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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Challenge ~*~ Dear Diary Challenge 2011 ~*~ Mini Challenge is up for Aug :D

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Diary_Challenge_Sock, Dec 14, 2010.

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  1. KELIA

    KELIA Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 26, 2005
  2. Etain

    Etain Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2008
    Will anybody please consider what will happen if everybody posts a link to every update in here?

    No?

    Thought so.

    Move along. Move along.
     
  3. DarthIshtar

    DarthIshtar Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    Yeah, I've got PM lists for that sort of thing. :) I'm debating whether to do something special for the mini-challenge. I am writing one story placed on Hoth and one story in which the main character is worried about winter exams. :)
     
  4. Corellian_Ale

    Corellian_Ale Manager Emeritus star 4 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2008
  5. Volund_Starfire

    Volund_Starfire Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 21, 2006
    Since it has been said that we "shouldn't" post our updates, I would like to ask people a question...


    ==============================
    HOW DO YOU WRITE YOUR JOURNAL?
    ==============================





    For me, I have an intricate process. See, I have been RPGing for mot of my life. So, I look at all of my stories as an RPG scenario. This makes it easier for me to build the story, characters, actions, and all the fiddly bits.

    The first thing I do is plan out the basic plot bunny. For the journal, this is a single encounter or challenge. It could be, for instance, a starfighter dogfight.

    Secondly, I look at the character, the encounter, and the enemies. I have a ready-made character that I have already planned through to level 20. I look at his current level and put him in his fighter (in this case, he's level 9 and in an X-Wing). I look at his enemy, say a pair of stock TIE Interceptors.

    Third, I run through a basic RPG battle and jot down notes about who shoots and when. Setting the timeline of the combat. This irons out those little inconsistencies about who shoots when and how well they do. After this, I put the plot bunny in its hat and shelve it in the appropriate file (each chapter has a separate file).

    So, Saturday comes around and I pull that particular plot bunny out of its hat. I look at everything, give it a good lead-in, and describe the action that the RPG scenario describe. Add some personal observations, enhance the drama, add an ending, and call it good.

    Finally, I read it aloud to myself, fixing the grammar if needed, and post.
     
  6. Ceillean

    Ceillean Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 13, 2001
    I start with the pinnacle of the story, so to speak.

    What is it that I want my characters to go through? What has to happen? What's the main focus of the story?
    And I go on from there.

    I jot down notes of the middle part and then write down notes for subplots (if I choose to use them) and go backward as well as forward.

    Does it make sense? *shrugs* To me it does. :p
     
  7. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2010
    Given the diary format, I'm trying to keep the planning aspects as minimal as possible in order to preserve the raw, immediate nature of the narrative. The only inspirational method I'm using is, at the beginning of each ten day or so block I'm trying to find a single event that highlights the mood of that particular segment of time (this will probably be more important as things go on, for now events are flying fast and furious so it's fairly unnecessary).

    Of course, this is made tricky because of the two-part nature of my project. So I'm writing the diary entries first and I'm only adding the commentary pieces after the fact (usually right before posting), that helps to isolate what I have to determine happened as a post-hoc historian from interfering with the first person view of my narrator.
     
  8. DarthIshtar

    DarthIshtar Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Mar 26, 2001
    For Matters of State, I mostly have milestones to hit throughout the year, but the rest comes from things like in-jokes from the original story or character studies. But then there are unexpected things, like today when I got the idea for tonight's post from a NY Times article on the political ethics of a mayoral election in California.

    For Diary of a Matchmaker General, I mostly am getting through a lot of backstory to ESB and then will tackle it from there.
     
  9. whiskers

    whiskers Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 19, 2005
    With my entry, I already have a general goal that I need to get too, it primarily being a prequel to a character of mine. I know that there is a point B to get to, and a very, very vague outline to start with of how he got there from point A. The rest, I try to think of interesting plot points and how he gets into them and out of them.

    And it's interesting, Volund, that you mention statting out your character as you would an RPG character. My character was primarily an RPG character for the last two years.
     
