The Good Ship SNSD: Fanfiction, part 1
Yes, you read that right. Part 1. Because I recently discovered some articles(courtesy of R and Jko) that might do all of our discussing for us. D:
But I did this damn idol fic writers survey a month ago, so you're going to get selected answers whether you want them or not, dammit.
"How do you view original fiction/fanfiction/rpf vs. idol fic? Do you write original fiction/fanfiction/rpf with a different mindset than for idol fic?"
A: In original fiction there is no preset base for the world or characters, hence why I feel like original fiction requires more...explanation in the writing. There needs to be more establishment and introduction of the world the author desires to show than fanfiction/rpf/idol fics.
So yes, I do write original fiction with a different mindset - I have to expect the readers to know nothing of anything I am writing about.
B: I definitely felt a bit squeamish about writing RPF idolfic at first. I don't think it was because I feared that any of the members might ever read fic about them, but because I felt that I was projecting (in certain fics that never got written, for that reason) upon them certain opinions or values that they might strongly disagree with, in real life.
C: Original fiction allows a writer to make up the rules and characterizations along the way; fanfic is more about trying to write true to an already existing characterization that you yourself didn't make and aren't privy to the secrets to.
D: Yes and no.[as to whether author writes with a different mindset] Yes, in that there's often a consciousness that I'm writing--fantasizing, perhaps--about real people when I write RPF. It can feel like an invasion or an imposition of privacy, if not bordering on libel.
However, in the act of writing, the "people" have to be reduced to "characters." It's the only way to write them. In that sense, I do the same thing when trying to grasp the characterization of a fictional character: look for behavior and anecdotes that can act as guidelines. The difficulty of writing and characterizing real people as fictional characters, for me, often means that fully many dimensional people must be reduced to a small number of traits in order for the narrative to work and not become overwhelming and meandering.
E: I think idol fic is a subset of rpf and fanfiction - the only difference being I suppose the veneer of maintaining an image of being an idol.
Fanfiction binds a person to a definite story (big difference from idol fic, where there is no storyline other than the real life events that do happen to the idols). When doing an AU there have to be references to the canon (usually anyway), and the characters have predefined roles which they stick to unless the writer is making some sort of experimentation with characterization. When I write for such a fandom, I keep in mind the events of the story and the characterization is a little stricter than in idol fic. Since it has a set storyline I don't need to worry about the characters having an interview and saying oh it didn't happen like that the way I might have trouble with idol fic 'canon'. Also, the placement of the story is much more intense because you could say that the viewers are 'zoomed in' to the characters lives, unlike with idol fic, which is... speculation about their lives, is it not?
When I write idol fic, specifically SNSD fic, the biggest difference between it and everything else is that I try to write about their relationships in a slice of life setting. As much as possible, I like the topic of 'ordinary things' or real life, and this is a pretty sharp contrast to how I write for other fandoms and even my own original fiction (I write soft science fiction, low fantasy and contemporary stuff). I don't know, something about them makes me want to write this way.
H: I don't see that much of a difference; you're still writing a story, be it from your mind or based off of real people, imaginary characters, or perceived people.
I: I think fanfic is a wonderful, wonderful box to play in, it's a way to express love and share it with others in your fandom. Original fiction I feel has a different purpose, really, although there's no set rule, it doesn't have to. but that's something that's entirely yours, and there's something hugely special about that.
The closer I get to a band, the harder it gets for me to do it.[write fanfic for them] It feels violating, like I'm making them do things against their will?
J: I haven’t given much thought to the differences between them. This is probably because I only write idol fiction as of the present. I’ve read original fiction[fanfiction?] and the only thing that I can comment on is the limitations. The characters and the settings are already present (i.e. they live in thisplacenearsomewhere with theirfriendswhohappentohavesuperpowers) and there’s not much to work with unless one strips them of such identities. I don’t see the point in doing that, though. With idol fiction, I guess it’s more interesting because one can write about them being their idol selves or put in them in an alternate universe (AU).
"How has writing idol fic affected your fandom?"
A: I got into writing idol fics early on in my fandom. Before SNSD, the only Korean artists I knew were BoA and Epik High, neither which I was an online fan of (as in I didn’t visit forums or read fiction for). SNSD was the one group that got me into the world of K-pop and the one fandom that I read fiction for (other than for occasional f(x) stories) and so I guess this makes me more invested in the fandom since I am reading and writing about them. I also watch more shows and read more articles to get more ideas about the members’ personalities and habits for reference in my writing.
B: It hasn't actually affected my fandom, since it was a natural culmination of all the things I felt about my fandom.
D: I let my imagination wander more than in other nonfiction fandoms I may be engaged in. Learning new things about the idol I like can spark off trains of fictional thought. Otherwise, it hasn't had much effect: I've kept my fangirling and fanficcing separate, though the later becomes its own outlet for the former.
F: (how writing idol fic has affected my personal fandom experience) It's been an outlet to consider aspects of characters and relationships that I wouldn't have considered otherwise. I've also made friends with other writers or others in the fandom who read my fic.
(how fic has affected fandom as a whole:) I feel like the fandom is much more active. Fic is like... the lifeblood of most fandoms, and the stark difference between SNSD fandom and other idol girlgroup fandoms with less fic is obvious. I got into SNSD in July 2008, and it had a pretty active fic fanbase at the time - comparatively, with girlgroups that debuted later when the K-wave was already in full swing but had less fic going around, even around a year after their debut their fandoms weren't as massive as SNSD's. I feel that fic is a pretty easy way to connect in fandom, so it helps build bridges for more interaction and also to introduce new members to the fandom as a greater part.
G: It made me enjoy fandom much more, actually. Writing fics made me want to "research" more (i.e. watch more performances), which made me want to write more. It's a fun cycle~
"Do you also read idol fic? If yes, how has that affected affected your writing and/or fandom?"
B: I used to read some, mostly SNSD, and whatever was floating around LJ at that time. I've read SHINee fics, some of which were very amusing and well-paced, some 2PM fics, and some SUJU fics, which I found more difficult, since they're a slightly older group, and I knew really little about them, at the time! There were a few writers whose work I enjoyed, both in and out of the SNSD fandom, and a couple of the SNSD writers made me re-think what fic could be about, and what it could do. However, most of the fics merely made me realise that there was stuff I wanted talked about, and written about, that wasn't really out there. So I wrote what I wanted to read.
Reading fic hasn't really affected my fandom, since I have a strong personal opinion about how to view the girls; I don't necessarily try to convince others of its validity, but it means that I tend to enjoy less those fics which feel "generic". It may have enjoyably snappy dialogue and good pacing, but I still close the Internet window thinking, "Yes, but it wouldn't be like that."
c: Why yes I do read idol fic. It’s probably affected my writing in bad way, but it has had a pretty positive effect on my fandom in the sense that it kept me in it, made me think harder about certain aspects of why I like SNSD and introduced me to some nice people.
D: No. I somewhat actively avoid reading idol fanfic. Part of it is that I have fixed ideas that can interfere with my enjoyment of a 'fic if I disagree; another part of it is that the thought that I am reading about fictionalizations of real, living, able-to-get-on-the-Internet people starts to intrude, much like how thinking about writing about real people can make me uneasy.
E: Yes! Well certainly there are some character traits I've seen across a lot of other fanfics and I do have to admit, they're fun to also write about.
I guess the fandom also gets ideas about what this or that person is in real life or what traits this person could have. When reading comments, I see some people go 'well, this could be true of them' or maybe 'well i dunno, i never thought she'd do that', so people do think about what their idols are like, and writing fosters a discussion about it, on occasion.
G: Yes, though not as much recently. Reading other fics let me know what others had already done and what was popular - some of them were even inspirational.
H: Yes, I do read idol fic (although by idol it's limited mainly to SNSD, as well as a few others). I find that it's affected my writing in the sense that I'll read a story that I think is absolutely amazing, and in turn strive to be as good of a writer as I can possibly be so I don't look down right silly putting my stories out there, haha.
I: Rarely. a very few I love to pieces. But most writers in kpop fandom, or the big guns, seem to take themselves and it all way too seriously. I hung around kpop fic anon memes for a while, and I read seouldout, and the good writers were very good but all had the same style, and people could be so unpleasant in the meme and I realised I hated it all and all it stood for. I came to ignore it and it was a totally separate thing to my fandom itself. It was kindof a lonesome act for me, somehow, writing idol fic.
"What is your biggest pet peeve in idol fic?"
A: I dislike the fixation on pairings. I understand that there are biases but for the readers to not appreciate a writer’s work, something they poured energy and soul into, just because it is not their ‘OTP’ is sort of irritating. I find it disheartening when readers comment asking for me to add a certain pairing or saying ‘although this is not my OTP, I think this is alright.’ It makes me question if I should even share my writing since people are not appreciating my work just because it is not their OTP or appreciating it just because it is their OTP.
B: Do I have to just name one? Sloppy characterization, or no characterization at all. It's like PWP, except that there's no porn.
(Can I name another? It would be forcing a "pairing" into a set narrative, with heavy-handed references to "Canon" situations in that pairing's history, without any compensating charm or wit. There are fan-videos out there on pairings that can tell me about these issues, which are a lot more fun for me than these narratives.)
C: Authors complaining about the readers. Boo Hoo no-one’s reading my stories. Bad grammar and what not I can just ignore or stop reading. But when there's a good story with good writing interrupted at intervals by insufferable whining; that's the worst.
D: Not much different from my guidelines for fanfic in general. Bad characterization. Everyone is gay. Glaring grammar and punctuation mistakes. Fan Korean can also be a danger if overused or employed incorrectly.
E: Perhaps, to be specific, I get a little worried when I come across stories where SNSD gets pregnant at uh, 21 or earlier. That's a little too early.
F: Same-sex marriages. In non-AU Korea. No you twits it does not bloody happen, it will not bloody happen in the next decade at least. -_-
G: Besides painfully obvious typos and dry-heave inducing dialogue? -_-; One thing that irks me are AU fics that completely change the character's personality without justification. AU does not mean original fic. They're the same person *just in an alternate universe*! Want to make the cute one suddenly dark and brooding? Fine, but explain why, not just "Oh, we're in an AU." (There are of course some exceptions, but still. AU does not mean original fic.) Having set characters to work with is what makes fanfic so unique and can result in amazing writing if done correctly.
H: It's not really a pet peeve for solely idol fic, but fics overall, but I really don't like stories written in the first person. The moment I see a sentence like "I walked in the door," then I exit out of it. I just really don't like the style it brings to a story.
As for issues w/ fanfiction, this doesn't happen so much on LJ than it does at Soshified (at least I think not) but I find that there are some truly amazing gems that are just not well known or read at all, and then some story that's not the best written has dozens upon dozens of followers. I guess Soshified's a bit of a nice way to go into fanfiction since it babies you a bit, but they don't offer any concrit; they just say stuff like OMG THIS IS AWESOME UPDATE SOON HWAITING!
I: The reason I don't read much: everything becomes about topping and sex, and I feel like with fandom there is so much more to be said. The aversion so many have to het and gen is also a pain. and, that thing where all the 'good' writers started having the same fancy schmancy style. It felt forced and pretentious and what I really hate, where it becomes more about the style and popularity than about these idols we love and obsess over. Rampant immaturity and pretension.
J: Pet peeve, huh? Well, it has to be everyone’s tendency (including mine) to stick too much with the idol’s image (i.e. Sooyoung eats a lot!). I get the rationale behind it, but sometimes I feel like we don’t make the effort to expose other sides of the idol when we actually CAN or at least we can try to make stuff up to make things more interesting/new (thus, fiction).
