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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Mar 19, 2015 3:50:05 GMT
(FINALLY…I can make the title capitalised…and move the apostrophe… ) Back on the old Underground, this thread was one of my favourites. Not just because it offered me a chance to get help from friends, but also just reading how the Elves would help each other with their writing…that really encouraged me. I think this thread is an epitome of what the Underground is and should always be. Writers' Thread. Same purpose as the old one (Writer's thread). If you have a problem or something to discuss, come post it. For one, I would love to offer help if I can, and I know many other Elves will also be willing. Come one, come all!
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 19, 2015 12:08:46 GMT
Does anyone have any tips for motivation for editing? I have two novels that I'm supposed to be editing and I don't really want to work on either of them. Most of the not-wanting is probably because they require major rewrites of certain scenes and I just don't want to deal with it right now.
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Post by Lylyss on Mar 19, 2015 13:08:57 GMT
Go buy a big chocolate bar and set it on the desk beside you. Tell yourself you can take a nibble after you finish editing a certain amount of the book. Another thing that might help is having hot drinks on hand. Settle down in your chair. Make yourself cozy and prepare for getting some good work done. Also, you might try alternating between your WIPs? When you get bored with one, switch to the other. *shrug* Editing can be really discouraging, so basically my advice in a nutshell is to try and make it fun/comfortable.
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 19, 2015 16:06:11 GMT
Thanks for the suggestions. I'd been trying to do the alternate-between-stories thing, but at the moment I'm facing major scene rewrites in both stories, so . . . that's not gonna work.
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Post by Lylyss on Mar 19, 2015 18:05:13 GMT
Major scene rewrites? As in changes to the plot or just streamlining the writing?
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Glade
Elf
Minstrel
Posts: 48
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Post by Glade on Mar 19, 2015 18:09:51 GMT
Don't want to interrupt the conversation, but it's so good to see everyone! And to have this thread on the new UG! I know what you mean, Leilani. I'm having to do major rewrites to my book, too. I made a vow not to read any novels until I'm done, and I have to say it's motivational, even if extreme!
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 19, 2015 20:24:50 GMT
Lylyss: As in changes to the plot. For example, in one novel I removed a character from this scene because it made more sense for him not to be there. (Though I guess in that case I could always put him back in and then not have to do as much rewriting . . .) And in my other, I'm pretty much rewriting most of the first three chapters so that the timeline is different and so there's more action in the opening chapter. Glade: GLADE! I'm glad you made your way to the new UG! I've missed seeing you! :oI don't think I could keep that vow . . . and I'm very impressed you can.
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Post by jliessa44 on Mar 19, 2015 20:56:41 GMT
Heh. This will sound stupid. But maybe try telling yourself that it's fun and listen to music. Then every 10-15 minutes or so give yourself a 3-5 minute break to surf Pinterest or whatever you like to do. Lol
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 19, 2015 21:00:22 GMT
Thanks for the suggestion, Liessa. I shall try that for tomorrow's editing session.
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Glade
Elf
Minstrel
Posts: 48
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Post by Glade on Mar 20, 2015 4:39:23 GMT
@leilani: HI!!! I've missed you guys so much!!!! And it's a tragedy about the UG! When did that happen? Will the Underground come back online after it's been fixed, or is it gone forever?
@jliessa: Hi! I'm glad to see you!!!!
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 20, 2015 11:53:01 GMT
Glade: The old UG went down on Friday, exactly a week ago, and yes, it is gone forever, alas. Though I'm trying to look at it as "It's the people who made the UG what it is and THEY'RE still here, just in a different place."
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Glade
Elf
Minstrel
Posts: 48
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Post by Glade on Mar 20, 2015 14:42:29 GMT
Man, that's so sad. I mean, that's true! But it's still sad! At least we have Whitehall! And our avatars are bigger!
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 20, 2015 15:39:23 GMT
Agreed. And yes, we have bigger avatars and more editing options and private messages.
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Mar 21, 2015 8:46:23 GMT
Hello, Glade… Right. Inspired by reading a single article about Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, I've been worldbuilding for a science fiction story I hope to work on pretty soon. One of the things I've come across in my wanderings of that land is that existence of massive ant swarms that seek to consume everything on the ground. Task forces barely make a dent in the swarms even with their energy cannons. My question is this. In a city subjected to the ant swarms, how do you think the people of the city would build their houses in order to keep them out of the ants' reach? This is science fiction, remember. Advanced architecture.
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 21, 2015 12:13:17 GMT
Well, since it's science fiction, the most obvious answer would be having the houses and other buildings float/fly rather than be on the ground. Of course, if the ants consume everything on the ground, you need the device that makes the buildings float/fly to be either unable to be affected by the ants or solely contained in the houses.
Another idea, assuming that these ants, like Earth ants, can't chew through metal: have the houses be on "stilts". Create a support structure under the building that raises it out of the ants' reach but will still be stable. If there's concern over the ants climbing up the supports, add a sort of deck/"baffle" that extends a few feet out from the house in every direction and is electrically charged on the underside- not a high charge, just enough to zap and kill the ants.
Those are my two initial ideas. For me to give you anything else, I'd need to know more about the area these people are in.
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Post by Lērtāen Miklul on Mar 21, 2015 15:10:07 GMT
@leilani: Those were precisely my two suggestions before I even saw your reply.
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Post by jliessa44 on Mar 22, 2015 2:07:53 GMT
I have just kind of a character building thing I came up with recently.
So your character is forced to choose one emotion that they will feel for the rest of their life. Not necessarily what they normally feel. So a fearful character might want to choose anger or a an angry character might choose sadness. The thing is though, the emotion they choose has to be negative. Like choosing the lesser of evils.
I've found determining what a character would choose where all the options are bad is the most helpful with figuring out their motivation. Especially with the negative emotion choosing.
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Mar 23, 2015 8:14:40 GMT
@leilani: As for more information on the place, it's basically the last shelter of humankind, surrounded on all sides by ravaged white desert. Most of the city is actually an illusion, which the citizens can touch, feel and basically interact with by exoskeletons of nanobot armour, and the illusions are of raw nature—vines arching through swamp, plains of obsidian shards, mountainous stone and bubbling magma. But, thanks for the ideas. I hadn't even considered the idea of floating habitations, but your second suggestion—down to the electrified baffle—was one I had briefly thought of. I'll continue working on my world and considering those two ideas, and we'll see what I find. @miklul: Yeah, Leilani seems to be doing that a bit recently. (Like here: theauthorschair.com/2015/03/21/author-chat-saturday-march-21-2015/ )
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 23, 2015 12:08:12 GMT
Dmitri Pendragon: Ah, got it. So the desert fits with what I was picturing it as. Glad I could help!
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Post by Dmitri Pendragon on Mar 24, 2015 4:38:13 GMT
Leilani Sunblade: I've merged your two ideas and come up with something that I like very much. The houses do float, and the citizens can access them by climbing illusory vines or mountains. Ah, I'm liking this world. Thanks again!
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Mar 24, 2015 12:33:29 GMT
Sounds like a very interesting place to live . . . glad you could get it worked out!
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Post by jliessa44 on Apr 6, 2015 19:31:47 GMT
That moment when you don't know what to name the two antagonists and so you name them UNICORN and PEGASUS.
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Post by Jag Starblade on Apr 6, 2015 19:41:38 GMT
Heh. I've definitely given people (or places, etc.) placeholder names like that. I try to use words that wouldn't be said anywhere else in the story, so that I can easily search for that word and replace it out with an actual name when I think of one I like. However, placeholder names seem to have a tendency to stick...
In the published version of Sword in the Stars, one of the characters still has a placeholder surname - 'Alfex Lastname'.
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Post by jliessa44 on Apr 7, 2015 9:38:16 GMT
Lol. Yeah. I've noticed that tendency too. That's why I picked UNICORN and PEGASUS. Hopefully those won't stick.
Lol. That's funny.
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Post by Ellron Silvertree on Apr 8, 2015 15:52:42 GMT
Heh. I've definitely given people (or places, etc.) placeholder names like that. I try to use words that wouldn't be said anywhere else in the story, so that I can easily search for that word and replace it out with an actual name when I think of one I like. However, placeholder names seem to have a tendency to stick... In the published version of Sword in the Stars, one of the characters still has a placeholder surname - 'Alfex Lastname'. That could be a full placeholder name, actually! "Alfex" is phonetically similar to "I'll fix" :P
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Post by Elytra on Apr 8, 2015 19:21:55 GMT
Or, Leilani Sunblade, buy a big chocolate bar and say if you haven't done this amount of work, give it to your sister and watch her eat it. XD
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Apr 8, 2015 20:44:09 GMT
Elytra Silverfern: Haha. That would probably motivate me.
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Post by jliessa44 on Apr 17, 2015 15:46:03 GMT
Just found this. Pretty sweet for worldbuilding. I haven't messed around with it much yet, but I think it's going to be helpful for figuring out Jaraid. The article linked is for roleplays, but helpful too. qzil.com/kingdom/
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Post by Leilani Sunblade on Apr 17, 2015 16:04:00 GMT
@liessa: Ooh, cool! Thanks for posting it!
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Post by jliessa44 on Apr 18, 2015 1:36:29 GMT
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