog also has a WIP, Distress Call, a science fiction AU.

Nightdog is a writer with a broad range of interests. She writes slash (Letters of Transit) and gen (Secret Language of Owls), slice of life fics (Emperor of Nebraska), and sweet fics (Shipwreck). Nightdog has a talent for dark and disturbing stories like Slipcovers, Divergence, and These Crimes Between Us, and has posted many of these. She's also written several historical AUs of which The Annals, a series of stories set in the time of the Roman Empire, is most widely known. She has a way of bringing the historical period to life while keeping the story's focus firmly on the chaacters and plot.

Her fics can be found on LJ and AO3

Please welcome Nightdog!

General Questions:

1. How long have you been writing fan fiction? How did you get started?

I was writing fanfic when I was a kid, before it was called fanfic, for TV shows. The only two series I specifically remember were Star Trek (the original) and a show called Hec Ramsey. My OTPs were Kirk/Spock and Ramsey/Stamp -- obviously this was way before slash, but I think it's interesting that that's where my tastes gravitated even then. It's also interesting if you look at Richard Boone's character in the latter show -- Hector Ramsey was a retired gunfighter who had taught himself the (then-new) art of forensic science. He was also tall, unsociable, spoke his mind, solved (criminal) cases and rarely shaved. I see a pattern! I can distinctly remember writing an h/c fic in which Ramsey's friend Oliver Stamp was shot by a Bad Guy and seriously injured, and Ramsey had to take care of him. Foreshadowing!

In the '80s I wrote a little again, for Star Trek: The Next Generation (no OTP, but Data was my favorite character), and then I don't think I wrote anything until 2006, when I wrote my first Housefic and posted it for all the world to see. I'd been reading lots of fanfic before that, learning the ropes, as it were. Seeing how the writers I admired did it.

Do you think you'll keep writing after this series ends?

Yes. At least, I hope so.

2. Do you write for different fandoms? Which ones? Why do those fandoms appeal to you? Are there any similarities to [H]ouse? Feel free to pimp your work in current or prior fandoms, or for that matter any non-fandom work.

I've written for Stargate: Atlantis, a short-lived series called FlashForward, and Hawaii Five-0. In SG:A I was intrigued by Dr. Rodney McKay, in FF it was the mystery behind the story, and in H5-0 I liked the relationship between Danny and Steve, on and off the job. I'm not sure I see any connection between these shows and House except in the strength of the characterizations and the mystery/case-solving aspects.

3. Which genre interests you the most (eg., hurt/comfort, first time, est. relationship, mystery, action, etc)?

Heh, I think it's obvious that hurt/comfort is my biggest draw, although I do enjoy writing gung-ho action sequences. I think you can see that in the Pave Hawk helicopter rescue in my story Welcome to Wherever You Are -- I had a ton of fun writing that. I've also written some quite violent fics, such as These Crimes Between Us, and relationship fics, like Party Line, and f-stop, and The Songs We Used to Sing. But yeah, h/c is undoubtedly at the top of that list.

On Writing:

1. How do you choose pov and tense for a given fic? Do you prefer writing from a particular type of pov, or certain character's pov?

I start writing, and whatever feels most natural is what I go with. There are a few occasions where I've started out in first person and changed it to third person, and vice versa, but it doesn't happen too often. Although sometimes that does solve fic-writing problems if I'm having them. But not always. And I know I usually write from Wilson's POV. I suppose it's the one I feel most comfortable in.

2. Are there any themes you return to often, or other patterns in your writing? Are they the same when you write a sick!Wilson fic? Not all sick!Wilson stories are hurt/comfort. Do you prefer one over the other?

Oh, gosh, I don't know. I do know that back when I first started writing, some folks said they kept seeing a theme of communication (or the lack thereof) in my stories. This was around the time of Letters of Transit and A Button, a Feather, a Grain of Sand, so I can see that. I also used to put birds and trickster figures in my fic, but if there's any common themes now ... I don't know.

Also I don't know that I prefer h/c over other kinds of sick!Wilson. Maybe it's more satisfying on an emotional level, but to tell the truth there are times when you just don't want to go there. You don't want that emotion, you want to just do a casefile, so to speak.

What tips would you offer sick!Wilson writers?

Research is your friend, and don't take your beta's word as the last word.

3. What do you enjoy when reading a fic of any genre? What kinds of things do you look for in a sick!Wilson story?

A well-told story, and I'd say it's the same answer for a sick!Wilson story.

4. What are your turn-ons and turnoffs when you read fanfics?

Turn-ons? Hm ... secrets. Revelations. Confessions. Someone in mortal!danger.

