Mod The Sims - How to write a good story

Lifa

12th Feb 2006, 08:00 AM

Edit: Stickied! Thank you, mods! ^_^

Instead of posting individual critiques on every story that I could critique, I'm going to write ONE BIG NASTY CRITIQUE and link it every time I see a story whose author could benefit from the knowledge that I care to impart. On seeing how many people have responded positively to this, I'm really glad that I took the time to write it all out and I look forward to updating if/when I see anything else that needs to be addressed. Thanks for all of your help, guys!

We have alot of talented people in this forum with very creative ideas, but the way that some of them write their stories is just so darn off-putting that it's hard to understand what the people had intended to say in the first place.

**NEW!**
QuickNav:

Lesson One : Grammar (http://www.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=314786&postcount=2)

Lesson Two : Continuity (http://www.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=314787&postcount=3)

Lesson Three : Making It Interesting (http://www.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=314797&postcount=5)

Lesson Four : Tips And Tricks (http://www.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=314806&postcount=7)

Lesson Five : Taking Good Pictures (http://www.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=315751&postcount=23)

Lesson Six : Reader Responsibilities (a Quick Rundown of Constructive Criticism) (http://www.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=351186&postcount=45)

Lifa

12th Feb 2006, 08:01 AM

Lesson One : Grammar.

They're = They Are. "They're going to the store."
There = Unspecified placement. "Put it over there. There you are!"
Their = Owned by Them. "Their cats. Their food. Their house."

Your = Owned by You. "Your cat. Your food. Your house."
You're = You Are. "You're going to make dinner tonight."

Too = Also, obscure quantitative. "That's too much! She's coming too."
Two = Number. "There are two cats."
To = Helps out a Verb (action word). "We are going to the store. To be or not to be."

Bear - Withstand, "Grin and bear it" Or a large mammal "The big brown bear."
Bare - Naked, uncovered. "I watched the cat bare its teeth and hiss at me. Skinnydipping in the pond, Lilly laughed at the sight of Mac's bare butt as she watched him dive."

Anything ending in 's = Possessive. "Judy's cat." or Is. "Judy's a slut."

Also keep Plurals in Mind!
Bee -- Bees
Chair -- Chairs
Mouse -- Mice
Kitty -- Kitties
Donkey -- Donkeys

*Always write your story out in a Word program first so that you can use Spellcheck and Grammar check.

Capitalize proper names of people, animals, and places but not everything.
Good: "Sophie and her dog Katie were taking a trip to the city of Simsville."
Bad: "sophie and Her Dog katie were taking a Trip to the City of simsville."

Lifa

12th Feb 2006, 08:01 AM

Lesson Two : Continuity.

Let's start a story.

"Hi my name is Missy and this is the story of my life. One day Missy met a handsome young man named Jack."

NO! But why not?
Because Missy starts off telling the story with her voice and then the story suddenly shifts into a third-party telling the story. It's no longer Missy speaking directly to the reader. Imagine how unsettling it would be if you went from talking to your best friend about what he was doing over the weekend and suddenly POP! you're watching him do those things instead of hearing about it! What we've done here is the literary equivalent of that.

Where would this be appropriate?
-In situations where the reader would be more impacted by a disembodied feel to the story rather than a personal feel. You should usually make an effort to visually separate the two sections, however.
-Where there's a strong transition that makes sense between the two methods of storytelling.

Impact:
"Hi, my name is Missy and this is the story of my life! One day I met a handsome young man named Jack. Things were just going great. We eloped to Vegas only a few hours after we met. This turned out to be a big mistake.
As we stepped inside our honeymoon suite, Jack shut and locked the door. "Come to bed, honey," I told him.
The last thing I remember is the pain as his fist hit me square in the nose.

Jack stared down at Missy's motionless body. She lay battered and bruised on the floor. The blood on his knuckles felt good, and the stolen money in his pocket felt even better."

Strong Transition:
"Hi, my name is Missy and this is the story of my life! One day I met a handsome young man named Jack. Gosh, my heart just felt like it was going to leap out of my chest when he leaned in to kiss me. As our lips touched, it felt like it couldn't be real, like I was floating above us watching it happen. Oh, look. There's Missy and Jack. They kiss."

Lifa

12th Feb 2006, 08:31 AM

Lesson 3 : Making It Interesting

Let's teach by example again.

"See Jane run. Run, Jane, run."

... >_>
How about this?

"Jane ran very fast. The police ran after her."
Not quite.
Here's a better one.

"Jane's feet pounded against the ground, her flipflop sandals lagging a bit behind and hitting the soles of her feet as they caught up. SLAP SLAP SLAP. She took a sharp left into a dark alley and kept going, straight for the chain-link fence at the end. Her breath was fog in the chilly air although sweat streaked down her forehead. The police were just behind her! Her lungs and her legs burned as she pushed her body, mentally reciting her mantra of "just a little bit further, just a little bit further!" She had half an ounce of an illegal substance in her pocket, and if she got caught it would mean serving 20 years in prison."

What have I done?
1. I described some of the things that you might see or imagine when you think of someone running.
2. I put in "sound words". Sometimes it's more effective to say "SLAP" than to say "Her shoes hit the back of her feet with a slapping noise."
3. I gave her a reason to be doing what she's doing--a motive.
4. I described what Jane is feeling as she runs, therefore helping you empathize with her character.
5. I did not repeat words. It's not very exciting to see that "Jane ran" and "The police ran" so you have to find good ways to tell the audience that they're running without saying "ran" all of the time.
6. I gave her a place to be running in. This way, the readers/audience can place her; she's not running in a big white void, she's running in a city.

*Also:
Don't overuse conjunctions like "and" and "or".
Don't try to link two sentences that don't really relate -- "Jane was a seemingly nice lady who owned several cats but most people didn't know that she also dealt drugs." probably would sound better written like this: "Jane was a seemingly nice lady who owned several cats. Most people didn't know that she also dealt drugs."

Try using some of these techniques in your story! Remember not to overdo it. Use simple sentences and descriptive sentences to complement each other.

Lifa

12th Feb 2006, 08:35 AM

Nice intention, but it's been stated several times before that this was only for completed stories and not related topics that are not stories, as you made mention of in your original post, but I do hope that it is moved to Sim Chat instead of being deleted or locked.

9_9 And that's why we have so many stories floating around that are written on grade-school levels, not only because we have gradeschoolers on this forum but because people can't post their assistance where everyone can see it and benefit from it. I've seen a trend in stories lately that someone has a great idea and can't convey it in a way that everyone else can read easily.

Lifa

12th Feb 2006, 08:44 AM

Lesson 4 : Various Tips and Tricks

*Use the Thesaurus and the Dictionary to find new and exciting words to use in your stories.

*Use analogies! "The sun shone down and made the world feel like the inside of an oven."
Try to use a word in a way that it's not commonly used! "On this cloudy afternoon, her kisses feel like the rain, sad and slow and soft and moist." However, using analogies just because you think they sound poetic usually doesn't work very well.

*Make it funny! Use puns and irony to your advantage, or put the characters in bizarre situations. GIR-like randomness (for those of you that watch Invader Zim) is also quite humourous if you can pull it off right--try it and find out!

