9960 réponses à ce sujet

[Seracen]

You aren't wrong about editors.  I always say that a good editor is just as important to the story as the author themselves...examples run from Star Wars to Mass Effect itself (though in that case, it is more peer review than a single editor)!

[MrStoob]

It is my understanding that the former Mrs Lucas was the firewall to George's crappier ideas, hence the rise if facepalm moments in ep6 after they split (Tarzan call, anyone? Ewoks?  *facepalm*).

[Seracen]

IIRC, the Ewoks were originally supposed to be Wookies, which was a more reasonable/cool idea IMO.

 

Lucas thought that by catering to children, he could improve toy and merchandising sales.  This was a case of marketing affecting the storyline, which seems to be a common enough problem for such properties (naming no names of course...   ).   Ironically enough, Lucas was unable to properly capitalize on these opportunities (until the prequel trilogy), so the story suffered for no reason.

 

Again, this sort of behavior is why I always tell people to be particular about the sort of criticism they take to heart.  If it helps improve your writing, and is constructive, totally pay attention to what the readers are saying.  There's a difference between diluting your work through pandering, and improving your work through critique.

[YurigirlzCrush]

*waves* hi everyone! hope you're all well!

 

haven't had anything to contribute to the thread lately because I haven't written anything in over a month. been keeping busy with family and gaming and have been horribly lax on writing. *pout* I have ideas and think about my stories a lot, but for some reason I just can't get to the writing. any time I turn on my computer I spend my time doing something else.

 

anywho, just wanted to pass along my best wishes to you all. I hope you're all having more productive time than I am! *grins*

[BronzTrooper]

When I was starting out with TLFW, I got a couple reviews asking for a female Tabris Warden so as to have a Mahariel/Tabris pairing on top of my Aeducan/Brosca pairing.  I figured that it was my story so I was going to write it the way I wanted to, so I didn't change a single thing.  More writers need to do that, imo.  Especially in the media.

[Leonia]

Hello fellow writers!

 

I'm an old-time BSNer that has some what fallen out of fandom over the past year or so due to a variety of reasons. However, I've also been writing a novel-length fanfic that has seen very little attention during its journey from start to finish. It feels weird to come back here only when I want something but I am looking for some constructive feedback on a project I've poured a lot of time and effort into. From memory, this thread was one of the more active ones full of encouragement and advice.

 

I'm hesitant to even mention it, the whole thing was meant to be an experiment to prove that I could actually finish a story. It still reads like a first-draft to my eyes but we are our own worst critics. That said, I do not need things sugar coated. In general, I would like to get some feedback on the overall feeling of the story and the characters, is anything major missing? Technical issues are much easier to resolve though I'd like to hear that too. The good, the bad, the ugly. Anything really. I feel like I've been fumbling in the dark for the past year on this.

 

Getting more to the point, perhaps a link and a short synopsis are in order:

 

http://archiveofouro...hapters/1423382

 

The story is called "All That We Are", it focuses on a small collection of original turian characters and their relatively normal lives before, at the start of, and during the Reaper War. The reoccuring themes throughout are about the importance of family, what makes us better than our enemies, how to make the most of a second chance, why should we keep going when everything is falling apart around us. My protagonist is an older biotic named Magnus Thorn who is thinking about wrapping up his career and fading away into obscurity until.. well, I won't spoil it

 

I didn't intentionally set out to write a Hero's Journey or to follow a Three Act structure but in hindsight you should see some of those elements. While I did intend to write lots of actiony stuff, to show the war on the frontlines which we missed since playing ME3 from Shepard's POV, I think the story took a life of its own and became more and more about the characters, their relationships, their struggles and growth, their changing perspectives and shifting priorities. Or at least I hope that's what comes across.

 

Anyway, I just wanted to write about the turians and their view of the war. Its a long read, for sure, and I know that's a huge turn off for many (and the fact that it follows an original cast along with mostly original settings). Any comments at all would be most welcomed. I am completely unfamiliar with the process of writing fanfiction these days so any guidance would be most appreciated.

[MrStoob]

Been semi-productive of late, with a few fun musing on my System/Bio Shock/HL/everything crossover thingummy.  I've ended up being a bit more fanciful with an all-platform crossover.  One character hints that Plasmids and Biotics are technically the same thing, lol, even mentioning 'magic'.  Not sure if I should be more clear that I mean the DA universe by that, or let the reader be as fanciful as they like too.  I think I can drop a few clues later for the lols.

 

 

Quick culture check:

 

G-Man.  IIRC, wasn't he popularly known as 'The Administrator' before HL2?  Or was that just me?

[Seracen]

Hello fellow writers!

 

I'm an old-time BSNer that has some what fallen out of fandom over the past year or so due to a variety of reasons. However, I've also been writing a novel-length fanfic that has seen very little attention during its journey from start to finish. It feels weird to come back here only when I want something but I am looking for some constructive feedback on a project I've poured a lot of time and effort into. From memory, this thread was one of the more active ones full of encouragement and advice.

 

[snip]

 

Getting more to the point, perhaps a link and a short synopsis are in order:

 

http://archiveofouro...hapters/1423382

 

[snip]

 

Anyway, I just wanted to write about the turians and their view of the war. Its a long read, for sure, and I know that's a huge turn off for many (and the fact that it follows an original cast along with mostly original settings). Any comments at all would be most welcomed. I am completely unfamiliar with the process of writing fanfiction these days so any guidance would be most appreciated.

 

Welcome back!  I didn't follow any particular structure in my story either, though I did plan certain things out (used worksheets and such).  It would be amusing to find out that I subconsciously adhered to some sort of forms in my own writing.

 

Hope you get some good feedback.  Alas I am in the midst of exams, but the story sounds like an interesting diversion once I get some time!  

 

EDIT: you should totally have Atreides ride a Thresher Maw like a Sandwurm  !  Red Sand could be "spice" in this universe (though this feeds better into Stoob's "everything" crossover idea, heh).

 

Been semi-productive of late, with a few fun musing on my System/Bio Shock/HL/everything crossover thingummy.  I've ended up being a bit more fanciful with an all-platform crossover.  One character hints that Plasmids and Biotics are technically the same thing, lol, even mentioning 'magic'.  Not sure if I should be more clear that I mean the DA universe by that, or let the reader be as fanciful as they like too.  I think I can drop a few clues later for the lols.

 

 

Quick culture check:

 

G-Man.  IIRC, wasn't he popularly known as 'The Administrator' before HL2?  Or was that just me?

 

For your first question, maybe make some hints in the author's notes?  Unless you can make the reference fit in a manner that isn't jarring, I'd leave it to reader discretion.  Furthermore, this vagueness allows tie-ins to everything, from Skyrim to LOTR, haha!

 

As for the second question...sounds legit...

[Leonia]

Do you know, I've not read Dune, the name was a total coincidence. But I wouldn't mind reading it now to see if there are any other interesting parallels

 

Thanks for the welcome, I guess I'm still a bit nervous about putting this out there to the "masses", so to speak, there's a lot I don't feel completely satisfied with. Will probably write up a bit of a self-analysis and reflection soon, if anyone's keen but would be more interested in what others have to say.

[MrStoob]

Furthermore, this vagueness allows tie-ins to everything, from Skyrim to LOTR, haha!

 

As for the second question...sounds legit...

I'm have particular potential crossover elements I want to include to rein me in from being too 'everything'.  My main motivation was to fill the hole between SS2 and Bioshock so I don't want to get too far off the track but it's easy to run away with yourself with more fanciful ideas.

[Fatiguesdualism]

Do you know, I've not read Dune, the name was a total coincidence. But I wouldn't mind reading it now to see if there are any other interesting parallels

 

Thanks for the welcome, I guess I'm still a bit nervous about putting this out there to the "masses", so to speak, there's a lot I don't feel completely satisfied with. Will probably write up a bit of a self-analysis and reflection soon, if anyone's keen but would be more interested in what others have to say.

I'm fairly certain I've never been completely satisfied with any chapter I've written (there's always those bits that get cut, stuff that could perhaps need expanding, etc) but if I went down  that road again - I doubt I'd ever finish something!  (Hence self-imposed deadlines ) As for being nervous...well if you ever figure out a cure for that; please let me know!     

 

@MrStoob:  It's been a while since I played HL but wasn't he introduced as 'The Administrator' during the long intro (I remember a mono-rail ride - but that's about it!) or am I getting confused with another character?  

 

As for the topic of editors (good grief do I need one! ) I suppose they're a little more objective (I think hot_heart was right about the 'killing your babies' feeling that occurs) 

[Aurora313]

Hello fellow writers,

 

I'm not fully aware of your method of announcing, but recently I've gotten back into writing for the Mass Effect Series and resumed my original piece 'Duet Effect'. It was my first experiment as a writer for Mass Effect and I'd like some help in making this work the absolutely best it can be.

 

You can find the thread dedicated to it in the forums and I would very much appreciate any and all assistance you can grant me in making this piece, and my writing the absolutely best it can be.

 

Regards,

 

Aurora313.

[Obsidian Gryphon]

Is FFN down? I haven't been able to access it for a few hours. Hi @ Leonia and Aurora313.

 

P.S. It's up. They fixed the problem.

[MrStoob]

I'm fairly certain I've never been completely satisfied with any chapter I've written (there's always those bits that get cut, stuff that could perhaps need expanding, etc) but if I went down  that road again - I doubt I'd ever finish something!  (Hence self-imposed deadlines ) As for being nervous...well if you ever figure out a cure for that; please let me know!     

 

@MrStoob:  It's been a while since I played HL but wasn't he introduced as 'The Administrator' during the long intro (I remember a mono-rail ride - but that's about it!) or am I getting confused with another character?  

 

As for the topic of editors (good grief do I need one! ) I suppose they're a little more objective (I think hot_heart was right about the 'killing your babies' feeling that occurs) 

Indeed, I didn't mean to imply that one should write in a void but having someone more objective looking over the piece with a purely critical eye (hopefully without the baggage of story investment), such as an editor, would be useful. (For money, please. Ed.)

 

And back on 'The Administrator'.  It didn't state who the Administrator was specifically in HL1 but it was only in HL2: ep2 when they showed the actual Administrator that I thought, oh, so they didn't mean the other guy who was wandering the facility in HL1.  He was mentioned in HL1, like that the Administrator is expecting good results on this test subject and the like, but not actually pointed out as t'were.  Like I said, maybe it was just me.      Mainly, in the 'reveal' I don't want him to just come out and say 'I am G-Man', because obviously that's over-dramatic pants, whereas 'I am The Administrator' has a bit more enigma about it; administrator of what...?  BUT, if I just say 'The Administrator', it would seem half the audience wouldn't know who the hell I mean lol.  Hmm, one to ponder for now.  Maybe he could list some of his known names, inc. 'G-Man', with a wry smile of pride.

[MrStoob]

On reader feedback.  After several months prevarication over the next couple of chapters in my 'main' ME fic, a reader left a comment for me to come back and carry on the piece.  Well, that did indeed give me the kick up the arse I needed to finally decide on what the chapters are doing and I posted the next.  Thank you, reader.  

[Fatiguesdualism]

 

And back on 'The Administrator'.  It didn't state who the Administrator was specifically in HL1 but it was only in HL2: ep2 when they showed the actual Administrator that I thought, oh, so they didn't mean the other guy who was wandering the facility in HL1.  He was mentioned in HL1, like that the Administrator is expecting good results on this test subject and the like, but not actually pointed out as t'were.  Like I said, maybe it was just me.      Mainly, in the 'reveal' I don't want him to just come out and say 'I am G-Man', because obviously that's over-dramatic pants, whereas 'I am The Administrator' has a bit more enigma about it; administrator of what...?  BUT, if I just say 'The Administrator', it would seem half the audience wouldn't know who the hell I mean lol.  Hmm, one to ponder for now.  Maybe he could list some of his known names, inc. 'G-Man', with a wry smile of pride.

