Saturday, July 19, 2014

Anon Says...

We are all anonymous and we deserve to be heard

Anon says


I get a lot of Guest reviews that bring up a lot of good points or ask questions, and sometimes I just want to acknowledge them for the review (because seriously, reviews are awesome), but there's just one problem: THEY DON'T HAVE ACCOUNTS. 

So, instead of clogging up an update with a response to those reviews, I have decided to make use of this blog (which doesn't get enough attention from me) to respond to them. 



Flavor of the Month: 
Guest chapter 2 . Jul 15
Bella is annoying as hell. And he was the weird one? I would be very surprise if in real life the guy would want to see her again. He wasn't as awkward as her and she is the one that had all those one-night stand. Stay away Edward.

Reply
Glad you think so, I was aiming for a not-immediately likable character simply because Bella has always been accused of being "perfect" because everyone thinks she's so awesome when she has very little to recommend her. I want to grow to like her myself, and this was my impression of her when I read Twilight at first, with just a bit more personality.

After a meeting that they had, I wouldn't want to meet her again either if I was Edward, but life doesn't work that way, especially not fanfic ;) 
Guest chapter 2 . Jul 14
Brilliant which is another term for your story. Thanks

Reply
Thanks for the review! Hope to hear more of your thoughts in the future :)
Guest chapter 1 . Jul 14
please please write more...this seems like a very promising story ive come across in a very long time...so im literally thirsting for an update...I hope you have a regular schedule..
ps. If its reviews u desire ill leave one everyday...


Reply

Glad you think so! I'll try hard to update as regularly as I can, I'm aiming for every Monday so I hope you can pull through and leave me a line every now and again :)



Brotherly Advice and Sisterly Persuasion
CRB chapter 2 . 3h ago
I truly enjoyed Sibling Intervention, and look forward to this one. There's only one thing that keeps bugging me. You use the word "droll" a lot - not a bad thing in and of itself, but it doesn't always seem to fit and so jerks me out of the story. Droll having a humorous, whimsical, or odd quality (Merriam-Webster)

Reply
Corrected to "dull", thanks for that, the need for a Beta Reader strikes again.
JRB chapter 2 . 3h ago
How long do you anticipate this sequel to be? I think it's very refreshing, on the one hand, that Elizabeth is being rather cautious with her heart even though she really has no reason to mistrust Darcy's motive for kissing her. On the other hand, if Darcy had the balls to kiss her in the first place, I don't think he would've been the type to assume she disliked it. Mistaking Elizabeth's wit and teasing for flirting in the novel is, to me, perfectly reasonable and excusable. In this instance, however, if he already had the nerve to act on his impulses and essentially compromise her, Darcy would've done the honorable thing and asked her to hear him out and then propose. That seems like his character, anyway.

Reply
Well I haven't decided on the length yet, but roughly thirty chapters like Sibling Intervention I imagine. 

I think Elizabeth is rather cautious with people, though that may just be my interpretation of her. As open as she is, she isn't easily convinced (except when she's determined to be) and with something as important as her heart, I don't think she would so easily give it away. Anyone who wants it has to work for it (hear that Darcy?).

Remember, the kiss at the end of Sibling Intervention was neither returned nor denied, Darcy had no idea what to actually make of it. In my mind, women and love are relatively new to him because he's never been in a situation like this with anyone else. Also, Elizabeth insisted during Sibling Intervention that they should forget about the who-compromised-who situation (she thought she compromised him, and he thought he compromised her). He was actually on the verge of confessing in that forest in the last chapter, but ended up kissing her instead. But all that will be explained/expanded in the coming chapters.

Thank you for your review!


Guest chapter 1 . Jul 13
(virtual love) so excited and so ready for this :3

Reply
You and me both! Thanks for the review!


Sibling Intervention


Amy chapter 17 . 21h ago
You made a mistake here. It would be a terrible faux pas that Bingley went into the room of Jane when she was ill. No single male was allowed to visit an unmarried girl in her bedroom, it doesnt matter if she is sick or not. I dont know if that terrible movie from 2005 inspired you to write this but it just wasnt done. Her reputation would be in tatters.

Reply
*brandishes creative license, turns into a potato and rolls into the sunset*

Just kidding. 

