Novelization-style fanfic for video games, personal experiences, and meta-as-fiction

Last week I posted a placeholder for this. Now I finally have some time. ;)

I've been thinking about the kinds of video game fanfic I most want to write (and read) versus the kind of fanfic I find easiest to write.

Easiest to write: fanfic that diverges from canon, or is mostly divorced from canon, or doesn't really rely on canon at all. "What if" fic, AU, or fic that borrows the canonical characters and/or setting purely for my own purposes to tell whatever story I wish. (Most of the prompt fic I write falls into this category).

Most want to write: fanfic that is Quite Tightly Aligned with canon, but rather than just existing a straight-forward retelling (novelization) of the canon, the story contributes additional layers of meta-analysis and depth to the canon, serving as a dialogue with the canon itself. (For each video game that has inspired me to write fanfic, THIS category of fic is always what I draft first and think about the most, but isn't necessarily what I finish first.).

( Read more... )