Fanfic authors: how do you write?

[CRBWildcat]

Back when I first started writing fanfiction, I just used Windows Write (I used Win 3.1 for some years before a system failure put an end to that); and later, Wordpad (under Win 98 ). I didn't see much point in using advanced processors when a simple processor could handle the job as well. I save most of my chapters as Rich Text files so that there aren't issues with compatability (Wordpad under my Win XP machine, the one with the Internet connection, refuses to read *.DOC files from older versions).

Anyway, I try to have some music going when I type. Usually it's video game music (generally Super Nintendo stuff, or something related), or some song that I think fits in with what I'm writing. Sometimes ideas will flow, and other times they just quit on me.

I've recently gotten someone to beta-read one of my chapters when it's done, so I'll see how that goes later on.

[P.H. Wise]

So esteemed fanfic authors, and mundane ho-hum fanfic authors, how do you write?

With a keyboard, usually. More seriously, first I figure out what my story is about. Then I figure out what happens in the story. You know, the plot. I figure out the beginning, the middle, and the end. Nothing too specific: just broad strokes. I then proceed to write the story.

When writing individual chapters, I first do a chapter summary. Then I figure out what scenes I need in the chapter. Then I write them. When I'm done, I revise it, and try to find some way to tie it into the themes I want to have all throughout the story. Then I upload it.

Any programs you like over others?

Microsoft word is what I use.

How do you do it so that it remains enjoyable and not some teddious[sic] chore that you force yourself to do?

Nothing is fun all the time. There will always come a point during a project in which it is no longer enjoyable, and is simply a tedious chore that you force yourself to do. It's a matter of self-discipline, really. Is your ability to write dictated solely by whether or not you feel like writing, or are you going to work on that story whether you want to or not? There will be days when writing is the easiest and most natural thing in the world. There will be days when every word is a chore to get down onto the page. But days pass. Feelings pass. It all comes down to a single choice: do you want to finish your story or don't you? If you do, you push on through the hard days and write until it's done. If you don't, then you give up and call it writer's block.

[Deric]

So esteemed fanfic authors, and mundane ho-hum fanfic authors, how do you write?

I very carefully touch the letters on the keyboard. Actually, I can't write until I see what my mind pictures. If I can't see it, I can't write it.

Any programs you like over others?

I generally use Notepad and if there is a need to play with formatting for a specific site, I'll transfer over to Wordpad or Word. It's free, it's useful, it's generally compatible with everything else.

How do you do it so that it remains enjoyable and not some teddious chore that you force yourself to do?

Haven't managed to do that, myself.

Any ideas or tips of personal experiance for the aspiring fanfic writer, or writers' that have hit an apathetic end in pursuit of continuation of their fanfiction works?

Obviously, this is the wrong question to ask me. I have six or seven stories I haven't worked on for five years. I still write, mostly on the Anime Addventure, but most of the stuff that comes out of my brain isn't worth the paper (make that pixels) space it takes up.

--Personally, I well just don't have the time!

No one does!

Needless to say, the spirit and mind is willing, but work/life/work keeps conspiring against me

Life is what happens instead of the plans we make.

when I've had chance to write,[snip]tilt my head back and speak the idea in my mind, to weave it susinctly into a few drabbles that somehow blossoms into a story... Weird, I know...

No, sounds a lot like how I write, although I usually have an idea of what I want before I fire the ol' 'puter up.

A stray profund insight mayhaps?

You want the truth? You can't handle the truth?! Uhh...where was I...If it ain't fun, don't do it unless you get paid for it. That goes for everything from roofing to writing.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

How do I write? I just wave my hands! Of course I have to wave them one finger at a time, in proper orientation with the keyboard, for hours on end. Technology: Word 97. It does the job, and I'm used to it. Why pay lots of money for something new and different?

I roll things around in my head. When a scene firms up, I write it. I know what scenes I want in a chapter, but don't necessarily write them in that order - just string them together when they're all done. Patch and sandpaper the gaps. Edit to taste, then publish.

And I only write when I feel like it. If I don't enjoy the writing, why should I expect readers to enjoy the reading? If I'm not feeling creative that way, I can still edit, or perhaps do some light bookbinding. If I don't have even the energy for that, I read or watch anime. Need those sources of inspiration, after all!

[Daniel Jess Gibson]

I hope this is in the correct place...
So esteemed fanfic authors, and mundane ho-hum fanfic authors, how do you write?
Any programs you like over others? (I absolutely adore Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation software as, truth be told, I'm not much of a typist...)

