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That happens to me too. I participated in a group fic and trying to force my muse into the plot laid out by the group was like putting a cork in the bottle of my muse. It was so hard to write my chapter. In the end, it's an okay chapter, but I didn't feel all that excited by it like I do when I've written something that I really like 

One of the things I was taught a long time in my writing classes was never to write for an audience because that was a quick road to failure. More authors that I enjoy, seem to echo this sentiment (Isaac Asimov, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury are a few notables).

I'm wondering, as far as fanfic writing goes, do you write it mainly for yourself, for your enjoyment, or do you find yourself aware of your audience and writing for them?

If you do write for an audience, do you feel your story fares as well, better or worse than if you just wrote it for yourself?

 

Are you an expert in Naruto? Do you speak fluent Buffyism? Maybe you can recite every episode of Star Trek backwards?

I'm looking for experts in a variety of fandoms here on FanLib. If that's you, here's your chance to show off your stuff.

State your fandom and your case here. Obscure fandoms NEED apply! 

It's Michael, has to be. 

The Five Senses!

It's quite simple. To truly involve your readers in a story they need to not only see and hear but smell, taste and feel (touch) what's going on.

How do you incorporate the senses into your writing? Do you have one you rely on more than another. I tend toward feeling - as in dampness, cold, heat, sweat rolling down the face, the smooth surface of a glass table and the scratchy feel of grass under bare feet.

Exaggerate the next time you write - go WAAY overboard with the senses if only to see what you can do. You may find that too much is actually just right.  

Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement and glanced over to see Sam sitting at his bedside, looking more radiant than she’d ever seemed before. “Colonel,” he acknowledged. 

Even as his sight returned, his feeling did as well. He realized that he was alive only from the ragged throbbing in his chest. He could barely breathe from the pain; it rose into his throat with every breath he took. 

True to Campbell’s words, Grodin was out there, leaning on the railing and studying the rapidly approaching sunset. Hera joined him, struck dumb by the beauty. Mesmerized, she silently watched the fiercely red clouds, ignited from behind by the sun. 

“I have something to tell you, Hera,” he finally said, so quietly that she almost didn’t hear him. The tone of his voice left her nervous. 

She came back to the table and ate silently for a moment. The food tasted much better than it normally did; she attributed that to the fact that they were at the moment investigating rumors of addictive corn. At least I’m not eating any of that…I hope. 

Any thoughts about last nights episode people? 

I 'LOST' interest in this show years ago, so I don't really think I'm all that interested one way or the other. XD The plotlines just got too crazy and disjointed for me after a while. 

Well, my story In All Certainty partly uses a real Stargate SG-1 episode, but in the section I totally wrote myself, I keep mentioning bright fluorescent lights. I actually do it four times--I have no clue why, but I do!

The main character in that story almost dies, so perhaps it's 'the light at the end of the tunnel' that someone reaches for to keep living. Who knows?

Hope that qualifies as a motif!  

I think it does. Most of us didn't find a motif until we went back and looked for one, but I do believe that it wasn't completely by accident that we had them in our stories to begin with. After all, a good story should have more than just the surface meaning of the words. We're all trying to convey a certain emotion too and we associate different things with different emotions and those things sometimes find a way into our stories. 

starbase11 wrote:

cynthiab wrote:

So let's talk location, location, location. Give us your best descriptions or point us to a piece that needs help. 

Whew! To tell the truth, I don't really describe a lot about location...maybe that's why my fics are so short when I look at them in Microsoft Word. One description of mine that I like, is this from Kankei, a Stargate Atlantis fic I've been writing (and planning to post, too.)

The group walked out of the thick forest straight onto a bare cliff a few feet high, looking down onto a spectacular sight. Below was an almost totally demolished ship of the exact style as the ill-fated Orion; it had obviously been there a very long time, for it was half-buried in the ground and its body looked to be about as sturdy as a rusty car’s. 

What do you think? Is it too short? Please let me know!  

I don't think it's too short at all. I could picture it easily. If anything, I'd probably add a few details or maybe change a few words to punch it up even more. But, then again, I sometimes get too wordy.

Here's one from a new fic I just posted and I wondered if I went overboard on the description:

“Nice place.” Toni swiveled her head, taking in the tasteful caramel and maroon décor. Tables covered with snowy white linen nestled against walls adorned with old black and white photographs of Chicago. Soft jazz music played in the background, and muted lighting further enhanced the ambience.