We asked the authors to share the names of some other fanfic authors or story titles which  inspired them in some way when they first started reading fan fiction - perhaps inspired them to write Bonanza fiction or showed them that fan fiction could actually be good writing.  Or maybe something or someone else started them writing Bonanza fanfic.  These are the answers we've gotten so far.  Other authors are welcome to join in and send us a paragraph.
 
 

Gwynne Logan Mine is a rather strange story on the fan fiction writing front. When Bonanza was alive and well, I actually wrote three scripts and got an agent who was willing to send them in for me. I got very nice rejection letters saying that they already had similar stories or that they were too expensive in production. Many years later when I discovered Bonanza fan fiction, I reworked those stories into The Price of Courage (well that is actually still a script); When the Time Comes, my Civil War story, and Wall of Darkness.  Because it took Lissa Brown so danged long to finish up her wonderful WHN Vengeance I was moved to write Kick Like a Mule, and Private Lessonswas written as a challenge on a small private writer's list, but also because Caz Convine had been fooling with the theme of Adam's first experiences with the ladies (I do editing for Caz and Jenny G.) for ages and hadn't finished it.  Well, back to your question. Jenny Guttridge's stories have really opened me up to the beauty and texture that good description can add to a story. Almost all of her works have it. An early one that impressed me was All In A Day's Work. I also love Gunfighting Man, Fall into Darkness and Shadow on the Mountain.   Lissa Brown is the perfect example of how to really get into the heart and psyche of the characters - take your pick, anything she wrote just blows me away. Sadly, I don't think I will ever approach her standard.  I really regret that Mary Stone is not currently writing. Some of her early ones are still favorites like The Storm - Parts I and II, Out of Discord and others.

Deborah Grant There are three authors who really inspired me: Lissa Brown, Becky Sims and Lois Boehl.   Becky's and Lissa's stories inspired me to write my first two stories about Adam. Lois's stories about Adam and Meg inspired me to write my stories about Adam and Bronwen. It looks like you either have or soon will have all of Lissa's and Lois's stories but the first story I read by Becky, which I don't see listed, is "One Night in Spring.". [Ed. note:  We've asked Becky for that one also and will be posting it soon.]

Vickie Batzka I stumbled across a Bonanza site strictly by accident about three years ago.   I remembered how much I had loved Adam (my first strong crush) and noted that Pax tv was showing episodes. It amazed me to discover that there were actually people who remembered and loved the show as much as I had. My first venture into fan fiction for Bonanza (I had a past in print zines with Star Trek, Professionals, Starsky & Hutch) found me at LJO reading all the Joe stories posted there. I had about decided I was the only Adam fan when I ran across RoundUp and the Adam stories there, some good and some not so good, but still Adam. Somehow, I stumbled across a writing list and met a lady called Starbuck. She has since taken the name SilverWolf, but whatever the name, she was very kind to a "newbie." She made me feel welcome, shared her stories (Adam of course) with me, and was the first to ask me why I didn't try my hand at writing. She kept saying we might write a story together. It never  happened, but I can truthfully say that "it's her fault I tried my first story." Through that first list experience, I discovered that I could make friends with others on the net, share interests, and grow myself. It is next to impossible to choose my favorite Bonanza story, but I certainly can name my favorite writer. Lissa Brown's stories are exactly my "cup of tea." I identify with the way she writes the entire family, not just my favorite of Adam. Her characters retain the spirit of honor, of caring and concern, of humor and family, that color my perception of the entire show. It is my personal goal in writing to be true to the flavor and feel of the show, to make the Cartwrights real and wonderful. I know it can  be done because Lissa, Becky, Vicki and several others have set the examples. I can heartily recommend Native Land and Rubicon, parts 1 & 2 as among my personal favorites.  [ed. note:  We'll be posting those stories soon.]