But seriously, she wasn't entirely alone - she did have a maid stationed in her room the entire time she was sick, plus Bingley left the door open the entire time. Afterwards, Louisa joined them. Later on after supper, he isn't alone with her either and is with Elizabeth and Jane.

I have no idea how anyone got to know each other before marriage, but I am aware that the prospective couple is very rarely alone. Other than Darcy and Lizzy of course, we can't always be as well-mannered and full of propriety as we should.

The 2005 movie wasn't that bad. No idea where you're getting the idea that that adaption caused it, if you think I'm wrong it's more likely that it's my fault than a movie based on the novel.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Life as I know it: Using fanfiction as a motivator

My WIPs got deleted and my life as a writer flashed before my eyes.
And then. I started again.

Life as I know it:
Using fanfiction as a motivator


So a few weeks ago my laptop died. 

And for someone who only uses their laptop to write, it hit me pretty hard. 

Though I haven't worked on any projects for the past six months (minus Project M which is always on hiatus because people that know me in real life read it and...yeah, the teasing hasn't stopped), I've had several incomplete, unedited one-shots and stories cooking, including original work that I hoped to publish one day. All of it was the result of almost three to four years worth of stories, and they were gone within seconds. 

Word to the wise: Backups are important in life.

However, once my laptop revived itself, instead of shutting it down and hiding out in my blanket fort out of depression, I opened up Word, and wrote. 

Throughout the last six months since the completion of Sibling Intervention, I didn't feel like I could write anymore out of exhaustion. But looking back, I realize how productive I was when I had fanfiction in my life.

A little look into my personal life:

At the beginning of 2014, I received my results from my final exams and was officially a high school graduate. During 2013, I wrote next to nothing since I felt that my education took precedence over writing stories.

Initially, I did well. 

However, within three to four months, I felt drained in every sense of the word. 

When I closed my eyes every night, I opened them to another morning; living is hard when you're exhausted. My weekends consisted of sleeping and during the week I was literally a machine. I was in a rut, and even when I forced myself to sit down and write just to finish Sibling Intervention, I could feel my brain frying in my head. And even with my good marks, I wasn't happy. 

Eventually, I gave in to my exhaustion and shut the lights off upstairs. My motivation to do well for my exams had dwindled; I succeeded in burning myself out in less than six months. 

By the time the exams rolled around, I didn't care about passing well - just passing. And I achieved that. 

When I started college in February this year, I was excited about a new beginning, studying towards something I was interested in (no math, no physics, no reciting textbooks). 

Out of the desire to immerse myself with the real world, I kept away from fanfiction after completing Sibling Intervention, saying to myself that I took forever to finish a story anyway and that I didn't have the juice to start another. 

The day I decided to just throw ideas at Word was the day my laptop committed suicide only to be resurrected with nothing left. It was a clean slate. And a seeming punishment for being gone too long.

I rolled with it though, and that's how this happened: 

I've been toying with the idea of writing a Twilight story for awhile. How I feel about Twilight as literature will be discussed later, but the fact of the matter is, I wanted something new and I got it. 

The story I wrote: Flavor of the Month, was completely different to Sibling Intervention, and though I've only just started it, I want to do something different than the hordes of romance stories in every AU fanfiction out there. Along with my first Twilight fic, I started the second part of Sibling Intervention called Brotherly Advice and Sisterly Persuasion. 

It's been less than a month and I feel more motivated to do things again. 

My real life concerns like course work and projects are planned and completed as soon as possible in order to give me time to write before my next self-imposed deadline. 

It's more of a challenge now in order to get things done. Whereas in the past, my marks were for me, in fanfiction they were both for me and for the people that read my stories. I hate disappointing people so writing fanfiction and using the desire for updates (which every fanfic reader knows to their soul) to push me in my real life have helped. 

I hope it isn't a few weeks kind of thing, but time will tell. 

Until then, I'm going to ride the high and hope I don't crash when it stops. 




Saturday, June 21, 2014

That awkward moment in fanfiction when you don't know what comes next (part2)

That awkward moment in fanfiction when...you don’t know what comes next pt 2
So you’ve got writer’s block




I took awhile to decide whether or not I wanted to write anything new after I completed my first story. 
Completing a new story, as discussed before, was emotionally exhausting. But I wanted to do it again. The problem was finding a way to do it.

