shapinglight | (no subject)

Still with the niggling 'I should be writing feeling', even though I know it's pointless at the moment. Just re-read what I've written so far (28 pages) of that Spangel story I started two years ago for

spring_spangel, then had to abandon because I knew I wouldn't finish it in time and now intend to try and finish for

plot_wout_porn.

It's quite good, I think - what there is of it. I should try and finish it, definitely.

Also, do any of the rest of you already know what the last ever Buffyverse fanfic you intend to write will be? I thought I had that sorted several years ago, but now I'm not so sure. Not - I hasten to add before you wander off rolling your eyes at me being gloomy about writing again - because I now think this Spangel story is it instead, but because I seem to have incorporated too much of my original idea into something else.

Hmm.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

quinara

Also, do any of the rest of you already know what the last ever Buffyverse fanfic you intend to write will be?

I'm always quite relieved to find that, just after I start thinking I've finished everything I think I'm going to finish (I'll always have several uncompleted things floating about, I think, waiting to be cannibalised) some more ideas come along and give me new things to write. So I have no idea!

From:

shapinglight

I was pretty sure I was probably the only one. I think I found it useful to have an end point. Not sure why. Maybe I wanted my fanfic writing career to end with a bang? But like you, other ideas come along and this last story kept being put off and now I've sort of cannibalised it anyway.

Also, after re-reading this post, I found myself thinking that it's very odd to consider turning a

spring_spangel 'shipper fic into a story for

plot_wout_porn, and now I'm thinking I should think again.

:ponders:

From:

elisi

I have 6 Buffy-verse fics in my 'to-do' list (not counting cross-overs), although I doubt most of them will ever see the light.

The main one (that I have an icon for and everything) will probably - if I ever finish it - be the last Buffyverse fic I write, if for no other reason than the fact that it is so LONG. (Actually, the [short] sequel to that fic will be the last thing... I have too many bunnies.) ETA: Re going out with a bang, then yes, it would work very nicely in that capacity, since it's a properly epic tale. I just need TIME. And other things out of the way... *glares at My Immortal* ETA2: I'd never actually thought in terms of 'having a last fic', but I like the idea. :) (Also, forgive all the edits and my inability to spell.)

Edited Date: 2010-02-02 04:44 pm (UTC)

From:

quinara

Maybe I wanted my fanfic writing career to end with a bang?

Sounds like a good idea! Much better than people wondering why you didn't bugger off sooner (not that they would with you, of course).

And I wouldn't say shipper fic and

plot_wout_porn are necessarily at cross-purposes. Clearly you were just writing a 'good' shipper fic! (And that would be my completely subjective version of 'good', before I start an argument with anyone; I like plot!)

From:

rahirah

I usually keep writing until I run out of things to say about a particular character, and I never know exactly when that will be. But I wrote EQ fic for twenty years, and I've only been writing Buffy fic for ten, so I figure I have some years left to go.

From:

next_to_normal

Also, do any of the rest of you already know what the last ever Buffyverse fanfic you intend to write will be?

That is the most bizarre question I have ever heard.

Sorry, I just can't even comprehend the idea. You actually picked a particular story and saved it to be your last? When I have an idea, I write it right away or never at all. I find that "saving" story ideas for later means that they'll never be written. By the time I go back to them, the moment is gone, the fire has gone out, and I've lost the inspiration.

Even stranger to me, though, is that you would even know when it's time for the last story. By the time I realized I was done with this fandom, I'd stopped being inspired to write in it months ago. It's too late to write a "last fic," unless I force myself to finish one of the ones I started and then abandoned, but I don't think it would be very good.

From:

shapinglight

Much better than people wondering why you didn't bugger off sooner (not that they would with you, of course).

I dunno. There are probably a few people who would be glad to see the back of me. :)

And you are of course right.

plot_wout_porn can still include 'shipper fic.

And now I'm trying to categorise that in my head. I mean, to me, The Worst Journey in the World is a gen fic, and yet I think the only award it ever won (or was runner up in, I can't remember) was in a Spuffy fic category.

But this discussion has probably been had elsewhere and recently, and I just missed it.

From:

shapinglight

I'd never actually thought in terms of 'having a last fic', but I like the idea. :)

I think my idea of having a last fic stemmed from the notion that I had only a limited time in which to write fanfic before RL came crashing in again (which it duly has, though I still hope I'll find the time/inspiration to write again soon) and I would have to stop for good. I wanted to bring things full-circle.

From:

shapinglight

I hope I do too, in terms of inspiration. Certainly, I haven't run out of bunnies yet.

From:

shapinglight

Can only point you to my answer to

elisi above.

I never thought of having a 'last fic' I wanted to write in terms of me running out of inspiration, but more in terms of running out of time and opportunity in which to write. If that happened, I wanted to be able to go out on a high note. That's all.

From:

quinara

But this discussion has probably been had elsewhere and recently, and I just missed it.

I don't think so... Well, I think

bogwitch and

peasant and I got into it a bit on

peasant's post about about how limited people are in their reading/writing, but I'm not sure there's been a big hoo-haa. I generally think there's a bit of an artificial boundary created between gen and ship-having fic (the queerly_gen community I'm part of on Dreamwidth was all about the fact that, too often, the moment characters are vaguely non-straight the fic gets defined as slash or whatever) - because I would call The Worst Journey in the World Spuffy fic, but not Spuffy romance (like quite a lot of my Spuffy, I think). But then I'm quite uncertain about categorising things as gen, because I always forget I've put in a scene of shippy stuff and get worried people are going to yell at me!

From:

quinara

And, sigh, I did

peasant_'s name wrong... Sorry!

From:

next_to_normal

That makes sense - I kind of wish I could go out with a bang, rather than the whimper it seems to be. It just would never occur to me that it's something I could control.

From:

lyr

I have absolutely no notion what my last ever Buffyverse story will be. Half the time, the stories I write surprise me completely (partly because so many are requests, and there's no planning for what people will ask me to write), and I could not have predicted what I'd write this year, let alone many years from now.

From:

cozzybob.livejournal.com

Last ever fanfic? I don't like the sound of that! :O

I did try and write for Buffyverse, but it was pretty horrible, so I mostly just read it these days. But then again, I say that with several working Buffy fics on my computer. If I did walk out on fanfic, and it was in Buffyverse, I'd probably walk out with this awesome Warren fic I've had floating in my head since forever. Spike-centric, but has a lot of Warren exploration, because I really love that whole morally deficient geek-boy thing. (I'm probably the only Warren fan in all the world, but oh well.) It has a lot of parallels with fandom in general... one of the first scenes is Warren starting a flame war in fandom because of various hateful remarks against a JM-like actor. Heee, it's very subtle. And by that, I mean subtle as a brick. On fire. :D

(But in all seriousness, I'd probably end fanfic in my main and oldest fandom, GW. And that one would be all about war, and death, and madness, and growing up, and all that glorious nonsense. Woo!)

Even if it's been sitting on your computer for a long time now, I am soooo happy to hear about the Spangel. I hope you figure out the details and continue writing it again!

From:

shapinglight

I didn't mean that there'd been a hoohah! though there possibly has at some point, but I'm sure the 'define a gen fic' question has been one that's gone around a few times.

So you would define any fic that features a particular pairing as a 'shipper fic, even if the story isn't about the relationship?

Is that a generally accepted view? Is there a definition of gen fic anywhere out there in the ether?

From:

shapinglight

Ah yes. She's still sore about having to have that underscore, especially since

peasant hasn't updated their LJ in forever.

From:

shapinglight

Well, ultimately I may not be able to control it either. We'll see.

From:

shapinglight

and I could not have predicted what I'd write this year, let alone many years from now.

Well, I'm glad to know that you feel you might still be writing Buffyverse fic many years from now. Good to know. :)

From:

shapinglight

I hope you figure out the details and continue writing it again!

Me too. I would very much like to finish it. As for your Warren story, while I'm not a fan of the character, he is interesting. I hope you do finish it some time. And he would totally start a flame war.

From:

quinara

So you would define any fic that features a particular pairing as a 'shipper fic, even if the story isn't about the relationship?

I think a generally accepted definition is that 'relationships are not the focus' in gen and I kind of feel like that means that 'the protagonist is not in a romantic relationship during the story/the other part of the romantic relationship is not in the story' - so the moment Spike and Buffy are together and they're both in the story it feels like Spuffy shipper fic to me. (Though I sometimes write things for

seasonal_spuffy and go eek! that they might not be Spuffy enough.) I've seen definitions vary to say that gen stories all have to be rated G - so no sex or violence, but personally I could easily imagine an NC-17 gen fic with lots of gore and random, nameless sexual encounters. So I don't know!

From:

shapinglight

but personally I could easily imagine an NC-17 gen fic with lots of gore and random, nameless sexual encounters. So I don't know

Definitely, yes. Actually, I wish people would stop trying to pigeonhole things all the time.

By which of course I don't mean you. I mean Them As Sets The Rules.