gabrielsknife

Oooh, you have fun with that one >.< It's my experience that you're better off writing what you know. And, if you don't know 'bout the AF, then why are you writing about it? (Please don't take that the wrong way! I know it sounds harsh, but I don't mean it to!! >.<) Would it be possible to change the AF parts to something else? Or could you get away with a little creative license? I mean, with two chapters left, it'd be a real shame to just throw it away. I don't know much about the AF, but I know some about the Navy, because I have two different sources in my parents. I also know a bit about policing and the National Guard. I'd be more then happy to offer you a leg-up there if you'd like :2hands:. But, you have a very valid point on the whole "waiting" thing. I know I've done the same when it came to a knowledge deficit.

Now I feel bad! I don't really do much in the way of sports. I have no interest in them anymore nor any outlets to play. I'm rather introverted in that respect. However, I do a lot of walking, yard work and house repairs for my folks. Walking is the only way I can get to the internet (I have no internet at my house, so I walk to the library and steal theirs lol.) When I was younger, I wasn't privileged enough to join a team. My dad was working hard, trying to put food on the table and couldn't afford any additional expenses (like gear and such.) I'd wanted to play soccer or join a dojo, but it didn't happen. I was a home-body then, and I'm something of a home-body now. Just put my lappy on my lap and give me my headphones and I'm happy .

Lol on the Avatar; you totally should go for some anthology action . Your story could rival mine in it's fighting glory lol. Info dumps are a bear IMHO, and I can't help but do them. I try my best not to overload a clip/chapter with them, but how else are my readers going to know how M'sk developed their long tails? Or how the Dymetic crystal is grown? Or what kind of regulations there are regarding Triptych communications? It's all in my head! :wacko: The sting is when I have readers come up to me and ask for note-sheets >.<. It tells me that I either haven't explained something, or didn't explain something well enough for it to be remembered ;_;.

I do it all the time. I've done my best to try and be linear, but it just explodes in my face >.<. Either my characters are talking so fast, all I can do is jot down the ideas, or they're like "while this part's cool, you need to hear this!" It's always awesome for me to be hearing from all major characters, or a single lead, and then have a minor/secondary character get my ear for their input. Gives you a whole different perspective to the story. I'm doing that now, with Triptych: Lessons. I've been getting everything from one character, but now that the circumstances are changing, I'm able to incorporate other perspectives.

I so feel ya' there. I can literally go from the middle of a paragraph in one story and start a whole new one - then, if I'm not dead tired, I can go back and pick up a totally different plot/story and pick up in the midst of the action. :wacko: It's a wonder I get any story finished! But, like you said, everyone has their own method .

Oooh! Replies! And just as I was about to head home too. Graeme: I've got a similar standing with the 100+ discard. I've tried multiple times to rouse the story from the dead without much success. I've changed settings twice, changed character-builds a few times; the newest re-vamp is trying to bear some fruit though, so I'm thinking it might work. My problem is, as much as I adore the characters I'm working with, they don't "talk" to me much. That, and I have a thousand other stories "talking" at the same time. I hear you on the motivation thing though; it can be hard to open that document if you've got a thousand other things going on beside you . Nephylim: I write a little like how you do; just going on until the vibe stops. A lot of times, I wear down before the characters do. Do you jump around from action to action or can you write in linear succession? I skip around so much when I write. I can go from part two to part ten and still turn around and pound out a part five without anything in between. >.< Skylights: I *totally* have a short with the exact same problem. I've gone back to re-work the ending about two or three times, and I'm still iffy about it. Hell, I'm iffy about the whole thing lol! It's trying to be a horror story, but it's turned into a gore/erro fest and I'm not sure I'm happy with it. So, story has gone on back-burner and made room for others. Maybe, if you move on to the next story, you can let you first one "ferment". When you come back to it, you might figure out the best ending for it .

Okay, I think I'm brave enough for my first "new topic". Go easy on me! (total loz ) Anyway, I was curious. There have been a few instances where, either in the midst of a story, or just after I re-read it, I throw the file into the "discard" folder. Either the story doesn't stand up to my rigorous standards or it just falls too flat to inflate. In one case, I had an on-going novel develop a Kudzu plot that I just felt too overwhelmed to prune down. I ended up throwing everything - the chapters, notes, and seedling stories - into the discard folder. In another case, I ended up writing the middle of a story that had no beginning. That was an almost auto-discard right there lol. But, I'm curious about what you guys do when you come across something like this? How do you recognize when one of your own stories isn't going anywhere? Do you chuck it, or try to nurse the poor thing back to health?

......You mean I haven't written this yet? *Looks over to his multitude of characters* Gentlemen, we can beat out Mister Lucas, right? *crickets chirping* Guys? Shit... I am not daunted by the task! As the great jedi master said, "Do, or do not. There is no try." Oh-ho, babe, I understand that desire to "break the mold" of a genre. I thought I was clever, trying to crack open the fantasy sub-genre of "magical animal pairing" that Anne McCaffrey ("Dragons of Pern") and Mercedes Lackey (Heralds of Valdemere) star in. And I ended up writing myself in circles. I now have over a hundred "chapters" of a story that I've discontinued. Be careful when you try to crack open your genre of choice. You never know where the characters will take you, just how quickly the story will metamorphose, or who beat you to the punch lol! But, in all honesty, I think I'm rather close to some of this. I just end up throwing relationships/sex and (maybe) politics up in the fore front. I'm kinda worried whenever I write about fighting because I'm afraid it's too violent. When my Maa'rish battle, it almost always ends in someone's death, with blood flying and body-parts getting ripped off. I get worried that such violence turns my readers off from the rest of the story. But, I dunno. You might be interested in my "Gone Hunting." It's not "martial" but it does have a significant quotient of fight scenes. Or will, as soon as I polish it up. I've got a large-scale battle coming up in the third installment of my Triptych series, however that story is still congealing and has not been posted yet. Some of my shorts (like the one you inspired ) have bloody bits, but they too are not yet posted. A lot of my stuff leans more towards Star Trek then Star Wars. I find myself needed to explain the evolutionary traits and political structure a lot; but people don't seem to mind my info-dumps too much. I was looking over that story you mentioned, The Smiling Proud Wanderer, and it sounded a lot like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". I hope, by mentioning that movie, I didn't just make you wince; I know some martial arts enthusiasts disdain that movie. I can understand if you're that way too. I'm the same when someone mentioned Avatar to me :wacko:. I hope you like the story you inspired when it hits the anthology . And if you ever get a few chapters pounded out, let me know . I'd be happy to beta it!

Oh man, classic movies. "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" - fave John Wayne movie and classic western. I practically grew up on spaghetti westerns, and that one just stands out the most. "Paint your Wagon" because it's the only musical that (to me anyway) didn't feel like a musical. The last three Star Wars because they were awesome; freaking Darth Vader, man. Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country helped me step into the sci-fi genre. As did "Apollo 13"; I love that movie so much *sniffles* and the anniversary was last week. I dunno if Erin Brocovich would be considered a "classic", but it's a damn good film either way you slice it. "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Last Samurai" were good, but again, I dunno if they're classics really. Um...those are the only ones I can think of off hand. I've seen so many movies, it's hard to pick favorites lol .

I am the first to admit when I am defeated. You know your genre and that is inspiring enough. I haven't really delved too much in Chinese or Korean stories. I have a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms (and I had to fight to get both books - so much money! @.@) and I have *yet* to finish reading them. I've been drawn to Japanese legends more, but I've found my desire to read severely lacking as of yet. You have sparked my interest in this genre. Especially if I can get a good bit of erro in with my fight scenes . Always a win there. I dunno. Let me plod through some of these stories and get a feel for the genre. Point me towards some of the more interesting ones if you please . ...And I blame you for the new short I'm in the midst of lol. It might be the one I send into the summer anthology too. It's not an epic, by any means, but it's certainly got some "bite"

I will soon over-throw your toxic regime and set this place with the bitter tyranny that it deserves! Hahaha! The Knight of Roses will rule over you all! ...or you could be my friend. I'll read your stories if you read mine .

I don't think you're gonna find exactly what you want here - at least, not without making some compromises. First, a martial arts epic requires more "fighting - action" then anything else. I don't see it sharing the same lime-light a slash/yaoi/gay fiction needs. Slash fiction requires heavy character development to explain the ins and outs of the relationships of the characters, then you've got to worry about the erotic scenes clashing against the fighting scenes. Martial arts epics are - very often - strictly fighting and/or little to no character development. Not to say there isn't any development in the martial epic, but that's not what the epic is going for. Martial arts epics are all about the fighting; to introduce the added element of slash/gay/yaoi is to turn the story away from the fighting and onto something else. You might want to try looking up a change of setting. Gladiator fiction, either fantastic or historical/Roman(esque) might be a good choice. You're gonna get a lot of bara/manly men; also, try some prison fiction. Lots of fighting in prisons. Basically, anywhere you find fighting, you're likely to stumble across the essence of your "martial arts epic." ...I will admit, however, that you're posing me a very interesting challenge. The plot-bunnies are forming, and if I can devote a few moments to the idea, I might have you something to look forward to. I hope you do find what you're looking for. Drop me a line, sometime, and throw some links if you find it .

Indeed! That's been my experience, anyway lol.

Yes, we geeks do have odd heroes lol. Harry Houdini - Escape artist, and debunked many false psychics Nicholas Tesla - Fought an invention war with Thomas Eddison. Many of his patents and inventions are *still* being kept under restriction. Oscar Wilde - Because I'm an English nerd. All brave men in their own right, who wore no uniforms but put their own dents in history .

Sigh. One Stanley Cup win, and the Cains can't get it together for a number two. Oh well. One day! *still waves the Cains flag*

I'm such a bad, yo-yo hockey fan >.< Are the Carolina Cains in the running this year? 'Cause if they are, ya'll are going down! *waves his little Cains flag* (Bet ya'll can't guess where I'm from lol!)

Having both been in a few relationships, and watched friends of mine enter them, I can say without a doubt that they can change people. But not just romantic relationships! Friendships can change someone just as much as any romance. When I was just entering high school, I was an introvert to the extreme. I'd just left a very painful, abusive environment in my middle school and was as gun shy as could be. I thought the next person to step up to me was either going to pick on me or steal my bookbag. But, on the first day in high school, I met someone that managed to calm me down and pry me out of my little shell. In college, I helped bring another person out of her rut. Together, we built up a whole network of friends; I've watched them all change and grow and fall to the wayside of life. But, it's romantic relationships that teach you a little bit more about people, about your self, and about the nature of people. In my case, my last relationship taught me more about myself then I ever thought possible. The guy was an introvert and about as skinny as a rail. He'd had some problems and I had problems and together we had "problem parties" on the couch. With him, I was playful and "bouncy"; I was a right clingy bitch at times too. But, with him, I was also trying to hide who I really was, and that brought out the worst in me. Now, I'm not so bouncy, I'm not so clingy and I talk too much. *shrug* But, I know who I am thanks to him. So, it was a trade off in many ways. I have the experience now to look for the kind of guy that's good for me, while hopefully holding on to my own morals/values/sense of self. So yes, any kind of relationship can change a person. Not just romantic .

For me, it's not just personal experience, but the experiences of folk I know that can shape my work. I have a story I'm working on now that my father's experience is helping me with. My father's told me many stories about working, welding and construction jobs; those stories, tone and attitude he's given me are slowly giving my (fiction) story it's shape. I've had characters (in the past) share some personal reflection of myself. One of my first characters was a very modest, shy young man who was just figuring out his sexuality; at the same time, I was struggling with my own identity and probably throwing more of "myself" into the character then I should have been. As time went on, that character's story "died" and the character went through a metamorphosis - becoming several different characters that shared very little in common with the original. That was when I was going to college and wearing several different "masks" to figure out who I was. Now, there are occasions when my own personal experiences pop up in my fiction. I may learn some interesting piece of history or something about an animal/place/myth that I didn't already know. Or...some of my more personal experiences can lead to my characters doing more intimate things. I think it was the late, great Jack London who said "write what you know." That single phrase has shaped my writing. Even in my science fiction, I'm writing what I know is true. I know the demeanor of my characters, their anatomy and environment because something I've learned helped shape it. That's not to say I don't let my characters run about like the little wild-men they are. It's always good to listen to them first, yourself second and your readers third. The characters tell you what's going on, you discern if it's kosher with the laws of physics/nature/ect. and your readers affirm the validity of the characters' claims.

I feel rather ignorant, as I've never heard of Nifty before. I'm fairly familiar with places like Fiction Press and Fanfiction.net, but I've never posted anything in either place. When I felt comfortable enough to post my stuff, I did it in the fairly safe seclusion of Live Journal. Yes, there are a whole lot more "blogs" and "teen drama journals" on LJ, but it's also a pretty great place to get direct responses on the pieces I release. Now, the word-limit on posts suck, but that's nothing new. But, as I glean the responses of other posters, who've experience with this beast called Nifty, I feel the need to say something. One of the oldest saying I've every had the joy to hear is "lay down with dogs and wake up with fleas." Now, I'm not bashing Nifty, but I'm just saying that you wanna watch were you're putting your fiction-babies to sleep. If you don't find the right venue for your works, then people could pass them by or (worst of all) dismiss them all together. You want people to read your works? Find the audience that fits the work. And, if people want to comment, then they'll comment. It's not about the reviews or the replies, it's the fact that people are taking time out of their day to read the work you produce. And, besides, there's nothing wrong with cross-posting a good story on different sites. You get the benefit of a wider audience if you've posted to sites A, B, and C instead of locking your works on site A alone. Not everyone frequents Nifty or Fiction Press or what have you .

Ooooh, a fellow Carolinian ...at least, I'm pretty sure how that's spelled lol. Either way, hello person I dunno who lives in the same state as me . Be my friend (total lolz)!

