The continuing how-to series on Origifying FanFiction (OFF).
The Significant Seven: A Twelve-Step Program Minus Five
Intro here: http://storm-grant.livejournal.com/17783.h
Step 1. Metaphors Be With You: http://storm-grant.livejournal.com/18135.h
Step 2. Let’s Get Ready To Grumble http://storm-grant.livejournal.com/18471.h
Step 3. Hostile Makeover http://storm-grant.livejournal.com/19149.h
Step 4. The Ego Has Landed http://storm-grant.livejournal.com/19428.h
Step 5. An Embarrassment Of Bitches http://storm-grant.livejournal.com/19541.h
Step 6. Lust in Translation: From Chest To Breast In Three Simple Letters
If you’ve decided to leave your slash story as gay or to make it gen, read this anyway. Why not? I spent time writing it. But if you’ve decided to make your slash story het and you’ve one or more sex scenes, they going to read very funny now: “She grabbed her penis while simultaneously stimulating her prostate.” Uh, yeah. Well, there’s some good genderfuck stories out there like that, but this probably isn't one of them.
You’ve heard this before: sex scenes aren’t about sex, they’re about other things, a large part of which is what’s going on in the character’s mind. I was quite surprised to find how little rewriting needed to be done to convert a sex scene. After all, everyone has nipples, and there’s at least one penis or pussy here already so you’re only changing 50% of the stuff anyway. A het couple is probably less likely to rub off and more likely to go for penetration, but everybody moans, sighs, and hates a condom regardless of gender. Don’t believe me? Go grab a sex scene from anyone’s story and do a search-and-replace for one of the partner’s names. Then fix the pronouns (and holy fuck (heh!) is it ever easier to write a sex scene with partners of different genders; you don’t have to put the name on ever line.) In most cases, if it was decently written sex scene in the first place, it’ll convert easily. Sex is between two people, regardless of gender.
I grabbed one of
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
resonant 's stories, Res being arguably one of the finest writers of sex in fandom. I did a quick search and replace and voila! Because it was all about feelings and actions without naming a lot of body parts, I found the only words I had to "file off" to smooth out the origification and convert it to het were "his cot at the consulate." Huh. Now you try.Last bit tomorrow, Step 7: A Band in all Hope http://storm-grant.livejournal.com/20548.h
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~ S.
Last night I started converting it,and voila,
But your points in this particular post really resonate for me, it's something I repeat often, especially in conversations with my slasher friends. I wrote a very hardcore dyke BDSM story, and got a comment on how hot it was and how she'd never thought women could be so hot, but if only it were written about men... *G*
What makes you say this is self-indulgent? Or are you saying the writing of fanfic is self-indulgent?
But-- yeah, for a writer, that is exactly the self-indulgence that FF can afford, if you want it-- no need to provide background or anything much but actions and dialogue. If Simon Banks says; "That just isn't so," any Sentinel fan will know how it sounds. Likewise, if oooh, say, the tenth Doctor Who says it-- or Jack Sparrow-- or if one of those characters walks across the room-- the fandom will know how he does it. If that's all the writer wants to do-- FF can accommodate her. And that was the indulgence I indulged in in this particular case.
Usually when I write FF, I put the characters in an AU, and add lots of originals around them, and see how the canon personalities will react in new situations. There will be a lot of growth and surroundings (as far as my skills will allow). But the bit I am talking about is no more than a shagfest written for no other reason then that Sparrow wanted to be fucked into the floor... Earthquake climaxes all around, and everyone goes home happy, haha!
In any case, in order to use the rather hot action in an original context, I'll need to come up with a venue that makes sense. I'm thinking space port, and turning Norrington into a woman. If I want an actual story, instead of a context-less stroker, I'll probably need a chapter before and behind what's been written.
Lord, I'm writing an entire meta in your comments! thank you for your indulgence!
There's lots of calls for short erotica, gay or het. Check out my past posts (there's only 3 screens of them), to find a bunch of places to submit to.
Good luck. I'm pleased to discuss writing anywhere. ;-)
I liked On Writing even though I hadn't read any SK at that point. The single most important thing I learned from that is about putting the story away for a few weeks or longer before going back to it.
I have a whole whack of partly finished stories. As the mood strikes, I get one out, work on it, put it away again. That seems to guarantee a fair amount of objectivity that I never have when I'm obsessing on a story.
Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for sharing this. I found it through your post re Lethe Press.
Good luck with the Eppies!