User:JohnB/Fanfiction/A Humble Suggestion

A Humble Suggestion: My guidelines to writing

I tried once before to give my views on how to write a story for the UESPWiki, but I felt I was overstepping my bounds, for one, and giving advice on sheer common sense, for another. So I ended up deleting them in hopes that people would find my guidelines in my User page and take it from there. The problem is that I doubt people take much interest in User pages, so I decided to try again and outline my ideas to what makes a good story.

1. What you need before anything else is a good dose of self-confidence.

"Will they like me?" This should hardly be your concern when you're testing the waters in what could be a long and fruitful literary career for yourself. The question is rather, do you like them--the readership? No, seriously! This may sound silly, but think about it. They may be strangers, but whether you've left your brainchild on their doorstep, or you meet them in their neighborhood as you stroll with your progeny, your head held high, the outcome may be different. In either case, the worst that can happen is they ignore you altogether, but in the former case, your brainchild will languish in an orphanage while in the latter case someone may stop, pat the child on the head, and comment, "What a cute child--a real chip off the old block!"

It all boils down to why you are telling your story. It could be to entertain your reader, to admonish your reader, or just to dork around with an idea. The point is that it is your readership--not the story itself--that is the target.

2. Try to write in readable English. Try to be grammatical and check your spelling.

Some people honestly want to write, but their level may be wanting for lack of training and practice. Take it from somebody who had to take remedial writing in college (me), the more you read and write, the more your writing will improve. Simplicity goes a long way in saying things right. Also keep in mind that your use of "its" and "it's" or "your" and "you're" will scream out if you can't tell the difference. Revisit your work now and then to make sure it says exactly what you want it to say. Try reading it as if it was not your own.

3. Morrowind characters needn't speak in stiff, stilted cadences. Let them talk naturally.

Some people make their characters sound overly solemn or formal. If you were Shakespeare this would be okay, but you are you, so let your characters sound like you. I write the way I think and talk, and there's nothing at all wrong with that.

4. Don't be hide-bound by Morrowind lore.

This is where a lot of writers become apologetic. Yes, there are purists who demand a strict adherence to what happens in-game. The problem there is it leaves you so little leeway to tell a decent story. Fortunately, most people are quite tolerant of story lines that sound reasonably within the realm of the Elder Scrolls. Of course, if you have Elvis Presley make an appearance in Vvardenfell, people are going to hoot you off the stage, so try to find a middle way between outrageous and hide-bound.

5. A sketch is not a story, and journal entries do not make a good read.

A story needs a buildup, a climax, and a resolution--that's all there is to it. Don't leave too much to the reader's imagination. In fact, imagine that your reader has never played Morrowind.

6. Finish what you've started. Never call you story "A work in progress" even if it is a work in progress.

Never start a story that you have no immediate plan to finish. UESPWiki has a number of ship-wrecks like this. You need to formulate a clear idea of what you're doing, or you'd best not even start. And even if it doesn't come out right the first time, keep working at it. And when you do work at it, don't stop until you feel you've made some progress.

7. Leave unsaid what can be inferred.

In "The Book and the Stone", the captain rescues Vaezbrub from slavery when he and the slave merchant agree on a sharply discounted price. There's only one instance where you need to buy a slave in the main quest, but that one is a special order. I have no idea how much an average price would amount to, so I left it to the reader's imagination.

8. Let the story write itself.

You'd be surprised at what happens when a story takes off on its own. As characters solidify in your head, they naturally start interacting without any intervention on your part. And more often than not, what they do and say can go beyond your wildest expectations. So let them do their own thing, and you just sit back and record what they're doing and saying.

9. Meditate on ideas as soon as you wake up in the morning.

If you're a morning person, get up at 4 AM and bang out that idea, or it will be lost forever. Then you can go back to bed and sleep well.

10. Let outside stories be an inspiration.

Read, read, and read. And when you're finished reading, read some more.