Do you favor a certain pairing? Do you favor writing a certain pairing? Why? (Specific pairing names removed to protect writer identity)
How central is pairing to your writing? Does this change when reading, or when writing original fiction/non-idol-fanfiction?
C: Uhhhh not really? I feel to an extent that all the girls have traits that are similar to me.
It’s not of overriding importance I would say. But, most writing is in some way about human relationships.
D: ___/everyone. But really just ___ interests me. It's easier for me to come to an understanding about ___ through everyone but ___ herself. It helps that she's such a people person and relates differently to the individuals in her life. The trick of this, though, is that you have to have a feel for the "lens" that you're borrowing, i.e. the other half of the pairing equation. XD
Specific pairings themselves aren't central, but a pairing often helps centralize and frame a story. I don't write actual plots, so I need very character- and/or relationship-driven themes to drive my stories. Plot tends to be incidental to these themes if it does somehow appear in my stories. This has always been the curse of my writing anything. Even the romantic aspects of a piece may be incidental in my trying to understand the character I'm studying, in that I like to think about how that character would act in that situation, not that I necessarily ship two characters.
F: ___ and ___, simply because they are my strongest ships. Especially so for ___, given the tragic dearth of fic for them.
Pairings are pretty much integral to the fic I write for this fandom. I would write more genfic, but alas, am horribly lacking in creativity. Reading-wise, I'm open to anything well-written.
When I wrote for animanga fandoms with more history and background to play with, pairings were less central to my writing.
H: I don't so much favor a certain pairing when it comes to reading, but I I do favor a pairing when I'm writing (kind of). I'm fine with writing most pairings, as long as it's someone paired up with ___. I oddly don't really have a bias for her (although she is in my top three) but I find that I relate to her more, and thus it's easier for me to get in the right mindset when I'm writing. While I love reading stories about the other girls, I find it hard to relate or think in their mindset at times, so I find it easier to write with ___.
I think pairing is a rather large part of my writing, considering the story changes significantly since each character has a different personality; if I tried to write a story with one couple, I don't want it to end up in a situation where I could simply replace the names of certain characters with another set and not have it change the story at all. Characterization, I feel, is a very important and key part in well-written stories.
I: I favour pairings I like, where I feel confident I know them and their dynamic reasonably well, or when I want to write them totally OOC and in another world and want to have my way with them, twist them to what i want for them. I'm not enough in the fic world to know my tastes for reading out of my pairing, for being surprised by a pairing. I'm too much into the fandom to want to read much where things are messed around with.
[importance of pairing]Pretty central, it's a basis. I seem to have just fallen in with convention, though. If I had my super imagination intact I would have done more, I think. I've become so limited, and I think there's potential for so much more. But these guys loving on each other is what we like to see, and it's easy and fun and non-committal, so I do like it. I like plot, I like when it surprises me and the relationship may be a strong aspect but there's other stuff, more in their lives. original fiction is a whole other boat, plot is much more prominent, non-romantic plot too.
J: Yeah. For every group (this applies to idol fiction), I have a certain pairing bias. When it comes to writing about them, though, it depends. I often have the plot in my head first and then the next step is choosing which pairing would fit it best. As much as I want to write about my pairing bias, once I have deduced that another pairing fits the story I want to write I go with that and I don’t bother forcing myself to tweak the plot I’ve put together just to make it more suitable for my pairing bias. With regard to non-idol fiction, which I don’t really work with nowadays, I concentrate more on the objective of the adventure (since I’ve only worked with games/adventure stories).
I used to think that the use of a pairing is crucial, but the more I write the more I tend to write about them as a group. I think this is due to my observations, how I see them work together and how their friendships are so beautifully made and maintained even with the many conflicts that they face (excuse my being too ideal). It’s kind of different when I read because I immediately try to spot which pairing the writer chooses to focus on and then I try to figure out whether or not we have the same idea about a certain pairing and how the bond between the two is described, etc. Nowadays, however, I am more interested in the kind of plot other writers decide to go with and it doesn’t matter as much which pairing they use as long as they are able to articulate.
But I did this damn idol fic writers survey a month ago, so you're going to get selected answers whether you want them or not, dammit.
"How do you view original fiction/fanfiction/rpf vs. idol fic? Do you write original fiction/fanfiction/rpf with a different mindset than for idol fic?"
A: In original fiction there is no preset base for the world or characters, hence why I feel like original fiction requires more...explanation in the writing. There needs to be more establishment and introduction of the world the author desires to show than fanfiction/rpf/idol fics.
So yes, I do write original fiction with a different mindset - I have to expect the readers to know nothing of anything I am writing about.
B: I definitely felt a bit squeamish about writing RPF idolfic at first. I don't think it was because I feared that any of the members might ever read fic about them, but because I felt that I was projecting (in certain fics that never got written, for that reason) upon them certain opinions or values that they might strongly disagree with, in real life.
C: Original fiction allows a writer to make up the rules and characterizations along the way; fanfic is more about trying to write true to an already existing characterization that you yourself didn't make and aren't privy to the secrets to.
D: Yes and no.[as to whether author writes with a different mindset] Yes, in that there's often a consciousness that I'm writing--fantasizing, perhaps--about real people when I write RPF. It can feel like an invasion or an imposition of privacy, if not bordering on libel.
However, in the act of writing, the "people" have to be reduced to "characters." It's the only way to write them. In that sense, I do the same thing when trying to grasp the characterization of a fictional character: look for behavior and anecdotes that can act as guidelines. The difficulty of writing and characterizing real people as fictional characters, for me, often means that fully many dimensional people must be reduced to a small number of traits in order for the narrative to work and not become overwhelming and meandering.
E: I think idol fic is a subset of rpf and fanfiction - the only difference being I suppose the veneer of maintaining an image of being an idol.
Fanfiction binds a person to a definite story (big difference from idol fic, where there is no storyline other than the real life events that do happen to the idols). When doing an AU there have to be references to the canon (usually anyway), and the characters have predefined roles which they stick to unless the writer is making some sort of experimentation with characterization. When I write for such a fandom, I keep in mind the events of the story and the characterization is a little stricter than in idol fic. Since it has a set storyline I don't need to worry about the characters having an interview and saying oh it didn't happen like that the way I might have trouble with idol fic 'canon'. Also, the placement of the story is much more intense because you could say that the viewers are 'zoomed in' to the characters lives, unlike with idol fic, which is... speculation about their lives, is it not?
When I write idol fic, specifically SNSD fic, the biggest difference between it and everything else is that I try to write about their relationships in a slice of life setting. As much as possible, I like the topic of 'ordinary things' or real life, and this is a pretty sharp contrast to how I write for other fandoms and even my own original fiction (I write soft science fiction, low fantasy and contemporary stuff). I don't know, something about them makes me want to write this way.
H: I don't see that much of a difference; you're still writing a story, be it from your mind or based off of real people, imaginary characters, or perceived people.
I: I think fanfic is a wonderful, wonderful box to play in, it's a way to express love and share it with others in your fandom. Original fiction I feel has a different purpose, really, although there's no set rule, it doesn't have to. but that's something that's entirely yours, and there's something hugely special about that.
The closer I get to a band, the harder it gets for me to do it.[write fanfic for them] It feels violating, like I'm making them do things against their will?
J: I haven’t given much thought to the differences between them. This is probably because I only write idol fiction as of the present. I’ve read original fiction[fanfiction?] and the only thing that I can comment on is the limitations. The characters and the settings are already present (i.e. they live in thisplacenearsomewhere with theirfriendswhohappentohavesuperpowers) and there’s not much to work with unless one strips them of such identities. I don’t see the point in doing that, though. With idol fiction, I guess it’s more interesting because one can write about them being their idol selves or put in them in an alternate universe (AU).
"How has writing idol fic affected your fandom?"
A: I got into writing idol fics early on in my fandom. Before SNSD, the only Korean artists I knew were BoA and Epik High, neither which I was an online fan of (as in I didn’t visit forums or read fiction for). SNSD was the one group that got me into the world of K-pop and the one fandom that I read fiction for (other than for occasional f(x) stories) and so I guess this makes me more invested in the fandom since I am reading and writing about them. I also watch more shows and read more articles to get more ideas about the members’ personalities and habits for reference in my writing.
B: It hasn't actually affected my fandom, since it was a natural culmination of all the things I felt about my fandom.
D: I let my imagination wander more than in other nonfiction fandoms I may be engaged in. Learning new things about the idol I like can spark off trains of fictional thought. Otherwise, it hasn't had much effect: I've kept my fangirling and fanficcing separate, though the later becomes its own outlet for the former.
F: (how writing idol fic has affected my personal fandom experience) It's been an outlet to consider aspects of characters and relationships that I wouldn't have considered otherwise. I've also made friends with other writers or others in the fandom who read my fic.
(how fic has affected fandom as a whole:) I feel like the fandom is much more active. Fic is like... the lifeblood of most fandoms, and the stark difference between SNSD fandom and other idol girlgroup fandoms with less fic is obvious. I got into SNSD in July 2008, and it had a pretty active fic fanbase at the time - comparatively, with girlgroups that debuted later when the K-wave was already in full swing but had less fic going around, even around a year after their debut their fandoms weren't as massive as SNSD's. I feel that fic is a pretty easy way to connect in fandom, so it helps build bridges for more interaction and also to introduce new members to the fandom as a greater part.
G: It made me enjoy fandom much more, actually. Writing fics made me want to "research" more (i.e. watch more performances), which made me want to write more. It's a fun cycle~
"Do you also read idol fic? If yes, how has that affected affected your writing and/or fandom?"
B: I used to read some, mostly SNSD, and whatever was floating around LJ at that time. I've read SHINee fics, some of which were very amusing and well-paced, some 2PM fics, and some SUJU fics, which I found more difficult, since they're a slightly older group, and I knew really little about them, at the time! There were a few writers whose work I enjoyed, both in and out of the SNSD fandom, and a couple of the SNSD writers made me re-think what fic could be about, and what it could do. However, most of the fics merely made me realise that there was stuff I wanted talked about, and written about, that wasn't really out there. So I wrote what I wanted to read.
Reading fic hasn't really affected my fandom, since I have a strong personal opinion about how to view the girls; I don't necessarily try to convince others of its validity, but it means that I tend to enjoy less those fics which feel "generic". It may have enjoyably snappy dialogue and good pacing, but I still close the Internet window thinking, "Yes, but it wouldn't be like that."
c: Why yes I do read idol fic. It’s probably affected my writing in bad way, but it has had a pretty positive effect on my fandom in the sense that it kept me in it, made me think harder about certain aspects of why I like SNSD and introduced me to some nice people.
D: No. I somewhat actively avoid reading idol fanfic. Part of it is that I have fixed ideas that can interfere with my enjoyment of a 'fic if I disagree; another part of it is that the thought that I am reading about fictionalizations of real, living, able-to-get-on-the-Internet people starts to intrude, much like how thinking about writing about real people can make me uneasy.
E: Yes! Well certainly there are some character traits I've seen across a lot of other fanfics and I do have to admit, they're fun to also write about.
I guess the fandom also gets ideas about what this or that person is in real life or what traits this person could have. When reading comments, I see some people go 'well, this could be true of them' or maybe 'well i dunno, i never thought she'd do that', so people do think about what their idols are like, and writing fosters a discussion about it, on occasion.
G: Yes, though not as much recently. Reading other fics let me know what others had already done and what was popular - some of them were even inspirational.
H: Yes, I do read idol fic (although by idol it's limited mainly to SNSD, as well as a few others). I find that it's affected my writing in the sense that I'll read a story that I think is absolutely amazing, and in turn strive to be as good of a writer as I can possibly be so I don't look down right silly putting my stories out there, haha.
I: Rarely. a very few I love to pieces. But most writers in kpop fandom, or the big guns, seem to take themselves and it all way too seriously. I hung around kpop fic anon memes for a while, and I read seouldout, and the good writers were very good but all had the same style, and people could be so unpleasant in the meme and I realised I hated it all and all it stood for. I came to ignore it and it was a totally separate thing to my fandom itself. It was kindof a lonesome act for me, somehow, writing idol fic.
"What is your biggest pet peeve in idol fic?"
A: I dislike the fixation on pairings. I understand that there are biases but for the readers to not appreciate a writer’s work, something they poured energy and soul into, just because it is not their ‘OTP’ is sort of irritating. I find it disheartening when readers comment asking for me to add a certain pairing or saying ‘although this is not my OTP, I think this is alright.’ It makes me question if I should even share my writing since people are not appreciating my work just because it is not their OTP or appreciating it just because it is their OTP.
B: Do I have to just name one? Sloppy characterization, or no characterization at all. It's like PWP, except that there's no porn.
(Can I name another? It would be forcing a "pairing" into a set narrative, with heavy-handed references to "Canon" situations in that pairing's history, without any compensating charm or wit. There are fan-videos out there on pairings that can tell me about these issues, which are a lot more fun for me than these narratives.)
C: Authors complaining about the readers. Boo Hoo no-one’s reading my stories. Bad grammar and what not I can just ignore or stop reading. But when there's a good story with good writing interrupted at intervals by insufferable whining; that's the worst.
D: Not much different from my guidelines for fanfic in general. Bad characterization. Everyone is gay. Glaring grammar and punctuation mistakes. Fan Korean can also be a danger if overused or employed incorrectly.
E: Perhaps, to be specific, I get a little worried when I come across stories where SNSD gets pregnant at uh, 21 or earlier. That's a little too early.
F: Same-sex marriages. In non-AU Korea. No you twits it does not bloody happen, it will not bloody happen in the next decade at least. -_-
G: Besides painfully obvious typos and dry-heave inducing dialogue? -_-; One thing that irks me are AU fics that completely change the character's personality without justification. AU does not mean original fic. They're the same person *just in an alternate universe*! Want to make the cute one suddenly dark and brooding? Fine, but explain why, not just "Oh, we're in an AU." (There are of course some exceptions, but still. AU does not mean original fic.) Having set characters to work with is what makes fanfic so unique and can result in amazing writing if done correctly.
H: It's not really a pet peeve for solely idol fic, but fics overall, but I really don't like stories written in the first person. The moment I see a sentence like "I walked in the door," then I exit out of it. I just really don't like the style it brings to a story.
As for issues w/ fanfiction, this doesn't happen so much on LJ than it does at Soshified (at least I think not) but I find that there are some truly amazing gems that are just not well known or read at all, and then some story that's not the best written has dozens upon dozens of followers. I guess Soshified's a bit of a nice way to go into fanfiction since it babies you a bit, but they don't offer any concrit; they just say stuff like OMG THIS IS AWESOME UPDATE SOON HWAITING!
I: The reason I don't read much: everything becomes about topping and sex, and I feel like with fandom there is so much more to be said. The aversion so many have to het and gen is also a pain. and, that thing where all the 'good' writers started having the same fancy schmancy style. It felt forced and pretentious and what I really hate, where it becomes more about the style and popularity than about these idols we love and obsess over. Rampant immaturity and pretension.
J: Pet peeve, huh? Well, it has to be everyone’s tendency (including mine) to stick too much with the idol’s image (i.e. Sooyoung eats a lot!). I get the rationale behind it, but sometimes I feel like we don’t make the effort to expose other sides of the idol when we actually CAN or at least we can try to make stuff up to make things more interesting/new (thus, fiction).
Do you favor a certain pairing? Do you favor writing a certain pairing? Why? (Specific pairing names removed to protect writer identity)
How central is pairing to your writing? Does this change when reading, or when writing original fiction/non-idol-fanfiction?
C: Uhhhh not really? I feel to an extent that all the girls have traits that are similar to me.
It’s not of overriding importance I would say. But, most writing is in some way about human relationships.
D: ___/everyone. But really just ___ interests me. It's easier for me to come to an understanding about ___ through everyone but ___ herself. It helps that she's such a people person and relates differently to the individuals in her life. The trick of this, though, is that you have to have a feel for the "lens" that you're borrowing, i.e. the other half of the pairing equation. XD
Specific pairings themselves aren't central, but a pairing often helps centralize and frame a story. I don't write actual plots, so I need very character- and/or relationship-driven themes to drive my stories. Plot tends to be incidental to these themes if it does somehow appear in my stories. This has always been the curse of my writing anything. Even the romantic aspects of a piece may be incidental in my trying to understand the character I'm studying, in that I like to think about how that character would act in that situation, not that I necessarily ship two characters.
F: ___ and ___, simply because they are my strongest ships. Especially so for ___, given the tragic dearth of fic for them.
Pairings are pretty much integral to the fic I write for this fandom. I would write more genfic, but alas, am horribly lacking in creativity. Reading-wise, I'm open to anything well-written.
When I wrote for animanga fandoms with more history and background to play with, pairings were less central to my writing.
H: I don't so much favor a certain pairing when it comes to reading, but I I do favor a pairing when I'm writing (kind of). I'm fine with writing most pairings, as long as it's someone paired up with ___. I oddly don't really have a bias for her (although she is in my top three) but I find that I relate to her more, and thus it's easier for me to get in the right mindset when I'm writing. While I love reading stories about the other girls, I find it hard to relate or think in their mindset at times, so I find it easier to write with ___.
I think pairing is a rather large part of my writing, considering the story changes significantly since each character has a different personality; if I tried to write a story with one couple, I don't want it to end up in a situation where I could simply replace the names of certain characters with another set and not have it change the story at all. Characterization, I feel, is a very important and key part in well-written stories.
I: I favour pairings I like, where I feel confident I know them and their dynamic reasonably well, or when I want to write them totally OOC and in another world and want to have my way with them, twist them to what i want for them. I'm not enough in the fic world to know my tastes for reading out of my pairing, for being surprised by a pairing. I'm too much into the fandom to want to read much where things are messed around with.
[importance of pairing]Pretty central, it's a basis. I seem to have just fallen in with convention, though. If I had my super imagination intact I would have done more, I think. I've become so limited, and I think there's potential for so much more. But these guys loving on each other is what we like to see, and it's easy and fun and non-committal, so I do like it. I like plot, I like when it surprises me and the relationship may be a strong aspect but there's other stuff, more in their lives. original fiction is a whole other boat, plot is much more prominent, non-romantic plot too.
J: Yeah. For every group (this applies to idol fiction), I have a certain pairing bias. When it comes to writing about them, though, it depends. I often have the plot in my head first and then the next step is choosing which pairing would fit it best. As much as I want to write about my pairing bias, once I have deduced that another pairing fits the story I want to write I go with that and I don’t bother forcing myself to tweak the plot I’ve put together just to make it more suitable for my pairing bias. With regard to non-idol fiction, which I don’t really work with nowadays, I concentrate more on the objective of the adventure (since I’ve only worked with games/adventure stories).
I used to think that the use of a pairing is crucial, but the more I write the more I tend to write about them as a group. I think this is due to my observations, how I see them work together and how their friendships are so beautifully made and maintained even with the many conflicts that they face (excuse my being too ideal). It’s kind of different when I read because I immediately try to spot which pairing the writer chooses to focus on and then I try to figure out whether or not we have the same idea about a certain pairing and how the bond between the two is described, etc. Nowadays, however, I am more interested in the kind of plot other writers decide to go with and it doesn’t matter as much which pairing they use as long as they are able to articulate.