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Ashfire A Star Wars Nerd from In My Own Little World Since: Aug, 2013
A Star Wars Nerd
#2101: May 29th 2018 at 7:53:08 PM

You could have any number of Good Lessons (tm) that become kind of silly when used as the basis for a whole show.

Ideas that show up include healthy eating (or perhaps just vegetables, for even more silly), keeping your room/house clean, being kind to retail and service workers, good manners (or get more specific, ie "don't talk with your mouth full", taking good care of your pets, etc. etc.

Watch a couple of episodes of children's tv and see if you could turn the moral of any single episode into the basis for your entire character or fake show

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#2102: May 30th 2018 at 9:46:46 PM

I went ahead and started a proper thread for the question instead.

edited 7th Jun '18 8:01:01 AM by sgamer82

SharkToast Since: Mar, 2013
#2103: Jun 29th 2018 at 9:03:40 AM

How do you guys feel about using Ripped from the Headlines in your stories? Sometimes I'll look at the news to help me write. For instance, if I have to write a scene where someone gets killed, I'll look up stories of murders or assassinations to help me write. Other times I'll look up testimonials of people who've gone through things that are similar to what my characters are going through. Like if my character is dealing with drug addiction, I'll look up stories of people who've also suffered from addition. I've always been torn about this. While I think it's important to portray real life issues realistically in fiction, I feel a bit guilty when using other people's experiences to write my own stories. What do you guys think?

canarycodfish Since: Jul, 2017
#2104: Jun 29th 2018 at 11:08:38 AM

Edited by canarycodfish on Jul 31st 2023 at 4:52:25 PM

randomdude4 Since: May, 2011
#2105: Jun 29th 2018 at 11:28:57 AM

I do so in the same sense that you did in researching testimonials from people who went through certain experiences relevant to my writing. For example, the main character in my story suffered from emotional abuse at the hands of his mother, so when I was writing scenes from his childhood I researched first-hand accounts of similar abuse online so that I could make sure that his mother's mannerisms and his internalization of the abuse were on point. I plan on doing the same thing when said main character goes through his drug addiction later on plus his recovery from substance abuse.

On another note, I did have a case of No Celebrities Were Harmed. During the "Adolescence" part of my story, the aforementioned main character gets his start in crime by robbing the manor of a minor nobleman. I described the nobleman as being a yellow haired old and overweight man who had a notable racist streak. It was cathartic to write after how frustrating these past two years have been.

"Can't make an omelette without breaking some children." -Bur
Lyciboo13 Mii, myself, and I from Southern California Since: Aug, 2016 Relationship Status: Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
Mii, myself, and I
#2106: Jul 10th 2018 at 4:47:28 PM

Some of my characters have Japanese-sounding names, but aren't Japanese themselves nor are of any Asian ancestry, two of these characters are siblings (I didn't make a final decision of their ethnicity though) . Is this offensive or bizarre in any way? I usually give characters names I like the sound of/seems to fit them, without really thinking about it. I thought about looking up names that have the same meaning but more...fitting, for lack of a better word? My only issue is I'm used to those characters having those names it'd feel weird calling them something else. But should I stick with the names or change it?

Edited by Lyciboo13 on Jul 10th 2018 at 4:56:14 AM

Millership from Kazakhstan Since: Jan, 2014
#2107: Jul 10th 2018 at 6:01:29 PM

I think it does count as cultural appropriation, which has negative connotations, but you could justify and soften it by transferring the appropriation in-universe. Parents who are fans of cultures not of their own descent sometimes give their children foreign names, for example.

Of course, it depends if Japan actually exists in your setting. If your story doesn't take place in our world, then it's not that problematic.

Spiral out, keep going.
JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#2108: Jul 18th 2018 at 5:45:39 PM

I'm writing an epic fantasy story. One of my POV characters is the leader of an order of nine warriors who are viewed as something like the Nazghul in Lord of the Rings. The civilization they fight for is sort of based on Rome/Byzantium and I'm trying to come up with names. Two of them are named Mithras and Mardas. They aren't related in any way. I'm thinking of changing Mardas's name to Philus, which means something like having an affinity for. But I worry it sounds to much like Phalus. I'm also pretty bad with names in general. Is their any way I can get better?

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
DeMarquis Who Am I? from Hell, USA Since: Feb, 2010 Relationship Status: Buried in snow, waiting for spring
Who Am I?
#2109: Jul 19th 2018 at 12:58:25 PM

Start reviewing lists of Ancient Roman style names. There are lots of websites that will provide you with lists of varying lengths. Here is one that has 50 names on it (some probably too famous for you to use) and here is another with a couple hundred of them.

Edited by DeMarquis on Jul 19th 2018 at 3:58:21 PM

"We learn from history that we do not learn from history."
ewolf2015 MIA from south Carolina Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: I-It's not like I like you, or anything!
MIA
#2110: Aug 24th 2018 at 3:17:49 PM

lately, I promised myself I'd focus more on school so i'm slowing down on project development.

MIA
Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#2111: Aug 25th 2018 at 6:17:34 AM

Anyone have any tips on transforming visual ideas to written words?

A lot of my ideas come out visually but I can't figure out how to express them in writing. I've tried drawing but that isn't the solution. I've been trying for years and I can't draw any better than I did at age 7 or so. Art isn't my thing so I'm focusing on what is: writing.

Like, right now I'm on a fanfic writing binge instead of an original story one. I have a lot of ideas for fan-art and fan-animations but I can't figure out how to change those ideas into fanfics. I've also have this idea for a comic for almost a decade now, but I can't seem to write it. It's too... formulatic? It feels more like a "comic strip" sort of idea than a "full book" sort of one.

CrystalGlacia from at least we're not detroit Since: May, 2009
#2112: Aug 25th 2018 at 10:34:09 AM

Figuring out how to get visual ideas onto paper in general takes practice, and is kind of one of the big challenges of storytelling in text-only media. Go back through your favorite books and try studying how they create an image. But do note that some visual ideas might not be suited for text-only media and could need some content adjustment to have the effect you're going for.

As for the comic strip idea, you could try writing that as an episodic flash fiction or vignette series.

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
AwSamWeston Fantasy writer turned Filmmaker. from Minnesota Nice Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Fantasy writer turned Filmmaker.
#2113: Aug 26th 2018 at 7:09:53 AM

  1. Read lots of screenplays, comic book scripts, etc.
  2. Recognize that no matter how well you describe it, the words you write will never hold a candle to the version in your head or the one that gets made.
  3. Try anyway.

Award-winning screenwriter. Directed some movies. Trying to earn a Creator page. I do feedback here.
Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#2114: Aug 27th 2018 at 6:59:58 AM

[up] Writing and drawing are two different mediums. Trying to write like a comic leads to a lot of filler text about unimportant things... But it still sucks being unable to convey your thoughts well. Sometimes it's super easy, other times nothing comes through. I guess that's just a common trouble with being a writer.

AwSamWeston Fantasy writer turned Filmmaker. from Minnesota Nice Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Fantasy writer turned Filmmaker.
#2115: Aug 27th 2018 at 9:19:08 AM

So, my earlier post was kind of unhelpful.

This is an issue I've struggled with myself as a filmmaker. One solution a lot of filmmakers go with is to make storyboards. And one thing noted in a lot of storyboarding resources I've seen is that artistic quality doesn't have to be perfect as long as it gets your idea across.

What visual medium do you want to work in? Knowing that might help.

Award-winning screenwriter. Directed some movies. Trying to earn a Creator page. I do feedback here.
ewolf2015 MIA from south Carolina Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: I-It's not like I like you, or anything!
MIA
#2116: Aug 27th 2018 at 1:15:01 PM

I've been dealing with the same issue as of late myself. I atleast have the skills to draw decent things, at least. one thing that helps is googling something and see what pops up. it aided me in learning what new words mean and create a clear image of what's going on.

do that, but apply it to anything you read. if something doesn't feel clear to you, type it in the search bar and click on images.

Edited by ewolf2015 on Aug 27th 2018 at 4:17:34 AM

MIA
SharkToast Since: Mar, 2013
#2117: Aug 28th 2018 at 4:18:26 PM

So currently I'm working on a story where a group of young people (they range from being teenagers to being in their early twenties) get snowed in at a cabin. They spend the night telling each other ghost stories. I recently got some feedback for this story. The person who reviewed my story said that this premise wouldn't work today, since they'd just pull out their phones and laptops to entertain myself. Do you guys think this is true or could this premise still work?

CrystalGlacia from at least we're not detroit Since: May, 2009
#2118: Aug 28th 2018 at 4:33:23 PM

If they're in a remote area without cell service and/or the power goes out and their devices run out of battery, that would help with the plausibility. I still run out of battery on my devices in 2018; just because powerbanks and super-long battery devices like the Google Pixel exist doesn't mean everyone has them or is going to be charging them at every available moment in anticipation of a situation like this. But even if their devices were operable, it's possible to get bored of the internet. And some of them just might be the type to tell ghost stories instead.

My concern (and this is just my point of view as a reclusive twentysomething who had few friends as a teen) is that telling ghost stories might be seen as a little juvenile, especially for the adults- it just seems like something that children or maybe younger teens might do at a slumber party, not teens and adults. But I could be in the minority on this.

"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
SharkToast Since: Mar, 2013
#2119: Aug 28th 2018 at 4:48:22 PM

Okay. Well what gets them started telling ghost stories is that someone tells them about a murder that occurred in the area a few years ago. They start telling their own stories to top the original.

Edit: Another idea I had was that instead of telling ghost stories, that they'd tell personal stories about traumatic and horrific things that happened to them. However, I felt that these people wouldn't be so ready to open up about these deeply traumatic things that happened to them.

Edited by SharkToast on Aug 28th 2018 at 4:58:05 AM

Strontiumsun A Gamma Moth from Chicago Since: May, 2016
A Gamma Moth
#2120: Aug 28th 2018 at 8:20:25 PM

Perhaps the premise would work better if they spent a week in the cabin, showed in with no wifi? Cabin fever might literally set in. I just think about all the wacky things people on Big Brother say to each other.

Creator of Heroes of Thantopolis: http://heroesofthantopolis.com/
Millership from Kazakhstan Since: Jan, 2014
#2121: Aug 28th 2018 at 9:12:25 PM

Concerning the "sharing traumatic experiences" bit, it could work if they are complete strangers and believe they won't meet each other ever again. Two personal examples I have is talking to fellow travelers on a train trip and to roommates in a hospital ward.

For the former one, I'm from a former Soviet republic, and we have pretty long distances between the cities, and the most common way to commute between them is by taking the train. The trip could last for as long as the whole day, and due to how our train cars are organized (either divided by two-seat compartments (the most expensive way to travel by the train), four-seat compartments, or what is called platskart - basically open-space train car divided by six-seat sections) you most definitely going to travel with complete strangers, and to pass time you're often ending up chatting with them. Depending on who you're traveling with, the conversation topics could get pretty intimate for all parties.

For the latter one, the setup is the same, but the conversation topics always start with "How did you end up here?" Health issues is already a sensitive topic and if the conversation goes on it could touch even deeper subjects.

The general idea behind this is to simply relieve stress and boredom, have a bout of sweet, sweet Misery Poker, and do it relatively safely, since everyone involved (generally) knows that the chances of meeting each other are very slim and nobody would actually seek each other out after they've received and revealed so much personal information.

This could be a cultural thing, though.

Edited by Millership on Aug 28th 2018 at 10:15:04 PM

Spiral out, keep going.
AgentKirin Since: Aug, 2017
#2122: Aug 30th 2018 at 2:14:20 PM

My story has an Intrepid Reporter protagonist, so naturally there'll be a few scenes in which she interviews people, with varying degrees of plot-significance. However, I'm having a hard time not making these interviews into infodumps. Easier said than done, since getting information is the whole point of an interview. How do I handle something that is essentially an infodump by its very nature without making it egregiously so?

Ominae Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent Since: Jul, 2010
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
#2123: Aug 30th 2018 at 10:40:14 PM

I did have a thread here on a Ukraine story set during the Donbass uprising, but there's no serious feedback aside from doing a twist (which I don't plan to do). The idea was that a Russian exile in Kiev assists the government by recruiting someone from out of Europe to be part of a secret rescue mission to rescue a VIP's child from Donbass.

Due to the secretive nature, he's forced to do it alone (currently thinking of pairing person up with a Ukrainian).

I'm not sure on how I should proceed with the events after the person rescues the VIP's child from captivity and make the journey out of Donbass. I was thinking of the two bonding over some issues they had in the past. The MC was in a police operation and he's the sole survivor of said operation after an ambush killed his comrades.

Edited by Ominae on Aug 30th 2018 at 10:43:32 AM

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"
Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#2124: Aug 30th 2018 at 10:51:27 PM

[up] So you're writing a fictional event of the Donbass uprising?

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
Ominae Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent Since: Jul, 2010
Organized Canine Bureau Special Agent
#2125: Aug 30th 2018 at 11:07:24 PM

Nah, something that's happening while the Donbass uprising is taking place.

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

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