General Writing Discussion Thread | Current Topic: NaNoWriMo

incoming long post

Your story's main idea should be all-encompassing. If you find that your story is going in a direction that is detracting from your story's main idea, you need to fix it somehow.

27772 was a great example of this. Let me regale you.

Once upon a long-ass time ago, my friend and I were talking about how we could mess with Ash the best we could. We talked about putting him in Saw-esque situations, except he'd be the guy trying to save his buddies who have all been kidnapped. And how glorious would it be for Misty to die just before Ash could get there to save her? He'd be devastated, and it would be good, mainly because my friend was hugely anti-Misty (I don't know if she still is, but probably).

So I decided to write this story. The whole goal was to kill Misty, and the first seven or eight chapters are basically filler towards that end. The premise of the story is awful (Ash is convinced by Boss Rocket to abandon all of his Pokemon and head to an uncharted island for vacation before he helps Rocket Man make the world a better place [yes that is seriously the plot]). Once I killed Misty, I was at a loss. What do I do now? I've done what I originally set out to do, but the story isn't over because I actually fleshed out this gargantuan tale of BS and I can't just leave it like this.

So I just wung it from there on out. I had no direction, no focus, and no real reason to keep writing since I'd achieved my main goal. The fact that the story was unfinished was the main motivator.

I slowly started killing off Ash's friends, and towards the end I made a huge mistake by killing May. At this point there were no female protagonists left, and the trickle of motivation I had to continue writing went right out the window (especially since I ruined any chances of post-credits sex). Now, if I had planned this story out, from start to finish, and not basing the fic's entire existence around a single plot point, I might not have done it in the first place. But I did, and it killed my love for my own story.

Then some anon signed up and basically told me that if I didn't like it, I should change it. And I was like huh, yeah I guess you're right. So I changed it. I rewrote the chapter where May was killed and whaddaya know, I liked the story again. I ended up finally finishing it (but never getting around to da secks), and it went down in history as one of the greatest fics on pb.

I also ran into a few continuity errors while writing this story. I started writing 27772 in 2004. Third gen was in full swing, Pokemon Colosseum had just come out, and Crunch was a special attack. I needed a reason for Ash to not encounter any wild Pokemon while he was on vacation, so I decided to put Giovanni's island retreat in Orre (remember, in Pokemon Colosseum there are no wild Pokemon). Gale of Darkness came out a year later and took a giant dump on that plan because now there were wild Pokemon. I was already neck deep in the story and I couldn't exactly fix this. If I had really planned this story out, I don't think I would have gone with this plot in the first place.

In an early chapter of the story, Tracey battles Misty, with the former using Shedinja. He does a Swords Dance + Shadow Ball combo which, in 2004, was a legitimate thing. In 2007, when Diamond and Pearl came out and brought the physical/special split, Shadow Ball became a special attack and there went yet another plot device. This was an important battle because it sets up tension between Misty and Tracey (his attack ends up killing her Pokemon), so I couldn't just scrap it. In hindsight, I could have easily changed Shadow Ball to Shadow Claw and then just change the manner in which Misty's Pokemon died (and made Tracey way less EDGY, but at the time I was absolutely against editing (I felt like once I posted it, it was in the books, which is what lead to the big hiatus I took after I killed May). I ended up leaving the battle written as is, which sounds extremely dumb if you read it today because SD Shadow Ball is no longer viable.

It makes me sound even sillier when Ash encounters Sinnoh natives, owned by Giovanni/May (also I totally called May having a Glaceon before she actually got one), which leads one to believe the entire fic is set post-DP. Which it isn't. lel

Not many fics on this site get finished. If you have some time and haven't done it already, I would invite you to read my fic. Though the premise is terrible, and it has smooching in it (and a few other things that are too mature for this forum), it's not completely. At least after reading it you will understand why editing is so important. *nods*
 
Would i be able to post my Pokémon- themed transformation stories here? Well, all my G rated stuff at least?
 
Yep! So long as your stories follow our content rules, we'd be happy to have them. :3 We allow up to a PG-13 rating.
 
Athena said:
Yep! So long as your stories follow our content rules, we'd be happy to have them. :3 We allow up to a PG-13 rating.
Click to expand...


Awesome :) I'll double check when I'm back on my PC and then I'll post my most recent ones which are family friendly :D
 
Alright, bumping this thread up to share something incredibly silly.

I got sidetracked a bit ago and managed to stumble across my old fanfiction.net account. Yes, back when I was a young and impressionable teenager, I, too, found my way to ff.net and decided that I had to share my stories with the world. My stories that were mostly AU DBZ shipping and weird anime crossovers. Reading over my old stuff, I can't help but facepalming everywhere. It's pretty awful. And strange. And people seemed to really like it at the time, too, at least judging by the reviews and faves. Go figure.

I thought about linking to it, but I don't I want to cause any mental and/or emotional damage to any of you.

I'm not sure if I should be glad or disappointed that they purged all of my NC-17 stuff when the site decided not to host those anymore. Who knows, I could have maybe edited one of them up and become the next 50 Shades of Grey. A badly-written Bulma/Vegeta erotic fanfiction has to be at least be as good as a badly-written Twilight erotic fanfiction.

Anyway, to make this not a complete ramble about myself... have any of you ever come across old writing of your own? What did you think about it? Is it easy to see how you've improved over the years? How have your tastes changed?

For me, the best thing I can say about my improved tastes is that I found better anime than DBZ...
 
Yes. I was reluctant to show anyone for a long time but I finally posted it here (the worst story you've ever read). I have absolutely improved since then.
 
Hey, could I post a fanfiction of Pokémon Red and Blue, except 20 years later? So it's technically not Red and Blue or green, but more a a cross between that and adventures.
 
I am actually posting here to see if it is alright to use this thread when searching for a co-writer. I have a very, real world, gritty style of Pokemon that I want to bring to light. Something that is more than just "winning against impossible odds....every time." I want to keep the tone as realistic as possible while taking the time to develope the characters themselves. I'm great as plotting points, designing flaws and strengths in characters, creating setting etc but filling in the middle with a binding cement of literary goodness is not my forte.

So in short, I am looking for a co-writer in a very serious series. If this post is out of line, please redirect me to the correct area. If an example of my work is necessary, please notify me. Thank you for your time.
 
This is the perfect place to ask for such a thing, yes. :) Interested parties can either reply here or PM you for more information.
 
Sorry for this big post, but thought I'd give this a shot.
Hey there. I'm DKQuagmire, but the people I know just call me DK online. I can't decide on either writing a Pokemon Fan Fic, or to do a Nuzlocke run. Though it's many a year since I attempted any sort of Fan Fic at all. The last one I remember doing, was on a Nintendo magazine site forum (ONM), which was fine at first, but I got bored after writing past the trainer getting the first badge, and just sort of gave up. I had thought about redoing and continuing it about a year ago, but alas, the magazine stopped publishing, and the site shut down forever. Rest in piece ONM. Some of my completed Nuzlocke's where on that site as well, which are now lost forever.

I will admit though that I'm terrible at writing. (Well I think so anyway. I never liked the way I wrote my stories) I'm not very good at descriptive things. I'm often switching from 1st, to 3rd person. And there's either too much talking or thinking of characters, or not enough of it, and it's just "So and so did this. They did that" throughout the chapter. Probably a bunch of other problems too which I can't think off the top of my head. Though I do probably criticise myself too much for saying all this. But what positive things I can say about myself though, is that I do spell check and read over my chapters numerous times, to edit things I don't like, or something that doesn't sound right, and I make sure to use correct spelling and capital letters in the right places. I also use British spelling, so its annoying when the spell checker you use is an American one. I usually paragraph my work too, so every few lines, I leave a gap, making it easier for me and others to read, and most chapters can be anything up to at least 4 MS Word pages. In the past I have also gone through phases where I colour code each persons speech rather than writing "... said..." and "so and so replied..."
Going through the rules however, it seems your against this idea, so that's fine. I'll just stick to the "so and so said this and that" kind of talk. For now anyway.

The cool idea I had for a Fan Fic, (though I haven't really put much thought into it) is actually based on a dream I had a while ago. Where the focus was on a character who's parent or parents, are member/s of one of the evil organizations in the Pokemon world (Obviously), who reaches the age where they can join the group, and finds out, what their parents job really is. But the child doesn't want to do this. To follow in their parents footsteps, and is therefore forced against their will, into the life of crime. Well at first anyway. Does he or she, have what it takes to steal, and use weapons for crime etc? This character would then meet other people/trainers, intending to foil those plans of the organization, or run into them by accident, and the character would then have to make a choice at some point, to continue being a bad guy, to bring honor to the family, or to betray the family by becoming a good guy.
I also had another idea, where the character decides to become an actual trainer, and collect badges, but that's all I got so far.

I was also thinking of starting a Nuzlocke. Which unlike my fan fics, I nearly always finish, and I have fun in doing so. I have at least 3 completed Nuzlocke's so far.
But starting 2 things at once seems a bit much, and I'll probably only focus on one and forget about the other.

I would like your thoughts on what I should do. Thanks.
 
Personally myself, I prefer a good Nuzlocke over a fanfic. If you constantly complete it and enjoy it, I really think that would be best for you.
 
If you want to do a long term project while also practicing writing fanfiction, you could always post a Nuzlocke for long-term and then compete in our various short story fanfiction contests to get feedback and practice. :) We'll be having another one starting up in about a week!
 
Give me ideas for this story!
Chapter: 1
I was taking a taxi to Palette (not the town from Red/Blue/Green/Yellow) and when I got there Torterra said "Go to the post office and Swellow will tell you what to do." "Okay." I replied. As I was heading to the Post Office, Linoone and his two Zigzagoon stopped me and Linoone said "Do you need a house?" "Yes." I replied. "Well go to the Post Office to let them know that you're here." When I got to the Post Office, Swellow told me to go to Linoone's Cranny, I told her that he stopped me before I got here. After I left the Post Office I went to Linoone's Cranny to see what he wanted. He gave me a apron with a leaf on it and told me to deliver the packages to certain houses.
Chapter 2: Delivery Boy
(Being Worked On)
 
Questions for Readers and Writers​

Question 23
Original Characters vs. Canon Characters​

When writing a fanfiction, do you prefer to write about the established characters already present in the game/anime/etc. that you’re writing about? Or do you like to make up your own original characters to interact in those worlds? If you make OCs, how do work to fit them into the world and make them feel real? How difficult is it for you to create a character that feels like they actually fit into the world and story without being superfluous or “Mary Sue-ish”? If you prefer to stick to canon characters, is there a particular reason you avoid creating your own?

As a reader, do you like to read about OCs in fanfiction or do you prefer to stick to stories with canon characters only? How does the presence or lack of OCs change your opinion of a story?

It's been a while since we've had these discussion questions, but we thought we should open it back up again. Would love to see your guys' input! :)
 
As a reader, I don't exactly prefer one character over the other, as such, more if the author establishes the character well.

A good canon character, in my opinion, should be depicted very similar to that in the canon, or enhanced/developed further by the author. If that character could be put under a different name and not remind you of the derivation character, then I think there may be a problem with how you are displaying the character. I think the original author would normally put a lot of effort into their OC, so you should effectively use their effort to your advantage, for both yours and the reader's benefit. Basically, I enjoy CCs when you can relate between the original and remade (?) one.

In contrast, with an OC, I feel I should always be able to easily connect to a good original character through its development throughout the story. I never find a story good if I can not connect with emotions and thoughts that a character would have, so I can journey the story with them, as such. I do read more OCs though, probably because I don't read fanfic that much. :p
 
When I write fanfiction (which admittedly isn't that often) I much prefer writing about established characters than creating my own, as long as said character doesn't already have a set in stone personality. Pokemon is a great example of this because Pokemon only really have the personalities which we give them (besides extreme examples like Snorlax who really can't do a whole lot else). As such writing Pokemon playthroughs and sometimes just general fanfiction is my favourite to do.

However, I don't like writing about characters with robust personalities already because writing is a creative outlet and by using a personality someone else has created the characters don't feel like "my" characters. As such, if stories require a true protagonist, I will almost always create a new character specifically for the job. How do I fit it into the universe? I guess I kind of make the universe fit around the protagonist. If I want the protagonist to be bad ass I'll put them somewhere like Orre with loads of crime and gangstas and all the rest of it. If I want the protagonist to be shy they will usually be somewhere more like Johto -- lots of quiet towns, grasslands and calming forests.
 
I've decided I would like to start writing again, particularly those more emotional sided. However, I don't really know how to convey such emotion. How does a writer convey deep emotion in one of their texts? And what do readers find convey deep emotion in texts?
 
There are two things that I can think of immediately that help convey emotion to the reader. The first one that's very important is to give your readers a reason to care for the characters. No one's really going to care about little Johnny falling into a well if they don't know who Johnny is or have any connection to him. There's a reason why the most emotional parts of books tend to take place towards the end; by that point, the readers have a strong connection to the characters and have been following along with them for a long time, so things that happen to them have more meaning. The second thing that helps conveys emotion really well in writing is using lots of description. Don't flat out tell the reader what to fell, or what the character was feeling, but use your narration to showcase how that emotion affects the characters, and it will have more impact.

Something that might help you to get more of a sense for emotions and how to convey them would be to read books that showcase good emotions. When you reach a passage that makes you feel something (doesn't matter what, could be fear, happiness, sadness, anger etc.) take a step back and look at the book and the writing and see which parts make you feel strongly. Do this enough and it will give you a good example.

One of my personal favourite examples of emotion in storytelling is in the first 2 books of the Nightrunner fantasy series by Lynn Flewelling, Luck in the Shadows and Stalking Darkness. Just in case anyone here feels like reading those books at some point (and I do recommend them! One of my favourite series <3), I'll put the details in spoilers:

The books primarily deal with 2 main characters, Seregil and Alec, and their work with a 3rd man who is a friend and mentor of Seregil's, a wizard named Nysander. Towards the beginning of the first book, they get involved in a conspiracy to bring a dark god to life and the 3 men (along with the daughter of a friend of theirs, a woman soldier named Beka) must work together to fulfill a prophecy and halt the ceremony that will bring the god to life.

The emotion that I speak of mostly falls at the end of the 2nd book. As they rush in to stop the ceremony, Seregil is forced to kill Nysander to stop the ritual, something that Nysander himself knew would happen but refused to tell anyone before hand because he felt they wouldn't be able to kill him if they knew before hand. This is Seregil's best friend for several years, and he is crushed with grief at the killing of his friend.

However, on the opposite side of this is the relationship with Alec and Seregil which is fairly new (they meet at the beginning of the first book). A professed bisexual, Seregil had romantic feelings towards Alec, but Alec was kind of weirded out by the idea of homosexuality and rebuffed Seregil's advances, in spite of his own feelings. While Seregil is drowning in sorrow, Alec comes to him and opens his heart (in fact, kissing him on the lips) and this act of love and courage (hell, lots of courage on Alec's part to open himself up to something that, for him, is very weird and scary), helps pull Seregil from the brink and give him something to live for.

So the end is very bittersweet, in a way. You have this strong emotional outpouring of grief over the death of Nysander, coupled with the happiness of Seregil and Alec getting together, something that's been building throughout the books. The emotions are opposites and yet they harmonize so strongly. It is really these scenes in this book that truly made me fall in love with this author and this series.
 
And I'm back with another writing question! I have created a character and a personality that I would like to implement in a writing piece. The problem is that I cannot think of a plot. Effectively know who I want to write about, although I'm entirely stuck on what exactly I want to write about. As part of character development, I do I have a good idea where I would like the writing beginning to take place. So, my main question is how should I design a [unique] plot?
 
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