Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: simple sue on April 23, 2012, 09:46:05 AM
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My question is why does Nick seems to be the most popular member of the BSB to write whether it be AU or flat out fanfiction? I have nothing against him, I'm just curious as to why he's so much more fascinating than any other member of the group to work with? I know these are real people we are talking about but fiction is fiction and we all know this. What makes you choose him over say Brian, Howie or AJ?
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Cause Nick fans are the most delusional ones?
Hahahaah I'm just kidding. I'm guessing it's just the population. He is the popular one always was so the percentage of writers who are Nick fans are higher than those who are fans and write about the other guys.
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Actually I don't think that's it so much. Nick has layers, he had a lot of issues over the years. You could argue for the longest time Brian's second in popularity to Nick, yet there's usually more AJ stories than Brian ones. Nick's very easy to write as there's many facets to his life and personality. Plenty of stuff to work with. These days Brian's set (unless you go AU), with his wife, son, and beliefs. Great things, but just harder to write out. AJ, with all his issues, you can go deep and play around with it.
Brian is tied with Nick as my fave Backstreet Boys, yet I write more Nick centered stories simply because Nick is easier to write.
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I agree with Rose, Nick is very easy to write and I find Nick to be very childish.
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I think everyone has a good point. Nick has always been the most popular, so it makes sense that Nick stories are most popular among fanfic writers and readers.
I think Nick is also easier or at least more interesting to write than some of the Boys for the reasons Rose mentioned - there are so many different sides to him that we've seen over the years, and he has changed so much as a person.
He is also less settled than the other Boys; he and Lauren may be as good as married, but technically they're not, and so that makes it easier to "get rid of her" to write Nick romance. He's not close to his family, so it's easy to ignore them in a story too. He can be wild and free if you want him to be, without going AU or completely ignoring reality.
Nick's not my favorite, but I've come to enjoy reading and writing about him as a main character. That said, I do wish there were more Brian stories being written that appealed to me; I used to read and write more Brian stories than anything else!
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Whenever this topic does come up, it usually comes back to the fact that out of all of them, Nick is the least settled down. He seems to be the most relatable to people in the fandom maybe because of his age or just his accessibility to fans. For some reason he's the one boy everyone seems to think they know more so than the others. As everyone has said when it comes to Brian and Howie, they are so set in their lives it's sometimes challenging to find ways to step outside that box and make them still believeable. But I guess, it really depends on the definition of what we feel believable is.
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Personally I have always written about Nick because he's my favourite. When I first started out writing fan fiction, I was 13 and writing teeny self inserts about Nick... and I just continued writing about Nick. I was never interested in writing anything longer than a one-shot about the others. I tried to start an AJ story once and could never really get into it.
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Not to detract from Terri's question, because it's actually something I wonder about, what constitutes AU? I've always assumed it meant if they aren't the "group". does them having different wives, no wives, or girlfriends constitute AU? I ask only because in our stories, we can make them be whatever we want. Even if they are part of the group, they don't HAVE to be married or with kids. I used to only write Nick. Then I branched out and started with AJ. Undoubtedly my two favorites in the group. Now I've written a story about Brian, and one with Howie and Nick as dual leads, so to speak. I'm branching out because it's stretching my imagination to new heights. But Nick will always be my favorite to write about. For all the reasons listed above. I think he and AJ are the most complex and easiest.
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For some reason he's the one boy everyone seems to think they know more so than the others.
That's interesting that you said that because I don't feel that way at all. Maybe it's because I've always been a Brian girl, but I feel like Brian, for example, is an open book, easy to read. He is who he is - dedicated to his family and his faith, a comedian, but more conservative than the others in some ways. I don't feel like there's as many different directions to take a guy like Brian, who has basically stayed the same all these years.
Nick, on the other hand, is more of a mystery to me; I never know quite what to expect from him. He's shown us so many different sides to himself over the years, and I think that makes him easier to adapt to certain scenarios because there's really no wrong way to write him. He can be funny, he can be angsty, he can be romantic, he can be an asshole, he can be the hero, he can be the villain, he can basically be whatever you want him to be, and it works!
