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Topics - Firefury Amahira

#1
Another year, another round of One and I tilting at windmills trying to improve the quality of fanfiction on the internet! For those unfamiliar, this will be our... geez, 9th year doing this at Fanime now unless I'm mistaken. Already writing fanfic and just looking for some advice to really polish your skills? Wanting to get your feet wet before diving head-first into the wonderful and crazy world of fanfiction writing? Then perhaps one of these panels is right for you!

Fanfiction 101: Friday- 3pm -- Panels 3
As expected of a "101" panel, this is your crash course into fanfiction basics. From coming up with your story idea through posting it online, the material in this panel is a broad overview on the subject. Particular areas of focus include narrative structuring and perspectives, advice for editing and publishing, tackling various challenging types of scenes such as action or romance, preventing or breaking through the dreaded "writer's block", and a crash-course in some of the genres and jargon unique to fanfiction. Questions and audience interaction welcome!

Fanfiction 201: Saturday- 2pm -- Panels 3
Whereas 101 gives a broad overview of fanfiction writing, 201 delves into a more challenging and specific subset of the writing process: characters and how to handle them. Whether you're simply looking to develop the existing characters from your favorite media further, coming up with brand new original characters to throw into the mix, or the ever-challenging task of making up new villains, it all falls under the characters umbrella. Don't know what a "Mary Sue" is or why people hate her? Having trouble coming up with a compelling Bad Guy for your epic saga? Questions and audience interaction welcome!

Fanfiction 369: Sunday- 9pm -- Panels 3 -- (18+ ONLY)
Fanfiction for mature grownups... or people over the age of 18, at least. This advanced panel discusses how to write erotica in fanfiction. This includes a brief lecture and powerpoint presentation with anatomical drawings detailing sexual anatomy and response, how to apply it to realistic erotica, suggestions on how to apply it to unrealistic erotica (tentacles!), and common sexual myths. Also covered are some narrative techniques for writing erotic scenes, such as the impact of language choice, in addition to some basics about incorporating fetish material into the story. Obviously, this is not a panel for children or the easily offended, given it involves some extremely frank discussion of anatomy, sex, kinks, and the occasionally extremely immature crude joke. Questions/commentary are welcome at the end of the presentation!

Fanfiction 120: Monday- 11am -- Panels 3
Catch-all "Open Lab" discussion for various topics that don't quite fit into the other panels. A very informal chance to go over tidbits such as fanfic titles and summaries, linguistic oddities, why cliches are okay, how best to deal with reader feedback, and other writing-related miscellany. This panel is also a chance to go over and go more in-depth on topics from the 101 and 201 panels if there's an interest. Questions and commentary are especially welcome at this one!

As always, we will have our Fanfic Writing Guide (v3.1) available for folks to take with them, and the Adult Fanfic Guide (v2.0) at the 18+ panel. Thinking the writing guide might be due for another update for next year, but that's a project for, well, next year!
#2
Just realized that here we are just a couple days out from go time, and I still hadn't got our panel info posted! Without further ado...

Fanfic 101: FRIDAY, 4PM - PANELS 3- Curious about fanfiction? Already writing and want to further polish your creative efforts? Looking to start? Fanfic 101 as the title implies covers basics such as organizing your plot, writing perspectives, different types of scenes, avoiding writers' block, a brief overview of fanfic-specific subgenres and an introduction to fanfiction-specific jargon. We also discuss in brief the legal ramifications of fanfiction and tips for publishing online. Questions and commentary are welcome!

Fanfic 201: SATURDAY, 4PM - PANELS 4- This panel focuses entirely on characters. Good guys, bad guys, comic relief, background characters, the cast of a fanfic can be a lot of work! What's a Mary Sue and why do people hate her? How can you handle developing characters and their relationships? How about developing the existing characters beyond how they were in the source material? This panel is generally meant for writers who already have some practice under their belt, but also useful for beginners looking for more specific information. Questions and commentary are welcome!

Fanfic 369: SUNDAY, 8PM - PANELS 3 - 18+ ONLY- The "How to write sex" panel. This advanced panel discusses how to write erotica in fanfiction. This includes a brief lecture and powerpoint presentation with anatomical drawings detailing sexual anatomy and response, how to apply it to realistic erotica, suggestions on how to apply it to unrealistic erotica (tentacles!), and common sexual myths. Also covered are some narrative techniques for writing erotic scenes, such as the impact of language choice, in addition to some basics about incorporating fetish material into the story. Obviously, this is not a panel for children or the easily offended, given it involves some extremely frank discussion of anatomy, sex, kinks, and the occasionally extremely immature crude joke. Questions/commentary are welcome at the end of the presentation!

