Information for All Writers, Both Old and New

Thu Sep 09, 2004 11:39 am by Codename

As far as I can tell nothing like this has been done before, though my search wasn't exactly what you would call thorough...

After reading some of the fanfics here I have decided that TLR needs a place where people can discuss how to improve their writing. This isn't to say that the fanfics are bad; in fact most are quite good, they simply need more work put into them. I think a lot of the more prolific writers are younger and they could find advice from some of the older, more experienced writers that come here useful. It seems to me that people don't feel comfortable criticizing other people's works directly. This is very nice but the only way that a person can really grow (especially as a writer) is if their mistakes are pointed out and they are shown how to improve. Hopefully here people will be able to make more general comments that will help all the writers who wish to improve their skills.

Of course I wouldn't want to restrict people to just criticizing. If people want to post tips, tricks or writing techniques that work well for them this would be a good place to do it. Also, if anyone has a question relating to writing (about grammar, style, literary devices etc.) they could ask here. I'm sure someone will be able to answer eventually. In order to keep this topic coherent I would ask that posters try to be clear (and wherever possible, concise) in their messages. Also, if you answer a question try to remember to quote it either

Like this

or simply "Like this"

I know that all of this may seem a little bit pretentious coming from me, after all I only have one incomplete fanfic to my name but - and you'll have to take my word on this - I'm no stranger to writing in general and fiction in particular.

To get the ball rolling I'd like to make a suggestion, and it's directed primarily towards all you younger writers out there.

SLOW DOWN

I've read a couple of stories that have, at the very least, decent plotlines but are often very hard to read due to spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. I believe that a lot of these problems are related to the fact that some of you type way too fast and then post without checking your works for mistakes. If you just ease up a little and type more slowly there will certainly be fewer mistakes. Then, before you post, proofread. You'll do everyone a favour. Even if you don't catch all of your mistakes I can guarantee that your stories will look much better after some good editing. Sure, doing all of this will slow you down but so what? The internet isn't going anywhere and, as far as I know, neither is TLR.

EDIT: Oh, and one more thing. Don't be afraid to use the "edit" button. If you notice mistakes after you post, fix them. That's what the function is there for. Anything you do that makes your story more readable is a good thing. Besides, it really doesn't take that long.

Edited by - CODENAME on 9/9/2004 12:44:56 PM

Edited by - Codename on 10/28/2004 7:42:27 AM

Edited by - Codename on 10/28/2004 7:42:48 AM

Thu Sep 09, 2004 12:37 pm by bret bretonian

Amen CODE

I was thinking of doing a topic like this. It does seem that people have the ability there to write but i notice a lot of people give up after a chapter or 2.

I do consider myself an "older" writer and am more than happy to help. Maybe for those who want advice, MSN time could be arranged?

If i can point out something that sometimes confuses me. When doing speech, to make the page look tidy and understandable miss a line and start again for someone else to speak. My fanfic's are a good example of this.

All this does is just breaks the story down instead of having 10 line long paragraphs including speech by more than one character.

Also, to double up on what CODE said, take your time and have patience. If you want to write a story take your time. I must of spent easily over 35 hours on my first fanfic. I always get my chapters on paper first, then to word for spell and grammer checks, then here. Also take pride and enjoy what you write

If you don't this will show.

A free tip also. A few people said about my fics (you know who you are

) that they can picture what is going on in the story in their head much like a movie. If you want to write a fanfic, use your imagination. If you can picture each chapter in your head as a movie, it will be easier to write and explain on paper.

Edited by - Bret Bretonian on 9/9/2004 1:37:51 PM

Edited by - Bret Bretonian on 9/9/2004 1:39:56 PM

Thu Sep 09, 2004 3:01 pm by ww2jacob

Amen CODENAME!

Finally someone was willing to come out and say this!

