Monthly Madness: Original Fic

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Hey there to all our original fic writers! *waves* How are you doing these days? Still working on something that comes under the Original Fic banner?

Maybe it's short stories; maybe it's a full-length novel or novels; or maybe you're just writing a few slices of life for your own characters. Whatever you're doing, share with us something about writing your favourite (or not-so-favourite!) characters.

Here's a few questions you could answer (if you want) about one (or more) of them:

1. Where did the character come from? (Based on someone you know or have read about? Entirely from your own imagination? Somewhere else entirely?)
2. What drives them in your story? (are they looking for something/someone; on a quest; need to prove themselves to someone? Something else?)
3. What makes you like/dislike them?
4. How do you try to make them real?
5. Who do they interact best/worst with in your story/stories?

I must admit, I've been very slack with keeping up on my original fic this year, so I'm going to skip over my characters right now, but I'm all ears about yours! ;-)

Comments

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

*rubs hands together*

I love writing Original Fic. I love the creation process, and the mystery of working with a character only I know. I was going on a good streak earlier this year with my writing and then the fandom bug bit me (looking at you, Star Trek) and I've focused more on that over the last few months. I would like to get back into my original work, though, especially with NaNo season fast approaching.

01. My two current original characters are John and Abigail Warner. John is in his early thirties and Abigail is his five-year-old daughter. Together they are the only two survivors of an apocalyptic event that struck their town some months ago. John's character is based a bit on my own father and a bit on the men I see in my own town. I wanted someone who came from a rural background, who only knew hard work and preservation, who cares deeply for his family and will do whatever necessary to keep them strong and healthy and happy.

02. John's main drive is keeping Abigail within his sight and by his side as much as possible. The apocalyptic event in my story isn't zombies or asteroids or plague or a giant rogue wave. People simply... start disappearing. All over the world. It begins slow, barley noticeable, but as it picks up speed people begin to panic that there are supernatural forces at work - rapture, alien abduction, government experimentation. Within a year, Abigail and John are the only two left in their small town and John is terrified that one day Abigail will simply disappear too, leaving him all alone.

03. I like John because he's a stubborn, hard-working, loving father. He'll sometimes put blinders on to the world around him, if only to help preserve a sense of normalcy for his daughter. Some days, when it's just them on the little family farm they own, he can even forget their's an apocalypse crashing down on their heads. Almost, except for the wedding band he still wears and the wife who disappeared nearly six months ago.

04. I try to make them real through their flaws. I think it's important for a character to make mistakes, to have prejudices, because that's how people are in the real world. No one is perfect and it won't do my characters any justice if I try to make them so.

05. Considering how few people there are in my story, I'd say John interacts best AND worst with his daughter. Abigail had always spent more time with her mother before everyone started disappearing, and John is concerned that Abigail will one day grow to resent that it was her mother who was taken and not him. I think he's also concerned about how to raise his daughter in this new world of two (there are actually more people out there, but they don't know that yet). He wants to be a provider, wants to be a protector, wants her to be healthy and happy and keep her under lock and key so she will always stay safe. But he also wants her to be educated, wants her to be a little girl and go outside and play, wants her to meet people and make friends - he wants her to have a normal upbringing and I think he's having a difficult time adjusting to the way things are now, much more so than Abigail herself, actually. I like to think kids are better at adapting to difficult situations than adults who are already somewhat set in their ways.

Wow, I rambled on for a bit, huh? Thank you so much for this post! I'm definitely feeling the itch to get back to my story now. And I'm excited to hear what other folks are doing with their original characters. :D

[erinm-4600.livejournal.com]

Randomly popping by to say HIGH FIVE. One of my started-yet-stalled originalfics is about a guy (John) pursuing his now-wife, and their daughter (Abby). So.. NAMETWINS! *high five* ♥

if your Abby's mom is named Kelly, I'll be seriously impressed. Or freaked out. ;)

Also..
I like to think kids are better at adapting to difficult situations than adults who are already somewhat set in their ways.

