Writing: Tips and questions

**Mari** · Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 1:31 pm Post subject: Writing: Tips and questions

This sticky exists for helping you with improving your writing skills. The most fun part of this sticky is, you can help making it.

Go happy and add your own suggestions and tips and tricks about writing. Ask questions, and feel free to answer them as well. Just don't take everything we say here as the absolute truth.
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Meta · Net Battler Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Posts: 71

Uhhm, okay, so what did we have listed here back then...? I guess we´ll just have to contribute our bits until.. well, until everybody´s happy :p

So, some general tips (in no particular order):

-always stay with the genre you chose; jumping from horror to humor doesn´t quite work, it would only make your audience shake their heads and give you weird looks.

-you better keep the perspective of narration the same as well. You either have an omniscient narrator (the one who knows everything); the ego-perspective, the narrator-adresses-the-reader constellation; a semi-omniscient narrator (is that the right term? I´m very sorry to have forgotten that little detail..), one who knows some facts but not everything; and probably many more.
While the omniscient narrator may give a character some paragraphs of ego-talk (those people can look into their characters' minds :3), a story completely written in "first-person-narrator"-style can´t have paragraphs resembling the all-knowing storyteller´s views. For example, a scene cannot be described from a neutral point of view, because the one talking/thinking has his/her distinctive views, will automatically add an "ego-layer" to everything happening etc.
To them, the sun doesn´t just shine; it burns, it solaces, it blinds...

->in addition to the differences of narrative elements given by the chosen perspective - the line between the characters opinion and stylistic devices is not clear. An omniscient narrator could also say "the sun was burning with merciless heat" because it creates a certain atmosphere. So, if you want to take the reader into your story, want to make them feel where the action takes place, and how, describe the scene: the atmosphere by using certain tones, colours, light, environment... all these should be used to compose a scene. It´s like decorating a stage through the use of words.
And example - "The sky was blue, the grass was green" is so neutral it´s boring you to death. Additional words could have a great effect; look:
"The sky, with its soft blue colour, stretched above the silky green grass like a flawless, soft blanket..."
...see? It´s a cheesy example, but it works (or so I hope).
Considering how words can have a subtle or bolt effect, it´s up to you to slam the calamity into your audience's face, or calm them with a peaceful scene :3 Use the large variety of vocabulary, and use it wisely.

-know the rules. There is something called grammar, spelling, punctuation... not heeding them causes massive pain in the eye of the reader.

-unless it´s your chosen 'stylistic device' or important to the plot, try to avoid constant repetitions. If one word, one phrase appears in every sentence for two or more paragraphs, you could feel the urge to ram your head into the screen XD It just drives one crazy.

-though there is this format called 'script style' (very much like a screenplay), fiction looks muuuuuch better if put in whole sentences, nice and clean.

-a little hint: In order to increase your amount of vocabulary, read as much as possible, and preferably books of the most different genres. If you, however, decide to stick to, say, SF, read SF and not Fantasy Xp It´ll help you very much.
Reading is just one way to not only get to know various ways to use language, it also may inspire you. Try it out.

-don´t write about things you have absolutely no idea of. And if you still want to, then do research the matter. That´s what an encyclopaedia is for.

...well, it´s not much, but it´s a start. Please add as much as you can think of, everyone!

TheWebbuilder · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2005 3:08 pm Post subject:

-When writing descriptions, I find that its always best to start at the bottom of whatever-it-is and work your way up. That way you create a flow of description and are more accurate in describing it. (Believe it or not, this tip was in a police handbook I saw.)

-Please, if you do a self-insertion, keep it in check. Self-insertions work best in humor fics; in any other genre, they tend to become overbearing if left to themselves. So keep a tight leash on them.

-Use variaty, for instance: Jim slapped at the pest circling his head is much more interesting than Jim swatted the fly.

-Accept constructive criticism, you're going to get it, so learn from it.

-They say hindsight is worthless. It ain't. Hindsight is worth a lot if its someone else's goofs you're learning from. Learn from other's mistakes, it will make your life easier.

