I have been writin fanficton for about three years when a friend of mine introduced me to it but I have been writing for much longer - since I could write I think althought many of those stories where about three or four lines long some of them where really good ideas and I am working on turning the into full size stories that I may send to a publishers when I have finished tem. My sister is the same although her seroius stories greatly out number her fanfics. IS there anyone else who is the same?
I was always thinking about writing seriously, sending things to publishers or journalism etc, and I found fanfiction as a great way to practice and also to see which ideas are good and which are not. It's like an eyeopener, really.
I don't know anymore though, I'm content with FF and now can't really see myself writing story's as such. I attempted my own original story, but after two chapters I was thinking, "ohmagawd, this is so lame." In fairness, it was.
Yeah, I might stick to fanfiction. :P
I've been writing my own stuff for years. I now do ff just to see how people react to my work and how I react to criticsm. I have not the confidence to send anything to bublished
Some of my work is original. The Galactic Codex contains many original elements but I've sprinkled it so that it fits in with my work.
@moonphase- What about a publisher?
I write original fic, too. I think the writing is better than that in my fanfic (I'm lazy with my fanfic writing style, as I focus more on getting a general idea across than I do on phrasing it perfectly, and I get bored of a fic soon after I finish it, so if I think it is bearable, I post it), but fanfic is fun to write, and I can experiment with different genres.
pfft, shows what you know '...'
EVERYONE knows that bublishing is the way to go!!
Btw, I'm the same with my ff, I write them very quickly and put them out almost straightaway, so their qaulity is much lower
I write a lot of original fiction and hope to send some of my work to publishing at some point. I think fanfiction is great for practicing and exploring new ideas. There's also more motivation to keep going with fanfic because people comment as you work.
It's also easier to write plot because you can actually write a good story without a lot of character description and exploration because usually the reader knows the character as well as you do.
I used to write a lot more fanfiction than I do now, and I have accounts on both Fictionpress and Fanfiction.net. Now, I try to focus mainly on original fiction, Fanfiction to me is still really fun, and I enjoy doing it, but yeah, I do want to be a published author someday (I've sent stuff off in the past, had some fairly postive replies) but I agree with most people here that fanfics are really good practice.
I have a story coming out Ebook on March 11 that began as a fan fiction story, from Red Rose Publishing. I've been writing fan fiction for over ten years, mostly Lord of the Rings, some Final Fantasy VII, and a few crossover. I'm Fiannalyn at ff.net, and have a 1000 member yahoo group devoted to Lorien. :D
My published story is romance and mystery, I also have a fantasy book called Reunion:Ties of Blood out now, (heavy on the elves), and one in process that's a fun take on an author who crosses into an alternate dimension to find her characters she's written are really alive! Eireland will be out hopefully by the end of 2010.
But it all began with Fan Fiction!!
I'm a perfectionist with most things I write, so it takes me months to finish a story so that I feel I can post it - I don't think this means that the work is amazing, but I have to think it would be something I'd enjoy reading.
But I'm working on an original idea at the minute, but I'm going to have to do some research because its going to feature domestic abuse, drug dealing and a number of different crime things, as well as the twist I want at the end which will be hard to figure out.
But the idea is there and I'm hoping to write it and send it to publishers by the time I finish Uni (which is in like June 2012 - I have time)
Im currently writing a teeange fanasy/adventure novel. I don't think i'll get far but i write for the fun, not for profesionalism. not yet anyway :3
Im currently writing a teeange fanasy/adventure novel. I don't think i'll get far but i write for the fun, not for profesionalism. not yet anyway :3
I think sharingansupergirl is right- fanfiction can be used as a great tool in experimenting with new ideas or ways of writing...
I am writing an original fic, and I will send it off to publishers once i am finished, although it will probably take a long time...
Hi. im a fanfiction writer, and a published writer. my first novel is called THE LONELY WALK and is published by XLIBRIS. Yoishinmonlight sent me here, and i like it very much. fanfiction to me is an excelent way of honing writers skills; they can use existing character, put in how they want to act, and get feedback on whats best. i first got into it with southpark fanffiction, now im inot ben10,arthur, the simpsons, family guy and american dad. has anyone uploaded thier stories ont his site yet?
For the love of all that's holy, will people stop calling themselves 'published authors' when they've sent their work to a vanity press?!
