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[Fatiguesdualism]

Thanks folks - and yeah mine is mostly action/plot it's just I'm feeling like I've been concentrating a bit too much on plot and intrigues - and could do with something good happening for Shepard (for a change).  Also I admit I really want to write the chapter in my head where Shepard and Miranda finally sit down and talk to one another about things - just I can't really work it into my story yet! 

 

@Ignis Mors:  Sorry haven't played Path of Exile

 

@Gamer072196:  Does ME3 count?      More seriously, I haven't really written enough for that to happen to me yet; but that sounds like fun!

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

@Fatiguesdualism - Don't feel bad. My last one has no "action" for the protagonist. She's spending her time getting shooting, getting injured, blowing up stuff, getting shot, and with intrigue to have any love interest going on. Funny how the writing colleagues in this adventure managed to put some in for their protags while in over 125,000 words I wasn't able to manage. I guess this character was just too intense... it's difficult hooking up an anti-hero with a love. I mean who would be available? The ME2 Jack? No. There'd be a pissing contest to see who could be more bad ass. I see her finding love in the post-war sequel, though. 

 

@Gamer072196 -  Worse. I've gone back to the game after writing character dialogue and rewriting scenes for the story and not only felt what you stated, but what hit me like a freight train was how badly the dialogue was written in the game. I read my dialogue out loud when I'm editing before I send it to my beta/proof readers. The game dialogue made me look like Shakespeare at times, and I'm a hack. This was ME3.

 

Then I tried ME1. It wasn't the scene before the Council with Anderson bringing up your "visions" that made me facepalm the most. No, not that one. It was this one: "You mean Asari can reproduce with their own race?" < This has to be the single most stupid line in the entire series. They made the idio .. er person who spoke it a Spectre and hero of the galaxy. Who wrote that line? It makes me wish I was on the writing team.

 

Liara (with snark): "It wasn't always like that, Shepard. In Ancient times, the Goddess Athame would select worthy matrons and send Janiri, the goddess of agriculture and fertility to grant them children. Janiri would appear to the matrons in a dream state who would discover that they were pregnant two weeks later. It was only after we developed interstellar spaceflight and made contact with other species that we learned about the miracles of mating and reproduction."

 

Shepard: ".... I should go."

[teh DRUMPf!!]

edit  Writing question:  How much 'screen time' do you give to your characters' romantic relationships?  Are they the focus of your tale or are they something that are kept in the background and then given special chapters every now and then?  Or have you a different method for showing them?  I ask as although Stuck in the Middle has a Shep/Miri relationship - but they've only really had one (or two depending on your view) scenes together - neither especially 'loving' - and I'm really feeling a need to write a nice chapter with the two of them (which is difficult, plot wise, due to their decisions  )

 

That Q comes at an interesting time.

 

I had planned to write a few romantic relationships into my piece, but only minor ones, just to fill the backdrop a bit. However, some plans have changed that could potentially make one pairing a lot more prominent -- that pairing being Kaidan/Miranda. Not sure how I want to tackle it, though. Fade-to-black scenes on the eve of the final battle have become a bit played out in this setting. 

[Seracen]

1) I don't go overboard with the romance sequences, as I've never really had them be the big focus of any story (barring the lemon, and even then, it was 1/4 the final product).

 

For me, it is mutifaceted.  I much rather enjoy small moments here and there, with maybe a handful of chapters dedicated to the relationship.  It seems more intimate, without going camp, which it can threaten to if I go overboard.

 

Moreover, it is also a way for me to pander to those who may not be fans of the shipping I established, although that is a lower priority for me.

 

 

2) As for Path of Exile, nope I don't play it

 

 

3) Good lord, I've gone back on practically every story, finished or not, and seen how I can tweak it.  On finished project, however, I only revamp if I can change the feel of the story in a major way.  Also, I am less inclined to do this on anything that isn't a short story.

 

We are evolving as authors, so it isn't uncommon to go back and "catch mistakes" or simply wish we had done things differently.  Still, there's a time when the artist just has to lay down the brush.

