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Post by thelunarfox on Jan 18, 2010 11:42:54 GMT -5
So I worried about repeating themes too much. There are sometimes when a theme will repeat, it's definitely subconscious and so it isn't noticeable by the reader until someone points it out and then you go, "Oh yeah, that's actually kinda awesome and adds a new layer of complexity that I didn't think about."
This is not one of those themes. I think it would become fairly obvious to the reader after a while. And then you can guess what's coming with a roll of the eyes. The only thing I can compare it to is a YA book series I read recently where in every single book soul mates would meet. They would accidentally touch and zap, boom, something strange would happen. The first few times it was meaningful, but by book six I was rolling my eyes. I'm a very cynical reader. I do fall into books deeply, but something like that will start to make me laugh when it happens after a while.
So then I sat down and wrote it out, thinking about it. Last night I was just looking at the pictures, today I decided to examine the possible issue in depth. (I also did this when I worried that Edith was a Mary Sue.)
I've come to the conclusion that it is not me; it is the characters. It actually says something about them.
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Post by girlyesterday on Jan 18, 2010 18:31:25 GMT -5
I think repeating themes are perfectly fine, sometimes, when it's where the characters want to go, it's where they want to go.
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Post by thelunarfox on Jan 18, 2010 22:45:12 GMT -5
So long as it's where they want to go, lol. I think I just worry about being a one trick pony. But any time I have concerns, I just sit myself down and we talk about it.
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Post by raquelaroden on Jan 19, 2010 6:37:01 GMT -5
You are certainly not a one-trick pony! You are developing a world that has such a profound influence on the types of lives that your characters lead--it's only natural that some of the patterns would be similar between some of the characters, but it's never completely the same. And the characters are so different and have such different reactions that even if you are repeating some of your themes, they feel fresh and new because they're discovered through the eyes of someone completely different. That's not a bad thing--it's awesome!
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Post by girlyesterday on Jan 19, 2010 20:21:21 GMT -5
You don't have to worry about being a one-trick pony. Given the world you're creating, the characters are all undergoing this tremendous change and as Rachel said, even if repeating themes crop up, it doesn't feel like something you've done before. Characters may end up in similar situations but the way they react to them is always different.
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Post by thelunarfox on Jan 19, 2010 21:42:08 GMT -5
lol, thanks guys. Don't worry about me. I have to work through fears, and the best thing is to face them head on and sometimes say them out loud. Certainly won't change anything, and I have a feeling that I'm on the right track.
It's true, they may end up in similar situations, but they will behave and react differently which will have different outcomes. Some parallels are okay.
Also: "Being an author is like being in charge of your own personal insane asylum." ~Graycie Harmon LOL! Yes, that's the quote. Very fitting.
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Post by thelunarfox on Feb 17, 2010 0:52:11 GMT -5
I stalled on one line. Just one line and I didn't know what to have the character say. Nothing sounded right. Why would he say that? How would he say that? Moved onto another free write for fun. An idea poking around my head from the same world that I felt like exploring. And then-- boom. I know why I stalled on the line for that one entry. I know the hidden meaning behind it. Good thing I figured that out before I went to post it this weekend. Also, don't know if anyone ever looks at the chapter listing for this story, but it's been changed. That happens towards the end it seems. I did the same thing with Michael & Edith's story. Just a chapter taken out here or there, sometimes I move them around. Never very often. This one I've only taken one chapter out. As I neared the end, it felt not right in the spot it is in. Going with the gut. *pokes the gut* *giggles*
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Post by thelunarfox on Mar 9, 2010 22:06:47 GMT -5
Two stories have been pouring out about the same time oddly. The only similarities are that they involve relationships of some sort which is pretty vague. Any story I'm really going to pour myself into is going to be about relationships really. I'm very interested in exploring interpersonal relationships, generally family, sometimes just random people tossed in each other's way.
