[PUBLIC POST] Writing for others

[ljwrites]

Hi everyone! I've passed a major RL milestone (defending my thesis) and have started working on a history fic exchange. I found a wonderful source on my assigned character and am having a lot of fun reading about that time and age. I've only worked on one fic exchange before but enjoyed that one, too, and I think I liked the gifting part even more than being gifted with a fic in return.

One of the things I liked about the fic exchange experience was that it wasn't in my comfort zone and forced me to stretch (I wrote about that experience here), and with this prompt I am similarly challenged to research and think about a historical personage I knew nothing about, and to immerse myself into an unfamiliar era and way of thought.

Have you ever gifted a story to someone else, whether in a formal exchange or because you were inspired by, or dedicated a story to, someone? Have you, or do you plan to, write a character inspired by a real-life person? What was the experience like? How is it different from or similar to writing for yourself?

Comments

[dhampyresa]

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

I write for exchanges A LOT (I say, as I mod two and am frantically looking for pinch-hitters for one). I just love being able to make people happy with my writing and I think I've got a pretty good track record of actually doing so.

I've recently been working with Someone on making art for their WIP Big Bang fic and I loved that experience as well. I'm super proud of the art I made too! It was pretty challenging, but I think I pulled it off really well.

I did an RL fic Secret Santa exchange with fannish folk I know RL and it was great! We all ended up reading all the fics -- it was very interesting to see how, even tailored to someone else, the fics remained very much the product of whoever wrote them. I suppose I could see the same thing with online exchanges, but there in most cases I don't know both 'sides'.

I don't base characters on real life people, no. (Unless you count writing historical RPF, I guess.)

[ljwrites]

I was pretty happy with the results and so were my requesters, so it's been a good result all around!

That's so sweet that you use your writing and art to make people happy. I think that's what it all comes down to in the end, really. And it's true, writing (or drawing) for someone else doesn't reduce individuality in the least. If anything it brings out more of who you are, if that makes sense.

[inevitableentresol]

For the last two years or so I've mostly been making art or fic as gifts for other people, rather than doing my own stuff. I've taken part both in formal exchanges and done a lot of comment fics to other people's prompts.

I really like that feeling of writing for someone else. I'm at the stage where I'm thinking that perhaps I should do a lot less of it.

One of the reasons I like it so much is that I get a rush from reading through other people's blogs and figuring out what they're into, and then trying to tailor the fic to it. It feels like I'm doing super-duper secret detective work, only it's harmless fun. It's pretty much encouraged. In most formal exchanges, you're not allowed to contact your recipient to ask them straight up what they want. You're as good as obliged to snoop.

The few times that I've done fic or art for people that are already my friends, I've found it less fun. They're bound to say they like it, aren't they? And since I already know them, if I get their preferences wrong it's almost like an insult.

Like I said, I probably should be concentrating on my own ideas more in the future. It's not like I don't have dozens of those. It's just not as much fun for me when it's not a gift for someone else.

[ljwrites]

Haha that's so awesome, snooping for a good cause! I think gifting a creative work combines the best parts of gift-giving and creative endeavors. I didn't expect that it could be less enjoyable for people you already know, but I completely understand the reasons.

That's so interesting that gifting fic is more fun for you than writing your own stuff. Maybe you could approach your own ideas like they were for a gift fic, or get ideas the way you would for a gift fic, e.g. by reading up on what people want out of stories? I know I think a lot about my potential audience, their tastes, how they would react to this or that choice I make and so on.