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mALX
QUOTE(McBadgere @ Oct 25 2011, 01:16 AM) *

*Attempts to wrench eyes away from Orc in thigh high boots and thong... ohmy.gif ...*...
Goes off to make coffee...*...

Urgh... wacko.gif ...



SPEW !!! I saw that top line in my email and sprayed Pepsi-One all over my monitor, lol. Had to stop by here and see what you were talking about. ROFL !!!
haute ecole rider
I'm with treydoggie here.

My writing process is pretty much organic. Often I start with a scene that won't get out of my head, and I start asking questions such as:

Who are these people?
Why are they in this scene?
How did they get there?
What are they doing?
Where did they come from? Where are they now? Where are they going?
When did this scene happen?

The five basic questions of journalism come in handy when writing fiction, I've found. I've crafted an entire story around a character in a falling elevator. Another originated from a character being attacked by her fellow passengers on a luxury liner. Stuff like that.
Kazaera
At the moment, I'm doing pretty well by writing when I'm meant to be working - um. By that I mean, I'm a PhD student and I'll frequently go work in a coffee shop and write fic in the breaks where it feels as if my brain will melt if I have to write one more equation. But as soon as you give me other things to distract myself with, writing never happens. :/

(Should add: I have a vague idea of where the story is going that gets more fleshed out the nearer things are. Although frequently surprising things /will/ happen in a scene, or a plotline will insert itself where one wasn't before, the overall framework remains. And I actually have a lot of subtle plot threads going on that will get picked up later on.)

Something fun I realised the other day - I deal very badly with mastermind-type characters. I just think the world is too random for their plans to ever work out! And I think this is something that had been bothering me about the Tribunal plot forever - it just seems as if it shouldn't /work/, and I never actually finished playing it because I felt so railroaded.

However! I realised that I do absolutely love it when you have several mastermind characters and their plots all crash into one another until nobody has the slightest clue what's going on anymore. And now I have some plans for Tribunal, ohohohoho I do. *rubs hands together evilly*.

...also, I tried playing Daggerfall a while back - it's sort of relevant for Adryn, how will become clear with time - but I died at the first enemy or something. I /sucked/ at the controls. Very embarrassing!
Thomas Kaira
One of the specifics of my preferred style: details matter. You might note that LtD has a lot going on in the background, from the everyday lives of the townsfolk to the major events such as the Oblivion Crisis and the attack on Cathedral Dibella. Sometimes, one thing that happens to someone that seems mundane enough might re-emerge later down the road. The crowd and the world is as much a character as Derelas and Ariella and Carahil. Another is how strictly I adhere to the first-person viewpoint of the story. Every single observation is from Derelas's point of view, every single world-building or story progression is through his eyes. There are some exceptions, though, but so far only one has ever surfaced.

My goal is to make the reader believe they are him, experiencing the world as he would, and learning about him as he learns about the world. Every little detail exists to help put you there. Some are simply random, others are seed-planting for later adventures, but all are designed to engross the reader.
McBadgere
Pacing...

Right, I've got a story where it could be said that I have a few characters...And I love them all...I can hear them in my head...Shut up Drell!!...And I want them to have decent "screen" time...And of course then new ones that hadn't been intended to be in there turn up and they just demand time...As happened this morning when I was having trouble with something...A character turned up, and instantly he was just what I needed. I knew exactly who he was and what he looked like and sounded...So there's another one...

Dammit, I've gotten myself lost...

Oh yes...When yer writing your stories...How do you keep everyone interested and not lost?... biggrin.gif ...'Cause I've got Plot A (Outside the fort), Plot B (The Commander et-al in Kvatch) Plot A then divides into C and D, D then splits into E, B and A combine (oo-er) with "Overall plot" making it's first appearance there...

You see what I mean?...How would everyone else manage something like that in 1500-2000 word episodes?... biggrin.gif ...

And yes, I can see answers of Too Many Characters, Too Many Plots...But I swear, I have it all worked out...And the next two stories too...Honest...
Grits
I can’t answer as a writer, but I can give you some ideas about what helps me as a plot-impaired reader.

