Shuufleur

Masterpost | Day 15

In your own space, write a love letter to Fandom in general, to a particular fandom, to a trope, a relationship, a character, or to your flist/circle/followers. Share you love and squee as loud as you want to. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so

Dear new fanfic writers,

As Chuck Shurley wisely said, "Writing is hard."

It’s hard, fanfiction is especially hard since you’re only borrowing characters that you don’t own. Canon can be a difficult thing to imitate: characters have unique voices. In a way, we, fanfiction writers, are trying to be in the character’s shoes. We need to understand them in order to write them. That’s why some characters are easier to write for some while others are harder. On a subconscious level, we somehow recognised ourselves in them and for various reasons.

First fanfics are always scary.

I understand the struggles, the insecurity. It's tough putting ourselves out there. It's even tougher to read and accept criticism. Especially about something we took time to create. We spent hours thinking, writing, rewriting, editing for free, because we love it. There’s always a part of us there.

Don’t get discouraged by criticism. Recognise constructed criticism. Accept and use it to improve, but don’t let them tell you what to write and how to write it.

Find people to help you improve. Find the right fandom to start, some are more forgiving than others. Find your rhythm, your style.

It’s ok to imitate, it’s ok to write on the same ideas, it’s ok to get inspired by other works (fanwork or otherwise). Be impartial with your work to recognise the qualities and the flaws.

Do your thing and you’ll be fine.

You’re a writer as soon as you start writing. To improve, you need to read and write. That’s all. There’s nothing else.

I was 15 when I started writing fanfiction in 2007. It has almost been 10 years since I started writing fanfics.

It must seem short for some, long for others. It doesn’t feel that long to me, and I’m always surprised when I realise it has been that long.

Last piece of advice: enjoy yourself.

Masterpost | Day 12

In your own space, post a rec for fannish spaces and resources - comms, challenges, twitters, tumblrs, etc. Tell us about where you hang out. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I don't really hang out much in fannish things anymore (apart from AO3), so it's a pretty small list.

wipbigbang: finish your fanfics with this bang!
I've known the bang for three years, but I only started participating as an artist in 2015. I’ve been meaning to participate as a writer as well but when I tried (last year), I failed spectacularly (dropped out two weeks in). But I did fanart for four writers in 2 rounds (2015 & 2016), and it’s always been a pleasure to work with them.
This bang is also a way for me to use a bit of my Photoshop skills that I don't really use as much as I would like.

 trope_bingo: I discovered it very recently (in July or August 2016).
What I love about this bingo are the tropes, obviously, and the fact that it's multifandom. It gave me the right incentive to write again: 5 (short) fanfics written in under 3 months (after 3 years of having difficulty to write). I don't have the same proficiency as before (my writing peak was 2007-2010. From 2011 on, it just trickled). So yeah, it was a good experience.

NaNoWriMo, not really fannish but super useful to me.
For those of you who don’t know NaNoWriMo, the principle is very simple: write 50k words in 30 days.
Originally, the challenge is held each November, but you can also participate to the Camps (April and July) where you can set a custom goal (instead of the original 50k).
I started participating to NaNoWriMo in 2010 and didn’t stop (except for two years where I failed epically/miserably).

I love NaNoWriMo because:

• it makes me write 50k+ in 30 days (and it’s like my yearly quota for my writing so I don’t feel as guilty not writing the rest of the year)
• the (French) community is awesome
• I’ve written some my original ideas and it feels GREAT (though I didn’t finish any of them) (yet).

 Since a couple of years, they also accept fanfictions ;) (and thesis, and scripts, and other stuff).

Yes, the challenge is about quantity, not quality. It can make people uncomfortable (you have to kill your inner editor), some might even despise it, but you could think of this challenge as a way to start good habits such as:

• writing regularly
• writing all the crappy things first in order to reveal the brilliant ideas hidden in your mind. :)

(at least, that's what I think ;))

It’s for people who plan very carefully their stories, have detailed character profiles, do research and have a solid plot (which has to be done before the actual challenge)

It’s for people who didn’t plan anything, have one or two characters, thought of a few scenes they want to write, and write as they go (which is perfectly fine to do that during the challenge).

Also, it’s very satisfying.

Masterpost | Day 8

In your own space, make a list of at least 3 things that you like about yourself. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

1. I love my eyes, especially their colours. I've the same eye colour as my mother and grandmother.
2. I like my stubborness, as in I resist pretty well to peer pressure, especially when it's about something I don't like.
3. I like my "artistic" ways (though I loathe my lazyness ;))
4. I love my curiosity in many things. Not maths, though. Definitely not.
5. I like that I could reduce my shyness to an ok thing.
6. I like that I can function pretty well even in an unknown environment (with a lot of nervousness but still).

.:: ::.
Day 9

Send feedback to two fannish people — they can be anyone you want: a writer who’s made you happy, a moderator of your favorite exchange (not us!), a fanartist you avidly follow… There are so many possibilities. Just let someone know you appreciate their work.

I did. It reminded me that I know people who need encouragement!

Masterpost | Day 6

In your own space, create a list of at least three fannish things you'd love to receive, something you've wanted but were afraid to ask for - a fannish wish-list of sorts. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your wish-list if you feel comfortable doing so. Maybe someone will grant a wish. Check out other people's posts. Maybe you will grant a wish. If any wishes are granted, we'd love it if you link them to this post.

I... don't know for this one.

I'll think about it later.

I found stuff to say, so here's what I'd like: 

• Crossovers: I love crossovers. It's my thing. I especially love Supernatural crossovers (including but not limited to: crossovers with POI, Criminal Minds, MCU, and Merlin). I think I've read most  the crossovers on AO3/ff.net.
• Beta: as you might have guessed, English isn't my first language so when I write fanfics in English, I can be pretty vague, make syntax, vocabulary and grammar mistakes. I'm better than when I started but my writing still needs improving (my writing also needs improving in French tbh). So really, I wouldn't say no (a) beta/s. Granted you like the fandoms I write in or ships I like. I don't want to bother you with stuff you don't watch/like. 
• Fan: Maybe someone to talk to about my fannish things? In the end, I don't know a lot of people who actually watch the stuff I watch, except for MCU and Supernatural. Just so you know when I'm pretty ok when it comes to shows/movies, I don't really read into subtext (because sometimes there is just no subtext) but I really don't mind headcanon or fanon stuff (I have so many fanon ideas that it would be hypocritical of me say something). :)

Masterpost | Day 3

In your own space, set some goals for the coming year. They can be fannish or not, public or private. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Writing Things:

• Reread and correct the first part of that original work (PDR) I started with NaNoWriMo in 2010.
• Finish an original work (mostly NaNoWriMos)
• Continue and finish in progress fanfics (with the help of  trope_bingo's round 8)
• Write more regularly even if it's only a few dozen words

Non-Writing Things:

• Do more fan edits in Photoshop (waiting impatiently for the next round of WIP Big Bang)
• Travel; priorities are Scotland, Austria, and Poland (for short trips), Australia, and Reunion Island (for long trips).
• Come back to my hometown to see my parents, and friends
• Visit the area I currently live in
• Find a good flat to live in, to go with the cool job I found

Note : Je participe au snowflake_challenge. Je suis un peu en retard, mais c'est pas grave. Je ferai ce challenge en anglais pour que ça soit plus simple.

First time participating at snowflake_challenge. I'm starting late (as usual!), but here's Day 1!

Masterpost | Day 1

In your own space, post a rec for at least three fanworks that you have created. It can be your favorite fanworks that you've created, or fanworks you feel no one ever saw, or fanworks you say would define you as a creator. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

1. Where Your Heart Lies, a Tony Stark/Bucky Barnes getting together fanfic, post Civil War. Reasons it made the list: First time writing this ship, first time in a long time I didn't have that much fun and drive to write a fanfic.
2. Point de rupture, a Sam Winchester/Peter Parker fanfic, written in French. Reasons it made the list: Similar to 1st point: first time in a really long time (2011) I wrote a fanfic that long (16k!!) in my mother tongue. I'm mitigated about this fanfic, some parts I love, some not so much but in the end, I'm really proud of what I accomplished.
3. Dean's Poster, art for a French Big Bang fanfic. Reasons it made the list: I'm insanely proud of the work I put into Dean's poster, it's by far my best work with Photoshop.