100 Things I've Learned By Writing Fanfiction: #15: Defining AU

These posts will also be available on my new WordPress account:
http://rosebfischer.wordpress.com/category/100-things/100-things-fanfiction/

I've been trying to stay away from "definition" posts in this series because I think there are already plenty of fandom dictionaries and encyclopedias floating around the Internet. My problem is that I did a casual search on the term "alternate universe" before I started working on my upcoming posts, and there were a lot of confusing or conflicting definitions. I want to make sure that my readers are on the same page here. For the purposes of this blog series, I'm going to use the definitions that I've been familiar with since way back in the age of the dinosaurs when fanfiction was mostly published in print fanzines. They are not the only valid definitions. They're probably not even the best definitions. They're just the ones I use.

100 Things I Learned From Writing Fanfiction #14--Not Having a Beta Is Not the End of the World

Most people who have been writing fanfiction for any length of time have a horror story or two about a bad beta. There's the person who just doesn't understand your work, who has very different views of the fandom and its characters than you do and consistently says, "bad characterization" when the real problem is vastly different interpretations of the character, or nitpicks at things so much that it makes the story no fun to write. There's the person whose grammar or other writing skills are at a lower level than yours, and so never finds anything to correct. I've had a few betas who just turned out to be so annoying or weird that I couldn't work with them (again, not naming names.) Most commonly, the problem with betas is finding one who will follow through and read your story — or just finding one at all. I spend more time posting beta inquiries or emailing beta requests than is probably healthy. I have a form letter that I wrote up so I could copy-paste and add the relevant details when I'm looking for a beta. That's how many times I have to look for a new one. I've even considered writing up a permanent beta request post that I can link people to. Most requests don't get a response, and of those that do, I would say one out of five people actually agrees and follows through to read the material I send them.

Some of that is probably because my stories are ridiculously long, and I don't really write in very many "cool" or popular fandoms. I use examples from my Stargate and Star Wars work when I write this blog series because those fandoms are more well-known, but neither one is enjoying the height of its popularity anymore. Most of the franchises that I write for have pretty small fan communities. My experience is not unique, though. A quick browse through forum threads or LiveJournal communities or even Tumblr posts related to fanfiction will show way more people looking for beta readers — begging for beta readers — then there are beta readers volunteering their services.

So, the odds are, if you're writing a story of any length, you're going to have to get multiple beta readers for different periods of time. If you're like me, there will be long stretches when you don't have a beta reader because the ones you had are busy or have other commitments. Having a beta reader is fantastic, and I recommend it whenever possible, but if you don't have one, here are some things you can try. (Disclaimer: most of these don't work overly well for me, but you may have different experiences with them. Try them out and see what works.)

100 Things I Learned From Writing Fanfiction #13--Every Good Fic Writer Needs Good A Beta

 "Beta" or "beta reader" is a fandom term for a person or group of people who will read your story and offer suggestions for improvement before you publish it. Beta readers are volunteer proofreaders, continuity checkers, sounding boards, and general critique providers. Not every beta reader excels at every part of that job description, and you may need one type of beta more than you need another.

It's hard to find a good beta. I've heard people say that they just don't have time to have their stories beta read. I've had betas flake out on me mid-story and disappear without a trace (In fact, I have a confession to make. Back in the early 2000s, I volunteered to beta read someone's AU, my computer died, and by the time I got a new one, I had lost that person's contact info and the Yahoo group that we met on was no longer in existence — so, to the girl whose story I flaked on, I'm very sorry and I hope that one day you found a beta reader who helped you out, because you had a really good premise and I liked the chapters that I saw.) I've also had beta readers who seem to find fault with every single thing I wrote and every word choice I made. There's a fine line between being a tough editor and being an asshole, and some people just don't know where that line is.

So, given all of that, why would I say that every good fic writer needs a good beta?

100 Things I Learned From Writing Fanfiction: #11: There Are Big Old Jerks Out There

Edit: Somehow had this scheduled to post next month instead of last week.  I guess I don't have to write anything new yet! :P

As a counterpoint to my last post about awesome people, I feel I should point out there are also a lot of jerks out there.  I don't know whether it's because the internet gives people the illusion of anonymity or if it's just that there are jerks everywhere, but you will meet them.

