Session 4: Setting AU
Announcements
If you haven't done so already, please comment here with your second assignment. The third assignment will go out this Friday, after the fifth session.
Setting AU
What is a setting AU?
Setting AU fanfics place the characters in an entirely different time and place, changing the historical period or the cultural backdrop of the original series. As a result, they may require some research on the part of the writer to create a plausible context for the characters. Out of all the types of AU fanfic discussed so far, the setting AU probably offers the most flexibility and freedom. For this very reason, I think the setting AU can be difficult to write well. The writer has to deal with all the issues of introducing the alternate universe to the readers, without relying on any assumptions established by the genre or the original material, while also keeping the story as recognizable fanfiction. However, I also think a well-written setting AU can be the most interesting to read, since it allows the writer the most scope for imagination.
Writing a setting AU
Here are some questions to think about while writing a setting AU.
What makes a good choice of setting?
As some of you mentioned in previous discussions, a setting AU can be made more effective by finding a historical or cultural context that has something in common with the canon setting. Choosing a setting that can parallel or highlight the themes of a series can be one way of writing an effective AU. (See here for some good examples.) Another way could be to choose a setting that would provide a good backdrop for the relationships between the main characters of your fanfic. For example, if you intend to write an AU about Cain and Riff from Earl Cain, you might want to look for a historical era that would preserve their master and servant relationship. Of course, there is also the option of simply choosing a setting that appeals to you and seeing what results when you let loose the characters from canon into the new environment.
How will the series fit into the new setting?
One of the difficulties in writing a setting AU is to set the balance between finding a realistic role for each of your characters within the new setting while still maintaining their original personalities and relationships. For a series with a large cast of characters, the writer may have to focus on a subset of the characters or risk having to engineer some contrived scenarios to allow every character at least a cameo appearance. Also, the characters from the original series may not have the names or the personal backgrounds to fit into the new setting, and the writer must decide between making the fanfic itself a consistent whole and allowing the characters to retain their original (and recognizable) form. Furthermore, a setting based on a real time and place may require the writer to similarly juggle historical accuracy with the demands of referencing the canon material.
Where is the line between original fiction and fanfiction?
At a certain point, the reader must wonder where the setting AU remains a fanfic of the canon universe and where it becomes an original fanfic of its own accord. This question will arise for those AUs that make drastic changes to the characters in order to place them into the new setting. Where do we draw the line between bad characterization and a logical extrapolation of how the characters would behave in an entirely different context? Furthermore, if a setting AU bears little resemblance to the original universe, but still manages to tell a compelling story with excellent writing, is it still nonetheless a bad fanfic? On the other hand, would we consider a setting AU that does not convincingly tell a coherent story in the new setting but still keeps the characters recognizable and in-character to be badly written but a good fanfic? Many setting AUs seem to fall into one category or the other, but those that manage to both evoke the canon but still remain internally consistent can be fascinating to read.
Discussion
I noticed that the last session's discussion was not as active as usual, and I just wanted to remind you that you're free to address any issue related to the session topic or AU fanfiction in the discussion. The questions are only meant as starting points, so please feel free to raise tangents if they don't seem particularly thought-provoking.
1. What setting AUs have you encountered? (For those of you who feel that setting AUs are interchangeable with genre AUs, you can describe fanfics from less common AU genres or have a specific and well-established setting.) What do you look for in a good setting AU? What do you think are the pitfalls that writers encounter in writing this type of AU?
2. If you read setting AUs, are there certain historical or cultural settings that you wish to see explored in AU fanfics for your own fandom?
3. If you have written or plan to write a setting AU, what are some of the considerations that go into establishing the new setting? (E.g. what do you research, what elements do you emphasize, etc.)
4. (Repeated again from the last two discussions.) I've proposed some questions that writers should consider when writing setting AUs. How would you choose to deal with these considerations? Also, what other considerations should writers take into account when writing a setting AU?
If you haven't done so already, please comment here with your second assignment. The third assignment will go out this Friday, after the fifth session.
Setting AU
What is a setting AU?
Setting AU fanfics place the characters in an entirely different time and place, changing the historical period or the cultural backdrop of the original series. As a result, they may require some research on the part of the writer to create a plausible context for the characters. Out of all the types of AU fanfic discussed so far, the setting AU probably offers the most flexibility and freedom. For this very reason, I think the setting AU can be difficult to write well. The writer has to deal with all the issues of introducing the alternate universe to the readers, without relying on any assumptions established by the genre or the original material, while also keeping the story as recognizable fanfiction. However, I also think a well-written setting AU can be the most interesting to read, since it allows the writer the most scope for imagination.
Writing a setting AU
Here are some questions to think about while writing a setting AU.
What makes a good choice of setting?
As some of you mentioned in previous discussions, a setting AU can be made more effective by finding a historical or cultural context that has something in common with the canon setting. Choosing a setting that can parallel or highlight the themes of a series can be one way of writing an effective AU. (See here for some good examples.) Another way could be to choose a setting that would provide a good backdrop for the relationships between the main characters of your fanfic. For example, if you intend to write an AU about Cain and Riff from Earl Cain, you might want to look for a historical era that would preserve their master and servant relationship. Of course, there is also the option of simply choosing a setting that appeals to you and seeing what results when you let loose the characters from canon into the new environment.
How will the series fit into the new setting?
One of the difficulties in writing a setting AU is to set the balance between finding a realistic role for each of your characters within the new setting while still maintaining their original personalities and relationships. For a series with a large cast of characters, the writer may have to focus on a subset of the characters or risk having to engineer some contrived scenarios to allow every character at least a cameo appearance. Also, the characters from the original series may not have the names or the personal backgrounds to fit into the new setting, and the writer must decide between making the fanfic itself a consistent whole and allowing the characters to retain their original (and recognizable) form. Furthermore, a setting based on a real time and place may require the writer to similarly juggle historical accuracy with the demands of referencing the canon material.
Where is the line between original fiction and fanfiction?
At a certain point, the reader must wonder where the setting AU remains a fanfic of the canon universe and where it becomes an original fanfic of its own accord. This question will arise for those AUs that make drastic changes to the characters in order to place them into the new setting. Where do we draw the line between bad characterization and a logical extrapolation of how the characters would behave in an entirely different context? Furthermore, if a setting AU bears little resemblance to the original universe, but still manages to tell a compelling story with excellent writing, is it still nonetheless a bad fanfic? On the other hand, would we consider a setting AU that does not convincingly tell a coherent story in the new setting but still keeps the characters recognizable and in-character to be badly written but a good fanfic? Many setting AUs seem to fall into one category or the other, but those that manage to both evoke the canon but still remain internally consistent can be fascinating to read.
Discussion
I noticed that the last session's discussion was not as active as usual, and I just wanted to remind you that you're free to address any issue related to the session topic or AU fanfiction in the discussion. The questions are only meant as starting points, so please feel free to raise tangents if they don't seem particularly thought-provoking.
1. What setting AUs have you encountered? (For those of you who feel that setting AUs are interchangeable with genre AUs, you can describe fanfics from less common AU genres or have a specific and well-established setting.) What do you look for in a good setting AU? What do you think are the pitfalls that writers encounter in writing this type of AU?
2. If you read setting AUs, are there certain historical or cultural settings that you wish to see explored in AU fanfics for your own fandom?
3. If you have written or plan to write a setting AU, what are some of the considerations that go into establishing the new setting? (E.g. what do you research, what elements do you emphasize, etc.)
4. (Repeated again from the last two discussions.) I've proposed some questions that writers should consider when writing setting AUs. How would you choose to deal with these considerations? Also, what other considerations should writers take into account when writing a setting AU?