The Writers' Corner

[Xilanada]

I'm new to the community but not new to fanfiction writing (I've written about 1.5 million words of Exalted fiction, for example). I bought the game about a week ago and I've had so much fun with it, I've felt inspired to start writing some again. However, I have a few content questions after reading the rules of conduct and the fanfiction forum guidelines. Specifically:

 

Please do not include sexual content, excessive gore, or any other objectionable material.

 

1: By sexual content, are we talking PG, PG-13, R, etc.? I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume any physical romance action should be kept at the first base level and fade to black before getting to second base. Any sense or experience from the community or from forum moderators on where the line is?

 

2: By excessive gore, again, are we talking PG, PG-13, etc.? I'm assuming a paragraph of describing the severing of a limb or a page of torture is too much. Y/N?

 

3: Regarding profanity, I assume the seven dirty words are off-limits? What about the "d" word? Anything else I should know to avoid?

 

4: Does putting a disclaimer in the story's title and/or in the header to a story waive or mitigate any of these rules? Is there a way of flagging a story for mature audience or should I always assume I need to be writing for a 12 year old audience?

 

No, I'm not a writer of smut (though some of my stories have had sex in them) nor do I intentionally write offensive or controversial subject matter with the intent of offending or creating controversy. I am a writer who typically writes people rather than characters. Some people swear, some don't, some turn the lights out, some don't. That's why I'm asking up front to avoid any unintended aggravation of the community or its moderators.

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful reply.

[Darth_Slaine]

I'm new to the community but not new to fanfiction writing (I've written about 1.5 million words of Exalted fiction, for example). I bought the game about a week ago and I've had so much fun with it, I've felt inspired to start writing some again. However, I have a few content questions after reading the rules of conduct and the fanfiction forum guidelines. Specifically:

 

 

 

1: By sexual content, are we talking PG, PG-13, R, etc.? I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume any physical romance action should be kept at the first base level and fade to black before getting to second base. Any sense or experience from the community or from forum moderators on where the line is?

 

2: By excessive gore, again, are we talking PG, PG-13, etc.? I'm assuming a paragraph of describing the severing of a limb or a page of torture is too much. Y/N?

 

3: Regarding profanity, I assume the seven dirty words are off-limits? What about the "d" word? Anything else I should know to avoid?

 

4: Does putting a disclaimer in the story's title and/or in the header to a story waive or mitigate any of these rules? Is there a way of flagging a story for mature audience or should I always assume I need to be writing for a 12 year old audience?

 

No, I'm not a writer of smut (though some of my stories have had sex in them) nor do I intentionally write offensive or controversial subject matter with the intent of offending or creating controversy. I am a writer who typically writes people rather than characters. Some people swear, some don't, some turn the lights out, some don't. That's why I'm asking up front to avoid any unintended aggravation of the community or its moderators.

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful reply.

 

Most of your questions are difficult to answer as we have not seen the limits tested to any great extent.

I would think that a disclaimer at the top of the post does not protect the author from finding her/his story shut down.

 

Sexual content probably can't go beyond R, but I think would be completely acceptable at a PG-13 level.

 

There is a great deal of violence, but no sex, in the Star Wars films but much of it is what they call "fantasy violence." Graphic violence could be a problem -- but I don't see many people writing realistic violence to begin with so it isn't generally an issue. There is a Sith sub-genre of torture fiction that never seems to fall afoul of the rules.

Personally, I dislike the way torture is handled in fan fiction but that is my own opinion.

 

Language you will find is already censored by the profanity-filter. Some people like to make up "sci-fi" alternatives to RL vulgarity but other people find such substitutions to be inauthentic.

 

I have written some stories with mature subject matter here and not had a problem, but I have also refrained from posting things that I figured would be too graphic or disturbing for the boards.

