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[Icyflare]

MidnightRaith wrote...

Several published authors actually put this process in their website FAQS. Here's an example. Use the links on the left side of the screen to get to the "How can a new writer get a publisher" section. I don't read Tamora Pierce, but she seems to have written an informative bit on the subject regardless.

A question: How you y'all prefer authors addressing reviews? Personally, a pet peeve of mine is when people write our their review responses in their chapters. It's not much of an issue when it's at the end of the chapter, but many do it at the beginning A/N. It's great they answer, but if I reviewed, then only one response is to me, and the rest I have to scroll forever down to get to the stuff I came to the site for.

In my opinion, I think authors should do this in PMs. Fanfic.net allows authors and readers to interact in a way that published authors don't usually get to do. Take advantage of that while you don't have any creepy stalkers if you're lucky enough to get into the big leagues eventually. Usually, I like to answer as many of my signed reviews as realistically possible right before I upload a new chapter.

Thanks for the link. It offers useful tips, and I'll keep them in mind if I'm looking for a publisher.

Actually, I have no idea what the rule is towards reviews. Do I answer them or no? Should I answer them promptly or is it okay answer like a month after? Most of my own posted reviews go unanswered, so I'm not sure what the rule of courtesy is.

[Ursakar]

There is no general rule about whether or not you should reply to reviews. I know writers on FF.net who always reply to your reviews and there are others who only reply if you asked a question.

I, for example, always reply in some way. It depends on the review. If I get a standard "Yay! New Chapter! MOAR!" or "Awesome chapter!" review I simply PM the person who did it and say thanks. If I get a "wall of text" review then I'm simply obliged to reply.

[gearseffect]

See I really need to use the PM system after getting a review, it allows for that sense of I don't know appreciation, be the right word.

EDIT, SO on Tumblr there is a place I'm fallowing called WTFFanfiction well for all those who want to know if your a bad fan writer I can assure you that you are not, the stuff that I have seen there is mind boggling, if you haven't been there it's worth the look, and it's also provided me with a great many laughs the most recent one being taken from a Thor Fanfic here ““Brother,” Thor boomed, “I must copulate with you now!””

Modifié par gearseffect, 04 juin 2012 - 07:38 .

[Ursakar]

Yes, appreciation is the right word.

Although, it can be sometimes difficult to keep up with all reviews. My last three chapters brought me 46, 73 and 61 reviews respectively.

Not that I terribly mind that.

[fluffywalrus]

gearseffect wrote...

See I really need to use the PM system after getting a review, it allows for that sense of I don't know appreciation, be the right word.

EDIT, SO on Tumblr there is a place I'm fallowing called WTFFanfiction well for all those who want to know if your a bad fan writer I can assure you that you are not, the stuff that I have seen there is mind boggling, if you haven't been there it's worth the look, and it's also provided me with a great many laughs the most recent one being taken from a Thor Fanfic here ““Brother,” Thor boomed, “I must copulate with you now!””

Haha, yeah. I've read some pretty horrifically bad fics, including one legendary Harry Potter fanfic "My Immortal", which is arguably the worst fanfic ever written

So yeah, I've read a lot of Mass Effect fanfics...it's rare that I come across any which are putrid and heinously bad.

That said, I kind of feel bad, putting myself or others on a pedestal above those other writers, because despite the quality of their work, they tried. Or, well, most of them did, and most loved their chosen sources enough to write...it's hard to feel better about myself when I'm comparing my stuff to that of excited 12 year old twilight fanfic writers.
That said, when authors write established characters OOC, that's when they lose my support and I feel ok to laugh at their work. That Thor line above....dear lord.

[Icyflare]

Well, as long as we're sharing bad writing, I have a link to a page that I find hilarious.

The 56 Best/Worst Similes

[fluffywalrus]

Icyflare wrote...

Well, as long as we're sharing bad writing, I have a link to a page that I find hilarious.

The 56 Best/Worst Similes

My favourites from that are:

"Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do."
-Honestly, using 'wont' in a sentence doesn't make you fancy if you can't even do a decent sentence. Jeez.

"He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant and she was the East River."
-This one is actually kind of funny.It's still kind of pathetic, and absolutely unnecessary in any piece of writing ever, but it, at least, isn't totally embarassing IMO. I could totally see this in a parody work.

"Her eyes were like limpid pools, only they had forgotten to put in any pH cleanser."
- This one is so good it's ridiculous. Again, in a parody work, or in a piece of fiction where a character is assessing a woman's beauty rather critically, this could work as a source of comedy.

"I felt a nameless dread. Well, there probably is a long German name for
it, like Geschpooklichkeit or something, but I don’t speak German.
Anyway, it’s a dread that nobody knows the name for, like those little
square plastic gizmos that close your bread bags. I don’t know the name
for those either."
-This is just too much

Oh god, some of those entries HAVE to be written by people who know that they're doing, just for giggles. Wow. That was good for a laugh

[Ursakar]

Icyflare wrote...