The turnoffs? Typos and spelling errors. I see them even in beta'd fics, and it annoys the hell out of me. What can I say? I'm an old curmudgeon. Unintentional shifts in POV. Fics that deify one character at the expense of another. Fics that demonize one character at the expense of another. Well, now that I think about it, maybe "demonize" is too strong a word. What I do think is that sometimes there's a temptation on the part of the writer to make one character (for lack of a better word) stupid and/or base, so that the other character can show off his/her intelligence, wisdom, good heart, whatever. Or, one character is stupid and/or base in such a way that our sympathies lie with the other character, and only that character.

I don't care for this, because in my view, it takes away the agency of both characters and makes it all too easy for the writer to make a hero of one of them. Now I realize everyone sees the show differently, and for sure everyone sees the characters differently, and there are folks who will say, "This is the way I see them; therefore this is the way they are." And that's fine. And I've read fics (and written them) in which the heroes are not so heroic. What's bad (in my eyes) is when that becomes the entire point of the story -- that one character is Evil/Stupid/Base, and we should all recognize it, and agree with the writer that the character is Evil/Stupid/Base.

All I can say is ... this isn't a black-and-white world. And again, I'm not saying that writers shouldn't write what they see because there are readers who might disagree with it. If we all agreed with each other on every single facet, personality, and deepest, darkest motivations of Characters A, B, and C, this would be a pretty boring fandom, and none of us would have any insights, epiphanies, or light-bulb moments ever. All I'm saying is ... I don't think a world without shadows makes a good story. Life is complicated and messy; sometimes good people do bad things, sometimes bad people do good things, sometimes, god knows, we all do stupid things. I think we can all agree on that. :-D

5. Sometimes a plot requires a character to depart from canon. What process do you employ to maintain the integrity of a character without venturing into OOC territory? Along the same line, how do you handle delicious plot twists that depart from canon?

If I can "hear" a character saying the lines, in Hugh Laurie's voice, or Robert Sean Leonard's voice, or Lisa Edelstein's voice, or whoever's voice, I consider myself safe. Granted, this is super-subjective, but so far I think it's generally worked out. For plot twists -- if I can imagine it happening, I'll go with it. This is where it comes in handy to read the "odd news" sections of the daily online newspapers, because so many bizarre things happen everyday. If you write it convincingly and don't belabor the point, you can usually get away with it. Plus the show itself has pulled some whoppers out of its collective hat, so there's that.

6. Do you have a beta or first reader(s)? What skill-set and personal qualities (patience, humor, honesty?) do you look for?

I am lucky enough to have the best set of first readers ever. *g* Seriously, they are awesome -- unfailingly patient, encouraging when I need encouragement, snarky when I need snark, honest enough to tell me "I have no idea what you're doing here with this scene." Over the years we've developed what seems almost a kind of telepathy, where we can complete each other's sentences and say things like "You know, the dwarf with the hat," and someone else will know instantly what they're talking about.

7. Do you beta or "first read" for any writers? What do you check for as a beta? When you read a story for enjoyment, are there any issues that jump out at you?

I am also lucky enough to be a beta. I look for typos, POV-shifts, paradoxes, stuff like that. If the writer has a key story element (a book, for example) that I'm able to research, I'll check on that (i.e., was the book in print when the characters are supposed to be reading it).

Do you have any suggestions for would-be betas?

Don't be afraid to nitpick, but do allow your author room for creative license. It's their story -- let them tell it, but give them the tools to tell it well.

Specialty Questions:

1. In the last few years, has canon diminished the slash potential for House and Wilson? Has canon affected your slash fics in any way, or your desire to write them?

Personally? Yes, I think canon has diminished the slash potential. I'm not saying it couldn't happen, just that I don't see it so much anymore. And yes, I think that (among other things) has lessened my desire to write slash.

2. What role does sex play in your stories? When do you make a story slash, and when do you make it gen instead? Do you think the story would be substantially different if you made a different choice? If you wish, please cite examples.

I don't think sex plays a big role in very many of my stories. Issues of dominance and control and hate and anger and acts of criminality -- sex, not so much. I don't write very much sex, fluffy or otherwise. I've probably written more people in love with each other (Scott and Mandy, from Take a Walk on the Wild Side, Julie and Russ, from Party Line, Lorna and Colt, from Roll the Bones) than I've written sex, but if the characters want to have sex, they will. That's one thing I've learned -- you can't force a character to do or say something they don't want to do.

3. When you recommend a fanfic to your friends, does it meet a specific criterion, simply strike you viscerally, or is it a combination of the two?

It has to be well-written, and preferably it should make me say "wow" under my breath. Or "holy shit." Something like that. But if I really like it and think other people will like it too, I'll rec it.

