A Question and the Fanfic Meme
May. 9th, 2013 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99So I'm writing an Alexander the Great modern day AU, and Alexander is about to appear driving a Ferrari. Now to me, it's obvious that I'm using a Ferrari to stand in for Bucephalas because the Ferrari symbol is a prancing horse. However, I am tifosi and I'm not sure how clear it is to someone who isn't into motorsports. Opinions are being canvassed.
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Fanfic Meme Day 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.
It intrigues me that this meme only asks about OCs and Mary Sues but not about Gary Stus.
Yes, I write OCs, because often the fics I write require it. For instance, when the fic is set a long time after or before the canon, and I need someone from then to take part in the action for the plot. Other times, it's because the whole point of the fic is that the OC is not one of the regular characters in the canon. And on one occasion, because the BBC SFX budget is not up to providing me with active, octopodal characters.
One of the first fandoms I spent time in was X-Men Comics, and in that there is a whole genre of OC fic called "common people fic" and the whole point is that they characters are OC non-mutants who are affected by the main plot (or sometimes non-visible or non-fantastically-powered mutants). It's a fantastic genre if you like world-building and mutant politics, which are two of my favourite things, and I wonder if that has affected my view of things.
The fear of Mary Sues interests me because, if you take a background character, give them way more detail than canon gives it and put them centre stage, you're an inventive fanfic writer, yet if you create a female character whole-cloth and make her the centre of the action, you're doing something bad. I understand the whole "no-one is interested in your self-inserts but you" but the term Mary Sue has become so over- and misused through time that it's basically meaningless.
1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favourite characters to write?
4 - Do you have a 'muse' character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 - If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your 'muse' or not, what did you do about it?
6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
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!
~~~~
Fanfic Meme Day 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.
It intrigues me that this meme only asks about OCs and Mary Sues but not about Gary Stus.
Yes, I write OCs, because often the fics I write require it. For instance, when the fic is set a long time after or before the canon, and I need someone from then to take part in the action for the plot. Other times, it's because the whole point of the fic is that the OC is not one of the regular characters in the canon. And on one occasion, because the BBC SFX budget is not up to providing me with active, octopodal characters.
One of the first fandoms I spent time in was X-Men Comics, and in that there is a whole genre of OC fic called "common people fic" and the whole point is that they characters are OC non-mutants who are affected by the main plot (or sometimes non-visible or non-fantastically-powered mutants). It's a fantastic genre if you like world-building and mutant politics, which are two of my favourite things, and I wonder if that has affected my view of things.
The fear of Mary Sues interests me because, if you take a background character, give them way more detail than canon gives it and put them centre stage, you're an inventive fanfic writer, yet if you create a female character whole-cloth and make her the centre of the action, you're doing something bad. I understand the whole "no-one is interested in your self-inserts but you" but the term Mary Sue has become so over- and misused through time that it's basically meaningless.
1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favourite characters to write?
4 - Do you have a 'muse' character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 - If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your 'muse' or not, what did you do about it?
6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
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: 2013-05-11 08:54 am (UTC)I like that detail A LOT though, jsyk. YOU SHOULD KEEP IT EITHER WAY.
no subject
Date: 2013-05-11 03:36 pm (UTC)