Forum:Newsletter- March 2010

Story Review
Story review by DJ Spenstar

All good stories anywhere, or at least on this wiki, are remembered for something. I remember Total Drama Craziness for its incredible amount of humor. I remember Total Drama Amazon for its incredible characters and what they went through. I think you get the point by now. With really great stories, you can remember individual chapters in particular for something that the chapter portrayed, or by one of the traits I mentioned. Such is the case with Total Wikia Elementary, which will be moving into its second season as soon as the long-awaited finale to season 1 is written. With TWE fever rampant, I’ve decided to focus on one of my favorite TWE chapters so far.

The chapter is called A Love Letter for Sunshine, and it was written by the famous wikia author, Nalyd Renrut. For those of you, who are unfamiliar with TWE, shame on you! Just kidding, but you should get around to reading TWE soon. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, for those of you unfamiliar with TWE, it’s about a bunch of crazy, square, or somewhat unusual 6-7 year old kids who attend an even crazier school and have crazy misadventures. The catch is that the characters are meant to represent the authors that created them. The main characters are Nalyd, (created by Nalyd Renrut) Sunshine, (Sunshineandravioli) and Matt. (Ezekielguy) Now that you know about TWE, I can talk about what I was supposed to be talking about.

In A Love Letter for Sunshine, (LLfS) Sunshine finds a note for her on her desk at school. The note turns out to be a love letter from an anonymous friend of hers. For the rest of the chapter, you follow Sunshine as she tries to figure out who wrote the note. Since most chapters begin from Nalyd’s perspective, this is a nice change of pace, especially since the chapter isn’t about Nalyd anyway. Another good thing about the chapter is that there are arguments supporting all three “suspects” that Sunshine visits: Stephen, (Codaa5) Nalyd, and finally, Matt.

Since Sunshine visits Stephen first, we’ll start with him. Upon arriving at Stephen’s place, Sunshine bursts open the door and yells at Stephen to turn off the episode of TDI he was watching. When Sunshine asks him whether or not he loves her, he says no, but not before widening his eyes after remembering the note. This either means that he wrote it, or he knows who did and was in on it.

Suspect number two is Matt. When Sunshine visits Nalyd and asks him about the note, Nalyd says that Matt wrote it, and had loved Sunshine for 6 years. (all the characters are 6 at this point, so it was kinf of weird of Nalyd to say that) Nalyd was influenced by cold medicine at this point, so what he was saying could have been a blatant lie, or it could have been right on the money. Sunshine, after hearing this, goes to Matt’s place to investigate. He tells her that he loved Gwen from TDI, not Sunshine, for 6 years. Matt could have been covering for himself then, but it’s unlikely. He also says that Nalyd told him not to tell who write the note. This could be a way for him to further hide the fact that he write the note, but it could also mean that Nalyd indeed did write it. That makes Nalyd our third and final suspect.

I like how the whole thing is vague, and that it could be one of three people, and that we don’t know who wrote the note at the end of the chapter. Personally, I want Stephen to have written the note, but that’s just me.

Overall, I give A Love Letter for Sunshine of Total Wikia Elementary a 9.5/10. I enjoyed it lots, and it’s probably my favorite chapter so far of TWE. May Total Wikia Elementary continue to have great chapters like this one!

Comics




Feautred Author Interview
Nalyd: What's your best story, in your opinion?

Anonymos: Although I've only gotten two chapters up, I'd say Total Drama: Los Angeles. If it has to be complete, then I'd say Total Drama Pandemonium.

Nalyd: What's you favorite story/series to read?

Anonymos: My personal favorite is probably Sprinklemist's series, although the Nalyd Renrut series is a close second. There are a lot of great stories out there, though.

Nalyd: What is your biggest goal on the wiki?

Anonymos: My biggest goal is probably to become as popular as Sprinklemist, but I'm fairly confident that's not going to happen.

Nalyd: Do you have any advice for new authors?

Anonymos: Advice? Hm... Don't screw up. XD I'm not really advice columnist material.

Nalyd: Where's Waldo?

Anonymos: Hiding in your closet, armed with a knife, waiting for you to come home. XD, JK

Nalyd: What are your plans for the future?

Anonymos: Well, I'm planning on winning an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy, and a Grammy, all in one day. *pause* Oh, you meant on here. I'm going to finish TD:LA, and I have three or four stories planned for the future.

Advice Column
Advice Column by Sunshineandravioli

''Hello again, readers! It's Sunshineandravioli here, bringing you the TDIFF wiki's first real advice column! I have some very good questions here this month, and I really hope I can give them some good advice. First we have a question from "Booster Seat"...''

Dear Sunshine,

So I've been working on a fanfiction pretty hard and I really want people to know about it. Now I'm not talking about being an internet sensation but a bit more like being motivated by the fact that I know people actually read it. I've already told a lot of people in my class all about it but I don't think they're actually following it and I really want to know if people enjoy it or not. I've started a 'club' sort a thing on a website but that doesn't really show me that the members are actually interested in my project rather than interested in being a member. Is there any advice you can give me for making my project more public/well known?

Thanks,

Booster Seat


 * Dear Booster Seat,


 * There are several things you can do to get more people reading your fanfiction. If you’ve posted it on the TDI Fanfiction Wiki, you can go to the TDI Camps Wiki and get people to subscribe to you. This means you will make a heading labeled “[Your name]’s Subscribers” on the subscriptions page, and people who are interested will sign their names under the section. Whenever you post a new chapter of your fanfic, you can then message your subscribers and tell them the new chapter is up!


 * Another thing you can do, if you want to get a really wide audience, is post the fanfiction on multiple websites. For example, you could post the story both on the Fanfiction Wiki and on Fanfiction.net. If you have your own website or a blog, you could post it there too (this may be a good option if you want your real-life friends to read it). However, if you don’t want to go off-wiki, or if don’t have an FF.net account/a website or blog, you definitely don’t have to; simply getting some subscribers could help a lot.


 * Finally, make sure to remember that if no one is commenting on your story, that doesn’t necessarily mean no one is reading it. Sometimes people will read a chapter and forget to comment. Heck, I know that one of our wiki’s most famed authors, Sprinklemist, got no comments on a chapter of Total Drama: Boney Island when it was posted. Even so, people were reading it, as he figured out when it was bumped up a spot on the “most viewed” list. Keep these things in mind and I’m sure your fic will be more popular in no time! Good luck!


 * -Sunshine

Next we have a letter from "Slow Writer"...

Dear Sunshine,

I normally browse the wiki, but occasionally I begin writing fanfictions. My stories are often overlooked, however, and I am convinced that a crucial reason of this is that I can go weeks without posting another chapter. Is there any way for me to write chapters and get them posted easier besides simply writing the story quicker?

Thanks,

Slow Writer


 * Dear Slow Writer,


 * I know how you feel. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I have a distinct inability to update my fanfics more than once every few months. However, I’ve gotten several tips on how to be more efficient in writing chapters and posting them regularly. One tip is to set aside a day and time to use just for writing. It’s also important to set yourself a deadline, for example, try to finish a new chapter by Saturday. Another suggestion is to set goals and rewards. For example, reward yourself with five minutes chatting with your friends for finishing a page of the chapter. I hope these tips help you (and me, honestly!) with getting your chapters up more quickly!


 * -Sunshine

After that, we have a question from "A Member of Wikia"...

Dear Sunshine,

I'm confused as to the whole Sunshine/Nayld/Ravioli relationship. Could you explain that?

Sincerely,

A Member Of Wikia


 * Dear A Member of Wikia,


 * Oh, the wonderful story that is the Sunshine/Nalyd/Ravioli relationship. To be honest with you, most of it was invented just from random things Nalyd and I came up with because we were bored! But, if you want an explanation, here goes…


 * Nalyd and Sunshine met at a caterpillar rights movement back when the two were hippies. They hit it off right away, and started dating. However, things grew rocky later on, when Nalyd discovered she was annoying and Sunshine discovered he was a square. Ultimately, Nalyd broke up with her because he thought Sunshine was cheating on him with Duncan while he was competing in a reality show. For unknown reasons, the two remained friends afterwards (well, it was probably one-sided on Sunshine’s part…).


 * Later on, at a reality show taking place at a college campus, Nalyd met Ravioli, Sunshine’s twin sister and polar opposite. The two quickly got along, and Nalyd intended to ask her out, but was eliminated before he could do so. He then entered various other reality shows, and majorly forgot about Ravioli. Meanwhile, Sunshine decided to experiment with the creation of “ravioli children” (a process invented by Ezekielguy: ravioli and a photograph of 1-2 people put in a microwave creates a child) by putting a picture of Nalyd and Ravioli in the microwave with some ravioli. This caused her to accidentally create Amy, Nalyd and Ravioli’s “daughter”. Nalyd, feeling responsible for Amy, finally got back together with Ravioli. They fight and break up- often- and probably have unintentionally truamatized their children (Amy created herself a little brother, Elmo, using the microwave children process, using a picture of Nalyd and Beth) on several occasions, but other than that, have a pretty good relationship.


 * So, to sum it up, Sunshine and Nalyd are friends, and Ravioli and Nalyd are dating (not married, something people are often confused about). Also, I’d like to mention that this is just the relationship of the characters, not the real me and Nalyd. XD


 * Hope you’re no longer confused!


 * -Sunshine

Now there's a letter from "I Has A Lazy Muse"...

Dear Sunshine,

I get ideas about once per three months. I really want to increase that rate, and I'd like to know how. I figure you'd be the best one to talk to about, as you get all these ideas that make you abandon your other fics.

