30 Days of Fan Fiction Meme, Day Eight
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.
I do write OCs--it's a bit hard not to, if you write anything lengthy or anything not set directly within episodes or confined to certain parts of the world of whatever fandom.
I use the Mary Sue Litmus Test to check my characters for originality and reality. :) I know it sounds silly, but it's been revised multiple times and is a pretty good checklist for any writer. (I even use it for my original characters in original writing!) It's not hard and fast rules, but it is a useful tool for generalized perception, and I have altered characters in small ways based on it.
I see the Mary Sue phenomenon as a failure of creativity in writers (we've all done it, but I stopped when I learned better, and some people never learn better). OCs do not have to be super special, super smart, super competent clones of the author. It's not that hard to write stories with real characters instead--if you know how, and you apply a little effort. Well, and also I find Mary Sues annoying because I'm not reading fan fiction for the OCs, generally speaking. So unless the OC behaves like a good supporting character in a novel--bringing out sides of the main character(s) as well as having her/his own arc--they tend to bore me very quickly.
(Example of an almost-Mary Sue who works really well as her own person and in bringing out a different side of Jack Harkness: rutsky's version of Lynda in Walk Out with Me to the Unknown Region.)
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, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
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 - Betaing - 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!
I do write OCs--it's a bit hard not to, if you write anything lengthy or anything not set directly within episodes or confined to certain parts of the world of whatever fandom.
I use the Mary Sue Litmus Test to check my characters for originality and reality. :) I know it sounds silly, but it's been revised multiple times and is a pretty good checklist for any writer. (I even use it for my original characters in original writing!) It's not hard and fast rules, but it is a useful tool for generalized perception, and I have altered characters in small ways based on it.
I see the Mary Sue phenomenon as a failure of creativity in writers (we've all done it, but I stopped when I learned better, and some people never learn better). OCs do not have to be super special, super smart, super competent clones of the author. It's not that hard to write stories with real characters instead--if you know how, and you apply a little effort. Well, and also I find Mary Sues annoying because I'm not reading fan fiction for the OCs, generally speaking. So unless the OC behaves like a good supporting character in a novel--bringing out sides of the main character(s) as well as having her/his own arc--they tend to bore me very quickly.
(Example of an almost-Mary Sue who works really well as her own person and in bringing out a different side of Jack Harkness: rutsky's version of Lynda in Walk Out with Me to the Unknown Region.)
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, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
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 - Betaing - 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!