Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: mare on November 02, 2012, 05:45:17 PM
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Thought I'd start a new thread to resurrect this idea. lol
What is your fanfic comfort food? Meaning, if you are down or need to laugh or get your mind off things, is there a story you always find yourself turning to? Do you reread something because you know it'll make you laugh, cry, scared...etc.. .?
What are some of your all time favorite scenes from fanfics that have stuck with you? Maybe not the entire story but just a part of it that you sometimes find yourself going to read because you feel like it?
Is there a story you instantly think of when you hear a particular song on the radio?
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My fanfic comfort food... I would say the one story that can still make me laugh, cry, and feel happy every time is Cover Me With Dreams. I've read it several times, and it's always a fun rollercoaster ride of a story. I don't remember when I last read it in its entirety, but it's one that I've found myself going to read parts of more often than most stories over the years. The parts that come to mind when I think of that story are the Christmas chapter, the Draw Me a Star tie-in, and the epilogue.
Other favorite scenes from other fanfics that have stuck with me...
- the DWLYN scene from Where Can We Go From Here
- the end of Swollen Issues III
- the twist in The Market
- bot fly Jordan in Save a Prayer
- Kahb Carter and ShaTed BoNathan in Naming the First Backstreet Baby
With the exception of the last one LOL, I love my drama!!
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As for the question about songs, I feel like there are a ton of songs that make me think of fanfics, but most of them are really just songs I associate with my own stuff LOL. Here are a few that make me think of other people's stories.
"I'll Be" by Edwin McCain - Cover Me With Dreams
"More Than Words" by Extreme - Faceless
"Faithfully" by Journey - Faithfully
"Don't Wanna Lose You Now" - Where Can We Go From Here
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I love reading comedy when I'm in a yucky mood. But my real comfort stories, I love angst and drama or suspense especially :)
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If I'm feeling down, I rarely feel like reading. But if I do, I'd pick something fun and lighthearted.
The scenes which have stayed with me are...
Nick falling out of the window in Why I'd Do It All Again
Brian killing his zombie family in Song For The Undead
Hitman AJ falling for his target from Sinister Devotion
Nick being kidnapped by crazy Valerie in Figured You Out
Lots of scenes in Curtain Call
Nick walking away in Remember Me This Way
The love triangle between Nick, Kevin and Julie in Chronos
Brian and cupcakes in Only In My Dreams
Songs which remind me of stories...
Shape of my Heart reminds me of Ground Zero, because Nick was kept in the dark :(
Song for the Unloved makes me think of Song for the Undead
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Thanks for the mentions, Steph!
My first thought for comfort food was of comedies/humor stories, but sometimes when I'm stressed out, I need something sad so I can have a good cry and get it out. I love the cathartic effect of a good tearjerker. And stories that are really tragic or horrific make me feel better about my own life and remind me that it could always be worse LOL.
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Thanks for the mention Steph! :)
Can't choose specific scenes but stories that I love-
Song For The Undead, anything mare has written that I've read. I love all of them.
Collabs by Evergreenwrite r83 and Pengi, they always crack me up.
Just One Kiss by Kevmylove, 00Carter, Forever Like This by Sakabelle, Remember Me This Way, Pandora's Box by nicksgal
There's way too many stories on my list. I'd take up all day listing them lol
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Thanks for the mentions guys :).
I'll have to come back later and answer this too.
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I miss this thread being updated every day!
As a follow up to the last question, what are some scenes you've written that have really stuck with you, the ones you think of first when you think of a certain story or find yourself going back to read?
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I miss this thread too! I feel like I've pretty much asked all there is to ask but it's nice seeing other people come up with new things. :)
The only scene that comes to mind without much thought is the Nick falling out the window scene from Why. I think it's still one of my all time favorite things I've ever written lol but I'm sure there are other more substantial scenes. I'm going to have to give it some thought and come back.
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Probably Nick singing Thriller as he takes out zombies, that tends to stick out in my head quite a bit. That and the NSYNKOTB zombies LMAO. Not cause of how well written they may or may not be. It's more because I was so amused writing both. One of those moments where I felt like I might've gone a little above and beyond but it cracked me up.
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Great question, Julie. For me there's several scenes but one that I remember from Figured You Out, the one where Nick sees the opportunity to escape through the bathroom window, and when he gets halfway through he's pulled back in...that scene was one of my favorites to write.
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For me, the parts that stick with me, the ones I'm most likely to go back and reread, are the ones that required either a lot of emotion or a lot of hard work.
Some of the emotional parts that come to mind are the end of Curtain Call, the post-choppage part of Broken, the end of By My Side, and the first zombie scene in Song for the Undead.
I also tend to remember and enjoy rereading the parts I've contributed to 00Carter because I know what a ridiculous amount of work went into each of them. I'm the same way with the few challenge stories I've done here. Anything I write that's not in my usual wheelhouse but turns out well tends to stick with me more than the usual stuff I write.
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I remember some of my 00Carter scenes but sometimes I go back and read the scene I knew was mine and it doesn't seem like I wrote it but I REMEMBER writing them. LOL
A lot of the scenes I recall when I think about my stories new and old are the ones that show the little hints, clues, that would be important to the big reveal later or scenes I was especially proud of writing at the time.
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I have a question myself: Have you ever lost motivation to write anything new? And if so, how long did it take you to get it back? What did you do to reawaken your muse?
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My muse is dead.
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Talking to people can usually spur my muse. sometimes an idea will bring it back, other times it will just hit me that I want to write so I do. Right now I'm in one of my phases of not really wanting to write even though I want to finish the story I have started and want to write this other idea that I have ... I just stare at the document and write nothing.
I have to just let my muse come back, but more often then not I have to "force" it out. Not that I force the writing, I just have to open the document and tell myself I won't do anything else until I write a chapter or something. It works when I make myself do it.
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Yeah mine is hanging by a thread :( lost motivation after Finding Carter.
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I miss this thread being updated every day!
As a follow up to the last question, what are some scenes you've written that have really stuck with you, the ones you think of first when you think of a certain story or find yourself going back to read?
The one which really stays with me has to be Jordan and his bot flies in Save A Prayer, lol
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I have a question myself: Have you ever lost motivation to write anything new? And if so, how long did it take you to get it back? What did you do to reawaken your muse?
I've currently lost my motivation and it's probably the longest I've gone without writing since I started writing fanfics :( I don't know how I'll get the mojo back, but I'm hoping it will return soon. Perhaps I need to stop watching TV!
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I've currently lost my motivation and it's probably the longest I've gone without writing since I started writing fanfics :( I don't know how I'll get the mojo back, but I'm hoping it will return soon. Perhaps I need to stop watching TV!
I need to stop watching TV and reading books! LOL but it's the fall season and lots of shows came back... lol.
Of course if I ever logged on AIM during your evening or on the weekends so we can chat it might help us both!
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Yes, we need an AIM catch up!
There's so much good stuff on TV right now, like tonight it's Vampire Diaries and True Blood :)
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I've been kind of in the same boat as a lot of you with the dead/comatose muse thing. Mine seems to be slowly waking up. I blame it mostly on being busy and having too many other things to do and too much on my mind to focus on writing.
I am slowly starting to get back into the swing of things by writing some parts for my collaborations, but I haven't written anything on any of my own projects since I finished Secrets of the Heart in August. I had to force myself to finish a part for Undead before Halloween, but that did seem to wake up my muse because I have done some writing on 00Carter now too. Like Lore said, sometimes you do just have to force it to an extent, or it will never happen.
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My muse kind of died after Finding Carter ended. I was cranking out daily chapters and now I can't write anything new, mostly due to some confidence issues. I hope I can get it back.
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Mine was just starting to wake up before what happened to my mom. Like I was starting to write on a chapter I'd long had sitting. Then that happened and as much as I want to, because it's cathartic, I really can't focus on any writing right now. I think I might try and force it and see what happens.
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As cathartic as writing can be, I do find it really hard to focus when I'm truly upset about something going on in real life because I can't stop thinking about it long enough to concentrate on the story. Only once in awhile does that actually work. I write best when I am stress-free and commitment-less, and how often does that actually happen? LOL Pretty much only in the summer or on holiday breaks! The rest of the year, I'm lucky if I can even get much writing done on the weekends.
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New questions:
What's the most cathartic writing experience you've had?
What's the most personal story (or scene) you've written?
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Most cathartic is writing Aaron in Remember Me This Way. I took the Aaron we saw on Twitter (an ass lol) and mixed it with my brother, who's always had horrible substance abuse problems. Even though I'm younger, I was always in the place of Nick. Where I did well in what I tried to do and my brother blamed me for all his failings. I did everything I could to help despite him hating me (not to go into too much detail) but you hit this point where you learn to just let go. So writing that out from Nick's perspective really helped me deal with it cause I had a lot going on with my brother as I wrote that story.
As for most personal...I think the Carter family bits in RMTW. My family is pretty dysfunctional (just not on the same level lol) but we're more loyal to each other. And thankfully my parents were NOTHING like his LOL. But I found when I wrote about Nick's family, a lot of my emotions on my own got tied up into that.
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As cathartic as writing can be, I do find it really hard to focus when I'm truly upset about something going on in real life because I can't stop thinking about it long enough to concentrate on the story. Only once in awhile does that actually work. I write best when I am stress-free and commitment-less, and how often does that actually happen? LOL Pretty much only in the summer or on holiday breaks! The rest of the year, I'm lucky if I can even get much writing done on the weekends.
Same here, which is why my muse is very dead! lol
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New questions:
What's the most cathartic writing experience you've had?
What's the most personal story (or scene) you've written?
Good questions! For me the most cathartic and personal come from the same story, Season's of Change. Writing that story in general was a very cathartic experience for me since so much of it was pulled from my actual life. It's hard to write an autobiography and then 'fictionalize' it but it ended up really helping me heal from many of those things.
The most personal chapter I've ever written was my birthday chapter in Seasons because it was the most real thing I've ever written. Pretty much every ounce of that chapter was pure true story so much so that it took me several days to write it and I was very hesitant to ever post it. It felt like I was sharing a page from my diary for everyone to see, even though at the time no one knew it but me. LOL
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Secrets of the Heart was very cathartic for me in the beginning. I started writing it one weekend when I was really stressed over work and desperately needed an escape. Writing is an outlet for me, but like I said, I usually can't do it when I'm upset about something. That weekend, I was able to push it all to the back of my mind and just write. I churned out the first couple chapters of that story almost effortlessly and got so into it, I was able to forget all the crap on my mind. It was amazing. And then real life got in the way again and it took me four years to finish the thing LOL.
I don't usually write stories that are based directly on my own personal experiences, mostly because my life hasn't been interesting or tragic enough to make good fan fiction (not the kind I like to write, anyway), but every once in awhile, art imitates life and life imitates art. Curtain Call wasn't intended to be personal at all, but it became that way when a friend of mine was diagnosed with terminal cancer as I was writing that story. She died the day after I posted the ending. I wasn't sure whether that would help or hurt it, and in the end, I think it was a little of both. It did make it easier for me to relate to my characters and have some idea of what they were going through, and I think it also gave me a way to work through my own emotions and sort of prepare myself for what was inevitably coming. I became kind of stoic and detached while writing the story, especially toward the end, while I was very emotional in real life. It was definitely cathartic.
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I usually write stuff to escape my dull life, lol, so most of what I write doesn't contain anything from my real life. The only story of mine which has come close to my real life is a Take That story called Patience. I had the main character fall in love with Jason in France. While that obviously wasn't true (I wish!) I did go there on holiday, and I also wrote about people/places I know well.
I'd say Rewind was quite cathartic for me. I do sometimes wonder what life would be like if I'd made different decisions.
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Well not so much writing but reading can be cathartic for me. I've told Rose several times but Remember Me This Way touched me a lot. I had a grandmother with Alzheimer's disease, not early onset like Nick had, but I went through what Brian went through....see ing him deteriorate like that. It was definitely theraputic for me to read about it and it did kind of give me closure. The scene that really got to me was at the end when Nick didn't know who Brian was or even his own voice on the radio....that really made me emotional.
Bringing me to my question related to Julie's - is there anything you've read that has helped you deal with real life experiences?
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That's a good question. I can't really think of any examples off-hand, mostly because, to be honest, I haven't dealt with anything in my real life that's been nearly as tragic and over-the-top as the stuff I like to read in stories. I guess what I was talking about in my last post is the closest. But I do think reading really dramatic stuff helps me put things into perspective and remember how good I've got it most of the time.
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Generally when I read fan fiction, it doesn't tend to get to me that often but there were certain scenes in Curtain Call while I was reading it this summer that just brought back memories of my friend Jean and her battle with cancer as well as so many other people I have lost to that horrible disease.
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Aww. :( I'm the same way, though; I can't look at Curtain Call without thinking of Lisa because the two became so entwined in my mind.
I tend to associate stories with whatever was going on in my real life when I was reading/writing them, though. Does anyone else do that? Like I associate Broken and BMS with being in college and good times. I have a string of older, shorter stories that I remember writing the summer I spent sleeping in the basement after my dad got hurt in a car accident and had to sleep in my bed because he couldn't sleep in my parents' waterbed. When I think of Something Beautiful, I think of that amazing fanfic summer of 2010, when a lot of people came out of the woodwork and started writing these great stories that I wanted to read. When I think of your older stories, Mare, like Fly Fishing and It Stays, I think of the old days of discussing fanfics on the Yahoo Group, way before this forum. I can almost always remember where I was when I read a story for the first time or wrote a scene in one of my own.
