Thoughts About Writing
It's occurred to me that I tend to write my fanfic about the sort of characters I'd like to write original fic for. By which I mean, I tend to write pieces which center around certain typecasts.
There's the morally grey lieutenants, who are willing to tear apart the world to save the people they care for. They tend to be somewhat co-dependant, manipulative, and liars, who's protective instincts can sometimes cause interesting friction with the people they've decided to stand for, when those people find out how far they're willing to go. Leadership type responsibilities and roles sometimes fall their way, but they don't like the scrutiny it implies, and so are happy to let someone more qualified deal with it, should such a person be available. My Exile, Mr. Bennet, and Ianto fall into this category.
Then there's the morally grey leaders. They will also tear apart the world; but only if they thought it would save the galaxy. They would also sacrifice the people they cared about to save the world. It bothers them sometimes, but normally there's so much at stake that they are't given much time to think about this before confronted with the problem in the flesh. There's a bit of distance between them and those they love because of that, but it's a defense mechanism more than anything else. That's my Revan, Jack, and Monica.
Then there's the morally pure leaders. They sweat the moral issues. They don't just aim for the ends, they aim for the means to achieve them. They want to do this right, because otherwise there isn't a point to doing them at all. They do tend to try and maintain a distance between their professional relationships and their personal ones, because they don't want their loved ones involved in the ugliness that inevitably happens in their jobs. This would be my Gwen, Mohinder, and Carth.
Then there are the rouges. The anti-heroes-for-hire who aren't exactly sure why they're there or what they're fighting for, except that it's better than what they were doing before. Maybe it's fun. Maybe it gives them some sort of meaning. It's difficult to tell, because they inevitably try to run off to something better when things start getting too deep for them. Of course, that isn't always a possibility, which is where things get interesting. My Atton, Claude, and John are here.
There are also the introverted technical genius. The people who can see a set of equations and hear a symphony, for whom the lines between math and art are completely blurred beyond all recognition. They have trouble relating to people because they can get something so few others can, it's sometimes just easier to bury themselves deeper in their work than to attempt to connect with people. They normally end up with people who work closely with them, or people who seek them out. My Tosh, Bao'Dur, and Micah rest here.
I could go on and on and on about my typecasts, but there's something else I have noticed about my writing. I like it when characters who previously had little to do with the plot, either in canon or in the fic itself, suddenly have that starring role. Maybe it's that "you're a wizard, Harry" thing, but I love it when they people who once were merely there as plot devices grow storylines of their own. That's why I loved Monica. That's why I love Ianto. That's why I have high hopes for Andy and Molly.
That's why I get so angry about Maya, too. People with that much screen time should not be mere plot devices.
And the type of story I want to write would involve these sorts of characters. What happens when morally pure and morally grey work on the same side? How much sway do those lieutenants have, politically speaking? How do the rouges settle down without loosing their integrity? How do the introverts avoid becoming mere pawns in everyone else's game? How does these typecasts interact, form rivalries, form relationships, fall in love?
That's always been where the story's at for me. The characters. The relationships. The plot has to settle around those, or the story falls through.
So...because I'm sort of hoping that this won't be a completely pointlessly nihilistic post, what sort of characters do you want to see?
There's the morally grey lieutenants, who are willing to tear apart the world to save the people they care for. They tend to be somewhat co-dependant, manipulative, and liars, who's protective instincts can sometimes cause interesting friction with the people they've decided to stand for, when those people find out how far they're willing to go. Leadership type responsibilities and roles sometimes fall their way, but they don't like the scrutiny it implies, and so are happy to let someone more qualified deal with it, should such a person be available. My Exile, Mr. Bennet, and Ianto fall into this category.
Then there's the morally grey leaders. They will also tear apart the world; but only if they thought it would save the galaxy. They would also sacrifice the people they cared about to save the world. It bothers them sometimes, but normally there's so much at stake that they are't given much time to think about this before confronted with the problem in the flesh. There's a bit of distance between them and those they love because of that, but it's a defense mechanism more than anything else. That's my Revan, Jack, and Monica.
Then there's the morally pure leaders. They sweat the moral issues. They don't just aim for the ends, they aim for the means to achieve them. They want to do this right, because otherwise there isn't a point to doing them at all. They do tend to try and maintain a distance between their professional relationships and their personal ones, because they don't want their loved ones involved in the ugliness that inevitably happens in their jobs. This would be my Gwen, Mohinder, and Carth.
Then there are the rouges. The anti-heroes-for-hire who aren't exactly sure why they're there or what they're fighting for, except that it's better than what they were doing before. Maybe it's fun. Maybe it gives them some sort of meaning. It's difficult to tell, because they inevitably try to run off to something better when things start getting too deep for them. Of course, that isn't always a possibility, which is where things get interesting. My Atton, Claude, and John are here.
There are also the introverted technical genius. The people who can see a set of equations and hear a symphony, for whom the lines between math and art are completely blurred beyond all recognition. They have trouble relating to people because they can get something so few others can, it's sometimes just easier to bury themselves deeper in their work than to attempt to connect with people. They normally end up with people who work closely with them, or people who seek them out. My Tosh, Bao'Dur, and Micah rest here.
I could go on and on and on about my typecasts, but there's something else I have noticed about my writing. I like it when characters who previously had little to do with the plot, either in canon or in the fic itself, suddenly have that starring role. Maybe it's that "you're a wizard, Harry" thing, but I love it when they people who once were merely there as plot devices grow storylines of their own. That's why I loved Monica. That's why I love Ianto. That's why I have high hopes for Andy and Molly.
That's why I get so angry about Maya, too. People with that much screen time should not be mere plot devices.
And the type of story I want to write would involve these sorts of characters. What happens when morally pure and morally grey work on the same side? How much sway do those lieutenants have, politically speaking? How do the rouges settle down without loosing their integrity? How do the introverts avoid becoming mere pawns in everyone else's game? How does these typecasts interact, form rivalries, form relationships, fall in love?
That's always been where the story's at for me. The characters. The relationships. The plot has to settle around those, or the story falls through.
So...because I'm sort of hoping that this won't be a completely pointlessly nihilistic post, what sort of characters do you want to see?