Demeter
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You know what you are in the dark...[Mo0:8]
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Post by Demeter on Jan 25, 2011 17:51:51 GMT -8
I always, always mispell 'the' as 'teh' when I'm typing. Spellcheck always fixes it, but still, it's annoying. Auto-correct is one of my best friends. ;D
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2011 12:28:47 GMT -8
I never seem to get any of my story ideas finished. Once I come close to finishing one, another comes along and then I lose interest in the previous story. That's what plagues me sometimes. I'm still shocked that once in a while I actually finish a freaking story because I'm known to lose interest in finishing a current story. Current pet peeve: I can't think of a good pet peeve for publishing my stories. I'm not sure if my super religious family members would take to kindly to me publishing original yaoi and yuri stories. I'm not alone in the "not finishing my projects" respect.
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xander
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[Mo0:15]
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Post by xander on Jan 26, 2011 22:53:26 GMT -8
I always, always mispell 'the' as 'teh' when I'm typing. Spellcheck always fixes it, but still, it's annoying. Auto-correct is one of my best friends. ;D Whenever I'm writing and it auto-corrects something, I stop, go back, and re-type the word. I dunno why, but I hate the auto-correct being there. Major pet peeve of mine, since it means I'm wasting time on stupid crap. Also, for whatever reason, I can never-- never--start writing a story unless I already have a title chosen. It doesn't have to be a permanent title, but there has to be one nonetheless. I can't write without one. Oh, and then there's the fact that if I'm typing, I will repeatedly delete whole paragraphs because they don't sound right. When I'm typing, things have to be perfect. And so, when things aren't coming out perfect, I get nothing done. Urrgh. On the flip side, I'll write really shitty a lot (brainstorming and such, you know) on normal paper, no erasing.
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Mikashi
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I want it with Whipped Cream on it baby, gimme, gimme, gimme your love~~.[Mo0:0]
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Post by Mikashi on Jan 29, 2011 12:17:10 GMT -8
Desctiptions: I really don't describe my characters all too much, because I just think that they are placeholders/tools to tell the story, and not any more than that. But I guess that that makes it boring? Damn. Not only with characters, but also with the scenery, and buildings, hell, I think the most descriptive thing I've ever written was in the Prelude from the Engraved. Oh, kill me. (I can describe...however I just fall waayyyyyyy to short.)
Speech-mannerisms: A bad habit of mine, when a character replies, it is usually with sarcasm. And while, I love sarcasm (considering that I have it myself), it just gets irritating as I begin to think it's the only type of personality that I can write; I once tried to write a totally-non-sarcastic character, and it completely backfired, into...my most sarcastic character ever. =___=. I'm not happy.
Also, I think that I may neglect transitions too much. But I'm not sure. I'd have to go re-read all of my stories (complete or otherwise) and it'd probably take me a decade XD.
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Post by Lil' Raskol LobLaw on Jan 29, 2011 19:45:14 GMT -8
My grammar. It's so bad, lolz.
I also get way too many ideas at once. I seriously have like five unfinished stories and only three that are. So yeah, eight stories in total, and still getting ideas. It's crazy.
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Mikashi
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I want it with Whipped Cream on it baby, gimme, gimme, gimme your love~~.[Mo0:0]
Posts: 2,547
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Post by Mikashi on Jan 30, 2011 13:27:50 GMT -8
I also get way too many ideas at once. I seriously have like five unfinished stories and only three that are. So yeah, eight stories in total, and still getting ideas. It's crazy.
I feel for ya. I'm the same way, if you look into a thread I made "what are your stories/projects." I have like...thirty listed, and most of them are on haitus...*sigh* (this does not include the trash-bin ones). I'm trying to work a bit on "The Engraved" though (one of my novels-in-progress.)
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limelightqueen
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You know how to whistle, don't you?[Mo0:0]
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Post by limelightqueen on Jan 30, 2011 14:18:45 GMT -8
My inability to finish anything? I seriously have at least eight stories on my computer that never got past the first chapter.
Also, in my current work, I'm having serious issues with one of the two antagonists. One, Thorne, is fully fleshed out with his motives all figured out. But Edmund refuses to be characterized. I know that he's the silent chess player type who pulls all the strings without anyone knowing he's there (my inspiration for him was Charles Widmore from LOST) which at least gives me the excuse of not having to write him in too many scenes yet. But other then knowing he is motivated by greed and a deep set anger and resentment towards his father for never appreciating him for who he was and preferring his sisters, I got nothing.
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J.Day
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It's not a date but rather a pie slash coffee summit. You know, fix the economy, settle world peace.
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Post by J.Day on Feb 3, 2011 23:15:01 GMT -8
I haven't even written up to the climax point in my current story yet, and already I'm seeing so many problems in terms of character motives and not enough action going on among my characters. They're all just dangling there, complaining and sulking that their lives suck, but nothing much is really happening to test their characters.
I also wrote out a scene in which the heroine gets a really bad hand injury (blood everywhere) and she's out in the woods with a guy she despises (he kind of has a hero-complex) because there's a creature tracking them down from the scent of her blood. So for first aid reasons and to stop the blood from leaving behind a trail, the guy takes off his shirt and binds the girl's bleeding hand in it until they can find safety again.
The whole thing about the guy taking his shirt (well, one of his shirts off; he still has the T-shirt that he'd been wearing underneath the other shirt) and using it on his injured friend for first aid purposes...
It just reminded me of that stupid Jacob/Bella scene in New Moon when Bella crashes her motorcycle because she was hallucinating Eddie's voice in her head.
Ugh. I just hate that I was subconsciously writing an entire scene that came out of New Moon without realizing it at the time because I hadn't actually seen the movie until after I wrote that scene with my characters.
That wasn't the only problem, though. There was a whole bunch more, such as my insufficient character study of my antagonists. I haven't fully fleshed them out yet.
So as of now, I'm thinking that I'm going to have to start the entire story over with a completely new perspective and set of plot points. Whatever it takes, I guess.
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Post by Ozymandias II on Feb 3, 2011 23:40:32 GMT -8
My writing style seems too stiff and awkward, I often word things weirdly, my paragraphs are either too choppy and short or else TL;DR, and I often cannot finish anything or lose motivation shortly in. THe lack of motivation is what really gets under my skin.
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WolfGod
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[Mo0:0]
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Post by WolfGod on Feb 5, 2011 0:35:05 GMT -8
I have two big stumbling blocks.
1. The first couple drafts. When I start out, I like the concept but I throw everything I can at it to see what sticks. Consequently, the first couple drafts are skin-peelingly bad and it can get discouraging in the re-writing process, especially when I realize that I have to start over from the ground up.
2. The second act. This is the hardest for me to write. Without fail. I can come up with good beginnings, interesting climaxes, but the middle just fights me every step of the way.
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Post by Lord Lovrina on Feb 8, 2011 16:29:02 GMT -8
^ Ditto for me on those.
My current pet peeve is that I always have to look up the most perfect names for characters and it takes up too much time. I also have no idea on why I can never finish the opening scene.
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shiko
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Turn me to ash and give me back to nature. After all, to the universe we are specks of dust.
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Post by shiko on Feb 9, 2011 16:03:28 GMT -8
I have trouble with pacing the storie, sometimes I reread everthing and I get really ahead of myself.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2011 15:26:20 GMT -8
- Almost no dialogue happens in first person. It's all describing. - My characters think too much, so nothing interesting happens. - I'm not good at weaving 'explanations' of fantasy systems into my plot. - I can't put character backgrounds in sensible places.
I JUST HATE MY WRITING SO MUCH.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2011 18:29:54 GMT -8
For me, everything has to be perfect in my head before I even get it down on paper. It's like I can't even have a bad first draft. Pretty aggravating when I spend a whole lot of time in front of a blank computer screen thinking about how to form the first sentence.
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PuzzleChick
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Because I am the FBI and I can.[Mo0:0]
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Post by PuzzleChick on Mar 5, 2011 7:54:28 GMT -8
- My writing style feels juvenile to me. >.< I write about adult/near adult characters and themes, but my style feels more like I'm writing YA or younger, and that pisses me off.
- I definitely overuse themes and character traits. I have a couple FAVORITE tropes/traits/etc and I tend to recycle them in each story because I just find them so enjoyable to write. I try to put a new spin on them each time, but it's getting to where every fucking main character, in his backstory, has either killed someone, or had someone he loved killed. Sometimes both. EVERY ONE. Seriously, can't I come up with anything better? (And this is a tough one to get over because I love writing those traits and themes so much that part of me doesn't really want to learn to write something else. xD)
- Seconding Sir Goddamn Chaos at the getting stuck in the half-way point areas. I usually have a fun/exciting opening and plans for a great big dramatic ending, and in the middle I'm just like herpderp wtf goes here.
- Exposition. How much is too much? How much is too little? Why does it always sound so flat? How can I make it not an infodump and yet still give info? GAH. I feel like every other writer in the world is an exposition expert and I suck at it! (Seriously, my stuff is so dialogue driven...I love dialogue, but a whole novel can't hinge on that.)
- I drop the ball a lot on tension/plots. I'll set up something great and then find a loophole out so I can get back to something else. This is something I'm overcoming, but I still find myself highly tempted to snag an easy way out of a plot that's going someplace I don't want it to. *swats at self*
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Demeter
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You know what you are in the dark...[Mo0:8]
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Post by Demeter on Mar 5, 2011 16:16:58 GMT -8
For me, everything has to be perfect in my head before I even get it down on paper. It's like I can't even have a bad first draft. Pretty aggravating when I spend a whole lot of time in front of a blank computer screen thinking about how to form the first sentence. This. So much. Right now, it's easier for me to make a transcript of the main character and her bullshit guidance counselor than to actually start the damn story. Yeah, I do want the session notes (among other things) to be scattered around the book (like illustrations - you don't want one on every page, but one ever two chapters or so is nice and you want to keep on reading), but I would also like to write the fucking story.
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Post by annabellamy on Mar 6, 2011 12:10:48 GMT -8
When I write a new chapter, I make references to something in a previous chapter in the new chapter, but I'm never sure how I did it or what the character actually said.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2011 15:45:24 GMT -8
My biggest peeve is that I have the characters and the world planned out, but I can never make myself actually write the story. I'm such a perfectionist with writing. I type two pages, go away for a day, read it again and think "wow, this is awful" and shove it in the trash bin. Therefore, I haven't been able to write a full first draft.
I can't write an opening paragraph. At all.
Second, my protagonist is a huge Mary-Sue. He's pretty much evil, but it still doesn't offset his extreme MarySueness. Some of the other characters are a bit Mary Sue as well, especially two particular female characters.
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Story Keeper
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There's a wild wind blowin', down the corner of my street[Mo0:1]
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Post by Story Keeper on Mar 20, 2011 20:36:01 GMT -8
I'm worried about how the main character will find out about all of the supernatural forces around her without another character info-dumping. How can she learn about the finer aspects of werewolves or the Queens and their minions? How will she learn about the different Queens around the world? (I also need a different name for the Queens. They rule the demons that aren't in Hell, but Demon Queen sounds stupid. I could use Winter and Summer Queens, but they aren't related to fey at all.) I'm also worried about plot-holes concerning the magic the main character gets. I've done a list, but I'm not sure if I have everything. This may be useless, but you could try calling them the Dark Queens.
The Latin and Greek words for darkness are tenebrae and gnofos (respectively) if that's any help to you.
My peeve is that I can't find the right place to put a vivid enough description of my character (facial features, hair colour, strength).
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Demeter
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You know what you are in the dark...[Mo0:8]
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Post by Demeter on Mar 21, 2011 12:54:11 GMT -8
I'm worried about how the main character will find out about all of the supernatural forces around her without another character info-dumping. How can she learn about the finer aspects of werewolves or the Queens and their minions? How will she learn about the different Queens around the world? (I also need a different name for the Queens. They rule the demons that aren't in Hell, but Demon Queen sounds stupid. I could use Winter and Summer Queens, but they aren't related to fey at all.) I'm also worried about plot-holes concerning the magic the main character gets. I've done a list, but I'm not sure if I have everything. This may be useless, but you could try calling them the Dark Queens.
The Latin and Greek words for darkness are tenebrae and gnofos (respectively) if that's any help to you.
My peeve is that I can't find the right place to put a vivid enough description of my character (facial features, hair colour, strength).I like the term Dark Queens. I try to sprinkle tiny descriptions in around the first third of the story. So-and-so brushed her long, dark hair back as she got ready for whatever. Whats-his-bucket kept rubbing his jaw and then yanking his hand away because he forgot to shave that morning.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 28, 2011 20:42:39 GMT -8
-I'm apparently not that original (my current piece Our Normal sounds a little like a book I have on my shelf called Crank...and that's on accident) -I can't describe people worth shit. -All my characters sound the same. -50,000 words? Forget it.
Sometimes I wonder if my creative mind hates me...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2011 13:31:44 GMT -8
I seriously have trouble making beginnings and sometimes the middle and end. I always get random scenes of the story and it's usually at the end or somewhere in the middle. It's so annnoying how my beginnings sound! Also I always write short chapters and I hate that. I feel that I always get to the point too fast and give away surprises to quickly. I really really hate that. Does anyone have any tips to help me right some longer chapters? I'm also bad at describing things. Especially characters. The best I got is describing their hair color, eye color, and face shape. That's real desciptive isn't it?[/glow]
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Story Keeper
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There's a wild wind blowin', down the corner of my street[Mo0:1]
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Post by Story Keeper on Apr 3, 2011 14:05:52 GMT -8
^ You could try describing characters a little when they're arguing.
Me, my title's bugging me. I had the idea of "Terra Mira" which is Latin for "wondrous land", which is what James called the place at the end of the story. Then I realised "Terra Mira" had an incredibly annoying sort of ring to it after a while, so now I'm thinking of "Terra Sapiens" meaning "wise land". The problem is that "The Land of Wisdom" sounds ridiculous, but I'm worried that a title in Latin sounds pretentious. Help me if you can!
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Post by candypants on Apr 9, 2011 20:22:20 GMT -8
I have trouble starting and then finishing anything. I always doubt myself and end up erasing everything. - Even though I try to create a deep characters to me they seem hollow and sue-ish.
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Post by Lil' Raskol LobLaw on Apr 10, 2011 12:22:09 GMT -8
-My stories are really short. I'm kind of worried that I'm rushing my work if I do so, so yeah. Also my first novel is only 20,000 words, not counting the short story I'm adding as a bonus.
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shiko
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Turn me to ash and give me back to nature. After all, to the universe we are specks of dust.
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Post by shiko on Apr 10, 2011 13:03:05 GMT -8
I have trouble starting and then finishing anything. I always doubt myself and end up erasing everything. hollow and sue-ish. -sigh- same way...
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Post by Lord Lovrina on Apr 10, 2011 23:03:19 GMT -8
For some odd reason I can't write demond lords, vampire lords and fairy lords without making them sound like Mary Sueish even though they are SUPPOSED to be all powerful. I also accidentally make them sound like cheep villians on occasion.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2011 18:26:03 GMT -8
I worry that my villains are sissies and try to make them more evil and powerful, but they end up Gary Stu-ish. D: Their motivations are probably crap, too.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2011 18:56:54 GMT -8
#1 - I have a really hard time starting the stories. I know how I want them to start, I know what is going to happen at the beginning, but I just can't start the darn things. I can't find the right words to hook someone.
#2 - I can't make bad guys. I've got the whole man vs. nature and man vs. himself thing down, but when I try to make an actual Big Bad, I can't do it. I have a hard time seeing things from an evil person's perspective. Is that odd?
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WolfGod
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[Mo0:0]
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Post by WolfGod on Jun 11, 2011 16:02:31 GMT -8
I have the JJ Abrams problem. I have really good setups, but I fumble in the execution. I only have a few works that turn out exactly as I want them and most stay in rewrite limbo until I just forget all about them.
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