Thanks for linking it, gonna check it out soon.
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The Writing-GAF Mega Thread
- Thread starter 1stStrike
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AngmarsKing701
Member
Signed up to run the ad with awesomegang on Monday, Oct 13. We'll see if it helps.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Aaaaah! It's up on Amazon too now. ;_; Feels nice.
Dead Endings ~ A book of spirits, booze, and inappropriate funeral jokes.
Good luck!
Dead Endings ~ A book of spirits, booze, and inappropriate funeral jokes.
Good luck!
timetokill
Banned
so awesome, hpro. I've read a couple chapters, working my way through it in bed. fun read so far!
Blargonaut
Banned
Very nice!!!Aaaaah! It's up on Amazon too now. ;_; Feels nice.
Dead Endings ~ A book of spirits, booze, and inappropriate funeral jokes.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Thank ya!
<3 Cheers, T. Really, really appreciate the support. If I do get a physical print run, it'll be thanks to Gaf sales, I think. It's not had a bad start at all from what they've told me, and the feedback has been very nice.
A toast to your commitment!
Thanks! Almost there!
It's so shiny and new-looking.
First thing I did was send a sample to myself like a nut. Can't believe it still.Aaaaah! It's up on Amazon too now. ;_; Feels nice.
Dead Endings ~ A book of spirits, booze, and inappropriate funeral jokes.
Holy crap, this looks awesome! Congrats.
cosmicblizzard
Banned
Great job Hpro! It's such a great feeling when stuff you've been diligently working on goes live for the first time.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Holy crap, this looks awesome! Congrats.
Thanks, Nudull! Really impressed with how everything came out. Checked out the sample on my kindle and they even incorporated the bonus art (as well as the chapter art) into it. Fingers are crossed for momentum now that it's up there.
Thanks, cosmic. It's definitely a good (and surreal) feeling to see your name up there. I do wish I could shuffle the reviews I got on the publisher site over to here, though. I know they're really important on Amazon. They also set up my listing on Goodreads, so we'll see how that goes. If you have any pro-tips, I'm all ears.
Thanks, Nudull! Really impressed with how everything came out. Checked out the sample on my kindle and they even incorporated the bonus art (as well as the chapter art) into it. Fingers are crossed for momentum now that it's up there.
I wish you and Irene all the best! I myself have been working back and forth between scripting for comics and prose (and I really should be hanging out here, more). Maybe we could work together on something, sometime?
Wow, feels like forever ago since I posted in here. My fiction writing has taken a nose dive off a cliff, but on the plus side I'm now three months into my tech writing gig at a major game company (still scared of disclosing it lol). We've got a big creative writing club that's helping me from stagnating too much. Doubt I'll be doing NaNo though as I'm going to focus on creating a daily habit of writing rather than pounding out another novel to sit in my editing queue behind last year's NaNo novel and this year's Camp NaNo novella. Also, I probably won't have time due to having a game launch and convention to worry about supporting in November.
cosmicblizzard
Banned
Thanks, cosmic. It's definitely a good (and surreal) feeling to see your name up there. I do wish I could shuffle the reviews I got on the publisher site over to here, though. I know they're really important on Amazon. They also set up my listing on Goodreads, so we'll see how that goes. If you have any pro-tips, I'm all ears.
Nah, I'm still trying to come into my own as well at this point, so no pro-tips you haven't already heard. Hell, if your publisher says things are off to a good start, good chance you've already beat me as far as lifetime sales go.
So yeah, good luck
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
I wish you and Irene all the best! I myself have been working back and forth between scripting for comics and prose (and I really should be hanging out here, more). Maybe we could work together on something, sometime?
Many thanks! We'll push it and see where it all goes. ^_^
Very cool that you're working on both prose and comics. Anything I can check out? You should definitely share and hang out here more. You get lots of great tips, feedback, and it's always cool to see what everyone's working on/their progress. We could also certainly bounce ideas sometime if you like.
Super cool! Another milestone, H.Pro.
I am advertising you on my personal Facebook page despite not having had a chance to read your book yet, so it had better be good!
