Fan Fiction Spotlight - February 2017
Posted February 23rd, 2017 at 01:29 PM by HS Codex
Fan Fiction Spotlight
The Fan Fic Competition
By: The Grim Reaper’s Friend
Greetings to the readers of the Codex! February has been a slow month for us, so because it’s taking longer than anticipated to get fully off the ground, I decided to pitch in where I could, and write my own article.
But what to write on? I don’t exactly have a large presence on Heroscapers. I could write about the inner workings of the Codex ... but no, I put everything worth saying on Facebook already (shameless promotion: check). I could write about playing CoN, and tell the readers the secrets to failing spectacularly in the gameplay ... somehow I doubt that would work.
Or I could write about fan fiction. Fan fiction is where, after floating aimlessly in the “general discussions” forum for a year or two, I finally landed, and it is there that I’ve stayed. For the most part. Obviously I work on the Codex, and I venture out to play the occasional CoN game, but the Fan Fiction forum is still very much my home.
But is Fan Fiction something that will interest you, the readers? I can’t say. The answer will come down to what you think. Will you like what you see? Will it be the worst article you’ve ever seen? Will it be what inspires you to the lofty heights of success? Only you can tell. So on that note, I’ll get on with the article and let you decide.
There isn’t much action in the Fan Fiction forum, and honestly there hasn’t been in a very long time. It seems that creative writing about the obscure storyline of a discontinued game is a limited niche for some reason. In the past, however, there were plenty of stories being written and read.
I’ve decided to create this series of articles to bring those stories to your attention. I feel they are well worth a read, as they are a window back to a time when HeroScape was alive and well. Don’t let HeroScape die. Read the stories that brought its characters to life, walk the halls of Valhalla once more, and delve into the shadowy lore of the game we all love. Or just read a zombie story. It’s all there.
It’s been brought to my attention that “fan fiction” is something of a demeaning term, usually carrying with it expectations of low quality writing or nerdy babble. I want to say right now that this is not the case with the Fan Fiction forum. I do not exaggerate when I say that the writing I have seen in that forum is novel caliber. Not all of it, certainly. But a good chunk of it definitely is, and the rest shows great potential.
In future articles, I’ll feature individual fiction, and maybe interview some readers about them. But for this first article, I wanted to give you a broad taste of the kind of writing that you can find. And there is no better place to do that than the Fan Fic Competition.
To sum it up briefly, the Fan Fic Competition features a prompt, given out by a judge. Writers then write and submit an entry matching that prompt. At the deadline, the judge evaluates all of the entries, and proclaims a winner. The winner becomes the new judge, issues the next prompt, and the process repeats. There are various rules and clarifications which keep the competition running, but that’s the basic premise of it.
So why am I showing you this competition? Because I think it’s the best way for you to dive in and get a sense for the quality of writing that awaits you. Believe me, the majority of it is good stuff. Leave a post; I’m sure those present can direct you to exceptional entries.
And if you just want to browse, then give the Fan Fic Contest Archive a look. It chronicles all of the entries from the start of the competition through the end of 2015. There’s a lot of good stuff in there you don’t want to miss.
If you are interested in joining, you might be turned off by the fact that you’ll be going up against the “professionals.” You won’t be, believe me. Yes, there is a small knot of writers who have been there for a long time, and yes, some of them will likely compete. But don’t worry. We’re not published authors or anything. These aren’t novels we’re churning out. There’s nothing to win or lose. We’re all in the same boat here. And besides, as unlikely as it may seem, a new person entering the contest has only lost his first challenge ... ONCE. I kid you not. One time. So if you are new and join, fate is on your side!
So come and check the Fan Fic Competition out. Browse the forum. Read the epic tales of Valhalla you’ve never heard. Even if you don’t want to write for the competition, there is plenty to read, and reading never hurt anyone. Who knows? You might ignite a previously unknown fire for literature!
See you there.
Comments 3
Total Comments 3
Comments
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This is the first of a new series of articles styled after ES's 'Fan Art Spotlight'. Be sure to leave a rating in the top right corner to let us know what you think.
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Posted February 23rd, 2017 at 01:31 PM by HS Codex
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Good article. I know there's not a ton of writers around here, but if you're more of a reader there's no shortage of great fictions in the Index to sift through. Just because some stories were written awhile ago doesn't mean they're any less of a great read.
~TAF |
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Posted February 24th, 2017 at 04:09 AM by TheAverageFan
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Nice article TGRF.
Lots of great stories in the Fan Fic Competition. |
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Posted February 24th, 2017 at 09:39 AM by Tornado
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