15 replies to this topic

[Joyce Carrington]

It's so great to see that some of you also like to write your own Bond novel! It's just a great help knowing I'm not the only one.
How many of you have written/are writing fanfiction?
Can you give me some tips?

[Mister Asterix]

I have just the germ of an idea for a second novel, but I'm not going to start until the ideas start to gel.

As for tips, if you don't already have one get a laptop computer. An old one is just fine, you can probably pick one up cheap or even free if you can find someone upgrading. With a laptop you can sit anywhere and write. I did most of my writing in bed when I had insomnia and a desktop computer just wouldn't do there.

Use Microsoft Word. This is probably the only time I will ever recommend a Microsoft product and even though I hate Microsoft Word for general usage, it is wonderful for writing fan fiction. Make sure you set the grammer and spelling settings to the way you write. Be prepared to ignore some of its grammer recommendation though.

When you get an idea write. Revise it later. Then revise it again. And again. Don't be satisified with your writing, strive to make it better.

Find an editor. Someone who can correct your mistakes that Word can't find and who will tell you brutally when something is not working. Because of one very small comment from my editor I ended up rewriting an entire chapter. And I think my story was much better for it.

On the Bond front, decide which Bond World your fan fic is set. Is it in the Movie Bond World or the Literary Bond World or that strange world I like to call the Novelisation Bond World where the events of the film and books have both happened. Personally, I'd rather see the Novelisation World than the Movie Bond World because it satisifies both audiences. If you are writing in the Literary World you can decide whether to include or ignore Amis, Gardner, and Benson. My fanfic is set firmly in the Benson era and references both Gardner and Amis*. However, one of my favourite Bond fan fictions is clinkeroo's From Death's Door which is set in modern times but ignores Benson and Gardner. After you decide which world to set your story in stick to it. If you're in the Literary World don't call Major Boothroyd 'Q', et cetera.

Bond is in the details. The little things are what make Bond who he is and make a Bond story a Bond story. Use real products. Examine the items, locations, and details of the characters that add to the ambiance.

*A special prize will be awarded to the first person who can find my rather obscure Amis reference

[marktmurphy]

'grammer and spelling'? Honestly Mr*- I worry for your spell checker sometimes. (Its 'grammar')
Seriously though, you'll have to go some to beat Mr*'s MTTS as it is easily the best fanfic around (and I'm including Benson as a fanfic writer).
And you get extra points for James Bond Jnr references. Mr* managed it.

[Mister Asterix]

Originally posted by marktmurphy
'grammer and spelling'? Honestly Mr*- I worry for your spell checker sometimes. (Its 'grammar')

See that proves my point. Good spell checking and an editor are musts. Particularly for someone like me who is terrible at spelling and a bad typist. Add to that the fact that I attempted to write my novel with British spelling and MS Word and my editor were invaluable.

I do wish that we'd get spell checking back in these forums. I've have to bug Dave about that again.

[Xenobia]

I think all of Mr.* are wonderful...and I will add two more:

Carry paper with you at all times: you never know when a line of dialogue, or neat little plot device might crop into your head.

Read the international section of a good newspaper...and read it at least three times a week. Some tiny little story could be the bud of a wonderful spy tale.

-- Xenobia

[Double-0 Six]

I'm currently working on my first novel and also toying with a Bond novel on the side (when I have the time). I can't offer any advice unfortunately, because Mr* and Xenobia have said it all.

[Joyce Carrington]

Thank you for all the tips... I actually do everything you've said, so there wasn't anything new in it.. but anyway, thanks. I'm never satisfied with my own writing. But I guess I'll just have to do it.

