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THE ART OF WRITING FAN FICTION





Posted below are excerpts of a fascinating discussion by fanfic authors originally posted on

AT THE BAYBERRY MESSAGE BOARD

in the Fan Fiction Forum. The discussion is on the art of writing stories and some insights into the authors creative processes. Personal comments have been edited out. To read the discussion in full, entitled WRITING!!! please click on the above link. If you want to add your own input then just click on the voting link at the bottom of this page.




By Trog...

I have recently started a FF and have to tell you how much I'm enjoying the whole process. I have wanted to write for a long time, so finding this forum (and it's kind and gracious audience) has been a revelation.

I find myself obsessed with the entire process, from plot creation, to character analysis and dialogue, and finally to the nature and quality of the writing itself. Wherever I am in my daily life, I find myself thinking about my story and characters as if they were real flesh and blood creatures (and having had OLTL create the characters helps too!). Often during the day, and unfortunately, recently during the night), an idea will come to me and I need to get it down immediately!

Sometimes the words gush out of me - like a dam that suddenly bursts - and I can barely type fast enough to catch all the words and ideas. There are other times when I'm so dry I just stare at the screen of my computer until my noisy screen saver actually wakes me into consciousness!!

I find writing so revealing! And yes, I think, as in any art, total honesty is the key. I have often heard the art of acting described as being up on a stage completely naked with a bright spotlight on you as thousands of faces watch you turn around very, very slowly. I think this holds true for writing as well.

I just wondered how other FF authors felt!!



By Deborah


I feel the same way. Writing is indeed addictive and for me very therapeutic.

I have always had a desire to write since high school. I never had enough self-confidence or drive to really try my hand at it, so instead I fantasized about becoming a writer and the fantasies were quite satisfying and that was as far as I took it...until a couple of years ago.

As on most jobs, the company I work for purchased PC's for us to "work" on and with the computers came an ingenious invention called the "internet". To make a long story shorter, I became engrossed in the information available about another one on my favorite past times...soap operas! Lo and behold, I discovered that I wasn't the only TnT fan, and not only that but there were such things as fanfics and there were some expressly about Todd and Téa...which included sex!

I read as much as I could (at work) until I started coming up with my own scenarios. I didn't start my first fanfic until Todd left after the second wedding...I just couldn't believe he would leave without saying 'goodbye' to the love of his life, so I made the story turn out the way I wanted it to. After I completed the story (written at work, didn't have my own computer at the time) I nervously sent the whole story to Kelly and told her that I wouldn't be offended if she didn't want to use it. Graciously she posted it on her site, even taking the time to break it up into chapters because I just wrote it without regard to that aspect of it.

After the first one, I began another one until I had completed four stories with the fifth one still in progress. "Because of You", (ed. This fanfic is archived at Sun Moon And Starr) my fifth effort is the first one that I have tried to incorporate a little mystery into and it's quite a challenge. I have no trouble whatsoever with the steam scenes...I can always manage to find material for those. I've been in the drive thru at the Chinese fast food place planning one of those out! I know that I don't write "angst" very well so I tend to write more "happily ever after" themes and stick with day to day situations...mostly fighting and making up (I love the making up parts!)

So, after almost three years, I'm still writing and loving it. I'm a 48 (almost 49) year old wannabe author, never had any writing courses (but I've considered it) who still finds it hard to believe that anyone would ever be interested in reading anything that I wrote. Just a few people with which I'm acquainted, know that I write stories and post them on the boards, but I've not even told my mother or my sister. I never told my dear husband who I lost to death a little over eight months ago...but he did know how much I loved TnT!

I finally purchased my own computer at the first part of this year and I do all of my writing at home now. I am thankful to all of the fanfic authors...they're the ones that gave me the courage to do this...I am forever in their debt. And a special thanks goes to dear, sweet Kelly...without her support, I'd still be fantasizing. To all who read them, I'm eternally grateful!



By Trog

I love Because of You and your writing style is very light-hearted and enjoyable. And your love scenes are so natural and explicit, yet touched with an inherent sweetness - they somehow never cross the line into vulgarity - you do them so well!!

I was an English Lit major in college and my professors encouraged me to pursue a writing career, but somehow life got in the way. I had to drop out of school (finances) and make a living!! I am extremely well read and have a great love and respect for classic literature and I think my writing reflects that ( however humbly).

