Do's and Don'ts for a good Firefly/Serenity fic?
POSTED BY: Hippie
UPDATED: Sunday, September 24, 2006 00:15
VIEWED: 10062
PAGE 2 of 4
Hiya Hippie! Always a thrill to have new writers!
Like everyone's saying, spend some time on the spelling and grammer and punctuation. It really helps! As far as characterizations, do all you can to get a beta reader. It's amazing the things a fresh eye will catch - and not just with proofreading, but with the plot and the way the characters act.
There was a thread about beta reader volunteers... looking... A-HA!
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=20967
Good luck - and I can't wait to see what you come up with!
-----------------------------------------------
I'm the president. I don't need to listen.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Yeah, sice I watched the film first I thought it was crap that he died, after his cool flying of serenity and his interesting take on flying. Now I've watched the first three episodes, and the only reason Joss ain't dead, is 'cause I don't know where he lives yet. Wash was cool. I am soo going to get emotional at the last episode, because I know he'll be dead in... when does Serenity happen after Firefly actually? Straight away?
A couple of months after. There's a comic filling in some of went on between the show and the movie.
The thing to remember is that Joss is not your average writer. An average writer will kill off the characters people don't like and keep the ones people do. Joss wants people to become as emotional about his shows as he is, so he'll kill off the characters everyone loves, and he'll keep the characters we don't like and keep working at us and working at us until they, too, get under our skin. It's a genius thing.
Much as I hated to see Wash go, his death really had me terrified that all the characters were going to bite the dust. I can't even tell you how much suspense I was in during those battle scenes.
Buffy season 6 spoilers!
Select to view spoiler:
Fans of Buffy know he did the same thing there too. It would have been easy to kill of Riley, but where would the emotional impact have been? Instead he killed of the sweetest, most loveable character the show ever produced - Tara - which sent Willow (and most of Tara's incredibly dedicated fanbase) over the edge. Same with Spike. Any other writer would have had him effortlessly become good. Joss didn't let that happen. He made sure we knew that Spike still needed a soul by having him make a truly horrific mistake.
More animations available at http://desktophippie.googlepages.com
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
I think that you can get away with almost anything (including the occasional spelling and/or grammar error) if you understand the characters. The plot doesn't matter so much, as long as the characters *sound* and *act* like we know them from the 'verse. That isn't to say they can't grow and change, but it has to be growth that makes sense.
Stereotypes to avoid:
A River whose sole purpose revolves around telling everyone's deepest and most personal secrets and/or warning everyone of impending danger. She's not just a plot point.
Helpless!Inara. Especially an Inara whose entire mental state is based around whether or not Mal is finally going to be honest with her.
A Mal and Zoe relationship that is open, honest, communicative, and affectionate.
Simon being so happy with Kaylee, he forgets entirely about River.
Jayne so dumb, he can only talk about sex. Conversly, a Jayne that is perfectly in touch with his fuzzy feelings isn't right either.
A Mal that is intuitive, understanding, and compassionate.
Dialogue:
I'm *very* picky about the dialogue. I'd even argue that it is the most difficult aspect of writing Firefly-fic. It's important to keep in mind that these people ARE NOT hicks. They DO NOT come from Southern United States. The dialogue style of the show contains aspects of steretyped Western-speak, yes, but that does not mean they're stupid. Take, for instance, Mal, who does not always say "ain't" and doesn't drop a lot of his "g's." Spelling a lot of words wrong ("an'" instead of "and," "'o" instead of "of") doesn't make them sound in character, it just makes it hard to read. Mal's dialogue style comes from the arrangement of words than it does from improper pronounciation and spelling.
Just my two cents.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Thanks for the responses (and links) guys, its really opened my eyes as to peoples tastes.
One thing though. I see alot of references to Mary/Marty Sues, i think they have something to do with OCs? Could soemone please explain?
Thanks 
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
A Mary/Marty Sue is an OC that is too perfect. They are the ultimate answer to everything and always get the hero/ine.
