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Writers (of any kind!) - Let's talk about your writing process :)


Iheaca

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Hey there!

 

Questions for the writers, even these who write only for themselves, or nothing related to SWTOR. Any writer, really.

 

I'm curious. I was wondering how you handle your writing, if you have dos and don'ts, habits, specific techniques, etc.

 

So, for what it is worth, I'll start…

 

I really only have one relevant SWTOR fic and anything I wrote before were one shots and I lost most of them with forums disappearing etc. I only write for fun and have not learnt any method, so the way I do it is my own only and I would not even pretend any second to be a good writer. And I write in english while my mother tongue is french, which makes things more difficult.

 

I have started writing for two reasons. One, because I wanted to make sense of some of the IG events that needed some background stories to make sense. And second because if I did not do so, my headcanons remained stuck in my head. I had to get them out. :p

 

As per the way I get organised:

  • I write one chapter at a time. I do not have a set of chapters written ahead that I can publish regularly. I publish when I'm done.
  • I try to have a few plots thought ahead, though. The more I move forward, the more I have… until a certain point in time (I'm now chapter 18, I guess that I have plans until chapter 27), but it only means that I have a few lines, sometimes part of a dialogue, or only the idea of what I want to have in the chapter and nothing more.
  • I work on OneNote. One page per chapter (done, WIP or only rough draft), and many more for other resources I keep. OneNote is convenient because it allows me to write from any device I would have at hand, including my phone when I suddenly have unexpected inspiration in the middle of anything I'm doing.
  • I keep resources at hand such as lists of words on specific themes such as facial expressions, body language, smiling, fighting, verbs for dialogues, etc. They are very useful to me especially as a non native english writer.
  • The dictionary, translator and thesaurus are my friends. I use them all the time…
  • I try to read as much as I can on every character or place or concept I need in order to stay as much as possible on track regarding """""canons""""". Then it is all a question of interpretation, I guess.
  • I always hesitate before doing so but I happened to edit and change parts of my past chapters because I wanted to improve them or because I wanted to change something because of choices I made in chapters that happened afterwards. It is the downside of writing the chapters one by one I guess.
  • I had a very very picky beta reader (not for the english part as she was no native either) and now have another one. I have a bit frustrated that she is less picky and not really challenging me so much. :p But I'd never move on without a beta reader to at least point out the things that are the less logical or understandable.

 

Shameful secrets:

  • People can hear me speak alone as I tend to create and rehearse dialogues vocally. Yeah, I know, it is close to being crazy…
  • I even sometimes do the movements in order to check if they are plausible or not…
  • I am super frustrated of having gotten to 18 chapters without a single kiss! OK well, there was one, but not the one I am expecting. :p
  • On the other hand I am super nervous about the time it will come because I have no clue if I am capable of writing all that stuff properly… And I'd hate failing at it.
  • I probably have so many headcanons about every character I use that I do not even care that much about how they react in game.
  • I sometimes get very frustrated of the lack of comments. I understand because I do the same and not comment half of what I am reading. But still. :p

 

 

Here about my part, anyone else would like to share? I'd be happy to hear about the other writer's ways of doing.

Edited by Iheaca
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Hiya :)

 

Before beginning, I have a start in mind and I know where the story is going to go, roughly (this is subject to change a little bit, but the main idea remains the same.) I'm what many refer to as a 'pantser' or as GRRM calls it a 'gardener,' meaning I operate with a very loose outline/plan and the rest comes to me as I work on the story. I keep spiral notebooks of notes, because things come to me out of order, so I make note of them for the future so I don't forget.

My notes look quite messy and disorganized, but I know where things are, and it works for me. No one else need understand them lol.

 

When I was posting story chapters here weekly over the years, I would work on a chapter over the week and post it on a given day. Sometimes, this was a late Sat. nite/Sun. morn and sometimes it was Friday night. Each story had a different 'due date'. I did this so that people who were reading my stories would know when to expect an update, and I tended to believe that having a regular posting date helped build a readership. I took my deadline seriously and didn't want to let anyone down, so unless I'd been sick or had a family emergency, I posted.

 

In terms of plots, every character had their own little arc, even if they weren't the main characters. With word counts, I tended to aim for a chapter being between 2500 words to 4800 words. Some were shorter, some were longer, but I found from my own reading, that that size was good for a sitting and for me, well, I tend to lose interest if it goes much longer than that, plus I'm busy and don't have huge blocks of time to read like, a 12K word chapter.

 

The program I use is Word. I like it, I know how to use it more or less and it works for me. I don't use a beta reader for my fanfictions. I have editing skills, so I found I was quite able to edit and proofread my own work effectively enough, especially if I let it 'rest' for a couple of days (in other words, I'd not look at it.) I'd correct/change it before posting it. The rare time a typo escaped my sights, one of my friends would be kind enough to pm me and point it out so I can fix it. I'd try to return the courtesy. Only when I wrote my novel, Eternity Awaits did I use an editor to make sure things were ship shape.

 

I'd also try to limit discussing my stories or plans within them, as this dampens my motivation. The minute you've told someone the whole thing, it feels done and pointless to do any more. The only discussion I'd have is about existing posts, not future stuff.

 

In terms of shameful secrets, I too act out scenes to myself, I make a lot of facial expressions and would make sure the 'geography' of my physical scenes would work as described. Sometimes I'd enlist the hubby to take a certain position and see if 'it worked' like battle scenes or romance scenes especially.

 

I think the 'acting out' and facial expressions came from the 7 or 8 years of text roleplaying I did, and I have a crease between my eyebrows from roleplaying Severus Snape and his furrowed brow for most of those years lol.

 

If there is one thing I've learned with writing over the years is that nothing is carved in stone, no matter how much you want to make it so. Once you unleash a group of characters onto a setting and story, they take on their own life and mind and I find forcing them isn't such a great idea. They're going to do whatever they want, writer be damned lol.

 

Nice topic idea. :)

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I'm writing my own book and attempting to get published, and have started a fic, but am not ready to put it up here yet (I'm more than a little self conscious about it, to be honest), but I know I don't follow any normal technique. I sit down and type until I have nothing else to type. Then I let it sit for a few days and go back and read through it. If I like it, it stays, if I want to change a few things, I do. If I don't like it, I erase it and start over. I have the added bonus of having an aunt who has a degree in English, so whenever I finish anything to my liking, I take it over to her to read.

 

I had a good idea of where I wanted my story to go when I began, but the characters kind of run it, I just write it down, if that makes any sense. It has changed drastically from what I had thought it would be when I started. Even my limited writings for this game have their own life and direction. It follows the basic story, but has a lot more to it.

 

In high school they taught us to do a hand written outline, but I don't see the point in that when I change things so much on the second read, so I don't do it. I guess I enjoy the randomness of what I do. I like to wing it :D

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Ah, yes. Having an objective in mind. I have one too, or had one and that part is becoming a milestone as I will certainly not stop there. Then it is all about writing the steps that drive to that point.

 

I love notebooks but I do not use them for my fic. I have a phone, computer or tablet at hand most of the time so I prefer to type note directly on them. I really found my ideal tool with OneNote (no, I'm not paid by Microsoft to say this :p). One page per chapter, one page per theme I am taking notes about, one page per type or resources I keep aside. I hae counted about 60 pages open for now, 18 being my written chapters, 17 others being potential other chapters and themes, the others being various resources, either about the game or about english language.

 

Yes! It's funny how characters start living on their own sometimes and how scenes can suddenly change from what I had originally thought. :)

 

I usually do not share my ideas before writing them or only if I have doubts and something is not working. Usually I ask questions to my closest friends without telling them all about the plot. But I like to collect their comments/questions after a first read as they often give me ideas for new scenes.

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I love notebooks but I do not use them for my fic. I have a phone, computer or tablet at hand most of the time so I prefer to type note directly on them. I really found my ideal tool with OneNote (no, I'm not paid by Microsoft to say this :p). One page per chapter, one page per theme I am taking notes about, one page per type or resources I keep aside. I hae counted about 60 pages open for now, 18 being my written chapters, 17 others being potential other chapters and themes, the others being various resources, either about the game or about english language.

