Activity

Okay, sorry that I’ve been kinda chaotic and sporadic and stuff lately guys, but things have kinda been blegh and yeah. Anyways. I am here now and hopefully can make some suggestions.

 

BASICALLY, what @ariella-newheart summarised is what we are going with.

I really enjoy the ideas that are being thrown around, and my one concern is that we do have a word limit. Maybe work now on developing what we have instead of coming up with totally new ideas?

 

@e-jo3 I would advise avoiding doing your 4th wall breaking for a few reasons. Namely, that it is veeeeery distinctive to you and Jane knows that. (She is my cousin and we kinda are best friends and know everything about the other person and what they do. Including me failing to get round to editing you story. Hopefully will get a chance before I crash tonight.) It also is often seen as unprofessional, and, although it is an interesting technique, rarely manages to survive when used outside of general conversation.

 

I also agree with @steward-of-the-pen. Give it another two days at least before starting writing the first draft.

 

ALSO. I think I need to give people a biiiiit of a better definition of ‘prose.’

 

Often people think that prose is fancy descriptions. It really isn’t. It also isn’t specific to any style.

All prose is, is words. 

 

Prose is just how you write. Typically it is seen through character voice. Look at the difference:

Walking into the restaurant, the scent hits me like a watermelon thrown from the sky. I squint about at the milling people. Tap tap tapping at their phones. Love the socialising guys. I shrug, dismissing the thought and weave my way across the grease spattered death trap to the counter, giving my order to the squinty-eyed lady who seemed to think that make-up could cover up the bored sneer that seems to rest permanently on her face.

vs,

I step into the restaurant, casting my gaze around at the sea of impersonal unfamiliarity. People sit hunched over on chair, staring at their screens–each with the same blank look on their face. No one cares about each other anymore. I inch further in, wrinkling my nose at the typical fast food smell that seems to linger in the air like a forgotten word. I stand on tip-toes to see over the counter and try for a smile at the woman, but to no avail. My smile fades. I guess I’ll just place the order then. 

There was a difference. All prose is, is how it is written. The main thing is to make sure that the character voice shines through. Things like ‘Show Don’t Tell’ will also be included in this. I know that a lot of people have issues with this, so we’ll have to work hard at eliminating any traces we can find of telling. Passive voice, tense, and description also fits into this.

 

So yes, that is prose. And I’ve double checked and Jane agrees with me, so that’s a good start.

 

HOW WRITING IN A GUILD WAR WORKS

ALSO, typically, one person writes the first draft, and then everyone edits it, and adds to it. I’m going to toss an example here.

Person1: She stepped forward, her fist pressed against her lips and her eyes wide. She didn’t understand how they could have found her so quickly.

To,

Person2: She stepped took a shaky step forward, her fist pressed against her lips and her eyes wide. She didn’t understand how they could have found her so quickly. How? How did they find me so quickly?

To,

Person3: She took a shaky step forward Another shaky step forward, then another. She her fist pressed her fist against her lips and her eyes grew wide. Bile churned in her get, making her feel sick. How? How did they find me so quickly?

 

See how it changed? Bit by bit it is developed. Now imagine that on a larger scale with a 2000+ story as a start and 20 people editing. Everyone gets to have some fun adding things and writing. 😀

 

Keep it up guys!

@wishingwell13
@cassie-hartfinh
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@aysia-serene
@coggleton
@julia
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@silverclaw-bonnetfolly
@ariella-newheart
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@steward-of-the-pen
@e-jo3
@consciousdreamer
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