4. Among other things, you write historical AU. How do you choose what time period to use? How much research do you do?

Heh, in a way the time period chooses me. Most of my historical AUs have been sparked by something I've read -- for Nor Any Voice of Mourning, it was Rick Atkinson's The Day of Battle, and the section on the fight around San Pietro. When I read Drew Gilpin Faust's This Republic of Suffering, the part about the "Sanitizers," who, after the war, retrieved and transported the bodies of fallen soldiers back home for proper burials, I actually had to put the book down and write Carry Me Home. I couldn't finish the book until I'd done that. That's not always the case, though. The Annals was born out of the "what if" machine in my head.

I probably do way more research than I need, but I'm always worried that I'll make an obvious mistake and the readers will laugh and point.

Can you point budding historical writers at any helpful sources?

The literature of the era is always helpful. The letters and diaries in This Republic of Suffering provided great details as to what the contemporaries of the period were thinking and feeling, and the writings of Ovid and especially Propertius' Elegies for The Annals really brought home to me just how much these Romans were like ourselves. Propertius says "The waves have no gods" when his friend is drowned, and his anger and heartbreak still carry an emotional weight across these thousands of years. Do not be afraid of the period literature. I think people tend to back away sometimes from non-modern sources because they think "Oh, I won't understand the references," or "It'll be all thee and thou and it'll be too much work." And it won't. You don't have to make a career out of reading the Complete Works of Everything -- just a skimming of what's available can help put you inside these people's heads. And isn't that where you want to be anyway?

5. You celebrate poetry month every year by sharing a poem on your LJ each day. Do you write poetry, and if so will you share one with us? Is there a style of poetry that appeals to you most, or do you have a favorite poet?

I do not write poetry, and if I did I would not inflict it upon anyone. *g* Some of my favorite poets are Jack Gilbert, Margaret Atwood, Bob Hicok, T.S. Eliot, and Walt Whitman.

All Good Things...

1. Is there anything in canon that you wish TPTB would have addressed / followed up on? Have you written any fics that filled in the blanks? How are your clairvoyant skills? Did you ever write a story that was a precursor to canon?

I wish TPTB had followed up with more of Wilson's family. And sadly, my clairvoyant skills are pretty much non-existent. The one story I wrote that had some element of prescience in it never made it to posting and ended up as one of my Fly Free WIPs (The Physician's Boy).

2. With the pending series finale of House, will you continue to write for the fandom?

I believe so.

Do you need canon-driven inspiration?

No.

3. Are there any unfinished House stories stored on your hard drive that you intend to finish? Would you care to tease us with summaries?

Oh, I intend to finish so many things! It's a case of will the good intentions win out? Still ... let's see. There's a sequel to These Crimes Between Us, which looks both at Wilson's recovery and House's coping, and offers a glimpse of Stockton's time in jail before House came to visit. There's a story about Wilson finding himself held for ransom by a couple of backwoods yokels, and his rescue from an unlikely source (not House). There's a story where House doesn't succeed at stopping Wilson from making his euthanasia speech, and a gung-ho prosecutor sends him to prison. There's a story where Wilson dies and House runs away. There's a story where House is in trouble and Wilson runs away. There's a collaborative story where House and Wilson get their fortune told by a coin-operated sideshow antique, and it contains more truth than either of them realize.

And that's just a handful. There are lots of stories on my hard drive. I hope to finish some of them. :)

Special Bonus Section

Since we (the mods) have never personally participated in a collaborative effort on a scale like the Aftershocks and Distress Call ficverses, we were curious about how the process worked, and thought our members might be as well. And during the course of these interviews, we discovered it was a much more complex process than we realized. So we're delighted that Nightdog invited some of the other contributors of the BCC to put their heads together and share their insights and experiences as well. Here's what they had to say:

Many members are eagerly awaiting the next installment of the Black Cigarette Collective's “Distress Call.” As a long-term work, is it difficult to maintain a level of excitement and interest in writing it?

BLACKMARE: Yes, it's hard sometimes to maintain excitement and focus, particularly when Real Life gets in the way for prolonged stretches of time. But the universe is always simmering in our heads, I think -- I know it is in my thoughts every day. Getting back into it is usually very easy; the most challenging part is keeping track of all the threads.

NIGHTDOG: I think that like everything, one needs a break from a ficverse every now and then, especially with such an intense 'verse like that of Distress Call. Plus, as Mare, said, Real Life can and does take a Big Bite out of peoples' lives when you're least expecting it.

DEE: The writing isn't always chronological for the story, so there have been times when we've all been very excited about writing something -- but that something won't show up for years and years in the Distress Call timeline.

HANNAH: Yes. Collaboration helps - it doesn't fall on one individual to maintain a set level of energy and forward momentum at all times, even a minimum baseline level thereof. With a small, focused group, the level of interest can wax and wane, and different people can be the leaders of different parts of the project. It's everything people dream about group projects being in middle school.

How do you organize the project when there is a team of writers?

