Advice for Aspiring Authors - An Old Rant Revived

[Kurai]

First of all, I shall state that I am in no way, form, or fashion, bashing, flaming, or otherwise exhibiting anger towards anyone. What I have to say is purely in the opinion of many good authors I know and have befriended.

These pieces of advice are simply that. You don't have to take any of the advice aside from this first section.

It's recommend that fics:

- are at least a page long in MS Word, WordPerfect or Claris Works. This dissuades SPAM.

- avoid script formatting. This also dissuades SPAM, adds support and "stuffing" to the fic, and gives greater readability.

- are double-spaced. This entire post is double-spaced between the paragraphs. Use this form of organizing your paragraphs, or use tabbing of some sort. To have one chunk of text blinds the reader, so... yeah. *cough*

- are as original as possible. Even if you're writing a journey fic, try to stray from conventional JF ideals (oustide even new characters, Pokémon, and league aspects).

As I think of more recommendations, I'll add on to this thread. Others may also offer their advice to this sticky topic.

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It is in the best interests of an author to make his own plot and his own characters. This practice ensures creativity on the part of the author, and furthers his works from plagiarism.

Asking others to give you plots and characters is a lazy habit to get yourself into, so don't do it. It denies you the ability to actually jump into the character's mind and leave him in the same condition he was when the creator made him, and it denies you the ability to actually sculpt your fictional world.

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Tips to good writing skills:

1. Description is everything. It develops your characters. It develops your plot. It makes the story interesting.

2. Use your keyboard properly. Don't type in chat-lingo or leetspeek unless it's in dialogue (when people speak) or in humour.

3. Punctuate. Use commas, colons, semicolons, apostrophes, anything your sentences need to be grammatically correct. If you don't how to use a piece of punctuation, then learn to. It's a necessary piece to the puzzle of writing. ^_^ Also, spaces around punctuation are a good idea, too. all sentence punctuation takes a space after itself, and quotes and parentheses take one before they begin and after they end (though it's really situational whether you put the end-of-sentence punctuation inside the end quote. Put the end-punctuation inside if it's dialogue, and outside if it's a "lingo" word).

4. Don't rely on grammarcheckers and spellcheckers to proofread for you. Spellcheckers only ensure that all the words in the document are in its dictionary, not that it's the right form of the word, and grammarcheckers tend to be highly illogical.

5. Save to a disk. It allows you to pick up where you left off should you need to leave in the middle of writing a chapter. It gives you a hard copy of your fic. It ensures that you're writing in a word processor, which is key to proofreading and good composition skills in general.

6. Proofread before you post your chapter. It's better to have all of the mistakes caught before your readers catch them for you. ;)

7. Don't use exceedingly longs strings of punctuation such that they stretch out the page. Three to six periods makes a good ellipse (pause), and more than three or four exclamation points/question marks is superfluous. ;D If it's one thing that's more annoying than Richard Simmons it's stretched out pages because there are a hundred exclamation points in a row in the middle of the page.

8. Don't add lots of formatting to the text. Leave it simple. Making the text an unbearably bright, absurd fontface just beckons your readers to run the other direction.

9. Don't use smilies to convey thoughts and feelings unless deemed necessary, and don't use the Pokémon icons in place of typing out the names unless you're aiming towards a humour fic. If you feel a smilie will add to your fic, use them in severe moderation. Remember that emoticons were created to replace saying "I'm happy" or "OMAE O KOROSU!!" if you want to use smilies. ^_^;

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Tips on making your own characters:

1. Think of where the character fits in the plot, then decide if he or she needs development. Sometimes characters are best left flat, static paper dolls set up to further the mood of a scene, while the most familiar to stories are dynamic and round. Development is not always necessary, but should be done for majour characters.

2. Description is always your friend. I don't know how many times I've said this at Pojo, but throughout the repitition, the phrase remains to retain its meaning and purpose. Description is what makes a story interesting. Simply stating that Satoshi has black hair and brown eyes, and that he wears a blue Pokémon jacket over a black shirt and a pair of jeans and sneakers isn't exciting. Spice it up like this:

There stood a ten-year-old boy, his hair black as night, hidden partially beneath a red-and-white baseball cap branded with the official logo of the Pokémon League, tousled by the light winds surrounding. This impish wind tugged lightly at his blue jacket, embroidered on the back by a white Pokéball, which he wore over a T-shirt almost as black as his hair. His legs were covered by a pair of fairly tattered jeans, his feet by a pair of beaten up sneakers. His gaze came from dark amber eyes, set upon something off in the distance. His small ears strained to hear, almost as if he knew that something was coming.

^_^'''

3. Make sure that your characters aren't perfect in a story where perfection doesn't fit. Every character needs at least one teensy little thing about them that isn't quite right, and Achilles' heel, per se. It's often that I've seen characters with several weaknesses.

But what is truly hard to play off is using a weakness as an advantage.

Example: A boy has an explosive temper. While this is horrible for dealing with his friends, his enemies had best beware.

There are also Rising Stars-type scenarios, where the character has a superhuman capability that is, in itself, a true weakness.

Example two: A young girl has the ability to fly without assistance of any contraption, just by her own levitation; however, she's afraid of heights.

Example three: A boy is immune to pain and injury, basically immortal. But he can't smell, touch, or taste.

4. Make sure your character isn't two-faced when he or she shouldn't be. Be consistent throughout your writing, and make sure that your character keeps his or her personality throughout.

5. Make sure that your character *has* a personality befitting of his or her background. It's highly unlikely that a little kid that came from the slums and had to live on his own is going to be friendly towards others of his kind, nor is he going to be haughty. It's also unlikely that a youth of high birth is going to be friendly around her lessers, or that she will be willing to do menial labour. But I know there are always exceptions to stereotypes. In fact....

6. Try to avoid using strereotypes in your main characters. It adds flavour when you think up your own personalities.

7. Don't make your character immortal unless that's the point of the story. It's just annoying. -_-;;; XD

8. Try to avoid using the anime/manga characters from your anime of choice should you be doing a fanfic. Seeing them someplace they shouldn't be isn't all to enjoyable to most people, though cameos are amusing from time to time, and they can even be used to add to the plot.

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Tips to a good plot:

1. Try to avoid using the classic Journey Fic archetypes. They tend to be boring without proper plot-twistiness, and are the closest to plagiarism you can get when writing fanfiction. Using the anime characters is the second closest.

2. Make sure that the plot doesn't move all too slow or all too fast. If it goes too quickly, then you deny your story description and development, and if it goes too slowly, then you're giving it too much, or you're trying to avoid getting somewhere. If you don't know where to go from the current point of your writing, then don't write. Wait until you know what to do with it. Fillers are some of the most useless pieces of literature ever written. Just ask me. XD

3. Don't do a plot that someone else has done unless you are parodying it with absolute permission. Having lots of stories with the same plot is boring, annoying, and stupid, not to mention plagiarism.

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I hope this has helped anyone who has needed it. Anything I forgot can be added by others.

[Evil Figment]

Just a quick note in passing, I don't think that it's quite fair saying that using the anime characters in fanfiction is plagiarism and bad, given that the basic IDEA behind fanfiction is to write new stories for the characters or universe you are writing for.

Originality is all fine and good, but in the domain of fanfiction there's nothing wrong with telling the continued story of the heroes of the fandom you are writing about.

For example, I would much rather read a "Fifth Year" harry Potter fic than read a "New student in Hogwart ten years in the future" one.

[Togepretty]

I agree with Damian.
Yes, some people prefer new trainer fics, but the majority of pokemon fanfiction is about the characters from the show.
I don't believe using the characters from the show means someone lacks creativity.
I don't want people coming here thinking that they might not be welcomed because they aren't being "original" with their story. Let's not make this a new trainer fanfiction forum.
All stories are welcome, be they trainer fics, shipping fics, future fics, dark fics, etc...
I don't want authors to feel like we are judging them before they even post a story.

That's all.

:)

[Tigrin]

Nice tips. I highly suggest to everyone (and I mean this with the best possible respect) to learn how to write before you attempt to. It's painfully obvious if you don't. Learn the basics of grammar, at the very least. But there are certain sort of "rules", for lack of better word, to writing. Do not, for the love of mercy, make your whole story one paragraph. Learn how to use paragraphs appropriately. If it's a new topic or different from the previous train of thought, make a new paragraph. Dialogue can be counted as new paragraphs, as they deviate from the topic of the previous paragraph... for example, some people have a tendency to write dialogue like this:

"Come on, Pikachu!" Ash cried, hand clasping his cap on his head as he made a mad dash for the cover of the woods. Pikachu was at Ash's heels, panting as he tried to keep up with his trainer. "Pi pika pi!!" Pikachu cried, distraught. Lagging behind came Misty and Brock; Brock was clutching a stitch in his side, and Misty's face was contorted in a vile expression of fury. "ASH, I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" She screamed at his back, waving the toasted remains of a bicycle.

I wrote that out of the spur of the moment, work with me. See how that's one big block of text? I wrote like that before I learned how to write dialogue. Here's how it should be formatted:

"Come on, Pikachu!" Ash cried, hand clasping his cap on his head and he made a mad dash for the cover of the woods.
Pikachu was at Ash's heels, panting as he tried to keep up with his trainer. "Pi pika pi!!" Pikachu cried, distraught.
Lagging behind came Misty and Brock; Brock was clutching a stitch in his side, and Misty's face was contorted in a vile expression of fury. "ASH, I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" She screamed at his back, waving the toasted remains of a bicycle.

New paragraph when the speaker changes. :P Get it, got it, good.

Also, about the Journey fic things... those are so overdone. I disagree about using anime characters, though. You see, we have original characters and then we have canon characters... in the Pokemon context, the canon characters would be Ash and his particular Pikachu or something like that. Original characters can vary; you can have a fic that's all canon characters and then your own original Pikachu character or something, or you can create an original trainer representing you - a persona. Persona stories are overdone. If I ever read a Pokemon fanfiction I'd want to read canon fics... fics dealing with canon characters in the canon universe, either in a prequel or sequel sense, or even on elaboration of the original, official story. This is the same feeling I have towards other fanfiction; I like to read them because I liked whatever the original was in the first place, and want to see some sort of continuation of it. Alternate universe fics are okay, and crossovers can be funny, but more than anything I hate the kind of fics that are just a play on the author's whims; like the massive amount of Lord of the Rings fanfictions that star Legolas and some girl who's supposed to represent the author, or fics where the author or the author's persona and their buddies just happen to land in the canon universe somehow.

Might take a peek at some of the Pokemon fanfiction later just to see what's up, but I don't write Pokemon fanfiction... I'm not sure if anyone would be interested if I were to post my other fanfiction...

[Evil Figment]

That's what we have a non-pokemon fiction forum for *points at the sub-forums above* :)

I'm sure some of us would be interested :)

[ShadowDino]

Yeah, I hear you Tigrin, it irritates me when an author inserts herself in a fic with one of her favorite characters (Sorry for the generalization, but I have yet to see a male author insert himself into a fic with anime characters). Can't they get some kind of originality? I mean, even putting in original characters that pop-out out of nowhere aint subtle

Of course, rabid fangirls in general irritate me...ugh, point out ONE obvious fault in a character and they hunt you down...bunch of...*trails off*

[Evil Figment]

Sometime though original characters are necessary, you have a role in the story and there's just none of the main anime canon characters that can fill it.

I'm especially thinking of major epics here, there's just no way to use only the canon characters, not without going majorly out of characters, or utterly cliché (IE, "Giovanni is out to do something evil, take 3598470594579032485709234857").

Original characters are not wrong, as long as you are careful to make them believable characters, and to not put them in a center stage position. The core heroes should be, as much as possible, the anime's cast. But the support cast and vilains including some new characters is in no way wrong.

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Originally posted by Damian Silverblade
I'm especially thinking of major epics here, there's just no way to use only the canon characters, not without going majorly out of characters, or utterly cliché (IE, "Giovanni is out to do something evil, take 3598470594579032485709234857").


Unless it's a funny parody. Even then be warned. But I've read some very funny fics about Gio's much-failed attempts to take over the world. Think about his speech in the comics when he's thinking about the Giant Slowpoke, and use that. *g*


But the support cast and vilains including some new characters is in no way wrong.

Hence my passion for Jirarudan *salivate* *ahem* Oh, sorry

[Altomare Latios]

By the way, if I might add. All authors also need a "style" of writing. Everything can be mimiced above, but style is what makes an author unique and different from everyone else.

So how would you develop a style?

1. Read read read!
Though a fear may develop that you may copy your favorite author's style, don't worry about it. It's very helpful for you to have a crutch than to walk with broken legs. I once heard the only reason why Japanese people draw so good is because in kindergarten, they were told to draw a square (a crutch) or something of that matter, where as in the US, the teacher just said draw something ("Draw what?" "Just something"). Reading helps you develop style, but it also helps if you read a lot and different types of reading.


2. Write what you think
I had known an RP guild on AOL called "Alto Mare". Everything about it was through your heart. Technically the starter had a good reason to put that philosophy up. If you write what you think, it makes not only easier on you, but it'll develop your style even further. It's kind of like talking to people about a message you want them to hear. Say a comet was coming to earth and you were the only one to know. Would you tell people what they want and earth would be wiped out? Or would tell people what they need to hear and earth would have a chance?

In otherwords, you'll be distracted from thinking and you won't either sound very good or won't get very far. Your English teacher wants you to write your opinions versus sucking up to his or her thoughts.


3. Vocabulary check
This may not be a problem, but look, we speak English. Make sure you're using the words in their right context or otherwise, it'll be your own personal code. Another thing is, don't use huge hard words that no one understands. If I flabbergasted you with operose utterance anon you elect be discountenanced whereas you won't comprehend to a shooting match I accurately aforementioned. Did you even know what I just said? Probably not. Also, avoid repetition of words unless it's... well not boring. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address has good reptition in it:

"...The government of the people, by the people, for the people..."


That's about all I have to say, for now. If I repeated something, oops.


By the way, that odd sentance was: If I amazed you with hard words then you would be confused because you won't understand a thing I just said.

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Originally posted by Altomare Latios
I once heard the only reason why Japanese people draw so good is because in kindergarten, they were told to draw a square (a crutch) or something of that matter, where as in the US, the teacher just said draw something ("Draw what?" "Just something"). Reading helps you develop style, but it also helps if you read a lot and different types of reading.


I don't understand that, how does conformity lead to one's own style?

[Mew2Too]

Originally posted by Blackjack Gabbiani
Hence my passion for Jirarudan *salivate* *ahem* Oh, sorry

Really? Jirarudan as a villian? I've been messing with the idea of making him a good guy. The only thing better than a villian is a reformed villian. In my JTC fics, I plan to constantly use that theme of redemption. It happens with Mewtwo, with Jirarudan (maybe), and I think it might definitely happen with Giovanni eventually. To a degree, it even happens with my character. I can't say anymore than that, although I will say this--

You don't have to make your villians just plain bad! Sometimes, it works great to have your villian start out as a sort of grey character, and then develop him into something truly evil. And remember, a hero can become his own worst enemy. He doesn't have to be brain-washed and go destroying Tokyo to be a "bad" guy. It adds more depth to a character take one little stumble into pride and arrogance, have something bad happen as a result, and have the hero reform because of it. And maybe his character even becomes stronger. (I mean his moral character, not his physical strength.)

Just some advice. It just kind of bores me when peeps pull a Stan Lee. "A character is just bad because he's bad." That would work in a world that's perfect, believe it or not. The hero always wins because the bad guy is just bad. Even the worst villians don't start out as purely evil. There are things that happen to them to make them that way. A villian becomes more real if you give him that depth.

Just somethin' for your mind to chew on! :)

[Blackjack Palazzo]

I fully agree! If you see my site, on my Theories page, I prove why he's not a villian. But he was in the role OF villian in the movie, which is why I gave it as such here.

He's no more of a villian that Molly Hale, really, but both were in the role of villian, and were, in a sense, defeated.

[Deki]

Going back to the Ash vs. Other Trainer debate I have a few things to say.

As perhaps one of the most rabid readers of Pokemon Fan Fiction I have noticed a few things.

When people use Ash, the story is normally very limited. Its Ash Misty and Pikachu saving the world, or Ash Misty and Pikachu helping a new trainer (normally author insertion) or and AAMRN. That's fine, but you eventually the plot tends to wear a bit thin.

However there are a few exceptions. If the author is good enough, he or she can manage to create a good Ash FanFiction. Some classic examples are Pokemon Master (http://users.bigpond.net.au/acey/pokemon.htm) and Pokemon Revolution (http://www.geocities.com/charlesrocketboy/PokeRevfic.htm).

The reason the above fics are so excellent is because they've taken Ash, and turned him upside-down. They've basically created a new person with the name Ash. They've given Ash a new personality.

Original Trainer Stories tend to be better written as well as being longer in length. The characters are better mapped out and then personalities are more vivid.

When a fic about Ash is written, people tend to assume that people know what he looks like and his personality. An author writing an OTS doesn't have that luxury so they tend to describe their chacter(s) a bit better.

Lastly OTS tend to be longer lasting then stories just about Ash-tachi. If you go to FF.net you'll see the majourity of stories are AAMRN then if you sort them by length you'll see that the stories even out so that stories containing Ash are evenly divided with stories that are about other aspects of Pokemon.

This is just my view on the subject but I'm sure that if you look around at the pokefics you'll tend to see that OTS have more depth than the majourity of Ash Fiction.

~Deki

(Note: I'm not trying to Bash Ash here. One of my favourite Poke Fics is Pokemon Master. I'm just trying to show that Ash can get boring after awhile.)

[Evil Figment]

There are good OTS. However, they are, generally speaking, in a minority compared to the Crap-written OTS.

IE, anime or game plot basically told with the author self-inserted as the main character, and no originality into it. There's some good OTS stuff, but lots of bad stuff.

[Deki]

Funny you should say that. It's been a long time since I've seen a really bad OTS. Bad Ash stories on the other hand are everywhere. Check FanFiction.net or how about The Pokemon Tower (http://www.thepokemontower.com/tpt.shtml).

The Pokemon Tower is a fairly good indicator since they don't take just anything (there are rules) and there are a tonne of authors.

Also, if you don't believe there are that many good OTS stories take a look at my website. You may be suprised.

~Deki

[Evil Figment]

I guess so - bad OTS seems to have declined.

And it is true that nowaday most crap fics that get written are Ash-fics. However, I'm still a bit wary of trainers fics - quite a few unoriginal boring ones get written. And after seeing TPM get literally swamped down unders such fics - and arrogant brats who all thought such fics as they had written (generally, variation on the theme of "Joe Schmoe arrives late at professor *insert tree*'s place, and get a *insert ubber-powerful pokemon* because that's all that was left") were true masterpieces - I still cringe when I see people advertising OTS as the style people should try to write.

IMHO, Ash-fics and OTS should both be avoided early on when you try to tell a story. Start with writing short stories, to get a feel for writing.

Yes, I'm perfectly aware I did NOT do that.

No, you shouldn't try to do what I did. Maybe if I had taken the time to get some skill before writing TGE, I wouldn't constantly be writing new versions of that basic plot.

[Deki]

Ugh, rereading my post sorry. I didn't mean to sound so condescending. I'm really sorry about that.

There are three things that make me hit the back button if I see them in a pokefic

-Uber powerful starters
-Beating ever trainer without a single loss
-Meeting and traveling with Ash

Those are the three signs of bland pokefic. Usually there isn't any conflict which is boring and meeting with Ash, has been done a gajillion times.

I am odd in the sense that I actually like Journey Fics. If I find a well-written completed one I will read it. Heh

Oh well.

~Deki

[Evil Figment]

Oh, WELL WRITTEN Journeys fic, I love. Marty's Pokemon Conquer the Elemental League, Xi League, The Journeys of Lance Ketchum, Glory's Long Road - I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

It's just I'm generally wary of trainer stories- most of those I've seen tend to degenerate in blandness after a while.

[Murgatroyd]

As a few of you already know, a couple of years ago at Pojo, I snapped after reading one badly written story too many, and wrote a little rant. Recently, someone asked me to post it here, so here it is, unchanged:



________________________________________

As I have read the various works posted on this board, I have noticed many of the same problems over and over. Here are some general guidelines to follow when writing your fics:

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1) Proper Use of the Keyboard.
There are several useful keys on the keyboard:

Enter/Return: This is one of the most useful keys. Use it whenever you have finished with one idea and are ready to move on to the next paragraph. Use it when one person has finished speaking, and another is about to start. When doing so, hit it twice, to produce a blank line between paragraphs. This makes it a lot easier for your readers to tell where your paragraphs start and end. Large blocks of uninterrupted text are hard to read.

Shift: Another important key. Hold it down when typing the first letter of a sentence, the first letter of a name, or the letter 'I' when using it as the first person singular subject pronoun.

Caps Lock: Often used as a substitute for the 'Shift' key. Don't do it. Text should not be in all capital letters unless someone is SHOUTING!

The Spacebar: Hit it once after every word or comma, twice after a period.

Tab: Unfortunately, this does not work to indent paragraphs on these boards. This is why a blank line between paragraphs is essential.

Other Keys: Your keyboard, unless it is defective, comes with a full complement of letters. Don't be afraid to use them. There is no reason to type 'u' instead of 'you', or indeed to use any abbreviation you learned in a chat room. There is no penalty for taking a few seconds longer to type complete words.

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2) Tips on Composition.

Paragraphs: Use these as your basic unit of composition. Each paragraph should be used to set forth a single idea. If a paragraph seems to long, it probably contains multiple ideas, and should be split up for clarity. If it seems too short, expand on the idea.

Sentences: A sentence should contain exactly one action or statement of existence. If it contains more than one, split it into two or more. If it contains less than one, finish the sentence. Run-on sentences are often confusing, while fragments make the reader feel that something is missing.

Description: Make sure that your reader can visualize what is happening. Don't just say something like "Joe walked along enjoying the scenery". This gives no indication of whether the scenery he is enjoying is a redwood forest, a beach at sunset, or the Grand Canyon.

A description is not just a list of attributes. When describing a character, don't just list their name, age, height, weight, hair color, and current pokemon team. Bring this information out gradually when the person appears in a story. Don't have Joe meet a trainer named Fred who is 12 years old, has green eyes and red hair, is three and a half feet tall, and whose pokemon are squirtle, pikachu, butterfree, grimer, tauros, and krabby. Have Joe see a short, red-haired kid with startlingly green eyes, and talk to him. Have names mentioned early in the conversation. The pokemon may be either revealed in a battle, or introduced individually during the conversation.

