Guns and Grapple:
Fanfiction

Tomb Raider Fansite

Tomb Raider Girl's Interview

Tomb Raider Girl has launched one of Tomb Raider’s biggest fan sites, complete with main site, forum, and Wikiraider. At the end of 2006 her website received a million fans from all around the globe. She has also posted seven TR fan fiction, five in English and two in German. Jana has filled in gaps in the story line the game left, as well as created fresh adventures for Lara to under take.

What tips would you give to someone who wants to make fan fiction?

First make sure that you have a clear vision of Lara, of what she is to you and how you'd like her to be. Then give her an interesting counterpart, not any lame baddy but someone who can stand his ground against someone like Lara. And/Or put her in an interesting setting; a unique location.
When you have an idea, start writing. (A little music might inspire you, something that gets you in the mood of what you want to write.) Don't stop because you are unhappy with a particular scene but you've got ideas for what happens next. Work through it and put anything in as a placeholder. At the "end of the day" put the story away and pick it up again a few days later. Now you might want to make changes and eventually you will be able to fill a gap. You might even drop whole scenes, but that won't matter, you've lost nothing but you gained experience.

When writing do you imagen the video game Lara, movie Lara or the models?

I always imagine the video game Lara. For me she's the real Lara. She was there first and she's more than what you see on the screen. She's an idea, what my imagination made of her. This character might incorporate elements from the movie or the comics but she basically is what I want her to be.

When writing, what do you need to avoid or include?

When I write a story, I try to include a bit of everything, some action, humour, romance... the only thing I try to avoid are lengthy exploring sessions that would sound like a walkthrough, that's a different department and would probably bore the readers.