Fanfiction Lounge

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
I use foreshadowing that's so cleverly hidden and vague even I have trouble telling where I'm inserting it:) I'm thinking in the future to include more backstory, and perhaps some of Lisa's possessions will play a Chekhov's Gun-type role in the future... it's still all in the planning stages.

@Hanako: If you have time, I would like a review as well:)
@everyone who's reading this: Have a great New Year and productive 2008!

DP479 out

 

[Gummy]

Whether or not you've noticed, I haven't been online (or rather, posted anything) for some time now. The reason for this is because my parents decided to ground me for the whole month after a mishap at school. Anyway, the point of this message is that even though my punishment is over, my parents have severelylimited my time on the computer. Until I can convince them otherwise, chapters for Shining Nightmare will be coming slower, the one-shot I'm planning will be put on hold, and all promised reviews are better off forgotten (sorry). Now, let's get back on topic:

Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?

This is exactly how my last fic ended. The main character and friends were pretty much trapped by the bad guys with absolutely no plausible way of getting out. Of course by now I've come up with a solution, but I'm well into my second fic with others coming before I can do a rewrite.

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

I would like to say that I like to use foreshadowing, but the truth is most of my foreshadowing is done without my knowledge. I just write what's going through my mind at the time and only when I get to a certain part in the story do I realize that I hinted to it a few chapters back.

I apologize for all typos in this message, but I'm in a rush. Happy New Year to all!

 

[JX Valentine]

Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?

I try not to because I realize doing that to myself tends to make it obvious that I did it to myself when someone else does it. That is, if I wrote myself into a corner, realized it, and actually tried to dig my characters out of a situation, my audience usually can tell. (Mostly because they usually can tell if I pull something out of my rear in general.)

So, whenever I prepare to write about a situation, I try to plan it out the end as soon as I do the beginning. That way, I can easily see where I want to go and work through it as logically as possible so the two ends can connect as neatly as I can get them to do so. As in, once I can picture exactly how the ending should be, I can work backwards to the beginning to see just how the domino effect falls. That way, when I sit down to write, it's just a matter of working back through the path I've just walked up in my head.

I never believed in that crap.

Even if it just means setting a goal for yourself?

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

Looking through the list, I'll have to agree with you about Chekhov's gun. Mostly, it's because I'm of the E.A. Poe school, where one of the rules is that no word should go into a work that won't be used in some way to add to the overall effect. In other words, literally, if you're going to put a gun on the mantelpiece in the first act, it had better be shot by the third. (Yes, Poe mostly said this in reference to the short story, but I love it when authors can make it apply to any work. It makes the reader think about every last detail the author brings into the story, and it comes as a pleasant surprise when they're suddenly reminded of those details later.) To answer the second question while applying this technique, Midsummer Knights uses it repeatedly, some instances more obvious than others. For example, the mystery package I seemingly forgot about in chapter seven will be brought up again soon, as will Viola's eyes.

That isn't, of course, the only technique I like. My other favorites (although it was a tough decision because I like so many of these techniques) are as follows:

1. Foreshadowing. Sure, when someone screws up with foreshadowing, it tends to be pretty obvious. However, when it's done correctly, it can come out awesomely in that it evokes essentially the same feel as Chekhov's gun (for good reason, as the latter is pretty much the former anyway). As for answering the second question, I'd think that the description of Chekhov's gun is sufficient enough. I mean, if you're going to do Chekhov's gun, you're pretty much doing foreshadowing anyway. It's just that foreshadowing can be so much more on top of that, like a single line spoken by a character that the reader passes off as unimportant.

2. In medias res. I think I'm overly fond of this technique, if only because it forces the reader to jump right into the action of the story, rather than waste time building up to it. If done right, I've noticed that it has the potential to start the story off on a dramatic note and leave the reader wondering just what's going on. Unfortunately, I tend to fail miserably at this instead but insist on doing it in nearly every short story I write. *shrug*

3. Irony, particularly dramatic irony. Because, really, nothing says twisted like walking a character off a metaphorical (or possibly literal) cliff without having them know it. Unfortunately, I can never get the same feel out of writing irony compared to when I read it (for obvious reasons), so I just don't employ this technique that often.

