Threads of the Month Leaving Fanfictions? Stages of Being an Author Revamp SAYS Challenge - Graphic It's Been A Few Years... Featured Forum! Writer's Block In Need The Tempter [M] REVAMP SAYS CHALLENGE Poetry Prompt #12 Addicted |
Featured Blogs Operation Awesome [Literary 12+] Rachelle Gardner [Agent 12+] The Bloggess [Humor 15+] Hyperbole and a Half [Humor M (Language)] What's Hot? Active Topics Featured OT> I like coffee but I don't like tea The Owl Game Scene It The Happy Game |
| Welcome to SAYS - Serious About Your Skills. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Leaving Fanfictions? | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 16 2009, 01:40 PM (826 Views) | |
| Kaleidoscope | Mar 16 2009, 01:40 PM Post #1 |
|
The Cheery Chirper
![]()
|
Have you ever thought about it? Leaving fanfictions to concentrate on your original works? I had to ask because I read someone’s blog on HPFF forum and there was something in there about how we might not be able to create our own world if we play in JKR’s world all the time. Do you think that’s true? |
![]() |
|
| Andy | Mar 16 2009, 06:15 PM Post #2 |
![]()
Neigh, not a horse. A unicorn!
![]()
|
Not true in the slightest. In my opinion anyway. If anything I believe that having ready made characters, places and relationships means you can concentrate on other aspects of your writing. For me, FF is an AID to better OF. That said I've thought about leaving ff...I left for nearly a year after the Harmony, but you should never say never. You never know when you'll need your safehole. |
![]() |
|
| GubraithianFire | Mar 17 2009, 02:13 AM Post #3 |
![]()
OHMYROWLING
![]()
|
I've been thinking about this a lot myself, because I'm in a writing rut - both OF and FF (but to be perfectly honest I was never that into OF in the first place; I always lost interest and failed). I think having the groundwork of characters, characterizations, etc allows you to develop both the technical and the... for lack of a better word, writing part of a story. You have to understand characters before you can write them; you have to know what would happen before you formulate a plot. So I think FF can help with OF, especially when you've been doing it as long as I and many others have. That's not to say I didn't wish I paid attention to my OF more, because I want to so badly, but no plot I come up with seems to stick. >.< |
![]() |
|
| Andy | Mar 19 2009, 01:07 PM Post #4 |
![]()
Neigh, not a horse. A unicorn!
![]()
|
A balance is good. :) Plus, the way I see it is that I've got my whole life to create my masterpiece. Why write it now when I've still got so much to learn? At least with a fandom, I know everything it's possible for me to know. If that makes sense? I just get the feeling when looking back at old OF's that there are things that I will always be able to rewrite and they'll never be truly finished, like a piece of ff can be, because it'll keep on improving, |
![]() |
|
| GubraithianFire | Mar 19 2009, 09:50 PM Post #5 |
![]()
OHMYROWLING
![]()
|
But then what's the difference between editing ff and getting new editions of published works? It's not even like I'm trying to write a masterpiece, or something even slightly publishable. I just want the consolation and knowledge of yes, I am capable of writing my own original works. But I can't. And that's so, so scary. So yeah, I'm worried, but I'm sure someday I'll get something done. |
![]() |
|
| Violet | Mar 20 2009, 01:38 AM Post #6 |
![]() ![]()
|
My original work never seems as interesting. Perhaps I merely feel hopeless in getting any of it published, but anything longer than a couple thousand words never gets done. There are ideas, but they just don't seem writeable to me. The only original pieces I've written lately are very short - flash fiction - and I might send them out, but it wouldn't affect my fanfiction stuff. I wouldn't be able to leave fanfiction, it's too much fun. I love the characters too much, and I love the lack of stress in writing and publishing the stories. I just post them and they're there to be read. :) |
![]() |
|
| laPeach | Apr 24 2009, 09:47 AM Post #7 |
![]() ![]()
|
Fanfiction is creating your own world within JKR's. When we're starting, we need all the help we can get, so instead of worrying about creating your own world, we rely on hers. Gradually, when we are better at writing, we try to be original, therefore displaying it in our stories by adding Original Characters and exploring different aspects of characters, plots and scenes of Harry Potter. I look at HPFF as a teacher's guidance. It assists you and helps you. It does something FOR you, so you can worry about your other weaknesses. If another person is doing something for you FOREVER, you're never going to learn the complete course, therefore never be able to create your OWN world- original and a part of yourself, no one else. A teacher is a great resource when you're starting, but you have to learn when to say no. It is something you need to have in moderation. Too little meaning you have no gathered experience (I'm not saying every writer has to go through fanfiction, i'm just looking in fanfic's aspect), and too much meaning you're relying on it. How do you know when you're ready? When you think you're nearly there, take out a few minutes, maybe on the bus, on the train, blocking out the teacher's droning, before going to sleep etc, and think about your own ideas for your original fiction, meaning NO more than 2 characters like another in Harry Potter, and your own plot. Give yourself maybe 4 or 5 1-3 minutes sessions, and by the end, if you cannot find a perfect original plot you can put a lot of subplots and conflicts in, you are not happy with your plot, you struggle or you cannot possibly not make it relate to HP, then it would mean 1 or 2 things: 1. You rely on HPFF too much (if you've been on HPFF for too long) 2. You have no gathered enough experience to be able to create your own plot. If you have written numerous fanfic stories, then of course you're the first one. If you have a moderate number of fanfic (5-15), then you're number 2. WAYS TO FIX NUMBER 1: PUT FANFIC IN MODERATION- half of your writing time, go and write fanfic, but try to include your own subplots and OCs that are NON CLICHE. The other half though, find inspiration around you and just write about it without any fanfic support. For example, a bottle of nail polish remover. DO NOT GO LIKE THIS: 'Hermione picked up the small pink bottle of liquid and a disgusted groan wiped out the thoughtful smile on her face.' Instead, go like this: '*insert your own original name here* picked up the small pink bottle of liquid and a disgusted groan wiped out the thoughtful smile on her face.' I know, they're both the same except for the name, but don't you see how staring at a new and unfamiliar name scares you? Well, it scared me! No, you cannot write it like a fanfic with only the names changed. That was only the first step. Make your story the TOTALLY OPPOSITE of HPFF. That might sound scary, but it is the easiest way to start. If you make your story only a bit different than HP, you won't be able to resist the temptation of the guidance and go back to HPFF. READ LOTS OF OTHER BOOKS: I found one of the reasons I was stuck on HPFF is because I had drowned myself in the world of Harry Potter, and closed my mind to all the other wonderful books around me. If you read other stories, then of course you'll get new ideas! Then, over time, you'll be thinking about something other than HPFF, and with all the other ideas twisted together, you'll be able to create your own original plot. WAYS TO FIX NUMBER 2: STAY IN HPFF WITH MORE OCS Though it means you still need fanfic's guidance, it doesn't mean you're going to totally rely on it. As you're more involved in it, you need to pull yourself back and individualise yourself. It's like school. Grade 1, just starting, the teachers do everything for you and guide you in every step. Grade 8, all they do is teach, give assignments, take assignments, mark, give comment and result, and you're not as attached to the teacher. Create your own OC, create your own special world within fanfic. Then, every week, do the exercise (4 or 5 1-3 minutes sessions), and when you're completely satisfied. You can wave goodbye to fanfic, and visit it whenever you need some time relaxing from your own work. So, that's my view on leaving fanfic, and I hope I had made myself clear, and hopefully helped someone! ^_^ EDIT: forgot the most important thing: CREATE YOUR OWN GOAL. Would you like to be published one day? Well, you're going to be known to the world when you're forever in the fanfic section! FORCE YOURSELF OUT! GO! |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Mechanics of a Story · Next Topic » |
| Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
8:29 AM Jul 11
|
Black Water created by tiptopolive of the Zetaboards Theme Zone
Hosted for free by ZetaBoards · Privacy Policy













8:29 AM Jul 11