Perhaps it would have been more believable had the spelling and grammar not been terrible. ~Epic sigh~
I know I fail at times, but... just... no.
I've been writing my own stuff for a long while and have been working on the same novel length thing for 2 years, though I have to admit that it'll take a looooong time for me to finish it.
I don't write to be published or anything - at least not now, I have plenty of time and I don't think I'm good enough for now.
Ellipsis > To be an 'author published by the family printer' is far better - except when editor is called 'mother'. Because she might want to charge you for the ink.
But I have to say that spell-check (?) would do wonder in the world of fanfictions.
@Supergirl- Any 'publisher' that charges an author money to publish their work. Saying 'I'm published' means nothing if you're published by a vanity press, because they'll publish anyone who pays. Real publishers don't charge authors, and an editor will read through the author's manuscript to see if it's worth publishing, and THAT'S only if the covering letter is decent. Most publishers don't accept unsolicited manuscripts, so if you want to get published, it makes sense to get an agent first. Said agent will read your manuscript before they decide whether or not to accept you as a client. In other words, your work is read over by two people at the very least, rejected or accepted, alterations and improvements are suggested/insisted on and, to cut a long story short, you end up with something (hopefully) worth the ink it's printed with.
A vanity press will publish whatever you give them, no matter what a mess it is, and they'll stick it in a dark corner of the internet to gather dust. That, or worse...
..., if they're not an e-publisher, they'll print off twenty copies, send you one and keep the rest in a basement. Book shops will avoid stocking things published by vanity press, and they'll avoid it like the bubonic plague. In other words, you'll pay a ridiculous amount of money and never see a penny of it back.
@ Ellipsis, Same as Sharingandsupergirl. Thanks a bunch!^^
@Sharingandsupergirl, I know what you mean - spell check comes in handy - except for 'code switching'... I end writing in French with an English syntax - and vice versa. Maybe when you write by hand you have more time to think, since it usually takes longer to write that way...
I'm working on a story...done two chapters? But I have no time to read over, edit or plan the rest etc. Not bothered about getting it published; just like writing it.
Oh well, maybe when I'm free from the stress of life, I'll be able too.
@24, Writing's favorably done as a hobby in spare time until you become a recognised author and have previously published books paying your way through that which we call life. So no, you'll never be free from the stress! Bwahaha! On a more serious note, have fun with that. :)
@Tristana, that must... annoy you. My French teach keeps commenting on how the french speak "properly" and always scolds me for trying to turn my english slang into french slang. That, and I've no idea what I'm saying. No good at language, m'fraid.
i have writtin a story and planning out a second. i wrote the first onefor NaNoWriMo and i published it as an ebook. as several may have seen i posted thelink and everything on another thread, but there have been a few things that weren't meant for that thread posted.
anyway, i never think my stories are perfect but i try to get them as close as possible, the story i have as an ebook i am constantly finding things that i want to change and write different. then again i do that with everything i write, that's why i have to have someone else fix spelling and gamer. LOL when i re read my own work i change the whole story. i'm really strange, lol. oh well i do what i can. ^_^
I currently have my own story in the works, although I think it will be a while before it is ready for public viewing.
I've got ideas for original stories, but I've never had chance to write it all down. One day, I hope to get my ideas on paper, or as the case may be, computer. Until then, I'm on ff.net with my stories. I'm 14 so I know zilch about publishing and stuff.
I'm writing a m/m homoerotic one with original characters. The plot's pretty shit, and yeah its self insertion because I don't live my life the way I want to because body=wrong. But I just like doing it, I don't take it all that seriously.
I like the idea of writing a proper fantasy novel, as I had an idea for one godknows how long ago, but I'm writing a comic at the moment and my main goal is to be a published graphic novelist. I'm a dreamer, me.
EDIT: by original characters I mean the whole thing is original xD; I didn't rape a series, haha.
I'm getting ideas for a original fantasy novel, and have started writing some scenes for it.
I've been writing fanfiction for a while but I've been writing my own stories since I was 13, about 6 years. But even before then I would maken up little stories for myself when I was playing. Actually, one of my ideas came from one of the games I used to play.
The novel that I think is going to be my best actually came from a really strange dream.