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3) Other General Advice.

Plot: Try to be original. "Joe is 10 (or 11 or 12) years old and about to start his pokemon journey. He goes to Professor (insert tree here) and gets a (insert pokemon here)" has been done too many times already. "Joe is a 10-year-old from Pallet Town and about to start his pokemon journey. He accidentally sleeps in, and by the time he gets to Professor Oak's lab, all the starters have been taken, so he gets a Pikachu" is so old everyone is sick of it.

Try to be reasonable. A new trainer is not going to start with a legendary, or even rare, pokemon. The standard starter pokemon were selected for a reason: They are easy for professors to obtain whenever new trainers are about to start, they can be controlled by beginners, and with proper training, they can become quite powerful. Likewise, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to catch any of the legendary pokemon. They are simply too powerful. If you have seen either of the movies, think about it. Mew or Mewtwo can deflect any attack you try with minimal effort. Consider the scene in The Power of One where Ash's Pikachu (which has been known to defeat rock and ground types) meets Zapdos. Compare their relative power levels. Now think about how hard it would be to defeat Zapdos. This can be applied to any of the legendary pokemon. No trainer will have one unless it has a good reason to want to accompany that trainer.

Characters: Make your characters real. Give them strengths and weaknesses. Inherently superior trainers who win each battle effortlessly are boring. So are incompetent members of Team Rocket. So is the gym-leader-who-can't-stand-being-defeated. The stock "Rival" character is also getting old.

Whatever you do, don't just refer to people by labels from the GameBoy games (Rocket, Cooltrainer, Lass, Bug Catcher, etc). Remember that these are real people you are working with.

Spelling/Grammar: Write your story in a word-processing program. Use the spellchecker, but don't depend on it completely. It can tell whether your word matches the spelling of a real word, but it cannot tell whether it is the word you wanted to use. Use grammar checkers with extreme care. They cannot actually understand what you are saying, and often make mistakes.

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4) My Personal Advice:

Note that the contents of this section reflect my personal preferences. Other good writers may disagree with me.

Battles: I generally dislike sentences of the form "(pokemon species) used (name of attack)". You are describing what the pokemon does. In a real-world battle, the pokemon would not "use Bite on" its opponent; it would "bite" its opponent. There are, however, exceptions to this. If there is no verb for the action, go ahead and say "Bulbasaur used Leech Seed". Still, try to avoid "used (name of attack)". Better options would be "fired a hyperbeam at (enemy)", "hit (enemy) with (attack)", etc.

Additionally, the GameBoy battle format makes no sense in the context of a real battle. A pokemon in a real battle would not just attack, then stand there waiting for its opponent to attack. In a real battle, you would have no time to go in and administer a potion or antidote to your pokemon. Watch the TV show for a reasonable depiction of what battles would be like.

GameBoy Terminology in general: Try to avoid it. In the real world, referring to something as "Level 17" is meaningless. Pokemon have varying levels of power and experience, but don't just summarize all of this with a single number. In the world of your fanfic, pokemon are real, living creatures. They are individuals. They have their own strengths, weaknesses, and skills.

The only thing worse than referring to "levels" is referring to "hit points", "power points", or any of the "statistics" (attack, defense, "special defense", etc). Avoid use of these terms at all costs.

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That's all for now. If I think of any more, I will post it. If you can think of anything I have forgotten, post it.

Thanks.

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Originally posted by Murgatroyd
The only thing worse than referring to "levels" is referring to "hit points", "power points", or any of the "statistics" (attack, defense, "special defense", etc). Avoid use of these terms at all costs.

I don't know about that, I think if done *well* these can be overlooked.

Also, if based more directly on the game than the series.

For instance, I was criticized for using a reference to "Life 3" in a Final Fantasy fic, even though spells were refered to by name in the game...

[Evil Figment]

A few personal comments on the topic...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Murgatroyd

A description is not just a list of attributes. When describing a character, don't just list their name, age, height, weight, hair color, and current pokemon team. Bring this information out gradually when the person appears in a story. Don't have Joe meet a trainer named Fred who is 12 years old, has green eyes and red hair, is three and a half feet tall, and whose pokemon are squirtle, pikachu, butterfree, grimer, tauros, and krabby. Have Joe see a short, red-haired kid with startlingly green eyes, and talk to him. Have names mentioned early in the conversation. The pokemon may be either revealed in a battle, or introduced individually during the conversation.

On the topic of describing the characters, try to space out the description and make it be part of the action, rather than pausing the action to desribe, IE.

"As he turned on the Main Street, Satoshi noticed a dark-haired young trainer. The young man seemed to be searchign for someone, his intense green eyes scanning the crowd, though he probably couldn't see much, being quite small.

He seemed nervous, too. His face was wary, and one hand was closed tightly around a pokeball..."

It's much better than :

"Ash turned on main street. He saw a small young man with dark hair and intense green eyes. The kid seemed to be searching for something in the crowd, and was nervous. One of his hand was closed tightly around a pokeball."


Plot: Try to be original. "Joe is 10 (or 11 or 12) years old and about to start his pokemon journey. He goes to Professor (insert tree here) and gets a (insert pokemon here)" has been done too many times already. "Joe is a 10-year-old from Pallet Town and about to start his pokemon journey. He accidentally sleeps in, and by the time he gets to Professor Oak's lab, all the starters have been taken, so he gets a Pikachu" is so old everyone is sick of it.

Which isn't to say that writing a trainer journey is necessarily bad ; just try to be original with it.

Try to be reasonable. A new trainer is not going to start with a legendary, or even rare, pokemon. The standard starter pokemon were selected for a reason: They are easy for professors to obtain whenever new trainers are about to start, they can be controlled by beginners, and with proper training, they can become quite powerful.

Which is *MOST DEFINITELY* not to say that only the regular starters should be considered. Simply, the rare-and-powerful pokemon should not be.

The rule of thumbs for a good starter are :

#1 : It has some form of evolution, PREFERABLY triggered by level (though stones is an acceptable subsitute ; trading is not). Snorlax, Lapras, etc don't make for good starters. The legendaries, needless to say, are out of the question.

#2 : It is either a regular starter or a pokemon that can be reasonably obtained. That means, the fossils are not acceptable starters.

#3 : It is not a "super powerful" pokemon. Generally speaking, that means the Dragonite-level pokemon of each game. You know the one ; it has three degrees of evolution and has total stats above the legendaries. Boomanda, the Steel/Psychic thing, Dragonite and Tyranitar (and their earlier evos) would be it, IIRC.

Likewise, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to catch any of the legendary pokemon. They are simply too powerful. If you have seen either of the movies, think about it. Mew or Mewtwo can deflect any attack you try with minimal effort. Consider the scene in The Power of One where Ash's Pikachu (which has been known to defeat rock and ground types) meets Zapdos. Compare their relative power levels. Now think about how hard it would be to defeat Zapdos. This can be applied to any of the legendary pokemon. No trainer will have one unless it has a good reason to want to accompany that trainer.

Indeed. They are the "Gods" of the pokemon world, and IF they ever accompany a regular trainer (Team Rocket not withstanding), then it is of their own free will, and for very capital reason ("saving the world" and such leaps to mind...though there could be other reasons. I could see, SAY, Latias letting herself be caught by Ash...;-) (if she didn't have to watch over that city)).

Whatever you do, don't just refer to people by labels from the GameBoy games (Rocket, Cooltrainer, Lass, Bug Catcher, etc). Remember that these are real people you are working with.

Depend, there. In some case where it's an arbitrary classification (Lass, Cooltrainer, etc), definitely, but in others, where the classification is there for a reason, it's perfectly legitimate to use it as long as it's not all you use. A person going around swinging nets at butterflies is *QUITE* obviously a bug catcher, thus line like

"'Damn! I had almost caught it!' The bug catcher exclaimed" is perfeclty acceptable, instead of repeating the name of the character over and over again.

And in the specific case of Rocket, it is not only acceptable but perfectly legitimate : it is just like refering to members of an army as "Soldiers" instead of giving out their name and rank every time.

"'As if you could ever do that!' Corporal John and Private Joe laughed."
"'As if you could ever do that!' The two soldiers laughed."

4) My Personal Advice:

Note that the contents of this section reflect my personal preferences. Other good writers may disagree with me.

Either you just called me a bad writer, or else I just proved you wrong, given that I disagreed with you on other points above...;)

Battles: I generally dislike sentences of the form "(pokemon species) used (name of attack)". You are describing what the pokemon does. In a real-world battle, the pokemon would not "use Bite on" its opponent; it would "bite" its opponent. There are, however, exceptions to this. If there is no verb for the action, go ahead and say "Bulbasaur used Leech Seed". Still, try to avoid "used (name of attack)". Better options would be "fired a hyperbeam at (enemy)", "hit (enemy) with (attack)", etc.

Even better. Skip the attack name, and DESCRIBE it.

"Dragonite whirled about, and seemed to pause, the stadium dimming as light gathered in its jaws. Then a fiery spear of light lanced forth, sending the Machamp flying back to strike the wall of the arena."

Additionally, the GameBoy battle format makes no sense in the context of a real battle. A pokemon in a real battle would not just attack, then stand there waiting for its opponent to attack. In a real battle, you would have no time to go in and administer a potion or antidote to your pokemon. Watch the TV show for a reasonable depiction of what battles would be like.

And remember combo moves are perfectly legitimate - and that attacks should have a LOGICAL effect for their name, not their anime effect.

IE, reflect is going to reflect straight back to the other guy his attack.

GameBoy Terminology in general: Try to avoid it. In the real world, referring to something as "Level 17" is meaningless. Pokemon have varying levels of power and experience, but don't just summarize all of this with a single number. In the world of your fanfic, pokemon are real, living creatures. They are individuals. They have their own strengths, weaknesses, and skills.

As a note, it is *NOT* a crime to mention experience though.

"That pokemon is much more experienced! You are going to have a hard time!" or "My charmander need to get some battling experience!" are perfectly legitimate.

Just don't tackle a "points" after that experience.

Getting experience is something you can do IRL.
Gaining experience points isn't.

The only thing worse than referring to "levels" is referring to "hit points", "power points", or any of the "statistics" (attack, defense, "special defense", etc). Avoid use of these terms at all costs.

Generally speaking, agreed. If you really want to talk about the "stats", then at least try to find some more appropriate way to describe it. IE "Strength" instead of attack, "Resilience" or "Armor" or "Resistance" instead of defense, "elemental resistence" instead of "special defense" and some other term ("elemental atunement"? instead of special attack).

IE, if you want to say that a pokemon isn't very good with special-based attacks...

"It isn't very attuned to elemental attacks." or "It isn't very good with non-physical attacks." or some such.

Conversedly, don't say "It has high special defense!" to justify not using special attacks on a pokemon, instead say something like...

"Pokemon like that one tend to have high resistance to elemental attacks." (or whichever term you want to use to describe special-based attack ; personally I call them elemental, even though that's not wholly appropriate).

------------

Edit : And...hmmmm...I think this belongs in the Artist's Café, or in the thread by Kurai...I'll leave it there for now, to see what the other mods think. But technically, this is what the Café is for (among other things).

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Originally posted by Damian Silverblade
Indeed. They are the "Gods" of the pokemon world, and IF they ever accompany a regular trainer (Team Rocket not withstanding), then it is of their own free will, and for very capital reason ("saving the world" and such leaps to mind...though there could be other reasons. I could see, SAY, Latias letting herself be caught by Ash...;-) (if she didn't have to watch over that city)).


Psychic Link has been used in canon, in Pokemon Adventure. Remember Blaine's link with Mewtwo?

But that should be used for someone OTHER than the main character, if at all

[Jude]

[qouote]Whatever you do, don't just refer to people by labels from the GameBoy games (Rocket, Cooltrainer, Lass, Bug Catcher, etc). Remember that these are real people you are working with.[/quote]

I must agree with you on this point, and with Bro on his comment that they are sometimes useful. To add to this, DON'T use epithets to the extreme, for example:


"Hello Kasumi!" the black haired boy said.

"Hey Satoshi!" the gym leader from Hanada replied.


If you know what I mean. But a perfectly legitimate use of epithets, as far as I'm concerned, is something like this:


"Oooh!" Black-haired and perverted Takeshi cooed, "Cute girl!"


And another thing I'd just LOVE to point out is the following: Punctuation marks have uses, learn them, don't make up your own.

Not that there are people who do that here, but I've seen many fics on many websites which mix up punctuation in a grammarian's nightmare. And don't EVER trust Microsoft Word's grammar check, because it's hell with long sentances and some of the uses of the semi-colon.

And don't talk to me about spelling in Microsoft Word either...

This is really good though, Murgatroyd!

[Mew2Too]

(Sits, contemplative.) Iie, Murg-sempai. I disagree with quite a lot of what you are saying. How can I say this? I have currently been studying the brilliant devices used by the greatest writer of the 21st century. Who do I speak of? Of course, none other than Stephen King! (Or, as I like to call him while listening to On Writing, King-sensei.

Yes, it is generally frowned upon to get under-descriptive. However, there is such a thing as being over-descriptive. Try, if you can, to describe the character as briefly as possible. After all, if you say, "[Character] had blonde, spikey hair," there is not much room for debate on what kind of hair said character has. Yet, I'd suggest not being underdescriptive.

Don't say stupid things like, "The trainer wore a shirt." Unless the character wasn't wearing a shirt in the last scene, and you're denoting he put one on in this scene, then try to get more descriptive. Is it a sweater? Is it a polo shirt? Is it a T-shirt, and is there anything unusual about it? What color is it? Once again, is the character wearing any shirt at all? Is the said character a girl not wearing a shirt, going topless because this is a lemon? What color panties are being worn by said character...

...
...

Okay, never mind those last two sentences.

Don't shy away from the classic "he said, she said," format. Use it when it is appropriate, but don't use it in place of such old classics as "he/she asked, he/she croaked, he/she bellowed..." For God's sake, don't use, "He ejaculated," or "He jerked out." Trying to come up with too fancy a way to say, "he said/she said," can get as ugly as being repetitive with the phrase.

Ah, hell! The best way to improve written dialogue is by reading books! Now, I hope my fellow fanfic writers won't get mad at me, but I haven't been to this part of the forum regularly for quite a while. What have I been doing? I've been reading classic short horror stories by such heavy-weights as Sheridan Le Fanu, M.R. James, W.W. Jacobs, and Edgar Allen Poe. ( Poe's style, by the way, I find suspiciously like Blackjack Gabbiani's. :cool: ) If you can't take the time to read, how the hell can you write? Reading is essential for picking up new vocab, deciding on a style and flavor of writing, and even grammatical improvement, in some cases.

It wouldn't hurt to listen to music while you write, either. I find it handy to find "character songs" while I'm writing. For example, I'm writing about an evil sorcerer. Am I going to listen to Avril Lavigne, or am I going to listen to Iron Maiden or Korn. I mean, listen to whatever you want, but listening to music that fits a character helps sometimes. You can make up little "soundtracks" in this way.

As to characters, I wouldn't suggest - as Murg-sempai did - that you always start out with a Charmander, a Totodile, or Treecko. Yes, your Bulbasaurs, Mudkips, and Cyndaquils are fine. Don't let me stop you from using a Torchic, a Squirtle, or a Chikorita. However, I would suggest you use a Pokemon - within reason - that you consider your favorite. By "within reason" I'm speaking mostly about non-legendaries, and preferably unevolved Pokies. In the special mangas involving Red, he started off with Poliwag. It later evolved into Poliwhirl, but not straight off.

That doesn't mean you should leave out legendary starters entirely. I would leave out Mewtwo, if I were you. Try to avoid Mew, as well. But, what is so wrong with a trainer starting off with a baby version of a Lugia or Raikou? Nothing, really. We saw in the Lugia saga in Master Quest that the Lugia baby was definitely not as strong as an adult Lugia. The Celebi are another example of Pokemon that clearly aren't all-powerful in their younger stages. If you want to make it really good, don't forget to play on a baby legendary's weaknesses. For example, what would a Houndoom do to a baby Celebi? I think we both know the answer. What would an Electabuzz do to a baby Lugia? Do I even have to tell you?

Anyway, I would suggest avoiding the whole "Professor" thing. That old-fashioned "Professor gave me a Pokie" thing is old. In JTC, my first Pokemon was Vulpix. My grandfather, a Pokemon prof, didn't give him to me. My character lives in New Bark Town, but Vulpix wasn't given to me by Professor Elm. I went to Pallet after, and Oak helped Vulpix recover from a battle, but he did not give me Vulpix. Where did Vulpix come from? He was an orphaned cub in a patch of woods. I found him, helped him defeat some rabid Golbat, and so he came with me.

If you're going to have a legendary following you around - say, Mewtwo - try to avoid match battles with him. Do really think Mewtwo is going to jump in and help you fight trainer X like a good wittle Pikachu would? Doubtful. Mewtwo is more likely to fight human beings than other Pokemon. If you say, "Mewtwo, get in there and fight Pornstar Jenna's Jynx with a Psychic attack," do you know what Mewtwo would say? Well, I'll let Mewtwo tell you.

:150: : What? Humiliate myself by supplicating to your selfish desires? You may kiss my...

:embarass: Okay, Mewtwo, that's enough! :sweatlol: Now, if you were helping Mewtwo fend off intruders in Paradise Canyon...

You: Mewtwo, I think you should kick this guy's @$$!

:150: : Yes, human! You are correct. This slime has come against me, and now he shall fall! :evil:

I have been told that it is a bad idea to use yourself as a main character. This may be true, but not always. Sometimes, it is better to put yourself into a character than writing an empty character that you have no attachment to. Try to keep yourself in check when writing a character based on yourself, though. The anti-autoficcers would tell you this is just as big a sin, but I see nothing wrong with making a character who is you - but more like what you aspire to be. (BTW, autofic and all subsequent variations is a phrase I now coin. "Autofic" is a fictional portrayal of one's self. Sort of like "autobiograhy," except... Well... fiction. I hereby refuse to use "self-insertion," to describe a fic with one's self as the main char. I care to use "self-insertion" to describe said fiction as much as I would care to use "cockgobbler" to describe a dish of chicken and turkey. I mean, why don't we just apply "dick-licker" to a story about a main character named Richard who starts out with a Lickitung.)

Also, it is taboo, in Pokemon fiction, to refer to real human history unless the story takes place in this world. I have been told to change names and places to avoid this. That doesn't exactly work for me, but maybe it would for you. Try to change real events slightly - give them a twist - if you're going to use them as a template.

Also, be a little more discerning about the names you change. Don't just change them, change them well. Don't write a Pokemon military story where Surge and crew have been dispatched by "President Mush" to fight "Musama min Madden" and "Guddam Gussein." ( That is, unless it's a comedy. ;-) )

Try not to incorporate direct relgious ideas into a story. Don't have Jesus Christ training an Espeon, in other words. ( Once again, unless it's a comedy. :-D ) Instead, incorporate some basic religious ideas into your story. Feel free to mix and match. Does your character remind you of a religious figure? Is he a little bit like him? Believe me, I could go on for hours about fictitious characters that I believe are based on Jesus alone. (Vash the Stampede, Aragorn the Strider, etc.)

As to doing battle scenes realistically, I'm going to give you all a little hand. Go here. (http://archaics.topcities.com/PASBL/index.html) Read up, saddle up, and if you feel the committing spirit on ya, join up! PASBL has helped me immensely. Knobert's PASBL program is a miracle in bits and bytes! Just reading how PASBL does battles will help give you a structured style of your own. That isn't to say you should treat a fictional battle like you would a PASBL reffing job. There is a big difference between fiction and PABL. In fiction, you should already know the outcome of the battle before it begins. Who will win? You shold know that already. PASBL will just help you reach that end, but it is certainly no means to it.

Some people will tell you not to use Satoshi/Ash and gang in your stories. I would advise the same. This goes especially if you're writing about the Japanese show, know what the hell you're talking about, and write a story about. I mean, if you write a story, say, about Kasumi returning and training Haruka, and then start having all the characters talk very unlike what dub-grubbers are used to, then...

Ah! Never mind! Just trust me from personal experience. Peeps, unless your writing a shippy fic, don't write Satoshi-tachi stories. You won't get many reads if you do.

Of course, does that matter? You should be writing, not for the approval of the masses, but for your own satisfaction. Once it starts becoming only about compromising the flavor of your vision to please the taste-buds of the readers, then you're through. You must understand, these are just guidelines that we lay out. If you think you have a better idea that could attract more readers, than for God's sake - do it! Remember, though, you should be telling a story - one that you like!

Just think of it this way - you have to keep the story alive in your heart before it becomes interesting. It helps to think, "Wow! This story really happened somewhere! I'm just typing it out for everyone to enjoy!"

Well, I hope I was helpful.

EDIT: Oh, and, Murgy, pleeeaaasse don't bring up Microsoft Word. I use Wordpad. People call me crazy, and ask, "How can you live without spelling and grammar checks?"

Simple. A stupid, bloated, Bill Gates brain-farted program with all its feelingless, contextless computer-generated bullshit spat out by a CGI paper clip does not replace good ol' fashioned GOOD SPELLING and GOOD GRAMMAR!!! Remeber, a computer is only as smart is the person using it. For the most part, the computer is no match for the power of the human brain- it can only go faster. Don't let this happen, whatever you do!

Microsoft Word > j00

If you let Microsoft Word be your basic grammar, you're in for a heap of trouble.

[Murgatroyd]

Originally posted by Mew2Too
(Sits, contemplative.) Iie, Murg-sempai. I disagree with quite a lot of what you are saying. How can I say this? I have currently been studying the brilliant devices used by the greatest writer of the 21st century. Who do I speak of? Of course, none other than Stephen King! (Or, as I like to call him while listening to On Writing, King-sensei.

Yes, many of the greatest writers achieve their best effects by breaking the "rules" that others would set out. However, as a fairly skilled amateur writer I know once said, it's important to know the rules before you start breaking them. Following the advice in my little rant won't necessarily make someone's writing great. However, it will certainly aid in avoiding the sorts of painful so-called stories which inspired me to write it in the first place. (I wrote it after reading several stories by authors who actually needed the advice in the first section.)

[Evil Figment]

Originally posted by Mew2Too
Yes, it is generally frowned upon to get under-descriptive. However, there is such a thing as being over-descriptive. Try, if you can, to describe the character as briefly as possible. After all, if you say, "[Character] had blonde, spikey hair," there is not much room for debate on what kind of hair said character has. Yet, I'd suggest not being underdescriptive.

Agreed. Underdescriptive = bad AND the same can be said of overdescriptive, especially when you halt the action for an uninterupted page of description.

Don't say stupid things like, "The trainer wore a shirt." Unless the character wasn't wearing a shirt in the last scene, and you're denoting he put one on in this scene, then try to get more descriptive. Is it a sweater? Is it a polo shirt? Is it a T-shirt, and is there anything unusual about it? What color is it? Once again, is the character wearing any shirt at all? Is the said character a girl not wearing a shirt, going topless because this is a lemon? What color panties are being worn by said character...

LoL at the last two lines. Generally speaking, you can even skip mentioning the clothes, except for unusual features about them (say, if a character wears a dramatic-looking, flowing black cloak, you *should* point that out. On the other hand ,that the character is wearing a shirt should be unremarkalbe.,

Unless, of course, there is something remarkable about the shirt - say, a crimson R on a white or black background.

Don't shy away from the classic "he said, she said," format. Use it when it is appropriate, but don't use it in place of such old classics as "he/she asked, he/she croaked, he/she bellowed..." For God's sake, don't use, "He ejaculated," or "He jerked out." Trying to come up with too fancy a way to say, "he said/she said," can get as ugly as being repetitive with the phrase.

DO shy away from the constant he/she use, though. And sometime, when it's obvious who said what, there's no need for the "he said" to be backed in.

"Kasumi turned toward Satoshi, fear in her eyes.
'We're lost, aren't we?'
'No, we aren't. I'm just not quite sure of our current location.'"

In there it's obviously who says what, adding the he/she said et al would only make for some burdensome reading. Only use the he/she said when it'S neded to clear up who's talking.

Also, one way to get around using he/she said is to have the character does something else as they speak..

"'We're lost, aren't we?' Kasumi turned toward Satoshi, eyes wide with fear.
'Uh, no...' Satoshi fidgeted. 'I'm just not quit esure of our current location.'"
"

That doesn't mean you should leave out legendary starters entirely. I would leave out Mewtwo, if I were you. Try to avoid Mew, as well. But, what is so wrong with a trainer starting off with a baby version of a Lugia or Raikou? Nothing, really. We saw in the Lugia saga in Master Quest that the Lugia baby was definitely not as strong as an adult Lugia. The Celebi are another example of Pokemon that clearly aren't all-powerful in their younger stages. If you want to make it really good, don't forget to play on a baby legendary's weaknesses. For example, what would a Houndoom do to a baby Celebi? I think we both know the answer. What would an Electabuzz do to a baby Lugia? Do I even have to tell you?

Not agreed on basic advice. As murg noted, once you know the rules, break them, but be careful about it. But I think "no legendary" is a good basic rule to get people to understand the principle of no overpowered pokemon.

Anyway, I would suggest avoiding the whole "Professor" thing. That old-fashioned "Professor gave me a Pokie" thing is old.

But as it is the basic of the pokemon fandom, I'd say it'S perfectly legitimate. Of course, the professor might have certain reasons to give you a pokemon other than you being an aspiring trainer (remember, in both the first three games he has a reason to give you a pokemon : in RBY, because you are about to venture outside without one and there are wild pokemon out there ; in GSC, because he wants you to have the protection while you run an errand for him, and in RS because he needs you to save him)

Remember, thus, that professors do *NOT* give out pokemon to new trainers on a regular basis game-wise (also Murg, side note on the starter : easy availability doesn't seem to be the point, at least not in the game : Oak clearly state the three pokemon he offers are the three he has left from his training career, for example (and he only gives two ; one to you for the reasons mentioned before, and one to his own grandson. Similarly, Elm only gives one (the other is stolen) and Odamaki gives one to you to save him and one to his daughter/son ; that's all).

In JTC, my first Pokemon was Vulpix. My grandfather, a Pokemon prof, didn't give him to me. My character lives in New Bark Town, but Vulpix wasn't given to me by Professor Elm. I went to Pallet after, and Oak helped Vulpix recover from a battle, but he did not give me Vulpix. Where did Vulpix come from? He was an orphaned cub in a patch of woods. I found him, helped him defeat some rabid Golbat, and so he came with me.

That'S one way to do it, but not necessarily better nor worse than the professor one. Though I would probably have a "veteran trainer" (as the game imply) instead of a professor (anime-style) giving it out.

If you're going to have a legendary following you around - say, Mewtwo - try to avoid match battles with him. Do really think Mewtwo is going to jump in and help you fight trainer X like a good wittle Pikachu would? Doubtful. Mewtwo is more likely to fight human beings than other Pokemon. If you say, "Mewtwo, get in there and fight Pornstar Jenna's Jynx with a Psychic attack," do you know what Mewtwo would say? Well, I'll let Mewtwo tell you.

:150: : What? Humiliate myself by supplicating to your selfish desires? You may kiss my...

:embarass: Okay, Mewtwo, that's enough! :sweatlol: Now, if you were helping Mewtwo fend off intruders in Paradise Canyon...

You: Mewtwo, I think you should kick this guy's @$$!

:150: : Yes, human! You are correct. This slime has come against me, and now he shall fall! :evil:

Agreed generally. Unless the pokemon has extreme loyalty toward its trainer for some reason (*coughLatiasandAshexamplefromabovecough*), a legendary isn't going to go around fighting random fights for his trainer.

I have been told that it is a bad idea to use yourself as a main character. This may be true, but not always. Sometimes, it is better to put yourself into a character than writing an empty character that you have no attachment to.

It'S a great risk to take. We tend to portray ourselves as too perfect when we are set as characters, so...

Try to keep yourself in check when writing a character based on yourself, though. The anti-autoficcers would tell you this is just as big a sin, but I see nothing wrong with making a character who is you - but more like what you aspire to be.

That'S the whole problem. We ASPIRE to have qualities we don'T have. So what you actually write isn't how you would react in a situation, it'S how you would WANT to react in the situation.

Which is the danger of "autofic" as youc all them : they make for too-perfect main characters.

I hereby refuse to use "self-insertion," to describe a fic with one's self as the main char. I care to use "self-insertion" to describe said fiction as much as I would care to use "cockgobbler" to describe a dish of chicken and turkey.

SI applies more to story where you insert yourself in the main contunuity (IE : Random trainer Bob and his friends meets and join with Ash and co for no real good reason other than the author want to be part of Ash's adventure. Subsequently Bob becomes the great hero replacing Ash who *should* be the focus point)

Also, it is taboo, in Pokemon fiction, to refer to real human history unless the story takes place in this world. I have been told to change names and places to avoid this. That doesn't exactly work for me, but maybe it would for you. Try to change real events slightly - give them a twist - if you're going to use them as a template.

*shrugs* There are lots of way there. It's obvious that if, in your mind, the pokemon world is another totaly unrelated to ours, they won't know about our history, for example.

Also, be a little more discerning about the names you change. Don't just change them, change them well. Don't write a Pokemon military story where Surge and crew have been dispatched by "President Mush" to fight "Musama min Madden" and "Guddam Gussein." ( That is, unless it's a comedy. ;-) )

Obviously. Better yet, don't just change the name, change the events somewhat too. It's boring to have just changed names around.

Try not to incorporate direct relgious ideas into a story. Don't have Jesus Christ training an Espeon, in other words. ( Once again, unless it's a comedy. :-D )

Not quite agreed, but I will stay silent as to the why... (Well, of course Jesus training an Espeon is a bit out of the whack, but...well, as I said, you'll eventually see why my caveat about incorporating religious ideas is there)

Instead, incorporate some basic religious ideas into your story. Feel free to mix and match. Does your character remind you of a religious figure? Is he a little bit like him? Believe me, I could go on for hours about fictitious characters that I believe are based on Jesus alone. (Vash the Stampede, Aragorn the Strider, etc.)

Heh. Well, of course that's an obvious on, and I know at least one character I'm writing about who's very much based on Jesus, at least on some points.

Some people will tell you not to use Satoshi/Ash and gang in your stories. I would advise the same. This goes especially if you're writing about the Japanese show, know what the hell you're talking about, and write a story about. I mean, if you write a story, say, about Kasumi returning and training Haruka, and then start having all the characters talk very unlike what dub-grubbers are used to, then...

Ah! Never mind! Just trust me from personal experience. Peeps, unless your writing a shippy fic, don't write Satoshi-tachi stories. You won't get many reads if you do.

Remind me what'S just about the most legendary, mythical fic of the pokemon fandom?

That'S right. Pokemon Master. An Ash-tachi story.

And remind me what's FAR AND WIDE the most popular "long" fic on this board?

The Greater Evil, with 231 posts more than its closest rival (your own JTC). Another Ash story.

In the history of TPM, there were both non-Ash and Ash stories among the very popular one ; the older version of The Greater Evil and Twistes Paths, Forgotten Pasts by Timarelay would be example of the later.

I rest my case.

Of course, does that matter? You should be writing, not for the approval of the masses, but for your own satisfaction. Once it starts becoming only about compromising the flavor of your vision to please the taste-buds of the readers, then you're through. You must understand, these are just guidelines that we lay out. If you think you have a better idea that could attract more readers, than for God's sake - do it! Remember, though, you should be telling a story - one that you like!

Just think of it this way - you have to keep the story alive in your heart before it becomes interesting. It helps to think, "Wow! This story really happened somewhere! I'm just typing it out for everyone to enjoy!"

Yep, thinking it Tolkien-style is nice. [/B]

[Murgatroyd]

Remember, thus, that professors do *NOT* give out pokemon to new trainers on a regular basis game-wise (also Murg, side note on the starter : easy availability doesn't seem to be the point, at least not in the game : Oak clearly state the three pokemon he offers are the three he has left from his training career, for example (and he only gives two ; one to you for the reasons mentioned before, and one to his own grandson. Similarly, Elm only gives one (the other is stolen) and Odamaki gives one to you to save him and one to his daughter/son ; that's all).

At the time I wrote this, the anime was the only form of canon I was familiar with. I had never played the game. The anime is still my preferred canon.

Now, in the anime, the professors do give out pokemon on a fairly regular basis, and each one that we know of tends to give out the same types each time. Elm has given out the Chikorita/Totodile/Cyndaquil set on at least two known occasions, and he knew that Ash was from Pallet Town just by hearing that the choices were Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, implying that Oak gives out those three with some frequency. We don't (yet) have enough information to make any statement about Odamaki.

[Evil Figment]

True on the anime canon, and I won't challenge you there.

However, it makes for boring and predictable stuff to start "Oh, you want to be a trainer! Here's a pokemon!"

In the games, it was presented as an older trainer giving out a pokemon for some (usually good reason) more than as a "Official distributor of starter pokemon", which isn't a bad idea at all IMHO.

[A Concerned Solomon]

Hey! I broke half of these and still received forty positive reviews! (That up against two negative.)

You should mention that breaking these unwritten rules in a tongue-in-cheek manner can be funny. Like the bizzare friendship between Cooltrainer Beth and Fisherman Ralph.

[Mew2Too]

Originally posted by Murgatroyd
Yes, many of the greatest writers achieve their best effects by breaking the "rules" that others would set out. However, as a fairly skilled amateur writer I know once said, it's important to know the rules before you start breaking them. Following the advice in my little rant won't necessarily make someone's writing great. However, it will certainly aid in avoiding the sorts of painful so-called stories which inspired me to write it in the first place. (I wrote it after reading several stories by authors who actually needed the advice in the first section.)

Heh heh! Yup, I know what you mean. Hopefully, though, the majority of writers are going to know grammar and how to make it work for them before they start writing. I think that comes through reading. I admit, until I started reading avidly once more, JTC was in a slump. As it is, JTC is now back in the drawing room. I know there were a lot of mistakes that were made, and the style was mediocre. Now that I've started reading again, I think it's gotten better. Blackjack Gabbiani might be able to atest to that. She's already read the new first chapter of JTC.

Originally posted by Damian Silverblade
DO shy away from the constant he/she use, though. And sometime, when it's obvious who said what, there's no need for the "he said" to be backed in.

"Kasumi turned toward Satoshi, fear in her eyes.
'We're lost, aren't we?'
'No, we aren't. I'm just not quite sure of our current location.'"

In there it's obviously who says what, adding the he/she said et al would only make for some burdensome reading. Only use the he/she said when it'S neded to clear up who's talking.

Also, one way to get around using he/she said is to have the character does something else as they speak..

"'We're lost, aren't we?' Kasumi turned toward Satoshi, eyes wide with fear.
'Uh, no...' Satoshi fidgeted. 'I'm just not quit esure of our current location.'"
"

This one works out especially well when doing the Rocket poem. I mean, we already know who says which line, don't we?

Not agreed on basic advice. As murg noted, once you know the rules, break them, but be careful about it. But I think "no legendary" is a good basic rule to get people to understand the principle of no overpowered pokemon.

Yeah, you've got at least one thing right. I think, surprising enough, peeps go into Pokemon fanfics with too little knowledge of Pokemon! :lol: Think about it this way, the Mewtwo movie is a little outdated. If any single one of those trainers had possessed a Dark type, Mewtwo wouldn't have stood a chance. In JTC, this is stated pretty strongly. Well, until later, but that's not relevant right now.

But as it is the basic of the pokemon fandom, I'd say it'S perfectly legitimate. Of course, the professor might have certain reasons to give you a pokemon other than you being an aspiring trainer (remember, in both the first three games he has a reason to give you a pokemon : in RBY, because you are about to venture outside without one and there are wild pokemon out there ; in GSC, because he wants you to have the protection while you run an errand for him, and in RS because he needs you to save him)

True for the games, not necessarily for the anime. Why else would they have given Oak a TV spot the night before. It was almost as though Oak were giving out hoardes of those bloody things. Funny that in "Dig Those Diglett," and "Showdown at the PoKe Corral," that it was mentioned only four trainers left Pallet.

Remember, thus, that professors do *NOT* give out pokemon to new trainers on a regular basis game-wise (also Murg, side note on the starter : easy availability doesn't seem to be the point, at least not in the game : Oak clearly state the three pokemon he offers are the three he has left from his training career, for example (and he only gives two ; one to you for the reasons mentioned before, and one to his own grandson. Similarly, Elm only gives one (the other is stolen) and Odamaki gives one to you to save him and one to his daughter/son ; that's all).

Yeah, which was a cool thought. :sigh: Unfortunately, the anime seems to pay little respect to the game. The ultimate example of this is the virtual abundance of Johto Pokemon in Hoenn.

That'S one way to do it, but not necessarily better nor worse than the professor one. Though I would probably have a "veteran trainer" (as the game imply) instead of a professor (anime-style) giving it out.

Well, now there's a thought. Don't forget, though, that movie 4 established that Oak was, at one time, a Pokemon trainer himself. Of course, we didn't know that from the first episode.

It'S a great risk to take. We tend to portray ourselves as too perfect when we are set as characters, so...

Yes, that can cause problems. Which brings me to...

That'S the whole problem. We ASPIRE to have qualities we don'T have. So what you actually write isn't how you would react in a situation, it'S how you would WANT to react in the situation.

Which is the danger of "autofic" as youc all them : they make for too-perfect main characters.

That's no excuse for not putting faults into your character. I don't really believe that you're any more likely to put imperfections into another character than you would put them into a self-based character. That is to say, you wouldn't do so if you weren't accustomed to dropping in such imperfections in the first place.

So, you must always put imperfections into a character. Sorry, if you do end up with Jesus training that Espeon, he's going to have to be imperfect for one story. ;-)

SI applies more to story where you insert yourself in the main contunuity (IE : Random trainer Bob and his friends meets and join with Ash and co for no real good reason other than the author want to be part of Ash's adventure. Subsequently Bob becomes the great hero replacing Ash who *should* be the focus point)

That isn't to say you can't have your character meet with or even team-up with Ash and crew. The importan thing is you must have your character grounded in his own mythos first. I wouldn't start out with your char travelling with Ash, if I were you.

*shrugs* There are lots of way there. It's obvious that if, in your mind, the pokemon world is another totaly unrelated to ours, they won't know about our history, for example.

Unless, you're trying to achieve the effect that the real world and the Pokemon one split off from each other at some point in history.

Obviously. Better yet, don't just change the name, change the events somewhat too. It's boring to have just changed names around.

For example, the war on terror doesn't begin until 2005. The trade towers are, yes, knocked down. The reasons are a little different. The criminal rogue known as Public Enemy No. 1, commences the attacks because he was refused possession of Mewtwo. This becomes a real problem for the main character, because he possess Mewtwo. It also becomes a problem for Mewtwo, because... Well, to state the obvious while making a long story short, they think it was their fault!

Not quite agreed, but I will stay silent as to the why... (Well, of course Jesus training an Espeon is a bit out of the whack, but...well, as I said, you'll eventually see why my caveat about incorporating religious ideas is there)

I think already know. So, in that case, present company is excepted from said advice.

Heh. Well, of course that's an obvious on, and I know at least one character I'm writing about who's very much based on Jesus, at least on some points.

I hope it isn't Satoshi! :-p

Remind me what'S just about the most legendary, mythical fic of the pokemon fandom?

That'S right. Pokemon Master. An Ash-tachi story.

And remind me what's FAR AND WIDE the most popular "long" fic on this board?

The Greater Evil, with 231 posts more than its closest rival (your own JTC). Another Ash story.

The funny thing is, if JTC gets as far as I want it to, it will surprass TGE, probably. (In number of chapters within stories, I mean.)

Whether or not those chapters will meet the excellence of TGE remains to be seen. ;-)

In any case, if you think you can improve on Ash-tachi, do it for heaven's sake! However, I've found people do not want to hear about something Ash-tachi might really do on the series. Also, I don't know if anyone's ready for a series-true AG story either. I don't think people believed me when I said Haruka was a little whiny! :lol: Clearly, it didn't help that I was very anti-Haruka at one time.

In the history of TPM, there were both non-Ash and Ash stories among the very popular one ; the older version of The Greater Evil and Twistes Paths, Forgotten Pasts by Timarelay would be example of the later.

I can remember a few from the history of BulbaGarden. (Of course, I don't think JTC numbered among them. :shudders: Let's not talk about the old JTC. let me just say, compared to the old ones, the new ones are Shakespeare.)

Yep, thinking it Tolkien-style is nice.

:-) Which is a format that even Peter Jackson held to when doing FoTR The Movie.

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Originally posted by Mew2Too
Now that I've started reading again, I think it's gotten better. Blackjack Gabbiani might be able to atest to that. She's already read the new first chapter of JTC.

I still think you need to work on toning down the main character. Mary Sues get a bad rep because of the tendency for them to be mega-powerful...

But again, not all Mary Sues are bad! Satoshi Tajiri admits that Ash is supposed to be himself at 10, for instance.

Just watch yourself.

[Mew2Too]

Originally posted by Blackjack Gabbiani
I still think you need to work on toning down the main character. Mary Sues get a bad rep because of the tendency for them to be mega-powerful...

But again, not all Mary Sues are bad! Satoshi Tajiri admits that Ash is supposed to be himself at 10, for instance.

Just watch yourself.

Which main character is that? As I remember, the only character in the first chapter that I sent you was Geralden. Well, and Mew of course. As to the rest, that's in rewrite.

Do you really think Chris Brockner is mega-powerful? Mmh, dunno. Even in the original draft of the first story, he was getting the crap beat out of him by Malevolent. I'm talkin' about the really old stuff. The stuff I wrote back in 2001.

Also, Malevolent, will be more explained away in the revamped version. As not that quacking maniac I was going for before. That was pretty dumb. And, all that stupid omnitemporal BS is outta there. Everything takes place on one temporal plane pretty much.

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Yeah, Chris...

I really didn't like Chris, and I'm not sure why. I think it's because everything happened to him just out of serendipity, and that's far too easy...

[Mew2Too]

Originally posted by Blackjack Gabbiani
Yeah, Chris...

I really didn't like Chris, and I'm not sure why. I think it's because everything happened to him just out of serendipity, and that's far too easy...

Which is the difference between you and I - I know exactly where Chris Brockner's life is going. I know where his destiny is going, and I think that's something that has to be set outright from the story instead of waiting. After all, I think it was too confusing when I was trying to keep Kado's identity a secret...

I think that's hint enough of where Chris Brockner's destiny lies. He'll find out in the first episode this time.

Instead of Hiakiu having a future version of himself... Well, it will be mentioed he had a visitation by a future version of himself. There will be no more than that. Instead, I have a new character named Lafong. He has a story, but I won't spoil it.

[A Concerned Solomon]

I move that we make this a sticky. Otherwise it will be lost in the flood of stories on this forum. Damian? Could you do that? (Obviously, I cannot.)

[Evil Figment]

I'll merge it with the other, already sticky topic by Kurai. Otherwise that would start making for a bit too many stickies.

[Kurai]

Making repeated mechanical stick stick stick stick motion, Kurai mumbles, "Stick stick stick stick..." in time to her movement.

Takeru says, "Er, naze da you...?" and pokes her gently.

Kurai mumbles, "Stick stick stick stick...." She points at the sticky topic, then resumes her previous obsessive-compulsive actions, again withdrawing herself from the scene.

Takeru utters with quaivering finger of cognition, "Sticky topic. Ah." oO;

Kit interjects, "I think she's stuck on talking to herself—something else that can be an adding or subtracting factour in a fic!" :-D;;

Irate, Takeru rambles, "I'm rather certain that authors are aware that talking to your characters (or having characters talking to themselves) can add to the mood and tone of a scene, and to the feel and personality of a character. Whether or not the character would normally do so can clue in as to how freaked out or cracked they really are." >X$~

Kit knocks the rabid out of him, then comments, "I'm 'rather certain' that *you* are well aware of THAT literary device."

Takeru: ".... Are you mocking my love for Keiji?" ;-;

Again Kurai mumbles, this time louder than before, "Stick stick stick stick..." then mumbles... /\/3\/4r/\/\0r3.

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Blackjack wonders if this is the same Takeru from Digimon.

She sits back in her chair, thinking of TK (second season, of course) making eyes at Kenji. She shudders.

[Goth Keiji]

Takeru believes that his character concept was derived from lil' T.K. (from books I & II of RoseIII Season 0I and from books III, IV, & V of RoseIII Season 0II and the epilogue).... But evenmoreso than the first generation of insanity, his progeny, Yamato and Takeru, are fashioned after the kawaii siblings of Digimon. Yet he doesn't anticipate the arrival of these two for some bizarre reason....

Takeru thinks on it a bit too much and shudders as Blackjack did before him.

