9960 réponses à ce sujet

[Ignis Mors]

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.

I know I'm in a very small minority, but I actually think the asari look really creepy.

[Fatiguesdualism]

@hot_heart:  I did consider a flashback (tried something similar with my Shep's Liara relationship) but the pace of my story is so slow, I think a flashback would actually make it a story travelling backwards through time!   (...and that's just given me an idea about a Quantum Leap/Mass Effect mix.  I need help!  )

 

@YurigirlzCrush: I'm in a similar position.  Between my ME3 tale, random scenes, and a proposed P&P RPG campaign, things get a little jumbled - then mushed together into a hideous mix; and then I have to go reset my brain somewhere!  (TIP: Alcohol is not as effective at this as one would suppose  )

 

@Gamer072196: I'm with hot_heart, only I don't hate the characters (sorry hot_heart  ) - I'm terrified of them! 

 

@MrStoob: Wasea isn't wearing Eclipse armour - because she's management.  Management don't have to follow the rules, they just ensure their peons do!  (Yes, work has been fun the past couple of days!  )

 

@Ignis Mors: Haven't played Crackdown, sorry!  Also how can anything    blue be creepy?

[Ignis Mors]

@hot_heart:  I did consider a flashback (tried something similar with my Shep's Liara relationship) but the pace of my story is so slow, I think a flashback would actually make it a story travelling backwards through time!   (...and that's just given me an idea about a Quantum Leap/Mass Effect mix.  I need help!  )

 

@YurigirlzCrush: I'm in a similar position.  Between my ME3 tale, random scenes, and a proposed P&P RPG campaign, things get a little jumbled - then mushed together into a hideous mix; and then I have to go reset my brain somewhere!  (TIP: Alcohol is not as effective at this as one would suppose  )

 

@Gamer072196: I'm with hot_heart, only I don't hate the characters (sorry hot_heart  ) - I'm terrified of them! 

 

@MrStoob: Wasea isn't wearing Eclipse armour - because she's management.  Management don't have to follow the rules, they just ensure their peons do!  (Yes, work has been fun the past couple of days!  )

 

@Ignis Mors: Haven't played Crackdown, sorry!  Also how can anything    blue be creepy?

I find them to be a little Too Human. (That was a bad game. RIGHT STICK FOR MELEE? WTF!) They look a little too close to human beings, but their tentacles make them just look creepy to me. And also everything in the games, like the Ardat Yakshi secret and the hidden Prothean beacon, made me just think that these are some evil blue b*tches. 

[Seracen]

The base of the asari necks looks a bit odd to me, but otherwise I had no problems with them.  There are bits about any alien species that could strike one as odd.  For myself, I was more surprised with the general uniformity of all the races.  I wasn't expecting quite so many bipeds, and the quarians were basically purple humans with reverse jointed legs.

 

As for Crackdown, I was much too moral, though I didn't really reel myself in whenever I had to take out the baddies, collateral damage was a non issue for my agent, haha.

[BronzTrooper]

Honestly, the only species that creep me out are the klixen and their flying transport things with those long, worm-like necks.  * shudders *

 

And Crackdown...  Of course I did!  I do it all the time in GTA and AC and I find it really fun!  Why wouldn't I do it when I'm the law? 

[hot_heart]

Maybe I'm getting a bit too far ahead of myself here, but I think I may need to bump up my story's rating from T to MA for the chapter after next.

 

Has anyone done this before? I can't imagine it'll have too much of an impact, but I figure it helps to be prepared. Otherwise, is it worth splitting off the original as its own thing and using an edited version for the main story? Hmm...

 

EDIT: We're not still doing the 'top post fluff' thing, are we? Because I'm warning you, I'll do it.

 

Blame enayasoul for this. It's actually two bits spliced together (though I may keep this), and it's a very rough draft at the moment, too.

 

 

I wake to find Shepard beside me, looking right back, head perched in his palm. In the early morning haze, in that posture, he looks like a picture of perfection.

