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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. ZaraValinor

    ZaraValinor Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 31, 2002
    Glor and Chyntuck like this.
  2. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
  3. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Can I now reward Chyntuck with the "Indiana Jones Grabbing His Hat At The Last Minute" gif? :p

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    I finally got around to making an index of all our fics, it's on page 1 (this post). If I missed your story, please berate me publicly in this thread. Also, it's only Briannakin and me who signed up out of competition, right?

    I need to get some RL work out of the way today, but I'm hoping to comment on the voice exercises and possibly do one too (I want to try Salacious Crumb :p) before I update the thread tomorrow, and I'll get started on reviewing all your stories as soon as awards duty gives me a break.

    Re: the new discussion topic, since we just did narrative POVs, I was thinking to continue with character-related stuff (e.g. characterisation and character development, or dialogue/monologue/introspection), is that okay with everyone or would you like to suggest something else?
     
    earlybird-obi-wan, Tarsier and Glor like this.
  5. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    [face_dancing] [face_dancing] No one wears 10 hats better than Chyntuck !!! ^:)^ ;) I like the idea of discussing dialogue/inner monologue. :cool:
     
  6. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    Since you asked... How dare you ignore my story?! What are you, some kind of stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, nerf-herding host?!? I will complain to Briannakin and get you banned for this! :p [face_laugh]

    Okay, just kidding, I don't actually mean that. But still, it would be nice to see my story on the index. ;)
     
    Irish_Jedi_Jade and Chyntuck like this.
  7. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Chyntuck, I do believe you have borrowed Hermione Granger's time turner. That's the only explanation as to how you get everything done.
     
    Chyntuck, mavjade , Tarsier and 4 others like this.
  8. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    Thanks for the index, Chyn! :D

    I haven't had the time to do the voice exercises yet, but I like sticking with characterization for the next topic(s).
     
    Chyntuck likes this.
  9. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    For everyone who wrote their first chapter or prologue at the last minute and had to post with little or no editing, and now thinks it's garbage:

    [​IMG]
     
  10. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Same for me. I am a mostly dialogue writer. =D=^:)^[face_dancing]for Chyntuck

    Edit: now with chapter 3 posted at 4587 words for the Flowers of evil
     
    Chyntuck likes this.
  11. Chyntuck

    Chyntuck Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Soooooorryyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I fixed it now.

    Updated that as well in the index.

    I wish. The real explanation unfortunately is that I don't have a husband right now, and I get a lot of insomnia :p
     
    earlybird-obi-wan and jcgoble3 like this.
  12. Raissa Baiard

    Raissa Baiard FFoF Artist Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 22, 1999
    So, I have completely failed this challenge, with nothing written for my title. If anyone wants the title "Blindness ' it is free to a loving home.
     
    Chyntuck likes this.
  13. ProlificWritersSock

    ProlificWritersSock Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2015
    Oops, I forgot to update this thread again yesterday! But it's not midnight yet in Pacific Time, so we'll consider that this is still Sunday ;)

    Week 14: Canon Characters

    Let's go for characters then, and let's start with canon characters. For the purpose of this discussion, a canon character is any character that exists in the official lore of the fandom you're writing in (in the case of SW, this includes of course Legends). In other words, a canon character is a character that was first written by someone else than you, his/her essential personality traits are already established and you, as a writer, have to work within those parameters when including this character in your story.

    Are you a canon character writer? If yes, how do you choose the character(s) you will write? Do you have any favourites? Is it a specific character who inspires you to write the story you have in mind, or does the plot idea lead you to the character? Why do you choose to involve this specific character in this specific story? If no, why not? Is it that you'd rather create your own characters and enjoy the freedom that comes with it, or that you find writing canon characters (or a specific canon character) intimidating?

    What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of writing canon characters? What are the specific constraints that come with writing them? Are there elements of their backstory that are, in your opinion, non-negotiable? Are there relationships that are, in your opinion, non-negotiable? Conversely, are you writing canon characters to revise bits of official lore that you think should not have taken place?

