Why Fanfiction is not Evil

Why Fanfiction is not Evil

Go on. Admit it. You've written fanfiction. I've written fanfiction! I still write fanfiction! I've got two going right now. Even if your not on the site, you've made up a story about some star you liked or some show you watched.

He, he! Then, get this, then Troy Bolton will kiss me! And... oh! And then Gabriela walks up, and sees us!

Oh, eleven year old me. I know you had a thing for characters that were starting to go out of date, but really.... the same story again?

The Upsides to Fanfiction

Fanfiction is good in a few main ways.
1. Practice: You can get practice for the real writing here without actually having to sit down and try to be profound on the first try.
2. Experimentation: Also, this is great for children who don't yet know how to make their own stories (or adults). It's great for experimenting in different styles. Never written in 3rd person? Write a fanfiction. Go ahead! Post it! As long as it's spell checked you out did at least a few of the fics there.
3. Fun: And they're fun! You get to put characters that already seem so real into situations they've never been in before. And it's different, because they're fixed. You can't just decide. "Oh, actually.... so-and-so is no longer allergic to peanuts. It's getting kind of annoying to keep mentioning it." So you have restraints to push at.
4. No pressure.  And there's no pressure since you won't have to publish it. (Don't try. That's illegal. Unless it's on fanfiction.net)

The Downsides to Fanfiction

Some people get too wrapped up in fanfiction. They forget to work on their own stuff, or they lose the ability to. Yes, fanfiction is good practice for writing your novel, but you have to write it some time.

Some authors don't like fanfiction. Maybe they don't like other people messing with their plots and characters or something. If I ever get published though, which is the plan, I will be totally okay with it. Because fanfiction isn't about ripping off someones characters/plots/story/work. It's about exploring someone else's world because you love it that much that you don't want to leave.

Fanfiction is not evil. You can take it that way, but that is not the intention of the writer, so I wouldn't. If someone is spending the time to write 2,000 words every week about your characters, they probably fell in love with them.

So don't feel inferior. Try it. You probably already have.

Making your Characters Real

Making your Characters Real

Well before I start, sorry it's been a while since I posted! I had finals, then I was engrossed in many a writings, but I'm here now, and ready to get back into it!

How do you make your characters real?

Everyone wants their characters to feel so real that their critique partners will call them up and be like, "Why is Mary so mean to Bob? God, I hate her!" or "Bob so deserved that! I hate him! Good for Mary!" (If the story is eventually published, you will likely hear both about the same character if you wrote them well.)

Believe it or not, it isn't that hard.

Is Good and Bad good or bad?

The most important thing to do is to make sure they aren't a pure breed. You don't want someone to point to a character and be like "Mary is bad." or "Mary is good." You want them to think about it and say, "I think I like Mary, but I didn't like it when she yelled at Bob." In other words, your good characters need to have a bad side and your bad characters need to have a good side. Every character that is in your novel for more than a few pages should be double sided. Writing is where the mutts rule.

Make them human.

Then you need to make your character human. What's the first thing you want to know about a person (after if they're nice or not/what they look like.)? You probably want to know what they like/dislike and they're hobbies. And you can't just say watching TV. Then you want to know what shows. Think of your characters like your friends (that you'll later torture). 

And make sure you give them a specialty. That could be anything as specific as being able to name every star on a star map or as general as music. It just matters how well we know the character and how broadly they think. But keep in mind, just because two characters like the same thing doesn't mean they have to connect. If two kids each like playing Barbies, you might think they'd get along. But one girl likes doing their hair and picking outfits for them. The other likes acting out stories.

Voice: the hard part made easy

Now for their voice. Think about it. You already have their voice. How did they grow up? Here, watch.

Take the sentence, "That movie was great! I loved the part where they kissed!"

Say your character is a 15 year old who likes watching youtube and doesn't really like to read. They might say, "Wow! That movie was awesome! I loved the part where they made out! It was so cute!"

Say your character is an English major who is teaching their first year of English at a local high school. She loves to read and has been writing since she was very young. She's also a bit show-offy. "That movie was magnificent! I especially enjoyed the moment where the two protagonists kissed by the lake. It was quite well done."

Or your character is a film student. She grew up watching movies and has wanted to be a director forever. She likes reading, but mostly about film and loves watching movies to learn to be a better director. "That movie was so well done! The part where the two main characters kissed was lit really well! The lens flares were placed perfectly. I wonder if they were in camera? And the sound was done perfectly! I should take notes next time."

See? Find what your character knows and that's how they talk. This will especially come in handy if you're writing first person or close third person, but will come in handy no matter what. More times than not, a character will need to speak at some point.

Now, go forth, and create new people! Ah-hem... I mean, characters....

Experimenting: The Best Way to Become the Best

Experimenting: The Best Way to Become the Best

What do write? I know most of you said one thing. I write novels. I write short stories. I write plays. I write screenplays. I write poetry. I write memoirs. I write songs.

I write all of the above.

Am I good at all of the above? No! Of course not! Do I want to publish all of the above? No! But I write it because they are all the same thing!

Certainly, no one likes writing everything. You're not going to love every little thing. But sometimes, you find something you never thought you were going to like is amazing.

It's like food, only you haven't been turning up your nose in front of everyone for months, so you don't have to pretend you still don't like it and then find an excuse to have to eat it when no one is watching. You just get a new, awesome medium to play with!

This blog is a new medium for me. I've tried blogging once before, but I never actually posted the entries. I was scared out of my mind that I'd mess up. Now? Sure, I have to muster up a bit of courage every time I hit publish, but I know that "A book is a flawed thing made by a flawed person". (John Green) No one is perfect, not even the most well known authors.

Therefor, write everything, then work your way down to a couple mediums that you really like. Then you know what you want to devote all your time to, and your brain isn't filled with ideas for things you don't even know you won't want to write.