Persuade Me

[alixtii]

Part of me is tempted to sign up for inlovewithnight's Hearts & Flowers Valentine's Day Fluffython, but the other part of me remembers how difficult it was to write my fic for the Simon/Kaylee fluff-a-thon. Conflict is what makes a story a story, but pretty much any conflict is a big anti-fluff.

So please, flist, persuade me either to sign up for this 'thon or tell me "Don't be silly, Alixtii, any pairing turns into angst in your hands. Go write some Dawn/Giles instead."

Also, any thoughts you might have on what makes a fic "fluff" and advice on how to write it will be extremely appreciated.

Come on, my beloveds. I'm relying on you.

Comments

[wisdomeagle]

Well, I did Hearts+Flowers last year and my brain completely imploded from my assignments, which were Spike/Xander/Anya and Wes/Angel (and I'm a person who thinks "Angel kills Wesley by drinking his blood" is a pretty fluffy Wes/Angel fic), but I did it.

I think... I think fluff doesn't mean there's no story-arc, it just in some ways limits the possibilities for that arc. Fluff can encompass romantic comedy and hurt feelings and hurt/comfort, but for me the thrust of it is, fluff ends happily and the stuff in the middle's not too bad. Fluffy stories can be about things like picking the right gift or working up the courage to ask your girl out, or about the pain of separation and the joy of being reunited.

How to write it:
1. Fluff's easier for me to write in established relationships, so I start with that. If it's in a pairing I don't see, I have to just assume for the course of the fic that it's there, and not think too hard about how it got there. Ditto with Angel-pairings that are pretty much ignoring the Curse, etc.

2. Since Big Evil Character Issues aren't things to do in fluff, I focus on littler character issues. There's a fic in my memories, "Worrywarts" (W/G) where I pastede off most of the mytharc stuff and left Willow worrying about getting her thesis done on time and what she's going to do after graduation. In the storyverse those are serious questions, and they hang unanswered at fic's end, but I think of it as fluff because the core of the fic is Giles comforting her, and the strength of their bond is the emotional center of the fic.

3. When all else fails, I go for dialogue. I can usually write my assigned characters bantering and subtexting with each other and it feels in character, even if it isn't, because of the value we put on getting character voices right.

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

I'm almost thinking that a pairing like S/X/A would be easier to write fluff for than something like Simon/Kaylee or Wes/Fred. With the latter pairings, the reader already believes they are in love (or not, but okay), and what is there to do with the fic. Whereas with a more challenging pairing, the reader's skepticism can almost stand in for dramatic conflict. And I agree that fluff lends itself to established relationships.

I like your distinction between big and little character issues, and it seems that it basically boils down to those that are intrinsic and extrinsic to the character--am I on base here?

A lot (if not all) of what you say here makes sense. Thanks for the advice!

[marenfic.livejournal.com]

Ah, the age-old "what constitutes fluff" argument.

As a B/A 'shipper, I can assure you I'm well-versed in this one. *g* There are two popular arguments; one says that it must have no to minimal angst and be a little sugary and the other says that anything that has a happy ending is fluff, no matter how many puppies you kill before the happy ending.

I personally define the genre of fluff as the first. It irritates me to no end that just because there is a happy ending people will call the angstiest, most dramatic story fluff. BUT, and I think this works in your favor, people are so all over the place that most "fluffathons" I've been involved in have tons of angsty-until-the-end stories that use definition #2 above.

So just make sure your characters get married in the end and you're gold *g*

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

I think I tend to use your definition #1. It's fun to read when I'm in the mood, but I'm not sure how well I can produce it.

But while I don't usually write my ficathon stories for the recipient per se--I take their prompt and I write it the way my muse demands--I do usually try to make sure they at least won't hate it (but if I'm backed in a corner, I still go with the muse). I could see someone being very easily dissapointed if they were expecting #1 and recieved #2.

And as an aesthetic issue I don't want to write a fic and give it a pastede on happy ending. My endings tend to be bittersweet: optimistic while acknowledging loss. If I have the characters just forget everything that happened in order to smile (or make love, or whatever), I'm not sure how satsfying that'd be.

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Fluff and conflict aren't mutually exclusive -- look at the stories from last year (I linked them in my post) -- there's a lot of variety there. Conflict CAN be resolved happily you know *g*. It's just easy to forget b/c Joss doesn't like to do it!

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

I do plan on looking over the masterlist you linked; I still have it up somewhere in one of my tabs.

It does seem to me, thought, that wisdomeagle is right above--there is a level of conflict which just isn't fluff. If I have character X and Y have a riproaring fight, than even if I do get them back together in the end, the fic's still not fluff. Of course, as Ari pointed out (sorta), I can have character X and Y being both chased my demons, and that's a perfectly usable story conflict, and the story can still be fluff as long as I don't have the demons eat Y's legs or anything.