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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Challenge Fifty Titles in Search of a Story | We have a winner! Congrats to divapilot :)

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by ProlificWritersSock, Nov 22, 2015.

  1. ProlificWritersSock

    ProlificWritersSock Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2015
    (reserved for summary on genre, tropes and clichés)

    I will get to this...promise...sometime...

    [face_good_luck] Irish
     
  2. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Hey guys,

    I'm going to be travelling from tonight to August 6, so the wonderful Irish_Jedi_Jade will be looking after our challenge thread until then. If anyone wants to add something about genre, tropes and clichés, now's the time :)
     
    earlybird-obi-wan likes this.
  3. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Yay for the amazing step-up to the plate Irish_Jedi_Jade @};- :cool: and Chyntuck - it need hardly be said -- please keep safe ... the world feels crazy and chaotic in too many places. [face_nail_biting] ^:)^
     
  4. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Chyntuck likes this.
  5. ProlificWritersSock

    ProlificWritersSock Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2015
    Week 29 - Cannon, Cannon, Lovely Cannon

    Because I barely have any idea what I'm doing, I'm going to break what Chyn left me into two parts...and hope I don't muck it up too much! This week we're going to discuss the fun of working within the established Cannon confines. Next week we'll look at AU's/Crossovers/Etc. (i.e.--anything that tends to play with the timeline and/or alter it). For the purposes of this discussion, "Cannon" can be either Legends Cannon or the current, Disney-Outlined TFA driven Nu-Cannon.

    Do you tend to write Cannon-compliant stories or AU's? Why are you drawn to one or the other? Or if you write a nearly-equal amount of both, do you find one or the other easier to write?

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story? How faithful do you try to be to the canon storyline? What sources do you use (films/books/video games etc), or do you rely on one source exclusively? How does it influence the choice of characters, etc? Do you read/watch the material? Or mainly rely on things like Wookipedia, etc.?

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in Cannon? Do you just do the best you can to make it make sense and move on? Do you use the inconsistencies to drive your writing, and/or write to explain why the inconsistencies exist? What do you do when an inconsistency pops up you weren't aware of as you're writing?

    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? Do you enjoy writing stories that are constrained by characters that we all know, and thereby have to be inventive within confines? Or does this make you gravitate towards OC's with occasional appearances by "cannon" characters?

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? How are you feeling about the "Nu-Cannon" versus the Legends Cannon we've all known for a long time? If there's an era that draws you in, what about it makes you like it? Is it a specific character or characters? Is it the aesthetics of the era, the nuances and/or the settings? Do certain conflicts in that era speak to you for a reason?



    ~[face_good_luck] Irish
     
    Chyntuck likes this.
  6. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Cannon go boom! (Yeah, I’m pestering you already Irish!)


    Do you tend to write Canon-compliant stories or AU's? Why are you drawn to one or the other? Or if you write a nearly-equal amount of both, do you find one or the other easier to write?

    I write both. Number-wise I feel like I’ve written more AUs (and my AUs generally tend to be longer), but I do really enjoy writing both. I think my muse leans towards AUs just because there’s that freedom to do whatever I want, or make the ‘established story’ go off into a new direction, so AUs are easier. But canon stories can be just as fun and depending on the time period, they can be easier because the story (often) will have some sort of established beginning and how it has to end (IE writing an epic betweem ROTJ and TFA).

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story? How faithful do you try to be to the canon storyline? What sources do you use (films/books/video games etc), or do you rely on one source exclusively? How does it influence the choice of characters, etc? Do you read/watch the material? Or mainly rely on things like Wookipedia, etc.?
    It depends, I’m usually fairly familiar with the surrounding material. I don’t write TOR fanfic because I don’t play the game, but I’ve written Ben Skywalker -canon material, because (at the time) I was fairly familiar with LOTF and FOTJ. I don’t lose sleep if I’m not 100% faithful. I consider my Bail/Breha fic canon even though I totally ignored the Alderaan Ascendancy Contention (in my defense, the contention was like mentioned twice in canon and only really covered in sourcebooks, so I didn’t even know it was elaborated on).

    I might watch/re-watch TV episodes or movies or re-read parts of books if I have the need (not to mention the time and the avaliblitiy of the material). But I have flubbed quite a bit through the Wook (haven’t we all?).

    Nu-canon is a bit different for me right now. I haven’t read much of the new books (I’ve only consumed Rebels and a few comics mostly), so I have done some preliminary research (for fics that never got to the posting stage), or I may just write “this fic only takes into account the movies in it’s canon categorization.”



    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in Canon? Do you just do the best you can to make it make sense and move on? Do you use the inconsistencies to drive your writing, and/or write to explain why the inconsistencies exist? What do you do when an inconsistency pops up you weren't aware of as you're writing?
    They make me want to cry.

    No, seriously. Most times I try my best to just to do a quick explanation and move on. I think we are all aware of the fact that both the Great George Lucas, and the other writers and authors, were/are just making up the details as they went along (this more applies to Legend stuff, Disney seems running a much tighter ship, but it's still early days). They are inevitable and we all know some of the stuff just doesn’t make sense.

    But I cry when they pop up as I’m writing and really passionate about what story I’m


    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? Do you enjoy writing stories that are constrained by characters that we all know, and thereby have to be inventive within confines? Or does this make you gravitate towards OC's with occasional appearances by "cannon" characters?

    I love the constraints. I’ve said this before, but I write fanfic to take a characters I love and put them in a new situation, or in a moment not covered by canon. It gives me parameters, which can mean I have to be inventive, or I can be brainless, depending on what I want to write.
    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? How are you feeling about the "Nu-Canon" versus the Legends Canon we've all known for a long time? If there's an era that draws you in, what about it makes you like it? Is it a specific character or characters? Is it the aesthetics of the era, the nuances and/or the settings? Do certain conflicts in that era speak to you for a reason?

    I gravitate towards the timelines that have the characters I enjoy writing (Luke, Mara, Ben Skywalker, Bail, Breha, Anakin Skywalker), but I do enjoy trying new things and venturing out. Right now I’m sticking more with Legends stuff for reasons stated above (none of the books have really sparked a desire to read them and Rebels has yet to really hit me with any ideas beyond one-shots) but I’m hopeful I can slowly get more into it.
     
  7. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Do you tend to write Cannon-compliant stories or AU's? Why are you drawn to one or the other? Or if you write a nearly-equal amount of both, do you find one or the other easier to write?

    I tend to mix it up. I like writing AUs that are only a bit different or things that are mostly canon compliant but change a couple of details and from that point is very much an AU.
    (JadeLotus and ThreadSketch are excellent authoresses in that regard.) Usually if I jump off and take an AU turn in something I'm writing it will revolve around a crucial decision that a character makes that takes the story in a different but plausible direction.

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story? How faithful do you try to be to the canon storyline? What sources do you use (films/books/video games etc), or do you rely on one source exclusively? How does it influence the choice of characters, etc? Do you read/watch the material? Or mainly rely on things like Wookipedia, etc.?
    I do research on places and cultures and little-known characters for back-story etc.

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in Cannon? Do you just do the best you can to make it make sense and move on? Do you use the inconsistencies to drive your writing, and/or write to explain why the inconsistencies exist? What do you do when an inconsistency pops up you weren't aware of as you're writing?

    Inconsistencies :eek: :rolleyes: I take the details I like and assume they happened or write the reverse of the ones I don't. [face_laugh]

    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? Do you enjoy writing stories that are constrained by characters that we all know, and thereby have to be inventive within confines? Or does this make you gravitate towards OC's with occasional appearances by "cannon" characters?

    I feel the constraints still allow for freedom of creativity based on the situation that you're putting the character in. As long as they're not OOC, that's fine. I do love OCs. Some can resonate as deeply as established characters if written well. Making a story all about original characters might be a little bit daunting though.

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? How are you feeling about the "Nu-Cannon" versus the Legends Cannon we've all known for a long time? If there's an era that draws you in, what about it makes you like it? Is it a specific character or characters? Is it the aesthetics of the era, the nuances and/or the settings? Do certain conflicts in that era speak to you for a reason?


    I love the stuff post ROTJ because it lends itself so much to how we get to point B from where ROTJ left off. :cool: Plot wise and character growth wise. I love things that fill in the blanks and that applies to Legends and NEU. For legends, Mara, Thrawn, and Karrde will always float my happy fangirl boat. ;) NEU - the explanations and plot devisings of how the First Order arose and the pitfalls the New Republic fell into are quite intriguing. Some of the characters brought along by Chuck Wendig particularly are fun to read about. Strong female "leads" for one thing. :cool: Eventually once more is written/shown about them, I think they'll be fascinating to read/write about, but I need to let the "new character" /unfamiliar houseguest feeling wear off first. [face_laugh]
     
  8. Pandora

    Pandora Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 13, 2005

    Okay: sorry about that.

    *

    Do you tend to write canon-compliant stories or AU's? Why are you drawn to one or the other? Or if you write a nearly-equal amount of both, do you find one or the other easier to write?

    Most of my stories have been canon-compliant--that is, mostly by virtue of the fact that they don't contradict any of the events in the movies. Of course, this is oftentimes because my stories take place with different characters, and in another part of the galaxy, and thus are completely separate from the story of the movies altogether. I have only written a few AUs. I wouldn't say that one is easier to write than the other (though according to 1000 interviews with as many writers, nothing is actually easy), but that may be because I have different things I'm trying to accomplish with them.

