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I like behindthename.com
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Jul 23, 2017 00:13
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20000-names.com is good too
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Jul 23, 2017 00:20
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I usually just google for names by ethnicity so I don't end up with Gundam-style random origins like Fareed McGillis, Gym Ghingham, or Tieria Erde
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Jul 23, 2017 01:05
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After The War posted:I hope my gf believes me when I say that my browser history is now full of "babycenter.com" visits because I was trying to come up with accurate names from the 1930s. This could get awkward. you could like, show her your book, dude
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Jul 23, 2017 01:42
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Naerasa posted:I usually just google for names by ethnicity so I don't end up with Gundam-style random origins like Fareed McGillis, Gym Ghingham, or Tieria Erde [furiously scribbles] anime was right posted:you could like, show her your book, dude   What madness is this?
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Jul 23, 2017 05:24
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Cashcrab is probably just another systran alt. Free cache cab
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Jul 23, 2017 05:54
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I am free  After The War posted:I hope my gf believes me when I say that my browser history is now full of "babycenter.com" visits because I was trying to come up with accurate names from the 1930s. This could get awkward. Not really applicable in your case, but: my favourite name mining exercise is to squint into the distance and go with basically whatever my brain comes up with next. This system has failed me only once. Once I have a character imagined rather fully (which always comes first), it's like I am letting them name themselves, if that makes any sense.
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Jul 23, 2017 06:37
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HIJK posted:I like behindthename.com I have this and the sister site for surnames bookmarked. It's really handy if I want an "exotic" bunch of names because then they have the internal consistency of all being from the same place. Also fun for looking up your friend's names and seeing what they mean. haha "friends"
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Jul 24, 2017 05:16
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cash crab posted:Not really applicable in your case, but: my favourite name mining exercise is to squint into the distance and go with basically whatever my brain comes up with next. This system has failed me only once. Once I have a character imagined rather fully (which always comes first), it's like I am letting them name themselves, if that makes any sense. Generally, that's how I do main characters, but it helps to have a reference to what's likely in that time period for names that just gets dropped in. Usually, I'll go with whatever fits right into the dialogue, but in this case, I was having a  "This sounds similar to my protagonist's name and it's in the first person and early in the story, so my reader will be confused, I'm such a failure" moment.
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Jul 24, 2017 13:14
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I'm trying to get started on a little hobbyist serial series and I'm having a couple issues getting it started. I can't decide whether I should start with the character's 'origin story' that basically details who they are/how they became the person they are and finishes with the first big heist (jewel thief/femme fatale sort of poo poo) or if instead I should just start right in with the character in some other adventure and expound on the backstory over time. The character is fun/jokey but with some serious depth going on under the hood and I'd really like to explicitly expound on how that depth came about but I'm also worried about the relatively slow burn the first episode could be if I took the time to fully flesh out the beginning and it wouldn't be particularly representative of the pacing in the rest of it. And speaking of pacing. How do you know when something is paced right? Like if I have a minor action scene that takes place at the beginning of a story how do I know how much detail/exposition to spend on it as opposed to a similarly minor sequence later. Especially in this case where 'A' is an action piece that sets up the characterization and leads to the more desperation action piece 'B' that forces 'C' which is the real meat of the story. So A is mostly just setting up the B/C dominos but I feel like if I don't set up A enough then the character won't be sympathetic and fleshed out enough which would just make them seem like a dick in B. So I have this case where I really want to get to B/C but I don't want to sell A short and I simultaneously feel like A is too long and too short at the same time. I have a sneaking suspicion the answer is just 'it will feel right' but maybe I'm lucky and there is a bit more to say on it.
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Jul 24, 2017 13:31
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Try to start as close to the exciting poo poo as you can.
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Jul 24, 2017 13:52
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Don't write origin stories, they are bad and stupid.
