Leaderboard

I suppose what inspires me most are other people. All of what I consider to be my best stories were somehow inspired by someone else who provided direction and limitations, eg, a contest with a particular theme and word limit. I'm doing a story exchange with someone who gave me an idea of the type of story they wanted, and it was something I never would have thought of doing, but suddenly my head filled with ideas for plot, characters, scenes, and so forth. In fact, I think what I came up with might actually be worthy of a novel, even though I have never seriously considered writing a novel before.

I keep flashing back to a lovely tattoo on a nice, young deckhand. Alas, time escapes me for the story to go with it.

Everything. I see a person, or someone makes a gesture, and it sets off a story in my head. The light from my terrace at the end of the day, the hawks setting up housekeeping down the street, or just the color of someone's dress. I have no end of inspiration. I just need to wait for it to gel into a story, and then hide somewhere and write an outline.

ohgoodgoddon'tdothistome!!!! aaaaahhhhh! Okay, have that out of my system. You know, I've been pondering doing such a sampling, for years, to satisfy my curiosity. The problem is, I have no time.

Must...resist...grammar...spelling...rampage... Okay, calmer now. On the off chance that there is an AFF member alive who hasn't seen this yet, here is a timely and relevant music video: Weird Al Yankovic's "Word Crimes."

You are not wrong. That's part of why tagging is so important, IMO. It's not just to warn readers away from content they won't like; it's also to attract them to content they probably will like. I'm not sure I agree. The fetishes you mentioned (BDSM and noncon) seem to be popular in pretty much every fandom that I know of. I'm currently working on my eighth Phineas and Ferb story, which, unlike its seven predecessors, includes some noncon (okay, a lot of noncon). Even though I have only posted the first chapter, it is already clear that "Little Blonde Monster" is going to be far more popular than any of the others, given how quickly it is attracting reviews and votes. If I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands, I would LOVE to do a statistical analysis of review rates and votes, broken down by tag (or by fandom AND tag, if there were enough data to allow a meaningful analysis). There might be a lot to be learned about what AFF readers as a whole like, how the tastes of people in different fandoms differ (or don't differ), and whether hits versus ratings versus reviews represent different aspects of a story's attractiveness to readers. Of course, I'd have to beg the mods to give me the raw data. And possibly a supercomputer.

Grammar: a lost art.

Don't let that stuff get you down. There are a great many factors that affect how many reviews a story gets, most of which have little or nothing to do with how well it's written. To name just one, FFN has no age restrictions, which means that compared to AFF, it has an audience that is much bigger, far less discriminating, and more prone to gushing or flaming (either of which ups the review numbers). I have two stories posted on AFF that I consider to be the best I have ever written. I literally sweated over them and (less literally) poured my heart and soul into them. And of all the stories I have posted here, they are the least reviewed and the lowest rated. Why? Probably because, unlike most of my other stories, they aren't porn. But the relative lack of attention to those stories doesn't mean that I think any less of them; I just know that they can't be measured with the same yardstick as my other stuff.

