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DanielleMoonstar

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  1. Just an note about a discussion I had a year ago (last fall semester, actually) in my MFA program about Mary Sues. We had a visiting writer speaking to us and she made a comment that, since everyone hates Mary Sues, perhaps we ought to use them a kind of archetypical anti-character, one that our readers will immediately dislike. She was being facetious, but I work with a woman who falls into that category: she's blond, pretty, skinny as a rail, smart and personable, and all those in authority just love her! What would we do without her! Eggghh. I've killed her at least twice in writing exercises. I've written on forums for a few years, especially the FF.net forum, and I've been the phrase Mary Sue tossed out where it clearly didn't apply. In fact, I've seen reviewers use the phrase to suggest the character is like the writer - but unless you KNOW the writer, how do really know the character is like them? The Stephen King example works because everyone knows a lot about King, but we don't really know what's on the other side of an avatar on a forum unless we know that person or they've revealed something. Another element is that beginning writers are told to (and should) write about what they know. They know themselves, so that's not a bad place to start, is it? I think some reviewers apply the phrase Mary Sue to any story they simply don't like. The phrase often get used when there is insufficient explanation for character motivation. A Mary Sue is character equivalent of the deus ex machina problem: everything goes her way, and there is some utterly ridiculous solution to all her problems. Think Downton Abbey. Bad motivation is different. Recently, I read about a year's worth of confession magazines as part of a literary assignment (don't ask). These are FILLED with horrid motivations: you know, mothers who, for no explanations, suddenly have sex with their daughter's husbands and crap like that. As others have said, that's not a Mary Sue, that's just bad writing. I don't hate Mary Sues. A number of people in my MFA program seem to hate them, and seem to enjoy telling people how much they hate them. I'm kind of meh. If I like the story enough, I keep reading/watching. After all, Anna is my favorite character on Downton Abbey and she's definitely a Mary Sue.
  2. Thanks again. I'm using the standard disclaimers you posted in the disclaimer thread (very helpful, thank you) so there shouldn't be a problem. I will post stories a few at first, probably one per day or so, and see if there is any interest. Thanks, Dani
  3. Well, I hope you didn't step on any toes, because you did help out. Original fiction. Check. No taboos. Check. It's author's notes and not stories that are limited to 300 words. Check. And we're off . . . Thanks again.
  4. I'm posting these questions here (I hope this is the right place) before I add any content to archive. Yes, I've read the ToS and the Forum Rules and the Disclaimer Rules, but I really want to be clear on these issues before I start posting stories. Some background: I started writing erotica when I was 17, when I first got my hands on a book by Anais Nin. Since my lil' erotica hard drive has grow to a midly impressive 300 stories (okay, maybe not impressive to you, but to me it's impressive). Some are fanfiction, some are original fiction. Obviously, the fanfiction is welcome here. First question, is the original fiction welcome here, too? Is there any interest in original erotic fiction? Example: After having drinks with a couple of my friends one night, and talking about if we ever cheated on boyfriends - and why - I started writing a series of fictional interviews entitled why women cheat. The idea is that a sociology professor went around interviewing women who had cheated on their husbands and boyfriends. Each "interview" had a theme . . . and, yes, is a heavy erotic element. The idea is that the sex becomes more believable because the setting and backstory suspends the reader's disbelief (all very Nabokov). Is that welcome here or should I take it elsewhere? Second question: what do the forum administrators require in terms of minor aged characters? Relax, I'm not talking pedophilia, but I don't belong to that group of innocent dreamers who hope and believe that sex begins at 18 (my mother is a card-carrying member of that group . . . right). Clearly, you allow Harry Potter fanfiction, and most of those characters are, um, well under the age of eighteen. Do you discourage age references? Do you discourage writers from using the any descriptions that might imply the fictional character is under the age of 18? I know you say in ToS that writers have creative license, but I thought I would ask before I post. Are there any subject matters which are taboo (taboo = do not post it on the forum)? I don't write about real people so that part of your content guidelines does not apply. My characters are all fictional, whether created by me or someone else. Final question: I think I read there is a six hundred word limit per chapter. Am I right on that? I write predominantly one-hit short stories - but all are over 600 words long and most are around 2500 words or more. Anyway, I'd like to get this clear before I start posting. I'm quite enjoying the forum and hope you will enjoy my future contributions.
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