CloverReef

Chapter 13 is up!

This stuff is soooo important. I’m loving these guides you’re posting, and I hope everyone reads them, newbies and seasoned writers alike. Thank you!

There are actually a looot of interesting word processors out there for free. I’ve tried most of them because I’m not a fan of the typical MS Word style. Too many features I don’t use so it takes up too much Memory. Like yWriter, which is designed by a writer for writers. It lets you plan and organize scenes and keep character lists in the writing file and much more. Downside was it cluttered the folder it was in, which was what made me ultimately stop using it. There are a lot of distraction-free processors (Designed to write full screen without panels/menus visible) , from simple no-bells-and-whistle ones, to slightly more complex. My favourite of these is FocusWriter, because it has a spellcheck and wordcount, and it allows you to customise the background so I can write on any picture I stick in it, from blue birds to half naked men to, I don’t know, Grumpy cat. These kinds of writers you’ll wanna pair with something like Libreoffice or WPS writer for formatting/editing. But when it comes to ones like MS word, I agree with the others, Libreoffice is excellent. I like it much better than OpenOffice even if they are from the same vein. If you want something lighter with similar features, WPS writer is an excellent lightweight alternative, and Google docs is great. I use google exclusively for collab work, but I prefer to work offline for my solos with Focus/Libre combo (since I’m on Linux and WPS doesn’t work well on mint, sadly.) An unusual one I haven’t mentioned is Jarte. Some people looove it, some people hate it. It’s certainly different. Have fun with your return to writing! Trying new processors is fun. I envy you!

I completely agree BW. Even if I might not operate the same way. Who knows. I think tropes and stereotypes have a place in fiction, even if they do offend. Even though I see how it could hurt or offend some readers, and I empathize with them, but at the same time, the campy gay guy stereotype for instance is a reviled by a lot of people in the gay community, but campy gay guys exist. We can’t shy away from campy characters just because they are demonized by a stereotype, we just have to do them well, right? And I love fiction writing for the things you mentioned, the social commentary, the messages, the exploring of things that might or do offend, the speaking to issues in negative and positive ways. I dunno if I’m making sense anymore. Arguing with someone at the same time I’m writing this about something else lol. Makes my thoughts all jumbled!

I think in some cases, seeing something you are passionate about (whether it be religion or culture or race or something different entirely) written full of inaccuracies, stereotypes, etc, can be frustrating. Even more so if that writing is given credence, popularity or validation of any other type. I understand why some might get upset in those circumstances. But when it comes to fantasy like JK Rowling, where everything is just a product of her imagination, it becomes a grey area. On one hand, fantasy is fantasy. She is clearly not saying her universe is based in fact. On the other hand, if someone feels her portrayal demeans or trivializes their culture or something else they’re passionate about, their hurt and frustration is valid. But should writers and other artists cater to anyone and everyone who might be offended by their stories? Fuck no. I think writers and other artists should cater to the issues they’re passionate about. Whether you’re respectful within reason, hypersensitive to the feelings of select/all readers, or throw caution to the wind and go batshit crazy with weird verging-on-insensitive cultural theories/fantasies, all writers need to feel this out and decide where they stand for themselves. You know, so long as you’re not blatantly and aggressively mean-spirited.

Chapter 11 has gone up! http://original.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600107958&chapter=11 Please pay attention to the warnings. (Though if you’ve made it this far in the story, a little violence and sex… and violent sex shouldn’t scare you off.)

You’re welcome! I love your writing style. Plus the AI thing is fascinating – I’ve been dying to do an AI story for months, and seeing you do it so well is very inspiring.

Blackbird is back now after a few months hiatus. A brother with a spiraling meth addiction has made the real life situation a little unpredictable, so updates might come slow, but they’ll come! Chapter 9 is up, and have a few additional chapters written and ready to go up.

Hell yeah, that soft murmur thing sounds awesome I have so many rainy scenes in my story, why didn't I ever think of listening to a rain track while I write?! I feel like this is some kinda... Oprah moment. Epiphany? I dunno. Just awesome, thanks. And in the spirit of the thread, there's also a kinda cool processor designed for writers. The files used to get pretty cluttered (they may have changed that since I switched to focuswriter), but it's good for people who like to do a lot of planning and/or tracking of their story. Here's a description from the website itself: "yWriter is a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create. It will not write your novel for you, suggest plot ideas or perform creative tasks of any kind. yWriter was designed by an author, not a salesman!" Free to download at http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5.html

CL's advice is so sound. Don't be afraid to let your characters screw up, be ugly and be a little gross sometimes, especially during sex. I think the most silly sex scenes are when everything goes perfectly. At least to me. Flawed and messy can be sexy. Other than that, focus on the senses: what do they taste, smell, see, feel? I'd also suggest avoiding the passive voice in sex scenes when possible. Tends to slow things down and take away from the sexy. Oh, and a good beta who reads or writes a lot is priceless with this sort of thing too! There are actually a lot of good advice articles out there about writing erotica fiction. Most are for het erotica, but the advice is usually still valid. I had more to say, but I forgot what... Anyway, have fun! Welcome to the dark side!

^ This. 100% what BronxWench said. I'd save MLA and APA for essays and articles. When it comes to fan fiction of the typical things like anime, games, TV series, movies, if you give due credit and have no intention of profiting from another person's/company's/group's ideas, I think you're good to go. There was actually a really good seminar on fan art copyright law a few years back... For a DeviantArt convention, I believe. It was very informative. I'll see if I can find it. And there's all kinds of essays about this very issue if you want to look into it further. Edit: I think this is the one. Clickity Click! (It's a Youtube vid)

Blackbird By CloverReef Summary: Blackbird is out for blood. Seven notorious criminals baited and raped his little brother, and he will do everything in his power to snuff them out. Enter Malti Arvika, one of the most infamous men of the city's underworld, and an irresistible opportunity to get the vengeance Blackbird craves. If only he could figure out whose side Malti was really on. Feedback: Brightens my day. Fandom: Original Warnings: M/M, M/M/M/+, Anal, Oral, Bondage, S&M, Rape, Violence, Minor character death Solo story or chaptered story: Chaptered URL: http://original.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=600107958 I hope you like Blackbird. I like it, but it's possible I'm biased. Remote possibility, of course. Well, I had written this long, pandering thing here all about kissing the feet of readers and throwing engagement rings at reviewers, but I deleted it. After all the work I put into perfecting it too. Decided to go the dignity route, but this got real boring real quick... So... Um... Screw it. Where'd those friggin' rings go? Happy reading!

Yeah I was gonna say what George did. Appendage. I'm not sure there's really any English word for tentacle besides tentacle. The ones you mentioned (Tendrils, feelers) are probably ones I would use. I feel like there should be more, like there's something on the tip of my tongue, but that might just be because I want there to be. In the case of that thing coming up and trapping food with tentacles, I think I'd personally rely on descriptive verbs when repetition of tentacle becomes a problem, like 'snaking', 'slithering', or descibing the actions of suction cups if there are any, etc. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

For me, there was never a time when I wasn't telling stories. It was a natural progression from making up stories with my dad, to playing make believe with barbies and stuff, to writing screenplays and fan fiction. That being said, some people need a push, I think. A lot of people want so badly to write, but are held back by something. It's like standing on a diving board for the first time. It's kinda scary and you don't know what to expect and you're anxious about feedback and flames and trolls. But then when you finally dive in, you find out it wasn't nearly as scary/demanding as you thought it was going to be. If you want to start with baby steps, you could always try prompts. There's some good ones on this site, there's prompt communities on pretty much any social media site out there too, and all sorts of e-books. Sorry if I didn't make sense - getting over a brain breaking flu. Whatever you end up doing, have fun with it!

Personally, I started with the indented paragraph without the space between, but after I started posting on sites back in the early 2000s, some of them would lose the indent in the translation. I'd end up with a big wall of text. The block paragraph style seemed to be a format universally accepted, so I switched to that and stuck with it. I think it also makes things easier to read on a screen. On paper, the indented paragraph and continual text is broken up by pages, but on screen, on the web, it's usually one continuous text all the way up until the end of the chapter (or story), and with no breaks between paragraphs that can look a little daunting to some people. Of course, with the exception of some e-book formats.

Ha thank you for addressing my OP. I really didn't intend for a debate to break out when I started this, but debates are healthy and often fascinating as long as people don't get too pissed off. This one remained civil I think, though. (Very much so compared to the one on facebook...) I know other writers with very diverse representations of cultures in their stories who worry about this sort of thing as well. I thought it might be useful for people like us to get some perspective on the subject. I'm never going to stop worrying about other people's feelings. It's my nature, and as frustrating as it can be, I like that part of me. So I'd still like to hear how you guys figure out the best way to be respectful in your own stories. I think Chrissy gave a good example in her first post about the dude sitting on the porch.

**UPDATE** Gonna be busy with a big move for the next few weeks. Will still happily beta for the writers I've taken on, and will accept more, but might take me a few days to respond. I have been betaing about as long as I've been writing (15+ years), for a number of people. They've stuck with me this long so I must be doing something right. I try to be positive, respectful and constructive, by making sure the critiques I offer are specific and can be changed. My mother tongue (and pretty much only tongue) is English. Fandom: Original (Primarily) Dragon Age Elder Scrolls Tekken Saiyuki Star Ocean (all of them) I avoid: Minor1, Scat Methods: Chapter-by-chapter (As in: you send me a chapter at a time.) Via google docs or email.

To be fair I think I was the one who brought up censorship. I did not, however mean to use it in a way that implied criticism and concerns aren't valid. My intention was to consider both sides of the argument, and I tried not to get too caught up in my censorship related pet peeves in mostly unrelated issues.

I think you put it very eloquently, WillowDarkling. I do, though, agree with LockedBox. I don't think they were suggesting not writing about other cultures at all, just not dismissing it when someone takes offense. People are going to be touchy and some easily offended regardless of what we write. I understand some people of any race or culture might take offence at the drop of a hat. But for me, I don't know enough about their personal experiences to decide if their outrage is justified or not. Of course racism is bad, we all agree there. It's when it comes that large grey territory where the difference between appreciation and appropriation is muddled that it becomes very much a matter of personal choice for writers about who to and who to not listen to. A lot of people do shy away from it though because they don't know where that line is. That's crazy unfortunate. For me, listening to well reasoned arguments for and against bits and pieces of suspected appropriation is a valid way to go.

I'd very much like to reconcile both sides. I don't mind that there will always be someone who's offended. It -is- fantasy. And with most types of creative writing, artistic license is critical. Wouldn't be much of a creative outlet if it wasn't. Different cultures are fascinating and inspiring, and I think there is a risk of writers to run a little too wild with it and make insensitive mistakes, either from ignorance or just getting carried away in general. There's also a risk of writers being too afraid to make those mistakes and shying away from what could be really awesome tales. So really I agree with everyone here and totally contradict myself.

"Doesn't that just make you feel a little wrong inside?" LOL Yes, Chrissy it does. The whole topic of that article made me feel a little wrong inside. Bronxwench, I never really thought about it like that - the way our language borrows from other cultures in ways that a lot of people would call appropriating if it happened now. (Admittedly, though, I'm sick of seeing witches lumped in with satanists in movies.) Muse, I agree. I have no intention of writing only white characters just because I'm white. I've never liked stories that only revolve around things the author has experienced (unless that author is like, a zombie or something) I worry about this issue. Although I know, rationally that best way to go is rely on your common sense and just don't be a racist turd, a lot of racist turds don't think they're racist. So on one hand, I understand that I can't understand the experiences of most marginalized groups and the last thing I want to do is add to the problem. On the other hand, white-washing would definitely be adding to the problem. And on the ... third hand? Censorship sucks, and policing art really annoys the hell out of me most of the time. Fighting the urge to rant more about censorship lol. Does it all boil down to just not being a racist turd and doing your research?