Starting Points

[tenmei]

I've tried writing fanfic stories before with my own characters but, invariably, I can get bored of the story or the characters and the will to write the plot drifts away from me.

Now, that being said, I'm in the mood to have another go at producing some fanfic stories after reading Tesseract and Tales of the Border Service and catching up on Tales of the USS Bluefin. I've got a sketched out idea for my lead crew, the ship that they're on (even though the story could be told with them being based on a station) and the political scenario of the area that they're working in.

However, I'm wondering - how do you guys know that you're onto a winner, how do you decide the story that you've got in your mind is a story that you're going to want to carry through to the conclusion?

And are there any tips you'd give to someone starting out anew?

 

[mirandafave]

If starting out anew, I think the only thing I can do next after maybe sketching out some ideas is to start writing. The proof is in the pudding as they say. And keep writing until I have something substantial written and I feel involved somehow with the characters and/or story.

With this way, then I don't just abandon the idea when it hits a snag.

By getting on with writing ]but not yet publishing/posting] you get a feel for characters and the writing approach you want to take. You also discover which characters don't transfer over from the page of a sketched idea and into the story itself. Whether it is because they do not fit the story or they cannot interact with the other characters or are plain defunct. You can also end up discovering characters too this way. Such and such needs to talk to X, so I need to come with X but let's not make them bland and then character interaction, some history reveals itself and you now have a character you want and/or need to fulfil the story telling.

At some juncture and it can be very early on then you know you want to finish the story and at that point you can post knowing it won't be left for dead after a time.

Not much in the way of tips I suppose. Others might have more constructive points to make though.

 

[DarKush]

Gosh,

It's sort of tough. I there is a lot of trial and error involved. My first foray into Trek fanfic was a story based in the TOS movie era, mainly because I liked the Undiscovered Country so much. I did something of a lead into that to explain why the Organians weren't in the film. I thought I was going to do more with that time period, but I got more wrapped into the post-Dominion War period. For me, I thought that would allow me more freedom to write without the constraints of filling in some blanks between TOS and before TNG.

I also think the mix of characters I created and plots in the post-DW era got me more excited. Ideas that I wanted to actually sit down and flesh out just started pouring out. I think you've just got to write and eventually, hopefully you'll hit the series or the characters that you will find interesting enough to want to spend time with them and develop them. For me, I guess it came down to creating characters that I found interesting and setting up nice storylines for them that generated more storylines or had the potential to.

 

[kes7]

However, I'm wondering - how do you guys know that you're onto a winner, how do you decide the story that you've got in your mind is a story that you're going to want to carry through to the conclusion?

And are there any tips you'd give to someone starting out anew?

With Tesseract, the whole story started as a little "what if" daydream I had regarding one of (for me) the most annoying loose ends of VOY -- what happened to the young ex-drone/biological weapon from the DQ who ended up in the Alpha Quadrant? Yes, he wanted to go to the Academy and I'm sure he did ... but how did that go, and what happened next? I started thinking about it and before long I had the makings of a pretty good story .... good enough that I wanted to know how it would end. So I started writing it down and haven't stopped yet.

I have a big fat general outline I wrote as far as key plot points to keep me moving in the right direction when I'm stuck. That's helped me a few times when I was sure I was going to choke. I also write scenes as they come to me, even if they're out of order. If it's a good scene, I write it down immediately and save it, so I can copy and paste it into an appropriate spot in the story when the time comes. That's a time saver. Sometimes it results in three or four slightly different versions of the same scene, and I pick the one that fits the best when the time comes to plug it into the rest of the story. I always have to edit to make it seamless, but it's better than trying to force myself to write in a totally linear fashion.

I try hard to show, not tell, whenever possible. Sometimes there's no getting around just listening in to a character's thoughts, but I try not to let that go more than a few relatively brief paragraphs. I think it's almost always better either to reveal things through character dialogue or brief internal character reactions to events.

