POPULAR: Simple Questions, Simple Answers

[AceTrainer14]

Even if you change it as you go, you need to have a rough idea of what you are doing and where the story and characters are going. Recently I have begun making increasingly more detailed plans for each part of a chapter because I keep hitting roadblocks every time I don't think far ahead.

 

[Beth Pavell]

I wouldn't necessarily suggest planning to the same level as, say, I or Kim Prescott do. What I'd be wary of is the idea that you can come back to a story and edit in interest at a later date without really big rewrites

 

[Octomo]

I haven't really thought of rewriting or adding more back story to a chapter when I was younger. Making the reading time too short. I usually do that in my previous works that I have published in other sites. Now I been thinking of back story when I started writing a chapter, making it a slow and comfortable pace.
Thanks you two, those tips are helpful.

 

[Echoing Shadows]

I'd like a bit of help. In my fanfic (Pokémon/HomeStuck crossover), one of the characters gets an annoyingly persistent Horsea, who literally prevents other Pokémon from being hooked on his Good Rod by waiting near the shore and then biting it as soon as the hook appears. The character gives in and battles said Horsea... only to have the Horsea jump right into an empty Pokéball. Later on, the Horsea ends up really maturing and becoming a formidable powerhouse on his trainer's team.
Horsea, as you recall, can have the abilities Swift Swim and Sniper, as well as Damp. I'm thinking going for Sniper, but now that I think of it, Swift Swim is a good fit too. In addition, the ability is supposed to help Horsea and his trainer out in battle several times. Any ideas for what the Horsea's ability should be?

 

[Misfit Angel]

I come with a slightly worrying question. What do you do when you've run dry of conversation between two characters? I'm finding myself writing in more and more hard breaks between locations because I've had little for the characters to discuss, and I'm worried it's starting to make my story a bit less inviting to read. I've wanted to slow down and smell the roses, but now that I've done that I feel like the pace is picking up even faster than it ever has, and I'm worried about the quality of the story in the long run. I still have 60+ chapters to fill out before I can consider Storm Island complete, but I've already run out of material.

I could always dive into one of the characters' pasts again I guess, but I also don't want to do that too much, either. That always felt like something I should space out.

 

[Lyrebird]

I come with a slightly worrying question. What do you do when you've run dry of conversation between two characters? .

Not a writer, so whatevs but like just keep it casual. A lot of stuff I've seen is like convo being forced and it doesn't sound like people are talking to each other. It is more like what writers wirte to build plot or something.

As someone who is super social, 90% of conversations come naturally and are out of the blue. So like keep it real and natural.

But what do I know. That's the only advice I can offer

 

[VeniaSilente]

With the disclaimer that I haven't read the story:

What do you do when you've run dry of conversation between two characters?

"...S'up."

"Yeah..."

"There."

"Word..."

Do the characters actually speak a lot? Are they normally talkative? Are they conversational towards each other? How have those answers evolved across time?

Bottom line: is it you who has run out of conversation or is it them? If it is you, you could just lean back and let the characters speak for themselves - assuming that's what they'd do. Maybe they don't talk very much. Maybe they know each other deep enough to communicate nonverbally. Or maybe it is them. Maybe they actually did run out of material for conversation (boring 9-to-5 jobs?) and it's time to shake up their lives a little - girlfriends, ninjas, taxes.

As Lyrebird says, let it come casual. Conversations that are the on-the-go kind about the weather and stuff tend to be like that. (When they are not, and your characters realize it, they've become genre savvy enough to also realize what kind of plot are they running into.)

 

[Echoing Shadows]

For me, I try to be my characters. Get in their shoes.

 

[Misfit Angel]

Do the characters actually speak a lot? Are they normally talkative? Are they conversational towards each other? How have those answers evolved across time?

Yes, yes, and yes. They bounce off of each other like a tennis ball bounces between players. They've been talkative with each other almost since they met, but how friendly they've been with each other has increased quite a bit.

Bottom line: is it you who has run out of conversation or is it them?

Well, there's always stuff I can get them to dig into when it comes to their past, but I'm concerned about when it's too much. I recently dedicated two whole chapters to one of the characters' pasts, and I've been letting out a steady stream of 'this one time' discussions since then. Maybe I need to find something around them that's interesting enough to talk about, rather than relying on their past again?

 

[chaos_Leader]

Speaking of past, I'm having some conundrums about how to go about writing the prologue content of Sine.

I have a sequence of past events in my mind about how things get to where they are now in the story, the questions I'm having with myself are generally things like "how much to reveal, when, where and how?"

There's a fuzzy squiggly line between "withholding too much necessary information" and "preserving a sense of mystery", and I know the answer is going to be "do whatever feels right", but it's still a challenge regardless. Right now, the story is still somewhat small-scale focused, and that is somewhat intentional. I'm following the kind of structure where the protagonist faces a small-scale issue first, and gradually runs into larger plot issues as the small problems are pursued. I posted a while ago here considering adding prologue material that would tie directly into large-scale plot lines just before the introductory arc. the structuring issue I'm grappling with that is: if I immediately start the story off with obvious big-picture plot material, and immediately cut away to small-scale introductory material, I feel like I'd be leaving the readers hanging with the big-picture prologue material that wouldn't become relevant again until about 10 or so chapters in, plus I feel like I'd be giving away certain plot details too early and too easily. Specifically, the potential prologue material I had in mind would concern an antagonist that I have not yet introduced but who's presence will be dramatically made known in the next couple chapters.

Ultimately, ideally, what I'd like to be able to do, is to introduce a series of "flashback scenes" regarding the upcoming antagonist and past events as the information becomes relevant and as the information becomes available to the protagonists. Thus, the reader becomes privy to important information at roughly the same rate/places as the protagonists themselves. I ran through pages of notes, I tried really hard to think of an effective way to make a "more revealing" major plot-hook prologue work, but the way I have the structure worked out in my mind with the current "cold open" small-scale introductory arc leading into a bigger plot, I feel like trying to add something ahead of the current structure would disturb it more than help it.

I suppose this is more like venting and getting it off my chest, but actually writing it out here and thinking about it may yet help me as I go forward. Even so, thoughts would not go unappreciated if you had any.

 

[Beth Pavell]

Yes, yes, and yes. They bounce off of each other like a tennis ball bounces between players. They've been talkative with each other almost since they met, but how friendly they've been with each other has increased quite a bit.

Well, there's always stuff I can get them to dig into when it comes to their past, but I'm concerned about when it's too much. I recently dedicated two whole chapters to one of the characters' pasts, and I've been letting out a steady stream of 'this one time' discussions since then. Maybe I need to find something around them that's interesting enough to talk about, rather than relying on their past again?

Since I've encouraged this particular story thread I suppose I ought to answer. First thing to mention is that if you sell the characters well enough, and their interactions, then their conversations about apparently mundane things will be interesting. You can still overdo it, of course. I wouldn't dedicate long to two characters discussing beer, however relatable and real I'd made the relationship.

The flip side to being closer could well be that they both feel less obligated to find something interesting for them to talk about. This specific example may well not be appropriate, but it illustrates my point - a scene with one of them braiding the other's hair while they idly discuss the path ahead gives you a chance to slow down for a moment, focus on the scene and the location, and potentially give some sneaky exposition all couched in an apparently boring, mundane interaction. That you might well get your fans to squee over, if you do it right.

 

[AceTrainer14]

@Echoing Shadows: just choose the ability that would have more of an effect in the long run. Of them, Swift Swim is the only one, to me, that would have a huge impact in battles unless Critical Hits are a key part of the story.

@Kimberly Prescott: If possible, can you split the characters up for some amount of time, give them some different adventures before bringing them back together with new perspectives/views? Or bring in some new person/Pokemon/issue for a few chapters who could shake up their dynamic in some way? I remember you saying in a different discussion that you don't really utilise some of the Pokemon int he story very much - you can use them to help generate some conversation, or replace the need for lots and lots and lots of dialogue. Perhaps you could have them training a Pokemon together, or at least discussing it? I think it was a Mightyena you mentioned, and I thought there could be a lot of storytelling possibilities from someone afraid of their Pokemon.

@chaos_Leader: I'm not sure if this helps, but in the next Galactic, it is absically a big exposition explanation with one character explaining some key facts, and to break it up we see two scenes of her learning the information the same time as she is imparting it. Perhaps a similar format would work for you? With any flashbacks, you have to remember to make sure they actually fit into the story properly and aren't just awkwardly forced in.

 

[0bs1d1an_kn1ght]

So for the bookworms out here, what do you think makes for an intense final fight scene? Because I've been trying to get back on to writing Explorers of Destruction, and I'm a bit worried that it might be too lackluster for a final fight.

Is it the longevity of the fight? The dialogue the author powders in?

 

[CrystaI]

^ Nether of the two, but the atmosphere and tension that is drawn out by appropriate exposition of the respective scene.

A highly intense fight is not necessarily long nor full of conversations, but it must be full of tension that will make the reader nervous and strained, by showing that crisis feeling within a critical situation where if something is not to be done right now in this very moment, something bad will happen immediately afterwards which it will make the character(s) regret forever for the rest of his/her life. And when the action is taken and problem is resolved, an emotional catharsis is achieved where both the characters and readers can felt relieved.
Here, the key point is not the actions themselves, but the emotions and sentimental during the actions. Try to focus in expressing the feelings of the characters within the story, than simply trying to design a Gainax-Gurren-Lagann-scaled fight that is just topped-for-the-sake-of-topping.

 

[Echoing Shadows]

@AceTrainer14 Alright then, I think I know which one I'm going for. Thanks for the help!

 

[AetherX]

@Kimberly Prescott When you spend 24 hours a day with someone, you're probably going to run out of stuff to talk about. That's just the way it is. I think you're on the right track with not wanting to have too many "This one time..." stories or flashbacks. Honestly, you might even be able to get a little mileage out of them realizing they don't have much to talk about anymore. Maybe they spend some time trading really shitty uninteresting stories and laughing about how bland their lives were at times. I think external stimuli would be your best bet though. I like Ace's advice myself. Pokemon would be a great conversation starter, as would splitting them up for a day. I know I can't spend days in a row with even my very best of friends without wanting some alone time.

@chaos_Leader To me, what's important to know in the beginning is the protagonist's motivations. You don't need to tell everything about the world or the characters, but if I'm going to root for the good guy, then I need to know what the good guy's goal is, and at least a hint as to why that's his goal. As long as you do that from the beginning, throwing in bigger and bigger obstacles (and thereby expanding the scope of the story) is a great. I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks myself. Unless it's absolutely vital that they be really detailed, you could probably get by with some scant exposition (although I have no idea what you're planning so this might not be applicable at all). The protagonist doesn't get to witness the flashback, unless it's their own memories, so the reader doesn't necessarily need to either. If the flashback is that of the protagonist, then it could probably have been hinted at at least a little bit earlier on in the story. Just my two cents. Hope it helps.

@0bs1d1an_kn1ght Honestly, an impactful climax is made by the rest of the story. By the time the final fight rolls around, if the reader knows how much is on the line, the intensity will be implied. My personal favorite final fights are action packed, but also resolve a bunch of loose ends within the action, and pay homage to the rest of the story. Old characters showing up (like Han Solo at the end of Star Wars IV), settings being revisited (like the Battle of Hogwarts touching on the Chamber of Secrets and taking place all over the grounds), or techniques/training/equipment received earlier in the fic being used (there are so many examples of this in pretty much every story ever that I don't think I have to provide one).

What クリスタル said is very true as well. The tension is key. Everything that the protagonist has been fighting for this whole story is on the line, and that should be blatantly obvious. That's kind of why villain monologues are so common. It's the villain telling the audience how bad the situation is.

 

[AceTrainer14]

Small question: Sylveon's bows - flesh or fur? I was on a roll with writing 8ES but had to pause as I have no idea how to describe them. Flesh seems the most realistic but also writing 'flesh bows' makes me want to gag and I think takes away the elegance of the Pokemon.

 

[Misfit Angel]

I'd go with fur myself. The thought of 'flesh ribbons' makes me think it's some sort of eldritch tentacle monster.

 

[AceTrainer14]

I'm viewing them as furry tail-like things, and perhaps the bows are there to protect/hide the base of them so they can extend and retract? Does that sound in any way logical?

 

[Beth Pavell]

I could always dive into one of the characters' pasts again I guess, but I also don't want to do that too much, either. That always felt like something I should space out.

you should totally just substitute a lemon survivorshipping 4 evs

Small question: Sylveon's bows - flesh or fur? I was on a roll with writing 8ES but had to pause as I have no idea how to describe them. Flesh seems the most realistic but also writing 'flesh bows' makes me want to gag and I think takes away the elegance of the Pokemon.

I'd go for flesh, Sylveon's in the eldritch pantheon of of creepy pokémon anyway