Writers' Workshop General Chat Thread

[silurica]

Depending on the subject matter, you can show instead of tell. E.g. show how people are doing, or someone going through a task, and so on.

 

[Greninjaman]

I really should leave all the big, epic, large scale stories for later on when I have more experience. I should just focus on shorter, small scale stories for now.

 

[BackSet]

Depending on the subject matter, you can show instead of tell. E.g. show how people are doing, or someone going through a task, and so on.

It's not a show don't tell thing in this case. Basically, there's three types of super powered characters in this setting: Powerhouses, Defenders, and Wild Cards. Defenders make sense but nobody's gonna pick up on Powerhouses and Wild Cards just by watching them. Especially Wild Cards, since their thing is that they have weird powers.

 

[silurica]

I'm probably missing context here, but I don't see how you can't employ showing to get that across? Set up a match or something where they are involved, show what they do and compare and contrast. If I'm guessing this correctly from the name, Powerhouse sounds like an attacker archetype and you can show them ramming into the enemy or blasting them or however it's done, very flashy potential. Wild Cards' appeal is exactly that they don't fit into either archetypes and you can show them giving support or doing crowd control, or doing some other funky strategy only possible with it. Basically show what make these types unique and interesting.

I guess if you're really worried you can have a character or two commentating and discussing about them to disguise the exposition, but yeah that's my nickel.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I have a habit of plotting out how my AU fics are going to end in intricate detail, but as a result, it feels like a slog to build up to all of that and I can't get started. This happened with a gritty My Little Pony AU (though I'm still considering writing about the backstory I planned out), and I'm worried it'll happen to an Animorphs/BNA fusion fic that's currently on my mind. You can read the notes for the latter here; it'll sound like complete gibberish if you know nothing about Animorphs, but notice how about half of it is dedicated to the climax. Any advice?

 

[BackSet]

I relate. I already have the climax and several key moments of Fifth Path Part 1 planned out in my head as well as multiple key moments (and just fun moments) for Part 2.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I'm feeling self-conscious about saving a certain character in The Power of All Beasts because it would "miss the point" of their death in canon, but I'm inspired by fanfic authors who do that shamelessly.

 

[BackSet]

I'm feeling self-conscious about saving a certain character in The Power of All Beasts because it would "miss the point" of their death in canon, but I'm inspired by fanfic authors who do that shamelessly.

 

[Greninjaman]

I need to remember that I don't need to always have my characters exploring giant monster filled dungeons. Sometimes, something as simple as a small ruined tower is enough.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

So... I need help planning out some blood-related worldbuilding in that Animorphs/BNA fusion I mentioned earlier.

Spoiler: Spoilers for BNA: Brand New Animal

In BNA, beastmen (basically werebeasts) are said to have different blood types than humans, but it's never specified what those are. The protagonist used to be a human until she turned into a tanuki beastman one day, and it turns out it's because she was accidentally transfused beastman blood. I didn't like how that plot twist was handled, so this is my attempt to do it better.

Long story short, The Power of All Beasts' main plot twist is that an empire starts injecting beastman blood into their human slaves in an attempt to create supersoldiers. I'm milking this for all the medical horror it's worth, so I want it to seem believable; it took the unethical scientists over a week to perfect the process because most of their subjects died from haemolytic reactions. But would it be possible for someone to survive being transfused the wrong blood at all? And is it worth coming up with a different system of blood groups, or should I just have a system that conveniently works just like ABO but with different letters?

 

[BackSet]

Does anybody have tips for writing an Ace Attorney Style mystery? I am so stuck right now. I know who the defendant is and what they're accused of but I'd stuck on everything else.

 

[Greninjaman]

Does anybody have tips for writing an Ace Attorney Style mystery? I am so stuck right now. I know who the defendant is and what they're accused of but I'd stuck on everything else.

Have you played any of the ace attorney games? That might help.

 

[BackSet]

Have you played any of the ace attorney games? That might help.

I've played literally every game except Investigations 2 (I pray every day that it gets an English localization).

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I feel like a lot of Ace Attorney's appeal lies in it being a visual medium, with the music cues and expressive characters. It might be hard to translate that to text.

 

[BackSet]

That's not exactly what I'd worried about. I'm more stuck on the mystery.

Spoiler

Basically, the defendant's been framed for destroying a stable with a monster when in reality the stable's been burned down. My original plan was to go with the Plaintiff being the real culprit but I want to use that plot point (the original accuser being the culprit) later and I don't want to do it twice. So I'm stuck on who the true culprit would be.

 

[lisianthus]

That's not exactly what I'd worried about. I'm more stuck on the mystery.

Spoiler

Basically, the defendant's been framed for destroying a stable with a monster when in reality the stable's been burned down. My original plan was to go with the Plaintiff being the real culprit but I want to use that plot point (the original accuser being the culprit) later and I don't want to do it twice. So I'm stuck on who the true culprit would be.

When it's Ace Attorney, it could be anyone. Blame it on a stepladder...or was it a ladder? If this is in the half-blood/Percy Jackson universe, maybe blame it on a child of Zeus burning it down with their lightning?

 

[Welkamo]

Could it be an accident? Like something or someone accidentally set the stable on fire?

Also hi Lisia glad to see you here

 

[BackSet]

I think I've figured it out.

 

[Greninjaman]

I have an idea for a Pokemon story: The main character is collecting a set of items in order to be able to meet a Legendary Pokemon. This is, I also want him to do the badge quest. Is this a bit too much, or should I just drop the badge quest?

 

[lisianthus]

I have an idea for a Pokemon story: The main character is collecting a set of items in order to be able to meet a Legendary Pokemon. This is, I also want him to do the badge quest. Is this a bit too much, or should I just drop the badge quest?

He somehow gets gifted the items in the set after he reaches specific milestones? (like x number of Gyms beat)
And he doesn't have to win the League itself--just try out beating the Gyms?