 

 

No method is wrong, everyone has something that works for them. :) I just find for me the notebooks are faster, they're in front of me. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned that way. I might use the phone if something comes to me while I'm away from home, but that's the only time. OneNote sounds like a nice tool to work with. If it works for you, which it seems to, because you're happy, I say, you do you.

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Interesting question - often I end up with getting a setpiece idea in my head for some sort of scene in my head and sort of work around that as a starting point backwards and forwards - it's not necessarily what I write first but I usually build an outline in my head and write in from the beginning.
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I haven't posted to these forums for a while, but still, write SWTOR fanfic that I post to AO3 under the name Aurenia. That being said, I get an idea for a beginning and an ending, the hard part is always figuring out the middle, or how to get from A to Z. Lots of notes help with this since I'm a 'pantser', and I find that having even a brief outline helps keep me on track for the overall plot.

 

As for canon, I've tended to stray from the game 'story arc' but still try to be accurate with timelines, if mentioned, factions, equipment, types of transportation, etc. Wookipedia is my best friend where that's concerned. I've been known to make up bits of my own lore and create my own planets. Nobody's called me out on it yet, so I guess it's ok.

I've also been known to stray from the usual pairings, other than my Cipher Nine and Vector stories. I think it's fun to explore other aspects of the SWTOR universe, though I try to keep them as much in character as I can.

 

I have a little notebook I carry around with me to jot down thoughts and bits of dialogue that come to me at the oddest times, usually when I'm cooking or doing dishes. I figure inspiration from any source or at any time is a good thing.

 

I don't use a beta but have asked close friends if something makes sense during those times when I tend to go off the rails. I had friends when I posted in these forums who'd pm me when they found a typo. They do happen no matter how diligently we edit, and I do edit my own stuff.

 

With most of my stories I tried to post one chapter per week, my latest is sort of I'll post when the chapter is done. Once a week helps retain readership, but I've found that people are patient if they like your story and you don't hold off on the next post too long.

 

The main thing is to write. Practice makes you better, broadens your vocabulary, and fosters new ideas. A lot of famous authors started out writing fanfic, who knows where your journey will take you.

 

Cheers

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What a fantastic thread, in a fanfic forum I have sadly deserted, both as reader and writer. (Note to self : I have a Nar Shaddaa unpublished thingy somewhere.) Stumbled upon it by chance...

 

Lunafox you have taught me a word. French dude here too. Thanks !

In that case I'm a Pantserbatallion. I've never outlined anything and possibly that's why I hardly ever write...

 

Thank you Iheaca, Lunafox, devilkat, Antonine and MishaCantu. Great insights, valuable far beyond this realm in a galaxy far far away.

 

Especially MishaCantu :

A lot of famous authors started out writing fanfic, who knows where your journey will take you.

 

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right....

Henry Ford

:ph_use_the_force:

Edited by BenduKundalini
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What a fantastic thread, in a fanfic forum I have sadly deserted, both as reader and writer. (Note to self : I have a Nar Shadaa unpublished thingy somewhere.) Stumbled upon it by chance...

Welcome back, then. I remain in English for the sake of the other posters but it is nice to see a fellow french speaking person around. Do you write in English or French?

 

I was wondering. Did any of you follow a creative writing class or any writing lessons?

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I can do only short stories. I go pregnant with ideas for a long time, and them I write that down in one go in what's called in Wikipedia as a "stream of consciousness" technique. Strange name for that technique, imho, but that's how it goes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_of_consciousness_(narrative_mode)

After that is done, I polish these short stories over several months. In rare cases I even revisit them after years for polishing.

 

It is a total riddle to me why I can't do longer pieces, like novels. I do know that I need to have at least some sort of an outline, a concept, which I try to do, but I still fail at writing novels ( 3 attempts so far ).

 

Edit : In one or two stories, I wrote them in the English language first, then translating them back into my ownj language. That was a very ... educating lesson.

Edited by AlrikFassbauer
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Oooh, nice thread!

 

My fanfic writing process is an exercise in secrecy, at the moment. Fanfiction is new territory for me and still feels very private. It's not that I'm not used to sharing my writing; like a bunch of the others, I'm working on a novel in my spare time (with a beta reader) and I've published some of my academic writing. Perhaps I find it harder to stand by my fanfiction because I don't own the characters. I mean, no one can tell me that I got my own, original characters wrong, but I'd hate to misrepresent someone's beloved companion.

 

I'm an outliner. I always start with an image and a mood that I want to capture, then write out the entire plot in bullet points and keywords. My outline is under constant revision during my writing process; I never follow it slavishly, but I need a rough idea of where I'm headed. I also rewrite and edit almost endlessly. That means that my progress is incredibly slow, but it's extremely satisfying to me to keep working a scene over and over until it feels exactly right. One of the things I like about writing fanfiction is that there's no deadline, so I can keep editing to my heart's content without having to feel guilty about it :p If I ever do publish it, I guess that means I'll wait until a story is completely done to avoid the pressure (imagined or otherwise) of regular updates. In my other kinds of writing, I do stop myself from going back and editing scenes constantly, because I've been taught that the "right" way to write is to finish your draft, then edit.

 

I've tried a bunch of programs, but I always return to good old Word. It's what I know and trust, I guess. I like OneNote, but I use it a lot for work (I'm a teacher). The association with work is so strong that it kind of strangles my creative mood - it makes me think about lesson plans and marking essays :rolleyes:

 

I was wondering. Did any of you follow a creative writing class or any writing lessons?

 

I teach them. I'd be happy to say more about the content of the lessons I've taught, if anyone's interested.

Edited by witchglove
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Welcome back, then. I remain in English for the sake of the other posters but it is nice to see a fellow french speaking person around. Do you write in English or French?

 

I was wondering. Did any of you follow a creative writing class or any writing lessons?

 

Nope, my only battle plan is to force jump into it and let things flow... 😁

 

However I've noticed that once I post, I will edit easily 50 times. So I guess forums are my best medium. Also, lack of reactions depletes my fuel.

 

I write enough in French on other topics, I have used English only for Swtor. Besides I play the game in English and am hard pressed whenever I do group content with French players, to give them the local names of quests, abilities, items... lol :jawa_wink:

 

 

3 short stories in my sub. Although one is more an essay on the Force and on the Hero of Tython than a story. And another one is like a sketch of sorts. Thus only one story I guess (Hoth

crash landing) 😁

Edited by BenduKundalini
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My fanfic writing process is an exercise in secrecy, at the moment. Fanfiction is new territory for me and still feels very private. It's not that I'm not used to sharing my writing; like a bunch of the others, I'm working on a novel in my spare time (with a beta reader) and I've published some of my academic writing. Perhaps I find it harder to stand by my fanfiction because I don't own the characters. I mean, no one can tell me that I got my own, original characters wrong, but I'd hate to misrepresent someone's beloved companion.

There are so many interpretations of the same character anyway... I guess that you keep the readers who like the way you are dealing with them. From the many discussions I have seen in several posts dedicated to our favourite characters, there are probably as many interpretations as there are players. Some players cannot even read fan fiction because they do not want to see something that they might dislike about their favourite companion. Some read and express their dislike sometimes, some read and do not care that there any many interpretations. I guess that it is every author's right to choose how a character will be (within a certain frame, I would say), and every reader's right not to like it. As long as they can all coexist... ;)

 

I'm an outliner. I always start with an image and a mood that I want to capture, then write out the entire plot in bullet points and keywords. My outline is under constant revision during my writing process; I never follow it slavishly, but I need a rough idea of where I'm headed. I also rewrite and edit almost endlessly. That means that my progress is incredibly slow, but it's extremely satisfying to me to keep working a scene over and over until it feels exactly right. One of the things I like about writing fanfiction is that there's no deadline, so I can keep editing to my heart's content without having to feel guilty about it :p If I ever do publish it, I guess that means I'll wait until a story is completely done to avoid the pressure (imagined or otherwise) of regular updates. In my other kinds of writing, I do stop myself from going back and editing scenes constantly, because I've been taught that the "right" way to write is to finish your draft, then edit.

