Creative help thread - Ask a question! Read the first Post!

[Katharyn]

Quote:

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And likewise, methinks the explicitness of a given sex scene has something to do with its acceptability here. Maybe a good rule of thumb--the more explicit it is, the more likely it should be Willow/Tara. (I say "more likely" because I bow to the talents of writers who find wonderful ways to break any rules and make them work).

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FAQ has been updated in this regard.

Quote:

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5. Can I post NC-17 material?



Yes of course! SMUT SMUT SMUT, but only if it is W/T, in love and hot for each other. No other couples, there are other places for that. Also, please use lots of warning, do not post NC-17 material without labeling it as such.

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Essentially any explicit sex scene should be strictly W/T... anyone else (and yes that might be necessary in stories) should be implied... i.e. Fade out or some other device. We all have enough sense to know when *S*



Oh and of course no W/Other & T/Other...



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

Edited by: Katharyn at: 5/30/02 10:40:43 am

[Sheridan]

Well the reasons I include scenes without Willow and Tara are usually twofold. The first is clarity, to understand what's going on or why certain things happen you sometimes need to give another characters perspective on events, or just show something happening elsewhere. Second is consequences. Willow and Tara do not exist in a vacuum, what they do can dramatically affect the lives of others around them and you need to show that.



Now as to the sex scenes if I am writing a story for pens I am not going to bother with an explicit sex scene that isn't W/T, I might show other characters are having sex, but I'm not going to linger on it. Of course if I'm aiming at somwhere else that's different, but since I'm not interested in writing other BTVS stories it isn't going to come up.

Willow: ...I have to tell you....

Tara: No, I understand you have to be with the
person you l-love

Willow: I am

[Repost Moderator]

originally posted by earthlovinwicca



Hey, this is a message to all the kittens who write fan fic. I am a practicing wicca and have been for nearly four years as such I have quite a lot of imformation about this subject. I thought that I would create this post so that if anyone needs or wants info for a story that they are writing they could ask it here. I do not wish to say that I know all about Wicca or that kittens do not showit in true light. So if you need any help on on this subject then post it here and I will answer as best as I can.

[witchbitchwillow]

hey,



im not sure if im meant to ask this question here but never mind . i posted a fic on the board called summer loving and then decided to stop writing it because i wasnt very happy with what i had written. ive been re-writing the fic and when its finished i wanted to re-post it but i wondered whether i could actually start a new thread or if i would have to edit the last one and use that??



cheers.



love ellie x x x x

*thats me as a vampire im so evil and skanky and i think im kinda gay*

*no candles? well i brought one its extra flamey!*

[xita]

You can edit your posts , they will bump the thread back to the top, or I can close and delete the other one, we just can't have 2 threads with the same fic on them. You let me know.

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Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

[witchbitchwillow]

cheers, could you please close my Summer loving one for me please.



love ellie x x x x



cheers xita

*thats me as a vampire im so evil and skanky and i think im kinda gay*

*no candles? well i brought one its extra flamey!*

Edited by: witchbitchwillow at: 6/3/02 1:52:12 pm

[xita]

I will make a request of people not to bump threads for the sake of bumping. If you have a comment to make, make it but don't bump to just say bump or request an update. Many active threads get bumped to the second page because of this.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Willow and Tara Love

Truly and Forever

[earthlovinwicca]

I did make this in to it's own thread but asked the mods to move it if it was better off here. If you do have any questions about wicca and how to use it in fic's I am more than happy to help with any questions that you may have. If you want to ask me any thing related to wicca then please email me at

kellymhuk@yahoo.co.uk and I will answer all questions as best as I can. I will also post in the beta thread if any one wants such help.

[witchbitchwillow]

im editing my fic summer loving and my beta drew to my attention that fact that barcardi isnt a very popular drink in america. what spirit is there that i can used instead?



love ellie x x x x

*thats me as a vampire im so evil and skanky and i think im kinda gay*

*no candles? well i brought one its extra flamey!*

[AutumnT]

Quote:

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I will make a request of people not to bump threads for the sake of bumping.

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Well, it's pretty obvious no one read xita's request.

Autumn

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Well, the reindeer part was nice...

