The Fanfic Rant Hole

[writerjunkie]

Well, in reality it is close to impossible to be original because many things have already been done in literature. That's something that I've accepted, but that doesn't stop me from writing. It shouldn't stop you either Estera and you too Rnd. The only thing that now can be done is putting a different spin on what you make. When people write it's almost as if...they're talking and everyone has a distinct voice, everyone has a distinct way of writing. That's what also makes the story different.

I know that people always aim to be original. That's something that's always talked about and pushed upon people here in America, to be original, to be an individual. I try to aim for that too, but what I find the most happiest with me is when I write and I'm able to set goals for myself and just try to make my stories feel realistic rather than it be original. Every genre has been done, every style of writing has been done, but that didn't stop some of the best writers we have now. Stephen King for example, he's a very good with horror, and before that was invented Edger Allen Poe was the creator of it. He originated it, but that didn't stop Stephen King from writing and making enjoyable horror books that everyone loves. He put his own spin on it and his own dream was to be a writer I'm sure. It wasn't easy of course, but he still did what he loved as should everyone else do.

Estrea, you mention having dreams, any dream is worth giving a try to see what happens. My own dream is to become a manga artist and I know how difficult that is and I'm aware that my drawing skills are not that great yet, but I still try. I still want to try and make a manga. I love to draw. It what's I like to do and it keeps me calm when I draw. It's almost like I'm meditating and because of that I want to keep that dream. I want to keep it just because it's something I love. Isn't a dream itself basically something you love? That's what fuels them and keeps them going. It's like a personal goal and goals help people going. Maybe you should find a simple goal too and don't put too much high expectations into them? That might help.

[gracula]

meeh. why? why did i click on this thread first to catch up on my 2-page list? now i want to go 

will it suffice if my only comment for all of this angst is: 'take it easy- life gets better past 28'*?

Regarding the writing thing- to look at this with simplicity, nothing we write will ever be original- that is the very essence of fanfic itself. there's no point pretending that being a fanfic writer is anything other than just a bunch of fans (with differing levels of talent and imagination) writing about something they love. there is no need for pulitzer-level skills or original ideas for the next cannes award. we write, good or bad, original or not, and we love it.

It is very admirable to want to strive to better yourself- i hope you find your muse and a way to resolve your frustrations with life. I find that time is always the best solution. Nothing wrong with despairing either- that is your prerogative as an artist (and a twenty-something). Angst was my favorite form of self-indulgence and the best muse ever. I have a pile of embarrassing poetry to show for it (not that it will ever see the light of day).

I may not know all of you, but I can say with every confidence that if you care enough about your craft and you have enough passion for it- essy, rndy, waiwai and junkie- you can only get BETTER at whatever you do. Level of talent is no match for sheer hard work.

*source:personal experience

[strawb3rrykream]

*grumbles about getting so few comments*

I guess that's what I get for disappearing for so long.

[Estrea]

*grumbles about getting so few comments*

I guess that's what I get for disappearing for so long.

*huggles* Then the obvious solution is to get back in here.

[kawaii beam]

eventhough i was away on vacation and didnt write for 3 weeks i still havent been really all that motivated to write. like i did open word today the 1st time i've been back but like after a few senteces i felt like it sucked 20times more than before resulting me on just closing the file. like i have so many ideas in my haed but the motivation to get it out and express it into words is so hard ;3;
plus it seems like the fanfic threads bith normal and pervy are like in a drought. i guess it has to do with school and work starting again but still it feels more empty than usual i know that hopefuly with some good chapters or oneshots that my juices will get flowing again.

[writerjunkie]

I can relate. It's very frustrating. I sometimes don't write for weeks or for months because of that, but from what I realized. What helps me write more is if I have someone to bounce off ideas with and not just someone who says things like: "Oh, don't worry you'll get it."

