Discussion The Scribble Pad (Fanfic Writing Discussions)

This isn't exactly a resolution, but maybe I can serve as a cautionary tale for people going into the new year.

I love editing and tweaking more than actually typing out new pages. I have a WIP that's about 170 pages long and is a complete rewrite/revamp of an older story. New plot, lots added, only the very general broad strokes are the same. It's been about 95% complete for several years, just waiting on me to write a couple scenes about 1/3 of the way through the story that were necessary for the plot but I didn't feel like doing. I had an overall notion of what the missing scenes would contain and would always just skip that part when editing the rest of the story. I've had the written 95% polished and edited for some time.

About a month ago, I decided I was going to sit down and actually write those missing scenes. Go me. If the entire 170-page story is comprised of Scenes A - Z, let's call the main missing one Scene J. I wrote out Scene J. Progress! In doing so, I realized that Scenes K, L, and M were out of order with how the timing in Scene J played out. Fine, I rearranged J, K, L, and M. Then when adjusting Scene L to incorporate the timing change, I realized that I'd made a big mistake in the physical setting and Scenes N and O were now invalid, which meant that two characters who had to meet in N for the rest of the story to take place would not meet at all unless I did some major changes and plot gymnastics. So Scenes N and O got completely redone, and now I have to see what the ripple effects will be throughout the next 100 pages of completed, polished fic.

The moral of the story is if you write scenes out of order, at least get a rough draft down for everything before spending years editing it all. Or make sure you aren't making incorrect assumptions about your story's physical setting that will come back to haunt you.

 

Resolutions:

(1) I gave myself an existential crisis the other day by realizing I've never personally written any Star Wars fics that would pass the Bechdel test if they were onscreen. My stories tend to be either shippy or The Many Adventures of Sunshine Son and Murder Dad, so it just ... hasn't happened. But it's going to! Next year!

This is really my first year back on fanfic after a nearly two decade break, and looking back on some of the things I wrote as a teen is *cringe.* Why did I fridge so many women? Gah. I'm better than this. Or at least now I am. Character growth y'all, it's not just for characters.

(2) I want to write more female characters with agency generally, but especially improve my characterization for Leia, who ranks high up there in My Favs but I don't feel like I can write her for love or money.

(3) I'm going to finish my long(ish)fic. Which will be the first time I've ever done such a thing!

(4) And I'm going to outline and find an actual plot for my long(er)fic. I can't just keep building out AUs that don't go anywhere, you can't have a story without an actual story, Elli.

 

Only one resolution.

I will finish and publish How it Ends. Then maybe do something else for a bit.

 

My resolution for this year is to finally get seriously going with my original fiction. Yeah I know that kind doesn`t make it a fanfic resolution but it should be close enough.

 

My usual method of making resolutions and setting goals is to make big long lists of things I'd like to do and not do any of them, so I'm going to keep this simple.

My fanfic resolutions for 2023 are:

1) Enjoy the things I enjoy and don't let random strangers screaming on the internet stop me.

2) Leave a comment when I read something I like.

3) Finish (write, edit, and post) a oneshot from my mountain of abandoned, unfinished fic ideas and drafts.

Happy writing, and wishing everyone a great 2023!

 

My fanfic goals for this year:

1. Finish and post something. Even if it's just a random drabble not connected to anything else I've written.
2. Write up a rough outline for the epic fic that's been marinating in my head for about the last two years. Maybe then I'll actually get the story written eventually.
3. Go through my posted stories and fix some of the typos I've been ignoring for way too long.

 

My fanfic goals for 2023:

Finish stuff! I have so many storylines swimming in my brain that I need to just sort them out and post them already!

 

O-ho, resolutions! Okay, I'm going to keep it simple.
1. Not to disappear from the face of the galaxy for more than a week at a time.
2. To finish at least one of the gazillion WIPs I have on these boards, however small. To make progress on at least 2 more.
3. Not to start new stories unless they're challenge entries.
There. That should be feasible, right?

 

Since I still have unmet resolutions from several previous years (all of which remain on the eternal To Do List in the sky), I have refrained this year. The only sort-of resolution I considered was to write something, anything at all, to completion--and that I have already accomplished. Thank you, Kessel Run Challenge.

 

I just finished the audiobook of "Every Tool's a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It" by Adam Savage. Adam co-hosted Mythbusters (I heart Mythbusters), worked for ILM on TPM and other films, and can build a heck of a lot of stuff from film sets to practical applications to cosplay costumes and props. His book looks at the creative process of making, whether that's building a prop or writing computer code or painting or writing or something else altogether.

Some of the later chapters are geared a bit more toward physical builds, but all in all there's a lot of good insights in it for all creative types. Things like understanding how you work, what you want to do, giving yourself permission to follow your creative passions as well as learn and experiment and make mistakes, and recognizing the gap between how you think something should turn out vs. how it itself wants to turn out. It's a fascinating read, and I thought some of the creative people on here might be interested in hearing about it.

