Fic Talk > General Discussion

The romantic debate

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Sakabelle:

--- Quote from: Rose on July 07, 2011, 07:25:56 PM ---Honestly though, my whole reason to read BSB fanfic is to be the Boys. And that's a huge issue in romance, it tends to become more about the female. Which, if that's the case, it may as well be Original Fiction and be done with it you know? There's nothing wrong with original characters. They add a lot to the story at times. But the Boys shouldn't be cameos, they should be right up there in the center of it.

--- End quote ---

Right, this is what I was sort of thinking about too. It makes sense that us as females would be more drawn for the most part to writing about female characters. But I wonder how that tends to make its way into BSB fanfic. Having the drive to write a romance novel, which is largely about the woman and her struggles is fine. But what is the appeal of making it a BSB fanfic, and how does having Nick (or any of them) the leading man make it a BSB fanfic, when the fact that the man is Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boy doesn't actually affect the story?

I wrote romance a lot, and when I was younger I definitely had a self insert story where the whole point of it was to write a story about myself dating Nick and my friends dating their favourites. The whole point of the story was to write out our preteen fantasies because that's as close as we were ever going to get to them - I'll fully admit that. We even said it back then LOL. The romance stories I have now I think focus a lot on Nick and what he's going through (and the girl too) but the fact that he is Nick Carter, and he is that celebrity is definitely important and crucial to the story.

Rose:

--- Quote from: Sakabelle on July 07, 2011, 09:40:09 PM ---Right, this is what I was sort of thinking about too. It makes sense that us as females would be more drawn for the most part to writing about female characters. But I wonder how that tends to make its way into BSB fanfic. Having the drive to write a romance novel, which is largely about the woman and her struggles is fine. But what is the appeal of making it a BSB fanfic, and how does having Nick (or any of them) the leading man make it a BSB fanfic, when the fact that the man is Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boy doesn't actually affect the story?

I wrote romance a lot, and when I was younger I definitely had a self insert story where the whole point of it was to write a story about myself dating Nick and my friends dating their favourites. The whole point of the story was to write out our preteen fantasies because that's as close as we were ever going to get to them - I'll fully admit that. We even said it back then LOL. The romance stories I have now I think focus a lot on Nick and what he's going through (and the girl too) but the fact that he is Nick Carter, and he is that celebrity is definitely important and crucial to the story.

--- End quote ---

Exactly. I get writing a female character is comfortable. I really do. But at the same time, if it becomes completely about the female (or original character for that matter), then is it really a BSB fanfic anymore? To me, it's not. Which is why I can't read stories about their kids. It's not really a BSB fanfic, it's a OF that features a cameo. To me anyway.

I wrote a romance or two. The first one was just to try it. As someone who's critical of romance, I decided to try and write one. To use cliches on purpose, and find a way to make it character driven. I dunno if I succeeded or not lol. And I gotta say, the only challenge (to me) was battling the cliches I used and try to make them more unique through the characters. Everything felt safe about it. So much so I got bored writing the rest of the second one I was writing...and the sequel to the first one LOL.

Romance is great in a story, I just always feel like it shouldn't be the main focus. It bores me unless something else is bringing it to life. A character, another plot in the story...whatev er. I just think romance is better used as a subplot, rather than the main focus. As a subplot it adds to the characterizati on, gives new turns beyond the main plot. As the focus, it can lose it's spark pretty quick.

mare:
Romance alone without anything else is kind of like watching a Lifetime movie. You either love Lifetime movies or you hate Lifetime movies lol

Rose:

--- Quote from: mare on July 07, 2011, 09:58:59 PM ---Romance alone without anything else is kind of like watching a Lifetime movie. You either love Lifetime movies or you hate Lifetime movies lol

--- End quote ---

This is so true LOL.

RokofAges75:
I don't mind reading from the girl's POV, as long as the story is still Backstreet Boy-centered.  If it's too much just about her life and not about the Boy(s), that's when I lose interest.  But if the Boy's in nearly every scene, who cares which POV it's written in?

One of the stories I'm writing right now switches between the girl's and Nick's POVs, and I much prefer writing in the girl's.  Not only is it a lot easier, but I actually have more fun writing Nick that way, the way she sees him.  It's the way most of us see him; it's the fangirl perspective.  He's in 99% of her parts; without him, there would be no story, so even though half of it is from her perspective, the story as a whole revolves around Nick.


--- Quote from: mare on July 07, 2011, 09:39:26 PM ---Have you read your stuff and thought you could easily make it an OF? Because if you only use one of the guys why not just make it a random pop star? What is it about the guys or guy that has you keep them as the main character? Is it because you feel very comfortable writing as one of the BSB? I'm just curious because I honestly tried to write a story where it was just Nick as a main character and having the guys barely in it and there was actually a female as a lead and I got about a chapter in and thought, this isn't a BSB fanfic. I'm making this a random pop star and changing it to an OF.
--- End quote ---

I disagree that making one Boy your main character means it's not longer BSB fanfic.  I guess I could see that if the story were AU and only had one of them in it, period.  Then I can see asking what's the point of using "Nick Carter" or "Brian Littrell;" why not just make it OF?  But if he's a Backstreet Boy in the story, then it's BSB fanfic, regardless of how often the other guys appear.

I guess I've just never read a story that only had one of them in it, as a Backstreet Boy, and never even mentioned the others; that seems weird to me.  Most of my stories focus on one guy more than others, but even in the AUs, the other guys are there, and if it's not an AU, the fact that they're the Backstreet Boys does have a big impact on the story.  A lot of my ideas wouldn't work as OF because they're so dependent on the BSB angle.  That would be why I'm still writing fanfic and not OF LOL.  I tend to think of story ideas with the guys in mind, and the only reason for going AU is if the ideas are too far-fetched with them as the Backstreet Boys.  But I'm veering off into general territory now, not just romance.  The only way I'd write an AU romance is if it was about Brian, because then I COULD actually write a Brian romance without doing something horrible to Leighanne and Baylee or pretending they don't exist LOL.

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