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The Fan Fiction Mafia

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diamondpearl876

Well-Known Member
Are there any genres you like to read/watch/play and/or write in outside of Pokemon? If so, do they ever leak into your Pokemon stories?

I... might be the only one who -doesn't- read fantasy here (though I did read a few for the multiple first person POV technique once upon a time). I much prefer memoirs, experimental fiction, poetry, contemporary fiction and so on. Also, for video games I prefer story-based gameplay. I've played every visual novel I know about by this point.

I used to be told that my writing style was too "poetic" for fiction. It wasn't quite what I was going for, so I toned that down and managed to find my fiction voice, so to speak. Since then it's only really appeared when I tried writing LaON in third person, which made me promptly switch to first person. I also find that memoirs give me a lot of ideas, since the memoirs I read offer first hand accounts of psychology topics I'm interested in.

Have you ever tried/want to write some other fandom besides Pokémon?


Er, yes. I've written for LOST, Ace Attorney, One Piece, Tsubasa and a ton more. There was a 1-2 year time period during which all I did was write short drabbles for varying fandoms. Good practice, poor execution and I'm quite ashamed. :p
 

TheCharredDragon

Tis the Hour to Reload
Are there any genres you like to read/watch/play and/or write in outside of Pokemon? If so, do they ever leak into your Pokemon stories?

I... might be the only one who -doesn't- read fantasy here (though I did read a few for the multiple first person POV technique once upon a time). I much prefer memoirs, experimental fiction, poetry, contemporary fiction and so on. Also, for video games I prefer story-based gameplay. I've played every visual novel I know about by this point.

I used to be told that my writing style was too "poetic" for fiction. It wasn't quite what I was going for, so I toned that down and managed to find my fiction voice, so to speak. Since then it's only really appeared when I tried writing LaON in third person, which made me promptly switch to first person. I also find that memoirs give me a lot of ideas, since the memoirs I read offer first hand accounts of psychology topics I'm interested in.

Heh. To be honest, I don't read too many actual books. I mostly read fics. Story based gameplay? Heh. I'm probably somewhere inbetween on that. I love a good story in a game but if it's fun while going through the story, it's that nuch more awesome (hence my love for Megaman Zero and PMD).

Memoirs? I haven't read much of those. The only one I read was a memoir by Alan Alda. So I can't say much on that except I agree on the interesting topics they give.
 

diamondpearl876

Well-Known Member
Heh. To be honest, I don't read too many actual books. I mostly read fics. Story based gameplay? Heh. I'm probably somewhere inbetween on that. I love a good story in a game but if it's fun while going through the story, it's that nuch more awesome (hence my love for Megaman Zero and PMD).

Memoirs? I haven't read much of those. The only one I read was a memoir by Alan Alda. So I can't say much on that except I agree on the interesting topics they give.

The story IS all the fun for me. ;) Everything else is a distraction. But I do like PMD, so there's that.

Here's a topic I've been wondering about because I've been trying to think of titles for Survival Project's sequel and have been failing:

How do you come up with chapter/story titles?

Usually my chapter titles are one-word adjectives that summarize the chapter as a whole, or a line of narration/dialogue from the chapter itself. As for stories... I try to pack all the story themes into a title that has a mysterious, not-so-obvious meaning, so as to catch the reader's attention and always have them wondering what comes next.
 

Bay

YEAHHHHHHH
What kind of antagonist, if any, do you tend towards creating? Is there a pattern to their characters and behaviour?
I haven't really created a lot of typical antagonists, but I just realized both Jacob from Nothing, Everything and another antagonist from a chaptered FMA fic want an important treasure/artifact of sorts.

Which of all your fanfics do you consider to be your best (or worst) work?
Nothing, Everything as that was my most ambitious work yet. There are a lot of stuff that could be reworked, but there are also several scenes and such I'm pretty proud of.

Are there any genres you like to read/watch/play and/or write in outside of Pokemon? If so, do they ever leak into your Pokemon stories?
Fantasy and mystery are my main genres I often check out. Some mystery had been put back when I wrote Nothing, Everything and for some time I thought a few fantasy elements for another Pokemon idea.

Have you ever tried/want to write some other fandom besides Pokémon?
I wrote several FMA and Homestuck fics when I took a long hiatus from Pokemon fanfic writing. I also did a short fic or two for various other fandoms also. The last non-Pokemon fic I wrote was for Gravity Falls for AO3's Yuletide Exchange.

How do you come up with chapter/story titles?
For story titles they're usually more or less what theme the story will be. Sometimes titles comes right away, sometimes a little after. Same deal with chapter titles, though the last few chaptered fics I did I didn't do chapter titles.
 

TheCharredDragon

Tis the Hour to Reload
The story IS all the fun for me. ;) Everything else is a distraction. But I do like PMD, so there's that.

Yeah, I can get that. But Iguess I like the combination of story and gameplay since gameplay in a video game can (but it's not done always) relate to the story. But never mind that.

How do you come up with chapter/story titles?

Well... It tends to vary as I might have an idea of what's to happen in the chapter as a whole, or not. I make them hint to something about the chapter. Same with stories titles as of late. But before, it was mostly because it's a gut thought.

As for stories... I try to pack all the story themes into a title that has a mysterious, not-so-obvious meaning, so as to catch the reader's attention and always have them wondering what comes next.

Hmm... I think I'm gonna try that next time.
 

diamondpearl876

Well-Known Member
Heh, I'm glad my story title choosing ways have helped someone.

That said, I have a list of potential titles for Survival Project's sequel. Which, if any, would catch your eye the most (without having read the synopsis)?

Where Nothing Gathers
The Third Gift
Shoot the Moon
Ghost Project
Forgotten Beginnings
Breaking Tradition
Blue World Burden

Thanks, guys! Any input helps >_>
 

Umbramatic

The Ghost Lord
How do you come up with chapter/story titles?

For me with story titles it's usually 1-4 words that have some significant tie to the story or its characters, and as of recently title drops or something close are common. Sometimes it comes easy (Truth), and sometimes I struggle until I hit a eureka moment (Heroes After All). I haven't done a chaptered story in four years (though I plan on changing that this year with HAA) but chapter titles are about the same.

Heh, I'm glad my story title choosing ways have helped someone.

That said, I have a list of potential titles for Survival Project's sequel. Which, if any, would catch your eye the most (without having read the synopsis)?

Where Nothing Gathers
The Third Gift
Shoot the Moon
Ghost Project
Forgotten Beginnings
Breaking Tradition
Blue World Burden

Thanks, guys! Any input helps >_>

For me? Shoot The Moon, with Blue World Burden and The Third Gift being a close second and (*snerk*) third.
 
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Spiteful Murkrow

Early Game Encounter
Eh, seeing as I have a friend or two in here already, I'll bite:

Why you like fanfic/writing:

Being able to get out ideas that you've thought of and to share them with others. To be able to see something that you feel is missing out there, whether in a franchise you like, or just in the world in general, and be able to say afterwards that you at least made an attempt instead of just sitting there.

What kind of antagonist, if any, do you tend towards creating? Is there a pattern to their characters and behaviour?

I can't give a proper answer to this based off of the fics that I've written, or at least not yet. But in general, I strongly prefer antagonists that are one or two crippling character flaws away from otherwise being a "normal" person that have made some pretty terrible choices thanks to said character flaws.

Are there any genres you like to read/watch/play and/or write in outside of Pokemon? If so, do they ever leak into your Pokemon stories?

I'm a gigantic sucker for JRPGs, even if my gaming habits have hit a couple snags as of late. As for them leaking into my Pokemon stories, they, and other things outside of Pokemon that I've enjoyed before leak in to whatever extent I feel confident I can slip elements in quietly without corroding what I'm aiming for in terms of themes and a narrative.