Well, as long as we're sharing bad writing, I have a link to a page that I find hilarious.

The 56 Best/Worst Similes

:lol:Thanks. It's really funny.

Do you think some people really come up with such similes or they were doing it on purpose?

[Icyflare]

I think they were entries to a Washington Post contest actually. Some of them are too good to be written accidentally.

"The sunset displayed rich, spectacular hues like a .jpeg file at 10 percent cyan, 10 percent magenta, 60 percent yellow and 10 percent black."
-I feel this completely speaks to our generation

[lillitheris]

Icyflare wrote...

I think they were entries to a Washington Post contest actually. Some of them are too good to be written accidentally.

Yes, those are all definitely intentional. Some are fairly good.

"The sunset displayed rich, spectacular hues like a .jpeg file at 10 percent cyan, 10 percent magenta, 60 percent yellow and 10 percent black."
-I feel this completely speaks to our generation

I had some friends who played W40k a lot…I remember this one discussion they had about a new kitten another of my friends had gotten. The description of the color (grey tabby) started with “It’s like a Dheneb Stone base layer with some Space Wolves Grey…”

[gearseffect]

OH my God I was laughing so hard at some of those. I gotta say some had to be done by some clever person doing it just because,

Some of my favorites
---From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

That one seems like it was written just to be as clever, weird, funny as one could

----She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

Umm yeah I know that sound, I can't imagine a laugh sounding like that.

---------He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

Again this one I can totally see my older brother, and some of his army buddies coming up with this while board out of their minds in the field for 3 weeks. Just to pass the time and laugh.

--------The lamp just sat there, like an inanimate object.
Well it is an inanimate object

-----------He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at asolar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

Again this seems like it was written just to be as funny and odd as one could

-----------The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
Here we go another one that could have easily come from some smart @ss like my older brother.

-------------“Oh, Jason, take me!” she panted, her breasts heaving like a college freshman on $1-a-beer night.
Umm wow, Yeah that is yeah

Then there is this golden jewel which has been mentioned about.

------------I felt a nameless dread. Well, there probably is a long German name for it, like Geschpooklichkeit or something, but I don’t speak German. Anyway, it’s a dread that nobody knows the name for, like those little square plastic gizmos that close your bread bags. I don’t know the name for those either.

[Ursakar]

lillitheris wrote...

I had some friends who played W40k a lot…I remember this one discussion they had about a new kitten another of my friends had gotten. The description of the color (grey tabby) started with “It’s like a Dheneb Stone base layer with some Space Wolves Grey…”

Same here, although it was about a car and the argument was whether it was 'Ork green' or 'Dark Angels Green'.

[lillitheris]

Icyflare wrote...

On another note that completely flips my previous tone, is anyone free for some beta-reading? I have a oneshot that involves femshep/Liara, roughly about eight pages, that I would appreciate some feedback before I post it.

I can read but not ’til tomorrow. FFN should really have a draft publish method… but I think they intend the DocX thing to be used for collab? Awska@FFN.

[Sialater]

Icyflare wrote...

Sialater wrote...

About a year after graduation, I sold a short story. With no feedback from anyone else. .

You sold a short story? Can I ask for more details about the process that went behind it? I'm interested in becoming a writer and would like to know how does one get around to selling their work.

I forget, honestly, how I found out about it.  It was 1996, after all.  The process hasn't changed much, though.  I sold it to Sword & Sorceress XV.  It's now out of print, but you can find copies at used book stores and Amazon.

Basically, I got lucky.  XV was the first issue with a guest editor since Marion Zimmer Bradley's health was failing.  The guest editor loved my work.  Since MZB herself later rejected a sequel, I can only thank goodness that editor liked it.  To quote MZB's rejection, the story was too violent.    (It REALLY wasn't) Later editors rejected the sequel because the story (namely the main heroine) wasn't memorable.  That was a blow to the ego.   (But then, Meghan Shepard was born out of that, so I can't complain too much.)

Before submitting, I read every past issue of S&S I could get my hands on.  I read every short story anthology I could find, too, just to get the format down.  I studied.  I treated like a final exam.  But then, I was fueled by righteous anger over that professor that told me I'd never sell anything.
 

Modifié par Sialater, 04 juin 2012 - 02:44 .

[Sialater]

gearseffect wrote...

@Sialater, what was that bit about "I write because I have to. It's more effective than Prozac or Lithium. For me, at least"

then the bit about "I put my stuff up on FF.Net because it scared me." wait are you saying you write stories because of sh!t in your life, it's an outlet, for you to channel things? Whoa Bro (hopefully I didn't call ya bro, when your really a chick), man now you got my attention haha, I can say without a doubt that is one of the reasons I too write. Whoa I'm not the only one here.

It was a mild exaggeration, but yes.  I'm happy now, but writing was how I dealt with the crap in the past.

[noxiuniversitas1]

Sialater wrote...