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I've noticed on the most recent page all the others are new or not so well known. I'm like wow everyone is on hiatus. Ugh...my muse has gone and taken my brain with him. I can't write anything if my life depended on it and it sucks!!
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I've been updating At The Beginning, but I'm barely making it on that story with my muse. I can only push him so much lately with how much I'm working. I'm back to my 70 hour work weeks again.
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Erika, you aren't the only one who has suffered with their brain vanishing, mine has too :( I opened a word doc earlier and just stared at the page, then ended up on You Tube trying to see if someone had uploaded that BSB interview from earlier. I really should disconnect the internet and turn off the TV and try again.
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^ has anyone uploaded the performance and interview from The Talk yet? lol
And Julie, I am not really like that when it comes to stories, but more like songs. I can pretty much match great songs with things I was doing when I first heard them. lol
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I might try writing today. The Talk did spark some bromance inspiration.
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I'm like that with songs too, Mare. I can usually remember how old I was and what was going on in my life when I went through a phase with a certain song.
Yay, Rose!
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I am determined to get a chapter written today ... well a chapter of SI and maybe some of my other story idea. lol
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Hey guys long time no write lol, i have been super inspired this past week, though not sure if i made one of my stories worse, i might have to change it back lol. but i have made a good inspiration song playlist playing on my Xbox right now lol. Question I have, What happens when you feel an original writing is better then the re-write? I try to go back and make it as close as possible to the original but what do the rest of you do?
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Hey guys long time no write lol, i have been super inspired this past week, though not sure if i made one of my stories worse, i might have to change it back lol. but i have made a good inspiration song playlist playing on my Xbox right now lol. Question I have, What happens when you feel an original writing is better then the re-write? I try to go back and make it as close as possible to the original but what do the rest of you do?
I never re-write anything once I've posted it.
If I'm just working on something before posting and change it, but then don't like it...well, I just have to work on it until I'm happy.
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I don't rewrite either. I tried once with Code Blue, and while the new parts were better than the old, it ended up just being a huge hassle, and I'll never do it again. Even rewriting a fanfic as an original novel has proven a lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess it's because lightning never strikes twice - even if you're technically a better writer when you try to rewrite, it's hard to recreate the same magic that was there the first time you wrote something.
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That's the problem I am having with one of my stories luckily I only changed the prologue and the first chapter so I think I can write it again it might not come out the same, but I think I can make it work if I look at the chapters I already have.
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Wow the questions died out...well I think I have one.
What's the longest you've taken to finish a story? Why? When you suddenly come up with a chapter for an old stories what inspires that?
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I think the longest has been 3-4 years. I had kind of stopped doing much of anything in the fanfic world for about that time, then I got a random review for one of my unfinished stories and it sort of kindled my fire to write that story and finish it. then I wrote a sequel for it because I was really inspired.
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I think it's the story I'm writing now! I just don't feel like writing anything at the moment :(
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Definitely Scars Run Deep and Wide. Towards the end of that one, I hit a major roadblock which made me stop working on it for well over a year. I went back to it because I refused to leave anything incomplete and I had a few people who would ask for updates on it. Generally that's what gets me in gear when I had in progress stories going but sometimes fell behind on updates. When people would ask me to update it would serve as motivation.
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Thanks for posting a new question, Erika! I've been wanting to see this thread updated again, but couldn't think of anything to ask.
The longest I've worked on a story from start to finish is 46 months, or almost 4 years. By My Side and Secrets of the Heart actually both took 46 months to finish - the difference is that I worked on BMS consistently and it just ended up being 200+ chapters long, whereas Secrets is only 25 chapters long but was written very sporadically until this past summer.
When Rose and I finish Song for the Undead, that will be my new record, because we've been working on that story for over 4 years already. I have stories that have been in progress for even longer, but they are not likely to ever be finished LOL.
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As for the second question, it usually takes feedback and/or begging from readers to get me to update a story that hasn't been updated in a long time. Sometimes I will pressure myself into doing it, and once in a blue moon, I will truly get inspired to write on an old project, but usually it's peer pressure LOL. With collaborations, though, I find that talking to my co-writers and brainstorming is what re-inspires me.
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Swollen issues part 2&3, If tomorrow never comes,Memories and prevailing fate
Idk y but I like angst/drama docs.
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That's the problem I am having with one of my stories luckily I only changed the prologue and the first chapter so I think I can write it again it might not come out the same, but I think I can make it work if I look at the chapters I already have.
Hmm I'd say people asking for updates usually gets me motivated, as well as encouragement from readers. Just finally figured out how to post on the forum from my new phone, that's why I've been quiet writing and forum wise.
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Totally did not mean to quote....still working out kinks lol!
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Thanks for posting a new question, Erika! I've been wanting to see this thread updated again, but couldn't think of anything to ask.
The longest I've worked on a story from start to finish is 46 months, or almost 4 years. By My Side and Secrets of the Heart actually both took 46 months to finish - the difference is that I worked on BMS consistently and it just ended up being 200+ chapters long, whereas Secrets is only 25 chapters long but was written very sporadically until this past summer.
When Rose and I finish Song for the Undead, that will be my new record, because we've been working on that story for over 4 years already. I have stories that have been in progress for even longer, but they are not likely to ever be finished LOL.
Yeah my longest is gonna be SFTU lol.
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Rose and Julie you guys have four years working on SFTUD?!? Wow. I feel liike you guys just started it. Thats crazy.
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I know! We started writing it in August 2008, although we didn't start posting it until February 2009.
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oooh I guess I've been working on 00Carter for longer than 2-3 years LOL but since that is episodes and there are lots of episode ideas I kind of just forgot that it's been over 6 years for that one ... cause we started that before my lil man was born and he's 5.
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Yeah but 00Carter's not ending any time soon lol. That's why I, at least didn't answer with that one.
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Has anyone ever come back to an unfinished story after a long time and ended up finishing it? What's the longest hiatus you've taken (from a single story or from writing fanfic in general)?
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I'd say this is the longest writing break I've had since I started writing. The last update I did was back in August I think :(
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August 15th was the last time I posted anything.
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I wonder why we're all in a writing slump? I wish I knew, but I just can't seem to even open my word doc :(
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I have been writing here and there. Just on one story, haven't written anything new since I finished Finding Carter a few months ago. But I dont seem motivated to crank out daily updates like i did for that story.
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It's sad that everyone's been in a slump! I can't even remember the last time I read an update on someone's story because it seems like it's been forever since I got an email alert for any of the ones I've been following.
I don't feel like I'm in a slump anymore, per se, because I have been writing, but I've been writing odd parts here and there for various collaborations, instead of working consistently on one story of my own. I don't have any burning desire to work on either of my two in-progress stories, and I won't let myself post any new stories until at least one of those is done (ha, we'll see!), but that's not a problem because I'm not dying to start something new either. If it weren't for Undead and 00Carter, I probably wouldn't be writing anything at all right now... although if it were still summer, I would probably make myself.
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I am constantly writing with my head, I just cant find time to actually sit and type those words. If only I could type on my phone, maybe the Other Side of NC is already finished. I just updated The other Side of NC after 4 months, so am I already out of the writing slump?, and I hope I could post the next chapter this month.
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Has anyone ever come back to an unfinished story after a long time and ended up finishing it? What's the longest hiatus you've taken (from a single story or from writing fanfic in general)?
I took a two+ year hiatus from Hawk and a Handsaw then came back and finished it. Though everyone says you can tell where I picked it back up.
I've so far been a year and a half since my last update on History Repeating but I do plan on finishing it!
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I think the longest hiatus I've taken on a story that did end up getting finished was almost two years for Secrets of the Heart.
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Here are some more questions to make up for the lack of ones lately.
Have you ever written a story by request?
Do people ever ask you to include their names in your stories? If so, do you listen to them?
Have you ever made yourself the main female character in your stories?
Which character that you've written has come closest to you personality wise?
Which story of yours do you think would translate best as an OF or can be turned into a fic for a different fandom?
When writing a story, which boys do you tend to pair up as the main characters?
DO you find it boring or entertaining to write or read about only one boy as compared to the group?
Is there a story you wish you had written instead of someone else? Which one and why?
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Ooh, lots of questions!
Have you ever written a story by request?
I did once, back in 2001, and will never do so again. A reader sent me an idea for an AU story, and although I had never written an AU and was inclined to say no, there was something interesting about the idea, so I gave it a shot. It never really felt like "my" idea, though, and after the initial honeymoon period you have with any new story, I started to hate writing it. I did tack an ending on it, but I finished it early and said I was saving the rest of the story for a sequel... which I have never written and never will LOL.
Do people ever ask you to include their names in your stories? If so, do you listen to them?
If anyone's asked me to include their name in my story, it's been a long time - I don't remember. I don't put people in stories by request. I have named minor characters after readers who give me feedback, but that was always my decision.
Have you ever made yourself the main female character in your stories?
By name, only once. It was one of my early stories that I wrote in 2000. I was 15 at the time, so it was more of a fantasy adult version of myself than the real me anyway LOL.
Which character that you've written has come closest to you personality wise?
Gretchen in Song for the Undead and Becci in Secrets of the Heart come close to me in a lot of ways, but Cary in Curtain Call is also pretty similar to me in terms of personality.
Which story of yours do you think would translate best as an OF or can be turned into a fic for a different fandom?
I think Broken would translate well into an OF. I would have to completely rewrite it, but I have a plan for how to do that. Secrets of the Heart is so AU that it could easily be OF too. Same with Song for the Undead. That one would probably also work for a different fandom if we reworked some of the characters' back stories to be less BSB-inspired.
When writing a story, which boys do you tend to pair up as the main characters?
I actually don't write many stories with a pair of boys as the main characters. I tend to either have one main character or feature the whole group equally. But I write most about Nick, Brian, and AJ.
Do you find it boring or entertaining to write or read about only one boy as compared to the group?
It totally depends on what the story is about. I love group stories, but I also enjoy stories with just one boy in the starring role. I could be bored or entertained by either, depending on what happens to said boy(s) in the story.
Is there a story you wish you had written instead of someone else? Which one and why?
I often think, "I wish I could write a story like that," but I don't think there's any story that I wish I had written instead of the author who did write it, because 1) It wouldn't be the same story if I wrote it, and 2) It probably wouldn't be as good. Even if I could have written someone else's story and had it turn out just as it was supposed to, I wouldn't wish for that because that would mean missing out on the experience of reading it. I would only wish that for a story with a great premise that was poorly-executed if I thought I could write it better, but I wouldn't name any such story even if I could think of one LOL.
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Have you ever written a story by request?
I did once, someone asked me to write a story with her in it with a member of Take That. It was short and crap, lol.
Do people ever ask you to include their names in your stories? If so, do you listen to them?
Not since I've been on AC, but back on the old Take That site some of the members would ask to be in my stories. I wrote them into the stories and didn't mind doing so, but one person who I wasn't too bothered about, I made her character a gold digging whore and was laughing so much at her reaction :) That sounds so evil of me.
Have you ever made yourself the main female character in your stories?
Yes, in a few I'm embarrassed to say. But I didn't know any different at the time as we all did it.
Which character that you've written has come closest to you personality wise?
The only one who is anything like me is the main female character in a Take That story called Patience, who also happens to be called Steph :D
Which story of yours do you think would translate best as an OF or can be turned into a fic for a different fandom?
Maybe Rewind would work OK as an original fic, not that I'd ever try and do it.
When writing a story, which boys do you tend to pair up as the main characters?
Usually Nick and AJ.
Do you find it boring or entertaining to write or read about only one boy as compared to the group?
I like reading/writing both. It depends on the story.
Is there a story you wish you had written instead of someone else? Which one and why?
Not really because I know I would never write it as well as the person who wrote it. I do sometimes wish I was as imaginative as other writers though.
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Catching up after a crazy long time. Also, hi everyone!
Regarding finding motivation, I think my answer would be the same:
Hmm I'd say people asking for updates usually gets me motivated, as well as encouragement from readers.
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Also, I love Mare's new Qs.
Have you ever written a story by request?
I have, about 12 years ago, when I was asked to write something with the 60s Beatles crossing over with the 1999 BSB. It was a mess, only because I didn't know nearly enough about the Beatles to make the story remotely fangirl-y (is tht a word?) but loved the idea of it.
Do people ever ask you to include their names in your stories? If so, do you listen to them?
I did! I was co-writing this Nick story called "Secrets" (under a pen name) in 2001 with my friend Kat, and she asked if she could name her character after herself. I thought it was fabulous. Her character turned out to be her in so many ways :)
Have you ever made yourself the main female character in your stories?
No, because I'm way more of a fangirl than I would ever allow my characters to be :)
Which character that you've written has come closest to you personality wise?
Definitely Tasha in my current story, "Someone Like You". Also it doesn't hurt that I'm living my rockstar dreams through her.
When writing a story, which boys do you tend to pair up as the main characters?
I've always been partial to Nick and Howie. I think their real life friendship and their personalities together are pretty amusing :)
DO you find it boring or entertaining to write or read about only one boy as compared to the group?
I always find it challenging to write about too many characters in one story, so it's better for me to write about one of the guys at one time. However, I love reading the stories here on AC that pull off the group dynamic in dialogue so well (and there are so many!)
Is there a story you wish you had written instead of someone else? Which one and why?
Yes! Ellebeth's The Boys on the Bus just made me wish I had her way with words! As well as all of Brian's attention ;)
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Here are some more questions to make up for the lack of ones lately.
Have you ever written a story by request?
nope. I think no one would ever request for me to write a story for them. lol
Do people ever ask you to include their names in your stories? If so, do you listen to them?
I dont have many readers so like my answer in previous question, I would never experience this.
Have you ever made yourself the main female character in your stories?
Yes, but that story is not here in AC or any other site.
Which character that you've written has come closest to you personality wise?
all my female characters have a little bit of me in them. :)
Which story of yours do you think would translate best as an OF or can be turned into a fic for a different fandom?
none
When writing a story, which boys do you tend to pair up as the main characters?
DO you find it boring or entertaining to write or read about only one boy as compared to the group?
boring. I love to read/write about the group.
Is there a story you wish you had written instead of someone else? Which one and why?
there's a lot! LOL
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Have you ever written a story by request?
Yes, yes I have. I had a reader who had started a story but didn't finish it. She requested that I take a look at it and write it if I wanted. ... well I did and I finished it and wrote a sequel and am still in the middle of the prequel ..and they are all posted on AC
Do people ever ask you to include their names in your stories? If so, do you listen to them?
Yes I've been asked and I have included them. I always tell people that if I am going to use them in my story it will be how I need them to be so typically I just use their name and make the character what I need them to be for the story anyway.
Have you ever made yourself the main female character in your stories?
Um, yes. *whistles* And it is posted on AC... I usually find a way to stick a red headed woman in to stories and at times she's me but not usually the lead anymore.
Which character that you've written has come closest to you personality wise?
I don't think I have one that really is that close to me. I think all the females have traits that are mine but maybe Lena from my OF of Wulf's Bane comes the closest.
Which story of yours do you think would translate best as an OF or can be turned into a fic for a different fandom?
Wulf’s Bane is a fanfic of a different fandom that includes Nick. It is also the one I’m trying to turn into an OF. It may not be the one that translates the best though because I have to change a lot of it to make it OF. I think Chronos Project might be the easiest to translate to OF.
When writing a story, which boys do you tend to pair up as the main characters?
Nick and Kevin are the only two that I’ve used when there have been 2 main male leads. Most of my other stories focus more on one boy or all of them.
DO you find it boring or entertaining to write or read about only one boy as compared to the group?
Nope. I read the story that interests me whether there is only one of the guys or all of the guys.
As for writing, I write what the story calls for. If it’s a Nick focused story I don’t typically have the other guys except for mentions and sometimes those get hard but I think that’s more plot than character driven for me.
Is there a story you wish you had written instead of someone else? Which one and why?
There are many plot lines that I wish I had come up with and written. I would have loved to come up with the idea for The Other Side of Nick Carter and Rewind, to name a couple, but I doubt mine would have been anything like Ritz’s or Steph’s. I don’t wish I had written them, I just wish I had come up with the ideas.
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I'm not sure how this will sound but now that the nominations came out I have a question.
Have you ever written a story that you were pretty sure would make it to the awards nominations and didn't?
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I never expect anything of mine to be nominated :)
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I never know what to expect with nominations. Usually it's the other way around - I'm surprised when a story I didn't expect to be nominated gets a nomination. I was delighted to see Secrets of the Heart nominated several times because that is the story I slaved over all summer, but because not a lot of people read it, I thought it would be overlooked. I was also surprised that unfinished Guilty Roads and my April Fool's joke story got nominated. I always hope someone will think of me and deem my stuff worthy to nominate, but then I'm always surprised to see my name or stories on the list of nominees.
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Being a new writer, I was like "If one of these two gets nominated, I'm one lucky teen" LOL I knew there was a 99.9% chance they weren't gonna get nominated.
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I was really shocked that I got nominsted for anything this year. Especially Finding Carter....but I am really pleased and flattered. I was surprised last year when FYO got nominated as well.
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I think you can only get nominated if people bother to nominate you. If people don't take the time to nominate your stuff, then no matter how good it is, it's going to get overlooked. Yes, I'm still annoyed about the lack of participation this year.
As far as me, like everyone else said, I tend to be more surprised when something I think totally doesn't deserve to be nominated for something does rather than the other way around.
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I guess a good question along those lines, is what do you think about awards in general? Do you think they really mean something or just a popularity contest?
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I love the awards! They are a great way to celebrate good stories. Sometimes I'll see a story nominated or which has won, and then go and read that story if I haven't already.
I don't think it should be about nominating friends, it should be all about the writing.
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I look at the nominations and be like"wow they really excell in that genre this year"
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I would rathervsomeone nominated me because they liked my work, not because we were friends. To me the awards means something because people vote and I dont think it's a popularity contest, look at the variety of nominees....th ere are a lot of new oeople this year.
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That's one thing, I like awards, they're fun. But I never nominate ANYONE unless I feel their writing deserves it. Are some of them friends? Sure but it doesn't lesson how much I loved their story and my feelings it should be nominated. And if someone's my friend it doesn't mean I'd nominate them for something or even vote for them.
And when people make deals to nominate each other to go around the self nominating rule I think that's lame. I do think people should participate more. I love the Felix Awards and will be so sad if they don't happen again next year cause some people are lame.
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I'd be sad if this was the last year too :(
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I guess a good question along those lines, is what do you think about awards in general? Do you think they really mean something or just a popularity contest?
I think awards are fun. They're a way to recognize the time and effort we put into a hobby that we do purely for pleasure, not for profit. Are they meaningful? I think that depends on a lot of factors, including how "legit" the award creators make them (how nominees are chosen, how winners are decided, what limitations there are, etc.) and how they are viewed by recipients. Personally, it means a lot to me to be nominated or to win an award. It's a nice honor.
I do think any fanfic awards that decides its winners by voting is a popularity contest, but I also think that popularity is based on writing, not personality. Most of us are online friends who knew each other as readers and writers before we connected on a more personal level, so I think writing talent and reading preference is what determines nominees and winners, not who is friends with whom. I would never nominate someone just because they're my friend, but do I nominate friends whose stories I genuinely enjoy? Absolutely!
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I guess a good question along those lines, is what do you think about awards in general? Do you think they really mean something or just a popularity contest?
I'd be sad if I ever found out that the only reason why I got nominated because I am friends with the one who nominated me. Awards are not a popularity contest. It might turn out that the people I nominated are those I always talk to (in twitter and in here), and that's exactly the reason why I started talking to them, because I enjoyed their work and I somewhat became a 'fan'.
Hopefully, the voting part of the Felix awards will turn out good, so Mare and Julilly would decide to do this again next year.
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Since it's New Year's Eve...
What are your fanfic resolutions? What would you like to accomplish in 2013?
Happy New Year!
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I want to finish Severed Identities and Unwinding Truth and I want to start my AJ fanfic that has been buggin me for awhile. Possibly I'd like to pick up Empty again and finish it. My resolution this year is just to get into better habits, which includes many facets of life including writing. I want to have better habits about writing at home. :)
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I really don't have any writing resolutions, but I hope to keep this forum active and fun for everyone.
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Happy New Year everyone!
My fanfic resolutions are to start writing again as it's been months since I properly wrote. I'd like to finish Maybe Tomorrow and Unwinding Truth (Lore, we need to get together on AIM :) ). I'd also like to write this other idea that's rolling around in my head, but I won't start that until I've finished the others.
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I think Rose's and my resolution is the same as it was last year: FINISH UNDEAD! I think we really will this year though; we're so close LOL.
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Yes, Finish Undead! is definitely one. The other is to refocus on writing so that I can finish my current stories and start some of the ideas I have sitting on my back burner.
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I'd like to complete the Nick and Amanda series, maybe write something new because I havent in quite a bit
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I was just looking through some old links and found this gem. Ahh, the good old days of fanfic. Look at this website! (Warning: This may hurt your eyes!) http://web.archive.org/web/20000226151139/http://www.expage.com/page/friendschapters This is one page of the first fanfic site I ever found, back in 1999. Admire the lovely blue wave background, the red Comic Sans font, the scrolling text (KTBSPA!), the webring, the guestbook, and the counter at the bottom. All it's missing is more animated gifts, a midi playing in the background, and some cheesy 90s bitmaps of the Boys!
So my question for you is, when and where did you first post your fanfic (whether on a site of your own or hosted on someone else's)? If you can remember the site, describe it for us or even hook us up with a link, if possible!
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My site originally had garish tiled backgrounds, Comic Sans font, and midis playing in the background too, but archive.org doesn't go back quite far enough to document all that loveliness. LOL
The first place I actually had any fanfic posted is still online, though! The first fanfic I completed, Heartache, was hosted on a site called Escape From Reality: http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/theyvegotitgoinon/ The webmistress never even posted all of my story, but the first six chapters are there under Hosted Stories, and that is where it all started for me! February 2, 2000, according to her updates page - my fanfic debut! LOL
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The first place I ever posted my fanfic was over at fanfiction.net, remember when they allowed RP fanfics? LOL. It's probably good that ended because my first stories were SO bad lmao, they're nowhere on the net and I'm okay with that :P. Before I found AC, the first site that hosted me was Stephanie (bluecloud) who was best known for "Sammy". She was my second collaborator ever and she even had me judge her awards one time. She always used to encourage me and tell me how creative I was, and we shared a love of sci-fi. She's kinda why I kept going at it even though I wasn't getting a ton of feedback (and now I get why haha) for anything except our collab. Which is still unfinished haha, but that's a whole 'nother issue...
http://www.reocities.com/stephigigo/group.html <-- mine are at the bottom lol.
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I posted some on fanfiction.net but I posted a bulk of them on my own site. Thankfully I had Murasaki who had a website for a couple of years prior to me starting mine so she helped me and steered me away from a complete picture background. I had a table format, sort of like what I have now on wordpress where there was a purple designed background but the actual font of the site was on a black background in the middle. We had the entrance page with a different fun picture and the links to the different pages around it. I didn't think our site was ever that garish but I do know we had a counter, a guestbook, a humor site webring and a midi of Brian singing "Could You Do Me Right" when you first opened the site, none of that repetitive music though.
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The first place I discovered fanfic was on the official Take That website. They had a forum attached to the site, which of course had a fanfic section. I was so naive and didn't even know what fanfics were! This was in 2006, LOL.
That site is no longer there and was replaced with a new site which doesn't have a fanfic section, which I'm happy about as it means my first attempt has vanished off the face of the earth :)
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The first place I ever posted my fanfic was over at fanfiction.net, remember when they allowed RP fanfics? LOL. It's probably good that ended because my first stories were SO bad lmao, they're nowhere on the net and I'm okay with that :P. Before I found AC, the first site that hosted me was Stephanie (bluecloud) who was best known for "Sammy". She was my second collaborator ever and she even had me judge her awards one time. She always used to encourage me and tell me how creative I was, and we shared a love of sci-fi. She's kinda why I kept going at it even though I wasn't getting a ton of feedback (and now I get why haha) for anything except our collab. Which is still unfinished haha, but that's a whole 'nother issue...
http://www.reocities.com/stephigigo/group.html <-- mine are at the bottom lol.
Aww, I remember Steph's site. I'm not sure how many stories I actually read on it, but at least the titles of some of those are familiar. She's actually one who still has a site online, although it looks like she hasn't updated it since 2009. http://bsbfantasies2.angelfire.com/index.html I forgot she was hosting one of my stories LOL.
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I posted some on fanfiction.net but I posted a bulk of them on my own site. Thankfully I had Murasaki who had a website for a couple of years prior to me starting mine so she helped me and steered me away from a complete picture background. I had a table format, sort of like what I have now on wordpress where there was a purple designed background but the actual font of the site was on a black background in the middle. We had the entrance page with a different fun picture and the links to the different pages around it. I didn't think our site was ever that garish but I do know we had a counter, a guestbook, a humor site webring and a midi of Brian singing "Could You Do Me Right" when you first opened the site, none of that repetitive music though.
I totally remember your site, circa 2003, because of the review site. I don't think I ever submitted a story there, but my friend Bianca did. I don't remember it being too garish, but back then I wouldn't have known the difference because most of them were that way! LOL
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I also had stories posted on ff.net for a brief time, before they removed real person stories. I don't remember actually reading much BSB fanfic on there, though; my favorite places to read stories were all other sites. I read primarily Harry Potter fanfic on ff.net, right after I got into the books.
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The very first place I posted was FF.net for I swear a hot minute before they closed it down to us lol
I believe it was Izzy who hosted me first followed closely by Julie. There was another place too but I'm ashamed to say I don't remember who they were. I can tell you that I tried to get hosted on the BSB Attorneys but they turned me down because they never heard of me and only wanted to host people they knew were good writers. I'll never forget that, my first rejection. LOL I think Izzy's site is still up and running, although I'm not positive.
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I totally remember your site, circa 2003, because of the review site. I don't think I ever submitted a story there, but my friend Bianca did. I don't remember it being too garish, but back then I wouldn't have known the difference because most of them were that way! LOL
Ah yes my review site! Most of the stories were submitted by the actual author, which was a rule, but I still remember the fallout from giving a review to someone who didn't know it was coming. YIKES! I tried to be fair on that site and since I was going to school to teach I had a rubric that I went off of when reviewing. But I also said that it was all subjective to my tastes. LOL Geocities killed that site mostly, that and my lack of time to read for awhile. LOL
I remember our award that we gave out. Remember the random awards sites would give out or you could "apply" to get? LOL ... Ours was simply "This site has been kissed by Purple Lipstick" with an image of purple lipprints. Nobody really wanted our award as we didn't get requests to have us look at sites very often. LOL
The very first place I posted was FF.net for I swear a hot minute before they closed it down to us lol
I believe it was Izzy who hosted me first followed closely by Julie. There was another place too but I'm ashamed to say I don't remember who they were. I can tell you that I tried to get hosted on the BSB Attorneys but they turned me down because they never heard of me and only wanted to host people they knew were good writers. I'll never forget that, my first rejection. LOL I think Izzy's site is still up and running, although I'm not positive.
wow you got rejected? BSB Attonrneys always came off as a bit snobby to me. .
