Other Any fanfiction writers/readers?

haha, i think my story will be a little more serious than my comics (which are meant to be pretty silly). bunny names probably won't be in it, but if they are, it'd be a really silly mini chapter that wouldn't really have an impact on the story as a whole (or really be included with the main story at all)

i'm going to try to tell the story of my farmer and her building relationships with the characters and the events, good and bad, that happen. like your fic, i'll aim to give a focus on the characters of SDV and expand on them. i guess one thing i wanted to do, but i know i can't do, is to bring in ALL the characters. i did try a chapter of my farmer running around and gifting everyone, but it seemed too elongated and i didn't like it even though some parts were cute. i know a lot of people have focused on sam/abigail/sebastian already but screw it, those are the people my farmer interacts with the most so it'll have a greater focus on those characters and the families involved. maybe if it goes long enough though, there will be chapters where different things happen. i think i just need to take a step back and not have to worry about rushing into it or covering all the possibilities.

(and don't get me started about magic and the community center/joja mart, i barely thought about them OTL )

thank you for your advice and input it is helping me a lot and i'm really gettin the cogs turning in my brain

 

There are two ways to write: Plan it out from A-Z, or fly by the seat of your pants.

I've always had sort of a mixture. I'd get a few ideas and try and work them in where I thought they'd fit.

Starting the story is always the absolute hardest part of the story. But after that it's usually gravy...mmm, gravy. *Homer drool*

Otherwise, you have to choose perspective—third or first person. Each has its benefits and drawbacks. In writing in third person most things are done in the past tense:

[Example]

He ran down the road, fast as his legs would carry him. Whatever followed him was so close he could smell it; a mixture of burnt wood and charcoal that welled a primal fear in his soul.

[End Example]

First person is a bit more lenient with tense, and a bit more versatile, but is a little harder to switch between viewpoints in my opinion.

Proof reading is good too, especially if you're like me and writing this response on a phone with autocorrect that is never correct. ._.;

But above all? Remember it's fan fiction and have fun. It's a labor of love and you're not getting money, so have fun with it and do what makes for the best story.

 

Write what you want to write for sure! It may seem redundant to write what other people do, or what's popular, but it's popular for a reason. Do what you like the most and don't worry about anything else ;D

Most certainly don't try to include everyone unless you want a loooooooong fic. Like in Stardust, it is already stupidly long and only like HALF of the people are really ever mentioned, and a few of those are background characters at best ( Maru and Harvey get mentioned a lot but don't really DO much ) Focus on what you want and revolve around it We'll like it regardless if you put your heart into it!

And remember, it's your story. You can retell the game without adding in EVERYTHING! The JoJa mart can be there but not be a main focus, just like the community center. I made the magic thing up for my story. You said you wanted to keep it interesting and not just re-tell the game story, so by all means, don't feel like you HAVE to add those things in. Heck, you can repair or update the Saloon if you wanted! Or make a store on your farm instead!

 

thank you so much for your input!
THE INTRO REALLY IS THE HARDEST PART THOUGH, MAN. I can't WAIT to get past this. My writing is much more dialogue driven than it is description driven, but the introduction needs so much description and I get caught a lot and trying to not repeat too many words and whatnot, it gets horrible. But, I think after this, I'll get over that rut and I'll be able to focus on what I want for the story and it'll be much more freeing. I'll be doing third person as well, since the story will have scenes that may not involve my farmer. In fact, that's what the first chapter mainly has. It's been interesting and a little difficult to write, but I like it a lot more than my previous attempts.

@Satashi26 yeah, that's a good reminder! There's a very small chance that I'll add everything haha, but I do plan for the fic to be fairly long so maaaaybe everyone will get introduced? But I'm not sure. I'm trying to decide what the definite "end" of the fic will be, but as it has been stated before, I should just focus on having fun really. I'll get there when I get there, I guess? xD

 

@MagicallyClueless And we're all here to help you with anything you need along the way!

 

I don't actually have much experience in the fan fiction scene, which seems to have a lot of rules of its own and is more lenient in a lot of ways but also very specific in others. As for more traditional commercial fiction, a tool one of my professors taught me for writing is to come up with a SCOOD. That stands for Situation, Character, Objective, Opponent, Disaster.

• The Situation is the story problem: the catalyst that launches the story's events. The kick in the pants to get them out the door. Like when Gandalf tells Frodo he has to go on a journey to destroy the One Ring, when Mulan's father is drafted to fight in the Chinese army, or Luke gets the message that he and Obi-Wan have to help Princess Leia.
  
• Character is pretty self-explanatory. Your main character: the person the story follows, who has the greatest character arc and who impacts the world the most. Frodo, Mulan, Luke Skywalker, etc.
• Objective is the protagonist's goal. Destroy the Ring. Save China. Destroy the Death Star.
• The Opponent is the person whose goal clashes with the protagonist's goal. This person/thing generates conflict. Sauron. That dude who led the Huns whose name escapes me. Darth Vadar.
  
• The Disaster is the worst thing that could befall the protagonist. Sauron gets the ring and rules Middle Earth. The Huns take over China. Darth Vadar and co. defeat the rebellion.

