The Fan Fiction Newsletter, Edition VII -- February, 2004

The Fan Fiction Newsletter, Edition VII
February, 2004

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY FROM THE NEWSLETTER STAFF!

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[color=C11B17]Page I:[/color]

[color=E42217]Newsletter News:[/color]

It's that time again ? time to drop by the Writers' Resource Forum to see what's happened here in the past month. We were busy this February ? between the Winter Fan Fiction Awards and the Valentine's Day Challenge, the Newsletter staff was hard pressed to keep up with all the goings-on. We would love to create a middle-of-March newsletter with reviews for the Valentine's Day challenge entries. It's not a time-consuming job; in fact, how much time it takes is for the most part determined by how much time you're willing to spend. We also need general reviewers ? we would like to review more of the excellent stories here on the Boards, but there just aren't enough of us to review as well as write the rest of the newsletter. [color=E42217]If you're interested in reviewing, finding stories for us to review, writing an article, conducting an interview, or if you just want to make a suggestion or comment, please PM FF_Newsletter_Editor or Xaara.[/color] Your help would be much appreciated.

?The Editor

* * * * * * * * * *

[color=C11B17]Recommended Reading:[/color]

[color=E42217]Before the Saga:[/color]

Always and Forever by Lorax

What happened between Adi and Siri the day Siri left the order for her undercover mission that made even the Jedi think that she had turned rogue?

Reviewer 1:

Rating: Very Good

Comments:

This story fills in the background on a Jedi Apprentice/comic book character - Siri Tachi. Sent from the Temple on an undercover mission to expose a criminal, Krayn, Siri pretends to have left the Order and becomes a bounty hunter.

The writing is clear and crisp. One fight scene was especially well-written, both funny and easily pictured. The story line is also logical and thoughfully done. Everything makes sense including the characters and their motivations. A good read.

Quote:

"I am not a child anymore. Nobody orders me around. Not you, not the Council, nobody."

"Jedi follow orders Siri. It's part of our way of life." Adi said warningly.

"Then maybe I don't want to be a Jedi."

Every eye in the room was on the pair now.

"Being Jedi doesn't mean anything anymore. All it means is that you're authorized to lug around a lightsaber and kill people in the name of justice. I'm sick of living like that! We are all puppets and the Senate is the strings! Don't you see that?! We are so much more powerful than them, why live with their stupid laws?"

Adi frowned. "If the Council could hear you-"

"Damn the Council!" Siri bit out, hating herself as she said it, and began to turn away.

????

Reviewer 2:

Rating: Very Good

Comments:

This is a wonderful start on an intensely emotional and character-driven story. Siri Tachi, a young Jedi Apprentice, convinces her fellow Jedi that she will leave the Jedi Order in a scene at the beginning that drew me into the story.

The characters are solid and realistic; the storyline is intriguing and suspenseful. So far, we have quite a few unanswered questions, such as what exactly Siri is doing, and what her motivations are. A highly recommended story.

Quote:

"Then you will join me." He looked her over with an appraising eye. "You will do well as my personal slave."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "As your partner." She hissed softly, lethaly.

He laughed off her threat, gesturing vaguely to the shad

 

[color=C11B17]Page II:[/color]

[color=E42217]Vignette Reviews:
by Amidala_Skywalker[/color]

A Game of Chess by Darth_Solent

Era: Before the Saga
Status: Vignette, complete
Summary: A letter written by the hand of the Dark Side.

Comments: This captivating piece gives as distinctive look at the battle between Good and Evil. From the point of view of the Dark Side personality, we listen to his views on the battle that has lasted forever and will only be balanced by the Chosen One. The author?s prose flows smoothly and a reader can almost imagine the scene that has been set for the great clash mentioned in the letter.

I particularly liked the section where the Light Side personality charged into the battle and overcame the dark armies. It made me feel like light would go to any lengths to defeat the darkness (this reminds me of an old quote ? ?The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing?.) This vignette also had a very strong ending by making reference to the Jedi and Sith as pawns in a game of Chess. One person is so insignificant to the Dark Side. Yet it is eventually one individual who balances both forces.

Rating: An enjoyable 8/10

????

Happily Ever After by vader_incarnate

Era: The Saga
Status: Vignette, complete
Summary: N/A.

Comments: How can I describe this vignette? Well, first, I think I should explain the storyline. I?ve seen (and I know you?ve seen) post-EP3 speculative fan fiction on what happened to Padme. This story fits into that category, but with a twist. She?s captured by the Imperials and it seems they?ve tossed her into an insane asylum. Throughout this story, you can examine certain observations she has that seem a bit strange or irrelevant (for example, the blue liquid of the water cooler). To me, that says that the author has put a lot of thought into subtly demonstrating Padme?s slip into madness/paranoia/whatever floats etc. She acts completely like someone else ? only a remnant of her past self remains.

It gets even more odd when Obi-Wan appears on her ?doorstep? and she starts having flashes of previous conversations with Anakin that mimic the words Obi-Wan is speaking to her. As the subject bar suggests, there is some Obidala, but I think it?s more on the friendship side. Please don?t let anything sway you from reading this puzzlingly wonderful piece. The author has done herself a credit.

Rating: A spot-on 9/10

????

Zealot by Lady-Hermione

Era: Beyond the Saga
Status: Vignette, complete
Summary: An outcast Yuuzhan Vong takes the matter of the Jedi into his own anonymous hands-- but his motives vary from those of his people.

Comments: This piece is very dark and disturbing. If you enjoy light-hearted fan fiction, this isn?t the vignette for you. However, I found this piece compelling, unusual, and a very satisfying read. My main fascination with this piece is the way the author portrays her Vong character. This Vong believes that death is a gift and that he is therefore saving a person by killing them. All the while, he wants that bliss himself.

I was awestruck when the Vong took the life of little Ben. Through the text, I understood why the Vong was doing the right thing and why his race had made him an outcast. He was wrapped up in morals and beliefs that had completely blotted out any opposing voices. For me, this vignette was a dive into Vong religion and the passion which drives an individual to do shocking things.

I recommend this vignette to anyone who is willing to examine the many different layers and shades of grey in this text.

Rating: A strong 9/10

????

[color=E42217]Locked Thread Recommendation:[/co

 

[color=C11B17]Page III:[/color]

As a special treat today, we dug up all those stories that won the Winter Fiction Awards. We can't review all of them, but we can recommend them. The staff here at the Newsletter would like to extend a hearty round of thanks to Sebulba2179, KrystalBlaze, Wilhelmina, PadmeLeiaJaina, Jedi-2B, JainaDurron, solojones, spiritgurl, Bellyup, ShortySC22 and everyone else who nominated, voted, or offered suggestions.

[color=E42217]WINNERS:[/color]

BEFORE THE SAGA:

Best AU Story: [color=8B0000]Forsaken and Begotten[/color] by [color=8B0000]Arldetta[/color]

Best Drama Story: [color=8B0000]To Skin A Gundark[/color] by [color=8B0000]Mistress_Renata[/color]

Best Action Story:
[color=8B0000]Tales of a Jedi: Volume 1[/color] by [color=8B0000]red_rose_knight[/color]

Best Romance Story: [color=8B0000]Smoke[/color] by [color=8B0000]obaona[/color]

Best Humor Story: [color=8B0000]Check, Please![/color] by [color=8B0000]BecJedi, Charmisjess[/color]

THE SAGA:

Best AU Story: [color=8B0000]The Skywalker Prophecy: Episode V: Hope and Darkness[/color] by [color=8B0000]Darth_Lex[/color]

Best Drama Story: [color=8B0000]Winds Of Change[/color] by [color=8B0000]geo3[/color]

Best Action Story: [color=8B0000]The Skywalker Prophecy: Episode V: Hope and Darkness[/color] by [color=8B0000]Darth_Lex[/color]

Best Romance Story: [color=8B0000]A Jedi Shall Not Know Love[/color] by [color=8B0000]red_rose_knight[/color]

Best Humor Story: [color=8B0000]Diary of an X-Wing[/color] by [color=8B0000]JediLynx[/color]

BEYOND THE SAGA:

Best AU Story: [color=8B0000]Legacy[/color] by [color=8B0000]TKeira_Lea[/color]

Best Drama Story: [color=8B0000]Walking on the Other Side[/color] by [color=8B0000]TKeira_Lea, Zara_Rose[/color]

Best Action Story: [color=8B0000]X-Wing: Deception[/color] by [color=8B0000]InyriForge[/color]

Best Romance Story: [color=8B0000]Legacy[/color] by [color=8B0000]TKeira_Lea[/color]

Best Humor Story: [color=8B0000]Mara the Burninator[/color] by [color=8B0000]obaona[/color]

LENGTH CATEGORIES:

Best Poem/Songfic: [color=8B0000]Here Without You[/color] by [color=8B0000]Tahi[/color]

Best Vignette: [color=8B0000]In the White Room[/color] by [color=8B0000]Lady_Moonbeam[/color]

Best Short Story/Novella: [color=8B0000]Dissonant Echoes of a Fragmented Mind[/color] by [color=8B0000]LadyPadme[/color]

Best Novel: [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Fan_Fiction_Stories--Clas

 

[color=C11B17]Page IV:[/color]

[color=E42217]Profiles:[/color]

She's fresh, she's funny, and she's a new author to add to your favorites list. Author of the "Male Bonding" series, she keeps her audiences laughing while managing to present her own unique takes on life, the universe, and everything. This month of February, we're honored to interview our very own Best New Author?Lady-Hermione!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself - how did you come to writing and to writing Star Wars fan fiction?

