Craft of Writing 7 (specific to fanfic) final post
Macedon
The Craft of Writing, or
Yes, Virginia, It's a Learned Skill
C1998, Macedon
COMMENTS SPECIFIC TO FANFIC:
1) Please don't open a fanfic story with the full name and title of a
series regular. This is one way fanfic is not like original fiction.
Ain't likely to be anybody reading your Voyager story who doesn't
already know that Paris is Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris, pilot for
Voyager. Or, if you're into the X-files, don't start your first (or
even second) sentence with "Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully...." We
know her name and title, thank you. For fanfiction to introduce
characters in such a fashion is both unnecessary and annoying.
A writer of fanfic can assume a certain level of knowledge on the part
of readers which a writer of original fiction can't; take advantage of
it. Assume in your readership the same basic familiarity with facts
that the show's script writers assume for their episodes. They don't
introduce every DS9 episode with a Sisko's full name and rank! Same
goes for semi-regulars like Dukat or Nog, or (for the X-Files) Skinner
or Margaret Scully. The exception, of course, is if one brings back a
guest star from one or two episodes. Then one might remind the readers
who this person is: _____, Worf's adopted father. (See, I can't even
remember his name!)
2) If writing original ships or characters, don't put a long list of
the neato-cool-techno-geek things the ship can do, or include the cast
of characters at the beginning of your story. If a reader can't keep up
with the story without all that stuff, the writer is being lazy--and
most readers won't bother. It's boring, folks. If you want to include
story backmatter like casts of characters, technical information,
pronunciation charts, then put it at the back.
(On a side-note, I never personally read stories in screenplay format.
Other readers don't mind, perhaps, but I want my fiction in narrative
form, thank you.)
3) Don't exaggerate aspects of a series regular's appearance. Janeway's
hair is not red or strawberry blond. It's dishwater brown with red
highlights. Scully's eyes are blue-grey, not baby blue, and Kirk's are
hazel, or maybe swampwater green, not gold, gold-flecked, or honey-
colored or any of a half-dozen other exaggerations. Chakotay is not a
big man (nor does he have big hands). Kevin Sorbo is big, Arnold
Schwartzenager is *big*; Robert Beltran is on the bulky side of average.
Try for accuracy, not purple prose. ;> I know what these people look
like;
I see them every week.
PSTI...@uriacc.uri.edu
> Well, I think you are incorrect about at least one thing in your post.
>
> You write:
Please don't open a fanfic title with the full name and title of a
series
> regular. This is one way fanfic is not like original fiction.
> that Paris is Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris, pilot forVoyager>>
>
>
unnecessary
> and annoying. A writer of fanfic can assume a certain level of knowledge on the
> part of readers which a writer of original fiction can't; take advantage of it.
> >>
>
> has had this happen. Perhaps not.
>
> I write Voyager P/K. And, very often, I get feedback from readers who are
> either not Trek fans, not Voyager fans, not slash fans or a combination of all
> three.
>
> One common theme in their feedback is an general unfamiliarity with the
> characters. Especially if they are new to Trek or Trek fanfic.
>
> I believe this also goes fordescribing the characters. Not everyone is sure
> which character you are writing about.
I have to agree with Anne. Not everybody to whom I show my stories is
necessarily familiar with Trek. Like her, I don't always preach only to
the converted. Certainly, a long-winded discussion about warp drive, or
some other ubiquitous aspect of the Trek universe, is inappropriate to
a story (unless your story is concentrating on some aspect of it).
Characters and situations change over time, however. Some quick and
dirty background can orient your reader to your story's place in the
Trek universe and your character's place in his/her arc.
I know that sounds anal, but I'm currently writing a history thesis for
a thesis committee that is almost completely outside of my subject area.
Even though I know that my eventual audience will know all of the
background that I'm putting in, it doesn't matter. My immediate audience
(the one that makes the decision about granting me a degree for my work)
needs it. Needless to say, I am "fillering" for all I'm worth.
BTW, I was just reading through a published Trek novel, and it had far,
far more filler than *any* fanfic story I have ever read.
Macedon
MissElise wrote:
> > Chakotay is not a big man (nor does he have big hands).
>
> Um...I was pretty impressed with the size of Beltran's hands when I saw them in
> person. (At a con, get yer minds outta the gutter!) (Ooo, was that dialect?
> ;))
Maybe it's a relative thing. To *me* he doesn't look that big. (But then, I guess
I would qualify as "big": I'm about 6'2". So Beltran looks average to me.)
> Thanks muchly for the tips, Macedon.
You're welcome.
Asceml
Well, I think you are incorrect about at least one thing in your post.
You write:
<<1) Please don't open a fanfic story with the full name and title of aseries
regular. This is one way fanfic is not like original fiction.
Ain't likely to be anybody reading your Voyager story who doesn'talready know
that Paris is Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris, pilot forVoyager>>
snip Scully
<For fanfiction to introduce characters in such a fashion is both unnecessary
and annoying. A writer of fanfic can assume a certain level of knowledge on the
part of readers which a writer of original fiction can't; take advantage of it.
>>
I'm sorry if you find it annoying, BUT - perhaps I am the only person here who
has had this happen. Perhaps not.
I write Voyager P/K. And, very often, I get feedback from readers who are
either not Trek fans, not Voyager fans, not slash fans or a combination of all
three.
One common theme in their feedback is an general unfamiliarity with the
characters. Especially if they are new to Trek or Trek fanfic.
I believe this also goes fordescribing the characters. Not everyone is sure
which character you are writing about.
anne in chicago
Katie Redshoes
>MissElise wrote:
>
>> > Chakotay is not a big man (nor does he have big hands).
>>
>> Um...I was pretty impressed with the size of Beltran's hands when I saw them in
>> person. (At a con, get yer minds outta the gutter!) (Ooo, was that dialect?
>> ;))
>
>Maybe it's a relative thing. To *me* he doesn't look that big. (But then, I guess
>I would qualify as "big": I'm about 6'2". So Beltran looks average to me.)
After reading scads of C/P fanfic in which Chakotay was described as a
"big man," or in which the character tags used had him as "the bigger
man" (in comparison to Tom Paris), imagine my surprise when I first
saw the episode Fair Trade and realized that Paris is taller than
Chakotay! Talk about your paradigm shift! :-)
(And for anyone wondering, Beltran is 6' and McNeill is 6'3" -- OK, so
now who's the Big Man? :-p )
>> Thanks muchly for the tips, Macedon.
>
>You're welcome.
And thanks from me as well. I will try to comment this weekend.
Constable Katie
Formatting Division, ASC Archive team
ASC archive: http://archive.nu
Submissions: submissions# webamused.com Corrections: rlerret# sprintmail.com
Remove "NOJUNK" or replace # to reply
Macedon
PSTI...@URIACC.URI.EDU wrote:
> I have to agree with Anne. Not everybody to whom I show my stories is
> necessarily familiar with Trek. Like her, I don't always preach only to
> the converted. Certainly, a long-winded discussion about warp drive, or
> some other ubiquitous aspect of the Trek universe, is inappropriate to
> a story (unless your story is concentrating on some aspect of it).
> Characters and situations change over time, however. Some quick and
> dirty background can orient your reader to your story's place in the
> Trek universe and your character's place in his/her arc.
Again, let me repeat what I said to Anne. I don't care if the info is IN there
somewhere; I just don't think it should open a story. It does *not* make for a good
story hook.
> I know that sounds anal, but I'm currently writing a history thesis for
> a thesis committee that is almost completely outside of my subject area.
> Even though I know that my eventual audience will know all of the
> background that I'm putting in, it doesn't matter. My immediate audience
> (the one that makes the decision about granting me a degree for my work)
> needs it. Needless to say, I am "fillering" for all I'm worth.
Whoa. I'm not sure that's a comparison you want to make. Speaking as someone who's
both an academic and an author, academic writing and fiction have little in common.
A *thesis* is a VERY different animal from a story. In fact, (and as I just told
Natalie U. in private email <g>), my committee members have occasionally called me on
the carpet for being a little *too* creative in my academic narrative. They didn't
much care for "raises the eyebrows" or "wears a dark petasos." LOL! So I have to
watch myself. Likewise, the tone I use for writing my thesis would make for same
damn boring narrative! <g>
In fact, even if one is published academically, it's not always wise to tell that to
an agent/editor because s/he may assume that one's story will be (academically)
boring. ;> Much depends on the type of story. If you're trying to sell a serious
mainstream historical, telling the agent/editor that one is a professional historian
isn't a bad idea. If one is trying to sell hard SF, telling the agent/editor that
one's a physicist isn't a bad idea. But if one is trying to sell a mystery, telling
the agent/editor that's one's a physicist isn't going to get one very far, and may in
fact hurt. (Assuming, of course, it's not about murder and mayhem in a physics
department. <G>)