10369 réponses à ce sujet

[mousestalker]

LupusYondergirl wrote...

mousestalker wrote...

Everything I'm writing today is coming out clunky. I've tried writing a romantic scene and it's come out as though the Rock'Em Sock'Em robots were trying to get it on. Where did my words go?

Are you listening to the proper music?  I've been trying to write the same smut scene for like two hours and realized, oh, just now that the music I was listening to did not exactly say sexytimes to me. 

Time to break out the Lords of Acid.  (Really, it's Zevran smut so I should have gone to that immediately)

Good thought. I've had Mamma Mia on in the background. Piers Brosnan is many wonderful things, but he isn't a singer. Time for Barry White.

[TanithAeyrs]

mousestalker wrote...



Good thought. I've had Mamma Mia on in the background. Piers Brosnan is many wonderful things, but he isn't a singer. Time for Barry White.

LOL, Pierce Brosnan is great but he should NEVER be allowed to sing.  I was apperently channeling Meatloaf for this week's Zev thread prompt

[Sarah1281]

You know, I really didn't think he was that bad. Nothing spectacular, of course, but I can listen to the songs without getting a headache or it hurting my ears.

[KSuri]

LupusYondergirl wrote...

Time to break out the Lords of Acid.  (Really, it's Zevran smut so I should have gone to that immediately)

I keep hearing about this Zevran smut and can't for the life of me find your ongoing smutiness. So if you could just help a gal out and be so wonderful as to post a link I will be all over said Zev smut like tattoos on assassins.

[LupusYondergirl]

Hahaha... well, first it was trapped on my broken laptop, unfinished, for a week.
Then I had a paper due in my Dostoevsky class.
And now I'm sitting here looking at my screen going "all right, this SHOULD NOT read exactly like Anders smut. And yet, it does."

Anders smut I've got TONS of. Shoot, I got annoyed with this and wrote more for a livejournal prompt. Zevran, none yet. My blight story is just to the tent chapter. And I am staring at my uncooperative screen shaking a fist.

Ugh.  Hopefully it'll be done tonight.  So annoyed.  But, in any case, it's the only Amell/Zevran story on my ffnet account (in my signature).

Modifié par LupusYondergirl, 21 septembre 2010 - 10:53 .

[SurelyForth]

So I just got the most awesome review ever in which I was told that I changed someone's opinion about fanfic for the better and inspired her to maybe publish some things she's written. Also, she lost some weight whilst mainlining my fic.



(And she used the word awkward twice in the review, but I imagine I'm the only one who would find that awesome.)

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

Dean_the_Young wrote...

In my Noblesse Oblige collection, in the latest one I made mention that, thanks to some Dark Ritual/bloodmagic/let's leave it vague, male Cousland and Anora have a daughter. A daughter who will likely appear in some future Codex or another...

after I figure out a good and appropriate name. So far all I can think is the first and middle name being after Cousland and Anora's mothers, but I thought I'd dabble and see what other people think.

I'm with what some of the others have said...for Ferelden human names I've gone to name sites, found the cultures that use things like Anora/Teagan/Eamon/Fergus etc and pick something from the list. I have some exceptions (like my PC), but naming trends can help immersion. If you're going to make up a name, I'd advise something that isn't too different to the culture.

Unless you're doing a parody. Then you can call the kid Giggles McHiccup if you really want.

SurelyForth wrote...

So I just got the most awesome review ever in which I was told that I changed someone's opinion about fanfic
for the better and inspired her to maybe publish some things she's  written. Also, she lost some weight whilst mainlining my fic.

(And she used the word awkward twice in the review, but I imagine I'm the only one who would find that awesome.)

Grats! Another reader won over to the awesomeness that is fanfiction...excellent...

*diabolical author-laughter ensues*

Modifié par Shadow of Light Dragon, 22 septembre 2010 - 02:47 .

[FutileSine]

Ugh. Anybody else have a really difficult time maintaining a good balance between the characters regarding "page-time"? Its like I rotate which party member is my current fav, and all the others *might* get a sentence or two per chapter before its their turn to shine once more in the "page-light". Is this just a skill that will, inshallah, come in time?



I also find it so difficult to try to balance between character development (of all my characters!) and story progression. I feel as if I were to focus overly much on the characters, how they act and feel, the actual plot wouldn't progress at all, or when the story finally ends it will be at hundreds of thousands of words. Dialogue is exciting, but describing dialogue and events makes getting through what I see as rather boring events so much quicker!



Opinions? Suggestions? Or am I the only one trying to figure out the right balances of these things....?

[LupusYondergirl]

I don't know, I think in any group of people it makes sense that some would be closer than others. The ones who aren't as close with your Warden aren't likely to spend as much time speaking with him/her or anything.



Although... my story is at hundreds and hundreds of thousands of words, so my advice may suck in that regard.

[Sarah1281]

@FutileSine: I've had everyone in the party have their own moments to get across important information about themselves (although Wynne only talks to Alistair about hers now since she hates my Warden) and try to make sure that everyone gets a few lines here and there throughout the story but somehow, despite literally leaving a third of the party behind, they're kind of getting neglected in my most recent chapters. I think it's because I'm finally back in Orzammar and so am having fun with the succession thing (and pointedly reminding myself that I'm not writing for anybody else despite how much I'm dreading the probable backlash that will be coming soon) and Zevran, Sten, Morrigan, and Shale just really don't care all that much about it. At least Shale has researching golems to occupy her otherwise she'd probably start causing problems by crushing things when no one's looking.

[OfficerDonNZ]

When I'm writing it really depends on where the story is up to and what I want to cover for that chapter. For my main fics (see sig) As a general rule my main two leads are almost always together with whichever of the party might be present for whatever quest they're undertaking.



As for character development you'd be surprised who easily that can happen. Half the time I plan on something and the characters have other ideas entirely Also from time to time I do a chapter or two that has nothing to do with the main plot at all. It might be dealing with my main leads relationship issues or one member of the party has their mother turn up.

[Merilsell]

OfficerDonNZ wrote...
As for character development you'd be surprised who easily that can happen. Half the time I plan on something and the characters have other ideas entirely Also from time to time I do a chapter or two that has nothing to do with the main plot at all. It might be dealing with my main leads relationship issues or one member of the party has their mother turn up.

Oh this. A hundred times over.

I actually plan a chapter out, but then my little Dalish comes along, says NO and makes it to something entirely different most the time. Especially she and Alistair have a dynamic of their own and with that I'm not only mean their relationship to each other but them as characters in a whole. They do take over at times and a chap might not end where I have planned it to be, but that is what makes fun in the character development- department.

While my Fic is focused on my sassy Dalish first and than her fellow Warden and their dynamic, I try to balance the spotlight out to the others as well. Yet as said before here, the ones Lenya couldn't stand are really far less in the focus (Leliana, Oghren) than the ones she likes (Two long convos with Morrigan and Shale already for example) Though within time of that behemoth my story is, every character will get their moment to shine, more or less.

Also I try to balance the needed and well-known plot nugs (that a playthrough fic has) out with the chapters in between. Needless to say that those serve greatly to develop the characters and relationships. And I like to take my time for that, because I abhor nothing more than 'we met yesterday but you sooo are the love of my life' stories. So that might be the reason I have more in between chapter than ones to the actual "blight-plot"

[Maria13]

Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...


I'm with what some of the others have said...for Ferelden human names I've gone to name sites, found the cultures that use things like Anora/Teagan/Eamon/Fergus etc and pick something from the list. I have some exceptions (like my PC), but naming trends can help immersion. If you're going to make up a name, I'd advise something that isn't too different to the culture.

This is much what I do, I wanted to name a character Sarah and then discovered the Celtic version was Sorcha (lovely name BTW) so that's what she became.

I've almost decided to name Lanaya's Dalish clan The Istvaen, does anyone here have an opinion?

[jenncgf]

FutileSine wrote...

Ugh. Anybody else have a really difficult time maintaining a good balance between the characters regarding "page-time"? Its like I rotate which party member is my current fav, and all the others *might* get a sentence or two per chapter before its their turn to shine once more in the "page-light". Is this just a skill that will, inshallah, come in time?

I also find it so difficult to try to balance between character development (of all my characters!) and story progression. I feel as if I were to focus overly much on the characters, how they act and feel, the actual plot wouldn't progress at all, or when the story finally ends it will be at hundreds of thousands of words. Dialogue is exciting, but describing dialogue and events makes getting through what I see as rather boring events so much quicker!

Opinions? Suggestions? Or am I the only one trying to figure out the right balances of these things....?

I have that problem too.  I really want to pay attention to certain characters at certain times, but it doesn't work for whatever reason.

I keep reminding myself that I'm trying to work from a particular perspective (each of my stories, save one, is written entirely from one character's perspective) and that he or she may not always notice everyone who is in his/her life.  So, to that end, I try to make it realistic for that character's perspective in terms of how much she notices and who she notices. 

If someone keeps pushing at my muse, I make notes to start a story from his/her perspective and put it in another fic.  If that person or a scene involving that person just NEEDS to get out, I'll quick write a one-shot to placate the muse.

I think it's not necessarily realistic to have everyone the main character knows mentioned in every chapter, at least for myself.  I don't think I'm clever enough to put all that activity in without the story reading as completely frenetic.  So I try to pick and choose who gets writing time and write down everything that doesn't move my particular story forward, if I can manage it, and save alternate perspectives/people for a different story.

Well, now that I've written my novel here, I'll get back to writing more stuff that nobody probably wants to read except for me. 

[LupusYondergirl]

We're back! Woohoo!
And I finally finished that damned smut bit that had been taunting me for a week.
Turned out he didn't want Lords of Acid.  He wanted Venus in Furs.  Covered by goth bands.  Go figure.

Modifié par LupusYondergirl, 22 septembre 2010 - 05:48 .

[Maria13]

LupusYondergirl wrote...

We're back! Woohoo!
And I finally finished that damned smut bit that had been taunting me for a week.
Turned out he didn't want Lords of Acid.  He wanted Venus in Furs.  Covered by goth bands.  Go figure.

Sounds suitably Sacher-Masoch to me...

[LupusYondergirl]

Well, it is Zevran...

(And Maggie isn't exactly a paragon of well-adjusted normalcy)

[Maria13]

Exactly. That's why I love DA, it can throw up things like this quite creditably...

[LupusYondergirl]

Yes! It would be almost strange that someone who was basically conditioned to see people as disposable commodities and the means to an end from childhood, and someone who has been told they're basically an evil affront to god himself their entire life wouldn't end up with some wires crossed somewhere in their head.

I just can't see two people like that settling in for some lovey-dovey fluff.

[FutileSine]

 Just want to send out a quick thank you to people who replied to my lament.  I was glad to hear that I wasn't alone!  

:happy:

@Jenncgf.  The idea of doing one shots is definitely intriguing...Hmm...

[Sarah1281]

So I just realized that I've probably spent more time writing DA fanfics than I have actually playing the game...

[SurelyForth]

Sarah1281 wrote...

So I just realized that I've probably spent more time writing DA fanfics than I have actually playing the game...

I think I have, too. Which is impressive considering that I have ~twenty full Origins playthroughs and four for Awakening. 

[Sarah1281]

SurelyForth wrote...

Sarah1281 wrote...

So I just realized that I've probably spent more time writing DA fanfics than I have actually playing the game...

I think I have, too. Which is impressive considering that I have ~twenty full Origins playthroughs and four for Awakening. 

 That really is impressive. I've played far less given that I'm on console so there's no option for mods or screenshots and I have a very short attention span. Now I'm kind of curious as to just how much time you spend on fanfics...

[SurelyForth]

Sarah1281 wrote...
That really is impressive. I've played far less given that I'm on console so there's no option for mods or screenshots and I have a very short attention span. Now I'm kind of curious as to just how much time you spend on fanfics...

I think I'm about to embarrass myself here, but I'd say I spend between 15 and 20 hours per chapter (and my average chapter length is ~6,000 words). It's not all writing but I compose quite a bit during downtime at work and during my commute (actually, that's all I do when I commute, so that's 5 hours a week). And I dedicate Saturdays almost exclusively to manhandling my laptop to get words onto a page. Multiply that by 43 (which includes my main fic and the three canon but not included shorts), and that's...a lot of hours.

This is why I called my story the big, stupid timesink for the first few months I was writing it. Because of my own weird writing habits and general mind wonkiness, I've had to be fairly committed to this fic thing.

Modifié par SurelyForth, 23 septembre 2010 - 03:16 .

[Sarah1281]

SurelyForth wrote...

Sarah1281 wrote...
That really is impressive. I've played far less given that I'm on console so there's no option for mods or screenshots and I have a very short attention span. Now I'm kind of curious as to just how much time you spend on fanfics...

I think I'm about to embarrass myself here, but I'd say I spend between 15 and 20 hours per chapter (and my average chapter length is ~6,000 words). It's not all writing but I compose quite a bit during downtime at work and during my commute (actually, that's all I do when I commute, so that's 5 hours a week). And I dedicate Saturdays almost exclusively to manhandling my laptop to get words onto a page. Multiply that by 43 (which includes my main fic and the three canon but not included shorts), and that's...a lot of hours.

This is why I called my story the big, stupid timesink for the first few months I was writing it. Because of my own weird writing habits and general mind wonkiness, I've had to be fairly committed to this fic thing.

Mine takes forever as well. I don't know how many hours are involved and I do get distracted sometimes but I usually just set aside two days that, when I get home, I do pretty much nothing but get through my next update. I've got to admit, I will be so glad when it's over as this is - without a doubt - the biggest story I've ever done.