Hi! Running Lynx is here!

What to say about myself? I'm a girl, friendly and live in the far-off land of Australia. That's right, I live several hours ahead of most of you. Hi, people from the past! :D *waves* I am fluent in English and Russian. Oh, and I have finished high school (thank goodness!).

I read a variety of anime fanfiction. My current favourite fandom is Overwatch (which is a video game) as well as Transformers (G1), Tiger and Bunny, Fruits Basket, Fairy Tail and Hetalia Axis Powers. I love to read multi-chapter stories over 10,000 words, but lately due to shortage of fics starring favourite pairings I read any length and one-shots. I read any genre and any rating. I read any kind of romance, including yaoi and yuri. I enjoy friendship, AU and many other kind of fics too!

If you need help inserting Russian words into your fanfiction and want help, PM me. You won't have to feel the shame of inserting funny Google translations ever again! xD

Writing projects

In The Desert is ON HOLD indefinitely (I'm sorry)
I have 2 other projects beside this one, that take higher priority. I am very sorry for lack of updates.
I do have a lot of words already written for In The Desert, that only require editing before I can post them. I have also got a lot yet to write. I have far too many ideas for this that I want to write out. The project is going to be massive. Rating may change to M due to violence.
Desert AU. Gray is the crown prince of Fairy Tail but has no ruling power. Natsu is the legendary leader of the Dragon Tribe, now forced to become Gray's slave. Can the master and slave learn to get along, or will the court's cruelties crush them? Gratsu

In The Desert now has fanart! :D Thank you for drawing my story!

Alastair and Angel on the throne, ch 4 by Peanut61654

When a Monster Calls (on hold) - Hetalia Axis Powers
I have lost inspiration for this one. It needs some heavy structural decisions (I had given myself too many what-ifs and it's all tanged up). I will get back to it eventually!

General tips with writing (or what I'm looking for in a story as a reader):

1. Drama. Emotions. Lots of it. When there is no conflict the story stalls. Pitch one character against the other. Don't let them see eye to eye. Make problems for them. Make them hate each other and then put them in the same room. Put them in compromising positions. Let them get on each other's nerves but at the same time they are NOT allowed to escape each other's presence! My most favourite plots are: 1, when one character desperately wants/needs something and the only way he can get it is through an opposing and/or uncaring character. It may take him several messy and disastrous tries (and possibly hours of hateful glaring) to tell the other what he needs. Naturally that opposing character would dismiss, laugh, put terrible conditions or say a flat out no to the poor character's pleas (if the story in question is a romance, the uncaring character may have come to care after all that trouble). Will they strike some sort of bargain? Who will give in/be at disadvantage? My fav plot 2 is when 2 opposing characters who want nothing to do with each other are forced into some sort of situation together and have to rely on each other/stay together whether they want to or not.

2. Make them strong. When something bad happens to a character (either physical or emotional) or if that character is being dominated and bossed around, make him resist (at least in his head). Make him fight. Do not let him to simply take it, especially if it is physical violence. It is okay if the character gives in after weeks of being cornered, or brakes down under strenuous circumstanses. What is not ok are pages and pages of physical violence after the character has lost his will to fight, or is restrained and hence unable to fight, or he cannot fight back because of some sort of an agreement. Please please please do not make your story about a character who lives to suffer emotional or physical abuse (where is the hope is such a story?). Pages of physical violence can be summed up or implied instead. Let us see more of that wonderful fighting spirit instead.

3. A note on love. I've come across stories where the characters realise they are in love with someone they have just met far too quickly. The most memorable fanfictions that I have read had the main character denying his feelings until the very end. Even more barazze are stories where a character falls quickly in love with someone who has made a bad first impression. If #A hates #B on the spot, there's no way #A will start having romantic thoughts about #B in the second or third chapter (#A will probably be wishing #B to disappear or at least leave him alone). #A will have to see a lot more of #B in action in order to overcome his own prejudices. In my opinion, even the most self-aware characters would not be able to pinpoint with certainty what their feelings are until a fair amount of time had passed. Attraction for someone early on is fine (but better if it's buried under negative feelings like frustration or hate). Love and attraction do not have to be said explicitly either. If written well, the readers can easily see what is going on without the characters themselves knowing what it is.

4. Make bad-boy characters act bad. No matter how bad behaved a character is said to be, if the reader does not see him act bad, then he is not bad! It'd be all talk and no doing to back it up. If everyone is afraid of a character, show why. Make that feared character hurt someone to show that the feared character has indeed earned his reputation and deserves to be feared. Do that for any character that has a reputation to uphold.

5. Motivation & Goals. Make each character have a goal of some sort, be it to overcome some obstacle, to gain someone’s affections or to be left alone. This way, I don't see how people can run out of ideas to write, or maybe they run out of obstacles to put in people's way? When you feel your story is going nowhere, remember what you main character wants and make him have another go at it. You need to explain why the character has that goal, how did it came about? Motivation is how much effort they put into achieving that goal. The more life-dependent/necessary to the character the goal is, the stronger his motivation will be and hence more resistance if he is opposed. With this you have a character who won’t falter and give up when faced with problems. Now put 2 such characters with clashing goals together and you’re on your way. Think of two dogs and one bone (or two guys liking one girl). Goals can change over time or a character can have multiple goals but always keep the character’s main goal in mind. Once the main goal is achieved the story usually ends, so save the most important things until last (hence why most romances end after the characters declare their feelings to each other, assuming the bad guy has already been defeated).

6. Characterisation. I am tolerant with regards to character portrayal. If the character’s goals are sufficiently clear I won’t mind some OOC. So, please keep each character’s interests and goals in mind when writing that character. Russia would not help someone in need out of the goodness of his heart. Neither will he attack someone without a good reason.

7. Wit, cleverness and humor will make your story more interesting. I consider a character to be witty when he knows exactly what to say to annoy the other character without sounding stupid or resorting to coarse language. A verbal confrontation between 2 witty characters is an art form. Clever characters may come up come with unusual means to achieve their goals and tend to have some tricks up their sleeves. Humor is always appreciated if you think you can do it. Sarcasm is another sign of wit. Readers love and respect a story that brims with intelligence. You do not have to have a main character who is intelligent (although it helps if he is smart by nature); you can show your wit in how you handle the story and the other characters. This includes not being too obvious. I’ve come across a story with a very ignorant and unobservant lead, yet the story was amazing. The key to that story’s success was in that the character’s perception of himself (and how he saw events) was vastly different from how the other characters (including the reader) saw him. It was a non-stop romantic comedy and the wit came from just how much the lead character was deluding himself.

8. If you’re using foreign language, please don’t forget to provide translations for all phrases at least once, even the common ones. What seems well-known to the writer may be complete mystery to readers.

9. Story summary. As sad as I am to say, how well you write your story summary does matter. If the summary sounds interesting and with a promise of drama, high emotions or mystery, I will be tempted to read that story even if it has a lower wordcount or a pairing that I would not normally read.

more tips will come as I notice what I love and hate. I hope that these tips will help people write better stories. Drop me a note if you have any similar tips to share.

Happy writing!

Running Lynx