writing a book

[jason longboard]

I am always messing with song writing,short stories and even several book ideas.I know the stories would be worth reading to a certain audience and I have a wide range of likes wich makes it easy for me along with a good amount of life experience and a huge imagination.I would love to do theater style stand up with music and stories but right now Ive got to be introduced to some good graphic novels too.My book ideas and such are always in the making but I have no clue how to even start with it.I mean I write or type it all in notepads and at the end I gather jokes,songs,stories and real life and mix it together for one big bang.WHo can direct me to the steps of getting it out their?Any real sites or real advice.Im not going to sell it on a resume because I did not go to school for any of this.However I promise you would rather read what Ive got then alot of what makes it to the shelves.Please help if you can.I need to find each step to be taken weather I want to do graphic novels or a regular book.

 

[tyl089]

Man I hear you, been wanting to write this Sci-Fi in my mind for over five years now, and got the basic story outline, beginning, ending, lots of details in the middle, but the dialogue is really screwing me up.

 

[jason longboard]

Man I hear you, been wanting to write this Sci-Fi in my mind for over five years now, and got the basic story outline, beginning, ending, lots of details in the middle, but the dialogue is really screwing me up.

how is the dialog screwing you up?See thats why I think I really have a nack for this.I think I could act good to but never got in to it.So explain the dialog thing.Im still learning the ups and downs,writers block gets me bad in song writing but not stories for some reason.Writing music on piano and guitar is a sinch though,just not the words always unless Im emotional at the time.

 

[zerelli]

Go buy a copy of Writer's Market. It is a hard back book with thousands of publishing sources as welll as guidleines for how and where to submit your work.

 

[Militis]

I wrote 6 storys before that had about 200-250 pages each but back then i had them on floppy discs. When we moved i put them in a safe box put heaps of ***ile stickers on it and then the mover droped the bloody draws on the box. I put the box at the top so it would be safe but no he had to drop the bloody draws on them pissed me off so much i won a few comps with the books .

 

[tyl089]

how is the dialog screwing you up?See thats why I think I really have a nack for this.I think I could act good to but never got in to it.So explain the dialog thing.Im still learning the ups and downs,writers block gets me bad in song writing but not stories for some reason.Writing music on piano and guitar is a sinch though,just not the words always unless Im emotional at the time.

I don't know what kind of things they should say. I don't know why either; it's like I can picture the whole story like in a movie, how it starts, what happens in the middle, and the ending; but because the story is kind of complex, I'm just having trouble filling in the extra dialogue.

What really sucks is I can't get this story out of my mind, and when I sometimes have free time, I'm just thinking about this story.

 

[cassharper]

Go buy a copy of Writer's Market. It is a hard back book with thousands of publishing sources as welll as guidleines for how and where to submit your work.

If you're thinking about the same thing I am, it's called Literary Market; and costs like $150... hit up the library.

I'm working on my book right now, (check out the blog that just got started www.ridiculous-universe.blogspot.com)

Good job though, most great writers never become great because of fear. If you don't ever take the first step, you'll never find out that you are the next Hemingway!

Google Publish America. Not quite what you would call a prestigious firm, but for a first book they'll get your name out there. Their royalties aren't bad they just cut me my retainer check and it was only slightly lower than some of the big houses rates.

 

[Oddball]

Sci-Fi (and others, of course) usually has several sub-plots that merge together in the finale. Try writing each sub-plot as its own short story then, deal with integrating them later. By concentrating on each small section one-at-a-time, you can fully develop each facet of the story so each can stand on its own merits. That's what keeps noses in books. And never worry about cutting material out later. Better to edit than regret it to keep the flow of the main story moving.
And don't give up. I only had one short story published by Orion Press out of many submissions. But, I gotta tell ya'. ...that "1" feels good.

 

[tyl089]

Thank you for the advice, been thinking also about chopping up the story into independent stories, but always wanted to keep it together; the research is also hard with technical terms and what-not.

 

[jason longboard]

thanks you guys,the fantasy one I just started is half based on hardships and emotions in my own life times but with a sin city type attitude without the porn and over abundance of gore.Ive spent some good time at bookstores and talk to everyone about what they like and dislike and it seems some of the likes are things I come up with well.As far as a regular book,also it would bring in my life stories but with all the fill ins it could have had to make it a fuller story.Im good at taking something small and taking it a million directions.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,As far as the being brave enough to try it,I am just sick of going through life knowing Im good at things like music and such and never doing anything with it,I hide within my hobies fearing to go all the way because I may waste too much time and money then loose what I got.Im so tired of living that way.Im feeling that the voice in my head that keeps taunting me with these ideas is trying to tell me more than I once thought.With stories,Im always most afraid to get ripped off and loose the story.Do you really just send it in and if they like it then your good to go?Can you just make one book and make some cash off it?They dont expect you to be the next King and put something new out every 30 minutes,lol.Also your right oddball,I bet just even the one feels good.That alone would be worth it but at the same time,I feel in my heart that something great is out their for me to really succeed at and Im tired of being fearful.Its the only aspect in life that frightens me,I would be just fine playing in a band in front of thousands but to have a book turned down,I feel like it would make me sick after all the work.I will check out what you guys said,thanks so much,so its really reachable huh?