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[RokofAges75]

I like that! Mare, the goddess of her own story world! LOL  I would like to be the goddess of my own world world as well!

LOL That is how I feel about writing fiction.  We are all the gods and goddesses of our own fictional worlds; we create them, and we create the characters (or, in the case of BSB fanfic, our own fictional versions of real people) in them, but we (should) also give those characters free will.  That means that while we can make both good and bad things happen to them, we have to let them decide how to respond.  That is what strikes the balance between plot and character.  We may create the catalyst that gets the story started, but the characters should be the ones to dictate how the rest of their story unfolds.  We can guide the characters one way or the other when they're not sure what to do, but we should never force them to do something that goes against every grain of their being.

[mare]

I agree!

[usako]

LOL That is how I feel about writing fiction.  We are all the gods and goddesses of our own fictional worlds; we create them, and we create the characters (or, in the case of BSB fanfic, our own fictional versions of real people) in them, but we (should) also give those characters free will.  That means that while we can make both good and bad things happen to them, we have to let them decide how to respond.  That is what strikes the balance between plot and character.  We may create the catalyst that gets the story started, but the characters should be the ones to dictate how the rest of their story unfolds.  We can guide the characters one way or the other when they're not sure what to do, but we should never force them to do something that goes against every grain of their being.

I love this post. Every single word.

[RokofAges75]

Thanks!

[mare]

Have you ever found yourself using the same phrases over and over again or the same descriptions? What are some of the things you are notorious for overusing? I ask this because I have had to delete the words "Once again" about a thousand times per chapter and almost always I'll still find at least one or more in every chapter I write! Now I know you'll all be looking for it! lol

Which boy if any do you find the hardest to channel? For that one, do you find yourself just not writing them as much as the others? How do you get over that block?

[RokofAges75]

I use the phrase "sick sense of deja vu" (and variations) a lot.  I realized, in searching for that phrase in some of my stories, that I use variations of "So-and-so got a sick feeling in the pit of their stomach" even more often!  That was the one that came to mind, but I'm sure there are others.

I think each story has its own set of overused words and phrases.  In Undead, I know I repeat a lot of my zombie descriptions.. . mottled skin, skeletal hands, gnashing teeth (I love the word "gnashing," and that's the only story I really get to use it in), shambling horde, etc.  In Broken, it's probably the colorful puke descriptions - there are only so many ways to describe someone vomiting, and I used them all, but I'm sure there are repeats LOL.  Between Broken, BMS, and Curtain Call, there's probably a LOT of repeat phrases and descriptions.  I know I used the same stupid pun about nicking Nick's head with the razor in both Broken and Curtain Call without realizing it at first. LOL

As far as which boy is hardest to channel... I guess my default answer would be Howie and Kevin, only because I don't really write much about Howie or Kevin.  I don't know if it's because they're hard to channel or just because I'm not interested in writing about them.  Truthfully, they should be the easiest for me to channel because I think they're most similar to me in terms of personality, especially Kevin.  I don't know that any of the boys are necessarily easier for me to channel; I just write about the ones who fit my ideas and the ones I care to write about.  With any of them, I try to put myself in their situation and end up tapping into a lot of my own instincts as well.

[emilo]

I don't know that I can pick out specific overused phrases, although I'm sure there are a lot, but I'm going to say that I'm a total adverb overuser.  (i.e.- "he admitted clumsily," "she answered quietly," "he shrugged nonchalantly," etc etc.) It bugs me, but I struggle to describe certain actions without the adverbs.  They're not bad, but it's easy to overuse them instead of actually showing what's going on with action words.  I'm totally guilty of that. 

As far as which guy I have the most trouble channeling, I'm going to say AJ, and that's really evident in my writing.  Poor guy doesn't show up a whole lot compared to the others.  Why?  I'm not sure.  He was never really one of my "favorites," and to be honest, I just had a really hard time connecting with him late-90's, early 2000's when he was going through all the drug/alcohol abuse.  I also think he had a bit of a an identity crisis at that time, too.  Now, he actually seems the most approachable out of all of them, so you'd think I'd gotten over that "writing him," problem, but I just haven't.  He's really multi-dimensional, so you could do so much with him as a character-- I just don't.  My second answer to this question is actually Nick, which is surprising since he's the main character in three of my four major stories.  I think I focus so much on writing "now" Nick as opposed to "then" Nick that I make him a little too mature and serious.

[usako]

Which boy if any do you find the hardest to channel? For that one, do you find yourself just not writing them as much as the others? How do you get over that block?

Howie. Poor little and always forgotten Howie.  I guess it's because I've never really paid attention to him so a lot of times I realize that someone is missing from my stories. Still now I don't know exactly how to describe or what role I'm supposed to give him in my stories.

[mare]

I am horrible with the overuse of he and him as well, especially in the new one! I am so used to writing in first person that sometimes coming up with all the added descriptions is tough! LOL

As far as which boy is hardest for me to channel, I would have to agree with you Emily and say AJ. For a guy who should be layered, I tend to have a really difficult time finding those layers to write about. In my head I really only see AJ as this guy who cusses too much and is really girly. I have a hard time portraying him as anything more than that. It's hard for me to ever put him in a hero or lead type role for that reason. He's usually just my comic relief. I sometimes have a hard time with Brian too but I can channel him pretty well depending on who I'm writing with him. When he's alone, he's tough for me.  

[FrickingKaos]

I would say AJ. I have such a hard time writing him as anything but an angry, cussing smartass. In my new story I am trying to avoid thar, hopefully I am. I have a problem with Howie as well, I tend to forget him altogether. I guess because it is hard for me to relate to them.

[Carter-Orange]

New question!

I just read this article written by Anna Gunn, the actress who plays Skyler White on Breaking Bad.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/24/opinion/i-have-a-character-issue.html?_r=0  In it, she talks about the widespread hatred of her character and similar female characters on other shows.  You can read the article even if you've never seen Breaking Bad; it explains the issue without giving away any major spoilers (other than the overall premise of the show).

Reading it made me think of the polarizing effect female characters tend to have in our fandom.  Have any of you written a female character who was hated by your readers?  (Villainesses don't count, since they're supposed to be hated.)  Do you think that hatred was justified, or were you surprised by it?  Have you ever felt like your readers' reaction towards one of your characters spilled over to affect their feelings about the overall story?  As a reader, have you ever felt that way about someone else's character, and did it affect your feelings toward the whole story?

Just wanted to get us talking again!

I'm late answering, but yes, I had a female character called Rowena in one of my stories and she was absolutely hated by Ritz lol.  Although I don't mind because it was the name she hated and not my story

[Carter-Orange]

Let's take Julie's question and expand it to the actual male characters as well, in particular BSB or 1D or NKOTB or whoever else you guys write about.

Have you ever been surprised by people's reactions to the way you are writing the guys? Has anyone ever told you, your portrayal of them is inaccurate or too disturbing or any other thing that made you say "Woah!" lol   

Have you ever read a story where you find you aren't enjoying the portrayal  of one or all of the boys so much that you have stopped reading? What was it exactly that made you stop? The subject matter, the boy being too out of character, too boring etc?

On one of my Take That stories, one person actually told me that she didn't like the way I'd written Gary and that she wouldn't be reading my story because I made him look like a horrible person (or something like that).  But the thing is, I don't see them as being Mr Perfect all the time.  I know that Gary has even said of himself  that he was ruthless at times.  I think the story was even an AU too.  Oh well, I didn't lose any sleep over it because I enjoyed writing it at the time.

When reading, I don't care if they are out of character if I'm enjoying the story.  The only thing that will stop me reading is if I don't like the story.

[Carter-Orange]

How do you usually portray the guys you write about most?  Have you ever intentionally taken them "out of character" over the course of a story, and if so, what caused them to change?


I usually have Kevin as the one in control, the big brother who looks out for everyone.  AJ is usually dramatic, Brian is usually in the background, Howie kind of took over from Kevin's role for a while, and Nick is either a mess or a hero depending on what I'm writing.

[Carter-Orange]

Have you ever found yourself using the same phrases over and over again or the same descriptions? What are some of the things you are notorious for overusing? I ask this because I have had to delete the words "Once again" about a thousand times per chapter and almost always I'll still find at least one or more in every chapter I write! Now I know you'll all be looking for it! Sad lol

Which boy if any do you find the hardest to channel? For that one, do you find yourself just not writing them as much as the others? How do you get over that block?

Hmm, I'm not sure what phrases I use a lot.  I've never really noticed, but I'm sure there must be something.

I find Brian hardest to write and therefore shove him into the background.

[kevmylove]

Hi ladies!

So I have a question...it's kinda weird and I'm not sure I'm going to ask it the right way. Here it goes...

If you were writing a sequal, but you didn't see it going anywhere and you suddenly had a new idea for it. Would you delete it and go with the new idea or would  you just leave it alone?