Writing Biographies
Contents by CMDR Lee Yuan Sheng and ADM Castor Efrata-Landis.
These notes will help you build the foundation of your character's bios. Some will wish to leave it there, others of you will want to continue on.
Tell your alter-ego's story Not have any timeline or continuity errors (at least the obvious and glaring ones) Not have any language errors (spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc; just run the spell and grammar checker often) Be consistent. The bio must be of adequate length (500 words would be a good start; you can write a novel if you want to)
There are three main points to follow when writing a bios, or any piece of fiction - Plot, Detail, Writing/Language skills.
This section is to offer additional advice to those who want to make a good biography an outstanding one.
Have a central idea or theme - Know what you want to write. Having an outline helps too. You can use alien characters - But only if you know the race inside-out. And if you are really in a creative mood, you can create an entirely new race. Crossovers - usually the Earth - GFFA types. Not recommended. Write sanely - even if your character is a half nut, the writer should not come across as one! Custom Craft/Items Just to add a personal pet peeve: Writing "your" when it should be "you're".
Tell Your Alter-ego's Story
Yes, tell a story. Don't give a bunch of statistics. It has been said that a biography is often the first and most important impression that is left on the squadron COs or any higher ups in charge. If the biography is as exciting as reading shuttle schedules, no one will remember you ( or maybe remember you as the person writing a shuttle schedule)!
You can write about where he/she came from, how he/she ended up joining the Rebel Squadrons, and what kind of character he/she is like.
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Timeline and Continuity Errors
A long time ago, in a galaxy not too far away, writing Star Wars literature was easy enough. There were the standard ships and starfighters, the few main planets, some interesting characters, and that was just about it. If there were any problems with details, all one had to do was to get the VCR and play back the tapes.
Things have changed by a lot since than. Ever since Zahn's success, Star Wars related novels, comics and what not ( which have been approved by Lucasfilm as "canon") have appeared faster then Rouge squadron cutting down TIEs. Many new details have been introduced into the Star Wars universe, and thus making continuity errors more likely to happen.
This also includes those who tie their character too close to the main characters in Star Wars ( Luke, Han, etc). The reason is that their stories have been told in great detail, and claiming yourself as [ insert relation here] of [ insert famous character here] is going to cause quite a few errors!
Note: At present, the timeline the RS is in is about 4 years after Endor.
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Language Errors
Bad grammar and spelling can ruin a potentially good biography. Before you start moaning that it is English class again, remember that your squadron CO, Wing COs, Fleet COs would be reading it.
At best, it'll give a slightly tarnished image. At worst, no one will understand you. Either way, the impression that is left behind isn't what anyone would want.
Proofreading is always the best way to do spot for any mistakes in any piece of written work. However, if time is not forgiving, at least run the piece through the spell and grammar checker.
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Consistency
Be consistent about your character, if necessary, be prepared to back it up. If you say that he/she/it is a Force user, than don't turn in mediocre results for all your missions. Many Rebel Squadron members who claim to be Force users are extremely good pilots or commandos.
Another thing about Force users, you will HAVE TO EXPLAIN how you or your family escaped the Jedi Purge. If your character is Force sensitive, you will HAVE to back it up and go into detail to explain your character's history and evasion of the Emperor and his attempts to extinguish the Jedi.
If your character is portrayed as a cheerful type, don't turn him/her into a prophet of doom somewhere along the line. People will think you lost the plot (literally) somewhere.
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Write a biography of adequate lengthA short biography is usually a sketchy one. To really develop a character and make him/her more than just a name, things like those mentioned in I. Tell Your Alter-ego's Story should be included, and it's going to take more than 500 words ( the recommended minimum) to put all that down.
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Three Main Pointers: Detail, Plot, Writing/Language skillsA plot is the first thing that comes to mind when writing a story. Some people may have very fancy plots, full of intrigue and suspense, some have simpler plots. For me, I am not very choosy, as long as it does not mess with the continuity of the Star Wars universe, and it does not make your character look like some demi-god.
Details, generally, is what gives a story its "meat". I can go through a plot in 30 words:
" My name is John Dundee. I left the Empire because of a dispute with a senior officer. They tried to catch me, but I managed to escape, and I joined the Rebel Squadrons."
Looks rather simple. But it can be improved just by adding the details:
" I am John Dundee, formerly of the Empire. I was a great pilot, a rising star in the Imperial Starfighter Corps, no thanks to a few fearless exploits during the Battle of Hoth. But all that changed when I was reposted a year after that, to the Star Destroyer Iron Skull. That was when I met Captain Ozzel Jr. Apparently his father was the late Admiral Ozzel, who died on the Super Star Destroyer Executor under the command of Lord Darth Vader. He was extremely bitter, as I recall, and ran his ship with a REAL iron fist. From what I heard, even Vader was never quite as terrifying. And he somehow picked me..."
Due to lack of time, I'll not finish this, but as you can see, it is very much longer now!
But details and a good plot are naught if you bore your readers to death.
Take our example above; let me go to the confrontation our hero here had with his Captain:
I was unhappy with the way Ozzel Jr was treating me. Despite my performance, I was picked on all the time. Everyday, I would be given a lecture of some kind from him in front all the pilots. I decided I would do something about it, and one day, I went up and spoke to him before the mission briefing. I said: " Sir, what is wrong, I fly my missions like anyone else, and my performance is better than the other pilots, you can see that for yourself." The captain said: " Nothing is wrong, pilot. And I don't like your tone,pilot. " I was mad by now. " What do you mean by nothing is wrong? I'm sick of you constantly picking on me!" The man gave me a scowl. " You will learn to control your temper, pilot. You are dangerously close to getting yourself tossed in the brig." That was it. " Give me your best shot!" I gave a powerful right hook to his jaw, sending him tumbling.
Fine enough, but let's try a new approach, for instance, a 3rd person perspective, and some more advanced writing techniques.
John discontent grew with each passing day. The Star Destroyer, which once seemed to be such a wonderful place, was starting to be a blazing furnance upon which he would burn forever in. Captain Ozzel Jr always singled him out during mission debriefings, and was forever harping on the smallest mistake he made.
I can't go on, he thought. The constant barrage of criticism was unbearable, even when he flew what he considered the best missions of his life. There was only one way out.
He had to speak with him.
* * * Seizing up the courage, he finally approached the Captain before the mission briefing.
" Sir.." he began hesitently. " Well, I'd like to find out what is wrong. I mean, I think I'm a pretty good pilot, and my perfomance reports don't seem to suggest otherwise, and I'm certainly better than some of the pilots here, so why.. why am I always picked on?"
Ozzel Jr simply raised an eyebrow. " There is nothing wrong, Lieutenant," he commented nonchantly. " And I certainly do not like the tone you're adopting."
" WHAT?" John shrieked. He couldn't believe it. Here he was, one of the Empire's better pilots, being abused badly by this brainless fool, trying to settle things with him, and this is the kind of response he gets. " What do you mean by nothing is wrong? I'm being picked on constantly by you, even when there are worse pilots out there doing stupid things, and you say nothing is wrong?"
The captain's face changed at once. Giving John a fierce scowl, he threatened: " You watch your temper, pilot. Your actions are getting you dangerously close to being tossed in the brig."
John was throughly mad now. Looking at the man, he could feel nothing but pure hate flowing through him. He pictured his face.. that hated face, ripped apart. Through clenched teeth, he yelled: " Oh yea? Give me your best shot!" With every bit of his might, he raised his right fist, and swung it right into the obnoxious man's jaw.
It certainly looks more lively, and it reads better.
I'm not suggesting that you have to follow the above example, everyone has their own unique writing style, but what I do suggest is that varying the sentence structure and using a variety of different words help. A common folly is the use of "said" when a more suitable expression can be utilised instead.
I hope this article here would have helped you in writing your bio. Good luck, and may the Force be with you all!
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Having a central idea
Many writers and authors usually have this idea when they start to write, and focus on it. A good one does not come easily, so grab hold of them. The late Roald Dahl once remarked that he had an idea for a story about a person stuck in an elevator, but problem was, he was driving, and there was nothing he could write on. So he stopped, got out, and went to the back of the car, where there was this thick layer of dust on the boot cover, so he used his finger and wrote the word "ELEVATOR" on it.
Also, having an outline helps. This way, you'll be able to focus on writing, not thinking of what to write. Too often one misses an important development because of thinking of something else to write about.
The moral of the story is that any tale, no matter long or short, must have a solid base to begin with. Only than a strong story can be developed.
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Using an alien character
If you really want to try, your alter ego can be an alien. After all, the New Republic/Rebel Alliance is about the unified struggle of many races against a tyrannical Empire. The Rebel Squadrons has a number of members who are aliens, from Rodians to Calamarians, from Wookies to Twi'leks, and there's an assassin droid in our ranks too!
And if you're in a creative mood, you can create a totally new race. However, bear in mind that whatever new race you create has to be unique enough to be differentiated from the other races, and special enough to stand on its own.
The trap is that being humans, somewhere along the line, a few inconsistent details may appear. Therefore, if you're using a race that is already in existance, be sure to know it inside out. If you're creating a race, be sure that you have enough done background work to establish the culture and mannerisms of the race.
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Crossovers
Some biographies are tales of people from a planet called Earth ( which is not found in either Imperial nor New Republic records) making their way to the Rebel Squadrons.
Crossovers can be fun to read, however, they are a problem, since this is not just a Galaxy Far, Far Away, but also set in A Long Time Ago. It's another dimension, just like a fairy tale, or an AD&D RPG. You don't bring Earth into either of them, do you?
If you still want to write one, it's fine, it will not be rejected, but it's not advisable.
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Write sanely
Every now and than a biography comes along and tries to portray the character as a brilliant pilot, but with a slightly crazed mind.
The problem is that the impression that is left is that not only the character is slightly crazed, the actual person who wrote it is virtually a half-nut!
Basically, the way to do it is to show the thought process and the dialogues of the character as mad, but NOT the style of writing!! Too often the storyline is vague, the points are jumbled up, the language full of errors.. you get the point. When proofreading your biography, try to see if the plot is coherent. This is usually the best way to check for such mistakes.
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Custom craft/itemsIf your character has custom ships or weapons, keep this in mind:
Newton's Third Law: For every force, there is an opposite and equal reaction force.
Which means that for every good modifier you have on an item, there must be one or more drawbacks to using it. This keeps the item from becoming a God's wand. Keep in mind that our timeline is 2 years after Endor, so everything technological MUST fit in with the timeline. Ships and Items alike MUST adhere to this rule, and keeping your character within this law would also help in making him or her balanced so they are neither too strong nor too weak. Keep in mind that a weak character is more liable to be accepted than a character that is too strong, ie. Having Force powers that can regrow severed limbs (a rather silly example, but it's not entirely impossible to see it) Remember that your character is flesh and blood, and can bleed, and they certainly CAN die. RS have lost a number of characters to death, even Jedi have a time to depart.
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