Criminal Minds Fanfiction

[Gator]

I posted one on fanfiction.net called The Price They Paid by lakota1954. Sorry, haven't learned how to link- I'm old! It's probably corny and soapy, but if you're in the mood for a Rossi fix, you might like it.

[Bookish Jen]

A few weeks ago I came across some truly awful Spencer Reid related fan fiction. It was awful-technically incompetent, and the plot and character development was so subpar. This story just made me appreciate our talented CM fan fiction writers.

[amensisterfriend]

My new fantasy CM team: 

 

Reid, Gideon, Edgy/Prickly Rossi, Early Seasons Hotch, Alex, Elle and Emily. I chose these characters not just because they're my favorites (though they are!) but because I think there's potential for such great intra-team interactions and dynamics and even a little relatable conflict there...assuming the show was still interested in giving any of their characters distinctive personalities and even slightly different, nuanced relationships with one another, that is :) 

 

Fantasy cases: More cases that are genuine mysteries rather than ones which reveal the Unsub's identity within the opening seconds of the episodes; cases that require the team members to use and develop *different* areas of strength rather than the show lazily making them all equally expert at everything; an old fashioned, stuck-in-an-isolated-country-estate whodunit a la Agatha Christie and Clue; cases revisiting a few of our more memorable Unsubs from the past---- particularly a few of the juveniles to see how they turned out.

 

 How about you guys?! 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I need some advice. I kind of hate my own fan fiction and only see errors. Should I take it down and re-write, replace the chapters and add authors notes or just abandon it?  

 

IMO, you shouldn't just abandon it. Re-writes can work, but I guess the important thing is why you hate it. What strikes you as wrong about it?

[MCatry]

171 kudos.

That means 171 people that like your work.

People like what you write. People think what you write is worthy to read.

You should just believe them, and put aside your self-doubts.

Nobody is perfect, but honesty transcends distances. Your readers are a testimony of that.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I agree with MCatry. CM is a small fandom in comparison to some others, and that means there are not only fewer fanfic writers for it, there are also fewer readers. I've got a lot more hits than I do kudos on my page, and I know of at least a couple of my readers are reading my work over and over again. You should believe in what you've already written, and it doesn't have to be perfect. If you build it, they will come. :-)

[Bookish Jen]

I feel like it's not really in character enough compared to some better fanfictions. I feel like I only get positive feedback because it involves Spencer. I also find it really hard to put the scenes in my head into words and I think it could be a lot better but I don't know how to bring up the quality. Also a lot of characters are going to be involved that I really don't know how to write properly for. I'd hate to completely delete it because I have 171 kudos although it feels mostly undeserved. 

It sounds like you have a good start, and it's great you want to grow and improve as a fan fiction writer. CoStar writes some splendid fan fiction featuring Spencer and I think she'd be a great mentor for you.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Speaking of, here is my latest effort. Ya'll know when this takes place, more or less.

 

 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4312335

[Bookish Jen]

Speaking of, here is my latest effort. Ya'll know when this takes place, more or less.

Splendid, just splendid.

[normasm]

CoStar, you're the best! As much as I love your one-shots (which is a discipline akin to the short story, a particularly beautiful skill), I'd really like to read Elle giving JJ a piece of her mind, and Hotch too!

[normasm]

I have to say, I'd also like to see the team's reaction to R+E

[secnarf]

Thank you both! I've noticed the Criminal Minds has little fanfiction, it's one of the things that made me want to write because I couldn't find the things I wanted to read. I think in future I'll finish a fanfiction completely before posting it so I don't come to this situation again. 

I will say that as a reader, one of the things I really hate is unfinished fanfiction. If people are reading it, and you have the time, I think you should try to finish it off - if nothing else, you can work on your writing while finishing it!

 

I wouldn't say there's a dearth of CM fanfiction - I think it's an average-sized fandom, and there's definitely a lot from around the world that may not be in English, but it's there. Definitely not comparable to something like Harry Potter, though :P

[rapgodminho]

Be warned, long and rambling post incoming.

 

I have an idea for a fanfiction that would probably not be very well-received by fans, but nevertheless, I want to try it. Problem is, I don't quite know how to write it, but I think that the idea for it brings up a semi-interesting point about lots of fanfiction.

