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- Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fanfiction
Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fanfiction
- By Merlin Missy
- Published 09/13/2007
- Dr. Merlin's Soapbox
-
Rating:
La La La
Subtitled: Songfic and You.
Note the words "currently popular." Does everyone remember "My Heart Will Go On?" Now does everyone remember the time they heard it and finally realized it was *not* a deep, romantic ballad about love beyond death, and was really just a manipulative, drippy pop song with not very original lyrics? 'Kay. Popularity is transient. The song you 'fic today is probably already the "I can't believe you still like that drivel" among the cool kids. Really.
Don't. Just don't.
No type of fiction is necessarily bad by nature. Really. You can find great examples of just about any kind of 'fic you'd care to name. It's a long and laborious process to find the good stories sometimes (hence the existence of this essay) but they do exist and are generally worth the trouble of digging.
That said, there are surely good songfics out there, wonderful stories which effortlessly combine great fiction with beautiful lyrics, resulting in graceful tales that touch the hearts of all who read them. There are probably about a dozen of them in all of fandom. Yours isn't going to be one of those. Sorry.
Most songfic takes the lyrics from a currently popular song and then intersperses them with text. It's an attempt to make a (most often angst-ridden and/or romantic) story more emotional by grabbing onto the connotations of the song.
Note 1: DO NOT SEND ME YOUR 'FIC TO ASK IF YOURS IS THE ONE EXCEPTION.
Note 2: For the uninformed, when you take a song and change the lyrics to work with your fandom of interest, that's not songfic. That's filk. Filk to your heart's content.
So don't. Just don't.
For a very good essay on this topic, please see Tara O'Shea's Column "My Heart Will Not Go On, Thanks" at the Once Upon a Time Archives.
Spread The Word
Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by Jade)
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(sorry for any mistakes there might have, english is not my native language)
I have recently begin to write my own fanfiction (only the plot by now though) and I have learn a few tips on your guide that, I'm sure, are going to be useful for my writing.
Tank you for sharing your experiences with us, i am really grateful
Comment #2 (Posted by coolreb)
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I just want to say thank you so much for this article. I found it really helpful and I've taken a good few tips on board. Thanks for the help and good luck in your next fanfic endevour!
Comment #3 (Posted by Alex Winters)
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Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Your article pointed out the truest truths, whether I'd seen them previoously or not. Some of it I disagreed with, some of it offended me. Frankly, that's a good thing. I haven't really written fanfiction in a while, too busy with life and other stories which are mine. Which, by the way, are getting a huge revising job after I finish with this review. I really liked the part about subplots, because in one story I'm pretty deep into I have one plot and one plot only. I realized that it needed diversity. So, pretty much what this long and drawn out rant is trying to say is. . . Thank you.
Comment #4 (Posted by Ruth)
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I thought this a wonderful, insightful article, although I don't agree with everything, and you pointed out that I didn't have to. :) But overall I recommend this article highly and am going to put a link to it on my fanfic site, the Burning Pen. Thank you, Missy Merlin. ***
Comment #5 (Posted by Kass)
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This is a very interesting article. Thank you for writing.
Comment #6 (Posted by Ashley)
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I'm really glad I found this article. I had written a piece of fan fiction (and I thought I did a good job :p), but when I re-read it with this article in mind, I realized it could use a little work (understatement :D) Thank you for that!
Comment #7 (Posted by Emmy)
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Amen! You said it all, and I'm about to go right back to my own work-in-progress and revise it with your advice in mind. Thank you!
Comment #8 (Posted by blondieAKArobin)
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This entire set of articles was wonderful - I wish that every fanfic author would read them (especially the one about writing the whole story FIRST, then posting... I thought I was the only one who did that!)
I'm keeping the link to these articles to pass on to all my author friends!
thanks,
Robin
Comment #9 (Posted by KryptoniteWriter)
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So, I won't inflate your ego much by saying that this article was amazing ect. Because you already know that. Actually, I fould some of it boring. But, obviously, the boring information was useful as I read it through and am here, at the end, commenting. I'm book marking these articles after I post this comment. I believe I may even slip in recommendations for some of my fandom writers to come read it. Although some of what you said truely was "a bitter pill to swallow". Harsh reality. *takes a moment* Okay, i'm over that. Onto the candy. I loved this article. I especially like how we are in agreeance as to authors writing the whole story first. I've noticed that with many a fanfiction where the updates are spread apart and the story just doesnt seem to flow... Well anyways, I know your busy, I'll just leave it with an ego inflate - I love your essay. I'll probably go look for more of your work to read. Maybe I'll even find a fanfic or two of yours to read?
Kryptonite
Comment #10 (Posted by Tazzi Catt)
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Great article for the beginner but what about those of us who have been writing fanfic for years, especially for the problem of writers block. That is my worst problem And story endings. I have trouble ending the stories in a way that makes since. I have mostly done westerns and agree on the research and know your subject. I hate writers who get info wrong on horses, old western clothes, and guns. I don't write Star Trek, or Star Gate, both of which I love because I feel I can't do them properly. You can see my stories at www.womanwritersblock.net under the pen name of Stardust. Or my blog at http://tumbleweedcrossing.blogspot.com
Comment #11 (Posted by mimcee)
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I like your article a lot. I had just written a fanfic and I think it's going to be great now that I've read your article. Thank you so much! ^^
Comment #12 (Posted by Nalita)
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Wow. Just wow. You're a star.
Comment #13 (Posted by Zack)
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Very nice, though I would have liked it you'd have gone a bit more in depth into things. Still its a good basic guide which I'm sure will help many people. Good work.
Comment #14 (Posted by Jen)
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No! Why has it ended? Why is there not more? OK, silliness aside, this essay has been a wonderful read with some very useful tips which I plan to write down for possible use at a later date. Thank you very much for writing this - I am sure your eloquence on the subject has helped many authors (myself also now). I kept getting dozens of 'this is great's from my reviewers, while I'm quite sure that my story writing really can't be that good. What I needed was for someone to give me a heads up on what's acceptable and what's not, and I'm very grateful I found your essay. I'm hoping it will help my writing in the future...
Comment #15 (Posted by Melissa)
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Great article, it's very helpful. Thank you!