I see AJ that way too, and maybe that's why he's also more popular than Brian and the other guys in fanfic these days, but Nick is still The Chosen One, so he gets more starring roles LOL.
Howie and Kevin are somewhere in between for me, I think because they're not as out there and open with their personal lives as Brian, but more settled and secure with themselves than Nick and AJ historically have been.
That's my take on it, but that may just be because of who I've paid the most attention to over the years! LOL I'm sure we all see them different ways just based on our own experiences.
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Not to detract from Terri's question, because it's actually something I wonder about, what constitutes AU? I've always assumed it meant if they aren't the "group". does them having different wives, no wives, or girlfriends constitute AU? I ask only because in our stories, we can make them be whatever we want. Even if they are part of the group, they don't HAVE to be married or with kids. I used to only write Nick. Then I branched out and started with AJ. Undoubtedly my two favorites in the group. Now I've written a story about Brian, and one with Howie and Nick as dual leads, so to speak. I'm branching out because it's stretching my imagination to new heights. But Nick will always be my favorite to write about. For all the reasons listed above. I think he and AJ are the most complex and easiest.
That's a good question. By some definitions, anything that goes outside of "canon" (in our case, reality) would be considered AU. Personally, though, if they're still the Backstreet Boys, I don't consider it AU. It's just my preference to stick to reality as much as possible if I'm not making it AU, and I usually prefer reading stories that are that way, too.
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Okay, I see that you've brought out some very vaild reasons for writing Nick but as you all may know, in the past year, I stepped out of my comfort zone from the boys and started writng the New Kids On The Block. Not that I dislike Nick but at that point I felt as though all the storylines I could come up with for him had been exhausted. I agree he has a lot of different layers but I think my argument is that if you really dig deep you can take any one of these wonderful qualities Brian and Howie have and twist it around and I love them both as they are but as in my opening inquiry, I stated that it is just fiction. I know Brian and Howie are the deviants I write them to be sometimes. ;D
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Okay, I see that you've brought out some very vaild reasons for writing Nick but as you all may know, in the past year, I stepped out of my comfort zone from the boys and started writng the New Kids On The Block. Not that I dislike Nick but at that point I felt as though all the storylines I could come up with for him had been exhausted. I agree he has a lot of different layers but I think my argument is that if you really dig deep you can take any one of these wonderful qualities Brian and Howie have and twist it around and I love them both as they are but as in my opening inquiry, I stated that it is just fiction. I know Brian and Howie are the deviants I write them to be sometimes. ;D
I sort of felt that way too about Nick, that I'd exhausted all my storylines about him. That's part of the reason I started writing a group story.
Of course now that I've done this, I've got three other Nick stories in my arsenal lol
I guess it just all depends on what you like. I enjoy New Kids music enough, but I'm not really into them as a group or as people, you know? My interest in them goes as far as following each of them on twitter, and that's about it. I'm not inspired by them or interested in digging into their personalities at all. Just because they've formed this NKOTBSB super group doesn't really mean they're part of BSB, because to me they're really not. The groups are still very much separate in my mind.
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That's how I started to feel about Brian, that I'd exhausted all my story ideas for him because I wrote a ton of Brian stories when I first started writing fanfic. Now that I've discovered the power of AU, I have fresh new Brian ideas. I still tend to stick with Nick or AJ (or the whole group) for BSB-centered stories nowadays, though. Lately I've been on an AJ kick, as far as writing and ideas go. It goes in phases for me.
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I sort of felt that way too about Nick, that I'd exhausted all my storylines about him. That's part of the reason I started writing a group story.
Of course now that I've done this, I've got three other Nick stories in my arsenal lol
I guess it just all depends on what you like. I enjoy New Kids music enough, but I'm not really into them as a group or as people, you know? My interest in them goes as far as following each of them on twitter, and that's about it. I'm not inspired by them or interested in digging into their personalities at all. Just because they've formed this NKOTBSB super group doesn't really mean they're part of BSB, because to me they're really not. The groups are still very much separate in my mind.
