-----Original Message-----
From: The Critic <ranma_critic@hotmail.com>
To: ffml@fanfic.com <ffml@fanfic.com>
Date: Friday, August 21, 1998 11:39 PM
Subject: Re: [FFML] [fanfic][Ranma] Confession

A fic must begin with what makes it interesting, not with a canned scene

>from a thousand mediocre fics before it.


"A fic must begin with what makes it interesting,"

This is actually great advice.  Mind you, it depends on whether you're
writing a true short story or something like a novel (you have more leeway
in a novel), but for the most part we're dealing with short stories here,
and in a short story you can not waste the reader's time.  Don't beat about
the bush, figure out where the story really starts and start the story
there.  If, to pick one of the topics of the hour, you want to write a story
about how Ukyo and Ranma become best friends, then start with the scene
where their relationship changes.  Find that incident that heads them down
this new path, and then follow the story from there.  Don't begin with a
scene (to pick an oft-used opening) in which Ranma insults Akane's cooking,
Akane calls Ranma "baka" and hits him with a mallet, and the nice people of
Nerima shake their heads and laugh quietly at those wacky martial artists.
That is not where the story begins.

Mind you, since some jerk is stiffling our creativity, we would never be
able to write this story.  I use it only as an example.  ^_^

Ranma continued to stare at her. Akane wasn't a virgin. She had sex
with a guy. True it was rape, but he wouldn't lose any honor now if
he refused to marry her.

Yes he would.

You're saying that if he REFUSED to marry her, he WOULD lose honor.

When something serious like this is revealed, the entire fic must be
escalated as well. Serious situations will breed serious actions and
reactions; in this case, Ranma will have to take his traditional values
seriously, and marrying an 'unclean' woman would be unacceptable. Say
goodbye to Kunou and Ryouga as well.

Now you're saying that if he married her, he'd lose honor.

Ranma will lose honor by marrying her, but will also lose honor by refusing
to marry her?  As we all know, Ranma is always damned if he does and damned
if he doesn't, but I think you have a logic flaw or misstatement here.

Miko!

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather a scornful tone, "it
means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many
different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master -- that's
all."

(Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking-Glass)

Nausicaa@sprynet.com   Belldandy@angelic.com
Anime rpg at http://come.to/akane/
Fan Fiction at http://listen.to/bell/