Fanfiction Lounge

[An-chan]

Well, what exactly is wrong with Ash? Is he just "insane" in a very broad sense, or have you actually picked out a mental illness or syndrome and keeping within the range of its symptoms? If it's the latter - like I strongly advice it should be - you could try to make up something with the illness' name. You could also try to use his symptoms to figure out a good title. Like, if he hallucinates a lot, you could use that. Like, say "dream adventures" or something along those lines. You can also try to make a pun of his name. He's "Ash", and ash is something that is left behind when something burns out. You could then go for something like "Burnout Psychosis" or "Ashes of a Mind" or something like that. You can also use a specific event or theme from the fic to make up a title for it; something the reader will fully understand only after having read the whole thing.

It's hard to make titles, but it's even harder for us when we have no idea what the prominent themes and/or the events and plot in your fic are. We can give you tips, but in the end, it's still best if you make up the name yourself.

[ChrisTom]

^ ^ ^

Well if anything I guess it would be called "Grief induced Schizophrenia" or maybe "Severe Grief indeced trauma". Immediately after Pikachu's death he fainted and the next month was a blur. He wakes up in his room later having no memory of the event. His Mom explains the death, and for the next 3 months he becomes very kept to himself. There was no service. Ash stayed in his room and started regressing. He became more and more non-verbal, only occasionally speaking. He talked to himself and tried to relive happy moments with Pikachu. Throughout his self isolation became more and more regressed. He tried to relive through Pikachu by occasionally muttering to himself "Pika Pika" in his imaginary conversations. About 1 week before the end of the story he finds a doll of a Pikachu. Whenever he stands from it he has delusions of him being with Pikachu again and them having fun and adventures together.

This fanfic was actually based off of a drawing I found online.

[Mizan de la Plume Kuro]

Originally Posted by ChrisTom

^ ^ ^

Well if anything I guess it would be called "Grief induced Schizophrenia" or maybe "Severe Grief indeced trauma". Immediately after Pikachu's death he fainted and the next month was a blur. He wakes up in his room later having no memory of the event. His Mom explains the death, and for the next 3 months he becomes very kept to himself. There was no service. Ash stayed in his room and started regressing. He became more and more non-verbal, only occasionally speaking. He talked to himself and tried to relive happy moments with Pikachu. Throughout his self isolation became more and more regressed. He tried to relive through Pikachu by occasionally muttering to himself "Pika Pika" in his imaginary conversations. About 1 week before the end of the story he finds a doll of a Pikachu. Whenever he stands from it he has delusions of him being with Pikachu again and them having fun and adventures together.

This fanfic was actually based off of a drawing I found online.

Umm, there is a way for you to quote people like I just did. Use the button that says quote post down there or use multiquote on selected posts and click post reply.

Anyway, I thought you might find this useful.
http://www.recover-from-grief.com/7-...-of-grief.html

And you might want to use Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder(PSTD) instead because it sounds more believable. You may also want to check with the artist of the drawing and see if (s)he isn't already writing a fic of his own. Some people actually derive fics from their own artwork and you could check to see that you won't be accused of plagiarism.

One last thing, a bold topic based of an actual question I have rather than a passing, random idea.
How do you use the indefinite article 'a' when referring to acronyms that are pronounced differently from their longer counterparts?

For example, would you put 'a' or 'an' ME (Medical Emergency). Since ME could be pronounced as em-ee, which would require an 'an', or medical emergency, which uses an 'a'. Remember that this is in narrative and not in dialogue.

[JX Valentine]

Originally Posted by Mizan de la Plume Kuro

How do you use the indefinite article 'a' when referring to acronyms that are pronounced differently from their longer counterparts?

Regardless of whether it's written or spoken, articles are completely dependent on phonetic-based rules. That is, if saying the word aloud makes it sound like it starts with a vowel, then you precede it with "an." Consonant sound at the beginning, precede it with "a." And these rules aren't affected by whether you're talking or whether you're writing. So, even if that's an M at the beginning of "M.E.," you'd still use "an" if you pronounce it "em-ee," even if you're just writing it and not speaking it.

[Konekodemon]

Anyone got any advice for me when pairing up an OC with a IC in fanfiction on Yu-Gi-Oh?

[Giratina ♀]

Write it like you would any other romance, KD.

[JX Valentine]

Originally Posted by Konekodemon

Anyone got any advice for me when pairing up an OC with a IC in fanfiction on Yu-Gi-Oh?

