Cloud
12-20-2009, 01:04 AM
What is it for? WELL. I think it'd be a good idea for the writers of TPPC to be able to collaborate and talk with each other. Sharing experiences and sharing skills with less experienced writers.
Also I will be putting up some good guidelines for new writers to follow to help them along in their literary journeys; since I am the best writer in TPPC |D *coughs* Hardly >_> But I'll go as far as to say that I'm fairly decent. :tongue: And of course tips from other writers are certainly welcome, and will be added into this main post if needed.
1. Your plot.
Plot, plot, plot. It is the most essential part of any story, for without a good plot, how is it to attract any attention?
Plots can be fun at first. You get an inspiration and you go all O________________________O and start writing your story. You're so excited, you're so pumped. Sometimes its all you can think about and you're all twitchy when you're doing something other than writing. You're posting, waiting impatiently for people to reply.
Anyways, you go perfectly fine like this for a while, making your story longer. Some of the initial excitement goes down and you think about your fic in a leisurely manner. And slooooooowly it declines until you're looking at it like =| The passion's been hideously murdered and you suddenly think your story's a piece of reeking dinosaur-crap. And then you abandon it, hide it under a rug, and feel bad thinking you're no good a writer.
Well, guess what?
YOURE WRONG!!!
To get your plot straight is the hardest part. Most of the time you get a feeling that you're gonna have this superspeacialamazingubercool ending and then a beginning as your launch pad. Unfortunately, we usually lack what it takes to bring us from point A, the start, to point B, the end. We're missing the middle.
Plots take careful planning. You can't just start writing as soon as you get an idea. You'll be so busy, that you won't see what you have to go through to actually get there. So you will fail.
You can dodge this by planning. =D Planning as in "Ok, I can has an idea, but I need to know how I'm going to get there." You can do this anyway you want, ANNNNNNYYYYYWAAAAAYYY YOU WANT! Writing out an outline, doing something visually, etc. You have to know your story before you even touch the pencil/keyboard (however you're writing) and then the hard part is over. Well...almost D: Also, you have to know the world which your world set too. Know as much as you can about it. From the big things to the tiny things. And don't forget to know your characters. Know what they look like, how they act, know their life, know what they're good at etc.. You can do this buy setting up a little profile for your character..
Name
Age
Gender
Height
Weight
Personality
History
ect...
Anyway. Like I said. Know your story before you start writing your story. Outlines. Charts. Whatever works.
2. Your writing.
How you write makes or breaks your story.
Even if you have the most amazing plot ever written, if u type liek this whith crapy spelign and no grammer ur fic wil never be raed. Honestly, no one will EVER pay attention to it.
Write in English. D: Spell good, know what a sentence is, use commas, use periods/dots/points.
NOTE: While spelling is awesome, don't think that you can't use slang in character dialogue, since how a person talks can very much bring them alive.
NOTE #2: Typos are fine. Don't freak out over them. You could spell check and proof read your chapters twice before posting and there will still most likely be a typo or two somewhere. Don't fret. They'll usually be pointed out to you by your readers, and know everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure you've seen books with typos in them.
Use paragraphs. Because if you type without making any paragraphs at all, your readers will be sitting looking at an ungodly wall of text, and will click the Back button before they even see the first word.
Now paragraphs can be funny things, and it can be confusing to know when you should start a knew one.
One thing you should always do is make a new paragraph whenever a different person starts speaking
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Cloud asked. "Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Tidus replied.
Don't do this!! :(
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Cloud asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Tidus replied.
Yes. Because, if you keep doing that in the same paragraph, it can get VERY confusing as to who is saying what. Now, real professional paragraphing looks like this:
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Cloud asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Tidus replied.
Professionally, there are only spaces between paragraphs when a length of time has passed, and new paragraphs are indented to mark the start of a new one. However, on this forum we space each paragraph and typically mark a passage of time with an extra hit of the Enter key or a line.
I use seven dashes to mark a passage of time in my stories. But other people do ~*~*~*~ or _____________, ect... whatever works.
