http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/ en Mon, 20 May 2013 06:09:57 GMT vBulletin 60 http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/images/styles/Millenium/misc/rss.png http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/broken-rule-151092/ Sun, 19 May 2013 03:03:33 GMT 1. Mislabelled Fiction (Inappropriate Content, 5 points) I read these rules the first time I joined and I think I might have broken this one without meaning to. My story in writers workshop call Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Life as an Adventurer, has sexual contact in it but I labeled my story... 1. Mislabelled Fiction (Inappropriate Content, 5 points)

I read these rules the first time I joined and I think I might have broken this one without meaning to.
My story in writers workshop call Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Life as an Adventurer, has sexual contact in it but I labeled my story mature.
However, I am not sure of the last part of this rule because it said something about written sexual contact.
Could someone go to chapter five and tell me if I have broken this rule?
If I did, please tell me and I do apologize for it.
I will delete the entire story if I have broken this rule.
Thanks. ]]> Eeveeforthebest http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/broken-rule-151092/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/most-common-annoying-things-show-up-pokemon-fiction-151086/ Sun, 19 May 2013 01:38:31 GMT What's something you constantly run into when looking at Pokemon fanfiction? For me, it's that the main character is either an Aura Guardian, owns a Pikachu or a Riolu/Lucario or both, or has control over some incredibly overpowered Pokemon (Metagross, Hydreigon, etc.) right at the start. These things just scream Mary Sue since they have such good things going for the character before the story even begins.

Not every character has to have these things & it's more than okay to be normal (all the way through for some people, at first for many others). I don't like talking to a buddy of mine about a fanfic & the conversation goes like this: "Hey dude, you read dat Pokemon fic I told you about?" "Which one?" "Da one w/ da emo Champion." "Which one?" "Where he has a Tyranitar." "Like I said bro; which one?" "Da one where he has da hot smart girlfriend watching all his Pokemon except for when he battles" "For the last time; WHICH ONE???.

So many of these stories are a dime a dozen & I wanted to know what are some common things you find when reading Pokemon fanfics, specifically ones that bug you? ]]> AuraSoul93 http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/most-common-annoying-things-show-up-pokemon-fiction-151086/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/character-description-fic-150840/ Tue, 14 May 2013 20:59:51 GMT So, as anyone who's read any good work of fiction, the author gives a fitting description as to a character's appearance so you can picture what they'd look like whenever a new important character appears. I'm not really good at that part, but I am good at giving basic descriptions in the profiles for them. Any tips for me? ]]> Warrior of Fire http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/character-description-fic-150840/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/am-i-only-one-who-finds-writing-battles-boring-150801/ Mon, 13 May 2013 21:07:56 GMT I mean I understand fully how essential battles are given the nature of the source material, but somehow I just find the process of writing out Pokémon battles very tedious and leaving me anxious to get through to the end of the battle. I find most other forms of action, dialog, and scene... I mean I understand fully how essential battles are given the nature of the source material, but somehow I just find the process of writing out Pokémon battles very tedious and leaving me anxious to get through to the end of the battle.

I find most other forms of action, dialog, and scene setting fun to write, but battles have always been a pain in the butt to write, even as my skills have improved.

I now find myself having to write a three on three battle in a fic where not all that many Pokémon battles will be observed in their entirety, but the few that are depicted really matter.

Just wondering if I was the only one who felt this way. A well written battle is good to read I just find writing them to be one of the least exciting aspects of writing a Pokémon fic, even if he end result reads well and works great for the story at hand. ]]> SuperTrainStationH http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/am-i-only-one-who-finds-writing-battles-boring-150801/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/figuring-out-commands-150796/ Mon, 13 May 2013 20:22:13 GMT When you are typing, you have many choices like font, size, bold, underline, etc.

But I don't know what the others look like such as spoiler tags and mention tags.

Could some one please explain what each button is and what it looks like when you send a post?

