General Non-Comics Writing Discussion

[Emperor]

Nick Hornby is working on encouraging kids to write, something some of you might be interested in encouraging the sprogs to get involved with and some of you might be interested in helping out in some way (it needn't be just about writing stories but any kind of writing):

"It's not just about stories either: we get excited by all forms of writing, from song lyrics to play scripts, screenplays to journalism, blogging to games, and poems to graphic novels. You'll be able to find the Ministry of Stories through a secret door inside the first shop in the world to supply the daily needs of monsters of all shapes and sizes."

www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/nov/18/nick-hornby-ministry-stories

[Richmond Clements]

Does your slash brain have anything to offer on editing???? I hate bloody word limits and the hideous cull that follows when you have to try and turn 900 words into 500 and you feel the life being sucked out of your story.....

(If your top editing tip is "start it all over again", I might just weep...)

You see, I love this bit!
I've recently written a couple of things that had to be edited down from 2000 words to 1400, and any entries I've done on the comps here have had the same ratio.

I find that it makes me think more about what I'm writing and is the essence of the Number One Rule in writing: omit unnecessary words.

[locustsofdeath!]

I find that it makes me think more about what I'm writing and is the essence of the Number One Rule in writing: omit unnecessary words.

My number one rule of writing is don't think about what you're writing  !

I just love that sort of raw burst, where I snap out of it and hour or two later and found I wrote something. Then I redraft to give the words a flow (usually when I omit what's not needed).

[Emperor]

I just love that sort of raw burst

You can get ointment for that now.

[Zarjazzer]

Fantasy Magazine:
www.fantasy-magazine.com/about-2/about/

Lightspeed Magazine:
www.lightspeedmagazine.com/guidelines/

Wow I loved one of the stories on the Fantasy magazine "Bitterdark" it was superb.

[Richmond Clements]

Wonderful, wonderful stuff: http://shevdon.com/the-twelve-rules-of-writing

[locustsofdeath!]

Those should be 'twelve rules to publishing'. Writing has no rules.

Great link. Thanks, Rich.

[Lady Festina]

Liked the link, though I think his expectations that editors / subs will sort out your spelling and punctuation for you is a bit optimistic....

[Emperor]

Wonderful, wonderful stuff: http://shevdon.com/the-twelve-rules-of-writing

Hmmmmmmm:

But isn't the rule: Show, Don't Tell, I hear you ask? A simple question: do you tell a story or show it? Showing is for dogs and horses.

And comics.

[locustsofdeath!]

Be careful when writing in the first person: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977680081.

[Zarjazzer]

Be careful when writing in the first person: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977680081.

Interesting and Bard and Sages got a sale out of it! 

[Richmond Clements]

I have just discivered that it's open door month at Angry Robot- better get the final third of the novel finished!
http://angryrobotbooks.com/open-door-month-guidelines/

[Jim_Campbell]

Hmm. As it happens, I have a finished near-future thriller that I've been meaning to polish up and send out.

(I wonder whether Marc Gascoine has forgiven me for whatever it was I did that made him feel it was appropriate to be quite as hostile as he was to me when he worked at Games Workshop?)

Cheers!

Jim

[Emperor]

Hmm. As it happens, I have a finished near-future thriller that I've been meaning to polish up and send out.

(I wonder whether Marc Gascoine has forgiven me for whatever it was I did that made him feel it was appropriate to be quite as hostile as he was to me when he worked at Games Workshop?)

Submit under a pseudonym then if he wants to drop you when you revael who you are threaten to sue.

[Jim_Campbell]

Submit under a pseudonym then if he wants to drop you when you revael who you are threaten to sue.

Sneaky. I like it!

Cheers

Jim