30 Days of Fanfic meme: writing OCs
Jul. 31st, 2011 05:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nonelvisDay 8 - Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
I don't write OCs very often simply because OCs aren't the reason I want to write fic. They're occasionally useful, but I'd rather explore the canon characters and leave the OCs for original fiction, not fic. Similarly, I don't read OCs very often because they're not why I want to read fic, but there are authors I trust to do them well, and who I know won't be writing a self-insert with changeable eye colors who's actually the love child of Theta and Koschei raised by the Dursleys and who secretly grew wings and acquired psychic powers at age thirteen.
I don't think it's all that hard to avoid writing a Mary Sue -- don't give your character wild powers unless the story absolutely demands it; don't make them closely related to one of the main canon characters; and above all, remember your character, like virtually everyone else, is going to have flaws. What's hard is avoiding people calling your character a Mary Sue even when she isn't, or simply assuming that an OC = Mary Sue and never reading your story in the first place. And those problems seem inevitable, at least in the fanfic community.
Anyway, the OC I paid the most attention to is Sarah, the young grocery store clerk in Clean-Up on Aisle Three ... . (I have OCs in some other stories, but they're generally in and out of the narrative so quickly I don't need to do much characterization.) Sarah worked because she was a normal person with a normal job, normal problems, and a willingness to help the Doctor, but not the kind of inner strength that would allow her to travel with him. I could have written that story with a Mary Sue, but that would have been much less interesting to me. My only regret about her is that I wish I'd had an extra 250-500 words to flesh her out a tiny bit more, but alas, Big Finish's word count limitations were pretty strict.
Day 1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
Day 2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
Day 3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
Day 4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
Day 5 - If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
Day 6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
Day 7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
Day 8 - Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
Day 9 - Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
Day 10 - Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
Day 11 - Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
Day 12 - Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
Day 13 - Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
Day 14 - Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
Day 15 - Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
Day 16 - Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
Day 17 - Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
Day 18 - Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
Day 19 - When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
Day 20 - Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
Day 21 - Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
Day 22 - Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
Day 23 - When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
Day 24 - Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
Day 25 - Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
Day 26 - What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
Day 27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
Day 28 - Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
Day 29 - What is your current project or projects?
Day 30 - Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
I don't write OCs very often simply because OCs aren't the reason I want to write fic. They're occasionally useful, but I'd rather explore the canon characters and leave the OCs for original fiction, not fic. Similarly, I don't read OCs very often because they're not why I want to read fic, but there are authors I trust to do them well, and who I know won't be writing a self-insert with changeable eye colors who's actually the love child of Theta and Koschei raised by the Dursleys and who secretly grew wings and acquired psychic powers at age thirteen.
I don't think it's all that hard to avoid writing a Mary Sue -- don't give your character wild powers unless the story absolutely demands it; don't make them closely related to one of the main canon characters; and above all, remember your character, like virtually everyone else, is going to have flaws. What's hard is avoiding people calling your character a Mary Sue even when she isn't, or simply assuming that an OC = Mary Sue and never reading your story in the first place. And those problems seem inevitable, at least in the fanfic community.
Anyway, the OC I paid the most attention to is Sarah, the young grocery store clerk in Clean-Up on Aisle Three ... . (I have OCs in some other stories, but they're generally in and out of the narrative so quickly I don't need to do much characterization.) Sarah worked because she was a normal person with a normal job, normal problems, and a willingness to help the Doctor, but not the kind of inner strength that would allow her to travel with him. I could have written that story with a Mary Sue, but that would have been much less interesting to me. My only regret about her is that I wish I'd had an extra 250-500 words to flesh her out a tiny bit more, but alas, Big Finish's word count limitations were pretty strict.
Day 1 - How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
Day 2 - Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
Day 3 - For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
Day 4 - Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
Day 5 - If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
Day 6 - When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
Day 7 - Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
Day 8 - Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
Day 9 - Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
Day 10 - Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
Day 11 - Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
Day 12 - Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
Day 13 - Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
Day 14 - Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
Day 15 - Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
Day 16 - Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
Day 17 - Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
Day 18 - Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
Day 19 - When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
Day 20 - Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
Day 21 - Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
Day 22 - Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
Day 23 - When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
Day 24 - Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
Day 25 - Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
Day 26 - What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
Day 27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
Day 28 - Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
Day 29 - What is your current project or projects?
Day 30 - Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!