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  • Hey there, thanks for visiting our fan fiction section. You should only write stories that aren't related to your character's encounters, if you wish to write a story about your character please post an entry in your blog.

    Before reading or writing a story, please make sure to read this thread. Thanks, Guest, and we hope you enjoy this section.

Neriad13

Premium Member
I have a bit of a story to tell. For a long time, my family and a few friends have been interested in what I've been writing. My dad brags about it to prospective employers. -.-; My mom peers over my shoulder when I'm drawing and chats about it with acquaintances. My godmother professes similar interest in the project and a new friend I met on vacation went as far as asking for my story's location but...all of them know next to nothing about Skyrim. In fact, most of them have been afraid to read it, for fear of not knowing what's going on.

For the most part, I have written my novel with the assumption that the reader is also a player of Skyrim and already knows the basic elements of the world pretty well. But can a non-player enjoy it as a piece of literature? Can non-fans enjoy a fanwork from a fandom they don't follow? I honestly have no idea. It's just an odd topic to think about and one that I've never come across before.

One of my problems with writing for non-fans specifically is the sheer amount of additional world-building that would be needed to justify everyday dealings in Skyrim. It would be something that would probably bore actual fans and bog down the action with heavy narration. Perhaps there's some magical sweet spot somewhere that's just the right blend of storytelling and world-building, that makes the story enjoyable and understandable for all?

Thoughts?
 

Lady Redpool the Unlifer

Pyro, Spirits Connoisseur, and Soulless Anarchist
Non-fans can certainly enjoy fanfiction, a good story is a good story. As far a that sweet spot you're contemplating, it's building the world through action. The characters experiences and struggles build the world around them as the story progresses, let the reader's imagination build it rather than naration. Fans will understand because they are fans, while non-fans will enjoy it and generally know what's going on.
 

Uther Pundragon

The Harbinger of Awesome
Staff member
Of course! While they may not understand a few jokes or situations, they can fully appreciate fan fiction in a subject they may not know much about. It's really no different for a first time reader reading a fantasy novel. Things like that. I'm a bit worried my cross over fan fiction putting a Krogan in Skyrim may not be understood to a certain point by people who never played either games. But if it's an enjoyable read then so what!
 

Rayven

Global Moderator
Staff member
I totally agree with RedNeK's view here. I think if a fan fic is well-written, it will be well-recieved whether the reader is already familiar with the setting or not. I do think you need to be thoughtful about audience and the sorts of things you can take for granted when telling the story, obviously. But I think there are ways to somewhat enfold the setting of the Skyrim world into the natural occurrences of your story without getting too bogged down in pure setting narrative.
 

bulbaquil

...is not Sjadbek, he just runs him.
Consider for instance that numerous completely original fantasy stories exist, and in each one the author is going to have to describe a setting entirely or nearly-entirely unfamiliar to the reader.

But yes, in this case your setting has been written already by Bethesda, and there are certain things Skyrim fans already know that may not be clear. The challenge is writing them so that the introductions of the concepts are seamless, and knowing what can and can't be taken for granted.

For instance:

The draugr crept out of its casket slowly, shaking the long-congealed sleep from its misty eyes. Its ancient joints popped and cracked as they moved. He flexed his pale limbs, marveling in their leathery strength, their remarkable tenacity all this time after death.

From this I can get the idea "Okay, the draugr is an undead of some sort"; the question is that I am not entirely sure if "draugr" means "undead entity", or if it means something else (like a certain type of warrior) and that this particular one happens to be undead.

Similarly, later on you bring Uthgerd into the story. A Skyrim player is likely to know Uthgerd's appearance and behavior, but a non-Skyrimmer won't; those will have to be described. The real trick is describing them seamlessly, in such a way that it flows.

My fanfic in particular, dialogue-driven as it is, relies heavily on previously-known information about Skyrim and is suboptimal for introduction to non-fans. I think yours is fine with some minor tweaking.
 

dunklunk

You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.
See. this is what happens when you're late to the party. Ahem. What everybody else said above me. Ahem.

But seriously, Neriad, here's a real-life experience about your dilemma. Noticing a new book my wife was reading, I just asked her what was it called, mainly because the cover looked cool. After she told me, it turned out to be volume two of The Night Angel Trilogy. Was there a game based on the novels? Not to my knowledge, though one could argue The Assassin's Creed series comes real close. I hadn't played that game before reading the books, but man, the trilogy just rocked my f. world! :) I couldn't help but bow down and read them, even way past my bedtime. And if there had been a game based on the novels? Pah, didn't know, didn't care. Even neglected college football some Saturdays, and I never neglect college football.

So you see, as everyone else above has already said, people will read it if it's good, no matter if they know the backstory or not. I'd read your stuff. :coffee:
 

imaginepageant

Slytherin Alumni
I believe that non-fans can enjoy fanfiction, but that fans will have a much deeper appreciation for it because of their prior knowledge of the characters, settings, and storylines, as well as the emotional connection they have to the fandom.

A good parallel is to look at film adaptations of books. Audiences who haven't read the books can enjoy the films just fine, but someone who has read the books will get so much more out of them, since they'll know more of the story than can ever truly be shown in a film adaptation, and because it's a visual representation of characters and settings they'd only imagined before.
 

imaginepageant

Slytherin Alumni
Oh, also want to add: there might be a sweet spot that will make the story enjoyable and understandable to all, but I don't believe it can exist without compromising the level of enjoyment for each side. On a scale of one to ten, a story written in that sweet spot might be a seven in terms of enjoyment for fans and non-fans alike, but a story written specifically for fans or non-fans would be a ten for the respective groups. It's impossible to please everyone, and I believe that trying to do so will inevitably cause you to compromise the quality of your work, one way or another. I personally would rather choose my target audience and write for them, rather than trying to write for every possible audience.
 

Start Dale

I got 99 problems but a Deadra ain't one.
I've just started writing fan fic for skyrim recently. And this is something i've been noticing myself. I think it is possible to write fanfic for non fans though it requires more narrative description at certain section. descriptions of characters and places and the like that wouldn't be in fan fic as we all know most things. unless describing characters and places are your bag. as my girlfriend has wanted to read some of my stuff and i've finally relented she said she liked it, she has asked some questions about bits but has enjoyed the dialogue and the stuff she didn't have to ask questions about. Maybe by letting a non fan read some of your fan fic it may give you a better idea how to flesh out the story for non fans in the future and use it has a way to improve your writing. i'm trying that route myself.
 

dunklunk

You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.
^^^^And now your girlfriend is deep into the Skyrim universe, right? So what did she name her first character? And what's her username on the Forums? C'mon, Dale. Details, man, details. :D

Normally, I don't ask for outside opinions, but my wife kept bugging me about the fan fic I'm currently working on. So finally last night I let her read what I had so far. She liked it, made some comments, and asked some questions. Looking back, I'm glad I let her read it. She pointed out some things that she found confusing, so I explained. But the fact she was confused with some stuff, made me realize that others might find it confusing, too. And one of the last things I wanna do is confuse the reader. So she definitely helped. Now she's like, "More, please." And I'm like, "Hey man, you don't rush these things." :)
 

Start Dale

I got 99 problems but a Deadra ain't one.
^^^^And now your girlfriend is deep into the Skyrim universe, right? So what did she name her first character? And what's her username on the Forums? C'mon, Dale. Details, man, details. :D

Normally, I don't ask for outside opinions, but my wife kept bugging me about the fan fic I'm currently working on. So finally last night I let her read what I had so far. She liked it, made some comments, and asked some questions. Looking back, I'm glad I let her read it. She pointed out some things that she found confusing, so I explained. But the fact she was confused with some stuff, made me realize that others might find it confusing, too. And one of the last things I wanna do is confuse the reader. So she definitely helped. Now she's like, "More, please." And I'm like, "Hey man, you don't rush these things." :)

Well she now likes the game, its quite creative she says and you have to make things and work for skills and weapons oppossed to just shooting things, plus the story has made her interested. Alas she is too deep into a psychology degree to partake, but i have her a character keyed up and ready to go for when she gets into the idea of playing. In fact i may just play her, heh playing my girlfriend in the game. Its like some psychology test. Dammit she's studying me she's always threatened to do that!

Now i want to read your FanFic dunklunk, so yeah rush ;)
 

dunklunk

You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.
Well she now likes the game, its quite creative she says and you have to make things and work for skills and weapons oppossed to just shooting things, plus the story has made her interested. Alas she is too deep into a psychology degree to partake, but i have her a character keyed up and ready to go for when she gets into the idea of playing. In fact i may just play her, heh playing my girlfriend in the game. Its like some psychology test. Dammit she's studying me she's always threatened to do that!

Now i want to read your FanFic dunklunk, so yeah rush ;)

Oh, you got to stay away from those psychology types, my friend. My oldest niece just graduated with a degree in psychology, and hopefully she'll be kind enough to leave her uncle out of any potential "studies." I wouldn't want to scare the poor child from her chosen field. ;)

As for your last sentence, in Shrek's voice, "Yeah, like that's gonna happen." :D
 

dunklunk

You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.
Dude, where's your Part 6 of the Listener? You mention it's up on the forum's home page, but I can't find it or open it.

'Course, it could be just me. . . . :oops:
 

Start Dale

I got 99 problems but a Deadra ain't one.
Nope its all me, i meant part 5, i'm still writing part 6. Oops. I'll change it now.
 

Janus3003

Skyrim Marriage Counselor
*posting in old thread, but whatever*
Similarly, later on you bring Uthgerd into the story. A Skyrim player is likely to know Uthgerd's appearance and behavior, but a non-Skyrimmer won't; those will have to be described. The real trick is describing them seamlessly, in such a way that it flows.
I love finding hilariously bad fanfiction, and I'd love to see someone pull something like
"I walked into the Bannered Mare and saw Uthgerd sitting in the corner. I punched her out and then we got married."
Bonus points if it's an "author got sucked into Skyrim and is inexplicably good at everything and has no angst about being away from home and family" story.
 
To combat the 'word building' for non-fans, or even me (doesn't know a lot of names of things); add a simple glossary at beginning that pertains to that book.
I am a fan of WH40K novels. The names are crazy, the universe is huge. But they put a small glossary at the beinning of most books to give reference as to who is with who & that stuff. It is simple & helps me to read & stay interested.
 

Brynja

New Member
I think writing a Skyrim fic for non-fans would be a good challenge, especially if you can tweak the story in such a way that it doesn't violate any copyright... and then get it published. Just, not like "50 Shades"....lol.
 

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