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The very first place I posted was FF.net for I swear a hot minute before they closed it down to us lol
I believe it was Izzy who hosted me first followed closely by Julie. There was another place too but I'm ashamed to say I don't remember who they were. I can tell you that I tried to get hosted on the BSB Attorneys but they turned me down because they never heard of me and only wanted to host people they knew were good writers. I'll never forget that, my first rejection. LOL I think Izzy's site is still up and running, although I'm not positive.
LOL I remember the BSB Attorneys site too, but I don't think I ever read any stories there. They weren't my kind of thing.
I do think it's funny that pretty much all those sites and authors that were so popular and esteemed in the fandom are gone now, and those of us who were just peons back in the day are still here and have become respected writers in the fandom.
Izzy's site went down with Geocities, but it's well archived through either archive.org or one of the Geocities mirror sites. http://www.oocities.org/ocean_izzy/ Some of her stories are actually on Angelfire, so those are really still online.
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I remember our award that we gave out. Remember the random awards sites would give out or you could "apply" to get? LOL ... Ours was simply "This site has been kissed by Purple Lipstick" with an image of purple lipprints. Nobody really wanted our award as we didn't get requests to have us look at sites very often. LOL
wow you got rejected? BSB Attonrneys always came off as a bit snobby to me. .
Haha, I remember those! I'm trying to remember if I ever had one for Dreamer's Sanctuary... I might have at one time or another. I went through lots of those fads - the sister sites and the site protectors/adoptions and the fan signs. I was going through my old pages the other day, deleting the ones that were obsolete, and found my "Spirit Garden," which was a page full of these "spirit flower" things you could download, which were a picture of a flower pot that would "grow" into a flower over time. Why I thought that was something worthy of putting onto a fanfic page, I have no idea, but I must have seen them on someone else's and thought they were cool LOL.
I got the same vibe about the BSB Attorneys, but looking back, I figured it was just because I was young and jealous of their success. I never had any personal beef with them; it was just a vibe, like you said. There were several of those.
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Aww, I remember Steph's site. I'm not sure how many stories I actually read on it, but at least the titles of some of those are familiar. She's actually one who still has a site online, although it looks like she hasn't updated it since 2009. http://bsbfantasies2.angelfire.com/index.html I forgot she was hosting one of my stories LOL.
Yep, not everything ever got moved which is why I have the old one in my bookmarks too. Her and I used to talk often, the last time I think was when that Tanja mess happened for the very first time.
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Yep, not everything ever got moved which is why I have the old one in my bookmarks too. Her and I used to talk often, the last time I think was when that Tanja mess happened for the very first time.
Oh yeah, cause Sammy was one of the first wave of stories Tanja stole.
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LOL I remember the BSB Attorneys site too, but I don't think I ever read any stories there. They weren't my kind of thing.
I do think it's funny that pretty much all those sites and authors that were so popular and esteemed in the fandom are gone now, and those of us who were just peons back in the day are still here and have become respected writers in the fandom.
Izzy's site went down with Geocities, but it's well archived through either archive.org or one of the Geocities mirror sites. http://www.oocities.org/ocean_izzy/ Some of her stories are actually on Angelfire, so those are really still online.
LOL I know right? I find it funny too. I mean I started on fanfic when I was only thirteen. My first stories on fanfic.net were actually original fiction, (this was pre-fictionpress) and then I discovered BSB fanfic there and on fansites and I got sucked in LOL. Thirteen years later I'm still going at it which is totally crazy. Especially when you hear newer ones mention you as a "popular writer" (Hannah and I had a discussion with someone about this on twitter recently LOL) because you still think of yourself as that peon you started off as.
Oh yeah, cause Sammy was one of the first wave of stories Tanja stole.
Yup, but we did catch up because of that lol.
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I can honestly say I never even read the stuff on the BSB Attorney's site. Back then when I was first starting out, I didn't even realize there was such a variety of stories because besides the one visual I happened upon, all the other stuff seemed to be stories I really enjoyed reading. lol
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It seemed like there was more of a variety back then, but because everyone had their own sites and there were so many to choose from, it was easy to find places that had the kind of stories you liked and stick to that circle. I mostly read drama and suspense back in the day, same genres I prefer now, but it was easier to find them back then.
Next question: What were some of your favorite fanfic sites when you first started reading them?
Mine are linked on my site: http://dreamers-sanctuary.com/fanfic/extras/links/ (some down in the Link Graveyard at the bottom), but my top three were probably Jenna's site (Backstreet Boys Stories), Jen's site (JJ's Stories/Imagine Fan Fiction), and Whitney's site (The Perfect Fans Fan Fiction). All three of those had great drama and suspense stories, and Jenna and Jen may as well have been my medical drama dopplegangers.
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My faves were Eboni, bluecloud Steph, Whitney, Jenna, and Bria.
http://web.archive.org/web/20020209213255/http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Park/9029/BriaStories.html Bria lol - my first angst that I fell in love with! I so can't reread it now haha, I tried.
http://web.archive.org/web/20030924071202/bewaretheenchanted.homestead.com/Welcomeindex.html Eboni - she still ranks as one of my fave writers
Whitney http://web.archive.org/web/20020208231625/http://www.angelfire.com/ky3/perfect_fans/legendintro.html - I linked specifically to the Legend cause I loved that story, despite it being a crossover with NSYNC lol
I also adored Jenna.
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Speaking of Bria, I realized that site I linked to last night, Escape From Reality, is also the site where I first read Bria's story, A Dangerous Past. I think that's the only one of hers I really read from start to finish; the rest of hers were too out there for me - too sci-fi or AU. But I did enjoy that one.
Eboni's site was a good one too. And believe it or not, The Legend is the only one of Whitney's stories that I could never get into LOL, but I loved pretty much everything else she wrote.
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I would say for me it was Jenna's, Eboni's and Izzys!
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Hrmm I think it might have been that Bria girl that hosted me? Did she host stories? I don't see any hosted stories on that link you included. It's gonna drive me nuts now where I was hosted! LOL
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I've never heard of any of those writers! The first BSB stories I read were right here :)
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I didn't search out a lot of fanfiction sites or devote a lot of time to reading it until I started the review site. Then I typically read what had been submitted to me for review. There were too many stories for me to sift through and with running the two sites (CYDMR and the Silver Lining Reviews) and going to school, student teaching, working part-time, just meeting my now husband, and my own writing I didn't really have a lot of time to hunt for stories to read. I read several of Chava's though and I had a sister site... I want to say her name was Tracy but I can't remember her site name.... I read a few of hers. I knew about My Confession and Under the Sheets, might have read a few on there but can't really recall.
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The first place I posted my fanfics was on ff.net but I read on AC and there. I also read on some other sites too, but I don't remember what they were offhand. When ff.net got rid of real person fic I took a hiatus from writing and started on AC from scratch in 2009.
The first stories I read on AC were by Mare and Chaos....plus some by Rose :)
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Here is a question for you guys!
I kind of asked this once before but I'm adding more to it. In that interview the guys did with Perez, I guess they asked if the guys ever read fanfics and I think someone said Nick said they were weird or something similar to that. I didn't actually get to see the interview because Perez freezes my computer lol
Anyway, here is the question. How would you feel if during that conversation it was clear that Nick or any of the others were talking about YOUR fanfic? Like "I read this one where this crazy chick had Brian carve the word MINE into my skin. How freaking crazy do you have to be to come up with that?"
Would it deter you from writing them again? Would you suddenly feel differently about writing about the guys in the first place? Would it change your opinion about them in general even?
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My favorite part of that interview was when Kevin mentioned that we have him and Nick hook up, to which Nick was like, "WHAT?!" That tells me Kevin knows a little something about fanfic LOL.
To answer your question... honestly, I would be mortified. Would it make me regret writing it or deter me from writing more, though? I don't know. I'm thinking probably not. This hobby is such a big part of my life, so ingrained in me, that it would take a lot for me to stop doing it. Like a cease and desist letter (http://www.dreamers-sanctuary.com/af09.html) LOL. I think if I felt like I had personally offended them or something, I'd be more apt to stop, but I don't think them saying, "Wow, that's really freaking crazy" would be enough to change my opinion. I'm self-aware enough to know how weird what I write is, and that's what a pen name is for and why I would never mention fanfic or my website when meeting them in person. :P
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Btw, here's a YouTube link to that interview; that might work better for you than Perez's stupid site, Mare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyv2X0BqxBI
I'm watching it again... yeah, Kevin's totally read some fanfic. Maybe that's how he kept himself entertained during his break. I wonder if he read that one slash of Bobbi's where he and Nick call each other Kermit and Miss Piggy. :D
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I don't think it would deter me from writing it. I know I am writing the guys in some strange situations but it is fiction. They are my characters. Typically ALL of my characters, whether in fanfic or original fic, are based on someone I know. Just in this case I am glaringly obvious who I am basing them off of. lol I think I'd feel a bit honored that they read my story and actually had formed some opinion on it at all. Meant something stuck out to them. LOL
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LOL That's true. I would never expect them to gush over any story because reading about yourself like that has to be too weird to truly enjoy, but I could see them getting a kick out of some of the things we write about them, and that would be kind of cool.
I think for me, though, it would depend on the story. There are a couple I wouldn't mind knowing they'd read, even if they did think they were weird. Most of them I would be slightly embarrassed about, but no big deal. The one I really wouldn't want them, especially Nick, to read is Broken. Probably Curtain Call too, but Broken is the one that would bother me the most. Of course, that's the one I'm probably best known for LOL. Luckily, Nick seems to know that fanfic is scary and he should just stay away. Far, far away LOL.
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No, it wouldn't. I'd be mortified LMAO but I'd still do it. Like Julie, it would take a lot to get me to stop doing it altogether. There's certain ones I'd be okay with them reading, like 00Carter or Undead. Probably Undead since Nick's said he watches Walking Dead, he'd probably at least be okay with that one haha. The one I wouldn't want them ANYWHERE near is RMTW lol. Just...no.
Kevin's totally read fanfic, you could tell by the way he talked about it lmao.
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That's hilarious. Of all people... I wouldn't necessarily expect him to be the one who had. But I guess Kevin likes to be in the know, so it makes sense he would have at least looked into it at some point. Probably years ago, since slash doesn't seem to be as popular lately. Can't remember the last Kevin/Nick slash I came across.
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Btw, here's a YouTube link to that interview; that might work better for you than Perez's stupid site, Mare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyv2X0BqxBI
I'm watching it again... yeah, Kevin's totally read some fanfic. Maybe that's how he kept himself entertained during his break. I wonder if he read that one slash of Bobbi's where he and Nick call each other Kermit and Miss Piggy. :D
Funny, that is exactly what story I was thinking he must have read! lol
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I'd be horrified if they actually came out and said something like "oh yeah, I read this one story where the writer had Nick picking bot flies out of Jordan's Knight's brain, what kind of weirdo writes shit like that?", but after the initial horror, I'd probably laugh it off! It wouldn't stop me writing either. If I ever met them, there is no way I'd bring up fanfiction, I wouldn't mention my user name either LOL.
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Thanks, Julie! I was able to finally see this interview. I bet it was that slash story! And what the hell kind of fanfics is Nick reading where he just runs everywhere naked? LOL
I am torn when it comes to this topic. Part of me would be absolutely mortified if I knew not only did they read my stuff but actually didn't like it. But another part of me wishes they would read something other than the smut so many people think of when they hear the words fan fiction. That there is more to it then just having sex etc...
So here's another related question, If they seemed like they really wanted to read a good story and asked you for one recommendation, what story would you pick and why? It doesn't have to be one of yours, just something you might think would interest them and not make them think that BSB fanfics are either about them being into each other or naked running around all day long! and gossipy? LOL that was a weird description too!
ANd on an unrelated to fanfic note about that interview, I love how long it took Kevin to answer his question. Ah, I have missed overly contemplating Kevin! And I love how Nick just finally said "I don't think he wants to be any of us!" LOL
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I'd recommend Song For The Undead because what's not to love about the boys killing zombies? LOL. But I think they'd enjoy it because it's a great story and because it's AU, they could read it and possibly try to imagine it's not about them (even though it is SO them!).
I loved Kevin in that interview too :)
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Funny, that is exactly what story I was thinking he must have read! lol
LOL That's the only specific Kevin/Nick slash I could name. I don't even remember the title; I only read bits and pieces because someone told me about the Kermit/Miss Piggy thing, and I was like, "What?! No way!" and had to see for myself.
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Thanks, Steph!
I think I would recommend an AU or an action/adventure story, something that gets them away from the music business stuff and into a situation they've never experienced in real life. So a story like "Between the Lines" or "Save a Prayer" or "Whatever the Night May Bring."
I wouldn't recommend any story that's based on something that happened in their real lives because they would probably just read it and go, "That's not how that happened." I also wouldn't recommend anything that is too reality/music business-based because, again, they know what their lives are like better than we do, and they wouldn't buy it. With a story like the ones I named, I think they'd have an easier time accepting that they are characters in a story, not that we're trying to write them exactly as they are. And they might even enjoy reading about their fanfic selves doing heroic things or even just something different, like playing major league baseball.
I was also going to say I wouldn't recommend any story that's about one of them being sick or dying, but one of them does die in two of those three stories, so never mind LOL. Nothing too cheesy/sappy/tearjerkery though.
