Interviews with a Fan Fic Writer

[Akatsuki Zetsu]

Originally Posted by MrUchiha

I'll consider it. I'm already considering someone else plus waiting for two people to return their interview's.

really? cool, i was actually sort of joking because i feel like i only have like 3 or 4 people who actually like my story. have you even read it?

[MrUchiha]

Originally Posted by Akatsuki Zetsu

really? cool, i was actually sort of joking because i feel like i only have like 3 or 4 people who actually like my story. have you even read it?

I'm basically reading everybody's now. >_>

[Akatsuki Zetsu]

Originally Posted by MrUchiha

I'm basically reading everybody's now. >_>

ah....hey if you like mine tell me

[The Taijutsu Specialist]

Yeah, I have to start reading up on some stories too. A lot's happened in three weeks. ^^' I also need to continue working on my FanFic series, but I'm still talking with Lil Sis a lot on YIM, so if you wanna, you can talk a little, too. But I don't reveal spoilers, so don't ask. :P

[MrUchiha]

1) What inspired you to write your own Fan Fiction?

Boredom, really. I looked in the fan fiction section one day, read some of the stuff, and thought to myself, "Hey, I can do this." I wrote a few, refined my technique with the help of some very good reviewers, and then gradually lost interest as nearly all the good writers left/stopped posting on the Bandai boards. I still write the occasional fic, but that desire to show off my work and improve has largely died off due to the rather lack****er competition. (Also, the lack of quality reviewers makes it not really worth my time to write.)


2) What do you think are the necessary tools, or knowledge to have before writing a Fan Fiction?

First of all, a word processor with spellcheck is absolutely necessary. Second, it's always nice to have a grammar handbook. But I'll steal a quote from Ray Bradbury here: "If I were asked to name the most important items in a writer's make-up, the things which shape his material and rush him along the road to where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto. . . . If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer." The most important element of writing is the fun one has when writing - for me, that comes in the constant quest for self-improvement and the emotional impact my writing has on the readers. That's why I detest the "OMG 10/10!1!11!!111!111111" review so much - it's not actually a review. The writer took the time to create something magical for the reviewer - the reviewer should take some time and let the writer know just how the writing affected him or her. It's a symbiotic relationship really - that's why I'm often so negative about bad stories that receive the "10/10!!1111!!!11" review - they neither benefit the writer nor the reviewer. The writer continues spewing out sewage and not improving, and the reader continues basking in that sewage and asking for more. It's not a pretty picture.

3) How do you plan out a fanfiction?

Most of the time, I get a random flash of inspiration and then just branch out from that flash. I don't really write an outline or have a plan - everything's just in my head. I know I should create a plan - but when I have a good idea I just sit down and let it all pour out of my head.

4) So, as you probably know, you are a well known and respected Fan Fic author on this web site. What do you think it takes to be known and respected as a Fan Fic writer?

I used to think it actually took good writing, but eh... that's not the case anymore. Now I'd say the most important quality for someone that wants to be "well known and respected" is to pander to the audience. I refuse to dumb down my work, and I'm guessing that's why I get so few reviews nowadays... I guess people aren't actually in it for the reading - are paragraphs really that intimidating?

5) How long should someone put into each chapter/episode of a Fan Fiction in your opinion?

I just write until I can't write anymore... and there's a chapter.

6) What do enjoy most about writing your Fan Fic?

I love receiving useful and interested feedback about my fanfics. When people start caring about what happens to the characters and worlds I create, it makes writing worth all the time I put into it. Also, the friendships and relationships that I've built over time from writing are some of the strongest I have. As I've said in the past, writing is an outpouring of the soul. When a community of writers is built, it's an intermingling of souls that nothing else can match.

[Time Travelling Mechanic]

Some very good points there. Well done mate, I salute you

[The Taijutsu Specialist]

Yep, it truly was mind-blowing. Good thing it was Naruto's head that blew and not mine. lol

But I agree with quite a lot that you said, JD-sama, especially about the spelling and reader comments.

[HalfSwiss]

I sent in my review this morning.

[MrUchiha]

1) What inspired you to write your own Fan Fiction?
I saw a lot of good-looking fan fictions around the Fan Fiction section, and I wondered if I could end up having one of those. Eventually I got better, and I think I'm almost there, if not already.

2) What do you think are the necesarry tools, or knowledge to have before writing a Fan Fiction?
An idea of what you want the fan fiction to be like. If you want it to be good, you try harder and harder making it, until it gets as good as you want it. You also need a little idea of what happens in the story. A lot of the time you can just make it up as you go along. That's what I usually do.

4) So, as you probably know, you are a well known and respected Fan Fic author on this web site. What do you think it takes to be known and respected as a Fan Fic writer?
Practice, practice, and practice. You can consider your first fan fictions "practice," and then you build on from there, getting better and better. The best writers usually have a large amount of fan fictions, leading to the abilty to have better stories. You can look back at my first fan fiction, compare it to my more current fan fictions, and just laugh.

5) How long should someone put into each chapter/episode of a Fan Fiction in your opinion?
As much that is really needed for a reader to consider it an interesting chapter. With just a couple sentences, it's not very interesting, because it's barely anything. I try my best to make chapters as long as I can, until I burst with eagerness to post my work. Some chapters of my fan fictions are rather short, and I'm not very happy about it. But, as long as I can make up for it, it's all right.

6) What do enjoy most about writing your Fan Fic?
Having readers who enjoy it and sharing my work with others is really all I need. It's nice to have people people have enjoyment due to what I've done, which is all I aim for.

[HalfSwiss]

It seems like this whole thread died when my interview was posted. D: