I wanted to post something yesterday about this because, well, yesterday was the official twenty-year mark for Rebecca Herbst on General Hospital.
I’ve been writing fanfiction about General Hospital for nearly as long as Becky has been on the show — I started with Elizabeth/Lucky fanfiction in 1998 back when most GH sites were on Geocities and we organized our fandoms by mailing lists, not message boards. Elizabeth and Lucky were my first love and my first foray in creative writing.
I can still remember watching that first episode on August 1, when Elizabeth showed up as a teenage badass who didn’t a give fuck about anything or anyone. I rushed home for a year to watch her scheme and plot to get the guy and then battle back from her rape. As I got older and busier with school, I wasn’t always able to keep up or record on our VCR, but I kept tuning in. I got a DVR in 2005, which made it a lot easier.
I loved Jason/Elizabeth from the moment I saw them on screen, but didn’t start writing for them until the summer of 2002 when I found The Canvas. Whatever that site turned into, I will always be grateful for them because I found a voice in my writing that hasn’t stopped since (despite a few breaks). I discovered many of the readers I still have today and also a group of amazing friends at Liason/Liz Underground who continue to be some of the strongest, funniest women I know.
I created Crimson Glass on September 19, 2002 but I started publishing fanfiction on August 3, 2002 at The Canvas with Deserving, a story that has been lost to rewrites, crashes, and being banned from The Canvas. It’s been fifteen years which seems insane to me but I wouldn’t change a thing. So I’m posting today, in the middle of these two anniversaries.
Elizabeth Webber remains one of my favorite television characters. I don’t always watch regularly these days because the rest of the show has never meant as much to me, but for twenty years, Becky has brought this character to life and I think it’s safe to say my life would be much different had she left the show as quickly as Jennifer Sky and the character of Sarah Webber. The character of Elizabeth was originally about fourteen or fifteen when she started (she turned 16 in 1998, then 18 in 1999), and I was thirteen so part of me feels like I grew up with her on screen. I will always remain #LizFanFirst.
Thank you for reading my silly stories and giving me a reason to keep writing.
Comments
I also saw Becky’s first day at GH. I thought she was the cutest thing I had seen in ages, a breath of fresh air. I’ve enjoyed her through some terrible stories, and she’s still a breath of fresh air.
It’s good to see you writing again.
I’ve also watched Becky when she first entered or rather aired on GH and some of her smaller appearances in their shows but have always liked her especially Elizabeth. She is still one of my favorite actresses if. It the only one on GH. I don’t have as much time as I used to watch but only ever did because of her. Thank you for continuing to write as I love reading your new pieces and releasing the older ones as well. There are only a few sites that I can continue to read FanFiction on Liz and am glad you are one of them.
I also remember when Becky first arrived, she was one of the reasons I watched GH. She really brought Elizabeth to life, and made her relatable. She is one of my favorite actresses. Through all oF her storylines, she has always given 100%, it really shows through on screen. I am really grateful that you and other authors write fan fiction as I don’t get to watch GH as often as I would like, so I can enjoy reading yalls work.
Thank you so much for your stories I too remember when Liz arrive. I was front and center when the rape story happen and all the loves and ups and down that happen to her. I laugh and cried like everyone and read all of authors stories. Once again thanks.
I honestly believe hiring Becky, creating Elizabeth, and pairing Liason was one of the last strokes of genius GH has ever realized. The fact that Becky is still trudging through that mess twenty years later isn’t just a tribute to her amazing spirit and talent but also a very real credit to the incredible fanbase she’s so rightfully inspired over the last two decades.
That said, while it was talents like Becky who originally got me hooked, it’s talents like you, Melissa, who’ve kept my love for the genre alive YEARS after I stopped watching!
Beautifully said and could not agree with you more. Happy anniversary to you as well & thank you for giving us such beautiful stories.
Just checking in on you to see if you enjoyed your August . . .