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.

[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.

[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).

[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.

[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.

[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]

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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[shapinglight]

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

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I like Tara, so I use her a lot. But she wasn't often a major player, so she usually just ends up being in story in a supporting role of some sort.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Ah, makes sense.

Similar reasons, I'd see myself having trouble writing Olivia. She's a big part of my post-S8 headcanon so it's intimidating.

I don't write fic, but I think about writing fic. One thing that always gets me is Spike. Obviously he's British, but at the same time he's been traveling around the world for over a century. Part of me would want to push that and have him being beyond a nationality by this point, same with Angel.

[ex_peasant441]

I could see Dru wanting to keep her.

Ha ha, yes. Actually I'm surprised Dru doesn't have a constant tail of pets. Only the most recent ones, of course, she would never remember to look after them for long.

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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]

I think Faith would be a keeper.

ETA: but it would be because of Faith, not because of Dru.

[shapinglight]

Similar reasons, I'd see myself having trouble writing Olivia. She's a big part of my post-S8 headcanon so it's intimidating.

I don't think I'd have too much of a problem writing Olivia, what with her being a Brit and not having a controversial backstory.

Hmm. I should try it some time.

[shapinglight]

I think that probably happens to Tara a lot.

[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).

[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.

[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.