I met Nicol a few weeks ago, and I was immediately struck by her kindness and sincerity. She is a talented aspiring writer with a heart of gold, and I jumped on the opportunity to profile her on my blog. I believe her story is one that many will share. We all struggle with confidence in our writing at some point, like Nicol. And like Nicol, we all find the support we need to overcome our self-doubt. So when Nicol told me she writes fan fiction for Batman, I knew I had to work in some epic Dark Knight moments.
I hope that Nicol’s profile will inspire someone who is struggling with their own writing. And tomorrow I will be posting a piece of Nicol’s Batman fan fiction. Enjoy 🙂
Batman: Sometimes the truth isn’t good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded…
I have always been a writer. When I was ten years old I had plans to write a story about my Aunt’s horse Diamond. I know it’s kind of lame, but I wanted to tell the story of an amazing animal, at least in my mind. I actually wrote all the chapters out and everything. My aunt said she knew a publisher, but it never actually took off. I think that was when I got the writing bug. After that I was invited to a writing seminar at the local college. I was about 12 or 13 at the time. Some big wigs critiqued my story and told me I had talent, which was like a dream come true for me. Those words have stuck with me for quite some time. Looking back on it now, they could have just been saying that. Regardless, it really helped me, and I did continue writing.
Bruce Wayne: People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy and I can’t do that as Bruce Wayne, as a man I’m flesh and blood. I can be ignored. I can be destroyed, but as a symbol, I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.
My goal is to paint a colorful picture with my words. I want to suck the reader into the world I create, like other authors have done for me. Reading to me is an escape, an epic adventure I get to go on. I am not simply a college student or a daughter or a friend, but suddenly I am a bad ass angel, a feisty shadowhunter, or a vampire. I am drawn into an adventure that I wouldn’t get to normally be on. That’s what I want to convey with my writing. I want to help my readers experience adventures and things that they don’t get to in reality. I want to introduce them to a world I created while bringing them a little historical knowledge as well. I believe that someday I will do that, I just have to keep on believing and praying and leaning on my family and friends for support. I know it won’t be easy but this is really important to me. It’s my dream and I am not going stop. For now though, I am going continue working on short stories, finish school, and write on my blog.
Bruce Wayne: You know that day that you once told me about, when Gotham would no longer need Batman? It’s happening now. Harvey is that hero. He locked up half of the city’s criminals, and he did it without wearing a mask. Gotham needs a hero with a face.
Much of what I have written has mainly been fan fiction. I wrote a lot of AU stories for Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. My friend at the time was a talented artist so she drew characters and scenery for me. Together we kind of brought our fictional stories to life. I always loved adding my own characters into the books/movies because I liked seeing where the story would go from there. I did write a few Batman themed fan fictions as well, mainly from Bruce’s point of view. One of them was the scene from the Dark Knight when he’s standing on the ruins of the building that Rachel was in when she died. When I saw that scene I imagined what Bruce was feeling and decided to put it into words. I have spent most of my time writing fan fiction.
Harvey Dent: The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming.
The reason I wrote fan fictions is because I never had faith in my own writing skills. I didn’t think that any of my ideas would be worth reading. I have dreamed of writing something epic and seeing it in print and hearing people rave about it, but I just didn’t have the confidence to back it up. Through lots of prayer and encouragement from my family and friends, I decided to finally give it a try. My initial idea was just to write short stories, ones that I completely made up on my own. However, when I sat down to do that I got an entire novel idea…well the start of one. It was time for me to take that leap of faith and jump into the unknown. I have a story to share. I have a world I want to pull my readers into and that is worth giving my novels a chance. It won’t be an easy journey but I know that in the end it will be worth it.
Batman: A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.
Recently a contest had opened up by one of my favorite authors. You had to write a fan fiction based on one of the books from a list and while I wrote it, I found myself itching to write more. I wanted to do something original, something of my own. All of this happened the same time I met Meg, and seeing her journey inspired me. If she can write a book and get it published why can’t I? I have been told I have a talent, now it’s time for me to believe it. A friend of mine really helped to encourage me as well. She read my posts on my blog and told me I had a unique writing style that pulled her in. Her words affected me more than she could ever know, and it helped push me to begin the process. I have no idea what I am doing. I am just a 25 year old woman who is in school and works at a gas station. What could I possibly write about? I realized that authors are normal people with a story in their heart, they aren’t some kind of super solider, and this helped bolster my courage and take the plunge. I am graduating from fan fictions and moving into something new and original.
Bruce Wayne: They told me there was nothing out there, nothing to fear. But the night my parents were murdered I caught a glimpse of something. I’ve looked for it ever since. I went around the world, searched in all the shadows. And there is something out there in the darkness, something terrifying, something that will not stop until it gets revenge…me.
I love to read; one summer all I did was read over 150 book. As much as I love reading, I felt an ache for something more. I want to write something as epic as the books I have read. I want to make someone laugh, cry, and get angry at a character. I have read a bunch of different genres but my favorites have to be paranormal, dystopian and historical fiction. Recently I have read a series by Jennifer Armentrout, it’s called the Covenant series and it got the wheels in my head turning. I love Greek myth and after I finished, I turned to the myths of Ancient times and all these “What If?” questions began to pop into my mind. Her books inspired me to do some research and try and come up with some ideas that had yet to be seen before, or give the reader a different view of these famous characters from myth, one that hadn’t seen before.
Joker: You just couldn’t let me go, could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible, aren’t you? You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.
In doing some research and just reflecting on the things I liked, two really good novel ideas hit me. They actually hit me so hard they are a part of me and I can already feel the characters growing and building in my mind. It’s truly amazing. One of my novels is going to be centered around Greek myth and it’s going to put two gods in the spotlight, two that one wouldn’t expect to see in a story. The other novel idea is about angels and demons but in a way I have yet to see them portrayed. I don’t want to give two much away because they are still very new ideas but I don’t mind teasing people. Being in school makes it hard to really get these ideas fleshed out, but I will be writing short stories to help get the creative juices flowing. I look forward to teasing future readers and seeing what they think of the worlds I want to create.
James Gordon: He’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him because he can take it, because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector…a dark knight.
I haven’t written anything yet but it’s coming, so prepare yourself to see teasers from me very very soon. For now I am working on getting my school work done and posting on my blog. It’s called Being Tested By Fire. It’s an “everything” kind of blog. I post about things I am going through, book reviews, eventually I will be posting short stories and other writer things like that. It’s just a space for me to express myself and get all my thoughts out there. I have a voice, I have things on my heart that I want to say and my blog is where I can do that.
beingtestedbyfire.blogspot.com
Thanks, Nicol, for sharing your story! Don’t forget, tomorrow I will be posting a piece of Nicol’s Batman fan fiction.