As for the other times to start a new paragraph. Really it's sorta up to you. Paragraphs can be super short one liners or they can be pretty long. It's something you get the hang of as you progress your writing talent.
So where were we... spelling, grammar, paragraphs. That's it for structure, but there's more to that. There's also the dreaded details. Usually we find ourselves not using enough, (sometimes too much.)
Your story depends on your ability to write, but not only in spelling, grammar. Details are what bring your story to life. They're what makes it real to everyone else. Details are what put the images in your reader's heads. Using them well means you can allow your readers to see your story exactly like you want them to.
"Use Flamethrower, Growlithe!" the trainer ordered. His growlithe nodded and shot flames at its enemy.
"Block it with Protect, Bellsprout!" the other trainer said. Bellsprout obeyed the command and blocked the attack.
You're doing it wrong.
"Growlithe, get that plant with a good ol' Flamethrower!" the trainer commanded haughtily as he looked condescendingly upon the foe with passionate eyes, confident that the match would be his in no time. The growlithe barked in reply, the fluffy hair on its body stood on end as the dog-pokemon blew forth a blazing hot line of fire from its maw.
"Hmph, it won't be that easy!" The second trainer said with a grin, brushing a hand through his semi-long hair as he told his bellsprout to use Protect. The thin grass-type reacted quickly, thrusting its own roots into the ground and calling up dozens more of all sizes. The vines formed themselves into a thick wall directly between the flower pokemon and the incoming attack.
The vines took the hit of the super-effective attack, leaving Bellsprout with enough time to counter the attack. "Follow it up with Acid," the bellsprout's trainer smirked. The grass-type dashed around its burning wall of roots, mouth gurgling with a purple liquid. It vomited the substance through the air, catching the canine off guard. The acid landed on the growlithe's back and began sizzling at once, causing the fire-type to howl in pain.
That's much more fun to read. It's easier to imagine what's going on in the second version than it the first, which leaves it wide open. You'll also notice a that my Protect was pretty different. Don't be afraid to think out of the box.
(I know this applies only to pokemon fics)
Attacks don't have to be exactly how you see them in the anime or the games. I personally don't like to think that any pokemon can throw up a big green ball of energy for a shield. You may think that it's fine and that's ok. Pokemon certainly have a magical aspect to them. I personally like to be more creative than that though.
Other things about details.
Good to know are three W's. Who, Where, and When.
Who? Who's around? Is it just your character all by themselves? Are they in a crowd? Is there someone off in the distance? Make sure everyone is accounted for.
Where? Where is your current setting? What city, what country, what region, what planet. What's it like. Trees? Plants? Busy city? How's the weather? Is it hot? Cold? Rainy?
When? Present? Past? Future? What time is it?
Keep a note of those as you go through your writing. Also you should incorporate these into the Where.
Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste.
You have five senses, and so should your characters. What do they see? What do they hear? What can they smell? What's that object feel like? What does that pidgeon-spotted cement taste like? ... Ok no. But yeah XD you get the idea.
Also make sure that you're conveying your characters thoughts and feelings. You have feelings and so should they.
3. Comments and criticism.
Ooooh, the much wanted comments and the detestable criticism.
Don't give up if there's no comments for starters. That's silly. I'm sure you'd love to know what people think of your amazing story, but don't stop when you don't get any feedback. Half the fun of writing is finishing the story yourself and knowing you did it.
Don't lose heart at criticism, even if it seems harsh. You can determine for yourself whether or not to listen to it. You can accept that they're right on what they're saying and decide you'll work on improving that area, or you could totally disagree with them and keep doing what you're doing, but be smart about it and know that you're not perfect.
Don't let good comments get to your head.
4. Inspiration.
Inspiration, it's how all stories start. It's also how they keep going and the source of your ideas.
Inspirations come from everywhere. Movies, TV, video games, music, art, people, other stories/books, dreams, nature (pfft), ect...
Good way to keep yourself fresh and moving is to immerse yourself in inspiration. Things that'll get your mind moving. It's also a way to bash through pesky writer's blocks.