*Use no netspeak in your story! Save it for comments and chats if you must. It DOES NOT MAKE YOU COOL! This means no LOL no ROFLMAO no WTF no L33T and no using 2 or U or any other "convenient replacements".

professional loser

12th Feb 2006, 08:56 AM

I think it'll be good for writers to read this. You see so many stories that would otherwise be good made SO hard to read because of poor grammar and no continuity. I'm a bit of a grammar nazi, so I say this thread needs all the pimpage it can get. :p

Shell_SC

12th Feb 2006, 09:36 AM

Thank-you for the advice Lifa, it will come in handy *S*

Pink Alchemist

12th Feb 2006, 09:54 AM

very intresting, i'm going to taking notes :).

Kazoona

12th Feb 2006, 11:25 AM

Great idea, Lifa. I've been thinking about doing a story and I need every bit of advice I can get - I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread.

purplebookworm2

12th Feb 2006, 03:09 PM

good idea, because yea, people can get pretty Illiterate, but some people arn't native english speakers. ^_^

but yes, grammar can make or break a story.

Lollipop_Girl

12th Feb 2006, 03:15 PM

Phew actually i feel better about my stories im too scared to put online. Im normally good with grammer (although my keyboard isnt very good) and at English Language (the subject)
Im still contimplating in my head whether to put one online or not. But i feel more reassured..so thanks!

Kate

12th Feb 2006, 03:21 PM

I think this is a very good idea, Lifa - thank you so much for posting it. Often I read stories on the Sims 2 Exchange and simply click off as the grammar is so bad.

This will also help me when I finally get around to posting the story I've currently got in mind - that is when I stop being so lazy! :)

Lollipop_Girl

12th Feb 2006, 03:39 PM

I cant read stories if the grammer is too bad, if the persons native language isnt english it dosnt bother me too much and i know that people can make typos. But when people write in text message language or simpley use too much bad grammer i cant take it seriously.

Ghanima Atreides

12th Feb 2006, 03:52 PM

Taking your time to write a story is something I would suggest as well: think it out first, then put it down on the paper (or err, screen). I am not a Grammar nazi and I can understand, and live with a few errors (English is not my first language either but I try my best when writing) but having one typo in every sentance is beyond what makes a piece of text readable.

Anyway, I think this can be helpful in creating some sort of guidelines for those who are new at story-writing or simply don't know how to write one.

Antilife

12th Feb 2006, 06:09 PM

Yeah! This will help alot, when I finaly get the nerve to make a story. I personaly think that pople with bad grammer mistakes and continuity problems, have these problems, because they didn't take the time to prewrite, and figure out the basis for there story. They just pick a sim take a whole bunch of pictures and start writing. but you should write everything down on paper first, then out of the words you've created, create a sim. Then map out your story, and before you write each chapter think it through and make sure you know what your doing. So, that you can have an ,understandable, detailed, and good story! Sorry if it seems like i'm swallowing this topic with my ideas.

Listerino

12th Feb 2006, 07:07 PM

Mandie

12th Feb 2006, 08:30 PM

For me, personally, I feel that spelling is most important. That and avoiding "chat talk." I find it difficult to read a story if there are huge mistakes in it. I think a nice tip is to type it out in a word processing program first to eliminate most spelling, and some grammatical errors. That's what I do.

Lifa

12th Feb 2006, 11:46 PM

Okay it's all well and good to give these kind of tips to people who are professional writers and such, but in my point of view I think it's a little harsh for sim story writers.
For instance I'm sure for some that write their stories in English it's not their first language, and so they're doing the best they can.
But in regards to my own stories I do my best in the grammer department before I post them - any they're/there mistakes are just ones I missed when I proof read - but in the end I write the stories for my own enjoyment and I don't really care if they don't sound great or proper, I just enjoy writing them, and I share them with others because I enjoy knowing others like the stories too.
Some people may find these above tips useful, but I find them a little judgemental and so I'll just stick to what I'm doing now....

^_^ This would be useful for people who don't speak English as a first language too unless they're using online translation proggies.
You don't need to be a professional writer to write WELL and even those people who don't plan on ever being pro's at it can benefit from it--unless you plan to spend your life working in foodservice, you'll have to be able to write a convincing resume' containing...you guessed it... PROPER SPELLING AND GRAMMAR as well as good sentence structure and an obvious mastery of your language.

----

To everyone else, I AM STILL UPDATING THIS THREAD! Lol! I know I didn't think to write everything down the first time.

Randomness_SC

13th Feb 2006, 02:40 AM

Alright, honeys. Here we go. Let's get this over with. Mods, leave this up because we need it to be here.

With all due respect, I think a little bit more of a concilatory attitude would be a little more appropriate than the 'This is what's going to happen. Deal with it,' stance that you've taken with the moderators. They are moderators for a reason, Lifa. You could have tried being a little nicer in how you phrased that. You could have requested that you started the thread and asked that it be stickied.

That in-your-face attitude is a little off-putting to me, to be honest.

Lifa

13th Feb 2006, 06:21 AM

With all due respect, I think a little bit more of a concilatory attitude would be a little more appropriate than the 'This is what's going to happen. Deal with it,' stance that you've taken with the moderators. They are moderators for a reason, Lifa. You could have tried being a little nicer in how you phrased that. You could have requested that you started the thread and asked that it be stickied.

That in-your-face attitude is a little off-putting to me, to be honest.

O_o

I could have said "You leave this here, mod-b*tches, or I will come own you like a ninja in the night". (<--Joking)

The mods know what they're doing and frankly, I'm not one to "omg plz" with my lips attached to anyone's butt, with all due respect. The direct approach is usually way more productive.

Sorry if you took it out of context, I never mean to offend anyone with what I'm saying...but I do like to say what I felt needs to be said.

Prolly doesn't help that I was listening to Rammstein when I started this thread, it always puts me in a super-good mood. :)

Lifa

13th Feb 2006, 06:50 AM

Okay, let's face it, pictures are essential to every story that's posted here. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words (or so they say).

There are plenty of threads out there that explain techniques to take pictures, so this will be brief and the example pics will be minimal.

A lot of people choose to take pics first and write afterwards, and a lot of people choose to write the story first and take pics to complement it. Either way can work for you! Just choose what you feel most comfortable doing.

Here's a few pointers to work with:

Game Issues and Shot Angle:
The biggest problem I see is people who take bottom-up shots from inside the house, and you can see the sky over the walls. Someone did a very lovely Ceiling Tile mod that can be found (correct me if I'm wrong) on MTS2 that enables you to get the perfect shot without catching vast expanses of sky. Otherwise, just get creative with your shots!
Also, I always find it a little strange to see shots done with Walls Down. Really, you shouldn't be able to see into the bathroom and the kitchen if you're taking a pic from in the living room--and vice versa! If at all possible, try to get the shot from inside the room with the walls up.
If you're taking pics from outside, you should also make sure that the roof is visible as well as all of the floors (when you're using a multi-level house).
Ceiling: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/lifasimspix/snapshot_30cec6cb_30d339ec.jpg

Shot Depth:
If all of your pics are of one type of depth, your story won't have the same impact as it would if you varied shot depth.
Close-up: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/lifasimspix/snapshot_70d4a027_f0d6b521.jpg Shows one small part of the subject of your scene. Head-and-shoulders shot.
Middle Shot: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/lifasimspix/snapshot_30cec6cb_b0d3e0a3.jpg
Shows about half of the subject of your scene. Waist-up shot.
Long Shot: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/lifasimspix/snapshot_10d3241c_50d327da.jpg
Shows most or all of your subject. Full-body shot.
Extreme Close-up: If you took a picture of only your Sim's eye, it would be an extreme close up.
Extreme Long Shot: http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f52/lifasimspix/snapshot_30cec6cb_50d32e42.jpg Assuiming that the little girl is the subject of this photograph, this is an extreme long shot. The surroundings take up more of the photo space than the subject does, usually.
An extreme close up would be effective to show a single tear running down someone's face.
A close up would be effective to show someone's strong reaction to a conversation.
A middle shot would be effective to show a hand gesture that someone is making.
A long shot would be effective to show the stove burning and someone standing across the kitchen freaking out.
An extreme long shot would be effective to show someone wandering between tall buildings in the city.
A good mix of these depths used appropriately makes your story visually appealing!

I've also found that the most interesting stories have an average ratio of less than three paragraphs per each picture. Keep in mind that if your pictures are expressive enough, you can tell an entire story without a single word! In fact, even if you intend to include text, your pictures ALONE should still allow the reader to make a close guess as to what's happening. (Try showing someone the pictures without text, and ask them what they think is happening--the closer their guess, the better job you've done!)
This is really up to you to decide what you want to do in this department, though. There is no "right" and "wrong" when it comes to the amount of pictures you choose to post.

Lifa

13th Feb 2006, 07:29 AM

Your in-your-face additude makes me want to beat a bunny and I like bunnies! :duck:
I like kitties and ponies and unicorns. O_O

LadySwig

13th Feb 2006, 09:59 AM

This actually is a very good thread and I'm defineltly gonna keep refering back to it when I start my new story

elerii

14th Feb 2006, 02:02 AM

I like kitties and ponies and unicorns. O_O
As much as that made me laugh, I have to agree. I appreciate that you are trying to help, really, I do. I like to read a story with good spelling and grammar, myself, because I am a bit of a perfectionist. (Though, I hardly show it on the sims2community. My stories are written with thousands of mistakes. Usually, though, I take great time and care in my writing.) But, I must say, we all make mistakes; now, don't we? :) Please, don't get me wrong. I do agree with most of what you are saying.

Lollipop_Girl

14th Feb 2006, 01:14 PM

Typo's are my biggest problem, i have one of those cordless keyboards so if the signle isnt right then random letters get missed out and stuff. It is easy to make mistakes but i guess everyone should read over their stories before posting them.

Padlock_SC

14th Feb 2006, 11:57 PM

I don't think this is a detrimental thread. I did before you did some editing to most of your tutorials, though. Your tone was far too condescending for someone who wanted to help others with creative and technical issues. I knew immediately you had never performed as a tutor or teacher before.

This is a good idea. However, you should learn how to offer your knowledge without a patronizing tone.

I agree.

And for those who have issues with typos--get a beta reader (an actual person, not just the spell/grammar checker) to check for errors, but don't get someone that'll sugarcoat it and tell you it's perfect. Don't be afraid of constructive criticism. =)

I know that if I read a story repeatedly, my brain starts to glaze over and I don't see mistakes anymore. That's why in school your English teacher usually makes you do peer revisions. =P

Lifa

15th Feb 2006, 04:51 AM

I don't think this is a detrimental thread. I did before you did some editing to most of your tutorials, though. Your tone was far too condescending for someone who wanted to help others with creative and technical issues. I knew immediately you had never performed as a tutor or teacher before.

This is a good idea. However, you should learn how to offer your knowledge without a patronizing tone.

XD Actually, I taught someone with no prior knowledge of Photoshop how to use it like a pro in about 2 days... over AOL messenger, with no pictorial reference or actual face-to-face contact between us.
I did alot of Math and English tutoring in high school as well.
You guys have been the first ones to have any issues with how I teach. I guess it prolly also has to do, that I have a strange sense of humour and the other people that I've dealt with have known about that before they get into anything with me.

LadyJade6480

15th Feb 2006, 05:27 AM

Good idea, Lifa! If anyone needs help with spelling anything, or a proofread, I'm available. I'm also big on correct spelling and grammar, although I think Nazi is a bit strong to describe it! :D

**pokes at Professional Loser with a grin**

Berg_SC

15th Feb 2006, 08:45 PM

I think your advise is great and I don't understand what it is that people seem to be so touchy about.

I guess most internet communities are getting more and more into this carebear-cuddliness where you, before you give any opinion, have to excuse a thousand times if someone is OFFENDED!

Lifa

16th Feb 2006, 12:15 AM

I wasn't trying to get into anything with you. If I was mistaken about your experience, I apologize. But anyone who has posted in chatrooms or forums know a sense of humor doesn't translate well if it isn't obvious or well known. My mistake shouldn't be surprising.

As I said, I think your topic is helpful. I disagreed with your tone as someone who intends to teach others.

Sorry, I didn't mean "get into anything" like you seem to make it mean ("start sh*t" sounds more like the way you're using it). Where I'm from it's just a generic "let's do it," sort of. It's so hard to translate idioms, sorry. I meant that the people I've taught have been familiar with me on a personal level, to rephrase it.

And actually, I'm more used to small online communities where most of the people are familiar with eachother. I talk to people I don't know sometimes too, don't get me wrong, but I haven't ever run into this much of a big issue before! O_O You're entitled to your opinions though.

Emi

16th Feb 2006, 02:06 AM

Lifa, I think this is wonderful that you're (notice the "right" you're, not your) doing this for the sims 2 community. It means that we'll see less grammar mess-ups and such and we'll see more great stories!

Lollipop_Girl

18th Feb 2006, 06:41 PM

Blue Serenity

18th Feb 2006, 07:27 PM

Ok to tell you the truth when I started reading this I thought you were an interfearing busy body, then I thought you were bossy and annoying and then I realised you had some good points so I am glad you posted the thread.

Frenchie

18th Feb 2006, 07:41 PM

'should be stickied. And I'm taking notes...

Lifa

18th Feb 2006, 10:45 PM

I have a question about story writeing. Whenever i have a long conversation going on i write it in script form because otherwise i find it hard to tell who is saying what when i read over. Here is a short example of mine.
Lazlo: So Vidcund's been abdcuted? Thats weird, i thought aliens never struck in the same place twice!
Pascal: No, thats lightning Lazlo.
Lazlo: Huh, well i hope they dont keep him long, i cant promise his pizza will still be here when he gets back.

The problem is i dont think it looks very profesional, do people not mind the script thing or is there another way of writing my dialouge without it getting confusing. Its only conversations i write this way. I just want to know in case i ever decide to upload any of my stories.

That's fine, but you could also leave out the scripted-in names as long as the convo is relatively short and only between two people. If you're doing this you could have the first speaking character address the second character so you know who's who.
Or you could have them acting while they're speaking, such as:
Lazlo paced back and forth so furiously that Pascal thought he might wear a hole in the carpet. "So Vidcund's been abdcuted?" he finally said, sounding thoughtful. "Thats weird, i thought aliens never struck in the same place twice!"
You can also use different metaphors for speaking, such as:
"No, that's lightning, Lazlo," Pascal mumbled boredly.

Just make sure that your pics back up what you're saying! I know it's tough but in a worried situation try to get pics of Sims being worried, not laughing out loud. ^_^

Lollipop_Girl

18th Feb 2006, 10:48 PM

I try that with the short conversations but with long ones it gets difficult. Especially when its got more than two people involved. I'd prefer it not to be in script form but i guess with longer conversations its the least confusing way of putting it. I like your way of writeing it but the problem is i always run out of space :(

Sim Sagas

21st Feb 2006, 08:22 PM

You have to use a site like http://photobucket.com, Panama, and insert your pictures into your thread that way. (Use the [IMG] code).

Emi

21st Feb 2006, 10:59 PM

Panama, before Pooja gets here, go to THIS thread. It's a more descriptive way to describe how to post pictures. By none other than the one and ONLY POOJ!!!!! Sorry pooj.

Anyway, the link. http://www.sims2community.com/showthread.php?t=11618 There. Knock yourself out.

Lifa

23rd Mar 2006, 08:59 PM

One last thing (for now) that I've been seeing, is the lack of constructive comments given by the readers to the author. Although this isn't part of the storywriting per se, in a feedback-based environment such as this forum, it can be essential to the writing process.

To The Authors:
As an author, don't be afraid to ask people to critique your work--you only get better through learning from your mistakes! Also, please don't take offense to Constructive Criticism comments that people leave.

*Constructive Criticism - Take it, think about it, use it. If someone says "you spelled a few things wrong in Chapter 5" don't get your panties in a knot! Look at Chapter 5 to see whether their comment is true or not. If, after consideration, you agree with the comment, then do your best to fix the problem. At the end of the day, all it does is help to improve your work! Also remember that you don't have to change what you don't agree with and you don't have to listen to people who make comments like "u suck". (The authors here seem to be pretty good about taking constructive criticism.)

*Updates - I know that people can pressure you pretty hard for an update sometimes when you're not ready to update yet. You should, if at all possible, try to work ahead instead of working spontaneously (example: you release Chapter 5 when you're finished writing Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 so that you have time to revise Chapter 6 before you release it, instead of releasing Chapter 5 right as you finish writing it). And if you're not planning to update for some time, don't feel bad about telling them so! Never, NEVER rush yourself!

To The Readers:
As the reader of a story, you should always make it a point to be aware of not only the things that you do like about the story, but the things that could be improved! You should never be afraid to tell someone your honest feelings about the story, good or bad. However, keep in mind that this is your opinion about their work of art. It's really up to them whether they choose to agree with you or not and whether they decide to change what you think is wrong.

*Constructive Criticism - The easiest and least offensive way to convey positive criticism to the artist or author is in a Like/Could Be Improved format. Think of one or two things that you enjoyed about a story (memorable storyline, captivating cliffhangers, regularity of updates, attractive characters, etc.) and let the author know! They love to know what they're doing well, especially if it's sincere. Then, mention the thing that you think could use some work and be very specific about it... but don't be mean about it. "I think you accidentally captured a pic of someone laughing at that funeral" sounds better than "omg ur pix skillz suck!"
Constructive Criticism is NOT "omg ur great, rock on!" or "omg u sux + I hate ur story". I'm not asking you to lie to anyone about the quality of their work, I'm asking for you to help everyone improve!
A good example or constructive criticism would be: "I love the quality and composition of your pictures in the last chapter that you posted, however you might want to run your text through Spellcheck and make changes accordingly."

*Updates - Please. I know I speak for most of the authors out there when I say, do not beg and harass for updates! If it's been awhile, you might remind them, but if the post above yours is "omg when u update next?!" please don't post a comment saying "omg yah hurry up!" It makes the author feel rushed, and sometimes they don't put forward their best work because they're trying to please impatient readers. Remember, a good story is worth waiting for, and good art can't be rushed!

* You should also LINK to resources that you think the author could benefit from. If it's a problem with the picture composition quality, link to a pic taking tutorial. If the setting looks a little bare, link to items and/or recolours that you think would look good. If the sets really suck, link to some lots or houses that you think would look nice in the story. If all of the characters have the same hairstyle, link to some downloadable hairstyles that you enjoy in your game. Etc. With so many sites and downloads for The Sims 2, chances are you've seen things that other people haven't, so make it your job to inform them! It's a very thoughtful and helpful thing to do.

----
Now it's up to you guys to get out there with all of your great ideas and helpful opinions and do your part to make this forum ROCK!

DizzySim_SC

23rd Mar 2006, 11:15 PM

This was a big help! I have been reading all these stories thinking it would be great fun to write my own. I had a ton of questions, but this thread has answered quite a few of them. Thanx!
I may still need so things answered when I get started though.:D
And as far as all the people saying this will only help pro. writers, I totally disagree. Everyone should read this. You've mentioned things in here that every one will benefit from.

Lollipop_Girl

23rd Mar 2006, 11:19 PM

Well i found it useful..i finally became brave enough to post a story, and this page was great!

Frenchie

23rd Mar 2006, 11:30 PM

Too bad that thread wasn't there when I begun my story, long long ago, it'd have helped me have a good start ! I hope newbies will read that all and other stories too, it's handy to have a pretty good style nearly at once.

nowauxstereo

2nd May 2006, 08:28 AM

I've been reading the stories for a while and i have to say this: it really isn't that hard to run a spellcheck. Grammar is trickier, it's true but there's no reason to have things misspelled all over the place.

I think this is a good thing, though. It never hurts to have the quality improve.

SpacemanHPSpiff

12th May 2006, 02:48 AM

Lifa, very nice! This should be a big help to all those story writers out there... :) Thank you very much, all the tips are very useful (and well written...). :beer:

sm0ke19

15th May 2006, 12:39 AM

I wanna say smth:

I do think that critical comments help those who write stories to see what their weak and storng sides are, i do think we don't have to post "applaudes" or post nothing BUT
when someone STARTS diong something he or she needs to be encouraged just for the fact he took risks, shared and goes on...
When we learn to walk our parents say "Good job" no matter how we do it, and i think we all used to fall and hurt ourselves at the beginning.

Now I am writing my first story - the story is not the best one on this site - but i feel proud just because i decided to take risks, will I start my second story - I will screw more to the text by myself and will invite people to comment in a more sophisticated style...
But, i was frustrated a bit by Lifa's point: that once in a text i wrote Brian instead Brian.... :confused:

Still i accept Lifa's comment about clothes - she really noticed that within one chapter my military guy happend to change his work outfit... that's worth commenting...

Of course, those who start stories shouldn't expect admiration from hundred of people but critical comments can easily get them down.

We need to get critical feedbacks or comments upon HOW we are doing it, when we feel confident in this process and what's more important it's very that some of us will feel ok in 2-3 chaters and will feel comfortable critical comments but i saw threads where authors gave up their stories after more than 5 chapters saying that their stories are useless, really, you can find some of this threads on this site...

