Trying new things: Meta

When I started exploring fan fiction back in 2012, I ran into a few White Collar “meta” stories that intrigued me. These were stories where Peter and Neal were aware that they were characters. One that particularly stands out in my memory featured them complaining about the concept of “whump” and wondering why fan fiction authors enjoyed making them suffer.

These meta stories were sly and clever and hilarious. I didn’t aspire to that myself, but enjoyed the subgenre so much that it was hearing about meta episodes that finally convinced me to watch Supernatural. It wasn’t love at first sight, but I was intrigued enough to keep seeking out meta episodes, and eventually watched the entire series. I’d been waffling about who I envisioned as my character Henry, and watching Dean lip synching to “Eye of the Tiger” at the end of Supernatural episode “Yellow Fever” convinced me that I’d found the right actor. He had the right mix of intensity and humor for what I wanted.

It was Silbrith who first introduced meta to our series. She envisioned Diana writing Cthulhu Mythos fan fiction, casting Diana's colleagues and friends as characters in a 1970s university town. The characters of the Caffrey Conversation know they are serving as inspiration for Diana's stories, and provide more feedback than she could possibly want about what their characters should do. And about what each other’s characters should do. Not only does Silbrith describe Diana’s experiences as an author, but she actually wrote “Diana’s” stories and published them as an offshoot of our series, called The Arkham Files.

Meanwhile, I’d had an idea for a story in which Peter from our Caffrey Conversation series meets the Peter of White Collar canon. It seemed like a scenario that would work if I set it around the holidays and crafted a plot inspired by A Christmas Carol. Then I had to think through how this story would work. Would this be a dream? Would Peter be visited by ghosts, like Scrooge had been? Would Peter see the past, present and future, or would I send Neal to the past, Henry to the present and Peter to the future?

As my self-imposed deadline of Christmas grew near, I decided to indulge in meta myself. In A Caffrey Christmas Carol, I sent my Caffrey Conversation cast to Silbrith’s Arkham Files where they met the versions of themselves they’d been reading about. Once they’d adjusted to that, I sent them to the White Collar canon universe, meeting yet another version of themselves and offering advice.

My foray into meta was as much a gift to myself as it was to our readers. I hope they enjoyed it, and I look forward to dipping my toe in the meta waters again someday.

A Caffrey Christmas Carol