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How do you get yourself to write again when your motivation is dead?
To be perfectly honest? That's when I usually don't do anything. Sometimes you really do just need a break. It could be as short as a few minutes or as long as... well, as anything, really. YMMV, but I've found that trying to force productivity only drives it further into hiding and breeds serious resentment for the project. When the desire comes back, I act on it. If it ever doesn't, well, then it doesn't.
You can try muscling your way through it. It can get results, even good results, and if it's really what you want to do, then heck yeah, have at it. But if it's not what you really feel like doing, if it comes at the expense of your happiness... What I'm saying is, stories are (generally) awesome. The fact that we have the ability to make up entire worlds and histories and characters is awesome. But your own well-being is more important than any story.
Thanks! I honestly feel like maybe this is just the best route I can take. And you know, I just realized how weird and pointless it was for me to make this topic since now I'm pretty sure I've made a similar/near-identical one to this in the past... Guess this is just another reason why I should wait and not post when I'm tired x_X
Anyway, might as well answer a few topics that have crossed my mind.
How's your writing going lately?
Well, other than the aforementioned rut in my motivation, it's been all right. I'd say I'm halfway through the 11th chapter of my fic, and recently finished a 20-page one-shot in three days. Once I can get myself back on track, hopefully things will be going smoothly
What kind of writing contest would you like to see next?
I don't know why, but I just thought of this recently (even though the last contest really wasn't long ago) and thought that a horror-genre contest would be good. The last one was about ten years ago, and I'm pretty confident that all of the participants and judges would be different, so that seemed kinda cool.
What kinds of ships do you like to write/would you write?
I really don't consider myself a shipper. At all. But if I were, I'd most like do original characters paired together or an original character paired with a canon character. I just don't think I could write two canon characters coming together and making it work out, or have the characters remain true to their canon counterparts.
Have you ever tried writing and posting non-Pokemon Fandom Fics? If yes, how was it received and what do you enjoy from it? If no, why?
Until recently, I hadn't written any non-Pokemon fics simply because I wasn't into any fandom as much as I was into Pokemon. I didn't feel like I knew or had the creative drive for any other fandom, so I didn't bother with them. I do have to say though, it was fun to write something new and I think branching out and going into a different universe was good; it was good to take a break from Pokemon and try my hand at something else.
In fanfic standards, it could be going worse I suppose, but slower than I'd like thanks to this week thanks to job being more exhausting/stressful than normal. It's not so much jamming stuff out that's been the killer so much as getting everything polished enough to be comfortable to throw things out into the wild and to the wolves, which requires a level of patience that weary nights don't lend themselves to at all.
What kind of writing contest would you like to see next?
Something that hasn't been done already. Some offhand topics based off of the contest list in the Authors' Café Rules that come to mind would be a contest for Westerns, Crime-genre fics, or given that we're probably not getting a mainline game this year, PMD fics.
Have you ever tried writing and posting non-Pokemon Fandom Fics? If yes, how was it received and what do you enjoy from it? If no, why?
No, because I simply have not had a coherent enough idea for a non-Pokemon Fandom fic premise or inkling of how to tackle it alongside my current commitments come to mind yet.
How do you get yourself to write faster?
It's something that in the end, you don't have complete control over given life, but in general try to do things that lend themselves to having a good state of mind for writing. Do things to give yourself more energy, try to set a semi-consistent routine for writing, and don't be afraid to talk with others and try and talk through something that you're having trouble with.
Other than that, I suppose you could try trimming down your level of commitments/responsibilities outside of writing to set aside more time per day, but that doesn't exactly seem healthy or recommendable.
How do you get yourself to write again when your motivation is dead?
Honestly, if you're not feeling it, it's usually better to just walk away and do something else most of the time, since you'll just make yourself feel bad for wasting time if you try to write and get nothing out. If you're dead-set on trying anyways, I find that it usually helps to try to lower the bar a little and make "baby steps" back to a prior normal state, or stew on what you've got planned to see if you can think through any hiccups for when your motivation returns.
I'm about 37 chapters into my main fic (and could probably do with uploading the next chapter here as well). Things are coming along nicely but I've deviated onto background stories for the characters as little one shots. Well... I say little... they're actually kind of long... but still fun to write!
What kind of writing contest would you like to see next?
Any contest at all since I didn't know any were ran here! Preferably PMD style however. If I ever write about human trainers, they end up being ridiculous random comedy and parodies... Although a serious story would be a new challenge I guess!
How do you get yourself to write again when your motivation is dead?
It depends how long it's been going on for. This could be a sign for a needed break, or plain old writer's block. If it's the latter, I try something else. Writing comedy, the 100 Theme Challenge, or side-stories which I am currently doing now while I wait for more inspiration to hit me. Sometimes I know where I want to go... but it's the getting there that's really hard. Sometimes you just need to power through, and tweak it afterwards if it really needs it. This is one of the many reasons I don't upload my newest chapters straight away... they might need more work!
Which character in your fic is your favourite to write about?
Enigma. I know more about him than the reader ever will! (Until they read his background one-shot...) I just love him!
Pokemon Speak. It's a point of controversy among the fandom, but how do you handle it in your fics?
If I'm writing a trainer story, then I sometimes handle this in the N fashion. Or I have them translated in italics. These normally end up as comedy fics however, so how I handle them can also be quite random.
Whew, been a while since I popped in here. Good a time as any to catch up on some bold topics I guess.
How do you get yourself to write faster?
By buckling down and doing it. I have a really bad tendency of finding little things to distract myself with when the writing isn't coming easy, so the best way I have to counteract that awful waste of time is to keep myself nailed on my seat with the text in front of me and not letting myself stray from it until I've put some words on the page. If I just keep getting stonewalled I'll switch from writing one thing to another to keep myself engaged in the process of writing (even if it's not writing the one thing I want specifically) until I get enough fresh material going to get me out of my funk. Recently, I've also started doing little disjointed character paragraphs when the funk strikes. Some of them are for characters I'm actually working with in a story, some are for characters long past, some are for characters I made up on the spot. Basically, I just take an image or turn of phrase I like and hammer out a paragraph from it. It's a pretty fun process for getting the pressure off and I'm hoping the scraps will prove helpful for writing solid text later down the line.
In all honesty, though, I'm probably about the last person to ask about getting things written fast.
How do you get yourself to write again when your motivation is dead?
If we're talking dead even after making a conscious attempt to coax more writing out of yourself, I'd echo the advice of taking a break and letting it lie. There's times (many times) when you can push yourself past blocks in your process, but there are also times when enough is simply enough and you need to switch gears for a while. If you have no motivation for writing left beyond wanting to have words on the page, that definitely will show in the writing, which can easily create a vicious cycle where you keep grinding out material you're not happy with and then feel even less motivated to continue because what you're writing doesn't appeal to you. Relax, take some time to do other things that interest you and sooner or later you'll find yourself back in the mood for getting some writing done.
And now, a couple of old ones for good measure:
Have you suffered from writer's block? If so, what is the longest time you've had it for?
If by 'suffered from writer's block' we mean 'suffered from being too easily distracted and giving up writing halfway through' then plenty of times, yeah. I tend to think of writing block as more an issue of lacking discipline, really.
Show us a paragraph of what you're working on right now. Just a paragraph, anywhere in your current chapter, be it the last paragraph you wrote or something smack in the middle.
Well, this is from one of those aforementioned characterization paragraph exercises, but to compensate I'll go ahead and make it a two-fer.
Even at the family meetings, under the unimpressed eyes and quiet mutterings of older relatives, aunt Gwen's name was sure of its place, a name that would not be caught dead in a poofy pink dress and stockings and had not spent five years in medical school and twice that in hospital administration to be called 'Nurse', thank-you-very-much. It was a level of self-determination that a name like Amy could never hope to aspire to, no matter how many layers of clothes she stuck under the uniform or how many red hairs she pulled out in front of the mirror every morning.
It wasn't like doctor Chahal's words didn't have a point; quite the opposite actually. He treated words with the same care and precision as a dentist might treat his drills, and much like those drills, they had far too much point for comfort and always seemed directed where you wanted them the least.
How do/did you deal with being away from home?
