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  1. My day job has been a gong show of late, troubleshooting AFF's woes has remained on my mind. Hoping to start the first phase of unlocking the site this week. So don't be surprised if you get an email asking to re-verify your email and to change your password.
    10 points
  2. Caught the ass hat hacker in the act….. The ass is a member and targeting the story manager story info update. Restored the db from an earlier clone and have now laid a trap….
    10 points
  3. While it may seem quiet of the surface, it’s been quite busy behind the scenes for AFF. We’ve been busy doing a security sweep of user accounts. Accounts with invalid or disposable e-mails have been purged. Currently, we are merging the over 5 k users with duplicate (or more) accounts down to a single account per user.
    9 points
  4. It’s a good day when you get a first look at the cover art for your book, and it’s completely amazing!
    9 points
  5. Wear a mask. That is all...
    8 points
  6. pittwitch

    Encouraged

    A long, long time ago, in what feels like another lifetime, I wrote a tribute piece for a dear friend who passed away. The piece was for publication in the flyer for his memorial race. Yesterday, his son, now my neighbor, stood in my yard, with tears in his eyes, thanking me for writing the piece, capturing what that part of his dad’s life was all about. I didn’t sign the piece. He just knew it was me. He says he goes through his dad’s scrapbook every year, takes out that flyer, and smiles. So for those of us who write, alone in the dark, with no idea who is reading, keep writing. If your words only touch one person, you have succeeded! Keep writing!
    8 points
  7. The wee corgi is home! She’s a little bit stoned on meds, but she’s home, and I’m so glad to have her here!
    8 points
  8. I have cover art! NineStar Press is republishing my Witch’s Apprentice series, and Ghost’s Sight, the first book, has cover art. I’m really excited, and I can’t wait for the release date!
    8 points
  9. KH_Woodward

    Ungrateful readers

    I've noticed a really weird trend in the fan fiction world, and it's utterly baffling to me. I'm talking about the fan fiction reader who doesn't write, themselves, but seems to think that all fan fiction should be tailored specifically to their tastes. They go on public forums and post things like, "Here are the things I hate about fan fiction stories!" and then proceed to make a long list of things they dislike seeing in fan fiction, implying that these things should never be "allowed" in any fan fiction publication. These are the same people who will write reviews saying, "Ew, gross! This is disgusting, why would you even write this?" even when the story was clearly tagged. I don't get this mindset at all. It's such a weird sort of entitlement. "How dare these authors spend their valuable time creating stories that they don't get paid for, and then post them online for me to read absolutely for free! They should magically know what I want and write only that! It's such a waste of my time to have to scroll through stories that don't interest me! All these authors I don't like should gtfo because I DESERVE BETTER!" Here's what I have to say to these readers: Why do you think you deserve better? Even if the story is the stupidest thing ever written.... It's free. What are you offering in exchange for the author's hard work that's supposed to be so valuable that it will motivate them to want to write something you personally will like? Obviously it's not money, because in most cases, fan fiction readers don't make the "leap" to purchasing original fiction by their favorite authors. They're hard-core freebie-seekers. And it's sure as hell not attention, because fan fiction authors just don't really get much of that either (have you ever calculated the average review per hit ratio? It's abysmal.). What exactly do these readers think authors get out of writing fan fiction? Are we supposed to magically know that they're reading and enjoying it, and be spiritually fulfilled by the knowledge that some schmuck in Idaho thinks we "write good smut"? Why do they suppose we are doing this, if it's not for attention or money? Reality check: Most authors are just writing stories to entertain themselves, because anything else would be an exercise in constant disappointment. We share our stories online out of the goodness of our heart because what the hell? It's already written and maybe someone, somewhere will derive some enjoyment from it... Some of us listen to feedback if it's given, but by the time the story gets posted, we've already received our main "payment," because the fun of writing the story was the whole point for us. Ultimately, we're writing for ourselves, not for the readers. If the readers happen to like it, that's just a nice bonus. What some people don't seem to realize is that learning to write well is a HUGELY time-consuming endeavor that is very unlikely to ever "pay off." It's a labor of love. The very fact that anyone ever even tries to do it at all is pretty damn impressive, no matter how bad their attempts are. Let's talk about what it REALLY takes to learn to write well, shall we? Because realistically, this is what you're expecting writers to do FOR FREE when you demand high quality fan fiction. First, you have to spend literally years learning the nuts and bolts of your language (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc). And just knowing what's correct isn't enough for fiction. You have to understand WHY it's considered correct, keep track of how the language is changing over time to be sure that your knowledge isn't out of date, and learn how to break the rules intelligently for artistic effect (to achieve effects such as unique voice, character dialects, etc.) Even things such as whether words are Germanic or Latin in origin is important (because Germanic words sound 'casual' and Latin words sound 'academic' and 'smart' and that makes a difference for how your work is perceived by the reader). At the same time, you have to spend years reading and studying anything you can get your hands on. Being well-read from an author's perspective does not mean having read 100 books within your favorite genre. It means having read AND ANALYZED thousands of books, across all genres, both in fiction and nonfiction. It means reading books you don't like to try to figure out why other people like them. It means reading in genres you hate so that you can understand the perspectives of the types of people who may be the villains in your novels someday. You need to have not only read for enjoyment, but studied the structure, voice, use of dialogue, description, etc... Reading as a writer is hard work, and it takes a special kind of person to think of it as 'fun'. And that's still not the end of it. Even a barely passable writer who has done none of this will at the very least have spent countless hours writing stories that will never see the light of day (expect perhaps in an online forum or critique group, since feedback can help writers get better...) And all of this is just the bare minimum of what is required to write basic commercial-style fiction. If you want to write something more "artistic" you have to go back and study the classics, and also keep track of what's being done in the lit fic world, so that you understand what has already been done and why it was unique or groundbreaking. Getting an MFA doesn't hurt, if this is the route you want to go (though it's by no means mandatory). Now think about all that for a second. Knowing what is required for "good" writing, what does bitching about bad fan fiction contribute to this process? How does it help authors to write better stories (or even make them WANT to!)? It doesn't. So let's talk about action steps. Let's say that you really deeply do want to actually help promote good fan fiction. There are two main ways you can do it: 1) Provide substantive critiques for authors who want them. Reviews help writers know that someone is enjoying their work, and even bad reviews can help a writer who is actively trying to get better. Hits don't count. Votes don't count. Reviews that say, "I like this, it's great!" don't count. All of these things are nice and will definitely give the writer the warm fuzzies (which is a very nice thing to do!), but it won't help them write better stories. Here are some examples of what is helpful to a writer who is actively trying to improve: "Chapter X made me feel ______. I liked it/didn't like it." "I really liked the way you described _______. It was really beautiful, and did a great job evoking the atmosphere of the scene!" "Man, that foreshadowing in Chapter 1 was really cool." "I generally liked it, but this word wasn't used correctly. A better word might be ______." "The way you wrote Character X's dialogue was really true to the source material. You captured his voice wonderfully." "I was really interested in _____, but you never followed up on that. I was a little disappointed, because it was a neat idea and I was really looking forward to seeing where you went with that!" "This line was hilarious/sexy/heart-breaking: _______. Good job!" 2) Support fan fiction authors whose work you enjoy. Follow their work and read/review when they post something new. Let them know you like their work and want to see more of it. Subscribe to their stories if that's an option. Pay attention to whether they have published original fiction, and if they have... buy it, if you can scrape together the money! And then, tell your friends about their work. In the end, the only truly reliable way to ensure that good artists continue to create their art is to support their career.
    8 points
  10. Verification & password reset e-mails are rolling out.
    7 points
  11. manta2g