Just my random comments and tips.[/list]
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moocowbob44 · Posted: Sun May 29, 2005 8:54 pm Post subject:

-If you are unsure about your spelling type it in word or something or do spellcheck.
-Have a freind proof read you fic.
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CrossFusionStarman · Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 10:43 pm Post subject:

-If you don't want a fanfic to be out of character, you should watch an episode of the anime or play a game or whatever the hell the character is in to get a good grip on how they act(Ex:If you're not sure how Netto acts, ust watch the anime a few times, or play the games.)

-Be sure to format your writing so it can be read easily. I learned this along the way of writing. Example:

(Without formatting)"Nice..." Enzan commented. Netto got up, dusted himself off, and got back in his seat. He strapped the seatbelt on. "Can we try not to almost die next time?" He asked. "Shut up, or I'll make you get out and walk." Fuyuki replied. "But we're at 3000 ft. in the air!" Netto replied. "Exactly." Fuyuki said.

(With formatting)"Nice..." Enzan commented.

Netto got up, dusted himself off, and got back in his seat. He strapped the seatbelt on.

"Can we try not to almost die next time?" He asked.

"Shut up, or I'll make you get out and walk." Fuyuki replied.

"But we're at 3000 ft. in the air!" Netto replied.

"Exactly." Fuyuki said.
(This example was from my fanfic, Lockdown)

-Always put your personal best into your work.

-No run-on sentences. Seriously.
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Quatre Winner · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:05 pm Post subject:

After writing for a while, take a break and do something else. Then come back and reread what you've written. This is a handy way for catching spelling, grammar, and other mistakes you might have missed while writing.

Also, keep your tenses consistant. That was one of my problems. I'd start writing in past tense, switch to present, then back to past. It's very hard to follow ^^;;

Having a beta reader is very helpful, too. Trust me. A good beta can make a fic a whole lot better. Search the web for betas. You're sure to find someone you can work with.

If you start something on whim and discontinue it, keep it. It may become something one day.

Those are my humble offerings to the aspiring writers of this board. I'll see if I can get my beta to give some tips, as well.

I hope this all helps!
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Yoshiman · Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 6:26 pm Post subject:

I put this in the rules sction by mistake, sorry

What what you do if no one has respondedto your topic in long while, would it just be good to scrap the whole thing? Because if I just keep posting more chapters and no one says anything, I just don't want to take up space. Sorry if this is moaning, complaining, whining or advertising, I just wanted to see if I should continue.
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F-Reaver · Joined: 26 Jul 2005 Posts: 12

What would a tips section be without long-winded editorials from the excessively arrogant writer who thinks himself worthy of giving said advice to the masses? As I recall the one I posted on the last version of these forums was on Battle Settings and some people got use from it. This time I'm approaching a subject in much more dire need of help.

Villainy 101

When making a story of epic conflict, inevitably there has to be a villain of some sort that provides for the stumbling blocks in the path of your protagonist(s). Some times the antagonist will be an abstract force, as in The Old Man and the Sea, and there is no real personal opponent. More often than not, however, the antagonist(s) will take form as something that the protagonist(s) can directly confront. It helps to know what type of character you'll be making though, so let's look at the various types of Antagonists we can have.

The Warrior

One of the most abundant villain types is the warrior, a foe well versed in combat who often takes the field to directly fight the protagonist. Usually they start off with an overwhelming advantage in ability and will defeat the protagonist a number of times before eventually they mature into a fighter capable of overcoming the antagonist. In this way, the coming of age of the hero or heroine is represented by physical prowess. Keep in mind that a fighter needn't always be high ranking if they are very skilled, we don't really care about military advancement if the character is just going to smack everyone up by himsef.

The Commander-Champion

Similar to the warrior in that this antagonist's combat skills are generally exceptional, but they are also capable leaders by virtue of qualities other than power and ambition. The problem with this type is that while they start off well executed, it is often assumed that the higher the rank, the better the fighter is a necessary rule, and C-Cs end up becoming more like the 'Tyrant'. Watch out for this.

The Tyrant

The most brutal extension of the Warrior type is the Tyrant. This is an antagonist who presides over a group of lackies with an iron fist, and is generally quick to wrath. Often as displays of power the Tyrant will slaughter a servant who fails in his duty or as a way to quell thoughts of mutiny. Their ambitions are also typically among the more destructive if not sinister, as the Commander-Champion may be entirely benevolent from certain points of view. Make sure when using the Tyrant that you avoid killing servants whenever possible, an even-handed dictator always makes for a more challenging foe because he keeps his supporters alive.

The Scientist

Wholly departing from the previous three types, the scientist is a unique type of antagonist because they rarely ever face down the protagonist directly. Instead, they tend to bring about outcomes they desire through some peculiar genius. In Megaman fiction for instance, this character might be a roboticist who creates reploids to hunt down the story's protagonist. Avoid the trendy but foolish notion that the final villain has to have a big battle no matter what, and don't give your scientist character some way to fight on par with your antagonist. They pursued science rather than the way of the warrior for a reason.

The Machinator- Personal

Machinators are generally the best antagonists to lead any organized group of villains. But there are two distinctive types of machinators with distinct characteristics. The 'Personal' machinator is one whose manipulative actions and plans are generally aimed towards bringing down the protagonist in some way. Their motives are usually distressing events or feelings deeply ingrained in their psyches, and what makes them truly dangerous is how capable they are of exacting their desires without lifting a finger against the protagonist in person. They are the shadowy figures ever knowing of our hero or heroine's actions, always sending minions scurrying to and fro. A good point is to avoid making a machinator an idiot. Their best weapon is anonymity, so they do NOT want their servants going around blathering about their presence.

The Machinator- Social

If not quite as individually sinister as the Personal machinator, Social machinators are possibly worse for the scale they operate on. These antagonists will play with the workings of the modern world, economics, politics, social climate, hatreds and alliances of the greater picture. They usually come in groups to keep the massive task of manipulating so many things managable. When dealing with this kind of villain, they generally do it for their own advancement, and the protagonist gets mixed up in the scheme later. There is almost never any direct harm intended to the protagonist personally.

The Mercenary

Ranging anywhere from expendable and not even mentioned by name to an elite master of their trade, the mercenaries are a group disliked all around by most organizations because the very thing that defines a mercenary is a lack of lasting context. They are paid to do their job because their services are valuable, however, and this often leads to the stereotypical hotshot attitude of the typical Gary Lou/Mary Sue merc. For originality's sake, a bumbling mercenary might be a decent idea? Something other than the 'Well-Known Gun' type. Also, quick final note, mercs sometimes do jobs for free if they have a personal stake in it, but payment and vendettas are the only valid reasons to use mercs.

The Rogue Agent

Though the Rogue Agent can be a protagonist type too, when they are antagonist they are very troublesome. That they seem to operate by themselves leaves fewer leads to go on when trying to hunt them down, and the lack of concern for any ambition other than his or her own gives them a dangerous latitude when choosing courses of action. These guys, not the mercenaries, are the ones you play up mystique on. If we know their motives, that's not very rogue now is it?

The Traitor

These guys can often be the nastiest of the lot, former protagonists turned antagonist for any of a number of reasons. They may be disillusioned with their first cause, they may find the actions of a former comrade unforgivable, they may feel pressured into the switch, whatever the reason they have a unique advantage for having some personal knowledge of the protagonists that the average villain does not get often. Traitors also fight with fervor, because whatever made them betray their old cause was obviously very motivating. Play up that the pain of the betrayal is in itself a villainous thing to bring about. Also do not forget that the traitor does not always have to redeem themselves at the end.

The Inexorable Force

One of the most impersonal types of villains in their typical portrayal, the inexorable force covers everything from setting to time to an attacking hive-mind species of aliens hell bent on whatever their queen unit orders. The key thing to remember with this type of antagonist is to use the feeling of hopelessness that sheer power and savagery can bring to your advantage, it makes the heroic comeback that much more heroic.

