Fic Talk > General Discussion
Question of the day part 9 (even though days go by lol)
RokofAges75:
Okay, I finally have my video of myself talking to share.
First, a quick explanation - I recorded myself reading something the other day after I threw the idea out there. The schoolteacher in me decided that the only story of mine that would sound better read out loud than silently is one that rhymed, so I went with my AC-inspired Grinch parody from Revenge of the Slaughtered. After I recorded it, I thought it would be nice to make a video with the words on the screen... and then once I decided to do that, I knew I had to add some music to make it worthy of a Grinch parody. Then I decided it needed pictures to make it more like a video than an audio book... and before I knew it, I had a 12-minute movie that took me three days to make. Yes, I have WAY too much time on my hands, but it'll be worth it if it gives anyone (besides me) a laugh! Consider it my Christmas card to AC, six months early (or late) LOL.
So here is me reading "How Nick Carter Killed Fanfic": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCeX9vDNrJQ
RokofAges75:
How much thought do you put into your summaries before you actually post them and how much does a summary play into whether or not you will click on it?
I put a good amount of thought into my summaries. Often I'll draft two or three different versions of a summary so I can choose the best one. Sometimes a summary comes together so well on the first try that I don't need to. The challenge for me with a summary is how to give just enough information that readers will want to click on it, but not so much that it spoils the story - I prefer vague, intriguing summaries to overly detailed ones that give everything away!
A banner is what usually attracts me to a story, but the summary is what decides whether or not I'll click on it. It has to sound interesting, intriguing, or like something I'd like.
What is your editing process like before you actually post your chapters? Do you have someone else read it before you post or do you self edit?
I do a lot of revising and editing as I write, so my chapters are usually in pretty good shape by the time they're done. I still almost always let them sit for at least a day or so before posting so I can proofread them with fresh eyes. If I try to read through the whole chapter again right after I finish writing it, my eyes will skip right over some of the typos. I still miss some of them anyway, but it's better if I haven't been looking at the same chapter for the past few hours. I used to have friends I would send my chapters to before posting them, but nowadays the only stories I do that with are collaborations, so my co-writers can approve them.
How much research do you tend to do before posting a story?
I do a ton of research. I have a set of research folders saved in my bookmarks with literally hundreds of links, organized by story and topic within that story. I'm kind of obsessive about it, but I actually enjoy doing research; it's like a fun challenge to see how much information I can find to use in my stories.
Carter-Orange:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on June 30, 2013, 04:46:52 PM ---Okay, I finally have my video of myself talking to share.
First, a quick explanation - I recorded myself reading something the other day after I threw the idea out there. The schoolteacher in me decided that the only story of mine that would sound better read out loud than silently is one that rhymed, so I went with my AC-inspired Grinch parody from Revenge of the Slaughtered. After I recorded it, I thought it would be nice to make a video with the words on the screen... and then once I decided to do that, I knew I had to add some music to make it worthy of a Grinch parody. Then I decided it needed pictures to make it more like a video than an audio book... and before I knew it, I had a 12-minute movie that took me three days to make. Yes, I have WAY too much time on my hands, but it'll be worth it if it gives anyone (besides me) a laugh! Consider it my Christmas card to AC, six months early (or late) LOL.
So here is me reading "How Nick Carter Killed Fanfic": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCeX9vDNrJQ
--- End quote ---
OMG that was amazing!! So worth the effort, I loved it :)
RokofAges75:
Thanks! :)
Sakabelle:
First of all, Julie, that video was EPIC! I burst out laughing at the end where his heart grew three sizes... due to cardiomyopathy brought on by drugs. Bahaha.
How much thought do you put into your summaries before you actually post them and how much does a summary play into whether or not you will click on it?
For one-shots I just summarize it in either a one line or (if there is one) grab a fairly descriptive line from the story. For novel-length stories, I play with the summary a lot. I make a list of things I want to make sure I hit in the summary, and then I play around with words and phrasing until I hit all of those things and it sounds good.
A summary definitely plays into if I'll click on it! I generally like them to tell me a little bit about the story while having something to draw me into it and leave me wondering about what's going to happen.
Also if I see "I suck at summaries!" or something along that line I won't even click in to read the story. If you can't take the time to summarize your work, then how do I know you've taken the time to make sure the actual story is quality?
What is your editing process like before you actually post your chapters? Do you have someone else read it before you post or do you self edit?
I send all my chapters to my friend Jess as I write them. She reads them and offers suggestions on where to add more detail and stuff like that. I am trying to complete my stories now before I post them, so when I go to post the chapter that's when I'll add in that stuff and also fix any spelling errors and awkward sentences. I think this is working a lot better for me than posting chapters as I write them.
How much research do you tend to do before posting a story?
A lot! Probably too much. The AU I'm writing takes place in World Cup 2014 in Brazil and I have tons of bookmarks about places in Brazil, and where exactly each match will take place, and articles upon articles of what type of training teams have done to prepare before the tournament. I even drew out the fictional bracket of how the teams would advance LOL but I needed to keep everything organized. I don't like to get stuck and have to look something up while I'm writing, because as soon as I leave the word processor and go to chrome, my productivity will die.
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