2012-01-04

As many of you know, Lissa Bryan is the author of one of the most discussed (and appreciated) fics that came out in 2011, Written in the Stars. She's now posting two new, amazing stories, The Better Angels of Our Nature and The Selkie Wife. The first story she posted on FF.net, Compulsion, has now a sequel, Sacred to the Memory.

She updates her stories very often. I wondered how could she write so much, with such a high quality, in so little time. Here's the answer...

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Everything You Shouldn’t Do And Why it Works for Me
 
By Lissa Bryan

Ever since I was a child, I’ve taken novels and “re-written” them in my head, sending the characters on fantastic journeys, or simply writing the ending it should have had. It was only recently that I discovered that other people do this too, and it’s called “fan fiction” and not only that, there are huge online communities devoted to it. Once I discovered the community, I decided to let some of my characters out of my head to play.
I joined FFN in the first week of October 2011, and as I write this on the day after Christmas, 2011, I have two completed novel-length stories and three in the works. I frequently am asked if I’ve pre-written the stories and the answer is no, if you don’t count the “writing” that’s been done in my head. Usually the story has been re-written several times in my mind and I’ll return to old favorites and perhaps even re-write the plot with new characters. Ultimately, there has been a lot of “work” done on my tales before I ever sit down in front of a keyboard.
Essentially, I just have to type the story, so it’s not all that difficult for me to produce between four thousand and five thousand words per day. The difficulty is in deciding where to place chapter dividers so that the flow stays natural, since I never divide the story that way in my head.
From the advice columns I’ve read, it appears that I do pretty much everything that new authors are cautioned not to do.

I don’t have a chapter outline. It means that I have no idea how long the story will be; I can only estimate, based on plot, how much of the story has already been completed. I may have a general idea of the things I want to happen in a chapter, but sometimes they have to get bumped to the next one when I realize I have too much material to get through before those events can occur.

I don’t have a beta. I do my own editing (and it shows.) My reasons for this are that, firstly, I don’t know very many people in the fandom. I’d have to be familiar with a potential beta’s writing style to know how well they do with language and grammar and such (it’s not helpful to have an inarticulate person who doesn’t recognize an incorrect word usage), and then know them as friends to see how well we would be able to work together.
Secondly, it would slow me down. I’d have to rely on another person, work around their schedule, and wait for them to return the chapter. And lastly, I’d have to stop and explain why certain things have happened in the story line and how they’ll fit into the big picture later.
So far, it’s worked for me. There are always things I’ll miss here and there that I’ll only notice on a re-read weeks later. I only ever made one major mistake and thanks to a sharp-eyed reviewer, I was able to go back and correct it early on in the story.

I’ve never shown my stories to anyone to get their input. From what I’ve read, this seems like the first step most authors take, but when it’s posted, that marks the first time anyone has ever read it besides myself.

Since I do everything wrong, you probably shouldn’t take advice from me, but I have two bits of advice from a published author with whom I used to correspond:

1) Never include anything that doesn’t directly advance the plot or reveal something important about the characters. It’s advice that I don’t always stick to myself, but I try to keep it in mind when writing.
I once read a novel, which shall remain nameless, in which there was a chapter detailing a short vacation the characters took to New York. We were introduced to two new characters, who were in conflict, and then the main characters went to Central Park and had sex under a bridge during a rainstorm. Never again were the two new characters mentioned and the trip played no role in the overall plotline. There was no reason for the entire chapter. It could have been deleted without any impact on the novel whatsoever.
I love lemons as much as the next gal, but putting one in just for the fun of it doesn’t do much for the story. We have reason to see the first time that characters are intimate because it’s a large step forward in their relationship, and their actions during intimacy can reveal important character traits. Or, we could see the characters reconnect after a long separation/conflict. Or it could be the only way one of the character can express their feelings. Whatever the reason, the scene should have a purpose.

2) Read your dialogue out loud. If you sound stupid when you say it, so will your characters.
Lastly, I would add to listen to your reviewers. They’ll help you by pointing out areas of the story which are weak, things that might need further explanation and details you may have forgotten to include. We all like positive reviews, but reviewers aren’t just cheerleaders.