I just got out of a relationship with a thirty chapter story; I wasn’t ready to jump into another.

I wanted excitement, something brief with no commitment whatsoever. I wanted a story fling.

So I wrote a one-shot for a different fandom, read stories that were completely different to my own and that dealt with completely different things, and finally, started writing on this blog again.

Anyone whose suffered through writer’s block knows the only way to conquer it is to get busy.

Write. Edit. Read. Review. Repeat.

Here’s a few tips to beat any form of writer’s block with a stick, whether caused by a completed story or a prolonged hiatus:

1.       Get in touch with why you loved your fandom/OTP in the first place: rewatch/reread the series/movie/book; read stories from the fandom; watch videos made for the fandom; look at art depicting your fandom; whatever you want to get the inspirational juices flowing.

2.       Accept challenges/prompts/requests.

3.       Write things out of your comfort zone: a different genre, write from the perspective of a different character, write something you haven’t yet.

4.       Read. Fanfiction, original fiction, an old favorite, something on your To-Read list, an article from a magazine; as long as you’re reading, you aren’t doing nothing.

5.       Get some fresh air.

6.       Do your chores: believe it or not getting your mind off of writing can be just what you need. Doing mundane tasks keeps you focused on one thing and lets your mind wander like it should whenever it’s been stuck in one place for too long.

7.       Get out: you know what that is right? The thing you did before you had to meet self-made deadlines, before the write-write-write mindset?

8.       Don’t write anything. Maybe you need a well deserved break from it all. Whenever something enjoyable feels like work, it’s a sign that you’ve forgotten what it is you enjoyed about it, and that’s okay.

9.       Have a conversation: your cat, pet rock, the mailman, your sister, you husband; whoever. Being in touch with people on any level is important as a writer.

10.   Explore: haven’t been to that famous church a town away? Why not make a plan to go? Always wanted to try that café down the street? Now’s your chance!

11.   Eat.

12.   Listen to a debate: from the news, on the internet, between friends or family; you’ll either drone it out and discover an idea or you might take the argument in and have some new perspective on an old topic.

13.   Jam to some music: you don’t have to dance in your pajamas at an ungodly hour, but just taking a few minutes to let yourself go, and stop worrying about life so much

14.   Relax: do something that calms you that doesn’t involve writing – maybe play a videogame, cook, fix up your car, take a nap, internet search cat videos, work out.

15.   Watch a movie.

16.   Splurge a little: buy that new book you've wanted, that pair of shoes, maybe go on a road trip or eat at that fancy place that have those amazing pies you've been day dreaming about. Go on. I won't tell.

17.   Take pictures: mental pictures or actual pictures, try and find something interesting about the world and maybe it’ll inspire you.
.
18.   Go people watching: just watch and observe, make up tales out of your head based on the lives of random people and the story you’ve wanted to write might just hit you

19.   Exercise: a walk in the park, a cycle down the street, sit-ups in front of the tv, whatever floats your boat. The increased oxygen to the brain is a good thing.

20.   Share: talk about your writing or your ideas with just about anybody; having the chance to verbally bounce off any insecurities or thoughts you have as a writer can be greatly comforting when you realize you aren’t alone.

21.   Review: you’ve got a few stories on favorites that deserve a shout out, how about writing them in in-depth review of why you enjoyed their work? They’ll appreciate it.

22.   Do a good deed: Karma is a wonderful thing when it’s on your side

23.   Watch some comedians on Youtube (Michael McIntyere for example): whether you roll your eyes at the cheesiness or find yourself actually laughing, you’ll hear how they manage to craft a story to people and how they get the audience into their inside jokes.

24.   Edit: maybe you have a few uncompleted stories on your computer like I do, find the time to edit it and it’ll be completed and published before you know it.

25.   Learn something new: be it about your fandom, your stories, yourself or something completely unrelated. There’s a lesson in every experience
 
Here’s other lists that may help too:
·          

Got any tips of your own to beat writer’s block that wasn’t mentioned here? Share it below J

Friday, June 20, 2014

That awkward moment in fanfiction when...you don’t know what comes next

That awkward moment in fanfiction when...you don’t know what comes next
So you finished your first story…
First off, congratulations!

Readers who don’t write have no idea how difficult completing a piece of work is, it can be a one-shot, (insert-number-here) prompts, requests, collections and full on chaptered stories.