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story? How faithful do you try to be to the canon storyline? What sources do you use (films/books/video games etc), or do you rely on one source exclusively? How does it influence the choice of characters, etc? Do you read/watch the material? Or mainly rely on things like Wookipedia, etc.?

    When I started my first attempt at a fanfiction story (which I abandoned years ago, and which no longer exists in any form), I did a lot of nitpicking research. Now, I should probably do more research-- though I prefer not to watch the movies, or mostly the original trilogy, just for the sake of picking at them for a fanfiction work. That, along with the few book sources I first read circa 2000, would be it; I don't use the wookieepedia much anymore, in large part because the ads are too much for my internet/operating system to handle.

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in canon? Do you just do the best you can to make it make sense and move on? Do you use the inconsistencies to drive your writing, and/or write to explain why the inconsistencies exist? What do you do when an inconsistency pops up you weren't aware of as you're writing?

    Sometimes, I like to pick at them. Sometimes, I just have to shrug and move on.

    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? Do you enjoy writing stories that are constrained by characters that we all know, and thereby have to be inventive within confines? Or does this make you gravitate towards OC's with occasional appearances by "canon" characters?

    Well, first of all, I should point that while we all know the "canon" characters (or at least, the major characters in the movies), that doesn't mean that we know them the same way. That's why I dislike the commonly used phrase "the characters we all know and love"--and not just because it has been often been traditionally followed by a disparaging remark about upstart original characters: the chances are I don't know and love them the exact same way that person does. That aside, I almost never write about major "canon" characters. It isn't that I feel constrained; it's more that I don't have anything to say about them. I've seen their story, and it was good enough for me. I'm here to write, and play with, the planets we "know and love."

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? How are you feeling about the "Nu-Canon" versus the Legends canon we've all known for a long time? If there's an era that draws you in, what about it makes you like it? Is it a specific character or characters? Is it the aesthetics of the era, the nuances and/or the settings? Do certain conflicts in that era speak to you for a reason?

    For some reason, I have tended to stick inside the Saga era, and many of my stories seem to fall right into the twentyish year period between the prequel and the original trilogy. It has just always felt like a good space for me to work in, with both freedom, and a familiar galactic background that I can leave hovering there, or put to use, as it works for the story in question. I only ever utilized a few convenient bits from the old Legends. As for the "nu-canon"--I haven't seen the new movie yet, and I have absolutely no interest in Disney's new EU.
     
  9. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Do you tend to write Cannon-compliant stories or AU's?

    I do both. I'd say the majority of my stories could fit in canon when I write them. Of course, when new things come out they become AU. I like the challenge of keeping in canon when I'm writing, but AUs can be a lot of fun as well. I like AUs because they answer the "what if" questions that are always fun to ask.


    How much research do you put into writing a canon story?
    Usually a decent amount, though it depends on what I'm writing. If it's something really minor, I might skip researching because if I'm on a roll, I don't want to stop and figure something out that might not really matter. I'll look things up on the Wook, I'll pull the books down and read sections. I used to use the RPG books A LOT, but they didn't belong to me so I don't have them as a resource any more. I should probably buy them.


    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in Cannon?
    Hahah… yeah, there have been quite a few of those. That's what's awesome about fanfic, though you can make up reasons for those inconsistencies or just choose what you want to go with. That's the fanfic motto, when in doubt, make it up!


    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you?
    I think that's part of the beauty of fanfic. It gets a bad wrap as being lazy writing, but I think it's far from lazy. To be able to write someone else's character, and a character that people really love takes skill. But you also have the ability to change the character, if you write an AU that has a significant impact on that character, they might change, but you have to keep them enough of that character that people know still know them. This isn't easy and I think it's a great exercise in writing.
    If you want someone who isn't already established, you can work OCs into your stories, so you get the best of both worlds of writing: character design and working with an established character.

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline?
    I tend to gravitate to the post-NJO era. Mostly because Ben Skywalker exists and Mara and Luke exist as they did. Those are the characters that got me into more than just the movies and got me into fanfic. That's not to say I don't like other timeframes, I do, but that tends to be where I end up when I'm writing the most.


    I haven't really read much of the Nu-EU, I'm sure I will and I'm excited for some up coming books, but I just haven't had the time. Legends will always hold a special place in my heart and will always exist as an alternate universe.
     
  10. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014
    Do you tend to write canon-compliant stories or AUs? Why are you drawn to one or the other? Or if you write a nearly-equal amount of both, do you find one or the other easier to write?
    I'm with Pandora here - the reason the things I'm writing about do not contradict anything is because they're too obscure to. Other than that, I have never written anything that qualifies as an AU. I'm toying with this idea of a bizarre, dystopian PT AU, but I have too many things on my plate right now.

