The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
Ohhh--bodice-ripper--that's me!!
And we go back to the days of yesteryear with an old-fashioned serial novel 
For those of us who may be (quite) a bit ignorant of Bone...a brief rundown please....one paragraph or less
Thanks
Oh, I can't do that. That would be offering spoilers. (No, okay, I'll give a synopsis without spoilers.)
The three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone, who in appearance are classic, idealized cartoon characters with floating eyebrows, simple bodies, and four fingers on each hand, are run out of their hometown of Boneville after Phoney Bone's latest get-rich-quick scheme has gone sour. Lost in the desert, they are separated by a swarm of locusts and make their way, one at a time, into a lush, idyllic valley where they encounter dragons, talking animals, carnivorous rat-like monsters, and humans. Fone Bone falls instantly in love with a human farm girl named Thorn, and soon he, his cousins, and there newfound friends are drawn into the culmination of an ancient battle between the forces of good and evil that will decide the fate of the universe.
Methinks you are being entirely too scrupulous my friend. All you are doing is offering your own story for us to enjoy using characters someone else has created. You freely acknowledge that you do not own the legal rights to these characters and that you are not trying to profit unjustly or unfairly from the creator's work. You have been assured by both an attorney knowledgeable about copyright law and by your own confessor that noncommercial fanfic is neither illegal nor immoral. What more do you want?
Methinks you are also being excessively modest. If you truly believed your fanfic was truly as horrible as you say, you wouldn't put it up for us to review--or as you say, skewer--would you? You're putting it up because you think it's good, and you want positive feedback, don't you? This is a perfectly legitimate motivation.
If you truly want to avoid any ethical or legal dilemmas that arise from writing fanfic, I challenge you to create your own characters and tell your own stories, as I'm trying to do. I'm currently experimenting with a superhero/urban fantasy mashup. I don't even know if I can turn this vague idea I have into a finished story, but I thought it might be fun to try--or it might be genuinely worthy of skewering . We'll see.
You have been assured by both an attorney knowledgeable about copyright law and by your own confessor that noncommercial fanfic is neither illegal nor immoral.
I want nothing more. 'Tis why it is posted.
If you truly believed your fanfic was truly as horrible as you say, you wouldn't put it up for us to review--or as you say, skewer--would you?
Self-deprecating humor only. Some parts I think good, some parts I think bad-good. I certainly thought it was awesome when I first wrote it, but that was three years ago! The worst parts will get cleaned up before they're posted.
I challenge you to create your own characters and tell your own stories, as I'm trying to do.
Believe me, my projects are well underway. One is with a publisher now and another will be in the near future, and there's more where that came from. I'm also half-seriously considering writing a tongue-in-cheek serial for the blog.
It's good to see you again, Niall. I'm not sure we've had comments from you of late, but it's great to have you back!
And as an added note, sure, positive feedback is great, but I have learned to value serious negative feedback more. I submit all my (non-fan fiction) work to Critters.org for that purpose. It's a great group, and I highly recommend running your novel through there. It will both thicken your skin and strengthen your writing, and when you've got to get those chapters out for your dedicated readers, it will motivate you to finish the novel in a timely manner, too.
Thanks for the synopsis. Now I won't be TOTALLY lost..
Sara
Nice to see you've gotten in touch with your inner fourteen-year old fangirl, D.G.D.
I've read some truly dreadful fanfiction in my time, so I'm hardened. Bring on the bodice-ripping!
I look forward to checking this out. After all, I found out about this page when Jeff Smith called attention to your first synopsis of Bone.
Always glad to read another fanfic!
Fanfiction has usually given me the opposite effect of what affects Fuinseoig. Some Harry Potter fanfics have really expanded Rowling's universe; I mentioned how reading the final fight scenes of Harry and Voldy spoiled Deathly Hollows for me. It's so refreshing to see people tinker with something you like/love, making improvements or offering new ideas on the same material from many different perspectives. *Fan-boy mode now disengaging*
In case, you were wondering, the previous post was mine, forgot to add my name.
Oh, I have read some excellent fanfiction also, Thomas. Stories that have understood the source material, that have filled in gaps, that have explored minor characters, that have enriched the universe of the fandom.
But my divine, I've also read some stuff that made me want to spork out my eyes.
It remains to be seen into which category Deej's maiden effort falls (it is or was your maiden effort, right?) 
I'd like to make a few extra observations about fanfiction; I've been reading fanfiction on-line for as long as I've had internet access (early 2001), so I like to think that I've read quite a bit. But there are two problems I have with fanfiction: when people write as a hobby, they have less incentive to respond to prodding from readers. The longest I've had to wait for a fanfic update was four years (and that was just a one chapter up-date!). Also, writers can lose passion for their stories over time, so you could have a masterpiece eternally left on a agonizing cliffhanger. I say this as a reader who loves a good story, and hates to wait to find out what happens next.
