A question for Firefly Fanfic Writers by PrincessBijou

BLUE SUN ROOM

A question for Firefly Fanfic Writers

POSTED BY: PRINCESSBIJOU
UPDATED: Sunday, October 17, 2004 19:21
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VIEWED: 3725
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Thursday, October 7, 2004 8:50 PM

Hi everyone,

Ive been having a discussion recently with a friend about the merits of Fan Fiction writing, and I need some ammunition! My pal is fond of using mean old words like "plageristic" and "cringeworthy" when describing fan fiction, but I just know there is more to it than that! Im very new to the world of Fan Fic, and from what I've seen in my limited experience there is a lot of pretty awful stuff out there. Im wondering if any fellow Browncoats might be able to point me in the direction of some real "quality" fan fic. What is your very favourite fan fiction, Firefly or otherwise? I know it is dependent on taste, but what fan fiction has most impressed/moved/intrigued you? Given the masses of Fan Fic out there it would be great to be directed towards some of the "Good Stuff".

Thanks!

Oooh! Mangoes!

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Thursday, October 7, 2004 9:23 PM

SOUPCATCHER

Hi PrincessBijou.

You might want to check out the Strawberry Award winners at:
http://www.lurid-eidolon.org/strawberries/

and then check out the stories of the winners and all the nominees here:
http://www.lurid-eidolon.org/strawberries/nominess.html

Big props to JebbyPal and all the others involved in the Awards.

There are three kinds of people: fighters, lovers, and screamers.

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Friday, October 8, 2004 2:20 PM

PRINCESSBIJOU

Thanks SoupCatcher! I'll check it out!

Oooh! Mangoes!

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Friday, October 8, 2004 8:47 PM

SOUPCATCHER

You're welcome.

There are three kinds of people: fighters, lovers, and screamers.

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Sunday, October 17, 2004 7:21 PM

GMAJOR

Well, I'm an aspiring screenwriter, and one of the ways one can show off one's talent to potential agents and other movie folk, would be to present scripts for existing TV shows. If done well, one can show one's grasp of character, dialogue and action, working within an established format.

I've written a few original screenplays which I'm trying to shop around, but it's much easier to get attention, and hopefully, the attention of one of them "somebodies who knows somebody" by posting on the Internet. (I know It's unlikely I'll "get discovered" but it's not impossible). Since I'm loathe to post my own stuff, lest it be taken by unscrupulous types, I post these fanfiction scripts, as samples of my writing ability. Since it's not my show I don't have to be protective of it.

("Called on Account of Rayne" and it's sequel "Rayne Delay")

And writers must write. It's like training for an athletic event. You can't run a marathon all the time, but you have to stay in shape. If you're working in the format you're aiming for (novels, short stories, screenplays, stage plays, poetry, graphic arts, animation, music, etc, etc, etc), then you're getting practice (and often feedback) all the time. Writing fanfic can be a nice bridge between original projects, or a way to remove writer's block - by going around it.

But that's me and my reasons.

Now, in general, what fanfic does is nurture fan support for a TV show or feature film (or in this case, both), generating more interest in the show, and future releases. For fans of "dead" shows like Firefly, it's a chance to get our fix while we wait for the feature film to come out, and have some fun.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The better the characters are, the easier it is to write fanfic. You just wind them up and let them go. It's an endorsement of the highest kind. A rich universe and interesting people to meet is a wonderful breeding ground for good writing.

There's only so much one can show on network television. Fanfic fills a role to "fill in the corners" (as JMS said of the movies, comics and novels written as companions to his Babylon 5 series), of the stories as aired. What happened after that? What happened before? What did we KNOW happened, but they couldn't show us on TV? What if?

Sometimes there's stuff we might want to see, but know would ruin the show if the writers of the show actually caved into fan demands and showed us. Fans often want things they don't really want. Or granting this wish would ruin something that was key to the show. (Eg. Mulder and Scully actually having some kind of romantic relationship. I'm sure the fans might want to see it, but if it happened, it would ruin the premise of the show. No such restrictions in fanfic. "Ain't real!").

In the case of Firefly, where there are dozens of unanswered questions about the characters and their mysterious pasts, fanfic is just another form of debate and discussion. "Here's how it could be," kinds of conjecture. "What's up with Book?" "What is Inara on the run from?" "What was Blue Sun trying to do to River?" and so on. When the feature is released, or maker-be-willing another series, and these questions do get answered, it's like reading a mystery novel and figuring out the whodunnit before the detective does. You give yourself a smartypants award and pat yourself on the back.

Finally, it's fun, and that's enough for me.

"Pain is scary." - Jayne Cobb

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