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Jul 24, 2017 14:56
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for pacing, read other stories in your genre/style. notice how they pace their action but also notice when the pacing seems annoying to you. try to get a feel for how long different types of scenes (major, minor, action, character development, etc) should be. this will change depending on genre and intention, which is why reading similar stories you want to write is helpful. also get in the head of a reader. do they want to read this scene? is it interesting? is it meaningful? when and where does it get boring and can i just cut those boring sections or do i end the scene early or cut the entire scene?
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Jul 24, 2017 15:54
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Safety Biscuits posted:Don't write origin stories, they are bad and stupid. This is why every new Spider Man starts with his origin story.
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Jul 24, 2017 15:57
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Give an origin story after you've made me give a gently caress about your character. Don't say "this is why the guy is cool or how he ended up as he is" make me wonder "how is this guy so cool? give me some info." Seconding starting as close to the action as possible. It's been a bit since I've read it, but Snow Crash comes to mind. Before I know anything about the world or the protagonist he's trying to deliver his pizza asap at the risk of pissing of the mafia and he has that girl try to hitch a ride on his car and so on and so forth. I because I didn't know the "why" behind any of the characters I was enjoying the action scene while wondering what was even going on and left me curious.
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Jul 24, 2017 19:18
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You can also tell your Epic Origin Story in like 10 paragraphs interspersed throughout the entire narrative
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Jul 24, 2017 19:33
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See the child.
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Jul 24, 2017 20:49
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it's probably a good idea to write out the origin story so you know what happened, but don't include that whole thing in the story. Start where the character is at his most interesting, don't start out boring and then try to force him to be interesting.
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Jul 24, 2017 21:12
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So my intent behind this serial is to do 2-3 part short stories of spy/espionage poo poo in a fantasy setting with a fun protagonist. Just fluffy for fun poo poo. The expected meta plot that crosses the individual episodic plots is the personal struggle of the character that all stems from who she is/where she came from. Some chapters between the more action filled ones might just be long character dramas where she ends up facing some personal truth or w/e. So my challenge/question is how/can you establish this character who is complex enough to carry a meta plot forward more or less without a supporting cast without just expressly showing the drama that went into her? I could absolutely just start with her sitting on a castle wall about to start a massive heist plan and simultaneously write about her doing the heist/planning the heist a la oceans eleven but with wizards, and thats probably a way better initial chapter than a slow burn about personal growth. The nearest comparison I can probably think of is the Dresden Files, with the main character being a quirky jokey thing and most of the books being their own self contained stories with a meta plot between them carried mostly by the concerns of the characters, not the plot. Yet Jim Butcher can pull that sort of poo poo with an entire book's worth of space in the stories, if I'm just doing serials/short stories with a smaller cast I'm not sure how i get that same level of character development and back story interspersed in the work.
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Jul 24, 2017 21:21
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you can inform the past with present actions. put them in a situation where they have to make a choice, then use the moments of what shaped them as a person inform that choice. bad example: if they are an orphan without a stable parental figure, then they may be ambivalent towards authority. put them in a situation where they are being bossed around by an authority figure. because of their past, they refuse to listen even if it's the right thing to do. they chose not to listen to the authority figure. during that choice, you can express how their oprhan-ness turned into that decision. you've done something interesting that moves the plot forward (they made a choice that puts them closer to the ending) while at the same time, telling the reader who they are.
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Jul 24, 2017 21:39
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Agent355 posted:So my intent behind this serial is to do 2-3 part short stories of spy/espionage poo poo in a fantasy setting with a fun protagonist. Just fluffy for fun poo poo. The expected meta plot that crosses the individual episodic plots is the personal struggle of the character that all stems from who she is/where she came from. Some chapters between the more action filled ones might just be long character dramas where she ends up facing some personal truth or w/e. This sounds like Burn Notice to be honest. That's a show that starts out pretty much exactly this and the protagonist's past where he got his skills is only revealed in bits and pieces and we never get the entire picture. You don't have to show how she got her skills or why her personality is the way it is. Just show us her and if your writing is good enough then you don't need reams of backstory to make it interesting because she'll be compelling by herself.
