Fanfiction

   Not too long ago, there was a Divergent Fanfiction competition on Movellas. I love Divergent but I've never tried fanfiction before, so this competition was a good way for me to try something new. I didn't win but nonetheless I had fun writing it (though I'll probably avoid fanfiction from now on - trying to do Roth's world justice was so hard!).

   Have you had a go at fanfiction? I know a lot of people who started writing fanfiction and then moved on to original fiction as well as quite a few who haven't tried it at all before. I'd say give it a go! As long as you're stretching yourself and enjoying it (fanfiction should not be used for financial gain or publication so you must state that the original ideas are from the original author and not your own.) then it's a great thing to try. It can push you through writer's block or just a fun exercise. Your fanfiction might even poke you in the right direction for your own original work!

   Here's the first part of my own fanfiction for the competition. I had to cut it down a lot for the 5,000 word limit of the competition so in that way I felt perhaps I would have liked to have developed the storyline a lot more but take a look and tell me what you think :)
  

   The Truth is Deadly

   This fanfiction is based on the Divergent series written solely for entertainment and is not part of the original storyline. All the original ideas and rights belong to Veronica Roth.

***

     “Andrew!” I hissed as a headlight trundled past our hiding place. As usual, he had a death wish. I tried to slow my heart as the engine died out.
     “This is so...” I spat out some words.
     “Dauntless?” He smirked, wiggling his eyebrow piercing.
     “Reckless.” I rolled my eyes, stopping as his gaze met mine. Even after all these months, I still can’t suppress a blush.
     The wind knocked a pine cone from a tree, landing on my foot, making me jump. I clutched Andrew’s hand, which had slithered through my fingers moments ago.
     “You’re not normally this jumpy...” his tone was strong like his grasp.
     “Well, we don’t normally go this far.” I sighed back. Hastily glancing over to the rails, all I could see was darkness. My breathing was still rather fast, increasing the more I thought about the dark. “Do we have to do this? It’s dangerous and it’s against the rules...”
     “Aren’t we against the rules?”
     “Frowned upon.” I pouted. He mimicked my expression.
     “It’s just to spice things up around here for us.”
     “What? Meeting up in secret isn’t enough for you?” I teased him by loosening my own grip and pulling back slightly. He pounced back, his face so close to mine I could lose myself in his chestnut eyes. Being so full of surety they scared me sometimes.
     “Come on, for me?” His gaze turned to match a puppy’s, “It’ll be fun.” He began pulling me back.
     I sighed, “Fine.”
     His lips quickly pecked my cheek, “That’s my Stiff.” And, before I had a chance to smack him, we began running again.

    My eyes were locked on the ground. You’d think with the amount of adrenaline in my veins at this point I’d turn into some sort of speedy super human, but still I was as slow as the minutes were ticking by today.
     I was desperate to ask where we were heading to, but the night was so still that my ragged breaths were disturbing it enough.
     Every dying bush seemed to lurk over our path. Every crack in the pavement seemed to be a hole into oblivion. My hands were tingling like they were on fire and my feet were howling.
     Andrew stopped. I slapped into the back of him before freezing my steps too. Pushing me backwards, we dropped down to the ground, hidden behind a broken wall as long as we remained flat.
     A man was on his knees, hands on top of his head in front of us. Someone with a gun in their hand was holding the victim in place whilst someone else stood back, observing the scene as a shadow. That’s all I saw, and all I wanted to see, before plunging down.
     Andrew dared a peek, his black clothing aiding his camouflage. This that kind of thing didn’t occur in the factions. Our way of life brings peace.
     This man must have disturbed that peace, but we were told that those who do this become factionless, not-
    My thoughts were interrupted by the dreaded shot shaking through the air.




The rest can be read by clicking here: http://www.movellas.com/book/read/201312292130085331-the-truth-is-deadly-divergent-fanfiction


~White Ravens~
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10321725/white-ravens-writing

NaNoWriMo 2013!

 National Novel Writing Month is coming up soon (this year's gone too fast!) and it's time to get prepping! I'm not sure whether I'll be able to compete this month due to AS levels but I'm going to try and write as much of my novel as I can :) It's an excellent way to motivate writers to get down your first draft.

   NaNoWriMo takes place over the month of November where your aim is to write 50,000 words. The accomplishment of actually writing a novel is immense! I remember still having 7,000 words to write on the last day and not feeling particularly well but I pushed through and finished with 20 minutes to spare! It's a great way to meet other writers too, with regular pep talks and prizes when you reach 50,000 to keep you going. Even if most of what you write is dribble from an ogre's mouth, editing will come later!

   It's fun, though I will warn you it can be quite stressful at times too, but it's nothing chocolate and a warm bath can't handle! ;D

   You can sign up here:

http://nanowrimo.org/

I hope to see some of you there! Find me under the name White Ravens:

http://nanowrimo.org/participants/white-ravens

~White Ravens~
http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10321725/white-ravens-writing

Character Questions 3...

   Sorry for the delay readers but I am finally getting to finish the character questions for you :) Here, I will be focusing on appearance and their futures, hopefully covering a lot on what you should do to help get to know your character completely.

Appearance:

Skin Colour:
Eye Colour:
Hair description: (long, short, brown, ginger etc.)
Build:
Height:
Face: (Thin, round etc.)
Do they resemble anyone?
Clothing Style:
Scars/birthmarks:

Present and Future:

   The character's present and future is just as important as their past. We'd have no story if you didn't look forward as well as at the now! ;)

Biggest Fear:
What they want most in the world:
Biggest lesson to learn in their life:
Personal Dreams:
Team Dreams (If they don't work alone):
Most important goal of their life's journey:
Hopes for the future:
Any secrets to keep?
Any secrets to be broken?
Friends/Enemies to be made:
Friends/Enemies to be lost:

   So, here are what I think are the most important questions to ask your characters to make them believable and develop through your story. Hopefully it'll be better than going through thousands of questions and prompts when all you want is the essentials :)


~White Ravens~

Walks for Inspiration and Writer's Block...

   On the same topic as my last post, inspiration has popped up again. I have recently started a new story (I know it's really bad of me since I've got so many ideas on the go at the minute ;) ) that I thought up whilst walking around Newstead Abbey, one of my favourite places to visit. It's so beautiful and peaceful that it's hard not to let your mind wander and pick up some new stories :)

   My new idea is fantasy and involves one of the most interesting and fearsome mythical beings; dragons. I've created some of the main characters and settings and I'm really excited because I actually really love these people and can't wait to write their story :)

   Another reason for this post is a way I used for this story when writer's block appeared quite early on. It's the bane of every writer but unfortunately most of us experience it from time to time. I wrote the first paragraph and then I was stuck already.

   Rather then just staring at the screen for hours or putting off writing for a while, I used a tip that I got not too long ago and that was to just write something you feel like writing. As long as you try and write a little everyday, it's OK to leave the first chapter halfway through and go onto the next. If you feel like you have a burning idea for that part of the story, go for it! You can always come back later and fill in the gaps when you feel more motivated to finish it.

   It's not a crime as long as you finish what you've started once you feel up to it. Another way this is helpful because you know how that chapter will lead onto the next easily by already writing it's end.

   So, if you hit writer's block, start a new small project, such as a poem or short story, and get inspired or write the next chapter whilst you wait for the first to unravel itself in your mind. :)

   I'm going to share another photo with you because creativity is in words and pictures and can be found everywhere :)

~White Ravens~
 

Character Questions 2...

   More questions for your character to answer. As I said before that personality is key in characters. Now we've got the basics down, we can carry on and get this character flowing.

Personality:

3 Best Traits:
3 Worst Traits:
Gifts/Talents (Music? Maths? Magic?):
Self-esteem rating:  /10
Confidence rating:  /10
Optimism rating:  /10
One thing they like about themselves:
One thing they hate about themselves:
How would they change themselves?
What is it that makes them a hero?
What is it that makes them a villain?
Favourite Past-times/hobbies:
Addictions:

Their Past:

 

   A character can't go forward as believable if they don't have a past. They can't develop without history, but you don't need to spend ages writing an extremely detailed biography. So, here are more quick questions on the past for them:


Biggest success:
Biggest failure:
One experience wish avoided:
Biggest lesson learned:
Education level and schooling:
Earliest Memory/Favourite memory:
Big Family/Friend fall outs:
Longest secret kept:
Any secrets broken?
Past relationships/friendships:
Childhood memories:
Any memorabilia collected?
Special training/skills gained:
Inheritance (In appearance or objects):

~White Ravens~

Character Questions 1...

   This, again, follows on from character trait tips, hopefully it will help your character develop though the whole story by creating a lot more to them then just a personality. :)

  Just like your reader, you need to get to know your characters. You have names, you have traits but you're missing something quite important. Your actual character.

   

     I find answering questions on the character helpful, but whenever I search for them on the internet, they all seem very long-winded and take more time to answer then writing the actual story! 