 

Now, on incomplete works, I can tweak and touch for months or years without ever bothering to post, haha!

[YurigirlzCrush]

okay, first... how do you quote in this new forum setup? when I click the quote button, nothing happens. I get a blank reply box.

 

second... I agree! Flash Gordon was awesome. I love it. but you can't deny that story-wise, it's a really bad movie. I mean... Hans Zarkov, supposed genius NASA scientist, determines that an immense power from space is causing our moon to crash down on us. so what is his plan? kidnap a woman he doesn't know and fly off into space in a homemade rocket, with only a revolver for a weapon, to "counter attack them". what? seriously? I mean.. he was going to take Dale with him to attack an unknown enemy, and leave Flash Gordon, the brawny football player, behind... plus... it's two people (or three, after the rocket launches with all of them aboard) against an unknown army. if Ming's people had actually been loyal, that plan would have been doomed before it began.

 

yup. genius.

 

but that was my whole point in mentioning Flash Gordon in connection with the topic. I love that movie. there is never a day when someone could suggest watching it and I'd say no. but it's certainly not brilliantly written. so obviously I can love movies that don't have some incredibly deep and meaningful plot. *nod*

 

 

now, a question!

 

how many of you are writing multiple stories at once? and if so, do you just bounce back and forth between them as you feel like? or do you make an effort to commit some time to each of them?

 

I ask because I have like 10 different story ideas, all at least outlined, but I was trying really hard to focus on just one (my ME fic) with a little attention to a second one. (my DA fic). but I've found that there are days when I just plain wasn't inspired for either of them, and I would sit there and stare at the screen until I got bored and gave up to go do something else. so I decided to just work on whatever inspired me for the last two days, and in two days I managed to finish three chapters (well, two and a prologue) for my Clue (or Cluedo) fic idea. so from now on, I think I'll just write whatever inspires me that day... even if it means I don't actually start publishing anything for an extra year, at least i'll be productive and not be trying to write for a story that I just don't feel like writing. because I feel like the handful of paragraphs I managed to force out for my ME fic while uninspired were just... underwhelming. *sigh* better to write it only when I'm excited to do so. *nodnod*

 

hope everyone's having a good day! *waves*

 

 

oh! I forgot! about the romantic content question.... I think the amount of time given to romances in a story needs to depend on the genre you're writing. I mean... I primarily read romance stories. I'm perfectly happy if there's a deeper and more dramatic plot to them as well, but if a story is tagged romance, I generally expect 50% or more of the story to revolve around the romance aspect. if there's only little bits and pieces of romantic material sprinkled into an action story, then I don't feel it should be tagged romance, and I'll generally stop reading it (unless the story has otherwise really captured my attention, of course, but in that case, I'm not reading it as a romance anymore). so I think it really depends. is your story tagged action/adventure? sure, a few sprinkles of romantic moments here and there are absolutely enough... makes the characters seem relatable and realistic, but doesn't detract from what you're going for. is it tagged romance? then with just a sprinkle here and there, I'd be thinking... okay, so where is the romance exactly? *scratches head*

[MrStoob]

So I finally played 'Bring Down the Sky' DLC.

 

From a gaming point of view, it's standard ME1 fare, no complaints really as it's free these days.  From a story point of view, a serious missed opportunity to bolster the pro-human, supporter of the extreme group (Terra thingy?), renegade Shepard, which could have (as I would have preferred for a rene Shep) led nicely into Shepard voluntarily joining Cerberus for ME2, and the dark pact that Shep and Udina make over the security of the galaxy.  Anyhoo...

[Ignis Mors]

Hi guys! Serious writing question time. Have you ever gotten a review for a chapter where someone said that your fic almost brought them to tears, or did? I'm just asking 'cause I got one earlier today for the latest chapter of Beyond the Light and the Dark. 

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

okay, first... how do you quote in this new forum setup? when I click the quote button, nothing happens. I get a blank reply box.

