So one of my most successful stories on this site is Code Lyoko EG. It's a great story, and one of my personal favorites. It's as of this post (as far as I know) the only story of its kind, that being a complete fusion of Code Lyoko and Equestria Girls. Thing is, I'm stumped on the next chapter.

So you might be wondering, why I'm posting this here. Well, besides me not knowing where else to ask for the support I need, I sort of know where this feeling is coming from. You see, around the point I left off, I got a lot of criticism for my portrayal of the main antagonist. I tried to give XANA more of a character in this story, and since I'm cutting out a lot of filler there are a lot of times when he wins. Some people started calling XANA a Villain-Sue, saying that he was just getting victory after victory, and some people were clearly losing enthusiasm for the story. Lately I've begun getting a lot of comments saying they LIKE this XANA, but the damage has been done I guess.

What really hurts is that this is usually what happens to me in my works. This very thing happened to another story I was excited about: Inner Demons II. People assumed this one character was actually the main antagonist, when in reality she's one of the PROTAGONISTS of the story. My enthusiasm for that story completely died, and I can't even look at it anymore. I don't want Code Lyoko EG to end up like that, but I can't bring myself to work on it. I tried reading over the story, I tried listening to the Code Lyoko opening, but nothing is making me WANT to write it.

I don't want this story to get cancelled, but if I can't bring myself to ever get back to it... what else can I do?

5163036 I think the solution is simpler than you might think. First, start with what you want for the story. I don't know much about Code Lyoko, but I'll try to help all I can.

What direction do you want your story to go in? Anything for specific characters or plotlines, or just an overall feel you think you haven't achieved?

5163036

Feedback can be helpful, but you need to learn when to listen to it and when to dismiss it. Many readers think they understand storytelling better than they do, especially when they start throwing the term "sue" around. At the end of the day you have to use your own judgement.

You sound like the type who is mindful of your characterization and plans ahead, and that's good. You simply have to trust in yourself and stick to the plan. Or, if you decide to change the plan, it should be because you see a problem with it.

Some people started calling XANA a Villain-Sue, saying that he was just getting victory after victory, and some people were clearly losing enthusiasm for the story. Lately I've begun getting a lot of comments saying they LIKE this XANA, but the damage has been done I guess.

What really hurts is that this is usually what happens to me in my works. This very thing happened to another story I was excited about: Inner Demons II. People assumed this one character was actually the main antagonist, when in reality she's one of the PROTAGONISTS of the story.

These sounds like miscommunication issues rather than mischaracterization issues. That is to say, it's probably not a problem with your characters or plot as much as it is a problem with your presentation and execution. A villain being very formidable shouldn't be a problem, because that raises the stakes and makes the eventual triumph of the heroes greater. What matters is that the plot keeps advancing and the readers feel that you are going somewhere with it.

So, perhaps the reason people reacted poorly to XANA is not that she wins all the time, but that her victories do not advance the plot or at least makes it feel repetitive? Villains scoring decisive victories should always be a huge deal with major consequences, making the heroes more desperate and their victories more glorious. In other words, you need to keep in mind why she wins and how that is an important part of the plot.

A big part of being a good writer comes down to understanding how the readers will react to certain things and learning how to manipulate their expectations. This is a mostly intuitive skill that you have to develop over time through experience - I don't think anyone can actually teach you how it's done, except in very vague and subjective terms.

It also relates to a concept in writing called "making promises." This is when you make the reader expect a certain development in the story, sometimes subconsciously, and if you don't deliver on that promise they will feel disappointed even if they can't exactly tell why. Being aware of this is important, because you can make promises without actually being aware of it. Experienced writers usually make a point of finding any promise they may have made and then either make a point of fulfilling them, or removing them altogether.

Anyway, I'm rambling. The point is, viewing some negative feedback as a personal failure and allowing it to undermine your confidence doesn't help you. Rather, you should consider it an opportunity to learn. Get interested. Ask: "What exactly did I do to cause this reaction? How do I learn to control it?" View it as an interesting phenomenon that you might actually be able to take advantage of.

That will boost your confidence, because you will feel that you are mastering a skill rather than just taking your chances and hoping for the best.

5163484 Concerning what I want from the story, I'm trying to create a semi realistic view of the situation, and not have the characters win just because. When they DO win, I want it to mean something. My goal with XANA is to show him as a genuine threat instead of just having him win every so often but still lose to a group of teenagers on a daily basis.

He IS a sentient computer virus, after all.

5163568 The problem I have with asking people who gave me the negative feedback is that they rarely give me a valid answer. The ones who fuss that XANA is a villain-sue just continue telling me how tired they are that he keeps winning. The frustrating part is that each victory I gave him is based off a victory he received in the actual show, so I don't know what they're complaining about.

5163706 Well, the trick to having realistic outcomes is to focus primarily on the skill sets of each individual character (including the villain), how they affect the situation at hand, and how effective these skills are and the gravity they have on the situation. This includes any and all tactics, skills and experiences learned from previous encounters with your antagonists. From there, factor in emotions and whether they affect the plot or not (and of they do, how much they affect it). That factor changes depending on where the story is, but may have more of an effect on the situation than the heroes' skills and competency. No protagonist is immune to his own emotions, even those who try to remain stoic. Finally, whether they are able to set aside those emotions and deal with the task at hand depends on their characters and how well they have progressed as characters in the story, including what they've learned, how they apply it, and how they choose to apply it.

This all must be done on the villain's side as well. In order to keep the villain interesting and formidable, he has to learn and adapt along with the heroes in the same exact manner. So that each side continuously one-ups the other until the final confrontation, when the culmination of everything they've been through in the story comes to the forefront. That keeps things interesting and keeps readers guessing.

If, all in all, the heroes have learned enough and are mature enough to go into a confrontation undeterred, they should be allowed to win at least once. But from that point, the villain needs to remember what happened so that he's ready for them next time. And the heroes need to remember their losing streak so they can counter-prepare, et cetera, et cetera.

I know this is kind of a wall of text, but I hope this helps.

5164211 It helps. I don't mind walls of text for this. It shows how serious you're taking my problem, which I appreciate.

I guess I need to look and see if my characters have matured enough to get a victory, and then have them work toward that victory, as opposed to having it handed to them (I'd never do that BTW).

I'm going to sit down with the chapter tomorrow and force myself to do some work on it. I'll let you and anyone else who posts here know how it goes afterwards.

5164788 Excellent! Good luck!

5164788 I think that there's an unspoken assumption that everything you ask a reader to take in, is done so because it leads up to something. Ultimately, when we see this kind of criticism its to underscore the point that the reader doesn't see what the story is leading up to. What these victories amount to, or how they came to pass.

The purpose of the outline is to give you some structure, and a wide lense to your story's details. This facilitates foreshadowing, and without the ability to tie events together, the events surrounding the character are just characterization. And, it seems you've characterized the villain as an undisputable winner.

So, if I had to guess the problem with the story is something the audience can't see, and their feedback is misdirecting you, causing your block as to reference to a problem you can't see. This often happens in stories that are published as they are written, and I think you should take some time to really flesh out your outline some more before going on with the prose.

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5163568 As of this post, I've worked on the next chapter of my story. I worked on it all day, and I'm pretty pleased with it. I hope that this chapter gets well received. Thank you everyone for your advice. Here's to a successful turnout.

5166548 Congratulations, and good luck!