Study the canon character.

All too often, I see kids who just want to create an OC (usually a Mary Sue) to pair off with their favorite characters because they can't actually date the guy. This is, in fact, a terrible habit to get into because it just doesn't make for great stories. You end up character raping the canon character, meaning he (or she) goes out of his/her way to act in ways that are definitely not them just for the sake of their ~*~TRUE LOVE~*~ for the OC. As a result, the story becomes predictable and sappy (because these kinds of stories tend to follow stock storylines that revolve around how the canon character wants to make the OC the center of his/her universe), and for anyone else who's a fan of the canon character who gets paired off, it's rather painful to watch.

Once you get the canon character down with some semblance of accuracy (as in, in a way that doesn't completely rape the character in question), take Giratina's advice. An OCxCC fic is exactly like any other romance fic you could possibly write, but be warned that you'll usually have to put some extra effort into making it a well-written story (i.e., you'll have to put a lot of care into developing the plot/characters and into proofreading) to avoid making people think that it's just another Sue fic.

Good luck.

[Zephyr+]

...Yo FF lounge ._. I know advertising doesn't make a very good first impression, but I just found this site and thought to post the link: Pokemon Fanfiction.com. Seems like a nice format for fics and all that, also small and well-organized. So, uh. Join?

---

I've been crazy about writing fanfiction lately and I don't really know why. Practice for serious writing, I guess...? Also, writing cracky crossovers for fun. x3 A friend and I are obsessing over this one plotbunny for a Pokemon/Loveless crossover which replaces the catpeople with Pokemon gijinkas and the fights with Pokemon battles. Thoughts?

[JX Valentine]

Originally Posted by Zephyr+

...Yo FF lounge ._. I know advertising doesn't make a very good first impression, but I just found this site and thought to post the link: Pokemon Fanfiction.com. Seems like a nice format for fics and all that, also small and well-organized. So, uh. Join?

I've joined when it first opened up, but honestly, I never really felt compelled to post my stuff there. I know it's still fairly new and all, but there doesn't seem to be much in terms of a community there. The way it's formatted is a lot like Fanfiction.net with only one fandom, the only reviewers there post one-liners (and have only reviewed a handful of stories), and there really isn't a place where people can communicate. I know that FFNet probably had a new period, too, but what allowed it to grow beyond the empty phase is:

1. Lack of competition.
2. The fact that it was open to practically every fandom.

So, you could really go there and find basically whatever you wanted in one neat site.

Don't get me wrong. This site's a good idea (and is, in fact, probably better than The Pokemon Tower on virtue of a better submission system alone). I just feel like it's really missing something that would make me want to put my stuff there. That something's probably just a reviewer-base, but I feel like, in general, it's just empty. You'd think that after almost half a year of existing, they'd find a way to make it look less like the site's dead. Even just an occasional update, you know? Or maybe a forum for us to go and talk to each other? Or, you know, maybe reviews here and there to show us that we won't just be ignored in a tiny little corner of the internet if we post our stuff there? I don't know.

Long story short, yeah, I knew about that place for awhile, but it's so empty I never really wanted to set up camp there. (Yes, yes, I know a community can't happen until one participates, but still.) Heck, I'm not even sure if some of the writers -- especially the ones who have only posted one fic -- would even notice if I sat down and reviewed them.

Also, I was never fond of the star rating system. Just... no.

[Beechlgz]

Hey dudes and dudettes!

What is the standard for PCs fanfiction section? How comfortable should we be with our work before submitting completed work for review (as opposed to posting ideas in the lounge)? I mean its obvious we should get it the best we can, review it ourself, rid any mistakes, but how comfortable should we be in our own skill?

I have a Prologue, and I am working on a first chapter. But I don't know if the writing is up to standard. I would post it, but the prologue is a little out of context if you haven't read the first chapter (it's like... before the beginning of the story kind of thing).

[JX Valentine]

Honestly, I'd say you should be as comfortable as you can be. It's more along the lines of something you can gauge for yourself, but if it helps, FF&W is meant to be a writing community. That means members are really expected to trade tips and tricks and help each other out because, well, we're supposed to be friendly and awesome to each other. So, I'd say just post it. The worst we'll probably do is offer you tips to help you improve what you've got, and if anyone gets snarky and mean about it, someone else will usually pounce on them.

