My Fiction Attempt

[Rem]

Ok so out of the blue I came up with a weird thought while running on the treadmill. I was literally day-dreaming about something weird happening. The next day, still fresh in mind I wrote about 7 pages of the beginning of a book. There were no plans or strategy to do this. There was no outline. Its' all in my head. Over the next day or so I developed enough plot points in my mind of where I wanted to take the book. I sat down and banged on the keys for a coupla days. I am now about 12,000 words into it (50 pages), and realized I have the very beginnings of a book. I went back through and realized grammatical errors all throughout.

I passed the book over to a few people I know to have them read it. They all loved it and think I should continue on.

There is this big voice in my head that is saying they only like it because they know me. A stranger who picks up the book wouldn't give two shits about it. I am certain my friends like the book and aren't blowing smoke but I know that "knowing" the author helps add a bit more interest to any book.

So, not sure what to do now. I'll keep writing and getting the storyline out. At some point I will need an editor because, like I said, grammar is horrific and I keep switching up my tenses. But the storyline hooks you from the beginning and I think it's a good start. After I went back to read it I noticed I wrote the word "just" like 5 times in the same paragraph. lol

Anyway, I am not sure I am ready for a progress thread on this, since i am still trying to wrap my head around all this. But I know there are a lot of authors on this forum and maybe I could get some feedback on writing fiction. The genre is probably sci-fi thriller?? maybe. I don't even know who my audience is. So I have a lot of homework to do.

 

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[Magik]

Ok so out of the blue I came up with a weird thought while running on the treadmill. I was literally day-dreaming about something weird happening. The next day, still fresh in mind I wrote about 7 pages of the beginning of a book. There were no plans or strategy to do this. There was no outline. Its' all in my head. Over the next day or so I developed enough plot points in my mind of where I wanted to take the book. I sat down and banged on the keys for a coupla days. I am now about 12,000 words into it (50 pages), and realized I have the very beginnings of a book. I went back through and realized grammatical errors all throughout.

Good stuff. Books usually start with a single idea, or character, or plot line, and evolve from there. I'm not a big believer in outlining an entire book, because there are too many moving parts.

I passed the book over to a few people I know to have them read it. They all loved it and think I should continue on.

There is this big voice in my head that is saying they only like it because they know me. A stranger who picks up the book wouldn't give two shits about it. I am certain my friends like the book and aren't blowing smoke but I know that "knowing" the author helps add a bit more interest to any book.

Some probably do like it, but if you show it to enough people you know, someone would lie to you. I wouldn't show the product to anyone else until you at least have a first draft finish. Actually, I'd say until you've finished the second draft, which leads us into the next point.

So, not sure what to do now. I'll keep writing and getting the storyline out. At some point I will need an editor because, like I said, grammar is horrific and I keep switching up my tenses. But the storyline hooks you from the beginning and I think it's a good start. After I went back to read it I noticed I wrote the word "just" like 5 times in the same paragraph. lol

"The first draft is always shit." Those are not my words, those are Ernest Hemingway's words. The most important thing to do with your first draft is to shut out the opinions of the world, focus on ironing out the story, and finish it. The rewrites are where you eliminate unnecessary words and sentences, correct grammar mistakes, etc. The first draft is not the place to worry with this.

Anyway, I am not sure I am ready for a progress thread on this, since i am still trying to wrap my head around all this. But I know there are a lot of authors on this forum and maybe I could get some feedback on writing fiction. The genre is probably sci-fi thriller?? maybe. I don't even know who my audience is. So I have a lot of homework to do.

This can be your progress thread. A few things I can tell you about writing:

1. Writing is a process, not an event. Your goal with this book should be to write it as well as you can, not sell it. If you write a good enough book, plenty of sales will come, but the process of writing a good book comes first.
2. Writing is a lifestyle choice. Realize that writing isolates you from other people. Some writers have a tough time with this, but it's part of the job.
3. You should develop an overall goal for your writing. Most people want to be published, but that's not specific enough. Self-publish or traditional? Do you want to stick with this genre, or write in multiple genres? Do you want this to be a career? If so, what do you want that career to look like? Really dig down. It's not enough to write, you have to know WHY you write.
4. Reading good work helps you write better. You should read some stuff from your genre, but you should also read some stuff by authors who are considered some of the best: Steinbeck, Hemingway, Orwell - to name a few.

