174 replies to this topic

[Mister Blastman]

After 169,523 words, my fourth (and hopefully final) draft is done. I'm tired. I now wait to hear what my beta readers say. And while I do, compile a list of agents to start sending the novel out to.

And then start the next one...

Which one? I have seven in my head! The sequel? A tie-in?

Maybe I'll start both. Heheheh.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 16 May 2016 - 06:01 PM, said:

AWESOME! I have just finished a complete second draft of my first part (I split my novel into four parts to make it easier to break down and write). Mine is 138 pages or so, and 39,108 words. Judging from my outlines and planning each part will be around 50ish pages larger than the last so when I finish all four parts I am estimating a minimum of 852 pages for the finished novel. In terms of words I have no idea how much that will be.

I have a total of around 7ish POV's in my story right now (minus little singular chapters which will take place from a certain character's point of view only that one time). In total I have around 60-70 characters throughout the course of the book (most minor but all adding to the plot in some way).

Hah sweet. That's a ton of characters, mine doesn't even come close to that many. Are you splitting your POVs into individual chapters or doing it by scene? I think over the course of mine I have one primary, a major secondary and three or four minor ones. The sequel will probably start off with three or four that are semi-equally shared.

[Mister Blastman]

Started my next book tonight. It has been swimming around it my head for months and I just had to start getting it out. It isn't the sequel to my last one nor the next in the trilogy (or whatever it will end up being) but instead a distant one off tie-in in the same universe from a thousand or more years earlier in the timeline. The way I figure it, it'll be standalone and deepen some of the unexplained backstory but what is particularly neat is it is relevant to modern times here on Earth, now, and deals with real issues society is wrestling with or will be in the very near future--with a very sci-fi twist, of course.

I got one chapter on paper now at least. It feels weird writing something all new but natural at the same time. I'll see how it goes. I've written a nice outline that's about eight written pages long to go by with a good beginning/middle/end laid out. It's a simple single point of view journey into the unknown. I thought of using first person but third with stream of consciousness I find is more flexible. I'll have to experiment and see what I like best.

And while I whip along I'll continue to cobble together my sequel's--which is a much bigger book, twice as long or more in size at least with a far more complicated plot.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 20 May 2016 - 05:53 AM, said:

Awesome! I have been so fed up with rewriting part 1 of my book I have moved to backstory and history stuff. I'm going to write companion book to my main novel (a tie-in) and it will contain three novellas inside of it (each pertaining to a different period of history). I have outlined all of them and I started them all as well so if I get bored with one just will write in another one.

I have also started part 2 as well. I am so glad I have everything outlined and so that I won't get lost. My book's complete outline I believe is around 20 pages.

That's a detailed outline.

I wrote no outline for the one I just finished when I first started it (bad idea).

For the sequel to it I've got six or seven so far but I know where it will end and the one after will begin. It's all the little bits between (not the character driven stuff) but the major decisions and events that I need to flesh out.

Edited by Mister Blastman, 20 May 2016 - 06:48 AM.

[Mister Blastman]

Wrote a sex scene in tonight. It fits in the context of the story and will be interesting to see how this tale shakes out.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 21 May 2016 - 05:38 AM, said:

Cools. I am so nervous about writing anything like that lol. Which is a problem because sex, reproduction etc are major parts of my book.

Until now I have gotten away with mostly implying sex scenes but soon I will have to write one or two because they are going to be extremely important later.

My best advice is to draw from personal experiences. It can be a fun subject of "research."

[Helene de Montfort]

Ooooh, there's an author's corner...

Well, i'm an author, i write fantasy novels. Sometime i think about writing something more SF, maybe in the Battletech universe, why not, but first i would have to ask about the rights.

While i clearly write for adults, i don't include any sex scene in my books. I could, since my hero is, actually, a young woman that has little inhibitions about sex, but i prefer to keep sex implied instead of described.

[Mister Blastman]

Helene de Montfort, on 21 May 2016 - 11:33 AM, said:

Ooooh, there's an author's corner...

Well, i'm an author, i write fantasy novels. Sometime i think about writing something more SF, maybe in the Battletech universe, why not, but first i would have to ask about the rights.

While i clearly write for adults, i don't include any sex scene in my books. I could, since my hero is, actually, a young woman that has little inhibitions about sex, but i prefer to keep sex implied instead of described.

Welcome to the thread!

I'm debating toning it down in this novel but it is consensual sex between husband and wife which I think is a beautiful thing... not sure yet, since it is in the second chapter! There's a lot to be said for earning your reader's trust before you throw something like that on them.

I'll see how it plays out. This novel is far more mainstream and a simpler tale in contrast how epic the sequel of my last will become.

[XxXAbsolutZeroXxX]

Has anyone read Seveneves??

I'm reading through it now. Its supposed to be good.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 22 May 2016 - 09:08 PM, said:

eh I thought it was okay. Most books that are supposed to be good I usually don't find that great (like a lot from Stephen King I find boring. I also disliked Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner and several more).

That reminds me of Ready Player One. It has rave reviews on Amazon and some of my friends have read it twice, so I checked it out at the Library and gave it a go. I couldn't get into it due to all the exposition. It was pages and pages of explaining and I finally put it down. Klein has a wonderful imagination--there's some neat ideas in there but I like more "showing" than "telling."

King is great but the big problem with his stuff is the endings are usually predictable. I've seen probably every single film adaptation made from his material and will often get sleepy towards the end. I know why he does it--lots of folks like stuff that is formulaic--that's why Crichton's stuff sold so well--very formulaic (though he had some fantastic ideas), but I respect him immensely for his prose alone. I've learned a thing or two from him in developing my own style.

Writing fiction that meanders at just the right time to keep your readers on the edge of their seats is an art.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 23 May 2016 - 08:28 AM, said:

And yes it is an art. It is really difficult to do and I salute all those who can (the book Dune is one of those for me).

I think I'm going to read some Martin next--I hear his books are way better than the show (Thrones--started watching at the insisting of a writer friend... on season 4 now), and if they are the sudden changes will be even better. I like what he does--make you think, "Yeah, okay, so they're going here and this is going to happen and it'll be..." and before you know he changes it up with something drastic.

Some of it can be planned in the outlines but I can't help but think a bit of it comes by just "following the seed and see how it grows," at least, from my own experience.

Herbert is one of my favorite writers. The scene in Chapter 1 where Paul puts his hands in the box--one of the best written examples of how to show an intense moment, ever.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 23 May 2016 - 04:36 PM, said:

So my finished first draft of Part 1 is up, and my draft of Part 2 has just begun.

Part 1:
http://figment.com/b...ur-first-draft-

Part 2:
http://figment.com/b...re-first-draft-

And also I have a Youtube video up with my top ten Sci-Fi books:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZb0vmNPeBs

and yes I sound like a 12 year old

So those blurbs in the introduction--have you considered putting one at the top of each chapter instead of putting them all in one block?

In my last book I used to them to provide relevant context from an external point of view, oftentimes pertinent to a detail in the chapter or a happening or event--to enrich the experience.

I'm following a similar pattern in the tie-in (distant prequel) I'm writing now except this time around they're diary entries from the protagonist instead of various snippets from the universe.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 23 May 2016 - 09:09 PM, said:

I am thinking about it. The problem is that I don't want to give something away accidentally. The ones at the beginning are all there to give context to the history of the world (enabling me to remove those pesky appendices). I am definitely thinking of adding quotes to the beginnings of Chapters though. I do have a fictional historian from a far future after the series that I could use to provide the quotes. I will have to play around with it in the second draft.

Ah yeah I can see how that might be an issue. I'll often use them to describe something through the words of some famous person or perhaps someone mysterious--as I find folks relate to technical ideas or concepts better through common speech than flat expository data dumps.

[Karl Streiger]

Greetings friends,

i have to ask for guidance.
In my planned story there should be the invasion of a "colony" world. Sounds simple but isn't because why to fight?

I want to explain - we have multiple reaches and one of them is a Union that has core worlds and secondary worlds.
FTL is jump tech but using "lanes" and "gate/nodes". A Core World is defined by the number of jumps necessary to cross from the boundary to the core. (at least 3 jumps are needed)

The activation of "lanes" depends on a kind of navigation guild - when a planet in a system is "populated" those lanes are prohibited. It is not allowed to influence those "civilisation".
Although when they are not evolved enough (maybe max industrial age), its possible to make a holiday trip to this worlds including several weeks of preparations and maybe even bio/gene coding.

Anyhow if the world becomes space faring, contact is made between the navigation guild and the planet. They turn from prohibited into a reservation, at least for several years.
After those years those planets become free, even free to be conquered.

So the opening of this planet my story is centered around cause a two jump route into a core world. So it is imperative that this system is joining the union, by any means necessary.

But while this is somehow an okayish plot to explain troops in this system it doesn't explain the need for a planetary invasion.
There are three jump lanes crossing (with 3 gates), there is a gas giant and several rocky planets with minerals. Maybe some terra formable moons. But why should the army of the Union invade the planet after the diplomatic mission fails?
Couldn't they blockade the orbit and the "space station with space-tether?

So I ask you? Can you imagine to send all the military might to crush the opposition and land, air and see - when you already rules the void?

[XxXAbsolutZeroXxX]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 22 May 2016 - 09:08 PM, said:

eh I thought it was okay. Most books that are supposed to be good I usually don't find that great (like a lot from Stephen King I find boring. I also disliked Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner and several more).

Finished SevenEves.

Not sure what to think about it. Decent read.

Moving on to cryptonomicon.

Karl Streiger, on 27 May 2016 - 04:10 AM, said:

Greetings friends,

i have to ask for guidance.
In my planned story there should be the invasion of a "colony" world. Sounds simple but isn't because why to fight?

So the opening of this planet my story is centered around cause a two jump route into a core world. So it is imperative that this system is joining the union, by any means necessary.

So I ask you? Can you imagine to send all the military might to crush the opposition and land, air and see - when you already rules the void?

United states versus iraq 2, united states versus russia in crimea ukraine, united states vs afghanistan, united states vs vietnam and united states vs korea might also apply.

If its a scenario where indigenous populations are being oppressed it could be similar to canada vs indigenous tribes people, china versus tibet, australia vs aborignes, european settlers versus indians.

If its more of a racial genocide thing the rwandan genocide, armenian genocide and simlar events in history could draw parallels. It might also be compared to eugenics during world war ii. There's an unending supply of historical parallels.

Some say for a story to resonate with people, it helps to draw parallels to current day events. During the cold war era when people were concerned with the effects of radiation and nuclear war, stories about giant mutant radioactive spiders and godzilla gained prominence. Storytelling could serve as a form of therapy and coping. It could mean drawing parallels to current day affairs is a decent approach.

Edited by I Zeratul I, 27 May 2016 - 07:06 AM.

[Mister Blastman]

Karl Streiger, on 27 May 2016 - 04:10 AM, said:

But why should the army of the Union invade the planet after the diplomatic mission fails?
Couldn't they blockade the orbit and the "space station with space-tether?

So I ask you? Can you imagine to send all the military might to crush the opposition and land, air and see - when you already rules the void?

Here's something I learned halfway through my first draft--tech doesn't drive a story, people do, and through their motives and desires does the tale follow.

Who are the people--your characters?

Now, I'd be remiss if I dismissed tech in totality--I don't. Every story I write is science fiction and within them, properties of physics govern the universe, the societies, the technologies and typically the central story arc in some fashion--but frankly speaking, a common technology that is shared amongst civilizations isn't intriguing nor mysterious enough to carry the entire story on its back.

You need characters--and from what I can tell by the direction you want to take--it needs to be a character driven story. The readers will find the tech interesting but it won't keep them reading. Those reasons you seek? You'll find them in the hearts and minds of the people you put into the world.

So either the technology is special or the people are.

Lastly, people identify first and foremost with other people--and if people are not the central focus but the technology is, it must be something wonderful and amazing that satiates a human need or fills a missing pillar which allows them to transcend (either a character or through the reader's own imagination) their own limitations.

[Helene de Montfort]

Karl Streiger, on 27 May 2016 - 04:10 AM, said:

Greetings friends,

i have to ask for guidance.
In my planned story there should be the invasion of a "colony" world. Sounds simple but isn't because why to fight?

I want to explain - we have multiple reaches and one of them is a Union that has core worlds and secondary worlds.
FTL is jump tech but using "lanes" and "gate/nodes". A Core World is defined by the number of jumps necessary to cross from the boundary to the core. (at least 3 jumps are needed)

The activation of "lanes" depends on a kind of navigation guild - when a planet in a system is "populated" those lanes are prohibited. It is not allowed to influence those "civilisation".
Although when they are not evolved enough (maybe max industrial age), its possible to make a holiday trip to this worlds including several weeks of preparations and maybe even bio/gene coding.

Anyhow if the world becomes space faring, contact is made between the navigation guild and the planet. They turn from prohibited into a reservation, at least for several years.
After those years those planets become free, even free to be conquered.

So the opening of this planet my story is centered around cause a two jump route into a core world. So it is imperative that this system is joining the union, by any means necessary.

But while this is somehow an okayish plot to explain troops in this system it doesn't explain the need for a planetary invasion.
There are three jump lanes crossing (with 3 gates), there is a gas giant and several rocky planets with minerals. Maybe some terra formable moons. But why should the army of the Union invade the planet after the diplomatic mission fails?
Couldn't they blockade the orbit and the "space station with space-tether?

So I ask you? Can you imagine to send all the military might to crush the opposition and land, air and see - when you already rules the void?

You only invade if you need to. If there's nothing of value on the planet itself, then there's no point invading it. So, you have to put something valuable on your planet. Remember, that something doesn't necessarily belong to the planet, it just need to be on it. It could be ressource, lostech, crashed valuable technology, stranded valuable personel, well... Something...

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 27 May 2016 - 06:14 PM, said:

Invasion would I think make sense. Invasion shows the sheer power and force of your nation and that is why it exists. War is half combat and half psychological. The psychological effects of a mass invasion would be much greater than a blockade. A Blockade Isn't nearly as terrifying to the enemy as an invasion of shooting guns and violence.

Violence is shown to most often be the most effective way of control (the other being to form Hegemony).

---------------------------------------------

Big announcement guys! I am now a published Short Story author! I just published two short stories that I wrote in College. My professor had us write two stories both in first person, and both related to the each other, so I did so and my teacher loved them so much she is now using them as examples for other students and she told me to publish them. So I did. Here is a link. I unfortunately couldn't give them away for free or I would have, so I compiled them into one and am selling them at the bare minimum Amazon allows.

https://www.amazon.c...F8&ref_=asap_bc

Curious--what'd you use to do the ebook conversion? I've messed around with Sigil and Calibre (and even have my latest converted to epub and mobi) but... retaining the proper formatting from the original Word document (or Open Office) is a nightmare. Don't even try to convert from .pdf...

I'm leaving it to an editor to do it. I'd rather spend my time writing. Though, sadly, in my new novel I've hit a roadblock not due to the story (have it all in my head) but a small technological hurdle that I need some answers to so I can accurately convey the impact on the various characters and events in the book.

Space travel with near-current (next few hundred years or less) technology is a pain in the ***.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 27 May 2016 - 07:12 PM, said:

Basically I used Word, and then constantly fed the work through into the Kindle publisher and then took it out and edited the spacing, and repeated the process till I got it to an acceptable level. About an hour of just non stop deleting and adding spaces.

Oh hell, that's what I feared. It's one thing to do that for some sort stories, it's another to do it for an epic novel.

[Mister Blastman]

Marack Drock the Unicorn Wizard, on 27 May 2016 - 07:23 PM, said:

Yeah... well my novel I will be publishing as a book through Amazon in paperback. Not going to bother with ebook for a long time because my book when finished will be 800+ pages.

I assume you'll go the traditional publisher route, then? It costs a ton of money to pay for printing yourself...