Esther Spurrill Jones's Blog, page 32

Why Do I Write Fanfiction?

If you know me well—or if you've followed my blog for any length of time—you know that I am a geek. I love Doctor Who, Sherlock, Lord of the Rings, Big Bang Theory, Harry Potter, and several other fandoms. I don't only watch/read these, however; I also create fanart and write fanfiction based on many of them. I do this because I am creative and artistic, and because I don't want to merely enjoy someone else's work—I want to be involved in the creative process.

I also do this because I love the "what ifs"—what if Anakin Skywalker survived at the end of Return of the Jedi? What if Sherlock and John attended Hogwarts? What if Beru Lars struggled with infertility? What if John Watson found a strange watch in Sherlock's possession? When questions like these strike me, I cannot stop thinking about them until I write what I think would result.

Some people think that fanfiction is at the best silliness, and at the worst a waste of time that could be spent on "real" writing. After all, you can't publish it and sell it for profit. Well, unless you change the names or something. But that's not why I write fanfiction, and I'm not going to get into the ethical questions of taking someone else's world and characters, changing a few things, and then passing it off as your own work.

Some people think that fanfiction is all smut with really awful grammar and spelling. And, definitely, a lot of it is like that. I don't read or write that kind of garbage, though. Even if the grammar and spelling is correct, if the character is acting OOC (out of character), I hate it. The challenge in writing good fanfiction is to keep the characters in character. This usually cannot be done if writing smut—which I define from dictionary.com as "indecent language or publications; obscenity" (not simply writing that includes sex).

I am in the minority among fanfiction writers in that I write a lot of fanpoetry. Unfortunately, poetry is not a very popular genre among fanfiction writers and readers. This is probably because most of it is really awful, and who wants to read a terrible poem? At the risk of sounding conceited, I'll venture to say that I write pretty good poems. I often write within a form as I like the challenge, and because some forms really seem to fit certain topics. For example, the speed and urgency of a blitz poem suits the Doctor; the musical beauty of the villanelle evokes the atmosphere of Middle Earth; and a modified ballad form conjures the innocence lost in Revenge of the Sith.

Some people think that those who write fanfiction aren't taking writing seriously. Maybe not, but so what? I love writing; it's a fun activity for me. I plan on publishing a novel, but I never want to write because I have to, or because I need to make some deadline (I'm going with self-publishing). I write because I want to, and because I enjoy it. Maybe it's not a career for me; maybe it is a hobby. I do love my day job too, and don't want to quit; and why would I want two full-time jobs?

A lot of fanfiction writers keep it secret from even close friends and family. They feel like it's something to be ashamed of, or that no one would understand. If you are a fanfiction writer, I understand. But I'm not ashamed. I write fanfiction. And I am proud of all my writing.

Visit me on:
FanFiction.net
Archive of Our Own (AO3)

Review of The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"There is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9b

I have been reading since I was four years old, and sometimes it seems I've seen it all. There are no plot twists that are new to me. This isn't always a bad thing, as there are authors who can take old, tired ideas and create something fresh and new out of them. Jennifer A. Nielsen has done this in The False Prince.

Sage is living in an orphanage when he is purchased by a noble as an indentured servant. It soon becomes apparent that his duties will not be what you might expect, however. Conner doesn't ask Sage to scrub floors or peel vegetables. He's looking for a prince. It turns out that the entire royal family has recently been poisoned; but the youngest son, Prince Jaron, was lost at sea years earlier. Conner has proof that Jaron is dead as well, but rather than share that information with anyone, he has a plan to find a new Prince Jaron, and it seems that Sage and two other boys look a lot like Jaron would now. All that remains is to see which one of the three will win the title.

Sounds like a cliché? The Prince and the Pauper comes to mind, of course. And yes, the plot does borrow from stories like that. However, there are twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I found myself grinning like an idiot as I read the "big reveal," and I often roll my eyes and sigh at those.

The characters are very real, each with their own personality and motivations. Conner, especially, is fascinating. He maintains that he is a patriot who is only trying to avoid civil war: if there is no heir to the throne, the regents will fight over which of them rules. However, his methods are suspect at best. Sage's two rivals for the position of false prince have engrossing character arcs; and Sage himself learns and grows a lot along the way.

I really enjoyed this story, and I will definitely be looking for the next book in The Ascendance Trilogy: The Runaway King.



