30 Day Fanfic Writing Meme, Day 8
Jul. 7th, 2011 06:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hrhrionastarDay 1, 2, 3, 4+5, 6, 7
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
I rarely write fic with an OC as a main character, for two reasons: first, if the story is about my OC, it's not really fanfiction so much as disguised original work, and second, people are a lot less likely to read it.
The one exception to this for me is next gen characters - I love next gen, and will almost always write something with them as the main characters. I like thinking about what the canon characters would be like as parents, and what issues/strengths/weaknesses they would pass on to the kids, and how the family dynamic might change, and so on.
Mary Sues tend to hijack the story - not only are they perfect physically, but they usually have more power than any canon character, and combine all the strengths of the canon characters with none of their weaknesses, so that everyone else looks pathetic next to them.
I think OCs are necessary to flesh out almost any story - there are always innocent bystanders, servants, classmates, etc - but I try to make sure all my OCs have flaws, and that there's something a canon character does better than they do.
(My basic test for Mary Sue-ism is the name - if there's a character named Ebony Glorianhallana Prancilnineah von Lorenzo, I may refrain from reading/writing about her.)
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 –Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
I rarely write fic with an OC as a main character, for two reasons: first, if the story is about my OC, it's not really fanfiction so much as disguised original work, and second, people are a lot less likely to read it.
The one exception to this for me is next gen characters - I love next gen, and will almost always write something with them as the main characters. I like thinking about what the canon characters would be like as parents, and what issues/strengths/weaknesses they would pass on to the kids, and how the family dynamic might change, and so on.
Mary Sues tend to hijack the story - not only are they perfect physically, but they usually have more power than any canon character, and combine all the strengths of the canon characters with none of their weaknesses, so that everyone else looks pathetic next to them.
I think OCs are necessary to flesh out almost any story - there are always innocent bystanders, servants, classmates, etc - but I try to make sure all my OCs have flaws, and that there's something a canon character does better than they do.
(My basic test for Mary Sue-ism is the name - if there's a character named Ebony Glorianhallana Prancilnineah von Lorenzo, I may refrain from reading/writing about her.)
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 –Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
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no subject
Date: 2011-07-07 11:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-07 11:52 pm (UTC)I try to avoid the standard pitfalls, like making the kid a carbon copy of a parent or relative (cough Harry Potter epilogue cough), and it's fun to see what the kid might or might not inherit...
Glad I'm not the only next gen fan ;D
no subject
Date: 2011-07-08 08:22 am (UTC)My only issue with some next-gen fics is how far in the future it takes place. Some people want to write solely about the children and grandchildren of the original work. It implies that only the characters who married and had children were really important, because now it's all about their descendants. Princess Rahl is as much about Kahlan and Darken as it is about Nila, so that doesn't apply here of course.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-08 06:51 pm (UTC)Children aren't the only way a character may have left a lasting legacy or impact on their world. In a hundred years, for example, what will everyone remember about Richard? Or in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, will the spell giving all the Potentials the power hold, and what effects will that have had?
That is, I'm somewhat interested in the history books - what gets remembered, and what doesn't.
Princess Rahl, though, is definitely about Darken and Kahlan as well as Nila ;D And Richard's return is inevitable, so it can't help but be about that, too.