I wouldn't strictly call it being away from home because my apartment kind of is my home, but when I first moved in here it definitely took a bit of living in to really feel like it was really mine. For what it's worth, the easiest way I've found for getting used to a new place is to make it into a familiar one; walk around, explore, meet the people, learn the routes and get used to the sights. Once you get a nice comfortable routine going, the sense of home will usually follow of its own accord.
Would you give your fic, someone else's fic, or any fic at all, a soundtrack? Why, and what kind of music?
No on both counts. That's just not how my mind works. I enjoy the odd piece of mood music for writing or reading, but I've never really associated the writing with the music and I'd be even less comfortable doing that to somebody else's story. Music is a powerful tool for framing a story, definitely, but I find it awkward to work into written stuff without a visual element to go with it.
And to cap it off, a topic of my own since working with the little characterization paragraphs got me curious:
To what extent do you make use of writing exercises to improve your writing? Do you have any favorite exercises to share?
Would you give your fic, someone else's fic, or any fic at all, a soundtrack? Why, and what kind of music?
I did a playlist for one of my stories as I feel many of the music, which mostly consists of movie soundtracks, fits the story well.
How do you get yourself to write faster?
Like Mrs. Lovett, just not worry too much having the writing be perfect the first time. That’s what editing is for. Otherwise writing scenes I’m very excited for is also what makes me write faster.
How do you get yourself to write again when your motivation is dead?
As everyone else has already said, taking a break and/or working on something else is something I usually do. There had been a few fics at first I have some good ideas, but then not motivated anymore for one reason or another.
To what extent do you make use of writing exercises to improve your writing? Do you have any favorite exercises to share?
Not sure if there’s any particular exercise I can think off the top of my head. I do remember doing a few in a creative writing class I took in university years ago. Most of those exercises pretty much focuses on making use of the five senses and I think those help in getting in some sensory details better.
Kind of just wanted to show this off and see if it looks grunge-y or dark enough for what the title implies. Also, what do you think the title/subtitle implies? I'm interested! As for a question, do you have/make any artwork for your stories?
Occasionally, but I don't post my artwork on the forums. It helps me get the characters out of my head but I often can't draw them exactly how I picture them... I think I've lost the patience for drawing over the past couple of years though. Finishing inking and colouring annoys me as I tend to make mistakes towards the end...
Looks rockin', but as a nitpick, maybe try to lighten up/destress the T in "project" a little? The transition between it and the N above it is noticeable, and the effect might not be what you're looking for. Even putting it on a layer below the N would work.
(Also, I'm not sure about the font size you used for the subtitle. Especially with it running into the black border, it feels like a bit much. Perhaps scale it down a bit? Should help make the title itself stand out a little more.)
That said, I'd say it looks dark enough! Hard to tell what it's for, of course, but with a title like that, I'd imagine that's the point. I will offer up a comment that may or may not be taken as crit, depending on what this is for and how hilariously terrible I am at guessing right now, but! The quote implies that this may be a project similar to the ones you're already engaged in, which tend to lean towards dramas involving human teens struggling against their circumstances. (Which isn't a bad thing, so don't get me wrong! D: I'm just talking about the general feel of the fic, not what it's specifically about. Specifics, I can't tell at the moment because this piece is vague, which is the entire point you're going for here.) On the other hand, it also may have almost yandere-shippy connotations to it. If you were going for neither (as the general look of this is something you'd see from more sci-fi-oriented stuff or stuff that's more pop-culture-Gothic in tone, so I could be off here), then that's a thing. But if one of those things is exactly what you were going for, then you've gotten that across all right.
Looks rockin', but as a nitpick, maybe try to lighten up/destress the T in "project" a little? The transition between it and the N above it is noticeable, and the effect might not be what you're looking for. Even putting it on a layer below the N would work.
(Also, I'm not sure about the font size you used for the subtitle. Especially with it running into the black border, it feels like a bit much. Perhaps scale it down a bit? Should help make the title itself stand out a little more.)
