Q: You're not really Josh Holloway, are you?
A: I wish. Then I'd have a successful, lucrative career. And I’d get to hang out with Evangeline Lily, which would be awesome, except I’m pretty sure she could beat me up.

Q: What’s the deal with the geffin98 handle?
A: It’s just the username I use for, well, pretty much everything. It dates back to my RWW days. Geffin comes from a fake email account I used to have under the name Pierce Geffin. I literally looked up and saw my GoldenEye poster on my wall and used Pierce from Pierce Brosnan and Geffin from some guy who worked on the film and was listed in the credits. See, I used to have some creepy people annoying me over the 'Net, so I figured a different email account seemed like a good idea at the time. The 98 refers to the number I always assign myself for no good reason. So, to answer your question it means nothing. Thanks for wasting everyone's time.

Q: Why does your website look sort of crappy? I thought you said you bought a template...why not buy a better one?
A: Because that costs a lot more money, obviously. Besides, I like this template better because everything loads fairly quickly (even on my inept computer back home) and it looks pretty much the same on all browsers and monitor resolutions. That’s nothing but a bonus really.

Q: Can’t you get rid of that annoying Geocities adsquare?
A: Sure, if you’re willing to give me the money to host my site elsewhere. I’ve tried other free website hosts but Geocities is the only one with an interface that I like. And most of them have ads anyway (I’m looking at you Tripod and Bravenet). I actually did pay to get rid of it oh so very briefly there, but decided it wasn't worth it. So suffer.

Q: How long has this site been running?
A: The site originated in 2001 in my days in RWW. It was meant to be a place where I could type my roleplays into HTML files and then link them to the boards (most of these files are still logged here actually). By 2002 I opted to make an actual website for the character. Over the years I've kept adding to it and coming up with new designs. This would be the fifth major version of the site.

Q: Are you anything like your character?
A: Yes and no. The character is, essentially myself, just WAY more egotistical. I’m not like that at all and have often been told by friends and family that I’m too hard of myself, so I’m pretty much the opposite of The Boy in that respect. However, while I’m not conceited, I do enjoy self-promotion. It is my dream to one day own a cardboard cutout of myself. No, really. And, yes, I have wrapped presents for people many times over in giftwrap I made that just featured my head over and over. Trust me, if I had a Scott Hellings t-shirt, I’d wear it all the time. So, to an extent I’m like The Boy, but not entirely.

Q: Why the change in picbase from Randy Orton to Josh Holloway?
A: When I broke into efedding, I picked Randy Orton for my pic because I liked his look. I knew next to nothing about him, except he was the son of Cowboy Bob, was supposed to be good, and that he was in Ohio Valley (!!) and almost ready to be called up. By the time he was, I had been in RWW almost a full year. These days, everyone wants to join an efed with Orton as their picbase it seems. Why? I dunno, just to spite me perhaps? Anyway, after leaving RWW and searching around for a new fed to call home, I had quite the problem finding one where I could use Orton (whom I had become quite attached to and, better yet, even fit my character). In fact, there were feds I wanted to join but refused just because someone had already used Orton. I needed someone new, someone no one else would use. So, I had to go outside of the wrestling world. I chose Josh Holloway because, well, I’m addicted to the show Lost and I LOVE his character Sawyer. Like Orton, the Sawyer character/Holloway fit the personality of The Boy so well. I was also capable of finding some decent pics to use, so that pretty much cinched it.

Q: Why is The Boy announced as being from Edmonton?
A: I used to say I was from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, which is actually my hometown. But I did go to school in Edmonton and have thus lived there for the majority of the last several years. As such, it is sort of my other home and it felt right having The Boy announced as being from there, as (A) his character works better coming from a larger centre and (B) no one's heard of Moose Jaw, but most wrestling fans know of Edmonton (because of Chris Benoit). Besides, I need some separation from me and the character, right?

Q: What do you prefer working as, a heel or a face?
A: I’m definitely much more comfortable working as a heel. I also think it’s a lot more fun. But I have been a face a few times and I’ve walked the line between heel and face on a couple of other occasions, so it’s not unheard of for me to be a face. It’s just that I prefer being a heel and I think it better suits the character. That being said, if the right situation came along (i.e. if a fed I wanted to join was inundated with heels), I would gladly take on the challenge of being a face.

Q Will you ever work as a character other than The Boy?
A: I don't think so. I'm at the point where I have used this character off and on for over 5 years now and I don't really want to have start from scratch again. The character is so well-defined and I have such a good handle on who he is that I'm content with where I am. I may want to include an ally for The Boy, but The Boy will always remain the main attraction and my main focus.

Q: What is up with this Matt Bolt guy though? I thought I saw something about him on this site before.
A: It was a plan of mine for a cool angle that just didn't work out. Basically, I couldn't find a good fed to join for my plan to work out. I was going to create a new character, named Matt Bolt (I was never entirely happy with the name either, but it was better than my first choice, Matt Wolfe). The story would be that he was my nephew and that my sister had been killed in a car accident and that I now had to look after him. At first we wouldn't get along, but then I would coach him as a wrestler and we would form a tag team. This was all leading to an eventual heel turn where he would reveal the whole story was bogus (the idea being that The Boy is too egotistical to ever bother even trying to catch up with anyone...including his family and, thus, wouldn't know better) and Bolt was just using it so that I could train him to become a wrestler. It would be revealed he was some psycho fan The Boy had ignored and felt was rejected and wanted revenge. It was kind of a cool idea I thought. Basically, it was a way for me to develop my own storyline and feud, since at the time no one seemed interested in working with me. I figured I would do it all myself. But, like I said, I could never find the right efed for it to work and I eventually just gave up on the idea.

Q: Will you ever work in another stable again? Any chances of PSI reforming?
A: I'm sort of content being a one-man show right now. I did the stable thing for a long time and I'm happy being a singles star right now. Stu (of Stupac fame) has approached me a few times about reforming PSI, but it's never really panned out. Besides, I like to move foward with the character and not be stuck in stasis and doing something I've already done before. Which is why I wasn't entirely happy with working in New Era Wrestling in the fall-winter of 2005: I felt that I had faced so many of the same opponents so many times before that I just wanted to move on. However, I a tag team might be cool. But preferably more of an "alliance" like Edge and Orton's Rated RKO team a while back.

Q: What's the deal with the "1.618" on some of your avatars?
A: It is a rounded version of the so-called Golden Mean/Golden Ratio/Phi/Whatever else you want to call it. It is based of the Fibonacci Sequence. Basically, some people think it's a special number that is seen as somehow "perfect." It is often used in architecture and paintings. Da Vinci was said to use it and it supposedly shows up in the ancient pyramids as well. Basically, I just liked the idea of this "perfect" number and I thought that, if there was ever going to be a number that described The Boy, this was it. By the way, since you even had to ask this question, are you of the five people who did you not read The Da Vinci Code?

Q: How long does it take you to write a roleplay?
A: Good question. Depends on how long the roleplay ends up being I suppose. It also depends on how motivated I am while writing it or how much creativity I have during that time. Lately, I'd say I kind of plan out in my mind the few things I want to say for a bit (a half hour at most) beforehand, then I just start writing it. It could take up to an hour to get it all done or even longer. I'd say from the planning stage to when it is posted might take as much as two hours per roleplay. The absolute minimum I spend is probably an hour.

Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Depends. Although my style has changed over the years, the main way I find an idea is to examine things (if I don't feel comfortable just playing off my opponent, which is another easy way to get ideas). So, what I'll do is I’ll look at the type of match itself, recent storylines heading into the match (why is the match taking place?), and my opponent(s). Usually, a combination of all of the above is what makes up my roleplay, but the focus or underlying theme is usually based on one particular aspect. It can be easy sometimes, other times it takes more thought.

