Midnight Whispers
QAF Brian and Justin Fanfiction
Author's Chapter Notes:

A sincere letter to all my readers. Thank you!

 

Dear Readers, 

I wanted to write this letter to you all to talk a little bit about Why Not With Me, but also to express my sincerest thanks to you for reading. I hope it isn’t presumptuous of me to write this way, but a simple “thanks” at the end of the last chapter seemed like nothing more than an afterthought…and really, you readers are so often at the forefront of my mind.  

 

I’d written fanfics for a couple of years, and QAF ones for several months, before posting Why Not With Me. Prior to that, I’d hardly even reviewed.  (I still owe some reviews!)

But then I read a couple of fanfics which had such an impact on me (and whose authors seemed community-minded) that I thought maybe it would be worth a try.  

 

From the very beginning, I felt like I’d found a sort of family here on Midnight Whispers. I think the excitement of the first reviews was like a high I’m forever trying to duplicate! My heart leaps a little with each new review...

 

 Over the last five months since the first post, real life has been really difficult, particularly at work… And Why Not With Me has been a sort of refuge… And you all have been about the best support group a person could wish for. I don’t know that I could ever really thank you enough… I’ve shared so much of myself -- from ideas, to *ahem* fantasies, to music…to have all of that welcomed has been an amazing experience…

 

Several readers have mentioned that this story has taught them something, or has resonated with them in a personal way. First, to know that means more to me than I can possibly find words to say. Secondly, I’m with you -- Brian’s perfectionism, his difficulty expressing emotion, and his problems letting others close to him are all struggles I know all too well… I have been so inspired by what readers have shared with me and the strength and compassion that they have so aptly modeled for me (and Brian!). 

 

However, perhaps the most personal aspect of Why Not With Me is the relationship that Brian and Justin have developed. No, I don’t have my own Sunshine or my own Beautiful waiting at home (*knocks on wood!*)!! 

 

No, what’s personal about it is harder to explain. What B/J have here (or what Sunshine/Beautiful have here) is an illustration of, a definition of, what I feel/think/want love to be. It probably sounds silly to say, but I struggled to communicate this, to know the words, and it was only through Buckeye5’s story, Making A Scene, that I felt I’d “seen” something that was…that reflected my own feelings. Why Not With Me expands on that and it enabled me to delve into this conception of love. And I I know that has meant a lot to me, and sharing it with you all has meant a lot, too. 

 

Why Not With Me is also a story that you all create, as readers. You know the old riddle, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it make a noise?” Well -- while I hate the riddle itself, I’ll adapt it for my own purposes: If I intend to write something in a story, but no readers think that it’s there, did I really write it? 

 

For me, once the words are down and “posted,” the story is out of my hands and into yours. The insights, suggestions, enthusiasm, curiosity and compassion that you all have brought into the story has made a *huge* difference to me as a writer. It helped to shape my thinking, and to know really what I’d written by knowing what you’d read.  I think it is those  interactions that made the story all that it could be -- more than I could have done alone, that’s for sure!

 

Here’s a funny thing: I hardly ever read fiction books. Maybe that’s why so much of the foundation of Why Not With Me is really about nonfiction concepts, psychological concepts. At any rate, though I find it extremely hard to find a fiction book that I care enough to finish reading. 

 

Nonetheless, here is a quote from one of my favorite authors, J.D. Salinger, in his story, Seymour: An Introduction…. I’d like it to serve as a sort of encouragement to anyone out there who might be thinking about writing or posting a story, or even a review:

 

“If only you’d remember before you ever sit down to write that you’ve been a reader long before you were a writer. You simply fix that fact in your mind, and sit very still and ask yourself, as a reader, what piece of writing in all the world Buddy Glass would most want to read if he had his heart’s choice. The next  step is terrible, but so simple I can hardly believe it as I write it. You just sit down shamelessly and write the thing yourself. I won’t even underline that. It’s too important to be underlined. Oh, dare to do it, Buddy! Trust your heart..” 

 

And so I guess maybe that’s the last thing I really wanted to say… Thank you from the bottom of my heart and getting to know you all has been a gift. I hope you’ll enjoy the stories that are in process and the ones coming up next. :)

 

Love, 

    Tiffany

 

Chapter End Notes:

Thanks so much to everyone... Also, if you are reading this at a later date, please still feel free to comment! I promise I'll be checking regularly on this site, or you could email me at indigo556@gmail.com. :)

You must login (register) to review.