First, paper and pen, this is just for getting the idea out of my head and into the real world.
It's the easiest to make corrections/notes on. It also requires little if any bulky electrical equipment. Waiting in line? Pull out a notepad and pen. Idea strikes you suddenly? You don't have to wait 5 - 10 minutes while your computer decides to fire up (or not). I don't try to spell correctly, if I don't get the right word, I [enclose] something close in brackets and keep writing. The point here is getting the idea down, quickly. Besides I can write faster than I can type.

Second: Entering the text, any word processor will do. I use _ for underline, ~ for italics, and | for bold, so I don't have to use the mouse of do any control-key combos. I typically save it in RTF or txt format so any WP program can read it. I used to use WordStar, but in XP and Vista you can't multitask with a WordStar window open, now I use Word Perfect 8 so you can actually see your format codes. That's also the reason I wouldn't use MicroSoft Word or Works if I had any other alternative.

Third: comes the spellchecking (another reason I like WP8, the more complete thesaurus). I print out a copy and read it, making notes on missing action, needed descriptions, clarifications and scene placement on the printed page. Then I type in the corrections. Another spellcheck.

Fourth: I use a program that reads the document out loud, so I can hear what I've read and make sure I haven't typed in a weird the spellchecker wooden catch. With those corrections made, the grammar checker comes last. Then I have to convert it from txt, to RTF and HTML for posting. All a very lengthy process.

How do you do it so that it remains enjoyable and not some teddious chore that you force yourself to do?
Any ideas or tips of personal experiance for the aspiring fanfic writer, or writers' that have hit an apathetic end in pursuit of continuation of their fanfiction works?

First, write what you want to write, not what you `have` to write. I have so many ideas bubbling in my head I could never get them all out (see Leonard of Quirm, DiscWorld series).

The other reason I use paper and pen initially, is because I can use it anywhere with zero prep time. It's also very useful at a restaurant when the snooty waiter sees you frantically scribbling, the owner thinks you're a critic, or better, a health inspector. It improves the service immensely.

Also, if you don't care about the story or the characters, don't continue. Your audience will know you don't care.

The most important thing is have the overall arc plotted, so you know what is going to happen, then let your muse take you along the path, stopping to smell the roses along the way. e.g. In SSM Ranma will eventually teach each character martial arts, not to his level, but enough to take out anyone this side of Bruce Lee or Musashi Miyamoto. That is the overall line, how to achieve it? First, the basic practice, teaching Ranma how to teach. Second, special techniques, Ranma has already started devising a martial art based on each pilot's personality. Third, picking who he teaches first and what technique. I let the story flow freely between these points. They are checkpoints only, not guideposts, anything can happen between them, as long as you eventually arrive at the next one.

On a personal note, I avoid alcohol. I can be crazy enough stone-cold sober, I really don't need the help. If you're socializing with your friends, that's another matter entirely. I'd rather be home writing than drinking alone.

[Cheb]

Word 97. It does the job, and I'm used to it. Why pay lots of money for something new and different?

Why pay at all?
Linux + OpenOffice.

I save most of my chapters as Rich Text files

I myself save as .sxw (so that older Open Office on my spare comp could open them). But I could have used a plain .txt as well. After all there's not much need for such things as bold and italic. And you can always emphasize with asterisks (except if you use the damn ff.net)

The other reason I use paper and pen initially, is because I can use it anywhere with zero prep time.

I don't know. IMHO, for "anywhere" it's best to memorize your ideas. While you are getting to your favorite working place, the ideas stored in your brain are processed in the background, which often enhances them.

The most important thing is have the overall arc plotted, so you know what is going to happen, then let your muse take you along the path,

I believe many "professional" writers work the same way. Why the quotes - I don't really believe there is a principial difference between "pro" and "fanfic" - writers except experience (and often the fanfics are written better than the "professional" commercial works.).

I let the story flow freely between these points. They are checkpoints only, not guideposts, anything can happen between them, as long as you eventually arrive at the next one.

And what if it happens to flow to... somewhere way aside? It sometimes worth re-plotting the main plot rather than force the story back onto the tracks.

[Comartemis]

Very...

...very...

...slooooooooowly.

I'm not really a very serious author. I've got one idea right now that I'm dedicating some of my time to--some of you may have given the first part of Silent Dawn a look over, but I've planned it out to be a big story, and at my current writing speed it'll probably be somewhere around a year before it even gets halfway finished.

Likewise, I don't really have a clear picture on how to develop a story, but here's what I did with Silent Dawn, my Sailor Moon/Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha crossover.

First, I decided what sort of story I wanted to write. This is the easy part for me; I want to write Hotaru into the center of the action. Then I decide how I'm going to accomplish this. Again, fairly simple in my case, I decided to have Hotaru awaken in the first season instead of Usagi. As this is now an alternate universe, I decide how this would most affect the storyline; for instance, Hotaru's awakening grants her the oh so useful danger sense, so she becomes aware of the presence of daimons in her house. After failing to save her father from Germatoid, Hotaru flees into the night and takes to wandering the streets in her Senshi form before eventually being taken in by one of the unawakened senshi.

Having developed the initial idea, I submitted it for approval on the ideas board and considered the feedback I got. It was here that the story really began to take shape. Tovath and Nekomata-sensei gave me the idea to make the story into a Nanoha crossover; instead of Saturn awakening immediately, Hotaru first awakens as a magical girl, then unlocks the power of Saturn much later in the fic.

Having developed the idea further, I now turn my attention to how I want the story to end. Pale Wolf was a big help in getting this part fleshed out.

Somewhere along the line you also have to decide what sort of feel you want your story to have. For instance, I've split Silent Dawn up into three parts: 'Awakening', 'The Gathering Storm', and 'Endgame'.

'Awakening' is rather lighthearted. While there is angst, there is significantly less of it than there is in the later chapters because Hotaru is making new friends, she's not weak anymore thanks to her new powers, and she doesn't suffer from her attacks anymore thanks to Tira's assistance in keeping Nine supressed. Even though she's aware that her father is possessed by dark forces, she knows of a way to cure him--the only problem is getting through Germatoid's minions and applying the cure. All in all, her life is finally looking up; she's even got a Tuxedo Mask-like character to swoon over.

'The Gathering Storm' gets more serious as the Dark Kingdom and the Death Busters get serious in their attempts to destroy the Senshi and take over the world. The Generals change their tactics and start combining their powers, facing the Senshi in five-on-four combat, sometimes assisted sometimes hampered by the efforts of the Death Busters. This is also where the Rainbow Crystal arc takes place, but Saturn doesn't have the Crescent Moon Wand or the ginzuishou, so she is forced to resort to using other methods of restoring the victims to their human forms with potentially deadly repercussions. The arc ends with a massive plot twist, the removal of Mistress Nine's daimon egg from Hotaru's body, and the awakening of Saturn; Hotaru is now horrified by what she is capable of, having recieved memories of things Saturn was responsible for in the Silver Millennium, and being informed that it is her 'fate' to destroy the world. Naturally, the series has now reached its' darkest point.

'Endgame' opens with Saturn being confronted by Uranus and Neptune who are determined to kill her before she destroys the world. They are halted by Makoto and Ami, who, backed up by their devices, proceed to show the Outers that they're not the toughest magical girls on the block anymore, and attempts on their leader's life will not be tolerated under any circumstances. Not long after U&N are sent packing, the DK begins its' invasion of Tokyo, prompting urban warfare between the Senshi and Metallia's armies, as well as a final confrontation between the Generals/Dark Endymion and the Senshi. Last but most certainly not least, the Death Busters seek a new host for Mistress Nine and happen to stumble across Usagi just as the Inners realize that she's the Moon Princess. The final battle is Hotaru vs Mistress Serenity and the Ginzuishou.

In conclusion, the story starts out very lighthearted and gradually progresses to become an epic battle between good and evil, with Hotaru learning the true meaning of strength (among many many other things) along the way. You need a similar atmosphere for your fic before you can start to write it, or you may wind up unintentionally putting humor or angst into places where it's not really appropriate.

[Ellen Kuhfeld]

Why pay at all?
Linux + OpenOffice.

As I recall, I said "Why pay lots of money for something new and different?"

Linux and OpenOffice may not cost lots of money, but they are new and different. Windows comes on the computer I buy, and Word 97 was paid for long ago. As for Linux, if I wanted to play with a command-line interface I'd go back to DOS and WordPerfect 5.1. (I keep WordPerfect 11 around for its many powers, but it's most useful for editing control codes.)

Writers are conservative beasts. Once we've found something that works, we leave it alone. I have a friend that still pines for her manual Smith-Corona portable typewriter.

[Sky]

Linux and OpenOffice may not cost lots of money, but they are new and different. Windows comes on the computer I buy, and Word 97 was paid for long ago. As for Linux, if I wanted to play with a command-line interface I'd go back to DOS and WordPerfect 5.1. (I keep WordPerfect 11 around for its many powers, but it's most useful for editing control codes.)

Writers are conservative beasts. Once we've found something that works, we leave it alone. I have a friend that still pines for her manual Smith-Corona portable typewriter.

Not to nitpick, but one need not use a command line to use Linux. It's come a long way in the last few years, but it still has its warts.