 

We've all seen the stories where Reid is kidnapped and injured/tortured/raped/hacked to pieces/is placed in some form of danger and comes out of said danger angsty and brooding - whump fics. Don't get me wrong and think that I hate them - some are incredibly well-written. Some...some are not. But I was thinking last night - while I don't think the fandom for CM is particularly small, it's also not huge. And yet I swear, if we were to take into account the proportions between the size of the fandom and the amount of whump fics with the fandom's main chew toy...then I think Reid is one of the most, of not the most tortured characters in all of fanfiction history. (The phrase 'fanfiction history' is something I thought I would never say... xD)

 

But...why? Why do people like the fics where Reid is kidnapped and injured/tortured/raped/hacked to pieces in fanfiction? Or even, why do people like it when their favourite characters in general are kidnapped and injured/tortured/raped/hacked to pieces in fanfiction? I can enjoy them if they're well-written and not creepy, but some of the authors and reviewers treat rape and torture scenes like they're erotica, and while I understand those are pretty common kinks it can't be that common that almost an entire fandom seems to share the same rape kink. I did some Googling and this one person came up with two theories I liked; one was that most fanfiction writers and readers are women and girls, who have a natural caregiving instinct and seeing their favorite characters in pain allows that part of them to feel satisfied. Typing that out feels incredibly sexist but I think it holds some merit, at least. The other was that again, most fanfiction authors are women and girls, and that all the trauma makes their favourite character go all brooding and angsty, which is a very popular trait among male characters. This one seems to hold water as well, since in my experience people who like the creepier whump fics typically don't also like them to include character death, possibly because if the chew toy dies then they won't see all that angst. (Of course, that just brings up the question of why we like to see our favourite characters in not just physical pain but extreme emotional pain after the fact, but if I started talking about that this thing would be like 498574985751 words longer than it needs to be.)

 

Anyway, I was thinking of doing some weird deconstruction-y thing where it would start off as your average whump fic, but as it went on Reid and the kidnapper character would eventually begin to reflect a kind of dynamic where Reid was your tortured character and the kidnapper was a fanfiction author/reader archetype...while still keeping it in character, of course, because it's still CM fanfiction, not some pretentious short story. But that seems hard, I'd probably just go off on some boring tangent and start writing an essay. There's several films where something like this has been done before (and probably several fanfics already) but for the life of me I can't remember what they are. I think one had Snape in it.

 

I don't know. I'm tired. And I feel like people would just think I'm judging them, which I'm not, even if I am a little disturbed by them sometimes. And questioning why people like violence in fiction/media is hardly a new concept, but recently there's been an influx of the whump fics and reading the reviews for them is honestly terrifying. Maybe I'm too young to understand. Or I'm taking fanfiction way too seriously.

Edited July 12, 2015 by rapgodminho

[Old Dog]

You raise some interesting points. I read a lot of Reid-based fanfiction and I have seen an increase in extreme whump stories which I actually cannot read. I like a bit of whump as it brings in the elements of suspense and danger which make the stories exciting. I really like to see my hero overcome adversity - such as rescuing fellow team members even though he's been shot somewhere not too life threatening like in the shoulder or otherwise not too seriously injured. But I have seen more and more stories where the poor boy is paralysed, blinded, brain damaged, lost limbs (or worse) etc etc and I cannot understand the need to write whump at this level. I also cannot read death fics although I know fans who love the poignancy they can bring. Maybe it's because I am an older reader - I think young people today see so much graphic violence on TV and in the movies that they are inured to it to a certain degree. I am not keen on seeing anything too graphic and I dislike reading about it also. Maybe it's an age thing?

Edited July 12, 2015 by Old Dog

[Old Dog]

Morgan/Reid erotica is all wrong and I don't understand it either. Hotch/Reid erotica on the other hand......

 

On a side note, while I said I don't like to see anything too graphic or read it either - I never understand those fans who complain that CM is too graphic. I've watched every episode, some dozens of times, and the only time I was ever grossed out was in The Inspired where the unsub made them eat from that rotten head!