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my stories, and to Raum, for suggesting I write this article.

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Thank you, Lissa Bryan!
I bet this article will elicit many questions...as usual, your comments are welcome.
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41 comments:

  1. Camilla, picking herself from the floor where she fell: "wtf, how does she manage with no Beta?"
    No, seriously, I couldn't, even if I was writing in Italian and not in English. Among other things the lady must have an iron memory and words must be spilling out of her like music form Mozart...
    Well, anyway, let me concentrate on her two bits of advice that can be followed.
    Don't add anything supefluous. .. So right, I too try to do the same.

    Pay attention to your reviewers. I understand the reason but my problem is that I have already the story completely drafted before I post. I still can make little changes, and I do, but not many.
    The reason I do this is because I suffer from writer's blocks and yet I believe that a story should be updated every week to avoid that followers have to re read back. Plus, It has happened often that while I was writing I noticed incoherencies or I needed to make changes in early chapters. Impossible, if the story is half posted already. But I do need the opinion of others and this is the reason I have prereaders.

    Well, OK, Lissa is awesome and it is not surprising that she is taking the fandom by storm.

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  2. Hi Camilla!

    Thanks for your comment!

    You're the one who taught me to post only pre-written stories :) It's been a very good advice, that works for me!

    - Raum

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  3. Camilla said: "I understand the reason but my problem is that I have already the story completely drafted before I post. I still can make little changes, and I do, but not many."

    Me, too. I can add a few lines to make clarifications on this or that, but I can't change parts of the plot without having to do some major re-writes in my head and that would take a while.

    During "WITS", I was tempted, let me tell you. You wouldn't believe the number of angry PMs and sour reviews I got when Bella had her second, and potentially dangerous, pregnancy. People were angry, certain I was going to pull a "Breaking Dawn" with the Nessie demon-spawn-killing-a-self-sacrificing-Bella storyline. (I even had one reader who sent me about a five hundred word summary of what I was going to do with the rest of the plotline and why it made her so angry that she was flouncing.)

    I sat at my keyboard, reading all of that and cringing. Talk about a moment of self-doubt! I knew, of course, that the story wasn't going in the direction everyone expected, but I was so troubled by it that I actually considered pulling the chapters and doing a full re-rewrite. And for those of you who know the rest of the plot afterwards, you know it would have necessitated major changes to the entire story. It probably would have taken me months to figure out a new plot.

    So, that's one of the problems that my style presents. I can't make changes on the fly the way a writer of a story who's working chapter by chapter can. I've heard of a couple of authors who even write their stories according to reader suggestions; that's just amazing to me.

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  4. Thanks for your comment, Lissa!

    I firmly believe that readers are not co-writers. It's amazing that so many readers get involved with a story and share their ideas about it, but I can't stand when they try to tell an author how (s)he should write the story, nor when they judge before the story is complete. Let's give the author the opportunity to tell his/her whole message (the entire story), then we'll discuss :)

    - Raum

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  5. Well said all... and Lissa and Raum... you both are beautiful writers with incredible imaginations. I am in awe with the stories you post. So, this is a great article from the both of you.

    Thanks for sharing.

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  6. Thank you Jennifer!!!

    You're very kind!!
    With her stories, Lissa is bringing a lot of brilliant ideas, and we all can learn a lot from her!

    - Raum

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  7. I just read 'The Selkie Wife' and had some interesting chats with Lissa afterward, so I must chuckle and say that I think the two of us are kindred spirits.

    Our writing processes sound very similar. We produce work making the same 'mistakes', at a similar rate, too. I use a Beta inconsistently. For the first year as a Twiwriter, I didn't use a Beta at all. I was very territorial about my work. But I've found that a suitable Beta can expand one's skill in surprising ways. I also am extremely interested in what my reviewers have to say, and it is tempting to change plot at times based on suggestions. lol. I stick with my original intentions, however, and enjoy the resultant feedback, although every once in a while I'll give a reviewer a little gift by incorporating one of their ideas. But I do agree with Lissa, that I learn a lot from a thoughtful review. And I've recently found out that many readers refuse to review, because they feel they have nothing important to say and are worried the writer will be rude to them. That isn't true. Even a smiley-face tells the author that her/his work is appreciated and that it made a good impression.

