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I remember long ago when the class would write a story and pass it on so the next student would continue it. That would be cool sometime but not cool in the General Forum. Evil is among some users there! What I'm trying to say is that Al-Quada derailed the train going to Moscow. As I wrote a poem about it:

Train speeding, clacking down the track.
Locomotive going clack, clack, clack.
St. Petersburg it came from, a target.
Sleepers weren't broken, for horseplay.
Terrorist-drifters were there the same day.
Removing many a flat-bottom, it speeds.
Derails with many of heard the 'news'.

More conspriracy theory poems will come.

At 6/13/05 01:10 PM, Mick_the_champion wrote: That was pretty interesting Myst, i'm not sure what Evemortal is though.

I am glad you asked... just yesterday i wrote up this long explination for a freind in an email, and why not make use of it again:

It is based in modern day world (2008, so not far off). The mythical notions of Vampires and Werewolves are starting to grow suspicious and leak into society as truth. Now of course I attack many preconceived notions about such myths, but, in the novel, they do in fact exist. Actually, there are more races – this is the sort of hierarchy of races in the world, even though most do not know it yet:

Evemortal – there are two bloodlines that have the potential of reaching this level of mortality (or immortality), but it has only been reached once – cant explain how or who… it will kill part of the story. It is simple though really.

Immortal – immortal is the generally term, though immortal they truly are not. This includes Vampires, and a race called the Liebts, which is a creature I made up. To quickly explain, they are generally human looking, but have a ‘second side’, where as if they turn into this almost other personality, they become possessed. I actually have a whole history (which is enough for another novel) about this one race, but that’s another story.

Nighmortal – this is kind of the scum of the races, but still indeed is superior to mortals on a physical basis. This includes Werewolves, and Nitants. Nitants I also created from scratch and have another novel planned for. They are simply like werewolves, but instead of being half wolf, they are half saber. The name Nitant reflects their ‘legend’ – also another story.

Mortal – and simply put… humans.

The story is about the cycle of life. Basically, to dumb it down so you do not get bored of reading my explanation. God (Christian God) is a Triune God, obviously. Well, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in the same. Each being (of any race), has a spirit. Angels are the mythical description of ‘spirit’. No angels can be seen, they are simply apart of who we are. The Holy Spirit is in fact an ‘angel’ (per say) itself, and upon history (bible) was kind of ‘lost in purgatory’; hence some of the reasons behind corruption in a world based on ‘Images of God’ – though no image is perfect, I know. If someone takes on the Holy Spirit as their ‘angel’, in retrospect, they become God. Which is against the beliefs of the heroes in the novel. No one can BE God, it is forbidden. I’m starting already to give away too much, but it is about a bloodline that has been protecting this secret and what comes with it. The antagonist is the other bloodline, which was artificially created, and seeks this power. The cycle is in fact the antagonist continually killing the protagonist generation after generation (so like, a man protects the secret of the holy spirit, he has a son, and is then killed by his enemy… then the enemy [or his descendant] goes to kill the new protector)… it is written in the bible, and is the only form of ‘fate’. Well, the newest generation of this bloodline… he is just learning who he REALLY is in the novel… and wants to change what has always been believed to be ‘fate’... and end the suffering forever… so basically, he wants to break the cycle eventually. It is really complicated and takes the whole first novel to explain the theories and connections… I have read the bible to try and make believable authentic comparisons. It is a two part series… where as the second gets even more complicated into the whole ‘angel’ business… where as the first is more about the cycle, and the secret, and the prelude to the war of the races…

Ya, so that is my concept in a nutshell. I am currently on chapter 13, but I stopped to re-write them all, because there are so many freaking characters, I felt that I had to ease some of them in better to avoid confusion. There are 5 ‘teams’ per say. Five different groups of people involved in this mess, so it can get confusing if I am not careful. Two of the five however are more based in the second book, and only introduced in the first.

The novel titles are:

Evemortal: Heart of Echoes
Evemortal: Tides of Fate

..........................................

I am sure the descirption is really confusing. It isnt for me, because i have the story in my head, but like i said... it pretty much takes the first 20 chapters of an approx 60-80 chapter story (in two parts) to explain the whole concept and beliefs system. So it is really hard to explain in a nutshell, but if you were confused, here is my quick synopsis:

There is a man, who learns that he is the protector of an ancient secret. The bible is his guide. His followers are his army. And his enemy - according to the bible - will kill him, and then will go on to kill his son. The only way to break the cycle of suffering is to defy fate and the bible's deciphered meaning and kill his enemy... and that is - to make matters worse - before the war of the races begins.

OMFG this one is going to ryhme I think.

George dubyah along side his G8 crew.
Decided to change the climate who knew.
Thoughts after a game of backgammon.
Ignorance strives over world famine.
Pushing 'buttons' of one Irish national.

If you get my drift.

Author:

I am in need of a beginning concept, something dramatic that is easy to weave action and irony into. Feel free to e-mail me, but please make the topic CONCEPT from NG.

I will credit you in production.

Myst_Williams:

Excelent.
I doon't know how you would pass it through publish tho.
Unless you have, I think your concept is quite superb. but I wouldn't kno how precisely to spin it, maybee sci-fi fantasy?

At 6/13/05 04:37 PM, Maxwell_Eddison wrote: I am in need of a beginning concept, something dramatic that is easy to weave action and irony into. Feel free to e-mail me, but please make the topic CONCEPT from NG.

Tell me what your looking for dramatic is too vague, also what is it a game or a movie?

At 6/12/05 11:37 AM, Mick_the_champion wrote: When did everyone discover they had a talent for writing?

My answer shall follow, but first...

At 6/12/05 05:50 PM, Myst_Williams wrote: If anybody actually reads this, comment, because I want it to be worth all the time it took to type up. lol.

I read this and thought that mine was similar in ways, but I understand fully how it can be challenging to gain motivation to continue with the project, as time goes by. Sometimes, you hit an invisible wall and feel that there si no way around it, but when you come back, you've found a completely different way to take it. I'd love to see one of your short stories animated someday, Myst.

I first became interested in writing during my second year at school. I was 7 and we had been doing Alice in Wonderland (awesome book, which I revisit from time to time). The teacher gave us an assignment, where we had to describe what it would be like should we fall down 'the rabbit hole'. Most of the other kids submitted about 3 pages of the workbooks, whereas mine was more like half a book. I had allowed my imagination to run a little to wild, and I was penalised when it came to marking. My teacher had me type it up on the computer (a highly edited version) and I was so proud (this was 1990 after all and not everyone could have a chance on the computer!) My mum still has a copy of the text to this day... somewhere.

My writing simmered down over the next few years, as I allowed my imagination to become fueled by the works of Roald Dahl. I got to middle school (aged 10) and it suddenly started once more. My English teachers weren't so supportative of my 'lack of attention' in class, because I was jotting down notes for a few abstract poems and plotlines I had created. By now, my taste in Literature had matured slightly to Terry Pratchett and his highly sucessful Discworld Series. By the end of middle school, all attempts to crush my ambition had failed, because I had discovered something far more potent for my imagination: Dungeons and Dragons. At age 13, I took up the mantle and allowed my creative pulse to flow throughout the game.

I moved up to high school and the schakles of the oppressive teachers of Franche Middle were cast off. I continued my writing and was not detered by either of my English teachers. They encouraged me to continue writing and my skills grew, nurtured by Mrs Braim and Mrs Fawcett.

Mrs Fawcett found a whole stash of my brainstorms, which I had produced during my lunch hours, in the IT suite. I had placed the pile of A4 papers in the front of my English book, for safe keeping and then handed it in (like the klutz I was back then.) She looked at them and was pleased with my work and egged me into continuing. A few of the short stories were good, but I was not as enthusiastic, as I wanted the big picture. I wanted to write a novel.

Then came the most regrettable mistake of my life. I chose to do Maths A-Level, above English. Mrs Fawcett was dumbfounded and I was misguided. Greed led me to Maths and I will never forgive myself for it.

However, I still left High School (by now 18) with my head held high at the prospect of going to university to better myself. During my time at Leeds, I never got bored of the soiltude, always using my budget to buy paper, so I could brainstorm ideas. I now have a whole folder which I use as inspiration every now and again.

I left University on less than savoury terms (they wanted more money) and returned to my home. From there, I got my old job back in a supermarket and enrolled at college for a change of direction in my life (maybe I should have changed to journalism, who knows?) and I lasted 8 months, before they told me I had to do 8 pieces of coursework in 3 weeks. Not possible, even if I had a time machine. I had been writing a few ideas and I continued to make use of the computer cluster every Thursday morning, popping in and writing. I thought that the 'Destiny's Key' Storyline would work out for me. So far it hasn't, but I may come back to it and rework it.

About 3 months after starting that story (August 2003) I came up with the idea of linking my two creative outlets: Writing and Dungeons & Dragons. This idea I loosely titled 'From Little Acorns' and the fruits of my labours can be read in this very thread. I shall endeavour to continue writing this tale and I hope to become published someday.

How about that for a small epic on its own?

At 6/13/05 04:28 PM, Mick_the_champion wrote: I was never really into this "dark" genre, but I've got to say you've sold Evemortal - I'm pretty interested. Best of luck with it.

Well thank you. It is a complicated story that still mantains its 'pop-fiction' genre. So hopefully it works out for me.

At 6/13/05 04:39 PM, Maxwell_Eddison wrote: Unless you have, I think your concept is quite superb. but I wouldn't kno how precisely to spin it, maybee sci-fi fantasy?

It is actually a fantasy-thriller really - that is very dependant on myth, and religious beleif. Getting a publisher may be hard - as it would be for anyone - but marketing it should be simple; I seem to excel in that area - like my father before me.

