2011-07 ~ My Reading Lounge

2011-07-30

"De Immortalitate" - chapter 6!

2011-07-30 No comments

Update - the 6th chapter is up!

De Immortalitate, by Raum

Summary: "The life of the Roman patrician Antonius is put at stake by his father, Felix. When Felix brings to his only son a new slave, Bella, more reasons arise for Antonius' concerns. Felix's secret can change Antonius' and Bella's destiny." ExB AU/vampires.

"I had noticed that his only soft spot was for the girl whom I cared for like a little sister. I thought that Jaspis had earned my family's esteem and gratitude, and I would always be generous to him if he continued to be a loyal friend. However, he still had a long way to convince me that he was the man to whom I would give Alica for good. But I was already confident that Jaspis was going to do all that and then some to accomplish this mission.

For the first time I thought that I could understand how deeply Jaspis and Alica cared for each other. Was I ever going to experience those same feelings?"

(Chapter 6, Sufferers)

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter).

There is a Twilighted thread for the story!
http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17195

Writing Lab: when to make a new paragraph

2011-07-28 2 comments

The lovely Duskwatcher2153 suggested me the following article by Michael Klingensmith:

When to make a new paragraph (http://www.saidsimple.com/content/When-to-Make-a-New-Paragraph)

Learning how to break chapters into paragraphs can seem simple and not as important as other writing problems. Instead, with a great paragraph division you can actually improve your story and your relationship with your readers: with an effective structure, you'll tell them clearly when when you're switching time, place, topic or speaker.

According to Klingensmith, "new paragraphs [...] help break the page up so it is not just a solid block of writing. Seeing that can be discouraging, and you don't want your reader to be discouraged before she even starts to read."

Reading When to make a new paragraph, you'll learn to break your paragraphs

When you start in on a new topic
When you skip to a new time
When you skip to a new place
When a new person begins to speak
When you want to produce a dramatic effect

After reading the article, enjoy a story with great paragraphs, full of excellent contents: check "A Litany at Dusk" by Duskwatcher2153 and her other stories!

Your comments are welcome.

"De Immortalitate" - chapter 5!

2011-07-23 No comments

Update - the 5th chapter is up!

De Immortalitate, by Raum

"Her lips moved slowly while she was eating. They made me think of a ripe cherry. As she licked her lower lip, picking a crumble of the pie, her mouth glistened under the dim light of the torches. So exquisite. I stared at her long neck as she swallowed; her grace and the creamy color of her skin reminded me of a swan.
"More?" I asked."

(Chapter 5, Souls)

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter).

There is a Twilighted thread for the story!
http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17195

Writing Lab: a lesson from K. M. Weiland

2011-07-20 No comments

K.M. Weiland, from Nebraska, is a published author of historical and speculative fiction. She mentors other authors through her writing tips, editing services, and workshops.
This week, let's read together her article

The 3 Integral Components of a Story’s Beginning

The author tells how to highlight the three integral components found in almost every successful opening.

Character. Action. Setting.

Here's an excerpt:

"Barnes and Noble editorial director Liz Scheier offers an anecdote (about a professor demanding active verbs) that sums up the necessity of these three elements. Scheier writes:

A professor of mine once posed it to me this way, thumping the podium for emphasis: “It’s not ‘World War II began’! It’s ‘Hitler. Invaded. Poland.’”

Scheier’s professor not only made a sturdy case for the active voice, he also offered a powerful beginning. Let’s take a closer look."

Your comments, and your suggestions for (new) writers, are welcome! Thank you!

"De Immortalitate" - chapter 4!

2011-07-16 No comments

Update - the 4th chapter is up!

De Immortalitate, by Raum

"He stared at me, his eyes boring into mine, as if he was trying to decipher me. His eyes made me remember some days when the sea had a deep green color. Looking at him was like being in front of the open sea; I felt overwhelmed and fascinated at the same time. Were my thoughts so important to him?"

(Chapter 4, Humans)

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter).

There is a Twilighted thread for the story!
http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17195

Writing Lab: a lesson from RandomCran

2011-07-13 No comments

There are different ways to contribute to a reading/writing community. In the Twilight fandom, there are not only many writers, but also many people who have the precious role to read and give their feedback. If we all read and write fanfiction, it's because, as readers, we were fascinated by the Twilight Saga. Some readers become writers too, or become beta-reader.

Today's guest is RandomCran. She'll tell us her experience as reader, beta-reader and writer in the Twilight fandom. Don't miss her first fanfiction:

Restless, by RandomCran

RandomCran says:

From the moment I began reading my first fan-fiction story to the time I began volunteering as a full time beta was only six weeks. My immersion into the Fandom happened very quickly and very unexpectedly, but as the months moved on I found I really enjoyed the editing experience.

Serving as a beta has been quite valuable as it has allowed me to observe the writing styles of various authors. The process forced me to think about how I would write a story if I ever felt the inspiration to do so (although I never expected to begin writing myself.)

I was more than happy working as a beta, but one night the right idea took hold and wouldn't let go. One image of Edward kept running through my mind, and after a few days I decided to try writing it down.

Once that was done, I showed the few paragraphs I'd written to a few trusted friends. They asked to see more and so I expanded again and showed it off to them plus a few others. I kept receiving encouragement to continue on with the idea, but I still wasn't sure if I was ready to commit to writing a story.

Over a few weeks, I found the story evolving in my mind and finally decided it was time to see if my beta experience would be helpful in making the transition to author. I have to admit I have a weakness for wanting to edit my own work before sending it off to my own betas. One of them finally had to tell me not to worry about every little word or every punctuation mark – she just wanted me to focus on telling the story and asked me not to be so fixated on the technical issues.

Old habits die hard…

Since I'm only two chapters into Restless, the writing process still feels very new and raw but I feel confident about my story and have become excited about sharing it with the Fandom.

Thank you, RandomCran!

As usual, your comments are welcome. Tell us more about the way you decided to become not only a fanfiction reader, but a fanfiction writer as well!

"De Immortalitate" - new chapter!

2011-07-09 No comments

Update - the third chapter is up!

De Immortalitate, by Raum

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter).

Thanks to the lovely Salix caprea, there is a Twilighted thread for the story!

http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17195

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"De Immortalitate" - meet Romanward!

2011-07-04 No comments

Update - the second chapter is up!

De Immortalitate, by Raum

Reviewers get a little gift (different for each chapter).

Thanks to the lovely Salix caprea, there is a Twilighted thread for the story!

http://www.twilighted.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=17195

^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Interview/5: Rose Arcadia (and a quote!)

2011-07-01 6 comments

She's the incredible artist who makes extraordinary banners and blinkies for hundreds of TwiFics. Thousands of readers found new stories thanks to her works. Today's guest is Rose Arcadia!

Raum: Would you like to tell us more about the way you began to develop your blinkies and banners? What was your inspiration? Did you get a specific training on computer graphics?

Rose Arcadia: No, no, I had no training at all. I just wanted to make a blinkie for a friend of mine, got on Google and figured out how to do just that.Inspiration? That's the tricky part. I know so many talented artist who can just whip these puppies up at the drop of the hat. Me? I'm que loca in the brain apparently. I can love a fic, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get a visual. Then suddenly, a chapter appears, then BAM, I've got the whole thing playing in my head. Then I sit down and figure out how to make it on the computer. Sometimes I don't know how to make these visuals, but hell, that does not ever stop me...

If I can't do it, I'll figure it out. I don't care if it takes me days, I gotta get this sh*t outta my head and onto the screen!

Raum: Would you like to describe your blinkie-banner making process? How did it change during the time you have spent in this fandom?

Rose Arcadia: Back in the day, I used to make blinkies that were 10, maybe 15 frames. Now, I'm using about 200-250 frames. Why? Because somewhere along the way, we all figured out how to add videos to animated gifs. It was a blessing and a curse. Editing 200 frames to make them match in size, contrast, lighting and color, is not as easy as 15.

But don't get me wrong, I love adding videos to my blinkie...LOVE IT! It gives me so many more possibilities. I look at my Caged Bird Sings, or my Fold Your Wings blinkie....ohhh, or my Unexpected Circumstances blinkie, that one nearly killed me! But anyways, it was just f*cking cool to see that come to life, ya know? I did these days and days worth of work, and then I had this beautiful visual as a result. I get a kick outta that, man! It's an awesome feeling to see it done, I'm tellin' ya!

