Journey fics, thoughts?

[Beth Pavell]

Ok, so I've been writing for a long time now (Going to TRY and be a published author one day) but I've never dabbled in fan-fic before. I'd like to write a journey fic, as I believe it's called. What does everyone think of these? What makes them good? What makes them bad? What kinds of things do you expect to see in them?

Thanks in advance,

Tullio

 

[Andyman]

My fanfic is somewhat of a "journey" fanfic, so I can offer you a few pointers:
1. Have a plot. Your protagonist's goal should NOT be "I wanna be the very best liek no1 eva was" - you should have a lot more than that.
2. Have at least 3 protagonist characters and focus a lot on their relationships with each other - if the characters are boring, nobody's going to care about them.
3. Be original. Create original episodes that captivate your viewers and have an engaging plot, as said before.

I, too, have been writing for ages and enjoy it - my fanfic is my biggest project of all time. In something like this, I expect to see originality. If you're only comfortable using an established region, go with it. I preferred to do something wholly original - but you're the writer here. It's up to you.

 

[Every Breaking Wave]

Skim over some other journey fics and see what they all have in common. Then do your best to diverge in a different direction. So many elements of journey fics are the same that it becomes repetitive; doing something different, making it an atypical journey fic, will boost interest and probably make it better.

 

[Legacy]

My fanfic is somewhat of a "journey" fanfic, so I can offer you a few pointers:
1. Have a plot. Your protagonist's goal should NOT be "I wanna be the very best liek no1 eva was" - you should have a lot more than that.
2. Have at least 3 protagonist characters and focus a lot on their relationships with each other - if the characters are boring, nobody's going to care about them.

3. Be original. Create original episodes that captivate your viewers and have an engaging plot, as said before.

I, too, have been writing for ages and enjoy it - my fanfic is my biggest project of all time. In something like this, I expect to see originality. If you're only comfortable using an established region, go with it. I preferred to do something wholly original - but you're the writer here. It's up to you.

This.

The biggest thing is just to be creative. Think outside the typical 'X' wakes on his/her tenth birthday and begind his/her Pokemon journey.

And totally agree, have at least a couple distinct sidekick characters whom you spend time developing them and their relationship with your star.

Details, details, details. Describing even tiny details of the characters will help in getting the audience to identify and care about these characters.

 

[nya_chan]

Don't recreate the games or the anime. That's the biggest no-no if you want to be original. It needs some kind of plot twist, and by that I don't mean "Oh no, the evil Team Whogivesacrap is going to take over the world!" That's not to say that evil teams are bad, but calling them Team Whatever is pretty cliché in the Pokémon fandom, and taking over the world is just cliché in general.

Also, you could examine some aspect of the Pokémon world that doesn't make a whole lot of sense and try to explain it... or even just poke fun at it. It doesn't have to mean that it's the main focus of your plot, but it fits in with the "details, details, details" that Legacy mentioned.

Actually, I'd like to see a journey fic that doesn't revolve around collecting badges. (This would only apply if your definition of journey fic is a story based on travelling, not a story based on badge collecting.) I've only seen it done a few times, and it was a refreshing change.

To add layers, you could also have different perspectives/simultaneous storylines. Meaning the main storyline would be your main group characters journeying and whatnot, and the second storyline would be... well, something else that would overlap with the main storyline. I know that was terribly vague, but I can't think of an example at the moment.

And as a general note, though this has already been said, don't start with someone waking up. It's even worse if they're waking up on their tenth birthday, and it's worse yet if the beep of an alarm clock is what signals the start of the story. X.x; You might have an amazing plotline planned out, but some people might turn away if they see an opening that's just like every other Pokémon fan-fic on the net.

 

[Andyman]

The badges in my fanfic are sort of a mainstay to add something interesting. They really aren't needed - I just wanted to develop some gym leaders, too. That's not the focus of mine at all.

Mine is an anime REPLACEMENT - something that's far better than what they produce. Since I have a plot and everything, though it does start with her waking up... with a couple of metaphors and a dream. You can start with a wake-up if you try to make it original.

All of those are good points, but remember - you can take old ideas and make them fresh.

 

[OneWingedMuse]

Ok, so I've been writing for a long time now (Going to TRY and be a published author one day) but I've never dabbled in fan-fic before. I'd like to write a journey fic, as I believe it's called. What does everyone think of these? What makes them good? What makes them bad? What kinds of things do you expect to see in them?