That doesn't do anything for me. The ability to write again is when someone can add to the fic like give suggestions and from there I change it and sprout my own ideas. I need to speak to someone that is very active. That might help you too Kawaii. Then just write down some notes if you rather have notes and once you feel that you have enough, just write. It's best if you don't think about it. That's what I do. I just write and don't look back until the spark is gone. Then I just carefully go over what I wrote and add more to it. That has helped me a lot. It's just best to write and not think about what you're making just yet. Every idea you have just throw it on the paper.

[kawaii beam]

i do have a few ppl (mostly rndy lol) but sometimes i still have that "gah this sucks" thought with no matter what i write ^^; it just surprises me when people call me the "quean of fluf" or say that my writing's so "realistic" when i've never really even had that experience lol. i'm sure there is quite a few people who are in teh same boat as me for teh experience department but i still feel like idk it would never happen to me, or that i'm not writing it right D: idk if i'm making sense anymore

[resop2]

I have just been Josh-ed!

In my current fan fic in the third season I am going to be bringing in Mano Erina doing a character from Kamen Rider Deno.

I just found out that Mano is going to be in the next Kamen Rider movie as Kamen Rider Nadeshiko (and will be the first female Kamen Rider).

[kawaii beam]

i serously want translations to the 12 smart album  i know most of them would give me huge ideas lol especially that takagki duet~ its sound of fluff, along with the sayumizupon duet ^^; i need some insperation, eventhough im writing up something now lol

[Estrea]

Back to the rant hole after a long absence.

I'm writing again, but there's a familiar sense of isolation and helpless frustration. Not because the writing isn't going well (it is going, and well at that ). There's the towering frustration of knowing, just KNOWING, that all the research, all the thematic expressions, all that MEANING, in the story is just going to be overlooked by enthusiastic shippers who are just in reading for the sake of their ship. I'm not dissing shippers, no. I'm a shipper myself, and I admit that a pairing has a great impact of my choice to read certain stories. There are rare exceptions where I actually read a story despite it having a pairing I dislike, because the story was just that good. Because it was worth it, and that's a compliment to the skill of the writer. But most of the time I tend to stick to the pairings I like, because that's what fanfics are all about.

And I'm not complaining about that. It's just that...for me, pairing alone isn't enough. I'm honest enough with myself to know that while I enjoy romantic plots/subplots/wholedamnstory, I want it to be...y'know, meaningful. To have some kind of purpose. Not just "yay I like you, you like me, let's make out and live happily ever after...after we angst and have issues and break up and make up half a dozen times in between as character development". Admittedly though, Nanchatte Renai follows that setup. And I won't apologize for that. I like that type of story, but I don't want to only read that...or write that.

I miss writing epics. I should get back to my ongoing work, like Gegenschein. Or even Nocturne. I could finish Nocturne. I already did the epilogue. I know how it will end. Lol. But the thing is...I've moved on from fantasy. I seemed to have advanced to science fiction. Military science fiction, to be honest. I read historical epics of conquerors and military history and non-fiction. My taste has changed, and it reflects in the things I want to write. I have things I want to say, insights I want to share...but it feels like a waste. A damn waste, because it's like throwing diamonds at poultry. It's just shiny rock. It means nothing. Is worth nothing.

Times like these makes me want to give up fanfic altogether. I should really focus on writing real stories, and work to get myself published. Annoyed. Too arrogant, not good enough, I'll never get anywhere. Why do I bother. Ugh.

