30-day Fanfiction Writing Meme – Day 08

[aadler]

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

Day 08: Do you write OCs?

Oh, yes, indeed, I do. In fact, almost a fifth of my fics (9 out of 50) contain or centrally feature original characters. (*List below) In addition, in some cases I’ve expanded minor — or changed less minor — canonical characters to the point where they essentially operate as OCs (the most prominent examples are Sheila and Tana in “Come to My Window”, Sandy and ‘Nika’ in “Shadow and Substance”, and Nancy Doyle in “Unbidden the Day”). All are intended to show some aspect of the Buffyverse from a new perspective, or show how people outside the core Scoobies are affected by that world.

If so, what do you do to make certain they’re not Mary Sues?

I’ve spent some time paying attention to the various definitions of a Mary Sue. (The classic Mary Sue Litmus Test — Buffy/Angel version — remains my primary guide.) There was also a lengthy critical expansion of the principles of the litmus test (which, unfortunately, I can no longer locate) which offered a final opinion I’ve tried mightily to keep in mind. To wit, does the character warp all events around herself, likewise warping the personalities of the fandom’s main characters to their detriment and her glorification? or does the character serve the story?

Most of my OCs (or expanded canonical characters) are bit players in larger events. In “Unbidden the Day”, Nancy Doyle is a deliberate parody of Mary Sue, albeit for (within the story) valid reasons. In my opinion, then, the only aadler-created characters who can plausibly be brought before the board as potential Mary Sues are Nika (“Shadow and Substance”) and Dina (“Whisper of a Moment”).

For each of them, the story in which she originally appeared was centered largely or wholly on her. Each of them had special abilities and a striking background or history. Each of them tripped several items on the litmus test. So how did I (in my opinion) keep them from getting too close to the dreaded Mary Sue identity?

Honestly, I think I did it by always focusing on them as people.

Nika was a little too special in a few too many ways, and turned out to have a tragic past to boot … but she was hemmed by human failings, lost the respect and affection of her closest ally (and deserved to), and found herself exiled from the world she desired as a result both of unfavorable events and her own bad choices. She was selfish, single-minded, habitually and almost compulsively deceptive, and mired in an understandable but exaggerated self-loathing. She was central to her own story, with effects on other lesser (but no core) characters, but didn’t warp canonical events or characters around herself.

Dina, by genealogy, abilities, and history, could easily have crossed the line into Sue-ism. Furthermore, vigilant care had to be taken to keep her personality from being a direct or sub-par copy of Faith’s. She had her own reasons and motivations, however, her own failings and blind spots, and a continuing if dissatisfied awareness of her limitations and mistakes. She did get entangled with prominent canon characters (Xander, Wesley, and — less important but still of some substance — Ethan Rayne), affected and was affected by them … but they still acted like themselves, and Xander’s constant stumbling across her path served to complicate and eventually subvert her goals. Ultimately, he altered her story far more than she altered his.

At the end of the analysis, my thoughts on OCs follow a lot of the same territory as my thoughts on Mary Sues. A fanfic should recognize and respect the host fandom; anything that undercuts, disregards or diminishes that fandom needs to be corrected until it no longer does so. I like OCs and I like giving more of the spotlight to minor characters … but if a story of mine doesn’t make its host fandom seem more real and more interesting, the story has failed. Many things have to be regulated and applied in order to avoid such a failure; the development, presentation, and application of all characters, OCs or not, are included.

*OC List
“Twilight’s Last Gleaming” – Jack and Loryn
“Solitaire Till Dawn” – James
“Whisper of a Moment” – Dina
“the Still, Small Voice” – Father Nolan
“Glass Ceiling” – Lynn (‘Bitch’)
“First Do No Harm” – Andy, Doc, Katie, Dustin
“Learning Curve” – Leah
“Kirlian Logic” – ‘Natalie’ (who passed as Trish for most of the story)
“An Eye to the Future” – Madame Tiphaine

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?
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?
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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 09