Katie+Balabuch

__Name:__ Fan fiction

__Why I’m Interested:__ When I was younger, I used to read a lot of fan fiction. My favorite kind to read was Harry Potter. I always wanted to try writing fanfiction, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. I think it would be a good genre to try to learn more about because I’m sure there are students that will be in my class that enjoy reading or writing fanfiction.

__What I know__: I know that fan fiction involves using characters, plot ideas, a setting, or some other element from a book, movie, or show to create a separate work of fiction. I know there are a lot of websites with fanfiction. Fan fiction can be as long as a novel. It can be in the form of a song, or a short story. For my fan fiction, I would like to try creating a song, poem, or a mini short story.

//Dear Katie:// //I assume you have an author in mind for inspiration? If you have read examples, you probably already know that the challenge is to write like the author or from the author's characters, but with your own original twist on them. This is a very plausible and enjoyable project.//

//Bill//

__User's Guide to Writing Fan fiction:__

1. Only write about something that you are really interested in. If you’re not, it will show. If you want to write well, its best to write about something you spend a lot of time thinking about or have a lot of interest in. While a piece of fan fiction could be a parody on something (making fun of //Twilight//, for example), you still need to know about the subject you are writing on.

2. Before you write anything, make sure you watch the show/movie or read the book/comic. Because fan fiction is not for profit and is usually shared within a fan/writing community, it is important to know what happens in the show/book that you are writing about. The other people reading your writing are likely to be fans and they can and will point out when you mess up on a vital part from the show/book.

3. Stay true to the setting and character traits. If you deviate from them, make sure to explain why otherwise people will think that you never watched the show/read the book. If you are going to alter a character's personality or the setting when you write fan fiction, make sure you explain why at some point in your fan fiction. If you do not, people are likely to assume that you never watched the show or never read the book and they will mention it when they comment on your writing.

4. If you decide to insert a new character into your fan fiction, make sure that they are realistic. Fan fiction writers often refer to a perfect character with no flaws as a "Mary Sue." This can especially become a problem if the author decides to insert themselves into the story. If someone creates a character with no flaws, the readers will not be able to relate to the character and they will lose interest in the overall story.

5. You can write in any style you want in fan fiction. It can be a song, poem, short story, flash fiction, memoir, ect. Fan fiction ranges from short drabbles of only 100 words to novel-length stories. If you are going to write a longer piece of fan fiction, just be careful to be consistent and not repeat yourself.

6. Grammar and spelling do count. If you have a lot of errors in your writing, people will pick up on it and it will make it difficult to read. Spell check is simply not enough. Ask your friends to proof read your fanfiction, especially if they are a fan of what you are writing about. They are likely to help you find any errors that you have not missed and they will also boost your ego by telling you how much they like it.

8. Be sure to include a disclaimer at the beginning of your fan fiction because you are likely to be working with copyrighted material. When writing your disclaimer, do not apologize or make any excuses for what you have written. This will take away from your story. Instead, just make sure that you mention who the characters/story belong to and acknowledge that this is simply your interpretation of them and has nothing to do with the actual author/creator of the work that you are basing your fan fiction on.

9. Share it! There are plenty of sites online that have large directories of fanfiction. You could even make a blog, wikispace, or another website to share your fanfiction. By sharing your fan fiction, you become a part of a community. You are likely to find a lot of support for your writing and people with interests similar to yours. Also, be sure to read others' fan fiction. This can help you generate ideas for your own writing and better understand the genre.

__Annotated Bibliography:__

__[]__ This is a site that has a variety of fan fiction available. It also offers a community for fans of various shows, movies, novels, ect. to come together and discuss them. I spent a lot of time reading fan fiction here. I have read some really good fan fiction along side some really bad ones.

__[]__ This site offers some tips for writers of fan fiction. It also explains the idea of a "Mary Sue." Most of the fan fiction I read while I was in high school did not make reference to the idea of "Mary Sue" so the term is fairly new to me. I do, however, remember reading some fan fiction that contained a character that I would consider to be a "Mary Sue" and I found the character to be annoying which often lead me to stop reading the piece of writing.

//Dear Katie:// //The suggestions are very helpful and consequential. I never though of the disclaimer as a part of fan fiction, but I can see why it is. However, asking an author to explain why she deviated from the original character seems a little picky to me.// //You seem to have a good grasp. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next.//

//Bill//

__Unfamiliar Genre Project__

=**Rita's Story**=

Men are pigs. Everyone says it, Rita thought to herself. She should’ve known better. If people knew the men that she knew, they’d realize that saying “men are pigs” is really an insult to the pigs. Men had to be the most disgusting creatures she had ever come across. If they don’t abandon you, they beat you. If they don’t beat you, they break you down with words.

Maybe you think that not all men are this way, but it’s just because you don’t really know them yet. You may think you know him, but he’s just showing you what he wants you to see. Once he has you where he wants you, the truth will come out.

Rita found this out the hard way. She had found it out so many times. They found her, she thought. How the hell did they find her? She looked in the mirror and gently touched her face. She winced as her fingers grazed over that one spot. The spot that was purple from where his fist had contacted with her soft face. She felt a tear roll down her cheek as she lifted up her sleeve to see his fingerprints gripping around her arm. Why did she let him do this to her? Why did she stay?

Because maybe, just maybe, this was her fault. Maybe if she didn’t nag him so much. Maybe if she would just dress the way he wanted her to. Maybe if she didn’t burn dinner. Maybe if she just did things different he wouldn’t act this way.

Even if it was a time that she blamed him and found herself innocent, she still didn’t leave. Why? Because he’d kill her. He’d kill her in front of her children and she wouldn’t be there to protect them anymore.

Every night was another drunken rage, another fight, another screaming match, another drug run, another night of holding her down and forcing her to do things she never wanted to do. Every night was another night of Hell.

Rita was a fighter. She could take the abuse. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Except when it came to her kids. Rita would tolerate Paul hurting her, but once he put his hands on her kids, she changed. Rita’s protective instinct when it came to Astor and Cody was the main reason that she had so many bruises. If she would just stay quiet and hold back, Paul would stop hitting her. But when it came to her babies, Rita would protect them until the day she died. Her children oFften remembered their mother flying at Paul when he came toward them and gripping her nails into him as she tried to save them.  It was when Paul began chasing the kids instead of Rita that she decided to leave. She hadn’t yet figured out how she would, but she knew she could not stay. Maybe she could leave when Paul was passed out in a stupor from all of the drugs he would take.

Two nights later, Rita finally broke her silence. An argument with Paul over a missed phone call had blown up into a beating. In the middle of the fight, Cody began to cry. Astor tried to calm him, but she was unable to get him to quiet down before Paul heard. Paul’s eyes narrowed as he surged forward toward his target: Cody. Without hesitation, Rita leaped on Paul’s back and stuck her fingers in his eyes. Painfully loud screeching noises came from Paul’s mouth as he tried to tear Rita off of him. Someone must have heard Paul’s screams because minutes later Rita heard sirens over his angry curses and saw the flashing red and blue lights between his blows. She had finally had enough. This time she would not say that she had just walked into a door or fallen down the stairs. This time she would not put her children back in danger. This time she would tell the truth. This time Paul was screwed.


Rita would never forget when she saw Debra Morgan approach her the night of that 911 call. Debra was slim, tall, and didn’t take shit from anyone. Debra was who Rita had always wished she could be. Rita knew that even if she would have decided to lie for Paul again, Debra was someone that could see through the bullshit. Deb took Rita’s statement and photographed her bruises and the bruises on her children. As another cop handcuffed Paul and took him away, Rita saw Deb step up to him and whisper something menacingly in his ear. When she came back, she told Rita that she would make sure Paul would never be able to hurt them again. He wouldn’t be back for a long time.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After everything was processed and all of the evidence was collected, Debra gave Rita her card and wrote her personal cell phone number on the back of it. “Take this,” she told Rita, “and if you ever need anything, you call me. Even if you don’t find that you need to call me, I’ll be contacting you to keep you updated on the case and make sure you and the kids are doing alright.” Debra stared at Rita with sad eyes. Rita saw her tough mask fall off as Debra leaned in and hugged Rita. That night, Rita slept deeper than she had slept in years. Without the fear of waking up to a beating, she could finally breathe. At this point, Rita knew she had found a friend and everything would soon be okay.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She was lonely. Isolated. Cold. Yes she had her children, a job, a home; but she was still alone. Even her partner, whom she had been with for several years, was completely emotionally closed off from her.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She was scared. It was as though she was stranded in the middle of the ocean. No land in sight, constantly swimming in no direction in particular—struggling for something to cling to. Something that would keep her bound to the material world. She was choking on water as she struggled to breathe. Her arms were flying around Still, she would not give up. She was a fighter. Even if she was tired, she could not leave behind Astor and Cody to raise themselves. The waves continued to crash over her and drag her down as she fought to stay above them. As strong as she was, she eventually became too tired and found herself sinking. Her legs and arms felt as though they had been tied down with anchors, pulling her to the bottom of the ocean. She called out for someone to save her causing her mouth to fill with the salt water around her.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rita sat up, gasping for breath as she tightly gripped her sheets. She was dripping with sweat and the sheets around her were soaked. The dream had been so real. It took Rita some time to realize where she was. She looked to her left and saw Dexter sleeping peacefully next to her. Dexter, the father of her child. Dexter, her husband.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dexter was supposed to be her life raft. Sweet, innocent, safe Dexter. That’s what Dexter was for Rita: safe. He was Debra Morgan’s brother. Debra Morgan, the cop that had rescued Rita from her abusive husband Paul. Deb knew that her brother was everything Paul was not and she knew that Rita and Dexter would be amazing together.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Things with Dexter were good for a long time. He was good with her kids, reliable, strong, and willing to wait for sex. As far as Rita could tell, Dexter was the perfect boyfriend. Rita trusted Dexter with everything she had. She let him in to dark corners of her soul that she had never shared with anyone before, even Paul. She truly loved him. <span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And then came Lila.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lila was everything Rita was not. She was wild, dark, sexy. Rita was a meek, motherly woman with little confidence and she could not compete with Lila. It broke Rita’s heart to think of Dexter sleeping with another woman. It hurt even more to think that he might love her more than he had ever loved Rita. Everything with Lila was in the past now and Rita tried to forget, but sometimes she couldn’t let it go. Dexter was known for working late, going out of town on numerous business trips, and for not answering his phone when he was needed most. Rita loved Dexter, so she tried to trust him even though she knew what he was doing was likely to be something she didn’t approve of.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rita lay back down in bed. She turned her back to Dexter and pulled the sheets tight around her. Her body crunched together like a sleeping child as she considered all of the things Dexter had put her through. While Dexter was not perfect, he was still better than most men. And she did love him.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rita was thankful that Dexter was back, especially after finding out that she was pregnant with his baby. Now they were married and could finally live happily ever after. There was nothing Rita would have to worry about. Dexter was safe. <span style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; display: block; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in;"> <span style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 1.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Or so she thought.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dexter and Rita were finally able to go on their honeymoon. Rita was supposed to leave earlier that morning, but she had forgotten her ID at home and was not allowed to board the plane. She tried to call Dexter to tell him that she was running late but, like always, he did not answer his phone. Because she trusted him, Rita just left a short message explaining what happened and told him she would catch a later flight. After hanging up, she took baby Harrison with her to take a nap.

// <span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can’t breathe //<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. Rita’s eyes opened wide to see an old man sitting on top of her with his hands around her throat. She tried to scream, but no sound came out. She struggled against him, flailing her arms wildly at his face. He was too big. Too strong.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She was drowning.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And everything went dark.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rita felt cold. She was cold and wet. Completely soaked. She tried to open her eyes, but she was just too tired. She felt something move behind her. // What is going on? // “Open your eyes,” said a man’s voice, “I want to talk to you. I want you to watch me.” Rita moaned as she struggled to open her eyes. Once she did, she screamed. The man quickly clasped his large, rough hand over her mouth. “Shhh, don’t go getting me into trouble now.” There she was. She was sitting in her bath tub naked with this naked man behind her. How had this happened? Rita feared the man would rape her or even kill her. She began to fight back tears. The man kept his hand over her mouth.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“You may have heard of me,” the man said, “I haven’t heard much about you, but I do know quite a bit about your husband Dexter.” // Dexter?! What did this crazy man have to do with Dexter?! // Rita eyes shifted from left to right in a frightened motion as she searched for some way out. She saw none. “Dexter, or Kyle Butler as he liked to call himself, has completely FUCKED UP my family and now I’ve come to return the favor.” As Rita took one last look around the room, she saw baby Harrison sitting on the floor crying. He watched as the man pulled his knife across Rita’s throat, spilling blood around into the water and onto the floor. Rita had given up. Tears fell down her cheeks as she looked at her son and felt the warm blood slipping down her body. Nothing hurt more than knowing she would never see her children again. The one man she trusted the most had betrayed her and caused her death. Dexter was supposed to be safe. // Dexter, what have you done? //

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rita took one last choking breath as baby Harrison cried out.

<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She slipped beneath the icy water.