Subject: I listen to Onibi, that got me ideas that don't work. (nm)
Author:
Posted on: 2015-05-30 00:50:00 UTC
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A confession by
on 2015-05-28 21:07:00 UTC
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So. RC 512 Mission 3. From the feedback I'm getting, I'm guessing that this is my worst mission. The biggest issue people seem to have with it is the Shades of Rose concept.
See, here's my problem.
I feel like my missions are often ignored or forgotten because they're super-formulaic. They're missions; they have to be. The agents walk in, react, and kill the Sue. But with my missions, that's the entirety, because that's all I know how to do.
Writing is fun, getting ideas out is fun, but I want to feel like I'm contributing to the PPC universe. The things I've written don't really add anything to PPC lore.
I wanted to bring in something new, so that I'm not just writing stock missions with flat characters (because yes, someone has accused all of my characters of being flat). Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to have any good original ideas.
I don't want to be generic. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do. -
Here's a question for you: by
on 2015-05-30 02:18:00 UTC
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Of all the hundreds of spin-offs out there—and I'm pretty sure "hundreds" is right—how many can you point to and say "Oh yeah, every single moment of that was so awesome! It all totally stands out in my mind, even now!"
Go on, make a list. I'll wait.
Still waiting.
...
Done?
Okay. I'm betting it's a pretty small number. Less than ten—maybe even less than five.
It's probably not the same list I'd make, or the same one hS would make, or Iximaz, or Skarmory, or anyone. I mean, there's bound to be some overlap, because what's good enough to stand out from such a large crowd for one person is probably that good in general, but still.
Are you going to go on record and say that anything that doesn't make it onto someone's list is less worthy of existing? All those hundreds of contributions to the PPC universe over more than a decade?
If so, fine. That's a pretty insulting attitude to take toward an awful lot of people, but okay, you're allowed to have opinions.
If not, then what exactly makes you think you need to be better than them? What's so wrong with just having a good time with the concept for as long as it amuses you, like all the rest?
Mind you, I'm not expecting a real answer here. You've responded to everyone else in this thread with nothing but negativity—which, by the way, is a real turn-off to reading your writing. Think about that.
~Neshomeh -
An answer by
on 2015-05-30 02:56:00 UTC
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I'll respond to that last thing first: I'm naturally a gloomy person who expects the worst from himself and his actions.
I do enjoy writing... But things stop being fun for me if the people around me don't enjoy it. If my writing, missions or otherwise, isn't interesting (which, for the most part, seems to be the case), then I don't feel like I should continue.
I get that my natural gloom scares people off, but I don't know how else to think of a consistent lack of success. As I've mentioned, Fade to Black is the only thing I've written that I feel like I did a good job with. The rest are boring at best, and at worst... Well, my worst has been wiped from existence. -
*prods* by
on 2015-05-30 14:07:00 UTC
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Would it help if I said that I like the direction Kala and Valon are going to? Because I do. They're interesting characters, and your missions with them are not too shabby (read: enjoyable). As Nesh said, not every mission is OMFGBQQ brilliant. A lot of mission are 'OK, I had a good laugh, I enjoyed the banter, even though it's nothing out of ordinary'. To use a somewhat confusing metaphor, it's a bit like Beethoven and Bach. Beethoven is all about NEW THINGS! AND PASSION! AND MUSICAL LARGE HAM! Bach, on the other hand, is about as musically conservative as you can get, but he took the conservative forms of his time and worked them so well to deserved the title of Master.
I think that you're trying to be Beethoven and getting down because you don't seem to succeed; I'd suggest trying for Bach, instead, and if the fates will smile on you, you'll get to Beethoven anyway.
(Disclosure: I prefer Bach. Beethoven's a bit too messy for me.) -
We can't fix that for you. by
on 2015-05-30 03:59:00 UTC
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I'm tempted to quote Thomas Edison here—I haven't failed, I've just found three hundred things that don't work, or however that goes. I sorta feel like it might be a wasted effort, though, since you seem hell-bent on refusing any of the advice people have been trying to give you here.
Here's another quote: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Instead of immediately shooting everything down, try things. They may not work, in which case you won't be any worse off than you are now, but then again, they might.