[kawaii beam]

^
well essy if it helps i think you putting so much effort isnt a waste. there's always going to be some ppl who will only read just cus its a pairing and others that will for what's behind it as well as a mixture of both^^ for me i know that there's a bunch of stuff that i dont notice when i read a story mostly cus im either in a rush cus of life or just cus i dont really see it. other times it takes another person's comment for me to notice what i missed and i go back and re-read it again and a whole new meaning wakes up in me than what i 1st thought. i kinda felt the same way with one of my oneshots. i had put so much effort into it and i had a feeling that EVERYONE would see the little hints i set up to make it all mesh together but ofcourse some didnt notice and some did^^; i felt a bit sad over it but it made me realize that everyone will see and read the fics we put up difrently.

and though i totally agree that you should continue (and finish so my heart can be eternally happy lol) with gegenschein and or nocturne its understandable if your not into fantasy all we can do is hope or wait that you will go back to it and be interested again^^ and this might seem like a silly complement but to me whatever and anything you write is epic. you could put your own twist on the phonebook and i'll read it! and you are good enough, no matter what! it makes sense that we have our deperssed moments but we have to get out of that rut eventually^^

[rndmnwierd]

^^Dude, I would so want to read a military scifi story from you. Holy crap, I'm drooling just thinking about it!

Yeah, I can see your stress about shippers, but there will always be a few who are like you and enjoy a well written story. Granted, I used to be one of those shippers... But I think I've mature quite a bit since AA.

Whatever you write, though, I'm sure will be awesome, since I've come to expect no less from your perfectionist ways.

[nighell]

I apologize in advance for the terrible writing of text. I write badly, but there are no problems with reading. I would like to say a few words to support you. I do not know does it help. Well...
I perfectly understand your feelings, your desires. Yes, interesting story it is good, favorite pairing it is good too. But if not what else, besides this, the story is hardly long be remembered. Your stories have this that the something else. It makes not just read another chapter, but more than once return to her, thinking.
I do not want to offend anyone... Yes, this is your story and your right to do with it whatever you want. Adapt to the reader may be well , but above all you must do what you like. Writing primarily should bring pleasure to the author, imho.
Maybe you should play with familiar images, adjust them to you at the desired reality, the era or genre... try something new, practice before making a final decision. I think it's a good place to polish their ideas to put them in something else. Stupid idea? ^^
Mood changes, maybe tomorrow everything will appear in a different light.
I have a lot more different thoughts are about this, but I'm not sure I could write them in English. Sorry.
P.S.: And yes, you are to blame for what I has become your a constant reader.

[writerjunkie]

Estrea, I'm not going to lie. There are readers who only read fics because of the pairing and that's all that matters to them. I'm pretty sure a large part of the fanfiction fandom is made up of those readers. But, they still are not what makes up the entire fanfiction fanbase, while I'm partly interested in pairings, I really do appreciate great writing. I may not show it, being that comments are a bit awkward to me and so I don't comment that much, but I really do enjoy fics that put so much time into detail. I notice the small details first actually, even if that doesn't show it's what catches my eye first. So don't think that there are people who don't care about that extra work you put into a fic because there are people out there.

You've mentioned that you want to try a military theme? I've always loved that as a kid. I like to mix that with the scifi genre. I think they go well together and I would like to see that from you. I think it will be cool. I'm also going to encourage you to write your own stories as well. I used to do that as a child as well and it was so much fun, of course I didn't see it as my way to get published, but I still liked having my own world to make. Why don't you give that a try as well and see if you like that more? There's nothing wrong with that either.

[Estrea]

Hey guys, thanks all for the encouraging comments. I was having a really crappy night before and I guess I just felt hopeless and needed to lash out. >_< Sorry...

I am writing a military themed story at the moment. Lmao. I even bought a book to research and stuff (because I'm a geek like that). I also have an awesome world idea with a futuristic/gritty kind of setting that I thought of one rainy night while thinking about radios. Lmao. I might show up soon with something fascinating once I get my act together -- currently all I have are characterizations and plot points scattered everywhere and I haven't put them together. This will be a fic...though the fanfic aspect allows me to explore a dimension (and intriguing challenges) of having a mostly female cast even though the world tends to be male dominated. So there might be some sociological aspects on top of the psychology and action of military science fiction.

I'm thankful to have readers at all, really. Thanks for being so patient with me even when I have major hissy fits, even when I take super long to update, when I ditch stories by the wayside because I'm too whimsical, and I'm glad that I was able to really develop as a writer here. I wouldn't have gotten much of anywhere if you guys hadn't supported me with your thoughtful comments. It helps that I can bring some small measure of joy with my writing too (and tears ). Hehe. Thanks everyone!

