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-   -   Shiverpass's Writer's Help Thread (https://www.menewsha.com/forum/showthread.php?t=203294)

Shiverpass 05-08-2013 01:41 AM

Sorry if I'm barging into your conversation [lol] but a few years back I thought that ending each chapter of a story would be beautifully evil, then I realized how stupid it could be. I've been told it's too repetitive to end each and every chapter with a cliff hanger. And as for chapter lengths, I never have problems with the chapter being too short or too long. I feel that the chapter's length should be up to the author and however long it turns out to be has turned out that way for a reason. Shiver by Maggie S. has a lot of SUPER short chapters, but the books just makes sense that way. And then there's Twilight. [sarcasm]

xuvrette 05-08-2013 06:21 AM

Other than the prologue and epilogue, I would prefer most of my content chapters have average the same lengths... don't know why. The story have no specification/requirements for the chapter lengths...

Can we go down to more specific in HOW many possible reasons author base off to cut chapters?

Maha-Aamir 05-08-2013 09:19 AM

I just came here to discuss chapters myself. I wanted to know what you all think a reasonable sized chapter should be like? how many pages of MS-word exactly? i feel like a miser when it comes to chapters and i think the story suffers because of it. sometimes i shorten things just because i can see the page about to end... I know thats crazy and its not like im wasting paper when i write but i would love to know if i can free my mind from this chapter/pages cage. At the moment i keep my chapters 2 paged and if necessary, i make it 3 but not more than that... Is that sane?

xuvrette 05-08-2013 05:12 PM

... I don't think you should worry about chapter chopping WHEN you are writing it. x.x
When you write, you should just concentrate on writing, getting the story out. Worry about chapter chop later.

For me, I am a proportionate/organizational type of person, other than prologue/epilogue, the middle chapters should be around the same. The numbers of chapters doesn't matter, my focus would be the length of the chapters. Generally... because now I don't have any point or idea from the story asking for a strong chapter chop style.

Shiverpass 05-09-2013 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maha-Aamir (Post 1771913012)
I just came here to discuss chapters myself. I wanted to know what you all think a reasonable sized chapter should be like? how many pages of MS-word exactly? i feel like a miser when it comes to chapters and i think the story suffers because of it. sometimes i shorten things just because i can see the page about to end... I know thats crazy and its not like im wasting paper when i write but i would love to know if i can free my mind from this chapter/pages cage. At the moment i keep my chapters 2 paged and if necessary, i make it 3 but not more than that... Is that sane?

I mean, coming from someone who's dealt with the struggle of determining what size of a chapter I end up with for my fanfictions and stories, I always find that somewhere around 3k or 4k words should be good enough.

Maha-Aamir 05-09-2013 05:33 AM

Oh dear, it would be hard to count the words now... i think i should finish the story first then reread it to add or subtract stuff that is appropriate.

xuvrette 05-09-2013 06:24 AM

Mahaha write on paper or type in computer?

Maha-Aamir 05-09-2013 09:17 AM

On computer... it was hard on paper because i had to transport it on the computer later :D hehehehe. Plus i dont make many grammy mistakes when i type in word. how about you Xuvvy?

xuvrette 05-09-2013 01:34 PM

Draft idea on paper, then put all confirmed details on computer.

If you are typing on computer, you can easily do a word count.

Maha-Aamir 05-09-2013 05:51 PM

how? is there a short cut for that?

xuvrette 05-09-2013 06:16 PM

Depending on what word processor you are using, they should have word count tool.

Maha-Aamir 05-10-2013 06:26 AM

Mine is MSword... let me google it to check about its word count.

xuvrette 05-10-2013 06:27 AM

It is under tool. *winks*

Maha-Aamir 05-16-2013 05:15 PM

hi everyone... needed to ask another question. So i have written a story in chapters, im on chap 14 right now, so i wanted to know if we could use the help of our mule to post it here on mene. What i mean is, is it ok if i posted one chapter from my original account and the 2nd chapter from my mule? the reason i want to do this is it would be easier to separate them nicely that way... otherwise i would have to wait for it to be counted as a second post... did i make any sense or am i just bla bla bla? hehehehe

xuvrette 05-17-2013 05:47 AM

If you go to advance post, scroll downward, there is an option to 'post as new post'.
It is the same if people want to set up their front page with continuous posts.

I think the option is called "override double post".

Maha-Aamir 05-17-2013 10:31 AM

Oh thankz a million Xuv [:D] This makes it so easy now...
sharing one of the inspiration of my story... I want to post it as soon as i can [:)]
Do you think its ok to post pics in the story?

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/3151/katelibrary.png

xuvrette 05-17-2013 11:16 AM

I don't recall anything about forbidding posting pictures in your story. The pictures supposely not random images that have no link to story.

There is as sticky in the Literature forum, you can double check for sure.

Maha-Aamir 05-17-2013 04:05 PM

Just checked the rules and there isn't anything about pictures... I think i am safe [:)]
So where do you post your stories Xuv? Are you on wattpad?

xuvrette 05-17-2013 06:04 PM

I would think it is safer if the image is related to your story though.

Nah, I didn't post my stories online at all. I did have a fictionpress account few years ago, but long abandoned. I posted one of my story in Menewsha before, but also long abandon. x.x

~LONGCAT~ 05-28-2013 08:14 PM

Hopping in to clear up some questions for Maha.

It is totally fine to use the double-post override in the lit forum for chapter purposes. In fact it makes it easier for others to read it that way too.

You can add pictures if you want, but just remember to give credit if it's not your picture. Same goes for quotes for songs, poems, etc that might work as part of the story. Rule of thumb: If you didn't write it, stick it in a quote box.



That aside, do you guys know of any good prompt lists?
I'm currently writing a memoir style piece, done in memory fragments from the character's youth, but he's stopped communicating with me. Yes my characters dictate their story to me. [ninja] I was thinking that a good list of memoir prompts could help jump start the writing process again.

xuvrette 05-29-2013 10:45 AM

hmm? What is a prompt list? O__O
Question list? Interview list?

Maha-Aamir 05-31-2013 06:13 PM

Thanks Longcat... the pictures i plan to add to it are mine from stuff i created out of paper clay so i guess i am in the safe zone [:)]

~LONGCAT~ 06-01-2013 12:22 AM

Xuv, a prompt list can be anything that gives you the starting ideas for a written piece. It can be questions like "Who was the most influential person in your childhood?" it can also be things as simple as "Greensleves" words that start memories or phrases that kick off an idea.

The novel I'm writing is about the most influential person and the memories attached to the character's childhood, but I'm just derp on ideas right now. There are hundreds of sentences or bits of dialogue or pictures I have but no coherent idea of where they fit in yet. I was hoping with a prompt list of sorts I could bring the ideas I have to full life.

Stellar Delusion 06-10-2013 06:46 AM

I need some advice. I kinda mentioned it in a post in the thought dump thread in General Discussion, but the problem is this.

I have these two characters who are a primary couple. They're both invisibly disabled. One has congenital insensitivity to pain, the other [[gets drowned out by a police siren driving by]]. Aside from being best friends and a primary couple, they both play the role of each other's assistants. They CANNOT be replaced for this role - especially in taking care of the latter because that's compensated for through a psychic link that they and only they share. Their situation is so dangerous that they would probably not survive long without each other's assistance.

They've grown emotionally attached to the point of being slightly dysfunctional. Not on a ticking-time-bomb level, but it's not really healthy. They stress themselves out worrying about one another and are terrified of being separated. The problem is, healthy isn't really an option for them because if they remain together, nothing changes, and if they separate for long enough to show themselves "yeah, okay, I can have a good time on my own"...they would probably both die before reaching that point. In a sense, they have a chronic incurable illness of relationships. It's something they can LIVE with and it's not driving a wedge between them or anything, but it's still there, like herpes; it may lie dormant and pretend to be a nonissue sometimes, but it's always there, waiting to rear its ugly head and get terribly uncomfortable at any given moment.

But beyond that, their relationship is great. They have so much in common that they're content to do whatever the other suggests, so needing to have each other around isn't too terrible in and of itself. They can keep each other happy in even the worst of times and keep each other entertained even when they have literally nothing around but walls and dust. All in all, it's a pretty decent relationship. Not doomed to fail, but not exactly as healthy as an Olympic athlete.

How would I go about actively showing that it's imperfect, to a society that glorifies stalking as a means of showing love?

xuvrette 06-11-2013 05:35 PM

It sounds to me that you already have their relationship pretty much determined.

... I can't get my head changing the perspective to that society's 'value'. XD
I don't understand how the the character's 'attachment' is imperfect in the society?


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