Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Rose]

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

Only a time or two. An old sci-fi of mine, and now, with Undead, I think it'd be okay as an OF. But I use all five of the guys in both (well in the case of Undead...it's We do lol) as well as their personalities. I don't write a story where it's JUST Nick, or JUST Brian. There's always at least one of the others as a main somewhere, if not more.

Sometimes it's a case of I want the Boys, I see them in that character role. And if it's an AU, it's usually because it's not realistic to have them be a famous music group. (It would be weird to have the Boys as BSB and have them happen to survive an apocalypse...o r happen to be secret agents, etc.) I do think it's odd to have one Boy and virtually no sight of the other 4. They should be in there somewhere, even if one is the main focus.

[Mellz Bellz]

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

Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol

It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it.  I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.


I also still see no harm in putting your own experiences in your writing. Yes, I see Julie's point in it being more challenging to write as someone completely different from you and some people do REALLY well with that. I just feel for me personally it would not be genuine. This is my creative outlet and as I mentioned before writing is a form of therapy for me. I just prefer it that way. *shrugs*

[myconfession]

Then I gotta ask, why do it? I mean me, I'd go out of my way to not have it be similar to my own name, in that case. I mean, Tara...Karah, it's easy, very easy, to assume it's a Mary Sue. Why not just dismiss that easy misconception by switching up the name?

For me, it had nothing to do with her name rhyming with mine. It was about her character, her parents. She was named after the house on "Gone With the Wind." It fit her personality. She was a southern belle but quirky at the same time. I honestly didn't even think about the similarity in our names until later in the story. Like, if you read "IWBB," you would see the only thing the character and I have in common is our lust for Nick Carter. She comes from a family of doctors, going to medical school, etc. She's the youngest in her group of friends... I'm always the oldest.

[myconfession]

Yea learned that one the hard way LOL

As someone mentioned about the sequels and endless spin offs... It's a tough call for me because I am guilty of not letting go of characters and writing story after story about the same relationship. It's easy to get suckered into that especially when there is a demmand from your readers. I feel like with me personally as much as I go back and reread Under My Skin and cringe at some parts, it was very popular and because of the way it ended and my reader's reactions I needed to go back and rectify it with a sequel.  A Little Taste of Sin was definitely better written overall, but I feel like I definitely went for the shock value and over the top drama just to compete with other Nick romance series at the time. When it came to the next story and actusally had to deal with the fall out of all the drama I realized that I'd really backed myself into a corner which is why I stopped writing for a while.


Of course now what do I do? I go right back to Alyssa and Nick because it's comfortable for me and I am doing some rewriting, a prequel story, and basically just changing a lot of the things that make me cringe. I've come to turns with the fact that I'm going to write what I want to write and not worry so much about catering to readers. Whether that be writing an entire series of stories about one couple or leaving iff one story on a sad note it's what I like writing about.

See I made a post not long ago asking about whether not stories needed a sequel. I was completely torn on making a sequel to a popular story that I had. Now, I'm on the third and last story in the series.  Sometimes it really is hard to let go of characters that you grow to love. It's almost like losing a friend or something because you become so comfortable with them.

[RokofAges75]

To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it.

I totally agree with this, Mel.  I think this is a big part of why I'm still content to write fanfic instead of OF.  I enjoy writing about the guys, and I enjoy getting reviews from people who have read my stuff.  You're right that OF doesn't get much of a reaction around here, which makes sense, considering it's a fanfic community.  People don't come here looking to read OF.  I know there are similar sites for OF, like FictionPress, but I love the community we've established here.  So I'll stick with fanfic as long as I'm inspired to keep writing it.  And for me, as long as it's about at least one of the guys, and he's himself, with the same personality if not the same job (AU), it's fanfic.

[Rose]

Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol

It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it.  I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.


