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I opened presents around midnight with the family. I'm going to open presents with the friends later. (I'm a bit sugar-high at the moment...) Merry Christmas, everyone!

I dare everyone in the PPC to start singing one of the songs from the PPC handbook randomly in front of everyone.

I hope you have all enjoyed your christmas, and received good gifts, with little familial stress nor anyone repeatedly asking when one is going to get married or when they will finally get grandkids, or if one is not getting married when one is going to settle down and find a nice fella... but I digress

I seem to be the opposite of Neshomeh. If I'm introducing a new character, I'll mention one or two major features just to give everyone (including myself) a visual grounding - usually hair colour, but sometimes clothing or height if it can help build the character's personality. For instance, if I want to introduce a stuffy, arrogant aristocrat, I may write something like:

Walking down the hall was a man in a heavily-embroidered and obviously very expensive waistcoat,

- and then continue with the dialogue or narration that tells the events of the story. If it's not so important to set the character's look from the start, or if it's a character we already know and I want to casually mention what they're wearing, then I'll find a way to slip it in later in the scene, like I did here in a chapter from my Wicked fanfic:

“Oh… fine,” said Glinda, a little startled as she took off her cherry-red overcoat. “It all went fine, really; just took forever.

Of course, it depends on how you write in the first place. I try to weave my narrative and dialogue together with a rather steady pace and flow, so I'll insert dialogue tags in the place of commas, and if the speaker is making a rather extended pause, make that tag longer in order to convey the time in the reader's head - like the above example. If you write very little description otherwise, that method probably won't work.

Of course, that's only if you want to be unobtrusive. If you want to make a point out of it, you can have a sentence or two about their appearance, but never go beyond that - actually, keep it to one sentence, if you can. You can be a very visual writer without drowning us in details.

I suppose it also depends on what character's point of view the story is being written from. I usually write in a fairly distant style, but if your story is told through the eyes of, say, an artist, they'll notice much more detail than a lawyer, and you'll have more leeway to describe it without making your readers feel bored.

So... all you can do is try, I guess. Was that any help?

It took me over a day to re-read it myself! And the chapters get progressively longer. That said, I hope you enjoy it, even if you do have to leave your chair at some point ;)

Thanks for reading! :D

But that's what fanfic is for, I suppose - a chance for us to have it both ways ;) Thank you for reading!

Aww. You were always one of my favorite writers for the PPC. Why'd you decide to leave, if it's not rude of me? I hope you'll do well in wherever life takes you. Additional generic goodbye.

We'll all miss you.

Here.

I just found out about this fic today.

Now I'm more than halfway through it, and don't intend on leaving my chair 'till I'm all done.

Such a good holiday present for all of us Wicked fans. ^^

Excellent work. As much as I love Wicked, it's nice to see a happy ending for everyone, more or less. I almost wish this was how the story really went, but then, we wouldn't have a good muscial, would we?

What I do is focus on a few important details and leave the rest up to the reader's imagination. I almost always give basic eye and hair color with perhaps one adjective each, no more, but a lot of times you can just give the basic complexion, like swarthy or fair, and it's up to the reader to know that swarthy usually means dark eyes and dark hair, and that fair usually means a blue-eyed blond. I may offer the structure of a person's face if it's distinctive--square-jawed, round-faced, etc. I rarely if ever describe clothing unless it's important, as in a situation where the character is dressing for a certain effect or purpose, and then I'll stick to the one or two articles that specifically make the look. (Though if you have a particularly flamboyant character, they tend to break those rules for you.) The trick is to chose your words very carefully, and pick the one that means exactly what you want instead of a whole bunch that dance around the point.

Another thing is that all the details don't have to be given right away if they don't fit in with the moment, for any character. You can string out the description in bits and pieces for as long as it takes to do it gracefully. If you win the readers over with the character's personality, they'll wait for the details.

I hope that helps. I feel like I'm not being very clear, but so much of writing is subjective that it's hard.

~Neshomeh

In a lot of fics I see the appearances and clothing of characters described as detailed, forgettable lists. I know there is a better way to do it but how?