That said, I'd say it looks dark enough! Hard to tell what it's for, of course, but with a title like that, I'd imagine that's the point. I will offer up a comment that may or may not be taken as crit, depending on what this is for and how hilariously terrible I am at guessing right now, but! The quote implies that this may be a project similar to the ones you're already engaged in, which tend to lean towards dramas involving human teens struggling against their circumstances. (Which isn't a bad thing, so don't get me wrong! D: I'm just talking about the general feel of the fic, not what it's specifically about. Specifics, I can't tell at the moment because this piece is vague, which is the entire point you're going for here.) On the other hand, it also may have almost yandere-shippy connotations to it. If you were going for neither (as the general look of this is something you'd see from more sci-fi-oriented stuff or stuff that's more pop-culture-Gothic in tone, so I could be off here), then that's a thing. But if one of those things is exactly what you were going for, then you've gotten that across all right.
Hmm, how about this? It's actually for Survival Project's sequel. It's going to be quite a bit different from the first in several ways. I have very little experience with graphics and am not sure how I could/would go about adding anything else to this. xD
Hmm, how about this? It's actually for Survival Project's sequel. It's going to be quite a bit different from the first in several ways. I have very little experience with graphics and am not sure how I could/would go about adding anything else to this. xD
Aaaand this is perfect, imo! The eye's drawn right to the title, and the subtitle looks more like it's supporting it, if that even makes sense. Point is, the most important part of this (cover? poster?) is up front and center stage right now.
Also! Good job blending the T and the N! The transition is a lot less noticeable, so now it looks like one consistent piece.
And hey, no worries about not having anything to add. It looks like you're going for simple and intriguing, and that's what you've got going here. And now that I know this is for a Survival Project sequel, I can now say, "Oh, this is more of a literal quote." XD So! To be honest, I think this cover does what it sets out to do, especially in light of what it's for. It's got that dark, grittiness going on (which was your original question, so the answer there is totally!), it has that air of intrigue, and, hey, the quote works.
(Soooo, looking forward to seeing that sequel~! 8D)
If banners count, I tend to request them from several graphic shops here or friends. There had been a few instances too where I got artwork for my fics, whether from a friend or an event of sorts (there have been a couple in livejournal where writers and artists work together for a few months).
Hey! Another writer shuffling late into the thread. I have been away from both the forum and writing in general for all too long... It's lovely to see some familiar faces as well as a bunch of new ones. Nice to meet you all/see you all again. <3
Some topic answers, some user answers, and a new topic of my own to add to the mix:
diamondpearl876: The banner is lovely, particularly the neat distortions on the text : D Great use of empty space, and I like the grunge brushes.
Bay: BAY I don't know why you follow me on tumblr still because I must flood your dash with DA spam constantly but know that I love you for it <3
Why you like fanfic/writing:
Haha, as agonising as writing can actually be at times, I do really enjoy it. I love that moment when you begin to bring the story together. When you fall into a scene, build that moment. I love making the words flow, when I'm in the mood for that sort of 'fic, and I love pursuing the ideas I've been toying with. Although I really, really need to get better at outlining and developing the plot of my chaptered stories before beginning them... I'm determined this year I'm going to attempt a smaller version of NaNoWriMo in order to practise handling and completing longer pieces, because I've been indulging my impatience and love of oneshots for all too long. I've started and abandoned all too many chaptered 'fics. I exhaust the initial interest/inspiration that spurred them... but what I'm really interested in at the moment is long term, consistent character development.
Fanfic writing rocks because it gives you a more informal community to explore and experiment creatively within, to give the short answer.
How's your writing going lately?
So much better than before. Before four months ago, I hadn't written in two and a half years (...last time I was here) - too stressed and busy with university and sorely lacking any inspiration. Managed to ease myself back into it at last.
Do you have/make any artwork for your stories?
Both bad sketches by yours truly, and quite a few commissioned artworks. Because it's a wonderful pick me up after a stressful work day. :x My computer background currently is this amazing Soviet propaganda style poster involving a character from Dragon Age that I commissioned from an artist on tumblr... I study Russian history so such paraphernalia is par the course. :x I also used to make a lot of banners for my 'fics and for others, but I never had quite a good enough grasp of graphic design to take it far. xD
Would you give your fic, someone else's fic, or any fic at all, a soundtrack? Why, and what kind of music?
I've gotten increasingly into music, recently - so yes, I find myself associating songs with stories. Both my own and others. :3 Normally just the one song, though, and it always reflects my music taste - so slow, acoustic, romantic, miserable. Marika Hackman, Bear's Den, Andrew Bird, The Mountain Goats, Shearwater, Dan Mangan...