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not make them think that BSB fanfics are either about them being into each other or naked running around all day long! and gossipy? LOL that was a weird description too!
I think Nick's description proves he hasn't really read any fanfic, and if he has, it's only the smutty stuff that certain authors who write that stuff have either told him about or actually handed him a disk with their visuals on it (yes, I know of someone who did this). He doesn't know what he's talking about. Kevin, on the other hand... LOL
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Thanks for sharing the video! I love how Kevin peeped right up when he heard the word fanfic. You definitely know that he's read some. :D
I really don't know what fanfic I would rec to the Boys... Most of the stories I read involve either smut or one of them dying, and I wouldn't want to make them read that! Though part of me wants to recommend Nick's Dirty Kicks just because it's so bizarre and hilarious. Of course, then they would probably think we're all crazy :crazy:
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I don't think there's any of my stories that I would be "mortified" to have them read... or I probably wouldn't have written it ;) lol. It may be a little uncomfortable though to stumble upon a random story on the internet where someone decided to kill you in the plot (Murder in the Big City for example for me, one of the guys dies), but again, it's a story and they were just "characters".
If I were gonna recommend any story on here to the guys though, it would definitely be Song for the Undead, because that's just a kick ass story! And though they have the guys names and are supposed to "be" the guys -- so we can picture them and all that -- the story can totally stand alone without their names/images/etc...
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Aw thanks Rachel! :)
Yeah, they'd have to get used to reading about themselves dying if they were to fully explore the fanfic community LOL. Sorry, Boys.
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Awww thanks!
Yeah, especially if the click on something by me or Julie lmao.
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Hmmmm. I would only be mortified if they read my canon stuff I guess. I'd still write even uf they hated it....but I'd probably be less inclined to share again.
As for recommending a story, I'd tell them to read 00Carter or Song For The Undead as AUs. Both are kick ass and I feel they would enjoy them.
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As for recommending a story, I'd tell them to read 00Carter or Song For The Undead as AUs. Both are kick ass and I feel they would enjoy them.
Hrm, Howie might not like it... lol! Though he might have a sense of humor about his role. :)
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I really do not think Brian would"nt want to read about himself in a fan fiction
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They probably wouldn't mind the ones where they're having great sex and doing heroic things. I'm just not so sure about all the sappy, cheesy, romantic, bromantic, tearjerkery kind of stuff I read LOL.
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oh the sex yeah but not romantic stuff haha
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I think Nick would love to read about himself as a secret agent lol
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This question is in relation to my lack of updates topic, but for those of you who are updating, have you noticed a decline or increase in readers and reviews? Or has it been the same?
If you are one of those people who are in a writing slump, are you also in a reading slump or losing your love of BSB in general?
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I'm in a writing slump, and also not reading as much. That's probably because most of my favourite stories aren't being updated as much either. I do have a couple of stories to catch up on that have been updated, I just need to not open Netflix :)
I'm not losing my love for BSB though.
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Yes, Netflix is the devil lol
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It really is! I only intended to watch a couple of episodes of The 4400 on there yesterday and ended up watching 9!!! That's just shocking, lol.
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TV in general is the devil LOL. I'm sure I would get more writing done out of sheer boredom if I did not have a TV, or at least cable and Netflix, but what can I say - during the school year, I prefer mindless entertainment to a hobby that requires me to think and be creative. Sometimes I feel like all of my thought and creativity goes into my job, and there's nothing left for fanfic by the time I get home.
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As for Mare's question about reviews, I haven't noticed a decrease the last few times I've updated. It's been amazingly consistent. The last story I updated was Song for the Undead, and that chapter got four reviews, same as the last five chapters before it. Before that it was 00Carter, which only one person reads, but she came through with a review for each chapter. (Thanks, Tracy!) And Gift of the Pandaskunk got a shitload of reviews, but that was posted almost two months ago, so I guess not so recent.
Like Steph, I haven't been reading as much, but there also haven't been many of my favorites updated FOR me to read. It's not that I don't want to. My love for BSB and for fanfic is as strong as ever.
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TV in general is the devil LOL. I'm sure I would get more writing done out of sheer boredom if I did not have a TV, or at least cable and Netflix, but what can I say - during the school year, I prefer mindless entertainment to a hobby that requires me to think and be creative. Sometimes I feel like all of my thought and creativity goes into my job, and there's nothing left for fanfic by the time I get home.
That is EXACTLY how I feel too! by the time I get home, I no longer want to use my brain lol but I can also say as someone who doesn't have cable, I watch shows even more now than I did when I had cable.
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Yeah, I'd have to get rid of both cable and Netflix to stop my mindless TV viewing. But who wants to do that? LOL
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I just watched an episode of Weeds followed by an episode of Arrested Development so I would say "Not me!" lol
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TV and the internet itself are the worst distractions ever. I'll be looking up stuff from last summer and next thing I know I'll end up on youtube watching the most random shit lmao. It's horrible! As for reviews, I'm staying pretty consistent I've noticed which, given the lull was a little unexpected. And some stories are still pulling in a lot of reviews so I think it's the writers having blocks or time constraints, rather than the whole fanfic fandom as a whole.
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Haha youre welcome Julie! I love to leave reviews :D
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I love you for that, Tracy! We can always count on you! :)
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Next question: When you think of awesome readers and reviewers of your stuff, who comes to mind and why? You can name more than one person because we all know it varies from story to story.
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When i was writing Finding Carter, Saka Steph was my favorite reviewer. She always msde me smile.
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Next question: When you think of awesome readers and reviewers of your stuff, who comes to mind and why? You can name more than one person because we all know it varies from story to story.
With Here We Stand it's probably Mare, I love seeing her reviews! That and you lol. Because some of your reviews are for more random reasons LOL and it makes me laugh.
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Next question: When you think of awesome readers and reviewers of your stuff, who comes to mind and why? You can name more than one person because we all know it varies from story to story.
For The The Other Side of NC story : Mare, Steph (Carter-Orange) and Lore.
Mare - I could still remember my reaction when I saw Mare's review on the 1st chapter of TOSONC. I was excited and at the same time couldn't believe it. I was like Mare just read my stuff, and left a review. Mare... Mare liked my story.... Mare... Mare.... LOL
Steph and Lore - They consistently read my updates and always leave a nice review. The support I got from them when I was starting this story is really, really appreciated. :)
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LOL awww Ritz, that's how I felt when Mare started reading Remember Me This Way, that holy crap, she was reading a novel of mine. Mare, Julie, and a few others were always like the major great fanfic authors I looked up to. So like when I first starting writing with Julie that was like a huge deal for me (and seriously I never would've predicted how epic that'd be for us hehe). And Mare was like my next OMG moment.
It's kinda surreal cause like when now and again I get told I'm one of the "popular" writers lol, it's like no. Because I'm still in the mindset of that writer starting out in the fandom.
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Next question: When you think of awesome readers and reviewers of your stuff, who comes to mind and why? You can name more than one person because we all know it varies from story to story.
When I started Save A Prayer, I was shocked and surprised to get awesome reviews from Julie, Rose, Mare, Lore and Ritz. I really didn't know if it would be the kind of story anyone would like, especially writers I kind of look up to!
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I was excited to get reviews for CP from Erika, Ritz, Steph, Tracy and Patty... they kept me going. But typically I get reviews from Steph and Tracy! Those two are always there to support my stories and I appreciate them. :)
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Wow, thanks guys! I didn't really expect to see my name that much lol I don't think I'll ever understand why people OMG when they see me review but I am very flattered by it :)
Now to answer this question. There are always the same core group of people who leave me reviews and I'm really grateful to them. (Tracy, Rose, Pam, Steph, Sam) They are who generally tend to get me through writer's funk etc... I love when I get a random review from someone I didn't think was reading my work or would ever read anything I had written. On my last novel, I always smiled when I saw reviews from Lore. Julie leaves great reviews as well. Like I said on twitter a few days ago, it's not the writing I miss as much as hearing the feedback lmao
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Thanks guys :) another story I want to mention is Figured You out. When Mare and Julie, even Rose reviewed I teared up because I felt honored my favorite authors read my story. It was the best feeling ever. I felt like I finally had "made" it at AC in a way. I always looked forward to them.
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Finally, I have a time to actually answer my own question! LOL
For me, it varies from story to story because different people read and review different stuff, but a lot of you guys have been amazing reviewers of my stuff. Tracy is the one Rose and I can always count on to review our collaborations, usually before anyone else! Steph is willing to give anything a shot, which is such an admirable trait (coming from a picky reader like me), and she always leaves fantastic reviews. Mare is great about leaving detailed, honest feedback and, as others have said, coming from someone who has had success with both fanfic and published original fiction, any compliment from her means a lot. And Rose is so supportive of everything I do, even the projects that take my focus away from our collaborations; I can always count on her to make me laugh in her reviews!
I also have to mention Jen (FrickFrackGirl or JennayHeartNic k), who doesn't post much on AC but has been an AMAZING reader of mine, especially when it comes to Broken and By My Side. She not only read and gave feedback on every chapter of those stories as I was writing them, but she has re-read them and recommended them to others and still mentions them from time to time on Twitter. To still get that kind of praise for a series I started 10 years ago is astounding to me, but I love her for it!
Like the rest of you, I also have those authors who I looked up to for a long time before they read anything of mine, and feedback from them meant the world to me! I loved getting feedback from Jenna and Swenglish, who wrote Swollen Issues, for Broken because their story was what inspired the idea for Broken in the first place.
Also, thanks for the mentions! :)
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New question
How do the real life events affect your writing? When things like tours, babies and engagements pop up does it inspire you or detract you?
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It depends on what I'm writing. Sometimes it does inspire me when the guys are working and new music, tour videos, and interviews start popping up. That stuff puts me in BSB mode and helps me channel the guys. But if I'm writing sad panda stuff (and I usually am LOL), happy things in real life tend to detract me from writing. I guess it makes me feel guilty about making them sad in my stories when they're happy in real life. I find it easier to stay in my little bubble of gloom when the guys are on a break LOL. Right now, though, everything I'm writing is either AU or set in the 90s, so current events really have no impact on my writing.
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Right now they're inspiring me since my story is current lol. Things like marriage and babies don't usually affect my writing anyway typically since its usually irrelevant to my stories. I just sometimes feel guilty about torturing then lol.
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New question
How do the real life events affect your writing? When things like tours, babies and engagements pop up does it inspire you or detract you?
It doesn't really have any effect on my writing as I tend to not include real wives/girlfriends/family in my stories as I'd feel bad if I then killed them off, or whatever else I like to do to my characters.
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It doesn't have any effect on me. In fact, I try as hard as I can not to use the real wives and girlfri... fiancees, now I guess... managers, friends, etc for one reason in particular:
It's one thing to write fanfic about a celebrity, I think it's something else to write fanfic about a random person.
If I were a person whose only claim to "fame" is that I was the significant other/friend/employee of a celebrity I would feel really weird knowing that people on the internet were writing stories about me.
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It depends for me. Their romantic lives usually don't play into my writing but when they all lived together in London this past summer, I was completely inspired. It would take something like that to get me excited enough to want to write about them again. They all just need to ditch their significant others and live together in a big house and stop growing up lol
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LMAO right? OMG that London summer inspired me so much. And when they have those uber-bromantic moments I get inspired more. So personal lives, not so much. Their friendships? Totally.
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Friendship's exactly! Unfortunately you don't catch it as much these days. Hopefully when they start doing interviews things will change.
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This is a question for people who have written romance. It seems like most writers have taken a stab at writing romance at some point or another, even if it's not their genre of choice, and a lot of writers have at least one "neverending romance series" (a romance with at least one or two sequels, spin-offs, and/or collections of one-shots) to their name.
I'm wondering, for people who have written more than one romance or romance series about the same guy, how do you manage to keep each story fresh and original with a new plot and female main character, while still keeping the same level of chemistry between each couple? Do you ever feel like you've written such a great couple, there's no way you can create the same magic with different characters in another story?
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Aww, I was so excited to see my little red blob lit for this thread and now I'm bummed because the question is irrelevant to me! lol Stupid red blob! :/
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LOL Sorry - you are definitely the exception to my "most writers have taken a stab at romance" statement.
Okay, here's a question for you and the rest of the suspense writers:
Who is your favorite villain you've written and why?
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Honestly with the romance question, I feel I can't. Hence why my one attempt at a romance sequel is totally unfinished and will likely remain so LOL. I feel like romance can only last for a sequel or so. Usually anything after that ends up so over the top it becomes soap opera-ish, at least in my experiences of reading. There's exceptions obviously but typically because romance isn't the main genre to begin with.
My favorite villain is actually Drums in 00Carter, because he's a shade of grey. He started off good and has been manipulated to this evil and even questions it now and then. Those usually make the best villains in my opinion because it's more realistic. You can see how they got there.
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Yay a question I can answer lol although I have no idea what that answer is going to be.
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Romance is not just about get the couple in bed and slam, bam, thank you ma'am. Romance is about relationships. When writing a sequel, I visualize the couple in a different phase in their relationship. Say they got married and now have kids, their relationship is not the same as when they first met. They have different obstacles they face, whether it's less time together or someone focusing on their career instead of the relationship. Personally, I view it as real life situations, no relationship is going to be focused just on beginning love. The couple needs to evolve and change, if not the relationship is stagnant.
I think whether a sequel is romance or suspense you still need to change up the dynamics and situations the characters are involved in.
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I don't think I worded my question very well. I'm not so much wondering how people can write sequel after sequel about the same characters - I get that because I've been there, done that. I'm wondering how people who write predominantly romance go about creating different couples in each story/series, using the same guy (Nick or whichever boy). Is it a challenge to create the right chemistry with a new (and presumably different) female character and the same boy you've already used for a power couple in a different story/series?
