Writing Novels | Forum profile

I am always looking for new ideas, i get some and they seem cool at inception but they never end up anywhere. How do you guys get yourself going and generate a new idea? Ofr instance, i know that i am more interested in paranormal stories or stories that deal with government conspiracies and shadowy organizations that cause chaos and such. I am always afraid the topics im interested in are ...

I've begun to ask this question ever since I finished the last chapters of my novel. Exactly how much violence is too much? My novel is World War II, so yes, violence is expected. But in my research, through every references in the library, the internet and the old footages in DVDs and in youtube, I suppose I've become numb. I don't know what's violent and what's not anymore (and I ...

Well actually, I have a lot of problems. Okay, every aspect in writing is a problem for me. I've been reading novels and books over the past year, yet I'm still stumped as to how to write books! Every aspect! Just today, I got a new word processor called "New Novelist 2.0". Yet I'm so confused as to how to describe a setting, characters, objects, etc. How do I describe how a setting or a...

It's between two women, and concludes with one of them sticking out their tongue for the obvious purpose of.... Is that too intense for a mainstreamer? No action described or anything graphic, but the implications are loud and clear. Don't want my novel to have to be stuck on a back shelf and wrapped in cellophane ;-)

What, in your opinion, are some really overused (perhaps cliche') plot devices? Killing off the main character (he/she selflessly sacrifices themselves for the greater good)? Killing off the plucky sidekick or comic relief to give the hero something worth fighting for? Farmboy turns out to be the true king? Villain is the hero's dad/brother/father/mother? What do you think has been used ...

For those who don't get the writer's Digest Newsletter, here's a good little list of writing rules from a best-selling author. http://writersdigest.com/article/ste...les-of-writ ing

I thought they were one and the same. Some sites seem to indicate they are (definitition-wise) and yet, I've come across several sites that define them as separate entities. HELP ME!! I was never concerned about this before sending out my queries. But now I'm wondering if my bait remains biteless because it isn't properly dressed. I know, HORRIBLE analogy--and my bait really hasn't been out ...

Hello everyone. I am a short story writer. (18,000 words is the longest and 8,000 is the shortest) I know that 18,000 words is too long for a short story but too short for a book. So I was wondering a couple of things. Should I take the story I already wrote and rewrite it to turn it into a novel or start a novel from scratch? What is the best advice for someone who has always wrote short works ...

Do most agents who represent novels also represent novellas? I checked on AgentQuery and couldn't find a 'novella' option from which to select. What is the marketability for novellas like? Are they sold in bookstores individually or in collections or both? Are there any novellas that sell in reasonable numbers? Gracias for the help!

Yikes. I've read a couple of novelist's interviews, where they say to 'throw out your first novel' or 'first three novels.' Very recently, one said this in Writer mag. Hey, I've only got one completed at this point! It's my baby; flawed, yes, but I'm revising it again and think I know what it lacks. It was asked for twice out of two pitches I made at conferences. So it's got some merit....

What, in your opinion, are some really overused (perhaps cliche') plot devices? Killing off the main character (he/she selflessly sacrifices themselves for the greater good)? Killing off the plucky sidekick or comic relief to give the hero something worth fighting for? Farmboy turns out to be the true king? Villain is the hero's dad/brother/father/mother? What do you think has been used ...

If you write, chances are you've lost pages or even books through computer crashes and other such things. I've lost entire books in the past. Now I have so many redundant copies it's sick. I have a home computer I call my vault. I don't go online, so there are no threats of viruses or other nasty things. It was less than two years old, and it just began to blink, and then it just went black...

Hi, im not sure where to post this.. hopefully this is in the right place. But my question is, can anyone give me some advice on how to start a novel/book? At first i was using the "snow flake method" but then i came across a thread on this site about how some didn't use it. So i was wondering what did any of you use to first start out writing? Any advice? Any help would be very aappreciated....

Yikes. I've read a couple of novelist's interviews, where they say to 'throw out your first novel' or 'first three novels.' Very recently, one said this in Writer mag. Hey, I've only got one completed at this point! It's my baby; flawed, yes, but I'm revising it again and think I know what it lacks. It was asked for twice out of two pitches I made at conferences. So it's got some merit....

It's between two women, and concludes with one of them sticking out their tongue for the obvious purpose of.... Is that too intense for a mainstreamer? No action described or anything graphic, but the implications are loud and clear. Don't want my novel to have to be stuck on a back shelf and wrapped in cellophane ;-)

This is a question for all the published writers out there. Had you already started writing your second novel before your first was published, and if so was the concept of your second novel discussed in advance with your publisher, or did you just go for it? I am thinking on holding off beginning my second novel before the first is published, as I believe I will learn so much more about ...

Favorite lines you've written Current or in the past, what are your best lines? This is a little less restrictive than "your first 3 lines" or "last line you wrote today." Choose something from anywhere in anything you've ever written and take your best shot. Here's one I'm rather fond of to get this started. Quote:...

Quote: Originally Posted by JeanneTGC So...your dream inspired a dream in your father. And, he took said dream and ran with it and has a finished MS in a year. And instead of being all proud of him and what you sparked in him, you're jealous and resentful that he's farther ahead than you? He put in the focus, you haven't. Tinkering ...

Okay. You have a story idea. You have the plot. You have the characters. You begin writing. Then, neglect the title. This is almost always happens in my case. For my first novel (backburner now, I'm concentrating on the second one), it took me three tries to get the title right. It's a love story set in the mob, jazz and booze-infested 1920s New York. There was "What Matter's Most", which ...

I am always looking for new ideas, i get some and they seem cool at inception but they never end up anywhere. How do you guys get yourself going and generate a new idea? Ofr instance, i know that i am more interested in paranormal stories or stories that deal with government conspiracies and shadowy organizations that cause chaos and such. I am always afraid the topics im interested in are ...