Interview with Kim R, BEST PLOT, DRAMA, ENDEARMENT, MAINTENANCE of CHARACTER, MALE CHARACTER , TEAR-JERKER and VERBAL VISUALIZATION Awards of 2002

Tell us about yourself and your literal interests.
About myself... wife, mom, career gal. I enjoy literature more than
commercial fiction. There are two Native American authors I enjoy very
much - Leslie Marmom Silko and Louise Erdrich. Huge fan of the classics,
too. I'm a big Steinbeck fan and am currently working through some Anton
Chekhov.
I love authors who make me think.

What made you become a TYR-writer?
ISeveral years ago, well maybe three or four years ago now, I had an
idea for a story, but really didn't think I could write it. I hadn't written
fiction since junior high school English class and that's been a while. I had
this crazy notion that the words were supposed to flow effortlessly onto the
page and when that didn't happen, I handed off the idea to someone else.
Another idea came along shortly thereafter...a story involving Buck's mother.
As the story and the character began to take shape, I realized that I couldn't give her away and leave the character open to someone else's interpretation. So one night I decided to try a little harder, sat down and wrote the
rape of Buck's mother. Talk about jumping into the deep end of the pool!

What do you look for in fanfic?
I look for stories that adhere to the original series. I won't read a story where Ike and/or Noah live or Lou marries Jimmy instead of Kid. I know many readers enjoy alternate universe stories, but they just don't appeal as
much to me. As for the story itself, accurate characterization and realistic plotting are most important. And I love a story that doesn't portray the world only in black and white terms. Gray is a good color!

What do you feel is your strengt/weakness in writing?
Strengths...I have no qualms about exposing the faults of a character (a faulty character is so much more interesting than a perfect one) but find a way to use the fault or faulty actions as a catalyst for the
character's emotional growth. I've been told that my trademark is an element of hope and I think that is a strong point in fiction writing.

Weakness...Without a doubt - dialogue. I cringe over dialogue and find myself often falling into the category of "too much in the head and not enough said". I think this is because I'm more of a thinker than a talker myself.

Who or what is your source of inspiration?
I'm inspired by emotion. Greed, envy, love, fear, anger, humiliation, betrayal...the list is endless. Emotion is the driving force of drama.

Have you written other fanfic than The Young Riders
No.

What are your writing goals?
To write something worth publishing.

Where will you be in 10 years time if you get your way?
Family and career are fairly well set so I don't see too many changes. Hopefully the mortgage will be a lot smaller!

Any current writing projects?
I have an original story that occassionally delurks from the dark recesses of my brain. I started it last fall, but haven't actively worked on it for a while. I guess I lost my motivation or perhaps am suffering from a
case of burn out. For whatever reason, I seem to be at a loss for words at the moment. At this time, I don't plan on writing anything else for TYR.

What advice do you have to give to other writers?
Several things. First...If your story requires factual information, take the time and effort to do your research. Research, or the lack of it, shows. Second...An underdog (in my opinion) is more interesting than a
hero and a character's faults will hold a reader's attention longer than perfection. And finally...maybe most importantly, write for quality rather than quantity. Write when the spirit moves you. You can go back and
correct a good many things in something you have written. You can fix your punctuation or your grammar or which point of view to use, but you cannot go back and insert passion into your words. Writing is an art, not a
race.

A thank you speech, please
Well, you know I never write anything without editing it about a thousand times and even then need the 'thumbs up' of no less than three beta readers, but I'll try!

I read somewhere that successful writing is a circular thing...it requires the participation of both author and reader. An author's greatest desire is to touch the reader - to connect on an emotional level. When that connection is realized and acknowledged, writing is truly an unbelievable experience. So to all those who have participated in my writing over the past few years by taking a moment to send a note of feedback, or make a nomination, or cast a vote in this forum for my work, thank you for letting me know we connected.

Thank you Kim R!