Author In Progress

[Flashand]

wow earned 200$ for an idiotic story that i wrote,  in the local newspaper. IT was/is kinda weird. Didnt think any one would be interested in my oppinion. And it made the front page of the thesecound section of the paper. I know it isnt a front pager but still i made a front page with the first submission.... i wounder if any one can make real money by writting 

[CSDylan]

Okay, so I'm Dylan an aspiring author from the Sunshine State (Florida, for those who don't know the nickname). I've been an aspiring author for awhile now, but only recently have I actually started really trying to put my ideas down. I'm currently working on several stories, but there is one that really stands out: The Grail Keeper Chronicles.
Originally conceived as a series about a PI specializing in paranormal phenomenon, it has since been nearly completely revamped into a series about a bartender named Kate Morgan who finds herself thrust into the position of being the Grail Keeper, and yes I do mean that Grail. The Grail Keeper is tasked with protecting, well, the Grail using Excalibur. As is rather obvious, the story is loosely based on arthurian legend with a little creative license thrown in.
I don't really have any samples that that show the style of the story with out giving away major plot points, so instead here's the pitch I came up with:

After years in the Marines, Kate thought that working at a bar would be relatively boring. But when a man stumbled into the Round Table covered in blood, that all changed. Now she's mystically bound to a werwolf, chased by all manner of nasty creatures of the night, being berated by arrogant know-it-all Elves, oh, and she's also suddenly the chosen wielder of Excalibur and protecter of the Holy Grail. So much for that boring normal life.

Sidenote: The series itself takes place in the Tampa Bay area. Partly because there are hardly any books that take place there, but mostly because I've lived her my whole life and have a solid grasp of the setting.

[DrygonDM]

Greetings. I normally don't really consider myself to be a writer.

However, some of my counterpostings on the Dresdenverse - with DVW and Meg - count as compositions.
Technically.

[JaydelSC]

hello there,

My name is JD and I've recently completed an urban fantasy novel that I'm in the process of trying to get published. This morning I'm doing a couple of things: I'm trying to do a "last" revision of the manuscript (it's a bout 95k words right now), attempting to perfect my query letter and send it off to a couple of agents, and preparing to do a revision on a short story I've been working on for a little while. My aim is to get my feet in the water and see where it goes.

I'm really excited about this change in my life direction. I studied creative writing at the University of Illinois, with a focus on short fiction and poetry.  I struggled to publish as a poet for a few years out of college but after starving for about 4 years I tabled that and worked on a career in computer science. I played in a band, wrote the music and kept myself creative that way. Recently I've decided that I don't want to work in my current field anymore: I really want to pursue my lifelong dream of writing. And I've decided that I'm going to write what I like rather than pursuing the Great American Novel. So here I am!

Currently I spend between 4 and 6 hours a day working on my writing: not only the actual writing but gearing up for the business of getting published.

Finally, in closing, I have to admit that I have a lot of worry that I won't get published and none of this will pan out in a practical sense, but I'm really thrilled to be writing again, and making a serious effort to pursue my dream.

Thanks for reading, if you made it this far!
jd

[meg_evonne]

Jaydel, Welcome!

How wonderful that you've let yourself come back to novel writing.  Publishing or not, it still meets something in the soul, doesn't it? Meg

Hi DM, welcome to you as well.  Meg

[MiM]

I'm popping in here just to say hi. I've been a lurker for a long time... er.. nearly a year. I've been working on my vampire novel The Bringer of Aten for nearly seven years now. (Yes, very crappy title, but it is only the WIP title, heh)
Am currently gearing myself up to rewriting and reworking the very, very lame first draft. It's in the vein of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with a little of Harry Dresden thrown in (unfortunately, no wizards in it as yet!) and will hopefully spawn at least two other books. I don't wanna give too much away, but if anyone would like to see some of it, I have a couple of the first pages of the rewrite somewhere on my computer
I've been writing since I was a teenager, and this novel, though it really shouldn't be, is my baby... mainly because I've lived so long with the characters, they've become very good friends of mine xD

Other than that... I'm 27, hail from the middle-of-nowhere Ireland and am looking forward to hanging out about here a bit more

[meg_evonne]

Not sure when I became the unofficial welcome party---but welcome!  *imagine glitter flying, fireworks in the night sky* 

My favorite chick lit is from Ireland, Cecelia Ahern.  I'd love to read a Vamp based in Ireland.  Will we be so lucky?  My great-great-great grandmother immigrated from Ballyvaughn, in fact that's part of the name I use playing Guild Wars.  I've only come in to Shannon and headed towards the Cliffs of Mohr and than over to Ballyvaugh and then back down again.  My daughter though spent a summer at the Art School there, fell in love with the Barrens (sp), but luckily not with an Irish man who would want her to stay.  She returned in 2006 with her live in and they were married during their visit.  Saved me a ton of money.  They tromped all over those Barrens...  :-)

Anyway, welcome!

[MiM]

Do you mean the Burren? It's in County Clare, which is a million miles from where I live in the north of the Republic heh.

My novel is set in Ireland, a town called Dunn, in fact, which is a fictional town made up of a load of towns around where I live in real life. The whole novel revolves around what happens when vampires start killing people living in and around it (amongst a lot of more interesting stuff, of course)
Thanks for the unofficial welcome party!!

[meg_evonne]

Anytime and it is the Burren!  My daughter would think me an idiot.  *tossing more glitter and confetti*

[K.Love]

K.Love here. (smacks own head. "obviously!")
My real name is Kati. I'm 20 years old and I've been writing fiction since... well, for as long as I can remember really. My teacher's have always encouraged me, but none more so than my HS senior English teacher Wes Reid. That man is as crazy and as insanely talented as they come. Not to mention he's a smart ass. Which is no wonder why he and I got along so well (I normally despised teachers.) He really pushed me when I needed to be pushed (went through some stuff and slacked off really badly) and I produced work that I really enjoyed. Mr. Reid seemed to enjoy my writing as well.

So enough jibber jabber.
Here's the 411:

Name: Kati (smacks head again. "Already stated that ya' moron!")
Published?: No. Never. I'm never had the drive to attempt to get published. That is, until last year.
In progress work: Currently 2. A novel (Urban Fantasy) and a book of poetry and short stories (some with a supernatural-esque feeling to them.)
Completed work: Nothing longer than... oh, say..... 500 words. (Ugh, yes I know, thats horrible. I've never thought my writing was good or even alright for that matter, so I usually just dropped it. But now I'm DETERMINED to finish it! I will finish it.... Damn it!)

Hmm... Seems I'm getting a little too excited. :takes deep breath:
Okay. I think I'm ok now.

I really love reading, and I really love to write. I try to write my novel, how I would want to READ a novel. I think about all of the series I enjoy and then think about how they describe things. And what specifically catches my attention. The words they use, How many times they use a phrase (and yes, poor Harry Dresden says "Hell's Bells" too often for my liking, but it still does not take away from Harry at all. I still find him throughly charming and quite funny) and how often the use their "Tag Lines" (Jim explains them on one of his LiveJournal Posts. The Feb 10th post I do believe. If your too involved to look for it Jim states: TAGS are words you hang upon your character when you describe them. When you're putting things together, for each character, pick a word or two or three to use in describing them. Then, every so often, hit on one of those words in reference to them, and avoid using them elsewhere when possible. By doing this, you'll be creating a psychological link between those words and that strong entry image of your character.

For example; Thomas Raith's tag words are pale, beautiful, dark hair, grey eyes. I use them when I introduce him for the first time in each book, and then whenever he shows up on stage again, I remind the reader of who he is by using one or more of those words.)

I try to enjoy writing, as much as I would reading.

I've had an account with fictionpress.com for years (since I was 13 I think) and I've finally mopped shop so sadly I only have one short story up. But please do comment and let me know what you think.http://www.fictionpress.com/u/193912/  Its under My Stories at the bottom of the page. It's titled "The Mafia Dame" which is something I wrote for my Senior English Class in HS.

I'm just glad I'm not the only aspiring writer here. 

[meg_evonne]

Hey K. Love, how cool!  And thanks for the reminder about character tags.  Putting that to use right away. 

From your free style writing, I suspect that dialog is your strong point.  Welcome!


PS.  don't purge too deeply of your younger writings.  You'd be amazed how your 'voice' in those and the situations will help you retain a youthful outlook when you're 50 trying to remember what it was like in high school!  LOL

[RobJN]

I don't know that I consider myself an author, as much as I do a writer. In my brain, authors write with publishing in mind -- I just write to write, and have been doing so ever since I can remember.

In school, I wrote mainly for my D&D campaign, adventures, adventure logs, bits and pieces of "history," that sort of stuff. I wrote a few other things in my later high school years, and my senior year English teacher strongly advised that I attend a summer writing workshop, which I did, and have not regretted.

When I reached college, I studied journalism and creative writing, and wrote what I think is my most powerful short story ever -- I finally screwed up the courage to post it online on AOL back in the day, and it was the most downloaded story in the Writers Club's file libraries. Ahh, the good ol' days.... Sadly, when my HD got reformatted some years ago, I lost the manuscript.

I recently got back into writing after a long dry spell, busy with living life, buying a house, losing a great job and having to find another. The stories have percolated in the ol' head for five or six years, and finally found a couple outlets. I don't know if I should hug my sister or not for her nagging me, once a month or so, to "post the next section!"

There are links to the two stories I've been picking away at down there in the sig.

And if anyone downloaded a story called "Darkest Road Yet Travelled" an age and a half ago from an AOL file library, please send me a copy!

[meg_evonne]

I finally screwed up the courage to post it online on AOL back in the day, and it was the most downloaded story in the Writers Club's file libraries. Ahh, the good ol' days.... Sadly, when my HD got reformatted some years ago, I lost the manuscript.

  Oh Wow and then Oh NOOOO!  My heart aches in empathetic pain!

I don't know if I should hug my sister or not for her nagging me, once a month or so, to "post the next section!"

  I can never get enough huggles, so consider her hugged from me as well.


Welcome and thank you for sharing!

And if anyone downloaded a story called "Darkest Road Yet Travelled" an age and a half ago from an AOL file library, please send me a copy!

  Well worth another mention, just in case someone with tech wiz knows how to drag one from the AOL files.  They must have them stored somewhere?

[Starbeam]

  Well worth another mention, just in case someone with tech wiz knows how to drag one from the AOL files.  They must have them stored somewhere?

It could be possible, but I think that a lot of that stuff probably went bye-bye when AOL started changing their board and websites.  I know my AOL page was deleted, or something, quite a while ago.

[RobJN]

Many thanks for the welcome!

I don't hold out much hope for the data to be floating around on any of AOL's servers these days. With the closing down of the Community Leader program, the volunteers who maintained the file libraries, moderated message boards, and hosted chats went bye-bye. And the File Libraries were about as legacied as a system can get.

Still, with as diverse a crowd as seems to gather here, I figured there's no harm in checking to see if anybody'd even heard of it.

It's nice to have somewhere to "talk shop."