I may try tackling one of the Sues sometime next month if no one claims it first, but don't let that stop anyone from doing it now if possible. Bleh, bleh, bleh.

The third one was discontinued due to circumstances that forced the author to move suddenly and drop the Fic due to lack of time! However the plot that she had planned was terrible. If only all BadFics were dropped like that.

*sigh* These look messy and a real knot to untangle. I think the second one maybe a troll fic, judging by the title and such. Or it's a parody, even without the tag. And the Sue? She must die. Painfully.

I tried to sing it out loud, but I kept cracking up. 'Tis very well done. I especially laughed at the "Will's tears are not crystals! ... Meet our pair of pistols!"

I almost said "sweet," but that wouldn't have been appropriate, given the title. *g*

Yay, another one for the Songbook! (And I'm gonna add those ones from you LJ, too. Don't know how those've slipped for so long.)

~Neshomeh

If I knew this "Blur" character was sonic and shadow's son I would have checked out this fic instead of looking for bad het. Nice find

I'm into Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and occaisionally Labyrinth

Here is some Harry Potter BadFic.

Another chance with a human time turner, By Missuglychick:

What happens if a witch happens to have extra abilities sends Ginny, Hermione and herself back in time. Can they change Voldemort from killing Harry's parents? Only time will tell. GW/SB RL/OC JP/LE HG/SS

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5606343/1/Anotherchancewithahumantimeturner

Comments: the first is a time-travel Fic, which as a science teacher and as a person of general logic I have a deep loathing for. Whether it is the COMPLETE lack of grammar, the idiotic names, Ron bashing, or simply pairing people for the sake of pairing, this is one that must die painfully.

Hairy Snotter and the Voldymort's Bone, By Alicecooperultimaterockpenguin:

J.K Roaring or whatever she is called didnt write the story properly. I am going to tell you the brutal and horrifying true story of what happened to Hairy Snotter.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5606528/1/HairySnotterandtheVoldymortsBone

Comments: The second one is attempted rewrite of the Harry Potter books and in the summary claims J.K. Rowling had it all wrong and THEY (Alicecooperulitmaterockpenguin) (no, really) have the real story. I might have let it pass if it had a parody tag but alas its tags are Tragedy/Horror. Granted it has only one chapter but it's pretty scary and not in a good way.

Harry Potter: Life in America, By GredForgeweasel:

It's Harry's first year at Hogwarts. He not only learns about magic, but he also finds out that he has a sister who is seven years older than him at Salem Academy of Magic and Arts.

<a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5605516/1/HarryPotterLifeinAmerica">http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5605516/1/HarryPotterLifein_America

Comments: Eh where to begin... well disregarding the fact that if Harry DID have a sister that was seven years older then him that Lily would have been pregnant at 13; That there would be not such thing as a wizards internet in 1991 as the Internet was released for muggles commercially in 1991 and that even then it wasn't very popular; That Katy Perry’s song 'Waking up in Vegas' as released in 2009 NOT 1991; That the tri-wizard tournament was in Harry's fourth NOT first year; That there is no Salem Academy of Magic And Arts (mentioned canonically), And that Jailynna Lillian Snape is a blatant Mary-sue, there is absolutely nothing wrong what so ever. No siree bob.

what fandoms do you do?

Fangirls who are sugar high
L33tly ‘Sueing o’er the Pit
To our concrit they reply:
“ If u dont liek, dont reed it!!!!”

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

By Tolkien, we charge thee!

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

Veni, vidi, vici!

Suethors, why debauchery?
Why the canons’ angst prolong?
Ruthless is our mockery
So, get Spock out of that thong!

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

Sue’s a peerless fighter?

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

With our logic smite her!

Come to us, the PPC
If Sparrow has One True Love
Bad slash? –Not in our RC!
Commas, pelt her from above!

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

Will’s tears are not crystals!

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

Meet our pair of pistols!

Sue in Frodo’s bed has laid
Her, canons are forced to praise
O Eru, lend us your aid
While we bows and arrows raise!

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

So, think you’re immortal?

Spo-o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o-orking

Tell that to the Void portal!

Excellent work, you did a great job here. ^^