Fanfic 120: MONDAY, 10AM - PANELS 4- Catch-all "Open Lab" discussion for various topics that don't quite fit into the other panels. A very informal chance to go over tidbits such as fanfic titles and summaries, linguistic oddities, how best to deal with reader feedback, and other writing-related miscellany. This panel is also a chance to go over and go more in-depth on topics from the 101 and 201 panels if there's an interest. Questions and commentary are especially welcome at this one!

We've also got our Fanfic Writing Guide (v3.1) that will be handed out to anyone who wants it at the panels, and for the adults the Adult Fanfic Guide (v2.0) will be available at Fanfic 369 as well.
#3
Still flirting with the idea of swapping out Fanfic 120 for a panel specifically on some other niche writing topic such as "How to action scene," but I'm not really sure if there's a full 1-hour panel to be had from it. Suggestions are welcome, though it'll likely be the usual 4-panel format as previous years. (Assuming we get all four approved, of course!)

So, as usual, the tentative plan for the workshops this year:
Fanfiction 101: Friday, 5pm - Panels 3 The crash course into story basics. Panel covers basics such as organizing your plot, writing perspectives, types of scenes, avoiding writers' block, a brief overview of fanfic-specific subgenres and an introduction to fanfiction-specific jargon. Also discusses in brief the legal ramifications of fanfiction and tips for publishing online. Great introduction to the subject for anyone interested in getting into fanfiction writing, with a lot of the material we cover also being applicable to creative writing in general.

Fanfiction 201: Saturday, 2pm - Panels 3 The character focus panel. An intermediate panel that covers more advanced material pertaining specifically to characters and character creation. Includes material on writing and developing existing characters, creating antagonists, creating original characters, and how characters interact. Also explains the basics of what "Mary Sue" is, along with recommendations to avoid falling into that trap. Generally meant for writers who already have some practice under their belt, but also useful for beginners looking for more specific information.

Fanfiction 369 (18+): Sunday, 9pm - Panels 2 The "How to write sex" panel. Advanced panel discussing how to write erotica in fanfiction. Panel includes a brief lecture and powerpoint presentation with anatomical drawings detailing sexual anatomy and response, how to apply it to realistic erotica, suggestions on how to apply it to unrealistic erotica (tentacles!), and common sexual myths. Also covered are some narrative techniques for writing erotic scenes, such as the impact of language choice, in addition to some basics about incorporating fetish material into the story. Obviously, this is not a panel for children or the easily offended, given it involves some extremely frank discussion of anatomy, sex, kinks, and the occasionally extremely immature crude joke.

Fanfiction 120: Monday, 10am - Panels 3 Catch-all "Open Lab" discussion for various topics that don't quite fit into the other panels. Possible topics include titles and summary-writing, reviewing and reacting to reviews, and use of foreign language in fanfic. In addition, more specific information on writing certain scene types such as action sequences can be covered if there's an interest. Also open to questions and further discussion on topics from the 101 and 201 panels. More relaxed than the 101 or 201 panels, with more room for just bouncing story ideas around.

Once submissions open, we'll keep folks posted on the acceptance status/panels times. As always, recommendations and feedback are most welcome.
#4
Coming up on that time of year again, One and I need to start thrashing out our panel plans for the fanfiction writing workshop. I don't predict too much deviation from last year, though I am thinking of making the suggestion that we request a 2-hour slot for the 18+ Fanfiction 369 panel. Fanfic 101, 201, and 120 we have pretty well ironed out so we don't run into too much time limit woes, but due to the nature of the content and lots of questions from the audience, 369 seems to consistently run short on time.

So, as usual, the tentative plan for the workshops this year:
Fanfiction 101: Friday, 5pm The crash course into story basics. Panel covers basics such as organizing your plot, writing perspectives, types of scenes, avoiding writers' block, and an introduction to fanfiction-specific jargon. Also discusses in brief the legal ramifications of fanfiction and tips for publishing online. Great introduction to the subject for anyone interested in getting into fanfiction writing, with a lot of the material we cover also being applicable to creative writing in general.

Fanfiction 201: Saturday, 1pm The character focus panel. Covers more advanced material pertaining specifically to characters and character creation. Includes material on writing and developing existing characters, creating antagonists, creating original characters, and how characters interact. Also explains the basics of what "Mary Sue" is, along with recommendations to avoid falling into that trap. Generally meant for writers who already have some practice under their belt, but also useful for beginners looking for more specific information.