And the best part? The exposure it helps the authors get. I get so proud and giddy when they earn success from these little animations. They deserve it. God knows, I'm a SAHM, I can't be buying books left and right. But these authors give me all this for free? Hell, least I could do, if you ask me...

Raum: What tools do you use? Can you give us some specifics and technical advice on banner/blinkies making?

Rose Arcadia: I use Jasc Animation Shop 3, Picasa & GIMP to make what I need. Especially now days, I'm a major animated banner kick, because I love combining the two. But, I'm very anal about making the frames match in color and what not, so it probably takes me 10 times longer to do. I'm such a geek...

Advice? Hmmmm....play with and combine the effects, you'll learn a lot from doing that. Oh, but just because you have the effect, doesn't mean you should use it. The checkered effect, that would work great with a fun fic or an 80's theme fic...otherwise, not so much. Fading is usually the way to go.

If you don't know how to transition between frames, and you want a dramatic effect, plan white or black .9 second frames can really make a powerful effect.

Font...if you have a serious fic, use a classic font. It it's a fun fic, use a fun font. Angst? Find something distressed. Period fic? Find a font that would have been used in that century. It makes a huge difference in selling the story.

Watch your blinkie when it's done. Did you have time to read every line? Too much time? Adjust your timing to match how long it takes to read.

Also, if you fade between video frames, fade with 1 frame for .10-.12 seconds, then erase the 2 frames you faded originally. This will make it flow continuously without stopping.

And lastly, don't forget to transition your last frame with your first frame, that way, it flows when it starts over.

I know, I know, WTF am I talking about...I'll shut up now! Told you I was a geek...

Raum: Who is your favorite character in the saga and why?

Rose Arcadia: Edward. Cause he's so pretty. Like, really pretty. Oh, and did I mention he's pretty?

Really? I need to explain? Ok, I just think he's beautifully flawed. I adore that. I adore also how, in the fandom, Edward could do no wrong. He could kill a person and we cheer for him to redeem himself. But go and change the name to Jacob and we demand that he rot in prison.

But yeah, mostly because he's pretty...I wish I was deep and meaningful with my answer, but apparently, I'm blinded by beauty...sue me!

Raum: Who is your favorite artist? (painter, sculptor...as you please)

Rose Arcadia: Dali, he is the creator of my love for art. As a preteen, I once saw a replica of Three Ages above the fireplace of my Uncle's home. I stared at it for a long, long time before my sweet Uncle came up and told me all about it. I sat for 4 hours straight looking at it, only taking small breaks to play the french horn.

Years later, it was one of the reasons why I decided to go see a certain vampire teen movie at the theater...I was curious about the actor who was playing Dali in Little Ashes.

Raum: If Edward were an artistic masterpiece, he would be...

Rose Arcadia: Guernica? Hmmmm, ok, maybe not, possibly in his head...oh wait, I know...Starry Night! Hehehe! See, this is why you shouldn't chat with your sister while doing interviews, she puts silly thoughts into you head!

Raum: Would you like to describe the relationship you established both with the authors and with the readers who, thanks to your works, find many new stories to read?

Rose Arcadia: Authors have always been so appreciative. I love seeing or hearing their reactions. It's better than corn on the cob at a summer picnic. Oh, that sounds so good!

I think I'm hungry, brb...

Ok, I ate...sorry, corn craving turned into a bacon craving...yeah, long story! So what was I saying? Oh yes....I love how close I've gotten to authors and readers from making these. I can't write, I would make a terrible author. This was a great way for me to get my toe in the door and make some awesome friends. Hell, some of my best friends now are authors who I just bonded with. I love the sh*t outta this fandom, I'm tellin' ya...

Raum: You made many of us dream with your inspiring images. What are your dreams?

Rose Arcadia: Well, I once had a dream that Kristen Stewart climbed up my body and clawed up my face with his teeny-tiny hands. It was all because at the time I was writing a Robp33n weekly post for The Cold Shower. Yeah, she didn't like that.

I really, really try to keep that dream out of my artwork. But that's ok. I have an insane imagination and a truckload of OCD tendencies.

So yeah, I'm good to go...