How do you come up with chapter/story titles?

It honestly depends, but in general I try to pick something that's at least somewhat related or alludes to what happens in said chapter/story. Also, having friends to bounce ideas around with is significantly helpful since I find it incredibly easy to get stuck with titles at times.


Heh, I'm glad my story title choosing ways have helped someone.

That said, I have a list of potential titles for Survival Project's sequel. Which, if any, would catch your eye the most (without having read the synopsis)?

Where Nothing Gathers
The Third Gift
Shoot the Moon
Ghost Project
Forgotten Beginnings
Breaking Tradition
Blue World Burden

Thanks, guys! Any input helps >_>

I honestly couldn't give an opinion regarding that without reading the synopsis, since in my opinion, the title of a work is an intimate part of its identity. It can refer to something important in the plot, to a character, to a theme, but it's ultimately really hard to come up with a title for the story with a complete vacuum of knowledge about it. Given that I do know that Survival Project is a darker journey fic, I would probably opt for Shoot the Moon of your choices, since it's a reference to taking on near-impossible odds and more likely to come into play with your story.

And now I shall make an attempt at a question:

Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?
 
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Umbramatic

The Ghost Lord
Spiteful Murkrow! You finally joined! :D

*hugs*

Anyway, as for your question...

Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?

Mine... Are kind of a "whenever I can" kind of thing. What with my schedule and frequent writer's block and all.
 

Sike Saner

Peace to the Mountain
Heh, I'm glad my story title choosing ways have helped someone.

That said, I have a list of potential titles for Survival Project's sequel. Which, if any, would catch your eye the most (without having read the synopsis)?

Where Nothing Gathers
The Third Gift
Shoot the Moon
Ghost Project
Forgotten Beginnings
Breaking Tradition
Blue World Burden

Thanks, guys! Any input helps >_>

The part of me that likes parallels says go with Ghost Project, but take that with a grain of salt as I still need to read its predecessor.


How do you come up with chapter/story titles?

They'll nearly always have something to do with the content of the chapter/story (consequently they're usually only titled after a good amount of it's written). They'll also often be derived either from song lyrics (e.g. "Deceiving Yesterday", paraphrased from a Thornley song) or from a direct quote from the chapter (e.g. "The Fire and the Air").

[spoil]There's a Communication chapter way down the line which is basically just the business end of The Origin of Storms from Solonn's perspective; it's titled "The Nexus of the Crisis" for little reason beyond that.)[/spoil]

Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?

Only for finished works--which everything I'll be posting from here on out will be. I try to update biweekly: Thursdays for TOoS, Fridays for Communication. I don't know why I went with those days either. The next fic will probably get a similar update schedule since I don't imagine the chapters will be any longer than those of its predecessors.
 
Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?

You know, I tried that. But then second semester of freshman year of college happened. And then my band went crazy during that summer. And then my life got so friggin' busy that I could barely spend any time doing stuff I wanted to do. Like write. Or play video games. Or have any semblance of a social life.

In other words, no, I don't keep a schedule anymore. Really, it's all a matter of when I have any time to work on the story. It's why my posts have become very sporadic lately. I try, but life is really stupid sometimes.
 

DarkerShining

Well-Known Member
How do you come up with chapter/story titles?

I go with the naming pattern of naming each chapter after a line of dialogue from said chapter, which can lead to some rather odd chapter titles if I feel like it.

Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?

If I have a new chapter ready, I usually post them on Saturdays.
 

diamondpearl876

Well-Known Member

Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?


Usually I have 2-4 chapters written ahead of schedule, but I only update once I know my reviewers are caught up. (Most of my reviewers are personal friends, so I can keep from overwhelming them and others this way.) Otherwise I'll try to update every 2-3 weeks. Occasionally I take month-long breaks, but I try to avoid that at all costs, since things that happen at the beginning of the story are important to what happens later on, and I don't want readers to forget.
 

TheCharredDragon

Tis the Hour to Reload
Heh, I'm glad my story title choosing ways have helped someone.

That said, I have a list of potential titles for Survival Project's sequel. Which, if any, would catch your eye the most (without having read the synopsis)?

Where Nothing Gathers
The Third Gift
Shoot the Moon
Ghost Project
Forgotten Beginnings
Breaking Tradition
Blue World Burden

Thanks, guys! Any input helps >_>

I agree with Spiteful Murkrow on titles and how important they are and agree with Shoot the Moon. As for mine, well Where Nothing Gathers got my attention so much I immediately dismissed the other titles. But I've yet to read Survival Project, and I'm not sure if I'll read it at all.

Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?

Umbramatic said:
Mine... Are kind of a "whenever I can" kind of thing. What with my schedule and frequent writer's block and all.

Basically the above, minus the reasons. My situation is a bit long to explain, but in short, I can only do it at certain times, and even if I have the oppurtunity, I probably don't have any chapters worth posting anyway (as in, beta-read and edited). Plus lack of motivation adds in equalling into a schedule where months might go by without a single chapter.

Hmm...I was looking at the Strengths and Weakeesses thread and it made me wonder this:

What words, or phrases, do you use too much?

I thought it was a funny thought from remembering ScytheRider's list of it. As for me, well... I can't remember anything right now but I will definitely expand on it later.
 
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Dragonfree

Just me
Do you maintain a publishing schedule for your fic(s)? If so, how does yours work?

Nope. I'm too inconsistent to finish chapters with any kind of regularity and too impatient to withhold chapters before posting them.

What words, or phrases, do you use too much?

"Blurted out" is one I've noticed. There are currently forty instances of that speech tag in the QftL Word document. "There was silence" also pops up an awful lot for a full sentence. My characters do an awful lot of things "with a sigh". Also a lot of "eyes wide" and "without/not looking at". Then "[verb]ed in pain" is a big favorite; there's over a hundred of those (and over 160 instances of just "in pain", and several more if you add "in agony"). (Oh my God, that may be the most me thing I have ever witnessed.)

Also a bunch of random adverbs I took a liking to for some reason.

I've been vaguely wanting to program something that analyzes text to find words and phrases that are abnormally common in it, using some database of written works and calculating an average and standard deviation of the number of times each word/phrase appears in text of a given length. Then it could figure out when something is more than X standard deviations above the average in the given text. I'm not sure how feasible it is, but it'd be really fun.
 
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Brutaka

Ignition
What words, or phrases, do you use too much?

"sigh/sighed" shows up 11 times in the 7 collective chapters of TTL & AVT.
"Despite" shows up 7 times. ( thought there'd be more, honestly)
"Oh" shows up 17 times. (not surprised)
"Yeah" shows up 14 times. (surprised it isn't higher)
"Though" is used 19 times. (like, wow)
"frown/frowned" used 9 times.

I try to vary my word choice up, but I know i have tendencies. I just can't think of them.

"said" is used 49 times. (again, not surprised, there's, like, 200 lines of dialogue in those 7 chapters combined)
 

diamondpearl876

Well-Known Member
What words, or phrases, do you use too much?

"all" - I don't know why, but I like this simple word too much
"sigh" - I have trouble thinking of synonyms for this one
"look" - oh, God, this one shows up the most, I think
"said" - I try to use this instead of other speech tags, though
"though" - my stories are all about contemplation and thinking on both sides of the spectrum, so this word shows up a bit much
 
What words, or phrases, do you use too much?

"At that/this [rest of sentence]". I've used it so often in my work that one reviewer (I think it was diamondpearl876) pointed out that I used it 3 times in a row in a single paragraph. Needless to say, I need to work on this.

Also, passive voice. It's a problem for me.
 

Umbramatic

The Ghost Lord
What words, or phrases, do you use too much?

According to Negrek, "suddenly". Unsure what else.

I will note that when my characters get into silly scenarios in my head they say "shut up" a lot, but that doesn't get echoed in my actual writing.
 
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