//------------------------------//
// Writing Advice 
// Story: Equestrian Fanfiction 
// by Lise 
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Umm, I don't know what to say :)

@Brush, @MasterOfThisAstra: Congratulations! You looked wonderful in your outfits. My boss even asked if you'd consider modeling for a science fiction collection she's planning, inspired by the meetup. 

@CodeFilly, @MightyDragon: Congratulations on your engagement! You two looked so cute when you fell asleep on each other at the event. :) Next time I visit Canterlot I'll bring you something I think both of you would appreciate.

@MixaMax, @Jade: Congratulations for the fairytale engagement! I wish somepony does that to me one day. Max, you are one lucky mare. And Jade, you really are sweet in real life. :)

Sorry for taking away from these magnificent moments, but I was hoping to get some advice from you about writing humans. I'm hoping to have a longer discussion with Tech about this when he visits, but until then I would appreciate your help.

Candle







@Candle: What exactly is the problem? Your latest works seem quite good. You've undoubtedly gone a long way since your first attempts. I'd say you are way past the average of the submitted stories (and I'm talking about the good ones). 

Bob







And I might be vanishing for a while... again! :/ Why did I expect things to be any different? Some jerk at school called me a [censored] at school. In front of everypony! I lost it! I think I might have broken his wing. 

It wasn't like half the school avoided me even before this incident. :/ my mother will go bat shit when she gets here. Right now I'm writing from bathroom, but I expect to lose all aethernet privileges once I get out. :/ Life is fun :(

@Candle: I think your biggest weakness is you keep thinking of humans as these weird aliens and do everything possible to deponify them, even when it isn't needed. I agree that an interesting touch now and again is great, but at the end of the day humans are just ponies on two legs. They have similar problems, feelings, and motivations. Sure they might be omnivore, but don't reference that every three paragraphs (it gets a bit creepy). Also, cut down on the toes and fingers. Unless you're writing about some port fetish you can safely skip those. 

Sorry I can't give more advice, but the principle is knocking on the bathroom door urging me to get out. 

See you in a week (I hope).

RRBB







@RRBB: :( Hope things go well. Tell us if there's anything, okay?

SweetStuff 







@SweetStuff: Let's go to PM.

Short&Hoofy







@RRBB: Nooo! :( I had a friend like that. He's a bit calmer now, but he used to get into all sorts of trouble. 

@Candle: I don't read much fanfiction, but I skimmed through your latest story and it seemed fine.

PrinceEric 







@Bob: My main problem is that I struggle to describe their everyday life. What do humans do everyday exactly?

@RRBB: Sorry to hear that. :( You've been through so much.

Candle







@RRBB: This time I'm not taking no for an answer! I'll personally look into this!

Luna







I'll see if I can help in the matter as well.

@Candle: This might not be a very scientific way of doing it, but try writing taur stories (possibly starting with centaurs, then moving to minotaurs). Don't bother with food and sleeping habits  (those will come naturally as you get more comfortable with your writing). 

Keep things simple. Describe a simple scene, without any plot if you have to: two humans searching for books in the library, or preparing for a test, or walking in the park. Then, when you feel you're ready, string several scenes and see how it goes.

DarkSparkle 







@Candle: you want to know about humans? Easy. I'll tell you the secret how to write great humans, and it will blow your mind!

Think cats and dogs. All females are cats, all males are dogs. Just get them walking on two legs, and follow RRBB's advice. And don't be afraid to have them talk. A lot. Oh, and make their reasoning less logical. That's the spirit of a human. All the rest are technical details you'll get with practice.

LightSparkle 







@RRBB, @Short&Hoofy: I'll go there as soon as this stupid meeting is over! :/ RRBB, I usually get annoyed at you, but in this case... if he said what I think he said then. Let's just say I would have reacted the same way.

@Candle: Now, I might not have written a lot of (any) stories, but I think I could give some advice. Always start by describing the eyes and face. That's a great opener that's used almost each time a new character is presented. Remember the readers want to be able to visualize what you're saying, and for that they need to be aware of every last detail of your character. Is she short, tall, thin, cuddly? What's her hair? Her eyes? When she sleeps, does she have any specific mannerisms or phrases? 

I'd suggest starting with a few descriptions.

@LyraHands: On that note, I think we could use some sort of screening process. I'm all for authors trying to get better, but some of the new fics are just argh! The grammar and spelling are catastrophic, there's no plot whatsoever, and oh the wish fulfillment... :/ ("My Class of Humans" is a terrifyingly good example)

MixaMax 







@Candle: thanks on behalf of Max and myself for the good wishes. I'm sure both of us are happy and wish you to find your special somepony soon :)

As for the writing, the others have already given plenty of good advice, so I'll just summarize it for you:

RRBB: good advice
DarkSparkle: definitely good advice
LightSparkle: good advice, although very weird (yet strangely accurate when I thought about it)
MixaMax: good advice what NOT to do!

@MixaMax: You're kidding, right? Please tell me that was some disturbing prank! You can't be more wrong if you tried! Did you even try to write anything based on your own advice? Please do! If you don't vomit yesterday's breakfast after you read it, I'll personally use my influence to set you up as a guest lecturer here to talk about it! 

Eyes? Hair? That deserves a sentence in passing. If you want to go really deep you need training in lit symbolism, metaphors, and social cues of the period! Just stick to reading and non-fiction and don't confuse others, okay?

Jade







@Jade: I'd say bite me, you wouldn't know how! :/

MixaMax 







@RRBB: tell me what happens (use another account if needed)

@Candle: I think you're doing great. Just keep on writing and you'll get there :)

@MixaMax: yes, I agree. As harsh as it sounds the quantity of (bad) stories is starting to clutter the site. For that I think we need a curator system. I was hoping MasterOfThisAstra, Jade, and RRBB (when life permits) to be our first curators. (I'll add that on the todo list for Code and Tech.)

LyraHands 







But I wanted to be a curator as well... :(

DarkSparkle