[JMO]

You raise some interesting points. I read a lot of Reid-based fanfiction and I have seen an increase in extreme whump stories which I actually cannot read. I like a bit of whump as it brings in the elements of suspense and danger which make the stories exciting. I really like to see my hero overcome adversity - such as rescuing fellow team members even though he's been shot somewhere not too life threatening like in the shoulder or otherwise not too seriously injured. But I have seen more and more stories where the poor boy is paralysed, blinded, brain damaged, lost limbs (or worse) etc etc and I cannot understand the need to write whump at this level. I also cannot read death fics although I know fans who love the poignancy they can bring. Maybe it's because I am an older reader - I think young people today see so much graphic violence on TV and in the movies that they are inured to it to a certain degree. I am not keen on seeing anything too graphic and I dislike reading about it also. Maybe it's an age thing?

I've never understood it either. Real life is full of enough angst, and the 'reel' life of our CM characters even more so. There's already plenty to draw from. I don't see the need to torture a single character repeatedly, and I don't find it creative or deeply enough explored to hold my interest.

Like you, Old Dog, I wonder if people have become so inured to violence that they need to up the ante with some of these plot lines. And I worry about these kinds of stories contributing to that process, particularly among the younger readers. It would ameliorate the damage a bit if there were more consequence to the violence, if the effects on the characters were better explored. But, it seems, if the violence were to be portrayed as it actually is, poor Reid wouldn't survive long enough to undergo the next round of whump. He's become the Wile E. Coyote to the author's Road Runner. (Do you have them in the UK?)

[Old Dog]

I've never understood it either. Real life is full of enough angst, and the 'reel' life of our CM characters even more so. There's already plenty to draw from. I don't see the need to torture a single character repeatedly, and I don't find it creative or deeply enough explored to hold my interest.

Like you, Old Dog, I wonder if people have become so inured to violence that they need to up the ante with some of these plot lines. And I worry about these kinds of stories contributing to that process, particularly among the younger readers. It would ameliorate the damage a bit if there were more consequence to the violence, if the effects on the characters were better explored. But, it seems, if the violence were to be portrayed as it actually is, poor Reid wouldn't survive long enough to undergo the next round of whump. He's become the Wile E. Coyote to the author's Road Runner. (Do you have them in the UK?)

Yes we have Wile E.Coyote and Road Runner - a very apt analogy. Even in the show the poor guy has suffered more than any of the others although Hotch comes close.

I'm more in agreement with MGG who always says things are scariest when left to the viewer's imagination and this applies to fanfiction as well for me. I prefer to read suspense where you wonder what is happening and who is going to survive and not have to read the gory, graphic details. I also like to have some morality involved where evil gets trounced and good prevails.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Back in January, I got a comment on one of my stories more or less thanking me for not resorting to the common tropes of Reid fanfics - torture, kidnapping, whump, ridiculous immaturity on his part. For writing both him and Elle as interesting, capable adults who have baggage, and yet also become better people, and maybe even their best selves, because they decided to be together. Very cheesy? Maybe, but fanfic writers do not live on snark alone.

 

I think whump-heavy fics can be very well-written, but when I started writing Reid-centric stories my goal first and foremost was to give him some relief from the whump. A little angst is okay, and some of it can be really productive when he actually gets something out of it, even if its "only" the comfort of knowing that he can lean on someone who won't step away and let him fall. Without babying him or patting him on the head and telling him, "Suck it up, Buttercup," I mean.

 

The question 'why Reid?' is, I think, partly due to Gubler's acting. Matthew does grief and pain, whether its physical or emotional, very well, and being hurt (by his father's abandonment, by his mom's illness, by people being mean to him for no other reason than that they thought it was funny) is a fairly big part of Spencer's pre-canon history. So in some ways, I guess I can see the allure of it, and as I said, when its well-written, I don't usually mind reading it.

 

With one exception.

 

When I read A Terrible Liar, which is a really good fic, it made my stomach hurt. For anyone's who's read it, you know why that is, and while I was very impressed with the author's skill and the willingness to make Reid the bad guy instead of the victim, it was still a hurting thing to read because of my Spencer/Elle shipping. I'm not normally overly sensitive, but I didn't go to sleep for a while after finishing it, and I wrote a palate cleanser to make myself feel better. Am I too emotionally invested in the characters and the ship? Probably. But without being invested, it'd be like reading a stick-figure version of the show. I'd still rather read about the lovin' than the ugly side of their lives. :-)

[secnarf]

I can do alright reading about physical violence/torture, but I absolutely cannot do major emotional drama. And if there is physical violence/torture, there better be a good, happy ending! I don't read fanfic (or watch TV) for something that mirrors real life, I watch it to escape from the drama of real life. I did a purge of "artificial" drama from my life (which involved totally abandoning Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill) and I have no desire to see any more of that in the fictional worlds that I choose to enter. I want to see the characters overcome whatever their issues are and be happy. Obviously not sunshine and roses all the time, because that is boring, but I can't take over the top emotional drama.

I definitely think that part of the reason people read or write "whump" fics is because of the caregiving instinct, though. Often you can do that with fictional characters in a way you can't with real people.

[Danielg342]

I think there's a few things at play. Being a writer myself, I can relate to where some of these “whompers” are coming from.

1) It's much easier to write a story where your character is in peril because you are in control of the character, and thus you “know” how it will end. I would hazard a guess that many of those same writers who like to write torture fics for Reid probably don't want to see the character suffer peril on the actual show, since as they're watching it, they don't know how it will end. I look at “Angels and Demons” as a prime example- we all got into a tizzy because Reid was in peril, especially considering we didn't know how it would end. When you know how it will end, it's much easier to place the character through trauma, because at least you know the character will wind up unscathed.

2) For myself, when I was just starting to flex my writing muscles, I started out using as much shock value as I could (at least as much as I could stomach). I had a lot of rape scenes and violence because that's what I knew would cause a reaction, and, as a writer, you want people to react to your work. As I got more developed as a writer, I learned about doing things that could cause the same kind of reaction without resorting to that kind of shock value, plus I realized the more I did “violent” things, the more boring it got. There's only so many times you can write a rape scene before it gets old, and because I like challenging myself as a writer, I looked to other things to create the necessary reactions.

So this is what I think many of those whompers might be going through. They watch CM, know that it places a premium on violence, and “up the ante”, just because they know it will get a reaction. Eventually they'll just get tired of it, and learn to do other things to create tension in the story- they just need to get through this phase first.

[JMO]

 

So this is what I think many of those whompers might be going through. They watch CM, know that it places a premium on violence, and “up the ante”, just because they know it will get a reaction. Eventually they'll just get tired of it, and learn to do other things to create tension in the story- they just need to get through this phase first.

 

I don't know that it's a phase of writing so much as it is a phase of life, and some people get there sooner than others. The 'whump-writers' may or may not be chronologically young, but that's the impression they always leave with me.  I agree with you, Danielg, that the unrelenting violence is boring.  I also think it is often too unrealistic to be frightening.

 

With time, and with enough life experience, one learns that the most interesting part of the story is found between the lines. 

 

 

[normasm]

 

With time, and with enough life experience, one learns that the most interesting part of the story is found between the lines. 

JMO, you do this better than a lot I've read. I do hesitate now to be overly critical of writers of CM FF, especially the Reid-centric stuff, because most of it comes from affection for the character. Add to that that I don't write FF, so I don't stick my neck out there, kudos to those who at least do that. But I have to say that the over-the-top Reid whump is boring. It just is. I'll give almost anything (mpreg is an exception, I mean WTF?) a try, and have found many unusual pairings and scenarios to be effectively written, compelling, even. Take your work to make the friendship between JJ and Reid essential to the understanding of each character in canon. And Cobalt Stargazer's Elle/Reid pieces, so true to both characters, in my view, and believable, and, not only that, nourishing in the advancement of the characters I think of and regard as almost real.

 

Between the lines is the psychology of how people fit together to make LIFE. Reading between the lines well-written by someone who has had a bit of experience - who knows a few people who might be different, who sees how consequences occur, and who knows how the aftermath might change accordingly - is so enjoyable, and sometimes really affirms some aspects of real life. So, writers, please keep writing, even if you think yourselves unworthy. Express it, someone needs to read it.

