[Jamie Witter]

Welcome to the GG Fan Fiction Discussion Thread!

I'm sure we've all read some amazing stories by very talented authors, as well as some not-so-stellar attempts. This is the place to discuss Gilmore Girls fiction, regardless of your couple preferences. If you're a writer, learn what mistakes not to make, and discover what people really like. As a reader, this is the place for fic recommendations, as well as links to some great fanfic sites! So, come join us!

A Few GG Fan Fiction Cliches to Avoid
1. Rory gets pregnant as a teenager
2. A couple gets stuck in a closet (this seems to happen most to Rory and Tristan)
3. Rory and Tristan exchange letters after he leaves for military school
4. Rory and Tristan get stuck in someone's house during a blizzard
5. Luke and Lorelai kiss in the snow
6. Lorelai is in an accident and Luke is there for her
7. Rory is given up for adoption at birth, but later goes to live with Lorelai
8. Rory and Tristan meet up at Harvard and fall in love almost immediately
9. "Hanging by a Moment" songfics--great song, but used way too many times!
10. Lorelai gets hit by a car, while Luke's watching.

A Few Things We Love in Fics
1. Originality
2. Accurate Characterization
3. Correct grammar and spelling
4. Good writing
5. Paragraphs--"Block" formatted stories lead to confusion, particularly when dialogue is involved. In addition, every time a different person speaks, a new paragraph should be started.
6. Writers who write for themselves and people who love good plotting, not those reviewers who pressure authors into ruining their great ideas just so they can get what they wanted in the end, because they're impatient with plot development.

Some of Our Very Own Authors
It really wouldn't be fair to ask you to share your fics if we weren't willing to share our own. Here are some of the authors who have been known to post on this thread. Clicking on their name will take you to their FF.net profile, and you can access their stories from there.

Angeleyez
Angel Grace
archangel
Bent137
ChristineCS
columbiachica
Coralfly
d-nise
diddleesquat
emrie
IndianSpice
inmyeyes
Jessica S
katem-23
Kaybee28
Laine
Luke Rules
Mandy Renay
Mrs. Witter
Nate the Lizaphile
Neitermeyer
Nickster12
smeagolkitten
SweetThing
Tay
Tough Fluff
Trixie Firecracker
vega

And remember, all writers crave feedback! If you read a story and you like it, please review!

Some of Our Favorite GG Fiction Websites
Fanfiction.net
Laura's Gilmore Girls Fanfiction
The TrifectaLy
Black & White & Read
Proud & Prejudiced

