andraste: From colour stills of 'The Aztecs'. (Barbara as Yetaxa)
Andraste ([personal profile] andraste) wrote2011-07-06 10:14 am
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Thirty Days of Fanfiction: Day Six

6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?

For fanfiction? Predominantly male characters. There are lots of reasons for that, but what it boils down to is that the fictional archetypes I love rarely show up in female form. If I want to write about middle-aged women arguing about politics and then trying to kill each other, well, there aren't many source texts that are going to provide me with the basic material. I've written more female characters in my recent fandoms (notably Doctor Who) because more of them appeal to me.

I used to feel bad about mostly writing men, until I started writing more original fiction. Not that I've ever finished any of it, but almost all my protagonists in those stories are female. When I make them up, the female characters can be the types of people that appeal to me most as a writer. Almost all the original characters I've ever written fanfiction about have been female, as well. (Not that there are a lot of them, but there was that story about Crais's mother and also the female Peace Keeper captain who shows up in that story about Larrell and a few others here and there. I'm also generally more likely to write about minor female characters than the major ones.



1 – How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?

2 – Name the fandoms you've written in, and how much you've written in that fandom, and if you still write in it.

3 – For each of the fandoms from day two, what were your favorite characters to write?

4 – Do you have a "muse" character, that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn't about them? Who are they, and why did that character became your muse?

5 –If you have ever had a character try to push their way into a fic, whether your "muse" or not, what did you do about it?

6 – When you write, do you prefer writing male or female characters?

7 – Have you ever had a fic change your opinion of a character?

8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.

9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?

10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?

11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?

12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" fic of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?

13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?

14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?

15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a fic?

16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?

17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?

18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?

19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?

20 – Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?

21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?

22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?

23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?

24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?

25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your fic? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?

26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?

27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?

28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your fic?

29 – What is your current project or projects?

30 – Do you have a favorite fic you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!
labingi: (Default)

[personal profile] labingi 2011-07-06 06:33 am (UTC)(link)
You statement about the difficulty of finding middle-aged women arguing about politics, etc., is very much the discussion (with the same character reference) that [livejournal.com profile] shimere277 and I were having a few posts back. We didn't really come up with any, which is a telling statement about the continuing dearth of female presence. One intelligent middle-aged woman with things to say about politics is considered an epic win for feminism (ex. Laura Roslin). We know what "they" would say about two: "Why do have two of the same character type? It's overkill of intelligent, middle-aged women. The audience will leave in droves," and so on.