The Authors Mental Filter.

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

Of late I've noticed a few common concerns among new posters and some more regular members alike in regard to their Index Astartes articles.

As such I've decided to see if we can't compile some tips and tricks that will help smooth things out. As the topic starter I'll begin.

 

 

Read it aloud.

 

It might sound silly or ridiculous but something you really must do after writing something -anything- is to read it back to yourself out loud. Things can often sound perfect in your head or before you put pen to paper, then when you get criticism back you are pulled up on punctuation, grammar and it's placement as such.

 

If you read something you have written back to yourself, just as you would read a book or other story, the errors or misplaced punctuation and such will become more apparent. Even better is having someone else read it aloud back to you, though writing IA's is often a solitary experience so finding someone to help you isn't always easy or something you want to do.

 

Also, once you start reading don't stop every time you find an error. Make a note of it in the margin or on another pad and keep going. It's like when you are playing something on a musical instrument, when you make a mistake typically you don't stop. If your in the middle of a piece you can ruin the entire thing at the expense of just one wrong note that few people will pick up on. The reasoning here is that it's about the piece as a whole. If you keep changing things without seeing how they link together in the bigger picture you can often disrupt the flow of the article and create more problems even as you solve others.

 

 

 

Create a Reference.

 

Don't just write straight from your head to the page. This causes problems insofar that you aren't actually writing properly. When taking something directly from your head to paper as a presentable piece you typically make mistakes that you wouldn't normally make. Usually these are grammatical and punctuation errors. From using the wrong phrase to describe something, overusing a certain word or two to even leaving gaping plot holes that only you can understand properly.

 

While these things are easily addressed in posting on Liber, it can -as with the above point- garner you a lot of unneeded and unwanted criticism in certain areas that might not be what you were looking for. It can be slightly annoying when us liber-ites pour over your use of grammar and spelling rather than spending more time on the story at hand and the overall idea of the chapter itself.

 

A good way I've found to avoid this is to keep a pen and paper handy at all times, even when sitting on the computer. As soon as you have an idea, or some inspiration for something, write it down on the pad. Keep writing and put as much detail into it or plot-holes as you like. That is your roughest draft. After you pen the idea down you need to go over it. Try to recognize the bits that need to be pruned away, like the overly detailed fight scenes or descriptions of your marines heraldry and such.

 

Once you have your basic idea and form on the page you can sit it next to your keyboard and re-type it up, or even re-write it it you prefer. For me, when I re-write something I will often naturally find better ways to word a sentence, or describe an event. Walk away from the idea for a few minutes, go and have a cup of tea or something and let your mind cool down before returning to re-write it if you like. As long as you have a more objective eye when you start the second draft you will make improvements on your initial idea.

 

 

Your readers aren't mind-readers.

 

This is something everyone, bar none, can and likely will do when writing their IA. To anyone writing virtually anything, when you have an idea or concept in your head you understand it completely. This is only natural, it is after all in your mind. The problem occurs when you write something that requires the leap of logic that you make without even thinking given that you are holding all the cards. You have all the information and can therefore leave out key points or links that someone who is coming to your work for the first time will not understand.

 

Understanding this is key. Think of it like a game; You begin the game with all the information needed to win. In order to succeed you must let the reader cotton on to what you are holding on to without letting him get confused and letting him stumble off in the wrong direction. As the Author it is up to you to guide the reader through your article, giving them everything they need to reach the conclusion without getting lost along the way.

 

In doing this you can often avert a lot of criticism, constructive or otherwise from certain areas. Now don't get me wrong, you shouldn't go so far out of your way that it no longer becomes something you enjoy, this isn't work by any stretch of the imagination. That said, there is a definite satisfaction to be gained vicariously from having other people read your article and enjoying it. This is what you should keep in mind.

 

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That's all I have for now.

 

Hope this helps.

[Imperialis_Dominatus]

Good tips. Beyond RTFM (the manual being the DIY guide)... four things off the top.

 

Be prepared to do a lot of two things. Expand, and take away. As you get an idea, it will grow on itself, and as you modify and add to it, it may become quite a beast. This is good; you are adding to your Chapter. However, past a certain point, you will likely need to take something away from the IA that is unnecessary: detailed fight scenes, in-depth discussions of heraldry, breakdowns of Chapter strength down to the squad level, and every little bit that sets your Chapter divergent to the Codex.

 

Don't delete these things forever! Keep them in a separate document in case you want to do some other in-depth work on your Chapter. But they don't necessarily have to be in the IA. It's a summary, not a complete and exhaustive point-by-point examination, of your Chapter.. Of course, all this talk of 'other in-depth work' comes from a person who has dozens of pages of summarized information saved on one Chapter in particular and a novel series that will draw together nearly all of his 40k works ala-Dark-Tower-series, but you don't have to be as dedicated as me.

 

Keep it simple, stupid. Come up with a few (and only a few) overt themes, concepts, tropes, real-life examples, and so on that your Chapter is based on. Apply them to every section of the IA, however slightly. These should provide the meat of your article. You can insert subtler things but they can't distract from the main, overarching themes. My Angels Ascendant, I will admit, may lack such focus. Commissar Molotov's Castigators are great at this. Speaking of an IA article that has hit the Librarium...