It was a mild exaggeration, but yes.  I'm happy now, but writing was how I dealt with the crap in the past.

Good on you. Happy pills have a dubious semi-proven effect at best, anyway.

[hot_heart]

OK, here is a short passage of which I'm not too sure. Halp plx!

Basically, it's Miranda assessing why she couldn't join the Normandy crew in ME3, with the 'mess of a situation' having been established and built on in earlier chapters rather than just the 'used to be with Cerberus' reason supplied in-game.

I'd hate myself if I hindered Shepard's mission in any way. Reports on the Citadel attack were a little
unclear on specifics - part of the usual cover-ups presumably - but it sounded like one of his own team still had serious trust issues. The Alliance grunt we ran into on Horizon, I assume. It was pretty clear that my presence would be too controversial, too distracting. His was a diplomatic mission as well as a military one, and there I was, effectively traipsing through a mess of a situation. Like a girl with muddy boots, threatening to sully the whole thing.

The style and tone is inspired by Hammett/Chandler, but I'm not sure if the simile is a little clumsy or unclear...
Also, I know she doesn't have a lot of respect for the Alliance, just not sure if 'grunt' would be the right choice of word for her (I may drop that whole sentence).

Have at it!

Modifié par hot_heart, 04 juin 2012 - 03:27 .

[dpMeggers]

hot_heart wrote...

OK, here is a short passage of which I'm not too sure. Halp plx!

Basically, it's Miranda assessing why she couldn't join the Normandy crew in ME3, with the 'mess of a situation' having been established and built on in earlier chapters rather than just the 'used to be with Cerberus' reason supplied in-game.

I'd hate myself if I hindered Shepard's mission in any way. Reports on the Citadel attack were a little
unclear on specifics - part of the usual cover-ups presumably - but it sounded like one of his own team still had serious trust issues. The Alliance grunt we ran into on Horizon, I assume. It was pretty clear that my presence would be too controversial, too distracting. His was a diplomatic mission as well as a military one, and there I was, effectively traipsing through a mess of a situation. Like a girl with muddy boots, threatening to sully the whole thing.

The style and tone is inspired by Hammett/Chandler, but I'm not sure if the simile is a little clumsy or unclear...
Also, I know she doesn't have a lot of respect for the Alliance, just not sure if 'grunt' would be the right choice of word for her (I may drop that whole sentence).

Have at it!

Regarding the word grunt: it does seem a bit ... derogatory? for Miranda. Even if she doesn't respect the Alliance she always seemed proper enough to give credit where credit is due/call people by their proper title. So I might suggest 'rep/representative' if she's feeling charitable. If she's really in a bad mood, 'lackey'? Same idea as grunt but a slightly more upscale wording? Hope that helps.

[hot_heart]

Yeah, thanks. Any feedback's useful. My thoughts right now are either sticking with a plain 'soldier/marine' or losing that sentence in case it makes even Miranda seem too perceptive.

[Sialater]

Uh, she'd know he's a biotic. (Unless your VS is Ashley?)

[hot_heart]

Ah, see, I'm actually trying to avoid defining too much beyond the essentials. Thank you though.

[Sialater]

Not sure I follow. The identity of the VS is usually essential. LOL

[hot_heart]

Hehe, well, my story is focused around Miranda and what she was up to rather than Shepard, so that's the only mention the VS would get.

[Icyflare]

lillitheris, I'd appreciate more eyes on it, but it would probably have to be later around 9ish for me. It's nearly 1 right now where I am, so I don't know if that works for you.

[lillitheris]

hot_heart wrote...

OK, here is a short passage of which I'm not too sure. Halp plx!

Basically, it's Miranda assessing why she couldn't join the Normandy crew in ME3, with the 'mess of a situation' having been established and built on in earlier chapters rather than just the 'used to be with Cerberus' reason supplied in-game.

I'd hate myself if I hindered Shepard's mission in any way. Reports on the Citadel attack were a little
unclear on specifics - part of the usual cover-ups presumably - but it sounded like one of his own team still had serious trust issues. The Alliance grunt we ran into on Horizon, I assume. It was pretty clear that my presence would be too controversial, too distracting. His was a diplomatic mission as well as a military one, and there I was, effectively traipsing through a mess of a situation. Like a girl with muddy boots, threatening to sully the whole thing.

Miranda doesn’t have much respect for the Alliance, but I think I’d bring it up by spicing up the second sentence:

“I’d hate myself if I was a hindrance to Shepard or his mission; the typically clumsy [Alliance and Citadel] cover-ups were enough to leave the specifics a little unclear —”

Also, Miranda studied Shepard intensely for the reconstruction. She would definitely know who Ash was…you can make her a little unfamiliar, or show disdain in some manner, but I’d use something more definite. “That one marine” or “his old subordinate” or whatever.

Also also, I’m not sure what the status is defined as, but if Ash is not in the current team, you may want to rephrase that (but this ties in with the former).