Writing Discussion

[Bari]

Is this thread only for fiction? Or is non-fiction also okay?

Anything.

I see. Thank you.

[Vozt Yurkova]

I've had this idea for the last few days, but I'm not sure where to start. I want to write a story about a sort of zombie apocalypse, where a greater race is overtaken by people of their own race that have become infected and are a less intelligent race. While most zombie apocalypse stories portray humanity as the greater race that is overtaken, my idea is there is a race of god-like beings that becomes infected, and the infected turn into humans like ourselves. It would be a kind of alternate creation story.

It's certainly an interesting concept. The outstanding issue is; how do you, as a mere human, convincingly portray a race of beings that is beyond human? What motives and desires would an intelligent species that exists outside of the human condition have?

[The New World Oceania]

I've had this idea for the last few days, but I'm not sure where to start. I want to write a story about a sort of zombie apocalypse, where a greater race is overtaken by people of their own race that have become infected and are a less intelligent race. While most zombie apocalypse stories portray humanity as the greater race that is overtaken, my idea is there is a race of god-like beings that becomes infected, and the infected turn into humans like ourselves. It would be a kind of alternate creation story.

It's certainly an interesting concept. The outstanding issue is; how do you, as a mere human, convincingly portray a race of beings that is beyond human? What motives and desires would an intelligent species that exists outside of the human condition have?

And, furthermore, how does the audience relate to these inhuman characters? Ultimately, they must have at least human emotions.

[Shaggai]

I've had this idea for the last few days, but I'm not sure where to start. I want to write a story about a sort of zombie apocalypse, where a greater race is overtaken by people of their own race that have become infected and are a less intelligent race. While most zombie apocalypse stories portray humanity as the greater race that is overtaken, my idea is there is a race of god-like beings that becomes infected, and the infected turn into humans like ourselves. It would be a kind of alternate creation story.

It's certainly an interesting concept. The outstanding issue is; how do you, as a mere human, convincingly portray a race of beings that is beyond human? What motives and desires would an intelligent species that exists outside of the human condition have?

It's Vinge's Law. You can't truly predict something more intelligent than yourself, or else you could just follow those predictions and be just as intelligent.

[Nazi Flower Power]

It's certainly an interesting concept. The outstanding issue is; how do you, as a mere human, convincingly portray a race of beings that is beyond human? What motives and desires would an intelligent species that exists outside of the human condition have?

It's Vinge's Law. You can't truly predict something more intelligent than yourself, or else you could just follow those predictions and be just as intelligent.

That's one thing that always annoys me in works of fiction where some character is supposed to be a super-genius. The people writing the stories are rarely intelligent enough to make them convincing, or sometimes they just make the character do dumb things to get the plot to work.

[Vancon]

It's Vinge's Law. You can't truly predict something more intelligent than yourself, or else you could just follow those predictions and be just as intelligent.

That's one thing that always annoys me in works of fiction where some character is supposed to be a super-genius. The people writing the stories are rarely intelligent enough to make them convincing, or sometimes they just make the character do dumb things to get the plot to work.

I'm thinking of writing a story where there's a noob/idiot to something and a genius/expert has to explain everything to him.

I don't have anymore details other then that so far.

[Respubliko de Libereco]

It's Vinge's Law. You can't truly predict something more intelligent than yourself, or else you could just follow those predictions and be just as intelligent.

That's one thing that always annoys me in works of fiction where some character is supposed to be a super-genius. The people writing the stories are rarely intelligent enough to make them convincing, or sometimes they just make the character do dumb things to get the plot to work.

That's what really bugged my about Lucy. Well, that and the nonsensical plot.

[Nerotysia]

That's one thing that always annoys me in works of fiction where some character is supposed to be a super-genius. The people writing the stories are rarely intelligent enough to make them convincing, or sometimes they just make the character do dumb things to get the plot to work.

That's what really bugged my about Lucy. Well, that and the nonsensical plot.

Really? Because Lucy was widely regarded as a modern masterpiece. This is the first bad thing I've heard about it.