The most important point I can stress with where you are now is to shut out the opinions of others and finish your first draft. Do not worry about grammar and fine tuning. Get the story and plot lines in place and finish, then go back and clean it up. Good luck and have fun.

 

[seamles]

Have you read the gold threads? Great place to start. But to sum up, just keep writing and get some experience which it seems like you're doing. Then when you feel at a balance between perfectionism and a suitable version go forth and publish!

 

[Rem]

Great advice and thank you. I am not sure why but it's probably my inexperience, although I co-authored and self published a non-fiction book ten years ago, is that sometimes I begin to get nervous writing even though it is just me. I am not sure if it pressure or excitement. I feel I can't type fast enough and that if i don't keep up I'll forget the story. I can't imagine that to be a good thing. Maybe it is to get the storyline out. But I have never in my entire life been able to sit down in 3 days and crank out 50 pages. Prior to this it was all I could do to put 5 pages down for a report in college.

But I do think you are right about the blocking out what others say. I think it's important but probably not at this stage. I think it will only hamper my creativity with too many voices in my head. There was a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty in my mind and I think I was looking for feedback from those I knew.

 

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[Rem]

OK I am trying to nail down a title. I originally had The Shadow King. It is a sci-fi thriller I think, a sprinkle of suspense, and some Dan Brown as far as a larger conspiracy. I googled The Shadow King and came up with a character by Marvel Comics. I also see that it is an upcoming film. see here

I am not sure if that is an issue. I kind of liked it. The other title I was thinking of doing was: Ancient King of Shadows.

So which one you like better?

1. The Shadow King
2. Ancient King of Shadows

 

[ChickenHawk]

So which one you like better?
1. The Shadow King
2. Ancient King of Shadows

Hmmm...I like "The Shadow King" better, but you might be safe to avoid that one. Even if there's no similarity, you'd hate to end up with legal issues with Marvel Comics.

 

[Rem]

@ChickenHawk thanks for the info. I like the Shadow King as well. I might still go with that. I have seen where there are a lot of books and movies with the same name. I even talked to my friend who is a big Marvel Comics fan and he told me the character isn't that significant. He said most people are not aware of him. So I am at least not worried about people thinking I am ripping off the name but would be more concerned with legal issues. I may turn this into a series and would ideally call it the Shadow King Series, based off the title of the first book.

Also @Greyson F in another thread said this posted below. ChickenHawk what is your take on pre-marketing the book already? I am now 15,000 words in and it's only the first draft. Would you still think it wise to go forth and begin promoting the book?

(PRO TIP: DO NOT be an idiot like me! Many marketing experts recommend working on the book cover and having that as an image to promote your book BEFORE you even start writing the book. PLEASE PLEASE learn form my mistake and begin promoting your book with a book cover immediately!)

 

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[Hicks]

How about "King Shadow"

 

[Rem]

How about "King Shadow"

I could possibly make it work. In the book, I am going to use the term Shadow King regardless of the name of the title. I could possibly even change the title as not to even mention the Shadow King at all.

 

[ChickenHawk]

Also @Greyson F in another thread said this posted below. ChickenHawk what is your take on pre-marketing the book already? I am now 15,000 words in and it's only the first draft. Would you still think it wise to go forth and begin promoting the book?

This is just my opinion (for what it's worth), but unless you already have fan-base of some sorts (such as if you're a big blogger for example), I'm not sure I'd recommend promoting the book in advance if this is your first book. After you've published your first book, then you'll want to let your readers know what's coming next in the second -- but until then, I'd focus on writing the book rather than worrying about promotional activities. Personally, I think worrying about promotions would be a distraction at this point. Just my opinion though!

 

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[Rem]

@ChickenHawk Thank you for the advice. Once i send my first draft off to an editor I will begin promoting it. Sounds like a good enough plan!

 

[Greyson F]

Also @Greyson F in another thread said this posted below. ChickenHawk what is your take on pre-marketing the book already? I am now 15,000 words in and it's only the first draft. Would you still think it wise to go forth and begin promoting the book?

I can agree on the fact that you're not impacting as many followers as you could with no starting fan base, but I use it for more than advertising, its a great way to turn that 15,000 into an actual book because now you're committed with a book cover release. I believe once you are published, you must do it, whether it be locally, through the internet, any method of letting people know that an adventure is waiting for them. Followers can increase before you even have a book to build a fan base if you have great ad copy and a striking book cover. But I do agree with ChickHawk that it could become a waste of priority and wouldn't necessarily have an affect on the first book. What do you think @ChickenHawk ?

