Featured Story of the Week: The Brat Pack

The Brat Pack is an incredible fan fiction, written for the classic movie, The Breakfast Club. This story, unlike any I have read, is not just brilliantly written; it has an interesting plot that hooks readers from the very beginning. In this week's Featured Story, ladyschrei tells us all about her work.

Give us a brief summary of The Brat Pack.

The Brat Pack is based off of John Hugh's movie The Breakfast Club and follows the lives of Brian, Claire, Bender, Ally, and Andy after their time in detention together. It starts off on the following Monday after detention and continues from there.

What inspired you to write it?

Just my love for the movie itself. I've always been a fan of The Breakfast Club and played with the thought in my mind for a while of making an original story of what happens after their time in detention. I think everyone has always wanted to know, so I felt like it was time someone wrote it. :D

How long have you been working on this particular story?

Since January, according to my computer.

How did you choose the title for this story?

If you Google The Brat Pack, you'll read on Wikipedia that it's the name someone in the 80's gave a bunch of actors from that time while writing an article about them. The Brat Pack mainly features all the actors from The Breakfast Club and a few others, so I thought it fitted the story wonderfully. At first I was just going to call it Brat Pack, but someone told me I should title it The Brat Pack, so I did :D

What is your favorite thing about writing The Brat Pack?

The fact that I can go anywhere I want with it. I have the movie to back up certain parts, but other than that I have free reign to control such well thought-up characters. I can take it so far beyond the movie and no one can tell me it's wrong, because no one really knows what actually did happen. That's all my choice now.

What is the most challenging thing about writing it?

Probably staying true to the characters. That's mainly for Bender, Ally, and Brian. I'll write these chapters on them and look it over and think, "I don't see them acting like that at all." And then I have to change it up. Because I do want to stay true, for the most part, to the personalities portrayed in the movie, so they don't seem like strangers to fans of the movie who read my story.

Have you ever experienced writer's block with this story? If so, how did you overcome it?

I have a few times. Normally I just go back and delete a chapter or two and re-write them, and that helps me develop more ideas for the story that way as I go along.

Do you write with an outline, or just wing it?

I have a few key plot points outlined, but other than that I just wing it to get specific parts going.

Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?

I like to look back over the chapters I wrote for that specific character. Like say I'm writing a chapter for Bender, I look over all the chapters based on him. And if I'm gonna throw Claire in there too because they're in the same class or something, I look over what was written for her as well, so I don't get anything wrong. Nothing really other than that.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read, is reading, and will possibly read my story. I didn't expect it to become as big as it has - I have thirty subscribers, I never imagined that many people liking it. So thank you for giving it a chance. You're all wonderful and I'm hugging you through my screen right now!

Special thanks to Airi. and aubs for editing!