    How do you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write? Do you study them and determine a set of behaviour rules for the character in your story? Do you do research on their official backstory, their personality, their speech patterns? Or do you just have a "feel" of how this character should act, and you go with the flow?

    If you're writing an AU, do you tweak the character's personality to adjust it to the new setting? How do you do that? And how far can a writer tweak a character's personality without it becoming a new character altogether?

    What about minor canon characters? Do you like writing them too? Do you feel it's easier or more difficult to write a character for which you have only a few elements to go by, as opposed to those who have a detailed story in official lore? Do you enjoy developing them within the official storyline? Do you feel they can be necessary, or would you just as well create an OC for the occasion?

    Anything else you'd like to say about canon characters?

    (In case you hadn't guessed, next week we'll be discussing OCs :p )
     
    yahiko and Ewok Poet like this.
  14. divapilot

    divapilot Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 30, 2005
    Great topic, Chyn!

    Are you a canon character writer? If yes, how do you choose the character(s) you will write? Do you have any favourites? Is it a specific character who inspires you to write the story you have in mind, or does the plot idea lead you to the character? Why do you choose to involve this specific character in this specific story? If no, why not? Is it that you'd rather create your own characters and enjoy the freedom that comes with it, or that you find writing canon characters (or a specific canon character) intimidating?

    I will write canon characters. I have my favorites; L/M, H/L. I tend not to write prequel characters, although I have. The characters I choose depend on the story I want to tell. Canon characters are why we are here in fanfiction after all, right? We want more stories about Luke. We need to know what happened to Han and Leia. So we create it.
    I'm kind of a fan of the missing moment, so the story dictates the character. I've found that lately I prefer to blend canon with OCs.

    What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of writing canon characters? What are the specific constraints that come with writing them? Are there elements of their backstory that are, in your opinion, non-negotiable? Are there relationships that are, in your opinion, non-negotiable? Conversely, are you writing canon characters to revise bits of official lore that you think should not have taken place?

    Well, that all depends if I'm writing an AU or not. If I'm writing an AU, then I can play with the personalities of the characters a little bit. Make Han into a ruthless gangster. Turn Bail into a murderer of opportunity.Decide that Ben is a psychopath with suggested Oedipal issues. Obviously I'm changing their personalities for this, but the relationships stay the same. How would Princess Leia react if Han were like someone out of The Godfather? How would Bail's relationship with Breha result in his decision to "mercy kill" Padme and take her daughter? How does the relationship between Luke and Mara affect Ben?
    Positives: You already know these people. You know how the actors portray them; the growly voice of Harrison Ford, the clipped cadence of Ewan McGregor; the way Carrie Fischer rolls her eyes, how Liam Neeson stands tall and folds his arms. You already have the template that's established, all you need to do is riff off of that.
    Negatives: Other people have their pre-conceived ideas of these characters. If I decide that in my story Leia takes a path away from politics and becomes a staunch pacifist, then there will be those who can't reconcile that to their own idea of her.
    Non-negotiables: You can't go OOC. You can play around with the characters but there has to be a reason why they do what they do. I would never buy Luke and Mara in an abusive relationship, for example. I don't see Shmi as a warrior princess in disguise. Owen Lars is not secretly working for the rebel alliance. That's not who they are.


    How do you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write? Do you study them and determine a set of behaviour rules for the character in your story? Do you do research on their official backstory, their personality, their speech patterns? Or do you just have a "feel" of how this character should act, and you go with the flow?

    I think I do a bit of all of that. Like I said earlier, it's hard to divorce the character from the actor. Vader will always sound exactly like James Earl Jones. That said, I also need to know the canon character's official story so I can see where I can tweak that, if I have to, or to predict what the character's anticipated reaction to a particular scenario would be. If I can imagine the actor in the scene I wrote, hear his/her voice in the dialogue, then I know I did a good job with it.

    If you're writing an AU, do you tweak the character's personality to adjust it to the new setting? How do you do that? And how far can a writer tweak a character's personality without it becoming a new character altogether?

    You have to tweak the personality to adjust it to the new setting. But not too much tweaking or you go OOC. The characters are a product of their environment and the forces that shaped them (no pun intended), so if you change the environment you inevitably change the character. Sometimes it's minor - let's give the Solos a fourth kid; Han and Leia won't really change all that much with four kids as opposed to three. Sometimes it's major. Let's have Han's carbonite freeze blindness be a permanent condition. Now he can't fly the Falcon. This is going to change him tremendously as one of his defining characteristics (a hot shot pilot) has been removed. Han may be angry or unreasonable, which isn't the personality we associate with him.
    The thing is that there has to be a reason for the alteration of the personality.

    What about minor canon characters? Do you like writing them too? Do you feel it's easier or more difficult to write a character for which you have only a few elements to go by, as opposed to those who have a detailed story in official lore? Do you enjoy developing them within the official storyline? Do you feel they can be necessary, or would you just as well create an OC for the occasion?

    I confess: I LOVE minor canon characters. They're hidden jewels. You can create an entire scenario within the context of a Star Wars scenario. Going back to the voice exercises, I had a blast writing from the Zeltron slave dancer's POV. And then my research into her showed me how little there is out there about her. She doesn't even have a name that I can find. What an opportuntity for a character! I know about Zeltrons and how they work. How would a Zeltron fit into such a sordid society? How did she get there? How does she differ from Oola? Is she a victim like Oola, or is she more of a survivor? Did she go on the skiff out to the Sarlac and die in the desert, or was she demoted from slave dancer when Leia came along - a twist of fate that saved her life? So many avenues to explore!
    Minor characters are not the same as OCs. Minor characters already exist so they have a defined species, appearance, gender, etc. They're more "solid" than OCs, which can be anything you want.

    Anything else you'd like to say about canon characters?

    Canon characters are the "backbone" of the story. They're the common link that we all understand and identify with. They need to be in character or else nothing else in the story will work. Once you've broken that believability, you've lost your reader.

    note: I hit 12,000 words! [face_dancing] Now off to edit. [face_waiting]
     
  15. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Canon characters The one(s) I love to write the mostest are Luke, Mara, Han, Leia, and their kids.
    I don't usually go back and do those in the Saga what would be considered PT or Before era characters. I enjoy reading them but don't feel pulled to writing about them.
    I think because I know the EU-Legends timeframe it is the one I get inspired to write about and then want to include certain characters in the story.

    Reasons for inclusion? I like filling in details of stuff that wasn't written about in the official novels, etc. and also I absolutely adore fixer-uppers. Rewriting stuff that should never have happened or preventing them from happening when they almost did! :D

    Pros versus cons? The upside is that you're familiar with the characters and how they would usually think or feel or act in a situation. The downside could be how much to tweak in an AU, balancing how you see the character with what is demanded in the current situation, keeping them in-character but still true to the new situation. E.g., if Luke were the Emperor's Hand, he'd still have limits to his ruthlessness but he wouldn't be naive, however would have an inner core of decency. @};-



    Non-negotiable relationships? For Mara and Luke, it's the one they have with one another although the details of how they get there can and do often differ. :cool: Same with H/L.

    Personality traits? Even with an AU, these are pretty much similar although they may be toned down or shaped by different circumstances. :D
    For instance, if I wrote Luke raised on Alderaan instead of Tatooine, I would still include his innate trustingness and compassion. :)
    If I wrote Han as a strictly legit Imperial officer who defected ;) his resourcefulness and forthrightness would still be strongly in evidence. :D [face_mischief]

    Minor characters? Don't really feel impelled to write those per se but I won't go out of my way to exclude them either. @};-
     
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  16. mute90

    mute90 Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 18, 2012
    Are you a canon character writer?
    Yes, completely. Canon characters are either the main characters in my story or it's an outside POV with them as the focus point. I like writing Anakin, Padme, Leia, and the clones. My stories usually start with the character. "What if this character did this, chose that, or met them?" I build my plot based on the answer to that question. Then, the plot determines what other characters are appearing. That's how my story for this challenge went. My original idea was just Daniel Jackson meeting ascended/force ghost Anakin on an almost-empty planet and asking for his help. After that, I determined how, why, when, and who else was involved.

    What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of writing canon characters?
    I think canon character have to be recognizable without needing to be identified by name. Their history can be changed, and the story can change them. However, their way of interacting with the world must be recognizable. If I want to make a good character into an evil one, I look at what motivates them to be good. I alter their POV until they think they still are the good guy, or I can tweak something in their past so they lose their ethics while keeping the rest of their personality. CONS: It's a restriction that can make things hard. Everything with the canon character has to be strongly supported because the characters already have strong characterization. PROS: The canon ones already have strong characterization. If you stick to the template, you're not making them illogical, flat, or too perfect. In some ways, it's easier to just work with canon guidelines.

    For non-negotiable pairings: Anakin must always love Padme for me. IMO, it's central to his character. He can have casual relationships if they're not together or if they haven't met yet, and he can move on after she's dead. However, he must always love her. If he just passes by her on the street, he's a little blown away by her.

    While I do change canon happenings, I don't write to change things into what I think should have happened. I've wanted to do that in another fandom before, but not in this one. I just like to explore the off-screen moments and the what-if possibilities.

    How do you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write?
    I mostly have a feel for how the character should act, but I'll research to make sure I'm right about their history. If I'm having a hard time with a scene, I'll also go back to a canon scene with a similar emotional feel to it. Watching it will refresh how a character reacts to certain situations.

    If you're writing an AU, do you tweak the character's personality to adjust it to the new setting?
    If I'm writing an AU, I want to put them in roles someone with their personality could have logically ended up. For instance, I don't see Anakin being a typical doctor in any AU world. Soldier, cop, thief, engineer: those are the roles I think fit his personality. That way, I don't have to do a lot of tweaks. I'm already tweaking his setting, which will naturally effect him. I don't like going overboard with tweaking personality. If I can't remove the names, say 'it's a Star Wars AU,' and have a reader guess who it's about, I did too much tweaking.

    What about minor canon characters?
    I love them. I'd rather beef up my story by fleshing out minor characters than using OC's. If they're minor, I've been teased by them. There's something there to build off of, whether it's the attitude in their few lines or the people they hang out with. Something's interesting. Minor characters are a bit like the middle ground between OC's and canon characters. You get the benefit of some existing characterization without being so restricted.

    Anything else you'd like to say about canon characters?
    Canon characters need to be in-character, but not everyone is going to agree on what that means. In another fandom, I had a discussion with a reader about my POV character. The reader thought the character's harshness was a defense mechanism and an in-character version would be inwardly soft and vulnerable. Meanwhile, I saw her - and wrote her - as inwardly jagged and cynical. We never agreed. Couldn't. We both saw all of canon, and just came away with different interpretations. Just something to think about when writing and posting.
     
  17. Irish_Jedi_Jade

    Irish_Jedi_Jade Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2007
    Week 14: Canon Characters

    Are you a canon character writer? If yes, how do you choose the character(s) you will write? Do you have any favourites? Is it a specific character who inspires you to write the story you have in mind, or does the plot idea lead you to the character? Why do you choose to involve this specific character in this specific story? If no, why not? Is it that you'd rather create your own characters and enjoy the freedom that comes with it, or that you find writing canon characters (or a specific canon character) intimidating?

    Most definitely. I've actually (until like a month ago) never written an OC. My favorites are L/M...like...almost exclusively. Okay, let's just be honest...pretty much every story I've ever written is about them :p I write them because Luke has always been my favorite character from the OT (though Han was my first crush) and Mara IS my favorite character, hands down, no-holds. When I was a kid, TTT/TJA/Darksaber/Crystal Star were the only books my library had...so it wasn't until I'd read those ones about 1200 times that I found out Luke and Mara got married, and I was SO EXCITED because it was SO PERFECT and I never saw it coming. So...I guess that's why I love writing them. Plus I feel like I just get them. Mara and I share some qualities (not a lot--I wish I was a BA assassin!) and Luke is a lot like my husband....so I just like really enjoy writing them. I guess too, I feel like I know them so well, I enjoy putting them in different circumstances, or writing them in familiar ones. But the characters are always integral to my story or the setting or the situation...generally, I'll think of a scenario or wonder what Mara or Luke or Han would do in a situation...and that's where it starts.

    What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of writing canon characters? What are the specific constraints that come with writing them? Are there elements of their backstory that are, in your opinion, non-negotiable? Are there relationships that are, in your opinion, non-negotiable? Conversely, are you writing canon characters to revise bits of official lore that you think should not have taken place?

    Positives: As the incredible divapilot said already, we already know and love them. I suppose too, I write them because I love them, and I want more of them, haha! So I guess writing fills a "hole" that I want to know about.

    Negatives: Cannon characters can only stretched so far! Its hard for me (especially when writing an AU) to find the line of where the situation changes them but they're still them. Gotta avoid the dreaded OOC!!

    How do you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write? Do you study them and determine a set of behaviour rules for the character in your story? Do you do research on their official backstory, their personality, their speech patterns? Or do you just have a "feel" of how this character should act, and you go with the flow?

    I guess I just have a feel for them. I've read every shred of L/M I can get my hands on over. and over. and over. and over. So...haha, yeah :)

    If you're writing an AU, do you tweak the character's personality to adjust it to the new setting? How do you do that? And how far can a writer tweak a character's personality without it becoming a new character altogether?

    Well, I'd like to think that rather than changing their character, I just present an existing "person" with a different circumstance and see how they react. How far can they tweak? Well...I think as much as we do. For example, I'm a relatively bookish, indoor-oriented person, but I tend to be overly-realistic, sarcastic, and pretty angry. But if the zombie apocalypse happened, I think I could become a pretty competent zombie killer if I had to be to survive...but I'd still be me, I'd still be sarcastic, angry, and the same person. So that's the same thing I look at for cannon characters. They're people, and people have a remarkable capacity for adaptability. So I can put Mara in a different situation--say, make her blind or give her a special-needs daughter, and Mara will still be Mara. The challenge is finding how to keep her Mara ;)


    What about minor canon characters? Do you like writing them too? Do you feel it's easier or more difficult to write a character for which you have only a few elements to go by, as opposed to those who have a detailed story in official lore? Do you enjoy developing them within the official storyline? Do you feel they can be necessary, or would you just as well create an OC for the occasion?

    You know, I really don't do a lot of minor characters. Maybe I should!! I think its laziness on my part--its easier to just write a OC who was there then to research some tiny character and make them into what I want them to be.

    Anything else you'd like to say about canon characters?

    They're my favorite! :p I love Han, thought Leia is actually rather hard for me to write. The more "less respectable" characters (Booster, Talon, Wes/Hobbie) are also some of my faves!!!
     
  18. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I swear. I was going to do the 2nd POV exercise, but then DRL took off and my muse started bouncing up and down and still wants to do anything (and everything) but that. Oh well.

    ANYWAYS! Canon characters!

    Are you a canon character writer?

    Yes. Even though SW is one of those fandoms where you can have a pure OC story, yet still have it be fan fiction, I do write fanfic for the characters, because I write character-driven stories. As a Time article on fanfic once said (and I am mega paraphrasing here) a person who plays guitar, or is learning to play, for fun and mostly self-enjoyment isn’t going to compose their own music. They are going to jam along to Simeon and Garfunkel. When I just want to write for pure self-entertainment, I like just picking up characters someone else made me love and plopping them in a new situation.

    Anyways. I write the characters I enjoy and that inspire me to write stories. As much as I love BB-8 and Chewie, neither have exactly inspired me to write, maybe because I always have been happy with Chewie’s story. However, I HAVE been inspired to fix or to add to L/M’s story, Ben Skywalker’s, or Bail and Breha’s – just to name a few. And, as much as I love how the Saga went down as it did in the movies, exploring the “what ifs” are also fun, because I love these characters and exploring how they would react to different situations. “What if” Anakin killed Papls but Padmé also died? How would Anakin react to single father-hood? How would the rest of the Jedi react to knowing they fought a war orchestrated entirely by a Sith lord?

    As to “if the plot or the character comes first,” it really depends. Sometimes I say “I want write a Ben Skywalker story”, other times I say “I just really want to write some angst and someone being brutally beaten. Whom can I be mean to?”


    As for “Live and Let Die”, at first I wanted to try something I had never done before, so I picked Poe Dameron (who I still want to write a story about). But after I got frustrated with that story, I said “okay, what else can I do with this title?” Then I came up with the idea of Luke letting Mara die after a horrible accident. THEN I decided since I wanted something a bit different and it transformed into Anakin and Padmé and I got to add in another “letting something die” sub-plot.

    That was a long, rambling answer.




    What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of writing canon characters?

    I think the “positives and negatives” are mostly the same thing of a double edged sword: one of the big positives are that the characters, for the most part, are also the negatives. Canon characters are already established. We, for the most part, know these characters (and sometimes the actors that play them). We know what Mark Hamill looks like with a beard – therefor we know what Luke looks like with a beard - and we know how loyal Mara is. We all know why Leia would get mad at someone joking about planets blowing up. So less time has to be spent establishing these characters. Which is not lazy writing in my opinion, it is just one of the perks of using someone else’s character.

    On the other hand, because we know these characters, we are restrained, even in an AU, to keep these characters “in character”. A shy, timid Han would be AWEFULLY hard to justify, so he CAN’T be shy. And, as other have said, how I see Luke might be very different from how someone else might see him. Heck, we saw this among professional writers in the EU. In one book he is all powerful and in another he gets knocked out by a rough landing. And it might be hard to agree, or even think of how a character might react to a new situation completely not covered in canon (IE how would Mara react to Ben’s death? There might be 5 different totally valid ways a person could write this).

    And, of course, I might want to explore something someone else totally disagrees with, like, what if Ben Skywalker was homosexual? Or even Luke for that matter. Some people see these character’s orientation - or some other trait - as a vital part of the character, others don’t. What if they were evil? Could Luke ever become “evil” for selfish reasons?


    How do you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write?

    I study them and see how different official and fan sources portray them. Of course, even the official sources might take a slightly different view of a character. Then I determine a basic set of character traits and just write what feels right to me.

    If you're writing an AU
    Yes. I do it based off of the “core personality traits for the character” and just what makes sense. As others have said, Luke raised by the Organas is not going to be naïve as he is in ANH, but he will still be optimistic. Mara raised by Obi-Wan Kenobi will be more open to relationships, but still might be cynical.

    How far you can go for an AU, it really depends on the AU. It just has to make sense. There has to be a logical reason why Han is a perfect gentleman. Maybe being raised on Alderaan will do that to a guy.

    What about minor canon characters?

    LOVE IT! Writing Breha Organa is so much fun. I think writing a minor canon character as a major character in a fic comes with its own unique challenges – it isn’t easier, but there is much more freedom. Some stuff about the character is established, while other stuff is completely up to the story/writer. For example, with Breha, I was writing in the New Canon, but I took a lot from Legends – IE her infertility (which I guess is kinda implied Legends or not) was established, but I got to decide the reason behind it.

    As for using minor characters to play minor characters, it depends. If there is no obvious choice, I’ll just insert an OC.


    Anything else you'd like to say about canon characters?

    As others have said, canon characters need to be in character for a story to work, but no one can tell you that your version of a character is wrong. Yeah, people are going to disagree and have different interpretations of characters (god knows it happens with the officially released stuff). And if your character is too forgone for someone to believe, that is okay. Maybe be open to constructive criticism and their logic, but these characters are who you want them to be. Sometimes you just have to agree to disagree.


    And this got way to long :p
     
  19. Irish_Jedi_Jade

    Irish_Jedi_Jade Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 2007

    [face_devil][face_devil][face_devil] This is why we are evil twins--AND I LOVE IT!!!! [face_devil][face_devil][face_devil]
     
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  20. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Yes, yes, yes, but that idea was ALL your fault :p Sometimes, the muse just wants angst, no matter who it is done to.
     
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  21. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    As to tweaking in AUs, it is a reflection of talent when believability and themness is retained. [face_love] And yum, ff writers always deliver in no uncertain terms, giving me the satisfying endings and the oomphness. ;) And as for Poe, I'm there. And ready. =P~
     
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  22. Tarsier

    Tarsier Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 31, 2005
    Responses for Week 14: Canon Characters

    Are you a canon character writer?

    Yes, I write almost exclusively canon characters. Of course I have favorites—Callista, Mara, Dankin to name a few SW characters. The characters always come first – generally, my stories come from wanting to change a part of a character’s storyline and see how things unfold differently, or from wanting to see how two (or more) disparate characters will interact.

    What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of writing canon characters?

    It’s a bit hard for me to address the positives and negatives (others have already addresses this pretty well anyway) because I’ve just never felt compelled to write an OC. I didn’t decide to become a writer and then wonder what sort of story and characters to write—I started to write because I had specific stories about specific canon characters that I really wanted to share.

    I guess I would say that most elements of backstory can be reimagined, but there are certain relationships that really shouldn’t be messed with. Foremost, I don’t think blood relationships should generally be messed with. For example, writing Anakin Solo as Luke and Mara’s child, or making Jacen and Jaina not twins—I just don’t think that they would be the same characters if you tried something like that. There are also a few friendly and romantic relationships I probably wouldn’t want to eliminate completely—Han and Chewie, and Anakin and Tahiri come to mind—because one character just wouldn’t be the same without the relationship to the other character.

    I absolutely write to revise official lore to my own liking. It’s not the only type of story I write, but if it weren’t for the desire to “fix” things, I don’t think I would have gotten into fanfic.

    How do you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write?

    I mostly just write by “feel.” It’s more art than science—mostly it just sounds right to me or it doesn’t. If I don’t already have a “feel” for the character, I generally don’t feel compelled to write them.

    If you're writing an AU…

    Again, it’s mostly a matter of “feel;” more art than science. Generally, there will be some tweaks for a new setting, but the core character should remain. I have no idea how to explain how to do it; it’s just a matter of feeling it out as I go.

    What about minor canon characters?
    I do write minor canon characters. I enjoy fleshing them out, using what little is known about them as a springboard to create an entire personality and backstory. My creativity really isn’t suited to creating an OC out of whole cloth, so I will always go for the minor canon character first.
     
  23. mavjade

    mavjade Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2005
    I've tried not to write an essay! :p

    Are you a canon character writer?
    Absolutely. I read/write fanfic because of the canon characters. I like OCs, but it's the cannon characters that are really make fanfic for me. In Star Wars Luke tends to inspire me with his epic journey and his innate goodness. Mara inspires me because she overcame HUGE obstacles/brain washing and still turned out to be a good person. The mystery of her backstory also inspires me. I think other fandoms keep with similar themes for the characters I most gravitate toward.

    That being said, it's usually the plot that starts the idea of a story for me, and then the characters come to it, so I won't always use all of my favorite characters in a story, I don't try to find a way to include them if it doesn't feel organic to me.


    What are, in your opinion, are the positives and negatives of writing canon characters?
    Positives:
    They are established have set characteristics
    You know some of their story and can build on it
    Readers know who the character is and you don't have to spend as much time explaining them

    Negatives:
    They are established and have set characteristics - this is both a positive and a negative because it can work as both. You don't get to decide everything about them, but you don't have to work from scratch either.

    There really aren't any relationships that are non-negotiable for me. I have ones that I prefer and there are some that I don't particularly like to read, but that usually has to do with not particularly liking one of the characters than the relationship itself.

    As a fan of Mara Jade, yes, I've used fanfic to change official lore that has taken place. ;) I have with other characters as well. That's some of the fun of fanfic for me, changing things up!


    How of you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write?
    Mostly I think I just get a feel for them because I can't really point to what I do to determine if a character is in-character. I will do research and look into backstory and character traits. I do better with characters who are more developed, even though it makes me really nervous to write a canon character I've never written before.


    If you are writing an AU…
    It depends on what kind of AU it is if I adjust their personality. If it's something that changes early on in the characters life, or is something that could change them, then yeah, it could have an effect on who they are. But if I'm just changing something small, usually I try to stick to their characteristics.

