tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27501953980125054922024-03-12T20:40:03.311-07:00You Write What?!Fanfiction...because the story ain't over 'til we say it is!Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-77563132427247485922013-03-09T18:34:00.001-08:002013-03-09T18:34:30.382-08:00Cats & Dogs by TheTypeWronger: Tricky Raven March Raven's Read<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Monthly Raven's Read from the wonderful ladies over at Tricky Raven is back on You Write What?!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This month's Raven's Read comes to us from newcomer TheTypeWronger, and according to everything I've heard this is one writer whose work you do NOT want to miss! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><u>Cats & Dogs</u></b> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Author: TheTypeWronger </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Review courtesy of Tricky Raven</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Location: </span><a href="http://trickyraven.ning.com/group/cats-dogs-ff" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" target="_blank">http://trickyraven.ning.com/<wbr></wbr>group/cats-dogs-ff</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Genre: Angst, Friendship, Romance, Supernatural, Fantasy </span><br />
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<b>Summary:</b> Her world has been flipped upside down, on its side and all over again. In a world of supernatural creatures, immeasurable powers, and war, Bella must learn to accept that she was never meant for normal. In the midst of it all is self-discovery, love, and destiny. AU story adopted.</div>
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<b>Review:</b> A newcomer to Tricky <span class="il" style="background-color: #ffffcc;">Raven</span> and making her debut in the world of fanfiction, TheTypeWriter's story has taken our staff and members by storm. </div>
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Smart and funny, Cats & Dogs is the story of one girls incredible journey from hapless teenager into the world of the supernatural. Taking liberties with the mythology of shifters, skinwalkers, psychic's, witches and vampires, TheTypeWronger weaves legend with teenage drama and romance while adding in a healthy dose of humor to keep us <span class="il" style="background-color: #ffffcc;">reading</span>.</div>
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As Bella navigates this new world, her voice gives insight to the characters around her. A mother both flighty and oddly wise who teaches her daughter the skills needed to survive. </div>
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Twisted glimpses inside Quil's Bea Arthur and Milla Jovovich riddled mind. Hormone induced lust circling Embry like a halo. Wise, all-knowing Julian a sort of father figure/mentor. Leah who giggles like a teenage girl over boys and gives out ass-kickings like they're the peach gummies she loves so much. </div>
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Wonderfully written, a world masterfully created, the pages of Cat's & Dog's is a like a big bowl lays. You can't just eat- or in this case <span class="il" style="background-color: #ffffcc;">read</span>- just one. </div>
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<b><i><span style="color: red;">To read some of the best of Twilight Wolfpack fan fiction take a look at TrickyRaven.com. From heart breaking angst to suspense and humor that will make you laugh until you cry...TrickyRaven is the place to find it all.</span></i></b></div>
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Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-35726678300729741992013-02-11T14:01:00.000-08:002013-02-11T14:01:06.012-08:00The 2nd Annual Cold Shower Collection<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's nearly Valentine's Day...that day reserved for hearts and flowers and declarations of love. But if you're not up for all that mushy stuff we've got just the alternative for you...it's the 2nd Annual You Write What?! Cold Shower Collection!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once again, this year we're celebrating the steamy, smutty, best and brightest of fan fiction lemon writing! And we want you to be a part of the fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you write sex scenes so hot they need a disclaimer? Have your stories been known to bring out the hidden hedonist in your readers? Well then The Cold Shower Collection is just the place for you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beginning Valentine's Day Thursday, February 14th we'll spend a full week posting your stories in a special section, giving you a chance to share your own personal brand of lemony goodness with our readers. Each day three authors will be chosen and have the first chapter of their story (or full O/S) posted to the front page of the site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you'd like to be included, here's what you need to do:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Email us at bloggingfanfiction@gmail.com. Include your name, pen name, link to your story and the following details:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you'd like your story to be considered for front page feature please let us know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Tweet us on our twitter feed (@BlogFanfiction) with the link to your story and the hashtag #ColdShowerCollection (must be following us)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That's all it takes! See...told ya it was easy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Join us for The Cold Shower Collection. We're heating up the world...one lemon at a time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>**Note: You Write What?! staff reserves the right to reject a story at anytime and for any reason without notifying the author. Stories featuring the glorification of rape, gratuitous violence, pedophilia, bestiality and incest will not be accepted for posting. </i></span></div>
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Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-76567363418244046812013-02-09T16:16:00.001-08:002013-02-09T16:16:33.476-08:00The Insomniac Writer's Challenge<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>1 HOUR...UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES!</b></div>
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Join You Write What?! tonight at 10pm EST for The Insomniac Writer's Challenge!<br />
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For one hour, join writers from all over as we attempt to do the impossible...harness our muse! All you have to do is follow us on Twitter (@BlogFanfiction). Tweet to let us know you'll be participating. At 10pm I'll tweet "Start". You'll have one hour to write as much as you can...quantity over quality.<br />
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At 11pm EST I'll call "Time." Tweet us your word count (10 minute deadline). Highest word count wins. What do you win? Bragging rights mostly but the point is the fun of writing with other people who are just as stuck as you. lol<br />
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Some come on fellow writers...let's do this!Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-52118017942530678832013-01-29T08:15:00.000-08:002013-01-29T08:16:23.642-08:00It Takes a Village<br />
It Takes a Village<br />
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Being the only ‘creative’ type in my group of ‘real world’ friends I’ve discovered just how different my hobbies are from theirs. I have friends who coupon (a hobby I still don’t quite understand). They sit together with stacks of Sunday paper’s and like military strategists they set to cutting, clipping and trolling the internet until the air around them is filled with newspaper confetti and they’re ready to buy discounted laundry detergent by the cartful. I also have some health nut friends. They Zumba, they yoga, they take a perfectly good Saturday morning when they could be sleeping and go out jogging and sweating…for fun! And I have some single friends who seem to take weekend partying as a hobby. They spend Friday’s lunch hour in the mall, Friday night in a bathroom lifting, plucking, and tweezing and then take a perfectly good Friday night when they could be curled up on the sofa with a book and some tea and instead surround themselves with throngs of frantically dancing sweaty people while drinking overpriced watered down vodka. Yep, I am the oddball. But watching them in all their various pursuits has driven one point home to me.<br />
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Writing is a solitary exercise.<br />
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I don’t consider writing a hobby. It’s my passion, but if I’m going to use my best friends definition (“Do they pay you for it? No? Then it’s a hobby.”) then hobby’s the word we’ll go with. If I had to choose between a million different activities, nine times out of ten I can guarantee I’ll choose writing. I carry napkins in my purse and have a notepad on the passenger’s seat of my car so I can take notes at stop lights. When people tell me about their day or their lives or the funny thing their Grandma Rose did at the family reunion I don’t just laugh – I turn that anecdote around in my head just to see if there’s a story in it. When I hear songs I see scenes. When I hear a great phrase on a commercial I write it down for later use. I’m hopeless. I’m a writer.<br />
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But the more I write the more I notice that while my friends can take the things they love and share it with people who love the same thing, I’ve spent much of my writing life on the sidelines, notebook in hand – alone. Any writer can testify to the awkwardness that ensues when a non-writer says “how’s the book/story going?”. You mistakenly think they actually want to know then are treated to one minute of actual interest followed by ten minutes of vacant staring while you tell them all about how frustrating it is that your main character won’t talk to you. To the rest of the world we are a bit of an anomaly. We love to do something that, by the numbers, isn’t likely to make most of us wealthy or famous. We spend days and nights surrounded by words and images of our own making. We don’t mind turning of the television and escaping into a world we’ve created. We’re strange. But we embrace it.<br />
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So is it a bad thing, this solitary experience? Is it wrong to prefer the company of characters in our minds to people in our lives?<br />
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No.<br />
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And Yes.<br />
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I have an intense pride in the fact that I can find happiness without a crowd around. Unlike many people I don’t mind being alone – I don’t mind the sound of my own voice (you’ve probably picked up on this already) or being with my own thoughts. It’s the attitude I had when I started writing fan fiction. I was happy to write and happy when people enjoyed it but didn’t really think there was any point to interacting with people beyond that. And then something changed.<br />
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It wasn’t really any huge moment. It started with an email. The email said:<br />
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To: TheWrtrInMe<br />
From: DwynArthur<br />
Subject: Still Looking for a Beta?<br />
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Yep, nothing earth shattering there. I opened it and what I thought would be one simple conversation from someone willing to help with my horrific grammar, turned into a friendship I’m sure I’ll value for all of my life. It wasn’t a huge step and I’d only extended my circle by one person, but it changed something. Two months later after reading a particularly interesting story (one of those stories that’s good but you know it could be really REALLY good if the author put in some more time and effort?) I contacted an author. This author wasn’t your run of the mill, in fact, I’d just witness her serving up a heaping helping of “back the fuck off” to a reviewer who’d sent her a flame. She was scary. Surprisingly my email to her didn’t just give me the chance to work with a great author, it was the beginning of a friendship that’s extended beyond the computer and into my real life. I think she is fantastic. She thinks I’m pretty awesome too. We have a friendship full of completely inappropriate conversations and insults hurled at each other that make people think we’re enemies. We are strange. We embrace it. And I never would have met her if I’d been content to be alone; to stay alone.<br />
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There are a million more stories like that and a million writers who’ve come into my life since then: annierocket who is kind and brave and wise beyond her years, SouthernB3lle whose quiet grace lives up to her name, mionerachel one of the most encouraging people I know, who’s become my writing kindred spirit, melixgvardo who helped me see that encouraging someone else to take the writing leap can be almost as satisfying as taking it yourself, Melix875 who is helping to teach an old dog some new tricks. Hundreds of people, some came and went – others have stuck around. All of these people have helped me to see that as much as I love the solitude of writing, there is a special kind of joy when you can find others who love it as much as you – and share your passion with them.<br />
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It’s a village really. A giant extended network of people, just like me, but not just like me, who love what I love. They get emotional over words. They find beauty in a turn of phrase. They understand the frustration of writer’s block and the soul deep satisfaction of finishing a story. Some write in a different style than I do. Some write about different things than I do. Some of them can write a story that makes you laugh so hard you almost pee yourself, and some of their writing can reduce me to racking tears. We’re different in our process but in our passion, we’re the same. And in this village I’ve learned something:<br />
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Writing is a solitary exercise…but it doesn’t mean you have to be alone.<br />
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Now on Fridays when my friends are getting ready to toss back their watered down Amaretto Sours, Saturday morning when they’re headed off to sweat it up to latin drum beats, Sunday afternoon when they’re pouring over the double dollar coupon flyers I feel a little less like I’m missing something. I’m stil strange, I still prefer my laptop and pj’s to stilettos and house music, but now, when they give me the vacant stare I just smile. They don’t get it, but that’s okay.<br />
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Because now, I’m not alone anymore. I belong to a village.<br />
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Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-28607997626167491732013-01-25T22:17:00.001-08:002013-01-25T22:17:10.126-08:00WRITING BOOT CAMP: Got What It Takes?<br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Want to write but can’t stop procrastinating?</span></em></h3>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Started writing but feel like you’re making no progress?</span></em></h3>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Can’t stop editing the same paragraph?</span></em></h3>
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<strong><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then you need to try the EBS Writing Boot Camp!</span></em></strong></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Okay, so if you're anything like me you read this and thought...Holy Crap! These people have been hiding out in my office watching me troll the 'net when I should be writing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Never fear, there are no creepers peering out from your closet. It's the grammar-gifted folks at <a href="http://www.emergencybetaservice.com/" target="_blank">Emergency Beta Service</a> and they've got something wonderful up their sleeve especially for the muse-challenged writer. It's the EBS Writing Boot Camp!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The process is exactly the way I like it: EASY as 1-2-3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. Set a Goal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. Get a Beta</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Reach Your Goal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course, hidden between numbers 2 and 3 is the invisible 'get up off your lazy butt and write', but that's a given, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So if you find yourself sometimes falling behind your writing goals, stuck in the middle of a story and seemingly unable to move forward, this might just be the thing for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hop on over to the Emergency Beta Service website (<a href="http://www.emergencybeta.com/">www.emergencybeta.com</a>) and get all the details. Tell 'em we sent you (we don't get anything for that...just sounded good.)</span></div>
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Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-17286363468579190702013-01-25T21:58:00.000-08:002013-01-25T21:58:05.198-08:00Adventures in Twific- Part Two: The Deed is Done<br />
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I did it! I can't really believe it...but I did. </div>
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Yes, I'm sure you're reading this and thinking "It's just fan fiction lady...it's not like you saved us from going over the fiscal cliff" and to that I would say - You're right. And Wrong (and I have some ideas about that fiscal cliff. Tell Barack to call me).</div>
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It <em>is</em> fan fiction, and to some that means it's just something to do. But I'm one of those people who's just nutty enough to believe that there are lessons to be learned in every corner of our lives if we're open to seeing them. Some of these lessons are big: Don't stick a knife in a light socket. Don't give your social security number to the King of Africa when he sends you an urgent email. You get my drift.</div>
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And some of these lessons are small, the golden nugget moments that usually hide in the inane, everyday tasks we do and regular situations we find ourselves in. Big or small, everyday we get a chance to learn something.</div>
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So while I may be waxing a bit poetic about something people would consider 'normal', I have gleaned a lesson from it and you, dear reader, are the lucky recipient of said advice.</div>
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It's never too late to try something new.</div>
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Yep, it's deep. Let me give you a moment to digest.</div>
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Done? Good.</div>
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I'd spent a couple years in a different fandom - one where I was well received, reasonably well known and seriously comfortable. I knew my readers, they knew me and the stories I wrote came fairly easy...most of the time. I didn't have to worry about the anxiety of building a new fan base. I didn't have to worry about making new friends or challenging myself as a writer. It was like that ratty pair of flannel pajama bottoms - the ones with frayed hems and a drawstring half hidden inside the waistband. The ones that are your friend through weight loss, weight gain and bloated visits from Aunt Flo. I loved my fandom. I still do.</div>
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But the time had come to move on or at least branch out. Terrifying though it was I did it. I had one hell of a beta (shout out to Meliz875) and some amazing friends encouraging me and when I finally hit 'post' I half expected a crowd of well wishers to pop out of my closet with confetti and wine (they didn't by the way. I'm married to a cop...he'd have shot them for sure).</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em;">
So, the deed is done. And GOD does it ever feel good. I've got bright shiny new fan fic accounts and an empty inbox just waiting for alerts (please God tell me that they'll be alerts).</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em;">
My story is called 'After All', it's a Jacob/Bella story, all about their first time, that is equal parts sweet and panty melting hot. I hope you'll take it for a spin. I hope you'll like it, but most of all I hope you'll learn a bit of a lesson from me.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1em;">
If there's something you've been scared to do. Something your itching to try even though fear and doubt are tap dancing on your 'can do', don't be afraid. Get out and try...cuz it's never too late.</div>
Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-69567688411613856802013-01-24T13:43:00.002-08:002013-01-24T13:43:47.500-08:00Adventures in Twific - Part 1<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Today
feels a little bit like the first day of High School. You know how it was, you
picked out what you thought would be the perfect outfit, made sure all your
folders and that cute little plastic pencil packet where organized in your
Trapper Keeper (yeah...I'm that old). Then you spent a night laying in bed
without sleeping, thinking about how wonderful or how horrible the next day
might be. It could go either way, but either way - it was gonna be a big day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">So
I'm there again. Thankfully it's with significantly less acne, and awkward
social graces (and also without the Trapper Keeper which sucks, cuz I really
liked those). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">After
much thought and some encouragement and gentle prodding by my wonderful Twific
friends I have decided to take the plunge and throw my hat in the ring as an
official Twilight fan fiction writer (I say official but what does that
mean...do we get certificates? Gold plated name badges? T-shirts that say 'I
love Smut'?). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">When
I first considered it, the very idea terrified me. I've spent 2 years writing
for a very small fandom based on a kid's show so over there I was a medium
sized fish in a pretty small pond. But Twilight...that's like the 'Big Show'
for fan fiction. In this fandom people take their writing seriously and the
fans take their reading seriously. The expectations to produce quality stories
and commit to finishing them is high. It's one of the things I've always loved
about the fandom - and one of the things that's got my stomach in a knot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">What
if I suck? Like really suck?! What if I get some details wrong or my theories
on imprinting are frowned upon? What if my desire to see Edward banished to any
of the four corners is met with derision (yes...I know no one on this site
would deny me that wish)? What if I'm flamed, or (sometimes worse) stalked by
crazy reader fans?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">There
were a million what-ifs, most of them even more ridiculous than the ones I've
listed here. But I'm a big girl. Old enough to remember typewriters and mobile
phones that had to be carried in suitcases. I can pull on my big girl panties
and face my fear right? Right?!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">So.
Here I sit, fingers poised over the keyboard. I have a short story I've written
or another fandom that screamed "Jacob & Bella" and once I got
started on the revamp it took on a life of it's own, one I'm excited to share
with anyone who wants to read it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Because
that's what it's all about right? Remembering the love of writing. Enjoying the
way your mind can take these characters and put them in situations even you, as
the creator, are surprised to find them in. To have the joy of being lucky
enough to find a few like minded people who encourage you, support you, kick
your butt when you need it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Yep,
that's what it's about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">The
what-ifs are still there. Who knows, they may always be there. But you know
what else is there now? </span><span style="font-family: Ebrima; line-height: 150%;">Me,
ready to take the leap.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Even
if I have to do it without my Trapper Keeper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Wolfy
Twi-love,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Dee</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">My
new story ‘After All’ is in the works and will be posted to:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Archive
of Our Own (BlogFanfiction)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Fanfiction.net
(BlogFanfiction)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Tricky
Raven (TheWrtrInMe)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;">Or
you can follow me on Twitter @BlogFanfiction<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: Ebrima;"><br /></span></div>
Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-92082002218275993022012-11-07T06:36:00.000-08:002012-11-07T06:36:03.783-08:0030 Days to 50K: The Beginning<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As many of you know, November is National Novel Writing Month, more commonly known as NaNoWriMo. Each year thousands of authors around the world take part in the challenge to pen 50,000 words in 30 days.<br />
<br />
This month Dee and myself (Nikki) have chosen to take on the challenge, and share our experiences along the way with YWW? readers. We'll be checking in here each week, talking about our progress, the ups and downs of the challenge, and perhaps even sharing some excerpts from our work. Essentially, YWW? will be our writing journal for the next 30 days.<br />
<br />
We hope readers can enjoy walking along this path with us and getting a glimpse at the way the mind of a writer sometimes works.<br />
<br />
Without further ado....<br />
<br />
<b>Dee:</b><br />
<br />
<b>November 1, 2012 – 6:00am</b><br />
<br />
Today is the first day of NaNoWriMo.<br />
<br />
This year, I’m gonna make NaNoWriMo my bitch.<br />
<br />
Please pardon my French, but this blog post is supposed to be about my reactions to the month long<br />
basket of crazy that is NaNoWriMo – and this is exactly what I thought. All of our posts this month will<br />
be like that – honest honest reactions to what this journey is like – really like. The highs and lows, the<br />
successes (which I hope are many) and the failures (which I pray are few). Taking on the beast that is<br />
NaNoWriMo is a hard thing, definitely not for the faint of heart. But for those of us who have decided to<br />
take the plunge, the payoffs far outweigh the risks.<br />
<br />
NaNoWriMo, for those of you who are unfamiliar, is an acronym for ‘National Novel Writers Month’<br />
and, true to its name, it is a national event where writers attempt to do the impossible – write a novel<br />
(or 50,000 words) in 30 days. Sounds crazy right?<br />
<br />
That’s because it is.<br />
<br />
There are a million reasons why someone would be nuts enough to give it a shot: developing the<br />
discipline of writing everyday – giving themselves a daily writing goal and working hard to achieve<br />
it, forcing themselves to move past their inner critic long enough to put pen to paper (or fingers to<br />
keyboard) and pull the stories rattling around in their heads into reality and, for some, just to be able<br />
to say they did it. Whatever the reason for taking the journey, those of us who join in the fray, rushing<br />
toward the 50k marker, start out with the brightest of hopes and pray that we’ll make it.<br />
<br />
So today I begin. I’m not alone in this journey – which makes it a bit easier. At the moment my heart<br />
is filled with the hope that when midnight rolls around on November 30 th I’ll be able to count myself<br />
among the winners. Yep, I’m feeling pumped, encouraged, unbeatable – like some punk rock, ninja<br />
warrior bent on world domination –using plot structure and character development instead of<br />
numchucks and poisoned daggers. I feel like a winner – let’s hope that feeling stays.<br />
<br />
Cuz this year – I’m making NaNoWriMo my bitch.<br />
<br />
<b>Nikki:</b><br />
<b>November 1, 2012</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
My life is pretty much insane. I like to think of it as a big state of organized chaos, as most of it is self-imposed. Don't believe me? Let me elaborate: I work 40+ hours a week as a supervisor in social services. I intern at a crisis shelter for 25 hours a week as part of finishing my Master's Degree. I also have about four WIPs in the fan fiction world, write for Examiner.com, and have a life that somehow manages to get balanced in there.<br />
<br />
So how the hell am I going to fit in writing a 50K novel? The answer: I have no freaking clue.<br />
<br />
Every year I take the NaNoWriMo journey, and every year so far I've fallen short. Lack of time wasn't an issue in past years, but lack of motivation and an overwhelming case of writer's block always managed to slow me down or put my writing to a halt. This year, the plot bunnies are dancing and although time is scarce, the motivation is there because my goal is to be a published author by the end of 2013.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The goal for NaNo is to get to 50K words
by the end of November. Of course I also strive to hit that number, but my own
personal goal for the month is to </span>produce as much quality writing
as I can given the demands of life. I might not hit 50K, but I’m okay with
that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Most people would have a general idea of
what they’re planning on writing when they start NaNo. I don’t this time around.
I’ve decided to let my mind take me where it wants to go, and as the story
starts to shape up, I’ll post my novel information and begin to post my
chapters. I’ve always been one for structure in my day-to-day life, but when it
comes to writing I just can’t do it. I would struggle with an outline, I’d feel
like I was cheating my characters if I didn’t let them guide me down the path
of the story, and I would feel like I was limiting myself and my creative
abilities. Obviously a lot of writers use these when drafting their creations,
but for me, it just doesn’t work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So, here I go! I’m venturing down a
well-beaten path in hopes of coming out on the other side with the start of
what could eventually become my first published piece of literature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Welcome to NaNo season! Cheers to it!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703618652492821961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-14623037518316433652012-10-11T19:09:00.001-07:002012-10-11T19:25:36.537-07:00Self Promotion 101: Pimp Your Fic, Part II
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Last time we talked about </span><a href="http://bloggingfanfiction.blogspot.com/2012/09/self-promotion-101-pimp-your-fic.html" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">five tips to promoting your fan fiction masterpiece</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: #343434;"></span></span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">To review, here
they are:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Tip # 1. Dedicate Accounts
Exclusively to Your Fanfic Writing. <br />
Tip # 2. Put Your Profile to Work. <br />
Tip # 3. Create a Provocative Story Description. <br />
Tip # 4. Direct Your Contacts To Your Fic. <br />
Tip # 5. Broadcast Your Updates</span></i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">These next five tips build upon the
previous five and I’m making some assumptions: you’ve got dedicated
Twitter/Facebook/tumblr/blog accounts under the same name as your fan fiction
identity; your profile is reflective of your writing persona and directs
readers to your work; your story description is intriguing and compels
potential readers to check out your first chapter; you’ve appended the story’s
hyperlink to all social networking profiles and communications; and you’ve
begun to alert current readers when you post new chapters. *Rubs hands together
excitedly.* Excellent! Let’s go!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Now, not to freak you out, but here
are the facts: FanFiction currently lists </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">200,300</span></i></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Twilight</span></i></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">
stories. Did you know that? And look at the rest of these:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Harry Potter —- — — 606,892 fics <br />
Narturo —-— —309,171 fics <br />
Glee —- — —78,658 fics <br />
Supernatural —- — —65,912 fics <br />
Buffy —- — —44,593 fics <br />
NCIS —- — —31,687 fics <br />
Bones —- — —18,235 fics <br />
Grey’s Anatomy —- — —12,307 fics <br />
iCarly —- — —12,754 fics <br />
Castle —- — —10,815 fics <br />
Once Upon a Time —- — —4,150 fics <br />
Pretty Little Liars —- — —2,953 fics <br />
Walking Dead —- — —1,988 fics</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Okay, calm down. I’m not trying to
make you feel insignificant. My point is that getting eyeballs on your story
can be a challenge. You’ve already figured that out; hence your eyeballs on
this article.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Here’s the deal … what you get out
of your marketing efforts is directly proportionate to what you put into them.
Ocular (eyeball) traffic isn’t about the quality of the work itself. Sorry. It
just isn’t. The world is full of brilliance that never saw the light of day
because no one bought a megaphone and stood up on the bleachers at half time to
sing it’s praises. Quality will, however, affect your retention rates — how
well you keep those eyes coming back — but that’s a topic for another day.
Today we’re talking about traffic, a.k.a. eyeballs, clicks, views, visitors,
and reviews. These things require provocative marketing tactics with a hard
focus on recency and frequency.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Am I saying you’re gonna have to
brag? Hell, yes! What if it’s hard or embarrassing? Assume it will be. What if
you annoy some people? You can count on it, so get over yourself, cupcake. If
you’re here to be well liked by everyone, you’re in the wrong business. If you
are here to share the wonderfulness that is your story with those eager readers
who will fall in love with it and be forever changed by it, then this is a good
place to start.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Look, you obviously had the
ovaries/cojones to post a story. Apparently, you’ve gotten it into your head
that your story deserves more ocular traffic than it’s currently getting. So,
guess what? You’re already up to your armpits in bragging activity. You
might as well hold your nose and take a dive. So — ego in park, brain in third
gear, let’s get going!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">********</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tip # 6. Tease, tease, tease.</span></b><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">G<span style="color: #343434;">et people interested
enough to click on a link to your story. The tease generates new readers and
keeps current ones hungry for more. Keep a list of all your social media
followers who have self-identified as your readers. How do you get readers to
self-identify? Ask them! Announce in your chapters that you give progress
updates, excerpts, and sneak peeks on Twitter (from now on, I’ll just say
twitter, but know I mean Facebook/blog/tumblr, etc). Some will bite, some will
just lurk, and that’s okay.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Once you have that list of
self-identified reader tweeps, notify them personally when you tweet a tease.
What’s a tease, you ask? It can be anything from:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">A) A quote</span></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> … which fits in a tweet. If you have to use a tool like </span><a href="http://www.mastermindblogger.com/2010/tools-that-let-you-post-longer-than-140-characters-tweets-on-twitter/" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">TweetCut</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>to shorten the text to fit in the tweet, do it. Even better --
choose a short but powerful quote that fits in the social media field without
abbreviation! Discussion of the mandatory components will follow in the next
tip. <br />
</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">B) An excerpt</span></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> … which requires a tool like </span><a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/index.php/main_new" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Twitlonger</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">. I recently used to deploy a 2,500 word excerpt of an upcoming
chapter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">C) A full-on chapter preview</span></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> … which is just that — an early reading of a not-yet-posted
chapter. This will most likely require the use of </span><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Dropbox</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: black;">.</span></span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> Dropbox allows you to save a file to a secure site, then
provides you with a short link to that file which you can then deploy through
social marketing channels.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">D) A review of a recent chapter</span></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> … which is exactly that. You’ll need </span><a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/index.php/main_new" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Twitlonger</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> for this, but keep it short. “Here’s what readers are saying … bla
bla bla.” </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">When you have a new chapter to
announce, send out 2-4 tweets spread throughout that first day it posts. Do
this every day, experimenting with which days of the week and what times of the
day net the greatest response rate. How do you determine response rate? Keep a
close eye on the<i> Traffic Stats>Story Stats</i> graphs on your
fanfiction account and on your trackable hyperlink back to the chapter. More on
that later. Keep tweeting, decreasing in number as you go, until the URL is no
longer being accessed, or until you post your next chapter.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">If you wanna go hard core, there
are services that will automatically deploy your tweets at predetermined times.
If you do do that, always alter your text. No one wants to see the same thing
over and over.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Whenever possible, use your story's
full title. The more your readers, tweeps, and friends hear the title inside
their heads, the more likely they are to remember it. Be careful, there is a
fine line between promoting and spamming. Use that Twitter account to interact,
have fun, and build relationships with your tweeps. You want the majority of
your tweets to be from you -- the person -- not you the Mac Daddy of fic pimps!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tip # 7. Track Your Following.</span></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> In an ideal situation, every marketing effort will net you
either quantifiable results; education you can put to work informing future
marketing choices.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">An effective chapter announcement
might look like this:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #fb0007; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="color: black;">'Taking One 4 the Team' CH208 The
When & the How: A Bone to Pick - the recent chapter in a</span> </span></i><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/?q=%23Bones&src=savs" style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">#Bones</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #fb0007; font-family: Georgia;"> <span style="color: black;">romance</span></span></i><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></i><a href="http://bit.ly/QepuHn" style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">http://bit.ly/QepuHn</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Or,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/?q=%23Bones&src=savs"><i><span style="color: #2749ff; font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">#Bones</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #fb0007; font-family: Georgia;"> <span style="color: black;">Chasing Cars: S7 Finale Story! What happened off screen B4 Bren
left the Christening.</span></span></i><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></i><a href="http://bit.ly/K8MW4k" style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;">http://bit.ly/K8MW4k</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></i><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">A quote for that same chapter might
look like this:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">"That would depend on if you
were the kisser or the kissee," said Booth. "Should we
experiment?" Ch 208 TWATH:AB2P</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></i><a href="http://bit.ly/QepuHn" style="color: blue;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia; text-decoration: none;">http://bit.ly/QepuHn</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">At the very least, every effort
should contain the following:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">A) Provocative text … the quote,
excerpt, preview, review of your fic. To see samples of each of these, check
out my </span><a href="http://shesgotmoxiedotnet.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/pimp-your-fic-chapter-quotes-excerpts-previews-and-reviews/" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">samples</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">. <br /> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">B) The source of the information …
the name of your chapter/story. This can be</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><span>▪<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">The full title:</span><span style="color: #fb0007; font-family: Georgia;"> <span style="color: black;">‘The When and the How: A Bone to Pick’</span></span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><span>▪<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">A squished title: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">‘TheWhen&theHow:ABone2Pick'</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><span>▪<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">The title’s acronym once it’s achieved
name recognition: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;">‘TWATH:AB2P’</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">C) A trackable link back to your
story/chapter. This requires the use of another very simple tool which will
create a unique and trackable URL for your chapter/story. I use bitly.com. Copy
and paste the new chapter hyperlink from FanFiction.net into bitly. Bitly
shortens the URL from something like this:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">'http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7177882/208/The-When-and-the-How-A-Bone-to-Pick' </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">to look like something like this:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">'http://bit.ly/QepuHn' </span></i><i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Now, I can either deploy a tweet
straight from bit.ly, or I can copy the URL and use it where ever I want. Bit.ly
tracks every time that link is clicked and provides me with that information.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">D) Hashtag to fandom threads.
Always include the hashtag (#) for your fandom. For example, #BONES, #ICARLY, #NCIS!Twitter
followers visit the threads of these accounts to see what’s going on, to chat
with others who love their show, and to find other tweeps to follow. This is
the perfect place to find fellow fans who may become readers one day. However,
interact here, don’t just pimp. People want to know you are a person, not a
machine. People don’t have relationships with machines. Well, none that we can
talk about here on this website at least!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">If you make sure your tweets
contain those components, and you watch the activity they generate, you will
soon learn what works and what needs improvement. As long as something works,
keep doing it!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tip # 8 Return the Favor.</span></b><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">When yo<span style="color: #343434;">u are
fortunate enough to have another writer comment publicly about your story, do
the same for them. If you read another writer’s story, make sure you review
generously. Every review is precious to me … but there’s something especially
sweet about a review from another writer. Your fellow writers know what it
takes to birth a chapter. A nod from one of these precious people hits me right
between the eyes and sets my writer's heart on fire. What comes around goes around,
people. Spread the love and it will come back to you in unexpected ways. But,
do it out of love, not looking for something back. That’s not what this is
about. If you want respect in any endeavor, you first have to give it.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">If someone asks you to read their
work, be gracious and do it if you can. I struggle with this myself because I
feel like I’m cheating off someone else’s homework when I read other fics in my
own fandom. On top of that, I find myself overwhelmed as it is with my own
writing and endless reviewing. However, you don’t have to read another person’s
whole 208 chapters … just take a look at a couple and comment on what you
appreciate about it. And always … always … without exception, compliment in
public, provide constructive criticism in private. It should go without saying
that if you ain’t got no money, take your broke ass home. In other words, if
you have nothing nice to say and you have not been explicitly asked for
feedback by the writer … keep your comments to yourself and move on. #ThatIsAll</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tip # 9. Above All, Be a Gracious
Recipient.</span></b><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">One of the best
tools for the fanfic writer is the website engine itself. Not only do they
provide activity metrics in the Traffic Stats section, they also provide you
with other invaluable tools. Quite frankly, it is amazing we are able to get
this kind of marketing for free!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">On the
Account>Settings>Account Options section of your fanfiction.net account,
make sure you have elected to Accept Private Messages. Then, under Alerts>Settings/Guide>Alert
Settings, make sure you have elected to be notified about Plus+ Alerts, Review
Alerts, Author Alerts, and Story Alerts.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">When you receive a notification
from fanfiction.net that someone new is following your story, go to their
profile and send them a personal message welcoming them to your story and
thanking them for their readership.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">When someone Favorites your fic, or
you personally, well, that act deserves a bouquet of flowers and a box of cyber
chocolates because this person has just given you free pimpage. Yes! Every time
you post something, those people will receive an email alert. How slick is
that? Just remember, every message is an opportunity to be gracious, welcoming,
and proactive about promoting your work.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">When you receive a review, always
respond and thank the reader for taking the time to share their thoughts with
you. (Are you noticing a theme here? It’s called ‘expressing appreciation’)
Readers frequently get so engrossed in a story that they whip from chapter to
chapter without stopping to breathe, much less write a review. Their time is as
important as yours is … thank them for choosing to spend some of it on giving
back to you.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Regular reviewers are golden. They
are your cream, but the lurkers and anonymous reviewers are your bread and
butter. I promise. Acknowledge them in the opening notes of your next chapter.
Never, ever, deride lurkers, anonymous reviewers or one and done reviewers. Not
all people come to fan fiction looking for a relationship. Many come solely to extend
their experience of their favorite character universe. Readers don’t owe you
anything. You chose to write that story and put it up there. They have taken
nothing from you. If they choose to express their appreciation, that is a gift
to you. Treat it as such.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Tip # 10. Become a Pundit.</span></b><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> And the last tip … write an article for a website like this.
Get your name out there. That’s how you garner greater ocular traffic, drive
more eyeballs in the direction of your brain child. That being said, allow me
to lay some pimpage on you:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Interact with me on Twitter at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MoxieGirl44" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">@MoxieGirl44</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">, <br />
</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Peruse my </span><a href="http://bit.ly/su66MR"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia;">Bones Titles</span></u></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">, </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Or, hell, just go straight to the
blurb of my magnum opus … </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://bit.ly/KInddld" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The When and the How: A Bone to Pick</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://bit.ly/KInddld"><span style="color: blue;"> </span></a><i> “Following VNM's death & spurred by an unlikely
catalyst, B&B navigate the rough terrain of their neglected relationship.
Facing their mutual pain over the previous year while working a shocking case,
they discover the true meaning of partnership—in life & in love. Quoted by
one reader: "This story will make you laugh and cry, think and feel. It's
the secret that every Bones lover deserves to be let in on." </i></span><i><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 24pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">If you’re a Bones aficionado,
sample a chapter: </span><a href="http://bit.ly/J6iytu" style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">‘A DreamIs A Wish Your Heart Makes’</span></a><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;">There. Now that wasn’t so bad, was
it? Now get to work, chop, chop!</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;">Written By <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/%7Emoxiegirl">Catherine Cabanela </a></span> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%20https://twitter.com/MoxieGirl44">@MoxieGirl44</a> </span>
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Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703618652492821961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-51185319094034617122012-10-11T10:52:00.001-07:002012-10-11T10:52:24.593-07:00Tricky Raven presents 'A Haunting in Forks'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The arrival of October brings many things: crisp fall air, hot apple cider, the changing of leaves, and of course, Halloween. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This Halloween, celebrate the season with our friends over at Tricky Raven. The site has several fun features running during the month of October, including:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The Witches Cauldron: A place for fans to share their favorite Halloween recipes.</div>
<div>
The Ghost of Halloween Past: A place where fans can share their favorite Halloween memories.</div>
<div>
Haunted Hallway: Story recs that definitely aren't for the faint of heart.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition to these cool site additions, Tricky Raven is hosting a variety of Halloween-themed contests, including A Haunting in Forks, which is open to both readers and writers! Make sure to visit the Tricky Raven <a href="https://twitter.com/TrickyRaven">twitter</a> account, where you'll find even more Halloween tweets! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Visit Tricky Raven here: <a href="http://trickyraven.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network">http://trickyraven.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network</a>.</div>
</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703618652492821961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-32012684361711323992012-09-06T11:46:00.000-07:002012-09-06T11:46:10.790-07:00Self Promotion 101: Pimp Your Fic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
My parents raised two computer engineers, an apparel designer, a horticulturist, and me. And what did<br />
I, the English major, end up doing when I grew up? Mostly sales and marketing, but I’ve always dreamed<br />
of being a published fiction writer. Twenty-five years ago I read a book that said if you write your<br />
dreams down, they will come true. So, I did. And I waited. Then I waited some more. Nothing happened.<br />
Then, about a year ago, we got a Netflix account and before I knew it, I got sucked into the Fox<br />
drama ‘Bones’ universe.<br />
<br />
When the current season at the time ended, I had the same reaction that has compelled many viewers<br />
and readers, serial game-players and Manga connoisseurs, to begin writing fanfiction. It went something<br />
like this: “What?! Are you kidding me?! I can’t believe it! Nooooooooooooo!” Followed by lots of ugly<br />
crying.<br />
<br />
For days I walked around in panicked circles. “It can’t end like this!” I cried to anyone who would<br />
listen. “These two characters are in love and they deserve to be together. We, the viewing public, want<br />
to see them get together! The show needs more of this and less of that and perhaps this other character<br />
should be resurrected from the dead and the other guy who’s in jail for manslaughter— well that should<br />
turn out to be a really bad hallucination from some tainted sushi!”<br />
<br />
You know how it goes; you’ve been there. Your experience may have been different, but your passion,<br />
your soul’s absorption of the make-believe universe, at some point, compelled you to find a way to<br />
become part of that make-believe universe. That’s when you learned about … FanFiction!<br />
<br />
So, you read. And read some more. Or, maybe you never read, you just wrote. You wrote in a frenzy of<br />
imagined conversations and furtive glances, blistering conflicts and feats of unimaginable valor. And<br />
maybe you even wrote about sex. All kinds of phenomenal, acrobatic, multi-orgasmic, love-crazed,<br />
phantasmagorical sex. Whew!<br />
<br />
So, here you are. You wrote it, or like me, are still writing it. And you want more people to read it.<br />
Because, well, you think it’s pretty dang good and so do both of your reviewers, right? So, how do you<br />
get more readers to your story? You could yell, but on the internet, nobody can hear you scream ...<br />
unless you make a video, and, well, good luck with getting people to click on that hyperlink. People don’t<br />
like to be yelled at.<br />
<br />
So, how do you do it? How do you draw the masses to your brainchild? Well, you put on your nattiest<br />
full-length purple overcoat and every single scrap of jewelry you own, you gas-up your bouncy-trouncy<br />
<br />
ride, and you hit the road. That’s right, you go pimping. You pimp that puppy like she were of alabaster<br />
skin, raven hair, legs that go all the way up, hips that just won’t quit, and a bountiful bust-line that could<br />
satisfy an army.<br />
<br />
Some people prefer to call it gratuitous self-promotion, but lets face it people, if you wanna get heard,<br />
or in this case, read, you gotta go pimp your fic. If you’re not comfortable with that moniker, then call<br />
it ‘getting the word out about that fabulous story you wrote about a universe and cast of characters that<br />
you’ve come to love like your own children or future children.’<br />
<br />
Well, I am no pimp-master and there’s more than one way to get the word out, but I do okay. I’ll tell you<br />
what ‘I’ do in the first five of ten easy steps for the neophyte, wannabe fic pimp. You’ll have to tune back<br />
in next time for tips #6-10!<br />
<br />
<b>Tip # 1. Dedicate Accounts Exclusively to Your Fanfic Writing.</b> Maybe you already have accounts under<br />
your own name on facebook, twitter, tumblr, a blog, and the like. Create accounts dedicated almost<br />
exclusively to your fanfic writing. Be your writing persona on these accounts and let that writer’s freak<br />
flag fly, baby! If that means blocking some of your friends and family members, co-workers and your<br />
pastor, so you can hang loose, do it! Out of the twenty-five adults in my family, only two are not blocked<br />
from my MoxieGirl44 twitter account. One of those is my husband. I have a separate account that I<br />
communicate with my family on. MoxieGirl44 is for me and my readers.<br />
<br />
<b>Tip # 2. Put Your Profile to Work.</b> Your personal profile on your fic site serves one purpose: to introduce<br />
yourself to your prospects and make them want to read your fic. Your profile is a sample of your<br />
writing… so treat it that way. Be succinct and direct, friendly and honest. My profile immediately tells<br />
the reader that, a) I am in love with the Bones characters and storyline, and that’s what compelled me<br />
to write, b) this is my first attempt at fanfic and intended to be of rough draft quality, c) my dream has<br />
always been to be a published fiction writer, d) these are my titles and what they are about, and e) I<br />
hope they enjoy reading them.<br />
<br />
Also, if there is something distinctive about your fics that sets them apart, make sure to mention that.<br />
This allows the reader to either self-select or self-eliminate from the get-go. Believe me, this is a good<br />
thing. If they are not going to enjoy your writing, you don’t want them reading it and leaving a negative<br />
