Stefanie Brawner is sixteen and lives in Southern California. Her first novel is, if unpublished, at least complete; the second one is still in-progress. She is understudying Madame Thénardier in the first amateur production of Les Misérables in Ventura County, and is the author of over 25 fanfics, including L'Avenir Viendra and Racing Atalanta.

Q: How long have you been writing fanfic?
A: I'm sure I've been writing it a long time; I just can't remember how long. The earliest stories I remember writing that were actually fan fic are from when I was 11, for the movie "Anastasia". If you look, I'm sure that I still have several pieces up somewhere.... So that would be 5 years during which I know I've been writing fan fic.

Q: Why do you write?
A: As Charlotte Bronte said, "...because I cannot help it." Writing is naturally a part of who I am, one of the few ways in which I feel I can truly express myself. I've always loved the written word, my father made sure of that. He read to me often when I was young and I fell in love with reading. My father loves to write, too, which is where I probably get it from, though he hasn't got much time to do so--he's a lawyer. It was only about a year ago, though, that I decided that I want to be a novelist.

Q: What got you interested in Les Miz?
A: When I was 11, I was being home-schooled, so I didn't know many people. My mother told me I should go to a talent show at the local teen center. Amidst all the normal, boring acts, a girl stepped out and sang "On My Own." The stage was utterly transformed in my mind. It took six months, maybe more--I was twelve when I finally did it, but I hunted down the source--thank God for the library--and I fell in love the first time I heard it.

Q: Do you tend to base your stories on the novel, or the musical?
A: Definitely the novel; the characters are more fascinating because there's more to them. Besides, they're also very incomplete, and it's fun to put myself to the challenge of writing characters that Hugo invented and trying to stay within the bounds of what he said, to stay believable to someone who's read the book, and still let them be my own work, not someone else's cliché, and to try and avoid writing the same thing as everyone else.

Q: What condition is your copy of the novel in? ;)
A: Oh, surprisingly good, actually, for one of the paperback copies, especially as I've had it for nearly two years now. I've seen Becca Courfeyrac's and it's falling apart! Mine's mostly in one piece. I've just had to tape a few pages back in, mostly in the student section. A little bent, a little ripped, that's all.

Q: What kind of fic do you tend to write the most (humor, romance, vignettes, crossovers...)? Why?
A: Most of my pieces are serious. I tend to write vignettes more than anything else these days, probably because I either don't have the patience to plot out full stories right now, or I don't have the time when I have the patience. Also, I like writing Thoughts. I think it's fun to write an internal monologue for a character, then to step back and see what I said. It's rarely what it was meant to be, and, when I'm lucky, it feels right, and I like that. Also, I tend to be a very serious person, so my pieces tend to have a more serious side. I'm not sure why, but I seem to have some difficulty writing stories that are purposely comedic. Which isn't to say that I don't use humor, on occassion; it's just that what little humor there is tends to be thrown in with the serious stuff.

Q: Do you usually start with a plot idea or with a character?
A: Since most of the characters I write for regularly are formed before I start writing, it usually comes both ways. I'll be thinking about a character because of something that just happened--a movie I saw, a book I read, a conversation I just had--and I'll usually go "Well, what if...?" More often than not, it's a song I'm listening to. A few lines of the lyric will inspire me to go write something, though they rarely turn out as intended; if it's a song or a quote that gives me an idea, I copy it down with the story and give credit to the author, if I know who that is. Some ideas come when I say, "What if I did this to...?" It's less a matter of choosing a situation for a character or a character for a situation; they usually happen at the same time. Though sometimes I will think, "I have to write something for" whoever, merely because either that's the mood I'm in or because I haven't had anything from that character in a while. Figments should work for their room and board, after all.

Q: Do you research your fics? What are some sources you consult?
A: It depends really. Sometimes I'll research a little, and when I do, I usually just use Altavista, though that doesn't always work. I usually focus on emotions rather than events, though, so I don't always need to research, if I'm doing a vignette, for example. Maps are useful for making sure people are coming from the right direction and that they aren't too far away from where they're going to make sure they got there when you said they did. When I feel that a story won't be right if something is inaccurate, I'll research. Oh, and another source is my dad--he's a History/Archaeology major, as well as a lawyer, so his knowledge comes in handy. He's the source I use most often, probably because I'm lazy. ^_^;