I'm writing several ideas sown at the moment and have come up with
about two chapters each.
I've written a small...I can't really call it a chapter, but I can't seem to carry on with it. I blame this damn writer's block. I've had it for about a week...
Depression is the worst thing to have when you're trying to write a story...
Sorry, that 'sown' was supposed to be a 'down'
I've been having IDEAS for stories since I was about five...now I have a grand cumulation of twenty or so big ideas and millions of small that are hidden in my bookshelf just waiting to be taken down and developed on ^^
I have trouble writing Original work, mainly because I create one character I really like and have everything happen to him/her...it's getting better now, but usually the more mundane stuff goes to the characters I don't like as much.
I am currently writing a fantasy novel which i hope to have published. I have only been writing for 6 months, since i was introduced to ff. I wrote my first ff in 3 months and recieved some great reviews giving me the confidence to write my own story. I have no writing experience or qualifications so i'm learning all the time but it is a great experience and one i really enjoy.
well for me, i write my original stories and to find out if i am any good, i just replace the original characters with fanfic charaters and put it up as a fanfic. but i can easily go back to the original if i had changed anything to fit the fanfic characters. i had thought of submitting one of my stories to a publisher, but i wasnt sure so thats the only way i found that i can see how well i hve done.
mow though, i am seriously thinking of getting down and actually writing a full book or submitting a short story for an anthology.
I usually get my inspiration for Shojo anime/manga and the OST that come with them. Not necessarily based off of them but, I really like the stories that come with them.
I write only Bleach stories so........yeah. I had a challenge with my friend to write a Yaoi story.....i have no choice in matter so i'll have to suck it up.
I've got three books of my own in the works.. all having been written and rewritten over the course of 10 years.
Fanfics is a good way to learn..
When I was younger, I was given a blank book and I started my first ever story... I didn't know there was such thing as fanfiction let alone crossovers, but it turned out I had written writing fanfictions long before I started writing my serious books, and yet, I feel more attached to my own stories.
the largest one I could ever contemplate. This means I've been
My own book is much more in-depth than my fanfictions, yet, they are more well written. I guess it's because some of the character's behaviors have already been decided. They are a good learning technique, I sometimes think of amazing lines for the fanfictions and then modify them for my book! =]
I find fan-fiction easier to write, although before I have written fan-fiction that is very AU and off plot, nothing to do with original book, so I could easily switch it to my own work. I like working with familiar characters though...
Just popped by after an invite from Yoshino. It is amazing at how many budding authors are out there!!!
I will however say this, I insist on making my stories acurate (to the point of believablity), entertaining, with an element of humour. I do like my fanfic to be of a standard that I would consider 'professional'.
In other words, I can't just 'knock' somthing together and expect people to write rave reviews about it.
I am currently working on an original piece of fiction that would suit young adults (or escapists who like a bit of excitement in thier lives!) The main problem I have found so far is that my work is being returned because it is too short! (unlike this post!) I will continue to work on it though....
'Accurate'. Commas=/=semicolons, dashes or the word 'and' . Full stops are favourable. Typos are not. General grammar needs work.
~sigh~
Just been writing a rambling diary entry as an OC of mine. I did it to explore her head a bit, but, with some tweaking, it would make quite a nice opening. I'm quite proud of it, but then all shoddy writing looks good at quarter past six in the morning.
... Actually, without meaning to, I put a lot of possible mystery into the thing. Hmmm... There's only one truly dire line that sticks out to me... but I'm too slow to fix it right now. I'll try tomorrow.
Tumtetum.
posts are not the same as fanfic... So typos happen!
~sigh!~
Anyone describing him/herself as 'acurate' is asking for it, though.
I've wrote stuff since in Yr3 when I moved to my town and was introduce to writing stories. It was babyish at first but I really wish to publish a book and I've improved (hopefully). I'm writing a novel now, hopefully it will turn into a novel and I can get it publish. I know I'm only fourteen but I really want to publish my work and once my story finish I praying that I can. You lot don't know any publishers, do you?
Look in the Writers' Yearbook. Tbh, though, you'll need to get the hang of grammar first.
Hi there. I think we all aspire to be published writers at one point or another. Fanfiction has been a really great way to explore differsnt writing styles without developing a character for those purposes, plus its fun. I've discovered that I'm really lazy and take ages to update only to find I've lost interest. That won't help if I try to write my own original pieces. To be honest though I had a piece of poetry published in an anthology in Yr5, looking back now it was utter crap but it was really great at the time. I've been writing my own pieces on and off for years. For GCSE original writing coursework I wrote loads and was pretty intent to write a full story, I guess I really got into the characters head..meh. But I guess what I really aspire to be is a manga artist so maybe I'll dabble in fan-comics for a while and see where that takes me.
To all those trying to get published I wish you the best of luck. =D
P.S Sorry for the essay. ^-^
>>50 For our original writing coursework, we had to base it on the play. I rebelled, and killed everyone.
>>51 Nice on, besides how is it original writing if you're basing it off someone else's work. Call it like it is, repeat after me..f-a-n-f-i-c-t-i-o-n. I'm glad I didn't have to do that or I would have done the same as you Lupa.
>>52 Not FAN fiction, my dear black mage. I am in no way a fan of that play. It's eeevil!
>>53 Don't worry I can believe that, teachers are evil to make u do that.
My original writing sucked, we had to do a school reunion, and it had to be realistic. So I added a FFVII reference and killed the main characters off. I can't write when I'm not happy with the subject.
Back on the topic, I invented some universe revolving around the Seven Deadly Sins and demons, a friend liked the idea and did the same for the Seven Heavenly Virtues and angels, and we had some giant fic going with at least 30+ pages. It's fun, gives you a lot more freedom with characters.
I hated English at school. My teacher told me I would never pass an exam in my life! so I proved her wrong and got both my Lit and Lang OLevels (Prerunners to whatever you call them today :)) and got an Alevel in combined. Never got to rub it in her face though. Yes I have original fics I am working on to send to publishers. These are mainly set in original universes and are not bound to the Earth.
Writers get inspirations from everything around them so if you write something after seeing a particular shows, pictures, songs or reading. It is original if you use that idea and create everything around it uniquely. With most fan fictions you know the canon for the one you are writing and you write and have ideas in that universe either using already known characters, or creating other characters to interact with canon.
It is definitely more rewarding mentally and to your end product to enjoy what you are writing. As for spelling.. mine is attrocious "Long live Spellchecker and dictionary.com !!"
i want to get my book published and into bookstores and all, any one have any pointers or any ideas on where to send it to get it accepted and published? lol i have no idea what i'm doing with any of that, and to tell the truth i'm a bit nervous, but i want to take the next step.
anything you can offer will help.....
WY
Check out Absolutewrite.com , it's a great website for writing and advice on agents and publication and such.
>>59
thanks!!
My first book is getting published and it was fanfiction :)
I would love to get a book published, but I'm sticking with my fanfiction for now. Fanfiction has helped me develop so many writing skills (especially from reviews - it's not a lie, they do actually help!) Anyway, I have a few stories on the go at the moment, if you like Sailor Moon (pairing SerenaxDarien), then please read them!
i am the same i came up with an idea for a book well really a novel when i was in college my friends were going to help but now it's just me, i also write stories on scraps of paper i find or old schools that have many pages left.
then i found fanfiction and fell in love with it then i decided to take the plunge and write a story on there and i was very surprise at the response i got.
i still write stories on paper and i am still continuing with me novel
>>61
You might want to watch out for that. It's copyright infringement and that's illegal.
At the moment I'm writing my first original story (Follow the link in my name /shameless plug). It's only got two chapters now, and while the feedback was positive (If not a bit small), I doubt it's publish-worthy at the end. Even so, I'd feel uneasy about fetching money for it.... I don't know, haven't taught that far yet.
>>64
I think >61 was trying to they that she would love to publish a book, BUT she is stuck with FF at the moment, NOT that she wants to publish a book with her FFs about Sailor Moon
but she says 'my first book IS being published...' So it's being published now.
I agree with P-girl, I'm pretty certain that publishing fanfic is against copyright laws, as the characters (if not the swtoryline or situation) are not your own. I'd be annoyed if I someone published a fanfic they wrote of MY story or film or whatever...
~Strongly suspects that vanity publishing is afoot~
i just finished self publishing with lulu.com...... have a new and improved paperback and hardback book all set...