The Demon Within

Arguably the most personal type of antagonistic force, the demon within may be a literal demon, or simply internalized emotions that the protagonist finds impeding his ability to mature and reach the necessary stage of his life to complete the story's final challenges. Usually this antagonism is evident after some traumatizing event, often the loss of a loved one or a dark revelation, but after it is overcome the hero is generally much stronger for his/her sufferings.

The Egotist

Simply put, the egotist wants perfection and thinks him/herself the best one (or more superlatively, the only one) able to achieve it. To this end the egotist will do anything to satisfy his/her own delusions of grandeur, and the utter disregard for the consequences it may have for themselves and others is what makes the egotist an antagonist. Egotists must be portrayed as the hardest characters to reason with unless an Inexorable Force is involved.

Next time...Villainy 102: Organized Crime!

Hatsuya Kanzaki · Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:53 am Post subject:

Excuse me, I have a villain that seems to be a unclassified one in my fan fic. It goes like this:

He is somewhat physically and mentally marginalized. He began thinking about what happened to him, to his parents and to his siblings...actually, his parents and siblings died in an incident in a foreign city...now, he's all alone in the family and he wanted to join the rest of the kids er...teens rather, but due to his odd appearance, well, it goes like this:

He has white, long hair like Enzan as in pure white, he's a bit like an albino, he had white eyes and he has a hump on his right hand. After his parents died in an incident in [spoil:d3582490fa]Cybertopia (Philippines in my EXE fic)[/spoil:d3582490fa], he began to live alone in his house, acting strange like hammering his hump with his left hand, talking to himself assuming that he's talking to his parents and to his long lost siblings and pals and what's worse, he's a both an Autistic and an alleged Mongoloid.

Back to the description of the guy now...Now, he goes to Electopia to find answers, but first he became a new student in ACDC Jr. High and he was in 7-A with Netto, Meiru and the rest, along with my other fan characters. He somewhat excels well in academics but he was "persecuted" by his classmates especially a fan character who's also somewhat smart as him by making fun of his "hump" in the hand. Each time he's in school, he's always alone, being bullied by anyone especially Dekao and [spoil:d3582490fa]Engelbert (one of the Cybertopians)[/spoil:d3582490fa], often talks to his imaginary entities...

There's an incident where he encountered an "irregular" just like him being bullied by a group of boys, he tried to stop them but he also ended up just like the other "irregular" person...

He seeks belongingness, he has some attitudes of Shun Obihiro but he seems to be different. Each time he's bullied, he's much like a Wesker in Resident Evil where he chokes the one who bullies him hard...

And each time he hurts a bully, he began crying in a corner...questioning why did God gave him such a feat and even worse, he wanted to die but instead, a Navi answered his wish and he became evil...

"I hate my life...why did You gave me this kind of life!"
"I don't wanna live anymore...no one accepts me...not even as a friend..."
"Each time someone greets me...I feel like that they're a bunch of fools concealed..."

These were the ones being babbled by that character...His name's [spoil:d3582490fa]Yuiichi Takano[/spoil:d3582490fa]
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RT-fact · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 2:20 am Post subject:

I have made my tips about regulating the story flow and describing the backgrounds without risks of making unnecessary contents:

For writers: If you're going to make a general description of the background to fill the atmosphere, it's okay as long as you know you have to keep up the fluidity of the story/plot. Read through it and check if the specific details are interesting/entertaining enough. Remember though, prioritize sometimes more on the plot than on the background.
If you're going to make an off-topic description of the background, which means that it doesn't have much significant value to the story, just do it if you plan to release a book of it or stuff like that. People have more patience when reading a book than reading it online.
For readers: If you think that the story you read is lacking fluidity, it might help if you print it and treat it as a book. That way, you'll spare your patience and you can read it anytime, anywhere. But if you are unsure since you want to save papers and ink, check the reader's comments to judge if it's worth it or not.

Thank you and good day!

