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Pondering the shill....

by dmfalk

First off, as usual, I'm behind on responses-- Been feeling a bit on the grey side of things, and just plain tired for other, more mundane reasons... :P

Anyhoo, I've been thinking about offering my writing skills for commissions, promarily so I can finish scraping money together to finish one project (getting my Nikon camera converted for full-spectrum work, so I can get more involved in infrared, ultraviolet and nighttime photography & videography-- I need about $270 to do it, and I presently have only $130, which doesn't count that I may need to dip into that for something I may need :P ), and work on paying down bills-- SSI doesn't pay that much...

...But I want to do it on my own terms.

And what would that be?

I would offer to write a story for a fee (which I haven't decided on yet- Perhaps $20-$30) featuring a suggested character or characters, and/or a situation/idea, providing I find the suggestions intriguing and/or to my liking.

Some things I'm willing to do, some I might consider, and some I simply refuse to do.

(For example, snuff/vore, drugs/alcohol/smoking/doping, violence, and anything non-consensual, I refuse to do.)

Ideas would be negotiable.

I have no desire to write anything MLP or Sonic, or for that matter, anything that happens to be corporate-owned-- I like original characters and storyverses. :)

I don't do games, so I really wouldn't have a clue how to work with with, say, World of Warcraft or even Dungeons & Dragons, so I'd rather not go there.

Movie/TV/radio-show parodies I might consider, however-- Depends on how comfortable with the idea I am.

I can work in most common genres, but I generally prefer to keep things light and (within reason) positive- it doesn't need to be overly saccharine, but I'm not interested in doing any angstfest, if you know what I mean. :) I tend to prefer working with both a sense of humour and a sense of wonder, though, but what I write tends to follow my ethics and morals in life.

Sex? Sure, as long as it's consentual. Gay male sex? Not really comfortable with that. Herms? Same thing. Other hard fetishes? Most of them I have not much interest in them, if at all-- I'm rather tame. A few mild/tame ones I don't mind. Some others make me uncomfortable. Often it's best to ask. :)

For those interested in cub, I'm OK with it, providing the same rules apply- There are just some things I won't do and some I'm OK with.

Providing if I do open this up to this idea, I would then ask for character/idea suggestions, and if I like it, we can begin discussing story and payment.

If no story ideas, donations are OK, too. :)

You could even commission me just to write my own stories, basically "nudge" me along to be a more productive writer for my own sake, with some incentive. ;)

So... Should I do this? Would any of my 70+ +watchers want to commission me? (I would be surprised if 10 did!)

What got me thinking about this in the first place? Well, I was tempted to write a story for & about a certain science-fiction/technology-inclined female rat who happens to +watch me, even had an idea, and pretty much let the momentum of the idea escape without asking her what she would've thought of it. :P So the basic idea of writing something for some of my +watchers came about from that notion, and I wanted to bring the idea here and see if anyone would be interested.

Just keep in mind, if I do this, I could be picky, so don't be too disappointed if I don't like either character or idea-- I need to be comfortable with the suggestions offered, or I might just give up. :(

It's just an experiment, since I never felt comfortable writing for others before, but I do want to earn something, so I can get a project done. :P

Comments?

d.m.f.

Viewed:	23 times
Added:	12 years ago 03 Apr 2012 11:11 CEST

10 Comments on this Journal

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DataPacRat

12 years ago

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> Well, I was tempted to write a story for & about a certain
> science-fiction/technology-inclined female rat who
> happens to +watch me

Hm... I wonder who that might be? Sounds like somebody I'd like to get to know... ;)

> even had an idea

Do you mind if I ask?

Even before I got to that paragraph, as I was reading through your post I was looking for what sort of conditions, limits, pricing, and suchlike you would be placing on your story requests - so I guess you've probably got at least one confirmed commissioner, if you do decide to give something along these lines a try. :)

dmfalk

12 years ago

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@ DataPacRat

"	DataPacRat wrote:
	> Well, I was tempted to write a story for & about a certain > science-fiction/technology-inclined female rat who > happens to +watch me Hm... I wonder who that might be? Sounds like somebody I'd like to get to know... ;)

*smiles innocently* :)

(Oooh, BBS/Usenet-style quotes-- How retro! :) )

"	> even had an idea Do you mind if I ask?

Dee doing a Zephram Cochraine, testing out a warp-driven interstellar probe, whose capsule is built to accommodate her physical state (and thus functionally becomes a part of her), with her capsule separable from the drive, which allows her to land on an inhabitable planet (and having a rear chamber with all her supplies for a two-week trip, including her prosthetics, so she could walk around and explore). Prior to flight, she corrects the warp-drive formula to make it more efficient, but someone in engineering forgot to compensate the programming, so she doesn't overshoot....and she overshoots...from the original 10 or so ly to a nearby star to over 3000 ly.....and faces first-contact with a much-more-advanced alien bunny race with imposing ships... All is well, of course, in the end, because it's a successful friendly first-contact. :)

"

Even before I got to that paragraph, as I was reading through your post I was looking for what sort of conditions, limits, pricing, and suchlike you would be placing on your story requests - so I guess you've probably got at least one confirmed commissioner, if you do decide to give something along these lines a try. :)

Well, the last time I ever used someone else's character (as a gift, I should add-- I don't write often enough for commissions, although at this time I'm willing to give it a shot) was when I wrote Portals & Friends-

What happened after that soured me on doing anything for others, not that the story wasn't appreciated, but apparently the boyfriend of the character's creator thought I was trying to move in on his girlfriend (I wasn't), and blocked me from both his and her accounts. They left FA not much longer after that, but not once were words exchanged, harsh or otherwise. As any artist who has ever done artwork for others knows, sometimes the owner of a character can be very difficult to deal with-- I admit I can be, with my own characters! So, other than my anthro Mimzy (who is based on, but still largely unrelated to the plush bunny from the movie, that for all intents and purposes, she's very much mine), I have been concentrating on my own original characters in their particular storyverses, and away from someone else's.

...But I thought, if I can come up with a potential story for a friend's character, particularly in their storyverse, then could I write stories for others, if they wanted to commission me? That's why I posted this journal, to test those very waters. You, my dear rattie, are the only one who nibbled at the bait, so to speak, so far. :)

d.m.f.

DataPacRat

12 years ago

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@ dmfalk

"	dmfalk wrote:
	(Oooh, BBS/Usenet-style quotes-- How retro! :) )

(I also tend to use /italics/ and _underlining_ as needed. :) )

"

"	> even had an idea Do you mind if I ask?

Dee doing a Zephram Cochraine, testing out a warp-driven interstellar probe, whose capsule is built to accommodate her physical state (and thus functionally becomes a part of her), with her capsule separable from the drive, which allows her to land on an inhabitable planet (and having a rear chamber with all her supplies for a two-week trip, including her prosthetics, so she could walk around and explore). Prior to flight, she corrects the warp-drive formula to make it more efficient, but someone in engineering forgot to compensate the programming, so she doesn't overshoot....and she overshoots...from the original 10 or so ly to a nearby star to over 3000 ly.....and faces first-contact with a much-more-advanced alien bunny race with imposing ships... All is well, of course, in the end, because it's a successful friendly first-contact. :)

Hm - as interesting as the idea is, it bumps up against one of the basic rules of Dee's setting: no FTL. It's entirely possible that FTL is impossible in our real universe; and I'm using Dee's setting to try to focus on those science-fictiony things which are possible even with conservative physics, such as WMDs being much more easily available and the social consequences thereof. (I'm also slowly working on a subplot where Dee and her friends mosey away from Earth to the asteroids, and then start mining He3 from Saturn to fuel a ~10%-lightspeed interstellar colonization push...)

But! All hope is not necessarily lost - as I've already worked out at least one way Dee can crossover with and interact with characters from any given universe. Her setting includes (nonsapient) AIs that can, with effort, be programmed to pass any given Turing test; and full-sensory VRs. If somebody wanted, they could create a VR setting containing AIs programmed to act exactly the way a given set of characters would act; and depending on the setting being emulated, there are various ways to explain how Dee could interact with them. For example, if dealing with another science-fiction universe, that universe could be built so that the characters therein think Dee's universe is the fictional one, and Dee herself is an AI programmed to act the way the character-Dee would act. In a magical setting, well, "a wizard did it". :) Dee's universe has realistic robots, so such characters could even be copied from their home VR into them (or just remote-pilot them), and interact directly with the people of Dee's universe. (And if Dee hooks herself up to a VR rig, then she could "remotely-pilot" the VR-universe's equivalent, such as VR-simulated androids or golems, as the case may be.)

To get a feel for such a setup, it may be worth reading the short story, "The Finale of the Ultimate Meta Mega Crossover", at http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5389450/1/The_Finale_of_th... .

One of the tricky parts would be careful use of tenses and subjective descriptions, so that it's never explicitly described that the VR-AIs really 'feel' anything. (Though it could still be entirely possible to have a stinger at the end, as the VR-AIs talk among themselves about how strange the Dee-VR-universe and its characters are, implying that Dee really is an AI in a VR - just a sentient one, who does have subjective experiences.) >;)

And if that idea doesn't work - I've got a few others waiting on the back-burner.

"

...But I thought, if I can come up with a potential story for a friend's character, particularly in their storyverse, then could I write stories for others, if they wanted to commission me? That's why I posted this journal, to test those very waters. You, my dear rattie, are the only one who nibbled at the bait, so to speak, so far. :)

Well, as a rodent, I tend to gnaw more than nibble... :)

And I'm at max comment length... :)

CyberCornEntropic

12 years ago

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At the very least, working with DataPacRat would let you work out the best prices and ways to go about taking a commission, including coming up with a contract.  Plus, you would also get a feel on whether or not you're up to the task, not just skills-wise, but also whether you can get it done in a timely manner if at all.  You'd be testing the waters, so to speak.

Personally, there are reasons I don't commission others for artwork or writing.  Obviously, there's the fact that I can do both myself adequately enough for my purposes and often more satisfactorily to me than another can.  While I could still commission others to get their take on my characters and storylines, there's still a bigger, more overriding concern: money.  As in lack of.

I don't offer commissions myself due to the fact that I doubt I'm adequate enough to do a decent enough job within a decent timeframe.  I've tested the waters myself (without charging for it) a few years ago and have been dissatisfied with my performance.  While I have no doubt improved my skills since then, my ambition to get things done– well, if it were any slower, it'd probably be dead.

CyberCornEntropic

12 years ago

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@ CyberCornEntropic

I'm not trying to say you shouldn't, just that I, personally, can't help support you through financial means. :( By all means, gopher it and exhaust that rodent muse.

dmfalk

12 years ago

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@ CyberCornEntropic

"	CyberCornEntropic wrote:
	At the very least, working with DataPacRat would let you work out the best prices and ways to go about taking a commission, including coming up with a contract. Plus, you would also get a feel on whether or not you're up to the task, not just skills-wise, but also whether you can get it done in a timely manner if at all. You'd be testing the waters, so to speak.

Well, Dee is an old acquaintance, who has followed my writing since the mid '90s. Skill-wise, I'm up to it. Timeliness depends on the time I have (without getting tired) and having an idea of what to write-- I usually write in one sitting (Marta's Song is the lone exception, which is why it's the longest story I've written in nearly 20 years), so it depends on the energy I have. (Diabetes can be hell. :P ) The real trick is, dealing with someone else when working on a story. Not everyone is easy to deal with, and miscommunication can be a big problem. :P

"

Personally, there are reasons I don't commission others for artwork or writing. Obviously, there's the fact that I can do both myself adequately enough for my purposes and often more satisfactorily to me than another can. While I could still commission others to get their take on my characters and storylines, there's still a bigger, more overriding concern: money. As in lack of.

And the ability to pay, if you had it.

"

I don't offer commissions myself due to the fact that I doubt I'm adequate enough to do a decent enough job within a decent timeframe. I've tested the waters myself (without charging for it) a few years ago and have been dissatisfied with my performance. While I have no doubt improved my skills since then, my ambition to get things done– well, if it were any slower, it'd probably be dead.

