fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3247 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3247 ⌋

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I'm sure many of us have writing tips to share with the world. Let's see what everyone has to say!

Don't worry about whether you're creating a "Mary Sue"/"Gary Stu" when you're first starting on a character. They tend to develop through interactions with other characters and their looks tend to change as you work on them more anyway! Just create the character and fleshing out will happen over time!

+1000

Also I'd like to add to this for people who use Sue litmus tests. Remember those things can be subjective depending on the opinions of the creator.

For example- On the Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test, choosing a name you would give a child gets you 10 points. Making your character a "cosmic keystone" (meaning their existence is tied to the existence or balance of the world) gets you 2 points.

If that's the test I'm thinking of, I remember being frustrated at how harshly it grades succubi and incubi. A lot of things that would be natural for that sort of character earn a high score.

Yep.

Seducing characters and making them love the character may be "sueish" for regular characters but...that's kind of part of the job description.

Part of the job description for succubi and incubi that is

That reminds me of a huge annoyance I have in general with Sue tests. Arbitrary point spiking for things that the creator thinks just CANNOT be done right and don't even try.

I still remember a test that considered relation to canon characters a trait worthy of "hand in your test, insta-sue" Like I have seen several awesome OCs that were related to a canon out of plot necessity or means of introduction.

(also isn't that the way shows and canons do it all the time? Like I can think of several one episode characters in MLP that were introduced through someone else and they're fine.)

You are just pissed because literally every single one of your characters is off the scale on the Sue-o-meter.

1. There is no one-size-fits-all Process. Some people pants. Some people outline. Some do some unholy amalgam of both. None of these methods is Objectively Wrong. Experiment with process, find out what works for you, and realize that "what works for you" can not only change over time, but even change back and forth depending on what you're working on.

2. Don't chase the trend. Be the trend. If you're chasing a trend and planning on getting published the old-fashioned way with an agent and a Big Six contract (ahaha), then the trend that you're chasing will be three to four years out of date by the time your Awesome Book is actually published. Write what you love and create your own damn trend.

3. Realize that not everyone is going to love your stories, and that's okay. Go look at the one-star reviews for your favorite books on Amazon. Stop trying to please people who aren't your audience and concentrate your efforts on pleasing yourself. If you love your story, there are other people out there who will love it too. But if you love writing (for example) vampire fiction, don't worry about people who hate vampire fiction, because who cares what they think anyway?

3a. Grow rhino skin. Because sometimes people who are not your audience will review your book anyway, and they can be mean. But, see above: Who cares what they think? But for the love of God, don't reply, because no one wants to look like Anne Rice.

Write what you love. Fuck the haters.

Just what I was going to say! You've written this wonderfully.

When you're starting out, don't switch character POV within a writing section/chapter. This can really be confusing for readers, especially if it's constantly happening.

There are no rules. There are a few useful guidelines, but they are contradictory and may or may not work for you.

Read a lot. Press your boundaries on what you normally read.

Write a lot. Press those boundaries, too. A 'lot' is variable. Some days it may be 500 words, of which you hate 498 of them. Other days may go 3000+ words of shit you love.

Don't feel bad if you have a streak where you can't get a single useful word down. They happen. They do not have to obliterate your identity as a Writer.

Everything else is negotiable, even the stuff people tell you are Hard Truths. They're lying. There is no hard floor. There's only you and the words.

Don't feel bad if you have a streak where you can't get a single useful word down. They happen. They do not have to obliterate your identity as a Writer.

I need to remind myself of this one a lot more often :p.

I was writing this fic. And the tone just drastically changes half way through. In the beginning I'm just setting things up and it sounds fairly serious, and then it gets to the part I've been itching to write and it's all comedy. How do I make it less jarring?

You could try to turn the shift itself into a comedic moment. Setting up Super Seriousness and then shattering it with comedy can work great, especially if you play on the audience's expectations.

Or, if you don't want to go that route, you can try to lighten up your first section. See what parts can be treated in a more humorous way, or maybe outright cut. You don't always need a lot of setup/exposition.

Even taking into account the stress that comes with writing, at the end of the day, never forget that writing can be, should be, and is also fun. Creating new worlds and characters, or, if you're a fanfic writer, taking your own spin on characters and storylines, is a total blast. Sharing those stories with an audience (and a captive audience at that) is just as exciting. And the fun that comes with writing makes all the stress worth it in the end :).

Remember that a lot of different people could potentially read your book. Don't be afraid to have bad guys who're different in some way, but don't use difference to lazily indicate that a character is bad.

Edited 2015-11-25 02:07 (UTC)

Remember that angst and cliffhangers are for the audience, not the characters.

Sometimes basing a character on yourself and writing in first person can be a stumbling block, because you won't let that character fuck up the way they have to, be hurt the way they should, and change. I'm not saying that this can't be done well, of course, but I've had several friends who just got bogged down in their self-inserts.

[ SECRET POST #3247 ]

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