Why I Write

[uc pseudonym]

This is just a thought I've had for a while, I just decided to share here: why I write fanfiction.

If I play a game in which I am omnipotent, I will eventually grow bored. There is no challenge, nothing that can oppose me or change the result that I know. Likewise, if I write a story that is entirely original, I am in complete control. Fanfiction, on the other hand, forces me to work with premade elements, to create something from something, not from nothing.

Note that I still write both.

[true_noir_chloe]

I don't think I'm organized enough to write fanfic. I think it's great when you fanfic writers can do that. I forget everything I watch and the characters too quickly.

[Mave]

eep, maybe I shouldn't be here since I don't submit any writings. But I used to write.

I wrote coz I enjoy playing with words (trying to be poetic and all ) and writing out scripts (I like writing conversations). It's really fun and I miss doing it actually. I might consider going back to writing, posting it here and seeing how everyone cringes at my stories...

The problem with drawing is it takes a longer time to kick it all out. That's the strength or advantage of writing. ^^

Potential OT: Does anyone here like to act out their story while writing? I do that and think I am mad or weird. Especially when I cry. 0.o

Cheers for all you writers!! Keep up the great job!

[Icarus]

I've not written anything new in a while, as I have kept myself too busy reading, but why did I write?

Because I wanted to. I enjoy putting words on a page. It's not just that. It's the hunt to find the perfect combination of words and images for what I am trying to say. The flavor and tone of the words. The pattern as they sound in your head. This is why I am generally silent in life. I'm rewording past conversations to best advantage, inserting my voice into times where I did not speak.

My older sister says that a blank piece, or better, a ream of paper is a beautiful thing. She's right, of course. But more beautiful, more impressive, more note worthy still, is one that has been filled; as it communicates ones thought and views to another.
While some of my ramblings are not worth the paper they are penned on, others tell of what I dream to be or fear that I will become. They reveal who I am, that others may know, and I might not be alone.

[true_noir_chloe]

>>Does anyone here like to act out their story while writing? I do that and think I am mad or weird. Especially when I cry. 0.o

You bet I do. I put all my emotion into writing. My brow furrows I noticed recently, if my dialogue is someone upset. I tend to put a lot of emotion into writing. I think most writers I've read about do. It's natural if you want your creation to act the way someone really would act. I try to capture the feeling, the emotion of what's going on by being an actor at my keyboard. I'm glad I write alone or I would be committed; although, my daughter once sat in my office across from me and said, "mom... mom... mom what are you doing?"
Me: "This is a very serious scene, hon." She went back to drawing and laughing at me. She says I remind her of the mom of Sana in "Kodocha," sans the squirrel on my head, the way I act sometimes. If you read that series that might not be so good. jkjk


Icarus, you sound like me when I was in my teens. I always wrote to be heard because I was so quiet and shy. It was where I put my voice that never manifested around people. Then I went on the mission field and suddenly no one could shut me up.

Is your sister a writer?

[Icarus]

Is your sister a writer?

I'm not sure about my older sis, but my younger 2 are. As is my younger brother. And my father.

[true_noir_chloe]

Wow, you have a lot of writers in your family. Can your dad recommend a good agent?

[Rachel]

Why do I write? I write to express myself, to get all my pent up emotions out when I don't know how to say what I am feeling. A lot of the poetry I write is hopeful, sometimes it's sad at the same time. I don't really show many people what I write because most of the time it is so personal. Sometimes in classes when the teacher says something, it makes me think of something and I'll be going crazy till lunch when I can finally write it down. Anyways. Here is one that I wrote during US History one day.

This fire is burning and it's leaving no air to breathe
there's no oxygen left
the fire grows hotter every day
and keeps getting brighter
send the rain to soothe the fire
before I'm left to become a phoenix.

[ShiroiHikari]

What happens with me a lot of the time is I kind of play out the scene in my head first, before I write it. Sometimes I act it out I figured out that I can force tears, especially if I'm "in character" o_O; Erm...yeah.

This might be kinda off-topic, but I like to vent through my characters. I have a character that's very short-tempered...when I get mad I write as him. *shrug* ^^;

[Icarus]

Hey to Convoybutterfly, my little sister.

If I may clarify, t_n_c, I think used too loose an interpretation of "writer."
"Convoybutterfly" (*snicker*I love that name) can speak for herself, but I'd say it's more we write than we are writers. the possible exception is our father, bur he is more an artist than a writer. Sorry to disappoint you.

[Lochaber Axe]

You know want I have been doing lately? I have been acting out the demons on the story I am writing for CAA. I would definitely be institutionalized if someone that didn't know me saw me put on my character faces.

[true_noir_chloe]

Convoybutterfly I liked your short little poem. I used to doodle in class and write stuff down when the teacher wasn't looking. Then, I didn't have to wait for lunch.

Icarus, you don't have to be sorry, I was half-joking - half not.

BTW, Shiroi I love your new avatar. It's cute.

[uc pseudonym]

Lochaber Axe, I do the same thing. Just facial, and not completely like them, but I do have to work on this to avoid scaring my family.

Hmm... I need to read that story of yours.

[Solid Ronin]

I write because I'm still training to draw comics.. then again I don't write that much. It gives me an headache... -_-

dude if you still go to this site and you start to pencil a comic let me know and ill be sure to check it out.As for my reasons I do it cause of my almost neverending imagination has alot of ok ideas oh oh oh how about a story about a story the never ends......*starts to write* *then pours soda*

[true_noir_chloe]

I have the same problem, Duo. *gotta write, gotta write* *checks email* *pours a cup of coffee* *plays around on CAA*

[Haibane Shadsie]

My experiences with fanfiction vs. original writing:

Original writing, for me, is probably actually more difficult than fanfiction writing.

With fanfiction writing, yes, there is the challenge of keeping the cannon characters in character and the world true to the world of the cannon - and yes, it can be a challenge, as these are already established things. However, that can also make it easier for me as a writer, because I don't have to create the character's personalities and motivations - they are already provided.

In original stories, yes, I am fairly omnipotent. I decided what the world is like and what the characters are like. However, this is often more challenging to me than fanfiction because of the need to establish character personalities and motivation. I need to think of: "Why is this character this way?" all the time - and come up with reasons for it not already established by an existing cannon. Also, when writing my own work, I must be careful that I am keeping MY OWN characters in-character, as I am attempting to establish personalities and motivations for them - and I must remember in what direction I wish to take them, and remember where I have put them before - in order to keep them in character. I have had people point out some little instance in writing of mine where a character seemed to be acting out of character - and needed correcting.

So, even in my own original world writing... I'm not completely omnipotent. Once my characters start to come together, I need to think about what they would do, how they would react to a situation, and what they are feeling. I've also got to remember to keep the rules I've established for my worlds intact, and not suddenly change them. Once a story starts coming out, it tends to guide you - at least with me... I have a great level of control over my worlds, but I'm not completely omnipotent. I'm not God.

(And I have the belief that God continues to create to this day, through the creative works of man, so manybe this has something to do with not being in ABSOLUTE control over my original worlds...hmmm... )

As for acting out characters... I do that occasionally. I remember one time, in thinking of a battle scene for my comic - playing with this ornamental dagger I have, just dancing around in my room, practicing various ridiculous battle-moves, pretending to be various nameless warriors.

[Rachel]

Icarus, why oh why did you let it out that we are related? I was trying to avoid that issue. Oh well. Now everyone knows that you live in a mental institution. ha ha! let's see you try and avoid that one!

[Icarus]

Sorry to hijack your thread, chloe. but I can't let that stand.

Icarus, why oh why did you let it out that we are related? I was trying to avoid that issue. Oh well. Now everyone knows that you live in a mental institution. ha ha! let's see you try and avoid that one!

Only out of concern for you, convoy butterfly! This ends it. If you want to continue, private message me.

[Heaven's Cloud]

I cannot write fanfiction. It is just not one of my things. I don't watch enough anime to actually write fanfiction. Plus there is no way I could actually remember everything about the anime to write a fanfiction. I'm just better at writing my own stuff, and I enjoy it more, so i think I will stick to that.

[uc pseudonym]

Many writers write fanfiction, though they don't know it. Fanfiction based on real life.

Personally, I have no problem keeping my original characters as themselves, as I find it pretty nearly effortless to generate that sort of thing. Perhaps that explains my feelings about fanfiction.

By the way, Haibane Shadsie, you can be God in your stories by the ingenious invention known as the "plot device." Heh. But I know what you mean.

[ShiroiHikari]

I don't like the idea of writing fanfiction...it's just not my thing either. Not like I have trouble remembering minute details of a series, it's just...my writing really revolves around the characters I create...eh, never mind ^^; *obsessed with creating characters*

[EireWolf]

Well said, Shadsie. I especially agree with this part:

Once a story starts coming out, it tends to guide you - at least with me... I have a great level of control over my worlds, but I'm not completely omnipotent. I'm not God.

(And I have the belief that God continues to create to this day, through the creative works of man, so maybe this has something to do with not being in ABSOLUTE control over my original worlds...hmmm... )

[true_noir_chloe]

Yes, I remember you saying something similar to what Shadsie said earlier in this thread, EireWolf. Great creative minds think alike.^^

[uc pseudonym]

Great creative minds think alike.^^

Yeah, but what does that have to do with us?

I kid. I had another thought, though: can, in a way, it be said that all of us are doing fanfiction of God? What can we create that is not based on His work? I like this thought, like this thought very much indeed...

[yog^sothoth]

I write for all the ladies....oh yeah!

I love to write. I've done a ton of stuff on the web and each day I try and churn out some sort of essay or another. It's psychology I suppose, the need for me to just keep blurting out whatever is in my head but, more than that, I just want to give something to the future generations. I look to books and movies and all the other mediums of communication for guidance and inspiration and i'd love to think that somewhere, someday, something i've written will come in handy. I'm only in college right now but once I finish my Phd work I hope to really start working on stuff that is almost too exciting for me to think about!

Anyway, this feels like a journal posting so maybe I shouldn't hit post...oh well, too late.

[true_noir_chloe]

I love reading what you write, too, yog.... I always want to ask what your user name means when I see it. You can pm me with the answer if you like.

UC, be nice. That was a good one. At first, I thought you were serious.

[uc pseudonym]

Ironically enough, I thought you were serious for a while too, and I was about to point out the self-depricating and satirical nature of my post. Fortunately for both of us, we read posts before getting angry.

[EireWolf]

I write for all the ladies....oh yeah!

Yep... chicks dig a good writer.

[Solid Ronin]

:lol: I have the same problem, Duo. *gotta write, gotta write* *checks email* *pours a cup of coffee* *plays around on CAA*

lol yeah *still pouring soda* hey I thought there was only a little bit left was is this like a neverending soda

[Rachel]

Another reason why I write, and I'm sure someone has already said this, is to make people smile. Making people smile or laugh is something that I love to do, not only because it that person happy, but because it makes me happy to see them happy. I used to have this newspaper type thing that I would write. I'd make up the names of all the people and then I would take a recent happening from around the area and come up with some insane reason for why they were doing it. For instance, when they built the Kay Yeager Coliseum, I made up this story that the reason behind that was that they were storing the bodies of the not so dearly departed relatives of the rich stupid people in the community under the ice. I used to have an advice column called Dear Judy, Answers With Attitude. Of course I made up all the letters. I called this thing " The Truth." The motto of it was " Around here, no one ever believes the truth." It was a lot of fun to write. Maybe I will post some of the stories from it on my writing thread sometime. Anyways, because I'm always trying to make people laugh and smile, it's very hard for me to be serious a lot of the times. I'm always making jokes at times when everyone else is sad just to lighten the mood. I guess that's why my nickname is Sunshine.