 

second... I agree! Flash Gordon was awesome. I love it. but you can't deny that story-wise, it's a really bad movie. I mean... Hans Zarkov, supposed genius NASA scientist, determines that an immense power from space is causing our moon to crash down on us. so what is his plan? kidnap a woman he doesn't know and fly off into space in a homemade rocket, with only a revolver for a weapon, to "counter attack them". what? seriously? I mean.. he was going to take Dale with him to attack an unknown enemy, and leave Flash Gordon, the brawny football player, behind... plus... it's two people (or three, after the rocket launches with all of them aboard) against an unknown army. if Ming's people had actually been loyal, that plan would have been doomed before it began.

 

yup. genius.

 

but that was my whole point in mentioning Flash Gordon in connection with the topic. I love that movie. there is never a day when someone could suggest watching it and I'd say no. but it's certainly not brilliantly written. so obviously I can love movies that don't have some incredibly deep and meaningful plot. *nod*

 

 

now, a question!

 

how many of you are writing multiple stories at once? and if so, do you just bounce back and forth between them as you feel like? or do you make an effort to commit some time to each of them?

 

I ask because I have like 10 different story ideas, all at least outlined, but I was trying really hard to focus on just one (my ME fic) with a little attention to a second one. (my DA fic). but I've found that there are days when I just plain wasn't inspired for either of them, and I would sit there and stare at the screen until I got bored and gave up to go do something else. so I decided to just work on whatever inspired me for the last two days, and in two days I managed to finish three chapters (well, two and a prologue) for my Clue (or Cluedo) fic idea. so from now on, I think I'll just write whatever inspires me that day... even if it means I don't actually start publishing anything for an extra year, at least i'll be productive and not be trying to write for a story that I just don't feel like writing. because I feel like the handful of paragraphs I managed to force out for my ME fic while uninspired were just... underwhelming. *sigh* better to write it only when I'm excited to do so. *nodnod*

 

hope everyone's having a good day! *waves*

 

 

oh! I forgot! about the romantic content question.... I think the amount of time given to romances in a story needs to depend on the genre you're writing. I mean... I primarily read romance stories. I'm perfectly happy if there's a deeper and more dramatic plot to them as well, but if a story is tagged romance, I generally expect 50% or more of the story to revolve around the romance aspect. if there's only little bits and pieces of romantic material sprinkled into an action story, then I don't feel it should be tagged romance, and I'll generally stop reading it (unless the story has otherwise really captured my attention, of course, but in that case, I'm not reading it as a romance anymore). so I think it really depends. is your story tagged action/adventure? sure, a few sprinkles of romantic moments here and there are absolutely enough... makes the characters seem relatable and realistic, but doesn't detract from what you're going for. is it tagged romance? then with just a sprinkle here and there, I'd be thinking... okay, so where is the romance exactly? *scratches head*

1) there's a quote button at the bottom of the post you want to quote. The forum is not Internet Explorer friendly. I'm using Chrome.

 

2) Multiple stories - I'm finishing up "The Lost Asari" now. It's kind of a group project. 90% is my own content with about 10% done by a couple of other people. My content is complete. While I'm giving credit to the other writers for the sections, I don't want there to be a wild disconnect in styles either. I'm editing the other content to better fit now. This includes character conversations to some extent. Usually in the writing world a professional editor would handle this. I've read books by multiple authors and it was difficult to see where the authors changed. So I'm working on this one.

 

Then I'm working on a complete rewrite of ME3 with a completely different plot beginning at the end of the suicide mission. I've got two people on the writing team. We've decided Liara is the canon LI. We're using femShep, and Arrival took place after the Collector vessel, but actually the Reapers didn't invade. See it wasn't a definite thing until ME3. Shepard only thought it was. Kenson only thought it was. I'm going by the graphic at the end of the suicide mission (i know don't take the graphics literally but in this case I am). I've used Celestia and captured the equivalent view of the galaxy and the reapers were about 100,000 LY out. So there's no way they would have made it in 3 years without Space Magic drive. Hence I'm doing a retcon and saying perhaps that the reapers found some way of coming in through that particular mass relay. Shepard blew up the Collector Base, but does Shepard return to the Alliance? She was declared KIA by the Alliance, plus her 7 years was up after the Battle of the Citadel. Technically she could "retire" from the military, and as a Spectre, confiscate the SR-2 from a terrorist organization such as Cerberus. Cerberus is out. There are many other factions in the galaxy. And the story takes off from there.