In conclusion, we really have to look carefully for mistakes or slip of the tongue and not to be pressured by posts "Update soon" (again lik Lifa mentioned), after all the quality of the sroty - is the way we respect our readers but
from the other side - let's be careful with our experienced comments, everyone 's on his/her own level... sometimes people need to hear that it's good that they post it.... next time we will comment on the quality but today "We appreciate that you share"

In a ver conclusion, guys, not all the authors are native speakers - I am Russian, for exemple, I speak English fluently but however it affects my grammar and the way i build talks - I really sometimes miss slang words and expressions

i have to say i agree with this completly, as one of those story writers who is giving up. i had a few people who took the time to read and comment and i feel bad knowing i'm going to be letting those people down. but when comparing the views with the number of people who were interested the math comes out to about 1%. i put a lot of effort into developing the sim and the story around her and i take it a bit personally that people coulden't be bothered to comment. i didnt care if the comments were critical because i know im not very good at writing and i would have liked the chance to learn just what i was doing wrong. i have a great deal more of the story written out in a rough draft, around 5 or more chapters. that will probably never be seen by anyone and i'm still adding more because "I" want to tell this sims story. i thought others might enjoy reading it but i guess i was wrong about that. this thread was helpful and i used it several times, but without feedback it's like telling stories by the fireside after everyone else has gone to sleep. in other words pointless. i guess what i'm getting at is, if you are going to read someones story take the time to comment. let them know you liked it or what you thought could be improved. let them know you want to read more of it and maybe even thank them for sharing it with you. i can say from personal experience that if more comments had been made, id still be adding chapters to my own story. the people who are posting the storys will be much more inclined to keep posting if we see our work is not being ignored. thanks.

smokepanther

:: EDIT :: i am going to continue with my story i couldent just leave the fans i do have hanging

:: RE_EDIT :: i give up ...the story is gone, no one cared anyway...i am going to finish it but i wont be sharing it here... i dont have the time to provide free entertainment for ungrateful people

SimsAlloy

2nd Jun 2006, 06:35 AM

Lifa,
It was very considerate of you to give story writers some tips on how to write better. My grammar isn’t the greatest but you gave really good examples. It also helps out those who don’t know English very well.

Panique

22nd Jun 2006, 01:06 PM

Lifa, I just found this thread and it's amazing :D I fully disagree with people who think you're being too 'in-your-face'... buuuut anyway, thanks so much! Awesome thread, awesome hints, I might post a story with the help of this thread :)

mukstah

27th Jun 2006, 05:04 AM

yes i think this helps a lot thankz. Although I dont quite agree with the gramar. . . . quite a bit. . . but you have a point. Thankz :)

jennywren

2nd Aug 2006, 09:03 PM

I really need help, the pictures don't show when i submit the thread! I done the right code and everything but what have I done wrong? does it need HTML?

Lifa

3rd Aug 2006, 03:28 AM

I really need help, the pictures don't show when i submit the thread! I done the right code and everything but what have I done wrong? does it need HTML?

This isn't a help thread and shouldn't be used as such, HOWEVER, just this once...

Type (http://www.yourimagehere.com/whatever/blehbleh.jpeg), without the ( ) and with your image's URL in the ( ). Usually you'll be using one that's uploaded to a Photobucket account or something...
The "Insert Image" link will do it all for you automatically.
You have to have your pictures ONLINE. Okay? Hopefully that helps.

.~*Iris*~.

6th Aug 2006, 02:08 AM

I have noticed that a lot of pictures in stories have thought bubbles above sims and plumbbobs too, so I just thought I could help by giving some cheats to get rid of them and make pictures more realistic:

press Ctrl, shift and C (you all know that but just in case)
then write:

plumbbobtoggle : this will remove the plumb bob for every sim. if type it again, the plumb bob will appear again.

showheadlines on/off : removes or enables all bubbles when sims talk or think.

I found these by typing "help" in the cheat bar. There are tons of really helpful cheats. Check them out!

asyouwish

6th Aug 2006, 03:11 AM

Yes, but plumbbobtoggle only works in OFB, and showheadlines only works with Nightlife or OFB (I think?) Some people don't have either of those expansion packs. That's when you have to get creative with the angles of the shots.

Panique

2nd Sep 2006, 02:51 PM

Occasionally with boolprop on you get an option "Hide me!" when you right-click a plumbob.

Ghost sdoj

2nd Sep 2006, 07:37 PM

Is there a better way to put a story together than trying to write the whole chapter in one post? It seems that it would be easier to write it at home in a word processing program, then upload it and add pictures, but I have no idea how to do that. And writing it in the story mode in the game has some serious limitations! Not the least of which is 9 neighborhoods make for a half-hour load time just to go into one house to type the story.

I'm sorry for posting this here, but my browser says MTS2 is not available, and tech help links there.

.~*Iris*~.

2nd Sep 2006, 10:07 PM

Well that's what I do for my story. I write the chapter in Word, correct all the mistakes and check my text. Then I go in game and take the pictures, and after that I upload the pictures with photobucket (there is a whole thread that teaches you how to upload pictures via photobucket and other web sites right here in the "Sim pictures" forum. It's asticky, that's how I learned to upload pictures. I was new at everything two months ago). When all the pictures are uploaded, I go in my thread, copy paste my text and put the links to the pictures I have uploaded where I want them to be in the text.

Did I help?

Ghost sdoj

3rd Sep 2006, 03:19 PM

Yes, that helps a LOT! I never thought of copy/paste to post text. (Now I feel stupid :insane: )

shiran_mel

25th Oct 2006, 03:13 PM

I would like to add something! I found some nifty tools.

First is a browser called Flock (http://www.flock.com) , which I believe to be built from the Firefox engine. You can view all of the stuff on your Photobucket or Flickr accounts from there once you've set them up, and it provides drag-and-drop BB code ;D

Also, I haven't tried this myself, but the Google toolbar has a web form spellchecker. Since you post to forums in a web form, this might be a good last-minute tool to check with =D

But seriously, Flock is good ^^

danishani2_SC

10th Nov 2006, 04:18 AM

Thanx for helping me i am working on a story called "The Graveyard Talks" is that a good title? just asking ;) thank you its helped me!

Joshandmetogether2006

14th Nov 2006, 06:59 AM

and this in itself is why i choose not to write.. because i look like a freakin second grader.... and i graduated highschool in 2004... so it doesnt really speak highly of me...

so YAY for everyone for you dont ever have to read something written by me :D

Kathelyne

15th Nov 2006, 03:09 AM

Lifa

15th Nov 2006, 08:09 AM

This is a great thread, could I ask a question though? My main problem is that there are three toddlers and two children in the house, and I don't want them growing up or going to school as I'm not playing the family, just making a story. I only have the uni expansion and I'm having trouble finding cheats to stop them doing this. Is there anything that writers do when they are making stories with young characters?

Sim Magic (http://www.insimenator.net/showthread.php?p=5941#post5941)

Click on the link, read the instructions, it's the magic omnimod. The version linked works with all games but does not require all games to be installed.

It does several thirty- or forty- some magical functions that make taking pics easier.

Kathelyne

15th Nov 2006, 12:07 PM

Thanks heaps, I've just downloaded it and am going to test it right now :D

Lunarsea

28th Nov 2006, 11:28 AM

Great thread, Lifa. But I'm a bit confused...
One minute you're saying that people should try and make it interesting by adding more drama to the writing, then you're saing that the pictures should be able to tell practically all the story for you... make up your mind! :D

But seriously thanks for doing this, most of it is really helpful :)

Rayline

30th Nov 2006, 03:13 PM

I actually think most foreigners are betters spellers than native speakers. Dunno why but many I've met are quite good at spelling. I also think being a foreigner is no excuse. If we make grammatical mistakes, we should be corrected or we'll never get it right. I often correct people's grammar. Not that it helps. They just keep making the same mistakes over and over again. So annoying!

leaftheweed

30th Nov 2006, 03:55 PM

The folks I've talked to who speak English as a second language all studied much harder to learn the language rules than the average native-speaking teen I knew in high school who had to scrape by in English class. No one really paid much attention because they felt they already were fluent enough in the language that they didn't need to understand sentence parsing or even what a verb was.

