Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Creative Writing: What is it?
III. Important elements necessary to a great story
IV. Characterization: It's a big deal
V. Useful exercises and tips for ideas
VI. Ace Attorney Basic Character Breakdown
VII. Conclusion
I. Introduction
Welcome to this Guide for writing great stories. It's not meant to be an absolute source you must obey to the letter, but is rather a general guide you can easily access for reference. A lot of research and investigation went into creating this guide, so I hope you find it very useful! Please let me know posting in the thread how it's helped you, be it an AAO trial, a story, a game, anything! Enjoy, and God Bless.
II. Creative Writing: What is it?
Creative writing is exactly what the phrase says. To be more specific, it's the act of creating something entirely original using only words. It doesn't necessarily have to be a story or a novel: writing has no limits, rules, or prerogatives. It can be a hilarious haiku about Phoenix Wright's pitiful luck with women, or it can be as solemn as a soliloquy about Viola Cadaverini. There are no limits with regards to what you can write about. However, stories and writings usually need many things that are necessary (most of the time at least), and they are discussed below.
III. Important elements necessary to a great story
Writing in general needs a lot of things when it comes to creative writing. These are a lot of things, so if I had to enumerate them all, I'd need about 5 threads. However, I believe that as long as the following are in a story (again, I speak in general and depends on the case) then they are sure to be compelling reads:
- Near-impeccable grammar, spelling and such.
I cannot stress this enough. Unless a character speaks or writes "incorrectly", you will make sure that you follow conventional grammar and spelling rules, regardless of the language. It doesn't matter what you write. Sure, there's always a mistake or two that worms its way in- we're not perfect. We're not God. We're not Shakespeare. But one universal rules applies: J00 d0nt write leik dis. You write like this!
- A great, polished plot.
- Good structure.
Before I continue, however, I have to make something clear with regards to structure and technique in general. Structures are always preferential and debatable. There has been great debate among writers and literature buffs about what is right and wrong- and there will always be. I prefer to work one way and others prefer to work other ways. The best advice I can give you is this: investigate, research, and find out for yourself what you can work best with.
- A major theme you connect with.
- Unique characters.
- Originality.
- Cliches are your friend... IF USED WISELY.
IV. Characterization: It's a big deal
Characterization, as the word implies, deals with the cast itself. In fact, I'll use Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney as an example. Why do you think Phoenix Wright became so famous and damn popular? The answer isn't because he's awesome. No. The correct answer is because he had an identity of his own! Phoenix wasn't just a generic attorney who does things because it's his job. He spent three years to learn what was a defense attorney, truly. He's always got a sarcastic quirk to certain traits in people. He's risked his life for, say, Maya Fey. He received a severe emotional blow in Apollo Justice when he lost his badge, and it was reflected years later in the game's first case. This, my friends, is called character development. It's all about their identity!
This definitely isn't easy to achieve, I know. Keeping in character is a really difficult thing to do, regardless of whether the character in question is from a videogame, for example, or is an entirely original creation. As an example, I have found that writing for Apollo Justice in Ace Attorney custom cases or fanfics is extremely hard to do. He's drastically different from most people. He's more realistic and logical, and also darker. As a balance, however, he's more insult-prone than most attorneys. That's where believability comes in. It doesn't matter if a character is a cliche.
As a final part, I will speak about "overpowered" or god-modding characters, I.E. Mary Sue. Mary Sue is one of many terms applied to this type of character, so you should know by now how much hatred and loathing it gets. Here's my two cents on it: it doesn't matter how many abilities, benefits or quirks a character has as long as said character has a number of limitations and "weaknesses" (such an ugly word LOL) to balance it out. It can be hard, but you can do it!
V. Useful exercises and tips for ideas
Need ideas or inspiration? Here's a couple of tips that work for me! But remember, don't limit yourself to these: do your own thing, and have fun!
- Go outside and take a walk with a notebook and pen, or a laptop. Go to a fairly quiet but secluded place, like a park or a garden. Pay close attention to your surroundings, and write the first things that come to mind. Also make sure to describe them as much as possible, but keep it brief. Don't rush nor worry about failing or succeeding: that's not the point of this!
- Attend writing workshops or classes whenever possible.
- READ! BUT READ WHAT YOU want to read!
- Get together with buddies and share writings! Do roleplay in forums or chat!
- Watch TV, listen to music to set the mood... the media is your friend. (Don't get addicted and become a couch potato! D: )If you need to write about a battle, go find a battle theme from a game, for example.
- Describe a photo in your own words, and make sure to use adjectives, similes and metaphors wisely. Doesn't matter what it is: poetry, essay, anything. Just do it and check the results!
- Write whatever comes to mind!
Below is my views on some of the main defense attorneys and prosecutors from the franchise. It has spoilers, so be warned. Unlike Hodou Okappa's guide, this section will not deal with when you should use what characters when. Instead, I will speak how the characters are, well, built, in my eyes. You are free to take it with a grain of salt: under no circumstances do I mean to imply that this should be an absolute. Consider it... a reference, rather than a cheat sheet of sorts. Let's start.
- Phoenix Wright
- Miles Edgeworth
Miles, being Phoenix's rival, is certainly no slouch in law. He was raised by Manfred Von Karma, and therefore knows prosecution as well as the latter. Sadly, this came at a price: Gregory Edgeworth, his father. Being the victim of the DL-6 incident has emotionally devastated him to a severe degree: so much that he now has a phobia of earthquakes. He is quick, precise and logical, always considering all possibilities and handling all turns of events in stride. However, he has a thing called patience, and it runs out when faced with silly or otherwise ridiculous situations, especially if Wendy Oldbag's involved. He might seem cold at first, but look beyond that and you'll see a tortured man, relegated to a life of pain and solitude... until he meets Phoenix Wright in court. Oddly, he's a closet fan of the Steel Samurai.
- Mia Fey
- Apollo Justice
- Klavier Gavin
VII. Conclusion
I hope that this guide has been of use to you. Let me know if it's helped you in any way! Thank you for reading!