Ooh! This looks awesome! Thanks for letting us know that we're welcome to participate, @Twiggy ! I'll think of questions and make a point to swing by over the weekend! How fun!
Wonderful of you to stop by, Cathy, I'll look forward to seeing your questions!
I'll just start here with my two cents on the questions I dropped earlier...
Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess? I don't use many extras myself. I use MC Command for story progression. There's still a lot I can learn about its workings, though. Besides that one mod, I use programs to convert more than one screencap to .jpeg or give a screencap filter or so. The programs I use for this are quite basic, I guess, Paint and XnConvert.
Recently, I also started using Grammarly on my WordPress. I don't have it on all the time but switch it on when I'm about done writing a chapter and am ready to edit. I've found it helps a great deal. Where I used to make mistakes regularly (like missing comma's after an introduction), I can now sometimes sense already that my grammar is off before even editing my text.
What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story? I like it when the words and sentences seem to flow into a cohesive story. The screencap should add to this in a way that doesn't seem too staged. I strive to get to that point by editing my chapters once almost finished (and maybe a few times in between). When it comes to screen capping I try to combine pictures with speech or thought bubbles in them to incorporate into the story.
How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time? It's definitely not a constant procedure so to speak. Maybe I can say I've found myself evolving? Where I used to be more game driven in the first generation, I find myself with a more clear outline now. I was so swept away by the game at first that I had to remind myself to get my story elements in. Now it sometimes seems the other way around lol The other day I even noticed I was planning about ten chapters ahead to make sure I get the right caps in time. I still am pleasantly surprised, though, when the game decides to throw my schedule around and gives me a curve ball here or there. It keeps me on my toes.
Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this? Only as a young kid going on a young woman, I was more preoccupied with storytelling than I have been since I'm writing simlit. I have written professionally in between but those were reports of meetings with board members of energy companies, not very fantastic or creative stuff, right? Since writing simlit I'm happy to see more stories are forming in my mind so who knows, in future, I might be writing more.
What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog? I have absolutely no clue. It was a friend outside the Sims community that suggested WordPress and got me started there when I said I had a story I wanted to start sharing. It took me a couple more months though before I actually started publishing my story. I didn't want to mess things up. To me, a good blog is organized and not all that cluttered. That way I can focus on the story and not be all too distracted. I do believe my blog could do with a bit more here and there, though. If time permits, I'll look into that when the twins are going to school once they've turned four next October. In the meantime, I do wonder what other simmers criteria are, though.
I seem to be putting off my teaching work (which I usually do on Saturday) for a day, so... I think I'll play here with you guys!
Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess?
I use MC Command Center, but only for game-play, not for the sake of stories. I don't like the culling of Sims or relationships, so that's why I use MCCC.
I do use photo editors to resize and optimize my screenshots so they're not so huge (filesize-wise), and I really love the way that this fits into my writing process.
My stories are mostly Sim-driven or game-driven, meaning that I play and interpret the story while I play, rather than write first and then take the needed screenshots. So, as a result, the photo resizing sessions work as an important stage, allowing me to select, review, organize, and then weave together the story.
What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story?
I like such a wide range of styles and approaches, so I was thinking about what the common quality was that tied these all together. You know what it is? Love. When a writer writes for the love of the Sims or a love of the story, then that carries through, and that impels me to read on. I feel like I can tell when someone's writing to be popular, and that often puts me off. But when I writer has an itch and writes to scratch that, then I'm drawn in by that curiosity and feeling of exploration. And when the writer loves what she's doing, that adds the needed relish!
How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time?
Right now, my active stories are game-driven or Sim-driven, so there's not a lot of planning going on. I will be returning to a Neighborhood Rotation soon which, though Sim-driven, is also story-intensive (meaning I'm striving for a cohesive plot and character development), so I will do some light planning. This will mostly consist of deciding which characters I want to focus on then trying to see what arcs might come out of playing them... I usually feel like I'm in the dark with this story, so it's a murky experience for me, and also a little mystical!
Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this?
Yes, I have lots of experience writing. I've got an MFA in creative writing. I write a lot for both of my jobs, too. (I'm a web editor and a writing/literature instructor at a community college.) Because I've written a lot, my SimLit is very Sim-oriented. If I wanted the story to drive the writing, I'd just write a short story or novel, not use Sims. I view my SimLit as a writing exercise. It allows me to observe and develop character and to watch events unfold and then find a plot within that. I really like the experience!
What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog?
I love WordPress! Because both my jobs are web-intensive (my teaching is online) I was SOOOO hesitant to start blogging. But I love it. And I adore WordPress. I love the community of bloggers--it's so fun to be able to comment and read each other's work. I much prefer to read on Wordpress, but I'll read blogspot or any other blogging site if it's a story I love. I have to be really, really motivated to read forum-posted stories because the loading time is SOOOO slow for me!
Please pardon my absence in the past week or so. We've had a lot going on, including a trip away and a night in the hospital for the hubs. I'll be chiming in more later on this evening or tomorrow once I'm back at my computer (I'm thumbing this out on the IPad). Looks like we've got some great discussion with some questions for everyone, so I'll be answering them when I'm on my computer.
*waves at @CathyTea * So glad you came to join us for some chit-chat and all that jazz.
I'll hopefully get a chapter for my story up this next week. My life is calming down a little now that our trip is over and hubby is home from the hospital. He's feeling better, thank goodness.
@mastressalita - Did you get the email I sent you a while back? I sent you the Sims I'd been promising, so I hope you got them and everything's okay with them.
As to how long to wait for participation...I guess a factor for consideration is when the last time they were online on the forums was. Maybe send a PM or an email if you know it and see what their intentions are for the circle. If you don't hear back in, say, a week, then maybe it's time to open up the spot.
It's a pleasure reading those answers, @CathyTea I especially like your answer to what a good simlit makes. I totally agree!
Now my answers to your questions: What are some of your favorite moments when it seemed like the game or your Sims were collaborating with you to create your story?
Hard to elaborate on my current fave here since it would be a huge spoiler but I can share an older moment... when my founder Eeq Mezilkree was broken up with Jade Rosa over a flirt with Latoya it was fun to see Jade and Latoya becoming friends. I feel that made it so much easier for me to weave the element of the surrogate mom in. How much do you incorporate aspects of your own life, such as themes, observations, thoughts, and experiences, into your SimLit?
I suppose someone always does in some form or other? I'm both an observant and intuitive person so even when I don't on purpose, I think things that keep my mind busy will eventually find their way into my story since this too finds its origin there heh What advice would you give to other SimLit bloggers?
