[Shock]

I'm writing a book, and I wanted to know how it's all put together, and maybe see if some of you guys had any website ideas. I'm young, but that gives me even more reason to prove that nt only 50 year old men in Alaska can write books. Basically, a kid goes in his back yard one day after having a really shitty day, and he finds a stone that gives him special abilities depending on which world the stone warps him to. I planned to call it Warped. I did not get this idea of the Internet, I thought of it myself, and that's why I decided to do it. Eventually, I figured this kid could learn to control where he warps, and retain some of the abilities in his own world. Please be honest and tell me if you think it's a dumb idea, or a interesting idea. I'm going through depression right now, and a friend told me writing might help. Thanks, guys, and enjoy your upcoming weekend.

[Gold_TSG]

I myself am working on a novel, so I could help you here.

An important thing to do before writing any story is to make sure everything is developed before the actual writing process begins. This helps keep things consistant with the basis of the story. You will also want to keep the main character balanced and "underedeveloped" for a good portion of the story so they have room to develop and grow. Another important aspect is supporting cast. They can be overdeveloped or underdeveloped, based on how important they are to the story (it's always better to not have more prominant characters, especially the main character, be too strong, or capable of doing more than they should early on, as that would make it boring).

You also want to make sure the world(s) in question are developed and interesting. It's ok to keep some details to a minimum, as this allows the reader's mind to piece things together on its own, but don't overdo it with mystery. Also make sure there are plenty of locations to visit (and are either visited or touched upon in detail) to add to the overall size of the world. You never want a world to be too small, as everything would feel confined.

The most important thing, however, is to try to be as original as possible, and try not to use too many cliches (it's ok to have them, as long as you can execute them well).

If you need any more help, feel free to ask.

[Shock]

Thanks a lot. How would I make the world seem bigger? Obviously, have plenty of worlds, but how do I make them feel larger/smaller? I wouldn't want to make an earth sized planet feel like Pluto, and vice versa.

[Gold_TSG]

Have a lot of places to visit within the worlds. Keep them spread out, and have different forms of transportation to get to each location (it's also good to have things happen between trips, whether minor or major, as it will give the reader a better understanding on what could happen on those trips. you could also add some minor details about those trips to give the reader a better visual on what it's like to travel in each world, based on the form of transportation.) . Another good technique to use is pacing. Keep things rolling smoothly, and do your best not to rush the story.

This post has been edited by Gold_TSG: 02 October 2010 - 02:50 AM

[Master of AFTER]

Shock, on 01 October 2010 - 05:05 PM, said:

How would I make the world seem bigger? Obviously, have plenty of worlds, but how do I make them feel larger/smaller? I wouldn't want to make an earth sized planet feel like Pluto, and vice versa.

Why does the mass of the planets matter? What I think Gold is driving at is that you want to make your fictional worlds seem "big" by giving them a sense of vastness in a cultural context through detailed histories and lore. You want your civilizations to have some sense of place, not just in space but also in the context of time. Don't just plop your new worlds into a story to serve as a plot device for the protagonist to accomplish something there and then be on his way; give the locations greater detail by dropping hints related to their past, the way their societies function, and how they exist in relation to everything around them (neighboring towns/cities, nearby planets, or the universe itself depending on the scope of your story).

Think of it this way: If you visited a foreign country and were describing it to people, what would you tell them about? Would your focus be solely on what you did while you were there, would you talk mostly about superficial details like the weather and the architecture of the buildings, or would you talk about the native people's culture and the history of their nation and how that impacted its present condition?

Even a small town in the middle of nowhere can seem "big" if you look deep enough into the people who live there on a social, political, and historical level. When building a fictional place, the history you give its inhabitants is what makes it seem real. Consider how they live and why they live they way they do. Take into account their social values, their religion, their government, their shared goals as a working society... These are the things that will give your characters and places real depth, and make it seem to the reader as if you're describing a place that could have actually existed rather than a bunch of random locations and races you thought up one day.

Bonus advice: Be sure to give your story at least one (preferably more) steamy sex scene. Those are a big selling point in modern literature.

[Gold_TSG]

MoA pretty much described what I was aiming to get across, though with more explicit detail.

Developing everything in depth is important to good story-telling.