[Danielg342]

So, writers, please keep writing, even if you think yourselves unworthy. Express it, someone needs to read it.

I think that's just good advice in general. Don't give up, put your heart in it and don't let the critics get to you (but do build from their suggestions). Writing only gets better through practice, and more practice, no matter what style you write.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

But I have to say that the over-the-top Reid whump is boring. It just is. I'll give almost anything (mpreg is an exception, I mean WTF?) a try, and have found many unusual pairings and scenarios to be effectively written, compelling, even. Take your work to make the friendship between JJ and Reid essential to the understanding of each character in canon. And Cobalt Stargazer's Elle/Reid pieces, so true to both characters, in my view, and believable, and, not only that, nourishing in the advancement of the characters I think of and regard as almost real.

 

Between the lines is the psychology of how people fit together to make LIFE. Reading between the lines well-written by someone who has had a bit of experience - who knows a few people who might be different, who sees how consequences occur, and who knows how the aftermath might change accordingly - is so enjoyable, and sometimes really affirms some aspects of real life. So, writers, please keep writing, even if you think yourselves unworthy. Express it, someone needs to read it.

 

If there was less Reid-whump in canon, it wouldn't seem like overkill that there are so many fanfics out there with him getting kicked around. Even if I didn't like the character as much as I do, it'd still be like, "FFS, enough already! Write something happy for a change!"

 

And the psychology comment is really interesting, normasm, and to expand on it a bit that's what interests me. If you change the timeline, alter events so that one thing happens and another doesn't, that's going to make the characters different because they didn't have the same experiences. Different place, different time, you're going to end up a different self than the one you are now, and that what's makes you either fit - or not fit, in some cases - with another person.

[normasm]

Exactly, CoStar, if Spencer never became an addict, as MGG apparently wants to make unhappen, what does that really do to the character? Not much, IMO, because, except for a couple of episodes where they hinted, and one episode where he admitted, he had a "problem," the addiction storyline didn't serve to change the Spencer character much, for better or worse. He was already super-empathetic to outcasts like Tobias and Nathan Harris. He felt compassion already for mentally ill people like his mother and even Gideon. So, if he had never been drugged, but had still been kidnapped and tortured, in the way I see it, Spencer would be the exact same person he is now, except he has this falsely imposed drug addiction that didn't make him more than he was, but was a non-entity in the end.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Exactly, CoStar, if Spencer never became an addict, as MGG apparently wants to make unhappen, what does that really do to the character? Not much, IMO, because, except for a couple of episodes where they hinted, and one episode where he admitted, he had a "problem," the addiction storyline didn't serve to change the Spencer character much, for better or worse.

 

Unfortunately, a lot of things on television happen as if they occur in a vacuum. An event takes place, and its seen as this Really Big Deal...and then the writers hit the reset switch and things return to the way they'd always been. Sitcoms and soaps are particularly well-known for this, but it extends to other genres as well.

 

One of the great things about writing fanfic to me is that I can fill in the blanks the paid writers don't, and re-writing the timeline with Elle still in the picture not only gives Spencer some development, it explores a possible future for her where she recovers and moves on with her life. With obstacles in her way, sure, because life doesn't neatly tie itself up in a bow the way a TV program does, but she does pick herself up, dust herself off, and keep on keeping on. :-)

[spinner33]

"OMG - this fic is so disturbing!  I must read the entire thing, all 78 chapters plus derivate one-shots, so I can be completely horrified and outraged!" 

 

LOL - I'm not judging.  =)   

[Cobalt Stargazer]

CoStar, you're the best! As much as I love your one-shots (which is a discipline akin to the short story, a particularly beautiful skill), I'd really like to read Elle giving JJ a piece of her mind, and Hotch too!

 

I hope you're not too disappointed, normasm. I was a little fairer to JJ than I thought I would be, but only a little.

[normasm]

Oh, i liked it. I agree, Elle would not be going in to fight Reid's battles, just to show that he had at least one flank covered, metaphorically and figuratively speaking...

 

Go get Hotch! I want them to hash!!

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I was going to call this Long Day's Journey, then changed my mind.

 

 

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4478729

[Droogie]

Great as always, CoStar!

[normasm]

Enjoyed it, CoStar. Wish you could write for the show...

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Enjoyed it, CoStar. Wish you could write for the show...

 

Thankee. :-)

 

I was hesitant about adding a pregnancy. Baby stories on TV grate my nerves because they become the only thing the characters talk about, but since I no longer trust the show to give Reid the kind of life he deserves away from the job, here we are.

[Bookish Jen]

CoStar, you're the best! As much as I love your one-shots (which is a discipline akin to the short story, a particularly beautiful skill), I'd really like to read Elle giving JJ a piece of her mind, and Hotch too!

Elle giving JJ a piece of her mind, especially with all of JJ's eye rolling and condescending attitude would be made of win! And yes, Elle does need to give a Hotch a firm talking to.

[Bookish Jen]

I have an idea for some fan fic but sadly, I've got too many writing assignments. Let's just say this fan fic starts off early with Spencer in a bubble bath with a mystery lady....

[Danielg342]

qwerty- if I understand you correctly, you want to write CM in the same structure the current show uses (standalone episodes with some arcs and character storylines). If that's what you want to, then go for it. There's no “right” way to do fanfiction. There's a lot of wrong ways, but most of those involve bad writing in general, not just poor usage of fanfiction tropes.

I'm assuming you already understand the basics of storywriting in general (stories have conflicts, characters have flaws), what each CM character is like, what things are canon, and what the “procedure” is for each crime they encounter and how they solve it. So I won't delve too much into that.

Here's some advice that I will give:

-Decide on who will be on your team, what role they'll have in the crime solving process and how they'll interact with each other. There's no hard and fast rule that says you have to compose the team the way the show did it- so if you, say, want Gideon and Rossi on the same team, you can do that. You just have to know how Gideon and Rossi are like and how they'd interact with each other (my take- Gideon's a pedant who will fuss over every detail and make sure everything is “right”, while Rossi wants to get to the point but is impulsive. So Rossi would help Gideon keep his mind from straying and Gideon would stop Rossi from jumping to conclusions).

-If you're creating new characters and new settings, understand what they are, know how they run and know how it will impact the team members you do use. I know you're probably worried about the dreaded “Mary Sue”, but it's easier to avoid than you'd think. At the core, remember that a team is chosen because each member's strengths compliment each other, and the other teammates' strengths make up for their teammate's weaknesses. For example, you create someone smarter than Reid, and more capable and faster at writing reports...but he's lazy, because things come way too easily for him, so Reid needs to be around to make sure he's actually dotted his i's and crossed his t's.

-Determine how much of the canon you'll use and stick to that. Don't worry about being 100% accurate- you'll never get there and no two fans will agree on what that is anyway. Still, the most important part is consistency. If, say, you don't want Beth to have existed, decide on that from the outset- don't include her in one story and then write as if she was never there in the next.

-Keep things simple. Don't worry too much about being elaborate or having intricate plots- complexity comes from expanding from a simple concept. For example, a man who murders redheads becomes the man who murders redheads from a particular school by using a tire iron because a redhead killed the man's true love many years ago via a tire iron and the redhead went to that school.

--Thus, I would say there's no hard “word count” you should follow. Your goal as a writer is to tell your story as best you can, and that can take any number of words. Most likely your case stories will be short stories, and they're typically 7,500-10,000 words in length, but don't be restricted by that- let your style dictate how long the story will be. A good rule of thumb is, “don't explain more than you need to”- in other words, if it isn't helping explain the story or the character, then it's not worth describing. Knowing what's worth describing and when you've beaten the dead horse takes practice, but eventually you'll get the hang of it.

-For your longer arcs and series-long mysteries: above all else, have a plan. Know how it will begin, how it will end and how you'll get there. Know what kind of clues the team will find. Even if you plan on having multiple twists and turns, you still need to organize them and have them lead to the ultimate prize. There's nothing more frustrating than reading the culmination of a series-long arc and seeing it come completely out of left field, relating to nothing you've actually read before. This is why you need to know exactly where you're going.

