9962 réponses à ce sujet

[Seracen]

MrStoob wrote...

I've still the last season of BSG to watch, big cliff hanger and all that. I've heard but tried to avoid spoilers about the ending of that but it's been enjoyable and riveting at times. Love the doctor/Caprica stuff.

For me, BSG is "one and done," and I doubt I'll watch it again.  It was interesting, and I finished it, but it sort of lost me somewhen back in Season 2.  I went in expecting hard sci-fi, and all the mysticism seemed out of place.

Oddly enough, I had no trouble with such elements in other space operas/films (Outlaw Star, Fifth Element), but I felt that BSG poorly set up such deus ex machina plot elements.

Honestly, I feel that a writer can do anything over the course of the story, so long as it is set up properly.  I think that's why people had such a hard time accepting "space magic" in ME3 (especially considering how hard BW worked to establish biotics and FTL in scientific terms).

In my own story, I am soooo grateful that I waited to post.  A few plot revalations seem to come out of left field, upon reading it again.  Therefore, I am using the time as an opportunity to lay the seeds for these twists earlier in the story.

However, this is the benefit of being able to edit an ENTIRE story to flow into the ending.  For a series like BSG, where entire seasons are planned and filmed in such a time-constrained manner, I imagine it would be difficult to maintain such continuity.

Although, the mark of a GOOD show/game/story is that the general vision was established, even before the nuances were filled in.  For instance, even though it is over 54 episodes, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood doesn't have a SINGLE wasted episode.  Especially considering anime/show writing in general, this is something of an amazing anomaly.

Until the final season, I would say the same of Farscape (in the first half of the last season, the studio forced the writers to make more contained & episodic content, which was less interesting).

Modifié par Seracen, 14 septembre 2013 - 09:07 .

[hot_heart]

Yeah, too much mysticism, decompressed storytelling, half-baked ideas and no proper set-up.

I mean, the showrunner even said that towards the end of the third or fourth season, they literally sat down and chose who would make the most interesting cylon reveals. The whole show was built on JJ Abrams' execrable 'mystery box' idea.

[MrStoob]

Farfetched or 'Farscape' as it is more commonly known, was a good wheeze, particularly towards the end when it all got a bit 'silly'. Harvey and all that. hehe And introduced me to Claudia Black and the asari. I mean, the Membari. Wait, no. D'oooh!

[Rixatrix]

I hope you don't all mind me asking, but I have some questions.  I'm in awe of some of the work I've read (some really amazing fics!), so I would be really glad if I could pick your brains on a few things.

I've played around with writing fanfiction for a long, long time.  I remember starting some when Final Fantasy VIII was released (only got to about 30 pages).  I love to read, and sometimes, I just start writing.  At the end of Mass Effect 3, I (probably like a lot of people) was disillusioned by the "incompleteness" of the endings, so I started writing.  I'm up to about 55,000 words.  I found out I enjoyed writing fanfiction, but I have some questions.

1. How do you decide whether or not to "publish" your story to a FF site?

2. If you do decide to publish, when is a good time?  When you've written a chapter or a few, when you've finished the story, when you're partway done but have a plan for the rest, etc.?

3. Is it important to have an overarching plot from start to finish, or are "arcs" acceptable?  Do you make separate submissions for different arcs, or explain the breakdown in A/N?

4. How do you measure pacing?  (Or, how do you avoid pacing your story too slowly?)

5. How do you find a "beta reader"?  (Sorry if this seems really basic, but in the past, I've had good friends look over short stories of mine, but they are unfamiliar with the ME universe, and this fanfiction relies on the games as a foundation.)

6. Any general advice?

Sorry if the questions seem ridiculous...

[MrStoob]

@BlueMoonSeraphim:

My tuppence worth.

To 1 and 2: Only you can answer those two. When is it ready? When you think it's ready. I'd say be cautious of over-zealous posting (something I'm guilty of) when just letting the chapter cool for a day, then coming back to it can highlight so much. Not just grammar/spelling/blah stuff but passages or bits of dialogue that you realise you could re-arrange so much better. Always worth another look over before considering posting. Whether or not to post? I'd imagine most write to share/show off their ideas/creativity/wares, so personally if it's written and I like it, I post it.

3. Whether you do the full trilogy, just one of the games, or just a small section of them, or even, none of them, if it's written well and enjoyable, it doesn't really matter. Some of us write the blank bits of the games, the downtime, cabin time, made up missions, and only give cursory reference to the over-arching Reapers tale. Like I said, good writing is good writing, no matter the subject.

4. Can completely depend on the tale you are telling. Big reveals/events every chapter can get tedious but too long between...? Know when to give the reader a break, such as after such big events, some reflective time for the characters and that kind of thing. Suffice to say, 'pacing' is not an easy thing to describe/explain/teach. I suppose this is where some of my answer to 1 and 2 comes in. Once there's a few chapters to run through, you should be able to see for yourself if the speed/tone is right and if any adjustments need to be made.

5. Not done that so can't comment, but I believe it's fairly easy on FF.net

6. You won't do it by not doing it. Sounds obvious but unfortunately the only way is to put your head above the parapet and see what happens. Doubts affect us all but you'll probably know already on the quality of your writing, so if you're happy to publish it, then TBH it can't be that bad! And I'll finish with, all the proofreading in the world won't always catch every mistake or clumsy line but it has to be published at some point; don't obsess or you won't publish anything.

[Efvie]

Finding a good, reliable beta who gives you the kind of feedback you need is unfortunately a nontrivial task. One of your readers will likely make the best beta, though that isn’t to say that you can’t find one otherwise…

I am too impatient for a beta, as useful as one would probably be; I publish my chapters essentially as soon as I’m done writing them. Or did, anyway… it’s been 7 months since chapter 72 now :/ Fortunately a few of my kind readers always pointed out my errors after the fact so that I could correct them.

Modifié par Efvie, 16 septembre 2013 - 07:21 .

[Fatiguesdualism]

@BlueMoonSeraphim
1) Your decision (the first word is the important one there!)

2) Probably before you really think you're ready!   Seriously though as someone who is running chapter by chapter (ie finishing one then starting the next) I really regret not having a buffer (of a chapter or two)  

3) Arcs - dealers choice.  Whilst I enjoy reading how everything slots together, not everything has to slot together in the one picture.  (Am actually interested to see what others think about this to be honest)

4) If you figure that out - please let me know

5) (see number 4 above)

6) General Advice  - Never fight a land war in Russia, in winter.  Yes they can hit an elephant at this distance.  A collision at sea can really ruin your day (admittedly that's more Admiral Advice though)
...joking aside (general, general......I'll stop now)

6) MrStoob's advice is good so I'll just add - Everyone has their own take on the universe and sometimes you'll just have to explain yours. 

@MrStoob - sorry to hear about your troubles re Skyrim (I'm catching up on posts here) sounds like an unnecessary 'Nanny' issue IMHO (like locking up tobacco stands so the kiddies don't get seduced -into smoking- by the pretty colours on cigarette packages)

Modifié par Fatiguesdualism, 16 septembre 2013 - 07:22 .

[MrStoob]

Fatiguesdualism wrote...
like locking up tobacco stands so the kiddies don't get seduced -into smoking- by the pretty colours on cigarette packages 

I went to a supermarket with those blank beige cupboards holding all the cigs, went to the counter and said to the assistant:

"I can't see what I want now..."

She took it well and then I asked for my tobacco lol.

Edit:
***Citadel DLC spoilers below***

Oh, yea!  I saw that gamermd83 was posting her femShep Citadel playthrough (I like to watch her playthroughs, she's quite clued in and humorous) and she got to the casino bit.  Well bugger me if I didn't miss Sha'ira!  On md's playthrough, she'd started with ME2 so Sha'ira was just like, "You don't know me."

So obviously I had to scurry off and find an appropriate save, and lo, there she was.  But you know what?  Was there any mention of the small enigma that she gave us?  The trinket that opened up a psychic journey across space and time?  Was there?  I don't know why I'm still surprised whenever I find little disappointments like that but hey ho.  

Modifié par MrStoob, 16 septembre 2013 - 08:34 .

[Rixatrix]

Thank you, MrStoob, Efvie, and Fatiguesdualism for your replies!

MrStoob wrote...
Always worth another look over before considering posting.

One thing I've been doing is using IVONA to hear the words aloud.  I was taught (for general writing) that reading out loud can help identify some problems, and I've cut, rewritten, deleted, etc. a ton after hearing it. I do like a lot of what I've written, so maybe at least one other person out there might, too.

Efvie wrote...
Finding a good, reliable beta who gives you the kind of feedback you need is unfortunately a nontrivial task. One of your readers will likely make the best beta, though that isn’t to say that you can’t find one otherwise…

I am too impatient for a beta, as useful as one would probably be; I publish my chapters essentially as soon as I’m done writing them. Or did, anyway… it’s been 7 months since chapter 72 now :/ Fortunately a few of my kind readers always pointed out my errors after the fact so that I could correct them.

I actually didn't consider being able to find a beta reader after posting.  Thanks for this!  Also, posting chapters as soon as you're done writing them, did you ever post your latest chapter and then want to go back to a previous one to make accomodating types of changes?

