Jul 19 2009
Open Writing Forum
I'm a former assistant editor with advice about how to write novels, comic books and graphic novels. Most of my content applies to fiction-writing in general, but I also provide articles specifically about superhero stories.
What would you like to talk about?
Question for novels: If you’re writing in close third with the hero as the POV character, is the only way to show the main antagonist to have them come into contact?
Is there any way to do it without having multiple POV’s throughout the book?
For example, in my first novel, my hero goes undercover to thwart the main bad guy, this way, we can see a lot of the bad guy because the hero is in close proximity to him throughout the book.
But what if the storyline wasn’t like this? How would I show what the villain was up to without switching POV? I’ve tried to read books to see what other writers do, but most of them are written in more than one POV, which is something I don’t really want to do if I don’t have to.
Thanks for any help you can give.
1. You could have the hero investigating the villain’s deeds. We don’t see explicitly what the villain is doing, but we see evidence of it and we can infer what’s going on.
2. You could have rumors leak out. Everyone on the street has heard third-hand stories about how the Kingpin just brained a diamond supplier. No one’s sure why the Kingpin is suddenly interested in diamonds, but that’s the Kingpin for you…
3. You could have the hero (or a side-protagonist like a cop) undercover in the villain’s organization. You’ve already used that, though.
4. The hero has some sort of extrasensory perception. At the most cliche, this is something like a crystal ball that actually enables him to see what the villain is doing at any given time. More likely, the hero has something like the ability to paint glimpses of the future.
5. The hero hears second-hand accounts of the villain’s actions from someone that would definitely know. For example, if he captures a henchman and interrogates him. Alternately, one of the villain’s victims would probably have reliable information about the latest attack. Why did the villain let the victim get away? Probably to send a message to the hero. (Also, because killing hostages is seriously bush-league. When a criminal kills a hostage, the likelihood of him getting out alive drops tremendously).
6. Depending on what the villain’s cover-story is, you could have it featured prominently in the media. The Daily Journal is reporting that the grand launch for Dr. Mallow’s revolutionary cosmetic application is in two weeks. Isn’t that neat? (Obviously, the hero has to have some reason to suspect that this innocuous event is actually a cover for the villain’s scheme).
7. The media might report on a crime that was committed by the villain. They may or may not know that the villain was the perpetrator.
There is one superpower related question that I’ve always wanted to know the answer to.
If a shapeshifter shifts into another human being, would the shapeshifter’s DNA remain the same or would the DNA change to mimic the person who the shapeshifter became?
Whenever I ask people this question, they stare at me for a little while, then say that I should get a hobby. Anyone know the answer?
- Wings the Weird
Well, one would assume their DNA changes . . . but that leaves how it gets back. Hmm. Okay, I have no idea.
At least you aren’t staring at me. But I think that if they change back to their usual selves it would return to normal??
And I have been told I sound get a hobby after asking this question. It is true. Asking random questions is my hobby, people!
- Wings the Random
B. Mac, thanks for those suggestions. It’s so much harder to do when you’re in close third because you can’t just jump to the next scene with the supervillain like you can in a comic or movie.
@ Wings: Shapeshifters vary greatly in how their powers work, and I don’t really think there’s a set answer to this. Let’s look at some examples of shapeshifters.
1. Beast Boy (Teen Titans), he can turn into any animal in the world (and apparently alien animals and talking microorganisms…), when he changes form I’d assume his DNA changes along with him.
2. Mystique (X-Men), the most famous shape-shifter in superhero…dom… When she changes into someone she really changes into someone. I’d guess her DNA changes too.
3. Ben 10, his watch gives him the power to turn into 10 (actually more like 20 now) aliens, the show explicitly states that his DNA changes along with him. (alien DNA? I’d like to question the science behind that, but I won’t)
4. Candace (Heroes), minor character from season 1, her powers aren’t really shape-shifting, more like illusions. She can make anyone experience anything she wants them too. She takes on the appearance of a hot girl, but really she’s fat. Presumably her powers don’t change.
5. Madame Rouge (Teen Titans), her powers are more like Mr. Fantastic’s than, say, Mystique’s, yet she once turned into Robin to trick someone. She’s made of rubber I think, so her DNA wouldn’t change, just her appearance.
It really depends on how their powers work, and how you’re examining the DNA. The same cop investigating Mystique’s and Madam Rouge’s crime would find totally different answers to that question.
I thought Mystique only changes her appearance. But the superhero Copycat is known as a genetic shapeshifter so she actually does change her DNA. I think it depends on how powerful the shapeshifter is. But that’s just what I was thinking. I could be wrong.
No, Mystique completely changes. That’s how she was capable of turning into a man and impregnating her lover, Destiny. That’s how Nightcrawler was born.
I’ve gotta question- comic book wise- I would like to know the best way to portray a spirit, or spirits(true antagonists) manipulating human villains (secondary antagonists).
This is mainly the theme for my villains in the storyline.
Love the website, keep up the good work!
Hmm. Do you mean the best way to show a spirit, show a spirit possessing a person, or something else entirely? I’m not quite sure what you mean.
So, how to visually represent it in a comic book? I suppose the best thing would be having the possessed person’s eyes change somehow, if you want to really tacky you can change the font their speech bubbles appear in. Or, if you want to be REALLY subtle you can change the way they move around, or have them act out of character. For example, a character that never apologises might apologise.
I’m not sure what the best way is, but I’ve seen it done before where the spirit is some kind of floating ghost-cloud thing.
When it’s possessing someone, they could have glowing eyes or maybe even a full body glow.
Unless you’re trying to be subtle…
I think a good reference here would be the show ‘Supernatural’, which features a lot of demonic possesion. For example, in Supernatural, whenever a demon’s been somewhere, they leave behind sulphur, anyone possessed by a demon has completely black eyes (with some exceptions) and demons outside bodies are shown as black clouds of smoke.
To those that can actually see the spirits, maybe they see a ghostly figure floating behind the possessed person. The person’s actions mirror that of the spirits. I doubt the spirits are visible to everyone so this could work.
Thanks!(Yeah, should’ve been a bit more specific.)
I mean, what is the best way to reveal to the readers that spirits are manipulating the humans, in a gradual sorta way. Basically I want to hint to the reader that the people who appear to be the main baddies are apart of a wider scheme plotted by the spirits.
I like Ragged Boy’s idea of the ghostly figure, but I’m sure if that would work if you are just trying to give the reader a hint that they might be possessed.
I think it depends on if the characters in the story can see that they are possessed.
If they can, then you should probably something like Tom or RB said.
But if they can’t you shouldn’t use those because it would probably make the reader wonder why the heroes didn’t notice that the villain had black eyes or that a ghost was behind him. I recommend trying something very subtle. It is only supposed to be hint after all, not a full blown giveaway. Or you could try changing something that only the reader would notice, like the dialogue font for the possessed character, though that may be a bit cliche.
Sorry if I’m misunderstanding any of this and I’m completely off track.
Thanks again. I’m thinkin’ that the demons will only be overtly noticeable if they:
A) Meet/fight with other demons or angels(secondary protagonists)
B) Have killed or will kill someone
or…
C) Have just possessed someone
Also the kids(14-16 year-old’s) are able to detect possessee’s (to quote Tom),
but only when they use their special abilities.
I’ve got a story idea playing about in my head that I want to look into after I finish my current Victor and Zoe novel (so in about, ooh, 10 years).
It centres around a team of superheroes with element-based powers. Spook, who has spiritual powers (channelling ghosts, stuff like that), gets killed and has to help the others solve his murder. Without them being able to see or hear him.
I’m not sure how I’m going to write it – or how Spook’s role is going to work – but I like the idea. What do you think?
I think that sounds interesting, but it might be a challenge to make Spook help without being able to be seen or heard. There would have to be some way for him to interact with the world still. I think it would be cool if it were written from Spook’s point of view, but that might be hard seeing as, well… he’s dead.
Yeah, I’m still thinking about it. One of the group’s family members (or Spook’s) would probably have weak psychic powers which he can use to influence them a little.
Holliequ, I got an idea,
What if Spook connected with a person’s mind, or talked to them in dreams? Maybe he uses metaphors or puzzles to get his ideas through? I think that’s something to consider, or at least look at.
Perhaps Spook uses Rebuses (or is it Rebi?).
Here’s an example. I like the middle example best.
Anyway, that’s one way to keep him from being seen or heard.
… Awww… The link didn’t work in the line above… Here’s the example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RebusEscortCardsCirca1865.jpg
I like it. I suspect he would be able to move stuff in the real world. If he couldn’t then he wouldn’t be able to do anything.
Do you guys think these 3 points(A,B,C) are good enough?
Does somethin’ need to be added to this in general or taken of?
Note: This is not at all going to be as overtly gloomy as Supernatural (in my opinion),
Because it centers around the development of the primary characters(the kids) in
the midst of the war between Heaven vs. Hell. So far.
Holliequ, if you want him to be an influence in the story(though dead), try having him narrate in captions if its a comic, or have him do an omniscient narration at the start of each chapter if its a book(check the start of each chapter in the Ender’s Game series for reference).
I think there should at least be some period where they are visible outside of possession.
Oh, thanks Ragged Boy I forgot that one.
Based on my research(I’ve used the Bible as reference for angels and demons),
this is a list a the abilities that demons have.
- Possession(obviously)- In the Bible, they have been known to possess humans and animals.
- Superhuman Strength- In the book of Acts where one demon totally trashed the SEVEN sons of Sceva.
- Shadow Manipulation- Not recorded in the Bible but it would be interesting to add.
- Fire Manipulation- Also not recorded but thrown in for the sake of variety.
- Precognition- Also recorded in the book of Acts where a possessed girl had the power of precognition.
- Probability/Reality Manipulation- They can create psuedo- miracles and illusions
What do you guys think?
Actually at the rate I’m going it would be better to ask for my own review forum,
but I don’t know if you guys do it for comic book storylines… and I am no good at scripting a comic book(yet).
Besides, I don’t how frequently I’ll be able to add to it and I’m not sure if I want to reveal specific parts or characters in the storyline(forgive the paranoia).
Actually, I’m very paranoid about the specific details of my ideas.
Hi, Asaya.
1. We have done review forums for comic books. For example, Ragged Boy is nearly finished with the script for his first issue. However, most of the stories we work with are in the planning stages, so it’s fine if you’re working with concepts rather than a script.
2. We can help you with formatting the comic book script.
3. If you’d like, I can set up a password for your review forum. That way, you’d be able to control who had access.
4. Infrequent updates are not a problem.
Okay, I’ll take you up on that offer! I just need to know how to do the password details. Yes, I’d like to have a review forum, please.
Ok. The forum is here. It doesn’t have a password yet. E-mail me one at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com and I will set that up for you.
I wanted to ask whether it is wise to break the fourth wall in a novel? Is this going to help, or will it land you in trouble?
It’s hard to say without knowing more about the circumstances. What did you have in mind?
My initial impression is that will probably be too intrusive for a novel.
If you do, you REALLY need to know what you’re doing. Something subtle like Agent Orange saying ‘now who would want to read a book about us? That’s crazy!’ would be fine, but if he said something like ‘Why did that happen? Oh well, I guess it must be lazy writing’, then you’ve got to be careful.
Fourth wall breaking usually only works in the context of a spoof, otherwise it feels really uncomfortable. But it depends how far you intend to go.
Sometimes, characters are genre-savvy. They know the conventions of their genre. Other characters are genre-blind and they stumble into the usual traps. For example, if you look at this scene, the villain is genre-savvy: he knows that security cameras are a wholly ineffective way to try to keep tabs on a superhero prisoner. This doesn’t directly break the fourth wall, but when readers see the montage of Agent Orange’s escapes, I want them to think “I’ve seen that movie before!”
That’s not really breaking the fourth wall, it’s more like making a dent in it.
It’s not the same as a villain saying ‘you can’t beat me, we’re not even halfway through the book yet!’
Hmm. I guess you could be more blunt by referring other media. For example, maybe the characters watch a really awful superhero movie and draw on it later at an important point.
When i first read the so-called ‘comic masterpiece’ Akira, I was amazed and kinda disturbed. While it retained some ultra-original themes, it was SO GORY! I actually stopped reading after volume 5. I consider myself a Japan-freak, but find that more recent western art-styles are now more manga-like. My own art style is kinda manga-sourced.
Am I alone?
I was manga sourced, I may still be a little. I think I’ve grown away from it now, though.
Gurion Omega! You’re not alone– Mangaka in the making here!
Not a huge fan of mange or anime, I respect (most) people who do like it, and it is good, just not for me. I’ll stick to my American comics and cartoons *hugs bugs Bunny and Spider-Man*
I’m also not a huge fan of anime and manga anymore. That’s why I tried to separate my art style it. I also prefer american comics and (maybe) cartoons.
Actually, I still read both Manga and American comics, but, since I like to be original I also try to avoid having my art style resemble Japanese art styles.
I’m actually kinda self-conscious about my originality, Gurion Omega gets annoyed at me sometimes because I think my art style resembles like Masashi Kishimoto’s.
I like to describe my style as realistically proportioned, but not heavy on detail(like wrinkles, frown lines, mouth detail…)
I more into abstract proportions. Extended legs, larger hands, longer heads, etc. My latest trend has been blank eyes. Recently, I’ve finished two pictures featuring characters with no pupils.
Let me explain my previous query :-
I want to break the fourth wall in first-person view. I want the narrating character to address the readers directly. I’m not going to expose information not taking place within the story. I only want the narrator to address the reader directly using words like ‘you’, ‘your’ etc. Is this wise?
That’s not breaking the fourth wall at all! Narrators do that stuff all the time! It’s fine. But don’t do it too much.
I always thought using fourth-wall humor would be funny, but it doesn’t work for what I’m doin’. Oh, and to re-hash on what Tom said, if you use the 4th wall too much it might take on a slightly less serious, even humorous feel.
And another thing. Whenever a secondary character in a story has lost his importance, and there is little reason having them appear in the story, they have become useless and should either be killed off or phased out. After all, they do not help the plot, nor do they further the main character’s development.
By phased out, I mean maybe they retire or move away or something, ya know?
^Nice example of that is in Star Wars. Originally George Lucas wasn’t going to kill off Obi-Wan in episode 4, but then when he was thinking of the ending he realised that Obi-Wan didn’t fit anywhere in the picture, so he decided to get rid of him.
That’s why Obi-Wan appeared in ghost form so often, he was still needed for a couple of minor things after he was killed off (like telling Luke to go to Dagobah).
Great example! Or, like in Smallville, after Clark graduated from college(or high school, I think) and his adoptive Dad died, there wasn’t much reason to keep Ma Kent around since Clark is a grown man.
Oh yeah, and B.Mac?
Is there any way u can change the content of posts you’ve already written?
(Extra paranoia)I might want to edit a few things in my review forum.
Yes, I can edit posts or comments. When we set up our first volunteer moderators next week, they will also be able to edit comments.
Ohhh….
If the character is truly minor, you can usually just have him stop appearing in scenes. No one will notice his absence. On the other hand, sometimes a character is important enough that you want to bring closure to his departure without killing him off. In that case, you could get rid of him by putting him on a bus.
“I want to break the fourth wall in first-person view. I want the narrating character to address the readers directly. I’m not going to expose information not taking place within the story. I only want the narrator to address the reader directly using words like ‘you’, ‘your’ etc. Is this wise?”
I’m sorry to step on Tom’s toes here, but my assessment is that addressing the reader directly would be highly intrusive. I don’t recommend it for a novel aimed at your target-audience. That style of narration tends to work better with the 8-13 set.
Ugh, that TV Tropes place. I want to learn all of the different thing on there, like ‘retcon’ and ‘lampshading’, but there’s just so many.
Oh, and if my opinion is different to B. Mac’s, go with what he says, not me.
Well, there are many different approaches to writing. Disagreement does not necessarily mean that someone is wrong. Hell, Cadet Davis and I can’t even agree about whether GI Joe should have periods in it or not.
It can be done with or without, BTW. Everyone wins!
My impression is that things like that can be written with or without periods, like Tom says. Personally, I prefer not to add them in.
I just thought to drop these links to help fellow upcoming fellow artists. I found them useful, and I hope they will too.
(Of course, if the artists have already found their way to these links, then please ignore them).
http://danidraws.com/2007/12/06/50-facial-expressions-and-how-to-draw-them/
http://cedarseed.deviantart.com/art/Emotions-and-Facial-Expression-47118559
I really like that DeviantArt Link. It was amazingly helpful.
Glad you’re here, Dforce. Would you mind looking over the pages I’ve posted in my forum?
Manga!
Shonen?
Lol. Uh, B. Mac? I just now tried to post some stuff on RB’s review forum and it did not show up? Any idea what happened?
Gah! What happened B. Mac? I can’t seem to post a comment on Ragged Boy’s forum.
It was in the moderation queue. My guess is that it was either too long or that you used a word that contained a string of letters that usually show up in spam. (For example… cocky, analytical, analyze are common offenders).
Can’t Wordpress be formatted to count offensive words on their own and not as part of a longer word? It’s a bit stupid for an innocent word to land a comment in a moderation queue because it happens to contain a rude word as part of its composition.
I’m writing about superheroes from different parts of the world in my novel. I’ve seen and interacted with Americans in theatres, restaurants, parks etc., So I have no problem with American culture. But I’m completely ignorant about British culture. Are there any Englishmen here in Superhero Nation? Is anyone familiar with basic english culture. I don’t need many details, just some basic knowledge I should know before writing about them.
A large portion of the people here are British. Holliequ or Tom should be able to help you with understanding British culture.
It’s very difficult just to randomly come up with “a general idea” of British culture. Give me some specific situations and I might be able to help you out.
I think as a nation we’re generally pretty friendly. And rather obsessed with the weather.
@ Holliequ
I was rather concerned about the minds and attitudes of english people. Tell me about what you [not just you, I meant most englishmen] would do in these situations : -
(1) Your mother hates you
(2) Your girlfriend was killed
(3) You are being neglected by everyone around you
(4) You are disliked and considered as a criminal
What would you be thinking [sub-conscious behaviour, not the open sided one] in these situations?
Well, if you wanted your character to be more of a stereotypical Brit (since you’re writing for Americans, I gather), then the “stiff upper lip” thing would probably come into play. You know, just grin and bear it. That’s very old-fashioned and not too prevalent nowadays, I think, but I doubt anybody would mind.
As far as I can tell (I could be wrong), Americans seem to have a culture in which you’re encouraged to complain. I don’t think we have that mindset over here. So, the guy might try to find his own way out of the situation and only ask for help from close friends.
If he (or she) is considered a criminal, people will probably only talk about it behind his back. People would probably be perfectly polite to his face.
That’s my best guess. You’d probably benefit from getting the opinion of another Brit here, because I live in a small town so I haven’t exactly been exposed to a large part of British culture. I think culture is something that’s difficult to put into words.
Good luck.
I don’t think it’s really fair to say ‘this is how a British person would act’ unless you’re trying to be really stereotypical, and British people probably wouldn’t appreciate that. Remember the only person who speaks like the Queen, is the Queen. No one else in Britain speaks like that, and certainly no one else acts like her.
Think of Britain as the wannabe America. We’re completely obsessed with you guys over here (with the exception of sport, we hate your sport with a passion), so consider that. Like, 50% of our television comes from America, and 95% of our films.
On the America thing: we’re obsessed with you guys, but ask pretty much anybody and they’ll rant on about how stupid Americans are. Very strange love-hate relationship. It makes me giggle.
I’m not sure whether you could do anything with this, but Britain seems bigger on pomp than the US. The United States regards itself as more inherently egalitarian, which is one of the reasons we don’t have knighthoods or a monarch or any systematic structure of honors.
I’d also say that competition in the US is slightly more cutthroat and usually more meritocratic. I’m a fairly typical US businessman in that regard. If one of your employees has a problem, you owe it to your other employees and your customers to either solve the problem or get rid of him. That might seem heartless, but it works out better for the 90% of employees that are doing a good job.
I agree with Tom’s point on stereotypes, by the way. The differences between the UK and the US are probably not stark enough to suggest that a British character will necessarily act one way and that a US character will necessarily act another. On the other hand, if you were to compare a modern American to a Spartan, then some stereotyping is definitely in order.
*insert obligatory 300 madness/SPARTA!!! joke here*
Yeah, I do agree with you on stereotypes, actually. Probably the only big difference between American and British characters would be ‘Mum’ and ‘Mom’.
You know, I’ve kinda been interested recently in the differences between american and manga styles of storytelling, like compression and decompression. I read an article on a website about it once, but I don’t understand why some people are so aggravated about it. I tend to prefer decompression, it’s more like Style, to compression, which is like Function.
Being British myself, I can attest that British folk are a bit strange.
Apparently, there’s this book called Crap Towns. They had to print this second book, Crap Towns 2 because so many people complained that their town hadn’t made the first book.
Here’s a joke. An American and a British general are talking about bravery.
The American general says “I’ll show you American bravery. Private, go climb that building and jump off head-first.”
“Yes, sir,” said the private as he did so. He saluted the general as he was carried off in a stretcher.
“That’s American bravery,” said the American general.
The British general turned to his private. “Private, go climb that building and jump off head-first.”
The private said “go f*** yourself, sir.”
“That’s British bravery,” said the general.
Asaya, I don’t understand what you mean by compression and decompression. Like the amount of space used to tell the story?
Well actually, decompression and compression describe exactly how many panels it takes to show someone doing something in a comic. Decompression is usually more drawn out(like manga comics), and Compression is briefer and to the point.
If I knew how to post a link to another website I could explain better.
Haha, I have Crap Towns 2. My town was in at around 12th! No argument here…
Crap Towns has a Wikipedia entry!
Does anyone here do all their writing on the computer, or do you use a notebook and type it in later? I use the computer first and only scribble little ideas down in the margins of my schoolbook. I use it to come up with names a lot of the time. I’m particularly fond of Arianah; I might use that for Kamari’s mum.
Is there a way to give the protagonist good challenges and keep the story moving, but without an antagonist?
It really depends on the audience. You might be able to use some internal obstacle as the main barrier to the hero’s success. That’s fairly common in chick lit, but a few superhero stories have also used internal obstacles to some extent. Or you could use something like the environment as the main barrier.
However, in superhero stories, the two main obstacles are almost always 1) the cast of villains and 2) the hero’s need to keep his identity secret. #2 is mostly optional, but I can’t think of a superhero story that didn’t rely on some sort of antagonist. It doesn’t have to be a supervillain, though. The superhero might be facing off against a representative of some social view, such as a priest that preaches that mutants are indecent or something.
@RW: I do all my writing on the computer, but I have a notebook that I jot down names and ideas in. Sometimes I’ll plan stuff out in there, too. Actually, I’m on my second one now. My first is full, haha.
I have some pretty random quotes in there. One of my favourites is “It sounded like a robot sneezing!” I still intend to use that one somewhere.
also @RW
I do all of my writing on my computer. Anytime anything is going to be actually added to the work that I call my novel it is on the computer.
That being said, I absolutely cannot work out any of my plot problems on the computer. I have to have pencil/pen and paper for that or I just don’t get anything done. It involves a lot of arrows and pictures. Plus scribbling something out is MUCH more satisfying when something doesn’t work than just hitting backspace.
Planning seems to be easier written than typed. I have to know where I’m going when I type. Writing can turn in do drawing and when you are angry it does a LOT less damage to throw a pencil than your keyboard…
Where should I direct my request for a forum?
Kynnaston, I set up your review forum here.
Ah, sweet.
Now how does it work exactly?
Post portions of your stories and other people will review them for you.
figured.
sorry. dumb question
How to make sure the reader knows who is narrating the story in first person mode? Especially if there is a POV shift every chapter?
I’d say make sure that each character has a very distinct voice. If we know that a character speaks and acts a certain way, we will associate that with the character, making them easier to organize and distinguish in our heads.
Don’t worry about it, Kynna. I enjoy “dumb” questions because, more often than not, other people have them but aren’t brave enough to ask them. From a site designer’s perspective, it’s really helpful to know what sort of basic concerns people have. If people aren’t sure how to use a part of my site, that’s something I really want to know!
Well then, maybe you could make some kind of posting where you basically explain how the forums work and what to include. Just for the newbies and such.
Whoa. That article on customer service and answering questions (the link above) was pretty good. Is that something you’re looking for in moderators? I’d hope so, and I think its a must read for anyone trying to make a business (online or off). Thanks for the link.
If you are writing your novel on the computer, What software do you use? A simple word processor or a specific writing software? I am currently using Word ‘07 [It's fat, lazy and far from user-friendly]. I am thinking of buying New Novelist, but I don’t know if it’s worth. What software do you use?
I don’t see why Microsoft Word wouldn’t be enough. It may not be the best software out there but hey, it does the job!
I want a software which is perfectly user-friendly for non-techies and amateur writers too. It must especially be good in spell check and grammer check. It would be great if it can also assess the story and suggest improvements.
If you’ve got a novel going, yWriter is very much worth your time. I’m not sure for a comic book.
yWriter from Spacejock software? I’ll definitely give it a try. Thank you, Marissa!
I think Celtx or Word are workable for comic book scripts. For novels, I like Word 2003 because even the most technophobic publisher’s assistant can open a Word doc. With more exotic files, you never know. (I prefer Word 2003 to Word 2007 because it’s streamlined and more efficient).
That’s my main reservation about using Celtx to do comic book scripts. Will reviewers and publishers actually be able to open them?
I changed some settings with Word ‘07 and now I like it more than I ever did. I wonder if Word ‘07 has any AI [Artificial Intelligence] built in. It just did not point out the grammer/spelling, but also informed me about use of passive voice in my text, incomplete phrases, writing style, and ranked my writing out of 100 for reading ease. I recommend it for all amateur writers.
I too have grown to like Word ‘07. I found it horribly complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty efficient.
Mine points out grammar, but often misses spelling.
I have a question. Can a restaurant serve alcohol if some of the staff are underage? I tried Googling it but there wasn’t any useful information. I found stuff that says a young person can enter a pub if accompanied by an adult, but is not allowed to drink. If the boss was an adult and two staff were underage, would it count?
I want to know because I have a scene where Isaac’s shift goes quite late into the night and the last people there are having an after dinner drink.
Thanks!
Actually, teens hang out there, so they probably wouldn’t serve it anyway. Unless they had two areas; one with a bar, one without. Hmm. Does that sound like a good way to get around it?
In most US states, you have to be at least 18 to serve alcohol. (The legal drinking age here is 21). I was unable to get a job waiting at a local pizzeria because they sold alcohol and I was not old enough to serve it. However, they may have younger employees working as a cashier or a cook.
I don’t know what the situation is like in Australia. I’d recommend calling up a local pub or two and asking them whether they hire young employees.
Alternately, you could remove the alcohol entirely. For example, let’s say that Isaac used to be a cashier (because he wasn’t old enough to sell alcohol). When the owner tried to make the restaurant more classy, he stopped selling alcohol. So Isaac is now old enough to serve at this restaurant. If Isaac was happy with his cashiering job, he might not like that he’s been reassigned to waiting tables. (Having worked as a cashier but not as a waiter, I can vouch that waiting is much worse).
Okay, thanks! I’ll go through a few Googles and see if I can get anything.
I got nothing. I guess that instead of after dinner drinks, they can order a three course dessert or something.
That would mean rewriting a lot of stuff. I think I’ll just make it that the Crabclaw has never served alcohol.
I found something about it on a tourism site.
“The legal drinking age in Australia is 18 years old. A person under 18 years of age is not allowed to buy, supply or drink alcohol on licensed or regulated premises, even if they are with their parents or guardian.”
I guess that means it’s after dinner desserts after all. Oh well, it doesn’t really matter.
Thanks!
That sounds like an easy and effective fix. Good thinking.
Thanks.
I am having difficulty writing my superhero team novel. I am using first person narration as usual. But I don’t know how to effectively narrate with a drug addict and mentally retarded person as the POV characters. Any suggestions?
Well, unless the drug addict was high, they probably wouldn’t sound that much different to any other person. They might be thinking of their next hit, but otherwise, I don’t think there would be a difference – unless this is a long-term user and their mind has been really screwed up.
Someone with a mental disability is trickier. What sort of disability? If they’re autistic, they probably have a very specific way of doing things and find people difficult to understand (apologise if I’ve confused autism with something else here). If they’re mentally under-developed, they’ll probably just act younger than their age.
I would really recommend watching some films/reading books with characters who suffer from a mental disability like this.
By “mentally retarded”, do you mean autistic or Asperger’s syndrome or something along those lines, or just a plain insane person. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time had a mentally disabled protagonist, and it was really good. That would be my first place to start if I was writing a character like that.
If the protagonist is genuinely retarded, I’d also recommend looking at Flowers for Algernon. I’d caution that a mentally retarded character’s voice will be really hard to read, particularly if the story is in first-person. Along with the drug addict, having a retarded POV will really affect the tone and marketing of the story. I’d say that Flowers for Algernon worked because the character gets dramatically smarter over the course of the story.
Let me explain his insanity. He speaks to himself, does crazy things, kills people for fun, etc. He lives in his whole world. He is totally out of his mind.
It sounds like he’s psychopathic, not retarded.
That’s definitely psychopathic. There’s a difference between insanity and retardation. An insane person would probably be regressive and a bit delusional. When they speak they may focus on something particular that pertains to them, even if the topic is not about them.
Lady: Could you pass me the butter knife, please?
Man: Hmm, butter knife, I don’t really like butter knives.
Lady: Umm, why not?
Man: they don’t slice through things like butcher knives. Butcher knives exude power because they can mar things.
Lady: You’re weird, can I please have th-
Man: But a machete would be even better, reach and functionality. I’d be perfect.
That’s not the best example, but I’m trying to know that they focus on a particular aspect. For example, sharp objects were in focus here.
But, how do I narrate in his point of view [first-person]. If he were to say “I see things that don’t exist”, then he probably must be knowing what he’s doing. That is where I find it particularly difficult.
Does he know that he’s psychotic? And that he kills for fun? If he kills for fun I definitely think there is a level of conscientiousness in his actions.
I that case I would recommend using third-person narration. It’s very difficult to write a sociopathic character believably from a first-person perspective. If you want to really put across how screwed up your character is inside, seeing things and so forth, it might be better to have your character do the crazy stuff and let your readers wonder what goes on in his head themselves. Maybe give the reader little bits of his thought process. You could have another character find his diary or something.
The Joker is probably the most famous psychopath in popular fiction. Many great stories featuring the Joker don’t actually tell the story from his perspective. I think when people try to do that it makes the Joker more relatable and it takes away his insanity thing.
It’s better to show than tell, in this case. There was one Joker story, The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge, that I first read when I was nine, where the Joker was killing fishes with his laughing gas so that they would have his trademark grin. Then he killed a bunch of executives because they refused to let him copyright the “Jokerfish”. That story really creeped me out, but at the same time I really got into the Joker as a character.
Your character could be conscientious of his actions. I think that’s fine for a psychopathic character. Heath Ledger’s Joker was all about spreading chaos, but he really planned his heists and things very well. A crazy paradox, but it works.
If I’m going for a first-person narration, Is it okay to have only one POV throughout the novel, especially if the story is about a team of superheroes?
At first, I thought I could narrate the whole story with only one character as POV, but that would be giving more importance to that character, isn’t it?
It gives importance. I tell things in the POV of the character who has my favorite reaction to things. It’s just like looking through rose tinted glasses, anything red will look better, everything else will just be slightly off. Perception is 90% of reality.
If you are really going to write about a psychotic character, I’d recommend third person. Unless you really know what it’s like to go absolutely crazy. Readers might sense it’s false if you try to push it to do things in first person.
On a completely seperate topic. Does anyone have any advice about chapter length? My chapters at the beginning of the book are 20 some pages, but at the end when things get more intense they shorten to around ten. Is this okay?
I’d let B. Mac answer your question, Kynna, as I’m not out of even chapter 1 yet.
Coming back to my query, I plan to write using one of the sane characters as POV. But, that will give more importance to the POVC and less to other superheroes, doesn’t it? If that’s the case, Is it wise to overgrade one superhero [who is not actually the leader] and undergrade others?
Hmm. Kynna, I remember reading somewhere (probably here) that pages in word double when produced as a novel . . . so you’d have a chapter of around 40 pages. If that number’s right, I think that’s a little long. o.o
How many words will be printed on a page? It’s highly variable. Harry Potter 1 had 225 pages and 77,000 words. That works out to about 350 words per page.
Twilight is about 500 pages and 115,000 words. That’s about 230 words per page.
This site suggests that paperbacks will typically be printed with about 450 words per page. My impression is that 450 would be quite a lot, particularly for a youngish audience.
As for chapter length. 20 pages would be about 6000 words, right? That’d be a fairly long chapter. I’d recommend breaking that into a few chapters, particularly if you’re writing for readers younger than 30. As a rule, I’d recommend 1000-2000 word chapters for a book that is primarily meant to be entertaining or fun (rather than, say, deep or enlightening).
Using a single POV character in a book about a team of superheroes sounds like a good idea, actually. It’ll probably give you more focus. I don’t think it matters that the character is not the team leader. Being the team leader would not make him a more interesting character. In fact, given that team leaders are so often cliche, it might even make him less interesting.
What are some fantasy creatures who are cloaked and associated with darkness ? [Other than Wizards]
Hmm. I don’t think I’d associate wizards with darkness, actually. I’d go with shades, spectres, wights, ghosts, banshees, vampires, werewolves, etc. In particular, vampires and werewolves only come out at night.
Banshees? “cough cough” lol kidding
but ye Banshees have been depicted in gray or white cloaks
the old hag as well
Hobbits dwarfs and such
Fantasy creatures who are cloaked and associated with darkness? Hmm… there are loads. The Grim Reaper, for a start. Sith Lords? lol, joking. Umm… Well if we ignore the cloak bit for a second, ghosts, demons, harpies, shadow people, shapeshifters, Bigfoot (lol).
Wow, There are lots! On a more specific note, I wanted to give my antagonist the name of a dark fantasy creature due to his mysterious nature and hooded appearance. I was considering Shade, but I think its already used in Eragon.
Any suggestions?
P.S – My antagonist is a male.
hmm
Nosoul
Shadowsteper
Lokie
Anubis
Dark
You can’t use Shade!
…He’s going to be a minor antagonist in my show…
How about ‘Reaper’ for his name?
Nah, Reaper is overused. Also, I want the name of a fantasy creature. I don’t want a name for a fantasy creature. No hybrids please. It would be great if I could conveniently add ‘The’ in front of his name.
What about Omen? Technically it’s a fantasy creature (see Harry Potter), but it has other connotations in itself.
Goblin, troll, Death, Gorgon, minitor, trolls, gremlins, Harpies, Sirans,
Will ‘The Golem’ work? Is it anything associated with darkness or hoodedness?
Hoodedness, no. Darkness, not really. Dungeons and Dragons has had a few variations of golems that might suit your needs better, though. For example, bone golems are a bit darker. And he might wear a hood to conceal how horrifying his face/skull looks.
A golem isn’t really associated with darkness or hoodedness. The impression you get from a golem is more of brute force and slavery which I doubt is what you are going for with your character. My understanding of Golems is that they are giants made of clay (?) that do any task written on paper and placed in their mouths.
I can’t really think of any alternatives but I’d steer clear of things like gremlins, imps or goblins as they have become comic character types. While it might be interesting to do a bitter, twisted imp, having ‘The Imp’ as a title would give the wrong impression in my mind.
Skull? Yes because that’s never been used before…
I think this discussion has given me a good idea for a villain for my own work!
Hmm…I think it would be better if I provide some backstory about the antagonist first.
My antagonist is NOT a non-human. He only covers his face and is called by something named after fantasy creatures rather than his own name. This is because I don’t want the readers to know who the man behind the mask is until the end of the story.
I could describe him as a man who creates chaos for a personal motive than for controlling the world or to take revenge on the protagonist etcetera. He has his reasons but is evil according to the society and readers. Readers will generally disagree with his actions and see him as a fear factor for the most part.
So the fantasy creature thing was out of choice. Really then I’d recommend he didn’t have a fantasy creature name, because if he was called Shade you’d expect him to be walking through walls, turning invisible and possessing people (which is what my character does). If he’s human a name LIKE Skull would be appropriate because there’s not an expectation that he’s actually a skull (except not Skull because that’s horrifically generic).
I see nothing wrong with just calling him ‘The Hood’.
Oh, wait, I do. He’s the main villain in Thunderbirds.
How about Set? The Egyptian god of chaos.
Or Guile?
Odd occurrence.
I was looking through my drawing portfolio and across a picture of three futuristic mercenaries that I made up. Next thing you know I have three pages of a story with them on Word. I like it so far, I may expand upon it.
Has anyone ever caught themselves writing out of nowhere? A story that you hardly planned at all that just popped into your head. You just had an idea and started writing.
I think The Hood is already taken by Marvel Comics, which is notoriously sensitive about protecting its copyrights. Also, calling someone a hood has a distinctly gangsta connotation that probably does not fit the character very well.
I know I’m a horrible role-model when it comes to staying focused, but I’d recommend sticking with something until it’s done. Then, when you have downtime on that project, you can come back to other things. Writers only get paid for completion.
Barrow-wights were shadowy creatures from Tolkien’s Ringverse and I believe they had cameos in the Narnia books as well. I think B.Mac already suggested this, but I’d like to add that they are severely underused and come with no cliches attached.
Or you could use Wraith, but the words wight and wraith have identical meanings in fantasy literature.
I am stuck between ‘The Goblin’ and ‘The Wraith’. But I think about Noddy when I think of Goblins and Prince of Persia when I think of Wraith. Will readers think like that too?
I think The Wraith is pretty generic. I think of the Ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings when I see Wraiths. The Goblins are a bit different. I think of small, impish cannibals with green skin. “Goblin” doesn’t have that dark, shadowy feel.
Success! Score one for the ability of assimilation. I fooled an native Englishmen with my own fake English accent. I know all out English people are like “Yeah right!”
But I did. He was a sub and I came up with this bogus story about how my mom was American and my father was British. He totally believed everything. Who knows maybe it was just him, but I think my accent is pretty believable.
After it was over I revealed my actual voice. He commended me for my authenticity and its refinement and that was it. I didn’t do stereotypical stuff like say “bloody” or other british slang so he didn’t catch on. Although, I got a little nervous when I had to say “saturday,” I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to leave out the T or accentuate it, I accentuated it, is that right? Is it open to interpretation?
What do you think about that? I’m coming for you, England.
I’m not sure about the voice, but after two years of editing our comments, I’m reasonably sure that I could write for a UK-English publication. If so, that would probably be the strangest job skill I’ve gotten out of a website explicitly aimed at American authors. Hmm…
On the saturday thing, RB, it depends where you’re from. If it was me, I would say it more like “sah’urdee”. But my Mum, who has our version of no accent, pronounces it as it’s spelt.
I’d love to see your impression though.
It sounds like you did a really good job.
I’ve heard that your accent can vary depending on where you live, similar to America. I think I’ve heard that northerners have a more regal accent, while southerners are more casual.
It’s the other way around. ^^ Trust me on this one.
I learned the accents by listening to:
Nigel Barker
Twiggy
My wife, Lily Allen (Pick up her new CD!)
Catherine Tate
Thandie Newton
I got the southern, more regal accent when I compiled them into my own voice. People say I sound like a preppy brit boy. One of my other friends accent is much more loose, so I’m guessing he got the northern end of the stick.
The Queen’s incredibly posh accent doesn’t exist outside of Buckingham Palace. The famous ‘British’ accent exists to a certain extent in London. But outside of London accents vary greatly according to region. I’m not sure but I think I heard that the UK has the largest range of accents in the world. It’s certainly at least one of the largest ranges.
A good example of this is the TV show Doctor Who. The 10th and current (for now) Doctor is played by David Tennant. In the show he adopts an accent I would call ‘normal’. But I’m from London so I don’t know how other British people would view it. But when you hear David Tennant speak in real life he’s got a fairly heavy Scottish accent. And if you look back in time a bit (lol, no pun intended), the ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston, had a good Northern accent. If you don’t watch Doctor Who, look back at Heroes season 1. Christopher Eccleston played the invisible man, Claud Raynes.
So, yeah, there’s no such thing as a ‘British’ accent. It all depends on the region.
Sean Connery is famous for having a Scottish accent in all his films, even if he isn’t playing someone from Scotland. But I’ve never heard a Scottish accent like his (except when people make fun of him). Is Sean Connery’s accent typical?
Well, it might have been typical 60-odd years ago. The only Scottish accent I know is Frankie Boyle, one of our famous stand-up comedians. And he’s Glaswegian. His accent probably isn’t typical either.
That said, I love Sean Connery’s accent. I don’t care if it’s not typical, he can’t change it ever!
Oh, and Tom, I disagree. Whilst we don’t have a single British accent, I still think the London one can still be representative. Americans have a lot of different accents too, but the one we hear most often in films is their idea of a non-accent. I think. That said, I think people underestimate the number of regional accents there are over here.
That’s a fair point. But my point kinda still stands. There’s a lot of ‘British’ accents.
Yeah, us Americans have a slew of accents, usually based on place:
New Yorker
New Jersey
Bostinian
Cajun
Southern
Western
Cali Valley (Oh my god, like, whateveeeer)
There are probably a few that I missed, but you get the point. I have a slightly southern voice and its really deep. I hate my deep voice.
Oddly, when I go English my voice gets higher.
I’m Aussie-born, but my accent isn’t Australian. I think I sound more like I’m English, because of my parents. People are always asking me when I came from England and it’s really annoying.
This only happens once every few years, but I actually found a book that I could into. It’s call The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen. The title doesn’t feel related to the story in any way, but its forgivable. It’s about a boy who on a hiking trip and stumbles into a blue light that transports to another time on another planet. He has to learn to survive in new natural terrain. I’m up to the part where he has been accepted into a village, but now his village has been captured by another, more advanced, village.
I need a little help from our English associates here.
What is some very common british slang?
Poppycock! Err… maybe it would be better to ask someone that is actually familiar with UK English.
I got some common British slang. I’m not sure whether it will be displayed here because it might contain some inappropriate words. So, I’m posting it separately as my next post.
B. Mac, if the post containing the common British slang does not show up below this post, kindly check the moderation queue and approve it.
[B. MAC ADDS: You think we have British slang in our spamlist? Not bloody likely.]
absobloodylootely: absolutely
after: bars open after normal closing time
all over the gaff: unorganized
arse: butt
arse-over-tit: drunk
ballistic: wild
bangers: sausages
barmy: crazy
behave: more! (Think Austin Powers.)
bob: shilling
blimey!: Oh geez!
bloke: a male
bobby: policeman
brilliant!: great! awesome!
cabbage: a slow person
cack: crap (What a load of cack, mate!)
cakehole: mouth (Shut your cakehole!)
Charlie: crack, cocaine
chips: french fries
chunder: to throw up
ciggy: cigarette
claret: blood (They were copping it up, claret all over the place!)
cop a feel: to feel someone up
to cop it: to get in trouble
copper: policeman
Crikey!: My God!
damage: cost
Dicky: feeling unwell
doddle: something easy (It was a doddle to get the Charlie.)
dodgy: shady
done over: beat up (He was done over by that bloke.)
Doris: a plain woman
dosh: money
duck and dive: to run from the police
earner: a dishonest laborer
eppy: a fit
faced: drunk
five finger discount: shoplifting
flim-flam: crap (Cut out this flim-flam, you wanker!)
flippin: freakin’
folding: paper pound-notes
For crying out loud!: For God’s sake!
Frenchy: a french kiss
full monty: the entire take, all that is desired
funny farm: a mental institution
gab: to talk a lot
gander: to look at
geezer: an old man
get the nod: to get permission
git: an unlikeable person
gob: mouth
goppin’: gross
greaser: a 50’s style person, usually a man
grub: food
gutted: choked up (He was gutted at the funeral, mate.)
hacked off: annoyed (He was really hacked off at that copper.)
having it off: a term for intercourse
headcase: a nutcase
hold it down: keep the noise down, control yourself
hooter: nose
ickle: small, tiny (I like that an ickle bit, mate.)
iffy: doubting, doubtful
in stook: in financial trouble (Your uncle’s in stook, mate.)
inside: imprisoned (Barry’s inside again.)
jammy: lucky
jar: a pint of beer
jock: a Scottish man
jugs: breasts
juiced up: very drunk
kick it off: start something, a fight with another Brit perhaps
kip: sleep (I need some kip, mate.)
knackered: tired
knock-up: to wake someone up
lairy: loud, brash
larging it: to live large
lip: smart talk
loaded: very rich
lock-in: a term for late-hours in a pub
lolly: money
lost the plot: gone mad (That nutter’s completely lost the plot!)
malarkey: stuff and nonsense (What a load of malarkey!)
mate: address for a friend
mental: crazy
miffed: fed up
minger: an unattractive girl
mint: great condition (That’s mint, mate.)
mitts: hands
monkey: 500 pounds
moose: an ugly girl
mullered: drunk
munch: food (Time for munch, mate!)
naff: nasty, in poor taste (That’s naff!)
nipper: a small child
nosh: food
nugget: a pound coin
nutter: a crazy person
offie: a place where off-license alcohol is sold
off your face: very drunk
out of the tree: nuts
parky: chilly (Parky weather today.)
plank, a fool
ponce: a slacker
ramped: drunk
rat-arsed: drunk
readies: cash on hand (Have any readies? I’m all out.)
ruck: a fight
rug: wig
salt: a loose woman
scrounge: to begg food, materials
shafted: screwed, betrayed
shag: sexual intercourse
shell-like: ear (Can I have a word in your shell-like?)
skirt: a young woman
snog: a french kiss
squire: a term for a working man
sussed out: figured out
tanked: drunk
toerag: a tramp
tom: a prostitute
tooled: drunk
top!: wonderful
trainspotter: a nerd, geek
trots: an upset stomach
up for it: enthusiastically available
up the duff: pregnant
wank: to masturbate
wedge: money
wind up: to tease
Cheek= very rude
dirty begger=rude person
crud buckets=oh no
theres hundeads more trouble is british slang changes all the time so its hard to pick what means what
I got a question that needs to be answered.
In India, English (UK) is the official language. But Since 1970s, people began imitating Americans and hence most started speaking American English. Being born in India, I am a hybrid and I often [if not always] mix up US and UK English. Is it okay to write like this?
@Avi: It depends on the voice. If it’s the narrator’s voice you should steer clear of slang in general. If it’s the voice of a character, well, it depends where the character’s from. If s/he’s from England, use British slang, if s/he’s America, use American slang, if s/he’s like you, mix it up!
@Ragged Boy: That long list of British slang was good, but you must consider class, gender, age, location and even race when using the slang. Some are universal, some of those words are reserved for working class middle aged men, some are only used by Londoners, there’s a lot only used by Northeners, and I know of a few words not on this list only used by Jewish people from Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester!
I can tell you that from that list, I have HEARD the following used:
absobloodlylutely
arse
ballistic
bangers
barmy
bob (it means money in general, but it’s an item, so something costs a few bob, not much bob)
blimey!
bloke
bobby
brilliant!
cakehole
chips (this isn’t slang! This is the correct term for them! I don’t know why Americans call them French Fries)
ciggy
cop a feel
copper
Crikey!
damage
doddle
dodgy
Doris
dosh
flippin
For crying out loud!
full monty
gander
geezer
git (this is just a generic insult)
gob
grub
gutted
headcase
iffy
inside
jugs
kip
knackered
loaded
lost the plot
malarkey
mate
mental
minger
mitts
mullered (but I heard this used as a term for ‘lost a fight’, e.g. ‘he got mullered!)
naff
nipper
nosh
nutter
ponce (but I’ve only heard it as a generic insult)
ruck
scrounge
shag
snog
sussed out
toerag (but I’ve only ever heard it used as a generic insult, not to describe a tramp)
up for it
up the duff
wank
wind up
The rest I’ve never even heard. So it depends on what your British character’s background is.
Avi Arun asked: “In India, English (UK) is the official language. But, since the 1970s, many people have imitated Americans and started speaking American English. Being born in India, I am a hybrid and I often (if not always) mix up US and UK English. Is it okay to write like this?”
First, a big caveat: I know very, very little about Indian publishers or the Indian market more generally. However, if you’re writing for an Indian publisher and many other Indians blend US and UK English, it probably won’t be a problem. (Especially if your characters are Indian).
Tom responded: “It depends on the voice. If it’s the narrator’s voice you should steer clear of slang in general. If it’s the voice of a character, well, it depends where the character’s from. If s/he’s from England, use British slang. If s/he’s American, use American slang, if s/he’s like you, mix it up!”
I agree that you have a lot more leeway with Indian characters. If the character’s voice needs to mix American and British slang to be realistic, then do it. However, if it’s just an American and he starts using British slang (or vice versa, to some extent), then an editor might wonder whether you know what Americans or Britons actually sound like. However, when it comes to Indians, I think editors will cut you a lot more slack because you have the added credibility of actually being Indian.
Also, Tom. “If it’s the narrator’s voice, you should steer clear of slang in general.” I agree that it would be highly intrusive for a narrator to use slang. However, some books do really well with intrusive narrators. In particular, I’d feel pretty comfortable making a pitch about a slangy narrator if my target audience was middle-school males. “No, he doesn’t sound like he’s been college-educated. And he shouldn’t…“
hey guys i found this link if it works i thought it might be intresting for ya
http://z8.invisionfree.com/DAcademy/index.php?showtopic=735
@ David: What the heck is that?
@ Avi and Tom: Thanks for the slang. To be honest I was mainly looking for slang for personal use, but I may create an English character later, so thanks, mates.
Wow, David! That was a very confusing (and long) form of note taking. There are some good points though.
RB, if you’re looking for English slang, I definitely suggest you decide where your character is from. I’m from a more northern part of England, and I’ve never heard of some of those words, never mind used them.
That said, I can’t believe ‘fit’ wasn’t on the list! That’s probably the most commonly used slang word I can think of. It can mean hot (“She’s so fit!”) or, in some places, great/amazing (“This drink tastes so fit!”).
Ace, mint and wicked can also be used to say something’s awesome. Wicked is less commonly used now though.
I’d hate to throw off a discussion, but alas I have to ask: Has the concept of “theme” ever been adressed in any article here?
I’m trying to cement my idea of what it is and how to effectively use it in my stories, but I could not find anything here.
Hmm. In my mind, theme comes as a side-effect of writing the story. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of a theme and then built a story around it. I’m sure that happens though.
Well, from what I’ve read around you bring a theme then change it as the story forces you to, or watch it evolve– but sometimes can stay static throughout the piece.
Before, I thought theme was excavated by teachers and such; now that I’m slightly more informed on the subject, I see you try to go along with what you’re trying to show– but never tell.
I have stories and themes come up in my head hand-in-hand, but I wasn’t sure if I, the author, made sure to put the theme there or if it just flowed into the story. What I thought is kinda hard to explain but I’m clear on it now. (Sort of).
To be honest, I never really knew what theme was. Could someone elaborate please?
A literary theme is the message, moral or lesson of a story. In a superhero story, it’s usually either a message to the audience (“Guns are bad! Don’t do drugs! Be yourself!”) or a statement of the hero’s moral code. For example, Spiderman’s code tells us why he is fighting (with great power comes great responsibility) and Superman’s code told us what he is fighting for (truth, justice and the American way), and the Punisher had “You look like a criminal, so I’m going to butcher you.”
It’s not too subtle to come out and explicitly say what the hero’s code is. Superman did it back in the 1930s and Spiderman unveiled the “great responsibility” line in the 1970s. Since then, the audience of comic book readers has aged and they tend to expect a bit more subtlety. However, it does help to give us a clear idea of the hero’s values. What does he believe in? Are we meant to root for him? Will we? (We’re probably not meant to root for the Punisher, but most readers do anyway). Do his actions line up with his rhetoric? If there’s a discrepancy, what are we supposed to make of it?
Themes can also mean the morals/life-lessons of the story, but those are usually aimed more directly at the reader. As a result, a moral or life-lesson is usually preachy and annoying. In particular, please stay away from the following life-lessons:
–Be yourself! (Ick).
–Drugs are really bad!
–Guns are really bad!
–Diversity and understanding are really good!
–There are some things Man was never meant to know!
–My hometown is cooler than your hometown!
The way I see it, themes go a little further and try to reflect one’s opinions on life.
E.g. : “Guns are dangerous because they fuel war and sorrow and only beget more violence when in the wrong hands.” Or… “The lack of diversity leaves bland and erring ideas to flourish, which leads to the stagnation of science and ingenuity.”
Or am I throwing smoke? (I don’t think so, but I’m no literary expert).
Gee, Dforce, you sure can be broody.
Hmm. I’ve always thought themes were simpler, but I always considered the most effective themes to be ones the audience wouldn’t neccesarily agree with. Or at least those tend to be the most interesting ones.
Thanks RB, I’ll take that as a compliment.
Most Indian publishers are not natively Indian. eg., Scholastic, Harper Collins etc. So, they are just like any other publisher. Also, my characters aren’t Indians nor Americans nor British. I don’t specify their race nor hometown in the story.
Another Doubt – Can I only publish the book in India? Are there any limitations? Most Indians are Computer Geeks, so they probably have very little interest in literature. So, If I want my book to be successful, I mustn’t publish it here.
Again, I’d suspect that you know your home market better than I do, but I think that the local branches of international publishers will be staffed mostly by Indians. They can probably predict (and will care) whether your characters sound believable to an Indian audience.
Hmm. I’d recommend considering publishing first in India. You could publish elsewhere, but I assume that you’d be most relatable to Indian audiences.
This next point will probably sound a bit counterintuitive, but hear me out. If you would like to write for an American or British audience, I think it would help to set the story in India or a fictional place that is clearly modeled on India. I think US readers are more receptive to foreign authors that write about their home countries. Part of the charm of Harry Potter was that British boarding schools are mostly unknown to US readers, so it’s kind of exotic. Likewise, the Chronicles of Narnia are mostly set in Britain and the heroes are all British. If you pitch your story to an American publisher, I’d recommend that you address the relatability problem and counter by laying out an argument that you will be more exotic and fresh.
Thank you, B. Mac! You totally inspired me.
I’ll set my story in a fictional nation modeled on India. But what aspects of India must I concentrate on?
More British slang:
Ace: Awesome, wonderful. (I personally say this one a lot)
Afty: Afternoon. “You going down the pub this afty?”
Aggro: Aggravated.
Alright: Used as a greeting, short for “are you alright?”, which is in turn a variation of “how are you?”.
Bog off: “Leave me alone.”
Dead cert: Certain. “It’s a dead cert that the Castleford Tigers will win.”
Pony: Twenty pounds.
Innit: Isn’t it? Also exists as “innee” (Isn’t he?) and “innshe” (Isn’t she?).
Innit and variations are more accent than slang, I think. I say that one all the time, but only because I automatically blend my words together.
I’ve never heard afty, aggro or pony.
Aggro is also used a lot in Australia, mostly by teenagers. We have a variation of afty, “arvo”. I learned the term “pony” from watching Only Fools and Horses . It’s a very, very good show.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Only_Fools_and_Horses
Another thing I have often heard/used is the word “meself”, a variant of “myself”. For example: “I’m not too fond of chili, meself”. It’s not necessary, but is used anyway.
Only Fools And Horses is awesome.
Oh yeah, meself, got that one. And ‘us’ instead of ‘our’. “Can we get us coats?”
Or maybe that’s just me.
I swear some of that isn’t slang. e.g. Alright. Is that only used colloquially?
“Can we get us coats?” I use that one, too.
AA, if you’re writing for American audiences, I’d recommend working in a few aspects that will be simultaneously understandable but fresh. For example, Harry Potter looked at a boarding school, which is familiar to Americans but really rare in the US. In your story, I think two elements that will translate well across national borders are journalists/newspapers and superheroes. We’ll be familiar with the concept, which will give you more leeway to make it Indian without making it confusing to Americans. Hmm, I hope that helps.
… However, because I’m not well-versed in this situation (authors publishing first in a foreign market), I’m not entirely confident in my advice. I’d recommend getting a second opinion before making any substantial changes to your manuscript or publishing plans.
I’m not completely familiar with foreigners myself, so I wouldn’t know which aspects are understandable to foreign audiences. Will it be okay for you if I can post some random aspect and you rate and review it?
Sure.
Thanks, B. Mac!
I think politics is a very popular subject in the US. So, I’ll describe Indian Politics in this post and I’ll let you review whether it will be suitable and understandable for foreign audiences.
Politics
Indian politicians can be picturized as war hardened, tough men who will do anything to secure their seats (Yes, even shooting the opposing candidate is not a problem). Their campaigns involve promises that can never be fulfilled. Can you believe this? Indian politicians guarantee complete development of the country within a month or two if people voted for a particular party.
I am not sure whether there is a similar type of government in the US, but India has someone called a Chief Minister for every state, who governs over the particular state under the direct orders of the Central Government. In state affairs, The Chief Minister has more authority than the President himself.
Also, In India, The Prime Minister is the topmost authority and not The President. The Prime Minister appoints the President and moniters over the entire Government.
So, is this understandable and relatable to Americans or Britons?
Computers
This is so essential in India that it needs an individual category. I’m going to use this many times in my story. I will exaggarate this section and make it wackier in my novel. I have the confidence that I can make this absolutely relatable to the American and British audiences, but I still wanted approval.
In a nutshell, ALL Indians have something to do with computers. It’s a necessity here. I got some nice joke on the Internet hat will explain this perfectly.
5 ways to recognize an Indian Engineer in you!
5. You have ever taken the back off your moniter just to see what’s inside.
4. You rotate your screen savers more frequently than your car tires.
3. You have more friends on the Internet than in real life.
2. You can remember seven computer passwords but not your anniversary.
1. You introduce your wife as mylady@wife.home
How to milk a cow the Indian way
1 . First prepare a document when to milk them (Project kick off)
2 . Prepare a document how long you have to milk them (Project plan)
3 . Then prepare how to milk them (Design)
4 . Then prepare what other accessories are needed to milk them (Framework)
5 . Then prepare a 2 dummy cows (sort of toy cows) and show to client the way in which u will milk them (UI Mockups & POC)
6 . If client is not satisfied then redo from step 2
7 You actually start milking them and find that there are few problem with accessories. (Change framework)
8 . Redo step 4
9 . At last milk them and send it to onsite. (Coding over)
10. Make sure that cow milks properly ( Testing)
11. Onsite reports that it is not milking there.
12. You break your head and find that onsite is trying to milk from bulls
13. At last onsite milk them and send to client (Testing) 14. Client says the quality of milk is not good. (User Acceptance Test)
15. Offsite then slogs and improves the quality of milk
16. Now the client says that the quality is good but its milking at slow rate (performance issue) 17. Again you slog and send it with good performance.
18. Client is happy??? By this time both the COWs aged and cant milk. (The software got old and get ready for next release repeat from step 1) !!!!!
————————————————————————————————————————————–
Are Americans/Britons like this too? They can easily understand/relate to this, can’t they?
Indians are bloody misers
They never spend a penny without considering atleast a thousand times. Again, I have a joke for you because it is easier to understand that way than plain text : -
Good Ol’ Barber
There is this good ol’ barber in some city in US. One day a florist goes to him for a haircut. When he is about to pay the barber, the latter replies: ‘I am sorry, I cannot accept money from you. I am doing community service.’ The florist is happy and leaves the shop.
The next morning when the barber goes to open his shop, there is a ‘Thank You’ card and a dozen roses waiting at his doorstep.
This event is repeated till an Indian software engineer goes for a haircut. When he pays him, the barber tells him, ‘I am sorry, I cannot accept money from you. I am doing community service.’ The next morning, when the barber opens his shop, he finds a dozen Indians waiting for a free haircut.
Hmm. I have a few concerns. Here’s the short version:
–Interest/relatability. How much will US readers care about Indian politics? How easy will it be to relate to the characters and setting? (Harry Potter, for example, was very relatable even though boarding schools are almost unheard-of in the US).
–Most readers are scared off by politics. They see “politics” and think “propaganda.” Will this story seem like it’s pushing a political agenda?
–Why politics? The synopses you’ve introduced so far haven’t dealt much with politics per se (although police officers, firemen and the like have come up). Are you interested enough in this to write 60,000 or 70,000 words about it?
The good news is that there is some reason to hope that US readers would read a political thriller about another country. Patriot Games was a political thriller written about the conflict between the UK and Irish terrorists. (Incidentally, the author and main character were Americans). It was wildly successful. The bad news is that I don’t think there is a lot of exposure to Indian politics here. I consider myself exceedingly interested in politics, but I’m not even sure who the Indian PM is– is it still Singh?
For the purposes of relatability, I would recommend focusing less on the political ideas and more on the conflict. If this is the story with Clue, you have a journalist operating in a country where journalists may get killed if they get too close to the truth. Powerful people want to make sure that Clue dies before he can find out anything. Etc. It will probably be more interesting and relatable if the emphasis is on the thriller rather than the politics.
I hope that helps. What do you think?
Politics plays an important role in my story (Remember The Council?). But it only serves as a device to move the plot further and no deep political ideas are expressed.
P.S – Yes, the PM is still Dr. Manmohan Singh.
I have another query to ask while my previous ones are being answered.
What are some really good names for Fire, Ice or any Element based characters?
I don’t want convoluted names. I want normal human names that suits a element based character. However, please avoid common names like john, smith etc.
B. Mac, I feel the need to point out that boarding schools are almost unheard of here too. That aspect of Harry Potter was just as foreign to me as it was to you. It was things like setting sections in King’s Cross Station that made Harry Potter incredibly British.
Are you looking for a superhero name or a common name, Avi?
I’m not too surprised, Tom. Books that depict life in Europe tend to make European life seem as senselessly charming and quaint as an antique shop. A French character will eat in cute little cafes, for example. (Umm, if you wanted to write about a character eating McDonald’s, why not just make him an American?) I feel that Americans are especially prone to over-romanticize life in Europe because that’s the way that Hollywood usually depicts European life.
Additionally, an American writer that travels to Europe may get a mistaken impression of what life is like there. He does that sort of touristy stuff and then he assumes that the locals live like he did.
I’m not entirely sure, but it looks official. Batman is actually dead in his main continuity. DC recently stopped production of Nightwing, Robin, and all other Batman affiliates, and have started Battle for the Cowl. In January or February, DC released Whatever Happen to the Caped Crusader? following the events of Batman’s death. I didn’t think the day would come, but it has. It’s about damn time.
I’ve read Issue 1 of Battle for the Cowl and it’s looking pretty good.
Just a random newflash from The Ragged Remains Newletter.
Hmm. Why are you pleased that he’s dead? I was under the impression that you liked the darker, moodier fare.
Relatedly, I think I surprised a co-worker when I told him how excited I was that Captain America finally got murdered. Marvel might finally be over its Vietnam Syndrome! (That’s clearly too much to hope for, but killing Captain Angstica is a good start).
I love the darker, moodier fare. I can’t wait to write my first dark piece, but I’m heavily opposed to old age. Batman’s youth deteriorated, and like an old dog, he needed to be put down. Besides, I’m not sure how much more they could do with him without going into crazy storylines. I wouldn’t want Adrian to last forever; his acting career would end at some point and he would die protecting Earth from some savage alien menace.
And another thing, his death appeals to me more because I like dark and moody things. What’s darker than death? What moodier than the young protagonists wracking their brains over what to do?
It’s a personal thing. One of my biggest fears is old age. The body failure, dementia, and worst of all, the skin, the horrid leathery skin. It’s scary. No offense to anyone’s grandparents or parents.
I thought Captain America died a long time ago, in the Marvel Civil War.
Was he resurrected? I hate when they (Marvel and DC) do that.
Nah, I was talking about his death in Civil War. As far as I know, he’s still dead and so I’m still pleased.
I thought you were Pro-American. You didn’t feel any symbolism for Cap. America? Or was he an overshot like Superman?
Ehh. If you’re really concerned about the quality of your skin, I’m sure there are different treatments to keep it fresh. I’d be much more concerned about the loss of energy and esteem/respect. When I’m 50 and my company wants to run with some absurd Twitter-like fad, my opposition may be seen as evidence that I’m a “dinosaur” or that I need to be “put out to pasture,” like some animal that’s not productive enough to feed anymore.
Also, I think writers do their best work from around 30 to 50, when they’re old enough to have learned the rules and to have developed their own style, but young enough to be hungry and to have something left to prove. Also, later in life the senses tend to dull. For example, I have one possibly apocryphal story about a very old Jonathan Swift. He was reading through one of the books in his library that didn’t have a name on the cover. He said to one of his servants, “This is pretty good. Who wrote this?” “You did, sir.”
On the plus side, I think that death and the fear of death propels us to achieve while we can. That sometimes comes up in my work. For example, Jacob Mallow is terrified of death and aging and that’s what leads him to try to uncover mysteries better left to God.
I’m not particularly worried about getting old. Sure, there are mental illnesses, but there are ways to prevent or lessen the effect. A crossword a day keeps Alzheimer’s away, or so I heard.
I would never resort to any form of cosmetic surgery unless my face got burned off with acid.
If you want to kep your skin young, I have three words of advice: don’t get sunburnt. Not only does it lead to various types of skin cancer, it also causes early wrinkling. I look like Edward Cullen because I deliberately avoid getting burned. There’s always fake tan, but I’d rather embrace my natural appearance.
I think Australians are generally much more savvy when it comes to avoiding sun-damage. Is it true that the sun is much more likely to cause skin cancer in Australia than in the US or UK?
No matter where you are in the world, the sun can damage your skin. Skin cancer is one of the most common types in Australia, but that’s mostly among younger people who frequent the beach. Still, anyone can get it.
Following the Aussie government’s campaign of Slip-Slop-Slap (Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat) greatly reduces the risk.
Even on a very cloudy and rainy day, the ultraviolet radiation can still worm through. While it won’t cause as bad a burn as it would on a sunny day, it still causes cancer.
It’s especially advisable to cover up any freckles or moles, as they are often where the cancer starts.
I need some normal names, NOT superhero names for fire and ice based characters.
Also, is there any other element other than Fire, Ice, Water, Wind, Lightning and Earth?
Is Water and Ice based characters very similar?
I’d recommend using names not linked to their power. For example, my character Cable controls ice, but his name has nothing to do with his power. If you want something linked to their power, type in “names meaning fire” or whatever the character’s element is and choose one.
I guess light, darkness, and the ability to make plants grow would count. (I’m just rattling off Organization XIII’s powers. Haha.)
Ice and water based characters have some similar aspects, but are different in a lot of ways.
An ice user could use ice for transport, like Frozone in The Incredibles .
A water user could drown someone from the inside out.
An ice user could create weapons out of ice. This is what Cable does.
A water user may be able to create tsunamis and whirlpools.
Perhaps try Aidan or Adena ( both meaning “little fire”) for a fire character and Calder (“cold”) for an ice character.
I think characters who have real names related to their superpowers feel a bit campy. It’s like Ghost Rider’s real name being Johnny Blaze. Of course, if you could make the names relate to the powers less obviously, as Easter eggs for more observant readers or something, that would be alright. But I would suggest going with whatever name suits the character him or herself.
(1) Currently I have 7 elements gathered…
Fire, Ice, Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Sound
Is this enough for completing the whole novel? Any more elements? What is darkness exactly? How does someone control darkness?
(2) Is it necessary for a fire based character to be tough, short tempered and his favorite colour being red?
(1) The Chinese consider metal and wood to be elements as well. Light could be there too, probably. Since darkness is the absence of light, you can’t really control it, but most characters with darkness powers usually use darkness as a form of energy.
(2) This is probably why I stay away from fire based characters. If you have one of these, please don’t make him or her tough, short-tempered and red-loving! It would be nice to have a fresher take on a character with fire-based powers. Make him or her a good character who happens to have fire-based powers.
I feel Metal and Wood are odd. Sound seems to be plagiarized from Naruto. Ice and Water sound too similar. So I’m going to omit Sound, Metal, Wood, either Ice or Water. I think I can include Light and Darkness if I could get a nice context in the story.
So, Currently I have 5 elements in mind :
Fire, Ice/Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth.
Tell me which one to omit out of these. Ice or Water? Also, suggest me some reasons why Light/Darkness can be helpful in a story in general.
“What is darkness exactly? How does someone control darkness?”
In Kingdom Hearts , darkness is a key plot element. The whole series revolves around a literal battle between light and dark, and also nothingness. It’s a bit hard to understand if you haven’t played the games, but basically it goes like this:
Darkness is not just shadow, it’s an actual moving thing that can be shaped, warped and controlled. Every heart has darkness in it which is caused by sin or strong negative emotions. This darkness can consume someone’s heart, and when it does a creature called a Heartless is created, consuming the person’s body.
The Heartless control darkness because it is what they are essentially made of. Ansem – the Big Bad Guy of the first game – is able to do a lot more than the weaker Heartless. He can use it to summon them to use as a distraction or bodyguard, teleport, create spheres out of darkness and throw them, make a portal appear under someone’s feet so they get teleported somewhere else, make a black hole type thing to pull people in and injure them, and so on.
Don’t forget him Guardian, that thing was bad-ass. “Come, open your heart to darkness.” Organization XIII stretched the definition of elements to include Time, Gravity, Moon, etc.
I think you should omit ice. Ice isn’t a legitimate element like water, in fact, ice is a subset of water. On Avatar, when someone created ice it’s still considered water-bending. Besides water kicks ice’s ass any day.
If you wanted to be really technical, lightning is actually a subset of wind, and isn’t a legitimate element either. But I’m sure most people would let that slide.
“I would never resort to any form of cosmetic surgery unless my face got burned off with acid.”
Geez, you guys make me sound more superficial than I already am.
All you earthy, nature-y types. I’m not going to lie, old age scares the crap out of me. For some reason, I’m pretty sure my mind and body will be okay, but the skin, I need my skin. I’d probably use cremes and crap to fix my face, surgery would be a last resort. That’s right I condone cosmetic surgery. Sure, it’s risky and you can end up worse than you started, but you take that risk when you lay on that table.
If you want to know about elements, see Avatar: The Last Airbender. It’s pretty much the ultimate in the ‘four elements’ stuff. In Avatar, ice, steam and even plants are all considered waterbending, lightning is part of firebending, metal is part of earthbending. (bending=manipulating the element) Oddly enough, air didn’t have any of those ’sub-bendings’.
Also, in my story, one of the main characters can control fire and ice, his arch nemesis can control lightning and air, later in the series his foe’s henchmen gain the ability to control water and earth, and later still people gain the ability to control metal, light and plants. 9 ‘elements’ in total, even though if it were Avatar four of those would be considered a ’sub-bending’ of another element. (Don’t worry, there’s a meta-origin for all of the powers.) Also, where light is concerned, it’s basically the power to shoot laser beams.
“In Avatar, ice, steam and even plants are all considered waterbending.”
That’s way Water is the frickin’ best. If used the right way, water can toppled all other elements. Aquarians unite!
Also, check this out:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ElementalPowers
I got a few concepts for a new story. I will only be working on the most effective one. Please help me decide which plot is comparatively more appealing.
Note - I haven’t decided character names yet. So, I’ll use letters of the English alphabet to represent them. A, E, I, O, U, H, Y are women, all other Consonants are men.
(1) B is a successful movie star. A is an aspiring journalist. A’s father C secretly runs an organization that tracks and kills mutants. B falls for A and uses his reputation to woo her. B discovers that he can bend time. B records his ability to manipulate time when filming. B shows the video to A who thinks it’s computer generated. A shows the video to C because he does not believe her when she says a movie star loves her. C sends his men to find out B’s weakness. C’s men report that B needs to focus really hard to bend time and he gets tired very easily. C uses A to divert and trick B when his men could get to him. Then begins a cat and mouse chase….
(2) This is much simpler and manga themed but only partly planned as of now. B gets his Doctorate at the age of 25 and is recognized as one of the world’s biggest scientists. B gets greedy due to power. To avoid totally becoming evil, B creates a clone of himself, parts his soul and transfers all his evil thoughts to the clone using Memory Grabbing Procedure. He sends the clone to a city far away from his own. During the course of the story, the good B gradually becomes evil and the evil B becomes good.
The first one is certainly workable but the second doesn’t work for me. B seems like an idiot for creating an evil clone of himself and simply sending it away. If he’s recognised as one of the world’s biggest scientists, wouldn’t at least one person recognise him? Also, if he has seperated all of his evil thoughts from himself, how can he become evil later? If he is able to develop evil thoughts despite the cloning proccess, it seems somewhat futile. Sorry to be so harsh, I just really didn’t feel that story.
The other one is vastly more interesting and doable. It might be interesting to develop a sort of love triangle between A, B and C. Obviouslt A and C won’t have a romantic relationship but seeing B try to convince A that C attacked him could cause her to question her relationship with him. My vote isd efintately for the second option
Haha, Mr. Brit. I was reading through my comment feed and I saw something like “B seems like an idiot…” My first reaction was “That is not very friendly! I work very hard on this website.” Haha. Context is everything.
Haha, I should be more careful about what I write. Obviously no offense was meant and all the work is greatly appreciated
“Haha, I should be more careful about what I write. Obviously no offense was meant and all the work is greatly appreciated
…”
You are very welcome. The error was definitely all mine, though. Perhaps I should have started reading at the first word in the paragraph, like everyone else does. That would have made it painfully obvious you weren’t talking about me.
1 seems flawed because it relies on a major contrivance: that the person that ends up falling in love with the head mutant-hater’s daughter just happens to turn into a mutant. Unless your audience is very young, I don’t feel confident that will work. (On the other hand, if your audience is younger than 13, it might slip past them. For example, the title protagonist of Jake Long fell in love with a girl that happened to be the daughter of one of the main villains).
Here are some other thoughts and observations. (Also, I’ve replaced the letters with sample names so that it’s easier to keep track of genders and stuff).
“Brian shows the video to Alice, who thinks it’s computer generated. Alice shows the video to [her father] because he does not believe her when she says that a movie star loves her.” I’m not feeling this string of events.
First, it forces Alice to hold an idiot ball. The main reason she doesn’t believe that Brian has superpowers is because she’s stupid. If someone confesses to you that he now has superpowers and has video evidence to back it up, you’d probably be an idiot to dismiss his claims without asking him to demonstrate his powers in person.
Second, the explanation for how the father gets a hold of this tape feels flimsy. Instead of showing the father a tape that isn’t about how much Brian loves Alice, why not actually bring Brian to meet her father? If I were dating a movie starlet, I think my parents would definitely love to have dinner with her. At this dinner, I’d recommend having the father observe on his own that Brian is a mutant. That would make this part of the plot more coherent, I think. (It will also make the father look more competent and cunning).
I am not fond of #2. It doesn’t feel like anything is at stake. Also, if you knew that there was a totally brilliant, evil person out there, why would you just send him away? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. It’d be much more humane to make sure that he was constantly supervised and/or imprisoned, and more intelligent just to kill him on the spot. Finally, the main reason I think that #2 is not very appealing is the unclear character development. Is this character evil or not when he decides to create the clone? If he’s greedy/evil, why would he care about becoming totally evil? If he’s so smart, why doesn’t he have a better plan for dealing with the clone he creates? If he’s so concerned about becoming evil, why is that he becomes the evil one?
Would you say there’s a difference between American and British readers?
I would. For example, from what I’ve seen on this site, American readers seem to dislike a lot of details such as color. British folk will read the details and ask what color was such and such.
Also, I’ve been told that the beginning of my story doesn’t have anything at stake. I believe this is also an American thing (no offense intended– it’s just a view I have). You seem to need to have danger at the very beginning. British readers, and indeed any British novel I’ve ever read, has a buildup and lots of scenery details.
British readers aren’t as easily disorientated as American readers seem to be, especially with similar-sounding names with two completely different characters.
I dunno. That’s my view. What do you think?
There may be a difference between most men and most women about how much color is necessary, but I don’t think there is a major British vs. American divide. Among our UK/Canadian/Australian male commenters (like Tom), I haven’t noticed a lot of color. And, as far as I can remember, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a male reviewer of any nationality ask a writer to put more color into a story.
As for urgency… if you feel that British publishers are more open to stories where very little is at stake early on, please feel free to write accordingly. It’s your book and your career and, frankly, you should have a better handle on your home market than I do. I would, however, recommend consulting with a British author or editor about the pacing of your story. At the very least, you could ask a few of our readers from Britain, Canada or Australia.
I don’t think there’s a significant difference between American and British readers. Especially not to that level, and especially not in this day and age, where Britain is becoming slowly more Americanised… I mean Americanized.
“I mean Americanized.” Good call, sir. Your sense of humor is top!
Haha. I tend to switch between using Z and S in words like that. It’s probably because of an Aussie upbringing and exposure to primarily American media.
Cool. Thanks for the input; I’m getting back to my writing.
By the way, how are all your stories coming?
Hmm. I feel like I could finish my nonfiction query any day now. I just need to do the table of contents and assemble 10-15 pages of my writing for a sample chapter. Given that I’ve already written the content, this is something that I could do in under four hours if I just sat down and wrote it.
Tom and R.B. know more about the status of their projects than I do, but I feel that they are very far along. My guess is that all three of us will have submitted our works within three months.
I’m rewriting mine into third person. It’s going to take a while, but so far I’d say it’s at least seven times better than my old version.
I’m really struggling with mine. I just can’t seem to finish chapter five. I’ve been working on some chapter outlines, though, so hopefully that will help. I’m at least a year from completion, give or take.
I’m probably at the stage where I can go to a production company and ask for a chance to pitch, I’m just struggling to find someone to pitch to. It’s very difficult for a nobody to even find a way to contact production companies.
So, my 1st story seems more appealing as of now. I got another concept. Please rank all the three giving necessary reasons and advice. I’ll use the sample names used by B. Mac to refer to the characters.
(3) This has a more fantasy feel. During the dawn of the universe, there were about a hundred men who wielded great cosmic powers and can only be killed by one another. Out of these men, Brian was power hungry and killed all the others and took all their powers. Brian was uber powerful and lived an eternal life for over a million years. In present day, Brian feels that his powers are a curse and comes to Earth to lead a normal life. He gets a job and falls for Alice who feeds Brian with good emotions. Slowly, Brian becomes more and more human. All these factors and Earth’s unusual atmosphere makes his powers weaker day by day. Brian feels happy about this but soon things go bad. Cruger is a strong believer of legends and had a strong hatred for Brian since his childhood. He believes that he is the greatest grandson of one of those 100 sacred warriors. Surprisingly enough, Cruger can absorb brian’s powers when he is close to him. With pure revenge in mind, Cruger begins to hunt Brian.
It sounds like something I would read, maybe even a good movie.
This is the introduction of my novel, redone again.
This time, I’ve started with Cara in her room to focus on her conflict with her dad and hopefully the pressures of being a princess.
In Otherworld, Cara princess of the Banshees stood in her room gazing in the mirror. It was her birthday and a huge party was being held in the court yard outside as excited as she was about her birthday she knew alcohol would be there and her father would be drinking and it made her angry, he continued to drink even after the tragedy, she took a deep breath and straitened her purple dress. Walking to her bedside cabinet putting on her gold pendant her mother gave to her years ago and varies rings and bracelets, taking one more deep breath she passed her mirror again looking in to it “come on Cara keep smiling keep up the royal image even if your father will be drunk” she sighed and headed outside.
I think this opening is an improvement of the previous one. With this opening we get a look into Cara’s mind and personality. I’m very glad that you didn’t describe her appearance in the mirror.
“It was her birthday and a huge party was being held in the court yard outside as excited as she was about her birthday she knew alcohol would be there and her father would be drinking and it made her angry, he continued to drink even after the tragedy, she took a deep breath and straitened her purple dress.”
-This is a very long sentence and a bit awkward.
-You make a reference to her birthday twice, you only need to do this once.