Having said that, I completely agree with the comment about writers being conservative.

How do I write? I've only written one story, and the idea came to me on the train. I spent the entire four hour train ride typing on my laptop, and edited it the next day. For the rest of the chapters, I found that I sometimes have to actively disengage my brain from other work.

I use Word ('03 or '07 in Compatibility Mode) for my text, because I love the Track Changes feature, and it helps immensely when editing someone else's work or getting mine edited. Track Changes allows commentary in the document and highlights exactly what parts the editor was talking about. I've tried writing in Vim, but indentation and stuff gets annoying.

Planning? For each chapter, I figure out how I want it to end and any important things I want to happen in the story and write to that. I don't release anything until I'm happy with it. If that means I spend a week editing, fine. If that means a month, oh well.

[Ketheria_mt]

Pen and Paper. Sometimes, pencil and paper. Once enough is written to consider somewhat coherent, I retype it on my powerbook.

I started with Word and then moved on to Dreamweaver. Yes, I typed at least a few chapters directly to HTML in the early days of my fics when anifics was alive. I've since moved on to InCopy.

I've also used, at times, TextWrangler, which is a derivative of BBEdit, for plain text edits and for situations requiring stipping of all formatting and hard wrapping text.

-mt

[Cheb]

Windows comes on the computer I buy,

[scratches his head] Umm... When was last I bought computer as a whole, not as a set of parts followed by DIY ...? I believe, it was 80386, somewhere around mid-1990s.

As for Linux, if I wanted to play with a command-line interface I'd go back to DOS and WordPerfect 5.1.

Huh ...? And I thought I moved to Linux because it finally became *better* than Windows in most of the aspects important to me personally. In fact, some distros [coughs and glances towards Kubuntu] look like a rip-off of MacOs X, down to the control dialogs layout. Things got quite interesting the last years.

Writers are conservative beasts.

That's very true. I, on the other hand, planned my future path long ago, just like a plot, and moved from Word to OpenOffice in preparation to moving to Linux years before I finally abandoned Win.

, and it helps immensely when editing someone else's work or getting mine edited. Track Changes allows commentary in the document and highlights exactly what parts the editor was talking about.

Hmm... A simple color painting of the text/background seems quite enough for me.

Once enough is written to consider somewhat coherent, I retype it on my powerbook.

Ugh. Typing a ton of text from a paper draft... Been there. Never again! Only typing everyithing on a computer right from the start!

[Ketheria_mt]

Ugh. Typing a ton of text from a paper draft... Been there. Never again! Only typing everyithing on a computer right from the start!

Oddly enough, there are times when I am nowhere near a computer, and inspiration (or is that despiration) strikes, and I need to get the idea down before it fades or mutates too radically. Plus, my day job keeps me in front of a computer most of the day. I need to rest my optic sensors from time to time and exercise my digital extrmemties in a non-typing manner.

-mt

[Sky]

Hmm... A simple color painting of the text/background seems quite enough for me.

To each his/her own.

Track Changes allows commentary without disrupting the flow of the text being commented on.

[Scooter]

Bringing this rapidly derailing topic back on track...

I use Word '03, but save notes, changes, etc, in Notepad. It was free, courtesy of the US Army (along with the entire Office Pro suite), and gives me the option to write whenever/where ever I get the urge. I'll also use notebooks for when I'm nowhere near my laptop, or it's inconvenient (or unsafe) to dig it out.

As for how I write...sporadically and free-form would be the best description that fits me. I'll pump out two or three chapters of one story, try to get them preread Zorch's Blog-o-Rama, or more recently here, and incorporate any changes needed before taking them live. But, I also try to write consistently, grammatically and phonetically correct (even if I have to teach Word), and my big goal of readability. I'll also try to write each chapter at least five or six pages, but if I reach a natural stopping point on say page 4, I'll stop there.

One of the best things that happened to me, writing-wise, was an 18 month forced "vacation" from the real world between 2004 and 2005, when my National Guard unit was mobilized to go over to Iraq. Writing became a way to help maintain my sanity of being someplace, surrounded by people who didn't want to be there in the first place who, in turn, are surrounded by people who either don't want us there or are trying to kill you. I managed to finish Phoenix there, break off later chapters I had planned into a sequel, add a whole bunch more to Wild Stallion and the Drow and Soldier, Sailor, Jedi, Sith.

Sunny mentioned music. I listen to whatever catches my fancy while I'm writing. I could be working on Wild Stallion (which currently is taking place in a late Medieval/Early Renaissance world) and listening to Billy Idol or Glenn Miller or the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Or working on Soldier Sailor and listening to Beethoven or Toby Keith.