History Tropers / NoirGrimoir

I'm a female Troper from the United States finishing up a Bachelor's in Graphic Design, concentration in Illustration at PLNU. I read and watch a lot of anime, manga, and sci-fi/fantasy genre books, play the occasional video game, draw of course, and write fanfictions which I never finish. I love story and character, which is probably what drew me to this place. Ever since discovering [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TvTropes, it's practically taken over my free time.]] You'll probably see me trolling the YKTTW and TropeRepairShop in the evenings, adding my two cents in discussion. Not much of an active member in the forums, but who knows, I might drop in once in a while. I also happen to support {{SPOON}} and {{SPATULA}}.

I'm a female Troper from the United States finishing up a Bachelor's in Graphic Design, concentration in Illustration at PLNU. I read and watch a lot of anime, manga, and sci-fi/fantasy genre books, play the occasional video game, draw of course, and write fanfictions which I never finish. I love story and character, which is probably what drew me to this place. Ever since discovering [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife TvTropes, it's practically taken over my free time.]] You'll probably see me trolling the YKTTW and TropeRepairShop in the evenings, adding my two cents in discussion. Not much of an active member in the forums, but who knows, I might drop in once in a while. I also happen to support {{SPOON}}.

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[[Folder Control]]

# Know where your story is going, how it ends and what is to be accomplished in each chapter.
# Don't use “soap opera drama” (constantly plaguing all characters with over the top problems, like drug abuse, depression and cutting, pregnancy out of wed-lock, being battered or abused by parents or spouses, finding out they are gay, incestuous relationships, etc.) Any one or two of these things is an interesting story. All of them in one story is a train wreck. Essentially, just don't excessively torture or torment your characters solely for the sake of drama.

#1. Know English. Or whatever language you're writing in. Know the mechanics of writing. Use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation.
#2. Use a Beta. Preferably one who is better at writing than you are.
#3. Know the characters, keep everyone as in-character as possible. Don't vilify a character who isn't a villain. Don't ignore a character's faults and write them like a saint. Any deviation from canon should be at least somewhat justified in the story with elements and facts from the canon.
#4. Know where your story is going, how it ends and what is to be accomplished in each chapter.
#5. Don't use “soap opera drama” (constantly plaguing all characters with over the top problems, like drug abuse, depression and cutting, pregnancy out of wed-lock, being battered or abused by parents or spouses, finding out they are gay, incestuous relationships, etc.) Any one or two of these things is an interesting story. All of them in one story is a train wreck.
#6. Use sex scenes in a story sparingly. If you aren't excellent at sex scenes, just don't write them. Nothing is worse than reading a bad sex scene.
#7. Be careful with original characters. Don't use one where an existing character could reasonably be used instead.
#8. Be spare with description. Write about the character's emotions and thought processes. Don't just write a script of dialogue. Just don't write in script format at all.
#9. Write chapters that are 1,000 words or more. Any shorter and it's a pain to read and very little gets accomplished in each chapter.
#10. Don't do amateur-y fan fic writer stuff. This includes apologizing for your summery or your story. It's annoying. Don't say it's your first fan fiction or your first time writing in a series. No one cares. Don't write hugely long author notes or add author's notes amidst the story. It's not helpful, it's annoying.

* '''Tropers/PunkReader because she says she admires me! That's cool and nice! Dunno if I deserve it but...

* '''Tropers/HollowBunny''' for vandalizing my page and being nice!