285 réponses à ce sujet

[Severyx]

I wish I had more to contribute to this thread lately. I've been having the worst time getting chapter 27 of my fan novel out. I have chapters and chapters loosely documented (something to pass the time during lunch at work), but I just can't seem to finish it.

Man, I thought writer's block was bad. Loss of muse/motivation is -killing- me and my story.

Anywho, glad to hear that FF.net is diversifying the Mass Effect roster as needed. Now we just need to get them to add 'Original Characters'...

[ElectricZ]

I got blocked pretty bad a while ago, and what it boiled down to in that case was not really knowing where I was trying to take the story. I had to just take a step back and let it gestate, and when something clicked I was finally motivated to write again. In the intervening time I also whipped out a little quickie fic that was just fun to write and I think that helped too. At the very least, I didn't feel bad because I wasn't writing, and that's always a nice thing to avoid.

Anybody ever successfully force themselves to write? I've tried that a few times and usually only get a few disjointed paragraphs down before accepting my heart's not in it and moving on to something else.

Something else that seems to help is to go export the previous few chapters and open them up for editing at FFN and reread them. I get the momentum going again, plus get rid of all the misspellings, dropped words. punctuation, and bad grammar that someone sneaks in after I initially publish my perfect, error-free chapters the first go round. God I hate that guy...

[Sialater]

I force myself all the time. But, it was a long time coming to be able to do that (I've actually be trying to write since I was 16, only managed to get disciplined this last couple years). Now, I can write daily.


Also, I got news for y'all.  When it's all said and done, no one can tell where you forced it and where you didn't.

Modifié par Sialater, 02 août 2011 - 05:59 .

[LuxDragon]

If I get stuck on one section, I move on to later chapters and write up sections, notes or general ideas. Sometimes it's a matter of building up some momentum.

[Severyx]

LuxDragon wrote...

If I get stuck on one section, I move on to later chapters and write up sections, notes or general ideas. Sometimes it's a matter of building up some momentum.

I thought about doing this on multiple occasions. There are some very interesting scenes towards the end of my story that I want to get to, but I don't do it. Since a lot of the fleshing out of my story is done as I type it, I have this huge fear that I'll forget some minor detail that'll turn up later to be a major detail. I don't have beta readers, so my story could go up for the public to read with a massive inconsistancy. At least doing it the way I am now (chapter by chapter in order), I know what has already been done, and if I have to question something, I'll just go back into a past chapter document and read it.

[LuxDragon]

Honestly, I work backward. I know how the ending goes, but I need to find out how did I get there.

I suppose it's easier for me since mine is just a novelization, but I managed to do okay so far.

[fainmaca]

Pretty sure I've poosted this somewhere before, but my method is to stop, step away from the keyboard, and find something to inspire you. Listen to some music, watch a movie that has the 'feel' you're looking for in what you're trying to write (e.g. when I got stuck on an area where Shepard and co were dodging something creepy, I watched some of the creepier Doctor Who episodes, and listened to the Halo soundtrack, anything to do with the Flood). Read a book, go for a walk. Recently I've been out fishing when I've had my best moments of inspiration, giving me the one plot point I needed to get out of my rut. Take a small notepad with you everywhere, and keep it by your bed at night.

In the end though the best way to get over the block is, after your short break, sit back down and fill your head with the situation. Push through. Writer's block is like a wall you need to break down, but sometimes your mind needs to take a run-up.

[Severyx]

Well, good news, everyone. I finally managed to get chapter 27 of Mass Effect: Going Dark out. Hopefully things will be smoother from here on out!

I'm not sure what the deal is with the sister thread, Fan Fiction Synopsis Listing. Last time I talked to J4NE, she was rebuilding the post since the ME forums finally ate the formatting. I'll try to get in contact again. It seriously needs an update!

[SailorVega]

I'm getting kind of mopey about my fic. I just did something very strange with it, and when the completion of the whole mystery is done (it's going to take another story) I am afraid of a massive tidal wave of anger coming from the community. Bleh.

[Severyx]

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to progress the story as it should. If it means going in a direction that the public might not agree with. . . Well, it's your story, not theirs. Don't let your fear of the reaction of the readers keep you from finishing it!

Aside: Wow, it's already been over a month since I got chapter 27 out? Good lord I'm falling behind. x_x

[AmyMac]

So I definitely haven't read this whole thread, but here's the deal: I've never written a Fan Fiction story before, but I've read plenty, so I think I have a good idea of what constitutes "good" and "bad" Fan Fiction. I've seen some pretty terrible writing out there, and some pretty absurd ideas (even within the context of the Mass Effect universe).

Anyway, I have this idea for a story ... I've definitely brainstormed a few characters and written some stuff, and as far as I can tell, it's pretty unique -- not something anyone else has thought of.

The story chronicles humanity's discovery of the Thresher Maw -- before Akuze. The story would begin with a prologue "Memoirs of a Cerberus Agent" in which a Cerberus agent/scientist who worked on the Thresher Maw project records his thoughts and reflections before fleeing the Akuze Research Facility. He's killed in his attempt to escape, and it's unclear what happens to the datapad (the fate of the datapad will be an important point later in the story).
The first chapter flashes back to about 8 months before the Thresher Maws slaughtered the Alliance team on Akuze, where a Cerberus craft is conducting covert exploration in an area that is essentially "galactic no man's land" -- not Terminus, but not Citadel Space either. They discover Thresher Maws, and subsequently launch an effort to learn more about them. This effort involves things like kidnapping, extortion, etc -- all things that Cerberus loves:D. They learn as much as they can, and eventually identify planets/planetoids where large Thresher Maw colonies exist. One of these colonies is the barren, desert-like planet of Akuze.
The story then goes into the saga of the Alliance pioneer team, their massacre by the Thresher Maws, and the Alliance Marine unit sent to Akuze and their massacre as well. Like a lot of "political/military thriller" type stories, I would explore the events through multiple perspectives (possibly including Shepard's, though she wouldn't be a main character).

So that's kind of the jist of it... I have a ton of ideas for plot twists and stuff, but honestly, is it even a good idea? I think it's creative, but I've seen a lof of fan fictions that are unique but still suck.

[LuxDragon]

Don't take what I'm about the say the wrong way. This is meant to be constructive criticism, k?

Honestly, thesher maws have been around for a long time. When humanity gets inducted into the greater galactic community, they also get access to the extranet. Couldn't people kinda, I don't know, look up what a thresher maw is?

Gripe aside, I kinda like the premise of what you got.

[Severyx]

While LuxDragon didn't do it intentionally, he did bring up an important concept when developing plots: Plot holes and how to avoid them. For me (I operate without beta readers, but a beta reader could be asked to do this for you), I read over the general plot of story and look for places where I think someone could easily say "Sure, that's cool, but wouldn't it make sense to X instead?". I find such a process helps big time with believability, something that could kill a decent story if it lacks.

Basically, LuxDragon's point is valid, but that doesn't mean in any way that it ruins the story. Example: Okay, so humans are aware that Thresher Maws exist. But just how much data on such beasts are there? It wouldn't be absurd to believe that the ferocity of the Thresher Maws has thusfar prevented any government sanctioned research project on them, leaving a lot of space/reason for Cerberus to still seek them out.

I definitely applaud original work - it takes much more creativity. Your story sounds intriguing, and the ties to the events pre-ME1 are a plus. Go for it, with all ambition! The only thing I'd say to watch out for: Be careful with how you project Cerberus' intents. Always remember that they are not an organization seeking to enhance knowledge for all, but rather just humans.

[AmyMac]

What's a beta reader? Is it like an editor?

Anyway, I sort of came up with a two-faceted idea about why little would be known about the Thresher Maws among the council races: 1) encounters are relatively rare and 2) a few specific encounters by groups of salarians/asari/turians have been controversial (for a few reasons) and therefore kind of down-played/covered up by the officials.

Based on what is said about Thresher Maws on the Mass Effect wiki, I actually came up with a scientific explanation for both the rarity of encounters and the importance of studying them. And don't worry -- I won't go too deep into the science to the point of boring the reader (I'm a planetary geology grad student so trust me when I say the idea is based on actual science); I'd probably detail it through scenes where Cerberus agents are interrogating random aliens.

The idea that Cerberus wants to use the study of Thresher Maws to advance themselves/humanity was intended to be a crucial part of the story from the beginning. I've even begun developing characters who have drastically different perspectives on that concept to develop some (possibly) cool plot twists. This is supposed to be a thriller/suspense/action story.

Aside from that, do you think that jumping between perspectives would add to or deter from the story as a whole?

[LuxDragon]

Beta readers = editors

My chapters are pretty long, so for me, a beta is a must.

Good luck, yeah?

[Severyx]

As LuxDragon pointed out, a beta reader is an editor of sorts. It's someone you present your story to before you release anything to the public so they can go over it and point out things such as spelling and grammar mistakes, plot holes or inconsistencies, even things such as 'was this too boring to read?'.

About your perspective change question: I've both read and written changes in perspective, and I have to admit I have a bit of a bias. I prefer perspective changes to be minimal at best, and usually situational. Say the character that you normally follow goes unconscious when you still have story to tell, or the weight of one other person's perspective outweighs the norm so heavily that it warrants a change. Stories that jump perspective too much, in my opinion, seem stuttered. Segmented.

Always remember that the story is yours to write how you see fit, but taking the general public into consideration can help as well.

[Fatemaster]

Just got writer´s block on my story. Any tips?

[SailorVega]

I'm assuming this is a Mass Effect fanfic. When was the last time you played either game?

[westiex9]

Hi Guys, ive done fanfiction before for Dragon age but this is my first real foray into mass effect, im really enjoying the high technology setting...writing a crime novel with medieval overtones is a hard job lol...

Anywho could really use some constructive critisism if any one fancies a quick look:

http://social.biowar...-8466791-1.html

[EnigmaRage]

I'm trying to come up with a fanfic myself...premise is a former mercenary who is anti-quarian, but eventually learns to lesson his racism

[westiex9]

EnigmaRage wrote...

I'm trying to come up with a fanfic myself...premise is a former mercenary who is anti-quarian, but eventually learns to lesson his racism

Sounds Cool! be kinda cool to see a fanfic with a Quarian Focus!

[EnigmaRage]

never wrote a fanfiction before...I'm just trying to make sure this one doesn't suck. So far I have the prologue done...working on the first few chapters

[Sable Phoenix]

AmyMac wrote...
Based on what is said about Thresher Maws on the Mass Effect wiki, I actually came up with a scientific explanation for both the rarity of encounters and the importance of studying them. And don't worry -- I won't go too deep into the science to the point of boring the reader (I'm a planetary geology grad student so trust me when I say the idea is based on actual science); I'd probably detail it through scenes where Cerberus agents are interrogating random aliens.

Might you, perhaps, share that science here for us?  I'm a sucker for creating scientifically sound explanations in SF (or at least, explanations that sound plausible, which are not always the same thing).

[EnigmaRage]

random question, can anyone come up with good quarian names? I absolutely fail at it

[EnigmaRage]

2 things
First, I'm not sure how to characterize a former merc, sure I have ideas, but I'm not sure if they make sense.

Second, I think when I post anywhere it's the kiss of death for the thread...