syn·co·pe n.
1. Grammar. The shortening of a word by omission of a sound, letter, or syllable from the middle of the word.
2. Pathology. A brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary deficiency of oxygen in the brain; a swoon, blackout.

Table of contents

Current stats: 10+2 chapters completed, ~47400 words.

Description and explanation

Canonical references:

• Mai-HiME TV series, not extended episode 26*
• Natsuki's Prelude from art books 1 and 2, translated by apollyon_0. Therefore, realize that roughly four months have passed since the whole HiME fiasco, and a lot can happen in four months. *Even that timeline has a problem: If we go from Shizuru with the falling autumn maple leaves to the last episode with the sakura bloom, why are Reito and Mikoto still injured from that last fight with OL? Shizuru couldn't have been all insane-y throughout a skipped winter season and into the spring. Actually, the more I think about it, the more the Mai-HiME ending PISSES ME OFF.

  It's a pretty tight timeline that I'm not too happy about due to a comical and retarded fic planning error which you can read about here. Anyway, I'm trying to concentrate on pure character development in Part 1, so the plot may seem fairly incidental.

  Part 2 is dealing entirely with Shizuru's backstory, specifically her family background and stuff that happened before she met Natsuki, so... new characters are required. Of course, Natsuki will be heavily involved, sort of weaving her into Shizuru's backstory more; I will also be adding in roles for the old cast. The timeline will be during the school year, so I have to do a lot more research before I begin sketching the outline more. Planning more psychological closure for Shizuru and Natsuki.

  Chapters themselves are not commentable (is that even a word?), but each chapter will have a link to the corresponding notes at the bottom, where you can leave comments. Yes, I am far too uncreative to think of chapter titles, so all you get are these boring numbers reminiscent of software releases. Sorry. :)

  As I say in the first set of Notes, this is my first time writing fiction of any sort, so I'm trying to make it readable at least... I'm fairly confident in my language skills but not in the properly-convey-creative-thought-process part. Dialogue is still a pain...

  
  
  

   

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  Critiquing/Reviewing

  Like any other writer/artist/creator/etc., I appreciate the usual pats-on-the-back. But while I appreciate short comments and reviews and the like, what I'm really after are detailed critiques and analyses with the purpose of improvement.

  Here are legitimate areas of discussion for a real critique: characterization (cast personalities, etc.), continuity (plot errors, awkward scenes), technical accuracy (word choice, grammar, etc.), pacing, setting, abstractions (underlying psychology, symbols, etc.), personal interpretations*, etc. *I'm very unlikely to further discussion about interpretations when I feel it may spoil later content; and I definitely won't answer direct plot questions that concern future content.

  Of course, understand that critiques are taken under advisement, and I may or may not make suggested changes. Examples of some ideal "critiques."

  
  

  FAQ-kinda

  I've gotten some private questions, some of which overlap, so I'll post some basic answers here.

  > Do you use a beta reader?
  No. I don't use MS Word's spelling or grammar checks either, but I do use an online dictionary and TheSage offline dictionary.
  
  > Do you want/can I be a beta reader?
  Only if your language skills and literary sense are at least as good as mine. I've wielded the red pen as a graduate teaching assistant when grading papers, so I'd expect a minimum level of expertise.
  
  > Would you be my beta reader?
  I don't really have the time or patience, sorry... unless you paid me. [laugh]
  
  > How did you come up with that word count?
  The total word count in the meter is arbitrary. ^_^ I have this weakness for symmetry, so I calculated an average for Part 1 chapters and just doubled it. The total word count could be far less or far more (unlikely); and word counts are kinda silly anyway.
  
  > Can I see how you outline your stuff?
  Maybe at the very end...
  
  > Will you be posting your research materials?
  I'll probably create an appendix listing all research materials with links to live sites (some sites will/have died over the time it takes to finish this). I won't be sharing my offline PDFs and the like, though.

  
  

  A note about LJ 'friending', other LJ issues, and contacting me

  Anyone is free to "friend" my LJ account (no need to ask for permission :)); I may or may not reciprocate, since I'm currently undecided on how I want to proceed with the friends-only post issue.

  Don't worry about commenting on older LJ entries; my account is set up to e-mail me every time someone leaves a comment, so I won't miss it. I may not reply to all comments, but I do appreciate them. :) Anon posters are welcome, though feel free to sign off with a forum handle or something if you want.

  My email address is available, but I may not reply to all messages. This depends on both time and the nature of the message (outright flames will be deleted, for example). It's this alias at Gmail.