I also hate authors who ban fanfics based on their works. George RR Martin is a notorious case; he thinks making stories off other people's work is "lazy." So I, as a great admirer of his "Song of Fire and Ice" series, am deprived several hundred more great stories in the land of Westeros, cause he's never even bothered browsing www.fanfiction.net! 
As a last treat before I sign off for the next few days, I'll derect you to one of favorite fanfics: The Twilight War! http://marvelite.prohosting.com/...twar/
index.html, basically it's a story centered around one of Marvel Comic's most dangerous villains, Thanos the Mad Titan. Struggling with his own weaknesses, he has plans for one last try for ultimate power. I have never read one of Marvel, and I still loved it; that should be enough to seal your interest. Be warned, the first third of the is slow, but the last chapter has the Best. Fighscene. Ever. Fifty thousand words of cosmic warfare. The scope in daunting for newbies, it has a cast of hundreds, from all over the Marvel Universe: heroes, villains, gods, and neutral cosmic entities. To make the journey easier to handle, go here: http://www.marveldirectory.com/ This site in the ultimate database on everything Marvel. It includes character bios, backstory information, info on all the worlds, dimensions, and planes of existence refrenced in the fanfic. It even has detailed analyses on a character's powers/abilities.
Happy reading! :D
Weeelll... if an author or other creator says "Hey! Those are my characters, my planet, my universe - I don't want you introducing romances between characters whom I never intended to pair up, rewriting history, or inventing new characters, okay?", then I think they have a right to be heeded.
There is also the fun of ripping asunder the bubble-headed idiots who think that because they want Princess SparklyMoonDance to marry Aragorn or Captain Jack Sparrow or Sherlock Holmes, that they know better than the original author what *should* have happened. And if you gently point out that it completely contradicts fifty or so stories to have Sherlock Holmes marrying Violet Smith and settling down to raise a family of ten red-haired babies in San Francisco after taking up a new career as an aromatherapist, while Dr. Watson sinks into a drug-addled career of depravity because he was jealous - then you're just a big meanie and it's their story so they can do what they like!!1111!!! (no, I haven't actually read a story with this plot, but it wouldn't surprise me).
Ah, the wonders of Canon versus Fanon wars - I love the smell of freshly charbroiled Mary Sue in the morning; it smells like victory
Sorry for the missing words. I meant to say that I've never read an issue of Marvel, and the first third of the story can be slow reading.
P.S. Don't worry, blogmaster, I'm not trying to make you look bad (You've done that enough to youself already)
I read the first chapter of your fic, and it's looking very good so far
Yeah, the majority of fanfic writers are well-meaning idiots, Fuinseoig.
But cosider this: There are now approximmately 400,000 HP fanfics floating around on the Net. Even if we take Sturgeon's Law into account, that's still a mountain of quality fiction to wade through. I've only read several dozen, maybe close to a hundred HP fanfics, but several of them were well over 300,000 words long.
People actually write that much for a hobby?! Man, I'm struggling to write a 5,000 word essay right now. I can't imagine writing many times that for the fun of it. It's one of the reasons why my little bookcase isn't crammed full of published writers.
My maiden effort? Well, I warmed myself up with a short piece of Bone/Sandman crossover fiction, but it's mostly my maiden voyage, yes, and I intend to make it my last. I had a blast writing it, but I don't want to do it again.
Incidentally, the novel now being posted at FanFiction.net is more-or-less an illustration of that essay that Jeff Smith linked from his blog. It goes like this: I think Bone has the best ending ever, but some people don't. The fiction is meant to show what would have happened (to my mind) if the ending were changed, and it's nothing good, I promise you. All the content I warned you about in the post really is in the fanfic.
Alas, my inner fourteen-year-old fangirl is alive and well. I blame Snuffles, who keeps shoving shojo manga at me. That stuff's like the comic book equivalent of nicotine: it's awful in every way, yet somehow addicting...
I'm going to pass on this, but only because the link to "Infinite Space, Infinite God" I read with a fever immediately put a really interesting scene & scenario in my head, but not a plot to get there, so I'm courting my muse.
If you ever want a thoughtful critique of your conversion story, you can have my whole brain.
Whole-brain commentaries (and others) are always welcome.
My muse always visits at inopportune times. She shows up and says, "Hey, baby, let's make out" (she's pushy like that), and I'm like, "But, honey, I'm at work," and she's like, "But look at the emotional angst you could work into this scene if you started writing it right now," and I'm like, "Ahh! Must concentrate!"
My muse can be quite naughty too. Tends to show up at the most inopportune time, such as when I'm studying St John of the Cross... But he DOES help me play guitar half way decent for Mass so he's not all bad.. and I KNOW he's great fun to kick back and have a few (sometime more :/ drinks with...
Since I seem to be coming across as the grumpy old maiden aunt (goodness, no relation to real life *there*, eh?) as regards fanfiction, let me make my position clear: I am unabashedly in favour of it.
That being said, Sturgeon's Law does indeed apply
Dear Deej, I have no doubt your AU will be fine. And you illustrate the thing that fanfiction does so well: suppose X had happened, not Y? whilst remaining within canonical parameters.
Now, I am not saying people should slavishly stick to canon; after all, gap-filling and extrapolation are at least half the fun of fanfic. For example, I've read a "Starsky and Hutch" story where instead of being cops, they're an investigative reporter and photographer, with Dobey their editor not their captain, and it worked remarkably well.
But of the other fun half of fanfiction, at least a quarter of it is filleting the really, really bad stuff (I tend to give 14-year old fangirls a pass, since a lot of them are writing for the first time and how else are they going to learn their trade except by practice? Though I do expect (1) older writers to have more sense (2) some basic correctness in spelling and grammar (3) not the same story over and over and over again).
Naughty muse?? Um, no. I have a different muse for every genre. The fiction muse I'm hoping will show up again is along the lines of a pudgy Jack Nicholson, who smokes a stinky cigar, rocks his chair back with a self-satisfied grin & just expects me to listen.
My naughty muse also has the tendency of perching on my shoulder (much like the photo of Deej and Snuffles) and whispering in my ear..."Study can wait..the guitar is right over there..LETS ROCK!!
And while I'm sinking into oblivion he also whispers...."There's the ELECTRIC guitar..plug it in and LETS ROCK...we'll turn it down REAL LOW even though it is after midnight...heheheh"
I found that it doesn't work in Confession if you say "The muse made me do it."
My naughty muse looks like one of the ZZ Top guys complete with pink fuzzy guitar...for some reason he also has Eagle's wings..he is also my motorcycle muse. He does tend to get me into alot of trouble as he also is the party-animal muse... The Tijuana escapade is fortunately previous-life stuff. :/
Hmm, male muses. Stephen King reports that his muse is also a dude (and a lazy bum). Mine is more of the old-fashioned female type.
As for the fan fiction, when this novel had the first go-round, the general consensus of the reviewers was that it was quite good and in tune with the characters. I attempted to fill in a number of gaps and made a few speculations that strained credulity but weren't entirely out of line. As more chapters go up, you'll see I've imagined quite an expansion to Smith's universe, and I believe the grammar is generally good, so I think you'll be satisfied.
The only negative review I recall was from a reader who complained that all my female OCs (original characters) were passive pansies. This quite embarrassed me, as I am fond of my strong, independent female characters. I tried to repair this problem in the revision.
Yeah, reading Stephen King's book on writing is what made me realize my fiction muse wasn't exactly a nymph. My poetry muse was more like the Queen of the Night from "Magic Flute" but she's long gone. For the rest, my muse seems to be a Membari of the religious caste.
I have two muses. One is a jocular Klingon, amusing himself with a pump-action 12 ga. The other is Aramis.
Both are red-hats...
I believe my muses rotate. My muse is the most important female character in whatever I'm working on at the moment.
Aramis...one of the Three Musketeers..?
Yes, that Aramis. Only, not the younger one, who drinks too much and can't decide whether he'll join the priesthood or not; the old, devious, cunning, scheming, manipulative, secret-head-of-the-Jesuits-who-promises-the-king-
of-France-he'll-assassinate-himself Aramis.
Smiter--
Also the one who has the mistresses on the side?? I bet you have to keep a tight leash on him...
I have one like that too...not the mistresses..the tight leash...
typical musing conversation:
Me: OK, now, what did Aquinas say about this niggling little idea, again?
Klingon muse: Who cares? Let's blow something up! Hahahahahaha!
Aramis muse: Now, if we put that in a cannon, and pointed it at a Manichee, that would be divine work...
Me: No! I'm writing here! You're supposed to be helping me, not distracting me!
Klingon: I am helping you! You're too tense! Hahahahahaha!
Me: I'm concentrating! What's that word I'm trying to think of?
Aramis: I'll tell you if you'll just look over there for a moment... see? Heresy, right there! It impedes my global hegemony! You help me, I'll help you.
Me: Now look what you did! Now I need chocolate to clear the tubes.
Aramis: Yes, gluttony, good response... Let's pursue that, shall we?
Me: Arggh! Pfagh! Go away, already!
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