8 – Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they're not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.

Ah yes, one of my FAVORITE topics/least favorite things to find in fic, LOL.

I am not a fan of original characters in fan fiction. The reason is simple: I am a fan of the original source material, ie, canon.

When I read fan fiction, it's because I want to revisit the places and people I loved in canon.

If I want to read about original characters, I read non-fan-fiction.

I don't CARE about OCs. I don't WANT them in my fan fic. I resent every original character I've ever had to write for a story of my own, I do my best to make sure they have no storyline or purpose in the story that isn't related to one of my main canon characters, and I break my brain first trying to figure out if I can make a canon character serve the purpose. Because I write post-series fic, I've from time to time had to add new characters, but I try to do it in the way the show sometimes did, by just bringing them in, using them, then sending them on their way. (Exceptions in QAF would be Ben and Hunter. MAYBE Carl, although he didn't really have MUCH of his own storyline. I can't think of anyone else, because even Stockwell and Ethan were, in the end, just plot devices.)

I don't have any trouble keeping Mary Sues out of my fic. I have no desire to be in the lives of the QAF characters. Brian and Justin already have best friends, and they don't need me to invent new ones for them.

When I read fic that has Mary Sues in it, it makes me immediately stop reading. It's always so obvious, and it pulls me right out of the story!

I remember once, a long time ago, in a fic written in the earlier days of our fandom by someone who is no longer in fandom at all, I read this long multi-chaptered fic in which the author created new characters all over the place -- the idealized female best friend, a screwed up family member for Brian, a nice older lady who gave the boys good advice... and I wanted to scream.

BRIAN HAS A FEMALE BEST FRIEND. Her name is Lindsay. He also has a MALE BEST FRIEND, whose name is Michael.

JUSTIN HAS A FEMALE BEST FRIEND. Her name is Daphne.

They both already have screwed up family members a-plenty -- Claire, Joan, Craig.

And they have a nice older lady who gives them advice. Her name is Debbie.

I presume the reason authors do these things is that they don't like the canon characters. That's totally fine, I'm just saying, I LOVE the canon characters. I believe that's what makes me a fan of the show. So I just don't understand creating new ones, nor wanting to read about them mixed into your fan fiction. It's not like there's some shortage of original fiction out there that I don't know about, right?

So that's my take on OCs and Mary Sues. DO NOT WANT. And if I HAVE TO write them, I just want to make sure they don't have their own story. They're there to make a point about my main characters, period.

Which brings up the one time I broke this rule, or almost broke it: A fic called "The Good Chinese Daughter." It was a bunny that ate at me for a while, that grew, as is so often the case, out of a cracky conversation about things we hate in fic or don't believe can be done well.

I was on a rant about how people take very minor characters who were no more than plot devices and turn them into major characters. My contention is that they are in reality OCs.

And the character of Lin Liu came to mind. And I couldn't get her out of my mind, even though we know nothing about her, really.

So I wrote her story for a character of color challenge, and I really liked it. She wasn't an idealized best friend for Justin; she was just someone he barely knew, who he ran into in New York. And while she did have a purpose in Justin's story, she had her own story and he was a part of HER story, more so then vice versa, because this was future fic set at a time when Justin was very settled, secure and solid with Brian, not having any crises, etc.

However, having done it, I still feel the same way. It's not REALLY fan fiction. Only by showing a LOT Of Brian and Justin in the fic could I even make it feel like fan fiction. It was really a story about Lin Liu, and while I love it and am happy with it, deep in my heart I do know it was original fic with Justin and Brian making a drop-in visit.

And that is, finally, the end. :)

9 – Pairings – For each of the fandoms from day two, what are your three favorite pairings to write?

10 – Pairings – Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn't write, or a pairing you didn't like, and found you could?

11 – Genre – do you prefer certain genres of fic when you're writing? What kind do you tend to write most?

12 – Have you ever attempted an "adaptation" story of a favorite book or movie but set in a different fandom?

13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?

14 – Ratings – how high are you comfortable with going? Have you ever written higher? If you're comfortable with NC-17, have you ever been shocked by finding that the story you're writing is G-rated instead?

15 – Warnings – What do you feel it most important to warn for, and what's the strangest thing you've warned for in a story?

16 – Summaries – Do you like them or hate them? How do you come up with them, if you use them?

17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the story? Also, if you do chaptered story, do you give each chapter a title, or not?

18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your stories (aka "bunnies") from?

19 – When you have bunnies ideas, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?

20 – Do you ever get bunnied inspired from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?

21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a story you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?

22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?

23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?

24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your story? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?

25 – Music – Do you listen to music while you write? Do you make playlists to get into a certain "mood" to write your story? Do you need noise in general? Or do you need it completely quiet?

26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a story?

27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?

28 – Have you ever collaborated with anyone else, whether writing together, or having an artist work on a piece about your story?

29 – What is your current project or projects?

30 – Do you have a favorite story you've written? What makes it your favorite? And don't forget to give us a link!