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Post by Mistress Rell on Aug 8, 2008 17:11:26 GMT -5
You're writing a serial. There are some sci-fi ones ( I am in the process of doing one myself) but I don'tlnow what kind of market there is for it. Serials are tricky, you have to get and keep a readership in order for it to be successful. Good luck to you on it.
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Post by Weird Rob 87 on Aug 24, 2008 17:44:23 GMT -5
This should be a darn good read. And good luck. I'd help but most of the characters I have are sci fi or fantasy in nature. Like Lyconus, he's a werewolf. And my wrestling character Cade is a green skinned fighter who I like to think of as the son of the Hulk. Anywho, like I said good luck!
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Post by Weird Rob 87 on Aug 25, 2008 11:19:49 GMT -5
Awesome, and the albino character description reminds me of a vampire.
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Post by Mistress Rell on Aug 25, 2008 14:31:18 GMT -5
Actually, I think there is a member who draws and has suggested doing work for members. I would put a post in The Gathering about it.
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Post by Aaron on Sept 5, 2008 23:22:22 GMT -5
you can do series writting. What I would do is take those 9 "episodes" and actually make them into a novel or some such. that would be pretty interesting. Just me though.
Publisher's want series writing. Just take a peek at mainstream fiction. both scifi/fantasy and fiction genres. So the markets out there I'd just figure out a way to do it.
Plus too you have to keep the readership and you have to have the series grow. Take a look at what you like as a reader when it comes to series. What are the good and bad. also too for whatever it's worth go to amazon and message boards. See what the others feel and think. although, take amazon with a grain of salt. There are alot there that just want to blast a novel AND book.
on characters what I would do is figure out what really is your main and what is your side characters and since your doing history what are the history characters.
oh and another tool I'v seen that works is to use cards. Write down scene so as you are writting you have an idea of where you want to go and what you are doing. Also too can always change it and adjust it.
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Post by Aaron on Sept 7, 2008 23:22:15 GMT -5
I've created the "chapter guide" and written down the basic story for each chapter as well as a character gallery with background, description etc. for each character. If each chapter should be made into a book in a series, I would have to come up with some side plots, adding to one I've already created, if not the books would be awfully short. Also as Mistress Rell stated above, it will he a lot harder to keep people reading the series. I haven't decided on anything yet tough, as I'm still working on several tiny details on the basic story. Anyways: if anyone would want to help me fleshing out the story/characters I'm open to all suggestions. Have you ever thought of sub-plotting? I mean while you have an over all plot and a place you want to get to...a sub plot would be to help to achieve that one. Like a place in my storyline comes to where they find a plane that was left over. Somehow it's been left behind but it's in bad need of repair. Well..as a subplot can have a few of teh characters try and figure out how to get the parts/whatever to get the thing running. A good showman of subplots is actually Stephen King. His BIG novels have a lot of subplots. Not always are good things as some could be condenced but..hey that is Stephen for ya. Oh and another one don't think was mentioned but are you wanting it to be a stand alone series. IE...Harry Potter. Where there is a beginning and middle and end? Or kinda like Lord of the Rings..where each book represents a part of the over all story?
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Post by Aaron on Sept 8, 2008 10:21:09 GMT -5
Have you ever thought of sub-plotting? I mean while you have an over all plot and a place you want to get to...a sub plot would be to help to achieve that one. Like a place in my storyline comes to where they find a plane that was left over. Somehow it's been left behind but it's in bad need of repair. Well..as a subplot can have a few of teh characters try and figure out how to get the parts/whatever to get the thing running. A good showman of subplots is actually Stephen King. His BIG novels have a lot of subplots. Not always are good things as some could be condenced but..hey that is Stephen for ya. Oh and another one don't think was mentioned but are you wanting it to be a stand alone series. IE...Harry Potter. Where there is a beginning and middle and end? Or kinda like Lord of the Rings..where each book represents a part of the over all story? The way it is now, it's more like LotR in its continuation. I was planning on having cliffhanger ending, that way people would perhaps be more interested in reading the next part. As for genres, I checked it out on Wikipedia, and I found a few ones that could be used to describe the project for now: Social science fiction, Dying Earth subgenre, Lesbian science fiction and Anarcho-capitalism fiction (?) On the side plots, I thought of following both sides: the rebels, fighting against the oppression of the government, and the tyrannizing city leaders. Another thing: Would it be best to let the readers get more info about the characters background or make them more mysterious and give away small drops of information later in the story? Depends on the purpose of the character. I mean if it's a main character can do it slowly. Remember it's not much fun being Told what is and or what has happened. It's alot of fun to be right there while it's happening. And, if that character is involved in a twist. ...I'd set it up to kinda go opposite of the twist. That way people wouldn't expect it. Although, leave a few clues to as the reality of it. Ever read or watched a really good thriller and yet was suprised but on the second or third viewing of the film realize it was a bit of a joke? You shouldn't have been that shocked? It doesn't hold up to that next viewing. Want to be careful with that one. And, not cheat the readers. And to follow both sides be cool. To really help you out what series do you like? Een a tv shows these days are kinda written in that novel type of way. So what do you enjoy viewing or reading? When you are writing try and keep those properties..I guess can call it in mind. How they did this or how they did that. Wouldn't copy out right but I'd use them as a blue print.
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Post by Mistress Rell on Sept 8, 2008 11:35:50 GMT -5
Here's what I do.
For characters:
Sit down with some paper and a pen. For characters I start with the name, then delve into what makes them tick. hoa re they, what are they'r likes, dislikes, what drives them, and why. Find they're history, their vulnerabilities. What do they look like, sound like.
Storyplots;
I start off writing out the entire thing, example-firs this happens, then this, then this, then this.
Next, I do a synopsis of the story. Basically telling the story in a very short version.
From there I plot out the scenes. where they are, who's in them, what's happening.
As I write, things come up, good idea's or what not, so I writet hem out and save them for later. ONce the story is done, revisions begin, this is where I try to place the idea's I wrote out while writing. If they don't work, fine, if they do, all the better.
I know it seems like a lot, but to me, know ing my characters is very important part of the story.
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Post by Aaron on Sept 8, 2008 16:17:35 GMT -5
Like Rell said need to know your story but also too need to know your characters world too. Especially if you are going to be writing in fantasy and scifi. Which are two genres that basically are asking people to suspend there beliefs and thoughts of the world.
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Post by Mistress Rell on Sept 9, 2008 17:36:13 GMT -5
The best way to do this, is to read your dialogue out loud. REading out loud gives you a persepctive on your writing that hearing it in your head doesn't. You'll be able to see for yourself what whorks and what doesn't, and it also helps distinguish the flow of the story.
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Post by Aaron on Sept 9, 2008 23:08:19 GMT -5
Like Rell said need to know your story but also too need to know your characters world too. Especially if you are going to be writing in fantasy and scifi. Which are two genres that basically are asking people to suspend there beliefs and thoughts of the world. I want to try and make the setting as real as possible. Nothing supernatural or unbelievable, I find that irritating whenever I’m reading myself. If it’s just too over the top, I find it hard to really care for the characters. But that’s just me though; others may like that style however. When it comes to the character dialogue I would also try to keep it real. No one talks like they do in movies or TV series where the characters spew out speeches and cheesy one-liners, so that’s defiantly something I want to avoid. Also, this will be my first attempt to write a long story in English. I’ve written several lengthy stories in my native language before, but nothing like this. On top of what Rell said. You should bring your natural way of speaking. Bring the way you and your freinds and those around you speak. Also too in the characters it's an idea to write about who you know. Don't be afraid in using family/friends/ people that have touched your lives. Use the bad and the good. Blend it all together...and form a character. When I mentioned movies and tv shows wasn't saying in how they speak an all. Just how they set up the arch of there show. How they actually spin out a story in a long format. It's much like how those do it in a series form..for a novel. I was speaking on the real. have to keep it real. The places and characters and such. The more out there you push your characters and settings and twists...the more real it has to be. That is the rule of thumb for fiction. If it's not real and the reader can accept and move along with the characters then you'v shot yourself in the foot and it's over time.
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Post by Mistress Rell on Jan 13, 2009 7:19:25 GMT -5
Sounds like you're coming along nicely. Good work!
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