BLACKMARE: Organizing the thing is mostly done via compilation posts on our personal LJ/DW journals and on the BlackCigs journals. Each arc has its own organization post and every now and then we have to go in and update the links as we write new material and revise what we have.

The advantage of there being several of us is that often, one of us will have an idea when the others are overwhelmed with RL concerns or stalled on the writing.

NIGHTDOG: There's an organization to all this? Wait, I mean ... yes, there are compilation posts and links to what's where. I think the collaborative writing effort of Aftershocks taught all of us a big lesson in keeping track of things -- I know that at least once, we actually lost a chunk of story because we'd simply lost track of it, and then had to scramble to get it in shape for posting. Of course, that was also partly due to a very tight posting schedule -- another lesson.

DEE: After the first four of us finished Aftershocks, we have a very good sense of each others' writing styles and editing styles, as well. We all have different interests in and knowledge of how societies are built and how science and the world works. Blackmare specializes in the biology and physiology of haemovores and their bloodstock. Nightdog knows (somehow -- I am quite suspicious, really) the mind of the honorable villain. I have once or twice helped out with explanations of profit motive and macroeconomics forces. Fortunately, once we get different facets established, each writer in The Collective is exceptional at holding the 'verse in her head, so no one person has to keep the others on track in terms of where we are in world-building.

HANNAH: Through blog posts and e-mails. It's true different people focus on different parts of the project, which helps as well. I do almost no composition, since I'm working on other projects as well - but I always have time for discussions about anthropology and weapon technologies.

Do you have the story planned to the end? Are you ever tempted to go off course and pursue a new direction?

BLACKMARE: We don't have this thing planned to a definite end, though we have enough arcs outlined so that there are several possible "ending points." Personally, I don't see the story having the traditional "The End" to it, simply the last chapter of one arc or another, with the possibility of it picking right up and continuing in the reader's mind.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind a bit if it became something like DIYSheep's Contract-verse, where anyone who felt like playing with it, felt welcome to do so. It's a huge universe; there's plenty of room.

As for going off-course into different directions, we're not just tempted; we do it all the time! Have been since the universe started, just about. We have a "Re-Verse" AU of our AU, which we do for our own amusement, but it feeds into the main story in some really interesting ways. We'll probably post some of the Re-Verse stuff at some point; it's darker than the main story but we enjoy it a lot.

NIGHTDOG: Nothing to add. :-)

DEE: One of the most fascinating things about navigating in space is that there are three dimensions. You add "up and down" to the sailor's landscape of "left and right" and "forward and back." :D

HANNAH: I'm a newcomer to the endeavor, and I've suggested a couple of things, but it's not my world, so I wouldn't be bold enough to say where or how it'd end.

Lastly but most importantly, when will a new chapter roll out, and is there a projected end date?

BLACKMARE: Ah, when's the next chapter coming. Um. Lemme look at our notes again and see where we are. We got derailed mightily by Nightdog's illness and my need to work like mad for pure survival, and are just really finding our footing again. Being asked to talk about this ficverse has been really motivating to me!

NIGHTDOG: Yeah, as noted previously, Real Life trumps Fic every time. For my part, I'm just now putting my toes in the fannish waters again, and to be honest I'm finding it hard sometimes to pick up where I left off. The words don't come as easily. But I'm taking it one day at a time, and we'll get there. Eventually.

DEE: I can very well imagine us emailing each other decades from now, "Hey, what about that one clinic patient from Season One, the guy with the red hair watching TV with House? Don't you think he'd make a cheerful pirate for 'Distress Call'? I read this news story the other day where ... "

BLACKMARE: LOL SO TRUE. That last bit about us ten years later, I mean. :-D

We should mention that

perspi and

pwcorgigirl are also pretty heavily involved in this thing.

NIGHTDOG: Corgigirl gave Jehosa Mason his first name.

BLACKMARE: She was especially important in writing some of the Exeter Prime stuff, particularly the chapters involving House and his motorcycle. And didn't she write a LOT of the Honest Eggie history, too?

NIGHTDOG: Yes, and ... yes, I think. (It gets hard to remember who wrote what sometimes.)

BLACKMARE: She wrote a LOT of the stuff with young!House working for Eggie, and Eggie lusting after him. Melon sodas and too-short work pants and the jacket that hit Greg's hips just there.

CORGIGIRL: It's such a blast remembering how we all worked on that. Teenage House was easy for me to imagine because Corgikid was about the same age, so I had a living role model for the way lanky boys move and how they look when they start outgrowing their shirts. And the food -- the bits with what Eggie kept for Greg in his fridge at the shop -- the motorbike and Greg's nighttime smuggling trip on Eggie's behalf.

HANNAH: It'll get here when it gets here. There's a video game company whose works I love that operates on something called "Valve Time" and Valve_Time.

