color me curious, per usual

[kaigou]

A few questions for those who write and/or read fanfic, about what triggers your fanfic juices for one canon/story (or dulls your juices for another story, in contrast). Feel free to pass along, link, whatever, because I'd really like to see (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) what gets people the most fired up when it comes to writing (or considering writing) fanfic for a story.

Because it wouldn't let me put this in the middle, for questions #4 and #5, here are the definitions I'm using for the terms:

• individual = solo creator (novelist), and solo-owned copyright. (also two-author partnerships; count them as one merged-author for this poll's purposes)
• consecutive = single creator at one time, but multiple creators overall (eg long-running comics); usually corporate-owned copyright.
• collaborative = multiple creators at one time (eg movies: director, screenwriter, actors, editor, etc); corporate-owned copyright.
• group-produced/influenced = consecutive & collaborative, with coporate-owned and -managed copyright

Also per the definitions above, thanks to inkstone: if you're in a Japanese fandom, it's not quite so cut-and-dried, b/c in Japan, manga is usually solo-copyright, while anime is (obviously) corporate copy-right, and a manga based on an existing anime thus becomes a shared copyright. So copyright isn't always a valid guide -- you'll need to just use your best judgment on whether the fandoms you're thinking of would qualify as solo work (canon created and determined by one person) or a type of group work (canon influenced and developed by multiple people).

Next point, thanks to mikkeneko: the phrasing could use some tweaking on the first three questions, since they currently might give the impression there's a distinction being made between "what have you ever read/written" versus "what you're currently reading/writing". Since I can't edit the poll's questions now that it's posted, I figure so long as you think of the two consistently, the stats will hold up (as much as they can, given the non-validity here). So either think of questions in terms of "for all time/ever" OR in terms of "only right at this moment", and answer all questions in light of that.

thanks, you two. *wry*

my poll skills are way out of practice.

Poll #3089 the inspirations of fanfic

This poll is closed.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 57

1. Do you write and post fanfic?

yes, currently writing
37 (66.1%)

yes, used to write but not now
8 (14.3%)

no, but I read/crit
11 (19.6%)

2. When READING fanfic: how many fandoms do you read in, but NOT write for?

only 1
3 (5.4%)

2-3
6 (10.7%)

4-6
13 (23.2%)

7-10
4 (7.1%)

more than 10
30 (53.6%)

3. When WRITING fanfic: how many fandoms have you written for?

only 1
4 (7.3%)

2-3
10 (18.2%)

4-6
9 (16.4%)

7-10
9 (16.4%)

more than 10
15 (27.3%)

thought of fanfic but never written it
8 (14.5%)

4. When READING fanfic, which canon-types do you most often read in?

individual
10 (18.2%)

consecutive
1 (1.8%)

collaborative
9 (16.4%)

group-produced/influenced only
2 (3.6%)

all three are equally likely
33 (60.0%)

5. When WRITING fanfic, which canon-types do you most often write for?

individual
13 (26.5%)

consecutive
0 (0.0%)

collaborative
10 (20.4%)

group-produced/influenced only
1 (2.0%)

all three are equally likely
25 (51.0%)

6. In general, which is more likely to get you writing/thinking fanfic?

the story's so great, I want more of it
9 (16.4%)

the story sucks so much, I want to fix it
1 (1.8%)

mostly the first, only rarely the second
13 (23.6%)

mostly the second, only rarely the first
2 (3.6%)

both first and second can get me writing
30 (54.5%)

7. Which specific things get you writing/thinking fanfic? (yes, do check all that apply!)

a massive cast of characters
30 (53.6%)

an intriguing premise
43 (76.8%)

plotholes in conflict development
26 (46.4%)

discontinuity issues in sequels
17 (30.4%)

dropped/ignored story complications
42 (75.0%)

lots of subtext (of any kind)
43 (76.8%)

potential romance not explored
35 (62.5%)

actual romance too low-key
15 (26.8%)

specific favorite archetype is MC
32 (57.1%)

premise good but execution faulty
35 (62.5%)

potential ignored for background character
41 (73.2%)

non-MC more interesting than MC
40 (71.4%)

plotholes in story resolution
25 (44.6%)

unanswered questions in resolution
44 (78.6%)

crucial scenes played out off-page
27 (48.2%)

character development too sketchy
32 (57.1%)

unexplored character development
40 (71.4%)

other (see next question)
14 (25.0%)

8. If "other" for #7: what else in canon would inspire you to create?

9. Obligatory ticky!

cake!
20 (36.4%)

pie!
26 (47.3%)

both!
30 (54.5%)

ticky!
30 (54.5%)

also: continuation of poll per thoughts in comments: two more questions, thanks, all ya'll.

Comments

[ivoryandhorn]

Some extra lnotes:

3. Despite have written for 10+ fandoms (which surprised me when I took stock, I had no idea the number was that high), several of those are fandoms that I've only written for once. The fandoms for which I've written repeatedly and get inspiration for more consistently are far fewer.

5. I picked "individual" because that seemed to be choice that mapped the best onto manga, where the creative teams are a lot more stable than US-style comics which makes me think that "consecutive" doesn't quite apply. But I'm not sure if that was the right one.

6. I picked the first option but when I think "the story's so great" in relation to a fandom I want to write for, I mean I really really like some part of it and want to see more of that particular part. Most of the fandoms that I write for the most are like that -- I enjoy the setting, general plot, and general cast of characters (or at least am indifferent to most of the characters) but what really makes me want to write fic for it is one individual that grabs hold of my brain and refuses to be shaken loose. Even when I've abandoned the fandom itself.

For fandoms that I consider really great -- as in, all around and in every aspect -- I generally have no urge to write for or even read fic for them, as I'm happy to enjoy them as they are. I don't think I've ever been bunnied for something because I thought the fandom sucked and wanted to fix it...usually those impulses get saved for meta. :D;;

[kaigou]

I picked "individual" because that seemed to be choice that mapped the best onto manga

doh. I'd completely forgotten about the wacky Japanese system, since anime would definitely be collaborative, while manga would probably be mostly individual... and then you get into issues like, say, FMA (manga) being individual, while the first FMA series would be collaborative and the second FMA series would be individual (seeing how it's following the mangaka storyline so damn closely).

...or maybe that still holds up, now that I think about it -- because I've never felt the least inclination to write for the FMA-manga storyline, but I had ideas coming out of my ears throughout the FMA (collaborative) first series. (Not that I wrote all of them, just that the collaborative version had lots and lots of openings of the kind I like.)

--edit---

Despite have written for 10+ fandoms (which surprised me when I took stock, I had no idea the number was that high), several of those are fandoms that I've only written for once. The fandoms for which I've written repeatedly and get inspiration for more consistently are far fewer.

Now that you mention it... yeah, I'd have to say the same applies for me, too. Unfortunately, unless I get inspired to set up an off-site poll that would let me get that complex in polling, that kind of detail in LJ/DW polling would get so longhand... but sure would be interesting to track. Hrmmm. Oh, the limits of technology, they are so very annoying sometimes.