Mod post: FAQ about remixing
I'm going to introduce myself first: hello! I'm solesakuma , your brand new mod. Since matsukatsu has already explained the rules for you, I will take on a slightly different subject: how to make your very own remix!
This FAQ is a little of personal experience and quite a lot taken from some previous discussions, which I'm going to link at the end.
So... first things first, what's a remix?
A remix is when you take somebody's else story and you rewrite it! Sounds fun, doesn't it?
And scary.
Uh? Rewrite it? So I get to change that awful ending where MatsuJun becomes a Mountie and Ueda joins the Pussycat Dolls?
First, that'd be an awesome ending.
Second, no, that's not it. While you have an astounding degree of liberty, some things are not to be changed.
Why not?
Because the limits make the challenge.
OK. So what can't I change?
Pairings and basic plotline.
Hey! That means I can't change anything!
Oh, no. You can! You can change the POV, you can change the structure, make it longer, make it shorter, change the focus and a whole myriad of things.
Even pairings and plotline are not that restraining: you can, for example, turn a romantic story into a gen story, like I did with mine. What was about the couples in the original, in my remix, it's about the group. And to show the other side of the coin, matsukatsu used my Matsukame fics to write a Matsumiya fic. Why was it allowed? Because Matsujun and Kame are still together, but the focus is on Nino.
About the plotline, just sum up the story in five or less sentences. Let's take Pride & Prejudice: 'Darcy and Elizabeth dislike each other. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth turns him down. She then changes her mind and marries him.' That's what you can't change, because if you did, it wouldn't be P&P.
Your story should dialogue with the original, echo it, not mock it or fix it or disregard it.
In a nutshell, the challenge is not about 'fixing' a story or about making a new one. It's about telling the same story. As you would have told it.
I still don't get it.
It's difficult at first, so let's go step by step.
The zero step is, predictably, to sign up.
Once that's been taken care of and you've got your assignment, you need to find the story to remix.
1. Finding the story:
Read your remixee's whole archive, even the stories you wouldn't normally read. Challenges in general and the Remix in particular are about pushing your boundaries, getting out of your comfort zone.
Now, there are certain pitfalls here, your attitude being the main one. Don't look for stories to 'fix', look for stories that have a certain quality that attracts you.
One thing people mention when talking about remixes is 'Ask yourself 'What's this story about?'. That doesn't mean the plot, it means the themes, the 'ideas' behind a story. For example, Romeo & Juliet is about foolish young love and Wuthering Heights is about twisted love and evilness. Maybe you disagree with me on those ones, I know but that's because themes are something quite subjective.
Most stories and most fics, even PWP, have more than one theme. When you pick a story to remix, pick one with a theme that resonates with you. The original author may disagree completely with you, but as a reader, you're entitled to think differently for her and as a writer, you're entitled to write differently too.
In that way, you can make that story your own and that's the point of this challenge. Which brings us to the most common problem when remixing: this is not an exchange. You owe nothing to the author except respecting her story. Remember: the story is yours and while we all freak out about what's the remixee going to think, at the end, you need to stop thinking about that and just write the story as you would have told it.
2. Writing:
The hardest part, obviously.
Now, reread that story you picked. Think about the theme, the structure, the characterization, the tone, the timeline, the style.
There are several things you can do now. OK, no: there are thousands of things you can do now!
To make the explanation less dry, let's return to my remix. The first thing I did was to change the POV. Changing the POV is what first comes to mind. But now ask yourself: will it add anything to the story? Is that 'other half' that important? Is the other side of the story what you want to tell?
Since I wanted to write about the effects that the events in the original fic had on the group, oh, yes. So I did it.
But I didn't stop there! I then decided that I wanted to change the structure a little bit. So I rearranged matsukatsu 's ficlets to fit the order in which she had written them. Which in turn made the chronological order go 'puff'.
Even then, several things stayed the same: the tone, for example. But matsukatsu , for example, turned several humour fics into an angst fic, just by changing the POV.
Changing the POV, the tone are just some of the options. You could turn the fic into a exchange of emails, for example, or show the author what her story ON SHAKESPEARE is like. You could use a weird POV, like focusing on the clerk that shows up in a couple of scenes. You could go a little back on time or a little further. Remember, however, that you're not writing a sequel or a prequel.
Once you've figured out what you're going to do, reread the story and then sit down and write.
3. Final steps:
So there it is! The Mountie story, now told by the werewolf that bites Aiba. You're proud of it, aren't you? And you didn't even change the ending! Or the pairings (Akanishi Jin and Cate Blanchett? Really?).
So now you can post it.
Well, no, not exactly. Now you have to title it. The whole X (The X Remix) convention is fun and easier than just a new title, in my experience, but feel free to do whatever you want.
And now you have to beta it, almost like you'd with any other fic. Why almost? Because it's a really good idea for your beta to actually read the original, so that she can comment.on how both the original and your shiny baby interact. Once she has told you all that's wrong with it and you've worked on that, yes, you can post it.
And then freak out.
4. Remixing in short:
This FAQ is a little of personal experience and quite a lot taken from some previous discussions, which I'm going to link at the end.
So... first things first, what's a remix?
A remix is when you take somebody's else story and you rewrite it! Sounds fun, doesn't it?
And scary.
Uh? Rewrite it? So I get to change that awful ending where MatsuJun becomes a Mountie and Ueda joins the Pussycat Dolls?
First, that'd be an awesome ending.
Second, no, that's not it. While you have an astounding degree of liberty, some things are not to be changed.
Why not?
Because the limits make the challenge.
OK. So what can't I change?
Pairings and basic plotline.
Hey! That means I can't change anything!
Oh, no. You can! You can change the POV, you can change the structure, make it longer, make it shorter, change the focus and a whole myriad of things.
Even pairings and plotline are not that restraining: you can, for example, turn a romantic story into a gen story, like I did with mine. What was about the couples in the original, in my remix, it's about the group. And to show the other side of the coin, matsukatsu used my Matsukame fics to write a Matsumiya fic. Why was it allowed? Because Matsujun and Kame are still together, but the focus is on Nino.
About the plotline, just sum up the story in five or less sentences. Let's take Pride & Prejudice: 'Darcy and Elizabeth dislike each other. Darcy falls in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth turns him down. She then changes her mind and marries him.' That's what you can't change, because if you did, it wouldn't be P&P.
Your story should dialogue with the original, echo it, not mock it or fix it or disregard it.
In a nutshell, the challenge is not about 'fixing' a story or about making a new one. It's about telling the same story. As you would have told it.
I still don't get it.
It's difficult at first, so let's go step by step.
The zero step is, predictably, to sign up.
Once that's been taken care of and you've got your assignment, you need to find the story to remix.
1. Finding the story:
Read your remixee's whole archive, even the stories you wouldn't normally read. Challenges in general and the Remix in particular are about pushing your boundaries, getting out of your comfort zone.
Now, there are certain pitfalls here, your attitude being the main one. Don't look for stories to 'fix', look for stories that have a certain quality that attracts you.
One thing people mention when talking about remixes is 'Ask yourself 'What's this story about?'. That doesn't mean the plot, it means the themes, the 'ideas' behind a story. For example, Romeo & Juliet is about foolish young love and Wuthering Heights is about twisted love and evilness. Maybe you disagree with me on those ones, I know but that's because themes are something quite subjective.
Most stories and most fics, even PWP, have more than one theme. When you pick a story to remix, pick one with a theme that resonates with you. The original author may disagree completely with you, but as a reader, you're entitled to think differently for her and as a writer, you're entitled to write differently too.
In that way, you can make that story your own and that's the point of this challenge. Which brings us to the most common problem when remixing: this is not an exchange. You owe nothing to the author except respecting her story. Remember: the story is yours and while we all freak out about what's the remixee going to think, at the end, you need to stop thinking about that and just write the story as you would have told it.
2. Writing:
The hardest part, obviously.
Now, reread that story you picked. Think about the theme, the structure, the characterization, the tone, the timeline, the style.
There are several things you can do now. OK, no: there are thousands of things you can do now!
To make the explanation less dry, let's return to my remix. The first thing I did was to change the POV. Changing the POV is what first comes to mind. But now ask yourself: will it add anything to the story? Is that 'other half' that important? Is the other side of the story what you want to tell?
Since I wanted to write about the effects that the events in the original fic had on the group, oh, yes. So I did it.
But I didn't stop there! I then decided that I wanted to change the structure a little bit. So I rearranged matsukatsu 's ficlets to fit the order in which she had written them. Which in turn made the chronological order go 'puff'.
Even then, several things stayed the same: the tone, for example. But matsukatsu , for example, turned several humour fics into an angst fic, just by changing the POV.
Changing the POV, the tone are just some of the options. You could turn the fic into a exchange of emails, for example, or show the author what her story ON SHAKESPEARE is like. You could use a weird POV, like focusing on the clerk that shows up in a couple of scenes. You could go a little back on time or a little further. Remember, however, that you're not writing a sequel or a prequel.
Once you've figured out what you're going to do, reread the story and then sit down and write.
3. Final steps:
So there it is! The Mountie story, now told by the werewolf that bites Aiba. You're proud of it, aren't you? And you didn't even change the ending! Or the pairings (Akanishi Jin and Cate Blanchett? Really?).
So now you can post it.
Well, no, not exactly. Now you have to title it. The whole X (The X Remix) convention is fun and easier than just a new title, in my experience, but feel free to do whatever you want.
And now you have to beta it, almost like you'd with any other fic. Why almost? Because it's a really good idea for your beta to actually read the original, so that she can comment.on how both the original and your shiny baby interact. Once she has told you all that's wrong with it and you've worked on that, yes, you can post it.
And then freak out.
4. Remixing in short:
- Sign up
- Wait for your assignment
- Get your assignment
- Freak out
- Read your remixee's archive
- Freak out
- Pick a story
- Choose an approach
- Write
- Freak out, obviously
- Keep writing
- Finish the story
- Beta it
- Freak out when your beta tells you it's not working
- Rewrite
- Beta it
- Repeat as many times as needed
- Freak out
- Post it
- Freak out