Voidus Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Man, your aunt sounds awesome. Can I just....borrow her or something? One of the things the Cracked article suggested was coming up with a bunch of ideas, knowing they'll suck and you'll have to rework them tomorrow. I'm currently clueless about how to start, so I'll do that first. And I'll also read research books for half an hour every night, since this story is based in history. And if anyone has advice for how to shut up the voice in your head that says "Thiiisssss suuuuuucksss and when people read it, they'll know yoooouuuuuu suuuuuuck...." I'd be much obliged. How many posts have you written for RPs? And how many of them did anyone say sucked? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathoth Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Man, your aunt sounds awesome. Can I just....borrow her or something? One of the things the Cracked article suggested was coming up with a bunch of ideas, knowing they'll suck and you'll have to rework them tomorrow. I'm currently clueless about how to start, so I'll do that first. And I'll also read research books for half an hour every night, since this story is based in history. And if anyone has advice for how to shut up the voice in your head that says "Thiiisssss suuuuuucksss and when people read it, they'll know yoooouuuuuu suuuuuuck...." I'd be much obliged. Now Im no authority on the topic of writing, but as I have a couple decent horror shorts I may share how I think. Write what you want to read, fix things you hate about fiction, take cliches and tropes and do horrible and sadistic things to them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Voidus: Lots, and none, but this isn't RPing. Now Im no authority on the topic of writing, but as I have a couple decent horror shorts I may share how I think. Write what you want to read, fix things you hate about fiction, take cliches and tropes and do horrible and sadistic things to them. I want to do that, to tropes that stem from American racism, especially. Which is part of why I find this so terrifying. Take on American racism wrong, and the results are a book full of unfortunate implications. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 I'm actually worried that I'm stunting myself by writing nothing but RP posts. Since I usually write only one side of a conversation, I really suck at dialogue. But you have nothing to worry about, Twi. I've seen your writing in all of its forms, and it's magnificent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathoth Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Voidus: Lots, and none, but this isn't RPing. I want to do that, to tropes that stem from American racism, especially. Which is part of why I find this so terrifying. Take on American racism wrong, and the results are a book full of unfortunate implications. RPing is improvised writing, Im sure some would claim that is harder. Let someone you trust read it first then, they can point out the unfortunate implications for you so you can change it. I'm actually worried that I'm stunting myself by writing nothing but RP posts. Since I usually write only one side of a conversation, I really suck at dialogue. I've just gone the Lovecraftian road and I dont write dialogue at all 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elbereth she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Okay, Mashadar. I had to put priority on helping a depressed friend, so I couldn't get to you then. But I can now! You get Melian the Maia! I made it someone extra awesome for the long wait. She's a minor goddess, so she's existed since the beginning of the world. One day, she's wandering through Middle Earth, singing. She's kind of the goddess of singing and nightingales, so she's really good at that. It was said that when it was twilight, at the mingling of the gold and silver lights (not the sun and moon- it's complicated), she would sing, and when she did the gods would leave their palaces and mansions and whatever fancy place they were in and come, and listen. Anyway, she's just kind of wandering around singing (which is a lot like me, when I'm bored), and she comes across one of the first elves, named Elwe. And Elwe falls instantly in love with her, and they stand there. ....And stand there. For years. Not like elves can die of starvation, or anything! Elwe (later named Thingol) was actually a king of the elves, who are outside the forest waiting for him, and finally they're like "Screw this waiting thing. I'm going to Valinor." So most of them do, and they're perfectly happpy building beautiful swan boats (until they get slaughtered. But that's another story.) and whatever. The few people who stay back are amazed when he finally comes out, several years later. And they live in a nice kingdom in Middle Earth, and things are going well, generally, until Morgoth/Melkor comes along and RUINS everything. So Melian decides to use her power a bit, and she sets up the Girdle of Melian, which basically means that she can control who can get into her realm and who can't. This is really useful, for a really long time, and makes it one of the safest places on Middle Earth (for a while, anyway), which is also helped by the fact that it doesn't have any sons of Feanor in it. Because they are really destructive anywhere they go. Also, Galadriel comes and lives there, and learns a lot from Melian, which is part of why she's so amazing. So then we get to a bigger bit. Melian is the mother of Luthien, and much more intelligent than Luthien's father. When Beren, a mere mortal man, asks for the hand of Luthien his demigod daughter, Melian advises him to respect Beren. Instead, he says this: "In order to marry my daughter you have to get a Silmaril." (A fancy important stone currently in Morgoth's crown.) This was obviously an impossible task... for the princess' hand in marriage... Well, Thingol obviously hasn't heard many fairy tales. Melian, however, is much more savvy than Thingol, and she's like "sweetie. I love you, sweetie, but just no." And also, by doing this, Thingol dooms his realm to fire and death, so he's not very smart sometimes. And he asks for her advice, eventually, once there's a ravaging enormous wolf in his realm, but she says "Sorry, pardner, but you got yourself into this one. Don't ask me to bail you out." Unfortunately, Thingol can't, and even when Melian finally does step in and try to calm everyone down, fate conspires, and Thingol dies. Melian is understandably distraught, and she draws back the Girdle of Melian, which had protected Elves for hundreds of years, and goes back to Valinor, where she still sings sadly with her nightingales. So ends her story. She's actually one of the ones who survives, which is also cool. And she's a storming goddess! I'm seriously considering rewriting random bits of the Silmarillion with memes... I'm not very good at them, but it is very memifiable. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 I'm actually worried that I'm stunting myself by writing nothing but RP posts. Since I usually write only one side of a conversation, I really suck at dialogue. But you have nothing to worry about, Twi. I've seen your writing in all of its forms, and it's magnificent. Listen to people talk, especially the sort of people you want to write about. Want to write average Joes and Janes? Go to public places and listen to random people. Want to write rich snobs? Go to country clubs, resorts, fancy restaurants and luxury car dealerships. Servers? Take a restaurant job (or just ask me ). Get an idea of how those people string words together, and then mimic them in your writing. And thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Slowswift he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) Anyone have song recommendations? I can't stop listening to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Help me. Edited December 2, 2015 by Ookla the Ineffable 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Anyone have song recommendations? I can't stop listening to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Help me. "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker is a very pleasant earworm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elbereth she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 A few days ago, a friend sent me the link to Shia LaBeouf's "Just Do It" video, which I hadn't seen before. Today, Cracked did an article on how people go about the creativity thing wrong, which basically amounted to "Art is work. Get off your butt and do it already." Point taken. I set an alarm on my phone reminding me to write for half an hour every day. Guess I'm doing my New Years resolution a month early. Ooh, good luck! I'm doing a very similar thing, actually. I've signed up for DeCoDo (December Cool Down), which is basically NaNoWriMo a month later, and you can choose your own wordcount. I chose 40,000, so I'm planning on writing 1000 words every day until school's out, and then catching up at that point. Very cool! The first draft will probably suck. This will be one of several attempts I've made at worldbulding, including those back when I was a teenager and thought all good fantasy authors ripped off Tolkien, so....don't know how good I am at it. Fanfic is much easier for me to write, since the world comes pre-made and all I have to do is expand it according to the story's needs. Really, guys. I once had a world that was a carbon copy of Star Wars, complete with "soundsabers." The first draft almost always sucks. And don't worry about ripoffs. My first story was a Harry Potter ripoff with a Mary Sue female MC and dragons. Also a lot more complications that were really unnecessary.Also, I would really suggest listening to Writing Excuses, which I've found to be extroardinarily helpful. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orlion Blight he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Voidus: Lots, and none, but this isn't RPing. I want to do that, to tropes that stem from American racism, especially. Which is part of why I find this so terrifying. Take on American racism wrong, and the results are a book full of unfortunate implications. Two things: approach the subject with the respect it deserves. That'll help you avoid most of the pitfalls of writing about delicate subjects. This adjust includes research so you don't do a gaffe based entirely on ignorance.Second, write to please yourself. If others like it, great! If not, they can go storm themselves. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Two things: approach the subject with the respect it deserves. That'll help you avoid most of the pitfalls of writing about delicate subjects. This adjust includes research so you don't do a gaffe based entirely on ignorance. Second, write to please yourself. If others like it, great! If not, they can go storm themselves. I'm definitely doing the research, and I'm trying to keep an open mind going into it. I think that'll help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Slowswift he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker is a very pleasant earworm. Oh, I think my cousin told me about this! It's a great song! Thanks for reintroducing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathoth Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Anyone have song recommendations? I can't stop listening to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Help me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntVaj_1G7Xs This riff is now part of your DNA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elbereth she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Anyone have song recommendations? I can't stop listening to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Help me. Here! Have a song from If/Then! https://youtu.be/IiqiSEc1Msc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Slowswift he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntVaj_1G7Xs This riff is now part of your DNA. Ooh, not bad. Thanks! Here! Have a song from If/Then! https://youtu.be/IiqiSEc1Msc Not my usual genre, but pretty good. Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elbereth she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 You're welcome! Sorry, I tend to recommend Broadway to people regardless of their normal genre. Also: 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allomancy she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Wait? The random stuff V isn't there anymore. It's just combined..... . I really wanted to have been the creator of one. Oh well. It's gone now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistrunner Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Anyone have song recommendations? I can't stop listening to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Help me. How about Angry Young Man by Billy Joel? I think I recommended it to you before, but it's still good. Also, I love the fact that even among other fandoms, Sherlock fans are considered insane. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Slowswift he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Thanks! Mist, those are awesome. Anyways, I have the best Mythology homework ever. I have to do a presentation on a mythology, but I arrived late and all the good ones were gone. But the teacher said that we could do fictional ones too. So hello, LotR mythology project! Elbereth, I was wondering if I could borrow your expertise and run some ideas past you, maybe get some advice? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kobold King he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) My brother and I watching the Closing Time episode of Doctor Who: "So, what do you think happens to Stormageddon when he's a grown up?" "Well if he calls himself the Dark Lord of All when he's a baby, he'll probably a pretty melodramatic guy." "All that time with the Doctor would make him pretty smart. Pretty energetic too." "And if the name 'Stormageddon' is anything to go by he's probably an End Times nut." "..." "..." "...Oh Almighty." "He's Obliteration, isn't he?" Edited December 2, 2015 by Kobold King 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mashadar Mistborn he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Anyone have song recommendations? I can't stop listening to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Help me. American Pie by Don McLean. Or just set Wagon Wheel to loop. Hotel California by the Eagles is quite good. I'm not sure about your tastes, so sorry if these aren't what you want.Thanks for the Tolkien date, Elbereth. Melian is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elbereth she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Thanks! Mist, those are awesome. Anyways, I have the best Mythology homework ever. I have to do a presentation on a mythology, but I arrived late and all the good ones were gone. But the teacher said that we could do fictional ones too. So hello, LotR mythology project! Elbereth, I was wondering if I could borrow your expertise and run some ideas past you, maybe get some advice? You totally may! I would be glad to help. Have you read the Silmarillion?You're welcome, Mashadar! Melian is great. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kestrel she/her Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 Page 99. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Slowswift he/him Posted December 2, 2015 Report Share Posted December 2, 2015 You totally may! I would be glad to help. Have you read the Silmarillion? You're welcome, Mashadar! Melian is great. I have not. I think I tried, but that was more because I couldn't sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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