The thing you're doing here that really bugs me, though, is that you're basically making us responsible for your happiness, which is not fair. You say you're just naturally gloomy, but you COULD be having fun writing if only people enjoyed your work. To me, that translates to "If you give me positive reviews, I'll have fun and be happy! So why oh why won't anyone say nice things to me?" And the answer is that it's not our responsibility. Absolute power over someone else's happiness is a power too great and terrible for me. I don't want it, and I refuse to accept it. If you want to go on being gloomy and negative forever, that's your decision and yours alone. If, however, you want to knock it off and see where a positive outlook gets you instead... that's still your decision and yours alone. And if it works, it's your success, not ours, which is why taking responsibility for yourself is always the best choice.
~Neshomeh -
Ah. Hm. by
on 2015-05-30 04:24:00 UTC
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I don't think I quite expressed all of my thoughts.
See, it's not that I feel like I've out-and-out failed with most of my writing. My only PPC story that was definitively bad was Sleeping (with) Terror.
My worst fear regarding my writing is that I've done nothing to warrant attention at all. I feel like I need to strike a balance of sorts: I want my writing to be at least somewhat noteworthy, but at the same time I don't want to hog the spotlight.
I apologize for my negativity. Even in my current environment, I should be feeling good: My cousin's graduating high school, and I got to come to the party. I just didn't enjoy myself, social gatherings aren't really my thing... Regardless, I tend to feel better about the world after either a good night's sleep or a healthy dose of comedy. Maybe I'll follow hS's advice and look through some old missions, both to improve my mood and to find something I might be able to use. -
Now, that's the kind of thing I want to hear! by
on 2015-05-30 04:53:00 UTC
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I used to have an attention complex myself, and my very first PPC mission ("Connecting The Dots") pointedly shows how well that went. I write PPC missions because I love to write. I love to write certain characters, I love to write about certain topics, and I love to write stories. It's that kind of mentality that I'd highly recommend, because that'll give you a greater sense of fulfillment than writing just for attention. XD
Congrats to your cousin, by the way! Best of luck wherever he's going :D -
She, actually. My male cousin's older than I am. (nm) by
on 2015-05-30 05:00:00 UTC
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That last bit sounds nice and constructive :) (nm) by
on 2015-05-30 04:36:00 UTC
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What everyone else said. by
on 2015-05-29 13:46:00 UTC
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I believe I e-mailed you a detailed response to your concerns last night, which was in complete agreement with the rest of the Boarders, but I totally forgot to add another thing, so yeah. There IS such a thing as working too quickly, and that goes for PPC writing as well as... well... anything else. Cranking out missions almost nonstop is good and all, because it shows that you're working hard on killing badfics and the like, which is why I do it as well. And I know full well that you're really dedicated to killing badfic! :D
The thing is, though, if you focus more on the QUANTITY than the QUALITY, namely by getting the badfic out of the way rather than making a good story, it will come across as exactly that, getting the badfic out of the way. I try to put at least some effort into my missions even if they end up way too short to avoid this exact problem. And I can attest that quality work takes time, so instead of writing to kill the badfic, I'd suggest focusing on the QUALITY rather than the QUANTITY. In other words, I would wholeheartedly recommend writing to create a story about your agents AROUND killing the badfic the way I do (rather than just sporking the fic by itself), and taking more time with your missions so you can produce a better result. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say. -
Um... by
on 2015-05-29 15:05:00 UTC
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Maybe I'm missing something here, but... as far as I'm aware, the PPC is not about "killing badfics". I mean, that's certainly one interpretation of what we do, but we try to offer concrit and, as was said fairly recently (I think by hS, though I'm not positive), we make something good--missions--out of something... the word used was 'bad', but I'm going to go with 'less good'--badfics.
The whole point is quality. Quantity is great, but what we do here we do for fun and to create *good* writing.
We 'kill' badfics, yes. But that's *not* all there is to it.
~DF -
Also... by
on 2015-05-29 15:30:00 UTC
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The PPC is a community, first and foremost. There are quite a lot of people here that didn't write any missions, or write them very slowly, or whatnot, and they're PPCers exactly as the most prolific members of the community.
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Um... by
on 2015-05-29 14:54:00 UTC
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"I try to put at least some effort into my missions even if they end up way too short to avoid this exact problem."