 

Read, read, read before you write, write, write. Rinse, wash, repeat. Get ahold of as much fluff as you can. Your Codices, Dark Heresy, Black Library, and such. Borrow these if you can. Read the Librarium here a lot. Surf for any article that could pertain to your Chapter (I personally recommend the Thousand Marine Myth article, Behind the Astartes, Adeptus Astartes Fleets, and Considering the Organisation Section in DIY IA Articles). Read "completed" IA articles in the Librarium. Read Lexicanum (mostly canon but beware of fanon). Read forum posts in fluff sections of any forum. Read it all.

 

If you get an inspiration, write it down. I mean it. Before I began the practice, I'd daydream about 40k and the many stories that have made their home in my head in the place of things that actually have a use in real life all day. I still do that, but the point is that I'd not write down the many inspirations I'd have over the most inconsequential things (one time I was inspired by a passing ambulance. No joke). These things, if not written down, have a tendency to never be seen or heard again. I personally, being a cashier, have access to a handy-dandy printer and pen at all times, so I just have to wait till I'm done with whatever customer is currently bothering me before I can write it down. If you don't have a similar convention, keep a pen and paper handy.

 

Take criticism well. Apply it to your article. The number of things others will call into question that you consider absolutely essential to the character of your Chapter and the number of those things that are actually essential to the character of your Chapter are seldom the same. This also applies to spelling and grammar- make it legible! Many times I have skipped a potentially interesting article just because the sentences were painful to me- it's not elitism, it's simply that I can't physically force myself through it, I don't have the stomach.

[TheWeepingMagician]

An make shore them spellingz and gramers is good uz wel aye.

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

Some good additions there Imperialis, especially those informative links you posted. That's the sort of thing that can really help someone who is struggling for information. Good stuff.

 

An make shore them spellingz and gramers is good uz wel aye. :P

 

This is actually a really good point. Just running a spellchecker over your work won't remove any true errors bar spelling mistakes, and even these are sometimes fixed the wrong way. Like the difference between there and their. While both words are spelled correctly more often than not, the two terms are used in different contexts.

 

It's the little things like case-sensitive words that can make an IA much more readable for anyone wishing to peruse it.

[RagingGriffon]

Don't try to make the fluff fit the rules. Do not come up with a reason why your Fire Fists of Ultramar Guard are fighting Black Templars because your best buddy in your gaming groups plays BTs. They do not have to be on a planet that is infested with Orks, Tyranids, Tau, Chaos, and Eldar. Write a story that inspires you and then play your tabletop army against another tabletop army.

 

Also, this is YOUR hobby. If you want your chapter to be from Horus' geneseed, but they were loyalist Luna Wolves, and they got lost in the Warp, and realized daemons were bad, then they came out of the Warp, and it was M39 and they were shocked to hear of the Horus Heresy, but they are still loyal to the Emperor, and now they exclusively recruit females and Tau, etc etc etc. Fine. Do it. Just realize there are many people here on B&C (and the WH40k community worldwide) that will demonize you for it. So, if you want a (for the most part) accepted DIY chapter, come here and get ready to write, and rewrite, and rewrite, and rewrite...

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

I too get sick of people who use the incorrect usage of "there", "their" and "they're".

 

Here are simple explanations on when to use them: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-There,-Their-and-They%27re

 

Here is a quiz to help you practice: http://www.better-english.com/easier/theyre.htm

[Ace Debonair]

The only thing I can really add to this is something laughably simple, but also something I am most definitely guilty of.

 

We here at the B&C like chapters to be acceptable in-universe. And if it's not, we'll let you know about it. :D

But when editing your chapter to make it fit in better, be careful not to minimize the actual character of the chapter.

The things that make the chapter unique are as important, if not more important, than the things that blend them in with everyone else.

 

Finding the happy medium can be difficult, but finding it is pretty rewarding. :)

[Lord of Insanity]

Everyone's got good points. And I'm adding two cents.

 

Breaks can be your best friend.

 

If you're writing your IA and you're stuck at an impasse on what needs to be written, it's good to just slip away from the computer/paper/thingamabob that you are writing on and entertain yourself with other things. An example would be a video game, or a game of cards. A book can help too! This helps unwind your mind and relax, and possibly help bring in a new idea or two, be it adding a piece of info never thought about or recognizing a mishap you put in to correct.

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

Breaks can be your best friend.

 

Something I tend to neglect is taking a break. I usually sit and stare at the page until I get so frustrated I need to take an even longer break or unwind more than I should have to. A very good addition Insanity.

 

 

Ace, good point.

 

 

Finding the happy medium can be difficult, but finding it is pretty rewarding.

 

Herein lies the rub. Finding that happy medium is the most challenging aspect of writing a DIY. It takes perseverance and most of all, discipline to keep a DIY going beyond the point where you feel uninspired or that it is too difficult. Writers block is common and something that has seen many chapters on Liber sink well before their time. I myself have had every single chapter I've made drop off the radar or move from the mental back burner to the metaphorical bin bar two. One is the Blazing Sons who, while on hold while I concentrate on the Bloodsworn, are in danger of sharing the same fate.

 

You can look at it a different way. Everyone has one or - more likely- more than one failed DIY. They aren't easy things to perfect to a point where they are suited for the Librarium. As such, each failed attempt was just another draft leading towards the one DIY you eventually pull through to the end. Each IA that sinks is another 'level' of experience that you need to create.

 

Once you have the experience necessary to more easily recognize your literary faults and strengths, not to mention knowing the fluff well enough to know what will and won't work right off the bat, things proceed much more easily.