Questa discussione ha avuto 13 risposte

[Caja]

Hello,

 

I thought it might be a good idea if we introduce ourselves briefly. Here are some suggestions (which no one has to follow, of course. I just thought I'll start somewhere):

 

Where are you from?

What experience do you have in writing?

What do you do when you are not writing?

 

About me:

I come from Germany.  I first got into writing when I was about 12 but when I grew older it became less and less important for me. But when I was a student I did an internship at a small movie production company (indie movies) and I had to read several scripts and treatments while I was there. That arouse my interest again and I decided to participate in a proper writing seminar. Since then I haven't written much but I think that fanfiction is a good place to start.

 

When I'm not writing I'm reading, playing games, trying to draw and learning more about photography.

[CuriousArtemis]

Where are you from?

United States

 

What experience do you have in writing?

I started writing around age 10 and never stopped. I was writing (really bad and angsty) short stories and novellas in high school and was part of the creative writing club In college I switched my major from pre-vet to English and took the undergrad creative writing class twice. I was accepted into graduate school for creative writing (MFA in fiction or poetry) but turned down the offer because I chickened out and didn't want to move so far from home. I did go to grad school, but not for writing (just literature). I tried to get into an MFA program but the person running the program rejected me, and that really broke me. I stopped writing for several years.

 

Then I started writing fanfic around 2007. I suddenly felt so free. I got my love of writing back. I had fans and people saying they loved my stories. I doubt the stories were that great, but I needed the support to help me start writing again and believing in myself as a writer. I forgot to add that since circa 1999 I've RP writing online; never gave it much thought, but I've been doing that for 15 years now and I'd be dumb not to realize how it's helped me focus on developing things like character and narrative. I literally have some characters that I've been writing for 10+ years and that's really amazing.

 

I'm currently working on a novel, trying to turn a 20 chapter sappy-and-crappy original fic I posted online into a genuine polished piece of professional and publishable prose (aw yeah alliteration). I go through bouts of thinking my writing is genius and thinking it is absolute crap. The crap part is 85% of the time.

 

I find fanfic a LOT harder to write than original fiction because not only do I have to stress over whether or not my writing is good, but I have to stress over whether or not I'm accurately portraying someone else's character. Personally I don't think my fanfic is that great or as good as my original fiction writing. Certainly I read and follow a lot of fanfic that's way better than my own... thank god!

 

Oh and forgot to add also that I'm an English teacher at a community college

 

What do you do when you are not writing?

When not writing I'm either watching TV/amazon prime (currently marathoning Star Trek: The Next Generation; also love watching documentaries and English football every weekend ), playing video games, watching movies, working out, or (rarely) going out for drinks with friends. Yeah really my life is pretty boring!

[Caja]

Wow, Artemis, that's impressive .

 

I go through bouts of thinking my writing is genius and thinking it is absolute crap. The crap part is 85% of the time.

Urgh... I know that feeling.

 

Can't wait to read your stories...

[legbamel]

I'm pretty sure about that 85% crap ratio on mine.  For me, fanfic writing comes easier because the skeleton already exists in the reader's mind--they wouldn't be reading Dragon Age fics if they didn't already know the setting.  But within that skeleton I go wherever I want with the characters, whether it would be OOC for them or not.  If I've been kidnapped by a plot bunny I'm not going to spend an inordinate amount of time worry about whether an NPC is using too many contractions!  Usually those bunnies spawn from "what if" scenarios that head straight out of the game world anyway.

 

That means that my fanfic may not be everyone's cup of tea but it also means I'm a whole lot less picky about it in the stories I read, too.  I want to know what happens so unless something is wildly out of place I'm willing to handwave it as AU, like I do idiosyncrasies in my own.

 

I started writing fanfic with Mass Effect.  Shepard really grabbed my imagination and then Hawke and her pals doubled down on it.  For some reason I still don't have much to "add" to Origins and Inquisition hasn't done more than inspire a few drabbles that I don't see going anywhere, yet (though I'm romancing Solas for the first time so that may change!)

 

I blog so I write all the time, though much of that is more stream-of-consciousness rather than storytelling.  Well, my long-neglected grammar blog was more tutorial in nature but the other two is mostly me spewing opinion all over the place.

