Amanda Meuwissen's Blog - Posts Tagged "fanfiction"
How Fanfiction Made Me a Writer
Not many people know this, but back in high school I had three potential career choices I debated between.
One was vocal music performance, and while I love to sing, I knew I didn’t want to pursue that.
The second was acting. I had done theater since 7th grade, and had been a lead all throughout high school, and honestly…it was my top choice for a long time. For some reason the anxiety I got from singing in front of people never reared its head when acting.
The last choice, of course, was writing. And I probably wouldn’t have published novels today if not for events in high school that pushed me toward that path over acting…all because of fanfiction.
I’m a video game geek, so my first fanfiction was written around that, particularly Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. In this case, FFVIII was the culprit. I had been enjoying another author’s epically long fanfic centered around the character Zell, but when it finally reached its end, I was disappointed.
I reviewed the story telling the author I honestly felt it could have and should have ended differently. She agreed, and we began conversing back and forth on how I might write an alternate ending, sanctioned by the original author herself. It was an amazing collaborative experience for me.
Not to go into too much detail, the story revolved around topics of teenage depression and suicide. I wrote an ending with more hope than the original, and had a great response from readers. One review in particular caught my attention and has stuck with me to this day.
It was an anonymous review, so there was no way for me to contact this person or know who they were, but in it they confessed that they had felt similarly depressed as the character and had been considering suicide, but felt a renewed sense to continue fighting after reading my alternate ending to the fic.
I don’t know what became of this person afterward, but the thought that my writing could do something so profound for someone made my decision for me then and there.
I never doubted my decision to pursue writing after that, and every time I reach a fan even in the smallest way, it reminds me of the time I reached someone significantly, and that is more than enough motivation to keep on.
You’ll find me touting the importance and good of fanfiction all the time, and this was one of the reasons why. Reading can change people’s perspectives, change their lives, and fanfiction is no different from the most praised novel. Never downplay the importance of any form of writing. Every time we can communicate and reach others with new and important ideas, that’s something truly special.
What about all you other writers out there? What was the final catalyst that made you a writer?
One was vocal music performance, and while I love to sing, I knew I didn’t want to pursue that.
The second was acting. I had done theater since 7th grade, and had been a lead all throughout high school, and honestly…it was my top choice for a long time. For some reason the anxiety I got from singing in front of people never reared its head when acting.
The last choice, of course, was writing. And I probably wouldn’t have published novels today if not for events in high school that pushed me toward that path over acting…all because of fanfiction.
I’m a video game geek, so my first fanfiction was written around that, particularly Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. In this case, FFVIII was the culprit. I had been enjoying another author’s epically long fanfic centered around the character Zell, but when it finally reached its end, I was disappointed.
I reviewed the story telling the author I honestly felt it could have and should have ended differently. She agreed, and we began conversing back and forth on how I might write an alternate ending, sanctioned by the original author herself. It was an amazing collaborative experience for me.
Not to go into too much detail, the story revolved around topics of teenage depression and suicide. I wrote an ending with more hope than the original, and had a great response from readers. One review in particular caught my attention and has stuck with me to this day.
It was an anonymous review, so there was no way for me to contact this person or know who they were, but in it they confessed that they had felt similarly depressed as the character and had been considering suicide, but felt a renewed sense to continue fighting after reading my alternate ending to the fic.
I don’t know what became of this person afterward, but the thought that my writing could do something so profound for someone made my decision for me then and there.
I never doubted my decision to pursue writing after that, and every time I reach a fan even in the smallest way, it reminds me of the time I reached someone significantly, and that is more than enough motivation to keep on.
You’ll find me touting the importance and good of fanfiction all the time, and this was one of the reasons why. Reading can change people’s perspectives, change their lives, and fanfiction is no different from the most praised novel. Never downplay the importance of any form of writing. Every time we can communicate and reach others with new and important ideas, that’s something truly special.
What about all you other writers out there? What was the final catalyst that made you a writer?
Fanfiction Binge
It happens every so often that I either 1) suddenly want to devour every piece of fanfiction about a fandom that I can (like after seeing Captain America: The Winter Soldier) or 2) suddenly want to reread all of my own fanfiction about a particular fandom (like what recently happened to me when someone reviewed an old Saiyuki fic of mine).
For the uninitiated, fanfiction is just that, fan written fiction. The example I love to give is Harry Potter. Say you love Harry Potter, but you wish there had been more about the Marauders when they were younger, so you decide to write some stories about that yourself – that is fanfiction, and it can take many forms.
I started writing fanfiction long before I delved into original fiction because it helped me realize stories better and reach natural ends to my ideas. It taught me how to write, just as reading does.
So a few weeks ago, I got a new review on a very old fanfic (about a decade old), and it made me go…huh. And before I knew it, I had devoured the entire 3 story series, all 62 chapters worth between them. And wow, it amazes me every time as the years pass how there are scenes I just love, and wouldn’t change a word on…and then scenes that make me cringe, and whole paragraphs starting out chapters that I would literally delete and start, well, maybe even three paragraphs down if I were to write it again, because that is all driveling filler.
But it’s fun because it reminds me why I love to write, amazes me at some ideas that I’d forgotten I had, and inspires me toward my next endeavors.
As The Incubus Saga draws to a close, and I continue into the first few chapters of Life as a Teenage Vampire, which I am already fully in love with and cannot wait to share with the world, my next project after that is already stewing, and all because of a single thoughtful review.
The lessons learned? Readers, comment, review, let your authors know how much you love their work, whether original fiction or fanfiction, because it might just inspire their next masterpiece.
And writers, don’t knock your old work. Go back once in a while and read it again. Some of it will be crap, some will make you laugh or sneer, but some will capture your imagination and heart just as it did the first time, and it’s important to let ourselves fall in love with our own writing.
Ah, Saiyuki, a manga and anime that was one of my first literary love affairs.
For the uninitiated, fanfiction is just that, fan written fiction. The example I love to give is Harry Potter. Say you love Harry Potter, but you wish there had been more about the Marauders when they were younger, so you decide to write some stories about that yourself – that is fanfiction, and it can take many forms.
I started writing fanfiction long before I delved into original fiction because it helped me realize stories better and reach natural ends to my ideas. It taught me how to write, just as reading does.
So a few weeks ago, I got a new review on a very old fanfic (about a decade old), and it made me go…huh. And before I knew it, I had devoured the entire 3 story series, all 62 chapters worth between them. And wow, it amazes me every time as the years pass how there are scenes I just love, and wouldn’t change a word on…and then scenes that make me cringe, and whole paragraphs starting out chapters that I would literally delete and start, well, maybe even three paragraphs down if I were to write it again, because that is all driveling filler.
But it’s fun because it reminds me why I love to write, amazes me at some ideas that I’d forgotten I had, and inspires me toward my next endeavors.
As The Incubus Saga draws to a close, and I continue into the first few chapters of Life as a Teenage Vampire, which I am already fully in love with and cannot wait to share with the world, my next project after that is already stewing, and all because of a single thoughtful review.
The lessons learned? Readers, comment, review, let your authors know how much you love their work, whether original fiction or fanfiction, because it might just inspire their next masterpiece.
And writers, don’t knock your old work. Go back once in a while and read it again. Some of it will be crap, some will make you laugh or sneer, but some will capture your imagination and heart just as it did the first time, and it’s important to let ourselves fall in love with our own writing.
Ah, Saiyuki, a manga and anime that was one of my first literary love affairs.
More Sidhe Reviews, Enchanted Book Promotions Blog Tour, and ColdFlash!
Today I came online to discover that Kris from Joyfully Jay, who has read and reviewed all of The Incubus Saga so far, had the review up, and I cannot beam any brighter.
"This is the last book, the one where it’s all been leading. And after the set up in the first two books, it had to be epic. And it was. It is an action-packed tale, one event happening right after another with only a little time to stop, breathe, and explain thrown in. We got to see and hear from characters that appeared earlier. The author did a great job of tying up loose ends, and of showing us the seeds she planted early on that are now coming to fruition. It had everything, absolutely everything, a final book should. That alone makes this a worthwhile read."
Read the full review over at the Sidhe page here on Goodreads, or here.
I've also had a TON of great blog tour stops happening. Remember to stay tuned to my social pages for each of those for some excerpts, guest blogs, and interviews. Currently running is my tour with Enchanted Book Promotions.
You can also watch the full author interview I had recently with my publisher, BigWorldNetwork, here.
And hey, just for fun, if any of you are fans of The Flash on the CW, and enjoy slash fanfiction...my current obsession and distraction while I work up toward diving into my next book is a little ColdFlash fic I've been working on called Out Cold - that means pairing up The Flash with his nemesis Captain Cold, FYI. It's been a blast from the past to be part of a budding fandom and enjoy blogging and gushing with some amazing folks. Never lose the little things. They can mean so much.