Q: Who's your favorite character and why?
A: I adore all of them, truly I do. I used to hate Cosette, but I love her now; she's got a lot of potential for good scenes. But my very, very, very favorite is probably Jehan Prouvaire, if only based off my own version of him, though I think I stick to Hugo's version quite well. I adore Prouvaire, and if he were real, I would probably marry him. (Or Amy's Darcel, but I hear there's a line for that.) Jehan is so sweet and interesting and--well, it's probably actually because he's a hopeless romantic and a poet, and the part of me which is a hopeless romantic think it's very romantic that he's an idealistic revolutionary and a poet . . . . It's also probably because I have the most in common with Jehan, except for the fact that I'm not a shy, wealthy, revolutionary only son living in Paris in the 1830s. Anyway, Musichetta and Cosette are also favorites. (See? That's why I modernized those three. I think.) And all the students . . . But Jehan above all.

Q: Do you like to write about original characters, or do you prefer to stick to the ones from the story?
A: On occasion, I'll introduce original characters, and they're usually needed in a full story to make things interesting. Hugo can't give us everything we need. Mostly, though, I stick to the ones from the story when writing Original Miz stuff--I tend to use original characters more often for Moderne pieces--probably because I'm afraid of falling into that horrifying abyss known as Marie-Suzette-Land. It's not hard to write a Marie-Suzette--we're always writing about ourselves--and it's even less difficult for half the fandom to notice it's a Marie-Suzette.

Q: What one character would you like to read more about?
A: Personally, though she's mentioned often, I think Cosette herself needs more attention. The focus is on the students (I don't blame anyone for that, though; that's where my focus is, too, and a good focus it is). I think people tend to figure that, since she's a main character, she doesn't need fan fic, and when she is in fan fic, she tends to be portrayed as weak and wimpy. But if you look at the book, she's intelligent, she's well-educated, she's compassionate; she loves her father deeply, and yet she has the strength of will and love to go against what she's sure he'll say. She's insecure at fifteen, like most other girls, which is amusing in one of the heroines of an epic novel. And as for those scenes at the end after her wedding when she acts like a twit, well, to quote Jamie Howard, "No one acts normal after their wedding." She's probably as persistent as her mother, if a little less naive. And she was naive, not merely innocent. She was wild and spirited, if you read her description; a lark, not a dove. I'd like to see a story where Cosette is treated as an intelligent and interesting person in her own right, someone with the capability to make decisions and see things through.

Q: What's your favorite moment from the novel/musical?
A: That's difficult. In the musical, it would have to be "Drink With Me," though that's a close call, because it's so beautiful and sad, almost as if they're resigned to their deaths before they even complete realize they will die; probably a few of them have realized how hopeless it is, but most of them still believe Paris is at their side. Or "One Day More." That song is hard to sing, but you don't realize just how hard it is until you're singing it with forty other people; that's when you appreciate it most. It's just beautiful. From the novel, I love all the student scenes--with them talking in '26, and on the barricades, particularly the R/E! moments. Also, I think that the whole scene where Cosette realizes she's pretty and agonizes over it is funny and very sweet.

Q: What's your favorite story of yours, and why?
A: "Sparrows", because I love Jehan and I love Enjolras and I'd never bothered to write them into the same scene, and, when I did, I liked how it turned out. Jehan's long been a favorite of mine, yet, up until "Sparrows," he wasn't in any of my stories. My Enjolras was vaguely human; if you look at him in my other pieces, I've noticed he's a lot more--human, I suppose, than a lot of the other Enjolrati, probably because it's difficult to write him human for a lot of people. I have difficulty writing for stone. Anyway, I couldn't remember having written anything for him off the barricades after he became revolutionary, besides "Cat's Eyes" and he wasn't the focus there, and I wanted to see how the strains of leadership affected him. I wanted to see Jehan being a little bolder than he normally was, out of concern. I wanted to let the poet speak. I usually look at my stories and say that I could have done better, but I really liked how "Sparrows" turned out. I extended it for a writing contest--just descriptions, really--and entered it, and it came out first place, so that was exciting. Though, the results were amusing--the judges thought that it should be extended into a novel, with "Sparrows" as the first chapter. I didn't bother telling them that it already was a novel, just without my piece in it.

Q: What story have you gotten the most feedback about?
A: I think I got three e-mails about "Cat's Eyes." :) Well, probably "Sparrows," though I can't be sure, because I use diaryland, so everyone uses notes, and you can't remember which applied to what later, if the writer of the note didn't say. I do know that people like Jehan, though, so most of them applied to "Sparrows," I think.

