Days of High Adventure: The Art of Writing Tie-In Fiction

Matt Forbeck

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Days of High Adventure: The Art of Writing Tie-In Fiction

Do you ever wonder how exactly your favorite game or series makes its way to the Barnes & Noble bookshelf? Matt Forbeck, author of of over a dozen tie-in novels, is here to walk you through the arcane art of the tie-in.

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Pandalisk

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Ah tie-ins.

And i do prefer them to the Books on the actually game, remember The Flood Novel about Halo, it was good but i was being told a story i already knew for a while, i got alot of "Oh i remember that" moments and i shouldn't have that.

Now ghosts of Onyx that was kick-ass
 

BlueInkAlchemist

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I'm glad you guys are tackling this subject. I've often looked at the books penned by the likes of R.A. Salvatore wondering "How the heck to people tap into that market?" Thanks to you, I feel more likely to find out.
 

Gildan Bladeborn

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As a particularly rabid fan of the Black Library's Warhammer 40,000 novels, I'm well acquainted with tie-in novels, and how they can genuinely kick ass. That segment of genre fiction gets a bad rap, and while some of it completely deserves the disdain genre 'purists' hold for it, mostly they're just shortchanging themselves of some quality writing based on a faulty assumption.
 

OANST

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It's not that people think that writing tie-in novels (or fan-fiction, as I call it) take less work. The problem is that people (rightly) think that it's not worth their time. There will be nothing of literary value in this book. Nothing to be learned by anyone with a high school diploma. It's drivel.

If you were to take your own feces and write the words "poopy-caca" on a cave wall, I would see more literary value in it than the regurgitation of over-explored themes and stolen ideas that is the best written tie-in (read fan-fiction) book ever made.

It's not that I think that you don't know how to string words together to make competent sentences. It's just that I think your work is worthless.

LET THE FLAMING BEGIN!

p.s. in before screams of "literature snob", "fan-fiction is good practice", and "everyone has to pay the bills somehow".
 

Chipperz

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I just want to state, for the record, that the Hellgate : London tie-ins were the first tie-in books I ever read, and they were shockingly bad. I think that a lot of people have similar experiences, and that's where a lot of tie-in hatred comes from.

Of course, I then picked up some Black Library stuff, and the Eisenhorn and Gotrek and Felix novels drew me, kicking and screaming, back in. If anyone has a bad experience with this kind of fiction, Dan Abnett should be there to save the day.
 

Korten12

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Aug 26, 2009
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Pandalisk said:
Ah tie-ins.

And i do prefer them to the Books on the actually game, remember The Flood Novel about Halo, it was good but i was being told a story i already knew for a while, i got alot of "Oh i remember that" moments and i shouldn't have that.

Now ghosts of Onyx that was kick-ass
omg, Ghost of Onyx was amazing... the ending was sad, I wish it continued seeing as it ended openly (kind of)
 

Pandalisk

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Korten12 said:
Pandalisk said:
Ah tie-ins.

And i do prefer them to the Books on the actually game, remember The Flood Novel about Halo, it was good but i was being told a story i already knew for a while, i got alot of "Oh i remember that" moments and i shouldn't have that.

Now ghosts of Onyx that was kick-ass
omg, Ghost of Onyx was amazing... the ending was sad, I wish it continued seeing as it ended openly (kind of)
I know, and i hope that it does, i also really want to know what happens to Earth and what remains of her colonies in general after the war.

and Kurt has been added to a small list of Characters i gave a shit about in Halo

Keyes (Because he's Goddamn Keyes and quite a character)
John 117 (Because he is the Embodiment of awesome )
Avery (For flip music and mouthyness)
Guiltey Spark (Because He's all soughts of crazy)
and Kurt 052 (Because i actually cared about his death, and it was some Epic death.)

though it was sad i dont think anyone could of asked for a better send off, nor better last words
 

Tom Phoenix

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OANST said:
It's not that people think that writing tie-in novels (or fan-fiction, as I call it) take less work. The problem is that people (rightly) think that it's not worth their time. There will be nothing of literary value in this book. Nothing to be learned by anyone with a high school diploma. It's drivel.

