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I had this interesting idea the other day…
…
Us writers have a lot of stuff on our bucket list. Stuff like:
- Studying our own writing with a bird’s eye view
- Portraying our characters’ personalities clearly
- Seeing our style like a reader, for the first time
- Getting FANFICTION written about our OWN stories
What’s my idea? I’m glad you asked š
…
Why don’t we commit mini-studies on each others’ styles??
I for one love scrolling here, figuring out each writer’s style. What’s the writer’s voice? Do they prefer action, description, inner monologue? Is their writing dense with ideas, or short and snappy? Poetic, or realistic? Do they dive deep into character thoughts, or do they like to hint at emotions, and leave the reader wondering?
I’m saying, we can trade styles, and try to write like each other – imitating each others’ WIPs. It doesn’t have to be fancy; just a scene, with the other writer’s characters, and with a hint of conflict. If you don’t know the original writer’s WIP well enough, then you could just put their characters in a setting from the Fantasy School RP instead.
This would give them an idea of how their stories are coming across.
Basically, writing fanfics for each other’s WIPs!!
You could also include some notes on their style, which I’m sure they’d love š
If you need prompts, I can find some!
(Note – no critiquing the writer’s style unless they ask you to; some of us have softer spots than others. I myself would accept criticism š )
@mineralizedwritings @godlyfantasy12 @freedomwriter76 @loopylin @euodia-vision @hybridlore @keilah-h @smiley @highscribeofaetherium @esther-c @powerāEverything is a mountainā
So I already did a couple…
I hope you girls wanted these XD Or at least, want themĀ now.
Because these took me the best of my afternoon, no joke.
I really enjoyed trying to imitate you guys, and I think I learned from the experience, especially constraining my own style and thinking, “what would they write?” I probably didn’t write these scenes as perfectly as I could have, but it was fun.
So think of these as AUs, and not actually accurate to your WIPs. These are not my characters or stories, just fanfic.
Notes: For some reason, I can sense a lot of texture in your storyās settings – like the feeling of rock and metal, and the scrape of work boots against the floor. Although maybe thatās because Iām picturing a mine XD Anyway, I can very clearly feel those textures. Sometimes I can almost hear the tools picking away at the stone. On top of that (or should I say the bottom), you have a steady foundation of words. I never feel like we havenāt gotten enough information on the charactersā actions. Thereās always enough there. I never feel like the characters are floating in an empty oblivion – they are always firmly rooted to the world around them. Also I think youāre the only writer here who uses present tense.
For this fanfic, I wanted to explore Tauren and Lesli a little bit more, but I wasnāt sure on whether to put them in the mines, or somewhere else. I finally decided I wanted to see them out in the big world, trying to live in the woods. Youāve always enjoyed a sense of wonder, Min, and I thought I should include that as best as I could š
Road Trip
I should find Lesliā¦ She said we shouldnāt be separated for long.
Tauren slings on his faded leather satchel, picks up the walking stick by the cabin door, and grasps the scratched up doorknob.
As Tauren swings open the door, he almost sees the familiar, shadowy, lightbulb-lit mine, walled abruptly with dusty stone.
But instead he sees green – more green than he has ever seen, before leaving the bunker.
It feels strange, and Tauren brushes back his floppy curls, his gut twisting a little, before heading out.
He pulls out the map Lesli made the day before, smoothing out the brown wrinkles, and tries to get his bearings without tripping over any roots.
She said she would be exploring this area over here, by the lake. I hope sheās still there.
Tauren walks on and on, until the ground turns mushy and wet, dotted here and there with moss and reeds.
At some point, he is wading through thin mud, the damp smell invading his senses. A chirping sound erupts from a nearby tree stump, making him almost fall over.
Luckily I still have my mining boots. My feet shouldnāt get too soggy.
But where is she?
Tauren canāt imagine her going too far.
The edge of the lake is shallow, and by stepping along the shallows, Tauren can get a good picture of the high dirt bank alongside.
He trails his fingers along the sandy minerals, letting it crumble at his touch.
He gets a firm footing, then pulls himself up over the edge, heels scrambling against loose rocks and slippery grass.
āWoah!ā
He falls, face pressed against the sweet-smelling earth.
āSh!ā
Lesli lays next to him, one arm wrapping around a tree, warm brown eyes lit with surprise. āTauren – what are you doing?ā
āI was looking for you. What are you doing?ā
Lesli puts her finger to her lips, and points. She smiles. āAnimals.ā
Tauren peers over, and his eyes widen.
The ground falls into a little hole, and in the hole, wedged between two trees and surrounded with ribbons of yellow grass, is a large metal contraption, with rusty, crooked wheels.
It looks as if it had been banged against the trees a long, long time ago, and left to be washed away by rain and light. The paint has long since disappeared, leaving only a dull brown color, dented here and there.
Inside the machine curls up a tiny litter of reddish-orange animals, fur rising and falling in soft sleep. They have tapered ears, dipped in brown, flickering as if listening to dreams.
Lesliās entire face beams, and she stands up slowly, creeping towards the machine to get a better look at the fuzzy family.
āArenāt they so pretty?ā Lesli says. āI wonāt touch them, Tauren, butā¦ theyāre so sweet.ā
Maybe we should leave. What if other animals are near? What if that machine comes to life?
But then Tauren gets an idea.
Stumbling to his feet, Tauren rushes away – to the right – ignoring Lesliās exclamation.
He dashes around trees and leaps over bushes with his long legs, going ever farther away, but also coming closer and closer.
That machine had come from somewhere.
He pushes leaves away, and falls into a waterfall of sunlight, streaming over his grease-streaked face, and over the pale, dust-coated overalls.
Tauren comes to stand still, facing something he has never seen before.
āTauren,ā Lesli pants, coming to a stop next to him and pulling twigs out of her blond hair, āwhy did you run off like that?ā
āWe werenāt the first ones,ā Tauren whispers. āAndā¦ this isnāt the only place to be.ā
Then Lesli sees it too.
A huge, wide trail, made with crushed gray rock. Glaring in the hot sun. Stretching its way along the side of the forest, and on across the horizon, into the distance.
āWhereā¦ does it go?ā
…
Notes: You are enthusiastic with your charactersā body language! You have a constant pulling between anxiety/insecurity, versus comfort – for example, when Paxton needs snuggles. Basically, itās all about the characterās well-being. Sometimes thatās physical, but a lot of the time, itās emotions. The characters are infused with backstory (which is usually traumatic XD), and so itās hard for me to picture them without those story details. When I think of Jocelyn, I think of her story. When I think of November, I think of his story. Finally, itās always easy to tell what the characters look like – because, like I said before, you enjoy body language, and you always manage to slip colors and details in. This all makes your characters very memorable.
So for my fanfic, I envisioned the gang traveling through a cold area (I think youāve mentioned them traveling through a snowy region before), and November and Paxton get divided from the others, lost in the snow. I have NO idea when November gets his fire powers, but I thought they would come in handy here, so I used them. Hope you donāt mind š
Fireflies
November stared over the icy white skyline, worry creasing his brow, rubbing his fingers together inside his thick mittens.
The snowflakes swirled in front of them – him and the shivering little Paxton – blowing them in the faces, and turning their noses red and raw from the bite.
āAra?ā The older boy called into the wind. It was immediately thrown back.
This was bad. They had all known to stay together, or else they wouldā¦ freeze to death. But somehow, a blizzard wall had split their paths, and now two of them were isolated from the group – isolated from their friends.
Paxton pressed against Novemberās coat, a trembling whimper frosting his lips.
Where should they go?
Should they go?
Would heā¦ ever find Ara in this world of sharp white?
At the thought of Ara, November nervously reached for one of his ginger curls, dangling over his eye – but found it stiff with ice.
He had to focus. He had to be the better November for once, and protect Pax.
But he only felt like a bumbling, stupid little boy, stuck to his knees in snow. If he tried to walk, he would be sure to fall.
Paxton stared up at him, round face circled in fleece. His eyelashes fluttered weakly, and he reached for Novemberās arm, tucking his head under it like a baby bird under its motherās wing, searching for warmth he would most likely not find.
āPax?ā November tried to keep his voice steady, and pulled the boy close. āItās going to be okay.ā
Paxton shook his head, face still pressed into Novemberās stomach.
He was quivering, quivering much harder than before.
November, realizing this for the first time, brushed back Paxās hood.
The tiny childās lips were an unnaturally sparkling blue. His eyes glinted with the light bouncing off the sheets of snow, and his cheeks were sprinkled with fuzzy frost, crystalizing right before Novemberās gaze.
November shook his head wildly. āYouāre going to freezeā¦ and itās all my faultā¦ā
āNoā¦ā Paxton closed his eyes, breathing in the frigid air. āN-Notā¦ f-f-faultā¦ N-N-oā¦ā
November unbuttoned his coat, and stuffed the weak child into it. It barely fit them both, and November had to pull it closed.
They huddled together against the wind.
Waiting.
November smiled, tears freezing over his cheeks and chin, rubbing the little oneās back.
Pax bent in the wind, turning stiff and cold.
Waiting.
Resting.
Living. Only just.
November apologized. Over and over in his head.
Apologized for all the dumb things he had done.
Apologized for never being enough.
Apologized for not being the best friend he could have been to Ara – for not being confident, or royal, or anything special in particular.
Apologized for every time he tripped over his own toes.
Apologized until he felt his love burn in his chest, seeping into his feet and hands, like liquid fire.
Pax shifted a little.
November opened his eyes – and almost jumped in his fur-lined boots.
Golden embers twisted in the air, blown away into the stormy gray sky, glittering like fireflies.
Novemberās mouth opened wide with surprise.
