Exercise #1 Comparison

 

Back in 2021, I had a brief fanfiction writing phase based on a cartoon I really liked at the thing called Amphibia. Though fanfiction had, and still does to my knowledge, a stigma of being low-brow wish fulfillment I do see fanfiction as a good way of getting an amateur's feet wet with characters that have already been established. For this first exercise, I decided to compare one of my own fanfics with one of my old favorites called “Not Delivered". Both my own and the fanfiction used for this comparison would be considered in the horror genre, with both fanfics having a slow build up and unsettling imagery. As for the differences. My own fic is much shorter in word count, focuses exclusively on two characters and mainly relies on description, subtitles and unnerving actions to build tension. “Not Delivered" on the other hand is much longer, uses most of the major cast of the cartoon and focuses more on body horror to build suspense. While I believe my fanfic is much more brief and doesn’t need as nearly as much information as Not Delivered, the character inactions and overall conflict is done much better than my own.

 

Exercise #2 Re-Reading

 

Re-reading the fanfiction, almost 4 years later as of writing this, things that could be improved are very clear to me now. The main issue is the pacing being too fast and feeling like the plot is being rushed to the next story beat rather than given time to develop. Descriptions of actions and environments  are very brief which, while good for a visual medium like a cartoon, I feel adds to how rushed the plot feels re-reading it today. There are also general spelling mistakes and missing words, which is a very nasty habit of mine when it comes to writing anything and refusing to proofread.

 

Exercise #3 Outside of my Comfort Zone

 

For this final exercise, I decided to give brief thoughts on a graphic novel I read titled “Everyone Sux But You” by K Wroten. While I do read a lot of graphic novels, this one stands out for being the most grounded in the real world. There are no fantastical elements, no superpowers, or a magical other world the characters visit. It's simply the story of a high school kid dealing with the question of what they want to do in life after high school. At first glance from both the art style of the graphic novel and the first few chapters, I believed it was going to be some sort of “stick it to the world” kind of story where the main characters boldly lashes back at a world that doesn’t understand them. What I read instead is a tragic and heartfelt story of the struggles of someone who believes that they are undeserving of love. The main character, Carson Flynn, deals with a lot of emotional turmoil throughout the story. The death of her mother, whose implied to have committed suicide, living in a crumbling mid-western town, and her relationship with her best friend and lover who slowly takes a much more nihilistic view on life. She endures all of these with an “I don’t care” attitude, but deep down Carson is deeply hurt by all of this. While many of the side characters offer her advice and a shoulder to cry on, Carson refuses to hear them out until she either hurts them in the process or hurts herself. It takes her and her former friend to get into a car crash for her to finally realize that this lifestyle does nothing but hurt herself and finally breaks things off with their lover for good.