Very much so. My girls' kids (well, the oldest, anyway) has learned this one very well. Thankfully, his younger siblings were too young to remember the traumas.. which has him both adapted and a bit over-protective. But, he's coming out of his shell as he gets older. <3

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :D

Hah, oh my gosh, I love our name choices! XD Abby and John are just such good, strong character names in my opinion. I feel like every third or fourth original character I've written has been named John, or some form thereof. Gets a little confusing after awhile... ;)

Aw, I'm sorry to hear about that with your kiddos, but I'm glad to know he came out on the other end stronger for his experiences. Kids are resilient little critters. It's amazing what they can take and still bounce back. ♥

[erinm-4600.livejournal.com]

It seems that my brain has moved into originalficland and doesn't want to leave. Which is fine.. but half the stuff I end up plotting are things I can't really research to the effect of accuracy. *facepalm* However, my most obvious originalverse is actually not so original, as it is original characters shoved into an existing universe (thereby making all the canon characters, now, original, as the story progresses)

I need to go back to old posts and see how many of them I've already mentioned, so I don't bore y'all with the rehashing of stuff you already know. :D

Also, I am so behind with actual WRITING it's not even funny.
=====

Okay, I checked what I'd shared already. And, instead of poking at the random originalverses characters.. I decided to go with the main.

1. Where did the character come from? (Based on someone you know or have read about? Entirely from your own imagination? Somewhere else entirely?)
My main character is actually a canon character who was named; married to one of the main chracters; mother to a secondary character; and killed in a flashback. The actress was on-screen for TWO SECONDS. So, aside from a name and occupation, she was a blank canvas. Giving her a face for RP helped build her character, gave her a voice, a shape, etc... but the most of her is just what comes out when I start writing.

2. What drives them in your story? (are they looking for something/someone; on a quest; need to prove themselves to someone? Something else?)
She's suffered a lot of trauma in her life, and is trying to just keep moving forward, no matter how hard things get. She's lost more people than she'd care to think about, and while her "purpose" has been fulfilled, she's still immortal and still has a job to do. It's just not the job she's been doing most of her life. Like Elsa, she's trying to just let it go; to find peace. She's happy, she's tired... but she's just not quite at letting things go. Yet.

3. What makes you like/dislike them?
She is a drama queen. She overreacts, tempts fate, and is a stubborn brat. She hates being scolded by her parents (which are actually her husband's parents, only he's not her husband.. timelines and paralell universes and stuff. Even the TARDIS can't keep up). She's also afraid of fighting back, because she doesn't know what will happen. Whatever's inside her terrifies her (again, see Elsa. The parallel.. it's kinda scary. Only without the ice)

Also, she's self-damaging - the second things start to work out, she sabotages things. Sometimes intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally. She feels she doesn't deserve what she has, as a punishment for something she might have done, a long time ago. She will push you away when you get too close (from fear or regret, who knows) and has ruined a lot of relationships.

Oddly, it's what I don't like about her that makes me love her more.

4. How do you try to make them real?
By trying to let her live in the real world. A lot of 'How would I react to this?' She doesn't like certain foods; she has a temper; she has to deal with the randomness a toddler brings. She's the one people are screaming "JUST KISS HIM" at their TVs, whenever she's around a man she loves but avoiding.

5. Who do they interact best/worst with in your story/stories?
+ She works best with her kids. They keep her focused and happy and generally ~sane~
+ The wife and family.. let's call it a 70/30 split. Because things can be going REALLY great, and then just tank in an instant. (she's got some bizarre bipolar going on, to the point she's nearly tripolar...)
+ Official business involves wicked witches.. and she's not so great with that, because of past experience. This is where the temper can lead to Very Bad Things....
+ Business-business is being queen, and she's pretty awesome at that. She doesn't take a lot of crap from underlings and schmucks (ie slimy businessmen acting on behalf of their governments) She's a lot less royalty-queen as she is president-queen. She does wear a crown, but there isn't any sort of royal decrees or processions or 'Off with their heads' -- functions are more like State Dinners and the like.

