ladyavatar
Pro-Bender
Ozai Fangirls, Represent!
Posts: 418
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 2, 2012 12:23:21 GMT -6
ladyavatar, nooooo! Ozai!!! :: sobs :: I love the potential for Ozai to not just be a one-dimensional baddie. Why must he die? Whyyyyy? ^I still can't get over that update. The way it started out, Katara was totally happy about his death because it was justice but Aang was trying to convince Zuko to not kill his father. So even though it took place on the day of the execution, I decided to risk reading it because I thought Zuko was going to have a change of heart. NOPE. And now I've been depressed for the last few hours. T_____T ^I second posting at least the non-smutty version on FanFiction (then I can favorite and follow it!). XD ^I will PM and review and bother you until you post new updates. So noooooo worries about that. ^I have definitely been inspired to make minor adjustments in the overall plot thanks to reviews. However, I have my entire story planned out in advance so I don't incorporate an awesome-sounding suggestion and then get stuck down the line because of it. ^Honestly, your system is exactly what I kept going through until I just decided to risk posting my first chapter. Then - BOOM. Commitment. Then I just had to keep going. So if you have the first chapter ready, I'd suggest just posting it. Otherwise you'll be stuck in this loop forever like I was until I posted my first chapter. ^Totally depends on the writer. For some stories, all chapters are 10k+ monsters. In my story, the average is around 4k-5k words. Some chapters are as brief as 2k words and some are as long as 8k words. It depends on what's going on in that particular chapter (because I personally like to end either on very strong quotes or on cliffhangers). ^My treatment of Ozai will be unlike anything in any other fanfiction, ever. Which is of course why it is taking forever to get anywhere. I want everything to be believable. I love the servant girls, though, and especially Len. She acts like a boss. Ugggghhhh . . . you know what I need right now? Some happy Ozai fanfiction. Why does it not exist?! Why?!
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Post by kathrynlacey on Dec 2, 2012 17:09:03 GMT -6
I think, in the series, I would have been okay with Ozai's death, but after reading the Promise and seeing a different-ish side to him (which really was the only thing I even liked about that trilogy of comics), I can't stand the thought of him dying, and I have never liked the idea of Zuko being the one to take his life. That kind of thing would have left me depressed, too. Mmkay. I made my FF account last night right before bed. I'll post it... eventually... I promise... I just have to wait at least twenty-four hours between any edits I make to any chapters, and it seems like every time I read my Prologue, I find something that needs fixed, but right now, it's usually just the flow or overuse of one specific word or something. I'm not changing anything major about it. I just don't want to post a chapter and then realize there are a million grammatical mistakes in it. ^ ^ I'll probably post my prologue tomorrow. I don't work, and by then, enough time will have passed that my brain can properly read through the final draft of my Prologue and accept it for posting. I hope you're prepared for super sketchy posting schedules and being my personal cheerleader/pep talker. hahahah This is the first time in my life that I have ever decided to write a story and make it through to the finish line, and this is the first time I've ever shared my writing (that wasn't a play-by-post role-play) with anyone other than a teacher... Don't be kind! Be generous with reviews and critiques once I post this shizzle! I can't learn if people try to spare my feelings! Crap... Maybe this is why people think I'm an ass in real life... I just want to help, but they'd rather I spare their feelings... It's so hard to know what the proper balance for that kind of social ettiquette is... :: sighs ::Hm... I think I need to add more to my first chapter. It didn't feel wholly complete, but I didn't want to accidentally make it overly long, but apparently that won't be an issue. =D As soon as you've completed that story, I must read it. It's a requirement in my life. Just sayin'... Also, Happy!Ozai fics don't exist because Ozai isn't happy unless he has all of the power in the world, and even then... It doesn't really seem like it's enough... You know? Sure, he had a comet and he was winning the heck out of that war of his, but it wasn't enough. He had to make it so the Earth Kingdom could never work out a positive existence ever again. It's a control-freak issue, and he could never get enough. I wonder what happened in his life to make him feel like he didn't have enough control, so he had to seize all of it? (Furthermore, no one ever really wants happiness for child abusers...)
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ladyavatar
Pro-Bender
Ozai Fangirls, Represent!
