Branching Out

I've been exploring social media. In case you don't know, which you might not, I'm in the process of writing a book. I blog about it here. My manuscript's first draft is nearing completion and I plan to spend the summer in revision mode. Then I hope to start shopping around for a literary agent. So I'm thinking ahead. Thinking to when I have to market my book. And social media is one of the best ways nowadays. So I'e branched out.

Your Attention Please!

For anyone who has been reading my Guide to Fanfiction, I've decided to move it. It can now be found at mackenziew.wordpress.com. I've decided it would be better suited over there and I can keep this blog to mostly my opinions about other things, lately TV. The original posts will remain on this site, but all future ones will be on that site.

I'll also take this time to say that I do want to read your opinions. I want this to be a two-way street. So don't hesitate--post away! (Though be forewarned--if I find any posts rude or offensive, I will not tolerate it). Right now, there is still about a day left to vote for who you want to be the next Elle Woods! (Laura Bell Bundy had her last performance tonight). Also, I want to know where you want to visit, both in the US and internationally!

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.

A Guide to Fanfiction, Part Four

Here we are now, Part Four of this little (ha!) guide. I hope this is helping some of you would be writers out there. Today, we'll just tackle one entire subject:

Setting

Now, I'm sure there are people out there who are thinking "Why do we need to focus on setting for a fanfiction? It's already there!" True, but that's not even half the work. Remember how in the last section we discussed description? I mentioned that good description can make the setting its own character and used the example of Hogwarts. Naturally then, Hogwarts is generally the setting of many a Harry Potter fic. Likewise, Rivendell or Gondor or Rohan end up used as various settings for a Lord of the Rings story. However, just writing "The Fellowship was resting in Lothlorien" or "Harry and Ron were in the Gryffindor common room" isn't enough setting. Of course, the authors have described these places so RESIST the temptation to merely open up The Fellowship of the Ring or a Harry Potter book and copy what Tolkien or Rowling wrote word for word. That's called "plagiarism." It's illegal and can get you kicked off most reputable fanfiction websites. It is okay to open those books and read what the author wrote so as to make sure YOUR description is similar to the original vision. In fact, that would be preferable than to you redecorating the Gryffindor common room as long as it is in YOUR own words.

Just a few words to the wise regarding certain settings. In the Lord of the Rings, neither Rivendell nor Mirkwood have castles. Rivendell is NOT a city. It is located in a valley and is a haven. It is an outpost, just the Last Homely House. Likewise, Mirkwood is called so because it is mirky. It is being invaded by Sauron's darkness and spider attacks are common. For safety, the elves live in caves. So describing Thranduil and Legolas' living quarters in grand statements that would better suit Versailles is rather laughable amongst Tolkien fans. Now, that's not to say there AREN'T times when you can play with setting. There are places that aren't really expanded on in Lord of the Rings where you can't use a little creativity to describe. Ithilien is rebuilt by Faramir and Eowyn after their marriage--what do you think the city would look like? Also, what about where the Haradim live? What is Mordor like now that Sauron is gone? Also, Hogwarts in Harry Potter is a large castle that has many nooks and new passageways that Harry and Company never explored. Why not have them explore those now?

But setting isn't just the place your characters are located at the time. There is also an emotional setting. How do the characters feel? The setting of a dark woods, properly shown and not told, can inspire your readers to feel the fear your character feels. A well placed rain shower or thunderstorm can reflect the character's sadness or inner struggle. Sunshine or bright settings can evoke an air of joy and peace.

In conclusion: Just because you are writing a fanfic, don't think your work on setting is done. It is a greater challenge because you must describe some place in your own words someone else has already written about. Rise to it, get it right and the fans will be more appreciative.

Next up: Dialogue!

A Guide to Fanfiction Part 3

And we continue!

Research, An Author's Best Friend

Okay, you've decided you are going to write a fanfic. You sit down and start writing. It's that easy, right? WRONG! Even if you weren't going to write fanfiction and write an original work, you can't just start writing. Every author has to do research of some sort. It's as my writing professor says, "Write what you can get away with. But to get away with it, research it." I used a New England town once in an original story. Had I ever been there? No, but I looked it up. I read all the information I could and studied pictures. Likewise, you don't have to be a medical genius to write a House or ER fic. However, it would be wise to research some diseases and medical practices so that you aren't pulling things out of thin air. It makes you, the author, sound ignorant and stupid and causes your audience to not trust in your abilities. And it's not like it's relatively hard to do research. We live in the internet age. Use Google, use Wikipedia...there is a place for you to find information. And it gives your writing authenticity. For example, there's a fic that's set in 19th Century France. However, the way the author portrays everything reads more like 21st Century America. Her story would've been improved slightly had she: looked up French names, French customs, French laws, etc.

So do the research. Don't just type something up and post it. Especially if your story takes place in a world outside of modern-day America. And also, remember that things are different in Omaha than New York City. And we will point it out.

