Fanfic Writers' Virtual Water Cooler

[Amara D'Angeli]

Okay, so I have great and bumming news. Great news is, my class was awesome. I learned a lot about the process of writing a script, and got to participate in some great creative discussion with fun people. Everyone honestly wanted to learn, and it showed.

The teacher mentioned an association called "Women in Film and Television". She mentioned that it's a good resource for getting a foot in the door, via being a production assistant in local projects, etc etc... I thought it was too good to be true!

The bumming news is that it is too good to be true. You have to be already in the industry in order to join and become a recipient of the newsletter. *sigh*

But it was still an awesome class. Definitely worth it.

I'm so glad your class was a success! The best place in the world, in my opinion, is a writers' room. (It's followed at a close second by the mountains.)

[Amara D'Angeli]

For me, it's usually the plot that comes to me first. Granted, I haven't written anything original yet but basically my urge to write is to tell a story. If you don't have a story (plot) to tell then why bother writing?

I've started with characters before. Usually when there's a character screaming at me and I don't have a plot, I'll start with dialogue and have the character talk to me until I find someone new for him or her to talk to. Before long someone says something and we're off to the races, plot spilling forth.

[Gatefan1976]

In fanfiction, especially, it's the plot that gives people trouble rather than characterization as well-rounded characters have already been (hopefully) provided.

Exactly.
Fanfic (to me) is more about seeing characters you like being put in your own unique scenario. I would think it is a fantastic tool for developing a writers strength in creating plots. In RPG terms, you are essentially the GM, writing the "premade scenario"
Thats not to say *ALL* fanfic is like that however, somtimes a writer may just borrow the universe and perhaps a character seed (a la SF&C Characterization of Frank) which, again to me, more falls into the realm of "Expanded Universe" where the "Canon Characters" take a back seat to the authors own creations.

I've never tried writing with a pre-made scenario (outside the odd prompt or challenge), but I can see how some might find that useful.

As I said, it's to allow you to focus on one aspect. How would my character act in X scenario?

The biggest switch for me between writing fanfic and original fiction was when I had to start developing my own characters. I thought it so difficult. The further along in experience I get the more I find original characters shouting at me to be written. Plot's never really been my problem. But, I do know a lot of writers who struggle with it and there are lots of ways out there to shock your writer's mind into action. Perhaps the ready made scenarios can help for some.

Hammer, meet nail

[Princess Awinita]

It's mainly for practice purposes.
By using a "premade scenario, you shift the focus of your writing to nearly pure characterization and can focus more on that aspect as opposed to having to deal with the entire "kit and kaboodle" right out of the blocks. If a writer is comfortable with handling everything, then sure, it will probably be of limited or no use to them.

Personally as I said before I just find it very usefully to approach my story's major action scenes, be it a bar brawl or similar as a roleplaying adventure scene wherein every character is in an order of some form, or at least named down, then picked for proper order {I actually use dice to do this} then I write the scene with that order for each character in the scene.

quite useful if you ask me

[Amara D'Angeli]

Personally as I said before I just find it very usefully to approach my story's major action scenes, be it a bar brawl or similar as a roleplaying adventure scene wherein every character is in an order of some form, or at least named down, then picked for proper order {I actually use dice to do this} then I write the scene with that order for each character in the scene.

quite useful if you ask me

I don't write much adventure, but I'm not sure my poor type-A brain could handle being out of control of the order things happened in. Stories tend to happen in my head like a movie or TV show and I merely type what I see and here. It's a very visceral process for me.

[selene0789]

I'm so glad your class was a success! The best place in the world, in my opinion, is a writers' room. (It's followed at a close second by the mountains.)

I really am glad I took the class... but at the same time, the more I think about, the more I feel like I don't know where to start. It's moments like these I wish I lived in LA or something, because it seems like there's no industry where I am. Or if there is, you have to already be in the industry to get in on it...

[Amara D'Angeli]

I really am glad I took the class... but at the same time, the more I think about, the more I feel like I don't know where to start. It's moments like these I wish I lived in LA or something, because it seems like there's no industry where I am. Or if there is, you have to already be in the industry to get in on it...

I know what you mean. The good news is this: you can write scripts on spec and send them off to shows that are accepting spec scripts. If you write a really good one, you send it to an agent. There are ways to go about this without uprooting your life entirely.

I'll be moving to LA after finishing school, myself. (Or Vancouver, possibly, since it's Hollywood North.) In the meantime I'm beefing up my resume by writing plays for local theaters.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Given that I'm involved to some extent in community theatre myself, at some point I'm going to try my hand again at writing plays as well. Thus far, I've helped to write a scenario or two for my commedia dell 'arte troupe. (Since commedia is largely improv-based, we use scenari rather than full-on scripts, and we improvise the dialogue as we go.) But it's a start. The last time I wrote an out-and-out script for anything was when I wrote radio plays in high school and college.