 

It sounds similar to the rewrite erezike was working on, but it's not the same plot. Nor is it the same plot I was working with earlier. There have been significant revisions. There are also about 7 major subplots within that all tie together. This could never be handled in a game. In fact this story would fall flat as a game. But as a novel? It's another thing.

[Ignis Mors]

@Yuri. Yes, I have three concurrent fics. What I do is I write a chapter for Crucible Effect, then Meus Mundus, then Beyond the Light and the Dark.

[BronzTrooper]

@ Yuri

 

Yeah.  I've got five that I'm working on: TLFW (DA), On the Run (DA), A Warden's Letters (DA), my self-insert (DA), and Keep Running (ME).  The order I work on them is: TLFW, On the Run, A Warden's Letters, Keep Running, then my self-insert.  Unfortunately, that means that the break between my updates for each story are more spaced out than I'd like.  I should get started on my next chapter to Keep Running soon...

[Seracen]

Generally, if I have an "opus" that I am working on, it's all I focus on.  However, I am currently doing two stories simultaneously.

 

I haven't brought anyone to tears yet, except my beta reader on the current story (and one of my old unpublished works).  I have had several cases of extreme reactions though (in a good way, only once in a bad way).  It's part of what I live for as an author, and I enjoy those moments.

[YurigirlzCrush]

I can't seem to focus on a specific story just because I want to. I'm finding that I sort of have to go where my inspiration tells me to. I would really like to just concentrate on one story until I finish it so I can publish something and join the fanfic community as a writer and not just a reader and reviewer. but it's really hard to write my ME fic when all I can think about is murder scenes for a Clue story. *sigh* I totes respect those of you who stick to one (or two) projects, and those who rotate through them on a specific rotation. I just don't think I can do it. my brain hates me! *grins*

 

obviously, I never made anyone cry with my stories (since I haven't finished/published one yet) but I've given praise similar to that to a few writers. I love it when someone's writing provokes my feels in that way. *nod* I also appreciate amazing awwww moments. I get more of the latter than the former since I prefer romance stories. but def some of both. I hope to be able to get that sort of feedback someday with my writing!

[MrStoob]

Hitting the feels is what I strive for lol.  From Liara's despair in Shepard's death, to their difficult relationship. I'm always looking for a moment of melancholy.  When I was re-writing/finalising the last lines of 'Blue', it was choking me up a bit too,  I'd used something that was positive and fun from Shep/Liara/Ashley's adventures in a darker way in an attempt to maximise the effect.  I'd hoped it did the same for the reader, and it would seem from the comments that it got at least a few readers too.  ^^

 

The main reason I probably did a Ashley/Liara thing when they thought Shep had been killed at Sol was specifically to be able to play with the emotions of each party, and in turn the reader's.

 

Muhahahahahaha.

[hot_heart]

I don't really go for the romance stuff, because it's tricky...because I am dead inside. Really, though, I just need practice and so I work bits in here and there. With the chapter after this one I'll actually be doing something not covered by or hinted at in-game, so the reins are a little looser.

 

Also I admit I really want to write the chapter in my head where Shepard and Miranda finally sit down and talk to one another about things - just I can't really work it into my story yet! 

 

Flashbacks! Or trap just them somewhere temporarily. Doesn't necessarily have to be a relaxed atmosphere to get characters to really say what they're thinking.

[MrStoob]

I don't really go for the romance stuff, because it's tricky...because I am dead inside. Really, though, I just need practice and so I work bits in here and there. With the chapter after this one I'll actually be doing something not covered by or hinted at in-game, so the reins are a little looser.

 

 

Flashbacks! Or trap just them somewhere temporarily. Doesn't necessarily have to be a relaxed atmosphere to get characters to really say what they're thinking.