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Personally whether you write romance, suspense, adventure, etc. over and over the goal is to create an exciting, dynamic story. Just because you may write Nick as a lead doesn't mean the story is a carbon copy every time. That's where an engaging plot comes in. That sets the tone of your characters.
Julie, you have written more than one cancer story about Nick. Both are extremely different due to your plot line. Your plot line helped drive your characters by making them do what they do in a given situation.
I see no difference just because the genre is romance. Basically I have a million ideas and the plots and characters are different because of the storyline.
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My favorite Villain....I would have to say Valerie from Figured You Out. She was twisted.and psychotic, just a really fun character to play with and see how far I could push the crazy level. I loved writing her so much.
As for the romance question, I myself write a series and it is somewhat of a challenge to make it and keep it interesting, luckily AU gives you so much roo to play around and see what you can throw into the story.
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I have two favorite villains and they both have no names lol The guy from It Stays and The Beautiful Girl. Both were a trip to write. Particularly the bad guy in It Stays. I loved writing his short story and getting into his head about why he turned out the way he did.
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Romance is not just about get the couple in bed and slam, bam, thank you ma'am. Romance is about relationships. When writing a sequel, I visualize the couple in a different phase in their relationship. Say they got married and now have kids, their relationship is not the same as when they first met. They have different obstacles they face, whether it's less time together or someone focusing on their career instead of the relationship. Personally, I view it as real life situations, no relationship is going to be focused just on beginning love. The couple needs to evolve and change, if not the relationship is stagnant.
I think whether a sequel is romance or suspense you still need to change up the dynamics and situations the characters are involved in.
I don't think Julie was saying that was what romance was at all. I think sometimes in romance series the authors end up throwing more out there situations so that it does change up the dynamics. But that's just my opinion. That's why I usually believe they can't go past a sequel. Because there's only so much that can happen before it becomes repetitive.
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On another note - leave it to a romance question to spark up discussion lol.
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I think a sequel in any genre can be overplayed and repetitive. Why is the issue always romance?
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^ I agree with that one. Sequels are tricky in any genre I think. There is that fine line between seeing characters through to the end of their story or just being afraid or not wanting (or in some cases not knowing how) to let the your characters go.
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Julie, you have written more than one cancer story about Nick. Both are extremely different due to your plot line. Your plot line helped drive your characters by making them do what they do in a given situation.
I see no difference just because the genre is romance. Basically I have a million ideas and the plots and characters are different because of the storyline.
I have, and what I found was that when I attempted to include some romance in the second one (Curtain Call), it just didn't feel "right" like it did in Broken/BMS, and that was because the characters just didn't have the right kind of chemistry to be a power couple. I was just thinking that I can't see myself ever writing another epic Nick romance series because I'm not sure I could ever top Nick & Claire. So I was just wondering if people who write romance all the time ever face that dilemma. Despite different storylines and different characterizati ons, do all your couples have that same magic in your mind, or does it vary from story to story?
I'm not knocking romance at all - hats off to people who write it often and write it well. It's not easy because, even when it has a plot driving the action, it's very character-based. I didn't mean to start a debate or put anyone on the defensive, though I'm glad to see an actual discussion going on in here!
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^ I agree with that one. Sequels are tricky in any genre I think. There is that fine line between seeing characters through to the end of their story or just being afraid or not wanting (or in some cases not knowing how) to let the your characters go.
Personally, I think sequels to action/suspense stories get even more repetitive and/or boring than romance sequels, because either the characters fall into increasingly unrealistic, dangerous situations (exactly how many times can the same characters get kidnapped, for example?), or the sequel is just about the characters dealing with the aftermath of what happened in the first story, which is just not as exciting for people who want action and suspense. At least romance tends to be more about two people just living their lives, not caught up in some dramatic, life-or-death situation, and so a sequel that continues the story of their lives together shares the same tone and makes more sense.
Obviously, there have been excellent sequels to suspense and action stories, and terrible sequels to romances, so I'm not lumping them all into one category. I've seen both kinds work, and I've seen both drag on way too long. Like Mare said, it all comes down to the author knowing when the best part of the story has been told and deciding to let go.
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Julie, I know you weren't starting a debate. I thought it was a nice conversation about a topic.
Yes, romance is definitely more character driven which is why I love writing it. I love dealing with feelings and how people deal with situations. I love the complexity of people and how they deal with each other.
There have been times I have wondered if I could top a set of characters or a story. I think it's because I grew so close to my characters. Plus, if I don't have a new idea to write about I can feel that way until inspiration hits.
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I think a sequel in any genre can be overplayed and repetitive. Why is the issue always romance?
I'm not insulting romance at all. You're right, sequels CAN be that way. However they are the most common beast in romance I've noticed. Most other genres in fanfic just have single stories. Because the danger of having sequels to suspense fics or action stories is higher in terms of repetitiveness, because those stories are more dependent on situational plots.
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That's probably true about romances being more likely to have a sequel. If I had to come up with a list of sequels, I'd probably be able to list more romance sequels, but at the same time, more of the sequels I've actually read and enjoyed are drama or suspense. Then again, there are also suspense stories I love with sequels that I couldn't even finish reading because they couldn't hold up to the original (and some were discontinued, probably for that same reason). I'm finding that I'm generally not a big fan of the sequel in fan fiction, period.
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Nice to see a little debating going on here. :)
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This is a question for people who have written romance. It seems like most writers have taken a stab at writing romance at some point or another, even if it's not their genre of choice, and a lot of writers have at least one "neverending romance series" (a romance with at least one or two sequels, spin-offs, and/or collections of one-shots) to their name.
I'm wondering, for people who have written more than one romance or romance series about the same guy, how do you manage to keep each story fresh and original with a new plot and female main character, while still keeping the same level of chemistry between each couple? Do you ever feel like you've written such a great couple, there's no way you can create the same magic with different characters in another story?
I've never written a sequel and don't think I ever would.
I'm not even sure I'd consider any of my romance stories either fresh or original, lol. I just write what pops into my head and hope for the best :)
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LOL Sorry - you are definitely the exception to my "most writers have taken a stab at romance" statement.
Okay, here's a question for you and the rest of the suspense writers:
Who is your favorite villain you've written and why?
Brian in Unwinding Truth, because I love how Lore and I have made him the opposite of how he is reality. It's fun to turn the good boy into an evil dictator :)
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hee hee, that it is Steph, that it is.
My favorite villian I've written would be the villian in Amnesia and Corin in Wulf's Bane. I also like writing the Company who sends various Cleaners after Brian and Isabelle but we do not see the "face" of the bad guy. Maybe later... *gasps* I might have a "dreaded" sequel for Severed Identities, might not. I would have to see if I could get a plot line together that connects to this one but isn't the same one. BUT I might just leave it how I end it ... haven't fully decided yet.
I am hit and miss with my sequels. I liked DOV: End of All Hope and I don't mind DOV: Antigone (prequel) but I disliked MTT: All Or Nothing so much it's not even posted on the site anymore. Chronos Breach could have been better but it's not so bad I'd delete it. Kind of lukewarm to that sequel.
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When I write more than one story about a set of characters, I usually consider it a series, not a sequel. I do that because I don't start the next story where the one before it ends.
Its kind of like Nancy Drew or the Babysitters Club. They use the same characters over and over in different stories and situations.
I usually make the second story four or five years later, so that the characters are in a different place and their relationship is in a different place. For example if the first story is about them meeting and falling in love. The next story may be about having kids or one cheating on each other. Sure all of those have been used over and over, so I think of a unique twist that makes the story unique or original. When dealing with emotions and feelings that people have, you can do a lot.
I find it interesting to see what my characters would be like ten years later when life gets in the way and it's not all about the romance or love. It can be challenging to write a story about the same characters and make it as successful asthe first story. I think that is why I sometimes like writing a series.
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^that's what I tried with MTT: All or Nothing. The original story was how they met and got together and the second story was after they had children but it just wasn't what I wanted and so I got rid of it.
I've thought about writing a series like you described where it's the same characters but they are in a bunch of different situations but I never went through with it except with 00Carter, that's sort of what that is. Different episodes with the same set of characters.
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Sequels don't always start where the last one ends. Many start years later. The difference between a series and a sequel is a series is typically considered to be three or more. Sometimes only four or more since three would technically be a trilogy but it's a grey area. It has nothing to do with the time gap or even the plot.
The examples you used of BSC or Nancy Drew was that there were countless books in both series. Or to take from the example Lore used, 00Carter. As it has I believe 10 full "episodes" where it tells different stories with the same characters with various time gaps. Those are series. It's not the same as say two stories about the same couple.
Romance is very character driven. I don't think there are unique situations anymore, which is what makes the genre so difficult. You need to have characters that are memorable to really make an impact. Or include it as a subplot on something bigger to keep it different and moving. Using emotions to do so, personally is what touches on the "soap opera" danger zone that so many romances fall into.
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Why are soap operas a "danger zone"? People love soap operas. Books like Twilight and 50 Shades, shows like 90210, Melrose Place, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, etc are incredibly successful and are all considered soap operas. Romantic comedies are the most popular movies with women and female-skewed radio stations will almost always be very celebrity gossip driven - the "real life" soap operas of our day.
People love soap operas! It's a popular genre, hardly a "danger zone" for anyone who hopes to be successful to be in it - in my opinion, anyway.
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Just my perspective. I guess for me soap operas tend to be unrealistic, overly dramatic, etc...and seem to be unable to carry a story without all that. But that's my own personal taste on them. There's great epic romances without being too over the top. And those of course for me, are the ones that stand out. Because they don't need all that to tell a great love story.
But to each their own and if people want to write that...more power to them.
Honestly...I'm not even gonna touch Twilight/50 Shades since I think those would be more insults to the genre than anything. Just because they're successful, doesn't mean they're good. 50 Shades especially.
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I didn't say they were good or bad, I said they were successful. No matter what the medium is those two words will never be synonymous because it's subjective.
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Fair enough.
I will admit...out of everything you named, I do watch Pretty Little Liars lol. It's seriously my sole guilty pleasure.
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In all honesty, there are enough genres to satisfy every person's tastes. Not everyone loves romance. Not everyone loves fantasy. Not everyone loves mystery or suspense. Luckily there is something for all of us.
I think we should really give props to those who work hard to create a story and have the guts to post it. I think more acceptance and less criticism would more welcoming.
So what you don't like a certain genre, there is no need to lump every story as horrendous or redundant. I think most authors work hard on their stories regardless the genre. I just feel we need to support each other instead of knocking on the type of stories we write. There is room for all of us and every type of story.
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I think Rose's point about soap operas was less about success and more about quality. All of those titles Julilly named could definitely qualify as soap operas, and all are popular, no denying that. But are any of them critically-acclaimed or highly-respected? Not exactly. They are so-called "guilty pleasures." Nothing wrong with that. Fan fiction in itself is a guilty pleasure.
Fan fiction writers are rarely taken seriously outside of their own fandom, regardless of what genre they write in or the quality of their work, but I think all of us strive to write quality fiction in whatever genre we're writing it, or we wouldn't spend so much time discussing it here. Each genre has its own set of challenges, but there are well-written stories in every genre of fan fiction, including romance.
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Here are a couple of follow-up questions to what I just posted:
1. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in writing your favorite genre?
2. Are there any genres you enjoy reading, but have a hard time writing? What are they, and why?
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I think Rose's point about soap operas was less about success and more about quality. All of those titles Julilly named could definitely qualify as soap operas, and all are popular, no denying that. But are any of them critically-acclaimed or highly-respected? Not exactly. They are so-called "guilty pleasures." Nothing wrong with that. Fan fiction in itself is a guilty pleasure.
Fan fiction writers are rarely taken seriously outside of their own fandom, regardless of what genre they write in or the quality of their work, but I think all of us strive to write quality fiction in whatever genre we're writing it, or we wouldn't spend so much time discussing it here. Each genre has its own set of challenges, but there are well-written stories in every genre of fan fiction, including romance.
That's exactly what my point was. And I fully agree. In all honesty, there are enough genres to satisfy every person's tastes. Not everyone loves romance. Not everyone loves fantasy. Not everyone loves mystery or suspense. Luckily there is something for all of us.
I think we should really give props to those who work hard to create a story and have the guts to post it. I think more acceptance and less criticism would more welcoming.
So what you don't like a certain genre, there is no need to lump every story as horrendous or redundant. I think most authors work hard on their stories regardless the genre. I just feel we need to support each other instead of knocking on the type of stories we write. There is room for all of us and every type of story.
I would like to point out that not one of us said every story is that. I even said there are exceptions to my statements. I also said a lot of it is my own personal taste. So I kinda wonder why you seem to be defensive.
I don't see criticism, I see discussion of a craft.
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1. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in writing your favorite genre?
Probably the descriptions. Action/horror aren't the easiest things to write sometimes in terms of making sure you're making it clear what's happening and keeping like the feel of the story intense and gripping. That sort of thing. You want it to be real, rather than cheesy.
2. Are there any genres you enjoy reading, but have a hard time writing? What are they, and why?
I love suspense/mystery type fics. But they are definitely not an easy thing to write.
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Rose, I'm sorry if you thought I was be defensive. I was merely stating my opinion. It was not my intention to start a debate. I was just adding my thoughts to a conversation. I will try harder to not to sound defensive when making a comment in the future as I don't want to offend anyone with my thoughts, opinions, or comments.