His hands shimmered with an inner, orange-tinted fire, like burning hot coals.
He hesitated for a second, then pressed them against Paxās thin, trembling back.
Slowly – oh so slowly – the frozen boy eased into a different position, arms dangling at his sides. Limp, but alive.
A wolf howled.
āEverything is a mountainā
Oh my, I love it!!!! XD can’t promise I’ll be able to do it, but I’d love to see what others’ write
Do me a favorā¦. Tell Cress I meant it
-ThorneThis is a brilliant idea! I don’t even know if IĀ haveĀ a style to mimic, but I would love to mimic others and learn from them. (If I ever can motivate myself enough)
And, as always, I loved reading what you wrote!
āNothing says autumn like slurpinā apples.ā -my uncle
I really enjoyed it – it gave me a new appreciation for different styles, and I’ll probably do it again – although it was harder than I thought š Min’s present tense had me constantly rereading my sentences lol. I recommend it!!
(Spell check changed your name to Sloppy Joe’s… š)
Thank you girl!! And I’mĀ sureĀ you have a style – your characters are part of that, and I love how your quirky art style bleeds into your storytelling! ā¤
āEverything is a mountainā
Ah, yes. ‘Tis I, Sloppy Joe.
Thank you girl!! And Iām sure you have a style ā your characters are part of that, and I love how your quirky art style bleeds into your storytelling! ā¤
Thanks!
āNothing says autumn like slurpinā apples.ā -my uncle
This is a genius idea!!
And this actually came at just the right time, because I feel like right now, Iāve been focusing on my style and prose a lot while Iām writing.
Iām excited to see what everyone writes! And Iāll try my best to participate!
Write what should not be forgotten. ā Isabel Allende
This is so cool! Thank you for the kind words about my style! Really put a smile on my face š For me it’s all about trying to portray whatever ‘vibe’ the scene has in my mind, which usually includes dust, dirt, and dim lighting, so yeah you really nailed that! Also Tauren looking for Lesli when she’s just run off is a very likely story. And yeah the sense of wonder is what it’s all about for me! Exploring the wonderful world God made us to live in. I’ll bet the present tense had you rereading XD When I first made the decision to go with it I made a lot of mistakes. Y’know you doing this has made me realize just how much I lack a narrator, idk if you notice that at all, but because my novel writing is essentially the script for my comics, I try not to describe any outside knowledge as a narrator. Like thoughts and thing, written in different line (I see you noticed that too) instead of “Lesli thought to herself.”
@whaley @godlyfantasy12
Whaley I really feel like you captured the slight tension of Godlyfantasy’s narrating, like the individual lines here:
Waiting.
Resting.
Living. Only just.
November apologized. Over and over in his head.
Apologized for all the dumb things he had done.
Apologized for never being enough.
It’s something I see in her (your? Who’s reading this lol) writing a lot. It’s not always action to action, but keeps you on the edge and wondering about what happens next either way.
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
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@whalekeeper AHHH, THIS IS GOING TO BE SOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!! AHHH!!!!!
(i’ll have to search for everyone’s writing now…hehe šš)
idk if I have a style or not…š¤·š»āāļøXXD i probably do, but don’t notice it, lol!!!
anywhoooo, this is such a fun idea!!!!
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I’m not good at detecting a writer’s voice š¤¦š»āāļøš
This looks soo cool!!! I’ll definitely have to try this!!
"Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." Eccl. 12:12
This does seem fun! I haven’t posted to much of my work though, so I’ll do some with your guys work š
"Would you kindly...?"
Jsyk
I don’t think I’m getting notifs for this forum XD idk why
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
Aw thanks! And yeah, stylizing your writing seems to be a thing with me right now too, so I guess we’re all in the same boat, yeah?
YEEEEESSS, I was worried you wouldn’t see this!! *hugsies* š„°
I’m glad I got your style details mostly right! And yeah, I had a bit of trouble with the present tense XD I noticed the way your writing processed the characters’ thoughts, and I figured there must be a reason why you write that way, so… I rolled with it. Heh.
Oh, is that why your characters’ actions are always clear? Because you’re writing a comic, and you want the visual beats easy to translate from words to pictures?
Yeess, I was reading through my Godly fanfic, and thought something was off – so I added the snappy lines, and –
It looked good.
MWAHAHAHAHAHA
@freedomwriter76
I KNOW!!! This’ll encourage looking at each other’s writing, and trying to understand each other’s POVs! …Which is hard XD BUT everyone has a style (including YOU) and it’s really beneficial to coax those styles out!!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with, Hybrid!!
Ooh, you should post more of your work, yeah? Tag me if you do, okay?
āEverything is a mountainā
Oh and @mineralizedwritings
Sometimes the whole notification thing happens to me too. I just have a habit of checking on my favorite pages anyway to make sure I don’t miss anything š Hopefully it clears up.
āEverything is a mountainā
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