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THE ART OF WRITING
Volume 1, Issue 1, for
October, 2000
by the Writer's Helper Group of the
Synopsis List Review Team
THE ART OF WRITING is a monthly publication intended as a friendly guide
to the writer's craft for aspiring fanfiction authors. Our methods are
manifold, but our goal is simple: we seek to improve the overall quality
of anime fanfiction writing. In this and in future issues, we shall
illustrate common mistakes found in writing, demonstrate ways to improve
one's prose, examine different methods for writing scenes, provide
resources for writers, and even track the evolution of a fanfic. As a
supplement to the regular monthly issue, we will offer interviews with
various fanfiction authors to see what they have to say about the writer's
craft.
Naturally, the writer's craft is subjective to the individual, and you
may or may not not agree with the material presented. We don't claim to
be preaching the Gospel of Fanfiction Writing, but we do think we have
something useful to offer you.
Please direct all specific questions and comments to the applicable
contributer, and general remarks to the Editor <wildeman@gci-net.com>.
Individuals interested in joining the staff should send their requests
to Elsa Bibat <e_bibat@hotmail.com>.
The ART OF WRITING Staff are:
J. Austin Wilde <wildeman@gci-net.com>, Editor.
Allyn Yonge <ayonge@hotmail.com>, Staff Contributer.
Sparky Clarkson <sparkster@writeme.com>, Staff Contributer.
Elsa Bibat <e_bibat@hotmail.com>, Head Mistress of the SLR/AE Team.
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WORDO OF THE MONTH
Sparky Clarkson <sparkster@writeme.com>
This feature will focus on a particular kind of typo often referred to
as a "wordo." The wordo, which has become more and more prevalent as
people increasingly rely on spellcheckers, is a typographical error
which results in a valid (though misplaced) word. For instance, a
person might type, "When Happousai was around, women would frequently
loose their panties," when the appropriate word was "lose." While the
sentence with the error is grammatically correct and meaningful, the
image it produces--of women constantly releasing their panties in the
presence of Happousai--is not exactly what the author hoped to convey.
The "Wordo of the Month" is a particularly common or irritating wordo
that people should be aware of in their proofreading.
This month's wordo is:
THEN/THAN
A particularly common *and* irritating wordo. Let's see what the words
mean.
Then--an adverb meaning "at that time," "soon afterward," "next in
order," or "in that case." Can be used as a correlative. Can also be
used as an adjective meaning "being such at that time" or a noun
meaning "that time."
Appropriate uses:
<> He was happy then.
<> She ate the soup, then tried the beans.
<> First comes love, then comes marriage.
<> If the pies are gone, then Yogi probably took them.
<> Now it's hot, then it's cold.
<> The then president ordered MacArthur to stop his advance*
*Note that this use is becoming archaic. It's probably not
appropriate in dialogue placed after the mid-80's, unless
the speakers are landed gentry or very educated.
<> By then, Heero had already self-destructed.
Than--a conjunction used to introduce the second element in a
comparison, following a comparative adjective, to express exception
following an adjective or adverb, or to mean "when" in some inverted
constructions following adverbs like "scarcely", "hardly," or
"barely." "Than" is also a preposition meaning "compared to" when used
in constructions like "than whom" and "than which."
Appropriate uses:
<> Shigeru has more Pokemon than Satoshi.
<> I opened the door, and the person on the other side was none other
than Bob!
<> Barely had I seen the car than it spun out of control.*
<> That is a painting than which there is no uglier.*
*Note again that these last two constructions border on the archaic,
particularly the first. In dialog set post-1960 only hopeless
academics, lifelong members of the upper class, or fops who want to
join their ranks should use these.
Common Mistakes:
In almost all cases where I see this wordo, "then" is taking the place
of "than". It's not uncommon for me to see "This new apartment was
nicer then the old one" or similar sentences at least once a day in
stories. This is a particularly easy wordo to make, and a very
difficult one to catch, because the words are identical except for the
vowel. I rarely see "than" substituted for "then", but this too
occasionally crops up.