It takes a lot of motivation to swallow down the excitement, anxiety, pride and fluctuating feeling of self-loathing (“Dear Fanfic Gods on High, why did I make it more complicated than it has to be?”/ “Why aren’t the plot bunnies cooperating?!”). Question is: Are you ready to do it all over again?  

My answer was this, “Tap out.”

Maybe I just have commitment issues. But the work required to get the story started, to keep it going and then end it was emotionally exhausting.

We’ve all come across amazing stories that sit on the first five chapters, and they never finish. Why?
It’s hard. So hard. Very hard. Frustratingly hard. It’s creative constipation really.

But you know what?

I’d do it again.

I haven’t really written anything for a few weeks (months?) since I changed the status of my story from “Incomplete” to “Complete”, and I’ve never felt so fulfilled in my entire life. Yes, the story wasn’t perfect, but it was finished and very few people can actually say that when you take into consideration the number of aspiring writers all over the world and those with completed works under their belt.

I’d do it again to feel like I have something to show for it. It was the evidence of my abilities as a writer and proof that I can push through the muddle and slug of writer’s block and lack of support and be less of the “spur of the moment” writer I was years before.

I would do it again.

But how? I didn’t want to do a sequel (which is happening anyway because plotbunnies). And I didn’t want to be a one trick pony by only writing one type of story.

But how would I be able to create another story without the influence of the one preceding it?

Writer problems.

Have you recently completed a piece of work you didn't think would ever be complete?  Were you proud? Exhausted? Excited? Filled with regret that it didn't end the way you originally envisioned it months/years before? Share your thoughts below :)

Friday, May 9, 2014

What the plot-bunny: Sibling Intervention (free pdf)


 
Inspiration comes at random; they appear when anyone least expects it and offers ideas a writer just can’t get out of their heads. It drives them out of their minds to the point where they’re either fascinated to distraction or irritated beyond belief – both was my experience.

See, the plot-bunnies show up at times that are extremely inconvenient.

 As it was, I couldn’t just write the idea as it was presented, I couldn’t just accept the baby they wanted me to raise – if it was an English exam I might’ve, but I doubt my maths teacher even knows who Jane Austen is, let alone marvel at the awesomeness that was my Pride and Prejudice variation. 

Unfortunately it persisted through the exam and by the time my 3hour paper was over, I walked home cursing myself for choosing to read Pride and Prejudice fanfiction the night before instead of studying.
 For weeks the idea grew, stirring questions a fangirl of JA and P&P does whose about to raise the plot-bunnies’ baby and release it into the fandom:

1)      What would happen if a character had done this, or said that? Would I still be seeing the original story taking place or would some magic route come out of the sky and lead me towards another playground? WOULD THERE BE CANDY?
2)      How would it affect the characters? Would Caroline still be obnoxious? Would Hurst still be drunk? Would Mrs. Bennet still be Mrs. Bennet? WOULD KEIRA KNIGHTLY OR JENNIFER EHLE PLAY ELIZABETH?
3)      Would changing a single event affect how the characters behave and see each other? Would Darcy still be Darcy? Would Elizabeth always expect the worse from him? Would Bingley still be influenced by Darcy and let Jane slip away? WOULD CAROLINE STILL WEAR ORANGE?!
4)      Why would the event matter? Would it be significant in any way outside of the current situation? Would an heir to Longbourn make a difference?

The answer to the last question was the deal breaker, the one that decided whether the story would be born at all and see the light of the Pride and Prejudice fandom…And I realized I was being a dumbass because obviously an heir to Longbourn would change a hell of a lot, and not just be another Bennet wreaking havoc with the Darcy/De Bough/Collins/Bingley family and so, the plot-bunnies prevailed and I took their baby and made it mine.

30 chapters, 113 726 words and Sibling Intervention was all grown up and ready to face the public that were forever and always, prowling for a complete story to shred.

I’m ready for it though – the plot-bunny baby was mine.

I knew its faults: its presumptuous manner, its grammar difficulties, its’ confusion over American-British spelling, the constant brandishing of creative license and its overly subtle nature. It isn’t a masterpiece.

It wasn’t created with a message to spread or a purpose beyond the simple reading pleasure of whomever its fancy had taken; it had no hidden image or intended themes beyond the superficial – I’m nowhere near that stage in writing.