I'm reminded of a quote I heard the other day: 'When you do what you love, what you do will love you back' (Sarah Blackwood - WotE) It's simple but true to me when it comes to writing simlit. The sole purpose of me writing is that I'm having a blast while at it. And even when not at it, it inhabits my mind and sparks more creativity. That to me is what it is all about. If I nurture my creativity, more creativity will come to me. Isn't that awesome? Now imagine you're your own best mentor (and you probably are!): what advice would you give to yourself about your own SimLit projects?
hahaha to quote another lady:
Hey, good to see you here @sweetnightingale Great to hear your sweetheart is feeling on the mend. I hope it was nothing too serious, though? Am looking forward to a new chapter but I know life can slow us down when it comes to updating our stories as much as we'd like Hope to see you back later to hear your thoughts on the questions formed.
@sweetnightingale : Yes, I got the e-mail! I haven't had much time to get into game this month as this has been a month where time keeps running away from me (I barely managed to jump into game to just get a few things for short story challenge, and I still need to write that!) but the files are safe and sound in my inbox.
I'll be back later tonight for Q&A stuff! I still need to eat and have a soak and I'd love to finish up that short story but something tells me it might get delayed until tomorrow... again (at least the picture selecting/formatting portion is done! I'm really procrastinating hard this month... Meep!) I'll be out of town Sep. 29 - Oct. 3 (going to San Jose/San Francisco area for a sci-fi/fantasy convention) so I'm really running out of time to get it done, heh.
Will pop back by after my Hunger and Hygiene bars are taken care of!
Excellent questions, @Twiggy! I'll answer these tonight, and probably get to @CathyTea 's tomorrow.
Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess?
As a Sims 3 player, I pretty much feel mods are essential to keep it running smoothly. I see so many people complain about problems I haven't dealt with myself, but I'm also not hesitant to throw a mod in when something is irritating me. This is why I enjoy playing a "completed" game that is not constantly being patched up -- I can easily add and remove mods as I wish, without having to worry about a mod I enjoy suddenly being "ruined" and needing to be "updated" by a sudden new game patch release. I use many of the Nraas suite (Master Controller, Story Progression, etc.) as well as several other things. I have a few things that help with the in-game camera a bit (I'll admit I have poor control myself and needed something that kept it from "flying away" a bit better), poses, custom content, etc.
As far as outside of the game, I actually write on, believe it or not, a plain text editor called NoteTab Pro which is essentially like plain old NotePad only in a tabbed form so you can flip between multiple documents that are all open at once. Also it is designed for coders and automatically color codes when you write in HTML, and I write all my SimLit directly into HTML coding, so that makes it very handy.
I do all my picture resizing and optimization on an old software as well... Photoshop 6! (Yes, 6!) Don't really need anything fancy for the very limited stuff I do with images, which is mainly resizing and making sure they are fairly web-friendly.
What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story?
I very much feel the same as @CathyTea here. When someone writes just because they loves writing, or love playing Sims and want to share their experiences, I tend to enjoy it. Even if that person is from another country and struggling with English, or brand-new to the game and still learning how to take screencaps (I still feel so much shame over my early screencaps, guys T_T). The authors that constantly freak out over their views, the amounts of comments they are receiving, the number of likes, get really competitive over their writing, tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I always say, write because you love it. If you obsess over other people loving it, you aren't writing for the right reasons.
I think an author is usually their own harshest critic anyway. ^_^;; When I started writing, I was completely outside of a "Simlit community" (I mean, I was on Livejournal and didn't even know about these forums, and had NO Simmer friends!) When I discovered a Simmer community, and found other Simlit, just reading other stories and having a community to ask questions from I was able to make a lot of changes. Over time, my screenshotting improved a lot (from learning how to control the game more as well as being able to ask specific questions of the TS3 players) and this is probably really obvious from reading Yandere Diaries or Cat Chronicles (aside from recently published chapters) compared to, say, recent short stories. I was taught a lot on how to use poses too, and while I don't use them much in my main stories, I practice using them in my short stories. I've actually found I get a lot of practice from the monthly short story prompts, especially in trying to write different styles and tones (tearjerker, humorous, first person vs. third person, etc.) I find those a good sandbox for trying things. And over time, I've come to find I don't like the style of one of my stories and plan to give it a re-write (for format, not plot). Getting started on the Yandere Diaries rewrite has just been a time issue at the moment (but I have a lot of ideas of what I think will work better!)
How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time?
For me, I always view the game as my co-author, so I never create grand plotlines ahead of time, I never write a full chapter beforehand, and I never use the game just as a posing studio. My style is more along the lines of having a general idea in my head of where I'd like things to go, and I may jump into the game with that idea in my head, setting out to do certain actions or events, but the game, much like a coworker, always gets its own say. Things might not pan out exactly how I may have thought or imagined, and I always take that into account, and the story evolves as a result. New ideas can suddenly spin into my head. The idea for the next chapter might suddenly take a very different turn than what I'd previously been thinking. For this very reason, I never have had a need for formal outlining, and I always write after screencapping images! Seeing what the game hands me is part of the joy I get from this format of writing. I consider the work this odd joint-effort between us.
Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this?
Prior to writing Simlit, I wrote on an interactive writing forum (known as "play by post") where players created their own characters and then had "roleplay sessions" between other players on the board, creating stories between each other. The board I played on was based on the world in the Black Jewels novels of author Anne Bishop (I'm leaving next week to a sci-fi/fantasy convention in San Francisco where Anne Bishop is a guest, so you can imagine how TOTALLY PSYCHED I am to meet her and get her to sign my books... she was hugely influential to me as a writer, because I LIVED in her world for a few years!) I left that forum over a "few bad apples spoiling the bunch" (forum politics with moderators and issues with a few players making the experience not-fun anymore) but I always still had the writing bug in me. But I always liked that interactive writing experience rather than just a solo writing experience. It just doesn't feel the same for me to sit down and write, by myself, on a blank page, and I don't know why. A few years ago on a different forum I found a nice lady with some very particular interests the same as me that enjoys writing and we write together, just her and me, so no forum politics we have to deal with, play-by-post style on Google Documents (as of this month, we have been writing together for TWO YEARS! and I think collectively on Google Docs we have written over 600 pages? Something like that! I actually owe her a post right now!) So I am still doing "play by post" writing, on a very small scale, with that one author over Google Docs.
