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Post by birdnerd on Sept 29, 2011 16:57:04 GMT -5
Interesting... I wasn't a fan of the squigglier font (#3) ... harder to read.
I think I liked the 2nd better. Easier to make out the text at a distance.
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Post by newburydave on Sept 29, 2011 19:09:09 GMT -5
Hey Aaron;
Three Questions:
1. Is book 1 complete and ready for submission? (is it available for pre-release review anywhere? Have we seen, or will we see it over in the Sandbox?)
I've found that my ideas for cover graphics evolve as I edit my stories into a living work. Without reading your story I don't feel that I have a valid metric to evaluate the goodness of this cover.
As a general rule I am more drawn to covers with interesting looking people (or creatures) on them who are in intriguing situations. We don't buy a book for the cover, but the cover is frequently what catches our eye and makes us look deeper. I believe that most people are drawn by pictures of people more than places or things. IMHO anyway.
2. How many books do you plan to have in the Story Arc?
I've seen novellette writers who have put out upwards of 30 stories in one story universe, all revolving around the same theme with very similar plots (they're non-Christian Sci-Fi romances so you can guess the common plot; the heroes / heroines are changed to make "different" stories).
Most of the best selling Sf writers develop a good story universe and keep writing in it.
3. Do these Guardians show up as major characters in this first book?
One thing that keeps me reading (and buying) a series is common characters that I meet in the first book whot carry over into the follow on books. (ie. Eric Flint's 1632 universe, that started with "The Ring of Fire")
I'll be interested to see where you take this concept.
Write on my Brother
SGD dave
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Post by yoda47 on Sept 30, 2011 8:22:26 GMT -5
1. Yes, I've just finished draft 5, this one fixing some point-of-view errors, and converting a few telling bits that snuck in into full scenes. I'm going to post it in the Sandbox soon. (Speaking of that, is chapter-by-chapter or whole book the preferred way to post?) I kinda like covers with people on them too, but not always... 2. I'm not sure. I've got the basic outline for book 2 in my head, and some nebulous ideas for book three, and some general concepts for future books. The series on the whole is about the Guardians, with each book focusing on an specific event/individual. In Book 2, for example, the Main POV character is a minor character from Book 1, but it's set in the same universe. I kinda envision something like The Dragonriders of Pern, where the series goes toghether, but it's not one long continuous arc. (The fantasy series I'm writing though, I'm only about 1/4 of the way into, and don't really have ideas for other books fleshed out yet... well, other than one of the bad guys is going to "get saved" and book 2 will be about her struggles with that... possibly... but I digress...) 3. Yes. The main P.OV. character in book 1 is Bast, but Tomed (one of the Guardians) gets about 40% of the viewpoints. In Book 2, the main will be a minor character from Book 1, and Tomed and the other Guardians (plus at a least one that doesn't show up in book 1, but is briefly mentioned) will get a lot of screen time, as the plot for that book is an old enemy that the Guardians thought they'd wiped out long ago is brought back. For a series like this, I like to leave one or two minor plot lines dangling in the first book, and fully flush them out in the subsequent books. (We'll see how this works, I guess...) For example, in book 1, I only hint at the Guardian's back-story: who they are, what they are, why do they have these powers, etc. Hopefully, I've explained it enough that the reader isn't confused, but I've left them wondering enough that they want book 2, where we'll go into much more detail. So, short answer, yes, I love hanging out with the same characters too. We'll see the major ones pop up all over the place, in cameo roles at least. Look for it in the sandbox, I think I'll go post it there now...
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Post by newburydave on Oct 1, 2011 12:20:29 GMT -5
I use Chapter by Chapter and so have others.
Some sandboxers have said they like whole book better, but I think that may be a larger commitment in time than many of us can make on a regular basis in our Sandbox participation.
But some have arranged off line book critiques with other members.
Sounds like you've thought it through. I look forward to seeing your chapters.
Write on Bro
SGD dave
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Post by yoda47 on Oct 1, 2011 17:44:12 GMT -5
Well, the robot doesn't like me, but they're in the files section...
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Post by newburydave on Oct 3, 2011 12:16:55 GMT -5
I found it in my inbox right after I posted this. OIASE
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