Support NeoGAF

[cosmicblizzard]

Oh man, just getting to some of these twist revelations and it's damn exhilarating. Obviously can't say what anyone else will think of them, but I'm having a great time writing them.

That being said, HOLY SHIT this is fucked up. This is the first time I've actually hesitated putting my thoughts into words from something other than writer's block. When it's just in an outline, it's so easy to detach yourself from it. Not so much when it's actually in the story and you have to come up with dialogue, reactions, stuff like that.

This is definitely going to be interesting on a re-read...

 

[cosmicblizzard]

What do you guys think of this font?

Also, how does this sound for a blurb? Tried to keep it as brief as I could.

Tearide; a town surrounded by perpetual rain. Where the town borders end, the storm begins and stretches out far beyond the horizon. If the townsfolk are to be believed, that is all that exists and all that has ever existed.

However, some reject that belief, convinced that there is more to the world than their meager existence. These outcasts gather their courage and venture out into the rain, never looking back. Will they reach the land of wonder and adventure they had envisioned, or will they learn the world outside Tearide is not as kind as they once thought?

 

[Nappuccino]

What do you guys think of this font?



Also, how does this sound for a blurb? Tried to keep it as brief as I could.

That font's pretty decent, I think--it certainly fits the image better. That said, I might do a bit more to make your name contrast with the title. In my opinion, I'd make it smaller and use lowercase letters.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

I'll see if I can do that. I don't really know what I'm doing here with placement and stuff. It also seems like the quality is lowered when I put it into GIMP compared to the other images the cover artist sent me.

Bah, this is going to be a headache.

 

[Nappuccino]

I'll see if I can do that. I don't really know what I'm doing here with placement and stuff. It also seems like the quality is lowered when I put it into GIMP compared to the other images the cover artist sent me.

Bah, this is going to be a headache.

You could always get a free adobe trial. InDesign or Illustrator would make that work really quick and high-res if GIMP is giving you trouble.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

You could always get a free adobe trial. InDesign or Illustrator would make that work really quick and high-res if GIMP is giving you trouble.

Nah, it's not that. I just have no eye for design and I don't really know how to work photoshop or photo-editing software anyway. Just super basic stuff.

Anyway, I just ended up converting the pdf to a jpg and the file seems fine now. So at least I'm making progress.

 

[toddhunter]

What do you guys think of this font?

Looking a lot better. I don't have any design skills either so I don't exactly know where you would go from there, but you are on the right path

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Is this better? Not much difference, but I feel like my name is easier to read. Or maybe not, I don't really know.

 

[toddhunter]

Is this better? Not much difference, but I feel like my name is easier to read. Or maybe not, I don't really know.

Yep, better again.

 

[eyeball_kid]

The Paris Review staff stated in a reddit AMA that they don't generally publish submitted work unless it comes from an agent. Is this the norm for literary journals, or are they an outlier in this respect?

 

[Mike M]

The Paris Review staff stated in a reddit AMA that they don't generally publish submitted work unless it comes from an agent. Is this the norm for literary journals, or are they an outlier in this respect?

It's not my (admittedly limited) understanding that this is the norm unless we're talking about *unsolicited* works, perhaps, or the biggest of the big dogs. I'm pretty sure any market that publicly solicits for submissions accepts them from unrepresented writers.

 

[eyeball_kid]

It's not my (admittedly limited) understanding that this is the norm unless we're talking about *unsolicited* works, perhaps, or the biggest of the big dogs. I'm pretty sure any market that publicly solicits for submissions accepts them from unrepresented writers.

Well, I'm basing this on a question posed by someone whose friend had been a reader there:

The Paris Review almost never takes anything from the slush to publish in the magazine. When I worked there, they told me that it had happened once over a year ago, with a story about an autistic piano player, but that it was almost unprecedented. And that seems about right. Invariably the stories that got two passes would go around the office, acquiring comments, sometimes very positive ones... and then they'd disappear and we'd never hear anything about them again.

And The Paris Review staff's answer was sort of an implicit acknowledgement:

It's rare to pull stuff from the slush, especially now that agents take such an active hand in fostering the careers of younger writers. But it happens.

It all seems very old boys club.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Is this better? Not much difference, but I feel like my name is easier to read. Or maybe not, I don't really know.

My comment is that it looks YA. If it's a YA novel then that's great, but if it's not I worry that people won't read the blurb. The figure on the front looks like a teen in a hoodie and jeans, and the color scheme has some of that pastel-like quality that suggests a younger audience.

The blurb suggests a group of people going on this journey, while the cover art shows only one. So for instance, when I look at the cover and read the title, I get a "young teenager will suffer out of the depths of depression to find life" coming of age kind of thing. I honestly thought you'd gone away from fantasy for this one! When I read the blurb it was completely different from what I thought the picture was representing.

Is there an opportunity to work with the artist and add a second or third figure to it? I don't know if any of them will be carrying a backpack or weapons, but something like that shows a group journey and a sword strapped to someone's back (or bow, arrows) keeps one in the fantasy space. I'd go with bow/quiver with how hot archery is these days (thanks, Katniss).


This may all be way off base so shoot me down if so! I didn't comment before because as I said I had an impression from the art, and when you posted the blurb it didn't sync for me.


My wife works on my covers because she has an eye for this stuff. She actually is using a photograph she took for the cover of my 2nd book.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

My comment is that it looks YA. If it's a YA novel then that's great, but if it's not I worry that people won't read the blurb. The figure on the front looks like a teen in a hoodie and jeans, and the color scheme has some of that pastel-like quality that suggests a younger audience.

You know this is something I haven't been sure of. I feel like it's YA in tone to an extent, but does YA ever have depictions of gore and implied rape?

I feel like it's about as YA as Mistborn, and I know Sanderson doesn't consider that YA even if it has many of its tropes and a similar sense of progression.

The blurb suggests a group of people going on this journey, while the cover art shows only one. So for instance, when I look at the cover and read the title, I get a "young teenager will suffer out of the depths of depression to find life" coming of age kind of thing. I honestly thought you'd gone away from fantasy for this one! When I read the blurb it was completely different from what I thought the picture was representing.

The number of people in the blurb is supposed to imply it happens over time, as in sometimes a single person will venture out there while other times it would be a group. I didn't want to put down names because (not really a big spoiler and it's not like anyone cares)

Spoiler

there's a decoy protagonist.

There could be a better way to do this without spoiling anything. Hmmm.

And maybe you're thinking of my third book? This is my second, which is definitely fantasy.

And nope, there's no weapons. It's all about survival supplies.

Thanks for the feedback

 

[nicoga3000]

So I have a weird question...

I need some suggested reading for writing sex/intimate scenes in a book. I am working on a story (my New Year's resolution is to publish an e-book on Amazon!), but there's some romance involved and that's a topic I've NEVER had to write before. Any resources/good excerpts to check out?

 

[fredrancour]

So I have a weird question...

I need some suggested reading for writing sex/intimate scenes in a book. I am working on a story (my New Year's resolution is to publish an e-book on Amazon!), but there's some romance involved and that's a topic I've NEVER had to write before. Any resources/good excerpts to check out?

Well I don't read smut and can't think of any particular examples from other things I've read, but I can always gladly pretend to be useful in this thread by serving as a human Writing Excuses dictionary:

Writing Excuses podcast on writing 'love scenes' featuring a guest speaker because the regular podcasters all either fade to black in their books or gloss over the topic entirely.

I think the song of ice and fire books are the only things I've read recently that were explicit in any way.

 

[nicoga3000]

Well I don't read smut and can't think of any particular examples from other things I've read, but I can always gladly pretend to be useful in this thread by serving as a human Writing Excuses dictionary:

Writing Excuses podcast on writing 'love scenes' featuring a guest speaker because the regular podcasters all either fade to black in their books or gloss over the topic entirely.

I think the song of ice and fire books are the only things I've read recently that were explicit in any way.

Thanks, I'll check it out. I'm not necessarily looking to write a porno or anything, but even a snippet of a

Spoiler

blowjob or a quickie

will help portray the relationship I'm building.

 

[Syncytia]

Peter F. Hamilton occasionally has some, the Nights Dawn trilogy comes to mind. Probably not as graphic as what you're looking to do but I think he does a good job of making it feel graphic without making his writing so graphic, if that makes sense. Those are some long books though, maybe a bit too much if you're looking just to get those bits out.

 

[nicoga3000]

Peter F. Hamilton occasionally has some, the Nights Dawn trilogy comes to mind. Probably not as graphic as what you're looking to do but I think he does a good job of making it feel graphic without making his writing so graphic, if that makes sense. Those are some long books though, maybe a bit too much if you're looking just to get those bits out.

I'd be willing to make a trip to the bookstore just to read short excerpts to get a feel for how "good" intimacy might be written.

 

[Conkersbadfurday]

I said it was done. I swore it was done. And then I swapped first chapters with someone who said "oh god, look at all of these problems!" and now I'm going through my stupid book for a fifth time because apparently I'm paranoid about literally everything.

Guy I swapped with isn't someone I respect, so I dunno why I'm bothering.

I mean, chapter one is now better, but the changes I've made to the next six chapters are so miniscule that they might as well not have happened. "THIS WORD IS NOW A DIFFERENT WORD, AW YEAH!"

I dunno where I'm going with this, other than to express my frustration.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

So I have a weird question...

I need some suggested reading for writing sex/intimate scenes in a book. I am working on a story (my New Year's resolution is to publish an e-book on Amazon!), but there's some romance involved and that's a topic I've NEVER had to write before. Any resources/good excerpts to check out?

Diana Gabaldon (author of the Outlander series) writes a blog. Sometime in the last few months she wrote about this topic. Maybe do a search.

 

[phillipgessert]

Is this better? Not much difference, but I feel like my name is easier to read. Or maybe not, I don't really know.

The title reads a bit flat and level, and some kind of selective emphasis might help with that.

Centered type mixed with right-aligned type can look a little jumbled, though you can sometimes get away with mixing left-aligned type with right-aligned.

I think your name is set a little too close to the edge.

And the font looks a bit like a novelty font, it may be limiting your options. The font hasn't really got a suitable look, I don't think. The W in particular catches my eye because it looks reversed.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Got off to a great start with writing this week. Then my dad came down with pneumonia, so I had to help my mom out. Then my youngest came down with something that shot his temp over 105. Now my wife is also sick. So writing has come to a standstill.

 

[BeatResetsTheWorld]

So I have a weird question...

I need some suggested reading for writing sex/intimate scenes in a book. I am working on a story (my New Year's resolution is to publish an e-book on Amazon!), but there's some romance involved and that's a topic I've NEVER had to write before. Any resources/good excerpts to check out?

Well the only novels I've read with sex scenes were Murakami ones...and I'd say not tp make yours like his

 

[Soulfire]

Got off to a great start with writing this week. Then my dad came down with pneumonia, so I had to help my mom out. Then my youngest came down with something that shot his temp over 105. Now my wife is also sick. So writing has come to a standstill.

Wow hope everyone feels better soon.

Sex scene wise, I like Eve Langlais for my smut, she provides some nice humor.

 

[Ashes]

So I have a weird question...

I need some suggested reading for writing sex/intimate scenes in a book. I am working on a story (my New Year's resolution is to publish an e-book on Amazon!), but there's some romance involved and that's a topic I've NEVER had to write before. Any resources/good excerpts to check out?

I don't think explicit sex scenes work so well in novels - better in shorter bouts, novellas or short stories. But Anais Nin is a good shout. I read Duras's The lover a couple of years back and that book is all about the realm of the senses.

My friend suggested I read The Folding Star by Alan Hollinghurst, when I was looking to write about a erotically charged gay romantic affair a few years back. Though I haven't read it, I do know it has the reputation of having the best sex scene in novels.

As to intimacy, I think that works really well in the written medium. Better than any other medium in fact, though I may be slightly biased there.

It works when some kind of inner monologue is transferred onto the page. This can be literal or 'shown' as it were.

Tolstoy really weaves in and out of people's hearts and minds in his novels. I'd prescribe something like Anna Karenina perhaps.

Just jump in. Make mistakes. Learn from them. etc

 

[Timu]

It's finally in!!!

 

[cosmicblizzard]

It's finally in!!!

Congrats!




Mine came in too today. It turned out WAY better than I expected after the Proof of my first book was super dark.

 

[Mully]

It's finally in!!!

Woah! That's awesome!

It must feel pretty awesome to physically see what you've been working towards.

Congratulations.

Can anyone give me an idea on where to start with an anthology? I've worked in a few seedy bars over the years, and one of the many things that don't change is that there are always, "kings," of a certain bar. They're the type of people who not only come in daily, but also believe they are royalty when inside the bar. My idea is to focus each chapter on one king over the span of one day. From open to close, but also create a story about what they do outside.

Do I write out my characters first? Do I force write shitty chapters and refine them over time? What the hell do I do?

 

[fredrancour]

Woah! That's awesome!

It must feel pretty awesome to physically see what you've been working towards.

Congratulations.

Can anyone give me an idea on where to start with an anthology? I've worked in a few seedy bars over the years, and one of the many things that don't change is that there are always, "kings," of a certain bar. They're the type of people who not only come in daily, but also believe they are royalty when inside the bar. My idea is to focus each chapter on one king over the span of one day. From open to close, but also create a story about what they do outside.

Do I write out my characters first? Do I force write shitty chapters and refine them over time? What the hell do I do?

If I were working on a project like that, I'd start with character summaries of each king, though I'd be open to changing things if I stumbled into interesting new stuff later. Then I'd ask myself, what makes this dude interesting? Hopefully that would give me an idea for each actual story.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

.

 

[H.Protagonist]

It's finally in!!!

Awww, congrats! It's a very classic look too. Nice!

Woah! That's awesome!

It must feel pretty awesome to physically see what you've been working towards.

Congratulations.

Can anyone give me an idea on where to start with an anthology? I've worked in a few seedy bars over the years, and one of the many things that don't change is that there are always, "kings," of a certain bar. They're the type of people who not only come in daily, but also believe they are royalty when inside the bar. My idea is to focus each chapter on one king over the span of one day. From open to close, but also create a story about what they do outside.

Do I write out my characters first? Do I force write shitty chapters and refine them over time? What the hell do I do?

Personally, I like outlining a few traits or tidbits particular to characters and then just writing and see where those ingredients take me, so that could be a way to go. Feels more natural to me to let the characters write themselves and just see what happens.

For example, with your Kings you could do a mini bubble chart to loosely define their personality/appearance/sit and then use that as a touchstone for your chapters. No need to define them absolutely, just a few things to settle them in your mind.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

that random hatecrime against clowns.

Man, talk about picking the wrong career.
edit: also a chef...... :| .. :|||||||||||||| REALLY WRONG CAREER

 

[H.Protagonist]

that random hatecrime against clowns.

Man, talk about picking the wrong career.
edit: also a chef...... :| .. :|||||||||||||| REALLY WRONG CAREER

Why else do you think he drinks so much?

Spoiler

He should get a medal for killing that clown.

 

[Mully]

Thanks H-Pro! I took your bubble chart idea and ran with it after coming home from work this morning.

I put together a brief set of traits, and most importantly what they drink.

For instance, Wayne, is a short, dark-haired, pock marked, Guyanese waiter at the local hotel who comes in daily before and after his shifts to bullshit, play pool, and drink many Budweisers. He's such a nice guy, but like a king he has his court and demands attention from anyone around him. New and old faces will always see Wayne trudging his way to new conversations throughout the square-shaped bar.

With that said, his attention seeking is not from insecurity, drunkenness, or loneliness. He seeks attention simply because he's an endearing, curious fellow. Just like history, he's one of the few kings that's actually a pleasure to serve, talk to through his Wayne-nese (a mix of broken English, drunken slurs, and Guyanese), and be around.

Wayne's also a hustler and regularly convinces newcomers to play him in pool for a round or two in the back. He always wins after letting the newbie step ahead of him by a few balls.

I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this project. I tried to do a novel based on my own life essentially about me a few months ago and it fell flat on its face. I think way too much about myself already. To put a more intense magnifying glass on top of me was silly.

 

[Relix]

Anyone else losses their"voice"? Sometimes I find it and I happily write with a prose and style I love, yet somedays I sit down and write like a stiff man. I am reading my very first complete draft (first timeI ever write a full novel, 70+k!) and I am noticing when I do those random style jumps. Pisses me off, editing won't be fun at all. At least the plot is cohesive.

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Anyone else losses their"voice"? Sometimes I find it and I happily write with a prose and style I love, yet somedays I sit down and write like a stiff man. I am reading my very first complete draft (first timeI ever write a full novel, 70+k!) and I am noticing when I do those random style jumps. Pisses me off, editing won't be fun at all. At least the plot is cohesive.

Keeping a character's voice can be tough. I had multiple character perspectives on Ahvarra, one of whom was female and one of whom wasn't human. Finding, and keeping, those voices distinctive was a challenge, and yes, the editing could be brutal. I had a fantastic writing group who frequently pointed out "this doesn't sound like Alynna" or "this isn't really in character."

And sure, there are times when the words flow so smoothly, so artfully from one to the next. And then times when they fight being put on the page. Words are like children.

 

[Timu]

Congrats!




Mine came in too today. It turned out WAY better than I expected after the Proof of my first book was super dark.

Thanks, and wow, that looks really good!

Woah! That's awesome!

It must feel pretty awesome to physically see what you've been working towards.

Congratulations.

Can anyone give me an idea on where to start with an anthology? I've worked in a few seedy bars over the years, and one of the many things that don't change is that there are always, "kings," of a certain bar. They're the type of people who not only come in daily, but also believe they are royalty when inside the bar. My idea is to focus each chapter on one king over the span of one day. From open to close, but also create a story about what they do outside.

Do I write out my characters first? Do I force write shitty chapters and refine them over time? What the hell do I do?

Thanks, and I know that feeling. Also outline the story 1st and work from there.

Awww, congrats! It's a very classic look too. Nice!

Thanks, and I liked going with this look for personal reasons.

So of course I will do Nano yet again late this year to do the final Copper story in the trilogy and after that just new IPs from now on. I also want to combine the 3 Copper stories into one big book.

 

[Nappuccino]

Anyone else losses their"voice"? Sometimes I find it and I happily write with a prose and style I love, yet somedays I sit down and write like a stiff man. I am reading my very first complete draft (first timeI ever write a full novel, 70+k!) and I am noticing when I do those random style jumps. Pisses me off, editing won't be fun at all. At least the plot is cohesive.

Have you tried re-reading the last page or so before you start writing again? That can help bring back the voice.

 

[Relix]

Have you tried re-reading the last page or so before you start writing again? That can help bring back the voice.

Yeah I will have to try that. In others news...

I finally wrote "The End". Goddammit does that feel good! Now time to rewrite and edit XD!

 

[Relix]

Recommendation:

Should I jump to edit immediately or should I gain some distance, perhaps work on something else?

 

[Nappuccino]

Recommendation:

Should I jump to edit immediately or should I gain some distance, perhaps work on something else?

Honestly . . . I'd give it some time. I find it easiest to edit when I'm not still committed to ever line I put to paper. For me, that takes a month or so, but I'm sure that varies for everyone.

 

[toddhunter]

Recommendation:

Should I jump to edit immediately or should I gain some distance, perhaps work on something else?

To provide completely contrasting advise, I would edit immediately. Distance is going to improve your editing a lot, but the downside is you will never actually get around to doing it.

 

[Gazoinks]

Recommendation:

Should I jump to edit immediately or should I gain some distance, perhaps work on something else?

I feel like this is something that kind changes from author to author, honestly. I'd recommend going in now, doing an editing pass, then taking some distance, do another pass, etc.

To provide completely contrasting advise, I would edit immediately. Distance is going to improve your editing a lot, but the downside is you will never actually get around to doing it.

This is also a danger. Speaking from personal experience here.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Recommendation:

Should I jump to edit immediately or should I gain some distance, perhaps work on something else?

I usually wait exactly 2 weeks and then edit it. I set an alarm on my phone to make sure I don't forget.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

Recommendation:

Should I jump to edit immediately or should I gain some distance, perhaps work on something else?

Stephen King would say AT LEAST six weeks, so then when you reread your work, you will be merciless and not convinced you're ****ing Picasso. (his words btw)

So stick it in a drawer and write a note for in two months from now.

 

[Relix]

Thanks for the opinion guys,

guess I'll take a small break. Will probably work on something else meanwhile.

 

[H.Protagonist]

Erotica's not for everyone. Heck, I don't even enjoy writing it. The only thing keeping me in it is $$$$.

Missed this before, but, now I'm really curious to read erotica from someone who doesn't enjoy writing erotica.

Do you write what you do like on the side or do you have to stay focused on erotica to make a living out of it?

Thanks H-Pro! I took your bubble chart idea and ran with it after coming home from work this morning.

I put together a brief set of traits, and most importantly what they drink.



For instance, Wayne, is a short, dark-haired, pock marked, Guyanese waiter at the local hotel who comes in daily before and after his shifts to bullshit, play pool, and drink many Budweisers. He's such a nice guy, but like a king he has his court and demands attention from anyone around him. New and old faces will always see Wayne trudging his way to new conversations throughout the square-shaped bar.

With that said, his attention seeking is not from insecurity, drunkenness, or loneliness. He seeks attention simply because he's an endearing, curious fellow. Just like history, he's one of the few kings that's actually a pleasure to serve, talk to through his Wayne-nese (a mix of broken English, drunken slurs, and Guyanese), and be around.

Wayne's also a hustler and regularly convinces newcomers to play him in pool for a round or two in the back. He always wins after letting the newbie step ahead of him by a few balls.

I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with this project. I tried to do a novel based on my own life essentially about me a few months ago and it fell flat on its face. I think way too much about myself already. To put a more intense magnifying glass on top of me was silly.

Glad that helped! I'm pretty visual, so 'bubbling' it out helps me get ideas. Seems like you got some mileage out of it, too. ^_^ --->Drink is the most important part, obviously.

Spoiler

You must have someone drinking Laphroaig!

Good luck and may I recommend you writing snippets while inside a bar and while sampling your Kings' beverages of choice? I've found that also helps get in character.

Thanks, and wow, that looks really good!

Thanks, and I know that feeling. Also outline the story 1st and work from there.

Thanks, and I liked going with this look for personal reasons.

So of course I will do Nano yet again late this year to do the final Copper story in the trilogy and after that just new IPs from now on. I also want to combine the 3 Copper stories into one big book.

Three in one sounds like a great plan, especially if they're on the shorter side. Is publishing it to follow?

 

[sirap]

Missed this before, but, now I'm really curious to read erotica from someone who doesn't enjoy writing erotica.

Do you write what you do like on the side or do you have to stay focused on erotica to make a living out of it?

I used to write zombie fiction, and I've always been interested in fantasy but those things require so much effort.

Right now I focus purely on erotica and erom. Easy $$$.

 

[Nappuccino]

I used to write zombie fiction, and I've always been interested in fantasy but those things require so much effort.

Right now I focus purely on erotica and erom. Easy $$$.

Do you find absurdist situations work better for the $$$ (A la the dino erotica that popped up a couple years back)