Putting cues into the story that wouldn’t necessarily be there if it was a book read in long sittings, like you did with the “Beyond the windows they covered, lay the city of New Kvatch” line.

Starting with a little last-episode recap outside the story, like Acadian and several others do here. For your story it could be a last-time-we-saw Caroline recap, or whichever plot you’re picking up in the current post.

Occasional faction/plot updates when it gets really complicated. mALX does this for A New Sun Rises, and I am tremendously grateful. I can refresh my memory and then dive right into the story without any head-scratching.

I haven’t seen anyone do this, but maybe a character index somewhere with a list of original characters? This may seem extreme, but I know I’ve had to search back through stories when an original character pops back up after only a short time in the story but months of real time. Maybe there could be an appendix thread for this kind of thing. Others with more experience probably have better ideas about how to do it. And for everyone who is laughing themselves out of their chairs right now, just think how fortunate you are to keep everything straight in your head! tongue.gif


Athynae
I raise a toast to you Grits, HERE HERE!!! Yes, and yes and....well, yes! The recaps are worth their weight in words! Without them I would just be reading the same things I have already read over and over thinking "Hmm, this seems familiar..." As for the rest, well, I can't say much, I am just writing Thyna's words and letting Trey deal with all that PLOT stuff. Sorry, I know it seems like cheating, yep it's cheating. But I am working on one, we just have to get through BOTM first.

Thomas Kaira
My strategy for recaps is that I don't give them during the body of the current thread, I instead go in roughly 200 post blocks (similar to the BGSF posting scheme, where a thread is closed and restarted after 200 posts). In my final post for that thread, everything that happened in that particular thread gets recapped in one post. This way, any new reader who wants to catch up quickly can simply jump to the end of the threads and there they are, consolidated on one page. Of course, I still encourage people to read the whole thing, but just in case they simply want to be on the same page as everyone else and are relatively new to the forums, they are there, easy to find.

My objective for keeping people up-to-date with the story is to keep things simple and concise. It may seem like there are a huge number of plots going on, but that's not true. there is only one main plot: Dere's experiences and journeys. Also, the story has gradually shifted from being story based (as in thread 1) to character-based in the current thread. Thread 2 is much slower-paced than thread 1, and also easier to follow as I have gotten everything together with the story and know what I want to do. Some things in the first thread didn't work out that well and got dropped (and if there were to be a revision, that would be reflected), but I am still aware of everything that happens that I wish to continue, although most of the major plot points are currently on hold so we can explore Dere's character a bit better.

Now, another musing of mine:

Character building: I don't like using straight-up archetypes that pre-define my characters' actions or decide exactly what they are at the start, I prefer to build those as I go. The idea is that I don't want to have my characters easily summed up in a few words. By not doing that for myself, it makes it easier for me to keep others from doing so, too. I try to make then distinct, but at the same time ambiguous. Every major character we've encountered so far has a mystery behind them, Dere's is why a vampire Ancient is hunting him, Faith's (who will return) is her motivations, and now we have Ariella, who quickly retreated into herself at mention of her birthsign. I then build my characters around how they react and cope with these overarching mysteries, and eventually, what happens between them when the secrets are revealed. Each major character exists not only to further the story, but to develop the others. The only planning they really get is their personality and what their secret is, and then you learn of their deeper selves as they interact with each other. You could call it "social development," in a way.
McBadgere
OOooh, good idea with the recaps...I shall endeavour to mess about with the "Previously on KOTN," idea... biggrin.gif ...

I can see how a thread about Dramatis Personae (oooh see that? And at half four in the morning too!! biggrin.gif ) would be good, but I think for some of the longer running threads to go back and find all of them might be a problem...I'll see how it looks at the start of the section...Y'know...Starring - J'Drell!! Caroline McWylde!!...Special Guest Boo-Hiss Baddie -...Y'know?... biggrin.gif ...

As for character archetypes...As a lot of my chars, and indeed a lot of the types of chars that I read are Knightly or Heroes™ then I will admit they tend towards the same sort of thing...But I'm hoping that there will be subtle differences between them in there...