I won't name anyone this time because I don't want the post to be about who did what to whom and when.  Anyone who gets involved in a fandom will meet up with jerks.  Sometimes they're forum moderators who're on a power trip.  Sometimes they're just dumb people who are so rabidly involved in their fandom or their particular sub-group of fans that they forget how to respectfully disagree. Sometimes they're just idiots who think that hobby related activity (especially online) means you get to suspend the rules of common courtesy and etiquette.

I don't like Joss Whedon's body of work.  I know, jaws have hit the floor all over the internet now.  I have nothing against the man; I just don't like most of his stuff.  The only exception is the movie Titan AE.  I don't like the new Battlestar Galactica either--although I did at first.  I've been personally attacked by members of those fandoms because I said I didn't like the shows.  (I have plenty of friends who're into Buffy or Firefly or BSG, so I'm not singling out those fandoms.  I'm just talking about my experiences.)

I've also met people who seemed to have no interest in reading (or watching) my work except to leave nasty comments.  (Which is entirely different than leaving constructive negative feedback) Most of those are anonymous but not all.

The most hurtful experiences I've had in fandom have been with people I considered friends.  I've had people suddenly turn on me for something I wrote in a story or said in a fan community that they didn't like.  There have been people who "got bored" or left a fandom for some other reason and seem to have decided that my friendship wasn't important anymore.

What I've learned is that you need a thick skin to be involved in fandom, and an even thicker one if you plan to create fanfiction or fanart of any kind.  It's great fun, and most of the people you'll encounter are wonderful, but you have to be prepared for the occasional jerks.  Try not to take their actions personally, and try to avoid engaging an argument wherever you can.

100 Things I've Learned By Writing Fanfiction #10: There Are Awesome People Out There

This post was the very first idea I came up in the 100 Things Fanfiction series.   It's probably going to consist of a bunch of shout-outs to my friends, but that's okay.  My friends are the awesome people who inspired it.

Writing fanfiction (and generally being involved in fandom) has allowed me to meet several people that I count among my closet friends.  Some of them write fanfic, some don't.  Usually, we've struck up friendships when they started commenting on one of my stories, although I think a couple of them were on a message board with me about 8 years ago.

Aruna7 and I met when I commented on one of her SG-1 fanvids (which I would link to but I don't think is online anymore.  Little did I know that one innocent comment would lead to multiple ongoing collaborations and  a friendship that (I hope) will be lifelong.

Lhinneill, Cha_aka, and I have roleplayed together, read and helped one another with our stories, and generally shared our lives for almost as long as I can remember.  They're the first people I share anything I write with (except for One Path.) and the first people I think of when I'm stuck in a story.

Polgarawolf and I met through her comments on One Path, and since then we've probably exchanged enough commentary on Dune, Star Wars, and various other franchises to fill multiple books of analysis and criticism.  She's been my sounding board through a lot of story-related problems, and my fridge is full of snarky magnets she's sent me as gifts.

There are other people I've gotten to know on a more limited basis through my fic writing, but who's input and insightful comments on my stories have been invaluable to me.    Teddibear, Nrgbunny and Phantom-Jedi1 all stuck with me through epic-length stories, caught mistakes that even my betas missed, and inspired me to keep going when I might have given up.  I can't mention everyone; the post would start to read like one of those genealogy lists from the book of Genesis.

What I've learned is that fan art means more when you can share it with others.  Doing so will lead you to meet and make friends with people you might otherwise have never met.

100 Things I Learned By Writing Fanfiction #9: Finish Your Damn Story Before You Put It On The Internet

Suppose you are reading book.  You're about a third of the way in, just when it's getting good.  Suddenly, you turn the page, and there's nothing.  Just a blank white space.  You turn the page again and see something like this:

Sorry, I got stuck.  I'm not interested in these characters anymore, so I gave up and moved on to something else.

You keep flipping, hoping that it's a bad joke, but it isn't.  All the other pages are blank.

How mad  would you be at that author?

Why should your fanfic readers be less mad at you for abandoning your unfinished story?

Now suppose you pick up another book, get about halfway through, and you see another note.  This one says:

I realized I made a mistake.  I'm starting over from chapter 4.  Here's what's different.

How confused would you be?  How likely would you be to actually finish the book instead of just putting it down?

Do you think your fanfiction readers would be less confused?


Generally, I post my fanfics a chapter or two at a time as I write them, and I often write out of order, so that I have chunks of material from different time periods that need to be connected to one another.  I'm the last person to tell you that you should complete a whole manuscript before you post anything.

So then what exactly do I mean when I say "finish your story before you put it on the internet?"

100 Things I Learned by Writing Fanfiction # 8: Somebody Will Always Know More Than You

Aruna7 knows more about Star Wars than I do.  She probably knows more about Star Wars than any other person I've met, and she may know more about Star Wars than George Lucas on any given day.  When I first started writing Star Wars fanfiction, I was uncomfortable because I wasn't as well-versed in the GFFA as I would have liked.  I did as much research as I conceivably could, and then I started writing, relying on my friend to help me fill in details and check my characterization.

There are other fandoms where I feel (or have felt) more confident.  Stargate SG-1 is a good example.  (I know, I keep coming back to those two fandoms, but that's because I've spent most of my fanfic writing time in them.)  I'm sad to say I've forgotten a lot of my detailed knowledge of the canon now.  It's been about five years since I stopped writing SG-1 regularly, and my memory is fuzzy.

Even before that though, there were people in the SG-1 fandom who knew things I didn't.  It was great to have them around, but sometimes it presented challenges.  Fans get nitpicky.  Star Trek fans are known for being especially bad about this.  People can be rude, and you will find individuals who have nothing better to do than knock your story because you forgot a detail or made a choice they didn't like. They forget the time when they were new to the franchise and didn't know things either.  Sometimes I ran into people who thought they knew something and knocked my story unfairly.

So, what I've learned is to do my homework until I'm comfortable, then just go for it.   You'll never really know "enough" about a franchise--and you'll probably forget things anyway.   You'll continue to learn more as you go.  Fanfiction should be a labor of love, not a trivia contest. If you let yourself be intimidated or put off by what you don't know, you'll cheat yourself and anyone who might have enjoyed your story anyway.

100 Things I Learned By Writing Fanfiction #7-Nobody Knows Everything

I know a lot about Stargate: SG-1.  It's my favorite television show ever.  Even so, it took me a long time to feel like I was capable of writing fanfiction for SG-1.  I didn't feel like I had enough of the characters' life stories or understood enough about the Goa'uld or 'gate technology.  If you don't watch Stargate and have no idea what I'm referring to, then substitute details from your own favorite franchise.

Can you write in the characters' voices and hear them the way they sound on the screen?

Can you remember details of their lives or the things they've said about "how stuff works?"


No?

Well, neither can I--at least not perfectly.  Neither can a TV's show's writers or the script writers for sequels.  (Look at the Highlander film franchise and its huge continuity problems for an a movie-related example.)

I first got involved in the Stargate fandom around 2005.  I met people who were way more knowledgeable about the show than I was, and when I started thinking about writing fanfiction, I asked a lot of questions.  I was probably annoying.  That's okay, because it made my stories better.

There were times, though, when I found that nobody knew what the answer was--or there were so many different answers circulating the fandom that I might as well just pick the one I liked best or make up my own and run with it.

You'll eventually get flack for that.  Somebody will come along and leave a review to tell you what you got wrong.  It may even be someone you know--someone you normally go to when you have questions.  That's one of the things that makes transformative writing different from most other kinds.  The audience gets to interact with the source material and with the new stories that are being created around it.

So am I saying that fanfic authors should just make up whatever they feel like? Not at all, but here's what I've learned from all the questions I asked:

Sometimes the answers you need just aren't available in canon.  If nobody seems to know for sure, pick something, make up as much detail as you need to, and go with it.  Just make sure that what you decide on is plausible, and stick with it.  Also, don't obsess too much about the things you don't know.  Fill in as much detail as you need to and leave the rest alone.  In most cases, nobody else knows either, and fanfiction is supposed to be fun.

Index| Masterlist

100 Things I Learned By Writing Fanfiction # 5: You Will Lose Things

I just came across a comment that someone left me here about a story that she had written and lost.  I wish I could help, because I know this pain well, and there's nothing less satisfying than trying to reproduce something you wrote that you don't have anymore.  It seldom works.  If you manage to get something worthwhile, you're lucky.  You'll probably still feel a hollowness in your gut because it's not really what you want your readers to see.  It's just the best you can do the second time around.

100 Things Post 4: Leave It Online

I don't like books about writing.  I find most of them to be either authoritarian (listing off a series of "dos and don'ts" while they talk a lot about the need for writing discipline and what a disciplined writer does without ever giving a helpful suggestion for how to develop this all-important quality) or flaky (with nothing but a lot of fluff and feel-good motivational speeches but--again--very little practical value.

One of the few books about writing that I have ever found useful is Writing Down The Bones by Natalie Goldberg.  It's by no means a perfect book, and there are parts of it I think are flaky, but the overall tone and themes that the book presents are valid.  The biggest thing I learned from that book is this.

Nobody starts out being a disciplined writer.  Nobody even starts out to be a very good writer. Writers get better by writing, and we get disciplined by figuring out some rules that work for us and employing them. We also get better--and more disciplined--by learning to let go of our stories and our egos.

For me, every story is a learning experience, and every time I finish one (or even get significantly far into one) there's a moment when I think to myself, Man, I wish I had known this back when I wrote such-and-such.  There's a temptation to go back in and "fix" things.

100 Things I Learned By Writing Fanfiction: Index

This is a compliment to the Masterlist.

It's a sequential list compiled in the order I wrote the posts, which may be easier for some folks to follow.

Post 1- It Takes Courage to Post Fanfiction
Post 2-Reviews Don't Mean That Much
Post 3-Reviews are Everything
Post 4-Leave It Online
Post 5-You Will Lose Things
Post 6-Give Me The Background
Post 7-Nobody Knows Everything
Post 8-Somebody Will Always Know More Than You
Post 9-Finish Your Damn Story Before You Put It On The Internet
Post 10 – There Are Awesome People Out There
Post 11-There Are Big Old Jerks Out There
Post 12-It Will Grow
Post 13-Every Good Fic Writer Needs a Good Beta
Post 14-Not Having a Beta Is Not The End of the World

100 Things Post 3: Reviews Are Everything

Hey! It's day 3 without a headache!  To celebrate, here are some more Things I Learned Writing Fanfiction.

My Fanfiction.net Account has a total of  97 stories posted on it.  Most of them are multi-chapered pieces.  There are still other, earlier pieces that have never made it into the archive there but are posted on other sites like my Livejournal.  You might think that, after a while, reviews stop mattering.  They don't.  They are some of the most amazing and fulfilling messages that a fanfic writer can receive.

You won't get many of them.  If you expect to, or if you expect them all to be glowing expressions of how talented you are and how wonderful your piece is, you should ask someone to pinch you.  You've been sucked into a waking dream.

100 Things Post 1: It Takes Courage To Post Fanfiction

Every time I finish a chapter or a oneshot piece, I sweat.  My stomach aches.  My hands shake.  It doesn't matter if I'm about to post a 5,000 word installment of my latest epic or a 500 word installment of Vader's Cat.  It happens because the story is mine.  It's part of me.  I'm sharing something that is integral to who I am.  I'm putting it out on the internet for anybody to come along and pick it up and potentially hate it.

100 Things I've Learned by Writing Fanfiction-Masterlist

{Take the 100 Things challenge!}
I've committed to take the 100 Things challenge on Livejournal and will be posting my content on Fandombouquet (linking from here to my LJ). The following is my master topic post, which will be updated as posts are made and as new topics get added. I won't be writing them in order but the plan is that when they're finished, I'll have a list of posts that are useful/insightful in some way to people who are starting out in fanfic writing (or even for people who've done it a while and are looking to try something different or improve. You can start anywhere you like on the list, but some of the topics are connected.

100 Things 2 Reviews Don't Mean That Much

There's always going to be someone out there who doesn't like your story.  There will always be a loyal reader who followed you through half or three quarters of your epic and then got mad at you and decided to bail--or just bailed and never gave you a reason why.