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Writing a fanfic, need critique.

Started by Hijiri Byakuren, April 26, 2015, 04:00:25 PM

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Hijiri Byakuren

The fanfic is called Godzilla and RWBY: Battle for Remnant. The plot and setting are pretty much there in the title. This is the first fanfic I've written in 5 years, and also my first crossover work, so I'm treading very carefully.

Basic critique I want is the following:
  • Is my writing lifeless and/or has too much purple prose?
  • Is the plot moving too fast/slow?
  • Is the story easy to follow?
  • Did I ever break suspension of disbelief?
Be brutal, be honest. Sugarcoating it won't help me!
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel

Mr.Obvious

#1
I am so going to read the shit out of that, I love RWBY.

Also, great to know I'm not the only one working on fanfiction. (Though I remain kind of embarrased about it...)

Quote
Their battle took place in Tokyo, a city that for nearly a century seemed to attract kaiju like moths to flame.

More like: mothra to a flame? (Sorry, yanglike pun thrown in there.)

Quote
She fired some maser blasts to stun Godzilla while she righted the cyborg, and then took to the air.

Maybe 'maser' is something I don't know because I'm not the biggest Kaiju fan, but it seems to me like you meant laser blasts.

All in all, I like this prologue. It's well written and you write well enough to paint the picture. Though it was a short fight, it was a good one. And I know how hard fights are to write, so I'm looking forward to seeing the RWBY crew in action.
One thing I did catch was that you start your prologue 'explaining' what has happened before the fight and what lead to it. But your jump from that to the fight is less fluid than the rest of the chapter.

Quote
Their battle took place in Tokyo, a city that for nearly a century seemed to attract kaiju like moths to flame. Emi kept MKG in orbit, waiting for Godzilla to make landfall. When Godzilla finally appeared in the city, she guided MKG down with blinding speed, ramming the Monster King from orbit. Only MKG’s inertial dampening systems prevented the shock from killing its pilot.

The problem, or at least the minor nuisance if you can even call it that, lies in this paragraph, I think.

The first sentence is still part of the 'narration' that goes before the fight. The rest that follows belongs to the actual fight. I think you'd be better off making one more 'narration' paragraph starting with  "Their battle took place in Tokyo, a city that for nearly a centure seemed to attract kaiju like moths to a flame." and sepperating that from the rest. Say something more about the current state of the city, perhaps. Or how Emi, on the orders of her commanders valiantly met the challenge head on and that that, was where they found themselves; ready for one last, monstrous battle of epic proportions. (I'm trust your phrasing would be leagues ahead.)
And then have the next paragraph like your original one, but without the first sentence. But instead of that sentence; open up with something like 'Emi was the first to arrive'. (And then make it 'she kept MKG...')

But all in all, it's a great prologue and I'm hyped to read more.

P.S. If you prefer comments on the website of the story itself, please let me know.
"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.

trdsf

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on April 26, 2015, 04:03:17 PM
I am so going to read the shit out of that, I love RWBY.

Also, great to know I'm not the only one working on fanfiction. (Though I remain kind of embarrased about it...)

Nothin' wrong with fanfic.  It lets you work on your craft in a pre-built universe so you can focus on your style.  Building a consistent universe is not always easy.

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on April 26, 2015, 04:03:17 PM
More like: mothra to a flame? (Sorry, yanglike pun thrown in there.)

I am so stealing this.
"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution." -- Barbara Jordan

Hijiri Byakuren

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on April 26, 2015, 04:03:17 PMMaybe 'maser' is something I don't know because I'm not the biggest Kaiju fan, but it seems to me like you meant laser blasts.
No, I definitely meant maser.



Quote from: Mr.Obvious on April 26, 2015, 04:03:17 PMOne thing I did catch was that you start your prologue 'explaining' what has happened before the fight and what lead to it. But your jump from that to the fight is less fluid than the rest of the chapter.
I was worried about that, and I'll probably go back and edit it a bit when I get a minute.
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel

Mr.Obvious

"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.

Hijiri Byakuren

I went ahead and made the edit. I think it should pretty well smooth out the transition from narration to fight.
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel

Mr.Obvious

Much better.
Now the only thing I feel I can point out is that in the new paragraph, second sentence, you use 'city' twice in the same sentence.
Other than that; well paced, well written. Looking forward to more.
"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.

Hijiri Byakuren

Quote from: Mr.Obvious on April 26, 2015, 05:57:06 PMNow the only thing I feel I can point out is that in the new paragraph, second sentence, you use 'city' twice in the same sentence.
Dust dammit, this is why I need to proofread more.
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel

Mr.Obvious

No worries.
You should see mine. They are filled with the buggers.
"If we have to go down, we go down together!"
- Your mum, last night, requesting 69.

Atheist Mantis does not pray.

drunkenshoe

"science is not about building a body of known 'facts'. ıt is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality-check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes us feel good." - tp

Solitary

Why Godzilla and not an original villain, like androgynous Raven? Or Bruce Gender Bender?  :eek: :super:
There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.

drunkenshoe

Quote from: Solitary on April 27, 2015, 03:55:39 PM
Why Godzilla and not an original villain, like androgynous Raven? Or Bruce Gender Bender?  :eek: :super:

Godzilla is not a villain.  :sad2: Other little things running around shooting at him are.

"science is not about building a body of known 'facts'. ıt is a method for asking awkward questions and subjecting them to a reality-check, thus avoiding the human tendency to believe whatever makes us feel good." - tp

Hijiri Byakuren

Quote from: Solitary on April 27, 2015, 03:55:39 PM
Why Godzilla and not an original villain, like androgynous Raven? Or Bruce Gender Bender?  :eek: :super:
If you've read the prologue and synopsis, I think I made it pretty clear that Godzilla is not the villain. :P
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel

trdsf

Wasn't it someone on this forum who said that if you play a Godzilla movie backwards, it's about a kindly monster who rebuilds Tokyo then moonwalks into the sea?

I am so using that somewhere... I know it's not original with me, but I'm definitely stealing it.  :D
"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution." -- Barbara Jordan

Hijiri Byakuren

Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel