[SURVEY] Writing Habits

[Supreme Gamesmaster]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]
Seven to eleven years, depending on what counts as a "story."

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]
All of the above.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]
Eh... when you have a character or relationship in mind, but the conflicts won't come -- or, more rarely, vice versa. These problems are generally solved by combining stories, which works far better than it should and is often, if applied correctly, seamless.

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]
THE FIRST CHAPTER. And the second, etc. until the main plot starts. The end comes easily; it's the beginning that's tough. That said, once I'm over that hump, I can usually at least half-finish any given work.

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]
There are five ways. The first is that she'll (I say she because my major characters tend to be female, though males are hardly nonexistent) appear to me in a dream. Then I just write her story, and their personality tends to develop as it goes.
The second is that I'll start with her personality (e.g. bitter, cynical, yet hopeful enough to want to change the world) and aspirations (e.g. put a sense of empathy in those brainless fools' heads). Then I'll wonder, "Well, what happened to her to make her like this?" The results tend to come fairly quickly. Once I have the backstory and the personality down, her actions throughout the rest of the story follow quite naturally. Sometimes I don't get the personality quite right (e.g. she's actually rather more excitable and mad-scientist-y than I gave her credit for, like Sherlock Holmes or Haruhi Suzumiya) -- or even mess up things like sexuality (that's happened far more often than I'm willing to admit) and social class (turns out Cynthia's working-class and Hayate's upper-middle, oops -- that does change their roles, doesn't it?). She's generally evolved fully by the time I figure out how the story goes, though. That's by far the most common method.
The third is basically that backwards -- if I want to make a message, I'll start with their backstory, then make their personality.
The fourth is that I'll write that character a theme song. It's absolutely amazing what that can do for a character -- Ryoko and Hayate were essentially defined by their theme songs.
The last is that I'll take a relationship and extrapolate its members from the dynamics of the relationships. That almost always happens when I'm making a character based on another one -- I used Shinji-expy and Rei-expy, Mai-expy and Reo-expy, and Kim-expy and Shego-expy. Oddly enough, the character often ends up completely different from the original if this happens; I also am proud to say I messed up Reo-expy's nationality (turns out the girl named [i]Britannia[/i] is all-American, oops).
I can illustrate the pros and cons of this method with the help of the main character of my most recent (and eighty-five-hundred word! squee~) project. Himeta Hayate was originally developed as an original generation character in a Mega Crossover Zelda-and-Touhou-gameplay-mixer video game I'm making in Danmakufu. However, it turned out she had quite a story behind her -- and a suspiciously publishable one. By the time I'd finished her theme song, I had a terribly shy, perfectly phlegmatic, but deeply courageous girl with a timid but completely charismatic voice, a rare bloodline, a prophecy from her birth, a series of amazingly climactic battles and daring gambits against terrifying foes, a deceptively intelligent "normal-girl" best friend with an intense memory and a passion for writing, and... a dead lover that, in the context of the story's mechanics, [i]refused to stay dead[/i]. That meant I had to completely overhaul the story to accommodate Cynthia Almagest, the most energetic genius that I never created. Also, this shy girl had a tendency to ramble and hesitate... even while she was delivering two-page-long flashbacks.
Still, on the whole, I'd have to say that character creation was my specialty.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]
Other novels ("hey, I like this narration style..." "oh, how does this author make things flow?"), TVTropes ("Psycho Lesbian, eh? Sounds neat; I could make a story out of that... Ooh, how about a sympathetic one...?"), dreams ("THAT IS THE MOST BRILLIANT IDEA I'VE EVER HEARD OF"), and the characters ("Eh? You're gay? Huh, didn't know that. Oh, and you're straight? Hm, how strange... Ooh, but then this would happen...! And then that meanst...!"). Oh, and more recently, television shows; two of my more developed stories arose from deliberate misinterpretations of Kim Possible and Hanabira 3.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]
Sit down and write. Perhaps a snack or something immediately beforehand.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]
All at once for fanfiction; in chunks for original fiction. Strange how that works out. :/

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]
Guile Heroes. I've always seen violence and brute force as a mark of villainy and despair;

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]
The sympathetic ones. I don't really know what evil lurks in the hearts of men.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]
HEEL FACE TURN, full stop. I really like my characters, and they all tend to be good people anyway. Also, Everyone is Bi (or more like I don't know my character's sexuality when I create them >_>).

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]
I know the entire plot before I jot down one sentence.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]
This is going to sound a tad strange: read the finished product. Id est, I'll think of a really nifty scene in my head, or imagine how the scene I'm supposed to be writing would go down.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]
I would want to be able to capture my audience better. As it is, my writing style has zero flow, and it tends to be so choppy that the reader is always disconnected from the action. This works fine for humour or meta series. Not so much for serious, young-adult-ish action-y-er pieces. Like the one I happen to be writing now. Go figure. >_>

[Clair]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?
[/b]
I started writing frequently about three years ago.

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]

Fan works, most definitely.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]

The hardest thing about preparing a story for me would be forming personalities for the characters.

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]

Finishing it.

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]

Since I usually relegate myself to fanfiction, I mainly just rip personalities from the character's preset molds. When I write with new characters, I usually try to give them drastically different personalities.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]

Other fan fiction.
[b]
7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]

If the littlest thing distracts me, I am unable to write.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]

Very small chunks.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]

The happy-go-lucky, innocent, wide-eyed protagonist.

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]

Sadistic tsunderes.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]

No, no really.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]

In advance, but sometimes I'll just go wherever the story takes me.
[b]
13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]

Sleep and a need for recognition.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be? [/b]

I wish I could develop characters more effectively.

[shadowferret]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]

For about six years now.

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]

Original ideas, but I write fan fics when I'm in a rut/facing a case of Writer's Block.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]

I think coming up with the character's personalities are the hardest part about preparing the story... Plot is easy for me to come up with, but how the character acts and reacts to his/her surroundings has always been difficult for me. It's hard for me to convey the emotion of a person I've made up.

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]

When actually writing the story, I have the tendency to have all the major events an occurrences planned out ahead of time, it's just getting to those points and connecting them in a way that makes sense proves to be quite difficult.

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]

For the story I've been working on for years, I've been basing characters off of people I know in real life. The protagonist and his friends are based off of myself and people who've changed my life. The antagonist(s) are based off of people who've brought me hardship, or brought the people I care about hardship in their lives.
In another story, I based the main character off of everyone I know in this city, since it's a similar setting (that particular story is based in Mexico, and Arizona has a very prominent Latino community). His experiences and reactions, as well as the decisions he makes, are based off what I believe any normal, well-meaning teenager would do around here.
[u]tl;dr:[/u] I base my characters off of experiences and people I've known in my own life.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]

The world around me, how society works around here. Sometimes I look to politics to find a conflict in the story. When I need an inspiration, I look for a new Musical Artist to listen to so I can expand my own thinking. When I first heard "Atomic" by she, I was instantly inspired to write a whole new story, the genre and style of which I'd never even thought of before.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]

Usually I listen to music to drown out the world around me. Also I write the most when it's horribly late and I'm incredibly drowsy.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]

Personally, when I write anything it comes in chunks. Some days I manage to write three chapters, other days I can only manage a paragraph. Depends on my mood and creativity that day.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]

It depends. Male protagonists, I usually draw from myself for their personality, so they end up being a little closed off from others, emotionally. Really, underneath his shell he usually does long for a deep, close relationship to another person, and without contact from friends he would go crazy, and more than likely have nothing to live for. That being said, the male protagonist is usually self-sufficient, and can fend for himself, despite the emotional needs.
For female protagonists, I draw off a girl I have known for years. She is happy, active, and very energetic, but her focus is never on the right thing. Somewhat like a ditz, but aware of the fact that she is ditsy, she tries her best to not let it overwhelm her. She focuses on the needs of others rather than herself, so her own life is rather suck-ish when she could be using that energy on herself instead. In secret, she is a lonely person, but she has learned to cope with it and does not seek affection or strong relationships with others. Rather, she tends to hide and shy away from getting too involved with one person, and this leads to commitment issues and issues with having people know her too well.
A recurring theme I also find in my characters is that they have no strong bonds to their families, for both genders. Usually, the parents are either absent most of the time, unfeeling, or in one case, are dead.

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]

Antagonist usually end up being someone that the protagonist once trusted or cared for deeply. The betrayal could have occurred long before the plot started, or towards the end of the story - it's always different. The more antagonists there are, the more faceless they've become. When the protagonist is a criminal in a cyber-world who is on the run from the authorities, the antagonists are pretty much faceless, considering they are every authority in the world. When the protagonist was a young man who'd been framed for the murder of his friend's father, the antagonist was the officer who'd framed him. When the protagonist was a boy who'd been forced to move to the ghetto and joined a gang, the antagonist was his abusive uncle, and then one of the members of his own gang.
Hm... a recurring theme here is authority figures, I suppose.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]

The blurring of good and evil, and the belief of "do whatever it takes to survive while still keeping your soul". It comes from a personal belief, because I do not believe there is a "Good" nor an "Evil".

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]

I plot most of the major events in advance, but when the writing begins some of these ideas just get thrown out, new ideas spring up in the middle of my writing, and some turn out completely different. The events between each event I write on the spot, though.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]

I have a friend who wants to be a book editor when she graduates, so she asks to see what I've written lately. My girlfriend also loves to read. Those two people are probably my most motivation to write, because I wanna give them something worth reading.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be? [/b]

I tend to rush when I write, so I wish I could learn to pace it a lot better.

[KindredTether]

1:How long have you been writing stories?
Bout 5 years now

2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?
I hate fan works(Bluuuhhh) the plots are to overused also so many people make "Academies" it's so annoying.

3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?
Thinking of something totally new. I mean characters are easy to get into the story and to react to stuff. I just can't get the original idea thing though I prefer them. Oh yeah and the title.

4: How about writing a story?
Remembering all the little things you have to tie into it. Especially in sequels

5: How do you go about designing your characters?
Okay this is cliche but the hidden past thing for the main character. For the other characters I just think of what has happened recently and I get a stroke of genius!!! Also sometimes I base them on people I know like my brother.

6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?
Music, definitely music. I believe music and rhythm keeps the strands of everything together. Also whatever is happening around me.

7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)
Basically listening to music at a really high volume so I don't hear anything else, eating snacks and writing when it's really late.

8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?
In chunks. Sometimes I write heaps and sometimes I write like 2 sentences. It depends on my mood and how I'm feeling.

9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?
I'll start with male. So when I write in male characters it really depends on their age. With boys I would give them strong bonds with lots of people and usually make it a monstery, fighting story. With adults I would make them closed off from others emotionally. Really they want a relationship with someone but they don't know who and more than likely have nothing to live for. Although they are usually self-sufficient, and can fight.
For the female well I'm not sure recently I haven't done any female protagonists.

10: What about antagonists?
I dunno but it's always someone who is the leader of something. An authority figure I guess.

11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?
The good/evil thing.

12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?
Definitely on the spot writing unless I really,really like the story.

13: How do you get motivation to continue something?
Having a long deep think about stuff. My writing always comes up and I feel guilty.

14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?
The names. Whenever I make up characters or places I always give them weird names, like The Grand Citadel of Diriture.

[Kale]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]

[indent]I have been writing stories from the moment i have been able to hold a pencil and write letters. XD Seriously, i began writing mysteries and fairy tails when i was just 6 years old. I started with pencil and paper but i moved up to laptops. Note that these laptops were made over a decade ago, so you can sense my fury when trying to compile something good on them. It didn't work well, but at the time it was all i had.
Ever since then i have been writing. I started writing here about 4 years ago and i have not really ever [i]stopped[/i] per se.. i just took a much needed break from here in order to sort out a few things.
I am actually still writing, part of which you all can actively see. I write a fan fiction here and i am in the process of writing a novel.
[/indent]
[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]

[indent]I like anything! It just has to be something that catches my attention, otherwise i don't put my heart into it. That's the most important thing to me, putting heart into what you do. It makes it more personal, and it ends up looking better in the end.
[/indent]
[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]

[indent]There is only one thing that could go wrong in preparing a story: its preparation. No, seriously.. if you don't have a good story, you don't have a good story. There is no amount of finesse that you may possess in order to change a crappy story into a masterpiece. I'm sorry.
[/indent]
[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]

[indent]Starting the blasted thing is the hardest part of writing a story. Let me make an analogy: it's pushing yourself up the hill that is terrible part, but the roll back down is all smooth sailing. The first couple of chapters, in order to get yourself established the way you want to be, is the most difficult part of anything.
[/indent]
[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]

[indent]Usually i take characteristics from good friends or coworkers of mine and play around with them until i have a simple idea for a character, then i develop them as i go.
[/indent]
[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]

[indent]Myself, and what little information i have been able to glean out of the novels i have read.
[/indent]
[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]

[indent]My only "habit" is to work endlessly on a chapter. That means to not worry about what else is going on around me, like my school work, eating, watching tv... i suppose that is a good thing sometimes. XD
[/indent]
[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]

[indent]ALL AT ONCE. Doing it in chunks is stressful. If you do it all at once you can remember clearly what it is that you wrote about before, so each chapter will seem more complete in itself. From my own personal experience, when i try to "chunk" it i end up forgetting earlier parts of the chapter. However! i do leave a day for editing before i post anything here.
[/indent]
[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]

[indent]I'd have to say any that sort of relate to me. I have written about 2 separate characters so far, and each one has a similar (yet not quite the same) personality as mine. That way i can think about how i would react to each situation, you know?
[/indent]
[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]

[indent]Just the stereotypical bad guy......?
[/indent]
[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]

[indent]If i had to think about it, i would say running from the law would be an overused trope of mine. However, i try to stick to original plots as best as i can.
[/indent]
[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]

[indent]Ignoring your awesome rhyme here...
I do a little of both when i write fan fiction. i know where i want my story to end up, yet i don't know which route i want to take to get there. So i do it one step at a time, which allows me to change it up if i want.
[/indent]
[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]

[indent]I look at a clock.
[/indent]
[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]

[indent]I would want to change my level of vocabulary. Making things sound better would be so epic!
[/indent]


And that's me.

[Naimo]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]
Hmmm ... I guess ten, coming up to eleven years.

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]
I guess it depends. I do write fanfiction AND original ideas, although I do do more of the former.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]
You start the planning, it goes really well, and then suddenly it just stops because you're like "I don't what's going to happen next." That always happens to me in some shape or form, and I absolutely hate it, especially if the plan starts really well.

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]
I guess it's how you word it - I've got a plan in front of me/in my mind, and then I just can't form the words. I know what I'm going to do, it just doesn't come. Introductions are also a bit chaotic for me; I hate it when you write an intro, finish it, and then start getting doubts about it, even if you're posting to a place you feel really familiar and comfortable with, caus there's no guaranteeing that what you write will attract readers. Obviously it's very off putting if you work really hard and then only one or two people go "I want more!"

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]
Generally I draw up a profile, like I'm about to use them for a role play. I always keep their personalities vague though - I write a couple of lines saying what they're sort of like, but I never go too in-depth, the reason being that they're bound to change somehow as you actually write the story. For example, I had a character that, when I actually wrote her, she was a lot less stoic than I had first pinpointed her to be, and her savage wit was slightly more offensive and less subtle than I had thought it to be.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]
Erm .... at the moment, I am reading 'classics', and I do take a leaf out of those books. To me, classics have such a different style of writing that I find it useful if I try to phrase something but don't quite know how to. Not to mention the vocabularly does differ from a contemporary novel too.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]
None. I usually sit down at my desk, grab paper and pen, and just write. I usually manage double figure pages before I put my pen down again, which is about an hour or so later. I do keep books by my side to consult if I ever get stuck, but otherwise I rely on absolutely nothing. Besides, I get so absorbed in writing that even if there was music in the background, I wouldn't hear a thing - that's how immersed I can become.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]
It depends purely on the time - if I have enough time, I can, on very good days, manage more than one chapter. If I'm running short, I take it in chunks.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]
I can't say for certain, because I tend to be surprised by my own works. For example, when I was planning one of my stories, the plan actually shaped the character rather than me shaping it. I am actually very very pleased with the way he turned out, because right now he is probably the most fleshed out character and a definate favourite of mine. He's also got a personality that I've never really used before, so it'll be interesting to see how people react to him =)

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]
Same as above. In the aforementioned story, the main antagonist was quite a typical baddie, but now that I've managed to bring it to a close, I've actually ended up giving him another dimention to his character. So yeah, surprises are good =)

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]
Eh, I guess the whole 'happy ever after' ending's been abused long enough with me. I am currently trying to create far more original and surprising endings.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]
When I plan a story, I NEVER anticipate it to expand to the point where it becomes a triology/saga. I do have a tendency to leave gaps for myself that I later fill in - e.g. in one of my stories, one of my characters almost died at the hands of the original antagonist, but when it got to later in the story - which I had never anticipated from the beginning - I decided that he would really have been a spy, and that filled in the reason why the original antagonist tried to kill him so early in the story.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]
Comments! Definately comments!

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]
I'd spice it up with more literacy techniques. I'd also like to be a bit better at writing in humour.

[Stardust_Rose_Dragon]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]

Probably about 3 years..... but this year I started writing more completed stories. (If you get what I mean.)

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]

I like to write both..... but I write fanfiction with OCs more than anything.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]

TRYING TO THINK OF A PLOT.

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]

Trying to make the characters say something that pertains to their personality (except in AU... but you get the picture.)

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]

If I am wanting to make a character, I draw one, and then take a personality from an anime character or someone I know and add it to them.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]

My brain, my drawings and sometimes WIKIPEDIA.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]

If I'm writing a story based on an anime, I listen to that particular show. Otherwise I listen to music.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]

Chunks..... I occasionally write a full chapter once and a while.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]

Tom-boys and serious people. I also tend to easily do a hyper person.

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]

[u][i]INSANE[/i][/u].

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]

HAPPY ENDINGS are what I abuse. I'm finally being able to break that habit.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]

I think of something and it goes down on paper. End of disscusion.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]

FEEDBACK.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be? [/b]

Not useing the word "said' as much as I do..... and many other things.

[Azphreal]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b] Maybe about eight months. I'm a bit on-and-off, and I haven't posted/given anyone the roughs yet.

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b] Occasionally the odd Pokemon or WoW fanfic, and I may start a YuGiOh one soon, but mostly original.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b] Actually thinking what to wirte XD

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b] Thinking how to get to your end objective without lingering on every small detail, or skimming over everything.

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b] Work out with whatever comes into my head. Reason with it.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b] My favorite authors, specifically David Eddings. <3

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b] Snacking or working on it and cross-referencing / doing something else to break it up.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b] Chunks. I'm not the kinda guy who can work on something for a long period of time.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b] Depends what I'm writing, and what the storyline is. If it's a human-into-Pokemon, usually clueless-nooby. For originals, I usually use teenagers or young adults making their way into the world. For some reason, writing about a peasant who has royal ancestry intigues me. Again, probably from an Eddings series.

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b] Classics. Dark, evil, mysterious, and sometimes a close friend or reli of the protagonist.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b] Good/evil and having the story center around an object or person with abilities in need of nerfing.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b] Whatever comes to me.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b] Looking at other peoples' work, or when my family brings it up.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b] My vocab and synonyms are fine, so probably actually being able to create a witty, sarcastic character/style of writing where every second sentence has a pun or a second meaning. I need more humour.

[BobaFett2]

1: Since I was 4 I made monsters and stories (but didn't write them down), as well as custom TCGs, since I was 6 I have worked on RPGs, and since I was 8 I actually have started writing the stories.

2: Original ideas, but fan works are great as well.

3: I don't really understand this question. What do you mean by that?

4: The later chapters-it's really easy to make a mistake and make some sort of clash, or to overdo/underdo things at that point.

5: Make them up as I go, a few basic characters in mind at the beginning.

6: Dungeons and Dragons, previous writings/games by myself.

7: Not sure.

8: Depends on how inspired I am at the time.

9: I guess ones like myself, who are cold and logical, although physically weak.

10: Not sure.

11: Not sure.

12: Seat of my pants all the way.

13: Self-motivated, boredom

14: Trouble getting other's emotions correct...

[beefman]

[b]1: On this website, a month. In real life, 8 years.[/b]

[b]2: Fan works.[/b]

[b]3: What the plot line's going to be.[/b]

[b]4: Making it non-confusing.[/b]

[b]5: As they would be in real life.[/b]

[b]6: TV shows, and sometimes other stories.[/b]

[b]7: Eating. Cookies or candy, doesn't matter.[/b]

[b]8: All at once.[/b]

[b]9: Cool, non-crazy, professional. Nothing cocky or silly.[/b]

[b]10: Evil, laughing hysterically, you know them.[/b]

[b]11: The main character suffering some sort of loss at the beginning to the antagonist, but then beating him at the end.[/b]

[b]12: Seat of my pants, I think of it as I go.[/b]

[b]13: Being bored.[/b]

[b]14: Dunno, maybe just using more creative words like benevolent instead of nice.[/b]

[Sploda]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]
About Three years now, can't really say much else.

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]
I usually write original works, either taking nods from other works or by adding subtle references to other works.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]
Thinking of a good idea, and acting on it.

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]
Showing actions and people rather than telling.

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]
I keep an old RP application from a few years back and I go and fill it out. I make sure that the character has a minimum of 3 paragraphs in the areas such as bio, appearance, personality, etc. If I can't accomplish this I either scrap the character or place it in a minor role.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]
Usually my friends and experiences, although they are often mixed with my imagination.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]
I usually sit alone and in quiet (maybe play some Jazz) and write as the ideas come to me.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]
Depends on how much time I have, if possible I like to do it all at once, while the ideas are still fresh.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]
I have yet to find one that I have an easy time writing, it usually depends on how I want the story to progress.

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]
Without a doubt the shady, calculating and manipulative ones. I rarely have a strong, boastful antagonist.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]
Not that I am aware of, but then again I don't keep up on Plot tropes much.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]
The first few Chapters and the ending I will plan out in advance, but everything in between in freeform.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]
From the reviews I get and from the satisfaction that my idea won't be so easily lost or forgotten.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]
Most likely my lack of attention span for long terms of writing (more than one chapter) as that would immensely help me with my plot flow and prevent me from throwing in filler at the last minute.

[Fusion X. Denver]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]

Technically 2nd grade, but I'd say 3rd grade is when I first actually delved into it.

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]

Something in between, I end up using lots of references or ideas from media and incorporate them into my somewhat original concept.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]

Making sure you cover any discrepancies that may arise when parts of the story criss-cross and connect with each other.

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]

Finding time to write it.

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]

I usually base them off people I know, otherwise I go looking for pics and basing a character's personality on their appearance.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]

Myself, usually. Some parts I draw upon things I've seen or read.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]

Getting rid of other distractions so I won't be tempted to stop writing. That's why a lot of my writing is done during school.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]

Chunks, unless I'm really into the story of a particular chapter, in which case I spend a good 1-2 hours writing it.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]

Typical Shonen hero, clumsy, naive, good-hearted, etc.

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]

Evil and unredeemable. Sometimes sadistic.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]

Bad guy takes over the ____, good guys have to stop him.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]

Seat of my pants, but I envision the ending I want for my characters and try to get there.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]

Everyone wanting to read the next chapter, it feels good knowing people want to read what you write. And for certain parts, it's fun and immersible to do.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be? [/b]

Everything. Description, action sequences, showing and not telling, I need a lot of improvement.

[Merci]

1: Two or three years now.

2: Something in between.

3: The hardest thing? Well, that would be the location. Some people create an entire map for their novel. And things get complicated if I try to place something in a real-world place, especially since it's likely I would never have been there to know what it's like in the first place.

4: Probably how to convert planning, if any has been done, into actual quality length paragraphs.

5: I'm very little concerned about this. I just write off the back of my mind.

6: My imagination. And Google. Definitely Google.

7: Always being sleepy when I decide to write.

8: At first, I tried all at once, but when I tried a random order with Kingdom Hearts Zarosis, and I managed to finish it because I just needed to connect the dots in between one chapter and an earlier chapter, so probably parts at a time.

9: Cold-hearted, merciless. Coolish guys who think they can do anything.

10: Exactly the same as the protagonists, only they are extremely knowledgeable on what they are trying to achieve.

11: I tend to include dimensional traveling.

12: I used to write off the back of my head, and I still do. If I plan the whole thing out, I find out that I just cannot do it. So I plan it by starting with the first chapter off the back of my head, and then the final chapter, and THEN I can easily complete it.

13: I'm not sure. My only completed fanfic, Kingdom Hearts Zarosis, was abandoned for three months and I had only done the first chapter. But then I returned after a short mention of it, and managed to complete it. It's probably the guilt of abandoning it, especially when some people had already commented things like 'Can't wait to see what's next' and 'Hope you'll continue' and things like that.

14: Nothing. I'm perfect already.

[Brushfire]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]
Hmm, early age, and properly since that age too. 8?

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]
Fan works, but with a definite amount of originality in there. I will get sorted on original ideas eventually.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]
Making sure your plot isn't predictable and/or been done before

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]
Inspiration

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]
Whatever I feel they should look like. Good for originality.

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]
Pure spurs of continuous writing from my own mind. No source.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]
I don't. I have 'moments' where I can write a lot, and the rest of the time I can't write anything good at all.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]
A chapter all at once. I won't be able to go back and finish that chapter without rewriting the whole chapter if I stop.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]
With similar personality to myself. But that's obvious, and it's also why I don't do it.

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]
Typical, 'evil' sociopaths. Clichés easily become habit.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]
Nope.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]
A mixture.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]
I can only motivate myself to write if I feel other people will want to read it.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be? [/b]
Avoid repetition of specific words.

[The King of James]

1: How long have you been writing stories?
Answer: Nearly 6 years (It will be my 6th Anniversary as an author on August 17th, 2011, as that was the day when I finally referred to myself as an actual story writer and realized that I was doing it for fun and not just because I had the ability to. Due to a personal experience on that day that I’ll never forget, I will celebrate that day each year until I die as an author)… (of which, I hope my author’s spirit never dies)

2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?
Answer: Original stories are the only way to go, anything else is obsolete.

3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?
Answer: Thinking of a plot that you will not want to change half-way through writing it.

4: How about writing a story?
Answer: Balancing the most important parts of the stories: A powerful connection between the reader and the author, creating a beautiful and descriptive setting, and last but certainly the most difficult is to reveal the plot as slowly as possible while sustaining suspense as well as excitement.

5: How do you go about designing your characters?
Answer: I normally start by writing a profile for each of the main protagonists (I generally have more than one, but I almost never have more than three), after which I create the profiles for the main Antagonists (These are villains who are normally numerous, and many of which will change sides several times during a story, only to end up as an enemy at the end). These profiles set the basis for most of my characters, but even so all of my characters are possible subjects to changing sides (due to plot twists and events that change the life of certain characters.)

6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?
Answer: My skills in writing English literature, and my general understanding of the fantasy and sci-fi writing genres.

7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)
Answer: I certainly concentrate better and tend to write while listening to music playing in the background on my computer. Note that I also use my computer to type stories since I can type nearly three times as fast as I can write by hand (197 words per minute w/ 82% accuracy typed, 68 words per minute with 59% accuracy, hand-written). In other words, I am a terrible writer and an amazing typist. But all the while, music helps me to get into the zone so that my ideas are not lost in my overactive mind.

8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?
Answer: I normally don’t write multi-part chapters, but for some stories I will split the final chapter into more than one part, for the sake of creating a more intense and suspenseful climax to my stories.

9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?
Answer: I usually write a protagonist with these qualities easiest, but rarely do I choose to use them as one of the main protagonists: Relaxed, gentle, brave and charismatic, dignified by their morals and their pride.

10: What about antagonists?
Answer: Once again, I rarely ever use the easiest antagonist to write as one of the main ones, but it’s at least more common than using a main protagonist of such. They generally have these defects and/or personality ‘qualities’: Insane, deceitful, mysterious and tyrannical.

11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?
Answer: Define ‘abuse’. If abuse means I am not allowed to use a single plot trope more than once in each story, than yes, but my stories do not focus on concepts that require heavy reliance on plot tropes, and the tropes are mostly there for humorous situations that I tend to throw in sometimes.

12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?
Answer: Since most of my stories are unpublished epic-genre novels (focusing on an enormous timeline of events that happens over a very long period of time, generally centered around great battles and events, such as worldwide oppression and widespread wars.), I usually begin creating my plots a few months before I even begin the actual writing, so that I can unfailingly finish said novel without having to rewrite it many times

13: How do you get motivation to continue something?
Answer: I generally don’t stop writing something until completion, and if I do give up on it, I will not likely be motivated to continue it at any point. I can only think of three stories I gave up on in the past, and two out of those three were fan fictions written when I was 15 years old (which is over 4 years ago). The last one is a story I nearly finished writing, but instead wrapped it up abruptly at the start of my junior year of high school (a month or so before my 17th birthday), and never touched it again. I believe that even though it might have been a masterpiece had I ended it as planned, it isn’t worth the effort to try to revive a work of art long-expired, and recreate characters who cannot be compared to the greatness of characters I create with my current skills.

14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?
Answer: I would change the fact that I have to write backwards, with my paper turned sideways, when I have to do something in hand writing. This is not a joke; I actually cannot write normally like most, but I can type normally and read normally, which means I’m not dyslexic, but I seem to have some other writing defect that only affects the way I write on paper. Instead, I would gladly trade that defect for having reading dyslexia. (only for reading, mind you, because I would HATE to have the complete effects of dyslexia, and would rather simply remain the way I am now)

[Imma Mario]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]

[center]Two years... ish[/center]

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]

[center]Fan works[/center]

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]

[center]I'm supposed to prepare?[/center]

[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]

[center]Finding my mistakes.[/center]

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]

[center]I play lots of Video Games and watch lots of Movies...[/center]

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]

[center]What is this, I don't even...[/center]

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]

[center]None.[/center]

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]

[center]Neither. I write the Ending first.[/center]

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]

[center]Short Tempered[/center]

[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]

[center]Sneaky[/center]

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]

[center]I don't know.[/center]

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]

[center]The first one, but I wear pants while doing it.[/center]

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]

[center]I don't get motivation, I have no confidence either...[/center]

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]

[center]I would like to stop writing.[/center]

[Dwarven King]

1: Roughly seven years.

2: Whatever comes to mind...mostly stuff I make up on my own.

3: Starting the beginning. Starting a story is the HARDEST thing for me.

4: Keeping an interest in it. I tend to make up the story as I write it. If I think the whole thing out, I lost interest because I already know the ending. Get what I mean?

5: They just...pop into my head, haha. I write on impulse really.

6: Hardly anything...except my favorite authors. ^^

7: Multi-tasking to keep my brain active. Like right now I'm posting this while working on my current story.

8: I try to do it in one go. If I stop and come back some other time, I lose my focus and tend to forget where I was going. The result is generally a chapter that randomly changed gears...and annoys me.

9: I don't really have a favorite. It all depends on the story.

10: The complete jerks that hate everything about life.

11: The good guy who does bad things for good reasons.

12: Seat of my pants! That way even I'M left guessing, haha. xD

13: When I know people are reading it and enjoying it...and even when I'm challenged to do better!

14: My procrastination.

[Not-so-Radiant Arin]

1: How long have you been writing stories?

[i]My whole life.[/i]

2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?

[i]Anything that comes across my mind, I write down on paper (I've killed a lot of trees in my lifetime)[/i]

3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?

[i]The outline.[/i]

4: How about writing a story?

[i]Other distractions that don't require attention that are also present.[/i]

5: How do you go about designing your characters?

[i]First I make the antagonist(s) of the story, then I go and plan the supporting characters, followed up by the protagonist(s)[/i]

6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?

[i]Other works that other people have made (no plaigarism here).[/i]

7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)

[i]3 pages a day. At least. I listen to music ocassionally, it really helps me to set the mood of what I am trying to go for.[/i]

8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?

[i]See above. 3 pages a day.[/i]

9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?

[i]The ones that really care about other people and display a strong bond with the people that they meet.[/i]

10: What about antagonists?

[i]The ones that are really dark and evil, like end of the world and all that happy and fun-loving stuff (obvious sarcasm)[/i]

11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?

[i]End of the world stuff. Or searching for something. Either one of the two, or I might combine the two, like what I am doing right now.[/i]

12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?

[i]That's what outlines are for.[/i]

13: How do you get motivation to continue something?

[i]If I don't get those three pages done, I don't feed myself for the rest of the day (this is true!)[/i]

14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?

[i]Not letting anyone/anything else distract me so easily.[/i]

Glad I could be a guinea pig for yet another survey!

[Piercer of the Heavens]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]
Not that long, like 4-5 months.
[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]
A combo of both, I get ideas from the actual things and find ways to fuse it with my ideas.
[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]
The beginning. That is a pain to do, usually that is what makes me stop writing.
[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]
Well, I write as I go, I don't plan it out much. I usually have a basic idea, but very moldable so I have freedom. So I would say when I just go blank.
[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]
I usually base them of my friends.
[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]
My brain and animes/mangas.
[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]
I usually always write before I go to sleep( Midnight-2 am) because thats when I get most of my ideas. I would write in the shower for better results, but still haven't figured out how to do that.
[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]
I try all at once, but usually end up doing in chunks.
[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]
Stereotypical ones.
[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]
Same as protagonist.
[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]
Well, I think it would be that the hero(s) are always in a group of at least 5.
[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]
I get a very basic idea that is very moldable, and then write as I go.
[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]
When people like the story.
[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]
Imagery. I suck at it, I would make it so I can actually describe how something looks.

[Agro]

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]
For about thirteen years. Never felt confident about them until about 4-5 years ago though.
[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]
I've always written originally, though you have to understand that most original works are usually inspired by other areas. I do, very much, think up fan works, but I've never written any of them. (Will definitely change soon. Count on that.)
[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]
The hardest part of creating a story is ALWAYS trying to make it in a way that will be able to capture the audiences attention. Much of that comes down to how it's written, sure, but most of it after that is all about the story, characters, and if it's actually interesting. Being a social misfit myself, I've always found that character interactions are by and far the toughest things to figure through.
[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]
Oh, the opening is horrific. When I'm writing, if the story is moving too slow, I can just get plain out frustrated with writing it, and procrastinate to the point of it almost disappearing. (don't worry, I come back later)
[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]
One is always me, or a part of me, or rather, a part of me I wish I were. The rest are usually developed to a small extent before writing them. I suppose that would make them shell-like, but honestly, I've always had the ideas for characters flowing through my head when I'm not writing (causing considerable trouble in class at school. Apologies to my high school Calc teacher.). Mostly, they get developed through writing, I don't have a true idea of who they really are until I actually write them into the story. After all, how can I just imagine what they must be like, shouldn't I meet them first?
[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]
EVERYWHERE. Literally. Books, manga, anime, comics, tv, movies, life. You can't just limit where your ideas come from, that's putting a cap on your abilities and imagination, and when it comes to storytelling, that is just WRONG. The most important thing I think any writer can do it to read. A lot. Like, if you have free time and you have writer's block. Read. It's easy and it can not only give you ideas for how to get past the block, but you may be inspired for something later in your writing, maybe even a later writing.
[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]
I try to write before sleeping, but that is almost impossible, because I'm impossibly lazy and just end up going to sleep. Therein, though, does lie what truly helps me write. Peacefulness. No distractions. If I write in front of a televison, I won't get ANYTHING done. At all. Music isn't as bad, but it sure as hell doesn't help. The best place is in a chair in my living room with no distractions. It's out of the way and no one usually bothers me. ('cept my dog, but she keeps my feet warm, so that's okay) Distractions make writing tough. I don't like to eat prior, I just get bit irritated by it for some reason and I end up just going back to the kitchen to find more food. If I eat or drink anything, it's just a bottle of water, nothing more.
[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]
I write for as long as I can handle. Whether that means a chapter or an entire book (like I'd ever have the time) I just try to write. Usually that mean that it's in chunks. Though, then again, and this is an idea that some people may want to consider thinking about: don't write chapters. Write your story. Chapters are breaks in the action, and can be worked out well as cliffhangers or pacers. I find it best to write, then later, when I find the time or the need, go back and find the best place to place a break and separate my writing into chapters.
[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]
Anti-heroes are, by and far, my favorite to write. There is just something undeniably realistic about them, something...human. I hate writing perfect, usual heroes. That doesn't make any sense to me. Heroes may be heroes, but they should still be human. They should question themselves, their actions, and the actions of others. They should have some ideas about what is important, but that ideal should get clouded at times. They should make mistakes, and sometimes they shouldn't be able to correct those mistakes. That is what makes a person human, and that is not an area a hero should be allowed to be exempt from.
[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]
Antagonists run about the same line. You don't want an evil, I will destroy the world, antagonist. That's stupid and unreasonable. Here's the point plain and simple: villains should either be misguided or have fallen to their primal instincts like greed and envy, which is another type of misguided I guess, so yeah, they're just misguided. Villains should never think that they are villains, they should, more or less think that they're right. And if you want to make them [i]really[/i] awesome antagonists, make them right, at least in some regard. If a villain has justification for his or her actions, that makes him that much more of a rounded character, and, depending on the story being written, extremely dangerous. Because, just as the protagonist should, even if it's clouded, he has a purpose. And that, my friends, it the most powerful motivator for ANY character.
[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]
Tropes. Good choice of words. (goes and finds his dictionary so that he doesn't give a stupid answer.) The anti-hero thing has been invading my stories of late. Mainly because it seems more realistic, or maybe because you see it so much more in today's movies and television shows (that guy in Hawaii Five-O shot the governor Holy S***). I also tend to use the "hero hiding to protect himself" and the "hero is dead, wait, no he's not", which is hilarious, because I completely DESPISE those plot points.
[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]
I have KB's of folders that are only just preparation for a story only taking up MB's. So yeah, I prepare a lot. In my case, though, I don't do it well enough, since my ADD makes me procrastinate like crazy. I try to change ideas whilst writing though, just because it makes it flow a lot better.
[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]
If people read it and give me feedback, it definitely helps. Mainly, I'll just be thinking (I do that a lot, it's a blessing and a curse) and I'll come up with something and it'll be like a EUREKA! moment and I'll rush back to my laptop and start writing again. The problem with that is that I think mainly when I don't have access to my comp. and I end up losing the motivation before I get to it.
[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]
Character interactions need work, and I REALLY need to figure out how to slow myself down and learn how to use my adjectives and adverbs. That about sums it up simply, but I really just want to be able to write fluidly and that seems, to me, to be the best way to go around doing that.

[bury the year]

Wow. I realized I posted this and never answered it myself. Time to remedy that.

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories? [/b]Hoo boy. If you count in-school works, it’s been ever since elementary school, but I’ve only started serious, non-essay schlock in sixth grade. So, that’d be roughly six years.

[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between? [/b]Anything that captures my interests, really. However, my original ideas are usually heavily influenced by one or two other pieces of media, so they’re somewhat derivative. I’m a bit of an obscure manga/light novel geek, so many of my ideas are thusly representative. They’re all “manga-esque,” in that they’re written with many manga tropes in mind.

[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story? [/b]Leashing myself down to actually prepare it in full. Not one of my stories that I’ve taken to writing so far have had much beyond the first three or so chapters planned out. Not coincidentally, all of them died early deaths. I am trying something new and writing out a chapter-by-chapter overview before I start, which is in opposition to my RP roots that say “start writing nao D:<”

[b]4: How about writing a story? [/b]For me, it’s hitting the perfect chapter length. If I write too long, I get fatigue from trying to keep lengths consistent; too short, and then I feel perversely guilty.

[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters? [/b]Names always come first. I can’t solidify a character’s concept without having a nicely appropriate name to go along with them. Then, I file up a few scenarios in which I imagine that character acting and responding, lacing those scenarios together, drawing a plot out of it, etc etc etc. Then, what have you, a story!

[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing? [/b]I enjoy somewhat lesser-known light novels and manga, as I’ve said before. A lot of the stuff there takes some rather unique, if at least not unapproached, angles to the genre, and it’s fun trying to synthesize something new out of them. I also tend to stalk RP sites a lot, and some of my odder ideas have come off of them. Finally, random artwork always helps for settings.

[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.) [/b]I’ve become very obsessive with how I format my chapters on my computer and keeping them organized. Although much of my hard drive is an absolute logistical mess, you can count on each chapter of a fic of mine to be in its neatly-organized section above all the chaos.

[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks? [/b]If I write a chapter in chunks, I tend to take increasingly-long breaks between each chunk, and then the quality of the pieces suffers and doesn't link together well. So, I’d like to say that my best writing is when I can do it all at once.

[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise? [/b]Your average everyman, for the most part. I write exclusively male protags, seeing as I am one myself. I’ve been trying to work on making a character that isn’t so white-bread.

[b]10: What about antagonists? [/b]To be honest, none of the stories I’ve written have developed to the point where a clear-cut antagonist is present, and the one I’m working on now doesn’t have one. (It’s more of a slice of life/mundane rom-com than anything else.) Therefore, I can’t give a good answer to this.

[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing? [/b]If I had to list them, I’d be here all day. However, I am fond of taking classical tropes (those that approach clichédom) and trying to play them brutally straight or taking them to their logical conclusion.

[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants? [/b]I think question 3 answers this suitably. I’m now trying to stay away from those grandiose poorly-planned epics of a story – the one I’m planning now is only going to have 25-30 chapters tops, if that.

[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something? [/b]If there’s a single person that’s followed my story from the beginning, then I feel bad if I have to let them down by stopping.

[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be? [/b]Cut back on the description and make some actually believable-sounding dialogue for once. Yeah, I have the opposite problem of most forum-based writers. This is one of the reasons it can take me a while to write a chapter: a lot of my stuff is description-heavy.

[TheBlackNMetal]

1. Not very much

2. prefer fan wor with some originality in it.

3. The hardest part is probably going back and revising everything. I sometimes I find alot of mistakes as I get too in the moment of writing.

4. I have and am writing a story write now. Though sadly I thought I would get some comments on mine, I was wrong (

5. I take characters from original stories and go as possibly close to their own original personalities as possible.

6. I draw upon my sources of searching on the internet.

7. Music, always listening to music while writing. Maybe munching on some snacks.

8. I write it all at once.

9. The easy going, adventerous kind

10. Whatever seems to go against the protagonist's personality

11. Lots, if I ever wanted some in a chapter, which I will usually do

12. I plot it out in advance

13. Something I really enjoy writing about

14. I wouldn't say change, but extend my vocabulary. Theres alot of words for describing things in books.

[Alice Moonflowyr]

1. Only about 2 years or so. Not long.
2. In between
3. OMG plot. Also, setting. (designing charachters is a second nature to me.)
4. For me, its always been the actual writing. I have an amazing story in my head, and I get frustrated when I cant translate it to words.
5. I litarlly "see" the charachters looks and personality in my head, and I try to transfer it into words.
6. Mah bwain.
7. Honestly? I run on imagining what my friends will think of the story when its done. I imagine them really liking it, and it makes me want to finish it really fast.
8. Oog, mostly in chunks.
9. Uhhh.....mostly the heroic type. (heh, also the reluctant type)
10. Meglomaniac, coldly calculating, and President Snow type.
12. Oh, god do I plan in advance. Not every little tidbit, I see THIS point, then THIS point, and make up what goes on in between as I go along.
13. Look at 7.
14. Hmmmmm......detail. I suck at writing detail. Also see: 4.

[Atomix]

[quote name='Rinne' timestamp='1286590579' post='4689709']

[b]1: How long have you been writing stories?[/b]
For quite a while but none of them ever get of the planning section really.
[b]2: Do you prefer to write fan works, original ideas, or something in between?[/b]
I prefer to write fan works which then give me original ideas....
[b]3: In your personal opinion, what is the hardest thing about preparing a story?[/b]
A way to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.
[b]4: How about writing a story?[/b]
Starting it off.
[b]5: How do you go about designing your characters?[/b]
I take the best picks of all the characters I can think of.
[b]6: What sources do you draw upon the most for your writing?[/b]
Gaming and movies with large universes of information.
[b]7: What kinds of writing habits do you have? (Listening to music, eating snacks during, etc.)[/b]
Mostly listening to music but I really only get ideas when I'm in school (I bring a notebook with me).
[b]8: Do you write a chapter all at once, or in chunks?[/b]
Do lines count?
[b]9: What kinds of protagonists do you write the easiest, personality-wise?[/b]
I find the dramatic hero too overrated and go for the anti-hero and the byronic hero.
[b]10: What about antagonists?[/b]
I like connecting the antagonist's story with the protagonist.
[b]11: Any plot tropes that you have a habit of abusing?[/b]
Leaving plot points left and right.
[b]12: Do you plot a story out long in advance, or go by the seat of your pants?[/b]
The sweaty seat of my pants.
[b]13: How do you get motivation to continue something?[/b]
By boredom.
[b]14: If you could change one and only one thing about your style of writing, what would it be?[/b]
[b] [/b]Being able to add a variety to my content.
[/quote]

[Corvidae]

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