 

Gestahlt has some stories that deal with sexual themes in a fairly candid manner that you might want to read for reference. I'd recommend looking at his REAL Revan and Barely Legal Jedi series. I am working on my own story that deals fairly frequently with the intersection of sex and violence in Star Wars culture -- The Girl with the Jawa Tattoo. I apologize for the self-plug but these are the stories up at the moment that I feel are closest to butting up against the rules in case you would like to see some examples.

Edited January 20, 2012 by Darth_Slaine

[Xilanada]

Most of your questions are difficult to answer as we have not seen the limits tested to any great extent.

I would think that a disclaimer at the top of the post does not protect the author from finding her/his story shut down.

 

Thanks for the candid response. I'm not interested in testing the limits, just establishing what they are up front so there's no surprises on either side. I'm curious if any stories ever have been moderated or shut down, actually. Still, a pity about the lack of disclaimer efficacy.

 

Sexual content probably can't go beyond R, but I think would be completely acceptable at a PG-13 level.

 

Marvelous. First base fade to black it is, then.

 

There is a great deal of violence, but no sex, in the Star Wars films but much of it is what they call "fantasy violence." Graphic violence could be a problem -- but I don't see many people writing realistic violence to begin with so it isn't generally an issue. There is a Sith sub-genre of torture fiction that never seems to fall afoul of the rules.

Personally, I dislike the way torture is handled in fan fiction but that is my own opinion.

 

I'm not terribly into torture myself but you never know where your characters will go when you write them. Again, nice to know the limits up front. Hopefully this shouldn't be an issue based on your response.

 

Language you will find is already censored by the profanity-filter. Some people like to make up "sci-fi" alternatives to RL vulgarity but other people find such substitutions to be inauthentic.

 

There's a profanity filter? Bummer. Solves that one.

 

I fall into the camp that finds substituted profanity to be inauthentic. Usually. PG language it is.

 

I have written some stories with mature subject matter here and not had a problem, but I have also refrained from posting things that I figured would be too graphic or disturbing for the boards.

 

Gestahlt has some stories that deal with sexual themes in a fairly candid manner that you might want to read for reference. I'd recommend looking at his REAL Revan and Barely Legal Jedi series. I am working on my own story that deals fairly frequently with the intersection of sex and violence in Star Wars culture -- The Girl with the Jawa Tattoo. I apologize for the self-plug but these are the stories up at the moment that I feel are closest to butting up against the rules in case you would like to see some examples.

 

Thanks for the plugs, self-interested or not. In all seriousness, it's good to get the pulse of a community you've just joined and one way to do that is to see what the established members are doing. Appreciate the direction!

 

And I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my questions. Much obliged.

[ithiliel_silver]

New Question:

 

What sort of themes do you play with in your stories?

 

 

 

I'm a big fan of themes like redemption and reconciliation in longer stories, but for shorter works I prefer simple themes like friendship or loss or love.

[MysticTrunks]

I do it because it's fun and challenging. I like to try different styles of writing and perspectives. To write somethings with humor and others serious and, hopefully, heartbreaking. It's always hit and miss but so long as I have fun writing it and a few people don't try to gouge out their eyes reading it. I just keep going.

 

Hello Everyone ^_^

[RulithBarakis]

Hello all. I'm not sure how many may remember me, and I'm not sure how many never knew me in the first place. Either way, I'm reintroducing myself now, since I haven't posted anywhere at all since before the forum wipe.

 

I am RulithBarakis; before the wipe, I had several stories up here, although pretty much all of them were unfinished. Due to a lack of good ideas and a horrible writer's block that's been wearing at me for months now, I only now come up with something new to begin writing.

 

The Journey to Darkness, an Acolyte's Journal

 

I'm not going any farther in self-advertisement than that, and even that, I do so only to help introduce others to my style of writing.

 

Anyways, I hope that I can once more become a common part of the forums here. Glad to meet you all, or see you again, in some cases, and I look forward to reading anything and everything posted. If I can actually keep up with all the great writing already up, that is.

