Fic Talk > General Discussion
The Writing Thread: Orlando Passaggio (aka The Writing Thread 3)
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on June 03, 2021, 01:15:56 AM ---Good! I hope it continues to go in the right direction. I am definitely not an expert, but I've heard it can take a lot of time and a lot of tries to get pregnant even when there is no fertility issue. Hang in there! Glad you're doing better today and were able to get your update done, even if you didn't get to edit and analyze it as deeply as you wanted to.
I agree about Masked Singer. I love having TV shows to look forward to during the school year, but in summer when I'm off my schedule anyway, I don't really care. I still have shows on Tuesday nights, and I haven't watched any of them yet.
--- End quote ---
You're right. I also think it's harder for many people if they're trying in their thirties rather than their early twenties as I'd say most people do now. Wish it was something that was talked about more because it is a roller coaster of emotions that feels a little isolating at times. But dwelling doesn't usually help (except that one time I took inspiration from it for my writing), so it's important to just keep moving forward. Thanks for the support from afar!
I was worried about finishing! I had a moment where I thought, "Do I post this without editing to get it out on time?" It all worked out fine, but I've been telling myself that I need to start my edit on Sunday this week to be sure it's done. I've gotten about 600 words today, but ended up watching two tv episodes during dinner, so I may be done for the night. I'm going to try popping into my other arc and see if anything more substantial sparks from that. I'm trying to decide if I want to give AJ a specific powerup that I've never mentioned before... I'm wondering if it would be too unforeshadowed or make him too powerful without the proper training... Then again, everyone else has some downer shenanigans going on and he's fine, so I may need to give him something horrible so he doesn't feel left out, lol. I've also spent today hitting refresh on my stats, which I know they never jump crazily or anything, but I always do it anyway. It's a bad habit, lol.
That's just about the only show I watch live anymore, so it was nice knowing that I didn't have the commitment yesterday. I have so much tv I need to catch up on at some point, but I figure there's plenty of time. You've also got a whole summer!
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on June 03, 2021, 01:15:56 AM ---Tonight was fun busy; we went out to dinner and played trivia at a bar and won third place! The rest of the day was spent running errands and getting my car serviced, so not so fun. But now that I've gotten my adulting out of the way, I can retreat back into my fanfic bubble. I'm in the middle of this Kevin chapter now and don't have to go anywhere tomorrow, so it should be more productive writing-wise.
--- End quote ---
Congrats! Third place is awesome! Ugh, I hate getting my car serviced. I'm about due, but my mileage is never as high as they say it should be, so I don't even know that I have to go in, but hubs always insists.
Adulting is over-rated anyway! Retreat! lol I hope it's been a productive day and you've written many things about Kevin. :)
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on June 03, 2021, 01:15:56 AM ---Thanks! A lot of it stems from summer boredom and wanting to work on something fanfic-related without actually writing LOL. Making banners and book covers is fun and requires a lot less mental effort. I started making the ebooks sometime after getting my first Kindle Fire and before getting a smartphone. It's a lot easier to read on a phone nowadays because most websites have mobile versions, but it wasn't back then. I still prefer the ebook versions for when I'm wanting to read a whole novel. I made them for a bunch of my old favorite stories by other authors too, and I've read my own too... and highlighted all the mistakes I found to edit later... ugh. LOL
I am proud of my minimalist covers because I am not a minimalistic person by nature. They look more mature than my banners.
You're right; text to speech did help!
--- End quote ---
I get it. I've been wondering what fanfic related project I can pick up and I have zero ideas, lol. I think I just have to write. That makes sense! The internet in the early days of smart phones was a disaster. Are kindles and such less popular now because websites are more mobile friendly or do you think it's about the same? What a labor of love to make them for other fanfics! Is it easier to spot mistakes on the ebook format than computer? I wonder why that is? Same reason everyone says to write in comic sans?
I've always wished I could be the type of person who is minimalist because their aesthetic just seems so sleek. But, I am also not a minimalist person at all. This office that needs organizing speaks volumes on that without me saying anything, lol.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on June 03, 2021, 01:15:56 AM ---Same! I'm surprised because she's one of the kinky ones, and my story is not kinky. But it's nice to see a slash writer enjoying my slash story, even though it's not full of sex scenes.
--- End quote ---
I'm just happy you found a new reader enjoying your Nowie whether its kinky or not. :) I think it's always a good compliment when you're writing in an untypical genre and an author who writes in that genre enjoys your work. Feels like you're doing something right!
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on June 03, 2021, 01:35:23 AM ---LOL! Mare comes up with the best ones!
--- End quote ---
Here at least. I can't imagine Mare actually using fanfictiony names in her stories.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on June 03, 2021, 01:35:23 AM ---I don't think Minako is that fanfictiony either. It's different, but only because it's not a common name here.
I haven't used many fanfictiony names either. I wrote a girl band story back in the day with characters named Ashalyn and Elyssa, which were more on the fanficcy side for me. I also wrote a short story with a vampire character named Nastassia. But otherwise, my female characters mostly have normal names.
I did write a parody back in the day called "Not Another Teenybopper Fanfic," and the girls in that story were named Nikki Cartier, Taylor, Ali, Praline, and Safyre. It's a toss-up between Safyre and Nikki Cartier as the most fanfictiony name I have ever used.
--- End quote ---
Exactly.
I think vampires are a tossup. They need kind of out there names even though I guess they could technically be from any era. Ashalyn and Elyssa don't seem that bad.
Oh, now that you mention Nikki, I think I had a Nicole once. But I would only call Nikki/Nicole a fanfictiony name in BSB fandom because of how close it is to Nick. Same with something like Brianna, Alexandra, or... Howina and Kevandra? There's not a clear gender flip for those two, lol. Doubly so for Cartier being almost Carter, but also a fancy jewelry company, lol.
I think in a satire/parody, it would be wrong not to pick fanfictiony names. However, I noticed you didn't list Praline as a fanfictiony one and that screams fanfictiony to me as well, lol. I laughed so hard when I originally read that one, more than Nikki Cartier or Safyre.
I've now written "fanfictiony" so many times that it feels like even less of a word than it did before, lol.
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 09:40:28 PM ---That kind of thing happens to me all the time! Where I do something and forget about it.
I wonder if it's due to the variety, but also that it's a lot harder to lose things in general. Like all those abandoned Angelfire sites from way back when. I enjoyed AC because it brought a lot of people together, more than just an individual site would, but I also enjoy that authors have control over the way their work looks more with their own sites, so you get the full experience of their vision.
I think it's the community of AC that I miss. It's very different when it's quiet. Maybe some day someone will review something I post on AO3 and it'll feel like a community again, lol. At least this forum is still here. :)
--- End quote ---
Yes, all very true. I keep a "link graveyard" on my site, mostly just to help myself keep track of those old sites that are no longer online so I can at least access them through the Wayback Machine if I want to reminisce. There are definitely pros and cons to both, and that's why I enjoy cross-posting my stories.
I miss the community too. I enjoy our nightly conversations, but I wish it wasn't just you and me usually LOL.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 09:40:28 PM ---As promised, I will explain random tropes and fanfic things I know of when I mention them, lol! I think it's harder to make a novel dark throughout than it is to make a short story dark throughout. But you're right, there are definitely published novels that qualify better, though I can't think of one off hand at the moment.
Lately I've been worrying that I haven't given enough disclaimers. Like should I go back and add specific warnings to chapters? I just hate spoilers, but I don't know if people would prefer having them if they're willing to risk a spoiler. I like that "chose not to warn" exists.
--- End quote ---
I'm learning so much from you!
The first published novel that came to mind when I made that comment was "The Ruins" by Scott Smith. It's a great horror/survival novel, but once it gets going, it just keeps getting darker and darker and never lightens up. Another one I thought of is Stephen King's "Cujo." That was the first book I read by him, and it's great, but much darker than the movie version. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples, but those were the two I thought of right away.
I don't think you need to add specific warnings. Mine are usually pretty generic, just warning readers that a story is going to be depressing or an emotional rollercoaster. I hate spoilers too, so I would never warn about specific things that happen in the story. If people are that easily triggered by sad or scary things, they should probably stick to fluffy romance. But again, it's never been an issue as far as I'm aware. The "Author chose not to use warnings" tag is basically a "Read at your own risk" disclaimer anyway.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 09:40:28 PM ---Did it work?
--- End quote ---
Well, I forgot to track it as I was writing, but I did go back and look at the actual times it recorded changes in the version history. I was amazingly focused today! I wrote for four hours, and the longest pause I had was 23 minutes long. Besides that one, I didn't have a pause longer than 6 minutes the whole time. And I only watched one YouTube video! I got 1,500 words written, yay! Hoping to write some more tonight, but I haven't gotten back to it yet. I did more grammar checking and editing on SAMS and finished making my minimalistic ebook covers.
Speaking of which, if you want a banner for PNecklace or anything else, I'd be happy to make you one. I've been in the mood the last few days and have run out of my own stories to make them for.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 09:40:28 PM ---I didn't expect to either, and yet, here we are. It's probably heavy in the nostalgia and leaning into things that made sense. We can't say I'll finish anything yet, there's still five chapters, lol. Let's reserve that judgement for when I finish something that's not related to PBox. ;) Kidding, I'll probably finish it. I think it helps that like eleven-year-old Dee, I once again have stories in my heart that want to come out. And once it was enough of a thing, it's just not the same writing without the community. Not readers necessarily (though readers are nice too), but talking to other writers. :) As always, I'm happy to be back! :)
Do people often come back? I feel like it's usually more of a "once they're gone, they're gone" type thing.
Thanks for always enjoying my jokes. Backstreet jokes were something I didn't know I missed making until there were appreciative people to tell them to around again, lol.
--- End quote ---
I have faith in you that you'll be able to finish five chapters! How did the writing go today?
People come back to check in here every now and then, but I can't remember the last time anyone started writing and posting new stories after being gone as long as you were. Maybe never. It does seem like once people move on from writing fanfic, they move on forever. Sometimes to other kinds of writing, and sometimes to other hobbies and real life stuff, I guess.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 09:40:28 PM ---I kind of have it saved? I think I got thirteen chapters of it on AC before something died. I might have it somewhere, but that would require a lot more effort.
They did not die! It was less a tragedy and more inspired by the rival "families" aspect. I feel like at the end of the story, the Boys won the battle of the bands competition and Nick got the girl. lol That sounds accurate based on my vague memory of it. The only other things that sticks out is Nick climbing in her window to see her like in Clarissa Explains It All, lmao.
Obviously the Leo movie! I don't think it's the worst adaptation of the play, but I also enjoy Baz Luhrman contrasting the ancient with the modern. He did it in Gatsby too and people hated it! But I always defended his choice.
--- End quote ---
Aww! I hate when that happens. My R&J story is missing its epilogue, but I don't think much happened in it. Knowing me, it was probably some cheesy scene in the afterlife because I was a big fan of those as a teenybopper LOL. Mine was actually a sequel to a story in which Nick ruined his liver and needed a transplant and got Justin Timberlake's liver... yeah. And then the R&J-esque sequel was about Nick falling in love with a girl who turned out to be Justin's sister? Which I guess is where the R&J comes in, because Justin was always Nick's arch-enemy in my stories LOL. Anyway, they get into a car accident in the middle of nowhere toward the end of the story, and Nick slowly dies of liver failure after his body rejects Justin's liver because he doesn't have his anti-rejection meds with him. Then the girl remembers she has a bottle of Tylenol or something her purse, and she takes the whole bottle and kills herself out of grief. I wrote some really stupid shit back in the day LOL.
I like your battle of the bands take on it with the happy ending! And Nick climbing into her window like on Clarissa! That is so cute.
I like Baz's R&J better than Gatsby, but I didn't think Gatsby was horrible. My favorite Baz Luhrman movie is Moulin Rouge.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 09:40:28 PM ---See, I foresaw this argument in response, but not only would the bones mess up the blades, but you would also spray blood everywhere. It would not be subtle. I stand by my judgement of your choice of tools to assist in the body burying.
--- End quote ---
LOL Very true - mowing over a body would be a bad idea! Hopefully I'll never have to dispose of one...
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:05:15 PM ---I was worried about finishing! I had a moment where I thought, "Do I post this without editing to get it out on time?" It all worked out fine, but I've been telling myself that I need to start my edit on Sunday this week to be sure it's done. I've gotten about 600 words today, but ended up watching two tv episodes during dinner, so I may be done for the night. I'm going to try popping into my other arc and see if anything more substantial sparks from that. I'm trying to decide if I want to give AJ a specific powerup that I've never mentioned before... I'm wondering if it would be too unforeshadowed or make him too powerful without the proper training... Then again, everyone else has some downer shenanigans going on and he's fine, so I may need to give him something horrible so he doesn't feel left out, lol. I've also spent today hitting refresh on my stats, which I know they never jump crazily or anything, but I always do it anyway. It's a bad habit, lol.
--- End quote ---
I'm glad you were able to finish, even if it was down to the wire. Is AJ's powerup important to the rest of the plot? Does he need to have it now, or is it something you could foreshadow now and have him develop later? (Though I'm not sure when, if you only have five more chapters... maybe in the next story? LOL) You probably don't want him to come across as some kind of Chosen One who has all these extra powers no one knew about right when he needs them, so if there's not a way to foreshadow it, maybe you should try to come up with something else. Lucky AJ, staying out of the drama LOL.
I checked my stats on AO3 today too and noticed that, after my novels, the short story that has the most hits is the stupid sci-fi/slash/m-preg I wrote for an April Fool's challenge here. It doesn't have any comments and only kudos, but it has that damn Nick/Brian tag, so people clicked on it. So if you want to improve your stats, have Nick and Brian kiss and slap a slash tag on it LOL.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:05:15 PM ---Congrats! Third place is awesome! Ugh, I hate getting my car serviced. I'm about due, but my mileage is never as high as they say it should be, so I don't even know that I have to go in, but hubs always insists.
Adulting is over-rated anyway! Retreat! lol I hope it's been a productive day and you've written many things about Kevin. :)
--- End quote ---
Ugh, I know. And of course they found an oil leak, so now I have to take it back next week to get that fixed. There's always something, which is why I hate taking it in. I usually go over my mileage and the recommended number of months, and nothing bad has happened... except apparently a leak? LOL But I don't know if there's any correlation there.
Adulting sucks. I did absolutely nothing productive today in the real world except dishes, and it was glorious!
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:05:15 PM ---I get it. I've been wondering what fanfic related project I can pick up and I have zero ideas, lol. I think I just have to write. That makes sense! The internet in the early days of smart phones was a disaster. Are kindles and such less popular now because websites are more mobile friendly or do you think it's about the same? What a labor of love to make them for other fanfics! Is it easier to spot mistakes on the ebook format than computer? I wonder why that is? Same reason everyone says to write in comic sans?
I've always wished I could be the type of person who is minimalist because their aesthetic just seems so sleek. But, I am also not a minimalist person at all. This office that needs organizing speaks volumes on that without me saying anything, lol.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure about the popularity of e-readers. I've learned to like reading that way because it's easier to lie in bed and read in the dark than with a paper book. But I currently don't have a working Kindle, so I have to read on my phone. It's okay, but I prefer having a bigger screen. So I think there's still a place for e-readers for those who don't need a physical book.
I do think it's easier to find mistakes when I'm reading that way, maybe because fewer words fit on the screen so it's easier to focus on what's there instead of skimming? I obviously didn't catch them all that way though because Google keeps finding more LOL.