This worries me just a tad. Why would you put anything less than 100% effort into your missions? -
I should've phrased that better. by
on 2015-05-29 22:02:00 UTC
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Namely, "I put all the effort I can". I'm well aware that people sometimes give me hard criticism when it comes to some of my missions, and the point I was trying to make was that there are often good things to find in my missions even if some other things throw off the readers. Sorry! ^^;
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Listen to lots of really, really weird music. by
on 2015-05-29 05:41:00 UTC
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Weird like, Butthole Surfers or Frank Zappa weird. Or watch weird movies. Go out and do something random, then think about what that action says about you. Indulge in chaos, insanity, and weirdness whenever possible, and you'll get something new that's good. Also, come up with five ideas for the PPC 'verse, then post them and watch the reactions. Even if you have to use the process of elimination, the odds are almost 100% that you'll get a few good ideas out there. And in order to decide your ideas, combine some of them, and for others, roll a d20 or other appropriately sized deciding-mechanism. The weird for inspiration, the Board for assurance, and luck for decisions.
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I listen to Onibi, that got me ideas that don't work. (nm) by
on 2015-05-30 00:50:00 UTC
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Here's an alternative for you. by
on 2015-05-30 14:01:00 UTC
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Instead of weird music, why not listen to solid music and see what you get? Try an Oboe concerto, for example.
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Random Writing Tips by
on 2015-05-29 04:50:00 UTC
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- Focus on your characters. You don't have to write about them as agents, or doing agent-related things. One thing that's helped me is figuring out what kind of music my characters like. (Natasha's favorite band is Van Halen, Aaron's is The Ink Spots.) Heck, I've got a whole file of them just randomly interacting, snippets of which may or may not ever see the light of day. Just imagine them interacting with each other - arguing over music, sharing a favorite movie, complaining about the food in the cafeteria.
2. Pick a less formulaic mission. Almost all of them are super-short missions starring character replacements. I know you said that that's the theme for Valon and Kala, but if you're feeling like it's holding you back, then ditch it. Make them do a Bad Slash mission or go up against a completely original Sue. Or just have them do a longer mission; I think that would be a good way to get a little more character development in, just because they would interact more.I can totally write you Varian/Radovan badfic epic or something.Have them do more co-writes; I should probably do a solo mission first, but I'd totally be up for doing a collab mission with you if there's one you've got in mind.
3. As far as dinner dates go, maybe take a page from Kala's home continuum. Remember, she's not just a girl, she's a liminal. What do scorpions eat? Do they have any weird habits? What about ties to Babylonian mythology? There's your potential story hook.
I want to apologize if I came off, or continue to come off, as overly negative. Unfortunately, I typically find more to say when there's something I want to criticize than if I simply enjoy something.
- Focus on your characters. You don't have to write about them as agents, or doing agent-related things. One thing that's helped me is figuring out what kind of music my characters like. (Natasha's favorite band is Van Halen, Aaron's is The Ink Spots.) Heck, I've got a whole file of them just randomly interacting, snippets of which may or may not ever see the light of day. Just imagine them interacting with each other - arguing over music, sharing a favorite movie, complaining about the food in the cafeteria.
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Honestly? by
on 2015-05-29 00:53:00 UTC
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I'm kinda considering ending Valon and Kala's story with Fade to Black.
My problem with writing for RC 211 isn't the characters, but the mission formula. I honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do with the characters other than "enter badfic, react, kill replacement" and all of my missions except Of Monsters and Machines are pretty much the same thing in different continua.
Fade to Black is the one quality PPC story I've written, and maybe that's where I should stop. -
Well, interludes exist. Those are different from missions. (nm) by
on 2015-05-29 00:59:00 UTC
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Missions are kinda the core of PPC writing, though. by
on 2015-05-29 01:03:00 UTC
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Without missions, Valon and Kala aren't really agents. They're just random characters in a PPC wrapper.
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I disagree. by
on 2015-05-29 21:18:00 UTC
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As DawnFire said, that discounts the entirely of the Infrastructure departments. Some of my favorite PPC stories (like "Ten Years Hence: Henry") involve no badfic whatsoever.
But even beyond that, the PPC is more than just a framework for sporking. There are plenty of MST-focused groups out there if that's all you want to do. The PPC, however, is a world unto itself. These characters are and should be more than just thin pastiches of us sent in to complain about badfic. They have lives, loves, quirks, fears, and all sorts of other good stuff. -
Welllll. by
on 2015-05-29 01:58:00 UTC
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What are all the Infrastructure agents, then? They don't take on missions at all. Are you going to tell me that someone like Nurse Jenni (who's been on maybe one or two Action Department missions as a sort of consultant, if I remember, though she mainly appears as, well, a nurse) is just a random character in a PPC wrapper? Because she has her own story, her own backstory, and her own job--even without usually going on missions.
Also, in response to your subject line: not necessarily! You can even kind of write around the missions--I mean, I can have Edgar and Agen_t walk down a hallway, talking about how Agent has finally been released from Medical after emulating James Bond on a mission we will never see. They're going for a drink at Rudi's, where they will talk about what the minis have been up to lately, notably which of Agen___t's possessions have been eaten by the mini-Luggage. They might meet another few agents, or hide from others, and will eventually go back to their RC.
They're still agents. They might not take on a mission in that story, but they're still agents, it still informs their conversation and the events in their lives.
Just because we don't see them doing their job right now doesn't mean that they no longer have it, or that it in no way affects them.
~DF -
Huh. by
on 2015-05-29 02:35:00 UTC
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I'd actually be kinda interested in writing the aftermath of Fade to Black. Kala and Valon essentially go on a first date to Rudi's.
... I'm just not sure how to write it. The one date I've been on in my life was a movie date, so I have no idea how dinner dates work. -
Well, you could take inspiration from movies' dates. by
on 2015-05-29 02:53:00 UTC
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Those are dumb, cheesy and overly idealistic, but might give you idea of what to write.
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I don't believe in movies. I try not to work from them. (nm) by
on 2015-05-29 02:55:00 UTC
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"Don't say that! Every time you do, a movie dies!" (nm) by
on 2015-05-29 10:34:00 UTC
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Dude, calm down. by
on 2015-05-29 01:16:00 UTC
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Most agents, when taken out of the PPC's context, are 'just random characters', because agents are characters. Valon and Kala are interesting in and of themselves, not because they're agents. It's like how Diziet Sma is an interesting character in and of herself, not because she's a Special Circumstances
agentpawn.
Just... chillax, take a break, write other stuff for a while. If/when I'll cook up an RP, participate in that. There's no rush and no pressure. -
You've got this backwards.* by
on 2015-05-28 22:18:00 UTC
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The solution to not having formulaic missions or just going through the motions isn't to just chuck random ideas around. Take your Shades Of Rose one. It's daft. It doesn't actually contribute anything to PPC lore - hell, I'm pretty sure it actually contradicts bits of it, particularly concerning how Mary-Sue Factories work - and it came across to me like you thought your agents weren't getting enough attention so you'd try and follow in Ix's wake, and then say your agents had taken down Rose Potter. Kind of. A bit. Ish. If you take a sort of Buddhist view of it, anyway. Leastways, that's how it felt to me, but I'm on the record as not liking your agents very much.
The problem with people not being interested in your agents isn't solved by giving them new villains (well, for given values of new) or shiny new toys, for the same reason that we dissuade newbies from just making agents who are J. Random Species-haver. It's solved by making them more fleshed out, by thinking about them in greater detail. See, I think of your agents as just that - agents. An amorphous mass with the occasional interesting idea poking out from the sludge. I've yet to think of any of them as people, even of the cartoonish variety like with... er... well, with all my agents, actually. Comedy Happy!Agent, Comedy Horrible!Agent, and Comedy Forn Parts!Agent all send their regards.
Figure out what your agents are like. What do they do in what little spare time they get? What kind of things do they enjoy getting to see? Stuff like that. What you have to do to get people to like your agents is to figure out who they are. I'm not 100% convinced you've done that yet; mostly, I get the feeling you had a checklist and ticked off characteristics. Don't get me wrong, that's a good place to start. It's just not a good place to finish.
Something that might also serve you well is to leave more of a gap between your missions. You've been cranking these things out at a rate of knots since you got permission, and while it's great that you evidently love writing missions this much, well, it might be part of the problem, at least a little bit. Get some more ideas. Let them percolate in the ol' brain a bit more. Give your agents a bit more room to breathe - because my biggest complaint about 512-3 is that it felt weirdly rushed, like you were struggling to meet a deadline and your boss was breathing down your neck - and give them time. You don't have to charge down badfics like you're the only thing between them and the try line. Give it time. More haste, less speed. =]
Also - missions have to be super-formulaic, do they? News to me. Just for that, I'm gonna do one entirely in haiku. Haikoo? Yeah, that sounds like a good title. =]
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*Film at eleven -
For extra credit: by
on 2015-06-01 10:04:00 UTC
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Do an entire mission in a single haiku. I want to see character development for the agents, a demonstration of why the badfic is bad, and of course a denouement.
Good luck!
hS -
For example: by
on 2015-06-01 13:03:00 UTC
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"You overreact."
Harry Potter yelled: "It's SPRIIIIIIIING!!!"
