Writing a novel?

POSTED BY: NervousPete
UPDATED: Thursday, May 6, 2004 16:10
VIEWED: 8681
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KALIMEERI

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 11:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Peace:
I hold to the theory (expounded, I believe, by Frank Herbert) that you use up the same energy talking about something you're writing as you would writing it.

I absolutely agree. I don't talk about the substance of my work, mainly because it ruins the 'magic' in me.

I have bins of previous works, some of them written on wide-ruled school paper from when I was 14 yrs old. I keep them to remind me how I've improved (?) and hey, there were some good ideas there... I'm not a sappy packrat, I'm NOT.

My daughters both write fantasy, but I can't get past reality. My ideas have always come from the news. My latest effort has been on backburner off and on for many years, and I still am not sure I'm up to the technical challenge, 35 chapters into it. Ta mah de.

Sometimes I hate writing, and sometimes I love it, but I guess it is the one definitive theme that has run through my whole life. Gotta do it. And I still get up at 4 a.m. and turn the computer back on when the juice is flowing.

I'm just glad there ARE computers now! Makes everything SO much easier.

Jen dao mei.

BIBSY

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 2:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Angeldove:
And, I have also been writing short stories, however all of mine have been in the romance genre as there are more publishing oportunities for this type of writing. However I do have some Fantasy/SciFi stories that I haven't attempted to have published because I don't know of any magazines that accept unagented writing of this genre. Any suggestions out there?

Luckily, you don't need an agent to submit to most fantasy/sci-fi magazines. Even better is that most of them post their submission guidelines online. Two sites I can think of off the top of my head that list several publications in the genre are:

http://www.marketlist.com
http://www.spicygreeniguana.com

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
Quote:
Originally posted by Bibsy:
I often write characters with a certain actor in mind. It helps because I'm very visual about writing. I have to picture the scene in my head as if it were a film before I can write it down.
Thank you; I was worried that I was the only one that did this.

I'm not alone! Yay!

Quote:
Originally posted by Peace:
I produced my first complete novel in 1990; neither that one nor any subsequent one has sold.

Does this discourage me?

You bet it does.

I can't remember the damn title, but there's a book that looks at rejections that famous authors received. One example I can remember is Rudyard Kipling receiving a rejection letter in which he was told that he didn't know how to use the English language.

With that in mind, let's all give a good

to discouragement and keep plugging away.

"Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?"

CHANNAIN

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 2:36 PM

I think it would be easier to say I've been re-writing a novel for several years now. New ideas keep coming up, changing the events and even the main protagonist focus. It's a story I started writing years ago as a teenager while avoiding "history" homework (the teacher was a hack) that has since blossomed thanks to the 70/30 principal introduced by - of all things - Treasure Planet by Disney Studios. Say what you want about the alleged adaptation of Treasure Island, but if nothing else, it did utilize the concept of 70 percent real life, 30 percent fantasy. It gave me the idea to move the events of my story from an alien planet into an Elysium-like universe rather like Treasure Planet's Etherium, where space is breathable and there's more than just wind power at work to propel tall ships. This concept is based on the theory the ancient Greeks had - that outer space was filled with ether, rather than merely a blank vacuum.

In terms of the 70/30 concept, Firefly was much the same way, although I think the ratio was more like 60/40 reality/science fiction, or even 50/50. I have a couple other pieces I'm working on that has much the same kind of universe going on as Firefly, although I can't quite bring myself to write about anything as inherrently creepy as Reavers. That would probably be my ingrained Star Trek sensativities.

I like to write more than I like to draw, and I LOVE to draw, so oftentimes writing is a way to create characters that I can draw - so you can see how nicely that works out. If you check out my artist page on mnartists.org and look for Deirannon, you'll get to see an image of one of the characters who will inhabit my "Etherium"

We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922

BIBSY

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 2:57 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Channain:
I like to write more than I like to draw, and I LOVE to draw, so oftentimes writing is a way to create characters that I can draw - so you can see how nicely that works out. If you check out my artist page on mnartists.org and look for Deirannon, you'll get to see an image of one of the characters who will inhabit my "Etherium"

Oooh, I do the same thing...though after taking a peek at your artist page, it looks like you're a much better artist than me.