4. Self-fulfilling prophecy. While I enjoy the unexpected, sometimes, watching the way the expected turns out to be almost inevitable is just as enjoyable. (This is why I actually enjoyed reading Macbeth.) Unfortunately, I haven't really had the opportunity to play with this technique fully, and any attempt I've made so far are mostly implicit. (If it counts, "So the World Turned to Ash" might be an example. I won't go into too much detail about it except that it becomes incredibly obvious partway through.)

5. Unreliable narrator. As I've said before, I'm very fond of the unexpected in a story (or at least moments where things are not explicitly expected), and to lead the audience into believing the narrator is giving them the entire story only to reveal at the end that it's only part of the story (or not even relevant at all) just feels like the ultimate trick up the author's sleeve, so to speak, especially considering the fact that the voice in a written work people tend to trust the most is the person who's telling the story to begin with. Like with #4, I haven't really been able to use this in a written work as fully as I want to. The only time I've ever really dappled with this idea was in a poem of mine that isn't even online. (Maybe I'll post it later.)

 

[Scarlet Weather]

Literary technique? Well, I've definitely got a bit of Chekhov's Gun going on in "Thief in the Night". In Medias Res is fun, but I've left that one in reserve for now because "Thief in the Night" had to begin with the robbery of Phiros Tower and Gale's descent. It was the only scene I had planned out. Irony is fun, though I'm not sure how often I actually call it into play. The one device that will play a heavy role in "Thief in the Night" to explain the actions of certain characters is the Backstory because what the characters were doing beforehand definitely changes how they respond to the events of "Thief in the Night".

Hmmm... New Question on New Year's Eve.

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?

I'm not talking about Mary-Sue, Look-at-me-I'm-so-cool/angsty/unloved, pity me/worship me characters. I'm talking about inserting a character, major or otherwise, who responds to situations in a manner which you probably would in the same situation. I actually plead guilty in regards to "Thief in the Night", since a few of my minor characters say and do things very typical of me. They aren't complete self-inserts, but they do reflect a little bit of my own personality which makes it easier to relate to them. (Laertes and his excuses about why the guard he was supposed to have taken care of was still conscious come to mind. That's definitely what I'd be saying.) In regards to my ideals, the only one that's really present in "Thief in the Night" as a main theme is "love is blind".

 

[Grovyle42(Griff8416)]

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?
Oh yes... hell yes. xP

There's a little bit of me in each of Jeff and his pokemon team. It's quite ironic that the one who is the most like me isn't Jeff but is in fact Treecko. Jeff initially was going to have my personality but that kind of quickly strayed away to only having a part of it. I'm actually not sure if it's Treecko becoming like me or me becoming like Treecko at this point. xD I'm also like Atlas, as well, when I want to be.

As for moral views, I give most of those to Jeff and Daedalus (the Taillow).

My sense of humor goes to Corphish.




Oh yeah, Hanako? I'm not sure if you were going to do this anyways, but I'd appreciate a review whenever you get the chance.

 

[Bay]

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?

Both yes and no. ^^;

In "Nothing, Everything" there are characters that hold certain ideals identical to mine but at the same time I have characters challenging them. XD As sert-inserting my views...there are a couple of views I put in there but at the same time I also let the readers challenge them as I know they probably are iffy about it.

Spoiler:

Pretty much the themes of the fics is of in question form like, "Is it always good to have two birds killed in one stone?" and "How much should you really trust someone?" and later have the readers think about if what the characters did are right or wrong and also what if they're in their shoes.

 

[Astinus]

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
I don't really have an answer for that one. I like pretty much all literary techniques and love seeing them used. And I really don't know what technique I will use in my story. If they get placed in, fine. If they don't, fine again. I find that if someone forces a technique into their story, then it comes across as forced and they're just trying to show off. It becomes a case of "Look at me! I used foreshadowing!" and it looks really blatant that they tried and failed. Which is why I let things go their own way.

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?
One of my original characters started off as a self-insert and then developed into her own character. It doesn't mean that she doesn't share some views of the world. She's just not a character created solely to get my views out to the reader. But I do find it hard to not make my character think the way I do. So I have to remind myself to keep my thoughts out of her head.

There's a problem I'm having with the fanfiction I'm writing. See, the part that I'm writing now takes place five months prior to the main time setting of the rest of the fic. So would I count that as a prologue, or just as a first chapter? Since the part I'm writing now introduces the main character, and I heard that's a no-no for the prologue. But shoving in the back story for the event that happens five months ago would be kind of hard to squeeze in somewhere since it's a main event. It's just really confusing.

 

[purple_drake]

Hanako, I wouldn't mind a review either, if you're still offering... preferably for 'At What Cost', because that one still needs improvement before the contest deadline... ^.^;; Thanks!


What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

This isn't exactly something I actively think about... I don't go around thinking, 'oh, I think this literary technique will do well here', I just sort of write the story and whatever techniques come out of it, come out of it. ^.^;; So I really don't know how many of them I use or plan to use, although there are a few I have recognised in my own writing. The biggest ones would be foreshadowing and dramatic irony; I probably use them in almost all of my stories somehow. Flashbacks I also use quite frequently... plus a whole list of others that which are less frequent. Really, though, I generally don't intend to use any particular device, and while it's interesting to know that 'oh, the way I'm planning to write this bit is called ..........', it's something I'd prefer not to be aware of, just to avoid over-thinking things.


Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?

I've never really thought about it before, actually. Keegan originally began as a self-insert, so in some ways she could probably called a medium for some of my ideals, although her character has developed into someone very different to me.

I do use stories to kind of examine what I think, but in doing so I usually consider the complete opposite to what I believe in, so it's probably not so much an insert of my own views as an examination of a particular subject.

 

[Yamato-san]

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
I don't really have an answer for that one. I like pretty much all literary techniques and love seeing them used. And I really don't know what technique I will use in my story. If they get placed in, fine. If they don't, fine again. I find that if someone forces a technique into their story, then it comes across as forced and they're just trying to show off. It becomes a case of "Look at me! I used foreshadowing!" and it looks really blatant that they tried and failed. Which is why I let things go their own way.

This isn't exactly something I actively think about... I don't go around thinking, 'oh, I think this literary technique will do well here', I just sort of write the story and whatever techniques come out of it, come out of it. ^.^;; So I really don't know how many of them I use or plan to use, although there are a few I have recognised in my own writing. The biggest ones would be foreshadowing and dramatic irony; I probably use them in almost all of my stories somehow. Flashbacks I also use quite frequently... plus a whole list of others that which are less frequent. Really, though, I generally don't intend to use any particular device, and while it's interesting to know that 'oh, the way I'm planning to write this bit is called ..........', it's something I'd prefer not to be aware of, just to avoid over-thinking things.

I'm not really knowledgeable on the types of literary techniques myself. As a matter of fact, I only heard the name "Chekhov's gun" for the first time rather recently, and when I looked up the meaning, I instantly recognized it as something I've always found quite nifty in story-telling. I'm not asking people to just look at a list and pick an item off of it, nor am I asking people how they'll force it into their stories (notice the "if")... that link is mainly there to help those who can't pinpoint a name to their favorite technique, much like myself.

 

[Alter Ego]

There's a problem I'm having with the fanfiction I'm writing. See, the part that I'm writing now takes place five months prior to the main time setting of the rest of the fic. So would I count that as a prologue, or just as a first chapter? Since the part I'm writing now introduces the main character, and I heard that's a no-no for the prologue. But shoving in the back story for the event that happens five months ago would be kind of hard to squeeze in somewhere since it's a main event. It's just really confusing.

This...depends a lot on the contents of your chapter, really. If it's relating something that's not directly a part of the main plot but affects the reader's perception of it, it's prologue, if not then it's a chapter. My prologue (admittedly still open to edits) is technically introducing my main character, but since it occurs over ten years before the actual plot and only has the purpose of hinting at some things in my main's past for the reader's benefit (Heck, my main character is still a toddler and isn't even mentioned by name in it), I couldn't call it a chapter in good conscience.

Geez, this is turning out about as clear as mud, isn't it? Basically, the first chapter is what gets your main plot rolling, so if the events of the chapter aren't directly part of the chain of events that is your main plot then it's prologue. As with many things in literature, it's sort of a fuzzy gray area though. Since you said that it's a main event, then I'd call chapter, but not having the writing in front of me I really can't say anything definite. Just go with what feels right for you. :3

Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?

Haven't gotten that far yet. Even the events I have lined up aren't anything that a creatively applied can of Max Repel couldn't solve. ;D

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

Epiphany, I just love it when something that's been bugging me from the start finally clicks into place, makes me feel all smart. x3 And yes, I'm implementing it into my story. In fact, the epiphany is something that the better part of the story will be building up towards, but I don't want to get into details. The more I babble about my ideas, the less I tend to do about them. <.< Anyways, I like Chekhov's gun too, since that's a lovely device for an epiphany of sorts, and I've always been partial to biased narrators of all kinds. (Particularly free indirect discourse :3)

But yeah, I don't actively think literary techniques, I just write what feels right, using whatever technique best fits the job. Besides, I can't even remember the names of half the stuff I've used. xD

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?

Well...not consciously, no. If I want to preach I cut out the middle man and do it myself. Writing myself in fiction just seems...awkward (I mean, it goes to the point where I'm reluctant to use first person because of it). That being said, I have no doubt that part of my opinions and values will filter through to my characters whether I want them to or not, simply by virtue of me being the one writing. I try to balance out viewpoints without making anyone 'win' all the time, though. Besides, given my love for contrasts, if there ever was a 'me' character there would most likely be an anti-me to but heads with him/her. xD

But yeah, I prefer to maintain a clear distinction between myself and my characters, so if my character does some things that are clearly part of my own personality, I usually counter-balance it with a trait that's not like me at all. It's like, if I wanted to write about myself then I would do that, but I'm really more interested in writing about my characters. :3


And...thanks for the well wishes, guys. :3 Mind you, Griff, I've never had any thoughts of joining the military, but our country still does compulsory drafting and I don't have a health condition so I had to. >.<

 

[Yamato-san]

Basically, the first chapter is what gets your main plot rolling

not true. The first chapter could also be used simply to introduce your main characters, the setting, or what-have-you. In fact, you can spend several early chapters just focusing on characterization, building relationships, etc. well before a plot comes up (now I'm beginning to see what separates "plot" from "story" ^^). Being one to heavily draw my influence from anime, I notice this a lot, and I'm interested in starting out my own serial in such a slow-paced manner.

 

[Astinus]

Since you said that it's a main event, then I'd call chapter, but not having the writing in front of me I really can't say anything definite.

Since it's when she gets her first Pokemon, thus being officially recognized as a trainer though she doesn't leave home, I'd safely call that a chapter. Thanks, Alter Ego.

Sure, purple_drake, I'll add you to the list. The contest deadline is sometime in the first week of February, right? I try to get you a review with plenty of time to edit it if need be.

 

[TurtleKing]

Chapter 20 of Poke Special Manga: DP is up! Volume 2 is complete!

 

[Alter Ego]

not true. The first chapter could also be used simply to introduce your main characters, the setting, or what-have-you. In fact, you can spend several early chapters just focusing on characterization, building relationships, etc. well before a plot comes up (now I'm beginning to see what separates "plot" from "story" ^^). Being one to heavily draw my influence from anime, I notice this a lot, and I'm interested in starting out my own serial in such a slow-paced manner.

Bleah, distinction between plot and story indeed. I can't believe I mixed those two terms up. >.< Mind you, even if focus is on characterization, I'd expect to see some inkling of plot by the end of chapter two. I mean, if there isn't any I'm really left going "Well, these are nice characters and all, but are they actually...you know, going to do something?". Strange thing about the anime, though, because in all the ones I've watched the plot is kicked off in the first episode (Presumably to catch viewer interest) and the serious character development tends to take place at the first few episodes after that, during which the plot is slowed down for a bit.

 

[Grovyle42(Griff8416)]

I have a new chapter up if anyone is interested.

 

[Incinermyn]

Man it's been a while since I've asked for a review in this thread, but anyways, that's why I'm here. Chapter One of Biohazard's been reposted, so if anyone has the time, could you review it?

 

[Percy Thrillington]

Ok, time for a couple of thousand topics to answer:

What are your views on the people that only post in this thread to say that their next chapter is up or to ask for a review and never actually take part in the conversation?

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

 

[Bay]

Oh yeah, more questions to make this lounge active again! XD

What are your views on the people that only post in this thread to say that their next chapter is up or to ask for a review and never actually take part in the conversation?

Don't want to be mean but I would say he's not actually being active in the community and not taking advantage in the lounge. I think it's fun to take part on these topics and maybe learn a few things about writing. Meh, I guess I'm not bothered or annoyed by those people that much.

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?

Not sure how to answer that question. I guess it depends on how the writer wrote it. If it's chat speak all over the place, then it's SPAM. If if just has a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes than I would say it's just a real fan fic with the author starting out.

If by SPAM fic you mean the author is purposely putting chat speak, bad grammar, etc., then the author would usually put it in his author notes. Also, you can compare that fic and his other fic that is more serious.


Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?

Well, my first fanfic "Heart of the Sea" and "Simplicity" almost have the same amount of chapters, the former eight and the latter seven. I was also going to end "Through the Lenses" around seven to ten chapters as the plot is not going to be huge, but I scrap the project for a few reasons. Also, I have a romance genre fanfic (not Pokemon :X) that I plan to end around seven to ten chapters too. "Nothing, Everything" though has...don't really want to say yet until I at least finish posting Part One, though it's at least more than twenty. XD So yeah, it's pretty much me ending the stories around seven to ten chapters except for "Nothing, Everything" because I suck at making epic stories...XD That, and my very busy schedule. ^^;

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

I tend to have my characters love his/her Pokemon. In "Heart of the Sea", the main character really cares for his Pokemon, espcially one that's not his but not until at the end. In "Nothing, Everything", it's not really noticeable until the later chapters. The weird thing though is there are scenes the Pokemon is the one that loves his trainer (the two are together for a while ^^ ).

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?
Yeah, I do. My character's into math, old cars, and hotels. Later, she'll reveal that she's one of those types who's all "It's not a dorm, it's a residence hall," a lot like me XD (yes, I'm one of the annoying college residence life fanatics lol)

What are your views on the people that only post in this thread to say that their next chapter is up or to ask for a review and never actually take part in the conversation?
If they're a new author who hasn't thought about the topic at hand, I can't really hold it against them. It is annoying, yes, but not everyone has really thought about their writing enough to come up with responses to the questions that are being discussed. If I'm going to announce a chapter, I'll usually say something else along with it. If I can't think of an answer to one of the current topics, I'll just create a new topic XD

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?
If the fic's like three sentences long, it's SPAM. If it is of a reasonable length, then it's a fairly safe bet that there are just grammar issues. Your typical SPAMmer isn't going to take the time to write three pages of poor writing just to clog up the forum. They're just going to type up maybe a few sentences of rubbish and click "Post."

A parody fic writer might deliberately use poor grammar, however, and at least one fic I read does include Messenger chats embedded into the fic..

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?
I only have one fic, but right now its length is going to be determined by flow more than anything else. Already it's more chapters than I had envisioned, and it's fixing to just keep growing:)

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?
I'd rather leave it out personally, but then I'd be hounded by reviewers for not including Pokemon bonding, so in that sense I'm forced to include it. Sometime, I'd like to do a parody fic where the "trainer" is a machine and so the bonding thing is out of the question.

 

[Isaac Gravity]

I'm not really knowledgeable on the types of literary techniques myself. As a matter of fact, I only heard the name "Chekhov's gun" for the first time rather recently, and when I looked up the meaning, I instantly recognized it as something I've always found quite nifty in story-telling. I'm not asking people to just look at a list and pick an item off of it, nor am I asking people how they'll force it into their stories (notice the "if")... that link is mainly there to help those who can't pinpoint a name to their favorite technique, much like myself.

Ah, if you put it like that then:What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
Magic Realism. I really obsess over that style but always thought of it as simply "paranormal/supernatural/spiritual" you know, the greater mysteries of reality that we know/feel exist but cannot rightfully justify/solidify it no matter how much we try.

After that, there's my equal obsession with flashback and side story things that go hand in hand with what I like to see/do.

What are your views on the people that only post in this thread to say that their next chapter is up or to ask for a review and never actually take part in the conversation?
Trying to play the devil's advocate? Heh, okay, I'll play along: Stuff like that doesn't cross my mind. I actually expect to see such comments.

We all have our reasons for being somewhere don't we? Let others rationalize their own actions is my thoughts. Letting your presence be known beats lurking sometimes especially if you don't really have anything to say about the current situation.

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?
*Shrugs* ...Someone who is trying to create versus someone who thoughtlessly doesn't give a damn I guess.

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?
Go with the flow. If the situation requires more material implied or is something I find great interest in fleshing out in greater detail for a while, I will work to the required length needed to satisfy the current situation at hand. If the situation is meant to be more episodic or no heavy input is required then the overall material will be modified for that.

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?
Depends on the character and Pokemon comrade at hand. I'd like to emphasize teamwork and trust in general but...