[Kevin] How important is feedback from readers? How does reader feedback influence your writings?

[Wight] Well, first of all, everyone likes kind comments, so naturally, if people tell me they like my story, it puts me in the mood to keep writing them (and more importantly, to keep sending them out, cause I'll write them anyway, even if no one reads them :). Now, my characterization of Callisto is pretty much set in stone. Others can write me about it, and I'll discuss it with them. But I won't change it. Everything else, especially events and side characters, are wide open. If someone writes me and tells me this or that scene would be better if done in another way. I'll consider that, and if I think he/she makes a valid point, I'll take that into consideration. Basically, would I like about feedback (especially criticism), is that it puts new ideas into the story. I'm still one person after all, and without people telling me to change things from time to time, everything will soon start to look alike.

I would also like to get more feedback on writing style rather then the story from time to time. English is a second language for me, and my writing style is far from perfect. But without people telling me what I'm doing wrong, I'm never going to change.

Oh yeah, and if I can ever get Ms. Leick to see my stories and tell me she likes them, I can be happy for the rest of my life :)

[Kevin] You have written both short and multi-part stories. Do you like one format more than the other?

[Wight] Actually, I prefer short stories. The multi-part stories are more action oriented. Just telling a story like the ones you would see on TV (well, I doubt you'll see 'forces of evil' on tv, but you know what I mean :). The short stories are more philosophical (or at least, I try to make them more like that :). They have more from myself in them.

[Kevin] Your stories range over a lot of situations. Where do you get your story ideas? Can you give some examples?

[Wight] From my mind, mostly. Sometimes from dreams, or from imagination. I played a lot of roleplaying games, so I can draw a lot of ideas from there. Mostly though, I start off with just one element, and build the story from there. In 'Forces of evil', I started from the idea that I wanted to have Callisto and Darkness together in one story, and went from there. In 'Heart of Stone', I remembered the legend about medusa and took that as my starting point. In 'Past Not Forgotten', I just said to myself: "what would happen if Callisto went back to Cirra ?" and began to write.

[Kevin] You recently wrote your first Cirran Restoration Society multi-part skit, which was posted on the Hudson Leick Mailing List. (For those readers who don't know what the CRS is, I humbly suggest visiting the excellent and entertaining Oddity Twins' Web Page) How is writing a skit different than writing a story?

[Wight] Hmm, in many ways. It's a lot easier, for one, because you don't have to worry too much about descriptions, emotions and that sort of thing (not like in a fanfic story anyway), it's just some mindless bantering (at least, my skits are :).

It's also different in that in a skit, you don't want to be all that consistent (unlike in fanfic), and ... I like to hide as many references to movies or other stuff in there as I can, a little technique I learned from you :)