Ah, sorry got myself confuddled  there, sorry about that!  I see your problem though - it's always somewhat difficult to know just how much investment in/knowledge about a reader has in the universe.  I personally don't do well in describing locations - especially ones that are already 'in game' - I assume people are familiar with the Citadel or the Normandy CIC for example.  Whereas if I was writing something completely from my head I would have to provide a lot more detail.   

 

Talking about memory, does anyone else know if Morinth had another name as a child?  For some reason I think I remember a piece of dialogue or a data-pad entry from ME3 that suggests that is the case, but I can't find anything to corroborate   - and considering my previous post I'm not really confident to go with just my memory.  So if anyone can tell me that I'm right (and ideally provide the name as well  )  I'd be darn grateful! 

[YurigirlzCrush]

I don't remember the name, sorry. *frowns* but yes, there was definitely something on a data pad or mentioned in dialogue about Morinth's real name. it was during the asari monastery mission of ME3 if I'm not mistaken. so if you can find a way to replay that mission, you might be able to find it. sorry I can't help more than that. maybe the wiki?

[MrStoob]

 

Talking about memory, does anyone else know if Morinth had another name as a child?  For some reason I think I remember a piece of dialogue or a data-pad entry from ME3 that suggests that is the case, but I can't find anything to corroborate   - and considering my previous post I'm not really confident to go with just my memory.  So if anyone can tell me that I'm right (and ideally provide the name as well  )  I'd be darn grateful! 

I can't remember where I heard it specifically, but I believe Morinth's childhood name was 'Mirata'.  That's what I went with in a oneshot I did and no-one complained anyway...

 

Edit: quick google and the links seem to agree with Mirata

[Fatiguesdualism]

@Yurigirlzcrush & MrStoob:  Thanks folks!  It's nice to know my memory isn't completely shot yet (I half-suspected I may have imagined the whole thing.  )  Also please accept my apologies, it is listed on the wiki -as 'Mirala'- but for some reason that is hidden in the bullet-points at the end of the entry (note to self; don't do researching when tired!)  Anyway, thank you for the responses (and saving me from having to wade through ME3 again for the sake of a line of dialogue!)

 

p.s. I think I'll go with 'Mirata' - I'm never entirely too sure about the accuracy of the wiki!   Was there not an entry about Tali or someone that was wrong; the name of Tali's drone maybe?  

 

Right, back to work, fortnight to go and a chapter to write (and this time Jean's LI is in it; so I had better get it right!  ) 

[Seracen]

The wiki has some shenanigans as a result of oddities within the games' lore itself.  

 

Apparently, Elanos Haliat was supposed to be turian...but a glitch rendered him as human.  For further example, the A-Y monastery is listed as being on the planet called "Kallini" in the codex, but the actual planet you land on in the game is, apparently, known as "Lessus."  I ended up having to replace all instances of the name as a result.  I still don't know which name I preferred, but I figure the readers are smart enough to roll with it.  If not, hopefully the story is solid enough for it to not matter, so long as I was consistent.

 

That reminds me of one particularly nasty snafu I made in my FF8 fic, back in the day.  I had extrapolated my own mythology of the ancient religion/civilization presented in that game.  However, I never realized that there was an extremely out-of-the-way side-mission that addressed much of that mythos.  There was a marked difference between my presentation of it, and what was "official" canon.

 

As a result, I reconciled the differences.  It took all of 3 lines of spoken dialogue.  I was particularly proud of that bit of chicanery, lol!  Upon further investigation, I found that most readers didn't even question the discrepancy, as I had done a decent enough job establishing the lore, regardless of whether the lore conformed to canon!

 

The lesson I learned from all of this is: the story should provide more than enough context.  As long as you lay the groundwork, any accommodation can feel natural.

 

As such, it doesn't really matter if, say....the asari that Wrex fought in that station-wide battle was Aria, or if it was some random Asari that is an OC.  How about the the "official" name for Garrus' "flexible" drill sergeant?  I made one up.  True, I checked canon first, but there wasn't a listed name.  So...I used my best approximation of turian naming conventions and made my own...and never looked back.