I guess that I'm part of the plantsers, half plotter/outliner, half pantser. :p There are things that I plan very carefully (that first kiss that does not come is actually very carefully planned :D), others that just come out unplanned (and delay the objective, lol). I'd probably say that the objective is set but the way to get there is somewhat flexible with a few defined and mandatory milestones and improvised scenes inbetween.

Waiting until your story is finished will as well allow you to avoid situations like one I had already a few times where I tell myself that I should have defined something earlier. Or that something should be removed from a past chapter. I usually add a few things when I edit chapters afterwards but I removed as well something once. It is never about major things but more recent readers have a slightly different experience than earlier ones. ;)

On the other hand, I love reading comments about published chapters. Not only for motivation but as well because it often gives me ideas of additional scenes and events.

I guess that if I decide to write seriously one day (i'm getting more and more tempted...), I'll modify my way of doing and go your way.

 

I've tried a bunch of programs, but I always return to good old Word. It's what I know and trust, I guess. I like OneNote, but I use it a lot for work (I'm a teacher). The association with work is so strong that it kind of strangles my creative mood - it makes me think about lesson plans and marking essays :rolleyes:

It is the other way around here. The fact that I use OneNote as well at work tends to make me think about writing... And I have to force myself not to click on the drop box allowing me to switch to my personal notes. :p

 

 

I teach them. I'd be happy to say more about the content of the lessons I've taught, if anyone's interested.

Oh yes please! :)

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There are so many interpretations of the same character anyway... I guess that you keep the readers who like the way you are dealing with them. From the many discussions I have seen in several posts dedicated to our favourite characters, there are probably as many interpretations as there are players. Some players cannot even read fan fiction because they do not want to see something that they might dislike about their favourite companion. Some read and express their dislike sometimes, some read and do not care that there any many interpretations. I guess that it is every author's right to choose how a character will be (within a certain frame, I would say), and every reader's right not to like it. As long as they can all coexist... ;)

 

That's true. Fanfic is a creative form of character analysis, afterall. To me, writing fanfiction is also a bit like writing a very long love-letter to my favourite character (you know who ;)), and I suppose I feel a bit self-conscious about that, too. At the same time, I like the idea of actively contributing to the fandom and doing my small part to keep it alive. Knowing that sharing my writing might inspire others to write their own interpretations is pretty excellent motivation! :)

 

Oh yes please! :)

 

I usually tell my students that you're a professional writer when you know why you're doing what you're doing. In order to do that, I believe that you need to be a student of literature as well as a student of writing. Some people say that there are no rules in creative writing, but that's far from true. A quick glance at narrative and structural models like Joseph Campbell's Monomyth and Propp's actantial model will prove that. However, the point isn't just to follow those rules, but to know when you want to follow them and when you want to break them. I often start my classes with a relatively simple exercise: rewrite a well-known fairy tale by switching around the actants in Propp's model. Sometimes I give my students a short story to read which shows how a succesful writer has done this (fx. Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber). The idea is to show the students that they can create something that feels fresh and has a strong message by deliberately changing an established convention in a certain type type of story. Christmas stories work well for that kind of exercise too, because they're clichéd almost by definition and follow a very fixed set of conventions. We start by defining those conventions, then I ask my students to write a Christmas story without one or more of them. Afterwards, we compare the stories and the students discuss each other's work. We had a lot of fun writing "unsentimental Christmas stories" last year :)

 

We also work with language, of course, but I think it's extremely subjective what constitutes "good" language in fiction; Hemingway thought it meant to kill all your adjectives and adverbs, but Faulkner thought the opposite. We do work with things like dynamic verbs (for example, I might give my students a common verb like "run" and then ask them to find similar but more dynamic words to replace it, like "leap", "sprint", etc.). When it comes to grammar, the same advice as above also applies: know the rules well enough to follow them, but also to break them deliberately when necessary. For example, I might ask my students to a write a text in which a character speaks a non-standard variety of English or uses a lot of slang.

 

We also work with things like how to generate ideas or deal with writer's block. I'll end my wall of text here, but just let me know if that has any interest and I'll gladly say more about it :) Oh, and I'll throw in a recommendation for Strunk & White's "The Elements of Writing". It's a tiny volume with excellent, concrete advice on the English language, voice and structure. I also love Ray Bradbury's "Zen in the Art of Writing", which is a beautiful piece of writing in itself, in addition to a being a great guide.

Edited by witchglove
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That's true. Fanfic is a creative form of character analysis, afterall. To me, writing fanfiction is also a bit like writing a very long love-letter to my favourite character (you know who ;)), and I suppose I feel a bit self-conscious about that, too. At the same time, I like the idea of actively contributing to the fandom and doing my small part to keep it alive. Knowing that sharing my writing might inspire others to write their own interpretations is pretty excellent motivation! :)

Well, whenever you will be ready to share your love letter to We-Know-Who, I'll be happy to read it. ;)

I guess that there is always something personal about writing. Whether it is about the characters, the situations, the way they fall in love, what they hate, or so many other things. The question, then, is how much is pouring into it and if it is a conscious choice or not.

 

I usually tell my students that you're a professional writer when you know why you're doing what you're doing. In order to do that, I believe that you need to be a student of literature as well as a student of writing. Some people say that there are no rules in creative writing, but that's far from true. A quick glance at narrative and structural models like Joseph Campbell's Monomyth and Propp's actantial model will prove that. However, the point isn't just to follow those rules, but to know when you want to follow them and when you want to break them. I often start my classes with a relatively simple exercise: rewrite a well-known fairy tale by switching around the actants in Propp's model. Sometimes I give my students a short story to read which shows how a succesful writer has done this (fx. Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber). The idea is to show the students that they can create something that feels fresh and has a strong message by deliberately changing an established convention in a certain type type of story. Christmas stories work well for that kind of exercise too, because they're clichéd almost by definition and follow a very fixed set of conventions. We start by defining those conventions, then I ask my students to write a Christmas story without one or more of them. Afterwards, we compare the stories and the students discuss each other's work. We had a lot of fun writing "unsentimental Christmas stories" last year :)

This is really interesting. To be honest I know nothing of these models, I'll have to have a look at them. But I usually know why I do certain things or do not do others. My first beta was a real help in trying to avoid piling up clichés, especially typical clichés of the fan fiction genre. Now that she is not there anymore I do not have someone pulling my ear anymore but I try to keep the thinking. It is hard sometimes, though, and I often have to wonder if I want to use a trope even if it may have already been used many times or not. All this, again, without knowing the rules. :p

But one thing I am really having fun with now that I am more comfortable with the characters and have planned several things ahead is to add parts that are typically there because something related to it will come later in the story. There are other things that I am pretty sure that only I see (did you notice that Nyx's first name is never used in chapters where Arcann has the POV until the moment he learns about it?).

 

We also work with language, of course, but I think it's extremely subjective what constitutes "good" language in fiction; Hemingway thought it meant to kill all your adjectives and adverbs, but Faulkner thought the opposite. We do work with things like dynamic verbs (for example, I might give my students a common verb like "run" and then ask them to find similar but more dynamic words to replace it, like "leap", "sprint", etc.). When it comes to grammar, the same advice as above also applies: know the rules well enough to follow them, but also to break them deliberately when necessary. For example, I might ask my students to a write a text in which a character speaks a non-standard variety of English or uses a lot of slang.

This is the part that is hard for a non native. I can have a style and play with rythm in french, and obviously have a richer language. It is much more difficult in english and some areas, such as the use of slang or even expressions/idioms, are hard to deal with. Even if I am used to reading in english. If I write a real novel one day I will have to do it in my own language. But here I did not have much choice if I wanted to be able to share…

Do you have good online sources for language?

 

We also work with things like how to generate ideas or deal with writer's block. I'll end my wall of text here, but just let me know if that has any interest and I'll gladly say more about it :) Oh, and I'll throw in a recommendation for Strunk & White's "The Elements of Writing". It's a tiny volume with excellent, concrete advice on the English language, voice and structure. I also love Ray Bradbury's "Zen in the Art of Writing", which is a beautiful piece of writing in itself, in addition to a being a great guide.