-Above all else, though, have fun, don't sweat the small stuff too much, and write from the heart. If you write what you want and take the time and effort to be good, it will turn out good. You'll also only get better with practice, so don't be disappointed if your works don't come out the way you thought they could. What's more important is that you write, keep writing and write from the heart. That way you find your “style” and the good writing just flows naturally.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Would having certain characters turn people off? Example, setting it in a time where there's Gideon instead of Rossi or Elle instead of Emily. I'm also thinking of adding an OC to the team, would that deterrent readers? The OC would likely be a medial liaison if I set it in the time where Hotch and Garcia split the job. The reason for having them there would be so that the characters can explain the profiling process/reasoning for things they do like how JJ used to ask questions in the early seasons. 

 

Daniel has already given a lot of really good advice, so I'll just throw in a few cents worth.

 

Original characters can add something, I think, since its basically an outsider looking in at what is a very tight-knit group. I would advise you to avoid the possible temptation of trying to create a relationship with one of the main characters, but that's a personal peeve of mine. If you read lots of CM fic on Archive, you'll notice that quite a few writers tend to put Reid in particular with an OC, and in most of those cases they're clearly self-inserts. Which isn't "bad", necessarily, but I personally don't care for it, so you might have no feelings about it one way or another.

 

As for certain characters, CM is a reasonably sane fandom, and that means that the most you'll generally find is strong dislike. Virulent oh-my-God-die-in-a-fire hatred seems to be reserved for science fiction and fantasy shows, which is another subject for another time. Many people who didn't (don't) like Elle really love(d) Emily, but I don't know if they ever wanted a building to fall on Elle. If anything, you might semi-convert some readers to liking them.

 

And to echo Daniel, write from the heart, or your gut, or whatever internal organ suits you best. I had taken a long hiatus, so when I got back into fanfic last year, it was to write something really specific, and when it turned out that people were actually reading what I wrote and enjoying it, I just kind of kept on going. Some fanfic writers want to be Mozart, and that's absolutely okay. Me, I'd prefer to be Bruce Springsteen. :-)

[Droogie]

Qwerty, the only way I know to search for fics on livejournal is through tags. There is also a livejournal called CM Fic Finders, but I don't have a link off the top of my head -- maybe a google search? It's fairly comprehensive.

[Danielg342]

Cobalt Stargazer, I'd say most of those “self-inserts” are really just “self-fantasies”, and that's just poor writing in general. I don't think, in theory (if it hasn't happened in practice) that a “self-insert” fic has to automatically be bad- if the writer understands that characters have strengths that can add to the story and flaws that serve as a challenge to overcome, and apply that to their own personalities, there's no reason why a “self-insert” couldn't work.

The thing is, when most people examine themselves, they either gloss over or erase their faults entirely or they're way too hard on themselves. Since sharing your writing takes quite a bit of confidence, you mostly get the former rather than the latter. There's never an in-between, yet that is what would make for good writing.

In general, I think fan fiction gets a bad rap because the format is so easy to attract bad (typically lazy) writers. The biggest challenge in creating any story is “forming” it- i.e. who are the characters, what are they like, where do they live/work, what kinds of challenges they face, etc.- elements that, in fan fiction, the writer doesn't have to worry about. Not only that, but fan fiction comes with the “brand recognition” that a work comes with- so it will already have an audience. It's writing's equivalent to “plug and play”, since the prospective writer already knows who the characters are, where they operate and what challenges (presumably) they face- the writer just has to craft an adventure.

Problem is, most writers don't seem to be aware the “adventure writing process” still takes a lot of work. This process still involves writing a good story, and knowing what that involves- it's one thing to know what your characters are like and their strengths and weaknesses, but it's another thing to actually understand them and apply them...and then apply them within a story that makes sense (heck, it's arguable that CM's own writers don't know how to do this). It's probably the one part of fanfiction that most writers don't understand, and, I guarantee, it's the reason why many fanfics just don't work.

It still doesn't mean that the challenge cannot be rewarding. For myself, writing CM fanfiction has allowed me to grow as a writer, in that once I had mastered creating stories and scenarios and gained an understanding of how characterization works, it gave me the confidence to “graduate” and create original pieces of work. This is because CM fics gave me a foundation for which I could draw upon original characters, simply by taking CM ideas and twisting them and applying my own “spin” on them. For example, in my original stories, the investigative team is led by a woman who's a more motherly, less droll version of Hotch- which is not something I would have done had I not “practised” writing for and understanding Hotch as a character.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Cobalt Stargazer, I'd say most of those “self-inserts” are really just “self-fantasies”, and that's just poor writing in general. I don't think, in theory (if it hasn't happened in practice) that a “self-insert” fic has to automatically be bad- if the writer understands that characters have strengths that can add to the story and flaws that serve as a challenge to overcome, and apply that to their own personalities, there's no reason why a “self-insert” couldn't work.

The thing is, when most people examine themselves, they either gloss over or erase their faults entirely or they're way too hard on themselves. Since sharing your writing takes quite a bit of confidence, you mostly get the former rather than the latter. There's never an in-between, yet that is what would make for good writing.

 

You make some good points in general, Danielg342. But I will make note that I consider JJ Erica's self-insert, and we see where that has gotten the show. ;-)

 

I don't know if you've read/would be interested in any of what's on my Archive page, since your level of interest would likely depend on how much of a shipper you are. But you're right when you say that you need to know who the characters are, even if they're OCs. Using your example of Hotch, you have a  pretty consistent set of characteristics to work with when you're writing a story focused on him, whether its about romance or not.

 

Admittedly, I use the work side of the characters' lives sparingly. Since we see so much of that onscreen, I'm more interested in what they do when they're not catching UnSubs. If you're more into the profiling stuff and how the team tracks down the killers, then my work is probably not for you. :-)

[normasm]

Personally, qwerty, I don't like crossover ff. I don't know if it's because the writers have not been good or if I couldn't stand the other show or its characters.

[Old Dog]

The only crossover fics I have liked are some great CM/X Men crossover stories on AO3. It is a tricky thing to do I think - as Normasm says I often dislike the crossover show - and not uncommonly I have never even heard of it! Even when you would think the shows are compatible - like CSI or NCIS - it really just seems to jar instead of gel. Whether it is because each show has a distinct inherent "vibe" to it that doesn't mesh or whether I overly favour the CM part as it is my favourite show I don't know. I approach them with caution.

[JMO]

The nature of fan fiction is that we assume that the reader has a certain level of familiarity with the characters.  For that reason, I don't tend to read crossover fictions, mostly because I'm not usually familiar with the 'other' show, and wouldn't want the characters I like to share the spotlight with a slate of characters I don't know.  

 

But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun for a fan of both shows to write them together.  So, if that's your inclination, and you've got a plot buzzing around in your head, I say "Go for it!"

[Danielg342]

qwerty, as I said before, write what your heart desires. The only hard rule of thumb is that when you are using a character- from CM, another show or one you've entirely made up- is that you understand the character, know their strengths and weaknesses, what they'll add to the team and what the team can do for them.

I also think crossover fics can be fun- when they're done right, it's intriguing to see how different worlds interact. In fact, in my fics, I had The Mentalist's Patrick Jane join the team- and I had quite a bit of fun with the team trying to corral “ultimate maverick” in Jane.

In short, qwerty, I'm just going to tell you to do what your heart desires and don't overthink it. You do the stories you want to do and don't worry what others think. Just keep working on your craft and an audience will come.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Check this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4711112

Edited September 2, 2015 by Cobalt Stargazer

[normasm]

Oooh. Lots to think about. I need to read it a couple of times before I can opine, if you're interested in my opinion...

[Bookish Jen]

Check this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4711112

Great job. Gave you a kudo!

[Droogie]

Check this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4711112

Can't wait to go read! You always deliver.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Oooh. Lots to think about. I need to read it a couple of times before I can opine, if you're interested in my opinion...

 

Of course I am! comments and opinions are how I get better as a writer.

[Mislav]

New here. Glad that I have found this thread. Many good recommendations and advices.

This one is excellent. I just started reading it: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11206638/1/Scratch-the-Surface

This one is cute, always good to see more of Blake in any shape, form or fashion: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11085933/1/Spring-Fever

I usually write case!fics, I've finished this one recently, basically my version of season eleven premiere: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/11424655/1/Fall

This is one of my older case fics:

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10995589/1/In-New-York

Edited September 6, 2015 by Mislav