Guardman.EXE · Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 6:34 pm Post subject:

I'm not exactly Stephen King myself but I have learned some things as I've been writing my Fanfic.
- Always use proper grammar, spelling, etc. It's an eyesore when things aren't written properly. (leetspeak drives me crazy!)
- Never use run-on sentences. Use proper dialogue and remember that everytime the person who's speaking changes, it's the beginning of a new paragraph.
-When using dialogue try to always specify who's speaking, but also I like to add a few sentences of description after someone talks, don't always use generic words like said and replied. (Exclaimed, snickered, muttered, etc.) Don't always use a character's name when referring to them. (Examples)
Bad Version. Sad

"Megaman can't beat Protoman,"Chaud said.
"Yes he can,"Lan replied.
"I doubt it!"Chaud said.
"Well you shouldn't,"Lan replied.
Good Version :]
"Your pathetic navi will never beat Protoman,"the skunk headed teen snickered.
"Says who?!"Lan exclaimed at Chaud.
"Says me,"the jacket wearing teen replied with a grin.
"Well you're wrong!!!"the bandana wearing teen shouted after Chaud.

-Use a wide vocabulary and be descriptive. It makes a writing much better. To widen vocabulary, simply read a lot.
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Sithking Zero · Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:17 pm Post subject:

I have some tips of my own, in case anyone wants to hear them.

-OC's:

Be very, very careful. An OC comes in two qualities:

--Original Character: standard. These are normal guys. Maybe a custom navi whose goals coincide with those of the heroes, maybe it's someone wronged by the villian, maybe even a store owner. If you're a fanfic writer, you're gonna have to deal with these, so learn how to make them. Even these fall into two catagories: Spares and Canons. Spares are characters that you can use once, then throw away later. For example, store owners, soldiers, students, pretty much any profession. Canons are used in the main stories as main characters.
Word to the wise: DO NOT MAKE THE MAIN CHARACTER EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE. This will create a Mary Sue, which I will discuss later. Instead, give your characters deliberate quirks, such as a certain fear, or an old wound, or a disability, or the character is good at some stuff but stinks at others. Whatever you want, just be careful, or you'll create...

--Mary Sues. These are what are called, "God Characters," and "(explicitive deleted.)" They are almost universally despised. They are the stereotypical "Perfect character." they defy logic and power levels, plus can do everything the main characters can and more. For example, in a roleplay my sister, Blitz Chick, is part of, someone wanted to play a metroid character who was a brother of Samus. This is bad, and leaves too many questions, such as where was he before now, how'd he survive the space pirate attack, and others. Others might include an OC who steals Chaud's heart in the first chapter she's in, or someone able to defeat Bass in one move. NOBODY LIKES TO READ THESE.

Now, it is possible to have powerful characters without them being "Mary Sues." For example, a netnavi designed specifically to fight Darkloids would obviously have a huge advantage over them. But would that character perform well against standard, non-dark characters?

A better example would be Gutsman. In the games, he's what one would consider to be moderately powerful. If he was remade into a Mary Sue, he would steal away Roll's heart, invincible to attacks by small, blue net navis (LOL), and single-handedly defeats Alpha, Wily, and is secretly related to Bass.

You see what I'm trying to drive at? Original Characters are all fine and dandy, but be careful the character doesn't turn into a sue. A lot of authors in their early stages can fall into that trap, so be careful.

:grr: <because Bass is awesome.

QuickmanEXE · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 2:37 am Post subject:

Curious... Would any sorta Interactive Fanfiction be allowed? Here's an example of one if you need it as right now I'm too gosh-darn lazy to explain why it differs from the oh-so-annoying "continue the story" games.

Anywho, would these be allowed? They were a huge hit on the MMN years ago and I've been trying to bring 'em back as I miss being able to participate in 'em.
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**Sol** · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 3:28 am Post subject:

As far as I understand it, no, they aren't really allowed in this section. If it was a 'continue the story' kind of thing, then it would probably (note: probably) go into the Arcade section, but I am unsure of that. However, if it's one of those 'choose your own adventure' type of stories, then I know it's not allowed in here, and I'm unsure of The Arcade section.

May I ask you to explain what you meant so I could tell where it might go? =o
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QuickmanEXE · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:20 am Post subject:

Just essentially a more in-depth "continue the story" as like the one I linked to. An "interactive fanfic" is basically a fanfic that's co-authored by several people, adheres to specific rules, and requires more creativity and thought than the usual "continue the story" topic.

This actually came about from a "continue the story" topic years ago on the old MMN shortly after their merger. I had started writing these HUGE in-depth entries with specific plot details and others began to follow suit. Right afterwards, rules were established along with the specific style that I had started. The topic went from nonsense to an actual coherent story. One of 'em actually ended, so they won't go on forever.

After that first IMMFF, it became a mainstay on the MMN through all it's incarnations til recently whenever it kinda dwindled off into nothing. Again, as an example, here's a recent one I started elsewhere. That may explain it better than my attempt at an explaination.

...Was that ever repetitive.

Anywho, if it fits better in the Arcade, then I'll toss it in there, no prob. These were pretty fun when in full swing and they were alot more interesting than the "continue the story" games. I just miss participating 'em.
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**Sol** · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:49 am Post subject:

Yeah, that would probably be more of a thing for the Arcade instead of here in my opinion. If you're going to make a topic there, please try to make the rules clear and concise so everyone could have fun doing it.
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QuickmanEXE · Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 10:53 am Post subject:

Sounds good. I'll prolly still stick it into the Arcade forum either way so it can get more attention. Now to think of a more EXE-centric story starter, as for the one I linked to, I just grabbed an unfinished story of mine. Seeing as how I'm a Classic-series nerd, then the unfinished stories I could start with prolly won't fly unless I tweak 'em a bit.

Now, to make this not totally pointless and copy/paste some writing tips that I have posted somewhere else. Giant multi-topic post FTW!

Anywho...

Okay, this is all just copy/pasted from the same thing I wrote on AF, which was copy/pasted from the same thing I wrote on the now-dead MMC. It's pretty valid advice though and I didn't feel like retyping it all.

Tips on Writing Dialogue:

This seems to be the part where alotta us have some trouble in. Writing dialogue can be tricky, it takes quite a bit of practice to keep it from sounding choppy. Even then, choppy dialogue can be hard to avoid, 'specially whenever you're writing while going on lack of sleep.

But one of the biggest things I've been seeing lately is lack of seperation between speakers and their dialogue. Basically, whenever someone speaks, it's a new paragraph. If two or more people are speaking, it's a new paragraph for each speaker. For example:

Midnight · Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 7:17 pm Post subject:

If I may make a suggestion on a book to read--

I recommend that any person who wants to write, even semi-seriously, should at least thumb through the book On Writing Well, by William Zinsser. In my humble opinion, that is one of the best books that I have read about writing--how an essay works and how the different tools available to a writer contribute to the quality of a fic as a whole. I believe reading it will certainly change how you look upon a piece of writing again--I know it has changed mine quite a bit.
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RT-fact · Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:59 am Post subject:

I've noted down some advices from a Swedish book called "The writers school" (I translated that title).

