Welcome, folks, to the first of a number of interviews with current (and, if I can swing it, prominent FORMER) MV1 staff regarding those elements of fanfic and life that are usually left for discussion by 15-year-old girls on LiveJournal (don't laugh - I actually adapted these questions from a LiveJournal 'meme'!).
First up we have Scott Chamberlain, looooooong-time MV1 contributor (whose credits include AVENGERS WEST COAST and -the- most awesome fanfiction series ever, USAGENT) and MV1 Knights Branch editor.
And awaaaaaay we go:
1. Time for a brief introduction. Who -is- Scott Chamberlain... and where did the name 'Scooter' come from?
I'm a 35 year old, married father of 2. I work as a nurse in a long-term nursing facility in western Pensylvania. Um... is that enough?
2. What got you into fanfiction?
I found Van Plexico's old Avenger's Assemble website back in 1996 and, being another disgruntled Avengers fan, signed up for the Avengers Mailing List so I could complain along with everyone else about what Rob Liefeld was doing with the team. When Van opened up the fanfic section, and allowed other people to write in the universe he'd started with his Avengers run, I asked to write Hawkeye stories and he agreed. That was the original genesis of MV1.
3. All of us involved in the greater tapestry of the heroesfanfic community almost exclusively write in the domain of 'shared-continuity' fanfic, but that is a fairly broad descriptor. How would -you- define your fanfiction?
I don't know. I don't really have any great esoteric answer to this. Its just a way for me to write characters that I have read about in comics and enjoy writing about.
4. Most of your work at MV1 has revolved around a similar set of characters. Do you intentionally keep to those characters, or did fate just play out that way?
I just try to write what I know. I know alot about the Avengers. Especially the West Coast Avengers. I've thought about branching out and writing something else, but for now, I'm okay with what I've got.
5. Which of your issues do you think is most popular, and why do you think people like it?
I don't think anyone knows I'm still out there anymore. lol. But, at the time, I think AWC #121 blew everyone away when it came out. I think I made alot of people piss their pants with what I did with Pietro at the end of the issue. I felt really proud of myself, I recall. People liked it because you know, real surprises are hard to come by in a medium like comics, and I think I achieved that.
6. Forget other people; which issue are -you- most proud of?
I like USAgent Annual #1. In fanfic, you're usually writing characters that have been around for years, if not decades and are already well-defined. But I had to come up with backstories for all the members of Patriot Corps from whole cloth. It was hard work, but ultimately very satisfying.
7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What aspect do you struggle with most?
Hard. Brutally hard. I can't imagine anyone would say that writing is easy, even the most prolific of them out there. It takes a toll, no doubt about it. For me, just being consistent has been the hardest part. I tend to be satisfied with myself when I finish with an issue and rest on my laurels for a bit. I have to try to not do that so much and jump into my next issue sooner. That was my New Year's resolution by the way. Be more consistent.
8. Give us a few sentences describing what motivates you to work on your current project(s).
Right *now* what motivates me is that I want to complete the stuff I left in '04. Otherwise its just characters that for the most part I like that I don't feel get enough attention in real comics.
9. Are then any fanfiction trends or cliches that you really dislike?
I don't like when fanfic becomes an opportunity for someone to undo something that happened to their favorite character, that they personally dislike.
10. Have you ever been guilty of said trends?
...almost. My first 5 issues of Hawkeye were supposed to be about the rescue and resurrection of Mockingbird. It was only at the last minute that I decided not to bring her back.
11. What was the first series/character you wrote for? What was the story about?
The aforementioned Hawkeye 1-5. And I think I just answered the second part too.
12. What is your favourite character or series that you would love to write but haven't yet? Why would you like to write it/them?
Um... probably Star Trek: TNG. I really like Star Trek and it would be an opportunuity to do fanfic that wasn't Marvel related.
13. Do you read other people's fanfic? If so, what series do you read and why?
At the moment all I'm reading fanfic-wise is Steve Crosby's Kree Corps and Exiles, by some guy whose name I just can't seem to recall... huh, weird. Good book though.
14. Is there anything you would love to do with USAgent but know you would never get away with?
No. Hell, I basically killed him and for a long time gave no indication that he'd ever come back. If you can do that, I guess you can do anything. I don't think most people give a damn about John Walker anyhow.
15. Do you feel comfortable taking criticism, or do you have the more common curse of the fanfic writer, the Bloated Ego(tm)?
I'm very comfortable with it. Unfortunately I think most fanfic writers have a 'rah'-rah' cheerleader mentality about them, where they never want to do anything but say good things about their friends work. I'm guilty of this myself. I wish that if people didn't like my stories, they'd really let me know so and give me good feedback on why. anyhow, no I have no ego about my writing. I know I'm fair at best.
16. What helps you get past writer's block?
Walking away and doing something completely non-writing or reading for awhile.
17. How would you sum up your experiences in fanfic as a whole?
Good times mostly, with some periods of extreme frustration. Those periods came more from being an editor moreso than a writer, but for good or bad, those two roles are tied together.
18. Finally, is there anything else you think the HEROES community should know about you, your work, or fanfiction in general?
Uh... I don't bite? Oh! visit www.scooterweb.us! (a little self-promotion can't hurt.)
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All of Scott's fanfic work can be found at www.marvelvolumeone.com, with USAgent #8 the most recent to hit the 'shelves'.
Stay tuned for more interviews with MV1 greats!
- Adrian