McCurdy Fever

McCurdy Fever

D.C. Miles

Long, long, ago…in a studio ‘not that far away,’ a funny blonde with a biting wit and mismatched socks brought to life a bacon-loving, insult-hurling alter ego.

Five years, 100 episodes, and over a million followers later…a new breed of fan was born.

They come from every corner of the world and every walk of life. They are every age, every race, and every gender. Individually you might not notice them; they are the girls and boys next door, the men and women you pass without notice. But collectively they are loud, passionate, and impossible to ignore.  Their numbers are in the millions and their razor sharp focus is centered on one person – The Nerd Queen, iCarly star Jennette McCurdy.

To call them fans would be an understatement. They don’t just watch her show – they can recite whole episodes. They don’t just buy her albums – they listen to them, promote them, belt out the lyrics and encourage everyone they know to do the same. They don’t just follow her career – they support it with seemingly never ending energy. They are not spectators; they are an active community, with an online presence nearly two million strong, and they’ve made it their business to make Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy a household name. It’s a mouthful, we know…but if you like, you can call her Jennette.

Impressed? You should be. Wondering who they are? Well, let me introduce them. They’re not just fans – they’re superfans…but they call themselves McCurdians. And if they have their way, by the end of this article you’ll be counting yourself among their number.

In 2007, iCarly hit the Nickelodeon airwaves and viewers were treated to their first glimpse of McCurdy’s character – Sam Puckett. With an inordinate love of food, a chip the size of Texas on her shoulder and a back story that made you alternately laugh and cry, Sam Puckett was not the cookie cutter sitcom heroine.  But week after week Jennette McCurdy’s pitch perfect comedic timing and sizable acting chops drew viewers in, first to see what she’d do next but later, because she’d done the impossible – made the world fall in love with a blonde headed demon and the actress who brought her to life.

Now in its fifth season, iCarly is still going strong and the show’s success is due in some part to the millions of McCurdians who continue to find new ways to support it and the actress at the helm of their tribe.

Recently we were able to catch up and chat with Brian Kimskey, owner and creator of McCurdian.com and, arguably one of the loudest voices at the front of the McCurdy pack.

YWW: Some would call you the official unofficial president of the McCurdy fanclub--how do you feel about that?

Brian Kimskey: I am a fan like everyone else. Every fan of Jennette wants to help her proactively.  Unfortunately many of them cannot because they do not have access to resources.  I am blessed to have the resources to be able to do that.  I’m no better fan than the next McCurdian; I never considered myself a head. But it is amazing and humbling to be in the center of all the activities that go on.

YWW: How did you come to be a part of the Jennette McCurdy fanbase? Were you a fan of the show first or Jennette first?

Brian Kimskey: I became a fan of Jennette through iCarly.  It was the food fight episode [iCook] and I remember thinking to myself, “boy, that blonde girl’s got some talent.” Like most people in this fanbase, you begin to research her a bit and realize her off-screen personality is inspiring.  People like Jennette are rare in the entertainment industry.

YWW: They call you McCurdians. How did that come about? Was it self-titled?

Brian Kimskey: When I jumped on the Jennette Fan Band Wagon, there were many different names like Jennetters.  I started the website McCurdian.com with that name because I thought it sounded nice and it was obviously Jennette McCurdy.  Never did I realize that this term would soon be used in blogs and magazines. It has become the official title for Jennette Fans now.  

YWW: What does it mean to be a McCurdian?

Brian Kimskey: McCurdians is made up of people of all sorts.  We are doctors, lawyers, actors, singers, business owners, college students, as well as children and their parents.  We are of all kinds of race and religion from all over the world whether they be big or small, boy or girl... you name it.  We are simply united by our common love for Jennette McCurdy.  It is true that the title McCurdians has been dubbed to be more than just average Jennette Fans.  McCurdians act more like a family and a team rather than an individual fan-ship.  All this has been inspired by Jennette.  Full definition is on McCurdian.com.

YWW: How many McCurdians would you say there are out there?

Brian Kimskey: In the MILLIONS. There’s simply no way to count.  There are so many unaccounted McCurdians in the world who are inspired by Jennette but are not on the web.

YWW: Jennette is an actress and musical artist...which do you prefer?

Brian Kimskey: Oh, Good question. We love her as both but I believe most of us prefer Jennette McCurdy as an actress that we all first fell in love with.  Music is amazing because it allows us to see her in concert and to listen to her on a daily basis.  We want her to continue to do both!

YWW: Why Jennette? What is it about her that has created such a large and vocal fanbase?

Brian Kimskey: Very rarely do you come across someone like Jennette.  She has forged the path to her career with hard work and no money.  Even when she succeeded she remains untainted by fame that plagues many child stars in this business. She remains humble, compassionate, giving, and sincere which are all rare qualities in a celebrity these days.

I think that everyone has a strong genuine love for Jennette unlike most celebrities because people have been wanting something REAL.  And that is what Jennette brings: herself.  There is no fake generosity or publicity charity or spin-up news about her family.  She’s even proud of her flaws and does not hide them. She’s a hero that triumphs over fakes and busts a lot of myths.

YWW: The McCurdians have accomplished a lot and been very involved in promoting her work. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Brian Kimskey: There are so many achievements McCurdians should be proud of like breaking BOP’s record.  Jennette McCurdy had the record breaking number of votes EVER on BOP Magazine as the “Favorite TV Actress 2011.”  She is still the record holder today.

But to me, the proudest achievement is the community that McCurdians have created that is high in integrity.  It’s one thing to win a poll or an award, but it’s another thing to save a life.  Even now, many people all over the world are being bullied but come home to find refuge in the McCurdian family. I don’t believe any other fanbase has anything like this.  McCurdian FAMILY that has been created with the inspiration of Jennette is astounding. I am very proud of them for that.

YWW:  In every fanbase there are good things, and not so good things. What is the best part of the fanbase for you? The worst?

Brian Kimskey: There are many to list but I’d say the best thing about this fan-base is the team/family mentality.  Usually a fanbase is about a fan that expresses their love for a celebrity and they compete against other fans to be a “bigger fan.”  McCurdians are different.  We know we’re all on the same team and despite our differences, we stick up for each other and we stand up for Jennette McCurdy.

Like all fanbases, the worst thing is that there are fakes out there trying to label themselves McCurdians.  They engage war against others and bring lots of negativity into the mix.  Some are predators that just want to exploit Jennette Fans because they know a lot of her fans are underage.  Whatever the case, we have our fair share of certain people we have to deal with.

YWW:  There has been some discussion about Ms. McCurdy's fans and, more specifically, fans of the Seddie romantic pairing she’s a part of on the show, and their involvement in cyber bullying...what is your take on that? Was it blown out of proportion or just the work of some fans on the fringe?

Brian Kimskey: Like all fanbase, we are made up of ALL kinds of people and some of them are not so nice. And McCurdians are people like everyone else and we all make mistakes.  Nobody is perfect. But Jennette has always spoken about how much she despises bullying and trolling. McCurdians take the same stance. Though, I do encourage people to investigate the full story.  Just because someone claims to be bullied doesn’t make them the victim.  I had a case where one guy was prowling for inappropriate material and when confronted by McCurdians, he claimed to be bullied and started tweeting everyone.  I also believed the meaning of “bullying” is wrong on the internet.  Bullying doesn’t merely mean “not being nice.”

YWW: Speaking of Seddie, most people can't discuss Jennette without expressing an opinion on the Seddie/ Creddie fan war. Is there an official McCurdian stance on the issue?

Brian Kimskey: O dear... I wouldn’t say an official stance but 90% are Seddie. Vast majority are Seddie. But there are others like me who ship something else.  Like Spam, Sibby, Meddie, or Creddie.

YWW:  Can anyone be a McCurdian? How do you address the claims of some that there is a 'clique' present in the fan base?

Brian Kimskey: It is human nature to want to belong to a group.  This is not a bad thing, on the contrary, it is healthy.  Such as our Brazilian McCurdians like to talk to people that speak their language and understand their culture.  Like-minded people simply like to be with other like-minded people. The disadvantage, of course, is the possibility of an “outcast group.”  I assure you though, no McCurdian group would ever ignore another McCurdian.  The groups interact with each other on a regular basis and break off individually to interact with others.  Her 1 million twitter fans can’t possibly talk to each other all at once. 

YWW: When do you feel the line between healthy appreciation of a celebrity and their work and obsession is crossed?

Brian Kimskey: When Jennette is no longer is a role model but a real idol (not the urban meaning).  There’s a fine line between adoring and worshipping.  Though many McCurdians SAY they worship her, we don’t mean that in a literal sense of praying to her, etc.  Being a fan of Jennette and being inspired by her should help motivate you in your daily lives and not affect it in a negative way.  I believe the healthy appreciation is crossed if your adoration for Jennette makes your life less “healthy.”  Jennette herself would not condone anyone destroying their lives to be a fan. 

YWW: Tell us a little about your website. What other websites do you recommend for people who want to learn more about Jennette.

Brian Kimskey: McCurdian.com was started because I saw the need for three things.  1) Bring the fans together. 2) Provide the fans the support they need to support Jennette.  3) Provide a back-end support for Jennette McCurdy. To this day, McCurdian.com holds that value. For example, we have no self-hosted photo gallery, newsfeeds, or video galleries, etc.  It has links to other fan channels and fansites who provide a wealth of Jennette materials. This is so we can support those fans and the sites.  McCurdian.com was created to be the central place where all the fans can interact and support Jennette.

There are plenty of other sites I want to recommend but obviously I can’t list them all here.  The growing list is available on McCurdian.com.

YWW: What's on the horizon for the McCurdians? What's coming up for Jennette and how do you plan to promote/be a part of that.

Brian Kimskey: This is a big year for Jennette! There are many projects in the works and I believe more fans will come together to support her. I believe McCurdians will continue to redefine what a fan-base is and what a fan-base can do. McCurdians will continue to do things that will astonish other fanbases. For example, like the billboard project where we put up real billboards across Los Angeles to announce Jennette’s album release.  We are nearly half-funded now.

YWW:  If you had to choose 3 words to describe Jennette what would they be?

Brian Kimskey: Compassion, Sincerity, Hard Working.

YWW: If you had to choose 3 words to describe the McCurdians what would they be?

Brian Kimskey: Taken from Jennette’s own words: Loyalty, hospitality, fierceness. 

Fierce… I think I’d have to agree. It’s fitting for the McCurdians…and their queen.

For more information on Jennette McCurdy, visit:

 www.mccurdian.com

www.justjennette.com

http://jennettemccurdy.com/

Read More

Fan Fiction's Muse

Jennette McCurdy—Fan Fiction’s Muse

by: DwynArthur 

w/D.C. Miles

I write fan fiction for a kids show.

Saying that feels like standing at the front of a room and admitting a dirty secret. Dirty to everyone else, but not to me. Most people that I know are alternately shocked, curious or outright confused by why I do it. The rude ones smile, nod and then talk about it later after I've left. But the brave (and less rude) usually ask me why. What is it about a kids show that has you up at night, hammering away on your laptop. Generally, I begin my argument by saying how great fan fiction writing is as a practice exercise for my ‘real world’ writing, but in the end, I usually punctuate my argument with the same phrase: “It’s just a really good show!”

And it is…at least to me and the thousands of others like me who spend their evenings indulging in their guilty pleasure – writing and reading iCarly fan fiction.

‘There are lots of good shows out there’, people say, and they’re right. There are lots of shows. Shows with more grown up actors and with more grown up storylines. So what is it that consistently draws me and my writing colleagues, back time and time again to a kid’s show. Well, I told you before.

It’s just a really good show.

But that’s not the only reason. In today’s post my writing partner and fellow iCarly fan (and popular fan fiction writer) Dwyn Arthur has agreed to share with us a little of what makes this show such fertile soil for our writer brains.

Dwyn…take it away!

Most fans closely follow the actors they like as well as the characters they play.  But as fanfiction writers, we separate the characters from the actors.  Unlike a show’s writers, we are writing scenes that we never intend for actors to perform. 

But there are exceptions.  Jennette is one of the few actors, I think, who has a personal impact on the production of fan fiction.  iCarly is one of the smaller fanfic communities, but the authors who write iCarly are active and dedicated to the show, participating in many cases in the wider fandom along with writing their own storylines.  The iCarly fanfic stories disproportionately center upon Sam Puckett, even though she is technically a supporting character.  (By our count, 77% of the iCarly stories posted to fanfiction.net feature Sam or Sam/Freddie as the main character, compared to 16% for Carly or Carly/Freddie.)  This is a direct outgrowth of Jennette’s portrayal of Sam and her ability to make her audience fall in love with a less than sympathetic character.

Let’s add to this Dan Schneider’s decision to create a supporting character with such a rich backstory, something we’ve identified in earlier blogs as an important fanfiction prompt.  On top of that, Jennette’s other minor character, Sam’s twin sister Melanie, frequently appears in fanfics, typically as a central character, despite having appeared in just one episode in “canon.”  

Then there is the Seddie factor.  iCarly fanfiction, unlike the show, focuses less upon comedy upon character relationships, particularly romantic pairings.  For lots of us, it is about the shipping.  And we basically ship Seddie, and have done it through several seasons of Jennette and co-star Nathan Kress giving us numerous scenes where they convey unspoken romantic tension.  Seddie fanfics are an outgrowth not just of canon plot, but also the value that Jennette and Nathan have added on screen.

Just as Jennette’s acting has influenced the fanfiction output, she has also drawn vocal support from viewers who are not fanfic writers or readers.  While her fanbase is a bit smaller than that of some of her Nickelodeon/Disney peers, she still has more than a million followers on both Twitter and Facebook, and her fans are very enthusiastic, often using the internet to organize offline promotion of her work.  Sam’s domination of iCarly fan fiction is just one illustration of Jennette McCurdy’s ability to carry a show, and fans are anxiously waiting to see her play the central character in her new show.  That includes those of us who can’t wait to meet her new character and start writing away.

Dwyn Arthur is a contributing writer on the You Write What?! staff. His stories are Seddie centric and according to many female Seddie fans he writes 'the best Freddie ever'. He is a self-proclaimed 'Grammar Nazi' (no adverbs for you) and his fan fiction stories can be found at http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2920013/Dwyn_Arthur

Read More

Story Review - Truth by HourglassGluedToTheTable

Story Review: 

Truth - by HourglassGluedToTheTable

Review by: D.C. Miles

"Okay, so we have the whole summer before you go off to your big special school, right? So, we're going to play a game." Sam Puckett

And with this one simple sentence the author takes us on a roller coaster ride that has you on the edge of your seat wondering alternately if Sam and Freddie will ever be ready to trust each other…and sometimes if they even should.

The story opens with graduation over and a new world full of possibilities opening up for Freddie, Carly and to some extent Sam. While Carly leaves for college Freddie stays behind and we’re treated to Sam and Freddie interacting without Carly – something I always enjoy. Freddie is headed to school across the country and without it being stated, the author gives us a glimpse into the depth of sadness Sam feels at the prospect – and the lengths she’ll go to not to admit it. In the weeks before he leaves Sam decides it’s time for them to play a game of Truth or Dare, minus the dare.

Over the weeks before he leaves and in the months that follow they commit to a game that takes them to a place of vulnerability neither of them have experienced – at least not with each other. There are big secrets revealed, and small secrets revealed and while the author does an amazing job of drawing out the tension behind the revelations and keeping us on our toes the true beauty in the game lies in Sam and Freddie’s determination to continue pushing the lines of comfort. The questions they ask are increasingly personal and as the answers are revealed it becomes more and more difficult for them to deny what they feel for each other.

The authors shines in the moments of banter between Sam and Freddie. He’s mastered their voices and while Sam shows a vulnerability virtually non-existent on the show, at no point does she feel out of character. The Sam and Freddie of this story are the characters we love, but with depth and roundness to their personalities. They do things we don’t expect but the author builds a foundation that makes the actions not only believable but understandable.

Of course, no Seddie story would be complete without some level of angst and in ‘Truth’ the author delivers! There is insecurity, jealously and white knuckle fear. And we feel it right along with them as they navigate the highs and lows of an undefined relationship.

As an avid Seddie fan fiction reader I pride myself on having read the best of the best. Finding ‘Truth’ was a surprise – albeit a very pleasant one. This story drew me in, kept me interested and delivered an ending that while a bit predictable was no less fulfilling.

Seddie fans would do well to check it out.

But don’t just take my word for it! Here’s what one YWW?! reader had to say about ‘Truth’:

This is one of those stories I read where I got mad if someone interrupted me. I just wanted to keep reading. It seemed to all happen so fast though, I was sad when I saw that I was on the last chapter. To be honest, if I had been scrolling through the lists of fan fiction stories, I probably would not have picked this one. this is one of the reasons your parents told you not to judge a book by its cover! I honestly would say this story would go in my top ten favorites. All the questions Sam and Freddie would ask each other got me thinking "if someone asked me those questions, how would I respond?" It made me think about myself more than any other story in fan fiction has. It sounds cheesy, but it really did. It also made me look at both Sam and Freddie in a way I had never really thought of in fan fiction before. I usually read stories where they are dating, or broke up and get back together, but never like this. To have all the other characters have such minor roles to focus on the "relationship" of the two was such a great idea. Great job! --- @Principessa101

Truth is this week's featured story. Please visit the Featured Story page for story site links.

Read More

iStart a FanWar...For Real!

iStart A FanWar...For Real

Annie Ray

You know the episode of iCarly called iStart a FanWar? Carly, Sam, and Freddie travel to Webicon where they've been invited to host an iCarly panel. When a fan questions the status of Carly and Freddie’s relationship an all-out war breaks out, pitting Creddiers (people who ship Carly and Freddie) against Seddiers (people who ship Sam and Freddie.) Eventually the iCarly trio tries to explain that the show isn't about relationships but rather random humor.

If you've ever ventured into the realm of iCarly fanfiction—or any other iCarly fan-sites for that matter—you know that this episode wasn't fictitious but rather a hilarious (and considerably tamed down) version of the way real iCarly fans behave. Below I've listed a few examples of the comments from both a creddie shippers and seddie shippers that I found on various forums and sites;

"People who ship seddie are weird and need mental help.”  

“…seddie fans are stupid and creddie rocks!"

"Seddie for the win! People who ship creddie are delusional."

“Creddie people drive me nuts!”

I've found that both sides usually fail to provide any backbone to their argument and instead choose to hide behind irrelevant insults. It ends up being nasty and a lot of the time leaves the rest of us standing in the middle saying, "Can't we all just get along?"

I mean, don't get me wrong. I have a favorite shipping and I feel very passionately about it, but it’s only a show and there’s no reason to take it so personally or to attack other fans. We can all agree to disagree on favorite characters and episodes, so why do we so easily go fist-to-fist over favorite shipping? I suppose, in a way, you could compare your favorite shipping to your favorite sports team. You root for it, cry for it, yell at your TV over it and when it comes down to it, we each have a different reason for supporting our ‘team.’

But what exactly is the deciding factor in the team we cheer on? Person preference in characters, who you think is funniest or prettiest? What actor you like the best? Or does it come down purely to that gut feeling. You know what I mean; those butterflies you got when Carly and Freddie slow danced in iSpeed Date or that involuntary squeal you let out when Freddie cut Sam off mid-sentence with a kiss in iLost My Mind. Shipping is a lot like love, for no tangible reason you just fall for two characters and want nothing more (sometimes literally) for them to be together. 

You get so invested in their relationship that you begin to forget the point of the show. Just as our three favorite webhost reminded us in the end of iStar a FanWar, iCarly isn’t about the relationships or who ends up with who. It’s about friendship, because if you think about it, hasn’t iCarly taught you how to be a better friend? Carly, Sam, and Freddie don’t always agree but at the end of the day, it works out for them.

Look at Carly and Sam, they’re completely opposite and an unlikely pair, but they have a friendship worthy of complete envy.  And how about the fact that no matter how many times Nevel tries to sabotage the iCarly crew, they are willing to forgive and help him in iPity the Nevel. They even give crazy Norah a second chance in iStill Psycho. Sure, these things end up backfiring and not working out for the trio, but that’s not the point. They tried. They’ve taught us how to be good friends, how to be compassionate and forgiving, and that you never give up on people. So let’s take these skills and implement them into our lives instead of hiding behind our computer screens shooting out offenses.

The bottom line is that when it comes down to it, we’re all the same. We have all fallen in love with a TV show; the characters, the plots, the running gags and yes, even the shippings. It’s not that we all have to agree—or even that we have to be friends—but this ripping each other apart over differing opinions is a bit ridiculous. Obviously we aren’t going to all hold hands by the fire and sing each other praises, as I’ve stated before we tend to be very passionate about what couple we ship, but senseless fighting is just annoying and makes everyone look bad. Just remember, when it comes down to it, saying mean things about each other doesn’t make your ship any better or any more likely to be canon.

Read More

Fanfictionary: Fan Fiction Terms for Beginnners

What does THAT mean?!

Sam & Dee

We’ve all been there, you get a review or witness a twitter conversation between to fellow fan fiction writers and eventually they start speaking in a foreign language.

Writer 1: Just finished my WIP! It’s an AU with an OC

Writer 2: Really! I just read a darkfic with an OC (and a smutty lemon). Once my beta's done I'll post my O/S. It's in canon.

WTH?! For most beginning fan fiction writers there are enough acronyms being tossed around to warrant the creation of a dictionary just for us (hmm…there’s a thought). But if you’re one of the legions of confused newbies who needs to know what these things mean RIGHT NOW, never you fear! You Write What is here! (can you see our cape and tights?).

Here’s a crash course in Fan Fiction Terms for beginners. You can thank us later.

A/N- Authors note

Something the author writes before/after they finish their story. Sometimes an author puts them in the middle, but people tend to hate that.

Angst

Physical or emotional torment of characters.

Anon

Abbreviation of anonymous. For when people don’t want to type it out or don’t like how to spell it (like me)

Archive

Many stories written by different authors set in one location. Fanfiction.net is an archive.

Arc

A plot theme in a show. Example: Seddie Arc on iCarly. Trip to Nationals in the second season of Glee.

AU - Alternate Universe

Usually ‘what if’s. Generally refers to when the canon is changed drastically or completely. Example: No magic in Harry Potter. Twilight with no vampires or werewolves.

Backstory

Something that happened before the show canon. Example: Mr. Schuester’s wanting to be on Broadway (Glee). Bella living with her mother in Arizona before moving to Forks (Twilight).

Beta

Someone who checks spelling, grammar, punctuation, canon, characters and/or plot flow. The beta of a story edits the chapters and may or may not put their input on the chapter.

Canon

The official material & storyline  the story is based on (book, movie, TV show).

Challenge

Certain rules are established and authors can submit their work. For example: change a part of the show canon and write how it changes the show.

Character death

Someone dies

ConCrit

Constructive criticism. When someone gives you tips on how to make your story better.

Crossover

Two fandoms come together in a story (Bones/CSI crossover; Vampire Diaries/Twilight crossover; iCarly/Victorious crossover)

Dark Fic

A story that involves heavy themes of loss, betrayal, violence and/or death. Example: Harry Potter becomes a Dark Lord. Bella becomes a member of the Volturi. A member of the Bones team becomes a serial killer.

Disclaimer

It’s how we tell the world that, sadly, we don’t own the characters or settings.

Drabble

Short, short, short chapter(s).

Fandom

The group of people who enjoy a particular movie, TV show, book, anime or other part of entertainment/culture. Fan fiction is a part of fandom but fandom includes more than just fan fiction.

Fan Fiction

Something a person writes based off of a book, movie, television show or other things they are fans of (cartoons, anime, real people).

Fanon

Similar to canon, fanon is a storyline that has been used so often in the same fandom of fan fiction stories that it becomes accepted as its own canon. Usually this happens to fill in a gap left in the TV show, book or movie. Example: In the iCarly fan fiction fandom it is generally accepted that the hour before Seddie broke up was spent getting frisky in an elevator.

 Flame

A review that is rude, offensive and not helpful. They are generally left anonymously by cowards hiding behind their screens. A flame usually contains insults against the story and sometimes even the author. Flamer should be set aflame.

Future fic

A story written after canon – set in the same universe as canon but written in the future. Example: A story set after the Final Battle in Harry Potter.

Lemon

A sexually explicit story. Rated M on most sites. The story goes beyond merely describing adult situations and gives descriptions (sometimes graphic) of sex acts. The more graphic lemons are sometimes (affectionately) called ‘smut’.

Lime

A story describing sexual acts but with far less graphic terms or description. Would still be rated M on most sites but often ‘fade to black’ at the most intense moment.

Mary-Sue

The most annoying ‘people’ on the planet. Basically when the author makes themselves a character and makes that character perfect, all knowing or all powerful. Well it’s not based on themselves, but Mary-Sue’s are irritating (to most people).  Probably not to the people who write them.

NaNoWriMo

National Novel Writing Month. Nothing to do with fan fiction really but important to many writers and we think it’s awesome so we’re putting in here.

OOC

Out of character. When the character is basically the complete opposite of how they’re supposed to be. Example: Ron Weasley is really intelligent. Sam Puckett is prissy. Bella Swan is decisive and not clumsy (sorry….had to say it)

OC

Original character. Someone you create that previously didn’t exist in canon.

O/S: Oneshot

One chapter story

Pairing

Putting two people together (Bella/Edward)

Parody

A story created to mock another story or created to mock a book, tv show, movie, etc.

Plot

Overall story line. It’s the reason for the story, the central point the story revolves around.

