Fanfiction

For beginning writers, Fanfiction is an incredible way to test the waters and get your writing out there. Nervous that people won't like your ideas? No problem! Pick your favorite book, TV show, comic series, or video game and try writing a story. The great thing about fanfics is that they can be as short or as long as you like, no one expects 100% perfect quality, and lots of people are interested in them. You can develop a steady fanbase of readers by writing fanfiction.

Before I ever finished a novel, I wrote fanfiction. I will not dare to divulge my original pen name, which is still floating around fanfiction.net, and which I still receive positive reviews from on occasion. Suffice to say, the writing I did back then pales in comparison to the work I do now. There were spelling errors, odd comma splices, poorly thought out plots, and weird descriptive adjectives. The worst part is that the pairings were straight, since I wasn't out to myself back then. But people still ate it up. Fanfiction readers aren't picky, so they're great fans to have and wonderful people to ask for feedback from.

Now that I'm older and a lot wiser, I've resumed writing fanfiction again. Although I have moved on from Justice League (I had a crush on Wonder Woman), X-Men (I had a crush on Jean Grey), and Teen Titans (I had a crush on Raven), I decided to give it another go with Law and Order (I now have a crush on both Alex Cabot and Olivia Benson). You can find my new fanfiction account (Rae D. Magdon) on the sidebar link if you want to check it out.

Besides, you never know when your fanfiction might become the jumping off point for a novel. You can steal scenes, bits of dialogue, and descriptions without anyone being the wiser! And if they notice, they will probably just smile to themselves and feel clever for recognizing the transplanted section. Jae, a favorite writer of mine, even managed to turn her Law and Order fanfic into a purchasable Original fiction novel! (I've discussed this in a previous post)

I'm going to bed now, but I just wanted to rant about the virtues of fanfiction before I fell asleep. So if you're shy about writing, or stuck on a novel, go watch some trashy TV and start writing! It's a lot of fun and a great stress reliever. Besides, then you have fans to read your original novels and short stories.

Write For Writing's Sake

If you want to be a good writer, you have to enjoy it. All of us have periods of difficulty with our art, but writing comes from the soul, and if you do not love what you are doing, you will not be able to create anything worth reading. Sometimes, we lose ourselves. This can be an isolated problem that only involves writing, or it can be an extension of problems in other parts of our lives. Writers often struggle with personal problems and let them seep into their projects. This can be helpful if you are trying to add emotion to your writing, but when it becomes counterproductive, it is important to remember that writing is about joy and need.

Write for writing's sake. Write because you need to. Write because you enjoy the act of writing. Do not write to be published. Do not write so that you will 'finish' a novel (although that is a great goal, it is not the MAIN reason you should write). Write because you love turning to a blank page in your notebook or opening a fresh word document. Write because you have a story to tell. Write because you need to, not because you think you should.

If you have lost the desire to write, work to rekindle that desire. It's kind of like maintaining a romantic relationship. You and your writing should have 'dates' to sit down and get some work done. Read books you love. Write scenes that are interesting to you. Set small, manageable goals. Even if you do not think that other people will be interested in what you have to say, write what speaks to you. Chances are that it will speak to someone else, too.

I'm back!

Sorry about the extreme posting delay, but I have been in Chicago without internet for an entire week. It was torture, but I got a lot of The Witch's Daughter written during masterclasses. I have actually been back for two days, but I was super tired because I went to a late night drag show once I got back. The girls were ah-maz-ing! My favorite was probably Sabrina, a black crossdressing midget who could dance like nobody's business!

I'll probably post something that is actually about writing later tonight.

Rae