Awesome; I'm glad I could offer a little aid there. What I do, when I go back and make changes, is I'll leave a comment on the work (like "Edit (whatever date it is): (whatever I've added or deleted)), that way, when someone comes in to read it, they know that it's not the same as it once was. And, I can also keep a record for myself to see how many stories have been changed and when I made the edits. ...But, that works on lj. I dunno about here. I'm thinking the whole "redux" thing is the way to go. Why not just go back to the original posting and click the "edit" button? (If there is one. Gabe is so clueless >.<)

I love that "piranha on a corn-dog" one! Where did you find all these? The run-on sentences just blinded me lol!

Yes. Yes, yes - a thousand times, yes. I've gone back and re-written, re-read and plowed through my stories with the power of a universal steam roller. I consider all of my works like living things; even when I pound out the last period, I find myself going back through to change a word or sentence. Several of my works have endured whole plot re-writes, which cause me to have to go back and tweak this or that. And that could happen before I'm done. When I consider myself "done" with a story is when the curtains are closed and all the actors/characters have gone home for the night. Even then, I've got to clean up any lost parenthesis or commas like a good custodian . If I've posted the piece, and done even the slightest work, I try to put up the corrected version for the sake of my readers. That way, they get me at my best and I'm not hording it from them. That's a no for me. I do have works that I pound out, read over and slide into the "discard" pile. I may never read them again, I may pull them out and steal sentences or something. There are works where you just gotta let them go, and others that just need a little polishing. It's up to you and your characters to figure out which is which. If a piece you've put down "disgusts" you, figure out why. Is it the plot, the characters, the sentence structure? There's a reason you don't like it. Work through the faults and learn from the work. Don't let it get to you, either. My discard folder is bigger then my "active story" folder! But, whatever you do, keep a hold on those discards. One of my best teachers - a professional non-fiction writer - told me that you never know what you can pull out, polish up, and publish . ...And, I wish I could answer your question. But I'm still new here myself. So, I duuno. I hope someone on here can answer it though, if they haven't all ready.

Aw, babe, you can't be like that. Don't just delete your hard work because you're not getting the reviews. Not only are you denying several thousand more people from reading your works, you're dooming yourself. I wish more folk would comment on the things they read or see, but that's just how folk are. Some are just lazy, or so hungry to read that they're moving on from one piece to another like flies at a bodyfarm. Others are just shy little lurkers who have no idea what to tell the authors they read. You can only say "I liked this! Write more!" in so many different ways. Then there are the folk who are scared of us writers. They think the writer's gonna try to talk their ear off or demand more "constructive criticism", or try to bite their head off through the monitor. >.< Sad to say, but they do. Instead of just shoving it all away, try finding more outlets for your work! There are many different e-zines or publishers just starved for good writing. And if you can show, proof positive, that you got a thousand or more readers with *one* story, you'll have some good offers! As a writer myself, I totally understand your pain about the lack of comments. It's only after I lured readers, through e-zines, that I received my first helping of comments. I love every single one of them, but I work hard for every single last one of them. And you have to too. Nothing in life is ever easy; you have to work to take in every breath and every step. Seriously, don't give up. Don't delete; advertise! You'll see a change, once you get your name out there, I promise!

In my very humble opinion, it sounds like your lady friend is trying to say something. I don't know what, but you might wanna keep an eye on that. I'm getting some serious negative vibes about that and those are no good. You really can't judge a person's weight on something as small as "thighs touching." You've got to put so many other factors on the line. I was told, if you wrap your thumb and index finger around your wrist and they *don't* touch, then you're big-boned. Not *fat*, just that you have a large frame. If they do touch, then you've got a slender frame. Then, there's the body-fat index, and height vs. weight and so many other charts, numbers and crap to determine if you're the right weight for your body. Hon, I've been fat. And yeah, it sucked to look down and have to suck in my gut to see my feet. But I never let it get to me. That's the ticket there. If you are *truly* comfortable with your weight, then you don't think about it. You don't compare yourself to other folk and you don't shove your ideals on other folk. Same goes for skinny...er, "slender" folk. You either work on keeping yourself trim, or your body does it naturally through the magic of metabolism. There are other factors in there, I'm sure - but! What is most important about all of this is "are you happy with yourself." Nothing else matters. I think that all these labels are meaningless. People label everything; foods, animals, machines. This is good for you, but this thing we thought was good we discovered can kill you. In the 20s - 50s, smoking was considered healthy for you! Now, not so much. In Medieval times, being portly was a symbol of wealth; now, women are being praised for being a size 0. Makes some people feel good. Makes others feel bad. It happens. You just keep doing what you're doing to maintain the body you want to wear. Don't mind all these stereotypes and labels! Individuality is the shit, baby! :king: