Thirty Days of Fanfiction: Day Sixteen
16 - Summaries - Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
They're a headache, though not so much so as titles, but that's next day's question. I always disliked having to do summaries. As a reader, I value them highly - I mean, how the hell would you know whether or not to click on a story to check it out? - and I try to make mine sound interesting as a writer, but I don't find it easy. Especially if it's a story set in the open canon of an ongoing show/series of films, because then you have to be additionally careful not to write the summary in a way that spoils people not yet familiar with said canon.
(When the film Serenity hit the big screen, I hadn't been able to watch it yet before being spoiled for Book's death thanks to people posting fics called "Book's Legacy" or writing summaries that started with "After Book's death...". Gee, thanks, folks. How I made it into the film unspoiled for Wash's death I don't know, because I'm pretty sure there were a gazillion more early mourning fics, but somehow I did. So that's my warning example of how not to write a summary or title a story.)
Anyway, I am always slightly dissatisfied with the results and wonder whether the summaries sound banal or dull; I feel self-conscious about them in a way I don't about the stories themselves. You know what I love writing, though? Crack summaries. Like very special Babylon 5 episode guide, or the definite Merlin episode guide, or the Educated Fan's Guide to Beatle Literature. Crack summaries, that's my calling in life, clearly. Well, one of them. :)
1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 -If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
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.
9 - Pairings - For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
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?
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!
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/695158.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
They're a headache, though not so much so as titles, but that's next day's question. I always disliked having to do summaries. As a reader, I value them highly - I mean, how the hell would you know whether or not to click on a story to check it out? - and I try to make mine sound interesting as a writer, but I don't find it easy. Especially if it's a story set in the open canon of an ongoing show/series of films, because then you have to be additionally careful not to write the summary in a way that spoils people not yet familiar with said canon.
(When the film Serenity hit the big screen, I hadn't been able to watch it yet before being spoiled for Book's death thanks to people posting fics called "Book's Legacy" or writing summaries that started with "After Book's death...". Gee, thanks, folks. How I made it into the film unspoiled for Wash's death I don't know, because I'm pretty sure there were a gazillion more early mourning fics, but somehow I did. So that's my warning example of how not to write a summary or title a story.)
Anyway, I am always slightly dissatisfied with the results and wonder whether the summaries sound banal or dull; I feel self-conscious about them in a way I don't about the stories themselves. You know what I love writing, though? Crack summaries. Like very special Babylon 5 episode guide, or the definite Merlin episode guide, or the Educated Fan's Guide to Beatle Literature. Crack summaries, that's my calling in life, clearly. Well, one of them. :)
1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 -If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
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.
9 - Pairings - For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
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?
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!
This entry was originally posted at http://selenak.dreamwidth.org/695158.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.