NIGHTDOG: Let's see ... "Valve ascribes their delays to their mentality of team-driven initiatives over corporate deadlines to make sure they provide a high quality product to their customers." So one could say that the Collective is on "Vampverse Time." And it's true -- we'd rather give the readers a quality story, and not something that just plugs a gap, so to speak. Everything comes in its good time. :-D

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This was fascinating! I'm not a writer myself, so it's interesting to hear about the process, from both the individual and collective perspectives. I'm waiting patiently for the next post-Distress Call arc, and am excited to think there are more Night-fics to anticipate..... Thank you all so much for the entertaining, thought provoking reading you've given me since I found the fandom!

Aw, thank you for reading, Knitty Woman, and for the super-kind words! It is much appreciated, believe me.

♥ ♥ ♥

Thank you for joining us today. So glad you have plans to continue playing in the House sandbox. I'm totally intrigued with House and Wilson getting their fortunes told by a sideshow antique.

That's one thing I've learned -- you can't force a character to do or say something they don't want to do.
Building on your statement, did you ever start a story or scene with the intention to go in a particular direction and a character or characters balked, insisting it go in an unforeseen path? If so, can you share an example? Were the results satisfying for you or do you still wonder about the road not taken?

Thank you for having me!

The most distinct example I can remember of a story going off the rails due to a recalcitrant character was some years ago, and it was Wilson's brother Danny who was the culprit. This was before we knew he was "Danny," so he was "David" in the fic, and I was trying to write about the progression of Passover Seders throughout the years in the Wilson household. This was about the time of "Merry Little Christmas," I believe, so it was a pretty unhappy time for Wilson, and that's what I wanted it to be about -- the connection of the Four Questions, and "next year in Jerusalem," and how intertwined House's life was with all of that.

Imagine my surprise when David started talking ... and wouldn't shut up. This story wasn't about his brother, he insisted, it was about him. The next thing I knew I'd written five or six long paragraphs, and they were all about DAVID. I decided to put it aside for a little while and come back to it, but even then David was the only character I could hear in my head, so finally I just dropped it. The end result was satisfying to me at the time because I'd shut up an obnoxious character, but it could have been interesting to see how that story turned out with David as the central voice. It just wasn't what I was looking for at the time.

A really interesting and enjoyable read!

I am SO with you re: your fanfic turnoffs, and also the importance of being able to hear the characters' voices in your head. So key, especially in AU stories.

And I'm sure I'm just one of many who are very glad that you're recovering, and certainly not just because now we can look forward to new writing from you!

Edited 2012-04-18 16:29 (UTC)

Thank you so much!

You know, that was a great question about maintaining the integrity of the characters. It really made me think, because to be honest, at first I was scratching my head, going "HM. What do I do?" It turned out to be one of the last questions I answered, but when I finally figured it out, it seemed so obvious. *g*

I hope you finish some of those stories. I'm always thrilled to see new work from you. :-)

I hope I finish some of them too. :-)

Seriously, I am feeling more confident these days that I'll be able to do so. I've been writing more, just to be writing, and I think that's really helping me "get back in the flow," so to speak.

♥ ♥ ♥

Just dropping in to say that watching you get well again, and then writing again (which to me is so much evidence of Nightdog Recovery) is ... just ...

\o/ \o/ \o/

Turn-ons? Hm ... secrets. Revelations. Confessions. Someone in mortal!danger.

Heeeee. ... not that I expected anything else. :)

I'm always curious about a writer's perspective on their own stories, so -- if you can choose -- do you have a story that you would consider "out there" for you? Do you have a personal favourite, or something that you are exceptionally happy with? Which story needed to be dragged along the most until it finally decided to let itself be written? (Okay, you see why I am not a writer, oy.) A story that you love but that seemed to fly under the radar?

Also, I really like the "arc" approach to "Distress Call" and the scope of that universe. Just saying.

Those are good questions! Let's see ... a story that "out there" for me? That's a difficult one. Maybe Slipcovers (http://house-wilson.livejournal.com/634973.html#cutid1), because after all these years, I think the hook is still shocking, not only because it's such a taboo subject but because as fans we all feel we "know" Wilson, and the thought of something like that happening to him -- and as a child, no less -- is upsetting. And the story did upset a lot of people when I posted it.

A personal favorite, or something that I'm really happy with -- 44 Candles (http://housefic.livejournal.com/1389159.html#cutid1) is one of those. There's a lot me in that story -- especially the setting of the Texas Gulf Coast. I really enjoyed taking Danny (or David, as he still was then), plunking him down in this place so essentially different from New Jersey (but perhaps not so different, with an ocean), and making him an observant Jew, which I definitely don't think the rest of Wilson's family is.