This is great. For me you can continue writing about your experience as much as you want. ;) I will need to have a look at your references. I was wondering as well about following masterclasses. I found one made by Neil Gaiman and another one by Margaret Atwood that made me hesitate, but I am sure that there are many others given by unknown people of quality on places such as Udemy.

Edited by Iheaca
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We also work with language, of course, but I think it's extremely subjective what constitutes "good" language in fiction; Hemingway thought it meant to kill all your adjectives and adverbs, but Faulkner thought the opposite. We do work with things like dynamic verbs (for example, I might give my students a common verb like "run" and then ask them to find similar but more dynamic words to replace it, like "leap", "sprint", etc.). When it comes to grammar, the same advice as above also applies: know the rules well enough to follow them, but also to break them deliberately when necessary. For example, I might ask my students to a write a text in which a character speaks a non-standard variety of English or uses a lot of slang.

How interesting that I came across this thread just as I finished writing about a thousand words on my Boondock Saints fanfiction I'm trying to finish. Funny how things work out like that. Anyway, here's my bit for this topic:

When I finally got enough guts to publish what I wrote on Fanfiction.net, it started out as one-shots, specifically Sailor Moon, and they were okay, at best but I was willing to jump into the pit regardless. I received some decent feedback, so I decided to try my hand at a multi-chapter fanfic based around REPO! The Genetic Opera. This might as well have exploded as it turned into a thirty-one chapter fic that damn near ran away from me, but I found that this writing style worked well for me. I get started with a basic idea, start writing the first chapter, then see where it goes and just run with it.

I prefer to use Word when I'm on my laptop but I have notebooks filled with random writings and notes from various ideas that pop up at all times. Only problem with that is when I'm in the middle of writing out one idea and another decides to intrude, I feel as though I have to start working on the new one before it vanishes.

When it comes to the dreaded writer's block, I use a variety of things to overcome it: paint, read (usually five books at once), play SWTOR or ESO, listen to creepy-pastas on YouTube, or say screw it and just start writing anyway (can always go back and edit it later). Usually, one or a few of these works pretty well.

When I finally finish some of the fanfictions I'm currently writing, I already have an idea for a novel. So far, it's been inspired by the works of Anthony Burgess, George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley, so sort of a dystopian-style theme but not quite, I don't know. Still tinkering with it. I like how Burgess writes his own sort of language (A Clockwork Orange); Orwell's view of an overbearing government; and Huxley's separation of the social classes by use of genetic manipulation.

Alright, that's enough rambling from me.

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When I finally finish some of the fanfictions I'm currently writing, I already have an idea for a novel. So far, it's been inspired by the works of Anthony Burgess, George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley, so sort of a dystopian-style theme but not quite, I don't know. Still tinkering with it. I like how Burgess writes his own sort of language (A Clockwork Orange); Orwell's view of an overbearing government; and Huxley's separation of the social classes by use of genetic manipulation.

Alright, that's enough rambling from me.

 

Let's not forget that there would never had been Star Wars if George Lucas had not started with his own dystopia : THX 1138.

 

In this spirit I wrote this little pamphlet last year (hope I'm not deraling the thread).

You can see hints of what it's like to be an imperial citizen on Dromund Kaas...

Also inspired by real-life dictatorships.

 

Good luck on your novel !

Edited by BenduKundalini
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Let's not forget that there would never had been Star Wars i George Lucas had not started with his own dystopia : THX 1138.

 

In this spirit I wrote this little pamphlet last year (hope I'm not deraling the thread).

You can see hints what it's like to be an imperial citizen on Dromund Kaas...

Also inspired by real-life dictatorships.

 

Good luck on your novel !

 

Good point. Didn't even think of THX 1138. Read the pamphlet you wrote, and I like it. Sets the mood for the average Imperial citizen and what life might be like for them under the rule of the Sith and Imperial Army.

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