Some of these rang true, but some of them… just no. <g>
I've never used my family or friends in a fanfic. I've used the last names of distant co-workers, but I try to keep a very fixed line between real and fic.
I don't have a template for answering feedback. That's seems so impersonal and I take my feedback personally (sometimes much too personally).
I have adored every beta I've had. I've often writhed with jealousy when they write something so amazing that my own work seems like gibberish in comparison, but I console myself that I'm very lucky to have access to their insight.
If the characters had my personal problems, no one would care to read it. Unless you guys really want a story about trying to lose weight or nagging your son to get his homework done.
I will agree, though, that the characters and/or story sometimes take on a mind of their own. Is writing fanfic a waste of time? If I was writing in a vacuum, then maybe it would be. But writing fanfic is my entrée into the world I share with the rest of this board and it's well worth the price of admission.