It's not hard to make the actual ebooks. I downloaded a free program called Calibre that does it. It's just a matter of converting a doc to PDF and uploading it; then Caliber can convert it into different ebook formats that work for Kindle, Nook, etc. The most time-consuming part was making a cover for each one, but like I said, I actually enjoy doing that, so it was fun.
I am way too materialistic to be minimalistic LOL. My aesthetic is more colorful and cluttered. But it's organized clutter.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:05:15 PM ---I'm just happy you found a new reader enjoying your Nowie whether its kinky or not. :) I think it's always a good compliment when you're writing in an untypical genre and an author who writes in that genre enjoys your work. Feels like you're doing something right!
--- End quote ---
Absolutely! It's a huge compliment.
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:12:24 PM ---Here at least. I can't imagine Mare actually using fanfictiony names in her stories.
Exactly.
I think vampires are a tossup. They need kind of out there names even though I guess they could technically be from any era. Ashalyn and Elyssa don't seem that bad.
Oh, now that you mention Nikki, I think I had a Nicole once. But I would only call Nikki/Nicole a fanfictiony name in BSB fandom because of how close it is to Nick. Same with something like Brianna, Alexandra, or... Howina and Kevandra? There's not a clear gender flip for those two, lol. Doubly so for Cartier being almost Carter, but also a fancy jewelry company, lol.
I think in a satire/parody, it would be wrong not to pick fanfictiony names. However, I noticed you didn't list Praline as a fanfictiony one and that screams fanfictiony to me as well, lol. I laughed so hard when I originally read that one, more than Nikki Cartier or Safyre.
I've now written "fanfictiony" so many times that it feels like even less of a word than it did before, lol.
--- End quote ---
LOL No, and all the ones she has come up with were for jokes, either joke stories or jokes here on the forum. But she does come up with some great ones!
I've seen several mentions of "Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way" on Reddit, and I thought it was just a joke, like the most Mary Sue fanficcy name ever, but apparently that is the name of the real main character from an infamous Harry Potter fic called "My Immortal." I had seen references to this story before, but never looked it up, so I finally did... OMG, it's so bad you can't tell if it's real or satire.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:12:24 PM ---I think vampires are a tossup. They need kind of out there names even though I guess they could technically be from any era. Ashalyn and Elyssa don't seem that bad.
--- End quote ---
I think Nastassia the vampire was literally from Transylvania LOL, so I wanted to give her an Eastern-European sounding name. It means "resurrection," so it worked for an undead character.
Ashalyn and Elyssa aren't too bad, but they are more teenybopperish than the typical name I would pick out. It's the Ys LOL. And the E instead of A in Elyssa. I had read another fanfic with a character who spelled it that way and thought it was cool.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:12:24 PM ---Oh, now that you mention Nikki, I think I had a Nicole once. But I would only call Nikki/Nicole a fanfictiony name in BSB fandom because of how close it is to Nick. Same with something like Brianna, Alexandra, or... Howina and Kevandra? There's not a clear gender flip for those two, lol. Doubly so for Cartier being almost Carter, but also a fancy jewelry company, lol.
--- End quote ---
Absolutely - nothing wrong with Nikki/Nicole until she ends up in a BSB fic and falls in love with Nick LOL. Same with the other gender-swapped names. There were a lot of Briannas and variations of Alexandra/Ali back in the day too. Poor Howie and Kevin... they don't even have Mary Sues named after them!
--- Quote from: nicksgal on June 03, 2021, 10:12:24 PM ---I think in a satire/parody, it would be wrong not to pick fanfictiony names. However, I noticed you didn't list Praline as a fanfictiony one and that screams fanfictiony to me as well, lol. I laughed so hard when I originally read that one, more than Nikki Cartier or Safyre.
I've now written "fanfictiony" so many times that it feels like even less of a word than it did before, lol.
--- End quote ---
LOL I always loved Praline too. I'm glad it made you laugh! They were all fanfictiony in different ways - some for being overused in our fandom, others for just being weird and/or spelled weirdly.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version