[General_Malor]

Wow that took a while...

 

Hehe... Hey everyone... how's it going... General Malor here...

 

Just thought I would allow myself to reintroduce myself and say that once more I shall contribute to this fan-fiction section.

 

Get ready for the single biggest fan-fiction endeavor undertaken one single author on this website. ^_^

 

Watch for these upcoming titles!

 

A Soldier's Journey

A Ramblin' Man

A Hunter's Trek

A Lovers Quarrel

 

Once these are finished, more to come... oh so much more!

 

Also due to my love of one-shots I am introducing a thread collection for all one-shots I write. The thread title will be debuted soon. Like... now!

 

This One Time

 

So that's all. By late April my main projects should be finished and I'm eager to see how everyone enjoys them.

 

Love and PEACE!

 

-The General ^_^

[Bakarn]

I have finally completely finished my rewrite of Warfare. Gonna post it all this weekend. Wouldn't mind people who have read it giving it another look through.

[Karakkan]

New Question:

 

What sort of themes do you play with in your stories?

 

 

 

Hey all, I'm Karakkan and I creep often on this forum, and as much as I'd like to have something here, don't have anything yet

 

As for the question, at least in my head I like to play around with a variety of them. For example, one story I'm attempting to put on word document right now is split into two parts. The first is from the viewpoint of an old retired Jedi captured in his home by an old Sith. The second is from the viewpoint of the Sith telling the Jedi stories about him and a certain lady he meets through his life and why it all leads to their current situation. At the heart it's a love story, but it also involves dealing with the past through the first part and growth into who you are in the second.

 

Here's a question for people who have work up, how do you focus yourself to write one part of the story, then the next, without getting distracted by story elements that may not come up for a long time?

[Xilanada]

Here's a question for people who have work up, how do you focus yourself to write one part of the story, then the next, without getting distracted by story elements that may not come up for a long time?

 

Assuming I understand your question, there's a couple of answers.

 

1. Firmly, powerfully establish the story element in question so that when it comes up chapters and chapters later, people remember it. Chekhov's gun only works when people remember there's a gun. Being heavy handed about it makes it obvious, though.

 

2. Point of view helps. In your story's case, if the first half is from the Jedi and the second half is from the Sith, then when you get to the elements that tie back to the Jedi, reread the Jedi's piece over again and remember the flow. Another trick; write a few paragraphs from the Jedi's point of view just to establish freshness and new perspective, even if you don't intend to post them.

 

3. Try not to do this often. Asking for readers to hold on to something and remember it's significance is always a leap of faith. With fanfiction in particular, written over long spans of time, it's even worse. Some readers won't make it to the end, obviously. Most people who do would be the kind of people to read the whole thing over a few days, not over a few weeks or however long it takes to write. Plan accordingly and try to minimize this, if you can. One way to mitigate it is to just space out a few reminders throughout the Sith's story so it stays fresh.

 

Just my two cents.

[MariaJ]

Hi everyone, the name's Maria Johnson! I've been writing stories since I was twelve (well those old stories are themed around other MMOPRGS [Massively-Multiplayer-Online-Roleplaying-Games]). For the next three years, I was basically in a creative slump. I didn't know what to write about.

 

I became a Star Wars geek when I was thirteen and at first, I hated the Sith and the Sith Empire.

 

Eventually thanks to the help of YouTube videos, I realized that not all Sith are all evil, heartless, etc.

 

So I decided "Ah what the heck. Why not write a story about a Light-Sided Sith?"

 

I attempted to multiple times but I only made it to one or two chapters before being twarthed by real life situations.

 

The story I currently am writing is Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Tale of Maria Johnson and the Terra Team, which is now on Chapter Twenty-Six (haven't been this far in three years! Probably I just needed some encouragement from others all along to help me).