[selene0789]

I know what you mean. The good news is this: you can write scripts on spec and send them off to shows that are accepting spec scripts. If you write a really good one, you send it to an agent. There are ways to go about this without uprooting your life entirely.

I'll be moving to LA after finishing school, myself. (Or Vancouver, possibly, since it's Hollywood North.) In the meantime I'm beefing up my resume by writing plays for local theaters.

Spec scripts have to specific to the show you send them to, right? So if I spec-wrote for NCIS, it'd have to be an NCIS script?

And how much do you know about Vancouver? I've heard it's difficult for Americans to get long term jobs there, and that they have strict rules on hiring non-citizens. Is that true, do you know?

[Amara D'Angeli]

Spec scripts have to specific to the show you send them to, right? So if I spec-wrote for NCIS, it'd have to be an NCIS script?

And how much do you know about Vancouver? I've heard it's difficult for Americans to get long term jobs there, and that they have strict rules on hiring non-citizens. Is that true, do you know?

Spec scripts should be for the show you're sending them in for. Some shows, though, I've heard will accept similar genre fics, but I imagine you'd have better luck showing you can write the characters in question.

And yes, from the research I've done, Vancouver can be tough for Americans. The best bet for working there is to get hired as an America while in American and then start the process for moving there. Thankfully, my school helps their graduates find work. Otherwise, I'm not sure how I'd handle it! Not for nothing, if you've got close family in Canada they can sponsor your move.

[Amara D'Angeli]

Given that I'm involved to some extent in community theatre myself, at some point I'm going to try my hand again at writing plays as well. Thus far, I've helped to write a scenario or two for my commedia dell 'arte troupe. (Since commedia is largely improv-based, we use scenari rather than full-on scripts, and we improvise the dialogue as we go.) But it's a start. The last time I wrote an out-and-out script for anything was when I wrote radio plays in high school and college.

I did a radio play once when the local community theater put on a shadow-cast production. It was a play on Who's on First and great fun!

[Princess Awinita]

Given that I'm involved to some extent in community theatre myself, at some point I'm going to try my hand again at writing plays as well. Thus far, I've helped to write a scenario or two for my commedia dell 'arte troupe. (Since commedia is largely improv-based, we use scenari rather than full-on scripts, and we improvise the dialogue as we go.) But it's a start. The last time I wrote an out-and-out script for anything was when I wrote radio plays in high school and college.

Writing plays, is that like writing a script ? I do not know if I could write a script. I think I am better suited for story writing

[Princess Awinita]

I did a radio play once when the local community theater put on a shadow-cast production. It was a play on Who's on First and great fun!

That is always awesome and NEVER get old

[Whytewytch]

I have to confess that I really don't see the value in this. RPGs are great; don't get me wrong. I've played my share of them, going way back to the early Eighties when I played D&D -- the whole 20-sided dice, pencil and paper, roll for character attributes, how-many-hit-points-do-I-have-left type of thing. But I've never once found that anything in an RPG related to my writing of fiction. What's the point of a "premade scenario" when you can just figure out what you want the characters to do in any situation and write them doing it?

I agree on this. I don't need dice and paper to figure out what my characters are doing. I simply close my eyes and picture the scene in my head. The characters tell me what they are doing at that point and if I try to force them to do anything different, I'll be stalled for weeks.

Au contraire. Many authors of original fiction use beta readers. In fact, the term originated in original fiction and spread to fanfiction from there. Beta readers in original fiction are the intermediate step between the author and his or her editor. An author will give either a finished work or a work-in-progress to a trusted beta reader (generally someone with whom the author has developed a good working relationship) to look over before it goes to an editor.

Would it be fair to also call these betas "crit partners"?

[SF_and_Coffee]

I agree on this. I don't need dice and paper to figure out what my characters are doing. I simply close my eyes and picture the scene in my head. The characters tell me what they are doing at that point and if I try to force them to do anything different, I'll be stalled for weeks.

Yep. I'm also blessed with characters who tell me the story. I've learned not to argue with them.

Would it be fair to also call these betas "crit partners"?

Yes indeed. That's generally another term for the same thing, especially in the world of original fiction. Crit partner, critiquer, critter... it's all basically variations on beta readers. "Crit partner" means you perform this service for each other, whereas the other two along with "beta reader" don't necessarily assume reciprocity, although it may certainly be the individual case.