Talent Agency 411

Fan fiction is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it to create new plots in which to use these characters.

Fan fiction has been going on for decades, centuries, I’m sure even millenniums. It could be noted as far back as the ancient Egyptians. For example, the ancient Egyptians lauded many gods in their society and even wrote literature on these gods, such as Horis and Isis. When the Egyptians came in contact with the Greeks many centuries later, the Greeks picked up some of the Egyptian gods as their own and wrote stories on them. When the Romans came into the picture, they picked up some of the Greek gods as their own and wrote new plots for them. Up to this day many of the mythological gods people are aware of are usually seen as Roman or Greek myths and fiction. Some people don’t even think to link them back to Egypt. Of course this is thousands of years ago when copyright didn’t exist and the population of the world was a lot smaller. There wasn’t any technology like the Internet. Most literature creators at that time probably did not worry too much about infringement. I mean, it’s not like the Egyptians could have rode to Greece in their chariots and accuse them of violating copyright laws. However, even back then people faced severe punishment for changing or misrepresenting a story or literature renowned in their society, and the law was not kind on what we call fan fiction today.

We are in the twenty-first century; technology is at an all time high and increasing. Fans can get access to almost any media work published in an instant. And, the copyright laws of course still favor the originator. Okay, what about fanfiction in the twenty first century? The simple answer is it is still frowned upon. Then, is there any spot for fan fiction publishing? Of course there is. What I believe is that fanfiction keeps the world of literature revolving. I’ve observed that this is especially true for popular published literature. Usually when a book hits the shelf or a story is told, may even be on historical facts, despite the popularity and liking of the story, everyone is not satisfied. Many fans may think to themselves, “what if it happened this way?” Some fans even go out and create a fiction based on how they think the story should have happened. Some of these fans share their version with others in chat groups, message boards and so on. The effect of these fans actions? We now have more text and a wider audience.

If fan fiction makes the world of storytelling go round should fanfiction be allowed to broaden audiences and possibly allow economic growth due to the purchasing of the fictions by the curious minded? Or maybe the stories should be left as was created. But what if the story is unfinished? Should the curiosity of the audience be quenched by imaginative family members, friends, hired publishers or most of all, fans? I believe this is up to the originator to decide. If the originator doesn’t want any changes to his story then the fans have to respect that.

Due to infringement many creators are afraid to tamper with any original copyright work. Nobody wants to get in trouble for plagiarism. What creators have to know is that fan fiction is usually frowned upon when it misrepresents the original character and mostly when the creator tries to commercialize it. You can think of it this way, it is like taking money from your boss. Most publishers are cool when fan fiction is in the closet, meaning hidden, not commercialized and intended for your group of people or family like setting. Doing this is just like telling a story to your family or friends.

Fan fiction creators must remember that the only reason your fan fiction exists is because of the originator of the fiction or story. Fan fictions have an audience because the original had an audience. As mentioned before, think of it like working for a boss. People are usually at their job because their boss hired them. I’m saying this because writing fanfiction is a good way to get noticed as a writer or creator. Some people make a living off writing fanfiction. This is alright as long as fan fiction creators respect the requests of the original author or publisher and not try to commercialize it.

Copyright 2006 Gideon O

I’ve always considered comic books a very interesting and intelligent way of storytelling. This has caused me to research what has made some comic books and characters popular. I share this info at http://www.comic-book-and-strip-service.com/ for anyone who wants to create successful comics.

Although in these articles, I focused on just a few elements of
the Harlem Renaissance that I learned from my research, there is
so much more to be discovered about this intense, vibrant period
in American history. As I stated in my introduction, I knew very
little about the Harlem Renaissance before beginning this quest,
and there is much that I learned that was not included in these
articles, e.g. the historical and social context that led to the
Harlem Renaissance (increased number of lynchings and race
riots, tightening of restrictions placed on blacks, the
psychological effects of World War I on African Americans,
etc.). Besides the people mentioned in these articles, I learned
quite a bit about many other participants in the Harlem
Renaissance who contributed greatly to the movement. Because of
the limits of these articles, I had to neglect many of the
people, white and black, who supported the Harlem artists, with
encouragement, subsidies, or living expenses. But these patrons,
such as Charlotte Mason, played an important role in the Harlem
Renaissance also and should not be buried in obscurity anymore
than the artists. I have endeavored to give others an overview
of the Harlem Renaissance in hopes to pique their interest as
mine was. It is up to us to keep these artists from sinking into
oblivion again as many of them did at one time.

Let us not fail them.

It is an old platitude that the more one learns, the less one
knows. This is undoubtedly true. I have learned quite a bit
about the Harlem Renaissance, but through this research, I see
that there is so much more that I do not know about it. This is
not an end to my quest; I am now even more intrigued with this
period of literary history. The artists that I have discussed
are the ones that most interested me; therefore I plan to
continue this discovery of the Harlem Renaissance by beginning
with studying the works of those eight artists. I am
particularly drawn to Zora Neale Hurston, so her novels and
essays will be the first that I explore. I am also especially
interested in Langston Hughes’ and Wallace Thurman’s works, but
I hope to examine many others also, particularly Jessie Fauset,
Nella Larsen, James Weldon Johnson, and Jean Toomer.

The primary issue that my research has interested me most is the
theme of ‘passing’ and transgressing boundaries. This concept is
not limited to people transgressing racial barriers, but could
also be applied to social, economic, and gendered boundaries.
Thus the issue takes on a broader context, one worth exploring
in more detail. Why do people attempt to oppose boundaries, and
what are the consequences if they do?

You pick a pen, grab a piece of paper and scribble…or, nowadays, turn on your PC, go to MSWord, exhaust your fingers on the keyboard…and you’re done…instant article! That easy, and you’re an instant celebrity.

It has been made clear that everybody can write. Why not? It’s as basic as reading. Once you’ve mastered the alphabet, able to distinguish plural from singular and loaded your cerebral bank with tons of vocabulary, you’re off to a good start.

Much has been written on the how-to of writing - from poetry to essays to novels - but only less on the why side of writing. Allow me to blab on that for a change.

Why write?

A semester of essay writing classes and four years of enduring journalism teachers who were fond of dumping projects with tight deadlines helped me come up with the reasons for writing.

Reason #1 Power

Writing is a good weapon in swaying opinions, influencing people’s mindset and way of living and in fighting for causes believed in.

Being a writer, you can bask in the glow of glamour. You become a celebrity but most of all a leader.

Reason #2 Expression

Other than being a weapon of might, writing is a good outlet for your pent-up emotions. Also, it allows the graceful or direct presentation of opinions and know-how.

Reason #3 Attention

You can use writing to bring attention to an issue you deem important or to things unheard of, which you want to share. As for my case, the scribbled words became my voice.

Through writing, you can reach a great number of readers from all walks of life without exhausting your vocal chords.

Reason #4 Entertainment

You can write for people’s delight, and even for your own entertainment when you’ve got nothing else to do.

Reason #5 Immortality

You can be immortalized through people’s memory; the written works you leave behind would remind them of you and your ideals.

Reason #6 It’s a Write-Or-Starve Situation

It’s your job. No escape. Write or be fired.

Reason #7 For Others

Most of all, write for others, not only for your self. Use writing to reach out to someone who feels alone and misunderstood, and who needs all the comfort in the world. Use writing to teach a lesson. My mentors had made that perfectly clear to me.

Before, I was merely satisfied with creating a world of my own. I enjoyed playing god. However, I soon realized that to be a better writer, I must not write merely for myself.

As a writer, you have readers whom you communicate a world of ideas, and who are affected by what you write. Don’t only think of yourself. By becoming a writer, you have taken a responsibility to the society. You are molding and reshaping somebody’s persona.

As a writer, you move readers to do something. Lead them to the light; lead them to the truth. They deserve nothing less.

One of my mentors used to read this to me: A writer without a sense of responsibility is no better than the leader who goes on with his work without regard for the welfare of those he leads.

I have failed to remember the writer from whom those wonderful words came, but they are words that are not easy to forget.

About the Author: Sheryl is a junior editor of publishing company CannonCreek Asia Inc., currently dealing with business news, and is a contributor to the Sun Star Daily Cebu, goarticles, ezinearticles, writing village, writing.com, and poetrypoem. A journalism graduate, she writes short stories, poetry, essays and few novels.

Source: www.isnare.com

Writing for online publishing can be a tricky undertaking especially considering that what may be popular today may not be so in a month or two, thereby making what you wrote irrelevant.

To overcome the possibility of your words falling to the ground instead of being received by your customers’ eyes you need to determine if the subject matter is a trend or a fad.

By trend I mean the following: the general market is making a permanent or long term move in a particular direction. An example of a trend would be the movement away from adjustable rate mortgages to fixed rate mortgages.

By fad I mean the following: the general market or an important segment of that market is making a temporary move in a particular direction. An example of a fad would be zero percent mortgages.

If you update your web site frequently, you can and probably should cover both trends and fads in order to capture a greater amount of market share. Going with “what’s hot” effectually covers the fad market for your business, while going with whatever trends that the market is displaying keeps your business current with today’s business practices.

The Solution: Simply monitor your site’s content and periodically remove “fad” material in order to keep your site fresh and relevant.

Copyright 2006 — Matthew Keegan is The Article Writer who writes on a variety of topics including: advocacy, automobiles, aviation, business, Christian themes, family, news, product reviews, travel, writing, and more. Please visit Matt’s blog for absolutely stunning and humorous writings from the master himself!

This is one of the hardest things speakers have to do - defining their niche, and in most cases, it can stop them dead in their tracks. Inexperienced speakers have a tendency to generalize themselves and that won’t lead to those successful paid speaking engagements. You must be creative and innovative; find your own niche and become the most well known speaker in that niche.