You're a lot better than you think, and certainly better than the average, er, "artist" that posts anything, not only in the furry community, but in the art community overall. But yes, you seem about as prolific as I am... But I did manage to get you to finish Moon Rabbit! :D

"	CyberCornEntropic wrote:
	I'm not trying to say you shouldn't, just that I, personally, can't help support you through financial means. :( By all means, gopher it and exhaust that rodent muse.

I wasn't expect you to, because I know your financial situation. I'm still looking for feedback, though-- Dee can't be the only one of the 70+ +watchers I have who would be willing to commission me! (But then again, no-one has sent a donation, either, and I have that open... :P )

d.m.f.

CyberCornEntropic

12 years ago

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Edited 12 years ago by Owner

@ dmfalk

"

dmfalk wrote:

Well, Dee is an old acquaintance, who has followed my writing since the mid '90s. Skill-wise, I'm up to it. Timeliness depends on the time I have (without getting tired) and having an idea of what to write-- I usually write in one sitting (Marta's Song is the lone exception, which is why it's the longest story I've written in nearly 20 years), so it depends on the energy I have. (Diabetes can be hell. :P )

True enough, although it never hurts to test anyway, just to make sure.

"	The real trick is, dealing with someone else when working on a story. Not everyone is easy to deal with, and miscommunication can be a big problem. :P

Or very little communication at all. When I was testing the waters, sometimes I'd ask for some final feedback and get nothing at all. No "Squee! I love this!" or "Yech! I hate this!" or anything in-between. Just... nothing.

"	You're a lot better than you think, and certainly better than the average, er, "artist" that posts anything, not only in the furry community, but in the art community overall. But yes, you seem about as prolific as I am...

I'm not just thinking about my art skills but also how quickly I can get something done. Sure I can draw/write better than a lot of other people, but a commission also requires getting that done in a timely manner. My taking over a year to finish one commission isn't acceptable in my opinion. Simply put, I don't trust me enough. Unlike you, I don't have diabetes as a good reason. I get plenty of ideas. I just quickly lose the ambition to pull off those ideas.

"	But I did manage to get you to finish Moon Rabbit! :D

True, even if I should have finished it in a couple months instead of dragging it out over a year.

"	I wasn't expect you to, because I know your financial situation. I'm still looking for feedback, though-- Dee can't be the only one of the 70+ +watchers I have who would be willing to commission me! (But then again, no-one has sent a donation, either, and I have that open... :P )

I imagine many of us would be willing to commission you, if we could, but I suspect many of us are in a similar boat.

CyberCornEntropic

12 years ago

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@ dmfalk

I am curious, though.  When I noodled around with the idea of fan stories set in the Winterfur world, did you think of anything?  When it came to Ami (AKA Amosin) d'Stereo, I'd thought of three ideas.

One was just a short piece in which Ami is dragged to one of the Tantric Guild's less "naughty" casabas where she sees a young ermine (guess who!) in Tinery dress dance one of the Fire Dances.  Later, Ami is accosted by some ruffians only to be bailed out of trouble by the young ermine and her brother.  Alas, the last part of the scenario just sounds too clichéd.

Three was a dull idea of Ami heading to the vicinity of the Treetop Artemin village to get some quality quartz crystals.  Pretty pointless and a big stretch, in my opinion.

Two had the most promise, but it also had the most potential to turn you off as it involved Ami getting captured not by ruffians, but by a religious official in charge of some sort of judicial position.  She'd end up naked in a dungeon and fearing torture, only to be threatened with rape and the removal of her tail to "cure" her of her homosexuality.   (No, this would not be a sexual fantasy, but legitimate drama.)  Have no worries.  She gets out of the pickle physically unharmed, although the same couldn't be said of at least one of her aggressors.

Maybe a combination of one and two.  I don't know. :\  Don't expect me to actually be reliable and do something with this, though. :(

Shokuji

12 years ago

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I wish I had the cash to support you somehow, but I really can't in good conscious pay for any commissions. I've not even gotten any art stuff in a while. I hope you find someone that can help, though.

dmfalk

12 years ago

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@ Shokuji

Thanks anyway. :)

d.m.f.

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