    'The Selkie Wife' astounds me, with it's natural flow of authentic speech, props and settings. If you told me Lissa had been transported here from Tudor England I might just believe you.

    Well, Lissa is a great writer, and I look forward to reading more of her stories. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Hey Jess!

    Thanks for your comment!

    I agree, even a smiley-face is a good thing for a writer, it leaves him/her the message "I'm here and I'm reading your stuff."

    :)

    - Raum

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  9. Jess, one decision I made at the outset was that I wasn't going to use authentic Tudor dialogue. (I used a bit of it in SttM and it's even less fun to write than it is to read.) I tried to keep some of the cadence, but I didn't want the speech to sound TOO quaint or be unwieldy for the reader.

    I try to avoid modern words/phrases which is more difficult than it sounds. For example, I caught one place where I accidentally used the word "nice" and I cringed. ("Nice" meant "foolish" at the time.) Some modern slang or colloquialisms get so ingrained in our speech and thought patterns that we don't even realize it.

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  10. Thanks for this explanation, Lissa!

    - Raum

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  11. Lisa, you are absolutely right. If you wrote it in the same way as the original King James Bible, it would be unwieldy. lol. But a smattering of period-authentic expressions enhance a story a lot.

    Relating this to my own work, you'd empathize, because c.1915 slang (for Edward) sounds a lot more dated than Jasper's era's slang. Jasper's era was very influential on the American language, and a lot of the expressions he would have used are unchanged today.

    By the same measuring stick you use, though, I sometimes catch myself having Ed unconsciously say something that's just too modern (I say unconsciously because sometimes he will consciously say something modern to try and blend). He tends toward proper grammar, for instance. So he won't say 'we got intimate', he'll say 'we became intimate'.

    I decided early on that my Carlisle would have been from the area of London that would come to be known as Cockney, an area with really juicy speech patterns, but of course it wasn't a coherent group in 1640. So he doesn't use a huge number of colloquialisms from his era, as they would mark him as very dated, but he will say things like 'God stone the crows', which evolved into 'Cor'.

    Also, my Emmett started calling Ed 'Bimbo' (which meant 'Tough Guy' in the 1930's) and it stuck. How embarrassing is that for Ed? The humans think his brothers are calling him a loose woman!

    Somewhere in my lugubrious list of favourite stories, I have one by a girl who rewrote Twilight in the style of Shakespeare. It was a really amusing read. I'll try to find it for you.

    As we discussed, language evolves. Back in the 80's, it really bothered me when the word 'awesome' became the expression of the day, because the word 'awe' traditionally meant 'blood and guts', and 'awesome' meant 'inspiring the terror born of seeing blood and guts'. It took me a long time to bend to the popular notion that 'awesome' meant something good.

    Yeah, I'm a word freak, just so you know. And I adore slang.

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  12. Hey there, Jess!

    Being Italian, I don't know much about slang, but through the fics I'm learning to love it, too :)

    Thanks for your comment!!!

    - Raum

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  13. ok, please brace yourselves, everyone, for my uber-comment. :) lissa b, i devoured Written after it was complete and am *religiously* devoted to Better Angels and Selkie (e.g., i try to drop everything, even my demanding job, to read when updates come in, and i've loved how much you posted over the holidays - hooray for vacation!). sorry to say that i am not sure i can read Compulsion or its sequel, despite my love of vamp AU stories, as i tend to only want ExB and other canon pairings. convince me otherwise?

    i don't review your stories nearly enough, usually because of the reasons you cited above, and even before i read this article it was clear that you know where your stories are going (which is one of the reasons i will read your WIPs whereas i generally prefer completed stories). but now that i know you like the feedback, i will write more. please know that when i ask clarifying questions in reviews about plot or character (like why are there two esmes in Angels or why isn't the duke of cullen a member of parliament) that i'm not trying to be annoying or as nitpicky as it may seem. i usually am genuinely curious for your insights or interpretation of the facts. and, i do admit that i like quality grammar, plot/character consistency and factual accuracy throughout a novel. i want my fanfic to feel like it has been edited and proofed a gazillion times like a published novel. unrealistic, i know. ;)

    i'm amazed that you keep the plot in your head, all the way through the end. no notes at all?