NOW I CHALLENGE YOU, bizarra, TO FILL THIS OUT FOR HOTPANTS, INSTEAD OF DEFENDING AZEROTH. ;p

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

Your character sounds amazing! Very complex, very complicated, very tangled (to pull in another Disney reference) in her emotions and her family and her life. But also very interesting. It sounds like you've crafted quite a world for her too. I'm terrible at world building. I tend to stick characters in a small box with a few items and then sit back and watch what all they get up to. :D

[erinm-4600.livejournal.com]

Funny you should say that -- we (as mod-gods) have a tendency to tease her with comparisons to Rapunzel. :D

The worold has sort of created itself. A lot of it is actually via bizarra's brain, because she ~saw~ it all and we just write to fill it in. Or something like that. LOL

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

I'll be working on the collection of original fics until it devours me, I'm sure...even though I think its 1 more book to finish the series and 1 prequel...the prequel could grow beyond one book...and my MC may find a way to get another book or two in there as well...I wouldn't put it past him.

1) the MC of my series is largely my creation...although he weirdly shares some details with a friend of mine (a friend I didn't meet until AFTER I'd created him)...birthday...harp playing...a little bit of his singing voice...
2) because he spans several books (and several decades) he's driven by a lot of things...but primarily the desire to be seen as a 'normal' man...to understand why he's different...and to fill his overwhelming search for 'truth/knowledge'
3) He's my baby...I have SUCH a soft spot for his poor tortured soul...but there are times he needs to stop accepting the guilt for everything and everyone around him (He's got quite a martyr complex...)
4) I think I make him real by...not making him do anything. He dictates the story to me...what he does, how he reacts etc. I usually have an inkling of how that will be...but he still surprises me with his growth and the things he perceives that I never considered.
5) Worst...people who call him Saint, lol.
best...people who treat him normal, who aren't afraid of him for his differences, and who don't make high demands of him (he's too demanding of himself as it is...always feeling he has to live up to the expectations of others when they're really his own expectations of himself)
I hope that makes sense lol

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

LOL, maybe you created your character so well that he manifested himself into the real world! :D

I like the sound of your main character. He seems like someone who puts on a brave face and a tough front, but who's, at the end of the day, much like the rest of us. Tired, maybe a little lonely, and seeking out what many of us are also searching for. He sounds like someone a lot of people could relate to.

I hope one month we do an original fiction challenge! I'd love to see everyone's characters come out to play. :D

[agdhani.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's very much him. He's lonely a lot...even when surrounded by people (he's a bard, so he's surrounded by people a lot! but he doesn't let very many people really get close to him...and because of his differences and that keeping people at a distance, having a love life is nearly impossible...lol)
He'd be happy to come out and play...well, maybe 'happy' is not the word for it, lol, but he rarely turns down new experiences.
And yeah...I often feel like he is 'real'...that some of the wait between new material for me is because he hasn't lived it yet to tell me about it...that the stories are much more him expressing them and me just taking down the details. He's out there in some reality, I'm sure of it ;)

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I think all I've been writing lately has been original fic, but then, it's what I'm most comfortable with. :D

Geez, my favorite? REALLY? Huh. Well... *digs into hat and pulls out a name* I'm going to run with Zayne Reyes today because he's the most flawed I think, so he'll make for an interesting study.

1. Zayne is a leftover from the time I spent in Texas. He's a lot of what attracts me in a guy - funny, sarcastic, but also smart and compassionate. Plus, he's half Hispanic and that's always a plus with me. Hah.

2. Zayne's a lot more complex than he comes off and a lot of things drive him. Seeing justice done, finding happiness (which I think he has now, mostly) and love. Being the best partner and son he can be. And well, Andrej would probably disagree with the first half of that, but that's neither here nor there.

3. He has a tendency to be a right jerk - insensitive and self-centered, and that often makes me (and James) want to kick him in the knee. But he can also be surprisingly insightful, loyal, and selfless.

