Inspirations For Fan Fiction

Lumberjack_Wannabe · April 2003

<div class="IPBDescription">Main Courses for the Writer...</div> While browsing around the Fan Fic Forum, I'm noticing a lot of original work. Then, the potential. Some people here probably read for a living, but I wish of gathering a list of Science Fiction materials that could help the inspired writer that needs an inspirational work to get out of 'writers block'. A few websites, books, and other materials will be listed. If you have any other sources, please add! Also read the Fan Fic FAQ! Great help!

<b>*Also, please carefully read the whole thread. Ideas and helpful comments are littered throughout this thread*</b>

<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><i>Websites:</i></span>

-<a href='http://nsworld.ns-central.co.uk/Main.php' target='_blank'>NS World</a>
-<a href='http://www.sfwa.org/' target='_blank'>Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America</a>
-<a href='http://www.overmind.org/' target='_blank'> Overmind.org</a>
-<a href='http://users.telenet.be/neral/scifi_listhome.html' target='_blank'>Science Fiction Show Listings</a>
-<a href='http://www.sflovers.org/SFRG/' target='_blank'>Science Fiction Resource Guide</a>
-<a href='http://wayward.netfirms.com/ue/ue.html' target='_blank'>Unknown Enemies: Uncertain Outcome</a>
-<a href='http://hive.readyroom.org/' target='_blank'>The Hive</a>
-<a href='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=6&t=29447' target='_blank'>NS Fan-Fiction Directory</a>
-<a href='http://www.outpost31.com' target='_blank'>The Thing </a>

<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><i>Books/Films/TV Series/Authors:</i></span>

-Lord of the Rings Book/Film Series
-Dune Book/Film/TV Series
-Star Wars Book/Film Series
-Alien Series
-Iian M. Banks Series
-The Dragonlance Series - Margaret Weis and Don Perrin
-Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein
-Ben Bova
-Stark's Series - John G. Hemry
-Rouge Warrior Series - Richard Marcinko and John Weisman
-A Boy and His Tank - Leo Frankowski
-The A Song of Fire and Ice Series - George R.R. Martin
-The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
-William C. Dietz
-Edgar Allan Poe
-Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
-Covert-One series by Ludlum

<span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'><i>Other Sources:</i></span>

-<a href='http://www.warhammer.com/' target='_blank'>Warhammer 40k Tabletop Wargame</a>

But the bottom line for awesome fiction: think of something that would be cool. If thousands of Marines with lasers shooting at a bug is what you like, <b>use it</b>. Just find out how it can become great.

<i>Thanks to the following:</i>
-That Annoying Kid
-CanadianWolverine
-Bronski
-Mr Radical Ed
-BadKarma
-OzzKloz
-rob6264
-eediot
-Underdog
-Remo
-nooby
-Trojan
-And anyone I forgot to mention...

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

w00t!
lumberjacketh speathet teh truethzor!

(please pardon my leet)

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

<a href='http://hive.readyroom.org/' target='_blank'>hive @ readyroom.org</a>
more fan fic stuff than you can shake a stick @!
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Mr_Radical_Ed · April 2003

I liked the background story of NS. So that was nearly enough for me to start. Of course I did my research, and ReadyRoom.org helped a tiny bit as well, but what really provided the "umph" was the DragonLance series. My style of writing is different, but as my fan fic progresses it will have some adaptations from that series. I liked how the dragonlance series began as if the characters all knew each other already, and the stage was already set, and you were plotted in the middle of their lives.

I also believe that a good story will write itself. If you give yourself a few minutes to think about the setting, your story could write itself if you keep within the lanes(yes I mean lanes of a road).

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

thats good to hear, I look forward to seeing more of you fan-fic

CanadianWolverine · April 2003

The number of science fiction and fantasy books I could suggest is too many but I'll try, as I feel they could honestly add to any fan fiction writer's reportoire.

- Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (not the movie!)
- Almost anything written by Ben Bova
- The Doom Brigade (a Dragon Lance novel) by Margaret Weis and Don Perrin
- Echo Platoon (a Rogue Warrior series novel) by Richard Marcinko and John Weisman
- A Boy and His Tank by Leo Frankowski
- The fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

There's alot more, but I just have to dig them out of my personal library. Hope you enjoy them as much I did! <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Bronski · April 2003

Three books i recommend reading:

Stark's War
Stark's Command
Stark's Crusade
by John G. Hemry

Very good near future military stories. I got hooked on this series, and these were the author's first books. Definitely worth spending your money on.

Also I recommend reading the books by William C. Dietz.

I may post a link to my sci fi story that I am going to write for my creative writing class. It won't be NS fan fic but it will be a good example of my work. It will be based in a future of my own creation.

Basically i will be attaching it to a thread for ideas for an NS fan fic.

Actually, I need to get to work on my sci fi story, I have to have at least three pages (double spaced of course) by tomorrow at noon. I always put everything off.

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (CanadianWolverine @ Apr 9 2003, 08:54 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> - Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein (not the movie!)
 </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
a very good book
=D
I personally really like snow crash, even though it doesn't focus on aliens, it's got alot of emphasis on computers

Lumberjack_Wannabe · April 2003

Here's some more stuff...

-Stars and Galaxies (for those daring to create an epic): <a href='http://www.eia.brad.ac.uk/btl/sg.html' target='_blank'>http://www.eia.brad.ac.uk/btl/sg.html</a>

-Science Fiction Resource Guide: <a href='http://www.sflovers.org/SFRG/' target='_blank'>http://www.sflovers.org/SFRG/</a>

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

a very good peice of fan fic is
</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Read Unknown Enemy: Uncertain Outcome <a href='http://wayward.netfirms.com/ue/ue.html' target='_blank'>here</a>
</td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
it's by one of the forum moderators, and it's a damn fine story

UnderDOG · April 2003

Anyone mentioned Alien? The movies and the books are realyl cool, but not AVP the game, didnt liek it that much

BadKarma · April 2003

Er, the movie The Thing. Sci-Fi/horror. Very good.

www.outpost31.com

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

I shall have to check that out next time i'm on a fast connection
<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'>

eediot · April 2003

i reckon the best inspiration comes from the writers imagination

if you use other literature as guidelines, then youll be bound by them, as well as becoming a perfectionist - comparing your work with theirs, trying to make it more like theirs.

incidentally, i dont think you can teach good writing skills.. you can teach grammar, spelling, and guidelines, but you cant make an apple into an orange

i cannot stress enough the 'i dont think'

CanadianWolverine · April 2003

Eediot, the idea is not to rip other writers off, be bound to their ideas, or emulate their writing style, but rather to get inspiration to write Natural Selection Fan Fiction. It would be like watching all the Aliens movies and getting all pumped to write your own story.

"I ... WILL ... PUMP ... YOU ... UP!" *flexes muscles* "And the beach is that a-way..."

That's how I picked the novels I suggested, those books just got me wanting more, so I wrote more. Good stories get read, great stories inspire.

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

Good inspiration comes from the writer, but what they see and view can help influence there decision.
reading all the fan-fic here has helped me understand what to look for in my own fan-fic.

Lumberjack_Wannabe · April 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (UnderDOG @ Apr 10 2003, 09:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Anyone mentioned Alien? The movies and the books are realyl cool, but not AVP the game, didnt liek it that much </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Read my entire post... please. I originally included the <b>-Alien Series</b>. Aliens is one of my favorite movies... silly.

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

</span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Lumberjack Wannabe @ Apr 11 2003, 12:44 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> </span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (UnderDOG @ Apr 10 2003, 09:12 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Anyone mentioned Alien? The movies and the books are realyl cool, but not AVP the game, didnt liek it that much </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'>
Read my entire post... please. I originally included the <b>-Alien Series</b>. Aliens is one of my favorite movies... silly.  </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> 
reading is good...
<img src='http://www.natural-selection.org/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Rob · April 2003

Yeah, so, sorry it took so long for me to pin this...
Anyway...

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

just curious, why was this sticked?

Rob · April 2003

Well, it's a fairly large and complete directory of inspiration.

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

okay, I re-read the thread, and it makes sense now

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

Lumberjack_Wannabe · April 2003

Whoa it's been a long time since I've been here (damn Raven Shield <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'> )

Anywho, thank you rob.

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

since we have the inspiration thread, and we have a fan-fic FAQ, I'm debating making a guide to the elements of a story...

Lumberjack_Wannabe · April 2003

I was thinking about a guide like that. Go on ahead and make it... it'd be awesome, and the circle would be complete. You were the master once, and I was the aprentice. But, now, I am the master!

Only the master of evil Vader!

Don't ask....

That_Annoying_Kid · April 2003

then I won't.... <img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/confused.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='confused.gif'>

<img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif'>

and I'm going to get my public speaking teacher to help me write it, she knows what she is talking about when it comes to the elements of a story

Lumberjack_Wannabe · May 2003

I started reading some works by Edgar Allan Poe. Pretty good stuff. He writes in an interesting way. I'm mainly adding him because of the lack of Horror Fan-Fics (yes BadKarma...).

That_Annoying_Kid · May 2003

I really don't like horror fan-fics.

anyone have any haiku inspiration hints?

OzzKloz · July 2003

After reading through this entire thread and not seeing a single nod towards one of the greatest books of all time (and my personal favorite), i figured i might as well go ahead and mention it.

Ender´s Game by Orson Scott Card

I have read it seven times now (in english), and am currently reading it in spanish.

so if you haven´t read it, this is a big plug for it. its worth your time, for sure.

actually, music often times is more inspiring to me than anything i read or watch. you truly can find inspiration anywhere.

Lumberjack_Wannabe · July 2003

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I re-did the post, so it's a bit more organized.

Remo · July 2003

also Space Above and Beyond the TV series <a href='http://users.telenet.be/neral/scifi_listhome.html' target='_blank'>Show listings here</a>

Inspirations For Fan Fiction

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