General Writing Discussion Thread | Current Topic: NaNoWriMo

RE: Writer's Lounge

I suggest that the guidelines/Writer's Lounge have a list of available critics and the categories they are willing to criticize.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

I don't really know if I could be available. I mean, I'm not so adept at detecting tiny mistakes like Dark-G did in Hope's fanfic.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Zyflair said:
Not a rule, but we need encouragement for critiquing.
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Hmm, would you approve the idea of an awarding/commissioning system?
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Zyflair said:
Not a rule, but we need encouragement for critiquing.
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Noted. I'm going to be doing a few things here in the next few weeks, which is why I am asking for input now.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

I may give it a look-see sometime over the next few days.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Lucky Fire said:
I don't really know if I could be available. I mean, I'm not so adept at detecting tiny mistakes like Dark-G did in Hope's fanfic.
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Critiquing is not correcting someone's work. Critiquing is giving your thoughts on what you're reading.

Dark-Giratina said:
Hmm, would you approve the idea of an awarding/commissioning system?
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But of course.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Ok, so if I'm gonna revamp (tear apart and fix) a fic, what should I do first second third etc etc?
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Sorry I took forever to reply back. I forgot I even posted here...

I think I'll write a Pokemon fanfic soon, but it might be really messed-up. Like not gorey or creepy, just...weird. Like things about annoying Nosepasses trying to KO Groudon with a move called "Snot Blow". (Remember, I did write fanfics about Julie-Su and Sally Acorn...)
Or maybe a story about that weird male Black/White 2 trainer...

EDIT: Martini, you said revamp...don't remind me...
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Martini said:
Ok, so if I'm gonna revamp (tear apart and fix) a fic, what should I do first second third etc etc?
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  1. Re-play what new subjects you are incorporating to the story.
  2. Revise the published chapters with the incorporated content.
  3. Await for criticism and feedback.

This, I am only capable of listing down when I am suddenly awake in the middle of the night. xD
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Just a tentative note: The Writer's Corner rules should be undergoing a drastic change fairly soon. This is your last chance to speak up if you feel that certain rules are too strict, others aren't strict enough, or you feel that some things should be added or removed altogether. I'm currently working on revisions with contributors and other mods, but any outside input is still very much welcome.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Make the 1000 word limit higher.... It kinda lets some people slide by with low end fics.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

I'll take that into consideration, but I don't want to make it too high.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

1500, maybe? If you're going to raise the bar, I wouldn't make the minimum higher than 2000, but I think 1500 is a good compromise.

Okay, since I forgot to do this as I said I would earlier, I will do so now.

First off, double-spacing paragraphs is mentioned twice:

1. All stories—and all updates to stories—must be at least two pages and/or 1,000 words in length.
A “page” is typically considered to be a visible page of text on MS Word (or a similar word processor) that contains about 500 words and is single-spaced. However, due to how copy-and-pasted works normally don’t translate single-spacing well onto Internet forums, the prospect of double-spacing (by hitting the Enter key twice) after every new paragraph is accepted as a reasonable compensator for the issue of proper formatting and a page will be accounted for with such in mind.

[...]

6. Good grammar and proper formatting are absolute musts in the Writer’s Corner.
[...]
Decent formatting is also a requirement for any stories or poetry posted in this forum. For fiction particularly, we require manually double-spaced paragraphs. As explained somewhat earlier, copy-and-pasting straight from MS Word or other processing programs often just causes any pre-formatted text to just appear as blocks in forum-style submissions. To fix this issue, you should hit the “Enter” key twice in your prewritten submission after each new paragraph (including dialogue since it’s supposed to stand on its own every time a new character speaks, and lumping it together into paragraphs either other things or passages of dialogue is widely considered unprofessional).
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In the first instance, it is recommended; in the second, it is mandatory. It only needs to be stated once, so pick where you want it.

Next, rule 8.

8. When double posting and bumping are okay.
Sometimes, stories just don’t get much attention, or perhaps the author just hasn’t been able to get back to it with regular updates. If the latter is the case, writers are allowed to bump their thread anytime they either want to make it active again or have a significant update for the story.
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Anytime? Even daily? I understand about bumping with an update, but what about bumping without an update, just to draw attention? I believe there should be some sort of limit to that; twice a week would probably be a good point to start at and work from there.

And now I have two new suggestions to bring to the table. The first could probably be tacked onto rule 9 here:
9. If your story is a long one, put a link to each new chapter in the first post.
This isn’t a requirement, but it’s usually considered more courteous to readers if writers add links to future chapters in the original post. In essence, it’s to create a “Table of Contents” that people can use to skip over all the comments other people might have made in order to get straight to the chapters instead.
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You could also mention here the amazingness that is spoiler tags. Even long chapters themselves are hard to scroll through if you just want to get past that point. I have gotten into the habit of spoilering all my chapters just to make my thread look neater, and I think a few others have as well. It definitely couldn't hurt, so I think it's worth mentioning here.

My second idea has to do a little with critiquing fanfics and such. I don't know if this has been said already (I know Typhlo brought it up a page ago or so), but there could be some sort of guiding principles to include while one is giving advice on a fanfic (possibly as a rewrite and/or addendum on rule 7). I know for myself I want people replying to have at least 20 words in a post, and I know that standard is probably loose at best, but it's better than nothing. Simply put, I think it might be a good suggestion to include ideas on how peeps can give advice on a fanfic, such as what should and should not be said.

That's all I have for right now as far as suggestions go; I might have a bit more when I hear back from you guys. TTFN!
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Martini said:
Make the 1000 word limit higher.... It kinda lets some people slide by with low end fics.
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... this is coming from you? >.>

1000 is fine enough as is. There are enough good stories that tend to be shorter. We don't need novels. Just quality work.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Zyflair said:
Martini said:
Make the 1000 word limit higher.... It kinda lets some people slide by with low end fics.
Click to expand...
... this is coming from you? >.>

1000 is fine enough as is. There are enough good stories that tend to be shorter. We don't need novels. Just quality work.
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Agreed. I'm not messing with the minimum word count. I don't want to turn us into total elitists like Serebii.net or PokeCommunity's fanfic writers.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

I think we should keep the current word count.

Also, can someone please check my Age of War Fanfic? (chapter one is finished)
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

I might get to it at some point soon, but I have other projects to tend to first. Rule revisions are basically done, but I want/need to get them approved before putting them into effect.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Age of War would be my first one I feel like i can complete. Time Exploration..it just didn't work for me.
 
RE: Writer's Lounge

Kamara12 said:
Age of War would be my first one I feel like i can complete. Time Exploration..it just didn't work for me.
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Don't feel bad. That happens a lot with fanfic writers.
 
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