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  14. (con't)
    i absolutely see the evidence of your commitment to including content only as it advances the storyline. i also really admire how fast-paced your stories are. your plotting is tight, and i love how you introduce multiple sources of conflict in each story as you speed to the climax. e.g., in Selkie, you've got the underlying religious tensions and civil unrest in the nation, rich v poor, E/B/E's wobbling-to-outright lack of catholic faith and their "lax" treatment of protestants like anne askew, father jacob's vendetta against bella, A and J's growing love, Bloody Mary's poor decisions that affect E and B in so many ways, and of course the selkie legends that will/could separate our couple. better yet, you introduce all these conflicts and let them recede into the background, bringing them forth only when needed, all the while leaving clues for discerning readers to unravel, like a fine mystery writer.

    but...sometimes i do want just a smidge more lemon in the stories...not smut, just a squeeze more citrus. e.g., showing us a little of E and B's encounter in Better Angels when they went upstairs after her stupid and disastrous (yet important-for-the-plot) date with amun would have advanced the plot, to show them reconnecting. bella could, e.g., have reassured a needy edward. (BTW, i wrote this before i finished reading tonight's Selkie chap, and this example is exactly what you did in Selkie!)

    i love your Bellas. there are so many bella-haters in the fandom, and while she certainly has her flaws (um, she's human) in canon, your stories seem to recognize and build on her strengths. each bella is different--era, culture, challenges/conflicts--yet, each in her own way is an incredibly strong, self-possessed woman who fights for what is right and loyally supports while still pushing her husband. she's the ultimate 21st century feminist (even if 2 of the 3 are of the 16th and 61st centuries...).

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  15. (and finally)
    which 'story' are you rewriting for Selkie? the selkie wife novel you referenced in your first author's note, or a fictionalized account of the tudor succession from mary to elizabeth? or both? how do you possibly fit in time for historical research, as well? i've wondered if you're a tudor historian by day...

    and, my most important question to you is: are you writing your own original fiction? because, as much as i am thrilled you've joined this fandom, you have true talent. Written in the Stars proves that; you were faithful to key Twi elements of character and plot, yet you created a world and plot that can stand on its own in the supernatural/fantasy genre. ditto Better Angels. (ditto Selkie, except it has been done.)

    thanks for listening to the rambling! (btw, that's me who just friended you on FB.)

    and, raum and jmolly, i'm running over to your FF accounts now to check out your stories...

    thanks all!

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  16. Hey Robsjenn!

    thank you very much for joining the discussion! I'm thrilled that Lissa's article has elicited so many comments and questions!!!

    Thank you again!!

    - Raum
    ps: I'm flattered that you're going to check my stories!!! JMolly's stories are great, don't miss them!

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  17. Wow, Robsjenn, what a great critique of Lissa's work. If you read me, I won't expect that length of review. Lol. ;D And you must read Raum, she writes beautifully.

    You've kind of stumbled into a little group of us who really care about writing the best story we can write. This means devotion to research, proofing for spelling/grammar/context/continuity, and character development, with all the care that a published author would want to see in their book. And to us, it is not unrealistic that the reader should want those things (I think I can speak for Lissa here).

    Let me recommend Camilla10, BookishQua, and FantasyMother. You will find intelligent reads.

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  18. I'm thrilled that Lissa's article created such an interesting discussion and made other readers find new stories!

    - Raum

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  19. robsjen, don't worry. I don't find you to be "nitpicky" at all. I actually like it when people ask such questions because it tells me that people are not only reading the story, they're thinking about it and turning it over in their minds the way I do with stories I love. (And I'm the same way, sending questions to authors. I'm surprised at how often they write back.)

