Steven released this Spotlight in April, 2001
April's "Spotlight" is on Robert Nowall.
A regular on the messageboard, and I believe a constant beta-reader and voracious consumer of fanfics (based on the many reviews I see of his on ff.net of other fics), Robert has done some 'Daria' fanfic of his own. Let's have a look-see of them, but without giving too much of the plot in each away, of course. Read them for yourself if you haven't already!
In "All You Outcasts", Nowall bases this sci-fi flavored fic on a short story by Robert A. Heinlein. Let's just say that it's about things coming to a full circle. I had to re-read it to understand, but once I did, I found myself impressed by the way Nowall could keep everything in place plot-wise. "Aunt Amy" also stars in this.
"Chance Meeting on Dega Street: A Poem" is interesting because, if nothing else, it keeps the identity of the person an older Daria has returned to Lawndale to meet a bit of a mystery, though if anyone can ask RuthlessBunny, I'm sure she'll tell you who it is--I hope! (Hint, hint) ;D
"Christmas Morning" is a nice ficlet by which we see a lonely Jane receiving a familiar visitor bearing an usual (for this person) gift. Threw me for a bit of a loop.
"Condition" is Nowall's take of Sandi Griffin, and a little about what makes her tick, and her rivalry with Quinn. Hint: This comes before the ep "Fat Like Me", which shows Robert might have a very mild form of E.S.P.
"Heart's Desire: A Tale of the End of the World" is a very clever opinion by Robert on the 'Daria' show that's on why it keeps the same plot coherence, and is camouflaged by a sci-fi occurrance to OH that changes "everything"...or so we think. It's almost in Brian Taylor territory, it's a bit wierd. ;D
"Outcast Castaways" is simply put, Nowall's version of when 'Daria' meets 'Gilligan's Island' (and maaaaybe a touch of 'Survivor'), and it's hilarious. Poor, poor Daria. Somebody give this girl a gun--to shoot herself, that is.
"Shoot, Damn You, Shoot" stems from the opening scene of the ep "The Misery Chick", you know, when Daria and Quinn showed their pictures to a beaming Helen and Jake? Quinn's picture background had the beautiful waterfall with Quinn's (sickenly) flashy smile with pose, and Daria's picture background with that exciting greyish color, and Daria's trademark "expressionless expression". This fic explores the day when those pics were done, presumably several weeks prior to "TMC", or "offscreen". A bonus: Daria first meets Mack.
"Stinkbutt Part Two" is Robert's funny crossover between 'Daria' and the tv show 'NewsRadio'. I admit I wasn't a fan of 'NewsRadio', but Robert writes it such that you'd enjoy it anyhow, even if you haven't seen 'NR' at all. Jane makes something of a "cameo" appearance as well, and "contributes" something, too.
In closing, Robert Nowall is a 'Daria' fanfic writer who's covered several genres of the spectrum, from drama, to sci-fi, to comedy, to canon, sometimes combining some of them in a clever manner in some of his fics, and usually providing to the reader a sturdy, enjoyable, and very good fanfic. What do YOU (and the writer himself) think? Thanks.
Author's Response
A rebuttal:
>April's "Spotlight" is on Robert Nowall.
I feel honored beyond repair.
>A regular on the messageboard, and I believe a constant beta-reader and voracious consumer of fanfics (based on the many reviews I see of his on ff.net of other fics), Robert has done some 'Daria' fanfic of his own. Let's have a look-see of them, but without giving too much of the plot in each away, of course. Read them for yourself if you haven't already!
I like beta reading. Besides, one motive in writing was to say, "Hey! This guy knows what he's talking about!" Besides that, they were fun to do (and remain so).
>In "All You Outcasts", Nowall bases this sci-fi flavored fic on a short story by Robert A. Heinlein. Let's just say that it's about things coming to a full circle. I had to re-read it to understand, but once I did, I found myself impressed by the way Nowall could keep everything in place plot-wise. "Aunt Amy" also stars in this.
When you're working with a classic plot, it's easy. That was a story that reared up out of my subconsciousness one morning at work, and by evening I had a rough draft on hand. Of course, there are plot point lapses here and there...
>"Chance Meeting on Dega Street: A Poem" is interesting because, if nothing else, it keeps the identity of the person an older Daria has returned to Lawndale to meet a bit of a mystery, though if anyone can ask RuthlessBunny, I'm sure she'll tell you who it is--I hope! (Hint, hint) ;D
It could be Trent. It could be Tom. It could be Ted (DeWitt-Clinton). It could be Tim (O'Neill). It could be Tony (DeMartino). It could be Tiffany. It could be any character whose name begins with a "T." It could be any of them, really.
>"Christmas Morning" is a nice ficlet by which we see a lonely Jane receiving a familiar visitor bearing an usual (for this person) gift. Threw me for a bit of a loop.
Again, another plot lifted from another source, another one day of writing a draft, a little autobiographical material thrown in...
>"Condition" is Nowall's take of Sandi Griffin, and a little about what makes her tick, and her rivalry with Quinn. Hint: This comes before the ep "Fat Like Me", which shows Robert might have a very mild form of E.S.P.
I wanted to write something that made Sandi not so much of a villain (I hope someday to do the same with Ms. Li, if I ever think of something.) I had this bit from the comic strip "For Better or For Worse" where a "villain" was in the hospital all summer and only had one visitor, from an "enemy." It wouldn't scrape off my brain, so I wrote it up.
(Also, I wanted to conceal a joke in the story. So far as I know, nobody's gotten it yet.)
>"Heart's Desire: A Tale of the End of the World" is a very clever opinion by Robert on the 'Daria' show that's on why it keeps the same plot coherence, and is camouflaged by a sci-fi occurrance to OH that changes "everything"...or so we think. It's almost in Brian Taylor territory, it's a bit wierd. ;D
Well, that one gave me a lot of trouble. After all, there are no characters, just plot and events and carefully concealed commentary on the series. My beta readers can tell you how much it changed from version to version...
>"Outcast Castaways" is simply put, Nowall's version of when 'Daria' meets 'Gilligan's Island' (and maaaaybe a touch of 'Survivor'), and it's hilarious. Poor, poor Daria. Somebody give this girl a gun--to shoot herself, that is.
Another one that just came down and had to be written. Real difficult to decide who fit what "Gilligan's Island" part. Daria is the Professor, Jane is the Skipper...Trent is Gilligan but Kevin is also Gilligan. Quinn is Ginger and Stacy is Mary Ann, but everybody else is pretty much whoever they are.
>"Shoot, Damn You, Shoot" stems from the opening scene of the ep "The Misery Chick", you know, when Daria and Quinn showed their pictures to a beaming Helen and Jake? Quinn's picture background had the beautiful waterfall with Quinn's (sickenly) flashy smile with pose, and Daria's picture background with that exciting greyish color, and Daria's trademark "expressionless expression". This fic explores the day when those pics were done, presumably several weeks prior to "TMC", or "offscreen". A bonus: Daria first meets Mack.
Just something I wrote early on to make another rebuttal, that I could only deal with science fiction themes and was mostly a script writer. (For Your Information: I assumed Jane's picture was the one found under "Fashion Disaster Alerts" on the Fashion Club pages of "The Daria Database"...I don't think Jane would actually pose for them, and she does look a little disgruntled...)
>"Stinkbutt Part Two" is Robert's funny crossover between 'Daria' and the tv show 'NewsRadio'. I admit I wasn't a fan of 'NewsRadio', but Robert writes it such that you'd enjoy it anyhow, even if you haven't seen 'NR' at all. Jane makes something of a "cameo" appearance as well, and "contributes" something, too.
Just another show I watch regularly, and the idea kicked up into my mind and wasn't beaten down. Though I thought about it for a while, it took just a day to write the rough draft. (Another For Your Information: Sam Johnson and Chris Morrill (is that how they spell their names), the "Daria" writers who bestowed their names on Sam and Chris Griffin, also worked on "NewsRadio"---something I didn't find out until I was well into the writing of it.)
>In closing, Robert Nowall is a 'Daria' fanfic writer who's covered several genres of the spectrum, from drama, to sci-fi, to comedy, to canon, sometimes combining some of them in a clever manner in some of his fics, and usually providing to the reader a sturdy, enjoyable, and very good fanfic. What do YOU (and the writer himself) think? Thanks.
These aren't mutually exclusive. There's also my "Daria: 2010" series (three scripts and a fourth (and maybe others) if I ever push past Scene One).
I'm glad this was my day off. I had time to look it over and compose my reply, instead of having to rush off to work after making a few pithy comments...
Renfield
>>In "All You Outcasts", Nowall bases this sci-fi flavored fic on a short story by Robert A. Heinlein. Let's just say that it's about things coming to a full circle. I had to re-read it to understand, but once I did, I found myself impressed by the way Nowall could keep everything in place plot-wise. "Aunt Amy" also stars in this.
>When you're working with a classic plot, it's easy. That was a story that reared up out of my subconsciousness one morning at work, and by evening I had a rough draft on hand. Of course, there are plot point lapses here and there...
I found this piece very interesting and deftly handled. Someday I'll have to read the Heinlein story.
>>"Christmas Morning" is a nice ficlet by which we see a lonely Jane receiving a familiar visitor bearing an usual (for this person) gift. Threw me for a bit of a loop.
>Again, another plot lifted from another source, another one day of writing a draft, a little autobiographical material thrown in...
I'm a big fan of angst, so this one really played to me. Wish it had been longer.
>>"Condition" is Nowall's take of Sandi Griffin, and a little about what makes her tick, and her rivalry with Quinn. Hint: This comes before the ep "Fat Like Me", which shows Robert might have a very mild form of E.S.P.
>I wanted to write something that made Sandi not so much of a villain (I hope someday to do the same with Ms. Li, if I ever think of something.) I had this bit from the comic strip "For Better or For Worse" where a "villain" was in the hospital all summer and only had one visitor, from an "enemy." It wouldn't scrape off my brain, so I wrote it up.
>(Also, I wanted to conceal a joke in the story. So far as I know, nobody's gotten it yet.)
This is one of the best "Sandi gets redeemed" fics I've come across, and he didn't even have to change anything about her character. I'm still looking for that joke.
>>"Heart's Desire: A Tale of the End of the World" is a very clever opinion by Robert on the 'Daria' show that's on why it keeps the same plot coherence, and is camouflaged by a sci-fi occurrance to OH that changes "everything"...or so we think. It's almost in Brian Taylor territory, it's a bit wierd. ;D
>Well, that one gave me a lot of trouble. After all, there are no characters, just plot and events and carefully concealed commentary on the series. My beta readers can tell you how much it changed from version to version...
Have to agree, this one buries the needle on the weirdometer, and offers an explanation for a question we never thought to ask.
>These aren't mutually exclusive. There's also my "Daria: 2010" series (three scripts and a fourth (and maybe others) if I ever push past Scene One).
The 2010 series are my favorite pieces of Robert's work, I hope he continues with them and his other writing.
Wouter Jaegers
>>April's "Spotlight" is on Robert Nowall.
>Who was my trusty and strict Beta reader who's comments helped me shape my trouble walking story. I might as well go as far as to stating that we have writen it together.
Alchemist
A very well-deserved recognition. Well-done.