Writer's Group, assemble.

***Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds*** · 12-16-2009, 07:45 AM

I guess to start with, we can host general writing talks in here, gripe about our own works, motivation (or lack thereof), etc. Should any incredible specific discussions pop up, I'm willing to split the thread so they don't get lost under a pile, or take over the whole topic.

If you want to post something you've written (for feedback, advice, critique, or just general encouragement), I recommend making your own thread, then providing a link here. I'll update this post to include all active peice threads, so those of us who are also trying to participate can come along and share our encouragement and give advice as best we can.

Feel free to subject us to any writing: fiction, non-fiction, short story, poetry, fanfiction. Provide links to interesting writer's resources, the latest news in the publishing industry (I'm probably one of the only current members who's paying much attention to that, though XD), people who have great general advice (like writer-centric blogs). Offer a little bio of your writing; when you started, what genres you specialise in, what you read, where you get your inspiration, who your writing heroes are, how many books you're writing, how many manuscripts you've finished (by finished, I mean anything from a full first-draft to an actual polished story).

We should strive to be:

Honest
Considerate
Respectful
Constructive
Receptive
Creative
Open-minded

We all have our favourite genres, we all started by writing something we probably burnt afterwards (a sacrifice to the writing gods, naturally), and we all can improve in one way or another.

Welcome to the (hopefully long-lived) VGF Writer's Group. Grab your choice of beverage and settle in.

***Cosmonautical*** · 12-16-2009, 09:30 AM

The coffee ran out already. D:

**Valigarmander** · 12-16-2009, 02:40 PM

Hmmmmmmm.

If only I'd written anything recently. D:

Jere · 12-16-2009, 05:06 PM

I think i shall try some characters that i have "in stock" so to say.

Story up tonight or Tomorrow

Jere · 12-16-2009, 06:35 PM

I managed to get it done tonight, not bad for not have written a story in about a year.

Something Mr August always loved to do was go angling as soon as the ice that layed on the lake was strong enough to hold, he had the tradition of taking out his old hunting backpack, his kick sledd, a good thermos of coffie and just sit and angling the whole day, if it didn't get to cold.

This day was just that day and Mr August started to walk out on the ice navigated carefully out to his favourite spot in a little bay, here he was sure to get himself a big one he said to himself as he started to make a hole in the ice.

When he then had angled the hook and threw it into the hole he let the hook sink to the bottom, rolled it up around 20 centimetres and sat and waited.

As time started to pass he sat and thought for himself, of all the changes that had happened here in the last fifty years, all the people that had moved out and how empty the mountain village had started to feel after a while, sure on those last 40 a hotel was built, to bad people had failed to show up until about five years ago.

He also remembered the time when they had electricity in the house and how amusing it was to see that little funny lamp go on and of by the push on a button.

He felt a nibble on the hook with a quick and steady hand he did a fast movement with his hand and his first Brown trout for today was hooked and up on the ice.

A big one it was and he thought that one more and he and his wife would have a grand dinner tonight, so he angled the hook and threw it down once again.

His eyes now fell on the other side of the lake, and the little inlet that was there, it was only 8 meters wide but if you tried to went by it at the wrong place it could be about 2 meters deep.

“But that is the way to keep telling the Tourists from the Locals” August thought for himself and remembered a little accident last summer involving a very rude but rich man that assured them that his way was the right way, they had all laughed at it when the man took two steps and disappeared under the surface.

His eyes then felt on the big mountains and the forest that was growing beneath it, the countless times he had managed to catch a snow chicken, and went out hunting and managed to shoot a moose or that time he managed to shoot a bear.

“And about bears didn't someone manage to get chased by one of those some years ago” August thought and felt something on the hook, but It managed to get away with the bait.

Angled up again and started his philosophising again, how lucky he was to live up here where he could go out and catch his own food, cut down his own wood and have it to warm up his house, the wild celebrations that would take place when all of his children, siblings, cousins, aunts at family reunions, it hadn't to be a reunion any time to celebrate was often a wild get to getter and on rare occations the whole liquor store would be out of anything that was above 2.5% alcohol, but that only occurred on wild weddings and such.

Another nibble another fast pull, but the fish was determined to not get hooked, August mumbled a few curses and angled the hook, threw the hook into the hole and proceeded his usual ritual.

Started to feel a little cold and decided that coffee would not taste to bad right now, poured himself a cup and started to drink the warm drink.
He now started thinking of the decreasing numbers of children in the school, it was only five miles away and a vital point in the continued well being for the close area, about seven years ago they where 45 if he remembered right, now they where 12, a sad fact that only got worse when you knew that they where down to 8 next year.

Grade 7 to 9 was 12 miles away and wish lead to many had to live away on the weeks and some parents even moved there to be more of a help for their children.

“A shame but I think it can have a good influence on most young people” August thought and took another sip of coffee.

“But then it's not that bad, thanks to the tourists we now have couples working that actually move here instead of moving away, and to one point to another I wonder how Bo is having is these days” August thought and put down his cup and concentrated more on the feeling in his fishing rod.

People got to know each other pretty tight in these areas it was far between the houses but to the people it was not far, August and Bo hadn't contacted eachothers in about two years, but August was sure that if he called It would sound as if they had spoken only yesterday.

Now August felt something on the hook again and now he finally got it on the hook, reeled it up and another big brown trout was up and ready.

It had started to blow and he saw that some heavy clouds was coming towards him so he decided that it might as well be time to go home.

On his way back he though for himself that, despite people moving away and it might be a bit isolated we have great untouched nature, close to friends if you only wanted, 20 miles go fast if you look forward for it, People growing up to be independent and capable of taking care of themselves and others, sure we had to spend a day to go to the doctor, but then you planned so you could get some stuff or pick something up for someone instead of spending gas and money on doing nothing but travel.

And many people that moved away now came back to look after the tourist and manage their own small business, living up the surroundings a little with some young enthusiasm and whenever he talked to any of them August felt ten years younger.

He now was in the hallway and his wife called from the living room.

“August, You're Home”

“Yeah” August Answered.

“I'm Home”.

Metal Mario · 12-16-2009, 07:12 PM

I'm a novelist by career. I've finished two, and they're ready to be published, if I can ever find a damn publisher. I've got an agent representing me on one of my books, at least, so that's something. Working on my third novel now. It's huge.

In my spare time, just for a bit of fun, I'm kicking around a cool fan fiction that's sort of like a "Nintendo Justice League", if you will. The group consists of Mario, Luigi, Link, Samus, Kirby, and Fox McCloud, and they protect the Nintendo universe (that is, any worlds or franchises that happen to be the property of Nintendo, ranging from the Mushroom Kingdom to the world of the Golden Sun games) from evil too powerful to be defeated by any one of them alone. They're gathered together by a High Council of five "wise men" whose job it is to guard the universe. This group consists of Princess Zelda, the goddess Palutena from Kid Icarus, Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, General Pepper from the Starfox games, and Cranky Kong. They recruit Samus to be the leader of the group [as she's a.) the only woman and b.) the one most familiar with military command], and they send her out to gather up the other heroes.

Sounds ****ing awesome, right? If I like it, I might turn it into a series of continuing adventures. The threat in this first story, appropriately enough, is Pious Augustus from Eternal Darkness, planning to bring Chatturg'ha into the Nintendo universe to devour it. This looks like a job for.............................whatever I decide to name the team, I guess.

Mushi · 12-16-2009, 10:26 PM

^

Also, wrote a short narrative essay for my English Final... may or may not get it back, as my teacher is hell-bent on submitting it to EVERYTHING. And I has not a saved copy on my computer. D:

Metal Man · 12-16-2009, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Mario

In my spare time, just for a bit of fun, I'm kicking around a cool fan fiction that's sort of like a "Nintendo Justice League", if you will. The group consists of Mario, Luigi, Link, Samus, Kirby, and Fox McCloud, and they protect the Nintendo universe (that is, any worlds or franchises that happen to be the property of Nintendo, ranging from the Mushroom Kingdom to the world of the Golden Sun games) from evil too powerful to be defeated by any one of them alone. They're gathered together by a High Council of five "wise men" whose job it is to guard the universe. This group consists of Princess Zelda, the goddess Palutena from Kid Icarus, Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, General Pepper from the Starfox games, and Cranky Kong. They recruit Samus to be the leader of the group [as she's a.) the only woman and b.) the one most familiar with military command], and they send her out to gather up the other heroes.

Sounds ****ing awesome, right? If I like it, I might turn it into a series of continuing adventures. The threat in this first story, appropriately enough, is Pious Augustus from Eternal Darkness, planning to bring Chatturg'ha into the Nintendo universe to devour it. This looks like a job for.............................whatever I decide to name the team, I guess.

It was so awesome, me and an army of other people have been at work on a similar concept for quite a while.

SSQ's Story Page
Super Smash Quest² - Info
Super Smash Quest² - Info
SSS Matches

More is good though. Let's just say your idea is in good company.

Metal Mario · 12-17-2009, 12:25 AM

Perhaps, but mine would be:

A.) More serious, and less like a Smash Bros. game

B.) Wouldn't place Toad Town on the Hyrulian border

***Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds*** · 12-17-2009, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Mario

I'm a novelist by career. I've finished two, and they're ready to be published, if I can ever find a damn publisher. I've got an agent representing me on one of my books, at least, so that's something. Working on my third novel now. It's huge.

Hey, that's great, man. Who is your agent? What do you write, and which pub houses have been approached? Don't stress too much about the amount of time it's probably taking to find a publisher, it seems the average it at least a whole year of circulating your ms (manuscript) before someone picks it up. Have you had any requests for a partial (the editor at the pub house wanted to see a couple of chapters after seeing the query)?

So, I was linked to FreeMind, a "brainstorming" styled program to keep track of whatever you like. Centre balloon leads to Idea A, which has its own children ideas, or explanations, and so on. I've followed the lead of Hal Spacejock author, Simon Haynes, to use it for character info, location details and plot outline. It's really exciting to put it all into such an easy, compact screen. I would recommend it to anyone, for anything. XD And here's a link to Simon's article about plotting, and how to utilise FreeMind.

This is why I don't do revision until the whole first draft is complete: trying to do a "quick" rewrite of my opening scene, I spent over an hour not even writing a whole page. *headdesk* First draft momentum must remain! Onwards we forge!

I'll give your short piece a look over when I have a little more time, Jere.

Metal Mario · 12-17-2009, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds

Hey, that's great, man. Who is your agent? What do you write, and which pub houses have been approached? Don't stress too much about the amount of time it's probably taking to find a publisher, it seems the average it at least a whole year of circulating your ms (manuscript) before someone picks it up. Have you had any requests for a partial (the editor at the pub house wanted to see a couple of chapters after seeing the query)?

I've self-published my first two novels through AuthorHouse, but, of course, it's really not good enough, since self-publishers don't give you any marketing or publicity. Or at least none that seems to matter, anyway. But at least they're both available for sale through Amazon and Barnes & Noble's website. That's something. And, since self-publishing allows you to retain all rights of ownership to your work, that means I can still sell it to any big publisher without having to seek AuthorHouse's permission.

My first novel, Summer of the Vigilantes, is an anthology of three linked stories (about 200 pages apiece) about a group of vigilantes who kill dirtbags in New York City. My second novel, Renaissance Killer, is the autobiography (presented David Copperfield style) of a conscienceless, globe-trotting, homosexual hitman-for-hire who also happens to be one hell of a snappy dresser. It's about 500 pages. I'd rather not go into detail about my third novel at this time; whereas Summer of the Vigilantes and Renaissance Killer are both safely copyrighted and installed in the Library of Congress, my current work-in-progress isn't, and if I mention so much as one word about it on the Internet, it's liable to get ripped off.

Renaissance Killer is currently represented by the Aaland Agency in California. I'm still shopping for other agents, though.

***Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds*** · 12-17-2009, 01:45 AM

You've got a couple of good reviews on Amazon. Remember not to take to heart any negative reviews; lots of people end up forgetting that not everything is written for them to enjoy, but rather, other people have different tastes. XD I hope you get a foot in the door and get a larger publishing house behind you for some promotion. If you want to try and promote yourself, I recommend getting your books into libraries and local bookstores, then do little meet-and-greet events in those places. "Renaissance Killer"'s full title is pretty awesome. *thumbsup*

Metal Mario · 12-17-2009, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds

You've got a couple of good reviews on Amazon.

Thanks for pointing that out to me. I didn't even realize I had any reviews posted. It was great fun reading them. The positive one really psyched me up. And I'm not bothered by the negative one, because it doesn't sound to me as if that particular reviewer truly understood what I was getting at anyway.

Metal Man · 12-17-2009, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Mario

Perhaps, but mine would be:

A.) More serious, and less like a Smash Bros. game

B.) Wouldn't place Toad Town on the Hyrulian border

SSQ^2 actually does those two things, although your idea would also actually be a stand-alone fanfic rather than A. A website about SSB grudge matches or B. a roleplay which becomes increasingly further away from SSB.

But yeah, I'd be interested to see what you wrote.

Metal Mario · 12-17-2009, 10:19 PM

This is what I've written so far of "The League of Extraordinary Nintendo Franchise Characters" (or whatever). Keep in mind that it's far from my best work, as I haven't as yet been taking it fully seriously (my publishable work comes first, naturally). It's rough draft material at best, but it's good for a bit of fun.

Prologue

Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Edward Roivas, clinical psychologist:

Flesh. Bone. Bound together with the oddest magickal incantation. Such is the dread book passed down throughout human history by an unlucky few and known as the Tome of Eternal Darkness. Filled with the accounts of the poor, wretched souls doomed to tread in the way of the Ancient Ones – monstrous deities that project their unbridled malevolence and hatred upon our species from their prison beyond the veil of our reality.

For two millenia, all that lives has been teetering upon the brink of extinction. It has taken that number of long years and then some, but now the time of Chattur'gha – the most violent and destructive of these Ancients older than time itself – draws near. Aided by his servant in this world – a liche known in life as Pious Augustus of the Roman legions – the evil incarnate that is Chattur'gha has sought since Before Christ to leave the desolate limbo he now inhabits and gorge himself upon the vibrant life prevalent in our known universe.

He is about to succeed.

I do not have much time. The liche knows of my whereabouts, and by the time you read these words, he will most likely have done away with me. The Tome of Eternal Darkness bestows great powers upon those who can read and understand it. I have spent much of my life deciphering its secrets and have rendered this journal a formidable 'companion' for those who would attempt interpretation. For the sake of all Creation, I hope both the Tome and the journal find their way into the hands of those who would be our saviors. I hope the power inherent in the Tome will be wielded by one more fortunate than those who have striven against Augustus and his demon master before, and failed. I hope my erratic accounts of my life's own bizarre and horrifying experiences with the Tome will prove sufficient to educate that courageous soul who would take this immense burden up onto his or her shoulders.

I hope that it is not too late.

Chapter I

Positioned perfectly at the nexus of worlds comprising the sprawling galaxy identified by the letter 'N', a shining blue sapphire twinkled like a star amidst the floating asteroids, flaring suns, and pin-pricks of light that characterized the boundless celestial sea. That is how it appeared to the innumerable species inhabiting the many worlds spread across the cosmos, anyway; like an alien, unattainable gem gleaming down from the heavens. If an observer were to give the distant object more thorough investigation, however, then its true form as a traveling Comet Observatory – populated and manned by a race of small, star-like creatures called the Luma – would be simply revealed.

The size of a royal palace, grandiose in its décor and unnecessarily large in its scope, the Comet Observatory had spent untold centuries drifting across the highways and byways of oblivion, watching over Galaxy N's plethora of life-sustaining worlds from the cold detachment of outer space. In this role, the Observatory had long served as the meeting place for the Council of Five; a constant, yet ever-changing quintet of powerful, influential, benevolent beings whose job it was to guard Galaxy N from evils and disasters on an interplanetary scale.

The woman called Rosalina was the Queen of the Luma, the originator of the Comet Observatory, and the longest-standing member of the Council of Five in its current form. Garbed in a pale blue dress, with a silver crown placed atop her platinum blond tresses, she had seen things and been places that her fellow Council members could scarcely imagine, and her vastly greater experience was often deferred to in matters of contention.

Palutena, goddess of light and ruler of Angel Land, had been a member of the Council nearly as long as Rosalina had. Tall, beautiful, and radiant, her timeless wisdom, infinite compassion, and uncompromising virtue had proven invaluable time and again to the Council's modus operandi.

Princess Zelda of Hyrule, at just five years on the Council, was the relative newcomer. As unusual as it had always been for terrestrial monarchs to be invited to join the Council of Five, Zelda's superior intelligence, indomitable soul, and mastery of magic had convinced her new peers to extend her their hand.

Closing in on his fifteenth year on the Council was General Pepper, a decorated war hero who also happened to be a dog. Resplendent in his bright scarlet uniform, he was the long-time commander-in-chief of the formidable and widely respected Cornerian Defense Forces that kept order throughout the entire Lylat System.

The fifth member of the Council, going on twenty years now, was an elderly gorilla who dangled a long, white beard from his pointed chin and squinted out at the world through pince-nez glasses from his position hunched over a pair of walking sticks. He was not as powerful as Palutena or Zelda, nor as well-traveled as Rosalina, nor as influential as General Pepper, yet he was more in sync with the universe than any of them. Possessed of a rare and special understanding that transcended his frail mortality and belied his comic appearance, the senior ape was privy to secrets and nuances of nature undreamt of by other beings. Unfortunately, though this endowed him with a certain wisdom beyond that of any of his peers, it also made him come off as rather eccentric whenever he tried to talk to other people about things meant for his comprehension alone. The nonplussed looks and disdainful dismissals he often received in return made him angry and bitter, and for this he had been given the name Cranky Kong.

“So, where is she?” Cranky groused, with characteristic impatience. “She was expected nearly fifteen minutes ago! Young people these days have no regard for time! They have no sense of punctuality! They're selfish, and inconsiderate, and if they keep people waiting, who cares?”

“Calm yourself, Cranky,” said Rosalina, presiding over the meeting of the Council in the artificial garden on the Comet Observatory's main level. “She will be here in good time.”

“We don't exactly have until the end of the world, y'know,” the grouchy ape continued. “This is serious business.”

“She'll get here when she gets here, you old goat,” said General Pepper.

“Indeed I spy her gunship in our orbit,” Palutena directed her blue, glowing trident at the small, orange-and-gold object coming in from above. “She approaches the landing pad. Methinks we should grant her permission to land.”

Rosalina tipped a nod to a Luma hovering nearby, directing the creature to contact the gunship via radio signal. Once the gunship had received the signal, it did not tarry. Its thrusters firing, it flew the rest of the way down to the Observatory, lowered its landing gear, and deposited itself upon the pad. Seconds later, the belly of the ship opened up to reveal an elevator, and the elevator conveyed the person of Samus Aran out of the ship and onto the ground.

“So, what's this I hear about you wanting me for a job?” she asked the assembled Council members.

A bounty hunter and mercenary by trade, Samus Aran was the best such professional in all the known galaxy, and surely this was thanks to the unhappy nature of her origins, for she had been orphaned as an infant by vicious Space Pirates, and had been subsequently adopted and raised by the legendary bird-people known as the Chozo. Trained as a warrior by the Chozo, and infused with Chozo DNA, Samus had become complete when she had been given the ultimate Chozo gift of her nigh-indestructible Power Suit which armored her from head to toe and provided her with all the laser beams, missiles, concussive explosives, and other numerous weapons of mass destruction she needed to combat evil and defend the innocent from one end of Galaxy N to the other.

“Well, it's about time you showed up,” Cranky grunted.

“Nice to see you relaxing for a change, Cranky,” said Samus, removing her helmet to reveal an unlikely amount of thick blond hair.
“Hmph,” snorted Cranky.

“Welcome, Samus,” Paluteena greeted the Council's guest. “Tis a fine thing to see you.”

“And we're happy we could catch you at a convenient time,” said Zelda. “We know you do a lot of work for the Galactic Federation, after all.”

“I no longer accept assignments from the Galactic Federation,” Samus shook her head. “Not since they attempted to trick me into helping them collect X Parasites for biological warfare. I've severed all ties with that corrupt bureaucracy.”

“Ah, yes,” said General Pepper. “Nasty business, that sort of thing. And damned unsporting. If you can't wage a winning war with good old-fashioned nuclear firepower, you'd best re-examine your options. That's what I say.”

“May we offer you any sort of refreshment?” Rosalina asked Samus.

“Let's just get down to it,” said Samus, fixing her helmet securely back over her head. “What do you need me to do?”

“The objective is too great for you to accomplish alone,” said Zelda.

“I doubt that,” Samus replied.

“Well, don't doubt it, missy!” Cranky piped up. “We know your standard operating procedure when exploring an alien world is to kill everything on the planet, then blow up the planet on your way out, but this is a menace you can't just shoot in the head and be done with! You're gonna have to use what little brains you have for a change, and you're gonna have to work with the teammates we give you!”

“Teammates?” Samus cocked an eyebrow behind her opaque green visor. “I'm beginning to not like the sound of this.”

“Please, Samus, don't be put off by Cranky's irascible rudeness,” Rosalina implored. “Though we must retain certain secrets for the time being, I assure you that this affair concerns the fate of the entire universe.”

“Well, you I trust,” Samus conceded. “All right, I'll go along for now. But the minute I smell something I don't like...”

“The first part of your assignment will be to locate these four individuals, and bring them back here,” said Pepper, handing Samus a sheet of paper upon which was written four names; four names that Samus knew well.

“By force?” she asked.

“We don't think that will be necessary,” said Rosalina. “Just be sure to impress on them that the well-being of all known worlds may depend upon their cooperation and open-mindedness. Being of the heroic nature that they all are, we are sure they will come willingly.”

“Well, if nothing else, this should certainly be interesting,” said Samus. “Now, if that's all, I'll be on my way.”

“I hate having to rely on these young people, with their slapdash work ethics and their over-reliance on frivolous power-ups,” Cranky grumbled, as the Council of Five watched Samus return to her gunship. “1983 was the last good year, I tell you. This would be much simpler if we just had a Gameshark. Then we could give the whole galaxy unlimited invincibility, and take away Augustus' Special Attacks to boot.”

“Cranky, what are you going on about?” Zelda, exasperated, asked the old ape. “When you go off on one of these tangents of yours, nothing you say makes one lick of sense. Words like 'joystick' and 'framerate' and 'press start to continue' come tumbling out of your mouth, and I swear I don't know what to make of a single syllable.”

“Bah,” said Cranky. “It's not my fault you can't see past the fourth wall.”

“The Comet Observatory doesn't have any exterior walls,” Rosalina pointed out.

“Oh, never mind, never mind!” Cranky growled, banging both walking sticks against the floor as he stormed off.

**Galefore** · 12-20-2009, 06:18 PM

I would join in on this if only my writing had not gone towards lyrics/poetry, which I still write and post here occasionally in a separate topic... However, I think I may post some pieces here and there in this topic for you guys to evaluate if I feel like I could use some advice on where to go with a particular bit. It was because of VGF's criticism that I rewrote many of my old works, so I'll be sure to continue posting my stuff here for you guys to help out with, since you're all very intelligent types who know just what to say to get me inspired.

Luigiman7 · 12-20-2009, 08:04 PM

This is the first bit of... something i'm working on. It's from two different people and their points of view, both first person. This is just one right now.

--------------------------

I stared at the computer screen. The blue from it shone across my face and spread out against the wall, illuminating my otherwise dark room. The light was off and I stared at the Who's Online screen, watching it automatically refresh every once in a while. When it did, it made that audible click noise that always caught my attention. You could see the anticipation in my eyes as my attention turned to it. Today, I was let down again and again, as he had still not come online yet...I sighed and leaned back in my chair. The button on my jean jacket clinked against my computer chair. The darkness made me strain my eyes. It's not a good thing, but I don't really care. I picked up another pizza roll from the plate set in front of me and plopped it into my mouth. My eyes began to lower from exhaustion a bit, since it was late into the night. Then, another click from the computer. I sat up attentively and was greeted by his username.

DarkZero.

Of course, now it was Dark Miser. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was online the same time as me. My pulse increased and I felt my flesh become hot as the blood moved through my veins. My hand moved the little white mouse to the Private Messages and I quickly started composing one to DZ. It was short, yet to the point so that he could reply quickly. And oh, how I awaited that reply...

***Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds*** · 12-21-2009, 02:13 AM

Last night, it took me several hours of sitting and staring at the computer to get myself rolling, but in the end, I got through 1000 or so words. That's pretty decent work for something I wasn't in the right frame of mind for until hours later. XD

1-up Salesman · 12-21-2009, 01:49 PM

^^^ Metal Mario, that's awesome. I can't wait for more.

Vapor · 07-14-2010, 10:48 PM

Recently I've got into some poetryin', and a friend and I have been working on a story in tandem recently. a totally unserious story. However, all of my stuff is either handwritten or made on a typewriter, so the internet will have to wait for me. But some stuff could be up eventually.

12-16-2009, 07:45 AM	#1
*Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds* Admin "mine.. not yours. NO. MINE." Epic Ladynerd Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Forteresse de Valois Gender: Posts: 28,503 Thanks: 1,658 Thanked 1,820 Times in 1,042 Posts	Writer's Group, assemble. I guess to start with, we can host general writing talks in here, gripe about our own works, motivation (or lack thereof), etc. Should any incredible specific discussions pop up, I'm willing to split the thread so they don't get lost under a pile, or take over the whole topic. If you want to post something you've written (for feedback, advice, critique, or just general encouragement), I recommend making your own thread, then providing a link here. I'll update this post to include all active peice threads, so those of us who are also trying to participate can come along and share our encouragement and give advice as best we can. Feel free to subject us to any writing: fiction, non-fiction, short story, poetry, fanfiction. Provide links to interesting writer's resources, the latest news in the publishing industry (I'm probably one of the only current members who's paying much attention to that, though XD), people who have great general advice (like writer-centric blogs). Offer a little bio of your writing; when you started, what genres you specialise in, what you read, where you get your inspiration, who your writing heroes are, how many books you're writing, how many manuscripts you've finished (by finished, I mean anything from a full first-draft to an actual polished story). We should strive to be: Honest Considerate Respectful Constructive Receptive Creative Open-minded We all have our favourite genres, we all started by writing something we probably burnt afterwards (a sacrifice to the writing gods, naturally), and we all can improve in one way or another. Welcome to the (hopefully long-lived) VGF Writer's Group. Grab your choice of beverage and settle in.

12-16-2009, 06:35 PM	#5
Jere Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sutme Gender: Posts: 3,648 Thanks: 404 Thanked 331 Times in 256 Posts Blog Entries: 3	Old August I managed to get it done tonight, not bad for not have written a story in about a year. Something Mr August always loved to do was go angling as soon as the ice that layed on the lake was strong enough to hold, he had the tradition of taking out his old hunting backpack, his kick sledd, a good thermos of coffie and just sit and angling the whole day, if it didn't get to cold. This day was just that day and Mr August started to walk out on the ice navigated carefully out to his favourite spot in a little bay, here he was sure to get himself a big one he said to himself as he started to make a hole in the ice. When he then had angled the hook and threw it into the hole he let the hook sink to the bottom, rolled it up around 20 centimetres and sat and waited. As time started to pass he sat and thought for himself, of all the changes that had happened here in the last fifty years, all the people that had moved out and how empty the mountain village had started to feel after a while, sure on those last 40 a hotel was built, to bad people had failed to show up until about five years ago. He also remembered the time when they had electricity in the house and how amusing it was to see that little funny lamp go on and of by the push on a button. He felt a nibble on the hook with a quick and steady hand he did a fast movement with his hand and his first Brown trout for today was hooked and up on the ice. A big one it was and he thought that one more and he and his wife would have a grand dinner tonight, so he angled the hook and threw it down once again. His eyes now fell on the other side of the lake, and the little inlet that was there, it was only 8 meters wide but if you tried to went by it at the wrong place it could be about 2 meters deep. “But that is the way to keep telling the Tourists from the Locals” August thought for himself and remembered a little accident last summer involving a very rude but rich man that assured them that his way was the right way, they had all laughed at it when the man took two steps and disappeared under the surface. His eyes then felt on the big mountains and the forest that was growing beneath it, the countless times he had managed to catch a snow chicken, and went out hunting and managed to shoot a moose or that time he managed to shoot a bear. “And about bears didn't someone manage to get chased by one of those some years ago” August thought and felt something on the hook, but It managed to get away with the bait. Angled up again and started his philosophising again, how lucky he was to live up here where he could go out and catch his own food, cut down his own wood and have it to warm up his house, the wild celebrations that would take place when all of his children, siblings, cousins, aunts at family reunions, it hadn't to be a reunion any time to celebrate was often a wild get to getter and on rare occations the whole liquor store would be out of anything that was above 2.5% alcohol, but that only occurred on wild weddings and such. Another nibble another fast pull, but the fish was determined to not get hooked, August mumbled a few curses and angled the hook, threw the hook into the hole and proceeded his usual ritual. Started to feel a little cold and decided that coffee would not taste to bad right now, poured himself a cup and started to drink the warm drink. He now started thinking of the decreasing numbers of children in the school, it was only five miles away and a vital point in the continued well being for the close area, about seven years ago they where 45 if he remembered right, now they where 12, a sad fact that only got worse when you knew that they where down to 8 next year. Grade 7 to 9 was 12 miles away and wish lead to many had to live away on the weeks and some parents even moved there to be more of a help for their children. “A shame but I think it can have a good influence on most young people” August thought and took another sip of coffee. “But then it's not that bad, thanks to the tourists we now have couples working that actually move here instead of moving away, and to one point to another I wonder how Bo is having is these days” August thought and put down his cup and concentrated more on the feeling in his fishing rod. People got to know each other pretty tight in these areas it was far between the houses but to the people it was not far, August and Bo hadn't contacted eachothers in about two years, but August was sure that if he called It would sound as if they had spoken only yesterday. Now August felt something on the hook again and now he finally got it on the hook, reeled it up and another big brown trout was up and ready. It had started to blow and he saw that some heavy clouds was coming towards him so he decided that it might as well be time to go home. On his way back he though for himself that, despite people moving away and it might be a bit isolated we have great untouched nature, close to friends if you only wanted, 20 miles go fast if you look forward for it, People growing up to be independent and capable of taking care of themselves and others, sure we had to spend a day to go to the doctor, but then you planned so you could get some stuff or pick something up for someone instead of spending gas and money on doing nothing but travel. And many people that moved away now came back to look after the tourist and manage their own small business, living up the surroundings a little with some young enthusiasm and whenever he talked to any of them August felt ten years younger. He now was in the hallway and his wife called from the living room. “August, You're Home” “Yeah” August Answered. “I'm Home”.

12-16-2009, 10:26 PM	#7
Mushi Derp Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Looking at you. I can read your mind. Gender: Posts: 6,982 Thanks: 179 Thanked 351 Times in 271 Posts	^ Also, wrote a short narrative essay for my English Final... may or may not get it back, as my teacher is hell-bent on submitting it to EVERYTHING. And I has not a saved copy on my computer. D: __________________

12-17-2009, 10:19 PM	#15
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	This is what I've written so far of "The League of Extraordinary Nintendo Franchise Characters" (or whatever). Keep in mind that it's far from my best work, as I haven't as yet been taking it fully seriously (my publishable work comes first, naturally). It's rough draft material at best, but it's good for a bit of fun. Prologue Excerpt from the journal of Dr. Edward Roivas, clinical psychologist: Flesh. Bone. Bound together with the oddest magickal incantation. Such is the dread book passed down throughout human history by an unlucky few and known as the Tome of Eternal Darkness. Filled with the accounts of the poor, wretched souls doomed to tread in the way of the Ancient Ones – monstrous deities that project their unbridled malevolence and hatred upon our species from their prison beyond the veil of our reality. For two millenia, all that lives has been teetering upon the brink of extinction. It has taken that number of long years and then some, but now the time of Chattur'gha – the most violent and destructive of these Ancients older than time itself – draws near. Aided by his servant in this world – a liche known in life as Pious Augustus of the Roman legions – the evil incarnate that is Chattur'gha has sought since Before Christ to leave the desolate limbo he now inhabits and gorge himself upon the vibrant life prevalent in our known universe. He is about to succeed. I do not have much time. The liche knows of my whereabouts, and by the time you read these words, he will most likely have done away with me. The Tome of Eternal Darkness bestows great powers upon those who can read and understand it. I have spent much of my life deciphering its secrets and have rendered this journal a formidable 'companion' for those who would attempt interpretation. For the sake of all Creation, I hope both the Tome and the journal find their way into the hands of those who would be our saviors. I hope the power inherent in the Tome will be wielded by one more fortunate than those who have striven against Augustus and his demon master before, and failed. I hope my erratic accounts of my life's own bizarre and horrifying experiences with the Tome will prove sufficient to educate that courageous soul who would take this immense burden up onto his or her shoulders. I hope that it is not too late. Chapter I Positioned perfectly at the nexus of worlds comprising the sprawling galaxy identified by the letter 'N', a shining blue sapphire twinkled like a star amidst the floating asteroids, flaring suns, and pin-pricks of light that characterized the boundless celestial sea. That is how it appeared to the innumerable species inhabiting the many worlds spread across the cosmos, anyway; like an alien, unattainable gem gleaming down from the heavens. If an observer were to give the distant object more thorough investigation, however, then its true form as a traveling Comet Observatory – populated and manned by a race of small, star-like creatures called the Luma – would be simply revealed. The size of a royal palace, grandiose in its décor and unnecessarily large in its scope, the Comet Observatory had spent untold centuries drifting across the highways and byways of oblivion, watching over Galaxy N's plethora of life-sustaining worlds from the cold detachment of outer space. In this role, the Observatory had long served as the meeting place for the Council of Five; a constant, yet ever-changing quintet of powerful, influential, benevolent beings whose job it was to guard Galaxy N from evils and disasters on an interplanetary scale. The woman called Rosalina was the Queen of the Luma, the originator of the Comet Observatory, and the longest-standing member of the Council of Five in its current form. Garbed in a pale blue dress, with a silver crown placed atop her platinum blond tresses, she had seen things and been places that her fellow Council members could scarcely imagine, and her vastly greater experience was often deferred to in matters of contention. Palutena, goddess of light and ruler of Angel Land, had been a member of the Council nearly as long as Rosalina had. Tall, beautiful, and radiant, her timeless wisdom, infinite compassion, and uncompromising virtue had proven invaluable time and again to the Council's modus operandi. Princess Zelda of Hyrule, at just five years on the Council, was the relative newcomer. As unusual as it had always been for terrestrial monarchs to be invited to join the Council of Five, Zelda's superior intelligence, indomitable soul, and mastery of magic had convinced her new peers to extend her their hand. Closing in on his fifteenth year on the Council was General Pepper, a decorated war hero who also happened to be a dog. Resplendent in his bright scarlet uniform, he was the long-time commander-in-chief of the formidable and widely respected Cornerian Defense Forces that kept order throughout the entire Lylat System. The fifth member of the Council, going on twenty years now, was an elderly gorilla who dangled a long, white beard from his pointed chin and squinted out at the world through pince-nez glasses from his position hunched over a pair of walking sticks. He was not as powerful as Palutena or Zelda, nor as well-traveled as Rosalina, nor as influential as General Pepper, yet he was more in sync with the universe than any of them. Possessed of a rare and special understanding that transcended his frail mortality and belied his comic appearance, the senior ape was privy to secrets and nuances of nature undreamt of by other beings. Unfortunately, though this endowed him with a certain wisdom beyond that of any of his peers, it also made him come off as rather