Fanfic Meme Day 15

[hils]

1 – How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?
2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.
3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?
4 – Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?
5 –If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?
6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?
7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?
8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.
9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?
10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?
11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?
12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?
13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?
15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?
18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?
19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?
20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?
21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?
22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?
23 – When you post,ewhere do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?
24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?
26 – What is the oddest (or funniest) thing you've had to research for a fic?
27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?
28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?
29 – What is your current project or projects?
30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link

15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?
I think generally it's only important to warn for things that might be emotionally distressing for the reader. Rape, character death, torture, things like that. I know there's an ongoing to debate about triggers and I don't want to upset any of my readers but it's simply impossible to warn for everything that might trigger someone.

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

On the whole I think, like you, that warnings should be succinct and only for really major things.

Even 'Character death' sometimes annoys me - either it is a canon death and so you already know about it, or it is why the person wrote this fic and if they warn you it will give away the plotline.

I remember one which said something like 'Legolas is in a relationship with Arwen. He goes heroically alone to fight a band of orcs. Will he survive? What will she do to herself if he dies?.... Warning; Major character deaths, suicide.'

[hils.livejournal.com]

Hehe! Yeah, I suppose that specific example it doesn't really work but I read fic for happy endings so I don't want to read a 60k fic and find it ends with one of the main characters dying. It's different for books, of course, but for me fanfiction is my happy place.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I agree - which is why I think it annoying only sometimes! I avoid 'it all went wrong and they all died horribly' fics, too.

But sometimes, if the rest of the story sounds interesting, I will read even though there is a 'character death' warning - and have then find it was an NPC that didn't even have a name or, on one occasion, the character's un-named horse! Which was good, as I didn't really care - but I might have avoided the story because of the warning.

Whereas if the warnings are kept for important stuff they carry more weight I think.

[hils.livejournal.com]

An un-named horse? Really? Oh dear!

And I agree it needs to be kept for the major stuff. Generally I'll look at warnings coupled with the summary to decide if it's something I want to read or not

[sandy-s.livejournal.com]

Yes....impossible to warn for everything! If something triggers a person, they should stop reading or geez, go get some support from someone. I'm saying this as someone who has been triggered by a tv show...haven't we all been at some point? Isn't it part of what the writer does to evoke emotion? Sometimes triggers hit out of the blue and it is not fair to blame the writer.

Am I being too harsh? I'm a psychologist and we always say some triggers are good even in the hospital because it helps you learn to deal with them.

On the other hand, I do prefer fic with happy endings or a semblance of one...so I do appreciate the big warnings...like everyone dies...or at least the angst label...