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Whalley posted:The only real structure you need for a story is "write until you can connect the start point to the end." It's also why I just had to step away from thirty thousands words, because I realized I didn't have an end point in mind, just a couple of middles. I have a pretend pen name that I pretend I'm going to use for writing romance novels (I have the website registered and everything!). I picked it based on a few things: 1) it had to sound like my genre. Read a bunch of romance author names, and you'll see what I mean. Pen names are also pretty common in romance, so less-likely names are fairly standard there. In the top-20 bestsellers on Amazon you've got Heather Burch, Bella Forrest, Violet Duke, and Blair Babylon. I do not recommend using names like this for other genres. I mean, actually you could probably write fantasy under Guinevere Brooks or Raymond Knight, but maybe not sci-fi as Rake Starborn or whatever. Name your character that though, if you're writing a new-retro adventure book. If you are doing literary fiction, pick at least one name that has three syllables and is hard to pronounce? I'm specifically writing paranormal romance, too, so I wanted it to have a bit of that "flavor." And I didn't want it to sound to sexy, because I'm not writing erotica or really hot romance. 2) It had to sound like a real name. Even though some romance writers apparently don't care about real sounding names (Blair Babylon? -- but watch that be her real name or something), I really wanted mine to sound plausible. Also I wanted it to be obviously feminine, without being too over the top. 3) It had to be a name I liked. I think this is pretty obvious, but I wanted a cool name. 4) It had to be unused. Check out how many Bellas write romance. For me this meant no other author was using it on Amazon, the .com url was available, and a google search turned up very few hits. This one was actually pretty easy to hit, which I was worried about. 5) It had to be easy to remember and spell. No Emmalee business. No names where you have to remember "i before e, except after c" For inspiration, I read a bunch of name lists, basically. I had a lot of names that I already like that I rejected for one reason or another: Carmen, Grace, Dominique, Isabella, Alexis. For my last name, I actually picked the last name of a guy I dated for a while in college! I'd always liked his last name, and it fit really well. I thought of some other ones, but that one really fit, so I just went with it. Now I just have to finish that angel romance novel and I'm good to go.
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Jul 16, 2014 05:22
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Depending on what your middle name is, you can always use your middle name, as well. For fiction I do Initial Middlename Lastname or Initial Initial Lastname, whereas for my sportswriting I just use Firstname Lastname since it's a bit more difficult to use a pseudonym with journalism. I'm kind of sad I never decided to write romance because my middle name is Virginia and that seems like a wasted opportunity.
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Jul 16, 2014 05:45
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Anomalous Blowout posted:Depending on what your middle name is, you can always use your middle name, as well. It's never too late. I don't like the way my middle name works with nearly any last names, and my initials suck due to having an "A" first name and an "object last name. i.e. my name under that formula would be like A. Baker.
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Jul 16, 2014 06:41
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:It's never too late. I confess I have a hidden "when I get around to it" desire to write steampunk romance under the name Virginia Blunderbuss.
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Jul 16, 2014 06:54
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Submitted the first ever story on our new board! Tear it apart. People like to plug WriteAboutDragons.com which is where Brandon Sanderson gives his writing advice. Is this actually worthwhile for non-genre writers? And does it contain any information that isn't in every major writing book out there? Do you believe freewriting to be beneficial? I've been in a slump lately. I'm still putting in the hours, but I'm producing very little and thinking very hard about what I want to do. I've thought about just letting go and scribbling nonsense to see what comes out, but is that more useful than more cognitive, deliberate practice (if that C&D practice is only netting me about 400 words per day)? blue squares fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Jul 16, 2014 |
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Jul 16, 2014 21:06
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I'm mostly plugging the lectures from YouTube, which are basically just like a free class taught by a guy who made a lot of money selling his genre books through traditional publishing. Sanderson taught the class at that weird Mormon university, and the website just has all the lectures from the class on Youtube. You could just go to the Youtube page and ignore the website entirely. We based the writing group that you are in off of the interactive part of that class, so we basically were pretending we took the class by watching the videos and then writing based on the requirements for students in the class. A lot of the advice he gives in the lectures is genre specific, but there are also classes talking about benefits of traditional vs. digital publishing, editing, etc. It was pretty helpful to me, though I haven't read a lot of "writing advice" books. Sanderson is very goony and some of the lectures are dumb, but I'd give one or two a try and see if you think they are worth watching.
