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llywelaA few ficcish thoughts about characterisation and development and the pros and cons of tight continuity
In Prosfanfic and Pros chat we've talked about this a few times lately. Mostly because I've been pondering the issue and raised it for the others. Which is better - having a show with tight episodic continuity and character development, or one composed entirely of standalone episodes with little or no continuity of development whatsoever?
I suppose it depends which angle you approach the question from. In terms of satisfying viewing experience, I'll take the continuity and character development any day of the week. The result is so rich and fulfillling.
But in terms of writing fanfic, is it easier when there isn't much in the way of canon to complicate things?
Possibly.
I've written a fair bit for Pros. There's almost no continuity or development there to have to take into account. With a good grasp of the characters, you can just write and the story will slot in anywhere you want it to.
I've written a bit in the buffyverse, but mostly my spin-off series, which, as a spin-off, is virtually original fiction with only one canon character to worry about. It's important to grasp his development and continuity up to the point I started writing, but once he left the show anything is possible and I've taken over from there. Only my own continuity to take into account, for the most part.
And now. Yesterday Chris, Cori and Andrew triple-ganged me and challenged me to write an episode tag for Supernatural - specifically, Dean's POV following the episode Asylum. Now, for a start, I'm always wary about writing a new character anyway, because I like to be sure I have a good grasp of their 'voice', mannerisms and thought processes. Plus, I'm not really comfortable writing for a show that's ongoing - I like it to be completely over, so I have the entire series from start to finish at my fingertips for use. With a 'live' show there will still be developments in the canon that could affect what I've written and send it spinning AU.
Anyway, I've been thinking about it, sketching out a few ideas. It's entirely do-able. I'm obsessed enough to have a good grasp of both characters, and there are plenty of fellow obsessees to ask if I want to check details. But it isn't as easy as writing an episode tag for, for e.g., Pros, because there is so much character detail regarding motivations and reactions - directly relating to the events in this episode, as well - that gets teased out throughout the series, all of which has to be taken into consideration when writing a ficlet like this.
Or maybe 'easy' is the wrong word. Writing Pros is more uncomplicated, shall we say.
Or maybe it's more that, as much as I adore Dean, he's an incredibly complicated character to try to write, being as screwed up as he is - his motivations are deeply complex and often contradictory. I think writing Sam's POV would be a lot easier, because his motivations are much more straight-forward, especially with regard to how this episode left off. But the challenge was to write Dean, so that's what I'm attempting to do.
It'll be interesting to see if I can manage it!
Plus, of course, the added complication that I can hardly ask my usual beta to proof-read the result, should I come up with anything, since she's never seen the show...
In Prosfanfic and Pros chat we've talked about this a few times lately. Mostly because I've been pondering the issue and raised it for the others. Which is better - having a show with tight episodic continuity and character development, or one composed entirely of standalone episodes with little or no continuity of development whatsoever?
I suppose it depends which angle you approach the question from. In terms of satisfying viewing experience, I'll take the continuity and character development any day of the week. The result is so rich and fulfillling.
But in terms of writing fanfic, is it easier when there isn't much in the way of canon to complicate things?
Possibly.
I've written a fair bit for Pros. There's almost no continuity or development there to have to take into account. With a good grasp of the characters, you can just write and the story will slot in anywhere you want it to.
I've written a bit in the buffyverse, but mostly my spin-off series, which, as a spin-off, is virtually original fiction with only one canon character to worry about. It's important to grasp his development and continuity up to the point I started writing, but once he left the show anything is possible and I've taken over from there. Only my own continuity to take into account, for the most part.
And now. Yesterday Chris, Cori and Andrew triple-ganged me and challenged me to write an episode tag for Supernatural - specifically, Dean's POV following the episode Asylum. Now, for a start, I'm always wary about writing a new character anyway, because I like to be sure I have a good grasp of their 'voice', mannerisms and thought processes. Plus, I'm not really comfortable writing for a show that's ongoing - I like it to be completely over, so I have the entire series from start to finish at my fingertips for use. With a 'live' show there will still be developments in the canon that could affect what I've written and send it spinning AU.
Anyway, I've been thinking about it, sketching out a few ideas. It's entirely do-able. I'm obsessed enough to have a good grasp of both characters, and there are plenty of fellow obsessees to ask if I want to check details. But it isn't as easy as writing an episode tag for, for e.g., Pros, because there is so much character detail regarding motivations and reactions - directly relating to the events in this episode, as well - that gets teased out throughout the series, all of which has to be taken into consideration when writing a ficlet like this.
Or maybe 'easy' is the wrong word. Writing Pros is more uncomplicated, shall we say.
Or maybe it's more that, as much as I adore Dean, he's an incredibly complicated character to try to write, being as screwed up as he is - his motivations are deeply complex and often contradictory. I think writing Sam's POV would be a lot easier, because his motivations are much more straight-forward, especially with regard to how this episode left off. But the challenge was to write Dean, so that's what I'm attempting to do.
It'll be interesting to see if I can manage it!
Plus, of course, the added complication that I can hardly ask my usual beta to proof-read the result, should I come up with anything, since she's never seen the show...
