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Author Topic: Pondering Question of the Moment  (Read 33125 times)

Offline Yuuyami

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Pondering Question of the Moment
« on: May 12, 2009, 09:10:10 PM »
These seemed popular in the discussion so I thought I'd throw it out there xDDD

Ask a writing question and get answers, woo! O_O

I don't have to start a question every time though. Someone else can ask a new question after a certain time passes and voila xDDD

The title was something I pulled out of my ass xD; if the community has a better title to this thread, I'll throw it in instead of my ugly PQotM xDDD...

Let's start with a nice basic question!

When did you begin writing?

As a chibi-kid, I used to like reading, but never liked writing one bit 'cause I didn't understand it xDDD... At the time, I believed everything had some sort of concrete answer, but could never find an "answer" to writing whatsoever. So it just frustrated me until around the fourth grade (I was 10. D'awww ) where a lovely teacher of mine told me blatantly that writing is something that appeals to the senses and can make you feel alive with words, so I got inspired and that's when writer-Yuuchan was born xD!! Though I was a terrible writer back then (still terrible now).

I started writing original fiction first, as I usually had weird or cool ideas in my head that I wanted to write down in an epic story of sorts xDD... Though I have to admit, I used to write fairly well back in the Junior High/early High school days when I actually read some books to somewhat base my style off of... But now my ideas are presented to me in comic and/or manga form so it's a bit harder to put into words, so the writing reflects that bit of confusion... :0 What to do to fix it to be more clearer >>....

But yeah, that's where ol' adorable Yuuchan came from~!

How about everyone else?

Offline Hotaru

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2009, 11:03:05 PM »
I was 7 when I started writing. Basically superhero stories, then angst, and now fluff.

I'm still a beginner though. XD

Offline writerjunkie

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2009, 11:14:49 PM »
Hmm...well I started writing when I was 12 I was in the 5th grade. My music teacher made us write a story related to Halloween for some reason and as soon as I picked up a pen and had some paper I started writing. It was mainly about me and my best friend, but I found it really fun and enjoying to do so I tried to write something else. I made my first fan fic that was a collision of both Harry Potter, Buffy, and my own characters I made up and named. I have NO idea why I did that! lol

Till this day that story is the longest I've ever written. A total of 412 pages, hand written by the way. lol I was horrible when I was younger. My spell was worse than it is now. But in 7 to 8th grade I started making stories about my friends again, but had based them on both Buffy and Angel the show. The creator of both shows were my inspiration. That's why I think my ideas and story plots were better when I had someone to base my work off of. Now I have nothing and no one. I still think my writing needs some work and improvement, but I'm ok since I've been writing in POV.
There's my long ass story! lol

Offline almond

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2009, 11:55:10 PM »
The first story I ever wrote was for a school assignment in 2nd grade. We were making our own books - the teacher gave us blank hardcover books that we colored and wrote in to create our story.
I wrote a story called "Agatha Misty and the Case of the Missing Fish". (My mom had a lot of Agatha Christie books ^^;)
It was about the great detective Agatha Misty. She was called in because a woman had bought 6 fish and now only had five!! Then the great detective found the woman's receipt and explained she'd only bought 5. The end.

I am not making any of that up. My mom still has the book  Perhaps I will scan it one day since my drawing skills peaked at about 7 anyway.

EDIT - Oh, and my teacher said I was creative and had a flair for writing dialogue. >.>;;

Offline strawb3rrykream

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2009, 01:43:32 AM »
I've been a reader my whole life too, started at 3 or 4. And writing wasn't too far off. Before I learned how to write, I was always asking my parents and grandma to write down stories that I narrated out loud. :lol: I honestly can't remember what they were about, but it probably had to do with other books I was reading at the time. I actually used to write a lot more poetry as a kid than stories. A field trip to the museum in 4th grade was kind of a turning point for me. We got to look at art pieces and write about them. I had a great time and I still read the compiled book of poems from time to time.
I still don't have much confidence in my writing but one day, I want to write a novel or two. Or ten. :lol:

Offline Saikami

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2009, 02:04:21 AM »
I know I don't write on here, but I figured I'd still answer :lol:

I always loved reading and writing. I was pulled out of my english class from 2nd to 4th grade and placed into an advanced class. XD And I wrote my first real story in 2nd grade, it was about penguins XD; Sad that I remember that, ne? Then I started to write storys based on video games and my friends. Then it was digimon. XD; 7th grade I started to make up stories with my own plots and whatnot, and then I started H!P fanfics (which was an epic failure, as you can probably tell XD). Now I write screenplays, but I'm thinking of getting into fanfics again.
[All hail AiButt! Sig by Dinny!]

Offline ShikyoxYaiba

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2009, 02:30:30 AM »
I started writing in 7th grade, and dear god, it was HORRIBLE. I went back recently to my fanfiction.net account and read my first few pieces and it burned. XD

I think a friend of mine introduced me to fanfiction, and I liked the idea of writing anything you wanted with the characters... My first fanfiction was digimon, if I'm not mistaken. Then I moved onto writing Naruto fanfics for a year or two...or was it three? And now I'm here...with improved (and still improving, I hope) skills. :D

MY AP EXAMS ARE OVER TOO. I CAN GO BACK TO WRITING!!! HUZZAH!!!

Offline Estrea

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2009, 03:44:24 AM »
Hahaha. I got a late start to the whole fanfiction scene, but writing, well, I've been doing that for school since I was around 9 or 10 years old. I used to read more often when I was little...actually I was reading since I was 4 years old, children's stories then on to stuff like the Famous Five and Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys and the like. I think I read through the entire Hardy Boys series during elementary, hid in the library the whole time. XD

But back on topic. My mother signed me up for a creative writing class when I was 10 or so, so I had to write a short story every week for homework, and I guess that's where I started writing. I remember writing ghost stories, adventure stories, a story about a natural disaster (an avalanche, I remember, I was morbid even back then XD) and the like. Original stories, naturally. It just came naturally to me, I don't remember how or why. Back then my writing was still a bit childish but I can safely say that grammar and spelling were not problems. All that obsessive reading paid off I guess.

I never really thought of writing fanfiction until I met my best friend, who did write fanfiction (digimon, heh) and tried to bug me into writing because she saw my school essays and said that I should try fanfiction for a change in pace. So at the grand old age of 15 I started my first fanfiction. It was awful. I wasn't as deep a thinker before and some things just didn't turn out right. But at least I console myself with the fact that I didn't have messed up grammar. XD I almost always comfort myself with that lol.

And here I am now. :D There's more to the story but eh, this is enough for today. ;)

永遠に咲き続ける花なんていない、すべてはいずれ枯れて朽ち果てしまう。

Currently writing:
- Lilium-related things. God save my soul.

On Hold:
- Everything Else. Too many to list.

I'm also on AO3!
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea

Offline Aioros

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2009, 04:00:52 AM »
Not sure if it can be considered starting to write, but my mom would usually give me local comics weekly to read when I was 3 or 4 and I would try to make my own comics by stapling a few pieces of paper, complete with some drawings and a few blocks of text.

I was a library junkie too and stayed a few hours there after class to read books, mostly mystery/detective ones, Tintin and I remember a book about gnomes too that had really nice illustrations. I would borrow the books and take them home, return them on the due date, then borrow them again. That time I didn't imagine myself trying to write something of my own. I enjoyed reading more than writing. But I guess reading and writing goes hand in hand.

Back in 5th grade, my English teacher told me that I was a contestant for a creative writing contest. I was excited and nervous at the same time, for I was going against some of the top students in our batch. After the criteria was given, I blanked out the moment my pen touched the piece of paper. I can still remember some of the jibberish I wrote for my story that day and I can still feel the humiliation as I handed my paper to the judges. As much as I want to forget, there are still times that it haunts me when I write, even now.

It was that time that I wished that I was a better writer. But what did I do? Instead of reading and practicing, I copped-out and played Street Fighter 2 instead. I also had an encounter with those blank hardcover books that almond mentioned in her post but after writing the prologue, I ran out of ideas.

I would still write some essays, poems, etc. for homework, but that experience from 5th grade I guess destroyed whatever passion or confidence I had in myself. I was relegated to writing because it was required, not because I want to write.

4th year high school I started writing anime fanfics to impress a girl(s). It worked but my fics were spur-of-the-moment fics and I wasn't really satisfied with the results. Another of those moments I want to undo if ever time travel becomes possible.

I'm really glad that I discovered H!P and JPH!P because I started to like writing again. The atmosphere here is very relaxing and it doesn't feel like you're competing against writers who are way better than you. We have fic of the month and the kouhaku but I think it's more of recognition of a writer's hard work rather than a competition.

:jphip:

WAR AKARI!!! Infernal Ninjutsu, Hidden Lore...Freedom of Opposites Technique!!! Rest in peace Kyle,Jab,Mom,Tita, ChrNo...

Offline Rickker708

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2009, 04:30:20 AM »
Can't remember when I started. Deffinetly in HS. My class was supposed to be takking a summer trip to europe. I a story about our plane getting highjacked, and the trip went downhill from there.(DSon't know if the class ever went I moved away)
Life is one time.

Offline Amarghetta

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #10 on: May 13, 2009, 07:43:40 AM »
I know I don't ever write for this forum, but still decided to answer because of my past attempts at writing.  :P

Being the epitome of unstable creativity, I've had many beginnings in my life. However, I think I was 6 or 7 the very first time I actually wrote something. :oops:  It's been ages since that, but I still remember it was a fantastic story about our washing machine being a portal to a world filled with knights, dark horses, devastated forests and witches.  :lol:

Other than that, I was 19 when I started writing fanfics. But that's a story for some other time...  :jphip:

Offline Yuuyami

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #11 on: June 02, 2009, 04:47:52 AM »
Alright, it's pretty silent... o_O

How do you write? How would you describe your style?
And on the Reader side, what do you like in a style? xDDD



Before I even write, I pick up vivid imagery in my head. A lot of the scenes I think about tend to best fit under a manga or comic book, so my writing ends up reflecting that. I picture a moment, and then I try to write of that moment. While being a unique way of writing, it's often hard to read, and I'd imagine the way I ramble in writing can not translate well under a foreign language... xD; so it's a very Yuu-sclusive weird English writing style? o_O Lately, I've been rather redundant and subjective in my writing, so I hope to fix that o_O That and I seem to have too many moments going on in one sentence, so I ought to fix that too... xD;

Since I love reading too, I just like reading stuff that makes an impression on me. I especially love reading cliched things when it's executed in a unique way~! Gotta love the refreshing blast of new-ness  :heart: I think everyone knows by now that I like to be moved by a writing, and that still stands tall in my priorities xDDDD

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #12 on: June 02, 2009, 04:57:25 AM »
Because Yuu made me stop being lazy for now...

I usually write like as if I were writing a manuscript for a book...a terrible book...but uhhh way back when i was a noobie i had a wayyyy different style..

Um...I really do like to pack in every little squirming emotion i can in the dialogue...
I'd say I use to be a lot wittier with my dialogues but now....it's sorta' fading away and stuff lol.

uhhh i dunno how to really answer this question since..I've never actually thought about it and I'm oblivious to my style.

But I would know that I've been trying to be a lot more detailed these days instead of coming up with better dialogue and stuff =T
so yea..

-goes back into my den-

Offline Estrea

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #13 on: June 02, 2009, 07:24:30 AM »
Oooh, fun question. Not that Yuuchan needs my answer, since she already knows the answer. XD

I think like a movie, so I try to write like one. That's why my chapters have scenes, and as far as possible I try to make the transitions smooth like they would have been if they were on screen. Doesn't always work, but I try.

Since it's a movie-like thinking I have, I usually imagine camera angles. What do I focus on? Where do I zoom in? What is happening in the background beyond the angle of the camera? How will it affect the main picture? Timing is everything. XD

So yup, that's my style. I need an image in my head, like a camera rolling to film the scene. That's why I kinda overdo the details sometimes. >_> I need to work on that.

As for what I read, hm, I like anything that feels smooth and convincing. Anything that makes me feel like it's fake immediately makes me close the window (or the tab XD). I don't really like it when there's an over-usage of loan-words. I know we're writing the girls who are Japanese, but when whole lines of Japanese dialogue appear in an English fanfiction, it can get weird. Even though I understand the sentiment, but please keep the loaned words to a minimum, unless there is no way to translate the word without making it weird. Yeah.

It's hard to tell what I really want, or at least, to describe what I like in a style. I know immediately when I see it, and I also know immediately when to stop reading and just close the window, because all I need is a couple of paragraphs to gauge the approximate standard of the content. If it gets better later, I apologize, but yeah. The most extreme case was when I got like two words in and just clicked "back". Some styles just make my skin crawl. Like script style.

But yeah. :D Now to get back to writing...

*crawls back to Gegenschein*

永遠に咲き続ける花なんていない、すべてはいずれ枯れて朽ち果てしまう。

Currently writing:
- Lilium-related things. God save my soul.

On Hold:
- Everything Else. Too many to list.

I'm also on AO3!
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea

Offline strawb3rrykream

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #14 on: June 02, 2009, 03:42:23 PM »
Hmm, I don't think I have a style...or at least not one that I, myself, can describe. :lol: For lack of better words, I just kinda write. :D I did try Essy's camera thingy once and it turned out nice, just too hard for every story. :P I like to describe things, like color etc. I'm not good at it yet but I try.
As a reader, I like angst. :shocked: I'll at least try to read any story that contains strong emotions. Anything that makes me feel for the characters. Umm, I really hate....bad grammer. :lol: Somtimes it just kills me and I can't finish reading. I know my grammer/spelling isn't perfect, which is why I have a beta.
Wow, I must still be sleepy, this comment is kinda crappy. XD

Offline ShikyoxYaiba

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #15 on: June 04, 2009, 05:04:51 AM »
I don't quite know my style, but I think I have a tendency to make my sentences too short the first time around. I try to make it flow better, but it doesn't always work. My sentence structure tends to become repetitive as well... Personally, I'm not happy with my writing the majority of the time. :/ But I write anyway, hoping that someone out there will think it's okay. I think I also need to expand on my vocab...

[/self criticizing]
« Last Edit: June 04, 2009, 09:43:13 AM by ShikyoxYaiba »

Offline Estrea

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #16 on: June 04, 2009, 05:50:54 AM »
^Actually, from what I've seen of your writing so far, the flow seems to be good enough that I don't feel a jarring sense of inconsistency, which is a good thing. At least you know what flow is (thank god!), and that makes me happy. :D

And don't worry, not being happy with your writing is normal. It's also the way to improve. XD Being too complacent leads to stagnation, and I don't think you want that lol. Just keep working on it, you're on the right track. :)

永遠に咲き続ける花なんていない、すべてはいずれ枯れて朽ち果てしまう。

Currently writing:
- Lilium-related things. God save my soul.

On Hold:
- Everything Else. Too many to list.

I'm also on AO3!
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Estrea

Offline Yuuyami

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #17 on: June 22, 2009, 01:33:25 AM »
New question '_'; This thread is getting so lonely with me being the only one asking questions...





What kind of character/H!P member do you enjoy writing the most?

And for the readers, disregarding H!P member bias for a bit, what kind of characters do you like reading about?



I like writing fun characters like GAM (who doesn't?)~!! It's mainly due to myself empathizing with their characters pretty easily and I love a good schwarmy character to write. There's something about their charm and charisma that I enjoy writing throughout my stories xDDD. I know I haven't written her yet, but I'd really like to write about Momoko later on too. What I love more than schwarmy people is crackheaded schwarmy people... '_' Someone who'd be able to do odd and zany things while maintaining a complacent attitude about it, like say, Aya wrestling Miki down no problem while she's holding a light-hearted conversation with Rika with her usual smile... That kind of character, I guess? I'm not quite sure how to explain, so hopefully, that will be enough o-o...

I don't really do well with writing angsty characters like Ai, probably because it's kinda hard for me to get into that sort of mindset and be able to pull it off efficiently because of my brightass optimism and ever annoying ego... o-o; Despite that, I enjoy reading that sort of mindset, though at times, it could be redundant since almost everyone loves the "Sexy Emofag" sort of character. Psychotic characters are even more fun to read, but it depends on the execution since it's easy to somehow sound like everyone else's psychos o-o... My favorite kind are the ones that twist nursery rhymes into morbid rhymes as evident in my other SNSD fic, Amizade... '_' Eeeeh... What can I say, I'm an accepting person that usually loves all kinds of characters xDDD Happy ones... Emoheterosexualry... Psychos...Fun... All-around nice charries... There really isn't a character role that I hate per say o-o...

Offline Hotaru

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #18 on: June 22, 2009, 04:30:20 AM »
I like writing characters like Sayu, JunJun, Koharu, Eri, and Risa. Mainly Risa because I like writing about her "Reaction Queen" moments. XD

About my writing style, I don't know. I went from paragraphs, to one-liners, and then...I don't know. My writing style changes over time. ^_^

Offline strawb3rrykream

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Re: Pondering Question of the Moment
« Reply #19 on: June 22, 2009, 04:22:04 PM »
Hmm, this is a tough one. I like to write Miki. :D The whole "puts on a strong face but is soft on the inside" is fun~ I feel like Miki can be a really complex person to write b/c of that. I also enjoy writing the Gaki in TakaGaki b/c I kinda like writing lovesick ppl who will do anything for the one they love. :P
As for reading, I like....many things. :grin: I'll generally read any type of character. I'm not picky in that way.
New question '_'; This thread is getting so lonely with me being the only one asking questions...
It's b/c we love you, Yuuchan! :heart:

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