FAQ

This is just to try and answer some of the more common queries that pop up about the site and stories when people e-mail me. I try not to tell people too much about the writing because I’d rather you guys read it and made your own interpretations, but I see no harm in clearing up the odd mind boggler. Feel free to e-mail me HERE if you have anything else you want answered!

Just a warning – obviously these questions contain story spoilers.

General Site / Writing

Why Insomniac Dreams?

Insomniacs are people who can’t sleep, and you know what dreams are… these are just the dreams I have when I’m still awake! I’m a night owl. Also, I just liked the way it sounded.

How long have you been writing?

Fan fiction? Since late 2001, Lord help me. In general, since I learnt my ABCs. This site has been in existence since 2003, though not always on Tasting Eden’s server.

Can I be affiliates with you?

E-mail me with a button and a link to your site so I can check it out, but please don’t list me as an affiliate without telling me. I haven’t turned down anybody who’s asked yet, though :o)

How do I get hosted on Tasting Eden?

You need to talk to Nikki and Brittany, not me. They runs this here watering hole! But in general - I suggest being original, witty, and generally cool. Or, if you’re like me and thus none of the above, I found bribery worked.

Who does your graphics?

Most of the graphics here are by the marvellous Kenz, but I'm hoping that eventually the majority of stuff on here will be mine. Basically - if the banner isn't mine, it's credited on each story's navigation page (or in case of layout, on the homepage). If you see nothing, that means I made it!

Why don’t you write… JC/Lance/Chris/Joey stories?

I love the guys, but I find them difficult to write – as my difficulty with making Chris a main character in Triad proved in spades. I like my hair on my head rather than pulled out in frustration, and would rather put bamboo slivers under my nails than put writing out there that I didn’t think was up to standard. (It's one thing looking back and thinking you could have done better, quite another knowing it's crap before you post it *lol*)

… slash?

It’s just not my bag, baby. Those who do - rock on!

… more sex scenes/visuals?

Not a fan of gratuitous sex scenes, and very few of my stories have required sex for the plot thus far. Then again, I am getting dirtier in my old age so you never know ;o)

… Britney/Cameron stories?

I don’t mind basing a character off of Justin (obviously, or this site wouldn’t exist), but making up stories about his real relationships makes me uncomfortable. That’s where I have to draw my personal line.

Are the stories listed in the order you wrote them?

In a word - no.

What’s your stance on plagiarism?

In the world of fan fiction, overlap in plot lines is inevitable. More than one person will write a drunken Vegas wedding, more than one ‘falls in love their best friend’ story will get written. That’s fair enough, so long as everybody’s writing is their own. Outright copying, however, is absolutely outrageous and I have zero tolerance for it. Taking somebody else’s plot twists or dialogue or stealing their scenes is lazy, rude, and unacceptable. If I ever find out somebody’s done it to me, it’s going to get ugly.

Can I write a prequel / sequel to your story?

E-mail me BEFORE you write anything, and we’ll talk.

I can tell you right now I'm not likely to give you my blessing, though I'd never say never - be prepared, you'll have to convince me. To explain why so I don't sound like a complete meanie... firstly because I always have my own back story in my head, and secondly because I might want to do that myself at some point - my story, my prerogative. Also… no offence to all the great writers out there, but these characters are my babies and my voice and I don’t want to risk somebody turning them into something they were never intended to be or having them do something I don't think they'd do.

If you take my original characters without my permission, you are stealing my work. Obviously I can’t lay any claim to the *NSYNC guys, but my original characters/storylines are copyrighted to me and using them without my permission is a big no-no. Don't be afraid to ask me though - if I honestly think you've got something good, I'll back you 100%. You're just gonna need to convince me first *lol*

I have an idea inspired by your story, would you mind me writing it?

Again, e-mail me before you start writing and we’ll talk. I’m much more comfortable with the ‘inspired by’ thing, since you’ll be coming up with your own characters and own plot lines, but at the same time I think it’s only polite discussing it with me first. But hey, I owe Sides of the Coin to somebody giving me that same blessing - I'm very open, so it’s worth asking! :o)

Making Music / Another You Another Me

Which order do I read them in?

Making Music, then Another You Another Me

When are the stories set?

I really hate this question, because I totally messed with the time line and occasionally I even confuse myself. For Making Music, imagine Justin didn’t make Justified when he did, which puts the story in 2002. Piper and Justin then date for a few years, during which time he does make Justified, and then the sequel I would put in 2006 - though not 2006 as we know it, if that makes any kind of sense at all.

Are Piper’s songs real?

Most of them aren’t. There’s a great deal of made up *NSYNC song titles in there too. Any time I have used a real song it’s mentioned in the author’s note at the beginning of the chapter.

Is Piper based off Britney?

She’s not based off of anybody at all. If you just say ‘blonde pop star’ she probably sounds a lot like Britney, but she was never intended to be and I don’t think she talks or acts like her. I did use Britney in the story photo album, but purely out of convenience.

Why is Wade in the stories when he and Justin fell out?

Because I started Making Music before all those rumours started and I couldn't be bothered to cut him out of Another You *lol*

Letting Go

Why won’t you write a sequel?

Judging by the e-mails/reviews/nominations I get this story is widely considered my best (not sure I agree), and I’m not messing with that by putting up a sequel that can’t ever match it. Also, it fucked with my head enough the first time!!

Is Hollie meant to be you?

I cannot stress enough that Hollie is NOT intended to be me. I wrote the first couple of chapters during an all nighter when I couldn’t think of a decent name, used my own as a placeholder and I was just too lazy to go back and come up with another one! We probably share a good few characteristics (probably more than I'd care to admit) but she’s not me.

So was Carl sick or just evil?

I know what I think, but that’s a fairly major question. You tell me!

How’d Hollie get pregnant?

I thought I’d covered this in the story but I get asked a lot – nothing but abstinence is 100% effective, kiddies! Something interrupted her pill, and the back up failed.

What’s the time frame of the story?

Roughly speaking – starts in 2004, it’s been about a year since they met when Hollie gets pregnant, two/two and a half years by the time the bulk of the story goes down, and more like 5 years at the epilogue. Pretty much the longest time span any of my stories covers.

Dance Around You

How come the guys are all the same age and all in Tennessee?

This is the beauty of alternate universe!

What happened to the sequel?

Writer’s block. I had an idea, but I found it impossible to write. I never say never though, so I still have the chapters I started and I might make something of ‘em one of these days.

What exactly happened to Julia?

Like the Hollie thing I thought I’d covered this in the story, but I do get asked so I’ll explain again. Julia’s at a party, is sexually assaulted by a friend of her boyfriend who is high on one drug or more, and this is witnessed by Jason who takes it as an excuse to do the same. This results in a pregnancy which she has terminated.

Sides of the Coin

Where did the idea come from?

This is all explained on the SOTC page, but the idea came from a fantastic story called If I Wasn’t A Celebrity by a fantastic author named Vikki. I asked her if she would mind me taking a twist on it, and she very kindly let me *lol*

Why couldn’t celebrity Renee just wish herself home?

To simplify it as much as possible, she couldn’t undo somebody else’s wish.

Explain again why Claire became visible to Justin?

Again, to simplify it without going into the metaphysics of the whole thing, Justin realised somewhere deep down that Renee was not the Renee he was supposed to be dating, and because he snapped out of that illusion it broke the other illusion of Claire not being there.

Why did she only have three weeks before the wish became permanent?

Pure plot device disguised as an arbitrary cosmic rule. Something had to force her to make a decision, couldn’t have her constantly putting it off!!

The Sin of Curiosity

When is the story set?

It's roughly two years since the events of Sides of the Coin.

How come the Renees are so quick to accept the idea that the guys have switched?

Because they've done this themselves. It's not like last time when the whole thing was totally alien to all of them - this time the only rookie to the situation is the Justin who doesn't do any wishing.

I'm having trouble keeping the Renees/Justins straight in my head...

You and me both. I hope I've explained it well enough - look for references to the girls' hair colours, or with the Justins whether or not they've dealt with switch-a-roos before.

Explain that whole watching dimension thing

Quantum physics are not my strong point. Think of it as if you're watching a 3D movie - you can see and hear everything, but if you try and touch something your hand will go through thin air, and these characters can't see or hear you. To be more technical, the people in the 'watching' dimension can see and hear what's going on but because they don't exist in the same dimensional space and time as the people they're watching, they can't affect anything. And from this you will all have gathered that I watch too much fantasy and sci-fi.

Why's Claire solid now?

As she says - she got promoted. It was a perk. Or from my point of view, it was annoying and awkward for me to write somebody that couldn't touch anything. It's also more fun for me if she can actually follow through on her threats of bodily harm.

Explain why Claire's everybody's guide this time when she was only one Renee's last time?

Justin's first wish is not to do any body swapping, just to see Claire. He dragged her into it and she's left to clear up the mess. *lol*

Triad

Sequel?

Not likely, but see previous comment about never saying never.

How could Lauren not know Justin and Chris were in a band together?

Because she knows very little about *NSYNC, doesn’t care, and when I sent her Googling I purposely sent her to a site which is entirely Chris centric and makes little mention of the other guys. And, again… plot device!

Alright, I’ll buy it, but how could it possibly take so long for Chris and Justin to realise what she’d been doing?

As Chastity is very fond of telling Lauren, it’s Sheer… Dumb…. Luck.

Anti Venom

Where’s the college?

I love fiction. I can make up places that don’t exist!

When’s the story set?

If Justin had gone to college in the normal way, he would have been 18 on arriving so freshman year would be 1999 and he would be matriculating with the class of 2003. That puts the story in the 2001 – 2002 academic year. Look, a story where I do know my dates…

Are those real sororities/fraternities?

No, I just threw a bunch of Greek letters together because I didn’t want to accidentally malign any real ones *lol*. If they do turn out to have real counterparts, it’s a coincidence.

Public Property

Who did you write it with?

Amanda of Some Dreams. I kinda love her.

Who wrote which parts?

Not telling. I’d prefer it if you couldn’t tell which is which.

How did you write it?

We discussed everything that was going to happen together, whoever’s turn it was got to work, and then once there was a first draft we’d fix on any changes/tweaks together. I recommend that method for anybody collaborating, it worked a treat.

Is Courtney based on anybody?

No. Although there was more than one joke about how “it’s based on real life, I’m his real girlfriend and Cameron’s just a cover” *lol*

Why does Justin agree to the deal?

Well that’s the whole question, isn’t it?