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story? How faithful do you try to be to the canon storyline? What sources do you use (films/books/video games etc), or do you rely on one source exclusively? How does it influence the choice of characters, etc? Do you read/watch the material? Or mainly rely on things like Wookipedia, etc.?
    I do not write to stick my stuff into the established timeline, so if something is off by a week or whatever, I am most likely not going to mind. These things are not PhD dissertations. I will go through any source I have available, but I won't let the extreme accuracy be more important than what is actually going on in the story.

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in canon? Do you just do the best you can to make it make sense and move on? Do you use the inconsistencies to drive your writing, and/or write to explain why the inconsistencies exist? What do you do when an inconsistency pops up you weren't aware of as you're writing?
    Owwww... did I run into this when writing both of my Ewoks fics. Please, pull a Butthead on me if I go all Beavis and write an essay here.

    For one, people deny my favourite character, Teebo, since day one and come up with barely believable fan theories, where there was an alleged "character replacement" for the cartoon series and he is actually Paploo. I find this incredibly stupid in a way - Teebo always looked leaner than Paploo, even when he was shorter in the cartoon, Paploo's outfit matches the one from ROTJ closely and his impulsive behaviour from ROTJ is in the cartoon as well. It's also implied that both characters are slightly older than the rest of the group. They were just made less nightmare-inducing for children.

    My further research led me to the first draft of Return of the Jedi, where I learned that Teebo was initially doing everything Paploo was supposed to do and more, that there was a scene where R2 saved him and that his anxious, yet gentle-ish streak was more obvious there than in the finish work. He barely survived the stunt Paploo eventually pulls in ROTJ, too.

    And then I found a ROTJ comic where Wicket was the one riding the speeder and looks like eventual Paploo. All of this led me to the conclusion that Paploo was a last-moment character, which makes sense because Warwick Davis impressed George Lucas and Kenny Baker fell ill. Therefore, the cartoon series actually expanded on...almost nothing. Paploo was patched together from the characterisation and intended scenes for the other two.

    Upon having found out all this, I was really mad about how common the Paploo/Teebo "replacement" theory was to the point where it was on Wook, so, err, I did what any true fangirl would do - I started writing a fix fic to explain that Teebo was always the same character who had undergone some changes. And I started editing the Wook article on him myself. Because, I am his biggest fan or whatever. [face_love]

    There are other ost of the contradicting sources come from the earliest material. For example, there was Fat Guys In Suits changing production order of episodes and comics to fit what they thought would work better (for the cartoon, the order is actually 2, 1, 3, 9, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13)

    When it comes to other stories, there was the Legends ban on podracing in the Core Worlds found in some obscure source, vs. Edge of the Empire: Suns of Fortune, which talks about Nubians (not the Naboo!) being mad about podracing. Since I was picking pieces for a canon story from Legends, I went with the later, and then somebody from Obscure Details Police intervened. :( I said that I was not going to go with the older source and that I want my Nubians to be the fun-loving people of the Corellian Sector. They totally need sports when various corporate puppets are running their planet!

    Some minor differences regarding Sacorria in older vs. newer sources helped me. I liked the idea of the system's sun being called Sacor more than Sacorria, so I went on to read Craken's Threat Dossier where that was established. I ended up finding out what should have been obvious-ish either way: that two of the members of the Sacorrian Triad are female and that the planet's matriarchal Drall and Selonian communities are equally repressive as the patriarchal Human one. And that was so fun to write about.

    This also gave me some inspiration to name Aurea and Vagran's suns and system mates. :)

    Wow, that was long. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that starting to look what you got "wrong" can lead to new ideas and awesome-as-heck discoveries.

    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? Do you enjoy writing stories that are constrained by characters that we all know, and thereby have to be inventive within confines? Or does this make you gravitate towards OCs with occasional appearances by "canon" characters?
    I have no problem with this, I just find OCs more interesting because I like building characters from zero. I wrote a Leia-centric short story, I am writing a story where Luke and Ben (Solo) meet a bunch off oddlings and so far, nobody has pointed out that anything was wrong.

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? How are you feeling about the "Nu-Canon" versus the Legends Canon we've all known for a long time? If there's an era that draws you in, what about it makes you like it? Is it a specific character or characters? Is it the aesthetics of the era, the nuances and/or the settings? Do certain conflicts in that era speak to you for a reason?
    I have never written are a "true" Before story, as all my Before ones should slip into the Saga-PT era at some point, and I have never written a "true" Legend story.

    And here's why.

    My story with the Legends Canon is different from other people's. I did not care about Star Wars from 1994 to 2014, so the news about Legends being "dismissed" is what got me into Star Wars again in the first place. And then there was the almost-blank canvas to use and I liked that. This is not to say that I would never write a Legends story, but the volume of things I would have to catch up with is immense, I have difficulties with concentration and that may not happen for a while.
     
  11. whiskers

    whiskers Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 19, 2005


    I tend to write both, but my AUs are generally very canon-compliant up until the point of divergence.




    I do a fair amount of research. In the last year, I'd written seven or eight stories in the time period between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, most of them interconnected in some way. Due to that, I not only had to keep regular Legends continuity consistent, but also internal continuity. I also had to fit in both Shadows of the Empire and the Marvel Star Wars stories because one of them incorporated a mission from the 2nd Rogue Squadron game, the battle of Gall and a mission in the 3rd Rogue game is lightly mentioned in another.





    [​IMG]

    In all seriousness, I look at inconsistencies that hadn't been solved and then try to find the best logical conclusion for it.




    It doesn't stifle me, in fact I find it an additional nuance and challenge.




    I write all over the place, but I have found myself gravitating towards the classic Rebellion era of ANH-ROTJ and the outliers just beyond.
     
  12. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Do you tend to write Cannon-compliant stories or AU's? Why are you drawn to one or the other? Or if you write a nearly-equal amount of both, do you find one or the other easier to write?

    In before I have written only cannon compliant. It's easier to do with the books and wookipedia. Saga and beyond have been cannon for me with writing about the EU until TFA and Disney came along. I consider the EU as my cannon.

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story? How faithful do you try to be to the canon storyline? What sources do you use (films/books/video games etc), or do you rely on one source exclusively? How does it influence the choice of characters, etc? Do you read/watch the material? Or mainly rely on things like Wookipedia, etc.?

    Much research in the before and saga stories and reading all the books, comics and the first six films.

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in Cannon? Do you just do the best you can to make it make sense and move on? Do you use the inconsistencies to drive your writing, and/or write to explain why the inconsistencies exist? What do you do when an inconsistency pops up you weren't aware of as you're writing?

    Inconsistencies are things to explore and explain. For instance why Rostek has a son and being this young with an older wife. I used it in my Horn stories. And where did Obi-Wan come from? And did he have a brother called Owen? I tried to explain that too.

    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? Do you enjoy writing stories that are constrained by characters that we all know, and thereby have to be inventive within confines? Or does this make you gravitate towards OC's with occasional appearances by "cannon" characters?

    Writing about cannon characters can have me delve more into their personalities. And putting my OC's in it will give them depth too.


    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? How are you feeling about the "Nu-Cannon" versus the Legends Cannon we've all known for a long time? If there's an era that draws you in, what about it makes you like it? Is it a specific character or characters? Is it the aesthetics of the era, the nuances and/or the settings? Do certain conflicts in that era speak to you for a reason?

    I like the before timeframe with a young Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon Jinn to explore in my stories, Or with the beyond where did all the characters go and what is the comment on them by my OC's. That's why I made my OC's rather longlived to have them in all areas
     
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  13. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    19.283 words posted and 15 chapters.
    I am moving in 10 days and hope the internet will be there again when I am at my mom's place. If not I will have to wait until the end of the year to get the remaining chapters posted
     
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  14. ZaraValinor

    ZaraValinor Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 31, 2002
    I'm finally trying to participate more in this workshop. I know week 29. Please forgive me. :)

    Do you tend to write Cannon-compliant stories or AU's? I usually write both. If I'm writing something cannon, its usually to fill in some gap I've thought of or to add something more to the already rich tapestry, something that's struck my fancy. With AUs its total freedom and I can do anything I'd like.

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story? I study as much as I can. If I'm using a particular layout and set of characters, I want to know as much of their story as possible, but I do also what to give them more than what we know. There should always be a feeling of a continued legacy and life.

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in Cannon? I usually try to decide which one feels more true to the whole of the storyline. If it doesn't match with the entire cannon, whether it be legends or otherwise, than I throw it out.

    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? Again I try to do both. I like to play with all the cannon characters. For a long time my main focus was on Ben Skywalker because he was cannon but left me with so many different ways he could go. My favorite kinds of stories to write have both cannon and original characters. That way, I can have the cannon characters react slightly different because these people will move them in different ways. You can still keep it cannon, still keep it true to form. But we don't necessarily know their day to day lives, we see them in war and in extreme circumstances.

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? I try to do all, but usually its saga or beyond. I did dabble in before the saga for a stint, but it didn't inspire me as much. To be truthful, I don't like the sequel offering so far. I found it pretty lackluster, lacking creativity and not grounded in the established universe at the same time. This usually for me is an exercise in writing. I try to make it likable, only if it is for me alone. But I do really enjoy Star Wars Rebels. So I might start reaching out into that genre. I didn't like everything in Legends, but that gave me Mara Jade and Ben Skywalker and they were some of my favorites to write. I do have some hope now that they have Timothy Zahn writing Thrawn. How do I keep track of everything? I think its a little difficult to, but that's what Wookiepeidas for right?
     
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  15. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Do you tend to write Canon-compliant stories or AU's? Why are you drawn to one or the other? Or if you write a nearly-equal amount of both, do you find one or the other easier to write?
    I tend to mix things up. I think the story evolves from the character and the situation, and if the story wants to take an exit and go off the metaphorical highway, then off I go into AU. Neither is easier to write nor harder to write, just different. Canon stories should be accurate to the movie/book or whatever; but AU needs to fit in such a way that it melds into the accepted universe. I have written mostly AU lately, but that's been driven by my use of a particular set of OCs.

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story?
    I tend to want to be accurate. In the past, my collection of SW novels sort of looked like reference materials. I would tab the pages of certain scenes with sticky notes, make margin comments, etc. I'm not so picky anymore. I will go back and re-watch the movies to make sure I have chronology right, and in some cases the dialogue right if I am inserting actual dialogue into the scene. I use wookieepedia a lot. Also, the TFA Visual Dictionary has been a real help in writing the details of TFA stories.

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in canon?

    I don't really worry much about it. It just shows that the profic authors weren't really that accurate either, so it gives me more leeway to interpret what happened in the story. Sometimes I play with an inconsistency and try to give it a logical explanation that makes sense in the timeline I'm writing in. If a problem shows up when I'm writing, that's just another challenge to me to make it work.

    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you? I don't find it constraining at all, in fact, that's what I like about fanfic. I already know these characters and the reader knows them too, so it isn't a big deal to write them.

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline? How are you feeling about the "Nu-Cannon" versus the Legends Cannon we've all known for a long time? If there's an era that draws you in, what about it makes you like it? Is it a specific character or characters? Is it the aesthetics of the era, the nuances and/or the settings? Do certain conflicts in that era speak to you for a reason?
    I don't have a problem with nu-canon, although I have primarily written in Legends. I've written in Saga too. I don't write in Before simply because I have no contextual knowledge of that era. I ignore a lot of Legends, too - I think it became too much "monster of the month" so I just pretend it didn't happen. [face_whistling]
     
  16. Irish_Jedi_Jade

    Irish_Jedi_Jade Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2007


    Do you tend to write Cannon-compliant stories or AU's? \
    I tend towards both equally I feel like! My longer stories are AU's, whereas most of my one-shots are Cannon-compliant. I think I'm drawn towards AU's because it lets me put characters I love into horrible situations because I'm an awful person :p

    How much research do you put into writing a canon story?
    I do a bit of research into what I'm writing, because I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I don't want anything to clash. I don't use the video games (because I am incapable of playing them!). I tend to rely a lot on the Wook.

    How do you deal with the inherent inconsistencies in Cannon?
    I LOVE TO FIX THEM MY WAY!! MWAHAHAHAH [face_skull] I think I really enjoy reading (and writing) stories that explain the horrifying inconsistencies in cannon in a way that I like! Plus that makes me feel like it still "fits" which is a big deal to me. I've never really had anything major pop up that surprised me because I research, beyond planning to write a jungle story on a desert-rock-planet. ;)


    Writing fanfic with established characters inherently demands that you work within constraints. Does that draw you in or do you feel like it stifles you?
    I love that constraint. I've never wanted to be a "writer" because I'm not an innately creative person. By that I mean...I am HORRIBLE at dreaming up new ideas. My sister is an incredible creative writer and builds these crazy worlds like its the easiest thing ever. I can't. But I love taking something that's there and tweaking it, or moving it forward or taking it somewhere else. That's why I tend towards fanfic I think :) I've only really ever written two or three OC's, and they've been very minor characters. I like them both, but I don't enjoy writing them as much as I do cannon characters.

    Do you gravitate towards a particular timeframe in the GFFA? If so, why? If not, how do you keep track of the vastness of the timeline?
    I am 100% a Legends/Beyond writer, mostly because it's the era I grew up reading and loving, and I am an unabashed L/M junkie...so...yeahhh. I've written one or two things in Saga-OT, and I'd like to tend towards that timeframe in the future...but I've never written anything in the Prequels era, and I don't know that I really ever will. Those characters don't speak to me as much? But hey, you never know! As far as the Nu-Cannon goes, I have ZERO drive to write anything there yet...because it's still so unknown. Once we have the big questions answered, I think I'll be more inspired to play :D



     
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  17. ProlificWritersSock

    ProlificWritersSock Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2015
    <Saved for Replies>
     
  18. ProlificWritersSock

    ProlificWritersSock Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2015
    [Very Late] Week 30!!!!!! ~Alternate Universes & Crossovers~
    (Hey guys!! I think Chyntuck is back today...but I figured since I was the worst step-thread-mom ever, I'd just throw the brilliance she's already written so that she doesn't have to worry about it. Sorry for being AWOL--DRL has kicked my butt.)


