Continued from Topic 6...

[To throw a real twist to the story, it will not be a lemon.  If I had chosen 
to do the first choice (the satire), it almost certainly would have had to be 
a lemon.  But the second choice (the return) allows more story freedom.  Note 
that this is not an indication that sex will not occur; it will just not be 
described.]


Topic 7:  The Power of the Dark Side
There is a general statement that I believe works in describing how to 
approach fanfics.  Using the tone of the original series is almost never a 
mistake.  Changing the tone can be.  This is not to say that a different tone 
will not work, but it is easy to lose characterization in pursuit of the plot.

The original tone is what made the series popular in the first place.  A 
factor to take into consideration is that changing the tone is leap that 
readers may not be willing to take.  They are used to the original tone; they 
might argue that if they had wanted to read something else, they'd read those 
other mangas.

That being said, there are advantages to changing the tone.  Putting 
characters in situations that the reader is not used to seeing them in is a 
chance to explore a side that hasn't been seen yet.  Reading characters react 
to circumstances that they aren't familiar with can have more emotional impact 
than a story that leaves the characters in their status quo.

The real question to ask yourself is why you're changing the tone.  Is there 
a valid plot reason for it?  Or is it the plot?

One-shot fanfics that change the tone of the series tend to be incomplete.  
The reader sees the changes and the effects on one or two characters, but then 
is left with an unsatisfying ending.  It is unsatisfying because the changes 
are almost never explained and there is a lingering question of what was the 
point of the fanfic.  The change in a character is never a plot.  It is an 
occurance in the story, which can be watching the change and seeing the 
results of that change.  If you can read it objectively (Topic 14) and find 
yourself asking "so?" then the change in tone hasn't accomplished your 
purpose.  But if you are devastated by what you put the character through even 
though you planned it, then it was the right decision.

It is important to remember that these changes must be believable and within 
the bounds of the character.

[For the developing fanfic, I will keep the same tone as the original; 
romantic comedy with parodic elements.  What I parody depends on what I feel 
like when I'm writing each episode.]


Topic 8:  Working In The Coal Mines
This is not a description of characterization and relationships, which was 
handled in Topic 2.  This subject regards basic research into the culture that 
you are writing about in your fanfic.  The majority of fanfic writers are not 
japanese and/or have never been to Japan.  Since most manga/anime are set in 
Japan, this brings up the problem that fanfic writers are writing about a 
culture that they know almost nothing about.

Some would argue that writers are writing characters and situations and it 
isn't necessary to know much more than is already used in the manga.  I reject 
this argument.  While for some stories it doesn't matter as much because of a 
different setting (such as the future, different world, etc.), it is to easy 
to get a minor detail totally wrong and this will raise the question of 
whether or not the writer knows what he's talking about.

For example, public school in Japan goes for six days a week in three 
trimesters; the first starting in April and a month's vacation in August (I 
believe - I'd have to check to make sure).  Now, having the characters going 
to school only five days a week and making summer vacation three months long 
(like in America) is a contradiction that's going to stay in my mind while I 
read the story.

Let me put it another way:
Ranma watched the sunset from the outside the train window.  He had left Los 
Angeles an hour ago and was traveling to New York to compete in the world 
kempo finals, the little good luck charm that Akane gave to him tucked in his 
jacket pocket, the smell of its perfume drifting to his face.  Kasumi's 
probably, but Akane had given it to him without the rancor that usually marked 
their relationship.  He watched the green flash as the sun set over the tracks 
ahead of the train, beckoning Ranma to follow it to New York, and hopefully, 
victory.

The error is, of course, that New York is east of Los Angeles, so the sun 
is not going to set in front of Ranma.  But this is only a basic error.  Some 
mangas demand a much higher level of research.  Gunsmith Cats, for example, 
would need a lot of research into the capabilities and limitations of 
firearms, explosives, and cars because these objects play a prominent role in 
the series.  In one episode of the manga, there is an explosive with a 
gyroscope sensor and a photoelectric detector to prevent disarmament.  Sonoda 
had to figure out how to defeat it.  He also mentioned that sometimes there's 
a infrared detector in the explosive.  If you decide to put that in a story, 
you had better know how to realistically defeat it (I'd use the same 
precautions as in the story plus I'd put the disarmer in a ambient temp. 
thermal insulator suit - but I'd have to check to make sure it would actually 
work).

Background details can bring out a sense of realism and completeness to a 
story.  But wrong details can sometimes ruin it.

There is always the question of where to look for background information.  
Luckily for me, the local university has a japanese section.  But libraries 
should have something.  Fanfic writers have two other potential sources:  the 
original manga/anime (and others) and the readers on the mailing list.


Future Topics 
Topic 9:  Where There Was No Path (storyboarding)
Topic 10:  I Slept Through High School English (form, basic english)
Topic 11:  Pass The Ketchup (the extras you include)
Topic 12:  The Little Engine That Could (writing the thing)
Topic 13:  Self-Editing For Fun And Profit 
Topic 14:  What do YOU know?  (outside commentary or lack of same)