[Iqid Loopz]

YOO! Im back from the dead! I have 2 bad news and 2 good news, bad news is Some one deleted all my work, so I have to completly restart from scratch, good news is my shorts stories havent, and I saved 50 bucks on my car insurance by switching to Geicho.

[Buoysel]

Wow, its been a whole month, and this thread has moved 1/2 a page? what happened to the 1/2 page in 1/2 a minute?

Well anyways I am not so busy with college this week so I deiced to visit my old hang out spot, except that it is a little more baron than I remember it to be.

Originally Posted by Iqid Loopz

I saved 50 bucks on my car insurance by switching to Geicho.

I saved about $1,200 by staying with Progressive.

[JX Valentine]

Originally Posted by Buoysel

Wow, its been a whole month, and this thread has moved 1/2 a page? what happened to the 1/2 page in 1/2 a minute?

This.

And I would help the discussion along, but unfortunately, I can't really be alone in going up to newbies and saying, "Hey. 'Sup. I'm Jax, and I want to get to know you. By the way, what do you think of what's going on in the FFL?" And, well, my opinion otherwise is stated within five posts of that.

[Astinus]

I'll take Buoysel's post as proof that no one reads announcements?

Rest of this post will be found in that thread linked to.

[Syrynn]

Another near-death, another last-minute save!

Just when I thought I had lost all hope of writing, an impulse of writing necessitation sparked me. So a topic...

What usually sparks your need (or desire) to write? Any unusual triggers or impulses ever hit you as far as fanficcing or any other writing is concerned?

1. Usually I'm sparked to write by the fact that I'm leaving something unfinished, or I have an especially good conversation with a friend that leads to poems or short tales.

2. The weirdest thing that ever got me writing... well, I don't really have weird impulses. The closest to weird I'll have in writing is after I've made a new RP character somewhere or played an especially good game and wanna write about it.

[JX Valentine]

Originally Posted by Astinus

I'll take Buoysel's post as proof that no one reads announcements?

Mmm. *nods* Yeah, it's a shame, but it goes into the problem we've got in getting kids to read the stickies. Only probably even worse, considering the announcements don't show up as unread posts or anything like that.

Also...

What usually sparks your need (or desire) to write? Any unusual triggers or impulses ever hit you as far as fanficcing or any other writing is concerned?

It's not particularly unusual to have no weird impulses, Syrynn, so don't worry about that second point there. A number of questions along the lines of "what drives you to write" usually end up with the same kinds of answers. Music. You feel the need to do it. Boredom. That kind of thing.

As for myself, the only impulse I get to drive me to sit down and write can be summed up with the phrase "because I feel like it." I only write when I have time to do so and when it just feels like it'd be a nice way to spend my time. I wouldn't exactly call it boredom. It's just like feeling like you want to do anything that happens to suit your fancy at a given moment, basically.

[Giratina ♀]

What usually sparks your need (or desire) to write? Any unusual triggers or impulses ever hit you as far as fanficcing or any other writing is concerned?

Before I'm mauled for mentioning music in the conversation, I will sometimes find myself playing little AMV-style videos along to the music. So if I remember a scene that pertains to my fanfic, sometimes I will sit up and say, "Oh man! I should write that!" There's also reading other people's works (fan or otherwise), and of course browsing the fanfiction sections on this or other websites.

And Buoyzel, this place is a little dead-er because of the whole plans to renovate the section thing. XD That sure is going well.

[JX Valentine]

Originally Posted by Giratina ♀

That sure is going well.

Yeah, if we could stop arguing in circles, it'd go even better, but you know how it is.

I don't know. When I posted about this in the FFL way back when, I thought a lot of the problems had pretty straightforward solutions.

First off, we had to get the FFLers to stop sitting on their thumbs and start reviewing. That turned into an argument about what quality meant and how to get people active when, really, there's nothing we can do except, you know, review as often as possible. No excuses except "real life sucks." Just actual attempts at reaching out to people instead of talking about Sentrets with flamethrowers all the time. (/hypocrisy)

Admittedly, it's getting harder and harder to actually sit down and write the reviewing guide. (One that's meant to be for the vets, if only just to sit down and say, "Yes, you can actually write a review that's only a paragraph long so long as you don't be an idiot about it.") I'd entrust the job to someone else so long as we're clear on what the definition of reviewing actually is. This is somehow another problem that we've been going back and forth about (because most FFLers apparently thought good review = rip the thing apart). However, this is something I tried to say in the first part of the last guide, so I don't know. Maybe I should just stop complaining and actually finish it, but thoughts on this bit?

Second, we had to up the quality of fanfic in the main forum, which would have been solvable once the first problem was resolved. As was pointed out many times before, no one reads the stickies. Breezy even said it best: that the rules will be enforced by the regular members if the regular members actually went out and did something. So, yeah, the rules are fine as-is. It's good that the guides have been booted out, though, because there are a few kids out there who use them for advice and inadvertently end up with misinformation. (I stand by my opinion that the link list will definitely serve as enough in terms of guides. It'll at least be there if people want it.)

Third, the FFL. We can't decide what to do about it. The entire problem, though, is the fact that it's too closed-off, and this is solvable just by asking the newbies whether or not a new FFL (read: something that talks about fanfics and connects writers with one another without drowning discussion in disjointed bold topics and inside jokes up the wazoo) would attract them or what they'd like to see in a general catch-all topic for writers. The question doesn't even have to be solicitation-like. It can just start off as a simple conversation that gradually eases into the question about the FFL. Like, "Hi. I've seen you around the FF&W. You seem like a cool person I want to get to know."

Really, the key issue here is communication. Ironic, but yes, that's all. The FFLers have to reach out to the newbies, one way or another. That's why Project Max Revive got started, and that's why I really do encourage you kids to go out and VM kids. You're not there to solicit information, and you're not here to argue about the little things that won't solve the key problems around here. You're just doing it because there's a ton of new authors out there who are either scared to post or who could use help, and the only way to get them to come out of their shells or feel comfortable with asking for help is by reaching out to them and talking to them to figure out how to make the FF&W an actual community again.

Or, in shorter terms, what really makes me feel like this is one massive wallbanger in my book is the fact that somehow, the point of the project got lost in translation. Kids, when you go to the other thread or whenever you suggest something, please keep in mind that the entire shebang is meant to bridge the gap between us (the vets) and them (the newbies). There's some very simple answers that we're missing because we keep going back and forth about the little things instead of asking the right people what's up.

Or maybe you kids knew that, and I'm being redundant. I don't know. I'm just voicing why I'm feeling frustrated over all the back-and-forth shenanigans. *shrug*

[Astinus]

Since I was quickly reading things over to answer Delusions of Originality's post, I was able to reread a few things. And to go a little bit off Jax's post with reaching out to new members, I felt it would be a nice time to quote a few questions that she asked that were never answered, and would have been really helpful if they were.

So, let's start by approaching the problem in a different direction. Why don't you (in general) review? Is it because of a lack of time? If we establish the idea that a review only has to be a paragraph or a handful of things you can spot right off the bat, would that make you review more? If not, what would?

There we go.

Because that is what's missing in this section. Members come here to post their stories, and if no one reviews, then they stop posting and go elsewhere. There are people who post their stories to get reviews because they want to know where they can improve their writing, and to just get that feedback. If no one is reviewing, they don't see any point to posting.

That will help the new members feel welcome. They see those that are the known names taking time to come out and mingle with the strangers. And pretty soon it's hard to see who's new and who's not because everyone is one and the same.

But that wasn't happening before this change was proposed. The vets were only talking to themselves. The new kids were left to wander around, confused. And the gap between new and old was a chasm that wasn't closed.

So where did everyone go? Is real life beating down everyone right now at the same time? (It is for me, but I'll soon defeat it.) Or are there other reasons that could be changed somehow, like knowing that you don't have to tear into a fic to review it, or write a multi-page review.

And not only reviewing stories, but something has to happening to make people pose their questions or post previews of their works/ideas. Responses to those, and answers to questions (no matter what level they're on) would help. And the FFL. Something to make it feel more open.

Hey, look at that. I repeated everything that was said before. I think right now there actually needs to be something done. Anything done. Because this is getting rather frustrating.

[Neo Pikachu]

I think some of the issues with reviewing stories is regarding how much time and interest people have, but also because 99% of the time, fan fictions are never actually completed the way they should be. Its hard getting into a story that shows little promise of ever having an ending with closure. Would you go to the bookstore and buy a novel that's only about 3/4 completed? This is the thing, some readers feel that if the author can't remain committed, why should they?

True, reviews are helpful and they encourage the author to both improve and keep going, but the author needs to play a role in it too. It's not just about writing it anymore, a story needs to be marketed like the person is trying to sell it. Make some banners for it, maybe even a wallpaper, and give the story its own site. I saw one fan fiction do this and they proved to be really captivating supplements that made the difference between a story that shines and promotes itself, and a story that's just a story. From what I see, most of these fan fictions don't even have a banner. How do you think a movie would do at the box office if it was never advertised, didn't have its own website, never had a trailer, never had coming attractions, and never had screenshots to preview it?

As a Marketing major, one of the earliest things you learn is the Marketing Mix, which consists of product, price, place, and promotion. You could apply all of these to fan fiction writing. Yes, even the price aspect. Time is money, and people generally like getting their money's worth.

The "Product" aspect is the fan fiction itself. In the beginning, this is the thing that people generally want to focus on, making the fan fiction as good as it can be and to make sure its clean of spelling, grammar, and plot errors. Completion of this "product" would also be essential, since not completing it is like getting a car without seats, brakes, air conditioner, radio, etc. In general, you want to present your fan fiction like readers are getting the best quality product they can get. Let them know and feel like they're getting an epic adventure that will have a fantastic opening, excellent rising action, breathtaking climax, and an incredible ending. Don't throw it down like its just another run of the mill, uncompleted story that's just going to end up in the gutter a few months from now.

The "Place" aspect can be applied to where its posted. This is probably the easiest aspect, since posting the same fan fiction on multiple forums costs nothing and signing up for these places can be done in generally less than three minutes. Most of the time the main issue is someone on another forum took your usual member name and now you've got to come up with something else without that unsightly random number at the end of it. Still, getting the fan fiction to circulate around helps it become a bit more renown and familiar.

The "Price" aspect relates to how much time and effort the author put into making their story the best and most epic thing it could be, and how much satisfaction the reader is getting out of reading it. Yes, time is the currency paid with reading fan fictions, and right now, whenever you're writing a fan fiction, you're competing with that person's other responsibilities and interests. Your fan fiction has to draw them in so much that they'll want to continue reading it over everything else they would probably like to do, such as playing XBox 360, watching a movie, going out with friends, and so on. The minute they become bored beyond reclamation with your fan fiction, you've pretty much lost them for good. And if it looks like you're becoming bored with your own story, how do you think that will cause them to react?

And lastly, the "Promotion" aspect can be applied to how well the fan fiction is marketed to the general Pokemon-loving public on these forums. Sure, its wrong to judge a book by its cover, but people do it anyway, its a fact of life. Since fan fictions don't get book covers or book art, do it in the form of a Photoshop banner. Give the fan fiction its own website as well, it makes the story go well beyond just being words on a page toward becoming more of an experience. Draw your own characters, make a wallpaper that fans can use for their desktop, and so on. And if your forte isn't art, it never hurts to ask some of your friends to give it a shot, but don't rely on solely one person. Either that, or give it your ultimate best shot to try and draw the characters yourself. For the longest time, I once thought my art skills were craptastic beyond recovery but slowly I've pulled myself out of that.

The problem is, most people just think the fan fiction alone is good to go, and most people start it with just beginning ideas and no real spur to make it epic and remain committed to finish it through thick and thin. Imagine how different things would be if only completed stories could get posted (hypothetically speaking, I don't think it would be fair to most people)? Sure, an unfinished story with strong and detailed reviews helps the author get better to understand what worked and what needs to be adjusted, but what about the readers that never find out what happened to the characters and the story? How do you think they would feel after spending hours reading chapter after chapter, leaving detailed reviews, and looking forward to updates only to have the captain abandon his/her own ship?

Sure, it helps to encourage people to review, but the best reviews will come from people that show interest in the story and aren't feeling like they have to force-feed it down and write a term paper's worth of analytical feedback.

[TurtleKing]

I know I haven't been on in a while, but I'm trying to come back. I'm interested in writing again, but I think I'm ready to shut down Poke Special Manga: DP. I'm brainstorming on what my new fic will be about, but at the same time it's a struggle. So, guys just encourage me. I started this journey as a freshman in high school, now I'm a freshman in college! Time sure flies when you're writing. Thus, begins a new journey! Turtleking has returned.

[Astinus]

Aw, TurtleKing. I could have easily closed this thread, but then you posted, and now things are awkward.

That said, it's great that you're back. I'm sure that whatever idea you have for a new fic you'll be able to carry it out, even better than your beginning chapters of Poke Special Manga: DP. Since you have definitely grown as a writer.

That said, I am closing the FFL and de-stickying it as part of the Max Revive project.