Posts: 418
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 2, 2012 18:03:37 GMT -6
. . . and I have never liked the idea of Zuko being the one to take his life. ^Pretty much this. <___> I feel like Zuko would have him imprisoned, not executed - besides, wasn't he technically a REALLY popular Fire Lord among the people of the Fire Nation (or did I make this up?). I mean, the Fire Nation itself was pretty successful under Ozai's rule. I don't know how popular the execution would have made Zuko. But anyway, that's all beside the point. I think I've almost gotten over the one-shot. Almost. ^Good! Once it's posted, I promise you'll feel better about continuing the whole thing. ^AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. XD ^Done deal, my friend. I've been cheerleading for Ozai ever since the entire fandom turned on him years ago (even on this forum, I'm his resident fangirl), so I have lots and lots of practice! I will cheerlead long and hard and never give up the cause! ^Exactly how I feel about sharing my own fic. People occasionally rip in with some serious critiquing, and those are the most helpful reviews. I will be a very helpful cheerleader, promise! ^You'll have 500,000 words to catch up on, but it will totally be worth it! So much Ozai re-characterization and past exploration to be done! ^Just in general, I super wonder about his past. :/ There just aren't enough fics dealing with it, let alone canon that completely avoided the issue. I mean, he probably lived in Iroh's shadow his whole life - just as Zuko lived in Azula's shadow. Iroh, firstborn son. Azula, firebending prodigy.
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Post by kathrynlacey on Dec 6, 2012 22:59:12 GMT -6
So... I'm reading through one of my drafts... and I don't know if it's just because I can see the coding and not the result of coding, but my transition between what is current and a flashback feels a little jarring. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on a way to universally make a transition between the current and the memory/past smoother?
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Post by kathrynlacey on Dec 7, 2012 10:10:33 GMT -6
I do use italics for flashbacks for the reason you mentioned, but it's not the "after the flashback" part that feels jarring. It's the moment before the flashback begins, you know? Like... How to get into the flashback smoothly. Leaving it smoothly is easy.
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ladyavatar
Pro-Bender
Ozai Fangirls, Represent!
Posts: 418
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 7, 2012 10:13:35 GMT -6
I was wondering if anyone has any advice on a way to universally make a transition between the current and the memory/past smoother? Hmm . . . I definitely like Kim's suggestion about italics. What I can offer is this: When I write in the present time, I format my dialogue normally in quotation marks. However, when a character is thinking back to a memory, I write dialogue in italics (like in the example below). Edit: Oh, wait - I just read your clarification above about wanting TRANSITION advice. This link is fairly helpful, I feel, in terms of how to place flashback in writing: www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-all-articles/qp7-migration-fiction/3_tips_for_writing_successful_flashbacksAlso, here's chapter from Fire and Ice that was nothing but transitions between flashbacks and the present. Some readers thought it was brilliant, others got confused. You may find it either informative of what to do or what to avoid at all costs. Notice that all dialogue written in the present time is in quotation marks wheres all dialogue written in flashback time is in italics. www.fanfiction.net/s/8116098/27/Fire-and-Ice
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Post by kathrynlacey on Dec 7, 2012 10:23:56 GMT -6
I think it helps a little, so I'll figure something out. I'm sure helpful reviewers will let me know it it's jarring or not. Also, I have absolutely no clue what just happened in that chapter, but just to be safe, I stuck to the italics and any non-italics just before the italics began. =D
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ladyavatar
Pro-Bender
Ozai Fangirls, Represent!
Posts: 418
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 7, 2012 14:31:39 GMT -6
@ Lady: I remember that chapter. It was a little confusing at times. ^See? XD My point exactly. So, I guess that's a good example of what not to do (aka use abrupt, jarring transitions).
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Post by kathrynlacey on Dec 7, 2012 14:34:50 GMT -6
The only reason I was confused is because I haven't even started the story yet... I'm sure once I get into the story and get that far, I'll understand it. Just not without knowing what came before it!
Anyway, I am almost done with my first chapter. I was reading through it, and something wasn't making sense, so I decided to change part of it, but I'm almost done! By the time it's complete, it'll probably be over 4k words... When it started out being 600... hahahah
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chromeknickers
Bender
I'm somewhere where I don't know where I am!
Posts: 216
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Post by chromeknickers on Dec 7, 2012 15:02:36 GMT -6
Flashbacks are always tricky. Feel free to post excerpts on here when you have them written, and we can help you out with possible transition issues.
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