    Weird Screen

    Just got up for work, cleared it out. this is driving batty….
    7 points
  12. manta2g

    Story Manager is now Live!!!!

    Story Manager is now Live!!!!
    7 points
  13. Archive repairs & recode are sitting at around 50% done. Archives are next followed by the story manager. If you like what you see so far please donate to the site and if you feel generous say it’s a bribe for me to work faster .
    7 points
  14. Pen names restored, took a few hours since there are a ton of members. if they aren’t current feel free to edit them. The attack didn’t get far, only managing to change pen names, user sensitive data is all encrypted so don’t have to worry about it..
    7 points
  15. Last night, I was adding "heavy cream" to my grocery list, and the two words my phone suggested after "heavy" were "breasts" and "balls." Phone, you know me far too well.
    7 points
  16. I wanted to share a real zinger for anyone who needs a laugh today. For this to make sense, you need to know three things: 1, I'm bi with a very supportive straight husband; 2, I'm in the closet IRL because of homophobic loved ones, and 3, I'm "out" online under my pen name. Oh, and 4, my husband Cold is an adorable smartass. I spent some time today working in our big hall closet, up on a stepladder. When I heard Cold come through the front door, I warned him to be careful coming through the hallway because "I'm kinda in the closet." "Kinda?" he retorted. "You're entirely in the closet." I could hear the unspoken bi joke like a cat hearing a can opener. "I'm only in the closet IRL," I reminded him, "online, everyone and their gay stepdog knows I'm bi." Cold poked his head around the door. "Either you're in the closet or you're out of the closet," he teased me. "You can't be both. You're not Schrodinger's bi." And that's how I realized it is entirely possible to laugh yourself right off a ladder, and that, despite getting older, Cold IS still able to catch me before I can fall on my oversized rump. I'm still grinning about this, and it's been over an hour!
    7 points
  17. Ok, so last time the news was nerve-wracking, but I’m happy to report that things have improved substantially. My little brother is fine (his symptoms never got worse than the mild ones I described last time), and my middle brother’s wife has tested negative several times now, so it seems she was never infected. Still sort of nervous about my aunt, but that’s two out of three COVID-related things that have turned out well so far. With all that in mind, I have some reviews to catch up on. I know Invidia has started reading Mortuus Orbis, and of course JayDee has left reviews of every chapter, and @Sinfulwolf has left three wonderful reviews on the finale of WitS, so over the next few days I’ll endeavor to respond to all of those. As for what’s coming up next, I have at least two things to work on in the near future. Both of them are science fiction stories tied to another work, one that’s not on AFF and I don’t really want to describe here. Suffice it to say I make weird friends for who I am. Then again the first friend I made here was JayDee so maybe not that weird. In the case of the longer one, my co-writer has asked if she could just start writing, so I have to make an effort to keep pace lest I be left behind (as well as work out precisely which of us will be writing what scenes). I know Sparrow may be concerned at the moment, but I don’t quite know what the co-writing process with her will be like, so it may not eat up as much time as one might fear, and after the weekend, I will endeavor to be on Discord more often. I have another idea for a story called Below, but that doesn’t have anybody waiting for it, so it can be placed on hold until other things get done. Bringing it all back to the beginning of this post, thank you to everyone who wished my family well and offered prayers and support. You have no idea how much I appreciated all of that.
    7 points
  18. Every member of Congress who has been humoring Trump about his election loss for the past 2 months had a hand in what happened today. I have spoken.
    7 points
  19. Because I think we need wondrous things in our lives, I decided to donate to help purchase JRR Tolkien’s home to help create a Tolkien Centre: https://www.projectnorthmoor.org/ I don’t know if anything will come of it, but I feel like I should do some little thing for all the joy he’s given me for all these years.
    7 points
  20. Can I just say it's really nice to have a forum and a writing forum especially where the atmosphere is generally pretty comfortable as well as actually helpful? Like I feel perfectly fine asking staff or other posters a question or for advice, because I’d actually get legit answers with no drama attached. I've been on plenty of forums before, and this is one of the very few that I feel like I'm going to be sticking with. For some reason I've noticed that people who are open about writing adult material come off as much less high-strung then people who don't (or who loudly proclaim to be against it). TL;DR: Just wanted to show my appreciation to AFF’s forums for being a non-toxic place (if it is, then it’s very well-hidden, lol). I don’t see that very often.
    7 points
  21. Keep yer fingers crossed that we get staffing issues finally settled for where I work. It has been BRUTAL. Sixty hours worked since Saturday. And I’m not done.
    7 points
  22. I am away for a week and will be without internet… wish me luck! Hopefully, I will get some writing done. I plan to extend and write more of an original story that @CloverReef has helped me with – thank you so much! If all goes well, I may start posting that upon my return. Later!
    7 points
  23. I am very, very excited about the upcoming republication of Ghost’s Sight, the first book in the Witch’s Apprentice series. NineStar Press has been good enough to give me a new home, and I couldn’t be happier. The book is now available for pre-order at the NineStar website, and I’ll add links for third party sites as soon as the book is released. There’s some new material, and a fabulous new cover, so take a peek!
    7 points
  24. Keep your fingers crossed for me, looks like I actually get a day off Thursday!
    7 points
  25. I actually changed a story I was publishing because my editor thought it needed some things to make it more, I don’t know, appealing, or relevant, or engaging. I forget the word exactly. But the changes never felt right to me, and now that the book’s been accepted for republication, I went back and deleted all the stuff I added at that editor’s urging. The thing is, I never really got feedback from readers non this book, so I have no real idea if they liked those bits or hated them, but I’m much happier with the manuscript without them, so… I’m taking a deep breath and going with my gut.
    7 points
  26. Yes and no. Pictures can only be uploaded to the Art Room forum – which is member’s only access – and then only of the drawn or digital variety; i.e., no photographs of real people. And no photo manipulations of any kind. Any pictures uploaded to any other forums will be deleted. Also, no pornographic pictures beyond mild nudity will be allowed to be used in your Signature, Cover Photo or Profile Picture. So, why have we decided to do this? Well, firstly, this site always has been and always will be primarily about written smut, not smutty pictures. But perhaps the main reason is that different countries have different laws about what’s illegal visually and what isn’t, and we want to make it as difficult as possible for people to accidentally stumble on pictures that would be considered illegal in their country. Outside of the Art Room forum, you can provide a link to a picture hosted elsewhere, as long as there’s a clear description of what the picture is of, and do not use any link that means the picture is downloaded to their computer as soon as someone clicks on the link; it has to be a picture that is viewable without needing to be downloaded first. This is to ensure no one tries to force a virus or anything else unsavoury onto an unsuspecting person. Any link not meeting these requirements will be removed and the member warned. If you’re unsure whether or not a picture you have uploaded to your profile or signature is acceptable then please don’t hesitate to ask a moderator.
    7 points
  27. Dear Valued Reader, Over the past few years I have been pretty vocal about the problem of ever declining reviews across a number of fanfiction sites. I have sought reasons why reviews have declined and solutions to boost review activity; however I have never before explained publicly why reviews are so important to me as a fanfiction writer. So below I would like to tell you why reviews matter to me. First you have to understand that I never intended to become a fanfiction writer. The first story I ever wrote (7 years ago) was meant to spark activity in one of my favorite but nonexistent (at the time) fandoms. (I was a reader of fanfiction way before I started to write). With a shocking lack of confidence I transformed the basic outline of what I wanted to see someone else write into a coherent story. Still lacking confidence and sure that I would be told how much the story sucked I posted it, thinking it would inspire people to improve on what I thought was pure garbage. The next day after school, I nervously checked my email. My heart pounded when I saw their were not one but several reviews to my story. I was sure they had only written in to tell me how bad the story was. Nervous I opened the first one. “This was one of the best stories I have ever read. Please write more.” I couldn’t believe it. Surely this review was a fluke. Then opening the other ones I found much of the same. People loved my story. Wanted more even. Suddenly I began to swell with a feeling of pride. Something that I had created had caused someone else who I didn't even know joy. So much so they were willing to write in and ask for more. At that point I completely fell in love with the feeling of being able to please other people with my writing. I began to think of other plots I could write. At that moment a fanfiction writer was born. It’s been a long time since that first story. I have written dozens if not hundreds of stories across multiple fandoms, on multiple sites, under several different pen names. But one thing remains constant. The feeling I get from reading that someone enjoyed my work keeps me writing. It keeps me up till 1 am when I have work the next morning. It keeps me involved in the fanfiction community. In my opinion it’s really not that much to ask. I create work for the enjoyment of others at no charge. All I ask is that you leave a few words telling me what you thought. This is my payment so to speak. A way for fans to tell me their opinions of the story while keeping me motivated and even giving me ideas for the future. I know you’re not purposefully not reviewing. You have a busy life, but so do the writers who are creating these works that you enjoy. Most in their spare time after a long day of work or on the weekends. So please the next time you enjoy a story please take a moment to write a short review. That short sentance or two will really brighten up that writers day. It might even inspire a new chapter or another story all togeather. Sometimes all it takes is a short “That story was great! Keep going” to inspire someone or rekindle and old flame. Thank you for listening and please pass this letter on to your friends, family and anyone else who reads fanfiction.
    7 points
  28. Just going to leave this here:
    7 points
  29. WARNING: Personal politics ahead... So the petition against Trump making a state visit now has over 1.5m signatures. For context, the UK has a population of about 52m people who are over the age of fourteen. This evening, I was off out protesting in Sheffield. For such short notice there were a lot of people, so many we closed the main road in front of the town all. At one point I was out on the edges, when a woman asked me what it was about, since she had just finished work. I told her; so she joined in. Of all the slogans I heard chanted tonight, “Trump – better out than in!” is probably my favourite. Followed closely by the “Theresa the appeaser!” mentions from the speakers. Also memorable is the moment when a girl stood up in front of the microphone and declared: “I am a muslim woman! And an activist!” to rapturous applause. I’ve got to admit, I have (especially in my younger years) participated in many anti-racist and anti-fascist protests, marches and rallies, but this is the first where I felt protest and civic duty really merged together into one.
    7 points
  30. Melrick

