Introduction File
Author: schwartsrose
Summary: A fact file. Everything you need to know about Wolf. This chapter introduces the files, and outlines what I wish to accomplish.
Warnings: Obnoxiousness and prissiness by the writer, especially in matters concerning spelling.
First Published on ffnet: September 14, 2009 my time.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Alex Rider series. Anthony Horrowitz created it.
Fanfiction is a wonderful thing. It lets fans express their pleasure and enjoyment of the creator's work and can bring enjoyment to all those who read it. However, along with the good comes the bad. And some fanfiction works are very, very bad.
In this section of the site there happen to be some excellent, well-written works by talented people that make you sit up and go, wow, this is great; I wish it had been part of Horrowitz's book series. Also, there are 'missing scenes' (and I hope everyone knows who I'm talking about here) that are so good some of us tend to take them for granted and pretend that they really are part of the cannon books. In any case, there is talent here. There is also an abundance of things to wither the soul and make one lunge for the X button, or, if you're a more generous and tolerant soul than I, the back button.
In a small aside here, I'd like to explain something about spelling. Actually, I'd like to go over several things. You can skip it if you want. When something withers it means dry up or shrink, and other associated negative meanings. E.g. the creek withered up that summer. You use writhe to mean when someone moves their body, either in intense pain or pleasure. E.g. the man writhed on the bed. Whither on the other hand is an old fashioned English adverb meaning to what place, or where. E.g. whither he comes from? Also your and you're. Use these sentences. It belongs to you. It's yours. It's your whatever. If that is the kind sentence pattern, then write your. You're using re at the end means you are. If you can't write out the sentence and use you are without it sounding wrong, then it doesn't belong there. E.g. you're good at that. You are good at that. NOT and you're bed there. And you are bed there DOES NOT MAKE SENSE. Last ones. Past and passed. Past refers to time. It was past time they were gone. It was in the past. Passed, on the other had, is a adjective. A describing word. What are you doing? I'm passing the ball. Oh, I just passed the ball to him. Alex passed him by. Yassen passed him the gun. Please use these words correctly. If in doubt ask a friend, relative or teacher, or find a beta. Whichever is easiest for you. Please don't guess.
All of these words are abused in either spelling or grammatical mistakes by quite a few writers. I myself am not immune to these mistakes, and if you see them in my work, please tell me. A little trick I use to help me to get the right word in the right place is to keep the word I want to use in mind, and then use a similar word in the sentence when I first write it. If it works, I replace the first word with the one I want to use. I mean, the phrase 'dry the soul' sounds stupid and pathetic. 'Wither the soul' on the other hand, is much better, if a little melodramatic. But I need to check what I mean, so I use the small, easy boring word first. If it doesn't work out, then I head to a dictionary or thesaurus. Keep in mind, all you have to do is google , and click the link to that site, and if you're not sure of a word, either spelling or meaning, LOOK IT UP. It doesn't take long, and saves a lot of reader headaches. If you don't have internet access often, arrange to get a beta. There are lots of them around.
In an effort to help prevent bad writing, and encourage well written stories, I am trying to put together files for some of the major characters. I would have started posting with Alex, but having done a lot of preliminary work, there is too much there to sort through in a small amount of time, and I like to see visible progress. So, this is the first file I have completed as far as the first book goes. I have planned these out so that those who wish to write about these characters have a starting base to form their characters from. I am not plagiarizing, which involves copying a work, or part thereof, and claiming it as one's own. I am fully aware it belongs to Horrowitz. It is my hope that those who need a reminder of this character and how he interacts in the books will read it with an eye to the future of their own writing. Mostly, it's here because a major complaint (of any fanfiction, or so I've found) is that one 'can't remember everything in the book/movie/show/cartoon/anime/manga/etc.' and they have no time (or inclination) to go and hunt it all up, down, or they try, and then become distracted by curling up with the book. Which I personally feel is lazy and sloppy, but which might explain why I actually don't often complete anything or even write all that often. I tend to get distracted by details, and making sure they are correct as much as I can.
After this introduction follows a fact file that is full of CANNON information. If you are going to write a Wolf who goes against this information, please put an OOC warning in your writing. It is of course your prerogative if you chose to do so, and I do not wish to interfere with your own freedom to be creative or curtail your writing, but if you're going to make something up just because you feel like it, warn those of us who are looking for canonical characters in their reading please. Thank you. After the fact file, with the appropriate warnings, will be miscellaneous details that didn't make the report, but that I felt were important enough to include, for whatever reason, and then my own personal interpretations and impressions of things in the books. It is my hope that writers who wish to know their characters, but are for any reason unable to have access to the cannon text at the time of their writing, can use this to help them write a better story with a stronger sense of who the character is.
Anyone who feels they have details to add, or would like to write their own character analysis and have it added are free to PM. Please be advised that it is my choice as to what is added to this file. On the other hand, everyone is free to make their own fact files.
I also advise anyone who has a copy of the book Stormbreaker to read chapters 5 and 6 before writing about the character Wolf.