Advice for Aspiring Authors! (It's baa-aack!)

[Dirk Amoeba]

Advice for Aspiring authors has been around since the old days, before EZboard, when Pojo had a UBB. It was written to help Pokemon fanfiction writers, and posted in that forum. When the EZboard replaced the UBB, it was reposted. Since that time, it has been used in various places all over the net.

Here is the text of the article as it was most recently posted, by Clare:

This article was originally written by Murgatroyd to help people with their Pokemon fanfics. This is a revised version for use with various fandoms - I've kept the Pokemon references in as examples, but I've also added a few of my own from various fandoms.

The Basics

As I have read the various works posted on this board, I have noticed many of the same problems over and over. Here are some general guidelines to follow when writing your fics:

1) Proper Use of the Keyboard.
There are several useful keys on the keyboard:

Enter/Return: This is one of the most useful keys. Use it whenever you have finished with one idea and are ready to move on to the next paragraph. Use it when one person has finished speaking, and another is about to start. When doing so, hit it twice, to produce a blank line between paragraphs. This makes it a lot easier for your readers to tell where your paragraphs start and end. Large blocks of uninterrupted text are hard to read.

Shift: Another important key. Hold it down when typing the first letter of a sentence, the first letter of a name, or the letter I when using it as the first person singular subject pronoun.

Caps Lock: Often used as a substitute for the 'Shift' key. Don't do it. Text should not be in all capital letters unless someone is SHOUTING!

The Spacebar: Hit it once after every word or comma, twice after a period.

Tab: Unfortunately, this does not work to indent paragraphs on these boards. This is why a blank line between paragraphs is essential.

Other Keys: Your keyboard, unless it is defective, comes with a full complement of letters. Don't be afraid to use them. There is no reason to type 'u' instead of 'you', or indeed to use any abbreviation you learned in a chat room. There is no penalty for taking a few seconds longer to type complete words.

--------------------------------

2) Tips on Composition.

Paragraphs: Use these as your basic unit of composition. Each paragraph should be used to set forth a single idea. If a paragraph seems too long, it probably contains multiple ideas, and should be split up for clarity. If it seems too short, expand on the idea.

Sentences: A sentence should contain exactly one action or statement of existence. If it contains more than one, split it into two or more. If it contains less than one, finish the sentence. Run-on sentences are often confusing, while fragments make the reader feel that something is missing.

Description: Make sure that your reader can visualize what is happening. Don't just say something like "Joe walked along enjoying the scenery". This gives no indication of whether the scenery he is enjoying is a redwood forest, a beach at sunset, or the Grand Canyon.

A description is not just a list of attributes. When describing a character, don't just list their name, age, height, weight, hair color, and current Pokemon team, Digimon partner, Yu-Gi-Oh deck, Saiyjin status or whatever is relevent to the fandom you're writing for. Bring this information out gradually when the person appears in a story. Don't have Joe meet a trainer named Fred who is 12 years old, has green eyes and red hair, is three and a half feet tall, and whose Pokemon are Squirtle, Pikachu, Butterfree, Grimer, Tauros, and Krabby. Have Joe see a short, red-haired kid with startlingly green eyes, and talk to him. Have names mentioned early in the conversation. The Pokemon may be either revealed in a battle, or introduced individually during the conversation.

The last few sentences apply to non-Pokemon fics as well - just substitute relevent details. For example, in "Harry Potter" fanfics, do not have Jane meet a kid named Mike, who has brown hair and brown eyes, is a second year Hufflepuff, has a pet barn owl and uses an oak-and-unicorn-hair wand. Instead, have Jane meet and talk to a brown-haired kid. Let them exchange names and houses - their owls and wands may either be featured in the scene or introduced into the conversation.

--------------------------------

3) Other General Advice.

Plot: Try to be original. "Joe is 10 (or 11 or 12) years old and about to start his Pokemon journey. He goes to Professor (insert tree here) and gets a (insert Pokemon here)" has been done too many times already. "Joe is a 10-year-old from Pallet Town and about to start his Pokemon journey. He accidentally sleeps in, and by the time he gets to Professor Oak's lab, all the starters have been taken, so he gets a Pikachu" is so old everyone is sick of it.

For non-Pokemon fics, again, try to avoid getting too cliched. You will probably have a fair idea of what is considered to be cliched in your fandom, but I will give you a couple of examples:

Digimon: "Jack and his friends are at summer camp when they find some strange devices that turn out to be Digivices and get zapped to the Digital World where each of them hooks up with (insert one Digimon for each character)" is basically a rehash of what happens in the tv series with the author's own characters substituted for the ones from canon.

Harry Potter: "Tina thinks she is an ordinary girl until, shortly before her eleventh birthday, she gets a letter telling her she has "been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Armed with the stuff she buys in Diagon Alley, she goes off to Hogwarts and gets sorted into (insert one of the four houses)". Same as above and there's a good reason to avoid rehashing canon, aside from the possibility of annoying readers who prefer to see a little originality - and it's called "plagiarism". Plagiarism is where you take someone else's idea and TRY to pass it off as your own. Do NOT do this as it could land you in all sorts of trouble, both on and off the board.

Try to be reasonable. A new trainer is not going to start with a Legendary, or even rare, Pokemon. The standard starter Pokemon were selected for a reason: They are easy for professors to obtain whenever new trainers are about to start, they can be controlled by beginners, and with proper training, they can become quite powerful. Likewise, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to catch any of the Legendary Pokemon. They are simply too powerful. If you have seen either of the movies, think about it. Mew or Mewtwo can deflect any attack you try with minimal effort. Consider the scene in The Power of One where Ash's Pikachu (which has been known to defeat Rock and Ground Types) meets Zapdos. Compare their relative power levels. Now think about how hard it would be to defeat Zapdos. This can be applied to any of the Legendary Pokemon. No trainer will have one unless it has a good reason to want to accompany that trainer.

Again the basic essence of this applies whatever your fandom. In Digimon fics, try to keep your characters' Digimon at the early stages of Digivolution outside of battle scenes and you should certainly think twice before introducing a super-powerful Digivolution of your own creation unless there is a VALID reason for having it in your fic. For example, your characters might be up against a Digimon so powerful that their own Digimon can't defeat it in the usual way. Also, in Dragonball fics, don't make too many characters go Super-Saiyjin too early on or without a good reason. And, if it's a Harry Potter fic, don't have the characters use magic beyond that which they would reasonably be expected to know at whatever stage of their magical training they've reached. If you think about it, tasks such as turning buttons into beetles and levitating feathers are pretty easy compared to some of the stuff adult wizards can do.

But, whatever your fandom, you should always THINK before adding something that seems abnormally powerful. Ask yourself if you really need to have whatever it is in your story or whether your story can function just as well (if not better) without it.

Characters: Make your characters real. Give them strengths and weaknesses. Inherently superior characters who win each battle effortlessly, are smarter than Hermione and so forth are boring. So are incompetent members of Team Rocket. So is Gym-Leader-who can't-stand-being-defeated. In short, don't use stereotypes, be it surly-Slytherin-who-hates-anyone-who-isn't-of-pure-wizard-blood or something more general such as beautiful-blonde-who-doesn't-DO-much-except-marry-the-handsome-hero-at-the-end. The latter can be especially annoying to female readers. Remember that we are living in the early twenty-first century so there's no reason why your female characters can't play just as active a role as the males. Check out something like Jean M Auel's Earth's Children books or the tv series Xena: Warrior Princess if you want to see strong female characters in action.

Spelling/Grammar: Write your story in a word-processing program. Use the spellchecker, but don't depend on it completely. It can tell whether your word matches the spelling of a real word, but it cannot tell whether it is the word you wanted to use. Use grammar checkers with extreme care. They cannot actually understand what you are saying, and often make mistakes.

--------------------------------

4) My Personal Advice:
"My" means Murgatroyd here

Note that the contents of this section reflect my personal preferences. Other good writers may disagree with me.

Battles: I generally dislike sentences of the form "(Pokemon/Digimon or whatever it is) used (name of attack, spell etc)". You are describing what the character does. In a real-world battle, a Pokemon would not "use Bite on" its opponent; it would "bite" its opponent. There are, however, exceptions to this. If there is no verb for the action, go ahead and say "Bulbasaur used Leech Seed", "Biyomon used Spiral Twister", "Sophie used Wingardium Leviosa" or anything that's relevent to your fandom. Still, try to avoid "used (name of attack, spell etc)". Better options would be "fired a hyperbeam at (enemy)", "hit (enemy) with (attack)", "cast a __________ spell/charm/curse" etc.

Additionally, the GameBoy battle format makes no sense in the context of a real battle. A Pokemon in a real battle would not just attack, then stand there waiting for its opponent to attack. In a real battle, you would have no time to go in and administer a potion or antidote to your Pokemon. Watch the TV show or re-read the books for your chosen fandom for a reasonable depiction of what battles, wizards' duels and so on would be like.

GameBoy Terminology in general: Try to avoid it. In the real world, referring to something as "Level 17" is meaningless. Pokemon have varying levels of power and experience, but don't just summarize all of this with a single number. In the world of your fanfic, Pokemon (and anything similar such as Digimon) are real, living creatures. They are individuals. They have their own strengths, weaknesses, and skills.

The only thing worse than referring to "levels" is referring to "hit points", "power points", or any of the "statistics" (attack, defense, "special defense", etc). Avoid use of these terms at all costs.

original text by Murgatroyd - amended by Clare

---------------------------------

Characters

Characters are fun, aren't they?

The characters of a story determine much of whether or not the story is likeable. If a story has a killer plot, but has unbelievable characters, chances are that it'll fall. People like to be able to connect with the characters they read about. It's what keeps them tied into the story.

Most people feel that they need to know what happens to the characters. If they die, if they succeed in their quest, etc. Character development doesn't always have to be deep, but readers definitely appreciate a good character. How about some tips?

Unbelievable Strength

Don't make a character unbelievably strong. If you have a normal kid, he (or she) acts and reacts like a normal kid would. You can't have a normal kid get shot and get over it in half an hour. A normal kid isn't going to forget a bullet wound! If the kid is even conscious . . .

This is true with all characters. They cannot have an unbelievably strong amount of power. If you have a Pokemon fic about a kid, it usually doesn't work if the kid has eight Legendaries. Likewise, Harry Potter fics about kids who become Animagi with very little effort are a bad idea - if you read The Prisoner Of Azkaban, you'll see that it states SPECIFICALLY that becoming an Animagus is so difficult that only a handful officially exist. In short, keep Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus out of your stories as much as possible - there are several Mary-Sue tests out there that you could run your characters through to make sure you haven't fallen into any one of a number of character-creation traps.

Believable Strength

It is quite possible to have a strong character. Sometimes the strength can be attributed to special powers, if you work with fantasy. These are the easiest to deal with, perhaps because they can be there because they were innate.

With "real people"; in fics, this can be somewhat hard. There can be characters who have unbending will to go on, or even derive pleasure from pain (Anyone seems "Tomorrow Never Dies";? Stamper is a prime example of this!). To make a character like this believable, the characteristics must be hard and strong.

As an example, Salvador is a strong guy with a hard will to continue. He never fails to work hard, especially when it is for his work (he works for the Rockets). He is willing to take any and all pain necessary on the way to achieving his goals. Throughout the story, Salvador has sustained minor injuries, and kept his strong will. When he is faced with an agent of another Team, however, he will sustain a much larger one.

"Salvador narrowed his eyes in concentration, debating whether or not he should leap forward and attack or not. There were certainly other alternatives. He could try to throw his empty gun at the man. He could hold back for a few moments, though it would most likely lead to being shot.

After a moment, Salvador decided that he could take it no more. His way of doing something was to go ahead and do it. He wasn't going to change that because a guy had a gun at his head. If he was killed, that was it. He wanted to go down fighting. He leapt forward with a speed that surprised him, but, unfortunately, failed to surprise the dark man.

Even as Salvador lunged forward, reaching for the man, he could hear the gun being fired. Salvador felt the dark man step back, and then felt the force of the bullet piercing into his chest. He cringed in agony, almost screamed. He felt bones shatter around his organs, felt a bolt of heat near his lungs. For a moment he tottered and nearly fell to the floor. However, he was able to hear his earlier thoughts, those that had stated that he didn't need to worry about being killed. These thoughts kept him standing.

Salvador saw the form of the man in front of him. Though it was becoming blurry, he knew he could attack, maybe even hit. Maybe he was going to die, but he didn't care. Once more, Salvador lunged forward."

Of course, a character doesn't need to be strong all the way through to have moments of strength. A person can definitely find courage during a traumatic moment, before a possible death or the like. Strength lies deep in everyone. Depending on the character, it can be found at different levels. The main point is, don't make a weak character suddenly act strongly all of the time. Readers won't swallow that too well.

----------------------------

Alternate points of view

These are very useful when developing a character. While one character is thinking about his or herself, you realize what he/she feels about the traits he/she has. A reader can also make insights about the character by what he/she thinks of others. For example:

"Lydia knew that she didn't like Chad very much. The truth was that she hated him, loathed him. The boy always seemed to be in some sort of trouble, whether it was because he had been caught talking one too many times in class or because he had been caught stealing from the local convenience store.

Maybe it'd be better to say that Lydia distrusted Chad. She didn't know him very well, and didn't want to. He seemed to be the kind of guy who would stand in a dark alley, smoking a cigarette and waiting, just waiting for some innocent bystander to walk by and . . .

Lydia shook her head vigorously. Of course Chad wasn't doing that, he was too busy with homework and the cross team. Still, it was a feasible idea, one that could happen in the near future. She felt this strongly, and couldn't shake her dislike for Chad."

In reading this from Lydia's POV, you should be able to realize that she dislikes Chad. You can see that she distrusts him because of his actions. She seems to be stuck on certain ideas, and has a sort of prejudice towards those who seem "untrustworthy." She judges before she understand anything. You can also see that she has some sort of imagination.To carry development even further, it's good to write what other characters observe about their fellows. For example:

"Julia didn't understand why Lydia always seemed to walk on the other side of the hall when Chad walked by. It was always a movement that could almost be absent-minded, a simple move to the other side. Julie didn't think so, though. Not when it was always done.

Julia didn't think Chad was a bad guy at all. He certainly didn't deserve to be avoided like he was some sort of disease. Although Lydia was her friend, Julia sometimes had trouble understanding Lydia's short-sightedness."

This further pushes the fact that Lydia doesn't look below the surface. It also shows that she has perhaps made wrong judgment of Chad. Obviously, you can do a better job of conveying information by using various POVs than I just did. It is a very useful technique, and I recommend it.

-------------------------------

Names

Names can be quite helpful in defining a character, too. A character's name can reveal certain traits about him or her, contradict his or her traits, have a strong meaning to the story, or mean nothing at all. Using a variety of names can be helpful. While it's fine to use names such as Rob, Jim, and Amanda, it's good to mix these in with less common names. I suppose this isn't quite character information, but it stays here because I don't feel like putting it elsewhere. Names such as Angel can be used to either contradict or convey the characteristics of a character

"Angel fit her name to a level of perfection that seemed undeniably firm. Her practical, caring behavior, along with her endless amount of forgiveness, seemed to fit nearly everyone's idea of angelic. Her hair seemed to be spun of gold, and her body had been shaped to a soft faultlessness."

Or:

"Angel's eyes blazed with anger as she watched the man before her. She had a short temper, and certainly wasn't the most mild-mannered person in the world. Both Angel and the man knew that she could kill him without a second thought. For a moment, however, she simply glared, piercing eyes glaring out from under her black bangs, standing with an intensity that seemed to scream that she was a murderer."

I really have no way to wrap that one up. I guess, while names can mean something, convey a characteristic, or symbolize something, it's perfectly fine to have them be meaningless.

----------------------------

Actions

A character must, obviously, stay constantly in character. By this I mean that you should make sure that if a character does something, it is befitting of him/her. It's fine for a character to do something that SEEMS out of the ordinary as long as you explain the reason for the actions.For example, if you have a character who seems to be the perfect angel, you can make him/her do something "bad" by a number of methods.

First, you could use a traumatic happening. Have a close death, or a near death experience. There's always the "hidden character" method, too. The angelic personality could be a cover-up for the character - and as the writer, you don't have to reveal this fact until you want to. Isn't that fun?

original text by Crimson Rose - amended by Clare

-------------------------------

Stages

A story goes through four different stages from beginning to end. These are as follows:

1, Exposition - this is where you introduce the main characters and let your readers know a bit about their background. Traits which should be revealed at this stage are:

Name
Gender
Age
Appearence
Pokemon owned, Digimon partner, house at Hogwarts or whatever (for humans)
Name of trainer (for Pokemon - optional) - if you've writing a non-Pokemon fic, you may disregard this
Unusual traits/special powers (if applicable)
Hometown

Other traits should be revealed as and when they become relevent and it's important (especially if you're writing a mystery story) not to reveal too much too soon.

2, Complication - this is where conflict arises. Note that this doesn't have to be a war in the literal sense - you can have conflict over a number of situations. In "The Chimera Children", the conflict was between two human/Ursaring hybrids and the organisation who wanted to eliminate them.

Lack of any real conflict is one of the main problems with writing journey fics. Even if you manage to avoid most of the pitfalls these stories contain (cliched starts, too little description, lack of realism etc) describing Gym battle after Gym battle can get repetitive after the first few. And, when journey fics DO contain conflict, this usually comes in the form of a rivalry between two trainers or the need to foil Team Rocket, both of which have been used in the games and tv series.

As a final note, if you're writing a short story, make the conflict something which is straightfoward and easily resolved.

3, Climax - this is it, folks! The final showdown! The conflict has reached its peak and now's the time where things could go either way. You need to build towards your climax gradually and one way to do this is by dropping subtle hints throughout your fic, a process known as foreshadowing.

Whether you include an actual battle in your climax depends on the nature of the story. You also need to be as dramatic as you can at this stage; ending your penultimate chapter with a statement like:

"Lisa and John clung to each other nervously and Growlithe snarled threateningly as the door opened"

is especially effective as it means people will need to wait until the final chapter to find out who (or what) is behind the door. You could end the story there, but, then again, finding out what's behind the door might be extremely important.

4, Resolution - here, the climax has passed and the characters are starting to get their lives back together again. Key questions should be answered at this stage if they aren't already and you might also want to drop hints that there may be a sequel.

Post-climax, your characters will more than likely be changed by their experiences and you need to reflect this in your ending. You can have them just go home and try to get on with their lives, but your plot might require that they make a new start somewhere else. But, whatever you do, don't waffle on about each character's subsequent life history unless it's absolutely essential. Even then, it might work better in a sequel.

----------------------------

Other Relevent Points

Titles

Try to have at least a provisional title in mind - you can always change it later if it no longer seems to fit the story, but let your readers know if you do - as there are few things more annoying than seeing topic after topic called "Untitled Fic" or something in that vein. Titles are EXTREMELY important tools for distinguishing one story from another, which is why it's often not a good idea to have titles that are too similar to those already in use. Two particularly common examples of this are Pokemon fics with titles like "Timmy's Pokemon Journey" and Harry Potter stories where the title starts with the words "Harry Potter And The . . ."

Whatever you decide to call your fic it needs to have some relevence to the storyline, be it the name of a major character or event, a quote (an example is the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" where the title is a metaphor for attacking the innocent) or just an appropriate word or phrase. In short, a title needs to give the reader an idea what to expect from the fic, but it should do this without giving too much information away. And do remember that there is a limit to how long topic headings can be on this board - a title like "How Lapras Trainer Josephine Court Wowed Everyone At The Pokemon League And Came Into Contact With Her Future Husband While She Was There" is going to get chopped off at the end. And it's also a little mind-boggling; as a rule, titles shouldn't contain more ideas than is absolutely necessary to convey the essence of the story's main theme. If we take an original story of mine called "The Sect Of Xanadu Peak" as an example, the title tells us that this Sect is likely to play a major role in the story. Who the Sect are, what they believe and where Xanadu Peak is located is revealed in the story itself.

And remember that the title of your fic is the first thing people are going to see. You need to grab their attention, encourage them to click on the link to your story - and the best way to do this is with a good title. That's why you need to give your fic a title, if not as soon as you start writing it, by the time the story gets under way. A lot of you probably don't remember this, but, back when this board was a UBB, there was a story in the Pokemon Fanfic section about a Ponyta who couldn't use Fire Attacks. It was untitled for the first seven or eight chapters before the author called it "The Ponyta Story" in one post and the name stuck. If you want to read it, it's on fanfiction.net . . .

Length

How long should a story be? Answer: long enough to resolve the conflict. There are no absolute rules here, but a simple plotline with a fairly straightforward conflict works best as a short story, whereas something more complex would require a multi-chaptered fic. The latter also offers scope for extensive character development that is frequently not possible in the more constrained world of short stories and you can also toss in a few relevent sub-plots if you feel you can keep track of them.

If you think a story may be nearing the end, there is a useful checklist of questions you might want to ask yourself before typing "THE END" at the bottom of the page:

1, Have I resolved the main conflict or will I do so in a sequel?
2, Have I answered key questions such as who Sue's long-lost father was?
3, If I say much more, will it descend into pointless waffle?
4, Am I ending it because the answer to the first three questions was "yes"?
5, Or am I ending it because I've got writer's block and I don't know what else to do with this story?
6, Most importantly, does the last chapter (in particular the last paragraph) give a sense of conclusion?