     "Fancy seeing you here," he remarks in faux surprise, leaning in to kiss my forehead. "Should I consider myself debriefed?"

     "At ease, soldier," I respond dryly, my voice not even half awake. I roll away to lie flat on the mattress and close my eyes again. The world can wait.

     I feel the bed shift as Shepard adjusts his weight and tucks up against me. Then I feel him tracing lines across my naked back in a slow, comforting manner, the roughness of his soldier's fingertips serving to heighten the sensitivity of my skin.

     It continues for a while until curiosity gets the better of me and, head still buried in the pillow, I enquire "Are you drawing something?"

"Nope," he replies innocently, "besides, I couldn't improve on such a beautiful canvas."

     "You did not just say that," I groan sleepily and swiftly pull the pillow from under my head, rising to swing it at him playfully. He blocks it and chuckles. I collapse back down against the bed, smiling faintly.

     "What if I admitted I really was just drawing something and your back happened to be convenient?" he teases.

     "What if I pummelled you with a pillow?" I retort.

     He shrugs. "We all suffer for our art..."

[enayasoul]

Maybe I'm getting a bit too far ahead of myself here, but I think I may need to bump up my story's rating from T to MA for the chapter after next.

 

Has anyone done this before? I can't imagine it'll have too much of an impact, but I figure it helps to be prepared. Otherwise, is it worth splitting off the original as its own thing and using an edited version for the main story? Hmm...

 

EDIT: We're not still doing the 'top post fluff' thing, are we? Because I'm warning you, I'll do it.

Do it, I dare ya.   

 

Bumping up the rating is fine. Just to be safe.

[Fatiguesdualism]

Maybe I'm getting a bit too far ahead of myself here, but I think I may need to bump up my story's rating from T to MA for the chapter after next.

 

Has anyone done this before? I can't imagine it'll have too much of an impact, but I figure it helps to be prepared. Otherwise, is it worth splitting off the original as its own thing and using an edited version for the main story? Hmm...

 

EDIT: We're not still doing the 'top post fluff' thing, are we? Because I'm warning you, I'll do it.

 

Because it's you...then yes.  Yes we are!    Please...

 

On the topic of splitting the story - I'd be uneasy about it.  I've considered something similar, but I wasn't sure how the story update system on FF.net would handle it.  I can recall seeing a story that did the edited/unedited thing - but the unedited version was on a different site and I didn't really think I needed to read it.  (It was fairly obvious what was *cut*  )  So I never really bothered.

 

Final note:  Two more chapters to come?  Yes!  Score!  

[hot_heart]

There. Hope you're happy.

 

Well, it'd be a one-shot with the MA rating, and then the main story stays T, with a 'fade to black' at the critical moment. Kind of like when I didn't feel up to it back in chapter 14, all those yea...uh, months ago.

 

Final note:  Two more chapters to come?  Yes!  Score!  

 

And only two more.

[MrStoob]

The joys of writing a romance with an asari.  For those scenes, you can concentrate on the meld rather than 'other things' and still have it reasonably sensual.  

[hot_heart]

Well, those who have read it should be able to testify that it's not too explicit, but still probably best to err on the side of caution.

[Fatiguesdualism]

And only two more.

 

All good things...etc, etc.

 

Well, those who have read it should be able to testify that it's not too explicit, but still probably best to err on the side of caution.

 

Probably for the best there.  The ratings for FF.net are, to my mind, a bit ambiguous at times.  

[enayasoul]

There. Hope you're happy.

 

Well, it'd be a one-shot with the MA rating, and then the main story stays T, with a 'fade to black' at the critical moment. Kind of like when I didn't feel up to it back in chapter 14, all those yea...uh, months ago.

 

 

And only two more.

I'm very happy!  That is a great scene Hot Heart.  More, more.  

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

I finished my tome today. It is off at my beta reader's: all 134,107 words of it. I finished dividing up the chapters properly last night, did some additional edits today, then sent it off. 