4. By making him excessively imperfect, for lack of a better description. As Sharpie likes to say, "Zayne's a hot mess."

5. He definitely interacts best with Andrej, his partner. His ex-girlfriend, Hilary, comes in at a close second. On the flip side, he has a lot of conflict with Andrej's boyfriend, James, although it's not always the bad kind of conflict. But, for the most part, Zayne is very personable and friendly, so if you don't give him reason to dislike you (by like, dating his partner heh), more than likely he'll be your buddy.

And as an aside, currently, my least favorite character is Reid Farrow, which is a good part of why I haven't finished my A to Z fic yet. *sigh*

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

LOL, I love your response to #4. Zayne does sound like an imperfect character, but the way you write him makes me wonder if his imperfections don't make him all the more charming.

Is he a charmer? I bet he's a charmer. I bet the ladies (and possibly his partner? but his partner has a boyfriend, so maybe not?) don't stand a chance. Is that why he's searching for love? Do his charms work so quick that he often misses the chance for something deeper and more meaningful?

Also, is your icon a picture of Zayne? If so, "hot" is right. :D:D:D

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Thank you! He's a lot of fun, even when he's being an idiot.

I laughed out loud when you asked if he was a charmer because he absolutely is. And as far as his partner and the boyfriend go... that's uh, a rather interesting and complicated situation. But he was constantly looking for love because he wasn't quite sure what he wanted. Now that he knows, he's making a rather awkward and haphazard attempt at keeping it.

YES. The man in the pic is a Brazilian model named Erasmus Viani and he is rather quite delectable (if you're into that whole dark, smoldering look thing). He's the full version of the pic my icon was made from:

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/123546895@N06/24216320612/in/dateposted-public/)

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

Yessssssssss, I knew he'd be a charmer! :D Something about the way you described him made me immediately gravitate towards that descriptor.

Oooo, complicated relationship with his partner, eh? In point #2 when you mentioned Zayne being a good partner and then followed with Andrej disagreeing, I assumed that Zayne and Andrej were partners in a romantic sense. But upon further reading I realized you meant it in reference to a working relationship rather than a romantic one. And now I'm super intrigued by the complicated nature of their relationship. Do you post stories of your boys on your journal here?

Also, yay picture! He definitely has the smolder thing going for him. The cowboy hat is a big plus for me too. I've always enjoyed cowboys and western settings in general.

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Guys like Zayne always are - if they weren't, someone would have offed them by now!

Zayne and Andy are detectives partnered together and Andy's had a crush on Zayne forever. So, I kind of meant it in both ways, if that isn't confusing enough, right? But once Andy meets James, things get even more complicated between them. I won't say any more for risk of spoiling anything. And yes, they're all posted on my journal here. Walking Disaster (http://asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com/74013.html) was the first multi-chapter fic I wrote with these two, but there are a couple shorts I wrote prior as well. I really need to work on a fic master list. Ugh.

(Here (http://asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com/?skip=120&tag=romani%20detective) is the tag for this fandom if you want to start at the beginning.)

I absolutely agree with you on the cowboy thing. And having spent some time living in Texas, what was once a passing fancy soon became an obsession. :D

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

AH, they're detectives! Partners totally make sense now. :D

Oooo, I love the sound of the perhaps-maybe triangle going on with your boys. I hope you don't mind if I poke through your tags. I'd love to read some of your stories. :D

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Hahaha - sorry about that. :D

Thanks! And feel free - they're there to be read and hopefully loved! I did actually get a master list of all my stories in this *fandom* put up yesterday, so it should be easier to pick through them now!

[morethanmending.livejournal.com]

Whoo, masterlist! I very much need to organize one for myself... ah, one day.

Well, now I know what I'll be reading this weekend! :D

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I know, right? And this master list doesn't even include any of my fanfic or my other original works. Ugh.

Yay! Just know that Andrej's voice changes a lot in the beginning. At first he was too... Americanized. But he eventually began to sound like the foreigner he is. I need to go back and adjust those early fics so Andy sounds like Andy again. :)

ENJOY! :D