~Shipping Authors' Café~

[Encyclopika]

So yes, does anyone have a cure for this laziness? =P

Sometimes, when I'm being lazy in that way...or having that kind of writer's block, I read manga (since I'm very visual in other art places) or read just a section of a favorite book. I don't know if this happens to a lot of people, but I'm like a Ditto with writing - if I read a book before writing my own, I take on the other author's voice and sense for vocabulary. (I know this, because my voice so obviously changes in Contest Tie with the books I was reading during its lifetime). That's why I look at some of Nathaniel Hawthorne (sp?). His stories aren't my cup of tea, but I like his sense for vocabulary and metaphors. :P And thus, I use them in my own writing after looking at his stuff.
Sometimes I just start writing it if I know what it's going to be and then read it over some other day and change it to sound more professional...and I love using thesaurus here too. XD
Those are my strategies; hopefully it'll help. Does anyone else look at particular author of inspiration? XD

And OOC Paul is exactly what makes me shy away from Ikarishipping. It isn't that I see Paul as Mel-Girl described here, but as overly sappy and loving and blahh. I just want to know in what dimension would Paul be all lovey-dovey over Dawn. But I like dark, kinda angsty Ikarishipping, but that's just my personal preference.

Truthfully, I think Paul is one of the hardest characters to put in shipping fic because he is so nonchalant about people or is rude. I tried my hand at Ikarishipping twice - once as part of callaboration of works for the winter holidays, and then as its own fic which I had to discontinue because it was just so hard to make Paul IC, I had to stop.
Paul isn't the only "rude" rival that gets that treatment - Drew fell into the same OOCness. D: It was either he was too snobby, made into a complete villan for anti-Contestshipping ships, or, like Paul, was lovey dovey. I write his character in almost everything I write and for a fact I know that Drew is not that way - he is an encouraging rival with the tendency to tease MAY, but the nuance of shippyness in him is obvious.

[Mel-Girl]

OMG I just remembered the point about laziness. Like srsly. Help?

I get the problem of knowing what I want to write but I'm just too lazy to do so. While other people may say, "It's okay, you can take your time", it isn't exactly always what we wanna hear, right? Especially when you're brewing with ideas for a fic and you want to write it so bad and then the moment you begin writing, you're like... "...I can't be bothered." But you still wanna write. It's a difficult dilemma that I and many others run into.

And yet you can't force yourself to rush it otherwise you won't be writing at your best. What I do to get my creaitivity and inspiration for writing running is read lotsa fics, listen to the right music, do whatever until my mind snaps into the "I wanna write, I'm gonna write!" mood. And when you hit that high, that is when you should write. You gotta do things that would get your mind flowing, ya see? It doesn't always work in an instant though... XD;

I also have the problem of writing like crazy and then I get distracted from it, whether it be, "Wow, suddenly I'm hungry!" or "OMG! so and so's online!" or "WTF play solitaire" Okay, I'm a sad little Solitaire addict, so whatever. Even if I put the distractions away, they always come back. So uh, I know how to get myself back into writing, but how do I remain focused on writing?

I'd like to know what you guys thinks about this.

And OOC Paul is exactly what makes me shy away from Ikarishipping. It isn't that I see Paul as Mel-Girl described here, but as overly sappy and loving and blahh. I just want to know in what dimension would Paul be all lovey-dovey over Dawn. But I like dark, kinda angsty Ikarishipping, but that's just my personal preference.

Hn, ah yes, I should've put more emphasis on the lovey-dovey OOC Shinji. Though I did mention at the bottom of my paragraph for him that he's either too angsty/cold-hearted or too interested in love. :O

Hmmm, dark angsty Ikarishipping. I'm writing something that's gonna be like that. /blatantadvertising *shot*

Paul isn't the only "rude" rival that gets that treatment - Drew fell into the same OOCness. D: It was either he was too snobby, made into a complete villan for anti-Contestshipping ships, or, like Paul, was lovey dovey. I write his character in almost everything I write and for a fact I know that Drew is not that way - he is an encouraging rival with the tendency to tease MAY, but the nuance of shippyness in him is obvious.

There's so many Contestshipping fics out there where Drew is blatantly OOC. I tend to avoid Contestshipping because it's too popular, tbh. I don't want to write an overdone pairing and an overdone plotline. Maybe that's why I did a multishipping Hikari fic as Hikari's only popular ship is Ikari but Ikari fics on their own never seem to do as well as PokeContestIkari fics, mostly because people are there more for the Pokeshipping and the Contest than for the Ikari. Ikarishipping has just become some sorted of added on bonus and I want this ship done justice too...