Like often it does, my love for writing originates back to an initial love for reading. My mother always read to me as a child and ensured that I was doing so on my own by the age of four. It was in first grade that my wonderful teacher, as an option during free time, provided us little ones with pictures that she cut from magazines for us to create stories about. Needless to say, most of my classmates chose instead to play dolls and games and draw on personal chalkboards. I occasionally joined them, but more often than not, I could be found sitting quietly at my desk with a pile of random pictures and my pencil scratching away. It was then that I realized that I did not only enjoy reading about whimsical fantasies and magical kingdoms, but that I wanted to create tales about them that were all my own.

I suppose that, technically, one could say my writing for Star Wars began with my involvement in Talk City?s old Star Wars roleplaying chat rooms. Aside from forming many friendships, my three or so years as a Star Wars roleplayer really helped to develop my writing skills in general. Roleplaying (the literary kind) is really like one fast-paced collaborative story in which you must be quick-witted enough to develop a fast but decent response to another player?s actions in the story; its definitely a learning experience. I?d recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their writing.

I came to writing actual Star Wars fan fiction by first reading the wonderful stories that grace TheForce.net?s fan fiction boards. I grew particularly fond of obaona?s "Temperature" series, a collection of Luke-and-Mara centric vignettes that always have the perfect blend of romance and humor. I loved not only to read the stories but also the comments as well, because she seemed to have so much fun responding to her readers and discussing their ideas on her works with them. It was during my reading of one of obaona?s installments that I paused and told myself, ?Hey, I can do this. And so I shall.?

And so I did.

2. Thanks to you, we now know what happens when Han baby-sits Ben, or when Kyp, Luke, and Han encounter a crazed (and barely literate) fangirl, and when Luke puts on his teacher garb and hands out life lessons: a lot of laughs. Where did you come up with the idea for your much-loved "Male Bonding" series?

?Male Bonding? started as just one story about Han Solo babysitting Ben Skywalker. This is no novel idea, by far, for many people have written and still do write stories about older characters finding themselves in a babysitting predicament, but I really wanted to write one that was humorous but held some meaning in it. I wanted Han and Ben to have fun, but also to bond with each other on an emotional level. Han lost his child, and Ben is at the mercy of two loving but strict Jedi parents-- they both can use each other?s company as solace and relief. Though I didn?t expect it, I received an unusually positive response from my readers and several people pressed for a sequel. Now I?m not much for sequels, but I did compromise by turning that one story into a series of vignettes that chronicle some light-hearted moments between our favorite Star Wars guys. In a world full of dark times, I think we could all use a few laughs now and then, and that?s what I hope to provide.

3. Can you give us any hints as to what you have in store for our favorite Star Wars males in the near future? [/

 

[color=C11B17]Page V:[/color]

[color=E42217]Forum News
by Amidala_Skywalker[/color]

Welcome to the ?Forum News? section for the month of February! I?d just like to acknowledge our new editor, Xaara, and any new reviewers or contributors. The newsletter is a valuable asset to the Fan Fiction forums and it?s good to see a successful changing of hands for the third time.

February has been an unusually quiet month on the JC Fan Fiction front. As I write this, the Fan Fiction banner competition (which can be found here) is winding down at midnight tonight. Numerous entries have been submitted to me by PM, so there is no doubt that this will be a tricky contest for the mods to judge. Thank you to all those who did take the time to participate! The Fan Fiction forums will most certainly benefit from a ?new look?.

February was also the month of romance and the Fan Fiction forum celebrated Valentine?s Day in style. Mistress_Renata conducted a Valentine?s Day Treasure Hunt, while I, along with LianaMara and JainaDurron, opened a Valentine?s Day Love Letter (Writing) Challenge. The judges are still out on that competition. By my count, 81 fan fics have been entered into the contest, which is an astonishing number for the five days the challenge was open. Keep an eye on the ?mother thread? (located here) for updates. I also encourage everyone to volunteer to write a review for the special edition Valentine?s Challenge newsletter! Xaara needs as many hands as possible to review 80+ fics.

In other news, Kit? returned from her break to Bundaberg ? the Australian capital of rum and sugar cane. The MS is yet to see the souvenirs she brought back from her trip .

Please don?t forget to view this thread. It has a very important reminder that everything should observe.

In light of the lack of events to showcase, I?ve decided to point out a handful of very helpful threads for the average writer/reader.

- Beta Readers: Yes or No? (If you?re undecided as to whether you need a beta-reader, visit this thread and examine the opinions of fellow writers. It also discusses whether you should use a beta-reader before or after you?ve posted your story.)

- There are always long running character discussion threads operating in the Writers? Resource. Just to name a few: Obi-Wan ? A Character Workshop, Letting Qui-Gons be Qui-Gons, and Underground. If you?re interested in conversing about a character that doesn?t have a discussion thread, go ahead and create one! However, it might be wise to ask the mods beforehand to see if there isn?t a pre-existing thread that your eyes have skipped over.

- Discussing Shifting Perspectives and Other Story Telling Methods in Fan Fiction (A very active and in-depth discussion thread on POVs and storytelling.)

- War of the Writing Styles: Bare minimalism VS. Rich texture (How do you write? What?s your style? What?s your preference? Express your opinion in this thread!)

- The brilliant Fan Fiction Recommendation Service is still alive. Are you having trouble finding the fan fic you want? This service will help you find your ideal reading

 

These newsletters are awesome. You guys do a terrific job.

 

Magnificent work, all!

LOL at the advertisements! Great job, dianethx! I also found Ty-Gon?s article to be particularly intriguing.

Thank you to everyone for their contributions! Another satisfying read for this month.

Am

 

Another excellent and informative newsletter.

Well done.

 

And SobiFan did an excellent job on Defining Us. I just wish I could have gotten her to beta its sequel but she's a busy webmiss, which I understand completely.

~aeryn

 

*snort* Oh, Diane, your ads are always so funny!

And Ty-Gon, great article!

 

Great job everyone. I really liked the pictures at the beginning. Lovely! And Ty-gon Jinn's article was quite interesting but I was very glad he didn't have a quiz at the end (wipes worried brow)...LOL.

Am, I liked the listing of useful discussions going on. Very helpful and rather enlightening when you see them all listed like that.

And terrific reviews and interviews!!!

Great quality. Keep up the good work!

 

Xaara you didn't miss a beat after taking over for Jane. Great job everyone! You put out another quality newsletter. I was thrilled to be reviewed and so glad whoever got the task enjoyed the story.

 

Thank you everyone - the newsletter was, as always, truly a team effort. Everyone who submitted a portion of the publication and those who offered support and ideas helped immensely.

As stated above in Am's Forum News, we will be publishing a supplement with short reviews of the Valentine's Day Challenge entries. Keep an eye out for that - reviewing all the love letter stories promises to be rewarding.

Once again, thanks for reading!

-Xaara

 

Despite not being around here much any more, I still have my spies who twittered in my ear about these reviews - and I am truly honored. To get accolades is always lovely; to get them from such multi-talented, gifted individuals is a source of pure joy.

Congratulations to all the contributors to this marvelous effort.

CYN

 

I didn't know this existed! Brilliantly well done; I especially liked the literary section. How do we know when this is posted in new editions?

-Saber

 

Check the Admin. Announcements stuck to the top of the Writers' Resource Forum's first page whenever it is updated.

 

You're welcome, CYN. Thank you for reading.

I'm glad you discovered the newsletter, SaberBlade - it's always wonderful to have new readers. Since this is a monthly publication, you can usually start looking for a new edition toward the end of each month. This month, however, in honor of Valentine's Day, we'll be posting a supplement in the middle of March with reviews of all the Valentine's Day challenge entries. Keep an eye out for it! (Also, if you'd like to look at back issues of the newsletter, you can find them at the bottom of this edition or in FF_Newsletter_Editor's profile.)

-Xaara

EDIT: And what Jedi-Ander said.

 

A lot of work obviously went into this; every detail is helpful, informative and entertaining. My sincere gratitude to everyone who puts their time into these newsletters! They're great resources.

You've done a wonderful job on editing, Xaara ... as I knew you undoubtedly would.

The art is beautiful, Leela and Guinastasia! Perfect for February.

That first plot suggestion is incredible, ophelia! The others are intriguing as well. I never cease to be amazed by the creativity of people around here...

Thanks for reviewing my vignette, Amidala_Skywalker! It was quite a pleasant surprise. And thank you again for interviewing me, Xaara!

The writing tips of the month are not only helpful, but absolutely hilarious! I love it!

I enjoyed reading your interview, SobiFan! I completely agree with you about the "earthly" swearing.

I bow before the coolness that is Ty-Gon Jinn; that article is wonderful! I admittedly (obviously) go for "uranic" themes in my writing, but your article made me challenge myself to try my hand at chthonic. I can't wait to get started!

Thanks for the forum news, Amidala_Skywalker! Those are all very useful threads.

I love the advertisements, dianethx! They're hilarious!

If I missed anyone, forgive me. It is 1:30 AM, after all. Thanks again to everyone who contributed to provide this fine newsletter for the fanfiction community.


~Hermione~