10369 réponses à ce sujet

[Gilgamesh1138]

Yes it is *cracks whip* Now get to work!    And I wish I was in the area. I LOVE Henson. I have homages to him in my fanfic.

FYI, if you read my fic, take your time. It is not a novel so much as episodes all linked together. Kind of like the game actually, now that I think on it.

Modifié par Gilgamesh1138, 16 avril 2010 - 01:37 .

[Gilgamesh1138]

You are a deliberate and well thought out writer. That is why you can take your time. And you should. Your work is thoughtful, complex. Mine is more complex than some, and less than others. I think I am in between. That is why mine are episodes. That is probably why I can post so regularly.

: )

[Slim Warden]

So I'm just wondering, any of you have any advice for a writer who's just starting out?

[Miri1984]

Slim Warden wrote...

So I'm just wondering, any of you have any advice for a writer who's just starting out?

WRITE LOTS, then read it out loud. Makes you feel really silly the first time you do it, but it really helps you see if you're babbling or repeating yourself.

Use paragraphs. Cull adjectives. Have fun .

[eucatastrophe]

Miri1984 wrote...

Slim Warden wrote...

So I'm just wondering, any of you have any advice for a writer who's just starting out?

WRITE LOTS, then read it out loud. Makes you feel really silly the first time you do it, but it really helps you see if you're babbling or repeating yourself.

Use paragraphs. Cull adjectives. Have fun .

Hey Miri1984, thanks for the tip!
I happen to be a voracious reader, and a not bad general writer (if I might say so myself ); however my main concern is plot idea, and story length. How do you work those out?

Or do you do you do it really organically? You know, the paper is a blank canvas, and you go where the story takes so?

Thanks!

[eucatastrophe]

Double-post FTL!

Modifié par eucatastrophe, 16 avril 2010 - 10:58 .

[Slim Warden]

  Thanks Miri1984, I just recently started writing my Fan Fiction, and I was just looking for some advice from anyone who has  experience with things like this, cause I'm not getting alotta feedback from my story,  so I really appreciate the advice.
  
 

[Gilgamesh1138]

Um what Miri1984 said. And have fun! That is the most important. If you aren't your, writing will show it. Or if you want to get your angst out, do that.   Just keep in mind it will reflect it.

euca, I tend to write organically. My story is a series of episodes all tied together. Kinda like watching the TV series Buffy.  I have moments of fluff,  funny, and action, and angst.  But, I post almost everyday. I do have a plot, a goal, and and ending in mind. But I am writing the rest along the way, if that makes any sense. So I think it also depends on what kind of writer your are. Some here are more like novelists. They write their stories like books. Miri is one,and a most excellent one (so getting advice from her is a win). I wrote mine more like the episodes of a TV show, or the game itself, moments in time.

But write a lot, it really helps!

Modifié par Gilgamesh1138, 16 avril 2010 - 04:39 .

[MireliA]

Oh I was going to say - read it out loud but Miri beat me to it! . Also thats when you notice repetitive words and the thesaurus can be your friend (how geeky does that sound) .

As for sorting out a plot, I went with a basic idea and the rest seems to have filled itself in on the way, but I have written other things (for a writing course) that had a plot sorted out before I even put pen to paper.

For practice, you could Journal using 'stream of consciousness' technique (don't think about it, just write). That's what we were told to do as part of this course, perhaps a page a day and you get some interesting results.

Modifié par MireliA, 16 avril 2010 - 05:29 .

[LadyDamodred]

I also find, that for myself, rereading a lot helps. If you get tired of a section after a couple times through, it probably needs work. And if you're struggling to write a section, as in you want something to happen and just can't make it work, it's probably not meant to be. Try a different tactic, or even stop with that section for a little while and focus on smething else. Distance can be a very good thing if you're stuck.

[Gilgamesh1138]

Oh I keep up dictionary.com and thesaurus.com on seperate tabs up while I write. Great suggestion MireliA. And what Lady D said too.



I love some of the suggestions here, as I hadn't thought of them. Thanks guys!

[Tasmen]

Slim Warden wrote...

So I'm just wondering, any of you have any advice for a writer who's just starting out?

While practice does not make you perfect (I've yet to talk to a writer, me included, that thinks their work beyond improvement no matter what people tell them!) when it comes to writing, it most certainly can make you better.

For me, it was writing and writing and then writing some more.  Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com are your friends, but be sure not to abuse your buddy the Thesaurus too much.   It's really easy to try to pull words from there because they look great, but they don't always fit.  That is where your buddy the dictionary comes in to save the day.

Also, I've found it beyond invaluable to have a coeterie of other writers to bounce ideas off of, have read my stuff, and to tell me I'm being self-indulgent or cheesy.  This pool of writer pals has made my writing and stories so much better than they would have been had I written things in a vacuum. 

But most importantly?  Just have fun.  If you aren't writing in a way that makes you happy, then find a way that does. 

[Maria13]

Good advice here. I'm starting out too. Thanks!

[Tasmen]

Gilgamesh1138 wrote...

LOL, I wasn't reviewing before either. I would l just read and think, I liked it. Then I put my own story up and realized I had moments when the Gremlin of Self Doubt, that little bugger, would rear its head because of no reviews. I don't do that to authors anymore.

I am also addicted to the stats bars. They were broken for days and I missed out, it kinda made me mad. I was in the 700s - 1000 hits a day before it broke down. Not that I really know what the bars mean, I just like seeing them go up, up, up! : D

I will read Sundered order too Lady D.

I'm finally getting through other pages of this thread.  Phew!

Anyway, reviews are the bread & butter of a lot of fanfic writers.  I know for me, they are the sweet, sweet nectar that I feast upon and crave.  Good?  Bad?  It doesn't matter.  It's how I know if I'm doing something right or if I need to NOT do something.  I wish more people would leave reviews even if they are as simple as:  I love it!

And the stats bars?  My god.  If reviews are nectar, those bars are crack.  Having them broken made me a sad panda.

[Gilgamesh1138]

LOL, Tasmen, you said it! Reviews are the nectar for this honey bee. Stats bars, total crack. You made me laugh so hard my coworkers were looking at me funny.

And Tasmen is right, don't write in a vaccum! I am happy to help. I would love you all to help me too. I don't want to write cheesy crap. I am trying to write entertainingly, for you the audience, not for my own ego gratification. Do I get ego gratification from reviews, you bet! But that isn't my main reason for why I write. And while I am writing for the challenge of entertaining you all, I am also having a blast doing it!

Tasmen link to stories? I will read and review, I love to read new stuff.

Modifié par Gilgamesh1138, 16 avril 2010 - 08:02 .

[Miri1984]

Oh, when I discovered the stats bar on FF.net I almost.... well let's just say if I was a boy it would have been messy.



As far as plots are concerned, they're the thing that I have difficulty with. Usually a plot grows out of me wanting a certain character to go through something - my writing is always based around character which is why I love writing fanfic so much (Alistair and Anders at the moment!). I'll have a situation or a conflict in mind for that character and then build the rest of the story around it.



For example - the plot of Losses (my last big epic ff) revolved around Alistair and Miranda and her pregnancy - I wanted to explore how the two of them would deal with the fears and joys of it. Of course there needed to be a bit more oomph to it, which is why it ended up with a plot to kill them, but the basic premise was based around that idea.



I don't plan as such - I have a direction I want to go and then the story takes me there (or not sometimes, which is supremely frustrating).

[Tasmen]

Gilgamesh1138 wrote...
Tasmen link to stories? I will read and review, I love to read new stuff.

Oh I believe you read one of mine already, The Summer Sword *whistles*.  But you can find all my other stuff here.  Some of it is pretty damn cracky, others are just humor pieces and some are bits flat out angsty.

[Gilgamesh1138]

Oh you saucy minx! well I have 74 ready for FF and with your shout out Tamen, but I can't upload it from work computers. So I will when I get home. Sorry about the delay. And I will be tapping that link! "Summer Sword" was fantastic!



Miril I love "Losses." I thought you handled the joys and worries very very well.

[Tarante11a]

hello m'dears, hope you don't mind me throwing my 2ps-worth in.

@Slim Warden and eucatastrophe - I agree with what the others have said, reading a lot and using the people here as sounding boards. Try not to get too hung up on reviews - I have been very guilty of that in the passed [blushes as Tasmen! ] and that way lies madness to a certain extent. My best bits of advice are:-

1 - Get yourself a really good beta-reader, who you trust and who's writing YOU like.
2 - Be open to the good advice other writers give you, even if you don't really like what they're saying. If they've thought of something, chances are, other people will too.
3 - Stick to your guns as well though.  I think it's important to write things YOU want to read.
4 - And lastly, there is not one person I've met through writing fics — either here on BSN or on ff.net — who doesn't at some point think they suck and feel that reading their own work is like having pins stuck in their eyes. When you get that, talk to people and ask them for a *hug*. You will get lots! And eventually the horrible feeling will go away and you can carry on. DO NOT delete or throw anything away when you feel like this!

Hope those help a bit. ^^

Modifié par Tarante11a, 16 avril 2010 - 11:16 .

[Gilgamesh1138]

Tarante11a! *HUGS* I am glad you put your two cents in. And everything Tara said too. Especially #4, and despite the urge to do so, DO NOT hit delete.



I have been there just recently. My finger hovered over the delete button, and I was not wanting to write. But good friends from the forum and FF helped give me a hug, and a slap in the head lala Gibbs in NCIS when I took my little whine and a moan to "I am going to delete it all." Yeah, hugs are good, but also have a few friends who will slap ya too when ya need it. : D

[Tasmen]

EtteStarz wrote...

Augh...I need a slap now and then too. Just got up from "resting" my eyes - a little too long. I think everyone will agree that writing isn't easy - it's a labor of love and a lifelong process so you have to keep at it. There really isn't an "easy" way if you care about the craft and your work..

Uh.... *slap* ?

Labor of love is a great way of putting it btw.