Thanks in advance,

Tullio

There are just so many pokemon OC journey fictions out there right now. You've got a real task on your hands to stand out. I mean, everyone and their brother is writing these stories. I don't understand why they are so popular as most of them are just not written very well or with any true heart to them. They are written almost selfishly, and I think this is because we love to self insert ourselves into our favorite fandoms. But you've come into this with a different heart. As a writer who really hopes to get published in the future. So I'll give you some advice that I've picked up over the years both online and off.

Okay first off, toss the idea of it being a fanfic aside. Sticking with the "pokemon journey fanfic" will give you misconceptions on how to write a good story. Because I'm assuming you are writing an original character (OC) story, it's best to think of this as an original story (just don't go publishing it).

Pokemon started off as its own idea. It's own original story. It had a simple but fairly well structured journey plot to its credit. Though many people would argue with me on that point. If you cut off the story at the end of Ash's Indigo League trials, you have a long but accomplished epic at hand.

I'll recommend that you read some "hero's journey" novels. Not journey "fics". Go read Gilgamesh. Go read the Odyssey and the Aeneid. Those are the big bad bosses of journey fiction. And there's a reason the Aeneid is my favorite epic ever. It's just a really fantastical but rewarding tale of a journey.

And if these titles scare you, read the entire Harry Potter series. First to Last. All those books combined are a fantastic example of a hero's journey.

If you want to be a published author, start treating your fanfiction as potential published material. Now it is copyright so you can't just go changing names of the creatures and expecting editors or agents (or even future readers) not to catch on. But if you write well researched stories, such practice can really help you with your future work.

This doesn't mean you should put writing on hold until you get your research done. Just keep in mind that a good writer is also well accomplished reader. You can't write and not have read anything. It just doesn't work. You come off inexperienced and sometimes you won't get information right. Like trying to write a hospital scene without knowing how a hospital works. Or trying to write about a greek temple but not know who your protagonist would run into in the temple, or even what it might look like inside.

I don't write journey "OC" fanfictions (though it could be argued that my pokemon fanfics are in a sense, journey fics). However I do write the "the hero's journey" stories in my original work. It's my absolute favorite type of story archetype.

"A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man."

Joseph Campbell is really the god of journey fics. I seriously recommend that you also read The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I have not seriously delved into the book as of yet. Only borrowed it from my cousin on a few occasions. But it really is an amazing book for someone who wants to write the hero's journey.

What he is referring to in this infamous quote is really a summary of everything you need to know about journey stories.

The hero, would be your protagonist. This doesn't mean he has to be a "hero" hero. Our conception of the world hero is typically swoop-in-and-save-the-day. But it can also just refer to a character that faces dangers or obstacles that stand in their way. And how he or she faces these challenges will determine what they who they will be by the end of the story.

The point of stepping into a supernatural world out from the commonplace one doesn't mean you have to make your character jump through a wardrobe and into Narnia (yet another good journey story). It can be as simple as leaving their hometown, as Ash had in the start of the series. It's leaving a place of normalcy and entering the great unknown.

The fabulous forces won't be the dynamic duo of Clinton and Stacy come to tell you that your wardrobe is terrible! Unless your story is totally awesome! Kidding. But no, it will likely be a series of challenges that your character has to overcome. Ash had to overcome gym battles. He also had to face off with the meddling interferences of Team Rocket. So one thing you have to think of is if that's Ash's challenges- how can my story divert from that? What can my story add to the idea of pokemon that hasn't been done already?

And at the end, a victory is won. Which could be the case, or rather a conclusion is made. It could be a victory. In Ash's case, it was a loss. That's another thing to consider. Does your character achieve his dreams? Does he fall short? Or does he meet a compromise in the middle?

Then the hero returns with boon in hand. This usually is more a self-knowledge, or self awareness than an gift. More often than not, the character who returns is not the same character who's left. Look at Frodo from Lord of the Rings. Though Bag End is virtually the same as when he left, Frodo himself is a completely different person from when he started out. So much so that Bag End can't remain a home for him very long- and he leaves for Valinor at the end of the book.

Those are the guidelines to a good journey fic. Does that mean that you have to follow them exactly so? Heavens no. Harry Potter went on a journey, but never truly returned to the cupboard under the stairs, where we first find him in the beginning of his story. At least not that we see.

Ash didn't win a victory so to speak. Though he did learn a valuable lesson in defeat, which was actually more important, I think, than having him easily take the title.