I love imagery in writing, I want my readers to visualize what I write and I love gothic literature so I try to infuse a dark, mystical quality into my writing - a touch of the gothic, if you will.

Why did TNT inspire me to draw and write??? I don't know. But it is their spirit and inspiration that will make me forever grateful for their existence! I guess that's why I love them!!!

Thanks for responding, Deborah, I hope some other authors will share their creative process with us!


By Torri

This is a very interesting question. For me, writing is an obsession. The only time I can truly focus is when I'm writing. When I'm at work, my mind is never on what I'm supposed to be doing, it's on something I'm either writing or have written.

I live in an "until" state (I'm just going to do this until I make it to Starbucks to write; I can't wait until I can whip out the computer). My world revolves around writing and the characters I write. I sometimes find myself shopping and wondering if one of my characters will wear this or that. I know them inside out.

I once read that with writing, you have to be completely open and not hold back. The readers can sense when you hold back. I had to learn how to do that and when I read some of my earlier stuff, I can definitely see where I was not completely open and honest. I know that I sometimes hold back when I write TnT stuff, only because the characters don't completely belong to me.

I can't express how free I feel when I'm writing. Just a few weeks ago, I sat in Starbucks and wrote for nearly five hours because it felt so darn good to do it. Creating anything feels freaking wonderful!

Okay...I'm done. Sorry if I bored anyone. BTW, Trog, I think about your characters at work all the time.



By Trog

Yes, Torri, I know exactly what you mean about holding back, that's why I used that acting analogy in my original post.

When writing (as in drawing for me) the temptation to amuse and entertain others is always there and if you give in to it you find yourself creating for others and not yourself. The thought of offending or placating others interferes with the ability to write what you want and this by its very nature is dishonest. To be completely honest you can only create for yourself and hope that others are indeed entertained by your particular vision - but for me that should not be the main motivation.

Anyway, thanks for your insights!



By Torri

You're so right! I had to learn to NOT write for others. I do it every now and then, but for the most part, I write without thinking about other people. I used to have a big problem writing because I always thought about what my mother would think. When I was able to forget about her feelings and write from my heart, I saw a vast improvement.

I used to draw too and I always drew what I thought other people would like. Again, it took awhile for me to learn to just let myself go and draw from the heart.

I LOVE this topic!!


By Jackie

The "creative" process used by the writers is fascinating to someone like me who wouldn't have a CLUE how to go about creating and fleshing out a story of my OWN LOL! I've really enjoyed reading the insights shared in this thread so far, hope there will be more of them later!...... ~s~



By Trog


Creativity comes in many forms!! Sometimes the most creative people simply create a forum where the conditions are perfect for Creativity to flourish - like a womb being the perfect place to create a child. Many great artists would be nowhere without the partners who inspired them and allowed them to create. Creatively speaking, Jackie, you're the mother of us all - you gave us ATB!! Thank you!



by Shady

[singing] Welcome to our world, welcome to our world...LOL!

I was reading all of the great stuff you and Torri have been talking about here, and couldn't agree more. Isn't it a total blast to write? I'd pretty much forgotten, and then I started writing the TNT stuff, and wow...it all came back to me...how much fun it is, how exhilarating. Like what you were saying Torri...how good it feels to do something creative. Writing is therapeutic to me...it's how I get a lot of frustrations out, and it's how I say what I want to say.

I find myself thinking about TNT a lot more often than I should, LOL...not always about what I'm writing, but sometimes. Usually, it's more like an idea for a scene pops into my head, or sometimes just a line of dialogue...then I'll build around it, and work it in to the story somehow. And just like you, Trog...sometimes the words come very easily, and I'll have a hard time getting them all down; and then other times, there's just nothing. I think that happens to just about everybody who writes anything.

Honesty is key, IA...and also, the idea that you are writing for YOU. I mean, of course, you want to share your stuff with others, and of course, you want them to enjoy it, but...trying to guess what other people are going to think takes a lot of the fun out of it.

The other thing that's especially nice about writing TNT fanfic...is the environment in which it's read. Everyone is so nice here, and so supportive...and that kind of attitude gives people the freedom to share what they've done, without the fear of rejection or being laughed at. The anonymity of the internet provides that as well, but I think that here, as well as on other boards like Kp's Riverside...there's that extra sense of total creative freedom, which I think is just wonderful.