[Dastardly Dark Empire of Evil Bastards]

Currently writing a really dark and sad political satire. I would post more, but it contains the word "Political" and I'm not entirely sure if there is truly neutral ground here on this forum. Is there any assurance that what I post won't simply get flamed from all sides?

[Bezombia]

Currently writing a really dark and sad political satire. I would post more, but it contains the word "Political" and I'm not entirely sure if there is truly neutral ground here on this forum. Is there any assurance that what I post won't simply get flamed from all sides?

Just last week we had someone talking about a potential story that involved and Iraqi war vet committing suicide after the Boston Bombings.

I think whatever you have will be fine.

[The New World Oceania]

That's what really bugged my about Lucy. Well, that and the nonsensical plot.

Really? Because Lucy was widely regarded as a modern masterpiece. This is the first bad thing I've heard about it.

Surely this is sarcasm.

[Bezombia]

Really? Because Lucy was widely regarded as a modern masterpiece. This is the first bad thing I've heard about it.

Surely this is sarcasm.

I hope it's sarcasm.

[Nerotysia]

Really? Because Lucy was widely regarded as a modern masterpiece. This is the first bad thing I've heard about it.

Surely this is sarcasm.

No. Lucy was genius. I mean, it asks such deep questions. Such as: can Scarlett Johansson use more than 10% of her brain? Also, which teenagers have the filmmakers hired to write their script for them?

[Zeinbrad]

It's Vinge's Law. You can't truly predict something more intelligent than yourself, or else you could just follow those predictions and be just as intelligent.

That's one thing that always annoys me in works of fiction where some character is supposed to be a super-genius. The people writing the stories are rarely intelligent enough to make them convincing, or sometimes they just make the character do dumb things to get the plot to work.

Or they just make the other characters look like idiots when they are around. At least, that's what they do with Hackers...or anything related to the internet/video games.

[Dastardly Dark Empire of Evil Bastards]

Currently writing a really dark and sad political satire. I would post more, but it contains the word "Political" and I'm not entirely sure if there is truly neutral ground here on this forum. Is there any assurance that what I post won't simply get flamed from all sides?

Just last week we had someone talking about a potential story that involved and Iraqi war vet committing suicide after the Boston Bombings.

I think whatever you have will be fine.

Well then, in that case: here we go. It's a political satire that involves at least three nations named for ultimate comedic effect, all of which are here on NS (Feel free to look them up and their factbooks). The United Nation of Good Guys and Heroes, The Dastardly Dark Empire of Evil Bastards, and The Golden Goblin Horde. The UNGGH and the DDEEB are both the remnants of a single nation called Noblebright, which eventually was driven to civil war by gratuitous amounts of legal red tape and staggering debt.


U.N.H.G.G.H's noblebright cities of peace and wonder:
So first you have the United Nation of Good Guys and Heroes. And everything in their nation is bright and pristine and lovely and whatnot. When somebody looks the UNGGH, I want them to get an image of a futuristic utopia. The family home is a structure of solid white stone with strange asymmetry, but beautiful nonetheless. The skyscrapers are rounded things with bright blue windows, with gentle curves pleasing to the eye, and on every floor there are balconies overflowing with lush green plants and bright flowers. The “streets” are magnetically operated rails, with futuristic magnetic trains whizzing from one destination to the next.

Everything in the U.N.H.G.G.H world is precise and orderly. Every man has a house and a family, and every morning they go to their jobs via lev-train. They all offload from the train in single-file line, walk into a factory, they all line up next to the conveyer belt, and they all stop, and turn towards the conveyer belt, and they all begin working.

The laughable contradiction is while everything is bright and nice and beautiful, you look closer and everything seems to be a little too perfect. To the point where it becomes eery. That's because everything done in the U.N.G.G.H. Is regulated by the government. From what time you wake up, what you choose to wear, what you eat for breakfast, what time you hop on the lev-train. The U.N.G.G.H manages every aspect of a citizen's life.

All this is to challenge the reader to think: No matter how much government control is dressed up and stylized as “progress” and “advancement” it is still, at it's core, tyranny.

The D.D.E.E.B.'s Grimmdark world of eternal strife:

In contrast to U.N.H.G.G.H's perfect futuristic world, the denizens of D.D.E.E.B. Are set in chaotic bustling slums of a diesel-punk atmosphere. Buildings are ugly structures of brick or cement, with tin shanty's propped against every wall. Kiosks are set in the open street. Vendors openly market drugs and guns. Strip clubs and bars advertise their wares with bright neon lights. The edges of the city are lined with concertina wire and tank barriers, where faded signs warn of landmines just outside the city limits.

But as with the UNGGH, the DDEEB has it's insidious contradiction. Yes, some people are addicted to harmful substances. No, the homes aren't as pretty or as streamlined as the UNGGH, but you notice that nobody is starving. What's more, everybody seems to be doing exactly what they wish to be doing. The zombies go to their churches, the robots donate their money, the aliens are preforming medical procedures with both goodwill and zeal. And as hazardous and “unsafe” as the DDEEB seems, people aren't getting hurt nearly as much as one would expect in a world of chaos.

The Warboy uniforms are black trenchcoats, and they bear white skulls on a red field as arm patches, very deliberately evoking imagery of Nazi uniforms of WWII. This is done to challenge the readers perception of evil: No matter how much you dress up freedom and liberty as backwards, barbaric, and outdated, the ideals themselves are still admirable. No amount of demonization or bad press can change the fact that freedom is freedom, and that it is what we should strive for, even if freedom has an ugly side to it.

[Vozt Yurkova]

The Warboy uniforms are black trenchcoats, and they bear white skulls on a red field as arm patches, very deliberately evoking imagery of Nazi uniforms of WWII. This is done to challenge the readers perception of evil: No matter how much you dress up freedom and liberty as backwards, barbaric, and outdated, the ideals themselves are still admirable.

I think if you include nazi-esque imagery then people will assume you're trying to draw a parallel between the nazi's and the Evil Bastards, when really the nazi style of government was much more akin to the Good Guys'. It could work against you because people will see a thinly-veiled nazi reference and immediately draw conclusions about who is good and who is bad based on popular use of nazi tropes, and won't read into everything else that makes the Empire seems appealing. I get that you want them to seem evil on the surface but using nazism as a shortcut for evil brings with it all the associated baggage which is going to make your message more difficult to deliver.

[Quensatango]

So here's a question, when you write or type do you plan ahead or simply think as you go?
Personally I tend to just go and let the story run it's course, wherever that may be.

[Zeinbrad]

So here's a question, when you write or type do you plan ahead or simply think as you go?
Personally I tend to just go and let the story run it's course, wherever that may be.

A little bit of both.

[Bezombia]

So here's a question, when you write or type do you plan ahead or simply think as you go?
Personally I tend to just go and let the story run it's course, wherever that may be.

Depends on the story. When I write my poetry I just sort of let it flow out, but when I'm writing something a little longer I usually have it planned.

[Conserative Morality]

So here's a question, when you write or type do you plan ahead or simply think as you go?
Personally I tend to just go and let the story run it's course, wherever that may be.

I usually know in broad terms where my story is going to go, though that often changes along the course of writing it. I tend to not write in order, so some amount of foreknowledge is necessary.

[Occupied Deutschland]

So here's a question, when you write or type do you plan ahead or simply think as you go?
Personally I tend to just go and let the story run it's course, wherever that may be.

I usually have a very vague idea of where to go ('At some point something needs to happen that makes the character(s)_______'), but then oftentimes end up veering off into tangents that may or may not replace the original vague idea entirely.

It makes more work for me when I edit because I have to move around entire scenes because they don't flow well where I wrote them, or I have to end up taking them out entirely (I have a ridiculously long word document full of nothing but 'deleted scenes' that...maybe...will one day get put back in or get their stories finished), but I've never been able to write to a concrete objective all that well. All my characters are too much like me, they get distracted by shiny objects.

[Nazi Flower Power]

I have two different story ideas kicking around my head for stories about epidemics. I obviously have a sick mind.

