In this news article: Results of =fense’s Workshop on Sonnets| ^ArtisticAunJuli’s workshop: Fan Fiction| On Accepting Critique | Call for Workshop Hosts | First time you've heard of *Writers-Workshop? This section is for you.


Results of =fense’s Workshop on Nonfiction Poetry


A word from *Writers-Workshop:

It is always wonderful to see a workshop which has a large quantity of entries and even more so when our previous workshop only had the one entry. We also had some excellent comments and critique all round.

Also for everyone who submitted this time, we would like to direct your attention to the literary magazine ~Soundzine who are looking for sonnets for their next edition. Maybe after some polishing you should all consider submitting- you never know it may get accepted!


=fense’s Top Picks:

=fense's results are currently unavailable. However these will be updated in our workshop journal in due course, so watch out!


^ArtisticAunJuli’s Workshop: Fan Fiction


When not perusing the Fan Art & Fan Fiction galleries on deviantART, ^ArtisticAunJuli lounges around the house with her fiance's Greek family and eats bread, grapes, and feta cheese. Spending most of her time on deviantART as the Fan Art Gallery Moderator, she spends the in-between hours writing short stories, working on her novels, and catching up on her commissioned artwork.


Fan Fiction


Fan fiction intrigues me. The ability to extend the creations of an established world of characters and make your favorite book, tv show, or movie continue long after their creators have passed on--or have closed the book--is amazing. The honor that comes with being able to 'take over' and allow it to live on dictates a level of writing that is honest and true to the original creation.

Various types of fanfiction can be found on deviantART and across the internet. Some are like doodles--unfinished paragraphs of random thought. Others are like parody comics--they can make fun of characters and worlds and put them into situations that are absurd and hilarious. The type of fan fiction presented today is one that can be carried over into original writing and also the other way around--serious fan fiction. This workshop is about writing some damned respectable fan fiction.

It doesn't exist, does it? Yes, it does! Those delicious pieces of writing that transport the reader back to when they first fell in love with characters or writings which push the storyline beyond it's ending and feel as though the author never put down their pen.

All fan fiction need not be serious, and alternately, all fan fiction need not be taken seriously. Garnering respect as a fan fiction writer is hard, but there are tools to make sure that the writing speaks to its audience.

1.Be a good writer : The first step to writing good fan fiction is to just write well. It sounds simple enough, but there are countless examples of horrible fan fiction that have the possibility to be amazing if only the author had learned punctuation, grammer and basic writing skills. My heart goes out to those who just write on a whim and cite that since it's fan fiction, it doesn't need to follow the normal guidelines for good writing. Be a good writer, and write good fiction.

2. Stay true to the characters: The people reading fan fiction always hope that the next piece of fiction is going to have characters who are how the author designed them to be. This does NOT mean that the characters can't change their opinions, their lives, or even their sexual preference--the characters just have to be led down a believable path or, if there must be a new back story, it needs to be built in a way that is likely to happen.

Example: Harry Potter's Draco Malfoy detests those who are lower than him because of how he was raised. He has beliefs that those who are of a lesser bloodline are dirty. How could Draco believably fall in love with Hermione Granger, a girl who is everything he is taught to have a hate and prejudice against?

It is possible, and this isn't one of the stranger scenarios I've seen, but even this example shows that there must be believable back story to ensure that these two characters end up where the fan writer wants them to go. They must be treated like REAL people, not just words on paper.

3. Get your facts straight: In addition to making the character's believable, fan writers MUST do their homework. Hair color, eye color, names, birthdays--all of these things are usually in place, and if they are, be consistent. It's pretty bad to not have consistency in an original story, but if a writer is going to take on someone else's world, they need to do it justice.

4. Write with passion: This is another tool that is a given. The more the writer puts their passion and love into their fan fiction, the more likely their same fan friends are to connect.


The Assignment:


Write a short story or poem with the fandom of your choice (books, tv shows, movies, comics, cartoons--everything is up for grabs). No fan fiction with REAL people--no band, actor, etc fictions. The task is to place characters in an unlikely scenario and make it believable and well-written (grammar, spelling, punctuation checks!) In the artist/writer's comments section (when you submit the deviation) please include: The title of the fandom, the original creator(s), who the character's are and why the scenario is an unlikely one. (It's probably a good idea to knock this out first so you know the direction you're going in!)

On language or content: Please don't write intensely graphic sex scenes, and if you have a profuse amount of profanity or adult situations, be on the safe side and mark it 'Mature.'

Write with respect and knowledge, and make the reader fall in love with your story.

How to Submit

After submitting your entry as a new deviation or scrap, send us a note with a link to your piece. Include the subject line "FAN" in your note. The deadline is midnight Febraury 18th 2009. All times are set for GMT. ^ArtisticAunJuli will respond to the entries on February 22nd, 2009.

A note from *Writers-Workshop Please note that this is a Free for all workshop, meaning that we will accept both poetry and prose entries. Proofread your work before you send it in so that grammatical and spelling errors are minimal. And most of all, have fun with it!

On Accepting Critique

Always thank the critic. This gratitude must be as sincere as possible, even if you did not like the critique given, because the critic has taken time to offer his/her opinion of the piece.
If you do not like the critique, it is not necessary to mention so. Simply thank the critic and move on. You can always ignore their suggestions, while not making a scene of it.
If you are unsure of what the critique means, feel free to ask the critic what s/he meant. Building rapport with your critic is one of the best ways to survive in a workshop and to learn. If you want examples, ask. Similarly, if you like the suggestions given, mention it. Critic's have feelings too.
In the unlikely case that a critic offers rude/sexist/racist/etc comments, feel free to contact *Writers-Workshop in a note and we will try to help you. A decision regarding the rudeness of the critique will be taken, and if we're not sure ourselves, we will consult with one of the GDs or anyone else high up on deviantART.

Call for workshop hosts!

We're looking for people to come along and host a workshop! Did you know that any member can partake in a workshop? If you have a good idea, then why not consider sending us in a proposal?

We’re looking for mostly Prose and Free for all workshops, but will accept poetry too. The wait for poetry is now for April.

First time you've heard of *Writers-Workshop? This section is for you.

*Writers-Workshop is a literature community that focuses on the development of a writer. We intend to provide a non-competitive workshop environment on dA, as well as to push good, polished writing over winning prizes or "networking".

Workshops will be conducted every fortnight; prose, poetry and free-for-all sessions will be rotated. For more information, read our: FAQ section or note us with queries.

We have been working on a list of resources for our writers: Resources for Writers which we think is worth going through. We are open to suggestions as well.

Our Diary has a list of upcoming workshops. We are booked till April!

You can host a Workshop host a Workshop, too.

Look out for new cycle of workshops, coming in a fortnight!

Staff