Indeed, the reason people find extremely short fics irritating is because there is rarely any room for conflict if the piece is too short. And I'm sure you'll agree that no conflict = bad story.

Point Of View

This means WHOSE eyes are the events in the story seen through? You're unlikely to see second person POV (You, your, yours and yourself) outside roleplay books such as "Choose Your Own Adventure" or "Fighting Fantasy", so let's skip that and concentrate on first and third person.

First person means using one of the characters to tell the story as he or she experiences it. This can give an immediate sense of how that particular person feels, but you are limited to describing things they either experience directly or learn of from another character. And, when using this perspective, remember that (as Crimson Rose said) how one character perceives something may not be how others perceive it. If we imagine two characters with widely differing views on issues such as animal rights, it's likely that each of them thinks THEY are right and the other character is wrong.

Third person means saying what the characters do by using their names and personal pronouns. There are two forms this can take:

Limited - describes events in the third person but through the eyes of a single character. If you read the "Harry Potter" books, you'll notice that everything (apart from the opening chapters of books one and four) is described from Harry's perspective. Again, as with first person POV, beware of bias.

Omnipotent - describes events through the eyes of several key characters and, as such, is useful if you want to paint a complete picture of what is happening or switch between locations. The "Redwall" books use this method so that one chapter might be set in Redwall Abbey, another in Mossflower Wood, another in Salamandastron and so on . . .

Bits And Pieces

Swearing: try to keep bad language to a minimum as excessive use of obscenities is not allowed here - and there are words that will be filtered (converted to non-alpha characters). Of course, there may well be times where your characters have to swear, but try to keep to relatively inoffensive language. If you feel someone would be likely to say something stronger, put this in indirect speech without mentioning the questionable word(s). For example, say something like "swore and cursed loudly" or "used language that would have made a sailor blush". As for using the P word to mean "angry", DON'T do it as there are plenty of inoffensive alternatives. Too much bad language is neither big nor clever and will more than likely land you with a ban.

Emoticons: as with online abbreviations such as "ppl" or "B4", try to avoid using these in the main body of your fic. They may look neat, but when was the last time you read a book that used little pictures to convey the characters' moods? Instead of saying "Anne was ", try something like "Anne was pleased/delighted/overjoyed". I'm not decrying the use of emoticons, but there is a time and a place to use them - and writing fanfics isn't either. Far better to work on describing emotions in WORDS and keep emoticons for other purposes.

Toggling: ThIs MeAnS tYpInG uPpEr AnD lOwEr CaSe AlTeRnAtElY like I just did and it's a BIG no-no. The reason for this is that toggled text is distracting and difficult to read - in other words, it can be almost as annoying as ALL CAPS! So, before you start playing around with the Shift Key or Caps Lock, remember that upper case letters should only be used if the word in question either begins a sentence or is the name of a specific person, place or event; a day of the week or month of the year; the title of a book and so on. All caps should only be used FOR EMPHASIS, but it would still be better to show this via bold or italicised text.

Crossovers: here, you need to decide which universe the fic is going to be set in and come up with a realistic (for the context) means of introducing the characters from the other fandom. I don't know about anyone else, but I dislike fanfics where characters from another series are bunged in for no real purpose. So don't have a Pokemon trainer named John who's out walking his Growlithe when he suddenly (and for reasons never explained in the story) bumps into a Digidestined girl named Toni and her Hawkmon. Instead, try to come up with an explanation for what is going on and why - you don't have to tell the reader immediately, but you darn well better do so by the end.

Knowledge: make the words "know your fandom" your fanfic-writing maxim. In my experience, it's easier to write a convincing story if you're reasonably clued up on the relevent facts. You may have your own theories about things such as how Poke Balls work or what causes kids to become Digidestined, but some knowledge of canon can come in useful even if you only use original characters.

original text by Clare

[Dirk Amoeba]

Ah! THat's right, I remember now. Although I never did read it. *winces* Don't hurt me!

Since this is basically our official advice thread now (cuz it's a sticky), I'd like to add the Punctuation advice I posted in the other topic.

These punctuation rules are adapted from "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk and E.B. White. This is one of the most respected books on the subject, so this is all accurate.

1) Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's.

This rule is true even if the final letter is s.

Examples:

Goku's Kamehameha is a standard attack.
Pikachu's obsession with Ketchup is key in a certain episode of Pokèmon.
Miles's nickname is "Tails."

Exceptions:

The exceptions are the possessive form of ancient proper names like Moses or Jesus. But you can sometimes avoid this confusion because you would never say Moses' Law, you would say the Law of Moses.

Another exception is when saying "for righteousness' sake!" or "for conscience' sake!"

Pronouns such as his, theirs, yours, etc. have no apostrophe.

A very common error is to confuse its and it's. The first one is possessive, but the second is a contraction for "it is."

2) In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last.

Examples:

Yugi's hand included Dark Magician, Monster Reborn, and Man-Eater Bug.
Sonic raced down the corridor, collected the rings, and jumped onto the rail.
Ash had gotten Pikachu instead of Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle.

Exceptions:

The names of businesses usually leave an aditional comma out.

"After failing at pokemon theivery, the trio opened the law offices of Jessie, James & Meowth."

3) Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas.

Sometimes it is difficult to apply this rule. Think to yourself. Would this sentence still make sense wihtout it? If so, it is probably parenthetical.

Examples:

Yoh, who aspired to be the Shaman King, was glad that he had Amidamaru on his side.
Yugi wished he still had Exodia, who could instantly win the game, in his deck.
You, Link, are truly the Hero of Time reborn!

Sometimes, if sentences contain parenthetic expressions, it can be better to split them into two sentences. Follow your judgment.

4) Place a comma before a conjunction introducing an independant clause.

This means that if you combine two sentences using or, and, but, etc., then place a comma before the conjunction.

Vegeta was always strong, but Goku always seemed to be a little stronger.
The food was excellent at Redwall, and travellers came from far away to sample some.

5) Do not join independent clauses with a comma.

In other words, this:

Yusuke Urameshi ran as fast as he could, at 5:00 it would be too late.

Should be this:

Yusuke Urameshi ran as fast as he could. At 5:00 it would be too late.

Or this:

Yusuke Urameshi ran as fast as he could, because at 5:00 it would be too late.

Or even this:

Yusuke Urameshi ran as fast as he could; at 5:00 it would be too late.

6) Do not break sentences in two.

In other words, periods are not to be used as commas. So, this:

Rushing to theiir Gundams. The pilots prepared for action.

Should be this:

Rushing to theiir Gundams, the pilots prepared for action.

7) Use a colon after an independant clause to introduce a list of particulars, an appositive, an amplification, or an illustrative quotation.

Do not use a colon to separate two specifically related parts of a sentence, like a preposition ond its object or a subject and its verb.

So this:

Ash kew that a Pokemon trainer needed to consider: type advantages, moves, and weather conditions.

Should be this:

Ash kew that a Pokemon trainer needed to consider three things: type advantages, moves, and weather conditions.

8) Use a dash to set off an abrupt break or interruption and to announce a long appositive or summary.

A dash separates with more strenght than a comma, but less than a period.

Examples:

Hagrid needed rest-- a lot of rest.
Patrick's first thought-- if he was even capable of thought-- was to visit Spongebob.

[Clare]

Some of you may have heard a little writing maxim that says "show - don't tell". What this basically means is that, instead of simply telling the reader what is happening you should try to show it via the characters' actions and reactions. For example:

There was no-one left in the ruined city. The blackened remains of houses lined the crumbling streets and burnt-out cars cluttered the road. There were bodies everywhere and Sharon felt sick as she picked her way through the ruins, looking for other survivors.

is rather bland. But, if we put Sharon at the centre of things like so:

Picking her way through the ruins of the city, Sharon felt physically sick at the sight of the bodies scattered everywhere as though they were litter. It was hard to believe that those blackened and tortured corpses had once been human beings with jobs, families and lives. Tears pricked at her eyes as she thought of how brutally those lives had ended and she knelt down in the middle of the crumbling street, letting the dust of the holocaust trickle through her fingers.

She gazed round at the burnt-out remains of houses. Here and there, she could see a relic of a world that was gone - the clown pattern on a child's bedroom wallpaper, someone's television set, a battered old armchair. She had not seen anyone all day; the city seemed totally devoid of life. But maybe, just maybe, there were other survivors out there - somewhere.

we get a much more vivid picture of what is happening, not least because we are now seeing it through a character's eyes and not those of a detached observer.

[the zealotpker]

Another thing to add on is that you shouldn't have the rules of whatever reality you are writing the story in be too complex, or too much like "unbelievable strength." For example, I think "The Dark is Rising" has to be one of the worst books ever read, and it had such a great and developable plot idea. What ruined this book is that whenever the main character was about to get killed/injured/etc., the author would make up a new rule governing what could happen in the place where the story took place. That just ruins the plot, because you can never wonder "How will 'Person X' get out of 'Situation Y'?" The author will just make something up to allow it to happen. Doing this occasionally is OK, as it actually adds to the plot, but doing so excessively will make the story lose its flavor. Take the 'Star Wars' series for example. 'The Force' and its use is governed by a series of well-established rules that are rarely bent/broken. However, sometimes places/discoveries will alter these rules. Some examples are (you may not understand what I am talking about if you don't read Star Wars much):
Aang-tii Monks (they were only touched upon briefly, but they were like an alternate form of the Jedi)
Nam Chorios (this is the planet in 'Planet of Twilight')
Yuuzhan-Vong (aliens from another galaxy that can't be sensed in the force; these are in the New Jedi Order series; this is a very good example of balancing out making up new rules, I suggest you read at least some of the books from this series as they are very good)
Ysalamiri (discussed throughout all of the books, they are surrounded by an "anti-force" bubble)
Jacen Solo (he is basically the "anti-Yuuzhan Vong"; he is one of my favorite characters)
Zonama Sekot (again, from the New Jedu Order series, as well as 'Rogue Planet.' A planet that is a jedi...hm...)

Also, you need to make sure that a character's actions fit the rules for the place where your character is. If they are in space, you need to somehow explain why they aren't dead. If they are underwater, explain how they got there and how they are breathing. Unless you want to have them do something seemingly contradictory to your dimension's rules, and then later explaining what happened, keep to the rules. It shouldn't be that hard, since you MADE UP THE RULES YOURSELF, but it adds cohesion. Here is an example of keeping to the rules, followed by an example of seemingly contradicting the rules...:

Lyn woke up. The first thing he noticed was that he was floating. Where am I? he thought.
He looked around. Below him, he saw a small red planet. He vaguely remembered it from his History classes, but couldn’t quite produce a name…
Mars. That was it. The planet was called Mars. Looking down at its desolate terrain, he wondered why early Humans had ever wanted to colonize a planet so obviously and utterly devoid of anything but an abundance of rocks and dust. It probably didn’t even have an atmosphere. But then, how was he breathing?
Then he remembered the space station. He looked around, and it was no where to be seen. What had happened to it?
“Don’t worry. Everyone else escaped. Without radiation shields, the space station overheated and evaporated.” It was Dreth’s voice. “They didn’t need to use radiation shields at first, but a terrible war caused their sun to begin releasing highly radioactive energy. This solar system is made even more barren by the fact that this radiation doesn’t penetrate through planets and does not go around them easily either. When we get to the dark side of Mars, it will be much colder. Fortunately for us, this planet has undergone little change in the past few millennia, so even outdated information on this planet will be accurate.”
“Then why are we still alive? And how did we get here from the Academy? Won’t the others worry about us?”
“It is time for them to learn the truth.”
Lyn’s eyes narrowed. He also noticed that it had been gradually becoming colder. They had begun to orbit to the dark side of Mars, out of the dangerous rays from this solar system’s sun, but also out of its warmth. Lyn remembered that it had been called the Sun, and that one of the plants had been called the Earth. It was no surprise that whatever civilization was so primitive that it lacked the creativity to even come up with proper names had died out millennia ago. “You still have not told me why we continue to live after the space station was vaporized.”
“I am drawing heat from all around us to keep us warm, and filtering out the air so that it doesn’t become stale. You are drawing radiation and anything else that might be dangerous away from us. The planet has decided to cooperate by providing us with energy.”

and then, changing (not really, just changing them in the reader's perspective) the rules...:

They hurried in, and through the tunnel. They shortly found themselves in a cave. Dreth stiffened. Lyn looked around to see what it was that had caused Dreth to do that, and then he saw what Dreth had seen…
It was a Shadow Hunter.
“You didn’t really think you could get in that easily, did you?” The Shadow Hunter’s sinister voice echoed throughout the chamber. “I’d like to thank you for coming right where I wanted you. Now you have no Academy to run back to, and thanks to the nature of this place, you won’t be able to teleport out like you seem to like to do so much.”
Suddenly the one Shadow Hunter became an army of Shadow Hunters. Lyn blinked. There were now several Dreths, too, but not nearly as many as there were Shadow Hunters. Then Lyn spied a crystal near where the original Shadow hunter had stood.
The exterior of the crystal was sardius, but within that was onyx, and then gold. Within the gold was carnelian. The entire stone seemed to contain diffused energy, and energy swirled around it like vapor. It seemed to beckon to him.

well, that's just my 2 cents, maybe you should add that. Also, an example of good description is in the last paragraph of the above example.

[SplatPlaintiff]

I have something to add...your chapters shouldn't be too short, but they shouldn't be monstrously long, either. If it takes me ten minutes to scroll through it, I'm not going to read it. Break it up into two chapters; I bet more people'll read it. Just a suggestion.

[Sailor Mars Dragon]

This isn't advice or anything, but does anyone know of any good 'Mary-Sue' tests so my characters can avoid being boring.

[Sentretcookie]

Actually, I have written a Mary-Sue test, and it has only been applauded on many fanfic forums.

Eh- unfortunately, it's based on my own opinions, which I may very well be shunned for, and it's Pokemon-trainer specific, and many people say it's... kinda strict... ><

However... I do know of some people who did like it... but maybe they're all just dumb. x_x;;;

So if you wanna see it... jes tell me.

-Sentretcookie

[Clare]

There's a guide to writing Mary Sue tests here (http://missy.reimer.com/library/marysuefaq.html). You can also read the original Mary Sue test (for "Gargoyles" fanfic) on the same site.

[willis]

No offence but what you've written as advice I suggest editing it a little, your advice is written in such away as to say "these are how you should write, follow this like it is the bible and you are religious". Some of the rules you've stated, I agree should be followed but a good writter does not just follow everything. The best advice is to be willing to brake the rules, or else everything you produce will look like it came off a production line.

Now heres my advice:


write about what you know, the common misconception with that phrase is that you litterally write about what you know, so you write about your life. If every writer were to write about what they knew then litterature would be very boring indeed. What it atcually means is you have to know the world you creat or the places you have set your story in, you have to know how the world works, everything about your characters, even if you have no intention of putting in the backing story in the story. Knowing your character history is important in making the characters 3D, if you feel like they are real then you can write them so much better.

In hollywood thats known as a treatment, a treatment is usally about 60 pages long for a 2 hour film, but even if the films longer than that the advice given is to have it no longer than 60 pages.

In fandom it isnt just a case of knowning your fandom, if you just know your fandom and not YOUR STORY, then you'll just end up writing your favorite episode of said fandom. You need to know what your story is about, which characters it centralises on, if your introducing a new character. How the events of the story start to happen. how it leads up to the end of the story.

My tip is to write a 1 to 20 on a page and fill in the beginning and end, 1 being the begining, 20 being the end. Now you've done that, you start filling in the middle.

index cards are useful, write down as many plot events as you can think of on individual cards, then mess around with the order untill you find the best order.

There are two forms of writing narative, suspense or mystery, dont let anyone tell you any different. suspense is wondering what will happen next and mystery is looking back into the past for answers. every film and every book (apart from text books) fall into one of these two catergorys.

your story has to have conflict, if it doesnt have conflict then it isnt worth reading, you need a reason for your characters to go off on an adventure, on this adventure they will run into trouble, they will come to a point where it can not get any worse, then they have to find a way back from this problem.

Ultimatly your characters need to grow and change and become different people.

If your writing a jerk in your film and he is not the protagonist, do not appolgise for why he is a jerk, dont create a back story that gives reasons for him acting like that, some people are just jerks.
----------------------------

Its hard to give just one set of advice because there are so many rules and so many loop holes, My advice is do do alot of reading about writing, Now that wont make you a good writer but having a sizeable knowlage on writing is very useful.


http://screenwriting.ugo.com/screen...monmistakes.php

the above article is very good and I highly recomend you read that, its very, very good advice on writing.

http://screenwriting.ugo.com/vbulle...hp?threadid=163

http://www.scriptwritingsecrets.com/contents.htm

http://www.breakingin.net/

http://www.screenwriter.com/

http://www.scriptwritingsecrets.com/contents.htm

http://www.wordplayer.com/siteinfo/sitemap.html

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/

http://www.moviebytes.com/

http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/faqs.html

http://www.wga.org/mentors/index.html

http://filmmaker.com/

http://www.hollywoodlitsales.com/

http://www.screenplay.com/sitemap/index.html

I'd start with those but ultimately just have fun.

__________________________________________________ ____
edit:

just found a great article for writing for fan fics:

"Seven Steps To A Successful Spec Script
by Aury Wallington ~ Aury is the script coordinator for Sex and the City.

It’s easy to learn the format of writing for television from a book or writing class. It’s a much harder thing to capture the voice and the tone of a particular series, Use this exercise to learn what makes your favorite TV series work, then craft a spec script that showcases your writing talent.

and to make your script fit flawlessly into the run of the show. Television is the one medium where you don’t want your own unique voice to shine through. The characters’ voices and thoughts and ideas need to stay true to the ones already established by the series’ creators. Here’s an exercise to help you capture the established voice of the show you wish to write.

Videotape a new episode of a show you love and that you watch often. Watch the first half, then shut off the television You are going to write the ending yourself.

Start by brainstorming all the possible ways the episode could end. For example, on the show I work on Sex and the City, in the first half of the episode “Ghost Town,” Carrie and Miranda learn that Steve and Aidan are opening a bar together. At the halfway point, Carrie has just run out of the bar after hearing Aidan’s voice because she is afraid to face him again. Think up as many ideas as you can for ways to resolve this story. Carrie could see Aidan and discover that he’s married to someone else. She could realize she never loved him. Or maybe she realizes that she loves him still. Maybe she never sees him at all-she goes back to the bar only to discover he’s left New York for good. There are dozens of possible resolutions-let your imagination run wild... http://www.pilotproject.tv/7_steps_spec_script.html"

[Clare]

As far as planning stories goes, my advice would be to do this by all means, but don't be too rigid about it. I'm sure you've all had times where you thought of what seemed like a good idea for your story, but, when you actually came to write it, you went: "Argh! What was I thinking?!" If an idea which seemed good at the planning stage doesn't really work in the actual story, don't be afraid to scrap or rewrite it. But, at the same time, try not to lose track of your original scenario.

And, regarding writing about what you know, I agree that this is some advice you shouldn't follow too rigidly - if everyone only "wrote about what they knew", there would be no fantasy, no science fiction . . . in fact, nothing that wasn't directly related to the author's personal experiences. Someone (I can't remember who) suggested that the advice should be "write about what you know and, if you don't know, find out". What this means is doing research, checking your facts. With fanfiction, this means details such as the fact that Pokemon trainers are only allowed to carry up to six Pokemon at a time; with original fiction, things like historical accuracy come to the forefront. In fantasy and science fiction, you can of course invent your own rules for the society you portray, but try to keep it consistent.

If you write fanfiction, try asking yourself if the storyline you're writing fits in with the series - that's what I meant by "knowing your fandom". Could such a thing conceivably happen in the universe of the series? Even Alternate Universe fics (where the author deliberately deviates from canon) require some knowledge of canon in order to imagine what might happen if the characters' situations were different. Basically, you can't deliberately break the rules unless you know the rules.

[Clare]

Oh, and one more thing . . .

Don't mess around changing text colours!

The reason I say this is because too many garish colours can distract the reader and make reading the fic a chore rather than a pleasure. I've just taken someone to task for doing exactly what I'm talking about. So stick to the default text colour unless you have a good reason to use another. And excuses like "it's so I can tell who's talking" are NOT a good reason. We show who's talking via quotation marks, words like "said" and descriptions of what the character is doing while he or she speaks.

[willis]

As a not to confuse this was written Georges Polti, He did extensive research into litterature and found that there were 36 dramatic situations, these are every single situation you will ever find in story writing which just proves that there arnt any orriginal idea's left just orriginal takes on them. It should be useful for getting idea's to a story or just figureing out where to place the one you've written.

01. SUPPLICATION
(The dynamic elements technically necessary are: a Persecutor; a Suppliant; and a Power in authority, whose decision is doubtful)
A.
(1) Fugitives Imploring the Powerful for Help Against Their Enemies
(2) Assistance Implored for the Performance of a Pious Duty Which Has Been Forbidden
(3) Appeals for a Refuge in Which to Die
B.
(1) Hospitality Besought by the Shipwrecked
(2) Charity Entreated by Those Cast Off by Their Own People, Whom They Have Disgraced
(3) Expiation: The Seeking of Pardon, Healing or Deliverance
(4) The Surrender of a Corpse, or of a Relic, Solicited
C.
(1) Supplication of the Powerful for Those Dear to the Suppliant
(2) Supplication to a Relative in Behalf of Another Relative
(3) Supplication to a Mother's Lover, in Her Behalf



02. DELIVERANCE
(Elements: an Unfortunate, a Threatener, a Rescuer)
A.
(1) Appearance of a Rescuer to the Condemned
B.
(1) A Parent Replaced Upon a Throne by His Children
(2) Rescue by Friends, or by Strangers Grateful for Benefits Or Hospitality



03. CRIME Pursued by Vengeance
(Elements: an Avenger and a Criminal)
A.
(1) The Avenging of a Slain Parent or Ancestor
(2) The Avenging of a Slain Child or Descendant
(3) Vengeance for a Child Dishonored
(4) The Avenging of a Slain Wife or Husband
(5) Vengeance for the Dishonor, or Attempted Dishonoring, of a Wife
(6) Vengeance for a Mistress Slain
(7) Vengeance for a Slain or Injured Friend
(8) Vengeance for a Sister Seduced
B.
(1) Vengeance for Intentional Injury or Spoliation
(2) Vengeance for Having Been Despoiled During Absence
(3) Revenge for an Attempted Slaying
(4) Revenge for a False Accusation
(5) Vengeance for Violation
(6) Vengeance for Having Been Robbed of One's Own
(7) Revenge Upon a Whole Sex for a Deception by One
C.
(1) Professional Pursuit of Criminals



04. VENGEANCE Taken For Kindred Upon Kindred
(Elements: Avenging Kinsman; Guilty Kinsman; Remembrance of the Victim, a Relative of Both)
A.
(1) A Father's Death Avenged Upon a Mother
(2) A Mother's Death Avenged Upon a Father
B.
(1) A Brother's Death Avenged Upon a Son
C.
(1) A Father's Death Avenged Upon a Husband
D.
(1) A Husband's Death Avenged Upon a Father



05. PURSUIT
(Elements: Punishment and Fugitive)
A.
(1) Fugitives from Justice Pursued for Brigandage, Political Offenses, Etc.
B.
(1) Pursued for a Fault of Love
C.
(1) A Hero Struggling Against a Power
D.
(1) A Pseudo-Madman Struggling Against an Iago-Like Alienist



06. DISASTER
(Elements: a Vanquished Power; a Victorious Enemy or a Messenger)
A.
(1) Defeat Suffered
(2) A Fatherland Destroyed
(3) The Fall of Humanity
(4) A Natural Catastrophe
B.
(1) A Monarch Overthrown
C.
(1) Ingratitude Suffered
(2) The Suffering of Unjust Punishment or Enmity
(3) An Outrage Suffered
D.
(1) Abandonment by a Lover or a Husband
(2) Children Lost by Their Parents



07. FALLING PREY To Cruelty Or Misfortune
(Elements: an Unfortunate; a Master or a Misfortune)
A.
(1) The Innocent Made the Victim of Ambitious Intrigue
B.
(1) The Innocent Despoiled by Those Who Should Protect
C.
(1) The Powerful Dispossessed and Wretched
(2) A Favorite or an Intimate Finds Himself Forgotten
D.
(1) The Unfortunate Robbed of Their Only Hope



08. REVOLT
(Elements: Tyrant and Conspirator)
A.
(1) A Conspiracy Chiefly of One Individual
(2) A Conspiracy of Several
B.
(1) Revolt of One Individual, Who Influences and Involves Others
(2) A Revolt of Many



09. DARING Enterprise
(Elements: a Bold Leader; an Object; an Adversary)
A.
(1) Preparations For War
B.
(1) War
(2) A Combat
C.
(1) Carrying Off a Desired Person or Object
(2) Recapture of a Desired Object
D.
(1) Adventurous Expeditions
(2) Adventure Undertaken for the Purpose of Obtaining a Beloved Woman



10. ABDUCTION
(Elements: the Abductor; the Abducted; the Guardian)
A.
(1) Abduction of an Unwilling Woman
B.
(1) Abduction of a Consenting Woman
C.
(1) Recapture of the Woman Without the Slaying of the Abductor
(2) The Same Case, with the Slaying of the Ravisher
D.
(1) Rescue of a Captive Friend
(2) Of a Child
(3) Of a Soul in Captivity to Error



11. THE ENIGMA
(Elements: Interrogator, Seeker and Problem)
A.
(1) Search for a Person Who Must Be Found on Pain of Death
B.
(1) A Riddle To Be Solved on Pain of Death
(2) The Same Case, in Which the Riddle is Proposed by the Coveted Woman
C.
(1) Temptations Offered With the Object of Discovering His Name
(2) Temptations Offered With the Object of Ascertaining the Sex
(3) Tests for the Purpose of Ascertaining the Mental Condition



12. OBTAINING
(Elements: a Solicitor and an Adversary Who is Refusing, or an Arbitrator and Opposing Parties)
A.
(1) Efforts to Obtain an Object by Ruse or Force
B.
(1) Endeavor by Means of Persuasive Eloquence Alone
C.
(1) Eloquence With an Arbitrator

[willis]

13. ENMITY Of Kinsmen
(Elements: a Malevolent Kinsman; a Hatred or Reciprocally Hating Kinsman)
A.
(1) Hatred of Brothers -- One Brother Hated by Several
(2) Reciprocal Hatred
(3) Hatred Between Relatives for Reasons of Self-Interest
B.
(1) Hatred of Father and Son -- Of the Son for the Father
(2) Mutual Hatred
(3) Hatred of Daughter for Father
C.
(1) Hatred of Grandfather for Grandson
D.
(1) Hatred of Father-in-law for Son-in-law
E.
(1) Hatred of Mother-in-law for Daughter-in-law
F.
(1) Infanticide



14. RIVALRY Of Kinsmen
(Elements: the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; the Object)
A.
(1) Malicious Rivalry of a Brother
(2) Malicious Rivalry of Two Brothers
(3) Rivalry of Two Brothers, With Adultery on the Part of One
(4) Rivalry of Sisters
B.
(1) Rivalry of Father and Son, for an Unmarried Woman
(2) Rivalry of Father and Son, for a Married Woman
(3) Case Similar to the Two Foregoing, But in Which the Object is Already the Wife of the Father
(4) Rivalry of Mother and Daughter
C.
(1) Rivalry of Cousins
D.
(1) Rivalry of Friends



15. MURDEROUS Adultery
(Elements: Two Adulterers; a Betrayed Husband or Wife)
A.
(1) The Slaying of a Husband by, or for, a Paramour
(2) The Slaying of a Trusting Lover
B.
(1) Slaying of a Wife for a Paramour, and in Self-Interest



16. MADNESS
(Elements: Madman and Victim)
A.
(1) Kinsmen Slain in Madness
(2) Lover Slain in Madness
(3) Slaying or Injuring of a Person not Hated
B.
(1) Disgrace Brought Upon Oneself Through Madness
C.
(1) Loss of Loved Ones Brought About by Madness
D.
(1) Madness Brought on by Fear of Hereditary Insanity



17. FATAL Imprudence
(Elements: The Imprudent; the Victim or the Object Lost)
A.
(1) Imprudence the Cause of One's Own Misfortune
(2) Imprudence the Cause of One's Own Dishonor
B.
(1) Curiosity the Cause of One's Own Misfortune
(2) Loss of the Possession of a Loved One, Through Curiosity
C.
(1) Curiosity the Cause of Death or Misfortune to Others
(2) Imprudence the Cause of a Relative's Death
(3) Imprudence the Cause of a Lover's Death
(4) Credulity the Cause of Kinsmen's Deaths



18. INVOLUNTARY Crimes Of Love
(Elements: the Lover, the Beloved; the Revealer)
A.
(1) Discovery that One Has Married One's Mother
(2) Discovery that One Has Had a Sister as Mistress
B.
(1) Discovery that One Has Married One's Sister
(2) The Same Case, in Which the Crime Has Been Villainously Planned by a Third Person
(3) Being Upon the Point of Taking a Sister, Unknowingly, as Mistress
C.
(1) Being Upon the Point of Violating, Unknowingly, a Daughter
D.
(1) Being Upon the Point of Committing an Adultery Unknowingly
(2) Adultery Committed Unknowingly



19. SLAYING of a Kinsman Unrecognized
(Elements: the Slayer, the Unrecognized Victim)
A.
(1) Being Upon the Point of Slaying a Daughter Unknowingly, by Command of a Divinity or an Oracle
(2) Through Political Necessity
(3) Through a Rivalry in Love
(4) Through Hatred of the Lover of the Unrecognized Daughter
B.
(1) Being Upon the Point of Killing a Son Unknowingly
(2) The Same Case, Strengthened by Machiavellian Instigations
C.
(1) Being Upon the Point of Slaying a Brother Unknowingly
D.
(1) Slaying of a Mother Unrecognized
E.
(1) A Father Slain Unknowingly, Through Machiavellian Advice
F.
(1) A Grandfather Slain Unknowingly, in Vengeance and Through Instigation
G.
(1) Involuntary Killing of a Loved Woman
(2) Being Upon the Point of Killing a Lover Unrecognized
(3) Failure to Rescue an Unrecognized Son



20. SELF-Sacrificing For An Ideal
(Elements: the Hero; the Ideal; the 'Creditor' or the Person or Thing Sacrificed)
A.
(1) Sacrifice of Life for the Sake of One's Word
(2) Life Sacrifice for the Success of One's People
(3) Life Sacrificed in Filial Piety
(4) Life Sacrificed for the Sake of One's Faith
B.
(1) Both Love and Life Sacrificed for One's Faith, or a Cause
(2) Love Sacrificed to the Interests of State
C.
(1) Sacrifice of Well-Being to Duty
D.
(1) The Ideal of 'Honor' Sacrificed to the Ideal of 'Faith'



21. SELF-Sacrifice For Kindred
(Elements: the Hero; the Kinsman; the 'Creditor' or the Person or Thing Sacrificed)
A.
(1) Life Sacrificed for that of a Relative or a Loved One
(2) Life Sacrificed for the Happiness of a Relative or a Loved One
B.
(1) Ambition Sacrificed for the Happiness of a Parent
(2) Ambition Sacrificed for the Life of a Parent
C.
(1) Love Sacrificed for the Sake of a Parent's Life
(2) For the Happiness of One's Child
(3) The Same Sacrifice as 2, But Caused by Unjust Laws
D.
(1) Life and Honor Sacrificed for the Life of a Parent or Loved One
(2) Modesty Sacrificed for the Life of a Relative or a Loved One



22. ALL Sacrificed For A Passion
(Elements: the Lover, the Object of the Fatal Passion; the Person or Thing Sacrificed)
A.
(1) Religious Vows of Chastity Broken for a Passion
(2) Respect for a Priest Destroyed
(3) A Future Ruined by Passion
(4) Power Ruined by Passion
(5) Ruin of Mind, Health, and Life
(6) Ruin of Fortunes, Lives, and Honors
B.
(1) Temptations Destroying the Sense of Duty, of Piety, etc.
C.
(1) Destruction of Honor, Fortune, and Life by Erotic Vice
(2) The Same Effect Produced by Any Other Vice



23. NECESSITY Of Sacrificing Love Ones
(Elements: the Hero; the Beloved Victim; the Necessity for the Sacrifice)
A.
(1) Necessity for Sacrificing a Daughter in the Public Interest
(2) Duty of Sacrificing Her in Fulfillment of a Vow to God
(3) Duty of Sacrificing Benefactors or Loved Ones to One's Faith
B.
(1) Duty of Sacrificing One's Child, Unknown to Others, Under the Pressure of Necessity
(2) Duty of Sacrificing, Under the Same Circumstances, One's Father or Husband
(3) Duty of Sacrificing a Son-in-law for the Public Good
(4) Duty of Contending with a Brother-in-Law for the Public Good
(5) Duty of Contending with a Friend



24. RIVALRY Of Superior And Inferior
(Elements: the Superior Rival; the Inferior Rival; the Object)
A.
(1) Masculine Rivalries; of a Mortal and an Immortal
(2) Of a Magician and an Ordinary Man
(3) Of Conqueror and Conquered
(4) Of a King and a Noble
(5) Of a Powerful Person and an Upstart
(6) Of Rich and Poor
(7) Of an Honored Man and a Suspected One
(8) Rivalry of Two Who are Almost Equal
(9) Of the Two Successive Husbands of a Divorcee
B.
(1) Feminine Rivalries; Of a Sorceress and an Ordinary Woman
(2) Of Victor and Prisoner
(3) Of Queen and Subject
(4) Of Lady and Servant
(5) Rivalry Between Memory or an Ideal (That of a Superior Woman) and a Vassal of Her Own
C.
(1) Double Rivalry (A loves B, who loves C, who loves D)

[willis]

25. ADULTERY
(Elements: a Deceived Husband or Wife; Two Adulterers)
A.
(1) A Mistress Betrayed, For a Young Woman
(2) For a Young Wife
B.
(1) A Wife Betrayed, For a Slave Who Does Not Love in Return
(2) For Debauchery
(3) For a Married Woman
(4) With the Intention of Bigamy
(5) For a Young Girl, who Does Not Love in Return
(6) A Wife Envied by a Young Girl Who is in Love With Her Husband
(7) By a Courtesan
C.
(1) An Antagonistic Husband Sacrificed for a Congenial Lover
(2) A Husband, Believed to be Lost, Forgotten for a Rival
(3) A Commonplace Husband Sacrificed for a Sympathetic Lover
(4) A Good Husband Betrayed for an Inferior Rival
(5) For a Grotesque Rival
(6) For a Commonplace Rival, By a Perverse Wife
(7) For a Rival Less Handsome, But Useful
D.
(1) Vengeance of a Deceived Husband
(2) Jealousy Sacrificed for the Sake of a Cause
(3) Husband Persecuted by a Rejected Rival



26. CRIMES Of Love
(Elements: The Lover, the Beloved)
A.
(1) A Mother in Love with Her Son
(2) A Daughter in Love with her Father
(3) Violation of a Daughter by a Father
B.
(1) A Woman Enamored of Her Stepson
(2) A Woman and Her Stepson Enamored of Each Other
(3) A Woman Being the Mistress, at the Same Time, of a Father and Son, Both of Whom Accept the Situation
C.
(1) A Man Becomes the Lover of his Sister-in-Law
(2) A Brother and Sister in Love with Each Other
D.
(1) A Man Enamored of Another Man, Who Yields
E.
(1) A Woman Enamored of a Beast



27. DISCOVERY Of The Dishonor Of A Loved One
(Elements: the Discoverer; the Guilty One)
A.
(1) Discovery of a Mother's Shame
(2) Discovery of a Father's Shame
(3) Discovery of a Daughter's Dishonor
B.
(1) Discovery of Dishonor in the Family of One's Fiancee
(2) Discovery than One's Wife Has Been Violated Before Marriage, Or Since the Marriage
(3) That She Has Previously Committed a Fault
(4) Discovery that One's Wife Has Formerly Been a Prostitute
(5) Discovery that One's Mistress, Formerly a Prostitute, Has Returned to Her Old Life
(6) Discovery that One's Lover is a Scoundrel, or that One's Mistress is a Woman of Bad Character
(7) The Same Discovery Concerning One's Wife
C.
(1) Duty of Punishing a Son Who is a Traitor to Country
(2) Duty of Punishing a Son Condemned Under a Law Which the Father Has Made
(3) Duty of Punishing One's Mother to Avenge One's Father



28. OBSTACLES To Love
(Elements: Two Lovers, an Obstacle)
A.
(1) Marriage Prevented by Inequality of Rank
(2) Inequality of Fortune an Impediment to Marriage
B.
(1) Marriage Prevented by Enemies and Contingent Obstacles
C.
(1) Marriage Forbidden on Account of the Young Woman's Previous Betrothal to Another
D.
(1) A Free Union Impeded by the Opposition of Relatives
E.
(1) By the Incompatibility of Temper of the Lovers



29. AN ENEMY Loved
(Elements: The Beloved Enemy; the Lover; the Hater)
A.
(1) The Loved One Hated by Kinsmen of the Lover
(2) The Lover Pursued by the Brothers of His Beloved
(3) The Lover Hated by the Family of His Beloved
(4) The Beloved is an Enemy of the Party of the Woman Who Loves Him
B.
(1) The Beloved is the Slayer of a Kinsman of the Woman Who Loves Him



30. AMBITION
(Elements: an Ambitious Person; a Thing Coveted; an Adversary)
A.
(1) Ambition Watched and Guarded Against by a Kinsman, or By a Person Under Obligation
B.
(1) Rebellious Ambition
C.
(1) Ambition and Covetousness Heaping Crime Upon Crime



31. CONFLICT With A God
(Elements: a Mortal, an Immortal)
A.
(1) Struggle Against a Deity
(2) Strife with the Believers in a God
B.
(1) Controversy with a Deity
(2) Punishment for Contempt of a God
(3) Punishment for Pride Before a God



32. MISTAKEN Jealousy
(Elements: the Jealous One; the Object of Whose Possession He is Jealous; the Supposed Accomplice; the Cause or the Author of the Mistake)
A.
(1) The Mistake Originates in the Suspicious Mind of the Jealous One
(2) Mistaken Jealousy Aroused by Fatal Chance
(3) Mistaken Jealousy of a Love Which is Purely Platonic
(4) Baseless Jealousy Aroused by Malicious Rumors
B.
(1) Jealousy Suggested by a Traitor Who is Moved by Hatred, or Self-Interest
C.
(1) Reciprocal Jealousy Suggested to Husband and Wife by a Rival



33. ERRONEOUS Judgment
(Elements: The Mistaken One; the Victim of the Mistake; the Cause or Author of the Mistake; the Guilty Person)
A.
(1) False Suspicion Where Faith is Necessary
(2) False Suspicion of a Mistress
(3) False Suspicion Aroused by a Misunderstood Attitude of a Loved One
B.
(1) False Suspicions Drawn Upon Oneself to Save a Friend
(2) They Fall Upon the Innocent
(3) The Same Case as 2, but in Which the Innocent had a Guilty Intention, or Believes Himself Guilty
(4) A Witness to the Crime, in the Interest of a Loved One, Lets Accusation Fall Upon the Innocent
C.
(1) The Accusation is Allowed to Fall Upon an Enemy
(2) The Error is Provoked by an Enemy
D.
(1) False Suspicion Thrown by the Real Culprit Upon One of His Enemies
(2) Thrown by the Real Culprit Upon the Second Victim Against Whom He Has Plotted From the Beginning



34. REMORSE
(Elements: the Culprit; the Victim or the Sin; the Interrogator)
A.
(1) Remorse for an Unknown Crime
(2) Remorse for a Parricide
(3) Remorse for an Assassination
B.
(1) Remorse for a Fault of Love
(2) Remorse for an Adultery



35. RECOVERY Of A Lost One
(The Seeker; the One Found)
A.
(1) A Child Stolen
B.
(1) Unjust Imprisonment
C.
(1) A Child Searches to Discover His Father



36. LOSS Of Loved Ones
(A Kinsman Slain; a Kinsman Spectator; an Executioner)
A.
(1) Witnessing the Slaying of Kinsmen While Powerless to Prevent It
(2) Helping to Bring Misfortune Upon One's People Through Professional Secrecy
B.
(1) Divining the Death of a Loved One
C.
(1) Learning of the Death of a Kinsman or Ally, and Lapsing into Despair

[Clare]

And what was the point of that comment?

Returning to the subject of advice, I would like to point out that the Mary Sues mentioned earlier are not necessarily bad by definition. What is bad is the way these characters hog all the action and keep outclassing the canon characters. They are quite easy to spot. Often, they will have the same name (real name or screen name) as their creator; in addition, they will share at least some of their creator's interests. They may also have extraordinary powers which they wind up using to save the day - the character may also die (or come close to dying) at this point. If the character is killed, the canon characters will go into mourning and the character will then be revived. Often, the character will become romantically involved with a canon character, possibly causing a certain amount of bitterness and resentment on the part of at least one other canon character.

Other typical Mary Sue traits include being related to a canon character and something nasty having happened to the character, usually during childhood or adolescence. In any case, if you find yourself with such a character, you might want to consider toning him or her down a little. Here are a few tips:

1, Give the character at least one fault. Not being able to sing doesn't count here. What does count are things like being a Pokemon who can't use the Attacks it should be able to use - like the Ponyta featured in "The Ponyta Story", although she does discover that she CAN use the Attacks of another Pokemon Type - or having a tendency to act without thinking.

2, If the character MUST have special powers, try to be reasonable about them. If there's a magic user (or similar) in your story, don't have him or her use his or her powers for every little thing. Indeed, most fantasy books (such as "Harry Potter") impose certain restrictions on what magic can and can't do. And (especially if the character isn't of a race that normally has magical powers) try to come up with a reasonable explanation for the presence of these powers.

3, Don't let the character do everything perfectly the first time he or she does it. For example, a "Pokemon" fic called "Wings Of Hope" features a girl who has wings hidden in her back but, because of her father's attitude to people like her, has never spread them. When she finally does spread them, instead of having it happen without any hitches, the author describe how she has difficulties doing so; the same thing applies when she tries to learn to fly.

4, Don't let the character "save the day" all the time. Sometimes is perfectly fine, but do think about letting the canon characters handle things from time to time. And, even if your story doesn't revolve around your character "saving the day", try not to let him or her win everything. For example, if you're writing a "Yu-Gi-Oh" fic, let the character lose at least a few duels. He or she won't suffer for not winning all the time and will be more believable as a result.

5, Try asking yourself if you really need to have this character in your fic. If you take him or her out of the picture and the story still reads well, he or she is probably surplus to requirements. But, if the story doesn't seem to work without the character, consider the notes I've written above and read Crimson Rose's notes in this thread's first post.

And remember that not every Mary Sue is the character from Hell. The main character in "Wings Of Hope" often strikes me as being something of a Mary Sue, but the story itself was very popular in its day and it's written well enough that having such a character in it doesn't really detract from the plot.

Well, that's my 100th post on this board used up. ;)

[Clare]

A couple of other things you might want to think twice about using:

1, Tautology: This means using two words (or phrases) that mean more or less exactly the same thing. Examples include:

A dangerous hazard - use either "a danger" or "a hazard"

An assortment of various things - use either "an assortment of things" or "a variety of things"

The reason tautology should be avoided is because all you're really doing is repeating what you just said with different words. This does not add anything to the story except several unnecessary words.

2, Random Japanese: Some anime fans seem to think that slipping Japanese words into their fanfics makes them "cool". Not so. Imagine, for example, that someone is writing a "Pokemon" fanfic and their main character has a Skitty. They could write:

My little Skitty was so kawaii.

But there are plenty of perfectly good English words they could use instead - cute, adorable, pretty, sweet to name a few off the top of my head. As a rule, try to avoid using foreign words unless:

A, There is no English word that has quite the correct meaning

B, The word in question is so commonly used in English that it has become intergrated into the language

[willis]

I'd like to dicuss something that hasnt atcually been mentioned in the topic, we've talked alot about structure and advice for getting inspiration but what we havent really talked about is passion.

Passion is the most important part of an art work because with out it, its nothing, its dull its lifeless and thats even if you get it finished.

Passion is not only passion for writing in this case but it is also passion for the subject matter, that might be anger and hatred, it might be love, it might just be creating something really cool but you have to have passion for it all the way through.

Hitlers paintings are a great example, hitler's work had all the classical training down very well, but it lacked passion or even best described as it lacked feeling. If you dont put feeling into a peice of art work then how do you expect to get a feeling out of the audiance as you will.

This applys to all art, dancing, music, writing and paintings.

[djcati]

I definitely agree with that. You could have everything technically correct, but if you don't want to write the story, or you don't have the right feel or mood for it, then it just won't work. Which is why I don't force myself to write if I have writer's block... you should just let the ideas come when they come.

[Sissyofchaos]

Woah! You talk..er..write too much. Luckiliy I'm here to give way better advice!

1) Make sure the actual story has a plot!
2) Make all facts clear or there can be mass confusion.
3) Never use your real name when publishing. VERY BAD NO-NO!
4) Don't forget to feature the new characters at the appropriate time.
5) Use excruciating details in your...uh...book, novela, whatever!
6) HIRE AN EDITOR! You need one more than you bad spellers think!
7) Make the paragraphs flow. It helps divide ideas better.
8) Use active writing to express opinions or emotions in the story.
9) Make sure the genre of your story is absolutely clear as a bell!
10) USE ORIGINAL IDEAS! Don't copy others. You can get arrested!

Hope this helps to all you novice writers out there!
PM me if you need more info.

[Clare]

Kingzorc2, what was the point of that comment?

Anyway, here's a few hints regarding what you should do if you get criticised:

First of all, I try to draw a distinction between a constructive critic and a flamer. A constructive critic is someone who wants to help people improve their writing, whereas a flamer is someone who (often because they have no writing talent themselves) goes round insulting authors and telling them their work "sucks" without explaining why. The best thing to do if you run into someone like this is to report them (use the Report Bad Post link) and let the mods deal with it.

But, when it comes to constructive critics, don't get angry with them and start whining about how they are "insulting your hard work". Instead, you should at least try to realise that all they are doing is offering pointers on where you're going wrong. It can be hard to see your own work from another person's point of view, but do at least consider why they said what they said. For example, you might have an excellent idea for a story, but your spelling, punctuation and grammar has let you down - so try working on that side of your writing. I know it's not very exciting, but, unless people can actually make sense of your story, the best plot in the world won't help you.

[Rhys]

There has been a lot said about writing, but one thing crucial that's missing, in my opinion....

Reading.

I think that reading a lot (dorky as it may sound) is one of the best and most entertaining things out there, and as a bonus, it improves your writing. A 'learn by example' sort of thing. I'm not saying copy other people's work; quite the opposite. When you read, you have an idea of what's out there, what's interesting to readers, and what there needs to be. Lets say you've read a lot of books, and none on a certain subject that you love. Either you're not looking hard enough...or you should take action and write about that.

Also, reading a lot lets you see what styles you like, and what's effective. You could write like Hemmingway if that's all you knew, but then you'd sound like Hemmingway and your work would be a little hard to read. Get a broad base and you can look at other styles, combine them, and come up with something that's all your own.

Just some more general advice: there should be a topic where you can critique writing. It would have to be modded for flaming...but I think it would be very useful.

[Lost Digi Girl]

I agree with that. I often read the Tamora Pierce books, over and over, to get ideas on how I want my fantasy writing to be, but still other readings are more exposure to other things. (Plus I really love those books anyway)

I think another way to write better is with role playing. This could be with DnD, acting, message boards, anything that gives you a chance to really become your characters. I personally find DnD and message board RPGs to be useful in really interacting with other people, characters you might not have thought about or really be willing to play yourself, and, with message boards, see other people's styles of writing and be able to look back at it. I don't really like IM rping, since it's too brief, barely writing, and typically unsaveable, and it has the possiblities of random interuptions. Writing needs to be a bit more in depth. But overall, I've noticed that my writing has improved with RPing, and even if I can't work on whatever story at that time, at least my general writing skill isn't that bad.

[Clare]

I thought it might be an idea to have a few hints on how to write reviews.

When writing a review, try to avoid praising everything regardless of quality. For example, someone might have come up with an excellent idea for a story; unfortunately, the fic is riddled with typos and contains several glaring grammatical errors. You could review it with the words:

Wow! That was soooooooo cool! 10/10!

But this wouldn't tell the author anything about what they need to fix. I don't mind people leaving reviews like the above example in fics that deserve them, but do try to avoid raving on about how "cool" fics are at the expense of critiquing any errors. By all means leave a positive review for a well-written fic - just don't be afraid to point out anything that needs improving. Our hypothetical fic might be better reviewed like this:

You've got some good ideas. However, I would suggest you work on your grammar and try proof-reading your work before you post.

Also, try to avoid saying negative things about a story without explaining why you're making the criticisms - otherwise, it can sound as though you are criticising it just because YOU don't like it. Let's imagine, for instance, that someone has written a "Yu-Gi-Oh!" fic, which contains several errors because that author is new to the fandom and isn't very familiar with how the series works (NOTE: this fic is not intended to be AU). A review like this:

Dude, you suck! This is NOT what would happen in the series, so shove off and NEVER WRITE AGAIN!

would amount to bashing because, while the fic probably does need to be criticised, it does not explain where the author is going wrong. If, however, someone gently but firmly pointed out that the story contradicted the tv series by, for example, assigning the wrong Millennium Items to the wrong characters, that would be constructive criticism. Among other things, it would give the author chance to correct the mistakes - or at least explain them if they were deliberate.

And one thing you DEFINITELY shouldn't do is threaten authors whose work you don't like; instead, stay out of their topics. Also, don't give a fic a bad review just to get back at the author for "insulting" your work.

[Rhys]

Man, have I not been on the board in a while.

Okay: so you want to write a fanfic. First of all, know your fandom. Know what the characters are like, and how the whole 'system' of the original works. That way, you can use it effectively.

Read that first post; the whole long list of writing basics. Follow those. They're very important. Say that you want to write a humor fic - you still have to take them into account. There are all kinds of 'funny' or 'humorous' fanfiction that is poorly written, stupid, and riddled with typos. If you take your time and work on it, make it like real writing, it'll be funnier.

Do you have any previous writing experience ? Your post seems to be surprisingly good as far as grammar, spelling, and common sense goes. If you have experience, use it: but don't give too long an intro like you might in something original. The fans already know the characters and the situations.

If you want to write something that happens at a particular point, don't say it outright (either in your story or the description, and only if you really have to do it in your description), insinuate it in the story. Have someone say "Remember when..." or put what happened in context - your story starts after a major fight, say.

[Thundercat]

Ah well done! If I may, I would like to add something else.

If you are writing a fan fic that's set in a certain time period then the best thing to do is do a little research. Excuses like I can't go to the Library, I don't know any of that crap cuz I wasn't born back then, will NOT do.
There are a number of sites on the net that can help you.

Here are things that you need to look up.
Each time period and region has thier own style.
Language and speech patterns.= Each region has thier own dilect and accent.
Fashion= People have different styles for weather, social status, and work ect.

Dance= Like tribal dances, cerimonial dances, social dances.
Music= Style and instruments
Food= Are they vegitarian or not? Tribal dishes
Architecture and furniture= Roman Greek or Japanese?
Religious, marital and social customs. Not every bride wears a white dress ya know. In some cultures women where and still are treated like 2nd class citizens.
Currency= Money or trade goods?
Slavery= I don't need to explain that one.
Education
Medicine
Technology
Sports and past times
Warfare
Politics and government.



Here's an example.
If you are going to write a "romance" story about Yu-Gi-Oh! set in ancient then you should include some actual facts.
Polygamy= The Pharoah had to have multiple wives so he can make sure that he had enough hiers. Infant mortality was pretty high back then.

Back then they didn't have a word for queen. They used a word or phrase that was close to "chief wife" ,"God's wife" or "Great wife".
The "chief wife's" duty is to lead the other wives and serve by the Pharoah's side.

Incest= Egyptain royalty only married with in the family. Males would marry thier sisters, cousins and sometimes even thier own mothers or daughters.

[WildWill]

If you are going to write a "romance" story about Yu-Gi-Oh! set in ancient then you should include some actual facts.
Polygamy= The Pharoah had to have multiple wives so he can make sure that he had enough hiers. Infant mortality was pretty high back then.

Back then they didn't have a word for queen. They used a word or phrase that was close to "chief wife" ,"God's wife" or "Great wife".
The "chief wife's" duty is to lead the other wives and serve by the Pharoah's side.

Incest= Egyptain royalty only married with in the family. Males would marry thier sisters, cousins and sometimes even thier own mothers or daughters.

And all of the above material is NOT appropriate for this message board and will earn you time off should you write about it.

[kaze950]

We're not allowed to have Romance?

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

We're not allowed to have Romance?
No, I think WildWill just means 'NO' to all the stuff he quoted in his post there.

BEMD

[kaze950]

o, ok. what about not detailing it, just mentioning it. Not that exactly, but stuff like that. No details or anything, just small suggestions (with a warning saying PG-13, or somthng)

[WildWill]

Uh...no. This is a section of the forum FREQUENTED by our younger members. KEEP IT CLEAN.

[Thundercat]

Uh...no. This is a section of the forum FREQUENTED by our younger members. KEEP IT CLEAN.

Well alright. Still there are ways we can be very subtle about mentioning stuff like that with out being graphic. Is that allowed?

For exmaple: A mother to daughter conversation.
daughter: "Mother, I do love Atemu, but I.."

"We are the chosen ones, my dear. You, your siters, your cousins and myself. It is our sacred duty to insure our Pharoah's success and the strength of his blood."


Example no 2: Commoner and royalty.

"We are living gods amoung mortals! Only those who dwell with in our circle or who have been deamed worthy by the Gods may be chosen by the Pharoah. Since your blood is not blessed by the Gods you can not be one of us."


There you go! Two clean examples of how incest and polygamy can be written in a story with out being graphic.
If you think about it might help to keep YGO fics "Mary Sue" free if older writers esp. female writers if they where clued in about ancient Egyptain marriage customs.

That really ticks me off when a girl writes about herself falling in love with Atemu and marrying him with out faceing any trouble.
There should be some kind of back lash against marrying an "outsider" or commoner. Plus it would explain how Akhenaden and Atemu's (Yami Yugi) dad are related. We all know that they are brothers, but what if they had different moms?

Another thing I just remembered. Royalty also married for politcal reasons. Some times a Pharoah would marry a princess or some other high ranking equivalent from another country like Rome or Greece to seal "peace" treaty to show other parts of the world that they are allies and they should not be messed with. Or the marriage could be part of an "international" trade agreement.

Sometimes a Pharoah might even take a wife as a "trophy" from a country that he has conquered. To show the rest of the world that his power is mighty.

I don't mean to stir up trouble here, I'm just stating some very important facts about ancient Egypt. History was one of my best subjects in school. There are a lot of hard core sticklers for historical details amoung the YGO fans. Yes I know that these facts aren't "pleasent" but they are very true none the less. We don't have to post fics here. The are other sites like Fan fiction.net that specialize in hosting fan fics. They have filters that will sort of block higher rated fics from younger kids. What I mean is, those fics can only be accessed if you do a search for them. The highest rateing that they alow is "R".

Just post the "kid friendly" stuff here. :)

PS. If you decide to do a romance story or any kind of story set in Modern times, you should still do some research!

Any "future" set stories should have some historical/pratical base. Doing that helps your readers understand "Your Universe" better. It helps them to feel that they have something in common with hero/heroine. It makes them feel that this could really happen someday.

For example Gene Rodenberry who created Star Trek used a lot of cultural referances from Earth's past. He also used a lot of miltary and government rules as a structure for the "Federation". All the costumes you see in Star Trek relects a character's personality, culture, and social and or relgious status. Also a lot of cool tech and medical stuff you see is based on real life scientific theory.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

As much as I too am very good at history, you're still going to have to keep it clean. And besides, what's the chance any of the people who read these fics know all that? IMO, writers are much better off keeping anything that has to do with a pharoah's marrige customs either out of the fic, or make the customs similar to that of a King and Queen in Europe.
There are somethings about Egypt I believe most people would rather not know about.

That really ticks me off when a girl writes about herself falling in love with Atemu and marrying him with out faceing any trouble.
Where does such a fic exist? If there are girls writing fan-fics like that, it ain't at Pojo.
We don't have to post fics here. The are other sites like Fan fiction.net that specialize in hosting fan fics. They have filters that will sort of block higher rated fics from younger kids. What I mean is, those fics can only be accessed if you do a search for them. The highest rateing that they alow is "R".
You make it sound as if the Pojo forums are made for Fan-fics. They're not. These forums are just sort of here for entertainment- PG entertainment that is. If you are going to write a fic based on that stuff, use Fanfiction.net then, cause it doesn't, as WildWill has already decreed, belong here.

BEMD

[WildWill]

There you go! Two clean examples of how incest and polygamy can be written in a story with out being graphic.


That kind of stuff absolutely does not belong on Pojo.com. In any way shape or form.

I don't know how I can be clearer than that. If you want to write that stuff post it elsewhere, because if you post it here I can GUARANTEE you, you'll be banned.

CAPICHE?

Do you understand now? I don't care HOW you couch it, it doesn't belong here.

PERIOD.

[Thundercat]

As much as I too am very good at history, you're still going to have to keep it clean. And besides, what's the chance any of the people who read these fics know all that? IMO, writers are much better off keeping anything that has to do with a pharoah's marrige customs either out of the fic, or make the customs similar to that of a King and Queen in Europe.
There are somethings about Egypt I believe most people would rather not know about.


Where does such a fic exist? If there are girls writing fan-fics like that, it ain't at Pojo.

==============
Fics like this are all over Fan fiction.net and Media Minder.org.

You make it sound as if the Pojo forums are made for Fan-fics. They're not. These forums are just sort of here for entertainment- PG entertainment that is. If you are going to write a fic based on that stuff, use Fanfiction.net then, cause it doesn't, as WildWill has already decreed, belong here.
===============
Sorry, I should have worded that better.

BEMD

And WildWill I hear you and I understand. It's cool with me.

Ok Lets get back on track now.
Character creation.
Think about what makes them tick.
What do they like or don't like?
Habbits: Good or bad.
Personality: Are they happy go lucky, brooding, laid back?
How do they react to what's and who's around them?

When you go through that process write it all down on papper. Then when you write the story you can slip those "stats" in here and there through out the story and let the readers "get to know" your characters.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Becuase of a recent flood of YGO Fan-fics here, I decided to post some good advice for all the up-and-coming writers here.

Know that none of this is required. It is simply for your benefit.

Also, I'm no expert, so if you have something constructive to add, please do so.

If you are looking for examples of good fics that follow these guidelines, that are are not currently mentioned here, check out:
YGO GSX Turn 1 (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php?p=3737866#post3737866) by FrozenComet090 and
"The fan-fiction that the reviewers are calling "brilliant," "hysterical," and "a low fat snack" (wait skip the last one)":Dark Patricain's GX Unorignal But Interesting (UBI) Fan-fic (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php?t=266543)

Yu-Gi-Oh [GX] Fan-Fiction Advice
Version 1.0 --- 5/23/06
Version 1.1 --- 5/31/06 (added to part(s) VI and VII)
Version 1.2 --- 2/11/07 (combined I and II; resubmitted I)

I. Why you should write a Fan fic
-Fanfiction is basically a creative outlet for aspiring authors. Fanfiction, compared to pure narative writing, is much easier thanks to the root material your show [YGO] is based on.

-A fanfic can be funny or dramatic. Funny stuff right now include Dark Patricain's UBI fic.a humorous fic is more or less a parady of the real show, poking innocent humor at stupid moments in the GX dub, or at life in general.

-More serious fiction could be Symystery's "The Abyss within" or my own "Brink to the End." These are basically dramas, like the original YuGiOh series. In most respects, it should be easy for a reader to visualize what is happening as if they were watching TV. This means explosive imargery, daring dialogue, and careful literary creativity.

-Fanfics should be fun, and relaxing to make. There is no pressure here on the Pojo forums to do anything.

II. Presenting your fic [In a Post] and Naming It
- Space out your paragraphs
Seriously, coupled with casual spelling/grammer errors, an unspaced story is simply ugly to read.

- Tell us something about yourself or what your ambitions for this fic are. [Not required, but diffenently exceptable]

- PLEASE, use proper grammer and spelling. Nothing of this "Johny was a Gr8 duleist" stuff.

- So, you have a fic, but aren't sure what to call it. Well, having a clever or interesting name is how you get readers. So, be creative.

- Obviously, something like 'Super YGO Tournement' isn't going to attract veiws, unless the enitre fic is a comedy. Something like "Yu-Gi-Oh G/X: The Battle for Everything" will more than likely get more views, which, again, leads to readers.

III. When to Post Chapters
- There is no need to post multiple Chapters in one week, let alone in one day. Why? Cause it clutters the boards and pushes other fics down the forum quicker, preventing an equal chance in the spot-light (AKA, the top page)

-[repeating this] Don't post too many new threads on the board! DO NOT, please!!!

- So when should you post new chapters? Well, first off, you need to know if you should.

IV. Posting Chapters
- As previously stated, DON'T post mulitiple chapters in one day.

- When a posting a chapter, you need to know your readers. Just because you have 104 views on your thread, doesn't mean those people actually read what you wrote. Replies are more important. If you have alot of veiws, but few comments, this probably means your titles is great, but your content needs work. This works vice-versa as well.

- On the other hand, if negative or more like 'constructive critisism' are in your replies, you may want to revise your fic and try again... later. There are several reasons that contribute to a 'bad' fic, but more on that later.

V. Story Elements
- OK, this is opinion, but I am really tired of seeing self-insertion fics. That is, when the GX fic is simply the same as the GX TV show, but Jaden/Judai is replaced with you, the writer (Where you are #1 and simply cannot lose). That may be cool to you, but to most readers it's really boring.

- There are several types of Fan-Fiction. There's completly original Fan-fiction, like "The New Class by Bokuto_No_Ryu (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php?t=298363)"(This fic has been dormant for several months now, if you have a new example, let me know), Same Characters/New SituationFan-Fiction, like my own "Nightmare Academy (http://www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php?t=256051)" and there is New Characters/Same Situation Fan-Fiction.

VI. Original Fan-Fiction
- This type of Fiction is very much the most difficult to write. Imagination and good writing skills are needed to truely master this type of fiction.

- For it to be an original Fan-Fic, the characters and plot need to be new to the YuGiOh [GX] Manga or TV series. This is difficult because you should have no resources other than the normal YGO [GX] show or Manga. Characters need to have a distict personallity to them so people can't say: "Oh, here's the 'Jaden' of the story."

- It's OK to include some things from the TV show or Manga, like the Academy in in GX, or the Kiaba corp. in the normal YGO, but major characters need to be original.

- This type of Fiction is also difficult to write in the sense that it's difficult for readers to jump into. For these, it is important to post links to previous chapters/parts/Episodes so a reader can catch up.

- This type of fiction isn't for everybody, as to fully create interesting character is in fact quite difficult.

VII. Same Characters/New Situation
- This is what I consider a middle in Fan-Fiction writing. In most respects, it's what people should be writing; when you simply throw a new bad guy or new plot twist into a pre-brewed set-up.

- Remember however, that the new Situation does need to be original. Creating a new Marik or Shadow Rider group is only interesting is there is some HUGE plot twist before the half-way mark. Othewise, it's just the YGO TV show after the old bad-guys changed their names.

-This should be the most accepted fan-fic, as character creation is done for you and the only things you have to worry about is keeping the GX character (as in not suddenly making Jaden a complete loser) and plot.

VIII. New Characters/Same Situation
- This, again IMO, is the lowest type of writing. Like the example made in Part V, this is basically a self-insertion Fan-Fic.

- Now, it's not always a self-insertion fic, but you need to remember that people read for the plot, not the characters. Throwing a new batch of characters at the same baddies or just into basic boring school life like in the GX TV Show is.... well, boring.

IX. Other Stuff
- Literary Devices: OK, I'll admitt I'm in Honors English II and very much enjoy finding these. Literary Devices are things like 'Foreshadowing', 'Allusions' and 'characterization'. In basic terms, they make a story interesting, making readers predict what will happen next [Result of Foreshadowing] or be surprised that a character suddenly had such a temper [Result of Characterization].

- Grammer/Spelling
I CANNONT stress this enough, there is a 'Spell Check' button in Microsoft Word for a reason. Use it!!!

- Typing your fic
As should be obvious after the last point, please use MS Word to type fanfics. NOTE: any Italics or Underlines in the MS Word Version WILL NOT appear when you copy-paste to a new thread. You will need to use the vb codes to use them like this and this and this.

- If your fic is rejected or not liked, DO NOT post a second version of it the same day or week. If there was something wrong, take your time and fix it. If you think you're done and want to post right away, EDIT your first thread and reply to the thread saying "UPDATED --/--/--" (Insert Date).

X. Commenting
- DO NOT flame poorly written fics or ones you didn't like. DO reply nicely or DO NOT reply at all.

- DO NOT advertise your fic on someone else thread. It's Ok to refer to your fic after you leave a comment, but simply saying 'hey, if you liked this check out mine!' is rude and not tolerated (at least by me, I'm no mod though).

- DO tell people what is wrong with their fic, if anything.

- Comments make the world go 'round here. If you post a fic, don't be a stranger and ignore the board whenever your thread ain't on top. The fanfiction board has a select community, myself included for the most part, that can be seen just about anywhere, reading and joking around.

- Nobody likes a bossy comment. The only way people can identify you with is with your previous work on a fiction, the number of posts you have, and how long you've been here. If you're new here, don't go around calling people here bad writers. Just because you may be a better one, there's no reason to judge. "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
--------------------------
That's all for now. Again, if you have something to add, please do so, as long as you can back it up.

Just being a helper,

-=BEMD

[dkates]

A question. I'm in the process of planning a fanfic. I won't go into details, but I will mention that I plan to use a fair number of cards of my own design. What are some good ways to make sure the reader knows the relevant info on such cards without breaking the flow of the story?

[Acid_Kid]

I also have a question I don't think my current fan-fic is up to what i want it to be how can I bemore descriptive and wirte better dialouge

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

A question. I'm in the process of planning a fanfic. I won't go into details, but I will mention that I plan to use a fair number of cards of my own design. What are some good ways to make sure the reader knows the relevant info on such cards without breaking the flow of the story?
In your case, you mean not to reveal every detail about a character card at a given moment, correct?
Well, for a slight example, you can look at chapter 23 of my fan-fic, looking at mainly all the dialogue before I reveal what "Chothonian Diamon Armor" does.
Mainly, try dialogue and vivid description of what is happening around the feild and to make for an interesting twist, leting the apposing character make assumptions to what the card could do, that the cards player isn't letting on.

Modestly, I do recomend eventually releaseing what the card does in a clear format, just to tell the reader that: 1) that's all the card does. and 2) let he/she know what the card does in a easy to refer to place.

(Like this:
[Magicain of Faith
* 300/200 - LIGHT
Spellcaster/effect
FLIP: Add one spell card from your graveyard to your hand.]

I also have a question I don't think my current fan-fic is up to what i want it to be how can I be more descriptive and wirte better dialouge
First off, spell DIALOGUE and WRITE correctly and use correct punctuation.

Second, try to imagine the scene in your head. When I'm brainstorming chapters, I always imagine the scene and sort of voice act it with my head. Imagine as if what your writing is the TV show, what kind of look do the characters have there?

As far as dialogue really goes, try what's call dialect (Yes, a Literary Device). Notice in Nightmare Academy how Exodus and The King of Armegeddon talk with a specific accent? How they talk with 'Sire' and "Thou"? That's call Dialect, and it's basically words or phrases that originate in certain parts of history or the world that show characterization and give the character a mood and personality. Obviously Exodus is vile and sneaky, while Demise is blunt and very down-to-business.

----------------
Again, I'm no expert and I invite others to answer these questions as well.

Good luck with your fics,

BEMD

[Burning Ace]

If anybody has read my fan fic can people tell me what should I do better

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

If anybody has read my fan fic can people tell me what should I do better
Not to be off subject or rude, but if you want help, you bring your questions to this thread. This kind of post belongs in one of your threads, right at the bottom of the fic. (And why aren't there any commas or periods in there at all?)

As some added advice to all, asking questions of your readers (Like: "Do you think I discribe characters well?") also invites replys, as well as more attentive readers (AKA, Readers looking for anything wrong in order to answer your question).

A few times now, I've asked questions like "Do I discribe my made-up character well?" and "What do you think of my format for typing duels?" Both, at least the first one, met with good responce. Getting responces like this is also good measure to know if posting the next chp is worth it.

BEMD

[Comet]

Modestly, I do recomend eventually releaseing what the card does in a clear format, just to tell the reader that: 1) that's all the card does. and 2) let he/she know what the card does in a easy to refer to place.

(Like this:
[Magicain of Faith
* 300/200 - LIGHT
Spellcaster/effect
FLIP: Add one spell card from your graveyard to your hand.]
However, it might be a good idea to make sure you get the exact effect and stats for the cards. For example, Magician of Faith has 400 DEF, not 200 (one of BEMD's very rare slip-ups). I personally use this format:

Magician of Faith
LIGHT *
[Spellcaster/Effect]
FLIP: Add one Spell Card from your Graveyard to your hand.
ATK 300/DEF 400

However, go with whatever floats your boat...just be sure to include all relevant information about a card. For example, don't do this:

Magician of Faith
LIGHT *
[Spellcaster/Effect]
ATK 300/DEF 400

...and then go on to describe the effect later. It's perfectly alright, however, to not describe the effect and leave the card's opponent utterly confused as to what it does, as long as you state the effect with the card's name, ATK, DEF, Attribute, Level, and Type (the last five don't apply for Spell and Trap cards).

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

However, it might be a good idea to make sure you get the exact effect and stats for the cards. For example, Magician of Faith has 400 DEF, not 200 (one of BEMD's very rare slip-ups).

Aww, I was trying so hard notto mess up in this thread.

Oh well, at least you caught it Comet, Thanks.

BEMD

[Clare]

Another point that needs to be addressed is the creation of new characters. Here are a few basic tips on how to create a new character and incorporate him or her into the "Yu-Gi-Oh" universe:

1, The basics: This includes details such as the character's name, age, gender and physical appearance. What kind of clothes do they wear? Do they have any distinctive markings? How do they wear their hair? What colour are their hair and eyes?

2, Elaborations:This includes details such as the character's personality and history. Were there any significant events in their life, especially anything which could have had a profound effect on who they are today? Also, try to consider any flaws your character might have as there are few things more annoying than a character who is 100% perfect, both physically and in terms of personality. Such Mary-Sues (as they are called) are greatly frowned on in fanfiction in general.

3, Involvement in Duel Monsters: This includes details concerning how and why the character became involved in playing Duel Monsters, assuming for the sake of argument that your character is a duellist. When doing this, avoid simply copying what happens in canon and try to devise your own scenarios. However, you can refer to events in canon - if they are known to the character.

4, Your character's deck: If your character is going to be a duellist, they need a deck. So ask yourself a few questions about what sort of deck your character has. Do they favour monsters of a particular attribute and/or class? What sort of Trap and Magic cards do they use? What is their overall strategy? If you're stuck for ideas regarding what to put into a character's deck, look on one of the many sites selling "Yu-Gi-Oh" cards for ideas - or checking the TCG forums on this messageboard. But don't whatever you do, attempt to list every card your character possesses within the body of your fic, although you can create a separate list for reference purposes. Rather, you should reveal the cards as and when you character uses them in a duel.

[Romancer]

And all of the above material is NOT appropriate for this message board and will earn you time off should you write about it.
We're not allowed to have incest in our stories?! (SHOCK). Well, "I won't live in a town that robs men the right to marry their cousins!"

- The Simpsons

Just kidding about this, of course. Just to get an official claration, is this material totally not allowed, or is it not allowed in a tasteful manner? I recall sitting through many an early generation anime with the main charcaters talking about arranged marrages to their cousins, or with pervy situations between brother/brother, brother/sister, or sister/sister (in kid anime, not hentai or adult stuff), and I was baffled as to whether the main characters were really related, was it just an honorific/term of endearment, was it a marriage outside the family thing, or were the main characters inbreeders. I think Card Captor Sakura gives a pretty good example of what I'm talking about. Are these things not allowed, if done in a similar manner? Or, if the Pharaoh is surrounded by dozens of women at all times, but nothing is ever said about them other than they are present, which insinuates a harem of concubines, so long as it isn't called a harem, is that considered acceptable? I know swearing on the site isn't allowed either, but it seems acceptable (or tolerated) to an extent if the actual words aren't used, and similar slang, crazy symbols, or dot out the actual words is used in place. I.E. Fudge, Fish Sticks, F-Bomb, A-hole, @#$%, *******, etc...

I don't ask because I'm using any in my fanfic, but I do ask to see at what point the gray line becomes definitively black or white, and I am curious if these are just general rules were common sense apply, or if this is totalitarion zero tolerance, as in a tasteful story where Judai graduates and marries Rei gets pulled do to controversial/legal issues (the kind the anime/manga/game industry dodge around by calling obvious 9 year olds 18 year olds or say they have a growth conditions or are demons/angels, so they are hundreds of years old in a human pre-teen body a'la Disgaea, and such).

And, I am aware that curiosity killed the cat, but still, I'm a very curious person. As Einstein said, "Curiosity has its own reason for existence." ;)

1, The basics: This includes details such as the character's name, age, gender and physical appearance. What kind of clothes do they wear? Do they have any distinctive markings? How do they wear their hair? What colour are their hair and eyes?...
I know you're well meaning, but many of these details are not necessary. Less is more, in many cases, and only basics need to be addressed. The imaginative mind fills in the blanks, so long as you have the neccesary basics. Sex, name, general appearance, as in short and fair skinned, tall and fat, etc, it will suffice.

The most impotant thing to remember in writing is, there are no rules, beyond basic gramatical rules, and even those can be ignored if you ignore them consistently, I.E. You use dashes (-) to break up dialogue, or you use a semicolon (;) to break up dialogue. It doens't matter which you use, but if you use one, then only use that one for the entire story. This is acceptable.

[Rho-sama]

[QUOTE=Blue-EyesMetalDragon]As much as I too am very good at history, you're still going to have to keep it clean. And besides, what's the chance any of the people who read these fics know all that? IMO, writers are much better off keeping anything that has to do with a pharoah's marrige customs either out of the fic, or make the customs similar to that of a King and Queen in Europe.
There are somethings about Egypt I believe most people would rather not know about.


If you want a more accurate telling of life in Kemet "back in the day", I suggest you all check out Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer. This book has been out since the 70s, so some of the information might be a bit off with the new discoveries made in the last 30 years, but it's a great 1st person representation of the life of a Kemetic noble. Some of it is a bit graphic, so it's definitely not kid's stuff.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

As much as I too am very good at history, you're still going to have to keep it clean. And besides, what's the chance any of the people who read these fics know all that? IMO, writers are much better off keeping anything that has to do with a pharoah's marrige customs either out of the fic, or make the customs similar to that of a King and Queen in Europe.
There are somethings about Egypt I believe most people would rather not know about.


If you want a more accurate telling of life in Kemet "back in the day", I suggest you all check out Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer. This book has been out since the 70s, so some of the information might be a bit off with the new discoveries made in the last 30 years, but it's a great 1st person representation of the life of a Kemetic noble. Some of it is a bit graphic, so it's definitely not kid's stuff.

Which is exactly why we don't post stuff like that here.

-=BEMD

[Clare]

Refering to my earlier post about creating original characters, I would now like to stress the need for realism when it comes to constructing your character's deck. Much like the way the average Pokemon trainer would be highly unlikely to have a team of Legendaries, few duellists would have a deck filled with rare and/or powerful cards. In the TV series, such cards tend to be the preserve of the duelling elite and, if any other duellist does obtain such a card, you would be well advised to come up with an explanation for its presence in their deck.

[Swmystery]

In the TV series, such cards tend to be the preserve of the duelling elite.

One small clarification. You would not need to do this if your fic does not have a correlartion to the TV series. For example, my fic is set in our own universe, where we all have access to the best cards, assuming we have the funds. Thus, I don't need to worry about this particularly. You really need to take the needs of the world you have set your fic into account, then choose the cards for a character's deck accordingly.

[Clare]

On the subject of effect Monsters within fics, I personally feel the best approach would be to avoid posting a complete list of each Monster's stats (including effects). Rather, try to describe a Monster's effect as and when it is activated.

For example, let's imagine that your main character's opponent has just summoned Jinzo. You COULD post the complete stats for that card, including the fact that it neutralises all Trap cards. Or, on the other hand, you could reveal the effect like so:

As Ralph's Jinzo emerged, towering over my Monsters, I knew I had to act fast. With an Attack power of 2400, the gigantic cyborg would make short work of my Beautiful Headhuntress and Hibikime. Unless . . . I decided to activate the Trap card I had placed the previous turn.

"If you had any plans to wipe me out with that thing, you can forget them," I declared. "Because I activate Trap Hole!"

I waited and . . . nothing. No virtual hole opened up below Jinzo's feet, ready to swallow him up and send him to the Graveyard. In fact, the holographic representation of my Trap Hole card didn't even flip over. I was stunned - what was going on here? I knew Ralph had a Seven Tools of the Bandit, but he'd already played it several turns back.

"W - what the . . .?!" I gasped.

Ralph just grinned at me. "Sorry, but no Trap cards can be activated as long as my Jinzo remains in play."

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

On the subject of effect Monsters within fics, I personally feel the best approach would be to avoid posting a complete list of each Monster's stats (including effects). Rather, try to describe a Monster's effect as and when it is activated.

For example, let's imagine that your main character's opponent has just summoned Jinzo. You COULD post the complete stats for that card, including the fact that it neutralises all Trap cards. Or, on the other hand, you could reveal the effect like so:

I do it that way, espcailly with character cards. But ultimatly, I do put some officail text of the card once the card's whole effect finishes up in the duel. See my fics for examples.
To me, this is the best way to do it, as apposed to a small section at the end of the post.

-=BEMD

[GodAlmighty]

One thing, that I do not know if anyone in this forum has yet to mention, well, probably, this thread has touched upon, is CLICHED PLOT LINES.

You all know what I'm talking about. Examples include...

1. Yu-Gi-Oh! - Kaiba Corp/Industrial Illusions holds a random new tournament, and everyone is invited. But, along the way, the gates to the Shadows re-open.

This usually opens the doors for repetitiveness and completely discrediting and disrespecting the ending of the original series where the shadows were closed for a reason.

2. GX - Five new kids come the Academy. They meet Jaden, Alexis, Chazz, Syrus, and the rest of the gang, and they fight a new evil together.

These fics, invariably, suck, from my experience. The new kids almost always become Stus/Sues, which is the most annoying thing ever. This then leads to them automatically, for no reason, becoming best friends with the original cast. The author then feels that it is okay to mess around with silly romantic pairings between the Stu/Sue with the original cast. For example, a Chazz fangirl feels that he is neglected in the show and decides to fabricate a perfect girl in the fic for him.

I'll post more annoying things about Fics as I go about reading.

[FallenDreams22]

1. Yu-Gi-Oh! - Kaiba Corp/Industrial Illusions holds a random new tournament, and everyone is invited. But, along the way, the gates to the Shadows re-open.

um...God... not questioning your authority or anything... but... do you read your own fic? this is the plot line to it...

on topic: another thing to avoid is those annoying duel sequences where the hero magically can topdeck deck a card... sure it's done in the show... but well... it's boring because we expect it... mix things up...

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

cliched plot lines where addressed here:

VIII. New Characters/Same Situation
- This, again IMO, is the lowest type of writing. Like the example made in Part V, this is basically a self-insertion Fan-Fic.

- Now, it's not always a self-insertion fic, but you need to remember that people read for the plot, not the characters. Throwing a new batch of characters at the same baddies or just into basic boring school life like in the GX TV Show is.... well, boring.

I should update that post a bit. I think I'll do that now. [Edit: Done, however, could use more.]

-=BEMD

[Clare]

And, while we're on the subject of cliched plotlines, if you're going to write a tournament fic, don't just copy the tournaments which have happened in the TV series. In other words, rather than simply writing about, say, Battle City and giving it a new name, try to come up with your own scenarios for stuff which could happen at your tournament. Invent your own antagonists and give them motives that haven't been used in the series.

And, speaking of character motivation, just as your OC antagonists shouldn't be clones of canon characters, the same applies to your protagonists. Don't, for example, do this:

Tony is a beginner duelist. He has a sister called Jessica and, unless she has an operation in the next few weeks, she will never walk again. So Tony, despite his lack of experience, enters a Duel Monsters tournament, hoping to win the prize money and use it to pay for Jessica's operation.

because it's already been done in the series! Substitute the names Tony and Jessica with Joey and Serenity, then change "will never walk again" to "will go blind" and you'll see what I mean. Instead, try to come up with another reason why your characters might enter a tournament. Do they want to prove themselves? Do they have a rival they want to beat? Is one of the duelists in this tournament a villian who needs to be unmasked?

[FallenDreams22]

try to come up with your own scenarios for stuff which could happen at your tournament.

Clare... you just gave away the whole purpose of my fic... seriously... everyone... yugioh what if? scenarios... are DONE... (i'm not done writing them... i just mean the idea has already been take...)

[GodAlmighty]

um...God... not questioning your authority or anything... but... do you read your own fic? this is the plot line to it...

on topic: another thing to avoid is those annoying duel sequences where the hero magically can topdeck deck a card... sure it's done in the show... but well... it's boring because we expect it... mix things up...

Incorrect, it is not held by KC/II.

In my fic, the shadows are NOT reopening. A new force is taking over.

[FallenDreams22]

ah... but kaiba does hold it...

[Dinner]

I've never in all my eight years as a fanfiction author written a script, and I had to write one for my Creative Writing workshop this Spring. I got away with fanscript (somehow), and I'd like to share it with the YGO! GX community. The catch is that I have no clue how to do hanging indentions (i.e., have the lines all indent to line up with the name). Does anyone know how to do a hanging indent in BBC, or does anyone have suggestions as to how to make this (http://ryousan.fateback.com/OS.html) formatted such that it's obvious who's talking and what's stage action?

[Swmystery]

My apologies if anything I'm about to say is a little random, or if certain elements of what I say don't really fit with the thread.

The best advice I can give to aspiring writers is this:

In your ficticious world, you are God. Act like it.

I mean the above in complete seriousness. There is no need to tell the people who are reading your fiction anything until the time is right. No character lists, descriptions, etc, etc. Lead your audience by the nose- tell them as little about the overall plot as you possibly can for as long as you possibly can. That way, when they do find out, they will be all the more gobsmacked. What they don't know, will not hurt them. On the contrary, it will keep them guessing. If they are guessing, they are interested. If you can maintain this effect, you have a good fanfiction.

No plotline or twist should be regarded as a forbidden area- if you can provide a good enough reason for why something is the way it is, your audience will believe it. Even if you're going to have Yugi cheating on Tea...

(insert horde of screaming fans advancing with torch and pitchfork)

...which is one of the most unrealistic scenarios ever, you can do it if you are good enough. Remember, in writing a fiction you are the God, you make the rules, and never let anybody tell you any different. As long as you have the writing skill to back it up, you can do whatever you want. How far you choose to use this is up to you, but it's important that you realise it.

On the subject of villains- An ordinary human villain will not be completly rotten to the core. Villians tend to show a spark of humanity at some point over the course of a story (which is precisely why Lord Voldemort is, in my honest opinion, a lousy ultimate evil).

On the subject of heroes- Avoid the Jaden Syndrome. This is my own name for a 6-Part and unfortunately popular disease in the fanfiction community. I shall now copy another of my posts across to elaborate on this:

"The Cause of Lousy Heroes in Fanfiction: Emulating Jaden Yuki and the Lucksacking Equation."

1. Thou shalt be as annoying as the ugliest rash.
2. Thou shalt not lose a duel, no matter how ridiculous the manner of your victory is.
3. Thou shalt play a completly unrealistic deck, and win only by the will of the heinous idiot who created the character.
4. Thou shalt hog the spotlight, seizing far more then is fair in the manner of screentime.
5. Thou shalt have a mortifyingly childish catchphrase.
6. Thou shalt never change or learn or otherwise grow in character, in accordance with having the IQ of a monkey's backside.

