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Post by lindahoyland on Apr 4, 2006 3:45:36 GMT
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Post by branwyn on Nov 1, 2006 17:05:00 GMT
Over in LiveJournal, Valis2 recently posted "A Guide to Writing Fanfiction." Part one deals with characterization; part two deals with the mechanics of writing. She is a wonderful writer in the HP fandom (besides being one of the funniest people I have ever run into) and her advice is spot on. The section about POV is especially interesting since she singles out Tolkien's style as an example. valis2.livejournal.com/220596.html
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Post by Raksha on Nov 2, 2006 0:19:29 GMT
Excellent article by Valis2; thanx for putting the URL up here.
I usually tend to view most OFCs as MarySues, that is if they're the protagonists of the story; which could reveal bias on my part.
I've seen one OFC who definitely didn't strike me as a MarySue, even if she is the protagonist of a LOTR fanfic. It's a very well-crafted AU story, in which the struggle against Sauron is secondary to the tale of a young Northern Dunedain woman who becomes, unexpectedly, Aragorn's wife. You might expect that Aragorn would fall rapturously in love with the girl within a year of meeting her, and the girl herself to be an outstanding healer, or excellent rider or ranger. Um, no. The girl is instead smart, quietly competent, but not Eowyn or Luthien. How she grows up and adjusts to her role, and what happens to her and Aragorn, is the tale, and emphasizes the daily life and duties of a Chieftain's wife in an increasingly dangerous time, with no easy answers. I find it fascinating.
No Man's Child, by anoriath www.storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=4835
Now of course, if I wrote a serious MarySue story, the gal would probably be Faramir's daughter...
I'll note that Branwyn created three absolutely outstanding OCs in her story By The Light of Earendil's Star, who fit very well into the fabric of M-E: Captain Haldan, the veteran soldier who's trying to look out for Boromir (not an easy task!), Eldahil, the roguish distant cousin of Faramir and Boromir, and Hirluin, the shy part-Rohir rookie Ranger. I normally have a knee-jerk reaction against OCs in any prominent role, even assisting a canon character, but these guys just were so seamlessly worked into the fabric of the story, they felt like old friends.
Valis2 made some great points about characterisation, particularly the tendancy (which I've seen and am probably personally prone to) to present a character with a paragraph full of personal details in order to catch the reader's interest rather than revealing things more gradually/naturally...
RAKSHA
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Post by branwyn on Nov 2, 2006 0:56:07 GMT
I have started reading "No Man's Child"! Anoriath (aka Sillimarilli, at LJ) is a wonderful writer. She includes such amazing details about the material and social culture of the Dunadain. I am relieved that you liked the OCs in that story; I was very nervous about including them. Yes, the long paragraph of backstory for a character. Valis2 calls it an "expositional block," but the term I have heard is the rather more colorful "infodump" and I am guilty as charged!
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Post by Radbooks on Nov 2, 2006 7:41:31 GMT
I am also reading this story and am thoroughly enjoying it... it's nice to find an AU that is truly unique. I am very anxious to see what is going to happen at the end... there are several possibilites that spring to mind and I really don't like any of them! There are a couple of things that bother me in regards to their relationship, but overall it is a well written, intriguing story. I'm going to go and check out this other site... it sounds interesting. Radbooks
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Post by branwyn on Nov 5, 2006 17:01:50 GMT
Dragonflame is a Sindarin dictionary which you can download for free. It is searchable by Sindarin or English words and provides etymologies. www.jrrvf.com/hisweloke/sindar/downloads.htmlThis is a very nice program and is useful when you want a few words of Sindarin to add color or you need word elements to create a name!
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