review … simply because what you write is not to their taste. For example, I mention that my fics are PG-<br />
13. This makes a difference for some readers.<br />
<br />
One last thing: choose a profile pic you really like and never change it. It doesn’t have to be of you, but it<br />
should be consistent. This is called ‘branding’. Use it in the profiles of all your social media. You want<br />
readers to immediately confirm that they have found you when they search for you on facebook,<br />
twitter, tumblr, fandom community sites, blogs, and anywhere else you will be talking about your love<br />
of the protagonists in your fandom. It helps to have the same name everywhere you go, if at all possible.<br />
On fanfiction.net and Bonesology, I’m MoxieGirl. Everywhere else, because that wasn’t available, I’m<br />
MoxieGirl44. But everywhere, I have the same headshot avatar (unless the site doesn’t allow it), so<br />
readers know they have found me.<br />
<br />
<b>Tip # 3. Create a Provocative Story Description.</b> Be provocative, intriguing. ‘Ron has a crush on<br />
Hermione, but doesn’t want her to know. Harry plays quiddich and catches the golden snitch’, isn’t<br />
going to cut it. Try, ‘Harry and Ron fall into a dormant volcano that’s about to erupt for the first time in<br />
1,000 years. Will Hermione get to them in time and what shocking secret will she learn if she does? Who<br />
finds out about their misadventure and goes to extraordinary lengths to nearly get the trio expelled from<br />
Hogwarts for life, dying in the attempt?’<br />
<br />
Read the story descriptions of other writers and notice which ones make you want to read the story!<br />
Then write a description like they did.<br />
<br />
<b>Tip # 4. Direct Your Contacts To Your Fic.</b> A hyperlink to your writing profile or your fic should appear on everything you put out for the (appropriate) masses to see. Make the website address for your writing<br />
profile, or your best fic, a permanent part of your email signature, your Twitter profile, your facebook<br />
homepage, your fanfic blog, any fandom sites, and on any online articles are media where you make a<br />
comment.<br />
<br />
<b>Tip # 5. Broadcast Your Updates.</b> Whenever you make a change, ans especially when you post a new<br />
story or chapter, let everyone know! Tweet about it, making sure to include a trackable hyperlink and,<br />
just as importantly, a hashtag actively followed by members of your fandom. What’s that? For Bones,<br />
it’s #Bones, or #BonesHitatus, or a variant of those. You can find out what hashtags are used by your<br />
fandom by doing a quick search in Twitter using the ‘# Discover’ function on your twitter homepage on<br />
the twitter website.<br />
<br />
Be careful though, more than once or twice at a time is frowned upon. You don’t want people to block<br />
you or report you for spam. Just drop a couple reminders every once in awhile and see what happens.<br />
When you are first starting out, tweet directly to those who are your self-identified readers following<br />
you. Once you get a substantial following, people will know to watch out for your broadcasts and this<br />
will no longer be necessary.<br />
<br />
Tune in next time for the next 5 tips:<br />
<br />
Tip # 6. Tease, Tease, Tease<br />
Tip # 7. Track Your Following<br />
Tip # 8 Return the Favor<br />
Tip # 9. Above All, Be a Gracious Recipient<br />
Tip # 10. Become a Pundit<br />
<br />
See you soon! Keep writin’ fanfic!<br />
<br />
<i>Author: Catherine Cabanela, Guest Blogger</i><br />
Fanfic Writer, <a href="http://bit.ly/su66MR">‘The When and the How: A Bone to Pick, An Epic Bones Romance’</a><br />
<br />
MoxieGirl on <a href="http://bit.ly/MG44Prfil">FF.net</a><br />
MoxieGirl44 on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/MoxieGirl44">Twitter</a><br />
</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703618652492821961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-27035864456553393942012-09-06T11:40:00.002-07:002012-09-06T13:18:59.582-07:00Getting Over the Fear of Posting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
First Post<br />
<br />
You’ve tossed the idea around in your head a thousand times. You’ve read dozen of<br />
fics; some made you afraid to try writing a story that could stand alongside it. Then there<br />
are those fics you wonder how the author ever thought to pass it off in your fandom! But<br />
you decide to take the dive.<br />
<br />
You come up with the best story plot ever! Or, at least it’s awesome to you. You’ve<br />
spent days writing the first chapter, using your favorite character as the hero and the<br />
worst characters as the villains. The Terms of Use and Guidelines have been read and<br />
agreed to. It all comes down to the click of a button and it’s done.<br />
<br />
Two hours have passed and you can’t help but go back on the site and see if anyone<br />
has read your first chapter of your very first fan fiction. Your heart skips a beat when you<br />
see you’ve had 5 visitors and 20 hits to your tale; but no reviews. You read the chapter<br />
over again, smiling at your accomplishment . . . that is until you find the three missed<br />
spell words and two homonyms. And more time passes.<br />
<br />
You check your emails but you’ve got squat. You change the notification on your smart<br />
phone to push your email every 15 minutes. So what if your cell phone battery will<br />
be dead within 4 hours. This is important! The day is almost over; 19 hours since you<br />
posted your first fic and not a single review, not even to say that you suck. You are<br />
ready to deem yourself a horrible writer, delete your fan fic profile, and hide under a<br />
rock.<br />
<br />
As you are trolling through your email you get the best notification ever.<br />
<br />
[New Review] for (Insert Story Title)<br />
You have received a new review from FanFicCrit<br />
“It doesn’t suck . . . Update”<br />
<br />
Then you get:<br />
<br />
[New Story Follower] FanFicCrit is now following your story (Insert Story<br />
Title)<br />
<br />
Your faith in your writing is rejuvenated and just in time too. You’ve already started<br />
working on chapter 2!<br />
<br />
<b>If You Write It, They Will Come</b><br />
Let’s face it all fan fiction readers are simply obsessed with their characters. And it is<br />
because of this obsession that they will seek out everything they can. Your fiction will be<br />
in the mix that they choose from. Be sure to craft your summary to read as awesome as<br />
your fiction. After all, this is your reader’s first glance at what you have to offer.<br />
<br />
<b>Don’t Compare Yourself to Other Writers</b><br />
We all have that hero on our favorite fan fiction site: we have read all of their stories;<br />
they seem to come up with the most unique plots, use the best characters, and rack up<br />
hundreds of reviews. It’s great to have a role model but your writing should be yours!<br />
Don’t worry if your story doesn’t read like any others; that’s the point. Your writing<br />
should be as unique as you are.<br />
<br />
<b>You Too Will Soon Know the Tricks</b><br />
What’s the best day to post on? How does a beta work? How do I design these pesky<br />
story covers? What the hic does A/N, canon, O/S, PWP, and AU means?<br />
There is so much to writing fan fiction, it’s no wonder it’s its own little world. There<br />
are countless resources out there that can help you get over the fear of posting and<br />
reposting and posting again. Awesome sites like You Write What!?! Can help you learn<br />
all those abbreviations, plus show you how to pimp your own fics to gain readers, and<br />
what’s the best day to post (I personally have no luck when I post on Wednesdays . . .<br />
go figure). Don’t be afraid to join sites and read up on how to be become a great writer,<br />
even if this is just a hobby. In time you will know these little gems too.<br />
<br />
<b>You’re Obsessed Now So Keep Going</b><br />
You’ve gotten over the hard part. You’ve put your thoughts on display for all to see.<br />
You may not have gotten a hundred reviews your first time out but guess what NO ONE<br />
DOES! We all have to put in the time and energy and as you will see most of us laugh<br />
at our own first fics. My first fic is far from unique . . . Bella the vampire and Edward a<br />
human . . . oh yeah, that’s original. Not to mention, I used more clichés than should<br />
ever be a loud in a single story. But just like every other multiple story writer, I pressed<br />
on and with it I grew and I am still growing. You will improve and evolve as well.<br />
<br />
The fear of that first post is like an initiation process for all fan fiction writers. Those<br />
who get over the fear, get the reward . . . The Fandom Obsession! Now go forth and<br />
write. If you’ve gotten pass your first post than go read your first story and reminisce<br />
on how far you have come both in your writing and understanding of fan fiction. If you<br />
are still considering taking the dive into fan fiction, fear not! Remember you are not<br />
alone and we have all been in the same boat. The fear to post doesn’t really go away;<br />
it just changes. You will always experience a nervousness of posting a new story, a<br />
<br />
new relationship idea, or a different plot with unheard of changes (like killing off main<br />
characters or making the bad guy the hero). But use that nervousness to fuel you. It<br />
could mean you are onto something new and great.<br />
<br />
So Fear Not and Happy Posting!!<br />
<br />
<i>Author: Challa Fletcher, Staff Blogger</i></div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703618652492821961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-12620084822849572502012-09-06T11:39:00.000-07:002012-09-06T13:17:55.885-07:00The Top 10 Mistakes New Writers Make<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
A little less than five months ago, I sat in front of my laptop, nervously chewing on my<br />
fingernail, staring at the first chapter of my very first fic. It was ready to go — all I had to do<br />
was hit ‘Post New Chapter’.<br />
<br />
A series of doubts ran through my head as I hovered over the button, taking ragged breath<br />
after ragged breath. What if I misspelled a word? What if there’s a paragraph out of place?<br />
What are people really going to think of this chapter? Of this story in general?<br />
<br />
With one last sigh, I finally took the plunge, said screw it and hit the damn button.<br />
<br />
The decision to post my first story was definitely not a mistake, but the weeks following<br />
were full of them. Yup, I did misspell that word. And no, people really didn’t like that part of<br />
a chapter. Also, I won’t pretend that bad review didn’t hurt a little bit, and yes, it did make<br />
me rethink the direction of my story for more than a few seconds.<br />
<br />
I try to use spell-check, I try to proofread several times, I try to ignore the critical reviews,<br />
and I constantly remind myself this is my story and not to change it for anyone. But the truth<br />
is, I’m still a new writer — five months is nothing compared to others — and I’m still flying<br />
by the seat of my pants most days. It’s an uphill battle and I haven’t quite reached the top.<br />
<br />
So with all my own mistakes still fresh and bleeding, I figured who better to tackle the<br />
subject of the top 10 mistakes new writers make than me? Like I said, I’ve made plenty, but<br />
I also took a similar approach to my last blog post and invited a few fic-writer friends who’ve<br />
been around the block a few times to share with me the biggest mistakes they made<br />
themselves, not to mention common mistakes they see others making.<br />
<br />
We’ll just forget about how many of these I may or may not fall under...<br />
<br />
<b>Lack of Planning</b><br />
<br />
We’ve all been there. We’ve all had a plot bunny sneakily infiltrate our brains to the point<br />
where we can’t think of anything else and absolutely MUST sit down at the computer and<br />
get it out on “paper.” We’re so excited, and we’re certain this could be the best thing we’ve<br />
ever written. In our excitement and our haste, we give it a quick proofread, think of a title,<br />
whip up a summary and scramble to our posting site of choice and immediately publish it.<br />
<br />
This happens with a lot of new writers and a lot of seasoned ones, too. You start a story,<br />
post it, but then you realize you have no idea where you’re going with it. Many fics have fell<br />
to an untimely, premature death because of it. The point is to make a plan. Set a goal.<br />
Think out, write out, blurt out some kind of rough outline at the very least so you have a<br />
<br />
focal point and know what your story and what each individual chapter is working toward.<br />
<br />
<b>Grammar, Punctuation and All That Entails</b><br />
<br />
Not even sure where to start on this one. When I asked my fic-writer friends their biggest<br />
mistakes, I was shocked how many responses I received that fell under this category.<br />
Punctuation, grammar, tense changes, dialogue tags, POV changes, over-description,<br />
under-description, lack of description, he-said-she-said, “don’t these people own a<br />
thesaurus?” Phew.<br />
<br />
Fixing and improving many of the things on the above list is a grueling process. Personally,<br />
I feel these are the hardest mistakes to rectify because many of them are rooted in us. We’ll<br />
never stop doing them if it’s already something we do because we’re probably not aware<br />
we’re doing them in the first place.<br />
<br />
Which segues perfectly into my next point...<br />
<br />
<b>Flying Solo</b><br />
<br />
It’s a common term you hear flying around the fanfic world — beta. It’s the place a chapter<br />
goes between you and your readers, a person you trust to call you out when you veer off<br />
the plot, put commas in the wrong place, give you constructive criticism to help you<br />
improve, and offer you a supportive and helpful ear when you need help brainstorming your<br />
new chapter.<br />
<br />
But many new writers decide to fly solo, whether by choice or blissful unawareness that<br />
such a thing as a beta exists. Yet, here’s what I gathered — FIND. ONE. As Dragonfly76<br />
put it, “I wouldn't have been able to finish my first fic (which was a monster) without my<br />
betas and pre-readers. Since then, I have gained so much value from that relationship. It<br />
has made me a better writer in many aspects both creative and technical.”<br />
<br />
<b>Rushing the Plot</b><br />
<br />
This is one of those mistakes I’ve had to stop myself from making on several occasions. It’s<br />
easy to get ahead of yourself - one, as a writer, you tend to get bored. You’d much rather<br />
get to action-packed, ooey-gooey or angsty bits and skip over all the build-up and plot<br />
development it takes to get there. And it’s easy to think your readers might jump ship if you<br />
don’t get things moving and get them moving right now.<br />
<br />
But here’s the thing — most readers WILL stick with you through the “boring” parts. They<br />
<br />
have more patience than we tend to think, and would probably be more apt to peace out if<br />
you throw a curveball plot twist in completely out of left field. Don’t let anyone fool you<br />
because most readers love the build-up, so long as they know it’s working toward<br />
something juicy down the road.<br />
<br />
<b>Reviews are NOT Everything</b><br />
<br />
Oh, reviews. We have a love-hate relationship with them. Publically, we claim it’s not about<br />
the reviews, but we’ve all sat in front of our email inboxes, staring holes through the screen,<br />
refreshing every three seconds, waiting for that first notification to come in after we post a<br />
chapter. Reviews are like straight-up crack — addictive, damaging, life-altering crack. When<br />
we get them, we feel validated. When we don’t, we assume our stories are horrible and<br />
therefore, we suck at life entirely.<br />
<br />
Take a deep breath. First and foremost, HAVE CONFIDENCE in yourself and what you’ve<br />
created. Even if you don’t get the reviews you hoped for, don’t let it define your work or you<br />
as a writer. There are tons of stories out there with way fewer reviews than they deserve,<br />
and many with way MORE than they deserve.<br />
<br />
<b>Letting Bad Reviews Affect You</b><br />
<br />
Speaking of reviews, the love and encouragement for your story will usually pour in by the<br />
dozens. You’ll feel all warm and fuzzy inside, send a heartfelt thank you note and move on<br />
to the next.<br />
<br />
But then you get that first bad review. In the case that it’s not a fellow writer trying to provide<br />
constructive criticism to help you improve, this usually comes in the form of unnecessary<br />
critiquing or even the inappropriate, anonymous flame. It might just be one, but you likely<br />
won’t forget it. In fact, it very well might make you question everything about your story, not<br />
to mention ruin your day, just because one person didn’t have the tact to keep their mouth<br />
shut.<br />
<br />
Buck up, buttercup. Don’t let it. People suck, and that will never change. I’ll let my friend,<br />
Niamh, close this one out: “The sooner you learn to take the good with the bad, and<br />
remember that there are people who will patiently wait to see where you're taking them<br />
before they get all gutsy with the keyboard, the better your story will be.”<br />
<br />
<b>The Need to Please (trying to please readers)</b><br />
<br />
Moving on, I’ll step up to the podium and admit this is perhaps one of the biggest mistakes<br />
<br />
I’VE made as a new writer. I feel this incessant need to please people in various aspects of<br />
my life, which probably stems from the fact I hate people being angry or frustrated with me<br />
for ANY reason. Sadly, I’ve come close to letting this cross over into my writing as well.<br />
<br />
This is where you really have to step back and remind yourself, repeatedly if necessary,<br />
much like I have, that this is YOUR story, and the more you try to please every single one<br />
of your readers, the less it becomes so. If readers don’t like the way you’re handling things,<br />
developing your characters or advancing your plot, they are more than welcome to push off<br />
and write their OWN story. Also, even if readers don’t agree, it doesn’t necessarily mean<br />
they won’t stick with you and trust where you’re taking them, even if they’re not a huge fan<br />
of the means to your end.<br />
<br />
<b>The Green-Eyed Monster</b><br />
<br />
Why can’t we all just get along? Good question. Much like the real world, you will encounter<br />
a variety of personalities who write for the same fandom as you. These competitive<br />
personalities won’t always be supportive and they won’t always be encouraging. As a friend<br />
of mine put it, jealousy is a bitter pill, and there always will be someone out there who thinks<br />
their work is better than yours and might come up with “theories” to explain your success,<br />
i.e. riding on the coattails of your friends in the fandom and capitalizing on their success via<br />
association.<br />
<br />
As my friend also put it, no matter what anyone might say to you about who you know or<br />
why you may have or have not won awards for your writing, pay no mind. The jealousy and<br />
the anger that goes with it can eat you alive. Do this for you, and don't allow anyone to have<br />
that kind of power over you.<br />
<br />
<b>All Smut, All the Time</b><br />
<br />
As we all know, one of the beauties of fanfiction is giving us those more, ahem, tender<br />
moments we never got in the canon stories. Traditional, slash, femslash, BDSM, poly, you<br />
name it — there’s something out there to satisfy every sexual appetite.<br />
<br />
As a new writer, though, just don’t be fooled into thinking sex is the ONLY thing readers are<br />