I don't see them as one big group. I enjoyed the tour but I also became fascinated with them. That's just me though. They are still two very separate groups and that's what inspires me.
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I sort of felt that way too about Nick, that I'd exhausted all my storylines about him. That's part of the reason I started writing a group story.
Of course now that I've done this, I've got three other Nick stories in my arsenal lol
I guess it just all depends on what you like. I enjoy New Kids music enough, but I'm not really into them as a group or as people, you know? My interest in them goes as far as following each of them on twitter, and that's about it. I'm not inspired by them or interested in digging into their personalities at all. Just because they've formed this NKOTBSB super group doesn't really mean they're part of BSB, because to me they're really not. The groups are still very much separate in my mind.
I have to say, I'm a fan of both groups, and never considered them one entity. it's two entirely different sounds to me and I happen to like both. Ask me which I prefer, I'll say BSB only because they brought me some of the best friends I've ever had the privilege of knowing. They opened my world to a lot, including fan fiction. But I've also seen the ugliness on twitter....fro m fans of both groups. The ones who fight and argue about which is better and the childish antics are almost too much at times. Sure, we can have fun, and I admit, I do have my share of fun, but sometimes it goes too far and I feel uncomfortable. Last year when the fans were fighting AT the concerts, I felt bad for both groups. You know they don't want their fans acting that way. Even though there are those here at AC who loathe NKOTB, I've never felt like I was being slammed for writing about them. And I appreciate that. I'm not trying to make anyone fans of NKOTB. You either like them or not. But having an outlet for creativity is a great thing and having a community where these things can be discussed without argument is wonderful. And even if you write a story where all the NKOTB get killed off, isn't it kind of nice to have new characters to evolve? I've written more in the past year than ever before because so many ideas came to me after seeing them in July. I look forward to sharing them.
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Depends on what you write. The reason why I like fanfic is because it's about the Boys, so on some level they need to be the Boys we know and love in a sense. At least for my own preferences. Like with Brian, unless it's AU, I always feel the need to include Leighanne and Baylee somewhere. That, or kill them off. I have a Brian story, and I ended up killing off Leighanne so I wouldn't have to worry about her. It's just my preference that if it's not AU it needs to be close to reality on some level. That means in personality too. It's why Howie's so hard for me to write, he's got this cheesy and corny sense of humor, but it's hard to get into words. Kevin's the "big bro", Brian is this open book, but it's restricted because of his family and beliefs. AJ's always been different lol, and even though he's married now, the way he's always been the "rebel", his psychological/addiction issues give a lot of flexibility as an author.
And even in AU, I try to stick close to the personality, because otherwise, what's the point? It may as well be Original Fiction. I usually have an original character somewhere in my stories, and I use them to keep me content. That, or I work on a different facet on Nick's personality he's shown. I've written in almost every genre at one point or another, so to me, there's never been a point where I've exhausted all my possible storylines.
Not that I've written much lately, but that's not the point lol.
As for NKOTB, I've never been even remotely interested in mentioning them in one of my stories. I liked the NKOTBSB show I went to if only for the songs the Boys performed (Seeing 10,000 Promises live was a pure win) but I still wish this supergroup crap would end lol. So in my fics the team tour never happened :P.
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I turned AJ into an elf but he was still AJ because he acted like AJ. Aww, good times.
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What I mean about not seeing them as one entity is that even though I have stories that take place on the NKOTBSB tour, I don't feel the need to add Joey, Donnie etc as characters. I just focus on the BSB and NKOTB don't even appear. The assumption is that they're there, because it takes place during the tour, but they're just background characters who never show up for me.
Come to think of it, I wasn't nearly as inspired to write after NKOTBSB (though don't get me wrong, those shows were awesome) as I was after seeing Nick solo in Montreal. After seeing Nick I churned out six chapters of a new story in three days! So for me, I guess it's really Nick who is my muse. Even though I have written in other fandoms, I can't say that I have ever really written as much in any of those as I have about Nick.
I dunno, I just really like Nick! haha.
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You girls have said it all. Nick is the easiest to write.... :)
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All valid arguments and opinions but I guess I just like to challenge myself with different facets of each of the boys' character. :)
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Ugh! I can't access AC on my computer for some reason so I am typing this up on my tiny iPod so typos are going to be everywhere lol anyway...
You know it was because if bsb fanfic that I became so fascinated with the group. I loved their music but knew nothing about the actual band. I didn't even know what fanfic was and surfing the net for info on them I found fanfic. I feel like I got to know the guys through the accurate portrayals of them in stories. I have to admit, if I read one where they were way out of character I might not have persud them the way I did. That being said, it's why their real life personas are so important to me.
As Rose touched on, the reason I read BSB fanfic us because I love them, not just their names which sometimes is the only thing their characters have in common, just the use of the name. I mean taking it one step beyond that, it's also why I'm not the least bit interested in reading about only one boy and a random girl. I fell in love with their relationship to one another. That's what pulled me in and the recent lack of that is what essentially has pulled me out.
I think it all basically boils down to what you like to read and how you perceive the boys in general. If its an AU I don't mind reading the guys out of character but if it's not and Nick us raping or murdering someone, those stories aren't for me lol I've always been overly picky with fanfics more so than books.
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I started discovering the Boys on television but I came into the computer age later than everybody else in the world. The only access I had to them was internet at the public library and MTV so I was limited as to how I saw them. I've been a fan since '97 and doing fanfiction on and off since '99. Perhaps I came into the world of it when it was about seeing them as you wanted to not how they really are. Technology has made them more accessible over the years which also makes it easier to learn about them. I enjoy the fantasy and I'm not trying to change anybody's mind. I was just curious as to what other's mindsets were here.
They're an amazing group of men and I'm just glad we have such a place to share our creativity. :)
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All valid arguments and opinions but I guess I just like to challenge myself with different facets of each of the boys' character. :)
You say that like the rest of us don't challenge ourselves.
I do tend to include all five Boys in my stories though the focus may be on one. There's various ways you can write each of them. I've written from the perspective of each Backstreet Boy at one point or another. I challenge myself not just with the characters, but with the way I try to dive into different genres.
I mean I personally feel all romance plots have been exhausted. And that if it's the same types of plot, then it's not challenging really just because the characters change. It's all about personal preference.
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I mean I personally feel all romance plots have been exhausted. And that if it's the same types of plot, then it's not challenging really just because the characters change. It's all about personal preference.
Now isn't that stereotyping all authors who write romance. We all just write the same dribble over and over again. We can't come up with anything but the same idea over and over and over. Romance writers can't come up with more than one idea? Romance is more than just falling for someone and living happily ever after. If that were the case, the romance genre wouldn't sale so many books.
I write Nick stories and he is easy to write about, but I get the point that Simple Sue was saying. I love the challenge of writing about Brian, Howie or other guys. It it a challenge to write the so called "normal" guy. I think you sometimes have to take Brian and Howie at more than face value. They have quirks and nuances just like Nick or AJ. They aren’t these perfects guys who have it easy. They have struggles and disappointment s like everyone else. Personally, I feel like people only write about Nick because he’s screwed up and that’s easier to write. I don’t think we give Brian and Howie enough credit. We’re making them sound like they are boring old men….lol. They are far from that.
I think none of us really know 100% how the Backstreet Boys truly are. Sure we get a glimpse into their personal life with twitter and facebook, but none of truly know them. When we write, we may capture the essence of who we think they are. Just like we think we know something about the people writing on this message board by the comments we make. You may know one facet of a person, but we are all complex and different situations cause us to react differently. We aren’t always the same person in all situations. Unless you know a Backstreet Boy personally, we might all have their personalities wrong.
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I would say it's just as much a challenge to find new ways to utilize Nick as a main character as it is to write stories about new characters. I definitely do find it a challenge to write about the other boys as mains, and like I said before I'm much more inspired by Nick. however in every story I write where Nick is the star, I try to make him a little different yet still remaining true to the Nick we all know and love. That in itself is a really big challenge.
