Water's October, Right?: House Fanfiction Discussion

Most of the time I'll open my story up to a beta, for a readover if not for line-edits (I'm pretty finicky with my lines in the first place, though I'll certainly take line-edits in a readthrough). zulu and roga are among my go-tos. For ficathons and challenge pieces, I like to open it up to a wider group of readers on a filter on my LJ. Of course, that takes actually having that kind of time (unlike when I looked up and said, "Oops, I have two prompts due for Cuddy_fest approximately tomorrow. Better get to that."). I'm willing to consider most grammar and plot nitpicks, though I will make unilateral stylistic choices at times. Once I got to meet zulu in real life! And then we (well, she) wrote fic by rivers and in restaurants. It was great. But I don't remember how I met my betas on the internet. Possibly through TWOP? Or just reading and replying?

One time, in RL, lovelythings let me ignore her (at dinner! in a restaurant! in Paris!) so that I could write fic. I still feel guilty, but I'm really happy with the story. Heh. ETA: However, that's probably off-topic. I forget when I met Parrot and Roga, but it was definitely through either googletalk or lj talk. Either I poked them, or more likely, they poked me. You don't know someone's going to become your beta, or you theirs, the first time you talk. It takes time to build a relationship, and then you sort of say, "I'm working on this plotbunny," or they'll say, "I'm kind of writing a fic," and then you both say, "ooh, link me?" and that's where it all begins. Anyway, that's how it worked for me.

Quality of the beta definitely matters- I think we've all stumbled across fics that claim to be beta'd... And if I beta is telling you its great- doesn't mean that it is. I met my primary beta, Armchair Elvis, on the old Housefans board- which is so slow lately, that I forget to check it. I got really lucky with AE though I think she might be meandering the busy streets of RL right now. AE has been a really tremendous help and I kind of wish I had her on board lately just to pick my brain a bit more. :( And going back to that education thing- I can't be sure, but I think I've got about 6 years on AE- yet who's the superior writer/thinker? (hint: not me!).

And to those people with Master's Degrees, I have this story to share ... namely that I have worked alongside many people with Masters who start to get uppity about their degree. At which point I turn to them and say: "I've got a bachelor's degree from a mid-sized public university. We're working at the same job and I get on the front page more often. What, exactly did that extra degree get you?" Some of the best writers I knew had almost no formal training in English or journalism. (Yes, I'm tired of Northwestern and Missouri grads waving their degrees at me. Why do you ask?) Namaste, it got them the interview for their first job. After that, they had to prove themselves with the quality of their work, just the same as you and everyone else does. Similarly, it makes me nuts when I get a resume from someone with 10 years of experience in my field and their resume has their GPA on it. I understand it if they're applying for their first job. And if you're applying for a job like research scientist, academics might make sense. But, other than that... why would I care how you did in Art History 101, a dozen years ago?

Namaste, it got them the interview for their first job. After that, they had to prove themselves with the quality of their work, just the same as you and everyone else does. This is so weird because I just had this discussion with an edit assistant in my office. As one of those Masters Degree people (Columbia though, not Missouri :D ), I totally agree with Poeia. The degree may get your resume out of the slush pile and you in for an interview, but it won't get you the job or keep you there. In my experience, HR departments are more impressed by higher-ed and Ivy League credentials than the actual department heads are. I once had to hire someone and requested someone with certain publishing skills and some good experience---I got Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth instead. When I'm looking to hire writers and editors, I go for candidates with experience and skills. Where they came from? Who cares. That said, I did get a ton of writing and editing experience (and very valuable critiques from my profs) in grad school that those who didn't do a program like the J-school's wouldn't get. Of course, the J-school would likely be appalled that I'm writing (gasp!) fic.

Of course, the J-school would likely be appalled that I'm writing (gasp!) fic. As long as you don't get the two confused...

Similarly, it makes me nuts when I get a resume from someone with 10 years of experience in my field and their resume has their GPA on it. I understand it if they're applying for their first job. And if you're applying for a job like research scientist, academics might make sense. But, other than that... why would I care how you did in Art History 101, a dozen years ago? On the other hand, there are agencies/organizations that actually ASK for your GPA even though you've got 10 years of experience. In fact, I filled out an application today that asked for it. Not that I have a problem because my education is semi recent and probably more relevent than my work experience. But I'm sure many who apply have 10+years experience. I often wonder about the perception of "fanfic" writers. I have 1 or 2 RL friends that know I write fanfic, but the rest probably don't even know what it is. I once randomly met a few people who wrote Highlander fanfic and they are the only people I've met in RL that do so. Having never actually asked, I have the general perception that ff writers are looked down upon. However, when I think about it, it seems to me a good way of developing "chops" while not necessitating the complex task of developing original characters. An exercise or sorts- and a fun one that feeds my addiction... :)

Namaste, it got them the interview for their first job. After that, they had to prove themselves with the quality of their work, just the same as you and everyone else does. This is so weird because I just had this discussion with an edit assistant in my office. As one of those Masters Degree people (Columbia though, not Missouri :D ), I totally agree with Poeia. The degree may get your resume out of the slush pile and you in for an interview, but it won't get you the job or keep you there. In my experience, HR departments are more impressed by higher-ed and Ivy League credentials than the actual department heads are. I once had to hire someone and requested someone with certain publishing skills and some good experience---I got Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth instead. When I'm looking to hire writers and editors, I go for candidates with experience and skills. Where they came from? Who cares. That said, I did get a ton of writing and editing experience (and very valuable critiques from my profs) in grad school that those who didn't do a program like the J-school's wouldn't get. Of course, the J-school would likely be appalled that I'm writing (gasp!) fic. My first writing position was with a national food industry magazine. The editor in chief. My undergrad degree was in the sciences, although I also held minors in English and history. But my writing was all either poetry or short stories ( I studied under a great Chicago poet as an undergrad). she hired me on the basis of my Poetry portfolio, two short stories (one that had been published) and a series of papers done for science classes. She was a great and nurturing E-in chief out of Columbia's j-school. She slashed to pieces my first major article (what a blow to my 24 year old ego) and sat down with me for nearly three hours explaining all those blue-pencil marks. From then on, I never had more than a typo or occasional misplaced preposition. She was replaced by a Northwestern J-school grad who would make House look like a nice guy. He was of the opinion that no one but a J-school grad could possibly write well enough to be employed by a high circulation mag. I lost all respect for him when, on my first review with him, he claimed I "lacked ability" as a writer. When I questioned whether he actually meant "skill" (which I would have understood, since I was still really learning), he eventually relented and changed the word. A "writer" who doesn't know the difference between "skill" and "ability", in my mind at the time, really needed to go back to school (or at least get a thesaurus). Anyway, whatever else, that job got me out of the lab and into being a full-time writer. 30 years later, even though my primary job is singing, writing (as well as teaching and publich speaking) for a large audience is a major responsibility, and has gotten me more awards than my singing ever will. I so seldom get to write for pleasure (I have two unfinished novels on my hard drive), writing fanfiction is a great way to kick back, have fun with characters that aren't my own and imagine. It's why I do it (mostly). Anyway, sorry for the ramble as I feel at loose ends this morning before Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year); having finally finished sons and lovers and feeling anxious about the next two days (which are--being the start of the Jewish holy season--some of the most stressful for those of us in the Jewish clergy)

One of our best known writers in Chaseland never even went to uni. He's just a smart bastard. I'm not sure if a degree helps writing (especially as journo writing is so different), but basically I think it comes down to the person. And if someone writes 150 ff's they are going to have more experience than someone who did a creative writing course, but spent all the time in the bar.

When it comes to betas, what I look for in a beta and what I try to give as a beta are entirely different. What I look for is less characterization, and more grammar nitpicking and for someone to go through my long, rambly, jumbled sentences and tell me if they actually got anything. What I see in my head does not always translate to paper, and sometimes I don't put in enough information to build up an understandable joke, and so on and so forth. But if a beta doesn't have time to correct my sorely lacking grammar, word choices, and help Americanize my writing, which would be ideal - at the very least, I look for someone to ask, "does this work? Did you get that?" The idea of "beta" as "second", as a second reader to myself before I post, one (or two, or three, or more) trial reactions to see if I got through what I'd intended. (Not that I always use betas. But when I don't, it's mostly because of my own impatience to post.) When I beta someone else's fanfic, I usually try to help in whatever way they want me to. So, for Zulu it's bugging her about characterization via IM (which, BTW, *blushes*), and for someone else it can be combing for typos. (Which I do think is important before you post, because people will probably read the story within 24 hours of your posting and then forget about it. But that's a sidenote.) In any case, whenever I write something serious - and by that I mean something that means something to me, or intended for someone else - I'll use a beta. Otherwise, it depends.

Voracious reader here with a new question for all of you talented writers: What do you feel about creating an original character for your House fan fiction? Do you abhor the idea of going so far beyond canon as to create a character of your own (I am assuming that we are not talking about inserting a Mary Sue into the tale, of course)? Or do you find that a new character injects freshness into your story that could not be achieved with the manipulation of the familiar cast of characters? How do you go about the task of constructing such a new character, if you do use one? I can think of several "missing" characters I personally would love to read about for the ways that they might illuminate the character and history of House: his professor or mentor in medical school, his piano teacher, his lab partner in undergrad school, his amah or nanny in Egypt, his school boy pal in Japan (the one whose injury lead to the discovery of the buraka-janitor), one of his earliest fellows before the advent of CCF.

