When you started writing for Elia, was it very difficult? You were the first name I met as a pro-Elia writer and I've seen your name cited as a reason for people to have a new vision for the "great love affair." Can you tell us a little about your experience? I love your work, thank you for being the general of the defense force 🧡
Now, I wasn't expecting this! I haven't really thought about it but I'll do my best to reply with my best recollections from all those years ago. The general of the defense force, I like this! And I always smile at thinking that I might have a tiny contribution to this new look on things. Thank you.
No, writing by itself wasn't difficult at all. I let the stories write themselves. On occasions, I've challenged myself, like - can I write this? But most of the stories take shape in writing and they are about things I like to write about, so it wasn't difficult at all.
When I started writing my Elia stories, there weren't many pro-Elia fics. In fact, I only remember the awesome Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken: The Chronicles of Elia Martell by Eena. But it was centered on Elia and the "great love affair" wasn't written with distinct anti-sentiment. I'm not criticizing. Eena focused on other things and it was clear where her sympathy lay - with Elia. It was her story and it worked wonderfully for me. But it means that I might well have been the very first fic writer to write an anti-love story fic.
My very first Elia story, A Farewell was an attempt to check if the rivers of the general (pro-Rhaegar) sentiment in the fandom work for me while keeping Elia as something more than a prop for Rhaegar and Lyanna. I think the story worked but it wasn't the vein I wanted to keep writing in. So I progressed to The Daughter of the Sun which found a surprising number of followers and reviewers at ff.net where I first posted it. This fact helped my inspiration because it's easier to write when you know someone is reading. The fact that I got my first nay-sayers and people who wanted to lecture me on canon didn't bother me.
A little later, I registered on AO3 and started posting in both places. I knew where I was going with the characters and the plots and the occasional comment on AO3 made my day. Gradually, I got my steady flow of commenters who shared my interest in Elia and showed that they were on the same page with my anti-love-story sentiment. I still remember the night I received my first consecutive comments by the same person, the amazing @riana-one. She might be my first constant follower here, I thought - and she still is. Later, others joined in - Baelorfan, a_lady, @daria-rys and others. They suggested ideas for my fics and we talked about the books, Elia and many other things. It was a nice little circle that I felt comfortable in.
Of course, I gathered the interest of the shippers as well. I welcomed it. If I got them so angry, I was doing it right. But I have to admit that had I been a teenager, I might have balked under the pressure to make me lose confidence and stop writing. As it is, I don't feel it like pressure.
Gradually, the fandom grew and pro-Elia-critical-of-the-great-love-stories fics started appearing. I loved their emergence. I always loved writing my own stories about Elia (and the Targaryens of old) but it feels better to be a reader as well! And I love that people have options to choose.
BTW, I have NOT abandoned my old stories, Song of Darkness and Sunset and Shadows. They're just more complicated and require more time and attention to detail that I've had in years. Real life always has to come first.
Thanks for asking! I haven't thought about my early experience for so long.