meta user
network profile
| bio | website | |
|---|---|---|
| location | Sussex, WI | |
| age | 28 | |
| visits | member for | 2 years, 5 months |
| seen | Aug 12 '11 at 15:13 | |
| stats | profile views | 13 |
I am a husband and a father of one (with another on the way). I'm a writer, and I also love Go (the game). Currently, my full-time job is in a factory in Wisconsin, but that's definitely not the longterm plan.
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Dec 23 |
answered | How should I introduce my characters? |
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Dec 20 |
comment |
How much swearing is TOO much? (And how much is not enough?) @Mr. Shiny and New: I've read those books quite a few times now, so I don't remember my first reaction, but considering that she was yelling at the woman who had killed one of her sons, I thought it was appropriate. |
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Dec 20 |
comment |
How much swearing is TOO much? (And how much is not enough?) +1 These are both very good points. I have read some fantasy novels that include certain swear words, but they're used in such a way as to be appropriate. As two of my favorite series, though, I love how Rowling and Jordan both handle swearing in a fantasy setting. I also appreciate that as the HP books near their end, there is a tad more "bad words" when appropriate. It's never extreme, but it fits the story and the characters in them. |
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Dec 19 |
answered | How much swearing is TOO much? (And how much is not enough?) |
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Dec 11 |
comment |
How does one deal with world builder's syndrome? I might agree with you if I wasn't getting any writing done, except that I usually have two novels going at the same time. I do write. On one I write the actual story, while on the other I do prep work for the next story. I have two different blocks of time set up to do both. When I finish the story I'm writing, I hope to be ready to start the next one. That's usually the case. I think my problem is in the prep work, though, not that I'm putting the story off... |
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Dec 11 |
asked | How does one deal with world builder's syndrome? |
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Dec 10 |
comment |
How long can a writer expect to write before publishing his/her first novel? I accepted this as the answer to my question, because the post you linked to was EXACTLY the kind of thing I was looking for. Thank you! |
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Dec 10 |
accepted | How long can a writer expect to write before publishing his/her first novel? |
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Dec 10 |
comment |
How long can a writer expect to write before publishing his/her first novel? I was thinking fiction, I suppose, but I found way0utwest's answer incredibly interesting. Now I'm curious about the difference between fiction and non-fiction. I'd never considered that before. |
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Dec 10 |
revised |
How long can a writer expect to write before publishing his/her first novel? Edited the title question for clarity's sake. |
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Dec 10 |
asked | How long can a writer expect to write before publishing his/her first novel? |
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Dec 10 |
comment |
I have written my first novel and I think it's ready. What next? @jae - I didn't know that. I know Stephen King wrote two novels (can't remember which ones) before finally selling Carrie; they both sold, too, eventually. But they weren't the first. That's always been encouraging to me. I may not ever sell my first novels, but at least right now I can feel as though I'm not just churning my wheels for nothing - that maybe someday people will read these stories. They just won't be the first ones... |
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Dec 9 |
comment |
Do Novels follow a 3 Act/2 Plot Point structure like most Movie Scripts? I apologize. When you said "The points sound all straight forward? They are! But you need some structure to keep them in mind." it confused me. I thought you were saying those aren't the structure or something. Sorry about that! |
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Dec 9 |
comment |
Do Novels follow a 3 Act/2 Plot Point structure like most Movie Scripts? Your three important points are, in a nutshell, the 3 Act structure. :-) That's why basically every single novel has one. Your first few chapters are intended to grab readers, introduce main characters, and finally hit the first doorway - that's the introduction. The middle is the rising action. The end is that action coming to a resolution. There you have it. A basic structure for you novel, even if you do no other structuring at all. |
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Dec 9 |
awarded | Commentator |
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Dec 9 |
comment |
How do you vary dialogue within stories? I realize we're talking about dialogue, but the 'said-bookism' link made me think of "in-direct dialogue." For example, rather than doing the following: "Blah, blah, blah," Alice concurred. Just say, "Alice concurred." If the dialogue isn't absolutely necessary and you can sum it up quickly, that will keep things varied while also avoiding "said-bookism" type writing. Otherwise, I'm a big fan of just sticking with 'said'. |
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Dec 8 |
comment |
What is a normal length for a chapter? The author who really taught me that was actually Michael Crichton. His chapter lengths can very a huge amount - from thousands of words to half a page. They also tend to "tighten up" toward the end of his stories a lot of times, when the action is ramping up for a big finale. You can almost feel the rhythm in your fingers as you flip from page to page, chapter to chapter. I know not everyone is a Crichton fan, but I think he handles those chapter beats very well. |
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Dec 8 |
comment |
I have written my first novel and I think it's ready. What next? Regarding your comment on publishing: I would point out that if you opt for a self-publishing e-book route, most publishing companies will almost never give you a deal for that book. If it's already published and out in the wild, then it just isn't going to happen. If an e-book generates a lot of interest and builds a reader base, then that might help sell other novels - but I think that's probably the best you can expect. |
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Dec 8 |
answered | How much planning should go on before beginning writing? |
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Dec 8 |
answered | I have written my first novel and I think it's ready. What next? |
