History SoYouWantTo / WriteAnAlternateContinuity

* One example might be the ''{{Franchise/Transformers}}'' but the pitfalls of this are ContinuitySnarl and LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters.

There's a wide selection of choices; do you use a LiveActionTV continuity like ''Series/GreysAnatomy'', ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', ''Series/OrphanBlack'', ''Series/TheCatch'' (PoliceProcedural and medical drama), or do you go with {{Anime}}, or even WesternAnimation such as ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' or ''Series/BojackHorseman''?

There's a wide selection of choices; do you use a LiveActionTV continuity like ''Series/GreysAnatomy'', ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', ''Series/OrphanBlack'', ''Series/TheCatch'' (PoliceProcedural and medical drama), or do you go with {{Anime}}, or even WesternAnimation such as ''Series/StevenUniverse'' or ''Series/BojackHorseman''?

But it's not just fiction that can have an AlternateContinuity. Non-fictional works involving RealLife companies, businesses and brands also have their own FanFic, although these are less popular. The likes of ''Motor Trend'', ''Autocar'', ''Daily Mail'', ''Auto Ezchange'' have all had their own FanFic AlternateContinuities written, but these are far more obscure and have a smaller [[{{Fandom}} fanbase]], but arguably these could also count as AlternateHistory.

In general, you could go DarkerAndEdgier or LighterAndSofter. Equally, what about, for those who write about ''Series/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', a CrapsaccharineWorld plotline?

You could even use comic-books as a starting point; Creator/DCComics and {{Creator/Marvel}} are good choices. Pick any character, any one. ''TheFlash2014'' or ''{{Batman}}'' are good DC Comics examples. Or how about an AlternateContinuity involving Quake (Daisy Johnson)?

What if ''DoctorWho'' had a series of stories set in cities such as Oxford, Manchester, and Glasgow, ignoring BritainIsOnlyLondon?

You could even use comic-books as a starting point; DCComics and {{Marvel}} are good choices. Pick any character, any one. ''TheFlash2014'' or ''{{Batman}}'' are good DC Comics examples. Or how about an AlternateContinuity involving Quake (Daisy Johnson)?

You could even use comic-books as a starting point; DCComics and {{Marvel}} are good choices. Pick any character, any one.

But it's not just fiction that can have an AlternateContinuity. Non-fictional works also have, although these are less popular. The likes of ''Motor Trend'', ''Autocar'', ''Daily Mail'', ''Auto Ezchange'' have all had their own FanFic AlternateContinuities written, but these are far more obscure.

Watch out for these tropes! They're bad news - or, well, at least they're tropes you generally want to avoid - and they're particularly common in your chosen genre.

* {{Glurge}}: Any heartwarming story has the chance of descending into utter glurge, and you should study the examples to get an idea on how to spot it and, more importantly, how to avoid it.
* PurpleProse: Many Romances fall prey to flowery writing that detracts from the story and often makes it difficult to even figure out what is going on. Then again, there are those who defend at least a certain amount of flowery writing... and I wish I could recall the name of the "How to Write Romance" books I found that discussed the matter, so you could read the defense for yourself.
* MarySue: Too many fanfic authors fall prey to this one. Not that a MarySue can't be [[Webcomic/GirlGenius done well]]....
* Your new RealityTV show? For the love of all that's worth watching, ''please'' find a way to minimize [[strike:{{Filleritis}}]] {{Filler}}.

In general, you could go DarkerAndEdgier

!!'''The Epic Fails'''
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!'''Necessary Tropes'''
!'''Choices, Choices'''
!'''Pitfalls'''
!'''Potential Subversions'''
!'''Writers' Lounge'''
!!'''Suggested Themes and Aesops'''
!!'''Potential Motifs'''
!!'''Suggested Plots'''
!'''Departments'''
!!'''Set Designer''' / '''Location Scout'''
!!'''Props Department'''
!!'''Costume Designer'''
!!'''Casting Director'''
!!'''Stunt Department'''
!'''Extra Credit'''
!!'''The Greats'''

Don't confuse AlternateContinuity with AlternateHistory. The term AlternateHistory refers to RealLife history [[AlternateTineline if it had gone another way]] - an AlternateContinuity is a {{Continuity}} mutually exclusive of the main one.

These tropes are in common use throughout the genre, so we'll forgive you if you use them - but if you can think of a good way to subvert, invert, or just plain ''a''vert them, then you just might be able to start a new [[FollowTheLeader trend]]....