I think because of this "play by post" background, this is why I see the Sims game as my "co-author" the way I do, and why I have the particular style of never writing before screenshotting or outlining ahead of time; I go into the game with my own particular set of ideas and make my Sims set out to make those ideas come to fruition ("my post") but then once I see what the game starts throwing back at me (in essence, the game's "return post"), that in turn changes what I'm going to want to do with the story next. It's very much this give-and-take sort of style of writing and there is this real sense of fun from the surprise of the unknown of what is going to come your way that you aren't expecting.
What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog?
I actually started my site on Livejournal! Here is the proof! The problem is I couldn't get anyone to visit my story there. Knowing what everyone does about how I love "outdated" technology, I really loved Livejournal, it allows a lot of customization that is FREE that Wordpress and other sites only allow if you get the PAID versions. But since no one was willing to touch the story with a ten-foot pole just because it was hosted on Livejournal (who has heard of that?) I had to move to where all the other Simlit was, so I signed up for Wordpress. There are still some things about it that drive me crazy (the fact I can't change a link color and have to hard-code in navigation because they lock away such things in their CSS and PHP files unless you pay out of the nose, and things I could've done quite easily for free, over on Livejournal; Livejournal let me use Google Analytics for free, and Wordpress makes you not only pay, but pay the executive account for that!) but in the end it worked, and people actually came to the site, and started reading the story. In the end it was all about just getting one person other than my librarian buddy to read my silly cat story, so it was worth the move.
When it comes to reading, I'll read wherever the story is, but prefer blog hosted stories to forum-hosted stories mainly because of the sort of reader I am -- I don't tend to "keep up" on stories the second a new chapter comes out, I tend to read in 10-15 chapter batches at my own pace, often well after publication date, and on a forum that is so past after they are published I don't feel any incentive to comment on those chapters when those comments wouldn't be right after what I just read and seem out of place (kinda an OCD thing). Also I just don't like all the other forum comments interrupting my flow and making it harder to find the next chapter, and the "plum" filter can be really bad and blot out the most mundane of words in the writing.
I also really do like when sites take the time to optimize/resize their images; ever try reading Simlit on coffee shop wi-fi, when the person has 80 pictures on a chapter, and they are all .pngs, and they are fullsize and they are just letting Wordpress "auto" resize them on the display? (which means they are actually loading the full images)? It means the chapter is pretty much unreadable... and it HAS crashed my browser. Not fun. -_-;;
My most disliked thing? When a blog just deletes their story. Save file corruption? Sure, it happens. No longer interested in the work? That happens too. But deleting a site, to me, is like burning a book (call me crazy librarian if you wish). There is much to be learned from discontinued stories. There are so many stories out there I enjoyed, for what they were, before the author stopped updating them. Doesn't every reader have a few of those? Wouldn't it be awful to never get to look at those old chapters again for nostalgia's sake? What about just reading a gen of an unfinished legacy as a sort of short story? Or maybe someone gets a spark of inspiration from something to spin in a different direction. Most importantly, an author can learn so much from past, unfinished works. But every month I find more and more "This Wordpress has been deleted" in the Stories and Legacies Index that I have to remove, and it makes me sad. Sad like seeing a physical book turn to ash. I don't know why people would say that isn't okay, but have no problem simply deleting their online stories. -_-;;
@Twiggy - It's nice to be posting here again. I miss all of you when I'm away. The hubs is back to his old stubborn self and he's glad to be out of the hospital. He even took the boys (two of our dogs) for a walk after getting home yesterday so life is good. I'll e answering all the questions here in a bit but wanted to get all the replies taken care of first. I'm hoping to get a new chapter up for "As Tears Go By" this week. Now that life is calming down a bit for a while. I want to spend a lot of this week focusing on my stories ad getting everything updated. Oh, and the discussion schedule is fine by me. I'll go along with what everyone wants; I'm easy. LOL!
@mastressalita - Glad you got the e-mail. I didn't hear anything back so just wanted to make sure everything arrived safely. No worries on the timing. Take all the time you need and feel free to message, tag, or e-mail me if you need anything adjusted.
Right. So now for the questions. First, I'll answer the ones from @Twiggy .
1. Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess?
As a Sims 3 player, I use a whole host of mods and feel they are a must have for storytellers and players alike. I use a lot of the NRAAS suite (Master Controller, Story Progression, and others) but there are others; I'll name a few. Buzzier's Clean House for Everyone (such a lifesaver for me being visually impaired and I can't always find the messes quuickly), Buzzier's Takeout Mod (I don't always feel like cooking, so it's nice to be able to have my Sims get food delivered sometimes), and Scribbling Pad (Sims can write books with that instead of a computer. It was very helpful when I first starte writing Alina in "Another World" for when she traveled forward in time to present day. It also helps if you want to show where it looks like a Sim is doing a hand-written journal). There are others, of course, but for story purposes, the absolute MUST for a mod would be pose player. You just can't capture the entire essence of something you're trying to write with strictly the game animations. I use Pose Player and MANY poses for all my stories, including my short stories. As for programs to help with the screencaps, I don't do much editing.They come out as JPG's, so I don't have to do any conversions. I post on Blogger, so there's a size selection I use to post them in the size I want.
2. What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story?
I think there needs to be a good balance between text and screenshots. If it must lean toward one or the other a bit, I'd prefer a more text-heavy story versus picture loaded. So many SimLit authors rely too much on screencaps and the art of writing is lost, IMO. For me, writing a SimLit still involves WRITING a good story, so therefore, I try to write my stories as if there may not be pictures present. I endeavor to write quality text and put in the effort I'd exercise when writing non-SimLit (something I'd hope to hvae published). I try to use pictures to compliment the text, not overpower it. With that said, I know there are times I tend to be very text-heavy (you see that in some of my "Forever in Time" chapters if you're familiar with that story. So, in other words, I'd rather read a good story rather than look at a picture book.
3. How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time?
Unlike some of you here, my stories are very plot-driven. I write first usually and then do the screenshots to match what I've written. If there's something that happens in the game that catches my attention and I think I can work it in, I will. I often have a general plan as to where I want the story to go but sometimes may have to alter things in the planning stage to make sure it'll work. When I'm planning, I'll grab one of my beloved fountain pens and write copious notes on what I want to happen. When I'm actually in game doing things for the story, I have a main file where I just play to get where I need to be (marriage, pregnancy, job, etc). Then, I have a clone file where I do all the poses and extra staging, if needed.
4. Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this?
Yep, I do. Like @mastressalita , I participated in a RPG, but mine was Harry Potter based and was done through a Yahoo Group. I've also participated in NaNoWriMo for a number of years and have a couple books written that need some major editing and in some cases, rewriting. Plus, I've been trying to get some of my short stories (not Siims related ones, of course) published but have had no luck so far. Some poetry I wrote EONS ago, was published in our college magazine when I was a student. So, in other words, I've always loved to write. Writing SimLit just gives me another creative outlet that I love very much.
5. What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog?
I was comfortable with Blogger (I have a book blog that I haven't touched in years, haha), so I decided to stick with that when I started writing my SimLit. It was easy for me to get the hang of and didn't cause me too much headache when setting it up. However, I don't like how sometimes it's hard for people to leave comments there when doing it from their Wordpress account; the two don't seem to mesh well. BUT, i do have a Wordpress that I'll be using soon I'd bought a domain name a few years back adn always kept it up to date. I linked that with my Wordpress (sweetnightingale.com) and will be starting some new stories there and putting up some short stories. Hey, I bought the domain, I might as well use it, right? I just have to figure out how you insert the pictures. With Blogger, it's easy. There's an Insert Image button and you upload what you want. Once done, you select the picture you want where, choose whatever size you want it to be, and there it is. I'm not sure how that's done on Wordpress.
What makes a good blog - Well, I feel it doesn't need to be "busy." I like nice colors that are easy on the eyes but don't detract from the story and screencaps. I also like it when the text stands out nicely so it's easy to read. So many blogs are hard to read because the text "melts" into the page colors and that gives me eyestrain and a headache.
1. What are some of your favorite moments when it seemed like the game or your Sims were collaborating with you to create your story?
Ah, I have two strong examples, one of which is for the story for this circle and one is for "Forever in Time." For "As Tears Go By," Debbie never wanted kids and had absolutely no plans to have any. However, when Nathaniel came along, she changed her tune, I'd planned to write that into the story anyway, but Debbie cooperated very well. She was always holding Nathaniel or playing with him autonomously, so it just fell right into my lap.
For "Forever in Time," (Well, technically, it was Lenora's Bachelorette Challenge), Lenora and Tyrone were drawn to each other from the getgo. With that challenge, you do a lot of hands-off until you have individual dates. Then, you queue up the desired interactions (depending on what version of the challenge you're playing) and then let the chips fall where they may after that. I have a lot of lore surrounding my supernaturals, so when all was said and done with Lenora and Tyrone getting together and how inseparable they were, it was a perfect way to start putting my wolf lore into place. Really, it couldn't have worked out any better.
2. How much do you incorporate aspects of your own life, such as themes, observations, thoughts, and experiences, into your SimLit?
Great question! I tend to do this somewhat frequently. For example, I'm musically inclined as you all know, so I carry that over into my stories whenever possible. For "As Tears Go By," you all know it's a musical legacy where each gen gets its own theme song. Debbie loves music and is a decent guitar player (she often plays and sings "As Tears Go By," which is, of course, her favorite song), but I held back, meaning she doesn't have as much musical talent as some of my other Sims. Now, "Forever in Time" is LOADED with musically talented Sims (Lenora, Tyrone, and Aurora, who possesses special magical powers within her singing voice). Also, I love to write and Lenora is a writer. These are the ones I could think of at the top of my head, but I'm sure there are probably more.
3.
a. What advice would you give to other SimLit bloggers?
I agree with everyone who said that the joy of writing needs to come before views/comments. Above all, you have to write because you love it and to realize that you must please yourself above anyone else. Readers will come along in time.
Now, I hope I don't open up a can of worms here and I'm going to be as vague as possible. When readers do come along, realize that you're not going to please everyone and there are times that a reader may become offended at something you've written. This has happened to me to the point that someone accused me of taking a personal dig at them, which was entirely untrue. The long and short of it was, there was a big argument, I was made to feel like I should rewrite (I did), and there was a permanent rift, causing me to leave a community I'd invested a lot of time and participation in. The lesson I learned here was, again, it's YOUR story and you write it however you want, regardless. There's always going to be someone who disrespects your work and you can't please everyone. Don't be a doormat and allow someone to bully you into rewriting because they didn't like what you wrote.
b. Now imagine you're your own best mentor (and you probably are!): what advice would you give to yourself about your own SimLit projects?
I answered this in the above question. I learned the hard way that trying to please everyone doesn't work and that I can't let someone guilt trip me into changing something just to smooth ruffled feathers. It's actually happened more than once and after waht I went through (see above), I will NEVER allow that to happen again. The only way I'd ever rewrite is if I was the one who felt it was necessary or if I was working with an editor who made CONSTRUCTIVE suggestions.
There's my two cents' worth. I hope you all are having an awesome day.
Oh, there was another note I wanted to add but it's easier to make a new post rather than edit the above one. I agree with everyone who says they're not gravitated to stories written on a forum thread. To me, seeing it on a blog is more "professional" and it's easier to leave feedback. There's more freedom to be had on a blog, too, and for me, a blog loads quicker than a forum page.
I think it's insightful to see a little behind the scenes to what drives us in sharing our awesome stories. I would like to hear from you whether you think it will be fun to keep these open discussions in our reading circle's schedule
For the coming weekend, we have a discussion of male prettacy, Monstrous Mezilkree ch. 21-30 scheduled. I'll be happy to see you then but naturally, I'll drop by somewhere before the weekend also.
@everyone If there are general questions you might be facing when writing your story or have general questions you would like to have more than your own answers on, feel free to drop em here this weekend! To start the general simlit discussion this weekend off, I'll have a few questions for you all lined up. If you care to know, I'll be answering them myself also... maybe yours too, so don't hesitate and jump in on the fray!
Here are my questions to you:
Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess?
What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story?
How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time?
Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this?
What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog?
Okay, I guess that's it for now. If more pop to mind I'll be sure to drop em here haha
I have a beautiful Princess (Rose White) who will very soon be taking suitors ... do you have a special guy (or would like to create one) who might like to vie for her attention (gen 2 is coming soon and will kick off with a quest for the princess' heart and hand)? She has been dreaming of him already.
It was a cray cray month .. so I got a tiny bit"cheaty" and did an update and a short story entry all in one For my regular readers, I hope you enjoy their first glimpse of NYC (an incredible build by Simoniona). Our little Rose Red learns a valuable lesson today (actually a couple of them LOL).
In case any of you would like to read my short story for September's Challenge, here it is. It's my very first post on my Wordpress and I'm still getting used to things. The story here will be a prologue to a longer work I'll be working on very soon. The blog is still under construction and I'll spruce up from time to time.
I finished my short story last weekend (was in a rush to get it done before I leave the day after tomorrow... this marks my twelfth consecutive short story, for a full year of participation)
Oh wow, so many new updates and reads Great going!
I'm happy to see I'll probably have a night all to myself somewhere this weekend to get caught up (and have the time to answer any Roundabout questions on chapters 21-30 of Monstrous Mezilkree here. Speaking of which, I want to do some work on the new update there too which is never a bad thing cause it means I get playtime in too YAY haha
Hiya everyone, how are you doing this weekend? I know mastressalita is at the convention hopefully having a blast and I hope everyone else is having fun somewhere too It's quiet over here atm so I guess this means no questions have arisen and there are no pointers or comments on the selected chapters of Monstrous Mezilkree? I hope that's a good sign haha
I am caught up on the reading but I will try to get a few questions or comments down this afternoon .. been tap dancing thru a few issues in my story line (my triplets aged up and I have 3 folders of preshot story material .. aaugh)
Hi all. I visited the main circle thread and it looks like you might have one spot left? If so, I am wondering if I can join? I signed up for the Easy Reads but I am looking for more stories to read as I am new to the 'new' Sims' forums and thought to check with you guys. My evenings are pretty open (Now it sounds like I have no life haha) so I definitely have time on my hands to read and catch up on stories.
We do have a spot open, @MoonGirl ! I'm sure @Twiggy will be able to give you a better run-by, I just got back from vacation and am behind on forum things (and am about to head out to the doctors since I hurt my foot on vacation) but wanted to make sure you felt welcome before I had to rush off (last month was just one of those hectic months for me).
Comments
Wonderful of you to stop by, Cathy, I'll look forward to seeing your questions!
I'll just start here with my two cents on the questions I dropped earlier...
Recently, I also started using Grammarly on my WordPress. I don't have it on all the time but switch it on when I'm about done writing a chapter and am ready to edit. I've found it helps a great deal. Where I used to make mistakes regularly (like missing comma's after an introduction), I can now sometimes sense already that my grammar is off before even editing my text.
@sweetnightingale @lisabee2 and @mastressalita Just a reminder, lemme know what you think about my earlier post on our new reading schedule. Thnx!
Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess?
I use MC Command Center, but only for game-play, not for the sake of stories. I don't like the culling of Sims or relationships, so that's why I use MCCC.
I do use photo editors to resize and optimize my screenshots so they're not so huge (filesize-wise), and I really love the way that this fits into my writing process.
My stories are mostly Sim-driven or game-driven, meaning that I play and interpret the story while I play, rather than write first and then take the needed screenshots. So, as a result, the photo resizing sessions work as an important stage, allowing me to select, review, organize, and then weave together the story.
What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story?
I like such a wide range of styles and approaches, so I was thinking about what the common quality was that tied these all together. You know what it is? Love. When a writer writes for the love of the Sims or a love of the story, then that carries through, and that impels me to read on. I feel like I can tell when someone's writing to be popular, and that often puts me off. But when I writer has an itch and writes to scratch that, then I'm drawn in by that curiosity and feeling of exploration. And when the writer loves what she's doing, that adds the needed relish!
How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time?
Right now, my active stories are game-driven or Sim-driven, so there's not a lot of planning going on. I will be returning to a Neighborhood Rotation soon which, though Sim-driven, is also story-intensive (meaning I'm striving for a cohesive plot and character development), so I will do some light planning. This will mostly consist of deciding which characters I want to focus on then trying to see what arcs might come out of playing them... I usually feel like I'm in the dark with this story, so it's a murky experience for me, and also a little mystical!
Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this?
Yes, I have lots of experience writing. I've got an MFA in creative writing. I write a lot for both of my jobs, too. (I'm a web editor and a writing/literature instructor at a community college.) Because I've written a lot, my SimLit is very Sim-oriented. If I wanted the story to drive the writing, I'd just write a short story or novel, not use Sims. I view my SimLit as a writing exercise. It allows me to observe and develop character and to watch events unfold and then find a plot within that. I really like the experience!
What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog?
I love WordPress! Because both my jobs are web-intensive (my teaching is online) I was SOOOO hesitant to start blogging. But I love it. And I adore WordPress. I love the community of bloggers--it's so fun to be able to comment and read each other's work. I much prefer to read on Wordpress, but I'll read blogspot or any other blogging site if it's a story I love. I have to be really, really motivated to read forum-posted stories because the loading time is SOOOO slow for me!
Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
1. What are some of your favorite moments when it seemed like the game or your Sims were collaborating with you to create your story?
2. How much do you incorporate aspects of your own life, such as themes, observations, thoughts, and experiences, into your SimLit?
3.
a. What advice would you give to other SimLit bloggers?
b. Now imagine you're your own best mentor (and you probably are!): what advice would you give to yourself about your own SimLit projects?
Do you also play The Elder Scrolls Online? You can find me there as CathyTea, too!
Please pardon my absence in the past week or so. We've had a lot going on, including a trip away and a night in the hospital for the hubs. I'll be chiming in more later on this evening or tomorrow once I'm back at my computer (I'm thumbing this out on the IPad). Looks like we've got some great discussion with some questions for everyone, so I'll be answering them when I'm on my computer.
*waves at @CathyTea * So glad you came to join us for some chit-chat and all that jazz.
I'll hopefully get a chapter for my story up this next week. My life is calming down a little now that our trip is over and hubby is home from the hospital. He's feeling better, thank goodness.
@mastressalita - Did you get the email I sent you a while back? I sent you the Sims I'd been promising, so I hope you got them and everything's okay with them.
As to how long to wait for participation...I guess a factor for consideration is when the last time they were online on the forums was. Maybe send a PM or an email if you know it and see what their intentions are for the circle. If you don't hear back in, say, a week, then maybe it's time to open up the spot.
Now my answers to your questions:
What are some of your favorite moments when it seemed like the game or your Sims were collaborating with you to create your story?
Hard to elaborate on my current fave here since it would be a huge spoiler but I can share an older moment... when my founder Eeq Mezilkree was broken up with Jade Rosa over a flirt with Latoya it was fun to see Jade and Latoya becoming friends. I feel that made it so much easier for me to weave the element of the surrogate mom in.
How much do you incorporate aspects of your own life, such as themes, observations, thoughts, and experiences, into your SimLit?
I suppose someone always does in some form or other? I'm both an observant and intuitive person so even when I don't on purpose, I think things that keep my mind busy will eventually find their way into my story since this too finds its origin there heh
What advice would you give to other SimLit bloggers?
I'm reminded of a quote I heard the other day: 'When you do what you love, what you do will love you back' (Sarah Blackwood - WotE) It's simple but true to me when it comes to writing simlit. The sole purpose of me writing is that I'm having a blast while at it. And even when not at it, it inhabits my mind and sparks more creativity. That to me is what it is all about. If I nurture my creativity, more creativity will come to me. Isn't that awesome?
Now imagine you're your own best mentor (and you probably are!): what advice would you give to yourself about your own SimLit projects?
hahaha to quote another lady:
~hugs~
I'll be back later tonight for Q&A stuff! I still need to eat and have a soak and I'd love to finish up that short story but something tells me it might get delayed until tomorrow... again (at least the picture selecting/formatting portion is done! I'm really procrastinating hard this month... Meep!) I'll be out of town Sep. 29 - Oct. 3 (going to San Jose/San Francisco area for a sci-fi/fantasy convention) so I'm really running out of time to get it done, heh.
Will pop back by after my Hunger and Hygiene bars are taken care of!
Have a Sim story site? Please submit your link to the Stories and Legacies Index!
Check out my Simlit at Sim Stories: Hijinks from the World of Sims 3!
My Simlit Discussion/Updates | The Fringe | Short Story Challenges
Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess?
As a Sims 3 player, I pretty much feel mods are essential to keep it running smoothly. I see so many people complain about problems I haven't dealt with myself, but I'm also not hesitant to throw a mod in when something is irritating me. This is why I enjoy playing a "completed" game that is not constantly being patched up -- I can easily add and remove mods as I wish, without having to worry about a mod I enjoy suddenly being "ruined" and needing to be "updated" by a sudden new game patch release. I use many of the Nraas suite (Master Controller, Story Progression, etc.) as well as several other things. I have a few things that help with the in-game camera a bit (I'll admit I have poor control myself and needed something that kept it from "flying away" a bit better), poses, custom content, etc.
As far as outside of the game, I actually write on, believe it or not, a plain text editor called NoteTab Pro which is essentially like plain old NotePad only in a tabbed form so you can flip between multiple documents that are all open at once. Also it is designed for coders and automatically color codes when you write in HTML, and I write all my SimLit directly into HTML coding, so that makes it very handy.
I do all my picture resizing and optimization on an old software as well... Photoshop 6! (Yes, 6!) Don't really need anything fancy for the very limited stuff I do with images, which is mainly resizing and making sure they are fairly web-friendly.
What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story?
I very much feel the same as @CathyTea here. When someone writes just because they loves writing, or love playing Sims and want to share their experiences, I tend to enjoy it. Even if that person is from another country and struggling with English, or brand-new to the game and still learning how to take screencaps (I still feel so much shame over my early screencaps, guys T_T). The authors that constantly freak out over their views, the amounts of comments they are receiving, the number of likes, get really competitive over their writing, tend to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I always say, write because you love it. If you obsess over other people loving it, you aren't writing for the right reasons.
I think an author is usually their own harshest critic anyway. ^_^;; When I started writing, I was completely outside of a "Simlit community" (I mean, I was on Livejournal and didn't even know about these forums, and had NO Simmer friends!) When I discovered a Simmer community, and found other Simlit, just reading other stories and having a community to ask questions from I was able to make a lot of changes. Over time, my screenshotting improved a lot (from learning how to control the game more as well as being able to ask specific questions of the TS3 players) and this is probably really obvious from reading Yandere Diaries or Cat Chronicles (aside from recently published chapters) compared to, say, recent short stories. I was taught a lot on how to use poses too, and while I don't use them much in my main stories, I practice using them in my short stories. I've actually found I get a lot of practice from the monthly short story prompts, especially in trying to write different styles and tones (tearjerker, humorous, first person vs. third person, etc.) I find those a good sandbox for trying things. And over time, I've come to find I don't like the style of one of my stories and plan to give it a re-write (for format, not plot). Getting started on the Yandere Diaries rewrite has just been a time issue at the moment (but I have a lot of ideas of what I think will work better!)
How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time?
For me, I always view the game as my co-author, so I never create grand plotlines ahead of time, I never write a full chapter beforehand, and I never use the game just as a posing studio. My style is more along the lines of having a general idea in my head of where I'd like things to go, and I may jump into the game with that idea in my head, setting out to do certain actions or events, but the game, much like a coworker, always gets its own say. Things might not pan out exactly how I may have thought or imagined, and I always take that into account, and the story evolves as a result. New ideas can suddenly spin into my head. The idea for the next chapter might suddenly take a very different turn than what I'd previously been thinking. For this very reason, I never have had a need for formal outlining, and I always write after screencapping images! Seeing what the game hands me is part of the joy I get from this format of writing. I consider the work this odd joint-effort between us.
Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this?
Prior to writing Simlit, I wrote on an interactive writing forum (known as "play by post") where players created their own characters and then had "roleplay sessions" between other players on the board, creating stories between each other. The board I played on was based on the world in the Black Jewels novels of author Anne Bishop (I'm leaving next week to a sci-fi/fantasy convention in San Francisco where Anne Bishop is a guest, so you can imagine how TOTALLY PSYCHED I am to meet her and get her to sign my books... she was hugely influential to me as a writer, because I LIVED in her world for a few years!) I left that forum over a "few bad apples spoiling the bunch" (forum politics with moderators and issues with a few players making the experience not-fun anymore) but I always still had the writing bug in me. But I always liked that interactive writing experience rather than just a solo writing experience. It just doesn't feel the same for me to sit down and write, by myself, on a blank page, and I don't know why. A few years ago on a different forum I found a nice lady with some very particular interests the same as me that enjoys writing and we write together, just her and me, so no forum politics we have to deal with, play-by-post style on Google Documents (as of this month, we have been writing together for TWO YEARS! and I think collectively on Google Docs we have written over 600 pages? Something like that! I actually owe her a post right now!) So I am still doing "play by post" writing, on a very small scale, with that one author over Google Docs.
I think because of this "play by post" background, this is why I see the Sims game as my "co-author" the way I do, and why I have the particular style of never writing before screenshotting or outlining ahead of time; I go into the game with my own particular set of ideas and make my Sims set out to make those ideas come to fruition ("my post") but then once I see what the game starts throwing back at me (in essence, the game's "return post"), that in turn changes what I'm going to want to do with the story next. It's very much this give-and-take sort of style of writing and there is this real sense of fun from the surprise of the unknown of what is going to come your way that you aren't expecting.
What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog?
I actually started my site on Livejournal! Here is the proof! The problem is I couldn't get anyone to visit my story there. Knowing what everyone does about how I love "outdated" technology, I really loved Livejournal, it allows a lot of customization that is FREE that Wordpress and other sites only allow if you get the PAID versions. But since no one was willing to touch the story with a ten-foot pole just because it was hosted on Livejournal (who has heard of that?) I had to move to where all the other Simlit was, so I signed up for Wordpress. There are still some things about it that drive me crazy (the fact I can't change a link color and have to hard-code in navigation because they lock away such things in their CSS and PHP files unless you pay out of the nose, and things I could've done quite easily for free, over on Livejournal; Livejournal let me use Google Analytics for free, and Wordpress makes you not only pay, but pay the executive account for that!) but in the end it worked, and people actually came to the site, and started reading the story. In the end it was all about just getting one person other than my librarian buddy to read my silly cat story, so it was worth the move.
When it comes to reading, I'll read wherever the story is, but prefer blog hosted stories to forum-hosted stories mainly because of the sort of reader I am -- I don't tend to "keep up" on stories the second a new chapter comes out, I tend to read in 10-15 chapter batches at my own pace, often well after publication date, and on a forum that is so past after they are published I don't feel any incentive to comment on those chapters when those comments wouldn't be right after what I just read and seem out of place (kinda an OCD thing). Also I just don't like all the other forum comments interrupting my flow and making it harder to find the next chapter, and the "plum" filter can be really bad and blot out the most mundane of words in the writing.
I also really do like when sites take the time to optimize/resize their images; ever try reading Simlit on coffee shop wi-fi, when the person has 80 pictures on a chapter, and they are all .pngs, and they are fullsize and they are just letting Wordpress "auto" resize them on the display? (which means they are actually loading the full images)? It means the chapter is pretty much unreadable... and it HAS crashed my browser. Not fun. -_-;;
My most disliked thing? When a blog just deletes their story. Save file corruption? Sure, it happens. No longer interested in the work? That happens too. But deleting a site, to me, is like burning a book (call me crazy librarian if you wish). There is much to be learned from discontinued stories. There are so many stories out there I enjoyed, for what they were, before the author stopped updating them. Doesn't every reader have a few of those? Wouldn't it be awful to never get to look at those old chapters again for nostalgia's sake? What about just reading a gen of an unfinished legacy as a sort of short story? Or maybe someone gets a spark of inspiration from something to spin in a different direction. Most importantly, an author can learn so much from past, unfinished works. But every month I find more and more "This Wordpress has been deleted" in the Stories and Legacies Index that I have to remove, and it makes me sad. Sad like seeing a physical book turn to ash. I don't know why people would say that isn't okay, but have no problem simply deleting their online stories. -_-;;
Have a Sim story site? Please submit your link to the Stories and Legacies Index!
Check out my Simlit at Sim Stories: Hijinks from the World of Sims 3!
My Simlit Discussion/Updates | The Fringe | Short Story Challenges
@mastressalita - Glad you got the e-mail. I didn't hear anything back so just wanted to make sure everything arrived safely. No worries on the timing. Take all the time you need and feel free to message, tag, or e-mail me if you need anything adjusted.
Right. So now for the questions. First, I'll answer the ones from @Twiggy .
1. Are there any mods, programs or apps you use to enhance your simlit, be it your writing or screencaps and how do you feel these programs aid your storytelling prowess?
As a Sims 3 player, I use a whole host of mods and feel they are a must have for storytellers and players alike. I use a lot of the NRAAS suite (Master Controller, Story Progression, and others) but there are others; I'll name a few. Buzzier's Clean House for Everyone (such a lifesaver for me being visually impaired and I can't always find the messes quuickly), Buzzier's Takeout Mod (I don't always feel like cooking, so it's nice to be able to have my Sims get food delivered sometimes), and Scribbling Pad (Sims can write books with that instead of a computer. It was very helpful when I first starte writing Alina in "Another World" for when she traveled forward in time to present day. It also helps if you want to show where it looks like a Sim is doing a hand-written journal). There are others, of course, but for story purposes, the absolute MUST for a mod would be pose player. You just can't capture the entire essence of something you're trying to write with strictly the game animations. I use Pose Player and MANY poses for all my stories, including my short stories. As for programs to help with the screencaps, I don't do much editing.They come out as JPG's, so I don't have to do any conversions. I post on Blogger, so there's a size selection I use to post them in the size I want.
2. What do you think, makes good simlit and how do you strive to achieve this quality in your own story?
I think there needs to be a good balance between text and screenshots. If it must lean toward one or the other a bit, I'd prefer a more text-heavy story versus picture loaded. So many SimLit authors rely too much on screencaps and the art of writing is lost, IMO. For me, writing a SimLit still involves WRITING a good story, so therefore, I try to write my stories as if there may not be pictures present. I endeavor to write quality text and put in the effort I'd exercise when writing non-SimLit (something I'd hope to hvae published). I try to use pictures to compliment the text, not overpower it. With that said, I know there are times I tend to be very text-heavy (you see that in some of my "Forever in Time" chapters if you're familiar with that story. So, in other words, I'd rather read a good story rather than look at a picture book.
3. How do you plan or outline your chapters/story and is this a constant or do you mix things up from time to time?
Unlike some of you here, my stories are very plot-driven. I write first usually and then do the screenshots to match what I've written. If there's something that happens in the game that catches my attention and I think I can work it in, I will. I often have a general plan as to where I want the story to go but sometimes may have to alter things in the planning stage to make sure it'll work. When I'm planning, I'll grab one of my beloved fountain pens and write copious notes on what I want to happen. When I'm actually in game doing things for the story, I have a main file where I just play to get where I need to be (marriage, pregnancy, job, etc). Then, I have a clone file where I do all the poses and extra staging, if needed.
4. Do you have experience with writing besides simlit or do you think you wouldn't be writing (the same story) when not using The Sims to form/accompany your story? What's your take on this?
Yep, I do. Like @mastressalita , I participated in a RPG, but mine was Harry Potter based and was done through a Yahoo Group. I've also participated in NaNoWriMo for a number of years and have a couple books written that need some major editing and in some cases, rewriting. Plus, I've been trying to get some of my short stories (not Siims related ones, of course) published but have had no luck so far. Some poetry I wrote EONS ago, was published in our college magazine when I was a student. So, in other words, I've always loved to write. Writing SimLit just gives me another creative outlet that I love very much.
5. What made you choose your current publishing medium (Blogspot, WordPress, forum and so on) and do you have preferences for any of these mediums when it comes to reading simlit? In other words, what do you think makes a good blog?
I was comfortable with Blogger (I have a book blog that I haven't touched in years, haha), so I decided to stick with that when I started writing my SimLit. It was easy for me to get the hang of and didn't cause me too much headache when setting it up. However, I don't like how sometimes it's hard for people to leave comments there when doing it from their Wordpress account; the two don't seem to mesh well. BUT, i do have a Wordpress that I'll be using soon I'd bought a domain name a few years back adn always kept it up to date. I linked that with my Wordpress (sweetnightingale.com) and will be starting some new stories there and putting up some short stories. Hey, I bought the domain, I might as well use it, right?
What makes a good blog - Well, I feel it doesn't need to be "busy." I like nice colors that are easy on the eyes but don't detract from the story and screencaps. I also like it when the text stands out nicely so it's easy to read. So many blogs are hard to read because the text "melts" into the page colors and that gives me eyestrain and a headache.
On to the questions by @CathyTea .
1. What are some of your favorite moments when it seemed like the game or your Sims were collaborating with you to create your story?
Ah, I have two strong examples, one of which is for the story for this circle and one is for "Forever in Time." For "As Tears Go By," Debbie never wanted kids and had absolutely no plans to have any. However, when Nathaniel came along, she changed her tune, I'd planned to write that into the story anyway, but Debbie cooperated very well.
For "Forever in Time," (Well, technically, it was Lenora's Bachelorette Challenge), Lenora and Tyrone were drawn to each other from the getgo. With that challenge, you do a lot of hands-off until you have individual dates. Then, you queue up the desired interactions (depending on what version of the challenge you're playing) and then let the chips fall where they may after that. I have a lot of lore surrounding my supernaturals, so when all was said and done with Lenora and Tyrone getting together and how inseparable they were, it was a perfect way to start putting my wolf lore into place. Really, it couldn't have worked out any better.
2. How much do you incorporate aspects of your own life, such as themes, observations, thoughts, and experiences, into your SimLit?
Great question! I tend to do this somewhat frequently. For example, I'm musically inclined as you all know, so I carry that over into my stories whenever possible. For "As Tears Go By," you all know it's a musical legacy where each gen gets its own theme song. Debbie loves music and is a decent guitar player (she often plays and sings "As Tears Go By," which is, of course, her favorite song), but I held back, meaning she doesn't have as much musical talent as some of my other Sims. Now, "Forever in Time" is LOADED with musically talented Sims (Lenora, Tyrone, and Aurora, who possesses special magical powers within her singing voice). Also, I love to write and Lenora is a writer.
3.
a. What advice would you give to other SimLit bloggers?
I agree with everyone who said that the joy of writing needs to come before views/comments. Above all, you have to write because you love it and to realize that you must please yourself above anyone else. Readers will come along in time.
Now, I hope I don't open up a can of worms here and I'm going to be as vague as possible. When readers do come along, realize that you're not going to please everyone and there are times that a reader may become offended at something you've written. This has happened to me to the point that someone accused me of taking a personal dig at them, which was entirely untrue. The long and short of it was, there was a big argument, I was made to feel like I should rewrite (I did), and there was a permanent rift, causing me to leave a community I'd invested a lot of time and participation in. The lesson I learned here was, again, it's YOUR story and you write it however you want, regardless. There's always going to be someone who disrespects your work and you can't please everyone. Don't be a doormat and allow someone to bully you into rewriting because they didn't like what you wrote.
b. Now imagine you're your own best mentor (and you probably are!): what advice would you give to yourself about your own SimLit projects?
I answered this in the above question. I learned the hard way that trying to please everyone doesn't work and that I can't let someone guilt trip me into changing something just to smooth ruffled feathers. It's actually happened more than once and after waht I went through (see above), I will NEVER allow that to happen again. The only way I'd ever rewrite is if I was the one who felt it was necessary or if I was working with an editor who made CONSTRUCTIVE suggestions.
There's my two cents' worth. I hope you all are having an awesome day.
I think it's insightful to see a little behind the scenes to what drives us in sharing our awesome stories. I would like to hear from you whether you think it will be fun to keep these open discussions in our reading circle's schedule
For the coming weekend, we have a discussion of male prettacy, Monstrous Mezilkree ch. 21-30 scheduled. I'll be happy to see you then but naturally, I'll drop by somewhere before the weekend also.
Have a great week!
~hugs~
I will be back to these later FOR sure
LisabeeSims
New readers can visit here first: In-a-NUTSHELL
#EAgamechanger
LisabeeSims
New readers can visit here first: In-a-NUTSHELL
#EAgamechanger
https://lisabeesims.wordpress.com/2016/09/27/snow-and-prince-redux-23a-special-short-story-edition-the-curfew/
LisabeeSims
New readers can visit here first: In-a-NUTSHELL
#EAgamechanger
So, here ya go.
The Watcher
Mastress Alita and the Tomb of Lost Tomes
Have a Sim story site? Please submit your link to the Stories and Legacies Index!
Check out my Simlit at Sim Stories: Hijinks from the World of Sims 3!
My Simlit Discussion/Updates | The Fringe | Short Story Challenges
I'm happy to see I'll probably have a night all to myself somewhere this weekend to get caught up (and have the time to answer any Roundabout questions on chapters 21-30 of Monstrous Mezilkree here. Speaking of which, I want to do some work on the new update there too which is never a bad thing cause it means I get playtime in too YAY haha
Till then
~hugs~
All have a blessed week ahead!
~hugs~
LisabeeSims
New readers can visit here first: In-a-NUTSHELL
#EAgamechanger
https://lisabeesims.wordpress.com/2016/10/03/snow-and-prince-redux-24-the-gala/
LisabeeSims
New readers can visit here first: In-a-NUTSHELL
#EAgamechanger
I hope you all are doing great and having an awesome day.
Have a Sim story site? Please submit your link to the Stories and Legacies Index!
Check out my Simlit at Sim Stories: Hijinks from the World of Sims 3!
My Simlit Discussion/Updates | The Fringe | Short Story Challenges