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WRITING FOR THE FINAL FANTASY FANDOM

BY ALAYNA BRADLEY

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TABLE OF CONTENTSThe Prelude (Introduction)...pg 3 Disc 1: Let the Battles Begin! (The Universe of Final Fantasy VII)..pg 4-5 Disc 2: It's Hard to Stand on Both Feet! (Resources for Writing Fanfiction)......pg 6 Disc 3: Reunion (Final Fantasy Writing Communities).......................................pg 7 Judgment Day (Closing Comments).....pg 8 Listen to the Cries of the Planet (Recommended Reading)pg 9 Those Chosen by the Planet (Quick Reference Links)...pg 10 Staff Roll (About the Author)..pg 11

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THE PRELUDEIntroductionWelcome, young fan, to the great online community that is the Final Fantasy VII Fandom, one that has been going strong since 1997. You are about to, or already have entered the world of Final Fantasy VII fanfiction, fiction written about Final Fantasy VII characters and the Final Fantasy VII world, Gaia, or The Planet, written by fans for fans. Fanfiction is great way to start out your writing career, as it is a ready made sandbox for you to play in, full of dynamic characters and interesting plots, good for practicing character interactions, sharpening grammar skills, and other rhetoric knowledge. Or, maybe simply you will use fanfiction as a source for your own entertainment, or maybe you feel like the original game, the two movies, and the multiple spin-off games were not enough. Maybe you want more, maybe you cant get enough of one character or many, maybe two (or more) characters that you thought were meant to be together forever in love never paired up. This is what fanfiction is for. Service and entertainment, extending the game and its content even further than the original creators had intended, making wonderful works of literature in this process. With over 34,594 fics on Fanfiction.net alone though, you may feel daunted. Where do you start? Even as a simple reader, this seems to be a lot, and as a writer you may feel that you will never be recognized, as there are many already established and popular writers in this field. Have no fear, young fan, as this info guide is here to help you on your adventure to save The Planet by providing you sources for information about the game, resources on writing fanfiction, and links to communities in which to post and discuss Final Fantasy VII fanworks.

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LET THE BATTLES BEGINResources for understanding and exploring the Universe of The Compilation of Final Fantasy VIIThe original game Final Fantasy VII, which hit American markets in 1997 for the PlayStation, is far from the only source of content. Called The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, these games, movies, novellas, and animated shorts expand the universe, giving fans more of a base to write fanfiction from, but providing more work and potentially overwhelming circumstances for newer fans. Most of the newer fans have not even played the original game, which can be obvious in writing fanfiction, which causes strife (ha, get it? The main character is named Cloud Strife!) between lifetime fans and the newer ones. The best way to overcome this, even without playing the original game, is to be informed! Even if you have played the original game, it is great to have sources that you can immediately look at and get information from, instead of playing though the game (takes about 40-50 hours, and thats not even 100% completion).

Final Fantasy WikiaA wiki made completely by fans, dedicated to all things Final Fantasy. This site includes all thing Final Fantasy, from news updates, to reviews to walkthroughs and much, much more, like full of articles that provide information of all the aspects of the Final Fantasy games. This information can be used for plot ideas, settings, character reference, and to offer insight to features of the games.

Final Fantasy VII wiki pageContaining the basic plot of the original game, which fanfiction writers need to know in order to write believable and compelling fanfiction for this fandom. A MUST READ FOR ALL WRITERS WHO HAVE NOT PLAYED THE ORIGNAL GAME. At the bottom of the page, there is a collapsible table that includes links to character pages, locations on The Planet, Races, Terms, and other imperative sources of information that can be used for writing fanfiction.

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII wiki pageThe Compilation of Final Fantasy VII wiki page has a timeline and of the release dates of the games and movies and links to the rest of the Compilations, providing other source material for fanfiction. These links will explain the plot of the games, which will further the knowledge of The Planet and the characters that inhabit it.

Final Fantasy VII TimelineA timeline for all of the games into one section, so you can understand the chronology of events better. Also, this provides a great outline for all of the games, so you can use it as a sort of cheat sheet.

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Characters of Final Fantasy VII wiki pageCharacter of Final Fantasy VII is a portal, in which you can click game titles or lists of characters for the all the games and movies in the series. This is almost crucial to use if you have not played the original game, as these pages about the characters give major clues towards characterization, which is essential in well-written fanfiction.

Final Fantasy MediaFinal Fantasy Media includes cutscenes and music, as well as wallpapers and other images from most of the games in the Compilation. The cutscenes are helpful, as you dont have to play through a game to watch the main plot points, and can be analyzed for character reactions and characterization, as well as being intergraded into your story.

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ITS HARD TO STAND ON BOTH FEETResources for Writing FanfictionOkay, so now that you have all of this information just waiting to be read and processed and used as potential fodder for fanfiction, you may be slightly overwhelmed and still confused as where to start. You may have a plot already in your head, or reading and reviewing the information previously provided may have given you ideas, or you may be at a total loss. Or, maybe youve written fanfiction for Final Fantasy VII before and received no or bad reviews. In any case, here are some sources to help you get started or improve your fanfiction writing skills.

Final Fantasy VII Beta Readers on FanFiction.netFanFiction.net provides writers with a community of accredited and willing writers of fanfiction to beta (edit) your fanfiction. They can help with grammar, mechanics, and even characterization and plot. And, in this fandom alone, there are over 1,000 beta readers, meaning that if you disagree or do not get along with one beta reader, you can easily choose another. There is a side bar on this page that will help you narrow down the potential candidates by genre and rating that your fanfiction will prospectively be in.