@70- You will do it properly and pay them for their ISBNs and marketing, won't you? Their no returns policy is pure genius. Oh, you should see the commercial booksellers' reaction to that one! I'd also recommend paying for a Kirkus Discoveries review. Remember, the more you spend publishing your work, the more bookshops will be interested! A dedication to parting with cash shows far more writing ability than a dedication to improving one's manuscript!
('ijustwantittolookat!'Binditinasparklyringbinderthen)
>>71 yeah... i'm just waiting for my pay check so i can get it and work on getting everything to get it out to as much of the world as i can. no pain no gain, have to deal with giving up money if i want to make money....
Oh, great Bahamut on a pogo stick...
Okay. Firstly, a book on Lulu will not sell, except to a handful of your relatives and friends. Why? Because customers know that they haven't been proofread by anyone other than the author.
Secondly, there is no point in buying a Lulu ISBN or paying extortionate rates for their marketing. Why? Because no bookshop will order books from a POD company that has no quality control and no returns policy. They don't want to be landed with a large quantity of books that...
... they can't sell or return.
As for Kirkus Discoveries, they charge around $400 for a 50 word review, you won't necessarily get a good one, and booksellers ignore Kirkus Discoveries' reviews anyway.
Publishing is a business. People have a tendency to romanticise it and imagine that passion on the author's part is all it takes. Nope. Shops want things that will sell. They have to make money. That's the truth of the matter, and that's why a Lulu book that isn't niche non-fiction will not sell.
>>74
before you go off on one of your little tangents.... i have other plans and i am not relying on lulu to sell my books. i'm not retarded.....
i am doing my own work to sell and promote. so obviously you don't know everything like you seem to show off in every one of your posts.
not that you need to know but i am getting my paycheck so i can get it professionally read and i will be paying for promotions, isbn numbers, and everything else to get my book all over. so before you start off on your little path take a step back and look at all the different paths one could take to get to where they want to be.
That's just it. You should not have to pay to get your MS, let alone the finished product, read. And why do you need ISBNs in the plural?
Is your book niche non-fiction that can be promoted at pertinent events? Is it useful for a certain profession (and the only book on the subject)? That's the only saleable self-published material.
(Also, I don't recall stating that I knew 'everything', although I suppose I should be flattered/slightly worried if you've inferred that.)
why is it that you can never keep your mouth shut when it comes to someone trying to be happy and celebrate something they worked hard for? all i did was post that i went through lulu.com to self publish and you jump all over it putting everything i do down once again. why don't you just sit back and let some people enjoy their small accomplishments? no matter if they are making mistakes or not. let them ask for help from you before you start going off.
@78- ? Darlin', I'm giving you advice on how not to waste hundreds of pounds. I think it would be far crueller of me to 'keep my mouth shut'. Since you're evidently not bothering to research the market, someone needs to warn you before you end up losing a lot, and maybe even end up in debt. Would you buy a farm without any knowledge of how to sell your produce to supermarkets?
OR maybe you know exactly how you're going to go about the sell-in, in which case, please enlighten me.
Self publishing is, in my opinion, essentially valueless. Because you're the one paying to get published, you don't have to prove the value of your story. On the other hand, getting someone to publish your book for you proves that you are at least talented enough to impress someone.
@80- While I agree with you in most cases, there are exceptions. Namely, books which appeal to a niche market.
Say you have written a friendly user manual for a piece of technology that is invaluable in one small profession. A regular publisher is unlikely to take it on; it has very limited marketability. If you then self publish, online or otherwise (note that self-publishing is NOT the same as vanity press), and market your work yourself, you may have some success. The key is to know your market. For...
... example, if your user guide was for a tool used in certain medical procedures, you might contact people giving courses in medicine. For a book on one tiny time period in Islamic civilisation, you might give talks in mosques. It depends on both your subject matter and your contacts.
Poetry is also commonly self-published. This is because it's a tough sell. With poetry, there are pretty-much two routes- magazines and self-publishing. Again, a poet must market themselves- generally through readings.
...
And that just about covers it. If you're writing something that will appeal greatly to a small number of people whom you are in contact with, self-publishing is viable. If, on the other hand, you are writing a magic-filled teen fantasy vampire novel with ghosts and embarrassing crushes, self-publishing is not going to get you anywhere. As, one would think, would be obvious.
