10369 réponses à ce sujet

[Tarante11a]

I also meant to say, the trouble with reviews - which are lovely and keep you going, no question at all - is that they are often patting you on the back because people are enjoying your work.  If you want proper crits, to improve what you're doing, I think it's ok to approach people privately and ask them to take a look at your writing - as long as you aren't constantly being a pain in the arse.

Ask them to be honest, but you must then be prepared to take what they say on the chin. Honesty is an extremely valuable commodity, so even if you get some tough comments, look on those as gold-dust. That goes back to getting a good beta-reader too. If you end up with one who is tough but fair - business-like, if you will - then it's the best thing! ^^

Modifié par Tarante11a, 17 avril 2010 - 12:14 .

[Tarante11a]

My suggestion would be to browse the fanfiction.net beta-readers 'shop' quite thoroughly. I wonder if it might even be an idea to find someone who doesn't write in the same fiction group as you. You may get a more straight, technical approach to your writing and story construction then because your beta isn't being influenced by their own take on the subject matter. You'll get plenty of people who are willing to discuss where your characters are going and what your story is doing, within your chosen fandom, after all.



I hasten to add that my betas are brilliant at staying a step removed, even though they write DA fic!



However, it also might open up the field in the number people you can choose from.



Anyway, just a thought.

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

EtteStarz wrote...

Has any one found a good beta-reader?  Everyone needs a good copy editor (Gil knows I do), and often times it takes me about three or four drafts before I think it's "ready.'  And even then I still find stupid errors - missing works, the wrong word or the usual "what the hell does that mean" situation.  Do most people publish and rewrite as they get reviews?  I've found that web writing tends to have more silly mistakes because of the time expectations, and it seems that most readers expect that and forgive a little bit of it. 

It's verry good and very useful to have a beta-reader, *IF* you can stand constructive criticism. A beta-reader shouldn't just be letting you know where typos and stuff are, but speaking up when things 'just don't make sense' either with canon or whatever. Sometimes this can necessitate rewrites or cutting out entire sections that *you* might be very proud of. And sacrificing words, to a writer, can be like sacrificing babies.

I had beta-readers for previous non DA:O fics. Since then, though, I've finished a course that included proof-reading and editing so I've become pretty good at picking up my own mistakes. Of course, I still get the odd error after publishing (no one's perfect >.<) so I will fix typos on the fly.

Don't worry about time expectations. I know they tend to be there, and we don't want to disappoint people by taking too long (and we want to read more reviews!!), but rushing to get it out the door will usually only result in something you're less than proud of. You *should* be posting as close to the finished result as you can, complete with shiny lens flare, not something that needs to be patched up afterwards.

My two cents, anyway. Fanfiction is a passion, not a job, so people will have different ways of doing things.

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

EtteStarz wrote...

Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...

we don't want to disappoint people by taking too long....

I am totally gulity of this  

Hello, my name is Shadow of Light and I am a fanfiction writer!

(Hello, Shadow of Light!)

It has been a week since my last story update--

(BOO! HISS! *thrown cabbages*)

[Harold Genhi]

I am sadly up to almost 100k words... possibly more since i'm on chapter 33 now. I write fanfiction simply as a stress relief, and i give the characters the same personalities and motives that they share in the game in question. I'm open to criticism and i accept all kinds of criticism because i know that in the long run it is going to improve my writing skills and help my writing ability...

[westiex9]

Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...

EtteStarz wrote...

Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...

we don't want to disappoint people by taking too long....

I am totally gulity of this  

Hello, my name is Shadow of Light and I am a fanfiction writer!

(Hello, Shadow of Light!)

It has been a week since my last story update--

(BOO! HISS! *thrown cabbages*)

West: Oh not this again! damn audience has smeared the forums with cabbage and gore! hey pauly! stevie! get your butts up here and clean like you've never cleaned before

(later)

Janitor#1:i hate cabbage stevie!
Janitor#2:Shaddup beats cleaning up mob shootings in jersey
Janitor#1: you ever read any of this err fanfiction stuff
Janitor#2: Pfffftttt read it im  the ultimate author!
Janitor#2: what you write!
Janitor#1:Dragon age:Ablutions!
Janitor#2:Don't quit your day job

[Tasmen]

EtteStarz wrote...

You're too kind, Tasmen.  You can always count on forum members to do the dirty work;)

I am nothing if not diligent in my pursuit of the dirty.

Has any one found a good beta-reader?  Everyone needs a good copy editor (Gil knows I do), and often times it takes me about three or four drafts before I think it's "ready.'  And even then I still find stupid errors - missing works, the wrong word or the usual "what the hell does that mean" situation.  Do most people publish and rewrite as they get reviews?  I've found that web writing tends to have more silly mistakes because of the time expectations, and it seems that most readers expect that and forgive a little bit of it. 

I'll admit it (cause it probably shows now and again), I go without a net a lot.  I get impatient and want to publish so I just do it.  This usually results in me finding a myriad of errors in the update after it's up so I rush to fix those and then reload the chapter.  

However, that being said, I do have people that will beta for me if I ask (and I do).  As others have said, find someone that will be honest with you and be prepared to heed/follow our advice.  I beta'd for someone once who elected to ignore a lot of my advice and went forward with things that just made me visibly cringe (and others too).  I understood it was her story and all and ultimately it was her call what she did; however, why have a beta if you aren't going to listen to them?  

