With my recent obsession with the TV Show Supernatural, my *ahem* current project got shoved to the side as an undeniable need to write some fan fiction came over me.
My roots go back to fan fiction. My first 100 to 200K words were fan fiction after I wrote the novel that shall not be named. Fan fiction, and the wonderful input of some very well versed fans, was where I cut my teeth on this whole writing thing. Where I had epiphanies, and gained understanding. Everything I am as a writer sprang from there first. And while I still dabble in it once a year or so to that first fan fic love Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, it wasn't something I had ever planned to pursue again. I was trying to make a name for myself out in the "get paid for your writing" world, right?
I tried to fight it. I really did! I had some short stories that needed work. I was slowly but surely plodding forward on my latest fantasy novel. The last thing I needed was to be distracted by other things! Soon, however, I realized there was no putting it off. The Muse was on a roll and it would not be DENIED! Luckily for me, work had been a little slow, or I would have truly been in trouble. :P
So I tried to be somewhat good by splitting my time and make myself work on the possible money generating projects before giving in to the Muse's demands and working on the Supernatural bit. But it got harder and harder. The darn fic even absconded with the research material I was amassing for a possible short story idea and decided to use it for its own. I was doomed and I knew it. Pretty soon the ideas were slamming me so hard I was skipping scenes all over the place just trying to get the bits down so I could go back later and connect them. (This is NOT my usual mode of operandi, so it was freaking me out a little.)
I did toy with the idea of trying to see if I could get a contract for a TV tie-in book (still thinking about that making money thing), but after contacting one of the people who is doing one, I found out that that market is pretty much a "the editor knows me and assigns the work" type thing. So no go. But it was information I didn't have before. Even more strange, the tie-in books were contracted by DC (who is also doing the comic - which you do NOT want to ask me about - grrrr) through a book publisher, not the CW directly. But I digress...
So anyway, 25K words later, the first draft was done. Phew. I figured I could breathe again, get back to business. WRONG. Another idea hit that wants to be worked on NOW. heck I haven't even had the first one beta read and edited for the 3rd/4th time! So off again I go. Then it hit me...
I was smoking and having a total BLAST! Why did I ever fight against this in the first place? Yeah, I would have to use a pen name (too many contradictory things out there on how fan fic can help/hurt your career). And yeah, it's for no pay. But darn it, I was in the ZONE! I was working the craft! And not only that, there's a huge amount of fans of the show out there looking for good fiction to tie them over between seasons and episodes, and I could deliver. So not only could I have a ball writing the thing, I could possibly give someone else enjoyment for taking the trouble to read it. -- And so came my latest epiphany (hey, those of us who are a little slow tend to get these a lot when the bulb and electricity finally connect - it's a thing.) :P -- or perhaps it was a bit more like remembering -- This was why I got into writing in the first place! For the pure enjoyment of doing and sharing, entertaining others, whether I got paid for it or not.
Writing, and enjoying it, for writing's sake. What a concept! I was home again.
BOOYAH! Baby, let the Muse roll!
Tags: Fan Fiction; Gloria Oliver; Roots
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