A Handy-dandy Guide to Writing Real Person Fiction
Lesson #7
For the sake of this chapter, given the platform, we'll assume you're going to write about BVB, though the same manner of advice could be applied to any other subject of real person fiction.
I. It pays to know what you're talking about.
Some tips:
1- Having the details of your fictionalized characters match their real-life counterparts will add a sense of realism to your story.
(a)- Example: If you watch an interview with Andy Biersack, he often messes with his hair. The longer it is, the more he compulsively adjusts it, especially if he's marginally uncomfortable or thinking. Adding that detail to your fictionalized-AB will make your story seem more like it is about 'Andy Biersack,' as opposed to a character that just looks like him.
(b)- On a technical note, this applies also to historical settings. For example, if you're writing about Warped Tour 2015, instead of having Motionless in White on the tour (they were not on Warped Tour 2015), you could have New Years Day (they were). For people who were there, that extra bit of effort will add authenticity to your story.
(c)- on a technical note, i have to add this, as someone with a lip ring: when you kiss someone who has a lip ring, it's not cool to the touch. it's been sitting in/on his mouth, it's going to be that same temperature. the only exception is when you come right out of the freezing cold, and it only lasts for a short while. -a
(d)- Do know how to spell the name(s) of the person(s) you are fictionalizing. Keep the name(s) of any characters consistent throughout your story.
2- You do not have to obsessively research your subject matter to fictionalize it. However, avoid writing about the technical aspects of things with which you have no personal experience. A lot of research can make up for something you don't know much about.
Common mistakes:
(a)- Drug use/abuse and its effects
(b)- Smut (more on that later)
(c)- Legal proceedings
(d)- Warfare/Fighting
(e)- medical procedures -a
II. Respect your subject matter.
1- Every single thing you write, that is a fictionalized version of a real-life person, is a reflection on you. Thus:
(a)- Think twice before you fictionalize someone as a villain. Ask yourself, how would you feel if you read what you were writing about you?
(b)- If you don't write anonymously, it may come back to bite you in the ass in your professional or personal life.
(c)- Ideally, anything you write that you make publicly available should be something you are proud of enough that you would share it with your parents without shame. If you can't, ask yourself where the problem lies.
*note- if you write a lot of smut, it's understandable that you wouldn't want to share it with your parents per se, but hopefully the point as intended came across. -a
2- Don't push your fanfic into the faces of the real-life people you have fictionalized. Many (if not most) celebrities are not really comfortable with real person fanfiction about themselves. It is disrespectful to forcibly draw their attention to it in any way.
(a) By way of example, as mentioned in the comments, Ashley Purdy has made it clear he does not care for 'Andley' slash fanfic (and understandably so). Given that that is the case, it behooves a writer of such material to refrain from bringing up both their personal 'Andley' story, as well as the topic of 'Andley' in general, to Ashley Purdy.
Notes
Make sense so far?
@Red Phoenix77
You can't on this platform. Any chapter you post on this site will always become the next chapter in the story. To my knowledge, you are unable to rearrange them, and that's unlikely to change, as this site is abandoned by the designer (thus all the technical problems). If you are wanting to re-post chapters in order, you will either need to take down every chapter after the one you want to insert, then repost them after posting it, OR you could tack on the missing chapter to the end of the chapter before it, if your browser will allow chapter editing (some will not).
I'm also on Wattpad, and that platform has the capability to rearrange chapters.
Best of luck!
7/30/17