A story that dragged itself along is easy -- that would be A Cure in the Country (http://nightdog-barks.livejournal.com/1433397.html), which I started in 2008 and finished in 2010. And it's not even that long! I think Sins of the Fathers (http://nightdog-barks.livejournal.com/1020519.html#cutid1) is a close runner-up. I can't remember exactly how long that took to write, but I know it was many months. Maybe a year.

A story that I love that seemed to fly under the radar ... Carry Me Home (http://house-wilson.livejournal.com/3387738.html). I was so happy with it, and I posted it to

housefic, and I don't think a single person read it. Or if they did, they didn't comment. It's a humbling reminder that no matter how pleased as an author you are with a story, it's not necessarily what people want to read. :-D

I can't remember who came up with the "story arc" approach for the Distress Call 'verse. Maybe it was a carryover from Aftershocks, because we as a group sort of "fell into" that style and adopted it after we discovered it worked so well for a long series.

Edited to fix tags. D'oh!

Also edited to clarify a point. I did post Carry Me Home to

house_wilson, where it did get read (and received some lovely comments). It was just

housefic where it sank without a trace. Which surprised me at the time because it's a gen fic, and sometimes gen fics are more popular on

housefic than on

house_wilson. *g*

Edited 2012-04-20 15:41 (UTC)

Typos and spelling errors.
Thank you for mentioning those first. As a non-native speaker it feels weird to nitpick what you natives write, but I can't resist and feel horribly guilty about it. Luckily this friendly community tolerates me.

Yes. At least, I hope so.
Yay! That's what the dance is all about.

We have a "Re-Verse"
Please. Pretty please. I have downloaded the whole Distress Call to my iPad so it's always with me even when I'm offline.

And now for questions. I feel a bit dumb in that I always ask the same question, but it's a pet peeve of mine. Do you have an educational/professional background which is (in your opinion) relevant to fic writing?

As for a *new* question, how much do you share with the people in your life (family/friends/dog) your fanfic writing? They rea it, they know it exists, not at all?

PS Thank you again to the mods for this wonderful idea.

About the Re-Verse. Um. I guess that's sort of my call, whether to put any of that out for public view, though I won't do it without approval from the Collective. I am mostly concerned that it will get confused with the Original Flavor if we begin posting it, you know? And also that because it's our own playground, right now, it's really fragmented. Getting it into postable form would likely mess up the progress of the main story.

Will ponder some options for it, though.

Any options that leads to anything of the collective getting published is a favorite one for me.

Do you have an educational/professional background which is (in your opinion) relevant to fic writing?

As far as education ... no. I took a few years of university, but I never graduated. I was in advanced-placement English classes in high school, and took the core courses at college (American Literature/British Literature), but nothing beyond that. Professionally ... also no. Probably the closest I came to having a job with even a vague connection to writing was a position in which I read lawsuits and summarized them into plain English for the companies that were being sued. *g*

My husband knows I write fanfic and has read a little of it. One of his brothers (and his wife) also know, but they haven't read any of it. My sister doesn't know. It's not something I'm comfortable sharing, because I've learned the question that always follows is: "And then are you going to write something real?"

And heh, I'd love to have parts of the Re-Verse see the light of public day sometime. Maybe they could end up as "Special DVD Extras" or something. It's a much grittier, darker place than the Real AU, and I don't know what it says that we as a group write this kind of stuff to relax. :-D

much grittier, darker place than the Real AU

Eek. Given what happened to Wilson during the last arc, I find that prospect slightly unnerving. :-P

Thanks so much for participating, nightdog! What a great interview to read :) I do hope you finish some of your unfinished stories soon, and it's great to hear that you plan to keep writing even after the show ends. You're absolutely one of my favorite writers in the fandom - "Summer's Lease" and "Duck Duck Goose" are among those stories that have always stayed with me.

I wonder how you'd like to see the series end for House and Wilson? I have a feeling that the final episode is going to spur a whole host of "re-written finale" fics.

Thanks to the folks at

sick_wilson for coming up with this wonderful idea and hosting it! *g* And thank you for remembering Summer's Lease and Duck Duck Goose. That first one is kind of a "small" story, and I'm always so delighted when readers remember the small stories. :-)

How would I like to see the series end? With House and Wilson together, whether alive or dead. That's it. I don't care if the writers blow everything up, literally or figuratively, if they have a meteor strike the Earth and send it spinning off into space, if they have everyone leave PPTH, if they have everyone get Ebola and die, whatever. Just so House and Wilson are together, and we know they're still friends.

I have a feeling that the final episode is going to spur a whole host of "re-written finale" fics.

Ha, I agree completely. ;-)

Very interesting interview! The thing I'm always struck by in your fic is the sheer level of detail - which I'm sure is often backed by a great deal of research and/or imagination. It's very '3D' writing, if that makes any sense at all. And the unfinished fic is a tease - I love the idea of House and Wilson getting their fortunes told by one of those sideshow things! They always creeped me out tremendously.

I think you've been through such a lot lately - glad you're still around and dreaming of fic *g*

It's very '3D' writing, if that makes any sense at all.

Jumping in here, if I may, to say: Yes, this. If I think of Nightdog's stories, one of the first things that comes to mind is the vast diversity of settings and her ability to make all of them come to life via evocative details and descriptions. 3D is a good way of putting it.

Heh, I think the great deal of research is born of insecurity. I'm always worried there'll be someone out there who's a recognized expert on whatever I'm writing about, who will comment and say "THIS IS WRONG WRONG WRONG." You know, kind of like the scene in Annie Hall where Woody Allen brings Marshall McLuhan out from where he's hiding in order to tell another character he has no idea what he's talking about. :D

That's a fascinating observation about 3D! In the past I've been told that my writing is "sparse" and "spare," so I love the idea that all those little details I try to work in give it dimensionality.

♥ ♥ ♥

Really enjoyed reading this - thank you! Some of the questions I had in mind to ask you have already been answered, or are awaiting response. I'm especially interested in hearing about your own personal favourite pieces. Has there ever been a time that you've struggled with a piece to the point of exasperation? And if so, did you find a way around it, or let it go? Do you find it easy to let go of plots/parts that just refuse to make their way from your head to your fingers (assuming that happens to you :))?

You clearly love reading, and you've touched on how some books have sparked a creative muse for you. How important do you think reading (in general) is to the writer in you? I think it was Stephen King who said that if people don't make time to read then they don't have the tools to write (paraphrasing, but that was the jist). From your own personal experience, would you agree?

And these are just curiosity questions - do you have a writing ritual? A particular time or place to write? Does your personal mood influence what you write?

Finally - have always enjoyed your work and am delighted to hear that there will be more of it.

Oh yes, there are definitely times that I've struggled with a fic and had plots/dialogue/endings that just wouldn't take shape on the electronic page. Usually what happens is that I just walk away from it for a while. It's very rare that I'll write something out and then not use it. Sometimes, though, it becomes clear that it's just not going to resolve, and then I'll give up on it. It's not easy, but I do get some satisfaction if I release it as a Fly Free WIP -- that at least what I've written isn't invisible anymore, and maybe someone will get some enjoyment out of it.

Reading is very important to me as a writer. I learn from other writers. Tom Wolfe taught me that you can write dialogue like real people talk (his cops and judges in Bonfire of the Vanities). Martin Amis taught me that you can write about reprobates and criminals and make them appealing (his crop of ne'er-do-wells in London Fields). Stephen King taught me that Evil can wear a human face, and be as accessible as the neighbor next door (his ... well, any of his books). And yes, I would agree with King that if you don't read then you're lacking some of the tools for writing. Reading shows you how it's done -- how to sustain a plot, nuance, how to mislead, how to signpost, how to build up and let go. And it's not like you have to read the (air-quote) classics -- god knows, a lot of people consider writers like Stephen King to be everything wrong with American literature today, but the man does know how to tell a story. I'm not saying it's impossible for a non-reader to be a good writer. I just can't see myself doing it without the grounding of books in my life. It would be like sending a carpenter to build a shelf without a hammer or nails.

As for a writing ritual ... I don't really have one. I used to have a posting ritual, where when I was about to post a story I'd put some good music on (like Neko Case or Regina Spektor or Tom Petty, something I could sing along with), but I don't do that much anymore. I prefer to write in a quiet place, with the TV on low for white noise, and I usually write in the afternoon or late at night. My personal mood ... I'd like to say it doesn't affect what I write, but as I've gotten older I think it does have more of an influence. If I'm depressed it's more difficult to write.

Those were some awesome questions. And thank you. :-D

Hi! I'm new to LJ but have long lurked for good H/W fiction, and I've always adored your stories. You have a real knack for hurting Wilson (that's a compliment!), but in a way that's not gratuitous or for shock value. I can always see and hear the characters I know in your stories, no matter how unusual or AU the setting. (Annals is amazing! And Aftershocks is hands-down the best House fic I've ever read.)

I fully agree with all of your fiction turn-offs, particularly the tendency of some writers to make one character stupid/base/evil. In your stories, even if Wilson is the focus or the character we are meant to sympathize with most closely, I've never felt like you detract from House or any other character to do that.

I really have no questions for you. Just wanted to express my appreciation for your work. And I would LOVE to read any of those stories-in-progress you have kicking around! Especially a sequel to These Crimes Between Us ... that was such a difficult story to read (I had to stop, then try again), it would be lovely to see some of the healing afterward.
And the fortune-teller idea sounds pretty amazing too :)

So, I'm (obviously) not Nightdog, but can't resist saying hi, and welcome, and also -- since I am part of the Collective that wrote Aftershocks -- thank you. <3

It is wonderful to know people are still reading and enjoying that universe.

