also,I dont really chop it up to much but its just a notebook I keep in my car and right down random things throughout the day.I blend things so to speak but as far as once I sit and start writing,I complete a segment or chapter at a time.As you go you get ideas for later though so you must write them down at the time they come because once forgotten,you know the rest.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,hey on the computor if you want to type a rough draft of a book what program do you use?I hav windows xp media center.
writing a book
- Thread starter jason longboard
- Start date
you can self publish....A lot of book printers will take PDF's of your book and print and bind it for you. If you self publish, anything you make from the book goes directly to you. If you have something really good, there are publishers that will buy you ideas from you....they will help with putting it together and everything, but then they will be making profits off of it is well. Some printers also have people that put together the cover and everything for you. You can get an ISBN number online as well as a barcode. Printing costs a lot of money, but if you are serious about putting it together and getting it on the shelves, then type it all up in a word document, send it to a PDF, and send it to a printer. I suggest getting it professionally proof-read as well.
good luck writing.. i used to write all the time and do poams... makes you really think ... so keep up with it, always make time for it...
Join a writers club. They are in your area. And on the net. You critique each others stuff. Practice, hang out and talk crap.
You can keep a record of what is yours and sent out by time stamp on computer or mail yourself a physical copy, and never open it. This is for court when you accuse someone of plagiarism. The judge opens the sealed envelope with the post date stamped on it and knows who wrote it first. Of course you could mail yourself an empty unsealed envelope then put someones work in it two years later and claim it as yours.
The clubs often pick a general idea or plot, then you all practice writing the same thing. So no ideas are owned or stolen. It's just an exercise. To practice skill.
And don't worry about it. All ideas have already been thought of. You have nothing new. The only thing thats new is how it is told. How many times do you buy a new ticket to see the same cops and robbers movie? Every time!
There are only so many keys on a piano, people pay to hear how you play them.
And think about it, If you kinda suck right now why would anyone take your stuff?
And publishers are not in business to rip you off. Or no writer would go to them anymore.
Material is only stolen by those who can't produce it themselves. They are never going to make a career on theft.
And if you can't pull more out of thin air anytime you want...you won't make it either.
You can keep a record of what is yours and sent out by time stamp on computer or mail yourself a physical copy, and never open it. This is for court when you accuse someone of plagiarism. The judge opens the sealed envelope with the post date stamped on it and knows who wrote it first. Of course you could mail yourself an empty unsealed envelope then put someones work in it two years later and claim it as yours.
The clubs often pick a general idea or plot, then you all practice writing the same thing. So no ideas are owned or stolen. It's just an exercise. To practice skill.
And don't worry about it. All ideas have already been thought of. You have nothing new. The only thing thats new is how it is told. How many times do you buy a new ticket to see the same cops and robbers movie? Every time!
There are only so many keys on a piano, people pay to hear how you play them.
And think about it, If you kinda suck right now why would anyone take your stuff?
And publishers are not in business to rip you off. Or no writer would go to them anymore.
Material is only stolen by those who can't produce it themselves. They are never going to make a career on theft.
And if you can't pull more out of thin air anytime you want...you won't make it either.
That sounds cool, i've never seriously thought about writing stories but it's been a thought for a while. If you're writing the fantasy or science fiction novel definitley read works by the masters of the genre. I just finished Arthur C. Clarke's Rama series novels and i really enjoyed them, the last book's chapters were quite powerful to me. You have to have a good story, good plot and great voice so you don't lose the reader. Also i recommend you don't run into pulp fiction in that you have a relatively generic story that is easily read and forgotten.
You can self publish,yes. But be aware that means you are also self promoting without the support of a professional publisher and all their contacts. You will not be added in anyones catalog. You will not be included as any kind of package deal.
So you'll really have to bust your butt. You will have to treat sales as a part time or full time job. And most likely you WILL NOT recover expenses, and forget about a profit. But if you just want to "get your art into the world"...go ahead.
You can ask stores to carry a few copies for you, and split the profit. But that means you have to constantly revisit those stores to collect your cash and restock the shelf.
So that limits your sales area to what you can actually get too.
Whereas if you landed a deal with a major publisher, BAM! you're international now. You get a smaller percentage per book, but you sell way way more.
Think of it like American Idol. A percentage of instant success is better than playing low rent bars by your self.
And you can just sell on the street, at coffee shops or schools or whatever. But that means you have to go out and sell, like a job.
But that's a long way off...practice,practice,practice.
Oh, the writing clubs are a great place to meet artsy girls. But be warned, Artsy=Crazy. So pick out a nice fake pen name now, and get used to using it in public.
If you do get to the point of sales, get your head on strait. This is a business. Art is art. Business is business. Forget that and you'll lose your shirt.
So you'll really have to bust your butt. You will have to treat sales as a part time or full time job. And most likely you WILL NOT recover expenses, and forget about a profit. But if you just want to "get your art into the world"...go ahead.
You can ask stores to carry a few copies for you, and split the profit. But that means you have to constantly revisit those stores to collect your cash and restock the shelf.
So that limits your sales area to what you can actually get too.
Whereas if you landed a deal with a major publisher, BAM! you're international now. You get a smaller percentage per book, but you sell way way more.
Think of it like American Idol. A percentage of instant success is better than playing low rent bars by your self.
And you can just sell on the street, at coffee shops or schools or whatever. But that means you have to go out and sell, like a job.
But that's a long way off...practice,practice,practice.
Oh, the writing clubs are a great place to meet artsy girls. But be warned, Artsy=Crazy. So pick out a nice fake pen name now, and get used to using it in public.
If you do get to the point of sales, get your head on strait. This is a business. Art is art. Business is business. Forget that and you'll lose your shirt.