   Here is a small stack of what I feel are the most important questions that you will answer yourself through the eyes of your character, kind of like a profile or interview. These will help your character develop in their story as well as develop into someone real; someone you will love to write about.

    With these questions, you can learn everything you need to know about your character. Of course some aspects may change as your plot twists and turns, but it's good to get down a few ideas and answers to get you going. You don't want to be in full flow and then not have certain key information down that stops you.

   Here are the basic questions to start you off that should all be answered by the main character. If you want to answer them for some supporting characters too, then answer all or perhaps you might just want to answer only a few of the important questions. There is no need to answer any for background characters if you don't want to. ;) I've highlighted ones in bold which I think are the most important, but answer which ever ones you want of course. :)

Basic Questions:

Full Name:
Nickname:
Age:
Gender:
Date of Birth:
Place of Birth:
Where they live now:
Family:
Ethnic Background:
Religious Background:
Social Class Background: (Upper, Middle, Working...)
Race: (Are they human or a mythical creature)
Mannerisms (A habit):
Health Problems:
Way of Life/Occupation:
Close Friendships/Relationships:

  More questions on personality and appearance to follow. :)

~White Ravens~

Character Trait Tips Part 1...

  Hello again :) To carry on from my character naming, you can see that personality can influence the name a lot. Struggling to think of traits to make your character come to life? Well, look no further :)

 Here, I have put a list together of 100 traits for your characters (hopefully I haven't put some twice...). All you need to do is pick three numbers from 1 to 50 for 'good' traits and 51 to 100 for 'bad traits'. This will balance out your character and give them a varied personality. Obviously, you can add more traits for your character but, if you stick to these three, others will bloom as your character achieves more depth as the story progresses :)

   It's best to try and balance out 'good' and 'bad' traits within every one of your characters, otherwise you end up with a hero who's so bland and a great story pulled down by it's lead.

   You could take a trait and turn it into something that could be seen as 'good' or 'bad'. Like being too forgiving or too lively. Some traits could also fit into both categories, like being serious would be good in a work situation but not if they're at a party.

   Also, if you end up getting a 'good' trait as patient and then a 'bad' trait as impatient, you will have to choose another number since they will contradict each other. Unless you're character has a shifting personality due to eating something awful from another planet... (Carrots are best left alone...)

   I've left some open ended, such as flexible, which could be in mind or in body. Enjoy :)

  So, the 'good' traits:

1. Adventurous
2. Ambitious
3. Attentive
4. Brave
5. Calm
6. Caring
7. Cheerful
8. Confident
9. Creative
10. Curious
11. Determined
12. Devoted
13. Easy-going
14. Enthusiastic
15. Excitable
16. Flexible
17. Forgiving
18. Good leader
19. Good listener
20. Grateful
21. Hard-working
22. Honest
23. Hopeful
24. Intelligent
25. Kind
26. Lively
27. Loving
28. Loyal
29. Lucky
30. Mature
31. Obedient
32. Open-minded
33. Optimistic
34. Passionate
35. Patient
36. Peaceful
37. Polite
38. Protective
39. Quick
40. Resourceful
41. Responsible
42. Romantic
43. Sensitive
44. Sociable
45. Spirited
46. Studious
47. Thoughtful
48. Understanding
49. Wise
50. Witty

 

And the 'bad' traits: 

51. Aggressive
52. Angry
53. Argumentative
54. Bossy
55. Careless
56. Cautious
57. Childish
58. Close-minded
59. Clumsy
60. Confused
61. Coward
62. Crazy
63. Cruel
64. Daunting
65. Dishonest
66. Doubtful
67. Fierce
68. Foolish
69. Gives up easily
70. Gloomy
71. Greedy
72. Green
73. Guilty
74. Hateful
75. Hopeless
76. Indecisive
77. Jealous
78. Lazy
79. Lonely
80. Loud-mouth
81. Mean
82. Messy
83. Mischievous
84. Moans a lot
85. Nosey
86. Over-protective
87. Pessimistic
88. Rough
89. Self-centred
90. Selfish
91. Shy
92. Sly
93. Sore-loser
94. Stubborn
95. Stuck-up
96. Stupid
97. Thoughtless
98. Unforgiving
99. Unsocial
100. Workaholic

   I hope there's enough for you and a variation :) They're might be a couple of strange one's in there since I was writing this late, but they will certainly make your character very unique. Have fun


 ~White Ravens~

P.S. Another post will follow on from this one on how to get these traits across in your writing :)