[Rane018]

Bacardi is popular in america! well, ok, beer most probably number one here and rum isn't so much but i guess i'm just foolin' cause i'm puerto rican and bacardi is puerto rican. remember kittens, only the finest bums come from puerto rico! oops, i said bums? i meant rums. hehe...



editing to add cause i totally forgot to answer ellie... spirits... hmm... many women i know like vodka based drinks. my ex was a bartender and besides beer many girls bought cosmos, manhattans, vodka cranberry or grapefruit... some had wine, whiskey but not that many. however everyone has their own favorite drink and if it's for the Orlando *summer lovin* then tropical drinks is the way to go. anything with rum is realistic in florida.

Edited by: Rane018 at: 6/5/02 3:37:08 pm

[Zahir al Daoud]

This is me clicking my Soapbox Icon...



Reading fanfic the single thing I find missing in stories that are otherwise well-written is a lack of conflict. Too often the characters "chat" in a way that's perfectly realistic but dull. And the inclusion of conflict is often very simple. Let one or more character have a secret no one must know about...yet. Angel's real identity was a big one there. Or the exact nature of Willow and Tara's relationship prior to "New Moon Rising."



The simplest misunderstandings cause conflict. Remember when everyone thought Buffy was sleeping with Spike (before she actually started to)? And look at Buffy's continued treating of Dawn as if she was five instead of fifteen (the same age Buffy starting killing vampires).



So too do disagreements. Look at how the Scoobies react to Spike, for instance. Or Anya. The disagreement over the Vengeance Spirit in the Thanksgiving ep.



Let one or more character judge another. That sets off conflict with ease, because nobody likes it--and most peoples' reactions to such is to judge them right back. Joyce's reaction to Buffy's being the Slayer, or everyone's words at her return party at the start of S3 vividly show how judging leads to conflict.



Unclicking the icon now...

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

Edited by: Zahir al Daoud at: 6/6/02 12:34:14 pm

[Katharyn]

Zahir, I sort of have to disagree with you here...



I am thinking that "conflict" was not the best word here as it has too many negative connotations - even though you explained what you meant. (And as I use it below it refers to you definition rather than to fighting or anything.)



The board has a focus of W/T. Beyond that generality W/T loving in a variety of situations. There doesn't need to be any secret, conflict, suspicion, disagreements... people - W/T - can live a life that does not involve constant "conflict." Indeed they probably have far too much - which is why Pens is a haven from that.



Many, maybe even most, fics here on Pens fall into this category. Showing the life they can/should/did have between, during & after episodes as shown. I personally am more than happy to see fics that just give me that goodness. There does not need to be anything else there as this is not an episode of Buffy where large casts have to be juggled and kept involved... This is the "W/T In Love" show and that to me is never "dull."



That said I can see your point in terms of the longer fics. There the "conflict" is important to keep the story fresh, to keep the story alive. Even if it is as simple as "Will Willow stay after the summer loving?" or something. We know the answer but the question needs to be there. However I do not think that there is a lack of that. In the long fics the writers have already got to that. In the shorter ones, as I say, I do not think it is an issue.



Just a humble opinion



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

Edited by: Katharyn at: 6/5/02 10:04:32 pm

[DarkWiccan]

I have to agree with Katharyn here.



"Conflict", by Zahir's definition is a definite must-have for lobger running fics. But for vignette type capturings of moments in time, I would much rather see a happy and contented W/T than not. To me that is just as exciting and rewarding as an epic piece where the wiccans are at odds, then back together, than at odds, then back together.. etc.



Just tossing in my two bits



Cheers

DarkWiccan

"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."

[Zahir al Daoud]

I'm going to clarify myself here (and yes, I take full responsibility for needing to).



By "conflict" I don't mean characters need to be particularly at odds with one another in terms of fighting. All thats needed is a kind of tension or friction between characters.



Here are some examples of the subtle kinds of conflict that go towards making scenes work:



--Internal conflict leaking out. The most obvious of these is insecurity. Tara certain Willow had chosen Oz is a poignant example. A funny example along the same lines was when Tara asked Willow if she really thought Dracula was sexy (and the wench lied!)

--Overreacting. Like when Buffy thought Xander and Anya were breaking up. Or when Willow got "caught" admiring April the robot.

--Tiny difference of opinions. I really like this one, because it is subtle, totally believable, enjoyable, and if you do it just right the reader wants to weigh in.

--Politely not asking questions you need answers to. Remember when Willow came in all enthusiastic about a spell she and Tara could do, but didn't tell Tara what it was?

--Redirecting the conversation. The classic here is when Willow said "I don't need to be snuggled." But for my mind the best example is when we found out Tara had renamed all the constellations.



I'm probably going all geeky about this, but to me all of the above is indeed conflict, the kinds of conflict virtually any good scene needs. Conflict need not be war or debate after all. It can just as easily be a game.