I am very new here and would be very grateful. Thanks. :) ]]> Eeveeforthebest http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/figuring-out-commands-150796/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/hello-150695/ Fri, 10 May 2013 20:21:28 GMT I am new to the writing side of Pokemon; once my exams are over in 33 days, I hope to spend some spare time writing some creative text about Unova. I am still pondering over a story line, but I was just wondering about some tips for the writing. Cheers for any input guys! I am new to the writing side of Pokemon; once my exams are over in 33 days, I hope to spend some spare time writing some creative text about Unova. I am still pondering over a story line, but I was just wondering about some tips for the writing.

Cheers for any input guys! ]]> AntimatterAsh http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/hello-150695/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/handling-foreshadowing-150582/ Tue, 07 May 2013 18:36:18 GMT One of my favorite things about TV shows with intricate storylines or novel series is the foreshadowing, especially when it's done well where there were hints when you least expected them and you pick up on them rewatching and/or rereading the whole story (see Avatar:TLA or any Tokusatsu works with Yasuko Kobayashi heavily involved). I'd like to know how one can really handle this effectively, especially if your story is subjected to changes. How does one manage to hide the truth in plain sight until it's finally revealed? ]]> matt0044 http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/handling-foreshadowing-150582/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/fanfiction-controversy-150551/ Sun, 05 May 2013 21:34:15 GMT I've never been too active in fandoms despite my dedication to various games, shows, and books, so it was a surprise to me when I started hearing about people who support unusual pairings getting grief for their choices. Now, I don't even like pairings, but the idea of there being teens and even adults who are angry enough about fan depictions of cartoon romance to heckle someone about content and not quality is mind-boggling to me.

This is the draft of a message I'll be adding to my fanfiction.net profile, which I'll hopefully receive offers for as I start to become active. What do you think both of the idea of honest-to-goodness fictional romance controversy and of my offer?

To those of you who enjoy unusual and controversial pairings

I don't personally enjoy writing pairings, but I will write for you a serious clean or suggestive short story or potentially novella-length work on yours if it meets the following criteria:

1) It's rare. You can't find much content for it.

2) It's controversial in your fandom and people argue about it.

Included at the bottom of this is a list of fandoms I feel I can convincingly write for, as well as a list of fandoms that I don't know very well but would be willing to research for a particularly juicy pairing.

I think fanfiction writers often allow themselves to be too easily influenced by the opinions of their fandom at large and don't try things that are bold, new, and risky despite the fact that they may spend days or mere hours on an upload and have no money invested in this to lose. At the heart of good writing is fantasy, at the heart of talked-about writing is controversy, and at the heart of fan communities should be fans filling in the blanks and expanding upon what they love.

It was also mind-boggling to me, as someone who's often enjoyed my games, shows, and books solo, to learn that there are teens and even adults who are angry enough about things like fan depictions of cartoon romance to give people grief over content. I'd like to rustle their jimmies for a good laugh. ]]> Yarrow http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/fanfiction-controversy-150551/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/how-long-takes-150360/ Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:00:12 GMT I am relatively new at this fanfiction game, writing wise anyway, so while I have been talking to different authors I have realised that some authors can actually finish writing a whole chapter in one day. Is that normal? That seems ridiculously quick to me lol Each of my chapters are around the... I am relatively new at this fanfiction game, writing wise anyway, so while I have been talking to different authors I have realised that some authors can actually finish writing a whole chapter in one day. Is that normal? That seems ridiculously quick to me lol

Each of my chapters are around the 5000 word mark and it take me a month to finish a chapter, is that slow? Or is it just because I am new at this?

How long does it usually take you to finish writing chapters? :) ]]> GioRocket http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/how-long-takes-150360/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/lesson-nine-plot-flow-flaze-150197/ Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:01:46 GMT Hello everyone! A bit near the end of the month but I was distracted by uni for most of the past few weeks and completely forgot about it all. Flaze has written a great article that flows rather nicely, so sit back and enjoy! :D Well hello everybody. My name is Flaze. As some of you... Hello everyone! A bit near the end of the month but I was distracted by uni for most of the past few weeks and completely forgot about it all. Flaze has written a great article that flows rather nicely, so sit back and enjoy! :D




Well hello everybody. My name is Flaze.

