Altari

It was hard to get in to, but by the end, I was laughing my guts out. The well tempered plot device snippet

I do my best thinking in the car. I go through dialogue in my head while I drive. It kind of drones out the sound of screaming children... As far as planning..if it's a fanfic, those are just for fun, so I don't really plan. I just write as the mood strikes me. Sometimes I end up writing myself in a corner, but a few quick character deaths can take care of that. For my more serious, original fics I usually figure out where to start and where to end, then I wrote quick overviews of what happens. I currently have 30 pages of notes for the first section of one fic.

OMG

Huh?

People used to do this on AnimeSpiral back in the day. New chapter, new song. My god, was it annoying.

I'm sorry if I'm being anal, but I really HATE seeing a dozen AU stories in the M/F category when there is a perfectly accessible AU subcategory. If I wanted to read AU, I'd go there. If I want to read Cannon M/F fics, I go to M/F. Is there any way to enforce this, without leaving nasty comments to every author that does it?

At present, I'm in the middle of both American Gods by Neil Gaiman and Invasive Procedures by Orson Scott Card. I'm waiting on Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer to come out so I can devour it like the others.

Np, just send me an eMail altarilg [at] gmail.com with the fics as attachments. I'll return them at some point this year.

There's always going to be an element of you in everything you write. Something that you'd enjoy, how you'd react to a situation, or even very minor things, like a particular object that has some meaning to you appearing in room description. But it's best if you don't "know" everything you're writing about, lest you create a fic that revolves around a fictionalized version of you.

Any pure, harsh chemical on a brush could cause it. It depends on how large/deep/clean the burns are. I've gotten burns from ammonia before. Dry ice is probably your best bet, though.

I knew there would be issues with profiles. I really kind of hate doing them, anyway. There are many women out there are very "striking" that don't necessarily fall under the "beautiful" category. How I mean it is, she is more than simply "pleasant" looking, enough that people will take notice, but will not qualify, by any stretch, at beautiful. It's an "air" of an easy-going demeanor. He puts on a good show, but he isn't as friendly as he leads people to believe. The act of being "easy-going" is another aspect of his overbearing nature. This actually isn't true. Men are just as likely as women to respond well to an attractive man. Beautiful people, whether male or female, get their way more often than unattractive persons. That being said, I know I haven't set the bar low. These two characters have been flitting around my head for quite some time. They're both full of apparent contradictions and incompatibilities, but aren't we all? They've kind of taken on a life of their own in my brain, and I'm having trouble doing them justice through words.

Sounds like you wrote yourself into a corner. Some writing corners are subtler than others. You have places you want to go, but just aren't sure how to get from here to there. Anyway, take a deep breath and...skip it. Don't do that part. Write a rough outline of how the conversation should go down, and move on. Eventually you'll find inspiration. At least, that's how I handle such corners.

I've been bouncing this one around for a while and finally put the first chapter on paper. I need a beta who's good with English and loves to read. The fic, currently titled Wilderness, takes place in a post-apocolyptic northern Illinois. It's written in first-person present tense. There isn't any smut, and won't be anything blatant - although there will be allusions to m/f acts. The first chappie is more or less 3800 words and shouldn't take too long to read. Good betas should tell me when I deviate from present tense, point out sections that need refining and correct grammatical errors. S/he should also be willing to receive and return chappies as they come. I'm in no rush. Thanks! - Becky -

How long are they? I have another fic I'm beta-ing ATM but if they're [relatively] short I could read yours through for grammar/etc.

What about just Miss Name?

