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pv
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Post Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 09, 2005 10:53
Why do you write fan fiction?
Because you have to share a room with an obnoxious sibling & want to let off steam?
Because you want to talk about the things you deeply believe in?
Because you just like to crack jokes all the time?
Because you're going to be a novelist one day?
Because it's a more harmless addiction than some others I could mention?
Because you love Craig Parker?
Or none of the above?
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j_mercuryuk
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 09, 2005 11:04
I write fanfition because I enjoy it. Simple as that, there maybe several other factors, but they would be irrevivant if I didn't enjoy it
Other factors I guess are:
I have ideas and I wnat to get them down and if they're down why not share them for others to enjoy .
Maybe also because it's a good way to start off writing.
Heri_Almare
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 10, 2005 12:37
Personally I write something a little bit like fanfiction just to get the words out of my head.
I've always made up stories, ever since I was little and I was trying to get out of trouble. I've heard authors say that the words simply come into their minds, and that's how it is to me. My problem is that most of what I write isn't really good so I don't write it down. And when I write it, it either goes too fast or I kill it by having to concentrate on the paper. The only time that I can write fast enough (and icnidentally, when it sounds good) is when I'm emotional, like when I'm angry. Since picking fights with my brothers so I can do my English homework is not a good idea I don't get very good grades there. (Except the time I got furious at my assignment....)
So anyway, I write fanfiction but it's mostly in my head. I do it for all of the reasons listed, except the one about Craig Parker.
Alatariel1013
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 10, 2005 03:29
I write fanfiction simply because I LOVE writing. I occupy the better part of my day with writing stories. I've read so many books that the way books are written is now the way I think, so then I put my thoughts on paper. It's wierd....hard to explain.
LinweSingollo
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 10, 2005 05:45
I began writing a little over a year ago because I just wanted a way to 'live' in Middle-Earth. I wanted to know more about hobbits, their way of life, to figure out some of the gaps in Tolkien's story. I find it very therapeutic and probably more than a little self-indulgent since I write just for myself rather than an 'audience.'
"To the Hobbits. May they outlast the Sarumans and see spring again in the trees." J.R.R. Tolkien
yankeegirl
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 10, 2005 09:27
I write because I must. There is something inside me that will not let me rest so I must create and write.
Ireth_Telrunya
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 11, 2005 12:28
I write because I love it. It's kind of what I do. And yes, for a great number of other reasons including most of the ones pv posted. (Haldir is SUCH a cutie!) When ideas come, if I can find paper in time, I write them down. If not, I let them stew in my head until I can find paper and write them down. I think I am very much like Alatariel1013 in the sense that writing is how I spend most of my waking hours. I've been addicted to books since I was 4 years old (even before I could read!) and I do plan on being a novelist someday. I'm actually working on about... *counts on fingers* ...seven or eight stories at the moment, the majority of which are fanfics, and one is a novel I plan to publish (as soon as I can get the hang od sub-plots like my English teacher told me). A lot of the time I actually narrate my thoughts!!! Example: *Me thinking* "'What a totally crappy Monday,' I thought as I trudged down the hallway toward my History classroom." Stuff like that. Yeah, I'm nuts. :dizzy: No further explaination needed.

[Edited on 18/6/2005 by Ireth_Telrunya]
Far over the Misty Mountains cold, to dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away ere break of day, to claim our long forgotten gold.
dreamdancer
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 12, 2005 01:59
when I write fanfiction , its mainly because I like to take characters I love and put them into new situations and let them react how I think they should. However, I dont write fanfiction that often-- I had one here on CoE, but my computer killed all that I had added before I could update, so its sort of...dead.

I write my own fiction because I love it, and because it does relieve stress. And I love all my original characters. ^_^ you get to know them like real people, after a while, and they end up writing the story themselves.
Cubeleg
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 14, 2005 05:08
I have written one fanfiction so far. Just one, but it is long and I stewed about it for weeks. I always wanted to write about a lost princess somewhere in Middle Earth, but the right idea didn't come till I remembered Prince Imrahil. Now I have 150 pages on my computer telling about Elfhild, Wyn and Frea's edventures as they flee to Helm's Deep and beyond. Sub plots aren't usually a probelm for me. I just get so many characters spinning at once, all kinds of things start happening.

Why do I write? Because I imagine. What I imagine I write. Wanderers From Dol Amroth is probably the longest story I've ever written, and not finished yet. (It is on this site)

But I also like writing little things for my younger siblings. Like a story about a cat brigade, using our plethora of cats for characters. Or, I plan to 'kidnap' one of my sister's tiny china dolls on my next trip and then write about the adventures she had.

But wait, you asked why people write fan fiction. I write it because it forms a general framework for me to start with. Just sticking with the book gives me direction. Of course, figuring out how Deor will win Prince Imrahil's trust so he'll eventually let him marry his daughter doesn't once appear in the book. I just have all kinds of events to retell and expand from the eyes of my characters.

That is why I this one precious fanfiction.
superlegolas
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 14, 2005 06:23
i write fanfiction because it just pops into my head. i don't post them though. maybe i should...
Twylight_Aelf
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 14, 2005 07:26
I write fanfics because I never can find my kind of fanfiction stories. It seems like it's always the fellowship, elves, Legolas, his hairbrush, and an OC girl by the codename of Sue. It gets tiring after a time. No orc-fanfics or no orc-fanfics of personality (it's either OOC, 'weak-tea' variety, or angsty/gory). When I look for orc-fanfics, a rarity in itself, I look for strong coffee without the necessity of meaningless gore and angst and stories that don't contradict Tolkien's idea of the orcs (or even the movie orcs). Sadly, they are rare and far between. So far the best stories have been some angst and some humor. I think I was probably the first person on fanfiction.net to write a story with the black-eyed orc-driver's POV. Or to write an sci-fi/action/adventure story with a modern girl (non-MS) and orcs.

I write especially for the enjoyment it gives me, though.

It's also good practice because I'm learning to be a writer (you don't learn to be a 'novelist' because there is no such thing) and I don't want to post my real stories out in open web because it's dangerous. And it helps me get into delving into other writer's works to study and know more about the culture, the people, and more. The first story (original and fan) I actually finished was my first fanfic with the black-eyed orc (posted on Fanfiction.net as "Twinkie").

[Edited on 6/14/2005 by Twylight_Aelf]
Ireth_Telrunya
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 14, 2005 11:56
No orc-fanfics or no orc-fanfics of personality (it's either OOC, 'weak-tea' variety, or angsty/gory). When I look for orc-fanfics, a rarity in itself, I look for strong coffee without the necessity of meaningless gore and angst and stories that don't contradict Tolkien's idea of the orcs (or even the movie orcs).

Hey, not all orc fics are bad! I read one that's really cool, called "All in the Glow of the Mountain". I can't remember at the moment who it's by. But it's a great fic....
Far over the Misty Mountains cold, to dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away ere break of day, to claim our long forgotten gold.
Twylight_Aelf
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 15, 2005 07:00
I didn't say all orc-fanfics are bad, I just said strong coffee is rare and I like strong coffee, so I try to hunt those down. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time on my hands, so I write what I'd like to find for myself.

Oh! That one? I liked that story! It wasn't angsty. Just an orc-fanfic. Good coffee . Not strong coffee. But coffee. With a hint of cappuccino .

[Edited on 8/12/2005 by Twylight_Aelf]
Meltintalle
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 17, 2005 06:47
Because it amuses me.

Because it gives me something to think about while I'm doing 'boring tasks'. (Wasn't it Agatha Christy who said something about plotting her stories while doing the dishes?)

Because if you start posting it you have to finish, because unfinished stories are an abomination. Most of my OC non-fanfics are sadly unfinished and/or otherwise sketchy.
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 17, 2005 06:57
I love it! I can escape "reality" and go to fasr off places. It allows me to spend more time with the characters I love and get to know those that Tolkien didn't elaborate on. *cough* Haldir & his brothers*cough* There is just something magical about watching a story take form. I really feel that it writes itself, I'm just the tool that puts it on paper/computer screen.
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: June 29, 2005 09:09
I write fan fiction because the voices in my head tell me to . . .

No, wait. I write fan fiction because of my overactive imagination. And because I enjoy it. Do you need anymore reason than that?
HeriTavaril
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 14, 2005 08:50
I write fan fiction for a lot of reasons:

It's fun!
It's theraputic

I cant always find the story I want to read so I make up my own.

The characters keep having conversations in my head and I have to write down what they say. Legolas/Aragorn backchat happens quite a lot in my fictions they get very sarcastic with each other, eg :L to A: "Oh well done Aragorn! Would you like a prize?" Arwen when she appears si usualy sighing at her hubby's inability to keep clean for more thatn 5 minutes and Faramir spends a lot of the time being awestruck and angst ridden.

I realy don't have that much control over them they sort of write themselves.
moru
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 17, 2005 03:44
My tales are invariably drawn from the legends of the Second Age, a period in which (arguably) greater and more epochial events happened over those of the Third (and sometimes even First) Ages.

I found myself far more interested in the personalities of Gil-Galad, Celebrian, Celebrimbor, Pharazon, Miriel, Elendil, Narvi and other notaries of the Age, rather than YET ANOTHER Legolas fan-fic. I also want to know how the legends of the Age happened from their point of view. I would imagine my fics are my 'discoveries' of the imagined past of the Second Age, much as LOTR was Tolkiens 'discovery' of the Third Age.

There are gaps that he left, and I like to fill them in (at least for myself, and possibly for interested others).
Ireth_Telrunya
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 17, 2005 04:01
I found myself far more interested in the personalities of Gil-Galad, Celebrian, Celebrimbor, Pharazon, Miriel, Elendil, Narvi and other notaries of the Age, rather than YET ANOTHER Legolas fan-fic.


Me too! I had an idea for a fic about Celebrimbor and the Three Elven Rings. I imagined what it would be like if the Three had voices, 'genders' (Narya and Vilya = male, Nenya = female), and personalities of their own. But I never got much further than Celebrimbor wondering what in Arda he was going to do with three talking rings who called him "Ada". Maybe I should write it down, and eventually post it here...
Far over the Misty Mountains cold, to dungeons deep and caverns old. We must away ere break of day, to claim our long forgotten gold.
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 18, 2005 05:54
Well the main reason I write fanfic is if I see a movie so amazing that I am blown away I wish to use my creative skills to write from different characters' POVs and stuff like that. Also I would like to have some career in writing. Whether it be author or journalist I do not know yet but I really do want to carry on writing prose. Anyway thats about it...

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Ireth_Telrunya
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 20, 2005 03:46
No orc-fanfics or no orc-fanfics of personality (it's either OOC, 'weak-tea' variety, or angsty/gory).


Hmm... you wouldn't be talking about my orc-fic, would you? "From the Other Side"? Because I think I'm guilty of at least two of those offences: OOC and angst/gore. What would you describe as 'weak tea'?
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Slina
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 20, 2005 08:16
I like to write fanfic for the same reason as I like to write anything else: because I just plain love to write. Fanfic does have the advantage of giving you some pre-made characters and settings to work with, though there's still a lot of development and such that goes into them. And fanfics help me work on areas I especially need work on, or they give me a chance to try something new I might not otherwise try. Not to mention it can be a lot of fun to try coming up with fanfic ideas that haven't been done before.
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: August 12, 2005 12:41
Hmm... you wouldn't be talking about my orc-fic, would you? "From the Other Side"? Because I think I'm guilty of at least two of those offences: OOC and angst/gore. What would you describe as 'weak tea'?


I haven't read "From the Other Side" yet. I'll be sure to read it.

'Weak tea' is like there's no story, the orcs are OOC (lalalal-ish or ridiculously stupid) and they suddenly have a moment of elvishness for some weird reason. Or else it's about elves being turned into orcs or orcs remembering being elves and being bummed out. For instance, most orc romances (where they fall in love with an elf/man/hobbit) are 'weak tea'-- with heavy sugar. Yesterday, I read a Lurtz/Legolas romance and it nearly made my teeth fall out, it was so sugary sweet. It wasn't even a parady! If it had been, I could've seen their dramatic love-life and laughed. It was so awful I decided to try to write a Rosie/orc romance where the orc is intensely in character (harsh, brutal, sadistic)-- but he gets the girl in the end due to unusual circumstances. So far it's doing great. He's very dislikable right now. I always wanted to do a romance with him, but I wanted him to be in character, just to see if my guess that he's incapable of falling in love is correct. Besides, if he's not in character, what's the point in writing a serious fanfiction, let alone a romance?

Your story, I see, is 28 chapters long. Considering the length, I doubt it's an 'overdone' angst/gore story. Then again the Lurtz/Legolas fanfic was in two long parts (I only read the first part) and that hurt my 'reader's tooth', so I won't know until I actually read it all. It also sounds like (in the first two chapters) that your uruk is a flaw in Isengard. A uruk who still remembers being an elf and therefore isn't really a true orc after all. Therefore, your story seems to be more a story about an elf caught in an orc's body, than an orc fanfic.

[Edited on 8/13/2005 by Twylight_Aelf]
9digithobbit
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: August 13, 2005 12:47
I write fanfic because I write, and once the bunny bites, you have to placate it...

I write fanfic because by writing about Middle-earth, I get to spend more time there... getting involved in plotting them, thinking about them all the time... frankly I'm addicted to both reading and writing fics...

One of the things about writing fanfic that I didn't realize until I'd written half a dozen of them is how helpful it is to figuring out what aspects of my writing need work... for instance, I'm very good at description and dialogue, my command of language is excellent, but I realized that my ability to create characters is weak, and I might not have realized that for a long time if I hadn't been handed pre-packaged characters and seen how much better my stories turned out... When I write original fic I tend to be in a hurry, so I only loosely flesh out the characters and expect that they will create themselves, which they might in a novel but I tend to write short stories that don't give the characters time to do so... it also helped me to realize my tendency to want all my characters to be likable... which is not a good idea if you want to write something that is truly interesting; the antagonist doesn't always have to be sympathetic. And of course, any kind of creative writing is good practice...

And this may seem like a strange reason, but I also write fanfic, or rather I share what I write, because the fanfic community is one of the few places I have ever felt at home... every ficcer I have talked to is helpful and supportive and understands the drive to create more beauty in the fandom we all love so much...
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: March 17, 2006 11:52
I write fanfiction simply because I LOVE writing. I occupy the better part of my day with writing stories. I've read so many books that the way books are written is now the way I think, so then I put my thoughts on paper. It's wierd....hard to explain.


Same here!!!

My only problem with writing is what I have read recently affects my thinking. For example: if I read Patrick McManus (a hilarious outdoor author) I write in a silly manner. If I read Redwall or something like that, I write poems or something serious. I think you get the idea now. . .

I know what you mean, 9digithobbit. I have that problem too (i.e. having a great vocabulary, but unable to give my characters deep personalities). I'm trying to break myself from writing too much unoriginal stuff and focusing on things that are my own creation.
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: May 09, 2006 01:39
I agree with yankee--I write because I must. No one told me to start, and I don't do it because of those who tell me to continue. I simply do.

I write fanfiction, particularly in the First Age, because Tolkien's brevity fascinates me. It's like reading a history book: you know there's more to the story than just that. (I also write historical fiction, which I guess betrays my weakness for the past, fictional and real). I also like intense situations, and intensity of the human (or elven) mind, which the Silmarillion provides invariable playgrounds for. So I guess that's why I write fanfiction--it fascinates me.
pv
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: May 27, 2006 07:07
I write fan fiction because it allows me to experiment, without taking my writing too seriously. I like the fact that no-one knows who I am, and yet my work gets read, and I get a lot of feedback on it from the people who read it. Before there was fan fiction, I wrote a lot, but never picked up the courage to show my work to anyone!
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Dreamdeer
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 01, 2006 04:49
I write fanfic in an effort to cure myself of cowardice.

I have always made up stories in my head, as far back as I can remember. I started writing them down on paper at age six, started writing daily around age ten, haven't stopped since, and I'm fifty now. I have written 6 1/2 unpublished novels in adulthood, not counting huge stacks of worthless juvenalia, plus a couple novels that I destroyed. There's the rub.

I didn't seriously try to publish the novels. Every time the rejection slips got too close to an acceptance, I fled. Too much darkness infested my stories to reveal them to the public! I couldn't seem to keep the darkness out. The last novel I abandoned in horror in the middle, when my main character's war crimes became too unbearable.

Then I discovered fanfic, and I thought, "How can I get in trouble writing cute little stories about chubby hobbits with warm, fuzzy feet?" I decided I needed a vacation. Not only could I keep it light and pure in Tolkien's pristine world, but I could also overcome my propensity to rewrite forever by having a weekly deadline for chapters. And since fanfic isn't exactly the most respected art-form out there, I wouldn't get tangled up taking myself too seriously. So why not write a few pieces for a few good friends?

Little did I know!

The groundwork for darkness began in the very first chapter, with Sam dreaming of his eldest son in Mordor. I kept it at bay for as long as I could, but it just began to creep in anyway, hints here and there of grimmer things. I thought I'd lighten things up again by catering to the young kids in my circle who had fallen madly in love with Legolas--I'd give him a cameo appearance. Turns out he was in the middle of a nervous breakdown--and then the crazy elf hijacked my story! I thought that once I got him taken care of I could go back to something lighthearted, but the full implications of why he went mad utterly changed the course of the entire series, beyond repair, plunging deeper and deeper into the depths.

I almost scuttled the series the first time I made somebody cry. But that same friend begged me to continue anyway, don't ask me why. Then friends insisted I make a website so that they could catch up on back episodes. Then total strangers started writing to me. I hadn't counted on that! So now I'm suddenly confronted with my deepest darkest fear--revealing my writing to strangers!

So far nobody has written to tell me I'm a horrible person for imagining such things. One person did write to say she could no longer bear to continue reading my tale, but please continue writing, it is obviously good therapy for me. I suppose it is. Others, Goth kids mainly, seem to like the darkness itself. I'm not sure what that says about me.

Whatever the case, I continue writing it because now they won't let me stop! I have had threats that people will camp on my porch and demand that I finish. I'm like a cowardly soldier who can't desert because of the sheer press of soldiers behind her. No way out now but forward. What have I gotten myself into? And what inner horrors have I bared to the world wide web?

Some unconscious part of me must like it, because I find myself now forming links to my site so that more people can find it. The rest of me cringes and wonders where this compulsion comes from. Is there a twelve-step program for recovering fanfic writers?:cry:
LadyPunk
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: July 10, 2006 03:52
I'm writing fanfiction for practice, and to improve my writing skills if I ever want to write a novel someday .. er something. And I just love to write and further stories that have already been written. I don't mess with whats already been published, and usually use all original characters because I don't want to mess up a character's personality. But all in all like i've said i just like to write...
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: December 03, 2007 12:14
I write fanfiction because I enjoy elaborating on the lives of characters I love. I like to let my imagination run away with me when I write. I do try my best to keep the characters that aren't originally mine in character, though.

However, I'm notorious for not finishing anything I start. Too many separate plot lines running about in my head all at once, I suppose. I'm currently in the process of writing two LOTR stories, as well as one "Pirates of the Caribbean" story. I'm not expecting to ever finish either one.

If you're interested, you can find my fanfiction here:
http://www.fanfiction.net/~ainalothduredhel

[Edited on 3/12/2007 by ainaloth_duredhel]
Dreamdeer
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: December 03, 2007 12:58
It helps if you have a weekly deadline for the latest chapter or episode, and people who threaten to camp on your porch and harass you if you don't deliver. That's what it took to get me to stop rewriting infinitely.
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Post RE: Why do you write fan fiction?
on: December 03, 2007 01:25
That is a great idea. I asked my usual writing buddy to do just that, but she doesn't care for my fanfiction topics. I will have to do some hunting around for someone who does.
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