1. It's not that hard to create a likeable main character. Don't be lazy when creating him or her and you should be able to avoid this. Most people, in my opinion, are good enough writers not to have to worry.

2. A hero who wins all the time = Jaden. And Jaden = hated by anyone over the physical or mental age of 8. Basically, have your main hero lose now and then. It could be minor, repeatadly, or against a specific "rival" (Singer in ShadowBlade's Battle Zone fanfiction is a good example, or if you want a better example, Kaiba loses to Yugi). The important thing is, nobody loves a perfect hero. So have him mess up every now and then.

3. "Unrealistic Deck" is a little harsh here, considering this is the world of fanfiction. However, summoning cards like the 3 Sacred Beasts every duel with a minimum of fuss is a bad plan. It's not by any means impossible, but there is a level of difficulty assoiciated with it even in the anime (How hard is it to get the 3 monsters for an Egyptian God, for instance?) This is more about the duels you write then the cards you choose, though.

4. Don't have your hero do everything. In the current GX anime, everyone except Judai (Jaden) is essentially scenary with a voice. This is a very bad thing. If your characters are mostly duellists, spread the duels around. If they are not and they are still main characters, find another way to give them "screentime". Characters should be characters, not talking trees.

5. References the idiotic "Get your game on!" (shudders). Not hard to avoid- not all catchphrases are bad, but if it sounds wrong to you, it will invariably sound wrong to a reader. Keep that in mind.

6. By the end of your fiction, your characters should be slightly if not massively changed by the events that have taken place. Doesn't need to be obvious to an audience, but it needs to be there. Consider someone who has been hit by a car and thus has suffered trauma. A month later, they wouldn't be fine and dandy even though they're back on their feet. It is important that you recognise how your plotline will affect your characters.

I hope you have enjoyed my little anecdote on how to be a good writer. And remember:

In your fiction, you're God. Act like it, and you'll do fine.

[Reaper of Despair]

There are a few things that I would like to add as well.

Characters that have unique appearances usually turn out to be the most fun to work with. Blonde haired, blue eyed, narrow waist, long legs, big bust, no flaws whatsoever are boring, and can be added to the mary-sue/gary-stu equation.

Give your character something interesting, like a scar, a missing limb, or even make them completely plain by human standards. Take a look at the show Ugly Betty. The main character is, by some human standards, fairly unattractive, which only draws people more toward her personal traits than her "sweater meat".

This next piece of appearance advice goes more for original fics. We all know that anime writers take extreme liberties with hair colors, hair styles, and eye colors. It is a generally accepted rule that every anime has at least one character with a hairdo that cannot be easily duplicated in real life.

This being said, if you're not writing an anime fanfic, I don't want to see characters with bright neon purple hair and shining golden eyes, unless they are wearing contacts and/or are a part of the punk rock scene, or unless they are not human, or haven't been involved in some gene splicing sci-fi business. Yes, people get their hair dyed crazy colors. But be sure to mention that it's dye.

Speaking of characters, I've found that giving them flaws is always a great way to have people identify with them more. If your Yu-Gi-Oh charater is afraid of fire, then that makes things more interesting, especially if he/she has to face someone running a Pyro type or Fire attribute deck.

Physical disabilities are also a fairly good way to go, but be careful with these. Characters with these disabilities can't always do everything that someone with all of their parts in working order can. A character with only one arm would need a specially modified duel disk in order to duel, or a character with one leg can't move that fast (unless they have a prosthetic replacement or something).

As far as questions concerning swearing, sexual content, and other things that would take your fiction above a PG-13 rating, I follow a very specific rule. If you put something in your fic, and you don't know if it will be allowed, DON'T put it in! Your character doesn't have to cuss like a sailor, or sleep with everything that has a pulse.

Cursing is always a no-no. Even if you replace the words, readers become quickly annoyed by reading statements such as:

Andrew glared at his sister with rage flickering in his eyes. "How dare you say that, you !%@$% monster! He was my friend, %#!damn it, and you'll show the proper *@#$%&* respect!"

I don't care if you talk like that in real life. I don't care if everyone talks like that in real life. It's not proper literature, and I can guarantee you that if any mod sees it, your story will locked faster than you can say pottymouth.

As far as sex goes, don't write about it at all. Two characters can be in love without having sex. And, if one of them becomes pregnant in your story, just leave it at that. There's no such thing as a "mysterious pregnancy". It's always a safe bet to assume that everyone reading your fic knows where babies come from (save for any supernatural, or scientific conceptions that your creative mind could come up with).

The same goes for graphic violence. I understand that sometimes, killings in fanfictions can be brutal. But you don't need to go to extreme lengths to describe the process.

[Swmystery]

@ Reaper of Despair: I think you're being too strict in some areas.

As far as questions concerning swearing, sexual content, and other things that would take your fiction above a PG-13 rating, I follow a very specific rule. If you put something in your fic, and you don't know if it will be allowed, DON'T put it in! Your character doesn't have to cuss like a sailor, or sleep with everything that has a pulse. Cursing is always a no-no. Even if you replace the words, readers become quickly annoyed. I don't care if you talk like that in real life. I don't care if everyone talks like that in real life. It's not proper literature, and I can guarantee you that if any mod sees it, your story will locked faster than you can say pottymouth.

Not "proper literature?" We're on an internet site writing fiction about a card game. Is anything we do going to be "proper literature?" There's a censor already in place automatically. Plus, I've never seen a thread be locked because of a story's content in my entire time on Pojo. It's more unrealistic to have your characters go through a fiction without cursing now and then, then it is to have them utter bad words at suitable moments. Excessive cursing is certainly not a good idea, I agree, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use some. Lots of chocolate makes you fat, but does that mean you should never eat choclate at all? Of course not.

As far as sex goes, don't write about it at all. Two characters can be in love without having sex. And, if one of them becomes pregnant in your story, just leave it at that. There's no such thing as a "mysterious pregnancy". It's always a safe bet to assume that everyone reading your fic knows where babies come from (save for any supernatural, or scientific conceptions that your creative mind could come up with).

Why should sex be off-limits? Surely, if you characters are married/otherwise involved in an adult relationship, it's the perfectly natural and realistic thing to do? In terms of "there's no such thing as-": there's no such thing as duel disks, holographic images, or "real" duelling either. Yet we still use them, don't we? It might work for a good plotline.

I'm being picky, I know. But I do not think writers should be "advised" that certain ideas/plotlines are off-limits. As I said in my own advice, as long as you have the skill to pull it off, you can do what you like in fiction.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

I agree with ya, Sym. Sex easily can be part of a story... provided you don't go ahead and describe every part of it.
I think implied intercourse is enough on Pojo.

As far as swearing goes, well, the Pojo sensors block most of the good ones. From a writing stand point, seeing a sentense of "**** ********* ******, *****" really doesn't look good.

-=BEMD

[Reaper of Despair]

I guess I should clarify a little. When I said if you are unsure of something being accepted, don't write it, it's a general assumption that people who write on these boards know at least some of the basic rules. If one finds themselves on the fence about a certain piece of dialogue or story structure, it's better to leave it out entirely, than to put it in and end up getting in trouble over it.

Swm, when I said "proper literature", I really meant a story that looks good enough to read. It doesn't have to give Hemmingway a run for his money, but I at least want to be able to look at it and think that it's worth following.

For the cursing, I never said that characters should never use foul language from time to time (you would think that I'd know better considering that my fics use a moderate amount of swearing). I said there's no reason for them to curse like sailors, which means excessively.

I suppose my saying that cursing is always a no-no was a little more in the kindergarten teacher catagory, and I apologize for that. And yes, I know that we have a very effective swear filter, but I already pointed out how that doesn't make matters any better. In fact, I've seen examples (not here, of course) of people getting around swear filters by using the symbols in Microsoft Word, by placing punctuation marks between letters, or by simply using l33t sp3ak.

As far as my comments about sex, the reason that I said it shouldn't be put in period is because a lot of people have different ideas on what is "allowable" in artistic context. Take Michaelangelo's David for example. For some, it's a work of art. For others, it's disgusting and should be censored.

Now, a passing mention that may hint at sexual activity, but not describe, display, or detail in any way, is fine, as long as it's kept brief.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

However, using l33t sp3ak is not respectable enough in writing to be taken seriously anyway. If you really need a character to swear, I think **** will get your point across.

As WildWill (when he was a MOD) explained, alot of younger kids move around these forums. Even if most of these kids have few posts and don't stay long, a generally sex/cursing free community is just for their sake.

-=BEMD

[The Quiff]

I have a question, out of mere curiosity.

As players of this game, we all know that terminology is rather commonplace in Yu-gi-oh!, like most CCGs and even video games. For those of us who watch the anime, I'm fairly certain that Jaden and co. don't say "I set one S/T, end" or use terms like "spin" or "scoop". Hence, I can recognise that a fan-fiction keeping with the universes established in the anime would avoid usage of such terms.

However, in a fan-fiction based in an alternate universe (perhaps an original), would such terms be acceptable for use, strictly within a character's speech - while describing the action after? Perhaps something like this, for example (it's not going to look like anything fancy):

---
Player A fanned out his cards, so he could scan them and make a decision about what to do about Player B's face-up Jinzo. After a brief consideration, "Back To Square One!" is declared by Player A, as he discards his Winged Kuriboh. "I'll spin that Jinzo away."

Jinzo departs from the field in a dazzling flash of light. Player B, without utterance, places his card back on the top of his deck.
---

Obviously, they're not going to be named Player A and Player B, but such is merely there as it's just an example. It's just something I've noticed that's not been touched upon.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

I have a question, out of mere curiosity.

As players of this game, we all know that terminology is rather commonplace in Yu-gi-oh!, like most CCGs and even video games. For those of us who watch the anime, I'm fairly certain that Jaden and co. don't say "I set one S/T, end" or use terms like "spin" or "scoop". Hence, I can recognise that a fan-fiction keeping with the universes established in the anime would avoid usage of such terms.

However, in a fan-fiction based in an alternate universe (perhaps an original), would such terms be acceptable for use, strictly within a character's speech - while describing the action after? Perhaps something like this, for example (it's not going to look like anything fancy):

---
Player A fanned out his cards, so he could scan them and make a decision about what to do about Player B's face-up Jinzo. After a brief consideration, "Back To Square One!" is declared by Player A, as he discards his Winged Kuriboh. "I'll spin that Jinzo away."

Jinzo departs from the field in a dazzling flash of light. Player B, without utterance, places his card back on the top of his deck.
---

Obviously, they're not going to be named Player A and Player B, but such is merely there as it's just an example. It's just something I've noticed that's not been touched upon.

For the most part, terms like that could be used. However, "S/T" and other abbreviations should never be used in writing. Again, however, it's your own world.

Mind, your dialogue sounds a little goofy (in your sample) and you would never need to actually say that Jinzo is "face-up" (because you should have already described that it is on the field), but otherwise, there really isn't anything wrong with using common-day 'slang,' if you will.

For the most part, a character using words like 'spin' and 'scoop' might be fairly unique as a character, but you're going to have to explain what those words mean somewhere in your writing.

Just keep it out of the GX and reg. YGO world, where it would not normally be found, and especially away from canon characters. Putting words like that in the GX and reg. YGO world could feel very forced and not be good for the fic.

Still, creativity is creativity. A carefully planned and worded character (like an American transfer student to DA) could very well use phrases like that.

-=BEMD

[The Quiff]

Good spot on the redundant "face-up" I put there, thank you.

Also, thank you for clarifying this for me. I'll keep it in mind, should I ever want to put myself to the test of some creative writing, and incorporate Yu-gi-oh! terminology into a character's speech.

Additional Comment:

Another bout of curiosity has hit me: I've read this and the other stickied topics and seen brief mentions of fan-fictions based on humour.

From what I have seen, there seems to be little light shed on this, with respect to advice.

I can't call myself an expert here, so I'm going out on a limb and assuming it would be a bad idea, obviously, to use jokes that are already done to death (e.g. continuous use of jokes from Yu-gi-oh! The Abridged Series). Would the one isolated reference, for example, be fine?

I'm guessing, also, it would be better to look at other comedic writing to get a good idea of what appeals to the reader-base?

Perhaps it's obvious, but it's good as a reminder: jokes should be clean - remember people, children about! Something can be funny without needing to be crude (I know I'd have to watch myself, if ever I wrote a fan-fiction that is humour based. I'm quite fond of sexual innuendo and sometimes crude double entendre).

In all, I'm just thinking that a little advice on writing a humorous fan-fiction couldn't go amiss here. I'm also interested to see what anyone else has to offer on this topic.

[Swmystery]

Dark Patrician's work is perhaps the best humour-fiction currently running, although it's been in criticised in...certain areas (mentioning no names). Lair Noir's new fiction is also quite funny, in more of a dry humour sense,if you're looking for ideas. Isolated references would be fine, as you've already pointed out. I agree on the humourous fanfiction idea, although I'm not sure I could add much to it (my writing is hardly a barrel of laughs, after all).

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

DP's UBI (Unoriginal But Interesting) fic is probably the highest classed 'humor' fic on the board, along with IceBreak15's "Behind the Scenes of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX" series.

Personally, the installment of anything I wrote that is funny would be the UBI-Spin off DP let me write. That said, it's not enough for me to really put up advice personally, seeing how DP helped me write the fic to begin with.

If you want any advice on humor fics, I would think we'd get one of them to dictate it.

-=BEMD

[The Quiff]

Excellent stuff - I will have to have a read of those fan-fictions suggested, so I can have as broad a spectrum as possible to gather ideas, should I decide I want to be a funny man.

Thanks for the help, it's much appreciated.

[WildWill]

Since my name was brought up, I'll comment here on a couple things.

THOUGH I'm not a mod anymore, I can tell you that sex won't be tolerated at all. Wanna see your thread get locked faster than you can blink? Write sexual situations - additionally, you're likely to get banned completely. There's no reason for that on these boards.

I have in the past locked and deleted fics that had materials that are not appropriate on these boards. If I see it, I'll make sure that it gets deleted (I still have friends on staff you know).

ESPECIALLY in the Yugioh forums, there's no place for it.

Beyond that, I'd say have fun with your fics, but there's a LOT of great suggestions above, I'd read through them and digest, because you can learn a lot from these folks.

BUT I'll also say this: if you EVER want to be taken seriously as a writer, you'll abandon fan-fics and work on your own completely original stories with original characters in original settings.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Since my name was brought up, I'll comment here on a couple things.

THOUGH I'm not a mod anymore, I can tell you that sex won't be tolerated at all. Wanna see your thread get locked faster than you can blink? Write sexual situations - additionally, you're likely to get banned completely. There's no reason for that on these boards.

I have in the past locked and deleted fics that had materials that are not appropriate on these boards. If I see it, I'll make sure that it gets deleted (I still have friends on staff you know).

ESPECIALLY in the Yugioh forums, there's no place for it.

Beyond that, I'd say have fun with your fics, but there's a LOT of great suggestions above, I'd read through them and digest, because you can learn a lot from these folks.

BUT I'll also say this: if you EVER want to be taken seriously as a writer, you'll abandon fan-fics and work on your own completely original stories with original characters in original settings.

Thanks WildWill.
Oh, and while it's true that to be taken seriously as a writer would mean writing original fiction (Which I do), there's still value to it.
Writing fanfics are alot more relaxing and can still be very creative in one way or another. People like to fuse thier hobbies and this is a pretty good one, IMO.
Beyond that, fanfics are just good places to start writing, as a beginner, because alot of the hard work is already done for you. I dare anyone to see my first fic and compare it to my newest one; there's some growth and experiance in there that I think anyone can achieve. Practice, practice, practice, I say.

-=BEMD

[Clare]

However, using l33t sp3ak is not respectable enough in writing to be taken seriously anyway. If you really need a character to swear, I think **** will get your point across.

Or say something along the lines of:

Jack yelled a string of words not normally heard in polite company.

That way, the reader can deduce that he is swearing, but his exact words are left to the imagine and nothing gets filtered because no forbidden letter combinations have been typed.

As for stories containing sexual situations, post them somewhere which does accept such material.

[Swmystery]

I can tell you that sex won't be tolerated at all. Wanna see your thread get locked faster than you can blink? Write sexual situations - additionally, you're likely to get banned completely. There's no reason for that on these boards. I have in the past locked and deleted fics that had materials that are not appropriate on these boards. If I see it, I'll make sure that it gets deleted (I still have friends on staff you know).

ESPECIALLY in the Yugioh forums, there's no place for it.

As for stories containing sexual situations, post them somewhere which does accept such material.

Hold on here. We're allowed to kill off our characters violently, assuming we're not too graphic. We're allowed to have them swear, assuming we don't physically hack the filter or that we use some other kind of euphamism. Yet when we reach sex, it's a totally taboo subject? Doesn't that seem rather inconsistant, not to mention rather childish? I'm not going to push the point too far, but is there any particular reason why it's forbidden? There seems to be a rather totalitarian atomosphere in the above posts that I seriously dislike (did the "I'll make sure your thread gets locked" thing offend anybody else?). Pojo's not a dictatorship: if you want us to do something, an explanation is usually customary. I'm not going to stay silent when somebody's got the nerve to demean an entire community's work as "not serious".

It's a simple question. Why is sex totally off-limits, worthy of a permanant ban, and so evil that we don't even get told why we can't use it? If we can use violence, blood and curse words as long as we're discreet, surely sex should be in the same category? Or are these the next things to fall in what seems to be a crusade for the iron grip of political correctness?

[ShadowBlade]

Since my name was brought up, I'll comment here on a couple things.

THOUGH I'm not a mod anymore, I can tell you that sex won't be tolerated at all. Wanna see your thread get locked faster than you can blink? Write sexual situations - additionally, you're likely to get banned completely. There's no reason for that on these boards.

I have in the past locked and deleted fics that had materials that are not appropriate on these boards. If I see it, I'll make sure that it gets deleted (I still have friends on staff you know).

ESPECIALLY in the Yugioh forums, there's no place for it.

Beyond that, I'd say have fun with your fics, but there's a LOT of great suggestions above, I'd read through them and digest, because you can learn a lot from these folks.

BUT I'll also say this: if you EVER want to be taken seriously as a writer, you'll abandon fan-fics and work on your own completely original stories with original characters in original settings.

I have a few statements and queries to this, and I'll address each subject separately. First, I agree with the fact that detailed, explicit material on here referring to sexual subjects shouldn't be allowed to be placed on this board, with the age requirement only being thirteen; but, for what reason is the lesser form of it, discreet as others are putting it, forbidden? I honestly doubt anybody is going to come on here and run through the steps that occurs during "those" actions, but to claim any form of it as being taboo without consideration of the lesser form seems fishy to me. Light swearing (as I call it) is allowed, as are deaths; without any explanation as to why any form of sex yields an auto-ban, I have no choice but to agree with the system seeming inconsistent. Now, I'm not even a writer who would use such material (truth be told, I don't even think I'd be good at it), but those above issues are ones that I'm confused on.

Swm, the thread being locked comment didn't offend me as much as the "ESPECIALLY in the Yugioh forums." This is an indirect labeling effect that's used to explain what Yu-Gi-Oh! is "supposed to be," which is entirely incorrect from where I'm sitting. How can any one of us state what Yu-Gi-Oh! is and isn't? The anime, manga, card game, fictions on this board, and fictions anywhere else cover every type of appeal of which I can think, so to add to the sex subject, I personally don't find this to be a valid statement. Take it as you will.

One of the few things I agree with Wildwill on here is that there are indeed excellent pieces of advice (I've used a couple myself in Battle Zone) to be found on this thread, and by simply going through them you can find yourself writing a well-put-together story in no time; as BEMD stated a few posts ago, practice is the key.

All right, Wildwill, I have to go against you on that last statement of yours. I feel as though you're absolutely demeaning the value of fan fiction by indirectly stating that a writer can't be taken seriously while writing it. Now, I hate referencing myself, but everyone I know (in real life, I can't speak for those on this board) who has read my stories most definitely take me seriously as a writer. As another example, I personally take everyone who's stories I read here seriously, and I'm sure others here have similar feelings toward one another; mainly, I'm curious as to where you came up with this statement, because it's baffling to me. Fan fiction is a great part of the writing community; true, one can't make money off doing this, but it's still a hobby for some, myself included. If you have your own past issues with writing fan fiction, I won't expect any explanation from you on this one.

Now, that'll likely be my only input on these issues, but let's try not to kill each other while resolving this debate, okay? ;)

[027982]

I have a question i'd figurd i'd ask on here if that's ok.I pm someone my next chapter for a crossover i've been working on and it needs editing will that someone edit it for me?I hope it was ok to ask tiis heer,if not i apologize for my mistake.Have a nice day

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

I have a question i'd figurd i'd ask on here if that's ok.I pm someone my next chapter for a crossover i've been working on and it needs editing will that someone edit it for me?I hope it was ok to ask tiis heer,if not i apologize for my mistake.Have a nice day

[Thought I'd answer this before another big post comes by]

From what i can make out of your post, you are asking if you can ask a fellow writer here on Pojo to peer edit your fic. I don't see anything wrong with that, just keep in mind that PMs cannot hold nearly as many characters (letters) as a post can, so sometimes email might work better (or sending multiple PMs).

