Because I'm a sheep I want to play with the cool kids, I've decided to do what everyone on my flist seems to be doing:

IT'S MEME TIME!!! :D

Maybe this will help me clear my palate between (hopefully) finishing my first Reverse Big Bang fic and starting the next one over the weekend.

You can ask me anything about my writing! Alternatively, you can ask (just a suggestion...):

1) What I was thinking at the time I wrote a story, or a question about my writing as a whole. The question can be about anything, including my WIPs (of which I don't have many).

2) Pick a character/pairing I've written and I will explain the top five ideas, concepts, etc. I try to keep in mind while writing that character/pairing.

3) Quote a few lines from something I've written and I'll comment on them.

4) You can find all of my White Collar and NCIS fanfiction at gaby_fanfic. My older X Files ficcage (and the earlier NCIS fiction) can be found on my website gaby.slashcity.tv. I did a roundup post of all fic written/posted in 2013 here. Feel free to peruse and then bombard me with your questions! :)

Picasso, Matisse paintings and more stolen from Netherlands museum

I mean, really. The boys have to get bored during hiatus...

taylorgibbs made a wonderful post about the woes of every fanfic author who finds themselves confronted with the fact that other people write in their fic 'verses or use their OCs. She summed it up wonderfully right here: http://taylorgibbs.livejournal.com/93242.html

And that got me thinking (always a bad idea, I know *g*). I've always known what my personal stance in this matter is, but I don't think I've ever openly vocalized it, so here goes.

I don't want other people writing in the 'verses I created. That includes, but is not limited to, writing sequels to stories (whether I planned to write one myself or not), prequels, missing scenes, what if scenarios, etc.

I don't want other people using the original characters I created (there aren't many, but they're dear to me, they all have a complete backstory even if I'll never tell it, and I'm the only one who knows that character).

I'm flattered that people like my stories so much that they might want to come and play, too. Honestly, thank you for that because it's a huge compliment. But still, I'd rather you wouldn't.

And I understand that maybe one of my stories inspires people to write their own. That's perfectly okay; I get inspired by stuff I read as well. As long as it's a different story, go ahead and knock yourself out! :) But if it's clear that the fic is based on my story, then no.

I know I'm a hypocrite. I write fanfiction, therefore I "steal" other people's characters and set ups (the TV shows I write about). But, unlike the creators or script writers, I don't get paid for my efforts. Additionally, I'm not trying to retell a story I've already seen; I'm trying to explore new situations the characters probably won't ever find themselves in on screen (and darn it, too!). But if you take one of my plot ideas and use it for your own, that's just not cool.

I'm aware that similarities are bound to happen. I realize that there are probably enough fics with the same general premise than some of my stories. That's perfectly fine and unavoidable. But whenever there's something in the story that just points a big, flashing neon sign at another story, it blurs the line of coming up with an original plot idea and using someone else's.

There are authors out there who don't mind having others playing in their sandbox. That's cool. More power to them! :) But a lot of authors (not just me) prefer their sandbox to remain theirs, and I ask everyone to please respect their wishes.

If you should ever find yourself inspired by someone else's work or would like to explore their OC a bit more, but you don't know their feelings about sharing their toys, please do the following:

1. Contact the author and ask for permission to play in their 'verse or borrow their OC.
2. If permission if given, go ahead and write to your heart's content! :) Then show it to the author privately.
3. If the author gives a final thumbs up, then post it all over the net. But not a second before! And remember to thank the author and acknowledge their work!!!

Writing something without the author's permission will cause a lot of heartache, trust me on this. And if readers recognize the OC or the story's set up / general plotline / a very specific and unique plot twist but don't see any notes mentioning the original story, you might get flamed or accused of stealing someone's work.

And now that I've bored everyone to sleep, I shall go and write a sequel. To one of my own stories. *g*

taylorgibbs made a wonderful post about the woes of every fanfic author who finds themselves confronted with the fact that other people write in their fic 'verses or use their OCs. She summed it up wonderfully right here: http://taylorgibbs.livejournal.com/93242.html

And that got me thinking (always a bad idea, I know *g*). I've always known what my personal stance in this matter is, but I don't think I've ever openly vocalized it, so here goes.

I don't want other people writing in the 'verses I created. That includes, but is not limited to, writing sequels to stories (whether I planned to write one myself or not), prequels, missing scenes, what if scenarios, etc.

I don't want other people using the original characters I created (there aren't many, but they're dear to me, they all have a complete backstory even if I'll never tell it, and I'm the only one who knows that character).

I'm flattered that people like my stories so much that they might want to come and play, too. Honestly, thank you for that because it's a huge compliment. But still, I'd rather you wouldn't.

And I understand that maybe one of my stories inspires people to write their own. That's perfectly okay; I get inspired by stuff I read as well. As long as it's a different story, go ahead and knock yourself out! :) But if it's clear that the fic is based on my story, then no.

I know I'm a hypocrite. I write fanfiction, therefore I "steal" other people's characters and set ups (the TV shows I write about). But, unlike the creators or script writers, I don't get paid for my efforts. Additionally, I'm not trying to retell a story I've already seen; I'm trying to explore new situations the characters probably won't ever find themselves in on screen (and darn it, too!). But if you take one of my plot ideas and use it for your own, that's just not cool.

I'm aware that similarities are bound to happen. I realize that there are probably enough fics with the same general premise than some of my stories. That's perfectly fine and unavoidable. But whenever there's something in the story that just points a big, flashing neon sign at another story, it blurs the line of coming up with an original plot idea and using someone else's.

There are authors out there who don't mind having others playing in their sandbox. That's cool. More power to them! :) But a lot of authors (not just me) prefer their sandbox to remain theirs, and I ask everyone to please respect their wishes.

If you should ever find yourself inspired by someone else's work or would like to explore their OC a bit more, but you don't know their feelings about sharing their toys, please do the following:

1. Contact the author and ask for permission to play in their 'verse or borrow their OC.
2. If permission if given, go ahead and write to your heart's content! :) Then show it to the author privately.
3. If the author gives a final thumbs up, then post it all over the net. But not a second before! And remember to thank the author and acknowledge their work!!!

Writing something without the author's permission will cause a lot of heartache, trust me on this. And if readers recognize the OC or the story's set up / general plotline / a very specific and unique plot twist but don't see any notes mentioning the original story, you might get flamed or accused of stealing someone's work.

And now that I've bored everyone to sleep, I shall go and write a sequel. To one of my own stories. *g*

So, I've been really prolific today. *g*

I just created a new comm for my NCIS fanfic. You can find it right here: gaby_fanfic 

Now, before everyone runs to have a look, here's the gist:

1. Not all of my fanfic will be posted there, only NCIS fic (I'm pretty sure about that, at least).

2. My old fanfic will very probably not be re-posted there (for the simple fact that I'm too lazy *g*).

3. All of my fic (meaning, all fandoms, all pairings, all genres, etc) will continue to be posted on my website, the Sinful Shack. That's where you'll also continue to find the amazing fic written by Raven (ruefull ) and Ruth (redblack32 ).

4. If you want to make sure that you don't miss any new fic, you might want to join the sinful_shack  comm, where I post an update whenever a new story (any fandom, any writer) is posted to the Sinful Shack.

5. The gaby_fanfic  comm was merely created for two reasons:

a. I wanted to keep my LJ as fanfic-free as possible. (That does not mean that I won't post ramblings about new plotbunny attacks or updates on my to write list or whatever here - all I'm saying is, I don't want to post actual stories in my personal LJ).

b. Many people on LJ prefer to read fanfic on LJ. I also know that some people can't access the slashcity websites, where the Sinful Shack is hosted. Since I prefer not to post directly to fanfic comms, but rather just post links to my fic (that makes it easier to maintain the stories), I needed a place where I could post my fic before linking to that fic from comms. Up till now, that was my personal LJ. Now I have a new place (the gaby_fanfic  comm) where the new NCIS fic will be posted, with links to it from the other fanfic comms (like gibbs_dinozzo , ncis_slash , etc).

Again, this is not going to be a mirror site for the Sinful Shack website. Only NCIS fic will be posted to gaby_fanfic  (since I'm not active in any non-NCIS fanfic comms here in LJ Land, and the only reason for gaby_fanfic  is to have a place to post the fic before I link to it from the other comms). Probably not all NCIS will be posted (if I don't post it to any fic comms, it won't be posted to gaby_fanfic , because there's no reason to). And only my fic will be posted there, not the fic of my co-Shackers.

Feel free to watch the comm or even become a member, but rest assured that you'll hear about a new fic as long as you're watching / are a member of any of the NCIS fic comms out there or read the daily NCIS newsletter. :-)

And, just to make sure there's something to read, I reposted my latest fic, Five Ways "Rule Fifty-One" Should Have Ended to my shiny new place. :-)

So, I've been really prolific today. *g*

I just created a new comm for my NCIS fanfic. You can find it right here: gaby_fanfic 

Now, before everyone runs to have a look, here's the gist:

1. Not all of my fanfic will be posted there, only NCIS fic (I'm pretty sure about that, at least).

2. My old fanfic will very probably not be re-posted there (for the simple fact that I'm too lazy *g*).

3. All of my fic (meaning, all fandoms, all pairings, all genres, etc) will continue to be posted on my website, the Sinful Shack. That's where you'll also continue to find the amazing fic written by Raven (ruefull ) and Ruth (redblack32 ).

4. If you want to make sure that you don't miss any new fic, you might want to join the sinful_shack  comm, where I post an update whenever a new story (any fandom, any writer) is posted to the Sinful Shack.

5. The gaby_fanfic  comm was merely created for two reasons:

a. I wanted to keep my LJ as fanfic-free as possible. (That does not mean that I won't post ramblings about new plotbunny attacks or updates on my to write list or whatever here - all I'm saying is, I don't want to post actual stories in my personal LJ).

b. Many people on LJ prefer to read fanfic on LJ. I also know that some people can't access the slashcity websites, where the Sinful Shack is hosted. Since I prefer not to post directly to fanfic comms, but rather just post links to my fic (that makes it easier to maintain the stories), I needed a place where I could post my fic before linking to that fic from comms. Up till now, that was my personal LJ. Now I have a new place (the gaby_fanfic  comm) where the new NCIS fic will be posted, with links to it from the other fanfic comms (like gibbs_dinozzo , ncis_slash , etc).

Again, this is not going to be a mirror site for the Sinful Shack website. Only NCIS fic will be posted to gaby_fanfic  (since I'm not active in any non-NCIS fanfic comms here in LJ Land, and the only reason for gaby_fanfic  is to have a place to post the fic before I link to it from the other comms). Probably not all NCIS will be posted (if I don't post it to any fic comms, it won't be posted to gaby_fanfic , because there's no reason to). And only my fic will be posted there, not the fic of my co-Shackers.

Feel free to watch the comm or even become a member, but rest assured that you'll hear about a new fic as long as you're watching / are a member of any of the NCIS fic comms out there or read the daily NCIS newsletter. :-)

And, just to make sure there's something to read, I reposted my latest fic, Five Ways "Rule Fifty-One" Should Have Ended to my shiny new place. :-)