How did you come up with the idea for With Teeth?
Personal experience inspired it, broadly speaking.
Why did you decide to write it as Twilight fanfiction? Did something within Twilight inspire this story, or was it simply a story you'd already thought of applied to the characters?
When I became familiar with the movie and the books, I was struck by the similarities between Edward and Bella and the characters I had in my head. That was one of the biggest motivating factors.
Additionally, every time I attempted to write this story, it centered heavily around a romantic plot. That isn't the genre in which I normally write, so I was having a hard time figuring out where the story would go once I'd written it. (I thought about writing it just for myself, but like all writers I'm something of a narcissist, so that idea didn't last long.) Twilight fanfiction is often romance focused, and given the similarities in some of the characterization…
Do you see any of canon Edward and Bella in these characters?
I do. Edward’s self-loathing, his potential for violence, the way he second-guesses Bella and her choices, the fine line he walks between being the person he wants to be or giving in to his darker side. Bella’s naivety, her self-sacrificing behavior (which is often unhealthy, I think), her ability to love deeply.
What, if any, writing background do you have?
Some.
Have you written for any other fandoms?
A number of years ago I wrote one story for another fandom. The quality was poor. That’s not false modesty – it sucked. Hard.
Are you published at all?
Yes.
Do you write from an outline?
Yes. But it’s more of a timeline than an outline. Some of the chapters overlap in terms of the time period they cover. In order to keep where I am straight, I made a diagram of index cards.
Do you have a writing strategy / routine? i.e. late at night, in the morning, silence, music?
I usually write late at night. Two a.m. is a good time for me. Recently, I’ve been trying to break myself of that habit, though. I write the first draft with music then write in silence for subsequent drafts. For the final read through I listen to my playlists.
I also act out the dialogue, which is pretty embarrassing. I’ll read the lines and do some of the actions to make sure they seem natural.
How much does the music you use in your playlist affect your chapters? Do you write to the songs, or are they merely ones that lyrically/musically fit the tone of the chapter? Do you intend for the music to augment our perception of the chapter, or just set the tone for it?
I put the music together before I write. The music is picked to fit the mood of the chapter; I don’t always pay attention to the lyrics. However, as usually is the case with pop music, the lyrics fit the sound and vice versa. So sometimes, yes, the lyrics can augment the chapters, though I’m usually not thinking about that. If the music enhances the chapters in terms of content and not just feeling – great.
The title is from a Nine Inch Nails song, correct? Did the song inspire the story or did it just fit after the fact?
I have to admit the title “With Teeth” wasn’t terribly thought through. It suits the story, I think (I hope). It was the first song I put in the Chapter 1 playlist and when I listened more closely to the lyrics – in this case I was paying attention to the lyrics – I felt like they said something about the story and Edward’s character in particular (though not exclusively).
The song I associate most with this story is Sun Kil Moon’s “Carry Me Ohio.” [Interviewer's note: pitter pat.]
Why did you choose present tense? In some cases, present tense can fall flat because it tells much more than it shows, but you succeed in making it evocative and visceral. Was it a conscious choice or did it just flow that way?
The first thing I wrote was what turned into the first chapter. It started out in past tense, actually, but when I read it over, it felt wrong. Obviously, words are always metaphors for actual experience so there’s no way to create a one-to-one correlation between the thing you want to describe and the description itself. Poetry, maybe, and more experimental prose or hybrid forms might get closer – and I toyed with that idea – but you’re still always editing and shaping the experience into a non-realistic form. And it’s always “just” words. If any of that makes sense.
I wanted immediacy. I didn’t want Edward or Bella to just tell the reader a story; I wanted the reader closer to what was happening. And I prefer showing to telling. (Which I thought most people preferred…?) Clearly, I can’t escape some degree of telling – unless I wanted the story to be much, much longer – but I tried to minimize it.
Do you have personal experience with addiction and recovery? You write it so realistically.
My brother once said to me, “In this family you’re either a fixer or a fuck-up.” Despite my best efforts and a hefty genetic predisposition, being a “fuck-up” didn’t stick. Luck of the draw, I guess. Fixing – enabling – was my strong suit.
Do you relate more to Edward or Bella in With Teeth?
I don’t relate more to one than the other. I can relate to some of the innocence Bella has at the beginning of the story; I can relate to the thinking that loving a person had to be enough to make them better. On my good days I suppose I can be genuine like her. And I do see her as genuine, though I understand not everyone would characterize her that way.
I also feel close to Edward’s self-loathing and his ability to manipulate and use people to temper that self-loathing. But I think we all want to be better people in the same way that he does.
We don't know much about Edward's early years, other than the snippets of his childhood (the soundtrack music etc). We don't know how he lost his parents, what his uncle and aunt were like ,etc. Does he deliberately not think/talk about it because there is some trauma there and the catalyst for his addictions, or is it that there isn't always a cause for addiction, that there isn't some simple, linear relation... and so it doesn't matter?
His relationships with his family certainly matter, I think. But I don’t believe it’s “just” a linear relationship either. In other words it’s not, “His parents were alcoholics so he is too.” Nor is it, “His parents died when he was young and he coped by abusing alcohol and drugs.” In my mind it’s both, and probably a whole host of other circumstances. I’m a “nature, nurture, and whatever else you’ve got” person when it comes to human behavior.
Initially, I wanted to do more with his family – particularly his aunt and uncle. But I’ve had to leave a lot of things out from my original outline, which is disappointing to me. I really wanted to show more of Bella and Jacob’s relationship, but some things had to be cut.
Jasper is magnificent and pivotal in this story. He wears his vulnerability as his strength, he takes time in his journey to recovery to stop and support others, often at great personal cost. Is he based on anyone in real life?
I like to think of him as a best-case scenario, maybe? Perhaps a good-case scenario. He is, loosely, based on someone in real life. Maybe the projection of what this person might be or could’ve been.
You write, “he takes time in his journey to recovery to stop and support others, often at great personal cost.” Agreed. While I think that helping others can sometimes be a way to help yourself, and while I also believe that there’s no one, perfect recipe for maintaining sobriety or staying clean, Jasper – in my eyes – has trouble maintaining a healthy distance from other people’s problems. That’s part of his struggle.
And that’s real to me. Being in AA or NA, being clean and/or sober for years, doesn’t mean you’ve reached some Zen-like state of ideal human behavior (although other characters perceive him that way sometimes). People in recovery aren’t saints – they’re human. And when you get close to the havoc that alcoholism and addiction wreak, it’s really hard to turn off the “I’m going to do whatever I have to do to help you” instinct. Even if you know that the best thing you can do for a person addicted to alcohol or drugs is not “help them” (in the traditional sense), stepping away is difficult. To put it mildly.
For the record, I have some educational/professional training in the treatment of addiction, but I’m not a clinician. I can only speak from my own experience.
There is an underlying theme of second chances and redemption in With Teeth. What are your views on atonement not only within With Teeth, but Twilight and life in general? Do words and actions make up for past transgressions?
Words are important, I think. I’m often surprised what a simply apology can accomplish. If you want to rebuild a relationship, however, actions trump words. For me.
Does everyone deserve a second chance? There are situations in which, no, I don’t think so. But I believe every person has the potential for redemption.
We had a lot of discussion about what would constitute HEA for these two. Most agree that a traditional happy ending doesn't apply / is not what we want. Can you give us a hint as to what we might expect? ;)
I absolutely will not. =)
What are your top 3 favorite moments in With Teeth?
This question is killer.
These are the moments I loved writing (even when it was ugly).
The first chapter.
The day Edward comes into the store and they talk about books, specifically when he comments on Jane Austen and looks up at her.
Chapter 6, when Edward is speaking during the meeting.
Chapter 11, specifically when Edward touches her and comments on her having strong hands.
The end of Chapter 12 when they’re kissing in the street.
Bella’s conversations with Charlie about Edward.
Chapter 18.
Bella seeing Edward in the bar.
Jasper and Edward running then fighting in the woods.
Chapter 25, specifically when Bella teases Edward about his mittens.
Chapter 26.
That’s more than three, sorry. (I’m not really sorry.)
Top three favorite fanfictions / authors?
Like Bella, I don’t “do” favorites, but there are certain aspects of certain stories that I deeply admire.
I appreciate how InstantKarmaGirl writes about abuse. It’s honest and terrible, and she doesn’t use sexual abuse and/or rape as a plot device that allows Edward to rescue and “fix” Bella. Her characters can be ugly sometimes. That feels real to me.
I’m not a Jasper/Bella person, so I spot read some of the end, but Twanza’s “Neverending Math Equation” contains some really beautiful writing.
Jennyfly just finished “Sanctuary,” which is a story that grabbed me. The writing is very…tactile. As in, I think of hands. Hands on a priest’s collar, hands offering Communion host, hands holding cheese sandwiches. There’s this chapter with cheese sandwiches and whenever I think of this story, that’s the image I get. A fucking cheese sandwich, but like one you can feel and taste and smell. The writing sticks with me.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring?
I’m going to assume you mean non-essentials. (?) So I’ll skip the “phone so I can call someone and get off the island” stuff. =)
Sunblock.
My iPod.
A guitar.
Something to write with and on.
Soap.
Thank you so much to TalulahBlue and the lovely ladies who joined the discussion!
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