I've got a particular person that beta's for me and she is the most awesome of awesome.  I tell her all the time:  you keep me honest.  She calls me on weird word combos, tells me when something is asstastically cheese toast and when I hit something perfectly.

A good place to find betas would be here, livejournal DAO communities and on ffnet.

[Slim Warden]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I just started writing cause I wanted to see if i was capable of coherent writing, I've never been a big writer, but I've read tons of novels and i just recently decided to pursue a career in journalism.

[eucatastrophe]

Wow, what awesome advice! Thread has been bookmarked!



I think it's little bit like public speaking... after I get over the initial fear (not only of writing, but also having real people read it >_>), I'll be a lot more at ease! It does make me excited though, to write, to start a story... so I suppose that is one good thing!

[LadyDamodred]

My only other piece of advice, especially when writing established characters, is to make sure they STAY in character. Ugh. That's the most cringeworthy thing I find in fanfic. People take characters and have them behave completely unlike themselves. What is even the point of bringing a character back if they're not going to be the character?

[eucatastrophe]

Agreed LadyDamodred XD



I like how that sentiment itself sparked this huge thread. The OP always makes me smile hehe.

[LadyDamodred]

I've read fanfic where Morrigan turns into the happy stay-at-home mom and it makes me wanna rip my eyes out. Like, srsly? Morrigan. Srsly. *cries*

[eucatastrophe]

Well she does make a mean stew...

Btw, did you read The Gathering Storm?

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

EtteStarz wrote...

Mmm...sorry, Shadow of Light. Perhaps we should start a procrastinator's support group or something...it's been a month since my last update and now I'm kind of doing an overhaul of the last section I wrote (per a reviewed request) as I write the next section to both relieve the story and move it forward.

A month? That's nothing! When I was writing my last big fanfiction (The Black Ankh, based on the Ultima series) I had something like a *year* at *least* between the end of one chapter and the next. In my defence I had a good reason--writing dialogue for an Ultima mod. Since mods are more demanding on time and ours was working to deadlines, it got all the creative juice. Well worth it, however.

Recently, my procrastination has been more false-starts and trying to figure out how to resolve certain things. When I first started 'The Hunt' I was just writing on the fly, but eventually it reached a point where pacing and theme had become more solid and so I wanted to take extra care.

I have a large folder of out-takes, stuff that I wrote which for one reason or another did not make it into the story proper. I'll probably put it up somewhere afterwards with notes attached.

[Gilgamesh1138]

Ah Shadow is one of my favs too, so I love to read your take on this. It can be very hard to sacrifice things. I try and edit before I put it out, but I do wind up editing a little more after I post it. I tend to start memorizing my own work when I read it on Office Manager, changing the venue helps me catch things I didn't before. Including those," what the hell was that supposed to mean?" sentences that happen sometimes.

And I too admit to writing without a net.  But I do have a great person, who reveiws my work and loves it, but does not write DA:O fanfic, hasn't played the game yet (computer issues) and will tell me when I hit a high note, or when I hit the crapper.  He is invaluable. As all of you are.  I admit, my first few chapters had, and still have more mistakes than I like.  But I have seen an improvement in the later chapters, so I guess that is something?  

LadyD, I read that one with Morrigan happily staying home, and EEP! <-------- was my face when I read it.  *prays to gods of FF*  "Oh please don't let me do anything like that, may I be smited if I do."  I mean a little is one thing, people grow and change and you can't always get that in a game.  But that much change?  

Speaking of Shadow, I hope another fantastic chapter is coming soon. *bats lashes as she hefts a heavy cabbage*

Modifié par Gilgamesh1138, 17 avril 2010 - 01:34 .

[westiex9]

The best advice i can give is keep writing, sometimes people won't read your stuff but keep writing because the more you write the better you get at it.

[LadyDamodred]

eucatastrophe wrote...

Well she does make a mean stew...

Btw, did you read The Gathering Storm?

No.  No I have not.  I cannot even begin to describe the loathing I have for that series now.  The year Crossroads of Twilight was published, I read the first 1/2, put the book down and haven't touched it since.  This is coming from someone who has read thousands of books and has a compulsion to finish them as quickly as possible.

I've head TGS is much, much, much better, but I just can't bring myself to touch it.

Also, pissed that I'm still *dead*.

[Gilgamesh1138]

I am glad I am not the only one with things written down for their story. I have a notebook with folder slots in it. I carry it with me everywhere. I thought I might be a little OCD. I know I'm nuts so it couldn't just be that. LOL!

Modifié par Gilgamesh1138, 17 avril 2010 - 01:37 .

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

Gilgamesh1138 wrote...
Speaking of Shadow, I hope another fantastic chapter is coming soon. *bats lashes as she hefts a heavy cabbage*

It's being written in between forum posts and laundry, I swear!

EtteStarz wrote...

A year? 
Okay, you win.  So, you're working on a fan fiction that has a planned appendix?  Wow...serious stuff, gotta love that committment and attention to detail.  I'm impressed.         

Not so much planned as considered, if people are interested in things that 'might have happened'. Or even stuff that *did* happen offstage. Currently the appendix consists of swaths of text I decided not to use that I cut out then pasted at the end of the 'master document'. It pays to keep stuff you don't use, sometimes. Creative process and all.