I am doing a bit of condensing to take up less space. Here is the first worksheet. Feel free to copy it and use it all you want. I got it free from a pro writing site, and have used it for over a decade personally. Character Developing Worksheet NAME: RACE: GENDER: CITY OF BIRTH: STATE: COUNTY: COUNTRY: BIRTH DATE: CURRENT AGE: NICK NAMES: PHYSICAL STATISTICS HEIGHT: WEIGHT: BODY TYPE: NECK: SHOULDERS: ARMS: HANDS: BREASTS/CHEST: BELLY & WAIST: LEGS & HIPS: VOICE: FACE & EYES: HAIR COLOR & STYLE: Habitual Expressions: PERCEIVED PHYSICAL IMPERFECTIONS MINIMUM OF 3 DISTINGUISHING FEATURES/ MINIMUM OF 3: CLOTHING STYLES & FAVORITE OUTFITS; MINIMUM OF 3: Favorite Colors: Taste in Jewelry: This is a psychoanalytical tool. This focuses mainstream values and character behaviors. This is the inner world workings of characters that evoke emotional responses to each situation. Language Spoken: Political Affiliations: Social Class: Family: Father's Name: Profession: Living or dead? If dead, how did he die?: Mother's name: Profession: Living or dead? If dead how did she die?: Are parents happily married, or divorced where applicable?: # of Brothers: Names: # of Sisters: Names: Description of family escutcheon (Coat of Arms) where applicable: Interesting information regarding family (Idiosyncrasies/historical significant background such as starting a company that was successful/ war hero ancestors/Scientific innovators etc.): Marriage to whom and when.: Number of children, ages, and names if any: Character's relationship with family: Thoughts and feelings about their family: CHARACTER LINEAGE: 3 GENERATIONS MINIMAL CREATE FAMILY BACKGROUND FOR CHARACTER'S RELATIVES; INCLUDE HISTORY, OCCUPATIONS, ETC WHERE APPROPRIATE. PERSONALITY TYPE: CHARACTERISTIC GESTURES (Habitual Mannerisms are Actions that are somewhat compulsive to emotional cues) Name 4 minumum: RELIGION; WHERE APPLICABLE: GENERAL PERSONALITY TYPE: INTROVERT? EXTROVERT? QUIRKS Name 3 or more: ECCENTRICITIES/ MINIMUM OF 3: TEMPERAMENT: Emotional Level (i.e. Cries at the drop of a hat/ angry at the drop of a hat): SENSE OF HUMOR: METHOD OF HANDLING ANGER/RAGE: ADMIRABLE TRAITS; MINIMUM OF 4: NEGATIVE TRAITS= MINIMUM OF 2 preferable to have 3 or more: BAD HABITS/VICES List MINIMUM OF 4: PREJUDICES = MINIMUM OF 2: PET PEEVES/GRIPES MINIMUM OF 4: FAVORITE PET SAYINGS, WORDS/IDIOLECT MINIMUM OF 5: SPEAKING STYLES; TALKATIVE, TACITURN, SOFT/LOUD ETC... PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE: TYPE AND # OF CLOSE FRIENDS MINIMUM OF 2: BEST FRIEND: OTHER FRIENDS MINIMUM OF 6: What do friends and neighbors really think of him/her?: What does (S)he value most in his/her friends?: Who are his/her worst enemies and why?: THINGS THAT MAKE UNCOMFORTABLE/ EMBARRASS = MINIMUM OF 4: MOST PAINFUL THINGS IN LIFE MINIMUM OF 2: TRAUMAS/PSYCHOLOGICAL SCARS FROM PAST MINIMUM OF 3: MOST CRUCIAL EXPERIENCE(S) THAT HELPED SHAPE PERSONALITY/ATTITUDES MINIMUM OF 1: FEARS MINIMUM OF 2: PHOBIAS: WHERE APPLICABLE MANIAS: WHERE APPLICABLE PHYSICAL ILLNESSES/AFFLICTIONS: WHERE APPLICABLE MENTAL DISTURBANCES: WHERE APPLICABLE HOBBIES: Hobbies or Past times, MINIMUM OF 3(Can these activities show characterization or influence story?): INTERESTS: (Not Romantic) MINIMUM OF 2 SPORTS: FAVORITE SHOWS MINIMUM OF 2: FAVORITE MOVIES: FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS: PETS: DIET; RICH OR LOW CHOLESTEROL/FAT?: FAVORITE MEAL: Favorite Non Alcoholic Drinks: FAVORITE RESTAURANT/ETHNIC FOODS: A: Restaurant: B:Ethnic Foods: DRINKS ALCOHOL? : HOW OFTEN? WHAT IS FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK?: FAVORITE BOOKS: FAVORITE SONGS IF APPLICABLE?: OPINIONS SECTION OPINION ON ABORTION (As Example): OPINION ON BIRTH CONTROL: OPINION ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: OPINION ON MILITARY INTERVENTION: OPINION ON PROGRESS; SCIENTIFIC: MEDICAL: TECHNOLOGICAL: OPINION ON CRIME/WEAPONS CONTROL: OPINIONS PECULIAR TO CHARACTER MINIMUM OF 4: WHAT IS HIS/HER ATTITUDE TOWARD SMALL CHILDREN?: ATTITUDES ABOUT CHARITIES: LIVING SITUATION SECTION HOME; APARTMENT/CONDO, MANSION, CASTLE ETC.. LOW INCOME/EXPENSIVE, RENT OR OWN? NEIGHBORHOOD: DESCRIBE FURNISHINGS IN CHARACTERS HOME (COLORS AND MATERIALS): CITY BACKGROUND?: COUNTRY BACKGROUND?: TRANSPORTATION: OBEY LAWS: WHAT IS THE WORST CRIME (S)HE HAS EVER COMMITTED?: DRIVE FAST/SLOW INCOME: INCLUDES BREAKDOWN OF EXPENSES IF POSSIBLE: STOCKS/BONDS, INHERITANCE WHERE APPLICABLE. SEXUAL ATTITUDES SECTION TYPE OF MEN/WOMEN ATTRACTED TO OR PREFERRED: FAVORITE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES OF OPPOSITE/SAME SEX: MINIMUM OF 2: ATTRIBUTES OF CHARACTER THAT ATTRACT OPPOSITE SEX: OPINION ON HOMOSEXUALITY: SEXUAL TURN ONS: SEXUAL TURNOFFS: SEXUAL ATTITUDES; PRUDE OR PROMISCUOUS: WOULD THIS CHARACTER PREFER ORDINARY SEX, OR SEEK MORE THRILLING GRATIFICATION? EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND IQ: YEARS OF SCHOOLING: POOREST PERFORMANCE SUBJECTS IN SCHOOL: FAVORITE SUBJECTS: MAJOR/MINOR STUDIES IN COLLEGE; IF APPLICABLE: DEGREES EARNED/AWARDED/ HONORARY: GRADES ACHIEVED: SPECIAL OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING WHERE APPLICABLE: SKILLS/ABILITIES/ & TALENTS: I left numbers because all O.C. characters need these to be realistic. 1 2 3 4 AREAS OF EXPERTISE: 1 2 3 CURRENT OCCUPATION: PREVIOUS OCCUPATIONS: 1 2 3 4 QUALITY OF WORK PERFORMED: HOURS WORKED PER WEEK: INCOME: REPUTATION WITH THOSE WORKED WITH: GUILDS BELONGED TO IF ANY: