http://jodierennerediting.blogspot.com/2013/04/what-not-to-do-when-beginning-your.html


hat NOT to do when Beginning Your Novel - Advice from Literary Agents
Compiled by Chuck Sambuchino, over at his excellent blog, Writer Unboxed.

Here's the beginning of this compilation of great advice for novelists from literary agents:


In a previous Writer Unboxed column, I discussed the value of starting your story strong and how an “inside-out” approach to narrative action can help your case. But just as important as knowing what to do when beginning your novel is knowing what not to do.

No one reads more prospective novel beginnings than literary agents. They’re the ones on the front lines — sifting through inboxes and slush piles. And they’re the ones who can tell us which Chapter 1 approaches are overused and cliche, as well as which techniques just plain don’t work. Below find a smattering of feedback from experienced literary agents on what they hate to see the first pages of a writer’s submission. Avoid these problems and tighten your submission!

FALSE BEGINNINGS

“I don’t like it when the main character dies at the end of Chapter 1. Why did I just spend all this time with this character? I feel cheated.”
- Cricket Freeman, The August Agency

“I dislike opening scenes that you think are real, then the protagonist wakes up. It makes me feel cheated.”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

IN SCIENCE FICTION

“A sci-fi novel that spends the first two pages describing the strange landscape.”
- Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

PROLOGUES

“I’m not a fan of prologues, preferring to find myself in the midst of a moving plot on page 1 rather than being kept outside of it, or eased into it.”
- Michelle Andelman, Regal Literary

“Most agents hate prologues. Just make the first chapter relevant and well written.”
- Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency

“Prologues are usually a lazy way to give back-story chunks to the reader and can be handled with more finesse throughout the story. Damn the prologue, full speed ahead!”
- Laurie McLean, Foreword Literary

EXPOSITION/DESCRIPTION
...

For more invaluable advice from literary agents for avoiding reader (and agent) turnoffs in your first pages, click HERE to read the rest of this post at Chuck Sambuchino's blog


Food for thought-Fanta

I know there is a thread about this somewhere, but me and the search function don't get along (aka it hates me)

So
Ideas

1. Less Aspects
7 is too darn many.
So lets keep
High Concept and the Trouble. They work pretty well, and they are simple to use and simple to understand.
Then two more that flesh out your character
The last one, this is the one I know I will get the most flak about which leads me to

It's too many to keep track of as a GM (3-5 players each with 7 Aspects, plus any scene aspects, stick aspects, city aspects, theme aspects, and the NPCS aspects is too many) Also after 3-4 they start to lose their "bite"

2. Drop the Guest Star Aspects
Instead of complicating character creation with somehow tying everyone to everyone else. Make your last Aspect tie into the game you are playing. So tie it to the City Aspect, or City Threat.

Example You are playing in a game where you are the Justice League and you are fighting Darksied. You play Batman, and the other two players are Aquaman and Plastic man
Batman
High Concept: Millionaire Playboy who dresses like a Bat and fights crime (or something along those lines)
Trouble: My Parents are Dead
Aspect: Where does he get those wonderful toys
Aspect: I'm the God D*mn Batman
Campaign Aspect: A Man among Gods

IF we did it the Dresden Files current way I would have to tie an Aspect to Plastic Man, and another to Aquaman. Meaning my Plastic man Aspect would be as important as the one that deals with my parents death. Thats nonsense.

3. Mental, Physical, and Social? Social and Mental need to be smashed together. Social Stresses could be better used as Sticky Aspects placed on Characters "Destroyer of the Red Court" or "That rude guy"

4. I really like contests in the Fate Core, and would love for them to be used in a new Dresden game. I also would like to steal, I mean pay homage, to Diasporas Social Conflict map. As is in the game, Social Conflict between characters means jacking them up. Which is nonsense. If I disagree with my friend about what movie to see it doesn't involve my scaring them for life so I can watch Kangaroo Jack (which is already scaring for life)

5. Magic. Um...to say the Magic system can get complicated, is well, um yeah. So feel free to add what you want to see in magic here.

6. Stress boxes. I'm mixed on this. I like that you can be taken out easily. I just don't like that if I have open stress boxes you can still be taken out. Hmmm.. Maybe it's fine the way it is.

7. Skill problems.
-Oh you took Performance at a +5, because you are a great actor. Now you're going to tell this guy a lie, roll me deceit. Why couldn't I roll Performance instead? Anyone? Maybe make some sort of buy in when it comes to skills? As I see it now, not all skills are not created equal.

8. Don't make me roll if it's not interesting.

Anyway, thats my ramble, I'm sure I can come up with more

What are some of your Dresden House Rules?