If you're writing some action-packed fic it's a good idea to keep yourself immersed in corresponding inspiration. Action movies, suspensful books, stuff like that.
NOTE >:0 There's a difference between using something as inspiration and downright stealing it. That's called plagiarism, and it's a bannable offense here on TPPC Trainers Corner. If there's a new movie out about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them, and then I see a fic by you about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them.... yeah, you're getting banned.
5. Your characters.
Name: Vincent Von Violta
Race: Vampire
Gender: Male
Age: 3085
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 130
Appearance: Pure white skin, deepest black hair that is semi-long. Red eyes that can change color based on mood. Black trench coat, black leather boots. Black pants. Is super attractive and has fangirls. "OH, EDWA-... I mean. OH, VINCENT!~"
Personality: Cold, prone to anger. Super smart and wise. Can be violent, but totally loyal to friends.
Abilities: Immortal/quick healing. Blinding reflexes, beast-like strength and inhuman speed. Knows all forms of martial arts and knows how to use many weapons. Can turn invisible, fly, transform. Shines in sunlight.
History: Orphaned at birth because of a werewolf attack. Was saved when a coven came to kill the werewolf. Was adopted by the vampires and was turned into one. Trained super-hard his whole life to be the best and to hunt down werewolves because they killed his wife too. Has a big reputation in the vampire world and is respected by many and hated by a few of the noble clans. Currently a free-lancer, takes on jobs that require his amazing skills.
K. Sounds cool right? Mm-hm, mm-hm. *nods*
...
Wrong.
WHAT? D: BUT HE'S SO COOL.
Nope, he's not. He's too much of a Gary Stu. What's a Gary Stu? The male equivalent of a Mary Sue. Who's she? She is the person who's perfect in every imaginable way. Same with Gary.
See, none of us are perfect. And if none of us are perfect, how the heck are we supposed to relate to someone who is? We can't. We can't really understand the character well enough because of how perfect they are. There's nothing to relate to, making the character stale really fast.
So while tempting, god-like characters such as these are usually not the best thing to have, not right off the bat anyway. And I'm not saying that having them is a huge nono; I have my share of over-powered characters, which a few of you very well know. :P But there's a difference between over-powered and perfect.
See, any good character is someone who causes the reader to have an emotional reaction to. "Oh gods! D: NO! DON'T DO THAT!" or "Don't cry! (hugs)" or "AHAHAHA ILU, INSERTCHARACTERNAMEHERE" Doesn't always have to be good either. The reader could boil with rage at one of your characters.
Any, any, sort of emotional reaction causes the reader to see the character as a person instead of words. They feel something for them, humanizing them. This is hard to do if a character is a god.
Now, this also can make it more difficult to make a character; Someone who you are pleased with as well as someone who the readers will like/dislike.
An easy way to do this is to perhaps base them off of yourself. This could be personality-wise, appearance-wise, or both. They're a bit easier to write for because all you have to do is ask yourself what you would do in whatever situation they're in.
Other ways are to base characters off of people you know, which is pretty common. A friend, a sibling, a parent, a teacher, ect.
A third way is to base them off an existing character. This character could be from a tv show, cartoon, movie, book, or even another fic. This ties into inspiration/plagiarism.
Lastly is for you to create a completely new person from scratch which isn't quite so easy.
Also good is to make sure your characters have some diversity. Variety is the spice of life, and if all your characters are liek, frickin' the same, your fic gets pretty bland.
Careful planning and thought make your characters three dimensional, and whatever you're drawing them from, it's good to spend sometime on them. Characters are the meat and cheese of your fic, and the better they taste and go together, the better off your fic is.
In short. Down to earth characters that can be felt for like actual people is what you need.
---------------------------------
That's it for now, I got the basics I think. Basically, just keep working on whatever it is you're working on. If it doesn't work out, don't be afraid to ditch it and work on something new.
One last thing. If you like writing then you better have a good appetite for reading :P Reading books and other fics are a great way to improve your skill.
Also I will be putting up some good guidelines for new writers to follow to help them along in their literary journeys; since I am the best writer in TPPC |D *coughs* Hardly >_> But I'll go as far as to say that I'm fairly decent. :tongue: And of course tips from other writers are certainly welcome, and will be added into this main post if needed.
1. Your plot.
Plot, plot, plot. It is the most essential part of any story, for without a good plot, how is it to attract any attention?
Plots can be fun at first. You get an inspiration and you go all O________________________O and start writing your story. You're so excited, you're so pumped. Sometimes its all you can think about and you're all twitchy when you're doing something other than writing. You're posting, waiting impatiently for people to reply.
Anyways, you go perfectly fine like this for a while, making your story longer. Some of the initial excitement goes down and you think about your fic in a leisurely manner. And slooooooowly it declines until you're looking at it like =| The passion's been hideously murdered and you suddenly think your story's a piece of reeking dinosaur-crap. And then you abandon it, hide it under a rug, and feel bad thinking you're no good a writer.
Well, guess what?
YOURE WRONG!!!
To get your plot straight is the hardest part. Most of the time you get a feeling that you're gonna have this superspeacialamazingubercool ending and then a beginning as your launch pad. Unfortunately, we usually lack what it takes to bring us from point A, the start, to point B, the end. We're missing the middle.
Plots take careful planning. You can't just start writing as soon as you get an idea. You'll be so busy, that you won't see what you have to go through to actually get there. So you will fail.
You can dodge this by planning. =D Planning as in "Ok, I can has an idea, but I need to know how I'm going to get there." You can do this anyway you want, ANNNNNNYYYYYWAAAAAYYY YOU WANT! Writing out an outline, doing something visually, etc. You have to know your story before you even touch the pencil/keyboard (however you're writing) and then the hard part is over. Well...almost D: Also, you have to know the world which your world set too. Know as much as you can about it. From the big things to the tiny things. And don't forget to know your characters. Know what they look like, how they act, know their life, know what they're good at etc.. You can do this buy setting up a little profile for your character..
Name
Age
Gender
Height
Weight
Personality
History
ect...
Anyway. Like I said. Know your story before you start writing your story. Outlines. Charts. Whatever works.
2. Your writing.
How you write makes or breaks your story.
Even if you have the most amazing plot ever written, if u type liek this whith crapy spelign and no grammer ur fic wil never be raed. Honestly, no one will EVER pay attention to it.
Write in English. D: Spell good, know what a sentence is, use commas, use periods/dots/points.
NOTE: While spelling is awesome, don't think that you can't use slang in character dialogue, since how a person talks can very much bring them alive.
NOTE #2: Typos are fine. Don't freak out over them. You could spell check and proof read your chapters twice before posting and there will still most likely be a typo or two somewhere. Don't fret. They'll usually be pointed out to you by your readers, and know everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure you've seen books with typos in them.
Use paragraphs. Because if you type without making any paragraphs at all, your readers will be sitting looking at an ungodly wall of text, and will click the Back button before they even see the first word.
Now paragraphs can be funny things, and it can be confusing to know when you should start a knew one.
One thing you should always do is make a new paragraph whenever a different person starts speaking
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Cloud asked. "Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Tidus replied.
Don't do this!! :(
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Cloud asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Tidus replied.
Yes. Because, if you keep doing that in the same paragraph, it can get VERY confusing as to who is saying what. Now, real professional paragraphing looks like this:
"So, liek, do you, liek, yeah?" Cloud asked.
"Oh, ttly, liek yeah, you know what I, liek, mean?" Tidus replied.
Professionally, there are only spaces between paragraphs when a length of time has passed, and new paragraphs are indented to mark the start of a new one. However, on this forum we space each paragraph and typically mark a passage of time with an extra hit of the Enter key or a line.
I use seven dashes to mark a passage of time in my stories. But other people do ~*~*~*~ or _____________, ect... whatever works.
As for the other times to start a new paragraph. Really it's sorta up to you. Paragraphs can be super short one liners or they can be pretty long. It's something you get the hang of as you progress your writing talent.
So where were we... spelling, grammar, paragraphs. That's it for structure, but there's more to that. There's also the dreaded details. Usually we find ourselves not using enough, (sometimes too much.)
Your story depends on your ability to write, but not only in spelling, grammar. Details are what bring your story to life. They're what makes it real to everyone else. Details are what put the images in your reader's heads. Using them well means you can allow your readers to see your story exactly like you want them to.
"Use Flamethrower, Growlithe!" the trainer ordered. His growlithe nodded and shot flames at its enemy.
"Block it with Protect, Bellsprout!" the other trainer said. Bellsprout obeyed the command and blocked the attack.
You're doing it wrong.
"Growlithe, get that plant with a good ol' Flamethrower!" the trainer commanded haughtily as he looked condescendingly upon the foe with passionate eyes, confident that the match would be his in no time. The growlithe barked in reply, the fluffy hair on its body stood on end as the dog-pokemon blew forth a blazing hot line of fire from its maw.
"Hmph, it won't be that easy!" The second trainer said with a grin, brushing a hand through his semi-long hair as he told his bellsprout to use Protect. The thin grass-type reacted quickly, thrusting its own roots into the ground and calling up dozens more of all sizes. The vines formed themselves into a thick wall directly between the flower pokemon and the incoming attack.
The vines took the hit of the super-effective attack, leaving Bellsprout with enough time to counter the attack. "Follow it up with Acid," the bellsprout's trainer smirked. The grass-type dashed around its burning wall of roots, mouth gurgling with a purple liquid. It vomited the substance through the air, catching the canine off guard. The acid landed on the growlithe's back and began sizzling at once, causing the fire-type to howl in pain.
That's much more fun to read. It's easier to imagine what's going on in the second version than it the first, which leaves it wide open. You'll also notice a that my Protect was pretty different. Don't be afraid to think out of the box.
(I know this applies only to pokemon fics)
Attacks don't have to be exactly how you see them in the anime or the games. I personally don't like to think that any pokemon can throw up a big green ball of energy for a shield. You may think that it's fine and that's ok. Pokemon certainly have a magical aspect to them. I personally like to be more creative than that though.
Other things about details.
Good to know are three W's. Who, Where, and When.
Who? Who's around? Is it just your character all by themselves? Are they in a crowd? Is there someone off in the distance? Make sure everyone is accounted for.
Where? Where is your current setting? What city, what country, what region, what planet. What's it like. Trees? Plants? Busy city? How's the weather? Is it hot? Cold? Rainy?
When? Present? Past? Future? What time is it?
Keep a note of those as you go through your writing. Also you should incorporate these into the Where.
Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste.
You have five senses, and so should your characters. What do they see? What do they hear? What can they smell? What's that object feel like? What does that pidgeon-spotted cement taste like? ... Ok no. But yeah XD you get the idea.
Also make sure that you're conveying your characters thoughts and feelings. You have feelings and so should they.
3. Comments and criticism.
Ooooh, the much wanted comments and the detestable criticism.
Don't give up if there's no comments for starters. That's silly. I'm sure you'd love to know what people think of your amazing story, but don't stop when you don't get any feedback. Half the fun of writing is finishing the story yourself and knowing you did it.
Don't lose heart at criticism, even if it seems harsh. You can determine for yourself whether or not to listen to it. You can accept that they're right on what they're saying and decide you'll work on improving that area, or you could totally disagree with them and keep doing what you're doing, but be smart about it and know that you're not perfect.
Don't let good comments get to your head.
4. Inspiration.
Inspiration, it's how all stories start. It's also how they keep going and the source of your ideas.
Inspirations come from everywhere. Movies, TV, video games, music, art, people, other stories/books, dreams, nature (pfft), ect...
Good way to keep yourself fresh and moving is to immerse yourself in inspiration. Things that'll get your mind moving. It's also a way to bash through pesky writer's blocks.
If you're writing some action-packed fic it's a good idea to keep yourself immersed in corresponding inspiration. Action movies, suspensful books, stuff like that.
NOTE >:0 There's a difference between using something as inspiration and downright stealing it. That's called plagiarism, and it's a bannable offense here on TPPC Trainers Corner. If there's a new movie out about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them, and then I see a fic by you about a guy with a gun, taken by force from his wife and kids and spends the rest of the movie kicking-arse and running away from explosions in slow-mo to get back to them.... yeah, you're getting banned.
5. Your characters.
Name: Vincent Von Violta
Race: Vampire
Gender: Male
Age: 3085
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 130
Appearance: Pure white skin, deepest black hair that is semi-long. Red eyes that can change color based on mood. Black trench coat, black leather boots. Black pants. Is super attractive and has fangirls. "OH, EDWA-... I mean. OH, VINCENT!~"
Personality: Cold, prone to anger. Super smart and wise. Can be violent, but totally loyal to friends.
Abilities: Immortal/quick healing. Blinding reflexes, beast-like strength and inhuman speed. Knows all forms of martial arts and knows how to use many weapons. Can turn invisible, fly, transform. Shines in sunlight.
History: Orphaned at birth because of a werewolf attack. Was saved when a coven came to kill the werewolf. Was adopted by the vampires and was turned into one. Trained super-hard his whole life to be the best and to hunt down werewolves because they killed his wife too. Has a big reputation in the vampire world and is respected by many and hated by a few of the noble clans. Currently a free-lancer, takes on jobs that require his amazing skills.
K. Sounds cool right? Mm-hm, mm-hm. *nods*
...
Wrong.
WHAT? D: BUT HE'S SO COOL.
Nope, he's not. He's too much of a Gary Stu. What's a Gary Stu? The male equivalent of a Mary Sue. Who's she? She is the person who's perfect in every imaginable way. Same with Gary.
See, none of us are perfect. And if none of us are perfect, how the heck are we supposed to relate to someone who is? We can't. We can't really understand the character well enough because of how perfect they are. There's nothing to relate to, making the character stale really fast.
So while tempting, god-like characters such as these are usually not the best thing to have, not right off the bat anyway. And I'm not saying that having them is a huge nono; I have my share of over-powered characters, which a few of you very well know. :P But there's a difference between over-powered and perfect.
See, any good character is someone who causes the reader to have an emotional reaction to. "Oh gods! D: NO! DON'T DO THAT!" or "Don't cry! (hugs)" or "AHAHAHA ILU, INSERTCHARACTERNAMEHERE" Doesn't always have to be good either. The reader could boil with rage at one of your characters.
Any, any, sort of emotional reaction causes the reader to see the character as a person instead of words. They feel something for them, humanizing them. This is hard to do if a character is a god.
Now, this also can make it more difficult to make a character; Someone who you are pleased with as well as someone who the readers will like/dislike.
An easy way to do this is to perhaps base them off of yourself. This could be personality-wise, appearance-wise, or both. They're a bit easier to write for because all you have to do is ask yourself what you would do in whatever situation they're in.
Other ways are to base characters off of people you know, which is pretty common. A friend, a sibling, a parent, a teacher, ect.
A third way is to base them off an existing character. This character could be from a tv show, cartoon, movie, book, or even another fic. This ties into inspiration/plagiarism.
Lastly is for you to create a completely new person from scratch which isn't quite so easy.
Also good is to make sure your characters have some diversity. Variety is the spice of life, and if all your characters are liek, frickin' the same, your fic gets pretty bland.
Careful planning and thought make your characters three dimensional, and whatever you're drawing them from, it's good to spend sometime on them. Characters are the meat and cheese of your fic, and the better they taste and go together, the better off your fic is.
In short. Down to earth characters that can be felt for like actual people is what you need.
---------------------------------
That's it for now, I got the basics I think. Basically, just keep working on whatever it is you're working on. If it doesn't work out, don't be afraid to ditch it and work on something new.
One last thing. If you like writing then you better have a good appetite for reading :P Reading books and other fics are a great way to improve your skill.