Q: How did you get the idea for "Racing Atalanta"?
A: That come from looking around and realizing two things. Firstly, most people had a decided reason for the antagonism between Enjolras and Grantaire, no matter what it was, and I didn't. Secondly, while I understand that Enjolras dislikes Grantaire for his cynicism and Grantaire "worships" Enjolras because he is R's opposite, I also feel that there should be another reason. I don't think someone who simply seems not to care would have taken to time to study, to commit so much to memory. I don't think that someone with such natural intelligence would waste it without reason. I decided some time ago, long before "Atalanta" that Grantaire's problem was that he had had a twin sister, a sister who had possessed the looks he did not and perhaps even a bit of a fire which he did not have, something she had more in common with Enjolras than R, a sister who died young, who he would mourn for deeply, a loss which would turn him to drunkenness and not caring. I had also toyed with the idea, in my mind only, of Enjolras and Grantaire being childhood friends who parted over something, though I didn't know what. I also wondered why Enjolras would ignore women so much, why he would bury himself so completely in his cause. I started to think about why Enjolras would hate R so much, and I came up with the idea of Enjolras' youthful enthusiasm turned towards a girl rather than a cause, and having that girl be Grantaire's beloved sister, whom I had planned to kill off anyway; I came up with the idea of having Enjolras hate Grantaire for reminding him of Adrienne, and later for his cynicism, and because he half-blamed himself, and Grantaire bitter because he, too, blamed Enjolras. Trying to figure out a way to work this all together, I turned towards mythology for a background, partially to give myself a base to work off of, and partially so that Grantaire could joke about similarities, and I like the irony of having him call his sister after the tragic character she sort of portrayed.

Q: What's your favorite story of someone else's?
A: It'll probably be "Tempus Fugit" if Jamie finishes that, but right now it's definitely "Untitled" by Amy. It's a very well-written, well-tied together piece with an interesting story to tell and a beautiful way of telling it, and I love every character in it.

Q: What other fanfic writers do you enjoy reading?
A: There's a long list. :) Amy, Jenelin, Manon, LonelyGamine, Elizabeth/Elsb, Cillabub, Becca Courfeyrac, KateSarah, Shawn, Jamie Howard, ChibiMusi, Laura, Jace, and Anna. And I'm probably forgetting someone!

Q: Do you read or write fanfic in other fandoms?
A: Yes, I do . . . I read "Harry Potter" fic and, admittedly, have written a bit (though those were all to unblock my writer's block...). I used to read and write "Anastasia" stuff, don't anymore. And now, well, there's "Gilmore Girls." I don't write that all that often, though. Aside from Les Miz, most of my stuff is original now.

Q: What's your advice to beginning fanfic writers?
A: Write. You want to be a writer? Then write. It's trite and over-used, but true. Your stories will not be good in the beginning. If they are, you're lucky or talented. But even talented authors don't write good stories all along. You'll probably get frustrated, you'll probably tear up a few stories--don't. If you don't like a story, go back through it and see why you don't like it. Learn from yourself. Read other people's work and make sure you aren't copying them, but see what you like, and ask yourself why you like it. Read lots of writings and see what works and what doesn't, and try to avoid using too many clichéd plots, because they get annoying. That's all you can really do--read to see what works and what does, and keep writing. You're supposed to not like your first stuff; very few people do. If you write enough, though, eventually you'll have something.

How do you come up with names for your characters?
A: Marcelin Enjolras (Sept, even though he's been around awhile, 'cause I still haven't registered him) stole his name from Abby's Enjolras because I thought it sounded like the most perfect Enjolras name. I usually just think of a name that suits the character and sounds good with the last name, or I'll use names that I happen to like for minor characters. With Enjolras' mother, I named her Marie-Antoinette merely because I happen to like irony. My Modernes have names that stay close to the names of their originals: Jennifer Danielle Portman for Jean Damien Prouvaire; Charlotte Emily White for "Cosette" Euphrasie whatever-you-think-her-last-name-is, and White is the irony in this one, simply because, as Cori said, "It's the perfect name."; Michelina Gwenevere Capernaum-Andreas for Musichetta Galatée Capelle-Amiot (no, I feel no pity for either one). It really just comes down to what works best.

Q: What's a book you'd recommend to everyone?
A: The His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass) by Phillip Pullman is a set of three of the best books I've ever read, particularly The Amber Spyglass. Also, Spindle's End by Robin McKinley is a beautiful re-telling of Sleeping Beauty with a twist, and another major favorite. McKinley and Pullman are two very powerful authors, though, so anything you can find by them is likely to be good.

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