Fidelis Hodie
Infidelis Cras
Definitely going to check this out. Anyone else have any writing books they loved?
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Writing-GAF: Writing, Publishing, Selling |OT|
- Thread starter AngmarsKing701
- Start date
Definitely going to check this out. Anyone else have any writing books they loved?
Conkersbadfurday
Member
So I've been stressing over the email I sent to the agent yesterday, wondering if it went to the wrong address. The reply system GMAIL uses is kind of...well, it's cool but not always clear where things are going when people with the same name from the same company start using more than one email address.
Hope it ain't a social faux paw to send it again with a, "Sorry, I think the last email went to the wrong place because gmail is silly."
Stephen King's On Writing has been mentioned a few times in this thread, but ti's one I highly recommend, though I enjoyed it more as a biography of King than anything else.
Hope it ain't a social faux paw to send it again with a, "Sorry, I think the last email went to the wrong place because gmail is silly."
Stephen King's On Writing has been mentioned a few times in this thread, but ti's one I highly recommend, though I enjoyed it more as a biography of King than anything else.
Fidelis Hodie
Infidelis Cras
Thanks guys, adding to my amazon cart.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Do companies place a lot of value on people with Master's degrees? I was thinking about going back to school to get my master's in Creative Writing, but I'm unsure if it's just as useless as my bachelor's.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
So it might be a little early to ask right now since I haven't received some "no, fuck offs" from a few places yet, but I've now exhausted two databases of agents: Writers Market and Agent Query. Second one proved a bit better while also being free to use, so there's that.
I've sent out something like 50 query letters, perhaps a little more but I can only track my email sentbox. Of those, I got two bites, one for a full and one for a partial. I haven't heard back from either yet, but I still have time before I begin to stress out.
I guess...should I seek out another database to go through? If so, do you guys have any you'd recommend that aren't the above two listed? I'm cool with paying for em, though I'll be running the risk in serious overlap now. Agent Query and Writers Market certainly shared some names.
I've sent out something like 50 query letters, perhaps a little more but I can only track my email sentbox. Of those, I got two bites, one for a full and one for a partial. I haven't heard back from either yet, but I still have time before I begin to stress out.
I guess...should I seek out another database to go through? If so, do you guys have any you'd recommend that aren't the above two listed? I'm cool with paying for em, though I'll be running the risk in serious overlap now. Agent Query and Writers Market certainly shared some names.
I'm guessing you already know the pros and cons.
Can't hurt your chances...
FlowersisBritish
fleurs n'est pas britannique
Ah man, you know whats a bummer? Constantly getting rejections for one of your best stories :/ Like, I've been told the ending has brought people to tears, and I can't even get a personal rejection.
Sound to me like slush readers/editors might not be reaching the end of the story? Maybe rethink the beginning of the story, dropping more hooks for readers.
(Having not read the story, it's tough to say how accurate this is, though.)
FlowersisBritish
fleurs n'est pas britannique
It's a humor piece, and I've been told it starts off pretty strong and continues that way though out. I don't know. I don't think it lacks early hooks, yet I also don't know much about how editors are reacting to it. Oh well, back to the submission grinder.
Incidentally I super hate writing cover letters. They are some of my least favorite things in the world
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Not really and the can't hurt your chances line sounds oddly like what writers told me on another forum about getting a bachelor's and that didn't turn out well.
Take after George R.R. Martin and write in WordStar.
Elfforkusu
Member
Text editor + markdown.
Screw technology!
Screw technology!
I am a professional software engineer
show me your skeleton
Member
i use word. i am a terrible person.
I still most my word processing in Word, then I bring it over to Scrivener once it becomes unruly. You're not terrible!
People still use Word?
Conkersbadfurday
Member
I prefer to write in Word 2003 yet. It's done me well. Funny thing is, when you get a few hundred pages into a novel, it stops underlining your typos because it just can't
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
Pen and paper.
Your move, modern scum.
Your move, modern scum.
then Word
FlowersisBritish
fleurs n'est pas britannique
I've always used word. I'm not even sure what other alternatives exist...
AngmarsKing701
Member
Scrivener here, though the novel I'm writing now is the first time I'm using it. Other than that, Word.
I used to use ClarisWorks and trust me, pulling old stuff off of disk and getting it into Word is a hassle.
I used to use ClarisWorks and trust me, pulling old stuff off of disk and getting it into Word is a hassle.
Plasticine
Member
Pen and paper is too modern for me. I use my trusty reed and clay tablet.
LibreOffice because it's free
Nappuccino
Member
Almost all of my stories start with pen and paper. I usually beat out the first 2 or 3 pages, sleep, and transition everything into Word or Google Docs depending on where I am. For some reason, I find spitting out opening lines more rewarding when they take up physical space no matter how many times I cross them out and start again. Once I get going though, and I get a voice going, I prefer editing in Word so my piece feels cohesive instead of having all these criss-crossed lines in the middle of it.
I still have like 20 days left on a Scrivener trial, but since I never attempt novels, a lot of the extra features go unused. I should give it another shot, maybe . . .
edit: side note, outside of my five regular readers, it is surprisingly hard to get any one else to read my work. And only two of my readers aren't familiar with Lit-fic so I keep getting, "I don't think I'm the right person to read this" from them. Ah well.
Fidelis Hodie
Infidelis Cras
Got my second book signing of my Derek Agons Slays a Dragon today. Wish me luck guys. I somehow have to teach kids how to draw Derek afterwards lol
Nappuccino
Member
Fidelis Hodie
Infidelis Cras
But you know, replace with Derek.
Good luck, I'm sure it'll go well!
haha, literally how I feel
and it's not good
Conkersbadfurday
Member
After a month and a half, the agent got back to me with a rejection of, "it's not you, it's me." which is how I broke up with my girlfriend a few years ago.
So that's why she started crying!
Welp, off to drink myself to death.
So that's why she started crying!
Welp, off to drink myself to death.
Phew, finally finished my new short. It's a hard sci-fi story around a boy who wakes in a shack isolated in the middle of a gigantic prairie, knowing nothing about how the heck he ended up there, or where the hell was that place, while retaining all his memories (so, not exactly your typical amnesia cliché ). It kind of mixes the stuff that The Matrix, Inception and Interstellar deal. Around 9.7k words. Pretty happy 'til now. Latter I'll read it and edit the shit out of it.
). It kind of mixes the stuff that The Matrix, Inception and Interstellar deal. Around 9.7k words. Pretty happy 'til now. Latter I'll read it and edit the shit out of it.AngmarsKing701
Member
Phew, finally finished my new short. It's a hard sci-fi story around a boy who wakes in a shack isolated in the middle of a gigantic prairie, knowing nothing about how the heck he ended up there, or where the hell was that place, while retaining all his memories (so, not exactly your typical amnesia cliché
Congrats! Sounds interesting. Maybe a little Maze Runner-ish with the sorta/kinda amnesia thing.
Thanks. But well, not exactly that, 'cuz there's no enemies or much running (the boy decides to stay in the shack for a while, waiting for help). The only weird thing in my story is that there's no insects or ground or flying animals around, and an odd metal sphere that first chases him, and later talks to him (not an alien abduction story either
). It's a very nerdy theme about simulated universes and this kind of stuff. Conkersbadfurday
Member
So I went through two databases and am still at no agents. Second one turned me down.
Should I bother with a third database? Keep looking? Like I said earlier, I went through Writer's Market and Agent Query. Not sure what else is out there.
Should I bother with a third database? Keep looking? Like I said earlier, I went through Writer's Market and Agent Query. Not sure what else is out there.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
IT SHALL BE DONE
I imagine "epic fantasy" and "high fantasy" are pretty much the same thing: save the world.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
I'm having some real trouble deciding on an outcome for my current story. I basically have a character who has powers unique to her and an organization kidnaps her.
I was trying to decide on a good reason why they're doing it. I came to four possible reasons:
Her power leads to the item of ambrosia which can turn someone into gods.
Her power is a gateway to the gods.
The organization wants to use her power to save the world from a supernatural threat
The organization wants to use her power to save the world from a natural threat of global proportions.
I really don't like any of these and wanted something that isn't seen as often. I think there could be something for the gateway to the gods, but I'm unsure what someone would do once they got there.
I was trying to decide on a good reason why they're doing it. I came to four possible reasons:
Her power leads to the item of ambrosia which can turn someone into gods.
Her power is a gateway to the gods.
The organization wants to use her power to save the world from a supernatural threat
The organization wants to use her power to save the world from a natural threat of global proportions.
I really don't like any of these and wanted something that isn't seen as often. I think there could be something for the gateway to the gods, but I'm unsure what someone would do once they got there.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Knowing what her powers are might help us help you a bit. I'm always a fan of gods in fiction though, so I guess I'm leaning towards the second option based on what you have.
What they do when they get there depends entirely on the kind of pantheon you choose to create.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Nevermind. I managed to figure something out.
That sounds really interesting. Is the organization that kidnapped her good or evil? They could be out for good old world domination if they're evil, or maybe they're good and fighting an evil organization that is led by someone with powers opposite of hers. Maybe instead of being able to copy powers the evil dude can take away powers.
Sounds like a cool story whichever option you choose
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I am at 82 pages now, 1.5 spaced with 11 point font. I have never, ever taken a creative venture this far.
Would anyone be willing to proofread my draft? I'd love some constructive criticism. A lot of it is rough (as it is a rough draft) but my basic ideas are there.
I have such a solid view of where the story is heading, too. I've never felt so inspired before. Seeing fellow GAFfers published keeps me hopeful, too. Wish me luck, Writing-GAF!
Would anyone be willing to proofread my draft? I'd love some constructive criticism. A lot of it is rough (as it is a rough draft) but my basic ideas are there.
I have such a solid view of where the story is heading, too. I've never felt so inspired before. Seeing fellow GAFfers published keeps me hopeful, too. Wish me luck, Writing-GAF!
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Congrats on getting that far!
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Good luck. Do you have a contact within the publishing house, because they can take a damn long time to respond. Took Penguin like six months to get back to me. They said "no" and then went and published Armada because fuck everything.