How to fix it:
Almost every text editor and word processor these days has a search
and replace function. Search for "then" and "than" and make sure
you're using them correctly. The biggest clue that you should be using
"than" and not "then" is the presence of a comparative adjective
("better," "worse," "louder," "bluer," etc.). Those often mark a full
comparative phrase that should include "than." The reverse is a little
trickier to clue into. The best thing to do is just read the sentence
carefully and make sure you're using the right word.
All definitions taken from Webster's New World Dictionary, Third
College Edition. Simon & Schuster, 1988.
-Sparky
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THE EVOLUTION OF A FANFIC
Allyn Yonge <ayonge@yahoo.com>
This article is one man's attempt to detail the process of fanfic writing
from a story idea to a finished product. Look for installments of the
actual fanfic to be posted around the same time as this issue.
---
I was taking time off from researching Swing Bands circa 1929 for Sukeban
Senshi chapter 8 to do a little C&C. It helps clear my mind to take a
break from writing every nowand then.
One thing I noticed was a number of people posting "Ideas" and asking for
C&C on the idea or asking if they should write a story based on that idea.
In My Opinion (IMO) ideas are worthless. It's the execution of the idea
that matters.
Should I have Ukyou fall in love with a new character?
What if Sailor Moon & senshi were Street Fighters?
I'd like to do a crossover of TM and KK. What do you think?
The _only_ answer is . . .write it and see if anyone reads it. If they do,
it was a good idea. ^_^
There are no good or bad ideas. And no overused ideas. (There are only
about eight basic plots after all.) The ONLY thing that matters is...
can you, the writer, make a readable story from the idea? Realize also
that no matter how good you are, not everyone will like what you write.
To illustrate what I mean I'm going to show the development of my latest
attempt at story telling.
PART I of EVOLUTION OF A FANFIC
Or...
"THE IDEA!!!"
Ranma/Green Lantern crossover or fusion.
In the simplest terms this is a What IF? Story.
What if The South Won the War of Northern Aggression?
What if The Titanic Didn't Sink?
What if...?
What if Akane changed? In this case, what if she got the powers of a GL?
Examples of this from the manga: what if she ate Super Soba? What if she
were possessed by a Demon Doll?
What if...?
This illustrates my feeling about ideas being worthless in and of
themselves. It's what you DO with the idea.
So, the idea is to change Akane.
Give her the powers of a Green Lantern.
My initial problem is to research GL. (my information being woefully
out of date) My first inclination was to do a Golden Age crossover,
using the original GL, Alan Scott.
Research showed that in the original story, a meteor fell in China
and was found by an evil magician named Chang. Perfect. This beginning
puts me in the right location for a Ranma fic w/o having to go through
a lot of contortions.
In the original, the meteor promises three things: death, life and
power. Even better---- I use this as my hook and set up the beginning.
"The Third Gift" {working Title}
Titles are VERY important. They set the mood and are the first thing a
reader sees. You don't have nifty cover art to attract the eye so the
title is IT.
After playing with the story for a while, the title changes to ::
"Third Fire" {working Title #2}
Zhang, the necromancer, turned the stone
in his hands. It wasn't really stone, but then
Zhang wasn't really his name.
The opening lines are critical. You're competing against hundreds of
different stories; thousands once you leave FFML. All of them free.
Unless you have name recognition (Alan Harnum, Gary Kleppe, Krista
Perry, The Wildes, etc) you'll get lost in the flood. Hook the reader
FAST.
This isn't my best hook by a long shot. That honor probably goes to:
"Tendou Akane must die."
>From 'With Friends like These...' {which is_ still_ being revised.) :(
In _this_ hook I start by making the reader (hopefully) curious. If
it isn't a stone, what is it? And who is Zhang? Notice it's "Zhang the
necromancer". I use this as an identifier since "Zhang the CPA" doesn't
convey quite the same aura of mystery and dread.
So, in a few words I've shown that Zhang is evil (necromancers using
death and the dead to work their magic) AND that there are a couple of
secrets.
Now, my original idea was to have Alan Scott (the very first GL;
All-American Comics #16, July 1940) returning the ring/lantern to
China as part of a mystic cycle. He was the end of one cycle, Akane
would be the start of the next.
However as I was researching {I do a lot of this when I'm writing. This
explains why I've NEVER met a promised posting date.) I had a change of
heart. Actually the characters changed on me. In the original GL the
meteor promised Death, Life, Power. For Death it kills an entire village.
This is NOT a friendly act. For Life it cures a madman a few centuries
later. The Power it promises is used for revenge.
Death, Life, Power.
I rather liked that. And it became clear to me that this was going to
be a dark story with themes like that. At this point Green Lantern went
out the window. The colour green is the ONLY thing that remains.
AND by this time, the title has changed to its FINAL form::
"Bedlam Fire"
PART II:
Starting to Write
Do NOT lock yourself into a pattern. Create your characters, drop them
into a situation and stand back and let them do whatever they want to.
Zhang, the necromancer, turned the stone in his
hands. It wasn't really stone, but then Zhang wasn't
really his name. Not the one he'd been born with decades
earlier, thousands of miles away in the black forests
of Germanica. Before the servants of the murdered god
had driven him from his home. Thin bloodless lips curved
in a small, almost smile, recalling the crackling flames
and screams of the monks as he burned them alive in their
monastery. His parting gift to the hypocrites who'd
crucified their own god, yet begrudged him a few peasants.
Alright, now we're cooking with gas. I've set the tone of the story
in the first paragraph.
Death.
At this point I can see that Death, Life, Power are going to be
recurring themes.
Side note: Learn to read your own writing critically. Stand back from
it and read as if someone else had written it. NOT easy at all. That's
why pre-readers (editors) exist.
Note2: If you read carefully you'll notice I've put a lot of information
into this first little bit.
Do you get a warm fuzzy feeling about Zhang? Is he the sort of guy you'd
ask to babysit? Would you let your sister go on a date with him?
What do you know about Zhang?
He's a necromancer and he's hiding out. Rather than just say:
Zhang was pissed because he'd been run out of town
for practicing necromancy without a license.
I was a little indirect. I tried to give the reader information if
a way that seems as if the reader can see Zhang's thoughts...
...Zhang wasn't really his name. Not the one he'd been
born with decades earlier, thousands of miles away in the
black forests of Germanica.
Shows he is or was on the run...
Before the servants of the murdered god had driven him
from his home.
And that Zhang doesn't think much of the guys that ran him out of town...
Thin bloodless lips curved in a small, almost smile,
recalling the crackling flames and screams of the monks
as he burned them alive in their monastery. His parting
gift to the hypocrites who'd crucified their own god, yet
begrudged him a few peasants.
And now we know (if we're alert) that the people who ran Zhang out of
town were Christian monks. His perceptions of the monks and ordinary
people as well as his actions solidifies Zhang's personality. It
also helps set the time line. This tells the reader that the story is
set sometime after 100 CE or so when you might reasonably expect to
find monks in "Germanica". If I had been really serious about this I
would have researched the time period and selected an actual monastery.
Green fire blazed, filling the room with light and
Zhang with knowledge.
*Three fires burn*
The voice, older than time, whispered deep in Zhang's
mind.
*death, life, power*
This illustrates one of my favorite points: SHOW, don't tell. I'm using
action and a very careful word choice to set a mood and show what is
happening. I'm also being as brief as possible. It is my personal
contention that strong emotion is best conveyed in as few words as
possible.
I'm going to skip over most of the first part and just show:
Stabbing and hacking the maddened Amazons ripped
chunks of flesh from the magician with their wooden claws,
rending him like a pig in a slaughter house. At last a
wooden sliver pierced his heart. With a shriek the
necromancer expired, emerald fire vomiting forth from his
broken chest to consume the remaining Amazons, the fields,
the trees, the birds and beasts and every living thing for
a hundred li.
*death*
And the first seal shattered.
Note: I used the Chinese mile "li" to give a slight oriental flavor to
the piece. It's obvious from context (I hope) that this is a distance
and the _exact_ distance isn't important to understanding the story.
And we've come to the end of the first theme, "death".
This ending helps reinforce the theme AND introduces important plot
points,
1) The "seal" shattering.
2) The Amazons.
3) "the stone" is _not_ all powerful. There is a vulnerability to wood.