"This is the last book, the one where it’s all been leading. And after the set up in the first two books, it had to be epic. And it was. It is an action-packed tale, one event happening right after another with only a little time to stop, breathe, and explain thrown in. We got to see and hear from characters that appeared earlier. The author did a great job of tying up loose ends, and of showing us the seeds she planted early on that are now coming to fruition. It had everything, absolutely everything, a final book should. That alone makes this a worthwhile read."
Read the full review over at the Sidhe page here on Goodreads, or here.
I've also had a TON of great blog tour stops happening. Remember to stay tuned to my social pages for each of those for some excerpts, guest blogs, and interviews. Currently running is my tour with Enchanted Book Promotions.
You can also watch the full author interview I had recently with my publisher, BigWorldNetwork, here.
And hey, just for fun, if any of you are fans of The Flash on the CW, and enjoy slash fanfiction...my current obsession and distraction while I work up toward diving into my next book is a little ColdFlash fic I've been working on called Out Cold - that means pairing up The Flash with his nemesis Captain Cold, FYI. It's been a blast from the past to be part of a budding fandom and enjoy blogging and gushing with some amazing folks. Never lose the little things. They can mean so much.
Every writer should play with head canons
What is a head canon? Well, it’s one of those terms that I’m sure people would argue over, but it tends to come up in fanfiction to refer to things we don’t actually know to be true in the canon of a story, like Harry Potter for example, but because of what we do know, in our minds we believe this (whatever it may be) to also be true.
Still using Harry Potter, as most people are familiar with it, since I always wished there was more Marauders in the books, a head canon could be a whole plot line idea for a story about them going out in their animal forms causing a ruckus or doing some prank, that we can easily believe might have happened or could happen in actuality because everything about it is still in line with real canon.
Head canons can also work if you want to imagine an alternate universe for something. Given what we know of the universe of Harry Potter, if Neville had been The Boy Who Lived instead, how would the story have been different?
Coming up with or writing out head canons doesn’t require you to write a full story, just jotting down notes, in a way, with maybe some paragraphs here or there, or even snippets of dialogue, but you’re really just trying to get the idea out of you as quickly and succinctly as possible. Maybe you’ll come back to it someday to write the story out fully, maybe getting the idea out of you is all you needed to feel that moment of catharsis and that’s as far as it will go. Maybe working out a head canon is what inspires you to consider your next original story. Whatever the answer may be with any given head canon exercise…it’s a lot of fun.
For me, I find that once I start allowing for head canons to come to me, and take the time to write them out, it happens more frequently, which then in turn gets the muse going to come up with ideas for my original works.
Try it out! Suddenly realized that two of your favorite TV shows have a lot in common and one could totally be an alternate universe of the other? Describe to yourself how that would work and what the story would be. Want to consider a what if, such as the hero being the villain and the villain the hero? How would that go? Write it! Give creating a head canon like this a try once and I guarantee it will be your new favorite way to waste time, BUT! Might also help inspire you with your regular writing.
Still using Harry Potter, as most people are familiar with it, since I always wished there was more Marauders in the books, a head canon could be a whole plot line idea for a story about them going out in their animal forms causing a ruckus or doing some prank, that we can easily believe might have happened or could happen in actuality because everything about it is still in line with real canon.
Head canons can also work if you want to imagine an alternate universe for something. Given what we know of the universe of Harry Potter, if Neville had been The Boy Who Lived instead, how would the story have been different?
Coming up with or writing out head canons doesn’t require you to write a full story, just jotting down notes, in a way, with maybe some paragraphs here or there, or even snippets of dialogue, but you’re really just trying to get the idea out of you as quickly and succinctly as possible. Maybe you’ll come back to it someday to write the story out fully, maybe getting the idea out of you is all you needed to feel that moment of catharsis and that’s as far as it will go. Maybe working out a head canon is what inspires you to consider your next original story. Whatever the answer may be with any given head canon exercise…it’s a lot of fun.
For me, I find that once I start allowing for head canons to come to me, and take the time to write them out, it happens more frequently, which then in turn gets the muse going to come up with ideas for my original works.
Try it out! Suddenly realized that two of your favorite TV shows have a lot in common and one could totally be an alternate universe of the other? Describe to yourself how that would work and what the story would be. Want to consider a what if, such as the hero being the villain and the villain the hero? How would that go? Write it! Give creating a head canon like this a try once and I guarantee it will be your new favorite way to waste time, BUT! Might also help inspire you with your regular writing.
