I thrive on stories.
That is the first thing you need to know.
I write many things: nonfiction, fanfiction, RP, original fantasy, original fiction.
I have an editing background.
I will edit or review most stories under 3000 characters in length in depth upon request. If you are serious about your work, I will consider committing the time to your longer tales.
I joined FanFiction.Net in order to showcase a few of my RP characters' background stories. I figured that if I wrote that much, I may as well get some feedback on it.
I review almost everything I read. It would be beneficial if others did too...
I will not be sharing my more unusual and original non-fanfiction stories here.
Therefore, you will probably only see LotR stories from me.
I haven't roleplayed in over a year. My favourite sites both closed. :(
About this MiniFruitbat
I study biochemistry and mathematics. I have been a volunteer, fast food drone, nanny, backpacker, chemistry teacher, and maid. I'm currently a research assistant and RA (the other kind) at my university. I am very accident-prone. I have a dog named Pauli (after the Pauli Exclusion Principle) and a rabbit named Boing-Boing.
I was chief editor of my high school's literary magazine for two years. I am willing to use some of that experience to help out aspiring authors with in-depth, detailed, and useful analyses and editing for their stories. (Not to be confused with my normal reviews, which are just brief comments.)
I enjoy sushi, blue skies, my rabbit, English springer spaniels, Neopets, adventures, cooking, duplicity, RP, The Format, Battlestar Galactica, The Shins, green countrysides, naps, trees, explosions, snow, Flash 8, angst, musicals, road trips, shoujo manga, Death Cab for Cutie, hiking the Grand Canyon, and, of course, writing.
I want to be in xkcd when I grow up. I have several more years to go because of grad school. I'm really only attending because "xkcd" was as far as I ever got in my Grand Life Plan.
That is all you need to know.
Or maybe not...
Eight Tenets Every Writer Should Know
1. Use the right word! Diction is integral. Check a dictionary to be sure you are correct.
2. Remember connotation! Yes, your fancy word may technically be accurate, but it may be typically used in a specific context. What comes to mind when you hear the words "flushed", "pink", "rash-covered", and "vibrant"? They can all mean the same thing in certain situations, but they are not always appropriate. Again, check a dictionary and pay careful attention to the sample sentence.
3. Also, be wary of the time period and location of your story. Characters that belong in a medieval era will not be saying "ok" to one another. Their curses may be different. They will not understand the same idioms. Take that into consideration.
4. Do not repeat the same word over and over! This especially applies to unusual, polysyllabic words. Yes, it may fit the situation perfectly, but this isn't newspeak. English has... synonyms! In general, a striking word should not be used more than once in a long paragraph, or ideally, a chapter. The same applies to specific phrases. Other words that are commonly and unnecessarily repeated are "said" and "she/he." That is easily remedied! Free thesauruses are available online, and you can easily mix up "she", "Anna", "the girl", "his friend", "the first speaker", and so on.
5. Sometimes you will have difficulty finding a useable synonym. If this is true, consider writing around it. If you don't have a way to say something perfectly, don't say it! Work around it, or phrase it differently. This is a common problem when describing eyes. There are few useable substitutes for "eyes". Yes, you can refer to irises, whites, and pupils, but his irises did not grow wide and his pupils are not a striking blue that blazed with anger. People tend to use "orbs" to replace "eyes", but often this just sounds weird. Why not refer to his gaze instead? His facial expression? You can get the same feeling from such an observation without taking lengthy note of your character's eyes.
6. Dialogue is one of the hardest elements to conquer. Do not rely on your movie-going experiences. Think of how real people talk. Sound the words out in your mind, paying attention to the intonation. Real people have trouble saying something deep and meaningful, even if they have practiced a speech and have the resolve to say it. Real people stutter, stall, make sarcastic comments when they cannot articulate exactly what they feel is wrong with an argument, come up with their witty remarks 30 seconds after the conversation has ended, use analogies, curse, slur their words, speak with accents, use body language, and often do not say exactly what they mean.
7. Edit! Do not post immediately. It can be very difficult to edit your own work, but read through it critically and make changes as you go.
8. Throw nothing away, and do not rely on message boards or your hard drive to archive your work. Computers fail. Often. Yes, your old work may be embarrassing, but keep it anyways! It can be very inspiring to read through your older pieces and trace your developing style and voice. Plus, when you're rich and famous, you can auction these things on eBay.
I shall say nothing of Mary Sues. This is a fanfiction site. I presume it's unavoidable here, but be vigilant when writing original works. Your audience can tell, and they will not be happy unless they can empathize with your character. Real people are not always skinny, pretty, smart, abandoned, abused, exceptional, or noble. The majority is average, oh children of Lake Wobegon. -_- And very, very rarely will they consistently do the right thing.
Also, you are not exceptionally witty or clever when you write Mary Sue-bashing stories. You aren't even original. Or canon. Or funny. Le gasp!
FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination
