Too Scary to Write?

[shapinglight]

Okay, let's have a post about writing that isn't All About Me.

Characters. We all have our favourites. We all have characters we feel more comfortable writing than others. Many (some?) of us have characters we're nervous about writing for fear of getting them wrong. Others of us have characters we actively dislike, would prefer to pretend don't exist, and therefore never write.



For me, my 'comfort zone' characters are the following: Spike, Angel, Wesley and Giles. Three of them are Brits, which helps, and I feel I have a handle on the Giles/Wesley milieu (if you see what I mean).

I'm also quite confident writing Darla and Buffy (up to a point, I do always have the sense that my Buffy isn't really canon Buffy but a reasonable extrapolation of her - though that's the same for every fanfic writer's Buffy, I suppose). I also think I write Drusilla okay, though she's tricky.

As for the other characters, I've written a large number of canon characters now - notable exceptions being Lindsey Macdonald and Tara, neither of whom I'm interested in enough to work out a way to include them in anything - and though I'm still nervous of writing some characters - Willow and Xander, for instance - the idea of having to write any of them doesn't fill me with dread.

But there are two characters I am interested in that I've never tackled (well, wrote one, but only in a comedy setting, where all she had to do was spout cliched lines), one of whom is Faith, and the other of whom is Robin Wood. I don't feel like I could do either justice. I like Faith but I just don't 'get' her, and I'm actively scared of getting Robin all wrong and massively offending someone (I know you're supposed to not let that put you off, and take your knocks if you mess up, but I'm a coward, okay?)

Then, the final category - characters you dislike so much you pretend they don't exist. Well, there's only one character in that category for me, and that's Andrew.

How about you? Any characters you don't feel confident/don't dare write? Any you would rather didn't exist? How about original characters? What function do you think they serve in fanfic?

Comments

[ex_peasant441]

I'm a slash and burn anarchist because I only worried about accurate characterisation for my first couple of fics. Everything since has pretty much been me writing whatever I want to write and using other people's names. If readers choose to read them as in canon that is their affair, not mine.

I think this actually puts me squarely in the middle of a quite a large school of fanfic writers. Call us the 'Nominal School', since we only take the names from canon. We aren't respectable in the way that those who can write good characterisations are, but we still seem to produce lots of writers and attract lots of readers, so we are clearly serving some sort of need and having fun in the process.

Or, you know, I would be if I ever wrote anything... :(


I am surprised you are worried about Robin Wood, I'd have thought you'd find him easier to write than say Xander. Although I guess we've had more Xander material to work with so that must help.

I can see why Faith worries you, although recalling how well you have written characters, especially female characters, who have worried you in the past, I would love to see you tackle her some day. Perhaps an early piece before she met the Mayor and went psycho. In fact how about that for a challenge for you - a young Faith meeting either Darla or Dru.

[shapinglight]

Everything since has pretty much been me writing whatever I want to write and using other people's names. If readers choose to read them as in canon that is their affair, not mine.

Yes, your stories are really only borderline fanfic, aren't they? Change the names and stick in some bits of exposition and they could be original fiction.

I am surprised you are worried about Robin Wood, I'd have thought you'd find him easier to write than say Xander.

In theory, perhaps, but Robin comes with all that Nikki's coat baggage attached. It'd be too easy to say something that would get someone's back up. Mind you, the fandom - or fandom in general - has died off so much on LJ that probably I'm worried for no reason. No one would even notice if I put my foot in it.

Faith meeting Dru has some potential. I could see Dru wanting to keep her.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I'm a little surprised you'd be intimidated by Wood. Not that I have any clue what it is to write fic outside of outlining, but I always thought he was new and opaque enough to have a wider characterization area as opposed to the more defined regulars. We know his backstory but we don't really *know* him.

[shapinglight]

I'm a little surprised you'd be intimidated by Wood

As I said to dwyld, it's because he comes with all that Nikki's coat baggage attached. I'd be too scared of saying something unintentionally offensive.

Coward, as I said.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

>>I like Faith but I just don't 'get' her

Me too. I have never felt the need to write her though.

I suppose Xander is the one character I avoided for a long time. I have written a little of him and I felt it worked, but I have been guilty of shoving him off on roadtrips to get him out of the way.

I've been happy with my attempt at every character I've tried, except one and that's Cordelia. I don't think I did her justice at all, poor girl.

OCs are important as long as they know their place (to bring colour and depth to the world or be the antagonist).

[shapinglight]

Me too. I have never felt the need to write her though.

I haven't either. On the other hand, she's in a different category for me to, say, Lindsey, who I'm not interested in at all. I'd like to write her, but nothing I write seems like it would have a place for her. Plus, I don't understand her background. Maybe I need to watch Mystic River, or something.

OCs are important as long as they know their place (to bring colour and depth to the world or be the antagonist).

Sounds about right.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

It was years before I was comfortable writing anyone except Buffy and Spike (although I did write the other Scoobies because how can you not? They're there all the time!) The characters I really don't feel I know well enough to do well usually end up being just background noise. I don't feel I know them well enough to focus a story on them or give them a big role in it. I've never written Lindsey and rarely do Darla or Robin.

[shapinglight]

I've never written Lindsey either, though I don't rule out ever writing him. It depends. I'll avoid him if I can, though. Same with Tara. I think she featured in one very short fic I wrote, but she didn't have a speaking part.

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

It's fun to write the ones that scare me :-) I do have faves which are pretty much yours, plus Faith. I feel there are some I don't have good voices for (Tara, Cordelia, Gunn) which inhibits me writing from their pov a bit. Faith used to be in that category but I felt like I got her, writing the rulesverse. Illyria otoh I used to have but now find is slipping.

[shapinglight]

I don't think my Gunn voice is very good either. My evil twin has written him fairly extensively in one story, but otherwise he's just had small parts. But then the same is true of Xander and Willow (though I've also written from both their POVs, but never written anything from Gunn's longer than a drabble).

I can't say I'm any more at ease writing Willow and Xander than I am writing Gunn, though.

Why do you think your Illyria is slipping?

Speaking of whom, I'm not sure I've ever written her except in a comedy setting. Well, she hasn't had a speaking part anyway.

[liliaeth]

well in BTVS fandom that's Willow for me. Mostly because I hate her so much, that I'm worried I'd end up bashing her if I use her.

[shapinglight]

So, a sort of combination of scared of writing her and wishing she didn't exist?

[lilachigh.livejournal.com]

I agree with you entirely about Faith. Had to write her recently for the Tam/Kain auction challenge and I made a miserable mess of her speech. I can do her thoughts, but her speech eludes me.

When I'm writing Angel I have to be so careful not to drop into brogue because to me he is so dreadfully, dreadfully Irish - the dark, despairing sort!

[shapinglight]

I can do her thoughts, but her speech eludes me.

I can't even do her thoughts. At least, I don't think so. I should try some time.

As for Angel, I have to remind myself he's Irish. Angelus as Irish I completely get, Angel not so much (not that I think they're different people, but you have to write them differently).

[quinara]

I think I've written most people at this point (though Robin Wood was only two lines?) - but I've generally given up caring about how my subconscious always tends to kill off/otherwise send offstage people I can't be bothered to write when I'm thinking up plotlines. I often try to consciously include Willow and Xander at least some of the time, but I find them more boring to write than scary... Having said that, I think I'm generally nervous of all the characters these days, because I think their voices are slipping - not only because I don't see the show much, but because I don't see much American TV at all, so find it hard to locate my 'head accent' for the voices.

[shapinglight]

Having said that, I think I'm generally nervous of all the characters these days, because I think their voices are slipping - not only because I don't see the show much, but because I don't see much American TV at all, so find it hard to locate my 'head accent' for the voices.

:( Happens to the best of us, I suppose. Sad, though.

I went through a phase of killing/exiling characters I was afraid to write. I wouldn't do it now, though.

I don't think. Maybe Faith.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I would never attempt to write Xander unless he had changed drastically due to some trauma, and stopped talking so much and making pop culture references. I think I would find Anya difficult too, but would take a crack at her if she fit the story.

OCs can be villains or can help the other characters on their journeys. I'm not too keen on stories where the OC becomes the star, though "Sunday Girl" is pretty good. I think you need at least some OCs to stop the stories being too same-ish. It's no fun if the villain/friend is always someone you know.

[shapinglight]

I would never attempt to write Xander unless he had changed drastically due to some trauma, and stopped talking so much and making pop culture references. I think I would find Anya difficult too, but would take a crack at her if she fit the story.

I felt the same way about Xander until I wrote him in Age of Unreason - where, come to think of it, I probably didn't include any pop culture references in his dialogue, which is a bad error.

I've only ever written Anya as a comedy character. I always think that's a bit different. You can go for the shallow and just have the character say witty/bizarre things.

[rahirah]

My comfort zone is Buffy, Spike, Dawn, Xander, and to some extent Giles and Willow, but I like writing Faith and Angel. Anya's hard, but I was pleased with what I did with her in "Road to Byzantium." Drusilla is very difficult. I've never come up with a story for Oz, and I think he would be hard, but I'd like to tackle him someday. I never write early-season fic, so I've never written Jenny, and I don't write canon-compliant S7 fic, so I haven't written Robin Wood either - I think he'd be difficult mainly because the writers on the show didn't know what they were doing with him for some time, so I find him a somewhat confusing character, motivation-wise. On the other hand, that does give you a lot of scope for interpretation. In retrospect, I'm sorry I killed him off in POM before doing anything with him. Although... ooh. Oooooooh. I just had a thought.)

The only other BtVS character I haven't written (that I can think of) is Andrew, and he's about the only character I dislike as a character (and honestly, that's more a reaction to everyone else gushing over the little weasel.) I haven't written the AtS characters nearly as much, so I consider all of them more difficult to write just through lack of practice. I don't think there are any characters I'm afraid of writing, but there are definitely some whom I don't have as good a handle on, and it takes a lot more effort to write them well.

I write a ton of OCs, so I am all OCs YAY.

[shapinglight]

Until I read your comment, I'd completely forgotten Oz. I've never written him either. I think I have to lump him in wtih Faith and Robin Wood. I wouldn't even know where to start.

As for OCs, I'm more confident about creating them now. Have even written from an OC's POV two or three times. But I always pigeon-hole them in the 'There To Serve The Show Characters' category.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Oz is freakishly hard to write, unfortunately. I really like his character, too. My problem might be compounded by the fact I have zero interest in writing Willow "pairing" fic. I'm perfectly fine with writing her as Buffy's friend, but I can't imagine wanting to explore her character much further than that. I've done a couple of short Xander POV things, but he's not terribly interesting to me. Same with Riley, I guess. I'm really happy with the back story I've come up with for Robin Wood, but I don't know that I'll ever go much further.

There's lots of Angel characters that I've barely written, and I don't think that'll change. My comfort zone is Buffy, Dawn, Joyce (so, so familiar to me) and I am driven to write Spike and Dru whether I get them right or not. Angel: meh. I think I've done okay with him, but he just doesn't interest me much, except if I can gently poke fun at him. Giles is delightful, and a lot of fun to write, but I don't know that I have a lot to say about him. I do have a fairly long Darla fic in mind, so that might be fun.

Faith holds no terror for me. Outside of Buffy/Joyce/Dawn, she's the most familiar. I blame my misspent youth. ;-) I should do loads more with her, probably. I've really been enjoying anaross's Spaith fic, but my headcanon doesn't head in that way. Maybe if Buffy hadn't come back?

For me, plot is scarier than character voices. So not a novelist!

[gillo]

Oz is hard because he's so taciturn, but when he does speak it's always a polished gem. Polishing is hard and stuff.

[gillo]

My comfort zone is really Buffy, Dawn and Spike, though the other Brits aren't too hard, because their accent and way of talking is so familiar. I think I need to do some serious rewatching to get the voices back. Or any other excuse...

I have never really been inspired by the Trio, and I do find Xander and Willow tricky except as occasional lines in an ensemble piece. I don't know many Americans of their age; I think that's the core of it.

[shapinglight]

I don't know many Americans of their age; I think that's the core of it.

Same here, and my problem with them is compounded even further when it comes to Faith. Not only a young American, but her background is so different.

[lokifan]

I feel like I get Faith, but I love her so much I'd be scared of writing her for more than a drabble!

[shapinglight]

Ah, you should try it.

I do like the character very much, but she's tricky.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

I actually do love Faith. :-) So much I did roleplay her quite actively in some RP's some years ago... I do still get her. Maybe I should again? *has to think on this*

When it comes to writing, I only write in RP settings... My favorites being Xander and Drusilla. For some reason I really do get them and have even gotten an award for my Dru-voice, even if it was years ago. I've also roleplayed Faith quite a lot, bad girl voice working quite well... I like her a lot. And I've even roleplayed Professor Walsh... Oh yeah! :-D Never thought that would work, but I got a lot of compliments on her voice back then. Don't think I could re-do it today though... But the other three, Xander, Dru and Faith... Yeah, I could probably pick them up again. :-) They have made themselves comfortable in my head and stayed for some reason. :-)

[shapinglight]

I think it helps when you like a character to get their voice, though not always. I mean, I do like Faith a lot, but I have no clue what she might be thinking at the best of times.

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

I read this post this morning and it’s been chuntering around my head all day.

My main comfort zone character is Xander. He’s just in my head at a whole variety of ages. I also have a great time writing Spike, Giles and Dru. Buffy and Willow, I’m fine with if I need to write them, but I don’t do it that often unless the plot would fall apart without them. I recently found an Oz voice which surprised me, or maybe it’s more accurately an Oz vibe, since he’s so taciturn.

Characters that I struggle with are Angel – I can’t find his tone at all, and Wesley because I find pinning down where he is in his character development hard and since I mainly write in the BTVS timeline rather than in Angel, I find his priggishness at that point kind of tedious.

I’d love to write Faith, but so far I haven’t plucked up the courage because I’m slightly unnerved by the possibility of writing her as a horrible fanon cliché and not as a real person. Perhaps one day I’ll pluck up the courage to have a go! Likewise, I’ve never written Cordelia, mainly because I’ve never needed her for a story, but I would have the same concerns as I have in trying to write Faith.

I can’t ever see me writing Warren, because...well, just because!

[shapinglight]

I can’t ever see me writing Warren, because...well, just because!

Yes, he's a hard character to love.

I think how nervous I am about writing a character does depend on what I want to do with them. As I said above, I can't imagine ever wanting to write Willow or Xander in any role more important to the plot than 'Buffy's friend' (even when I wrote from Willow's POV, that's the role she was playing). If the plot demanded that I should, I would get quite nervous about writing them all over again.

Writing comedy means you can write in broader strokes and get away with it (on the whole, not always obviously) and that's really the only way I've written them up to now.

Well, except one time.

[singedbylife.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... As you write all of my favorite characters, I don't mind that you leave out Woods, Andrew and Faith.

I don't exactly hate Andrew as a character but I dislike his arch in the series and I thought the character got way too much screen time for my liking.

That said and done, I am relieved that I was not a part of fandom years back! It sounds to me like it was not in fact "fandom" as much as it was "fanatism".

I am quite frankly appalled to learn that you would have risked being (guessing here) verbally attacked or ostracised if you had written something "wrong"?

Who's to say what's wrong or right? Who gets to decide? Judge? Sentence?

I think that kind of behaviour would have ruined fandom for me completely and I feel a little, no I feel very sad that there are still talented writers such as your self out there who feel that they have to restrain themselves because of unwritten "rules" of Dos and Don'ts or simply have repressed the need to write about certain characters such as Wood... Personally, I'm just not interested in Wood. I liked his story in the series and I loved how the series let Spike win the fight and how it chose to let Buffy support Spike afterwards. I never felt that Spike keeping the Slayer's coat was disgusting or odd. He'd earned the coat goddammit. Slayer/Vampire fight, not Mother/evil heartless HUman fight. Argh!

Anyway. Today you can write anything I think which is just as it should be. Your mind, your stories!

[shapinglight]

I am quite frankly appalled to learn that you would have risked being (guessing here) verbally attacked or ostracised if you had written something "wrong"?

Well, I think the 'risk' such as it ever was has diminished, but there was a very bad kerfuffle to do with race (or racefail, more like) in the fandom a few years back, and that's made some people (well, me) nervous of approaching some subjects for fear of causing offence.

Which I'm pretty sure is not what was meant to happen, but it has.

I'm not saying it was entirely a bad thing by any means, by the way. There were things that arose that needed to be brought out into the open, and people did need to learn to stop and think.

On the other hand, Spike - because of the whole Nikki Wood and the coat thing - is probably the Buffyverse character whose name was brought up most often in that context, which I felt was unfair, because what was said about the character was certainly not intended by the writers. On the other hand, that was the writers' problem really.

Ah well.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Oz is difficult, I think (although, strangely, he and Xander were the first two characters I ever wrote) because he is so opaque. I wouldn't want to try and write from inside his head.
And I tend to find all the human female characters difficult. The men and the vampires are easier because I don't feel the need to identify with them so much; it is easier to see them from the outside and get their characters clearer in my head.

But the reason I really came here was to wish you a very happy birthday. I hope your weekend went well.

[shapinglight]

Thanks, Maz. It was okay. And at least it's over.

Re: female characters, I used to be nervous of writing them, but then I wrote them, and now I prefer writing them.

[3hours.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday! :)

[shapinglight]

Thank you. :)

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

Running in very late to wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Hope you've had fun!!

[shapinglight]

Thanks, Kazzy.

[lyr]

Huh. Interestingly, Faith is one of my comfort zone characters. Really, I am most comfortable with anyone who is mouthy; quieter characters give me more trouble. Give me a babbler any day.

And I would have said there are characters I don't like and therefore ignore, except that I have written characters I don't like and thought I wanted to ignore. Xander, for one. But I think when I'm writing I really need to find a way to like (or at least empathize with) those characters, because I feel somehow like it's cheating to cut them out of canon, and I can't just write them like horrible people. Not that I'm making a judgement of other writers avoiding characters they don't like, you understand, it's just a weird feeling I get when it's my own work.

As for characters who scare me so much I don't write them, I can think of one: The Doctor. That's a hard balancing act to pull off properly, and, most importantly, that is my very oldest fandom and my sacred cow. I grew up a Whovian from my earliest memories, and it was always a bonding thing I did with my mom. That's not something I can stomach getting wrong, so I've been super reluctant to try.

I think original characters can serve lots of functions in fic. I don't even mind when that function is authorial insert, if it's done well and not over-glorified Mary Sue-style. When I've used them, it's because I needed a role filled to move my story forward, but for some reason didn't think a canon character could/would/should fit in that role. I keep such parts relatively small and supporting, though.

[shapinglight]

Hello. Lovely to see you.

I don't mind Faith being mouthy. I'm just not confident that I could write her dialogue.

I do agree with what you say about writing characters you're not that keen on. When I have, I've taken extra special pains to write them as well as I can, and as sympathetically. It's easy to write characters you like well, not so easy when it's ones you don't like.

Having said all which, I've so far managed to avoid writing Andrew. Haven't felt the need to include him in anything, or that a story was lacking something because he wasn't in it. If I do ever write him, though, I shall do my utmost best to overcome my dislike and write him properly.

I'm generally like you with the OCs. I have several times written from an OC's POV, but even so, they've always been there to serve the canon character's story.