An Interview with Beatrix
We're
sitting with Beatrix by the ruined hulk of a strange city somewhere in the
distant future, talking about writing. Yes, they do write in the future!
How did you come across Pan? How long have you been writing here? Is there
something (or someone) that particularly interested you first when you arrived?
I was doing some research for a novel project I was working on, and from a
Google search on something (I forget what it was, now) I wound up on someone's
Pan home. At first I was confused about what in the world it was, and before
hitting the back button, I explored a little more. That was in June 2007, and
during the Risen Phoenix Parade. I made one of my first posts at Pan there,
which was pretty funny (and according to some, a little brave). My first
interest at Pan was horror, as I am a huge horror movie fan, but I have spread
around since.
You mentioned once in a discussion on the dailies that you are a teacher.
What sort of teaching do you do? Have you ever found that your vocation has any
relation to your hobby over here?
I teach in an inner city elementary school, and I love my job even though it is
often very stressful. I see all the kids in the school through the course of the
week, so I know every student and that is an enjoyable aspect of my position. As
to my vocation having any relation to my hobby at Pan, I can't really say there
is any connection except that in my own writing efforts outside of Pan, I write
with children as my target audience. Maybe that carries over a bit into some of
my story interests and writing style, but I'm not sure.
Doran Cloudrunner and I had a laugh over a recent realization, though, when we
were discussing how we write our villains. Some of my creepiest adversary ideas
have been evil children (or monsters disguised as them). Could that be related
to my daily job stress? You be the judge.
You listed an interesting and very diverse set of characters you write on
your home. In addition to Beatrix you write Rada Falenkova, Tamara and Viola. As
backgrounds and personalities go they seem quite different. Is that a conscious
choice on your part? Does it take effort for you to be Rada and not Beatrix when
writing Rada for instance?
It was definitely a conscious effort. I try to make every character of mine
unique. Bea is usually the go-to character for a bit of comic relief, but she
has a quiet inner strength and a heart of gold. But she, like all my characters,
are very well-defined in personality so the need to join in other stories
required more female character roles. Rada is the most complicated of the
lot--she is strong and fragile at the same time, the only physically tough
character of the lot, but also the most unsure and lonely of them all. Tamara is
another often humorous character, though she is more carefree and, as a thief
and often a cheater, not exactly the most honest character I have. Viola is
really only what she is in her one story, and that is a strong-willed young lady
at the turn of the twentieth century who is under some serious supernatural
duress.
So, as you can see, all the girls have their own unique charm. Even if a
character is in two or three very different novels or situations, the basis of
the character is the same. I find it very easy to slip into the mode of any one
of them and write them as they should be because they are quite distinct (in my
head, at least).
Viola doesn't write in any novels but you've spent some time creating a story
for her in your blog. How did that come about?
Well, as you know from my vocation, I have some free time in the summer, and
Viola's story was a summer project I took up. Her story has since slowed down,
but I am still planning. It's my attempt at a young adult, supernatural mystery
story. The hardest thing for me to write is a first person perspective, so in a
way, this story was a way to challenge myself. I thought for a while about
applying to join an anthology novel, but decided that a blog would be the better
way for me to go at my own pace. In fact, at first it was just a personal
project, but I decided to make Viola a character on Pan and present her story.
Even if no one reads it, I find having the graphics and journal format helps me
keep the right mood for writing her story.
More than one of your characters are in several of the somewhat more recent
novels in Pan: Planeshift, Midgarda. Are these two novels pet
projects of yours? Did you have a hand in their creation, and if so, how much is
this a creation of your imagination?
Migdara was the second novel I joined at Pan. To think about it now, I
really had no idea what I was doing on Pan at that time. I think my application
was several pages long! However, the core writers there welcomed me and it
seemed that, like with the few friends I made in horror, I had met some people
who understood me as a writer. I think Migdara had recently been revised,
but I was nothing more than a newbie. The story has really taken off, and it's a
fantastic adventure. We've got a good crew of characters there that are always
entertaining to read about, and Doran and Kade are good friends to write with.
Though I had a hand in getting Planeshift started at Short Cuts
and then as a novel, it's not really my pet project. Doran and Kade are mostly
responsible for the framework of the story, and I have been along for the ride
(and for making the graphics). It's a fantastic novel and we have so many
diverse writers, that there are several big plots going on at a time. Three of
the four of my female characters are in Planeshift, and all are involved
in varying plots. I have to say that writing in the setting of Norringrad has
been one of the most entertaining writing experiences I have had. It is one of
the richest fantasy settings, and really, we could have made a whole novel just
based on that. We also have a good time on the planning boards when we aren't
involved in posting (or people are waiting on me to post...) It really is a lot
of fun, and I spend most of my time there.
I see you're mostly writing in fantasy or scifi. But your read lists are
really quite interesting - fantasy, scifi, contemporary, & westerns. What
attracts you to those genres as reader or writer, as opposed to say, history?
I do read a little of everything. If I had more time, I would probably write in
more genres, but fantasy is my favorite. Fantasy and sci-fi afford more freedom
to just make up whatever I want. I write in one history novel, and though I love
the novel and time period, it's HARD! With certain things, I feel that I must be
as accurate as possible, so I need to do research or check facts. It's just the
way that I am--if you're going to do something, do it right. That's what makes
fantasy very easy to slip into. There are general rules of the universe, but
adventure calls and you can make up a lot of the rules as you go. History,
contemporary, western, those have a little more preparation necessary. I think I
just prefer to read instead. Of course, I also love the horror genre and that
was my first haunt at Pan (hehe). As genres, fantasy and horror are also my
favorite to read and write outside of Pan. Also, it just so happens that the
writers I collaborate most with are in fantasy and sci-fi, so it just kind of
works out that I'm there most of the time.
Thank you very much for taking the time to chat with us about Pan and your
writing!