Re: [buffyloveswillow] Hello all

[StephenBooth@xxxxxxxxxxx]

On Mon, 15 May 2000 14:34:57 -0700, Erin wrote:

> On Sat, 06 May 2000 10:45:42 CDT, Samantha wrote:

> > I was wondering are there any guidelines I can follow when writing fan 
> > fiction, because I want to write but I don't know where to begin.
>
> The biggest guideline is to read lots of fanfiction. See what works
> and what doesn't, and try to adapt your writing style to what works.

AOL.

> I tend to follow these steps:
>
> 1) Have an idea where the story is going and what you want it to do
> while it's getting there. An outline might be a good idea at this
> point, just to fill in the beginning, the ending, and the various plot
> points you want to hit along the way.

I did a workshop in screenwriting last year (basically
professional screenwriters talking about what they do, some of
these things are crap but this one was pretty good and helpful).
One of the major pieces of advice all of the 6 people we had in
was before writing a scene decide where you want it to end, what
the situation was at the start (eg the end of the previous scene)
and what you want to achieve during the scene. Then work out the
steps. OK, I realise that's basically what Erin said just using
different words.

Another piece of advice that certainly works fro screen writing
but can be applicable to Fic as well is to get into scenes late
and leave early. Don't spend too long on the build up and on the
wind down. Consider the film SFW. We never find out what the
kidnappers wanted to achieve, we never really find out why Babs
(Amber Bensons character) shot Spab and Wendy just her cry of
"Everything Matters". We don't need to know, it's superfluous to
the story.

Stream of consciousness writing can be a good start and can work
well for short pieces, especially if it's a mood piece. Be very
very careful tho' as it can also lead to really bad Fic.

> 2) Start writing. This is obviously the hardest part. This is where
> experience in reading really comes in, because you can adapt the
> writing styles you've liked the best to create your own voice. It
> will also help you learn the different writing conventions.

Writing is something you have to practice. Don't try to imitate
someone-elses style, you either write like them or you don't.
Sometimes you will find that a particular piece will come out
similar to another writers style, great, just don't try to
imitate. Someone once said that some pieces I wrote (not
Buffy-Fic) was similar to Erest Hemmingway, in my next piece I
consciously tried to imitate him and failed miserably.


> 3) Proofread. Once you've written the story (or part/chapter),
> proofread it for spelling and grammar. Run it through a
> spell-checker. Check to make sure you aren't using too many or too
> few commas, that kind of thing.

I've found using a grammer checker like the one in Word 97 or GMK
can be helpful.

Always read dialogue out loud. If it sounds wrong when you say
it then it's wrong.

> 4) Either a) give it to someone else to proofread (preferably an
> English major), or b) set it aside for a couple of days so that you
> can proofread it again with a fresh pair of eyes.  

This is where I have a problem. I am crap at proofreading my own
work so tend to rely on others. Given that a lot of my stuff is
R/NC-17 rated it can be difficult to find someone to do the proof
reading for me (My sister, my only regular proof reader, will
only read the PG-13 and below stuff).

> Make sure all your
> sentences make sense.  

This is where a grammer checker can help.

> Make sure you always know which character is
> speaking.  

But try to avoid :

"...", he said.
She said, "..."

type of thing. It can be difficult at times.



> 5) Make sure you use lots of descriptives to make sure the reader
> really gets a sense of the scene. A writer has to be all five senses
> to the reader; play on this, otherwise a scene will come across as
> being very flat. Don't overdo it on the descriptives, though,
> otherwise it will seem too flowery. A middle-of-the-road approach is
> the best.

It can be a useful exercise to blind your narrator, that is write
something from the point of view of one character but blindfold
them or put them in total darkness. Force yourself to describe
the scene in terms of sound, smell, taste and touch. See if a
proof reader can describe what was happening visually. It's a
good learning experience.

It can be useful to, when writing a scene, listen to a music that
puts you in the mood of the scene.

> 6) Proofread again, and get a couple other people to proofread for
> you, too. I proofread my stuff 3 times, minimum, and still I don't
> think it's enough.

I tend to use lists for this. Sorry guys, but like I said it's
difficult to get people to read my stuff.

> 7) Finally, publish. Ask for feedback so that the next time you craft
> a story (or chapter) you'll have things to keep in mind. Remember,
> every comment, positive or negative, helps you to create your next
> piece better, and so they should all be treasured. You don't get any
> better when someone says, "Great story." (Although that has a
> definite ego boost value, as well.)


IME getting feedback other than "that's great" or "I loved it!"
can be really hard.

Here's a challenge guys and gals. I've put a load of my fic on
my web site http://www.abooth.demon.co.uk/fanfic (should give you
a directory listing, there's no index page yet), everything
except passionatemagic.htm is mine. Please everyone read
something and tell me how much it sucks, how utterly crap I am at
writing. Please. If I don't know where I'm going wrong I can't
get any better.

Thanks

Stephen

--
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