    Writing Descriptions

    Writing Descriptions When we walk through the world, we’re surrounded by a huge range of things, but we usually don’t notice everything in intimate detail. And that’s because much of what we’re surrounded by just isn’t that important to what we’re currently doing; it’s little more than visual background noise. So when your character walks into a room, just how much of what’s in that room should you describe? In every situation, there are things that need to be described, things that shouldn’t be described, and things that don’t really matter whether you describe them or not. Some people might even cut it down to the first two I just mentioned, and suggest that you never describe anything that isn’t relevant to the story. I disagree with that. While it’s never a good idea to go waffling on describing a whole laundry list of irrelevant crap, mentioning things that might enrich the story in some way is never a bad idea. If it doesn’t enrich the story or a character in any way, though, then leave it out. So what should you describe? You need to provide enough detail to allow the reader to create a visual in their mind that follows your guidelines but is still distinctly their own. People have their own imagination, and we all visualise things differently. By trying to describe every tiny, insignificant detail, you’re attempting to ride rough-shod over their imaginations and force your own into their heads, which can annoy enough to pull them out of the story. By giving your readers the necessary descriptive tools, you allow them to visualise the scene and fill in the blanks, rather than trying to do it all for them. Some writers just love to use extremely flowery language peppered with obsolete words, because they presumably think this makes their descriptions better. Personally, I find this unnecessary at best, annoying and frustrating at worst. You shouldn’t need a dictionary when reading a story. A thesaurus is handy, but make sure your new favourite word hadn’t already fallen out of fashion when Queen Victoria was still a girl. Describing rooms Here’s an example of BAD description and BETTER description. BAD: Stephen turned the door nob and gently pushed the mahogany door, which eased open without a sound. It was a smallish room, perhaps about the size of an average bedroom, or maybe a bit larger. The only light came from a shiny silver candelabra which sat on the mantel over the unlit fireplace. The three candles cast dancing shadows around the room, but there was enough light for him to make out the details. A well-worn three-seater leather couch sat in front of a low, rectangular coffee table. Strewn on the coffee table was a magazine called Country Life, an empty glass, car keys in a small silver dish and a circular metal ashtray filled to the brim with ash and cigarette buts. A wing-backed leather single seater sat near the couch, perched at an oblique angle. The walls were lined with sideboards and glass-fronted cabinets, all stuffed with glass and porcelain ornaments and knick-knacks of all shapes and sizes. What little of the walls he could see were adorned with old-fashioned wallpaper, with stylised patterns of flowers alternating in vertical rows. As Stephen stepped into the room, he felt the thick, shag-pile carpet under his feet. It was hard to tell the exact colour in the dim light, but he thought it was probably a dark red. Taking a seat on the three-seater, Stephen’s first impression was that it wasn’t quite as comfy as he thought it would be; he could feel one or two springs pressing against him. It was only now that he noticed the gentle ticking sound, and saw the mantel clock sitting at the other end of the mantle. BETTER: Stephen eased open the mahogany door without a sound and stepped inside, feeling the plush carpet under his feet. A fireplace sat cold and empty, but a lit candelabra on the mantle cast dancing shadows around the room. The warm glow revealed a busy room bordering on cluttered, but it was the leather lounge in the middle that he made his way to. Leaning back in the slightly uncomfortable chair, Stephen’s gaze fell on the coffee table, showing a small assortment of objects including a glass half full of some dark liquid, but it was the ashtray that caught his attention the most. Ash and cigarette butts filled it to overflowing, with a dusting of ash surrounding it. The ‘better’ description is certainly shorter, but that doesn’t make it worse. Does it really matter exactly how big the room is, that there’s three candles in the candelabra, the other single seater chair, the exact shape of the coffee table, the name of the magazine, the car keys in the dish, the ornaments, the wallpaper, the colour of the carpet, or the clock? I mentioned the ashtray because, in my mind, that has some relevance to the story. Also, describing the half-full glass suggests to the reader that there’s likely to be someone else in the house. If there’s nailhead trim on the leather couch, then mention that, but only if someone is going to snag their clothing on it later, or they subsequently find one of the nailheads elsewhere in the house. Perhaps there’s two empty glasses and a bottle of wine on the coffee table. Or maybe the ornaments are important. But for me, none of that other stuff was significant enough to warrant mentioning. One way you could end up describing more of that room is by having the owner enter the room, strike up a conversation with Stephen and begin talking about some of his ornaments. You’ve already described the fact that the room is cluttered, so the fact that there’s ornaments in the room won’t come as a surprise. On the other hand, if the owner starts talking about the dog in the room then the reader is going to think, ‘Hang on, what dog?’. Adding detail a bit at a time is better than doing it all in one big block of text. When you’re describing an interior, the most important thing is to convey the feel of the room. Is it sparsely furnished or cluttered? Brightly lit or dark and forbidding? Give them enough detail to provide the overall feeling you want, and leave them to furnish the rest of the room in their own minds. Remember, though, if there’s some object in that room that will have significance later in the story then you need to discuss it. The longer you hover over that object, though, the more you tip off the reader that this object is very important. Describing external scenes Describing external scenes can be a lot easier, at least as far as describing landscapes is concerned. Is it a forest dense enough to make it difficult to walk through, or an open forest? Open flat grass plains or rolling hills? You don’t need to – nor should you – attempt to describe every rock and tree. If the weather is cold or hot then you should describe the effect it’s having on the characters. Describe the ice and snow, and how he’s still shivering in spite of his warm clothes. Or how his sweat trickles down his face, and how the sun beats down on him like hammer blows. You shouldn’t need to specifically tell your reader what season it is; that’s what good description is for. If you’re not an architect then describing buildings facades can be difficult, but who wants to read that level of intimate detail? If the style is important – Gothic or Art Deco perhaps – then describe it, but remember that you’re not writing a story on architecture. Describing