Anyone Else Here A Writer?

[Holy Ghosts]

So glad to have found this thread here! I'm a long-time Coast to Coast fan and writer; currently finishing up a book which is a case study of a haunting. "Holy Ghosts: True Tales from a Haunted Christian College". More info at the website, www.holyghoststories.com

I am happy to have joined the forum, and look forward to interesting discussions!

[ponyboysunset]

So glad to have found this thread here! I'm a long-time Coast to Coast fan and writer; currently finishing up a book which is a case study of a haunting. "Holy Ghosts: True Tales from a Haunted Christian College". More info at the website, www.holyghoststories.com

I am happy to have joined the forum, and look forward to interesting discussions!

Welcome and best of luck to you!

[paladin1991]

Welcome and best of luck to you!

When I was a young Marine, I used to collect rejection letters.  So yeah, I'm a writer.  Unpublished.  But a writer, yeah. 

[Eddie Coyle]

  Interspecies Erotica.

[paladin1991]

  Interspecies Erotica.

What is that?  Human beings doing it with Greeks?

[Camazotz Automat]

  Interspecies Erotica.

  What is that?  Human beings doing it with Greeks?

We're witnessing the birth of the Minotaur, here, people. Stay alert.

[Eddie Coyle]

  What is that?  Human beings doing it with Greeks?

 

We're witnessing the birth of the Minotaur, here, people. Stay alert.

   It's the love that dare not bark it's name. Or bray. Or meow.

[missing transmission]

  Interspecies Erotica.

?

[ponyboysunset]

  What has happened to my thread? I think the same thing that has happened to my writing lately! LMAO!

[TheMan WhoFell ToEarth]

I recently started working on a new video game concept and design document. These are always great fun but they kinda leave me feeling as though I'm spinning my heels. Mostly because I don't have the resources to actually make games at the moment. Still.

Focuses around a military operation against a possible supernatural threat in the Near-Middle East around 2030. Fun mix of the archaic and light sci fi elements.

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

I recently started working on a new video game concept and design document. These are always great fun but they kinda leave me feeling as though I'm spinning my heels. Mostly because I don't have the resources to actually make games at the moment. Still.

Focuses around a military operation against a possible supernatural threat in the Near-Middle East around 2030. Fun mix of the archaic and light sci fi elements.

It used to be that you could make a game out of your garage.  Now you need a multi-million dollar budget and a Hollywood special-effects team.

[nbirnes]

What has happened to my thread? I think the same thing that has happened to my writing lately! LMAO!

If you're reading BellGab, you're procrastinating from writing. Really. How much do you really need to know about Falkie? How many awful headers of threads will convince you that Politics is only for the insane? What message coming directly from Art will get you back to the book or the script that will get you on his radar? And George sucks? I knew that before I googled it and found this forum. Now what are you gonna do? A well-composed post feels like you're actually writing, right?

And now, I'll go back to the novel-blog Nog. Blovel. And damn! those efficient email reminders that there's been a reply! Damn them.

[nbirnes]

Focuses around a military operation against a possible supernatural threat in the Near-Middle East around 2030. Fun mix of the archaic and light sci fi elements.

This sounds fantastic. And now that you've laid out the plot for anyone else to take, I would advise you to quickly write a short story or comic or graphic or novel and get it out there in digital form with a copyright on it. Posthaste. Post it here. Do it. It feels like it's happening right now.

[TheMan WhoFell ToEarth]

It used to be that you could make a game out of your garage.  Now you need a multi-million dollar budget and a Hollywood special-effects team.

I could definitely make a smaller scale simple game here and now, but yeah, most of my ideas tend to run on the larger side. They are insanely cost and resource intensive.

This sounds fantastic. And now that you've laid out the plot for anyone else to take, I would advise you to quickly write a short story or comic or graphic or novel and get it out there in digital form with a copyright on it. Posthaste. Post it here. Do it. It feels like it's happening right now.

Hey hehe, it's just a setting and general idea, but maybe that's not a bad idea.

[zeebo]

...Really. How much do you really need to know about Falkie? ...

Apparently he thinks there's still more we need to know.

[zeebo]

Ok I have a real writing question for y'all.  A very elemental newbie question so bear with me....

When you write, how much structure do you work out ahead of time e.g. outlines, plot, characters, background .. vs. the actually writing out the prose part of it?  Do you have the whole framework all in your head first .. or do you just kind of "free-write" .. or is it something in the middle e.g. you go back-and-forth over several drafts, etc.? 

[paladin1991]

Ok I have a real writing question for y'all.  A very elemental newbie question so bear with me....

When you write, how much structure do you work out ahead of time e.g. outlines, plot, characters, background .. vs. the actually writing out the prose part of it?  Do you have the whole framework all in your head first .. or do you just kind of "free-write" .. or is it something in the middle e.g. you go back-and-forth over several drafts, etc.?

Structure?  What.  You a freshman in high school?  You pick up a pen, put it to paper, start scratchin and words come out.  Son, you need to start drinking Scotch.  Your muse is at the bottom of the bottle....and she's drowning.  Better hurry.

[zeebo]

....you need to start drinking Scotch.  Your muse is at the bottom of the bottle....

Cool I'm farther along than I thought.   

[ponyboysunset]

Ok I have a real writing question for y'all.  A very elemental newbie question so bear with me....

When you write, how much structure do you work out ahead of time e.g. outlines, plot, characters, background .. vs. the actually writing out the prose part of it?  Do you have the whole framework all in your head first .. or do you just kind of "free-write" .. or is it something in the middle e.g. you go back-and-forth over several drafts, etc.?

Depends on what i am writing. Normally no, although I had vision and outlined my whole first novel one night, and I stuck to about half of it.

As for substances, I never write on anything, always sober, but others swear by substances. And I channel my intensity, so I guess being a little insane helps the process as well! lol.

[Juan]

Some writers are outliners.  Others write seat of the pants.  I think most of us are somewhere in between.

[SaucyRossy]

Ok I have a real writing question for y'all.  A very elemental newbie question so bear with me....

When you write, how much structure do you work out ahead of time e.g. outlines, plot, characters, background .. vs. the actually writing out the prose part of it?  Do you have the whole framework all in your head first .. or do you just kind of "free-write" .. or is it something in the middle e.g. you go back-and-forth over several drafts, etc.?

You know, I struggled with this for a long time.

I can say from experience that I had to figure out my process for script writing. Through many many many many attempts at writing scripts.

What finally clicked for me was following a sort of workflow like this

Have initial idea > write down a few bullet points about idea > spend time day dreaming about the story, the characters, different turning points and major plot points > write down more bullet points > day dream a lot more > write a basic outline of everything I can think of that happens in the script > flesh out the characters and that outline > breakdown the outline into scene numbers with one sentence descriptions of each scene and a page amount number estimation (scene 32. 2-4 pages) >
Write the script with my outline and scene outlines open using them as a guide and mental reminder of scenes but letting dialogue and other things spontaneously happen while writing > rewrite -> rewrite x20

After I have all of that it's usually a first or second draft. From there depending on if I'm still excited about the script and not burnt out, I'll keep doing rewrites. If I'm burnt out I'll send it to a few people I trust and ask for feedback and work on something else in the meantime until I feel compelled to go back and make the script better.

I have written two scripts where I did barely any rewriting but that's rare.

Again, this is my process and my process really works for me, but might not work you. The biggest thing is finding things that work well and repeating them. So good writing becomes a habit.

[zeebo]

...I guess being a little insane helps the process as well! lol.

Great news, I really do have potential then.   

[zeebo]

...Have initial idea > write down a few bullet points about idea > spend time day dreaming about the story, the characters, different turning points and major plot points > write down more bullet points > day dream a lot more > write a basic outline of everything I can think of that happens in the script > flesh out the characters and that outline > breakdown the outline into scene numbers with one sentence descriptions of each scene and a page amount number estimation (scene 32. 2-4 pages) >
Write the script with my outline and scene outlines open using them as a guide and mental reminder of scenes but letting dialogue and other things spontaneously happen while writing > rewrite -> rewrite x20

Very helpful, thanks.  I tend to dive into detail too quick I think, so I could benefit from an approach like this which balances structure in with the detail as part of the process. 

[GeorgieForPresident2216]

How do you go about getting a first novel published?  Is it as hard as they used to say it was?

[b_dubb]

The only writing I do these days is computer code. * sobs realizing he's dead inside *

[SaucyRossy]

How do you go about getting a first novel published?  Is it as hard as they used to say it was?

I have a few friends that are fantastic writers and after many, many, years of sending manuscripts out. They just said fuck it and self published. Some are finding success with that.

[paladin1991]

I have a few friends that are fantastic writers and after many, many, years of sending manuscripts out. They just said fuck it and self published. Some are finding success with that.

Yeah?  Care to share a few titles.  I am always interested in new authors.  New authors, new directions.

[nbirnes]

The only writing I do these days is computer code. * sobs realizing he's dead inside *

This is so sad. But if you do your writin' in a text editor with different themes for different languages, you might find that your words look really pretty in say, Ruby or Python coloring. There's that.

[nbirnes]

How do you go about getting a first novel published?  Is it as hard as they used to say it was?

I did it. It was ridiculously hard. I would only recommend it to someone who will not give up. You have to treat it like an old-time safari hunt for a great animal. Study the field intimately. Know the scent of every trend. That sort of thing. Know who to query and when to pounce.

But then what? I wished I'd thought out my plan for after I got published, because there are a hundred things. Good hunting!

[ponyboysunset]

How do you go about getting a first novel published?  Is it as hard as they used to say it was?

I am in the middle of it. You need an agent or the major publishers won't even look at you. And to get an agent you have to know someone. So right now I am sending my stuff to an agent. My friend's Mom publishes magazines and she loved it but it is not what she publishes so I got the name of an agent from her.

If this all fails I am going to self publish as people want it. lol. Vampires, sex, blood, and talk radio, what's not to love?