I write Offical Battletech Fiction -- At least you have the advantage of deciding what happens in your universe. Me, I have to make sure my stories don't interfere with  BT canon and future events.....

Fiction in support of gaming lines isn't new. You own the IP, so you don't have to worry about stepping on someone elses toes. In fact, you might want to go with that approach -- "Based on (Name of the RPG)" If people like the novel, they may start looking around for the RPG. Unless the RPG itself is someone else's IP. Otherwise, don't worry about it.

Craig

I hesitate to post this, as it could open up a can of worms that could get out of hand....

http://kriswrites.com/ -- Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a best-selling author who also writes a blog about the publishing business from an author's POV. Her last few blog posts on her "The Business Rusch" are a real eye-opener on the current state of the publishing business.

Craig

Just submittted another story to the Battlecorps.com site (Official Battletech fiction website) and done a few short items for the website.

Found a Urban Fantasy story I'd written a while back, now going over it and will send it to Buzzy...

Craig

Here's something to think about.....

I have my keys on a laynard. In part because I can hang them around my neck if I need to, but in a life or death case, it could become an improvised flail. It does have an advange in reach, plus the ability to throw them on someone face, then yank back and repeat the process. Moight be really useful if there a dozen or so keys to give it some heft.

Craig

Well, the first step is done! 

Now comes the hard part -- convincing people to read it! 

Craig

TAMPA, FLORIDA!!!!!!!!

Florida is a big state and many of those who live here read.  It is true.  Some of us read LOTS... and some of the "lots" are books featuring Mr. Dresden. 

PLEASE come to Florida!!

SW FLorida would even be better -- for me.....

Craig

for me, fan fiction serves several purposes:

a ) practice:  You can develop all sorts of skills in writing fan fiction and the existence of a pre-existing world relieves the burden of having to create one.  It lets you focus more on other skills: characterization, dialogue, foreshadowing, mood, plot, etc.  This was, and is, one of my main sources of for just sheer writing.

b ) development in isolation: you have a flicker of a concept and you want to figure it out more, but don't feel like just sitting down and brainstorming is enough.  So you take the concept to a pre-existing setting you are already familiar with and put it down there to see how it plays.  This is one of the reasons that most of my fanfictions involve the Ranma 1/2 cast, I'm so familiar with them that I can adapt their basic characters to any sort of story I want and can model reactions to a new element using them.

c ) readership research: fanfiction comes out in smaller segments than most other writing, which means it can come out quicker.  Fanfiction readers are very vocal about what they like and don't like.  The good ones are both vocal and explanatory.  Even better are the ones that start to speculate.  A careful study of comments gives you excellent insight into what sorts of constructs or plot devices produce what sort of reaction.

d ) sheer fun.  I have a hard time reading a book I enjoy or watching a good show without wondering how my characters would react or be treated in such a situation.  This is the reason my fanfiction is rarely as grammatically well done as my original fiction, because I'm often writing for fun not art.  The fact that it is not original leaves me kind of free to just do whatever I like.  Currently, for example, I'm wondering about how Michael would respond to one of my two "demonic" (well, they LOOK demonic) girls who also happen to be rather fervently devout Catholics (though one of them is also a bit like a female version of Warden Ramirez).  Also thought about Dresden meeting the main character of the novel I'm working on right now, but the metaphysical differences in play are huge, so I don't think I can arrange that in a way believable for me. (the first novel wouldn't show those differences, btw)

All these are true. Fanfiction is a good place to start writing, as all the backgrounds and characters are laid out for you already. All I have to worry about is the story and the dialogue, taking the established characters and keep them true to the original while giving them my take on them. I add a few new characters of my own, and learn about the old and new interacting with each other.

I started in fanction, wrote a few, and now have moved to the next step -- Semi-pro writing in a shared universe (Battletech) While the characters are all my own, the background technology and basic sitiuations are already laid out for me. I don't have to create the universal backstory, just the backstory of the characters and the story. I'm leaning how the backstory influnces both the characters and story, what is necessary for the story and what isn't. I'm leaning how to write tight stories and making sure the scope is sufficent for the story.

After that? My own stories in the universes I create from whole cloth. I do have most of an original novel written. Its needs works and needs to be cleaned up, but it's all mine. It's the ultimate goal, but I'm not there yet. But I'm getting there.

Craig