General Questions on Writing

[machievelli]

This is for any question on writing a fic that doesn't seem to fit with any of the other threads of questions. If you have a question concerning canon or other things, please ask them here.

 

JM12

 

A note on Canon:

Today I read Jae’s amusing little piece about how to judge what is and is not canon, and while it amused me, it also made me think because I have had writer’s comment on how I protest their misuse of it.

 

Jae compared it to religion, and since I have sent failed scripts off to the Star Trek Next Generation, I understand the term better than she might realize. You see, when you create a world such as any television show, they patiently compile what a character will and will not do. This is called, oddly enough the show’s ‘bible’. As an example, in the bible for Star Trek NG you cannot have a ship travel faster than Warp 10, or have say Jean Luc Picard suddenly decide he is really German. Nothing is allowed to break the continuity.

 

One reason I stopped watching the Star Trek Enterprise series, was that they had decided after Gene Roddenberry died that they would change the accepted canon first contact to another when they made the 2nd NG movie, then totally threw away canon by having a Romulan ship uncloak 100 years before the cloaking device was created and at the same time, were using the transporter over 50 years before people had done so successfully, also part of canon. I felt that if the people screaming about how you don’t fit into the canon were doing that, why bother?

 

In fact eight years ago while I was in a writer’s slump, I started compiling a ‘canon of the written word’ for star Trek. Did you know that according to the authors, Kirk’s father had three different jobs? From Iowa Farmer to Commander in Star Fleet. Uhura’s was just as bad, with five different versions. I wanted to write an encyclopedia that says ‘all right, this is what has already been said, so let’s not add to it, eh?

 

When I got into Star Wars (Picture a guy in his later 20s scrounging money to see it in a theater five times when it first came out) I decided that canon is important. It stops people from taking a character and ruining him or her by having them do things you as the author would not approve of. As a writer know I'd be upset if you took one of mine from my work (Including Briana Solo and Sienna Dodonna) and put them through unnatural hoops. This does not include as you might have noticed alternate universes. I allow for that because you’re stating right off the bat ‘I am stepping outside canon, so don’t judge it by that’. But I have protested having the Republic send negotiators who aren’t honest, which is an actual book in the canon itself (a Whatever to whomever figures out which one) down to a kid over at the Galactic Senate that had Han go as a negotiator, and Luke as his slave to pander to a planet’s own mores

 

So when I tell you it’s outside canon, I am not being an evil old man, even if I am one. I’m just applying that attitude the Christians came up with a few years ago, and changing the wording a bit.

 

What would George do with the character now?

[Ctrl Alt Del]

So when I tell you it’s outside canon, I am not being an evil old man, even if I am one. I’m just applying that attitude the Christians came up with a few years ago, and changing the wording a bit.

 

Must say that to yourself every night so you may sleep.

[machievelli]

Must say that to yourself every night so you may sleep.

 

 

Sometimes it helps, especially when I see 'canon' books where things slip through the cracks. All I can say is, 'not on my watch'

[Darth Iniquity]

So i've had a general idea of a SW FIC in the back of my head for a pretty long time. After playing KotOR and finding this forum i've found the inspiration to start forming it into writing. But i have a few questions so far.

 

First question on canon, that for some reason really concerns me and i don't know why because its such a small detail, is: Lightsaber color. I looked on wookieepedia and it was a little vague on accepting the guardian = blue, consular = green, sentinal = yellow thing as canon. My story is not directly related to KotOR, but the time frame is around there probably. Are there opinions out there on this? Should i just randomly give saber colors to my Jedi or stick with the KotOR format?

 

Secondly on general writing. I am a very slow and not very experienced writer. I've been away from school for a long time and when I was there writing was something i found tedious at best. What I have in my head are points through the story that I want to get down. Significant battles and plot development points. Is it normal to write a story in the linear fashion it would be read? Or is it fine to write bits of the beginning, middle and end, then go back and fill in the details and refine the progression?

[Bee Hoon]

I always go on the basis that your canon is yours, and mine is mine. Put whichever lightsaber colour you like;) I'm sure that the Jedi aren't *that* restrictive! And even if they were, most of us like our main characters to be...different:P

 

I really can't help you with the latter; I always tend to jump back and forth trying to give back story and end up confusing the readers. If you don't want to cover all the boring bits in between, try just writing a series of oneshots of the of the significant battles and plot points which you mentioned:)

 

Hope that this helped!

[Kas'!m]

Give Jedi whatever lightsaber color you want, but in my story I gave my characters colors that describe them. You don't have to though because a majority of the Jedi used green and blue lightsabers.

 

On the last part, I think it's ok to write bits of the beginning, middle and end, then go back and fill in the details and refine the progression because a lot of books and movies use flashbacks. Depending on the timeline, some things can be left out. I'm not an expert though. You're probably not going to think of everything the first time. That's why we go back and edit.

[machievelli]

As the local critic, I can tell you that a lot of leeway is not only allowed but requested in what you can or cannot do. As for color of the saber, I see not reason why it can't be whatever you wish.

 

As a writer for over 30 years, don't worry how the story comes out of your brain. I have stories where I came up wirh sections in the middle or end first, and only later found out to link A (Which didn't yet exist) to Z (The end) and sometimes it is like the Gordian knot when you do. Write it as it comes, shift parts around until they mesh, and don't give up.

[JediAthos]

To use the Sunrider name in a fic? I know LA had some copyright issues with Jeep on the use of the name.

[Jvstice]

I'm pretty sure the copyright still holds. The car company held off a lawsuit in return for LA never using the name again in new fiction. But I don't think there are still sunrider cars being made, and they might not really care.

 

You're really at the mercy of whether or not they care or have come to see it as low priority since they've moved on to making other kinds of cars. If you were just doing it as fan fic and not hoping to ever profit on it, I doubt they would care. If you looked to make money off a story with the name, you might find that suddenly something they'd set aside they suddenly cared about again.

[Inyri]

 

It's fan fiction. It's not worth the price of a stamp for them to send out C&D's over fanfics.

[JediAthos]

Point taken...thanks Inyri!

[Inyri]

They would send you a nasty e-mail first anyway, most likely. And unless you were trying to sell your fanfic, nobody'd care. Of course if you were trying to sell your fanfic I think you'd have greater moral repercussions to worry about than a cease and desist letter.

[JediAthos]

Too true

[Jae Onasi]

We use Jolee, Carth, Bastila, and others in fanfics, so I doubt using Sunriders will be a problem.

[JediMaster12]

Just remember to give credit where credit is due. If you right a songfic make sure you give credit on the lyrics. Just protects you from someone who might want to do that.

[Jvstice]

Why would a star wars fan fic quote earth people songs? If the premise of the fiction set a long time ago in a galaxy far away, the star wars characters would have never been exposed to that.

[TheExile]

What I like in a fic are complex characters...

Actually, we all like them

I also like things that seem to be at the beginning banal, too exaggerated or with no logic and at the second half of the fic- that's where the fic start to end, but just starts!- you receive some explanations and if you put them in a right way, you will find out whats with those weird things at the beginning...

[Burnseyy]

I like to see original ideas,

good take on characters

how the story/characters progress throughout the story.

and multiple plots.

 

 

if theres none of that, then I won't be too interested.

[Rev7]

I like to see original ideas,

good take on characters

how the story/characters progress throughout the story.

and multiple plots.

 

 

if theres none of that, then I won't be too interested.

I agree with that, but I really want to see description in it. That just puts the icing on the cake.

[Astor]

I liek too sea gud punctuashun in a storie. Oh, and seplling too.

 

[Burnseyy]

punctuation and spelling and describing makes a good 'skeleton' of a story. but what i think is, despite the fact these are important, people get put off the 'plot' because of it.

 

spelling etc. requires learning, but sometimes, really good, original ideas are ignored because of this.

[Astor]

punctuation and spelling and describing makes a good 'skeleton' of a story. but what i think is, despite the fact these are important, people get put off the 'plot' because of it.

 

spelling etc. requires learning, but sometimes, really good, original ideas are ignored because of this.

 

That's not to say that you shouldn't at least try to use punctuation, or at least take the time to spell properly.

 

You won't get a good story if the reader can't tell what the words are.

[Burnseyy]

some people have english as different languages

and younger people may not understand punctuation as much!

i love english, and ive tried to perfect it - and even i make mistakes.

[igyman]

For me, the most important thing is originality. I have more respect for an author who is able to come up with his own characters as protagonists, rather than use existing ones. This does not mean though that I don't like seeing known Star Wars characters as supporting characters in someone's fic.

The same goes for the story. I prefer to come up with a story on my own, rather than use something that's already been told and tell it in my own way (I've only done this once, because I had a very very very good idea how to tell it, but I strive not to let it become a habit) and it means that's the kind of story I like to read.

Style is important, of course, the story must be well written. You can have a great idea, but if you don't know how to put it to (virtual) paper, the story might not end up being what you wanted it to be.

[Burnseyy]

ideas in my head always turn out not as good on paper.

my imagination is wild though.