One of the stories has actually been more of Angel and Mitchell's story. I had started writing it before and feeling I couldn't do it justice, I put it down because something wasn't right. Now I think I've got it. The parts are there, they need re-writing (and by that I mean I need to type them up and go from there.)
The other relationship involves mostly two people, though there is a third who is involved. I had written this piece months ago-- a sort of surprise for me. Now that it's getting closer to the time this story is meant to make an appearance, I've found that I didn't see it clearly. It's already even been typed up and now I'm currently re-writing and re-typing it. One character I saw in one way is actually kind of another way. I just have to make sure to show the character clearly.
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Post by laura on Mar 10, 2010 11:11:50 GMT -5
Oooh, I can't wait to read them! It's always surprising, this writing business!
I'm always doing this too, thinking ahead that I know how something will be, and then when I actually get there, it's not quite what I thought it was. It's always partly disappointing (for the work and energy lost), but at the same time wonderful, because the revised idea is always richer and more true than the original idea was.
I'm kind of running into this at the 1/3 point in my novel right now too. Weren't you saying, somewhere, that writers block is just lost confidence about where the story is going? Yeah, that's me for the whole month of February, lol!
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Post by raquelaroden on Mar 10, 2010 19:11:16 GMT -5
I'm excited about reading them too! Angel and Mitchell's relationship is fascinating to me, and I know that whatever you have going on between any other characters will be as well!
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Post by thelunarfox on Mar 16, 2010 8:18:56 GMT -5
Laura, yes exactly what I said over at my little junk journal. Writer's block is just lost confidence, and it get really bad when you end up losing confidence in the story. I haven't quite figured out how to drag myself out of that yet but to try and trick myself. Focus on some other aspect until I eventually get back to it. But I still have to give myself a little trust that I can do that. February was a busy month for you anyway. That can easily be part of it. If you're given time to think or time away, it's probably a little dangerous, lol. Thanks, Rachel. Angel and Mitchell fascinate me too. One of these days their story will get told too, though Pat and Brandon's seems to be in the front running to get told first right now. And of course this mysterious couple who'll go unnamed until they make an appearance in the story. ;D
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Post by thelunarfox on Apr 19, 2010 7:33:47 GMT -5
It's another case of a character sneaking in but this time with only days to go before I post. Like, dude, what the hell? Not the same character whose nose I whacked with a rolled up newspaper. This one I wouldn't dare do that with. Well, the pictures are shot already, and the story bit was mostly written out last week in-between playing Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass which I mainly played to take a break from writing. And if it sounds like I'm annoyed, I'm so not. I sort of like when something takes over like this. It's a little nerve wracking. I mean, is it necessary? It's one of those times where my head constantly questions it, but my gut is so sure that it sort of pats my head in a patronizing way and has a good chuckle like it's some artiste and knows what it's doing. Either way, I claim no responsibility for the actions of my gut.
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Post by laura on Apr 19, 2010 8:20:05 GMT -5
OMG, this just happened to me in my story too! And yes! I've been saying all these things to myself this week! (And any other time this has happened!) The best kind of surprises (but the most nerve wracking) are the ones that completely change every idea you had about where the story was going. It truly is like some kind of otherworldly genius appearing and presenting itself to you. Love it!
LOL @ your gut and head! Yes, trust your gut! It didn't show up out of nowhere for nothing!
And OMG, that picture! The dude, it's not Jimmy, right? And I think I know who it could be (from just the haircolor and the profile of his nose and cheekbones, lol!), but I don't want to make a fool of myself... okay, I'll say it, is that Henri???
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Post by thelunarfox on Apr 19, 2010 12:25:08 GMT -5
Well, I suppose the plus side is that if it goes wrong, we know who to blame. We can pretend we had nothing to do with it. It was that otherworldly genius and my patronizing gut.
Nope not Henri, lol. Actually, it's a new character who was due to make a cameo appearance much later on but insisted on inserting himself here.