<3 <3 <3 Thanks so much, Cyan! Next up is physical, I hope~
And that's a very good question! I have a couple of 5-star reviews, and have had a lot of nice feedback on it on twitter and here, plus it went through Chromatic's editorial grinder, so I feel pretty good about it overall. I think it entertains? If nothing else, the art is amazing!
Oh ho...
Even if you're not doing NaNo this year, it still sounds like you're getting a lot done on all fronts. Kick ass.
Nah, I'm still trying to come into my own as well at this point, so no pro-tips you haven't already heard. Hell, if your publisher says things are off to a good start, good chance you've already beat me as far as lifetime sales go.
So yeah, good luck
Well, a 'good' start with the established very modest expectations. I wouldn't write yourself off as far as numbers go. I feel every sale like a hot burst of fireworks in my chest.
Will catch up with you on GR, then. Feel free to keep sharing your advertising/sales experiences and ideas, though.
Many thanks! We'll push it and see where it all goes. ^_^
Very cool that you're working on both prose and comics. Anything I can check out? You should definitely share and hang out here more. You get lots of great tips, feedback, and it's always cool to see what everyone's working on/their progress. We could also certainly bounce ideas sometime if you like.
Nothing I've gotten published yet (though I do have outlets, thankfully), but I'm certainly up for sharing and bouncing ideas around.
AngmarsKing701
Member
So, the awesomegang ad ran yesterday. Saw they tweeted it too. Looks like zero sales.
However, silver lining: my Amazon sales rank jumped about 8k spots, so maybe people with Kindle Unlimited were checking it out?
Anyway, am sad. Depressing really.
However, silver lining: my Amazon sales rank jumped about 8k spots, so maybe people with Kindle Unlimited were checking it out?
Anyway, am sad. Depressing really.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Nothing I've gotten published yet (though I do have outlets, thankfully), but I'm certainly up for sharing and bouncing ideas around.
Throw any out you feel like.
I'm just focusing on pushing the book for the moment than actually creating something, but I have plenty of ideas. Many involving llamas and other fine camelids.Hmmm... It's still exposure that might have nudged people into trying out the KU version which again boosts your visibility. Perhaps a GR sponsored book or ad thingy? My editor seemed to think it wasn't a bad option and not too pricey (something about you not paying anything unless you got clicks?). She just set up my book there and I was considering it myself.
That's great about the Amazon rank jump, though! It does mean you had more people looking at it, which is forward momentum no matter how you look at it. Since I can't see my actual sales I've been amusing (or torturing) myself by refreshing that too to see if there's any movement. It's addictive.
But don't be depressed. There are still plenty of options and slow burns can turn to a simmer. It just takes time.
So, GAF, I want to write a webcomic. Not right away, but in the next couple of years. I'm working on my art and writing skills right now, but I'd like some advice.
It won't be a long-running satire or gag strip, but a focused light-hearted but serious sci-fi story that will be gradually but quickly released over a period of about 2 years. More like a graphic novel than newspaper funnies.
I also plan to make use a format similar to that of MS Paint Adventures; I won't be keeping dialogue and description in word-balloons with multiple panels per page, but instead keep them in a caption like format below the images, if that makes sense.
Most writing advice focuses on novels, which I'm following and making adjustments to, but would you guys have any specific advice that's suited for this kind of thing?
It won't be a long-running satire or gag strip, but a focused light-hearted but serious sci-fi story that will be gradually but quickly released over a period of about 2 years. More like a graphic novel than newspaper funnies.
I also plan to make use a format similar to that of MS Paint Adventures; I won't be keeping dialogue and description in word-balloons with multiple panels per page, but instead keep them in a caption like format below the images, if that makes sense.