 

[Rem]

I took a stab at creating my own cover. These are the 2 I like the best. Probably like the black one the most. Anyone have any thoughts on it?

 

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[AubreyRose]

You're not allowed to use Comic Sans on any book cover, ever, or the shadow king of graphic designers will cut your head off in the middle of the night.

Seriously, though, these are not book covers that will sell well. Check out the bestsellers in your genre and mimic them. And delete comic sans from your computer.

 

[Rem]

OK thanks. I will keep practicing.

 

[AubreyRose]

Here I made you a thing

If you use this, make sure you credit the free image photographer:
Ben Earwicker
Garrison Photography, Boise, ID
www.garrisonphoto.org

 

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[Rem]

Hey that was fast and looks great. I am going to add this in for a poll before I finish the book. I'll let you know how it does. If I use it I will definitely give credit to Ben Earwicker.. etc.

 

[Rem]

It's only been an hour this morning and everyone who has replied to me likes your cover way better LOL.

Thank you @AubreyRose

 

[ChickenHawk]

I took a stab at creating my own cover. These are the 2 I like the best. Probably like the black one the most.

I like the black one too! I like Aubreys also. I think some of this depends on the genre and your description. When I look at your black cover, I'm not entirely sure of the genre -- not that this is necessarily a bad thing (at least not as far as I know). When I look at Aubrey's cover, I think "thriller" or "mystery." If you go with one of yours, I agree with Aubrey that you'll probably want to eliminate comic sans and go with something more standard. Great progress either way!

 

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[Rem]

Great advice thanks. So, here is the problem I am having and it's probably my fault for sharing the first 15,000 words with a few friends and family members. It has some sci-fi in it but most everyone is telling me I shouldn't market it as such. I keep saying I dont' want to mislead people and most of these people are not writers themselves or marketers. I ask them why and they say it doesn't read like a sci-fi, it's more of a suspense/thriller with a bit of conspiracy. I have no idea why I wouldn't just say it was a Sci-Fi Thriller. It's not supernatural or anything like that. Ok so basically there are two timelines going. One in 1958 and the other timeline is in the future 2031. I shift back and forth between the two timelines. There is a connection between the characters and events happening in both timelines, and it slowly reveals what that connection is as the book unfolds. I wouldn't say super suspenseful but more intriguing. So I am not really sure. Maybe when I am done I could send a copy to a few here and have them read it and give some feedback?

 

[COSenior]

You've received from great advice from some of the greats, and looks like you're well on your way. I don't think it's too early for a progress thread, and as someone above suggested, why not this one?

I'd like to address some points.

First, @Magik's opinion about writing the best book you can is valid if your purpose is to become a great author. If your purpose is to make money, you might want to go through @Held for Ransom's Gold thread, which will tell you where you need to start if you want to be commercial. Determining your audience is crucial before you get too far into it in that case. The latter doesn't necessarily prelude the former, but it might well be the other way around.

Second, titles can't be copyrighted. If you were trying to take Marvel's character and publish a story written around him, you could be in legal trouble with Marvel, but not just for a title. On the other hand, you could get some fan pushback, and your title would definitely not be unique if you used your first choice, which is also my favorite of those put forth. In other words, you could get lost in the crowd on a title-only search. Your choice.

Third, I don't know if @AubreyRose was just talking about design flaw or about copyright issues, but fonts can be copyrighted. The ones that come with your graphics programs are almost all off-limits for commercial use.

Finally, although my primary writing genre is romance, my reading preference is more along the lines of what you're writing. I'd love to read your book once it's published, so please keep us posted.

 

[Rem]

Excellent advice and thank you. I will definitely send you the book when it's done @COSenior

I think I am going to stick with The Shadow King for a few reasons. The book isn't even close to marvel comics etc so I don't think there will be any pushback at all. I took another stab at a cover. I put railroad tracks because that is part of the 1958 story. The setting mostly takes place on railroad tracks.

 

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[COSenior]

BTW, if the only element of sci-fi in the story is that part of it takes place in the future, I agree with your friends. If, however, those scenes depend on futuristic devices, aliens, science we don't know yet, whatever, then sci-fi is your game. If it's a sci-fi novel that doesn't read like one, please refer to point one above. Your audience is the final arbiter of your commercial success; you must give them what they want.

