Historical Fiction Writer

[Broos]

Like Tajunska, I write historical fiction (the Matty Graves series of sea adventures, if anyone's interested). I think I'm old enough now that my memoirs would be considered historical fiction, too.

I sympathize with CrAZRick, but I think he's got it backwards when he wonders if he's "not cut-out to be a writer, so [he] can die a lonely, depressed and broken soul." That's how you end up if you DO become a writer.

Arrrr.

[Wordlings]

I'm Jeff Swanson, and I am a writer of fragments.

I've been writing since 1977. For me, notebooking, which I took up relatively late in life (34) and only after a lot of angst and false starts, became my metier.

This can be somewhat annoying because most conventional writers see notebookings, freewrites and free associational word games as simply a stage in a fixed, inexorable progression directly from chaos and juvenalia through to "settling down" and publication. Devoted as I am to originality, I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. I can still see the others from here, though, and I'll admit I sometimes wish I was over there with them. But I'm happy with the years I've put in, with the millions of words I've written and the astonishing pieces I've created (some of whom reside on my website Wordlings.com). I won a Writer's Digest screenwriting contest a couple of years ago, so clearly all that writing's paid off!

I'm here just to see what's going on. I'd like to be published officially but for the time being it's just self-publishing. Being your own editor is extremely challenging, but has several upsides, one of which is you can add new stuff on the fly, and follow sudden inspiration even in the middle of your redpenning. To link the red pen and the white heat -- well, that's the goal of any writer, innit? :-7

Message Edited by Wordlings on 07-11-2007 01:31 PM

[Coastalpirate1]

AHOY writers and want to be writers

I've published my first novel last year traditionally. In my past my work has been published from TV Guide to Front Page Newspapers, and now I've done my first Novel, a series of adventures with scuba and Sci Fi material. I meet people all the time that would like to write a book or publish but they can't seem to get it together. Well friends, you and only YOU can do it. You must write it, or it will never come to pass and it will never be read. Be careful around agents or publishing companies, basically the rule is, if they ask for money, your walking on ice.

Barnes & Noble offers books like the writer's guide to help you if your not clear on where to look for submitting your manuscript.

Get it written and go over the work before you offer it to any publisher.


GOOD LUCK

L.A. Panchuk / Author: The Devil's Magnet

[Cup_of_Joe]

Hello fellow writers,

My name is Joe and I am a full-time scientist (oceanographer) and part-time science fiction writer. I started writing a novel 9 years ago, and after submitting some it to a couple of online writers groups, I realized that I had a great idea, but knew nothing about the true craft of novel writing. So, I went out and bought a dozen books on novel writing and spent a full year teaching myself the craft. Then I started a detailed outline (using MS excel) and crated a scene-based story, plotting tension levels, plot-points, etc.

I worked on the outline for six months, and then, finally, started writing a brand-new novel called "Cyberdrome," which is a near-future, hard sci-fi / hero's quest story. I finished it just last year (it took me 6 years, but there was a 3-year hiatus in there when my daughter was born!)

Here is my submission history: I sent my 100,000-word manuscript off to DAW books who promptly form-rejected it two months later. I then rewrote and reorganized the first act, and resubmitted it to Tor books. They sent their form-rejection letter 6 months later. Since then, I have gone through 4 different act-1 changes, nearly driving myself crazy in doing so, hoping to find the "best" way to start the story. Finally, admitting that there is no "best" way to start this, I went back to my original first-act layout and plan to submit it to a series of agents later this month. The only other SF publisher who accepts unagented manuscripts is Baen Books, but they take 9-12 months to reply! That is why I am going to try an agent.

My biggest complaint about fiction publishing (besides the long wait for a reply) is the complete absence of a "reason for rejection" note in my submissions. In the science field, I always get feedback, and I guess I have been spoiled. If someone from DAW books had told me, for example, "we are just not interested in a near-future story," then I would not have spent so much time trying to change the layout of the first act (and simply submitted to the next publisher). Conversely, if they has said "The beginning just didn't grab us" then rewriting the opening scenes would be justified.

All right, enough about me!
How about you?

[Gypsy]

Hi, I'm Risa and I live in Montana. Several years ago I wrote a book inspired by my mother's stories of her life growing up in rural Connecticut and her experiences in the army during WWII. So far, she's the only one to read it!

I've done a bit of research to find a publisher or agent and after striking out a number of times, I decided to just be satisfied with having finished it. Is it kismet that brought me here? We'll see.

[successinwords]

My husband and I own an online bookstore! We have a passion for literature. I love to collect books. There is something about the look and feel of an old book that brings to mind the word treasure, and all the emotions that a treasure creates. I have always been in the field of education and have a passion for helping others find their treasures within. I look forward to exchanging words of wisdom and inspiration with all of you.

Happy reading!

[Draco_Malfoy_F…]

HI! I am love writing little kid's books! their just so fun to write! I've got a collection of books that i've written over the past few years but I don't know what to do to get them published.

[Draco_Malfoy_F…]

WOW! that "am" in there does NOT look good with "i love writing children books"! (not a very good first impression! typing fast is not my style...i'll slow it down!)

[booksrule]

Hi people I'm 12 years old and i like to write children stories i think its lots of fun!!

I have a dog named Happy and a brother thats annoying! lol

[Commando_Cody]

Greetings fellow writers.

My first novel, The Ezekiel Code, is due out probably about the end of August. Whew! It took me several years to get it done.

I see some of you have started to write novels but have not finished them. I did the same thing... twice. Those two novels are still sitting here unfinished. I was passionate about both of them when I started them but then I had an idea for another story and this new idea just consumed me to the point where I simply could not live another day unless I buckled down and started writing it. The further into it I got, the more excited I was about where it was going. Of course there were times when I had to literally force myself to sit down and continue the work. And sometimes it was, indeed, more like "work" than "fun". But I was absolutely determined that this one was going all the way. I wasn't about to leave it unfinished.

I knew all along that getting it published by a traditional publisher was probably not going to happen. My research into the publishing business convinced me that the odds were slim to none for a new writer. Even though I had publishing credits as a feature article writer for magazines, that wasn't going to count very much when it came to trying to get a novel published. I finally decided to empty my wallet and go the self-publishing route. I know, there are disputes about the so-called "differences" between "self-publishers", "vanity press" publishers, "print-on-demand" publishers, etc. But the bottom line is if you're going with any of these venues you're basically self-publishing.

Used to be quite a negative stigma attached to the "self-published" books. There was a perception among people that if a book wasn't published by Random House, or Penguin, or Simon & Schster, then it must not be very good. That perception, it seems to me, is rapidly changing and rightly so. Of course there's a downside to it, too. Mostly the initial outlay of money and the need to do your own editing and most of your own marketing. But if you can afford the cost and if you are willing to do the work then I think it's a great alternative. Or... you could send your manuscript to traditional publishers where it will go to the bottom of huge stack... wait months for a reply (which will likely be a rejection notice!)... and then try another publisher and go to the bottom of their stack and wait months for their rejection... and on and on. You get the idea.

Anyway, wish me luck with my first published novel and hey... get busy! You've got some writing to do! :-)

[Ahso]

I always wanted to be a writer and now want to pursue it more seriously as a new career. I am looking forward to reading the material as well as everyone's comments as I feel there is so much to learn from these clubs.

[skipster56]

My name is Charles "Skip" Stover. I am a published author and would be available to answer questions about publishing. I live in Maryland with my wife of 28 years and 2 dogs, Alexis, a 7 yr old Rot/lab and Reese, a 1 yr old Chocolate lab. We have a beautiful 25 year old daughter, Christina also. I love to travel and write and restore old cars. I currently have 1 book of love poetry out, Solitary Thoughts, and will, very soon, have my novel, Dangerous Love, 2010 A.D. on the bookshelves of stores and on-line. I am currently working on my 2nd novel. It's always nice to have a friend in writing. Skip Stover, author

[BackbayZona]

HELLO, MY NAME IS JOE AND I’M A RECOVERING TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED AUTHOR WANNABE. ACTUALLY, THAT IS NOT ENTIRELY TRUE. MY MYSTERY/SUSPENSE NOVEL (TITLE AND WEB SITE BELOW) IS IN THE PRODUCTION PHASE OF SELF-PUBLISHING AND SHOULD BE RELEASED BY THE END OF THIS MONTH. TO BE FAIR, I NEVER ATTEMPTED TO GET IT TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED BASED ON A LOT OF HARD RESEARCH, AND MY PERSONAL GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS. I JUST DIDN’T HAVE THE TIME OR ENERGY TO “FIGHT” THE SYSTEM OR TO WASTE READING REJECTION LETTERS (MOST OF THOSE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR BOOK BUT REFLECT THE FAILINGS OF A BOTTOM LINE INDUSTRY IN THERAPY). I AM A FORTYSOMETHING RETIRED AIR FORCE OFFICER CURRENTLY WORKING FOR THE DOD IN MY SECOND CAREER. I LIKE TO WRITE AND WE’LL SEE WHERE THAT TAKES ME. INSTEAD OF SPENDING MY FREE TIME SENDING QUERY LETTERS AND DRINKING HEAVILY AS I READ REJECTION LETTERS, I WORK ON MY SECOND NOVEL AND SPEND THE TIME MARKETING MY FIRST ONE.

I READ ALL OF YOUR POSTS IN THIS THREAD. MY POST ISN’T FOR EVERYONE, BUT I HOPE IT HELPS THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION AS MINE, THINKING OF WRITING A BOOK, OR WHO ARE THINKING OF DUSTING OFF A MANUSCRIPT AND GETTING IT TO MARKET. TRUTHBEKNOWN, I REALLY DID HAVE HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS OF FINDING AN AGENT AND A PUBLISHER. I BOUGHT ALL THE RIGHT BOOKS (WRITER’S MARKET, GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS, ETC.) AND I READ ALL THE WRITE STUFF. I ALSO TOOK THE WRITER’S DIGEST WRITING COURSE WORKING WITH A PUBLISHED AUTHOR. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I DIDN’T SUBMIT MY MANUSCRIPT OR QUERY PACKAGES TO ONE OF THEM. I WILL SELF-PUBLISH AS AN UNKNOWN AND MAYBE GET LUCKY WITH THE SECOND BOOK. I LIKE TO BELIEVE THAT I AM A PRODUCT OF THE NEW PUBLISHING WORLD. TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER’S JUST DON’T HAVE THE TIME AND MONEY TO TAKE A CHANCE ON AN UNKNOWN (UNLESS YOU ARE THE NEXT P.K. ROWLING OR JOHN GRISHAM). THAT SAID, IF YOU HAVE THE TALENT, THE TIME, AND THE THICK SKIN, I SAY GO FOR IT…

DID I SETTLE? YEAH, I GUESS…BUT THAT’S WHAT WORKED FOR ME, AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN. HERE’S WHY: MY RESEARCH IDENTIFIED IUNIVERSE AS THE LEADER IN THE SELF-PUBLISHING INDUSTRY, AND THEY HAVEN’T LET ME DOWN. I PUT IN THE INITIAL COST FOR THEIR BEST PUBLISHING PACKAGE AND EDITORIAL SERVICE (THAT PROVIDED ME WITH SOME GREAT EDITING, CORRECTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS). THEN, THEY STARTED PUTTING SOME MONEY INTO MY BOOK! IT WAS AWARDED THEIR COVETED EDITOR’S AND PUBLISHER’S CHOICE AWARDS RESULTING IN A PROFESSIONALLY DESIGNED PAPERBACK COVER (ALSO COMES IN HARDCOVER WITH DUST JACKET) AND PROOFREADING. NOT ONLY DOES IT COME OUT IN A FEW WEEKS AND BE AVAILABLE AT BN.COM, AMAZON.COM AND THOUSANDS MORE ONLINE SITES, BUT IT WILL BE IN MY TUCSON, ARIZONA BARNES & NOBLE STORE (NEW RELEASE TABLE AT THE FRONT OF THE STORE) FOR AT LEAST TWO MONTHS (WITH A CHANCE TO GO REGIONAL OR EVEN NATIONAL). YES, AS A PERSON WHO NEVER IMAGINED HAVING A BOOK WITH MY NAME ON IT OUT IN PUBLIC…I AM EXCITED. MOST OF THE MARKETING IS UP TO ME...BUT I ALREADY HAVE THREE BOOK SIGNINGS, A LIVE RADIO INTERVIEW, AND A NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW SETUP.

SORRY FOR THE LONG POST(AND THE CAPS!), BUT I WANTED TO PROVIDE SOME HOPE TO THOSE OF YOU OUT THERE “THINKING” ABOUT PUBLISHING. JUST DO IT. MY BOOK MAY END UP BEING A BUST, BUT AT LEAST I GAVE IT A SHOT AND HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW FOR IT. IF THAT HAPPENS, THEN MY NEXT POST WILL START WITH: HELLO, MY NAME IS JOE AND I’M A RECOVERING SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR.

JOE P.
SOLEMNLY SWEAR
WWW.JOEPORRAZZO.COM

Message Edited by BackbayZona on 08-05-2007 01:50 PM

[Luthien]

Hello, I decided to be an author when I was in 2nd grade, and I've been writing ever since! I thought I'd pop in here for when I do near the stage when I might want to be thinking about trying to get my work published, whether it's short stories, or my as-of-now uncompleted book.

[ABI]

Hullo! Never even glanced at this board, you know! I can't get HP off my mind, so i've been chatting over in the ministry of Spoilers for weeks on end! Unfortunately, we're running out of things to argue about, so I'm trying something new! (which is exceedingly rare for me, actually)
I've been writing for...dunno, really. Well, I've never gotten anything published....seems honestly too complicated, but...
anyway, hope to do so some time in future life

[ivanbolanosg]

Hello everyone:

Just to let you know that I have published recently my first fantasy/science-fiction novel: "The Crystals of Vuhran: The Athyrant".

Here is a short synopsis: After a violent cataclysm, the survivors of Atlantis, a kingdom lost thousands of years ago, will settle in a new world. After centuries of expansion and power, they will discover that their destiny is linked to a caste of invincible warriors who are the guardians of the greatest treasure sent by the gods.

I also want to invite you to visit my site: www.vuhran.com where you can find some excerpts and images from this book and also some information about the second one I'm about to publish.

Thank you,

[skipster56]

---

ivanbolanosg wrote:
Hello everyone:

Just to let you know that I have published recently my first fantasy/science-fiction novel:



Ivan. Very impressive web page. Good luck in your literary adventure. The title sounds very interesting. Skip Stover, author

[skipster56]

---

ABI wrote:
Hullo! Never even glanced at this board, you know! I can't get HP off my mind, so i've been chatting over in the ministry of Spoilers for weeks on end! Unfortunately, we're running out of things to argue about,


ABI. We try to keep these boards as peaceful as possible. Hope the "arguing is not one of you traits while in here. Thanks for dropping in. Skip Stover, author

[ivanbolanosg]

Thank you Skip.

I was wondering what kind of stories you write.

Best,

[skipster56]

Hi Ivan. I write Love Poetry and Love/suspense/Action novels.
I have a book, Solitary Thoughts, Wings of a Love out currently. Dangerous Love, 2010 A.D. will be released very soon. I am working on a new novel currently. Dangerous Love is a story of a woman, Krista Darlington, that graduates Cum Laude in the year 2010 A. D. with a Doctorate in Nuclear Physics. She is appointed to the NRC ( Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, MD and in charge of Transportation and Safety. She is befriended by a man named Muhammad. She will meet him as Al. Al and 3 other guys are going to hijack a transportation of high level radioactive waste going to the Yucca Mountain Repository. They want to build a dirty bomb and explode it over a park in our Nation's Captial on Memorial Day, 2011 A.D. Krista begins to fall in love with Al, but Al is sworn to an oath that he will defend to his grave. Krista is caught up in the turmoil of the relationship and Al is struggling with his love for Krista.

I will let everyone in here know when the novel is released. Thanks, Skip Stover