My husband and I just use fan fiction to hone our techniques. Of course, I have always been a play by post RPer. Most of WLB was RPed out on my own forums with my husband. Then, it was transcribed later (with additional content added to it). Personally, I am surprised at how well WLB been received here and on other forums. There is a certain disdain for fan fiction by other authors. Yet, I have always been one that isn't affected by what others say. I do what I do because I enjoy it.I say it often, and I mean it. I write WLB for myself, and I am glad that others find enjoyment in my fan fiction. Last week, I put 115 hours into the fan fiction. This morning I went to bed at 10:30 AM to finish a section of Chapter 15. (What is after getting 4 hours asleep the night before) So, I do take it very seriously.In honesty, I find fan fiction to be a greater challenge than writing my own world. In that world, my characters are formed by my own set of rules. The magick is unique to that world. In Fan Fiction, I have to adhere to a previous author's world. Even when introducing a new type of enemy for Geralt, I had to cross-check and make sure it was believable. The main problem of most fan fictions is that many of the characters are actually characters that the authors create (with the canon names slapped on them). I try to keep Geralt (and other characters) as close to the few English books that are out and, of course, the game. The problem with writing about someone's beloved character is that everyone *thinks* they know the character (or that you are putting yourself in that world). It's subjective, at best. I had people tell me that I am *spot on* with Geralt; then, others tell me that I missed his character completely. Then, others think that fan fiction is not original. My plot is something that I came up with. Most of the characters in the fan fiction are original characters. Yes, you will see Dandelion, Triss, and everyone else you associate with the witcher mythos; however, the bulk of the characters are my invention. You will see a new sorceress, a bard, a knight, a witcher from another school. Book One was over 100,000 words, and it's my baby as much as "Dark Savior" (my husband and my novel that we are writing) is. Sorry if this doesn't make much sense. I had about another 4 hours of sleep. lol.