A story with all peace, flowers and butterflies is a positive thing, but it will get boring if there aren't any contrasts (negative over positive things) that would interfere. For example: Rockman.EXE and Roll.EXE is on a picnic by the park at the Internet City, where no trouble will disturb them from their plans. It is nice, but how long will my attention survive on this kind of plot? Suddenly, a Metool virus appeared in front of the couple and charged at them with it's pick-axe. Rockman folded up his Rockbuster and aimed at that tiny virus, until that virus suddenly stopped and hid away from his sight. Rockman and Roll didn't notice something big was coming at them until they saw a large shadow cover them in place that startled them: Gutsman has found them! This example shows a humorous example of the coming threat that would climax the peaceful story and turn it upside down. That way, the people will consider about keep reading it.
To make it short: No threats and negative things means the story might lose it's touch.
Don't try making the story too unpredictable for the readers. There might have been one or two stories where a character has died while the protagonists are searching for clues to solve the mystery. But in the end, the victim is back to life, saying: Ha! You've been tricked! That would leave the readers astonished and realize that they were decieved, whether you think it's funny or not.
To prevent such things, you, as a writer, should put up things in the story that the readers would expect to happen. That way, expectations will make the story more interesting and exciting to read. Be careful to not make it too predictable, though.
Speaking of expectations, the story would help better if the hope fades away when the world reaches it's end. And when the hope finally is realised, due to that the world is finally saved, it would be reasonable enough to call it a happy ending. (Have you watched the saga of Gospel in Rockman.EXE?)
You all probably know since the beginning of every season, game or manga that Rockman, Blues or Forte will save the world when story ends. Then how does it come that we just read, watch or play in this story with a predictable outcome? You probably know why, because most plots are not about when the protagonists will save the world or some important characters, but it's about how they will do it. Most of the stories have characters that are loyal to help justify the crimes and opposition or they do so for the sake of their beliefs or their own goals. Just like James Bond who always solves the case on his own hand for the western lands. But if he and his colleagues knew that they could pass the troubles that waited ahead of them, it wouldn't be fun to read at all.
But what would be a shocking surprise is when the chosen one, the hero character, would turn to the dark side and instead aim for chaos. Wouldn't you be shocked if James Bond suddenly defected in Moscow? Think about Anakin Skywalker's way, that would be a surprise too. I'm not deterring you from bringing up that surprise, but I am encouraging you to do that if you wish to bring the story full of it. The story would have a golden edge with it.
One simple thing to make the fantasy plot reasonable or something like it, is that you have to remember one thing when your story has to contain supernatural happenings or wonders: These things must have severe logics and predictability in it. It leaves us confused without them, if you remember the end of the Gospel saga (when Netto makes physical contact with Rockman by an unknown reason).
Remember, the main character should not be smarter than the readers if this story is going to be captivating for them. As a reader, you would feel disappointed if this character was one step before you, because he walks to a destination which you in no way would figure out, in example. That would be relevant to the Mary Sue-problem.
But there is a simple way to keep it while keeping the story interesting to read, of course. As long as there is another main character that is dumber than the other main character, he can help you keep track on where they are going. It's just like the story about Sherlock Holmes, when he solves the problems in the forehand and has his assistant doctor Watson making our confused eyes manage to see the whole thing more sensibly. Ideally, we readers can manage to take one step further and understand better than Watson about which way is Holmes going. Keep your readers well informed!
Another way to avoid the Mary Sue problem is to make the characters funny and humorizing. By that, I mean that you should ridicule one or several characters to make them funny (even a main character, if you're mean enough ). Who doesn't love comedies anyway? Maybe you have watched one of the original classic tv shows about a butler who stumbles upon an ice bear in the dining room on the floor while he was reaching for the wine. We laugh at that the first time, maybe second time too. But the time when the butler managed to safely pass that ice bear without stumbling over it, but still does it on the way back, that's qualified for a laugh too.
Be nice to your readers, while being mean to your characters.

Sithking Zero · Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 4:47 pm Post subject:

A fanfiction technique that some people, such as myself, use are quotes at the begining of the chapter.

Now, this should be obvious, but make sure that the quote ABSOLUTELY FITS THE STORY.

For example, if you're doing a romance story, where there's no angst, and everything is happy and rainbows, putting "Lips of an angel," by Tim McGraw which is about a man recieving a call from his ex after being woken up from sleeping with his new girlfriend/wife, would be a bad idea.

Similarly, putting in notes of optimisim without need would also be equally bad. IF the characters are getting their tails kicked by Bass, don't put "When darkness turns to light, it ends tonight" as a quote, because that is saying that good will win in the end, when currently, it can't get any bleaker.

The point of a good quote is to emphasize the mood and effect of the chapter and/or scene in question. If you can't get that across, then you shouldn't use the quote or should think about getting a Beta or someone else to bounce ideas off of.
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