Meme: On writing fanfic...

[magnetic_pole]

I've had this journal for almost six months now, and I love reading this meme, so it's time for a little self-assessment. This post is about my writing, mostly for my own purposes but here for those of you who are interested in the writing process

Comments

[midnitemaraud_r]

Yay! Another diagram drawer! Yours are probably much prettier than mine, which tend to get covered in lines and arrows until I can't tell what's what anymore. Prompting, of course, a new diagram. Heh. :) I wish I'd saved and scanned them, because some were rather amusing.

The sex writing will come in time. A year and a half ago, (at the young and innocent age of 37) I seriously couldn't even THINK about writing kissing, much less anything more, without squirming and blushing and wanting to hide. (And now look at me.) Fandom has a way of corrupting everyone sooner or later. ;)

Seriously though, a lot of it was just being comfortable enough with the language. I could read other people's stories, but I just couldn't bring myself to write it. I'm still not comfortable with female genitalia language, but words like cock, 'suck me' and 'fuck me' (in relation to said cock) seem to roll off my tongue keyboard lately. Though there are certain places I won't go (*cough*yet*cough

[magnetic_pole]

Yay! Diagrams! I was so happy to see that item on yours, too. Diagrams are brilliant. I have one of the MWPP relationship, with the boys in four corners and all kinds of connections drawn between them, that I keep on top my desk now for easy reference. I think there are some things you have to see spatially and not in linear narrative. I wish you'd saved yours.

The sex issue is thorny, though. (Actually, it's not just sex but romance more generally, come to think of it.) Maybe I'm just uncomfortable at the beginning, as you say? And maybe I'm just *cough* not that knowledgeable about boys and sex? *cough* But I love the queer characters in slash and how normal their appearance is, and I like the people in slash communities, and...well, a large part of slash is romance. I want to deal with it somehow, even if I'm not that easily corrupted. *smile*

It's so interesting to read these, isn't it? Just like I have infinite patience for discussions of Harry Potter characters, I can read and write about the writing process forever. Maggie

[midnitemaraud_r]

knowledge and experience are all relative, and at the same time not all that relevant. I'm a 38 year old straight woman writing about queer teenage boys and adult men. I don't have a cock but that doesn't stop me writing stories about people who do, none of us are wizards either, yet we write about a magical universe. Stephen King didn't go out and commit murder before writing about it, and JKR isn't a wizard

[magnetic_pole]

One of the reasons I think sex and even romance become 'thorny' issues is that sex and romance are personal issues that people don't tend to discuss openly with strangers...the general feelings and even actions surrounding these issues when I write can come from a very personal place, and sometimes I'll feel vulnerable or exposed as a result.Definitely. I don't even think that the reader can really sense this--she's usually too busy following the story to think much about the author--but I do feel very self-conscious and exposed. I suppose I'll get over it with experience, as you say

[aquila_star]

"The Year of Cold Feet," a story about Remus coming to terms with his relationship with Sirius and moving in with him, which is embarrassingly autobiographical in certain respects.

Very interesting. I'll have to go read it again, that is one of my favorites.(well, can you blame me? XD) It's so good though, so sometimes the tougher ones are some of the best.

This is a great idea too...I'm gacking memes from you all over today! :D

"Out of the Cupboard Under the Stairs,"

I haven't read this yet, I don't think. I will have too, I love your writing. ;)

[magnetic_pole]

Thanks, sweetie! They're both great memes, aren't they? Normally I'm quite firm with myself about not doing memes--not enough time--but these both were so tempting.

"The Year of Cold Feet" isn't autobiographical plotwise, but Remus and I are both cowardly in similar ways, and I thought a lot about my own experiences while writing that. Too much information, I'm sure. Glad you liked it, though!

M.

[aquila_star]

Yeah, I usually don't have time for memes either. Too many more important things to do. But these ones were to cool to pass up. :)

It's actually interesting about your similarities to Remus, thanks for sharing! XD

[magnetic_pole]

They were! Much fun this weekend. M.

[sambethe]

I quickly scanned this as work starts tomorrow (eep!). Just got home from Detroit and need to eat and then sleep. Though this caught my eye:

I'm so shy about my writing that even my partner is forbidden from reading it--though this bothers her to no end

I was so glad to read this as my partner is also forbidden from reading my journal/writings as well. He was bothered at first but I think he is coming to terms with it. He definitely finds it odd and a bit obsessive but I don't think those two descriptors are all that foreign when it comes to me. ;)

I also wanted to ask a favor. I wrote McGonagall fic on the train ride home. I want to sit on it a few days because I want to move a couple things about but would you be willing to read it over? I wrote it for the quinquatrus New Term challenge, so it can't be posted until September so there is no rush. I just have questions about how it reads, mostly because it is a bit outside my norm.

[magnetic_pole]

Aha! How are you handling it with him? My partner is actually quite put out about the whole thing--I won't let her read my stories, I spend too much time on the internet, I have these imaginary friends I talk to, and it's all about Harry Potter, of all things. *smile* I'm hoping it all blows over, because I'm still intimated about sharing.

Of course I'll look at the McGonagall fic! Well, you know I'd look at anything of yours, but Minerva!fic is a special treat. Send it me at magnetic-north@hotmail.com, tell me frankly what kind of feedback you want, and give me a timeline. (I need one.)

Maggie

[nyxfixx]

Politics and social issues are fabulous; all the better if I can actually integrate them into the plot or the characterization.This is turning into the hallmark of your fic, your strong sense of culture and how your characters express, contribute to, and are shaped, by their environment. Since social commentary is such an important element of the source material, it's great to know of a fanfic author who seems to specialize in it

[magnetic_pole]

Ah, Nyx, you always have such insightful, helpful comments. I'm going to copy this paragraph on magic and paste it somewhere to think about later.

Also, thank you for this: This is turning into the hallmark of your fic, your strong sense of culture and how your characters express, contribute to, and are shaped, by their environment. It's so helpful to have someone else tell me what I'm doing; somehow it's completely different from thinking about what I'm doing on my own (even though I think I'm relatively abstract and analytical). It's something about the way one's ideas sound in other people's words.

I really enjoyed your version of this meme and am going there now to leave my comments... Maggie

[lupinspatronus]

Haha I love reading about what goes on behind-the-scenes.. well, somewhat.

I am with you about being shy about your own writing.. I don't really write fic, I write music.. and everytime I let someone hear it for the first time, especially if it's someone really qualified and/or an expert, I feel my innards cringing with - what is it, shyness? embarrassment? Haha.

before I start posting to other communities and archives. I'm not at that stage yet. Time to start, Maggie

[magnetic_pole]

and every time I let someone hear it for the first time, especially if it's someone really qualified and/or an expert, I feel my innards cringing with - what is it, shyness? embarrassment?

Me, too. It's painful. It's a big part of the reason I started writing here on LJ, incidentally, because I figured I had to get over my fear of showing my work to other people. It's a terrible thing to say--because I do work hard on my fic and care about it, really!--but I've been able to relax and let go, not obsess so much over my writing, and not fear the reader's response quite so much. What do you do to get over it?

By the way, writing music is so interesting, LP. *mulls that over* That's creative, obsessive, intense work--much more so than writing, I'd imagine, which can be deceptively like talking sometimes.

The richness of characters and relationships between them, plus the whole drama and politics about the first war ... Plus canon provides guidelines, but doesn't impose too many rules. What more could you ask for?Exactly! So well put

[lupinspatronus]

Hm I think that as long as you feel proud of what you've produced, the feeling of fearing an audience's response will naturally go away after the first showing, because you believe strongly in your work and that's what really matters. Of course feedback is very very useful - especially in pointing out things I didn't realise, both good and bad - but if something someone says doesn't resonate with what I believe then I will struggle with it for a while, then eventually decide not to heed that person's advice. There's always some sort of struggle, though, haha, where I try to convince myself that I'm more correct

[magnetic_pole]

This is rushed because I'm about to head out of town, but I wanted to reply. You have an amazingly healthy attitude towards feedback criticism! I'm impressed. It's the one I aspire to myself.

I have a terrible time starting, too. And a hard time keeping at it until I feel like I'm immersed in the material--at which point I stay up all hours and type till I'm done. I just can't seem to write on a 9:00 to 5:00 schedule, the way some of my academic colleagues can. Does the same thing hold true for the people you know who write music? That some people are simply more methodical about the whole thing?

I'm off now, but I can't wait to hear from you again when I get back home. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer, and I talk to you again in September! Maggie