Yeah, I kinda want to see these popular pairings written well and yet at the same time, seeing these same shippings over and over again in fics gets a tad tiresome. WTF at PokeContestIkari being the Golden Trio. Of course it's a self-proclaimed trio, not everyone agreed to that. If I had my way, my golden trio would be PenguinIkariIronWill but no, the Golden Trio was given its name by their supporters because they think their three ships are the best and that nobody else will mind this name. A ship shouldn't be more superior than another ship.

I was wondering if, like we do on the org for AMVs, there could be an opinion exchange thread- basically you announce your story and in exchange for someone reading and leaving a good review, you give his/her story a looksie...it works really well on that site and I have no idea if it is acceptable or not, just throwing it out here because I sincerely empathize with anyone waiting for a review and not getting one D: Feedback is the only way to improve!

Do you mean like a thread where you can request people to read and review your fics? I think there's something similar to that in the fanfiction section of the forums. :O

Those are my strategies; hopefully it'll help. Does anyone else look at particular author of inspiration? XD

Does anime/manga count? Because I get inspired by manga like Fruits Basket and such. Hell, I'd gotten ideas for fics from anime like 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' and some scenes from other manga/anime have inspired me for ideas. Hell, somehow Death Note has inspired me lately.

Speaking of inspiration, does anyone have music that inspires them when writing shipping fics? I remember writing one of my better chapters for my 'Except Me' while listening to that 'Ever Fallen In Love' song. XD And weirdly enough, I thought my writing for 'Meiryoku Curse' was better when listening to 'The World' by Nightmare (first Death Note opening theme). I am so weird with my music taste. Oh and 'See it in a Boy's Eyes' by Jamelia helped me write a oneshot from ages ago too... XD;

Wow, is this thread raking in the giant posts or what? Ah well, I think this thread is like my 'Rambly Mel-Girl' thread because seriously, I write long posts for thsi thread and others have made long posts too. XD; I'm glad I'm making sense though, with whatever I'm saying. XDD

[Mewluvr200]

Ah, yes. A Shipping Authors Cafe sounds lovely ^-^

On the subject of reviewing, I take most, but it really annoys me when people bother me about updating, or they just say that the fic is good, and they don't elaborate on anyhting, not even their favorite part, fluffiest part, ect.
I mean, I like the positive comments, but can't someone be a good enough reviewer to give at least one form of constructive criticism?

And OOC Paul is exactly what makes me shy away from Ikarishipping.

^Exactly my thoughts on most IkariShipping fics I have read.

Speaking of inspiration, does anyone have music that inspires them when writing shipping fics?

Oh yes. I write my best when i'm listening to my iTunes. I try to seperate my songs into which ship i'm writing, for example, an angsty love song for something one sided, or a very powerful song for something sappy ^^

[Gazmof]

I don't think flaming fits in to stories either. It follows with what I just said. Plus, I think it's pretty lazy of you to flame characters, it's like giving yourself a get-out-of-jail-free card. Like you have no conflicts you can think of and then- oh! Here comes an unsuspecting character you hate! Okay, yeah, let's make them so very in love with your main character and then make your main character reject them so badly they go ahead and become severely depressed! And then your main shipping can hold each other together and gaze in to each others eyes and kiss passionately while the rejected person cries and cries and cries! Whoopee!

Ugh, agreed, agreed, agreed. Most authors who write like this tend to be more pro-devotees of their chosen 'ship and seek to make an example of other 'ships, unfortunately. Fics involving this are usually just thinly-veiled attempts to flame characters/ships that the author dislikes, and it's a surefire way to tell what threads to ignore in the fics section.

Also shipping fics never seem to incorporate anything other than shipping. A fic can be more than just 'two characters get together!' A shipping fic doesn't mean it has to be all about shipping. A shipping fic is just a fic that includes shipping. That's what I like about fics like 'Good Love Charm' (by Gazmof), you care for more than just the shipping. I like all the stuff going on with the characters in his fic and the Advanceshipping has turned into a side "Awww" for me.

Aww, why thank you, Mel :D I think a lot of it stems from the fact that I first started writing original trainer fanfiction, which tends to require a more complex plot than that which you'll find in most shipping fics. Though I don't necessarily think that a fic requires a tonne of plot twists and side-stories to really shine - the opposite can quite often be true. There are lots of times when I see fics where the author has simply tried to cram too much information into too small a space and the whole piece suffers as a result; you're never sure who's coming or going and nine times out of ten I'll just stop reading. Multishipping fics are most common to fall victim to this due to their extensive cast of characters, so that's something for writers to consider.

Ah yes and the one thing that really bugs me is the people who write for reviews, not because they love it and they want to learn and improve their writing skills. Popularity >>>> skill half the time in the fanfiction world. Just because they write popular shippings and the readers know they're going to get shippy moments doesn't mean that what they write is great. In fact, lots of popular fics (I'm mostly talking ff.net here) aren't as great as the amount of reviews may suggest.

Agreed, 100%. I think someone also made note of the fact that popular users tend to get reviewed more frequently than those who are less well-known. While I do think this is true to a certain extent, I think a fic's popularity is based mostly on what main 'ships it focuses on. This is only natural, as we all read shipping fics to see our favourite couples get together, but it is somewhat disappointing to know that people are missing out on some great fics - there have even been a few out there that have made me into a fan of certain character shippings purely because they were so good and portrayed the characters so well that I can't imagine them in any other way now. Oneshots are a really great way to open yourself up to new 'ships as they're short, to-the-point and usually don't have a lot of unnecessary plot elements to get in the way of the overall picture.

[omniouswind]

Ugh, agreed, agreed, agreed. Most authors who write like this tend to be more pro-devotees of their chosen 'ship and seek to make an example of other 'ships, unfortunately. Fics involving this are usually just thinly-veiled attempts to flame characters/ships that the author dislikes, and it's a surefire way to tell what threads to ignore in the fics section.

Ah, yes, this is something that I meant to respond to earlier. I really dislike it when author's openly (or even subtely) flame another character just because they could interfer with their favorite ship. I remember at one time when Brendan was the target of tons of flaming from Contestshippers, him always being portrayed as the bad guy for no reason other than for May to hate him and get together with Drew.
Unfortunately, I've seen this happening to Kenny as well recently. I read a fic where he was incredibly abusive to Dawn and Paul swooped in to save her. It was so OOC, and without explanation at all...

Sometimes I see people create jerky OCs to get in the way and then later bash... I mean, at least it isn't canon characters, but I don't see the point of creating your own character just to later say they suck and have everyone hate them for interfering with the ship :/ At least give them some other purpose...

And this talk of OCs can bring up so many more topics... But I'm going to stop complaining.

As for inspiration...It hits me randomly. Lately, I've been inspired by a lot of songs, although I don't like writing songfics. What I will do is sort of take the ideas presented in the song and morph them into my own ideas and such for fics.
Reading other fics doesn't even help me get inspired though... Occassionally I come across like amazing fics and I get discouraged from writing. And I know I shouldn't. I actually read some good advice somewhere, and even though it was talking about drawing, it can still apply for writing too. I can't recall it directly right now though...

And a real problem I have when writing is well...rewriting. If I'm not exactly proud of something I've written, I'm still hesistant to completely trash it. I mean, it sucks to get rid of something you worked hard on writing, but sometimes it's for the betterment of the fic as a whole.

[shadow_shipper]

I believe that this will be my longest post in quite a while, and hopefully, it will mark my return to these forums with a much more felt presence, and a ton of reading to catch up

'kay, let's see what my mind can think of...

Reviewing

The quality of a review should match how much you enjoyed the work posted.
That is the basic thought.
Mostly, people who truly love a chapter/fic take the time to actually post in response to it. This very thing marks respect, since otherwise, someone wouldn't even bother replying and would just closet-read. When a person decides to post, often, they simply post one-liners, with expressions we all know too well ("write moar" caught my eye earlier lol). This is basicly spam, and is thakfully very rare, exceptions are newbies who post under the addiction of a good fic, and really mean no harm, they just want to express their appreciation. This problem can be fixed over time as members adapt and read the rules.
More general is the fact that, like Tiff said, most reviews are crap. Mine are surely not that different.

Here is why : because they are simply not deep enough.

Shallow reviews of a few lines tell us that you have read the update, and that you (vaguely) liked/disliked some points.

This also nearly qualifies as spam imo.

