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Post by mrspettyfer on Dec 12, 2012 14:16:13 GMT -6
Do you find specific characters hard to write? Or certain scenes? Here you can discuss what you struggle with writing and offer helpful tips to others.
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ladyavatar
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 12, 2012 14:18:35 GMT -6
Oh, I can definitely start this thread. XD Toph and Sokka are by far the two hardest characters for me to write because I'm not very good with humor writing. In fact, any scene that's supposed to be funny is extremely challenging for me. That's probably because I feel my greatest strength is the exact opposite of humor - I usually write sad or serious stuff.
Any advice on crafting good humor?
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ladyavatar
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 12, 2012 14:25:28 GMT -6
I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I know it's something that troubles me. I find it much easier to write Zuko, Aang or Katara's point of view. Even Iroh comes more naturally to me than Sokka, lol. ^Precisely my issue. I will confess guilty-as-charged to avoiding scenes involving Sokka as much as possible in Fire and Ice even though I know for sure it's hurting the fic. But like you I'm so afraid of making my Sokka shallow that I usually just stick to scenes involving Zuko, Aang, Katara, Iroh, Jet, or other characters who for some reason I can write much more easily. Which, of course, is unfortunate because Katara and Sokka have such a great dynamic in the show - but definitely one I can't capture in my own work.
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ladyavatar
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Ozai Fangirls, Represent!
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 12, 2012 14:32:20 GMT -6
Yes. Yes, we do. Sokka experts, come help! Teach us, masters!
I should offer advice in return, but all I can offer help with is getting yourself tangled up in long, huge, ginormous plots and writing sad scenes, if that's helpful to anyone.
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Post by mrspettyfer on Dec 12, 2012 15:37:18 GMT -6
Sokka is hard because his personality can take a total 180. He can be serious, really intelligent, or he can be a total goofball. Like in The Black Games, I didn't get to use his funny/goofball side as much because of the context of the story. He was a bit harder on the outside than he was in canon. So was Katara, so that was a challenge too. I find Iroh and Ozai tricky to write. Iroh is like Dumbledore, and Dumbledore is very hard. Not as much as Voldemort..I still think Voldemort is the hardest. Cruel characters are hard to write in general I think because you want the readers to feel that shiver up their spine, but you can't make it sound corny or too over the top, you know? LOVE CONFESSIONS. Especially between Zuko and Katara. I think Toph is hit or miss in fanfiction. Sometimes I read great characterizations of her, and other times it comes across as they are trying too hard, you know? Overuse of nicknames, tons of cussing, etc. I kind of struggle seeing Toph cuss, for one. She's a hardass, but that doesn't mean she'll cuss. She's still 12 in canon and I don't know...cuss words coming out of a 12 year old's mouth is really unappealing to me lol. I had a teacher who once told us to use the smallest amount of cuss words in writing as you can, as they find it a lazy way to express emotion. So I've always tried to show emotions and anger, in particularly, with more action than words. That lesson has helped me a lot with writing emotions, limiting language.
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Post by emletish on Dec 12, 2012 16:50:18 GMT -6
Re: Comdey.
I''ve got a lot of good feedback - apparently I've made some people laugh - which is just the best compliment ever. If I can offer you some advice I'd just say write what is funny for you. Sometimes my more comedic fics started with just the little kernel of an idea. Like with my Jet fic, I just thought: Wouldn't it be funny if Jet has a bit of a stalker crush on Zuko in Ba Sing Se. then I thought about how that context made all of Smellerbee and Longshot's reactions to Jet's stalking even funnier - and the whole story grew from there. I was chortling to myself the whole time I wrote that.
ooh that is another good sign - if you are giggling to yourself when you're writing, you know your onto something. it's good to crack yourself up.
funny dialogue is tricky. Try writing it out in dialogue form and see how it looks, how it flows and if it makes you feel like smiling. I ended up posting one fic still in script form (first to be eaten) - because the dialogue between the three boys spoke for itself and I felt like everything else was unnecessary clutter.
I would say that it is best not to set out with the intention to be funny - because forced humour is never quite as punchy I think. but don't be afraid of trying different things with your humour - if you find it funny, then there are many other people in this big wacky internet place that will also get a giggle.
my biggest problem - being concise. oh boy do I struggle with this. I can't even drabble. lord knows I try, but I can't do anything with 100 words. I read over my writing and I know that there is a short, better more concise way to get across what I want, but I'm scoobied if I know what it is. This inability to be concise is why my stalking series is now a bazillion words long - when it started out as just the eclair of fics (light, fun, goes down a treat). I can't help but add cultural context and real world logic and socioeconomic politics and theory. I'll be writing and I'll think to myself "stop it - nobody cares Jee - why am I adding this nice Zuko/Jee bonding scene?" but then I'll add it anyway - becuase I'll like it and I fail and editing things I like out.
any advice on how to pare things right back until you are left with something more concise?
second biggest problem: aussie slang.
So I use idioms in my writing. Some are australian in origins because I am australian. But some of these are hard to understand. I'm not doing it deliberately - but I just don't know what the american/candian/etc equivalent of my idioms/gestures are.
Eg: the Vs as a hand gesture. (not V for victory - it's a palm inwards v shape usually with the right hand). this really perplexes everyone else. but what's the equivalent? It's not the rude finger, because that can have a friendly connotation and also it's a bit cruder. the Vs can be used by politicans and bogans alike and always always means "I hate you so much right now. die away from me"
But honest to goodness, I just don't know what the american equivalent is.
Would you lot just do the rude finger and then say "I hate you so much right now - die away from me"
I'm in two minds on: Cussing in fics.
depends on characters and context. In my first stalking fic, I used no cussing - it was just the Gaang on their own in the WAT - and none of them are really that prone to Cussing.
but cussing is like the common cold - it's catching, when I hang out with people who cuss a lot, I tended to drop swear words like a sailor, even though I'm not naturally inclined to do so. So if a charcter strikes me as someone who would swear like a sailor (eg Jet) I'll have him drop f-bombs like he's the allies on dresden.
so in Jet's troubling obsession, swear words abounded because it fit Jet's character. I also had Zuko swear more around him, both because of the swearing=contagious thing and because I am sure that Zuko would know a megatonne of swear words from being a sea for three years with some unruly sailors (they don't say swear like a sailor for nothing). In Ba Sing Se - he's had to abandon his royal identity and live like a commoner - so common swearing follows. so when those two meet - it's balls out swearing time. I'm not big on Toph or Aang swearing, but I can see the older Gaang members occassionally dropping a few (very much depending on context and the characters they are around).
so in conclsuion: Write what is funny for you. chortle to yourself.
How do I write more conscisely? how? What is the american equivalent of two to the gabba? or the Vs? or balls out, come to think of it?
Swearing is okay by me in a character context.
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azuremoon
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Post by azuremoon on Dec 12, 2012 17:49:34 GMT -6
I'm decent with Sokka and Toph. I mean I don't try too hard with them. My Sokka jokes make me giggle but they just HAPPEN. XD It's not hard for me to write Sokka as I think I said in a PM or something to someone. =P Cursing wise? I can see it sorta. I mean I tend to cuss like a sailor when not around children (where I auto-censor myself). I don't see it. I don't think o gee this is a cuss word. When I'm around people my age or older in a non-work setting. I think it depends on the writer, the character's personality, their age (i.e. if they're older than in canon) and in general. Combo things. I'm a bad example because I"ve known all the curse words since I was 5. If the writer doesn't think about that, then it's different. The readers (unless vehemently opposed) won't likely notice. IF it's a conscious decision then well there we go. It's noticable. And character wise? Zuko and Katara are easiest for me. Though it amuses the hell outta me that the normally angsty me is writing lots of fluff or humour for ZM. Haha!! Irony...=P I suppose it's just a break from all the angst that may come in my fics? or b/c of the holidays? lol. Sokka example (part of my bday fic for Kim): . I didn't plan that. It just happened because I was trying to write Sokka.
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Post by emletish on Dec 12, 2012 18:15:07 GMT -6
Woo hoo! Fellow Southern Hemisphere dweller! high five.
I've been trying to cut back on my idioms - but some still slip through and I didn't even know that they were "a thing". but you're right, skirting is probably the best bet.
Oh glad my stalking fic doesn't seem too long and rambly. (seriously loving all your reviews BTW). I've only ever tried to add OCs for a very specific purpose and then usher them out stage left. However I've still gotten comments about adding too many "strong women" when I had Katara looking for mentors. I guess I wanted to explore the social context of the Avatar world and how that affects the characters. it probably helps that I had the bare bones plotted from the beginning.
I agree about Embers. phew! I thought I was the only Zutaran who struggled with it. I felt bad about giving up on it, because it had so much potential, but then it just.....I don't know - maybe it was an overcrowding issue. Thats a hard thing I think, when you're writing "big fics" - is crowd control.
@ Azuremoon Sokka is great fun to write. Gosh I love him and Suki.
the character I struggle the most with is Iroh. He's just too much to the dumbledore sometimes. He's so wise - and as an unwise person myself, I find it hard to write wisdom.
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azuremoon
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Post by azuremoon on Dec 12, 2012 18:21:04 GMT -6
He is!! =33 I know. They're funny. Especially because they actually do keep each other on their toes.
I can see that. Sage wisdom is hardd. Wise man but so wise it's like 0,0 XD I mean I haven't tried much. But now I want to. =D
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ladyavatar
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Ozai Fangirls, Represent!
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Post by ladyavatar on Dec 12, 2012 18:22:15 GMT -6
the character I struggle the most with is Iroh. He's just too much to the dumbledore sometimes. He's so wise - and as an unwise person myself, I find it hard to write wisdom. ^I love writing Iroh! But again, I'm the "serious scene" person. Writing Iroh's wisdom is my favorite part. Edit: Which is different from saying I do it well, but regardless, I feel like writing Iroh gives me a chance to directly share what I consider good advice with my readers. Plus I love Iroh's unique sense of humor. ^___^
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