Sincerely,

I Has A Lazy Muse


 * Dear I Has A Lazy Muse,


 * Getting ideas is always hard, and even harder to explain. Sometimes you’ll have to really think and work to find a good idea, other times it’ll just pop into your head. My suggestion- stop trying to get ideas for a little while. Just relax, watch some TV, read a book, do something fun! Then, maybe when you’re watching that movie or reading that comic book, you’ll think, “oh, hey, it’d be cool if I did something like this in my fic, except with Geoff and Noah, and they’d be hanging over a cliff for dear life and…”


 * Another tip is to write down all the ideas you have- even ones you think are bad. That way, when you’re sitting down to write, you can look at this list, pick some ideas you think are good, develop on them, etc. Even ones you disliked at the time, you might look back on and think “hey, this might be good if I change this around a little…” and all of a sudden you have some great new idea!


 * Finally, look around you for inspiration. As I stated above, you might look at one scenario and get an idea for another one from it. You might look at a strangely-dressed person out on the streets and get an idea for a character. You might see a beautiful landscape and want to use it as the setting for a fanfic. Inspiration is everywhere! You just have to figure out what it is that inspires you.


 * I hope this helps!


 * -Sunshine

Next, a question from "Jason"...

Dear Sunshine,

I just can't seem to finish competition fics! Any suggestions?

Your pal,

Jason


 * Dear Jason,


 * Ugh, I feel your pain- competition fics are hard. And yet, if you look around the wiki, people somehow manage to post a new chapter every week for their competition fics and finish them up within a few months, only to start a new one immediately afterwards! How??? Well, I’m here to tell you.


 * First of all, something that will really help you is to plan out the series BEFORE you begin writing. Decide how many contestants there’ll be and who they are. Set up the challenge for each episode, and the number of episodes. Decide the elimination order. Work out what team wins each challenge and why. Decide the basic plotline of each episode (for example: “Teams have dodgeball challenge. Gophers win first two games. Bass come around with Duncan’s help and win next two challenges. Harold wins third game for the Bass. Noah is eliminated.”) Write all this up someplace you’ll remember. Then, when you’re writing the fic, all you have to do is refer back to this if you get stuck!


 * The next thing you’ll probably have to worry about is writing and posting chapters regularly. There are plenty of things you can do to help you with this! Firstly, it’s important to set a deadline (ex: “I’m going to finish the chapter by Thursday and post it on Friday.”). To help you meet this deadline, set up a time reserved just for writing (ex: “From 2:00 to 4:00 today, I’ll work on the new chapter.”), and set up a system of goals and rewards to make you want to write (ex: “For every page of the chapter I finish, I’ll give myself 10 minutes roleplaying on the camps wiki.”). Try these tips, and once you find out what works for you, you’ll be pumping out chapters in no time!


 * Finally, if you’re writing the fic and really finding you’re not enjoying it and you don’t want to write it… don’t write it. Announce that the chapter won’t be posted on time and apologize, then take a break. Relax, have fun, get your mind off it. Then, when you’re feeling refreshed and like you want to keep going, go back to it!


 * I hope this helped you, and I can’t wait to see your finished fic!


 * -Sunshine

And, finally, a letter from "Welcome to My Life"...

Dear Sunshine,

I'm seriously considering discontinuing my fan-fiction. I'm running out of ideas already, and from my polls and the talk page, I only have a small handful of readers. I know that you'll say that I should continue it, but please, give an honest opinion. What should I do, and if I continue it, what should I do to make it more popular?

Signed,

Welcome to My Life


 * Dear Welcome to My Life,


 * Discontinuing a fanfiction is a serious decision. Of course I’d say you should continue it, but if you’re having serious thoughts about this, there’s a few things you need to consider.


 * The first thing you have to think about is YOU. Do you like writing the story, or is it just a chore for you? Do you want to see it finished, or could you care less? Is the story really important to you, or was it just something you did out of boredom and you wouldn’t honestly mind if the thing got deleted? If running out of ideas is your only problem, perhaps you just need to walk away, take a break, and go back to it later when you’re feeling more refreshed. If you try this and it really doesn’t work, then maybe you’re right to discontinue it.


 * The next thing you should remember is that polls and talk pages aren’t always an accurate representation of how many people are reading a story. Sometimes people will just ignore polls, and sometimes readers forget to comment on a story even if they’ve read it. Also, remember that the amount of readers isn’t always an accurate representation of a story’s success! If a story had a lot of readers who always said there were a lot of areas the story could be improved, and another story had very few readers who did nothing but rave about the story, which do you think is the better fanfic?


 * If you do decide to continue the fanfic, there are plenty of things to make it more popular. Post it on multiple websites. Tell your real-life friends to read it. Make a blog post about it. Put your name up on the subscriptions page so you can alert readers of a new chapter. Try your luck at featured story, even if you don’t think it’ll win: just having it on the page can increase publicity!


 * I hope this helps you make a decision.


 * -Sunshine

''Well, that's all for this month! I hope I've been able to give you some good advice. If you have any questions for me, you can place an anonymos letter here. It may end up in the next newsletter! Until then!''