Fanfiction 369 (18+): Sunday, 9pm The "How to write sex" panel. Advanced panel discussing how to write erotica in fanfiction. Panel includes a brief lecture and powerpoint presentation with anatomical drawings detailing sexual anatomy and response, how to apply it to realistic erotica, suggestions on how to apply it to unrealistic erotica (tentacles!), and common sexual myths. Also covered are some narrative techniques for writing erotic scenes, such as the impact of language choice, in addition to some basics about incorporating fetish material into the story. Obviously, this is not a panel for children or the easily offended, given it involves some extremely frank discussion of anatomy, sex, kinks, and so on.

Fanfiction 120: Monday, 11am Catch-all "Open Lab" discussion for various topics that don't quite fit into the other panels. Possible topics include titles and summary-writing, reviewing and reacting to reviews, and use of foreign language in fanfic. In addition, more specific information on writing certain scene types such as action sequences can be covered if there's an interest. Also open to questions and further discussion on topics from the 101 and 201 panels. More relaxed than the 101 or 201 panels, with more room for just bouncing story ideas around.

Once submissions open, we'll keep folks posted on the acceptance status/panels times. As always, recommendations and feedback are most welcome.
#5
That time of year again, One and I have put in our submissions for our fanfiction writing workshops. If last year is any indication, we'll get all four again this year, though as always, specifics are subject to change.

Fanfiction 101: Friday, 3-4 PM, panels 4 The crash course into story basics. Panel covers basics such as organizing your plot, writing perspectives, types of scenes, avoiding writers' block, and an introduction to fanfiction-specific jargon. Also discusses in brief the legal ramifications of fanfiction and tips for publishing online.

Fanfiction 201: Saturday, 12-1 PM, panels 4 The character focus panel. Covers more advanced material pertaining specifically to characters and character creation. Includes material on writing and developing existing characters, creating antagonists, creating original characters, and how characters interact. Also explains the basics of what "Mary Sue" is, along with recommendations to avoid falling into that trap.

Fanfiction 369 (18+): Sunday, 10-11 PM, panels 4 The "How to write sex" panel. Advanced panel discussing how to write erotica in fanfiction. Panel includes a brief lecture and powerpoint presentation with anatomical drawings detailing sexual anatomy and response, how to apply it to realistic erotica, suggestions on how to apply it to unrealistic erotica (tentacles!), and common sexual myths. Also discusses the use of fetishes and the impact of word choice in erotic stories.

Fanfiction 120: Monday, 10-11 AM, panels 4 Catch-all "Open Lab" discussion for various topics that don't quite fit into the other panels. Possible topics include titles and summary-writing, reviewing and reacting to reviews, and use of foreign language in fanfic. Also open to questions and further discussion on topics from the 101 and 201 panels. This year, I may also use the open lab as a testbed for new material being developed for a potential 2016 "Fanfiction 150: Action Scenes" panel.

Layout for the 101, 201, and 120 panels is part lecture, part back-and-forth Q&A. While One and I have a set list of material to go over for each panel, attendees are welcome to ask questions, and if there's sufficient interest in a specific sub-topic, we're perfectly comfortable adjusting our lecture on the fly to accommodate. Schedules permitting, one or both of us will usually be available to hang out and chat further after the panels are over.

The 369 panel used to be in the same fashion, but due to the sheer volume of questions last year resulting in most of the panel being the sex discussion and less about the writing, One is adjusting the format somewhat; questions will be taken at the end of the panel, rather than in the middle of it. The idea is to get through the anatomy AND the writing sections within the time allotted by Fanime, and the 369 panel does tend to be a bit more of a formal lecture on the subject than the more open back-and-forth of the other panels.

Will update the thread once we've got more info on if/where/when we'll be scheduled!
As always, suggestions ahead of time are welcome. :)
#6
Probably should have asked this sooner, but what's the seating capacity looking like for the panel rooms this year? (Or at least an estimate?) One of the panels I help with (Fanfic 369) was basically packed to capacity last year, and we're expecting a pretty big turnout again this year, only now we've got handouts with additional material for the panel attendees, but our print count right now is a total shot in the dark. If we have even a vague idea of how many people we can expect at max, that'd help a lot.

Thanks!  :)
#7
So, I will have to update the post with panel times later once I can double check with One, but apparently all four of our fanfic workshop panels that we submitted last week have been approved already. We are ready to rock 'n roll!

Fanfiction 101: Friday - Panels 4 - 4pm The crash course into story basics. Cooking up your plot, setting it in motion, perspective writing, action scenes, crossovers, alternate universe, and so on. Also includes common fanfiction jargon and other basic foundation material for creative writing as it applies to fanfic.

Fanfiction 201: Saturday - Panels 4 - 1pm The character focus panel. Whether it's how to develop existing characters, or create new ones, design new villains, or just how to avoid making a Mary Sue, this panel focuses entirely on characters. Somewhat more advanced material focusing on character design and development for a story.

Fanfiction 369 (18+): Sunday - Panels 2 - 10pm The "How to write sex" panel. Adults-only panel focusing on erotic content in fanfiction writing. Advanced panel that includes a brief discussion of sexual anatomy and function (including fictional anatomy such as tentacles,) and how to apply it when writing erotic fanfiction. Includes a new "Quickie Guide" booklet similar to the regular workshop writing guide.

Fanfiction 120: Monday - Panels 4 - 12pm NEW! Fanfic "Open Lab" panel for further discussion of fanfic topics, as well as subjects relating to fanfiction that don't necessarily fit in elsewhere. Possible topics include writing/responding to reviews, formatting advice, use of foreign language in fanfic, 'tagging' your content, and other occasionally controversial topics including fan-generated unofficial lore, romantic pairings, and so on.

And provided One and I manage to sit down and get it ready in time, we'll have an updated Version 3.0 of our Fanfic Reference Guide booklet with expanded/new material. Version 3.0 of the Writing Guide is ready and will be available at the panels! Folks are welcome and encouraged to bring their ideas, questions, and even stories to brainstorm over; the panels are always at their best when it's not just One and I up front talking the entire time; audience participation is most definitely welcome!

So... I think that should about cover everything for the moment. Suggestions for the panels/packet are always welcome, too! :)

POST-FANIME UPDATE: Feedback time, and posted my initial after-action musings on how it went!
#8
Obviously, with panel reg not up yet, we're not confirmed, but my sister One and I are aiming to run three fanfic workshops again this year. For 2012, these were Fanfic 101 (the basics), Fanfic 201 (characters, OCs, Mary Sues, villains), and the 18+ only Fanfic 369 ('how do I sex scene?') We're probably going to run the same formula this year, though as always suggestions for material are welcome.

Not sure at this point whether or not we're going to have a third revision of our Fanfic Writing Guide packet. There's some stuff we'd like to expand on for it, especially on the subjects of handling canon characters in fanfic, AU fanfiction and crossovers. If we need to print more packets, then we'll probably revise it. If we've still got enough from the 2012 print run, we'll probably just use those again.

We will definitely be aiming to do the adult fanfiction panel again, though after our experiences last year, the panel description will probably have to include "Now with more tentacles!" ;)

SCHEDULED!
Fanfiction 101: Friday 7PM - 8PM (Panels 4)
Fanfiction 201: Saturday 1PM - 2PM (Panels 4)
Fanfiction 369 (18+ only):  Sunday 9PM - 10PM (Panels 1)

Looking forward to Fanime! :D

EDIT- POST-FANIME UPDATE - 5/27
Wow, had a blast with all three panels this year! If anybody has some additional feedback to share, floor's open!
#9
My sister One and I are coming back, and this year we have timeslots for our panels (we've got three of them this year!) that aren't at dark o'thirty in the morning! :D Taking into consideration what we learned from running the workshop at Fanime last year, we've changed things up a bit and added some new material. Also, we've split the material from last year into two separate panels, and One will be running an all-new third panel for the grown-ups.

Fanfiction 101: Story Building - Friday, May 25th at 9pm in Panels 1
The crash-course in How To Write Fanfic. This panel covers the basics of creative writing for fanfiction: how to develop a story idea, how to build up a world the story is set in, various narrative perspectives, ways to avoid or overcome writers' block, advice for specific types of scenes such as action or (non-sexual) romance, a discussion of the unique challenges of crossover or alternate-universe fanfiction, and recommendations for publishing your work online. The panel format is partly lecture, and partly back-and-forth discussion with the audience. Feel free to bring samples of your work, ideas, or just questions you want to ask. The panel is more fun for everybody when it's more than just One and I talking at everyone the entire time! :)

Fanfiction 201: Characters - Saturday, May 26th at 12pm in Panels 2
This one deals with more advanced issues regarding characters in fanfiction. The panel will cover subjects such as writing and developing canon characters further, creating and developing new original characters, cooking up villains or antagonists, and how to avoid cliches or creating "Mary Sue" type characters. As with the 101 panel, bring your ideas and questions; if past experience is any indication, the material about characters is where a lot of people have questions!

Fanfiction 369: Visualizing Sex 18+ ONLY - Sunday night/Monday morning May 28th at 1am in Panels 3
Sorry but you are not allowed to view spoiler contents.


We'll also be providing an updated version of the "Fanfiction Writers' Quick Reference Guide" we handed out at our panel last year that includes expanded information about Mary Sue characters as well as new sections with information for crossover and alternate-universe story writing.

If anyone has some requests or questions about the panels, now would be a good time to ask 'em! ;)
#10
So my sister One and I had our fanfic panel Sunday night/Monday morning, and I felt it went really well. It was certainly the largest panel we've done (granted, we'd done the panel at local and much smaller conventions prior, so going from a con with 1000-1500 attendees to one with 15,000 or more, it was bound to happen. ;) ) and I feel it was our best yet; a lot of the people attending were actually participating and chiming in, there was some really good dialogue going. We got a lot of comments from people after the panel that it was helpful and informative, but those comments were also made between 2 and 3am.

I was worried about the timeslot turning a lot of people off and the lack of a printed schedule would mean people wouldn't even know it was there; however thanks to lugging that big You-fic banner with the panel info on it around the con for 2 days we had about 30-40 people by staff's count.

Any suggestions for ways we can improve the workshop for 2012? Things we already know:
-Break the panel up into 2 or 3 1-hour sessions so we can get at least one in a timeslot that isn't dark o'thirty in the morning. Thanks to those of you who made it, I know I would have been in bed unconscious that late if I wasn't helping run the thing!
-Don't get sick in the week before the convention; even with microphones, a functional voice is useful!

For 2012, we're planning to break the workshop into two 1-hour sessions, and adding a third, 18+ panel specifically addressing "adult" fanfic. Which panel breakdown would folks prefer?

-Fanfic Workshop: Characters and Worldbuilding
-Fanfic Workshop: Styles, Scenes, and Technical stuff
-Fanfic Workshop: Sex, Violence, and the Science of Squick (18+)

or:

-Beginner Fanfic Workshop
-Advanced Fanfic Workshop
-Fanfic Workshop: Sex, Violence, and the Science of Squick (18+)

Personally I'm in favor of splitting the material up by topic rather than beginner/advanced; it's easier for us and probably more intuitive for people interested in attending to select which panels to attend.

Anyhow, comments and suggestions are certainly welcome!
#11
General Convention Discussion / Fanime's nightlife?
April 06, 2011, 10:51:28 PM
Slightly odd question perhaps, but one I could really use an answer to, since nothing in my experience with Anime Expo seems really applicable.

In short: What's the nightlife at Fanime like?

In longer: My sister and I may tentatively have a workshop/panel from 12am-2am Sunday morning, do many people actually go to panels or workshops that late? I didn't even know Fanime runs anything that late aside from typical nighttime events like the dances or your big ticket evening events like AMV contests or Masquerade; AX in my experience stops most convention events aside from the aforementioned typical nighttime events overnight, with panels running from like 10am-10pm or so.

We're trying to figure out what sort of turnout we might expect with a late evening time slot, and any feedback would be a big help!
#12
So my sister One Amahira and I are finally looking to take our fanfic workshop panel out of the SoCal area. Assuming our panel gets approved, Fanime will be both our largest convention to date as well as furthest from home. (Our prior conventions have been MikomiCon for several years, and PMX in 2010. We're on for Anime Conji in San Diego this month, and pending approval for Ani-Jam in Fresno in August.)

The two of us got started doing a fanfic workshop at MikomiCon after being repeatedly disappointed by fanfiction panels at Anime Expo: the panels we attended generally would take it completely for granted that everyone in attendance would already know all the basics, and offered very little useful advice for fanauthors looking to improve on their work.

We've already got a general outline for our panel's content: things like tips to avoid the "Mary Sue" cliché, ways to overcome writers' block, advice for publishing work online, and a lot of general creative writing advice ranging from characterization of good guys, creating convincing antagonists, and world-building. The legal issues with fanfiction, some of the various jargon associated with it, and other such topics also get some discussion. At prior conventions we've had it in the program and stuff that people are welcome and encouraged to bring samples of their own work to discuss, though thus far only a couple have been brave enough (or remembered to bring their stuff!) We don't bite, promise!  :D

Depending on the panel slot(s?) we might get, the panel may be run as a 2-hour single panel covering the entire range of topics, or possibly a 2-hour beginner/intermediate panel and a 1-hour advanced panel. Or heck, a series of 1 hour panels for beginner/intermediate/advanced respectively.

What I'm curious about is how many people would be interested in attending? What sort of fanfiction related stuff would you like to see addressed at the panel?