9962 réponses à ce sujet

[fluffywalrus]

Drussius wrote...

Um, yes! But then you already know that, since you called it "pulling a Drussius"

Haha, I just happily assume you love writing big long super-length chapters of glorious significance.
Whereas mine is...well, there's just a crap load of dialogue that needed to be said. And regular dance party stuff.  And no reasonable cliffhanger or break yet. I'll break 8200 words before I reach anything reasonable, and that would likely wind up cutting it short.

It's a really weird feeling

[Spiritwolf1]

Fluffy, Dru it wouldn't matter how long with either of your stories, it's all quality, Although Dru, I don't think I've seen a chapter from you recently. *Taps her foot and crosses her arms trying to look stern*

Modifié par Spiritwolf1, 03 septembre 2012 - 10:06 .

[lillitheris]

There was one just a couple days ago.

Mine’s been over a week now… :/

[Drussius]

fluffywalrus wrote...

Drussius wrote...

Um, yes! But then you already know that, since you called it "pulling a Drussius"

Haha, I just happily assume you love writing big long super-length chapters of glorious significance.
Whereas mine is...well, there's just a crap load of dialogue that needed to be said. And regular dance party stuff.  And no reasonable cliffhanger or break yet. I'll break 8200 words before I reach anything reasonable, and that would likely wind up cutting it short.

It's a really weird feeling

I do write long Chapters naturally. Cutting them to 8-9.5K was actually really strange for me for the first several Chapters. So I know how you feel about being in unfamiliar territory... just from the opposite end.

Spiritwolf1 wrote...

Fluffy, Dru it wouldn't matter how long with either of your stories, it's all quality, Although Dru, I don't think I've seen a chapter from you recently. *Taps her foot and crosses her arms trying to look stern*

I posted one on Friday! And the next one goes up tomorrow morning. Already finished another Chapter. I just need to do the editing of Chapter 13 now so I can post it.

Edit: I'm actually turning out a Chapter every 3 days or so. And taking the 4th day for editing. It's been working very well so far. I just dread the inevitable slowdown. I've never kept a writing pace like this for long. And with the kids going back to school this week, it's going to get busy. So we'll see if I can keep it up.

Modifié par Drussius, 03 septembre 2012 - 10:17 .

[Spiritwolf1]

Drussius wrote...


I posted one on Friday! And the next one goes up tomorrow morning. Already finished another Chapter. I just need to do the editing of Chapter 13 now so I can post it.

.

Really, I didn't get notified, and your on my notification list.... grrrr

[hot_heart]

I know what I should be writing, and it should be a large chapter, but I'm tempted to 'jump in' a bit later...and also I haven't been able to sit down properly and just write, going on a week now...

[Drussius]

^ If you weren't notified of that one, you may have missed others too. I've put the last few up every four days or so like clockwork. But according to my story info page on FF.net, you're not on the alerts list. Favs (and thank you for that) but not alerts.

Edit: I've been ninjaed by the resident Miranda expert!

Edit 2: And for lill and hot_heart: We all fall into those periods where we just can't focus and write. I had one a while back like that where I didn't even look at my story for a whole week. I'm sure you'll both find the inspiration before long.

Modifié par Drussius, 03 septembre 2012 - 10:37 .

[fainmaca]

I don't know if I can weigh in on this discussion, seeing as I write one chapter- one mission rather than setting myself word goals, but I find that what matters is quality, not quantity. Do what the story point you're writing needs. For example, my chapters vary in length rather wildly, with a recent chapter only being a couple of thousand words, while my longest chapter topped 70 thousand. Decide what you need to tell in a single chapter, then write to that. If it takes 10k plus or even 20k plus, all well and good. If it takes only a thousand or so, that's just as fine. What matters is that you do right by the plot you're trying to tell.

Certainly never limit yourself with a set number of words.

[Drussius]

fainmaca wrote...

I don't know if I can weigh in on this discussion, seeing as I write one chapter- one mission rather than setting myself word goals, but I find that what matters is quality, not quantity. Do what the story point you're writing needs. For example, my chapters vary in length rather wildly, with a recent chapter only being a couple of thousand words, while my longest chapter topped 70 thousand. Decide what you need to tell in a single chapter, then write to that. If it takes 10k plus or even 20k plus, all well and good. If it takes only a thousand or so, that's just as fine. What matters is that you do right by the plot you're trying to tell.

Certainly never limit yourself with a set number of words.

Agreed. The only part that really matters is that the content of the Chapter is what the writer needs to cover.

My only concern with word count is readability for the people who want to read my story. I've said many times in the past in this thread, I used to feel like a Chapter wasn't a Chapter unless I'd written 30+ pages in MS Word. Which averages out to about 15-18K words. With my current story, I cut them down a bit for reader-friendliness, especially since there's no way to bookmark where you stopped on FF.net if you have to stop reading mid-chapter. But these days I never look at the word count until I'm done writing. The count is secondary to what I feel the need to accomplish.
 
I'm quite happy with my Chapters as they stand. I finish them when I've covered everything I need to cover. I've just been lucky that I can usually manage that in between 8.5 and 9.5K words. I've had a few chapters as low as 8,200, and several that barely broke 10K (including author's notes). But it's been working fairly well I feel.

[Obsidian Gryphon]

fluffywalrus wrote...

Anyone else had chapters stretch on for forever, and despite wanting to cut it short, couldn't? Never really happened to me until now.

 My last one went right over 5k and on, which is a first for me. I had a shock when I checked it while I was roaming around the last part. Too long! I thought and tried to find a way to end it as fast as possible. *shrug*  It's very funny and weird when the starting chapter barely made it to 1k.

[fainmaca]

Hey guys, can I ask for a little help on here?

as you may know, my story is driven by choices. One of those recently came to pass that got a squad member killed, and I have been writing a chapter that deals with the crew's grieving process.

As a part of this, I'll be writing a funeral scene, where certain members of the squad will pay their respects, and Shepard will finish off with a farewell speech.

What I am looking for here is a decision on which direction the speech should go: Paragon or Renegade? I have both planned, so I need you guys to choose which tone to take.

Anyone interested in casting their vote, let me know here or in my main Into The Unknown thread. First side to three votes wins.

[Drussius]

I haven't been reading your story yet... In general, my free time lately has gone to writing instead of reading, but I will get back to reading everyone's stories soon. But saying that, I'm curious about your Shepard in general. Has he/she not had a Paragon or Renegade tone throughout? If so, then I'd stay in keeping with his/her character to date. If not, then what about something middle of the road, similar to whatever tone you've been keeping so far?

[Spiritwolf1]

Why does a speech need to be either, why can't it be something that just comes from the heart.

[fainmaca]

The intent of this is really just to mimic another part of the games I liked- the ability to choose a certain tone for a big inspirational speech. Such as when you set off after Saren, or just before the Hold the Line segment of the Suicide Mission, or even the big speech at the briefing room table before the SM. Either option is acceptable for a Paragon or Renegade Shepard in this instance.

I'm just trying to create another instance where options are presented in the story. If things had lined up right, I'd have done this via a poll, but unfortunately the event it shapes comes at the end of a chapter rather than being able to open a new one..

To be clear- I'm not struggling to pick the right tone for the speech. I'm simply trying to create another instance of outside influence deciding the narrative from options I have created.

[Drussius]

^ I'm afraid I'm not much help on this one. I don't think I ever picked a solid Renegade or solid Paragon line of comments for any of those speeches. There was usually several choices along the way, and I zigzagged through most of them. Start good and inspirational, switch to the renegade option for choice two, finish inspirational. Or vice versa. I probably saw every permutation of those speeches over the course of six playthroughs except for the actual all-Paragon or all-Renegade versions.

[enayasoul]

Yep. Mine can be as little has 2k or as large as 14k. I guess it would depend on the story pace and the plot for the chapter. Could always leave it at a intense part... cliffhangers.  I usually like to resolve some of the issues within each chapter but also add more to the fuel for the next several chapters.

Modifié par enayasoul, 04 septembre 2012 - 08:44 .

[Spiritwolf1]

My sizes are usually between 2k and 5k... I have not mastered anything bigger, but then like I said this is my first attempt at anything like this and I can only hope as I continue I get better. The only problem being I think this might be the only Mass Effect story I write... Oh I have a great character idea and possibly story idea but 3-4 complete original things that have been popping in my head from time to time since I was a kid.

[hot_heart]

I try not to think about length (anyone who's read my story could probably attest to that) but pacing. I probably could have combined some of my chapters, but then I know I'd just spend forever tweaking bits here and there rather than publishing. I guess I do try and keep them manageable to some extent.

Having said all that, I think I'm struggling with this latest one simply because I find it a bit daunting. I mean, it's Sanctuary, it's Miranda's big moment and so much stuff is going on. I'm sure once I start climbing that mountain, it'll get easier, but I do worry that I'll come up short in terms of depth or detail, evident in a lack of words. If that makes sense...

[Spiritwolf1]

Well you haven't come up short thus far so I wouldn't worry about just relax and keep doing exactly what your doing cause it got you this far.

Modifié par Spiritwolf1, 04 septembre 2012 - 03:39 .

[hot_heart]

Oh, thanks! Yeah, I guess I just have to get stuck in and sort out the mess that happens, as per usual...

[Mr.BlazenGlazen]

 Hey all. I've been gone for a while due to horrible computer issues, but I've resolved that a few days ago by getting myself a desktop, and I wrote my next chapter of prespective. 

In the Horizon

Also, I would like to apologize to the people that I promised about a month ago that I would read and provide feedback on their stories. I feel bad that I still haven't provided them feedback, while they have gone out of their way to provide me with feedback. 

So I am going to start reading more of your fics and giving some feedback. I know that it might not seem like much, since I am pretty bad when it comes to giving supportive criticism and feedback, but I'll do what I can.

[fainmaca]

Ugh. Absolutely knackered myself writing this funeral scene. I can't put it down, even though its so late here.

Been trawling certain clips to get the inspiration I need for the funeral, and thoroughly depressed myself in the process (here's a hint: Khaaaaaan!).

Now the choice I face is- how closely do I base the scene on that particular piece of sci-fi culture? Do I dare make it a really close homage, or keep my distance? I'm torn between making it as original as I can and throwing in a neat tribute to a really important part of our sci-fi heritage.

One thing I will say- I'm not going completely head-first into it. Ken's stereotyped enough without giving him a set of pipes and having him do 'Amazing Grace'.

Thing is, I do little nods and easter eggs about my favourite franchises all the time. Star wars, Doctor Who, Star trek, CSI, RvB. So why do I hesitate over this scene? is it because of its personal importance? I don't know.

[Tairis Deamhan]

fainmaca wrote...

Ugh. Absolutely knackered myself writing this funeral scene. I can't put it down, even though its so late here.

Been trawling certain clips to get the inspiration I need for the funeral, and thoroughly depressed myself in the process (here's a hint: Khaaaaaan!).

Now the choice I face is- how closely do I base the scene on that particular piece of sci-fi culture? Do I dare make it a really close homage, or keep my distance? I'm torn between making it as original as I can and throwing in a neat tribute to a really important part of our sci-fi heritage.

One thing I will say- I'm not going completely head-first into it. Ken's stereotyped enough without giving him a set of pipes and having him do 'Amazing Grace'.

Thing is, I do little nods and easter eggs about my favourite franchises all the time. Star wars, Doctor Who, Star trek, CSI, RvB. So why do I hesitate over this scene? is it because of its personal importance? I don't know.

hey, don't be hat'n on the pipes!

Tho admitedly everyone just uses amazing grace because its not copyrighted.

[fainmaca]

Whew! Finally finished the scene, and the chapter. I'm just double-checking it, then I reckon its ready for upload.

Problem I'm having is, I'm having doubts about whether the funeral scene fits or not. Would anybody be willing to read it/ offer ideas on how to make it work better with the ME style?

[Spiritwolf1]

I like Amazing Grace, there have been moments in my life when it has broken me to tears, but the same can be said for Onward Christian Soldier