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athousanderrorsvia http://ift.tt/2n2XnB9:
seananmcguire:
saarebitch:
puckish-saint:
chitarra10:
wolfburied:
I think a big part of why I read way more fanfiction than books is that there’s just a hell of a lot less exposition
the first 10 pages of most books are always “these are the main characters and here’s some background on each of them and this is the setting etc etc” and it’s such a fucking hassle getting to the plot sometimes
fanfic is just like “fuck it you know all of this already let’s go”
That’s a really good point.
Same here but there’s actually a point here of well written exposition.
Take AUs for example. Even in the most complicated, as-far-removed-from-canon settings we get at most a single paragraph before the actual fic where the author gives us a quick rundown of the rules for that universe. The rest we are left to figure out on our own and it works.
We’re not spoon fed every trivial detail when all we want is to get to the plot. Everything that’s important is said at the moment it is important, not sooner not later.
Especially in long fics characters often take on such a unique characterisation that you get to know them all over again but the readers do so organically, in the situations that define those characters as they happen.
Same with looks. The fic author generally assumes the readers know what the characters look like and don’t spend paragraphs describing them, and only bring it up when it fits the plot.
I’ve read a few fanfics from fandoms I’ve never been in and surprisingly it still worked out. I had generally a good idea of who these people were, what they did where and why and how they worked together.
Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot.
Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot.
Bolding this fantastic advice.
Like all fantastic advice, it is not universal.
Skipping over the things your readers can assume is awesome. Fanfic will absolutely teach you a lot of great tricks for this. But the thing is, fanfic is generally building off a canon where someone else already taught us the rules. We know that into every generation, a Slayer is born. We know that Steven is half-Gem, and that Haven is a small town in Maine, and that the Enterprise is on a continuing mission.
With original fic, you have to be your own setting. You have to be your own voice-over. That means that sometimes, yes, you have to give the context that seems so boring in comparison to a world where everyone already knows everything.
This is also why a lot of authors, myself included, like to chill in an established world for as long as possible. It lets us keep exposition to a minimum.
And it can be sometimes very disorienting if authors don’t spend enough time on exposition, particularly in sci-fi where the setting can be very very different from any we’re used to. So I would be very cautious of applying the above advice across the board.
seananmcguire:
saarebitch:
puckish-saint:
chitarra10:
wolfburied:
I think a big part of why I read way more fanfiction than books is that there’s just a hell of a lot less exposition
the first 10 pages of most books are always “these are the main characters and here’s some background on each of them and this is the setting etc etc” and it’s such a fucking hassle getting to the plot sometimes
fanfic is just like “fuck it you know all of this already let’s go”
That’s a really good point.
Same here but there’s actually a point here of well written exposition.
Take AUs for example. Even in the most complicated, as-far-removed-from-canon settings we get at most a single paragraph before the actual fic where the author gives us a quick rundown of the rules for that universe. The rest we are left to figure out on our own and it works.
We’re not spoon fed every trivial detail when all we want is to get to the plot. Everything that’s important is said at the moment it is important, not sooner not later.
Especially in long fics characters often take on such a unique characterisation that you get to know them all over again but the readers do so organically, in the situations that define those characters as they happen.
Same with looks. The fic author generally assumes the readers know what the characters look like and don’t spend paragraphs describing them, and only bring it up when it fits the plot.
I’ve read a few fanfics from fandoms I’ve never been in and surprisingly it still worked out. I had generally a good idea of who these people were, what they did where and why and how they worked together.
Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot.
Point is, if you’re a writer writing original fiction, pretend it’s fanfic and everyone knows your setting and characters already. That way you’ll only have to add a few details if and when your beta readers mention needing more information and chances are they won’t need a lot.
Bolding this fantastic advice.
Like all fantastic advice, it is not universal.
Skipping over the things your readers can assume is awesome. Fanfic will absolutely teach you a lot of great tricks for this. But the thing is, fanfic is generally building off a canon where someone else already taught us the rules. We know that into every generation, a Slayer is born. We know that Steven is half-Gem, and that Haven is a small town in Maine, and that the Enterprise is on a continuing mission.
With original fic, you have to be your own setting. You have to be your own voice-over. That means that sometimes, yes, you have to give the context that seems so boring in comparison to a world where everyone already knows everything.
This is also why a lot of authors, myself included, like to chill in an established world for as long as possible. It lets us keep exposition to a minimum.
And it can be sometimes very disorienting if authors don’t spend enough time on exposition, particularly in sci-fi where the setting can be very very different from any we’re used to. So I would be very cautious of applying the above advice across the board.
