Featured Author: gublercullen
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- Published on Saturday, 20 August 2011 18:18
Gublercullen is this month's featured author! She is the author of Live & Let Go, Always Darling, What All Went Wrong, Ultraviolet and more.
1. How did you get into fan fiction? Why Robert Pattinson fan fiction?
I first got into fan fiction about 6 years ago, back then I was writing a lot of boy band fan fiction (that was really, really badly written!). I sort of stumbled upon Rob fiction a couple of years ago, I had already began writing Ultraviolet, my Jasper/OC fiction on another site, and I think I just wanted a break from writing and thought I’d quite enjoy reading something for a while. Some of the twilight fan fiction didn’t really grip me, so I started looking around Twilighted for fan fiction relating to the actors and actresses, but I didn’t like the layout of that site. It didn’t take long for me to stumble upon RPF. Soon, after reading how well written all of the Rob fiction was, I felt like I just had to challenge myself and write some of my own. The more I researched Robert, the more I sort of fell in love with him as a character.
2. What made you decide to start writing fan fiction?
To start with, I just enjoyed writing and liked creating my own characters. After my shameful boy band faze I had a break of about two years from fan fiction, it was only when I started watching a lot of Criminal Minds and CSI that I decided to write my own versions of episodes, I’m sort of geeky, so I liked the idea of writing up my own crimes and researching the science side of things. At the time, I was writing those stories purely for my own amusement, I didn’t even post the stories until about a year later! So it was the endlessness of creativity that attracted me to it.
3. What is your writing process? Do you have a specific place you like to write, music you listen to, etc.?
I don’t really have a specific writing process, I can write anywhere as long as I’ve got music! I think for every single one of my stories, I’ve got an individual playlist on itunes. I do find that I write faster and better late at night, but it just depends on when inspiration strikes. One thing that does seem to be an important part of my writing process, is talking everything over with my boyfriend haha, which sort of sucks for him when it’s fan fiction on a programme, film or person that he’s not really too fussed about, but he helps me work things out so that their a bit clearer, because sometimes I tend to just babble and babble and babble…
4. How much research goes into the stories? Time spent on the internet? Personal experience?
I tend to do a lot of research, usually on the internet. When I first started writing Rob fiction I didn’t know much about him, so I had to watch a lot of video interviews and written facts about him before I felt I had enough info to do him justice! I think the most information I’ve ever researched for a story, was for Live & Let Go, I tried to do the whole pregnancy by the week, I also got a lot of help from my mum with that one, since she’s a midwife, she came in handy! Apart from that, a lot of personal experience also goes into my writing, especially when it comes to writing the original characters…I think Lexie in ‘What All Went Wrong’ is basically me, sense of humour wise…not the sex addict part haha.
5. What is the hardest/easiest part about writing?
Personally, I think the easiest part of writing is starting a new story, I constantly get inspiration for new stories, write the summary & first chapter and then just cannot continue, which leads on to what I think is the hardest part – finishing/continuing a story! Keeping a story alive and updating it regularly is really difficult in my opinion, it takes a lot of work to keep a balance where readers are still enjoying reading your story and you’re still enjoying writing it. I think the fact that I’ve started hundreds of stories and never made it past the second chapter is evidence of this! Another really difficult part of writing in my opinion is creating a well rounded, likeable character.
6. Out of the stories you've written which is your favorite? Favorite character? Why?
Ahhh…this is difficult, I think my favourite character would have to be Autumn from Live & Let Go. To me, she was so easy to write, because she seemed really natural and quite real. She never wanted or planned to be thrown into Rob’s crazy lifestyle, but when she is she seems to adapt to it really well.
7. What do you think makes a good story?
I think a good story needs some planning, you can always tell if the author doesn’t know where he or she is going with a plot. Just a tiny bit of planning goes a long way! Another thing is grammar and spelling, I struggle to read stories with bad spelling or that haven’t been proof read.
8. Is there any story (or book) you wish you could have written? Why?
I wish I’d written Lord of the Rings! Haha, I’m obsessed with LOTR, I’m actually travelling all the way to New Zealand this year for 10 months, just to explore all of the LOTR’s tours! So yeah, I wish I’d written that trilogy. Apart from that, I would have to say the Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine, I would have loved to have written those books! They’re easy to read without being boring or badly written.
9. Do you have any writing tips?
Probably just to write when you want to write, if you’ve got writers block, take a break for a few days, your readers will wait if they really like the story and when you get back from the break your writing will be so much better for it.
10. Who's your pick to be the next author interviewed? (This person will actually be it.)
Now this was difficult, because there are so many amazing authors on this board, but I have to choose Roblove. I’m not sure if she’ll know who I am or anything I’ve written, but ever since I joined I’ve been reading her stories, and they’re all just stunning. Beautifully written and plotted brilliantly. I’d like to hear her answers to these questions!
From readers:
1. What is the most important thing you have learned about writing that you would like to share with the other writers here? - m244robp
I think I’ve learned to just relax, writing is an amazing escape for me, if I’m ever feeling stressed, I can jump right into someone else’s life, someone’s else’s personality and just get away from it all. You can be anyone you want to be when you’re writing and I think that that is a truly wonderful thing.
2. How would you react if you actually had a chance to meet Rob? (this is a Rob-related site, right?) - m244robp
I think, honestly, I’d probably collapse, but only for a second! Then I’d gather myself and then just try and make normal conversation with him! But knowing me that so wouldn’t happen…I’d no doubt babble senselessly until he got frightened and ran away.
3. What made you like Robert? Do you write Robert different then every one else? and what is you favorite Robert story that you didn't write? - queens_of_pattinson
I think the first thing that made me like Robert was his voice, I’d heard him sing before I’d seen him act or anything else. But after a while, it was his sense of humour that kept me interested in him, I just think he comes across as such a chilled, open guy and I like that. I’m not sure if I do write Rob different to anyone else, I think that that’s something my readers would have to decide! I do try to catch some aspects of him that might not be shown as often as others, but really, I’m not sure.
My favourite Robert story that I didn’t write…most definitely ‘You need to reach out a little more’ by Benjis_Monikuss. It was written a while ago, but I always adored Monique’s style of writing and she truly kept my enthralled the whole way through the story. I wish I could have written that story, it was hypnotic.
Favorites:
- Book: East of Eden – John Steinbeck, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – J R R Tolkein, The Vampire Lestat – Anne Rice, anything my Angela Carter and all of the Morganville Vampire books by Rachel Caine and The Twilight Saga.
- Movie: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, 500 Days of Summer, Eclipse, Girl Interrupted, Inception, Revolutionary Road, The Dark Knight…so many!
- Actor/Actress: Viggo Mortensen is my all time favourite person on the planet. Heath Ledger, Robert Pattinson, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Kristen Stewart, Liv Tyler, Drew Barrymore.
- Band: Nickelback, 100 Monkeys, The Runaways, The Pretty Reckless & Slipknot.
- Song: Just Tonight – The Pretty Reckless
- Cookie: Apple & Cinnamon cookies! Or Oreos
Last Words:
I could tell a really bad joke…but I should probably try and keep some of my dignity in tact!
Is there anything else you would like to say or share with us?
Nothing except this: If you want to write, write. Don’t worry about what the readers will think, if you enjoy writing just go for it.
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