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Does anybody else see their novel complete, with front and back covers, size, type of paper it's printed on - the whole works - from the moment they first start writing?
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The single novel I'm working on, a historical fiction, I've done a comprehensive book proposal for it. Of course I have a synopsis and summary, most of the research completed, and a significant chunk of the writing done. I did the proposal as project during an internship in publishing. I have a title, a dust jacket design, the book block format, standard 6" by 9" casecover, number of pages, page layout, type font, title page, dedication, front matter and back matter, chapter headings and subheadings, sample reviewers' blurbs, colophon, index, and bibliography, etc. The writing progresses. It looks like my 2010 projection is on track for completion. I've an interested agent who's not rushing me on it, but has expressed an eagerness that startled me. Interest is great in high and low places. Yes, I see it, the dummy copy is in my publishing samples collection.
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To be honest, one of my favorite things to do is envision movie trailers for my stories. Rather over-optimistic, but it's still really fun.
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quote:To be honest, one of my favorite things to do is envision movie trailers for my stories. Rather over-optimistic, but it's still really fun.
Actaully it might be more realistic than the cover art. Every thing I read says the first time author has no say in the cover art.
But with that said, yeah. From the moment I dream up a novel, it takes the form of the book. Cover, back blurb, other author quotes about how great it is. But for me it is all about the feel. I like the feel of some books, with softer pages, and ragged edges.
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One of my greatest regrets is once sending a cover letter trying to dictate a choice of artist for a deservedly-rejected story. Now I try not to anticipate, though as long as a story of mine is "out there," I can think of it either coming-back-to me-rejected or not-coming-back-accepted...
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It's like being engaged, where you write your new last name (well, if you are girl anyways) and think about your white picket fence...
I sketched my cover. It's not on my book. I made suggestions -- yeah, that didn't work out either. Ugh. The proof made me want to cry. I HATED IT! So maybe, from that point of view, it's not the best idea. It was so far from my what I had imagined that I was stressing out over it for a week.
[This message has been edited by Reagansgame (edited August 20, 2008).]
quote:To be honest, one of my favorite things to do is envision movie trailers for my stories. Rather over-optimistic, but it's still really fun.
The remake of the "Requiem for a Dream" theme song is a really good one to envision a movie trailer of your novel to.
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I see my novel in paperback in bookstores. And I can smell the smell of new book through stiff pages. Posts: 10 | Registered: Aug 2008
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quote:one of my favorite things to do is envision movie trailers for my stories.
Curious to see I'm not the only one doing this.
Another curiosity is that, back in my music days, I used to come up with album cover ideas all the time, but I cannot remember if I've ever visualized or conceptualized a book cover. It might have to do, on a subconscious level, with knowing that new authors (as has already been mentioned) have little or no say as to what their cover will look like.
On that subject...how do you think it will go over with the publisher if I request the calligraphy used to display my name?
quote:The remake of the "Requiem for a Dream" theme song is a really good one to envision a movie trailer of your novel to.
yes I've used Clint Mansell music for years, especially this piece. Unfortunately it is becoming less original because more and more trailers are adapting it, watering it down, dulling it and making it cliche. This song is the next "O Fortuna."
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I read somewhere that casting your characters and seeing it as a movie helps with the creative juices. I find that hard to do, because there are only a handful of actors I like. The only one who comes close is Bender Bending Rodriguez.
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I don't see the book. I do sometimes fantasise about seeing my name on the front cover of Analog or Asimov's. (But don't tell anyone, it's embarrassing.)
When I think of a story I see the characters and one of its set-pieces, often in movie form. Sometimes the characters talk to me: "Quit thinking and get writing. My story."
So, um, I'd better go do some writing ...
Pat
[This message has been edited by TaleSpinner (edited August 20, 2008).]
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How 'bout that dream where you're published, you're picking out books of your own, then taking a bite out of them for a square meal?
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I'm another one that sees movie trailers. I'll actually go a step further . . . I have a REALLY hard time writing a story unless I can see it as a movie. I think that's part of why I have such a hard time writing in general is that I see everything, from the pacing, to the scenes, to the characterization . . . EVERYTHING . . . in my head just like in a movie.
Ever try writing a story based on the movie? Not really fun.
But I go the other way SOOO easily. When I'm REALLY into a book, I stop even seeing words on the page. It just becomes scenes and characters in my head, while my eyes blindly read the words for me and create a movie for me to watch in my head. Really, truly, it's that vivid for me. I'm SUCH a visual thinker.
But yeah . . . I've got 2 main stories right now I'm pondering, both inspired by music, and both with trailers / music videos in my head which represent the key scenes.
One story, I see QUITE vividly in my head as a TV show. To the point that I have the plot arc planned out for 25 episodes a season over 3 seasons, and I started writing a pilot script, which I have about 35 minutes written on. I tried writing it as prose, and it works okay, but it's a COMPLETELY different feel, and much harder to write. Got about 30 pages in and just can't get any traction.
However, I have 4 Nickel Creek songs, 3 from a group called Cantus, 1 from a group called Voce, 2 from Linkin Park, and 1 from Nightwish which, in my head, back a series of montages of various climactic scenes from this story. It's great 'cause every time I listen to my favorite music, it's a forcible reminder of that story, and inspires me to keep filling in the gaps. Who knows . . . one day, I may actually see the thing made into a TV show . . . or actually write it as a couple or three novels. Got some work to do first, though.
My second story, however, started off as a 'trailer' in my head backed by the song 'Wake' off of Linkin Park's 'Minutes to Midnight' album. (first song on the album) The first time I heard that song, I could see the pictures in my head, and started filling in the gaps from there. There's quite a few left, but I have a GREAT concept from it. And I'm looking forward to writing it when I have five minutes.
So . . . maybe looking back, I'm more of a MUSICAL writer, than a visual one. Either way, it doesn't really translate well into words.
quote:When I'm REALLY into a book, I stop even seeing words on the page. It just becomes scenes and characters in my head, while my eyes blindly read the words for me and create a movie for me to watch in my head. Really, truly, it's that vivid for me. I'm SUCH a visual thinker.
Ah, Falken, that is the way I love to read, and I love books that will let me do that. The words really do disappear.
My mind is now convinced that it has seen the movie of the seventh Harry Potter book because I have a vivid memory of the scene near the end where Harry is talking to Dumbledore (hope that's not too much of a spoiler). I can clearly SEE Daniel Radcliffe and Michael Gambon speaking those lines.
Trust me, the thought has occurred to me. Thus the 35 mins of a pilot script, and about 40 mins of a movie idea I had. (Washed out World Rally Circuit driver hired to be a getaway driver for a series of heists. Can you say "In over your head?") I've actually got even more small chunks written for other things, but nothing coherent. It's actually just as hard writing screenplays, if not harder, because in the end, you really have no control whatsoever over what story gets told to the viewer, even IF they don't change the words.
I suffered a discouraging blow recently when my favorite screenwriting software vanished suddenly from the face of the earth, right when I upgraded my laptop and needed to reinstall it. Alas, Sophocles Screenwriting Software is no more. I guess I'll have to find another couple hundred bucks and just make do with Movie Magic 6, or (*shudder*) Final Draft . . . UGH!
-Falken (posing as Corin)
[This message has been edited by Corin224 (edited August 20, 2008).]
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I thought about commenting on this earlier, but I was "putting away" my novel in place of writing some short stories. I have envisioned my novel's cover. I am a decent artist, and so I believe I could do its rendering fair justice. I was curious how many of you are also (drawing) artists. I know IB and Merlion are. Anyone else?
Also, I write much like Corin224. I see and hear every moment before I actually write it. When I write, I am actually trying to describe what I see. This sometimes hinders my writing, because I am spending too much time describing. My novel started as a screenplay, which is just about finished. I began investigating how to submit it and quickly became disillussioned. For every novel that is submitted to a publisher, there are about ten screenplays submitted to a studio.
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I get the impression that the author just has to cross his fingers that the cover artist hired by the publisher will do a good job, both in aesthetics and also keeping true to the story inside it.
I'm kind of liek Card in that I'm not much of a visual thinker, or rather, for lack of a superior way of saying it, I let the reader decide how it looks. I'm not very exact or particular about every small detail, and don't really know what my setting looks like in perfect detail, not even close. (I believe I read that Card is this way as well.) So I wouldn't mind an artist's vision, as a picture it's probably better than anything I can come up with.
But eevn as I say that, I can't help but thing were I Card, I would have been very disappointed and surprised by the tarzan-like cover of Crystal City.
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I guess I'll have to find another couple hundred bucks and just make do with Movie Magic 6, or (*shudder*) Final Draft . . . UGH!