This first completed work of mine was not Jane Austen. It was fanfiction. But it was fanfiction I was proud to call mine.

Just a reminder: this story is as unedited as it is online - in the future a "better" version will be available - watch this space. 
      
Read for free online? Follow this link.
Free PDF download available below: 


And for those not wanting to make another account at another site, you can go the Gumroad way and just type in your email address - which won't lead to spam, just send you any notices about any new books I may release, or send a thank-you note your way from me :) You banking details are unnecessary as well as I'm told that the option will disappear if you leave the amount at zero :)

Note: money is not to be made through its distribution, I believe in bartering – I offer you a story, readers offer me feedback. Also, this version has many errors, all of which will be corrected and parts added/and or removed in the new version.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Book club: The Name Mix-up by LadyandtheTurtleDuck

The names Levy and Lily sound similar when people are drunk. Gajeel knows this.


Book club:


Fandom: Fairy Tail

This story was short and fluffy. And sometimes that’s a problem because its easy to be cliché.
But this one?

I’M GONNA SQUEAL.

It was short and sweet, uncomplicated by heavy description or fancy word play – this was bare knuckles, romantic fluff that didn’t destroy Gajeel’s badass character. Only highlighting the fact that he’s secretly adorable.

As it was a short oneshot, there isn’t much else to say other than how the characters themselves behaved and what exactly happened.

SPOILERS BELOW!

 The story takes place at the guild after another round of heavy celebration which is typical of Fairy Tail. (√)

Everyone is wonderfully wasted and in hilarious situations left to our imagination because no one was named or described as the main focus was on Pantherlily, and his attention of his two favorite people: Gajeel and Levy. (√)

Our lovely couple is trying to sleep on the floor because they’re just too drunk to go home and find a comfortable bed so they make do like everyone else apparently. (√)

Gajeel, who in head canon, is a major cuddler, requires his pet cat to make sleeping on the floor less of a pain in the ass and because he’s drunk, he thinks his cat is Levy. (√)

Levy, being in love with him, only struggles slightly before accepting her fate. (√)

The cuteness doesn’t end there, oh no!

If anything, morning afters are just as cute. If you’re lucky.

As usual, Mira is the one to discover them and Gajeel reacts like Gajeel and refuses to believe he initiated cuddles. With three against one, the odds aren’t in his favor and he decides that either Levy or Lily must change their name for the sake of his reputation. (√)

I promise it’s cuter than what my summary is.

But basically everything that happened made absolute sense from setting to character reactions.

What I loved the most was the simplicity of the story – it’s all about Gajeel getting his cuddle on, and how it happened as well as how it was handled when he was caught was done so adorably well, even if it was horribly written, I’d probably still enjoy it.

The dialogue was pretty standard, they definitely sounded like themselves, but the punctuation needed work and when dialogue happened there was an unnecessary need to add He said/She said afterwards.

As for the characters themselves: it was an impressive portrayal considering the amount of cuteness in the fic, Gajeel was still sourly and grumpy, and then just confident and cute at once – my favorite! Lily was pretty basic as was Levy, and Mira made somewhat of an unnecessary appearance, but she was also very familiar.
I loved the story just the way it was regardless of everything I just said above.
There’s your example of a successful fluff fic without over fluffing!

And here’s a word to the wise for those attempting fluff:
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND DON’T LET THE CHARACTERS OVERREACT.

Brownie points:
Gajeel loves cuddles = WIN
Characters-in-character

Health deductions:
NONE. ENJOY WITH CAKE.

Red pen level: 8/10
A few missing words and punctuation missing (a comma or two), there’s also an issue with dialogue, but nothing alcohol can’t fix.

Characterization: 8/10

Plot: 9/10
Kept it simple and took it home for cuddles!

Overall: 8/10

Recommendation:
Clean up dialogue and you’re good to go!

Have you read this fanfiction? Do you think I got it right, or are we going to agree to disagree? Review the fic in question or leave me a line below.


Saturday, January 25, 2014

Book Club: My Little Pony: Friendship is Illogical by Rarity the Sewaddle

“Buttloads” of random characters end up going through a portal and turning into ponies. Yes. That’s it. So far.

Book club:

Fandom: Xover – My Little Pony x Pokemon


The review:

I came across this story on a Facebook page for Fanfiction, and since I’ve been on hiatus for awhile, I thought reviewing a story would be fun. I might have shot myself in the foot with an x-over (hint: don’t like them) and with a fandom I’m not familiar with (My Little Pony…seriously, it could’ve been anything really…).

And since it’s the first chapter, there’s not a lot to review except for the technicalities so the bare bones is where I’m going.

Note: There will be nitpicking.
  •      Numbers should be spelt.
  •       Proper paragraphing. Please.
  •        Indicating a person is shouting doesn’t mean you have to CAPS LOCK it to hell. It’s okay really. We get it.
  •       Punctuation. Verbs following the closed inverted commas should be in small for example:

“Stop it! You guys aren’t funny!” Exclaimed a new voice.
Should be:
“Stop it! You guys aren’t funny,” exclaimed a new voice.
Or:
“Stop it,” exclaimed a new voice, “you guys aren’t funny!”
Or:
A new voice exclaimed, “Stop it! You guys aren’t funny!”

Even if it is a writer's first story online, I still feel that what you learn in English class applies so I take no mercy when it comes to the structure of a story. Everything else is based on personal preference.

And now, said personal preferences.

The descriptions – there isn't anything memorable or interesting. Only for the character’s appearances and by that I mean what the ponies look like.

What the actual characters look like before isn’t really mentioned it’s simply assumed. Which wouldn’t be wrong considering people would be reading the story because:
  • .      They enjoy My Little Pony and Pokemon so therefore have extensive knowledge on both fandoms.

And
  • .      They enjoy the two together.  

Still, the extra description wouldn't do anyone too much harm.

There are also action descriptions like falling into the vortex, but it reads like a cliché. The transformation is alright, but it felt rushed.

I thought there would be more Pokemon to be honest. The fact that Ash had gotten Professor Oak to come and see him slip into the portal took nary a page. And the description about the chicken (I assume?) resembling an Eevee? His new form resembling a Ponyta? Superficial use of Pokemon-verse. It might be relevant as Ash is from the Pokemon universe, but it felt tacted on.

If maybe Ash was in a panic/excitement that he thought he was being turned into a Ponyta and he tried to do some sort of attack after his transformation was complete maybe I’d buy it…maybe.

The dialogue is stilted, there’s nothing natural about it. Scootaloo goes from calling Ash a jerk to “wanna be friends?” in the span of a single line.

Obviously I wasn't meant to like x-overs, but my preference stands. The reason being: bringing two (or more) universes together can be tricky and I personally see it as more work on both the author and the readers part to keep up with all the references, characters, setting, etc. This wasn't horrible, but I won't be reading any more x-overs any time soon.

Brownie points: An interesting premises. Maybe. I don’t usually read x-overs.

Health deductions:
He’s going…he’s going; he’s....lost.

Red pen level: 6/10
Punctuation. Paragraphing. 
And please don't shout things in CAPS. I know it's emphasis that the character is shouting, but it hurts my eyes.

Characterization: ?/10
I can only do this for Ash and nine year old him sounds about right…stupidly slipping in a vortex, being overly excited and eager…yes, sounds about right.
7/10

Plot: 0/10
Based on the first chapter, very little is actually established. The character goes through a vortex and becomes a pony. That’s great. And then? It’ll probably be answered in future chapters, but there isn’t any stakes raised or any other kind of plot mentioned.

Overall: 3/10

Recommendation:
Take your time: Describe the universes your characters were in before landing up in Evertree forest and becoming ponies. Describe how they feel and think vividly from their perspective when they transform, imagine having the senses of a pony and attribute it to how your character may or may not have trouble adapting to being something that they weren’t before.

Read dialogue out loud: Think about how you would have a conversation with someone you haven’t met before. You’re lost and confused. Answer from the character’s perspective. Bender, for example, would say something inappropriate or be losing his mind that he’s an animal and not a robot who runs on booze.


Make sense. Please. I still have no idea what the hell is happening, and I realize its only the first chapter, but I took a glance at the second and there’s just more characters rocking up…Princess Twilight can be interested in the human world, but WHY AND FOR WHAT, I’d love to know.

Have you read this fanfiction? Do you think I got it right, or are we going to agree to disagree? Review the fic in question or leave me a line below.