Fanfic meme (yeah, why not?)
Gacked from claudia603...
Because I haven't done one of these in a while, and it looked interesting...
1. How about a brief introduction?
I'm Sue DeNimme. You might also know me as Rowan on Stories of Arda.
2. What got you into fan fiction (and/or adopting muses)?
Well, I'd always wanted to write stories about characters I liked, mostly on Star Trek, and the first fan fiction I ever heard of was in Star Trek fan zines. But I had no access to it. This was back in the '70's, when I was a kid. All there were were zines, and I had no information as to where or how to get any. So mostly I would start writing stuff and end up not finishing it because it seemed futile. Who was going to read it? And there wasn't even anybody in my life that I felt comfortable showing it to.
Now, however, there's this thing called the Internet...
3. What kind of fan fiction do you write?
I like to do little slice-of-life pieces involving hobbits, especially Frodo. Mostly they are "snapshots", if you will, trying to express some insight or thought I've had about him, or else they are filler scenes that I wish had been in the books. I especially like writing (or reading) about him from less usual viewpoints.
My genre is gen, though I've stuck my toe into the slash pond a time or two. It's just that I happen to prefer things that fit into canon, and things that I believe could have "really" happened. And I think it can be just as fun and challenging to create within those parameters as it is to go nuts and experiment.
4. Do you write for the same pairings/characters?
Always Frodo. Frodo, Frodo, Frodo. Yes, there are other characters that I like and love, but he's the one that inspires me to write. I think I identify with him somewhat. I have a similar personality in some ways. Not so much in the selfless heroism department, but in being a quiet, contained person who is (or thinks she is) considered odd.
5. What is your most popular fic and why do you think people like it so?
I have no clue what my most popular fic is. I don't think I'm well known enough to have one. Though I did have a couple that just won MEFA's ("Letting Go" and "Stone of the King"). Not sure if that's an indication of popularity or not.
6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic you've written that you're most proud of?
Never really thought to have to pick one! Hmmm...maybe "Bedside Manner"? Or "Letting Go"? Or the Boromir chapter of "For Eyes to See That Can"?
7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What aspects do you struggle with?
The ease or the difficulty of writing depends on the strength of the idea, for me. Sometimes a story seems to write itself. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth. Sometimes I put something away for months and I think it's dead, but then I go back, pull it out and use it in something else, and it turns out better than it would have otherwise.
My biggest struggle is putting in detail to flesh it out. I'm very "to the point" and have trouble being descriptive sometimes. Also, I would love to be able to write a longer story, but I couldn't come up with a real plot if you put a gun to my head. That's why all my stories are so short.
8. Write a few sentences of your favorite pairing or character.
Frodo leaned back with a sigh, his feet propped up on a stool, and closed his eyes. To be relaxed and lazy and full was a pleasure most hobbits took for granted; but one never truly appreciated such a feeling unless they had experienced what it was to be without it, for months of hardship and hunger, exhaustion and fear. For a moment, the memories gripped him again, and he slid a hand upward to touch Arwen's jewel, feeling its subtle comfort wrapping around him, providing a buffer against the darkness.
He sipped his wine, listening half-heartedly to the conversation the other three were making. The wine was good, one of his favorite vintages. Unlike most hobbits, Frodo preferred wine to ale: one of his several quirks, he thought. He had the feeling that the others drank it only to humor him, though he certainly wouldn't have been offended if they'd had ale instead. Come to think of it, supper had consisted mostly of foods they knew to be among his favorites as well. He supposed that he ought to be suspicious, but somehow he couldn't work up the energy to try and figure out whatever it was they were up to.
Let them have their fun, he decided. They had suffered too, because of him. He was loath to begrudge them anything. Didn't they know that?
9. Are there any fan fiction trends/cliches you hate?
I hesitate to say "hate". There are things that I know that other people enjoy that I just can't get into or believe in. Like mpreg or wingfic or RPS. But that's fine: they can play in their sandbox, I'll play in mine, and it's all good.
But at the risk of offending the sensitive, there *are* a few things I'd like to get off my chest.
1. Slash is fun. I read it, both because it's enjoyable and because some of the stories truly do have some wonderful insights that I'd be a fool to reject just because of the overall premise. I've written a tiny bit of it, even. But I do think there are people who take it way too seriously. By that, I mean the ones who insist that that's the *only* possible way for the character relationships to be interpreted. I'm sorry, but it's not. Sure, Tolkien wrote Sam holding Frodo's hand, saying "I love him" and "me dear"; but I think it's our modern culture that leads some to take it as a signal that there's something romantic or sexual in that.
I also think it's wonderful to plumb the depths of a relationship between two characters, but does that *always* mean that it HAS to lead to romance and sex? What's wrong with letting friends just be friends? Does friendship only somehow become truly real and deep if there's a physical attraction as well? What does that say about us?
OK, on to a couple of less weighty peeves:
2. Modernisms. Like "okay", "yeah", "pissed off", and calling oral sex a "blowjob" (a term which originated with 20th-century jazz musicians, and which hobbits wouldn't have heard of).