I also have a few words of advice on writing.
1. GO SLOW! I know this is what CODE said, but it can't be said enough. It is what makes your stories interesting. Take your time and it will be worth it in the long run.
2. PROOFREAD! Again and again. I always proofread as I write, before I post, and after I post. This will make more people want to read your stories. I have taken one look at a few stories and said, "There is no way I am reading this!" Because they were so sloppy. (Don't worry, this was not directed at you DS.

)
3. Take your time! Your story will be SO MUCH BETTER if you take your time. It doesn't make you a better writer if you crank out two stories in one day. In fact, it makes you either a sloppy writer, or a loser with way too much time on your
hands.

4. Let the story flow. Don't spend hours and hours trying to figure out whether your main character is going to fly to Sigma-17 or Sigma-19. Let it flow. This one is hard to explain, but essentially, you want to make up your stary as you go along. Decide what direction you want your story to head, and then make it up as you write it. Once you sit down and start typing, it will come to you.

That's all i can come up with now, but I assure you, I will be back with more!

I also vote that this topic should be stickied, due to the fact that it could be a great tool for new writers.

____________________________________
Titan, Sabre, Eagle; yeah they're great
But if you want to turn, then you'll have to wait.
So if you wanna get the job done
And you want some fun
Then hop in the Dagger
And don't forget your gun!

Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:28 pm by Codename

I also vote that this topic should be stickied, due to the fact that it could be a great tool for new writers.

I agree. I would have suggested it myself but I didn't want to come across as too egotistical.

@DS: You may be a bursting dam but that doesn't mean that you can't take some time and get some editing done. Certainly it's a good idea to write down your ideas as they come. Still, once you're done you don't **have** to post the reply right away. Read it over, make corrections. I actually found it kind of ironic that you said that you don't do your stories in Word and then copy and paste. You could probably profit a lot from doing just that. When you type everything in Word first you don't have to log onto TLR every time you have a brainwave. You can just type out all of your stories as you come up with them and then, when they're ready, put them up for general viewing. Never mind the fact that Word is generally good about finding (and even fixing) typos and they're your biggest problem anyway. You can also turn the spellchecker off and then, when you're done, turn it back on and make all of the corrections at the end. No interruptions that way.

I would suggest that you try to do things differently and see what a big difference it makes.

Edited by - CODENAME on 9/9/2004 6:30:39 PM

Thu Sep 09, 2004 5:29 pm by H.Q. Victor

If you got it, do your stories in word/wordperfect and copy and paste. All of mine are done this way and you still have a clean copy on your computer.

Work on paragraphs as well as breaks for a change in thoughts and direction.

Sat Sep 11, 2004 6:24 pm by Codename

I have a quick question for those of you who write your stories in Word first.

How do you avoid formatting errors? Whenever I copy and paste certain punctuation marks end up looking like this: &!35^ instead of whatever they're supposed to be. It's a real pain too becasue it means that I either need to go through and re-punctuate the entire document once I've pasted it into the reply box or I have to edit it and re-punctuate it after I've posted it. Either way sucks.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Sat Sep 11, 2004 6:38 pm by H.Q. Victor

Use a generic font like Times New roman. Certain fonts may not work with cut and opaste to the forum. It may not reconize them. test one with a differnt font. I use WordPerfect and it does with no problem, but, when I go the reverse and coy and paste from the forum, it causes problems.

Sat Sep 11, 2004 9:13 pm by Codename

Use a generic font like Times New roman.

I do! My computer says that TLR uses Trebuchet MS as its standard font. I'll try converting to that font in Word before I post the next chapter of TRP. Hopefully that will help.

Edited by - CODENAME on 9/11/2004 10:14:07 PM

Sun Sep 12, 2004 6:05 am by H.Q. Victor

Comd. 1st person is just as easy to read as third. It just works diferent for the type of story you want to do. Mine, freelancer:The future was in third person, while the stories I am doing in off topic are first person.

Edited by - Finalday on 9/12/2004 7:05:33 AM

Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:34 pm by Codename

Hey hey peeps! Is this gravedigging? Meh, I don't care.

