Writers' Workshop General Chat Thread

[lucarioknight56]

What do people think of posting more than one chapter at once when you first post a story? I'm planning on having the first three--maybe four--up when I post my story. Is that a good idea?

 

[canisaries]

oh man that's a swanky header you got there, i wonder who made it~

anyway, not sure why you'd want to post so much at once. i can think of many benefits to putting only one chapter up, but not a lot in a chapter cluster. when there's only one chapter, it's easier for newcomers to get into and faster for people to review, and if you get very valuable feedback, it'll be easier to revise the stuff you've already written. posting separately also keeps your story higher up in on the forum page, and readers will remember things better and feel more engaged when it's split into pieces rather than being at one time. and what's most important in my opinion: you'll have less hurry to work on the stuff you haven't written yet.

 

[BackSet]

I like to have two chapters before I make the fanfic that way I don't have to rush to meet my deadline for the second because it already exists (I just haven't posted it) and have more time for the third chapter.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

My philosophy for designing fictional species is that they should resemble real or mythological species, but not one in particular. They should look familiar, but still have their own identity. Gluing together two species is boring.

For example, the fictional species I created that I've stuck with the longest has gone through various names and incarnations. They've previously been called pyronixes, but they're now called bonflyers (formerly spelled bonfliers). They're a combination of phoenixes and birds of prey, but don't look like one particular bird of prey, and don't function exactly like phoenixes. They're heat-resistant raptors that look like they came out of a Chinese New Year party.

I felt like making this post after seeing a gif of a male pheasant.

 

[canisaries]

aw man... creature design, i used to love doing that. until the internet struck and i became a chronic karma addict.

i mean luckily i still have a few ways i get to be original and still have it be seen. just today i scribbled a monster design to develop a writing idea i had further. it may not hit the mark, but it was fun.

 

[diamondpearl876]

I generally post one chapter at a time as well, and view the rest I have written as a buffer so I can update consistently from there on (until I catch up and potentially ruin said update schedule, of course).

 

[Beth Pavell]

I tend to be a fan of the buffer as well, on the rare occasion I actually have finished chapters done in advance. On Bulbagarden at least, I don't see any real advantage to posting multiple chapters at once

 

[BackSet]

Guess who's in Philly for PAX! This guy!

 

[canisaries]

guess who just got diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)? it meee

 

[BackSet]

guess who just got diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD)? it meee

Are you making fun of me? Either way... I have no response to this so.... I'll take my leave.

 

[canisaries]

...i don't know how that would be me making fun of you, i really was diagnosed with ocpd shortly before writing that post

 

[BackSet]

...i don't know how that would be me making fun of you, i really was diagnosed with ocpd shortly before writing that post

You phrased it in the same way I phrased my post. I'm just jumpy today, okay.

 

[lucarioknight56]

Considering your responses, I might just post the prologue of Unequivocant and the first chapter then. I can understand not posting more than that. I could potentially post less if I change my proposed posting date to tomorrow, that way I have more time to spread out my releases. I didn't really know how much time I'd need to perfect the plot and writing for PMDUE, so I just put it for December 2nd. Should I just post it earlier than I planned if I'm all set?

 

[Persephone]

Seriously, one chapter at a time is probably the best way to get (re)views. The more you post in a given period of time, the less people will interact with it.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

After beating Kirby Triple Deluxe, I'm wondering if this EverBright story should take cues from Kirby final bosses.

I'm a bit worried that the current backstory is too convoluted. It basically involves someone using phlebotinum to remove light from most of the world. The world of light is called EverBright, and everywhere else is known as Beyond. Miss Antagonist from Beyond is using a similar kind of phelbotinum to return the light, by stealing EverBright's. Thing is, breaking this phlebotinum causes light to return to its original source, so Team Protagonist break the phlebotinum that contains Beyond's light.

 

[lucarioknight56]

I wouldn't post more than 1 chapter every two weeks outside of the first posting anyways. I just want to be able to post as much material as possible before the Winter Awards while following my planned posting schedule.

Regardless, I think I'll post the prologue and first chapter sometime tomorrow. It's not too big a deal posting earlier than planned right?

 

[diamondpearl876]

You've already potentially got a massive amount of FI for the awards, and you have until mid-December to post new material for the awards - a solid month's worth of time. (An official announcement with dates will be out on Monday.) At any rate, there's really no rush in anything - take the time to edit, edit, edit if you think you might need it, or to just let the story sit and see if you can come back to it in early December with a fresh set of eyes.

 

[lucarioknight56]

So far as I can tell, Unequivocant has been handled a whole lot better than Forgotten Isles in its introduction, and I've already had it beta-read and all the errors edited out. I want to have more than that available when the judging period comes around, and I certainly don't want to drive off reviewers again with large amounts of material like I did before. I can maybe wait around for December for PMDFI to have a shot, and let Unequivocant take the lead for the Summer.

I can understand the reasoning behind waiting to post. I've been hasty in the past to get material out, and it came at the cost of the quality of my work. This time, however, I made sure to be ready, and will continue to be ready in the future. I want to go on hiatus with a bang, and I want PMDUE to be on as long as possible.

I also don't feel like PMDUE would be ready to receive any sort of praise unless more of it is available to be read. I appreciate the support for not posting it yet. I just want people to see what I've been getting ready for the past month before judging time.

I plan on posting the prologue tomorrow along with the table of contents. Then if I wait two weeks, the first true chapter will be posted on my proposed date. Then the second chapter will be posted two days before judging begins. If this is the best plan for me to be posting now...I'll go with it.

 

[canisaries]

dern the awards are coming up, that's right... i should try to finish up my latest chapter for hunter, haunted before 2018 comes lol

 

[BackSet]

After beating Kirby Triple Deluxe, I'm wondering if this EverBright story should take cues from Kirby final bosses.

Not if you want your characters to get out of there alive. Or if you give them some eleventh hour superpower or something of the like to help them.