Larian Studios Forums General Chat The Writing Thread !

Aw, come on, I never denied I like being bitchy, Winterfox. In fact, I really like this expression, in spite of its negative meaning - has a nice phonetical sound.
But there is a difference between your way of bitching and mine => I don't pick at people who can't defend themselves. This is the Carebear within myself, I see no point in working against this part of my nature. I don't believe in unnecessary cruelty - I give respect and care at the start. Only if I see the other person chooses to pursue a certain pattern and obviously has different inner rules => then I switch and give/deny what the other one uses, so borders and levels are equal again.


Nope, I don't mind at all - though could it be you mean "grandeur"? Or "grandezza"? Carebear is cute, all furry and fuzzy, turning into a Grizzly if I am annoyed <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

No, keep on being rude - I can learn a lot from you in this area <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> - as you and I already summed it up as not taking each other seriously => entering this section might be entertaining.


It's tedious, yes - therefore I hoped, you had the memory to find it more quickly than I can. Wallowing through all links, stumbling over countless juvenile manga avas, skimming through names that are totally unknown to me (Link, Jenna) or expressions such as bish... somethings - getting sidetracked - shaking my head etc. Only the posts of Limyaael offered a bit of relief, as they were witty, specially the MarySue test or the ideas to try out non-human chars. And definitely not scathing - not the posts I read.


Could be, but I found another one of her that was similar. It's a pity, Linksqueen's works are hosted by a friend now and the link to that site was dead. So, I think I'm going to give up. I am not masochistic enough to follow all these sites who link to bad fiction and brand them. Why? I meet too much disdain, spite, viciousness, malice, gloating. Too much acid, too much poison, very destructive vibes. Yep, too many vultures/scavengers.

Maybe you can go through the trouble - as this virtual writing world is familiar to you - and give me a hint, where constructive critic is done?

There seems to be a sort of MarySue Phobia by those who consider themselves literate, so they bash cruelly in a self-righteous manner. Do sites exist, where cliched chars are treated carefully by critics and with respect, so the originator is encouraged to try out new paths and variations? And feels no need to feel rejected as the atmosphere is friendly, amiable and helpful?

Maybe in the sense of: "yes, your protagonist is not alive atm, is encrusted in an armour full of cliches, the plot is predictable the way you write it - what about this? Try out to give her a flaw, a flaw that brings her into trouble throughout the story - don't make her so beautiful and irresistible. Ok, you're in love with her raven-black, long flowing silken hair with a white streak, covering her sensuous features like a frame (yesyes, I read Limyaael <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> ) . Let her get lice <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" /> from her lover <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" /> she has to shave her head - and now her scar on her bald head is visible. Her features are still the same, but people react differently. And now describe her again - her scar was not due to a heroic fight or a bad step-mother, nope, she slipped whilst crossing a stream and cracked her head on a boulder (banal reason) - an ugly scar - a scar she hid due to her long hair. And what about her ears now? How do they fit to her sensuous features? What about making them small and perfect, but a bit sticking out? You can work out the vulnerability of this clean, open face. The contrast, between a tanned face and the snowwhite scalp - see? Your char will have to react differently now. She's no longer a dazzling beauty - but maybe a bit more interesting now. If she is nervous, one eye will start to twitch - her hair will no longer hide it. Dismantle her, make her human. And after her hair has grown back to a reasonable length - your char will have added other "colours", features, way to approach people. Yes, you will have your swan back again - but one with many-coloured feathers, not a sterile cliche.

Here, this/that you mentioned about your char is interesting, why not flesh it out in this/that manner? What about this/that to bring a surprise into the plot? Hey, that handsome bloke who's pursuing her - let him have a nice accident - or let your char find out that his intelligence is non-existant and he's as boring as a vase in the museum. What about annoying manners? Something that aggravates your char? Let her feelings change, if you want to write a love-story at all costs. Let him scratch his head/bite his fingernails/clear his throat and spit, everytime he doesn't know what to do. Let her start counting how often he does it. Describe how her feelings slowly start to fade due to this annoying manner that fascinated her at the start. Let that bloke have a nice dimple showing up at times - so her feelings rise again and she melts. If you want to show a lot of interaction between both, do not only decribe the hot/cold moments, take the luke-warm as well. Bring both protagonists down to earth again - let them fail, let them carry a guilt with them - not an epic heroic one - a banal one. Think of a nice phobia - take your armour of cliches as a picture frame and let your chars step out at times. This surprises."

You know what I mean? A helpful site, caring for the chars/stories that are represented there, as authors wish help and get help instead of bashing? BTW, Limyaael wrote something interesting as well => angsting is not to be discharged off all the time, but can turn out fitting in a story, if developed in a believable manner.

I'm playing a bit now, in the tradition of Lisa Alther's novel about a nurse => char has a trauma - it is not displayed in epic broadth, just hinted at. In the sense of little scraps and bits popping up within the story to make the reader curious: "DAMN! I want to know what happened, why does that char react so unpredictable in certain moments?" An angst that will not be solved/healed due to true love, wise women, wealth etc., but forms a part of the char, is well hidden. Something the char even hides from herself but butts in and takes over control in moments. Only in moments, otherwise this angst would turn into a cliche as well and predict her actions all the time. I think, this kind of angst could make a char interesting indeed.