    "i'm amazed that you keep the plot in your head, all the way through the end. no notes at all?"

    Nope, no notes. At night, before I go to bed, I run through the next bit of the story in my head, whatever feels chapter-length to me. If anything pops up suddenly, a detail that I know I'd forgotten, I might make a note on a scrap of paper. (And then in the morning, ponder over what the hell I meant by a cryptic pair of words like "everyone knows".)


    "but...sometimes i do want just a smidge more lemon in the stories...not smut, just a squeeze more citrus."

    I'll be blunt: I'm no good at lemons. I struggle with writing them. Seriously: the one I just wrote for ch. 22 of "Better angels" took me an HOUR and it's only a paragraph long. So, yeah, unless I feel it's necessary for that reconnection, I tend to be a fade-to-black kinda author. And you're right: there area a few times in the story when a lemon would have helped strengthen the relationship, but I wussed out.


    "which 'story' are you rewriting for Selkie? the selkie wife novel you referenced in your first author's note, or a fictionalized account of the tudor succession from mary to elizabeth?"

    This story is based off of the fairy tale, but the ending is going to be vastly different. If you've ever read the fairy tale, or a summary of it, it has a terribly sad ending. I'm a firm believer that anything in the "romance" category has to have a happily-ever-after ending.

    I am also sticking pretty closely to the actual history of the time. When I deviate, such as moving Anne Askew forward a few decades, I put it in my A/N. Mary isn't going to end up producing an heir to the throne, in other words.


    "how do you possibly fit in time for historical research, as well?"

    I have to check my reference books or the internet for dates or exact quotes on occasion, but most of the research, like the actual story itself, is already in my head.


    "and, my most important question to you is: are you writing your own original fiction?"

    No.

    I worked on a couple of things in the past. My first work was a FF (though I didn't know it was called that; I called it a parody, for lack of a better word) of the "Wizard of Oz" in which no one really liked Dorothy and the Wicked Witch was misunderstood, and the slippers were one of three magical items she had to collect in order to be able to free he Munchkins from the spell that Glenda had used to imprison them.

    Yeah, imagine my surprise when "Wicked" came out.

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  20. Thanks also for this, Lissa!

    I'd like to read your fic about "The Wizard of Oz"!

    - Raum

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  21. "imagine my surprise when Wicked came out."

    this is what i'm saying! you could turn WITS into its own novel and submit for pub...

    i hear you on the lemons. i love rated M stories now (even some of the smuttier ones), but honestly i've never read anything like a romance novel other than Twific and i hated the lemons at first. couldn't believe i was reading this stuff and generally preferred the fades to black. now i like the lemons that aren't ridiculous and that are plot-worthy. liz lemon bennett's are good, and i am addicted to shay savage's Transcendence's lemons. i'm considering writing my very first story as an Age of Edward contest entry, but i am wussing out over the lemons. it makes me incredibly nervous to even think of writing one, so i'm pondering submitting in the T category. ;)

    off to go read today's Better Angels chapter!

    raum, am going to start with your one-shots, i think, and then go to De Immortalite (yay--it's marked complete!). jess, already started UE.

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  22. oh, thanks for the author recs, jess. i've read several stories by fantasymother, have bookmarked camilla10 to read (the parachutist, right?), but had a hard time getting into cullenary coupling. (will try again!)

    are any of you reading a garment of brightness by miaoukancha? it's FANTASTIC. retelling of twilight. also adore her jasper pre-twi two-shot.

    cyrabear's for whom the bell tolls is terrific.
    literary, third-person, realistic characterization, original AU.

    katinki's vamp AUs are well-plotted and feature strong yet tortured (yummy!) human-drinker edwards.

    sleepyvalentina's stuff is terrific. liz lemon bennett's she gives me religion is my favorite AH story--such a sweet, sensitive, adorable edward.

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  23. Hi Robsjenn!

    Thanks for your comment!

    Of course I'm reading "A Garment of Brightness" by Miaokuancha! She's one of my favorite authors!

    She's also contributed to the Writing lab :)

    Would you like to write some recs for your favorite stories/writers? Your guest posts would be welcome!