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Post by laura on May 16, 2010 17:47:46 GMT -5
So, I've been thinking about Sims 3, and about maintaining several sims/characters in it, and I realized that you must have a good few dozen characters made up for your story by this point. I was wondering how you actually keep them in-game, and maybe this might make up a good post idea for your testing blog, if you don't mind I wonder how you physically keep them, in-game. I know you probably don't actually "play" them as intended, but what do you do with them? Do you keep their aging and story progression off? And do they all live in actual houses somewhere in the world? Do all the other characters run around doing stupid things while you're trying to take pictures of the ones you're currently working on? Does that ever cause you trouble? I'm still waiting to see someone try to keep a whole neighborhood in Sims 3, and I have to say yours is probably the biggest cast of characters I've seen maintained so far. One day I'll buy a new computer and play the game my damn self, so I can stop pestering all you guys with my questions.
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Post by thelunarfox on May 17, 2010 0:39:04 GMT -5
Oooh, that's a good question actually. I will address that in a blog post!
I'm still trying to actually play the game. I just get side tracked a lot. The main thing I end up enjoying most is making new characters or editing old characters to see what they'd look like older or younger. This is so different from TS2 where I primarily enjoyed just playing their lives and seeing their genetics. In TS2, I never made new sims until I remade my 'hood and needed fresh blood.
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Post by thelunarfox on May 25, 2010 12:28:01 GMT -5
Crap, I have a lot to do! My head is swimming with all the pieces I need to write and work on for the next part. I prefer to write ahead. I write a lot and explore, and then I put everything in order, taking clues from the stories usually. That way there aren't any surprises as I'm writing the story for posting-- because there are always surprises. When I write ahead, and put everything in order, then I can lay out clues about what's coming next or what might be possibly upcoming. Half of those are inserted subconsciously, but once I know what's coming, I can spot those things and fiddle with them a little so they're hopefully present but not obvious. Now I should have been working on this second part while I was working on Mary's part, but you know I think to be a true writer you either have to suffer or be a major procrastinator. I fall into the second category. So my DS is absolutely awesome. I'm playing Sega Genesis, NES, Gameboy Color type games on it. Oh yeah, and at least half of Burn was written on my DS. (From the beginning to the part where Brandon and Jimmy notice something wrong.) But rest is always good. I let the ideas sort of percolate and bounce around. I think about them a lot, and scenes start to solidify. Like the one I wrote this morning as I sipped my cup of cocoa. I think it'll be interesting. At least it amused me, lol. This second part is turning into a cooking recipe. Seriously, when I'm done I might just post those notes where I go over what I have and what I'd like to have.
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Post by raquelaroden on May 25, 2010 13:23:10 GMT -5
Oooh.....I'm always intrigued by your babble. This time, I was particularly excited by the idea of clues of what's to come! I may have to go back and reread the chapters.... Wow...either suffering or a procrastinator? I'm definitely with you on that one....
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Post by thelunarfox on Jun 15, 2010 15:28:29 GMT -5
I am freaking out here-- in a good way. The newest OMSPs can be used to place sims. You can even put them on the re-sizers and make sims bigger or smaller. I don't need that, though it's cool.
Mostly, it'll come in handy for shots. I can have someone standing on a staircase or sitting cross legged on a couch instead of always on the ground. I can have a sim sitting on the edge of a table or the back of a couch if I want!
So, I'm thinking I just might end up taking this week off on the main blog. Mostly because I don't have the next part written out. I know what I would like to do, but the last chapter is where it ended. I have plenty of pieces written out, but not the piece that is meant to go next. I don't think anyway.
My gut might give me a last minute reprieve on Thursday, but if she doesn't, you'll find me rolling around in nerdy glee testing out new OMSPs, new poses, and invisible furniture.
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Post by raquelaroden on Jun 15, 2010 16:06:53 GMT -5
lol! You should take breaks from rolling around in nerdy glee to bop intrusive characters on the nose with a newspaper from time to time--keep 'em in their place, you know.
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