The OC Helpers

General: Helpful Critique Tips

To get better results when asking for critique, it’s best you be as helpful as the ones critiquing. It helps speed up the process in general. Now, this isn’t about etiquette (there’s lots of stuff out there on that). What I wish to discuss in this post is how to interact with someone when requesting critique on a visual (non literature) project.

Many people like to get feedback on a design, and some even actively seek help to refine a design. When approaching someone for help you first should be polite. This is a given because, well, no one wants to deal with a rude and ungrateful person. When asking for help on a design (or when looking for feedback, period), it’s important you highlight what you’re aiming to do. Tell people how you feel about things you want changed. Let them know what direction you’d like to take. It’s important to give references and as much information as possible. By doing this it leaves less guess work for the critiquing person(s). They can go in knowing what to do instead of sit there and take aimless guesses, possibly hitting on things you personally don’t want critique on. No one knows your mind like you do, after all.

It is important to share the work as well. Do not lean on others to where they do all/most of the work for you (unless they’re getting paid for it, that’s pretty rude). When you receive the critique, make an updated reference and show them. It’s then a fair trade and, if someone wants to, they can draw on additions or alterations they’re thinking of. It’s much more efficient than text descriptions as well. In addition to that, others who may not be artistically inclined can even redline ideas onto your image(s). While making the references is slower than text typing, it’s much easier to deal with and much more accurate.

So, in short:

• Make sure you’re polite.
• Go in prepared and with plenty of information and references.
• Don’t make everyone do the work for you. Instead, work with them.

- Fera

Rough Drafts and Characters

Now, I’m just making this post to let people know it’s okay to make and post rough drafts of stories and of characters you are creating. By doing this, you can share your ideas, share your characters, share the concepts you are developing and get feedback on what to improve, on what works, and what is outright confusing. I know not everyone agrees that sharing rough drafts is okay but do remember that everyone writes and creates differently. There is no such thing as a complete story, a perfectly balanced character, etc. on the first try. Art, writing, and creation is a practice and a revision process.

Never let anyone tell you that your rough draft is worthless. It is just a stepping stone to a beautiful final product!

And I hope this lovely update puts a smile on some of your faces.

-Tiffy

Writing Exercise: Stuck Alone

Goal: To help explore your character’s mind and learn how they think.

Everyone creates characters differently. Some people create them and make sure the character acts a certain way no matter what. Other people create a concept and let the character expand and grow by themselves. Either way, the character has a distinct way of thinking for itself. The way a character thinks influences his or her decision and the way they act. They have goals, they have needs, they have wants, and they have a mind of their own.

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Writing Exercise: Character’s Room

Goal: To help look at your character from a different perspective.

This exercise is intended to be a bit more fun than the last. A character’s living area (their room specifically) can show a lot about them that others may not know about. It’s always fun to see what your character may have or what they may not have. Perhaps they don’t have a room at all and they instead live on the road. Really, this exercise is all about exploring and expanding upon what you already know.

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Fanfiction: AU

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, AU stands for “Alternate Universe”. It is most often seen in fanfiction but can be applied to original stories as well; especially if the story’s creator wishes to fool around with their own material. For the sake of this topic, we’ll stick to fanfiction AUs.

While AUs are generally fun to mess around with, you’ll often see people using AU to justify petty things like the removal of a disliked character’s existence. Other times it’s used to justify an idea that wouldn’t work normally or done just for the sake of doing so. Since you can change pretty much anything in an AU, many dislike them because they are known to deviate far from canon facts.

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Original: Develop Your World

For those writing an original story with a world you developed yourself, it is sometimes difficult figuring out how the plot will play out. You’ve hit a roadblock, and don’t know how to proceed. You still want to write, but you have no ideas for doing so.

What do you do?

One option often overlooked is to simply write another story, set in the same world as the one you were stuck on. Keep it short, and keep it self-contained. It can be about civilians living their normal lives while the main plot happens in the background, or perhaps it takes place years before or after. Whatever time you set it in, write it so it would help you develop the world you created. Perhaps it will develop how the people live, show the laws of the land, or maybe display some of the legends the world is rich in.

If your main plot is giving you trouble, help bring the land and its people to life. Flesh it out into something more than a stage for one story - then it will seem more like a real place that your audience can become increasingly comfortable with.

~Zera

Just got my hands on this concept art of Midna from Hyrule Historia. This is what I meant when I discussed odd proportions for twili.

Also, holy shit look at how complicated those runes are.

Writing Exercise: Relationships Among Characters

Goal: To help you learn about the relationships (friendships, romances, rivalry, etc.) that exist between your characters.

Many of you already know how the relationships between your characters work but that doesn’t mean it’s always portrayed the way you intend to others. You may also see the relationships as one way from a certain character’s perspective. That perspective isn’t always true for other characters. Remember, writing exercises are to help you learn about your characters. Relationships among your characters - or the lack of one - helps those characters grow and develop whether this is fan material or original.

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