One is called "After the Epidemic" or "Quarantine" and it's about a virologist who was in quarantine because she accidentally got infected with some exotic disease she was studying, but then there was a sudden outbreak of something completely unrelated that wiped out upwards of 99% of the human population. So now she can't go anywhere without protective gear, even though she has long-since recovered from her original illness. She is trying to research a vaccine for the disease that killed off most of the outside world, but being stuck in quarantine and having very few people to help with the research is really slowing things down. And meanwhile, she has fallen in love with one of the few people that survived on the outside, but they can't have any physical contact because of the quarantine.

The other one is told from the point of view of an alien who works for the Ministry of Health in her country. Physically, her people are more like mantis shrimp than humans, but mentally, they are smart enough to have their own civilization of sorts. There is an outbreak of a disease that her people are very vulnerable to, sort of their equivalent of the Black Death. They are trying to contain the outbreak, but doctors who go to treat the sick often get infected themselves, and they are having a hard time. Meanwhile, the Federation of New England has various mining operations in her country, and there is an embassy/consulate to manage relations between the miners and the local populace. So she goes to the embassy -- even though she doesn't speak English and isn't comfortable with humans at all -- and she recruits the New Englanders to handle the outbreak. Because they are so biologically different, they can care for the sick without catching the disease themselves. I came up with this sort of to point out the stupidity of sci-fi stories where some virus from an alien planet turns out to be the deadliest disease ever. Some viruses are more host-specific than others, but the odds of one from another planet being able to infect humans are pretty small. Amino acids come in different forms (L and R), so half of all life in the universe probably uses the opposite amino acids from ours, and even alien life using L-amino acids could still have dramatic differences from terrestrial life at a very basic chemical level. Viruses have to have similar biochemistry to their hosts or they won't be able to find the building blocks they need to reproduce.

So here's a question, when you write or type do you plan ahead or simply think as you go?
Personally I tend to just go and let the story run it's course, wherever that may be.

I usually know in broad terms where my story is going to go, though that often changes along the course of writing it. I tend to not write in order, so some amount of foreknowledge is necessary.

I almost always do write in order, but you still need to have an idea of where the story is going. Sometimes it can change direction pretty dramatically during the course of writing, but you still need to have a possible destination in mind when you start.

[Bezombia]

So here's a question, when you write or type do you plan ahead or simply think as you go?
Personally I tend to just go and let the story run it's course, wherever that may be.

I usually have a very vague idea of where to go ('At some point something needs to happen that makes the character(s)_______'), but then oftentimes end up veering off into tangents that may or may not replace the original vague idea entirely.

It makes more work for me when I edit because I have to move around entire scenes because they don't flow well where I wrote them, or I have to end up taking them out entirely (I have a ridiculously long word document full of nothing but 'deleted scenes' that...maybe...will one day get put back in or get their stories finished), but I've never been able to write to a concrete objective all that well. All my characters are too much like me, they get distracted by shiny objects.

The obvious solution is to take all your deleted scenes and combine them into a single novel.

Don't even change the names of the characters or preface the sections with explanations or anything. Just copy and paste the scenes into one big book. It'll still make more sense than Finnegans Wake.

[The New World Oceania]

I usually have a very vague idea of where to go ('At some point something needs to happen that makes the character(s)_______'), but then oftentimes end up veering off into tangents that may or may not replace the original vague idea entirely.

It makes more work for me when I edit because I have to move around entire scenes because they don't flow well where I wrote them, or I have to end up taking them out entirely (I have a ridiculously long word document full of nothing but 'deleted scenes' that...maybe...will one day get put back in or get their stories finished), but I've never been able to write to a concrete objective all that well. All my characters are too much like me, they get distracted by shiny objects.

The obvious solution is to take all your deleted scenes and combine them into a single novel.

Don't even change the names of the characters or preface the sections with explanations or anything. Just copy and paste the scenes into one big book. It'll still make more sense than Finnegans Wake.

That's comparing a modernist work and a postmodern idea. Not particularly fair, if you ask me.

[Bezombia]

The obvious solution is to take all your deleted scenes and combine them into a single novel.

Don't even change the names of the characters or preface the sections with explanations or anything. Just copy and paste the scenes into one big book. It'll still make more sense than Finnegans Wake.

That's comparing a modernist work and a postmodern idea. Not particularly fair, if you ask me.

Nothing's fair when Finnegans Wake is involved.