As some of you may know, I’ve been around the workshop for quite a while; however I’ve never actually had the courage to do an article as I’ve been…a bit nervous to do so I guess. This time, I decided that I wanted to give it a shot, so I hope that I can be of some help for some of you and remind others about things they have to know for their own story.

Now without further ado let’s talk about…

PLOT FLOW

So before we get started on what the article really is about I want to address the complex and at the same time very obvious definition of plot flow. Now, as it says on the tin, this refers to the way that the plot moves along the story, how events are able to follow after each other and gain momentum from each other. The phrase “united we stand” applies to this, due to the fact that once all of these things that make up your story, both the big and the small, unite it will create a marvelous piece of work or a cluster of something…yes, let’s call it something.

Okay so, let’s break this down and bring its core out. First of all, the thing that sets up the flow of plot is one of the most basic things in writing.

A beginning, a middle and an end.

Now these things are as obvious as 1,2,3 and it’s a rule of thumb that every story should have. However, that’s not all, that’s merely the basics. Think of the story as a body, and the plot is the soul of the body, if there’s no soul then all your left with is an empty shell to put it simply.

Also before I start off I’d like to add a small summary of what plot flow represents.

And that’s this little chart.

plot summary flow chart

I will also be borrowing quotes and inspiration from this article, courtesy of the always willing writing world.com.

Plotting by Personality

Okay…now let’s get down to this. We’ll start off with…

THE PLOT

Before you start your story you obviously need a plot; plotting might be a bit tough at times though, normally people start out with a small idea and they have to try and figure out how to expand on it more. This is where a person’s style starts to come out for the first time.

As stated by the article I put up above:

“To find out the best way of plotting for you, first (a) think about your usual approach to problems then (b) try a few different methods. It's not certain that the 'best' way for you will dovetail with your personality type, but it's likely”

What this means is that you need to think about your own way of dealing with things, and how your personality and the way you do things affect the way you plot. Truth be told, you can tell a lot about a person’s personality from the way they write or the kind of stories they write most of the time, take Edgar Allan Poe for example, a very mysterious and serious guy that ended up coming with what could be accounted as the first works of the Goth genre of books as well as having stories with dark themes.

It all comes into play, your personality, your true self will show in your work even a little and this is why taking your personality into account is something that’ll help you plan your plot out and as thus get with the flow of things.

Now I’m sure you’re wondering about what I mentioned before regarding how events must connect with each other. There is actually a method for this and it is called:

BRANCHING

It’s pretty much mentioned right above here; a good way to plan the events and things that will happen in your story is by putting them all down, gathering them up, and branching it together as they go along. You can see a bit of an example of it on the chart link above.

You must put everything here. Characters, obstacles, events, elements that are important, they all go here and they all help each other out. This of course applies to the plot as well and branching them all out will help you know where everything’s going to go “If this happens then this should happen next” and things like that, kind of like building a puzzle.

By the way, remember how I mentioned characters there? Well I will get to that a bit later.

THE BEGINNING

The beginning, we all know what’s this is, it is the start of the story, it’s the point where our tale starts being told. Now we all know what we have to do in the beginning of the story but for those that are still learning and those that need some help I’ll explain it.

The beginning is where the story starts fleshing itself out, characters are introduced and events start taking place. Now, this part of the story is the bones of the story, what you do in the beginning should follow up in the middle and the climax.

So what I mean is that the beginning is the thing you should plan out the most before starting on a story. How will the story start? What kind of characters will you introduce? How will the things that happen here be relevant to the rest of the story? A million of questions can come out from just that one 9 lettered word.

As you can probably tell by now, the events of this part will be very important, the reason for this is because we’re learning about the characters as we are introduced to them as well as being introduced to what the plot is about, that’s why there can’t be anything left out.

What happens here has to lead to what will happen later, there can’t be any missing pieces as it will all come to in the end.

Now beginnings can vary a bit depending on the story and what the author wants. There are story that begin from zero, basically they introduce the characters and plot elements by starting off with nothing, a completely clean slate.

Then there are stories that start off with already active plot elements, say a story that starts in the middle of a war and goes from there, basically the story starts off in the middle of a situation with elements already in place that will be explained as the story goes.

I will be pointing out some examples of beginnings now looking not farther than our own Writers Worshop. For one there is The Girl Who Listens to the Hearts of Dragons by @Gotpika; this story is about Iris and her past while training with Drayden and how she will eventually become who she is.

The story starts off by introducing Iris as well as her life before she went off to train with Drayden, something that none of us were introduced to in the games and something that makes this story unique. The story itself is still pretty early on but it does a good way of introducing the characters, their personalities as well as their goals and struggles.

Now I’ll point out an example of a story with a setting already in place. This story is the Mirage Forest by @Kyuuketsuki; and it’s a story that I find quite interesting in all honesty. This story borrows and expands on the origins of the Delta Pokemon introduced in the card games as well as the Holon region. The story starts off with a company that’s already researching and scouting Mirage Island for ways to create their own artificial region, with a mystery and characters already in place that are revealed as the story goes.

Basically one of these stories is a car that’s just starting from rest and the other is a car that’s already been running a few miles before the start, and both of those beginnings are pretty good, though most people tend to lean towards the first example rather than the second.

Now if you’re just starting out, and I mean really starting out then I’ll recommend for you to go with the first scenario unless you’re really really sure you can pull the second one off. It’s not that it’s hard, but introducing characters and such doesn’t come as fluently when the setting is already set, you have to pick a good moment to introduce them. In the first scenario it’s easier to introduce characters and the setting because you start from nothing, which is what journey fics are usually like. So if you’re someone with no writing experience I’ll recommend the first one but by all means you should experiment and find the one that suits you the best.

Now then, let’s move on to the next part.

THE MIDDLE

So now that you’ve completed the first part of the story it’s time to move to the next part. The middle is.

The middle is…the middle, to put it simply.

But jokes aside. This part of the story is where the plot really begins to move along, now that the characters and the setting are ready it’s time to get things in gear and to start unraveling the secrets of the story. This is the reason why I said that everything at the beginning should be connected with the story in some form, this is due to the fact that this part of the story borrows heavily from that and follows on what was done before, if there is a line that isn’t connected then the story might lose itself.

Of course this doesn’t mean that things don’t keep happening, while you unravel what happened at the start you also start creating more questions that will need to be resolved as you go, or maybe you can resolve a plotline that you created in the beginning only for it to turn into an even bigger plotline here.

In my opinion the middle of the story is both the hardest and the easiest part when it comes to planning the story out. It’s the easiest in the sense that since you already know where you started and where you’re gonna finish it isn’t too tough to fill in the blanks; however, that isn’t always the case, a lot of people have trouble filling the blanks that go in between the beginning and the end mostly because you have to think of something that follows from what happened and leads to what’s going to happen without making it seemed rushed or sudden.

Let’s take Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows as an example. At the start of the story Harry and his friends set out to find the Horrocruxes so that they can kill Voldemort. The story centers around this theme while also putting its own mysteries on the table. In the middle of the story this plotline leads the group back to Hogwarts which in turn puts them in the center of the battle that’ll begin the climax of the story.

So there’s an example, a theme that is introduced in the beginning evolves as it goes through the story and it eventually leads to the end, it might change a bit or a lot during the course of the story but it’ll eventually get there.

Before finishing this part I’d like to state that there is a specific point in the middle that is kind of in between the middle and the end. This point is usually shown as a point of struggle where a character’s hopes are shattered or everything seems hopeless and bleak.

This point in the story is good to raise tension and drama but it also allows you to look back at how much the character’s changed from when the story first began, the majority of books, film, video games and tv shows do this and depending on what kind of character it is that develops it will lead to the climax, whether good or bad, essentially this is the point where the character finishes it’s “evolution” and is able to go into the final stride with a clear mind.