View all my reviews

Review of A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick

A Thread of Truth by Marie Bostwick

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Since I loved the first Cobbled Quilt novel, I had to pick this one up as well. And while it was very good, it didn't grab me like A Single Thread did.

The characters are wonderful. I already loved Evelyn, Abigail, Margot, and Liza (and, of course, Garret, Franklin, and Charlie), and I was delighted to revisit them. Ivy was a great addition to the circle, with a poignantly powerful backstory. Some of the best writing in the novel was Ivy's story.

However, there were times when Ivy's POV slipped into long paragraphs of telling and exposition where nothing happened. I found myself skimming these, wanting to get back to the action. It wasn't bad enough to make me even consider abandoning the book though, and I still highly recommend reading it.

I should warn that there are some themes that may be disturbing to some, and this is definitely not a story for children. Ivy is an abused woman, running from her abusive husband. It is an important story, though, and very worth reading.



View all my reviews

Review of Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Magical. Incredible. I loved every word, every sentence. The concept of doubles and mistaken identity may have been a little cliched, but I don't care. The characters are so real I wept and laughed along with them.

Kim is an engaging narrator/POV character/protagonist. I love a strong female lead, and she is definitely that. A ballerina/fencer who loves old movies and Beatles music, she appeals to me in so many ways. She never allows anyone to rule her, even the handsome Prince she meets in her travels. :)

Alec is a fascinating mystery; Tony is a handsome dangerous contradiction; Ruli is more than she seems; and Sisi... well, I don't want to say too much.

Is it fantasy? Sort of. Not really. But it will appeal to fans of fantasy. Highly recommended.



View all my reviews

Review of A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book so much. It almost makes me want to learn quilting. Not that I need another hobby.

I laughed, and I cried, and I cheered along with the wonderfully crafted characters. The plotline where a main character is diagnosed with breast cancer struck close to home for me, as I lost my mother to that last year.

The romances grew so organically out of the relationships Marie Bostwick introduced. I like romance well enough, but I roll my eyes at contrived love stories. No eye-rolling here, though; only smiles from me.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to read character-driven stories. It's not my usual fare: most of the time, I prefer stories full of magic and such, but it doesn't need any of that. It's simply beautiful. Well-crafted, like a handmade quilt.



View all my reviews

Talking with the taxman about poetry — and deductions

This is completely insane.

Talking with the taxman about poetry — and deductions | MinnPost

Sherlock Cooper? Sheldon Holmes?

One of my favourite shows right now is BBC's Sherlock. I also watch Big Bang Theory, and I noticed that Sheldon Cooper is very much a Sherlock Holmes type of character. I like to create graphics, so I decided to have some fun.

BBT Screenshots with Sherlock Quotes
Leonard moves into 221B Baker Street 
"I envy you" as a not-so-veiled insult
Most of Sheldon's friends hear this when he speaks
He would totally say this
Totally Sheldon

Sherlock Screenshots with BBT Quotes
I'm not sure if Sherlock is this clueless Logical
To be fair, Sheldon does often make tea for Leonard
John's expression in the top right makes me happy

The Pocket Watch: A Wholock Fanfic

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a big geek. I love fantasy stories. That's why I write fantasy. That's also why I write fanfiction. Sometimes I like to create my own world and characters, but other times, I like to play around in someone else's sandbox.
I challenged myself to write the following drabble/flash fiction in exactly 100 words.

§•§•§


[image error] "Sherlock, what's this?" John turned the pocket watch over, his fingers caressing the circular patterns on the silvery surface.

"Hmm? What's what?" Sherlock didn't look up from his book, his eyes skimming the page at an amazing rate.

John frowned. "Souvenir from a case, is it?" He tossed it into Sherlock's lap, rudely interrupting his reading.

His face a study in affront, Sherlock fastidiously set aside his book and picked up the ornate timepiece. After a moment of study, he tossed it away with an annoyed huff. "Honestly, John. It's just a watch. Boring." He pointedly returned to his reading.

Review of Born of Water by Autumn Birt

Born of Water by Autumn M. Birt

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


It took me weeks to read this book, and I’m a fast reader. I can usually finish a novel of this length in a couple of days. There were a few times when I almost gave up on it altogether. Reading it was like trying to run through hip-deep water.

The premise starts out interesting enough: a waterbender (not really, but close enough), Priestess Niri, of the elemental Church of something-or-other, finds a girl who can control elements.

Unfortunately, Ria can control all of the elements, and the Church frowns upon this. In fact, they kill such people, calling them magic-users. Those who have control of one element only, like Niri, are brought into the Church when young to be raised and taught (read ‘brainwashed’). Those who control “magic,” like Ria, are hunted down and murdered.

Unfortunately, the whole thing falls apart rather quickly. It is clear that Autumn Birt does not have the necessary skills to compose a novel.

Grammar rules are broken for no rhyme nor reason. For example, one of the characters says, “I will help you Ria.” This is basic comma usage: “I will help you, Ria.” It’s elementary, my dear! And in another chapter, “Though slightly built, her expression was powerful and stormy.” Her expression was slightly built? How?

Birt simply doesn’t know how to choose the correct words to get her meaning across clearly. “With sinking resolve, Darag realized he would have to spend the night in the frozen Temple.” How does resolve sink? It doesn’t. It can fail, or weaken, but sink? Also, “Niri found herself smiling despite the dull pain that rummaged inside of her.” I kind of like the image of pain “rummaging” around inside someone, but then it wouldn’t be dull, would it?

The phrasing is often jarringly awkward, yanking the reader out of the story to blink and reread the sentence, trying to figure out why you would write that. For example: “The point of his sister’s sword was sticking through his throat.” No, she didn’t kill her brother. She killed some other guy. But I don’t care about the death or her feelings or anything. The action didn’t feel immediate, and there was no emotion.

Birt jumps around from head to head within one scene, making it very hard to follow who thinks/feels what. Eg: “Ria could feel Lavinia tense next to her. Lavinia’s fingers curled under the bench, the idea not sitting well with her.” One sentence is Ria’s POV, while the very next one tells us what Lavinia thinks. Ugh.

Ria is likely one of the most pathetic heroines I’ve read lately. She whines and cries about the Church chasing her and wanting to kill her; she nearly worships Niri’s ability with “waterbending”; then she turns around and accuses Niri of working with the Church even though Niri has demonstrated time and again that she has left that behind her. Come to think of it, Ria’s friends waffle back and forth too. No one can decide who they are. Now, I don’t have a problem with being unsure whether you can trust someone, but their basic character changes to suit the plot. That’s just bad writing.

Lest you think I just hated the whole thing, I did like some of the descriptions. For example: “The evening air was cooler and brought with it the smells of the orange and almond orchards outside the city. Trellised flowers encasing colonnades and railings opened their buds into the kinder air.” That’s beautiful, and paints a clear picture in my head.
I got this book for free on Kindle, but I probably will be deleting it as I cannot imagine I will ever subject myself to reading it again. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it either.

Go watch Avatar: The Last Airbender instead. Same idea, much better writing.



View all my reviews

Burn It!

There's a picture circulating around the Internet; I've seen it on Pinterest a couple of times, and I think I saw it on Facebook once. It depicts the scene from the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring where Isildur took the Ring into Mount Doom and then refused to burn it though Elrond begged him to do so. However, someone has photoshopped a copy of Twilight (the book) into the image in place of the One Ring.

This is supposed to be funny. We are supposed to laugh and shake our heads, and agree that the world would be a better place if Isildur burned this book. We are supposed to think that Twilight is such a piece of dreck that no one should ever be allowed to read it.

Now, I am not a Twihard. I will admit that I read the books, but I wasn't that impressed with the film versions, and I don't think the books are great literature either. I agree with the prevailing opinion that Bella is a rather poor role model for young girls. I did love Alice, though. And Team Jacob, ftw!

Still, this picture makes me very angry.

I simply have a problem with burning books–any books. I read Fahrenheit 451 a few years ago, and–in my mind–it is a horror story. The thought of burning books makes my skin crawl. It makes me sick to my stomach. It gives me the shivers.

Even this oneBesides, aren't there worse books? For the record, I would be just as upset if someone were to burn a terrible book, a book I hate. Why should anyone's opinion decide which books are worth saving, and which ones should be burned? How do we decide who decides? The book I hate might be loved by someone else. The book I love might be hated by someone else. Best not burn any books at all.

There are certain books I will never read. But I will still defend their right to exist. And I definitely won't condone burning them. In fact, I would fight to save them from burning.

I thought about finding the picture that started all this, and linking it here, but I decided against it. I don't even want to look at it, and I hope you don't want to see it either. Or am I crazy? Am I the only one who feels this strongly? Do you think there's ever a case where burning books is justified?