A McGuffin goes a long way.

[hot_heart]

Not sure that's what a MacGuffin means.

[MrStoob]

Not sure that's what a MacGuffin means.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin

Probably easier than my awkward explanation.

[BronzTrooper]

So I finally got back from doing the SAT's and I've decided to devote the rest of my day to typing for my stories, if possible.  Not sure how much I'll get done, but I hope it's a lot.

 

Question: Do you have any character that you enjoy writing scenes for the most?  Could be an OC, Shepard, Warden, etc.

 

Personally, I like typing up scenes for Darrian (TLFW), my city elf.  He's probably the most badass out of all the characters I've written, and he's definitely the most badass out of all my characters in TLFW.  I enjoy typing his scenes for the same reason I liked doing my 'I hate humans' playthrough in DA:O: It's fun to hate pretty much everyone and not care if everyone hates you back. 

[hot_heart]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin

Probably easier than my awkward explanation.

 

I know what a MacGuffin is, I meant do you?

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

So I finally got back from doing the SAT's and I've decided to devote the rest of my day to typing for my stories, if possible.  Not sure how much I'll get done, but I hope it's a lot.

 

Question: Do you have any character that you enjoy writing scenes for the most?  Could be an OC, Shepard, Warden, etc.

 

Personally, I like typing up scenes for Darrian (TLFW), my city elf.  He's probably the most badass out of all the characters I've written, and he's definitely the most badass out of all my characters in TLFW.  I enjoy typing his scenes for the same reason I liked doing my 'I hate humans' playthrough in DA:O: It's fun to hate pretty much everyone and not care if everyone hates you back. 

Actually I have several characters I like writing: 

 

Naleena (OC)

Ereba (OC)

Jack

Legion

Tali

Xen and Koris

Kasumi

Shepard

[Seracen]

Who do I like writing for?  Hmm, anyone but Ashley or Jacob...trololololol!!! 

 

In all seriousness, I generally try to rush through the bits where it is the villain POV, as I am afraid of giving away too much of the conspiracy.  I enjoy writing for any character that I find truly interesting, so I don't generally discriminate.

 

The only characters that I ACTIVELY DISLIKE writing for are characters that I find boring.  As such, they provide easy deaths and/or omissions from the story.  From the ME series, that includes Jacob and Vega.

 

There are characters I enjoy writing less than others.  As much as I bag on Ashley, I do like writing about her complicated relationship with Shepard.  I generally enjoy writing from Shepard's POV most of all, since that was the original window into the lore.  I also never really confused Shep with "author insertion" either, as he is totally different from what I would deem my personal "Mary Sue."

 

However, writing from Garrus, Aria, or certain OC's POVs proved just as compelling for me.

[MrStoob]

Question: Do you have any character that you enjoy writing scenes for the most?  Could be an OC, Shepard, Warden, etc.

 

Personally, I like typing up scenes for Darrian (TLFW), my city elf.  He's probably the most badass out of all the characters I've written, and he's definitely the most badass out of all my characters in TLFW.  I enjoy typing his scenes for the same reason I liked doing my 'I hate humans' playthrough in DA:O: It's fun to hate pretty much everyone and not care if everyone hates you back. 

Mostly I like writing for my trinity of Shep/Liara/Ashley.  In my current post-war arc, Ashley is back in the fleet with her adopted asari daughter, Sha'li, without the Normandy gang, so that's been fun and interesting to write without those other influences, particularly as she has a lot of personal/emotional issues to get through.

[hot_heart]

I don't like writing for any of the characters. I hate them all.

[Ignis Mors]

I don't like writing for any of the characters. I hate them all.

LIAR!(seriously, why would you write fanfic for a universe if you hate all the characters?) Also, silly QOTD time(these are so much easier to come up with than serious ones.) Have any of you played Crackdown, and instead of doing the main mission just killed anything and everything that moves?

[MrStoob]

Updated my avatar to one of the more obscure blue beauties, then it struck me: why isn't Wasea wearing Eclipse armour?  Anyway... thought of the day.