I've just thought of another little morsel of guidance that I figure I should share with all of you.

Don't oversell your stories.

I've noticed that quite a few people have posted really long topic titles for their stories. This in and of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing. What's bad is the fact that the topic titles are usually filled with frivolous crap. It doesn't matter if this is your first, fourth or forty-thousandth fanfic. Also, you don't have to write in the topic title that you are the author. We can all see that you are the author by simply looking at the name of the poster. Also don't fill the title with all sorts of adjectives describing how fantastic your story is. Hopefully the quality of story and writing will make the fic's merits evident on its own.

Here are two examples of the same title (fictional of course), one is very, very bad the other is good. You should all be able to tell the difference between the two:

a) ******The FIRST amazignly awsome story by (Insert Name Here)!!!! Freelancer: The Nomad's Revenge!*******

b) Freelancer: The Nomad's Revenge - A Fanfic

Figure out which one makes my blood boil?

That being said there are some times when a little extra information can be useful. If you write a sequel then it may be a good idea to let people know that. Also if you're like me and post new chapters rarely (sorry) when you finally do it may be worthwhile to put that bit of information in the title so people don't see that someone made a new post and get their hopes up only to find out that it was just a dirty spammer.

I find that I am generally more attracted to stores that have simple strightforward titles. Great big titles look childish on the whole and tend to turn me off. This is unfortunate because I'm sure that I'm missing out on some good stories simply becuase their titles don't appeal to me.

Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:41 pm by DSQrn

codename, would you consider "from the studios of DSQrn comes a another fanfic" overdoing it, thats about the longest i have ever done

Tue Oct 12, 2004 6:21 am by Codename

That's alright. You didn't know. Also it's just how I feel; there may be others out there who like the long titles.

Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:12 pm by bret bretonian

I'm going to agree with CODE on this DSQrn. Think of your fanfic as advertising in the sense that you want people to read what you have. An intriguing title that is loosly based on your story is far more effective. Just a little constructive critisism

Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:43 pm by ww2jacob

Yes, keep the title short and conscise. Just the name of your story is enough.

A few more recommendations...

THINK ABOUT YOUR STORY. What I do with my stories, especially when I am starting them, is to take time to plan out the background and first part of the story, before I put anything down on paper. See the story unfold in your head, and then go put it into words. It helps you to start flowing through the story, and it enables you to write more at one time.

POST YOUR STORY AFTER YOU'VE STARTED. Don't post your story until you are well into it. At least the few parts should be done. Why? Because you can lose your audience if you take too long to post chapters. People will forget what happened, and will lose intrest in the story. However, you don't want to post like four chapters in a row, because you will then make your readers wait even longer while you work on the next part. So, you must find a balance. Post one of your chapters every few days, so you keep your readers, and you have time to work on new chapters.

Can someone please sticky this???

Also, CODE, you might want to change the title, if this gets stickied, to something like:
*Important* Information for new writers!

That will draw the new writers to this thread, and give them some helpful tips.
(Also, it is not gravedigging if you are the one who started the thread)

____________________________________
Some questions I have...
Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
What do you do when you see an endangered animal that eats only endangered plants?
What do they use to ship styrofoam?

Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:43 am by athena

Take your time. Even if your creative juices are bursting out, let it out! But then, before sending it / posting it anywhere, take your time and PROOF READ!

It's the one great check that makes you think "Whoa! What did I write that for?"

I don't like to criticise others, so I will just critique myself instead

I try to check for (in no particular order of importance):

Plot logic
Structure
Detail
Visual appreciation (reader)
Pace
Tone

and then..

Grammar
Punctuation
Paragraph length
Sentence length

and then ask myself the following questions..

"Is it right for the audience?"
"Who is important?"
"Can I 'believe' it?"
"What happens next?"

and then..PROOF READ!

Hope that helps

ttfn

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