Writing test, does your story suck?

[Roc]

Love the answers Ireth and Scipio, and I must also "plead guilty" to #35 and #48

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

Here's the ones that mine matches:

#4, ehh, sort of
#28

That's it.

 

[Chime85]

I'm guilty of a couple of them. Luckily for my own self esteem, not many.

However, my favorites on the list had to be:

33:Is your name Robert Jordan and you lied like a dog to get this far?

and

63: Is your hero able to withstand multiple blows from the fantasy equivalent of a ten pound sledge but is still threatened by a small woman with a dagger?

x

 

[danr62]

I think this was something of a tongue in cheek type thing.

Some good things to look out for, but if you tried following it to the letter you'd never have anything that could classify as fantasy. Or at least not epic fantasy, perhaps.

Besides, cliches can be useful at times.

 

[Fluffypoodel]

that test was a laugh fest! I can also honestly say that I said no to every question, which may make me a little worried...

 

[J.P. Reedman]

I pass I guess. I only have 2, and since my novel is a retelling of the King Arthur legend with a huge twist, I have to have 'the youth who doesn't realise he is king.' The other was barbarians on the tundra drinking mead; the people in my book archaeologically WERE drinking mead or other fermented drinks, and may have even had a male drinking cult!

 

[Jess A]

A bit of fun, though it is a silly quiz not to be taken seriously.

I got:

28. Is this the first book in a planned trilogy? Yes.

48. Do your characters spend an inordinate amount of time journeying from place to place? Not sure yet. But I like a journey if it is necessary to the story, so I won't be shying away from it.

(At this point, I noticed a link to a site about swords and got thoroughly distracted for a while)

Nothing more after that.

 

[Alex]

I had like...one. Also a possible maybe lol.

 

[Lawfire]

Funny stuff!

 

[Zophos]

If you said "No" to all of those, I'd say you aren't writing fantasy. Not fantasy that is readily identifiable as fantasy, anyway.

I'm also amused that some of us are insulted by a funny list of aphorisms about the genre. It's a funny list. The only real test is actually being offended by it. In the spirit of syllogistic reasoning, if you're offended by it, you are therefore in violation of the list simply because you're regarding your fantasy far too realistically and likely stuck in a world of cliche or monism.

 

[mijo]

The Original Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test
This is a better one if you really want to tell if the story is good.
P.S this is only for the character.

 

[Jess A]

The Original Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test
This is a better one if you really want to tell if the story is good.
P.S this is only for the character.

-chuckle- Oh dear, Mary Sue characters. I've seen this test. Not all of those traits are bad - but too many and the character becomes tedious! Depending on how they are written.

 

[PrincessaMiranda]

I answered 'yes' to about three, but thats the point of my story. To tell something like that in a different light. I dont have any orcs, elves, or shades. But I do have half mermaids. Does that count.

 

[Dark Squiggle]

<<<Thread Necromancy>>>
Is it just me, or does WWII fit this almost perfectly?
The few things on this list that didn't actually happen seem to have been added as legends later.
The Bomb
Stalin/Hitler
Add more as you feel like.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

My books are so far from being traditional fantasy that this stuff is barely even applicable. I've seen it before though.

Looked through it again. None of them, that I can identify. But again, my book is barely even within the usual bounds of the fantasy genre.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

The only ones that fit my latest book are:

1. Could one of your main characters tell the other characters something that would really help them in their quest but refuses to do so just so it won't break the plot? Yes, but there's a chance that the world would end. It's complicated.
2. Is this the first book in a planned trilogy? It's kind of the third book in a trilogy that is suddenly six+ books.
3. How about "a wise, mystical sage who refuses to give away plot details for his own personal, mysterious reasons"? Yes, but see above.

<But again, my book is barely even within the usual bounds of the fantasy genre.>
Same here, for all of my books.

 

[Guy]

#58. It is entirely possible to stab someone with a scimitar.
#59. If the weapon in question is magic, yes.
#64. Kill? Perhaps not, but it can take multiple shots to stop a man before he bleeds out from the arrow wounds.

 

[Gurkhal]

I got to answer no to all the questions. So I guess I'm "good" from that lists point of view.

 

[Penpilot]

I'd like to replace all the questions on that list with just one.

Do you need an arbitrary online test to justify that your story is original and worthy of being written?

If the answer is yes, go to a book store, peruse the aisles, come back, and read the list and the question again.

If the answer is no, congratulations, you finally understand what true originality is.

 

[Annoyingkid]

The Original Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test
This is a better one if you really want to tell if the story is good.
P.S this is only for the character.

Mary Sue tests are supposed to be just for fun. They're not a legitimate tool for writers.