Literature Help

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  • Phynx
    I'm Forever
    • Mar 2007
    • 3003
    #1

    Literature Help

    I'm not sure if I'm able to make a thread like this in literature, even though the topic corresponds to it. But after writing "The Unforgotten Saint" which you can read here:

    The Unforgotten Saint - Flash Flash Revolution
    http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/vbz/showthread.php?t=97267


    I got great reviews from people here on FFR but after someone spread it to a lot of people I know, I was getting phone calls and e-mails out the ass from family and friends saying how much they loved the story and I actually made a few people cry because it's a touching story. But here's what I'm really here for. After all these reviews EVERY SINGLE person (maybe about 80 or so) told me I need to write a book. I've got the ability to write well according to them and so now I'm actually starting to think about it. I've always LOVED reading fantasy books, things like Lord of the Rings, the Eragon series, Harry Potter, just books that are totally fantasy. So it's apparent that I want to write in this manner as well. So I'm asking anyone and everyone who is skilled in writing extensive pieces, please give me some pointers on how to begin, what to look for and how I should go about writing this stuff. I mean, I think I could just start and things would fall into place but I really would like some advice since I have never even began to think of writing something to this extent.
    Guardin' of the Scared Shrine

    Tags: None
    • devonin
      Very Grave Indeed
      Event Staff
      FFR Simfile Author
      • Apr 2004
      • 10120
      #2
      Re: Literature Help

      The important thing to do is just not try to write a novel.

      You really have to work yourself up to writing for that kind of length and having it not stall out on you. Short stories, maybe a novella are the way to get started.

        Comment

        • Phynx
          I'm Forever
          • Mar 2007
          • 3003
          #3
          Re: Literature Help

          Originally posted by devonin
          The important thing to do is just not try to write a novel.

          You really have to work yourself up to writing for that kind of length and having it not stall out on you. Short stories, maybe a novella are the way to get started.
          Yeah that's how I look at things. I don't try to write stories, if I try, I stop and don't even write them because they turn out rough. I find inspiration mainly in music I listen to. If it strikes the right chord then I find myself writing something and I don't even realize it.
          Guardin' of the Scared Shrine

            Comment

            • MalReynolds
              CHOCK FULL O' NUTRIENTS
              • Sep 2003
              • 6571
              #4
              Re: Literature Help

              Unplug your computer from the internet.

              Put on some good music.

              Take the phone off the hook.

              Write. Every day, write. This is just your first draft - this is just the one to get it all out there. It's a shame to get part way through a book a skunk it some 80 single-spaced pages in because you lose the drive, because you disconnect from the characters.

              Asking how to write a book is a question that I've actually read books on, so covering it in one thread is going to be somewhat difficult.

              But the first draft you write, that's for you. Edit it, punch it up, tie up loose ends - because I gaurantee you that your first draft will have inconsistincies in it. You'll come up with better ideas part way through and try to make them gel. You'll realize you have a good thing going with a color theme and try to futz it in more, leaving the first half kind of wobbly.

              Getting it all down, that's the important thing.

              And I politely disagree with Devonin - you can set out to write a novel, but not all ideas are capable of floating 300+ page book. Make sure you can take it somewhere before you get part way in and have to scuttle. It's happened to me before - I've gotten pretty good ideas for books, gotten 40 pages in, and had to stop because there was simply no place else I could go.

              But setting out to write a book helps you develop long-lasting plotlines. As a safety measure, I never just plot one book. I have enough material for two books, and if I feel like I'm running out of story, I dip into that second book, the "reserve" storylines, if you will, and try to make a run of it then.
              "A new take on the epic fantasy genre... Darkly comic, relatable characters... twisted storyline."

              "Readers who prefer tension and romance, Maledictions: The Offering, delivers... As serious YA fiction, I’ll give it five stars out of five. As a novel? Four and a half." - Liz Ellor


              My new novel:

              Maledictions: The Offering.

              Now in Paperback!

                Comment

                • Phynx
                  I'm Forever
                  • Mar 2007
                  • 3003
                  #5
                  Re: Literature Help

                  Originally posted by MalReynolds
                  Unplug your computer from the internet.

                  Put on some good music.

                  Take the phone off the hook.

                  Write. Every day, write. This is just your first draft - this is just the one to get it all out there. It's a shame to get part way through a book a skunk it some 80 single-spaced pages in because you lose the drive, because you disconnect from the characters.

                  Asking how to write a book is a question that I've actually read books on, so covering it in one thread is going to be somewhat difficult.

                  But the first draft you write, that's for you. Edit it, punch it up, tie up loose ends - because I gaurantee you that your first draft will have inconsistincies in it. You'll come up with better ideas part way through and try to make them gel. You'll realize you have a good thing going with a color theme and try to futz it in more, leaving the first half kind of wobbly.

                  Getting it all down, that's the important thing.

                  And I politely disagree with Devonin - you can set out to write a novel, but not all ideas are capable of floating 300+ page book. Make sure you can take it somewhere before you get part way in and have to scuttle. It's happened to me before - I've gotten pretty good ideas for books, gotten 40 pages in, and had to stop because there was simply no place else I could go.

                  But setting out to write a book helps you develop long-lasting plotlines. As a safety measure, I never just plot one book. I have enough material for two books, and if I feel like I'm running out of story, I dip into that second book, the "reserve" storylines, if you will, and try to make a run of it then.
                  Mal I was hoping you'd give me some advice and sure as hell you've spoken more than a mouthful to me. Thanks a lot. Man, I'm grateful. As well, I have thought and worried about losing plot part way through a book and I've noticed in many fantasy books that several plots take place and chapters jump from one part of the world to the next.

                  Taking this into consideration, I figured why not follow this theme of many plots to ultimately end in one? I mean, it's proved successful in all of the books I have read that follow that base. Imagining multiple characters who are somehow linked and telling their stories as the "general" plot progresses really wouldn't seem a challenge to me. Bu then, I can't underestimate a book. It tells of a whole different world so I'm in for a ride through my imagination.
                  Guardin' of the Scared Shrine

                    Comment

                    • GamerShadow
                      FFR Player
                      • Oct 2005
                      • 2534
                      #6
                      Re: Literature Help

                      I'm going to second Mal's music suggestion. I found that putting on a sweet hardcore battle theme from Newgrounds allowed me to write nearly all of the battles in FFR: The Phantom Challenge.

                      But I am also going to add something, and that is to use your emotions to your advantage. If your story is generally uplifting, write when you feel joyful. Don't write it when you feel hurt or conflicted; when I tried to do that I felt like my imagery was becoming really dark and it began to scare me how my writing could change so easily.

                      Also, pace yourself. Don't try to get it all done at once, but this should be fairly obvious.
                      Note to self Finish.

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