I'm not asking people to slavishly imitate Tolkien, but I do much prefer it when authors make *some* effort to stay true to the spirit of his writing.
3. Time and time again, I've read slash fics that go like this: Character A loves Character B, but thinks it can never be because [insert reason]. Character B loves Character A, but thinks it can never be because [insert reason]. Angst. Angst. Angst. Something happens: maybe Character C plays yenta ("Does he know you love him?"), or one of them trips, falls on the other and penetrates him. Whatever. Big revelation and confession, followed by giant boink scene. And they live happily ever after. Oh yeah, and any canon het love interests that one of them has are conveniently nonexistent or explained away, or she's *very* understanding.
Once, just once, I'd like to see a fic where unrequited love stays unrequited. If there's anything angstier than that, I don't know what is. I'll bring the kleenexes.
10. Are you guilty of any of the trends you hate?
Well, like I've said, I've written slash. A little. I wouldn't call that "guilty", though.
11. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Do you still write for it?
Star Trek. First one where I wrote stories that I actually finished: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Odo and Kira, to be exact. No, I don't still write in that fandom. I'm very much a one-obsession-at-a-time fan.
12. Name your OTPs and explain what it is about them you love to write.
I don't have any OTP's. Hard to have one when you're not really a slasher. But there are pairings that I find easier to "believe" than others.
13. What would you call your writing style?
I try to write things that move me, and hope that they move other people. That's all.
14. Do you read other people's fan fiction? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Of course I read other people's fanfic! Duh! :-) As to what, I'll read (almost) anything that has Frodo in it, and to a lesser degree, the other hobbits.
15. Name one thing you'd love to write but have been too afraid or too shy to do.
Can't think of anything.
16. Do you feel uncomfortable taking criticism? Or worse, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I admit that criticism is uncomfortable for me, even when it's constructive, because of certain childhood baggage that I have. But I try to get beyond the instinctive defensiveness, go back and look to see if what they're saying is valid, and if I believe it is, I'll do my best to improve it.
17. When you write, is there anything that helps?
Just having no distractions (music, TV, cats).
18. What inspires you?
Great characters.
19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fan fiction experiences and you as a writer?
It's fun. What else can I say? And I try to have fun as well.
20. Tag some friends, because they'll hate you for it.
I'm not a tagger, but if anyone else wants to play, I'd be eager to see their responses.
Because I haven't done one of these in a while, and it looked interesting...
1. How about a brief introduction?
I'm Sue DeNimme. You might also know me as Rowan on Stories of Arda.
2. What got you into fan fiction (and/or adopting muses)?
Well, I'd always wanted to write stories about characters I liked, mostly on Star Trek, and the first fan fiction I ever heard of was in Star Trek fan zines. But I had no access to it. This was back in the '70's, when I was a kid. All there were were zines, and I had no information as to where or how to get any. So mostly I would start writing stuff and end up not finishing it because it seemed futile. Who was going to read it? And there wasn't even anybody in my life that I felt comfortable showing it to.
Now, however, there's this thing called the Internet...
3. What kind of fan fiction do you write?
I like to do little slice-of-life pieces involving hobbits, especially Frodo. Mostly they are "snapshots", if you will, trying to express some insight or thought I've had about him, or else they are filler scenes that I wish had been in the books. I especially like writing (or reading) about him from less usual viewpoints.
My genre is gen, though I've stuck my toe into the slash pond a time or two. It's just that I happen to prefer things that fit into canon, and things that I believe could have "really" happened. And I think it can be just as fun and challenging to create within those parameters as it is to go nuts and experiment.
4. Do you write for the same pairings/characters?
Always Frodo. Frodo, Frodo, Frodo. Yes, there are other characters that I like and love, but he's the one that inspires me to write. I think I identify with him somewhat. I have a similar personality in some ways. Not so much in the selfless heroism department, but in being a quiet, contained person who is (or thinks she is) considered odd.
5. What is your most popular fic and why do you think people like it so?
I have no clue what my most popular fic is. I don't think I'm well known enough to have one. Though I did have a couple that just won MEFA's ("Letting Go" and "Stone of the King"). Not sure if that's an indication of popularity or not.
6. Forget other people, what is the fanfic you've written that you're most proud of?
Never really thought to have to pick one! Hmmm...maybe "Bedside Manner"? Or "Letting Go"? Or the Boromir chapter of "For Eyes to See That Can"?
7. Do you find writing easy? Hard? What aspects do you struggle with?
The ease or the difficulty of writing depends on the strength of the idea, for me. Sometimes a story seems to write itself. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth. Sometimes I put something away for months and I think it's dead, but then I go back, pull it out and use it in something else, and it turns out better than it would have otherwise.
My biggest struggle is putting in detail to flesh it out. I'm very "to the point" and have trouble being descriptive sometimes. Also, I would love to be able to write a longer story, but I couldn't come up with a real plot if you put a gun to my head. That's why all my stories are so short.