Aeneas, the hero of the Aeneid, never returns to his home in Troy. And in instead in search of a new homeland for his people.

There are different ways to create a journey story. And although many have been explored, there are still many more left. Watch Star Wars over too. There's one of the best journey stories ever created in a visual medium.

What makes these stories bad or good? The bad ones are cliche, cheap, and made only to satisfy the author and his or her group of friends. The good ones work for a broader audience, have a clear direction, goal, and conclusion in mind.

You have to think about what you want to tell. What you want to say. And what you want to add. Really make your story stand out. Find a really strong protagonist. Create some fantastical obstacles. And make his or her goal worth all of us sticking around to see them obtain it.

I wish you luck in your journey fic writing. And even though I don't typically review journey fics, if you'd like a reviewer- just pop me a PM. I'd love to help a fellow future author out. Maybe you can give me some pointers too!

 

[Aladar]

A Hero With A Thousand Faces? Two words: Luke Skywalker. Eragon, Luke's expy, as well.

Now ontopic, I myself am currently writing a journey fic- truth to tell, I did use the usual beginning with an average amount of alternations but onwards... writers have a card blanche between gyms. You should just come up with fun and original plots and characters. And don't rush captures or gyms or contests... and don't stretch them out too much for that matter.

 

[OneWingedMuse]

A Hero With A Thousand Faces? Two words: Luke Skywalker.

Yup. Luke Skywalker fits the bill to a T.

So does Eragon but I didn't like that book all that much. I think it was a bit to bland for my taste. The characters fell flat for me. But the world building was excellent.

 

[Gama]

I haven't read all of the other posts in this thread, so I apologise if I am just repeating things that have already been said, but one thing I hate about journey fics is unoriginality.

I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite in that my fic, which is a journey fic is about Blue's side of the story in RBYFRLG, so it could hardly get less original. However, if you're creating your own region, try and mix things up a bit and if you're not, still mix things up a bit! You don't have to go through all the same things as all the other characters have so far! Also, have a quick scan of what journeyfics already exist on this forum and ask yourself if your idea is distinct enough from each of them to justify being written.

 

[Beth Pavell]

First of all, thanks to everyone for thier comments, they're very informative. You never quite know how a community will act to different ideas, so it's good to hear some of them before I put pen to paper!

OneWingedMuse, thanks in particular for that meticulous post. I've read a stupid amount over the years, so I'm quite familiar with some of the stories you outlined. You seem like a guy who's thought quite a lot about how stories are put together, and I mean that as a compliment.

I have a few ideas already for this , I know I want it to be set in Johto, and I do want the protagonist to be somewhat older than the usual 10 year old Trainer. Probably in his later teens, just when people often have to grow up a lot, fast. I highly doubt I'll put any original characters in (Unless you count the Joy clan or Gym Leaders etc as such), mostly because I don't really want to re-invent something.

Going to scribble down some ideas now, I think, thanks once more for your input!

Tullio

 

[LightningTopaz]

Journey fics can either be really really good, really really bad, or really really average, depending on what you do with the idea.

While everyone else took the words out of my mouth, I will offer an idea I attempted when I tried to write a journey fic--making the badges be the power source to another artifact. In my case, the badges gave a magical coin its power.

 

[Sarcastically Insane]

In the one journey fic I started (and dropped off, unfortunately), I drew a lot on PokeSpe for inspiration. I didn't rip off plots, but some of their ideas fueled my own- Crys, for example, dies in mine. Look around and read some other journey (and non-journey) fics for inspiration. Like I said, ripping off ideas=bad, but when you think of something good and original that came from something else it's a good feeling (Slowpoke nearly killing my main char, for example, originated from Legacy's hospital scene, which I also used as a base for my own hospital scene.).

 

[OneWingedMuse]

OneWingedMuse, thanks in particular for that meticulous post. I've read a stupid amount over the years, so I'm quite familiar with some of the stories you outlined. You seem like a guy who's thought quite a lot about how stories are put together, and I mean that as a compliment.

I've had to. I wanted to get published too.

another thing you could try with your original work, not so much fanfics, is to try to go to a writer's workshop in your community. I found that in workshops I got the most feedback and improved the most because of them.

just a thought.

and an older trainer is already a different sort of take on the story. but just make sure you can really contribute to the idea. like everyone else has said. it's a very popular section.