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Jul 16, 2014 21:40
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Writing group friends, nobody answered my post in there a while back which was this:quote:So here's my deal: Thinking on it I would quite like short story feedback now, but if that is some sort of faux pas then I won't? e: And if anyone else has advice on short story to novel conversion then I would gladly accept it, though I don't feel I'm entirely clueless or anything as to how I'll do it, I'd still appreciate hearing other people's experience or tips.
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Jul 16, 2014 23:25
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It's up to you. There are merits to both. If you don't post the short story you'll have a better idea of what confuses the readers as the novel progresses. If you want to try to publish the short story I'd probably go ahead and post that though.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:19
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systran posted:I'm mostly plugging the lectures from YouTube, which are basically just like a free class taught by a guy who made a lot of money selling his genre books through traditional publishing. Sanderson taught the class at that weird Mormon university, and the website just has all the lectures from the class on Youtube. You could just go to the Youtube page and ignore the website entirely. Hook me up with some links.
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Jul 17, 2014 00:32
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Sithsaber posted:Hook me up with some links. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=write+about+dragons
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Jul 17, 2014 00:39
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Contrary to popular belief, neither "being sithsaber" nor "making a middlin-tier post" are actually against the rules, so please stick to reporting posts that are really bad and/or insane (I mean I'm sure there's still going to be some of those so don't worry too much).
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Jul 17, 2014 22:41
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This is a very simple question, but I'd like to get a little more in-depth than just "here's the general rule." Tense. I read a lot of Pynchon, and both Gravity's Rainbow and Mason & Dixon are written in the present tense. Lately, I've been experimenting with this and having a lot of fun with it. Anyone else write in the present tense? It's not the traditional choice by any means, but I think it really works well. I've heard from some people that present tense is a big turn-off as a reader. Does it bother you? Would it be enough to make you dislike a story that is otherwise written well? I try to write comedic pieces that build to ridiculous Pynchonian levels, and the present tense fits that, to me. Some of my favorite writing of all time comes from David Foster Wallace's "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'd Never Do Again" and ""Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All", both of which are written in the present tense, though that's because they're presented as "journalistic" pieces. It really drew me in and made me feel like everything was happening right there with me as I read it, and contributed to the sort of sensory-overload rapid-fire sequence of events. Also, brag: my second pub came out. It's just a horror e-mag but they put my 23 page story at the start, which is very cool. And I read the first review of my work from a complete stranger, which is one the top moments in my writing "career" and really gets me excited to get more of my stuff out there! blue squares fucked around with this message at 06:39 on Jul 18, 2014 |
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Jul 18, 2014 05:47
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blue squares posted:This is a very simple question, but I'd like to get a little more in-depth than just "here's the general rule." Tense. I read a lot of Pynchon, and both Gravity's Rainbow and Mason & Dixon are written in the present tense. Lately, I've been experimenting with this and having a lot of fun with it. Anyone else write in the present tense? It's not the traditional choice by any means, but I think it really works well. As a reader, I don't mind present tense when it's done well. Check out Carve magazine (all their stuff is online for free). They publish a lot of stories that are not only in present tense, but in 2nd person as well, which is probably one of the most jarring combinations you could write in. None of those people are Pynchon by a long shot, but it works just fine. Honestly the only time I'm distracted by tense or POV is when the writing sucks, or if the author doesn't think their choice through (i.e. 1st person narrators with unjustified omniscience, etc.). I've heard people say that you shouldn't write in present tense without a good reason, such as it being a really tense, action-driven piece, but I don't really subscribe to that. Present tense gives you some interesting tools to work into your writing, so I say take advantage of that if you want to and go for it. If you aren't happy with the end product you could always go back and change the tense up once the story itself is hammered out.
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Jul 18, 2014 06:17
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Benjanun Sriduangkaew is a super cool recent-breakout science fiction writer. Thai was her first language, and the way she describes it, they don't really handle tense in the same way, so she favors present and thinks the stigma against it is quite silly.
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Jul 18, 2014 07:20
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Grizzled Patriarch posted:If you aren't happy with the end product you could always go back and change the tense up once the story itself is hammered out. Gosh. You can do this, but I wouldn't wish the task on anybody. I find switching the tense of even a single page of text is very tiring and aggravating, and usually I blink and miss a few things anyway, requiring some very alert proof-reading. To the extent that, every now and then, I entertain the possibility of writing a computer program to perform tense switches for me.
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Jul 18, 2014 15:00
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qntm posted:Gosh. You can do this, but I wouldn't wish the task on anybody. I find switching the tense of even a single page of text is very tiring and aggravating, and usually I blink and miss a few things anyway, requiring some very alert proof-reading. To the extent that, every now and then, I entertain the possibility of writing a computer program to perform tense switches for me. Now that's a concept you should monetize.
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Jul 18, 2014 16:15
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qntm posted:Gosh. You can do this, but I wouldn't wish the task on anybody. I find switching the tense of even a single page of text is very tiring and aggravating, and usually I blink and miss a few things anyway, requiring some very alert proof-reading. To the extent that, every now and then, I entertain the possibility of writing a computer program to perform tense switches for me. Oh, yeah, I didn't mean like literally going through and trying to Find-Replace your tense or anything. I meant more along the lines of a rewrite from scratch with the benefit of having characters and plot points and all the fiddly details already worked out. Personally I'd rather just write it in whatever tense appealed to me at the time. If it's not a good story in present tense, it's probably not going to be a good story in past tense either. If you are concerned about marketability, though, it may be something to consider. I don't know if there's any actual data or anything to support the idea that present tense writing doesn't sell (I don't think you could actually measure that in any meaningful way to begin with), but outside of submission guidelines specifically telling you they don't want present tense pieces, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
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Jul 18, 2014 17:27
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At least in SF/F short fiction, present tense will sell fine.
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Jul 18, 2014 18:15
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Huh, I've just always written with past tense. For some reason present tense hasn't even occurred to me. I can't even recall a single book or story I've read written in present tense but I'm sure there are some.
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Jul 18, 2014 20:07
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One thing I like about it is that present participles don't stand out so much.
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Jul 18, 2014 20:14
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A lot of modern YA stuff (Hunger Games, Divergent, etc) is written in present tense. I hate to say I didn't even notice it in the hunger games on the first read. It's an interesting approach. I don't want to go with the cliche and say it makes it seem more urgent, but a story "about" the past is probably a different psychological experience than one being experienced in that moment. Maybe not better, but different.
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Jul 18, 2014 20:55
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Yeah, I'm not sure 'urgent' is the word but it will affect the pace at which you read the story. Sometimes you want that, sometimes you don't.
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Jul 18, 2014 21:25
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Oddly enough I sometimes find present tense, first person present tense especially, a bit too distancing. I think that's because in many instances it can seem a little bit too forced and internal to me. However, I am someone who has been actively reading non-published work for a few years, so it could just be that's how the bad ones seem. I've yet to read the Hunger Games though I will come to it in the next book or two. I've used present tense a couple of times but I never really feel it offers me much more that past tense couldn't, and I find it a bit too intrusive in most cases. But when I write scripts I obviously write in present tense, and I really love doing so. I think in the case it offers a lot of freedom as a script, so perhaps in some cases it be clearer and more concise, even outside of the script medium. Or that could just be me.
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Jul 18, 2014 23:21
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I always understand it in my head as someone telling the story, not someone reading it. It feels more real to me sometimes. Come to think of it some of my favourite books recently have all been first person + present tense. The Hunger Games trilogy, the Thursday next books. Some biographical works. I guess I enjoy the illusion that someone is actively sharing their tale. Lethemonster fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 00:03
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At least a few times, I've sort of 'woken up' partway through something I was reading and thought to myself 'was this whole thing in present tense all along?' and it turns out it was, and I just didn't notice. Like, until someone mentioned it here, I had forgotten that The Hunger Games is in present tense. I wonder if it's one of those things that's invisible if the writing's good and horribly glaring if the writing's bad.
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Jul 19, 2014 01:57
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I figured I would share this with you all. I suppose it's less fiction writing and more fiction promotion discussion but so many of you in CC have helped me over the years... My publisher had me fly out to the Tokyo In Tulsa convention last week. It's a big anime/gaming/popculture con and this year they were doing a zombie theme so it really fit my book. We killed it. We moved three boxes of books just at the convention and 150 e-books went out with the Sakura (big membership) pass members. I spoke on two panels, one about zombies and the other about being involved with a co-op publisher. I also had a book signing at the biggest used book store in Oklahoma. The best part of the convention though was the artist who designed our promo banners/postcards/bookmarks, she showed up with her husband and friend cosplaying my characters! It was surreal. I won't lie I was pretty overwhelmed by it all.    I don't know if anyone wants to read about the rest of the trip but it is detailed here: http://stevenmix.ghost.io/convention-report-tokyo-in-tulsa/ I'm not anything big yet but, I'm working on it...  and you know, thanks again CC. This ball of creativity and advice here always seems to keep me moving forward.
Zip fucked around with this message at 19:17 on Jul 19, 2014 |
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Jul 19, 2014 19:15
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Iain Banks did a story entirely in present tense, second person. You kinda have to be an established author and good at your trade to pull that off, though.
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Jul 21, 2014 01:31
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Free yourself from the hegemony of style. Write in second person future tense.
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Jul 21, 2014 03:44
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You don't! I suspect you could sell something like that as your very first.
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Jul 21, 2014 03:45
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Yeah, I mentioned Carve magazine earlier (unless I got my threads mixed up) because there is a surprising amount of good fiction written in 2nd person present tense that they publish. A lot of it is by first time authors, and I don't think any of it was by an author whose name I recognized. If the story is good and your prose is competent, I imagine any combination of tense and POV is perfectly viable.
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Jul 21, 2014 05:26
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Just got my first short story accepted somewhere I haven't been previously affiliated with. I'm pretty happy about it. This thread has given me some great advice, so thanks!
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Jul 21, 2014 22:51
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Congratulations to Zip and Posh Alligator! What websites do you writers go to to read about writing, writers, etc.?
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Jul 24, 2014 21:58
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I guess this is the most basic question: So, I have an idea for a novel. Now what? I feel like if I just "start writing," I'll end up wandering and going nowhere.
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Jul 25, 2014 03:15
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the posted:I guess this is the most basic question: So, I have an idea for a novel. Now what? I feel like if I just "start writing," I'll end up wandering and going nowhere. write it
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Jul 25, 2014 03:39
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the posted:I guess this is the most basic question: So, I have an idea for a novel. Now what? I feel like if I just "start writing," I'll end up wandering and going nowhere. "Start writing" is option A. It doesn't work for everyone. Option B is outlining. There are lots of way of outlining. One I've recently come across that I'd like to try is to write out the major scenes you want on an index card, then lay them out in order. Then, write index cards for the scenes needed to connect those scenes together. Then, you can go and write those scenes one at a time.
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Jul 25, 2014 03:40
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blue squares posted:Congratulations to Zip and Posh Alligator! Thanks The stuff I read is usuallyhttp://thewritelife.com http://laurensapala.com random stuff that pops up on feedly and of course Goodreads / goonreads.
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Jul 25, 2014 04:03
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the posted:I guess this is the most basic question: So, I have an idea for a novel. Now what? I feel like if I just "start writing," I'll end up wandering and going nowhere. Read some books about writing. Start with Stephen King's "On Writing." Also read a lot. And accept that you will fail plenty. But have fun, write it, and by the end you'll be better. And finally, ask yourself why you want to write a novel. blue squares fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Jul 25, 2014 |
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Jul 25, 2014 04:39
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the posted:I guess this is the most basic question: So, I have an idea for a novel. Now what? I feel like if I just "start writing," I'll end up wandering and going nowhere. If you've never written anything long before, you can always try to write a longer short story or two before attempting to write a novel for the first time. It's a lot of extra work, but if you're worried that you will wander and will have pacing problems, getting into the groove of writing long pieces might help. I did this before writing my first longass work (94k words): I researched the poo poo out of what I wanted to do, drew a map of the story's progression since it was an Epic Modern Day Journey Across the USA, and then wrote two 'short stories' in the same universe to get a feel for the characters and to firmly ground myself in their reality. It was still my first novel so it still ended up being complete poo poo, but I felt like I learned a lot doing it that way. It also took like half a year, so YMMV.
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Jul 25, 2014 06:15
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Anybody have any tips for working characterization naturally into a 3rd-person narrative without info-dumping or meandering from driving the narrative forward? I have a protagonist with a goal and an obstacle, and he undergoes a change in encountering it, but the reader doesn't currently get a lot of interiority from him, and because of this I'm concerned that 1) he comes off as a device for driving the plot rails forward and 2) he comes off as stupid, when he shouldn't.
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Jul 25, 2014 07:06
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Anonymous Robot posted:Anybody have any tips for working characterization naturally into a 3rd-person narrative without info-dumping or meandering from driving the narrative forward? I have a protagonist with a goal and an obstacle, and he undergoes a change in encountering it, but the reader doesn't currently get a lot of interiority from him, and because of this I'm concerned that 1) he comes off as a device for driving the plot rails forward and 2) he comes off as stupid, when he shouldn't. Characterise his surroundings, belongings, and how he interacts with people.
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Jul 25, 2014 07:21
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