Breakfast Topic: Do you read or write WoW fanfic?
by Heather Aagaard 
Nov 7th 2011 at 8:00AM
The creative community surrounding World of Warcraft is a varied one. No matter what genre of art you look into, you will find a WoW geek making something amazing somewhere. If you search hard enough, you can find everything from fan-made jewelry to cosplay, digital art to sculpture, machinima to comic strips, and so much more. Also included in this world of WoW-based arts is the writing community.
The topics covered in the writing community are as different and vast as the playerbase itself. You have your eclectic WoW blogs, the number-crunching, class-based fan sites, and everything in between. The one area of the writing community that has been getting my interest lately though has been the fanfic section. I'm an absolute sucker for a great story.
Do you write fan fiction? Do you use a blogging platform to showcase your work, or do you use a site like Fanfiction.net? If you write your own fanfic, what sort of characters do you write about? Do you write about well-known characters, or do you prefer to tell the story of some unknown face who just so happens to live in Azeroth? Do you tell the stories of your characters that you play in game, or do you tell the tale of the mysterious bread lady of Ironforge? If you don't write fanfic (either because you don't feel like you could ever do such a thing, which everyone should at least try, in my honest opinion), what is the story you wish you could tell, or what is a story that you would love to see told?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Professor Putricide Nov 7th 2011 8:08AM
http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/06/24/around-azeroth-if-anyone-needs-me-ill-be-in-the-angry-dome/
Bam. Now that's some good news, everyone!
Revnah Nov 7th 2011 8:08AM
I do read, if not extensively but I have a favourite fanfic writer I follow closely on live journal.
Myself, I know of my limits as a writer but I have written a story about my two main characters - the length of two average novels - and am now writing a sequel for their "children". My stories are set in the GAME of WoW, with levels and everything. They're not public either, only good friends read them, and my guild (mostly because my guildies are all in it! :-D).
poggg Nov 7th 2011 8:08AM
Write: Ehhhh...kinda-sorta? I'm a roleplayer, so writing stories about my characters kind of comes with the territory. That said, one of my core tenets is "I am roleplaying in the World of Warcraft, not writing fanfiction for it". My stories, such as they are, all take place within the established lore. Not altering or expanding upon it.
Read: Not really, no. I do enjoy well-written fanfiction, rare though it is, and often troll around Tvtropes' Fanfic Recommendations page. But I find the WoW fics tend to be pretty horrible in general. It might just be because I'm huge on WoW's lore, so when someone gets something glaringly wrong it ruins the experience for me. That and as a wannabe author myself, I'm pretty critical, especially on stories I actually like.
TweakyDig Nov 7th 2011 8:12AM
I haven't written an official Fan Fic, but I have role-played custom plots on forums with other people. Its actually really fun to go against the true lore and tweak a few things to have fun. I think more people should get into this kind of thing. It would perhaps get more people involved in WoW's actual plotline, as I know some people, especially with alts, mindlessly blaze through the quests without actually seeing what's going on.
Demeternoth Nov 7th 2011 8:14AM
I've dabbled in writing some fanfic. I focus on my main char since I reason I should know her the best and at the moment am at the beginnings of a story about her reconciliation with her past. I stick it on my blog and anyone who wants to read it is welcome to do so. I did a few 'stand-alone' pieces to start with and wasn't so happy with the 2nd one so am taking my time to develop this story.
I read bits and pieces around the internet but most of my inspiration comes from being in the Azeroth itself.
MattKrotzer Nov 7th 2011 8:17AM
I RP, which is sort of ongoing fanfic. I used to write more formal stories with my characters, but I haven't done that as much lately. There's some around, though.
Luke Nov 7th 2011 5:01PM
Exactly what I was going to say Matt. There's plenty of room for Pen And Paper DMs to write compelling stories that can be played out in game.
/cheers
DragonFireKai Nov 7th 2011 1:05PM
I wrote an entry to the Blizzard writing contest about the motivations of a minor NPC I killed in dragonblight while leveling.
kremlincardinal Nov 7th 2011 8:30AM
I've got a very fledgling fanfic going, a lot of ideas bouncing around and trying to sort them and all that. I don't play WoW anymore, but I love all the resources (WoW Insider, MMO Champion, etc.) that keep me up with what's going on in-game.
Shoikler Nov 7th 2011 8:41AM
I've written the occasional WoW drabble - I think my total's about 36 at the moment - but nothing longer. Only one was based on one of my toons, but Shoikler wasn't named (since it was first person). Mostly, I just bounce around, writing some about the Alliance, some the Horde, some back in Vanilla (or earlier), and some as late as Cataclysm. Some are serious, but most aren't; I'll gladly base some on in-jokes ("Adventurers, you must go back in time to save the Goldshire brothel!"), references to other media, and dodgy puns ("Fine, mon, I bid eight, no trumps.").
True story: I was in line for the midnight Cata release, talking to Mat McCurley and some other people, and someone mentioned Shakespeare's most famous stage direction. That gave me an idea, so I got out some paper and a pen and wrote one about a gnome caught spying on a bathing druid.
hovediah Nov 7th 2011 8:44AM
dug this exerp up from an online author a while back went by the pen name Erie, the story is hosted on an adultish site so be forewarned but this person writes the Horde, specifically the Tauren, almost as good as Christie Golden.
here's a preview..
. . .
Morla was quite fascinated. The great black beast, with its incredible black, ridged horns, led her by the arm around the quaint little village. There was a lake that partially surrounded it and plains that spread out like a fan, with only a bit of it rimmed by mountains. These were behemoth teeth, jutting upward, with caverns and gashes pockmarking their surface. She stared up with lips parted in a faint ‘O.’ When she lingered too long, her captor jerked on her arm and she stumbled forward to follow.
At last they rested, having seen most of the village with the ox-creature pointing and talking in cut and stuttered phrases. Others of his race were all around, gathering to watch, muttering to one another and looking at her with great big curious eyes. They didn’t seem hostile, at least, but Morla still hung back from them as the big black furry one stood over her. One of the monsters stepped forward, a brown one with curled horns and intricate robes, and leaned down. It spoke to her and she held up her hands, and touched it on the nose. There the fur was fine and soft, and then, the memories came to her, and she hugged it tightly.
Dankie Nov 7th 2011 12:14PM
Thanks! Now I know what fic not to read. This is so not to my tastes. Glad it is to yours though. Each fic has its own audience.
Teebu Nov 7th 2011 8:50AM
The closest I have gotten was linking the words from Touch of the Banshee (http://www.wowhead.com/object=191616) or A Steamy Romance Novel (http://www.wowhead.com/item=29571) in trade chat.
Mortenebra Nov 7th 2011 8:52AM
The piece I wrote for the writing contest is probably considered fan fic, for all intents and purposes. I'm working on a piece now that's, mostly, an RP story that came to me as a mechanism for coping with grief but I think it's going to become something much bigger and, hopefully, better than my initial desires for writing it.
In the past, I tried writing stuff about my guild's adventures in raids ("A group of ten adventurers march into ________ and have awesome fight scenes and then triumph over evil!!" sort of thing) but often had to leave them unfinished after the first few chapters because I just didn't have time anymore. I might get back into that, though. Another thing I wanted to work on was a "Christmas/Winter Veil special" for my guild.
Bellajtok Nov 7th 2011 8:55AM
Who, me? Noooo. Definitely not. Almost certainly not at all. Maybe. Yes.
Shinae Nov 7th 2011 10:51AM
We're onto you!
Kylenne Nov 7th 2011 1:46PM
lmao. I can't even pretend to feign ignorance, considering this is my handle on the Pit o' Voles.
Calaana Nov 7th 2011 9:10AM
I considered it, then I realised I had some basic knowledge of grammar and spelling, so that quickly ended.
Oh, and being more of an research writer than a story writer was in there too I guess. Kind of hard to write a narrative when you spend six weeks building a world with detail in all the wrong places, it turns out.
perderedeus Nov 7th 2011 9:21AM
I've written a few, centering around my character and his place in Azeroth. I try to avoid the usual 'gotchas' of fanfic; I keep my character mortal, fallible, and the circumstances realistic (as realistic as fantasy can be). My biggest leap was perhaps having the Scourge/Cult of the Damned lay a trap for him (along with many other noteworthy adventurers) to lure him into the Lich King's service. It was fun to explore the duplicity there, where an artifact my character thought was very personal to him was in fact a sham, and one constructed by the Scourge to form a link between him and the Lich King -- it happened to tie in nicely with the launch of Wrath, the world event, and the whole 'build up' to being able to travel to Northrend. I was also able to involve my guild (a roleplaying guild at the time) in the fun.
Xantenise Nov 7th 2011 9:41AM
I write fanfic. WoW fanfic is what got me writing consistently, actually. A lot of WoW fanfic out there is about original characters, but I love lore characters the most.
I'm REALLY loving FROSTBLOOD, by Poicephalus (sp?) on fanfiction.net. An AU exploring, "What if Jaina Proudmoore became Lich King?" complete with Kel'thuzad! It's my favourite fanfiction ever.