the condition of the building is important if it’s run-down. Talk about the peeling paint, the cracked and broken windows, the holes in the walls, the kicked in front door; that’s if it’s an abandoned building. If the place is simply run-down rather than abandoned then you’ll probably want to dial that back a bit, unless you wont people to be surprised to find someone still living in it. Describing clothing It’s usually not important what exact clothes your characters are wearing. While you’re spending a full page describing in intimate detail what Samantha is wearing, your reader is working overtime putting all this together and visualising what you’re forcing down their throat. If an item of clothing that she’s wearing will later become significant then discuss that, but only in as much detail as strictly necessary. For example, let’s say Samantha goes jogging. You could mention that she’s wearing her usual tracksuit or active wear, etc, including her old and battered, but comfy, sneakers. You mention the sneakers because later, after she’s been reported missing, these sneakers are found. A detective talking to Samantha’s best friend describes how these shoes are her favourites and was dreading the day she would need to buy new ones, so there’s no way she would simply throw them away. So you could have initially had Samantha having an internal monologue about how these are her favourite shoes, etc, but that’s usually silly and unnecessary, especially when you could have her best friend later relate this information to someone. If the character wears very weird clothing, then describe it; if they’re wearing an ugly tie, then describe it; if there’s something significant about their clothes, then describe it. If you want to convey the idea that it’s hot or cold outside, then describe it. Otherwise, don’t. Describing emotions There’s an old writer’s maxim: Show, don’t tell. You should never have a reason to say “Jeff was angry”. It should be obvious that Jeff was angry from your description. Facial expressions and body language are invaluable in showing what a person is feeling, regardless of what they’re actually saying. Does your character have a nervous tic? Do they blush even more than normal when they’re embarrassed? Or maybe they stammer a bit, or get angry? Do they always scratch an imaginary itch when they’re lying? It should also be obvious that a person is in love with someone, without you needing to type the word ‘love’. Descriptions are vital, but they can also bore readers with great speed. Try and break up your descriptions over various scenes. Bite-sized pieces of descriptions are more palatable than big blocks of them every other paragraph.
    7 points
  31. The Art of Foreshadowing What is it? Quite simply, foreshadowing is to hint at something, in a casual way, where it will be brought up again later on in the story in a more significant and relevant way. The ‘art’ is in exactly how you lay that little hint, without telegraphing “THIS IS IMPORTANT! REMEMBER IT!”. Why it’s important Story telling is easy. No, really, it is! The art is in how you tell the story, that’s what makes it scary, exciting, sexy, etc. Foreshadowing is a very important tool to use in many, if not most, stories. I’m sure most of us have watched movies where all of a sudden, the hero just happens to find the one thing he or she needs to save the day. “Oh that was convenient!” we shout at the screen. It’s far too convenient, and therefore, annoying, for the hero of your story to miraculously find exactly the right thing he or she needs right when they need it the most. This is the reaction you’ll get for unrealistic and unbelievable story telling. What you need to do is to leave a little hint earlier in the story, something that, at the time, didn’t seem all that relevant or important to the story, but allows the reader to later say, “Oh, so that’s why the author did that!” Foreshadowing is more important in some stories than others. Detective mysteries rely very heavily on foreshadowing. Everyone reading the story is hoping to guess who the killer is before the detective, and a well written story should provide enough hints to allow the reader to do this, if only they work out what’s important and what’s a red herring. There’s nothing worse than coming to the conclusion and realising that the detective was apparently privy to information that we, the reader, were not. This is bitterly frustrating and poor story telling. When the detective goes through the steps that allowed him or her to catch the killer, everything there should be something that the reader could also have picked up on. Nothing should be a clue that we hadn’t been exposed to in some way. As suggested above, you can also use foreshadowing to misdirect the reader, by laying a hint that you know the reader will think is important but is actually a red herring. You would then follow it up a little later with another hint – the true one, this time – but because the reader has thought the earlier hint was the real one, they might be tempted to overlook the true one. I think you’d need to be a little careful with how you do this, because it can backfire if done poorly. If done right, though, then it can be a clever way to get the reader to watch your left hand while your right pulls the card out of your sleeve. On the other hand, some stories, like detective stories, rely very heavily on leaving plenty of clues and red herrings, creating a pretty tangled web that needs to be weaved with great care. This is why a good detective story can be so difficult to write. Huge respect to Agatha Christie! How and when to foreshadow More often than not, foreshadowing should be of the fairly subtle kind. If it’s shouted from the rooftops then it can cause the reader to keep a close eye out for it, so when it happens, it’s of no surprise at all to the reader, and, frankly, spoils the story. A better way is to drop the hint in such a way as to cause the reader to either all but forget about it, or to make the reader think that your hint was just a bit of flavouring, and nothing more important than that. You can go overboard with foreshadowing though. If everything in your story is important, then the reader soon learns to understand that everything you mention is going to have something relevant to do with the climax of your story, which only helps to lessen the impact. By adding things to your story that aren’t important, it ensures the reader is never sure what’s important and what’s not. On the other hand, when you later proofread your story, you might actually see how you could turn one of these story flavour enhancers into an actual foreshadow. But as I said, these ‘story flavour enhancers’ should rarely be promoted as “THIS IS IMPORTANT” moments. Describing how the ashtray on the coffee table is overflowing with ash and cigarette butts might just be a way to simply show that the occupant is a smoker and a bit messy or lazy, or it might have important relevance later on. Who knows? Certainly not the reader, and that’s what’s most important. Remember, foreshadowing should very rarely be obvious. It should be a fairly subtle hint that the reader may or may not pick up on. Too overt a hint comes across as too obvious and too forced. It needs to flow naturally with the story, appearing as something that is nothing more than a flavour enhancer.
    7 points
  32. magusfang

    Magusfang's Corner

    Ok first let me apologize for the silence, the cable company finally got tired of my whining and decided to lay a new line out to me, I live just outside of town, almost a mile actually, and it is taking forever to get to me. I got sick of my internet going out whenever the wind blew a little and talked with everyone who lived on my road and found out I wasn't alone. So I wrote a letter and had everyone sign it, yep I'm a pain when I wanna be So good news is they are laying fiber optic out to us bad news is it's taking a while Tried dial up but I have wireless home phone and you need an actual line evidently. So, as to my overly long silence, been camping since last Friday, with about a dozen of the girls friends, god help me , and there's no signal at the camp ground (I snuck away to use a real bathroom ) but I'll be back Monday and the good news is I have two chapters done and most of a third Well again sorry about the prolonged silence and I'll have lots for you to read when I'm finally up and running again. Oh, just so you know, the surgery aaas a complete success and I'm feeling better than I have in years - making the wifey a little nervous too; I think she's afraid I'll go back into the field gonna milk that a bit, but I think I'm truly retired....don't tell her though
    7 points
  33. I am not a politically correct person, so do not expect me to mince words in this rant. I have plenty to say about the frauds who plague this and other sites. :sarcasm: is now in session because I have already read all of the favorite nauseating, too often written, worn out excuses that have triggered this overwhelmed frustration induced rant. I do apologize in advance for this being such a tactless tirade. I really need to get this off my chest because I am so frustrated with things I continue to read every time I come here. What is the point of writing if the document is a thoughtless piece of slop without merit pounded out willy-dilly on a whim, and posted without revision? Why do some people insist upon placing such infantile things in the archives, and then get angry when someone with a basic grasp of English structure mentions a few of the problems that need addressing to create a better reading tale? Why do some individuals whine incessantly about contrit feedback, instead of considering that there might be a real problem which can be corrected with a little expended effort? If one does not understand the foundations of proper grammar and spelling, why insist upon being vile to those who seek to give actual valid aide? When did writing become a place for cop outs and egotists? Who ever said that everyone should be patted upon the head simply because they bothered to put something up at a free site like AFFnet, or FFnet? What have the lazy done to earn a touch of praise and accolades for the illiterate slop they insist upon posting? Absolutely nothing gets done when a poorly written piece is added to the archives is my response. Give feedback to such frauds, and they delete the reviews, or proclaim concrit reviews to be trolling! Such frauds are too infantile to accept that they can improve if they get off their lazy butts and do a little research! YE Gods Forbid that such individuals ever face the wrath of a genuine editor. I can see the suicide rate escalating fast if they ever had to remove the blinders from their eyes. Such people are the bane of the writing hobbiest, and professional alike. What is the point of giving reviews if the writer is unwilling to consider critical mistake portions of an honest review? Why do lazy, insecure asses bother to beg for reviews while remaining too immature to give such reviews any thought toward self improvement? How can people call themselves writers when they are so obstinately unwilling to learn how to take a fair reading story, and make it into a genuinely beautiful tale that is memorable? Why do such frauds feel so compelled to provide a plethora of meaningless excuses for their mistakes, instead of attempting to change for the better? The reason for my ranting questions: I am so sick and tired of the whining, lame excuses that the vast majority of writers like to pull out of their asses. People seem to love bellyaching, and giving excuses to avoid improving anything they slop together and post. To me, people are flat against learning the diverse aspects, and complex elements involved with writing style. I am also fed up with jerks who refuse to pull their heads out of the asses when it comes to a reasonable review meant to give genuine help. Nobody is attacking when they send a review that something was messed up when they mention grammar/spelling problems. Any idea why I might be so angry about the plethora of bull I read in forums, and in author's notes in the main archive? Reality Check: I had a massive stroke a few years ago. It took two years to get to the point I could use my right side again. Then, I had to reteach myself from the foundation up how to read and to write a second time. Everything that I know I should recall from my time as an employed editor in the 90's was locked behind a wall of damage that I struggle to break down every single day of my life. I also have Dyslexia problems complicated by fine motor skill nerve damage. Do I use these difficulties as a knee jerk excuse for instances of personal, poor writing? THE ANSWER IS HELL NO! To my way of thinking, real writers strive to overcome their disabilities, not use them as a crutch to languish within their flaws! I bought grammar based books and read them repeatedly to recover my lost knowledge. Due to a little thing called effort, I regained the vast majority of the information I once lost due to a life threatening medical crisis. Therefore, I do not give crackpot reviews whenever I take time to read over and consider the most glaring problems I see within a story's structures. I fine comb everything I write repeatedly to get rid of every flaw before I post anything. Yes, I do miss things, which I correct as I get a chance. A person who reads my work can return seven months later to find a lot of mistakes are corrected. I abuse my edit chapter button every few weeks, based upon the errors I get told about when someone reviews my stories. Whenever I give a review to someone, I always endeavor to point out the strengths, and the weaknesses of each story I have read. The reviews I give carry my hopes that the input will help complete strangers to revise their stories to add strength to plots and characters that were devised. It is a real insult to all reviewers who give thoughtful feedback when the reviews get deleted by such frauds who pretend to be writers. Very few writers I have personally reviewed have retained my concrit reviews. Those who have kept their reviews, I am grateful to you for doing so. Your strength in keeping my review prevents me from becoming completely sick and tired of the constant flow of disrespect given to those who take reviewing for others seriously. Put bluntly, I have seen the signs of a real epidemic of fraudulent whiners begging for reviews that are insincere. The ongoing blasphemy of it all has finally tweaked my last nerve. The majority of said frauds beg for reviews in every single chapter's author notes. My conclusion is that such begging for reviews is a form of blatant "stroke my ego or else" guilt tripping. "Please review because I live for reviews," is a blatant lie 9 times out of 10 in my personal experience with giving reviews. That type of bullshit line now reeks of the biggest attention seeking ploy in existence to me, as a reader. In the vast majority of cases I leave very tame comments compared to my actual reactions to such writer's stories. I refrain form taking every single line and pointing out the problems. If the writing is atrocious enough, I am reduced to perhaps you should use your spell/grammar checking features before posting in the future. Getting reduced to such a flippant response really hurts because I would not be writing a review at all if I did not see some kind of merit within the story. I would simply back click and be done with the author, and everything else they may have posted. I do keep a list of the unreadable slobs so I do not have to hurt my eyes by accidentally clicking on anything the royal stink writers have added. During the last three weeks, after seeing how often that line accompanies a deletion of my reviews, experience tells me to avoid such authors as if they have the Black Plague. To date, seven out of every ten concretely focused reviews were erased because my input was not a fanpoodle. My honor code from my previous career as a "shred the writing to get it corrected in time for the sales team to make a profit from it" variety editor experience does not condone "I love it so keep writing" variety pat upon heads. I do apologize for this being such a tactless tirade. I had to get this off my chest because I am so frustrated with "poor me syndrome" type commentaries.
    7 points
  34. JayDee

    'gives you hell'

