THESE are the kind of threads I love.
My 2 Canux Bux:
Now let's look at that idea as it becomes a fanfic. Some people
just sit down and try to write that idea down. I sometimes imagine John
Walter Biles just sitting down and writing "Putting Your Heart In The
Right Place", probably one of the best debut works I've ever read. They
just plow through, letting the idea dance in the theater of the mind,
showing them what to write.
Well, I had been writing for 9 years when I wrote Putting Your Heart in
the Right Place. But it had all been on paper, seen by a maximum of five
people, and had nothing to do with anime. And most of it stunk, except
for two horror stories and a superhero story co-written with my girlfriend
of the time, an English major, who was about five times better than me. :)
I, on the other hand, just sat down one day and wrote. Oh sure, I had done
some stuff before for Creative Writing class in Grade 12, but that was 4
years past when I started writing fanfiction.
But yes, I basically didn't plan out Right Place at all; it didn't even
turn out the way I planned it :)
Some people plan it. Yes, plan it. They get down and write an
outline, a
skeletal framework. That's me. I put up the skeleton then I give the fic
it's flesh.
If I write an outline, I usually never finish the story.
I WISH I had planned my first fics, even just in my head. I could have
cleaned up some of those oil-tanker-sized plotholes. It's pretty clear when
I started using my "mental skeletons," my works became a bit cleaner and
tighter.
If I write an outline, it takes me longer (much, much, MUCH longer) to write
a story. But it's better. Fair trade, IMO.
<Plagiarism> (sp?)
I'd completely disagree. The best way to damn your story to hell is to
make 'originality' your watchword. Better to use a plot done 2000 times
and do it well than to try to be 'original' and create something which is
original because it was a dumb idea and no one else was stupid enough to
do it before or which is original because the idea is utterly
inappropriate. I'm not saying originality is bad, but it's generally
better to write the stories that appeal to you, even if the idea's been
done before, than to say 'I must be original'. I've never spent a moment
considering if one of my ideas was 'original'. I have tried to make sure
I didn't accidentally plagiarize someone because I read something and
forgot it wasn't my own idea, but that's another story.
Amen. But then, I'm biased. I can't name one of my works which is
completely original in so much that it wasn't inspired by another work. Go
ahead, try me.
(First person who suggests OMB gets clobbered. Everyone knows I took the
inspiration for that one from Brett's OMGod?!)
a fanfic about a series which people don't usually use for fanfics. If
you're the only
And then no one will read you, including the people who complain about
there only being Ranma and SM fics, but who won't actually let you know
they read it, if they did.
*chuckle* Touche.
Now, my advice about characterization is simple. Make it balanced.
Never make Ukyou, a saint or Akane, Evil Incarnate. Except if your story
I'll disagree, somewhat. Some characters ARE evil incarnate or good
incarnate in the source material. Now, no one in Ranma 1/2 is that way,
but if you can find Beryl's good side, or Belldandy's dark side, I'll be
impressed.
I don't know. That calm, collected, peaceful, angellic act can be pretty
creepy.
^_^
Second, try to perfect dialogue. Dialogue is an important of writing. It
should
sound real as if it were delivered by the characters themselves. Try
reciting the dialogue,
One of my big problems...most of my dialogue sounds like everyone has my
education, even if they're five...it's what they would say if they had my
education, but...
I tend to "borrow" dialogue styles from books I read. I can't help it, I
start to think in that sort of dialogue. My major source is Eddings. Not
the best author, but man, he can write banter.
Overall, good work, Elsa. Good response, John.
--
Christopher Angel
cja124@mail.usask.ca