As for corrections... I agree. I appreciate it when someone corrects me when I'm speaking another language (I'm an English speaker who's been studying Spanish and Japanese). I've never had someone get nasty about it or act like I was dumb for misusing a word. I'd object if they did but I welcome well-intended corrections because it does help me get better with the language.

Pepsicolajuice

17th Dec 2006, 04:41 PM

:howdy: Heya
I'd just like to say - that's really informative! I'm writing a Legacy sometime soon after Christmas and I'm going to be using this! I'm not going to put it on the community, but on the Sims 2 exchange. This is still very helpful. I'm very thankful for all the tips and tricks.
I'd really like some sort of camera mod that let's you get very close to the characters so you can get extreme close-ups, does anyone know where to find one?
Also, I'd like to say I'm very pedant when it comes to grammar and spelling. I used to use text language on messenger, and stuff like that but I thought 'If I like writing so much, my stories are going to be terrible and be saying "she then decided tht he wasnt gd enuff 4 her" or things like that!'. For some reason I always correct my friends and myself and type properly. It also strangly annoys me when they abbreviate peoples names stupidly (is that a word?) or don't use capitals correctly. I'm just too pedantic!
Thanks for writing it and sorry that this is terribly long-winded,
Pepsi :hat:
P.S. Reptile_Faded, I think you were a little out of line with your beating up bunnies remark. But not trying to, and I quote, 'start anything'

summer_wine

16th Jan 2007, 08:55 PM

this is a great thread. I used to write fanfiction ( a long long time ago) and although sim stories are more complicated due to the picture taking, I do believe grammar is very important. it makes reading so much easier and more enjoyable. kep up the great work.

if i could impart one tip, remember this:

"I" before "E", except after "C". ;)

Psy10

17th Jan 2007, 06:16 AM

if i could impart one tip, remember this:

"I" before "E", except after "C". ;)
Weird... :anime:

Dreea

22nd Feb 2007, 02:08 PM

i think this is a MUST KNOW! thing for story creators. very useful and interesting!

funheart00

3rd Apr 2007, 08:07 PM

Indeed... :D Thanks for the thread! :D SOME people who have posted here have been more than a little unfair and if they think they are perfect sotry writers maybe they shouldn't have read this in the first place :p

Red

6th Apr 2007, 10:39 PM

How do you get a photo to show up in a post? I tried doing the "Insert Image", but it just leaves a link. And when I do the URLs the image host gives me, it gives a thumbnail leading to their website for the full picture, rather than the full picture. How do I get full photos to show up?

auroraspirit

6th Apr 2007, 10:45 PM

When you use photobucket or any photo online account, there should be an __ code, this is the one that you need in order for pictures to show up on your post.

Hope this helps :)

Auroraspirit :angel:

Red

6th Apr 2007, 10:54 PM

Ghengisjohn

7th Apr 2007, 12:39 AM

Huh. I actually disagreed with some of the advice, especially the thesaurus bit for inexperienced writers. All that leads to is purple prose and a dark, dark well of despair.

Could have used more on dialogue, like the beauty of 'said' and soft actions. A link I'd love to give instead of just being cranky all over is The Craft of Writing (http://members.aol.com/MacedonPg/writing.htm) from Macedon's Taberna, a surprisingly good little writing guide for its location.

Also, Padlock's suggestion for beta readers is fab. It just helps to find someone who won't be afraid to correct you. And being willing to take their corrections.

Anecdote on why that last part is so important: I stopped it after the person I was reading for tried to justify any error she made, from things as simple as a grammar error to using a word that meant something completely different than what she meant as her 'style' instead of fixing a thing. And then? Even though I would refuse to approve half the things she wrote (and she'd often post before I was even done on the spelling errors), she'd put my name on as her beta reader anyway. Eventually our conversations would end in a lot of 'I see your style is "stupid"'. That was when I realized I needed a new hobby.

Like this.

Where I'm complaining again.

Please kill me. :(

Red

7th Apr 2007, 05:48 AM

How do you merge stories into a table of contents?

Nicole_artist

8th Apr 2007, 08:12 AM

Hello! Just in case anyone cares, I wouldn't mind beta-ing someone's story. I happen to be a grammar freak (even though I don't like how that sounds, but that's me in a nutshell) and I have some free time! Yay! XD

So, if you would like your story beta-ed PM the wording to me. I can even help with making it sound interesting. I have a lot of practice.

Oh, that reminds me. Here's another word repeatedly misused.

Practise - 1: do something repeatedly or habitually.
2: be working in a particular profession.
(verb)

Practice - 1: repeated exercise to improve skill.
2: action as opposed to theory.
3: a custom or habit.
4: a doctor's or lawyer's business.
(noun)

HOWEVER, practise is spelled practice in the US. :P You lucky things...

As you can see there is a few little differences. I doubt that any average person reading your story would notice.

Lennon_Junkie

27th May 2007, 07:57 PM

Ok, so perhaps someone can help me out here. I'm thinking of doing a story and have done some test shots (that I may use later), but the problem I'm facing is getting the right facial expressions/body language. I know it's pretty much a crap-shoot and you just have to work at it, but I was just wondering if there were any interactions (with people or objects) for things that you've found that may get a desired result (eg surprised, upset, etc.)?

Like I said, that's the biggest problem I'm facing now so any advice on this would be welcome. Thanks!

beeps

27th May 2007, 08:28 PM

There is a wonderful hack for animations called the "Hula Dance and More." It can be found here (http://www.insimenator.net/showthread.php?t=9544). That is the main hack I use for my stories as it holds SO many interactions, poses, animations and more (hence the name ;) ). There is also a mighty list in the Lists (http://forums.sims2community.com/showthread.php?t=18687) Section titled "Movie Making and Posing Mods" toward the top half of the page. Check those out, and you should be more than ready to take some stelar pictures :)

Lennon_Junkie

27th May 2007, 09:10 PM

Ah! Thank you so very, very much! That should really help out.

beeps

29th May 2007, 02:34 AM

Youre very welcome :)

ChrstyFarie07_SC

18th Jun 2007, 11:32 PM

I likey this sticky :anime: ! These tips are out of this world, well out of my world :smash: ! Well I super duper loved the pictures part, I just likey taking pictures :valentine

Alissa888

26th Jun 2007, 09:39 AM

i fink dat dis iz a reli helping fing....
*shudders* No, no, I joke. But really, I do think it's very helpful. Constructive criticism will only improve us all!

Stacy85

27th Dec 2007, 07:55 PM

Wow, this was very useful! :blink: Thank you so much for sharing this!

