# hello hi some advice pleas



## Lycanis (Dec 31, 2007)

ok i had a question and was wundering um how to really get a good start on wrighting a werewolf type of story becuse i have an idea in my head but i just don't know how to get started on it if somone could give me some advice on how to get started that would be great ?


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## Le_DÃ©mon_Sans_Visage (Dec 31, 2007)

I'd start with punctuation, capitilization, and basic grammar.


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## TakeWalker (Dec 31, 2007)

Well, all stories have a beginning, but not all writing does. Some people naturally start in the middle, and I'm not even talking in medias res.

If you've got an idea, it might be a good idea (haha) to just write it down the way you have it in your head. Just write it down as if you were explaining it to someone. That gives you a bit of an outline to work from. Flesh out the idea, consider transitions, and ask yourself questions.

And ignore the naysayer above.  Have you done much writing?


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## Lycanis (Dec 31, 2007)

not really no i have't done much wrighting this is my first time and i have learning disablitys and stuff like that am not to good at putations or grammer for that matter thats why i need some guidence is all 





			
				TakeWalker said:
			
		

> Well, all stories have a beginning, but not all writing does. Some people naturally start in the middle, and I'm not even talking in medias res.
> 
> If you've got an idea, it might be a good idea (haha) to just write it down the way you have it in your head. Just write it down as if you were explaining it to someone. That gives you a bit of an outline to work from. Flesh out the idea, consider transitions, and ask yourself questions.
> 
> ...


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## Molotov (Jan 1, 2008)

Hmm, what kind of werewolf-type story? Of the horror genre? Fantasy?

I could help ya out, if more info's fed to me, XP


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## Lycanis (Jan 1, 2008)

i was thinking horror painful tearing out of clothing type of werewolf story i was thinking the werewolf would be femail wearing her boyfriends sweatpants or somthing with the elastic ankels or somthing like that is whati was thinking but i just don't really know how to go about it ?





			
				Molotov said:
			
		

> Hmm, what kind of werewolf-type story? Of the horror genre? Fantasy?
> 
> I could help ya out, if more info's fed to me, XP


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## Molotov (Jan 1, 2008)

Hmmm, PM me, and I will help you further. How's that sound?


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## TakeWalker (Jan 1, 2008)

Lycanis said:
			
		

> i was thinking horror painful tearing out of clothing type of werewolf story i was thinking the werewolf would be femail wearing her boyfriends sweatpants or somthing with the elastic ankels or somthing like that is whati was thinking but i just don't really know how to go about it ?



That doesn't sound like much of a story if you ask me. :| Is that all your idea is?


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## Oni (Jan 1, 2008)

Le_DÃ©mon_Sans_Visage said:
			
		

> I'd start with punctuation, capitilization, and basic grammar.


OoooOooo... Burned.


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## TheGru (Jan 1, 2008)

As I'm reading Lycanis' post I really think Le Demon is right. :|


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## WolfoxOkamichan (Jan 1, 2008)

I suggest thinking outside the box.


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## TakeWalker (Jan 1, 2008)

Oni said:
			
		

> Le_DÃ©mon_Sans_Visage said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...





			
				TheGru said:
			
		

> As I'm reading Lycanis' post I really think Le Demon is right. :|



Good writing does not somehow emerge from adherence to standards of spelling and grammar. If the kid's got ideas, let him get them down on paper, don't stonewall him with "You aren't good enough to join our club" before he's even had a chance to write a sentence. No one is born with a deep understanding of how the English language works; we all learned, and got where we are now by making mistakes and having others correct them. Teach, rather than censure.


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## Le_DÃ©mon_Sans_Visage (Jan 1, 2008)

TakeWalker said:
			
		

> Good writing does not somehow emerge from adherence to standards of spelling and grammar. If the kid's got ideas, let him get them down on paper, don't stonewall him with "You aren't good enough to join our club" before he's even had a chance to write a sentence. No one is born with a deep understanding of how the English language works; we all learned, and got where we are now by making mistakes and having others correct them. Teach, rather than censure.



Oh please. 

I may be a demon, but don't put words into my mouth. Where exactly did I say 'you can't join our club'?

Getting ideas down onto paper is one thing. Not taking the trouble to hit the shift key once in a while and then expecting other people to try and decipher the meaning is something else entirely. Unless this person is five years old, there's no excuse.


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## TheGru (Jan 2, 2008)

TakeWalker said:
			
		

> Good writing does not somehow emerge from adherence to standards of spelling and grammar. If the kid's got ideas, let him get them down on paper, don't stonewall him with "You aren't good enough to join our club" before he's even had a chance to write a sentence. No one is born with a deep understanding of how the English language works; we all learned, and got where we are now by making mistakes and having others correct them. Teach, rather than censure.



Touche Take but if I remember right Le Demon's post sounded more like a suggestion rather than a shutout:


			
				Le_DÃ©mon_Sans_Visage said:
			
		

> I'd start with punctuation, capitilization, and basic grammar.



Now let's look a the sample he was talking about (I've bold-ed all the misspelling, and underlined all grammar errors I've spotted):


			
				Lycanis said:
			
		

> ok i had a question and was *wundering* um how to really get a good start on *wrighting* a werewolf type of story *becuse* i have an idea in my head but i just don't know how to get started on it if *somone* could give me some advice on how to get started that would be great ?



Since you say teach rather than censure so I'll start teaching.
First off always check your spelling: most web browsers have a built in spell check system, and almost all word processors do, and just because you may think a word is right doesn't always mean it is.
Second is grammar: the first word to your sentence is ALWAYS capitalized, as is *I* and it's punctuations, (I.E. I've, I'd, I'll.)
Finally: his post is a run-on sentence that ends in a question. His question should come first, an the rest is just additional information.

Here's how his post should look:


			
				Lycanis said:
			
		

> I have a question; how do I get a good start on writing a werewolf story? I have an idea in my head but I'm just not sure how to get it started. If someone can give me advice on how to start this story that would be great.


Notice how I cut (most) of the repetitive information and broke it into three sentences? If you repeat everything over and over you'll bore the reader and it'll be hard for him/her to take you seriously. My modification simply gets his request out and to the point.

I'll admit I'm not the best writer here, and I'm still learning and developing my ability. I encourage new ideas much like you do, but I feel that if you're going to play you better know the basic rules to have any fun.


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## ShÃ nwÃ ng (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't write stories based entirely off of one scene or thing or something of that nature, which it sounds like your story is about to do. Have you brainstormed what you want to write about? Dumped ideas on a blank word document or piece of paper and pieced it just slightly together? If you're going to start anywhere, start there.


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## Poetigress (Jan 2, 2008)

Start with your character.  Ask yourself who she is and what she wants, and let the plot develop out of that -- how she tries to get what she wants, what happens then, and whether she winds up with it or not.

I'm hoping this isn't just going to be a fetish-type scene focused solely on the transformation and her ripping out of her clothes, but if that's what you have in mind...  *shrug*

Don't worry so much about spelling and grammar on the first draft, but absolutely get it clean for the later drafts that people see.  A number of people in the fandom may not care so much about mechanics, but a number do, and I'm one who will stop reading after the first few paragraphs if there are loads of mistakes -- there are too many other things out there to read for me to take time to puzzle out what's being said.


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## TakeWalker (Jan 2, 2008)

Le_DÃ©mon_Sans_Visage said:
			
		

> Oh please.
> 
> I may be a demon, but don't put words into my mouth. Where exactly did I say 'you can't join our club'?
> 
> Getting ideas down onto paper is one thing. Not taking the trouble to hit the shift key once in a while and then expecting other people to try and decipher the meaning is something else entirely. Unless this person is five years old, there's no excuse.



He said he's got a learning disability. Granted, he said that after your initial comment, but my last post was more directed towards the agreements with that original post after the fact.

Hearing writers saying "You need to have proper spelling and punctuation before you even _think_ about writing a story" smacks to me of elitism. Creativity is the medium that we should be supporting and striving for; there are far too many people out there who have a decent grasp of the English language but write flat characters, confusing and unnatural dialogue, and boring plots based around a single scene. Mastering how the elements of a story work together is far more important than how to get them written.