Showing, Not Telling (AKA Description)

In fanfiction, there are two camps when it comes to description: bare bones and too much. There needs to be a "happy medium." In the bare bones camp, they are guilty of telling things rather than letting the reader "see it" or they tell the reader one thing, but what little they have shows another thing. For example, there is a fic where the author tells her readers that two of the main characters are in love. However, from what we've seen, it is more likely he's infatuated and she's suffering from Stockholm. Syndrome. He's killed one of her brothers, burned her house, killed her sister-in-law as well as the entire village, then kidnapped her at gunpoint--it's definitely Stockholm. I also think in the bare bones camp, they author is so excited to get their OMG! awesome idea out into the world, they don't bother building anything up. The sooner Legolas falls for their Sue, the better. In the other camp, too much description often bogs down the story and bores the reader. You don't have to describe every little thing nor do you have to use very flowery imagery. Sometimes simple is best. Also, description does not have to be wasted on characters or things we will never see again. I don't need to know what the server at the restaurant your characters are eating at looks like down to the shoes on his feet. Likewise, we don't need to know every article of clothing your character wears nor need to know every costume change.

Description should be used to expand the setting, which can be its own character. Honestly, can you imagine Harry Potter without Hogwarts? The school is a character in the books. Description can also be used to expand on characters. We'll use clothing again as a way to do this. Compare these:

A: "She always wore the most expansive clothing and liked fashion a lot."

B: "She wore the classic little black dress, accessorized down to her ridiculously high heels. It looked as if she had just walked off a Paris runway, not disembarked from a New York City cab. Her tastes were best served by Gucci or Versace or some other high-end European fashion house sold on Fifth Avenue. Nothing was a cheap knock-off from some third-rate retail store or, worse, Wal-Mart. She had probably never stepped foot in a Wal-Mart in her entire life; she's probably break out in hives if she did so."

Which paints the better picture in your head? Option B, right? Good description used properly can propel a story from mediocrity to greatness.

A Guide to Fanfiction Part 2

A continuation from the last post about this.

Characters (Cont)

So, we we've already discussed the canon characters and that it is best to keep them in character as much as possible. Now, it's time to discuss the Original Character. These are the characters we as authors create to interact with the established canon characters. What makes a good OC? Well, first, they should be well-rounded. They should have good qualities, such as being friendly or a strong warrior or smart as well as bad, such as being gullible or vain or painfully shy. A balance of these qualities helps create a 3D character that the reader can relate to and will not mind invading their favorite fandom. Remember though: The readers are coming for the characters they already know and love. They don't give a damn about your character in the beginning. It's your job to make them care about your character as much as the canon ones.

So, let's discuss how NOT to write an Original Character. You should avoid Mary Sue and her equally repugnant brother Gary Stu at all costs. There are various definitions for a Mary Sue, here's mine: a perfect female character who most likely has a tragic background of some sort, is introduced into the story and immediately takes it over. She may or may not be one of the following: an excellent warrior, royalty, magical, be the lone surviving member of a race or nation, etc. A Mary Sue is usually overly described which is sometimes the only description in the story. (More on good description vs. bad description will follow later). Let's use the Lord of the Rings most infamous Sue as an example. She is a girl from "our world" who lost her twin brother and was raped who falls into "Middle-earth," becomes a member of the Fellowship because she is a prophesized heroine, is falling in love with Legolas and vice versa while Boromir stands by and lusts after her. It is later revealed that she is the sole survivor of a lost country, royalty, magical and if she doesn't fall in love with Legolas Middle-earth is doomed. Here that? That's the sound of Tolkien spinning in his grave. Now this Sue also has no redeeming features: she is arrogant, rude and patronizing--all which the author mistakes as "wit" so she is often smiled at rather than chided. She is right now so powerful, the quest is virtually a moot point and she cannot feel the call of the Ring.

If writing in the Lord of the Rings section, DO NOT make your character immune to the call of the Ring. It is like Pandora's Box or the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It is temptation and we all are tempted. Also, do not be afraid to let your character give into the Ring, like Boromir. However, like Boromir, don't forget to plan a good redemption arc. Everyone loves a good redemption arc.

More on these Sues will follow in the section entitled "Thou Shalt Respect Canon At All Times" since these girls often break many rules laid down in a certain fandom.

Tenth Walker

Hmm, this post seems to mostly be about Lord of the Rings. That's okay, I call it "Mary Sue Central" anyway. The "Tenth Walker" is a subset under the Mary Sues because more often than not, they end up being one--like our example Sue. For those who don't know, there were NINE members of the Fellowship of the Ring: Frodo (the Ring-bearer), Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and Boromir. That's it! Nine was the number chosen because there were NINE Nazgul or Ringwraiths. Symbolism and it comes in handy in case of a one-on-one fight with them. A good friend of mine over at Fanfiction.net has posted her own article regarding these characters and has let me post it here.

http://telcontar-rulz.livejournal.com/2392.html
Please do read this. She herself as written an excellent Tenth Walker fic that respects canon and brings a new twist to the story.