It can be just as much of challenge fitting yourself into someone else's box as it is contsructing your own! More, even. I'm sure it's not like this for everyone, but if it's difficult for you it may be because you have to force your writing and your characterisations into a pre-defined shape rather than letting them grow organically like you would in original writing.
I liked a lot the only one of your stories that I read, a drabble you wrote on my request, a Snarry where Severus had to go to China or something like that. I don't remember very well, but I found it very original, full of interesting details.
I know, but I wanted to mention that to you just the same! As for the real subject of your post, I don't know what to say. I used to write original fiction when I was a teen, but when a publisher said my ideas were too weird to be published, I gave up and never wrote fiction again. More than twenty years later, I found fanfiction, and I've been having a lot of fun writing it. I think you're just being too hard on yourself. I know you will have to be hard on yourself if you want to be a writer, but I don't know if too much self-criticism can work with fanfiction...
but when a publisher said my ideas were too weird to be published
>:( That's so not cool!! OMG! *kicks publisher on your behalf* Like Miss Snark says - the only things that matter are good writing, good writing and good writing! God, what a twit. *hugs teenage!Ptyx*
Actually I find RPing a lot easier than fic. I don't know why as it's essentially the same thing. I've easily written five times as much RPing in the last year than I have in fic.
And Love Actually is a "slob out in front of the telly with a bottle of wine and a tub of ice cream" film.
And I didn't knew you RPd. Where? *makes grabby hands*
I've never dared apply for RPing, because I thought it would be even harder and even more awkward when it went wrong :p When you're just writing for yourself, no one else has to suffer ;)
And I agree about Love Actually. It's such a lovely feel-good film, but not in a cheap feel-good way :D And it's not gender specific, damn it!! ;)
I've RPed Charlie since the beginning of boulevard_dream and picked up Fleur and Cho a few months into the game. I've since done a couple of spin off ficlets with Charlie which is encouraging. I now can write het and got me out of just being able to write MWPP era fics.
I don't discuss it as much as I want to in case I bore everyone on my flist to tears.
I'm not sure about fanfic as a genre, but then, my mind doesn't have the capacity to process that kind of thing. What I have found though, is that I can't write things that I'd like to read for love or money (I'm not a great example, since what I do can hardly be called writing). I can't write H/D, I can't write historical fiction, I can't write fantasy - all the things that I actually actively seek out, whether original or fanfic
( ... )
Haha - silly Vee - you took one Hugh Grand film and replaced it with another in your head *sticks out tongue at you in mocking* About a Boy is just boring - Love Actually on the other hand is LOVE :D
Okay, now that I'm done poking fun of you...
And yes, it's true about not being able to write what you love! I always thought I'd be a fantasy writer, but I always end up writing fairly depressing stark realism - something I do not seek out as a reader :/ That's something of a dilemma, actually. Feels dishonest, somehow, don't you think?
But you're lovely, Vee. The sugar in the lemonade, no doubt about it :*
LMAO so I did! But everything I said goes the same for Love Actually, except for Tonks - if it has Hugh Grant in it, it's a chick flick :D
As for being dishonest...hmm, no, not really. What would be dishonest (to yourself, and to readers) would be to force yourself to write fluff when it comes out as depressing stark realism. Write what you write well - there will be readers for it, and most of them probably can't write it to save their lives.
I think maybe with fanfiction you are much more aware of your audience? Because you know when you post it, people will read it, and more importantly you actually know these people. And thus you get constricted by trying to write according to what you think their expectation and likes are - which you do get a feeling of, given very popular fics, etc. But I've always found that you need to write for yourself - because you want to get it out, not because of whatever other people want. And you seem to be able to do that more in your original fiction, maybe? Just a thought.
I think maybe with fanfiction you are much more aware of your audience? Because you know when you post it, people will read it, and more importantly you actually know these people.
Oh, interesting theory! I hadn't quite thought of it like that. It's very probably a factor... I guess that in general one self-edits more when writing fanfic. Much more. Mostly, obviously, because you're trying to adapt the writing to the style of the original author. And you can't do anything you like with the characters, AND then you're trying to get your flist to grow :p Bye, bye artistic freedom/growth ;)
But then again, it is very good for you to write within specific constraints - and people play with that all the time. Write exactly X words, write a passage that doesn't include the letter o, write according to random prompt, etc. *sigh* There really is no magic formula, is there?
And aren't you supposed to revising, young lady, rather than dallying on the Internet? *frowns at you*
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Maybe? I don't know, just a thought...
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But your theory has merit, dear lady. Plenty of it, I think.
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>:( That's so not cool!! OMG! *kicks publisher on your behalf* Like Miss Snark says - the only things that matter are good writing, good writing and good writing! God, what a twit. *hugs teenage!Ptyx*
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And Love Actually is a "slob out in front of the telly with a bottle of wine and a tub of ice cream" film.
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And I didn't knew you RPd. Where? *makes grabby hands*
I've never dared apply for RPing, because I thought it would be even harder and even more awkward when it went wrong :p When you're just writing for yourself, no one else has to suffer ;)
And I agree about Love Actually. It's such a lovely feel-good film, but not in a cheap feel-good way :D And it's not gender specific, damn it!! ;)
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I don't discuss it as much as I want to in case I bore everyone on my flist to tears.
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Okay, now that I'm done poking fun of you...
And yes, it's true about not being able to write what you love! I always thought I'd be a fantasy writer, but I always end up writing fairly depressing stark realism - something I do not seek out as a reader :/ That's something of a dilemma, actually. Feels dishonest, somehow, don't you think?
But you're lovely, Vee. The sugar in the lemonade, no doubt about it :*
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As for being dishonest...hmm, no, not really. What would be dishonest (to yourself, and to readers) would be to force yourself to write fluff when it comes out as depressing stark realism. Write what you write well - there will be readers for it, and most of them probably can't write it to save their lives.
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Oh, interesting theory! I hadn't quite thought of it like that. It's very probably a factor... I guess that in general one self-edits more when writing fanfic. Much more. Mostly, obviously, because you're trying to adapt the writing to the style of the original author. And you can't do anything you like with the characters, AND then you're trying to get your flist to grow :p Bye, bye artistic freedom/growth ;)
But then again, it is very good for you to write within specific constraints - and people play with that all the time. Write exactly X words, write a passage that doesn't include the letter o, write according to random prompt, etc. *sigh* There really is no magic formula, is there?
And aren't you supposed to revising, young lady, rather than dallying on the Internet? *frowns at you*
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