  10. FelsGoddess

    FelsGoddess Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2004
    I think up a situation and go with it. With how I want it to sound, I'm going for the more seat-of-the-pants mode. I have a loose time line planned, but that's about it.
     
  11. Etain

    Etain Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2008
    Well, I sit down and start.

    bad idea, because anything can happen. The only time that really worked was the Boba thing I did. TRIDU turned into a monster still running and about to hit 200k. 8-}
    Whispers - my Muse, he kept scremaing at me. I put down the rough story on 18 pages that by now tirned into over thiry and still refuse to be finished. *shakes head sadly*

    For single entries - if I don't have a writing flash as I did for WoW I usually sit down shortly before the scheduled update see where I am, where I want to go and see how far I can get within the next three pages. Works well enough because I know my characters there very well.

    For my second diary this year - I know where I want to take it and am happy I have time. I think I need a certain mood to pull it off credibly.[face_blush]
     
  12. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    Normally I leave the update to the last minute and see what happens. It's a lot different to writing a normal fic as my mood can change the way I write and what I write too. Another difference is that I sometimes speculate about what will happen next and the first thing I write in the entry isn't always the first thing that happened since the last one, and no in a dream sequence or flashback kind of way. I leave the whole thing much more to the mercy of the character writing the diary and just hope it makes sense at the end.

    Also, no one has read my diary. :_|
     
  13. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    I'm a just do it kind of girl - I never outline, and I often end up just writing a posting. It means some scary things have happened, but it's also a lot of fun :D

    And speaking of which . . . I finally have enough of my diary written (ZOMG Nat wrote advance updates!) to post: The Very Secret Diary of Appa :)
     
  14. Mechalich

    Mechalich Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2010
    I'm designating the Day 11 entry of my diary as qualifying for the January mini-challenge.
     
  15. Diary_Challenge_Sock

    Diary_Challenge_Sock Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2007
    First off, I think it's freaking awesome how many of your are participating and some of you are so damned fast! :eek:

    =D= =D=

    Still, I'd like to ask you not to post in the thread when you update.
    The thread will clutter otherwise.

    Just send the sock PM's and all is good. [face_peace]

    Thanks. :)
     
  16. mastermeg_0228

    mastermeg_0228 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2006
    Ok I decided to try this...

    First diary: Al's First Year on NSWFF board.

    And second diary (because I haven't done SW fic in so long): A New Life on the Saga.
     
  17. Nadia-Oomia

    Nadia-Oomia Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 4, 2009
  18. Maggy

    Maggy Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Oct 2, 2004
  19. Diary_Challenge_Sock

    Diary_Challenge_Sock Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2007
    I've updated the index and already we've got some orange diaries in the list.

    Please send me PM's when you update.

    Once your diary is red and I have to send out reminder PM's three times, your diary will be out of the competition.
     
  20. Lane_Winree

    Lane_Winree Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2006
  21. The1stJediPrincess

    The1stJediPrincess Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2010
  22. Diary_Challenge_Sock

    Diary_Challenge_Sock Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2007
    Again, I'd like to remind you to send in PM's when you update. I can't finish up the index accordingly if you don't.

    Unless you want to be kicked out of the challenge, of course... ;)

    And this will be the last reminder.
    Seriously, it can't be that difficult, can it? o_O
     
  23. Etain

    Etain Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2008
    You have no idea.
    Really. You don't. [face_plain]

    :p
     
  24. Diary_Challenge_Sock

    Diary_Challenge_Sock Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Oct 23, 2007
    The February mini challenge is up already.

    In light of Valentine's Day, you get to use love. If you want. ;)


    So...after a month of writing your Diary, how's it going? I've seen a lot of you are writing in a pretty fast pace. Do you think you'll be able to keep it up throughout the entire year?
     
  25. whiskers

    whiskers Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 19, 2005
    I realized that myself when I saw that I was posting nearly twice a week. I have a feeling that I can do about 60 entries without having to do too much filler. Over 100 is really pushing it!
     
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