POV -Point of view

The ‘voice’ you write your story in. It’s the perspective the story is told from or meant to be seen from. It determines the way the story sounds.

First person POV tells the story in the voice of the characters as if they are detailing the action (I’ve always wanted to go to Mexico).

Second Person POV tells the story addressing one of the characters as ‘you’, making the reader feel as if they are a character in the story.

Third Person POV is told from the point of an observer outside the characters with every character being addressed as ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’ or ‘it’. In third person POV the reader can see into the lives and thoughts of multiple characters.

PWP

Porn without plot. Smut written for smut’s sake without any discernible storyline.

Review

Self-explanatory. When someone leaves a comment on your fan fiction work.

R&R - Read and review

Usually written in an author’s note as a request to a reader.

Rec

Recommendation

RPF

You Write What?! official stance on RPF’s is that they are not really a fan fiction story. It is our opinion that fan fiction deals with fandoms based on creations. Actors are not creations and writing about them (in our opinion) is creepy. We will never rec, review or post a RPF. If you write it…more power to you. But since it’s our site we don’t have to like it. And we don’t (in case you didn’t get that already).

Ship

What couple a person loves. Kind of like Team Edward/Team Jacob. You ship Edward & Bella or Jacob & Bella. Sometimes the ships are given names. Seddie (Sam/Freddie), Finchel (Finn/Rachel), Drarry (Draco/Harry)

Slash

Same-sex pairing.

Songfic

A story that’s tied together with a song

Squick

Not usually termed this way by the author but more by the people reading it. Squick stories usually deal with something that is usually (in society) viewed as taboo or ‘off-limits’ that can include: incest, pedophilia, bestiality or any number of sexual taboos. Slash fics are not in this category (nor should they be)

Troll

A particularly nasty breed of human…sorry, this is supposed to be objective.  Trolls exist in every part of society. The basic definition is someone who speaks and/or writes things just to get a rise out of someone else. In fan fiction, trolls are people who write stories in a fandom just to cause problems or who post things to other peoples stories just to cause problems. Examples: Edward/Bella shippers who review Jacob/Bella stories just to post negative comments about the pairing (this could also be a flame). Also could be someone who hates the Harry Potter fandom and so posts a story that they know will piss off nearly everyone in the fandom. Trolls makes us want to throw our computers at their faces.

Troll Fic

A story that is purposely written badly. ‘My Immortal’ in the Harry Potter fandom is generally believed to be a troll fic.

WIP

Work in progress. Any story left unfinished that has not been discontinued or put on hiatus.

Read More

FAN FICTION FRIDAY!

Happy Fan Fiction Friday to all my fandom fanatics!


This is the first Fan Fiction Friday for You Write What?! and we're very excited about it! Today we'll feature a story from an amazing author (Twicrack83 - go to the Featured Story tab to check it out) as well as two extended reviews from a new addition to the YWW?! Reviewer staff, Hollie (@holz_1313666 - Follow her. She's awesome!). As a special treat, today Hollie will also be reviewing the winner of Best Non NC-17 in The Hidden Star Awards,  Best Twilight Story in The Fanfiction Awards, and Best Incomplete Fanfiction in The Fanfiction Awards - Lost and Found by Brianna McBride. Both stories are amazing and I hope you'll take the time to check them out.


The reviews posted here are objective and you can always be assured that our reviewers will give you the honest 411 on the stories they discuss. 


As most fan fiction writers will attest to, there aren't many things better than opening your inbox to see that someone has left a thorough, thoughtful review of the story you've worked so hard on. It increases your motivation to write when you know there are people out there appreciating the words you write and offering non-judgmental, constructive criticism when needed.


We're always looking for new stories to review, so if you'd like to submit a story for extended review by one of our amazing staff members, here's how you do it.


1. Email us (bloggingfanfiction@gmail.com) 
2. Give us your contact info, a link to your story and a short bio to tell us about yourself (what fandom do you write for, how long have you been writing, etc.)
3. Once we've received your email we'll respond within 48 hours and let you know if and when we'll be using your story.


You can also submit your story to be featured story of the week...same procedure applies. We're looking for stories across every fandom but we can't feature a story that too smutty (we like to read 'em but the kiddies sometimes look at this page and we don't want to be responsible for corrupting a minor. lol)


We hope to hear from you soon. For now -- Enjoy!


-Dee

Read More