Fatiguesdualism wrote...
General Advice  - Never fight a land war in Russia, in winter.  Yes they can hit an elephant at this distance.  A collision at sea can really ruin your day (admittedly that's more Admiral Advice though) 
...joking aside (general, general......I'll stop now)

6) MrStoob's advice is good so I'll just add - Everyone has their own take on the universe and sometimes you'll just have to explain yours.

Haha, thanks for that!  I think with your advice, Efvie's, and MrStoob's, I'm going to go ahead and give in to that saying, "There's nothing to it but to do it."

I appreciate the help!

[Seracen]

BlueMoonSeraphim wrote...

I hope you don't all mind me asking, but I have some questions.  I'm in awe of some of the work I've read (some really amazing fics!), so I would be really glad if I could pick your brains on a few things.

I've played around with writing fanfiction for a long, long time.  I remember starting some when Final Fantasy VIII was released (only got to about 30 pages).  I love to read, and sometimes, I just start writing.  At the end of Mass Effect 3, I (probably like a lot of people) was disillusioned by the "incompleteness" of the endings, so I started writing.  I'm up to about 55,000 words.  I found out I enjoyed writing fanfiction, but I have some questions.

[snip]

Sorry if the questions seem ridiculous... (NOT AT ALL!  That's what this thread is for, after all!)

1. How do you decide whether or not to "publish" your story to a FF site?

Personal choice.  If I feel it is up to my personal standards, I post.  To be fair, some of my writing isn't for public consumption, or I feel that it will not really have an audience.  However, I generally post my fanfics.  My original works are another beast entirely.

2. If you do decide to publish, when is a good time?  When you've written a chapter or a few, when you've finished the story, when you're partway done but have a plan for the rest, etc.?

As above, it comes down to personal preference.  Personally, I like to stay at least 10 chapters ahead.  This time, I posted the first 10 chapters, and will not post the rest until the story is done.  However, this is b/c I already plotted out the whole thing.

If I was writing a more periodic/episodic piece that had less concrete a vision, I might update once a month.  Again it's all personal.

3. Is it important to have an overarching plot from start to finish, or are "arcs" acceptable?  Do you make separate submissions for different arcs, or explain the breakdown in A/N?

I've written stories completely from the hip before...as in I just knew the characters and the world, and let the story write itself.

I have also planned stories and done worksheets, etc.  I prefer the latter, as it tends to produce better "twists," etc.  However, the other way was fun b/c it surprised me as much as anyone.  It was just a very tiresome method of writing, haha.

Still, and as before, it comes down to personal taste.  If nothing else, plan out the broad strokes, and let the "arcs" happen as they will.  Also, I tend to tie my arcs to fit the overall narrative.  However, a series of vignettes has no need to do so.

4. How do you measure pacing?  (Or, how do you avoid pacing your story too slowly?)

Recently, I accomplish this via skeletons of plot and chapter outlines.  I tend to work in an action scene for every couple of scenes of dialogue.  Drama I pepper in as feels appropriate.

5. How do you find a "beta reader"?  (Sorry if this seems really basic, but in the past, I've had good friends look over short stories of mine, but they are unfamiliar with the ME universe, and this fanfiction relies on the games as a foundation.)

I've had terrible luck finding betas who weigh in on time, as I have generally relied on close friends, and we are all busy with our own schedules.  However, when they DO weigh in, it is constructive help.

Alternately, I've also asked folks who wrote comments on my other stories whether they'd be interested, to varying degrees of success.

BTW, for my friends, I pointed them to a few vids on youtube (ME1 in 10 mins, ME2 in 10 mins, ME3 in 30 mins) before giving them my fic, assuming they hadn't played the game already.

6. Any general advice?

My biggest rule is to have fun with it.  Also, never be afraid to ask questions, but never be daunted by poor feedback/reception.  I've had hatemail before, but extreme reactions signify investment.

Never view positive feedback from a seat of complacency either, but feel free to let it bolster your cretive juices.  Again, as long as you are having fun, and aren't just "doing it for the hits," it'll come through in your writing.

Modifié par Seracen, 17 septembre 2013 - 03:29 .

[Seracen]

MrStoob wrote...

Fatiguesdualism wrote...
like locking up tobacco stands so the kiddies don't get seduced -into smoking- by the pretty colours on cigarette packages 

I went to a supermarket with those blank beige cupboards holding all the cigs, went to the counter and said to the assistant:

"I can't see what I want now..."

She took it well and then I asked for my tobacco lol.

