• My Writing Career so far
    81 replies, posted
Hello facepunch, I've always been into writing, particular fantasy and historical fiction, but late in 2012 I began writing my first novel. Set during the War of the Roses, in the 1400's, it encompasses two years of the legendary battles and court intrigue. Part of a three part historical trilogy entitled [I]A Tale of War and Roses[/I], the book was called [I]The Colours of War.[/I]It didn't take me long, and a few months ago I finished it, and had a few of my mates give it a read. They loved it. One of them even told me he cried at the end, and I've never been more proud of myself before. Now, after sending out 15 extensive emails to agencies, hoping to get represented, i'm trying to make a name for myself online. One of my selling points (Or not, as the case may be) is that i'm only 16 at the moment, soon to be 17, but knowing little of the writing world, I have no idea whether this is appreciated or shunned. Despite youth my books are written for 18+ years, and contain much sex and violence, perhaps comparable to [I]A Song of Ice and Fire[/I] or Ken Follet's [I]Pillars of the earth[/I], of course my first novel could never be seen as even on the same level as these works of genius. Back to my hopes of getting published, i've set up various blogs and accounts in order to make a name for myself, for instance: [url]http://jacobrose1460.wordpress.com/[/url] On wordpress I mainly make comments on the pricings and progression of my novels, as well as my excitement for the next episode of Game of Thrones and Vikings. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tale-War-Roses-Colours-ebook/dp/B00C4AESRU[/url] Here you can buy my novel on Kindle, a venture that cost me nothing, and has so far made me only £20... I'm hoping to spend the money I make on renting an apartment next year when I go to college, if I make enough. [url]https://twitter.com/jacobparry1460[/url] I hate Twitter... Not really worth going there to be honest, I only have 8 followers and my new feed is filled with retarded posts from my school friends. I'm hoping to make a facebook page for [I]A Tale of War and Roses[/I] soon. [url]https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=9098957922338520211#overview/src=dashboard[/url] This is my secondary blog, which will soon have Google Adsense incorporated. I've also taken part in writing articles for the website Triond, if anybody's interested: [url]http://gameolosophy.com/games/sports/total-club-manager/theon-got-fingered/[/url] [url]http://socyberty.com/history/contemporary-work-a-time-for-flags/[/url] [url]http://gameolosophy.com/games/sports/total-club-manager/game-of-thrones-episode-three-walk-of-punishment-review/[/url] I think that's everything, i'm not really asking you for anything, but in my biased opinion [I]The Colours of War[/I] is really a great read if anybody has a kindle, and if any of you have any ideas for how someone of my age could get properly published, that would be marvelous.
I wrote about one chapter for a few different stories but I never have the the motivation for it. Doesn't help I rewrite the first chapter 3 or 4 times Got any motivational tips?
Music, definitely. Listen to songs that you love and try and produce images in your head, even if just a characters face, a fight scene, a lush piece of scenery. Try and write every day, I never really scrapped chapters but it's a good idea to do so, make sure that they're perfect before you add them to the final draft, what kind of stuff did you write? [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-xFvLaE68[/url] [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=IaZMST-vHfM[/url] I listened to these two songs constantly whilst I was writing, these and a lot of weed helped me get psyched for writing!
I have a bad habit of making complex intros and beginnings and never finding out how to work out the ending. I think I try way too hard - I make the problems so difficult to solve I can't come up with a solution myself. :v:
Ahahhah I totally know what you mean, you gotta be careful when you come up with ideas because they fuck with your head, I literally can't stop thinking about some of the characters and storylines in my trilogy. The key is to make it appear complex on the outside, or it could even be very difficult to understand, but there's no point if you don't get it yourself, make sure that's your first point of interest. Yet again I write historical fiction so it's really very easy to understand most of the time, my brain would probably implode if I started writing sci-fi!
I actually prefer writing sci-fi! That and apocalyptic scenarios.
Downloaded a probe of your novel. Some mistakes already appear at first read in order of me noticing: -the times switch around too much, the first sentence is kinda confusing, I had to look twice to see that it used a semicilon. -characters thinking don't explain what a "Captain of Calais" is to themselves. -You often kinda melt two seperate sentences together. - the explaination of the politic situation, while being necessary for the background, is kinda uncalled at that point -"Fucking" is not a word of that time period. -"he was wellmuscled....." should've been a seperate sentence -"after a few minutes of searching...." should've been a seperate sentence -"He had" starts two sentences that follow each other, be more creative here -followed by "He was" .....and so on. Did you get people to peer-read?
But yeah editing costs a lot of money and I don't actually know anybody that's willing to proof read it, as I said in OP a couple mates read it and I asked some of my teachers to help out and they said no. I did run through it a few times but it is very hard to look critically at your own work which is a bit of a drag, i'm not the best for spelling/grammar mistakes, especially when they're a midst 100,000 words ahah. How long does the sample thing go on for? but anyway, i'll go back and fix those immediately, thanks! + its historical [I]fiction[/I] so I can say fuck if I want ahahh
[QUOTE=lemoncurry;40421771]God I hate it when people download it for free before criticizing it... But yeah editing costs a lot of money and I don't actually know anybody that's willing to proof read it, as I said in OP a couple mates read it and I asked some of my teachers to help out and they said no. I did run through it a few times but it is very hard to look critically at your own work which is a bit of a drag, i'm not the best for spelling/grammar mistakes, especially when they're a midst 100,000 words ahah. How long does the sample thing go on for? Seems like amazon are cheating me out of my moneys worth, but thanks for the constructive criticism, i'll go back and fix those immediately! + its historical [I]fiction[/I] so I can say fuck if I want ahahh[/QUOTE] You are not J.R.R Tolkien, 20 pound is alot for a first time novel, you should be happy that people are even buying something from someone they never ever heard of. Also, editing is an important part of book writing, I can't read anything that has alot of grammatic mistakes, especially not litterature.
[QUOTE=Derp Y. Mail;40421652]I actually prefer writing sci-fi! That and apocalyptic scenarios.[/QUOTE] Yeah I can definitely see the attraction of it, you can get very creative with the apocalyptic situation, and the results of it in the aftermath, if you want I can take a look at what you've written? I'm not a proffesional or anything but I had a mate who was writing post-apocalyptic stuff and I took a look, which he found very helpful. [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Sokrates;40421872]You are not J.R.R Tolkien, 20 pound is alot for a first time novel, you should be happy that people are even buying something from someone they never ever heard of. Also, editing is an important part of book writing, I can't read anything that has alot of grammatic mistakes, especially not litterature.[/QUOTE] Oh don't think i'm not grateful, its brilliant. Of course currently it's hypothetical money, I get a cheque when royalties reach £100, or so they say ahah... I've never found grammatical mistakes to be a problem when reading, perhaps that's why it's not my first action to get editing. I mean if I got it published they would hire an editor, it's really impractical to purchase their 'skills' at this stage, I mean some proffesionals charge like £1000 for every 50,000 words!
I kind of wish FP had a bigger creative writing community. Shit rarely gets posted, much less talked about in CC, and I'm already getting nostalgic for the creative writing classes I took about a couple years ago.
[QUOTE=lemoncurry;40421771]God I hate it when people download it for free before criticizing it... But yeah editing costs a lot of money and I don't actually know anybody that's willing to proof read it, as I said in OP a couple mates read it and I asked some of my teachers to help out and they said no. I did run through it a few times but it is very hard to look critically at your own work which is a bit of a drag, i'm not the best for spelling/grammar mistakes, especially when they're a midst 100,000 words ahah. How long does the sample thing go on for? Seems like amazon are cheating me out of my moneys worth, but thanks for the constructive criticism, i'll go back and fix those immediately! + its historical [I]fiction[/I] so I can say fuck if I want ahahh[/QUOTE] And I can say that I don't like this kind of fiction calling itself "historical" so I can not buy your book if I want. And to be honest I thought you'd take someone listing a few first points that you should have a look at more ... progressive. After all they can be found in the rest of the extract and at a second look: they get worse. The free sample is your only chance to get some books sold and i think you should take it as a chance, not as "amazon cheating you" [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=lemoncurry;40421883]Yeah I can definitely see the attraction of it, you can get very creative with the apocalyptic situation, and the results of it in the aftermath, if you want I can take a look at what you've written? I'm not a proffesional or anything but I had a mate who was writing post-apocalyptic stuff and I took a look, which he found very helpful. [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] Oh don't think i'm not grateful, its brilliant. Of course currently it's hypothetical money, I get a cheque when royalties reach £100, or so they say ahah... I've never found grammatical mistakes to be a problem when reading, perhaps that's why it's not my first action to get editing. I mean if I got it published they would hire an editor, it's really impractical to purchase their 'skills' at this stage, I mean some proffesionals charge like £1000 for every 50,000 words![/QUOTE] Just give it to your parents ffs, most of these aren't grammatical errors anyway, it's just not a very fluid way of writing/reading.
Well don't buy it then idc, there's also magic and witches and wizards but there's also the five major battles in the War of the Roses, all historically accurate, that's why the genre is called Historical Fiction. I did look at all your points and corrected each of them, I would ask for more but i'm not exactly paying you so... I think you're taking what i'm saying far too literally, i'm fully in support of free samples, in fact I sometimes make it free over the weekend, and often sell 20-30 copies in those periods. Ahah good one my parents won't read it lol
Why won't they read it?
[QUOTE=lemoncurry;40422130]Well don't buy it then idc[/QUOTE] Hey. Hey. Don't do this, acting like an asshole with potential customers reading your thread is a bad idea. Just putting this out there.
[QUOTE=Killuah;40422199]Why won't they read it?[/QUOTE] They wont. One thing I noticed is that the beginning of TCOW is a hell of a lot worse than the middle, this is because of a three month break I took when writing it, and when I got back into it I had a lot of fresh ideas and a new perspective, as well as new skills, I think i'll probably re-write it at some point, you'll see what I mean if you buy it. [url]https://www.dropbox.com/s/fpdtxgyhv2q8b8p/shadows%20and%20dust.docx[/url] read this if you want, I normally only share the dropbox chapters with friends, but you actually seem vaguely interested, so have a gander if you want... [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=koekje4life V2;40422201]Hey. Hey. Don't do this, acting like an asshole with potential customers reading your thread is a bad idea. Just putting this out there.[/QUOTE] If someone doesn't like the genre I won't try and win them over, if you don't like pancakes you don't like pancakes : /
I opened the sample chapter that was linked on your blog and the first sentence: "William woke suddenly with dagger in hand." I can understand overlooking some mistakes, but dude, the [I]first[/I] sentence.
Maybe i'm a retard but I don't see the mistake besides it being the one of cheesiest and over-used lines in modern literature.
and you mention William five times in the first paragraph. mistakes like these often make people chuck the book over their shoulder, and as a (wannabe) writer you should know that.
[QUOTE=Killuah;40421661]-"Fucking" is not a word of that time period.[/QUOTE] Neither were any of the other words that were used.
I know I use the characters names a lot, it's just the way I write, descriptive of their appearance and feelings. I tried to please people with my writing but it's surprisingly difficult actually, especially with fiction, considerably easier in articles, non-fiction etc. Thanks for adding the *wannabe* btw mate
[QUOTE=lemoncurry;40422550]Maybe i'm a retard but I don't see the mistake besides it being the one of cheesiest and over-used lines in modern literature.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure "with dagger in hand" is a mistake in that sentence. It should be something like "with the/a dagger in his hand". [QUOTE=lemoncurry;40422594]I know I use the characters names a lot, it's just the way I write, descriptive of their appearance and feelings. I tried to please people with my writing but it's surprisingly difficult actually, especially with fiction, considerably easier in articles, non-fiction etc. Thanks for adding the *wannabe* btw mate[/QUOTE] I'm not a grammar expert, and english isn't even my first language, but repeating words (even names) in that manner is wrong and I don't think you could get away with itsaying it's your "style". It will just be frowned upon.
Yyyeah, it was pretty much one one of the first things I was taught in both English and Swedish class that repeating words and opening sentences with the same words over and over get insanely dull to read.
[QUOTE=lemoncurry;40422594]I know I use the characters names a lot, it's just the way I write, descriptive of their appearance and feelings. I tried to please people with my writing but it's surprisingly difficult actually, especially with fiction, considerably easier in articles, non-fiction etc. Thanks for adding the *wannabe* btw mate[/QUOTE] just keep making up excuses and never getting better
If it means anything. I could perhaps help you as an editor.
[QUOTE=Loofiloo;40421994]I kind of wish FP had a bigger creative writing community. Shit rarely gets posted, much less talked about in CC, and I'm already getting nostalgic for the creative writing classes I took about a couple years ago.[/QUOTE] I would post things but, I feel my work isn't as near good enough to show people and I feel embarrassed when I go back and read my stuff.
I don't mean to be an asshole here, but don't you think it's a bit hasty to put your novel up for sale/publication when judging from the first chapter alone it has been neither peer edited nor proofread?
[QUOTE=KlaseR;40422647]I'm pretty sure "with dagger in hand" is a mistake in that sentence. It should be something like "with the/a dagger in his hand". I'm not a grammar expert, and english isn't even my first language, but repeating words (even names) in that manner is wrong and I don't think you could get away with itsaying it's your "style". It will just be frowned upon.[/QUOTE] It works, i've never doubted it and it's not even a language technique it just works, I think it's old english or something, you said it's not your first language maybe that's why you don't recognize it. Idk a lot of books i've read repeat words all the time, maybe that's where I get it from. [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Paul McCartney;40422709]If it means anything. I could perhaps help you as an editor.[/QUOTE] How much would you charge, i'm short of money at the moment and trying to save for an apartment so it's probably a moot point... [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Sparkwire;40422698]just keep making up excuses and never getting better[/QUOTE] That's a bit harsh tbh mate, i'm making constant improvements to my book which took me like a year to write, and I made this thread to get constructive criticism and aid in my publishing endeavors, and i'm responding to some criticism in a manner that I think is appropriate. [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Mr.Goodcat;40422732]I would post things but, I feel my work isn't as near good enough to show people and I feel embarrassed when I go back and read my stuff.[/QUOTE] I think people are going to find mistakes no matter what, what kind of stuff do you write? :) [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Azzator;40422853]I don't mean to be an asshole here, but don't you think it's a bit hasty to put your novel up for sale/publication when judging from the first chapter alone it has been neither peer edited nor proofread?[/QUOTE] it was free [editline]25th April 2013[/editline] I like to think I've improved since I started writing, if anyone would like to dispute that case here's an extract from the second book in the trilogy. [url]https://www.dropbox.com/s/8l9r7l6sw8d0zgl/Witch%20Hunt%20Sample%20Chapter.docx[/url]
[QUOTE=lemoncurry;40422910]It works, i've never doubted it and it's not even a language technique it just works, I think it's old english or something, you said it's not your first language maybe that's why you don't recognize it. Idk a lot of books i've read repeat words all the time, maybe that's where I get it from.[/QUOTE] I read in english and I've never seen anyone write like this. One of the first things you learn in grammar classes is to not repeat words too much, and especially to not start a sentence with the same word too often. You're saying it works, I don't think it does and I'm sure most people would agree with me. Just dismissing the problem be saying "idk it works" means not taking criticism seriously.
[QUOTE=KlaseR;40423186]I read in english and I've never seen anyone write like this. One of the first things you learn in grammar classes is to not repeat words too much, and especially to not start a sentence with the same word too often. You're saying it works, I don't think it does and I'm sure most people would agree with me. Just dsmissing the problem just be saying "idk it works" means not taking criticism seriously.[/QUOTE] Well they do, maybe you don't read enough. I've literally seen phrases like this used a thousand times in historical novels, tough to find an example but idk the title of this maybe: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-J7ltAK8z4[/url] +wow you really get ripped into when you post your work here i'm not surprised there's not a literature section.
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