General Fanfiction Writing ResourcesHow to Write Marginally Readable FanfictionHow to Write Marginally Readable Fanfiction is a page that through snarky and sarcastic prose, guides writers on what is expected of fanfiction and what to do and not do.

The Purdue OWL: GrammarThe Perdue OWL Grammar site is a wonderful resource to use as a quick guide to check your grammar if you are confused about something (Yes! You should edit your work before giving it to your beta reader!)

A Bad ExampleMy ImmortalA very good example of what NOT to do in fanfiction. Although written for the Harry Potter Fandom, this work is a great thing to NOT model your writing after. My Immortal is a fanfiction written by a supposedly gothic teenager that hates on all the posers, like Avril Lavigne and inserts herself as a love interest for every single character in Hogwarts. It has horribly mangled grammar and spelling, and the characters are so OOC they are unrecognizable.

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REUNIONFinal Fantasy Writing CommunitiesA great part of the Final Fantasy VII Fandom being so big is that there are a lot of fans, therefore a lot of input of fanworks, as well as potential of making good fandom friends. There are also a large amount of sub groups, fans that like a particular thing or pairing, such as Alternate Universe or the pairing Yuffientine. However, it may be daunting to contribute to these communities or even to find them. Dont worry though, because the greater majority of the fans in this fandom are nice and welcoming. Here are a few sites to get you started.

Final Fantasy VII Archive on Fanfiction.netThe Fanfiction.net archive of Final Fantasy VII fanfiction is the main source to read and post fanfiction. This is also a great place to get a feel for fanfiction, as the more you read, the more familiar with the topic you become, and you can use well written fanfiction as a guide to write your own fanfiction. Use this site to get a larger number of readers as you post or use this as a source to find fanfiction to read. This site has many services, such as reviews, which are comments from people that have read your story that often contain constructive criticism or praise. However, as there are a lot of stories on this site, it can be daunting to slog through a hefty amount of badfic.

LivejournalLivejournal is a social networking site that has been around since the late 90s and has an extensive user base. Users can contribute to other journals called Communities that pertain to Final Fantasy VII, and this particular link contains all of the communities that have interest in Final Fantasy VII contributions. Find the right one for you, read the rules, join, and contribute away!

Genesis AwardsThe Genesis Awards is a site containing links to Final Fantasy VII Fanfiction that has gained the prestige of being nominated or awarded the Genesis Award in a particular genre. These fics are the best of the best and are great to model off of or simply to read. Every Final Fantasy Fanfiction writer should attempt to be as good as these writers featured on this site.

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JUDGMENT DAYClosing CommentsSo, after looking at parts or this entire guide, you may still feel overwhelmed or nervous about posting your fanfiction online. No worries, though, every writer feels this way. Even I have a desk and a USB drive full of unpublished fanfiction. Or, there is fanfiction I posted when I was very young and new to writing that I look back and cringe at the bad grammar and the horrible characterization. But, by posting to communities or having a beta reader look at your work is a great way to evolve and improve as a writer. By simply writing, you continue to mature and cull your writing style and process and by posting, you submit yourself to honest constructive criticism by an outside source. That may be scary or unpleasant, but it can also brighten your day when you receive a good review. In any case, writing is a process, and fanfiction should certainly be considered a type of literature. Well written fanfiction can be just as moving or significant as other more recognized forms of writing.

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LISTEN TO THE CRIES OF THE PLANETRecommended ReadingHate Your Heroes by BuckleWhen the world turns against them, the heroes become the hated, and the only people who believe them is each other. Last time they had to save the world. Now, they have to make the world believe it.

Love and Kisses, Aerith by ScribblerAerith wrote him letters for a long time. By the third year shed been told he was dead, but she kept on writing her letters because something inside her refused to believe it. Zack/Aerith. Nominated for 'Best Het Romance' in the 2008 Genesis Awards.

Sunshine in Winter by Guardian1Yuffie Kisaragi gets into trouble, and her whole life changes when she is maimed. Sentenced to death in a matter of months, the only person she can rely on is Vincent Valentine.

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THOSE CHOSEN BY THE PLANETQuick Reference LinksInformation: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Wiki http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Compilation_of_Final_Fantasy_VII http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_VII/Timeline http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Final_Fantasy_VII_Characters http://bluelaguna.net/splash/ff.php Writing Resources http://www.fanfiction.net/betareaders/game/Final_Fantasy_VII/?genreid=0&langu ageid=1&rating=0&field=&ppage=1 http://littlecalamity.tripod.com/HowTo2.html http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/5/ http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4719325/1/My_Immortal_REPOST Communities http://www.fanfiction.net/game/Final_Fantasy_VII/10/0/0/1/0/0/0/0/0/1/ http://www.livejournal.com/search/?area=journals&q=final%20fantasy%20vii http://www.genesisawards.net/

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STAFF ROLLAbout the AuthorAlayna Bradley is a young college student going to Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is from Atlantic Beach, Florida, where she lives with her mother and her amazing Labrador Retriever that is afraid of feathers, Austin. She has enjoyed writing from a young age and reading even younger, and read at a college level by the times she was in the fourth grade and read at 800 words per minute. She got into fanfiction by watching the Japanese animated TV show Fullmetal Alchemist and being unsatisfied with the movies ending, wrote a different one in horribly mangled grammar, and continued to write horrible fanfiction for some time under a pseudonym she will never admit. She now continues to write marginally better fiction for multiple other fandoms, but mostly enjoys beta-ing other peoples work. Her username for Fanfiction.net is Dizzy Dresden.