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Post by spiritmage234 on Jul 6, 2007 7:57:39 GMT -5
A place where all of the writer's on DH can share their story ideas (as long as you don't go plagerizin'), give tips, and help each other with writing-related topics. (For example: Did I use that apostrophe correctly?  ) Here are some of my tips for writing stories: -If you have a story idea in you're head but you don't know how to put it on paper at first, jot down you're ideas, and then from there, make an outline of your story. -For people who write fanfiction and want it to seem like the actual author of the series wrote it, think and write like the original author. If the author rights not-so-mushy romance scenes, then you better not include a whole lot of love making sequences. If that author includes a lot of detail in fight and battle sequences, don't take the short cut by writing, He swung. He ducked. He jabbed. He died.-Though traditionally people start their stories from the beginning, start from a different approach by starting -or thinking- with the ending first (especially if you thought of your ending before your beginning). This is actually the suggested approach to writing mystery stories. -It's ok to get inspiration from other stories or base some of your characters off of characters from other stories. Just make sure to acknowledge them in the end of your stories (or at an interview if you go hardcover ;D) to prevent getting flamed....Or sued.  -As for the whole Mary-Sue/Marty-Stu deal.... You can make your main character anyway you want, but if the main character is already perfect, then there won't be much character development throughout the story, and the reader looks forward to seeing the titular character evolve throughout the story. So, I recommend that you avoid the "Mary-sue/Marty-Stu" approach. -Lastly, always use the three R's of writing: Re-reading, revising, and re-editing. Believe me, a good writer never thinks highly of their work and are always trying to perfect their work(s). Plus, you'd be surprised how faulty spellcheck is.  Well writers, enjoy!  |
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Post by neodee on Jul 6, 2007 20:58:04 GMT -5
I have a huge one! It's pretty simple, and basic: When writing in a character dialog, put yourself into the character's skin. This is huge with me, and a good reason why I dislike fan fiction sometimes.
Oh yes, spell check is only reliable if your already a pretty good "speller". A lot of the words you misspell end up not being listed in spell check, so they are incorrect by default.
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Post by Chibi Chan-o on Jul 6, 2007 21:13:03 GMT -5
I usually keep a dictionary and a thesaurus to keep my words from getting overused and bland.
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Post by neodee on Jul 6, 2007 21:23:46 GMT -5
Me personally, I use software to help me with my story writing. I'll add a few links: I use the Dramatica Pro, but this software is suited better for novelists. Story Weaver is a decent way to get your manuscript started, but again, alot of short story writers (Like Me), prefer something less complicated. dramatica.stores.yahoo.net/freesoftware.htmlThis website below shows alot of different things that can help you write a story, however long it is. Yeah, they cost money, but a few have demos, if you wanna try them out. I bought Dramatica like 3 years ago, and its helped me alot. www.writers-publish.com/book-writing-software.html |
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Zink
Ty Lee 
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8
Posts: 4,279
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Post by Zink on Jul 6, 2007 23:07:03 GMT -5
GRAMMAR. FOR THE LOVE OF LIFE.
I'm sorry, but I can barely stand to read 'HOw are yuo?." "i"m fine whata bout you?"
You're really not going to be taken seriously unless you grammar-check, because bad grammar gives the feeling that you don't care enough about your story to make it legible, much less good. So, you're only hurting yourself without it.
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Post by spiritmage234 on Jul 7, 2007 9:03:14 GMT -5
@neo: Yus! Imagination to the extreme. When I write stories, I also often imagine myself as the characters, their actions, their emotions... And I never knew that there was software for writers. I thought it only stopped at graphics and webdesigns. Lol. @chibi: Yes. I try to avoid using normal everyday words when detailing so my dictionary/thesaurus is a must. Big or idle words might scare people when they read them, but it can really open their mind (as well as your own) while reading. @zink: So true. I really wish some people would stop writing their fan fiction like they're chatting to their friends online. They really won't be taken seriously as writer.  |
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Post by neodee on Jul 7, 2007 9:44:30 GMT -5
^I've actually seen someone use "LOL" in a story. he excessive use of cussing in stories, to "make it real" isn't a great idea either. I think I've used one cuss word, and it was because I thought that was how my character would have responded to a situation.
We really should put up our stories somewhere, at least the short ones.
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Post by spiritmage234 on Jul 7, 2007 9:49:54 GMT -5
^Yeah. If you're writing dialogue based on an accent or a dialect, e.g., a Southern Accent, that's one thing. Famous authors like Toni Morrison, Sue Monk Kidde, and Zora Neale Hurston wrote their stories like the speaker of the dialect would speak, in order for the reader to understand the character. But if you're writing your dialogue that makes absolutely no sense at all and you're using it to just cut down on writing (such as spelling "yer," which is a common Southern dialect spelling "your" or "you're" as "ur"), then you shouldn't be taking the time to write it. If the reader knows that the speakers are teenagers, I think they'll understand how they might pronounce some of their words.
And if you wanna put some excerpt from your works in progress, go right ahead. This is the place to do it. ^_^
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Post by neodee on Jul 7, 2007 9:58:07 GMT -5
^Cool, I'll add one from a long time ago. I'll do it later though.
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Jul 7, 2007 14:20:41 GMT -5
Here's a big tip for anime/manga fanfic authors: Sometimes, people tend to use authentic Japanese words (Romaji, of course) for some of the dialogue. Either give a translation, or don't use it. Nothing irks me more than to see an entire conversation with Japanese words. And be wary if something is dubbed or translated into English officially especially, because then some people may not even know what "baka" or "hai" means.  It may seem weird at first, but you'll get it. |
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Zink
Ty Lee
"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8
Posts: 4,279
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Post by Zink on Jul 7, 2007 23:58:03 GMT -5
And be wary if something is dubbed or translated into English officially especially, because then some people may not even know what "baka" or "hai" means. *raises hand*  What do you all think of characters talking the way you talk? My characters (in my novel, at least) say whatever they want to say, of course, but usually exactly the way I would say it. My worst fear is that once somebody NOT from the Appalachian Mountain reads it, they're going to know right away that some chick from the rural Mid-Atlantic region wrote it. |
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Post by KyoshiWarrior on Jul 8, 2007 17:44:05 GMT -5
! \/\/@$ \/\/@lk!ng |) +#3 R0@|) \/\/#3N ^ I've seen stories like that and it REALLY bothers me. I can't even read it!  |
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Post by spiritmage234 on Jul 8, 2007 17:49:10 GMT -5
@sarii: ...Give us a link to one and I SWEAR I'll give you a karma. @zink: Well, as I said above, if you're writing according to a dialect, I don't see a probably with that. Just don't write like how a casual teenager on the internet would. such as cusing every other word, and purposely misspelling words just to make your writing shorter. In your case, I don't see a problem with it either. Wait. Are you saying you write with you're Appalacian dialect? |
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Post by KyoshiWarrior on Jul 8, 2007 18:11:40 GMT -5
@spirit mage: The girl wrote her story down on paper and I don't know how she understood what she wrote. (Grr, I can't get karma)
Also, There used to be a girl on myspace that I had as a friend write like that on one of her stories.
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Jul 8, 2007 18:17:20 GMT -5
And be wary if something is dubbed or translated into English officially especially, because then some people may not even know what "baka" or "hai" means. *raises hand* What do you all think of characters talking the way you talk? My characters (in my novel, at least) say whatever they want to say, of course, but usually exactly the way I would say it. My worst fear is that once somebody NOT from the Appalachian Mountain reads it, they're going to know right away that some chick from the rural Mid-Atlantic region wrote it. If it's a regional dialect, then it's fine. I mean....like the way they talked in Tom Sawyer. That's totally acceptable. You just have to be careful with writing in other languages. Here's another tip, if you're going to write in another language, for God's sake...make sure you know what you're saying and get someone who speaks it to make sure it's correct. Nothing annoys me more than seeing some famous author write in Spanish and think everything is write, then they be completely wrong. |
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