Enjoy yourself, Trog...have a blast!


By Beesa

Color me different, I guess...

Well, I'm not a dishonest person, but I do write with readers in mind. TnT don't belong to just me in my stories, they belong to everyone who loves them, so I try very hard to remain respectful to the feelings of those who are willing to read what I write.



By Trog

Beesa....

Thanks for responding! I didn't mean that writing for an audience is "dishonest". After all without a reading audience the point of writing is mute!!! But, I do believe, however, that writing strictly for the audience's approval is dangerous because you can't "please all of the people all of the time." I think one of the problems with OLTL (and soaps in general) is in being greedy and pandering to as many types of audience members as possible - a seemingly impossible task IMHO!! Consequently, they entertain some superficially, some not at all while alienating others completely. And in the end no one is truly moved or satisfied.

What I meant is that you have to be honest in your particular vision - how you as an individual see TNT!! And if OLTL had been true to its history and its core characters, we'd be watching a much better soap even if we didn't like or agree with the storyline.


By Beesa

Trog – McT certainly didn't write with the whole audience in mind...and look what happened. She had her "vision," and to hell with the rest of us. IMO, she purposefully and gleefully wrote exactly the opposite of what she KNEW TnTers wanted. She blabbed on ad nauseam in any mag who'd listen about how she knew TnTers wouldn't like what she was doing, wink, wink, and then she'd forge on and do it. Mr. Tomlin KNOWS we hate the B/t BS, and it's still happening. So, while it's true that "you can't please all the people all the time," you can certainly remain respectful to all members of your audience and never deliberately abuse them, as I feel has been done to Todd and Téa fans...Bo & Nora fans, too.


By Cabbie Esq

Wow, Trog - good post and great discussion by everyone. You may not know but I write some Todd fan fiction and TnT fan fiction - not as much as I used to - and your description of the "obsession" is exactly how I felt for a long time. All the time, I had my stories playing out, working out, ideas popping - I'd scribble ideas down here and there ... etc. Fan fiction made me realize how much I loved free writing, period. What a cool thing - to slip into another world and live there a while.

I'd do that ... move myself into TnT's loft and watch things unfold (especially blankets ...LOL) and listen in on conversation. I'd BE there ... lots of fun. I don't write fan fiction as much anymore only because of what's happened on the show. I have found myself quite disconnected from characters I grew to love. I find it difficult to sink into "my" TnT's world. The words don't come as easily as they used to. Partly, it's the time - when I write, I just sit at the computer and write - sometimes I'd start with Todd's mind, or Tea's mind ... or someone else's ... a place ... I'd try three or four different places and eventually the real thing would hit me and I'd go with it. AND ... this brings me to the honesty part of your discussion.

I am a dishonest writer in the sense that when things are TOO real for me, I don't want to follow through on it. That can be a writer's ruination - it can be what kills the story - because the "real voice" becomes absent. The pain of loss cuts too close to my story "Edge" where Todd is basically suffering from the ultimate loss of maternal love. He wants to go "home" ... well, right now I'm losing my "home" - so to venture into the concept of loss ... nope, can't do it.

Basically to me, TnT is a story of loss and recovery (unless you venture away from such concepts and just go and have fun like Deborah's story which is GREAT relief!! And I know Deborah has dealt with tremendous loss - but she is able to step away and focus on the positive aspect of loss, the LOVE that eventually leads to the LOSS of that love, HOW, you don't feel loss, unless you LOVED deeply - she focuses on the love) - so when I am being HONEST ... and writing close to my heart, the writing is much harder to get through.

Anyway, I'm rambling ... it's late and such strange things come out at nearly 3 in the morning. Writing is a great thing, a great means to release your innermost self - to create something. It can be a form of escape - but it also can be the direct opposite of escape - it can place you smack in front of your worst fears, your worst nightmares - it can place you smack in front of YOURSELF. And THAT can be quite a daunting task.




By April Michelle


Regarding TnT fan fiction, I think when it's not for a purely commercial medium (as soaps are), the writer should write what they feel, rather than what they think will go over well. Of course you should still listen to the readers, but a person who writes fanfic does it (am I wrong?) for their OWN enjoyment, they get nothing out of it but personal satisfaction...so they should write what will give them that.






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