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The reason why you sound defensive is you keep stating that not all romances are the same, not to criticize, and not to lump them together. It comes off defensive because no one's said they're all the same. But of course there's generalization s with every genre of fiction. It is what it is. And I think it should be able to go unsaid that every genre has exceptions/gems.
It's like how people assume I hate all romance which ironically is not the case lol. I just have really high standards for it. I'm all for discussion myself.
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Rose, I never said you hate romance or any other genre. I didn't say all romances either. I did mention there are overused story lines in romance and all genres.
What I take offensive to is that you seem to have a problem with any opinion I give. It's been since they very first time I posted an opinion in 2010. No matter what I say you have some negative to say about it. You don't have to like my opinions. I never asked anyone to agree with me. Everyone on here has the right to an opinion, including you and me. Do we have to agree...no. I just feel like you have an issue with me. I don't know what I personally have done to you, but if I did something please let me know.
All I want to do is share my thoughts and opinions like everyone else.
I apologize if I ever have offended anyone on here with my thoughts. If my comments offend, please let me know so I don't hurt anyone with my words. I enjoy coming here, but may not stay as I may offend people for having my own thoughts.
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Nobody here is knocking down romance. Everyone likes different things, and everyone has different standards. I am really picky when it comes to reading some genres.
In response to Julie's question...
I love reading sci fi and suspense, but sometimes it is hard for me to write it because it is hard for me to come ip with an idea that'sfresh and interesting. I have written in many different genres so sometimes it is harder to come up with a idea that I can commit to.
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Rose, I never said you hate romance or any other genre. I didn't say all romances either. I did mention there are overused story lines in romance and all genres.
What I take offensive to is that you seem to have a problem with any opinion I give. It's been since they very first time I posted an opinion in 2010. No matter what I say you have some negative to say about it. You don't have to like my opinions. I never asked anyone to agree with me. Everyone on here has the right to an opinion, including you and me. Do we have to agree...no. I just feel like you have an issue with me. I don't know what I personally have done to you, but if I did something please let me know.
All I want to do is share my thoughts and opinions like everyone else.
I apologize if I ever have offended anyone on here with my thoughts. If my comments offend, please let me know so I don't hurt anyone with my words. I enjoy coming here, but may not stay as I may offend people for having my own thoughts.
LOL I never said you did. I was speaking generally.
"So what you don't like a certain genre, there is no need to lump every story as horrendous or redundant."<-- that's where you basically said it. That's why I clarified that not one of us said that. That all of us said there were exceptions.
I have no problems with your opinions. I like debates! Hell I don't take any of them to heart. I was curious as to why you were defensive because I was confused by it. No one's offended. No one said they were offended. I don't know how we got there.
I honestly...hav e no idea what incident you're talking about in 2010? Like seriously. Not a clue. In fact, I'm pretty confused by why you think I have an issue with you whatsoever. I thought we were talking fanfic lol. I didn't think any of this was personal at all.
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"So what you don't like a certain genre, there is no need to lump every story as horrendous or redundant."<-- that's where you basically said it. That's why I clarified that not one of us said that. That all of us said there were exceptions.
When I said that it wasn't meant that anyone said it. It was just meant that we should always be open minded to each story regardless of the genre.
Rose, I have nothing against you either. I think we are both passionate debaters.
Lets start fresh cause 2010 was a long time ago. Hey, Rose. I'm Rachel. I love writing and debating. It's nice to meet someone who likes the same. Lol. I'm goofy and try to be positive.
Now I need to get to bed. I need my energy to teach my second graders. Peace out!
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I think Rose's point about soap operas was less about success and more about quality. All of those titles Julilly named could definitely qualify as soap operas, and all are popular, no denying that. But are any of them critically-acclaimed or highly-respected? Not exactly. They are so-called "guilty pleasures." Nothing wrong with that. Fan fiction in itself is a guilty pleasure.
Fan fiction writers are rarely taken seriously outside of their own fandom, regardless of what genre they write in or the quality of their work, but I think all of us strive to write quality fiction in whatever genre we're writing it, or we wouldn't spend so much time discussing it here. Each genre has its own set of challenges, but there are well-written stories in every genre of fan fiction, including romance.
What Rose said is that writing a soap opera-type story is falling into a "danger zone" which implies that it's not good lol I don't read those types of stories and definitely don't watch those types of shows (I hate them, in fact) but I can't agree with the statement that soap operas aren't critically acclaimed. Success financially comes along with that. These are books that are best sellers, movies that have won awards, television shows that have won awards and they're beloved (openly) by millions. It's only a guilty pleasure for those who believe themselves to be above enjoying them.
I have seen plenty of people openly gush about shows like Greys Anatomy and The OC - both have positive response from critics and viewers (who ultimately are the only critics that matter) are considered soap operas the same as General Hospital is. There's no soap opera "danger zone" - its a popular format that many people have no shame or guilt in appreciating for its simplicity and entertainment value.
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As if he were able to read my mind, one of my former bosses posted a blog today that expresses exactly how I feel about the so-called "guilty pleasures" we've been discussing in here. He's a published author who writes about marketing and branding and has a blog called Brand Like A Rockstar that has been sourced in multiple publications, so he's not just a random dude spewing information lol
The teaser... "The secret to business success: Suck as much as Nickelback"
How much do you suck? Four steps to rock star status by Steve Jones
Nickelback sucks, right?
They must. Everybody says so.
They are the most maligned and criticized band on the planet.
Here’s just how much they suck:
* Billboard ranks them as the top group of the 2000s.
* They have sold 50 million albums worldwide.
* “How You Remind Me” was ranked as the #1 rock song of the decade.
* These four Canadian boys are the second best-selling foreign act in the USA (behind the Beatles) of the 2000s.
Sure people hate Nickelback, and for good reason. Plenty of people hate their formulaic sound. Others beat up on them for the misogynistic lyrics. There’s a faction that hates them from moving from alternative rock into the mainstream.
And does Nickelback care about people who hate them?
They have 50 million reasons not to care.
When you are successful for something, you are bound to have detractors who hate you.
Chances are very good that the people who hate you a) were never your fans to begin with, and b) would never be a fan of yours no matter what.
If you listen to the haters, you’ll compromise what you do in order to please people who never have – and never will – like you.
How will that make your true fans feel?
Four steps to business success (thanks to Nickelback):
1. Find a group of people that love you.
2. Make them very, very happy.
3. Tune out the haters.
4. And rock on!
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Here are a couple of follow-up questions to what I just posted:
1. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in writing your favorite genre?
2. Are there any genres you enjoy reading, but have a hard time writing? What are they, and why?
1. plot holes. with sci-fi/fantasy and suspense plot holes can really kill a story. I really try to avoid them and sometimes walk right into a plot sinkhole and dig myself out by making the character do something uncharacterist ic (which is something I'm working on in ALL genres I write)
2. Lately I've been reading a lot of romance/drama/dramedy and those are some genres I've dabbled in but are not as proficient in writing as some other authors. I read them and am amazed at how easy these authors make it seem especially since I have a difficult time with thhose genres.
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That was an interesting post about the Nickelback thing.
1. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in writing your favorite genre?
Trying to get details right and make it seem realistic, also plot holes.
2. Are there any genres you enjoy reading, but have a hard time writing? What are they, and why?
I love drama, but can't seem to write it as well as I'd like.
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I think using the term danger zone is just really subjective depending on the author. I hear it and I don't think popularity or success, I think redundancy, over the top plots etc... I would think that would be the danger zone for writers. Getting into the habit of being able to just churn out chapter after chapter of mundane writing just because you know at the end of the day you still have a core group of readers (or in the case of soap operas) viewers who will still tune in and love it, no matter how dumb it may be. I think it's safe to say we've all been there. I know I have.
I've written something so silly sounding and dumb but I knew that it probably wouldn't matter because my readers just wanted an update and would be happy with whatever they got. Granted, in the end I usually deleted it or apologized for the major suckatude but the temptation was always there. The "I can write an entire story about Nick going shoe shopping and meeting a girl, randomly" and it would probably have more hits than one that's more thought out has also occurred to me more than once.
Anyway, that's what I think of when I hear the words 'danger zone'
I guess that would be a good question actually lol
What is your danger zone when it comes to writing?
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1. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in writing your favorite genre?
Consistency in the plots and pacing of the story so it holds the reader's interest. Also including enough plot twists so as to keep people guessing.
2. Are there any genres you enjoy reading, but have a hard time writing? What are they, and why?
I tend to enjoy the genres which I also write in. I do wish I was a better sci-fi writer though.
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I think using the term danger zone is just really subjective depending on the author. I hear it and I don't think popularity or success, I think redundancy, over the top plots etc... I would think that would be the danger zone for writers. Getting into the habit of being able to just churn out chapter after chapter of mundane writing just because you know at the end of the day you still have a core group of readers (or in the case of soap operas) viewers who will still tune in and love it, no matter how dumb it may be. I think it's safe to say we've all been there. I know I have.
I've written something so silly sounding and dumb but I knew that it probably wouldn't matter because my readers just wanted an update and would be happy with whatever they got. Granted, in the end I usually deleted it or apologized for the major suckatude but the temptation was always there. The "I can write an entire story about Nick going shoe shopping and meeting a girl, randomly" and it would probably have more hits than one that's more thought out has also occurred to me more than once.
Anyway, that's what I think of when I hear the words 'danger zone'
I guess that would be a good question actually lol
What is your danger zone when it comes to writing?
I can totally see it from that perspective as well. That the "danger zone", rather than being specific to one genre, would encompass those authors that fall into the habit of choosing quantity over quality - posting filler chapter after filler chapter in an effort to keep the reader rather than move the plot.
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*sings* HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE...
heehee sorry all this talk of "danger zone" has that song in my head.
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*sings* HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE...
heehee sorry all this talk of "danger zone" has that song in my head.
I also had a Top Gun moment lol
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Thanks for putting that song in my head, I loved Top Gun!
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1. What do you consider to be the biggest challenges in writing your favorite genre?
My favorite genre is drama, specifically medical drama. I think one of the biggest challenges is doing enough research to write it realistically, yet writing it in a way that still sounds like a story, not a medical textbook. Another challenge is getting the emotions right. You want the characters' feelings and emotional reactions to seem genuine and believable, not over-the-top and melodramatic. It's easy to get cheesy in this genre. (Hey, that rhymed LOL.)
2. Are there any genres you enjoy reading, but have a hard time writing? What are they, and why?
I love reading suspenseful mysteries and thrillers, but I have a hard time writing in that genre. My villains are too cliched and cheesy, and my plots are either too predictable or twist their way right into plot holes I have a hard time digging myself out of. I admire people who can write stories that are genuinely suspenseful and keep you guessing, while still maintaining a certain plausibility.
3. What is your danger zone when it comes to writing?
As I mentioned in the first question, it's easy to get cheesy in the genres I like to write, so I think that would be my danger zone. I love writing tearjerkers, but I have to stop and think, "Is this line or scene I'm about to write going to make people cry or just roll their eyes?" I'm always walking a fine line between writing something poignant and heartbreaking and writing something sappy and cheesy.
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Have your tastes in fanfic changed over the years? Do you find yourself more open to reading new things or more picky? Do you find yourself reading/writing something you wouldn't have five years ago?
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Have your tastes in fanfic changed over the years? Do you find yourself more open to reading new things or more picky? Do you find yourself reading/writing something you wouldn't have five years ago?
When I first started reading it on another site, the only stories written were romance, so that's all I read until I discovered this place. I couldn't believe there were so many different genres! So I read all sorts of stories, I wasn't that picky because I was searching for writers I enjoyed, and once I found them, I stuck with them.
These days I suppose I am more picky, and as I can't read in work anymore (stupid boss lol), I don't read half as much as I used to :(
I still read the same kind of stories as I would've five years ago, but I think I'm more open to writing different kinds of stories these days. Five years ago I only wrote romance because I thought that's what fanfics were (how stupid was I!)
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Have your tastes in fanfic changed over the years? Do you find yourself more open to reading new things or more picky? Do you find yourself reading/writing something you wouldn't have five years ago?
I don't think so. I am still not a picky reader and very easy to please. I read everything that catch my attention. I even read slash stories before, but I did not enjoy them. Except for this one-shot slash that did not involve any sex or kissing. I did not like the idea of AJ and Brian being a couple, but I love the way it was written.
The most acceptable genre in my country is romance. 95% of published books are romance. So, when I was young and dreamed of becoming a writer myself, I only imagined myself writing romance. And if i want to be a published writer, I have to write romance. So, I am really thankful that I get to write other genre here in AC. I never thought I could write supernatural stuff. :)
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Reading a response to a recent review I left, I actually came up with the idea for this question.
What about the boys inspires you to write? For instance, is it when they do interviews and you get to see their relationship play out on screen or on air? Is it when one of them announces they are getting married or having a baby? The promise of new music? Or nothing at all to do with their personal lives?
And a follow up, if any of the above do inspire you to write, does it come across in your writing? For instance, If you get all warm and fuzzy about them being together in interviews but yet don't include them all in your stories? Why? And if your answer is nothing about their personal lives, what is it about them that makes you interested enough to make them a lead character?
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Those are good questions, Mare. I love the Boys as people, and that is what has made me a fan all these years and inspired me to write fanfic about them. Early on, something about them just struck a chord in me and made me want to find out more about them, and the more I found out about them, the more I liked them. I'm not the teenybopper I was when I got into fanfic, but I still love the guys and still enjoy writing about them as people, not just as a music group.
To be honest, I don't usually get super inspired by events in either their personal or professional lives. I include details from both in my stories, but I'm not one of those people who, when something happens in real life, immediately goes, "Ooh, I'm gonna write a story about that!" My inspiration comes and goes on its own and is usually correlated more with what's going on in my own life than in theirs.