interested in.<br />
<br />
Granted, that IS going to be the only thing SOME readers are interested in, but there are<br />
authors out there who fill that niche just fine and it doesn’t have to be you, unless you want<br />
it to be. If that’s the case, more power to you. If not, just keep in mind when someone tells<br />
you “this is the slowest moving story they ever read” (read: where the hell is the smut?),<br />
<br />
there are many more readers out there who are just as interested in intriguing characters<br />
and a unique plot as they are lemons.<br />
<br />
<b>Not Getting Involved</b><br />
<br />
There is a big old world outside of FF.net, which to me, is the least personal, socially cut-off<br />
place you could possibly post your story. It works to gain readership and it definitely gets<br />
you reviews, but for the most part, you’ll find your tenure in the world of fanfic writing to be<br />
more fulfilling if you branch out and find other places to share your work.<br />
<br />
There are smaller, more personal “communities” scattered around the Internet willing to<br />
give your story another home. These are communities where you won’t get lost in the<br />
shuffle of hundreds of thousands of stories, communities whose members will support you,<br />
encourage you, promote you and offer you friendships you probably won’t gain over at<br />
FF.net. My first story is posted in three of these places, and it goes without saying this was<br />
probably one of the best decisions I’ve made as a new writer.<br />
<br />
But being there isn’t enough. Get involved. Start a discussion forum, weigh in on other<br />
topics, throw out a hello in the chat room. Cultivate those relationships and don’t be shy.<br />
You won’t make friends being a wallflower, and once you stop, you’ll truly be getting the<br />
best out of this experience.<br />
<br />
<i>Author: Megan aka <a href="http://www.twitter.com/Meliz875">@Meliz875</a></i></div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703618652492821961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-43834274710179946682012-09-06T11:35:00.001-07:002012-09-06T11:48:09.747-07:00Fanfictionary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Wouldn’t it be nice if Webster came through, picked out all the confusing/foreign/<br />
over-our-head fanfic terminology, and wrote up a special dictionary just for fanfic<br />
writers and readers to use?<br />
<br />
<insert dreamy sigh here><br />
<br />
A girl can dream, right?<br />
<br />
I’m sure we’ve all wished for something to help decipher the sometimes-confusing<br />
jargon associated with a story at one time or another. While Webster may be in<br />
no hurry to help us out, there’s still some hope! I took to Twitter and Facebook<br />
to ask writers and readers alike what some of the most confusing acronyms and<br />
terms in the fanfic world are. You may recognize some of these terms from YWW’s<br />
original Fanfictionary piece from March. With any luck, a few of these terms will be<br />
new to you, and this list will help make the world of fanfiction a wee bit easier to<br />
understand.<br />
<br />
<b>AH: All-Human</b><br />
While the characters in the original work may have had supernatural powers<br />
(vampire, werewolf, fairy, etc.), the characters in an AH fanfic are all living,<br />
breathing humans.<br />
<br />
<b>A/N: Author’s Note</b><br />
These are commonly found at the beginning of a chapter. Author’s use these to<br />
communicate with readers, whether it be to thank them, inform them about a<br />
special outtake or upcoming events, give out a content warning, or announce<br />
something about a contest, compilation, blog update, or the like. These may pop up<br />
at the end of a chapter on occasion as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Angst:</b><br />
I could write all day about angst, as it’s my favorite genre, but I’ll just say this – angst<br />
stories hurt. The characters in these stories often feel excessive amounts of pain<br />
and anger. These stories often deal with serious issues such as abuse, substance<br />
abuse, self-harm, infidelity, and many more topics. If you’re lucky you might find<br />
one of these that ends on a happy note, but I usually don’t recommend going in to an<br />
angst story expecting the best outcomes.<br />
<br />
<b>AU: Alternate Universe</b><br />
In an AU fanfic, the majority of the story elements are far removed from the original<br />
story. For example, if the original story was set in the 1940s in Santa Monica, CA,<br />
an AU version of it might be set in New York City in 1990. The characters in AU<br />
stories are generally the same as the ones from the original fic, but they might have<br />
different personalities or appearances.<br />
<br />
<b>Beta:</b><br />
A beta is the fanfic equivalent of an editor. A beta reads an author’s chapters, fixes<br />
any spelling errors, grammar errors, or general structural errors, and then returns<br />
the piece to the author to post. Sometimes betas work with an author to re-structure<br />
a plot if the author has deviated, or to help develop the characters more if the author<br />
hasn’t done this very well. While the author is responsible for creating the story, I<br />
like to think of the beta as the one who puts a little extra sparkle on it before it goes<br />
public.<br />
<br />
<b>Canon:</b><br />
A canon fanfic story contains one or more elements from the original story. Common<br />
examples of canon items are relationship pairings, physical appearances, and<br />
character personality traits. In addition, the setting, backstory, and elements of the<br />
plot can also be canon as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Crackfic:</b><br />
A crackfic is a completely crazy story. The characters do things that are off-the-<br />
wall and often funny, the plot makes no sense whatsoever, and more often than not<br />
readers sit back and wonder “what he/she smoking crack when writing that?” after<br />
finishing the story.<br />
<br />
<b>DED:</b><br />
DED is simply the way some people refer to “dead.” I’ve seen some reviews where<br />
people say, “I’m DED,” or “This chapter left me DED.” I would guess it could have<br />
both positive and negative connotations, depending on what it was in the chapter or<br />
scene that made someone feel that way.<br />
<br />
<b>Fandom</b>:<br />
Fandom refers to the collective group of people who are all fans of a particular film,<br />
book series, TV show, comic book, cartoon, etc. Fanfiction authors are typically<br />
members of the fandom that their story is based off of.<br />
<br />
<b>Favorite Story/Author:</b><br />
This is a function on most of the major sites where authors post their fanfiction<br />
work. On FanFicton.net, for example, you have the option to add an author to your<br />
favorite’s list or add a story to your favorite’s list. These lists are public, and other<br />
writers and readers can pull them up off of someone’s profile. Placing authors<br />
or stories on your favorites lists makes these items easy to access in the future.<br />
Authors get email alerts when they or their stories are favorited.<br />
<br />
<b>Follow Story/Author:</b><br />
This is another function on most of the major sites, although it’s also known<br />
as ‘alerting’ a story or an author. There is no public list of stories or authors a<br />
person has followed/alerted. When you choose to follow a story, you will receive<br />
email alerts when the story updates. When you choose to follow an author, you will<br />
receive email alerts when the author posts a new piece of work, or when he or she<br />
updates any existing pieces of work. As with favorited items, authors receive email<br />
alerts when they or their stories are favorited.<br />
<br />
<b>Hard Limit:</b><br />
In the fic world, a hard limit is a story element that prevents the reader from<br />
starting the story or finishing the story. Examples of hard limits are character<br />
deaths, slash relationships, rape, abuse, or non-canon pairings. It’s always a good<br />
idea for an author to disclose any potential hard limits in the story’s disclaimer or<br />
the first author’s note.<br />
<br />
<b>HEA: Happily Ever After</b><br />
A HEA fanfic story has just that – a happily ever after! HEA stories may have a bit of<br />
angst woven in at different points, but when all is said and done, boy has met girl<br />
(or boy) and they live happily in their big house with the white picket fence and 2.5<br />
children (or furry substitutes). Love typically prevails in a HEA story, although it<br />
may be friendship or family ties that prevail instead. If you decide to read this type<br />
of story, you will be smiling at the end.<br />
<br />
<b>Lemon:</b><br />
Simply put, a lemon is a sex scene. The details are juicy (hence ‘lemon’), there is<br />
often graphic and explicit sexual content in the scenes, and well-written ones leave<br />
readers in a hot mess looking for more. Occasionally an entire story is considered<br />
a lemon because it consists of content that is purely sexual in nature. Lemons are<br />
often very popular – sometimes even craved – by fanfic readers.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>OOC: Out of Character</b><br />
This means that the characters in a fanfic piece behave in ways that are different<br />
than how they behaved in the original fiction piece. For example, Edward Cullen is<br />
quite chivalrous in the Twilight series. An OOC fan fiction piece might feature him as<br />
arrogant, abusive, or just plain an asshole.<br />
<br />
<b>PPS: Please Post Soon</b><br />
This is an acronym often used by readers in their reviews, and sometimes when<br />
communicating with an author on social networks like Twitter or Facebook. We all<br />
know how it is to fall in love with someone’s story. When a reader is eager for more,<br />
PPS is their way of asking the author to share more – soon!<br />
<br />
<b>Pre-Reader:</b><br />
I’ve often seen the terms “pre-reader” and “beta” intermingled, but to me (and<br />
to some others in the fic world that I talked to), a pre-reader is in fact a different<br />
thing. While a beta goes through and makes corrections to the story itself, a pre-<br />
reader exists to provide nothing but creative feedback on the writing. A pre-reader<br />
will read a chapter and then discuss any ideas he or she has in terms of the plot,<br />
characters, backstories, or details with the writer. A pre-reader offers creative input,<br />
maybe even helps the author with parts of a story at times. While a beta may do all<br />
of these things as well, pre-readers generally don’t do any of the crossover tasks of a<br />
beta.<br />
<br />
<b>R&R: Read and Review</b><br />
R&R is a term used by an author. I’ve typically seen it in the Author’s Note at the<br />
beginning of a chapter. Essentially, this is the author’s way of asking readers to not<br />
only read the chapter, but also to review the chapter after they’ve read it.<br />
<br />
<b>Reviews:</b><br />
Reviews are comments that readers can post for each chapter of a story. Reviews<br />
are public, but reviewers have the option to leave anonymous reviews if they wish.<br />
Anonymous reviews aren’t always positive, however, and are frowned upon by<br />
some people in the fanfic community. Reviews can be good, bad, or downright ugly<br />
at times. Reviews are also a way that authors gauge the popularity of their stories,<br />
which can be both a positive and a negative thing in the big scheme of things.<br />
<br />
<b>Slash:</b><br />
A slash story contains a homosexual relationship. Usually one of the members<br />
involved in the relationship is a canon character from the original fiction work.<br />
Slash involving two males is generally referred to solely as “slash,” while slash<br />
involving two females can be known as “slash,” “femmeslash,” or “femslash.” Slash<br />
relationships can be a hard limit for certain readers, so it’s a good idea to indicate in<br />
a disclaimer or A/N that the fic contains one.<br />
<br />
<b>UST: Unresolved Sexual Tension</b><br />
Ever read a fic where two characters are clearly sexually attracted to one another,<br />
but they do a beautifully constructed dance around one another for the first five<br />
or six chapters? Those five or six chapters would contain quite a bit of what we in<br />
the fanfic world call UST – unresolved sexual tension. UST is typically not acted on<br />
immediately, and leaves readers wanting more and chomping at the bit to read the<br />
next update. UST involves a lot of buildup, maybe some casual flirting and an almost<br />
kiss or two. The characters in question may be involved in relationships with other<br />
people, but still have a lot of UST between them. Readers are often eager to see<br />
these characters act on their desires – if the author decides to let them!<br />
<br />
<b>Views:</b><br />
Views refer to the total number of times a page is visited by a user. For example, if a<br />
story has 5,000 views, then that means the page was accessed 5,000 times. In other<br />
words, the story was viewed 5,000 times, although these may include repeat views<br />
for a single page by a user or could be a new view on a single page from different<br />
users.<br />
<br />
<b>Visitors:</b><br />
A visitor is a person who views multiple pages on the site. For example, if a user<br />
accesses a story, reads the first chapter and likes it, then proceeds to read all 18<br />
additional chapters and read the other three stories an author has posted, that user<br />
would now be considered a visitor. A story may have hundreds of thousands of page<br />
views, but only a few thousand visitors, as only a few thousand people actually read<br />
the story and actually navigate through the pages.<br />
<br />
This is only a relatively small collection of the terms that are used on a daily basis in<br />
the fanfiction world.<br />
<br />
Hopefully this post can help fanfiction newcomers get their toes wet and start to<br />
understand more of what is meant by the different words and acronyms authors<br />
and reviewers alike use on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
Got any more terms you’d like to see defined? Simply leave a comment here and I’ll<br />
comment back with the information I come up with!<br />
<br />
Happy writing – and reading!<br />
<br />
<i>Author: Nikki Storebo, Staff Blogger</i><br />
Fanfic writer, <a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7358208/1/Hot-Commodity">'Hot Commodity'</a> and other Twilight goodies.<br />
<a href="http://www.fanfiction.net/~blueeyedcherry">Blueeyedcherry</a> in the fandom.<br />
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/rpexaminer">RPExaminer</a> on Twitter.</div>
Nikkihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703618652492821961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-76852330657967306492012-08-07T00:39:00.003-07:002012-08-07T00:42:16.866-07:00The Art of The Review<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">If
fan fiction were its own nation, reviews would be the currency.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">The
above statement is one I would venture to guess almost every author (and
probably reader) of fan fiction could agree with. Writers love it when readers
leave them a review at the end of a chapter. After all, what human doesn’t like
to receive some type of acknowledgment after working hard on something? Reviews
are a way for authors to know what people loved, what they hated, what stuck
even after the chapter ended, and whether or not the plot bunny in question
will carry out like the Energizer rabbit or fizzle away relatively quickly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Unfortunately
reviews are also a way for authors to get hurt, to lose motivation, and
sometimes they’re one of the driving factors in an author choosing to pull and
discontinue his or her story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">I
don’t claim to be an expert on this topic by any means, and I’ll be the first
to admit I’m still relatively new to the whole fan fiction game (I only started
posting a year ago). I have been told, however, that I write good reviews that
critique without being cruel and that offer praise and suggestions when
applicable. That being said, I was more than happy to volunteer to cover this
topic. It also happens to be an area I’m pretty vocal about and that I
sometimes struggle with as a writer (I think we’ve all wanted to throw our
computers out the window after reading a scathing review).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">When
it comes to reviews, there’s the good, and then there’s the bad and the ugly
(which I like to group together). There can be some good in a bad/ugly review,
and some bad/ugly in a good review, but for the most part, when I think of
reviews, a few common characteristics come to mind for each of these groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">A
good review…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Highlights
what the reader liked.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">
It doesn’t have to contain paragraph after paragraph of praises for the author,
but if a certain phrase, scene, character, or moment struck your fancy, don’t
hesitate to share that! Authors always know what they liked best about a
chapter, but every time we click “post new chapter” we’re left wondering if
readers will love what we loved or if they’ll completely hate everything we’ve
written. I don’t believe in nor am I a fan of stroking someone’s ego, but it’s
nice to know that the time spent writing meant something to someone outside of
our small writing bubble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Critiques, but
does so in a constructive manner.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">
I’m sure we’ve all read (and some may have even written) a scathing review in
which the author gets chewed up and spit out over grammatical errors, portions
of the plot, a character’s features, or another detail from the story. I
understand and love the fact that everyone is entitled to his or her own
opinion, but there is a respectful way to deliver that opinion, even when it
isn’t a positive one. Rather than saying something like, “This Bella is such a
spoiled bitch and if I were Edward or any other male character in the story I’d
run far, far away,” a reader could say, “Bella hasn’t exactly been the poster
child for respect when it comes to how she treats Edward. I wonder if he’ll
stay with her or if he’ll end up leaving?” Delivery is just as important as
content when it comes to reviewing, and good reviews are delivered in a tactful
manner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"><br />
Reviews the story, not the author.</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">
Making comments on a writer’s style and skills is one thing – reviewing the
author’s character is entirely different. They’re not common (thank goodness!),
but I have seen the occasional review that gives a rundown on the author’s
character but pays no mind to the story itself. Perhaps an author has made a
comment on Facebook or Twitter that you don’t agree with, or they replied to a
review in a less-than-tactful manner. It’s okay to be upset, it’s okay to want
to say something to them, but there is a time and a place where that is
appropriate, and it’s not in the review section. A large number of fan fiction
authors are also set up on some social networking site, and can be reached
privately there to discuss wrong doings. In addition, popular sites such as
FanFiction.net and The Writer’s Coffee Shop provide readers with the option to
send authors private messages (PMs) if they choose to. The fandoms are a place
where people come to enjoy something they love, not a place to foster judgment
and hate. Readers and writers alike are responsible for keeping things that
way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Is passionate.
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Did a
particular part of a story or a scene in a chapter leave you feeling incredibly
happy, sad, angry, or excited? Tell the author that! If a piece of writing can
elicit strong emotions from readers, it means the author is doing something
right. Readers are very quick to tell an author what he or she is doing wrong,
but it’s a far less common occurrence for us to hear when we’ve done something
that really left a mark. As always, classy review is better than a trashy one,
and being tactful in your delivery is a good thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">A
bad/ugly review…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Is filled with
one rude sentiment after another. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Spending
twenty minutes writing a review that tells the author how terrible the plot is,
how the characters are all stupid/dull/stereotypical/any other irritating
quality, how the author’s update schedule isn’t what the reader wants, etc.
etc. is not only rude, but it’s also not tasteful at all. Just because someone
posts their work and puts everything out there does not mean readers have the
right to be disrespectful. If you’re filled with <i>that much</i> hatred for a particular story, perhaps it’s best to
simply stop reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Is written
with the intention of hurting the author. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Wait, what’s that you say? You don’t like a
particular author? You don’t like the person who betas a story? So what? Move
on! Don’t spend your time composing a deliberately nasty review simply because
you dislike the individual behind the story. Find a different story to read or
connect with an author that you do like. By composing a vile review, you’ve
done nothing but caused an author to waste a minute reading the review and
another five or ten minutes stewing over it, and you’ve wasted your own time
that could have been spent doing something more constructive or enjoyable.
There are thousands of stories from hundreds of fandom’s out there to read. Why
spend even a minute being callous when you could be busy falling in love with
one of them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Are demanding.
</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Telling an
author to “please update soon” is one thing. Demanding that they “update or I
won’t read this story anymore” is completely bogus. Fan fiction authors write
for free. They take time out of their schedules (some of which are already jam
packed) to work on and post stories that readers can enjoy. They aren’t
required to post a specific number of words or chapters at a set frequency.
Each and every one of us has a life outside of the realm of fan fiction.
Authors and readers are also students, professionals, parents, husbands, and
wives, and have daily activities to attend to. Be patient. If you’re curious
about the status of a particular story, send the author a message or a tweet.
If you feel like you just can’t wait anymore, put the story on alert, add it to
your list of fics to be read in the future, and move on to the next piece.
Providing an author with nonstop proverbial kicks in the ass usually does not
have a positive or desired effect on the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Tells the
author how to write the story. </span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">These
reviews may very well be some of the most infuriating ones authors have to
read. Our stories are like our babies; we all work hard to craft a set of
characters and a plot line that we can fill with scenes and situations our
minds dream up. To have a reader come along and tell us that something should
have happened a different way or that two characters should not be in a
relationship with one another is the last thing we want to hear. It’s even more
difficult to stomach it when the reviewer has never written anything of his or
her own. In a perfect world, everyone who wanted Joey to end up with Dawson
could have pushed a button on his or her remote to hand-craft an alternate
ending. Unfortunately that was not how the writers of <i>Dawson’s Creek</i> wanted things to come to an end, and it was their
story to tell, not the audience’s to write. Be respectful of the creativity
people choose to share with you. And if you really want to see a fic where
Bella ends up with Jacob and Edward falls off a cliff … open your word
processing program and start writing! The fan fiction universe is an
ever-expanding one, and we’re always happy to accept new writers! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">This
list could go on and on, and I’m sure that some of you will have more to offer
up down in the comments section on the post. But for those who are new to the
game – or even those who are seasoned veterans – I think this is a good place
to start. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Reviews
are a touchy subject for most, but they don’t always have to be. With a little
time, attention, and some TLC, readers can craft reviews that not only express
their thoughts on a story, but also provide the author with some constructive
criticism, and maybe even include a few humorous points as well!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">I’ll
leave you with my definition of the “3 R’s”: read, review, and most
importantly, respect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Happy
reviewing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Author:
Nikki Storebo, Guest Blogger<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-72067538695076426372012-08-07T00:39:00.001-07:002012-08-07T00:42:16.863-07:00Beta 101: How to be a Beta<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Of all the inboxes, on all
the sites in all the world…she walked into mine.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Okay, so maybe
my adventures as a beta didn’t begin so dramatically. But narratives without
drama are like 50Shades of Grey without the Twilight references…they just don’t
work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">My life as a
beta actually began quite by chance. I read a story, and the more I read of the
story the more convinced I became that the author was really onto something, if
they could just push themselves to write outside their comfort zone. In a move
that was very uncharacteristic for me, I sent the author a private message that
was brutally truthful, pressed send and prayed I wouldn’t find myself on the
receiving end of a flame worthy reply.
To my shock her response was positive. Becoming her beta was such an
organic process that it’s hard now for me to remember who asked whom, but it
doesn’t really matter – the result was still the same. We agreed, tentatively,
to begin the process together and I’ve never looked back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">It feels like
ages since that initial email but, in reality, it’s only been a year. In that
year I’ve learned so much. Working with Sam (yeah…that Sam) I’ve learned a
million big and small things – how to support someone else’s dream, how to push
someone to a level they didn’t think they were capable of and a lot about
myself as a writer. It has been one of the single most rewarding experiences of
my life – and I’ve gained a lifelong friend in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">So, now that all
the mushy stuff is over, let me share with you what I’ve learned about being a
beta. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol";">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">You’re a beta…not God<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">You’d be
surprised at how many people get the two confused! Working with an author, it’s
important to remember that at the end of the day the creative direction of a
story, the vision for what it’s going to be, is theirs alone. You can assist,
cajole, challenge and support but you cannot do it FOR them. In the beginning
of our beta partnership I’d return Sam’s stories chock full of red corrections.
Corrections aren’t wrong (if you’re betaing for someone with grammar issues
PLEASE markup that manuscript! Friends don’t let friends post crappy work), but
my corrections went beyond grammar and punctuation. I would change whole
passages to fit what I felt was the best way to write the story. Sam and I
think similarly so it didn’t cause many problems but eventually I had to learn
to trust Sam’s voice – let her tell the story. My job wasn’t and isn’t to tell
the story for her, but to help her see the areas that can make her story better
– and then let her do the work. In the end, as a beta, your influence on the
story should make it a better version of the author’s own voice. It shouldn’t
sound like you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol";">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">To Thine Own self Be True<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">I’ve received
many requests to beta. When I receive them the first thing I do is research the
author’s work. There are some things I don’t feel comfortable or capable of
betaing (graphic violence, slash, incest, rape or thriller/mystery/murder). If
the author leans toward these things I politely decline the invite and, if I
can, direct them to someone else. Is it because I think I’m better than them?
Absolutely not – it’s because I know myself and what I’m capable of. I can’t
help an author write a great violent scene because my brain doesn’t work that
way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">As a writer I
want to see other writers do the best they are able to do. If I don’t believe
my influence will accomplish that then I do them and myself, a disservice to
accept the beta request.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">If you’re going
to beta, you have to know your limits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol";">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Manage Expectations<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">There are some
authors who want to post four times a week. There are some writers who want you
to return their story with edits inside of 24 hours. There are some authors who
expect you to SPAG their work (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar) but leave the
content alone and some authors who expect you to comment on the content of
their story. Not being clear on the author’s expectations, and yours, right out
of the gate can doom the beta relationship to failure before it even begins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">I was very
fortunate to beta for someone who, like me, has a very busy life. She was happy
to get the story back whenever I was finished with no real urgency or pressure.
And if she did need something in a specific time frame she was very good about
letting me know when she sent it so I could plan accordingly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Managing
expectations also means understanding the writer you’re working with. If you
beta for a 15 year old whose first language isn’t English you have to make
allowances for that. You can’t read a love story written by a first time
teenaged writer and expect it to read the same as something from a 40 year old
seasoned writer. Challenge the author but make sure your expectations are
realistic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">As easy as it
was with Sam and me, I’m fully aware that many beta relationships fall apart
based on unmet expectations. For that reason I recommend that anyone deciding
to beta get all the expectations out on the table before making a commitment to
the partnership. Determine (and put it in writing if possible) how often the
author expects to post, what turnover time they expect for editing and exactly
what kind of editing they want. And once
those expectations are laid out do your very best to stick to them. If they
have expectations that you don’t feel comfortable meeting then be clear and
upfront about it. It’s sometimes an awkward conversation but it saves a lot of
headache and hassle in the long run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol";">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Don’t bite off more than you
can chew<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">I have been very
guilty of this. I was honored when someone asked me to beta. I have a beta for
my own stories and I know the reason I have him (shout out to @DwynArthur) is
because I have immense respect for his skill in storytelling. To have someone
see me that same way felt good – really good. Good enough that it became harder
and harder to say no. Being the regular beta for two people was okay (I beta
for my beta…I know…weird), and even the third person was a stretch, but not
impossible. However, after the third person I took on I tried to take on a
fourth – bad idea. I ended up unable to
help the way I planned, had to direct them to someone else and there were hurt
feelings all around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">When you beta
for someone the work can often be time consuming. If they are working on
multi-chaptered fics or some stories require more attention than others you can
find yourself spending more time betaing than you do writing your own stories
or realize that you aren’t giving as much time or energy to each authors story
as it deserves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Every author
deserves your best effort and you can’t give your best effort if you’re
stretched too thin. There are going to be times when the difference between
being a good beta and a great beta is as simple as three words – no thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Learn from my
example – don’t bite off more than you can chew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol";">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Zip Your Lips<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">I wouldn’t think
that this point was necessary but I’ve heard some horror stories that make me
feel obligated to mention it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">When you become
a beta there are times that an author will share with you the direction they
see their story going, potential story lines they’re working on and/or outlines
for sequels. In the world of fan fiction there are many storylines that have
been used and re-used, even so, when the person you beta for shares story ideas
with you it is your responsibility to keep those ideas to yourself. By bringing
you into their creative process they trust you to maintain confidentiality and
when you share ideas that aren’t yours with anyone outside of that partnership
it can carry the sting of a betrayal.
Even if you are sharing it with someone you trust, or someone you think
the author would benefit from interacting with, you should never do so without
express permission from the author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol";">6.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">A Steady Diet of Cotton Candy…Only
Gives You A Toothache<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Compliments are
nice, but as writers we cannot live on a steady diet of “that was awesome –
don’t change a thing!” If you’re asked to beta for someone who doesn’t agree with
that…RUN!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">There is one
thing you have to be able to do if you’re a beta, one of the most important
things in my opinion. If you’re going to beta then you have to be comfortable
with telling the truth…the whole truth, even when it’s not the prettiest truth
in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Everything that
the author gives you, no matter how good of a writer they are, isn’t going to
be Pulitzer worthy. Sometimes they’re going to send you work that is (as I term
it) lazy writing. Sometimes they’ll give you stories with plot holes as big as
Texas and sometimes the work may be all around bad (harsh? Yes…but ask any beta
and they’ll tell ya it’s true). So what do you do when that happens? Some would
say that you just point out the good stuff, correct some of the bad stuff and wish
upon a star that they’ll get better. I don’t agree with those people. Real
writers who get real betas want real critique. Real critique – positive,
encouraging, honest and effective – makes us better writers and isn’t that what
we all want?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">As a beta it’s
tempting to throw a bunch of feel good words at the author but sometimes you
have to call a spade a spade. If there is a plot hole it’s your job to point it
out. If one of the characters is lying flat on the page, it’s your job to point
it out and help them bring life to it. If their grammar rivals a first
grader…yep, you guessed it; it’s your job to point it out. It’s scary at first,
but if they came to you then they trust your judgment and appreciate your
insight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">There is an
amazing author who sometimes critiques my work (he shall remain nameless but I
think he knows who he is). In the beginning I’d read his critique and to be
honest, it stung – more than a little bit. He told me what I did right but he
also told me what I did wrong (I hate being wrong). But as hard as his words
were to take, his advice is something I carry with me into every story I write.
It felt like swallowing rainwater at the time, but it made me a better writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">One of the most
amazing things I’ve ever read from Sam (and she’s written a lot of amazing
stuff) was a very emotional scene. She sent it to me with her usual message “Dear
Dee, This is awful, I hate it…you probably will too” or something along those
lines. I didn’t hate it, but I knew she could do better. I sent it back to her
with a little direction but no words of my own added. I was blunt and honest. I
told her what was working and what wasn’t and refused to let her accept less
than she was capable of. It was a hard conversation. I think she must have
re-written and re-sent that scene at least five times. At one point I thought
we’d both pull our hair out, but when all was said and done I read the scene
and literally cried – it was just that beautiful, and I know that she was proud
of what she was able to accomplish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">There are probably
a million more tips I could give you on being a beta but I think I’ve pulled on
your ear long enough. The last thing I’ll say is this, the relationship between
a beta and an author comes in many different forms, but no matter how you find
them or they find you I can only hope that you’ll be as lucky as I have been
and that your beta partnership brings out the best, not only in the author, but
in you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">Now it’s your
turn. Tell us how being a beta or finding a beta has worked for you? Leave us
your comments or tweet us at @BlogFanfiction.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"><i><b>Author: Dee Miles, Staff Blogger</b></i></span></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-71422250031778403122012-08-07T00:38:00.002-07:002012-08-07T00:42:16.859-07:00Writer's Block<br />
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<b style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">12:00am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;"> Reach for your third cup of
coffee with shaking hands as you reread last paragraph you wrote. Notice you
said the same idea twice and changed from Omni-present point of view to first
person point of view and back again. You also notice that you have spelled the
character’s name at least three different ways.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">12:20am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> After picking keyboard off
floor, you attempt to correct mistakes but hit wrong key and translate entire
story into Polish. When you try to translate it back computer locks up. Invent
seventeen new curse words in less than fifteen seconds. Pray that Bill Gates
gets severe pain all over his body as you find your word has dumped entire
nights work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">12:45am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> Assure Neighbors no one has
been killed and computer “just fell” off table and bounced out the window.
Power up laptop and take a valium.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">12:50am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> laptop finally boots up and
you start trying to rewrite story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">1:45am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> Curser blinks at you like
the eye of a demon, mocking you, taunting you as it blinks its coded message
that you haven’t written anything yet. The walls begin to close in and you feel
the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Blinking, on and off, on and off,
the words won’t come and the hum of the laptop seems to sound like a cruel evil
laugh at your inability to even type one word. In desperation you search out
the letters and type the word “crap” twenty-five time, each time pounding the
keys harder and harder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">2:15am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> banging head on desk idea
pops into your head and suddenly you know you have the best idea ever for a
story. Raise up to type, blood leaves head to quick you get dizzy and then the
Curser catches your eye and all ideas flee under its mocking glair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">2:30am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> No matter where you walk,
the Curser seems to follow you, mock you with its blinking white eye. You turn
from it, but the electronic hum seems to call to you, powerless to stop
yourself you turn. The Curser has rearranged the twenty-five “craps” you typed
into a giant hand giving you the finger.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> Your face begins to turn red as the
temperature of your blood begins to rise. Your whole body shakes and you can
literally feel your sanity begin to leave your body as you approach the laptop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">2:32am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> The electronic hum begins
to speak to you in a sarcasm laced voice, chanting, “The quick brown fox jumped
over the lazy fence” over and over till the sound reaches a shrill tone that
forces you to your knees, hands over your ears to block the sound. You reach the
laptop and with every bit of strength you have left, you hurl it out the window
with a shout of primal rage, screaming unintelligible words as you begin to
dance the ancient dance of victory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";">2:33am:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"> The whole story pops into
your head. You leap through the window shouting, “The quick brown fox jumped
over the lazy fence”.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol","sans-serif";"><i><b>Author: John Page (@Moviepal), Guest Blogger</b></i></span></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-12568731214797603422012-07-29T01:54:00.000-07:002012-07-29T18:32:25.775-07:00We're Baaaaaack!Hello Fellow Fanficaholics! It feels like forever since we posted. Did you miss us!<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">As you can see, the site has undergone a pretty extensive overhaul </span><span style="background-color: white;">(thank you very much to the amazing </span><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red;">Ninette Kelly of RedMoonDesign</span></i><span style="background-color: white;">).</span><span style="background-color: white;">We think it's pretty spiffy...and we hope you think so too.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">We've got posts by some amazing writers who we've been lucky enough to force...um, I mean, persuade to join our staff. And here's what else is new:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">* Story Recommendations - now by Fandom!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> We've got some great rec'd stories but we'd love more so drop us a line if you've got a fic to rec</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">* Writer's Toolkit</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> We're working to add info and resources for new and veteran fan fic writers. Stay tuned!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">* You Write What News?!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> Stay up to date on what we're doing and what's coming down the pike </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">We've got tons of new content and features that we hope (*cough* know *cough*) you're gonna enjoy! So take a look around and tell us what you think!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">And if you haven't subscribed yet...DO IT....DO IT NOW!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j350/vicvega66/tumblr_m2f9bkua5H1qi70k1o5_250.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j350/vicvega66/tumblr_m2f9bkua5H1qi70k1o5_250.gif" title="You were bored without us...admit it!" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>You were bored without us...admit it!</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<br />Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-54927566246579641282012-07-29T01:53:00.001-07:002012-08-01T19:33:48.663-07:00Tricky Raven August Raven's Read w/ Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img height="194" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vIMNIBqIGxk/T8uz3u6D0xI/AAAAAAAAAC8/oRF-NuV7Qz8/s200/TheRavensRead+(2).jpg" width="200" />
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b>Prey by Esther</b></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://trickyraven.ning.com/group/prey" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b>http://trickyraven.ning.com/<wbr>group/prey</wbr></b></a></div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
Pairing: Paul/Bella</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
Rated: M</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
Genre: Romance/Drama/Hurt/Comfort</div>
<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
Summary: Paul is not a man to settle. What he wants is Bella Swan and he is tired of waiting.</div>
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<div style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
Review Submitted by Dragonfly76</div>
<div style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">Prey may be Esther's first foray into the world of writing Twilight based fan-fiction, but is certainly not evidenced by the tangled web of emotion she displays in her craft. Prey takes you on an emotional roller-coaster, causing you to scream and feel the butterflies with each emotional dip and sway. This Paul will make your heart beat a little faster with every single chapter.</span><br />
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<div style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
Prey takes us on a journey both through the minds and hearts of Bella Swan and Paul Lahote, each seemingly trying to overcome what they are to become who they must become. Paul has never been sexier than he is in this story. Seemingly self-destructive, you find that there is more to him. Chasing after Bella is more than just a game to him. It is an instinctual need that you can feel is leading to something big. </div>
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<div style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
Issues abound in this story, mainly comprised of what it is that has shifted within the pack. You can almost feel them becoming more primal as the story flows. This isn't just about possession, but a way of life. </div>
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<div style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;">
Read the prologue. I dare you not to wish that it is you and not Bella, who is Paul's Prey.</div>
</div>
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<br />Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-13973870786812920052012-07-29T01:53:00.000-07:002012-07-29T18:40:15.772-07:00A Fandom Mourns: Remembering Gisela<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IB_UnzhGMJg/UBTRAJdZZdI/AAAAAAAAAIo/OKlOZ6C40ag/s1600/Gisela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IB_UnzhGMJg/UBTRAJdZZdI/AAAAAAAAAIo/OKlOZ6C40ag/s320/Gisela.jpg" width="289" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; line-height: 150%;">It all started with a dream – quite
literally.</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">When Stephenie Meyer’s debut novel <i>Twilight </i>hit shelves in 2005, nobody
could have predicted the impact it would have on millions of individuals around
the globe. By the time the first film was released in December of 2008, the
story had a large following, and fan sites for the saga and the actors began
popping up on the internet, serving not only as sources of news and
information, but also as places for fans to meet, get to know one another, and
share their adoration for the epic love story. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">Twilight Conventions, Comic-Con
gatherings, and red and black carpet premieres brought fans from around the
world together. Friendships were formed, traditions were made, and a fandom
unlike any other was built from the ground up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">Throughout the years the <i>Twilight </i>fandom has banded together, not
only in support of many charitable causes (the annual <b><a href="http://thefandomgivesback.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fandom Gives Back</a></b> fan fiction compilation, for example), but also
to support members of its own in times of need. On July 10, 2012, the fandom
banded together again to mourn the loss of Gisela “Twi-fan G” Gagliardi. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">Gisela traveled all the way from New
York to join friends and fellow <i>Twilight</i>
fans at Comic-Con in San Diego, CA. Like many other fans, Gisela was waiting in
line for Thursday’s <i>Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn Part 2 </i>panel. While attempting to cross the street, Gisela
was hit by a car, and later passed away at the hospital. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">Within hours of learning about the
news, members from all corners of the fandom were speaking up, remembering
their own experiences with Gisela, offering condolences for her friends,
families, and fellow fans, and banding together to raise money for Gisela’s
family. A <b><a href="http://twibbon.com/join/In-Memory-of-Gisela" target="_blank">Twibbon</a></b> was created, as
well as the hash tag “RIPTwihardG,” to honor Gisela via Twitter, and the saga’s
creator wore a black ribbon in honor of Gisela during the panel in Hall H. <i>Twilight </i>stars even took to Twitter
themselves, offering their condolences and support:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">@AshleyMGreene</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">: <a href="https://twitter.com/AshleyMGreene/status/222836615599501313" target="_blank">“I’m so sorry to hear the deviatingnews about Gisella G. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.:(“</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">@JacksonRathbone</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">: <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonRathbone/status/222864116459634692" target="_blank">“#RIPTwihardG All our love andrespect, and all our prayers.”</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">@NikkiReed_I_AM</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">: <a href="https://twitter.com/NikkiReed_I_Am/status/222787579957870593" target="_blank">“This is horrible. So sad. I’mspeechless.”</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">Through the fundraiser “<b><a href="http://www.giveforward.com/mad4hughmemorial" target="_blank">Mad4Hugh Memorial Fund</a></b>,” the fandom was
able to raise $8,998, surpassing the initial goal of $5,000 by almost $4,000.
In addition to the <i>Twilight</i> fandom
showing its support and generosity, Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment donated
$1,000 to the fund on July 11, 2012, and left the following message: “On behalf
of the entire company, our thoughts and prayers are with Gisela’s family,
wishing them peace and harmony during this difficult time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">The fan fiction community also got
involved in remembering Gisela. The <b><a href="http://fandom4twifang.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Fandom4 Twi-fan G compilation</a> </b>was established, and over 50 authors signed up to
contribute their work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">As friends, family members, <i>Twilight </i>cast members, and fellow fans
continue to remember Gisela G, we also have a chance to once again be reminded
of just how strong and amazing this fandom is. Through thick and thin, moments
of unrest and solitude, the members of this fandom have stuck together,
offering up a shoulder to cry on, words of comfort and condolence, and an
international support network for those in need. We’ve laughed together, cried
together, hemmed and hawed together, fought with one another, and spent hours
in lines, streets, tents, and crowded movie theaters together. But most
important of all, we’ve formed a family that will continue to live on even when
the lights go down on the final film installment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">I
did not know Gisela personally, but over the past several weeks I’ve had the
opportunity to learn more about her through her friends on both Facebook and
Twitter. Through their stories and the memories they’ve chosen to share, it’s
become clear to me that Gisela was a beautiful person inside and out, with a
heart of gold and a smile that could light up the entire room. Gisela’s life
was something that touched the heart of dozens of people in the fandom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">The
comfort for those who were close to Gisela comes in knowing that even though
she has left us, her memory will forever live on, and they will always have the
love and support of fellow fandom members to count on. Not only is the <i>Twilight</i> fandom a large, close-knit one,
but it’s also one that always pays tribute to and forever shines light on the
legacy of members that we’ve lost. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">Rest
in peace, Twi-fan G. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;"><b><i>Author: Nikki Storebo, Guest Blogger</i></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-26641387854157094302012-07-29T01:51:00.001-07:002012-07-29T18:39:54.688-07:00The Purge<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="background-color: white; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“I am sorry to say that I have
decided to take my work elsewhere . . .”</span></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Or<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“If you ever can’t find my work
then I have been deleted, but you can also find me at . . .”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">How many times have
you seen lines such as these at the bottom or your favorite author’s profile or
work over the last couple of months? Ever wonder why? Well that would be thanks
to FanFiction.net’s decision to purge thousands of “M” rated fics from their
site. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">FanFiction.net is one
of the leading sites for fanfiction writers. The site was created in 1998 to
house the original transformative works of amateur writers who based their
stories on popular literature, television shows, movies, books, video games,
and comic and cartoon characters. The writers post their work to the site,
allowing other fans to read and review. Each story must have a rating according
to the guideline set by the site, and each writer must agree to specific terms
and conditions, in order to continue to add stories to their collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The change in minimum
age requirement to join the site was Fanfiction.net’s supposed reason the purge
was initiated. When the site was created, the registration age was 18 years. In
2002, the age requirement was changed to only 13 years old. When the age
requirement decreased, the ability to publish MA (Mature Adults) or NC-17 rated
content was banned from the site. This change in minimum age requirement caused
the rating systems to be adjusted to avoid lawsuits from the parents of minors,
who could claim the site corrupted their children [1]. The rating system is [3]:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .7in;" valign="top" width="67"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">K<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Content suitable
for most ages (5+)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .7in;" valign="top" width="67"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">K+<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Some content may
not be suitable for young children (9+)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .7in;" valign="top" width="67"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">T<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Contains content
not suitable for children (13+)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .7in;" valign="top" width="67"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">M<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.95in;" valign="top" width="571"><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Contains content
suitable for mature teens and older (16+)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in;">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The slightly
ambiguous definition of each rating causes writers to choose the incorrect, or
possibly the most extreme rating to avoid what inevitably took place in June
2012. Ten years after the age requirement was decreased, after years of loosely
enforced ratings, the site decided to act on the general guidelines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Thousands of fics
were “purged” from the site, often with no warning or notification to the
author. The site administrators claimed that the purged stories did not meet
the general guidelines set forth, including inappropriate material for its
selected rating. Many authors opposed the action, claiming that while the
ratings had been in place for years, they had never been enforced and the
authors had never been told that their stories were outside of guidelines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Despite the backlash,
the site purged what has been estimated to be 62,000 fics without the knowledge
of the writer[1]. According to a statistic published by ffdotnetrant, a LiveJournal
blog dedicated to complaints about the popular fanfiction site, 1,497 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> stories were purged (along with
other popular fandoms such as Harry Potter, Naurto, Yu-Gi-Oh, and more)[2].It
is safe to assume other stories have since met the same fate. Countless
authors, including myself, scrambled to the site to check the presence of their
own mature content <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> stories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Authors began to
question what was defined as M or mature content. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> fandom is riddled with alternate pairings, many including
gay (slash) and lesbian (femslash) couples, which are not a part of the original
story line. Does this story alternative fall into the allowable M rating, or is
this theme for Mature Adults (MA) only? There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind
the stories that were chosen to be deleted and those that weren’t. While one
story with M/MA content would be deleted, another with the same or similar
content would be left standing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This cryptic rating
system and sudden removal of vast number of fics caused <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> fandom readers (as well as other fandoms) to blame the
hidden Fanfiction Nazis—a team devoted solely to the purpose of scouring the
site for works they feel are not worthy of the site, reporting them to
FanFiction.net’s abuse team. Though the presence of such site bullying is
annoying it is welcomed by the site administration and many of the stories that
were purged met their fate due to having been reported. As the site states,
Fanfiction.net “rely[s] on its users to report stories that are inappropriately
rated [1].”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The purge of thousands
of story has caused writers to migrate to other sites with less rating
restrictions. Fanfiction.net’s decision to purge so many stories forced writers
to submit works to other sites including, but not limited to Twilighted,
Archive of Our Own, TwiWrite, and others. Some authors still take the chance of
posting their questionable “M” ratings to the FanFiction.net site. The
announcement of the purge caused writers and readers to band together and
boycott Fanfiction.net for one weekend in June 2012. Despite the readers losing
many favorite stories, and thousands of writers feeling violated from the
purge, there has been no reported loss of traffic to what still seems to be the
leading fanfiction site [2]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This may not be the
only purge users of FF.net will see. Just this year, the site began to allow
users to create covers for their stories. The new image feature allows authors
the ability to create and submit a design for their work to attract more
readers. Twilight enthusiasts are no stranger to “banners” -- picture edits
created to advertise stories, collections, and contest. The new image manager
has its own set of criteria, including the creator having the rights to use the
images being utilized as a cover [3]. Many of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> story covers include copyrighted photos of the actors of
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight Saga</i>. Professional
photos of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> gang are being
edited and word shopped to create the covers and banners now on Fanfiction.net.
Unless these users are close friends with K. Stew, R. Pat, Taylor Lautner, and
the reaming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight</i> collection, then
there are hundreds of images in violation of copy right and permission guidelines
on the site. According to the terms and guidelines these violators can be
removed without notification, same as the case with the thousands of deleted
fanfics removed earlier this summer[3].<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Being a low key
writer seems to be the only aversion to finding your M rated fics missing from
the site. If the Fanfiction Nazi never tags your work, than you will remain
unnoticed by the site administrator who can’t possibly keep track of the millions
of stories in the various categories, including crossovers. But as a precaution
to all writers, no matter your fandom or rating of choice, back up your work!
Save it to your computer, a flash drive, a free email account only for your
fanfiction writing, or in some high tech cloud. Using multiple sites for your
fiction is a plus, exposing your stories to different readers as well as fandom
specific readers (which is what you get when you post to sites such as TwiWrite
or Twilighted, and other specialty fiction sites). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="border: none; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext .75pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 2.0pt 0in; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Hopefully the days of
looking over our shoulders before submitting our M rated fics are over . . . but
I doubt it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><b>Author: Challa Fletcher, Staff Blogger</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Reference<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[1] FanFiction.net –
Wikipedia -- </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanfiction.net"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanfiction.net</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[2] FanFiction.net
Adult Content Purge </span><a href="http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/FanFiction.Net_adult_content_purge_felt_across_fandom_two_weeks_on"><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/FanFiction.Net_adult_content_purge_felt_across_fandom_two_weeks_on</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[3]Fanfiction.net
Terms of Service -- http://www.fanfiction.net/tos/<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<br /></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-86077644677632891762012-07-28T23:05:00.002-07:002012-07-29T18:43:58.396-07:00A Cliche By Any Other Name<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif;">Somewhere,
someday, some person sat down at their computer, utterly disgusted with some<i>thing</i> in
Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Somewhere, someday, some person sat
down at their computer, utterly disgusted with some</span><i>thing</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> in Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight series.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">As they tested the waters, weaving their own perfect little
rendition of the story while temporarily borrowing her characters, they threw a
few unique, original ideas in there just to make it their own and mixed it with
some canon favorites just for good measure.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, then some reader of said story sat down someday,
somewhere at their own computer and thought, “You know what? I really liked
that idea! I’m gonna use it in my story, too!”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">And then some reader of theirs somewhere, someday...</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">You get the picture.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">And that is the birth of what we like to call clichés. What
once started out as a good idea, an original concept, was well-received by the
first 20 or so authors who dipped their toes in the same creative waters, but
had us yawning and running the other direction by the time the 543,567th author
gave it a whirl.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I’ve read A LOT of fics, yet still by no means consider
myself an expert. So when I volunteered to write this, I enlisted the help of
my fellow Wolf girls (ICYMI, that’s my disclosure right there — in other words,
these clichés will lean heavy toward the wolf side since I don’t tend to read
fics with vamp pairings...like, at all) at a couple sites I post my work on. I
thought I’d get a few responses — just enough to put my finger on the pulse of
some overused plot lines/adjectives/ideas in the world of Twilight fanfic.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Yeah — I was wrong.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I guess when you write for a fandom that’s given birth to
hundreds of thousands of fics, there’s bound to be more than 10 ideas that have
long since reached their expiration date. Yet, we still keep seeing them.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So only the top 10? I love a challenge, so here goes...
(warning: if you can’t pick up on the sarcasm and fun of this, turn back
now...I do these, you do these, we all do these and it’s all good.)</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">1) Bella Swan — The Walking Cliché</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Good ol’ B herself seems to be that one thing us Twi-writers
can never find a middle ground on. Either we’re constantly reminding readers
that she is incessantly canon both in personality (clutsy, selfish, wishy-washy)
and appearance (chestnut hair, milky-white skin, petite, smells like
strawberries) or we automatically fly to the opposite end of the spectrum in
order to make peace with our ever-present grudge we hold against canon Bella by
making her a sexy siren full of so much strength and independence, you may have
just created your own original character without realizing it.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It’s okay for B to have flaws, but it’s also good to branch
out when exploring the development of the heroine with which we all seem to
have a love-hate relationship. Just use a thesaurus when you do.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">2) Be Careful or Your Face Will Get Stuck That Way</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Bella<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>blushed</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> as she<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><b>bit her lip</b>, eyeing Jacob from across the
room.</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Jacob<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>smirked,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>giving Bella a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>crooked smile</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> as he automatically felt something awaken in his
pants.</span></span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Apparently a lot of Twi-fic readers have a problem with these
kinds of facial expressions, because I guess they’re used a lot and it seems
lip-biting leads to instant erections (who knew?) and if you look real close,
all the guys are walking around with perma-smirks and their own patented brand
of crooked smile while they comment on the particular shade of pink embedded in
Bella’s cheeks at that exact moment in time.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Sounds plausible.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">3) Emily and Her Magical Muffins</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Do wolves really like muffins? Aren't they sick of
them by now? Quick! Someone take away Emily's Kitchen-Aid and hide
the blueberries!” ~ Dragonfly76</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Right? I must have missed that episode of Running With The
Wolves. Seems Emily is always pedaling her muffins in wolf fics these days. On
the other hand, show me a fic where Emily’s muffins serve an epic purpose like
— oh, I don’t know — possessing the cure for vampirism and I will
definitely read that. They could explode, too. Exploding is always a good thing.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">4) Glittery<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>and</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> Abhorrable?</span></span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Okay, let’s be honest — most of us wolf girls do this a lot
because we have some kind of issue with Edward’s character and his personality.
At the same time, do we really have to take it to such extremes? Edward was a
tad on the manipulative side, but he wasn’t vulgar and vindictive.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">5) The Clueless and Helpless Cop</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“Why the hell is everyone so willing to believe Charlie can't
boil water? Eating out all the time is expensive. If a man can
break down and clean a gun, then put it back together, he can fry an egg and
toast a piece of bread.” ~ShadowPast620</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Good question. Just once I’d like to see Charlie cook dinner
for Bella. I bet he makes a mean Kraft macaroni and cheese. It would also be
fun to see those cop skills stick around after he takes off the uniform. Surely
Forks wouldn’t appoint a police chief who couldn’t find his own butt with a map.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">6) Bitchy, Bitter She-Wolf</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Then there’s Leah. She’s perpetually angry and bitter and
vindictive. She’s hard to be around and no one likes her. She’s the last one
picked for the Pack’s game of Super Soccer. She’s going to die alone, and it
will be closed-casket funeral because there was no amount of makeup that could
hide the perma-sneer attached to her lips.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">As my friend ShadowPast put this one,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>“At some point you get tired of being sad and angry all the
time and give yourself permission to be happy. SM didn't imprint all the
wolves. Embry's not busy.”</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">7) Imprinting</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What was once a canon-created “rarity” has spread like
wildfire throughout the wolf-side of this fandom. Who wouldn’t love it?
Imprinting is like the cure-all for everything. Got a lonely wolf you feel like
fixing up? Imprint! Need to get rid of a pesky third wheel? Imprint! Need a
nice, easy HEA? Imprint! Need a date to prom? You guessed it.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Meh...choices are overrated.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">8) Perfect Sexual Encounters</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">“<i>Everyone has orgasms every single time, AND they happen at
the same time. Hardly anyone ever premature ejaculates either.”
~Obsessedtwibrarian</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, OTB, when two young people (read: Bella and Jacob, or
even Edward) love each other very much, there is no trial and error when it
comes to sex. It is always mind-blowing. It is always perfect. There is always
confidence. Bella feels no pain and they both have synchronized, world-altering
orgasms...usually more than once. Later, we learn Bella and Insert-Other-Half-Of-OTP-Here
were both virgins and he learned it through mind-reading or wolf telepathy.
That’s pretty freaking cool, right?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">But then again, who wants to read bad sex? *Sigh*</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">9) The "Meat"</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Speaking of sex, it’s no wonder Bella’s able to have 43,567
orgasms considering what those guys are always packing in their pants. How come
it always has to be “massive” and “thick” and “engorged”? How come it’s never
just average? And why do we always have to reminded every third word just how
well-endowed these guys are? I get it - I now have penis envy of a fictional
character on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>behalf</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> of my hubby. Thanks for that.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">10) Fertile Myrtle</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So what do you get when you add perfect sexual encounters
with a big ol’ slice of wolf or vamp meat? That’s right — puppies (or Nessies!)
And Bella was born to breed, right? No? Coulda fooled me.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">**</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So once the vamps left Forks after trying to emotionally
terrorize Bella into going with them, everyone walked around with crooked
grins, smirking at Bella’s blush when they realized why she didn’t leave. They
knew about the perfect sex she had last night where Jacob’s massive member made
her, ahem, finish at least three times. She tripped over a rock just thinking
about. Leah bitched about her clumsiness, but not before she smacked Embry for
laughing, who was chewing thoughtfully on a muffin, and the physical contact
caused him to suddenly imprint on her.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">And Charlie was still scratching his head in confusion.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The end.</span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><i>Author: Meliz875, Guest Blogger</i></b></span></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-64622304690050911202012-07-28T23:03:00.000-07:002012-07-29T18:42:01.981-07:00Smut U: Get Your Lemon On!<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Most have heard about it. Some are curious and follow what’s
being said. Some want to participate but are too shy to give it a go.
Only a handful actually do participate.</span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What is it?</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Each year the well-known Beta Service website, <i>Project Team
Beta</i> hosts Smut University, also known as SmutU. And each year a
handful of writers come together to read lessons by other well-known fandom
writers over a couple month span. After a lesson is posted to their blog
a homework assignment is put out and students have four days to complete each
to be critiqued and shown how it could be improved.</span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">How can it help you?</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<br />
</span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Are you a first time lemon writer? Ready to learn something
you wouldn’t normally think of? Are you a Veteran lemon writer who’d like
to figure out what’s missing from your lemon or how to make it even more
explosive? This is where you want to come (quite possibly in the literal
sense as well!). SmutU offers a variety of different aspects to make your
lemon scene better by learning different techniques, making your brain think of
reality instead of fantasy to offer your readers high quality work, and offers
encouragement by your fellow students and Professors to succeed!</span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">How do you join in?</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Visit the Project Team Beta website for all the latest information
about signups, scheduling, and important dates. Right now the semester is
half over, but feel free to check out the blog and read what’s been taught so
far this semester and to see if it would be something you’d like to participate
in next semester!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI Symbol', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><i>Author: CeeCee Picanzo, Promotions Coordinator</i></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://projectteambeta.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">http://projectteambeta.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> || </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://projectteambeta.com/smut-university"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">http://projectteambeta.com/smut-university</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-86583860638920286802012-06-03T12:00:00.001-07:002012-06-03T12:00:23.324-07:00Tricky Raven's June 'Raven's Read'Beginning this month we are ecstatic to begin a monthly collaboration with the wonderful ladies of 'Tricky Raven'. Tricky Raven is an amazing Twilight wolf-centric website promoting the writing and posting of author's original fan fiction works and art.<br />
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If you're a 'wolf pack' fan looking for some great reads we recommend you check them out!<br />
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Each month You Write What?! will bring you a new story recommendation courtesy of Tricky Raven's 'Raven's Read'.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">BLUEBIRD</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">By: meliz875</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color: #050005; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">Bella and Jacob are together but an unforeseen tragedy rips them apart. In Jacob's absence, Bella befriends and is comforted by the person she least expects. Will Jacob return? Can Bella imagine her life with someone she never considered a choice?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://trickyraven.ning.com/group/bluebird?xg_source=activity" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://trickyraven.ning.com/<wbr></wbr>group/bluebird?xg_source=<wbr></wbr>activity</a></span></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2750195398012505492.post-85812316802781241582012-04-25T22:04:00.002-07:002012-04-25T22:04:48.843-07:00Love Inc.<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Love Inc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dragonfly76</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">One of my favorite local charities is called Love Inc. Love Inc. is a terrific non- denominational effort put forth by local churches all over the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good reminder that charity does not discriminate based on religion or lack thereof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a combined effort to provide help for those in need of clothing, basic necessities like cleaning products or diapers, scheduling rides to and from doctor’s appointments or the grocery store for those who cannot otherwise get there as well as providing new duffel bags with soft animals and basic comforts to foster children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When my daughter was turning one year old, I looked around my living room and realized that neither of my children wanted for anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, I'm not a wealthy woman, not by a long shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, short of a unicorn, my kids have everything they could want or need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew about Love Inc. and the ways they provided for the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no test with them or forms to fill out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is simply on faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you or your family ask, they will help you, even if the only thing they can do is offer prayer and support.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">From the minute they could walk, I have tried to impress on my kids that charity is not something we just do at Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Giving is a year round effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To that end, I decided that for my daughters first birthday party, in lieu of gifts, to please bring a donation for Love Inc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the invitations I explained how blessed our family was and included a list of things they needed for children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Diapers, blankets, onesies, stuffed animals and bags for foster children, those were just a few of the items that people brought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Bringing in that donation was certainly an emotional experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The head of the local chapter cried and then quickly explained how desperate they were for those items.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their funding is dependent on donations from the public, as are the items they use to stock their pantry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She gave me a tour and allowed me to see some photographs of lives who had been touched in the past by their efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a reminder to me that we can all make a difference in the lives of those people we don't know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only that, but I realized that if I ever found myself in need, that my family would have a place to go to for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In my backyard are a few little blue spruce trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I handed out seedlings to everyone who came to my daughter's party, at the time only thinking that it was a cute idea and a nice thing to do for the environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I look at those trees now and realize that they mean so much more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are living breathing reminders to myself, my husband and my children that we can make a difference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">For more information please go to <a href="http://www.loveinc.org/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.loveinc.org/</span></a></span></div>Blogging Fanfictionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00967368109638250842noreply@blogger.com0