-Why would there be alcohol at a party for a child (by Banshee standard)?
-I think some details can be cut out for length.
I have more to say, but I have to go. Seeya.
I didn’t realize about the birthday thing, sorry. And as for the alcohol, well…
(1) I need it to fit in with the story.
(2) It’s called mead. It’s what they drunk in those days. Oh, yeah. There’s a lot of adults there as well, so there’s alcohol for them.
You can probably justify the drinking by saying her father will probably open up his personal liquor cabinet for the adult guests. That would sound better than it just being there. Just having it be there would make it seem like the young kids were drinking it too.
Fair enough. By the way, when you get a chance, don’t forget the TT site or our RPG.
Please read my previous post and review. I need your reviews to be pacy in my work.
I’m not really feeling it. I don’t really like the ‘love cures everything!’ theme that seems to be going on. But I don’t like romance in general, which is probably the main thing.
I also don’t really like the antagonist. His motivation isn’t very convincing. He wants to kill Brian because he’s a descendant of one of the 100 warriors? I also think it seems like this would be too easy for Brian to win. Never mind that his powers are weakening, if he’s the only survivor out of 100 warriors he’s got to have other things going for him.
Unless he only survived by ducking and hiding whilst the other killed each other off, which is the same way a certain Timelord survived the destruction of his race… That way, the antagonist could actually find (to his surprise) that he’s more powerful than one of the original 100. Maybe Brian’s power level is only 8999 whereas this guy is 9001.
The 100 men didn’t kill each other off. Brian killed each of them. So, obviously Brian survived all that.
Anyways, I am trying to write a Epic type superhero story, hence I added many fantasy elements. If this can be done in a different way, kindly explain.
“During the dawn of the universe, there were about a hundred men who wielded great cosmic powers and can only be killed by one another… Brian comes to Earth to lead a normal life.” Where are they fighting if not on Earth? (On another planet? In space? In some sort of extra dimension?)
“Brian killed all the others and took their powers… Cudgel believes that he is the greatest grandson of one of those 100 sacred warriors.” If Brian killed everyone else, probably not.
I assume that Brian, like the other warriors, is a member of a nonhuman species. Besides the 100 warriors, are there any other members of this species? If not, then how could Cudgel be a descendant of them?
How does Cudgel find Brian?
I would suggest a minor retelling to this story to make it slightly easier to follow.
The story starts a few thousand years ago, at a time when many cultures were producing kickass heroic legends (Hercules, Gilgamesh*, Cu Chulain, whoever else you can think of, etc). The heroic myths are actually most factual accounts of what your 100 heroes are doing. I think that’ll make it easier for you to explain where/when these characters are vying for power, and also how one of the heroes was able to have a descendant without Brian finding out about it.
*Gilgamesh predates most other heroic myths, but that probably won’t matter.
What do you think?
@ B. Mac
Here are the answers to your questions. I’m not getting defensive, but these are just the things I didn’t care to mention because what I posted was only a summary.
(1)Where are they fighting if not on Earth?
They were fighting on Earth. But, after Brian* acquired many powers and eternal life, he left Earth and explored across galaxies.
*LOL, This is NOT going to be the final name of the invincible predator
(2)”Cudgel believes that he is the greatest grandson of one of those 100 sacred warriors.” If Brian killed everyone else, probably not.
ROFL, I never imagined such an obvious plot hole. any suggestions?
I assume that Brian, like the other warriors, is a member of a nonhuman species.
You are wrong. I always mentioned them as ‘hundred men‘. These warriors, including Brian, were one of the first humans. They served as the basis for the idea of gods.
How does Cudgel find Brian?
Again, I need help on this one.
Yours Truly
Do you carry a notepad with you when outdoors to take notes for your work? or Do you have a handheld that serves the purpose? Do you think Blackberry is the writer’s best companion? or Do you think a simple notebook will do?
Aha, I can answer this question! I have a notebook that I carry around with me wherever I go. If I see something that would make an awesome story idea, or a good line, or a great name, I write it down. On my hand if I’m temporarily separated from my notebook. I have two, actually, though one is full. I filled the last page with random trivia. For example, did you know dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors? I have vowed to one day write a story based on that fact. I’d probably have to become funny first.
For some reason, I can only write in these notebooks in red pen. Anything else just makes my brain short-circuit.
Well, if ya ask me, I prefer to carry a notebook to jot stuff down.
Oh, yeah. I’ve kinda got my own question.
How do you make it believable for teenagers to operate/work in criminal or anti-criminal organizations?
Like….
- Roxas(13-15) in Organization XIII
- Tom Clancy’s NetForce
- The teenagers in X-Men
Tried to do it. Failed miserably, since 99% of all my brilliant ideas come to me in the 20 minutes every night between going to bed and going to sleep. Of course, next morning, everything is totally forgotten. The other night, I was on the toilet before having a bath, I thought of a brilliant name for the first episode (something I’ve been trying to do for a while). I can’t remember what the awesome title was now. Damn.
Asaya, I think the Alex Rider/Cherub books have a believable reason for that. Essentially, adults never suspect a kid would be spying on them. (That’s pretty much Cherub’s tag line.)
I suspect your organisations would probably recruit kids for that reason.
It seems to be almost a sub-genre in the UK. It’s not just Alex Rider and CHERUB, we have MI High, Artemis Fowl (I think, I’ve never read it) and others whose names I forget. We’re pretty much obsessed with the whole ‘teen spies because they never suspect kids’ scenario.
Artemis Fowl isn’t a teen spy. He’s a teen genius who fights sci-fi fairies. (Better than it sounds, I swear.)
In real life, I don’t think it’d be remotely plausible to hire a kid for a police organization. However, in a world where a few people have superpowers, it makes sense to me that you would take who you can get. It’s not like a hundred superpowered college graduates are waiting in line. Similarly, I think the kid in NetForce has outlandish tech skills. I think it would help to establish that this organization needs candidates with an exceedingly rare skill-set and that it has looked for qualified adult candidates but found few or none. So it decides to broaden its search to younger candidates.
As for criminal organizations, gangs frequently take on kids in real life. A seventh-grader can carry a gun, right? I imagine that a criminal organization would lean very hard on a superpowered kid. “If you work for us, we’ll give you and your family money. If you don’t work for us, no one will keep your family safe from the gang down the street.”
As for “let’s use teen spies because they never suspect kids…” That might work for young readers, but I wouldn’t recommend it in a story that’s aimed even partially at college-and-above readers; it probably wouldn’t be plausible to older readers. (Kids and teens would probably stick out badly in the places where a spy would be needed. Unless military secrets are being held in a high school?)
CHERUB (which is basically a BOARDING SCHOOL for these kids) justifies it pretty nicely. Most of their missions involve befriending the children of gang members/terrorists/evil businessman etc. so they can go into their house and bug it. That’s all they’re supposed to do, however in the interest of making the story more interesting they usually have to do a lot more, like catch the villain in question.
Also, CHERUB handles it well because every mission must be approved by an ethics committee, who make sure the mission isn’t too dangerous for kids.
Same goes for Alex Rider, in the first book (the one that was made into the awful film), MI6 set it up so that he wins a contest and gets to spend a week with the ‘legitimate businessman’ Herod Sayle so they can find out what he’s up to. In the third book he’s only there to get the real spies through airport security (family vacation with teenage son, how unsuspicious!), but, naturally, he ends up having to complete the mission himself after the real spies get killed.
It’s worth noting that CHERUB is so good at realism that sometimes I wonder if the government really is taking orphaned kids with superb physical fitness, putting them through immense training, lodging them in a secret facility that everyone thinks is a military firing range and sending them to stop crimes.
“CHERUB is so good at realism that sometimes I wonder if the government really is taking orphaned kids with superb physical fitness, putting them through immense training, lodging them in a secret facility that everyone thinks is a military firing range and sending them to stop crimes.”
Although this would be an innovative alternative to orphanages, I’m leaning towards “probably not.”
Yeah, I try to make my organizations pretty realistic/believable, like making sure the number of kids never exceeds that of the adults.
Would it add to the believability if these teenage operatives were in their mid to late teens?(14-18) I mean no one will allow an 11yr-old to take down a superpowered criminal gang…
These teen operatives will usually have powers anyway…
“Artemis Fowl isn’t a teen spy. He’s a teen genius who fights sci-fi fairies. (Better than it sounds, I swear.)”
It certainly is. I have all the books, but I think the latest one is my favourite.
I haven’t read the latest one yet. Hmm . . . RW, have you heard of the Skulduggery Pleasant books? I’m not sure if they have them in Australia (the author, Derek Landy, is Irish), but I think you’d like them a lot. They have a somewhat similar style to Artemis Fowl, in that there’s way too many snarky comebacks for it to be real life. Also, Derek Landy’s plots are incredibly well written. His characters are great, too.
I think late teens (17-18 rather than 15 or lower) generally are far more believable in an action role. More importantly, I suspect a late teen could appeal to a broader demographic. If the protagonist is a tween, I suspect the book will probably be limited to tween readers. (There are exceptions, but they are exceedingly rare).
There’s nothing wrong with writing for tweens, of course, but I’m exceedingly bad at reviewing for that demographic.
Well, the majority of my characters are 17 (Meg, Darren, and Pierce) or 16 (Ian and Jazz). The only exception is Connor at 11.
Therefore, I should be okay.
- Wings
What is the difference between plot-driven and character-driven stories?
I’ve never heard of those books. I’ll have to see if I can hunt some down in the bookshop. Thanks for the recommendation!
Wings:
It’s the same with me. Most of my main characters are sixteen (Isaac, Rana, Will, Amy Belle, Tristram, Atalya, Klemente) a couple are fifteen (Kamari, Livian), one is twelve (Requiem) and one is ten (Lonnie).
@Avi: They’re exactly what they say on the tins. In a plot-driven story, it’s more about what happens to the people than the people going through it. In a character driven story it’s more about the people who go through it.
An example of a plot-driven story is Transformers. The evil Decepticons were invading earth and giant transforming robots had to stop them. It could’ve been anyone stopping the Decepticons and the story wouldn’t have changed much at all.
An example of a character-driven story is A Christmas Carol. If Ebenezer Scrooge wasn’t the main character the story would lose most of its meaning. It wouldn’t be the same story without the character.
Can someone give a better definition? I’m not sure I nailed it.
Ack. I’ve heard of that way to categorize a story (plot-driven vs. character-driven), and I’m not really fond of it. In most cases, if you focus entirely on the plot minus the characters, you probably have lousy characters. If you try to focus on characters and character development without giving them a plot to test themselves, your story will be boring as hell. Pretty much every book in every genre needs an interesting (and preferably likable) protagonist. I’d say that an author that describes his story as “character-driven” is awkwardly trying to suggest “my story delves deeper into the hero’s psyche than most of its competitors.”
However, if you’d like a less skeptical definition, I’d like to refer you to Mindy Hardwick:
“Character driven stories are when the plot emerges from the core of the character. A character wants something, and the plot emerges by throwing obstacles at the character to block them from getting what they want. Eventually, the character overcomes their worst fear or character defect and triumphs to get what they want. (Or what they want changes and something new emerges). But in the end there is a transformation with the character.) …
Plot driven stories are when the story runs on action. We don’t know much about a character. But we see a lot of action. Often, the action is not realistic. But we enjoy the story because it’s a way to escape, at least for a few hours. In plot driven stories, we watch as the story unfolds in scene after scene of high action.”
I don’t like treating action and character as mutually exclusive– they definitely aren’t– but I think that’s an ok definition.
I think what B. Mac is trying to say is that a good story can’t be either plot or character driven, but it should be driven by both. So it should have compelling characters going on interesting journies (literally or metaphorically).
I wouldn’t say that it can’t be a good story, it’s just that it would be more difficult to make cohesive if you focused on one element more than another.
What do you think about shows like House? They are quite popular despite the main character being very unlikable.
Unlikable? I’ve only seen it a few times but I like the character very much.
I haven’t seen many episodes of House, but I kind of like the title character. He’s usually nasty and acerbic, but he amuses me greatly when he goes nuts on his co-workers. For me, he works on the same level as JJ Jameson.
I think audiences will cut you a lot more slack if they genuinely respect the character’s competence and style. For example, House is pretty stylish and competent. He is very prickly (comically so), but the audience can still like him because he’s doing good deeds like curing patients. Monk is terribly afraid of dirty things, but he also comes across as a genuinely impressive detective.
House is a meany, but a skilled one, so I guess he’s okay.
What are the coolest superpowers according to you? Not necessarily powerful, but the coolest.
Fire and weather control are really flashy. Those are pretty cool. That said, I always have and always will love telekinesis. If I could have any superpower, it would be that.
The ability to make anything you sneeze upon spontaneously combust. How awesomely impractical would that be?
Seriously, telepathy. 100% the main reason my hero has that power. I’d love to know what people were thinking.
Any sort of enhanced acrobatics looks amazing and I love how Nightcrawler combines that and teleporting in X-Men 2. Telekinesis would be pretty amazing as well, especially if you could use it to make yourself fly.
Not so much a cool power, but a really useful one would be a genuine photographic memory. It would make exams so much easier
(1) How are people with mind related powers generally categorized as?
(2) Why are most telepathic superheroes always bald?
(3) I got an idea about this, but tell me if this contradicts science : -
As your body experiences strain, your physical body gets tired. But, When your mind experiences strain, the power of the mind develops further. This, in turn nourishes the scalp even more. So, telepathic superheroes must have long hair and must not be bald.
your ideas?
The mind wouldn’t have any effect on the scalp, as far as I know. I’m no scientist but there’s no reason why it would do. I think most telepathic superheroes are bald just because. I don’t think telepathy would make any difference.
Oh, and mind-superpowers generally make you a psychic, I think.
I’m extremely fond of agility, particularly for comic book heroes. Agility lends itself well to interesting fights and noncombat stunts.
I agree that “psychic” is generally the best word for someone with mental powers.
If you wanted to come up with a good physical reason psychics might be bald, I’d look at the stress angle. Mental stress can cause premature balding, and it seems to me that using mental superpowers would be very taxing and stressful.
Plus, aren’t the telepathic sorts usually older, anyway? Hence the balding.
Avi asked:
“What are the coolest superpowers according to you? Not necessarily powerful, but the coolest.”
I really like agility as well. I mostly like powers that are generally limited forcing the user to be creative. I usually augment the agility powers with something that makes them flashy and cool. I don’t like innately superpowered people as much as I like object-based or gadget powers.
Showtime and Sketch are probably some of my most powerful protagonists. Their powers have a very high ability cap. I like my Masquerade character’s powers (perception, agility, and gadgets) more than both Showtime and Sketch’s, because they are pretty limited to about Spiderman level. I’ll admit I like how Spiderman solves most of his problems.
What do you think?
On a similar note, In what ways can you limit a over-powered character’s powers? [minus Kryptonite]
“What are the coolest superpowers according to you? Not necessarily powerful, but the coolest.”
The ability to raise body temperature and the temperature of others and objects by touching them, like Kyoko in the Black Cat manga. If she feels like it, she can burn someone from the inside out by kissing them, withstand an explosion by making the air around her hotter, or melt something by placing her hand on it.
Another favourite of mine is to be able to make weapons from the body, like Sandman or Eve (also from Black Cat). Eve can also sprout wings for a limited amount of time and create replicas of objects to fool people.
Transformation from one form into another. (Not a shapeshifter, but the ability to switch forms). Like Daisuke in DNAngel (whose transformation is actually a seperate guy who lives inside his body), Danny Phantom or Sailor Moon.
“In what ways can you limit a over-powered character’s powers”
If the character is overpowered you’ll probably be force to come up with a more specific weakness (Kryptonite,etc) just for that character. Alternatively, you could remove some of that character’s abilities until the point where they have general weaknesses (common forms of injury).
Or you can give the character a parameter. A standard thet they have to go by while using their power. For example, Hourman can only use his powers for-you guessed it-one hour. You could also you a fatigue parameter (their powers wear them out quickly) or an energy parameter (they run out of their power after extended use).
What do you think?
I didn’t know Kyoko could do all that, I only ever saw her blow fire. I liked Black Cat. Although, I felt Sven was more the main character for some reason. I didn’t like Train that much.
Go Chronos!
She can in the manga. I’m up to chapter 63. I haven’t seen the anime, but I suspect that like many adapted from manga, a lot of the elements will be cut out.
For example, the DNAngel anime made up a lot of the storylines, basing them very loosely on the manga. It cut out a character – Argentine, but he may not have been introduced in the manga at the time – and added one called Mio Hio, who hasn’t appeared in the manga.
I like Train, especially how he’s a carefree Big Eater who tends to annoy Sven, but if you make him angry, there’s no hope. You’re screwed. Haha. In the manga he stops a guy from shooting him by shooting into the barrels of his gun. Coolest. Thing. Ever.
I think the power to explode and reform your body would be insanely cool.
Oh, oh, and did you know that in the 60s or something the Martian Manhunter had the power to make ice-cream appear with his eyes? I want that power.
How is the name ‘Q‘? Is it overused? Is it mainly named for men or women or both?
It’s been used in Star Trek and James Bond. I wouldn’t recommend trying to reuse it.
As part of my CRS (Concept Review Series), here goes my next concept (I hope I’m not creating any trouble to anyone) : -
Again, I’ll use the same sample names
Backstory
Brian is a brilliant student in his college. He is thirsty to know more about science. He rapidly masters telekinesis with his knowledge of advanced sciences and gradually learns other forms of psychic powers too. As he discovers he could do anything with his powers, he becomes an outlaw and uses his powers to rob banks and involve in other illegal activities. Although he still has humane character, he struggles to overcome his hunger for more power.
Plot
When people in powerful positions die mysteriously all over the world, Brian is suspected. The government strengthens its units and issues a ‘kill on sight’ order to get rid of Brian. As Brian escapes the armed and supernatural forces of the government partly due to his skill and partly due to his hunger and mercilessness, he discovers the identity of the assassin who was responsible for the brutal killings.
What’s Unique
The main character trains himself to get superpowers and not merely discovers them. A believable [I hope] backstory is given to explain the lead character’s hunger for power. There are not a whole horde of superheroes.
So, any flaws??
Oh, and if you intend to ask “How does the government know about brian?”, here’s the answer :
Brian trusted his powers, so all his activities were open and daring. There was no stealth involved when robbing banks and such.
Here are some thoughts and observations.
–If the character is merciless (and a bank-robber), I suspect he will be unlikable.
–I think the story addresses too much as backstory.
–I feel that the plot is not well-connected to the backstory. Umm, so he’s a bank robber. He was presumably on the run before. When the mysterious assassinations start, he will just be more on the run.
Very well, I’ll make the necessary corrections. Thank You!
Also, many people (partly including myself) haven’t planned a complete story yet. Many people just have concepts going through their heads, but are not sure whether it would work out. For those people, why not open a ‘concept thread’, where amateur writers can come up with a concept, get it reviewed, and once they know their concept is good, ask for their own review forum. This also reduces too many unwanted posts that affect the continuity in review forums.
anyone with me?
I think it could be a good idea. Couldn’t we use this forum for sharing concepts though?
Ragged Boy, funny that your Masquerade is one of your favorites.
So is my Masquerade. I mean, in my favorites. She’s a lot more deceptive than perceptive, though, as you said yours was.
You have a Masquerade, too. Dammit. I’ll have to switch back to Facade. Yeah, he gets his powers of perception through his mask and his agility and gadgets through his stylized outfit. He’s a spokeshero (spokemodel/superhero) and a model. I really like his story. Or at least what I’ve made of it so far.
Well, mine’s a female, if that helps?
Even when I’m published, I wouldn’t freak out if you kept the name. My publishers might, but… meh. =/
Can you suggest me some novels/graphic novels about overpowered superheroes?
*ahemcoughsupermancoughahem*
Other than the obvious… Jean Grey is ridiculously overpowered. Though there’s two problems.
1. I think she’s currently dead. (note-currently, she’s SO coming back) I’m not sure about this one.
2. Her overpoweredness comes at a price in the form of the Phoenix.
Superman is overpowered, but his overpowered-ness isn’t usually emphasised in his comic books. If you’re looking for comics in which overpowered-ness is a plot point, Watchmen is the best place to start. Kingdom Come from DC comics also fits.
As far as my knowledge goes, I’m only aware of Superman and Goku being the most overpowered superheroes. Are there any competitors to these guys?
And I don’t think Superman is that over-powered because every supervillain has Kryptonite. And when Superman sees Kryptonite, he becomes less than subhuman, how cool is that? I know Post-Crisis Superman is immune to Kryptonite, but there is not much storyline going for him, is there?
Dr. Manhattan is definitely overpowered. Not only is he the only superhero in the world, his powers are ridiculously god-like. This isn’t bad because it’s addressed (and has a major effect on the plot), but it does still exist.
Again from Watchmen, I think Adrian Veidt is overpowered too. He doesn’t have superpowers, but he’s able to catch a bullet in his hands with only (as far as I can tell) superficial wounds. On top of that, he’s known as the smartest man in the world and he’s pretty much at the peak of human ability.
Yeah I’d say Doctor Manhattan from Watchmen, but it’s justified by it causing him to become out of touch with humanity.
“On top of that, he’s known as the smartest man in the world and he’s pretty much at the peak of human ability.”
Umm, for the sake of mankind, I hope he’s not actually the smartest man in the world. His password is Ramses II. If that weren’t bad enough, when Rorschach types in Ramses as the password, it prompts him for more detail! Ick. That scene made me cringe so bad that there’s a scene in Superhero Nation that parodies it.
Warning: Spoilers.
It could be argued I suppose that Ozzy intended Nite Owl and Rorschach to hack the computer. Maybe he wanted them to come to his lair. There was no way they could stop him, as immortalised by his famous line: ‘I already did it thirty-five minutes ago’
So maybe it was deliberate.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish
Do Ctrl+F ‘Watchmen’.
“I was on a four-hour-delayed train trip from Manchester to London, the idea for a story of a young boy attending a school of wizardry came fully formed into my mind. I really don’t know where the idea came from, It started with Harry, then all these characters and situations came flooding into my head. When I had reached my Clapham Junction flat, I began to write immediately”.
- JK Rowling, on how she invented Harry Potter.
Doesn’t this seem a little bit exaggerated? Is it that easy to catch a story out of nowhere? Where’s the hard process of Brainstorming?
Hey, I’ve had it happen sometimes. In fact, I’ve never tried brainstorming a story. It never occurred to me before. O_O; Does everyone do that?
What are the super superpowers?
Super strength, Super speed… then what?
Um, super-agility, super-sense(s), super-reflexes . . . put super in front of pretty much any human capability.
Super long… tongue, super ability to make armpit farts… You’re right!
Most stuff just flies into my head. For instance:
How to Save the World was created because of a dodgeball game at school. Since everyone was treating the game as if it was a match of life or death, I started wondering what it would be like if it WAS a match of life or death (The only character today present in this original version was a more fracture and unnamed version of Jazz).
Then, I saw the movie Zoom (not too great, they could have done SO much more with it) and the idea started growing. When I changed schools, I discussed it with my friend, and together we created Pierce, and after that the idea really took flight. Then, I discovered you guys, and well…The rest is history.
I found a page of my old notes the other day, which gave the early descriptions of the characters: (Meg and Connor were there under different names, and Ian and Jazz were both present as well. Heather’s early counterpart also existed.) I’m saving it to sell on Ebay when I’m famous.
Basically, ideas grow over time.
- Wings
It seems plausible to me that a writer could come up with a winning concept within a few hours.
Then again, the magic really happens in the execution and not the concept. The concept only gets you so far. There are so many ways to write an awful book about a boy wizard headed off to a wizarding school.
Once my brother asked me ‘where’s mum?’ and I said, jokingly, as I do, ’she was hit by a meteorite that was launched at her by aliens wanting to take over the world and now we have to go off on a journey into the stars to track down the ones who did this to her and seek revenge.’
It’s currently a backup project of which I have the basic synopsis written.
Here’s my newest concept. I brainstormed for ideas this time, and I’m using actual working names instead of sample names.
Dr. Uno Rich, a biologist, ships supplies of a strong virus to his country to aid in Nuclear tests. The package is stolen on board by International Criminal Mastermind Yen and his skilled henchmen. Yen assumes that, by heavily diluting the virus, he can obtain a solution that could act as a permanent energy booster giving him greater strength and speed. He injects himself but experiences no change. Afraid the Government will track him down, He divides the remaining solution into multiple samples and sends them to his contacts in different countries, hence preventing the Government from confiscating them until he finds a way to use his powers.
The Government send their best agents to each country in the world to find the samples before Yen does. After a few days, Yen discovers that he is now a lot more stronger and faster than he was earlier. Realizing that the Government can force Dr. Rich to develop an antidote for the virus with the remaining samples and that the antidote will remove all his powers and may kill him, Yen plans to destroy the remaining samples and kill Rich himself. He convinces his contacts to inject themselves with their respective samples. They do as Yen says but ends up dead because the other samples were not diluted. One of his contacts loses his sample and hence begins a race across the world between the Agents and the Criminals.
As the story progresses, many others are affected by the virus fortunately or unfortunately. Now knowing how his virus can activate one’s abilities, Rich begins creating a similar virus.
This is the basic sketch of my work. Tell me your opinions? Will it work?
“Dr. Uno Rich, a biologist, ships supplies of a strong virus to his country to aid in Nuclear tests.”
–I don’t see the connection between viruses/biology and nuclear tests.
–Where is Rich when Yen steals the package? It might be more dramatic if he’s on board.
Is Rich the protagonist of this story?
It might help to come up with a good reason why Yen sends off the samples instead of holding on to them himself. What does he have to gain by leaving them in the hands of contacts? If I were him, my first thought would be that it’s easiest to hold on to them myself because it reduces the chance that the government will find the virus before they find me. And if they find me, I’m screwed anyway.
What are the goals of the protagonist and antagonist? Now that Yen has these superpowers, what’s he going to do with them? Hopefully he has something more dramatic in mind than just evading escape.
Why does a virus make Yen stronger, as opposed to harming him (or killing him, since it’s a ’strong virus’)? I might be wrong but I think viruses are harmful by definition.
- I’m just 16 and currently spending my last year at school. As I’m not well versed in advanced sciences, and being a very average student myself, I wouldn’t know the connection between viruses/biology and nuclear tests. So, if you know who develops viruses and who supplies them, please inform me.
- Rich is definitely not going to be on board when Yen steals the package. It might sound more dramatic, but watching Rich not able to do anything to stop Yen will make him look weak and helpless, which are not good traits for a primary character.
- I’m not sure whether to put Rich or Yen in the lead role. Rich might seem to be a stereotypical good guy, but Yen has more role to play. What’s your opinion?
- If they find him, Yen can use his skills to escape. But, if they find the virus, it may be difficult to get hold of it before it is too late. Also, keeping it with himself will make it more likely that he’ll get caught. Being a concern for the Government, They will surely have enough technology to track down the virus. So, dividing the virus into multiple samples will surely misguide the tracking system of the Government, if there is any. And each being sent to a country far from the others will make it more challenging for the Government.
- There are obvious goals, like using his skills to raise his rank in the criminal network, promote a fear factor, and getting lots of money. After all, Aurum est Potestas.
Anything else?
@ Tom
Viruses generally create genetic change. Also, the virus kills Yen’s men when they inject themselves with it. The only reason why Yen is not dead is because Yen heavily dilutes it, Remember?
“I’m just 16 and currently spending my last year at school. As I’m not well versed in advanced sciences, and being a very average student myself, I wouldn’t know the connection between viruses/biology and nuclear tests. So, if you know who develops viruses and who supplies them, please inform me.”
- Chemical warfare and defence? It sounds plausible enough.
“Rich is definitely not going to be on board when Yen steals the package. It might sound more dramatic, but watching Rich not able to do anything to stop Yen will make him look weak and helpless, which are not good traits for a primary character.”
- But when Rich does stop Yen later in the story, it will seem like a larger accomplishment. Also, the scene on the boat could be very tense and show several good traits about Rich. Maybe he doesn’t stop Yen, but it’s chance to show several other good traits (maybe he’s calm under pressure; maybe Yen plans to kill the people on the boat but Rich rescues them).
“I’m not sure whether to put Rich or Yen in the lead role. Rich might seem to be a stereotypical good guy, but Yen has more role to play. What’s your opinion?”
- Yen doesn’t strike me as sympathetic in the slightest. He would probably be very hard to like. I’d recommend going with Rich. You can easily make him less of stereotypical good guy by tweaking his personality. If a lot of things happen to Yen, though, you could borrow from Soon I Will Be Invincible and have him narrate too.
“If they find him, Yen can use his skills to escape. But, if they find the virus, it may be difficult to get hold of it before it is too late. Also, keeping it with himself will make it more likely that he’ll get caught. Being a concern for the Government, They will surely have enough technology to track down the virus. So, dividing the virus into multiple samples will surely misguide the tracking system of the Government, if there is any. And each being sent to a country far from the others will make it more challenging for the Government.”
- How does it make him more likely to get caught? The only advantage that I can see is that it will spread the government’s resources out, but he could easily achieve that by sending out many more fake samples. Also, I’m pretty sure it’s impossible for them to track the virus without some sort of device being attached to it. Yen could easily remove that if he’s smart enough to steal it in the first place.
“There are obvious goals, like using his skills to raise his rank in the criminal network, promote a fear factor, and getting lots of money. After all, Aurum est Potestas.”
- Fear factor and rising in the criminal network I can see. How does it earn him money, though? Also, if he’s low in the criminal network, shouldn’t the main villain be the leader? It strikes me that there’s more at stake if Yen is at the head of it. If Yen is defeated, you will take out or severly harm the network too. In contrast, if Yen is just a lackey on the loose, it will feel like Rich has accomplished less.
I also agree with Tom. Why would the virus give him superpowers? Also, is it highly contagious? If yes, then wherever Yen goes he’ll spread the disease. That will raise the stakes a lot, but probably make it harder for him to go unnoticed.
Oh, whoops, you answered the virus question. Except I don’t think they do make genetic changes. At least, I think they use a cell to make another virus microbe – or something like that. It’s been a long time since I covered viruses.
Also, diluting the virus would do nothing except maybe give his immune system time to get rid of it (can you become immune to viruses?). That would only put less of the virus in his sytem, not weaken it.
- A word on the criminal network. The criminal network is built like : -
Crime Group A
l
l
l
Crime Group B
l
l
l
Crime Group C
and not like : -
Head Criminal
l
l
l
Criminal B
l
l
l
Criminal C
So, Yen is the boss of his own gang, but there are many others. Raising in ranks means having more recognition than the other groups.
- It is not effective to send out fake samples. With the close assistance of Rich, The Government can easily identify the original solution from the rest. So, It won’t keep them misguided long enough. Also, if he keeps it with him and they find him, they find the virus too. That is not the case when he sends the virus away.
- Having less virus in his body will have him comparatively more immune to it. Also, I’ll let him develop some kind of life threatening cancer as the story progresses to give the story some pace.
- Although Rich plays an important role, he plays a very small role. Also, Yen is a crime lord and is not a terrorist, so he’s more clever in his actions and not brutal. So, he boards the ship, steals the virus and leaves, period. he doesn’t take anyone hostage or kills anyone or makes the ship crash against an iceberg. LOL, no! I think I’ll let multiple characters narrate the story in clever POV shifts.
- I don’t want to reveal any good or virtuous character traits for Rich because I don’t want him to be a two-dimensional powerless superman. If I’m writing a sequel, Rich definitely has a larger role, and he’s definitely not going to be good any longer.
About the virus: close, but not quite. The MO of a virus is to latch on to a cell, inject its own genetic information into the nucleus, ‘hijack’ the cell, and force it to make numerous copies of the virus. After the cell creates enough copies it bursts and spreads the viruses. Each individual virion can then latch on to another cell and repeat the process. They also release toxins when they excrete and these can be also be harmful.
So, in the context of your story, it’s not really possible for a virus to genetically alter a human unless it’s specifically created for that purpose and genetically altered so it doesn’t harm humans, in which case it’s actually a very good method of altering DNA. But it needs to be mentioned that it’s not an accident that the virus gives him superpowers and that was the viruse’s purpose all along, otherwise it’s unscientific.
Also, diluting it won’t help because viruses multiply inside the body, it’s kinda what they do.
Fun fact: A lot of scientists don’t classify viruses as living things, since part of the definition of being a living thing is the ability to reproduce, something viruses are incapable of doing without a host.
Thanks, Dr. Tom!
So, let me revise my virus concept : -
Uno Rich creates the virus for nuclear tests and not for nuclear war, right? So, I’ll let him make the virus less harmful. Hmm, I’ll also make Yen weaken the virus instead of diluting it. Hiring a reputed biologist/geneticist is not very difficult for a rich criminal mastermind, is it?
And the fact that it multiplies inside the body, is that a very rapid process? or is it gradual? If it is a gradual process, I’ll let him develop cancer as the story progresses. I’ll make the cancer life threatening to the highest point and make Yen regret that he stole the virus in the first place.
anything else?
How do I find the post suggestions?
Also, can you guys have a look at my second review forum? I’m posted my story there.
are there any more logical errors? are there anymore plot holes? any more good suggestions? am I good to go to the next step?
Incubation periods for viruses vary greatly. It can be from a few hours to a few weeks between infection and symptoms appearing. Also, I would recommend him not just weakening the virus, but genetically altering it too. And viruses don’t give people cancer. Cancer isn’t caused by any pathogen (bacteria, virus or fungi), it’s caused by cells not working properly. But you don’t need to include cancer, you could make it so Yen didn’t alter the virus enough and it slowly begins killing him.
David asked: “How do I find the post suggestions?”
Do you mean the post where we asked people to suggest articles? That’s here. Every week or so, we move it up, so any old links to it will be broken by the changing date.
Tom said: “Also, diluting it won’t help because viruses multiply inside the body, it’s kinda what they do.”
I’m not sure if this is the same thing as diluting the virus, but vaccines are just weakened viruses, right? So it should be possible to weaken a virus in such a way that it becomes more or less harmless.
In a way. Viruses are made of a shell, genetic material and some other stuff. A vaccine is usually just the shell of a virus, which is all the body needs to make antibodies to fight it. Some vaccines are made of dead virus though. I don’t know if there are any vaccines made of genetically altered vaccines though.
Okay, I’ve altered it.
- Rich builds a vaccine to aid the government’s super soldier experiments.
- Only a small amount of the solution is to be used on a test subject because overdose kills the person. So, The vaccine must be diluted before use.
- The government expected that someone might try to steal it, so they asked Rich not to dilute the vaccine before it arrives at the government base. This is because if someone steals the vaccine, they will die anyway as they don’t know how to use it.
- Yen dilutes one sample of the vaccine and injects himself. He sends the remaining concentrated solution in multiple samples across the world.
- When Yen is caught, he is completely searched, but the vaccine cannot be found. When Yen discovers his abilities, he breaks out and pursues the samples.
Anymore logical errors?
How does Yen know to dilute the sample?
Vaccine? Virus would make more sense. Which is weird. But it’s true.
- Virus or Vaccine? Give me your opinions…
- Yen had been trying to obtain power for many years. Also, He is a mastermind. It is plausible that he had learned all he can about the virus before stealing it.
Avi asked: “Any more logical errors?”
Hmm. I feel this one is fairly serious. Doesn’t Rich have any of the original samples at his lab, or at least the ability to make more? If he is unable to make more, I would come up with a compelling reason. (For example, the first batch took him three years of work and there’s no way he could do another batch quickly).
Also. I would recommend calling it a “serum” rather than a virus or vaccine.
“I don’t want to reveal any good or virtuous character traits for Rich because I don’t want him to be a two-dimensional powerless superman. If I’m writing a sequel, Rich definitely has a larger role, and he’s definitely not going to be good any longer.” I have major misgivings about this. First, he probably won’t be likable. Second, it sounds like the first book is going to suffer for the sake of the sequel. If you want him to be a bad guy in the sequel, I’d recommend explaining why he goes bad in the sequel. Right now, he probably needs to act in a remotely protagonistic fashion given that he is the protagonist now.
- Okay, how about this? The serum had to be prepared in extreme temperature and pressure and also needs very expensive equipment. Now that his original samples are stolen, the Government is hesitant to provide him with more funds before they examine and certify his serum as legal.
- Thanks! Serum is perfect.
- I’m going to narrate the story with mostly Yen as the POV character. Don’t worry, I’ll make him likable (style similar to Artemis Fowl).
- I’ll show Rich’s gradual shift from good to bad in the first book. But, I’ll make sure I’ll resolve everything in the first book before even thinking of a sequel.
Perfect! If you’re going to have a bad guy protagonist, make sure he’s a magnificent bastard ( http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagnificentBastard ) or something equally likable, despite his evil. I love villain protagonists, they’re so fun.
Thanks, Tom! I’m taking your advice.
I’ll have to give a lot of style to Yen and make him smarter than I am. In what ways can I reveal Yen’s wit?
B. Mac made an article quite recently on writing characters who are smarter than you. In your case it might be worth ignoring some advice where it says ‘this is to ensure your character doesn’t appear arrogant’.
‘Five Signs that you need to rethink your novel’
What happened to that?
?
If you’d like to read “Five signs that you need to rethink your novel,” here’s a link.
Do I need to know art to work on a comic book? or can I hire some illustrator? If I hire somebody, will they get more credit than me?
You can hire an illustrator, but you’ll probably lay out the pages yourself. (The freelance artist will charge more if he has to do that). So you do need to know something about how to lay out panels in an interesting way. Please see this article for some examples.
Also, you’re the main evaluator of the art. You’re the one that has to decide whether the sample is good enough to send to a publisher.
“If I hire somebody, will they get more credit than me?” Only if the art is much better than the writing. It would be hard to find a freelancer that is so good that he is the star of the show. I wouldn’t recommend worrying about who gets the credit, though. If the series is good, everyone benefits. I’d much rather be an equal partner on a good team than the star on a bad team.
For eg., Imagine that I make a comic book. I write, but someone else draws. And, after about a decade, my comic book is successful and my comic is adapted into a movie.
At the end of the movie, there is something common included in every adaptation : “Based on the comic book by ____________”. Okay, if my name is Avi Arun and my artist’s name is, say, John Smith, whose name will take control of the blank above?
I have yet another set of questions.
(1) Can a fantasy be entirely set in real world?
(2) Is it necessary for the main character in a fantasy to be a loser? eg., Frodo Baggins, Eragon, coughHarryPottercough
(3) Should there always be a mentor? Can’t the hero learn through experience, practice or something like that?
(4) What are some names for magic users in fantasy? (Wizards are overused, aren’t they?)
(5) What are some typical jobs in fantasy? I want to stick with the fairly basic ones. I know Knights and Wizards. Are there any more?
(1) Yes. Twilight, terrible book though it is, is a fantasy set entirely in the real world. So is Harry Potter, though it created new places.
(2) No. I disagree about Harry Potter being a “loser”, but okay.
(3) No, I don’t think so. But sometimes it would be better to include a mentor. If your MC is learning how to use magic when nobody else knows anything about it, they might come off as Mary Sue ish. I would definitely recommend spicing up the mentor-student relationship though.
(4) Mages, magicians, sages, shaman (at a stretch, I guess) . . . or you could choose another word and use that instead. For example, maybe you’d want to call your wizards “Handlers”, or whatever makes sense in your world.
(5) Mercenary, politician, assassin, soldier, cook, maid, servant, companion, farmer, fisherman, king/other royalty, advisor, spy – and probably any real-world job could be easily translated to a fantasy world.
I love the word shaman. It sounds so mystic.
This sucks that I can’t get on very often. My keyboard at home is broke, so I’m at a loss. How can I keep up if I can’t even get on?
Don’t forget actors. I think there can be actors/performers in fantasy settings. Models would be pushing it. However, it’d be pretty kickass to see a Renaissance-style fashion show having “the fairest” ladies as models.
At the most, I now only need some more names* for magic users, sword and shield wielders, bow and arrow men etc.
*Not character names, I need proper names.
Avi said:
If either name is used, it would definitely be yours. However, it is outlandishly rare for comic books to be so successful that they get turned into movies (even a decade later).
I’m hoping my fantasy novel will be turned into a movie.
Okay, that was just an example. I’m not even sure whether I could publish something if I am going at this rate.
Anyways, give me some real-wordly names for magic users, swordies, archiers etc.
“I’m hoping my fantasy novel will be turned into a movie.” It’s pretty rare. In every case I can think of (LOTR, Harry Potter, Eragon, The Princess Bride, Percy Jackson, Ella Enchanted, Twilight, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Narnia, His Dark Materials, etc) the book in question was wildly successful. A publisher has to spend tens of thousands of dollars to put out a book; it costs at least millions of dollars to do a Hollywood film.
It would be interesting if How to Save the World became a movie, but so many movies made from books have sucked big-time. I don’t want my book to get a bad rep because of a bad movie.
- Wings
i get wat ur saying wings but dont forget alot of movies have done better than the book i cant name any but then agien not not a reader of huge thick books
oh ye Avi here maby these links will help
http://www.rinkworks.com/namegen/
http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/names/fantasylinks.htm
http://www.namenerds.com/irish/
http://babynames123.com/search/?name=&me...
hope these help they did me
oh hey guys i found this dunno if its any gd for u guys i know it wont be any gd for anyone whos ameican but to all my british kin it should help if u use it i havent yet
http://www.plotmedics.com/how-it-works.html
Today, I saw one of my friend’s document at google docs. He’s writing some kind of superhero story from what he showed me. I think his protagonist is pretty overpowered, but he denies it. Do you think he is? Here are his powers (copied and pasted directly from his document) :
(1) Super Strength [Power to destroy galaxies with extra-ordinary ease]
(2) Super Speed [1000 times the speed of light]
(3) Super Reactive [can catch a sudden bullet]
(4) Volatile Omniscience [His brain knows everything, but realizes them only when required]
(5) Super Intelligence [Can remember anything]
(6) Invulnerability [Immune to any physical or mental torture]
(6) Super Sense [can sense incoming danger]
(7) Immortality [Does not age and Cannot die no matter what happens]
(8) Can control Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, Wind and Lightning
(9) Telescopic Vision
(10) X-ray Vision
(11) Super Hearing
(12) Sonic Scream
(13) Instant Recognition
(14) Precognition
(15) Flight
(16) Complete absorption [Can absorb one's powers and memories at will]
(17) Power Negation [can cancel one's power temporarily at will]
(18) Ultra-conscious [Cannot be drugged and does not lose his consciousness]
(19) Survival [can survive without food, air, water]
(20) Molecularization [can phase through solid objects]
(21) Night Vision [can see clearly in darkness]
(22) Microscopic Vision [can see minute objects]
(23) Telepathy
(24) Mind control [can control anyone's mind]
(25) Reality Warping [can create illusions]
(26) Time Manipulation [Can stop, slow down or speed up time]
(27) Time Travel [can travel through and alter time]
(28) Energy Blasts
(29) Dimensional transportation [can travel through dimensions via wormholes]
(30) Instant Teleportation [can teleport anywhere at will]
(31) Shape-shifting [can change into anything at will]
(32) Invisibility
(33) Can create Force fields
(34) Manipulation [can manipulate any object]
(35) Cloning [can duplicate himself]
(36) Power Sensing [can sense anyone's power at will]
(37) Purity sensor [can pick out good from evil]
(38) Control [can control the amount of power he uses at will]
(39) Self-Detonation [can explode himself when focused. Only way to kill himself]
(40) Resurection [Can revive the dead]
(41) Blessing [Temporarily give someone special abilities]
(42) The Sacred Wish – He can make anything happen just by thinking of it.
All these are only the protagonist’s powers. Can you believe it? Finally some competition to Superman
It kind of depends on what his goals are. I don’t think that a hero this powerful could be published… his fights probably wouldn’t be interesting and he could hardly be challenged. On the other hand, if your friend is just writing for himself and a circle of friends, he might resent that input. If this is just a hobby for him, I’d recommend being very gentle with him.
However, if he is trying to get published, I would recommend cutting out at least 35 of these because readers will have trouble remembering more than around 5 powers. In particular, I think that publishers will be more receptive if he gets rid of 42, 41, 40, 37, 27, 25, 17, 7, 4 and 6.1 (invulnerability, the first #6). Readers usually only care about a character that is threatened in some way. The only unchallengeable superhero that has worked to any extent is Dr. Manhattan, and even he failed when it mattered.
I’m pretty sure it would suck to write this character. You’d probably be constantly referring back to this list in order to remember their powers. I think this is a character that suffered from make-it-up-as-you-go-itis. The writer probably just added powers whenever it was convenient.
42 pretty much negates the need for all the other powers.
lol, 42.
What if a female character’s only reason for being in love with a male character is the fact that:
Since she’s been lonely for a long time, she unconsciously decided to form a strong bond with the first person to give a fart about her? Even if the relationship was only meant for friendship?
Of course the girl (hypothetical) is about 13-15 years old.
What genre (fantasy or sci-fi) is a story where people use their magical powers to fight modern villains in the present or future?
I would describe the force as a magical power (despite the silly attempts at making it science in the prequels) but Star Wars is undeniably a sci-fi series. I think it depends on a lot of things. Your setting and how you present the powers seem obvious ones. If you present them as the force is, an advanced technique known to an elite few, it will come of as less fantasy than if it were discovered as part of a magical amulet or book of spells. Basically, I think it all depends on how you write, it could be either. I realise that’s probably not too helpful, sorry.
It’d probably be sci-fi, Avi.
A few cyberpunk series, like Shadowrun and Rifts, use magic. But they are still much closer to sci-fi than fantasy. In most futuristic settings, the technology will have a much larger impact on the mood and feel of the story than the magic will.
There were magical Jedi in Star Wars, but 95% of the story was a straight-up space opera.
Gurion asked: “What if a female character’s only reason for being in love with a male character is the fact that… she’s been lonely for a long time and she unconsciously decided to form a strong bond with the first person to give a fart about her? Even if the relationship was only meant for friendship? She’s about 13-15 years old.”
Hmm. Are we supposed to feel that this is a healthy relationship? It might come off like she’s desperate and is rushing at the first guy who will give her the time of day.
Please take this with the caveat that I am not very good when it comes to romance, particularly young adult romance.
Ragged Boy said: “I’m pretty sure it would suck to write this character. You’d probably be constantly referring back to this list in order to remember their powers… The writer probably just added powers whenever it was convenient.”
Haha, yeah. My guess is that the author decided that he wanted the hero to win, so he made it impossible for him to lose. “Well, I don’t want my hero to die, so I’ll make him completely invulnerable and immortal. I don’t want him to get surprised, so I’ll give him (deep breath) danger sense, telescopic vision, x-ray vision, instant recognition, super-hearing, night vision, microscopic vision AND omniscience. Also, just in case the villain somehow manages to accomplish anything, I’ll give my hero time-travel and resurrection.”
Needless to say, that is not an effective way to develop a character. Most successful superheroes are powerful enough to impress readers, but weak enough that they can be challenged. It will be MUCH easier to write your story if the protagonist is weak enough that he can have a dramatic fight with unpowered goons. (This is a major reason that Superman is so much harder to sell than Spiderman, Wolverine, Batman, etc).
“What if a female character’s only reason for being in love with a male character is the fact that:
Since she’s been lonely for a long time, she unconsciously decided to form a strong bond with the first person to give a fart about her? Even if the relationship was only meant for friendship?”
It may just be me, but I think this is very plausible. I don’t think that would be her reason, though. That might be the subconcious reason, but on the surface she would probably reel of a lot of positive traits (he’s intelligent, witty, funny, cute, friendly, etc.) Note that some of these might only be true in her eyes. Don’t make her an idiot, though. If he acts harshly to everybody he meets, she’s probably not going to think he’s friendly.
Hey, girls tend to love a badass.
@Avi : Is your friend writing a Chuck Norris biography?
No, he missed ’super roundhouse kick’.
Alright, thanks B. Mac, and Holliequ.
“Well, hey, girls tend to love a badass”
I thought that was true for a long time, but I have to disagree. Most of the “badasses” I know are druggie jerks that wouldn’t hesitate to strike a woman like she were a man. A girl might like that “appeal” for a short time, but I doubt women are rushing bad-boys to the altar.
I, too, think this is plausible. If she has really been lonely for so long she has probably regressed heavily. To the extent that she would focus her psychological energy towards any positive fixation. If the relationship was nurturing to her in anyway, she would probably develop attachment, very much like an infant to its mother. However, there would have to be something suggestive towards a romantic relationship to make her fall in love as she does. I would definitely say this is unhealthy because 1) people can become too attached and may see other females as a threat and 2) her psychological energy can be subject to re-direction from an even more embracing source. For example, if you were a child, would you rather hang out with your regular big brother or your big brother that had candy with him?
Maybe I’m over-analyzing, though.
What do you think?
@ Ragged Boy
What HTML tag do you use to quote people (just like you did above)?
That HTML tag is blockquote, Avi.
you mean like
??
Got it, thanks
Hey, any tips on getting over writer’s block?
I vaguely remember B. Mac saying that when you have writer’s block, move on. Work on a later scene and then find a way to connect them and finish the section. You could start on your synopsis for now. Mapping the overall story will help you fill in holes in the actual writing.
We have an article about how to overcome writer’s block.
I am currently experiencing Writer’s Block. That is why I haven’t been posting anything on my review forums for quite a while.
My problem is that I often lose hope. Can this be considered as part of Writer’s Block? I mean, There are over 1000s of writers in the world, at least a few hundreds are literary geniuses and dozens are already published and successful. There is no way I (being a 16 year old average student with an IQ of only 114) can ever be successful. Besides, English is not even my native language.
That is how I’ve been thinking for the last few days. I don’t know how true are my thoughts, but I’m disturbed by the weird feeling that writing is not my destiny. Should I just quit now, or is there a way to overcome my writer’s block?
Don’t feel so down! You don’t have to be any specific nationality, age or intelligence to write. IQ is overrated anyway (and, unless I’m mistaken, 114 is above average). It doesn’t measure everything.
If you think your age is a hurdle, there’s a very simple solution: get published when you’re older!
There are a bunch of solutions for writer’s block. I’ve got a little bit of a case now, too. Just start writing something. Anything – doesn’t matter how bad it is, just write. That might help.
1. IQ only measures some logical abilities. It doesn’t measure your work ethic, persistence, the ability to self-correct, the ability to empathize with and lead an audience, clarity of thought, etc. In short, it doesn’t measure the ability to write. I wouldn’t worry at all about your IQ; it won’t affect your writing career. Besides, if you were an Einstein-caliber genius, hardly anyone could relate to your thoughts anyway.
2. You sound like you have a fluent grasp of written English. There are some fairly minor grammatical issues from time to time, but definitely nothing on the level that would make me think “maybe you should think about a different career path.”
3. It sounds like you are a perfectionist, as am I. This is more of a problem than your linguistic background. For example, I have trouble writing rough drafts because I’m painfully conscious of the 20 or 30 different problems I make on each page. If that is a problem for you, I would recommend committing to writing 2 or 3 pages every day. Don’t worry about quality; just get them down. No one– not even superstar authors like JK Rowling or Terry Pratchett– writes at a publishable quality on the first draft. When you have a large body of material, then you can think about how you can edit and rewrite it into a work that’s good enough to sell.
4. As I’ve noted before, age is a surmountable obstacle. A publisher would publish a 5 year-old if he had a sufficiently large audience. A young prospective author has to overcome two main challenges.
–Experience. A younger author hasn’t had as many years to write. If you’re looking to get published as quickly as possible, it’s critical to write as much as possible; if you check out this website’s old material, you can tell that I was quite awful when I started. However, over two years I gained sharper writing, a clearer focus (nonfiction rather than comedy), a more distinctive voice, etc.
–Audience. As a younger author, you are riskier in the eyes of a publisher. But you can greatly reduce that perceived risk with an audience. An audience is proof of talent, readability and marketability. The best way for a young author to establish an audience in advance of being published is blogging.
I hope that helps!
Avi Arun, don’t give up! Know that just because you’re published doesn’t mean you are a genius, and that being successful doesn’t mean you’re talented at writing. Look at Twilight. From what I’ve heard– not the greatest thing ever.
As far as hope is concerned– there will always be great obstacles in your way. Nothing worth it ever comes easy. Do you think you have to be born great to be great? Practice does make perfect. I’m not that great when it comes to drawing– real mangaka like Kishimoto put me to shame, but I won’t give up. I draw and I get better!
Do you think the other authors didn’t eventually feel that way too? But they stuck with it.
“The woods would be very silent if no bird sang there except those that sang best.” How dull would the fiction world be if only the one author got published? “Oh great, another fantasy story about vampires… sparkling…”
As far as language is concerned, look at your options. English isn’t the only language on Earth, you know. There’s German, French, Spanish, and your native tongue– maybe you could be one of the great writers of your nation. How inspiring would it be to future generations of your homeland to know that there’s hope for them? That they can give it their all and write magnificent stories too?
Place those fears aside! Destiny is irrelevant. You only know it once you get there, so follow your life and it’ll turn out like it should. If fears have gotten the better of man, would they have left the islands to explore? But they could have drowned… Would they have left the ground? Man wasn’t meant to fly… Would they have left the Earth? Only the gods were allowed there…
How many men have looked at birds and thought about soaring like them? “There are 1000s of birds in the world, and at least a few hundred are aviatory geniuses. Dozens are already in the sky, flying and thriving.”
“Besides,” says the man, “I don’t even have wings.”
I’m sure people have thought like that. But we have space shuttles now. Take that, destiny. I may just be delusional, but I belive what I say. If you really enjoy writing, keep at it. There’s nothing sadder than seeing someone’s joy wither and die out of neglect.
Hey, no giving up! I’ve got a lower IQ than you and I can write, so don’t give up. Writing is an art, not a hobby. It takes time and dedication, so never lose hope. We can help you with whatever problems you have. So look at it this way: even if you’re not the best, you’re definitely not the worst. If you’re struggling with one genre or medium, try another. For example, I did a superhero comic and that didn’t go so well. Now I’m doing a fantasy novel and that’s going great.
[B. MAC ADDS: I also found a genre shift very helpful-- I will finish my superhero comic book as soon as I get my book about how to write superhero stories finished.]
B. Mac, you have me worried. What level of IQ do you think makes it more difficult to relate to their thoughts? Because (and I hate asking this, because I really don’t want to sound like I’m showing off) I’m sitting on 145 and sometimes people don’t understand my thought processes in normal life, so in writing, that might be even more of a problem.
I don’t think there’s a set IQ level at which your mind becomes unrelatable. For example, Jay Cost is a freakishly smart political scientist– certainly one of America’s top political observers today– but his writing is clear and generally very easy to understand.
Here are a few tricks that might help you relate to readers that are not quite as intelligent.
1. Give them a Watson. Watson was a likable character whose main purpose was to help the readers understand what Sherlock Holmes was thinking. Also, he helped Sherlock Holmes talk the audience through the case.
2. Listen especially closely to your reviewers about clarity. “I found this chapter hard to follow” is usually code for “I would have put the book down here.” If readers suggest that the plot is hard to follow, I recommend taking things a bit more slowly. Repeat any necessary details, if appropriate. Please pay especially close attention to comments from readers inside your target audience.
3. Don’t try to impress your readers with your intelligence and/or your research. Research is fine, but don’t show it off. In particular, keep the character’s language as free of mumbo-jumbo as possible.
4. Don’t let an exceedingly intelligent character turn into a Mary Sue. Give him flaws and foibles as necessary. Maybe let the audience laugh at him once in a while. Etc. I think Monk and House do a pretty good job of that.
5. Keep the plot as simple as possible. Byzantine plots with conspiracies within conspiracies and double-agents and treachery and the like are generally very hard to follow.
Also, I wouldn’t recommend worrying too much about IQ one way or the other. I think an IQ score says more about the particular test than the test-taker. I’ve taken two IQ tests and the scores were 75 points apart. Any test that fluctuates that much is probably not very valid.
1. Hmm. Does this only apply when there’s a super smart character? Because I’m not quite sure where I’d put in a Watson. =/
2. Hmm. You’ve read my prologue. Most readers seem fine with it, but one said they were lost as to what Tracer was talking about when she said ‘You should do it.’ Near the end, I mean, when he was basically asking her verdict, whether or not she was going to end up attacking/trying to kill him. The reader was thinking, ‘wait, do what?’ I, however, felt that I’d set that up just fine, and that both characters would know what she was talking about. To add elaboration would feel out of character and even borderline “As you know, George,” or whatever that trope is called. If it’s only one reader, is it enough to have to change it?
3. Oh, pff, I don’t do that. He who tries to prove he’s smart tends to fall on his face. Or something along those lines, at least. The only time there’s ever mumbo-jumbo is when the reader isn’t meant to understand, and there’s always a translator afterward. In either case, it’s rare.
4. None of the main characters are that sort of smart. Thankfully, the brainy one is also the laid-back and relatable one, so he totally understands that nobody wants the brainy version of things.
5. Hmm. I may be in trouble there. =/
Hey, Avi. Going back to your mate and his superpowerful character… you said he’s writing a story about him, didn’t you? Can you ask him to post some of it here? I wanna read some of it to see how he challenges his hero. I don’t want to take the mick, I’m just dying to read it.
“Hmm. You’ve read my prologue. Most readers seem fine with it, but one said they were lost as to what Tracer was talking about when she said ‘You should do it.’ Near the end, I mean, when he was basically asking her verdict, whether or not she was going to end up attacking/trying to kill him. The reader was thinking, ‘wait, do what?’”
I assume that “you should do it” meant that “you should do whatever you were talking about with the General.” Reading through the prologue in the bookstore, I would have had very little chance of figuring what that was, though.
I found the prologue a bit confusing. There was a lot going on and it felt unnecessarily coy.
…
A Watson probably isn’t necessary unless the main character is extremely smart.
…It was? =/ As in, the kind of confusing you would put down if you found it in the bookstore?
Maybe next time you send it back with suggestions, we can cover that.
@ David
We were having a conversation over the phone just now and I asked my friend to post his story here. He told me he wrote that some years ago when we were making movies with action figures. He just wrote down ideas and most of it is very rough and not sequential.
So, I asked him how he had planned to challenge his hero. He told me the hero was not meant to be challenged and he sent me his plot briefly on IM. His plot was more drama than action and feels pretty weak, at least in my opinion.
Here’s what he sent me.
* My hero wakes up after several years in a coma with no memories of the past. As he learns more about the world, he also starts discovering his powers one by one. He has a strange thought that he had been God. He wasn’t able to do his duty because he was in a coma (I don’t know what duty he was talking about). So he begins helping people as he tries to recover his memories.
I see. Fair enough. Speaking of which, I have a question for B. Mac.
B. Mac, what’s your opinion about using gods in stories? I’m planning to use one, but more as a small side-character. I’m using a god of blacksmiths and a god of the dead.
I’ve also got some places I could use, like the land under the waves, the land of youth, the land of the blessed, the field of happiness, the plain of two mists, the land of shade, the land of the dead, etc.
I’m not terribly fond of using deities in fantasy stories, but they definitely work better in fantasy than in superhero stories.
In fantasy, I think it’s just a matter of audience preference. Some readers will like that and others won’t. My main concern is that deities are rarely well-developed or interesting. It’s hard to give a deity satisfying motivations.
Terry Pratchett’s deities are pretty gripping, though.
“My hero wakes up after several years in coma (Is that possible?)”
Yes, if I find the link I will put it here. I recall reading about a girl in the Victorian age who hit her head and entered a thirty year coma. She was kept alive by being fed sugared water with a spoon. She woke up and looked much younger than she should have, and lived many more years.
Although that would make a person kinda retarded, wouldn’t it?
I’ve got another concept.
- During an internal struggle between the gods, the gods divided themselves into two factions, Angels and Demons. Angels believe in harmony, while demons are only after power. They were always enemies to each other.
Centuries later, A demon prince loves an angel. The angel does not love him initially. Both the angels and demons are against this and are willing to sacrifice the couple if they marry. The demon prince is still determined and challenges the angel that he’ll make her love him. The rest of the story revolves around how the demon wins his girl.
Atlast, the demon and angel marry each other and all differences between the angels and demons disappear. They give birth to a child, which marks the birth of the first human.
“- During an internal struggle between the gods, the gods divided themselves into two factions, Angels and Demons. Angels believe in harmony, while demons are only after power. They were always enemies to each other.
Centuries later, A demon prince loves an angel. The angel does not love him initially. Both the angels and demons are against this and are willing to sacrifice the couple if they marry. The demon prince is still determined and challenges the angel that he’ll make her love him. The rest of the story revolves around how the demon wins his girl.
Atlast, the demon and angel marry each other and all differences between the angels and demons disappear. They give birth to a child, which marks the birth of the first human.”
I ending seems really unlikely to me. A marriage that somehow manages to erase hundreds of years of hate seems too improbable. What is it about this marriage that makes two incompatible natures compatible?
Also- why would a baby of the two become a human? You made it seem like they were all the same race. The rest of it fees slightly cliche, but workable.
I dunno, it just seems like a Romeo and Juliet remix to me, only without the double suicide. Then again, I don’t tend to go for romance plots, so meh.
Meh, it’s rather good, but it needs more – I don’t know, pizazz?
For my own romances, I try to add a little style to make each one more unique. Take a look:
Between Light and Darkness: In this fantasy-romance, my two main characters are quite literally polar opposites. Aya, the daughter of the Light Emperor, is rebellious, overconfident, and reckless, while her opposite number, Zar, is cowardly with a fear of heights and a bullying older brother.
Ai: An AI and a hacker fall for each other. It’s going to be difficult, but that’s the fun of it. Read the forum for more details.
How to Save the World: The only romances here are the Ian and Jazz moments, since the romance is more implied than stated. However, I’m doing my best to make them as “awwwww-inducing” as possible.
The Cursed and The Fallen: Actually rather similar in parts to Avi’s idea, this story revolves around a fallen angel who serves as the messenger between Heaven and the Underworld, and the girl he is sent to bring to Heaven to be judged, a teen with the unlucky ability Jinx, causing her to indirectly hurt the people around her.
And these are only the DEVELOPED stories!
Does anyone else find it annoying when a character in a story quotes from some famous dead poet or something and another character finishes the quote, or returns with a different quote?
Is using quotes from famous dead people in a novel pretentious and overambitious?
Waking up after a coma of a few years is definitely possible.
I think it’s usually pretentious, particularly if the author’s goal is to show how well-read he is. You’ve got to think about what your readers want to get out of your book. Will they actually enjoy your literary references?
Also, depending on how obscure the reference is, I suspect that most of the readers won’t get the reference. What will they think? If your writing causes even 10% of your readers to stumble, I’d say you have a problem.
“Does anyone else find it annoying when a character in a story quotes from some famous dead poet or something and another character… returns with a different quote?”
If you handled this well, I think this could be funny.
AGENT BLACK: You know what they say. If at first you don’t succeed–
AGENT ORANGE: Hide the bodies and deny all involvement.
AGENT BLACK: …
AGENT BLACK: I don’t think that’s what they say.
AGENT ORANGE: Then you are not listening to the right people!
Is there an article in Superhero Nation on all the Dos and Donts of Novel/Comic book writing? If not, can anyone provide me a link to the same?
If I’m writing a novel, I need to get it published at all costs, so I need to know absolutely everything that I must avoid.
We have a 10-part series on the most common mistakes. You can see part 1 here. (That article includes links to the other 9 parts).
In addition, you might enjoy this test for aspiring novelists.
I’m increasingly worried because I haven’t updated my review forums in a long time. So, I think my newest concept below is pretty workable. But, I need approval first. Here it is : -
The story starts with an anonymous figure eavesdropping a briefing session in the parliament, where the speakers debate over whether Yen deserves punishment or not. Yen is an outlaw who privately investigates and solves crimes better left to law. According to Yen, the law is not effective in handling crime. As the briefing session comes to an end, the figure throws a smoke bomb and kidnaps the mayor. The government send their best men to find the mayor. The government suspect Yen to be involved in this case. So, Yen is publicly framed for the kidnapping and issues a report on sight order as a plot to catch him. As the news reaches the media, Yen decides to find the mayor while evading escape from the cops.
“So, I think my newest concept below is pretty workable. But, I need approval first.” No, you definitely don’t.
This may sound counterintuitive, but I think it would help you to just start writing and you can flesh out the concept later.
So, instead of pointing out potential issues with your concept, I will offer questions that you may wish to consider as you go about writing. Hopefully these will stimulate your creative processes. You do not need to tell me your answers to any of these questions; I’m much more interested to see how you answer them in the story itself.
–Who has captured the mayor? Why?
–Did the kidnappers frame Yen? If so, what do they gain by drawing Yen into the kidnapping? (Just to make a diversion? To tie up a loose end? Because they know that Yen would have gotten involved anyway? Is it revenge against Yen?)
–Is there a connection between Yen and the bad guys? Has he worked against them before? Has he worked with them before? (Some private investigators have shady backgrounds).
–What leads Yen to solve the kidnapping case rather than go into hiding?
–What’s Yen’s modus operandi like? How does he solve cases that the police can’t?
–What sort of cases does Yen typically work on?
–If Yen had to go into hiding, which people would he turn to for assistance? What would these people expect of him in return for their assistance?
–Which personality trait(s) lead Yen to want to solve crimes even though it kind of makes him a criminal?
–How does Yen pay for rent and food? Does he have a day job?
Good luck!
- Who is this anonymous figure? Why has the mayor been captured? How did one person kidnap the mayor from a place that is (presumably) heavily guarded?
- The first chapter may feel like backstory.
- Why do they automatically assume Yen is behind it? Outlaw PI or not, surely he’s working against crime?
- Running with the fact he is involved, why is he then framed for the kidnapping? Surely it would be more logical to make it known they’re looking for the criminals responsible? Witnesses won’t come forward if they think the criminal is already known.
- What is a report on sight order?
- It’s not entirely clear why Yen would go after the mayor. Wouldn’t leaving the country be a smarter idea?
That’s just my thoughts. I like the idea, though.
I’ll only answer a few questions in this post. I’ll answer the rest in my story itself.
- Just a clarification, The government framed Yen, not the kidnapper. Yen would surely try to investigate the kidnapping of the mayor. So, he would definitely be on the move and somebody might spot him. So, if Yen is framed, any witnesses will report the nearby cops if he is spotted, making it easy for the cops to catch him.
- According to Yen, the law is not effective in handling crime. So, for years, he made it his responsibility to solve crimes. Therefore, he would definitely not run away when framed.
- Yen changes his home often, so he definitely has a regular source of income. After a crime is solved, the government pay him to keep him silent. If anyone comes to know that an ordinary individual solves crimes that the law cannot, then the government will experience a heavy downfall.
@ B. Mac
For some reason, I really like the name Mac. Will you be offended if I use the name in my story? Is it too common in fiction?
Go for it. I don’t think I’ve heard it anywhere else.
Okay, I’ve already started planning. Just need a little help…
Does the names Mac and Rose have any religious meanings?
Suggest me some suitable names for :-
- beautiful girl
- heavily tormented guy
- wise old man
- mentally disabled kid
- aggressive drug addict
- badass lady
The names MUST NOT have any religious meaning, and MUST NOT be very common. Suggest more than one name for each.
Also, Does the names Mac and Rose have any religious meanings?
- beautiful girl – Violet, Brianna
- heavily tormented guy – Brandon, Jacob (no clue why, but they FEEL right)
- wise old man – Something relatively old-fashioned –
- mentally disabled kid – Logan (no clue, I’m going blank…)
- aggressive drug addict – (blank, sorry)
- badass lady – (nothing, sorry)
- Wings
Avi i gave you a link to names didnt they help at all?
I can’t think of any religious connotations on Mac or Rose.
There are religious connotations to pretty much any name. My impression is that there was a lot of throwaway characters in the Bible. Anyway, my thoughts:
-beautiful girl: Lucy, Janice, Eleanor
-heavily tormented guy: Heath, Blake, Jake
-wise old man: August(us), Arthur, Roger, Edwin, Bernard, Micah
-mentally disabled kid: Adrian, Ollie, Peter
-aggressive drug addict: Jack (common), Reece, Erik, Jacob, Jared, Karl/Carl
-baddass lady: Kayla, Kelly, Tess, Pol (not Polly), Hettie (nickname for Harriet or Henrietta), Erica, Josie, Kate, Lea (short for Leanne or, uh, something), Georgia.
What are the common elements found in superhero stories? like team ups, damsel in distress etc.
Also, does my target audience depend on the story’s language or content?
“Also, does my target audience depend on the story’s language or content?”
Both. Here are a few ways in which target audience affects content and language (and vice versa).
CONTENT:
–If the book is for younger audiences, a publisher will want to tone down any mature content.
–The main character needs to be likable (and ideally relatable) to the target audience. Usually this means that the hero is a few years older than the readers.
–Books for younger readers tend to be a bit shorter; a young adult novel for readers aged 10-13 will probably be 50% or 60% as long as a full-length novel.
–A book aimed at male readers will probably focus on characters tackling external obstacles, with an emphasis on action and combat. A book aimed at female readers is more likely to spend a lot of time on relationships and romance.
–I don’t think you’re writing a superhero story, per se, but superhero stories tend to appeal more to men than women. The gender gap is particularly pronounced in comic books.
LANGUAGE:
–Less profanity.
–Denseness. Usually, younger readers have a shorter attention span and find it a bit harder to keep track of convoluted plots.
–Younger readers are usually not very fond of literary books. Generally, they want to be entertained, not enlightened.
I just came up with a clever idea for a superhero story. It’s about two fraternal twins (a boy and a girl) with superpowers. Their powers only work when they’re observing each other (and it doesn’t work by proxy, e.g. a camera, they must physically observe each other). But the problem is one is good and wants to stop crimes, whereas the other is evil and wants to commit crimes. But since their powers only work when they’re together they have to work together.
Eventually they come to an agreement, the good one will help the bad one commit crimes if the bad one helps the good one stop them.
Hilarity ensues, naturally, as both are branded villains, and a Captain Hammer-esque hero sets out to stop them, whilst a supervillain who they annoy sets out to destroy them.
What do you think?
that could work i think if mind you your “hero” could come across as unlikble it would seem to the reader that the good one is only doing good deeds for the glory and fame if it makes sence
im assmeing the girls the good one and the boys the bad one dunno why but anyways
so the guy commiets the crime with the girls help but then switch around the girl steps in and stops the crime if she was a good guy she would never let her brother commiet a crime power or no power well no superhero i know would
its kind of hard to exsplian but i hope you get my meaning
ps who has MSN or YAHOO?
You guessed correctly, the girl is good and the boy is bad. Unless that comes off as too predictable, then it can easily be reversed.
I haven’t thought much about motive but the twins were (totally original!) separated at birth. They grew up in different countries, they both knew the other one existed but they never got round to finding them. Then, on his 16th birthday he leaves his home to go and find his twin. As soon as they’re in the same city their twin telepathy kicks in and they’re drawn to each other. Once they find each other they discover their powers. I don’t know why one is good and the other is evil but their motives would have something to do with their upbringing.
I’ve given some thought to powers. I was thinking of basing them on Quantum Physics. Their powers only work when they’re observing each other (observation affects quantum particles). They can always tell what the other one is doing (quantum entanglement means if you do something to one particle its pair will be affected too, no matter how far apart they are, in my case they must be in the same city for the twin telepathy to work). They have mild teleportation abilities, they can teleport to anywhere they can see. (some theories suggest there are subatomic particles that can do this) And they can fire a ‘quantum beam’ (rule of cool).
These powers need a bit of work though. Also I need to consider their motives.
What do you think so far?
I’d steer clear of labelling one as good and one as bad. I think it would be easier to make the motivations the source of the conflict as making a ‘good’ character commit crimes and a ‘bad’ charcter help people will hurt their credibility. Perhaps the sister is willing to commit small crimes for the greater good whereas her brother is trying to impress someone and therefore goes for things that will get more media coverage, such as violent crime.
I think it’s a good idea for a plot though and could lead to some very funny scenes. I’d advise alternating the siblings as narrators to get different perspectives. Since they are presumably in a lot of scenes together, it shouldn’t be very confusing.
Nice ideas. What do you think of ‘Quantum Boy’ and ‘Quantum Girl’ for their names?
I don’t know what I want to do with this idea, it’s just something I thought up randomly, then combined together with another something I randomly thought up.
Mr. Brit said: “I’d steer clear of labeling one as good and one as bad. I think it would be easier to make the motivations the source of the conflict as making a ‘good’ character commit crimes and a ‘bad’ character help people will hurt their credibility.”
I agree.
I am not feeling “Quantum Boy” and “Quantum Girl.” It’s cliche and feels like the characters are being named by a 40 year-old. (Can you remember the last time someone young has referred to himself as a boy?) Also, it makes it sound like the characters are more or less interchangeable, that the only difference between them is their gender. If their personalities are different, it’d be best to pick names that reflect that.
“You guessed correctly, the girl is good and the boy is bad. Unless that comes off as too predictable, then it can easily be reversed.”
I think it’s just a matter of who your target audience is. If you’re aiming at girls, it’d be easiest to use a female protagonist. If you’re aiming at guys, a male protagonist would probably go farther.
Being separated at birth is cliche. One alternative that might work more smoothly is to say that the parents divorced and custody was split.
That was the reason for the separation. I guess I didn’t mention that. I’ll rethink the names. And I’d make it more deep than ‘the good one is good and the bad one is bad’, I just said that to put it simply.
When creating a fictional city, will the readers be more receptive if I create a city from scratch or if I act patriotic and create a city like my own?
Thanks Avi for bringing that up. B. Mac, when are you going to write articles about the setting of one’s novel/comic or themes that one should incorporate. I’d love to hear your opinion on that!
anyone there?
“When creating a fictional city, will the readers be more receptive if I create a city from scratch or if I act patriotic and create a city like my own?”
I don’t have any clear-cut answers here. I’ve seen excellent stories in wholly fictional cities, in wholly realistic cities, and in real cities that have been heavily fictionalized. The most important thing– in fact, pretty much the only important thing– is that your cities fit your story.
For example, in Superhero Nation, when I was thinking up an initial setting for Agent Black, I decided on Washington, DC. Like him, it’s bland, uptight and by the books. I used East St. Louis as the gritty dystopia that shapes Jacob. However, I used a purely fictional setting– Surf City– to create a dream-like setting where anything’s possible. I didn’t want to be constrained by audience preconceptions; I wanted to be completely free to make a city that’s wholly fantastical. I’ll probably set the climactic battle in St. Louis or Chicago– two metropolises that are along the Mississippi River, which bisects the US.
…
As a rule, I would recommend staying away from New York City, London and Paris if you can help it. There are so many other stories set in those cliche cities that you’ll be competing against a large pool.
In comic books as a whole, there is an extremely strong bias towards New York City. Almost all of Marvel’s and DC’s A-list heroes work in New York or a city that is clearly based on New York. But only 2-3% of Americans are from NYC. Personally, I’d much rather read about a Midwesterner, a Westerner, or a Southerner. I feel that most Americans feel very far removed (physically, mentally and culturally) from New York City.
I *might* end up creating a city/town/overall area for HTSTW (How To Save The World). I still don’t know where I’m going to find a real-world mountainous area which doesn’t have snow/is all that cold.
- Wings
–Tucson averages a high of 90 and a low of 75 in August and 60/35 in January.
–Sacramento averages 90/60 in August and 50/40 in January.
–Denver averages 90/60 in August and 45/15 in January. It does get a lot of snow, though.
–Salt Lake City averages 90/60 in August and 40/20 in January. It has a very distinct cultural feel, though. (It’s as identifiably conservative as Berkeley and San Francisco are liberal).
What’s the problem with snow/coldness? That seems like an unconventional reason to pick a setting.
Haha, try anywhere in BC!
I invented the fictional ‘Mega City’ for the location of my story. I also have ‘Blue City’, which will feature in a couple of episodes. Mega City is… well… just a big city. Nothing much to it really.
How are Blue City and Mega City different? If they’re pretty much interchangeable, you could probably keep things simpler with just one city.
Well Blue City only appears in a couple of episodes, and even then only briefly. It’s just a way to introduce a supporting cast of superheroes without raising the inevitable ‘why haven’t we seen you before?’ Almost everything will take place in Mega City.
I need some city names. I’m not interested in the suffix city nor common words like new, big etc. My city is high on crime rate and I’ve imagined it as a dark and shady city.
Got it- Gotham.
…What? Oh, right.
Umm… I have nothing. Grey City?
I have a problem with fantasy novels, by fantasy I mean kingdoms, swords, magic, horses, etc type fantasy. I’m reading one now and I’m noticing something that is keeping me from getting immersed into the story. Every time something interesting is about to happen, a random info-dump comes out of nowhere. It spills tons of information that is otherwise meaningless. Most of the info centers around places. I understand that places are important in a story, but my problem with fantasies is that the focus on areas detracts from the story. I usually skip the info-dumps because they add nothing to the story, in my opinion.
So I ask, can you have a fantasy without focusing so much on the locations and backstory? I think it can be done. I guess I would say that I prefer a story than is a little more character-driven. Which is probably why I make my protagonists the way they are.
I think you can have a fantasy story without all of that focus on location and backstory (culture is another big fall). I’m trying to stay away from this with my Zoe/Victor story. I want to immerse the reader in my fantasy world without losing the plot and characters.
The main thing is to include details that are only relevant to the story, I think.
Speaking of fantasy, I’ve my own doubts,
- What fantasy characters are similar to ghosts, but still unique in their own way?
- Can a story set in the future be a fantasy? If yes, then in what way?*
* There are fantasy elements in the past like knights, sorcerers etc, in the present like ghosts. but future is conquered by science fiction alone. Are there any apparant fantasy elements in a story set in the future?
One of the advantages of working with a modern setting (rather than an imaginary fantasy or sci-fi setting) is that it requires less setup.
1. Bring the backstory into frontstory. For example, Silent Dragon did a pretty good job of that. The author’s emphasis absolutely should not be what happened 50 years ago, but why that matters now.
2. Make the setting interesting. Readers loved Harry Potter’s settings because they felt genuinely different and more lively than what they were used to. Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Azkaban, the Dursley house, and Gringotts are all top-notch settings. (In fact, my brother claims in all seriousness that Diagon Alley is the best part of the series). These places had a distinct role in the story that made them irreplaceable. JK Rowling didn’t introduce these places because she wanted to show off her ability to build a world, but because she needed them to advance a part of the story.
Ah, old memories. I used to be a big fan of the Harry Potter series. But I gradually lost interest and after deathly hallows, I now totally hate Harry Potter.
I mean, didn’t anyone realize that Hermione Granger is the greatest and most obvious Mary Sue? She’s the most brilliant student, she’s a master of all spells and JK Rowling herself acknowledged that Hermione was based on her. In deathly hallows, she seems more important than Harry Potter and more magically talented than Albus Dumbledore himself.
Also, Harry Potter is just another Chosen One story. He can’t do anything without Hermione preaching him. This is just my opinion and would like to hear your honest point of view.
I agree that Hermione is a Mary Sue, but I don’t think that it’s a major problem. There aren’t that many situations where her talent makes Harry useless, and I think that her talent is mainly used to show that Harry isn’t necessarily God’s gift to wizardry. In far too many fantasy stories, the hero is born with an annoyingly outlandish degree of talent. Ick. Several characters in the story (Voldemort and Snape, notably) note that Harry is merely an above-average wizard at best.
There definitely is a Chosen One aspect to Harry Potter. He’s launched into fame as an infant by powers beyond his control. But what redeems HP is that– unlike Eragon– the Chosen One has to make his own breaks after that. He doesn’t have incredible magic and his fame is as much a curse as a blessing. Everyone notices when he makes mistakes, and he makes more than a few along the way.
