Roswell FanFic Author Interview With Memory Echo
With Memory Echo’s fanfiction “Everloving”, fans could return to Liz’s balcony for a while and find out what could have happened before the camera faded out in the “Graduation” episode.
The first part of the story was released on May 14th, 2015 – a new part was posted every month – and exactly a year after, we could now read the Epilogue of Memory Echo’s story here on Crashdown.com.
Memory Echo was kind enough to answer some questions about the writing process and she explains what led her to write this Dreamer fanfic.
Please read the interview below and make sure to leave some feedback.
The full story is available here or visit the Roswell Fanatics Board.
Interview With Memory Echo
Are you a Roswell fan right from the start or did you discover the show later?
My older brother told me about this show back when it was on Tv here in Portugal, but we never got the complete series. It was late 2011 when I found “Roswell” on the Internet and I saw it all the way through for the first time.
What led you to write this Dreamer fanfic?
Well, Max and Liz have always been my favorite characters. If you ask any Dreamer, one of the events they always wanted to see on the show was the ‘cementing scene’ that was scripted for “Graduation” but never filmed. That was the kind of story I wanted to read, one I couldn’t find anywhere. So, I figured it was worth taking the shot of writing it myself.
What was your time frame to write and finish this story?
It took me over three years. I began on April 5th, 2012 and finished on June 28th, 2015.
Did you plan your fanfic carefully or did you just allow your imagination to fly?
The first three parts were planned because, originally, the fic was going to be about the ‘cementing scene’, so it would only be three parts long. But then, other ideas kept coming to my mind and the fic ended being five parts long. Then the real challenge began. I had a really vague idea that I wanted to develop, but I was afraid I couldn’t fulfill it. So I thought to myself, well, if I can’t do this right, I’ll just leave it at five parts.
Which part of the fanfic was the easiest and/or the hardest to write?
The first part was the easiest. Parts 7 and 8 were the hardest.
Do you need a certain atmosphere to write?
When I’m writing a story, I usually have a play list of songs that help me along to set the proper atmosphere for the scenes, but that never happened for “Everloving”. I couldn’t find any list for this story.
Do you have any ritual you follow when you’re writing?
I watch Roswell episodes before I start writing… Apart from the play list, I don’t have any particular rituals. But since I didn’t have a play list for this story, I had to learn to work in silence.
Was that learning process difficult?
It was very demanding! Particularly from Part 6 to Part 8, because I only had a few ideas bubbling in my head, but I had no plan. I had no clue on how to piece those ideas together in any coherent manner, not even to make a storyboard… So there were a lot of blocks and days of no writing. Patience was the greatest lesson I learned. I was always apprehensive: I feared the ideas would leave me and the story would die on me due to this unpredictable timing. But as the months went on, I slowly realized that the ideas were there and they wouldn’t go anywhere. The writing process was like watching grass grow, but I learned to trust that rhythm and feel comfortable with it.
If “Everloving” had a book cover, what would it look like?
I’m really thankful of the banner behrbabe did for this fic. I imagine a book cover not that different from the elements that are in that banner: Max, Liz and the binary pair as a background. It’s simple but it puts things into perspective.
The fanfic is about “what happened after Liz accepted Max’s proposal”. Is there another Roswell moment from the show you wished that would have been filmed or been more detailed?
Liz telling Max about the whole “End of the World” events comes to mind. I really wish the hadn’t cut that scene.
Which other episodes of the show do you love?
In no particular order: “Pilot”, “285 South”, “Heatwave”, “Blind Date”, “Independence Day”, “Sexual Healing”, “End of the World”, “A Roswell Christmas Carol”, “Viva Las Vegas”, “Departure”, “Michael, the Guys and the Great Snapple Caper”, “A Tale of Two Parties”, “Ch-Ch-Changes”, “Panacea”, “Chant Down Babylon”, “Four Aliens and a Baby” and “Graduation”.
What authors have influenced you?
Melinda Metz and Jason Katims really influenced me when I was writing this story.
What’s your favorite Roswell High book?
Must I have only one favorite? The Outsider, The Watcher and The Salvation are all my favorites.
Did you read the follow up books?
I read a few of them, including Laura Burns’ Quarantine. The last two books would make a great 4th season.
Speaking of reading books, what authors do you love and which books you’ve enjoyed lately?
Very tough choice, to select just a few… My perennial favorites are Fernando Pessoa and Mark Twain. One of my recent favorites is Carlos Ruiz Zafón, and I’m rereading The Shadow of the Wind, a wonderful book about the magic of Literature.
Do you write Roswell fanfiction, only?
No other show has ever inspired me to write fanfiction the way “Roswell” does. I didn’t even know that fan fiction existed before I started writing my first “Roswell” fanfic!
What are you working on at the moment and what’s next? (Roswell or non Roswell related)
I have three more fanfics in the works. All Dreamer, of course!
Where can readers read your other work?
Every fanfic I wrote is posted on the Roswell Fanatics Board.
Thank you so much and we look forward to read your upcoming Dreamer stories!
I really enjoyed reading the interview! It is always great to hear the author thoughts on what inspired their works. I look forward to reading all of your works in progress.
Debby