The novel I'm working on actually was inspired by a drawing I did way back when I was a wee young one. Unfortunately I haven't been sketching anything from my stories as much as I used to. That pesky not having enough hours in the day thing.

"Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?"

CHANNAIN

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 3:06 PM

Thank you. Probably just had more practice, is all. Self-taught as I am, I find it's the only way to keep the creative muscles in shape.

Looking at Deirannon now, though, I realize it's time for a newer, better image. Something that reflects the shiny new premise. Time to get that boy out of storage!

We have art so as not to die of truth ~ Neitzsche
http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922

CYBERSNARK

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 3:13 PM

A thought on rejections: just compare yourself to Joss getting shot down by Fox after getting accepted. We're all in good company, I think.

And, while we're talking about websites, I'll throw up, er, throw out http://www.ralan.com/ Ralan's Webstravaganza. It's great for charting what magazines are good markets (and which ones are closed to submissions, backlogged into a black hole, how much they pay, etc).

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

KALATHENA

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 6:58 PM

Quote:
For those thinking about self-publishing, publishamerica is a small publishing house that covers the cost of printing however does not provide marketing, and books are only available through their web-site.

Yikes. Be VERY wary of Publish America. They do their best to keep you in their own little stable so you don't send your stuff anywhere else. They lie constantly on their website about what the real publishing world is like and will delete any discussion post that does not fit into their own little fiction about how publishing works.

Quote:
However I do have some Fantasy/SciFi stories that I haven't attempted to have published because I don't know of any magazines that accept unagented writing of this genre. Any suggestions out there?

Actually, most sf/fantasy magazines will accept un-agented fiction. My husband doesn't use his agent for any of his short work and never has. Most agents won't bother with short fiction either. The best place for market news about where to publish sf/fantasy is a magazine called Locus. Not only do they have info on the magazines, but also keep updates on any anthologies that are in the works and accepting submissions.

One thing to remember about short story writing: Editors are ALWAYS looking for new authors. Authors tend to write short fiction first then move on to novels very quickly. Getting a foot in the door with short fiction tends to be easier and will help you out if you eventually want to write novels. (You can put in your cover letters "My short fiction has appeared in blah-blah-blah magazine...")

--Kala

PEACE

Thursday, May 6, 2004 4:01 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cybersnark:
A thought on rejections: just compare yourself to Joss getting shot down by Fox after getting accepted. We're all in good company, I think.

Another thought on rejections-- the fact is, if you're accumulating a real stack of them, you're doing what you're supposed to-- most writers (there are always exceptions) will get enough rejection letters to paper a wall before they're published-- I think I'm in that range now (80+ at this point, I think, although I'm sure I've lost some over the years).

Writing and submitting and writing and submitting and writing and submitting eventually will hone your skills to the point that you will start producing material that will make an editor think, "Hmm, not half bad-- and I got this big hole in my publishing schedule/monthly edition-- we'll get him/her/it a shot...."

Oh, bugger! Now I have to wait for someone to wake up!

HORRID

Thursday, May 6, 2004 11:09 AM

at the moment I'm writing the script for a sci-fi pilot, in between shooting a movie from another script I wrote. I much prefer writing to directing

KALATHENA

Thursday, May 6, 2004 11:46 AM

Quote:
Another thought on rejections-- the fact is, if you're accumulating a real stack of them, you're doing what you're supposed to-- most writers (there are always exceptions) will get enough rejection letters to paper a wall before they're published

Very VERY true. One of my closest friends is sf/fantasy novelist Sarah Zettel. I believe she has an entire paper box filled with rejection letters. She had at one time planned to paper her office wall with them.

And it doesn't stop once you make a sale. When my husband started writing, he was actually one of the anomalies that sold the very first thing he submitted. After that, he received at least 40 rejections over 3 years before selling a second one.

--Kala

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