Curse

Mei Fen · Jun 09, 2010, 06:22 PM // 18:22

FOREWORD
I have noticed that not too many people write fiction here, so I came up with a basic guide hoping that maybe it will give others a nudge in this direction.
This guide is meant for those who would like to write fan fiction but are not sure where to start. I am by no means perfect or an expert and perhaps you won’t agree with everything that I have written here, but this is the way I see and do things. This guide won’t teach you how to form complex sentences or anything similar, it simply offers some guidelines. I don’t want to let people down from the very beginning but you will need knowledge of quite a bit of grammar and a developed vocabulary before you can start writing anything. However, practice makes perfect so keep at it and I’m sure you’ll make progress.

1. OUTLINE
Before you crack your knuckles and start typing, it’s a very good idea to make a rough plan of the story itself. It should include basic elements upon which you will expand but also some precise elements which you want to include at a certain point. This sketch will serve as your guide as your composition progresses and will help in keeping it clean and well-structured.

1.1. Setting
The first thing to decide is where the action will take place and how it will integrate into the existing mythos. There are three options:
- Acknowledge the official lore, but make very few (if any) references as to avoid any conflicts. This is (in my opinion) the hardest method since you must pay close attention to the timeline, events and characters and make it so that with or without your story, the (official) outcome is unchanged. This does not mean you cannot write something epic! It means that you must fill in the gaps. Was a dragon carcass found in the frozen north and NOBODY knows who defeated the mighty beast? Then it could have been your hero.
- Create an alternate version of the official story. If you choose this method, it means that you will disregard or modify anything that might interfere with your tale. You say Queen Salma is a benevolent leader who will bring justice to Kryta? Well, I say that she is a two-headed vampire ogre warrior princess that devours unsuspecting peasants at night and my heroine will behead her (twice!) and take the throne. In essence, anything goes, however it strays from the term “fan fiction”.
- Explore unknown territory. Not as easy as the second option (but still much easier than the first), it assumes that there is a part of the world which was untouched by other civilisations or that the events which you describe occur in a different time (usually in the past). Your story still borrows from the canon, but it gives you freedom in creation without the risk of tampering with what is already established. Is your main character a great explorer? Then he may have discovered the forgotten kingdoms of Krytelona and Canthalon! Perhaps he is an inhabitant of one of these pristine countries, or perhaps it all occurs before time even began.

1.2. Main cast
Now you must decide how many characters there will be and perhaps a few of their traits (referring to physical aspects, personality, powers etc.). There must be a clear line between main and secondary characters because you cannot focus on 20 individuals at the same time. Well, technically you CAN but that doesn’t mean it will be pleasant to read. If you want to put the spotlight on many characters then you must separate them into smaller and more manageable groups by dividing them into different points of view. You can have them start off in different corners of the world and then join forces to defeat a common threat.
The idea is that main characters should be developed equally because if 7 people just sit and watch while an 8th person takes all the glory then they aren’t really main characters, are they? At one point or another, everybody will have to say something and there will have to be descriptions; doing so for 8 characters at the same time is tiresome for both the writer and the reader.

1.3. Plot
You could argue that a plot should be developed before thinking about characters, but it’s most likely that the main character will be the very same one that you play in-game, thus the cast can be established first. Choose the order you are most comfortable with.
The plot is what drives your main cast, the reason why everything is happening. You need to ask yourself many questions in order to establish motivation and ultimately come up with an antagonist who or which (it’s not mandatory for it to be a person, mind you) must have a solid reason for doing whatever it does. Why does that undead warlord want to eradicate all humans in existence? Because he just wants to? That won’t stand. Oh, because he was deceived by the people he trusted and now he wants to take vengeance upon all mortals? Vindication and insanity never get old. The same goes for your characters’ involvement in the entire matter. You also need to decide if the plot is going to be linear or if it will branch into several story arcs.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Depending on the overall quality of the story, some shortcomings and plot holes can be overlooked but in the end it has to make sense.

1.4. Type of composition, length and structure
Now that you have a setting, a main cast and a plot, you need to think about the shape of your soon-to-be masterpiece. First of all is the perspective, which can be first person or third person.
Telling a story from a first person perspective means that one of the characters narrates the events, thus has limited knowledge about whatever is happening. For example, when finding an unknown object, the narrator could only make a guess as to its origin and function. The reader sees the world through the eyes of a character and as such everything is recalled in a subjective manner. If the narrating character is forced to eat a dish that he doesn’t like, he would say that it has an awful taste while it may, in fact, be the reader’s favourite food. The result is that the narrator is the most vivid character of all.
Third person perspective presumes the existence of an all-knowing narrator who describes everything objectively and (potentially) in an equal manner. This type of perspective lacks the presence of the first and second persons (I, you, we etc.) in narrative passages and has absolute control over the amount of information given to the reader, even being able to reveal the characters’ thoughts. Personally, I find third person to be easier to construct because there is no need to live a character to such a great degree.
Depending on the desired complexity of your story and the amount of time you are willing to invest, you need to decide the length of your composition. This is important because you need to calibrate your writing accordingly; if your goal is a 20-page short story, you can’t dwell on every little detail and must instead filter them, describing only what seems significant.
Structure is more or less important, but it helps balance your work. I am talking about how you will divide your story into parts or chapters and if you will give them titles or not. Personally, I prefer that they have around the same number of pages but in the end it depends on personal taste. If you plan on using multiple points of view, chapters are ideal for swapping between them and, if you want to use titles, can also merge those viewpoints if they happen to share the chapter’s theme at a certain point. Titles should be a very short summary of what is about to happen or something which describes the incoming theme, but should ideally be subtle so as to not spoil the chapter before it even begins.

2. FLESHING IT OUT
Finally, you have a basic outline of what you want to write and it’s time to jump right in. What makes a story compelling is resonance and/or visualisation. A reader can sympathise with a character’s experiences (feelings, thoughts etc.) for a plethora of reasons from identifying a similar event to simply thinking “Hey, I would’ve done the same thing!”, and this involves him or her to read further. If not, a reader’s interest can be sparked through pure curiosity; an unexpected turn of events such as the main character switching sides would be an example.

2.1. Introduction
It is easy to assume that someone reading fan fiction would need no introduction into the universe of your composition, but it’s actually quite the opposite. YOU are in control of the events in your story, it’s YOUR little piece of the universe which is terra incognita for readers and as such it needs some sort of introduction.
It can start off like a blast, with the debris being clues, and it can be very enticing but should the blast be too powerful... An idea is to offer something familiar in order to ease the eerie feeling and make the transition more like climbing down a hill as opposed to jumping off a cliff... overlooking many jagged rocks... on fire. Ok, I’ve finished milking that one.
It’s really up to you to create the perfect introduction since there’s no real formula, but one thing that’s needed is something to spark interest. Don’t spend too much time on things that a reader already knows and is probably tired of anyway; mix them in with your own elements.

2.2. Character focus
As stated earlier (see 1.2), focusing on many characters at once is tiresome for both parties and you must resort to “divide et impera”, but this part is about making your heroes stand out. A character that is perfect in every single way is not only cold but potentially uninteresting, given the fact that they do not evolve throughout the course of a work and are thus predicable. It is said that “to err is human” and that’s what you must use. Give your hero a trace of humanity and all of a sudden things gain a new dimension, the human defects representing the one thing that sets us apart from the animal kingdom. Allow your heroine to be proud of her powers, proud to the point it costs her the life of a friend, causing her to change. Does she stop being proud all of a sudden? No. Fear and insecurity take hold and the chain continues.
In a third person perspective, when someone speaks, make relevant comments to draw out emotion and humanity, and intensify the moment. Is your warrior afraid of going into battle? Imagine what he would act like, having been strong all his life but now, all of a sudden, he finds fear in his heart. He couldn’t firmly grip the sword, or his heart would pound rapidly, even his eyes would make quick movements from left to right. However, do not make the mistake of asking yourself “What would I do?” and instead ask “What would my character do?” taking into account specific traits, because you need to create characters with diverse personalities and not shadows of yourself. Creating a protagonist who is a reflection of you is perfectly fine, but someone with a keen sense of observation will notice if the reflection spilled over to others.
Don’t forget that personalities can also be constructed indirectly, through actions and decisions taken in various situations (as they say, “actions speak louder than words”), but also through what a person says and how it is said.

2.3. Dialogue and vocabulary
Reactions to events reveal our traits, good or bad, and voiced reactions are no different, but simply putting a statement between quotation marks isn’t enough to give those words the same power as if they were spoken. And no, multiplying vocals in interjections and adding exclamation marks or question marks like there’s no tomorrow will only make it worse; much worse. Instead of writing something like “HAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!” it’s much better to make your barbarian utter a heavy insult, finish the dialogue and add “He then let loose a terrifying roar that filled the air and made his foes freeze in fear.” (see wut I did thar?). In my opinion, sounds are better off described instead of written as interjections.
Vocabulary is crucial in differentiating characters and giving them more depth. If all four of your heroes used the exact same type of vocabulary and they engaged in a heated argument, you would be forced to add “said <character name>” after each and every line, which can be quite unpleasant. The solution is to make each one speak in a unique tone and point out from the very beginning that your elegant long-haired sorceress uses a more elevated tone and wouldn’t be caught dead uttering words like “yup” or using short forms like “it’s”. Another trick is to use words with a certain origin or even alternate spellings. For example, the fore mentioned sorceress would be likely to use words of French origin and you could add the accents to words which have lost them when they were borrowed into English.

