What to work on?
 

I'm hoping I'm posting in accordance with the rules.^^; This seems to fit here.


I have a plethora of fanfiction and 4 original stories that I'm having no real luck in writing. :/ I am writing them. Just slowly, and it's been a few years so the discrepancies are beginning to show. So, I want to start on something new...fresh...and something that others would actually want to read so I can have my style properly critiqued on a regular basis.

What do you look for in a story. What are you looking for now. I mean, specifically. I think I'm up to even taking requests and letting you guys judge whether I've pulled it off. Fanfiction or Original doesn't matter. I just need some inspiration. xD

Off the top of my head I can recall these good points to keep your attention on while writing (there are others, but I can't recall them at the moment... my brain is a little fried):

plot - no plot = no story = boring. You should know how your story is going to beginning and ow it is going to end. It's not uncommon for authors (I have heard) to write their ending first.

Characterization - 2D characters or "flat" characters are bland and uninteresting, its a sure way to lose your readers interest. Always have a well rounded character. Everyone has their flaws and lessons that need to be learned, so should your characters.

Rising conflicts - it's what makes the story interesting and compelling. It keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, so to speak. Each conflict you have should get worse and worse and worse until you hit the "do or die" final conflict. If you have a really bad conflict (meaning a really bad situation for your character to enter) in the middle and then a not so interesting/deadly/horrible conflict at the end it will seem anti climatic.

Thanks for the tips. :3

I've written the beginning for all except one, and I also know how I want to end them all. Actually getting there is the problem.^^' There was only one that I wrote for the pure crack of it, but I'm not horribly concerned with completing it. xD

The conflict thing...it's hard. I want to keep people interested, but I don't want non-stop action that doesn't allow me to have time for proper reflection/character development. Not every problem ends the world, but....- and that's where my thought process always stops.^^' I don't just have writer's block, but an impregnable wall with a really, really tiny door through. And I don't know how to get through it. xD

Should I try doing specific genre exploration? I'm wondering what...

((Off topic, nice sig. Swat Kats was so cool when I was little.))

Haha, no, no. When I said rising conflicts I didn't mean battles per say. Mentally their states can get worse and worse too or perhaps you have both mental and physical. Conflicts aren't always battle/fight/action scenes. Basically, whatever your conflicts are they have to get worse and worse until they hit the absolute breaking point (what I call the "do or die" point)

knowing the genre you want to write within is always a good idea. Having an idea of what has been done so you can do something more original (even if you are using the same general theme - ie: vampires, werewolves and robots to name a few of the very commonly used themes)

Haha. Thank you ^___^ Ya, I loved Swat Kats as a kid, still do really :D

So the"do or die" point? Ah, thanks.^^ I was worried that if I went to the breaking point (Yeah, both mental and physical conflicts/battles) that it would seem too dramatic. I'm not too good a judge of what's going too far yet and so I'm always afraid of doing something cliched. >_<

The story I really want to work on starts off with a kind of modern day drama theme, but as it goes blends into a fantasy story. I like writing things like that, so I'll try to concentrate on mini stories in that style and then write out my main story.


....I so need to find a beta. Or a partner. xD Hey, do you know where I can find one? [Is there a thread I missed?]

Well, you always have to watch out for over doing it because you can overkill. But what overkill is for one story is diffrent from what it would be for another, you have to gauge it, but at the same time not keep it too weak a conflict either.

And ya, cliche's are always good to try and evade because, by nature, cleche's are predictable... unless of course you build up a cliche and then twist so something unexpected happens. Haha.

A partner for writing? Dunno. I'll look at the rules of this literature forum and sub-forums.

I like that idea! I wonder if I could pull that sort of thing off..... If you don't spot a thread I'll just make a new one and advertise or something.

But all your help so far is mega-appreciated. x3

Worse comes to worse a mod will just move your thread to where it's supposed to be :3 Or you could even PM a mod an ask where they think you ought to place it.

I'm just glad I could be of assistance ^__^

@Erailea: SWAT KATS! yes...I know that's quite off topic for this thread...but I must say, I used to love that show so much growing up <3 I miss the shows from when I was a kid. The show may have had it's silly moments in it...but I think that the show didn't treat us like we were stupid, and I really liked that about it. ^^ Another one I remember pretty well from back in the day was Rocko's Modern Life. xD