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Have your tastes in fanfic changed over the years? Do you find yourself more open to reading new things or more picky? Do you find yourself reading/writing something you wouldn't have five years ago?
I realized I never answered this one. My reading tastes have more or less stayed the same since I started reading fanfic, although I have gotten a lot more picky about the quality of the writing. But I still prefer the same genres - drama and suspense with a hint of romance.
My writing tastes have changed, though. My favorite genre to write is still drama with a hint of romance, but I've gotten away from trying to write suspense and have tried out some other genres - horror, action, sci-fi, AU. I'm definitely more open to writing different things than I was ten years ago.
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Just like Julie, I don't get inspired by the events on the boys' lives. I write when I feel inspired, or thought of a very good plot/story. It just so happens that my characters are my favorite group. :)
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I might get inspired to write when they release new music as it's exciting and helps get my creativity going. Or when I see them live that really helps spur my creativeness but events in their lives otherwise don't typically inspire me. I will think of plot lines and think "how can I work the guys into this".
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I don't get inspired by things in their personal lives, I don't really give their personal lives a thought because when I write about them, I don't usually include their real other halves.
I suppose hearing new music and interviews can be quite inspiring, sometimes it doesn't even have to be BSB stuff. If I think of an idea, then I'll work them into it.
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I saw this article today on CNN about what is believed to be Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook creator)'s first website, an Angelfire page from 1999 when he was 15. You can read the article here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/04/tech/social-media/zuckerberg-first-website/index.html?hpt=hp_bn5 I laughed at how much they overanalyzed this old-school site, but since I started my site in 2000 when I was also 15, it got me thinking.
If you ever became a successful, famous published author, what, if anything, would you be most embarrassed about people finding related to your fan fiction past?
Do you have anything online, like an old website or early stories, that embarrass you now?
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I'd be embarrassed if anyone found out about the very first story I wrote. It was so cringeworthy, and like something a child would write. I really don't know what I was thinking, but obviously I wasn't thinking at all! So glad that story vanished along with the site it was on, lol.
Yes, I do have a story that kind of embarrasses me now. It's posted on AC too. I do have a website I created following Julie's 'how to create a website using Word' instructions, but I disabled it a while ago because I want to change it around but can't really be bothered right now (it was just somewhere to shove my stories in case anything happened to my laptop or AC).
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Aww, I didn't know you followed my tutorial! LOL That seems so outdated and amatuerish now, but I was still using Word for my site up until I switched to Wordpress in January. Wordpress definitely looks more professional, and Word has plenty of flaws, but it was more user-friendly in some ways, seeing as how I write all my stories on Word.
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Yeah, I found it OK using it as I write all my stories in word too. Was a bit fiddly to begin with though as I'd never tried creating a website before that. But once I knew what I was doing, I was fine. Maybe I'll create a Wordpress one just to save my stuff as a back up.
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I'm an open book; all of my old stories and stuff are still online. Even though they're embarrassing, I'm too sentimental to take them down. When I moved my site, I didn't move any of my stories that are more than ten years old over to Wordpress, though, because I don't really want them lumped in with the rest of my stuff. They're archived on their own site. The quality of writing is so different that I didn't want someone who had never read any of my stuff to stumble onto my site and start with one of my really old stories and judge me as a writer based on that. That said, if I was really that embarrassed of those stories, they wouldn't be online at all. I kind of like leaving them up because they're evidence of how young and naive I was when I started writing and how much I've grown since.
I think the stories that would probably embarrass me the most are actually the ones I'm probably best known for, Broken and By My Side, because they're the transitional stories that bridge the gap between the "old, bad" ones I wrote in high school and the more recent ones I've written as an adult. I can't just write them off as bad stories I wrote a long time ago because they still mean a lot to me, but there's also a lot about them that would embarrass me if I knew they were being read by anyone who's not a fan of BSB fanfic.
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Yeah, I found it OK using it as I write all my stories in word too. Was a bit fiddly to begin with though as I'd never tried creating a website before that. But once I knew what I was doing, I was fine. Maybe I'll create a Wordpress one just to save my stuff as a back up.
Wordpress is pretty easy once you get it set up. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I like it now. It's always nice to have a place to post your stuff that you're in complete control of, just in case.
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Hmmm some of my early stuff yes because the writing isn't the greatest. I haven't deleted them, they're still on AC. I don't think I'll be moving them to my site though., but I'm too sentimental like Julie to delete lol
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Sad to say that I'd be embarrassed by everything because it's BSB fan fiction and the thought I would be discovered as a fanfic writer would totally humiliate me. I know that's horrible to say but it's the truth lol
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LOL It's not horrible to say; that's why I write under a pen name. When I say I'm an open book and not embarrassed, that's really only around BSB fans. I would die of embarrassment if anyone from my real life read my stuff or even knew I was writing it. So I guess if I did become a famous published writer and my fanfic was discovered, I would be embarrassed of it all.
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Yes, I'd be embarrassed if anyone outside of here read my stuff too, I don't tell anyone about the writing. But amongst other fanfic writers, I'd be OK apart from a couple of cringeworthy stories that I have posted :)
Talking of cringing, my kids found Bot Fly Jordan and I had to kind of explain myself without telling them about the story LOL
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LMAO!!! Oh no! What did you tell them?
I still keep Broken Nick doll hidden inside an old pair of sweatpants in a box of junk on the top shelf of my closet, even though I live alone. I have a whole collection of random things on display, but that one is too specific to be able to explain away with, "I like it because it's weird" or "Oh, it's just an inside joke." LOL
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I keep my It Stays With You Nick doll in his box on the top shelf of my bookcase lol I have no clue how to explain that one if anyone ever asked.
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Did you ever post pics of your It Stays With You Nick doll?! I know I saw one as Steph was making it, but I don't remember ever seeing the finished product!
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Yup, when I got it I believe I posted pics on either here or twitter.
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Aww, I must have missed it on Twitter! Found it though: https://twitter.com/bitybella/status/299621976216047616/photo/1 Very nice; it didn't have all the bandages when I last saw it LOL.
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She did a great job! LOL We are all SO weird!
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LMAO Yes we are, but at least we're in good company!
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We are so weird, but good that we're all weird together lol.
OMG the doll was hidden in the box down the side of my bed where the kids never ever look. I don't know what they were doing, but Holly found it and said "Mum, who's Bot Fly Jordan?", I ran upstairs to find Jordan out of his box LOL. I had to think of a reason, so told them that a bunch of friends like to joke around and that one of my friends decided to make me a dead Jordan Knight doll. They didn't ask anything else, I think they are as weird as me LOL.
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lmao brilliant!
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LMAO I like that they just accepted that. "Whatever, Mum's friends are just weird!"
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If I became a famous enough author that people found out that I wrote fanfic about the boys I'm not sure at that point I'd be embarassed. But I am not in that position so I can't answer for sure, I really am not positive if I would be embarassed or not. I have several people in real life that know I write it and I have a friend or two that have read them.
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Hey everyone it's been a while.
So I think I have a good question...
What authors do you miss and why? Is there a story you wish you could reread, but know you never will?
haha just trying to start conversation.
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It has been awhile! Welcome back, and thanks for posting a new question!
Authors I miss... Jenna (though she did just start a new story recently), Sarah (starbeamz), Bianca, Susan, Jen (JJ), and Mare (as a fanfic author). These were all people who were/are friends of mine, as well as being authors of some of my favorite stories.
I am good about saving stories I really like so that I can reread them even if they get taken down, but there are a few stories I've lost along the way. The one I most wish I could reread is "Lost Innocence," the third story in the Nick and Lizz Series by Jenna and Auctor. The other stories are still available, but that one is just completely gone, so it's like there's a hole in the series. Another one that comes to mind is a story called "Saving Grace" that was on a website called Wiggycool's Hangout back in like 1999. It was one of the early fanfics I read, and it wasn't finished; then the site went down, and I could never find the story again. It probably wasn't really that good, judging by some of the other stories I liked back then LOL, but I would still like to be able to read it again for nostalgia's sake.
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I was so happy to see a new question! YAY Erika! lol
I really miss some of the older writers who kind of vanished like Mersey, Refuse, Susan, Chaos, Izzy and Eboni. I miss all the action/suspense stories and the bromances!
I am not a person who rereads many things but there are a few stories I would put on my 'it would be nice to reread that' list. "Seven Days" and "Can You Keep a Secret" are two that come to mind.
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As a follow-up to the rereading thing, what fanfic have you read (and re-read) the most?
For me, it would probably be Where Can We Go From Here and Cover Me With Dreams. That's why I list those as my all-time favorites; I just keep coming back to them. Signal to Noise is another one I've read probably at least 3 times in its entirety. I am a re-reader, but there aren't many novel-length fics I've read more than twice all the way through.
Do you ever re-read your own stories, other than for the challenge we did here or for research purposes (like to refresh your memory to write something later in the story or in the sequel)?
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Yay, good to see you back Erika!
Hmm, the writers I enjoy are still around, although Mare isn't writing anything new I still have a lot of hers to read (I've just been a bad reader recently).
I don't think I've re-read anything, but I'd like to go back and read some of the first ones I read to see what I think of them now.
In answer to Julie's question, no I never re-read my own stuff after it's finished. The only time I did was for that challenge.
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To answer Julie's follow up question, I never used to read my stuff but now that I've stopped writing fanfic, I have occasionally gone back and read a few. I really wanted to try to read them all but I don't have that kind of attention span or patience. I have read about five of them though. lol
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Usually I only re-read my stuff if I'm trying to look something up, refresh my memory, or get inspired to update it. I rarely read one of my own stories "cover to cover" just for the hell of it because 1) I don't have the attention span, and 2) most of them make me cringe too much. I find that I usually like my stuff better when I DON'T reread it and just remember how I felt about it as I was writing it LOL. I did re-read Curtain Call in its entirety last summer as Mare was reading and reviewing it for the reading challenge, and I actually enjoyed that experience.
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This really isn't a fanfic related question but one I've been thinking about for awhile. Well, I guess it could be fanfic related since our perception of the boys comes largely in the way we perceive them and writing might have something to do with that. Anyway...
Which if any of the boys do you feel will be completely different then how we thought they were when this documentary comes out? Will there be anything you feel might shock you? Do you think based on what you see, it might detract you from being a fan or possibly switching your favorite boy? (Wow that sounded so pre teen of me lmao)
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Hm, good question. I could see Nick surprising me because he surprises me a lot these days, in good ways. He seems to have changed so much (for the better) over the past 5-6 years that he's like a completely different person, and he acts differently in different settings (as most of us do, I guess). I never know what to expect from him.
Kevin's kind of a wild card just because he was out of the spotlight for so many years; it'll be interesting to see how he's changed.
I feel like I have a good handle on the other three. AJ is pretty open about things, and I know Brian and Howie both have their wild sides, so I don't foresee them shocking me with anything. I'm at a point in my fandom where I genuinely love each of these guys, though I'll always be a Brian girl at heart. I don't think there's anything that could change that.
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Ooh, follow-up question:
How has the way you portray the guys in fanfic changed over the years?
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I think Nick will be surprising, also Kevin. I think AJ, Brian and Howie will be just how I imagine them to be.
As for Julie's question, I think I've made Nick more mature and AJ less of a man-whore.
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I'm not sure if any of the guys will surprise me in this documentary. I just hope the Permanent Stain isn't in it that much. lol
As far as how my portrayal of the boys, I think one of the reasons I stopped writing is because realistically, it was getting harder to write just the five of them without all their extra baggage. As they've grown older, they've also grown apart and I've had trouble writing them in present tense without being unrealistic.
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I don't make Nick as dumb and whiny as I used to. He's pretty smart. I used to make Kevin really mean and now,I notice he's gotten nicer. I've also started including Howie more.
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How do you go about developing a story idea?
As I mentioned in the Stephen King thread on the Book Club board, I watched an interview with him on the Today show the other day where he was talking about how, for him, getting a story idea is like excavating a fossil - the idea is buried somewhere deep in his mind, and little by little, he uncovers each piece of it until the whole idea comes together. I thought that was a cool analogy, but it's totally different from how I come up with stories.
I tend to be inspired by something else and develop my own idea around a similar premise. I usually start with a general storyline or situation and develop the characters - I decide which Backstreet Boy will fit best and then work on any original characters I'll need. Then I start researching and outlining, at which point I piece the plot together and fill in any gaps - hopefully. The good ideas come together, but I don't feel like they were always there, just waiting to be uncovered. I have to go hunting for them in all different places LOL.
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I think I've mentioned before that usually my ideas come to me late at night right before sleep or even in dreams. I rarely act upon them unless I can't get it out of mind in which case I usually see the plot unfold like a movie. I rarely know where the story will end up going in the middle when I actually do start the writing process but I always know how it's going to end. I am not one to outline. I'm more or a 'wing it' type person so I am usually as surprised by the twists and turns my stories take as the people are when they eventually read them. LOL
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I am like you in that I almost always know how the story's going to end. Figuring out where to start is usually pretty easy too. It's just getting from Point A to Point B - a.k.a. the middle - that's the hard part. That is why I usually outline, because I need to plot out the journey and make sure it all flows together. Guilty Roads is the first novel I've written in ten years without a solid outline to guide me, and I've had such a tough time with it!
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Hmm, I'd say that I get a basic idea into my head, either from something I've read, seen or dreamt and then see what comes out when I write. I never really plan what's going to happen, but I usually have an idea of how it will end and somehow get there eventually.