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Jul 24, 2017 22:15
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i begin every story with a training montage.
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Jul 24, 2017 22:23
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HIJK posted:it's probably a good idea to write out the origin story so you know what happened, but don't include that whole thing in the story. Start where the character is at his most interesting, don't start out boring and then try to force him to be interesting. If a character isn't interesting without their super sekrit backstory they aren't interesting. Think about ways to convey their character in how they interact with the world and other characters.
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Jul 24, 2017 22:59
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sebmojo posted:If a character isn't interesting without their super sekrit backstory they aren't interesting. Think about ways to convey their character in how they interact with the world and other characters. Most of the time when a character's super secret past gets revealed they become less interesting. Just think about how much cooler Wolverine and Boba Fett were before we knew all about their sad childhoods and daddy issues.
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Jul 24, 2017 23:18
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well in those cases their pasts don't really have anything to do with who they are, or maybe more accurately they could be who they are with other pasts. Without spending 500 words giving specifics, I promise it's not sparkle dog unique bullshit, my character is who she is almost entirely because of the specific events that took place and it plays into her entire personality. For example she is very concerned with fitting into a society which, due to past, she can no longer be part of. So a theorized possible story arc is her trying to force somebody else to go through the same life changing thing she did to become like her, so she can be less alone (not edgy grim dark alone). Then the story deals with morality issues of forcing somebody through this thing and when she does then the other person might not come out like her at all and then there is the issue of whether it wasn't the event but herself that was the more formative part, and yadda yadda. I 100% agree that I need to start en media res with chapter 1 and let the backstory fill in more naturally and I'm mulling about how to do that at this point, but the backstory is what gives the character's quirks and personality context in this case.
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Jul 24, 2017 23:31
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Well, I wish you luck
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Jul 24, 2017 23:34
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Is that goonspeak for 'this rear end in a top hat isn't listening to advice, he must be one of those, get him out of here?' because I'm not trying to be that guy.
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Jul 24, 2017 23:36
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if its not interesting dont tell it if its necessary to tell it, make it as interesting as possible and cut out the least interesting parts if its necessary to tell it and you cant make it interesting, throw it out and write a completely different book
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Jul 24, 2017 23:41
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Yeah I think you're right. I think I have to tell it but I can do it not boring and shouldn't make it chapter 1.
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Jul 24, 2017 23:46
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In the story I'm working on right now, there is an event that defines the current status of my character. I decided that I wanted to tell that story, but not as chapter 1. I'm going to reveal it in small parts broken up throughout the story, until that crucial time where the character has to decide they are ready to move on. In that way, the character's "origin story" is still told, and it's still a central theme, but I don't waste a chapter or two telling it before the present story of the novel begins. Flashbacks. It's been working for me so far.
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Jul 25, 2017 00:28
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Agent355 posted:Yeah I think you're right. I think I have to tell it but I can do it not boring and shouldn't make it chapter 1. naw, you're cool, it's just MY CHARACTER LET ME TELL U OF THEM is a good belwether for bad fanfic so hackles are pre-raised.