Also Nick is my husband so I do 100% know him.
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I would say it's just as much a challenge to find new ways to utilize Nick as a main character as it is to write stories about new characters. I definitely do find it a challenge to write about the other boys as mains, and like I said before I'm much more inspired by Nick. however in every story I write where Nick is the star, I try to make him a little different yet still remaining true to the Nick we all know and love. That in itself is a really big challenge.
Also Nick is my husband so I do 100% know him.
I agree that writing Nick can be a challenge, too. I just think it's a challenge to write the other guys as I think the mere fact that people are actually writing is a good thing. I say write what about who you want and what you want, but I don’t think Howie and Brian are as straight laced as people think. That is just one side of them. I guess my point is that all of the guys are multi-dimensional. Sure maybe Brian, Howie, and Kevin aren’t as you in your face like AJ and Nick are, but that aren’t flat stagnate creatures either. It’s like we put Brian on a pedestal because he has beliefs. He’s just as imperfect as man as Nick or AJ is. That in itself could lead to many stories. And I think we don’t give Nick or AJ credit for having some sort of belief system. I’m sure they do even if they aren’t shouting it out to the BSB fans.
By the way Nick is my husband. You can’t have him….lol.
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I'm not saying they're not multi-dimensional. I don't think the issue is with Brian and Howie being imperfect, it's that their lives are a little more set than Nick's and AJ's are. Sure AJ is married now, but he's had a lot of issues in the past, same deal with Nick. It's easier to conceivably come up with a dramatic plot for them and have it be within the realm of possibility than it is with Howie and Brian because let's be honest, what's more likely? Nick and Lauren splitting or Brian and Leighanne?
I think the challenge with Nick (and I guess AJ) is since they're written about the most finding new and interesting plots and ways to incorporate their characters into something that's not cliche or has been done a few times before. Finding the freshness in a character that has been used multiple times is not easy.
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Yes marriage might make Brian and Howie more settled, I guess. As I am still single and waiting to be swept off my feet by a certain blonde dude...lol. Just kidding. Being that a majority of my friends are married and have kids....you would be surprised the issues and craziness that goes on in their lives. Maybe marriage makes your life more set, or maybe it just changes your life and gives you great joys, added stress, and a whole lot more. I have ideas flowing in my head....lol. Love this topic.
I think your viewpoint of the guys has a lot to due with where you are in your own life. We all see things differently and have our own ideas. That is what is so great about writing, we all can create what we want.
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I think if everyone wants to be challenged, a good thing to do is write all of the boys equally important into a fic. Not just one or two, but all. In fact that might be a good upcoming challenge lol honestly I think that is the most complicated thing in the world, for me anyway. I've written stories about all of them and one of my most popular stories I ever wrote was my Brian one (told from his POV) No one really read my Howie fic lol sorry Howie!
My most popular stories ever are the ones that feature all five if the boys equally. Ugh I'm trying to make a point but the tiny keyboard and my cat are distracting me lol I'll be back!
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I see your point, Mare. It's definitely a challenge to balance five main characters, especially characters who are based on real people, and write them equally well. I have favorite stories that are just about one or two of the Boys, but the ones that make the most impact on me usually feature all of them.
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Sorry guys! Normally if I'm in the middle of a thought and need to stop, I just copy and paste into an email and finish later but I have no clue how to do that in this thing.
Anyway,
Like you both are saying, I do think there are a lot of layers to all the guys which is why I used to force myself to give them all time in the spotlight. The things a married couple go through versus the single guys are all different but it gets even more complicated if you choose to leave the females out of the picture and just focus on the men and their personalities. I do not think Brian is just a holy boy or Howie is just in a corner somewhere winking. I would say I don't think all AJ does us polish his nails and take MySpace pictures all day but I'd be lying loland I'm sure Nick is not as shallow as most tend to think. People are mysterious creatures and it's fun to write them as we think they are.
On a side note, I don't know how some of you do this all the time! The people who ate always posting from their phones. I'm about to throw this thing out the window! New found respect for all of you! lol
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LOL...mare. Posting from a phone sucks. My fingers are too chubby for my touchscreen. I feel like a three year old. I much prefer my laptop.
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Me too! And this auto correct thing is killing me! lol
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My phone can't even post! I typed up a whole reply to this today and hit post and it just wouldn't. Forums and phones do not get along LOL.
I agree, it is really hard to represent all five guys equally in a fic. I think that would definitely make a good challenge, didn't we do something like that with the one where the guys were all on a bed? I think it was sort of along those lines anyway.
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LOL Don't blame ya, Mare. I don't even like surfing around on my Kindle, let alone my phone. I barely tolerate my netbook, but that's mostly because of the lack of a mouse. I'm old-school; I prefer my desktop.
As far as this debate goes (and I'm not sure why it turned into a debate in the first place), I don't think anyone can say that one Boy is more or less challenging to write than others. It's all a matter of preference and experience - which guys you like the best, which guys you feel you know the best, and your own life experiences as well. What is challenging to one writer may be a piece of cake for another writer. Writing in itself is a challenge - it takes creativity, commitment, a command of language, and a talent for storytelling. To us, it's a hobby, something we do for free and for fun, and what makes it fun may be different for all of us - maybe it is the challenge of it, but maybe it's just because we enjoy telling stories that interest us about people who inspire us. So what if that's Nick, or Brian, or AJ, or Howie, or Kevin, or the whole group, or even the New Kids?
Everyone should just write what they want without feeling like they have to defend what they enjoy writing about. If we all wrote in the same genre about the same Boy, AC wouldn't have the variety that makes it such a great place for anyone in the fandom to find something to read.
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My phone can't even post! I typed up a whole reply to this today and hit post and it just wouldn't. Forums and phones do not get along LOL.
I agree, it is really hard to represent all five guys equally in a fic. I think that would definitely make a good challenge, didn't we do something like that with the one where the guys were all on a bed? I think it was sort of along those lines anyway.
Maybe? lol I think I did issue a five points of view challenge a while back but I don't think anyone even tried it lol
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Now isn't that stereotyping all authors who write romance. We all just write the same dribble over and over again. We can't come up with anything but the same idea over and over and over. Romance writers can't come up with more than one idea? Romance is more than just falling for someone and living happily ever after. If that were the case, the romance genre wouldn't sale so many books.
I write Nick stories and he is easy to write about, but I get the point that Simple Sue was saying. I love the challenge of writing about Brian, Howie or other guys. It it a challenge to write the so called "normal" guy. I think you sometimes have to take Brian and Howie at more than face value. They have quirks and nuances just like Nick or AJ. They aren’t these perfects guys who have it easy. They have struggles and disappointment s like everyone else. Personally, I feel like people only write about Nick because he’s screwed up and that’s easier to write. I don’t think we give Brian and Howie enough credit. We’re making them sound like they are boring old men….lol. They are far from that.
I think none of us really know 100% how the Backstreet Boys truly are. Sure we get a glimpse into their personal life with twitter and facebook, but none of truly know them. When we write, we may capture the essence of who we think they are. Just like we think we know something about the people writing on this message board by the comments we make. You may know one facet of a person, but we are all complex and different situations cause us to react differently. We aren’t always the same person in all situations. Unless you know a Backstreet Boy personally, we might all have their personalities wrong.
It's been a long time since I've seen a truly unique romance plot. I mean I know what I said comes off badly, but so is the idea that it's not a challenge to write Nick. Which is what was implied in this thread. The last romance idea that I thought was legitimately unique was Not Your Average Cinderella story, a BSB parody on the old Cinderella story? Not typical. It's not some...oh Nick's an old family friend, or Nick's (or any BSB) meets a girl on tour, Nick runs into a girl in LA by chance, etc. I'm not saying they're bad, but they're not fresh and new either. But people like it, doesn't mean it's unique. But that's my preference. I'll read a romance, if it's different enough to catch my eye. It's just a rarity.
I know that sounds polarizing but at the same time I'm not about to lie and say I think every romance plot is unique. Sorry, but that's just how I see it. And yes, I click on them sometimes to see if maybe I misjudged it from the summary.
No one's saying they know 100% who BSB are. But let's be real - who's more likely to relapse, for example, in a story idea? Or just be able to delve into drug issues? Nick and AJ. Who's the most likely to split from their significant other and have it be realistic? Nick and AJ. It's not just that Brian and Howie are straight laced, but conceivably a lot less likely to be believable in those scenarios. I mean Brian heart problem fics used to be really popular. Why Brian? Because we knew it could happen. The only time the realm of possibility opens up more for Howie, Brian, and Kevin, is typically in AU. Especially with Kevin not being in the group anymore.
I always try though to make all five, that's right five... as well rounded characters as I can, no matter who it's centered on. If anything, I like playing off the fact Howie's typically the most ignored. It's a neat place to go to. At the same time, I just enjoy writing about Nick cause usually he's the character I relate to the most when I write.
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To each their own!
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It's been a long time since I've seen a truly unique romance plot. I mean I know what I said comes off badly, but so is the idea that it's not a challenge to write Nick. Which is what was implied in this thread. The last romance idea that I thought was legitimately unique was Not Your Average Cinderella story, a BSB parody on the old Cinderella story? Not typical. It's not some...oh Nick's an old family friend, or Nick's (or any BSB) meets a girl on tour, Nick runs into a girl in LA by chance, etc. I'm not saying they're bad, but they're not fresh and new either. But people like it, doesn't mean it's unique. But that's my preference. I'll read a romance, if it's different enough to catch my eye. It's just a rarity.
I know that sounds polarizing but at the same time I'm not about to lie and say I think every romance plot is unique. Sorry, but that's just how I see it. And yes, I click on them sometimes to see if maybe I misjudged it from the summary.
No one's saying they know 100% who BSB are. But let's be real - who's more likely to relapse, for example, in a story idea? Or just be able to delve into drug issues? Nick and AJ. Who's the most likely to split from their significant other and have it be realistic? Nick and AJ. It's not just that Brian and Howie are straight laced, but conceivably a lot less likely to be believable in those scenarios. I mean Brian heart problem fics used to be really popular. Why Brian? Because we knew it could happen. The only time the realm of possibility opens up more for Howie, Brian, and Kevin, is typically in AU. Especially with Kevin not being in the group anymore.
I always try though to make all five, that's right five... as well rounded characters as I can, no matter who it's centered on. If anything, I like playing off the fact Howie's typically the most ignored. It's a neat place to go to. At the same time, I just enjoy writing about Nick cause usually he's the character I relate to the most when I write.
I guess Nick is not a challenge for me is what I meant to imply. I know he has plenty of issues to work with. I've done stories about him. i guess I just don't relate to him like so many others do. And maybe it's because I'm not a typical fan and came into what the media typically geared toward teenagers. Fiction has to be based in a certain amount of reality in my opinion but doesn't it also mean taking the truth and slightly stretching it out? I mean,I don't care for the zombie stories I see on here but that's my personal preference. It's not what I'm into.
Maybe because Brian is my favorite I can play the what if game easier than I can with the others. I know LeighAnnne and Baylee are very much his reality. I've even used them in my stories but I've never killed them off.
As has been said, it's personal preference and I prefer a good romance. And what's good to one person may not be good to another. Just sayin.......
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Everyone should just write what they want without feeling like they have to defend what they enjoy writing about. If we all wrote in the same genre about the same Boy, AC wouldn't have the variety that makes it such a great place for anyone in the fandom to find something to read.
This I agree with wholeheartedly . There is a variety to choose from and I'm thankful for that because it's opened up a whole new world of characters for me. I apologize if I turned this into a debate. I didn't mean for it to be.
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I guess Nick is not a challenge for me is what I meant to imply. I know he has plenty of issues to work with. I've done stories about him. i guess I just don't relate to him like so many others do. And maybe it's because I'm not a typical fan and came into what the media typically geared toward teenagers. Fiction has to be based in a certain amount of reality in my opinion but doesn't it also mean taking the truth and slightly stretching it out? I mean,I don't care for the zombie stories I see on here but that's my personal preference. It's not what I'm into.
Maybe because Brian is my favorite I can play the what if game easier than I can with the others. I know LeighAnnne and Baylee are very much his reality. I've even used them in my stories but I've never killed them off.
As has been said, it's personal preference and I prefer a good romance. And what's good to one person may not be good to another. Just sayin.......
Which is fine that you weren't a teen when you became a fan. I just think that's irrelevant since 99% of the fanbase isn't made up of teenagers anymore. Most of us are in our mid to late 20's. You're not getting what I'm saying about FAN-Fiction. Of course it's fiction, that's common sense. But most of us read stories about the Boys cause we're fans so we expect to read about the Boys we're familiar with, not characters with the same name and looks but act nothing like the ones we're fans of.
I think it's cute you mention zombie "stories" since I write one of I think maybe 2 that exist on AC. Especially since I mentioned genres, which is romance is, not one specific plot. I never said romance wasn't good. I said the plots tend to be exhausted, which in my opinion they are. If you could show me several romances that weren't using the same plot as many others, go for it. I've written a romance, for the record. And I feel that unless you have truly unique characters and a new spin on the story, it's not captivating.
You said you write "outside the box", which very much implied that writing Nick stories isn't that. If you meant for yourself, fine. You didn't say that though till this post. I never said people couldn't enjoy other things, I specifically said for me.
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Which is fine that you weren't a teen when you became a fan. I just think that's irrelevant since 99% of the fanbase isn't made up of teenagers anymore. Most of us are in our mid to late 20's. You're not getting what I'm saying about FAN-Fiction. Of course it's fiction, that's common sense. But most of us read stories about the Boys cause we're fans so we expect to read about the Boys we're familiar with, not characters with the same name and looks but act nothing like the ones we're fans of.
I think it's cute you mention zombie "stories" since I write one of I think maybe 2 that exist on AC. Especially since I mentioned genres, which is romance is, not one specific plot. I never said romance wasn't good. I said the plots tend to be exhausted, which in my opinion they are. If you could show me several romances that weren't using the same plot as many others, go for it. I've written a romance, for the record. And I feel that unless you have truly unique characters and a new spin on the story, it's not captivating.
You said you write "outside the box", which very much implied that writing Nick stories isn't that. If you meant for yourself, fine. You didn't say that though till this post. I never said people couldn't enjoy other things, I specifically said for me.
I apologize for starting a huge debate about the whole thing. I was just curious as to why Nick seems to be the most popular to write about is all.
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I agree on a lot that has been said. For myself though...I like to read any of the guys...but I'm more likely to read a Nick one because I can relate to him. I also enjoy stories with all five guys, or just Nick and Brian. Same goes for my writing. I've been writing a lot of Nick, but I'm getting more comfortable writing Kevin and Brian as well. It all depends on the person, I think. What their preference is and who they are comfortable writing.
As for romance...I write romance but I don't read it, I think because I haven't really seen any I am interested in...not that there aren't good ones out there. I just tend to lean towards science fiction, angst, suspense, and drama now. My preferences changed as I got older.
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Don't apologize for starting a discussion. There's nothing wrong with the thread, just defending my own point of view.
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Sometimes it does feel like romance gets picked on, but it is the mostly used genre. Personally I write romance a lot and use Nick most of the time. I don't tend to write the girl meets BSB at a concert and falls in love plot. I think I give it a twist or at least I try. Sometimes I think I would get some of the popular writers reading my stuff if my punctuation/grammar was up to their standards. :shrug: I'm just glad there is a variety of stories to read and ideas to write about.
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Yup, no apologies necessary. This has actually turned into a nice, healthy debate. lol
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I've just read all of this and can't remember what I was going to say! Damn, lol
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You could always just go with "yeah! What she said!" lol
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I know, LOL. As I was reading I had plenty to say, but by the time I'd got to the end I forgot it. I blame Nick!