Just make sure you ask the person if they want to peer-edit for you before you go and just throw a bunch of PMs their way.

-=BEMD

[Zagar]

So... Since I played a major role in that debate earlier and maybe pissed a few people off, I thought I'd make up for it (if this makes up for anything) by putting up some advice. I'd like to talk about themes.

One thing that makes a story good is... well... a story.

What is a story? And why would you want to tell it? Is the story worth telling? What can people learn from it? Does it strike people as terribly unfortunate and spur them to never think about such things again? Or does it spur them to change a world gone awry? Might it lift their hearts toward a greater ideal and promote intense thought?

Decide how you want your story to affect your reader. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, make it affect them somehow. Develop an understanding with your story that no matter what the reader gets from it, it will be something GOOD. If you spend the time working out your characters, environments and events, packing them with meaning, whether obvious or hidden, your audience is bound to relate with something they find and really cling to it.

Why do I talk about themes on Pojo? This is Yugioh fan fiction. Nobody cares about themes. *coughs* I beg to differ. I've seen both themeless and theme-saturated fics on this website. Nothing interests a reader more than a good story that means something. Frankly, a fiction can have all the CaC's in the world, but most people won't give a squat about it if there's no drive toward a dream (besides being the King of Games for the sake of being the King of Games for the sake of being the King of Games for the sake of getting rich and purchasing firmer hair product).

Notice I didn't flesh any of this out too well. Reason – I can't think very well tonight. So, perhaps somebody else can contribute! Just something I value in writing. I hope it helps, just in case anyone's struggling with themes. I know I am.

Zagar, over and out. Poof.

[Clare]

Reply to Swmystery's post on the previous page:

WildWill pretty much explained why sex is not allowed - in fact, discussions about sex are not allowed ANYWHERE on this board. Where this forum and the main Fanfic forum are concerned, this means that, while it's fine to have characters who are in love, dating or married, you need to watch the interaction between them doesn't get too intimate. If you find that a particular scene is heading inexorably towards the characters having sex, cut to another scene, do the old "fade to black" . . . Just refrain from describing the act itself.

[SebastiaanZ]

I don't really care about this. I do things my own way and I will always do so. Many people are referring to this, but also a lot of people return with saying I do things my own way.

[Joreas]

If you don't care about this, then you don't HAVE to use it. This is just for the people that WILL use it. The ones that are starting out in writing or just want to use the material here to improve their writing.

[Zagar]

I don't really know what you guys are talking about. Are you talking about the profanity-in-stories topic? Or my little blip about themes in story? Or the Advice for Aspiring Authors thread in general?

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

I'm gonna guess the AfAA thread.

See, this thread is often refrenced to (by me or Clare, more often than not), because the bare fundementals found it are accurate and helpful. No one says you should follow everything written here (You should, however, follow all the rules listed in the rules thread). People are directed here because they're new to the forum and their writing might suggest they need it.

As I mentioned before on the chp2 thread of Verne Project, this advice thread was written, in very general terms, for all fanfics. I think it should be redone to focus on YGO fics. Not to mention bringing all the questions that have been asked over the last few years onto the top page of a thread.
Just a thought.
Anybody else agree? I'm not saying I'd write it [hell no]. But a group of us [maybe me too] working together to write a new advice thread sounds like something that might be very constructive for this forum.

-=BEMD

[Zagar]

I think it'd be a decent idea to refocus the thread toward Yugioh. I'd be happy to try involving myself in the reconstruction of it if we got the go-ahead.

The community of Pojo authors has really evolved, it seems, since the AfAA thread began. It might be beneficial to make changes for that reason, as well as the heightened concentration on Yugioh. I think the advice will feel more personal and relevant to all of us if it's specific to the ideas/problems we're currently dealing with.

[Swmystery]

As I mentioned before on the chp2 thread of Verne Project, this advice thread was written, in very general terms, for all fanfics. I think it should be redone to focus on YGO fics. Not to mention bringing all the questions that have been asked over the last few years onto the top page of a thread.
Just a thought.
Anybody else agree? I'm not saying I'd write it [hell no]. But a group of us [maybe me too] working together to write a new advice thread sounds like something that might be very constructive for this forum.

-=BEMD

An excellent idea. Since this part of the forum is, after all, dedicated specifically to YGO fiction, it makes little sense to have advice about Pokemon and Harry Potter running around on the first post (which is certainly the one that will be read most often). I also agree with the idea of doing it jointly, as one person's advice can often be rather subjective.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

So, should we (Zagar, Swm, and myself) take it upon ourselve to write a new advice thread and post it (having a mod delete the old thread and sticky the new one)?

How would/should we go about this?

-=BEMD

[Zagar]

Well, I suppose one place to start would be deciding what each of our strengths and weaknesses are, so we can all contribute to the best of our ability.

I'll just get somethin' out of the way... I am not a professor in duel writing. I want to try it soon, but for now, nobody should trust my advice there. In fact, I wouldn't mind being taught about it. Gotta prepare for the future, ya know. *shrugs*

However, if anybody wants to turn cards into characters and learn about the development process thereon, I think I'm your guy! Hahaha.

[Swmystery]

So, should we (Zagar, Swm, and myself) take it upon ourselve to write a new advice thread and post it (having a mod delete the old thread and sticky the new one)?

How would/should we go about this?

-=BEMD

Well, I suppose one place to start would be deciding what each of our strengths and weaknesses are, so we can all contribute to the best of our ability.

I'll just get somethin' out of the way... I am not a professor in duel writing. I want to try it soon, but for now, nobody should trust my advice there. In fact, I wouldn't mind being taught about it. Gotta prepare for the future, ya know. *shrugs*

Zagar's idea makes sense. In terms of that, though, we won't cover all the bases with just the three of us.

What I suggest, then, is that we should enlist the aid of people who have what we lack. I can't do humourous fiction, for example, but I know Dark Patrician can. So we might have DP write a section on humour, me on drama/psychological/whatever you call my work, Zagar on the monsters-as-characters fiction, and so on. We'd obviously have a section on basic writing advice first, to make the thread helpful to the people who have problems with the basics. That way, the thread's useful to near-enough everybody.

Obviously, anybody who wants to contribute anything to the new thread is welcome to do so, too. As regards its intitial creation, I suggest we look through this thread and take the "best" (without an argument on what that is, for a moment) generic advice. If we decide to put in more specialised sections later, those could come after the first post.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Hmm... Swm assigns jobs to DP... Zagar... and himself... where should I go?!

I suppose I could contribute duel format wise. Mind, formatting a duel isn't hard.

What I think we should do is nominate our peers into the topic we want them to write. To do that, we need to decide on topics to discuss.

Quoted below are the several points the original advice thread offers. I think there are some things we could still add (as I did with duel formating).

Look these over and decide what topics we may still need or do not need. After that, we can begin to nominate people for what we honestly beleive is their strongest point.
Once we've assigned parts and written the parts we agreed to do, someone collects all the work, formats it with a ToC and perhaps an introduction. Then, we decide who wants to post it, call a Mod to delete the old thread and sticky the new one.

Recap:
step1: decide on topics
step2: Nominate our peers for parts to write about
step3: Write what you were assigned
step4: all works are collected and commonly formated
step5: newly formated version is reviewed by staff (us)
step6: New AfAA thread is posted (new/special title?)
step7: old thread is removed; new one sticked.

-=BEMD

===---===
Step1: decide on topics:

The Basics
[keyboard use; use of MS WORD (or similar); page length, pojo restrictions, etc.

Tips on Composition.
[Paragraphs, Sentences, grammer, etc...]

Presenting your fic [in a post].
[Space out paragraphs, good spelling/grammer, how often to post new chapters, etc]

Description
[how to introduce description, how/why describe things, describe action/movements, list of things that generally should be described (movements during duels, facial expressions, etc)

Plot Originality
[New Characters/New Situation, New Characters/Same Situation, Same Characters/New Situation; Other types of YGo fiction (Monster World? (Don't know what you'd call it, Zagar)).]

Characters
[refer to OC Thread]
(Unbelievable traits, overpowered characters, general info, Names (Personally, I have a website for looking up good names)]

How to format/Write a Duel

Point of view
[Primary/Third, First Person]

Stages
[parts of a story; intro, climax, resolution, etc]

Other Relevent Points
[Titles, Length, Bits And Pieces, Emoticons, Knowledge of the canon]

Types of Writing
[Poetic, Thematic, etc]


QUOTE edited 4/18/08

[Zagar]

Mmmm. I like where this is going. I suppose I'd still like to to include some specific attention to motifs, metaphors and general poetic elements in a story – things to bring a whole new twist to your words. A metaphysical twist. Also, I'd like to address the insertion of meaningful themes in a story. I'd like to push for heightened thinking on the author's part as to how they might try to mold and challenge a reader's world-view.

Now, these may sound like very general lessons that could be applied to most literature, but the reason I recommend these points is due to a common tendency in a Yugioh fan fiction: to dumb down the story to the level of GX and include nothing relevant to the real world beyond the heavenly friendship speeches (which still lack much of any substance at all). Plenty of our authors on Pojo have broken past this generic limit and turned their work into quality literature. I think it'd be cool to see more.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

For the sake of simplicity, can you list the 3 points you would like added? This way I can edit them into my other post under the exact terms that you'd like them. Just give me three headings to add to our list. Any points you think could fall under another, already selected, topic [in the brackets]?

That said, anything you feel should be left out? I want to say that we shouldn't let this be too much longer than a single post. MAYBE two posts if that is nessessary (organizing it into two posts is a whole 'nother topic as far as organization and formatting goes).

I just want to stream-line this so everyone, even those not participating, can see what, exactly, we want to do.

-=BEMD

[Zagar]

Right. Here are my condensed topics. I'll try to do them like yours.

Poetic Writing
[Metaphor, Motif and Allegory]

Thematic Writing
[Weaving a world-view through every word]

Question: What is meant by the topic, "Actions," in your list thus far?

I also think "Knowledge of the Canon" was a splendid idea to bring up. I, for one, struggle with how I might research the Yugioh world for another fan fiction someday. My current story didn't require much knowledge outside of basic monster descriptions and backgrounds. We may want to make a rather large clarification, for on-the-brink-of-totally-original-work authors like myself, as to where the line is drawn between fan fiction and original work.

That is to say, a couple other authors on this website have begun monster-based stories as well, and they have very little to do with anything Yugioh-related at all. People don't seem to be very interested in reading these stories either. Maybe I got off easy because I was the first one. Heheh. And I do also believe there may be a point where a story becomes too much like Yugioh and can no longer be separated from the series itself, thus becoming boring and predictable.

Notice I'm just rambling on and on?

[Swmystery]

I also think "Knowledge of the Canon" was a splendid idea to bring up. I, for one, struggle with how I might research the Yugioh world for another fan fiction someday. My current story didn't require much knowledge outside of basic monster descriptions and backgrounds. We may want to make a rather large clarification, for on-the-brink-of-totally-original-work authors like myself, as to where the line is drawn between fan fiction and original work.

There are some very good sites that can be used to research card effects/episodes and so on. Jamine, in particular, would be useful to anyone trying to learn more about the anime, although it might be a bit daunting at first (it's based off the orginal, not the dub, so nothing gets cut out).

As for the line between original and fanfiction...it depends really on what you call fanfiction. If you intrepted it literally as "writing fiction about the anime" then half the fics on this site don't qualify. If one takes the opposite extreme of it being "anything to do with anything at all from the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe" then somebody could just toss duelling and duel disks into something not at all related to the show and it would count. Come to think of it, that's more or less exactly what I did with The Abyss Within...but I think a wider definition is better here. While Starborne Blades is original in all but the names and descriptions of the monsters you use, Zagar, I'd still say it's YGO fanfiction. Ignoring for a moment how popular these stories are (as it can be somewhat subjective) I'd say that as long as a large part of the fiction (by common sense standards) has something to do with the game or anime, then it qualifies.

That said, anything you feel should be left out? I want to say that we shouldn't let this be too much longer than a single post. MAYBE two posts if that is nessessary (organizing it into two posts is a whole 'nother topic as far as organization and formatting goes).

I just want to stream-line this so everyone, even those not participating, can see what, exactly, we want to do.

-=BEMD

I think "Points of View" and "Alternate Points of View" could be merged into one section. It's more or less the same theme.

"Actions", given the shortness of the section in the first post, could just go under the "Characters" banner as it's the characters that make the actions. "Names" may also come under this heading, since it's obviously going to be your characters that have the names to begin with.

"Stages" might also come under "Plot Originality" since, however original your plot, it will inevitable evolve in stages. It's not quite the same, I know, but maybe the headed should be "Plot Composition" if we do it this way, instead?

Fewer, longer sections might be better then a lot of short ones for this purpose, which is why I've suggested combining a few together. I agree certainly that it should be kept to one post, and then people are free to tack on whatever they want afterwards.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

"Actions" would be the description of a character doing something. Particularly when they speak (they don't just stand there open eyed, do they?).

Regardless, points taken.
I decided to put it under the 'Description' heading. I'm also adding "Presenting you fiction [in a post]". (see below).

Check my old post on page 2 (post 35). Anything in there ya think we should still use? It's the closest thing we have to a YGO advice post.

-=BEMD

[Swmystery]

Check my old post on page 2 (post 35). Anything in there ya think we should still use? It's the closest thing we have to a YGO advice post.

-=BEMD

I think a lot of the material in that post could be taken about and used as a starting point for several of the headings we created. We'd need to build a little on the material, but the core is there already.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

I think a lot of the material in that post could be taken about and used as a starting point for several of the headings we created. We'd need to build a little on the material, but the core is there already.

Glad you think so.

-=BEMD

[Clare]

OK, first things first. I agree that the original post needs to be edited to focus on "Yu-Gi-Oh", but, back when I first editted this article, I wasn't that familiar with the fandom. And, since it's been a while since Dirk Amoeba was last on this board, we'll need a mod to do the editing.

Most of the "Pokemon" references are there because the article was originally written for that fandom (back in 2000) but it shouldn't be too difficult to substitute references to "Yu-Gi-Oh". Let's take this random example:

Don't have Joe meet a trainer named Fred who is 12 years old, has green eyes and red hair, is three and a half feet tall, and whose Pokemon are Squirtle, Pikachu, Butterfree, Grimer, Tauros, and Krabby. Have Joe see a short, red-haired kid with startlingly green eyes, and talk to him. Have names mentioned early in the conversation. The Pokemon may be either revealed in a battle, or introduced individually during the conversation.

Adapted to fit the "Yu-Gi-Oh" fandom, this might read something like:

Don't have Joe meet a duelist named Fred who is 12 years old, has green eyes and red hair, is three and a half feet tall, and whose deck is themed around Fire attribute Monsters. Have Joe see a short, red-haired kid with startlingly green eyes, and talk to him. Have names mentioned early in the conversation. The Monsters and other cards in Fred's deck are probably best revealed individually during a duel.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

We understand that, Clare.

Since we need to rewrite the examples, we figure we might as well rewrite the whole thing. Not to say it'll be overly different from the older version, but since this was originally written some 8 years ago, I (we) feel we should just start from scratch. Get a new thread so all the questions and discussions from the multiple pages on this thread can all be in one place.

You're free to help as well if you wish. It's not like we closed the door to anyone who wants to have thier input included.

-=BEMD

[The Quiff]

I would be interested in seeing what advice could be offered for those who may have developed the dreaded writer's block...

[Swmystery]

I would be interested in seeing what advice could be offered for those who may have developed the dreaded writer's block...

Ask for help?

Seriously, I mean it. Having somebody to bounce prospective plot ideas off of is a great way to think about where to go next. I think BEMD can attest to this, while I thankfully do not suffer from it myself.

Clare- Dirk isn't/wasn't a mod, the other stickies aren't written by mods, either, so why does this one have to be? Just write it and get a mod to sticky it.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

I think BEMD can attest to this, while I thankfully do not suffer from it myself.


Hm? What do you mean?

-=BEMD

[Swmystery]

Hm? What do you mean?

-=BEMD

I recall you mentioning once that you and DP used to bounce ideas off each other for UBI and Brink to the End. Forgive me if I'm mistaken.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

I recall you mentioning once that you and DP used to bounce ideas off each other for UBI and Brink to the End. Forgive me if I'm mistaken.

Oh, I see.
Well, we do bounce ideas off each other to some extent, even though we write totally different stuff.

-=BEMD

[Clare]

Clare- Dirk isn't/wasn't a mod, the other stickies aren't written by mods, either, so why does this one have to be? Just write it and get a mod to sticky it.

I never said he was. What I said was that he hasn't been on the board for a while and, since the only people who can edit posts are mods and the person who originally made that post, we might need a mod to edit the original post. But, since it appears we'll be starting a completely new topic, that's probably beside the point.

Anyway, I agree that it would be a good idea to include something on the subject of describing duels. Far too many duel scenes consist of a list of:

1, Character summons (insert Monster)

2, Opponent counters with (insert Monster, Spell or Trap)

3, Character or opponent loses X amount of lifepoints

Repeat until one character loses all his or her lifepoints or some other victory condition is met. No attempt is made to describe what the Monsters look like or what they do when they attack. So it might be helpful to have some advice on how to write a more fleshed-out duel scene, including the thoughts and feelings that go through the characters' minds. I think I said something before about duelists being more than card-playing robots . . .

[Swmystery]

I never said he was. What I said was that he hasn't been on the board for a while and, since the only people who can edit posts are mods and the person who originally made that post, we might need a mod to edit the original post. But, since it appears we'll be starting a completely new topic, that's probably beside the point.

Ah, I see. My apologies for being a little rude.

Anyway, I agree that it would be a good idea to include something on the subject of describing duels. Far too many duel scenes consist of a list of:

1, Character summons (insert Monster)

2, Opponent counters with (insert Monster, Spell or Trap)

3, Character or opponent loses X amount of lifepoints

Repeat until one character loses all his or her lifepoints or some other victory condition is met. No attempt is made to describe what the Monsters look like or what they do when they attack. So it might be helpful to have some advice on how to write a more fleshed-out duel scene, including the thoughts and feelings that go through the characters' minds. I think I said something before about duelists being more than card-playing robots . . .

I would very much agree with this. Even the duels that aren't written like that usually don't seem that realistic (I have the problem myself), so it would be very useful indeed.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

So, does anyone want to volenteer themselves or vote for others to write the advice on a specific topic? We seem to have the topics settled now.

-=BEMD

[Zagar]

Well... I've had my share of brooding over how to channel inspiration and utilize my artistic reserves to their maximum potential. It's a particular topic I've studied in-depth, for my own sake and for the sake of my loyal fans on Pojo. I'd be more than willing to take up this topic. I would also nominate Swm for this job, partially because I know him relatively well and partially because he, too, has his own unique experience in struggling to keep a story going.

For duel writing, I'd nominate ShadowBlade. He's got 113 episodes of it under his belt, if I'm not mistaken. And quite good dueling. (Was there an episode that didn't have a duel in it?)

Yeeeaaahh, Dark Patrician is funny as heck. I'd like to see his thoughts on humor. IceBreak(whatever the number after his name was) would do great at that too.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Organizational Purposes, Zagar, can you list what topic and who you think should write it?

thanks.

-=BEMD

[Zagar]

I don't see why you couldn't organize those yourself after I tell you... *chuckles* Didn't you have a list of topics typed out? It might be a good idea to assign roles in this project so we can all be clear on what's required of us. Okay. What will be will be. I don't quite remember exactly what we wanted all the topics to be called either. But here.

Breaking the Writer's Block- Zagar

Writing a Duel- ShadowBlade

Writing Humor- Dark Patrician and IceBreak15

[Swmystery]

112, actually Zagar. Shadow did have one episode where there was no duelling in it. But yes, he would be the best man for that, I think (assuming he's willing).

I would quite happily volunteer for writing the "dark"(er) side of Yugioh fanfiction. Calling it tragedy is a bit melodramatic...should we just call it

Writing the Duels- ShadowBlade

The Other Side of Yugioh: Dark Writing- Swmystery

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

For what it's worth, I'll write:

"Traditional YGO fiction [Same Characters/New Situation]"

And, since no one else has mentioned it, I'll peer edit/revise/clean up any existing material from page 1. I'll take whatever no one else calls along with whatever any nominates me for. I refuse to nominate myself for anything specific.

The Basics
[keyboard use; use of MS WORD (or similar); page length, pojo restrictions, etc.

Tips on Composition. - Clare
[Paragraphs, Sentences, grammer, etc...]

Presenting your fic [in a post].
[Space out paragraphs, good spelling/grammer, how often to post new chapters, etc]

Description - Quiff
[how to introduce description, how/why describe things, describe action/movements, list of things that generally should be described (movements during duels, facial expressions, etc)

Plot Originality - BEMD
[New Characters/New Situation, New Characters/Same Situation, Same Characters/New Situation; Other types of YGo fiction (Monster World? (Don't know what you'd call it, Zagar)).]

Characters
[refer to OC Thread]
(Unbelievable traits, overpowered characters, general info, Names (Personally, I have a website for looking up good names)]

How to format/Write a Duel - ShadowBlade

Point of view
[Primary/Third, First Person]

Stages - BEMD
[parts of a story; intro, climax, resolution, etc]

Other Relevent Points
[Titles, Length, Bits And Pieces, Emoticons, Knowledge of the canon]

Types of Writing
(see below)
^----Poetic, Thematic - Zagar

^^---Dark Writng - Swm

^^^----Comedy/Humor - DP

Writer's Block - Zagar

[Zagar]

Very cool list, BEMD. Thank you. I'd like to volunteer myself for the Poetic and Thematic writing sections. I wonder if there's any other subcategories we'd want to address under "Types of Writing." Also, if it's not too much to put on my shoulders, I'd like to help with Tips on Composition. So put me down for that if you can.

[Clare]

If you don't mind, I'd like to help with the punctuation aspect. You know, explain which punctuation marks to use under which circumstances and, maybe, look at a few common errors, such as:

"I summon Cure Mermaid in Attack mode and place two cards face-down." Said Helen.

which should read:

]"I summon Cure Mermaid in Attack mode and place two cards face-down," said Helen.

[Orichalcos]

If I can contribute in any way, let me know.
~Ori

[Zagar]

Feel free to volunteer yourself, Ori! We'd love to have your help. What are you good at in writing? Go ahead and contribute.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

@Clare: Isn't facedown one word?


@Everyone: I'll edit in your what everyone has called. I suppose I might as well call something, too. Even though I would have prefered a nomination process.

EDIT: Taken "Presentation" (cause I note this alot in my posts) and "Plot Originality" (seeing how I wrote something about this a few pages back)

I've also assigned colors to everyone cause I was bored.

I will also vollunteer to collect everyone's work organize it too, if that's okay with everyone's else. If it is, then I'll figure out a sort of 'due date' once all the topics are taken.

Topics remaining:
Basics (revise exisiting info from page one; credit given to original author of said info and to revising staff member.)
Presentation
Points of View

-==-
As far as relevent points goes, when you turn in your chosen topics, just feel free to add onto there a few knowledgeable tidbits you know or picked up. Friendly metaphors, tricks you've learned/know, anything (even if it doesn't relate to your topic). I suggest that all your tidbits will just be quoted (sans-Vb code) and attributed to your name as far as credit goes.

-=BEMD

[SalmonReis]

I've just spent the last 2 hours reading the stuff linked to in this thread, and I've got to say kudos to the makers of this. This almost inspired me to write myself!

[The Quiff]

BEMD: "Facedown" isn't a word, so far as I know (it comes up with the infamous dotted red line of doom in my Firefox browser) — I find it best to hyphenate terms like "face-down", "beat-stick", etcetera (even if use of such terms other than "face-down" is scarce in fan-fiction writing).

Sorry if I'm too pedantic... just thought I'd clear it up.

To get back to the subject at hand, though: I'm glad that there is active interest in updating this thread for purely a Yu-gi-oh! aspect. If I can contribute anything, I will do my best.

From the responses I got for my first couple of instalments for my fan-fiction so far, it seems that descriptive writing is my forte. Perhaps there may be some useful words I can offer to brighten (or darken, as the case may be) their works.

Plus, good description in a piece of fictional writing (and in some cases non-fictional) is a significant factor that will make me want to continue reading. I'm sure that there are others who may feel like they find it easier to be enthralled with a work, by being able to have a vivid image in their minds of what the words are telling.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Quiff as been assigned Description Writing.

-=BEMD

[Dark Patrician]

Alright, I was asked to do something like this a while back and...well here's my contribution to improving your comedy based fictions....All pay heed, the Dark Patrician, the Dark Patrician Jahova (whatever that means), has given unto you these Fifteen *Accidentally deletes several lines of text* Seven, Seven Commandments...for all to obey! Oy!

THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS

1.) Thou must right a joke that make thou laugh first and foremost, if a joke doth not please thee do not put it in your fiction.

2.) Thou must remember who art thou audience, do not writeth a joke that you wouldst offend your audience specifically, for thou mightst alienate them and maketh them go away.

3.) Thou must not ignore the meat of thy work, just because thou can write a good joke does not mean thou can leave out vital materials such as the duel.

4.) Thou must occassionally includeth a moment of seriousness as a counterpoint for thine comedy. Becauseth, nothing heightenith a moment of comedy than a moment of dramatic tension...see the gallows humor of Sin City or 300.

5.) Thou shalt obey the Comedy Rule of Three's! (Looketh it up!)

6.) Thou shalt not include expletives just to be funny. If though cannot maketh a joke without including the words, "****", "****", "***" or any other expletives, thou arert the wrong lineth of work.

7.) Thou shalt not blatently ripeth off another writers work...that doth mean don't stealeth my gag of a female character being hit by a flying amount of pudding.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Ok....

So we have DP's work all set.

If there is no one else who wants to take the remaining two topics (my post from earlier on this page has been edited to highlight the two remaining topics) let's set a sort of 'due date' for everything were signed up to do.

Can we agree on the end of the month? Just PM your work (each topic seperatly, if it's not too much trouble) to me and I'll organize everything we have and, hopefully, post it by early June or so.

As far as credit to everyone goes, I'll try and organize it so that every indivisual part is linked to the author's Profile.

-=BEMD

[Zagar]

Affirmative, BEMD! End of the month.

I didn't quite catch which two topics yet remain. I'd be happy to take anything someone else doesn't want, as long as it's not too foreign. Could I get some clarification on that? So far, I'm not aware of The Basics, Characters or Point of View being taken. I might be misinformed.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Topics remaining:
Basics (revise exisiting info from page one; credit given to original author of said info and to revising staff member.)
Presentation
Points of View

-=BEMD

remaining topics

The Basics - [OPEN]
[keyboard use; use of MS WORD (or similar); page length, pojo restrictions, etc.

Tips on Composition. - Clare
[Paragraphs, Sentences, grammer, etc...]

Presenting your fic [in a post]. - BEMD
[Space out paragraphs, good spelling/grammer, how often to post new chapters, etc]

Description - Quiff
[how to introduce description, how/why describe things, describe action/movements, list of things that generally should be described (movements during duels, facial expressions, etc)

Plot Originality - BEMD
[New Characters/New Situation, New Characters/Same Situation, Same Characters/New Situation; Other types of YGo fiction (Monster World? (Don't know what you'd call it, Zagar)).]

Characters [OPEN?]
[refer to OC Thread]
(Unbelievable traits, overpowered characters, general info, Names (Personally, I have a website for looking up good names)]

How to format/Write a Duel - ShadowBlade

Point of view [OPEN]
[Primary/Third, First Person]

Stages - BEMD
[parts of a story; intro, climax, resolution, etc]

Other Relevent Points
[Titles, Length, Bits And Pieces, Emoticons, Knowledge of the canon]

Types of Writing
(see below)
^----Poetic, Thematic - Zagar

^^---Dark Writng - Swm

^^^----Comedy/Humor - DP

Writer's Block - Zagar

everything

-=BEMD

[The Quiff]

I should manage by the end of the month. Be aware that I do have exams starting this week, which'll put a dampener on everything, including my mood.

Nevertheless, I'll do my best. With my contribution, I mean.

[Zagar]

Thanks for the recap. In addition to the two topics I'm covering, I would like to do Characters as well.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Thanks for the recap. In addition to the two topics I'm covering, I would like to do Characters as well.

be sure to refrence to the OC thread for the characters section. Don't go out of your way to repeat what the OC thread says, just summerize, add your own thoughts, and say something like "For more help look here".

-=BEMD

Additional Comment:

doublepost... ewww....

it's the 21st. 10 days till 'deadline'!
All I have is Swm's completed peice. [BTW, Swm, feel free to look into any of the three remaining topics (see below)]

10 days!

Topics remaining:
Presentation
Points of View

10 days!

-=BEMD

[10 days!]

[Swmystery]

People, if we're going to re-do this thread, then we're going to actually need anything to put in it, you know? Apparantly there's still a lot of stuff that needs finishing. I know we don't have a time limit, but we should still aim to finish it as soon as possible. All your stuff goes to BEMD when it's done, remember.

Now that you're all suitably humble, I will also take the "Basics" section (the Page 1 stuff) and condense it for the new thread if it's still open. Shouldn't take me too long, BEMD.

[Zagar]

Just so y'all know I haven't forgotten about this beauteous project... Yeah, my stuff will arrive in BEMD's inbox in the next few days.

[The Quiff]

I'll just say right now I can't guarantee my contribution will be finished before the end of the month. A lot of personal matters to deal with and whatnot is hindering progress.

[Mockingbird]

Hey, I have experience writing, if someone wants... I'll help with description.

[The Quiff]

If you wished, Mockingbird, I would be willing to help collaborate something with you for that.

[Mockingbird]

Okay, I'll be in touch.


Also... while I am not a complete writing expert, I would be willing to help out in other areas if people want or if I think of something I'll let someone know.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

Below is, reposted, the topics the new thread will cover with those who asked to have the honor of writing the topics. I've recieved three (3) so far and will be sending a PM to those who have yet to turn in thier projects.

The Basics - Swm [X]
[keyboard use; use of MS WORD (or similar); page length, pojo restrictions, etc.

Tips on Composition. - Clare
[Paragraphs, Sentences, grammer, etc...]

Presenting your fic [in a post]. - BEMD
[Space out paragraphs, good spelling/grammer, how often to post new chapters, etc]

Description - Quiff
[how to introduce description, how/why describe things, describe action/movements, list of things that generally should be described (movements during duels, facial expressions, etc)

Plot Originality - BEMD
[New Characters/New Situation, New Characters/Same Situation, Same Characters/New Situation; Other types of YGo fiction (Monster World? (Don't know what you'd call it, Zagar)).]

Characters Zagar [X]
[refer to OC Thread]
(Unbelievable traits, overpowered characters, general info, Names (Personally, I have a website for looking up good names)]

How to format/Write a Duel - ShadowBlade

Point of view [OPEN]
[Primary/Third, First Person]

Stages - BEMD
[parts of a story; intro, climax, resolution, etc]

Other Relevent Points - [Everyone, when I get around to collecting it]
[Titles, Length, Bits And Pieces, Emoticons, Knowledge of the canon]

Types of Writing
(see below)
^----Poetic, Thematic - Zagar

^^---Dark Writng - Swm [X]

^^^----Comedy/Humor - DP

Writer's Block - Zagar

[X] indicates a turned in topic.

[Clare]

Sorry, I've been procrastinating a little . . . OK, more than a little. But I will try to make a start on it over the weekend. Just don't expect anything until Monday at the earliest.

[Blue-EyesMetalDragon]

well here I am again.

As I explained in an update to my fanfic, i will be leaving for France on the 11th and will not return until late July. If, after said time, I have not recieved articles from you (yes, you) I will proceed with writing your article myself. I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but this project was planned back in May and when I come back it will nearly be August!

Again, we're not looking for huge ten page articles. People reading this advice don't want to bogged down with technicalities and I don't want to have this exceed more than a post or two. Just quick pointers, nothing more than a couple paragraphs that do a good job getting one's points across.

Good luck, all of you.

-=BEMD

[The Quiff]

Apologies again: times are most busy for me. I'm out of university and still looking for work. However, I've now finished with mine and Mockingbird's collaborative contribution.

(And I hope to get Chapter 3 of Nothing But the Dark Truth finished soon.)

[Reaper of Despair]

Well, being a veteran writer myself, I guess I can take on the point of view topic, as I have some experience with it. Here goes nothing.


Through the Looking Glass: A Guide on Point of View

Every story is told from the focus of someone, be it one character, several characters, or the narrator him/herself. This focus is often referred to as the point of view. Point of view varies from story to story, and can make for different styles of writing. In order to fully analyze point of view, one must know just what points there are.

FIRST PERSON

First person point of view (henceforth abbreviated as P.O.V.) is told from the exact perspective of one character. This one character is limited to his/her own experiences, thoughts, memories, sights, and knowledge. The character acts as the narrator of the story, and explicitly refers to him/herself with first person pronouns, such as “I” or “we”.

Because the narrator is a character in the actual story, information about the plot is only given based upon the focal character’s experience of events as they unfold. This is how most mystery stories are written, so that the narrator and the reader can solve the case together.

For the most part, first person P.O.V. is the most intimate form, as it details as many of the character’s thoughts, actions, beliefs, and ideas as the author sees fit. It allows the highest level of character detail, and descriptions about the character’s experiences are abundant, since this character is the one that the story mainly focuses on.

First person P.O.V. can be from the perspective of one character, or multiple characters within a story. Having multiple characters in first person format allows the reader to gain a larger feel for what is really going on in the story at large.

Example:

“I don’t know why Mary is so mad at me. All I did was mention that she looked like she was losing too much weight. It was a compliment, really,” I explained to Mike. Thinking more about it, I decided to amend that statement. “Okay, it was more like a joke, but a complimenting joke nonetheless.” Poor excuse, I know. “Instead of being grateful, she just glared at me and stormed off. What is her problem, anyway?”

Mike simply shrugged and went back to going through his deck. He never was of much help in these situations, anyway.

From that example, you can tell that the main character is the subject of someone named Mary’s anger. You can see that it has to do with a comment that this character made about her weight. That’s essentially all you can gather from this narrative.

Now, let’s look at first person P.O.V. from Mary’s perspective.

“John is such an idiot. I can’t believe that he actually said that to me!” I raged. Yes, I was shouting, but it felt good to shout. It wasn’t like anyone could really hear me that well. All of the other employees were in the cafeteria, and I was in the ladies room with my friend, Erica.

Erica shook her head and leaned against the nearby sink. “Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. It happens all the time.”

My anger didn’t subside in the least bit. “A slip of the tongue? Erica, you know that I struggled with an eating disorder when I was younger. When he said that, I…” I clenched my fist, trying to will away the painful memories that came running up to slap me in the face. “It reminded me of all the pain I went through in getting over my anorexia.”

Now, let’s look at the story. Instead of just seeing Mary as being someone who can’t take a joke, you see the reason for her anger. John’s comment triggered bad memories of a time in which she suffered from anorexia. We never would’ve known that if the story had simply stuck to John’s point of view.

First person can be told either in past tense or in present tense. Past tense is the more traditional method of writing, utilized in the majority of first person stories.

I awoke in a haze. My head felt like it had been run over by a truck dozens of times. My mouth felt like I’d been chewing sand all night long. I tried to lift my arms, but one of them felt weighed down.

I looked over and managed to see that I was still wearing my duel disk. It was then that I caught sight of the dresser that sits next to my bed. So I was home. Well, that was mildly comforting. I wasn’t even completely sure of how I’d gotten there from the bar last night. However, I did know that I would never get drunk again from that moment forward.

Present tense makes for a deeper immersion into the story. It is literally the story as it unfolds, seen through the eyes of a character.

I draw my next card, with my breath caught hard in my throat. Slowly, the card name peers at me, followed by the image. I see that shining image, and my heart leaps in my chest. It is hope. It is salvation. But more than anything else, it is victory.

“Okay. It’s time to end this!” I begin triumphantly. My opponent laughs with that stupid arrogance of his. So, I decide to shut him down. “Here comes Raigeki, to wipe out all of your monsters in fell swoop.”

He stops laughing when bolts of lightning rain down from the sky and turn his field of monsters into a single pile of ash. I guess he doesn’t find that very funny. That’s a shame, because I think that it’s hilarious.

First person P.O.V. is generally for the very descriptive writer. One has to be able to fully insert his/herself into the character’s shoes in order to get the best result from this style of writing. Practice with first person, and see how it fits your story.

SECOND PERSON

This is a very rare form of P.O.V., generally avoided in professional level writing. Second person P.O.V. is the author referring to the protagonist or main character by employing the use the second person pronoun ‘you’. It is not as common in literature as first and third person, but it can be found in several novels, usually as an introduction.

Example:

You don’t really know where you are right now. All you know is that it’s dark, it’s crowded with scantily clad women, and music is throbbing in your ears. You get the feeling that you should know where you are, but after you finished that funny-tasting drink, everything just became a blur. “Let’s just get this over with,” you hear yourself saying. You’re not sure of why, but somehow, you get the feeling that what you actually said was an unintelligible string of dry-mouthed gibberish.

The big, burly man standing across from you laughs, as he holds up his duel disk. It activates, and casts his face in an eerie light. You suddenly realize that this man is very scary looking, and you are about to duel him. Suddenly, everything feels a lot darker and hotter than before.

That’s when you realize that you’ve been drugged. It’s the only answer you can see. “Oh…crap,” you mutter over the pulsing music.

For the most part, second person P.O.V. is used in self-help books, choose your own adventure stories, interactive novels, and do-it-yourself guides. It is also used intermittently between or within chapters of novels, sometimes for dramatic effect. For a good example of this, read Star Wars Episode III, the novel. There are, however, few examples of entire pieces of literature written in second person P.O.V.

Second person is generally intended to completely immerse the reader in the story, by literally placing him/her in the action. The difficulty with doing this is that not everyone can fully empathize with your writing. If you write about a magical adventure set in a future world, some people might be unable to see themselves in that role, as opposed to writing a mystery or a love story.

Furthermore, in the world of fan fiction writing, second person is generally restricted to OCs, as readers may have serious problems putting themselves in the shoes of a canon character, whose path has already been laid out. Experiment with this one, and see what you can come up with.

THIRD PERSON

Third Person P.O.V. is the most common style used in literature. The character(s) that the story focuses on is shown as distinct from the narrator of the story. Third person narrative generally uses the pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘they’, and ‘them’.

There are three different kinds of third person P.O.V.: limited, objective, and omniscient.

Limited:

This style is generally events told in third person grammar, but only following one character at a time. It generally follows the protagonist of the story. The thoughts and feelings of the character will be presented, while others are only given externally. The reader is usually only given information about the story as the character that is being followed receives it.


Example:

Will glanced down at his hand. It didn’t look very good. With no cards to destroy spells or traps, there was no way that he could break through Nick’s Swords of Revealing Light. Will’s grip on his cards tightened considerably. ‘If I can’t beat Nick here, I’ll never hear the end of it from that pompous ass,’ he thought bitterly. However, his options were extremely slim. “I’ll just end my turn here.”

“Yeah, I know you will,” Nick scowled as he snapped his next card off of his deck. Will watched him slap a card onto his card zone. Moments later, a shower of sparks sprayed up from Nick’s side of the field, swallowing his face down monster.

A massive android with emerald armor wrapped around his shoulders rose. His red eyes glowed brightly, and electrical surges ran through his exposed brain. ‘Jinzo…just great,’ Will thought, as his eyes floated over to his face down Trap Hole card, which was now useless thanks to Jinzo’s special ability.

Unlike first person, the author is unrestrained by the personality, beliefs, or thoughts of the focal character. The author only needs to use the character’s eyes and ears for the experience of the story. Sometimes, the author can shift the focus from one character to another. This must be done carefully, however, as it can be confusing to the reader.

Objective:

This is perhaps the most infrequent style of writing in literature. Third person objective P.O.V. is generally referred to as “fly-on-the-wall” style. The author doesn’t follow a single character, but instead narrates on what was spoken or done in a single place or time. It is the style used in newspapers and magazines, and has the least description and virtually no dialogue.

It may be adapted and used in a more humorous context, or used to simply shorten the length of a story and cut out unnecessary details.

Omniscient:

Third person omniscient P.O.V. is one in which the narrator had knowledge of all things past, present, and sometimes future within the story. It follows the thoughts, actions, and words of every character, and is even present when there are no characters in the scene. It can be used to describe the actions of minor characters, or give flashbacks.

This style is easiest to use, and is also highly common within literature. It can extend the amount of protagonists within a story almost infinitely, and can also give the view of the story’s antagonist. In doing so, it gives the reader a better idea of what drives every character in a story, and raises interest in the story.

Example:

“I suppose all that’s left is for us to flip the coin and decide who goes first,” Andrew said, as he held up his duel disk. The weight of the device always helped to calm him, and remind him of just how far he’d gotten as a duelist. He couldn’t stop here, not now…not with his friends depending on him to win back their cards. “Good luck.”

Kevin snorted, as he pulled a coin from his pocket. He had no desire to entertain Andrew’s ridiculous concept of luck. All that mattered was power and skill. Luck was for losers who were about to have their cards surrendered to him. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s just get on with this so I can grind you into the dirt like a spent cigarette butt. I’ll enjoy taking your deck from you. Maybe I’ll use it as a coaster or something.”

Andrew shrugged off the insult as Kevin flipped the coin and both duelists watched it rotate. Andrew called tails and Kevin called heads. ‘I have to be careful with him. He’s obviously a skilled duelist, and that one turn kill deck of his is lightning fast. I can only hope that he doesn’t get the first turn,’ Andrew thought desperately.

‘This is going to be a piece of cake,’ Kevin mused as the coin landed. A wide smirk spread his lips as Andrew merely grimaced and muttered some obscenity under his breath. “So much for luck, huh pal?” he shot as he picked up the coin, the heads side of which was winking at him. He glanced down at it and smirked one more time before sliding it into his pocket. ‘God bless the man who invented the two-headed coin.’

Whichever style of writing you decided to use is completely up to you. Just be sure to stay consistent within the story, and don’t forget that every character’s action affects the story in some way. If you use third person omniscient or limited, and show a character killing someone, then be sure to show the other protagonists’ and even the antagonists’ reactions to it. If you use first person, remember that your character doesn’t know everything about the story, even things that the reader may already know or have found out.

Good luck to the writing community. I hope this helped.