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Post by Chiefy on Jan 18, 2018 13:40:11 GMT
Soooo this was an idea that came up when some of us were brooding over the struggles of being a writer. To help combat this, we've decided to start this lovely encouragement thread. The premise is simple - all you gotta do is post here once a week saying something nice about everyone's writing. It doesn't have to be a whole essay, just one or two lines will suffice, as long as you post regularly. It might be something about a scene someone wrote, or a post of theirs you read, or just their writing style in general, anything nice. All you need sometimes is a little push, after all.
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OKAYYYYY LETS GET THIS BALL ROLLIN'
Atty - I LOVE the way you've taken this old, barely-known 70s PotA show and pretty much gave it a makeover, turning it into something ten times better and far more in-depth than that show ever could be. And your characters, too...they feel so REAL, always, making them easy to love and impossible to let go. I really hope your apes get some more love on the web <3
Holly - I think what I admire more than anything else is your persistence. You're real busy, sure, but you still make as much time as you can for your writing, baby or no. ;) I know you stopped writing a while back and picked it up again, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. You don't give up, no matter what. Hoping to see you around more once things get a little less hectic! Keep up the good work!
J.A. - I confess I haven't read much of your story, but from what you've mentioned on Discord and on the RAAs, I'm loving the amount of work you've put into your universe. Seriously, three trilogies set in different time periods in the same world...I dig it so much, you have no idea :D There must be bucketloads of effort going into developing the setting and I totally admire it <3
Jen - Hell, I always love a fellow dual-first POV writer. It's not all that popular, yeah, publishers hate it, it gets confusing etc. but hey if you can do it well then it works perfectly fine! And I feel, in Adam and Lydia's case, you've nailed it. They're both MCs, so you can't really just PICK one of them to base your POV on. 3rd limited doesn't work perfectly either, so y'know, that leaves us with what you've got. And I know Dream Bender isn't in great shape right now, but you just gotta keep at it! It'll work out eventually!
Joy - I may have mentioned somewhere before, but the way you set all your characters up to actively learn from whatever mistakes they make, and to develop through the actions they take, is amazing. You've got your sextet who may still have such long ways to go to become the characters you want them to be at the end, but you do a wonderful job of letting them mature throughout your series. Also, self-publishing? HELL YES.
Nay - Welp, last but not least. Where on earth do I begin. I think, if we wrap up everything I want to say and put it in a nice present, it would be your attention to detail that really gets me hooked. I mean, yes, you could just have Thorne and Cistine standing on the balcony talking, but those tiny little things they do whilst they're holding that conversation, the way they hold themselves, their expressions right down to what you can see in their eyes, THAT'S what makes it so powerful. Trust me, I take notes when I'm reading <3
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Post by naynish on Jan 18, 2018 17:42:33 GMT
Atty - Where to begin? In a lot of ways, I consider you my writing mentor. I think my absolute favorite thing about your stories is how unashamed you are to be raw and real. Every dilemma Team GAPZ faces feels like something any one of us might go through, just on a grander, fantastic scale. A lot of writers (myself included) seem to shy away from the nitty-gritty fallout of character experiences, but you have never been kowtowed or intimidated by the enormity of the dilemmas your characters face. It's really, truly inspiring, as you are. <3 Holly - I have to tell you how much I admire your diligence to your story. No matter what life throws your way, you haven't given up on the Journeys saga. You also show a great fearlessness in being willing to fix, edit, and improve your work...and yet standing strong when you receive critique that you know doesn't fit your universe. You hit the balance so well, and I admire you like crazy for it. <3 J.A. - Where do I even begin? My favorite thing about Starfall (the only one of your stories I'm familiar with, and an instant favorite btw <3) is that when I read any excerpt from it, I don't see words. I hear music. Your prose and dialogue, your setting and scenery, flows off the page like a melody. I find myself hooked on every excerpt you've ever shared, even when reading out of sequence. My absolute favorite scene of them all had to be the one with Duai and Vintern, when they discussed her trust in him, and her friend that was in trouble. If you ever need a beta for Starfall, seriously, I am sooo game. <3 Jen - I love how much you believe in your characters. Even when the stories themselves are giving you grief, your love for Adam, Lydia, Trey - and now the cast of your mermaid story - absolutely inspires me. Seeing you come back to them no matter how discourage or disheartened you are is just so admirable, and I hope you never lose that tenacity. That refusal to ever give up is what will make you, not just a better and better writer - but one day, a published author <3 Joy - How do I choose? There are so many things about your story and you as a person that I adore. One of my favorite things about Tarn is the heart. There is so much heart in the Sextet, in their means of relation to one another as well as to the people they met in places like Massachusetts, Misogo, and even in Underhill! Their compassion and love for their fellow Sextet members, their refusal to ever give up on each other, and the lengths they'd go to in order to protect each other and what they hold precious is not only engaging, riveting, and heartwarming...it also reflects beautifully on who you are as a person, and the values YOU hold. Which is one of the many things that makes you one of my best friends <3 Chief - Chief, the sweeper and the picker-upper-by-all-bootstraps. I hardly even know what to say. I had such a fangirl "crush" on your story waaaaay back in the day, and I feel like I love all the same things about it now that I did back then...but dialed up to 11. xD My favorite thing about your story, if I had to pick a favorite, might just be the dialogue. This was the #1 thing that gripped me when I was a wee fangirl stalking Valatrak, year ago. You have such an eye and ear for dialogue that not only manages to read smoothly and sound epic, but ALSO strikes that perfect balance of the natural. I don't think there's ever been a time when I've read one of your excerpts and felt that a line of dialogue was out of place or sounded unnatural. On top of that, every character voice is also distinct, so I can tell when it's Bridges or Sandark or Shadow or Val speaking. Maybe your talent for dialogue is also why you're so easy to talk to! <3
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Post by Athaia on Jan 18, 2018 20:25:28 GMT
rubs hands I'm so ready to spread the love here!
Nay - I was so over fantasy! So over all those clichés and chosen ones... and then I read your excerpts on the NaNo SSN and I was hooked! I've been rooting for Cistine from the very beginning, but since then, I've fallen in love with the whole cabal. I love how all your characters are so distinct from each other, and so vivid and real, and how you allow them to have flaws that feel realistic, and not slapped on because the formula says that the character needs a "fatal flaw." Their flaws belong to them, and are just fitting for each of them, and I love them all the more for the vulnerability that resides in those flaws. For you, the characters' growth is not just some box to tick off on their way to some elusive goal - for you, the growth, the journey, is the destination. And that's rare.
Chief - I would actually love military fantasy (or thrillers), if the characters weren't so paper-thin, always-stoic Clint Eastwood ripoffs. And yours is the first military fantasy/thriller that is not like that, and that's what I love so much about it. I love Val's and Shadow's snark, their courage, their honor, (let's be honest, I love all your guys, from Healy to Charlotte). Seriously, all the dialogues are A+++. What I also admire about your writing is your ability to write in all parts of your series at the same time, hopping from series to sequel to continuation without ever losing track (while I'm wondering if I haven't confused the parts of that series even now...).
Joy - first of all, you're the only one among us who's already a published author! How badass is that? And with self-publishing, you have to be your own editor, cover artist, and marketing specialist, to boot. That's just awesome, and totally inspiring. What I admire is how you manage to give each member of the sextett enough space on the page to make them real, believable personalities with their own arc. I had only planned to have a double MC (Al and Pete), until the apes suddenly demanded a promotion, so I know how difficult it is to keep a balance. And you're doing it not with four, but with six people, who have to share the majority of scenes. That's an impressive feat.
Jen - I admire your tenacity. You have two jobs, you're still studying, and you had a lot of personal tragedies to deal with in the last month, but you don't abandon your stories, no matter how much they exasperate you sometimes. I've been a fanfic reader long before I was a fanfic writer, and I despaired over many an abandoned WIP, so I especially appreciate this kind of dogged loyalty to one's stories! I think someone who's only ever read finished books can't even comprehend the intense frustration an abandoned story evokes in a reader. I love the entire concept of your Dream universe, the fact that even the villain isn't just evil for the heck of it, and how your cast is steadily growing, as more and more people with special talents are entering the fray.
Holly - like the others have said, we admire your discipline to continute with your stories, despite a job, a child, and a pregnancy - something that would knock out most other people, even without the writing in the mix. But I loved your worldbuilding, which is especially important in speculative fiction: a waterworld, with underwater settlements, and all the thought that went into the details, like the various political factions that fight for power over this planet. And I really appreciate that you weaved a romance subplot into this thriller, because as much as I love explosions, I also need to sigh over my otp.
J.A. - I haven't had the opportunity to read something of yours yet, but Nay's and Chief's praise made me curious, so I'm sure I'll have something to write in the next installment on this thread!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2018 7:15:03 GMT
Athaia - I am not at all familiar with the PoTA fandom, not having seen any of the movies or the show. That said, I love how I don't need to have done so in order to pick up on what is going on! I don't know what is canon and what is original, but it all flows together so seamlessly! I also just LOVE all the depth you have in your stories - in character relationships, in human vs. ape relations, in motivations, and morality. I love how everyone is doing the best they can, and there is never any clear cut right answer. Also, one thing that excels in your writing is how gritty, raw, brutal, and real everything feels. Your apes don't just feel like differently shaped humans. Everything, from how they behave to how they think, really makes them feel truly ALIEN. Also, I LOVE how you have subtle parallels, whether intentional or not, to society today. hollyash85 - I have not read your stuff. At all. Based on what others have said though, I have to say - kudos to you for not letting life get in the way! I know I get derailed all the time, so I just have to give you a big round of applause for...not getting derailed! Atty's mention of how you have an underwater political thriller with a romance plot really piqued my interest, because I LOVE serious SFF that does both! Yes please. Please put up some excerpts or give us some juicy detail in the RAA so I can read more and then give you some REAL feedback! Jendora - I haven't read your stuff either. But Holy crap. Just based on what others have said, I'm seriously impressed. I love that you never abandoned your fanfics! I've torn my heart out before waiting for writers to update their abandoned fanfics - I'm so glad you persist! I also love stories that are built around dreams, so I'm very much looking forward to reading your stuff! Excerpts/RAA please! :-D joyrachsis6 - Man, I haven't read your stuff either! From what others have said though, it's completely awesome that you're already published! Gives the rest of us hope! :-D Also, it's really impressive that you do multiple first person POVs with six different people, and somehow manage to keep their voices distinct. I don't think I could pull that off. Awesome! naynish - What. Can. I. Say. I fell in love with your writing from the very first scene I read, which was the one where Ashe arrived at the prison and fought Aden. I cannot wait until your stuff is published so I can buy your book! And then demand more! I LOVE the nuance and emotion with which you write your characters. Even in a simple scene, each sentence shines like a diamond (I KNOW I KNOW CHEESY BUT IT'S THE BEST SIMILE I COULD THINK OF!), so very few words show off multiple facets, thus giving your story so much depth. The love and passion you have for your work just shines through. I am one of those lost souls who finds fight scenes boring. *can feel Chief glaring at me* Yet somehow, you did the impossible, and wrote a fight scene that not only had me hooked, but which was so packed with emotion it gave me all the FEELS, and somehow still managed in between to hint at gloriously deep outside politics, and which, somehow, had me SHIPPING the characters. Yes. Yet, as Chief said, I also love that quiet balcony scene where two characters are just talking. I have to second the whole attention to detail thing, because it truly shines. The tiny little behaviors, the subtle thoughts, just made the characters pop off the page larger than life, turned a conversation into something that was much, much more. That one was so epic, beautiful, nuanced, and emotional, it had me sitting down and taking notes. I'm not even exaggerating. I took notes. I love how each character is super strong, and yet is also super vulnerable, and that you never hold back in showing these, and you do it so well that it gives them depth, rather than making them inconsistent. Chiefy - I find a lot of military science fiction too dry, but yours just has me hooked. I love how epic your action, magic, and politics are, and yet, your characters are always the center of your story. I'm most familiar with Shadow and Valatrak, but I'm in love with them. I LOVE how you paint them with such depth - I love how their backgrounds shaped them differently, and yet how it's so clear they're perfect for each other. I love how subtly you paint their struggles with PTSD, and how they both handle it differently, and how you can see it affecting them even when it's not mentioned explicitly. I have to second the dialogue - it's excellent. The personalities and unique humor of the characters just shine through, as do their implied cynicism. Beautifully done! Jamie - I really love how carefully you shape Eric and Sera's beliefs - how they learn that they can trust only each other. I love the raw feel of how brutal the Tinkers are - you don't hold back when it comes to showing how Eric and Sera come by their scars. Oh yes, they're gonna need a lot of therapy. The good thing is, as the reader, I can really FEEL the things happening. It's so raw and real. Just as Sera doesn't know what to think, and is all disoriented by the Tinkers' treatment of her, so does the reader feel. Looking forward to reading the next book! @kate879 - Holy crap. Your short stories pack a huge emotional punch. Your monster short was so chilling - and real - it was epic. You just have a way of packing a huge emotional punch while also making some kind of point through your short stories. As for Mors Terra, I LOOOOVE Ryder and Kathryn. Love them! The worldbuilding just feels so deep! I also LOVE the way you evoke the feeling of loneliness and helplessness in the face of an unknowable world. Sooooo good! At the same time, I love how your characters are just so distinct! Did I mention I loooooov. Ryder and Kathryn? It's clear why they are so compatible with each other! I love the depth you give them. I love how in so few words it's clear that Ryder is just a lost little cynical nerd boy wearing the face of a tough hero, and Kathryn is cool and competent, but clearly needs to get in touch with her fun side and confront her past, and that she clearly doesn't even know what she needs at this point. All I can say is, I want Moar Mors Terra!
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Jamie
Inkslinger
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Post by Jamie on Feb 3, 2018 22:18:03 GMT
Athaia I have to say, I've fallen in love with the excerpts you put up on here. They're so beautiful and exciting and leave me on the edge of my seat, wanting more. For me, it's been a while since I've seen any of the PoTA movies and so it's a really nice touch on how it's really easy for me to understand what's going on. I love how real your writing feels and how you can manipulate my emotions, in a good way, to feel for this character or another. It's really amazing. hollyash85 Okay, so I haven't read any of your stuff, sadly, but from what the others have said, I have to say I admire you. You're so busy with things yet you continue writing. Having a busy life but persevering is amazing and I really commend you for doing so. Jendora I haven't read anything of yours either but I do understand what it's like to have school and then you have two jobs on top of that? Man, look at you go! I don't know how you do it but you do and I really admire that about you! joyrachsis6 I haven't read anything of yours either, but I want to so badly, and I really think it's awesome that you're already published! I mean, self-publishing is really hard to do because you have to do all that work yourself, or you have to pay for it to be done, like editing. I commend you for doing things that I want to do so badly and I can't wait to read your writings. naynish Okay I haven't read a lot of your stuff but what I have read is so good and I can't wait for more because omg yes. BUT OMG THAT LAST FUCKING EXCERPT YOU PUT BROKE MY FUCKING HEART HERE. I was breathless when suddenly Maja went from nice to rude and angry and annoyed and then she killed Aden. She killed Aden and my heart and you're so good at giving us exactly what we want but what we don't want at the same time and making me feel something is so amazing, really it is. Omg my heart hurts so much over that one excerpt and that is such a good thing and ughhhhh I want to read everything now. @kate879 Dude Never-Last looks amazing! I've only read one of your excerpts and it has made me fall in love with that story. I love that fact that in that one particular excerpt you make Winifred feel like a real person, a real girl, who keeps going over the dream she has and then her teacher just runs over her and it feels so real that I just love it so much. I can't wait to read more of your stuff, especially when it comes to Never-Last Chiefy I love the things I've read from you, really. I love Shadow and I love the worldbuilding and the war and everything. Really. I think it's wonderful how you've distinguished magic and how it's not really spells or anything like that. I love that you do say that there's a distinction of light and dark magic. Honestly I just love everything I've read and I'm not sure there's really much else for me to say because it's pretty much all been said before by others. But I love the war aspect and the fighting and things like that I think you do a great job with that. @agentdoubleohzero Alrighty you're next. Starfall. UGH I love it so much and Ane is such an amazing person and I feel for her and I feel for all of them but omg you make me feel so much. I love the worldbuilding and how you have different places and the soulstones and the magic and how they're going on a quest to save the world from the Empire. My heart goes out to each and every one of your 'main' characters because they all come from a past that's not been too kind to them, from what I've seen. I can't wait until you finish it because I just want to give all of my love to each of them.
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Post by naynish on Feb 3, 2018 23:53:57 GMT
I totally space on this for a week, thanks Jamie for reviving this thread!! Athaia Let's talk research. Not only is your determination to research and improve your craft inspiring - and it shows in the sheer brilliance of your stories - but you're also always so willing to share the knowledge you accumulate - especially with those who, like me, find research SO DAUNTING. You have such an approachable, clever way of explaining things, and your fearlessness to call all of us to task when our writing is senseless for convenience's sake on all things medical, court procedure, and weaponry is the kind of swift kick we need in order to grow. hollyash85 I MISS YOU! I have to mention this week how your absolute determination to polish up Journeys is just so amazing to me. You've pursued one publishing route with it, and now you're looking at making it the best thing it can possibly be. Kudos to you, my friend, sure do love you! Jendora I love seeing how you're expanding your writing universe and weaving all of the stories into one! It creates such an amazing, rounded-out mythos and I can't wait to see how Oceana and Adam's worlds will collide, somewhere down the road. xDD joyrachsis6 HELLO MISS PUBLICATION! I love your absolute determination and drive to make AHD as wonderful as it can be. How you keep fearlessly tackling the self publishing process despite weird cover issues and CreateSpace woes and finding new typos and edits. You are relentless, and that truly inspires me. You are the face of the revolution for self-publication. You are proof perfect that it can be done, and well, and it can be so rewarding. I look up to you so much - Prompto!! ;D Jamie Oh my gosh, you are so powerful. The way you write, the way you explore themes like kidnapping and jealousy and growth and change and...you have such a strong voice and so much talent, from writing fear to grief to humor to love. I haven't read even a morsel of what I long to in your work, and I hope to someday get the opportunity to read each of your stories cover to cover. They are pure gold! @kate879 Your casts of characters are so amazing! I'm particularly fond of those from Mors Terra, after reading their introduction in the RAA thread. Ryder and Kathryn are so unique, I love that you even have their MTBI types there, and the way you describe them fits those delineations perfectly! Couple that with Koshka (pls can I adopt???) and the Computer, and you have an established cast that I am absolutely in love with. I am so excited to see more excerpts from Mors Terra in in the SSN thread, because what you have here is so amazing! @chiefy Thanks for just being you. I love your dry sarcasm and quick wit and all the dragon talk. I love that you love your cast so much, and that you listen to us (your fans) and that you are never afraid to dive deep into a story - yours, ours, anyone's, it seems - to pull out deeper truths and threads of backstory to leave us all sobbing on the floor. I know you're younger than me, but I look up to you in so many ways, and I am always in awe of the beautiful web of three-tiered storybuilding that's happening in Valatrak's world. <3 @j. A. Rama How is it that I feel like you went from being almost a stranger to like one of my favorite people on the planet this week?! Thanks for helping me get my foot in the door in Twitter, thanks for authorconfessions and writing fuel Friday, for all of the music recs, amazing excerpts and snippets you've shared, and for FEDER'S BEARD. Keep writing Starfall plskthx, it is the #1 Book I Want On My Shelf RIGHT NOW and I need to be able to gush about it here next week, CHOP CHOP. @alliewade I haven't gotten to know you as well yet, but your relentless determination to stay positive and active in spite of the challenge of life is truly inspiring. I look forward very much to getting to know you and your writing better in time! @ohaeri Man, I feel like I've known you, Azura, and Corsucar forever. xD Just as with Allie, you have this unending strength to push through sickness, depression, medication hitches and writing doldrums that's so inspiring to me. I hope you never give up on writing, because your story needs to be told!! @damoclian #Dammilicious. You are another person I have just unending love for. I am dying to meet BearCop and to get to know your writing universe, but for now I can only comment on YOU - how your witty, outgoing personality and endless hive of jokes have made some of the darkest days 1000x better. Keep being you! <3
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