Fanfiction?

As far as 'dah rules' goes, it may be bordering on that yes and no territory for being within the boundaries of 'novel" however apparently in the FAQ's (I checked before running my mouth and sounding stupid) that they've updated it to say, "Anything that you consider a novel we consider a novel'. They used to be against it then I think a few people had a fit in the forums.

I actually happen to love fanfiction. Wait, wait, let me restate that. Well written Fanfiction. I have seen some that even though I love the universe it's written in they don't know how to write for those characters and they don't know to write (mispelling words, bad punctuation, not understanding what paragraphs are for) and it just is painful to read.

I also do write in those worlds, because I kinda sometimes don't want the story to end. I also write them because the idea comes to me. Or I get the feeling, "Oh I wish this had happened instead".

And who says that it's not literary? If you browse the science-fiction/fantasy section of any library or bookstore you see books based on the D&D universe, the Star Trek, Babylon 5 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. (Apparently in Asia it's become a really big fad to watch Buffy.) These books are normally well written, with a understanding of the universe that they're written in.

So what's your favorite kind of fanfiction to write? What media do you draw your stories from?

So many words, so precious little time.
ML Columbus, Ohio

Well, that's great that you love (well-written) fanfiction! There's nothing worse than 'fic that is badly written, poorly researched, and holds no regard for the canon characters or their already built-in personalities.

(I'm a big fan of the Star Wars books, honestly! So I totally understand what you mean- fanfiction is everywhere, though it goes by different names.)

Ah, my favorite kind of fanfiction to write... Hm. Well, as far as genre goes, I love to write Romance/Angst. I'm a big fan of angst and tragedy. A lot of my favorite movies and books involve depressing, emotional things, and a lot of my favorite movies do, too. (And sometimes a death or two or more occurs!)

My goals with writing fanfiction are probably considered strange by some people, but I live for changing people's lives, people's opinions... I like writing and learning about delicate subject matter. I like to inform others; I like to help them understand things that they might never understand in their lifetime if not for a silly little story written by someone they've never met.

Someday, I'd like to write short stories that will do that. Original short stories. But so many young people read fanfiction and don't understand a lot of things that... I want to say, that they should. Especially the younger generation. Abuse, rape, cutting, anorexia, bulimia... A lot of people can't understand what those things are about, what happens, why it happens, and how the healing works. I've seen so many pieces of fanfiction where an author uses one of those for a plot device, and they honestly, truly believe that they are writing it correctly. But the truth is, they aren't. Things like rape and cutting and abuse happen. People really do have anorexia and bulimia. But they're not just disorders, and a date with the male lead isn't going to make it all better. If they did just the smallest bit of research, they would see that nobody ever gets over rape, that cutting is a very very hard habit (with a reason behind it) to rid oneself of, that abuse is so complicated it scars someone for life, that anorexia and bulimia, while treatable, are oftentimes a lifelong struggle.

It's seeing things like people not realizing that their 45lb female character who is 5'5'' would never, ever be able to actually work, go to school, et cetera, without fainting dead away at the slightest movement. Things like a rape victim suddenly being okay with everything because the boy they liked agreed to take her to a movie. Things like someone overcoming abuse in the blink of an eye.

That's not how things work, and I might be petty by being so disagreeable about something that seems so silly to some people, but the young people sometimes believe it. Not only the ones writing it, but the ones reading it also, who don't know better, who have never read an autobiography or twelve about people who have actually been through things like that.

I'm so sorry for rambling. But my main media for writing fanfiction is, unsurprisingly, anime/manga, and video games. At the moment, Fire Emblem (7: Rekka no Ken) is my video game fandom of choice, and as for anime... I had lost faith in anime. All of the newer shows were either unappealing or too clean and perhaps boring. But a friend of mine on LiveJournal recommended an anime to me- she said I'd love it, and who am I to say I wouldn't if I had never seen it? I fell in love. I truly fell in love with that anime. I might even go so far as to say it has, in a way, changed my life.

I saw a dream you were flying in the sky
Without a fear...
Never touched the ground,
But never came to my side;
I tried so hard to reach out for your hand;
The ruthless wind kept your soul away...

That's actually great! Have you read "Cut" by Patricia McCormick, it's geared at 'young adult' although it's about cutting, and there's a few books that deal with rape. And any Laura McDaniels books. It's an entire genre! The young adult's are apparently dealing with more than publishers and authors thought we were going through when I was in middle and high school. I just read about about a kid on an acid trip, "Pure Sunshine".

So if it's something you're interested in, write it down... LOL. That's what matters (that's why this is NaNoWriMo). I write because I like to think about things like, why people do the things they do. Why life is just hard work. Why some people don't believe in honest living. I write to think about the what if's in life. So yeah, I understand your motivation totally, even if it's just from a different angle than mine.

And btw, soemtime get that 'One day" thing down and just do it. :) NaNo's about getting rid of the 'one day' novelist, so why not be done as a 'one day' short story writer?

So many words, so precious little time.
ML Columbus, Ohio

i am one of those people, i confess, who looks at the massive lines of D&D books and star trek fan fic novels from every generation, and thinks, why can't these people tell a story with their OWN characters? but then i'm also one of those people who will read books based on mangas, mangas based on book, mangas based on movies, books based on movies, who watches movies based on books, who in fact has written fan fiction herself, and who indeed will be writing fan fiction for NaNo this year. i guess my concern centers around the same point brought up above: writing quality. i really don't care what the fandom in question is, as long as the writing is good. actually, i once read an inuyasha fan fic that made me cry it was so good. why was it good? because the person who wrote it took the time to make the characters her own. she took the time to write in all those details that maybe someone obsessed with the series would already know but that the rest of us were just reading for the first time. now of course, i've also read fan fic that makes me want to cry for wholly other reasons, but this is usually because the person writing has used the fact that these characters may be well know as an excuse to fail to excercise their writing skill. so my challenge this NaNo is to treat my fandom as if it were fresh and new, instead of the Please Don't Make Me Watch Any More Samurai Jack that i'm certain it will be by the time i'm done watching all 52 episodes forwards, backwards and sideways in prep for november. my challenge is to take Samurai Jack and make him mine, to inflict my own style and personal touch on him, rather than simply quoting back the episodes. can i do it? well, we'll see, but i've won three years in a row now, and i don't intend to fail lightly.

~meredeth.
is off to watch episode 5 of 52...

http://www.notuboc.com/

I'm writing a fanfiction about Hanson... you definitely won't be alone hehehehehe.
<3333333

**Take the Walk, make a change, do something tangible to change lives**

read my NaNoWriMo project here: http://adrina-milas.livejournal.com

but also in my defense? The band doesn't even come in until after the midpoint.

**Take the Walk, make a change, do something tangible to change lives**

read my NaNoWriMo project here: http://adrina-milas.livejournal.com

Well, I'm not writing fanfiction but as a fan who has, unfortunately, read a varied amount of fanfiction across several fandoms, genres, SHIPs, and styles, I have to say that the beauty of fanfiction (albeit the small positive) is the love that the authors puts into their work. When you find that rare piece of fanfiction where the author treats the characters with respect is when you find something worthwhile.
The thing that upsets me most about fanfiction (and this is just the number 1 pet peeve of a million) is when I find middle school girls trying to integrate their shallow drama into stories. Last time I checked, Hermione Granger didn't giggle with the girls and whisper, "Oh my God, he is so, like, cute! Can you believe how HOT he is? Whoo-wee, girls! Smoking!"
If I had rules for fanfiction, they would be:
1. treat the characters with respect.
2. do not make the girl you (or the girl you like, for the male writers) and do not make the boy "him" (and vice versa).
Those are just two in a long line of rules but I won't bore you.

Why not? this thread is all about fanfiction. I mean we talk about well written fanfiction, but what makes it well written?

For me it's this:

1. the person knows how to consistently spell, and know what paragraphs are.
2. They understand the worlds they're writing for, and not only that, check out facts in the books while writing them just in case they get something wrong.
3. They know the characters they're talking about. If a MC doesn't run, don't have them running in a triathalon (unless it's supposed to be comedic, then go for it).
4. If they are 12, write like they're 12, but if they're 34 you're not going to see them flinging themselves onto any kind of bed and crying for hours because their husband left them.
5. Slash should be well written, and even if it's unlikely pairings, show how even in the 'verse you're writing for they pull it off. (I once read a slash fic called Sleeping with the enemy. It was a harry/lucious pairing, and it was realistic, it showed how paniced they were about being 'found out' and how they could have had such a pairing work.
6. If you are going to put yourself into the fanfic (meeting the characters, and such) please put yourself into the most recent part of the plot. That way you don't go through the whole 'fic going "Oh man, I could have told you that would have happened."

Okay I'm done, what about you? What would you add to the list?

So many words, so precious little time.
ML Columbus, Ohio

I'll admit my first significantly long piece was fanfiction (and several thereafter). I wrote a 52 page Star Wars fic for my sophomore English portfolio, complete with a few new characters I had invented. I discovered I loved writing and although had a lot of characters, it was too much pressure to write about them (I mean, you want to do them justice).

So I kept writing fanfiction--most of it chapter based. I went from Gundam Wing to Resident Evil. For GW I frequently worked Alternate Universe scenarios--to be honest, only the characters were not original. I guess I found that fun and liberating. I was on fanfiction.net as Kasage for a long time. I'm sure there's some horrible pieces in there, but there are also some I'm proud of.

I can honestly say, fanfiction was a great, low pressure steppings stone for me. It helped me turn off the internal editor and create something to share with other people.

2005: Conkle's Hallowed
2007: Brierspell
2008: ???

I did a massive fanfic last year. Personally, I think that as long as fanfic is done well, it can work. My fanfic was almost more of a novel set in the universe of the parent show...only one character from the parent show was majorly involved, and two others were involved in the most minor of aspects. But it was a story that wouldn't work outside the parent universe (trust me, I tried to make it work outside that universe, and it didn't). I love to read good fanfic...it's just the bad fanfic that makes me cringe.

Fanfic writing led me to original fiction, and I still indulge in fanfic way more than original. It's become a sort of guilty pleasure for me...I tend to be more publicly proud of my original work, and only secretly proud of my fanfics, hahaha. This year I'm trying an original novel though.

Good luck!

Body count: 1

I am just using this as a huge writing exercise. I originally started as fan fiction, but could easily get pushed off into a more original piece of work. It just depends on how you want to flesh out your story and characters.

Go ahead, put your fan fiction characters names in as your write, nothing says you cant go back later, and "find & replace" with a new name... or adjust their look or nature.

At the end of the day, I don't know where the characters rolling around in my head are going to lead me. I just follow and transcribe.

Heart of Life

Peonies in the Moonlight

Trying to make 30K by bedtime on Wednesday

I'm not writing fanfiction, because that could blow up in a huge legal mess without the appropriate permissions and what not. I do write fanfiction though (the link to my FF.net page is on my profile), and I agree with you, fanfiction is a good way to practice. I write fanfiction to work on my story-telling skills as well as to ensure my English skills haven't gone to pot, not to mention for the fun. If you look at it in that sense, then it's not a waste of talent, but rather a means of sharpening skills.

AMEN.

I have to ask, what is perhaps the worst way to start a fanfiction, whether you're reading the beginning of a one-shot or the introduction to the first chapter in a chapter fic? My pet peeves are the "It was a (insert weather here) day in (place). (insert name here) (insert action here)...." and starting anything off with dialogue. I rather like for writers to paint a scene with vivid auditory and visual imagery before moving on to the characters.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own!" ~Adam Savage from Mythbusters

2007: The Guardian Angel (lost)
2008: Sacrifice (won)

The worst way to start a 'fic? It all depends on the story itself, in my opinion. Sometimes it's silly imagery that feels like it's out of place, sometimes it's dialogue that doesn't sound natural compared to the rest of the beginning of the story, and sometimes it's something that would work really well for a different story-- just not the one you're reading.

I've read and written 'fics that started out with dialogue. Well, specifically, one line of dialogue. Sometimes, if it's the right thing, it'll catch your eye. Other times, instead of catching your eye, it makes you cringe. It depends on the author, the story itself, and things like the story setting. I don't like drabbles that start out with dialogue. I just don't think they work well. To me, they're less a "drabble" and more like a few sentences taken out of a bigger story. I don't like that. A drabble should still have what every story has- a beginning and an end.

I can't believe that tomorrow is the start of NaNo... I'm probably going to regret taking on this challenge, but it'll be worth it if I manage to make my goal.

(( Also, as a side note, I've never thought 'fic was a waste of time, despite what some people tell me, because it's literally the only thing keeping my brain alive, considering my job is so monotonous. And my English skills have never been good-- we never learned anything in high school... I can't tell you what a preposition is-- but 'fic, and holders of an English degree who read and write 'fic for fun help me out all the time with grammar and word usage. Last year, as a matter of fact, I found out that I had been misusing semi-colons my entire life. Ouch. ))

I saw a dream you were flying in the sky
Without a fear...
Never touched the ground,
But never came to my side;
I tried so hard to reach out for your hand;
The ruthless wind kept your soul away...