Vagus Aeternus <aemilius7@mail.com> wrote:
I am new to this list, and I have an idea for a Ranma 1/2 fic. It would
deal with Ukyou falling in love with a new character, Misaru. Does this
sound plausible? Has it been done?
Oh, yes. It's been done many, MANY times. But to my knowledge, it hasn't been
done *well.*
I've been told that new character
fics are hard to sell.
True. There are several reasons for this. For one thing, new characters are at
an inherent disadvantage simply because of the nature of fanfiction. I read
Ranma fics because I'm interested in Takahashi's characters. And now you're
introducing this new character. Why should I care enough to read about what
happens to him?
But beyond that, the typical new character fic simply suffers from a whole host
of problems. Ofttimes the author is too attached to his character and hence
doesn't treat the character with the necessary ruthless fairness. Often there is
little or no conflict in such stories, because the author isn't willing to let
anything bad happen to his precious character. At this point we've moved into
the realm of wish fulfillment -- far more enjoyable to write than it is for a
reader.
Now, if you're aware of these difficulties and pitfalls, and still want to write
this story, then go for it. I'll just offer you some suggestions:
* Make sure there's plenty of conflict in the story. Lack of conflict pretty
much always guarantees a dull story. Generally, conflicts that are
multi-dimensional and at least partly internal character ones (e.g. Ukyo likes
some things about your NC, but dislikes others, and has to decide whether to go
further with him) are generally more interesting than one-dimensional/purely
physical ones (e.g. Kuno has also become interested in Ukyo, and your NC has to
keep beating him up).
* Give your character a well-defined personality that you show through his
actions in the story. Putting some of your own emotions and such into the
character is fine, but don't base the character wholly and totally on yourself;
this is an almost certain recipe for a dull character. Make your character
likeable enough that people will want to see him succeed -- but not TOO likeable
so that he seems annoyingly perfect.
* Generally, letting your NC upstage the Takahashi characters is a bad idea, and
will turn readers off. This doesn't only apply to fighting, but also things like
having your NC solve all of Ranma's problems for him.
Gary Kleppe
http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics.html