Sci-Fi Shenanigans

I don't own them. I'm just borrowing them.

I have to confess I haven't been keeping up with this lately because I'm working my tail off to write fanfiction.

Yes, you read that correctly. I'm writing fanfiction. I'm thinking it's time to suggest an emoticon of a paper bag over a face. Just sayin'.

I actually wrote some fanfiction for Heroes a couple years back, and you can see it in the link to your left that says "Fanfic". That is a link to my fanfiction.net page. Don't get me wrong. I know that a lack of quality is an issue there, but I refuse to put fanfiction into my portfolio on this site. While a lot of things about this site are no longer sacred, I still refuse to taint the site with fanfic. So I post it elsewhere. Anyway, when the WGA strike landed, I lost interest in the fandom and proceeded to occupy my time in other ways. All was going well until I saw Star Trek. Lord have mercy. I'm writing fanfic again.

I've actually been talking about this project with Robert Waltz . The story that's been occupying my time lately centers around activities on a starbase that are loosely connected to events in a story I've been writing since June (but have set aside to work on this little offshoot). Truth be told, I've been hesitant to really discuss it because of the characters that take the spotlight in this story, specifically the reason they're the main characters. So this entry will mostly likely sway between me talking about the story and my opinions on writing fanfiction in general.

I admit I'm still a bit of a snob and look down on fanfiction in general.Why? Well, there's no respect given for original characters. Don't get me wrong. I know all about the Mary Sue (and variants) issue and recognize that a lot of people who write fanfiction tend to be crappy writers. At the same time, I've come across some really good fanfics, and I know that there are professional writers in the Daria fandom. Still. I think fanfic is a time waster. An entertaining time waster but one nonetheless. Did I also mention that when I read fanfic, I tend to read quite a few stories of the porny kind? Yeah. (Ironically, I don't write it. I can write sex scenes but don't particularly enjoy doing so on a regular basis.)

On top of that, fandom misuses the word angst like it's nobody's business. Guys, I wrote an article on angst! It's right here! "Drama Newsletter (July 9, 2008)"  What many call angst is just regular old drama and conflict. Plain and simple. That conflict, though, is one of my favorite things in fanfiction. I can read happy, fluffy pieces and appreciate them for what they are. The same goes for porn. However, I live for the heartwrenching conflicts and moral ambiguity that only true clashes and insurmountable odds can provide. I actually have come across some stories where that type of tension has overwhelmed me, but those occasions are very few and far between. When I do find these fanfics, I admit I tend to enjoy them more than completely original stories of a similar nature. it's usually because those who write solid stories with lots of tension tend to be more well rounded and more experienced writers. Those types are hard to find no matter where you look.

Needless to say, I find myself sort of writing that kind of story in this offshoot from the larger project (which is more along the lines of a suspense thriller, which isn't too far out of my range). There is tension, conflict and a more serious tone. But it is also an exploration of a relationship reaching its pinnacle level: marriage. But getting to that point has been far from easy for the pair in question. I'm not entirely inclined to discuss the pair at great length because Robert Waltz and I disagree on on it (although we both agree that shipping the Kirk and Spock from this timeline just won't work, so don't ask). However, a lot of wiggle room was given in the movie for the couple at the center of my story, and they are ultimately at the center of a conspiracy that fuels my main story and provides a challenge in the piece that I'm currently working to finish.

Needless to say, I'm nine kinds of worried about this story, which I'm stupidly going to make available for public consumption before the month is over. Besides this story basically being a public confession of my favorite part of the damn movie (in retrospect), I have other worries. Do I make their voices sound true without overdoing it on the catchphrases? Will my incorporation of other Star Trek canon characters work in the context of this story? Will people see my original characters as full realized people and not self inserts (which I've been lucky enough to largely avoid)? Fanfic can be a dicey line to walk, but I do it, anyway. I'd ask myself why, but I don't think I really want to know the answer.

On that note, I'd like to leave you with a link to a story I happened to find not too long ago and can't help but adore. It pretty much embodies the tension/conflict side of writing in general that I crave but almost never get.

http://ceres-libera.livejournal.com/tag/switch

I think that's all I need to say about that.