Aftershocks is actually the first fanfiction I ever read. For a long time, I had a snobby attitude toward fanfic because I thought it was all written by high schoolers. Then I read Aftershocks and was blown away! And I apologize -- I should have given my compliments to the whole collective on that one! :)

Oh, don't fret about that! We're just happy to meet you.

I'm just going to say that if I could lift this comment from the page and bronze it, I would. :-D

Thank you so much for all your kind words. ♥

It was wonderful to read your interview! I'm thrilled that you're planning on writing more, and the Distress Call interview is worth waiting any amount of time for too.
Question? Hmm... you've written a couple of stories in which House has committed violent acts, so in that sense you're the only fanfic writer I know who predicted the season 7 finale. The House in those stories was always driven by mental illness or drugs. Has your opinion on House's capacity for violence changed in the past few years since you've written the stories I'm referring to?
ETA Oh, and hello and thank you to your fellow Collective members who are reading this!

I think ... hm. I don't know. To me, House has always had this capability for violence, and I think sometimes people lose sight of that. He's a genius, he's amazing, he can be a great friend, but he can also be this mean asshole who deliberately hurts the people around him and doesn't see anything wrong with that. I don't think he's nearly as nice as some folks believe (just like I don't think Wilson is a nice teddybear). We as viewers could go back and forth all day on what it takes to drive him to an actual violent act (as opposed to just acting like a jerk), but I think the capacity is always there. But, y'know, as I said -- he can also be this incredible friend who stands by you no matter what. He's a contradiction. Like all of us. :-D

Edited for extra extra words. Oops.

Edited 2012-04-19 22:00 (UTC)

Love this interview! I've enjoyed The Annals, and many of your other stories. You take the characters all over the place and they always end up IC.

Also fascinating to hear about how the Collective works. I've wondered about that.

Yes, write the antique story!!

ETA: I just checked the Self Rec Fic lists, and you're not on them! Did you not rec anything of yours??

Edited 2012-04-19 03:55 (UTC)

*beams*

We will try to finish the antique story! There's quite a bit already actually written down.

I kept meaning to Rec, and it kept getting away from me! My bad. I will think of something to rec and give you a shout. :-D

You can rec two... maybe the story that nobody read?

I suggest that you self-rec Carry Me Home. I love love love that universe and I felt it never got the attention it deserved.

This was a fascinating insight into your inner workings and a fabulous read.

And to read that your inclination to write and your confidence is increasing again makes me pleased immensely, because you are, without doubt, one of my favourite writers in this fandom. I could trawl through your stuff all day long.

Moose! It is good to see you. And thank you for your lovely words. :)

♥

Thanks for sharing with us. I just recently returned to the fandom and I'm looking forward to going back through a lot of the good authors' stories, which obviously includes you. As I recall, I don't think I even managed to get through all your stories the last time I was hanging around because you have such a plethora of good ones. ;)

Eep, sorry for the lateness of answering!

Thank you for reading! It was such a delight to talk like this, and I owe the mods of

sick_wilson a big debt of gratitude for making this happen. Seriously, I think this should become an annual event -- sort of like a book fest, because there are so many talented sick!Wilson writers out there. *g*

Again, my apologies for the delay. :-D

I want to apologize for being so late about this awesome interview!

Every answer you gave is amazingly insightfully in the works of a writer – what inspires, what compels, what defines a story for you.

I don’t remember ever reading a tale from you that I didn’t find fascinating – you are able to create entire different worlds with an atmosphere that marks the story, gives it style and personality. I read stories in other fandoms just because you’re the author – and I don’t actually read other fandoms…

You’re also the writer of my favorite story in the whole House’s fandom: Letters of Transit – don’t ask me why, those things happens in mysterious ways – and actually I saved it on my hard drive because I was insanely scared that I could lose it (do I sound like a stalker?).

I was also very happy to read the bonus interviews with the Collective – I’m always patiently waiting for an update on that ‘verse.

What else? Oh, I can barely contain myself to start reading your pos-finale stories – I put them in my memories and forbid myself to read them until I watched the last episodes, which happened yesterday, so I’m free!

Anyway, thank you to be here, House’s fandom is a nicer place because you’re in it. <3

Oh, Annalully, thank you! And you're very welcome, but most of all, thank you. And you don't sound stalkery at all -- I've got a few stories saved on an external drive because ... you just never know when someone might disappear. But I have no plans to! *g*

AND thank you for being so patient with the Collective. We haven't forgotten that ficverse, not even a little bit, and it's so good to hear (and so heartening) to know that readers haven't forgotten.

*hugs*hugs* and ♥ ♥ ♥ :D

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

In The Writer's Studio with Nightdog

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject