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Post by searchforanswers on Mar 23, 2013 20:04:12 GMT -5
I am considering writing a book on the PA world The story follows Jack M. Elster an American writer who lives in minneapolis who survives a nuclear attack from North Koera. The first chapter is all about him escaping the city when everyone hears that South Korea was......gone. What you think? I can post the actual book on the fourm for everyone to read if your interested
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matov
Wasteland Warlord
Posts: 448
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Post by matov on Mar 24, 2013 17:06:56 GMT -5
Until you write something, you aint ever going to know !
My own suggestion would be to write the first 3 chapters. Say 10,000 words. Set yourself a daily word target and just go for it.
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Post by searchforanswers on Mar 24, 2013 20:46:11 GMT -5
Thanks I will publish the first chapter here once it's finished it might take me a few weeks tho
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matov
Wasteland Warlord
Posts: 448
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Post by matov on Mar 25, 2013 1:45:27 GMT -5
Thanks I will publish the first chapter here once it's finished it might take me a few weeks tho Fantastic. But, and I am the worlds absolute worst for this, my advice would be to just sit down for the next three days and try and just bang out a first draft of the first chapter. Dont worry about it making much sense, just get the words down on paper/screen. Then you have something to work on, to knock into shape. For me the most truest saying I have ever read about writing is this. You dont write a novel, you re-write a novel. And that is where the real hard work happens. But you have to write something to start with. The world is full of people with fantastic ideas but even the worst first draft in the world, full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and terrible plotting and no style what so ever is infinitely better than the most glorious, prize winning 'idea' for a book. As I have said I take procrastinating to almost an Olympic sport level but really writing is as simple as putting one word in front of another but you have to get those words out.
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jimpi
Wasteland Warlord
www.SurvivalWeekly.com [F4:JimPI][F4:100000720517507]
Posts: 231
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Post by jimpi on Mar 25, 2013 16:28:46 GMT -5
But you have to write something to start with. The world is full of people with fantastic ideas but even the worst first draft in the world, full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and terrible plotting and no style what so ever is infinitely better than the most glorious, prize winning 'idea' for a book. +1 I could not have said it better. I can, however, add a corollary. The first draft should be considered just that, a first run through of the story. Just worry about getting the gist of what you want to say down on paper (or on the screen, I guess). Getting it in front of you, out of your mind and someplace you can actually see it, is important. But, you then need to go back through multiple times to edit, fix mistakes, add content as needed. Your first draft is going to suck, no two ways about it. Sure, at the time you write it, you'll think it is the best story ever written. I would encourage you though to let it sit for just a few days, then go back and reread it. Odds are you are going to find some things that need closer attention. Do this BEFORE posting it online anywhere. Remember, you only get once chance to make a first impression. Also, if have even a vague idea of someday having the book professional published, you might think twice about posting it for free online. While many publishers are loosening up on such things, there are a number of them out there who will only offer a substantially lower rate for compensation for books posted online first because technically the book would now be a reprint.
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autumn
Wasteland Warlord
When the Nuclear Summer passes...
Posts: 218
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Post by autumn on Mar 27, 2013 5:37:38 GMT -5
Its impossible to tell how good your ideas are until you start typing.
However, you need to have a bit more of a plot outline than that i think, have some idea of where the story is going and some of the adventures he will be going on along the way.
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matov
Wasteland Warlord
Posts: 448
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Post by matov on Mar 30, 2013 2:20:13 GMT -5
Its impossible to tell how good your ideas are until you start typing. However, you need to have a bit more of a plot outline than that i think, have some idea of where the story is going and some of the adventures he will be going on along the way. Whilst plotting is important I also think that sometimes if you have an idea of a character and a scenario then its worth just writing out a few chapters and seeing what develops. I know of some writers who will literally plot out everything in advance and then just fill in the gaps as they go along and others who have a vague idea and just go with it, letting the plot work itself out as it goes. My own thing is that if you want to write then just write. Its as simple as that and something I struggle with for all sorts of reasons.
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Post by mountedantman on Apr 7, 2013 23:36:41 GMT -5
Thank you for your wisdom! Do you write as well, matov? If so, do you have any books for sale? If so, do you also do informal editing and criticism? Have not heard a greater advice!
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matov
Wasteland Warlord
Posts: 448
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Post by matov on Apr 9, 2013 7:15:15 GMT -5
Thank you for your wisdom! Do you write as well, matov? If so, do you have any books for sale? If so, do you also do informal editing and criticism? Have not heard a greater advice! I try to write and have had one novel (of a sort) published as an e-book but had to withdraw it due to the reasons listed by a far more prolific and experienced author on this thread all ready i.e it had not been edited properly. Currently working on that so I am probably the worst example to follow ! If you are serious about this though I would recommend Stephen Kings 'On Writing' as a fantastic starting point. Part biography, part creative writing 'how to', it offers what I think is the most straight forward and well thought out advice available. But, and once again this really is a case of do as I say rather than as I do, just start writing TODAY. And read. Lots and lots.Because that is really what 95% of it is all about. For me you need to make a conscious decision about whether you want to be a 'writer' or an 'author'. An author writes every day. A writer talks about writing and usually in the most pretentious manner possible. I know one British author who makes a good living from writing and publishing fiction via Kindle and Amazon and so on. The genre is not my cup of tea but he writes every day, listens to feed back from his readers and has been top of all sorts of e-book best seller lists. And yet he never gets asked to talk about writing at the numerous conventions that get held in the UK. 'Writers' who have never sold a thing are always slating him and yet this is a working class guy who never went to college and yet writes professionally i.e it is what pays his bills. He has written screen plays which have been made into profitable films and which stared some big Hollywood names and is involved in another project around one of his books. And it bemuses him when so called 'experts' get quoted time and time again about the 'art' of writing despite never producing anything of any commercial value. So make your choice. An author or a writer. If its the former then just write and read. If its the later then get a roll-neck sweater, start smoking smelly French cigarettes and sit around in cafes all day drinking expensive frothy coffee.
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jimpi
Wasteland Warlord
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Post by jimpi on Apr 9, 2013 9:17:41 GMT -5
+1 on King's book On Writing. It truly is a great book and I highly recommend it to anyone who fancies the idea of putting words on a page that may someday be published.
The best piece of writing advice I ever received came courtesy of my buddy Brian Keene, himself a bestselling author. "Ass in chair, fingers on keyboard." Simple, direct, and oh so important. As Matov alluded to, there are scores of "writers" out there. Folks who talk about writing, think about writing, and read about writing. Yet the majority of them never make the transition to actually DOING the writing. Ass in chair, fingers on keyboard, is the only way it'll get done.
Read every day. And venture out from your comfort zone with your reading. The best writers I know also happen to be the most well-read people. Meaning, they don't just read books in their own genre. The more well-rounded your reading, the better your writing can be.
Write every day, even if it is just five minutes. A friend of a friend wrote an entire novel in 100 word increments, all jotted down in little notebooks he'd carry with him everywhere. It took him the better part of a year to get it all down but he did it. Writing is like anything else, the more often you do it, the more practice you do, the better you'll be in the long run.
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Post by mountedantman on Apr 9, 2013 21:07:40 GMT -5
Gosh, I recently read Ray Bradbury's "Essays on creativity" but he lost me when he went on about remembering the day of his own birth, coming out of his mother's womb in terror and shock. What a complete lie.
Anyways, thanks for recommending Stephen King's book. I never read Stephen King's books myself, because none of his books seemed to tempt me with definite subjects, be it sci-fi, steampunk, chivalry, but maybe its just because of my love for simplicity. ( A clown eating children in the sewers Come on!)
By the way, are you guys familiar with Wattpad? If you don't, it's like the youtube of literature, where writers and authors alike post stories long and short and get comments and are able to share with millions for free.
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theweller
Survivor
[F4:AdamJWhitlatch][F4:adamj.whitlatch]
Posts: 9
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Post by theweller on Apr 24, 2013 10:57:16 GMT -5
Its impossible to tell how good your ideas are until you start typing. However, you need to have a bit more of a plot outline than that i think, have some idea of where the story is going and some of the adventures he will be going on along the way. Whilst plotting is important I also think that sometimes if you have an idea of a character and a scenario then its worth just writing out a few chapters and seeing what develops. I know of some writers who will literally plot out everything in advance and then just fill in the gaps as they go along and others who have a vague idea and just go with it, letting the plot work itself out as it goes. My own thing is that if you want to write then just write. Its as simple as that and something I struggle with for all sorts of reasons. I've done it both ways. Sometimes just having a character and letting him/her steer the story can produce fantastic results. Live the story as the character does. Even the most meticulously-planned plot can come crumbling apart because of a rebellious character's actions. ;D Someone else mentioned how novels aren't written, but REwritten. This is certainly true. Once you have a completed manuscript, it's best to put it away for a couple months between rewrites and look at it with fresh eyes. Then you start the (sometimes painful, but always rewarding) process of building up and tearing down.
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Post by searchforanswers on Apr 24, 2013 12:39:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice......sorry it's taking so long I am a slow writer when it comes to intros
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Post by rmactsc on Dec 8, 2013 21:08:06 GMT -5
Easiest way to write a book is just do a page a day. Before you know it you'll have your book completed. You can check out my published post apocalypse/zombie/horror books on the left side of my blog page on the link below. My books are available at Amazon.com. Good luck with your writing. rmactsc.wordpress.com
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rodentsoldier
Survivor
if you can read this sign, you're inside shooting distance. enjoy your day.
Posts: 8
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Post by rodentsoldier on Mar 14, 2014 2:16:48 GMT -5
everyone has such solid advice for the OP, i almost feel like a lunatic for voicing my approaches to writing, haha.
i don't write every day, but i make notes constantly. my approach is to let my ideas fester and writhe on their own over 2 weeks. then i spend two weeks transcribing what crawls out of my mind when i open the door. this gives me time to analyze and savor each event from multiple trajectories until i find the one that matches my vision.
additionally, i choose to write my book in non-sequential order. sometimes i'm simply more inspired to write about the big events of the upcoming chapters than the intricate character dynamics of where i last left off. the unexpected advantage is that instead of having to plod in a straight line, i end up with arrangements that force added creativity to feasibly link together. i'm also free to write any event within my story as it strikes me, which actually increases my productivity.
but something i think anyone could agree with is that before you start telling your story, build the elaborate world encompassing your characters and the events befalling them. polish every possible aspect of their reality you can imagine- you never know when you just might need something you hadn't anticipated and you'll thank yourself later for the attention to detail. take time to understand your characters, constantly seek new methods of refining their individual personalities until they're more real to you those passersby on the street. shape personas based on your intent for what you want to say, not what other people will relate to. they'll feel more life-like in the end.
i think everyone should try their hand at writing a novel. i've become fascinated with the processes behind what i bring to life. i've learned that i'm exponentially crazier than i ever had thought, but that i'm concealing facets i never knew existed of myself. i've learned to express thoughts i never would have otherwise, worked through more issues than any human should be allowed by law and watched as a world filled with events and personalities solidified and took on diabolical lives of their own. every time i add to the story, i never know what will happen until it happens, i can seldom predict the exact reactions of those caught in the reality i've created.
yeah, i've probably lost my fucking mind and my hold on reality, but i'm enthralled by writing much more than i ever would've believed possible and i never know what to anticipate from my own thoughts.
so... that said... give it a go...
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