Each of my characters has a file on my computer with extensive background/biographical info, notes on their planned developmental arc, and a few notes on relationships between that character and the other characters, like romantic interests, friends, colleagues, rivals, adversaries, etc.

This sounds like a lot, and it is. I haven't been sleeping that much since I've been writing this story, because I do it all after my kids are in bed and that means I'm up until 2 or 3 every morning. It's so much fun that I don't care. It's also good practice for "real" fiction writing, which is something I've wanted to do for a while. This is helping me make the jump.

 

[DarKush]

Kes7's advice is pretty good. In terms of process, for me its a bit more haphazard. I don't do a lot of detailed plotting. I do write down character names, story titles, basic storyline ideas, and occassional scenes sequentially, but I don't always follow them. They are a starting point, and they help me sometimes get a better sense of the story I want to tell. Most of the bios I make up as I go along, which has pluses and minuses.

 

[tenmei]

Well, I started writing a scene in the past hour - not sure how I feel about it. It could probably be much better and not sure I've got into the head of the character in the way that I wanted to.

 

[DarKush]

Well, I started writing a scene in the past hour - not sure how I feel about it. It could probably be much better and not sure I've got into the head of the character in the way that I wanted to.

I'm glad that you've gotten started. In the Dune books they say fear is the mind-killer, well for writers the same could be said for doubt. Don't worry about it, and don't write for us or anyone but for yourself first. If you enjoy what you're doing, if it satisfies you then it will probably do the same for others, but I wouldn't worry about what other people think particularly when you're getting started. The more you write the better you'll get at it. Just enjoy it and the rest will work itself out.

 

[kes7]

Well, I started writing a scene in the past hour - not sure how I feel about it. It could probably be much better and not sure I've got into the head of the character in the way that I wanted to.

It can always be better. Don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. I'd love to read more about what you're writing.

 

[tenmei]

I think I've got a handle on the character now - writing the first interaction between two of the main characters now which is interesting.

 

[kes7]

I think I've got a handle on the character now - writing the first interaction between two of the main characters now which is interesting.

Just keep writing! I hope we get to read it soon.

 

[Gibraltar]

Strangely, there hasn't been a great deal of consistency for me in this area. Some of my stories were carefully scripted, while others are more off-the-cuff and tend to write themselves.

My own first rule is be true to your characters. If you as a writer try to force that character into doing something against their nature, that will come across in your writing and make the person seem less believable. My characters have taken me in numerous unexpected directions, which I feel has only improved the narrative of my tales.

My second rule is that you must have dynamic 3-dimensional characters. Don't rely on shiny starships or space battles or explosions to keep the readers' attention. If your characters come across as cardboard cutouts, your stories will flounder as a result. People first.

I'm very much looking forward to what you're putting together.

 

[PSGarak]

I almost always wind up feeling lazy when I run across what other people do for their story arcs and writing process. I'm terrible with lists and outlines. They kill anything I feel like I have going.

The way I develop a character is to follow something that intrigues me or makes me uncomfortable, whether it's a circumstance, an emotion, or a character trait, and I start to build around that. I look for ways to push it and grow it. I also look for things that will make the character uncomfortable. Things coalesce from there. I rely a lot on the right hemisphere of my brain, and I trick it into working on story seeds I've planted by pretending to focus on something else, like doodling or playing an instrument. Before long, it starts coughing up the goods, and I run from there.

I'm glad it sounds like you're making some progress with what you want to do. A lot of people gave excellent advice. Be true to the characters. Don't force the voice or action. Write for yourself. If you entertain yourself, or touch yourself (emotionally, gutterminds ) chances are you will entertain and touch others. That's my 2 cents worth.

 

[mirandafave]

It's great to see that everyone has a myriad of approaches to writing. I think that first should be an encouragement to any writer. It means to say there is nothing wrong with the way you are going about things.

For myself, part of the process is similar to kes7, in that if a scene comes into my head I write it, even though it may come much later into he story. Admittedly, sometimes it will never fit into the story but I consider it valuable afterwards as it will have shown me something about the characters - a deleted scene for the DVD special edition.

With this approach, the story unfolds itself and it can be a case of joining the dots with the editing process kes7 describes to make it seamless. Sometimes there'll be major alterations and others just minor. The one problem wit this can be that it can be difficult getting from one bit to the next. I know in my head how it is supposed to be but until such time as it feels right I can be stuck on some of the parts that bridge and connect the story.

However, like Darkush and PSGarak, I don't tend to have much in the way of an outline - not written. Everything is in my head, formulating and brewing. Some of it very firm but I won't write it down as that can constrain my story or characters. The thrust of the story tends to come from the characters and their interactions with one another. My Kestrel story is a prime example of that. By rights it is a very simple story plot wise and it ought to be over by now, but it is the telling of the characters' story and their role to the developing story that is stringing it out. So as Gibraltar says, your characters tend to tell you or force you into a particular direction - totally changing the tone and mood of the story.

It seems to me though, that the way you talk about the first character interaction means to say you've got a nugget of something. Also the fact you feel inspired to write after reading other stories means to say that you've got ideas percolating away there in your brain. So to echo others, I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. The best of luck and ideas to you.

 

[kes7]

Yeah, I forgot to mention that I have at least a dozen scenes written that won't actually be in the story ... DVD Special Edition, indeed.

Also, the outline I described is a helper ... I'm not a slave to it. If circumstances demand a new direction, I can go with that. It's already happened a few times. But having a beginning, middle and endpoint in mind makes me feel less overwhelmed by the idea of bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion.

 

[tenmei]

Wrote a little bit more - and edited it slightly, especially given the name of my ship has changed (hopefully the new one will stick, I think it will) and found some character quirks that I hadn't envisaged when I scribbled notes down on the character.

 

[kes7]

See? They're talking to you already. Sounds like you have a keeper.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

I'm basically a stream-of-consciousness writer. I don't begin with a tight outline, rather I have a general idea for a story and let my imagination run. My stories tend to be character-driven, but I've found as I've developed my characters this helps me know how they will act (or react) in a given situation.

On several occasions, I have begun a story well (at least in my own mind ) only to hit a wall a few chapters in. When that happens, I back off and try my hand on a short character piece or another longer story. Currently, I have about five different unfinished stories floating around the fan-fic forum . But one day I'll get through with them all. Really! I mean it!

I would encourage you to just get in there and write. My first Bluefin story was pretty rough, but I received some excellent feedback and encouragement. Eventually, I went back and re-wrote the first story. There are some of which I'm quite proud, and then a few which I struggled and still am not happy over.

As to a starting point, you can't beat Snoopy's "It was a dark and stormy night . . ."

 

[Mistral]

I'm basically a stream-of-consciousness writer. I don't begin with a tight outline, rather I have a general idea for a story and let my imagination run. My stories tend to be character-driven, but I've found as I've developed my characters this helps me know how they will act (or react) in a given situation.

On several occasions, I have begun a story well (at least in my own mind ) only to hit a wall a few chapters in. When that happens, I back off and try my hand on a short character piece or another longer story. Currently, I have about five different unfinished stories floating around the fan-fic forum . But one day I'll get through with them all. Really! I mean it!

I would encourage you to just get in there and write. My first Bluefin story was pretty rough, but I received some excellent feedback and encouragement. Eventually, I went back and re-wrote the first story. There are some of which I'm quite proud, and then a few which I struggled and still am not happy over.

As to a starting point, you can't beat Snoopy's "It was a dark and stormy night . . ."

I would say the same thing. Some stories demand attention and working things out ahead of time, while others just write themselves. The one I just posted, On the Porch, I had an opening line in my head for days - and then the story wrote itself when I scribbled the first line down. Seriously, I couldn't type fast enough to keep up with the tale. But they don't all go that way. Your best bet may be to just write and see where it leads.

 

[tenmei]

And onto the second scene - this is prooving to be fun.

 

[Gibraltar]

And onto the second scene - this is prooving to be fun.

Excellent news!