Metatwaddle

16th Jan 2008, 03:12 PM

*Make it funny! Use puns and irony to your advantage, or put the characters in bizarre situations. GIR-like randomness (for those of you that watch Invader Zim) is also quite humourous if you can pull it off right--try it and find out!I'm with you here! I always emphasize the inherent ridiculousness of the Sims 2 game. The Sims is a world where men get pregnant from alien butt-probes, and ecological gurus wear fig leaves to work while beaming up to the sky like Superman. It's a funny game. Use it!

ThatsExtra

22nd Jan 2008, 02:22 AM

Thank you very much for this. Helped me a lot. I know just have to try and remeber it all. =]

banana_squared

8th Feb 2008, 08:38 AM

My worst problem is in-depth grammer. I get the plural thing, and all that. I do have a bit of a question though. When typing, do you NEED to space twice after every punctuation like periods and stuff?

romyhorse

8th Feb 2008, 09:23 AM

I always double space after fullstops and colons, it's grammatically correct, and just because that's how I was taught to type! However, I don't really think it will make any difference to your story if you double or single space. most people wouldn't notice.

SecretAgentZero

3rd Mar 2008, 01:19 AM

Anybody got tips on how to write all types of fight scenes?

Freelancer_SC

3rd Mar 2008, 01:40 AM

Anybody got tips on how to write all types of fight scenes?
The best way to write a fight scene depends specifically on what type of scene you're using. Different techniques are used for hand-to-hand, weapons, large-scale battles, etc. The only "general" rules that really apply are the ones that apply to all writing: pay attention to detail and don't let the reader loose sight of the objective.

I've been writing action/adventure for a long time, and my best fight scenes are hand-to-hand. In my experience, the best way to come up with an exciting fight scene is to act it out yourself. That way you can visualize each move and come up with a realistic sequence of events. Also, watch Yuen Woo Ping movies. He's the best action choreographer alive.

SecretAgentZero

3rd Mar 2008, 01:54 AM

The best way to write a fight scene depends specifically on what type of scene you're using. Different techniques are used for hand-to-hand, weapons, large-scale battles, etc. The only "general" rules that really apply are the ones that apply to all writing: pay attention to detail and don't let the reader loose sight of the objective.

I've been writing action/adventure for a long time, and my best fight scenes are hand-to-hand. In my experience, the best way to come up with an exciting fight scene is to act it out yourself. That way you can visualize each move and come up with a realistic sequence of events. Also, watch Yuen Woo Ping movies. He's the best action choreographer alive.

My first currently planned story has hand-to-hand combat in it.
Any specific tips?

JanePstar

15th Mar 2008, 04:00 PM

Well this is my opinion

When story-tellers write in such a way like "Hey my name is Ashley and this is my life" i walked into the bedroom carefully with my eyes closed so i couldn't---blah blah. That kind of thing gets me bored for some reason. It never really gets my attention. I dont like it as much as i like the way of--Gerald: Hey. Lisa: Hey whats up. Idk just me

1306

3rd Jun 2008, 08:33 AM

This is a pretty useful thread. First-time writers can get a lot out from this thread.

If I may, I'll add some more tips:

-If you could, try having your pictures to the size allowed on this site. And photoshop them, if possible.
-Try and use a screenshot taker. The in-game camera produces blurry and compressed pics. FRAPS is an excellent example, but there are other alternatives out there.

I'll add more later.

Dreamydre

30th Jun 2008, 09:46 AM

woww Lifa lol. Right now im planning a story to put on Sims 2 Community Forums and im definitely referring back to this when im in a rut.

simmer22

30th Jun 2008, 11:56 AM

the link from GhengisJohn will come in handy :)

I'm a heavy writer myself. I'm also trying to write a book (if my own computer EVER gets out of its hibernation... *cries* It barely starts now...)

All the writing tips that makes you go "oh, I did not know that, but I'll try" are good, and I got a few of them from that link.

both pictures and writing have to be good. If the pictures are crappy, and the story don't capture me sometime in the first chapter, then It's more than likely that I drop it all, and don't even bother looking for updates. Though, if the story is funny, then I might read on... There should always be something in the first chapter that makes you read on. Not the entire plot, but a little thing that capture the reader immediately. A sentence, a few words, a conversation, something that happens... anything.

grammar and pictures are pretty much equal in my eyes. If a story can tell anything either only in words, or only in pictures, then you know it's either strong text, or strong pictures - or both. If the pictures tells something the text doesn't, the pictures are even stronger. You can put a lot into a picture - feelings, character presentation, symbols and so on. The pictures should not just be an illustration that follows the text - but it should be a way to tell the story, just like the text. And at the same time, the text can show so much more than a picture ever can, no matter how you do it.

The best writing tip, however - is to read a lot. Even if you don't think about it, you pick up a little here and there, and expand your writing skills. Try to not hold on to the same words and descriptions - but use new words (that fits the text, of course - use a dictionary if you're not sure of the meaning and use of those words). This expands your vocabularity very much. I'm not at all english speaking myself (been to England once in my entire life), but since I read mostly in English, I've learned a great deal.

for my last two stories (only the last chapter in MAF), I used Gadwin printscreen and photoshop. It gives you a lot more to work with than the C-button pics does. Besides - if you have to crop the pictures, it gives you a lot more freedom, since the picture is a lot bigger and easier to work with.

JacobEdward

1st Jul 2008, 09:03 PM

What an awesome thread, Lifa! Might I add a word of advice about Beta Readers? I saw that Padlock had mentioned them, but didn't see this anywhere...

When choosing a beta, make sure it's someone you know to have written a story, here or on another forum or even in RL, and ask to have samples of their writing. That way you can get a good feel for whether or not you'd trust them to help you with your story. They should have good grammar and spelling above all! Once in fourth grade I let a girl edit my story simply because I was editing hers. It was handwritten in our journals, and when I got it back I discovered that she had crossed out quite a long series of descriptions - that, were to be honest, pretty good for a fourth grader (how I hate myself for typing that sentence!)- and that every 'made' (there were a lot of those) had been crossed out and replaced with 'mad'! I confronted the girl about this, and she just said, "I didn't like reading that part." Oh, and my favorite bit, "But the word is spelled M-A-D. There's no E."

Also, when two characters are talking, don't type their sentences in the same paragraph. For instance:

"All this rain is ruining our fun," Perry said angrily. "I don't think so," her brother replied.

Once you hit the second character's sentence, you should press enter and be done with it.

I'm not sure if there's an exception, like '"I hate dogs," Lisa huffed. She turned to Jim and watched as he looked at her vacantly and replied, "You have no good reason."'

One more thing, then I'm done! XD It is a general rule that, unless you're writing a formal invitation or the like, all numbers one through twenty should be typed using letters, but 21+ can use numbers.

Once again, this is a wonderful thread, and it helps a lot!

wndy26

22nd Oct 2008, 04:00 AM

I'd really like some sort of camera mod that let's you get very close to the characters so you can get extreme close-ups, does anyone know where to find one?

Gunmod on MTS2 has a great camera mod that will let you get very close and very far away - its cool.

Rixy

8th Nov 2008, 04:06 AM

This was very helpful! Thanks!

BriMia

25th Jan 2009, 08:00 AM

haha. bunnies!

Tiantian26

26th Jan 2009, 12:42 PM

Important!

Lisang

29th Jan 2009, 04:44 AM

this is so helpful! thanks a lot!

mayakii

3rd Feb 2009, 08:25 PM

I have a tip for everyone:
In all their Pleasantview stories, Angela always gets what she wants and Lilith is abused. That's completely overdone. I think more people who write stories about them should make them equal, because I kind of view Lilith as someone who thinks her life is wayyy worse than it actually is. ._.

simstate

17th Mar 2009, 03:45 AM

What a great thread and very organized too. I thought each tip was right on the money and well thought out. So, kudos to you Lifa!

I just wanted to comment further on what someone posted on page 3.

...but when comparing the views with the number of people who were interested the math comes out to about 1%. i put a lot of effort into developing the sim and the story around her and i take it a bit personally that people coulden't be bothered to comment.

All writers fear obscurity. Basically, you write and you want feedback. And that's totally natural. In real life, it's easy to hand someone what you wrote and get instant feedback.

But the internet is a different entity. Someone actually made a study about this (believe it or not), and what they found was that - "In most online communities, 90% of users are lurkers who never contribute, 9% of users contribute a little, and 1% of users account for almost all the action." (Source: Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html) )

So, the 1% the poster mentioned who commented on his/her stories just reflected what happens naturally in the internet world, and shouldn't serve to discourage one from writing and sharing his/her stories.

BriMia

17th Apr 2009, 03:32 AM

Momthing

7th May 2009, 06:13 AM

I have to admit that I've never written a Sims story, because I'm intimidated by the technical challenge of taking the pictures and then posting the story online. I'm not worried about my story writing skills. I'm a regular contributor to a couple of Star Trek (the original series) fansites, and I know my writing skills are good.

I have to say one thing that wasn't mentioned here and that is this:

If you're going to write a story, keep yourself out of it as much as possible. What I mean is that you, as the author, shouldn't be explaining anything to your audience. Let the characters and the plot do the explaining for you.

I'll give you an example from a Legacy Story I read a while back. The author starts something like this:

"This is Leah. She's a Romance Sim with a Family Aspiration, and I made her using custom content I found at XYZ website. This is her first day on her new lot, and I used furniture that I recently downloaded from ABC website."

"She meets a boy named Jack, and her best friend is named Susan. Susan is my best friend's Simself."

And then here comes the dialog:

Leah: I met a boy named Jack. He is so Hawt.
Susan: Wow, that's really neat.

(and so forth and so on, ad infinitum). So what you have here isn't really a story. It's more like someone noodling around pretending like they're writing a story.

Here's what they *should* have done:

IF it's in first person:

My name is Leah Sim, and this is my story. On the day I turned 21, I found out that my grandfather had left me a large piece of land and 5,000 simoleans. The only problem was, that the piece of land he left me was in a place called Pleasantview, a town I'd never even heard of before.

And so forth and so on....another example:

I didn't have a whole lot of money to spend, so I bought the bare essentials I needed to survive and build a small bathroom so at least I'd have some privacy when I showered. On my first day there, I met a boy named Jack, and we hit it off right away.
Later, I told my friend Susan that I thought he was "hawt", as the saying goes.

I mean, it's not really that hard. But it does help if you write your story out ahead of the game.

GiipsySimKittyn

7th May 2009, 07:00 AM

Here's my two cents on the topic of writing a good sim story. I know a lot of people like to plan ahead by writing the chapter first and then taking the photographs to match up their actions and dialogue, but for me it's been a completely different case.

I first play the game, capture the shots as the scenes I want to happen in my head play out and only then do I write out the chapter. It's good to have a general idea of what you want to have happen in the chapter overall, however planning it out to the last detail, doesnt work for everyone. Usually I'm sure of what the beginning and end will be, but fill in the middle as I play with my sims characters.

For writing the story, I think its really important to find your own writing style. Find something that you're comfortable with (whether its first or third person narrative).

One of the bigger issues I think a lot of people have when writing sims 2 stories is that a lot get really confused when writing dialogue. Personally, rather than seeing someone write the dialogue as:

Jane: Hi, my name is Jane.

It seems to flow more when written as:

Jane shook Amanda's hand and introduced herself. "Hi, my name is Jane."

Its easier to read that way and seems less choppy. If you're worried about people not knowing which of your characters said what in the dialogue, add in an action every now and then, such as:

"She was hit by a car. They've taken her to the hospital."

Amanda let out a gasp and stared at Jane. "Is she going to be okay?"

Jane sighed, "I'm not sure but we should meet them there."

Once you get used to writing dialogue like that, it'll come more naturally to you so that you wont have to worry about confusing people as to who is talking and who isnt.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself! Don't feel pressure to write just to please everyone and don't live completely off of the comments people give you. Although it is nice to recieve comments, don't be discouraged if there arent too many people leaving some behind. Most likely there are people who are silent readers that don't have the time to leave you one. If there are comments leaving you contructive critism, you should definitely pay attention to those. If they are willing to help you improve your story, why not? Just don't get too caught up in pleasing everyone to a point where you lose touch with your own writing style. Remember, let the constructive critism improve it, but don't let it completely alter it.

And lastly, for picture taking skills, search the internet! Don't be frustrated if there are directions given that you can't understand. If you ask people to help you understand it, a lot will be more than happy to help you. Play with the angles a bit and the actions you can force out of your sims! Really, once you get into it, it's a whole lot of fun. Try not to get too frustrated when a scene doesnt go your way.

Usually when that happens, I try to take a break from it and go back to it later. If you take breaks like that when having a bad writing or scene set-up day, you won't tear out your hair in anger - so try to relax and step back from it all when you're having a bad day!

Hope this helps someone out there trying to write or improve their writing skills.

Ted79

8th May 2009, 10:48 AM

Hello! History is not written simply. It is needed good vital history and your inspiration! And all, so simply. It is my method. When inspiration or muse is, then written easily.

Modest00

29th May 2009, 03:20 PM

All I care to know is, may I write R-rated and X-rated stories on this site? If not I'll take My stories elsewhere, thank you.

HystericalParoxysm

29th May 2009, 04:27 PM

Modest00 - No, you may not... http://www.modthesims2.com/announcement.php?f=567&announcementid=131

You may, however, write such stories on our adult site, sexysims2.com

KyleTheArtist

12th Feb 2010, 08:23 PM

Jeniveve

12th Feb 2010, 10:55 PM

wooot for that.

With me, I'd suggest keeping dialogue to a minimum - don't overdo it, you know? You can fill out the story by adding descriptions, pointing out small details. I find it really pulls you into the story. Use the 5 senses, it really adds depth if you're describing a scene.

I'll give an example (from one of mine, because it's too late to think right now.):

'Sara idly leant against the dark brown wood fence, staring across the asphalt front of the school to the hills beyond it, watching the eastern way – that lead to her home. The sun shone against her, warming her back through her red jumper. Sean spotted her the moment he opened the door that functioned as an exit from the school. An escape, maybe. The light shining against her caused one side of her face to be darkened in shadow. Sean smiled to himself slightly as he made his way down the small amount of steps – she was waiting for Ava.'

'The sky was a vibrant gold hue as the sun drew closer and closer to the cold horizon. Illuminating it like a phoenix in its final throes of fiery death before collapsing into ashes, where it would be reborn – a gentle, innocent chick, with its tranquil and oddly wise eyes staring straight through into your soul. She breathed in – letting the soft, cool scent of the breeze flow in and cleanse her lungs, her ears tingling with the sound of crickets.'

I hope I helped =]