A Guide to Fanfiction, Little Addendums

Ever take a test, write EVERYTHING you could possibly cram into your essay, read it over so many times the words run together until you are certain this is the best you can do and you cannot add any more information. You hand it in and then when you get back to your room/next class, you suddenly remember about five more things you could've written. Well, that happens to me after I post my Guide to Fanfiction posts. So I've decided to add some extra information to help the aspiring fanfic writer out there.

Characters, Canon

A helpful hint if you are unsure if you can grasp the canon character properly is to write it than ask someone else very familiar with the fandom to read it. If they feel you have kept them in character, then keep going. If not, listen to their suggestions or consider writing a character you can grasp. However, that doesn't mean you can completely ignore them if they are important characters. For example, there is a story I'm reading that is set after the War of the Ring. It shows all the major characters except for Eowyn. She is completely ignored even when the company moves to Rohan. The author has stated this is because she felt that she couldn't grasp Eowyn's character, but to not even mention if she is in the room is unacceptable for such a prominent and heroic character.

Characters, Original

So, unsure if your character is crossing into Mary Sue/Gary Stu territory? Have no fear! The good people who are sick and tired of reading Mary Sues created a test. Google the term "Mary Sue Litmus Test." There are a good number of them. I would trust the universal Mary Sue test for all your original character needs as it also has a section for characters in an original story. There are tests that deal specifically with one fandom. I know Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Buffy the Vampire Slayer all have their own tests. Use them. There is a checklist and they calculate a score based on how many boxes you have checked off. There is also a list of things that will lower your characters scores. From that test, adjust according. If you are safe, keep writing. If you are on the fence, tread lightly. If you are slightly over, do a personality operation. If you are writing a flaming Mary Sue, hit delete and try again.

Description and Setting

We all have trouble writing description when first starting out and we have all been guilty of telling, not showing in our writing lifetime. I'm guilty as well. I've left some of my early stories up instead of deleting them in shame like I should. You can see how I've matured as a writer that way. (I'll post my fanfiction.net account in the next part of the guide). Here's how I suggest you work on description. Take a piece of paper or drag your laptop to a window. Look out and describe what you see. The people walking by, the leaves on the trees, the cars, whatever is out there. Move around to different windows. When you feel stronger, start looking around when you don't have any paper around then try to write what you saw from memory. Then pick a place--not a very specific place like Times Square or Paris , a generic place like a park or a grocery store--and write what you want this place to look like. Also become a people watcher, watch the little quirks that separate you from the guy on the subway. Watch the kid across the cafeteria and how s/he behaves. Writing is like any other skill--you have to work to become good.

And another thing for setting, I CANNOT stress this enough: RESEARCH! It is no longer up, but there was a story that had me worried for a bit. The author wanted to send The Doctor to Disney World but had never been there before. She apologized in advance if she didn't get it right. Once again, you can write about places you've never been to, but try to research it to the best of your abilities. Walt Disney World (and Disneyland) are very easy places to right about if you've never been there as there is a treasure trove of information about them. There are tons of pictures and videos done by people who have been there let alone by the Walt Disney Company. The Travel Channel and the Food Network love to do specials on the parks as well. Now of course you may not know all the little things you might learn by going to the parks, like the bathrooms in that portal from the middle of Frontierland to the middle of Adventureland or where International Gate is in Epcot, but you will have a good understanding of the park overall.

And that story I mentioned? She took it down, mostly because the reviews were asking that she research Disney World and also because she could not accurately portray The Doctor. Also, if you decide to send your favorite characters to Walt Disney World, I would appreciate it if you realize it is called the Walt Disney World Resort and is made up of three other parks than the Magic Kingdom. Seriously, send them to Epcot, MGM (oh, wait, Hollywoodland. That's going to take some getting use to) and the Animal Kingdom.

Next up: Writing a decent plot.