I will honestly say, as someone with no experience of the publishing world, but as an avid reader, that inulover, you're damaging your viability as an author for me personally, purely by your lack of grammar and punctuation when posting on this site. As someone who writes for a hobby, and does want to publish eventually, I would like to think that all of this is fairly important - I know people post differently depending on where they're writing, but honestly, the impression you're giving me is one of a publication that would be riddled with errors and bad punctuation before edits.
Also - from what I've heard - self-publication can be a dodgy route, there is far too many people out there willing to take advantage of young inexperienced writers like many on this site. if you're doing it that way, then be careful at least.
I stand corrected 81. A niche market book would make more sense for a self-publishing author. But when it comes works of fiction, professional publishers are better.
I've got into writing my own stories after I found out that I can't resist making my own OC's and I know that a lot people don't like them but they're not Mary Sue's or whatever you call the male version. It's work in progress and if any of you would mind taking a quick read and giving me some feedback whether it be encouragement or critisms, I don't mind either.
http://www.goldfox-jlw.webs.com/ It's on this site and if you can't find it follow this one.
http://goldfox-jlw.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/2454342-by-blood-we-remain-bound-?page=last
It's basically a story about a 13 yr old girl who is a mix of both Vampire and Werewolf, so far it's coming along quite well and I would love some feedback on it.
I started writing my first fanfic when I was 9 years old. Last year I started my own story and so far i'm pretty proud of it. I sended the first chapters to a few of my friends and they are all hooked to the story. I think that is a good thing. What I will do with the story when i'm finished i'm not sure of. I do know that I will transelate it into english (I am dutch) and maybe upload it on my website. But as I said I'm undecided....
If I would send it to a publisher I wouldn't hope on it to much. Publishers get thousands of manuscripts. You would have to be very very lucky to be picked out. And I know I'm never lucky so I would probably never try..
@86- I wish to punch that website in its figurative face. Was it specially created to irritate me?
Seriously, post on fictionpress instead, and people might read your writing. Don't force us to endure that site.
"story's"...
It burns!
I'm actually much more of a musician than a writer, but fanfiction is a nice break from it.
I used to love creative writing at school, we used to have an exam when we were given the first sentence or an object to write about, I got a rose and wrote a short story about a couple in a restaurant. I still use the book we were given as promts for stuff no.
I think if I did write my own novel, I'd prefer to write short stories, as that's what I'm better at, but I'm not sure about the market for that kind of stuff.
It's not good.
Wow that sites just so incredible, lyk, i mean i love it!!! she is such a good writr and i wish i could punctuate and spel lyk her!!!!!11 shes my nnw idol!!!!!1 i love makin my own OC charcters as well!! wow!!
sniggers
I've been writing since I was seven and got my first computer, an old Mac. I recently decided to use the characters from those stories in a new story of mine.
I like making stuff up on my own as well, but I tend to start and then quit again after maybe two pages because something else has come up or because I have declared the story 'utter shit' and canned it. I have two original stories up at FP, but one is rather emo and the other is just not that good, although I'm planning a rewrite.
I've been rewriting this one story I've written about 15 times now, in about 5 or 6 years. I feel that by writing fanfics, I have improved my grammar, spelling, and descriptive writing over the years!
I usually write Twilight stories. Though regularly I am creating a new one. I dont think I am going to put it on Fanfic though.. :(
I have written my own story. I haven't done much on it though. I have tried to write another story involving yaoi but it wouldn't come out right. So i just replaced the characters with Naruto charcters(SasuNaru). When I finish it I can just replace the characters with my original characters.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5072387/1/Transferred_Love
I've been writing long before I joined ff.net. Infact I have finished writing a novel and I'm working on two more while my co-author goes over everything.
Been writing fanfiction for around three years now, but I've been writing my own stories since third grade. I've been working on my own stories more and more as of late because if I do get it published, I want to make sure it doesn't turn out to be anything horrible that makes the readers want to scratch their eyes out.
But you still won't put your albums online... :(
I am writing a story about a realm a fellow fanfictioner and I created however I am writing this myself...
I really used to love fanfiction, and spent my life on there. Recently though I've quit updating my stories, I guess u could call it writers block... IDK :(
But anyways, I personally like writing my own novels and such things, better than fanfic. Thats just me.