*Warning Rambling ahead*
So i've been watching Sons of Anarchy and I've been playing Dresden. Thus I came up with an "Original" idea

Biker Dresden Game!
You're a Biker Gang based out of St Louis MO. You're territory spans from St Louis through Kansas City and it's Never Never Counter Part Oz, to the very edge of Denver (Where a Rival Biker gang is edging you out)

You're a rag tag group of mortals,werewolves, wizards, fae and really anything you think thematically would work.   You've got an enemy list that includes the Fae,The OZ Authorities,  The White Council, ATF, Local Cops, State Police, and the Black Court

I want the "Motorcycles" to be some sort of Hellhound that LOOKS like a Motorcycle here, but like a Horse or Dog in the Fae.  Maybe have to take some sort of Stunt or Aspect to have them.

Just need an Awesome Biker Gang name.
The Templars?
The Wizards
Warlocks (oooh wiki says their a real one)
The Blackstaffs?
Law Breakers?

Thoughts, Concerns, Ideas?

Okay, so....

Page 197 on Your Story

Running Conflicts
1. Frame the Scene
2. Establish the Groups in the Conflicts
3. Establish the Initiative
4. Begin the Exchange
 a. Take Actions
 b. Resolve Actions
 c. Repeat Step 4, Beginning a new exchange
-Nevermind

I'm confused on how Hunger Stress Tracks work, so i've been asking my GM about it
 So he mailed me this below
_________________________
Your character, a White Court Virgin, has:

Emotional Vampire (-1)
Incite Emotion (Lust), Touch Only (-1)
Feeding Dependency (Lust) (+1)
Inhuman Strength (-2)
Inhuman Speed (-2)

Discipline: 2, Endurance: 1, Presence: 1, Conviction: 0
(all other skills don't really matter)

Stress:
Physical ( ) ( ) ( )
Mental   ( ) ( )
Social   ( ) ( ) ( )
Hunger   ( ) ( ) ( )


EXAMPLE 1: During a scene, you use your Inhuman Strength.  At the end of the scene, you would roll Discipline against an attack of strength 2 (Inhuman Strength is a 2-refresh power).  You roll a +1, so you get to clear out your hunger stress track.

EXAMPLE 2: During the next scene, you use both Inhuman Strength and Inhuman Speed.  At the end of that scene, you roll Discipline against an attack of strength 4 (Inhuman Strength at 2 refresh, plus Inhuman Speed at 2 refresh).  You again roll a +1 - so now you have to take 1 hunger stress.  You can either take that as 1 hunger stress and lose access to 1 point worth of powers, or take a physical or mental consequence to absorb the stress.  You decide to take the stress - which means you have to lose 1 refresh worth of powers.

Here's where the question is: Since you don't have any 1-point powers to lose, do you lose access to one of your 2-refresh powers?  Or do you only lose access to one of them once you've reached 2 hunger stress?  I can see arguments for both cases: either that 1 hunger stress means she's a little hungry, but not so much so that she can't exert herself quite as well, OR that's just enough that she's having some trouble exerting herself (and loses the power).  The more I think about it, the more I think the former makes more sense (and adds more risk to the hunger track, since you keep your powers longer).

EXAMPLE 3: The next scene is a talky-talky scene, so you don't have to use any powers.  The white court virgin is chatting up some new boy she just met. She gets a bit flustered in the scene, but doesn't actually use any of her powers.  At the end of the scene, the GM compels her high concept to force a hunger check at the end of the scene.  That would be a strength 2 attack (1/2 the total cost of all her affected powers).  She rolls a -1 on her Discipline check for a total of 1 and has to either take 1 Hunger stress or a mild consequence.  Her 1-stress box is already checked from the previous scene, so that rolls the stress up to the 2-stress box.  She's already used up her mild consequence during the scene - so that would have to roll up to a Moderate if she takes the consequence to negate the stress.  Instead, she decides to check off her 2-stress box and gives up her Inhuman Strength.

_________________________

So that was very helpful, I think.
But the way I understand (and where we disagree) is
1. Give up access to a power as a way of avoiding Stress =/lesser than the Refresh of that power.
2. Give up access to a power as a way to avoid taking Consequences =/lesser than the Refresh of that Power.
3. That I can take a Stress instead of giving up Powers
4. That I can take a consequence instead of giving up Powers.

So if my GM is right, at the end of the Scene if you take a Stress or  Consequence you lose powers???

Also I had a thing about, say I only use 1 power over and over again (inhuman speed for example) because I'm in a LOOOOOOOONNNNGGGG chase scene. I'd say after a time, the GM could make me role discipline and or/compel me to DURING the scene since I am taxing myself so much.
Also would you have to get a compel (fate chip) on your high concept to roll discipline?

I've only seen about 4-5 variations of Fudge Dice

Black, White, "Gothic", Blue/Green/Red/ect, and then Metallic painted ones.

Ive seen the wooden ones, but those are backordered for awhile.

I'm looking for Metal/Steel/Copper/Bronze Ones, like you see with d20s.