Bad Fic for Dummies
Welcome to Bad Fic for Dummies, the ultimate guide to writing bad fic! Here you will find the golden rules to writing bad fic. So what are you waiting for? Read on!
1. Every Door Locks Automatically Yes, that's right. Every single door in this whooolllleeee universe locks automatically. Lucky for us bad fic writers, huh? Remember, if you don't know how to get your favourite couples together (Like, Jed Bartlet (The West Wing) and Kermit the Frog sooooo belong together!), just lock them up in a closet or basement "accidently"! See? It's the perfect plan! Eventually, kinky things will ensue when you're locked in a closet!
2. Formatting Schmormatting Whoooo caaareees if your fic is one big block of text? Exactly! NOBODY! It's your story! And they don't have to read it if they don't want to! We don't need paragraphs! Paragraphs are just a complete waste of time. It's true. I mean, who has the effort to push the "enter" button on the keyboard? Nobody! It's just much too tiring.
3. Make Author's Notes, not just at the beginning, but in the middle too! Do you know what I mean? Like, for example: Tristan loved Rory so much (a.n. How could he like, not? I mean, Rory and Tristan SOOOO belong together!). Like that, see? The fanfic becomes so much more personal when you talk to the little people out there that are reading your fic. Believe me, it doesn't matter if you're ruining the beat of your story. It's so much more important to communicate with your readers. Trust me.
4. Characterization? Screw that! Seriously. This is YOUR fic. It doesn't matter if the characters are totally out of character. Who cares? This is your fic. Do not be afraid! If you hate Dean from Gilmore Girls and love Rory and Jess, make Dean rape Rory and make her run to Jess! It doesn't matter that Dean would never for the life of him do that, it's your story. Got that? It's your story. Don't be afraid. After all, it's obvious that Xander would murder Anya and then move to L.A. to be with Cordelia. And it's possible that Riley would kidnap Buffy and make her watch him and Dawn hump in a corner!
5. Overuse Adjectives It's true. Everyone loves description. Remember when your teacher told you how good you knew how to use adjectives? I sure know how that feels! Adjectives are the heart of a good fic. Here's a masterful example: Max ran his large, skin-covered, peach-coloured, bony, sensitive fingers through Liz's deep, brown, shiny, smooth, silky, strong hair.. Remember kids, adjectives are the key!
6. Originality is BAD! It's true. Who cares about originality? It takes a really really really creative person to put a new spin on old ideas! When you're reading other people's fics, remember to copy that idea! It's priceless. And it's the internet! They can't sue you like those evil people sued Napster! I miss you Napster.
7. Put whole songs into fics. It is not a waste of space. Music just speaks to everyone! And if it doesn't, you are just a cold person! Remember to put the whoollleee entire song in your fic! Let the fic speak to you! Let the music speak to you! Got that? Good. Moving on.
8. Spell Check is NOT your friend That's right, folks. Despite the fact that people say that spell check is your friend...it's not! It's evil! It's so evil! It puts a red line underneath every single word. So don't spell check. Spell check is meeeeen!
9. Beg for Feedback If people don't give feedback, then they won't be blessed with another one of your stories! Feedback should be the only reason why you write! These are my personal favourite ways to beg...If you don't give feedback! I will jump off the roof and die! or Give me feedback, or I will never ever ever ever write again!. And if were a fanfic, I would say, "COMMENT! OR I WILL NEVER EVER BLOG AGAIN! I will wait until I have 20 comments then I will write another blog!"
10. Teenagers Always Get Pregnant There is no other time in a girl's life where she's fertile (Courtesy of Charley)
11. Sex in bizarre locations is romantic and creative Who cares if there's dropped fries and an inch of dirt behind Luke's counter? If he and Lorelai have sex there, it's just because they can't keep their hands off each other long enough to go upstairs to his bedroom. And that's good, because it's realistic. (Courtesy of emrie)
12. Don't summarize your fic People will be more likely to read your fic if you don't tell them what it is about. And once they read it they will instantly love it and give you great reviews. You already wrote a story, it is everyone's duty to read it, besides if you wrote it how could they not love it? Summarizing sucks anyway, you've certainly done it enough in your life, why do it now? (Courtesy of girlchic)
13. Short Updates are Your Friend 200-word chapters are perfectly acceptable updates to your fic. All those demanding reviewers may want longer chapters, but don't they realize that you have more important things to do, like bask in the glow of your 287 one-word reviews? Don't forget the cardinal rule--this is your fic, and those pushy little plebians should feel privileged just to read a single pearl of prose from you. Besides, if your chapters are super-short, you can update, like, all the time, thus keeping your far superior fic out of the shadow of those long, boring, "original" fics that have "substance"! (Courtesy of Angel Grace)
14. ee cummings was on to something when he decided never to use a capital letter again, and prince's second contribution (besides a weirdo symbol for his name) was 2 type words as short as possible. y? I don't no 4 what reason, but it looks 1derful when u type that way. You know, it just takes too much effort to capitalize a word like I or a proper name, it's so much work having to hold the Shift key down for one second while you're trying to type out your story. After all, you have 129 reviews from () asking you to continue, so why bother with capitalization, that would slow down the flow of how your story is typed out! And everyone has gotten an IM, so typing out the way you do when you're talking your friends in a long-form story says, "The world should know how I talk to my friend Andrea on MSN, using short words inspired by the license plate game," and no one will mind if you type that way. Go ahead and truncate words down so people can read your story as fast as possible, because why work your fingers into a sweat by typing "you", when "u" says it just as well, and you save two keystrokes. It's so boss when "for" is replaced by "4" also. (Courtesy of Nate the Lizaphile)
15. Who cares how to spell a character's name? My way is better I mean, really, if the characters don't have simple, easy-to-spell names, is it really worth your time to look up the right way? Besides, if you don't know the proper spelling, no one else does either, so it really doesn't even matter if you switch between the different spelling in the same story. This is especially useful for Tristan/Tristin/Tristen/Trystan, and Lorelai/Lorelei/Lorelia. (Courtesy of L. grace)
16. Abusive storylines are a stroke of genius Who cares if Dean, Max, or Luke would never act that way? This is your story, you can do whatever you want! Have Dean beat up Rory, and then have her run to Tristan! Have Max beat up Lorelai, and have her run to Luke! Have Luke beat up Lorelai, and have her run to Max! Abusive stories are the cream of the crop. When you have writer's block, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel! Write an abusive storyline! (Courtesy of Kaybee28)
17. English Schminglish! Let's not forget that no one really cares about sentences with both subjects and predicates, and who even knows the correct usage of "your," "you're," "their," "there," and "they're," so why bother? (Courtesy of Roxy)
18. Love at First Sight Totally Exists! You should always make someone fall in love with another character right after they speak with each other or see each other. They should then proceed to get married have sex, or make out because that's what happens on every show and in real life. (Courtesy of Roxy)
19. Death as a Plot Twist Need to get rid of a jealous Paris? Kill her off! Need a reason for Tristan to comfort Rory? Have Lorelai die in a tragic accident! Luke and Lorelai not getting together fast enough? Have him comfort her after Rory's suicide! (Courtesy of Nate the Lizaphile--sort of.)
20. Great music from Carole King and Sam Phillips may define the show, but they just don't express Rory's thoughts better than Bootylicious or Toya's ode to picking up and teasing guys without any shame, I Do when you write about her in a fanfic. Come on, we all know that so called "great" music from PJ Harvey, Grant Lee Phillips and Nico, not to mention Claudine Longet really seems out of place in a show like Gilmore Girls, the Top 40 music coming out of your Fisher-Price radio that's been stuck to KissFM since 1994 should actually be played on that show! Screw Carole King and her daughter, if you wrote and produced the series, Lorelai and Rory would be grooving to the latest R. Kelly/Fat Joe ballad damnit, so let's put that as the opening to your fanfic. To end it, that Ja/J-Lo remix wearing minds thin throughout these great United States!
Oh no, Luke's being surly and grumpy again, time to throw Butterfly Tears into your story to express his crush on Lorelai. Oh, and what song will Tristan be playing in order to deal with Rory not wanting him? U Got It by Usher. Again. Why not, it's not like we've ever heard anything by a rap group besides Outkast at Madeline's party, we know how "down" Madeline and Louise are with their homies down in Hartford.
How about Paris, what's her song? Why it's Peaches and Cream by 112, and she's shaking her booty to it, showing what she would love to do to Tristan! A Tristan and Rory moment? Hanging by a Moment has been shown to express their love 210 times in fanfic, go ahead and use it again. Oh, and happy Madeline just loves her Papa Roach and Linkin Park CDs to death, you can just see why she always has a smile on her face when they sing about having a Last Resort.
Oh, and don't forget what a closet Britney fan Richard is, why not have him play I'm a Slave 4 U when Emily walks into the room?
And even though Lane has an entire record store beneath her bedroom, she really just listens to BSB and N*Sync, all those other discs are just for show.
Remember, you don't have to follow the musical tastes of Amy Sherman-Palladino in fanfic. Hardcore rap, sappy R&B ballads, shrilly boy band songs, and bad new rap-rock "songs" are what provide the awesome lyrical background to great fanfictions everywhere, for a show who's music is composed by the most admired female songwriter of the 1970's, her daughter, and a cultish singer named Sam. They don't know jack about musical flow, because you can do it better anyday. (Courtesy of the somewhat verbose Nate the Lizaphile. And before you ask, no, he's not bitter. Really.)
21. Go ahead and leave your fic untitled after you make it public, it's just so much work putting three words into a box so you can have your work titled! No one is really caught into reading your story because of the title, it's the content that really matters. Every other lazy writer out there has an Untitled fic, why not join that exclusive club of non-creativity? (Courtesy of Nate the Lizaphile)
22. Whatever guy Rory is about to fall in love with, just have him go past her bedroom window "accidently" and take a peek at her naked! Sparks are bound to fly moments later! Who cares if she's totally head over heels in love with Dean? Have her become insecure about her body after he doesn't pay attention to her 'needs', make her stand in front of a mirror in the buff as she comes to a sudden realization that she needs to get some, then have Jess or Tristan just happen to come by her wide open window and take a good look at her. After that, it's a matter of time before they have sex!(Courtesy of Nate the Lizaphile)
23. Lorelai slow to come around to the fact Luke has a thing for her? Get Luke drunk in the diner one night and have one of the Gilmore girls come in just as he confesses his feelings in an alcoholic haze! You just can't beat a guy who rallies against vices such as red meat and tobacco suddenly consulting his new friend Jack Daniels for dating advice. And don't forget to do it just as Lorelai gets engaged to Christopher/Max/Kirk/Michel/Rune, the drama can only increase from there! And make sure he's singing that Jimmy Buffett classic "Margaritaville" as Luke is on the bender, hilarity is guaranteed to ensue!(Courtesy of Nate the Lizaphile)
24. Naming the Children of Current Characters There are only two options: 1. Have you been planning to name your daughter Desire骂rianne since the third grade? Well, obviously it's the perfect name for Rory and Tristan's little girl. (Who cares if it doesn't sound anything like Rory's style, or that she'd probably pick a name from a novel?) Desire骂rianne is a looovely name and you think it's perfect for her! Plus, they can call her Desi for short, how cute! And you have the perfect name for Desi's little brother: Blake Sawyer. It sounds just like your favorite soap opera character. 2. Obviously, when Luke and Lorelai name their son, they'll name him William Lucas, after Luke's father and Luke himself. Then their daughter will be Emily Lorelai, after Lorelai's mother. Then Richard William, and Susan (Luke's mother) Emily. Then Lorelai Leigh IV, and Leigh Rory, and Luke Richard-William, and Lucas Lorelai, then William Hardware! It's great to recycle family names, it shows the love and connection shared in the Gilmore-Danes household. (All the children should have hyphenated last names too!) (Courtesy of emrie)