If you were to take your own feces and write the words "poopy-caca" on a cave wall, I would see more literary value in it than the regurgitation of over-explored themes and stolen ideas that is the best written tie-in (read fan-fiction) book ever made.

It's not that I think that you don't know how to string words together to make competent sentences. It's just that I think your work is worthless.

LET THE FLAMING BEGIN!

p.s. in before screams of "literature snob", "fan-fiction is good practice", and "everyone has to pay the bills somehow".
Well, I won't flame you, beacuse I understand the perspective you are coming from. Afterall, a lot of tie-in novels are really bad. That said, isn't it a bit unfair to claim that all tie-in novels are bad, period? I mean, most original novels are bad as well. Does that mean that novels in general are not worth reading?

Your comparison of tie-in novels to fan-fiction is justified, but that really isn't saying much. Yes, most fan-fiction is bad. Yet, there are a few examples in which the fan-fiction itself was superior to the work it was based on. In light of this, is it really that much of an impossibility for a tie-in novel to overcome the limitations of the original material and become a decent work in it's own right?

Anyway, I thank Matt Forbeck for this article. It is always interesting to learn of another facet of writing.
 

soren7550

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Dec 18, 2008
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*jealous because the article author is a published book writer*

Intrigued for the next part.

Best tie-in novels have to be the Mass Effect books (haven't been able to read the comics yet) and the Perfect Dark books & comic series (all of them so very excellent). Hell, my favorite books of all time are the Perfect Dark books, and that's saying something for someone who has easily read over a thousand different books.
 

Nimbus

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Oct 22, 2008
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The only tie-in novels I have ever read are the Mass Effect books, and they were surprisingly good. It's probably a giant headache to write in a universe where you can't mention anything about the main character from the games, because of the choices the player could have made, but somehow he pulls it off. I like how it is only tangentially related to the games in that it takes place in the same continuity/timeline, and contains some of the characters/factions/races/technologies, but other than that is unrelated and original. The best part is that they are written by Mass Effect's head writer, so it maintains a lot of the style the main series has.
 

OANST

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Tom Phoenix said:
OANST said:
It's not that people think that writing tie-in novels (or fan-fiction, as I call it) take less work. The problem is that people (rightly) think that it's not worth their time. There will be nothing of literary value in this book. Nothing to be learned by anyone with a high school diploma. It's drivel.

If you were to take your own feces and write the words "poopy-caca" on a cave wall, I would see more literary value in it than the regurgitation of over-explored themes and stolen ideas that is the best written tie-in (read fan-fiction) book ever made.

It's not that I think that you don't know how to string words together to make competent sentences. It's just that I think your work is worthless.

LET THE FLAMING BEGIN!

p.s. in before screams of "literature snob", "fan-fiction is good practice", and "everyone has to pay the bills somehow".
Well, I won't flame you, beacuse I understand the perspective you are coming from. Afterall, a lot of tie-in novels are really bad. That said, isn't it a bit unfair to claim that all tie-in novels are bad, period? I mean, most original novels are bad as well. Does that mean that novels in general are not worth reading?

Your comparison of tie-in novels to fan-fiction is justified, but that really isn't saying much. Yes, most fan-fiction is bad. Yet, there are a few examples in which the fan-fiction itself was superior to the work it was based on. In light of this, is it really that much of an impossibility for a tie-in novel to overcome the limitations of the original material and become a decent work in it's own right?

Anyway, I thank Matt Forbeck for this article. It is always interesting to learn of another facet of writing.
Again, I won't say that they are badly written. I have no way of determining that. I can however, say in full confidence that they have nothing to offer. The writer isn't writing this story out of the combination of love and ingenuity that is needed to make a good or great novel. They are either doing so for monetary reasons (which is fine, as long as the author is duly embarrassed and uses it as a stepping stool to get their "real" work out there), or they are doing it because they are so void of imagination that they not only steal other people's ideas (which almost all genre writers do to begin with) but they feel inclined to steal their characters as well.

