30-day Fanfiction Writing Meme – Day 31

[aadler]

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

Yes, as promised, I’m adding a 31st day to this 30-day meme.

Day 31: Which fanfic authors and/or stories have had the most influence on your writing?

Ah, let me count the ways!

As it happens, some of the first stories I encountered when I first began delving into Buffyfic (which also marked my second-life entry into fanfic) made a mark that lasted. The initial two that come to mind are “One Morning in Sunnydale” by A.E. Berry and “Not Even Jimmy Olsen” by Blair Provence. Both introduced original characters to highlight the story, but in both cases the OC was used to give a different perspective on life in Sunnydale (and regarding the Scoobies) without trying to dominate the narrative. Though I have tended to focus more on minor characters than on original characters, I  always thereafter did my best to follow the same basic principal.

Then came Mediancat. I enjoyed many things he wrote, but “the Nail” showed me how Buffyfic could be done as an epic. (I think I later saw him say, somewhere, that “the Nail” was actually his first Buffyfic. If so, it was quite a debut.) Besides that, he tackled a huge range of different story types, which allowed me to see just how much was possible.

As far as epics go, the Dark Slayer series, by Oracle, sets a standard all its own, combining — as the current host site puts it — “elements of Buffy, Twin Peaks, Blade Runner, and Tom Clancy”. These are stories that were written in the late ’90s, but if they had appeared only yesterday, they still would have made a mighty impact. I can’t even name all the effects this series had on me; I just know there were a lot of them.

yahtzee63, of course. One’s first exposure to Yahtzee is always a revelation, though it can also be deeply intimidating: she’s just that GOOD. As it happens, though, the stories I saw first were “Acid Test” and “In Harm’s Way”, both of which introduced me to just how effective it can be to accurately capture a character’s voice. I didn’t really begin to fully appreciate the overwhelming quality of her work until later on, but I’ve paid particular attention to character voice ever since.

Finally, Dreamsmith, unabashedly (but very effectively) obsessed with the character of Faith. I believe he probably was proudest of “Virtue of a Warrior”, but I personally was most impressed by “Interludes”. Though I never entirely agreed with the extremes to which he carried Faith’s ‘bad girl’ persona, he did it extremely well, and “Interludes” contains the single most vivid and convincing fight sequence I’ve ever seen anywhere.

There were others. The Sunnydale Slayers introduced me to the concept of a fanfic community, and some of their stories inspired some of mine. liz_marcs welcomed me wholeheartedly to LiveJournal when I made that transition, and we had an amiable online relationship until the crash-and-burn at WriterCon II. In general, though, the writers and stories I named above have had the most influence on my writing itself.

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?
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!

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Following this 31st-day question, sroni has suggested yet another:

Day 32: Are there any stories you want to write that you’re afraid to tackle? If so, what and why?