A review should not only consist of a heads-up of your preference, it should consist of a wide range of facts, going from (in my book) vocabulary, spelling, grammar, character portrayal, style, creativeness, and many more.
In fact, there could be an endless list.
That is why to write a review : you must take your time.

You can't just start your computer, read a fic, post a reply with some impressions, and say you reviewed a fic.

A review must help the author improve.

Therefore you must take the time the cautiously analyse the work in question. After all, your feedback gives the author the material (s)he needs to improve, and thus giving you works of a better consistency.
Stop reading when you spot a mistake and write it down.
Stop when you don't understand a passage and write it down.
Stop when you have a suggestion and write it down.
Anything and everything you think of should be written down and posted for the author to see. (S)he won't bite, (s)he'll appreciate the fact that you've put so much effort in reviewing what (s)he wrote, and in time, will improve.

I emphasise this again : take your time, plan ahead, and don't be afraid to write too much ; be afraid to not write enough.

A side note : the content of the fic in question, shipping wise.
This is close to a no-brainer.
Either you don't read it (which will save time, bashing and mod intervention)
or you put your convictions aside, embrace an open-mind, and read the fic with as much determination to help the author with your constructive review, focusing on characters, plot, vocabulary, etc.
On a personal note, Gazmof and Uza-chan must be smiling when reading this, cause they know that's what I do, and that a ship will never blind me...

Another part that should be mentionned : background

You need to know what you're talking about.

Don't give advice about characters, IC/OOC, if you haven't actually seen the series or read the manga.
Don't give advice about grammar and vocabulary if you're not perfectly fluent in english.
Know your limits, and if you want to push them, reading summaries on serebii or bulbapedia will be a good place to start.
For example, I'm much more comfortable reviewing fics about the Advanced Episodes than the DP Episodes, simply because I've watched every single episode from AG...

If it's a beautiful description, using splendid vocabulary and abundant adjectives, praise the writer.
If you feel something is missing, say it.
If a typo or mistake is concerned, bold it in your quote and re-write it correctly.

Do this multiple times, when you feel something is important, or have especially (dis)liked it.

Do not abuse of this method, and quote every third line ! Most of it is irrelevant, and only makes it harder to point out what you wanted to say the most.

I believe I digress ^^'

The first topic proposed by Kiori was on how to make a better review.
I believe this states my point.

People don't take enough time to review.
I've got Rave the Rich's, Uza-chan's, Gazmof's, Medea's, Esperon's, Renowned Obscurity's, Genkiness', Brian Powell's fics to review, plus a ton more. I could just read them, and say I read them, and go on from there...But every fic will recieve the same work I normally deliver.

Which, what certain people may think, may not be all that, but it's what I do, because I want to help authors through their fictions.

Appreciate their work. They will pay you back tenfold

I'll admit, sometimes when I see a fic that sucks completely, that I can't read, and that is as long as the first five paragraphs of my reply here, I tend to think it's hopeless, and not even read it...
You can complain about crappy reviews all you want, whereas we can't complain about crappy fics.

Writing

I am a mediocre writer.

Plus, I have always considered myself less talented and less bitten by writing.
But at some point in my life, I wanted to write. I eventually did.

The only sort of advice I can give is that, like reviewing, take time.

When describing : put in more, use synonyms for words you thought of first (example : breathtaking paysage, instead of beautiful scene) (you can find them on the internet or by using Nisus )

Being a reviewer primarily, I think : what would I criticise or point out if I were reviewing my own fic.

So I write deeper character thoughts, larger descriptions, wider range of vocabulary and emotions, etc...

Again : don't be afraid to write too much.

And one last thing, it would be good if you have somebody to proofread the fic/chapter before you post it, so (s)he can point out mistakes...

Oh and, when wiritng a shipping fic. Try not to exagerate the "cause" of your ship and "glorify" it.
It's kind of obvious and deminishes the beauty :/

Much shorter than the reviewing part, granted ^^'



In closing : love what you do.
Rarely will you see somebody write because they've lost a bet. It comes from the heart. Reviews should too.
I would have never taken the time to host the oscars if I didn't love fics and this place.
Mist would have never hosted the Shipper's awards if she didn't love the people here.
Surely every thread started in a shipping forum is a message of love from somebody for a certain ship (if you're uncomfortable with talking about "love" think of it as "supporting a ship/idea").
And if you still don't think that authors deserve better than a few lines of general impression, then I guess this thread still has a purpose.

shadow_shipper, at your service.

[~Mist~]

^Oh, the irony you return. xD Welcome back!

Oh and, when wiritng a shipping fic. Try not to exagerate the "cause" of your fic and "glorify" it.
It's kind of obvious and deminishes the beauty :/

I'm slightly confused as to what you mean. Do you mean how authors praise themselves and call themselves the best author ever or something?

I don't think flaming fits in to stories either. It follows with what I just said. Plus, I think it's pretty lazy of you to flame characters, it's like giving yourself a get-out-of-jail-free card. Like you have no conflicts you can think of and then- oh! Here comes an unsuspecting character you hate! Okay, yeah, let's make them so very in love with your main character and then make your main character reject them so badly they go ahead and become severely depressed! And then your main shipping can hold each other together and gaze in to each others eyes and kiss passionately while the rejected person cries and cries and cries! Whoopee!

Oh god, how could I forget that? Flaming completely turns me off from reading a story. I remember I was reading this terrific Pokeshipping fanfiction until the author started to flame May. I was all "Noooooo! Why, damn it?!" That eventually led me to stop reading as great as the characters were. The flaming ruined it for me.


As for writer's block... oh, god. I struggle with it as well; it's not because I have no idea what to write but rather, I'm lazy. D:

Speaking of inspiration, does anyone have music that inspires them when writing shipping fics?

*raises hand* Oh, me, me! xD Whenever I do get the urge to write, I listen to instrumental music. Whenever I listen to a song with lyrics, then I end up singing along then go on a singing spree. XD I recommend instrumentals. =) (I could give ya some over MSN; I have a bunch.) That reminds me, I need sad instrumentals. Nearly all of the ones I have are happy or suspenseful. I think instrumentals work perfectly when it comes to setting the mood. :3

Sometimes, I also go out to a different place like a museum or park to get writing ideas. The museum comes in handy whenever you're writing anything having to do with history, so I've visited various museums throughout the past few months to write for one of my stories. So visit a place you like to get ideas! =)

[shadow_shipper]

^Oh, the irony you return. xD Welcome back!

Yeah, the irony ^^'
Oh, and you spootted one of my mistakes lol I meant "ship" instad of "fic"

Takes a whole other meaning doesn't it ?


I have one thing to add on the matter of lazyness/writer's block :
procrastination ftw xDD

I mean, if you have some pressing issues with your freinds, life and studies, I know what's on top of my list...and it's not writing

Music ? I seldom try it to find inspiration. I just listen to music every day, so I'm already influenced hehe

[cichawk]

Hm, interesting place we got here.

So yeah, I'm just a small time writer here. At first I was pretty enthusiastic and all, posting several times a week. Now I'm down to like, a chapter ever 2 weeks at best, which is extremely rare now. I dunno if I'm just lazy or if I just have too much work, because I definitely have time when I don't have work from 4 APs, but I still don't seem to write.

So I was just wondering how long some of you authors have lack of updates, and what is the reaction from your readers, if any? Overall, my readers just seemed to sort of have disappeared, since for me, I slowly started taking longer and longer to post, and I guess they just noticed. On my latest chapter, I had one reviewer, and that was my main mechanical reviewer.

Sorry if I made a topic change or anything, but this is something that always irks me in the back of the head when I think about writing but, I just don't.

[Gazmof]

Sometimes I see people create jerky OCs to get in the way and then later bash... I mean, at least it isn't canon characters, but I don't see the point of creating your own character just to later say they suck and have everyone hate them for interfering with the ship :/ At least give them some other purpose...

OCs are an interesting subject, since they can either make or break a fic (particularly a shipping one). I think most people tend to shy away from them due to the whole Mary-Sue problem that people associate with almost any OC. I think the trick with OCs is to develop their character as much as you would a canon character - don't treat them as background art just for the sake of adding another person into the mix. I personally see nothing wrong with OCs (the whole premise behind my OCs in my current fic is that OCs are always the villains in the canon movies, so why not fics, too?), so long as they're well-developed and have a purpose for being there.

When I try thinking up a new OC, I always figure out their role in the fic first. Sometimes it's a discredit to a canon character if you could have used them instead (and more often than not there's a canon character who will fit your needs perfectly). Obviously you shouldn't always prefer canon characters over OCs if it stretches the believability of your fic somewhat (for example, the Gym Leader of Snowpoint City just happens to be in the Hoenn region on vacation when your characters just happen to be on the same beach she's visiting, etc), but it's something to keep in mind.

A final point on OCs: don't let them outshine the main cast. Your ship is about <insert couple here>, not <insert couple here and the random OC>. Of course if they're a major plot point they should have focus, but don't forget who the readers really want to read about - your chosen 'ship.

And a real problem I have when writing is well...rewriting. If I'm not exactly proud of something I've written, I'm still hesistant to completely trash it. I mean, it sucks to get rid of something you worked hard on writing, but sometimes it's for the betterment of the fic as a whole.

Ah, I used to have this problem, too. Unfortunately it just takes practice, practice, practice. If it helps, you can always copy your file and make changes to the duplicate, just so that you have the satisfaction of keeping all of your work (and you can look back on some unused ideas for reference at a future point in time). This is what I did when I wrote my first major Pokemon fanfic and it really helped me. Unfortunately, editing is a necessary evil of every genre of writing.

So I was just wondering how long some of you authors have lack of updates, and what is the reaction from your readers, if any? Overall, my readers just seemed to sort of have disappeared, since for me, I slowly started taking longer and longer to post, and I guess they just noticed. On my latest chapter, I had one reviewer, and that was my main mechanical reviewer..

Oh boy do I know about this... ^^;;; I think ultimately your reviewers will begin to adjust once they get used to it, though it helps to make it a gradual transition. For example in my current shipping fic I tend to shoot for an update about once a month. When I first started it was once every two weeks, but that faded away quickly. I always tend to add an advisory note if I know I'm going to be late updating the next chapter, but I'm not sure how much this helps readers' spirits. In fact, one time I posted two chapters in two weeks and a lot of reviewers didn't even realise I had updated until about a week or so later!

Ultimately I think if a reader is that interested in your fic they will keep tabs on it no matter how long it takes to update, though they may check back less often, hence an apparant lack of reviews.

[Tiffany]

I have one thing I want to bring up.

Song fics.

Yes.

Song fics.

I have read a few good ones, while honestly, a lot of them are crap. About 75&#37; of the fic is just the whole song, and maybe the rest is actually story. I get kind of annoyed when there's just a whole song written out. If needed be, take parts out that correlate to your story. Don't put the whole song, it's long and boring to read. You can base certain situations and so forth that'd related, but the whole song just makes the fic seem like it has no real thought behind it, to be honest.

[MapleRoses]

Whoa, Shipping Author's cafe..
NICE~!!

I have one thing I want to bring up.

Song fics.

Yes.

Song fics.

I have read a few good ones, while honestly, a lot of them are crap. About 75% of the fic is just the whole song, and maybe the rest is actually story. I get kind of annoyed when there's just a whole song written out. If needed be, take parts out that correlate to your story. Don't put the whole song, it's long and boring to read. You can base certain situations and so forth that'd related, but the whole song just makes the fic seem like it has no real thought behind it, to be honest.

Yes. This is right. I also thought that a lot of song fics have more song parts than the story itself.
It just annoys me.

Originally Posted by Gazmof
A final point on OCs: don't let them outshine the main cast. Your ship is about <insert couple here>, not <insert couple here and the random OC>. Of course if they're a major plot point they should have focus, but don't forget who the readers really want to read about - your chosen 'ship.

Yeah I agree with this. Many writers tend to make their OC ship outcast the main ship.
I'm not disapproving writers to have an OC ship, but writers often did that.(whether if he/she did it purposely or not)
It's not wrong to have an OC ship, if it's written correctly and balanced. My fic itself has an OC ship.
Try to note, if we're adding an OC ship, make it the addition ship of your fic, and not the main ship.

[Undead_soul]

I don't mind song fics. i mean i don't see them alot right now. i only write a song fic when i have a song i really like.

[Mewluvr200]

Hm. Songfics. I'm not particularly fond of them, but I have written one, so that's not saying much XP
If I am really into a song, then sure, i'll incorperate it into a story.
I agree with Tiffany on her statement. If the full song is used, depending on the situation, then it can become quite boring.

But, overall, Songfics are fun to read, if written correctly ^-^

[Tiffany]

I like songfics too. Don't get me wrong.
Just ones that are just basically the whole song are irritating.
I've read a few that were very good.

[Uzamaki Hinata]

Ugh, agreed, agreed, agreed. Most authors who write like this tend to be more pro-devotees of their chosen 'ship and seek to make an example of other 'ships, unfortunately. Fics involving this are usually just thinly-veiled attempts to flame characters/ships that the author dislikes, and it's a surefire way to tell what threads to ignore in the fics section

Okay, just so I don't sound *completely* hypocritical, I'm going to say that I used to do all this stuff - flame, making characters just to flame, flaming to make the center couple seem a lot better than they are. Of course, I used to do this when I was a newbie writer but still, just wanted to get it out there lol
And, uhhh, all that stuff you said xP

And a real problem I have when writing is well...rewriting. If I'm not exactly proud of something I've written, I'm still hesistant to completely trash it. I mean, it sucks to get rid of something you worked hard on writing, but sometimes it's for the betterment of the fic as a whole.

Oh yeah, I hear ya. I re-write so many times and in the end it just feels like... what was wrong with the original?

I like songfics too. Don't get me wrong.
Just ones that are just basically the whole song are irritating.
I've read a few that were very good.

OMG, yeah! There are just those songfics that have zero creativity and just follow the song step-by-step. I remember someone showing me their songfic once and with the lyrics it just felt like I was reading the story of the song with just pokemon characters' names stamped on. i get that the whole point of songfics is so it can match the song, but not so much so when you can't tell the difference between them @___@

Oh god, how could I forget that? Flaming completely turns me off from reading a story. I remember I was reading this terrific Pokeshipping fanfiction until the author started to flame May. I was all "Noooooo! Why, damn it?!" That eventually led me to stop reading as great as the characters were. The flaming ruined it for me.

iT especially sucks when it happens in the good stories DD:

As for writer's block... oh, god. I struggle with it as well; it's not because I have no idea what to write but rather, I'm lazy. D:

laziness kills the best of us

I think instrumentals work perfectly when it comes to setting the mood. :3

Gimme some too please~ xP

Oh boy do I know about this... ^^;;; I think ultimately your reviewers will begin to adjust once they get used to it, though it helps to make it a gradual transition. For example in my current shipping fic I tend to shoot for an update about once a month. When I first started it was once every two weeks, but that faded away quickly. I always tend to add an advisory note if I know I'm going to be late updating the next chapter, but I'm not sure how much this helps readers' spirits. In fact, one time I posted two chapters in two weeks and a lot of reviewers didn't even realise I had updated until about a week or so later!

Oh yeah, I used to post like every day for my first four+ chapter story, and then I updated once to twice a week. now you'll be lucky to see once every month :/ I guess in the end you do have to just try to tell your readers to be patient with the next chapter so they know or expect what's going on. Like what Gaz said, ease it in and warn the readers. ^^;; Especially when you know you won't be posting for a while. I tend to write a little warning and most of the time, the readers wait, sometimes more come since in your absence, they have time to read it all with out a surprise update coming.

Ultimately I think if a reader is that interested in your fic they will keep tabs on it no matter how long it takes to update, though they may check back less often, hence an apparant lack of reviews.

Ain't that the truth? :P

On a personal note, Gazmof and Uza-chan must be smiling when reading this, cause they know that's what I do, and that a ship will never blind me...

I'm smiling XD

[The Horizon]

I guess it's safe to say that everybody's gonna need work on writing a constructive review, or is there something more to it than that? You ever read editorials in newspapers? The purpose of an editorial is to get people's attention on a certain subject. In a review, you want to give the writer the attention he/she deserves. I may not write the best reviews, but I do know that if you are to write reviews, you need details. Tell the writer what's good about the writing and what's not good. Tell them what to improve on their writing so they can get better.

In English 101, you are tasked to do a peer review on your classmates' essays. You review their writing, they review your's. I've done it before lots of times and it really helps to fix your mistakes and inprove your writing. This is something I want to suggest to everybody here who want to write better. Before you send out your fanfic to this forum, you always want to look it over for mistakes to fix. It is always better to proofread your fic, edit them, and revise them. It is even better if you have a second pair of eyes doing those things with you, whether he or she is your friend or a complete stranger. Find someone who can help improving your writing. Your eyes alone can't spot all of the mistakes in your writing; even the simplest one are the easiest to miss. They can spot the mistakes your eyes can't see, which can really help if you're not able to find them all. It seems easier to do it on paper rather than a computer screen, probably because with a computer, you are more prone to stare blankly at it (kinda like what Brock does with girls older than him), and you hardly move a muscle, particularly your eyes. I really think it can help everybody here be better writers, and it will help make you a better reviewer. A lot of feedback people gave to someone's fics, especially mine, really screams spam (something Encyclopika knows very well). It really seems like people can't take the time to write a constructive review. I mean, come on, reviews have to have people saying, "Ooo, I wanna read it." Like I said before, good feedback gives the author attention, not to mention, recognition. Obviously, you can't trust someone like that to help you improve.

*raises hand* Oh, me, me! xD Whenever I do get the urge to write, I listen to instrumental music. Whenever I listen to a song with lyrics, then I end up singing along then go on a singing spree. XD I recommend instrumentals. =) (I could give ya some over MSN; I have a bunch.) That reminds me, I need sad instrumentals. Nearly all of the ones I have are happy or suspenseful. I think instrumentals work perfectly when it comes to setting the mood. :3

Music is a good thing, especially if it help you concentrate. Instrumental music does have that inspirational sort of feeling. You should try listening to people like Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. They are sick guitar players and they do a lot of instrumental work. Another artist I suggest you listen to is Jeff Loomis of Nevermore. He has a solo CD out right now and he's got awesome guitar skills (something Guitar Hero can't give anybody), and it's all instrumental. Just seach him up on Myspace.

Okay, just so I don't sound *completely* hypocritical, I'm going to say that I used to do all this stuff - flame, making characters just to flame, flaming to make the center couple seem a lot better than they are. Of course, I used to do this when I was a newbie writer but still, just wanted to get it out there lol
And, uhhh, all that stuff you said xP

It just goes to show that as long as there are people, there always will be problems. I witness a lot of flaming throughout the years since I have the internet, and people had better days. I'm always independant because choosing sides makes me very unconfortable. I like what I like and that's all there is to it. By the way, your avatar makes me think you're like the May of the AdvanceShipping thread, at least in my mind.

[Milotic17]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make songfics good? I've written a couple and don't think too highly of them; I also agree with the people here who say that most of them stink. The thing is, though, that I have an idea for a songfic that I'd really like to write and that I've been working on for a few days, and I'd like to know how to make it better than your average songfic before I post it on ff.net and/or here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Encyclopika]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make songfics good? I've written a couple and don't think too highly of them; I also agree with the people here who say that most of them stink. The thing is, though, that I have an idea for a songfic that I'd really like to write and that I've been working on for a few days, and I'd like to know how to make it better than your average songfic before I post it on ff.net and/or here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I...have written a songfic before, but it's not the way most of you view songfics. I do have suggestions for both kinds, though.
First off, the kind of songfic I wrote did not involve the lyrics in the traditional way many of you songfic writers do (which is completely fine, there are just two ways and this is my preferred way). Instead, the story is a descriptive narrative that tells the same story the song does in prose as opposed to the song's lyrical way. In this sense, if you know the song, you'll recognize the story and feeling without seeing the lyrics. The lyrics may be involved in the description, however, but as PART of the description, not a separate line from it thrown in randomly.
The kind fo songfic I see here is different. The lyrics appear blantantly which is okay. However, as with the first way, the story you describe has to be directly related to the theme or story the song tells. Your lyrics must also flow nicely with the description. Since this is the song stuck in my head now, I'll use My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne. When you use the lyric "He was everything...everything I wanted" the descriptive paragraph in your story that relates to that lyric should go before the lyric. You should have your main character go over why she loved "him" so much and then put that lyric underneath and italics. I also think the lyrics shouldn't be bunched up - they should come in separate lines...meaning, you'll end up with a paragraph between each individual line.
I have more thoughts on this, but eventually, I'm going to get obnoxious which the specifics. All in all, writing the type of songfic I see around here is MUCH harder that people take it. Not only do you have to keep the characters IC, but you have to be true to the song lyric for lyric, or it just...doesn't work. Which is why my songfic wasn't a fanfiction. XD;

[omniouswind]

^See, the first kind of songfic Encyclopika described is how I generally write them. It's more like... I get inspired by songs and write fics potraying what happened in the song.
I guess the only problem I've had with most songfics is that the lyrics are thrown in randomly and the entire fic becomes disjointed.
So yeah, I agree with what Encyclopika said about having the lyrics and what you're actually writing being related so the story flows better.