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Jul 25, 2017 00:40
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write the thing and see if it is good and works as a story and if not start over
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Jul 25, 2017 00:49
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Yeah thats more or less what I've been doing. I'll sit down and write out 2k-5k words of a story and delete it when it stops working, then I go back and reform it and try again. The closest thing I had to working was what I did last night which reworked the origin story to start with a small scale heist to set up the sort of character this was, and allow the audience to understand/empathize with the rather morally dubious character. It was sorta half working but was still too slow to get to the life changing interesting moment, the spider bite in a sense. The spider bite is important, it contextualizes things but it doesn't make the character interesting on its own. I'll try something a bit different tonight. Rather than starting before the spider bite and ending with the first real heist (assassination in this case) I'll just start at the end of the first assassination. The first paragraph will be the assassination itself and the first portion of the story will be the exfiltration. This assassination starts a snowball effect and the story morphs and I"ll just try going from there and filling in as I go. It should start close enough to the spider bite that the character can still be dealing with the raw emotional impact so it doesn't feel like vapid flashbacks for exposition alone. I'm still not super experienced at writing action, most of what I do is character work and drama and relationship sort of stuff and I have a good handle on that. The idea of an action adventure story is something new for me personally which is why this is a serial and not a book. Nothing to it but write more and figure out proper pacing through practice and see if starting further in will make it easier.
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Jul 25, 2017 01:22
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well you seem to have no problems typing up larges amounts of words, so just keep going lil buddy!
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Jul 25, 2017 07:43
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crabrock posted:well you seem to have no problems typing up larges amounts of words, so just keep going lil buddy! posting something you've written for people to look at generally gets a better response than abstract queries, feel free to pm me if you'd like an opinion
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Jul 25, 2017 08:19
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crabrock posted:well you seem to have no problems typing up larges amounts of words, so just keep going lil buddy! I work overnights in the summer as a security guard, so it's 8 hours of sitting in complete darkness, outside, with no internet and nothing to really do. I read for 3-4 hours and write for 4-5 every night and have for the past 3 years. I think I'm okay if I stay within my wheelhouse but I need more practice at things like action sequences, I don't have a great feel for the pacing or what not. sebmojo posted:posting something you've written for people to look at generally gets a better response than abstract queries, feel free to pm me if you'd like an opinion Yeah but the specifics of what I write is embarassing as poo poo, alot of it is romance stuff and not even vanilla stuff. Specifics scare me. Though just for people's sake of mind I did get about 2k words done tonight on an en medias res version of the femme fatale serial. I think it's pretty good, I might've lost the thread a bit toward the end so I'll likely just snip off the last 500 words and start from there tomorrow night. It's definitely flowing a great deal better skipping over the origin story stuff. It took less than I thought to give context to the character's atypical personality quirks. Nothing close to the full story has been told but only a few lines here and there were enough to create the impression that the character was acting according to an internal logic based on some previous event, which is all I really wanted. Agent355 fucked around with this message at 13:18 on Jul 25, 2017 |
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Jul 25, 2017 12:48
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Agent355 posted:I work overnights in the summer as a security guard, so it's 8 hours of sitting in complete darkness, outside, with no internet and nothing to really do This is the job I want
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Jul 25, 2017 15:25
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Agent355 posted:Is that goonspeak for 'this rear end in a top hat isn't listening to advice, he must be one of those, get him out of here?' because I'm not trying to be that guy. I'm not trying to brush you off, you're just asking a lot of broad questions that are difficult to answer without your prose in front of us. If you want in depth feedback about what you've got feel free to PM me, I'd be happy to take a look.
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Jul 25, 2017 23:02
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Here's a specific question. I haven't read much spy thriller stuff and if I'm going to be doing a silly serial take of spy thriller I should probably read some. Whats a good spot to start? The end goal of the serial is 'funny charming character in a serious spy setting' also fantasy because that seems fun to genre mash up. Sort of like a james bond except actually funny instead of 'just kinda a dick to people'. It's only a hobby project, to expand horizons and all, but I don't know of any shlocky spy stuff that isn't military wank material. E: Also noir novels as the character in universe is explicitly learning to be a femme fatale by reading a lovely trope filled noir novel. (comedy) Agent355 fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Jul 27, 2017 |
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Jul 27, 2017 04:32
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1) Start wherever you want and see if it works since this is only a draft. 2) Start with something happening to kick off the plot or introduce a plot element like the humorous books. Remember, Star Wars starts off with a princess being attacked before we switch to the actual protagonist.
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Jul 27, 2017 06:03
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