The Anti-Guide

How do you try to improve your writing?

I try to avoid old, stupid things.	17.5%	[ 2370 ]
I add new things.	14.7%	[ 1993 ]
A combination of both (if one more than the other, pick it).	67.8%	[ 9169 ]
Total Votes:			[ 13532 ]

[Rid V]

Bittersweet_3

Oh, and remember the lesson--Hard to pronounce names that are ridiculously hard to pronounce are a MUST. I mean, it takes away from our sub-par *cough* SUPERB writing so, why not! Always make a pronounciation guide since every letter in the name doesn't sound like it's supposed to. And for every ordinary name, use some sort of radically different spelling to make it 'unique'.

Arrgh, got me again! But seriously, a lot of the names I write need a pronunciation guide, it isn't my fault the language is so ambiguous, and with some words, the pronunciation is clear (in my mind) but spelling it is tricky. How would you say: Yylti. (Ee-YEL-Tee said quick would be approximately right.

But seriously, people will be seriously annoyed love you if you stick unpronouncable symbols into words. Like have your main character's name be something like Re(ankh)illia. Just imagine:

Re(ankh)illia drew her magic sword, the mighty Tsg!ortose and waved it over her head.

"We have him now!" Re(ankh)illia shouted, and then charged forward, leveling her sword at the evil Morsg domokun at twisted jagen of Haz-5riptwir&p.

Doesn't that look ghastly beautiful? (gags)

[Triste-chan]

It's always good to have scenes that turn into lectures about how Racism is Bad, or Sexism is Bad, or We Should All Just Get Along. We love preaching.

[Jasper Riddle]

Triste-chan

It's always good to have scenes that turn into lectures about how Racism is Bad, or Sexism is Bad, or We Should All Just Get Along. We love preaching.

Hell yes. Preaching is awesome. (( gonk )) And it should be the MC preaching, and then anyone who didn't already belive thier POV immediately does. Because the MC is just OMGKEWL!!!1! like that.

[erikakaiser]

Jasper Riddle

Triste-chan

It's always good to have scenes that turn into lectures about how Racism is Bad, or Sexism is Bad, or We Should All Just Get Along. We love preaching.

Hell yes. Preaching is awesome. (( gonk )) And it should be the MC preaching, and then anyone who didn't already belive thier POV immediately does. Because the MC is just OMGKEWL!!!1! like that.

One well prepared speech at an important climax can solve all of the world's problems.

Srsly.

[Scarlet Bloodmoon]

erikakaiser

Jasper Riddle

Triste-chan

It's always good to have scenes that turn into lectures about how Racism is Bad, or Sexism is Bad, or We Should All Just Get Along. We love preaching.

Hell yes. Preaching is awesome. (( gonk )) And it should be the MC preaching, and then anyone who didn't already belive thier POV immediately does. Because the MC is just OMGKEWL!!!1! like that.

One well prepared speech at an important climax can solve all of the world's problems.

Srsly.

Especially if the MC is a super hero of a sort. They'll set the villan down and lecture the poor guy to sleep! HAHAHAH! We all love that!

[Stray One]

Your character must have a Japanese name, preferably pulled directly from an English-to-Japanese dictionary. It must have some meaning behind it, like Earthly Snow Dragon or Dark Lord of Chaos (which means you looked up these words individually and just stuck them together).

Your character might be 4000 years old (most likely due to vampirism or general immortality), but he/she MUSTN'T look older than 16 - 20. And preferably shouldn't act older than that, either. Thousands and thousands of years of worldly knowledge and experience? Ha!

[Rid V]

Shun-Min

Your character must have a Japanese name, preferably pulled directly from an English-to-Japanese dictionary. It must have some meaning behind it, like Earthly Snow Dragon or Dark Lord of Chaos (which means you looked up these words individually and just stuck them together).

Your character might be 4000 years old (most likely due to vampirism or general immortality), but he/she MUSTN'T look older than 16 - 20. And preferably shouldn't act older than that, either. Thousands and thousands of years of worldly knowledge and experience? Ha!

(I have a character who used a sort of mystical meditation that let my mind experience over a thousand years in about the time it took her body to breathe in and out once, making her a thousand-years-mature [and yes, she acts it] at age 12. Is that the same thing?)

Remember if you're writing about other planets: only Earth or whatever your main world is had history. All the other important planets only had one great hero or catalyst that changed them from mindlessly chaotic tribes or empires or whatever to whatever their culture is now. (And remember that this culture should reflect your own native culture point for point, with a few minor corrections.) That's right, only Earth (or Midgard or whatever your main planet is) had a complicated past, filled with many important people and events, and interesting periods. This is why all time-travellers must go back in time to some point Earth's history, because Earth (or whatever!) is the only planet with proper, diverse history. It is also the only place that is allowed to be replicated by aliens for whatever reason, and both alien replication/time travel can happen all the time, really. (Star Trek, anyone?)

[Stray One]

Rid V

(I have a character who used a sort of mystical meditation that let my mind experience over a thousand years in about the time it took her body to breathe in and out once, making her a thousand-years-mature [and yes, she acts it] at age 12. Is that the same thing?)quote]

Well at least that was creative. blaugh

[Slicey]

Never explain why anything in your story happens until the very last scene then info dump the heck out of your readers, Ideally through your old wise character who knew it the whole time but was too busy doing wise and aged things to mention it before.

[Axioma]

Heck yeah. You know what amazes me the most? Those Wise Old Mentor characters that help the hero, but never actually tell him any of the critically important stuff to the plot. They're just so cool and mysterious.

[Indigo Dagger]

Axioma

Heck yeah. You know what amazes me the most? Those Wise Old Mentor characters that help the hero, but never actually tell him any of the critically important stuff to the plot. They're just so cool and mysterious.

Also, "Wise Old Mentor" must always be an old martial arts master who lives in a hermitage in the mountains. And your hero must always be his favorite student. ALWAYS.

[Brazen_Tart]

Always give your characters down time a good 2 pages where they just sit there and veg.

[sweet dalian]

do u have a email if u do tell me and heres mine [e-mail]
it has to be yahoo if u do pm me

[Indigo Dagger]

xinu-girlx

do u have a email if u do tell me and heres mine [e-mail]
it has to be yahoo if u do pm me

Wrong forum, lass.

[Xiraes]

Triste-chan

It's always good to have scenes that turn into lectures about how Racism is Bad, or Sexism is Bad, or We Should All Just Get Along. We love preaching.

And don't make it a particularly new or deep philosohpy, make sure it's something obvious that the reader (and you) learned about in elementary school:

"Everyone is different, yet everyone is the same and we are all unique and should be friends!!"

Then they should all join hands and sing "All You Need is Love"