Something I've learned in classes I've taken recently, about how to teach people to write, is that if you concentrate on spelling and grammar, the writer will too, to the exclusion of all else. There's an unfortunate misconception that spelling and grammar equal good writing -- if I haven't said this enough already -- and those who have difficulty with either are going to sweat and tremble over making sure their writing is technically flawless. They won't be thinking about "Does this character have more than one dimension?" or "Do these plot points make any sense together?" because they're too focused on polishing the surface to devote any brain power to what lies beneath. Editing for spelling and grammar are things best left to final drafts, as poetigress so kindly pointed out. What's important at the fore is to get the ideas down and make sure they flow into a good story.

(And before anyone complains about my pointing out the learning disability thing: an explanation is fine, so long as he doesn't fall back on it as an excuse not to improve.)



			
				TheGru said:
			
		

> Since you say teach rather than censure so I'll start teaching.
> First off always check your spelling: most web browsers have a built in spell check system, and almost all word processors do, and just because you may think a word is right doesn't always mean it is.
> Second is grammar: the first word to your sentence is ALWAYS capitalized, as is *I* and it's punctuations, (I.E. I've, I'd, I'll.)
> Finally: his post is a run-on sentence that ends in a question. His question should come first, an the rest is just additional information.



Well there ya go. Now my question to you is this: How does his not having adhered to these standards prevent you from understanding his post? You've taken all this time to spell-check and rewrite a question that you've not answered it at all. Attention to the surface, that's what I'm talking about.

Knowing the basic rules is a good idea, I'll admit. But I would certainly disagree that one must know them in order to 'have fun' as you put it. I'm one to talk: I love grammar, I really do. But I think that most people aren't as nutty about grammar as I am; the real fun for them is getting their ideas down and sharing them with others.


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## TheGru (Jan 2, 2008)

TakeWalker said:
			
		

> Knowing the basic rules is a good idea, I'll admit. But I would certainly disagree that one must know them in order to 'have fun' as you put it. I'm one to talk: I love grammar, I really do. But I think that most people aren't as nutty about grammar as I am; the real fun for them is getting their ideas down and sharing them with others.


We're talking more about basic grammar, not full on "everything must be right" grammar Nazi approach. Most people won't be that hard-ass about it to be sure, but most people at least have a basic understanding of it.

To address my 'have fun' as I put it lets use soccer as an example. We have two teams of six kids, everyone been drilled on the basic rules. During play however one kid picks up the ball. The whistle is blown and they start the round again. Yet the same kid keeps picking up the ball when he gets to it. Eventually the game ends no one hardly got to do anything and left extremely bored.

Perhaps I'm being a little peeved by this but it's just the way I see things.

Anyway to address the first part of your post:


			
				TakeWalker said:
			
		

> Well there ya go. Now my question to you is this: How does his not having adhered to these standards prevent you from understanding his post? You've taken all this time to spell-check and rewrite a question that you've not answered it at all. Attention to the surface, that's what I'm talking about.


You're right in the fact it didn't prevent me from understanding, but it did frustrate me in trying to decipher his request.

Since you're right in the fact I've dodged his question I'll answer it now:


			
				Lycanis said:
			
		

> I have a question; how do I get a good start on writing a werewolf story?


How would werewolves work in your story? Would they be born with the ability and have it manifest in life? Or would they receive it from a bite like some of the legends say? The legend of lycanthropy isn't too clear cut, but figuring out how you want it to work would be the first step.

Something I find interesting about werewolves is the dual nature. The difference between the human side and the beast. I believe the psychological side could be a good element for your characters development and how the story progresses.

Just remember it's your idea, play with some possibilities and theories, and see what pops in your mind.


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## Lycanis (Jan 2, 2008)

You Guys, have a great point here and i appreciate all the help your doing. Ok heres what i have come up with so fare for a beging with brain storming. I was thinking maybe she  lives in a small city umm she gets a call form her boyfriend to go for a walk and umm he as a surpise for her little dose her boyfirend relize is that there is a full moon out and he's going to change wright in front of her now, i was thinking maybe they go for a jog or somthing  like thats were the sweatpants and hoodies come in or somting and he changes wrigth in front of her or somthing like that. anyways tell me what you think of this first over all brain storming plot for the beging of the story and stuff like that ?


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## Poetigress (Jan 2, 2008)

Okay, that's a start.  Some questions you might want to think about:

How is their relationship overall?  Is he behaving oddly because of being a werewolf, and if so, what does she think about it?  Does she think something weird's going on?  What about him -- is he afraid of what she'll think when she sees him?  How does she react, and what does he do about it?

What type of werewolf is he?  The bloodthirsty sort, or the guardian-of-nature sort?  Are there others like him in the area, and if so, does he know them?  Is he in full control of himself when he's transformed, or does the animal part take over?  Can he speak after he's changed?  How old is he?  Is this transformation a fairly new experience for him, or is he ancient?  How is he able to transform -- was he born with the ability, was he given it, did he seek it out?  Has he ever told/shown anyone before, and if so, what happened then?

Think about what the characters are feeling, and how they react to things.  What the characters do makes up the skeleton of the plot, but what they feel is the heart of the story.


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## Lycanis (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmm, let me thinking on this and brain storm a little bit more on that part of it  and i will get back with you on that .


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## Lycanis (Jan 2, 2008)

Another thing i have trouble with in wrigting a story is diologe thats ones of the hardest parts to me also come up with names for the characters.


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## Molotov (Jan 2, 2008)

Remember mang, you don't have to start on your story right away. You have an unlimited amount of time on your hands. If you'd like some more help on how to construct a plot and story, as well as the dialogue, I suggest checking out the good stories in the following link: 

FanFiction

Tons of stories here, each with their own styles and such. You can learn a lot from here, or from other sites, other than just this one. Shame I don't know any more links, XP
But it's a start.


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## TakeWalker (Jan 2, 2008)

I forgot to ask one of the most important questions: Do you read a lot? It's hard to be a writer without being a reader, and tricky areas like dialogue can be improved by seeing what others have done. Molotov has very good advice in that there's absolutely no time limit for you, so take this as slowly as you need to. And don't forget that, once you've gotten something down, it seems you'll have an audience here willing to give you pointers.  And I'd say him giving his girlfriend the wrong 'surprise' is a fun way to start, as far as plot is concerned.


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## Trellek (Jan 3, 2008)

Speaking as (in all likelyhood) the biggest bookworm here, I will say that dialogue is often extremely difficult to get right.  I generally spend more time than I'd like working exclusively on dialogue simply because it must fit the meter of the story.  That said, start by building your characters.  What do they like?  Who are they?  Places are important for the body of the story true, but the concept requires only the actors.  Start there.  Give them a base, some part of them that can't change for the story to happen (other than race/species) and let them grow from there.  My Trellek is a work in progress and a functional example of this.  The base was a werewolf, on a world that had been at war for fifty years.  I will grant that it was actually for an RP that Trellek was born, but as I am working on a short story (or two) starring him, the RP element is moot.  Forgive my rambling please.  Anyway, the other thing to remember is that as you get your story on paper it will often take on a life of its own.  You will find that little things become different from what you remember of your brainstorming session.  Get your ideas on paper.  Then let the story flesh itself out.

(The edit was to fix a couple of grammatical errors...  Call me a perfectionist.)


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## Adelio Altomar (Jan 3, 2008)

I would start a new thread but seeing as how this is a hot thread here, I'll go ask this question:
How do you write sci-fi? 
I'm trying to write a sci-fi story (novel?). One of my main concerns is that might overload the reader with details and that some of the plot might run off elsewhere.


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## Poetigress (Jan 3, 2008)

> You can learn a lot from here, or from other sites, other than just this one. Shame I don't know any more links, XP



There's a "Recommended websites for writers" thread that lists a few more.



> How do you write sci-fi?
> I'm trying to write a sci-fi story (novel?). One of my main concerns is that might overload the reader with details and that some of the plot might run off elsewhere.



At the heart of it, writing sf really isn't all that different from any other genre.  The biggest pitfall, I think, is what you've already alluded to -- being able to work the background info into the background bit by bit, instead of dumping big chunks of backstory onto the reader.  But that's the same concern with writing fantasy or historical fiction, or anything that doesn't take place in modern-day reality.

There are some links in the website thread that might help you...


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