I'll be going into this more in the second bit, but Caroline is a former Legion General's daughter. She was trained in sword technique by her father, who also trained several other notables including, Robert McWylde, Farn Olfsson, The Emperor...Aaaand someone else that's apparently alright with a sword these days...

J'Drell was one of the top Investigato officers before being called to the Knights...

Thedret, Oholin and Mazkay Dinai are all basically Legionaires to the core...

Y'know...I'm going for the subtle in amongst the cliche... biggrin.gif ...
ghastley
Technical change of subject.

What external editor are folks using to draft their content before pasting it into here? I've been using Wordpad, and re-adding the markup for italic and bold etc. after pasting, but I'm sure there's something better suited to the task. The perfect solution would have grammar and spell checks and know all about BBcode markup and the forum's selection of emoticons, but what's out there short of the impossible?
SubRosa
I always use Word to do my writing in. Then I copy and paste as you do when it is finished. Likewise, I have to manually add italics and bold tags to everything afterward.
Acadian
Like SubRosa, I use Word. I've been doing it long enough that I just draft things using the bracket symbols required when I want italics etc. I also conduct several of my edits, along an episode's long journey, in the forum format . I find the simplest (and safest) way to do this is via a PM to myself in the preview mode right here on the forum.

As far as the formatting I use (bold, size) etc on each episode for the title and such, I use a template for that so I just have to change the number and name of the episode in the heading.

After the episode is posted and before I archive it, I do go through it again to remove any forum-unique symbology.
liliandra nadiar
For now, I write in note pad and use the board post to spell check. Writting in the codes is pretty close to second nature by now, but codes are the easy part.
minque
I....use an expert! biggrin.gif biggrin.gif
Jacki Dice
I use Word and if I'm going to need any html in the story I just type it in manually so when I'm ready to cut and paste, its all set smile.gif
McBadgere
Word... cool.gif ...

Umm...Yes, I use Word...Add all the Italics tags and size tags 'nd stuff on a new page, then copy and paste it to my reply...Preview it to check it's all alright then voila...

My drivel is presented... biggrin.gif ...
Zalphon
To all the newer writers,

A list of things to help you succeed:

Don't plot the little things. Let them come naturally. If you plot every aspect of the story (beyond the over-arching storyline (which I rarely plot, just have the beginning and end in mind), then you're bound to feel mechanical).

Let characters do what the character would do! This was one of the hardest lessons it took for me to learn (and I learned it from practice). Do not control the characters. Let them make choices (and I know this probably doesn't make sense, but when you've spent a while writing, you'll understand).

Make three-dimensional enemies. Nothing is more boring than Lord Bob Soulcrusher the Destroyer of <Insert Place Here>. Use enemies who have feelings, who care about certain people, who may (or may not) have scruples. Essentially: Don't make the big evil bad guy the big evil bad guy. Give him a reason to do what he does.

Let their actions have adverse effects. Sorry, no one's perfect. In Legacy, Kalian (the protagonist of the prequel, Oblivion's Edge) is revered as a God. And in the Theocratic Tamriel that exists in the story, he is the only god worthy of worship (all others are heresy). If you save the world from seemingly impossible odds, people are going to love you and even worship you. That seems great...until fanatics appear.

Heroes who are actually every-day people with delusions are just as interesting as actual heroes. Read Don Quijote. The story of Don Quijote is known across the world and in many advanced literary classes in college, you'll read about him and study him. He's an average individual who believes he's a knight and fights everyday things believing they're fantastic monsters! But in the end of each encounter, he'll realize it's a real thing and believe a wizard transformed it into a normal thing.

More to come...

McBadgere
I read somewhere that you don't have to be well-read to write well...

Aaanyways, what does everyone else read?...And does it influence the way you write?...

I read Star Wars, Warhammer, Clive Cussler, Dr Who...Stuff like that...All of which are basically multi-character romps...And I think it shows... biggrin.gif ...

