[Great guide for Sci-Fi writers]

It was hard to get in to, but by the end, I was laughing my guts out.

The well tempered plot device

snippet

Well, of course, the Thing in question is the legendary Black Star, as we learn a hundred pages later: "While this Thing rested in the possession of the Divine Dynasty" (ie. the good guys) "the favour of the Gods shone upon Atlantis. No Emperor could hold the throne unless he also held the Black Star...." which means that the wicked Trotskyite rebels that have temporarily overrun the kingdom will be overcome so long as the goodies retain the Black Star. Notice that the only causal connection between possession of the Black Star and victory is that enforced by "the Gods", for whom of course read "the author", and you perhaps begin to see why I like to term this kind of thing Collect-the-Coupons plotting. It would be much too complicated to have three goodies overcome the whole usurping army, or at any rate it would be far beyond the plotting powers of a Lin Carter. So what you do instead is write into the scenario one or more Plot Coupons which happen to be "supernaturally" linked to the outcome of the larger action; and then all your character have to do is save up the tokens till it's time to cash them in.

[How do you plan/organize your story?]

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.

[The Liger Syndrome]

But if it is a Mary Sue, then she's probably the beautiful and powerful offspring of a unicorn/elf raped by an evil dragon/werewolf who left her mother to die by the side of the highway...JUST down the road from the monastery devoted mystical healing arts... So the attending wizard would be too late to explain why she has perfect teeth rather than three rows of different-sized fangs...

OMG

[Beta please help!]

~sigh~I thought I finally found one...

Huh?

[Song lyrics?]

Which is where the interactive reading comes in:

Turn the page and the song starts playing. It's genius.

People: you need to start making interactive fiction.

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

[Please, enforce subcategories]

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?

[What Are You Reading?]

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.

[Beta please help!]

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

[First-hand experience]

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.

[I'm stumped on this.]

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.

[Evaluate Samantha, Cameron]

I knew there would be issues with profiles. I really kind of hate doing them, anyway.

If she's startling attractive then she IS overly beautiful

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.

With Cameron... he's described as "overbearing and pushy" as well as "easy-going".

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.

Also, this: "While most people give in easily to his good looks and smooth speech..." I assume you primarily mean women? Because his good looks wouldn't make most straight men give in.

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.

[Ugh, story block, not writer's block]

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.

[Need a Beta for an original fic]

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 -

[Beta please help!]

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.

[Oedipussy]

What about just Miss Name?

[Evaluate Samantha, Cameron]

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.

[Evaluate Samantha, Cameron]

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.

[Looks Like I Will Need to Post That Story Afterall]

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

[Het Challenges]

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

Example Challenge

Pairing : Luke/Mara

Genre : Romance

Tags : M/F, Oral, BDSM, OoC

Era : 1 year post RoTJ

Do Not Include : Rape, Torture

Summary : Mara and Luke get it on when they find themselves trapped on an alien planet. Details continue...

[I want to read your stuff]

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 -

[Im new and don't understand the definition of a Mary Sue]

*cough*Kagome*cough*

[Reviews That Make You Squee]

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

Whoa... Again.

Impressed doesn't quite cover it...

I find it slightly ironic that I've been the only one to review this story on AFF when I don't remember reading it the first time around. Suffice to say, now that I've found it again I'm still completely mesmerized. It's an ambitious plot that you pull off with the talent of a seasoned author. I appreciate how technical it is, how much planning and detail are just below the surface of something very gritty and emotional. I do not lie when I say I would pluck this off the bestseller's list and buy it, because that's where your style belongs. Seriously, your writing is infinity stronger than most published work.

I'm still completely blown away...pun intended.

And more recently for Recentare

Sweet God, I love your stories. They are always so intricate and stunningly imaginative. It's the detail that I salivate over, though. Every development is so well engineered I can imagine it effortlessly. Although I will admit sometimes the pacing is a bit too fast to feel completely invested, but you slow it down when it matters. I understand that you've got a point to make and much of the setup is filler, but don't hold back on fleshing out your twists and relationships. It won't bloat the story but make it richer.

You've brought in some of the most relatable OCs I've ever come across, and your concept for the background story is masterfully done. I mean, my jaw was using my keyboard as an ottoman for the majority of scenes, I was so impressed. It's interesting that Nichika and Inuyasha haven't bonded at the hip considering how alike they are, but I guess that similarity would also just as easily butt heads, wouldn't it? And the Kin revelation...exquisite. I have never been so sympathetic to Sesshoumaru as I am with his character as you've created him. His depth is tragically beautiful. The path you've put Miroku on is a interesting one, not to mention the sensual take on Rin...very unexpected and enjoyed. I really like that you brought Kagome back into the mix; considering how you manipulate the pairings I'll be curious to see who she ends up with.

I love the angst, the double meanings, the word play, the subterfuge, the emotion, the twists, the reveals and the scope. You're quickly becoming one of my favorite writers on this site.

[Im new and don't understand the definition of a Mary Sue]

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).

[[Official Request Thread]]

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

[Help with description!]

With some help from cu-kid (<3) I now have this as a description

A final desperate act leaves the group changed forever. Can new comers fill the painful voids left by lost friends? And can they come together to face the challenges that come after Naraku's defeat? Language, M/F, Violence

Would this entice you to read?