Discussion You Know You're a Fan Fiction Writer When...

Oh no! I had to teach stats last term (not a maths teacher!) and now I'm having flashbacks All I've learnt from my excel document so far is that a) I have too many characters b) at least one of their ages doesn't work for the history I've given them c) there is a MUCH larger age gap between Kit and Del then I originally thought and finally d) I have WAY too many characters.

Yeah, I think I did something similar 20 years ago when I first started writing. Although that was by hand in a book and far less effective than this is

Yeah, I think I said one of my characters was a USJS character's (Eena) nephew (F'kisi) which doesn't work as all Eena's sisters bar one is younger than her and her older sister is only a little bit older (and therefore unlikely to have had F'kisi). I think there will be some creative hand-waving to make him one of Eena's brother's children. Not a bit deal but one of those -ooops! moments which doesn't matter to anyone else but does matter to my head cannon.

Also the word you are looking for is pedantic... or over-thinking

 

....you compose Twi’lek wedding vows while doing the dishes.

 

...when you have to talk yourself out of untwisting canon and fail.

 

...when the idea on paper diverged from the idea in your head so significantly that it has to be scrapped to being again.

 

Or when what you write turns out significantly different from your original idea, but it's okay because the thing it turned into is even better.

 

When your muse has been basically dead except for the drabbles and then you suddenly get all sorts of ideas while you're at work and then when you have perfect writing conditions (a day off, snacks, and a house all to yourself) you just stare at a blank screen until you give up and go eat more chocolate.

 

When two characters have decided to go dancing in 20s era clothing and you want to expand the drabble you wrote.

 

That's my life! I have to keep going with Snips and Snails and USJS but instead my muse is chucking out stories for everything else BUT those. Also the chocolate - always need more chocolate.

Do it! I had the same problem and ended up writing a non-drabble epilogue for the last week's ones because I wanted to finish so I just wrote the end and tacked it on as an extra bit.

 

@amidalachick - really feeling your pain with your muse at the moment. Mine is great for coming up with new stories but then just flees the moment it gets to the climax and resolution! Not useful!

 

...when you have to re-read your story four years into the break you took on it to figure out if you put the crazy spatial genetics multiplicity thing in it or not for real. (I didn't, apparently. Yay, I get to fix that... and, seriously, the "our so and so is not your so and so" jokes never get old...)

 

YKYAFFWW you zip to the very first entry on this thread and add a pad and paper and pen because you just know you'll get it right the first time and not need a pencil carrying an eraser

 

Oh, yep, that's the WORST! It's like, I appreciate the inspiration and all but can we please just finish this one thing before we go on to something else? I got a draft down the other day that was the longest thing I've written in a few months and I was happy with the concept, which I hardly ever am anymore, but when I sat down to start editing and making it presentable, the muse was all nope.

Good luck finishing your stories, and remember, if you get too frustrated - chocolate and/or wine (or whatever beverage you prefer)!

 

Lately, I will sit down and say “okay, muse, we’re finally going to finish this Kanera story we’ve been stalling on for two years!” And the muse will go, “Kaz! Kaz is cute! Let’s draw fan art for the next three hours!”

So guess what I wind up doing...

 

When there are times throughout the day that I would love to sit down and write but when the time actually becomes available my inspiration Is that of a vapor on the wind.

 

YKYAFFWW you discover a site called AI Dungeon that writes scenes for you from prompts and you don't know quite what to do or think about that ...

 

... When you discover a new show, a few years old, and just enjoy spending time in that world. Sadly you missed the boat of the the height of its popularity.

 

When at work ( In the service industry), You look around and see standon's from Downton Abbey.

 

YKYAFFWW your outline for your Long Story (TM), which began with traditional I, II, III, A, B, 1., 2., etc. now needs a, b, c followed by (1) and (2) and possibly (1.a) and (2.a) because you've got to get the Character Arc just right

 

When you're at work in the morning and you get an idea that you're actually excited to play around with when you get home, but by the time you get home all the life has been drained from your soul and you can't even remember the gist of the idea.

 

When you're being attacked by plot bunnies from two different fandoms, and one fandom (James Cameron's Avatar) wants to reference the other fandom (The Phantom Of The Opera).

 

Happens to me all the time...

 

...welcome to why I had to talk myself out of the previously mentioned Canon Untwisting thing... that, and every time I go to write Uncle Jesse, he sounds like Steve Rogers. (Which... I might have just talked myself into it again... oh no...)

 

When you read that, and now you have a mental image of Steve Rogers driving the General Lee. (Brain, why you be like this?)