Let me introduce myself - - - The Old Guy

[The Old Guy]

Hi everyone. Thought I join a group of like-minded people who enjoy a good yarn. As you can tell by my handle and word usage, I’m on the mature side of life – eight grandkids.

I’ve been working in IT for quite a while. That’s Information Technology – not the book by Stephen King. I like high tech stories. I’ve been to a couple of Christian writers conferences and have done research on the “inter-web”, but it seems like my kind of fiction is not that popular with the agents and publishing houses. It is my imagination or am I hitting the mark?

Maybe I’ve been rocking on the wrong porch – or maybe I just don’t know how to sell my ideas. Anyhow – I’m still sold on the hope that God can be glorified in fiction that doesn’t have a bonnet on a girl who wants to date a guy with a car. You see -- I’ve been there, done that. My wife was born Amish and I’m Baptist (English) to the core.

I’ve got some ideas I’d like to float out and see what like-minded brethren (and sisters of course) think.

[Kessie]

Welcome aboard! There's some folks around of your mature age, (like NewberyDave), so you're not alone on a forum of kids. I'm interested in hearing some of your concepts, since they're not Christian enough for Christian publishers. Most of us in here are in the same boat. :-)

I write YA urban fantasy. Like The Dresden Files for a younger audience. Not published yet, but working on that!

[The Old Guy]

Thanks, Kessie. Good to meet you.

I've only written one novel and one short story. I actually had my short story slotted for publication in a monthly magazine and was paid $50 -- but alas -- the publication went out of business before the words hit the page. I hope it wasn't for their poor choices in short stories. I finished my first novel about a month ago and I have it submitted in a contest for unpublished writers. I'm anxious to say the least.

My concept for story writing is on this wise:

1. Distill down to single idea what I'm passionate about in a statement.
2. Create characters that naturally gravitate to the fulfillment and destruction of that passion.
3. Create a scenario where the good guy and the bad must defeat the other for that passion.
4. Make the bad guy lose (I like happy endings) because of his (or her) own sin.
5. Make the good guy win -- thinking it was what he did to accomplish the good deed.
6. Make it obvious in the end that it was God who won the day.


My concept for goals in writing is on this wise:

Since I'm a technical kind of guy, I'm passionate about Biblical doctrine. My first novel is about a doctrine that I've become passionate about -- the will of man. I think every Christian would benefit if they thought on this doctrine. After all, motive is everything in a good story. Surly it would be everything in our walk with God. Motive is will. Where there is motive, there is choice. We are what we love.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

I love techno-thriller type stories. The Hunt for Red October -- Coma -- The Andromeda Strain – that kind of story. Dean Koontz has a style I admire even though he's a little darker than I want to be -- but his voice is so easy to go with and follow. I really liked his Odd Thomas books.

Of course, who doesn't like Tolkien and Lewis? The Screwtape Letters -- what an ingenious idea! I still like some of the old standards – Les Miserables (Hugo was simply before his time) -- Moby thingy (yes, Melville should have left out most of the chapters – but nevertheless, a great story).

----

The Dresden Files for a younger audience sounds challenging. All my kids love that kind of setting -- Warehouse 13, The Alphas, even Gravity Falls on Disney -- the X-files for seven year olds.

I'd like to read some samples if you have some on the site -- just point them out.

[metalikhan]

Yep, a few of us here count our age as X years old in our second half-century. Only matters when we misplace our reading glasses and the computer screen becomes a colorful blur. (LOL -- kinda pretty but not very informative.)

As for selling stories, that's a challenge a lot of us have struggled with. Hard SF (the high tech kind) does have markets, but not many CBA-type publishers want to touch any SF, hard or soft, so they treat us SFF wierdos like an ugly and embarrassing stepchild. It's one of the reasons for the proliferation of the indie/niche publishers; but because the indies rarely produce more than a couple or so titles a year, an increasing number of Christian SFF authors are either going mainstream and/or the self-publishing route. It means getting involved and creative about the business end of publishing, unlike in years (decades) past when you wrote the book and the publisher did the rest.

As for samples on this site, the Anomalous Readings Forum has some older threads. A lot of us, however, have run into the prior publication dilemma so we don't post much actual story content here anymore. Many publishers now consider posted stories on public forums as being published stories, so the stories can only be sold as reprints, which too few publishers accept at all. **shrug** Boils down to why pay for something you can get for free on a public forum or a blog.

Still, there are some lively discussions here. And there are other places where you can see finished stories in a variety of styles such as at crossandcosmos.com (yeah, yeah -- shameless plug ) or stories still undergoing polishing/feedback/critiquing at the Sandbox which is a members-only, closed site where stories can't be accessed by a search engine. (No cost to join, BTW.)

Anyway, a hearty welcome from another feisty frosty! ;D

[Kessie]

Yeah, if you'd like to give and receive critiques, the Sandbox is great. I'm working through one lady's novel right now, and the group is chewing on mine (so I'll owe them all crits, yikes!)

groups.yahoo.com/group/AnomSandbox/

There's the link if you'd like to dive in and polish your skills. We're all Christians of various stripes, trying to figure out how to glorify God in our work without getting preachy. :-)

The summary of my current book is,

"Carda's life was fine until the day he wrecked his car. Or didn't wreck his car.
Now fire and lightning erupt from his hands whenever he gets mad, a cute catgirl
is making him clean up his messes, and a jerk from school is tearing holes in
reality. Trying to stop him lands Carda on the wrong side of magical law,
forcing Carda to go on the run, even as a chained angelus destroys worlds across
the multiverse and closes in on Earth."

I've written a draft of the sequel, and I'm gleefully working on it while book 1 rests. (Thank you, Nanowrimo!)

The second book is,

Indal the chronomancer was spatially spliced with a garwaf by an enemy mage, effectively turning him into a werewolf through science. Banished to the 12th century in the Sonoran desert, everyone expected him to die. But Indal survived, though at cost to his humanity.

Now Carda brings Indal back to present day. Because Carda has discovered his own dead body, and only Indal can unravel the timeline before time itself runs out.

[yoda47]

Hello from me, too!

[The Old Guy]

Thanks for the welcome.

I applied for membership at groups.yahoo.com/group/AnomSandbox/

but haven't received a response.

If you know the owner, give'm a poke.

Thanks.

[newburydave]

Hmmm, another self confessed old guy.

And a techie at that.

Welcome brother. (in more ways than just spiritually)

I've been at this authoring thing for four years now since the Lord redirected my calling from preaching to writing. As with any trade it takes some time to learn the craft and pay your dues. Sounds like you've got a good start.

Hail and Well Met.

Write on my brother

SGD
dave

[Ranger Varon]

Welcome!

Though I'm new here myself... and may be one of the youngest here...

[newburydave]

RE: the Sandbox

Oops, been a while since I checked.

You are approved.

SGD
dave

[Bethany J.]

Welcome, "Old Guy"! Good to have you here!

[newburydave]

Old Guy;

You should have received the approval email from our Yahoo robot. Check your junk mail folder if you don't see it, some email spam filters automatically mark everything from Yahoo as spam.

There's a link in the email that takes you to the initial login and set up process.

The robot will want you to set up a Yahoo account if you don't already have one. Then work though the screens and fill in your information.

The Anomalous Sandbox is an enhanced email ListServer, so you are not done until you fill in your preferences for how the emails from the Sandbox should be sent to you.

Of the three choices I recommend the individual message option.

My reason for this is that I've found that the easiest way to sent in your Manuscripts (MS) for Critique is to attach them to emails to the Sandbox email address. When you do that the email with your MS attached is sent out to all the Sandbox members. They can return your critiques by merely replying to the original email and attaching their critique (CRIT) to it.

This way you can handle most of the crit process from your email client.

You cannot receive the attached MS if you subscribe to the daily digest format.

Some of the other members prefer to post their MS online in their personal file folders and have CRITs posted to that folder. It's your choice, I do both just to be sure that all members who might wish to give me crits get a copy.

Write on Bro

SGD
dave

[The Old Guy]

Dave,

Thanks a bunch. Everything is working well.

[This Baron of Mora]

Hail Old Guy,

Wonderful for you to join, I may not be old in years yet but I am at heart.

[The Old Guy]

Thanks for the welcome!

I am old in body and young in heart.

If we get together, we could young in body and young in heart -- or old in body and old in heart -- or wait...

This could become story if we keep going...