There are two days
left before the beginning of Camp National Writing Month (Camp NaNo,
or just Camp). Two days! Ack!
You're probably
expecting something along the lines of "Oh no! I'm not ready!"
Or "But I don't have a clue what I am going to write!" On
the contrary actually; however my plight comes from my brain's
inability to focus on anything for any real length of time. It also
comes from my brain's impulsiveness. See, I had an idea all set for
this April's Camp NaNo. It was about a girl who discovers she is a
shape-shifter. All I had to do was figure out the characters' back
stories and I was all set. Well, I also I had to pin down the exact
plot, but it was gradually coming to me. However, my brain had other
plans. It decided that two weeks before I was to begin my original
fiction novel I was going to have myself a marathon of Power
Rangers. I bought the first three seasons in a box set about a
year or so ago (which resulted in a day trip to Square One and an
afternoon with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time), and last week
I decided to have myself a marathon. Bad idea. Then I listened to an
interview Johnny Yong Bosch did back in 2010... Johnny Yong Bosch
played the role of Adam, the one who became the Black Ranger after
Walter Emmanuel Jones (Zack) left the show in the second season. One
of the interviewers asked Johnny who he thought Adam was. The answer
Johnny gave was pretty awesome. When Johnny reprised his role for a
two-part episode for Power Rangers Operation Overdrive in
2007, he thought about just who Adam was then and what he had been
doing since passing his powers on to Carlos in Turbo (1997) and his
appearance in the Power Rangers In Space episode, Always a
Chance (one of my favourite episodes ever) in 1998. Johnny
surmised that Adam had been going on solo missions and continuing his
role as a Power Ranger since Zordon's death at the end of Space
has restored his previously lost powers. When he read the script and
it stated Adam owned a dojo, Johnny wasn't too pleased and, in his
mind, the dojo was simply a cover. As he was explaining this, my mind
stated working double time. And then he said something that sealed
the deal: "Maybe some kids will write some fan fiction about
him." Damn you, Johnny!
I may not be a kid
anymore, but Power Rangers is probably my favourite
fandom to write. I especially love taking a show that was fairly
light and meant for children and writing something dark. Johnny's
characterization of Adam's life after he'd departed from the show got
me thinking not only about what Adam had been doing after he'd left
the team, but about those he had fought alongside. Is Aisha still
living in Africa? What is Rocky doing? How is Zack, whom Adam had
replaced? Has Kimberly's dream of becoming a world class gymnast come
true? Is Billy still living on Aquitar and is he now married to
Cestra? What have the other Rangers done with their lives? Are they
still fighting the good fight or have they retired? What about Bulk
and Skull? What about the Rangers from the later seasons I watched?
There are so many questions left unanswered and I want to figure out
what those answers are, even if it means making stuff up.
In one fanfic, I
used the dojo ending the writers gave Adam, and while it works for
that story, I want to explore the idea Johnny unknowingly gave me
four years before I ever heard the aforementioned interview. However,
before I do that, there is one other story that needs to be finished.
It's called The Power of Friendship and, if you're interested,
you can find it here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4901091/1/The-Power-of-Friendship. (Clicking on my pen name will direct you to a list of the fanfiction up there - 7 for Supernatural and 2 for Power Rangers.) I am about two chapters away from finishing it, so April's Camp will
be how I finish it. I'm sure my readers on fanfiction.net will be
very pleased. And so will I.
I'm
sure many of you were shaking your heads when I said I write Power
Rangers fan fiction, but Power Rangers was the first show I ever
watched religiously and my parents and grandmother gave me free reign
to watch it. As a result, the show became a part of my life. It still
is; I still catch the odd episode just to see what's going on. The
show is in its 21st year, which is a
testament to its staying power. It has stood the test of time. It is
for this reason I continue to write for the fandom, even if the
characters whose stories I tell are from 16-21 years ago.
So,
to those who were witness to my planning for
The
Shifters (now
titled The
Therians),
I'm sorry that it will no longer be the novel I'll be working on for
Camp. I hope it won't be on the back burner for too long.
To
those who have supported my love for, and addiction to, the Power
Rangers
franchaise, thank you. (Especially those who have allowed me to pull
you into some just-for-fun fanfiction.)
A
future post may arise to explain just what it is I
love so much about
the show, but for now, I will leave you with my love of writing
fanfiction and how it's shaping my Camp NaNo plans.
I
will also leave you with a couple of questions: Are you participating
in Camp NaNo? If so, what is your project?
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