eccentric whenever he tried to talk to other people about things meant for his comprehension alone. The nonplussed looks and disdainful dismissals he often received in return made him angry and bitter, and for this he had been given the name Cranky Kong. “So, where is she?” Cranky groused, with characteristic impatience. “She was expected nearly fifteen minutes ago! Young people these days have no regard for time! They have no sense of punctuality! They're selfish, and inconsiderate, and if they keep people waiting, who cares?” “Calm yourself, Cranky,” said Rosalina, presiding over the meeting of the Council in the artificial garden on the Comet Observatory's main level. “She will be here in good time.” “We don't exactly have until the end of the world, y'know,” the grouchy ape continued. “This is serious business.” “She'll get here when she gets here, you old goat,” said General Pepper. “Indeed I spy her gunship in our orbit,” Palutena directed her blue, glowing trident at the small, orange-and-gold object coming in from above. “She approaches the landing pad. Methinks we should grant her permission to land.” Rosalina tipped a nod to a Luma hovering nearby, directing the creature to contact the gunship via radio signal. Once the gunship had received the signal, it did not tarry. Its thrusters firing, it flew the rest of the way down to the Observatory, lowered its landing gear, and deposited itself upon the pad. Seconds later, the belly of the ship opened up to reveal an elevator, and the elevator conveyed the person of Samus Aran out of the ship and onto the ground. “So, what's this I hear about you wanting me for a job?” she asked the assembled Council members. A bounty hunter and mercenary by trade, Samus Aran was the best such professional in all the known galaxy, and surely this was thanks to the unhappy nature of her origins, for she had been orphaned as an infant by vicious Space Pirates, and had been subsequently adopted and raised by the legendary bird-people known as the Chozo. Trained as a warrior by the Chozo, and infused with Chozo DNA, Samus had become complete when she had been given the ultimate Chozo gift of her nigh-indestructible Power Suit which armored her from head to toe and provided her with all the laser beams, missiles, concussive explosives, and other numerous weapons of mass destruction she needed to combat evil and defend the innocent from one end of Galaxy N to the other. “Well, it's about time you showed up,” Cranky grunted. “Nice to see you relaxing for a change, Cranky,” said Samus, removing her helmet to reveal an unlikely amount of thick blond hair. “Hmph,” snorted Cranky. “Welcome, Samus,” Paluteena greeted the Council's guest. “Tis a fine thing to see you.” “And we're happy we could catch you at a convenient time,” said Zelda. “We know you do a lot of work for the Galactic Federation, after all.” “I no longer accept assignments from the Galactic Federation,” Samus shook her head. “Not since they attempted to trick me into helping them collect X Parasites for biological warfare. I've severed all ties with that corrupt bureaucracy.” “Ah, yes,” said General Pepper. “Nasty business, that sort of thing. And damned unsporting. If you can't wage a winning war with good old-fashioned nuclear firepower, you'd best re-examine your options. That's what I say.” “May we offer you any sort of refreshment?” Rosalina asked Samus. “Let's just get down to it,” said Samus, fixing her helmet securely back over her head. “What do you need me to do?” “The objective is too great for you to accomplish alone,” said Zelda. “I doubt that,” Samus replied. “Well, don't doubt it, missy!” Cranky piped up. “We know your standard operating procedure when exploring an alien world is to kill everything on the planet, then blow up the planet on your way out, but this is a menace you can't just shoot in the head and be done with! You're gonna have to use what little brains you have for a change, and you're gonna have to work with the teammates we give you!” “Teammates?” Samus cocked an eyebrow behind her opaque green visor. “I'm beginning to not like the sound of this.” “Please, Samus, don't be put off by Cranky's irascible rudeness,” Rosalina implored. “Though we must retain certain secrets for the time being, I assure you that this affair concerns the fate of the entire universe.” “Well, you I trust,” Samus conceded. “All right, I'll go along for now. But the minute I smell something I don't like...” “The first part of your assignment will be to locate these four individuals, and bring them back here,” said Pepper, handing Samus a sheet of paper upon which was written four names; four names that Samus knew well. “By force?” she asked. “We don't think that will be necessary,” said Rosalina. “Just be sure to impress on them that the well-being of all known worlds may depend upon their cooperation and open-mindedness. Being of the heroic nature that they all are, we are sure they will come willingly.” “Well, if nothing else, this should certainly be interesting,” said Samus. “Now, if that's all, I'll be on my way.” “I hate having to rely on these young people, with their slapdash work ethics and their over-reliance on frivolous power-ups,” Cranky grumbled, as the Council of Five watched Samus return to her gunship. “1983 was the last good year, I tell you. This would be much simpler if we just had a Gameshark. Then we could give the whole galaxy unlimited invincibility, and take away Augustus' Special Attacks to boot.” “Cranky, what are you going on about?” Zelda, exasperated, asked the old ape. “When you go off on one of these tangents of yours, nothing you say makes one lick of sense. Words like 'joystick' and 'framerate' and 'press start to continue' come tumbling out of your mouth, and I swear I don't know what to make of a single syllable.” “Bah,” said Cranky. “It's not my fault you can't see past the fourth wall.” “The Comet Observatory doesn't have any exterior walls,” Rosalina pointed out. “Oh, never mind, never mind!” Cranky growled, banging both walking sticks against the floor as he stormed off. Last edited by Metal Mario; 12-17-2009 at 10:25 PM.

12-20-2009, 08:04 PM	#17
Luigiman7 ヽ(◔ ◡ ◔)ノ.･ﾟ*｡･+☆ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: ~)´◡｀(~ Gender: Posts: 17,605 Thanks: 1,134 Thanked 1,012 Times in 713 Posts Blog Entries: 8	This is the first bit of... something i'm working on. It's from two different people and their points of view, both first person. This is just one right now. -------------------------- I stared at the computer screen. The blue from it shone across my face and spread out against the wall, illuminating my otherwise dark room. The light was off and I stared at the Who's Online screen, watching it automatically refresh every once in a while. When it did, it made that audible click noise that always caught my attention. You could see the anticipation in my eyes as my attention turned to it. Today, I was let down again and again, as he had still not come online yet...I sighed and leaned back in my chair. The button on my jean jacket clinked against my computer chair. The darkness made me strain my eyes. It's not a good thing, but I don't really care. I picked up another pizza roll from the plate set in front of me and plopped it into my mouth. My eyes began to lower from exhaustion a bit, since it was late into the night. Then, another click from the computer. I sat up attentively and was greeted by his username. DarkZero. Of course, now it was Dark Miser. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was online the same time as me. My pulse increased and I felt my flesh become hot as the blood moved through my veins. My hand moved the little white mouse to the Private Messages and I quickly started composing one to DZ. It was short, yet to the point so that he could reply quickly. And oh, how I awaited that reply... __________________ ／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼ＷＯＮ’Ｔ　ＹＯＵ　ＢＥＣＯＭＥ　Ａ　ＭＡＧＩＣＡＬ　ＧＩＲＬ？

12-16-2009, 09:30 AM	#2
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	The coffee ran out already. D:

12-16-2009, 02:40 PM	#3
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Hmmmmmmm. If only I'd written anything recently. D:

12-16-2009, 05:06 PM	#4
Jere Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sutme Gender: Posts: 3,648 Thanks: 404 Thanked 331 Times in 256 Posts Blog Entries: 3	I think i shall try some characters that i have "in stock" so to say. Story up tonight or Tomorrow

12-16-2009, 07:12 PM	#6
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	I'm a novelist by career. I've finished two, and they're ready to be published, if I can ever find a damn publisher. I've got an agent representing me on one of my books, at least, so that's something. Working on my third novel now. It's huge. In my spare time, just for a bit of fun, I'm kicking around a cool fan fiction that's sort of like a "Nintendo Justice League", if you will. The group consists of Mario, Luigi, Link, Samus, Kirby, and Fox McCloud, and they protect the Nintendo universe (that is, any worlds or franchises that happen to be the property of Nintendo, ranging from the Mushroom Kingdom to the world of the Golden Sun games) from evil too powerful to be defeated by any one of them alone. They're gathered together by a High Council of five "wise men" whose job it is to guard the universe. This group consists of Princess Zelda, the goddess Palutena from Kid Icarus, Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, General Pepper from the Starfox games, and Cranky Kong. They recruit Samus to be the leader of the group [as she's a.) the only woman and b.) the one most familiar with military command], and they send her out to gather up the other heroes. Sounds ***ing awesome, right? If I like it, I might turn it into a series of continuing adventures. The threat in this first story, appropriately enough, is Pious Augustus from Eternal Darkness*, planning to bring Chatturg'ha into the Nintendo universe to devour it. This looks like a job for.............................whatever I decide to name the team, I guess.

12-17-2009, 12:25 AM	#9
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	Perhaps, but mine would be: A.) More serious, and less like a Smash Bros. game B.) Wouldn't place Toad Town on the Hyrulian border

12-17-2009, 01:45 AM	#12
*Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds* Admin "mine.. not yours. NO. MINE." Epic Ladynerd Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Forteresse de Valois Gender: Posts: 28,503 Thanks: 1,658 Thanked 1,820 Times in 1,042 Posts	You've got a couple of good reviews on Amazon. Remember not to take to heart any negative reviews; lots of people end up forgetting that not everything is written for them to enjoy, but rather, other people have different tastes. XD I hope you get a foot in the door and get a larger publishing house behind you for some promotion. If you want to try and promote yourself, I recommend getting your books into libraries and local bookstores, then do little meet-and-greet events in those places. "Renaissance Killer"'s full title is pretty awesome. thumbsup

12-20-2009, 06:18 PM	#16
Galefore EXPLOSION GOD OF MUSIC Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Some studio somewhere Gender: Posts: 8,275 Thanks: 1,361 Thanked 826 Times in 535 Posts Blog Entries: 5	I would join in on this if only my writing had not gone towards lyrics/poetry, which I still write and post here occasionally in a separate topic... However, I think I may post some pieces here and there in this topic for you guys to evaluate if I feel like I could use some advice on where to go with a particular bit. It was because of VGF's criticism that I rewrote many of my old works, so I'll be sure to continue posting my stuff here for you guys to help out with, since you're all very intelligent types who know just what to say to get me inspired.

12-21-2009, 02:13 AM	#18
*Saria Dragon of the Rain Wilds* Admin "mine.. not yours. NO. MINE." Epic Ladynerd Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Forteresse de Valois Gender: Posts: 28,503 Thanks: 1,658 Thanked 1,820 Times in 1,042 Posts	Last night, it took me several hours of sitting and staring at the computer to get myself rolling, but in the end, I got through 1000 or so words. That's pretty decent work for something I wasn't in the right frame of mind for until hours later. XD

12-21-2009, 01:49 PM	#19
1-up Salesman Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Letting you guys know that I'm planning on continuing Attack of the Spammers soon. Gender: Posts: 4,095 Thanks: 2,162 Thanked 250 Times in 194 Posts Blog Entries: 9	^^^ Metal Mario, that's awesome. I can't wait for more.

07-14-2010, 10:48 PM	#20
Vapor Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: WHERE IT'S AT Gender: Posts: 5,211 Thanks: 314 Thanked 413 Times in 249 Posts	Recently I've got into some poetryin', and a friend and I have been working on a story in tandem recently. a totally unserious story. However, all of my stuff is either handwritten or made on a typewriter, so the internet will have to wait for me. But some stuff could be up eventually.