Voracious reader here with a new question for all of you talented writers: What do you feel about creating an original character for your House fan fiction? Do you abhor the idea of going so far beyond canon as to create a character of your own (I am assuming that we are not talking about inserting a Mary Sue into the tale, of course)? Or do you find that a new character injects freshness into your story that could not be achieved with the manipulation of the familiar cast of characters? How do you go about the task of constructing such a new character, if you do use one? I've introduced original characters once or twice, but only as patients, and only in passing. Playing with characters that were rarely seen or referenced and creating complete stories for them is something else. (John, Blythe, Crandall, Lady, poor dead husband ...) You could argue that those characters are 98 percent original, just borrowing the brief outlines we've seen, but to me those characters, I think, have a real perspective on what we see, and are a part of House's life, even if only temporarily. Large scale, completely original characters don't really interest me, though. I'm drawn in by House, Wilson, Cuddy, et al, not someone new. I guess part of my disinterest is that even when the original character isn't a Mary Sue, they're brought in specifically to drive some outside interest of the writer -- something that's not organic to the characters themselves. They want House to be jealous, or they want House to realize how much he needs Wilson. (I'd actually argue that the biggest problem with the Tritter arc was that Tritter was brought in specifically to drive outside tension and the issues faced in through his intervention didn't come about organically. In the end, to me, the trade off was worth it because we did see some interesting character moments, but I think it would have been better to see those moments come about without the outside force. .. but that's a whole other topic for discussion.)

I'd actually argue that the biggest problem with the Tritter arc was that Tritter was brought in specifically to drive outside tension and the issues faced in through his intervention didn't come about organically. In the end, to me, the trade off was worth it because we did see some interesting character moments, but I think it would have been better to see those moments come about without the outside force. .. but that's a whole other topic for discussion. And by gum that's summed it up for me: But every story has to have something pushing it. No sorry - generally stories have something pushing people into different situations. I am thinking of those very sweet French films you get where basically not much really happens, but they are still powerful - versus - blockbusters with giant meteors crashing to earth. But either way there has to be something going on (or actually not in fiction because a story can just be a little insight into someone's thought process). So I suppose you are more talking about the plausibilty of the Tritter arc? But then again real life is odd and if you go around sticking thermometers you know where... However I do like meteors (guest stars). Because it can happen and as Namaste said it can provoke change and be interesting. I'll use a little British film where Judy Dench and Maggie Smith play two elderly sisters who live by the sea side. That would have been totally boring if the Italian soldier hadn't washed up one day. Other wise we would have just been watching them go about life. Different situations and people put characters into different situations and that is what I find interesting in those sort of stories. I don't really want to know too much about the OC, but I like them because if used right they can provide a different perspective on the main character. A bit like a narrator type voice if you like.

Voracious reader here with a new question for all of you talented writers: What do you feel about creating an original character for your House fan fiction? Do you abhor the idea of going so far beyond canon as to create a character of your own (I am assuming that we are not talking about inserting a Mary Sue into the tale, of course)? Or do you find that a new character injects freshness into your story that could not be achieved with the manipulation of the familiar cast of characters? How do you go about the task of constructing such a new character, if you do use one? Well, I have created original characters of sorts because I absolutely refuse to believe that the ducklings have no lives outside the hospital and that Nurse Brenda is the only nurse who works in the hospital. It's not a question of freshness to me, but of reality. That said, they were in the background and not the focus of the story. I have seen others successfully create brilliant original characters for fanfic in fandoms other than House, but I think some fandoms are more...fluid and in House the focus on the primary characters is so huge, it would be hard to create a memorable one.

The only time I created an original character (I think) was in the story-duo No Exit/Transitions. The stories dealt with House in rehab (which I wrote in the hiatus between MLC and WAD), and I wanted to write a therapist for him, so I created Catherine Harrington. I think the character was pretty well received (at least I hope so). I do believe that inserting her into the story enabled House to express things that he would never express (eventually, anyway) to Wilson, Cuddy or anyone. I extended Catherine's stay into the sequel, Post-ODOR story Transitions, as House was dealing with some of the aftermath of that episode. As far as constructing her as a character, I think she mostly wrote herself into the story, but I wanted to create a calm, super-intelligent female doctor (she's a psychiatrist with a sub-specialty in chronic pain management) for House to play off of and for Cuddy to have trust in. I wanted her to be able to appreciate House for House and have an understanding of his medical issues. But other than that, she sort of did what she did. I also created a character for that story who was an anesthesiologist at Columbia University (also a pain management specialist)--again, someone who unlike Cuddy and Wilson, really understand the sort of trap chronic pain sufferers can become ensnared in both physically and psychologically. Neither one of them (the ansethesiologist was male) became sexually or socially involved with House and I did not intend that to happen at any time (although Catherine begged and pleaded with my muse ;)) what I never can understand is when people create brothers and sisters for House when he doesn't have any.

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