6 replies to this topic

[Catwho]

I admit, I'm automatically biased against original characters in fanfiction. Half the time, when I start reading a fic that doesn't explicitly mention it's got OCs in it and I suddenly encounter them, I'll hit the back button and give up on the story within a few paragraphs. And if it does mention OCs in the summary, I'm going to skip it if the OC is paired up with anyone who has a canon or semi-canon pairing (or a lot of fandom pairings that are accepted, for that matter.)

That's not to say that I haven't read some great OCs. I've even written a few of them; hell I based my Slayers novella around one. But good OCs seem to be the exception, rather than the norm. I think part of it is that they're introduced too soon into the plot line, and their backstory is just spilled right out front. (Mysterious OCs tend to work a lot better!) They're almost never villains either, just allies, especially if they're getting cross-paired with existing characters. OC villains are a lot more acceptable to me, or even antagonists-turned-allies in long stories. A good OC needs a healthy dose of conflict, too.

What's your trick for writing an OC that the reader will give a chance? How do you prevent Mary-Sueisms? How do you integrate your original characters with the existing world?

Edit: Arcturian Sunrise in my bloodstream. I missed a letter.

Edited by Catwho, 16 June 2012 - 09:42 PM.

[KnS]

What's your trick for writing an OC that the reader will give a chance?

Well, of course there's no way of knowing which readers will give what story elements a chance. Have the readers who have read my OCs really given them a chance or merely tolerated them? I have no clue unless the OCs are mentioned specifically in reviews.

I have written a lot of OCs in my day, though. If there's a "trick" I employ, it's that they are always support characters, never leads, and they are typically reflection characters of the lead. I use OCs for balance, and to provide a fresh perspective that cannot be given using established characters without succumbing to contrivance or cliché -- that's a lot worse than an OC, if you ask me.

How do you prevent Mary-Sueisms?

Easy answer? Don't write them. Not so easy answer? Always take care to make sure your characters are realistic and imperfect, and take extra care not to write a character who too closely embodies your personal feelings and does all the cool things you wish you did. An obvious self-insert will frequently make the worst Mary Sue/Gary Stu imaginable. The writer doesn't realize how obvious the self-insert is, but even strangers reading it can tell. Use a friend, a sibling, a celebrity or a composite -- anyone external as a model for OCs, and then remember that realism and imperfection are key.

How do you integrate your original characters with the existing world?

I usually introduce them when they're off-page. I demonstrate that the lead is aware of the OC, interacts with them, but I don't force that on the reader immediately. Then when the OC finally appears in person, the reader has an awareness of him/her as they're already "part of the story." Then, like I said, I use OCs for support of the main threads of the story, to draw out some aspect of the lead's personality or perception of current events.

For example, in the Gaara fic I'm writing there are two OCs. One is an older villager who is a tradesman (a Narutoverse version of a Muggle, lol), and a little boy. They both interact with Gaara in significant ways, and are part of how the plot moves forward, but they are peripheral and their existence is introduced as part of the background story.

I'm not objective enough to say how effective they are, but you could ask Dragunov. I think he's the only person on the board who has read this particular fic.

Overall, I'd say that if you're serious about writing don't avoid OCs. After all, writing something original is all about OCs, right? Adding an OC into a fic set in an established universe is good practice for learning how to create an entire story full of them.

P.S. Interesting questions!

Edited by KnS, 17 June 2012 - 12:16 AM.

[Catwho]

Overall, I'd say that if you're serious about writing don't avoid OCs. After all, writing something original is all about OCs, right? Adding an OC into a fic set in an established universe is good practice for learning how to create an entire story full of them.

I'd say this is actually an important point. Building a character is the heart of writing. If you're unable to get a readable OC into a fanfiction story, you'll probably have difficulty writing any kind of original fiction as well.

I remember back in one of my writing classes in college; the character I wrote for a short story was instantly liked or disliked by everyone in the class. My professor pointed out that a character is probably written well if it evokes strong emotions in people within the first page.

[Broken Figurine]

I think what is off-putting about OCs is that people don't generally read fanfiction for original characters. True, you can say that the interpretation of a character is yours and therefore you're never canon even if you deal with canon characters, but then the whole purpose of fanfiction would be defeated. People usually want to see characters that they recognize and are familiar with and it is harder to convince the reader that your original fits, or is on par, with characters they have already formed an opinion of and are the reason why they are reading fanfiction. True, some people like the setting and plot, and not everyone enjoys every canon character or the way you deal with canon characters, but usually people give the author a shot because the characters, or some idea, appealed to them in the first place (unless they are choosing stories to read at random).

I have a hard time with original characters taking the spot light, but I understand their usefulness as background or support. I think there has to be a reason of introducing any character into a story. With canons, it is easier because they already have their place, and their relationships are set and known. With the OC you have to work around that. I find they come under fire, and I tend to dislike this myself, is when they try to take the place of or the importance of another character and their relationship. Creating an OC as a rival/best friend to Naruto is challenging Sasuke's role, and let's not mention romantic relationships. When these canon relationships are challenged, especially to the extent you want to replace it (like, say in the romantic example that no other woman can compare to the love of your OC x Naruto and he was able to rather easily cast aside a woman like Sakura, who is canonically the most important female relationship he has), comes off as conceited. You think you can make a better character to fulfill that role? Most readers want that backed up.