 

I've written original pieces, with two novels going...barely.  They come much harder for me because I have to draw the entire picture myself.  I'll be writing away and then think, "Gee, maybe I should mention what X looks like or how it smells."  That generally derails me pretty effectively. 

 

I'm a rabid reader and obviously play video games, when I can pry the controller out of the hands of my husband and/or children.

[CuriousArtemis]

Huh. That's a good point. I know when I read fanfic, I kind of insert the characters' voices in my head as I read. So the reader really is doing half the work for you. I should try and remember that! 

 

Most of my fanfic started around the time I started watching an anime (and reading the manga) called Bleach. It was super popular and still features my all-time favorite anime character, Kuchiki Byakuya. I fell in love with the Renji x Byakuya pairing and just wrote, wrote, wrote about those two. Drabbles, crack fics, multi-chapter AUs, you name it. 

 

Looking back on those old fics, the characters often seem fairly ooc, and yet readers still loved the stories. So I really think you're right.

[Cerulione]

About me:

I came from Asia (born there, raised there), but I'm currently living in France since seven years ago. I've never been to a writing school or English Litterature degree, I did Engineering up to Master Level actually, so I've never studied writing formally. I wrote many scientific essays but that's not the same.

 

I just know that I always tell stories (to friends, family, or to myself or the doggie when no one wants to listen ) ever since I can remember. So it's not very difficult for me to start writing fanfics, DA:I was the first time I start putting those stories into words. The first time I wrote a fanfic was this, it was when someone made an artwork and I made my interpretation.

 

 

What I do when I'm not writing?

Well... learning to draw, playing DA:I, waiting for hiking season to open again.

[Caja]

OMG, engineering . LOL. I'm such a noob when it comes to technical things. One of my best moments was when I switched a graphic card on my old PC all by myself. Kudos to you !

[Cerulione]

@ Caja: nah I don't even know how to do that (I'm doing Biopolymer Engineering), usually I'll ask my IT bf to do that for me hehehehehe. Being in Engineering does not mean I can repair my own PC you know... bwahahaha.

 

Anyway one more time, Artemis I beg you don't abandon that fic, I really really love the snippet & concept you shared with us... Pleaseeeeee?

[CuriousArtemis]

I'm not abandoning it!! I actually finished it last night It needs a lot of work but hey at least it's finished

[The Closet Geek]

About me then.

 

Australian.  I used to write quite a lot as a teenager, just for fun - some original and some fanfic.  Started a Fine Arts degree in writing but dropped out; started having to force myself to write, when I never needed to before, and then gradually stopped altogether.

 

Fast forward ten years, I get diagnosed with clinical depression and put on anti-depressants; suddenly I'm writing again, without having to force it.  Yay!  Except I'm woefully out of practice and badly in need of polish. 

 

When I'm not writing I'm probably gaming.  Sometimes I bake.  I'm also doing a B.Science at the moment, hurray early mid-life crisis.  (quarter-life crisis?)  I'm a decade older than most of my classmates so not much socialising happening on that front lol!

[Caja]

Welcome to the group .

[Tishina]

Where are you from?

US

 

What experience do you have in writing?

I wrote some (really terrible) stories as a kid and worse poetry as a teen. As an adult, I've worked as a copy editor, and I've had non-fiction writing published. I started doing a little DA fanfic just because the story lines are fascinating, and it gives me a much needed mental break from my RL work.

 

What do you do when you are not writing?

Work, computer game. I travel a little, mostly to go visit my oldest daughter and her partner.

[Ryriena]

Hello, I am Ryriena what little experience I have was for writing stories in English class or creative writing class in college. However, when I am not writing I usually am playing video games with friends or working on characters for my stories I have plan to playthrough for Dragon Age. I would Imagine I also would be working at my job and talking with friends or going to movies.

[FemShem]

I'm a playwright.  Writing was the only thing I was ever any good at so scholarships paid for my college; however I never really liked writing...until...

Fanfiction.

Seriously, I've never had more fun.

I've just been playing with stuff, mostly femslash or lesbian relationship/sex/humor for the DA cannon and one ME cross-over.

It's bangin' fun.

I never knew writing could be fun, for me it's just been a pay check.

Fanfic is like really good- swig your soda with pop rocks- kinda fun.

Stupid, adventurous, hot, and funny.  Like what you want to date and marry, not just see on a profile;)

Mmmmm fanfic crack.

Tasty...*undefinable gurgling noise of pleasure*