Fanfiction to Fiction

[Mellie]

How does one make the transition from writing fanfiction to writing just fiction? What are the new elements one must incorporate into an original piece? I've written a few, but I've never liked them. Any tips?

[AnShino]

From experience...careful not to make your characters too much like characters (from anime) you usually write about. When I first tried my hand at original fiction that's what happened to me (albeit...i was young and...really stupid ), but eya...just a heads up.

Usually, when I try making new characters, I build on characteristics I possess and start adding on. Things I don't like about me, I take away and then things I wish I was sometimes I tack on. Sometimes I throw in a few life altering traits (i.e. life-long diseases for them to cope with).

As for situations to put your nice new characters in, again, I build from experience. Sometimes I take a situation I was in and mold it to benifit me. Other times I might feel hell bent on torturing the character so I change it to hurt them. It's all about what's going in my twisted head

[trekkiexb5]

A totally new plot, idea whatever. I am currently outlining my first orginal story. It's a fantasy. On purpose.

I couldn't really imagine anyone else in my fanfiction stories but Heero or whoever its about. Nor I try not to piegeonhole myself in the genre.

All I did is brainstorm for what kind of story I would like to see in print.

...

Well, it worked for me!

[Ainohikari]

I actually go back and forth between the two daily. I'm doing a fic with a friend of mine and we have characters based on us in it. She lives in Canada, so it'd not like I can go over to her house and work on it with her, so I usually end up working on it when she is online. I'm also working on a original fic that is depressing, which unfortunately, I have been working on alot since the begining of the christmas holidays.... But I usually end up swtiching between the two within minutes of each other.... It is all in the mind set and how different the characters are from what you usually write.... Luckily, I stick to GW and my originals, even though I have many many different series that can affect my writting.... I really should stay away from Mars till I finish this thing.... Ah! Babling! Anyway, just try to keep them separated in your mind and you should do fine, and the little thing about not liking them? That just insecurity! Look at that pot calling the kettle black.... Well, good luck, even though this has reached you after you need the help.... Who knows who'll actually use this!

[melrose_stormhaven]

Oooh. That depends on what kind of 'fiction' are you working on. Is it popular fiction...or are you working on James Joyce kind of stuff?

The big difference with fiction and fanfiction is that with fiction, you own your characters and your plot, unlike with fanfiction, you don't own them. XD

There isn't really much of a big difference between writing fiction and fanfiction. If you've done OCs or AUs in fanfics, its pretty much like that.

Tips? Start with something your familiar with, or something you've experienced? What kind of fiction are you writing, by the way? Knowing what your genre is might help....

[Mellie]

I started by writing really simple little stories, but I discovered fanfiction one day, and bam. I have written a few things original (my genre is kind of...I'm not sure. I go for a sprinkling of romance with some darkness, add a whole barrel of relationship and character building, and then um...yeah...Sometimes it is sort of scifi-ish, others it isn't. My type changes as often as my clothes)

Right now I am trying to work on an original that is set sometime either in the distant past or the way distant future. It centers around sort of a warrior type country. I have a whole ton of research to do for this one though.

Thanks for all your tips! (I'll reread them once I get back to my compy up at college)