Catwhohas14tails and I recently had a discussion on how “predictability in fan fictions causes the author to fail,” and provoke this topic. Below, we have Cat14’s tips (sent to me via Private Message).
For Original Characters:*There's more to a character's life than just having pups and fighting a bad guy.
*Something that many professional authors will say, that to make a story about a character interesting, put them through hell. This is saying that you already have a likable character, make people want to know if they make it through okay. But don't overuse the drama, like don't have their parents die and have their siblings beat them and have their mate cheat on them and then have their babies die and then have them slit their wrists. Then it just gets annoying.
*Wait, I thought you were writing a Balto fanfic? Why are you using so many of your characters anyway? If the number of your characters outweigh the number of Balto characters, then what’s the point in writing a Balto fanfic?
How to write a bad Balto fanfic:1) Pick an overused plot, like your character's life story about how they became the leader of whatever and had babies.
2) Use the biggest font possible with the most obnoxious colors in the world.
3) Make main characters out of character. Like make Steele a big moron, or make Jenna a fluzy, or Kodi be a ruthless killer. Unless you have a valid reason for any of these, they should not be publicized or else you'll embarrass yourself.
4) Use your Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters. You know, the ones who do nothing wrong and/or the ones who are "awkward" in society and/or the ones who "hate everybody" and/or the ones who can "transform" and/or the ones who are "leaders".
5) Skip to the sex. Yep, who cares about plot if the only reason your characters exist are to make babies? Just write when they mate. Skip the intro, heck don't even bother giving it a title.
6) Make very unlikely crossovers. Like cross Balto with Twilight. I always wanted to know what would happen if Balto met Edward. IT'D BE SOOOOOOOOO INTERESTING!
Overused plots:1) Balto finds his long-lost sibling(s)
2) Balto has a second litter with Jenna
3) Jenna "cheats" on Balto
4) Balto gets revenge on whomever
5) Steele gets revenge on Balto
6) Jenna leaves Balto for Steele
7) Aleu "returns"
8 ) Aleu finds a "mate"
9) Aleu has a brutal sibling rivalry
10) Kodi and Dusty realize they love each other
11) Kodi and Dusty "date"
12) Kodi and Dusty have a family
But no, seriously? No one wants to read the same thing over and over again. Come up with something interesting, you all over think this entire series of Balto movies, how about using that over thinking to writing some interesting fanfics?
As a writer as well, I “*facepalm*” a lot on the site when I read a lot of the fan fictions here. You can see a lot as to the reason why in Cat’s post above. Now, it’s my turn!
*When you make your characters, don’t make them the run-of-the-mill. They don’t have to be wolves. They don’t have to be hybrids or huskies, malamutes or Klee Klais. However, make them MAKE SENSE. A fennec fox in Nome, Alaska, certainly won’t. So make sure to do at least a TINY bit of research on the breed(s) you’re using.
*Sparkledogs are overrated and UGLY. I seriously doubt you’re going to see a bright green Siberian husky with blue tiger stripes. Realism, believe it or not, is still in! I have seen very FEW “sparkledogs” (that is, animals with unnatural colors and markings/accessories with little to no realistic explanation besides “mutation” or “vat of toxic waste”) actually look good. Unless you have a good handle on complimentary colors and whatnot, don’t even bother.
*Give your characters realistic personalities. Don’t make them psycho just because their owner didn’t pet them enough. Psychological problems, such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (“split personalities”) and manic depression, are caused by some sort of severe trauma (emotional, mental, physical). They can also be “normal.” They don’t have to be dysfunctional in order to be interesting.
*Keep your story FAMILIAR yet DIFFERENT and INTERESTING. No one likes stories that are the same as others, and they don’t like stories that are “too different.” It’s up to YOU to find that medium and work it.
With Cat’s last paragraph, I find myself nodding. It honestly doesn’t take too much thought to create the story for a fiction. You’ll worry more about how to word this-and-that than what the plot is (after you make it). Go out on a limb, use the “unregistered” characters from the movies and make a story for them. Be inspired. Be creative.
Don’t be a conformist.
