Further to my blog post, if I turned one of my fanfiction novels into an original character novel, which one do you think I should do first? And in fact which ones do you think I should do generally?
Which Xanthe fic would you like turned into an original character novel?
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All of them???
, it is just a damn good story. Suspenseful, heartwrenching, exciting… all the aspects of a great story.
Two Wolves, it is a strong powerful story that would translate outside of fanfic really well methinks. Putting aside the Gibbs/DiNozzo aspect (which is hard as it is an integral part of the story
For me, the BDSM universe novels are too strongly linked to the TV series to work as OC adaptations.
One of the joys of Coming Home was the links to the actual series and seeing how they played out in this Universe. If you remove that then I think you lose too much of what makes it so amazing. Similarly I can’t see HiPS as having anything other than the SGA/NCIS characters.
Maybe at a push The First Collar could be reworked – but I’m not sure. The story is very much linked top HiPS and I don;t know if it strong enough to stand without it. That’s not a criticism – I love The First Collar, but it is Tony’s story!
So, Possession? Again, not sure how it would work. It is so quintessentially Harvey/Mike….and you know only too well what I want as far as those two are concerned! (*coughs* Three Masters….sorry….I am ever so slightly obsessed about that one….and no-one can take the blame but your good self!)
I just love 2 Wolves, it is so powerful. I believe it would be quite possible to remove the NCIS elements of this and make a new story. The same could easily be said of Subterfuge – another terrific story! And of course, 2 Wolves is in many ways a ‘re-envisioning’ of Subterfuge.
Thanks so much Jacs and Mcsheplet girl!
Interesting about Two Wolves – I thought about that but then I wondered if it’s just too…I dunno – shocking?! EEP. I do think it could be easily divorced from NCIS as it’s really its own creation and hardly part of the NCIS universe at all.
I don’t think 2W works as erotica because it’s really not very nice a lot of the time. So I wondered what category it could be put in. Just a very dark story really. I could see it being controversial and worry about that giving me an exposure outside fandom that I might find a bit hard to handle. I don’t know! LOL! I do love the excitement in that story – I loved doing the plotting and pacing.
I can see why 2W might not be the way to go for a first release due to the nature of the story. But what about 24/7? That was my first Xanthe story ever and although I wasn’t a huge x-files fan, i just loved that story, and it changed the way i viewed all of the characters, most especially Skinner. I went from barely noticing him in the show to him becoming my favourite character. that has all the elements of romance, comedy, erotica, danger, suspense, angst, hurt/comfort…. it has it all… and the characters would translate well i think to original characters because although clearly they were Fox and Walter, i think that story would have worked with any unknown characters, well it would have for me certainly.
I agree – I think 24/7 would really work. But it’s 600,000 words wrong and I find that really daunting! LOL!
I’d go for Two Wolves, I really feel that one could work well with original characters since the story is as important as the characters. In other stories the characters dominate, but in this the whole theme of the Two Wolves from the Red Indian adage is what dominated the whole idea that the characters could easily have been called Tom and Harry for example.
Another story of yours that comes to mind is Ten Years On, or Andy and its sequel, I feel these are stories that lend themselves to you inserting original characters.
Of course if you prefer your BDSM universe I’d go for First Collar followed by HiPS, I know you wrote them backwards so to speak, i.e. first HiPs and then First Collar, but I think they would function nicely too
2 Wolves is undoubtably dark – but that is part of its strength. You are taking a strong male character (Gibbs or whatever other name you give the character) and pushing him to breaking point. How can it be other than dark? But you don’t dwell unnecessarily on the darkness – you have hope throughout to lighten it…and the end is not dark!
I can’t see 24/7 working without Skinner/Fox….and if you want to visit the 24/7 series …or Two Master….then you could always write 3 Masters….sorry!
What about The Adversary? …That is a strong story which could easily be adapted to OCs.
Or if that is too dark, how about starting with something lighter…The Friday Night Club?
And a further thought…a collection of shorter stories as an ‘introduction’ to your work…and you could include the beautiful ‘Breaking The Rules’.
Out the ones you picked I picked possession because I thought it would be the easiest to rework into an original fiction.
The problem with your Stargate works is that they are on Atlantis, use the Stargate program and also use ancient tech. Although you could rewrite them to your own works you would have to create a new story/background of why they are where they are and how they go off planet and ancient races that use that technology, I just think it would be more work for you to create all those things than it would to write a new story. I think if you were going to rewrite one of your stories you should find one that change the characters and the setting and would still make sense to the audience.
Suits is about the relationship between a mentor and a apprentice, that story in itself could change character, location or even time and the basics would still be there. Possession itself is about the realisation that their relationship is beyond a simple mentorship and then taking the dominance relationship to a sexual one. That story would be easily converted into a new setting because that relationship is found in a lot of different jobs not just law.
The first story of yours that I thought of that might translate most easily is Damage.
Oh, not Damage. Not for a first novel.
Damage is an amazing story, beautifully crafted. I agree that it could be adapted, and would make a great OC story – but not for a first book. I think the subject matter is way too intense for that.
No matter what a first book looks like, it’s what people will expect for the second, third and so on. It’s not at all uncommon to write under several different names for several different types of books. If she wrote anything intense, it’s very likely that she’d need to do it under a different name than she writes something light like the BDSM romcom.
I picked Subterfuge, because I think it would be the most easily translated.
Thanks! I think Subterfuge or Two Wolves or Possession would translate easiest.
Interesting point, Tejas. I think I’d only write under Xanthe Walter though – I’ve always done a whole range of fics as a fanfic author and I don’t think that’d change when writing OCs but I’d rather establish a name even if it’s a diverse one rather than try and get people to read me under different names.
I wonder if Damage would mean as much if it wasn’t about TONY? I do have another story I want to write dealing with a similar theme that might work better as it’s coming from the standpoint of being an OC fic to start with. I’ll get around to that one one day! LOL!
Thanks to everyone for their input! It’s been such a great discussion!
I think in general it would be difficult to turn stories built on series like SGA or X-Files into OC becouse of the complex fantasy-worlds they depict.
But a story like Possesion (two atterneys in modern day New York) would be no problem at all. So Harvey Specter/Mike Ross would be my choice. Although I would let them be gay right from the start because I´m not sure it is realistic that someone can be “turned” like Mike is in your story.
Plus it is already a brilliant story so your work is half done!
Love Nikki!
You’ve perfectly encapsulated my thoughts on that one Nikki!
I think one could have Mike as bicurious if one wanted to keep the virginity kink *g*
So, bored and browsing I come accross this and I really just have to say: I don’t think that’s quite what you ment LOL.
ROFLMAO! OH NOES! Iz sekrit Freudian slip! HEE!
That is an awesome catch!!! LMAO
My favorite Subterfuge!!! I would love to see that as an OC I would be first to buy it
It would have to be 24/7. It was the very first of your stories that I read, and I just fell in love with Mulder and Skinner.
I go back and read it every year, sometimes twice a year, and it never gets old, just improves with age.
Grandma
It’s lovely to hear people still enjoy that story
. It’s 600,000 words long so quite daunting to think of turning it into OC, but I might consider doing it one day!