It's important to build up to events rather than just drop them on the
reader w/o any warning. In this case it's essential later down the line
to link the Amazons to the "stone." I _could_ have just introduced it
as a part of arcane lore, a la the "cat tongue" or "contrary jewel," etc.
That sort of decision is the author's and depends on the individual story
being written.
Side note: A problem with fanfiction is the author is constrained by
"what has gone before." It's much easier to start with a blank slate.
For this reason I find it easier to keep changes to a minimum. That is,
I make _one_ basic change that drives the story and let everything
evolve from that.
In "Furies" the "change" was Pluto trying to revive the Silver Millennium.
{and you thought it was Akane being a re-incarnated super-weapon. ^_^)
That was the "idea" that started the story, but the driving element was
Pluto and her efforts and madness.
In _this_ story there is a single change... "the power." Everything
else in the story results from this. It is a mistake to add further
changes _unless_ they evolve from this primary change. If you add
changes arbitrarily, especially to fix plot holes, the story loses
drive and cohesion. It's not fair to the reader.
For example:
Let's assume that Ryouga has learned a new technique. Ohhh, Heavy Ki for
instance.
And Ranma attempts to counter this technique. He seeks to steal the
"secret" scroll. Carefully watches and tries to imitate Ryouga. Then,
finally, in a climatic battle he discovers a weakness in the technique
and turns it against Ryouga.
This is a logical progression, not only in accordance with the
characterization of Ranma/Ryouga but it also fits with real life
examples of martial arts and combat.
NOW, the way not to do this (by adding extraneous and undeveloped
changes):
Ryouga develops Heavy Ki. Ranma instantly counters with his "Blazing
Turkey Heart Beam."
@@Ummmm, and this technique came from...???
OR
Ranma immediately sees the weakness, counters perfectly, and defeats
Ryouga.
@@Errrr, a little build up would be nice.
OR
Ranma pulls a gun and shoots Ryouga dead.
@@And a LOT of build up to justify this one.
In the example from the manga, the story line progressed naturally
from circumstances and personalities of the characters.
In the three "bad" examples, the "solutions" were rather forced. And
as the old Klingon saying goes: "Don't force it, get a bigger hammer."
Next, Life. Since this is a DARK or Noir fanfic, "Life" has got to have
a twist.
"Goddess of Mercy, make my son well."
Emerald fire blazed, bathing her son with a cold light.
"Mother?" The boy turned his head weakly on his pillow.
Already he looked stronger.
"Eiku! Kiku, my son!" Tojo Yuko wept on her son's
shoulder.
The future prime minister of Japan returned the hug
weakly as the rising sun filled the room with a ruddy light,
like new spilled blood. A new day had come to Hiroshima.
*life*
And the second seal shattered.
In this case, Life for a small boy _now_, means millions of deaths in
the years to come. {Tojo Hideki: Prime Minister of Japan during WWII was
born Tojo Eiku, taking the name Hideki later in life.}
Again, I'm replaying my basic theme. The "stone" is not a happy thing to
have around.
After preparing the reader I'm _finally_ <whew_> ready to introduce my
main character. I hasten to add that this is NOT the only way to do
this. I _could_ have introduced Akane (or whomever) immediately and
introduced these other bits and pieces in a different way entirely.
There is NO one "right" way to tell a story. There are "different"
stories to tell and different ways to tell them. Different POV's. And,
sometimes, the story doesn't go exactly the way you expect it to.
Ideally the characters should take on a life of their own. Their
actions should flow naturally from the situations they are in.
"What a lovely birthday party," Tendou Kasumi
smiled at her baby sister while she deftly removed the
decimated remains of cake and ice cream. "and so many
lovely presents."
"Let me help you with that Oneesama." Akane
started to her feet, only to be waved back.
"No work for the birthday girl," Nabiki smiled
sardonically from her position holding up the wall. "This
is _your_ day."
"Yeah, don't spoil it by goin' in the kitchen," Ranma
mumbled through a mouthful of cake.
"WHAT! What did you say?" Akane's voice was tight
with anger and perhaps something else. "Are you making
fun----"
"RANMA!" Ryouga slammed an elbow into the top of
Ranma's head. "How DARE you insult----"
"Two hundred yen says Ranma gets another three lumps
before he loses consciousness." Nabiki waved a wad of yen
in front of the small group of party goers still remaining.
"I've got fifty that says they both end up in the koi
pond." Sayuri countered as Nabiki rapidly scribbled bets in
a small notebook.
Mention of the koi pond froze Ryouga for a moment,
allowing Ranma to apply a head lock, while Akane searched
for a blunt object not in use to hold food, gifts, or guests.
"More party games?" Kasumi returned from the kitchen
to scoop up soiled linen and crumb filled plates. How nice."
She paused in the midst of her cleaning to pluck an irregular
object from the debris. Turning it in her hands she examined
the thing, which looked like a Salvador Dali painting stuffed
inside a Klein bottle during a storm at sea.
"Did you bake this Akane?" her tone of voice was gently
accusing.
"Aaaaaak!" Ryouga wrenched free of Ranma's hold and made
a desperate grab for the thing in Kasumi's hands. "T...that's
mine," he stuttered. "Ummmm... it's for you," he said
blushingly, thrusting what was now revealed to be a badly
wrapped package, rather than a genetics experiment gone
horribly wrong, at Akane. "H...h...happy birthday!"
"Ryouga... how sweet," Akane left off adjusting Ranma's
attitude with a souvenir marble ashtray and took the package
from Ryouga, accidentally brushing his hand with hers as she
did so.
She... she touched me, Ryouga thought, weeping tears of
joy. Now I can die a happy man.
"Oh..." Akane exclaimed as the last of the paper and tape
finally yielded to her determined efforts.
"My..." Kasumi said softly as sunlight hit the object,
causing it to shimmer with a faint green light.
"God, it's ugly," Nabiki commented, collecting money from
the losers, paying off winners, and taking the house percentage
off the top from both sides.
"It's beautiful," Akane assured Ryouga, shooting a dark
look at her sibling. "I'll treasure it always." She clasped
the statue to her breast, absently noticing how warm it felt
to the touch.
A bit of a longish section, but it illustrates several points. First,
it gets Akane together with the "stone" in a reasonably natural manner.
Ryouga often brings "souvenirs" with him from his travels. And magical
artifacts seem to show up on a regular basis. However, even without this
background from the manga/anime, the manner is perfectly natural. It's
Akane's birthday. Ryouga brings her a present.
It could have been anyone. Ranma, Nabiki, Kasumi. Akane could have bought
the icon (made from the stone in an earlier section) with birthday money.
Kasumi could have _found_ it in the attic. Ranma might have stolen it,
thinking it a cure for his curse.
In this case I used Ryouga like a _seafaring_ friend who brings exotic
gifts back from his travels.
Again, introducing Akane (or person X) to "the stone" could have been in
a number of different ways: part of a school project, legacy from a
relative, found at "cursed antique store", present from Kuno, etc, all of
which would produce different stories.
Side Note:
Even in _this_ story, the gift could have been for Akane, but Nabiki
(for example) could have "borrowed" it. And that often happens when I
write. I _think_ a story is going to progress in a certain manner, but
the characters do something else. And this is a GOOD thing. When the
characters have their own ideas, when they refuse to act the way you want
them to... your story has taken on a life of its own and it will show
in a story that is more energetic and natural.
I also spent some time establishing or re-establishing characterizations
and the sinister aspects of "the stone" (icon at this point).
This is a difficult part of fanfiction in particular. The author has to
be careful _not_ to retell the original story and at the same time provide
sufficient information for readers _not_ familiar with the manga/anime.
In this case I used familiar themes, Ranma/Ryouga rivalry, Nabiki/money,
Akane/cooking, Kasumi/nice... with slight twists or improvisations to,
hopefully, keep them interesting. Also notice that I kept all but the
essential point, Ryouga's gift, to a minimum.
This is where pre-readers or detailed C&C is very important. It's often
difficult for the author to tell how successful she/he has been or even
if the scene works at all.
I've now, in the space of about twenty pages, established the history of
"the stone", set the tone of the story and, finally, introduced my main
character, Akane, to "the stone"
Part III and IV to follow next month!
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TOOLS OF THE TRADE
by Anonymous
Spellcheckers
An Owed to My Spell Checker (author unknown)
I have a spelling checker. Be fore a veiling checkers
It came with my PC. Hour spelling mite decline,
It plane lee marks four my revue And if were lacks o'er have a laps,
Miss steaks aye can knot sea. We wood bee maid to wine.
Eye ran this poem threw it, Butt now bee cause my spelling
Your sure reel glad two no. Is checked with such grate flare,
Its vary polished in it's weigh, Their are know faults with in my
cite,
My checker tolled me sew. Of nun aye am a wear.
A checker is a bless sing, Now spelling does knot phase me,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme. It does knot bring a tier.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed, My pay purrs awl due glad den
And aides me when aye rime. With wrapped words fare as hear.
Each frays come posed up on my screen To rite with care is quite a feet
Eye trussed to bee a joule. Of witch won should be proud.
The checker poured ore every word And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
To cheque sum spelling rule. Sew flaws are knot aloud.
One crucial feature which essentially all word processors possess is
spell-checking capability. Another useful writing aid which word
processors sometimes provide is a built-in dictionary, and even a
thesaurus, both of which are truly indispensable tools of the trade.
Adding a spell-checker to a text editor, however, is a simple task, and
indeed it may have already been done for you. Obtaining a good dictionary
is not necessarily an obstacle either, as we shall see below.
I'll consider Windows first. It may be that the text editor you currently
have is not free, and in that case it's likely that you've gotten a
spell-checker and dictionary for your money. If not, there's a good, free
(for personal use) alternative in a program called "Spell Checker for Edit
Boxes" available at:
http://www.quinion.com/mqa/spell.htm
This program provides a nice spell-checker for nearly any software which
runs under Windows. Even NotGNU -- which behaves quite differently from
"normal" Windows applications -- can be coaxed into working with Spell
Checker for Edit Boxes. Although designed for Windows 3.1, I believe it
works under more recent versions of that OS.
As far as a dictionary/thesaurus is concerned, you'll soon become addicted
to "WordWeb", another application for Windows. It's simply a great piece
of software, providing not only definitions, synonyms and antonyms, but
also attributes, holonyms, hypernyms, hyponyms, meronyms, and similar
words. Furthermore, this program does not cost a cent. Available at:
http://www.netword.demon.co.uk/wweb/
On the Linux front (and other Unix-type flavours), things are slightly
different. I believe that most unixoids are familiar with Ispell, a
spell-checker which is actually "libre". Although I have been using it for
a few years now, its performance is far from stellar. Ironically, it's due
to this article that I've finally decided to do something about it, and
thus I came across Aspell. Labelling itself as "A More Intelligent
Ispell", my brief usage of Aspell seems to confirm that this is indeed the
case. I would suggest you try it out as a replacement for Ispell:
http://aspell.sourceforge.net/
As for the dictionary/thesaurus, I must confess I'm stuck. I really can't
find a viable, Linux-native alternative. Thanks to WINE, however, not all
is lost. Briefly, WINE is a program which allows Lintel users to run
Windows binaries. It comes with most Linux distributions, and if not it's
quite easy to install. Except for some minor font issues (to my taste),
WordWeb runs very well under WINE.
Mac users: again, I come up empty-handed. I've heard that Excalibur is a
capable, free spell-checker, but unfortunately I cannot test it firsthand.
All I can say is that I've read good things about it. Available at:
http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~excalibr/excalibur.html
As for a free dictionary/thesaurus, I was unable to find anything.
However, there are a few possibilities which can actually be of use no
matter what platform you are on. It should be obvious that a word
processor can still come in handy since it should be able to easily import
any text document and spell-check it, becoming a workable -- if inelegant
-- solution. Furthermore, it can conceivably be used as a dictionary,
albeit a rather bloated one. And there are always (buzzword alert)
"internet solutions" through the WWW, such as Merriam-Webster Online at:
http://www.m-w.com
which is one of the many possibilities that can be found at:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/
Finally, re-read the poem at the beginning of this column, and always
remember that no spell-checker is a substitute for careful proofreading
(since, as far I know, grammar checkers *still* suck :)
Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft ware for pea seas,
And why I brake in two averse
When righting what aye pleas.
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That's all for this month!