Tara O'Shea has a really good article on what to look out for and how to avoid making one. http://ljconstantine.com/column6.htm
Hope this helps.
EDIT: Oh, yeah! Welcome to the site!!! Let me offer you a drink if you'd care to indulge. 
******
RMMC
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Thanks RMMC.
Another question if you guys don't mind, how close is Mal and Kaylees relationship? Obviously they are not romantically linked at all, but from time to time they show affection towards one another. Like Kaylee kissing Mals cheek in the pilot ("I love my captain" and Mal pulling Kaylee into a friendly hug in Ariel.
Would it be more of a Father/Daughter relationship or Older brother/Younger sister?
Also, do you think Mal would ever go so far as to kiss Kaylee in a firendly manner like she did to him? Like a peck to the forehead or somesuch if he was in a particularly good mood?
Anyway, i just want to make sure i get how the characters would interact with one another down pat.
-Thanks
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by Hippie:
Thanks RMMC.
Another question if you guys don't mind, how close is Mal and Kaylees relationship? Obviously they are not romantically linked at all, but from time to time they show affection towards one another. Like Kaylee kissing Mals cheek in the pilot ("I love my captain" and Mal pulling Kaylee into a friendly hug in Ariel.
Would it be more of a Father/Daughter relationship or Older brother/Younger sister?
Also, do you think Mal would ever go so far as to kiss Kaylee in a firendly manner like she did to him? Like a peck to the forehead or somesuch if he was in a particularly good mood?
Anyway, i just want to make sure i get how the characters would interact with one another down pat.
-Thanks
He did kiss her head at the end of "Our Mrs. Reynolds," and then Wash said, "Don't you know kissing girls makes you sleepy?" and Mal replied, "I know - but, sometimes, I just can't help myself."
So, it's in there, every now and again, but don't go overboard.
Oh, and I personally feel it's more of a sibling relationship, although sometimes Mal gets all fatherly (I'm thinking of "Shindig" here).
I know you didn't ask me the questions, but I wanted to answer them. Hope that helps.
P.S. I am by no means an expert, and I don't write fanfics. Just thought an on-again-off-again fanfic reader's opinion might be helpful.
---
"What the world needs now is love, sweet love -
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No, not just for some, but for everyone."
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
A Mary Sue is usually thought of as a "perfect" character, the author's own insertion - who after only being around the crew five minutes, can intuitively sense all the inner relationship dynamics, and become the person to whom everyone can turn to for advice. In Firefly fics, Mary/Gary Stues seem to manifest as a long-lost relative or lover. A sister Mal thought died during the war, for example. The Mary Sue trap can also be very easy to fall into when trying to come up with an original character as a love interest for a crew member.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Aha, i thoguht he did it in one of the eps i just couldn't for the life of me remember. Thanks!
And about the Mal/Kaylee thing i just didn't want it to seem inappropriate if i included something like that in my new fic.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Would it be more of a Father/Daughter relationship or Older brother/Younger sister?
You keep asking really good questions that I can't help answering! *g*
I see it as a Father/Daughter thing. During the series, Kaylee has Mal up on a pedestal. ("You're a good man." "I love my Captain.") Maybe a little bit naive, but she does see real good in him, which buoys Mal in a lot of ways.
n response, Mal provides a protective role for Kaylee. Whether that's sticking up for her in the pilot, or feeling bad for hurting her feelings in Shindig. It's not an equal relationship by any means. For example, Kaylee isn't someone Mal really goes to for advice (at least, advice that isn't mechanical). Probably quite purposefully, he wants to hide some of the harsher aspects of his job from her.
The relationship is definitely shifting in the movie. Kaylee's sticking up for herself more (she wants Simon to stay, damnit!!!) and challenging Mal. He's certainly in a darker place come Serenity, and Kaylee's obviously very sensitive to that. Definitely something to keep in mind in post-BDM fanfic.
But then - that's almost normal in a parent/child relationship, anyway. You grow up, realize your parents aren't perfect, but a part of you still keeps them up there on that higher plane anyway.
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME