Writing as a tool to explore fantasies

[evangeline1138]

Prompted by a discussion on the SGCdarkfic list....

This has probably been discussed before ad nauseum, but since I rarely get to read anything--online or otherwise--these days, please bear with me.

Comments

[evangeline1138]

I write about the characters I see on screen because I want to see more of those characters, not my personal fantasies which may involve them.

That's why I'm interested in writing fic, too, but along the way (after scanning through the snippets on my HD several months ago) I realized that I was weaving some of my own personal fantasies into my writing. It wasn't conscious--at least not at first. *g* I do try to keep the characters *in* character. I don't really have a feel for whether or not I'm doing that very well or not, but hopefully that will come with time. As such, I don't suppose that what I am writing is as Mary Sueish as I thought at first. After all, I see very little of Sam in myself, and vice versa. The Sam I *try* to write is nothing like me; whether I succeed at the portrayal or not is a question that interests me, of course, but I'm trying to give myself some time before I begin to judge myself too harshly.

... writing it to see where I can make the characters go in a manner that might be a believable extrapolation of what I see on screen. I'm just more comfortable doing that in ways that aren't standard.

*nod* Ditto. I find it very hard to keep the characters *in* character in darkfic especially, but I like the challenge. I think scientific speculation can help in that respect, and I have another germ of an idea, but I can't quite see how the heck I can pull it off right now. Maybe after another few months of pondering.... :-)

Thanks for replying, Jules. Reading your posts and some of the others led to a 4AM discussion with Heidi about the similarities and differences between "canon" and "in character."