Blinky the Tree Frog ([info]blinkytreefrog) wrote,
@ 2005-03-15 08:38:00
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Current mood: accomplished

Why I write fanfic.
From an interesting survey over here.

I write fanfic because I have ideas. Odd ideas, dark ideas, stupid ideas, and sometimes very good ideas.

I want to see if other people think that my ideas are as interesting as I think they are. I want to entertain :-).

So why do you write fanfic?


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[info]kkglinka
2005-03-15 01:21 am UTC (link)
Similar, but usually to exorcise the idea if it won't go away.

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[info]blinkytreefrog
2005-03-15 03:06 am UTC (link)
It's odd that. I've gotten used to living with my ideas bubbling away in my head; I usually have far too many to write down in any case. But when I do write them down, they stop bubbling. There's something about putting the words on the page that sets them in stone. Whether this is a good thing? I can't say. It certainly stops me thinking about possibilities, thinking about how the idea could be made better. On the other hand, however, ideas never amount to anything if they aren't used.

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[info]kkglinka
2005-03-15 09:11 pm UTC (link)
Now, see, I'm different. I write them down to keep track. If too many are bubbling, I know to write it down. Once I do this, my brain is free to advance the idea. If I get stuck again, down on paper it goes and so forth. My brain is trapped if I don't write it.

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[info]wrathchild
2005-03-15 01:22 am UTC (link)
"So why do you write fanfic?"

I don't. I get more than my fair share of "odd ideas, dark ideas, stupid ideas, and sometimes very good ideas" but I can't write 'em with anyone's characters except my own. That's entertainment too. Sometimes, on good days, it can even be fun.

If you can write well for other characters that other people have created and you have a great time doing it, good luck to you :).

W

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[info]blinkytreefrog
2005-03-15 03:12 am UTC (link)
Hmm... I hope it didn't seem like I was trying to say anything against non-fanfic writing, first. That would be ludicrous, without that we don't have anything. I just specified it to fanfic because that was what the original poll was about :-).

As for why we write... That's interesting. Do you find the act of writing more entertaining than the act of reading? Do you write because it's fun, or because you want to see/hear the reaction of the people who read it? Do you see yourself as more an entertainer or an artist? It's an interesting distinction.

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[info]wrathchild
2005-03-16 04:48 am UTC (link)
"I hope it didn't seem like I was trying to say anything against non-fanfic writing."

Not at all, and I hope I didn't come off sounding superior because I favour original stuff over fanfic. Each has its place, and just because I'm not part of the ficcer community doesn't mean I can't enjoy what you guys come up with.

"As for why we write... That's interesting."

I do it to entertain myself, and if someone else is entertained by what I write, that's a bonus. Reading is a lot more fun and a lot less work than writing, but sometimes ideas won't leave you alone until you get them down on paper.

There's no such thing as an an original idea either. All you can do is tell an old story your own way and offer a variation on a familiar theme. Recasting from a different character's point of view is always fun. Lots of potential there to develop different plot threads and think up some fresh twists :).

W

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[info]bossymarmalade
2005-03-15 02:04 am UTC (link)
That's exactly it! I get little ideas of scenes or dialogue or atmosphere that keep popping up until I can't ignore them anymore, and then I *have* to write them into something. I probably would write them even if I didn't think anybody else would care or like them (which has definitely happened before), but I would be lying if I said I didn't *want* to entertain people! I think there's a nice mid-point between "writing for yourself" and "catering to your audience" that can be struck. *g*

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[info]blinkytreefrog
2005-03-15 03:00 am UTC (link)
I have to say that I don't entirely get the people who insist that they have no interest in feedback at all. One of the best things about writing, for me at least, is knowing that people have read it, knowing it affected them in some way, good or bad. Otherwise, I just feel like I'm throwing words into a void, with no way to know if they're connecting. It's just not as satisfying.

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What if?
[info]bizarra
2005-03-15 02:32 am UTC (link)
I write fanfic because I love to answer "What if?" in creatively angsty ways. LOL

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Re: What if?
[info]blinkytreefrog
2005-03-15 03:01 am UTC (link)
'What if?' is a powerful question. Imagine what the world would be like if people had never asked it :-).

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[info]hjcallipygian
2005-03-15 03:21 am UTC (link)
Different fanfic ideas come from different scenarios, for me. For instance, it might be a "What might happen next?" type of idea (almost all my Buffy fic is post-end-of-series), or it might be a, "Let's build on this event and take it somewhere," type of idea. Lately, I've been brainstorming an HP sixth-year fic because I've had the idea, "I wonder if I can write a legit, believable, in-character sixth-year story that hits none of the plot points I think the actual sixth-year story will hit?"

I suppose the common thread is characters that I love and relate to, and trying something different with them. Also, I just love to write. =)

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[info]darkmark
2005-03-18 02:06 pm UTC (link)
I write fanfic because of several reasons:

1) I'm dissatisfied with the answers they give us in canon. I hated the fact that DC killed Supergirl and destroyed the Multiverse and their old continuity. I just didn't buy into the fact that we *had* to accept that. "If you don't want it, we'll take it ourselves!" The same impulse led me to write a different ending recently to the Gen13 saga.

2) To continue the adventures of certain characters beyond their canonical stopping point. The THUNDER Agents and Mighty Crusaders were cancelled back in the Silver Age, but I still have fond memories of them and wondered what they were doing after their comic books stopped.

3) To try and give characters a logical ending. If the Marvel heroes of the Silver Age really started in the 1960's, by 1972 they'd be older and a lot wearier. The necessities of comics publishing require characters to stay eternally young, but in a realistic world, that's not possible. FIRE! gave me a chance to explore that possibility, as did Archie.

4) To rework characters in a different and interesting way. I guess Wendy would fit in here.

5) To show that I can write the characters about as darned well as any pro author can, and get some feedback doing it!

So much for that.

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