The Things Non-Fanfic Writers Wonder...

LOL! This is a GREAT thread!

Hysterical, and yet so sadly true.... I just wish fanfic existed when I was in school. The days could have been filled up by writing stories, instead of just staring out of the window and daydreaming while the teachers went on and on. (sounding very much like the 'adult' voices on the 'Peanuts' cartoon. Alas, I did not get good grades in school. This might have been the reason. )

NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE in my family (or friends) know that I do this. (Other than my fanfic friend on this site, Jedi-2B.)

 

Haha!! Yes, so true!! I get that all the time too. What really drives me nuts though is when people ask me something like "So...can Yoda do a Mind Meld??" or "What does Mr. Spock's lightsaber look like?" or "Are tribbles related to wookies?" *headdesk*

Welcome in Ponytricks glad you're enjoying yourself!

 

I look so decidedly non-geeky that people don't often believe that I'm a fanfic writer or that I'm so into Star Wars. I went to the bookstore today to get Fury and the employees there gave me a slightly funny look to see a very normal, non-geeky looking college girl buying SW books.
Most of the people who don't know me would never believe that I'm a fanfic writer.

 

I did the exact opposite, I'm writing a book as practice before I decide to rewrite two decades of galactic history.

 

MYRIAD!!!!! I KNOW I don't look like a "typical" Star Wars fan!!!! What is that exactly? And Irish!!!!!! Good night!!!! As a Trek fan as well, how could ANYONE get ST and SW mixed up like that?

 

*snicker* This reminds me of an incident at work. I write on my lunch break and had my notebook and two of the Essential books out. One of the regular customers stopped her buggy, got my attention, and asked what the books were. I told her Star Wars. Her reply was to ask if I was a tomboy. Didn't know one had to be so in order to like Star Wars. Eh, learn something new everyday

I tend to get odd looks when mentioning what happens in the books and was once asked, in a rather surprised tone of voice, "They have books?"

Also popular with some I know when mentioning Luke and Mara. "Jedi aren't supposed to marry."
It takes a bit to explain.

And since explaining why I write fanfiction and what exactly that is takes so long, and since I only get an hour for lunch, I now just say I write Sci fi and fantasy. Sci fi for the Star Wars fanfic and fantasy for the original fic I'm working on as well. It saves time.

 

While I have oft attempted to write fan fiction and failed miserably, only writing a few hundred words before giving up in futility for my inability to write effectual fiction, I am an occasional reader. By occasion, I mean that every few months I read intensely for several weeks, and then slough off.

It is a hard thing to explain. When asked what I am doing on the computer, this is not the first thing I wish to reply. I am very afraid that people will think me crazy, especially as fan fiction tends to be an outlet for teenaged girls rather than Division I college athletes.

 

Hey, I resemble that.

What about, um - I'm-not middle-aged,no-way - a female insurance agent? I was already beyond my teen years, barely, when ANH came out.

 

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Yup. I'm a teenage girl....

*hobbles off on her creaky, aching knee, that is hurting from cleaning leaves out of gutters...*

*checks mirror for new wrinkles and gray hairs*

*takes aspirin and puts hot-pack on that knee *


Yup. I'm a teenage girl

 

Yeah, me too...

People tend to think that me writing fanfic is some sort of pre-menopausic symptom. At least after I explain to them what fanfic is. And why I write it in a language that it's not my own. And that the character I 'get best' is a guy. Etc.

 

You should have just held out your hand and said in a spooky voice, "I'm giving your kid TEH GAY right noooowww!!"

Tomboy...is that a communicable disease now? Talk about living in the Land of Stereotypes, that woman has a lakeside villa.

 

You give someone the evil eye and say, "You just gave me a plot bunny!" They look at you like you've lost your mind.
I live in a dorm full of lunatics, and when I did that last night at dinner, everyone thought I'd really gone off the deep end.
Non-writers must wonder why we flip out whenever someone gives us a new idea.

 

I know, right! I really don't fit the stereotype, and when I say I'm a crazy rabid star wars fan, they don't belive me at first. I have a pin that says "May the Force Be With You", and I always have it on my purse. I get funny looks all the time, and I love it!

I have come so close to letting some fanfic lingo slip many times, it's really hard to just stop talking a certain way after sitting in front of TF.N for an hour or so! I feel like a complete dork/idiot when it happens...

 

Unfortunately, I have to be nice to the customers. Even if I am in my karate uniform, still sweaty from class, and asked if I worked at the grocery store.

Hehe, I've made the mistake of telling one of my co-workers about plot bunnies. She's thinks I'm nuts now and swears I hear voices in my head and am arguing with them. I keep telling her that I did not argue with that character. That the character argued with me. She looked at me like I have two heads. *shrugs* I can't help it if the character didn't like her name.

 

My characters argue with me, too! And my Gothic Lit professor is going to wonder why I made a note of fanfic writing in the acknowledgements of my paper. Well, it's because fanfic taught me about dialogue, action, and angst. Non-writers must wonder where we get our imaginations from...

 

Girl...I love it!! I'm going to try it out!!! Sometime....someday....yah...but still, what a stellar idea!! Pish, they just don't know what they're missing!

Jade_eyes: I don't know! What would a steryotypical fan be?! Strike that...I don't want to know! Besides, we are REINVENTING stereotypes!!! That's what its all about!

And hey, Obi-Zahn, I resemble that remark too!! But hey, college + fanfic = Coolneess!! Besides, how else to escape math class? Besides, I like to think what we do isn't just fangirl-ism...which I cannot stand! We create Art! Poetry! Literature! Its not that much of a stretch....look at Jade_pilot and VaderLVR64's stuff!

 

I've certainly read fanfics that were much better than profics! Haven't we all? This is art- with a touch of fangirl/boyism!

 

QFT!

 

Whenever I verbally stress over my fic, my sister says I should give up on Star Wars and write my own story, to which I respond, "But, but...I HAVE to write it! I have to tell this story or I'll go insane!"

I don't know how many times I've had to explain the terms shipper and OTP.

My mom and grandmother are always telling librarians and relatives that I'm writing a Star Wars book. Then I usually get asked if I'm going to publish it.

 

Oh that happens to me all the time too!
That and when I inquire about something to do with star wars, they always talk to my boyfriend if he is with me thinking it's for him

The most common thing people say to me about fan fiction is "Fan fiction? Now that's just really sad" and then the moment your back is turned, they are sneaking a read of your fan-fic dedicated notebook!

 

Non fanfic writers may wonder who this person is that you constantly refer to as "The Muse", and why you hate them so much... and also why they are controlling you!

 

And the main reason why this is? Money. As in we aren't getting any for writing fan fiction. And I say this as a good thing. We don't have the pressure of the Corporate Lucas telling us where the storyline is going to go. There's no one telling us that this event or that event can't happen in the official timeline. We make this up as we go. AND WE CAN GET AWAY WITH IT!!!
We can write anything in Star Wars fan fiction because really...who's going to stop us? Unless a fan fic writer ignorantly tries to publish (which Corporate Lucas won't allow anyway), we can do what we want!
We can bring characters back to life. We can allow some who are dead in profic to be undead (don't get me started).We can have Ghent have a relationship with Lobot. Or...maybe not. (Tell me I didn't just give someone a pet plot bunny!)

I've said it in one of my fics(Stranger Than Fan Fiction) but I'll say it again.

FAN FICTION RULES!!!

 

I think the number one thing I get is "what is fanfiction?". Then I tell them (and there are not that many who know that I write it anyway) and they say things like "why would you do that?"...Or anything like that. You know, the typical, why not write something you can get paid to do, blah, blah, blah....Also, I tend to write stuff that is in the NC 17 category and that alone, not even the fanfic part, tends to make people go "uh, really? Wow...." Funny how sex can make people so uncomfortable. Add some characters that they already know to that mix and they just don't know what to do!

And I have to say, one of the best comments I ever got on my writing was from one of my only SW loving, non smut loving, non writer friends who said it was better than some of the novels he has read. Yay!

 

They wonder why you have a file listing Star Wars curse words with their real word equivilaints beside them.

They wonder why your not getting paid for writing a novel length story.

They wonder why you arrange ALL of the Star Wars books chronologically when you walk into Barnes and Noble.

 

I think my favorite non-fic writer remark was about the maps of various countries and universes that I have on the wall above my writing desk. My brother took one look at all of them and asked, "What, are you planning your own invasion or something?"

On the down-side though, I really hate it when I mention a story that I'm writing and I get one of those, "oh, isn't that cute," reactions. You know the ones I mean; where someone smiles and laughs in the way they would if they were talking about a toddler?