9962 réponses à ce sujet

[hot_heart]

I've found that the best way to deal with writer's block is to just 'break on through'. I don't mean trip on acid or whatever (though maybe that's a valid suggestion?) but just writewritewrite. Just write anything. Take an idea and run with it. Even if you never use it, or never show anyone, or wind up deleting a lot of it, you've flexed your writing muscles, kept them working.

I don't know what it's like for other people, but I usually find some inspiration buried inside bits I've written here and there. Some sort of magic happens, and you stumble upon something that works. It may sound like a brute force method but, hey, you wouldn't have been writing anything at all otherwise.

And, most importantly, don't be afraid to write something bad. No one gets it right the first time. No one. Just follow your instinct and, if you find the right people, they'll steer you in the right direction, notice your strengths and weaknesses and generally help hone your craft. It's better to get stuff out there on the page rather than stuck up inside your head.

So...uh, just do it...or something!

[lillitheris]

Pondering on whether to include the Leviathan lore, or just ignore it (I have a very convenient, if nasty, way of clearing that all off the table).

[Dark Satris]

lillitheris wrote...

Pondering on whether to include the Leviathan lore, or just ignore it (I have a very convenient, if nasty, way of clearing that all off the table).

after playing/completing it this morning, i would say bring it up if you can (i know i will, maybe as an ancestry thing, i dunno) or dont if you dont want to/can't (if you think the readers may get mixed up, although i was after only reading two chapters)

[lillitheris]

Including it is pretty painless, requires zero changes to my existing material…don’t really even need to mention it for a while still. Might go that route, since it’s so easy…

[lillitheris]

Also, now I totally want to do something with the title “Grimdark Energy”.

[hot_heart]

Hmm, funny watching the DLC and seeing that they're using systems I'd mentioned in my story. And there are Reapers all over them. Hmph! Though I don't think it contradicts what I've written, surprisingly.

[Ajwol Semreth]

Interested in trying my hand at some ME fanfiction, as I feel it would be a beneficial creative writing exercise in preparation for writing my own original works of fiction. That, and I've always wanted to tell the story through the eyes of my very own Shepard, adding my own twist on the story as I do so.

Quick question for the more experienced writers of the community, are there any particular faux pas's you've seen newer writers make in their fics? Any advice you can share on how to make your particular interpretation stand out amongst the countless re-tellings that can be found on the internet? Just curious is all :-)

Modifié par Ajwol Semreth, 29 août 2012 - 01:23 .

[fainmaca]

Welcome to the thread! Always good to see a new face (so to speak).

Just a couple of things I'd personally warn against:

1) Its generally best to avoid writing a Self-Insert fic. Sure, there's a lot of them around, but many readers seem to dismiss them pretty quickly.

2) Proof-read. It is essential that you publish as clean a draft as you can. Spelling mistakes and grammar errors can break the immersion of the story, and you want to keep your readers hooked as long as possible.

3) Don't be a martyr. If you're stuck, ask for help. If you're feeling yourself slowing down, take a break. Go do something else to rest your mind, and immerse yourself in something that inspires you. Me, I read or go fishing or take a long walk by the sea. Others listen to/play music. others still have equally as valid ways of finding their writing place.

4) At the same time, be sure to keep your hand in with your writing. Try to do a little bit each day, even if its just a sentence or two. Maintain a connection to the universe you are creating around your Shepard specifically. If you leave the story world behind for two long, you will find yourself disconnected from your characters and events. On the same note, take notes. Keep a little notepad on your person or write in an 'ideas file' on your computer/tablet. You could have the best idea ever one night, but if you forget to note it down it could slip through your fingers. i know some people who keep a dictaphone on their person, recording their thoughts as they arrive.

That's about all the advice I can offer.

[lillitheris]

On the topic of self-inserts: Shepard is malleable enough that you can certainly model him or her after yourself without it seeming strange.

Definitely do use a spell checker—every editor comes with one (if yours doesn’t, change the editor . It won’t catch using the wrong words and such, usually, but you won’t have typos at least. I don’t tend to make many typos but with the volume of text involved, there’s guaranteed to be one or two in every chapter otherwise.

A big thing I’ve noticed in a couple new fics I’ve thumbed through: don’t rush through scenes. You may have some that you really want to get into, but if you do include a scene on the way there, do it justice. If you feel like you just want to get the scene out of the way, it’s better to leave it out completely and just refer to it in passing.

[Mad-Hamlet]

lillitheris wrote...

On the topic of self-inserts: Shepard is malleable enough that you can certainly model him or her after yourself without it seeming strange.

No.

You do not know what horrors you unleash by being permissive. You CANNOT know, you are far too young to have been of The Revenge Wars but you MUST NOT unleash Mary Sue. That makes Cthulu look like a children's store mascot.

Sometimes...sometimes the warning are there for a reason.

Also...never do this.

Crossovers are evil.

Modifié par Mad-Hamlet, 29 août 2012 - 12:11 .

[Ajwol Semreth]

Mad-Hamlet wrote...
Also...never do this.  

I don't want to live on this planet anymore... 

[lillitheris]

Well, if you’re male, looks like that part’s covered!

[Ajwol Semreth]

And I can't help but feel that makes me one of the lucky ones :-P

[fainmaca]

And so, my faith in Humanity takes another resounding hit.

[Tairis Deamhan]

fainmaca wrote...

And so, my faith in Humanity takes another resounding hit.

You still have some left?

And most SI are terrible I'll admit. The only good one I know of is Masses to Masses, which has generally been a damn entertaining fic.

It's a shame, though, because the potential behind the idea is great. How do you deal with the fact that you've literally just lost everyone you've ever known in the blink of an eye (something that's often glossed over). What about the fore knowledge you now possess? If you know how it turns out, should you try to change it? Not to mention how do you explain to the people that you're now dealing with where you came from and how you know the things you do? How do you adapt to a world that has advanced beyond you by leaps and bounds?

Unfortunately most of those things get left behind in the rush of 'I'm in Mass Effect koolz!' or immediately trying to pair the SI with whatever love interest the author has a crush on.

[Soirreb]

I'd say that if you really want to do a crossover, take a look at m.fanfiction.net/s/8123345/1/ and draw some inspiration.

[Spiritwolf1]

What's SI

[Ajwol Semreth]

Spiritwolf1 wrote...

What's SI

Self-Insertion. The author writes themselves into the story.

Modifié par Ajwol Semreth, 29 août 2012 - 04:58 .

[Spiritwolf1]

OK now self insertion as in hi my name is toby IM now in mass effect or I place a lot of who I am into my Shepard character?

Modifié par Spiritwolf1, 29 août 2012 - 04:06 .

[Ajwol Semreth]

As in, 'Hi, my name is Toby. I'm now in Mass Effect.'

The fact that ME is a RPG means that players will undoubtedly put a little of themselves into their Shepard, and I suppose that can be seen as a kind of SI as well. That's a rather tenuous link really though, so I'm not sure how many people would actually agree with that *shrug*

Modifié par Ajwol Semreth, 29 août 2012 - 04:58 .

[Spiritwolf1]

I take no offence, but then I haven't written one of those story. I think at times, as a "support" group we need to think about what we say before we say it. I would really hate to have poured my heart and sole into a SI and figured I was pretty proud of it only to come here and see people write about how terrible they are.

Its not the first time people have said things like this and Im not trying to pick on you. I just really want to reiterate (Or maybe IM completely wrong) that this is a support group/ thread

[Ajwol Semreth]

That's a fair point. Suppose I should have kept my bias in check. Will edit my previous post so it's less aggressive/judgemental in regards to that kind of story :-)

Modifié par Ajwol Semreth, 29 août 2012 - 04:54 .

[Tairis Deamhan]

Spiritwolf1 wrote...

I take no offence, but then I haven't written one of those story. I think at times, as a "support" group we need to think about what we say before we say it. I would really hate to have poured my heart and sole into a SI and figured I was pretty proud of it only to come here and see people write about how terrible they are.

Its not the first time people have said things like this and Im not trying to pick on you. I just really want to reiterate (Or maybe IM completely wrong) that this is a support group/ thread

As I pointed out, I've read a good self-insert. The issue is with the genre in general. It's not saying 'don't ever do this' but more 'historically, this hasn't ended well.' Self Inserts are likely the number one offenders for some of the worst use of tropes (Mary Sue, Instant Love Story, etc). This gives people a bad taste.

I would hope anyone in this thread would judge an individual fic on its own merits, though.

[IliyaMoroumetz]

The reason why SIs are evil is because they are comprised of ego. Pure and simple. And a healthy dose of ****** as well, but that goes without saying.

And really, what makes the author of an SI so inherently interesting that would make me want to read about them instead of the characters of the franchise they're inserting themselves into? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

It's harsh, but true. These poor souls need to understand that.

[Mad-Hamlet]

Ajwol Semreth wrote...

As in, 'Hi, my name is Toby. I'm now in Mass Effect.'

Well, yes and no.

I mean if if were to take any realistic tone it's be:

Mad-Hamlet looked around, there were screams, the sounds of gunfire and then he heard it; that grating scream- the one that was so familiar; like a nightmare having its tongue removed from a random orifice..

He closed his eyes in weariness as a massive shadow passed across the sky.

'Oh sh*t,' he thought to himself. 'I'm in the Mass Effect Universe.'

The Reaper stepped on him, didn't even notice the slight squishy sound. Later the remains were gathered dutifuly by Reaper ground troops for harvesting purposes but later rejected for lack of quality.

The End.

So to get around that almost ALL SI's devolved into a freakish series of events where the SI- Avatar gains god like powers, knows all the answers, solves every crisis out of hand, meets and exceeds the hero of the story (Who then becomes his BESTEST BUDDY EVAR!!!) and of course turns the entire female cast into his or her personal harem.
And they like it.

One of the best known examples from ...'my time'... in fanfiction was a guy known only as 'Carrot'. He wrote a hell of a lot of Ranma 1/2 SI's and they were... I don't even...

Reading one was like watching a bus full of nuns that were on fire slam through a kindergarden class that was performing Rocky Horror Picture show while tap-dancing on razor blades coated with lemon juice and rabies.

In slow motion.

Twice.

Trust me, you DO NOT DO SI's.

Except me.
I did one.
Won an award actually.