Edit:
***Citadel DLC spoilers below***

Oh, yea!  I saw that gamermd83 was posting her femShep Citadel playthrough (I like to watch her playthroughs, she's quite clued in and humorous) and she got to the casino bit.  Well bugger me if I didn't miss Sha'ira!  On md's playthrough, she'd started with ME2 so Sha'ira was just like, "You don't know me."

So obviously I had to scurry off and find an appropriate save, and lo, there she was.  But you know what?  Was there any mention of the small enigma that she gave us?  The trinket that opened up a psychic journey across space and time?  Was there?  I don't know why I'm still surprised whenever I find little disappointments like that but hey ho.  

At the risk of sounding like an ME3 ending message board...there is no shortage of such occurences.  However, I revel in the ability to address these missed bits of data through my writing.

Nor do I necessarily HAVE to address EVERYTHING.  The is something to be said for a universe that has random unsolveable mysteries.  Real life doesn't give answers to all questions.

In fact, often the amazement and wonderment comes from this lack of knowledge.  Arguably, I consider the Reapers a more interesting menace when we DON'T know their reasons.

"We are beyond your limited comprehension," seemed like an apt enough explanation.

"You exist b/c we allow it, you will die b/c we demand it," was, therefore, appropriateley threatening, we didn't really need more than that.

In my story, for example, I had the Leviathans retreat beyond the outer edges of dark space, b/c  felt that there was something to be gained by keeping things a mystery.

Now, in my next story, there MAY be a LONE Leviathan, but only if I can have an interesting hook for him.  It has to be fun to write for him, or it'll never get done (incidentally why I will likely NEVER feature Vega or Jacob in my stories).

[MrStoob]

Seracen wrote...

(incidentally why I will likely NEVER feature Vega or Jacob in my stories).

Hehe, I think throughout my trilogy piece, Jacob appeared in like three scenes, and one of those was to mock his entrance in ME2, "Tell me when you want the good stuff."  I had my Shep rolling her eyes at all that, and his lame battle cries.

Vega on the otherhand, I thought had lots of clutzy/foot in mouth potential.  He's not been a mainstay or anything but for me, he's fun to write for.  Shep/Vega/Williams banter almost writes itself.  Now there, BW did surprise me.  Having seen the publicity stuff I assumed I'd hate the Vega character and was already hoping that there was going to be some suicide mission to despatch him in.  But no, he didn't grate one bit.  I wouldn't go so far as to say he's one of the faves but fair do's, he wasn't pure annoying "Hu-ya!" grunt muscle head.

[MrStoob]

A question on 'believability' please.

My Shepard is a biotic of great power and a few extras she's picked up along the way (implants, blah, last seen crushing a pistol with her mind kinda stuff). However, I thought it'd be fun if she yearned for the level of 'completeness' in biotic powers that the asari have. In ME, apart from Jack, you don't really see humans using biotics as an extension of themselves, in every leap, punch, slide, run, etc. So I wanted Shep to go to Liara and Samara and ask for instruction from them. So my question I suppose is, how likely is that? That Shep has come so far but still incomplete?

Modifié par MrStoob, 17 septembre 2013 - 10:49 .

[Seracen]

MrStoob wrote...

A question on 'believability' please.

My Shepard is a biotic of great power and a few extras she's picked up along the way (implants, blah, last seen crushing a pistol with her mind kinda stuff). However, I thought it'd be fun if she yearned for the level of 'completeness' in biotic powers that the asari have. In ME, apart from Jack, you don't really see humans using biotics as an extension of themselves, in every leap, punch, slide, run, etc. So I wanted Shep to go to Liara and Samara and ask for instruction from them. So my question I suppose is, how likely is that? That Shep has come so far but still incomplete?

I dunno if I would call it "incomplete," but I get your meaning.

I think we could liken it to Harry Dresden (from the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher).

He has more raw power than most of his colleagues, but little in the way of finesse.  To quote Dresden himself, he's like a shotgun, whereas his contemporary, Lucio, is like a scalpel.

Case in point, Harry can cause a huge explosion that levels a city block.  Lucio, on the other hand, points with her finger, creating a laser line that splits everything apart (think the scene from Ironman 2 at the end, similar to a lightsaber).

Both are lethal in their own way, but brute force does not allow for nuance.  Such control and nuance can be more important at times.

As such, I can certainly see him going to Samara for training.  Less so Liara, as she doesn't really strike me as much of a "sensei" type.  On the other hand, if Shep's LI is Liara, they would totally train via "sexy" sparring.

So I'll amend it by saying that Samara would be the instructor, and Liara would be the training partner.

That's pretty much how I approached the Jack/Liara/Shep training of biotics in my story...Jack's the instructor who teaches by just FIGHTING until Shep learns it by adapting.  Liara is the poor one trying to calm the "crazy humans" down, haha!

Modifié par Seracen, 17 septembre 2013 - 08:45 .

[Efvie]

BlueMoonSeraphim wrote...
I actually didn't consider being able to find a beta reader after posting.  Thanks for this!  Also, posting chapters as soon as you're done writing them, did you ever post your latest chapter and then want to go back to a previous one to make accomodating types of changes?

I’ve never changed the plot, nor will I. Once it’s out, I have to live with it. I haven’t really had a spot where I’ve wished I could have done so, either… I’d like to think that focusing on realistic responses to events has kept the story in line without ‘tampering’ with it after the fact.

I do, however, constantly revise the text, phrasing, and so on of published chapters—although the initial publication is never sloppy. You just tend to find things to fix whenever you reread material.

Haha, thanks for that!  I think with your advice, Efvie's, and MrStoob's, I'm going to go ahead and give in to that saying, "There's nothing to it but to do it."

Awesome! Let us know when you do post, assuming you don’t want to fly under the radar!

…

@MrStoob, “Complete like an asari” seems a bit stereotyping, no? OK, I’m purposely overinterpreting, but still… I’d imagine there’s a vast variety of approaches to biotics among the asari.

I think that thought can be used to guide a little bit… if you were to assume that the asari all have this ‘wholeness’ to some degree, then I don’t think it’s possible for Shepard to be so powerful without coming very close to a similar state. On the other hand, if Shepard is lacking that, then it would be likely that she’d need to find particular asari who have taken their mastery of the art in that direction… I don’t think Liara would be one. Biotics wasn’t her primary focus, so she’s too young to be able to teach even if she did have such control herself. Samara, yes.

(It would also of course be easy to try to draw a naîve parallel between personality and approach to biotics—e.g. Aethyta or Aria ‘obviously’ tending toward the wilder side—but that doesn’t seem quite satisfying to me.)

[Efvie]

As a sidenote, I gotta say that ‘sexy sparring’ is a terrible way to learn anything other than pleasing your partner

As a side-sidenote, I really, really, do not like the concept of biotics during fun times, even flares thereof. We’re drilled (ahah) how hard it is to master the art, how much concentration it requires… I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to control a singularity beyond a certain point

[Seracen]

Efvie wrote...

As a sidenote, I gotta say that ‘sexy sparring’ is a terrible way to learn anything other than pleasing your partner

As a side-sidenote, I really, really, do not like the concept of biotics during fun times, even flares thereof. We’re drilled (ahah) how hard it is to master the art, how much concentration it requires… I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to control a singularity beyond a certain point

Ah yes, the Mordin quote.  I dunno, it all depends on how comfy someone is with their power, I suppose.  I mean, it seemed to me that Liara always had a bit of a blue hue around her during the romance scenes (hinting that her biotics were "flaring" somewhat).

Morinth too...but that's b/c she's devouring Shep's brain! 

I agree that the idea of asari as the only "complete" biotics is a bit degrading.  However, this is classicism as espoused by the lore itself, as asari are the only ones who have such a high prevalence of it.

Ashley even states how astounded she is about how Liara could have "chosen" not to develop her abilities, way back in ME1.  This doesn't seem to be a luxury humans have, per social and cultural mandates.

I recall a conversation near the beginning of the thread concerning Kaidan, and his having learned "Wreav," which heretofore had only been wielded by asari.

The discussion was whether it was plausible for a human to have that much control, or whether it was simply an aspect of the gameplay, and therefore not part of storytelling canon.

I dunno how familiar anyone is with the X-Men comics, but Emma Frost does some "interesting" stuff with Cyclops using their powers.  Heck, Joss Whedon's run with the story hinted at some antics Shadowcat and Collosus got up to in the bedroom as well!

If it becomes that second nature, I suppose it's similar to flexing any other muscle.

Modifié par Seracen, 17 septembre 2013 - 10:00 .

[MrStoob]

Well, when you watch something like Samara's recruit, or LOTSB, the trained asari uses her biotic in all circumstance; running, jumping, falling, leaping, flinging, etc, which we don't see other biotics do (Jack aside, but she's 'similarly' been honing her skills since childhood).  So beyond the standard attacks and barriers, I thought Shep still has some to learn in that regard.  While possibly not 'sensei' material, Liara's proved her mettle with fancy biotic moves over the games and could have plenty to show I reckon.

On a story/scenes front, my Verity Shepard is an asari-phile and getting up close and personal with her two favourite asari would be fun for her, with sarky remarks about 'asari kung-fu' and such like to poke at their sensibilities as she likes to do, and Liara being exasperated with Shepard not taking it as seriously as she might.

Cheers all, I reckon I can wing it, they've plenty of down time at the mo anyway.

[Seracen]

SEXY SPARRING!!!  [Ahnold Voice] DO IT!!! DO IT NAO!!!

In all seriousness though, I can see it as an interesting bonding experience. Jack seems to have embraced biotics as part of herself, so I can see how she uses it like asari.

Conversely, although Kaidan has biotics from childhood, his experiences with biotics are painful. To be fair, so are Jack's, but Jack doesn't associate biotics with pain, to the degree that Kaidan would.

Actually, per her story, Jack gets off on using biotics (in a fight). Furthermore, there seem to be no hints of headaches, like there were for Kaidan.

It'll be interesting to see a Shep that in tune with their own biotics, as it isn't really addressed in the games (for obvious continuity reasons).

Out of curiosity, what class was Verity Shepard through the series for you, and do you incorporate that into the story?

For me, both "prime" Sheps started out as Infiltrators, then became Sentinels, and ended up Engineers with Biotics (for the bonus) in ME3. I explained it in my story as Cerberus "upgrades."

Of course, I play fast and loose with what powers Shep has anyway.  Thus far, I have managed to keep the AMOUNT of powers constrained to the same number allowed in the game, but the powers themselves comprise a custom class...
Well, I can always justify it via modding on the PC version...I regret nothing! 

Modifié par Seracen, 18 septembre 2013 - 01:44 .

[Rixatrix]

Thanks for the reply, Seracen.  I think judging from your reply and others, I was coming at this all wrong.  I was looking for objective standards/rules/timetables where there really are none.  It feels like the why/how/when of publishing is a very subjective and personal set of questions.  Maybe even pressing that "Publish" button is a personal writing milestone that uncorks the writer part of you and releases all the pressurized, nervous excitement.  (Okay, maybe I'm a bit of a romantic...!)

Seracen wrote...
I've written stories completely from the hip before...as in I just knew the characters and the world, and let the story write itself.

I have also planned stories and done worksheets, etc.  I prefer the latter, as it tends to produce better "twists," etc.  However, the other way was fun b/c it surprised me as much as anyone.  It was just a very tiresome method of writing, haha.

I think I know what you mean.  Of the project I am working on, the first arc is "from the hip," just a gut reaction to the ME3 endings.... the second is planned, because I got attached to writing the first.

My biggest rule is to have fun with it.  Also, never be afraid to ask questions, but never be daunted by poor feedback/reception.  I've had hatemail before, but extreme reactions signify investment.

Never view positive feedback from a seat of complacency either, but feel free to let it bolster your cretive juices.  Again, as long as you are having fun, and aren't just "doing it for the hits," it'll come through in your writing.

I admire your approach to feedback quite a bit.  One of my fears is getting that "your story sucks" or "what's up with the plot" type of comments when the whole thing's out in the ether.  I think you are right about investment - as Elie Wiesel once said, "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference."  Whether someone is expressing love or hate for your art, s/he is still invested and caring about your work.

Constructive feedback would be a dream come true.  "Good job" or "I like it" would probably be encouraging, but there's nothing like input that leads to growth.

Thank you for your perspective!

Efvie wrote...
I’ve never changed the plot, nor will I. Once it’s out, I have to live with it. I haven’t really had a spot where I’ve wished I could have done so, either… I’d like to think that focusing on realistic responses to events has kept the story in line without ‘tampering’ with it after the fact.

I think that is something to be proud of.  Committing to being consistent, IMHO, actually bolsters your creativity by making you think outside the box instead of going the convenient route.  Sort of related: there have been minor plot points in the ME source material I wish hadn't happened in order to make something easier to write, but in the end, I think their existence made for a fun challenge and a less predictable outcome.

Awesome! Let us know when you do post, assuming you don’t want to fly under the radar!

Thank you! 

MrStoob wrote...

A question on 'believability' please.

My Shepard is a biotic of great power and a few extras she's picked up along the way (implants, blah, last seen crushing a pistol with her mind kinda stuff). However, I thought it'd be fun if she yearned for the level of 'completeness' in biotic powers that the asari have. In ME, apart from Jack, you don't really see humans using biotics as an extension of themselves, in every leap, punch, slide, run, etc. So I wanted Shep to go to Liara and Samara and ask for instruction from them. So my question I suppose is, how likely is that? That Shep has come so far but still incomplete?

I think the source material has made it quite believable.  Firstly, new biotic powers have become available from game to game.  If you've played an adept all the way through, your Verity has picked up (or has been able to pick up) a new power every installment.  Think Shockwave, Reave, Dominate, and Slam in ME2 and Flare, Dark Channel, and Lash in ME3.  Although you can look at this as "updated gameplay," you can also look at it as biotic development.

Secondly, Kaidan says in the Citadel DLC at the party that he recently "learned to Reave."  Biotics are something you can continue working on, as we see from Grissom Academy and can infer from the teaching job Kaidan refers to.  So, more experienced biotics can teach less experienced biotics.  Someone like Jack or Samara would be ideal for this, but Liara's biotic skill has never been downplayed in the series, so it's quite believable that she'd have something to teach.  If the teacher characters are established as talented biotics and learning new biotic skills is consistent with ME lore, the only potential problem you run into is the believability of the new biotic skills being learned.  Something that's been featured in game (like punching, floating, "biotic kick" Kaidan mentions that he delivered to Vernus, etc.), it's a shoe-in, but if even if you get creative, I think your readers may appreciate what you can come up with!

One thing you may choose to bring up is that being an asari doesn't necessarily imply talent in biotics, as biotics are something each individual must work on to make effective (like having the potential to be a talented martial artist doesn't make every person one - one must train to utilize his/her potential).  I think this was mentioned in ME1 in a talk with Liara (IIRC).  However, you can distinguish characters like Samara, Jack, and Liara as characters who have worked hard to achieve a high skill level in biotics and are thus qualified to teach your Shepard some new abilities.

As Seracen said, the "diamond in the rough" approach could still allow Shepard to be considered a talented biotic while not knowing all skills.  She could have plenty of power but not have devoted the time and discipline to learn many skills.  Some other options:

• Consider the dimensions upon which her biotics are judged.  Perhaps she is powerful by human biotic standards?
• Consider establishing a "con" for the "pro" of learning a new biotic skill.  Maybe there is a sacrifice?  Perhaps learning a new skill displaces an old one, or makes it less effective (can also tie in why Samara and Liara have so few skill selections in gameplay, if you wish, because they use non-combat skills like floating)?
• Consider how you characterize the new biotic skills Shepard is learning.  Perhaps they are not central to the "power" idea but are more a factor of convenience, like being able to sign her name biotically, or pour a pitcher of water, etc.  Thus, Shepard can be a powerful biotic, having developed combat abilities, but she has not concerned herself with non-combat biotic conveniences until now (just because, hobby, mood strikes, down-time, etc.).

Modifié par BlueMoonSeraphim, 18 septembre 2013 - 06:18 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Okay, first time posting in this thread. I took on a very long rewrite of the main story, like a lot of people did. I incorporated my character's backstory. I found I like to write. I'm probably not good at it. Some people think I am. I'm okay at suspense and character. Settings and descriptions could be a lot better. I can go back and re-do those.

Here's what happened. I was on my final two chapters and summer hit. This meant golf, and a couple of projects came up, and I never got around to finishing them. I completely lost interest in finishing it. 250 pages later. So I forced an ending and it's a complete lame parody, because I've written myself into a corner. I realized that due to the way the codex was set up, and the was the MEU was set up there is no way to defeat the reapers conventionally. There is clean up to do afterward.

How do you know when a reaper is dead? I guess that's when you've destroyed that thing they pumped the goop into, right? Otherwise you've just got a derelict reaper that'll indoctrinate everyone that goes on board, and you've got a mess again. So this means that every final shot has to be placed perfectly at each reaper, and that just isn't going to happen. Because if just one of those things isn't destroyed someone will find it and haul it to their home planet, research it and the whole cycle will start over again. Is this what Bioware ran into with them? Is this why we couldn't have a conventional victory? The only other way was to introduce a virus that would destroy that part of those things, but then you'd have to make sure you got every one of them, or make them a networked intelligence and use a computer type virus that spreads via their communications, but then it still has to kill the syntho-organic part and make sense. My brain started hurting.

Fortunately I had left the Crucible in, but it was supposed to do something else, but at the last second I said f*** it, had it attach to the Citadel. Had Shepard's entire crew doing squad banter debating the entire time while it was entering the system (different squad) on the Citadel and did this ever get lame -- it was more of a parody than anything, And Tali works the panel opens to figure out how the thing works, and a button drops down and Javik pushes it and all the reapers blow up. The End. This after a serious story. Lame. That is how much I stopped caring about the story. I'm ashamed of myself.

I still wonder if this is what BW ran into with the reapers. They couldn't write a decent ending without a HUGE retcon. You know one that made the one they did look like Mary Poppins.

[MrStoob]

BlueMoonSeraphim wrote...
One thing you may choose to bring up is that being an asari doesn't necessarily imply talent in biotics, as biotics are something each individual must work on to make effective (like having the potential to be a talented martial artist doesn't make every person one - one must train to utilize his/her potential).  I think this was mentioned in ME1 in a talk with Liara (IIRC).  However, you can distinguish characters like Samara, Jack, and Liara as characters who have worked hard to achieve a high skill level in biotics and are thus qualified to teach your Shepard some new abilities.

Indeed, in one of the many elevator conversations, Ash asks Liara about the asari and their biotics.  Liara says that not all choose to fulfill their biotic potential, and Ash replies something like, "Wow, so many biotics that you can choose whether to train."

I've already established through another chapter. in which Liara instructs some Eclipse Sisters whose biotics are a little woeful as a favour to Jona Sederis, that not all asari hone their skills so highly.  Liara wasn't very good at handling obstreferous (I was waiting for spellcheck to call me on that one, yay correct 1st time) mercs and it didn't end well.

[MrStoob]

sH0tgUn jUliA wrote...

Okay, first time posting in this thread. I took on a very long rewrite of the main story, like a lot of people did. I incorporated my character's backstory. I found I like to write. I'm probably not good at it. Some people think I am. I'm okay at suspense and character. Settings and descriptions could be a lot better. I can go back and re-do those.

Here's what happened. I was on my final two chapters and summer hit. This meant golf, and a couple of projects came up, and I never got around to finishing them. I completely lost interest in finishing it. 250 pages later. So I forced an ending and it's a complete lame parody, because I've written myself into a corner. I realized that due to the way the codex was set up, and the was the MEU was set up there is no way to defeat the reapers conventionally. There is clean up to do afterward.

How do you know when a reaper is dead? I guess that's when you've destroyed that thing they pumped the goop into, right? Otherwise you've just got a derelict reaper that'll indoctrinate everyone that goes on board, and you've got a mess again. So this means that every final shot has to be placed perfectly at each reaper, and that just isn't going to happen. Because if just one of those things isn't destroyed someone will find it and haul it to their home planet, research it and the whole cycle will start over again. Is this what Bioware ran into with them? Is this why we couldn't have a conventional victory? The only other way was to introduce a virus that would destroy that part of those things, but then you'd have to make sure you got every one of them, or make them a networked intelligence and use a computer type virus that spreads via their communications, but then it still has to kill the syntho-organic part and make sense. My brain started hurting.

Fortunately I had left the Crucible in, but it was supposed to do something else, but at the last second I said f*** it, had it attach to the Citadel. Had Shepard's entire crew doing squad banter debating the entire time while it was entering the system (different squad) on the Citadel and did this ever get lame -- it was more of a parody than anything, And Tali works the panel opens to figure out how the thing works, and a button drops down and Javik pushes it and all the reapers blow up. The End. This after a serious story. Lame. That is how much I stopped caring about the story. I'm ashamed of myself.

I still wonder if this is what BW ran into with the reapers. They couldn't write a decent ending without a HUGE retcon. You know one that made the one they did look like Mary Poppins.

You are absolved, my child.

Hehe, 'confessions' joking aside, if it got to the stage where you knew you weren't going to put the required will and effort into completing the piece then yea, but I just feel a bit sorry for your readers.  I feel bad enough when I post a chapter that isn't as high a standard as I might have previously posted but you know, can't write perfection every time you sit down, eh?

[YurigirlzCrush]

i'm confused by some of the recent posts here. I thought biotics were basically the manipulation of mass effect fields, which basically limits them to altering weight, gravity, momentium, and applying or dispersing force. was I wrong? could you actually use biotics to sign a name or pour yourself a glass of water? I didn't think they worked like telekinesis. did I misunderstand the whole thing throughout the games? or did I miss something? *pouts*

oh! and a quick reader's note on rewriting published chapters. no!!!! *frowns* as a reader, I can say this.. if I found out a writer was rewriting chapters I already read, whether to close plot holes or just make her job easier going forward by slipping extra info in or whatever, I'd stop reading their work. seriously. as a reader, once I've read a chapter, I expect not to have to go back and reread it again for the story to make sense because plot rewrites were slipped into previous chapters after I read them. *pouts* while I have yet to write and publish anything (i'm working on it), I could only urge you to make sure your plot is nailed down and you are really satisfied with your chapters and nothing will have to be changed before posting. rewriting chapters after people have read them seems like an excellent way to confuse/alienate readers and lose followers. just sayin...

[Rixatrix]

Yuri, Kaidan mentions Rahna being punished for getting a glass of water physically instead of biotically. An asari military unit is also seen on Thessia making repairs by handling scrap metal biotically. It seems like biotics can be used to manipulate weight for menial tasks as well - it's not nearly as flashy as the combat, though.