Show us a paragraph of what you're working on right now. Just a paragraph, anywhere in your current chapter, be it the last paragraph you wrote or something smack in the middle.
A forest: evergreens and bare larches, snow-laden and silent save for the faint roar overhead. Breath coils around your nostrils as you run, turned to the wind. The ground is frost-hard.
Drink air into your lungs. Draw it deep, taste. In the embrace of the hunt, the scent of prey is a drug.
No thought, no fear. You know nothing of these.
Only hunger.
To be honest, it's part of a rewritten segment of this chaptered 'fic I'm working on. I'm returning to it after a few months, been editing it to slip back in, but ended up completely reworking this section. As in changed the tense, the person... xD The original works fine. The new version works alone. Leaving it for the time being to see how I feel about later.
NEW TOPIC
UM
Have you ever written a character you just couldn't stand? Antagonist/protagonist/antihero etcetera. Were you able to write with them anyway?
At first glance an easy question- I certainly have written a heck of a lot of horrible characters without blinking an eye/while delighting in their awfulness.
Nonetheless, there was this one character who I just couldn't identify with, and in the end couldn't write. I just set her otherwise compelling story to the side rather than continuing to wrestle with my distaste for her anymore. She was not, in fact, the 'bad guy' - the protagonist in fact. Just another character type I was experimenting with, with this wonderful opportunity for growth... if I could get past the beginning. I had such a hard time writing her, though. Not because I didn't know how she'd handle a given situation, because I did, but because I really disliked her - her willful ignorance and resulting hypocrisy, pride to the point of arrogance. This would've changed in the course of the story, to a significant extent, and she certainly had many other qualities that were great, but in the end I just decided it wasn't worth it. :x
Been kinda on a hiatus from this thread due to intense physical/emotional sickness and just needing to take a break for a while, but hi, katiekitten! Nice to see a new (or in this case returning) face!
Also, might as well answer a couple topics.
Do you have/make any artwork for your stories?
Sometimes I doodle my characters just for fun, (though less and less recently) but when I want it to actually look good I fork over money for a commission. So far I've only done either with RP characters, but I've been getting more plans to do it with fic characters lately.
Have you ever written a character you just couldn't stand? Antagonist/protagonist/antihero etcetera. Were you able to write with them anyway?
If you mean in actual enjoyability to write I've never outright disliked writing any character, though some are more fun/easy than others by a long shot.
As for actual character personality I get a visceral enjoyment out of writing truly vile antagonists so...
Yeah, all the time! xP I always look forward to making the banner for my story, and I usually spend a good amount of time thinking about what kind of image I want and going through several versions on Photoshop. I'm usually not that into drawing, but if there's an image I need that I can't produce or locate digitally, then I'll draw it on paper and scan it.
When I'm in a tough spot in my story or when I want to think about it but don't have the stamina to write, I'll often draw my characters or make little sprite banners. I find it helps me keep my inspiration up, and helps me feel my characters more acutely.
Have you ever written a character you just couldn't stand? Antagonist/protagonist/antihero etcetera. Were you able to write with them anyway?
I usually like all of the characters I create, and even in the case of the villains, I'm at least able to tolerate them enough to write them. Otherwise I wouldn't. The worst thing that's happened to me so far is that I disliked a canon character, but had to write them anyway because they were packaged with another character or setting I wanted to write about. In that case, I either gave them an entertaining or useful role, or kept their involvement as minimal as possible. Sometimes writing them even made me like them a bit more.
Well, I have artwork, or at least if you consider chapter headers artwork. Unfortunately I can't say in good conscience say that I made it beyond hammering out some general appearances. The due credit for that would go to my good friend, Tangent128.
Have you ever written a character you just couldn't stand? Antagonist/protagonist/antihero etcetera. Were you able to write with them anyway?
I'm not sure if I've ever had this happen to me. Characters are ultimately created to serve roles, if you make someone completely and utterly repellent, ideally it's because the role they're needed for needs someone completely and utterly repellent.
As long as I have a purpose for a character, I generally do not have any trouble writing them at all, regardless of how likable or not they are.
Hmm, how about this? It's actually for Survival Project's sequel. It's going to be quite a bit different from the first in several ways. I have very little experience with graphics and am not sure how I could/would go about adding anything else to this. xD
I'd second the opinion that this version's significantly better. The change in font size makes the text look cleaner and easier to keep in view and read whereas with the original it felt like I had to scan up the graphic, go back down to the middle, then scan down it which was a little distracting. The border also looks cleaner now that the text isn't cutting into it.
As for what it means, I couldn't really hazard a guess, but if you're going for an intriguing/ominous sort of angle I think you're pulling that off nicely enough. There's a great many things the subtitle could imply, but the subtitle does make me think of some form of circumstance where characters with a bit of an ambivalent relationship are stuck together. Could be a reference to a trainer-pokémon relationship even, depending on how literally you take the words, could very well be relevant to several aspects of the story rather than just one too. Honestly, I think the vague aesthetic plays to its favor. It's a simple enough design that it doesn't feel crowded, but it's still filling out the graphical space effectively and it raises enough questions to make you curious. Adding more detail to it would probably be more likely to detract from the core strength of it than add to it
Do you have/make any artwork for your stories?
A couple of people have been nice enough to draw some of my characters for me, so I do have a little folder with those all saved and labeled and I do cherish them. As for making art work myself though...not properly, no. Artwork and graphics are stuff I like to pick up and fiddle with every now and again, but I'm not all that skilled at making them at all, since I'm mostly a crop and re-frame sort of guy. I sometimes do things like maps and geographical layouts as rough sketches to make sense of the space I'm working with in-narrative, but those aren't all that edifying to look at so they aren't really something I share.
Have you ever written a character you just couldn't stand? Antagonist/protagonist/antihero etcetera. Were you able to write with them anyway?
Not technically, no. when I give up on characters it tends to be because I feel I'm not doing them justice with my prose (or because they don't fit into the story I'm trying to tell) rather than because I have a moral objection to them, though looked at another way that might just be a different rationalization for the same thing, hence why it's a bit of a technical 'no' rather than a hard yes or no answer for me.
I've definitely had some characters that are hard to work with, excessively devout ones for one, characters who categorically refuse responsibility for their own actions for another, but when I feel like I just want to smack a character every time they open their mouth that's usually when I reassess their personality and character arc since if even I can't stand to have them around, odds are that will come across to the reader as well. Morally reprehensible characters are one thing, but inability to abide by them at all usually means they're not just reprehensible but also failing to compel me. The former is something I can handle and quite often need, the latter is - I feel - a problem with my writing that should be addressed with revision.
Been kinda on a hiatus from this thread due to intense physical/emotional sickness and just needing to take a break for a while, but hi, katiekitten! Nice to see a new (or in this case returning) face!
Hey! :3 Thanks - and sorry to hear you've been feeling unwell...! Hope things are going better for you.
Canon characters can be the worst and best kind of challenges. It's great to push yourself out of your comfort zone, but the wrong characters generates a lack of enthusiasm reproduces itself in the writing... aha.
*flashbacks of three years spent without inspiration*
More topic catching up:
Have you ever taken a risk with a story? With a character? How did they turn out?
I know that I have - but can't bring a particular challenge to mind. I set myself a miniature challenge a few weeks back: a structured short story with multiple themes to build and interweave, and it was delightfully satisfying to pull it all together. Simple goal, but as I'm only now easing back into writing and have otherwise being producing scenes/introspectives/aimless chaptered pieces, being able to craft something that is complete was lovely. I was also able to tightrope between character focus and my central point. Bringing together my old and new writing styles. <3 Sadly the story is written for the Dragon Age fandom, so although I would love to get feedback here I know not many people will know the context. The places I now wander don't offer constructive criticism, sadly. I'll just have to set myself another challenge. :3
Besides Pokémon, what is your favorite fandom, and would you ever want to write a story within that fandom?
Haha this is an easy question... Pokemon is one of the only fandoms I've stayed with consistently, I've actually visited quite a few. Dragon Age is my favourite currently. :3 and man do I write for it. Before that it was Inu-Yasha, Naruto, Axis Powers Hetalia... I think that's it? Teen Wolf, although I never finished anything I'd started for it. Each one marks a different few years of my life. <3
How do you prefer to start your chapter fiction? (I.E, Prologue first, Small Prologue and Chapter, Chapter, ETC.)
I normally start with a chapter. Prologues are okay, but they tend to be quite short and if I'm submitting a fanfiction online, I prefer a nice-sized first chapter.
How do you open your stories?
With a catchy opening sentence. It helps to grab the reader's attention and keep them reading!
Some examples:
Barely a sound rose from the shadows cast by the trees as the setting sun stretched its dwindling rays through the canopy of the Winding Woods. - The End
“You know, I still don't understand why they're sending us on this mission.”
Jimmy crossed his arms and trudged on ahead of his Oshawott friend. - Teamwork
The little Absol raced through the Shadow Lands, his breaths coming quick and heavy as he fled the massacre behind him. - Exiled
(Bare in mind the last two aren't submitted here yet.)
Share some trivia about your fic! Whether it's completely irrelevant to the story in every way, or an earlier plan that got scrapped, share it with us! You're free to put it in spoilers if it's... well, spoilery
Ooh, this should be fun!
My main story is actually based on an idea for a comic I had a few years ago using Pokemon Gijinka characters. For those who don't know the term, that's Pokemon redesigned as humans. At the time, I thought Banette's tail was actually a pom-pom on its head, so I designed a character to have a Banette-style hat with a bell. This is why Enigma has a hidden bell on his body. Three of my characters come from that story - Enigma, Harbinger and Harlequin.
The plot for that story was scrapped and re-done in the story I'm working on now. Very little of it actually remains.
Harlequin has always been very gender-ambiguous. Even though I have settled on a gender for them, this remains unknown to the reader and confused by other characters until they reveal it themselves much later on. Having different characters refer to them as either 'he' or 'she' is how I solved this problem. However, it is a tricky concept to write, and has been a bit of a challenge.
Another fact - Even I, as the writer, do not know where Enigma keeps his bell. I believe learning all aspects of a character removes some mystery from them, and can accidentally be revealed in some way when you don't intend it to.
This is also the longest story I've ever written and is still ongoing. I've not submitted even half of the chapters I've written to this forum yet. I have a rough plot-outline in my mind, but most of it is made up as I go along. It's given me some surprising twists and turns.
Spark and Enigma wrote themselves. Spark, from the moment she showed up, even though she was planned to be written in ended up being the comic-relief character and stayed that way. Enigma I wrote in not intending him to have a main part, but he was so cheeky he needed to stay. Talk about forcing your way into a plot-line!
This has given me a question to add to the list, if it's not been asked already - Have any of your characters written themselves?
Share some trivia about your fic! Whether it's completely irrelevant to the story in every way, or an earlier plan that got scrapped, share it with us! You're free to put it in spoilers if it's... well, spoilery
All of the worldbuilding for Indigo was originally part of an outline for a fic called Zen and the Art of Pokemon Training way back in 2013 that got put on hold because of XY coming out fall of that year. The main character's first Pokemon was a Petilil, and I had this totally crazy thought that Liligant would be changed to Grass/Fairy type. Hahahaha. Some of the parts that wouldn't fit into the canon Pokemon world had to be scraped. Like Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem being the names of generational star ships that crash land on a planet inhabited by legendary pokemon. Shenanigans ensue and basically a few mew's detached tail (origin of Ditto) consume the animal dna stores on the ships and over generations tada, pokemon species. And in the current storyline a third of the human population could use a pokemon ability/move through disguised human/ditto... relations.
It was split between four main characters. The new trainer with the Petilil, who seemed like the Chosen One, but was actually the prophesied chauffeur of the Chosen One. A jaded television psychic who uncovers a conspiracy within the top tech company on the planet. The drug dealer/college student daughter of a politician, and creator of the hot new Rare Candy. Then the prince of a colony of Mankey/Primeape (inspired by The Jungle Book) foretold to save the world and be led through his journey by a giant with blood red hands (the new trainer had just eaten razz berries and hadn't cleaned up yet). There were a bunch of other planned homages to things like War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park, Godzilla, and Donnie Darko.
Then Liligant wasn't part fairy type and the nine months of waiting for it so I could use accurate movesets made me write out Indigo.
