famousmeatball
Civilian
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2024
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 1
Just finished a beta draft of a novel I intend to self publish, called, "Blackout: The Walking Lightswitch".
I'm hoping to get some feedback on it from people who are into this genre. I've been a big fan of superheroes and superhero media ever since I was a kid. I decided to take a stab at building my own little superhero world that I think is interesting, and I hope is interesting to other people who love this genre.
What It's About
I'd like to write this out a bit less formally than a real synopsis, to give a better explanation of what the goals of the story are.
Essentially, this is an exploration of what a society built around superpowers might look like on a more granular, detail oriented level. The portrayal is something like an intersection of professional sports and celebrity influencer culture.
The story follows Blackout, a teenage hero at the bottom of the super ecosystem. Blackout's underwhelming abilities allow him to turn on and off light sources, see in the dark, and shroud himself in shadow, which don't help much when scrapping with local villains. The majority of the story is centered around Blackout's adventures as a local, street level hero, attempting to solve petty crimes in his own neighborhood.
Much like a sports league, the Heroes Guild that Blackout belongs to has its own systems for developing talent. Blackout is in the lowest level of the minor leagues, in the same chapter as real prospects, as they all work to make it to the majors. It's meant to show a disjunction between the experience of heroes with bright futures, compared to those those who no one in any position of authority cares about, like Blackout, who is still attempting to climb the ladder, despite his deficiencies.
Writing Sample
So, I think this snippet best represents what I'm talking about in terms of granular details.
On the subject of the furnishings in the clubhouse of the minor league chapter Blackout belongs to:
What Feedback I'm Looking For
Finally, there is an anachronism related to media referenced in the story that I'm already aware of. If you catch it, consider it an easter egg. I'll be fixing it by the next draft.
If you're interested, leave a comment, and I'll dm you a link to the google doc.
Thanks!
I'm hoping to get some feedback on it from people who are into this genre. I've been a big fan of superheroes and superhero media ever since I was a kid. I decided to take a stab at building my own little superhero world that I think is interesting, and I hope is interesting to other people who love this genre.
What It's About
I'd like to write this out a bit less formally than a real synopsis, to give a better explanation of what the goals of the story are.
Essentially, this is an exploration of what a society built around superpowers might look like on a more granular, detail oriented level. The portrayal is something like an intersection of professional sports and celebrity influencer culture.
The story follows Blackout, a teenage hero at the bottom of the super ecosystem. Blackout's underwhelming abilities allow him to turn on and off light sources, see in the dark, and shroud himself in shadow, which don't help much when scrapping with local villains. The majority of the story is centered around Blackout's adventures as a local, street level hero, attempting to solve petty crimes in his own neighborhood.
Much like a sports league, the Heroes Guild that Blackout belongs to has its own systems for developing talent. Blackout is in the lowest level of the minor leagues, in the same chapter as real prospects, as they all work to make it to the majors. It's meant to show a disjunction between the experience of heroes with bright futures, compared to those those who no one in any position of authority cares about, like Blackout, who is still attempting to climb the ladder, despite his deficiencies.
Writing Sample
So, I think this snippet best represents what I'm talking about in terms of granular details.
On the subject of the furnishings in the clubhouse of the minor league chapter Blackout belongs to:
What Feedback I'm Looking For
- Any general thoughts on the story.
- Your thoughts on the specific details of the world building and systems explored in the story.
- Thoughts on characters.
- What elements you felt were strongest, and which were weakest.
- Where do you think the story is headed?
Finally, there is an anachronism related to media referenced in the story that I'm already aware of. If you catch it, consider it an easter egg. I'll be fixing it by the next draft.
If you're interested, leave a comment, and I'll dm you a link to the google doc.
Thanks!
