Hi all, so I just started writing a book and...

[sketch_livingstone]

Hi everyone. So yeah, I've just started writing a book so I thought it would be a good idea to join some kind of community on line so that I can link up with folks that are in to the same kind of fiction as me. Shameless self-promotion? Well partly I guess but also, even though I'm primarily writing this thing for s**ts and giggles it would also be awesome if other people got to read it and maybe enjoy it as well.
I don't want to say too much about it at the moment as a) I really have only just started and b) I'd rather let the story speak for itself if you know what I mean so I was thinking about the idea of maybe dropping some bits and pieces here for people to read and give feedback on and that kind of thing, if anyone would be interested?
To be honest just a couple of posts on my new thread would be an awesome start!
Cheers all.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Hi Sketch,

Welcome to Chrons. Plenty of authors and would-be authors at all states of development here!

Why don't you post a little something about yourself in the Introductions section (it's in the General section.) Nothing too serious, just our half-formal way of letting new people say hello to everyone.

Essentially, with regards to putting bits of your writing up for critiquing, we have a rule that you have to post 30 times before you are allowed. It's there to help develop the community - there are other sites that are fully geared for critiquing only - and the limit in the critiquing section is 1500 words, for your information.

So have a look around and read some threads on what excites you or if you have questions about writing or want to discuss some of your favourite books/films/tv and have an opinion start a new thread!

VB

 

[sketch_livingstone]

Hey VB.
That sounds very reasonable and like I said I'm not in to the idea of sharing just yet anyway. Been toying with the idea of joining an online community like this for years so I'm glad I've finally taken the plunge! Ill post something in the intros section...
Cheers, sketch

 

[Brian G Turner]

I really have only just started

Honestly? Feedback at the beginning is probably the wrong time to ask for it, unless:

1. The people you ask are very knowledgeable about your genre and target audience
2. That you are confident you can take on board such feedback and correct any technical problems.

Now, as VB mentions above, we might be able to help with the first, but I don't know many writers who can do the second well until they've continued their development for a while. This is because it takes time to build up writing skills, and in the early days it's completely normal to get things wrong without understanding why.

My personal recommendation would be to make by trying to understand the tools of storytelling, which means reading Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer, who deals with everything for beginners to advanced writers, and/or Brandon Sanderson's YouTube videos on writing.

Getting to grips with at least some of the points raised in those will help speed up your development and reduce the amount of rewriting required later on.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Or, if you prefer, write. You’ll still be learning

 

[sketch_livingstone]

Hey thanks for the feedback Brian, I kind of meant I've only just started this new project but I see where you're coming from. You never stop learning your craft and as you say Jo, just keeping writing is the best way to keep those muscles flexed...
cheers all!

 

[tinkerdan]

One thing I would recommend--now that you are here--more than anything else would be to go to the critique section and just go back and read some of the comments and advice offered, so as to gauge the value of input and also to see what is offered in advice, which will ultimately help you see some of the same problems and strengths in your own writing.

There are a ton of self-help writing advice books to chose from and those also might help.

Then there is a thread here

The Toolbox -- Free For All

EDITED POST This thread is open to all members to contribute. However, as a result of a lot of questions raised and comments made, it's more than a little long-winded, and the more important and informative posts are perhaps a little buried. A second thread has now been opened gathering...

www.sffchronicles.com

 

[Finch]

Personally , I would not enjoy critics looking over my shoulder, as I write the first draft , offering there opinions. I believe it is not widely understood by beginners, the the first draft is part of the creation of a story

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

There are a lot of books and websites that discuss specific aspects of writing, i.e. showing vs telling, filtering, POV and head-hopping, excessive use of adverbs, purple prose, dialog tags vs beats, and so on. There's actually a lot to learn about the mechanics of writing, over and above the specifics of your story.

Also, remember the one rule of writing: There are no rules, just suggestions.

 

[tinkerdan]

I was at least five edit cycles into my first book before I sent it to an editor...

Personally , I would not enjoy critics looking over my shoulder, as I write the first draft , offering there opinions. I believe it is not widely understood by beginners, the the first draft is part of the creation of a story

...and it wasn't ready then.
However I did learn enough to let me know I had several edits yet before it was ready for paid editing.
And that is the value of having other people look at what you have been working on.

 

[sketch_livingstone]

One of my favourite 'hoe to write ' books is 'how to write a novel' by Nathan Bransford. He covers everything but isn't up himself if you know what I mean.

 

[zmunkz]

Welcome to the journey! You are in good company.
I agree with the above, posting material for direct feedback too early can be killer, depending on your personality. But there are plenty of people here with good experience that can help you out with specific questions that come up as you shape your characters and scenes.

I also second watching the Sanderson videos. They are an amazing resource. Brian’s playlist above has most of them. This is the same set, but with the videos combined, notes added, and in the case of the 2016 series, Branson’s illegible handwriting transcribed. (I re-share just because I spent so long gathering and cleaning the videos, they aren’t monetized or anything) You won’t regret giving them a watch. The JordonCon lectures stand on their own, if you just want one or two. The rest are recordings of his course taught at BYU over various years.

Brandon Sanderson Lectures [mirror]

This is a mirror of all of Brandon Sanderson's BYU and JordonCon creative writing lectures collected in one place

www.youtube.com

 

[Finch]

Welcome to the journey! You are in good company.
I agree with the above, posting material for direct feedback too early can be killer, depending on your personality. But there are plenty of people here with good experience that can help you out with specific questions that come up as you shape your characters and scenes.

I also second watching the Sanderson videos. They are an amazing resource. Brian’s playlist above has most of them. This is the same set, but with the videos combined, notes added, and in the case of the 2016 series, Branson’s illegible handwriting transcribed. (I re-share just because I spent so long gathering and cleaning the videos, they aren’t monetized or anything) You won’t regret giving them a watch. The JordonCon lectures stand on their own, if you just want one or two. The rest are recordings of his course taught at BYU over various years.

Brandon Sanderson Lectures [mirror]

This is a mirror of all of Brandon Sanderson's BYU and JordonCon creative writing lectures collected in one place

www.youtube.com

[/QUOTE
Thanks for the Sanderson link. I have never read any of his books, but I have enjoyed watching his videos .

 

[BAYLOR]

One of my favourite 'hoe to write ' books is 'how to write a novel' by Nathan Bransford. He covers everything but isn't up himself if you know what I mean.

There is a book on writing you might find very useful . Creating Short Fiction : A Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction. by Damon Knight. He was a terrific writer . his most famous story To Serve Man Which was the basis for the classic Twilight Zone episode of the same name.