[aussie]

I feel a bit awkward jumping in this conversation, but I must admit I am an ardent reader of your stories, Essy
When I read fanfics, yes I do care a lot about which pairings are featured and my interest in a story may be piqued more simply because my favourite pairing(s) is/are featured, but I also look at the genre and story itself. Even if a story features my favourite pairing, if the setting isn't what I'm usually interested in (for example, I'm not a huge fan of fantasy or sci-fi), or if the plot loses its flow and the story falls apart altogether, I tend to stop reading.

But even if a story features a pairing I'm not usually so keen on, if it gets me hooked I would read it and appreciate the good writing, and then begrudge a thought why one of my pairings couldn't be involved in such an excellent storyline Or even if it is set in a genre I would normally skip I could get hooked by one small detail to keep me going and find myself pleasantly surprised to be reading and enjoying a story I didn't expect. And that would be a reflection of how much I managed to enjoy the story, purely thanks to the strength of the writer's ability, and I would have found myself a writer to keep an eye out for regardless of pairing/genre etc, and trust the writing, so that I would be willing to give any story written by that writer a try.

It saddens me to see some of my 'favourite' writers, so to speak, stopped writing (mostly because their fandom drizzled away and their interests moved on, which is fair enough) and I often go back to read their old stories which brings back a sense of nostalgia.

I'm glad you continue to write, Essy (since you said it was ok for me to call you this ), even after a long break, and you even surprise us by adding a bonus chapter to fic which was considered to have been concluded. It's always refreshing to read your stories, and I look forward to your updates, and while I did say sci-fi isn't one of my favourite genres I do have a weakness for epics, so I can't wait till you're prepared to roll out what you're planning

[Regent]

I want to briefly respond to your earlier post regarding shippers, Estrea - even though it seems like your frustration has eased a bit. I feel a bit responsible given my comments in regards to your latest work.

I was mostly stoked that you were even writing a certain pair at all (and very well, at that), so that is where my comments gravitated. I will continue to follow your fic regardless of you who decide to ultimately feature, however, because I think your writing is excellent and I'm really digging getting to read some decent content. I'm really hungry for something with depth in the AKB48 arena.

Your kind of writing is going to appeal to a different crowd than the instant gratification shipper fluff fics- and yeah, it will be their fault if they over look your fic due to the lack of pairing they are interested in. I just wanted to reassure you that your efforts are not going completely to waste.
 

[kuro808]

I think I am hitting a snag with the fics, I am writing, I cannot seem to get anything straightened out anything, but I guess I feel that the time issue has been playing a key.  The, I feel that it has snowballed to some other stuff and just trying to place the pieces together as it once was before, then the feeling is that I am trying too hard in forcing out stuff that for the many times I read it over, I feel less confident in putting it out that I have trashed so much paper over a period of time.  I even have thought of just forgetting about writing chaptered fics, to concentrate on certain other aspects that I haven't had a hard time doing but less gratification in doing so

I do want to get a critique by anyone who is willing to help, just to get the ball rolling, because the time issue I can fix but the writing I feel has become crappier the more I try to get to the point of improvement

I know it is not a rant but it seems to weigh on me lately

[gracula]

^ I actually like your premises and the situations you seem to churn out of nowhere with such ease. Perhaps its hard getting into your fics because the characterizations can get a little tenuous- its a quite different from the personalities we already know and love. But at the end of the day, there's no hard and fast rule with fanfic, right? You can make em be whatever you want- that's the beauty of fanfic.

Sorry, nothing helpful from me.  I'm in a bigger snag than you seem to be in.


I miss living here. Just came by to say that.

RL sucks balls.

[kuro808]

^ you are right about it, but that won't change because I am set that way but thank you for your reply