And no, other poster. I'm not jealous. What are you? Nine?
 

Nimbus

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Oct 22, 2008
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OANST said:
Again, I won't say that they are badly written. I have no way of determining that. I can however, say in full confidence that they have nothing to offer. The writer isn't writing this story out of the combination of love and ingenuity that is needed to make a good or great novel. They are either doing so for monetary reasons (which is fine, as long as the author is duly embarrassed and uses it as a stepping stool to get their "real" work out there), or they are doing it because they are so void of imagination that they not only steal other people's ideas (which almost all genre writers do to begin with) but they feel inclined to steal their characters as well.

And no, other poster. I'm not jealous. What are you? Nine?
What about tie-in novels that are written by the authors of the original products? They are technically using their own characters, worlds and ideas. Example: the Mass Effect novels.
 

OANST

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Well, that's not really a tie-in novel, is it? That's the creator continuing their creation in another medium. That doesn't mean that it will be good. More than likely it will be a piece of crap (as most novels are), but it isn't inherently bad. It's their baby. They are justified in doing as they please with it.
 

Tom Phoenix

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OANST said:
Tom Phoenix said:
OANST said:
It's not that people think that writing tie-in novels (or fan-fiction, as I call it) take less work. The problem is that people (rightly) think that it's not worth their time. There will be nothing of literary value in this book. Nothing to be learned by anyone with a high school diploma. It's drivel.

If you were to take your own feces and write the words "poopy-caca" on a cave wall, I would see more literary value in it than the regurgitation of over-explored themes and stolen ideas that is the best written tie-in (read fan-fiction) book ever made.

It's not that I think that you don't know how to string words together to make competent sentences. It's just that I think your work is worthless.

LET THE FLAMING BEGIN!

p.s. in before screams of "literature snob", "fan-fiction is good practice", and "everyone has to pay the bills somehow".
Well, I won't flame you, beacuse I understand the perspective you are coming from. Afterall, a lot of tie-in novels are really bad. That said, isn't it a bit unfair to claim that all tie-in novels are bad, period? I mean, most original novels are bad as well. Does that mean that novels in general are not worth reading?

Your comparison of tie-in novels to fan-fiction is justified, but that really isn't saying much. Yes, most fan-fiction is bad. Yet, there are a few examples in which the fan-fiction itself was superior to the work it was based on. In light of this, is it really that much of an impossibility for a tie-in novel to overcome the limitations of the original material and become a decent work in it's own right?

Anyway, I thank Matt Forbeck for this article. It is always interesting to learn of another facet of writing.
Again, I won't say that they are badly written. I have no way of determining that. I can however, say in full confidence that they have nothing to offer. The writer isn't writing this story out of the combination of love and ingenuity that is needed to make a good or great novel. They are either doing so for monetary reasons (which is fine, as long as the author is duly embarrassed and uses it as a stepping stool to get their "real" work out there), or they are doing it because they are so void of imagination that they not only steal other people's ideas (which almost all genre writers do to begin with) but they feel inclined to steal their characters as well.

And no, other poster. I'm not jealous. What are you? Nine?
I find your comment interesting, beacuse being a fan of something requires a degree of love and respect for the work by default (assuming the author is a fan). Ingenuity is another matter entirely, though. Still, I find it hard to belive that out of all tie-in authors, there is not one that would have the ingenuity to write a good or great novel.

That said, you are absolutely correct in saying that most do it due to monetary reasons or a lack of imagination. Infact, I think a lot of problems that tie-in novels face stem precisely out of the fact that authors do not respect the works on which these novels are based. I know that if I was entrusted to write a novel based on a beloved franchise, I would treat it as if it were my own child, my own creation. Unfortunately, tie-in authors seem to lack such respect and I think the quality of these novels would vastly improve if the authors were people who were genuinely excited to write novels for a specific universe.

Also, I find your comment regarding characters hilarious. Not beacuse it's necessarily wrong, but beacuse fan fiction writers tend to be criticised for the opposite. Meaning, they are criticised for implementing their own characters into an already established universe. And since writers are going to be partial towards characters they created themselves, this often leads to so-called "Mary Sue/Marty Stu" characters.
 