 

It doesn't really even matter if it is canon or apocrypha.  You do the best you can, and justify the best you know how.  As a writer, you live with the results.  As a reader, you expect those results to entertain.  As long as the writer is satisfied, and the reader is entertained, I consider it a job well done!

 

tl;dr: BE CONSISTENT & ENTERTAINING!!!  Also confident...there's a fine line between helpful criticism and mindless pandering (as I always say).

[Leonia]

Nice words of wisdom there, Seracen.

 

I'll just echo some of my similar frustrations with the wiki and a lack of consistency within the actual lore at times. Let's not even get into what the comics and novels do to canon (or don't do). At the end of the day, it's all minor stuff, little details that can be explained or ignored at the writer's discretion.

 

Consistency is king (something I'll need to keep in mind myself when I go back to editing, especially whether to use the term "race" or "species", whether to follow a modern military's rank system or make something up, etc.) I doubt most readers are going to throw their hands up and refuse to continue reading because of a writer's personal interpretation of the lore. Even Word Of God (remember that the ME series was a collaborative effort) seems to conflict with itself at times and mistakes happen. Not everything is fully thought out, take game mechanics like the descriptions for biotic powers as an example.

 

As long as it makes sense, go with it.

 

Now, on the subject of editors, where does one acquire one of these elusive and helpful creatures?

[MrStoob]

I think to some extent at least, expanding to the nth degree some innocuous or unexplored part of a tale is well acceptable even if contrary to 'lore', what with FF being very 'AU' in the first place.  Personal lore can conflict with 'established' lore, which makes some scenes difficult.  For eg: I had Liara unexpectedly visit Omega years before meeting Shepard, and Aria took her under her wing.  Fun to write (Liara drinking and dancing with Aria), but when it came to the 'Redemption' part of the tale, I had to shoe-horn some dialogue in to resolve the discrepancy that they already knew each other quite well.

[Seracen]

 

[snip]

 

Now, on the subject of editors, where does one acquire one of these elusive and helpful creatures?

 

In my experience, the same place one acquires beta-readers.  For me, this has been friends or author's I've had a relationship with (whether on writing projects or discussions and whatnot).  Granted, actual EDITING is far more in-depth than just beta-reading for content.  In all fairness, I never expect my betas to edit for grammar/etc, as that can be too daunting a task, even for myself (especially so, as I am reading it as it should be written, not how it IS written).

 

Alternately, college campuses have writers' workshops, and sometimes you can hire TA's to read over your stuff.

 

 

I think to some extent at least, expanding to the nth degree some innocuous or unexplored part of a tale is well acceptable even if contrary to 'lore', what with FF being very 'AU' in the first place.  Personal lore can conflict with 'established' lore, which makes some scenes difficult.  For eg: I had Liara unexpectedly visit Omega years before meeting Shepard, and Aria took her under her wing.  Fun to write (Liara drinking and dancing with Aria), but when it came to the 'Redemption' part of the tale, I had to shoe-horn some dialogue in to resolve the discrepancy that they already knew each other quite well.

 

Totally agree with you there!  To be fair, I don't really consider your "discrepancy" that large a sticking point.  Liara never mentions that she knows Aria...but she never mentions her as someone particularly unfamiliar.  As for my playthrough, I always assumed she knew Aria by dint of being the Shadow Broker, or b/c of the mission from the comics.  One could easily reconcile your story, especially with the groundwork you seem to have laid down for it...which further proves both of our points!

[MrStoob]

Indeed, I did exploit the fact that it was not mentioned either way or even touched upon whether Liara was even aware of Aria, beyond Redemption.  I basically just extended the meeting with Aria and Feron a bit, though to be fair, being from another established tale, I did whizz through the Redemption part.  I don't like to do full scenes from the game or comics, they've already been done and the readers (mostly) already know them.

[ftkerns]

Argh...trying not to disappear again, but...well, here's a sort of microcosm of what life has been like recently.

 

Headed out to the car last week to take a delivery and noticed one of the tires was really low. I stopped at a gas station on the way to the customer's house to put some air in the tire...and discovered the air pump was broken. Someone had snapped the nozzle clean off. So I put the spare tire on, and guess what? The spare was flat, too. They had to send another driver out to pick up the pizzas and I walked back to work. It was really busy there, for once, but I missed out on all those deliveries and tips. At least the manager gave me a lift to a shop to get the tire patched. The pay is a joke, but at least the manager is cool. One of the nicest guys I've ever met.

 

The job-hunt's still not going anywhere, so it looks like all I can do is keep trying to sell my novels and whatnot. Been trying to keep writing and think of ways to promote my books, so other stuff has had to be sidelined for a while. Really need to get back to work on Reactivated, but first I'm trying to finish Arena (I've changed the title to Game Over when I started the latest rewrite, and started posting the draft on FanStory) first. I'm hoping to finish it with the next chapter, then do another rewrite, and stick it on Kindle Direct.

 

I did get an...interesting...review on an earlier chapter:

 

 

I really like the modernist feel of this. 

 

I think fiction often seems in the dark ages, fires rendered in cubist pixelated fantasy. But this! This is a wonder of human technology. Of imagination in a world of people living in Now! 

 

Obviously your technology has not yet reached the fractal stage. But wait till you are middle aged. You will understand. Reality will bifurcate and, diversifying, will bifurcate again, and then again! 

 

Hitler will be reborn with an even smaller moustache! And the B52 will have even bigger wings! Think! Imagine! We might even become human beings! 

 

Excellent story! Obviously I liked it

 

Okay, the last line was clear enough. But the rest? I...don't even know what the hell any of that means. 

 

Anyway. On to an idea I came up with a few days ago for promoting my books. I recently finished (well, mostly finished) a playthrough of ME2, and was thinking about starting another one and doing a commentary track and uploading it to YouTube. Then I decided to experiment a little and use the gameplay as a springboard for discussing writing-related topics in general and my novels, fanfics, and whatnot in particular. Hoping it might catch the attention of some new readers. Got two videos done so far. The first is just an introduction and statement of what I'm planning with it, and the second goes into detail on several topics. Even if it doesn't work, at least it'll be fun.

 

An amusing thing about these videos is, throughout both of them you can hear my bug zapper gloriously murdering all sorts of flying pests that come in through my patio door. I leave it open to let a breeze come through in an attempt to keep my computer from overheating, and that lets in swarms of flies and other annoyances. Even though I couldn't afford it, I had to buy a bug zapper...but now I'm glad I did. That thing works much better than I expected it to. It fries dozens of bugs every day. Usually it just kills them, but every now and then it completely vaporizes one. Few days ago I happened to be looking in its general direction just as a bug flew into it, and the flash was almost the size of a dime. And the best part? One of the bug's legs got blown off and shot across the room. One of the most awesome things I've ever seen. 

 

Man, I have so many story outlines rolling around...I don't even keep track anymore, unless I am actively writing for it on a weekly basis, haha!

 

I like that dynamic you have with Aria and Tevos.  To be fair, I don't think "ah yes, Reapers" would have been as annoying if it hadn't so totally screwed the Universe.  A good example of politicians not believing, yet preparing, takes place in the series "The Wheel of Time..."

 

In that series, the main hero manages to get enough of a power structure in place to make moves against the great evil...for all that the powers-that-be refuse to acknowledge the coming of the Apocalypse.  I haven't finished the series yet...and there are plenty of aspects that perturbed me about it (ie: all the women are presented as bitchy, and all the men presented as fools).

 

However, the way in which the end battle will inevitably play out WON'T tick me off, simply b/c at least SOME precautions were taken against the great evil.

 

 

I love to see someone else who uses worksheets to flesh out characters.  It truly amazed me how much that stuff helps, as I'd not always utilized those resources before.  I'm enjoying this lull in between writing stories...where I read other people's works, and slowly poke away at my stories.  However, at some point, I'll have to bunker down and do the worksheets for my next two stories, so I can start them in haste.  School and work conspire to assist me in procrastination...but I'll get to it at some point.

 

Incidentally, my day-dreams and actual dreams have provided yet more fodder for great stories...I even made a faux movie poster for one of the more outrageous and amusing ones!