Lois Boehl When I came upon my first fan fiction pages I was amazed at the number of people who were writing Bonanza based stories. I had had many such stories rattling around in my head for years, but it never occurred to me to write them down, either on paper or on a floppy disk. I read and enjoyed quite a few, but when I came upon The Rubicon, by Lissa Brown, I was just blown away. The quality of her writing and her dead on capture (in my opinion) of the Cartwright's personalities simply captivated me. I e-mailed her to tell her how much I had enjoyed her work and she very kindly responded. It was Lissa who urged me to get my stories written and then post them. I doubt that I would have had the courage to do so without her encouragement. I have had some lovely responses to my stories and that is very gratifying. Positive feedback has given me the motivation to continue writing. However, I truly believe, as I've told Lissa, that I'm a rather adequate story teller, whereas she is a true writer. She has a gift. To this day I look forward eagerly to any new story she has written. I've never been disappointed and she keeps getting better. Her last work, Odyssey, is superb. We've met on a couple of occasions and talk on the phone from time to time. Aside from launching me into the world of writing fan fiction, she has become a friend. I think that's pretty wonderful.

Krystyna With regard to your Inspirations  page - well, in all honesty I was so thrilled to find somewhere to send a story about Bonanza that I just sent one. Then I read some others and wished that I could reach the standard that some of them had attained because they were, and are, fantastic. I nearly stopped sending any in because I felt so inadequate compared to them. One writer particularly encouraged me to continue writing and has always been very complimentary about my stories and that is Diana Golding who has submitted to several Bonanza sites.  [Some of Diana Golding's stories will be posted here soon.}

Julie Jurkovich The story that affected me early was Vicki Christian’s The Solitary Way. I loved that story, and told her, quite truthfully, that it was one of the best fictional stories I’d ever read. I was disappointed I couldn’t read off the BBAB site (her stories are by email only), esp. since I was quite new to using the computer at that time. She responded very kindly to my email. I have always loved Vicki’s stories.  [Vicki's Solitary Way is available by request to: christianv@clara.net]

Becky Sims There are two kinds of inspiration: "OMG I wish I could write like that" and "Well, if THAT can get PUBLISHED, I guess my stuff isn't so bad!" I won't say who inspired me the second way, lol, but the first one was Barbara Hambly. I ran across her when reading Star Wars profic. She created a wonderful character, and her writing had such depth, such humor, such a great way of phrasing things that I was completely bitten by the bug. Then I found Lois McMaster Bujold. Oh, my. How can you not love someone who writes things like: "Well, I don't hate him. Can't say as I worship him, either." She paused a long time, and looked up to meet her mother's eyes squarely. "But when he's cut, I bleed." -- Cordelia, in Shards of Honor

Randy Saavedra Since my forays into Bonanza writing have been limited in quantity, restricted to last season stories and in the case of the two best, greatly aided by my co-author Karen Fedderly, I won't embarrass anyone by claiming they inspired me.  However the first fan fic writers who showed me that fan fiction could be "real" writing were Becky Sims and Lissa Brown.  And since the time I was blown away by the first stories I read, I have yet to see either make a writing misstep.  I'm sure they do - but they are both incredible self-editors and don't let the public see those missteps.

Vicki Christian [We only just asked Vicki to write a blurb on her fanfic inspiration so she hasn't had time to respond, but she did send this line in a recent email]: I'd have to say that Susan Grote was probably the one who got me to offer my stories for fans to read first and that Becky Sims is one of my favorite writers.

Karen Fedderly: The first Bonanza fanfiction I stumbled on was Restitution by Kate M-Teal.  I was completely blown away. I'd never heard of fanfiction before and it never occured to me that people were writing about this show that I loved.  I then devoured everything else she'd ever written, and made the mistaken assumption that all Bonanza Fan fiction would be as good.  I was wrong.  Three years later I'm still reading, and have ventured into writing my own fanfiction, but I've yet to find anyone who can top the Lorna David stories by Kate.

Diana Golding: A couple of years ago I did an interview about my writing and was asked why I write, and that set me thinking.  I said then that I used writing as an escape.  I was about to experience the break-up of my marriage of nearly thirty years and, as I told the interviewer, by writing I was in control of someone else’s life when I had lost control of my own.  The first story I wrote, called Consequences Unforeseen, was written over a period of nine months during which I played with it and rewrote it and generally lost myself with the Cartwright family. During this time I discovered many of the Bonanza sites, and the fanfic, and it may be egotistical to say so (but then what is a writer without an ego?),  but I felt that what I had written was at least as good, and in many cases better, than what I was reading.  So the writers who inspired me to expose my stories to public gaze were, in fact, those who did not write well!  Then, of course, I discovered the quality as well. There are many writers out there whose talent I admire, specifically Becky Sims who writes inspired stories with well crafted story lines and excellent characterisations.  When I first read Becky’s story ‘The Battle’ I almost gave up writing, it was so good and I knew I couldn’t match her, but then I studied her stories more closely and learned much that I have tried to apply to my own writing, without changing the style.  Whatever I read, if I find that I have enjoyed it, I try to analyse why it was so readable and learn from it.

Tahoe Ladies: Inspiration: The Magic from Outside Looking In You ask about what has inspired us to write in this genre. A straightforward question deserves a straightforward answer. But in this case, that straightforward answer looks a lot like the hind leg of a dog it is so crooked! We could always start off by saying "It was a dark and stormy night…" and it would be true…to some degree. We were friends long before we began this bloodsport of collaborative writing. It honestly began on a winter's trip to Tahoe (for some of us skiied) that on the return caught us waiting in a roadside rest stop for the snowplows to clear the road ahead. While dropping online to email loved ones that we were delayed, one of us found a site full of fanfic. Three of the first four of us immediately identified with the Bonanza characters, having grown up with them. To pass the time, we took turns reading a story posted there. No, we will not say who the writer was nor the title of the story (both blissfully forgotten now) but the story was awful. So awful even when we weren't supposed to, we were laughing hysterically. When the short tale (a Mary Sue one) was finished and we were back on the road again, one of us (also blissfully forgotten which one) said that we could do better at writing a story like that. Ideas bounced around that van like truckload of ping-pong balls in a tornado. Thus was the beginnings of "Changes" that was quickly followed by "Steps Forward and Back". How we named ourselves The Tahoe Ladies is another story for another time. What we didn't realize was that lurking in our midst was a born story-teller. When we coupled her abilities with Bonanza lore and when she understood the characters, their histories and their relationships, things began to change for us. Plots once considered were discarded in favor of those with deeper meanings. Our stories became layers of plots, ideas, emotions. It became easy to take those things, good and bad, in our own personal lives that had made us what we were and weave them into our characters' lives. It also allowed us to explore our own fears and desires, coming to an understanding of both that we had not had before. It also enabled us to deal with the death of one of us. We've gone into places we might not have gone alone but because there is always company on the journey, there is always one of us to come back and tell the story, for our story-teller has taught us her art. She had to because we were jealous of her ability. We didn't know it was hard work. We still don't believe it is. We greatly enjoy sharing our talents with other writers on a fanfic writing list.  Becky Sims, Helen Adams and the Tahoe Ladies have gleefully written "Wild Oats" together. Helen Adams has put up with Irish and written "The Toymaker". We enjoy working with others, whether to help them create stories on their own or to lend our meager talents to theirs. When Becky Sims contacted us and said that she wanted to use the poem Irish had written for "Borrowed Time" in a story of her own, we were floored. [ed note:  See Becky's story Daughter of the Night.]  Other writers have sent us works-in-progress to be evaluated and while we have tried our best to fair with them, sometimes they didn't like what we had to say. Other times, they thanked us for the time spent and did it their way anyway. We figure that they caught the same bug we did and have found a better way (to them at least) of telling a story they found on a dark and stormy night. .  Where does our inspiration come from now? The same place it always has: Life, tempered by death, loss and distance, graced by love and understanding of the human soul and told by a born - or learned - story-teller.