Aaamywho...What about everyone else...To read or not to read?...
Saquira
I read as much fantasy books as I can. I also read some books that have been inspired by history, and science fiction books, but then I'm a lot more selective. There are books laying all over my room, because even though I've got a card for the library I never use it(mostly because they've barely got any books in English), I buy them instead.

But then I love reading, not everyone does. I don't think you've got to read a lot to be a good writer, though it certainly helps a bit(I think). You get access to a lot more variety in language when you read. And I think it have influenced my way to write a bit, though I couldn't point out anything specific. I use a lot of words that none of my friends or family understand, and I'm quite sure I've picked them up from books I've read.
liliandra nadiar
I'm very fond of reading. The library was a safe haven in middle/high school. About half the boxes still waiting to be unpacked are books, though since I don't have any bookshelves they'll be in thier boxes awhile yet, probably a near equal amount are electronic and I have dog earred bookmarks to 'story-sites' on the web. I stick mainly to Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but I've several Romances as well as Supernatural/Horror. Anne McCafferey (RIP) is my favorite and most common name. About the only requirment I 'have' is the leading female not be a doormat, the more focus on her the better so a lot of my books feature strong female leads. This means several 'classics' are not in attendence, though I have read and enjoyed some, just not enough to make them a perminate part of my collection.

As far as them influenceing, probably more then I've realized. I'm more an avid fan of writing then a writer myself, but it has stimulated my imagination a tad. Lonely childhoods make for very active imaginations, I just have issues actually 'getting' it down. I also suffer from the 'Ohhh Shiney' effect when it comes to things, so my own writing has suffered with Skyrim, though I'm setting an hour or so a day this week to writing.
Acadian
Hee! My reading list looks exactly like the list of writers who read me!

Seriously, I have read a fair amount of fiction over the past several decades and suspect that it can be helpful for turning a nice phrase or painting an immersive description. I have also read a great deal of nonfiction (much of it not by choice) and believe that can help enrich vocabulary and enhance logical thinking. That said, I believe the experience of a long life lived passionately trumps all.

I now find that simply reciprocating here among my own readers provides a beautiful selection of fiction to enjoy and from which to learn and grow. Since I spend so much time immersed with words in the writing process, I find that excessive reading at this point simply invites burnout.

I take writing very personally here, and do not separate the writer from their story. As such, I am drawn to writers who display a gracious humility and encourage others. I find this more important than any technical aspects of storytelling - particularly in a forum venue.

When I read the work of others here, my purpose is two-fold. First, I want to return the support of any writer who takes the time to support my own humble efforts. Second, I try to assess what that writer’s objectives are and attempt to respect whatever those may be via cheerful encouragement.

That said, my fave fiction is character-driven and set in Tamriel (no surprise there). tongue.gif
SubRosa
Ever since I was a child I used to read voraciously. But in the past decade or so I have just not had the time with everything else in life. So now all I read are fan fics online. Back in the day I read Tolkien, Harry Turtledove, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Moorcock, Lovecraft, Brian Lumley, Karl Edward Wagner, Parke Godwin, Anne McCafferey, the Star Wars Tales Of... anthologies, etc... I have also read a lot of history, mostly about the ancient world, such as Thucydides, Peter Connolloy, Victor Davis Hanson, etc... Plus comparative religion/psychology like Jung and Joseph Campbell, not to mention Pagan books like those by Chris Penczak, Starhawk, Kerr Cuhulain, and so on (many of the latter I have met too btw.).

When I was in my teens I did not have much money, so I would buy my books at the local used books store, and trade them in when I was done. I would buy half a dozen books in a shot, then come back the next week for half a dozen more. So my collection is actually very small, but I have read tons.