Nimbus

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Oct 22, 2008
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OANST said:
...More than likely it will be a piece of crap (as most novels are)...
You're a really depressing, pessimistic person, aren't you?
 

OANST

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Aug 10, 2009
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Tom Phoenix said:
OANST said:
Tom Phoenix said:
OANST said:
It's not that people think that writing tie-in novels (or fan-fiction, as I call it) take less work. The problem is that people (rightly) think that it's not worth their time. There will be nothing of literary value in this book. Nothing to be learned by anyone with a high school diploma. It's drivel.

If you were to take your own feces and write the words "poopy-caca" on a cave wall, I would see more literary value in it than the regurgitation of over-explored themes and stolen ideas that is the best written tie-in (read fan-fiction) book ever made.

It's not that I think that you don't know how to string words together to make competent sentences. It's just that I think your work is worthless.

LET THE FLAMING BEGIN!

p.s. in before screams of "literature snob", "fan-fiction is good practice", and "everyone has to pay the bills somehow".
Well, I won't flame you, beacuse I understand the perspective you are coming from. Afterall, a lot of tie-in novels are really bad. That said, isn't it a bit unfair to claim that all tie-in novels are bad, period? I mean, most original novels are bad as well. Does that mean that novels in general are not worth reading?

Your comparison of tie-in novels to fan-fiction is justified, but that really isn't saying much. Yes, most fan-fiction is bad. Yet, there are a few examples in which the fan-fiction itself was superior to the work it was based on. In light of this, is it really that much of an impossibility for a tie-in novel to overcome the limitations of the original material and become a decent work in it's own right?

Anyway, I thank Matt Forbeck for this article. It is always interesting to learn of another facet of writing.
Again, I won't say that they are badly written. I have no way of determining that. I can however, say in full confidence that they have nothing to offer. The writer isn't writing this story out of the combination of love and ingenuity that is needed to make a good or great novel. They are either doing so for monetary reasons (which is fine, as long as the author is duly embarrassed and uses it as a stepping stool to get their "real" work out there), or they are doing it because they are so void of imagination that they not only steal other people's ideas (which almost all genre writers do to begin with) but they feel inclined to steal their characters as well.

And no, other poster. I'm not jealous. What are you? Nine?
I find your comment interesting, beacuse being a fan of something requires a degree of love and respect for the work by default (assuming the author is a fan). Ingenuity is another matter entirely, though. Still, I find it hard to belive that out of all tie-in authors, there is not one that would have the ingenuity to write a good or great novel.

That said, you are absolutely correct in saying that most do it due to monetary reasons or a lack of imagination. Infact, I think a lot of problems that tie-in novels face stem precisely out of the fact that authors do not respect the works on which these novels are based. I know that if I was entrusted to write a novel based on a beloved franchise, I would treat it as if it were my own child, my own creation. Unfortunately, tie-in authors seem to lack such respect and I think the quality of these novels would vastly improve if the authors were people who were genuinely excited to write novels for a specific universe.

Also, I find your comment regarding characters hilarious. Not beacuse it's necessarily wrong, but beacuse fan fiction writers tend to be criticised for the opposite. Meaning, they are criticised for implementing their own characters into an already established universe. And since writers are going to be partial towards characters they created themselves, this often leads to so-called "Mary Sue/Marty Stu" characters.
Oh, I agree that fan-fic writers love the world that they are thieving from. No doubt. They just lack the ingenuity and the insight to make something great. I don't care how well you can write. If your life is so sad that you fantasize yourself into other people's work then you are clearly not the next Cormac McCarthy or David Sedaris. You won't be wowing the literary world any time soon.

The complaint of people injecting their "Mary-Sue's" into fan-fics is a fan-fic reader's complaint. It's also not worth arguing from my point of view, since it is mostly a complaint about style. My complaint about fanfiction is that it is an intellectual death from the start.
 

Gildan Bladeborn

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OANST said:
The writer isn't writing this story out of the combination of love and ingenuity that is needed to make a good or great novel. They are either doing so for monetary reasons (which is fine, as long as the author is duly embarrassed and uses it as a stepping stool to get their "real" work out there), or they are doing it because they are so void of imagination that they not only steal other people's ideas (which almost all genre writers do to begin with) but they feel inclined to steal their characters as well.
You seem to be laboring under the impression that by "tie-in", we mean books that simply expand on or recap existing narratives started via another medium. I actually agree with you there for the most part, as it's quite hard to see them as anything but money-grabs on the original IP holder's part, and even when otherwise competent authors tackle those projects the results are rarely worthwhile.

I don't really read that sort of tie-in novel though - Warhammer 40,000 novels, barring the few that are in fact specifically linked to various products (and thus not especially good as a rule), simply take place within the established setting that the original IP (a table-top wargame) created - none of that "You've seen/played the [example], now read the book!" nonsense. And since the setting is "the entire damn galaxy", there's not a whole lot of overlap and authors are free to do just about anything they'd like, within the constraints of canon and the specific atmosphere of the framework.

And since there are only a comparative handful of established background characters/settings that are, for the most part, sacred and not to be tampered with, that means they're free to create and then destroy entire worlds. Using their own damn characters from start to finish - and I don't mean "alongside the established ones", because in 40K there effectively are no "established characters", just certain iconic larger than life background figures who rarely if ever show up in any of the novels penned for the setting.


Chipperz said:
If anyone has a bad experience with this kind of fiction, Dan Abnett should be there to save the day.
Quite true, though I have another name you really need to check out if you haven't already: Aaron Dembski-Bowden. He is fast becoming my absolute favorite BL author, the man really gets 40K.
 

OANST

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Gildan Bladeborn said:
OANST said:
The writer isn't writing this story out of the combination of love and ingenuity that is needed to make a good or great novel. They are either doing so for monetary reasons (which is fine, as long as the author is duly embarrassed and uses it as a stepping stool to get their "real" work out there), or they are doing it because they are so void of imagination that they not only steal other people's ideas (which almost all genre writers do to begin with) but they feel inclined to steal their characters as well.
You seem to be laboring under the impression that by "tie-in", we mean books that simply expand on or recap existing narratives started via another medium. I actually agree with you there for the most part, as it's quite hard to see them as anything but money-grabs on the original IP holder's part, and even when otherwise competent authors tackle those projects the results are rarely worthwhile.
Nope. Not under that impression at all. Any work that is written in the constraints of someone else's imagination and rules is A. Not really your work, and B. Drivel. Mind-numbing, pointless drivel.
 

Tom Phoenix

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OANST said:
Oh, I agree that fan-fic writers love the world that they are thieving from. No doubt. They just lack the ingenuity and the insight to make something great. I don't care how well you can write. If your life is so sad that you fantasize yourself into other people's work then you are clearly not the next Cormac McCarthy or David Sedaris. You won't be wowing the literary world any time soon.

The complaint of people injecting their "Mary-Sue's" into fan-fics is a fan-fic reader's complaint. It's also not worth arguing from my point of view, since it is mostly a complaint about style. My complaint about fanfiction is that it is an intellectual death from the start.
No, you misunderstood me. I said the opposite. I think that most tie-in writers have absolutely no love for the worlds they are "thieving" from, hence why most novels end up being as bad as they are. If you are doing something purely for monetary gain, then you are not going to be motivated to produce anything deep or thought-provoking.

So if I understand you correctly, you think that a work immediately loses any chance of being good the moment it is set in a universe that is not an original creation? Well, you are free to think so, although I think that is kind of stretching it. I mean, even "original" universes are not necessarily original, since even good established writers tend to borrow concepts from elsewhere.

La Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri, which is considered one of the greatest works in literature, is essentially a collection of religious and historic tales, combined with philosophic teachings and biographical elements. Infact, it wouldn't be even that much of a stretch to call it a work of "fan fiction", beacuse the world which Dante potrays is essentially taken from the Bible and religious manuscripts. Dante may have fully fleshed out these worlds, but they still weren't his own original creation.