* SpaceIsAnOcean: Okay, your average SpaceWestern rides along on this wave, but isn't there some way you can reinvent the analogy, the terminology...?
* LivingInAFurnitureStore: Yes, there's good reason to not make things too messy when you're filming a SitCom, and it's not like we're going to notice it... unless you call our attention to it, of course.

* AfterTheEnd: You could go with an anti-nuclear-weapon Aesop, a total, Gandhi-esque pacifism Aesop... an "if we all work together we can survive and bounce back from anything" Aesop (hey, it worked quite well in ''Wall-E'')....
* That cynical TabletopRPG might use the theme of CrapsackWorld to underscore everything that happens, [[DarkFantasy perhaps coupled with]] HumansAreBastards.

* Vampire novel means lots of roses and blood.
* If you want your CosmicHorror story to ''really'' [[ParanoiaFuel creep your audience out]], make sure to throw in lots of ''eyes''. And maybe an EyeScream to boot.
** Tentacles will do too. Be they CombatTentacles or the other kind, tentacles tend to freak people out.
*** Ofcourse, why not have both? Or in a true Lovecraftian style, create a monter so horrible the protagonist is unable to even describe it, other than saying it had lots of tentacles, eyes and pointy teeth.

* Your High School SitCom could include such plots as TwoTimerDate, InWithTheInCrowd, FeudEpisode, and even HorribleCampingTrip.
* A fantasy/horror piece that's heavy on Telepathy and MindManipulation? Try FakeMemories, GrandTheftMe, AmnesiaDanger, JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind, and OutOfCharacterAlert.

* Given that you're after a HeroicFantasy, you'll want to look into TheKingdom, TheLostWoods, and {{Ruritania}}.
* Lemme see, for the classic BigBad we have the ElaborateUndergroundBase, the EvilTowerOfOminousness, or, if you prefer, go even bigger with TheEmpire.

* Spy thriller, eh? You'll need to look at some [[GunsAndGunplayTropes weapons]]: I suggest either CoolGuns or RareGuns, but maybe RevolversAreJustBetter... and let's not forget some backup, like RazorFloss. Then you'll need equipment: a GrapplingHookPistol, a ShoePhone....
* Dark magicks require dark regeants. Let's set you up with the GreatBigBookOfEverything, a MagicWand, a CrystalBall, and your own pantry full of spell ingredients including a year's supply of EyeOfNewt.
* HeroicFantasy: Take up the tome of WeaponOfChoice and consider it well.

* Any school-based anime worth its salt needs the RedArmbandOfLeadership and at least one example of TransferStudentUniforms.
* Superhero uniforms, superhero uniforms... ah! there we go. Let's see, if you want to avoid spandex and tights, there's always CivvieSpandex, or then again the BadassLongcoat; and of course you'll want to disguise your face, so let me suggest CoolShades (or SinisterShades), maybe an ExpressiveMask....

* Well, for a heroic quest, you might go with HeterosexualLifePartners, the PowerTrio, the FourGirlEnsemble, the FiveManBand....
* For the Western, choose from among TheDrifter, TheGunslinger, the MountainMan, TheGambler, the NobleSavage...

* Your spy thriller could benefit from some good moves: DressingAsTheEnemy, a CeilingCling, maybe some JuggleFu... and if you want to get ''really'' fancy, add in some LeParkour.
* Romantic Anime, we're looking at maybe a MeetCute, a YawnAndReach, maybe an IndirectKiss....

Now, if you're really looking to bring up the quality of your work, head off to your local library (or jump on your computer... wait, you're already there) to study how the best (and worst) have managed to make it work:

* If you ever wanted [[{{Anvilicious}} An]] [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped Anvil]] about the value of education dropped as well as an anvil ever ''could'' be dropped, look no further than ''ThePhantomTollbooth''.
* Tired of your friends teasing you about how extensive your world-building is and how it's all really a waste of time? [[TheLordOfTheRings Tolkien]] did it right, and boy, did he ever pile on the detail.

* Literature/HarryPotter Fanfiction: Here's a short list of {{MST}}ings of bad fics, so you can tell just where they went wrong.
* So you want to adapt a video game story to a movie script, eh? Let me walk you over to this section of Creator/UweBoll movies....
* I'm not saying ''Series/AmericanIdol'' is necessarily ''bad'' (and in fact I do enjoy it!), but if you want to avoid [[strike:{{Filleritis}}]] {{Filler}}, give it an objective look to see (1) what the audience really wants to see and (2) all the many things they don't care about that you could easily cut out of the program.