It certainly influences how I write. Because when I read a story, I cannot help but to 'look under the hood' at how the author is crafting the story. I take note of what drives the piece, be it character, setting, or plot. I see how they go about doing that, etc... Basically I deconstruct the story, to see how they pieced it together. I learn a great deal just from other fan fics in fact. Case in point H.E.R.'s habit of doing very small flashbacks, often just of one sentence, is something I have picked up doing as well to refer to small things, without wasting an entire scene on them.
Destri Melarg
I know it’s been a long silence from me but I hope you will indulge my two cents on the matter. Reading as a writer is very different from reading for enjoyment. Enjoyment can be had of course, but I find myself studying what I read in order to help my own writing. I also find that, like Acadian said, reading while you are in the process of writing can hinder your efforts. Ultimately, that you read is more important than what you read (and I can just see my old English Lit professor rolling his eyes at that statement). I learned a lot about the pacing of an action sequence by reading Raise the Titanic and Treasure, so I am right there with you on the Cussler love, McBadgere. I also spent most of my thirteenth summer in a cast surrounded by Tolkien, Piers Anthony, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the art to read Gatsby, Moby D#ck (really forum censor?), Madame Bovary, Huckleberry Finn, or anything from Charles Dickens and Jane Austen to discover the sheer music created by the perfectly formed sentence. Read The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird or the Killer Angels to discover that genre is not a determiner of the perfect novel. Read the short stories of Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont if you want your mind turned into a contented jelly (no surprise since they both worked on the original Twilight Zone). Above all, just continue to read. Always.
Jacki Dice
I used to read Lois Duncan books to death. Then I discovered Dean Koontz. Omg, omg, omg, I love his books! I also admit I'm a Harry Potter fan. I haven't read the sixth and seventh books in years so I can't tell you what happens in them, but I loved them. smile.gif I've read some Edgar Allen Poe and I loved Shakespear's Titus. The thing I've read the most though are books on witchcraft. Even if its a book I'm not really liking, I try and tough it out just to see how they do things and see what it is I don't like so I can try and avoid it.
Darkness Eternal
Hey guys! What's up. I just have a question regarding....a most natural topic, but seldom encountered in some of the ES storie's I've read; sex.

How far could we go with a sex scene? Using it in stories too much is a "no no", I am sure. So maybe once or twice. But how much can we put in? I did not want to make a chapter of mine composed of paragraphs full of pornography, but it ties in with the character and the overall events that will lead after.

Any thoughts?
mALX
QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jan 20 2012, 12:44 PM) *

Hey guys! What's up. I just have a question regarding....a most natural topic, but seldom encountered in some of the ES storie's I've read; sex.

How far could we go with a sex scene? Using it in stories too much is a "no no", I am sure. So maybe once or twice. But how much can we put in? I did not want to make a chapter of mine composed of paragraphs full of pornography, but it ties in with the character and the overall events that will lead after.

Any thoughts?



I don't think it matters how often it is in there, but how much description you give it that can get it bam-hammered by the mods.

What I've done with any scenes I'm concerned about posting is to run them by a mod over at the BGSF forum. If they approve, I post it.

That goes for other scenes as well, in particular violence/gore/or in my case - vampires. (the vampires in my story are fairly erotic creatures).

Just remember when writing descriptives that anything you write on any TES forums will be read by minors, that should keep the porn out while keeping the prong in.


McBadgere
Yes, go read Acadian's latest chapter... laugh.gif ...And Subrosa's a few episodes back...*Loosens collar*...

QUOTE
But how much can we put in?


*Prepares to type*...No...Don't go there...

This forum is PG-13 I read...So graphic descriptions are out of the question...

Finding ways to suggest it is more impressive writing than...Y'know...A Black Lace novel...(I blame the wife)... biggrin.gif ...

If it ties in, I'm not sure entirely what to suggest...But...Y'know...Constant full-on is...Beyond the censor?...

Darkness Eternal
Thanks guys, I think I have an idea. Thankfully, I won't go as far as to add "Spear polishing" or "Kneed the loaf".

And mALX: Yeah, they are erotic creatures, which makes me want to modify the content down. wacko.gif
mALX
QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jan 20 2012, 01:01 PM) *

Thanks guys, I think I have an idea. Thankfully, I won't go as far as to add "Spear polishing" or "Kneed the loaf".

