WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 10 -- Tuesday

[linaewen]

Today is Tuesday -- how's it going for you today?

Were you/are you/will you be:

• writing (want to share a word count?)
• planning (brainstorming, researching, outlining)
• editing
• posting
• taking a break
• reading someone else's writing
• dealing with non-writing things on your To Do List

Discussion for the day:  Let's continue talking about our original characters.  Once you figure out their names, what else is involved in coming come up with a good OC?  Do you create a back story for them before they appear on paper?  Does their history get researched after they appear and you realize they are going to be important?  Or do they develop as they please and you hope they will tell you how it's going to go from one chapter to the next?

Comments

[linaewen]

I'm traveling today, and then it will be crazy when I arrive, so I won't likely get much writing done. I will, however, try to think up character conversations while I drive and hopefully I'll remember them long enough to write them down eventually!

Even though I'm a big one for outlines and research, I tend to let my OC's develop as they will, once they have their names. I spend a lot of time figuring out names (here's a good site for that: http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names.htm) and I have an idea of what each OC's relationship is with the other characters and their histories, but they do tend to develop as they wish without a lot of input, at least at first. If I find I need more info for them for a particular scene, I'll research their back story so I can write them more realistically, but that happens on an as-needed basis.

[crowdog66]

I finished and posted a new ~1500-word chapter of "Impulse" (ST:DS9, Garak/Bashir, NC-17) and did ~2500 words worth of plotting on "Lethe's Curse" (ReBoot AU, Bob/Megabyte, R at this point). All in all not too bad so far!

Since I didn't answer yesterday's question... I tend to pluck likely-sounding names out of thin air, and my OCs come onstage with telling details of behaviour already in place that may, if the story requires it, become more fleshed out as time goes on. I'm definitely in the "develop as they please and hope they'll keep me in the loop" camp, but it seems to work for me. (In fact one pair of my OCs, the Cardassian wilderness guides Aslel and Borik from "When the Farsei Blooms", have their own little fan club going on who enjoy reading fan fiction about the OCs themselves. :) So I count those two as a massive success in the OC-creation department.)

[ty_writes]

I really want to read the Reboot one when you're done.

[crowdog66]

Aw, thank you!

There are two completed stories in the 'verse that you can read right now if you like: "Possession" (R, Megabyte's POV)) and "Surrender" (PG-13, Megabyte's POV)), plus the first two chapters of the central narrative, "Lethe's Curse" (currently PG-13, will be NC-17, Bob's POV). I'd love to hear feedback if you feel inclined to offer some, because the ReBoot 'verse is one where I seldom get input on my work. :) In any case, I do hope you enjoy them.

[crowdog66]

Oh, and Chapter 1 of 2 is now up for an NC-17 story in that 'verse, "Ache. :)

[ty_writes]

I got hit by another plot bunny so I've been working on it so that I can focus on my other stories, later.

I didn't participate yesterday, but for me I randomly pick out a name and add the character/physical traits along with the background as I go. My old beta told me that I had a type, what she called the Flailing Hero (ie. Indiana Jones, Dean Winchester), that seems to pop up a lot in my stories.

[crowdog66]

Added another ~1500 words of plotting for "Lethe's Curse". Y'know, I feel really really sorry for Bob... but not sorry enough to make things easier for him! XD

Every so often I find songs that are just perfect for a particular character/pairing. At this point in the storyline, "Love is a Tanglewood Tree" sums up Bob's feelings pretty accurately.

[snowynight]

I write 500 words and prepare to edit my just finished fic.

I usually knows the role that my OC'll play when I write them, but sometimes they surprise me by occupying a larger part.

[roane]

Grar! Only about 400 words on Pull the Stars from the Sky (Sherlock AU), but it was a full scene and it snapped some character bits into place, so that's not so bad. I was hoping to finish Chapter 2 tonight, but that's not going to happen, alas. I did some betaing, and did some editing of other scenes in Chapter 2.

If I use an OC, it's for a specific plot reason that no other existing character can fill. So generally, the backstory gets filled in as the plot requires. I've got two OCs in two ongoing series, and both have some serious fleshing out coming their way. :)

[bay_alexison]

Had fixed the parts on my god_tier fic my beta suggested and send it to him to have a second look. Also today tried to ask Beta A over her progress on looking over my FMA Big Bang fic, but she didn't answer yet, bleh.

I would think a little bit about the characters' personalities and their backstory, otherwise I let them develop as the story progresses.

[barbayat]

Wrote a little bit, hopefull will continue to finish the next important scene (constantly debating, should I do this, should I do that ...) minor questions but I can not make my mind up - so ... oh well.

As for my OCs - I love writing OCs and I don't get why so many people don't like them or look at them funny. Especially TV Shows rely on new characters for a certain plot to appear ...

Some OCs have a major role, some are ideas that end up in a certain fandom because I realised it would be interesting (for me, and hopefully for others, too!) to play them off certain canons. For example, for a Stargate AR (not written much - maybe never get around, too) I invented a female Goal'ud that was a bit different and the idea was the SG-1 go on a rescue mission for another missing SG team. So even though she does not appear much in the story, I have already outlined and written more about her, her primary servant, her right hand Goal'ud and of course thought out my own political system and how she fits in and what she knows about it. I also had this SG member who was going to be rescued by SG-1, she was actually just supposed to be a very minor character and then I had an idea for future development and voila, a whole book side in my shiny fanfic note book just for her background.

It's even worse with Dark Matters, which is filled with OCs and some have their own notes pages, some I just have the short memo file stored away in my brain ... I actually really got found of some of them in the process. My main OC is going to have something major happend to them and I wish I did not need to do it - but for the plot it needs to happen.

I also constantly do that for all my fanfic characters, OCs and minor canons with huge background gaps that need to be filled ...while I tend to stick to the backgrounds, they sometimes develop differently while I write from what I initially thought they would do ...