 

Am finally pushing myself out of a writer's block mixed with Darth RL getting in the way!

My biggest problem was figuring out the pacing and the sequencing of events.

I still feel like writing large-scale battle scenes and scenes where many character at a time are involved with the action is an area of difficulty for me.

 

Oh it’s always hard. My suggestion is pick your main POVs and focus on them. Make sure the big picture is clear, and then you can handwave a lot of the specifics. And don’t be afraid to rewrite!

 

I've found something interesting while working on a chapter. I'm pretty much a Legends-only fan, but I do see that some of the Disney Star Wars has begun to leak through at times. A U-wing making an appearance in a discarded draft, Purge Troopers from Fallen Order accompanying Legends-style Inquisitors.

Has this happened in anyone else's works? A slight blending of the two continuities?

 

Well, in my recent comedy-fic, it was entirely Legends, except the idea behind the fic was inspired by Rise of the Skywalker, and the fic (briefly) featured

Spoiler: Profusion of Palpatines

Rey and Jakku

. But otherwise, I largely operate inside of Legends, because it’s what I know best (I haven’t read much of anything from the new canon, only seen each movie once) and because I’m specifically catering to that audience. Part of the draw of my big fic series is it’s Legends with a twist.

That said, when my coauthor and I were doing character designs for Interregnum 2, one proposal that was briefly on the table was using Moff Gideon as an antagonist. (For those who have read Interregnum 2, he would have featured instead of Carias, who filled that role in the story instead. This was very early in the brainstorming, obviously.) Ultimately we decided not to do that, but we did consider it.

 

I am torn between two sequences for the final lightsaber duel between my protagonist and antagonist

1: the two characters are temporarily separated by a Force induced barrier, and they have a heart to heart before resuming their duel to the death when the barrier is gone. During this conversation, the hero would try to convince the villain to surrender and face justice, while the villain explains that he cannot take this option and live, while remaining evil gives him a chance for greater power.


2. Antagonist is ready to surrender and face the consequences, but the protagonist is consumed with hate and nearly cuts him down in cold blood. Antagonist then goes back to his old ways and nearly kills the protagonist, but she resists while letting go of her hate.


I feel like including both sequences will disrupt the flow.

Thinking about it, I lean towards door number two. I have another climax-related dilemma I am still trying to solve.

 

^ My hesitation with option two is that I’m worried it might give way to the idea that my hero, herself battling with her darker impulses, stopped the villain from having a full redemption, which I’ve never wanted him to have. Either option I choose, I want to point out that he is choosing to remain evil, rather than being drawn by an external force.

 

Do you have an outline? Which one can fit that the most if you do have one.
Writing by the seat of your pants? What option do you think would A: be most realistic to the characters, and B: would be most enjoyable to see for the reader.
As for the latter: this is Star Wars, and most of the major heroes of the Saga, in both Disney and Legends, have had their battles with their own demons and have won.

 

The common way in the movies is to have a conversation between the beats of the fight.

Ksssh-ksssh
"I can see there is still some good in you"
Jump fhwooong smash
"You don't understand the POWER of the Naughty Side. Come join me!"
Cartwheel, Force Push! Stumble.
"Argh! I don't think so dude!"
Big somersault jump.
Etc

 

Classically, you want the antagonist to initially surrender because they see no other alternative, having been quite thoroughly beaten. This isn't a reach towards redemption, but instead simply grasping at survival, since the antagonist assumes, presumably with good reason, that the protagonist won't cut them down in cold blood. Then, as the protagonist hesitates because they are struggling with their feelings (or, in another version of the scenario, distracted by some external complication), the antagonist detects and opportunity, reneges on their surrender, and launches a surprise attack, usually injuring the protagonist seriously. Then the hero fights back in true righteousness (often getting some kind of cool power up in the process) and wins.

The Mace Windu/Palptine fight in RotS features every one of these steps, except the last one.

 

This sounds perfect, is it okay if I borrow this scenario? Although this antagonist will renege because he realizes that he was left vulnerable because of his near surrender, while the protagonist refuses to accept his peace offering by striking at him.

 

I think that I could put situation 1 after situation 2, but it might feel more poetic with little to no dialogue after the fight resumes when the protagonist achieves inner peace and obtains her advantage once again.

With the characters I have established, it would be difficult to imagine what my hero would say to the villain that attempts to push past the barrier of hatred between them, but I can definitely imagine how she would go into the battle fused with hate, then let go of it but still fight to win.
It'll be hard for her to just let go of her hotheadedness directed at him for no reason, but easier when I write a pivotal moment where she is finally able to let go of her hate- and doing this when her life is at stake after having nearly killed in cold blood feels most impactful.