 

I had entire subplot that was a "nice to have" and "could have worked," but I just couldn't bring myself to give a **** about the characters in it. I kept looking at it for three days, trying to make it work, and finally deleted it. I did a "Save As" so there's an old copy. I also did a couple of back ups of the finished copy so now it is in three different places, and two of them are not connected to the internet. 

 

I'll say this is the largest piece of work I've done and finished in my life. Three chapters are by others (and edited to better fit); two chapters are collaborative out of 47.

[BronzTrooper]

Question:  How much criticism do you get on your stories, constructive or otherwise?  I receive a good amount of constructive criticism, but not to the point where it starts annoying or overwhelming me.

 

@sH0tgUn jUliA

 

Congrats!

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Question:  How much criticism do you get on your stories, constructive or otherwise?  I receive a good amount of constructive criticism, but not to the point where it starts annoying or overwhelming me.

 

@sH0tgUn jUliA

 

Congrats!

Thanks. 

 

I've gotten some criticism. Punctuation. I looked up the conventions. I took out some novels by Grisham, Koontz, Patterson, King, and looked very closely at the punctuation conventions used in them. I copied them. That's what I use now, and I'm a punctuation gnatsi on group projects.

 

Also that I can be too wordy in some conversations. I get this from the two people who do my editing. My descriptions are minimalist. Usually just enough so that a person can fill in the blanks with their imagination. This however is fine. I don't want to bog down a plot with flowery descriptions unless the scene calls for great detail. I hate information dumps. I used to do that, and I learned to have my characters spread out the information over a period of time. It isn't necessary for the reader to learn everything at once: only what is necessary at the moment.

 

My writing prof in college about 40 years ago took out the adverb hammer on me, and asked me if I like kittens. I told him I think kittens are cute. He said they die when I use one during conversational description. Once in a while, there is no way around it, though. He also told me to stop trying to be clever by using so many different versions of said, replied, asked, etc. He had fun counting up the number of different versions I'd use. Once in a while is fine, he said, but a constant barrage not so fine. The barrage stands out.

 

So now I write like a news reporter. People for some silly reason think I can write. They tell me I'm good at suspense and characters. I think I'm a hack. 

[teh DRUMPf!!]

 "National Socialist" is still censored? Criminy cripes...

 

 

I'm rather OCD with writing mechanics. I like having two commas per sentence, for example. I also want each clause between them to go in ascending or descending order of length, like: ___, _____, _______ -or- _______, _____, ___. And then I avoid beginning sentences with with the following capital letters: E, R, P, F, L, B, M... unless it's at the beginning of a new paragraph, otherwise it bothers me. Sometimes I have to, though, because there's only one word that really works. Oh, and I do my best to make the last sentence of each paragraph end damn-near the right margin. Dat rectangle. It bothers me that I haven't figured out yet how the text-box on this forum translates to the published post after I hit [Post] so I can extend or cut-down lines of text to make it fit perfectly, but I will eventually. The Qun demands it.

 

^There we go!

[BronzTrooper]

 "National Socialist" is still censored? Criminy cripes...

 

 

I'm rather OCD with writing mechanics. I like having two commas per sentence, for example. I also want each clause between them to go in ascending or descending order of length, like: ___, _____, _______ -or- _______, _____, ___. And then I avoid beginning sentences with with the following capital letters: E, R, P, F, L, B, M... unless it's at the beginning of a new paragraph, otherwise it bothers me. Sometimes I have to, though, because there's only one word that really works. Oh, and I do my best to make the last sentence of each paragraph end damn-near the right margin. Dat rectangle. It bothers me that I haven't figured out yet how the text-box on this forum translates to the published post after I hit [Post] so I can extend or cut-down lines of text to make it fit perfectly, but I will eventually. The Qun demands it.

 

^There we go!

The Qun demands a lot of things... 

[MrStoob]

Question:  How much criticism do you get on your stories, constructive or otherwise?  I receive a good amount of constructive criticism, but not to the point where it starts annoying or overwhelming me.

 

@sH0tgUn jUliA

 

Congrats!