Defining your niche

• Define your audience: Decide who you want to speak to mainly - who will be your target audience? Let’s say that you have decided to speak to women only, the next step would be to …

• Develop your key topics: Now you want to build 1 to 3 direct topics in which you have extensive experience and knowledge on, topics that you know you can speak on with great passion and inspire your target audience. Let’s assume you have decided to speak on personal empowerment, the next step would be to …

• Narrow your topics down and become the speaker of choice in your niche. You want to become an expert on this subject - you want to become the speaker of choice to the point where everyone in the industry, women’s organizations, women’s associations, and women owned businesses will know who you are; if they need a speaker for their audience, event or workshop they will know exactly who to call - you! But getting one booking is not enough, now you must …

• Practice, expand, and improve your topics continuously. Now that you found your niche and are an expert on your topic, you must continuously practice your speaking skills, update your material and presentations to keep up with the trends and changing issues of today’s society. You want to get your clients to recommend you to others and keep them coming back for more! Practice on your friends and family members - their feedback will be invaluable to you, because they will be brutally honest with you!

Developing your topics

You need to sit down with a pen and paper and make a list of what you really want to talk about, what you’re really passionate about, and what you are really experienced or knowledgeable about. Once you have made a list, start narrowing it down until you have come up with your niche! You don’t want to stretch yourself. Be as specific as possible. Below is just an example to help you understand how to build your topics around your expertise and your audience.

Sample target audience: Women
Sample topic: Women’s personal empowerment

• Topic 1: From victim to personal empowerment: Deborah captures her audience with her presentation on how to go from victim to personal empowerment and independence. She shows her audience (you would fill in the rest of the description. Don’t make it too long, just enough to “catch the eye”)

• Topic 2: Victim mentality - are you addicted?: Anderson shows her audience how to tell if they are in a victim mentality or situation. She uses brilliant visuals to show them if they are addicted to victim mentality and how to break it …

• Topic 3: Relationships 101 - work through your differences: A happy, healthy, and successful relationship is a full time job for all of us and working through your differences is sometimes easier said then done …

Now, we have determined your target niche and have built your topics around it. Once you have positioned yourself as an expert speaker and everyone comes to you when they need your expertise, you can then start building another niche and topic subjects to fit or compliment previous topics.

The number of keynote topics you will have in your portfolio is entirely up to you, based on your knowledge and experience.
Some speakers have only one topic while others may have 10.
Speakers of choice get bookings and higher paying engagements!

If you need additional help with defining your niche please contact us for assistance.

Wendi McNeill is owner of Charli Jane Speaker Management Services. She markets, promotes, and consults speakers, authors, coaches, and entertainers worldwide. She is also the founder of Charli Jane Business Solutions and assists speakers with their administrative and management needs. You can sign up for her bi-weekly newsletter, Speak to Me and receive free Call for Presenter notices at http://www.charlijane.com or you can email her at info@charlijane.com

What is your point? What do you do if you don’t know? Why does it matter?

It is important for every writer to know their point because the writer is in charge of the reader’s experience. If the writer doesn’t know the point then the reader surely won’t. That means at best, a writer without a point will soon be a writer without a reader. At worst, a writer without a point can end up with a confused and perhaps even angry reader.

Making the point of your article or essay clear and apparent is how you capture the interest of your reader and it is how you keep the interest of your reader.

However knowing your point and making it clear and apparent are sometimes easier said than done. So what is a writer to do?

Finding your point is as easy as 1-2-3.

First, identify your topic. Simply make a note of the subject you plan to address. Narrow it down to one word or simple phrase. For example, you plan to write an article about potty training. That makes potty training your phrase.

Second, ask yourself a pertinent question about that topic. For example, how can you make potty training easy? Now turn that question into a statement, such as “You can make potty training easy… ” This is your point. But you aren’t done yet.

Third, you will need to expand and support your point so you must come up with three supporting points. Remember, not only do you have to make your point, but you also need to make it clear and apparent. That is why support is important. So think of three points you can make to support your point. For example, keeping the pressure low, making it fun, and giving it time. Finally, you join your statement with the three points and use a preposition to join the two together. In this case probably “by” would work best and often “because” is a good choice. Some other prepositions include about, during, through, under, and with.

Now you have a good introductory paragraph:

You can make potty training easy by keeping the pressure low, making it fun, and giving it time.

Not only do you have a point that you will be able to make clear and apparent to the reader, but you also have a road map for your article or essay. Simply expand on your introduction and expand on each supporting point in turn and you will have a clear point, good organization, and solid support.

Taking a few minutes to plan out your point in this manner can be well worth spending the time as it will make your writing easier. It will also make the reading easier as well. And that is the point of this article.

Deanna Mascle has more than two decades of experience writing professionally and teaching writing. Find more of her writing tips at Word-Craft.info