"... never mind. Charge now."
hS
(Yes, I know 5/7/5 isn't the precise original Japanese structure shaddup) -
Haiku reminds me... by
on 2015-05-31 23:19:00 UTC
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I've had a DAVD mission collecting dust for literal years now, maybe I should brush up that "write a mission as a Shakespearean-style play" idea I had a while ago...
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You don't need to add anything to PPC lore. by
on 2015-05-28 21:20:00 UTC
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That's kind of a problem we've had over the past few years, honestly - people who spend all their time trying to Add New Things and Have Brilliant Ideas. But... does a good PPC mission need them? Did Driftwood suffer from not being packed full of new and exciting ideas every time? I hope not!
So what can you do? Well... why not do the opposite? Read some missions, find new ideas they introduced, and expand on those! There's dozens - hundreds - of ideas which appeared in one mission and have never been used again. Find one! Make it popular! Make it more interesting than just a throwaway scene.
Otherwise, you're just... creating new bleeproducts for the heck of it. Hands up who's ever used bleepesteem in their missions. No-one? No-one.
hS -
I just feel really lackluster. by
on 2015-05-28 21:57:00 UTC
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Especially compared to the other currently active PPC writers.
My stories are boring, plain and simple. There are a few moments of spice here and there (Ancalagon, Fade to Black), but the most part, nothing really separates my work from anyone else's. -
Hey, you know what? by
on 2015-05-29 11:29:00 UTC
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My stories are the same way. Most of the time they follow the pattern of 'go in, snark, charge, kill, leave'. Sure, I have my moments of spice, like Rose Potter
and Little Miss Mary, but for the most part, my guys are just another pair of agents doing their jobsand having weird, traumatic stuff happen to them.
Try looking at those writings of yours and seeing if you can pick out what makes them different, what makes them stand out. See, a lot of what makes good writing is how you string the words together: done well, it can leave your readers laughing, crying, with a sense of wonder. It's an art form like any other, which means you only get better with practice. (Of course, if you practice too much, you can burn yourself out...) -
So... by
on 2015-05-29 07:38:00 UTC
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... are you actually looking for advice, or are you just wanting people to pat you on the head and say 'There, there, you're wonderful actually'?
Because this... isn't a response to what I suggested. In fact, with your 'moments of spice' line, you ignored what I suggested and repeated the idea that I said was wrong. You don't need to add fabulous new things all the time. It would be far better to take something old and do something with it.
The PPC has a Quartermaster. She's a Morning Glory, and for a decade that was literally all we knew about her. Now? She's the one who's turned down countless promotions to other departments because she'll only accept the Head of Operations position. She's the acting Head of Finance, though it's distinctly possible that she doesn't know that. She's a character who was nothing more than a footnote in a very early mission, but has now become a full-fledged (if minor) part of the PPC.
So drop The Message on your agents. Have them read the Multiverse Monitor. Run them through the middle of a Quiddich match. Send the Sunflower's Witness to their door. Even better - read through the early missions of the PPC and find something yourself which you can play with.
hS -
Speaking of acting Heads... by
on 2015-05-31 23:15:00 UTC
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...Why hasn't a proper (non-acting) replacement for the Clover been put in by anybody yet? I know Cassie said she sort of lost interest in the story she was doing for one so I was surprised nobody else has taken up the mantle.
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Because no-one feels like writing Finance? by
on 2015-06-01 10:03:00 UTC
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I think the only time they've even been mentioned in a story since the Clover died was Empire State of Mind.
Besides, the MG is funny as Acting Head. I'm in no rush to replace her.
hS -
Just wondered. by
on 2015-06-01 10:03:00 UTC
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Though I had considered asking Cassie if I could finish what she'd written, or making some allusions to Finance in other things I've written. We'll see, I need to pick up some of my projects first.
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I think dropping the Message is a great idea... by
on 2015-05-29 09:57:00 UTC
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With the proviso that showing their reactions to the Message itself might get a tiny bit philosophical, depending on your leanings.
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Write more. Write everything. by
on 2015-05-28 22:43:00 UTC
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The more you write, the more practice you get, the better you will become. Trying too hard is just hard on you.
I don't know why you write; but I write because it's fun, because it's something I've been doing since I figured out how, because I feel off-kilter if I stop for long enough.
How do characters become beloved? Look. Yes, there will be some--like, say, the Notary, or Zeb, perhaps--who become instant favorites through some quirk of personality or whatever else. But there are also characters who grow on you only after you've read more about them, or who only grow on you once they've gone through some character development. (And no character is universally liked, I don't think.)
Try writing some interludes, character studies, things like that. Develop your characters, work with them, love them. Write things with them, missions or otherwise. Focus on what makes a good story, on what the characters are telling you to do, on what feels right. Practice writing description, dialogue, whatever you think would be good. You want more spice? Well, banter is often in that category: how do your characters talk to each other? How do they talk to themselves, to badfics, to random people making too much noise in the hallways? To their minis? Think about it. Let scenes play out in your head. Spend some time with your characters.
Another thing you can do, is try rping or co-writing. That would give you the opportunity to figure out how your characters would speak to other agents, how they'd respond to different people. I don't know how Kala would react to Dawn; I do know that Dawn might well scream if she saw Kala at a point before she became immune to things like randomly appearing Balrogs (of the non-attacking variety). At this point, she would probably gape for a bit, and then keep a respectful distance.
Why do I know this? Because I've spent rather a lot of time in Dawn's headspace lately. I've written dialogue, I've thought about how she would react to many, many situations, and I've given her the opportunity to play around in some of them, AU or otherwise. But even with that, I'd need to actually plunk her down into a situation where she was speaking with Kala in order to know how they'd get along--and for that, I'd need you. One thing I've found is that characters who are being written by someone who is not you, in the same story as your own characters, can lead to many surprises. They don't always react the way you think they will, for one thing.
For another? Let's say I'm positive that Dawn and Kala will get along, so I convince you to co-write an interlude. But then, we begin writing, and suddenly--they're arguing. It wasn't planned, it just...happened. Something in Dawn's characterization made her react to something Kala said or did, and vice versa, and suddenly--completely unplanned--we have a slice of drama. And that can be pretty fun.
I'm not entirely sure how useful any or all of this is to you, but my advice is--when boiled down--to spend time with you characters, not stress too much about making a mark (focus on what makes a good story for your characters instead), and to try out writing with other people (even if it's just an rp or an interlude!) The last one will expose you to different types of characters, and different writing styles, in a different way than simply reading about them will do. And it's also just plain fun: case in point, Iximaz and I have been co-writing for just about the past week, and have discovered that two of our characters actually have a *lot* in common--and are prone to drama when put together, simply because of certain events in their shared past (which, of course, didn't exist until we started talking)! It's been rather a whirlwind, in the fun sort of way.
One more thing, though, in response to your last line: nothing separates your work from anyone else's? If you say so, but I'd like to disagree. If that were the case, I probably wouldn't remember the names of your characters, or tiny bits of their interactions. I'm not saying there's nothing you can improve, but honestly? Your characters are not boring. Continue developing them, and I think you could end up with some pretty great results. And that's not nothing.
~DF
PS: Lastly, if all that wasn't enough, I'd like to point you to article 28 of the PPC Constitution, which might be a good thing to bear in mind:
28. Remember to have FUN. FUN is good.
And, honestly, that's a main element of the PPC. That's why we write missions and so on, apart from wanting to provide concrit and make a good story out of a badfic and so on.
We write, and we discuss, and we have fun doing it. I understand wanting to make a mark, all of that--but if you focus only on that, your stories suffer, your characters suffer, and it just gets less fun for everyone.
Just write, with an eye towards fun, good stories, and skill development, and you'll be on the right track.
Good luck! -
Re: Write more. Write everything. by
on 2015-05-28 23:48:00 UTC
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I would do more collaborative writing, but usually everyone else is busy. I was super-surprised when Ix decided to jump on board for Midnight Green. Plus I'm terrible at multitasking; I can really only devote myself to one project at a time, and with Midnight Green in progress, I can't really work on anything else.
I'd be willing to join RPs, but I don't know how to start them, and I've kinda proven myself to be a bad roleplayer anyway. -
Well, there's your problem by
on 2015-05-28 22:06:00 UTC
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I know it's hard, but try not to compare your work to other peoples'. Write for yourself.
I'm in "The Arts" in real life, and I can tell you that there is no faster way to burn out than constantly worrying about what other people are doing. Is my King Lear as good as that guy's King Lear? Does my original play feel too much like The Odd Couple? If you worry too much about it, you're not going to have any fun and you're going to burn out.
So go out, write what makes you happy. If other people like it then it is a bonus.
-Phobos -
Lemme tell you something... by
on 2015-05-28 22:00:00 UTC
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It's not necessarily bad. You don't need to be a special snowflake. You wrote something and a bunch of people enjoyed it? Everything else is a bonus.