My prof told us to format a SCOOD into two sentences. SCO make a sentence, and OD make a question.
So a completed SCOOD could be:

• When Mulan's father is conscripted to join the army in its fight against the Huns, she disguises herself as a man and fights in his place. But when the Huns attack the palace, can Mulan defeat them before they take over the palace and kill the emperor?
• When a wizard tells him a family heirloom is actually a ring of dark power, Frodo and his friends must take it to Mount Doom and destroy it. But can they slip past the mighty Sauron and his allies without letting the ring fall into his hands, granting him enough power to conquer the whole land?
• When Luke comes across a droid with a distressing message, Luke must journey to meet its sender and help her fight the Empire. But can he defeat evil Darth Vadar and the Empire army to destroy the death star before they use it to destroy an entire planet?
• When (s)he is given the deed to her/his family farm, Farmer So-and-So must work his/her new land and join the community of Stardew Valley. But when Joja Mart's scheming manager tries to crush the Valley's unique spirit with his corporate soul-sucking capitalism, can Farmer So-and-So manage to save the town's magic and community spirit before Stardew Valley looks just like every other town on the map?

Unless you're doing a slice-of-life story, or some other kind of thing entirely, a traditional story will kind of fall apart if you don't have all these aspects. Once you do, it's a lot easier to format your story. Whether you want to make an outline with bullet points listing every thing that happens or if you just want to write as it comes to you, that's up to you. Just pick the method that will keep you writing!

So, sorry if that didn't exactly answer the question you asked, but I've found it to be very helpful advice and enjoy sharing it, in case it can help anyone else with a story idea they're working on!

 

@Kastilla I haven't seen something that good since I was taking a writing course in college! *applauds awesome post* That will really help out a lot of people!

 

Thank you so much for this! It did help a lot. I'll try to develop a SCOOD in two sentences and make that the story's major focus. I think a focus is what I need the most (other than, hey farm! time to marry someone!!!) and I talked to another friend who is helping me with my actual writing process. As mentioned before, my writing tends to be much more dialogue driven than description driven. While that isn't really horrible, description is something I really need to practice on and elaborate, especially since I don't really show my fics to people except close friends. So, I need to make something that everyone can get invested in and understand well enough, while still maintaining my own original ideas and plans. I'm really good at coming up with ideas, just not the best at executing them.

bless you all. i love you guys.

 

@MagicallyClueless my fic is like... 70% dialog I think? And people seem to like it! Don't hold back! I'm SUPER excited to see what you can do! I love your comics, and seeing Jade in text form is really exciting to think about!

 

Well if you need any help wording an intro I'd be happy to help, I don't have any formal writing training classes, but I have a few years of fan fiction in my hat.

 

Chapter 17 of Stardust is up and posted! With a secret bonus!

 

Oh! I've only been following you on Fanfiction.net. I'm so far behind!

 

Soooo...

I've got an idea in my head, been spinning it around for a week or two, it could be a good read. So two questions for you lot:

Firstly, where is everyone posting their work? I saw a few posts referencing a sub-forum here, but also FanFiction.net, and while I've heard of them I haven't actually been.

Secondly, is it gauche to post links to it/where would it be acceptable to say, "hey, go read this!" It would be silly to write a thing and then post it but have nobody read it, but I also don't wanna be a twit about it.

I think I've got some decent writing chops, and I really do want to get published someday, and the best way to do so is to practice, so... Here I go, I guess.

 

Some folks post here, some folks have an art account at a website, tumblr, Fanfiction.net, and a partridge in a pear tree.

No, it's not gauche to say, "I wrote stuff, have a look-see?"

Unless you do it in another person's writing thread, which can be seen as rude.

The folks who want to read it will, and the people who like it stick around and keep reading.

 

Most certainly post it and let us know! Start your own thread here under fan works with your story. So it can stay in one spot. And by all means, let us know when there is an update! This thread is all about readers/writers so you'll get some feedback as well a get to know other writers as well!

What is it about, BTW? I'm curious to know!

 

Just finished the first chapter I was writing. But I don't quite know how to condense it into the push button format.

And the italics and bold font changes don't transfer from the word program on my phone to the text box. So it'll take some work to post when I can.

 

Did you type it all on your phone? if you just copy/paste it from wordpad to the text box here it'll keep all the formatting.

 

Afraid I did. I'm not near my PC as much as I'd prefer, so my phone is usually all I have for writing most times.

 

Wow that's harsh! I wish the best for you, and looking forward to seeing what you did!

 

I have the first chapter written of my story, but it's rather short (it's fittingly so) so i'm kinda just writing as much as i can so i have a definite drive of the story before i post it online. Since I have two days to do absolutely nothing until Thursday (i'll be taking my last two exams and move out of the dorm! FREEDOM FOR THE SUMMER) I'll be able to write my lil' heart out.

One of my buddies is helping me with the structure of the story and she said the pacing is pretty good and the description is enough. I'm trying to make my story so it is enjoyable to read even if you don't know anything about Stardew Valley, but at the same time I am trying to provide enough details and care with the characters that a SDV expert will find it enjoyable as well.

I am going to delve into a lot of the unseen world of Stardew Valley, including how absolutely decrepit Pelican Town is. By that, I mean how it used to be a bustling town with so many people, visitors, miners, and farmers, before being reduced to so few inhabitants. In the story, my farmer mistakenly bought a home in a neighborhood that had undergone over 30 years of neglect in the forest, where only ruins of old homes and thick forest land remain. Realizing the mistake, but being far too stubborn, she was determined to live there. The story kicks off with her early business relationship with Robin and her starting her life in Pelican Town.

As for relationships and whatnot, I know what direction I want to go in, but I'll feel better posting online when I have actually written some of it.