Hatrack River Forum: She Says I'm A Writer

This is topic She Says I'm A Writer in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by John Van Pelt (Member # 5767) on :

I finished my first story.

I've never written fiction before this year (unless you count forged gym notes), and I am scary-excited about how much I enjoy it. I have started notes for a next piece.

The finished piece is nominally science fiction, but with far more character interest and development than I ever imagined I was capable of or had an interest in. The gee-whiz sci-fi stuff ends up being fairly incidental.

The first complete draft is 11,663 words. That makes it half again as long as the longest research topic I ever delivered in college, and half as long as the longest software requirements document I've written for work.

After a week or so I will go through some critique cycles with Sharpie, probably trim it to about 9,000 words, and pick a market to send it out to.

It's utter crap.

I love it.

Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :

Congratulations [Smile]

Posted by John Van Pelt (Member # 5767) on :

Thanks [Smile]

Working on title ideas. Even without reading my story I think you will appreciate the magnificent atrociousness of the following proposal I came up with:

Suburbageddon

[ROFL]

(Anyone may use the above, copyright-free)

Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :

Enjoy the crapulence, but don't stay long!

Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :

Congrats!!!

Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :

Hey John, send it my way if you need another reader. [Smile]

Posted by xtownaga (Member # 7187) on :

quote:
with far more character interest and development than I ever imagined I was capable of or had an interest in. The gee-whiz sci-fi stuff ends up being fairly incidental.

Even if the writing isn't that good due to inexperiance (and mine certinally would be were I to ever actaully finish a story), this shows a lot of promise in that you're at least focusing on the right things.

And congradulations on finishing a story! [Party]

Good luck with getting it published. If you have trouble, I know this site has a few things that are set up to help up and coming writers (writers cricles or somesuch come to mind), though there are others here who can tell you more about these I'm sure.

Posted by John Van Pelt (Member # 5767) on :

Thanks Teshi, quiscribis!

Thanks Karl! I may do that.

AFR, thanks, i don't intend to. And I think the point is, I am in the worst possible position to read the crapulence-o-meter [Smile]

xtownaga, Thanks. We'll see how serious I become. I know someone in a writer's group, and they find it very useful, as much for the energy dynamic and simple spirit of encouragement, as for the specific critique elements.