    Why choose to write an AU? Is it to explore other possibilities, to "correct" the course of history when the canon storyline went in a direction you didn't like?

    Storyline Alteration vs. Butterfly Effect: Some AUs are stories that pick up from a specific point of the canon storyline and take the story in an entirely different direction, whereas other AUs play on the butterfly effect -- they change one event at one point of the canon storyline, but then still follow canon while examining the changes that occur because of the original divergence. What type of AU do you like to read/write and why?

    In it but not of it: There's a category of stories that are neither canon nor AU -- stories that take place in the SW universe, but are so far removed from the main storyline that they could be either. Any comments about this type of story?

    Crossovers are a little-discussed but fascinating concept. Have you ever written a crossover, and/or had a serious bunny with one? How do you combine the universes? What makes you think that combining universe A and universe B is a good idea? Do you consider that a story that includes only one character from another universe counts as a crossover? Any particular universes/fandoms that you like to see combined with SW?

    Time-Travel is a fascinating plot device that can "reset" the board for you to loop your AU into the larger timeline. Did you ever try writing such a story, and how did you handle the paradoxes time-travel can create? What eras of SW do you think can/cannot be combined in a time-travel story? A particular sub-genre is characters from the OT travelling back to the PT, did you ever attempt that or what do you think of it as a reader?
     
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  19. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    No idea if I can participate without having to take part in the challenge as I already have five fics on the go, but I love crossovers, and aim to write-up answers for this.
     
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  20. Ewok Poet

    Ewok Poet Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2014

    I bowed out of the challenge in January and I'm responding to these, so I think it's more than OK. :)

    That said, never wrote an AU, nothing to contribute this time.
     
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  21. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Why choose to write an AU? Is it to explore other possibilities, to "correct" the course of history when the canon storyline went in a direction you didn't like?

    Yes :p

    Seriously, though, I write AUs for both reasons. I have yet to find a person that was totally 100% happy about the way everything played out in canon. I personally don’t hate Legends as much as others (which is fine), I actually didn’t mind some of it, but sometimes the brain just wants to explore happy endings. And, even though I love RotS and RotJ, I have played around with plenty of other possibilities.

    Storyline Alteration vs. Butterfly Effect

    I write both. I personally don’t really see a clear “one or the other” type of AU, more like shades of grey between the two.
    In it but not of it: Any comments about this type of story?

    Hmmm. I can’t say I’ve ever written or read this type. I’ve got nothing against them, they just don’t catch my attention.
    Crossovers are a little-discussed but fascinating concept. Have you ever written a crossover, and/or had a serious bunny with one?

    Again, I have nothing against crossovers, but they don’t appeal to me, nor have I ever gotten a serious plot bunny for them. It doesn’t help that I’m not into the biggest crossover fandom (Harry Potter). Once upon a time, I did have an idea for a Star Wars/Stargate crossover, but the idea never got past the opening scene. I’ve talked about this before, but other fandoms just don’t activate my muse like SW does. I’d love to be more active on the NSWFF side of things but none of the other fandoms I love act as any sort of inspiration.

    Time-Travel is a fascinating plot device that can "reset" the board for you to loop your AU into the larger timeline. Did you ever try writing such a story, and how did you handle the paradoxes time-travel can create?
    I don’t quite understand this question, so no?


    I don't think I added much to this conversation. Sorry!
     
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  22. Irish_Jedi_Jade

    Irish_Jedi_Jade Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2007

    Haha Briannakin, your latest L/M saga was a time-travel plot device heaven!!! :p
     
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  23. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Yeah, but that wasn't going to loop any AU's. IT'S GOING TO BE CANON DAMMMIT AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE.

    #LegendsCanonIsMINE #IDoWhatIWant

    EDIT: or are you talking about "universe/reality hopping" which is, IMO, completely different than time-travel because you don't really deal with paradoxes. It's more like two timelines converging, but still going forwards. I'd be interested to know what people thought of "Time travel" fics VS "universe/reality hopping" fics. Is there a difference or am I just being nit-picky?
     
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  24. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    I seem to be having difficulty adddressing this, so will do one from the phone.

    Why choose to write an AU?

    To explore other possibilities; correct an event; and revenge.

    My most notorious to date has been a trilogy of shorts, including an Angel crossover, to exorcise my negative feelings about Anakin Solo abandoning Chewbacca to get mooned by the Yuuzhan Vong.


    Storyline Alteration vs Butterfly Effect

    Mostly not fussed what I read, as long as it is in manageable chunks, and the writer has utilised the <Return> key. Apart from rare instances, I do not AU canon events; I prefer to chronicle parallel adventures.


    In it but not of it:

    Close to what I do, but my usual stuff should not be mistaken for AU.


    Time Travel

    My OWN thoughts on time travel are that it is too dangerous to introduce to the Star Wars universe, precisely because of the butterfly effect - change something in the past, no matter how trivial, great ramifications for the timeline. So off my own bat, I don't **** with it.

    My second ideal is that I don't seem to like it going perfectly. When I do it, something tends to go wrong.

    To re-cap, fic-wise, I don't **** with it. However, my characters histories are continued through fic and roleplaying, so if a GM bases a game in the past or future, by hook or by crook, I will get my people there, then after the game is over, I may have to use fanfic or headcanon to pick up the pieces


    Crossovers

    I love crossovers. I lovvvvvvve crossovers. Dunno what my earliest one was, but I must have been exposed to one at an early age, sitting down to watch one kind of movie, and unexpectedly, before my eyes, it morphed into another kind totally.

    Valley of Gwangi is the earliest that comes to mind, a fairly engaging cowboy film that by the last third, is unwisely putting a ******* Tyrannysaurus Rex on display in a pre-biplane manner of King Kong. It ends equally well.

    Thinking about it, I think I may have an eye for complimentary scenarios. A recent project of mine was wanting to write a story based on the criminally short-lived police procedural, Backstrom, a US series based on a series of Swedish novels. Trying to think up a case for them to investigate, my thoughts alight onto the titular villain protagonist of Captain America: Winter Soldier, a guy who seems tailor made for a police raid, regardless of whether an unlikeable police lieutenant and his long-suffering minions are a fit with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I just need a thematic hook.

    Do you consider that a story that includes only one character from another universe counts as a crossover?

    My response was going to be no, but actually, one of my most carthartic efforts was the one above, Wesley Whyndam Price, and Cordelia Chase, failed Watcher and starlet respectively, present their friend Angel with a one-time magic gate, convinced he is going to use it to re-woo his old love, Buffy Summers. But nooo, we're hefting an axe and going to have it out with Anakin Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon! :mad:
    If I ever find that bad boy, I really need to reprint it.

    Any particular universes/fandoms that you like to see combined with SW?

    No preferences, as long as there are thematic comparisons possible. I won't name exceptions to the rule, for fear of alienating its champion on here.

    Any last words?

    Err...what, before you kill me?

    No, though let's put a pin in that; on combined universes and fandoms.

    Oh!

    Well, even one of my top ten favourite jokes is a crossover.

    What makes Star Wars better than Star Trek?

    The Death Star does not care whether your planet is M-class or not.
     
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  25. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Week 30!!!!!! ~Alternate Universes & Crossovers~
    (Hey guys!! I think @Chyntuck is back today...but I figured since I was the worst step-thread-mom ever, I'd just throw the brilliance she's already written so that she doesn't have to worry about it. Sorry for being AWOL--DRL has kicked my butt.)

    I am back after my moving to my mom's home for a few months until my new home is ready. Busy again with the story (now at 20.520 words) and published the 16th chapter now this:


    Why choose to write an AU? Is it to explore other possibilities, to "correct" the course of history when the canon storyline went in a direction you didn't like?

    I never did an AU, but now with Disney almost all my beyond stories are AU's

    Storyline Alteration vs. Butterfly Effect: Some AUs are stories that pick up from a specific point of the canon storyline and take the story in an entirely different direction, whereas other AUs play on the butterfly effect -- they change one event at one point of the canon storyline, but then still follow canon while examining the changes that occur because of the original divergence. What type of AU do you like to read/write and why?

    I like both type's to read. They give a different view

    In it but not of it: There's a category of stories that are neither canon nor AU -- stories that take place in the SW universe, but are so far removed from the main storyline that they could be either. Any comments about this type of story?

    They can be a joy to read with all the different places and characters.

    Crossovers are a little-discussed but fascinating concept. Have you ever written a crossover, and/or had a serious bunny with one? How do you combine the universes? What makes you think that combining universe A and universe B is a good idea? Do you consider that a story that includes only one character from another universe counts as a crossover? Any particular universes/fandoms that you like to see combined with SW?

    I have never done a crossover but would like to see one with Star Trek and Star Wars

    Time-Travel is a fascinating plot device that can "reset" the board for you to loop your AU into the larger timeline. Did you ever try writing such a story, and how did you handle the paradoxes time-travel can create? What eras of SW do you think can/cannot be combined in a time-travel story? A particular sub-genre is characters from the OT travelling back to the PT, did you ever attempt that or what do you think of it as a reader?

    Never done time-travel. It creates paradoxes and will make events very difficult and confusing