[Bondpurist]

The biggest problem with writing fanfic, or any Bond novel nowadays, is trying to get your facts right about Bond and Bond's world as outlined in previous novels . For instance, in one John Gardner novel he wrote that Bond lost his virginity at fourteen when in FAVTAK Fleming said it was sixteen, which makes Gardner seem incompetent and provides serious problems concerning trying to map out Bond's world accurately. Contradicting other Bond novelists is very difficult to avoid, even if you've got an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Bond. Another thing to avoid is repeating or copying basic plots. Gardner had about seven plots for his fourteen books, which each repeated about twice. The Man From Barbarossa and Icebreaker are, plotwise, almost identical.

[Carver]

Bondpurist has got a point there....
I can't offer any advice, but I am writing my own fan fic. When its fully completed, I'll ask if I can put it up on CMGN, its also supposed to be on MI6, but it isn't, so I'll just give it a go on CMGN:). Its set just before TLD, and becuase I know more about films than I do about books, its in the Film world, with a few nods to the literacy world, like using names from novelisiations etc.

[Mister Asterix]

Originally posted by Bondpurist (edited
The biggest problem with writing fanfic, or any Bond novel nowadays, is trying to get your facts right about Bond and Bond's world as outlined in previous novels...

Yeah, that's a tough problem. All a writer can do is do his or her best. Know the books. Re-read sections that you're referencing. Find the good refernce material on the web and in books to verify your references.

Some reference pages and books I used to verify Bond info:

• Commander's Club: The Essential 007
• klast.net: Ian Fleming Concordance
• Misc. Articles From 007Forever

Some of the books I used for reference:

• Raymond Benson's The James Bond Bedside Companion
• Kingsley Amis' The James Bond Dossier
• O.F. Snelling's 007 James Bond: A Report

I used many other books and websites for reference to but these listed were the most useful by far. Of course these mostly only reference the Fleming novels. You'll have to do a most of the research on the other authors yourself. Or you could just choose to ignore them.

Personally, I wanted my fanfic to feel as 'canon' as possible so I tried to get all my references and such right. Though one mistake has been pointed out to me already. Oh well, the great thing about being in electronic format is that it's fairly easy to change.

I have a lot of bookmarks for some pretty good general fan fiction tips some place. When I find them I'll post them here.

[Kronsteen]

I have a huge problem with writing James Bond fan fiction. I just love sitting and write the first part of the story when Bond still is in London. I think that

[Mister Asterix]

[quote]Originally posted by Kronsteen (edited)
I have a huge problem with writing James Bond fan fiction. I just love sitting and write the first part of the story when Bond still is in London. I think that

[Xenobia]

I agree with Mister Asterix and would like to add my own thoughts:

1) Show what you have done to someone else you trust. Chances are, what you think is bad, isn't...but your friend can help you make it even better.

2) Try writing something else completely. Do some homework, write some poetry, do a review of what you love most in your favorite Bond movie or novel. Hopefully one type of writing will help trigger something in your brain that can get you through the rough part in your fanfic.

3) Visualize what you are writing. I thought I would never be able to write the ending of my fanfic because it involves some insane action. I literally had to keep replaying the scene in my mind and that gave me a foundation for what I had to write to get through to make the ending work. (I hope.)

4) Let the middle serve as a place where we can really get into Bond's head. One of the things I did in the middle of my fanfic was a lot of flashbacks to establish why Bond feels strongly for the Bond girl and for the villian. Of course, I realize your story is not set in the past, but you can use the middle of your fanfic to play with Bond's mind. That too, can help fuel your later writing.

Good luck!

-- Xenobia

[Kronsteen]

Thanks a lot both of you! I think this could really help me out, have started a little bit so hopefully its ready in some month.
Thanks!

[Hardyboy]

A bunch of us at AJB have worked on our own collaborative fan fic novel. It's almost finished and it's tons of fun. It also features one of the most grisly torture scenes ever devised. . .if I do say so myself!

[Xenobia]

Not only do you say so....I agree! Having Bond having to perform several times in one night with a real nutter...oh wait, that's not what you are talking about, is it?

Yes, you are right...that torture scene is tough on the eyes...but very well done.

-- Xen