 

The experience was:

 

1) myself and NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson starring in buddy cop style antics (eg: Lethal Weapon)

 

2) in a world influenced by Mad Max (and driving around in his car)

 

3) ...whilst fighting giant mutant lizards

 

4) with the help of Archer's version of Burt Reynolds (yes, specifically the cartoon secret agent character)

 

5) also had Liara in there for some reason...I WONDER WHY, it isn't as if I am a big fan of Mass effect  or something( )

 

Now that was deserving of a movie poster!  Alas, that particular endeavor provided little fodder for my stories...as it was too ridiculous, but it was fun.  In all seriousness, it's amusing to pick apart the genesis of dreams sometimes...and incidentally, this provides me unique perspective into crafting stories and bypassing writer's blocks.

 

Thanks. The idea I see fairly often about Tevos and Aria is that they're lovers, but that wasn't the impression I got from that scene in ME3. Seemed pretty clear that Aria had some kind of dirt on her. One thing I'm still mulling over is exactly how Aria finds out the details about the Reapers and the Council's stubbornness. Could be she got one of the Normandy crew to slip her copies of files from the onboard surveillance cameras and she learned everything from them. Though I like the idea of someone like Anderson getting fed up with the Council and leaking info on the Reapers to individuals he thinks might be able to nudge the other Councilors in the right direction. Or another possibility is that the Illusive Man sent the necessary info to certain people to spur them into motion. ME3 turned him into a one-dimensional mustache-twirler, but I figured he'd be more interesting if he remained as ambiguous as he was in ME2, and continuing to support Shepard--obviously, it would be in humanity's best interest to stop the Reapers, and Shepard is the best bet for that, and getting the Council to start helping him out would be the best course of action.

 

You're right about the "Ah, yes, Reapers" thing. Before ME3, it just made me shake my head. But given where that attitude led...eh. Which is one of the reasons I don't consider ME3 canon. More like a Z-grade fanfic. Also, ME3 had no option to throw that comment back in the Councilor's faces, so that's yet another point against it.  That's one thing I'm definitely making a running gag in Freelancers.

 

Haven't read the Wheel of Time...if that's how women and men are characterized in it, I'm not sure it could hold my interest. But I definitely like the idea of the leadership preparing just in case.

 

Awesome daydream, by the way. The movie poster for that would be EPIC. @_@

 

The buddy-cop thing reminded me of the conversation many pages back about cheesy 1980s action movies. And a childhood favorite has recently been released on Blu-Ray. "Jack Deth is back...and he's never even been here before." 

 

Bumping the thread again...while I am at it...

 

Got another review today, which made me happy.  I still don't know how I feel about "Kudos" in AO3...on the one hand, it's a nice way to receive feedback from people who can't be bothered to leave a review...on the other hand, I cannot really communicate a reply to such a gesture.

 

Which leads me to the next bit: do you reply to every review, none, or is there a threshold?  For me, I am more inclined to make a reply if the review is: 1) in depth and 2) one of the first reviews

 

I imagine it would be rather difficult for those of you with 100+ reviews to reply to every one.  As for taking on criticism, I shall reiterate that it depends on how constructive the criticism is.  The author's own vision and style of writing should take precedence.  I have certainly learned from critique, but I refuse to acknowledge belligerent naysayers.

 

 

I try and reply to every single review even if just to say thanks. There's only a rare one that might slip through because it'll be something simple like 'Good chapter. Please continue.' and I'd already thanked that person last time/recently.

 

I will never try and explain the story though, since that should be able to stand for itself. If there are criticisms or feedback, it's usually worth noting. I might explain my 'intention' and consider why perhaps that didn't show through enough in the story itself, which can help gain further useful feedback, but I will never act under the notion that someone just 'didn't get it'.

 

 

 

Yeah, I liked it. Except for the 'spastic' bit. And the split infinitive right at the end (maybe that was deliberate though).

 

 

I can appreciate a need to distance oneself from "the peanut gallery;" as you want your work to be pure, unfiltered, and definitively YOU.

 

Still, there's few feelings in the world as satisfying and exciting as speaking with someone who enjoyed your writing.  That sense of euphoria you get when discussing a good book, combined with that swell of pride when someone compliments yourself or your writing.  I can't get enough of it!

 

Likewise, speaking with other authors is a compelling experience, and something you don't always get with traditional literature!

 

I also try to reply to each review. Once in a while I get distracted by real-life stuff and forget, but most of the time I rely, even if it's just to thank the reader. I try to be friendly and respectful to each of them, though as you said, it's best to keep some distance. Many years ago, I didn't keep my distance, and started letting a reader co-write my own stories. Yeah...that ended badly. From that point on, I just write my own stuff and only accept input from readers if they make a really good point about something specific. Or when they point out mistakes I've made, like recently I had a line of dialogue mentioning Garrus and Sidonis having their confrontation on Omega, when it was actually the Citadel. No idea how I got confused on that, but I edited the chapter to fix it. Other than that, though...yeah. You've got to think it over and determine whether the person commenting knows what he's talking about before you make any changes or accept any advice, and it's not a good idea to let any reader get too involved in writing your own story.

 

The wiki has some shenanigans as a result of oddities within the games' lore itself.  

 

Apparently, Elanos Haliat was supposed to be turian...but a glitch rendered him as human.  For further example, the A-Y monastery is listed as being on the planet called "Kallini" in the codex, but the actual planet you land on in the game is, apparently, known as "Lessus."  I ended up having to replace all instances of the name as a result.  I still don't know which name I preferred, but I figure the readers are smart enough to roll with it.  If not, hopefully the story is solid enough for it to not matter, so long as I was consistent.

 

That reminds me of one particularly nasty snafu I made in my FF8 fic, back in the day.  I had extrapolated my own mythology of the ancient religion/civilization presented in that game.  However, I never realized that there was an extremely out-of-the-way side-mission that addressed much of that mythos.  There was a marked difference between my presentation of it, and what was "official" canon.

 

As a result, I reconciled the differences.  It took all of 3 lines of spoken dialogue.  I was particularly proud of that bit of chicanery, lol!  Upon further investigation, I found that most readers didn't even question the discrepancy, as I had done a decent enough job establishing the lore, regardless of whether the lore conformed to canon!

 

The lesson I learned from all of this is: the story should provide more than enough context.  As long as you lay the groundwork, any accommodation can feel natural.

 

As such, it doesn't really matter if, say....the asari that Wrex fought in that station-wide battle was Aria, or if it was some random Asari that is an OC.  How about the the "official" name for Garrus' "flexible" drill sergeant?  I made one up.  True, I checked canon first, but there wasn't a listed name.  So...I used my best approximation of turian naming conventions and made my own...and never looked back.

 

It doesn't really even matter if it is canon or apocrypha.  You do the best you can, and justify the best you know how.  As a writer, you live with the results.  As a reader, you expect those results to entertain.  As long as the writer is satisfied, and the reader is entertained, I consider it a job well done!

 

tl;dr: BE CONSISTENT & ENTERTAINING!!!  Also confident...there's a fine line between helpful criticism and mindless pandering (as I always say).

 

I've goofed up a few things, as mentioned above. What's nice about ME3 having never actually happened (  ) is that I don't have to worry about anything that happened in it, and can just let my own story unfold.

 

I'm also making a few changes here and there. Artistic license, you might say. Turian females, for instance. In Freelancers, the females look pretty much like the males, down to the long horn things (whatever those are called). I figured the differences would be slight...maybe even something you'd notice without actually being aware of seeing it. Mainly in the way they move, the way they carry themselves. And, of course, their voices. 

 

Also, quarians in Freelancers do not look like that photoshopped picture from Getty Images.   I haven't settled on a specific idea yet, but they'll definitely look like aliens. Being, y'know...alien, and all.

 

Seems like I might've mentioned some of this before, but I don't quite remember. Now I'm wondering if all those years working at Walmart in a hick town on the Oregon coast caused brain damage. Wouldn't surprise me.

 

Bah. Have to head off to work soon, and hope I don't end up spending more money on gas than I get in tips....