Batblog

Why Would You Do That?

While we're waiting for Chapter 2 of The Krimson Traitor (which I'm working on, I swear; the Word document is open right now, even), I thought I would discuss an interesting hypothetical question: Why?

Specifically, why am I writing a fanfiction, when I could just as easily be writing something original? It is, after all, my goal to write original stories some day, and I have no shortage of concepts for those future projects. Then there's the kicker; I don't even read fanfiction. Once I got it into my head to start this project, I did look up some other Redwall fanfiction for reference, but that's the extent of it. Also, while I may do Krimson Traitor sequels some day, I don't ever plan on doing fanfics for any other series. So, why?:

-I Need The Practice: You see, while I'm fairly confident in my abilities when it comes to the technical aspects of writing (spelling, grammar, punctuation, voice, etc.), I'm largely new to using those skills to tell actual stories. So, maybe I could take one of those concepts I have lined up and start typing away on it, but would it be any good? Or would I just be wasting one of the original settings I've worked so hard on to tell a cliched tale about an unlikable cast of Mary Sues? Fanfiction gives me a safe place to teach myself the basics of storytelling, so that once I get around to one of my original ideas, I may actually be able to do it justice.

-It's Friggin' Redwall: I love Redwall. That might already be apparent since I've listed Redwall as one of my favourite book series in my bio, but it bears repeating; I love this series and everything that it's ever meant to me growing up. The original Redwall was quite literally the first real novel I ever read as a very young child, so it was that book that turned me into a reader and, ultimately, made me want to be a writer. This is also a series that, due to its very nature, really does make it easy to write good fanfiction. It's almost the same as writing an original story, since you can come up with your own unique cast and plot, just that all the world-building work has already been done for you.

So there it is: my first story has to be fanfiction because I want the practice, and it has to be Redwall because no other series means as much to me or has the right format to support the kind of story I'd want to write.

Now with that settled, back to writing about foxes flirting under a tree.