So You Want To Write...

I apologise for not being able to give a like to the first post for each section, but hey what can one do.
 
This guide is great, insightful and inspiring; thanks for sharing your brain juices with us, Grey, and dang my inability to fin threads like this sooner. That link to the tropes website is handy too, and makes me itch to do something more traditionally fantasy again - such a shame that I suddenly discover two useful writing websites just when I need to scale back my writing to focus on revision and exam prep :(


Anyhow, I'll definitely be referring to this when my exams are over. Generally, when writing, I just go 'hey, this is a neat concept' and then build everything else around it. It's high time I strip things back and craft. Think about my genres, about relative features and themes, and that'll make things a lot more tight, I think. This guide will be integral for plotting and crafting and finding startpoints!


 
So on reflection, Period Drama doesn't really sustain an entire entry by itself. I'll combine it with something else in future.


For now... I dunno, I'll either go back to Werewolves or move on to Dystopia or Romance.
 
I approve of all of the above - Werewolves because those are fun, dystopias because lord knows we could use such a guide, and romance because it causes such amusing 2AM thoughts as what a Crucible Romance RP would look like.
 
Dusky said:
such amusing 2AM thoughts as what a Crucible Romance RP would look like.
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o_o I'm stuck imagining a bride-ghoul with a missing jaw. Too scary.


Yet also horribly intrigued on what discourse might open up, so my votes are divided like Dusky's.
 
I just want to let you know how great these tutorials are! They're handy not just in RPing, but also in writing in general. Also don't worry about the zombie entry; it was still great. Although I feel the same as you about the genre.


Anyway keep up the good work. Really looking forward to the Apocalypse entry!
 
Grey said:
Apocalypse now.
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I love the smell of SYWTW in the morning!


But seriously, great entry. One which will be quite useful to me, as I am currently in the process of creating an RP (or story, it depends) with an apocalyptic theme.
 
For the interested, the next entry will be on Transhuman sci-fi. I'll then do werewolves.
 
Prince13 said:
What kind of werewolves will it cover?
And whats Transhuman?
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Transhuman entry has been edited into the original post.


For an idea of what I'll do with werewolves, see the Vampire and Zombie entries.
 
This thread is so inspiring! Keep up the epicosity 8D


I understand it's not a genre like steampunk or vampires, but perhaps more in the relationships realm, like "romance", but personally speaking, I've always been curious to read guides on how to both GM and roleplay in an RP about politics, negotiation, and intrigue effectively. It's one of my favorite genres, and (like romance) unfortunately also one that I very rarely encounter done satisfyingly well in literature and film. If you have any advice to share about that explicitly, if you haven't already, I'd love to hear it :)
 
Thank you. I will probably cover politics and intrigue at some point, but I look at those as modes of interaction rather than genres in themselves.


Since I'm essentially doing guides to tropes here, I'll surely get to them. I'll also be doing a primer on systems, with and without dice, in the near future.
 
(The Antagonist tab...)


If you defeat the antagonist with violence, you’re saying this problem can only be resolved by force.


If you defeat the antagonist with diplomacy, you’re saying this problem can be resolved peacefully.


If you lose, you’re saying this problem is too big, too hard, or the people who think opposing it to be good are wrong.
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This...I disagree with this. The rest I like, but this...No, no.


If that part about violence is right, DC AND Marvel thinks most crime can only be resolved by force, and suggesting you don't try reasoning. Most of their comics revolve around fighting. DC Comics moreso than Marvel of course, they rarely even TRY reasoning, but both kind of see fighting as an only resort, if what you said about it is right.
 
A totally enjoyable comic book story is not always noted for a mature approach to conflict resolution.


The fact that DC characters tend to be reified concepts more than characters means it's not exactly a violent solution; the means by which characters go about fighting are almost like expressions of the philosophies and principles they represent.


Marvel characters are more... characterful, and it's not always so much that they resort to violence as the antagonist makes the choice to reject a non-violent resolution.


See also; comic characters as a legacy icon. The attitudes of their creators are typically more strongly reflected than those of their current caretakers.


I'd personally like to see an iteration of Bruce Wayne who operates entirely through social reform projects or who targets the powerful people who foment the society that produces the kind of criminals against whom Batman fights.


However! Your disagreement is legitimate and I don't really mean to be prescriptive; if you feel the resolution with your antagonist is devoid of political or philosophical weight, that is entirely fair. Do consider that the reader may interpret these things as a statement, even subconsciously.


I also personally believe that taking a stance leads to a stronger piece of writing overall, but that's just me.
 
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