8. Write a few sentences of your favorite pairing or character.
Frodo leaned back with a sigh, his feet propped up on a stool, and closed his eyes. To be relaxed and lazy and full was a pleasure most hobbits took for granted; but one never truly appreciated such a feeling unless they had experienced what it was to be without it, for months of hardship and hunger, exhaustion and fear. For a moment, the memories gripped him again, and he slid a hand upward to touch Arwen's jewel, feeling its subtle comfort wrapping around him, providing a buffer against the darkness.
He sipped his wine, listening half-heartedly to the conversation the other three were making. The wine was good, one of his favorite vintages. Unlike most hobbits, Frodo preferred wine to ale: one of his several quirks, he thought. He had the feeling that the others drank it only to humor him, though he certainly wouldn't have been offended if they'd had ale instead. Come to think of it, supper had consisted mostly of foods they knew to be among his favorites as well. He supposed that he ought to be suspicious, but somehow he couldn't work up the energy to try and figure out whatever it was they were up to.
Let them have their fun, he decided. They had suffered too, because of him. He was loath to begrudge them anything. Didn't they know that?
9. Are there any fan fiction trends/cliches you hate?
I hesitate to say "hate". There are things that I know that other people enjoy that I just can't get into or believe in. Like mpreg or wingfic or RPS. But that's fine: they can play in their sandbox, I'll play in mine, and it's all good.
But at the risk of offending the sensitive, there *are* a few things I'd like to get off my chest.
1. Slash is fun. I read it, both because it's enjoyable and because some of the stories truly do have some wonderful insights that I'd be a fool to reject just because of the overall premise. I've written a tiny bit of it, even. But I do think there are people who take it way too seriously. By that, I mean the ones who insist that that's the *only* possible way for the character relationships to be interpreted. I'm sorry, but it's not. Sure, Tolkien wrote Sam holding Frodo's hand, saying "I love him" and "me dear"; but I think it's our modern culture that leads some to take it as a signal that there's something romantic or sexual in that.
I also think it's wonderful to plumb the depths of a relationship between two characters, but does that *always* mean that it HAS to lead to romance and sex? What's wrong with letting friends just be friends? Does friendship only somehow become truly real and deep if there's a physical attraction as well? What does that say about us?
OK, on to a couple of less weighty peeves:
2. Modernisms. Like "okay", "yeah", "pissed off", and calling oral sex a "blowjob" (a term which originated with 20th-century jazz musicians, and which hobbits wouldn't have heard of).
I'm not asking people to slavishly imitate Tolkien, but I do much prefer it when authors make *some* effort to stay true to the spirit of his writing.
3. Time and time again, I've read slash fics that go like this: Character A loves Character B, but thinks it can never be because [insert reason]. Character B loves Character A, but thinks it can never be because [insert reason]. Angst. Angst. Angst. Something happens: maybe Character C plays yenta ("Does he know you love him?"), or one of them trips, falls on the other and penetrates him. Whatever. Big revelation and confession, followed by giant boink scene. And they live happily ever after. Oh yeah, and any canon het love interests that one of them has are conveniently nonexistent or explained away, or she's *very* understanding.
Once, just once, I'd like to see a fic where unrequited love stays unrequited. If there's anything angstier than that, I don't know what is. I'll bring the kleenexes.
10. Are you guilty of any of the trends you hate?
Well, like I've said, I've written slash. A little. I wouldn't call that "guilty", though.
11. What was the first fandom you wrote for? Do you still write for it?
Star Trek. First one where I wrote stories that I actually finished: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Odo and Kira, to be exact. No, I don't still write in that fandom. I'm very much a one-obsession-at-a-time fan.
12. Name your OTPs and explain what it is about them you love to write.
I don't have any OTP's. Hard to have one when you're not really a slasher. But there are pairings that I find easier to "believe" than others.
13. What would you call your writing style?
I try to write things that move me, and hope that they move other people. That's all.
14. Do you read other people's fan fiction? If so, what do you find yourself reading the most?
Of course I read other people's fanfic! Duh! :-) As to what, I'll read (almost) anything that has Frodo in it, and to a lesser degree, the other hobbits.
15. Name one thing you'd love to write but have been too afraid or too shy to do.
Can't think of anything.
16. Do you feel uncomfortable taking criticism? Or worse, do you have the dreaded bloated ego?
I admit that criticism is uncomfortable for me, even when it's constructive, because of certain childhood baggage that I have. But I try to get beyond the instinctive defensiveness, go back and look to see if what they're saying is valid, and if I believe it is, I'll do my best to improve it.
17. When you write, is there anything that helps?
Just having no distractions (music, TV, cats).
18. What inspires you?
Great characters.
19. Lastly, how would you sum up your fan fiction experiences and you as a writer?
It's fun. What else can I say? And I try to have fun as well.
20. Tag some friends, because they'll hate you for it.
I'm not a tagger, but if anyone else wants to play, I'd be eager to see their responses.