Most writing advice focuses on novels, which I'm following and making adjustments to, but would you guys have any specific advice that's suited for this kind of thing?
fredrancour
Member
Some of writing-gaf listens to a podcast called writing excuses. One of its regular cast members is a guy named Howard Taylor, who makes a living writing a scifi webcomic called Schlock Mercenary. I have no idea how successful or famous it is because I only know the guy and his work by association with the podcast. I have yet to start reading it. Apparently it's an ongoing space opera story, with a punchline to each strip. All I know about the medium is from his contributions to Writing Excuses. Here's the biggest things I can remember from stuff he's said.
-He credits a significant portion of his success to rigorously following his update schedule, and works to keep a buffer of strips at all times. He said that when he started the strip, he looked at comics that he liked and realized this was a trait shared by most of his favorites.
-He wants each individual strip's punchline to be decent enough of a reason to check in every day, as opposed to a story. A payoff in every installment may be impossible without compromising the story you want to write. If the pacing means the story is only satisfying if read 5 or 10 updates at a time, don't be surprised if people refrain from checking in regularly and read it in binges, or just plain say, "If it is really gonna end by next year, then I'll come back when it's done."
-Howard has talked some about the visual storytelling tools available to him: recurring motifs like giving everything eyebrows so that even blatantly inhuman creatures have some recognizable way to express emotion, or some little completely-unexplained antenna element that is apparently a way to create visual unity across the various technology in his fairly-simple art style. I'm probably forgetting many more small examples like this.
-He's talked about narration but I'm struggling to remember much. I know he uses it to bury a little exposition under the guise of an encyclopedia of some sort.
-Schlock Mercenary is a long-running thing. He often winds up publishing the beginning of a book online before the end is written. He has talked about carefully tabulating promises made to the reader, and then delivering on them in the end, as one way to make ends to stories that feel natural even if there was no advance outline. I don't know if you're planning on making the book and then trickling it out, or creating as you go, so maybe this isn't relevant.
-THE THING MOST RELEVANT TO YOU: Over the years he's spent on the show, he's begun taking the techniques he learned for brainstorming, plotting, character development, etc from the prose writers he podcasts with, and applying them to the overall structure of his storylines (he writes with clear book divisions in mind), and has raved about the results. There's lots of carry-over in character arcs and making a satisfying ending, even if the difference in creative tools between a few panels of a comic or a paragraph of description in a book makes for a big difference on a moment-by-moment level.
-You can try going to their site writingexcuses.com and searching for webcomics- or comics-themed episodes. there have been a few over the years, but their tag system is kind of poor so IDK how easy they will be to find. Some of the things I remembered above may also be from his remarks in the many, many non-comics-dedicated episodes. Still, like I said, much of the writing advice is transferable from prose to comics, so consider listening to any craft-related podcast that catches your eye. Howard is also the go-to humor guy, so the humor themed episodes may possibly be more likely to contain incidental comics talk, even if you aren't writing a funny comic.
This post is not viral marketing; I just really really like WE.
Also, have you read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud? I don't even write comics and it was fascinating.
Writing Excuses really is the best podcast on writing around that I have found. Such a shame that each episode is so short, I could listen to them talk about a given subject for hours : (
Apropos of nothing, the way Howard pronounces "wh" words grates on my nerves so bad...
Apropos of nothing, the way Howard pronounces "wh" words grates on my nerves so bad...
fredrancour
Member
I love Writing Excuses and give them free advertising all the time.
Though I agree with Mike, I always notice that "wh" thing. My great-aunt speaks like that as well, so hearing him talk always reminds me of her. :O
So fredrancour, you gonna go on their cruise thingy?
Depends. You paying?
I have too much room for improvement sitting on my butt right here to even entertain the idea of shelling out money I shouldn't for continuing education in a field that will only be a hobby for the foreseeable future.
Video games
and Lego-gaf
I will do my best to not think about the "wh" thing next time i listen to WE so that I don't start noticing it too.
It's too late for that. Now that you know, you can never unknow it.
Yep, ruined forever. Just like how the song "Let It Go" is ruined when you find out it's secretly about farting.
I was recently in a discussion about writing groups and formats thereof, and it really laid bare that my own writing group is, shall we say... sub-optimal. I've made a bunch of friends in the process, and I always like getting feedback from readers and giving advice, but I feel like we're spinning our wheels without getting any traction at this point. We currently organize on Meetup.com and have an open door policy where people can drop in and drop out as they like, but a significant portion of our regular members are sharing books, which isn't working with our current format of everyone who attends bringing a few thousand words to share with the group.
We have a shared folder on Dropbox for the express purpose of sharing longer pieces, but it doesn't get a lot of use, no matter how much I pimp that feature. What we really need is a hard core of devotees who are willing to read these longer pieces and spend the meeting time offering feedback on the longer pieces rather than on only a few thousand words every couple of weeks. And frankly, I don't know if we've got that. Hell, I don't know if I can do that, and as anyone who frequents Creative Writing GAF or has been thevictim recipient of my in-depth feedback knows, I always have a lot to say.
I feel like to make it to the next step, I need maybe another two or three people who are more on my level, if not published then at least confident enough in their abilities that they're at least collecting rejection letters. Right now, I'm not sure we have that kind of talent pool (and if we do, I don't know what kind of dedication we're looking at). Ideally I'd like to recruit them into my preexisting group, but who I have no way of readily identifying potential people in the area to begin with. I feel like it would be a bit of a dick move to try and openly recruit writers in the area and reject them because they're not "good enough."
Idunno. Maybe I just need to suck it up and start attending conferences and making connections that way.
We have a shared folder on Dropbox for the express purpose of sharing longer pieces, but it doesn't get a lot of use, no matter how much I pimp that feature. What we really need is a hard core of devotees who are willing to read these longer pieces and spend the meeting time offering feedback on the longer pieces rather than on only a few thousand words every couple of weeks. And frankly, I don't know if we've got that. Hell, I don't know if I can do that, and as anyone who frequents Creative Writing GAF or has been the
I feel like to make it to the next step, I need maybe another two or three people who are more on my level, if not published then at least confident enough in their abilities that they're at least collecting rejection letters. Right now, I'm not sure we have that kind of talent pool (and if we do, I don't know what kind of dedication we're looking at). Ideally I'd like to recruit them into my preexisting group, but who I have no way of readily identifying potential people in the area to begin with. I feel like it would be a bit of a dick move to try and openly recruit writers in the area and reject them because they're not "good enough."
Idunno. Maybe I just need to suck it up and start attending conferences and making connections that way.
AngmarsKing701
Member
We really need to fire up a list (do we need a new OT thread?) of those of us who are published. I just threw a list together in the reading thread based on someone indicating "if a GAFfer wrote it I'll buy it" and tried to remember everyone. If I've forgotten someone please either let me know or add to the list.
I suppose I could think about starting a new thread if no one wants the honor. Writing (and then selling) Thread?
I suppose I could think about starting a new thread if no one wants the honor. Writing (and then selling) Thread?
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
I knew it.
Sounds like a good idea. Maybe a new thread would be better since the OP has departed this one?
Might want to add Elfforkusu to that list. He's done two books, apparently. And cheers for putting us up in there. ^_^
toddhunter
Member
It should at least have Itunes
I'm happy to help or make a new thread. Especially with Nano coming up in a couple of weeks, we will hopefully have a lot more writers floating around.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
Gonna start my hopefully final edit of my book this November. Counting down the days.
Then the real work begins >.<
Then the real work begins >.<
show me your skeleton
Member
so here's a pretty cliche idea: 'write what you know'
how important do you feel this is, either to your own writing or to others trying to write? i understand a fair few of us are writing fantasy/sci-fi and so this is going to have a slightly looser interpretation but i guess i would understand that regardless of what's happening in your fantastical world, the character/s should come from a place of experience and it's that that will make them fully-formed and 'real' to the reader.
now, my problem is that my main character is:
female
from a background of privilege and wealth
a person of colour (of mixed ethnicity in particular)
i am none of those things. would it be foolish of me to do this? has anyone here written from the point of view or followed a character distinctly different from themselves?
how important do you feel this is, either to your own writing or to others trying to write? i understand a fair few of us are writing fantasy/sci-fi and so this is going to have a slightly looser interpretation but i guess i would understand that regardless of what's happening in your fantastical world, the character/s should come from a place of experience and it's that that will make them fully-formed and 'real' to the reader.
now, my problem is that my main character is:
female
from a background of privilege and wealth
a person of colour (of mixed ethnicity in particular)
i am none of those things. would it be foolish of me to do this? has anyone here written from the point of view or followed a character distinctly different from themselves?
There's nothing foolish with that. 75% of my short stories main characters are female, while myself isn't. What you need is utilizing both of your of imagination and knowledge to construct your main female character. Imagination supposedly to be a writer's greatest tool as long as your knowledge is sufficient (I've heard that there is this writer who able to reconstructed England with the most authentic British feel in their writing, based on postcard alone). So, if you feel you lack the knowledge, you need to familiarize yourself by reading books, watching movies, or playing games that have main character or at least side character that matched your criteria. It doesn't need to meet all of that, one or two is enough since later in your own writing you can combined different characters to your liking. Alternatively, you could do an interview or observation with friends of yours that meet those criteria.
toythatkills
Member
"Write what you know" is good if you're quite lazy and can't be bothered to research much. Anyone can write anything, though, it'll just take more effort to work out her voice and stuff than it would otherwise - there's no reason why it can't be completely convincing if you put that effort in.
Writing what I know is easy, it's just not always very interesting.
Submitted a bunch of stuff for publication, recently, the first rejection letter came in this morning. Last time I got a rejection letter, it was fully expected (as was this one, I only ever expect rejection : P), but I still had to screw up the nerve to open the email and read it, and it was still a punch in the feelings.
This one though, no reaction at all. Maybe it only hurts the first time.
Submitted a bunch of stuff for publication, recently, the first rejection letter came in this morning. Last time I got a rejection letter, it was fully expected (as was this one, I only ever expect rejection : P), but I still had to screw up the nerve to open the email and read it, and it was still a punch in the feelings.
This one though, no reaction at all. Maybe it only hurts the first time.
Conkersbadfurday
Member
At least you have the balls to do that man. I haven't tried, and part of that is the fear of being told to go fuck myself.
That and I havne't really been bothered to find a list of places to send my stuff too. My poetry is strange.
MidnightCowboy
Member
I got rejected recently too. It's truly a bummer but it made me want to get better.
Yep, good reaction. Though the best reaction is to send the piece right on to the next market on your list. Done, tick, next!
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
So, I've tread the usual ground trying to get my book a few more eyeballs, and I was wondering if anyone knew of any other good sites to post on.
If we compile a list, it would be good to add tried and true resources to Angmars new thread when he throws it up, too.
I've tried:
Sites
Awesomegang - They've been really cool for a free site. I got a lot of tweets from them and they just said they're actually reading it (true?).
Goodreads - Just waiting for them to connect my profile page to the book.
What Are You Reading thread - Maklershed was kind enough to add all GAF works to the OP
Pretty-Hot - Another free sight. Got a few tweets from them.
Amazon Author Central - Just a profile that links up with the book listing, but I think putting a face to writing helps.
Personal
Facebook - The place where family and friends cannot escape their duty.
Twitter - Probably my best vehicle for getting the word out. I've gotten a number of sales using this.
I looked into Wattpad, but it seems like you actually have to post the entire book, which I can't. Might be an option for others, though. You will get a lot of readers that might be inclined to pay for the book after, or be enticed into and sequels. Kboards.com (kindleboards) also seems like a possibility, but it's kinda dead...
Any others...?
If we compile a list, it would be good to add tried and true resources to Angmars new thread when he throws it up, too.
I've tried:
Sites
Awesomegang - They've been really cool for a free site. I got a lot of tweets from them and they just said they're actually reading it (true?).
Goodreads - Just waiting for them to connect my profile page to the book.
What Are You Reading thread - Maklershed was kind enough to add all GAF works to the OP
Pretty-Hot - Another free sight. Got a few tweets from them.
Amazon Author Central - Just a profile that links up with the book listing, but I think putting a face to writing helps.
Personal
Facebook - The place where family and friends cannot escape their duty.
Twitter - Probably my best vehicle for getting the word out. I've gotten a number of sales using this.
I looked into Wattpad, but it seems like you actually have to post the entire book, which I can't. Might be an option for others, though. You will get a lot of readers that might be inclined to pay for the book after, or be enticed into and sequels. Kboards.com (kindleboards) also seems like a possibility, but it's kinda dead...
Any others...?
Do you have a website for the book? Or just a simple link I can throw on Twitter? I'm not super popular, but I know some writers who might pass it along.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
Awwww, thanks, man. Word of mouth like that is gold, so I really appreciate it.
The Amazon link is short and sweet: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OEK0HQE/
Wish I had a few more reviews up there, but it seems to be the preferred buying site for the book.
show me your skeleton
Member
so what is the consensus of flashbacks? so far my story opens with the main character on a journey/train to a city to start a new life, with everything 'in the present'. i'm playing with the idea of having her already there, with the journey being a flashback. the benefits to me seem to be i now have a time gap between the arrival and the start of the book where relationships and mundane stuff can be formed that i don't have to cover or perhaps even explain. what are your thoughts on the use of flashbacks?
Well, I just bought it for my iPad, and I'll toss out a recommendation on Twitter.
If the story *starts* with the journey, is it really a flashback or is the rest just a time skip?
show me your skeleton
Member
you just blew my mind.
i mean right now it opens with a train journey, a girl fleeing her family. she then arrives in a city and blahblahblah.
but i was thinking if the story started with her already in the city, certain relationships can already be formed and the reason/details of her leaving can be shown in a flashback instead.
i don't know if the weight of this decision is easily explained to anyone else, haha, but i know flashbacks can slow down pacing.
also maybe i don't know the true definition of flashbacks and time skips.
H.Protagonist
[-_-]/
You're awesome. <3 Every sale has a huge impact and the support means a lot to me. It started on GAF, and if I do get to go physical, it's definitely going to be because of GAF at this rate. Cheers. Hope you like it, and can't wait to see your devilish abecedary up next.
I think they can work, if used at the right ratio. Either use very, very sparingly (once or twice), or incorporate them as part of the overall story style. It makes sense those ways, I think, otherwise it feels like a cheap tool a lot of the time.
Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart.
On the plus side they are short enough to listen to just before sitting down to write. It boosts my motivation to write if I'm finding it difficult to sit down and do it.
Yeah, I think I just wasn't clear on how you were framing the question. In my view:
Flashback: Story is established in a given time frame -> Narrative cuts back to an earlier time frame -> Cuts back to the established time frame.
Time skip: Narrative occurs in chronological order, though significant amounts of time have passed between one section and another.
So in your case, starting the story with the train ride to the city and then jumping forward in time to where they're settled in and have a life there would be a time skip. Starting the story with them living their life in the city and then cutting back to their arrival would be a flashback.
In general, I think flashbacks should be used veeeeeerrrrry deliberately and carefully, or not at all. They can be useful for a reveal of the solution to a mystery or something (I.e. a character disappears and you later reveal what happened from their view or something), they can be part of the structure (each act starts with a flashback or something), but I think just randomly throwing them out there almost never works.
For point of reference, The Republic of Thieves is literally 50% flashback, so it's not like there's no precedence for published books using flashbacks extensively.
AngmarsKing701
Member
You're awesome. <3 Every sale has a huge impact and the support means a lot to me. It started on GAF, and if I do get to go physical, it's definitely going to be because of GAF at this rate. Cheers. Hope you like it, and can't wait to see your devilish abecedary up next.
I'll echo this. As an indie author, the most success I've seen has come from the GAF community, which is fantastic. Any reviews, tweets or just comments to friends saying "hey, try this out. It's good." really is the best marketing we could ask for.
And thank you again to the readers who have picked up my book. I really appreciate it and continue to marvel that I've written something that has provided entertainment to you.
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