I also still see no harm in putting your own experiences in your writing. Yes, I see Julie's point in it being more challenging to write as someone completely different from you and some people do REALLY well with that. I just feel for me personally it would not be genuine. This is my creative outlet and as I mentioned before writing is a form of therapy for me. I just prefer it that way. *shrugs*

I just don't see the point of writing about BSB if at least one of them isn't the main character. I mean it's called BSB fanfiction for a reason. If he's not the main, it's a OF featuring a cameo from a real life celebrity. My whole point is that it's like a movie. If Nick's in a movie for five minutes, is it really fair to label a Nick Carter movie? Not so much.

And you're right, if you don't like it, don't read it. But at the same time, when people answer surveys and say that romance is overrated in some aspects, it is what it is. It's not hating on it. I don't think anyone has said "I hate romance". In fact I myself specifically said it's something of a misconception when it comes to me. I'm just very critical of it for the reasons I put in here.

I also don't feel anyone said there's strict specifications on fanfiction. I mean we've all speculated on it, but this is the debate board LOL. Romance writers get a lot of feedback, a lot of the times just because of the fact they're romances. I've seen romances with a bunch of errors get crapload more reviews than a well written story of another genre.

Romance gets called overrated but it also gets the most attention.

[Rose]

For me, it had nothing to do with her name rhyming with mine. It was about her character, her parents. She was named after the house on "Gone With the Wind." It fit her personality. She was a southern belle but quirky at the same time. I honestly didn't even think about the similarity in our names until later in the story. Like, if you read "IWBB," you would see the only thing the character and I have in common is our lust for Nick Carter. She comes from a family of doctors, going to medical school, etc. She's the youngest in her group of friends... I'm always the oldest.

Thanks for the answer. I was just curious, cause if I wrote romance on a regular basis, name similarities would be the first thing I thought about.

[myconfession]

Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol

It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it.  I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.

Totally. Freakin'. Agree.

I've written both fan fiction and original fiction and honestly, I find writing fan fiction more challenging than writing original fiction because I like to try and make the Nick in my stories a close as the real Nick as possible, even though it's fiction (unless it's an AU).

[myconfession]

Thanks for the answer. I was just curious, cause if I wrote romance on a regular basis, name similarities would be the first thing I thought about.

Yeah, I wrote that one back in 2001.

I've written one since where a girl was named Karie and I'm not gonna lie, the girl was based on me a little at the time. It was the first story I wrote after taking a long writing break while going back to college. I needed to get back in the swing of things and a semi-Mary Sue helped with that LOL

[RokofAges75]

My whole point is that it's like a movie. If Nick's in a movie for five minutes, is it really fair to label a Nick Carter movie? Not so much.

I dunno, I watched that stupid "Love Takes Wing" movie on the Hallmark channel for Kevin, who was in it all of about five minutes, and whenever I see it come on TV, I think, "Oh, that's Kevin's movie."  Not that I would ever watch it again LOL.

I've seen romances with a bunch of errors get crapload more reviews than a well written story of another genre.

Romance gets called overrated but it also gets the most attention.

I think that's exactly why almost everyone put romance as the answer to that question.  We've discussed this plenty of times, too, but if two new stories go up, one a well-written Nick sci-fi story and the other an average-written Nick romance, guess which one's going to get more reviews?  Regardless of writing quality, the Nick romance will always win in the reviews.  That's just how it is; it's a matter of taste and popularity.  Like Mel said, you like what you like, and we can't judge anyone for preferring romance - I'm not a sci-fi fan either - but it is unfortunate that there are very talented writers who go largely unnoticed just because they write in the underrated genres.

[Rose]

Yeah, I wrote that one back in 2001.

I've written one since where a girl was named Karie and I'm not gonna lie, the girl was based on me a little at the time. It was the first story I wrote after taking a long writing break while going back to college. I needed to get back in the swing of things and a semi-Mary Sue helped with that LOL

Mary Sues happen, and at least you admit to it. It's those who try to deny it, but there's so much evidence as to fact that it is one...they're the ones who make me roll my eyes LOL.

I dunno, I watched that stupid "Love Takes Wing" movie on the Hallmark channel for Kevin, who was in it all of about five minutes, and whenever I see it come on TV, I think, "Oh, that's Kevin's movie."  Not that I would ever watch it again LOL.

You're not helping LMAO.    

I think that's exactly why almost everyone put romance as the answer to that question.  We've discussed this plenty of times, too, but if two new stories go up, one a well-written Nick sci-fi story and the other an average-written Nick romance, guess which one's going to get more reviews?  Regardless of writing quality, the Nick romance will always win in the reviews.  That's just how it is; it's a matter of taste and popularity.  Like Mel said, you like what you like, and we can't judge anyone for preferring romance - I'm not a sci-fi fan either - but it is unfortunate that there are very talented writers who go largely unnoticed just because they write in the underrated genres.

Right. I even said it's nothing against the genre. It's just what it is. It's overrated because you can typically get a lot of readers just because it's a romance. Especially if it features Nick. No matter what the quality is. It's the same way sci-fi/fantasy is underrated. There's talented writers in both genres, and there's crappy writers in both genres. One gets a lot more attention/writers in the genre than the other is all. Because of that, people are critical.

When there's more stories in a genre, things get repetitive a lot quicker. So it takes a lot more to draw me into a romance.

[mare]

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

I don't know, if it's only about one of the guys and the boys are only there in name like "Oh, I talked to Brian on the phone the other day." I don't really think it would be a bsb fanfic. If Brian actually showed up for more than a chapter or a sentence here or there, than I can see it being a BSB fanfic, but if it's only a mention every now and then to remind us he's a BSB then I don't see the point lol

And as far as the girls POV when it is written like you said, girl chapter, Nick chapter, that makes sense because at least we get Nick's POV but if it's only told through the girl's POV I don't care if she's with Nick all the time, in my mind it's about her. We get her feelings and emotions and not the BSB in question. Just my feelings on it. LOL

[mare]

Oh and yay for actually debating this!! Like you said Mel, if you like it read it, if not don't. The only reason we're talking about it is because most of us said we thought it was over-rated. I thought this would be a fun one to discuss. I think in general romance is a popular genre. As a writer trying to get published, if you write romance there are soo many more options for you than if you write anything else. I have been so tempted to write a romance but I can't do it. I'm not the romance type lmao

Like I said in that other thread that Julie made, I think it's easy to be over critical of romance because it's all over the place. Just like people tend to over analyze everything Nick does but Howie can kill someone and it would go unnoticed...Un less he kills Nick, which might happen one day LOL

[mare]

Ha well I love Lifetime movies, so I guess that makes me a big sap? lol

It's kind of sad to see all the hating on romance, but I guess you agree to disagree sometimes. To asnswer Mare's question about why not just write OF, I'm not sure. I don't know if sticking to a BSB member is like a security blanket, but let's be real here. If I wrote OF would anyone on AC read it? No offense but the OF that does get posted here definitely gets overlooked. I don't consider that just because I predominantly write about Nick that I don't write "fan fiction," because he's not the MAIN character. I do enjoy writing about the guys even if they are just supporting cast. I mean really at the end of the day this is a hobby. I'm not looking to publish anything I'm writing on here. Are they really strict guidelines to determine what is fan fiction? I think at the end of the day, you like what you like, and if you don't like it don't read it.  I think it's really hard for romance writers to be taken seriously in this particular community which can be discouraging at times, but as Karah stated the numbers don't lie. People definitely do read it and that is their perogative.


I also still see no harm in putting your own experiences in your writing. Yes, I see Julie's point in it being more challenging to write as someone completely different from you and some people do REALLY well with that. I just feel for me personally it would not be genuine. This is my creative outlet and as I mentioned before writing is a form of therapy for me. I just prefer it that way. *shrugs*

I can understand why you wouldn't write OF because you're right, if you are just writing for fun and know BSB fic will get more attention it makes sense. It also makes sense to write what you know. As far as being taken seriously, I do think if you are a great writer, no matter what the genre, you will be taken seriously in this community and everywhere else.

I think we all use fanfic as a form of therapy. I know I do as well.

[Carter-Orange]

I think another reason romance is so popular compared to sci-fi for example, is that we've all been romantically involved with someone and can therefore relate to it and use personal experiences within our stories, whereas none of us have ever been beamed up by aliens, lol.