30-day Fanfiction Writing Meme – Day 05

[aadler]

The meme continues (originated by elfflame, brought to my attention by jedibuttercup).

Day 05: 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?

Generally, I pay attention to something like that. If the story seems to want a certain person, or a certain voice, or certain events, I’m inclined to incorporate those. Some of this is moderated by the fact that I never begin a story unless I already know where I intend to take it, so I’m less susceptible to being pulled off-course by unanticipated nudges. If I’m feeling something, though, I’ll probably follow it out, correcting and adjusting as I go.

This isn’t a total protection. When I began “An Eye to the Future”, my original thought was that Willy, Merle, Andrew and Tiphaine would operate in rough equivalence: minor characters who managed to have an unexpected and largely unrecognized effect on larger events. In fact, I intended to title the story “Useful Idiots”, in keeping with that theme. Madame Tiphaine kept assuming a larger role, however, and I could see that allowing her to do so would potentiate other ideas I have on the back-burner, so I let that one have its head.

Sometimes the unplanned (but not unwelcome) appearance or heightened role of a character will improve on my original intent. I’d had the basic notion behind “… Than Meets the Eye” for years, but the moment I thought of adding Sheila to the mix, everything else started working. The most interesting point in that is that her presence didn’t change the direction of the story, but added interest and momentum to what I had already intended to do. To a lesser extent, Jonathan’s role in “Unbidden the Day” (and, for that matter, Tara’s) wound up being more influential than I had planned at first.

Character intrusion? It happens. Happens less to me, I think, but I try to respect it when it does.

Other Questions:

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?
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?
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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?
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 – Beta-ing – 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!

Day 06