Other times, things just come to me, as something about my opponent or the match will remind me of something else. My roleplay, "I Believe in Scott, the Almighty," came about as a bit of a combination of these elements; I knew his name was Rob FAITH, so I wanted to do something with religion. Having a good background in religion, I knew enough to get started in terms of ideas and lines that I could use. I suppose what I’m getting at is that some level of education helps out. Maybe that’s just me though.

Q: Do you ever bother researching stuff for your roleplays?
A: Absolutely. I never used to, but these days I'm a real stickler for making sure that what I say is fairly accurate. The way I see it is my character is very cocky and speaks in a very manner-of-fact tone. As such, I better be sure I know what I'm talking about, otherwise I come off sounding ignorant and stupid. Plus, I like to make things difficult for my opponents and I like to give them the least amount of ammunition against me as possible. Although there is nothing better than having something to play off of, I feel if I make it difficult for them, then perhaps they will try hard and produce a great roleplay, which will in turn make me push myself even harder. That way, it's fun, but competitive. So, therefore, getting basic facts incorrect is the perfect ammunition for an opponent to use, if they're smart enough to notice the error. Research is very important.

Q: Should I spell check my roleplays?
A: DEFINITELY! I spell check all my roleplays. I type up the roleplays first in Notepad (simply because I like that program for just basic creative typing - I feel that having no frills such as elaborate formatting options, allows me to not be distracted by how it LOOKS, rather than what is says). Then, I copy and paste that into Word, where I spell check, grammar check and (just for my own curiosity) do a word count. Once I feel it is where it needs to be, THEN I post it. It takes me even longer to get a roleplay produced, but I feel it is worth it. Proper spelling and grammar is important kids.

Q: Why should I care about your opinion on anything?
A: You shouldn't really. I'm just here making a website that's mean to be a resource for my character and anyone interested in efedding. I have my own ideas and opinions and if you agree with them, fine. If not, that's fine too. I just felt that there wasn't a lot of efedding resource sites out there, so I might as well include some of that on my site. If people use it, that's great. But my opinion is just - an opinion. You might disagree with my completely and that's okay.

Q: What makes a bad roleplay bad?
A: Well, it could be a number of things really. I always hate roleplays that really break down the fourth wall, as it were. What I mean is by making references to your opponent’s poser/picbase looking like the person in the picture (i.e. in RWW people used to make fun of Killer Instinct all of the time, saying that he looked like Hugh Jackman). I always think that sort of thing is really unnecessary. I never used to feel that way mind you, as I have done it a few times myself, but these days I just groan when I read something like that.

Along those lines, I don’t like it when roleplays reference real wrestling. The guys in TNA don’t go on Impact and talk about what happened on RAW, so neither should you. Again, I used to violate that rule all the time, but it’s something I feel more passionately about these days.

Speaking of wrestling, I hate roleplays that have NOTHING to do with wrestling. There are a billion other places on the ‘Net where you can post your creative writing, so why come to an efed to do it? If you’re here, it’s meant to be about wrestling, so at least reference it in your roleplays somehow.

A bad roleplay is also one that gets too bogged down by its concept (check the Halloween RP on the Worst. Roleplays. Ever. feature, as found in the Extras sections for an example).

Oh, and any roleplay that involves Wrestler A coming down to the ring during a house show to talk about Wrestler B. We’ve all done it, but let’s be perfectly honest here – it sucks. I suppose if try to do something different with it than just the standard speech, well, it can be decent. You also have to effectively use the style.

Q: What makes a good roleplay good?
A: Any roleplay that is creative and original, at least somewhat deals with wrestling and the match at hand, is interesting to read, has a logical flow (proper story structure), is as descriptive as possible and necessary, is longer than, like 30 lines, and has decent spelling and grammar is a good roleplay. At least that's my two cents anyway.

Q: Who is the worst roleplayer you’ve ever encountered?
A: I can’t say and I won’t. I simply don’t believe in bashing anyone else needlessly. But it’s really hard to say. Look at my RWW era roleplays and you’ll agree that I’ve improved considerably over the years. Everyone does. Writing is like anything else in life; I always say that if you want to get better at it you have to keep practicing. Simply put, the more your roleplay, the better you’ll get at it. So, yeah, there are guys whose stuff I’ve read and I thought “wow they suck.” But, 9 times out of 10 you just don’t know how long they’ve been doing this for or what their background is (i.e. what if they have a learning disability but just really like wrestling?), or anything else that might affect their writing skill. If you’re a rookie at it, well you’ll probably suck. Unless you’re already somewhat of a professional writer and have been writing for quite some time. Even still, writing a roleplay is different from writing a short story or an essay or anything else, so no matter how much experience you have with writing, if you’re new to roleplaying you are still likely to struggle a bit at first. I remember thinking Chris Crippler’s roleplays needed to be better. I went away from RWW for a while and when I came back his roleplays were 500% better.

Q: Whose stuff do you enjoy reading?
A: Well, not to sound like a jackass, but I always have difficulty getting into other people’s roleplays as much as my own, just because I’m not connected to the character. It takes a while to get used to other people's character and, therefore, get attached to them and get excited to read their stuff. Sadly, the roster in your average efed can be a bit of a revolving door, which makes that difficult. The only times I really, really like other people’s roleplays is when they get me fired up and me and my opponent(s) work off each other. The best feuds and the best times I’ve ever had in efedding were when I was feeding of someone else and vice versa. Most recently, The Carnivore, Rob Faith, and Jessie Devlin gave me that feeling and I was able to pump out either the maximum number of roleplays allowed...or damn near close. Otherwise, I like it when two (or more) other people I'm not working with have got a really compelling storyline going. Basically, something that's fun for everyone to read. A good example that comes to mind was the feud between Lancelot and The Big E back in the old RWW; it wasn't the greatest storyline per se, but both guys worked well together and did some entertaining stuff that made it fun to keep up with.

Ultimately, I guess you could say my favourite roleplayer is whoever I’m working with at the time. But I always loved reading stuff from my PSI buddies, Stupac, Mercy, Matt Mathers, The White Dragon/Chris Jericho, Pantera, and I enjoyed reading Too Tuff and K Dogg’s stuff.

Q: But you seem like a jackass when talking about some other people and their roleplays. Are you a hypocrite?
A: No. I’m just very particular as to what I think a good roleplay and what it should and should not contain. When I see something I don’t like, I’ll point it out. Does my opinion matter? Nope. So, yeah, I say things about other people, but for the most part I’m pretty restrained. Besides, keep in mind that no one is harder on me than myself, as I’m always putting down my own work.

Q: I’ve been thinking about getting into efedding, would you recommend it, even if have little to no experience in creative writing?
A: Absolutely. Again, the only way you’ll get better at writing is to do lots of it. Trust me, good writing skills will help you get far in life, no matter what profession you are in or hope to pursue. For the most part, fedheads will recognize that if you’re a rookie you will have a bit of a learning curve and will be a bit more gentle with you when judging. For the most part, some are still jerks about that sort of thing though.

The best thing to do is to find a fed (preferably one that is just starting up or hasn’t been around a long time, as they will likely welcome you with open arms. Established feds might not even accept you. A newer fed will also likely have some rookies like yourself). This will put you at a more level playing field, at least for the time being, so to help your confidence. It will also help you make friends easier; if everyone is new, it’s easier to make friends than if you’re the new guy in a fed where everyone knows you. Try to find a fed with a good fedhead and what appears to be a friendly OOC atmosphere. If you can, find a fed where they encourage feedback on the boards (or wherever and however things get posted), to help you improve over time. I know that sounds like a lot, but if you can find something like that, it's worth it.

And, trust me, you’ll enjoy yourself. Is roleplaying a chore? Only if you make it that way. You know what the best part of about efedding is? Even if you don’t have a lot of experience, if you are really determined and try hard, you can get ahead. Hey, even if you’re the rookie and you’re up against the World Champ, if you are capable of posting three roleplays for the match and them only one, well, the odds are a little bit better, aren’t they?

Q: Do you do any other creative writing other than this?
A: I try to sometimes. I'm currently trying to write my own sitcom, so that's my major project right now. I've even tried to approach some networks and agencies.

Q: I want to win...how do you become a better writer?
A: It's like anything else in the world—you got to keep practicing. Simply put: the best way to become a better writer is just to write a lot. Reading helps too. Pay attention to styles and forms and how sentences and paragraphs are constructed. It also helps to look at a variety of forms of writing too; look at novels, plays, newspapers (and note the different sections, such as sports, news, opinion columns, etc.), magazines, technical writing or text books, political pamphlets, advertisements, music lyrics...whatever else you can think of. And any time you come across a word you don't recognize? Look it up. I either do that right away, or try to remember it so the next time I hear it again, I can try to analyze the context in which it was used both times to arrive at a definition. Yes, I am a dork.

So to sum up: write as much as possible, work on spelling and grammar, study form and structure and work on your vocabulary (if you're stuck try to Increase Your Word Power section of Reader's Digest, or "Word of the Day" posts on websites like Dictionary.com). It will take time, but you'll get there.

Q: I think I’m a pretty good writer, but how do I KNOW if I am?
A: I don't know, I don't consider myself to be a great writer, but other people have told me that I am. I think that's they key though - never being satisfied with what you have wrote. Once you look at something you've wrote and think to yourself "I can do better" then you know that you at least enjoy writing. And that’s half the battle. Why don't I like posting old roleplays or, when I do, enjoy making fun of them in my commentaries? Because I'll never be satisfied with them. In an efedding context, you'll obviously know you're pretty good if you're successful.

Q: Can you give me some quick tips on roleplaying?
A: Sure. I've given some of these tips elsewhere, but I'll run down some quickly.

• Be creative. Come up with ideas that interest you (i.e. storylines that you think would be fun to do) so you are more involved and connected to things.
  
  
• Try to have some sense of a beginning, middle, and an end. Even if it’s subtle. Story structure is always important.
  
  
• Don’t worry about being too long (theree really should be no such thing) or too short (with some exceptions). As long as you are saying everything that you need to say, don’t worry if it feels a little long or a little short. As long as your roleplays aren’t like 30 lines long, it shouldn’t be too short.
  
  
• Play off your opponent. Use what they’’re saying about you as ammunition in your roleplays. If you’re not, you’re only hurting yourself.
  
  
• Type the roleplay up in a program like MS Word first. That goes double for newbies and people who know their spelling and grammar aren’t great. Again, good writing skills can get you far; proper spelling and grammar is always a plus when fedheads read your stuff. Typing it in Word first helps you better catch errors.
  
  
• Before you post, read the whole thing oout loud to yourself. This will not only help you catch spelling errors Word wouldn’t pick up (your or you’re), as well as helping you figure out if what you’re saying even makes sense. You’ll be surprised how many times you might find yourself writing in a circle, saying the same things over and over.

Q: Can you give me some quick tips on how to survive in an efed?
A: Efedding is a lot like real wrestling in the sense that there is a definite political aspect to it. It’s best to go with the flow, not whine about anything (especially not in public, but that should be a given anyway) and try to get along with everyone. I won’t lie to you, there have been plenty of people I’ve encountered over the years that I just really did not like and never will (I won’t say who they are by the way). But, I still did my best to just ignore it and not let them get to me. And, like anything in life, if you make the right friends, you can get pretty far in a lot of efeds out there.

Q: Why is it so hard to find a good efed?
A: Because they require a lot of dedication and time from everyone involved and, thus, it's commone for efeds to die pretty quickly. The ones that have been around for a long time are usually hard to get into, so....good luck with your search. A good efed is hard to find. When you find one, HOLD ONTO IT.