Thirty Days of Fanfiction: Days 1 & 2
Jul. 2nd, 2011 02:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amataraToo little time to spare for fannish stuff these days, and what time there is I'm trying to divide between writing my Babylon 5 story for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
help_japan and continuing to squee over X-Men: First Class, but a meme is always fun! I probably won't be able to do this properly, being one day at a time, but we'll see.
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?
Strictly speaking, I was writing fanfic before I even knew what fandom was. I was thirteen or so, quite fond of sci-fi but not exceptionally so, owning and loving the Star Wars movies and trying to catch ST: TNG when I had the chance... which was when I discovered the Star Trek movies and fell like a brick for the old TOS crew. From then on, I was a fan in the true sense of the word: I started collecting everything Trek-related that I could get my hands on (which wasn't spectacular: magazine clippings mostly, plus the occasional novel I bought in the single specilaized sci-fi and comics store in my country that I knew of and that I got to visit once or twice a year), got a subscription to a Trek fanzine... and wrote the obligatory horrid Mary Sue story, which was my official first foray into fanfiction. That was long before we had Internet, and because I was too young to actually become a member of a fanclub and go to meetings, fandom, to me, was just that single sci-fi bookstore along with a pen-pal whom I found by putting out an ad somewhere.
By the time we finally did get internet at home, I was seventeen and far more interested in my real-life teenage friends than in anything else, so I didn't have the reflex then to acquaint myself with online fandom. That only happened a few years ago, when I bought the box set of Babylon 5 on Amazon for no other reason than that it was cheap and seemed fun, and fell head over heels in love with the show. This time I did go scouring the web for resources, and, lo and behold, people had been writing fic in this fandom! There were comms about this fandom! People were actually doing this as a hobby! It felt like I'd just had a revelation: yes, yes, I want this too! I think I spent a few weeks lurking, on LJ and elsewhere, and then I wrote the first fanfiction I wrote since my teenage days: Changes of Heart. I still remember emailing![[dreamwidth.org profile]](https://s.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
selenak, one of the authors whose fanfic I'd been devouring, to spout a cartload of squee about her writing and finally, feeling nervous as all hell, asking her to beta my story. She said yes. And so, as they say on Babylon 5, it begins... :)
As for why this particular fandom pulled me in: it was partly coincidence, I think, just a matter of finding the right kind of show at the right time. B5 was the first show ever that I saw on DVD in its entirety, and the storyarc really did grip me from beginning to end; that, and a certain Centauri named Londo Mollari. *g* If it seems funny that a middle-aged, overweight character with a ridiculous hairdo might have been what eventually pulled me into fandom, well, it probably is. I can only say: it happens to the best of us. *winks*
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
Like everyone else, I'll just copy from my list of works on AO3.
Babylon 5 (14)
Twin Peaks (13)
Lost (4)
Star Trek: The Original Series (2)
Despicable Me (2010) (1)
Star Trek (2009) (1)
Torchwood (1)
X-Men: First Class (2011) (1)
Stargate Atlantis (1)
Not too impressive, compared to what some other produce, but given that English isn't my first language meaning it takes me quite some time to put a story together, and I'm a perfectionist to the point of obsessiveness, and I'm no longer a grad student with time to write during working hours, I have to say I'm pretty happy with my output. If this list makes one thing clear, it's that I don't stray out of my comfort zone very often: I generally write in the same limited set of fandoms, except very occasionally for a fic exchange or auction where I make a conscious attempt to try something else. Except for those few fics that were a one-time event, like, say, Despicable Me and possibly Torchwood and SGA, I definitely see myself writing in all of these fandoms again.
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!
help_japan and continuing to squee over X-Men: First Class, but a meme is always fun! I probably won't be able to do this properly, being one day at a time, but we'll see. 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?
Strictly speaking, I was writing fanfic before I even knew what fandom was. I was thirteen or so, quite fond of sci-fi but not exceptionally so, owning and loving the Star Wars movies and trying to catch ST: TNG when I had the chance... which was when I discovered the Star Trek movies and fell like a brick for the old TOS crew. From then on, I was a fan in the true sense of the word: I started collecting everything Trek-related that I could get my hands on (which wasn't spectacular: magazine clippings mostly, plus the occasional novel I bought in the single specilaized sci-fi and comics store in my country that I knew of and that I got to visit once or twice a year), got a subscription to a Trek fanzine... and wrote the obligatory horrid Mary Sue story, which was my official first foray into fanfiction. That was long before we had Internet, and because I was too young to actually become a member of a fanclub and go to meetings, fandom, to me, was just that single sci-fi bookstore along with a pen-pal whom I found by putting out an ad somewhere.
By the time we finally did get internet at home, I was seventeen and far more interested in my real-life teenage friends than in anything else, so I didn't have the reflex then to acquaint myself with online fandom. That only happened a few years ago, when I bought the box set of Babylon 5 on Amazon for no other reason than that it was cheap and seemed fun, and fell head over heels in love with the show. This time I did go scouring the web for resources, and, lo and behold, people had been writing fic in this fandom! There were comms about this fandom! People were actually doing this as a hobby! It felt like I'd just had a revelation: yes, yes, I want this too! I think I spent a few weeks lurking, on LJ and elsewhere, and then I wrote the first fanfiction I wrote since my teenage days: Changes of Heart. I still remember emailing
selenak, one of the authors whose fanfic I'd been devouring, to spout a cartload of squee about her writing and finally, feeling nervous as all hell, asking her to beta my story. She said yes. And so, as they say on Babylon 5, it begins... :)As for why this particular fandom pulled me in: it was partly coincidence, I think, just a matter of finding the right kind of show at the right time. B5 was the first show ever that I saw on DVD in its entirety, and the storyarc really did grip me from beginning to end; that, and a certain Centauri named Londo Mollari. *g* If it seems funny that a middle-aged, overweight character with a ridiculous hairdo might have been what eventually pulled me into fandom, well, it probably is. I can only say: it happens to the best of us. *winks*
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
Like everyone else, I'll just copy from my list of works on AO3.
Babylon 5 (14)
Twin Peaks (13)
Lost (4)
Star Trek: The Original Series (2)
Despicable Me (2010) (1)
Star Trek (2009) (1)
Torchwood (1)
X-Men: First Class (2011) (1)
Stargate Atlantis (1)
Not too impressive, compared to what some other produce, but given that English isn't my first language meaning it takes me quite some time to put a story together, and I'm a perfectionist to the point of obsessiveness, and I'm no longer a grad student with time to write during working hours, I have to say I'm pretty happy with my output. If this list makes one thing clear, it's that I don't stray out of my comfort zone very often: I generally write in the same limited set of fandoms, except very occasionally for a fic exchange or auction where I make a conscious attempt to try something else. Except for those few fics that were a one-time event, like, say, Despicable Me and possibly Torchwood and SGA, I definitely see myself writing in all of these fandoms again.
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!