THE END

So now all of the plotlines that had been going on separately have finally connected into one point, everything has been settled but this, the characters have been fully developed and they’re ready to finish what they started.

This is the end or climax, the point where the story is finally settled and everything is revealed in one swift motion. The climax is that point in the story where things really shine, it’s the point where everything you’ve done has to make sense and come to a nice and clean close.

The ending is in my opinion at least, the most fun but also the most pressuring part of the story. The reason for this is that, as I mentioned before, everything has to make sense. It doesn’t matter if your story up till now has been the best thing ever, if its climax ends up being subpar then it won’t matter.

The same can be said about a story that has been average up to that point, if it ends up having a thrilling climax that keeps you at the edge of your seat then it’ll end up being a lot better.

The reason it’s so pressuring is because you have to please the people that read the story as well as yourself, after all, when one starts a story they think about how it’s going to develop but also about how it’s going to end. As the story goes on people begin to wonder how it’ll all come to a close, what does the writer have in store? It’s something that everyone wonders and wants answered.

Now, the good thing is that the ending is one of the first things that comes to mind in the planning stages; however, just because it’s good in your brain doesn’t mean it’ll come as good in your writing, that’s why an author has to keep going back and criticizing on whether it really is a good enough ending.

Also keep in mind that an ending will change as the story goes, you might start with a planned ending but that doesn’t mean it won’t change once the whole story’s written, I can say that from experience.

Anyways. As I mentioned before, when you reach the point you have to make sure that everything makes sense, you have to solve every plotline you created and give development to every character, or at least the most important ones, you have to leave your reader speechless and walking away with a smile on his or her face, or crying tears of sorrow whichever one you want.

Regarding what I said about an ending changing as you go, the ending might sometimes change because of what you think is best for both you and the reader. You might think that your ending is perfect but you should always ask yourself “are they going to like it?” it’s true that a writer should write for the sake of writing, but you’re also an entertainer and an entertainer should always give his best for those that cheer him up.

Now that we cleared that up there is one more thing that I’d like to point out about plot flow, don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too long.

CHARACTERS AND PLOT FLOW

So you might wonder why characters are important when it comes to plot flow. Well the reason they’re important is because your characters are the center of the story itself, sure the plot is important but it should also go around your characters rather than just stand by itself and pull the characters along the story.

A character’s actions or personality might help influence the plot and get it moving, in a way it all depends on them because what they say or do might end up deciding what is going to happen, how it’s going to happen and what’s going to happen later.

This takes me towards the idea of a Character Driven story and I’ll be quoting a post by NoirGrimoir one of our own WW writers for this one:

“In a character-driven story, the primary obstacles and struggles are internal and/or intangible, such as succumbing to a desire for revenge, learning to love again, or wrestling with decisions regarding morality or duty. Pros are that emotional impact and reader connection is very high, and you can leave the reader with something much more lasting to think about. Cons are that it can be more difficult to write well, and you definitely have to be knowledgeable in terms of people and how they think, since internal processes are the core of the story.”

Essentially what this means is that with a character driven story it makes it easier to focus on the emotion, and this emotions will also lead the flow. Keep in mind that a good story should have a mix of both, so while your character’s emotions and struggles help the plot move you should also make sure to have a deeper plot of your own.

Well, this article ended up being longer than I originally planned it to be xD; so I hope that you’ve enjoyed it and that I was able to help in teaching you guys, I have to admit I was a bit nervous at the start.

With that in mind, stay tuned for the next article of the Writers Academy and put your own ideas to the test with your own story. This is Flaze signing off. ]]> AceTrainer14 http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/lesson-nine-plot-flow-flaze-150197/ http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/do-you-have-troupe-characters-150177/ Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:24:59 GMT Which is to say, do you ever reuse the same characters in different contexts/settings? Some might dismiss this as lazy, but if you're like me and you easily get attached to your characters, organizing them into a sort of "theatre troupe" can be the way to go.

My troupe currently consists of:

• Icira Witherflame
  
  1. Originally designed as Misty's evil clone in an idea I had for a Pokémon anime-based fanfic. The idea, as you can probably tell, was scrapped for good reason.
  2. Her official debut was as a playful, difficult-to-kill villainess with no clear goal, a role she played in an IRC Pokémon RP and the small-scale Rogues Gallery RP. This version of her was also vaguely referenced in the Knight Pokémon University RP, but was never seen or mentioned by name.
  3. In a more recent IRC Pokémon RP, she plays the role of a well-intentioned extremist intending to create a world of powerful beings with no concept of hate or greed. The entire clone concept is absent from this portrayal.
  4. In an Elder Scrolls fanfic or modded quest I may develop at some point, she plays a benevolent character previously in the employment of the main antagonist. She joins up with the protagonist in an effort to thwart the villain's efforts.
  5. In yet another RP, this time of the traditional tabletop variety, she is set to play the "token evil teammate" in the party of player characters.
  
  
• Colin Sonan
  
  1. Originally designed as a morally-ambiguous character in the above-mentioned fanfic idea, Colin went through several iterations before settling on being an anti-hero cloned from the same DNA as Icira, making him more or less her brother, as well as being the leader of a group of advanced trainers called the Forgotten Fourteen.
  2. His official debut was as a student in the Knight Pokémon University RP, having been aged down to be college-appropriate. He also became much more temperamental. This version of him was also used in an IRC Pokémon RP.
  3. In a more recent IRC Pokémon RP, he is aged back up and once again made leader of the Forgotten Fourteen, this time under the name of "the Fourteen Generals". The clone concept is abandoned and he is no longer Icira's brother, but instead her fiancé.
  
  
• Eye Candy (Joanie Aimes, Collie Calloway, Annie Jameson and Bella Austin)
  
  • In most portrayals, these girls are presented as either the wisecracking Greek chorus or the fun-loving resident rock band. In some settings, one or more of the characters may go out on their own, but it's rare to see just one of them alone for very long.
  
  
• "Those Three Villains" (Eliza DiMaggio, Douglas Fogelberg and Emerson Blackfield)
  
  1. The first two were originally designed as element-themed dungeon bosses (Ice and Fire, respectively) for an abandoned IRC game, where they were named "Snedronningen" and "Skonabyto". A later revision identified them as humans who had been transformed into elemental monsters by the main antagonist, a sentient energy storm called The Entity; it was at this point that they received their proper names.
  2. In a more recent IRC Pokémon RP, they are presented as Icira's subordinates as well as Burst users, allowing them to keep the elemental powers they would have had in the previous IRC game. They are joined by Emerson Blackfield (a Poison-type user) to complete a trio referencing parts of Icira's name.
  3. In the redesigned Rogues Gallery RP on another board, these three are set to once again play Icira's subordinates, this time receiving their elemental powers through more typical supervillain means. The first two reclaim their original names as supervillain codenames—Blackfield takes the codename "Vesdieh".
  
  
• Willis ra Teremolve
  
  1. Originally based on my avatar in RuneScape, this character was meant to star in a fictionalized account of my adventures in that game, with an extension incorporating ideas from a Spore story I had partially written. Went through several revisions—sometimes he had a brother or two, sometimes not. Was usually depicted with several familiars, including a spider, a snow imp and even a full-blown demon (rarely seen, for obvious reasons). This fic may get resurrected at some point, but given my abandonment of RuneScape, this is unlikely.
  2. Currently based on my player character in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, he is set to star in a fanfic or modded quest where he will team up with Icira Witherflame to combat a wicked sorcerer. This version of the character has a sister who dies at the hands of the villain.
  
  
• The Narrator (Me)
  
  • In many of my works, be they RP or fanfic, comedic moments will often feature the narrator interacting with the characters—usually, this involves the characters criticizing the quality of the plot and verbally abusing the increasingly disgruntled narrator.
  
  

Yes, I'm aware that most of these examples are RP characters, but they would work just as well in fanfiction if I took the time to write it. ]]> Glitchipedia http://bmgf.bulbagarden.net/f455/do-you-have-troupe-characters-150177/