Fandom: Original Name of character: Cameron Race of character: Human Age of character: 36 Height of character: Tall Weight of character: Well muscled Brief background of character: Cameron has a deep appreciation for beautiful women, and could never leave one that interested him alone. He grew close to Samantha during the course of his friendship with the family. This closeness led to an attraction that prompted him to make advances on her. Character's position or job: Corporate marketing executive Strengths/Skills: Martial arts, smooth talker, fierce determination Weaknesses/Bad habits: Alcoholic, womanizer, selfish, easily depressed Distinctive features, if any: Golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes How does your character get on with those around him/her?: Cameron is overbearing and pushy. While most people give in easily to his good looks and smooth speech, when someone doesn't, he does whatever necessary to get his way. What does the other characters think of your character when they met her/him?: Women think of him as a "Greek God" and are awed by his good looks. Once they know him better, they are often put off by his abrasive demeanor, but are already hooked on a sexual level. Men view him as competition initially, hating him for his good looks. However, they are more easily swayed by his air of an easy-going nature. Neither group expects the levels he will stoop to get what he wants, or the ease at which his mood swings from pleasant to angry to depressed.

I'd like to get her profile ironed out before I get too far into my fic. I know where I want to go with her, but am always seeking validation. Fandom: Original Name of character: Samantha Race of character: Human Age of character: 33 Height of character: Average Weight of character: Anorexically thin, later shifting to an athletic build Brief background of character: Samantha lived a normal life as a wife and mother-of-three. She was the only survivor of a car accident, and blames herself for her family's, citing an argument caused by her near-infidelity as the cause. She has lost all passion for life, and this begins her exploitation by a criminal organization. Character's position or job: Housewife turned unwitting criminal Strengths/Skills: Clear understanding of the human condition, charismatic Weaknesses/Bad habits: No sense of self-preservation, overly empathetic, aggressive to the obscene, easily manipulated Distinctive features, if any: None, particularly. She is startlingly attractive, yet not overly beautiful How does your character get on with those around him/her?: Samantha interacts well with most people on a casual level. However, when deeper relationships evolve, she is unable to correctly connect with others. She becomes either overly emotionally attached or extremely aggressive and standoffish. What does the other characters think of your character when they met her/him?: Most characters think little of her upon first meeting her. They would describe her as friendly and easy to be around. She blends in quite well, and if often quickly forgotten. Only a few characters notice her in a more personal way, and her relationship with them is often strained due to her emotional disturbances. Characters personally involved with her would describe her as loyal, flighty, suicidal and high-strung.

I'm willing to do a read-through, provided there's no non-consentual sex acts with minors in the story.

I haven't written any Star Wars fan fiction in so long! I had almost completely forgotten there was even a section for it on AFF, and it seems there's a distinct lack of m/f fics. Please post any challenges here. Let's get some awesome fics going! Your post should use the following template

Hi there! I'd love to beta fics in the following fandoms : Inuyasha, Bebop, Blood+, Trigun, Lain (does anyone even write this?), Star Wars (I can't believe I forgot this at first!) or those involving original universes. I will beta any type of fic except those that involve rape/molestation/other non-consentual acts with a character under 18, and sexual acts with a character under the age of 15. Any other crazy deviancy is welcome (necropyrobestiality? Sure!). A little about me...hmmm...well, I'm a mom of 3, a part time student, and an aspiring business owner (my business is apiring, not me). I enjoy writing original stories and fanfics in the Inuyasha fandom. I'm a complete grammar nazi, and extraordinarly nitpicky on sentence flow and cadence. So...hit me up with a reply or PM if you have a fic you need beta'd. - Altari -

*cough*Kagome*cough*

I have a favorite reviewer here on AFF : swasdiva. She always makes me feel so good about myself when I'm doubting my writing. I mean, like serious literary fingering here. For Slipping Away And more recently for Recentare

I've heard Mary Sues referred to as "fulfillment characters" - meaning the writer uses the character to fulfill their every personal desire. They are usually one-dimensional, although the author attempts to make them multi-dimensional by piling on the fluff (pretty and smarrt and plays drums AND bass and is a princess and turns into a dragon and everyone loves her....you get the point).

Awww...you don't like pregnancy? I guess I'm OK with it since I've done it 3 times.

With some help from cu-kid (<3) I now have this as a description Would this entice you to read?