    - Raum

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  24. I admire Lissa's stamina for writing. I find it unbelievably difficult to type out 500 words after a full day of work. Like the ongoing fad, I decided to write a story with short chapters that I might update everyday. I have a beta, but I have never managed to pre-write the entire story before posting it, the end result being stuck with two stories I have no idea how to take forward.

    But I am learning and stockpiling my 'daily update' story chapters, though I manage to write only once every two days, but the shorter chapters ensure that you write something regularly and gives you a sense of accomplishment.

    I hope I manage to complete this story and update it on a regular basis. I seem to have done everything Lissa did, but while it all seemed to work out fine for her, I don't think I'm meant to break the rules yet! I guess I'll follow them this time around and find out how it goes!!

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  25. Hi KT8812!

    Thanks for joining the discussion!

    Fingers crossed for your new story!

    - Raum

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  26. robsjenn said: "this is what i'm saying! you could turn WITS into its own novel and submit for pub..."

    As I understand, most publishers shy away from works which have been previously published on the internet, unless they're substantially re-written like "Emancipation Proclamation". There are some exceptions, of course (The "University if Edward Masen" is almost identical in its published form to how it was published online) but I'm not expecting anything miraculous for me.

    And plus, I'd have to pull the story and I'd hate doing that. I thought of "WITS" as a small "gift" to the world of fiction which has given me so many hours of entertainment over the years. If I published it, it would be like saying. "Here's a gift. YOINK! I'm taking it back and now you have to pay me for it."

    In my mind, it *is* published. (I found it on a pirating site and was just tickled pink by that.) My "pay" is the sweet reviews and kind compliments I've been given. Yesterday, I was asked if I'd allow a translation into French and I've already said yes to a Polish translation. That makes me feel really good. The story has its own life now. I don't know how long it will last (I do not flatter myself that it will become a "classic" like EP or "Wide Awake"), but I know it's out there.

    So, I'm not out there looking for a publisher. I suppose if one approached me, I'd have to give it some thought, but I'm not actively seeking it.


    Regarding KT8812's comment on stamina, I have a bit more free time right now than I normally would.

    "I have a beta, but I have never managed to pre-write the entire story before posting it, the end result being stuck with two stories I have no idea how to take forward."

    I don't think it's necessary to completely write the whole story mentally, including dialogue and such as I have done, but I think it's vital to have an idea of how you want your story to end and how to get there. Every story needs an arc, a main conflict which will be resolved at the end of the tale.

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  27. Lissa said: "I thought of "WITS" as a small "gift" to the world of fiction which has given me so many hours of entertainment over the years." [...] "My "pay" is the sweet reviews and kind compliments I've been given."

    x-x-x-x

    Lissa, thank you!
    For sure you gave us such a precious gift!!

    <3

    - Raum

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  28. Hi Raum,
    Of course - I'd *love* to write a guest post with recs. I'm so flattered you'd ask!! I'll PM you and we can talk more?

    Lissa, WITS is an amazing gift to the fandom. Thank you!!

    I think 50 Shades also was published with a very similar plot (but I'm not 100% sure).

    Jenn

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  29. Hi Jenn!

    Of course I'm going to PM you ;)

    - Raum

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  30. Ah, yes 50 Shades. I was so crushed when I read that one because I have a Domsper story that's too similar to write (Damaged, abused Jasper, but a loving Dom, not a sadist.)

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  31. WOW! Quite the revelation! Please, Lissa, write this story and share!!!

    - Raum

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  32. I really can't. The character backgrounds are just way too similar.

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  33. I'm going to add in my 2 cents here too. Lissa, I've already talked to you about publishing as well. I can understand your hesitance and how you dislike the idea of pulling stories down, but in the long run you'd be sharing your gifts/talents with a wider audience and in this fandom, even if you take it down, there are probably hundreds of people who have already made a PDF of it and will pass it along if asked for it whether you liked it or not.