    Oh, you're adorable! Starting a post like that with the line: Too funny. You Sir and/or Madam have made my day. The whole post is so expertly crafted. I especially like the bit where you give an opinion that folks on discussion forums should only give opinions if asked for opinions... when not asked! But it's pretty much all high class 'net flamewar bait (heck, vintage - I recall variations of "I'm not sure you have the mental capacity to understand it" on usenet). I salute you! And you should totally write riddles. I'm gonna have to risk being interpreted as peevish again and echo that wishing well in the future to you. I know it's hard to tell on the internet but this is totally not sarcasm, or even snark. G'luck!
    7 points
  35. *shakes head* These writers apparently have NO idea just how much time and work goes into a concrit review. I have spent over an hour on some of my concrit reviews, it depends on the number of errors and how long the chapter is. I try to make them as professional as I can because the purpose of these reviews is to help the author improve their writing skills. Nobody is going to spend that kind of time on someone who can't appreciate it. You get one solid review and cry FLAME? The writer should be sending the reviewer flowers for taking the time to read their story and for writing a review meant to help them grow in the craft! If all a writer wants is fluffy reviews, they should put an author's note at the start of the story saying: Praiseful reviews only.
    7 points
  36. Please do not under any circumstances delete my account. For all the people who wish to have their accounts deleted due to the “extended denial of service” attack the AFF Archives have suffered, “you do you.” I would encourage you to not have your accounts deleted just the same. Abandoning your accounts or having them deleted serves only to empower the spineless CARB sewage-quaffers who are attacking this site to continue doing so. There are damned few sites that allow erotic and semi/demi-erotic literature to be posted full-stop. Allowing one to fail due to a lack of authorship means that there is one fewer site, without anyone lining up to start another one. Good luck to all of you, whatever you decide.
    6 points
  37. Happy New Year to all my AFF friends and family!
    6 points
  38. You can’t buy the site. You have to be given the ceremonial dildo by the Lady of the Lake. It sounds bad, but it’s better than the old method of having to pull it from the stone. You ever hear stone moan? It’s horrific.
    6 points
  39. Next year, I really need to create a trick-or-treater bingo card. Items would include at least 3 girls dressed as Elsa at least 5 boys dressed as Batman a whole family in themed costumes a mom wearing a decidedly inappropriate costume while escorting her kids around (This year’s was a slutty cop.)
    6 points
  40. Alright, so, as the title says, does a lack of feedback affect your stories? (Ie while you’re writing, does the lack of feedback make you change things, doubt things, et cetera, et cetera? And vice versa, does a lot of feedback affect you? Do you change things that you probably wouldn’t have based upon those words?) This is probably a question that’s been asked before, don’t throw the pineapples (they kind of hurt), but… As for me, so far I’d say not really (in terms of changing things that otherwise wouldn’t have been). The lack of feedback on a lot of mine does make me question certain decisions, as I’m sure everyone does when faced with that same thing… For example, I know people are reading them (...unless they’re accidentally clicking into it and getting out of there as fast as possible… I’m going with the former, though), but lately I’ve been debating the… slow burn of one of them… Introducing and trying to create likeable characters that everyone wants to see survive through with the interactions that ring true necessitated the long fuse to the dynamite, and it’s been making me question that length. I’m sure everyone has something like that.
    6 points
  41. woohoo! Two days off in a row! So far. Keep yer fingers crossed!
    6 points
  42. I’m going to be the fly in the ointment here, and comment on the notion of skipping an editor when self publishing. Unless you are supremely confident you can catch POV shifts, and have buttoned every thread up, unless you know you haven’t slipped in the chronology, and events take place in a reasonable/explainable span of time, unless you are self-aware enough to pick up on repetitive phrasing and overuse of certain words and phrases, you need an editor. (I tend to be vague about time lapses, and I’m insanely obstinate about abusing certain words myself. I try to make it up to my editor by being quick to turn around the comments, and not whine a lot about the work I need to do to fix my mess. ) I like to check out new authors, and I do a lot of poking about on blogs and review sites, where I can see a bit of an excerpt. I might be captured by a summary, but when I read the excerpt, if I hit that wall because even in those roughly 500 words I encounter sloppy editing, I don’t buy that book. Why? Because sometimes the poor editing is enough to take me out of the story, and I wind up wanting to leave the author a review begging them to pull the book, and have it edited as a mercy to readers. I’m far less forgiving when I’m asked to pay for work that hasn’t seen a beta reader, much less an editor and proofreader. It’s unprofessional, and it’s sloppy to put a book out there, ask for my money, and give me something that looks like a first draft of a manuscript. I can read better here for free, thank you. The preponderance of us in this thread write original work, which is why I’m sort of focusing on this. Self publishing is not a bad thing, but having a bad review or sharp concrit here is one thing. Having it happen on Amazon is crushing for authors who could be really good, with some editing and polishing.
    6 points
  43. “Stop scrolling! Are you ready to read the best story you’ve ever read? Great! You can read this piece of shit until you find it. Rape, snuff, MAGA”.
    6 points
  44. Or is it just me? A lot of you probably don’t know me or my writing very well, but I’ll be the first to admit that most of my writing contains what I’ll politely refer to as “risque content”. I’m sure that many people who’ve skimmed past my stories disinterestedly have thought to themselves “by God, this person’s a weirdo.” But what may surprise them is that some of the things I write really don't get my jollies off. For instance, I have a story with Minor1 (an 11-year-old), but I’m not excited by pedophilia (I actually despise children, but that’s a whole different thing). Instead, I wrote the story because it was challenging, interesting, and refreshing to write from the perspective of somebody innocent. To write as somebody ignorant of the situation and to work through the complexity of both wanting to please the adult they admired while also feeling guilty about a situation that felt inherently wrong. In two of my stories, rimming comes into play. I’ve never personally tried it from either perspective, but I’ve seen it performed and I can’t say I’m a fan. However, in one story it’s literally the only option for lubricant and the other story is about making (mostly gay) porn. I write the characters as enjoying it, and I write it in a way to hopefully excite those who are reading my stories, but it really doesn’t get me off. These are only some examples, and since I’m trying to create a discussion and not a rant, I’d like to hear from you.
    6 points
  45. JayDee

    Adult Roleplaying

    I tried adult roleplay once. Instructions unclear. Had a hell of a time getting the 20 sided dice out of my ass.
    6 points
  46. From my family to your, the brightest blessings of this holiday season, and all the best in 2017!
    6 points
  47. DirtyAngel

    Magusfang's Corner

    So Lizzie called all laughing and crying and told me that basically Magus’s cancer is in remission. Not like a real remission since he has to still do his monthly chemo, but its stopped cold and not only is there no new growth, but it seems that they knocked it back some. Thank you guys for all the words of support and as you can imagine everyone is pretty happy here, I went across the hall to tell Mon and she went nuts, bet they heard her in the principal’s office LOL. So as I write this, she’s on the phone to Steve, I think we all just got our christmas present early LOL. I’ll be back later when I know more, thanks again everyone, I just know all the positive words of support and everyone keeping him in their thoughts and prayers helped
    6 points
  48. Yes, shame on the admin for that brief summary telling folks what happened. What they needed was something like a professional writer would put, like old dexy's statement as, uh, admin/host of her own site: "I knew how petty and evil-minded the admins over on AFF really are." Wait, what? Surely not! Based on your statement about how admins should act on their sites I expected to see nothing more than "I am no longer with that site." Now, I know little of these things but from what you've told us that doesn't seem terribly professional does it? Almost, well... petty? Gosh! Petty! Yeah, we'll go with that. Maybe... and this is just speculation, you understand, maybe stating a user is removed for ToS violations, and listing the violations - much like we see in clubs and such - without adding personal ad hom attacks... maybe that is the professional way to do it? I'm just being snarky.
    6 points
  49. We were recently contacted by a well respected British publication about appearing in an article supporting Fan Fiction since we are one of the largest Fan Fiction communities out there. The following is his email to us: I would love to have some of our more established, long term, articulate Fan Fiction Authors who are currently active (Perhaps even an Originals author as we don't JUST do fan fic) speak with him. If this is something you are interested in, please let me know via a forum PM. Alternatively, if you have not signed up for the forums, you can always send me an email at admin@adult-fanfiction.org with your pen name/link to your profile and contact information that you would like to be provided. I'd appreciate, but not require, a brief statement as to why you would like to represent the site. I'm expecting a large response (I mean who doesn't want to be quoted in an article!) so please understand that so he is not overwhelmed, I'll be sorting through the responses and sending only a handful on to him. I will be looking for someone who, as I mentioned above, is currently active in the archive, well versed and well spoken and has been with the site for a decent amount of time. I don't know about you guys, but I'm so excited for the recent popularity and acceptance of fan fiction! If you have a chance, make sure you check out PBS's Idea Channel episode on YouTube talking about it! They'd love for our users to sound off in the comments! Edit: Okay! So, I've got the short list created ... of 18... I still gotta whittle down, but at least I'm getting somewhere! Please understand that due to the sheer volume of applications, it is just not a possibility for me to respond to each of you individually. It's been a pleasure getting to understand a bit of why you do what you do and I can't even begin to express how blessed I feel to have such a supportive group of people!
    6 points
  50. Danyealle

    Lack of reviews.

    I'm going to be honest, I’ve been avoiding this thread like it's nuclear waste because it's the kind of thing that can lead to serious rants and some very hurt feeling but, after today, I decided to add my two pennies to it (and Apollo is checking those pennies to make sure I don't step over the line with this rant). For those on here that don't know, I've been an archive moderator since '08 and seen a lot of things over those years so I can quite honestly say that, despite what someone asserted, it's not a few bad apples that have ruined reviews for most everyone but a whole lot of them rotten apples that have killed it! That's no joke, folks! And the biggest problem with getting reviews is the authors themselves. They are the ones that have, bluntly, made it to where so many are out and out scared to leave a review of any kind for anyone. It's sad, but it's true! I know people are going to argue with that assertion but hear me out. One very shining example of this happened today. A few days ago, I was working on doing my ten reviews for AFF's Review Association (for those of you that don't know what that is we go in and review stories each month that have none. Our reward for that? We get a banner. Nothing else. If interested, they are always accepting members-plug over, back to rant...). It's been a few days since I did it so I didn't think anything of it until I woke up today and was getting ready for work. Checking the standard pages I do when I get up, I found that one of the beings I left a review for reported me for it! Now, being a mod, I know what the difference between what a flame and concrit is. I also know where the line is drawn and don't even step close to it. If I feel something I’m saying is too harsh, I get BW or Apollo to check it over for me to see if there isn't a way to soften up what I said or to ensure that I didn't step over any kind of line with it. The review in question wasn't even one I had to do that with. It was nicely worded, slightly blunt but not overly so, giving the issue, a link about how to fix the issue and how what was done affects the reader when trying to read it. I started and ended the review with positive things about the story. Nor did I rip the thing apart. But, still, I got reported for it and there was a long rant from the author about the whole thing basically saying I need to quit pretending this is a professional writing site or Hollywood and stop leaving those kinds of reviews. I was... STUNNED. Then I laughed my ass off! Am I mad about it? No, I thought it was funny as hell! Am I in trouble for it? No, because I did nothing wrong and I didn't flame or attack anyone. Is this odd? Yes and no. It's odd that I got reported but these kinds of tantrums over concrit reviews are quite common. There are plenty out there, more than just a small handful of them, that want nothing but fandpoodling OMGWTFILUFFIT reviews and for you to say nothing else though they ask for reviews. Other examples are just as bad. Plenty pimp the hell out of their stuff all over and ask for reviews but when you give them an honest one, they just delete it and don't bother to fix any of the issues you pointed out even if you give them a very easy way or solution to fixing what is wrong. Talking to Rogue, another member of the RA, we figured out that we are running about 50/50 with reviews we leave. About 50% stay up and the other 50 either get rid of the review or out and out delete the story (this month's 5 I did serious concrit for has resulted in 2 reviews already being deleted and one reporting me for what I had to say so you can see this is not an exaggeration). That is sad but true. And, generally, they all but beg for reviews in the story, the thread in the forum to promo the story or elsewhere. But if you don't just gush, they get rid of it. How many times are you going to go through with this until you give up? It generally doesn't take long before you throw your hands up and say 'I give' then quit. It get's worse though. Though many of you might think I’m joking (I can assure you, I’m not), it goes downhill from there. Like I said at the beginning, I’ve seen a lot over my time as a mod and a common thing to happen is the flame baiting by authors. BW and I have both had this happen to us because we're mods and the author didn't like something we told them to change. We've had them say something in the story then had their readers go after our stories with reviews that are intended to be retaliatory and bombing our ratings. And if they'll do it to a mod, who knows what's going on and how to handle it, you can damned sure bet they do it to reviewers that say something they don't like! They have too, many, many, MANY times. They leave a butt-hurt, whiney ass AN about how someone was so mean to them in a review or that they think they should just stop writing because of something that is said then BAM the reviewer gets nailed. It happens more than you think, folks! And if you think it's just younger authors that do this, think again! There are plenty of older ones that do the same thing. This, more than anything, has made it to where people are afraid to leave a review. Would you want attacked because you were honest or were giving feedback to someone that's not mean but intended to help them improve what they do? The majority of you would say no to this but it's what happens. And plenty have seen this so they back off and say nothing rather than be on the receiving end of that kind of flaming. That results in people not reviewing. Since this has gone on for years, the end result is what you see now; reviews are minimal. If someone gives one, it's just standard fanpoodling OMG update soon or something like that. So, know what? You want to bitch and complain to someone about this? Go find the authors that do this bonehead stupid stuff, and more I didn't mention, and let them know because they are the ones that have killed the reviews for the rest of you more than just the readers that never bother.
    6 points
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