So, what I usually do--and this isn't necessarily the right answer--is that I don't create a character that would rival the canon's. I make an OC when I feel that the canons couldn't reasonably fullfil this role and that usually deals with original plot progressive points. A guide to be taken to some made up village, a leader from some made up clan providing conflict, a made up oracle to help guide the character's way... which is why they tend to be background characters because those roles seem easier to explain away or deal with. More involved OCs need better reasons for their involvement, and if they are going to become important to an OC as a rival, or even a love interest, the existing relationship should be dealt with, but also acknowledged and given its due respect, and even if done right and with the best of ability, not everyone wants to accept it, because there is already a prior emotional attachment and some people will get turned off on the idea that anyone, no matter how well explained, could interfere with what the canon has given. I'm like that too sometimes. I know it doesn't seem fair, but that is the way of fanfiction. I probably could not ever be emotionally invested in a Naruto x OC relationship because I do so love the Naruto x Sakura one--even Naruto x Some Canon Character can be rough, so OCs where all aspects of the relationship are fabrication comes off as more difficult for me--it just is that way. But you can say that about most aspects of writing.

Edited by Broken Figurine, 18 June 2012 - 03:53 AM.

[Catwho]

I also believe a lot of fanfiction authors confuse a good fanfiction story with role playing. (Considering the number of RPG communities on FF.net, anyway.) I think a role playing game based on the Naruto universe, especially an MMO or a table top game where you can build up your own ninja character, would be absolutely fantastic. But RPGs serve a specific purpose: they are to entertain you, the person reading them, not necessarily to entertain others. There are very few successful stories out there based on D&D campaigns. I can name two off the top of my head (Slayers and my friend Rachel's Legend of Eli Monpress, and then there's Record of Lodoss War, which had heartbreakingly beautiful animation and the most generic story in anime of all time.)

Fanfiction, and good writing in general, is a vastly different beast than role playing. Fanfiction's premise is that it starts with an existing set of characters and has a new plot. (Actually, most of the best writing in the world starts with the characters and gives them a new plot to play with.) OC characters in fanfiction often start with the trap of the author wishing to introduce the OC character to the fandom world, and then contriving a storyline to fit around the OC (or not.) I believe the best OCs in fanfiction come about as a necessity to the plot, rather than the cause of it. So you start out with your story idea, and discover it requires an OC to fulfill that role. At that point, you can go ahead and build up the original character's back story, just in case it's needed, but their role in the plot should initially be limited to what original need they filled.

Edited by Catwho, 18 June 2012 - 04:28 AM.

[Broken Figurine]

I also believe a lot of fanfiction authors confuse a good fanfiction story with role playing. (Considering the number of RPG communities on FF.net, anyway.) I think a role playing game based on the Naruto universe, especially an MMO or a table top game where you can build up your own ninja character, would be absolutely fantastic. But RPGs serve a specific purpose: they are to entertain you, the person reading them, not necessarily to entertain others. There are very few successful stories out there based on D&D campaigns. I can name two off the top of my head (Slayers and my friend Rachel's Legend of Eli Monpress, and then there's Record of Lodoss War, which had heartbreakingly beautiful animation and the most generic story in anime of all time.)

Fanfiction, and good writing in general, is a vastly different beast than role playing. Fanfiction's premise is that it starts with an existing set of characters and has a new plot. (Actually, most of the best writing in the world starts with the characters and gives them a new plot to play with.) OC characters in fanfiction often start with the trap of the author wishing to introduce the OC character to the fandom world, and then contriving a storyline to fit around the OC (or not.) I believe the best OCs in fanfiction come about as a necessity to the plot, rather than the cause of it. So you start out with your story idea, and discover it requires an OC to fulfill that role. At that point, you can go ahead and build up the original character's back story, just in case it's needed, but their role in the plot should initially be limited to what original need they filled.

I am into online roleplay, which is writing rather than a game, and especially if it is done between two people it becomes an "interactive fanfiction", but the only readers are the two of you, and you're the only two that matter. In a forum, it's a little different. You have a general overarching plot as well as a few key settings, but the characters, the relationships, and interactions are up to many individuals. OCs are easier to accept, I think, because the person who acts the character doesn't control (unless they are being a god-moder or annoying) how their OC is received. Ideally, any relevance is "earned" by the others, and how far they've gone to involve themselves, and if deeper relationships occur (usually among other OCs) then it is of the consent and enjoyment of the other, so I agree the difference is in who is enjoying it. The author of a fanfiction, on the other hand, has total control over how their characters are recieved and how involved they are in the story.

As I say that, though, there have been a lot of unlikeable OCs that I've encountered, especially on Naruto RPG forums. It can be especially annoying when the canon goes along with this OC, even though I think the interaction is totally wrong and out of character for the canon. Sasuke roleplayers always seemed to be the worst with this. There was always some OC girl that appealed, either because she "wasn't head over heels" like the rest of his unworthy fangirls, or because she shared some shoddy past with him that makes her speshul. I tended to roleplay canons like Sakura, Naruto, and sometimes Sai, and while I certainly made OCs in my time as a roleplayer, they were usually kept distant from canons. I don't know--OCs always bothered me, even in RPG. I think it is because the author tries hard to make them special and fit among the big canons. The good ones were the ones that were unasuming.

Edited by Broken Figurine, 18 June 2012 - 06:29 AM.

[Cupcake-chan]

I'm so glad there's a thread about this!

I'm going to say that, personally, I love OCs. After reading way too many fanfics for years, you tend to get sick of the same characters, not matter how differently the author depicts them.

Now, generally I read fanfics where the OC is the main character, and I tend to avoid ones where the OC is only a secondary character. Secondary characters tend to disrupt the storyline more that anything, if they're not villains. And as the main characters, the story is written to emphasize them initially. The problem really are the god-forsaken mary-sues, and that really is the author's fault for their insane need for a perfect character.

The trick isn't to look for OCs, but it's to look for SIs (self-inserts), because SIs are more humane than OCs. Of course there will be some mary-sues here and there, but there are some really good stories out there. And the large majority of said characters don't fall randomly into the Naruto universe.