Happy Riniversary (Rin, Luvia, Fun in London)

[Riven]

Exactly, actually! Altrouge in 'canon' is basically... a wikipedia article of minor details. Aiden made her a character.

I personally think this quality is what sets true writers apart from the crowd.

An average writer can at most take an already established cast and setting and emulate what already exists in the reader's mind. At worst, they might kill whatever life the story had.

A truly great writer can take a blank template, a vague image, and give it a life of its own. Whether it be a character, a world, or a journey, if someone can take something that did not previous exist to me and suddenly give it a place in my heart, then they are someone I completely admire and aspire to.

[DezoPenguin]

You should read it, it's good.

Very much this. It is one of the, possibly the (Immatrael's Game Theory and sequels being, IMHO, the only possible rival now that Allquall's deleted The Name of War) finest Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha fic available to read.

Exactly, actually! Altrouge in 'canon' is basically... a wikipedia article of minor details. Aiden made her a character.

Elf did, too, to a lesser extent. And actually, that applies to your original example of Vivio in Beam's "Shadowverse" stories, because ViVid hadn't come out yet when she was writing them (and I agree heartily; the various fan-created Vivios were much more interesting characters than the official one, who is completely boring except for the fact that Chris/Kris is cute).

A truly great writer can take a blank template, a vague image, and give it a life of its own. Whether it be a character, a world, or a journey, if someone can take something that did not previous exist to me and suddenly give it a place in my heart, then they are someone I completely admire and aspire to.

In other words, original writing.

[Aiden]

You don't see it through my screen, but I am blushing at the praise.

[Riven]

You don't see it through my screen, but I am blushing at the praise.

And you deserve all of it

In other words, original writing.

Not entirely. Many of the writers here whose works I adore don't do it by writing entirely originally. What they can do is take an already established world and add a piece of themselves to it.

Take Mozco's Infinity series for example. He took a very well established universe, but rather than switching around a few characters in the necessary roles, or making a few changes to the plotline, he made an entirely new adventure with its own plot and twists. Then he added his own characters who had never existed before and placed them into the story in such a way that they not only mattered, but we cared about them. By the time you were fully engrossed, it felt like this was another piece of the main story, rather than a fan addition.

That is talent.

[Lycodrake]

And you deserve all of it.

Quite right.

[DezoPenguin]

Not entirely. Many of the writers here whose works I adore don't do it by writing entirely originally. What they can do is take an already established world and add a piece of themselves to it.

Take Mozco's Infinity series for example. He took a very well established universe, but rather than switching around a few characters in the necessary roles, or making a few changes to the plotline, he made an entirely new adventure with its own plot and twists. Then he added his own characters who had never existed before and placed them into the story in such a way that they not only mattered, but we cared about them. By the time you were fully engrossed, it felt like this was another piece of the main story, rather than a fan addition.

That is talent.

This is what I get for coming up with a one-liner response rather than my usual extended babble.

What I meant by my short-form comment is that, in essence, what you are valuing is the ability of the writer to do something new, something different, something beyond the mere four corners of the existing canon. As you say, adding a piece of themselves: to take the source material and add something that is entirely new--hence, original. Merely copying the original will not do it for you (I can certainly understand that; the problem with such copies is that that since they can never recapture the original mindset of the author they will never be as good); there has to be something else, some additional factor that can add to or even surpass the original material. It's not rehashing tired old concepts, but bringing something new to the table--something that takes genuine creativity.

[Riven]

This is what I get for coming up with a one-liner response rather than my usual extended babble.

What I meant by my short-form comment is that, in essence, what you are valuing is the ability of the writer to do something new, something different, something beyond the mere four corners of the existing canon. As you say, adding a piece of themselves: to take the source material and add something that is entirely new--hence, original. Merely copying the original will not do it for you (I can certainly understand that; the problem with such copies is that that since they can never recapture the original mindset of the author they will never be as good); there has to be something else, some additional factor that can add to or even surpass the original material. It's not rehashing tired old concepts, but bringing something new to the table--something that takes genuine creativity.

Pretty much. What it really comes down to is, "Do I care?" Does my engrossment into the world you've created go so far as to let me see what you see, feel what you feel, and want what you want?

If it does, then what you've created is truly a great story, and by extension, you are a great writer.

[Moczo]

... And now I'm blushing too. You guys. ^///////^