And mALX: Yeah, they are erotic creatures, which makes me want to modify the content down. wacko.gif



If you are a memeber at the BGSF (Bethesda Official Forums) - send your proposed content to the mod Leydenne for approval. If she okays it, print it. That's how I do all of mine. Still, even if approved by her, if someone complains, be prepared to alter it.

I only had to alter one scene so far. It was a vampire first "emerging" (no sex) and was approved by a mod at the BGSF, but someone on this site complained so I altered it to slightly less erotic.
Darkness Eternal
Eh, me and the mods do not tread common ground. But I will reread my work and see if it's suitable. Stinks that someone complained about your post. And by the looks of it, it wasn't even too sexual(Prove me wrong maybe).

I hope you don't mind mALX, I sent you a PM with the brief sex scene.
mALX
QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jan 20 2012, 01:01 PM) *

Thanks guys, I think I have an idea. Thankfully, I won't go as far as to add "Spear polishing" or "Kneed the loaf".

And mALX: Yeah, they are erotic creatures, which makes me want to modify the content down. wacko.gif



As for "spear polishing" - that is actually in one of the in-game books in both Oblivion and Morrowind, and I have personally used it in my story. It gives the idea without any graphic details, so is perfectly acceptable.
Darkness Eternal
QUOTE(mALX @ Jan 20 2012, 07:20 PM) *

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jan 20 2012, 01:01 PM) *

Thanks guys, I think I have an idea. Thankfully, I won't go as far as to add "Spear polishing" or "Kneed the loaf".

And mALX: Yeah, they are erotic creatures, which makes me want to modify the content down. wacko.gif



As for "spear polishing" - that is actually in one of the in-game books in both Oblivion and Morrowind, and I have personally used it in my story. It gives the idea without any graphic details, so is perfectly acceptable.

Hence why I used the term. We all read the Lusty Argonian maid, am I right? haha.
SubRosa
I think as long as you do not get into minute detail about licking genitals or swallowing fluids you will be fine. I have kept my erotic scenes down to describing kissing and caressing, but not gone any further. You can end the scene and let the reader imagine what happens next. I have also written them from the next day, with the character looking back fondly upon events of the previous night. Again, without going into exacting detail, but enough so that the reader knows the mattress was danced upon.

For example:
QUOTE
"Right here," Teresa smiled. She took Aela's glowing hand in her own and guided the Breton's fingers between her legs. The next thing Teresa knew, Aela's lips were pressed against her own. She thought of Tadrose, and knew that she should stop. But her arms had minds of their own, and they wrapped themselves around the other woman. Then she found herself leaning back in the sand and pulling Aela atop herself. Her legs slid around the Witch's hips, and the Breton's long hair spilled down over their naked bodies.

"Not here!" Aela pulled away from their kiss long enough to giggle. "That sand gets everywhere!"
mALX
QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jan 20 2012, 01:48 PM) *

QUOTE(mALX @ Jan 20 2012, 07:20 PM) *

QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jan 20 2012, 01:01 PM) *

Thanks guys, I think I have an idea. Thankfully, I won't go as far as to add "Spear polishing" or "Kneed the loaf".

And mALX: Yeah, they are erotic creatures, which makes me want to modify the content down. wacko.gif



As for "spear polishing" - that is actually in one of the in-game books in both Oblivion and Morrowind, and I have personally used it in my story. It gives the idea without any graphic details, so is perfectly acceptable.

Hence why I used the term. We all read the Lusty Argonian maid, am I right? haha.



Yes, and "The Real Barenziah" also. Oddly enough, they are my favorite in-game books, lol.
mALX
QUOTE(SubRosa @ Jan 20 2012, 02:18 PM) *

I think as long as you do not get into minute detail about licking genitals or swallowing fluids you will be fine.



Not sure if the censor got your words or if you edited them, but your original response had me rolling, lol.
Darkness Eternal
QUOTE(SubRosa @ Jan 20 2012, 08:18 PM) *

I think as long as you do not get into minute detail about licking genitals or swallowing fluids you will be fine. I have kept my erotic scenes down to describing kissing and caressing, but not gone any further. You can end the scene and let the reader imagine what happens next. I have also written them from the next day, with the character looking back fondly upon events of the previous night. Again, without going into exacting detail, but enough so that the reader knows the mattress was danced upon.

For example:
QUOTE
"Right here," Teresa smiled. She took Aela's glowing hand in her own and guided the Breton's fingers between her legs. The next thing Teresa knew, Aela's lips were pressed against her own. She thought of Tadrose, and knew that she should stop. But her arms had minds of their own, and they wrapped themselves around the other woman. Then she found herself leaning back in the sand and pulling Aela atop herself. Her legs slid around the Witch's hips, and the Breton's long hair spilled down over their naked bodies.

"Not here!" Aela pulled away from their kiss long enough to giggle. "That sand gets everywhere!"


Perfect. Licking genitals and fluid swallowing(LMAO) is definetly not what I had in mind. Nice quote btw, gave me a a general idea.
Fawkes
I tend to do the fade to black in the sex scenes.

Anyway my question is, I been writing rather allot this past week, thing is most of the chapters are for different characters, how should I go around to posting them? Should I just say who is the character for the current chapter, or well my plan was to post couple of chapters for the same character then switch to another.

Another thing, I currently have 5 chapters for my Jericho fan fiction, should I make a new thread or should I just keep all my writing in one thread, in that case I'll have to change the name of the thread and dedicate the tread to my writing, but I'm afraid that will just confuse people.
treydog
QUOTE(Fawkes @ Jan 21 2012, 08:56 PM) *

I tend to do the fade to black in the sex scenes.

Anyway my question is, I been writing rather allot this past week, thing is most of the chapters are for different characters, how should I go around to posting them? Should I just say who is the character for the current chapter, or well my plan was to post couple of chapters for the same character then switch to another.

Another thing, I currently have 5 chapters for my Jericho fan fiction, should I make a new thread or should I just keep all my writing in one thread, in that case I'll have to change the name of the thread and dedicate the tread to my writing, but I'm afraid that will just confuse people.

What has worked for those who have a largish cast of characters and switch point of view is to do a quick-"What has been happening" piece (usually in a different font) at the beginning of a new post. You could also use that intro to indicate who the readers will be seeing. Just a couple of sentences can take care of it.

There is not a "thread limit" or "how many stories one writer may have current limit" here. Therefore- if you are working 2 or 3 (or more) stories, each one can have its own thread- which keeps things organized.

If you decide a particular thread has reached a "stopping place" you can ask a mod to lock it and then you can begin a new thread- even if it is a continuation of the exisiting story. Purely a personal choice on that one.
SubRosa
I suggest a different topic for each character. That will keep readers from becoming confused about who/what they are reading about. There is no limit to the topics you can have open here, so make as many as you want.
Darkness Eternal
Word limit? Anyone have a call on that? And how long should I wait before I post another chapter?
Acadian
I like episodes of less than 2000 words and a posting frequency of no more than once or twice a week. For what it's worth, I also recommend only one open story at a time so you are not asking readers to split focus. smile.gif
Fawkes
Ah thanks guys, I'll put my Skyrim one on hiatus while I edit the chapters around, and start my Oblivion on since I'm writing about it more and it somewhat comes more naturally.

As for word limit, well I personally love long stories, hate it when they end so fast haha. as posting another chapter well I'm not sure, I have not posted because school, hospital and what not, Just don't force yourself to write it smile.gif
mALX
QUOTE(Darkness Eternal @ Jan 22 2012, 10:16 PM) *

Word limit? Anyone have a call on that? And how long should I wait before I post another chapter?