 

[COSenior]

Excellent advice and thank you. I will definitely send you the book when it's done @COSenior

I think I am going to stick with The Shadow King for a few reasons. The book isn't even close to marvel comics etc so I don't think there will be any pushback at all. I took another stab at a cover. I put railroad tracks because that is part of the 1958 story. The setting mostly takes place on railroad tracks.

I'm no graphic designer, but as a reader, your first two covers would make me think fantasy or historical novel of unknown genre. Your last one doesn't tell me anything about the book if I didn't already know something. Knowing what I know, it puts me in mind of something along the lines of Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes.

If I were you, I'd quit worrying about the cover for now and nail down the story and its audience. Then go through some pre-made cover sites and pick one that fits. Your time is better spent writing than learning graphic design, IMHO.

 

[Rem]

That is sort of what I was going for. It's more inline with the story I think. Those who have read what I have agree as well but you are certainly correct about my priority is writing. I just can't write constantly. I need breaks. lol

I am banging out at this point about 5,000 - 7,000 words per day. So I should have most of the story line finished by mid June. I have an editor already working on the first 15,000 words. Can't wait. Everything seems to be flowing at the moment. Hope I didnt jinx myself

 

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[COSenior]

That is sort of what I was going for. It's more inline with the story I think. Those who have read what I have agree as well but you are certainly correct about my priority is writing. I just can't write constantly. I need breaks. lol

I am banging out at this point about 5,000 - 7,000 words per day. So I should have most of the story line finished by mid June. I have an editor already working on the first 15,000 words. Can't wait. Everything seems to be flowing at the moment. Hope I didnt jinx myself

Awesome word count! Haha, I forget most people aren't ...vocabulary fails me...whatever it is that keeps me at the keyboard eight to ten hours a day. Obsessed? Possessed?

 

[Rem]

Actually I am aiming for 75,000 - 90,000 words. I am only able to write 5 days per week so where ever that puts me. My editor is following me and I will be sending her 15,000 words at a time. So this will help speed things up instead of having to send it all at once at the end.

 

[Rem]

Writing dialog is tricky. It makes it more of a challenge to keep the story flowing. I find I have to spend a lot of time going back and working on those areas to help it flow better.

 

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[Rem]

OK I am going to bullet out my goals. Things are really flowing right now and am probably 1/3 of the way through the first draft of the book. I am aiming for just over 300 pages. or 80,000 words or so.

Phase 1 - Finish First Draft

• I mentioned earlier I was cranking out 5,000-7,000 words per day. That is a bit of a stretch I think. I had 2 good days and we may see more of those but with some life distractions I am on average doing more like 2,000-5,000 per day. So I will be aiming to accomplish about 2,000 words per day or 10,000 words per week. It will probably be more but I will aim as a minimum goal.
• This puts me at finishing the first draft in about 5-6 weeks to reach my goal

Phase 2 - Proofing/Editing

• My editor is actually following me along. Every 15,000 words or so I send to her to edit. This will help. So after the first draft she will be dealing with most of the editing.
• During this time I will create a website and facebook page for the book for my marketing
• I will announce the book to be ready soon on Amazon for Kindle or hardcopy, or Nook on Barnes and Noble but if they would like a signed copy they can pre-order off my site, and will offer a 20% discount or something. I will then order books, sign them, and ship them media mail to the reader. I know several people who want signed copies. Using createspace will allow me to order however many I need.

Phase 3 - Marketing

• As soon as the book is finished editing I will upload the book, cover, etc to createspace and get that set up for ordering off Amazon.
• Order, sign, and ship books to pre-ordered readers
• Post daily to Facebook and build FB fans
• Contact bookstores in my area and back in my home town to schedule book signings.
• Contact local newspaper/media to get a story or interview
• Update website twice per week with information.

I will be adding to Phase 3 as I think of more. If anyone has any ideas or think my process needs to be tweaked let me know. Thanks!!! I am getting really excited!!

 

[Greyson F]

I will announce the book to be ready soon on Amazon for Kindle or hardcopy, or Nook on Barnes and Noble but if they would like a signed copy they can pre-order off my site, and will offer a 20% discount or something.

Don't underestimate the power of KDP Select. With Amazon's book market being the majority of the book sales internationally, focusing on one template and mastering it's economy and flow will be a lot more effective than just posting it everywhere and saying "OK it will sell now."