[Kurai]

Oh, and *gack*. XP I just now realised why you shuddered.... Tracey Sketchit and Takeru Takaishi.... X_x;;;

[Blackjack Palazzo]

Blackjack thinks you guys need mental help

Jirarudan thinks Blackjack needs mental help.

Yukio...needs mental help. And a friend other than a rather large unripe tomato.

Blackjack has issues with her soulbonds.

[Clare]

Originally posted by Blackjack Gabbiani


But again, not all Mary Sues are bad! . . .

Just watch yourself.

I quite agree. A Mary Sue (or Gary Stu for the males) can work in a story if he or she is written in such a way as to avoid appearing too good to be true. Also, suddenly giving a character magical powers for no apparent reason is probably not a good idea either. If you MUST give a character powers of any sort, try to come up with a explanation for why they should have them. In my fic "The Chimera Children", for example, I've theorised that a human/Pokemon hybrid should have the potential to use the Attacks of whatever Pokemon their DNA was spliced with. Bjorn and Ursula are part Ursaring, so they can use Ursaring Attacks, but I had to bear (no pun intended) in mind that they are anatomically human; therefore I avoided giving them Attacks that would require sharp claws such as Cut or Slash since human fingernails are not much good in this respect.

As for GameBoy classifications for characters, the way I see it these amount to little more than stereotypes focussing on one aspect of the character and ignore the fact that he or she is a unique human being. For example, it would be perfectly acceptable to have a trainer named Jason who trains Bug Types and whose team comprises Scyther, Yanma, Beedrill, Heracross, Venomoth and Ariados

:lx123: :lx193: :lx015: :lx214: :lx049: :lx168:

but there's no need to keep advertising the fact by calling him Bug Catcher Jason. Just state that his name is Jason and he trains Bug Types

[oni flygon]

Togepreety asked me to put my advices here... Oh well...
The thread was closed anyway O.o

~~~
Teachings from a Literature Student

Okay. Basically a fanfiction is a form of literature where as Fan(s) of a certain form of entertainment, write their opinionated minds in forms of a story.

That's the basics.

A fanfiction requires these few things:
Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution
Remember that a fanfic is never a fanfic without these!

Chpater 1 Lesson 1:
Exposition
The exposistion is the introduction of the story. What an exposistion needs is: Conflict, Characters and Settings

Conflict: This is the protagonist(hero)'s goal in the story. There is no such thing as a story without a conflict.

Example of Conflict: Ash wants to be a pokemon master.

~Protagonist: The hero of the story can be any form of character.
~Antagonist: The villain of the story. Can be either be nature, man or an effect in the protagonist.

Example: Jim wants to win the race but can't because he broke his leg.

Now that example contains the Protagonist, Antagonist and Conflict!

Protagonist: Jim
Antagonist: Broken Leg
Conflict: Jim wants to win the race

*The protagonist can be anybody or anything as long as it blocks the protagonist from reaching its goal.

Chapter 1 Lesson 2
Character

The character basically tells us what/how the Protagonist/Antagonists looks like or act. It tells us more about the characters. This is your chance to evaluate how your character looks like or how it acts. The more you use character, the more it goes well.

Example: Jim is tall and competes in sports alot. He is good at almost any sport. He is very reckless and is proud of anything he does stupid and arrogant.

At that moment, we now know how Jim broke his leg. How? Because he's reckless! Its just right in front of you!

*Sometimes, if the antagonist is human, it is good to show character to him/her only if he/she appears at the start of the story!

Chapter 1 Lesson 3
Setting

Setting tells us even more about the conflict. It is basically the place where the story takes place. There can be mutiple settings where the Protagonist or the Antagonist can take advatage of.

Example: Jim lived near the rocky montains and loved to hike almost everyday.

Anything learned from there? This setting just told us right smack in the middle of our faces on how Jim got his brocken leg. How? He must be hiking then he slipped and broke his leg. Exactly! That how we know about the character, settings and conflict at the same time.

These three things are there to learn more about the plot. The more clearer the plot is, the better the fanfiction.
~~~
Now you may have think we're finished we just started. So tune in for more lessons.

~ONI!~ ^_~;;

[Clare]

NOTE: I originally posted this as part of the generalised version of Advice For Aspiring Authors over on Pojo's board, but I think it bears repeating here.

Try to have at least a provisional title in mind - you can always change it later if it no longer seems to fit the story, but let your readers know if you do - as there are few things more annoying than seeing topic after topic called "Untitled Fic" or something in that vein. Titles are EXTREMELY important tools for distinguishing one story from another, which is why it's often not a good idea to have titles that are too similar to those already in use. Two particularly common examples of this are Pokemon fics with titles like "Timmy's Pokemon Journey" and Harry Potter stories where the title starts with the words "Harry Potter And The . . ."

Whatever you decide to call your fic it needs to have some relevence to the storyline, be it the name of a major character or event, a quote (an example is the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" where the title is a metaphor for attacking the innocent) or just an appropriate word or phrase. In short, a title needs to give the reader an idea what to expect from the fic, but it should do this without giving too much information away. And do remember that there is a limit to how long topic headings can be on this board - a title like "How Lapras Trainer Josephine Court Wowed Everyone At The Pokemon League And Came Into Contact With Her Future Husband While She Was There" is going to get chopped off at the end. And it's also a little mind-boggling; as a rule, titles shouldn't contain more ideas than is absolutely necessary to convey the essence of the story's main theme. If we take an original story of mine called "The Sect Of Xanadu Peak" as an example, the title tells us that this Sect is likely to play a major role in the story. Who the Sect are, what they believe and where Xanadu Peak is located is revealed in the story itself.

And remember that the title of your fic is the first thing people are going to see. You need to grab their attention, encourage them to click on the link to your story - and the best way to do this is with a good title. That's why you need to give your fic a title, if not as soon as you start writing it, by the time the story gets under way. A lot of you probably don't remember this, but, back when Pojo's board was a UBB, there was a story in the Pokemon Fanfic section about a Ponyta who couldn't use Fire Attacks. It was untitled for the first seven or eight chapters before the author called it "The Ponyta Story" in one post and the name stuck. If you want to read it, it's on fanfiction.net . . .

[Kurai]

Is Spike still around, Clare? I haven't seen him since TKF died. o_o

[Clare]

I don't know any more about Spike's current activities than you do, Kurai. Sorry!

[Masato]

For the length it should actually be 3-5 pages. If you think it is to much then 2 pages. One page is pretty short just incase you don't know.

[TRF-chan]

Blackjack said I should post this, so here goes. Hope it helps someone, or entertains at the very least ^^.

TOP TEN SIGNS A CHARACTER IS A MARY-SUE

10. TeH ATHOR tips LyKe disss wiff teh Ch47sp33k OMFG LOL!11111eleventyone

9. The character uses the name of a canon character, when anyone with half a brain knows that said character wouldn't do half the things Canon!Sue is doing. We wonder which closet the author has locked up the real character in.

8. Regardless of what fandom the OC is from, she dresses in Hot Topic inspired clothing. Constantly.

7. The author never fails to describe aforementioned clothing. In blinding paragraphs of D00M that make you want to spork your eyes out.

6. Mary is ALWAYS bee-a-YOO-tee-ful because ugly people are all gross and stuff!

5. Overused descriptions such as 'curves in all the right places', 'full lips', and '32D cup'. (Sadly, I saw a Hermione!Sue with all those descriptions...)

4. She steals the hearts of every man within her sights. Yes, every last one. Run Karasu. Run Jakotsu. IF YOU TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR HOMOSEXUALITY, YOU WILL RUN!

3. Oh-so-speshul powers of l33tness. Yes, you nature-controlling, fire-breathing, wandless-magic-using Sues, you know who you are.

2. Does not do anything wrong. Insists on taking responsibility regardless. Much wangsting ensues.

1. Shacks up with the author's favvie canon man, even if said man in GAY GAY GAY GAY GAY (*Saw Jakotsu paired with Sue, was eternally scarred*). They do not even attempt to set the romance up in a half-way convincing fashion that could render it an OC romance instead of a Mary Sue romance. Such is beyond their primitive logic.

***

So, er, yayness? Go forth, my children, and never 'Sue again!

[Yamato-san]

hey, I've heard one reason script format is belittled so much is because, most the time, they're very crappy, undetailed, lazy, etc., however, it's possible to pull off a script correctly. Would my fic, Pocket Monsters Chronicles, be a good example of this?

[TRF-chan]

Umm...I'm not sure this is the correct thread for that. ^^;; You may want to start your own thread.

[Yamato-san]

well, I'm mentioning it here because the first post on the forums said to avoid scripts, but I think it should be pointed out to people that not 'all' scripts are bad. If anyone confirmed that mine is a good example to go by this, then, you know, authors who considered doing script could see how to do it well.

[Strawberry Delcatty]

Just came across Serebii and found this interesting little tidbit:

About Mary-Sues: Pokemon can be Mary-Sues. Canon characters *cough*PIKACHU*cough* can be Mary-Sues. They are everywhere. They are in your stories (especially trainer fics). In your one-shots. In your house. Check for Sueism before you write, not after you're done 12 chapters and your char is already hopeless. Also: poor May and Brendan are mercilessly Sue-ified. If you have to give them a new character, please make them INTERESTING... ;_;

One of the ways I try to avoid Sueishness and to add interest is to give someone flaws. The Seven Deadly Sins really help if you can't decide on something. In case you don't know, they're Pride, Lust, Anger, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Greed. If you want to add one good feature to your bad guys, the Seven Virtues are Faith, Hope, Charity, Temperance, Fortitude, Justice, and Prudence - remember that your bad guys need good points too.
While I do agree that a well-balanced character should have flaws, I kinda think that the Seven Deadly Sins is a bit too far. I mean, there are some characters that are better off not having these traits (like the pure-hearted little boy/girl that everyone loves). As for villians, well... even they should have their moments.

What do you think?

[Barb]

Flawed characters give the story conflict. While a character might not be completely evil, he or she could have a trait that is similar to one or more of the seven deadly sins. A greedy person with a conscience, for example: would he or she violate any laws to get what he (or she) wants, or would they listen to their inner voice? Or say you have an optimistic character, full of hope, but who also has a short temper (anger) and thinks that justice shouldn't have to wait--for any reason.

[Strawberry Delcatty]

I'm just wondering if anyone has any problems with Pokemon battles (making them one-sided, etc).

Well, towards the end of chapter 4 of my fic, I used this:
http://javascript.internet.com/games/dice-roller.html

I thought that since my battles are often seen as one-sided and mediorce, the above link would help with when to make secondary moves happen (paralysis from Thunder) and how often a move should hit (One hit KO moves = AWFUL accuracy).

However, it's been brought to me that it's a pretty awful idea since it makes the battles appear more unrealistic and one-sided than they already were. I mean, I've got the idea from RPG threads, and it seemed to stand out. There were some vital points (like too many rolls would be in favor of one character or the other), but still...

Should I save this dice system for emergencies (when I get REALLY stuck in a battle) or should I just dump it altogether?

[Psi Yamaneko]

I am almost tempted to rewrite Silver Shadow now, guys. :/ You know. . .my weird Trainerfic from.. .like. . .three years ago?

I need to prove a point:

Trainerfics are not always bad. They can be WORSE.