Usually if it goes over 2000 words with no break points - it ends up being a wall of words and can burn a reader out a bit. As far as frequency goes, many try not to post more than twice per week. That gives the other writers time to read other people's stories (and work on their own as well).
Darkness Eternal
[quote name='Acadian' date='Jan 23 2012, 04:21 AM' post='138145']
I like episodes of less than 2000 words and a posting frequency of no more than once or twice a week. For what it's worth, I also recommend only one open story at a time so you are not asking readers to split focus. smile.gif
[/quote] Sounds very reasonable.

quote name='mALX' date='Jan 23 2012, 04:23 AM' post='138147']
[quote name='Darkness Eternal' post='138144' date='Jan 22 2012, 10:16 PM']
Word limit? Anyone have a call on that? And how long should I wait before I post another chapter?
[/quote]

Usually if it goes over 2000 words with no break points - it ends up being a wall of words and can burn a reader out a bit. As far as frequency goes, many try not to post more than twice per week. That gives the other writers time to read other people's stories (and work on their own as well).
[/quote]
Same thing Acadian said. Thanks. wink.gif
Athynae
and now you have your third vote...sort of. I am a step child around here, I contribute to Trey's story. I do agree with mALX and Acadian on length as well as frequency for the most part but don't LIMIT yourself to a rigid word count. IMHO by doing that you run the risk of stifling and "limiting" the story. If you write a particularly long piece and there is a good breaking point (usually one that leaves the reader dangling from a cliff) use it. But if breaking interrupts the flow of the read, DON'T break it.

Just a couple pennies I thought I'd share.
Colonel Mustard
Generally, I go for a minimum size of 2000 words, and a maximum of 5000 for each chapter. I make exceptions for one-shots, which usually turn out longer, but otherwise that seems to generally work best. Plus, by the time I'm done with the events of a chapter, that's usually the length they end up as.
Cardboard Box
Ladies, gentlemen, and those on the waiting list:

As I've mentioned before, I'm effectively ghostwriting (me and my big mouth) a Halo/FO3 crossover for a fellow I've previously described as a Scottish blurt. Because that's how he seems to write.

I just received a piece of writing (if you can call it that) from him, which is almost readable - he's almost using paragraphs! But...

When I finished the last piece I sent him, the story was on the verge of an action scene. Unfortunately, what he wrote can be summarised as:

1. John Spartan charges into the Super-Duper Mart and kills all the raiders yayyyy!!

2. SUDDENLY! Giant 5-metre tall acid spiders that are meaner than deathclaws and owe a lot to Dead Space, Resident Evil, Silent Hill and... God help us... Doctor Who.

3. A history lesson on same.

My problem is working out how to tell this little Scots terrier on meth and sugar rush that this is a truly terrible idea that'll wreck the whole story - basically 'too many cooks spoil the broth'.

Suggestions?
McBadgere
ohmy.gif ...

Well, one idea is...Tell him that 5-metre tall spiders are a stupid idea, and if he doesn't like it he can do it himself...

Another is...Let him do it himself...

If you're getting paid for the ghostwriting, fine, fair enough...If not, why the hell?...

Point out that 20 foot tall spiders (plural) are going to put a dent in anyone's post-apocolyptic world...And Halo-troops or not...That's just silly...And let him do it himself...

Point out that 20 foot tall spiders are silly...

Point out that if you put these 20 foot tall spiders in the story it's going to seriously c*ck it up, and so could he please change his idea please...Or he can do it himself...

I know a story about Noel Gallagher and Ghostwriting, and why Oasis changed after What's The Story (Morning Glory)...

I hate that...Ghostwriting sucks...

20 foot tall spiders suck...

Good luck... kvright.gif ...
SubRosa
Unless you are being paid, I suggest you simply not do this ghostwriting and let the Scots terrier do it himself.
Fawkes
QUOTE(SubRosa @ Jan 29 2012, 12:14 AM) *

Unless you are being paid, I suggest you simply not do this ghostwriting and let the Scots terrier do it himself.


I agree, well first tell him that, as Rob said, 20 foot tall spiders suck..., if he starts being difficult, just don't do it, you are under no obligations biggrin.gif

I myself am having trouble writing, I have never written a 3rd person story, or well a narrative, which is sort of the style that I'm going for. Hehe guess I'll just write, can't expect myself to write a master piece the first time.

Okay now for the question, I need help making a title, Inserting "Journal" into the title does not fit Jericho, since he is illiterate and well of course is not capable of keeping a journal. Hehe, my brain is drawing a complete blank, any suggestions?
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