I’ve been working on a SF novel for several years now. The plot structure involves two interweaving storylines. The primary storyline is about an interstellar science expedition gone terribly wrong and about the rescue mounted by a few to rescue the others. The secondary storyline is a war story (human interstellar civil war) set years before the rescue story. The protagonist of the war story is the main rescuer in the primary story. Something that happened in the war is driving him on the rescue–though he might not be there to actually execute the rescue.
I’ve gotten advice on its execution from several lesser-known but well-published novelists; one said to avoid the dual-plotline altogether (possibly because of my lack of experience) and one said to at least give it a shot. I’m 75k words into what may end up 120k-130k.
I’ve also written numerous short stories, though they were all just diversions or exercises while working on the novel. I submitted one short (a comical piece about the dark side of job security due to relativistic time-dilation) to Hubbard’s Writers of the Future contest and got nothing more than a nice handwritten note in return. I also submitted two shorts to a very small semi-pro anthology in NY and was offered publication if I’d make a few changes. The changes would’ve turned both stories into completely different animals (one was a story about quiet, sad little personal victories amid a society’s greater loss; they would have changed into a whiz-bang ID4-type extravaganza). I declined the offer without hesitation. To my surprise, I liked my baby more than I wanted it published.
I have one novel in the works, as well as a book on ethics. I think that someday I will will publish both. I was working furiously on both of them when life jumped up and bit me. I’m going to be VERY busy for about a year with a new job in Chicago, so I won’t be doing much writing for a while.
this post couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve been crying for three days.
I have a novel completed and have been shopping it around for well nigh to two years with only a few nibbles to let me know it’s even marketable and good (even though I, of course, love it).
last week an agent sent me an email saying they really thought it was great and wanted to talk to me about marketing it. We set up a time to talk, with one minor detail…we never got it straight who was to call who, and never connected.
I got an email from said agent on Monday saying basically I blew it and now they have no time to consider me.
My one big chance.
all I had to do was say…should I call you?
and I didn’t
I blew it and now I’m miserable. I can’t do it for another two years…I just can’t. It’s the most frustrating career on the planet
if they really thought it was good they’re not going to drop you like that. No one lets gold slip through their fingers because they had to wait another week for it to come to them. One of a two things has happened:
They really like the story and they’re trying to rattle you so they can secure a better end of the deal when contract negotionations start.
It’s not a reputable agent and they claim to love everyone they can and see what nibbles they get. They could very well have loved you and left you without ever bothering to read your work.
Don’t take this badly. Write them back and tell them that you still want to meet.
I completely empathize with your position. Next week I find out if I get my first national publication, or my first official rejection letter. Cross your fingers.
Right now, I don’t have the will to wake up in the mornings, much less write anything. When I work up the energy to patter feebly at my keyboard in non-SDMB matters, I decide to work on my series of almost-related short stories. They’re related enough that they can become chapters in a book if I cement them together properly (think Jesus’ Son for an idea of what I’m going for), though I don’t know if that’ll ever happen…
my diary (in German - no - my grammar and spelling is not as bad in my native langauge… )
I will be damned if anybody would be stupid enough to publish the shit (all about mental stuff)… but at least a magazine contacted me… (it is online at the moment…) but if moving works out I ll send it to a few publishers before I leave…
but then I guess every 18 year old in this god damn country has sent one or two scribblings to a publisher already so they wont be pleased to get mine … :rolleyes:
wow… that post made even more sense than I thought…
not the magazine is online - my diary is… and
"but if moving works out I ll send it to a few publishers before I leave… " sounds a bit… gibberish too… I guess…
I am hoping to move to England in June or so… so I d send the thing away before I leave…
You are both welcome. Perhpas some new blood will revive interest. I still haven’t received any feedback on the one story I posted there. [sub]or perhaps people were following that old “if you can’t say anything nice . . .” maxim.[/sub]
So, do folks want to restart the Yahoo club, or just keep going here?
I drew a diagram of my town last night. The night before I drew a floor plan for the house my main character and his family live in. I don’t know how common it is to do that, but I find it very helpful. Otherwise, when I describe people’s movements, or that they’re standing at point X and looking at Y… I can’t keep things consistent. And then I notice the inconsistency and it drives me nuts.
The house was a fun challenge. P. lives with his extended family in a house the men built by hand. This means the house is relatively small, but has to have places for many people to work, eat, and sleep.
I wish all of you the BEST of luck with your projects! If you get them published, be sure to let us know, and I’ll go buy a copy!!
I am a pretty good writer (my 2 greatest accomplishments: a rejection note from OMNI magazine with a handwritten note from the editor telling me that they couldn’t use the story I’d submitted, but to please TRY AGAIN! And a creative writing professor from my college days telling me that I was more likely to be a published author than any other student he’d ever had… ), but I’ve given it up (at least for now…) because I realized that I have NOTHING new to say! EVERY story idea I have has been done before, and MUCH better than I could do it…
If I had to name one thing that I really regret in my life, it would be that I lack in creativity…
Astroboy14… just because you don’t have orginal ideas you can still write them. That’s what I do… mainly I find my ideas are influenced by every book I’ve read before and a strange mix of bits and pieces. Eventually something interesting will come to you smiles
)