(Rules 1-9 courtesy of Jessica S)

Tips For When Reviewing Fan Fictions

Ever gotten to a fic and were a loss of words as to what to say? Or how long that review should be? Here's some tips to help.

1. State your couple preference several times or more. This will help the author decide, if undecided, what couple bias to show. Never mind if neither characters have made an enterance or even been mentioned, it's still good for the author to know their readers like this or that.
2. Continue is a perfectly good review to leave. It lets the author know that you are interested and intrigued by their story. It does all this with that one tiny word.
3. If a subcouple bothers you, let them know! Fixate on that and only that. They may only be mentioned in passing, but it lets them know what you believe is important.
4. Dwell on the little things. I mean the author hasn't explained this yet, it must mean they simply forgot about it. They'll be so grateful! It's not like they weren't planning on incorporating it later on or anything...
5. Don't bother making sure your complaints are founded. I mean if you didn't see it the first time, it must not be there.
6. When you read a fic that revolves around a couple you don't like, and the author warned you ahead of time, go ahead and review it spouting your hatred for that couple. The author only needs to see the "light" after all.
7. If you read the first part of the story and hated it and had let the author know, then go ahead read and review the second part with the same exact comments! You'll get their arses away from your fic board if it's the last thing you do.
8. Just read an AU or future, and *gasp* the characters are hardly like they are shown on TV (and you know that you are the absolute expert on the show, duh!) then flame 'em. God forbid if it's not a carbon copy of the dialogue from the show. It's not like circumstances and situations actually change who people are.
9. Always, ALWAYS tell someone they suck without citing why you didn't like it. That two worded phrase "u suck!" will tell the author all they need to know about what to improve upon.
10. Even after the author has made it clear by the length spent on a coupling on a fic that there are going to be no other pairings, suggest that the author turn it into a story for your shipper group by putting in a double date scene, even though the author only mentions other characters in passing. (Courtesy of Nate the Lizaphile)
11. The fact that authors have personal lives should not prevent you from begging for updates! Just found out that a story you like hasn't been updated for a while because there was a death in the author's family? No worries! Simply post a review saying that you're "dying" to find out what happens, and the author will get right on it! (Courtesy of Angel Grace)

(Courtesy of Sparkling Silke, AKA Charley, AKA ChristineCS).

