Ah okay, glad to hear I didn't offend you. >0</ I just got worried because looking back on my post I was a little less sensitive than I could have been;;; You're fine though, haha. :')
Yeah I agree with you on the importance characters. *U*/ It's up to good characters to drive the plot, imo.
Aaah it's true about trying to fit everything into such a short story.... I'm still trying to narrow things down to what's absolutely necessary for the situation I'm working with. ;U;7 I'll get there, though...!
Ah no, sorry if I came off as offended, I'm really not! I read your post rather early this morning and perhaps I was too blunt or something. Sometimes if I try to write long comments I worry that I babble too much aha which is daft as I enjoy reading lengthy comments anyway. But don't worry, you didn't offend me!
I agree that reducing bullying to a plot device is daft unless done particularly well *nods* and also kudos to you for deciding not to make a point.
I think what I meant was that, as far as stories go, I always value character interaction and development as much as the actual plot, if that makes sense? And also, some topics are just awkward to cover in such a short project. Especially with a character you have created and have a back-story for and everything ^^
Aha it is now lunchtime and I still can't make sense XD
Yeah, it gets confusing thinkng about whether a character thinks a certain way at a particular time... It'd be so much easier if people just thought the same way all the time. xD But you're right, that's not as interesting. :9
Sorry if I came off rude or as if I was brushing off bullying in this post. I wrote this mainly for myself so I talked about bullying a little clumsier than I should have. Bullying is a very relevant topic for many kids, and it does have the right to be addressed in fiction. But I didn't experience bullying in middle or high school and don't fully understand the topic, I don't know if I have the ability to try to convey bullying with enough nuance so that it won't come off as ingenuine preachiness. I guess what I meant to say in that part of this post is that bullying is such a difficult topic that it shouldn't simply be used as a plot device to make a point (which was a mistake I originally made in A Life Like This). For me, at least. Sorry again if I had offended/am offending you. >_<
Thanks for the encouragement, I'll try to enjoy myself...!! Honestly writing this has been seriously getting me down because I just can't feel like its good or coherent enough... but you're right, I'll try to approach it with a more fun mindset. *^*7
The limit is 6 pages double-spaced, which I think is around 1500 words. :o But we're allowed to go a little over, I think.
I find writing about OCs hard sometimes, but mainly because in my mind they change depending on what part of the story they are in. Like with Vaek I have a bit of story planned out (although not really written down asides from notes). So with Laf I understand it is awkward to portray his character at a younger age, as you've also got in mind what he is like as an older character too.
But I feel that means that at least he is an interesting character who develops through time.
Also, bullying still happens. I don't know what your school environment is/was like, but it does happen still, so it isn't an irrelevant topic. As you said, it is how the characters respond to these things that is interesting, rather than the fact it happens.
I hope you still enjoy writing it all! Do you have a word limit, or can you write a little more freely?
Yeah, I see what you're saying especially about memes and jokes. I dont think its a bad thing to address contemporary issues/etc in stories, this post is really mainly a personal preference on stories. :m
Last edited by moonlit dream at 2:42:32 AM EDT on June 23, 2016.
Yo! one thing that stuck out to me in particular with this post is that you don't want your story to become dated. I totally get that, but at the same time, I don't see anything wrong with that. If your story takes place from 2000-2016, I wouldn't shy away from using contemporary mindsets/backgrounds. :> Fads and Memes are probably best to avoid since those die out REALLY fast (omg I re-read some old MCC posts and there were all these obscure, like, 2011 pop-culture shit and memes XD) but yeah. YOU FEEL ME?
moonlit dream
Supreme Individual (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 06/24/16 | Reply
@Kaerlyn:
Ah okay, glad to hear I didn't offend you. >0</ I just got worried because looking back on my post I was a little less sensitive than I could have been;;; You're fine though, haha. :')
Yeah I agree with you on the importance characters. *U*/ It's up to good characters to drive the plot, imo.
Aaah it's true about trying to fit everything into such a short story.... I'm still trying to narrow things down to what's absolutely necessary for the situation I'm working with. ;U;7 I'll get there, though...!
Nooo you're just fine! xD
Kaerlyn
Tea pixie (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 06/24/16 | Reply
@moonlit dream:
Ah no, sorry if I came off as offended, I'm really not! I read your post rather early this morning and perhaps I was too blunt or something. Sometimes if I try to write long comments I worry that I babble too much aha which is daft as I enjoy reading lengthy comments anyway. But don't worry, you didn't offend me!
I agree that reducing bullying to a plot device is daft unless done particularly well *nods* and also kudos to you for deciding not to make a point.
I think what I meant was that, as far as stories go, I always value character interaction and development as much as the actual plot, if that makes sense? And also, some topics are just awkward to cover in such a short project. Especially with a character you have created and have a back-story for and everything ^^
Aha it is now lunchtime and I still can't make sense XD
moonlit dream
Supreme Individual (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 06/24/16 | Reply
@Kaerlyn:
Yeah, it gets confusing thinkng about whether a character thinks a certain way at a particular time... It'd be so much easier if people just thought the same way all the time. xD But you're right, that's not as interesting. :9
Sorry if I came off rude or as if I was brushing off bullying in this post. I wrote this mainly for myself so I talked about bullying a little clumsier than I should have. Bullying is a very relevant topic for many kids, and it does have the right to be addressed in fiction. But I didn't experience bullying in middle or high school and don't fully understand the topic, I don't know if I have the ability to try to convey bullying with enough nuance so that it won't come off as ingenuine preachiness. I guess what I meant to say in that part of this post is that bullying is such a difficult topic that it shouldn't simply be used as a plot device to make a point (which was a mistake I originally made in A Life Like This). For me, at least. Sorry again if I had offended/am offending you. >_<
Thanks for the encouragement, I'll try to enjoy myself...!! Honestly writing this has been seriously getting me down because I just can't feel like its good or coherent enough... but you're right, I'll try to approach it with a more fun mindset. *^*7
The limit is 6 pages double-spaced, which I think is around 1500 words. :o But we're allowed to go a little over, I think.
(Sorry for the super long comment. >_<)
Kaerlyn
Tea pixie (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 06/24/16 | Reply
I find writing about OCs hard sometimes, but mainly because in my mind they change depending on what part of the story they are in. Like with Vaek I have a bit of story planned out (although not really written down asides from notes). So with Laf I understand it is awkward to portray his character at a younger age, as you've also got in mind what he is like as an older character too.
But I feel that means that at least he is an interesting character who develops through time.
Also, bullying still happens. I don't know what your school environment is/was like, but it does happen still, so it isn't an irrelevant topic. As you said, it is how the characters respond to these things that is interesting, rather than the fact it happens.
I hope you still enjoy writing it all! Do you have a word limit, or can you write a little more freely?
moonlit dream
Supreme Individual (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 06/22/16 | Reply
@harvestmoonluvr:
Yeah, I see what you're saying especially about memes and jokes. I dont think its a bad thing to address contemporary issues/etc in stories, this post is really mainly a personal preference on stories. :m
Last edited by moonlit dream at 2:42:32 AM EDT on June 23, 2016.
harvestmoonluvr
HARVEST GODDESS (Otaku Eternal) | Posted 06/22/16 | Reply
Yo! one thing that stuck out to me in particular with this post is that you don't want your story to become dated. I totally get that, but at the same time, I don't see anything wrong with that. If your story takes place from 2000-2016, I wouldn't shy away from using contemporary mindsets/backgrounds. :> Fads and Memes are probably best to avoid since those die out REALLY fast (omg I re-read some old MCC posts and there were all these obscure, like, 2011 pop-culture shit and memes XD) but yeah. YOU FEEL ME?