    As far as how far they can be tweaked, I think it depends. They need to be recognizable in something other than name, so even if you change things, they still need to seem like that character, otherwise you probably should just use an OC. But I've seen people change some major things and still stay true to how the character would probably be.

    What about minor canon characters?

    I do like writing them, but in some ways I find them harder to write because I don't know them and I worry about faking it with them. There for awhile I was writing a LOT of Jysella Horn, before she showed up in FotJ and once I had established who I thought she was (a combination of her parents) I really liked writing her. But to be honest, we knew so little about her, she was probably practically an OC.
     
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  24. s_heffley

    s_heffley Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jun 7, 2015
    Are you a canon character writer?

    I write some canon characters, but I don't like making them the main focus in my story. If I do write them, I make them supporting characters or even minor ones.

    What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of writing canon characters?

    The positives: The reader gets a sense of familiarity with the story. Instead of just dealing with new charterers they get excited about seeing the ones that they love in your story.

    The negatives: Especially in big universes, such as Star Wars, it it very hard to write a canon character without it turning into an AU. There is so much lore to deal with that you will almost certainly mess something up.

    How do you "process" the established personality of the canon characters you write?

    I don't really have a process, I just do it. Most of the time I don't feel like I'm writing them correctly, which is one of the reasons they are only supporting or minor charterers in my stories.

    If you're writing an AU

    I don't write AU. The only reason I would write AU is if I messed up something in a canon character's backstory, as I mentioned before. So, I guess I do tweak the character when writing AU.

    What about minor canon characters?

    Minor canon characters are the only ones I would even consider making a major character in my fanfiction. They have less of a backstory and are easier to incorporate. If they are a well remembered minor character, they still give the reader that sense of familiarity that I mentioned earlier.
     
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  25. ProlificWritersSock

    ProlificWritersSock Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Feb 3, 2015
    Wrap-up week 14: Canon characters

    Those among us who prefer writing canon characters can't overstate their importance in fanfic, they see such characters as the reason they write fanfic in the first place. Preferences for individual characters seem to be based on knowledge of a specific storyline (e.g. the PT, the Legends EU, etc) as well as a personal enjoyment of certain characters over others. Stories come from wanting to change a part of a character’s storyline and see how things unfold differently, or from wanting to see how two (or more) disparate characters will interact.

    The positives of writing canon characters that we perceive are:
    • You already know the characters, their backstory, the actors who play them, their voice, their stature -- you can develop on that,
    • Writing fills the gaps that you want to know about,
    • You spend less time establishing these characters, the reader has a sense of familiarity
    The negatives we perceive are:
    • Readers may have a different idea of what the character should be,
    • Having a strong characterization to build upon is also a constraint
    • It can be hard to find the line of where the situation changes them but the character doesn't go OOC.
    Some non-negotiable elements when writing a canon characters:
    • You can't go OOC, even if you're writing an AU,
    • Some relationships must be maintained: L/M, H/L, A/P,
    • Blood relationships shouldn't generally be messed with (e.g. writing Anakin Solo as Luke and Mara’s child) -- I just don’t think that they would be the same characters if you tried something like that.
    To write canon characters, most of us seem to have a feel of what they should be like, but will also do some background research to make sure that they have all aspects of the backstory covered. Furthermore, we will look at how different official and fan sources portray them, in order to get the tone right.

    In writing an AU, you have the possibility to play with canon characters' personalities and explore how things/relationships evolve when differences are introduced. However, the canon characters' way of interacting with the world must be recognisable, you can tweak them, but you shouldn't go OOC -- you must think of how different circumstances shape the character's personality differently, there must be a reason for the differences.

    Opinions are more divided about minor canon characters. Some of us think of them as hidden jewels where you can use what little is known about them as a springboard to create an entire personality and backstory, they're more "solid" than OCs in that they already have a defined species, gender, appearance, etc. Others find it easier to just write a OC who was there than to research some tiny character and make them into what they need them to be.

    A major issue that was noted by several participants is that different fans have different understandings of a canon character's personality (this also applies to profic, where the same character is sometimes depicted in wildly differing ways).