2.4. Descriptions
Whenever you want to describe something, be it scenery, an object or a person, take note of the current atmosphere before you do so. If two arch-enemies are in battle, writing an entire paragraph describing the tree branches swaying in the wind and the number of petals of each flower is not exactly appropriate. Nor would it be appropriate to describe their clothing (only), unless you mention that the mage’s pure white robes were splattered with the enemies’ blood, which is a completely different thing; it’s an antithesis and it kills two birds with one stone.
You must describe something for a reason and when the scene allows it. Even when you paint a pristine field with imposing mountains in the distance, you do so in order to point out that your heroes were in the open, that they still had a long way before they reached the border, that for the moment there was tranquillity, or simply allow the reader to visualise their whereabouts. If you must point out a certain detail, do so in a more subtle manner, since chances are that you will want to use that detail to surprise the reader and simply laying it out will make it stick out like a sore thumb.

2.5. Battles
When describing battles, use verbs in order to make things more dynamic, and alternate short and medium sentences. Once more, refrain from using excessive onomatopoeias (if at all) and instead turn it into narration. A battle has to be continuous, but that doesn’t mean that you have to make note every time someone swings his or her weapon, so you can safely compress it by stating that they had been fighting for some time. Small scale battles or duels shouldn’t take up an entire chapter, rather a few paragraphs or several, depending on what actually happens during the fight and on the importance of those facts.
There are many pitfalls when it comes to illustrating battles. For one thing, don’t you dare use skill names or techniques or shout various incantations. It might be a matter of my personal taste but not only will it be corny and childish, it will be a target of mockery. A mystical incantation now and then is fine as long as it’s transformed into narration afterwards, but take one step further and you’ll find an anime trend that’s been dying for about 7 years now. Moreover, using skill names into your work will lower its quality and will make it look like the team chat log after finishing Urgoz (lolkurzick) with a full party... and everybody had their CTRL keys glued down; the goal isn’t to make readers feel like they’re playing the game.

3. GRAMMAR AND SUBTLETY
This part isn’t going to be a lesson in grammar and spelling, rather a few tips and reminders on what you could use. It’s essential that you have a relatively good grasp on grammar or at least someone who can proofread your work before you reveal it to the public (a willing English teacher would help quite a lot).

3.1. Grammar, structures and others
This small list may give you the impression that you’re back in the classroom but hey, at least I won’t give you homework:
- Use the correct tenses to express what you really want to say. Brush up on them to avoid mistakes.
- Pay attention to time correlation when using multiple tenses.
- Use complex structures like if clauses and conditional clauses.
- Use linking words to connect ideas and give your composition a more solid construction.
- F7 is your friend. Use spellcheck and/or ask somebody to proofread your work.
- Your / you’re, their / they’re / there, its / it’s. These are common mistakes that can easily become a habit.
- Decide on the type of spelling you will use: British or American.
- Avoid repetition and look for synonyms.
- If you’re not sure of the exact meaning of a word, look it up.

3.2. Subtlety
As I have stated throughout this guide, simply stating a certain detail which you plan to use later will ruin the surprise for the reader, thus a degree of subtlety is called for. Even when describing a character’s appearance and physical traits, they should be revealed in a less direct manner. You are not composing a portrait so make use of the narration! “As she stopped by the ancient oak, the wind began to whistle through the branches, her black hair covering her face and making it impossible to see further. When the gust had ceased, she looked forward and her green eyes instantly lit with joy. She had arrived.” While the action progresses, you can add in tiny bits of description to give it a little extra polish.
Alliteration is a stylistic device which can be used to insist upon a certain part of a phrase and it consists in the repetition of the same consonant at the beginning of two or more words that are close to each other; I used this earlier (see 2.3). It simply makes that certain aspect of the narration stand out more, but don’t exceed 3 words or it will become a tongue twister and don’t use it too often, either. Use it whenever you feel that a phrase doesn’t have enough “oomph”.
Guild Wars has many cultural references and I’m not talking about Kilroy Stoneskin, I’m talking about elements borrowed from other cultures. Factions has an Asian theme, so it’s safe to assume that the most basic elements (tea ceremony, cherry trees, incense etc.) would fit in nicely within the mythos. Use this to your advantage when attempting to add more depth to your story and to make it a little closer to home. Don’t forget that “art mimics life”.

CLOSING WORDS
I hope this guide has helped you somewhat and perhaps motivated you to write something new and unique and to contribute to the Guild Wars universe. If you find any mistakes or think something should be added/removed/modified or any comments at all, don't hesitate to tell me.

Tommy's · Jun 09, 2010, 09:26 PM // 21:26

Very nice Mei, I've started writing a story about my character a long time ago, you remind me of it that I still need to finish it

Definatly will, though I'll have to work on my spelling

And definatly with GW2 coming up, got to start and finish it. Already got some great ideas boiling up

Maybe I'll add some pictures to them, make 'm more like comic or storybook. We'll see, first get some more commissions done ^^

Raven Wing · Jun 10, 2010, 02:37 PM // 14:37

I agree, this has also been a starter for me.
I have always had a little roleplayer inside me, and been fabulating on how it would be to really go out somewhere with your heroes and kill things.
So I'm making a short story, with your advice in mind, it will hopefully be ready to post here in a few days

Mei Fen · Jun 11, 2010, 11:32 AM // 11:32

I'm glad you found my guide useful ^^ Can't wait to read your stories!