[Discussion] What type of writer would you say you are?

[Palamon]

By that I mean what kind of thing do you mainly focus on? Examples: are you a writer focused on lore? Are you a writer focused on building your characters? Are you a writer focused on writing ships? Do you prefer to write existing characters, or ocs? Etcetera.

I'd say I'm an of focused lore writer. I don't write ships all that often and primarily focus on writing original characters. Although, that isn't to say I don't write canon characters. I, for example, have written Razor three times in my main oc fanfiction I'm working on right now. So, I do write canon characters, but they'll never be my primary focus. I like to focus on my own. In fact, to be honest, I don't think I'd be able to write with just canon characters unless I'm really heavily focused.

I have rped some canon characters, though, outside of fanfic, but only like, three or so.

 

[Bay]

In the past when I was very active with writing Pokemon I tend to do OCs but lately when I branched out I do canon characters with a mixture of ship and gen stuff. One thing I learn if writing for a fandom is most will read for the canon characters and their favorite ship, so that's why I shy away from OCs the majority of the time. I also write mixture of plot and character focused stuff.

 

[moon]

I tend to be pretty bad at descriptions and world building. My focus is the characters and relationships.

 

[Hyzenthlay]

I adore descriptive writing and world building!!! They're my favourite, I could go on writing descriptions about everything forever, haha. It's the part I care about most and what feeds my love for writing.

Writing the connections between characters is also very fun. Not so much as the dialogue, as I'm bad at it. I also never write about ships/romantic relationships, which may surprise some people considering how sappy and hopelessly romantic I am. Every story I write, I focus on platonic relationships - at least for my protagonists! I love the whole "platonic, but still leaves something to the imagination" trope, as well as the "found family" trope.

 

[Eleanor]

I think being focused on the roleplaying has just made me less keen on improving how I write and more on what I write. Which means, trying to set up some nice characters with interesting development arcs, all that usual stuff. And well, this has led me to write some pretty nice self-reflection posts!
Descriptions and atmospheres already tend to be harder for me, or at least something I can't really draw out for too long - I'm not that great at adding the little details and making a place feel truly alive, so I usually just tend to skip that and focus on a few things that are important to me (think of it as a Chekov's gun trope? I guess?)

I'm afraid this is turning me into some of the most boring 20th century writers I've been studying in Italian literature, the ones that were all about psychology and mental stuff like Italo Svevo... not good :))

 

[Roni]

Very focused on lore. I create & morph my characters' personalities purely based on the story. I don't believe any of my OCs can exist without the story itself.

 

[gimmepie]

Whilst I have a deep love and appreciation for worldbuilding, I think my actual writing tends to be more character focused. I am a firm subscriber to the idea that it doesn't matter how interesting your plot and world are, it's very hard for an audience to engage with them if they don't find the characters of the story compelling.

As for writing OCs vs canon characters... as general rule I do not write canon characters in fics and do so very little in RPs (and obviously I don't use other people's characters in my original work). A pet peeve I have with fics/RPs is people writing other people's characters in ways that break that character's canon and established personality. Very few fic writers manage to hit close enough to how existing characters are supposed to be written for me to enjoy it and I know I'd feel kind of annoyed if someone wrote my characters wrong.

That's less of an issue in RPs where it's mostly Pokemon NPCs like gym leaders serving very minor supporting roles. But I still prefer to keep canon character involvement to a minimum.

 

[Palamon]

Oh, for sure, I'm a descriptive writer. I honestly try to describe as much as I can and have as little one liners in my stories as possible (sans poetry). Even my dialogue is descriptive, which might throw people off, but the way I write does not allow for dialogue without detail on certain tones of voice and body language.

 

[Jazzy]

I definitely used to be a plot writer. Just getting through from plot point 1 to plot point 2. Recently though, I've been working on really flushing out my characters, so I'd say that's the kind of writer I am. Like, just finding out information about my characters that's not relevant to the plot at all, yet makes perfect sense for their character. Lore still scares me <_< eventually I'll get it. Sometimes I just skip my "main" story and write side adventures with the characters because I love them all so much

 

[gimmepie]

I definitely used to be a plot writer. Just getting through from plot point 1 to plot point 2. Recently though, I've been working on really flushing out my characters, so I'd say that's the kind of writer I am. Like, just finding out information about my characters that's not relevant to the plot at all, yet makes perfect sense for their character. Lore still scares me <_< eventually I'll get it. Sometimes I just skip my "main" story and write side adventures with the characters because I love them all so much

Have you considered writing an anthology then? Rather than a singular narrative, compile a character's side plots into one place.

 

[Jazzy]

Have you considered writing an anthology then? Rather than a singular narrative, compile a character's side plots into one place.

Oh that's actually not a bad idea. I'm definitely gonna start something like that, thank you for the idea!

 

[gimmepie]

Oh that's actually not a bad idea. I'm definitely gonna start something like that, thank you for the idea!

No worries!

 

[ryu_gold]

Well I try... But I can't create a world like J.R.R. Tolkien

 

[Vragon2.0]

I'd say I'm more of a plot writer. I try to figure out what plot I want first and everything else is developed second. The story I want to tell and then everything else just tacks along with whatever I conceptualize.

I'm probably also could be a long-form one since I like writing long stories or plots (as evident by me yet to finish a single story yet :] ).

 

[gimmepie]

Well I try... But I can't create a world like J.R.R. Tolkien

You don't have to! Tolkien was an incredible worldbuilder - because he was more interested in that part than in telling stories to begin with. In fact, the whole world of LotR and the Hobbit started as an excuse for him to use his conlangs really. That's why his actual writing is pretty boring and comes off like reading a textbook more than anything.

Good worldbuilding is great, but there's other ways you can go about it!

 

[HufsaTheGreat96]

For me it depends on the story, in some cases I just like patching holes as I play around with the world or the characters.
Given that I am currently writing the plot for my Pokemon Fangame (still in really early development), I have had to dabble in both worldbuilding and character-writing. So far I do really enjoy the process of either creating new characters with their own little quirks and stories to tell, or fleshing out existing characters in ways the original source-material never could.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

Most of my focus is on disability fiction, seeing that I have disabilities myself... and that's something that comes easier to me when writing main characters at most. Lately, my main focus has been on girl x girl romance or Disney park related stories since I broke up with my boyfriend (I'm mostly over that btw).

 

[warsawgecko]

I used to focus heavily on plot during my rough drafts but then I took a sharp focus on character development. Also because I travel a LOT internationally, I often include bits of my own experiences from those places when they're a featured location.

 

[RoyKinlaw]

I always focus on the plot. And also, for me is very important to have a rich lexicon. I always try to use different words and synonyms that are not used often because I like how it makes writing more catchy.

 

[Vlee2301]

Your approach to writing is quite interesting. Focusing on lore and original characters (OCs) gives you a lot of creative freedom and allows you to explore diverse themes and narratives that might not be possible when dealing exclusively with canon characters.

Writing about OCs also lends a unique flavor to fanfiction, as it introduces new dynamics and interactions within established universes. This, in turn, adds to the richness of the source material and expands its world in a way that's compelling to readers.

Working with canon characters as secondary players to your OCs seems like a balanced approach. It keeps the story connected to the original universe, while ensuring that your unique characters and lore take center stage. Role-playing with a few canon characters outside of fanfiction can also help you better understand their perspectives, thereby improving how you depict their interactions with your OCs.

However, given your interest in creating rich lore and character development, it might be beneficial to have a structured outline or thesis for your stories. This could help you maintain consistency in your narrative, and ensure that each plot point and character arc is fully developed and impactful. A professional service like writers per hour could be a valuable tool in this regard. They could help you craft a comprehensive roadmap for your story, streamline your ideas, and even provide insights on how to effectively express your characters and lore.

Keep in mind, the beauty of fanfiction is the freedom it gives you to explore and expand on existing universes. Your focus on OCs and lore not only enriches the world you're working with, but also allows you to leave your distinct mark on it. So, keep exploring your style and let your creativity run wild!