[Jamie Witter]

Hopefully, I wasn't too hasty in starting a new thread. And if anyone has a better title, I'll just change it. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Oh and a Louistan update!

[SamiJoe]

Thanks for the new thread. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] I like the title. I need a muse right now. Where is it that I get those? Target, right?

Edited: Oh, and, Alissa? I found another story. It's set as if Lorelai got to Stars Hollow while she was still pregnant. By Ali. Shelter From the Storm.

[ 03-19-2004: Message edited SamiJoe ]

[SamiJoe]

The next chapter of Before the Beginning's up. Hope you like it!

Also, I'm trying to find a story. Here's what I remember:
-It's Trory.
-Tristan and Rory are at a school event, I think it's a college tour.
-They are put into different groups for the day.
-Rory is in the cafeteria, and some guy starts flirting with her. She doesn't like it.
-Tristan sneaks up behind her and puts his arms around her waist, saying he's her boyfriend. The guy backs off.
-I think it may be the same story as the gazebo story.

Thanks.

[Love-Bug]

Oh wow, I haven't posted anything in the longest time. But I was still lurking around. Anyways, I was wondering if someone could help me find these fics 'casue I can't seem to find them on ff.net.

Favours by Hilda and Awakenings by Pooh

Thanks so much
Love [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[ 03-23-2004: Message edited Love-Bug ]

[RoxyBlueGirl7]

Originally posted by Love-Bug: <STRONG>Favours by Hilda and Awakenings by Pooh</STRONG>

They can be found on TrifectaLy. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

[Natfudge]

Hello kids!

Just over here to let you know that I finished my fic The Life and Times of an Unwelcome Third Wheel.

Uh, its a trory if you wanted to know.

Nat

[jayta]

Hello! [img]smilies/wave.gif[/img]

I just started a Trory fic... [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] don't ask me why, since I'll never come close to the wonderfulness that are the writers James, Chris, and Gracie

[img]smilies/sigh.gif[/img]

But here I am and I was wondering if anyone could beta me...perhaps a Trory, since I am trying to write that.

I don't know why I'm doing this...i've got several fanfics already underway with other ships...but yet feel compelled to write a Trory...Ack.

Help [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[SamiJoe]

I'll beta for you, jayta. I'm not a Trory, though. And also, I've never actually been a beta. But I'll try! And...I'm good at catching spelling mistakes.

[jayta]

Originally posted by SamiJoe: <STRONG>I'll beta for you, jayta. I'm not a Trory, though. And also, I've never actually been a beta. But I'll try! And...I'm good at catching spelling mistakes.</STRONG>

spelling is my forte so no worries there, although what i don't catch i have spell check for [img]smilies/lol.gif[/img]

anyhoo...

i've already got a couple of ppl who said they would do it... [img]smilies/clap.gif[/img] but thanks anyway! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[SamiJoe]

Okay, jayta.

The next chapter of Before the Beginning's up.

[*~*Sparkle*~*]

Hi, just dropping by with a (very) short story. I admire the abilities of the writers on this thread and thought you guys could probably give me some good feedback. I was going for a hidden meaning in the story, but I fear that it came across too blatantly. It's my first attempt so I was wondering if you could tell me how I could improve in the future. Thanks! [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Under the Awning

A chance meeting between Rory and Jess in the future lets the two express their past regrets.

Chelsea [img]smilies/bubble.gif[/img]

[Cajun]

Hey, new writer here. I was browsing the web, looking for some good Luke/Lorelai fics, and decided to write my own. This is my first published attempt at fanfic. Please check them out and let me know what you think.

Luke and Lorelai

I submitted them to Proud and Prejudiced but haven't heard back yet. I really need a beta and someone to kick around ideas with, so any help is appreciated.

I feel like I just placed a wanted ad. Hee.

edited to fix the friggin' URL link

[ 03-31-2004: Message edited Cajun ]

[*~*Sparkle*~*]

Cajun, I read and reviewed your two pieces. Great start. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

Chelsea [img]smilies/bubble.gif[/img]

[Love-Bug]

Hey,
Can anyone get me a link to the Stars-Hallow boards? Thanks.
Love [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]