    I pray that you will someday publish. With your outrageous talent it seems like a sin to not share it and do something more permanent with it. I for one, would love to pay to read your stuff and would be thrilled to see you succeed. It would not upset me at all if you took your stories down, because ultimately it would mean I could put a hardcopy on my bookshelf instead. You deserve it. There is a nitch you fill that is sorely lacking in authors. It's the scifi romance category. My favorite stories fall in this category, but there are so few. Hence, why I'm kind of begging you to consider publishing. There is a publisher that I recently learned about (since I write scifi romance as well) that specializes in this type of story and they're called Baen publishing. I cannot imagine any publisher turning away your rather unique and dang near flawless writing. I really do pray you will someday decide it's worth a shot, because you my friend, have some seriously amazing plotlines and very accessible characters.

    Okay, tripping off soapbox now... :D Good luck with your continuing efforts to write (I write the same volume daily, but I write an outline, not always ahread of time, but sometimes as I go so I don't forget facts I already wrote along the way. So it amazes you don't forget small details your previously wrote. Do you have a photographic memory? Just curious)

    Scarlettplay

    p.s. I'm terrible at reviewing too. I want to read your stuff and then it inspires me to immediately strat writing my own stuff, which is a compliment.

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  34. One more brief comment... I've also recently read a lot of the FF's that have been published, and some of them were not nearly as creative or captivating as your stories. I hope that helps plant seeds of encouragement.

    *chants* PUBLISH, PUBLISH, PUBLISH!!! PLEASE!

    Scarlettplay

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  35. Thank you, Scarlettplay for your comments regarding my publishability. (Is that a word? If not, I have just invented it.) I promise I'll give it some consideration.


    "Do you have a photographic memory?"

    Don't I wish.

    I do have a better memory for the written word than I do in other aspects of my life. I can remember long chunks of text from novels I read as a child but can't remember to buy milk at the store.

    I've only ever made one major error, thank whatever gods may be, and a sharp-eyed reviewer caught it for me. I was able to go back and fix it relatively early in the story. (And that one person seems to be the only person that caught it, for which I am very grateful.)

    I'll remind myself by occasionally going back and re-reading chapters where certain details may have been mentioned.

    I'm not really a sci-fi author, per se. It just so happens that those were a few of the stories I plucked off the pile in my mind, the ones I (pretty much randomly) decided to do first. I have dozens of others of various genres. I'm considering doing a dystopian or survival story next.

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  36. Hey Lissa!

    I'm already looking forward your next story!!

    - Raum

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  37. How fun. Can't wait. I love survival stories. I'm just finishing up my post-apocalypse story myself that deals with survival in the aftermath. That stuff really intrigues me, and I'm sure you'll blow me away.

    BTW, you don't have to pull an already written story. You could try to publish something new, like the one you've mentioned. Just a thought.

    Scarlettplay

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  38. Thank God! I thought I was the only one who fangirled over Lissa Bryan like a squeeing teenage girl at a Justin Bieber performance. I was starting to feel really weird about it but alas...I have found others who are equally enamored with her work as well (not that I doubted this, but it was nice to see it in writing).

    "Here's a gift. YOINK! I'm taking it back and now you have to pay me for it."

    I so laughed out loud at this statement. Well said Lissa Bryan.

    ~IllicitWriter

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  39. Hi IllicitWriter!

    thanks for your comment!!

    - Raum

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  40. Wow, impressive how you write! I am afraid I've yet to find my MO. When I try to plot in detail in advance, I somehow always end up writer's blocked or plot blocked after a few chapters. When I go with the flow I seem to keep expanding my story with every new character or minor plot twist I devise and I end up seemingly never reaching the end and get blocked again in the long run. So none of my stories are complete as of yet, both for fanfic as for original stories. So I am pretty sure the only real rule is to just keep on writing, no matter how you devise your stories. And I am glad to see Lissa took the leap of faith and wrote up a book after all, I am sure it will be every bit as lovely as her fanfics! Will it be available as an e-book as well? It tends to be easier in my country to buy foreign books that way (I am Belgian, in case you wondered).

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    1. Thank you for your comment! Good luck on your writing, I hope you'll find other useful articles on this Writing Lab.

      - Raum (from Italy)

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