Novel 2.0

[Genkora]

I don't suppose anyone remembers, but I had been writing a novel for a while. I often posted snippets here on the forums every now and then. After about 75 pages however (about 50 pages of the novel itself, and the rest other documents I was going to put in later), I thoroughly went over my work and realized it was going in a direction I did not like. Not to mention the work was rather poor (to me). I decided to scrap it and start over, changing the setting a bit and cutting out a lot of extra stuff which might have just been distracting.

So far I have about 10 pages, and have been working about 3 days. I'm going to write a chapter devoted entirely to the setting, something I feel will be needed as it is set in the future and much needs to be explained. I have a basic outline for that chapter, and I'll post the finished thing... eventually. Anyway, here is the second chapter (You won't like the first because it is incongruent with the second and won't be until I get on with the book)

blarg. I don't know what sort of tag I might use to keep the format right, but seeing as I didn't skip lines between paragraphs, I'll just post a file

Also, I suck balls at dialogue. Hopefully it'll get better than this as it progresses.

 

[thewrongvine]

Nice,
Wut is dis smoke?
I don't think I would've noticed anything about the dialogue, but now that you say that you suck at it, it makes my mind think the dialogue is kinda' awkward,
Interesting environment, :thup:

~Hai-Bye-Vine~

 

[DogOfHavoc]

I like it a lot, this could end up really good.

I did notice some problems, mainly with switching tenses and a few awkward sentences. Overall, good stuff. :thup:

 

[Ioannes]

I just finished writing mine (in that neighboring thread) so I can give you some tips.

- think of the full story first, write later. This allows you to start writing with the moments you like the most. This is good, because they will be better that way when you take pleasure in their writing. I read somewhere that Goethe did it for Faust: seems to have worked. The problem is that if you do it all chronologically, you may slow down at a boring chapter and lose steam. I did it like that for the whole fanfic and it kinda sucked.
- try to have good descriptions. Descriptions and vivid language make the difference between "Lord of the Rings" and that WoW excuse for a book "Beyond the Dark Portal." Descriptions make ppl feel things when they read the text, so descriptions will make the readers come again at those special moments of the novel to re-live the event. Like when you (I, at least) re-read something from LotR.
- try to have fun with it. Don't fear writing down a paragraph or two when you feel like it, because I suppose this is the idea of capturing and riding the waves of one's creativity.
- try to be disciplined if the above thing doesn't work. I did one chapter a week at the end of last year. But you have to keep the other games and web pages on the browser off and away, since they spoil your concentration.
- re-read it at the end. I didn't do this because I was careful when writing the first draft, and I probably should go back and read through the damned thing again. But I probably won't, cause I'm too lazy for that.

And remember - the more you like the subject of the writing, the better it will turn up.