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    #16
    Originally posted by WraithTech View Post
    That is deep and so true... and why the audience rallied for Carson.
    My eyes still get teary if I think of Carson and that unpopular episode to everyone who liked him a lot, but it is that I guess every writer wishes to happen about their work. That they managed to make such things stay in the mind of people, because it proves their characters were not just flat and easy to forget

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      #17
      Originally posted by Az'ryel View Post
      Though, sadly whether that works well or not so well to deliver what you want to deliver to your readers however is the part where talent comes in, it cannot be trained, since it is the part of writing that requires the writer to put their heart and own emotions in
      Sure it can. It takes practice, and effort, but it can be learned/ trained. Talent is mostly practice and listening to criticism.

      Seaboe
      If you're going to allow yourself to be offended by a cat, you might as well just pack it in -- Steven Brust

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        #18
        Then it is not talent, then it is training and effort but not a thing which some people naturally possess. That thing which divides a good writer from a brillant writer.
        Telling good from brilliant though is a personal thing which everyone will see different
        Last edited by DarkenLycht; 30 April 2018, 09:34 AM.

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          #19
          Originally posted by Az'ryel View Post
          well, you see sometimes, you say more with what you do not write about a character than with what you actually say. Let their character be shaped by their actions as you write and not so much by what you actually tell about them
          an important thing about how to make the readers feel something is to let them realize certain facts about a character themselves by what you do not say...let the character speak for himself to the reader, and let them decide if they like him.
          Well, you don't have to worry. I'm not a big fan of telling what the readers should think (hence why I'm here asking cuz I have no idea if my showing has any emotional impact). The sniper thing is easy enough. Martin gets a sniper rifle, observes the landscape through a scope, and in a fight he is told to go to the back to snipe. His backstory I had him tell trying to convince another person that they should not be zealously attached to a position just because they were born into it. That individual in particular was a foil to him since she lost everything because she tried to always take the moral high ground. And his morals tend to come on display arguing with Chen, taking the more noble and 'paragon' side.

          Originally posted by WraithTech View Post
          That desire to prove himself could also become a test to him: maybe he could face a decision point where he feels tempted to prove himself. Knowing his past and motivation, readers would want to know what he will do, similar to Rodney in Grace Under Pressure having to confront and work through claustrophobia. That characteristic about Rodney becomes compelling when the plot highlights and challenges it.
          I like that idea. Maybe a situation where he is with either a person or a group of people look down on Martin because he had an easy life. So he begins taking even crazier ‘moral high grounds’ just to prove himself. But would he go nuts? (Like, taking some absurd roads and having his teammates call him out on it?) Or is it something he just brings up in an argument with the person?

          sigpic
          Stargate spin off series: Stargate Millennium
          https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5580179/StargateMillennium

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            #20
            Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
            But would he go nuts? (Like, taking some absurd roads and having his teammates call him out on it?)
            He might. That's part of the fun. The characteristic can be a strength (propelling him to do his best where others might not be as brave) but also can be sometimes a weakness (if he takes too much of a leap and then has to correct for any missteps, as you hinted). Lots of plot possibilities for that personality trait!

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              #21
              Originally posted by WraithTech View Post
              He might. That's part of the fun. The characteristic can be a strength (propelling him to do his best where others might not be as brave) but also can be sometimes a weakness (if he takes too much of a leap and then has to correct for any missteps, as you hinted). Lots of plot possibilities for that personality trait!
              Exactly, that is the fun part about writing.

              I personally think planning characters before writing puts too many restrictions on development and how story might go. I rather take a jump into cold water there

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                #22
                Ok, what about the story arc of a mass murderer and terrorist? He's a less developed character I want to bring forward. I've thought about something Teal'c style, but I want to frame the act of not forgiving in the same light as forgiving.

                I have scenes. Visiting his home to show how he became a mass murderer. Visiting the sites of some of his kills. But I'm not sure how I can wrap it into a plot. Or perhaps this should be a secondary plot in an episode.

                sigpic
                Stargate spin off series: Stargate Millennium
                https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5580179/StargateMillennium

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                  #23
                  Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
                  Ok, what about the story arc of a mass murderer and terrorist? He's a less developed character I want to bring forward. I've thought about something Teal'c style, but I want to frame the act of not forgiving in the same light as forgiving.

                  I have scenes. Visiting his home to show how he became a mass murderer. Visiting the sites of some of his kills. But I'm not sure how I can wrap it into a plot. Or perhaps this should be a secondary plot in an episode.
                  I do have a general tip for you because I have the feeling you have a hard time with writing:

                  Think less and just write, let the story form itself on the go, then you do not need to worry to write an oc wrong, just make the story fit to them as you get the ideas while writing

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                    #24
                    Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
                    I have scenes. [...] But I'm not sure how I can wrap it into a plot.
                    Maybe some short flashbacks?

                    I've seen some writers intersperse flashbacks as their own short chapters in between the longer, main arc chapters, using dates or number of years ago as sub-headers and the chapters in the present marked as present time.

                    Other times, writers include brief scenes as flowing into the main plot itself, such as in "Sateda," where the flashbacks were triggered by things Ronon was experiencing in the present, but told about his past life and his planet's culture. A room, an object, a color, etc. can trigger such flashback memories.

                    Also, with scifi, things such as cosmic rays, alien devices, recordings, etc. can give characters short flashbacks of themselves or others in the plot's present time.
                    Last edited by WraithTech; 18 June 2018, 06:16 AM.

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                      #25
                      Depending on what scenes are to be placed it could also be some of that tech or evens enabling characters see their future, as some kind of "what if moments. That can also be a way to try out which story or outcomes you like best

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                        #26
                        Originally posted by Az'ryel View Post
                        I do have a general tip for you because I have the feeling you have a hard time with writing:

                        Think less and just write, let the story form itself on the go, then you do not need to worry to write an oc wrong, just make the story fit to them as you get the ideas while writing
                        Perhaps. My plots tend to be well received and I'm used to planning them in detail. So I want to put more effort into flushing out my characters.

                        sigpic
                        Stargate spin off series: Stargate Millennium
                        https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5580179/StargateMillennium

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                          #27
                          Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
                          My plots tend to be well received and I'm used to planning them in detail.
                          Your post in another thread conjuring up and calling into question a plot about the creation and/or elimination of subspecies combined with a sort of conspiracy involving more than one race in doing so knocked my socks off, so I believe it. It's amazing and thought-provoking, because the races would be well-rounded, not all 2D cardboard types, and the setting complex.

                          You could probably file the serial numbers off and make an original story out of that and publish it. That is just so intriguing. I could see situations where even family households could be divided and dealing with the change and also the fall-out.
                          Last edited by WraithTech; 29 June 2018, 10:07 AM.

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                            #28
                            Originally posted by StargateMillennium View Post
                            Ok, what about the story arc of a mass murderer and terrorist? He's a less developed character I want to bring forward. I've thought about something Teal'c style, but I want to frame the act of not forgiving in the same light as forgiving.

                            I have scenes. Visiting his home to show how he became a mass murderer. Visiting the sites of some of his kills. But I'm not sure how I can wrap it into a plot. Or perhaps this should be a secondary plot in an episode.
                            Just to toss in my two cents here... My first OC for SG fanfic showed me a lot of scenes of her life, her past, how she came to be where she was in the Stargate universe. I have all that written down, because it gave me a feel for the character and references for things. I've used bits as flashbacks, I've had her explain other bits to people as reasons for how she reacted to things, and a large share of it will never end up in the fanfic. But it helped me with who she is. What her flaws are. How she deals with her strengths and more importantly to me, her weaknesses.

                            When I first started writing her I read a lot about not making a Mary Sue character, or a one-dimensional character, but after comparing that to who I had I decided that whether a character is a Mary Sue is highly subjective. One could probably make the case that she is in some respects, but she has her flaws, people she doesn't get along with, and her own little quirks.

                            What I love about writing, and why I love that I can play in the Stargate sandbox in as many alternate realities as my brain can dream up, is that it allows me to do what brought me into the franchise to begin with. Character development. Seeing them grow, change, evolve. The bad guy seen from another perspective, who may still be bad in the overall scheme of things but there are reasons for why he chose what he did. What I'm currently obsessed with writing is set primarily on Atlantis, and thus far there are often 3-4 different POVs for a given day or week, because with a base full of people different groups see and do different things. And it's challenging to tie that all together, but also enjoyable when the pieces all fit.

                            Bottom line: Write what you've seen. Even if it never makes it into the story proper, taking time to learn more about your characters, see them in different circumstances, is never a bad thing IMO.
                            Monica Zelenka lover since 2004! RDA fan since 1985! Lorne fan since 2003!
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                            Lady Pandora
                            Atlantis Series: Retrospective Ruminations Unexpected

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                              #29
                              Like I already know these aspects of my characters. By this point, I love these non existent people as if they were real since I know their ins and outs. Now I want to make it so that other people would love them.

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                              Stargate spin off series: Stargate Millennium
                              https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5580179/StargateMillennium

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                                #30
                                Well, at the risk of sounding crazy... or crazier than usual... what sometimes works for me is to write something as if I'm looking at it on TV, watching it progress. Include descriptions but don't pull a Tolkien of 300 pages to describe one place.

                                When I am writing a 'new' place on Atlantis I visualize it in my head, sketch it out on a piece of paper until I have the layout how I see it in my head, then go from there.

                                For example: I created a bar down in the base of a tower, and had to figure out exactly what was in there that my characters would see, use, etc. Like a stage at one end for karaoke, jam sessions, and trivia nights, with a soundboard off to the side. A proper bar area, with bar stools and the like. Four pool tables for those who like to play at the far end of the room. It's a long room, so this works. And in the middle are tables an chairs, some small, some for larger groups. Once I could see it I was able to write my characters visiting, hanging out, which draws your reader in and then lets you develop the characters in such a way that they relate to them.

                                Having no idea where your story takes place, and being in a long term writing project on Atlantis, those will be my reference points at he moment. Maybe it's how that person perceived gate travel and stepping onto Atlantis, newbie versus someone who's been with the expedition since day 1.

                                Not sure if that helps at all, but maybe it will.
                                Monica Zelenka lover since 2004! RDA fan since 1985! Lorne fan since 2003!
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                                Lady Pandora
                                Atlantis Series: Retrospective Ruminations Unexpected

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