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Alright, I recently posted a blog entitled "What Makes A Good Author?". There, I discussed things that authors can do to improve, such as: take criticism to heart, find an audience, learn patience, and the like.
Now, however, I am going to delve into what I personally think goes into making a good story.
I've been told every serious blog post should start with a sexy picture, so here you are:
(yes, I consider that sexy)
We've all seen it. Most of us have read it, and a good chunk of us probably wrote it at one time or another. What am I referencing?
Stories with great potential that are plagued and burdened by mistakes, errors and poor writing style.
There are tons, and I mean tons of areas I could expound upon when it comes to writing good fiction, but due to the fact that it's late and I have plans to whoop up on some SpikexVinyl fic writing in the morning, I'm gonna keep it restricted to just a few areas.
These are:
1. Grammar and Spelling
2. Description and Narrative vs Dialogue
3. Unique Characterization
4. Successfully Avoiding Gary Stu Characters
5. General Storytelling
For those of you who read my previous blog and are looking to take the next step in your goal toward being number 1, wait no more, for sweet victory is within your grasp. For those who haven't read the other blog, it's on my user page if you wanna check it.
GRAMMAR AND SPELLING
What's wrong with that sentence?
*waits for mental functions to resume*
It defies every known law of common literature practice in the English language, then manages to form a few new creative ways to be unreadable. Shocking, isn't it?
What's even more shocking, however, is that there are many fics on this site exactly like that. Fics that abuse the English language like a 2 dollar prostitute in the dark and lonely alleyways of Las Vegas. And, whether you wish to admit it or not, you've probably been guilty of such abuse before. Be it in fanfiction, school, or just everyday writing, we've all slipped up pretty hard, most likely. So, what's the remedy?
There are several ways to conquer the mammoth challenge of grammar and spelling. For me, I have a very talented editing and proofreading team that tells me how bad I suck on a regular basis, therefore teaching me ways to become less sucky.
It can be very difficult to swallow your pride and accept the fact that you suck, but we all need to do it. And sometimes, an editor will be more than happy to do it for you. Plus, they'll also make your story look nice and clean and ready to be published. (Or at least as nice and clean as is possible in a given circumstance. Some stories are literally beyond saving. Nightmare Star's Revenge for example... don't look it up if you value your sanity.)
Now, if you insist on being one of those people who don't need an editor, that's cool. Do what you gotta do. But here's what I would suggest: read your story out loud to yourself several times. That will help you identify inconsistencies, grammar errors and wonky spelling. Also, spellcheck features on writing programs are also superbly useful.
So, to break it down:
-hire an editor
-read aloud
-spellcheck
DESCRIPTION AND NARRAVTIVE vs DIALOGUE
In general, there are two types of writing styles prevalent on this site: description based and dialogue based.
Description based writing uses paragraphs of narrative, omniscient detail and area description to let you know what's happening, what the characters are doing, and how the story will unfold.
Here's a good example of description based writing:
Dialogue based writing, as you can guess, advances the plot and provides detail through dialogue and character interaction. As opposed to using extensive description and phrasing to tell you what's going on, it can usually be summed up a good deal shorter with a few lines of conversation.
Here's an example of dialogue based writing:
There you have it, dialogue.
Personally, I love dialogue based writing much more than description, simply because I feel it can bring you closer to the characters, and gives you more of a connection with them and their relationships. Plus, it's a lot of fun. But, it's not a cure-all for every story, and some stories will work better with description. That being said, it's important to find what works for you and feels the most comfortable.
UNIQUE CHARACTERIZATION
I'm gonna cut right to the chase with this one, because it's something I'm rather passionate about.
BE ORIGINAL!
What do I mean by that? Well, let's put it this way: how many stories do you see that paint Octavia as anything other than a musician or Vinyl's lover? How many fics have you read that give Dash a more girly girl side as opposed to her being a rough and tumble lesbian?
The idea is that you'd do well as a writing to forego basic storytelling stereotypes and break new ground. Paint characters in lights that haven't been seen before. Give us a new perspective on romance and life. Take our awesome ponies on an adventure they haven't been on before!
Why can't Vinyl Scratch be an evil, mad scientist in disguise?
Why can't Sweetie Belle get a pet python?
Why can't Rarity join a metal band?
Be original, be creative, stick to character, but branch that character to different realms than the standard.
SUCCESSFULLY AVOIDING GARY STU CHARACTERS
I'm fairly certain that at least once, we've all had a character called out for being a Gary Stu. But what is a Gary Stu exactly, and why does it suck so bad?
Terms like "overpowered", or "edgy" tend to be used a lot, but they don't give much description per say on what to avoid, so let me break it down with a nice little list of questions you should ask yourself:
Does everypony, especially the mane 6, like my character within the first couple chapters?
Does my character have excessive power that garners the attention of villains and princesses alike?
Does my character have base flaws that have no negative impact whatsoever?
Does my character fall into the overdone cliche of being shy/depressed/stupidly attractive for no reason other than gaining friendship or waifu booty?
Does my character's name sound like an 80's hair metal band?
If you answered yes to 1 of those questions, don't give up. Work around a few things and you'll be golden to use him.
If you answered yes to 2 of those questions, don't publish your story. Water your character down, change up his personality or look, and you should be alright.
If you answered yes to 3 of those questions, scratch your character from the story and figure out if he's really necessary, or if you could substitue a canon character with a defined personality instead.
If you answered yes to 4 of those questions, you need an editor, a new character idea, and reworked storyline.
If you answered yes to 5 of those questions, put down you pencil; throw away your story; cry in a corner until you've come to terms that you need help; read a few really bad OC stories to get an idea of why your character sucked; read a few really good ones to see what you need to do; get an editor on chat asap; start all over and you're good to go.
Okay, so what do you do if you realize your characters, OC or not, suck and are Gary Stu's? Well, rewrite them of course.
For example, many OC's don't have flaws, or if they do, they bear little impact on the story itself.
Like, if your character, "Dasani Flatbill", was super shy and timid, you might think that's a good character flaw to work with, which it is. But the problem lies in the fact that your character somehow manages to instantly be loved by the mane 6 or whatever ponies he's placed with.
A real shy person in a real scenario does not make close friends like that. Neither should your OC.
So, basically, if you ask yourself those questions and answer them honestly, you should be able to eliminate Gary Stu elements form your characters.
GENERAL STORYTELLING
Oh lord, here it is. The icing on the story cake; the toy in the cereal box; the french fries at the bottom of the McDonalds bag.
Is your storytelling interesting, boring, or just plain lame?
That's a profound question that thrusts many writers into the obscurity of the site, never to be known. Why? I'll tell you why:
You can be the best author in the world. You're nice, you graduated with an English major, you do research and extensive editing on your work. But, if your story idea is boring or something that people don't want to read because it's just.... meh, than all of that was for nothing. Granted, you could always say that you just write for yourself, but we all know that's just a facade, otherwise you wouldn't have published it to the masses.
Now, I've heard many excuses as to why some stories are popular while others aren't. Heck, I've even made excuses before. But we're gonna get realistic, alright?
Any type of story, any ship and any genre can be wildly popular if given the write attention and a solid premise/base. The problem isn't always that stories just arent' what "the majority" likes, because the majority tend to like things that are fun to read.
And that's the key. Is your story a fun read? Would it provide enjoyment to those who take the time to read it?
It doesn't matter how good you description and grammar are if your story is just boring. If you want people to appreciate and read your story, you need to make it fun, fresh, thoughtful and unique. Mixing all those together will draw people to your story, then they'll tell their friends and so on.
So, for those of you tragedy/sad/dark writers who think you're doomed to failure and obscurity because you write serious stuff, don't give up! Some of the biggest stories on the site are serious stories. Same applies to you Romance writers. You may think that because you're favourite ship is painfully overdone or obscure that no one will read it, but stay strong. If you can devise a new idea or premise, or create an engrossing intro, you'll be golden.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Once again, I obviously didn't cover every thing that goes into good story writing. I just opted for the thing that seem to create the most problems for new writers and seasoned ones alike. Things we all could work on, including myself.
Well, that's all, and I hope you all enjoyed my little dissertation. I'm probably going to write more of these and catalogue them on my homepage for you new writers to read and look over if you wish.
Anyway, keep it real!
4049966
I always try to keep my characters from being Gary-Stus (whether or not I've succeeded depends on who you ask), and it's especially hard with humans, since they are automatically pre-judged as Gary-Stus, so with the guidelines you gave, I'll see if my human OC from my latest story passes:
Nope. He and the other two main characters in the story can't stand each other, and the Mane 6 aren't even in the story, as it takes place in Manehattan. He does, however, have two good friends at his job that he's known since college.
Unless being an animator at a Manehattan animation studio counts as a power, then no.
His base flaw is that he can get a little vindictive when crossed, and while it hasn't had a negative impact yet since the story is in its beginning chapters, it will soon.
He's pretty satisfied with his life and enjoys his job. He can't stand his roommates, but he doesn't let them ruin his mood. He's not described as "attractive" or "handsome," and he doesn't gain friends or waifus from his looks or some non-existent "charm".
His name is Adrian Lewit, so... I don't think so.
4049966
This thread is now for putting your OCs through FLW's Gary Stu test.
Doing not my personal OC, but a major OC from a fic that's indefinitely in the planning stages.
No, not really. Everybody either distrusts him or thinks he's kind of an asshole. With good reason in either case.
He can manipulate shadows and see through any sort of illusions or deception, and likes to present himself as being very powerful. But he can't use or even learn any other unicorn magic, and his true seeing thing has drawbacks of its own.
He's off-putting and rude, garners distrust, has a known history of association with dark magic and its users, and has that whole inhibited magic thing. Most of these tend to make his life more difficult.
No, he's pushy and overconfident. Quite the striking figure as far as looks go, but he tends to either push potential interests aware with his personality, or ignore them in favor of fixating on Luna.
"Midnight", so maybe. Special case here, though, since I named this entire band of OCs after songs, and most are power metal (the three I can think of at the moment being Midnight, Stargazer, and Moondancer (I later realized there's a Moondancer mentioned back in the first episode, but I don't care)).
4049966
Ah, a Gary Stu Test? I'm game, let see how my OC measures up:
Yes and No. My OC is a Alicorn Prince, born from Celestia. While the residents of Equestria do like him because he is Celestia's foal, in his mind he has earned no ones friendship. At this point he is not in a position to make friends properly due to his age. He has not yet met the mane six apart from Twilight, no one is his proper friend yet, in his eyes he needs to earn it rather it just be handed to him.
Not yet. Later on in the story he will be one of the few users of Spirit Magic, a lost form of magic. However, he will struggle with other forms of magic, often times relying on the power boost alicorns have to get him through fights
My character is often rash and insensible. While he tries to broker peace where he goes, he hates to see people getting bullied but will go too far in trying to defend somepony, to the point where he can be seen as the bad guy. He does not know how to hold himself to the standards of royalty that he is and must be reminded of the expectations that now are upon him.
No. My character is a leader and very confident in his abilities. While attractive, as all Alicorns are, he focuses on more personal subjects, like the aforementioned spirit magic and figuring out his place in Equestria.
"Mythic Light"..... That's up in the air for me, I don't believe it is a metal band name but that is on the basis of most metal band names are much darker that this
So how does my character hold up then guys?
4049966
Oh good. I needed one of these.
Maybe..? In the story, I made Rainbow ship Twilight and him, but Twilight only wanted to help him with research he was doing, and he had no interest in becoming friends with either of them. I'm gonna say no, but I'm not entirely certain.
He is an EXE, but he rarely uses his power, so nopony actually knows about it. The only reason Princess Twilight and Rainbow were there is because he contacted Princess Celestia to request help for his research and she sent them. Also, the villain in Part 1 only knew who he was because he was the son of Rainbow.EXE, the leader of the GrimDark world.
That being said, he does have an EXE form that he occasionally loses control of. The form also holds his powers as an EXE. However, he prefers to control that form, and as such, is unable to actually use its' power. When the form manages to appear for a moment, it does nothing other than scare or creep out other ponies unless my oc decides to use it, which is pretty much only if he or somepony he cares about is in danger.
So, I'm gonna go with no for this one.
Nope. Instantly, the answer to this question is no.
His EXE form causes many ponies not to trust him, which leads him to be quite lonely. Not only that, but using his EXE form actually feeds on his lifeforce, which means he could die VERY easily.
Being an introvert and unfriendly towards others causes him to quite literally not have any friends.
And restraining the EXE form tires him out much faster than other ponies, so his endurance is pretty bad.
Not at all.
He may be an introvert, but that's not because he's shy. That's because he prefers to be alone. He isn't afraid of putting himself out there, that was proved by asking Princess Celestia to get him help wih his research.
He was never depressed, is not depressed,and never will be depressed. I'm not ever making an oc with depression, I know what it's like to be depressed from experience.
As for attractiveness? He's no better than an averagely attractive pony, regardless of being an alicorn.
And regardless, he has no intention on gaining romantic interests. He's a bloody GrimDark, he doesn't belong in the normal universe.
Nope. If he were named Silence, rather than Silence.EXE, maybe. But the EXE throws that off majorly.
His EXE form, called TerraByte, is yet another name I don't believe sounds like the 80's. But you can be the judge of that.