 

 

 

WARNING:

To those who are under the age of fifteen, you may not want to read this story because this story contains:

 

Censored Cussing

Some Graphic Violence

Uncensored Cussing

Edited February 8, 2012 by MariaJ

[MariaJ]

I play Star Wars The Old Republic almost everyday. It's the best MMORPG I've ever played (way better than Pirates of the Caribbean Online [WORST MMORPG EVER!!!!] and way better than Wizard101 [i'm too old for that anyway and it's childish!]).

 

Leveling up in this game is sometimes a little hard (I'm not exactly a fan of side quests but how else can I level up faster :/) and sometimes I accidentally say dark-sided-themed sentences I don't mean to say (I always forget you can restart the conversation by hitting the ESC button!!) but hey, I still love this game!

 

Personally, I think they should make a movie about Star Wars: The Old Republic because (no offense to the hardcore Star Wars fans out there) the Star Wars Episode Movies bum me out and Episodes 4-6 REALLY NEED A FULL-SCALE REMAKE!!!!

 

If ever possible in the future, I want to turn my stories into movies with the same graphics they use in the SWTOR trailers!!:D:D:D

[Nyxian]

Ok, time to dredge up this thread again, because I have a burning question;

 

How much physical description of a character is desirable?

 

In my previous story I avoided describing my characters altogether - its difficult to fit into the flow (because you have to stop describing the events to review the physical features) and I rather like the reader imagining the character from just their personality. However, in my last story, many of the people kind enough to review said that I had not done enough to describe the appearance of the characters.

 

So, how general should one be? Should one be as brief as possible? Or do you prefer it when you have a more exact description?

[GCRust]

Generally in my writing, I tend to keep the details brief and vague. I figure everyone reading has a working imagination, and there's no reason for me to hamstring that imagination by detailing every single hair on a person's body.

 

Light or Dark hair and skin, eye color only when absolutely important (Such as in my "The Ways of the Force" series involving the Thrace Legacy and how all members have piercing Green eyes when applicable), and body features again only when absolutely important.

[General_Malor]

How much physical description of a character is desirable?

 

Good question.

 

For me I like to paint the picture. So I'm descriptive while working it into the story, so it doesn't upset the flow. I'll drip in details throughout a given chapter while making it part of scene. Think of it like dialogue for a screenplay with detail.

 

Teran wrestled back the overpowering Transdosian, blood flowing from cuts earned through the brawl. The crimson color painted his dark golden brown skin, the cuts stinging as sweat trickled into them.

 

Things like that.

 

While I have an imagination, I'm not reading to use mine. I can write my own damn stories if I want to paint the whole picture myself. What do I need other people for if I'm to do all the work? When a writer doesn't give me enough to see their character, to be able to picture them how they see them I lose interest in the story, the character, and then the author in that order.

 

Plus I feel its a benchmark of standards, when you describe too little its like you're not working enough on your character, a sort of neglect that doesn't speak well to a writer's skill.

 

Tolkien is the perfect example, he gave you what you needed to know without overworking it. From his descriptions we know that Aragorn is very tall and broad, has shoulder length dark curled hair, a short beard, grey eyes, and a stern face. That's just the right amount right there. ^_^

[Darth_Slaine]

I've never been interested in describing my characters.

[Angedechu]

Hi, after a hiatus (spent actually playing the game , lol) I'm returning to my fiction

 

I'm wondering about one plot point, and I would like your wisdom

 

My fic is about an Imperial female officer, who (like all Imperials) is kinda specist. Instead of a heavy handed approach (Imperials are evil space nazis), I tried something less agressive, like the female officer considering aliens as having rather revolting cultures (and having sometimes a point on that matter)

[GCRust]

Tolkien is the perfect example, he gave you what you needed to know without overworking it. From his descriptions we know that Aragorn is very tall and broad, has shoulder length dark curled hair, a short beard, grey eyes, and a stern face. That's just the right amount right there. ^_^

 

And then he proceeds to spend the next seven pages describing everything in the room down to the direction of the wood grain.

[General_Malor]

And then he proceeds to spend the next seven pages describing everything in the room down to the direction of the wood grain.

 

Environment is more important than characters. He gives you the players to sort of imagine on your own, but you tells you what the stage is. It's how his books have stood the test of time thus far. ^_^

[AlyxDinas]

Environment is more important than characters.

 

I'm sorry...what? I hope you're not making an "in all cases" type of statement here. And even if we're talking about the specific case of Tolkien, I'd still sort of suggest that you're not really walking down the right path there. Mostly because Tolkein's writing goals are fairly specific in what they mean to achieve.

Edited February 12, 2012 by AlyxDinas

[Darth_Slaine]

It's how his books have stood the test of time thus far. ^_^

 

I enjoy Tolkien as much as the next guy and I don't want to seem to be jumping on your comment, but we need to be careful when saying that a work that is not even a century old has withstood the test of time.

[General_Malor]

I enjoy Tolkien as much as the next guy and I don't want to seem to be jumping on your comment, but we need to be careful when saying that a work that is not even a century old has withstood the test of time.

 

... No thus was noticed? You kind of quoted it... its right there... I said thus to mean so far... but whatever. Okay. I didn't say it stood "the" test of time, but so far they are still great reads that have influenced great writers and helped inspire heaps of enjoyable fiction.

 

And fret not, no jumping was seemed. Peeps gotta type. ^_^

 

I'm sorry...what? I hope you're not making an "in all cases" type of statement here. And even if we're talking about the specific case of Tolkien, I'd still sort of suggest that you're not really walking down the right path there. Mostly because Tolkein's writing goals are fairly specific in what they mean to achieve.

 

You're forgiven.

 

Anyway I don't feel the need to defend environment in writing over characters but I will say this that characters are one part of the story whereas the environment can mean the location, the atmosphere, the mood, the tension, the progression, the inspiration, the turning point.

 

Characters are a vehicle, the environment is the highway.

 

But alas I've said something in passing now I'm to be championed as its largest supporter and defender, then will come the torrents of people telling me how my opinion is wrong and that you can't say anything in absolutes, all the while they tell me how theirs is the right opinion in an absolute manner.

 

Oh well... if people take issue with a comment that was thrown out... half for its sake, half because it sounded kinda good, then so it shall be.

 

Although thinking about it I would love to see another "What, you think you're right? Eff that, I'm right... what are we talking about?" conversation happen. At least tired it seems like a fun idea. ^_^

[Darth_Slaine]

... No thus was noticed? You kind of quoted it... its right there... I said thus to mean so far... but whatever. Okay. I didn't say it stood "the" test of time, but so far they are still great reads that have influenced great writers and helped inspire heaps of enjoyable fiction.

 

Good point, though I suppose a test of time that was not a test of time thus far would be unfair as it would require the subject to have withstood the test of time not yet passed. One might even say that all tests of time must by necessity be tests of time thus far.Twilight too has survived the test of time thus far, but I prefer to give something a few hundred years to settle down.

Edited February 13, 2012 by Darth_Slaine

[General_Malor]

Not really... everyone knows that the Twilight books aren't good from a literary standpoint, they just have a huge following. Like other things that are no good(Lil' Wayne, The MLB, people who shouldn't be in spandex in spandex) people just support them, it doesn't mean any of them should be accepted as okay. ^_^

[Kharnis]

Not really... everyone knows that the Twilight books aren't good from a literary standpoint, they just have a huge following. Like other things that are no good(Lil' Wayne, The MLB, people who shouldn't be in spandex in spandex) people just support them, it doesn't mean any of them should be accepted as okay. ^_^

 

I would say that the untold number of Twilight fans would take exception to your statement that "everyone knows that the Twilight books aren't good." You may think this, I may suppose this (since I haven't actually read any of the books, so couldn't say for certain), but the fans of that series would tell you that the books are quite "good from a literary standpoint."