Workshop 5: Writing Missions
Class is back in session, good members of the PPC! Hope your pencils are sharp, your erasers are fresh, and your notebooks are free of any errant doodles, 'cause it's time for another workshop. I will be focusing on a vital yet often overlooked aspect of writing: reviewing. As per usual, I will start off with advice and observations before concluding with a writing challenge.
Many thanks to Neshomeh for beta-reading this workshop.
- 1 Beforehand
- 1.1 Why Review?
- 1.2 Reading, Writing, and Reviewing
- 2 Writing It Down
- 2.1 Yes, But What Do You Feel?
- 2.2 The Devil is in the Details
- 2.3 Make the Time
- 2.4 Where's the Beef?
- 3 For the Authors
- 4 The Challenge
We write reviews primarily to benefit the author. Good reviews can help the author see how well their work reached t…
Workshop 4A: Mission Pre-Writing
Missions. I think it's safe to argue that they're kind of a big deal around here. Perhaps even the biggest deal. There wouldn't really be a PPC without 'em. So as you can imagine, it's important to write missions well. The following workshop is the first installment of a three-parter focusing entirely on just that.
I'm going to be talking about the process PPC writers should go through before they start on their story. That includes picking out a suitable badfic to spork and plotting out a rough outline of what will happen during the mission. As is typically the case with these things, each installment will consist of my own observations and techniques before concluding with a little exercise.
- 1 Pick Your Poison
- 1.1 Length
- 1.2 NSFW Content
- 1.3 Not…
Workshop Three: Being a Beta Reader
It might be the middle of summer, but PoorCynic’s school of writing advice is never out of session. It’s time for another (incredibly delayed) workshop/rant/advice/thing. I’ll be covering beta reading and peer editing in this particular post. Subjects I will be touching upon include reading as an editor as well as giving and receiving constructive criticism. As with the previous workshops, I will start with my own personal observations before concluding with a little writing exercise.
Before we begin: many thanks to Neshomeh for sending me an outline of beta advice from two years ago.
- 1 Give…
- 1.1 Before You Begin
- 1.2 In The Loop
- 1.3 The Once Over
- 1.4 The Twice Over
- 1.5 Once You’re Finished
- 1.6 I Came In Here For An Argument
- 1.7 You Say Colour, I Say Color
- 2…
Workshop Two: Speech
That's right, folks! Sit up straight and get out your notebooks, 'cause it's time for the second of my possibly many workshop/rant/advice/things. Today's subject will be speech and speaking -- specifically, speeches and speaking done by your characters. I'll go over how to make it, how to intertwine it with your characterization, and how to avoid abusing it. Just as last time, I will begin with my own personal recommendations and conclude with an open writing challenge.
- 1 Definitions
- 2 Speech and Characterization
- 3 Dialects and Foreign Languages
- 4 We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rules
- 5 Actually, We DO Need Some Rules
- 6 The Challenge!
I'll be using the words "speech" and "voice" quite a few times over the course of this post. These are both being used to des…
Workshop One: Characters
I've seen this issue come up on the Board time and time again: hopeful writers presenting would-be that fail to meet the standards of the PPC in their bids for permission. It's a tricky thing, trying to make a good character without falling into a few pitfalls. So, as I mentioned wanting to try my hand at a few workshops in my return message, I decided to start off with character creation. I'l begin with a few tips and tricks of my own and conclude with a writing challenge for all of you.
NOTE: The following is geared mostly towards making PPC agents, but can be applied to creating characters for works outside of our little group as well.
- 1 The Premise
- 2 Fleshing It Out
- 3 From Elsewhere and Elsewhen
- 4 Find Their Voice
- 5 The Final Details
- 6 Your Challen…