Shutting up now... (and about time!)

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

[BethanyB3]

Hi, earthlovinwicca & others,

Wicca here too. If anyone needs advice re.: Wicca, please post or feel free to e-mail me.

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"If I could turn back time, I'll go wherever you would go."

~The Calling~

[Katharyn]

The word "Vignettes" seems to have entered the boards conciousness for any story that has little or no point other than to make us feel good*S*



Well done Sass for expanding our vocabulary!



Zahir, I get what you meant but I would have to say that by the definition that you use there would seem to be very few fics that do not have that spark of "conflict" I mean that is the way that the characters are... W/T play their little games in virtually every fic that I see, it would be a short conversation if they agreed absolutely on everything or did not redirect the conversation.



Again I think I know what you mean Zahir, but I just can't see it is a problem. Still there will be things that I see in fic, or miss, that you and others will pick up on too. It is all a subjective experience so I guess there is no real right answer here! I supposed we just have to come back to the "switch off" answer, if the fic does not give a person what they need. I know I do... (and again that is not what I am doing (switching off) to writers out there... I have hardly been near a new fic that I have not already beta'd in months... I will get there in the end!!)



There you go a pointless post! There is no answer!



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

[KrisBo5]

Hi out there!



So, I have a, possibly, stupid question regarding the posting of a fanfic.



So here be it: Do I have to use the ezcodes to achieve italics, bold, quotes, etc.? Or can I copy & paste my story intact from a saved word doc?



Told you it might be idiotic, but I am curious and am very eager to post a story on the board(lots of W/T goodness I'd like to share, hehehe).



Thanks in advance for any help!



KrisBo5



"What else is there to say after all of this except Sha-na-na-na-na?"

[Katharyn]

KrisBo5 - you will need to use Ezcode or html tags so far as I am aware (I always have to.)



I actually write the fic including the html tags and after I have posted it I use find/replace in word to remove them from my own copy.



Go on someone... tell me there is a better way after all this time!



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

[KrisBo5]

Katharyn,



Thank you for your super-quick reply. I will jump back into my story & input the codes or tags then.



Thanks!



KrisBo5



"What else is there to say after all of this except Sha-na-na-na-na?"

[tommo]

I can't, Katharyn. I don't know an easier way. I tend to do it much like you do, insert tags first then cut and paste. And it's a bugger sometimes. Heh.

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"Smut now." - Dark Madfic Tommo

[Katharyn]

Least I am not being thick then



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

[tommo]

Well unless the both of us are...

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"Smut now." - Dark Madfic Tommo

[Rane018]

well, you both are british...



hahahaha... kidding. i'm just in a weird mood today.



i've just recently learned to use ezcode and it's, uh, really easy. well, unless you have a massive update and need to go back and ezcode it all. i remember garfield fixed my mistakes once. he's such a sweetie...

[Katharyn]

Well I might be British but Ruth says "gray" instead of "grey" and I think that is a disqualification!



The html/ezcode thing. I would guess that a Visual Basic macro MIGHT be capable of automatically encoding the document. I am not enough of an expert outside of Excel (and even there actually) but still that is just automating the encoding - not getting around it.



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

[tommo]

I also say "color" too. Or that should be, I write it that way. See, I'm secretly American, masquerading as a British person. I'm sorry I never told anyone; I feel thoroughly ashamed of myself now. Heh.



It's funny, the little habits you get into when writing. I always used to deplore American spellings and now look at me, all over the bloody show with 'em.



I will try to reassert my Britishness in other ways by making copious amounts of tea and saying "top hole!" more often.

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"Smut now." - Dark Madfic Tommo

[Katharyn]

That sounds like a bally good idea Ruth old bean.



Katharyn

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You hear that baby? I am going nowhere.

[tommo]

Top hole! Wizard! First class, Katharyn.

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Squish. Squish. Squish.

[KrisBo5]

Okay, so I have another possibly moronic question, but hey, nothing I'm not used to! Hehehe.



My question: when I post my fic, do I post it on the last page, i.e., page 10(or what have you) and just list it in the Update thread, telling Kitties it's there?



I don't want to incur the wrath of the board, so I thought I'd ask.



Thanks for the help.



KrisBo5



"What else is there to say after all of this except Sha-na-na-na-na?"

[Rane018]

if i understand your question correctly your post will automatically be on the last page of the update list. if you start a new thread it will be on the first page. top threads are the ones with the most recent posts.