[Orange_Flaaffy]

Trainerfics are not always bad. They can be WORSE.
Trainer fics are a much bigger story type than most people think, they don't just have to be anime like beat-the-next-gym battling fics. I mean, think of human trainers in real life: You have those that do classes at the local gym and then you have those who train runners for the Olympics. I for one who love to see more fics about breeders and people who train pokemon as more of a paying job type thing...
The same goes for journey fics, there are so many places in the pokemon world that are off the beaten path that if one wished it they could do a whole fic without going to any of the towns\cities in the game. The anime and game always gave me the feeling that there was a whole other side to the pokemon world out there, beyond the major places humans built, which a adventure seeker could get to...

[ladydaisy11]

i find the trainer fics really irritating >.> maybe thats just me though ^^;

[A Concerned Solomon]

I got into a bit of a disagreement with a fanfic writer over this...

Basically, the problem is this. A writer starts his fic by noting that The Entire World Changed Overnight for reasons that are not explained, and police are chasing down trainers and making them go to high school. Most of the cast is going around whining about how their dreams have been destroyed by all of this, and through cooincidences enforced by the genre, Misty and Drew are shunted off to the high school in Pallet so they can be with everyone else.

I believe that radically messing with the setting like this is bad storytelling, and the extreme stretches of plausibility are a bad thing (plus the OCs with random Japanese-style names probably shouldn't be jumping to being everyone's friends so fast). The writer counters that:

First of all, we are talking about a freaking fictional world where cute little animals can create fire and electricity and such at will and are sent out of tiny little pokeballs to beat each other up. That is something that cannot happen. Secondly, this is fanFICTION, accent on the fiction. We write these
because they are things that cannot and will not happen in the series.

Which way do you suggest authors go? Certainly most shipper stories counts as "outside the realm" of things the original would show, but where would you suggest this stops and bad storytelling begins? I mean, if I wrote a story where Sakura of the Eevee sisters and Daisy the blonde swimmer are mecha pilots saving the world from a thinly-veiled version of Godzilla (for the most absurd example I can come up with at the moment), I think I'd try to, if not make it plausible, do a lampshade hanging or a hand wave, or something.

I'll give a llink to the story I'm talking about on request, but I really just want to broach the topic. How far is too far?

[Lamia]

I have a suggestion, how about not wrighting in a blinding pink font?

take it with a grain of salt i guess

[Haseo]

That too.

[barónmon]

I agree with the reading thing.

Orwell, Wilde, Joyce, Fitzgerald and Hemmingway for me of the more modern writers, read them if you want, read others if you don't.

Shakespearean study can only help you understand language and the power it has.

Anyway Baron's advice for all writing:

First think what you want to say - hate authority? think we're going to hell in a handcart? big believer in the power of deams? believe that all life is meaningless? perhaps you're a pacifist? or a communist? or a fan of Wildean aesthetic beauty?

We all have views and literature exists to convey these views in a meaningful way.

Think what medium is best for saying it - play? book? novella? epic? TV script for a hit show? musical?

Think how you will say it now. Four things will do this:

Language - flowery language? persuasive tone? down to Earth writing? patterns of language?

Plot - Ash impregnates Misty? Pikachu turns gay!? flock of Pidgey attack Pallet Town?

Characters - perverted dwarf? doduo with an interest in Elvis? Professor fiercely jealous of Oak?

Setting - warped dystopia where Team Rcoket has won? sunny day on a hill? the time of Kabutops where cavemen fight with clubs and Aerodactyls?

These things combined will help convey your message.

These are the very basics, you will say something by writing a piece of text in some form in which a character(s) do(es) something, somewhere.

Now onto some of the devices you will use.

Characterisation - unless you have paticularly reason not to, try to create 3D characters who are believable and interesting. A good point was raised regarding villains not just being evil, they are most likely to be evil for a reason (unless of course you believe some people are born evil, in which case make them evil) very few heroes are just 'heroic' they will have faults, and do things wrong.

For hero writing a good read is The Hero With A Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces

There is a book called Enemy With A Thousand Faces but I've never read it.

Patterns of language was mentioned briefly before, basically you write link to thingd together by language.

For example;

"Ash looked down at the volcano, it burnt a horrid crimson and he stepped back apprehensibly from uncomfortable stickly heat."

And then later on in the book;

"Ash saw a crimson flash in the corner of his eye, he turned down to see a Growlithe pawing the ground"

We give the word crimson negative connotations meaning it's appearance later on is a clue that the Growlithe is bad news.

You could also write later on in the book;

"Ash trooped on as the sun inflicted it's uncomfortable stickly heat on him."

Now we have a)the previously created negative connotations of 'uncomfortable stickly heat' b) the pathetic fallacy of the weather. By pathetic fallacy we mean using the weather to convey human emotion or to fore-shadow later events. Character angry? try making it too hot! Character depressed? try having it rain! Completed his journey? out comes pleasant sun!

These language tricks are similar to use of music to symbolise a certain character in films (lite motif - think of the tune whenever The Death Ship appeared in Star Wars) and the effects can be massive, especially whn combined.

But why not piss in the face of them, why can't you build up expectations of posivitism with weather then have Team Rocket attack! Bet you weren't expecting that uh! ;)

Right that's all I can be arsed to write now but I'll put more up depending on what people think of that.

[LordVurtaxADV]

For a Fanfic i think that the best thing to do is start out with a minor plot. Then in about 3 chapters in add a chapter that develops around the real polt of the fanfic. Such as this.

And heres my pokemon Fanfic with developing ADVANCESHIPPING So if you are an Advanceshipper like me then go on and read
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3806568/1/Soni_Royale_The_Chaos_Unfolds

[barónmon]

Do you mean start with let's say Ash looking for a bag he's lost at first, but then a little in stumbling upon a temple let's say in his search for his bag and then that being the main plot?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Arcane Mind]

Ok, I've got a question.


If the main character of said fanfic were not the main cast, but was instead an original, invented character, how would interactions with the main cast go about? As it stands now, I've got a fanfic in mind where the main character is a trainer with some serious social issues, and he happens to, at some time later, bump into the main cast. No real "shippy" scenes involving the main cast, (aside from a scene where said kid verbally assaults Dawn and Ash defends her for it, but that would be in keeping with Ash's personality) and yet the interactions with the main characters are pivotal in this kid finally overcoming his shadows. (Another pivotal reason being his starter Pokemon, a female Riolu). But again, how would these interactions go about, and would any really be well recieved?


Also, in keeping with the movies, would it be feasable if said Riolu could communicate telepathically?

This character was originally intended to be a RP character, but RPs here are slow moving or dead, closed, or restrict me from having Riolu as a starter. This forces me to use a fanfiction, which is frustrating because I'm already working on one, and don't want it driven out of my head.

[Amphlosion]

Since I think this is the best place for a question like this, seeing as it is an advice-based thread, I was wondering if, when writing a longer work of literature (can you call it a novel?) how much previous planning you should do before it. I know you want a general idea of what you're doing, but I wasn't sure how much extensive planning you should go into. I seem to be thinking that if you plan it enough ahead of time, it could help you focus more on character development maybe, since you don't devote as much thought to what will happen next. Although this could cause you to do less character development, maybe, and try to force the plot too fast (which happened with the one thing I wrote, which is mentioned later). You could also come up with different ideas that wouldn't coincide with certain aspects, demonstrating the rigidness that could come with this planning. I could probably continue examining this, but I won't, seeing as I don't have enough experience in this area to come to a very good conclusion (I'd be basing it on possibly distorted facts in my mind). Any opinions on this would be helpful.

Another thing I've been thinking about is formality. Since I've been in a highly advanced L.A. (Language Arts) class for my three years of High School, the formal style of writing is fairly engrained with me (which you may see with my use of commas). I know that you don't need to do things like not using combined words (do not as opposed to don't) when writing stories, and that you can use 1st person and 2nd person ways of phrasing stuff in writing, but are there any others? Do you think the way I'm writing this post is a good amount of formality (disregarding the comments in parentheses)?

This next portion isn't entirely related to my question, but just some stuff that I figured I'd post, because, on one hand, I want to post some of my thoughts, and on the other, because I want to see if anything I say will cause anyone who reads this post to offer any advice (or maybe help them in some way? I don't know).

The only experience I've had with writing (other than essays) is NaNoWriMo '06, and my novel (which I barely finished the last day, doing at least 8k words, I think) was very poor as the characters had very little development, though it was fun thinking of different strategies using maps of areas (though not the best maps, of course).

I've had an idea that I tried to write about (sortof a journey/game fic, but would get a lot less related to the game's plot) four months ago, though I stopped because I am a major procrastinator. Anyways, I'm probably going to rewrite it (I was only two chapters in) in a way that uses literary devices better so that it can become a better story (I feel that I can explain it better). This comes from my better understanding through the good literature I've read in school in these past few months (Crime and Punishment, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and The Stranger) that gives me a better understanding of how to write a detailed story.

On this journey/game fic topic, I was wondering whether I should go through the game again (Diamond and Pearl) as I write it so that I can remember the parts better (mainly stuff like what members of Team Galactic are where and city information), though primarily in the beginning, or merely use something like a guide. Also, any opinions on what the distance should be between places? I've been wondering about what the general opinion is on distance within the game world. Days of travel? Hours? Up to the writer?

Also, I remember reading here a long time ago (I believe it was this thread) that it's better to start out with one-shot type stories, though I'm having trouble coming up with ideas, though I have one now that seems to be good. Although the main thing that gets me is the use of new characters, since it feels like that wouldn't be enough time to develop them, though the idea I have doesn't require it as much, since it could be generally any person. I still need to formulate this idea more and maybe try to write it this weekend... So how do you develop characters (new) or possibly even introduce them (maybe?) when writing shorter stories?

Anyways, I didn't think I'd spend this long writing my post (it had started out with merely a simple "how much pre-planning should you do" in the beginning), but I guess this demonstrates that I'm fairly interested in writing (hopefully not just the ideology behind it, though). For those of you who read my post (and hopefully posted advice), thanks for bearing with it, since it seems to demonstrate my rambling style that I can get into (which is good for things like my part-Philosophy class), although I don't normally use many parentheses like I did here, though this demonstrates my rambling. Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read my post.

[DreamOutLoud]

From my own experiences, I'd definitely recommend starting off with a couple of shorter stories before trying to tackle something as large as a novel. It allows you to get the feel of the kind of pacing and development you'll need for longer stories. As for how much planning you'll need for a novel...

Lots. Lots and lots of planning. Do as much planning as you can, and then do some more. You need to iron out every little detail before you can even think of starting. Who's the protagonist? What is their goal? What are they like? What hopes, dreams, and fears do they have? You need to do that for every main character, including the antagonist.

What is the source of conflict? What is the setting? How does the setting affect the plot?

Remember that in a story, every detail has some relevance. Nothing is thrown in haphazardly. How does the setting influence the personality of the protagonist and the antagonist? How do they clash with each other? How does the clash affect the plot? What happens in the plot to affect the setting?

Writing a novel is a long, difficult process. To the reader, the result may seem smooth and open-ended, but to the writer it has to be ironclad. Imagine a shirt woven from steel fibres. That is how strong and tightly knit your writing must be.

[Amphlosion]

For the part about the planning ahead, I was primarily thinking about planning the plot. I understand planning the characters (which I will need to do moreso when I get to the point where I feel ready to start my larger project). Although I'm fairly sure that the main ant