Writing Help

@melodysnow: No, no! I'm saying that if someone *does* complain about these things in your fiction, just tell them that Stephen King has been doing it for his entire career and he's very rich and famous. All these things that professors tell you not to do, he does openly. If it works for your story, do it. This is creative license. It's your style.

The people who complain about italic thoughts in fanfiction, who say "only crappy fic writers do that, real novelists don't that" and similar crap - they're wrong. They're all wrong. A *lot* of novelists do it. Successful novelists. Very creative and praiseworthy novelists use italics for thoughts just as much as fanfic writers do. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just...wrong. Point them at Stephen King or Ann McCaffrey or Dean R. Koontz or anyone who writes fiction. It's all over the place.

Fragment sentences are a favorite of mine. I will never feel guilty for using them in fiction, especially if I'm writing a character's thoughts or views. Thoughts are disjointed. Thoughts don't go through a grammar filter to make sure they follow the writing rules. And, again, real writers use them all the time. The only ones who complain are professors - who are paid to enforce the rules - and anal online fic critics who haven't read enough real novels to know better.

Using "he thought" is okay the first few times, to get the reader used to recognizing the italics as thoughts. It's a good way to avoid having to add a "italic = thought" note to the beginning of the fic. Just use "he thought" the first time or two and then the reader will know that any italic is a thought. There's no need to keep doing it every single time if you have a lot of thoughts in the fic. Using the King reference again, he doesn't even bother with "thought" half the time. He just used italics and then, for really stream of consciousness thoughts, he used this (The Raft):

(hair her hair HER HAIR IS IN THE OH GOD IN THE WATER HER HAIR)

If your readers aren't smart enough to see that and realize it's a thought, then give up on them and write for the ones who do get it. You shouldn't have to lead your readers by the hand and preface every thought with "he thought" any more than you have to follow every spoken line with "said he".

I don't think there is any one "right" way to write dialogue or a character's thoughts. If the "he said, he thought" repetition gets on one's nerves while reading, then that is probably something one should avoid in their own writing.

I know it annoys the hell out of me when I read it constantly. A trick I use sometimes is to use a physical characteristic of my characters. Kinda like this (excuse my laziness):

"blah blah blah," the dark haired teen ran a hand through his hair, before turning his attention back to his food.

Though I have been told that this is the wrong way to go about it. It feels comfortable for me however, so I stick with it.

If there was only one correct way to write, it would be boring-- both the stories and the process.

@orangewillow: I like that. I like reading stories that tell what characters are doing while speaking. When I did it in my writing classes, none of the professors could agree on the proper grammatical way to do it.

One would say to rewrite it like this:
"blah blah blah." [With a period and then the action cue sentence following in the same paragraph, if he runs his hand through his hair after speaking.]

Another would say to alter the verb and rearrange it like this:
Running a hand through his hair the dark haired teen said "Blah blah blah," before turning back to his food. [If he runs the hand through his hair while speaking.]

And then a lot of fic critics would say to make two paragraphs out of it, believing action and dialogue should never be in the same paragraph together (I have no idea where they got this from, but a lot of them are convinced it's proper):
"Blah blah blah," said the dark haired teen.
He ran a hand through is hair before turning his attention back to his food.

I figure if the teachers can't agree on the rules, and the readers just repeat whatever conflicting rules they picked up in school, the writer should follow the rules of the teacher he agrees with most or eschew them all. Certain styles annoy me a little, but I'd never tell someone it's "wrong" because it's a matter of opinion. If the professor likes (understands) the rule, that's what they teach, that's what's right in their opinion. Follow it to get the grade and then go right back to doing what looks right to you.

If I don't like it, I'll stop reading it or learn to ignore it. If I can't find someone who writes the way I like best, I do it myself. My own idea of "correct" and "incorrect" changes all the time. That's why I went for a general writing degree instead of trying to be a teacher. I don't believe in teaching kids that something is correct when the professor across the hall is teaching the exact opposite and calling *it* correct. When it comes to fiction, there's no such thing as a right way to write anything. Even with research papers the rules depend on the preferences of the professor you're writing for.

Makes my head spin. I had a lot of trouble keeping the various dogmas straight. I switched majors late and ended up taking all my writing classes at once so I was doing up to four different styles at once to make each of them happy. I still have nightmares of turning in stories in the wrong style to the wrong teacher and getting a C instead of an automatic A. ^^; I hate following rules that aren't enforced by all.

@Arigatomina: I've never had anyone complain about my using fragments or italics in my stories, so I was just wondering where this was coming from. These two things are a favorite of mine and I would never feel guilty for using them. I don't even remember the time I wrote, "he thought" just for the benefit of my readers. I doubt I would do it even if they didn't understand, in my opinion its a given. Its like explaining at the beginning of the fic that everything in "quotes" is dialogue. >.>

What I meant with my comment before is: How do the people who think they have the right to complain or think they know better; according to these people, what is the "right" way to convey thoughts in a story? Its ridiculous telling someone how they are supposed to be writing. ^^;

I understand that professors are paid to enforce the rules, as shaky as they can be sometimes, but I think its funny that even they can appreciate a well-placed fragment in their favorite book. ^^ I think if everyone followed the rules all the time, the world of writing would be an incredibly dull place. Not everyone can appreciate textbook prose. I certainly can't. .__.

so many rules, so much to remember...I cant keep it straight. *runs and hides*

BTW King is one of my favorite RL authors, but when he did "IT" I stop reading, a shame the book was unbelievably boring, then all the movies remakes just put his works to shame. I am a person that read The Stand 3x's so I know his style well. Although I never analyzed it on this level, as I self-critic my own style.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, it really helps me develop, and see the glaring issues I need to focus on the most.

I agree that first and foremost you must please yourself. You can't do a good job writing if you aren't happy with what you're doing. A writer's obligation is to turn out the best story possible. It's true that you can't please everybody. You shouldn't try. Nobody knows how your story should go better than you.

@Ferus: You´re right - we can´t please everyone s it is best to stick with the original plot.

I have more than once changed the ending plot for one of my fics to please my readers but it always left me with a feeling of dissapointment. I guess it´s because my idea was cast away.

BTW shocking or surprising endings tend to move people and look at it this way - if your readers get upset they get upset because you make them feel something with your writing.

Critics aren´t fun but it is still a way of acknowledgement - though all of us prefer to be prised heh heh I know that i do XD

What is your story called by the way? I want to read it

Hi all, can anyone point out some helpful links to help me write an article. The topic Sex in yaoi anime/manga *history* i dont think this is a *smut* question. This relates more to research. I will post a link to my request thread when i get home. I'd like to get some sites I may find history on the topic, *sex/yaoi/anime/manga.

kinai: The story with the iffy ending is named Eventual Bliss and is posted at Aarin. It's a PotC fanfic. However, I would strongly recommend you don't start it yet as I am still very much in a block with it. (I blame beginners eagerness when I posted it. I should have waited...) I keep trying to write on it, but very little is happening, so updates are months apart at the moment... Maybe if you start reading it in a year or so you'll have better luck.

Cris: I remembered Lent made a thread in the non-fiction section about scientific/academic literature on bl/yaoi. Maybe you can find something useful there:
http://aarinfantasy.com/forum/f178/t...aoi-bl-p2.html

Thank you ferus