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..:Welcome:..

O swear not by the moon, th'inconstant moon
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.

- Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

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Table of Contents

1. Author Info
2. Teaser
3. Motivation
4. Pet Peeves
5. Eggs
6. Inuyasha Questionnaire
7. Banners

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Author Info

First things first, let me introduce myself. Hi, my name is Nicolas Raine, and I often refer to myself as Nikra for short. I am a 23 year old female and I tend to write in the fantasy, romance genre. I am a budding author; as in, I am kind of a new writer and I do not have very many stories under my belt. I have never completed a story before, but do not let that scare you away. I simply have never liked what I have written enough before to continue the story. Anything that I take the time to write anymore can be considered very dear to me and you can expect them to be continued.

I also have created accounts on FictionPress, Fanfiction, and AdultFanfiction. All accounts have the same Pen Name (NicolasRaine) if the links do not work for any reason.

I would like to thank you for showing an interest in my work. I appreciate your support and I am very happy that you like (if you do) what I have written. I tend to be a very open and easy-going person and if you want to contact me, please feel free to. I love to receive any ideas or constructive criticism for my stories and want to hear your opinions. Please, of course, limit your negative opinions. I will not tolerate any flaming what-so-ever, and though I understand that you may have an opinion about something you do not like, please keep it constructive. No one is forcing you to read my work. If that doesn't work for you, then keep it constructive if only to preserve my self-confidence. My ego-bubble is popped rather easily. Just kidding.

Lastly, I would like to apologize for the similarity to my other profile pages. I really only copy and pasted then changed very few sections of it so that it fit better. Thank you for your attention and for reading this all the way through. Please continue reading, send your ideas and opinions, and enjoy. I love you all and am looking forward to hearing from you. Adieu.

Nikra

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Teaser

Note: So due to a very busy work week and some serious lack of planning on my end, I wasn't able to update my story for quite some time.

So in order to get an update about the situation out to readers, I needed something to post. So I decided to post a teaser of what I have planned for after I finish Practice Makes Perfect.

I hope you like, but I won't be offerings any explanations about it, so don't ask. You'll just have to wait until I actually work on it in the far future.

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Become the Beast on the fullest of moons,

With Markings to show all your disgrace,

Your Feelings will always be naught but true,

And you will Crave true love's embrace.

Only Love can break this Curse,

Her eyes Must see through,

Though you Cannot declare love to her,

She must be first to Declare to you.

Should you Break these rules,

Upon the Darkest of moons made clear,

A Life will be lost,

One belonging to whom you hold most Dear.

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Motivation

People - Whether it be friends or fans, people always keep me motivated. Being reminded that I have a story (and fans waiting for me to continue it) makes me want to write. Anything can set it off, a review, a story alert, or just the casual mentioning of either my stories or writing in general will make me want to write. I am not telling you that you need to review or something if I'm gone awhile, just that it might be one of the reasons that I come back.

Music - I have a playlist of music that I call my Inspirational list. On it, there is a collection of songs that have something in it that reminds me of a certain part of my story. It could be something that has already happened, something I plan to include at one point, or maybe it just reminds me of a setting or a character, or even a feeling that I get from my story. Whenever I have trouble coming up with ideas, or even just as I write, I listen to these songs and it helps me get into a groove so that I can keep going. The ideas flow and it helps me get creative, just what every writer wants.

Quota - This one isn't really motivation, but it does help me keep going so that I don't fall out of my groove. I set a daily quota for myself (350-500 words minimum) and I stick to it. This way I work at a chapter everyday, no matter what. Then, when I complete a chapter I reward myself. But then the next day, I still have my quota so I have to get to work.

Rewards - When I complete a chapter, I reward myself. Whether it's a trip to the movies, a day without chores, eating at a restaurant, whatever, as long as it's not too expensive I give in to something I want rather than need. That way I still get to do things that are fun after I work so hard. But also, if I want something, I tell myself I have to finish my chapter before I can have it. That way I have to do something productive before I slack off a little. Then when I actually finish a book I get myself something bigger. I go buy whatever game or book I've had my eye on, or I'll decide to play game I already have, or read one of my books. Of course, I'll set a limit to it. Like a week or two without writing. I think that's fair, but I'll put more thought into it when I actually get there.

Goals - Setting some long and short term goals for my writing can really keep me motivated. I find out when I want my book completed by, then set dates I want the chapters done by. That way, I can see where I want to be and be able to get there one step at a time. This is a very new addition to my motivation list, so it's not actually incorporated yet, but it will be once I start up again.

Stories - Reading other author's work can be very inspirational. The pure talent that some people have really make me want to improve myself. Forthright and Silver Standard Society are two, just to name a few. Also, 100 - 500 word ficlets/snippets/ramblings/etc. have really made me want to work on my skill. Being able to say so much in so few words has made me realize that my descriptive can be way too much. So, I also want to work on gaining that ability. I believe I will be become better in the end.

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Pet Peeves

Spoilers - I really hate it when you pick up a book and something that is suppose to be a mystery is revealed on the back. (Twilight anyone?) Yeah it may be a main part of the story, but make it intriguing. I don't want to know how the damn thing ends! Just whether or not it might be the type of story I like.

Failure to Proofread - Sometimes there is a situation where you just want to get something up and you don't have time to proofread it. Fine. I get that. But please, please, PLEASE go back and do it later. I can't tell you how many mistakes can be caught just by rereading your work. I really don't like mistakes. In general. Any kind. If I know it's a mistake and it's one I would have caught myself, I am probably going to be put off. No one wants to be reminded that an amateur wrote whatever they are reading (and face it, we are all amateurs) and simple mistakes will tell us that. Seriously, I know you hear/heard it in school, but it's true: Check, check, and recheck your work. Every time you do, I bet you'll find a way to make it even better and the readers will notice.

Grammatical Mistakes - Yeah, I know everyone is human. Errors are going to happen, but you can tell when someone took the time to read through their work or not (points up to last entry). I can get over a couple mistakes per story (and I know mine aren't the best either) but I hate getting caught up on a mistake almost every paragraph. Plus when someone just has a blatant disregard for the English language and just does something wrong, it's just plain annoying! Learn your grammar and sentence structure. It makes your story much more appealing to the reader.

Inconsistent POV - Sure, every once in a while, I like to switch it up in my First-Person View too, but Multiple-Person View is a real thing. What I hate is when someone goes for Third-Person Omniscient and you can obviously tell which person is the focus. It's not supposed to be like that. If you want someone to know what everyone is thinking and feeling, then give everyone's thoughts and feelings when they come up. If you only want one person to be the focus then only give their thoughts and feelings. If you want it to be both but not at the same time, then do it right. Focus on one person's thoughts and feelings only (alone, no other person to interrupt), then switch it up and do the other when you want it. Multiple-Person View is possible in any POV, you can look it up on Wikipedia, just make sure you do it right. If you want to do it that way, give up the attempt at Omniscient and go for Third-Person Limited and use the Multiple-Person. It would add more flow and interest to your story, not to mention a more professional feel.

Inconsistent Tense - Sure, every once in a while you need change to tense depending on what's happening, but if you go from past to present back to past tense, I'm most likely going to give up on your story pretty early on. Regardless of how good I thought the concept was. Just read through your work and ask yourself: Would I want to read this? Even if you thought it was right at first, if you go over it, you'll notice something is off. If so, check your tenses. That does it a lot of the time.

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Feed My Babies

Note: Just click them, then you can even get your own. :)

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