Thirty Days of Fanfiction: Day One
Jul. 1st, 2011 02:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakSince I can be online only briefly for another week, I'll try to do the meme actually one day at a time. *g*
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?
As it happens, I wrote my first fanfiction in a fandom I wasn't particularly into at the time. Books aside, my earliest fandom was Star Trek in its various incarnations, and that was also the first fandom I searched out and read fanfiction in. However, it wasn't the first I wrote in. Nor was it Highlander: The Series, my first internet fandom, so to speak (though that was the second fandom I wrote stories for), or Babylon 5, another obsession at the time (quite frankly, I did not dare before the show was actually over, and even then I had a curious hesitation despite being frustrated by the lack of Centauri fanficition; it took me almost a decade to do something about that myself). It wasn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer, either, which I transitioned to because several HL fans had discovered it and were into it.
No, the first two fanfics I wrote were Star Wars. And I was only ever mildly involved back then, before the prequels. (Yes, I am that minority person who didn't get into SW fervently until the prequels.) A New Hope was okay, but I hadn't felt compelled to ever watch it again in ye olde 70s, despite being exactly the right age and massively into Sci Fi. The Empire Strikes Back captivated me because I thought (psst, spoiler) that the whole Vader = Anakin Skywalker suddenly made the whole story less black and white and interesting to me. And Return of the Jedi I was fond of and all in all liked as a conclusion. Still, I don't have any dusting videos from the old days lying around, and while I watched sometimes when the films were repeated on tv, I did not spend any money on the franchise. When the new books appeared, I was first interested, but somewhat dissappointed they were set after the trilogy because what I was really curious about was the backstory, not what Leia, Han and Luke did next (I was perfectly content to leave them where they were at the end of RotJ, except for Leia dealing some more with all the family revelations, perhaps). I browsed through the Thrawn trilogy in bookstores without acquiring them. And then, lo and behold, the ever recurring rumours about a new trilogy suddenly became less rumours and more reports that shooting had begun, etc. And suddenly emotional involvement happened. And with it something else. To wit, the urge to write a vignette about how Luke transitioned from ESB-style "Nooooooo" about the news re: his father to the determination to save the man (and that there is something to save) we see in RotJ. And lo and behold, fanfiction happened. (No, you can't read it. It's in German.)
A short time later (I think),bimo, compelled by the lack of good fanfiction websites in German, opened a multifandom website and asked for contributions. I donated my Luke tale and made a new friend. (In the years to come, I would write some more SW, one more story in German and the rest in English, and even got into internet debates, but it was never such a big, formative fandom for me as the above named and some others, so it still amuses me that it was Star Wars that got me going. (To fanfiction, not writing in general; I had written non-fanfic before.) What had drawn me in? The fact I felt an emotional gap in canon, lack of exploration in the licensed media, the fact I have a thing for messed up family relationships, and fall and/or redemption stories, and the need to write it before getting new canon. In other words, the usual. :)
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 favorite 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?
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.
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!
Tags: meme
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?
As it happens, I wrote my first fanfiction in a fandom I wasn't particularly into at the time. Books aside, my earliest fandom was Star Trek in its various incarnations, and that was also the first fandom I searched out and read fanfiction in. However, it wasn't the first I wrote in. Nor was it Highlander: The Series, my first internet fandom, so to speak (though that was the second fandom I wrote stories for), or Babylon 5, another obsession at the time (quite frankly, I did not dare before the show was actually over, and even then I had a curious hesitation despite being frustrated by the lack of Centauri fanficition; it took me almost a decade to do something about that myself). It wasn't Buffy the Vampire Slayer, either, which I transitioned to because several HL fans had discovered it and were into it.
No, the first two fanfics I wrote were Star Wars. And I was only ever mildly involved back then, before the prequels. (Yes, I am that minority person who didn't get into SW fervently until the prequels.) A New Hope was okay, but I hadn't felt compelled to ever watch it again in ye olde 70s, despite being exactly the right age and massively into Sci Fi. The Empire Strikes Back captivated me because I thought (psst, spoiler) that the whole Vader = Anakin Skywalker suddenly made the whole story less black and white and interesting to me. And Return of the Jedi I was fond of and all in all liked as a conclusion. Still, I don't have any dusting videos from the old days lying around, and while I watched sometimes when the films were repeated on tv, I did not spend any money on the franchise. When the new books appeared, I was first interested, but somewhat dissappointed they were set after the trilogy because what I was really curious about was the backstory, not what Leia, Han and Luke did next (I was perfectly content to leave them where they were at the end of RotJ, except for Leia dealing some more with all the family revelations, perhaps). I browsed through the Thrawn trilogy in bookstores without acquiring them. And then, lo and behold, the ever recurring rumours about a new trilogy suddenly became less rumours and more reports that shooting had begun, etc. And suddenly emotional involvement happened. And with it something else. To wit, the urge to write a vignette about how Luke transitioned from ESB-style "Nooooooo" about the news re: his father to the determination to save the man (and that there is something to save) we see in RotJ. And lo and behold, fanfiction happened. (No, you can't read it. It's in German.)
A short time later (I think),
bimo, compelled by the lack of good fanfiction websites in German, opened a multifandom website and asked for contributions. I donated my Luke tale and made a new friend. (In the years to come, I would write some more SW, one more story in German and the rest in English, and even got into internet debates, but it was never such a big, formative fandom for me as the above named and some others, so it still amuses me that it was Star Wars that got me going. (To fanfiction, not writing in general; I had written non-fanfic before.) What had drawn me in? The fact I felt an emotional gap in canon, lack of exploration in the licensed media, the fact I have a thing for messed up family relationships, and fall and/or redemption stories, and the need to write it before getting new canon. In other words, the usual. :) 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 favorite 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?
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.
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!
Tags: meme
no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 02:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 02:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 06:25 pm (UTC)Because it's really fantasy & not Sci Fi?
(Opens can of worms, runs away)
no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 06:39 pm (UTC)Anyway, yes, A New Hope is fantasy, which wasn't a problem, but it seemed awfully black and white to 11 or twelve years old me, because I had just gotten a taste for complicated villains and shades of grey heroes via various historical novels. So it was really the (back then, not now, of course) new twist with the father revelation that made me sit up and think, hold on, this is more complicated than it appeared.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-01 06:41 pm (UTC)