Also, the mentor relationship between Harry and Dumbledore is excellent. Most other stories with mentors use the mentor to set up the path that the hero follows. So whose quest is it, the mentor’s or the hero’s? HP doesn’t have that problem. Dumbledore is a tricky manipulator with his own agenda, but the choices that Harry makes are all his. He’s an active player.
Umm, but Hermione is a character that boasts about her own intelligence. Doesn’t that annoy you? Less talking, more showing, right?
Also, What fantasy characters are similar to ghosts, but still different in their own way?
Hermione does show, though. If she can back up the talk, she’s fine.
(I, personally, always liked her…)
I think she shows herself as intelligent. For example, in Chamber of Secrets (spoiler) she realizes that the death of the roosters suggests that the killer is a basilisk. When it comes to magical trivia, even Snape has trouble stumping her. She solves the logic puzzle at the end of book one. She has a lot of trouble with people, but I can’t think of any times she’s made mistakes outside of social situations.
On a personal level, I like Hermione because I related to her the most (bookish and prickly). I found myself asking “how can someone smart act so stupid?”, but I’m sure that many people have asked the same about me.
Also, I think that she generally deals with her emotions in a mostly mature way. Hermione sometimes gets sulky, but she doesn’t go off on “HE KILLED MY PARENTS!” tantrums. My main knock against the characterization of the later books is that the other characters sometimes got emo-ish.
Okay, I’m not arguing, but I’ve got a few points : -
Why is she supposed to find that out? Even Dumbledore and Severus aren’t smart enough to realize what a muggle student did.
If she’s so smart, that makes her a Mary Sue again. So, she’s either a Mary Sue or she’s a show-off (I can’t think of a better word).
Not making any mistakes makes her a two dimensional perfection. 3-0.
Also, When Hermione is present in a scene, all the other characters have very little or no significance at all. She gets all the spotlight.
I’ve nothing against the Harry Potter series or JK Rowling. It’s just about Hermione.
“What fantasy characters are similar to ghosts, but still different in their own way?”
Spectres, perhaps. But I think you’ll go farther with ghosts that you infuse with your own style. For example, Harry Potter’s four ghosts were pretty memorable.
In general, I think it’s ok to draw on genre conventions (like ghosts, vampires, dragons, etc) as long as you take steps to make them lively and fresh.
I’ve planned out the basic concept for a paranormal story involving ghosts, ghost hunters and undead. Being an atheist and a skeptic myself, it was very hard for me to plan this out. So, it might contain some errors or illogical sentences. That is why I’m posting it here : to get it reviewed. So, here it goes.
What happens during the course of life?
- People are not born with souls.
- The soul is transferred to an infant from a dying person nearby.
- When the soul is transferred, it gets accustomed to the new body.
- The soul records all the memories of the person and gradually forgets the memories of the person from whom the memories are transferred.
- The soul remains trapped inside a person’s body throughout his life.
What happens after death?
- If a person dies before achieving any of his long-term goals, his soul is unlocked from his physical body and let loose.
- If a person had achieved all his long-terms goals before death, his soul is transferred to a nearby body with the weakest immune system (In most cases, an infant).
Properties of a ghost
- Translucent
- Cannot be seen or heard
- Possess no shadow
- Have no reflection
- Do not appear in photographs.
Abilities of a ghost
- Possession (any person or object)
- Can appear opaque and visible at will
- Acquires the properties of the person or object under possession
- Telepathy
Limitations of a ghost
- Can be visible only in places visited before death.
- Can only travel to a place seen before death.
- Telepathy only works when a ghost is directly observing the person.
Weaknesses of a ghost
- Infrared beams
- Psychic conquest (a psychic can play with a ghost’s mind).
Symptoms to detect the presence of a ghost
- Sense a presence in a room
- Feel a sudden drop in temperature
- Increase in magnetic field of a particular place
- See the activities of the ghost.
So, is it ok?
I mean no harm in asking this, I’m just curious, but to all athiests of Superhero Nation I ask:
What do you think happens to a soul when someone dies? Reincarnation? Float in a black void?
Regarding your ideas, Avi. They seem pretty solid. However, it sort of seems that a soul is locked inside of a person against its will. Was this intentional? And what happens in a population that has a much higher death rate than birth rate? And vice versa?
Of course it was. The soul has no role to play when a person is alive. So, why bother?
Case 1 (if Death rate >> Birth rate),
The soul keeps floating around until it finds a body.
Case 2 (if Birth rate >> Death rate),
If a person’s body does not acquire a soul till he develops a strong immune system (very rare), he lives without a soul. This is the base for the undead race.
When the soul leaves a person’s body, the genes in the dead person’s body experience a freeze. This freeze takes the body to a trance like state. But, when a soulless person dies, this freeze does not occur. Hence, there is a chance his body can become mobile after death.
Anyways, the person’s brain dies if a body or a soul is not present. So, undead are soulless people whose body are still able to move even after death.
anything else?
I have one problem with your ideas about ghosts. Among their weaknesses you list psychics. It’s a commonly known fact that ghost-type attacks are super-effective against psychic types, err… at least according to Pokemon, anyway.
Ragged Boy, regarding the afterlife from an atheist perspective, I personally don’t believe in souls. That’s just a word for our collection of memories and our personalities. So after death, in my opinion, it’s simply nothing. Not even awareness of this. Just nothing. I realise this is pretty bleak but I struggle with the idea of souls being removed from the body because I don’t perceive them as anything that could be taken from the body and still exist. No offenses meant to anyone of course, these are just my views
Avi, I feel like you have a lot of information here about the mechanics of your world, but not a story. I’m not getting a “I really want to read this story!” kind of vibe.
By a means of comparison, here are some of the speculative settings that have really excited me recently.
–”What if fiction were outlawed?” (City of Dust).
–”What if we had the Napoleonic Wars with dragons?” (His Majesty’s Dragon).
–”What if a ditzy supermodel had to save the world?” (Zoolander).
–”What if we had Pride and Prejudice with zombies?” (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).
–”What if an elderly lady looking for love confused a military strategy book (The Rules of Engagement) with a dating book?” (The Rules of Engagement).
Mr. Brit answered your question pretty much as I would have done, RB. It’s a fairly depressing view, but there it is.
On Avi’s ideas, I agree with B. Mac. I think you have a solid foundation but no actual story yet. (I have to admit that I like the potential for zombies, though.)
I have a story. I thought I’d let you review the basic logic first. Anyways, tell me when you are ready to hear the story.
Personally, I am an atheist and a skeptic. So, my views may be different from others’, but I’d like to think my opinions are based on facts.
In my humble opinion, soul is abstract. Its just a word used to describe one’s humanitarian qualities and not anything physical by itself. When you die, your body is decayed and becomes food for plants. Your mind is put into a permanent delirium (like sleeping forever).
i belive that when we die soul collecters come and get our souls take them to a huge soul vault where they are mixed in with thousneds of other souls reenergised and taken out agien but as a brand new soul then put in to a new body
I think there could be an interesting story here. For example, “what if the souls ran out of bodies because there were too few births?” Would souls compete with each other for bodies? I think that has potential for action and comedy.
…
I think it would help you to start writing and keep writing. I’d recommend keeping the reviewing to a minimum, focusing on questions like “where could I go from here?” and other suggestions to keep you writing.
if u want to use that idea and a bit of magic
you could have two Soul collecters doing a job but one is becomeing unsatsficed with the job bored in other words and desideds he can do a better job than Death but needs power and deaths mighty syth to do so
for the magic part he heres of a child who has been brought back from the dead via magic now i know others have been brught but thats been in the 5 minet time line girls been dead for years with another body.
so this has caused a slight bit of troubel for death because now the girl has powers of the dead locked away and unusible by her this fact alone has allowed her to continue liveing
The soul reaper fiugers out if he can absored 2000 souls plus this girls he can chalange death for this throne
so he gos on a huge killing spree of killing humans and soul collecters alike
Death sends his partner to stop him and protect the girl
its a rough idea for u to use Avi wat u think
Hmm, okay. I can understand that. Yeah, it is pretty bleak, but that’s okay.
its a rough idea like i said
Oh, I was talking about the atheism afterlife when I said bleak. I didn’t read your post yet. I’ll look at it now.
ahh my bad
Regarding David’s idea:
I’m not really sure what to feel about this piece. I’m a bit confused. So the main character gets bored with his job and decides he wants to be Death. He meets a magic girl (I’m not sure what the relationship between them is). Then he goes on a killing spree to collect souls so he can challenge Death.
Could you clarify?
as i said its a rough idea
i havent worked evrything out yet witch is why i havent writen it
Explanation – I installed Windows 7 RC this morning. After installing, I realized that my computer had been completely formatted and the notes I saved in OneNote ‘07 is lost. But, fortunately, I’ve posted the notes I’ve taken about ghosts on your website last night. So, all my notes are safe. Thank you, SN!
Secondly, I thank Windows 7 RC for making my SN experience better. Thank you!
Explanation – In Windows 7 Beta, I’ve always had trouble viewing Superhero Nation through Internet Explorer. I can’t view pages having more than a hundred comments. I had to install Firefox to view these pages. But, thanks to Windows 7 RC, I can now easily use Internet Explorer to view these pages.
This is irrelevant, but thirdly, I thank Internet Explorer 8 for recovering this tab after a Not Responding schedule and thereby preserving the long comment I’ve been typing and formatting. Thank you!
I’m so tired. It’s going to be midnight soon. I’ll post the ghost story I was talking about tomorrow. Sorry, guys! Today was a long day…
I wasn’t able to post yesterday. It’s currently 31 C (88 F) in my city. Air conditioning wasn’t enough to cope up with the heat, so I went to a water park to chill myself out.
When I was waiting in line for the boating ride, I overheard the conversation among few young men who were standing in front of me. Though I call most of the conversation as fruitless talk, a single line struck me :-
Their conversation (translated from tamil to english)
Man 1 – Dude, I can’t believe they make us wait so long in this scorching heat.
Man 2 – Hey, don’t worry, buddy. I’ll stop the time and we can enjoy all the rides.
Man 3 – Try it, Prince of Persia. Surely, Dahaka will kill you.
I don’t know whether water can play with your brain, but once inside the wave pool, new ideas started flowing into my mind. I am guessing the legendary music that was being played in the background had an effect too.
I had a strong idea in my mind before leaving the park
This post is pretty long, I’ll post my ideas in the next post.
all names are not final and this is just a rough draft. hope you can understand
Milo is an average student. On his way to college, an oil tanker explodes and he narrowly escapes the blast by involuntarily stopping time for a few seconds. After realizing his potential, milo tries to master his powers and uses it for his own advantages like improving his grades academically, getting what he wants, getting his girl etc. After the first few chapters, misuse of his powers attract the attention of the timekeepers, who are incharge of controlling time rifts. the time keepers have experienced time rifts before, but their job was to just destroy time machines. milo is the first human able to manipulate time without a time machine. milo’s time manipulation does not work when the time keepers are nearby, so they warn milo not to change anything else with his powers because changing time is dangerous. they inform him that they will have to kill him if he uses his powers one more time. milo decides not to use his powers to escape death. after some days, when a group of robbers break into the bank and take his girlfriend as one of the hostages, milo is forced to use his powers. the timekeepers arrive to kill him. they reveal their power to shut down somebody or something from within, thereby silently killing anybody without pain or blood. when a bully comes to get him, milo introduces the bully to timekeepers, telling him the timekeepers are his old friends. he tells him they are masters of karate and asks him to challenge them. the bully blocks the timekeepers from moving forward and challenges them to a brawl. the timekeepers ward off the bully, milo gets out of the scene and uses his powers to escape. the timekeepers are confident they can catch milo because energy runs out very fast when time is being manipulated. the rest of the story revolves around the cat and mouse chase between milo and timekeepers. halfway through the story, another time manipulator is on a killing spree. as the timekeepers are unable to detect the new time guy through their technology, they doubt milo to be behind the killings.
P.S – as for the evil time guy, I’m gonna model him after Paradox from Ben 10.
so, is it good?
What happened to this forum? It’s unusually deserted.
There haven’t been many people on over the past 48 hours, just 350 a day. I’m not too worried. Traffic stats naturally jerk around all over the place, and traffic is still trending upwards.
there was something i was gonna as but iv forgotn thats why i havent posted
I just saw The Chronicles of Riddick. It did a brilliant job of forging sci-fi and fantasy, but pissed me off. (How dare you steal my idea for a race of beings that are elements?) The novel that I’m planning will definitely blend sci-fi and fantasy.
P.S. I’ve never thought of this forum as being deserted…
Well, between the days of May 6 and May 8, Avi was the only person to write here.
“The novel that I’m planning will definitely blend sci-fi and fantasy.” Good luck with that. It’s a tough sell. Genre-bending is tricky because you have to appeal not merely to readers that are fantasy fans or sci-fi fans, but readers that are both fantasy and sci-fi fans. I think it might help to avoid Fifth Element territory by keeping it sober and gritty. A gritty combination of sci-fi and fantasy worked pretty well in the Shadowrun novels. I haven’t read any Rifts novels, but I think they could work on a similar level.
thats what i was gonna ask!
B.mac, what are your thoughts on magic words?
currently any magic cast by Banshees, is said in reverse english.
Also iv been working on my grammer how am i doing?
After you answer David’s question, does anybody have any tips on how to give good advice? Especially if that person is writing a blog or something?
How would you guys rate my advice-giving abilities since i’ve been on this site?(Don’t worry, I won’t cry.)
My lack of a keyboard has rendered me incapable of using the internet at home. I’d usually be on everyday and leave at least a comment or two.
David, I’m unsure about magic dialogue. I’d probably go with something direct and understandable. I’d rather my character say bound in irons than snori ni dnoub.
As for your grammar it’s definitely getting better. There are still a few problem areas, though. For example:
“currently any magic cast by Banshees, is said in reverse english.”
- Usually, there’s comma after transition words that part a sentence.
- The comma in the middle of the sentence is unnecessary.
- I’m not sure, but I believe the word English should be capitalized.
- Always capitalize the first word in a sentence.
ok maby then it could be the way they say it
Here are some tips on giving advice.
1. Cover the “why” as well as the “what.” That will make the advice more powerful and easier to apply. If you explain your reasoning, that will help an author decide whether your advice is relevant to what he’s working on.
2. Use examples that your target audience will be familiar with. For example, I’m much more likely to refer to Justice League or the Spiderman movies than Anna Karenina because they are better-known to my audience and will feel more relevant. In particular, recent movies and TV shows are usually better-known than books and comic books are.
3. I recommend acknowledging your limitations. My recommendations are usually laced with phrases like “I think” and “I feel” because I don’t want my audience to feel like I’m talking down to them. Even when I am positive that their grammar and spelling are really bad, I’ll say something like “Your manuscript could probably benefit from proofreading” or something similarly gentle.
4. Be very sensitive to personal biases. For example, I hate romance, but when I’m reviewing a romance story I try to think like a romance editor would. If a romance editor and romance readers like this story, then it absolutely doesn’t matter whether I do. I think that being able to provide a fair reading to stories– even the kinds of story that you hate– will help convince your audience that your advice is worth reading.
5. If you do articles as well as review stories, like we do, then I recommend linking to your articles whenever it’s relevant. “I think this character is a bit flat. You might find my article on how to develop characters helpful.”
6. When you review stories, try to tailor your advice to what the author is trying to accomplish. This is one of the reasons that it’s so important to know who their target audience is. If you’re writing a story for children, your audience will expect an entirely different style of writing and a different plot than what an audience audience would expect.
7. Be patient. You will probably encounter a lot of idiots. If you’ve tried helping someone and they’re unfriendly or flagrantly stupid, just ban them. Banning idiots is one of the most clearest and easiest ways to lay out expectations for your readers. Another important and helpful step is to proofread comments. When you offer advice to someone that types like he’s texting (i nd hlp plz!!), you might come off looking like an amateur. Proofreading the comments makes everyone look more intelligent and will encourage people to participate.
8. After you post an article, re-read it immediately. Are there better ways to phrase what you’re trying to say? Is it organized smoothly? Did a typo slip past you? Can sentences or paragraphs be cut out? Etc.
I hope that helps. What kind of advice are you trying to offer?
I think your advice is pretty good so far, but I would recommend focusing more on the reasoning.
Typo on # 6, Audience audience– Is it supposed to be “adult”?
Any reviews for the concept I’ve posted above?
@ B.Mac-
”I hope that helps. What kind of advice are you trying to offer?”
I asked the question because I have been facing writer’s block concerning what I should post on this blog that I had had for two years, every time I log on my account I’m not sure what to post on it. I have a couple of posts I’m drafting but I don’t know which one to start with.
I was thinking of using my blog to give advice on how to write and draw about angels, demons and spirits and related stuff, but I think I should work on how to give good advice before I start posting, so I might stick with commenting on this website and get a little experience on how advice is given, and stuff.
@ Avi Arun-
I think your story concept is really cool. I think you should use The Butterfly Effect(the movie with Ashton Kutcher) as reference because it sorta involves the same kinds of concepts, like screwing around with time and the consequences of disrupting the space-time continuum.
I think there should be a bit more consequences involved for the characters, since they CAN control time. Hope this helps.
First, I don’t recommend getting hung up on quality. If you check out my first posts here, you’ll see that they aren’t very good. In fact, they’re kind of crappy. If you stick with it, I am positive that your advice will get better.
Here are some possible brainstorming ideas.
1. What are some of the biggest stories that fall into your niche of supernatural fiction?
2. Of those stories, which are mostly good and which are mostly bad? Why? For example, you could review any of the works in this field you’re familiar with.
3. What are some of the trends that separate good supernatural stories from bad ones?
4. If you were writing a supernatural story, how would you make sure that the story is closer to good than bad? This is how you take the story from review to advice. Once you’ve articulated some of the characteristics of a good story, it isn’t that hard to make suggestions about how to write a good story.
B. Mac, what do you think about swearing in novels and comics? What’s the worst we can get away with?
Also, my novel is a fantasy, as you know. Should I keep the currency as gold or should I use pounds or make a new currency?
It depends on your audience. If you’re writing for readers aged 18+, you can get away with whatever profanity you want. (However, swearing too much can reduce the impact, so I’d recommend against overdoing it… but that’s a question of effectiveness, not of appropriateness).
I’m not sure about fantasy currency. I feel that this is one of the few times that an imaginary word is usually needed. For example, it would be cheesy to use “gold pieces” as the currency. And it wouldn’t be much better to use pounds or dollars in a fantasy setting. (You might be able to get away with a more obscure currency like drachmas, though).
I think Harry Potter did currency pretty well. The author used Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. Alternatively, you could try something generic like “imperials” if the country in question is an empire.
I’ve got Zettons.
It might help a bit if the word were a real one, like galleons or sickles, but I think Zettons is ok.
- Hi guys, I’m back. Sorry for my absence. I was suddenly obsessed with Naruto and even managed to watch about 90 episodes in 3 days.
- I realized my previous concept had been used many times already. So, does this qualify?
- Basically, my story involves a young man with an eye that can sense danger and predict movements around the person. When there is a need for this eye, his pupils automatically experience some sort of apparent change and his power is activated. This particular young man runs from a group of power hungry rogues, who want to kill him and take the eye. These men are also superpowered but I haven’t decided that completely. Another group,a bunch of superpowered cop-like men come to help the protagonist. These cops go on quests around the world involving supernatural phenomena. Rescuing the protagonist was part of their mission. As the protagonist spends time with these guys, he learns to master his power, and also learns about the antagonist who is independent of the rogues. He accompanies the cops while they go on their next mission to rescue a girl held captive by the rogues. All the cops are caught but the protagonist manages to save the girl and escape. The girl can heal any wounds unless the wound is really fatal. That is why the rogues are after her. The antagonist rescues the cops for his own reasons. He informs the cops that the protagonist is one of the rogues and tricked them and escaped with the girl. The protagonist learns from the girl that she was once with the rogues and so was the protagonist. The rogues are so power hungry that they will kill their own men if they wanted power. They envied the protagonist’s eye and nearly managed to kill him. The girl rescued him and healed him. But the protagonist lost his memories due to the attack. Now the rogues are after them both because they left the team anyway. The rogues will never stop until there is only one of them left. The cops split up and find the protagonist. This time, the rogues save them. They make a deal with the protagonist. If he and the girl join the team again and help them defeat the antagonist, they will let them free forever. The protagonist does not believe them, but joins them anyways so that he can escape from the cops temporarily. The protagonist plans to kill the rogues with the help of the girl once the antagonist is defeated. The rogues plan the opposite.
Lastly, here’s something about the antagonist. He is a shapeshifter who wants to destroy all the rogues before they get to him or his daughter, who is also a shapeshifter. The antagonist and the rogues are equally powerful, so they are afraid of each other. In the end, the protagonist kills the antagonist. One of the rogues can steal powers from dead mutants, but is unable to steal from the antagonist because he managed to find a way to cure his mutation before his death.
In a possible sequel, the rogues recruit the ex-antagonist’s daughter into their team and gains her trust. They plan to take her powers at the right moment. Now fully aware that the protagonist tried to betray them, the rogues chase the protagonist while the protagonist investigates how the ex-antagonist cured his mutation.
So, is it okay?
wow, I seriously think Open Writing Forum is dying.
It’s had 25 comments in the last week. Over that period of time, I think maybe three pages did better. I do agree that it’s generally not the best place to get story advice, though.
–I think the cop-like men might be more interesting if they were a private group of investigators rather than police. It would help keep them accountable, which usually enhances the drama.
–I would recommend taking away the power to take abilities from corpses.
–Sounds good. I’m looking forward to reading the first chapter.
hey iv been reading this form from time to time i just never know what to say
but i shall try and post more
btw B.mac i sent you an email with my redone version of chapter 1 could i plese get your input on it so me and Marissa can work on it she is helping me shes great lol iv also been helping her with her chraters
thanks
D-
David, don’t forget your capitalization and punctuation! You promised you’d try. -scolding finger waggle-
AHHH! nuts.
Sorry.
That’s a little better.
David, which email did you send your work to? I want my story to be reviewed too. Also, I’ll be posting in my review forum 1, so please look out and review them. Thanks!
The email address is superheronation@gmail.com, I believe. I’m looking forward to reviewing everyone’s work when they start posting.
Thanks for the email address, RB!
Now that school has resumed, I have very little time to post here. I can’t skip school because this is my last year of schooling and I got to do well. I’ll only be able to post once in a while, so don’t blame me if all I do is leech.
Secondly, I’ll only be able to concentrate on one review forum, so Mac or other moderators can delete my second review forum. I’ll use only one forum to discuss everything.
I won’t completely lose touch with you guys, but this is my last active day. My main aim in life is to become a successful writer, but my family wants me to achieve B.E, M.Sc, P.H.D and post-graduation, most of which I’m not even aware of. What a drag…
See you soon!
Good luck, Avi!
Hey B.mac i have a questioin for you maby you can help me
later in my story iv got the god of the dead Don now as god of the dead people would exspect him to be dark and cinikeel and such but for a change u think it would be a gd idea to have him the oppisit? i mean loud and flamboient
also my target odience is younger ones
Something similar to DC’s Death, whose a goth, but is still spunky and nice. I like that Death much more than the traditional ones. I say go for it.
Wow, Avi, those are quite the expectations. Whatever happens I wish you the best and hope that you can accomplish your own dreams. Good luck.
Supernatural made an interesting Reaper, Tessa. She took the form of a young woman and she came off as a sympathetic and remorseful character. She would look at the person regretfully and remorsefully and say (in a really kind and gentle way) ‘time’s up, time to move on’. I found that to be an interesting character.
Death from ‘The Book Thief’ by Markus Zusak was a very interesting portrayal. To quote:
“I do not carry a scythe. I do not wear a black cloak with a hood, except when it is cold.”
He has a job to do (that is, collect the souls of the dead), but the thing that really troubled him was the people left behind. So he tries to distract himself from it. He actually comes across as someone who really does care, but since he’s powerless to do anything, he tries to ignore that instinct. That was really heart-breaking at times. He’s also honest, straightforward and really quite funny.
Basically: if you want to do a fresh portrayal of death, go for it!
neat i will do
Avi said: “My main aim in life is to become a successful writer, but my family wants me to achieve B.E, M.Sc, P.H.D and post-graduation, most of which I’m not even aware of. What a drag…”
Well, the good news is that postgraduate education places a premium on writing skills. Not everyone has the focus and dedication to pull off a thesis.
Also, I’m pretty sure that you can find something that fits your writing/engineering background if that’s what would excite you. For example, my brother is a linguist/engineer that coded an encryption program in college. Now he manages a Japanese firm’s exchange program for Indian engineers. (That’s globalization for you!)
Really? There are engineering courses related to writing? can you tell me some courses?
The writing projects would probably be outside of class. I think the best place to start is to introduce yourself to professors to see if they’re interested in taking on help on a writing project like a textbook or a grant proposal. I think your best chances are with a professor that’s doing a project in a subset of engineering that is very familiar to you.
The work will probably not be glorious or highly creative, but that sort of experience is really solid if you’d like to do something like work with a textbook publisher. Also, if you go on to get a Ph. D, you might end up writing your own textbooks. Finally, the people that go far in academia tend to be excellent at writing grant proposals.
I’d also angle for a teaching assistant position if those are available to you. I have a friend that started TAing as a sophomore because he was freakishly gifted at chemical engineering. Go figure. (No, it wasn’t Jacob). That’s the sort of position that will help make you look more credible to professors that are looking for help on writing projects.
Sorry for changing the subject, but do you all mind if I change my name? I chose “Alice2″ because it’s my name on every other website, but it’s kind of boring.
And my siblings recognize me. They can learn vague details about my writing. BAD.
Sure, go for it.
I’m doing a final exam project for my International Business and Finance class and I could use some assistance. The project is to start a company (Or create a business plan for starting one). I chose to start a comic book publishing company, unfortunately, I’m not exactly business-savvy. I need a little help with what it takes to start a business, particularly a comic book company. I’ve found a few sites and some are consistent, but I’m afraid for the reliability.
Also, would I face legal troubles by using Showtime Comics, because of the Showtime Channel?
If it’s just for an exam, then I highly doubt it.
Anyway, I’m not particularly well-versed in business, but I can think of the following: start-up fees, publishing fees, advertising fees, budgeting, sponsors and/or grants, projected sales, wages, competition. I think there’d be a lot of registration paperwork, too.
Hope that helped . . . somehow.
All of that stuff you said is included on the criteria sheet. It’s a lot of typing and finding out information to make your company sound cool. Although, I’m having second thoughts. How can I make a comic book company new and innovative? I think I may need to switch to something a little more simple. Maybe a fashion company? Or a film company?
This might take some knowledge of knowing me, so work with what you know about me. What type of company would I run?
Any sort. Healthy-eating food company (or just a health company)? If you had a company related to food or another industry with extra standards than simple person-to-person business, you might get extra marks for describing it. (I’m not sure how this course of yours is marked.)
For example, if you were going to do a healthy-eating company, there are all sorts of standards that the food industry has to cater too, both in production and packaging. There are also a bunch of health and safety regulations to follow.
Um, some ones you could think about: travel, kid’s clothing, formal fashions, IT, furniture, pet food/accessories.
I don’t think a film company sounds simpler. Define “film company”: Feature films? Animation? Documentary? Adverts? Educational films? Also, think about the amount of competition a film company could face. Fashion is good, but I think narrowing it down would work better (for example, over here we have stores like Adams, which caters to kids, and stores like New Look, which is aimed at young adults).
First, I’d like to preface this by strongly discouraging you (or anyone else) from attempting to try this in real life unless you have at least 3-5 years of solid experience. That goes for the writers, the artists, etc. However, experience is an obstacle that probably won’t matter in your class, so let’s ignore that for the purposes of your presentation.
To produce the comic, you’re probably going to need at least two professionals: a writer and an illustrator. Bearing in mind that this is a shoe-string operation, let’s say that both are paid $50 per page and that the art is black-and-white. Let’s also say that each issue of the comic is 32 pages long. This means that the total labor costs for each issue will be around $3200.
So how many copies do you need to sell to turn a profit? Well, Ka-Blam can print out each 32-page B&W issue for $3.23. So, if you knew that you could sell 1000 copies, you would have to have to get $6.23 for each to break even. If you could sell 2000 copies, you would have to get $4.83. If you could sell 3000 copies, which is highly unlikely, you would have to get $4.30. However, that does not take into account that the distributor and bookstore (if applicable) both get a cut of the action. So even if you could guarantee an impressive 3000 sales, you would definitely have to sell at more than $4.30 to cover the distributors and sellers. I’d recommend speaking to someone that self-publishes, but my guess is that you’d have to sell at somewhere between $5-$6 to break even. Given that Marvel’s most expensive comics cap out at $4, that might be a tough sell.
Another option– and probably more realistic– is that you forget publishing a paper version altogether and sell the book exclusively as a digital version. Then your only costs are labor ($3200 per issue) and a minor Paypal transaction fee (probably around $.50 per sale). If you sell your book at $3, you’d have to sell around 1280 copies to break even. If you sold your book at $4, you’d have to sell around 900 copies. That strikes me as more doable, particularly if you’re interested in doing color. Printing paper copies with color is a bitch, but color doesn’t really affect the digital version all that much. (Your artist might expect more for his time, but you could get a colored version done for $50 a page).
As part of your business plan, I think you would need to have sufficient funds to handle at least 5 issues. If you’re doing 5 print-runs of 2000 copies, I think you would need $32,500 for printing costs and another $16,000 for labor. If you’re doing just the digital version, I think you’d need just the $16,000 for labor. Then I’d recommend coming up with some promotional/advertising strategy. That takes money, so budget accordingly…
I hope that helps.
Also, as Holliequ noted, self-publishing relies on grants. For example, Xeric is one such source.
B. Mac, you do understand that I’m not ‘actually’ starting a publishing company, right? I just have to create a business plan for starting one. I don’t want to self-publish, I want to work as a publishing house like Dark Horse. I need more general help about starting a business. The idea is that I’m pitching the the company idea to prospective investors and trying to get investments.
Haha. Slow down there, B. Mac. Its just for an exam. XD
Ack. My caveat was more aimed at people who are actually thinking about starting up their own company or self-publishing. I wouldn’t want anyone to stumble upon this and think “aha! This is all I need to start up a company.” However, for your purposes, I think it’s a good start on several of the most important factors to a business plan.
–The costs of bringing your product to market.
–The marginal cost of producing each issue.
–Price points.
As far as attracting investors, I’d recommend stressing the following points.
–It only costs $3200 to produce a digital version of a digital comic book. That’s a fairly minor investment. In contrast, if we were to look at another sector, it would probably take you hundreds of thousands of dollars to start a restaurant.
–You only need to sell ~900 copies to get profitable. That’s definitely doable; according to the Comic Book Chronicles, there were 300 different issues that sold 2000+ copies in March 2009. I don’t know how many broke 900, but I’d imagine that the number is much larger and includes more than a few entries from third-string publishers. For example, Ape, Berserker, Boom, Brainscan, Bluewater, and Bongo all had titles that broke the top 300.
–It is almost plausible that you could recoup your investment within 6-12 months. That’s a pretty good return on investment, much better than typical. For example, if you tried something like starting up a pharmaceutical firm, you wouldn’t even have a product on the market within 3 years. In contrast, I think your comic book company could start selling digital copies within 2 months.
–Your business plan should probably lay out a viable and cost-effective marketing/promotional strategy. To start with, I think that starting a website is a good start. That costs pretty much nothing and will provide you a platform to sell your product. Then I’d also recommend calculating how much it would cost you to promote at small comic book conventions near you. I don’t have any experience on the business side of comic books (yet!), but I think that a good rule of thumb is that you spend at least as much on promotional expenses as you do producing the comic itself. $15,000 will cover booths at a lot of small conventions. For example, Florida Supercon charges $400 for a booth. If you can convince 100 people there to buy a copy, it was definitely worth your time. (Remember, someone that buys one will probably buy later issues if they liked the first).
Thank you, B. Mac that was super-informative. Mainly because you reminded me of the capability of digital distribution. I’m pretty sure more distribution at minor cost will sound very lucrative to potential investor. I’m also sure the possible rate of return will also interest investors.
I’m off to my business plan.
New question: What could a comic book company do to make itself unique? Even just a little different from the rest. I’m sure there’s something.
What do you guys think?
Perhaps focusing on stories like these?: http://asylums.insanejournal.com/scans_daily/54803.html
Or just picking a niche and sticking with it, like a genre or setting– I haven’t heard about a lot of comics with steampunk settings, and they do sound interesting. Also, are there comics with steampunk settings?
Haha, great minds think alike. What!? How dare you compare yourself to me! I’ll crush you!!
I definitely wanted my story to have an edge and focus on more creative type stories. I’m not a big fan of steampunk, it looks cool, but I don’t understand it that much.
Lol, DForce, I am actually thinking of marking a story/comic/manga(haven’t decided which media to use yet) with a short part involving a steampunk world. My story is involved with a lot of travelling through different worlds, alternate universes, and time loops, so yeah. Will do steampunk, definitely.
“What could a comic book company do to make itself unique?” Here are a few things you could try.
Different subject matter… most comic books are superhero stories set in the modern day. If you wanted to do straight-up sci-fi or fantasy, there might be a market there that is not heavily pursued today. The sci-fi and fantasy series currently on the market tend to be licensed properties– for example, Dark Horse does Star Wars, Terminator and Buffy.
Different themes. For example, if you wanted to do religious comic books, I bet that you could find evangelical customers. There are novel publishers devoted to religious fiction (particularly Christian fiction), so maybe the market could sustain a religious comic book publisher. Alternately, I think the market for stories about poor characters is underserved. African-American characters are also a bit rare. (And, with all due respect, I don’t feel that Static Shock is tough competition).
Different professionals… more often than not, the writers and editors are white liberals from NYC. It is sort of plausible that you could succeed as something else. For example, Fox is the #1 cable news network because it benefits from the belief among conservatives that every other cable news network is really liberal. If you’re a conservative or right-leaning consumer looking for news shows, there is literally no alternative.
Aimed at a different audience. This wouldn’t work very well if you were interested in selling out of comic book stores, but a purely online seller might be able to eke out a niche market. Comic book companies typically sell most of their books to readers that are male, 18-30 years old, Caucasian, have a lot of disposable income, a bit liberal, often urban or suburban, etc. I don’t think you’ll be able to get around the disposable income part, but the other elements are flexible to some extent.
A different style of distribution… for example, most publishers do print-runs rather than just selling online.
So, for the purposes of your presentation, you might say you were looking to do something like comics for African Americans. That’s pretty much what Gettosake does. I don’t get the impression that you write mainly for AAs, but this is a logical and sound business strategy that will make sense to your teacher, even if it doesn’t necessarily make sense in real life.
Will it be offensive if I use racist characters in my novel?
Probably not, as long as it’s clear that we’re not meant to sympathize with their views. See Archie Bunker on All in the Family.
However, racism is usually a sign of cartoonish, two-dimensional antagonists and villains. Again, see AB and Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner.
Steampunk comic books… There are a few. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is probably the most prominent example, but DC also did a few reimaginings of Gotham City as a 19th century metropolis.
Ehh… I kind of thought the first half of that EC story could have been improved by removing a lot of the setup. I really liked the last two pages even though they were kind of heavy-handed.
Avi Arun:
In an age of sensitive political correctness, yes. But that can actually work. Take the comic book The Truth, for example. In the future, everyone has segregated themselves (the blacks, the Asians, the whites, the indigenous), and waged racial war upon each other. While everyone and the government are fooled into believing the hatred each leader advocated, all of the leaders were actually working together. And they all morphed into a supervillain.
So yeah, it could work out if racism is portrayed in a negative light, or the characters will overcome their racism.
I really like those ideas, B. Mac. Particularly the one about spotlighting an African-American audience and changes in subject-matter. Although, I don’t particularly right for blacks I have always felt that there aren’t enough black superheroes. That’s the reason about 80% of my protagonists are African-American, 15% being non-human, and about 5% as other races. I don’t do it to be racist, though. I just want more black heroes (and slender ones, too. Enter Adrian).
Ah, One more thing :-
How do I reveal flashbacks in my novel? If one of my chapters is a flashback, Do I have to write the whole chapter in first person (When the rest of the chapters are in third person), and within quotations so that the reader knows who’s narrating the backstory? or can I change POV to suit the flashback (like an younger version of a character)?
Most people write flashbacks in italics, but I think that’s too indicated for me. But I think executing it like the perspective of the character when they were younger is a good idea. I have another question on that, too. Is it misleading my readers if one person has one perception of a flashback when I show it, and then another character views it differently?
If this hypothetical example helps:
When Doris is five, she witnesses her half-brother (Shawn) try unsuccessfully to kill her father with a magical heirloom. Shown in flashback.
Shawn helps his stepfather (Darryl) leave his family by supposedly killing him with the heirloom’s magical traits. But really he called up Darryl’s doppelganger as a diversion and poisons him. He is later thrown in prison, thanks to his stepmother, Yera.
Yera knew her husband’s promise to give world-traveling a rest was just a farce, but she never saw it coming that Shawn would murder him. Yera never loved Shawn, and was glad to get rid of him. Told in flashback, a little after Doris’ flashback.
Holy crud…another novel idea… I’m writing this down now.
Anyways, is that a good idea to do? Flashback-wise?
Avi asked: “How do I reveal flashbacks in my novel? If one of my chapters is a flashback, do I have to write the whole chapter in first person (When the rest of the chapters are in third person), and within quotations so that the reader knows who’s narrating the backstory?”
If the rest of the book is in third-person, I would strongly recommend against switching to first-person for a flashback. To reveal the flashback, I would recommend prefacing it with something like “Ten years ago” or whatever. Alternately, if you are REALLY tied to the idea of moving to first-person for this flashback, I would recommend making it something like a diary entry or a letter to another character.
I think that aiming at a niche audience (like AAs with regards to comic books) is a totally respectable business strategy. I’m not sure that it would be effective in real life, but it will surely make sense to your business teacher.
I’m not sure what the attraction of slender characters is, though. It seems kind of irrelevant? I’m not sure that readers will think “ooh, I’ve always wanted to read a comic book about slender characters!” In contrast, I feel that blackness is something that will be highly relevant to a financially significant number of readers. Instead of slender, you might go farther with “realistic-looking.” Pretty much every hero and heroine currently on the market is outrageously buff and/or model-like. Superheroines are (CAUTION: UPCOMING LINK NOT SAFE FOR WORK) especially bad in this regard. Most comic book readers are not buff or model-like. It seems plausible to me that they would relate more to characters that a bit more look like them rather than like they’ve stepped out of the pages of GQ or Playboy.
Gurion, I get the impression that there are too many perspectives going on. For example, giving Doris a POV chapter suggests that she’s an important character. But it seems like she disappears almost immediately. I think this flash-backing would benefit from more focus on fewer characters.
Also, why would Shawn go to prison on behalf of a father that doesn’t even care enough to stick around?
“I’m not sure what the attraction of slender characters is, though.”
Oh, the slender part is for me. I wasn’t going to mention it in my business plan.
Ohhh…well what if the novel was like a supernatural-whodunit-family-saga thingie?
Oh,yeah…now I get what you mean, but there are novels where the POV revolves, and they do it pretty good…but overall, I generally get what ya mean. Will look the idea over.
I was getting lots of different ideas and to prevent myself from shifting my story again, I tried to merge all the ideas I got. Now, I have one biggg story with me. Surely, The story can’t be fully resoved in one book. I’ll try my best to resolve something in every book but I’m planning to write sequels definitely.
So, How many books can I go upto in a series if I’m aiming for about 150-200 normal pages in each novel. What’s the longest so far?
Also, can I write a prequel* between two sequels?
* The prequel precedes the events in the first book.
Hello? anyone there?
So you’d be doing the books in this order: 2, 1, 3, 4? I think it’d be kind of odd to do a prequel right off the bat, but it has been done before.
@Avi – Hmm… Well, Brian Jacques could do it. I’m not so sure though.
