The Writer's thread (Authors, Screenwriters, playwrights, etc.))

[Charlie Boy]

I fancy myself a writer, but nothing I've ever written has ever been published or anything outside of my high school newspaper.

Currently my friend and I are working on a sci-fi, fantasy type television series.

 

[DarkSentinel]

Alright, so I just got another rejection letter from a literary agency, but this one is rejecting it because, according to them (and "without having to read my manuscript") a 150,000 word novel (and a debut novel at that) is "a prohibitive" for most publishers?

Is it just me or are literary agents trying to find reasons to reject me?

 

[Ultimatehero]

Alright, so I just got another rejection letter from a literary agency, but this one is rejecting it because, according to them (and "without having to read my manuscript") a 150,000 word novel (and a debut novel at that) is "a prohibitive" for most publishers?

Is it just me or are literary agents trying to find reasons to reject me?

Keep at it. I suggest you read or see a biography on walt disney, it really puts things into perspective.

 

[DarkSentinel]

Keep at it. I suggest you read or see a biography on walt disney, it really puts things into perspective.

Well, just to see if I could do it I copied the original novel into a new doc file and split it. The book is divided into four "parts" so I just took out the last two and pasted them in a new document and....well I'll be damned, it's not half bad the new first book ends on a nice cliffhanger.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Any of you guys got tips on writing Historical Fiction? I've got a story in mind set in the early 1900's in Europe. Part of it is in Vienna and part of it takes place during the Russian Revolution. I know I have a massive amount of research to do, but I don't even know where to begin.

 

[Victarion]

Any of you guys got tips on writing Historical Fiction? I've got a story in mind set in the early 1900's in Europe. Part of it is in Vienna and part of it takes place during the Russian Revolution. I know I have a massive amount of research to do, but I don't even know where to begin.

I would say chart out your basic story. Then go back and fill in the details with your research.

 

[Matt Mortem]

I would say chart out your basic story. Then go back and fill in the details with your research.

Thanks. At this point the story is just kind of a pet project, but I think if I do it right it'll be pretty rad. I've already got the two main characters pretty well outlined, as the short story I'm basing this on was about the two of them meeting as old men, but the novel is about how they got to that point. I've got a **** load of research to do first though. I don't like it when works of fiction or really historically inaccurate.

 

[Ultimatehero]

The library. If I had to spend money for the number of items I'd need, I'd become broke lol. So, with the library I got about five hundred dollars worth of material free. Granted, now I have a binder with over a hundred pages of reference notes organized in a binder (makes it easier to flip through) I saved a lot of money in the end. Also I think the note taking process itself was a lot of help as well in really remembering it.

 

[Matt Mortem]

The library. If I had to spend money for the number of items I'd need, I'd become broke lol. So, with the library I got about five hundred dollars worth of material free. Granted, now I have a binder with over a hundred pages of reference notes organized in a binder (makes it easier to flip through) I saved a lot of money in the end. Also I think the note taking process itself was a lot of help as well in really remembering it.

The house I'm moving into after film school has a library across the street so I plan on spending an obscene amount of time there. I never thought to put together binders of material though. Thanks for the tip.

 

[DarkSentinel]

Ok so I did it. I split my first book into two volumes, and the result is actually not half bad. Even have a cool title for it.

So, should it be published, the Legacy of the Wolven series is as follows:

1. Mathion
2. Reclamation
3. The Last Ascension
4. Mavonduri

Thoughts?

 

[Victarion]

I would appreciate a critique of this hero, Sarkun Grasjakal. I'm worried about whether or not he sounds likeable enough:


Sarkun Grasjakal enjoys rich food, loose women, a occasional spot of torture and bloodletting essential in his sorcerous experiments. A lawful entity enacts a decree or rule that would make the hedonistric protagonist subservient to a lofty notion of greater good. Within the lawful entity's bureaucracy, there's lawful enforcers engaging in human trafficking and extortion. Sarkun sees a simmering resentment toward the lawful entity within the Undercity. Now, Sarkun is disgusted by some of the residents of the Undercity. Chiefly those who take men, women, and children from the Undercity into snuffhouse clubs (against their will) for a night of gore-soaked revelry.

Sarkun goes about sowing the seeds of revolution throughout the Undercity. In the midst of the revolution, he plans to abduct certain people from the Undercity who engage in those activities that he finds morally reprehensible. These Undercity folk, along with the Lawful Entity's enforcers, will serve as test subjects for Sarkun's sorcerous experiments. These experiments involve warlock's magic and conjuration of minor devils, vampires, ogres, and elementals. Sarkun intends to use his augmented warlock's magic/conjuration against the Lawful Entity and certain power players in the Undercity. If all goes well, the revolution should end with the execution of the Lawful Entity and Sarkun gaining a place of power within the Undercity. More rich food, loose women, and torture/bloodletting in the name of magical science!

Sarkun very much values others' ability to commit whatever acts they feel motivated to do. However, he balances that value out by expecting that those who act are prepared for the consequences of their actions. His role in the Undercity will that of a Ringleader. The Ringleaders manage various clubs that would be frowned upon in more civil societies. In Sarkun's case, his club is the Pit Club (pit fighting, a brothel and fine dinning), and caters to the Uppercity bureaucracy on this principle: when the bureaucrats have indulged in their vices to excess, away from the public eye, they will be able to better fulfill the duties of their offices.

I'm worried that Sarkun might not be considered a hero by the reader.

 

[Victarion]

Ok so I did it. I split my first book into two volumes, and the result is actually not half bad. Even have a cool title for it.

So, should it be published, the Legacy of the Wolven series is as follows:

1. Mathion
2. Reclamation
3. The Last Ascension
4. Mavonduri

Thoughts?

That's not a bad idea, DS! I think a publisher would be more attracted to a solid story with a smaller page count than a massive tome with scant story and excessive detours into the author's fictional world.

 

[DarkSentinel]

I'd consider him a badass antihero for sure

 

[DarkSentinel]

That's not a bad idea, DS! I think a publisher would be more attracted to a solid story with a smaller page count than a massive tome with scant story and excessive detours into the author's fictional world.

And in the end, the two halves could be reunited t:

I plan on including an "Author's Note" at the beginning of The Last Ascension that explains that Reclamation is the direct sequel to Mathion, but that from here on out there will be HUGE gaps in between. But I think in the end it'll work to my benefit.

And also, by the time I get to The Last Ascension I'll have already established myself and be allowed to put out a longer book.

 

[Victarion]

It seems like once an author gets a solid reputation, the publisher gives them more room to sprawl their story. See Robert Jordan or,to my chagrin, George RR Martin. Good to hear that you're still writing; it seems like you were considering something else awhile back in the 'Tusi. Who are your influences as a writer? Not necessarily people you want to emulate...but who sparked your interest in writing?

 

[DarkSentinel]

It seems like once an author gets a solid reputation, the publisher gives them more room to sprawl their story. See Robert Jordan or,to my chagrin, George RR Martin. Good to hear that you're still writing; it seems like you were considering something else awhile back in the 'Tusi. Who are your influences as a writer? Not necessarily people you want to emulate...but who sparked your interest in writing?

Well, I grew up on a healthy diet of R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and K. A. Applegate (Animorphs), and Applegate really got me interested in scifi. Tolkien, however (as is well known by now ) sparked my obsession with fantasy.

 

[Lantern Venom]

It was an idea started in the SuperheroSkype thread by ComicChick and I think it's great idea to implement.

So let's talk about writing! What do you guys write about? How much do you write a day? What is your process when coming up with ideas? How do you juggle writing with other commitments? What advice would you have for other writers? Where does your inspiration comes from?

This was a great idea for a thread, PW. It's been entertaining and informative so far.

Let me give you a brief synopsis of my journey as a writer. I started out drawing characters in my high school art class. One of those characters morphed into an idea for a short story. That eventually became several short stories, then a novel, then an epic novel, then a series of novels.

I still spend a great deal of time writing, rewriting, and refining that story. Lately, my energy has been focused on publishing the first volume, which was just completed in e-book form.

Why do I write? Quite simply, it's wonderful to lose oneself in imagination. The journeys you can take from ear to ear are magnificent and endless.

No matter what, brothers and sisters, never allow yourself to lose that precious creative spark.

 

[Victarion]

You're right, Scar Predator. I've heard many authors state that they write what they want to read. If anyone's into the fantasy genre, you've likely heard of R.A. Salvatore and Drizzt Do'Urden. I'm not a big fan of the Drizzt series, but Salvatore said that the series started after he'd read all the Tolkien, Howard, and Moorcock he could find at his local bookstore. The same is true for me--outside of Lloyd, Martin, Sanderson, and the Moorcock Elric stories, there's very little I'd want to read on the fantasy shelves.


This morning I started to get an idea for a follow-up to Sarkun's revolution.


The disturbance in the Undercity Ringleader hierarchy reaches into the unearthly ocean depths. Many of the Ringleader's drugs and diversions are supplied by the Grundrak: a sea-dwelling race renowned among the Ringleaders for their biologica engineering, including the manufacture of various toxins and bio-organic weaponry. Sarkun's revolution has left power players in Grundrak society without buyers. The clientless Grundrak will not go quietly into the depths as is custom for those who lose their power base. Gangland warfare sweeps through the Undercity in the form of bio-engineered monstrosities loaded with all manner of plagues. Sarkun's concern for remaining in Rakdos' good standing compels him to seek out a cure for the Grundrak's plague.

 

[Destructus86]

As far as i'm concerned self publishing digitally is the only way to go. I have zero interest in dealing with publishers. ugh

 

[DarkSentinel]

I'm thinking of getting Mathion to an even 75k words, I just have to find the right place to expand upon. The risk though, especially in fantasy, is resorting to an overabundance of purple prose, which I'd prefer not to fall into.

 

[Hotwire]

I've wanted to write for a long time now but, I can never seem to get much further than an outline. I've created dozens of characters, most with back stories, but can't get much further.

I even came up with my own race of superpowered people called the Future-Kind. They came about in an interesting way. Thousands of years from now, evolution has caused humans to develop amazing abilities in order to adapt to their harsh environments. One of them discovers he can teleport. With practice, he's able to teleport not only through space but, time as well. With his jump being the first instance of time travel, the result is called the Time Ripple. The shock sending out a wave though time and displacing countless people in different times. Evolved humans from the future are launched into the past, while others are sent I to the far future. From there, they breed with the people of their time bringing about those evolutionary changes many years before intended.

Sadly, that's about as far as it got. Well, except for a bunch of superpowered characters.

A few of my favorites were...
Sliver: A young man with a skeleton of living metal he could grow through his skin into various blades.
Agony: An older villain who's touch causes intolerable pain.
Echo: A girl who absorbed kinetic energy and redirected it in sonic blasts.
Neurosis: Another villain who, with eye contact, caused his victims to suffer violent hallucinations of their worst fears.

 

[Victarion]

Did you have anything on the Future-Kinds' homeworld? It sounds like a rough place to live.

 

[JewishHobbit]

How have I NOT found this thread yet?! Okay... here is me

I've written and planned stories since I was young ranging from creating my own comic book company (me and a friend wrote and drew a combined 6 titles on construction paper... I wish I never threw them away), writing Jurassic Park 2 before there was a JP2 (I killed one kid 3 times without realizing it), and I killed off my entire 5th grade class in a gore-filled murder mystery as a class project (nowadays I'd have had to visit a professional). I didn't really get into creating stories hardcore until my best friend and I decided to write a fantasy novel which balooned into a 7 book series. We planned that series so deeply that we literally had thousands of pages of notes. Unfortunately, we never actually wrote it. That's what happens when you discover girls.

A year out of highschool, give or take, I got in the mood to get back to that fantasy series and started creating a new story (an 8th book?) and called my best friend. He wasn't really interested in going back to it but pointed out that my new idea could easily stand alone. I started playing with it and attempted my first real novel. After writing 2 overly-long chapters, I presented them to a friend who had graduated with a creative writing degree to look over. I told him to be honest. He was... painfully. He didn't feel I had any talent. I didn't write for 2 years until hypster Ice-Man read those chapters and encouraged me to continue.

I went on to nearly finish that novel at 800 pages (8.5 x 11 paper-sized pages) before quitting 2 chapters from the end... of the first book of a trilogy. I had grown a lot as a writer through the time I spent writing that book and I knew that I'd have to go back over it and fix a lot of stuff. I realized that if I could go back, I'd change a TON of stuff, so I decided to do just that... later.

I went on to write and finish my first complete novel called The Quest for Light, which was a Young Adult fantasy novel. It never got picked up by an agent but I still loved it.

I then switched gears and took a risk. I write my first ever non-fantasy story called Cicada Song. I ultimately labeled it a Romantic Suspense novel with light Christian themes. I couldn't get it picked up either and eventually discovered self publishing. I published it and got some harsh criticism for my lack of editing. I quickly went back and did some major edits and now the book is fairly successful on Amazon. I sell between 70-100 eBooks a month, not to mention the fewer numbers I sell on other sites. Yay!

After Cicada Song I decided to write a story with my daughtesr, and so my little girls and I wrote my first ever children's novel... The Adventures of Flitter & Plank. It's 3rd grade reading level but doesn't sell much at all online. However, I did get it into some of my local school libraries and it's a huge hit in at least one of them. I had to fill out tons of autographs. It was great

A teacher recognized me when I visited once based on my image on the back cover alone. That made my day!

After Flitter and Plank I decided to finally return to that first, 800-page novel. I did a HUGE revamp and write it as a Christian Fantasy novel called From the Ruin of Extinction which is Book 1 of the Refuge series. I just released it as an eBook a few weeks ago and will have the paperback version ready to go in a couple weeks. By the way, I ended up cutting TONS of stuff and characters out. Editing... it sucks but is great.

After that I decided that since Cicada Song is doing so well I'd make it book one of a loose series. It takes place in a fictional town called Anderson, so I decided to make an Anderson series where each book is it's own, stand alone story taking place in the town of Anderson. Each book can be read individual, but the reader will get a greater appreciation for the series the more they read (returning characters, mentions of past books, etc.)

I've recently finished the second Anderson novel called Not Quite Home and am in the early stages of editing it.

Per the request of my youngest daughter and kids from a local school, my next project will be the sequel to The Adventures of Flitter & Plank, which is called The Temptation of Flitter.

I've also written an audio drama that will be an extra for a local film company's movie. It's been recorded but the movie is not yet released. I'm eager to hear how it turned out.

I'm currently writing a graphic novel with a friend that we started 10 years ago and nearly got picked up by Platinum. We have an editor and an artist in place, all mostly free labor and both very good. Now we just need a letterer. This project is in its infancy, but I'm excited for it.

I've also had a short comic book story published through the Comicbook Artist Guild in an anthology called ICONIC II, and my second comic book short story will be published in ICONIC III at this year's New York ComicCon.

Also, I've had a potential bite to write the novelization of a local filmmaking company's film that is opening in around 70 or so theaters in September. That's still being considered, so nothing to report on that beyond just maybe.

I also edit The Quest for Light here and there as I have time so that I can eventually release it. That's an "inbetween" project, though, so I don't foresee that being ready for quite a while.

 

[JewishHobbit]

HERE is a link to Cicada Song if you want to read about it.

HERE is The Adventures of Flitter & Plank.

(yes, those are my daughters on the cover... it stars them!)


And HERE is From the Ruin of Extinction. It's just the eBook at the moment but the paperback's coming.

Also, the links in my sig details more about me, my writing past, and my upcoming projects!

 

[Victarion]

Do you have a hard time switching gears from your Christian fiction to your Anderson series to your childrens' series?