I personally, don't receive much crit of either variety, which on one hand is good, but on the other, I know it can't be perfect (what is?) so I'd like something a bit meatier than 'that was nice'.  But careful what you wish for, and all that...

[hot_heart]

I don't tend to receive a lot of criticism, though there are little bits here and there as regards to story direction and character portrayal (and one very extreme piece where the person said they felt sick ). However, the reviews are always nice to have (good for motivation) and I have had a lot of useful feedback from the great folks in this thread, and that tends to serve the same purpose, while at the same time you know already that it's coming from people with writing experience or at least more than a passing interest.

[Obsidian Gryphon]

Question:  How much criticism do you get on your stories, constructive or otherwise?  I receive a good amount of constructive criticism, but not to the point where it starts annoying or overwhelming me.

 

Not a lot. Someone suggested I shoud narrow down the focus but I think that was a response to a note I sometimes drop into the chapters. I was airing about my feeling of biting off more than I can chew since I was trying to cover quite a few places. But then my fanfic isn't focused on chars but on events taking place (SF adventure. I'm sort of following the style set in B5). Shepard, the chars, etc are just my chess pieces to move about on the board.

 

Very early on, another commented on a pictorial section on Thessia and expressed a wish to see more of that. But then again, the galactic environment in my fanfic isn't idyllic; it's still an utter mess.

 

On the whole, not many people leave reviews but at least I know there are readers.

[Seracen]

Maybe I'm getting a bit too far ahead of myself here, but I think I may need to bump up my story's rating from T to MA for the chapter after next.

 

Has anyone done this before? I can't imagine it'll have too much of an impact, but I figure it helps to be prepared. Otherwise, is it worth splitting off the original as its own thing and using an edited version for the main story? Hmm...

 

EDIT: We're not still doing the 'top post fluff' thing, are we? Because I'm warning you, I'll do it.

 

Blame enayasoul for this. It's actually two bits spliced together (though I may keep this), and it's a very rough draft at the moment, too.

 

I considered this once, and ended up bumping the rating up.  I often adjust my rating search to include "M" anyways.  Unless I thought of a chapter far afterwards, I don't like to separate it.

 

I finished my tome today. It is off at my beta reader's: all 134,107 words of it. I finished dividing up the chapters properly last night, did some additional edits today, then sent it off. 

 

I had entire subplot that was a "nice to have" and "could have worked," but I just couldn't bring myself to give a **** about the characters in it. I kept looking at it for three days, trying to make it work, and finally deleted it. I did a "Save As" so there's an old copy. I also did a couple of back ups of the finished copy so now it is in three different places, and two of them are not connected to the internet. 

 

I'll say this is the largest piece of work I've done and finished in my life. Three chapters are by others (and edited to better fit); two chapters are collaborative out of 47.

 

Congrats!  I can certainly understand the feeling of not caring to develop certain side stuff, after having spent so much time already.  Anyhoo, looking forward to reading it!

[teh DRUMPf!!]

The Qun demands a lot of things... 

 

 

"Fixing your format is not the demand of the Qun, and you should all be GRATEFUL!!" -- The H-'ishok.

 

So anyway, I said I'd share the piece I'm working on. Here it is: [https://www.fanficti.../1/Nex-Effect-I] - !

 

Right now, it's just a prologue, but contains very important material to making sense of the setting (post-ME3, Green ending).

[fluffywalrus]

Question:  How much criticism do you get on your stories, constructive or otherwise?  I receive a good amount of constructive criticism, but not to the point where it starts annoying or overwhelming me.

 

@sH0tgUn jUliA

 

Congrats!

 

 

I have received a bit of criticism usually surrounding the accuracy of how I portray certain characters (though most of these are in my AU stories after significant time has passed from the canon timeline, or there's a different set-up), or my punctuation. Oddly enough, one reader of a story of mine quit out on it midway through the first chapter because I forgot to put a comma before a name once or twice (Ex: "Let's go Harriet" vs "Let's go, Harriet"), and was apparently too furious about it to continue. Another complaint was that across some of my stories, a reader felt that they couldn't "ship" the official pairing (I write a lot of romance stuff) because they felt that one character cared more deeply than the other...which is honestly something I consciously do in terms of expression, because in my life experience, it's rare for two people to express their feelings the same way, feel love in the same way, etc. As if it can really honestly be measured, anyway...people love in different ways and feel in different ways, and I do my best to be mindful of it. I've since taken more care to describe the feelings of characters more clearly so that I can communicate that difference while asserting that the feelings between both characters are mutual.

 

I did have a complaint about following similar plot structures, one which I have taken into honest consideration and changed my habits over, although it was less of a change so much as a commitment that when I wrote romantic fics that weren't one-shots, I'd continue writing past the forming of the relationship. That was the most constructive one I've received so far, iirc.

 

 

And I figured I'd stop by and thank everyone for the well wishes I'm still paddling across murky brown waters with a horrid, questionable scent, but I can see it's a lake now rather than a sea, so that's a good thing. Pretty sure I bombed a big midterm yesterday, but I don't have the energy to care about school outside of just wanting passing grades at this point. It's late in the semester and teachers don't really have much room to be accommodating, so I'm kind of screwed, anyway, in that regard. Probably no grad school for me without a few years of work experience and cert exams under my belt at this point, but maybe I'll get lucky and get into a sociology master's program. It's not psych, it's not really what I want, but it'd be something that could help me and I know I could do it.

 

Anywho, I'm rambling, but tl;dr I'm doing well enough. Thanks for your support, all

[YurigirlzCrush]

*waves to all, tacklehugs fluffy*

 

I am awake. at 2am. on a night when I have classes in the morning. that should say everything that needs to be said about my current state of stress. *frowns* so it's wonderful to hear that you are finding some measure of improvement in your situation, fluffy! *nods* while not exactly ideal, a lake is much better than a sea! and of course, I continue to send positive energy into the universe on your behalf.

 

re: constructive criticism...

 

this is a tricky one for me. as a reader, I always include a chapterly error pointy out time to point out any spelling or grammar errors I happened to see while reading. and I always try to comment on stuff that I liked, stuff that made me laugh, stuff that surprised me, occasionally my predictions as to upcoming material, etc. because I like to offer some sort of quasi-helpful material and I guess I feel that letting the writer know where they succeeded with me might be good. however, I can't bring myself to comment on the general direction or style of a story, or to question plot holes, etc... *sigh* because in my view, while that sort of thing might be considered constructive, I am always afraid that it would come across as rude. or that it's not truly constructive, but more of a declaration of preference instead.

 

like in fluffy's post, she said someone criticized the inequity of feelings between the two characters, and someone else complained about many stories being about the forming of a relationship rather than its continuation. while both could certainly be constructive if taken that way, both of those, I feel, border more on an attack of a writer's style, rather than being constructive feedback on the story. I mean... maybe fluffy likes to write stories about people falling in love, rather than being in love. nothing wrong with that! *frowns* I could be wrong. maybe that's the sort of thing I should be pointing out when I'm trying to be helpful. but I just feel like if I said... well, I liked your story a lot overall but it seems to be too full of X (whatever X may be... fight scenes, drama, whatevs) it's not really constructive, it's more of a personal complaint about my taste vs. the writer's. but I could totes be wrong about that. *shrug*

 

I guess I view it as similar to writing to Stephen King and saying... why do you write so many creepy stories? you need to lighten up... it's the writer's style. it's not constructive to challenge it. it's just criticism.

 

so there's a line there. and as a reader/reviewer, I hesitate to cross it and try to offer anything too critical, which might be viewed as insulting or rude. because I don't do that. if I hate a story, I just stop reading it. but I certainly don't leave a review to tell the writer how much I hated it and why. that's so not me. you will never find a review from me that is negative in tone (or if you do find one somehow, it totes wasn't intended that way!)

 

side note: does anyone else find that, whether it's school or work, after a vacation it's hard to get back into the routine? this is my first week of classes after spring break, and it's killing me! and that always seems to happen to me the first week back after any significant break.