You know, I’ve been wondering what will happen to this site in the future. I mean, B. Mac’s close to getting published, Cadet Davis left… Who knows? Maybe someday, when my parents can’t keep me locked up anymore, I’ll join as a mod. At least, I think I can write romance okay. An article about that would be pretty useful.
- Wings
Hey, Wings. Have you got MSN or Yahoo? It would be nice to chat on that as well.
I was pondering that thought myself. I wonder, will B. Mac always be running the site. Who would take his place when he’s gone.
Ha, this sounds a lot like Battle for the Cowl. Who will be the next B. Mac? All we need is a bunch of site trolls (escaped Arkham-ers),a small groups of very hopeful and qualified candidates (the actual commenters) and rogue B. Mac imposter that doesn’t play by the rule (Davis maybe?) and a whole bunch of drama. Battle for the Mac!
@Avi: C.S. Lewis also did it. If I recall correctly, The Magician’s Nephew was the sixth book published. I’m pretty sure The Horse and his Boy and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader were published out of order, too. Still, I wouldn’t recommend it. Why not start with the prequel?
Technically, if you start with the prequel, it’s not the prequel. It’s just the first book.
I probably don’t know what I’m talking about, but I highly doubt publishing sequel, prequel, sequel works for all but the most successful author, like Lewis. If your work’s not fantastic, nobody will bother enough to read them out of order. Even then it’s still not a good idea. Why would you want to give your readers part of a story, then go back to before the story, then finish the story? The twist you’re concealing really can’t be that important.
Here’s an idea, write a sequel, but throughout the sequel put flashbacks that form another story alongside the sequel. Make sure both story and flashback have coherent, good plots, and then you’ve got a prequel and a sequel in one book, and a very satisfied audience (provided it’s done well).
Hey B. Mac, check this out:
http://comiccoverage.typepad.com/comic_coverage/superpowers-that-time-forgot/
Wow, this only makes me dislike Superman even more. I want to be able to do Super Amnesia Kisses.
Could some one tell me what jobs the key players and officers of a comic book company would be? All I can come up with is Editor-in-Chief, CEO, and Creative Director. Also do you know how many people should be on the Board of Directors?
Basically, I need an idea of all the people it would take to run the company?
Also, could someone help me find recent sales figures for Dark Horse and Image comics.
I’m not sure about the board of directors. Unless your teacher explicitly asked you to do a board, I’m not sure it’d be necessary for a startup. Marvel has eight directors on its board, so that’s about one for every fifty million dollars of revenue.
As for sales statistics… according to Comic Chronicles, the industry as a whole sold about 700 million dollars worth of comics in 2008. It also reports that Dark Horse had a 6.5% share of the total revenue of comics sold, so that would be about 45 million dollars. Image had a 3.7% share, so that’s about 26 million dollars.
How many employees are you thinking about?
I just need to know the main jobs it will take to actually start and run the business. I don’t think we need a board.
Thanks for the stats. (I’ve recently started using Comic Chronicles. I’d like to be knowledgable about the industry in general.)
hey Ragged boy
our rpg is nearly done, how have you enjoyed it so far? and have you got any ideas for another one?
It’s pretty good. The plot was kind of banal, but I enjoyed most of the action. I tried to mix it up whenever I could.
Actually, I think I do have an idea for another story. It’s in the works, though.
well the plot is the same one from my story but with diffrent chraters
Ok. Here are some thoughts on the most important employees.
ARTISTS
–Pencillers.
–Inkers. Fortunately, this is often the same person that does the pencilling. Inking is more related to penciling than it is to coloring.
–Colorists. I’d recommend giving each series its own colorist. It takes a lot of time to do colors.
–Conceptual artist. This part-time position is probably not essential and can be done by one of your pencilists/inkers. Concept art is really important if you work a lot with exotic sci-fi or fantasy or anything else that makes you do a lot of exotic character design and fantastic cityscapes/landscapes.
–Cover artist. If you have a lot of series, you might assign the covers to one artist because few artists have the eye for detail to make a cover rock. This is probably a part-time or freelance position.
In all, you’ll probably have about two artists for each series.
WRITERS
–Probably just one per series. If you’re really concerned about costs, you could probably save a lot of money by having each writer do two series. However, that leaves you more vulnerable to delays and mediocre writing. In any case, I think that most small publishers have one writer for every ~two artists… the art usually takes a lot more time.
EDITING/BUSINESS
–Editors. For a startup, I’d recommend one editor if you do 1-3 series and two editors if you do 4-6. I wouldn’t recommend any more than 6 for a startup. One of these editors will be the editor-in-chief (EIC).
–Sales/marketing manager. Optional. His main responsibility is to make sure that people buy the comics. He might also be tasked with convincing distributors and stores to carry the product. In a really shoestring operation, this could probably be done by the EIC.
–Distribution manager?
Thanks for all your help. Unfortunately, we finished and turned in the assignment earlier today. Luckily, I got all (but with different titles) of the people you mentioned in your information, even a distribution manager. I probably should have included a few more artists and editors, though.
I think I’ll do good. I doubt my teacher knows enough about the industry to ask that I won’t have an answer for.
Thanks again, you’re a lifesaver, B. Mac.
RB, good luck on your assignment.
Friends and I have on occasion discussed starting a comic book company, but so far said discussions have been only fantasy. I do plan on one day making it a-lá small business, and I gotta say those posts put things a little better into perspective. Thanks B. Mac.
Eh, I have been browsing for a little while and have been noticing this orange text that has been blocking my view of posts or articles… is there any chance of it being moved or changed so that it appears only (and while) a mouse hovers over the subscription box?
I assume it’ll go away after I subscribe, which I am now doing, but still… not very visitor-friendly I think.
Hmm… still there…
Ack. Do you use Firefox, Dforce? I’ve been noticing some problems with the e-mail signup as well. I just e-mailed our tech guy.
As for the practicality of starting up a comic book publisher, here are a few suggestions for adapting this academic advice for a real-life situation.
–I strongly recommend against starting with more than 2 series or 4 employees. 1-2 artists, 1 writer and 1 editor/business guy. The artists can be freelancers.
–It is critical to select hard-working employees that can meet deadlines and solve unanticipated problems. Industry experience is also very important.
–I highly recommend against going into business with your friends. It can easily strain the friendship. At the very least, it’s a major complication.
–In real life, consumers generally hate paying for digital comic books. I don’t think that you could get people to pay $3 or $4 for a digital comic book. In contrast, Marvel charges $10/month for unlimited access to thousands of titles. I imagine that it would be easier to print and sell black-and-white. I found a printer in the District of Columbia that will print 1000 24-page B&W comic books for $800. That strikes me as very doable.
–Color is extremely expensive to print. The same print place said that 1000 color comic books would cost me about $6000. $6 a copy just to break even on printing costs? Not a winning business model.
–Marketing and promotions are essential. Hundreds of comic books come out every month. People won’t just magically stumble on yours– you have to bring it to their attention. The cheapest way to do that is to build a strong website; doing comic book conventions near you is probably more effective. You can buy a booth at a small convention for a few hundred dollars, but you also have to factor in transportation and possibly lodging.
–Work the web. There are at least 50 credible websites like this one that may review your work if you send a free promotional copy. It costs you probably around $6 to print and ship a copy to a webmaster like me. If that gets you a review that sells even 3 copies, it was worth it. This is a publicity strategy that won’t take a lot of time or money on your part. However, you do have to do some work to make sure that your promotional copies are going to be received by people that like them. If I received a comic book accompanied by a letter along the lines of “Hey, B. Mac! I know you’re into wacky comedy, so I figure you’ll like this,” I’m virtually positive to read and review it. If it’s something like a zombie horror, I’d be more likely to just throw it out. I’m not interested!
–Even lukewarm and negative reviews promote sales. Fact! If the comic book is completely unknown to readers, a negative review can only enhance sales. For example, a few people I know have mentioned that savage reviews of Twilight led them to read the book. “It can’t be THAT bad, can it?” Also, in many cases, the reviewer hates things that will appeal to at least a few readers.
–It will really help you if you can convince Diamond to carry your work.
–Salesmanship is particularly important for the editor/business guy, but everyone that does conventions should be friendly and approachable.
–I would recommend having each staff employee (the editor and writer but probably not the artists) save up enough to do this for at least a year. I think it’ll take at least a year to build up an audience that’s large enough to sustain the company.
I use IE before the latest “upgrade” (I tried it, but didn’t like it, so I went back a version– the one I had).
I couldn’t see myself working with anything more than tone– that is, no color. Black and White is very OK with me. And hopefully, I’d find people that would be in the same line of thought.
Realistically, the conversations were more of “I’ll start this company and you’ll freelance a bit here– you’ll start that company… etc.” Money-related woes can get very nasty, I’ve seen.
Diamond?
The only thing I can’t figure out is copyright. I’ve heard/read that you have to get a patent, and then go through a few hoops, then register it with the patent office, and then register again with the Library of Congress, and then get patents outside the U.S… it’s a complicated list from what I gather. Also, I’ve read you need to send copies of EVERYTHING to the Library of Congress. It seems like quite the hassle to me.
I need to get me to a convention to see all the ins and outs… The sooner the better I suppose.
I believe that patents only apply to inventions, not publications. If you’re looking to protect your stories, you’d probably want to use a copyright instead. Fortunately, the hurdles for attaining a copyright are vastly lower (in most cases copyright protection is automatic and applies as soon as you have written something).
…
Diamond Comic Distributors is pretty much the only distributor of comic books in the US. Your distribution guy will be doing a lot of work with them to make sure that stores can stock your book easily. I’ve never worked in distribution, so I’m not sure what that would entail.
…
If you’re going to hire a friend, I agree that it’s best to do so on a limited, freelance basis. For example, instead of offering him a yearly position on your art staff, pay him to do a single cover. If the cover is bad, you lose at most a few hundred dollars. In contrast, if you hire him and it doesn’t work out, you pretty much have to fire him. Very awkward.
I’ve been noticing that orange text too. I’ve managed to ignore it for now. But I see you’ve fixed it. Okay!
Our tech guy is preternaturally fast. Now, if only he could fix the volunteer moderator issue…
Hey guys, I’ve updated my first review forum. Check it out. I need some reviews.
What are some superpowers mostly only girls have? Also list the coolest superpowers for villains and tell me what type of villains the power is meant to be used with.
The coolest and scariest superpowers for villains[and i'll be using some of these myself but feel free tosome as well] in my opinion are:
1-Haemolysis-use osmosis to burst every cell in a persons body [this could be kind of messy]
2-Inducing haemophillia or causing a person’s blood to leak out of their body
3-Mind control-Imagine a villain calling Barack O Bama and telling him to spark world war three.Scary
4-Stealing superpowers-a la Sylar
5-Psychosomosis-mental attacks which cause actual bodily damage,for example Freddy Kreuger or that episode of fringe with the hallucinogenic frogs and killer metal butterflies
6-Generate a horribly deadly disease.
Thanks, Sandman. I kinda like Psychosomosis. I already have a supervillain who can steal powers.
By the way, visit my review forum. I’ve posted the synopsis of book 1 of my series. I would like some feedback.
Another thing I wanted to ask is : Is it alright to end a book with a cliffhanger as a clue to the sequel. I mean, after the villain of book 1 is killed, can I show the rise of a new villain at the end of book 1?
You never want to set up a sequel until you have the first book selling well.
But then, I have too many ideas that cannot fit into a single book. If I have to write all of it in one book, the book would be atleast 1500 pages long.
Alright, thats fine to me. Most debut novels usually aren’t really short, from what I’ve seen. The novel(s) I’m working on will seem to be at least 27-30 chapters each.
Well, you’re going to have a heck of a time finding a publisher then, Ari. That’s all I can say if you won’t take my word.
I think that would work, Avi. If you can convince a publisher to do your series, I think that killing the first book’s villain and introducing the next is an effective transition from one book to the next. That said, getting a series published is in many ways even harder than getting a single book published. It’s a bigger commitment on the part of the publisher.
…
1500 pages is a non-starter.
Really, it would?
I thought that publishers hate publishing books in which the ending demands the presence of a further book or two to come to any form of a conclusion?
Well, the first book ends with the death of the character that appears to be the main villain. As far as a series goes, I think that’s an adequate amount of resolution, because the hero has accomplished something important and permanent. Sort of like blowing up the Death Star at the end of the first Star Wars movie. At the end of the first movie, the story is still going but the audience still has a satisfying conclusion.
I think it would be much more problematic if the hero’s main accomplishment is a temporary victory over a villain that somehow escapes. In that situation, the heroes probably haven’t done enough to satisfy the readers. It’ll probably feel like they’ve been spinning their wheels for 300 or 400 pages. In contrast, if the characters have blown up the Death Star, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Oh, alright.
Now, what if their initial goal was to stop an evil empire, but various other evil groups slowly distract them until the other evil is the main focus by at least halfway through the book. Now, if in the finale, the other evil groups are mostly eradicated, but the evil empire is still going for future books, will that be alright?
I suspect that readers are going to think of the evil empire as the most important enemy. Accordingly, I think that the first book should probably end with a small-but-important victory over the empire. Using the Star Wars analogy again, I think that having the hero beat Boba Fett and a few other minor characters or groups would probably not make for a very satisfying climax. I suspect that your various other evil groups are going to feel more like Boba Fett or Jabba than Darth Vader– amusing and possibly effective diversions, but not important enough to star for more than a few chapters.
Well, I mean, the other groups aren’t minor. If there’s a victory against the empire, that’ll be the third climactic finale in the book, because the other villains end up being more important in the series of the first book.
They aren’t Boba Fetts or Jabbas. They’re each a Darth Vader in their own right, as opposed to the whole evil empire thing.
Uh…I’m guessing no one on this site is gonna be in the 8th when summer ends, huh?
Damn! still waiting to get into high-school! Oh, anybody miss me?
I’m going to the twelve! Senior at last.
Welcome, Gurion!
Haha, I’ll be in my final year of high school next year. I just finished my exams and I’m waiting on the results. I definitely failed at least one, but it doesn’t matter if I pass the others. I have six more at the end of this year, and then twelve next year. I’m gonna be so busy…
Haha, I’m finishing high school this year too (although I’m going back for another two years in sixth form, so just finishing complusive school, really). I only have one exam left. Unfortunately, it’s also the longest one. Two and a half hours of statistics, bleh. Pretty confident I’ll pass, though.
I’m in the twelfth already. Though I was initially excited to be a Senior, I’m exhausted now due to the enormous amount of home-works, tests, projects and assignments. But still, I’m glad because of the fact that I’d be completing schooling 9 months from now.
But the point is, fellow Seniors, RB and Holliequ are already literary masters when I still write like a kid. Did you guys take any special courses on writing?
Courses actually made my writing worse until I could get all that crap out of my system. =/
Literary master?! Me?
I’ve never taken a writing course in my life, though, unless you count English class (which wasn’t very helpful. What’s with all the said hate?). I’ve just read a lot, from a very early age.
I think to be an effective author, it’s important to read a lot, and not just things in your genre. I was never really that into writing until a few years back, so I read bits of everything.
But yeah, I’m not a literary master by any means. I still have a long way to go before I’m close to that title. Cheer up, Avi.
“I’ve just read a lot, from a very early age”.
Me, too. According to my parents, I started reading when I was 18 months old. I remember not paying attention in year one when we were learning the alphabet, because I already knew it by heart, thanks to the extensive amount of reading material I had at my disposal. I still have my first book (it’s just a bunch of loose pages now, haha).
I read waaaaay too much when I was a kid. Nowadays I would read more often, but there’s a distinct lack of books that interest me (due to my incredible fussiness) and the fact that I get through books faster than the Flash gets through… places…
My ridiculously fast reading speed means I never have enough books to keep me reading. I actually read Harry Potter 7 in about 10 hours.
I read Harry Potter 6 in eight and a half, pulling an all-nighter to do so. That was fun, but I was glad I didn’t have school the next morning.
It also showed me that the book was much improved on #5, which took me three days to read because Harry’s actions kept making me wince and put it down. Did she really have to turn him into a whiny teenage brat? And an idiot? Not cool, JK. Not cool.
However, I have to admit that #5 was worth struggling through for Fred and George’s (and, in my opinion, the series’) crowning moment of awesome. When I read it nowadays I tend to skip all the annoying parts.
Yeah I never really read HP from a critical angle, I just let the story kinda take me for a ride. As a result I pretty much have zero opinion on the series as a whole. The words ‘casual fan’ describe my level of interest in HP.
Question: I know I’m treading dangerous waters here, but…how can I effectively incorporate personal past dreams into a story?
I’ve read stories before in which you can actually tell the author based off their dreams, since everyone has some sort of dream pattern(the story I read, it seems like everything was fastforwarded in a blur, so events were described poorly and disjointed).
So, is it possible to incorporate them into the story?
I’d say it’s possible, but I’d recommend editing them to make them more coherent with your story. Your dream is probably more useful as a springboard for new ideas than as something that can be inserted intact into the story.
I recommend keeping dream sequences short. Anything longer than a page is probably too much unless the character has supernatural powers that need more time. (Like prophetic dreams or the ability to enter the dreams of other people).
Question: will a romance subplot alienate every single male reader? I never intended to pair these two off, but two of my main characters have suddenly decided they love each other, despite my protests.
i say go for it love is love weather real or in story u wont alaient evrey male reader and if any of them have problems thats theair problem not yours
I’d expect that a romance would probably rub many male readers the wrong way. Very few stories aimed at males handle romances in a more serious way than, say, James Bond or Eragon. (Read: woman as trophy).
However, I think it worked for the original Star Wars movie. The main reason I enjoyed the Leia-Han romance but detested the Anakin-Padawan romance was that the original movies spent very little time plodding towards the end-goal. I think it also helped that neither one was a main character.
I’d also recommend looking at Casino Royale, The New Adventures of Lois and Clark, maybe The Matrix, etc. Like the original Star Wars movies, the Matrix movies spent very little time developing the Neo-Trinity romance.
Yeah, romance isn’t really what male readers look for. That’s why I have it as a more of a background theme.
1st book: It’s not even romance, Isaac’s girlfriend manipulates him into staying with her through blackmail.
2nd book: Small hints, but the biggest theme is to save the world.
3rd book: One established couple and one couple trying to get together. However, saving the world (again) is more important.
The (possible) romance was a minor aspect of the story — until I made one of them the main character, and now I don’t know what I’m going to do with them.
I’d rather make them bitter enemies than make one a trophy for the other.
Besides, I’m too overprepared to do that; I map out the relationship of every possible couple in order to determine what they initially see in each other and what they really have to give. I tend not to settle for less than two halves of one whole.
On an unrelated note, how do I make a line break? Typing doesn’t work, nor does HTML.
I see a few possible solutions…
1. Keep the romance to a minor sideplot, probably something on the scale of the romance in the later Harry Potter books or the original Star Wars movies. This will probably work better if the characters are secondary (like Han and Leia).
2. Focus on the romance as much as you want and remove men from the target audience.
3. Change the characters to remove any hint of romantic tension/compatibility between them.
4. Make the characters dating in the background from the start. I think this would help make the romance more palatable to guys because (to me) the most intolerable part of romance is how the characters bumble towards the preordained conclusion that They Will Be Together.
5. Change them back to minor characters, so that their romance becomes a more minor component of the story.
6. Risky business… sometimes it’s possible to compensate for a female-friendly romance by lacing the story with male-friendly components (like action). I think that worked in The New Adventures of Lois and Clark, the original Star Wars movies, the Shrek movies, possibly Heroes (Matt-Daphne) and possibly Justice League Unlimited (the John-Vixen-Hawkgirl triangle).
I don’t think that guests can use line-breaks here. However, if you’d like to take a stab at it, the command is lessthansignBRgreaterthansign and hopefully that will work.
I only planned for the romance to be minor, but I’ve discovered that any and all romance invites heaps of angst in. I hate angst, and Gabriel isn’t one to angst, anyway.
And I can’t write them dating from the start. It’s kind of complicated. Basically, though, Gabriel works for the Big Bad. Sam is part of an unsuccessful attempt to stop the Big Bad. She’s captured and is to be killed immediately. Meanwhile, Gabriel’s already tense relationship with him teammates gets worse when he learns they are plotting to kill him. Gabriel decides to leave in secret, but is tempted to get revenge by releasing the prisoners and causing massive damage to the organization. So he does, and Sam is among the prisoners.
Gee, that sounded awful when I tried to condense it to a readable length. I left out a bunch of details because I don’t feel comfortable talking about my villain or his plans yet. I have yet to find out what makes him tick.
lessthansignBRgreaterthansign was the first thing I tried, actually. Oh well.
I dunno about you guys, but I NEVER wanna see Robin on any ‘The Dark Knight’ sequel. I mean, the current ….I dunno, feel of the Batman cinmea would be compromised, as if its some dumb reminder that its based on the comics. I dunno, I never really liked Robin, and…well…it just seems better without him…
And I think that the Joker potrayed in the The Dark Knight is the best film potrayal of a supervillian, period.
Any objections?
Hello, and I couldn’t agree with you more, Gurion!
The Joker was absolutely phenomenal. A beautiful piece of work by the late Heath Ledger.
Oh, and they can’t bring Robin into the works… it’ll be too… immature? I have no freakin’ clue. It’ll just be bad.
Anyone have any ideas as to what the Dark Knight sequel will be like? Rachel’s gone, as is the Joker and Harvey.. so what now? Hmm…
They’re making a sequel?!
Aren’t they?! That’s what I heard.. :O
Don’t ask me, you’d know better than I do.
Yes, they are making a sequel to the Dark Knight. The current setback is finding a director since Christopher Nolan dropped out.
Ah, that’s a shame. He did a brilliant job.
I am absolutely positive that a sequel to the Dark Knight will be made– there’s just too much money at stake to let it go– but it looks like they haven’t announced it yet. I notice that a Google search for “Dark Knight sequel” returned hits that are mostly 3-6 months old and didn’t contain anything particularly interesting.
Apparently, they were scheduled to start pre-production several months ago. “According to Batman on Film, an inside source has mentioned that the filming is slated to begin in summer 2009 in Chicago.”
I agree that including Robin would be a mistake. In most superhero stories, teen sidekicks are an excuse to overload the story with hormones. Also, I find the Batman-Robin relationship pretty forgettable. Aside from pandering to teens, I don’t think Robin really has a purpose today. Robin was probably most effective in the 1940s and 1950s, when superhero consumers were kids mainly interested in upbeat stories. Now, Robin just reminds me of Superfriends and the awful 90s movies. As far as modern audiences are concerned, that Batman did not exactly cover himself in glory.
If the film studio felt really strongly about adapting Batman for a younger audience– which I feel would also be a mistake, given TDK’s success– it has better complements at its disposal than Robin. For example, one of Batman’s superpowers is the ability to make Superman interesting. For God’s sake, Batman was able to make Justice League International work. (Incidentally, JLI is very well-written. I highly recommend it).
This isn’t really about writing, but I felt I had to put it somewhere. Since the open writing forum allows more room for unrelated topics, I figured it would fit here better.
Michael Jackson is dead.
I thought it was a joke at first. It was the first thing that popped up today, because my homepage is a news website. I gasped really loud, and it’s really big news, so I wanted to tell someone, but I’m the only one awake right now. I was never a fan; he had some good songs, but I never thought he’d die until he was older, in at least thirty years time. I never knew what to believe about him, because everyone knows the media distorts reality.
Farrah Fawcett died too, but she was really sick and she didn’t have very long, so that was less of a shock. But jeez, I really didn’t see it coming for either of them.
I guess all that’s left to say is Rest in Peace.
I was just about to post that here, but I wasn’t sure if I should. Heh.
It’s a big shock, isn’t it? I really didn’t expect it. I guess that life just pulls an M. Night Shyamalan on us sometimes. What a twist.
It was weird. While I was seeing Transformers, some lady behind me said that he died and I just flipped out. It was one of those things that completely hits you from nowhere. I don’t know much about him outside of the trial a few years back, but damn. Him and Ed McMahon and Sarah Fawcett in the course of two days? Jesus.
I got home from shopping around 5 and my brother opens the door and is like “Michael Jackson is dead.” I thought it was a joke too, and then I just go upstairs and my parents have the breaking news on.
It was so shocking.. You never expect these things to happen just like that, but they do.
Wow.
who seroisly? bloody hell didnt see that comeing
This is totally unrelated:
I need the name of a trading card. Think, Magic or Pokemon. “Holographic Pikachu” or “Circle of Magic: Blue”, the individual card.
However, this needs to be made-up. It’s going to be in the year 2050, so the trading card games we have now are gonna be out of style by far…
It needs to sound generic enough that it’ll be easily identifiable as a trading card game card.
Ok. I’d recommend making up a card game that develops the plot or world or mood somehow. For example, if the government is something like a dictatorship, the game might be a race to defeat sinister rebels. It might be funny if the best cards were all ridiculous best cards were all ridiculous euphemisms for what the government does to keep its people in line. “Addition by Subtraction” wins the game if all traitor cards have been neutralized. The picture could show cute little kids playing with a romanticized soldier/father with a pile of dead bodies in the background. The implication is that life will be better when the enemies of the state are dead.
Or something else to develop the world in a different way. If superpowered people are repressed in your society, you could play a game where players race to save humanity from the mutants (or whatever you call them).
What do you think?
You know…I think all the solo superhuman cimema is comin’ to a close. At the end of Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson…*cough* Nick Fury talks to Tony Stark about joining the Avengers. At the end of The Incredible Hulk, Stark talks to that military dude about some team that they are “bringing together”. I think Marvel cinema’s best bet is to work on a Avengers movie. And for DC? The only good film I see made in yer universe so far is The Dark Knight…so word to the wise……WORK ON IT, DC!!!!
But maybe they should audit Spidey though, I still think there’s some juice left in em’, if just for two more movies. DC, when your done getting yer act together, think about the Justice League, and please kill that Batman imposter on Batman:The Brave and the Bold before I do.
Comprendes?
Actually an Avengers film is in the works and slated for a 2011 release, a few months after the Captain America movie is set to come out. Coming soon is also a Spider-Man 4, an Iron-Man 2, Ant-Man (I think, not sure), Thor and a couple more of those X-Men Origins movies.
Then on the DC side there’s a sequel to Dark Knight and… as far as I know that’s pretty much it.
There’s going to be a Deadpool movie. Not sure if that’s one of the X-Men: Origins movies Tom was referring to.
I knew there was going to be a Magneto one and several others, but I couldn’t remember which. I guess Deadpool’s one too. I wonder if it’ll be Origins: Wolverine Deadpool or proper Deadpool (hopefully proper Deadpool).
I think it would be Origins: Deadpool rather than Wolverine, if it were an Origins movie. That makes sense.
Or maybe just Deadpool. One good thing about the film is that they’ve got Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool again. Hopefully, he’ll be the sarcastic psycho we all know and love. They announced a Magneto Origins movie back in 2007, anyone know the status on that?
God I hope Deadpool is the sarcastic psycho and not the Deadpool in name only from Wolverine. He wasn’t bad… he just wasn’t Deadpool.
He started out as Deadpool, but then they made him mute. And that’s considered a sin in the Deadpool bible.
In other news, check out the Spectacular Spider-Man, Monday afternoons on Disney XD. Check your local listings! XD
lol, America is so far behind with TSSM. We saw the whole of season 2 months ago in the UK.
Hey, do you know where I can watch season 4 of X-Men Evolution? I know it’s on iTunes but it’s a crime how they charge $15 for nine episodes.
No idea.
They could probably retcon that Deadpool fiasco. There’s really nothing to connect the “impostor-pool” to Wade Wilson as far as I’ve heard. They even had different actors. They could play him off as a clone or something. Or just pretend that never happened. It’s Marvel. They practically invented the modern retcon.
“They practically invented the modern retcon.”
This statement is false but totally true.
Good info.
Long live the King of Pop! Long live the King of Pop!
I watched his funeral on TV. Will pop culture EVER be the same?
No…
Well, that was the first time I ever edited a post, well, on this site anyway (merged three posts into one-the previous post). At least the system works!
Hmm… maybe it’s because I’m British, but I honestly can’t bring myself to care that Michael Jackson is dead. He was a great singer, of course, and he made some really excellent songs, but – meh.
Then again, I was devastated when Steve Irwin died. (We miss you Steve!
)
I wasn’t a fan of Michael Jackson, but I felt so bad. Personally, I felt that the life laid before him had so much potential, but so much of it was misused. And then it was cut short at the age of 50!
I didn’t know too much about Steve Irwin when he passed on.
I don’t care too much about Michael Jackson’s death, either. It doesn’t really affect my life in any way and it bothers me how much more the media and public care about the death of an entertainer than, say, a Medal of Honor winner or a revolutionary scientist.
“…it bothers me how much more the media and public care about the death of an entertainer than, say, a Medal of Honor winner or a revolutionary scientist.”
I was at my pastor’s funeral— well, it wasn’t a funeral so much a celebration of his life— and I realized that we had more than a full house, with so many people from many nations, with people in other countries watching live. So many people were so personally touched by this man…
…and the media is still talking about the loss of a singer they never even met.
The problem is that if MJ wasn’t dead, he’d still be catching $%^& from everyone. No one in the press or media has the gall to say things that teenagers and stuff say about him, they’re just stepping on their toes and trying to cover their @$$e$ so they don’t get called on it. I don’t know much of him, but I know that as a teen, I wouldn’t have made the jokes I did after I listened to his music (I’ve only listened to Billy Jean, Smooth Criminal, and Thriller).
“I’ve only listened to Billy Jean, Smooth Criminal, and Thriller.”
Ugh. Smooth Criminal makes my lungs hurt. I’d been listening to it, and got bored, so I turned on something else. As soon as the next song came on, I felt like I was breathing again for the first time in years.
…This is unrelated, but is it considered ‘morbid’ that I’m watching that Death Row thing on the Discovery Channel and getting story ideas?
I’d say that you’ll be making a Saw novel sometime soon, lol. If you wouldn’t mind, could you go to my forum, I’d like some criticism.
“Is it considered ‘morbid’ that I’m watching that Death Row thing on the Discovery Channel and getting story ideas?”
I don’t think it is. I went to an old prison in a town a few kilometres away on a school excursion, and I got a really good idea when we went to the room where they hung prisoners. It still had the original rope and all, and they had this wooden chair. The tour guide said that if the criminal fainted, they would sit them on the chair and then hang them. Creepy stuff. But then again, my attitudes towards death and the afterlife are leaning towards more occult views than the traditional Catholic.
ShardReaper: I’ll go take a look. Plus? I could never write a Saw novel. The inspiration was more… How to make my character go out with a massive bang. How to make someone who does executions for a living be haunted by that day for the rest of his life.
Whovian: Glad someone else did the same, even if it’s more… live. It’s really wiggy, this thing is filmed over the course of weeks, so it interviews the guy on camera, then later says that he was executed X day of X month, seven days later (or something). Not sure why, but that weirds me out a little. Hahah
I see. Give him a taste of irony, eh? And Reaper or Shard will do fine.
I just found a really funny comic with Superman and Batman.
http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/d/20060702.html
I found the site today, it has quite a few funny strips with references to nerdy stuff.
I read some of those comics just now, Whovian.
Haha, I liked the later one where Batman complained about being “challenged to the death” every time he and Superman happened to go out in public. Poor guy!
And Marissa, I don’t think it’s disturbing for you to get story ideas from watching something morbid.
I think we’re all guilty of that!
I have watched some pretty horrendous documentaries that got me thinking about writing, lol.
…Oh well. I can’t say that I was a major, hardcore MIchael Jackson fan, either. I only jumped on the fan-wagon after he died! But I think he was a musical mastermind, not just some great singer. Blasphemy! And sometimes you gotta put aside all the vital-to-the-human-survival stuff and just act de fool. For good time sake.
Tom:
Yeah, I loved that episode of Doctor Who. When Prof. River Song whispered his real name to him, his face was classic! Haha.
I love being able to say “The Doctor is awesome” and people who don’t watch the show say “Huh? Who’s the Doctor?” I say “The Doctor” and try to get them to say “Doctor Who?” It makes me laugh my guts up.
I always joke with my family that if there was an epic episode where he revealed his name to someone, he’d say “My true name is…………..Bob!” Haha.
Scribblar:
“I’m currently revising a piece that should be a total failure… there’s a weird mentor, prophecies, designated love interests, and more”.
I have a very old idea full of that kind of stuff, plus a bifauxnen (girl dressed as a guy), interdimensional travel, dragons, knights, war etc. Haha. I’m going to do a major edit of it and turn into something useable.
“I love being able to say “The Doctor is awesome” and people who don’t watch the show say “Huh? Who’s the Doctor?” I say “The Doctor” and try to get them to say “Doctor Who?” It makes me laugh my guts up.”
You’re in Australia, right? Here in Britain that joke would NEVER work. Doctor Who is like a cultural icon here. EVERYONE knows the show. It’s pretty much the single biggest non-reality show in the UK, well, except maybe for the prime-time soaps. Even people who have never seen it will be able to name at least two of the actors from the show. It’s like one of our main exports; tea, the Queen and Doctor Who.
“My true name is……………Bob!” And that’s why he’ll never reveal his name. Because the second he does it becomes something lame and non-mysterious.
DW is more of a cult thing here. We were talking about subcultural shows in Media class, and the teacher asked us to give examples. I said Doctor Who and Robot Chicken, and my friend said that most anime weren’t well known. When asked to put up our hands to say whether we’d watched any of them, I raised my arm for all three and only two or three other people, counting my friend, raised their arms for one.
I know a few other Whovians, but I’m by far the most ReTARDISed. Haha. There are about eight people I know who watch the show and absolutely adore it. It has given us all a great appreciation for British TV (and David Tennant, haha)
I reckon River Song was his wife – why else would she know his name? That was why the expression…
“…my friend said that most anime weren’t well known. When asked to put up our hands to say whether we’d watched any of them… only two or three other people raised an arm.”
I agree that most anime series are unknown. When you submit a novel manuscript or comic book script, I would recommend against using manga/anime as comparable works unless they’ve sold really well in the West. Also, unless you’re submitting to a manga/anime house, assume that the editors and publisher’s assistants evaluating your submission are not manga fans.
Is the reverse true? That is, are most Western works unheard of in Japan?
i would asume thats true
“Is the reverse true? That is, are most Western works unheard of in Japan?”
I imagine that would be the case. I know that a few Western celebrities are well known there, but I think Japanese actors and voice actors will be better known, because any Western movies are usually dubbed into Japanese.
While most anime/manga are unknown here, there are a couple of notable exceptions. Astro Boy was and remains one of the most widely loved shows, with a rather large Aussie fanbase. Pokemon, One Piece, Yu Gi Oh and Dragonball were all dubbed and aired on weekday mornings for kids to watch, so they have a few fans, too. They remain very subcultural, though.
Okay, that’s actors and celebrities. But are western works of fiction well known there. For example, we love Godzilla here, but do they like King Kong? We like Dragonball Z, but do they love Superman? We enjoy Battle Royale (well, in Britain anyway) but do they like the Saw franchise?
My brother in Japan gets confused for Harry Potter quite frequently. So I assume it’s pretty popular there.
I looked through Japanese box office results and it looks like Spiderman is doing much better in Japan than most other US superhero franchises. The Spiderman movies combined for 11 weeks at the top of the box office. Batman Begins did 1, Superman Returns did 1 and Wanted did 2. Notably missing: Dark Knight, any X-Men movies and Ironman. (My brother surmised that Ironman didn’t play very in Japan because it has some militaristic undertones).
In terms of actual ticket sales, Watchmen grossed about $1 million, Wall-E grossed at least $40 million, Wanted grossed $20 million, Ironman grossed $5 million, Hancock (!) grossed about $20 million and The Dark Knight grossed $3 million. That site only goes back to early 2008, though.
The Harry Potter and Narnia movies did very well. Lilo and Stitch has a huge cult following in Japan. Also, it looks like Johnny Depp is huge there.
So the short answer is no. Western works ARE popular in Japan.
And Japanese works are semi-popular in America. Are Western works popular in the UK?
“Are Western works popular in the UK?” Umm, I’m not sure I understand this question. If by Western you mean European or American, I’m definitely leaning towards a yes.
What is ’stream of consciousness’? Yeah,yeah, I’ve read One Hundred Years of Solitude, but I never noticed what it is. Anybody know?
According to Wikipedia, “stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual’s point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character’s thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions.” It’s usually disheveled and requires a shitload of effort on the part of the reader to understand what is going on. Consequently, SOC books are usually super-niche and are extremely hard to publish and sell.
I vaguely remember reading Hundred Years of Solitude in high school Spanish– I may be wrong, but it didn’t strike me as a stream of consciousness story. I think the style is more associated with James Joyce (Ulysses, Finnegan’s Wake) and a few other notables.
Hello Superheroes!
I am back at SN after almost two months away from writing. I see there are quite a few changes here and there, but I can still get the same familiar feeling. I was occupied with school work [seriously, final year gets totally tedious (unintended alliteration)]. I was diagnosed with Hypertension two weeks back and I was forced to take a week off from school. During this time, something made me visit Gizmodo as often as I had been visiting SN, but Giz was particularly helpful in teaching me how not to be a irritating jerk in online forums [which I now realize I once was (am I still?) in SN].
I have been getting lots of story ideas lately but without a medium to put it to use, they remain mere ideas. This weekend, hopefully, I can post my ideas in my review forum number 1. If something is supposed to work differently, please let me know (I am not even sure whether OWF is the right place for this post).
“Giz was particularly helpful in teaching me how not to be a irritating jerk in online forums [which I now realize I once was (am I still?) in SN].”
I’ve dealt with many, many unfriendly people on the Internet and have banned ~6 of them. Banning you had never crossed my mind, so I figure that your alleged jerkiness wasn’t a big problem.
…
Good luck with your hypertension. One of my friends had that condition as a 17 year-old. Fortunately, it went away as soon as he went to college. (Being at home was stressful for him).
Would anyone be interested in reading my story Pack of Lies? I’m not going to have it published, but I’d like some critiquing anyways, just to improve my writing. If anyone is interested, then could I have a review forum?
Though, since my story might creep some people out, being about talking animals and all, it’s fine if no one does want to read it.
Hmm. I can give you a forum. I’m less concerned about the talking wolves than that it seems like getting published isn’t high on your agenda. If you’re interested in trying to get published*, I’ve set up a review forum for you here.
Who knows. Maybe, in time, you can develop such a compelling rationale for the talking wolves that they will excite mainstream publishers and readers. Frankly, I’m not very optimistic about your prospects of success, but it has worked for Calvin & Hobbes and TMNT. So there is some chance.
*We only review stories that are aimed at publication– rather than, say, fan-fiction– because our reviewers have a limited amount of time and I’d prefer to spend time on projects that might someday cross the finish-line. (Also, I’ve found that authors that are attempting to get published usually work harder and go farther).
Good luck!
Thanks! I would really like to get published, I was just thinking that since I don’t have a good reason for talking wolves, it might be better if I go with something else. But after some thought, I think I will try after all. I don’t like giving up.
I have a question about point-of-view.
If, for the previous seven chapters I had one point of view, then shifted to a different one for the eighth chapter, then shifted back, is that bad? I do not wish to switch between more than two characters, nor do I wish to switch perspectives mid-chapter.
It could be awkward. Generally, I’d recommend introducing the second point-of-view fairly early. When readers get to chapter 8, they might think “what the hell! I’ve been reading about James for seven chapters. Why would I want to read about Felix?”
At the very least, I’d recommend making the original character prominent in chapter 8. That should help keep it coherent with the first seven.
Thanks, B. Mac.
Is it alright if I completely omit the origin of the protagonist’s superpowers? That is, my story is about the protagonist who brutally murders his enemies. The cops can’t get their hands on him because the victims are killed by a supernatural force. So, in a nutshell, the story is about what the superhero does with his powers, rather than how he got them. So, is it safe to omit the origin?
“Is it alright if I completely omit the origin of the protagonist’s superpowers?” Generally, I wouldn’t recommend it. The closest example I can think of is that The Metamorphosis doesn’t explain why/how the protagonist turns into a cockroach.
If you’d like to omit the explanation for the protagonist’s superpowers, please at least try to establish that this is a world where people can develop superpowers. For example, Wolverine’s origin story was revealed well after the character had become popular. But even before we knew that origin, readers were already familiar with a mostly realistic world where mutant superpowers are not uncommon. That helps orient the readers. We might not know the particulars about Wolverine (yet?), but we should be able to rule out a lot of possibilities. In particular, we should be able to rule out any fantasy origins like magic and demons (unless you’re actually writing a fantasy, of course).
Hey, who’s closer to Britain– Japan or America? I want to write a proposal for a new anime and I want to know if I need to move to either America or Japan to get it noticed or if I could just send it from Scotland.
I believe America is closer, seeing as they’re just a short hop across the Atlantic, and Japan is… um, further away than that?
Also, I don’t think you would need to move to either place to get it noticed. Although the chances of your anime succeeding in Japan are infinitesimal unless you know Japanese.
Also, anime would be harder to market, as if it failed there would be more money to lose.
In contrast, the Japanese magazine “Shonen Jump” (which publishes Bleach and Naruto, amongst others) allows new authors (mangaka) to enter a sort of test-chapter, to see if the audience is interested. Or so I have been led to believe. (Bearing in mind that manga “chapters” are usually no more than 20 pages long on average.) This is similar to a pilot episode in the TV industry, I think.
Unless you meant “manga” when you said anime. (The difference being that the latter is animated.)
On a completely different note, I haven’t been around here for a while. It’s good to see you all again.
It’s my understanding that generally, animated series are either based off established franchises such as a popular manga or developed in-house by established writers or producers, generally in response to a niche the company feels need filled. I imagine an unsolicited proposal would be treated similarly to fan fiction sent C.O.D to Skywalker Ranch.
I think Britain is geographically closer to the US (3500 miles from London to New York City vs. 6000 miles from London to Tokyo). But I don’t think that an author’s markets are primarily limited by physical distance.
1. The linguistic barriers are exceedingly hard to surmount. If you are not fluent in Japanese, you will need at the very least an agent to communicate on your behalf with the publishers/stations and a translator to make the story work in another language. The translator alone will probably charge more than $10,000. People that are professional-grade in multiple languages do not come cheap.
2. A terminology question. When you say anime, you mean a cartoon show, right? (Not a comic book– that’d be a manga). I think that trying to pitch a Japanese-language show would be phenomenally difficult because… 1) you don’t have the ability to network with Japanese businessmen and 2) translation will be insanely expensive and difficult, as noted above and 3) as far as I know, you don’t have TV experience* and 4) Japanese companies are quite good at producing their own talent and 5) You’d probably need a significant amount of artistic work upfront, ideally done by someone with professional experience in Japanese-art. Also expensive.
*Normally, the best way to surmount a lack of TV experience would be take on some job or internship in TV. However, that option would be pretty much off the table because of language problems and visa restrictions.
3. In most cases, authors have to launch in markets that share their language. Rather than trying to pitch to Japanese companies, which strikes me as extraordinarily difficult for a first-time author that isn’t fluent in Japanese, I’d highly recommend shooting for English-language ones. If it gets picked up and does well among English-audiences, foreign companies might pay to have it translated. In Nagoya, the few books I found that were translated from English tended to be either bestsellers (like Harry Potter) or technical nonfiction.
4. The cultural barriers to a work in Japan would be far, FAR higher than publishing in another English-language market. Ever seen Japanese Spiderman?
I think I’ll finish my banshee story, get that published and then look at films and tv stuff as well as look at jobs in the tv business.
Hey guys. Evil laughs vs. evil sniggers vs. evil grins. Which do you guys think are better?
For a villain? I think that evil laughs tend to fall flat outside of comedy, but Dr. Evil used them pretty well. In a straightup action, I think that evil grins are least likely to seem cheesy–particularly in a visual medium like comic books.
thats cool what do the rest of u vote for?
Evil smirk, definitely. Unless it’s a particularly young villain or an incredibly inept side-villain. Then I’d go for the snigger.
Hey im happy to announce iv been accepted in to a writers coruse so im really looking forwerd to it
Good luck!
That’s good news, David. I hope you enjoy it.
I’ve got some good news of my own… I have gainful employment! I’ll be maintaining an informational website for a public sector agency. I’m very excited.
Congratulations, sounds like a good job
Hooray~! -throws a ‘Hooray for B. Mac’s job’ party-
Hey, I’m back for a today. B. Mac, I’ve sent you the article.
So… How’s everyone been? Did you miss me?
Heck yes. B. Mac and I were only just discussing how quiet it is around SN… Now I know why. =P
welcom back RB hows things
Things is dope as ever! School’s back in and I worked all the summer, but with new clothes, obligations, and other expenses I didn’t save any gold (jive talk for money) for production of Showtime. Damn me and my need to have individualized clothes.
I finally got the girl I like to admit she likes me. Things don’t get much better than that.
How y’all been, sex machines?
Well, at least you know what you’re getting with clothes and other things. If you want to drop several hundred dollars on art, there is pretty much no way to know beforehand whether you’ll ever recoup that by getting published or if it was just a learning experience. Eww…
Not that I’m against learning experiences. I would just rather get paid than lose money to do so. Obviously.
Oh my God. I just found a funny news article on NineMSN news:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/855290/porn-fruit-lollies-leave-sour-taste
Don’t worry, it’s not explicit and the pictures were intended to be innocent, so they’re not smut. Haha.
I just posted a comment but it’s in moderation. I assure you, though a couple words set off the filter, it’s innocent.
Welcome back RB! Now that I’ve escaped from the plot bunnies, school’s begun, and I’m seeing P on a regular basis (unless he gets SICK again *dagger eyes*), I’m back on SN and happy to be so! Good going on your life, now work on your comic. *dagger eyes*
B. Mac has a job! *tosses confetti*
Thanks to P, fanfiction, and Wikipedia, I am beginning to understand what this “Death Note” is (It appears to involve “Death” and “Notes”… *being sarcastic thank God*).
I also came up with another sequel for HTSTW (Yes, I did.). It’s very tentative and might not make it to the universe, but I liked it.
Darkstar Rising is coming to life….
Darkstar: It’s true.
Me: Go away! *rips open dimension and hurls him into oblivion* I’ll get him out later…maybe. If I feel like it. Eventually.
- Wings, who argues with fictional characters on a daily basis.
I’ve been there, Wings. About the sequels wandering in and saying hello before you even finish the first book. Mine’s a trilogy so far, but people have said I should make it one of five. And it started off being a stand-alone book. xD;
“Thanks to P, fanfiction, and Wikipedia, I am beginning to understand what this “Death Note” is (It appears to involve “Death” and “Notes”… *being sarcastic thank God*).”
Don’t read the whole plot summary on Wikipedia! Read the manga or watch the anime. If you’re lucky, the anime should be rentable from your Blockbuster or wherever it is you can rent TV shows from. It. Is. The. Best. Anime/Manga. EVAR. Haha. Seriously, the ending is the product of an affair between the daughter of Epic and Awesome and the son of Sad and OhmyGodwhattheheck. It’s like a designer baby. Haha.
You know something I really want? I’ve seen shirts that say “WWKD: What Would Kira Do?” Next time I see one at the shops, I’m so buying it! Haha.
“Ever seen Japanese Spiderman?”
Since when did Spidey own a Mecha? It’s like Spider-Transformers, Gundam in disguise! Haha. That reminds me, I should watch Gundam. It’s meant to be really good.
Anime? Manga?
Unfortunately, I shall never understand the things that you speak of. I’m not allowed to watch television, or read much manga (Two syllables: Parents), however, since I’m visiting Barnes and Noble this weekend I *might* be able to sneak a few books or read the manga online (Extremely dangerous – since I’m only allowed on the computer for homework most days, and my parents will get mad at me again).
God, at this point I can SEE the angst in that statement. Curse me. When I’m 18…(Four years…four years…)
On a lighter note I joined DeviantArt under the name “iriswings”, rescued my iPod, reclaimed by brother’s DSi, and have created a new story: Invertal/Face The Music, my first attempt at realistic fiction andmy second (third or fourth actually, but everything in HTSTW is usually only implied, but Darkstar Rising has Darkstar and Hikari…) attempt at solid romance.
Thanks to voodoo dolls, anger issues, and a certain umbrakinetic *dagger eyes at Darkstar* I have created the crack/crossover pairing known as BadAssShipping, the pairing of Titan and Darkstar. It was a very strange occurance.
Yes, I have seen Japanese Spiderman and now can never think of Spidey in the same way again. *laughs*
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get Darkstar out of that alternate dimension I tossed him in earlier.
- Wings, who supports BadAssShipping
Whoops…I meant interval not invertal, sorry.
I discovered a frightening rumor today: they are making an American Death Note remake that is set to come out in 2011. That’s true, this is the frightening part: A rumor went around that Zac Efron was cast as Light. Yes, THAT Zac Efron. The High School Musical pretty boy Zac Efron.
This rumor caused me to freak out, panic, and traumatize Darkstar (I would have probably done the last one anyway just for laughs, but the point stands). With the possible exception of P sneaking up on me soundlessly (That is extremely creepy, you know!), not many things make me react in such a manner. Thank God it’s a lie.
- Wings
Y’know, I heard they left the K out of his name, because he’s actually a Z.A.C.
Zamboni Automaton Created for Killing, after he killed the mad scientist that created him, he needed a last name so he added E.F.R.O.N. or Especially Friendly Rons On the Net.
Zamboni Automaton Created for Killing Especially Friendly Rons On the Net became an actor with his dashing good Canadian ice-shaping looks.
Ah, Disney Channel actors…We all pretty much hate you.
Now, just wondering:
For those of you who know what Death Note is, if you found a Death Note, who’s name would you write in it?
My Death Note:
EDWARD CULLEN
I don’t CARE if he’s fictional, I’ll kill him anyway!
- Wings
For what it’s worth, Efron is apparently a fan of Death Note.
Before you declare ‘link or it didn’t happen’:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OneOfUs (ctrl+F Zac Efron)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGnmqln78C4
Interesting. Perhaps he’s human after all and not…whatever Lighting Man said.
- Wings
Hey everyone. You can improve your vocabulary while simultaneously earning rice for the hungry kids in Africa right here.
(gasp)
Zac Efron is one of us! Haha. I wonder who else is. I never pegged him as an anime/manga fan. Then again, most of the fans I know don’t look it. Hell, I don’t look it. Haha.
Marissa:
Ah, you found FreeRice. I’ve been there heaps of times. I love that site.
One Of Us happens to be my favourite trope. Who knew Nicholas Cage took his stage name from the Marvel character Luke Cage?
Who Wants to be a Millionaire? had a $50,000 question about Nick Cage and his stage name. They thought “Which one of these DC superheroes has no superpowers?” (Batman) was worth $16,000. (That’s not totally irrational: the contestant had to use a lifeline… eww!).
(Raises hand) I want to be a millionaire! Haha.
They used a lifeline? I knew he didn’t have powers before I got interested in superheroes!
What? Was he dense? Was he retarded or something? Who the hell did he think it was? It was the goddamn Batman!
Unless having gadgets that all begin with the prefix “Bat-” is a superpower, even I can answer that question. And I am a ditzy-yet-introverted freshman who is all but locked in her house most days with no ties to the outside world.
I have also used FreeRice at school.
- Wings
I have learned of this “Death Note”.
Only problem? There was no book eight, and book seven is *spoiler* when L dies.
-flashback-
Me: What happens next? What happens next!?!
-fin-
From what I read, I’m a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still one of the best manga series I’ve ever read, but from what you all say I’m expecting a manga god here. Maybe it’s better reading it the second time, when you aren’t worried about being lectured for reading “such a violent book!”.
Either way, I liked it (Is it natural to wish to kill Light in an extremely painful manner after L dies?).
- Wings
Y’know, the anime is much better than the manga, Wings. There are like fifteen more episodes after L dies. But yes, that is very very natural.
*is suffering from permenant anime ban*
Trust me people, if there’s even a little violence in something, we’re never allowed to read it again (My mom banned a book because of a MECHA FIGHT. Those giant robots are SUPPOSED to fight. It’s why they exist).
Someday when I’m 18…(Four years…four years…)
Oh, did anyone figure out the origin of P’s username yet (His computer’s down at the moment)? Months ago when I finally persuaded him to join and I questioned the name, he mentioned “L, an awesome detective”. Considering that I had no clue what this referred to at the time I was rather confused.
- Wings
Well… No? I just assumed he was like all the other one-letter folk who went by their initial for anonymity.
Marvel to be bought by Disney?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090831/ap_on_bi_ge/us_disney_marvel_entertainment
Oh dear.
My premonition is coming true! Disney is taking over superheroes!
- email flashback to when I was panicking over Zac Efron possibly playing Light -
Me: Zac Efron might have been cast as Light Yagami!
Darkstar: Why should I care?
Me: *whispers in his ear* If they were casting for a movie of Darkstar, they’d probably cast Joe Jonas as you.
Darkstar: *joins the panic party* THEY CAN’T DO THIS TO ME! I’M DARKSTAR!
Me: And Vanessa Hudgens as Hikari.
Darkstar: *faints*
- end flashback -
Seriously though…Joe Jonas as Darkstar…*shrieks, runs around panicking, and promptly crashes into wall as usual*
I would sooner bite off my own head! *quoting Agent Orange, except I am not discussing Canadians*
- Wings
Hmm… this Disney/Marvel news probably merits a post on the main page. Do you think B. Mac would want a volunteer mod to do that?
Just seen that article, and my first thought was to come here. Great minds think alike, Tom?
Sometimes I’m glad I’m not into comic books. This could be good, or it could be really, really bad.
Warner Brothers owns D.C comics, and the only real problems have come from the fact that Warner Brothers is the only studio that D.C movies are produced at, which has hurt movies in the past (Catwoman) but they’ve been smarter since then, and they’re second to none in terms of quality animated productions.
Economically, it makes the most sense for Disney to leave Marvel as it is, and incorporate Marvel Studios amongst their stable of studios. Most likely, the only repercussions will be a possible upswing in budgets for Marvel movies, and an increased incidence of Disney-properties being peddled by Marvel Comics.
Heh, didn’t read the article before I posted, probably should’ve.
B. Mac will address it himself. Either way it would have to wait for his return, as he’d have to approve the post before it was visible to the masses.
All right, how much are you lot willing to bet that a Disney Channel star (or has-been, whatever you prefer) gets a leading role in a Marvel based movie? The odds are pretty good – over 3/4 of their latest movies/TV shows have been showcases (The so-bad-it’s-not-even-funny-bad JONAS, anyone?) or mishmashes of their stars in borderline Idiot Plots.
I mean, come on.
- Wings
Look at it like this, Marvel shows already account for 20 hours a week on the Disney XD channel. Maybe that’ll mean more Spectacular Spider-Man?
Hopefully this will just be a business relationship, not a creative one. (although a Pixar Marvel movie would be awesome. Incredibles meet Fantastic Four anyone?)
Got it.
Do you think Disney will ask to produce subsequent Marvel movies after their last outside contract expires? If so we’ll hopefully get something more along the lines of Pirates of the Carribean than Beverly Hills Chihuahas.
I’m leaning towards no, Tom.
–Disney doesn’t do a lot of PG-13 movies. But almost every Marvel movie so far has been PG-13. (It’s hard to do satisfying fights in a PG movie and rated-R cuts out too many viewers).
–The Disney name will probably not help sell a mainstream superhero-action movie. In particular, I think guys above the age of 13 would be noticeably less likely to go to a Disney movie.
–Disney’s last superhero movie (Underdog) was disastrous. I liked Sky High but it didn’t do much better at the box office.
–Disney’s live-action movies tend to struggle quite a bit with fight scenes. Unlike most successful superhero movies, I can’t think of any Disney movies with crazy kung fu choreography.
I liked Sky High too. I see your point about the name not selling to over 13s, so I guess they won’t be making any of the movies. I suppose it’s a good thing Marvel are making their own movies now.
Sky High left me wanting more, but in a bad way.
How would you have written it differently, RB? What went wrong?
I’m hoping this includes the warranted step up in maturity level. I think the story wasn’t superhero enough. I liked the battle school idea, but that was about it. I think they had trouble saying “let’s go all the way.” We never even got to see the teens in some form of costume. Or acknowledge a supername. The power system seemed to suck. While one kid get inferno brazo , the other can turn into a guinea pig (who was only useful thanks to the Eigen Plot).If I really wanted to play up a superhero universe, I would give everyone an improving power. Maybe Goo Kid learns to morph. Maybe Glow Boy learns to conjure luminesense. And then I could throw together some real bands of enemies.
90 minutes is a a malleable space, despite its terseness. A simple story can hold many elements. I don’t suspect it would have been that much harder to put more elements into the story. I like that they wear their own colors, but I think this could have been way smoother and iconically. Maybe we’d get an idea of what their costumes would be one day. Speaking of better portrayals, it’s obvious that we’d have to delve deeper into those one-dimensional character. I could describe each character in two words: Average Joe, Pretty Hippy, Scarred Rebel, Passive Nerd, Typical Goth,etc…
Royal Pain was a potentially good villain, but fell flat. I liked her plan, but it felt like it was too dumb to work, which it isn’t. It’s actually a pretty clever plan. A think a little backstory could have helped her a lot. Why exactly is she a royal pain? Maybe something showing an affinity to babies or youth or even teaching.
I think the school was pretty good. I would have liked more history about the school.
Overall. I think it need a blast of development. Of course, I don’t know if that would work in a PG-rated movie.
What do you think?
Considering that it was one of the few movies I enjoyed watching, I thought it was decent.
Darkstar: You’re only saying that because of Warren Peace.
Wings: *pulls out Darkstar voodoo doll and flicks it in the head*
Darkstar: *reacts as though punched in face* Ow!
Wings: I do think your ideas would have worked, RB. The glowing kid could easily develop a power similar to Hikari’s – mild photokinesis would be better than being a walking glowstick. Still not the most useful power, but definitely an improvement.
I also think that the plot could use a slight tune-up – note that every time the main character needed a power, he got it (flight after being thrown out a window – can you say convenient? If anything, wait until he almost hits the ground first!). And, of course, the Eigen Plot.
- Wings
“You’re only saying that because of Warren Peace.”
Haha. When I saw that movie, pretty much every girl in there was ogling him. But what’s with the name? I mean, it’s epic awesome, but like any parent would actually call their son that just because one of them was a hero and the other was a villain. At least it’s better than Will Stronghold.
That sounds too much like “Hey, this guy is the best hero ever!” and comes off as more goofy than cool. Anyone else notice his red, white and blue colour scheme? I’ve seen it on a lot of characters in the past, like Danny Phantom’s civilian clothes, also Jake Long’s. I just think “We GET it! He’s a patriotic American!” It just seems like it’s being shouted at me. It’s pretty obvious that he wants to be a good person and serve his country. Why else would he be going to super school and assigned as a hero?
But then again, there IS Moon Unit Zappa and Bronx Mowgli Wentz… okay, it’s plausible but not likely that parents would give their kids such names.
I liked the movie, but the end was just a little too convenient. GlowKid gets to glow for them in the vents, GuineaGirl gets to crawl through a hole and chew on some wires, and GooGuy gets to… go gooey. Lol, that’d be a good catchphrase.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azTEw_IDh18
Sorry, cat hit enter.
I was linking to that in response to “GooGuy gets to… go gooey” A few minutes into it is the theme song for the show, a priceless, perfect opening…
When I first heard his name, the first thing I thought was “Leo Tolstoy” (He was the writer of the book War And Peace, right?)! I never thought of it the other way…
Darkstar: Moron.
Wings: Shut it.
Personally, I preferred Warren’s backstory to Will’s (Hero and villain as parents, people! Think of the possibilities!)
Darkstar: Fangirl.
Wings: *whips out Darkstar voodoo doll and hands it to an angry cat* Here, kitty.
Darkstar: *long string of censored words*
Wings: I frickin’ love voodoo. Anyway, note to self: slip comment about the color scene red, white, and blue into HTSTW:
*something like this*
Character 1: What, no red, white, and blue? How un-American!
Character 2: Do I look like a walking cliche to you?
- Wings
I just thought up a line I could use and am determined to use it somewhere, but is it worth combing through thousands of words to find a place for it?
“In a small community, secrets get out faster than someone trapped in a wet paper bag.”
Okay, now that I’ve thought for a second, that was a weird question. Haha. Agh, just blame the sugar and lack of sleep. Why doesn’t L ever get like this? (Death Note reference, haha)
Hey, guys. I’ve got pictures to show you from from my novel characters on Photobucket but I’m not sure how to show them.
“Okay, now that I’ve thought for a second, that was a weird question. Haha. Agh, just blame the sugar and lack of sleep. Why doesn’t L ever get like this? (Death Note reference, haha)”
L’s the world’s best detective. We’re just writers.
(on a side note, I didn’t think somebody with a Doctor Who reference in their name would have a clue about Death Note)
Do you have a link, David?
ye
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/Silverwolf842/CARA.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/Silverwolf842/RA.jpg
http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/Silverwolf842/MIST.jpg
so what do u guys think?
I like them dave.
thanks i was a littel unsure about Mists outfit i pictuerd something more full armerd but that works as well
well I will give yiou that david. Her outfit is a little stereotypical of comic women, but it does work.
Yeah, what is it with having woman warriors in as little armor as possible? I believe the Japanese are worse for it.
Note to self – capture a concept artist (The last possible one I had switched schools). Due to a stunning inability to draw, I can’t show the world what my characters look like…
Good on you, David. Did you draw those or were you lucky enough to get a concept artist? Either way, they have an interesting look (I mean that in the best possible way – the style is something I haven’t seen before).
- Wings
and wings i got a good artist to do it for $300 if u want i can give u his email if u want ur own pics done
lightning man sorry
…huh…
As a mere freshman, I have no money…
Hopefully I can find an artist at school…(There are a LOT of manga and anime otakus here)
- Wings
Wow, $300 bucks? Your artist guy must’ve been a pro or something! (I did look at the links you put up, David, and I thought they were pretty cool. I liked the taller girl, and the pics DO look pretty professional, but, but… so spendy!)
I’ve been so busy lately, though, so I’m not sure when I’d get the chance to do it… It sounds like fun, though. I haven’t drawn anything in AGES.
Wings, maybe you could browse around on DeviantArt and see if you can commission some character artwork from somebody? Maybe you’ll find someone to do it for free, or maybe you WILL have to pay some money, but hopefully less than $300!
I can draw, but not well enough to “hire” for character concepts…
If you give me a detailed description of one of your characters, and some references pictures, maybe I could TRY to draw someone for you? If it ends up sucking, it can at least be considered “fanart”.
By the way, I asked some character/plot questions around the website, but now that they’re not in the “Recent Comments” blurb anymore, can people still tell that I wrote something somewhere?
That’s insanely expensive considering the low quality of the art, the proportions are off in several places, stylized as it is. The lighting is perfunctory and basically wrong in quite a few spots, the shading is rough and haphazard. Mist has a belly button on the left side of her stomach for some weird creepy reason.
I wasn’t really going to comment on it when I believed that a member here had drawn them, but in light of the fact that David paid, I must say, the artist’s skill is clearly below what it should be if they’re charging people. I am an artist, not a good one, and most likely not better then the person that created these, but I can safely say I would not ever charge people for art.
If I charged somebody for a colored artwork of mine, depicting ONE character, I would charge like, $15 or $20 at the most, not $100 bucks a pop. But then again, I don’t think I’m a good enough artist to require payment unless I needed to draw for the person OFTEN, like if I were their cover artist for 10 issues or something…
$300!? Gah. Unfortunately, I think he ripped you off.
I don’t think Cara and the dragon are bad, but you could have gotten significantly better for $100 each. As a measure of comparison, Rebecca Gunter charges $50 for the first and $30 for any subsequent characters. (However, she’s not very rapid… she has a 2-month waiting list).
I think you’ve got to be really careful when an artist quotes you an insanely high price. (And I think $100 in this case is insane). It’s usually more of a negotiating tactic than anything– if the artist starts out very high, he can afford to give away some in negotiations.
I’ve edited the comment, David, but please be careful with your abbreviations in the future. :-/ Okay. Let’s put this behind us.
“L’s the world’s best detective. We’re just writers. (on a side note, I didn’t think somebody with a Doctor Who reference in their name would have a clue about Death Note)”
That’s what you’d think, huh? Haha. I like pretty much anything. I wasn’t into manga or anime much until I started hanging out with a total fangirl, who is now my best friend. She suggested Death Note because I love Dexter. I kept putting off reading it until another friend and one of my classmates also suggested it. So I got curious and read it online. I could not stop reading it! Haha.
Now I own all twelve volumes, plus How to Read: 13, the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases, a wall scroll, the first twenty episodes of the anime, the first two movies, and a keychain with Light on it. I also have the two opening themes and the two closing themes on my iPod, innumerable wallpapers for my computer, several gifs that I use almost every day… Yeah, I’m a huge fan of it. All I need now is the last few DVDs of the anime and an actual Death Note. And maybe some plushies or action figures. Haha.
I have several in-jokes with my friend who introduced me to it. I’ll open my lunch box, and because I don’t normally eat apples, I yell: “Dammit, Ryuk! Stop eating my apples!” Haha.
On top of Death Note, I also like Black Cat, DNAngel, Love*Com, High School Debut and as a child I used to rent the 1980’s Astro Boy series from Blockbuster (I even drew fanart of it when I was six), and also watched Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura.
Haha, so yeah. I’m not entirely limited to Western works. In my opinion, many cartoons can’t hold a candle to anime. Except Avatar. That show rocks. Haha.
Oh, and I also watched Pokemon and Digimon.
I definetely agree with you on Avatar and Digimon. Anyone else here watch Loonatics?
“In my opinion, many cartoons can’t hold a candle to anime.”
See: The DCAU, Looney Tunes, Animaniacs for why this viewpoint is oh so wrong.
Interestingly, all produced by Warner Brothers. Huh…
Freakazoid! was the single greatest superhero show ever, it is a fact. Y’know when you like die, and you like meet your chosen maker? If you ask him, her or it, hat was the greatest superhero show, it will bellow “Freakazoid!” then reincarnate you as stinky poo gas.
It is a fact, it happened to my cousin.
hmm not wat i exspeted i personly liked it it was 300 for 4 colored pics and he did have a tight deadline for me so thats probs why anwyys wih the transfer rates it really only cost £184
I think Freakazoid’s writing was okay but usually ill-suited for the core audience for Saturday morning cartoons. I think that a show like Pinky and the Brain was more successful because kids could enjoy the plots even if they didn’t get most of the humor. In contrast, if you miss the humor of Freakazoid, I don’t think there’s much left.
In a typical episode of almost every show, a character gets a problem and has to overcome it, and it’s interesting to see how he will do so. (Or, in the case of PATB, not do so). In contrast, Freakazoid’s nutty mannerisms are sort of a distraction from the plot. (IE: Trying to stop a bank heist, he decides to run in and twiddle his lips rather than actually doing something to stop the robbers).
Also, the visual design for the main character strikes me as very unappealing. I think that kids have more trouble looking past that than an older viewer would. Also, I once read a psychological study that found that kids are more receptive to people that look like them or their parents. (However, TMNT and Loony Tunes and many other shows have overcome that).
Boy, I am never sleeping in my computer chair again. “Hat was the best superhero show” I’m ashamed.
Congratulate me universe – I have finished the Death Note manga. Am I the only one who cheered when *spoiler spoiler spoiler* Matsuda of all people snapped and started shooting Light after he was revealed to be Kira? Yeesh!
Speaking of action figures, guess what I saw at Borders the other day?
Edward Cullen action figures
*dies*
- Wings
David:
I agree wholeheartedly about you getting ripped off, but that’s your choice. However, the Mist you’ve got a picture of and the Mist you’ve written are two completely polar opposite characters. I’d like to think the Mist you’ve written has too much dignity to walk around looking like a hooker. ;D But maybe that’s just me.
i admit i had imagend her in something more full fitting probs get her redone
But are you going to fork out another 100 dollars?
Yeah, I recommend against sinking more money into art at this point. That way, in case the characters change, you won’t have to spend more money to have the visuals redesigned.
Also, some advice for anybody that deals with freelance artists… Ask to see a preliminary sketch before the coloring begins. Check carefully for anything that you’d like to alter or edit. After the coloring begins, it is drastically more difficult (read: expensive) to make any changes to the lineart. So, if you had had any issues with (say) her outfit, it would have been a lot easier to bring it up then.
That said, you’ve given the artist a significant amount of business and might look like the kind of guy that will need a lot of work down the line (like getting an entire comic book illustrated, for example). So there’s some offhand chance that he might be willing to redo it. If he says no, ask him to do just the inks (or even just the pencils). That will save him a lot of work because he won’t have to do any coloring. You won’t get colors, but I don’t think the colors matter here, anyway.
no im gonna look at some artist at the colluge over here see if i can get it done cheaper or free
Wings:
I cheered too! Haha. I love Light a lot, even though he did some horrible things (spoiler) especially to Naomi! I mean, killing her fiance and then her? Jerk! And his own father! (end spoiler)
(Spoiler again) But Matsuda is pure awesome for shooting the crap out of Light. And then Ryuk writes his name down! OWNED. (end spoiler)
(Still a spoiler) Because Matsuda was treated horribly all the time, I felt sorry for him. At one point in the anime, L asks if he really wants to help with the investigation. When he says yes, L asks him to get him another cup of coffee! When I first finished the manga, I cheered really loud and screamed “YEAH TAKE THAT, KIRA!” Haha. (end spoiler)
“L asks if he really wants to help with the investigation. When he says yes, L asks him to get him another cup of coffee!” Haha! That’s very stylish.
Put it this way. P is a Light fan. Light (as Kira) pretty much kills everyone in his quest to become a god, while P is a pacifist and overall a Good Person. I am a L fan. L’s goal is to stop Kira and is generally a seeker of justice, whereas I am a violent, possible homicidal maniac. ‘Nuff said.
Personally, after reading the whole series, I still think there’s a good chance of Mello being a girl. Come on, you chocolate addict, cut your hair!
- Wings
“Personally, after reading the whole series, I still think there’s a good chance of Mello being a girl. Come on, you chocolate addict, cut your hair!”
When I first saw Mello (when he was a fifteen year old at Wammy’s House) I thought he was a girl. Haha. Then after they finally used a gender specific term for him, I realised he was a guy.
“L asks if he really wants to help with the investigation. When he says yes, L asks him to get him another cup of coffee!” Haha! That’s very stylish.
There’s a lot more where that came from.
L: By the way, are you gonna eat that cake?
Misa: Cake makes you fat. I’m not gonna eat any.
L: Actually, I find that you don’t gain any weight as long as you burn calories by using your brain.
Misa: Huh, so now you’re calling me stupid?!
That may actually be true, seeing as L is 179cm tall and weighs fifty kilograms (5″10′ and 110 pounds). That makes his BMI 15.8, making him underweight. Yes, I actually went to the trouble of calculating that. Haha.
Then when (spoiler) Light and L are fighting in the hotel while the rest of the investigation team are watching on surveillance (end spoiler) Matsuda phones the room to stop them. L picks it up. Matsuda says that Misa is at the top of a celebrity popularity poll. L hangs up and Light asks what it was.
L: It was just Matsuda being stupid again.
Light: Well, that is his specialty.
Matsuda: I can hear you, you know…
Haha. I love Death Note. Can you tell?
I thought that this Death Note fancomic was entertaining: http://silentreaper.deviantart.com/art/Death-Note-The-Show-48105656
Heck, anything by silentreaper for Death Note is good.
Favorite line of the above comic: *Mello: And I’m a guy, damnit! What? A guy can’t have nice hair?*
Yup, I can tell!
- Wings
Blah, I’ve been sick lately and so haven’t been around SN in a while.
Haha, Misa and Mikami fighting over Light and the Death Note. Priceless.
Oh, I found a really cool avatar the other day. It’s a picture of Light holding a coffee mug and he has a speech bubble. Inside it just says “lies lies lies lies lies lies lies lies”. Haha.
Incidentally, the picture of Mello on the cover of volume eight reminds me of Willy Wonka from the 2005 film.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/1421506297/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books
His hair is in a similar style, only blonde instead of black. He’s holding a chocolate bar (but then, when is he NOT holding a chocolate bar?) and the chair looks like something Wonka would own. Not to mention Mello’s top looks like that paper stuff that seperates the two trays of chocolate in a box of assortments. The crumpled material at his feet could be mistaken for a river of melted chocolate. Haha.
I have chocolate on the brain.
I do not look like Willy Wonka! Now leave me alone, I have to catch Kira.
(takes a bite out of chocolate)
I do not look like Willy Wonka. (sniffle) You’re just like the kids at Wammy’s House. I hate you all!
o.O
Wow, I never picked Mello for a crybaby. (shrugs)
(gives Mello chocolate, glomps)
Now go catch that Kira!
Mello: YAY!
Haha.
Hahah, Whovian, you went all-out and posted a post as Mello himself? Takes dedication.
Tom, I don’t have your e-mail, but if you see this, could you e-mail me? It’s ‘xnihility[at]gmail.com’.
It’s important. You can probably guess, if you’ve got an eye on things.
*grabs Mello away from Whovian*
Mine! Mine to fangirl over! *holds Mello up to the light* You’re slightly creepy, but we all still love you.
One question in a lot of memes these days – are you on Team Kira or Team L?
My ansewer? Team Mello. Because he has chocolate AND guns.
- Wings the Trigger Happy
Death Note scares me. never read it or really watched the show, but I always got the feeling when people referenced it that if I gave it a chance I’d enjoy it, and I can’t enjoy anime, it’d kill me if I did, I already know more about hundreds of fictional characters then I did my first wife, and I think I’m about full of useless information.
*pats head*
Meh, I’m supposed to be smart, with the small problem that I know almost nothing about the outside world (I thought Michael Jackson was a basketball player and I forgot what “LOL” stands for – and that’s just what happened at lunch today). The only things I do know are completely random, useless facts that will never help me in real life. It’s a lonely existence, and if I didn’t have P, Wikipedia and TVTropes I’d never have a clue what anyone was talking about. *sighs* I’m pathetic…
- Wings
((Wow, I sound depressed.))
RB is officially back, sex machines! And his brain has been a’workin’. Meet me in my forum if you wanna chat. I have construction to continues. Haha!
You’re not pathetic wings, you would be supprised how meany folk are like you’re self. I mean iv had times when iv forgoten someones name while talking to them and iv known them for months its weird.
Welcome back ragged boy you have you’re own form now? cool.
I’m sure B. Mac has made a post somewhere about how to form vague ideas into a proper story, only I can’t seem to find it. Can somebody help? D:
[UPDATE: I later found the article about how to turn jumbled thoughts into a coherent story-- feel free to disregard the rest of the advice if you'd like.]
I’m not sure what sort of advice I’d recommend for that. Two articles come to mind that feel vaguely relevant. First, if the concept for the story feels vague, that probably means that the protagonist is not well-defined. I’d recommend Creating Interesting Characters. If the concept feels vague because you’re not sure where you’re going with it, How to Beat Writer’s Block might help.
Is that sort of similar to what you were thinking of? Maybe you could explain the problem in a bit more detail and I can produce or find something more helpful.
Oh damn. Looks like the false memory effect is in action again. Those weren’t what I was thinking of… but those will probably work anyway!
Thanks, B. Mac. I’ll have to look at my antagonist in closer detail.
“Hahah, Whovian, you went all-out and posted a post as Mello himself?”
Huh? What are you talking about? Haha.
“One question in a lot of memes these days – are you on Team Kira or Team L?”
Hmm, I’m not even sure. I mean, by killing all those people, Light decreased the crime by 70%. Imagine all the lives that were saved by that. Also, he genuinely believed what he was doing was right, but it drove him utterly insane and he lost a lot of sympathy when he killed (spoiler) Raye Penber and Naomi (end spoiler) and then later on (spoiler) he was directly responsible for the death of his OWN father, even if he wasn’t actually the one that did it (end spoiler).
L, on the other hand, well, you must admit the cuteness. Haha. He has generally the right idea about how to deal with Kira, but he also sacrificed lives to catch him. Like (spoiler) Lind L Tailor (end spoiler). Both of them are evil in their own way, both are willing to sacrifice lives to win, though L is less extreme, and neither one of them is morally pure. Though, where would the fun be in that? Haha.
And finally, other than my moral standing on the whole thing, Light and L are both pretty good looking. Haha, also Mikami and Mello. I showed one of my friends a pic of each one, she squeed. I think Near is cute in a little brother type way, as in not attractive but I could picture him as my brother.
IP addresses don’t lie, Whovian~. ;D
Well, you know how darn crafty those Wammy’s House kids are. He probably just hijacked my computer from a remote location, or just hijacked my IP address.
One word: proxy.
On the subject of L or Kira… can I say neither? I’d never support Kira in a million years, but L did some pretty bad things too. Of course, I am mostly basing this off the live-action films and what I’ve heard of the manga/anime. And that said, if I absolutely had to choose I’d pick L every time. Supporting Kira would kinda be like digging up the body of my beliefs, looking through it’s pockets, and then dancing on the whole thing. (Hurrah for Skulduggery Pleasant references that I don’t think anyone else will get…) In all seriousness, I very much disagree with Kira’s method, regardless of the results.
Though Light saved a lot of people by murdering, I think I would definitely choose L’s side. Even though he also sacrifices lives, he does it on a smaller scale and if he is evil at all, he’s far more morally pure than Light is. So if I HAD to choose, I’d run to L’s side while covering my face. Haha.
If I had to choose a side, Mello or Near, I’d pick Near. Mello is liek teh awesumz, (slipping into fangirl mode a bit, haha) but Near’s method is better than Mello’s. But I think it was awesome how Mello brought in the head of a mob boss even Light couldn’t kill to his gang when he was just fifteen. If it actually happened in real life, I’d be horrified, but because it’s fictional it somehow makes it awesome. Haha.
You’ve seen the films? All three? I think they’re awesome. You should read the manga and watch the anime next, they’re even better.
The movies skipped a lot of detail, they left out Mello and Near in the first two, then introduced Near in the third in an un-Kira-related plot. They changed (spoiler) Naomi’s death (end spoiler). In the movies it is made more epic, in the moment, but in the anime/manga, it is so sad and gets you so angry at Light that you wanna kill him. The movie makes you want to kill him for (spoiler) having Naomi kill Shiori and then herself (end spoiler) but I think the anime/manga is sadder.
Oh, I haven’t seen the non-Kira-related one. I didn’t know one even existed! But yes, the Death Note manga is on my “to read” list. So unfortunately, I can’t decide between Mello and Near yet.
Meh, when it comes down to it I support L (What? He has candy! And Wings likes candy…). And, when made into a plushie, his is by far the cutest *hides L plushie materials behind back* Not that I’d know…*formulates distraction* Oh my god Kira just killed Willy Wonka! *L, Mello, and everyone else look away while Wings takes off running*
The one thing about Near is that he manages to be an extremely creepy child…without even being a child. So, yeah.
Mello? In P’s words..what was it…I think he used the term “crossdressing freak”? Of course, Mello is also an ideal mode of transportation as depicted here: http://moirgane.deviantart.com/art/DN-Near-s-means-of-transport-43742238 .
Face it, when we were in elementary school we all probably could have used a Mikami. (Not sure if this was manga only or not, but he defended a lot of bullied kids…)
And who the heck is Matt supposed to be? Everyone fangirls over him, yet he only existed for twelve panels. Why?
As for Light….Apparently there are countless groups finding the weirdest faces he makes. That should sum it up.
- Wings, who now understands Death Note
I have finished…
*holds up a handmade L plushie*
It took two weeks, but I finished it…*in an un-Wingslike display of fangirlism, gives it a hug*
You never saw that! *hides the plushie behind back*
- Wings, who has finished chapter 2 of HTSTW at last
I would be eager to hear what everyone would think of a historical superhero novel… doable? Readable? Marketable?
It just kind of feels almost like I wrote my novel in the wrong time period. Either I change the time period, or change the theme and plot. Either way I think it’s total-rewrite time.
Historical superheroes. Yeah, I think it could work.
–The League of Extraordinary Heroes is set in the early 1900s.
–The Wild Card series starts in the 1950s and continues until at least the 1980s.
–The Watchmen is still popular even though it is a 1970s period piece. The 1940s come up a lot in time-travel, but I think it maybe could possibly work for historical superheroes.
–Maybe Zorro. He’s in the 1830s.
Watchmen is still pretty popular and I think that the Wild Card series is very readable. (Additionally, the series keeps getting new issues, so presumably it has sold pretty well).
I would sort of recommend against going noticeably earlier than the Industrial Revolution, though. My gut instinct is that one of the most distinctive characteristics of the superhero genre is the blending of reality with the fantastic. So I think that it is really helpful to pick a setting that people find at least somewhat relatable. This is one of the reasons that there are pretty few superheroes that spend most of their time away from Earth.
I think it would depend on the time period, any time in the last forty years might seem a bit Watchman-ish, or like a prequel, unless it pops between now and then. I think anytime after the Dark Ages and then might be interesting, certainly readable, and I think it has been done before with some success, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight takes place in 1889 and features Batman investigating Jack The Ripper.
I was thinking of creating a superhero in, perhaps, Regency-era London (I’m a Jane Austen worshipper). It would be fun to contrast between a female superhero’s life in society and her life as a crime fighter.
Hmm. What would you do for her powers and origin? I think that the hero’s origin will be tricky in a Regency-era book.
I see three main possibilities. (Feel free to add any that come to mind).
1. No superpowers. This sort of book will probably feel like a detective novel with extra fighting. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that– detective novels sell quite well). Explaining how a woman might learn these fighting skills would be challenging but, I think, challenging in a good way.
2. Superpowers that are rooted in an artifact or the occult or something else mystical or lore-based. (I’d recommend against making her a wizard, but it is an option). For example, the most cliche origin here is getting bitten by a vampire, but the artifact route is pretty decent. This would obviously have more a fantasy feel, which would probably make the marketing a bit harder.
3. Wacky science. Depending on the mood you’re going for, it could be over-the-top like Wild Wild West, or depressing and bleak like Jekyll and Hyde, or something else entirely.
When I was responding, it occurred to me how awesome something like that could be, so I certainly think it sounds fantastic.
Beyond what B. Mac suggested, you could go with a practical mass mutation origin that isn’t revealed until it is necessary, as seen in D.C Comics with some of the metahumans, X-Men and Heroes. Depending on what the powers are, you could have it explained to or by the lead character using some sort of superstition, for instance, a myth about Joseph Merrick was that his mother was so scared by a elephant while he was in the womb, that he actually took on attributes of it. Perhaps an avian hero’s mother was attacked by a raven? Or so on or so forth, just an idea though.
I’m generally more cynical than LM, but I agree this could work.
I like the idea of superstition giving way to a man-made cause. It feels very thematically appropriate for the industrial era.
Haven’t really thought about potential powers or origin yet. I think I’m leaning towards giving it both a comedy-of-manners type of feel, mostly when she’s keeping her identity a secret, mixed with action and intrigue when she’s actually fighting. Mixed with some good old feminist themes.
In a previous superhero story I wrote, feminism actually tied into her powers and origin, but I don’t think I succeeded in that story. Maybe I could try that again? It was a vague idea but I could develop it much better. For example, her powers could come from having been in a morally compromising situation (for the time period, this could be something like having been wronged by a male suitor) and experiencing a lot of grief from this. Not sure exactly what I’d like her powers to be, though. What do you guys think of this?
Hmm. If she’s been “wronged” by a male suitor and her powers come from grief, that would suggest something mental, like… telekinesis or something similar.
I don’t know, Holliequ… that sounds a lot like Carrie.
…
If for whatever reason you’d like an alternative to the jilted-lover angle, you could always make her a victim of laws that made it very difficult for daughters to inherit family property– so she’s left to fend for herself or get married to a rich chump and either one is difficult and/or unpleasant.
Good idea, B. Mac. That could definitely be a source of grief. What kind of powers would maybe come from that? Some kind of superstrength? I think physical strength would be an interesting contrast to the helplessness she could feel as a woman in a man’s world.
I think superstrength is a bit too obvious.
Oh, whoops! I’m afraid I’ve yet to read Carrie so I didn’t realise it was a little too similar. Sorry about that.
But I agree with B. Mac; superstrength seems a little obvious. If the main villains are going to be male (I’m just assuming, here, but that sounds like the angle you’re going for), I think it would generally be more impressive for her to outwit them than to overpower them.
Becca, I think it’d be unexpected if your main villain were actually a woman.
By main villain, do you mean the one from the start, or the one that’s been pulling the strings? Either one is good though with the first category, I haven’t seen any good ones. Sio from Afro Samurai comes to mind, until I remember how badly she screwed herself over at the end and that hint of a deeper love for her brother.
Hmm. I’d say the main villain is whichever bad guy gets the most screentime. Usually that’s the highest-ranking villain, but sometimes it’s an underling (Darth Vader instead of Palpatine, for example).
Ah. I understand now. Like how in Lord of the Rings, technically Gollum was the real villain since he got more screentime and was somewhat of an underling to Sauron and Saurman, if that makes sense.
Hmm…My “main villain” is obviously Crimson in HTSTW and TAWNBT, while Pyric takes center stage in the Third Book. However, in Darkstar Rising the main villain is taken to be Pathos while Shift is pulling all the strings.
- Wings
Anybody here doing NaNoWriMo this year?
I know it’s a bit early, but I normally start planning in October anyway. And the forums are quite active, even this early.
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node
Shockingly, my name on NaNo is Holliequ. XP Add me as a Writing Buddy if you’re participating! I’d love to see how you do over the month.
I don’t know… Is Gollum really a bad guy? I think he’s more of an anti-hero than an antagonist– he doesn’t really do all that much nefarious besides killing an irrelevant hobbit deep in the backstory. (Or, at least, I can’t remember him doing very much nefarious).
I’m doing NaNo, along with StarE and Ean.
Gollum seems like just a poor, unfortunate soul to me. Sauron is definitely the main villain, Saruman a sub-villain.
I’m doing NaNo, Holliqu!
My username’s Alice2.
I failed NaNo in ‘07. My writing life is now nonexistent, and I am coming to reclaim my honor.
On a related note, it’s a bit embarrassing to hear adults say, “you’re writing a novel? How cute!”
Finished NaNo in six days last year. This year’s five. Anyone want to give me a run for my money?
How on earth did you find the time to write 500,000 words in five days, Marissa? Heehee, did you do nothing but write and drink coffee? I would love to hit the 500,000 words within the first week. Because then I could spend the rest of the month writing at the same pace, and maybe I could actually finish a rough draft of my whole novel, haha. I don’t think 175 pages will cover the length I’m going for.
_
I would love to add Hollie and BananaSlug as NaNoWriMo buddies! That’d be fun, to get a bunch of us together.
Didn’t you mean ‘50,000′, StarE?
YES. Sorry! I think I’ve been writing it wrong lately, but saying it right.
Wow, Marissa, that’s pretty impressive. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to write 10,000 words a day. I finished in 15 last year and then slowed down majorly, so maybe this year I can finish in 12-13 and actually keep up the pace.
Maybe we should make a topic for us all in “writing groups and clubs”?
By the way, if you would like to add me as a buddy it would be kind of helpful to know your username there. ^^; Or is it the same as here? x.X
Ack, that was me! My computer seems to have forgotten some things.
Spiritua Masquerade is my name over there.
Hey, that’s an idea. Except we could do it on the NaNo boards. “Writing Groups and Clubs” forum, a thread for “Superhero Nation” folk.
I had been planning on attempting to pen a real world version of a fictional book in my graphic novel, “Urgh Argh: The Denaturalization of The Human Race Will Lead Them To Inhabiting Equatorial Areas After The Initial Zombie Outbreak – The Fictional Account of a Real World Garden Of Eden” just for fun, but my birthday is in November, Thanksgiving, my family celebrates a version of Passover on the 13th, which means no computer for a week, and college work ramps up so there just won’t be time.
I’m aliiiiiive! My laptop was on its last leg and then that was mercilessly cut off too, so now I get to share mum’s computer with my bros. I do have my own account, which makes me happy.
Anywho, NaNoWriMo? I always thought of joining that, trying out and all. But I just don’t have time. I would, except I’m looking for a job as well as the cure to my writers’ block (the economy isn’t so great). Wait a second–did you say you finished NaNoWriMo in SIX DAYS? Are you insane, Marissa? (just kidding) holy cow.
I don’t think Gollum was a bad guy, the Ring was just using him and it screwed him up, if you know what I’m saying. He would’ve been a perfectly normal hobbit-like guy and have died a long time ago if the Ring hadn’t ensnared him, and he became rather insane and … pretty much what B. Mac said. I really don’t think he was deeply involved in any of it except that he had a love/hate relationship with the Ring–I mean, the bad dudes captured him and tortured him and all to find the location of it (“sshiiire … bagginnssssssssss”-movie quote) and he didn’t want either the ‘good guys’ or the ‘bad guys’, he just wanted to be left alone. He wanted the Ring, but in the end the Ring didn’t want him, because it’d only used him in hopes of eventually reaching its Master.
I finished NaNoWriMo last year, as in, got to 50,000 but didn’t finish the actual story. I’m planning to really try to use a beginning, middle, end structure this year! My account on there is owlsarefun, I think.
Indeed. It would’ve been five, but I had stuff to do. =/
Huh…I’d love to do something like that NaNoWriMo thing, but I can barely get on this website a couple times a week, considering my parents are kinda against letting us kids use electronics at all (I’d be insane without my iPod. That is, more insane). Bet it would be awesome…I mean, I’d still have HTSTW, Darkstar, and Between Light And Darkness on the side (Between Light and Darkness is a romance with a dash of the paranormal), and it would allow me to explore concepts like Hunter’s Abomination (The new concept on my second forum).
Should I go for it?
- Wings
If you go for it, Wings, it might be useful going with a current project. If you do go for this, you’ll be focussing on one story for the whole month. A whole month! You probably won’t have time to do more than dabble in your other works.
This may not affect you, but I find that when I focus on one idea I forget about the others, and then I’m just not feeling as enthusiastic about them and they eventually end up abandoned. Plus, working on several projects at once is hard.
By the way (as you’ve started HTSTW and *I think* Darkstar Rising already), you don’t have to throw out what you’ve already written. The NaNo “rules” are really quite relaxed – you’d just have to write 50,000 words more of your story, if you see what I mean.
If I were you, I’d give it a try! Even if you don’t finish in the month, you’ll still have an extra several thousand words you wouldn’t have had before. That’s the great thing about NaNo – even if you don’t win you’ve still achieved something awesome. I was talking to a girl last year who unfortunately ended up on 40k (she could have got 50k but life got in the way). She was disappointed until I pointed out that this was 40k more than most other people in the world have written.
So, in short… yes! Go for it!
I posted in the Writing Clubs and Groups forum for a Superhero Nation Club. Go on over and say hello. ;D
You lot convinced me: Iriswings is now a member!
- Wings, alias Iriswings
Hooray! I think I added you as a writing buddy on NaNo, Wings.
It’ll be fun to work with all you guys and watch progress and stuff. It’s good for motivation!
Hey, ’sex machines’. :O (Sorry Ragged Boy, had to steal your line for a second.)
I’ll be on my way out for a while. Call it ‘college kicking my butt’, if you want. Not sure when I’ll be back, but… I will.
Tata for however long it’s tata for~!
- Marissa
I had a sex machine once, had Vista as its O.S, I finally broke down and replaced it with a girlfriend, she nags me less. “Are you sure you want to confirm the ability to agree to have the ability to agree to this?”
You’ll be missed. College sucks, plus, it’s rigged anyway, college teachers are always wrong in some key area, making it difficult to succeed without lowering yourself to some level of wrongness. I had a teacher that sincerely believed Islam was not an abrahamic religion, teaching a class about the historical interactions between Islam and Christianity. So you’ve certainly got my sympathy.
Aw, you’ve got the same problem as me, Marissa! College is slaughtering me. An eight-week statistics class is brutal, and my professor? Merciless.
_
So I’ll be waaay busy or the next week while I struggle to pass my stats final, but after that, but then I’ll be able to concentrate more on my novel. Hooray!
_
And hello, Lighting Man! I’m sorry about your professor not knowing… that… thing. Er… What’s an “abrahamic relgion”? Does it refer to a time period? *knows nothing*
Holliequ, I just found the article about making jumbled ideas into a story when I was updating the index.
Say, could someone go to my forum and look at my latest post? I need feedback.
StarE, the Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Tom adds: So called because the point where they diverged is with Abraham’s two sons Ishmael and Isaac.
Question-slash-possible-writing-exercise:
If you were to rewrite any popular book, how would you rewrite it?
For instance…
If I was to rewrite Twilight, I would have completely overridden Bella’s current (lack of) personality and made her into a borderline Tsundere who despises men (Which would explain why she disdains all the other guys but Edward). I’d also seriously tone down her Sue characteristics, take away about 75% of the guys tailing her. She’d honestly find most guys annoying and only suitable as friends.
Edward would get a complete personality 180. He’d go from the broody, “Greek god” sparklypire he is now and become a Deadpan Snarker who inwardly has no idea how to interact with humans (I could get an interesting conversation out of the “watching-Bella-sleep” sequence:
Bella: *wakes up to find Edward standing on her windowsill* What the HELL are you doing.
Edward: I…uh…
Bella: Get OUT of my damn house, stalker! *throws something at him*)
I actually might decide to keep the sparkypire angle if only to satirize the living crap out of it.
(Bella: You’re secretly gay, aren’t you.
Edward: WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THAT?!?)
However, I’d probably change them into more atypical vampires. For instance, although not completely bursting into flames at sunrise, they are just extremely sensitive to the sun and get burned extremely easily, require human blood but do not have to kill their victims, etc.
Jacob would probably be similar to the way he is now, after all, he is the only canon character with a personality. I, however, would cut out the *shudders* Breaking Dawn part of the series. That was just…a mixture of Dark and Crack Fic.
Go for it, minions!
- Wings
The thing that bothers me most about Twilight is that it happens to have already been made, bad science and all, under the exact same name as a movie…that was good! It was an actual horror movie to boot, it was called…Near Dark and featured a young couple made up of a teenager and a hundred year old vampire that fell in love, despite the initial hesitation of the vampire’s family and ended up getting into trouble, surviving against all odds, only to end up exactly the same species, living happily together.
Stephanie Meyer ripped off a Lance Henriksen movie for her vampire love story, do you know that means that Pumpkin Head is now liable to be a sex symbol?
The mind boggles…
If I were to re-write Twilight, I’d have Edward go temporarily evil and start killing off her friends. He’d get better, but heck it would be fun to have a Bella vs Edward fight.
…Why yes. That is exactly what happens to Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I figure since Meyer’s already ripped off almost every other part of Angel.
I’d read that. Must resist urge to write a vampire novel….
At least Twilight has been a big self-esteem booster for me. “Think! If crap like that can become a bestseller, my books can get published too!”
…It’s worth a shot.
- Wings
Knowing Stephanie Meyer, if she wrote it, some weird rule would require that Evil Eddie kill all of Bella’s in the same manner as the never-happened but we’ve got a ritual for that, ritual required for humans to give birth to vampires. just to offset the squicky ickiness that is a puppy werewolf making sweet, sweet puppy werewolf love to a seven year old child.
I’ve always wanted to write a vampire romance novel where being a vampire just sucked, and not for mopey dopey reasons, but real ones, like the infection changed your features to resemble Nosferatu, you didn’t get super-strength or speed, you were frozen in the exact same state health-wise as you were pre-death, and you couldn’t improve or change because your body always healed back to the exact same state, including your hair, which would leave you forever stuck in whichever hair era you were infected during, so all the vampires from the 80’s were very angry. The lead character would have fallen in love with the high priestess for the largest vampire coven in the world, and try to gain notoriety in the group only to find out that they were a bunch of L.A.R.P-ers that didn’t know vampires really existed. The planned ending would have been him butchering an office full of people at a company that would’ve stood in as a parody for White Wolf Publishing, before getting shot and killed by a dashing vampire hunter.
Then I realized that sounded like an SNL skit and gave up on it.
Don’t kill White Wolf! Mage is fun and not thoroughly creepy. Vampire and Werewolf, on the other hand…
Just read a Twilight article in today’s paper – and I feel just a tiny, infinitesimal amount of pity for the actors. I mean, they get asked stupid questions by fangirls, fan-interviewers, and they will forever be judged based on the amount of money Twilight pays, not because they’re “good actors”.
I mean, due to the fangirls, they’ll be stuck as recluses for the rest of their life. Rich, well-known recluses, but yeah.
- Wings
((On the same note, my mother is trying to drag me to see New Moon, since she needs a teenage girl to justify her presence there. I’m trying to find a nicer way to say “**** no.”))
I’m not sure if this is the right place for this question, am sorry if this is not.
What must be the minimum age for a POV character? or in other words, How do I effectively write from the point of view of a three year old?
I’m not sure I would consider them effective, but I’ve seen POVs as young as a child in the womb. As for how to do super-young POVs effectively… I think it depends on the target audience and what you’re trying to accomplish. I wouldn’t recommend taking it in a cute direction because I think that would get cloying pretty fast. For example, I usually pop an Advil whenever an author does a kiddy speech impediment like switching the r’s with w’s or something similar.
So, what are you trying to accomplish with this character? Why is he three rather than, say, 6+?
I don’t know what your plot is, but I imagine that a toddler wouldn’t have much ability to affect the plot. (In contrast, a somewhat older child might run off and interact with people in a more proactive way). Also, his perspective would probably be pretty limited because he doesn’t understand a lot about what’s going on around him.
My story is melodramatic and the main character is anti-heroic, hence I guess his actions must be described from the point of view of an ordinary person to sound relatable. I thought of writing from the point of view of his girl first, but that’s way too overused (it’s even used in Twi*Sparkle*Light), so I wanted to do something different. Hence, the toddler POV.
A local literary agent advices me not to post original extracts from my work online as it is not copyright-proof. So, I’d just give the gist.
A group of travelers (Older Brother, his wife, and their baby (POV character); Younger Brother and his close friend) meet with an accident and the older brother’s wife is fatally wounded. She is admitted in the local hospital and dies soon after. The older brother gets emotionally broken apart after his wife dies. A popular psychiatrist asks the family to stay with him for treatment until the older brother gets better.
They stay at the rich doctor’s manor. The story moves in the POV of the baby (trust me, it won’t be kiddy). Since the baby has more leeway to roam about than others in a new situation, I reckon the baby could be an effective POV character.
First, she (the infant) discovers that the doctor comes from a unique bloodline and that all his senses are many times sharper than an average human. Through the course of the story, the younger brother comes to know about this and holds a suspicion against the doctor.
The doctor helps everyone in the family in a way and the older brother gets rapidly better because of his treatment. The younger brother’s close friend (she’s a girl, if you were wondering) gets emotionally attracted to the doctor which further makes the younger brother suspicious whether the doctor is using his senses to brainwash his family.
The younger brother sends anonymous false legal appeals against the doctor. But, when he fails to get rid of the doctor this way, he decides to kill the doctor himself. The doctor denies all the allegations the younger brother throws at him and ignores his threats. The younger brother takes desperate measures and bombs the doctor’s hospital, killing the doctor’s trustworthy butler, who had been his father figure. The doctor barely escapes due to his senses, and in his uncontrollable rage and the urge of his bloodline, gets home and kills every member of the family except the baby. The doctor comes back to his senses on seeing the baby and falls on his knees and regrets his action.
The story ends with the cliffhanger as the doctor speaks his last lines to the baby: “Why can’t I kill you? Why do you have to give me that familiar feeling? I feel like an innocent baby just out of my mother’s womb whenever I see your hazel eyes. What are you doing to me? You must be one of us!”
BUMP!
Interesting. I should like to hear more.
- Wings
I am coming up with visual designs for the characters in my planned comic book and I am struggling to come up with a design that matches their personality and makes them distinct. The story takes place in a modern day setting, but I would like to give them an appearance that makes them easily noticeable and memorable.
What kind of clothes would a shy, quiet person wear? What might a straightforward, blunt person put on? What would a laid-back, easygoing person wear? My characters are generally in the 15-17 yr-old age range, and I kind of liked the designs of the characters in that game, The World Ends With You. I would welcome any suggestions.
From most of the comic-books and graphic novels that I’ve read, I assume that a shy, quiet character might wear clothing that unconsciously, is a way of hiding themselves.
A shy person might wear longer sleeves over their hands and, maybe, baggier, more concealing clothing(jackets and hoodies and turtlenecks). I’m not really an expert, but thats all I know.
I’m not familiar with that series, so please take all of this with an appropriate grain of salt.
“What might a straightforward, blunt person put on?” If the character is a female, maybe something a bit more risque than usual. (In comparison, a more reserved female might wear something less revealing). Bold colors. A wild haircut. (For example, if you’re familiar with Skies of Arcadia, the aggressive Aika has crazy red pigtails and tighter clothes whereas Fina the demure healer wears white clothes and a veil). Or you could try something like a t-shirt with a message printed in bold on the front or back, like “GET OVER IT” or “I’M SORRY, I COULDN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE BLAH BLAH BLAH.”
Laid-back… I’d go with casual, comfortable clothes, maybe a bit on the slobbish side. Maybe shorts and a t-shirt. Cheerful colors, but maybe a little bit on the subdued side because you might want to reserve the wild stuff for the blunt character.
For the shy character, I agree with Asaya that concealing clothing would make sense in most cases. Loose. Bland colors. For a librarian-esque feel, you might want to try something like plaid or something a bit more old-fashioned. For guys or girls, maybe something a bit more nerdy. Larger-than-average glasses.
I hope that helps.
If the shyness isn’t matched with academics (popular culture says shy – smart most of the time) but out of personal history, or simple misanthropy, Seattle-type skater-grunge culture is a nice place to mine for how they might dress, they tend to wear several layers, baggy unflattering clothing, prominently designed sneakers (some type of car is the name of the most popular brand, but I wouldn’t get that far into it, I think they’re called Trucks though.) and although they sometimes wear the bold attention-drawing shirts, they also commonly wear simple patterns such as stripes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FklUAoZ6KxY is a good example of what I’m talking about.
What.The.Heck. Just saw the Avatar trailer for the live action film…when? Yesterday? All white cast. Guess they didn’t see the series. Jeez.
Nobody’s Asian in the movies. Oh, also, in the .00000042% chance that SN ever gets turned into a movie, Gary will be a smoking hawt ex-Navy SEAL (“who wants to watch an IRS agent, really?”) and Agent Orange will be a quippy black guy.
The only way an average-looking guy can get major parts is by being a successful comedian. By and large, ladies don’t even have that option.
Ha!
At this point, my expectations of Hollywood are so low that white-washing a movie where the race of the characters is ambiguous is almost a given. (At least, I think the main characters look white… I haven’t seen the show, though).
I tend to get much more riled up when the character’s race is a hugely important aspect of the story and the casting director (or art director) changes it anyway. For example, putting a white girl on the cover of Liar was a travesty because it’s absolutely not true to the book and misleads prospective readers. I hate encouraging adversarial author-publisher relations, but that’s the sort of extremely rare situation where the author may be entitled to say “change this or I walk.” As a rule of thumb, please don’t even THINK about issuing an ultimatum unless the situation is so serious that self-publishing would appeal to you more than continuing on with the current publisher. Even one ultimatum could send you to the unemployment line and you should be careful not to build a reputation as an author that’s hard to work with.
Okay, that’s all I’ll say about this issue, lest I offend Avatar fans that have higher hopes for Hollywood than I do.
Y’ know, the same thing happened with a movie based on Ursula K. Lr Guin’s Earthsea books. Ursula herself criticized the movie for choosing a lead actor that didn’t match the visual description of the actual protagonist in the books. Ah, well. The special effects looked good though. On Avatar:The Last Airbender, I mean.
The book Solo had an android as the protagonist and I don’t think it ever said what the android’s skin tone was. In the movie, they cast the android as a black guy.
On the minuscule chance that How To Save The World would be made into a movie (A girl can dream), I can see it being dumbed down a bit for younger audiences, mostly because it’s not “edgy” enough to be a PG-13 film. Darkstar Rising could probably qualify for PG-13; but unless we mash the events of HTSTW and TAWNBT into one movie (Which wouldn’t end well, I mean, there’s a timeskip of five years in between books!) the effect would be…nightmarish.
…I suppose there are worse fates.
-Wings
Zac Efron, worse fate.
Robert Pattinson, worst fate easily.
Other notable worse fates:
Musical version.
Disney animated version.
Barbie doll versions of the characters. (There is an Edward Cullen action figure. He’s not even action-y! All he does is angst!)
Ditching the superhero aspect completely, ditch all the humor and defining personality traits and making them cliche high school students in a cheesy romantic comedy (Disney bought Marvel. Twilight was published. Anything is possible, my friends) entitled Vampire Love Story. Of course the title doesn’t have to make sense! It just has to sound like one of those movies that preteen girls with squeaky voices drag their “boyfriends” to! As long as it makes money, anything goes! And remember kids, crushing dreams is fun! Wahahahahaha!!!!!
*rereads statement above*
…I need to get some more sleep.
- Wings
At one point, Agent Orange wonders why the movie studios aren’t returning his calls. His team has fangs (him) and brooding (Gary)–it’s everything teen girls are looking for!
How can I avoid the cliche long skirts that most females in fantasy books wear? Now, I don’t want them to go to the OTHER extreme overly manly wear, like in ‘fantasy’ stories like The Seeker. Is there any hope for me?
Yeah uh, I’d like it if it still looked feminine, and fit a fantasy setting. Plausibility, basically.
Ack, I’m pretty clueless about women’s clothing. I’ve mentioned that the only thing I know about the fairer sex is that they dig giant robots, right?
So, umm, I guess you could do something like a dress, but that’d be unwieldy as hell, particularly if your story involves wilderness treks or any sort of fast-paced action. Robes are similar to dresses but less girly and more action-friendly.
Are pants too masculine? Are shorts too modern?
Anyway… I don’t think that these sorts of visual design issues are particularly important for a novel. I wouldn’t worry about it too much unless her wardrobe has a major impact on the plot.
Even in the most conservative societies, I’m pretty sure it’s acceptable for women to wear trousers (or pants, for you crazy Americans) when that is the most practical solution. If you wanted them to be feminine, they could probably be quite loose-fitting?
I assume that GO’s story is set in medieval-ish times, like many fantasies.
I think that two viable options instead of dresses, would be robes as B. Mac mentioned, or appropriately designed armor, if it fits with your story. I would lean away from having it be sexual in the slightest, Red Sonja’s bikini armor is one of the most infamous fantasy elements ever due to the fact that it doesn’t make a quarter of an inkling of sense.
I do feel like it is worth pointing out that an element such as dresses have quite a hard time becoming cliche without elements surrounding being similar across many works, so while I’ve little doubt that thousands of novels set in fantasy-medieval times, feature dresses, I don’t think it could be considered a cliche. Those scenes in movies, comic books, graphic novels, songs and every other story-telling device in which a woman shows up a failed suitor by appearing attractive in a slick black dress, that could be a cliche with ease, but I don’t think that a dress in a medieval work is really that problematic. It is simply a matter of practicality. It takes only a few cuts, a few seams to make a sturdy, well-made dress out of a relatively small amount of material, contrasted with the greater difficulties associated with making pants, particularly in times before machines to assist. If you’re crafting one of those universes with steam-punk type dwarves, that’d be different, I suppose. Plus, if you consider older values of modesty, propriety and place in society, a dress handles all of those without getting into the complications you’ll find in human history as clothing progressed, such as harnesses, corsets, bras, garter belts, many of which, while used as components or accessories to clothing, also arose primarily as dresses moved away from being simple.
Erm, that should read “components or accessories to dresses” instead of what it does, heh.
Hmm, yeah. These attire choices are SO elementary that I don’t think readers will mind them. For example, how many guy protagonists are you familiar with that don’t wear pants or leg-length armor? Robin and Namor gamefully try to make speedos work, but nobody gives them creativity points.
I think that it’s most critical for an author to distinguish his story on the elements that matter the most. In particular, the personality, traits and voice of the main character(s). Character goals and obstacles. The plot and scene selection.
If anybody remembers what the characters wear, I think it’ll be because it tied into one of the above. For example, at the most cliche, it could be a female protagonist opting to wear pants instead of a socially acceptable dress because she’s the sort of lady that wants to run off and kill dragons rather than get married.
Ok, thanks. As long as her attire isn’t of any relavance to the plot, don’t worry so much about it, thanks. The setting has (basically) these elements:
Flying-crafts, sorta like the ‘air-ships’ of Final Fantasy
Something similar to holographs, but presented like pools of water.
A little more spiffed up firearms, like crossbows and rifles, those things.
I’ll probably go with the trousers, thanks for the advice guys.
B.Mac, I was fortunate to recently have my novel published. The publisher set up a website where people can buy the book, but I want to set up a more interactive author website.
I am clueless when it comes to such, so what do I do? Do I find a company to build a website for me? Do you know of any good ones? Also, if you email me, I’ll send you a free copy of my book to get your take on it, as your site has helped me greatly.
Awesome!
You can hire a designer to do a custom website for your book. However, in my experience, it’s expensive (more than $500, especially if you have customization in mind). I’ll ask my tech guy if he recommends someone and has any technical advice…
Normally, if you’re a bit tech savvy, I would suggest doing your own website through a site like Wordpress. Now, this is the free version of Wordpress, so your website’s URL would be http://www.YOURTITLE.wordpress.com, but with a bit of tech savvy and ~$10 a year you can claim http://www.YOURTITLE.com, which is easier to remember and sounds more professional. Another option is doing a website through Blogspot. My impression of Blogspot is that it is easier to handle and requires hardly any technical ability, but it offers less customization.
However, this isn’t entirely a normal case because your book has already been published. I practiced with trial-and-error a few years ago and started out absolutely horrible, but it wasn’t a problem because a publisher wasn’t counting on me to be professional. In your case, I think expectations will be higher.
…
Here are some elements that you may wish to include.
–Header art (or, more cheaply, a header photograph), preferably something that grabs readers and feels appropriate for your book. For example, I wouldn’t recommend doing an ominous photo of a full moon unless you’re doing supernatural fantasy like vampires/werewolves/etc.
–A summary of the book.
–Sample pages (usually a sample chapter or two)
–About the writer
–BUY MY BOOK
–Notable reviews and blurbs, if you have any.
–Linkbait, something designed to attract prospective readers. For example, whenever someone Googles something like “what’s an average novel advance?”, Tobias Buckell is usually one of the top 2 results. “How to write a superhero story” and “how to write a comic book” usually yield SN as one of the 2 top results.
–Your promotional schedule, if you are doing promotional events. (Say where you’ll be and when, what you’ll be doing, and why they will want to come).
If you’re interested, you can see what I’ve done for my comic book, The Taxman Must Die, here. My artist is still working on the header, though. It’s a very fledgling effort at this point.
If you’re on LinkedIn and are a member of the Novelist Networking Group, I’d recommend checking out this discussion thread about websites for authors. If you’re not on LinkedIn or aren’t a member of the NNG, both are free.
Whatever you end up doing, I’d be glad to link to your site and/or provide suggestions.
Congratulations again!
…
I’m sorry, I don’t see your e-mail address. If you e-mail me at superheronation-at-gmail-dot-com, I’ll be sure to send you my address (or you can just send an electronic version of the book, if that would be easier).
Oh, also, I’d really recommend getting active on LinkedIn, Facebook and possibly Twitter. Even a brief post every few days will help remind your readers that you’re alive. (If readers check in and see that you haven’t posted anything in the past month, they may wonder whether your site is “dead”).
I’d also start cultivating personal relationships with anybody that might be in a position to move copies when the book is actually available for purchase. Here are some good people to consider.
–Librarians, particularly in your area. Librarians collectively buy a LOT of copies and talk amongst themselves like crazy.
–Journalists that do book reviews, particularly at small newspapers and local access television stations near you. (The local connection gives them a great reason to cover your book). If you’d be interested in learning more about how to network with journalists, I can help with that.
–If your book has something newsworthy going on, you can also chat it up to news reporters near you. For example, if you wrote it when you were younger than 18 or on your latest tour to Iraq or as you were raising four kids, you have some otherwise newsworthy background information, that gives them a reason to cover you. However, if you wrote your book when you were younger than 18 AND on your latest tour to Iraq AND raising four kids, I’d recommend calling a therapist first.
–Possibly schools and teachers. (I know someone that sold ~600 copies because his old junior high school used his book as assigned reading for 3 years).
–Book store staff, particularly in your area. If you talk up your book to them and they like it, they may put it on their staff-recommended list and suggest it to people that ask for advice.
–If you were doing anything superhero-related, maybe comic book store staff as well.
–Bloggers in your niche. For example, review blogs that handle your type of book, writing advice sites that focus on your kind of writing, etc.
Thanks B. Mac. I sent the email.
One more question, B. Mac. You mentioned “linkbait.” How does that work? For instance, I found SN by typing in “How to write a superhero story.” Is something built into your webpage that gets it to come up when that question is asked? Would I just tell the designers what kind of “linkbait” I want to lead to my site?
Ooh, also, my tech guy just got back to me. That was fast.
The reason that SN comes up for “how to write a superhero story” is less a design thing and more a writing thing. Use the search terms reasonably often and you will probably do pretty well on searches. In particular, Google values it very highly if you use the terms in question in your URL and/or site title and post titles. So, for example, since our site name is “Superhero Nation: how to write superhero novels and comic books,” we place well on most queries that involve “superhero” and “write.”
Another important thing is links. It REALLY helps if you can get incoming links. Links generally make your site appear more credible to Google. Google also checks what the the links say. For example, if the link to your website says something like “K1Dork’s new horror story is one of the scariest I’ve ever read,” you’ll place better on queries that include words like “horror,” “scary” and “story.” (Not that you’re writing a horror, of course).
Here are some other factors that affect how well you place on a particular search.
–How old is your site? Your site is penalized for being younger than a year old. (I kid you not: it took me about six months to beat Time Magazine on queries for “Superhero Nation,” in quotes. Time Magazine has an old article about Spiderman named Superhero Nation).
–How competitive is the search? Sadly, the “list of superpowers” search heated up and we’ve dropped to around #10 or #11. SN gets beat on “list of superpowers by (among others) a website called The Superpower List. It’s hard for us to compete on that search with a website that has the relevant search terms in its title and URL.
–I think it matters whether the site is regularly updated.
–How many links do you have? This is one of the way Google determines how good your site is. For example, Tobias Buckell will smash me to pieces on a search for “average novel advances” because his article is really popular and has a ton of links.
Linkbait is content that’s designed to attract incoming readers, because it 1) provides information that people are searching for and 2) is well-tailored to win the search. So, for example, if you’re looking for information about novel advances, you might enter Buckell’s writing website even though you weren’t specifically looking for him! Linkbait is critical because it’s how you attract prospective readers that DON’T know who you are or why they should read your book.
That’s why I’d recommend against a writing site named after the author. Any fans that do a search for B. Mac or Brian McKenzie will find me without much effort, whether or not my website is named http://www.brianmckenzie.com. The problem with naming my website after myself is that it doesn’t appeal to prospective readers. No one is searching for Brian McKenzie, and if they are, they’re already in my camp. I’d recommend going with a name that 1) makes it clearer to prospective readers what you offer and 2) uses words that readers actually are searching for. (Remember, you get a big plus from search engines for using search terms in the title and URL).
Oh. my. God. I haven’t been here in AGES! I’ve been having a ton of schoolwork lately, which makes sense because I graduate high school this year. I’ve been so swamped and combined with all my slacking, I haven’t made much progress since last time I was here. I better get writing.
I’ll try to be around a bit more, promise!
Welcome back, Whovian. I had two significant developments recently. First, I got hired as an assistant editor by a comic book company. Second, I have my sample pages ready. If you like those, please sign up for a chance to win a free signed copy when it comes out. Thanks!
I would like to start a magazine for action hero themed prose. I just got the notion and will research it on my own, but I just wanted to start here by asking if any of you know where to begin? Is it even possible for someone to accomplish in America with no big finacial backing?
If you’re a college student or instructor/professor, you might be able to find grant money on-campus. Besides that, I think this would be financially very difficult. I guess I’d start by looking at funding sources. Maybe somebody like the NEA will have grant money. Or Xeric, perhaps.
I don’t suppose you’d happen to have publishing experience? I’m having trouble seeing anybody signing off on thousands of dollars for a publishing enterprise launched by somebody completely new to the industry. (Unless there’s some unusual circumstance, like an experienced Ph. D starting up a scholarly journal). When I applied for (and received) a grant for a novella, I had a novelist/writing instructor serve as a faculty advisor.
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I’d recommend to somebody that works with similar material (like the editors for This Mutant Life or A Thousand Faces) to see how much you should budget. My guess is that something between $5000-10,000 per issue will cover your costs.
Thanks B. Mac. My only publishing experience is the book I sent you (Did you get it?).
Other than that, I submitted some stories to This Mutant Life, but they are only accepting standalone stories, and what I submitted was intended to be a series.
But, yeah, I’ll look into grants.
Transcendance? Yes, I got it. So far, I’m up to chapter 10.
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If your goal is to publish your own series, it might be cheaper to publish yourself rather than make a publisher that handles other people as well.
Do you think a newspaper would run a superhero themed series?
“Transcendence? Yes, I got it. So far, I’m up to chapter 10.”
Sweet. Thanks for taking the time.
A newspaper? Probably not, unless you’re doing a comic strip.
Hey guys! I know I said I’d be on more often before, but stuff happened, and is still happening, and as a result my hobbies (and schoolwork, hehe…) have suffered. The crap has died down a little now, but it’s still pretty bad. And it’s not just happening to me, it’s happening to my friends too, so I have been spending time supporting them through their troubles. I will endeavour to be here more often, but I will probably be a bit distant for a while because everything is just a bit too difficult right now.
Oh, also I turned seventeen on Friday. WOOT!
Did you miss me? ^_^
“I will endeavour to be here more often, but I will probably be a bit distant for a while because everything is just a bit too difficult right now.” No worries. Life definitely comes first.
I have no idea why, but looking at pictures of Perth inspires me to write. I mean, sure, my book is set there, but I don’t really know WHY Googling Perth makes me want to write. Hmm, weird…
I have a…slightly odd question for the male posters in the audience.
…Men’s sleepwear. What is it? Pajamas? Oversized t-shirts and boxers? Just the boxers? WHAT IS IT??? I have been observing family members, but have discovered next to nil*.
Help me.
- Wings
* Other than the fact that my younger brother keeps a Boba Fett plushie on his pillow when he sleeps. Which is endearing in an odd way.
I can only speak for myself, but I usually wear regular shorts and a t-shirt. I feel that a guy would probably have to be middle-aged, a child, or perhaps British to wear actual pajamas. (I suppose it also depends on whether he is alone or not–dress to impress!).
Wings, I’m gonna say that it varies between person. So it could easily be all the things you said. But like B. Mac suggested there are other variables such as social status and climate. I wouldn’t wear silk pajamas in Africa, I’d burn up. Nor would I wear just boxers in a Siberian shack. Personally, I wear just boxers because I don’t like being hot when I sleep.
Excellent.
I feel that to properly capture the world on paper, I must know almost everything about it first. Which is why I have been eavesdropping on various adults to find out how gossip works, studying my youngest cousin in order to pick up various behaviors, and sending off emails to my friends with questions like “What’s the meaning of [love/life/football]?”.
…Still haven’t figured out the meaning of the last three, but I tend to get the same answers for “life” and “football”.
- Wings