At 6/13/05 05:23 PM, Coop83 wrote: I read this and thought that mine was similar in ways, but I understand fully how it can be challenging to gain motivation to continue with the project, as time goes by. Sometimes, you hit an invisible wall and feel that there si no way around it, but when you come back, you've found a completely different way to take it.

I agree fully with the leaving a project and then coming back in a 'new light'. It is remarkable how we both kind of strayed from the art, but found it in the end. Though it seems you may have found it later than I, and your stuggles may have been worse because of it... we both kind of had it... then lost it... then had it... until we had it - for good.

I'd love to see one of your short stories animated someday, Myst.

I assume you mean flash. And, as I read your desciption... i realized how even more similar we are in respects to our art. You have a folder of inspirations, as do I - not lierally a folder though; more like a large pile of papers in a briefbox, and some doc files on my computer.

Well getting to your comment, one day i was going through my pile - wait a tick! to note before i continue: my ultimate dream is to write scripts, screenplays, and maybe even a play in my career... write for movie (ironic how you made that comment - well, as i was saying, i was looking through my abundance of notes and inspirations and found some slightly horrible old ideas for screenplays from years ago. Since, i have written two of them (in shorthand i guess you could say) and have written one other new screenplay. And currently, i am teaching myself how to animate, which hopefully will lead to me animating those three fully written pieces, as well as the many other ideas i have come up with since.

How about that for a small epic on its own?

And i enjoyed reading what you said. It was interesting. I am glad this question was asked. We should spark more conversations like this in the future. : )

At 6/13/05 04:14 PM, Myst_Williams wrote: Evemortal – there are two bloodlines that have the potential of reaching this level of mortality (or immortality), but it has only been reached once – cant explain how or who… it will kill part of the story. It is simple though really.

Myst. I must say that your Ever Mortal story sound s alot like the basis of the white wolf roleplaying games set in the world of Darkness. And a bit like underworld as well. Is that intentional or is that accidental?

Either way it sounds really interesting but I just hope you've done your research into the vamps and werewolves:P otherwise you'll get people like me reading through and saying " nope that's wrong" which would spoil the story for me :P

At 6/12/05 11:37 AM, Mick_the_champion wrote: When did everyone discover they had a talent for writing?

I discovered that I was a decent writer when I was 13. We'd been reading a book in English lessons and my teacher set us a task of writing a story thta could have been the legend that the main characters were searching for. ( i can't remember the books exact details but there were a group of kids who got into some form of mystery because they were trying to find something about a guy who was a mythological figure)

My story wasn't particularly long it ws about seven A4 sized piece of paper which compared to some of the other kids was nothing ( but there handwriting was huge and they did double space everything which might have explained it)

The work wa shande din and I didn't hera anything of it until PArents evening. When me and my mom got to my English teacher she said what a greta pupil i am, well behaved etc and then she said that thedre was a writing workshop that was going to be running after school on a thursday. My mom was a bit shocked and akse dhwy she wanted me to go to the workshop and my teacher said that I had the potential to be a very good writer. Apparently she had been staying up late to finish marking the stories that my class had handed in and mine was the last one on the pile.

She started reading it apparently and got hooked and wanted to keep on reading it to find out what happened. She even took it upstairs to read in bed(shock horror).

And the rets as they say is history. I went to the writing workshop untill it finished and by thta time I'd got the itch to carry on writing and just started messing around with writing in diffferent styles. It's only been since I started developing a satirical sense of humour though that my work has got better though. No ide how that works but it happened :-\. SO strange I could udnerstand for some of the comedy writing I do but for my straight normal writing where there is hardly any humour and no satire what so ever. it makes no sense at all.

Spekaing of writing. Providing I don't actually et swamped down with revision like I have been lateley i'l be able to finish off the next part of blood line( Deja Vu ayone?) and post it soon. FIngers crossed anyway.

At 6/14/05 04:54 AM, -Manic- wrote: Myst. I must say that your Ever Mortal story sound s alot like the basis of the white wolf roleplaying games set in the world of Darkness.

I have no idea what that is, but then again, i dont play video games either.

And a bit like underworld as well. Is that intentional or is that accidental?

Actually i started Evemortal b4 i ever saw Underworld... and when i saw it, the only similarities I saw was the potential of there being a "Race War" in each... but that is about it. Underworld is more based around the breeding of the races and the struggle to stay a out of sight of humans (and i did enjoy the movie visually, but the storyline kind if stunk in my opinion... though was far more believable than Blade). Whereas mine is based on the religious fiction aspect. The fact that there are 4 other races i have either created or used is secondary and they are there more for the action/thriller parts of the novel. Plus, i like werewolves. : )

Either way it sounds really interesting but I just hope you've done your research into the vamps and werewolves:P otherwise you'll get people like me reading through and saying " nope that's wrong" which would spoil the story for me :P

Well... heh. If i did do research, i would find this:

'Werewolves' are a term used to explain lycanthropy... in which a being - who is utterly insane - thinks they are a wolf.

The term Vampire is a loose term to describe a certain energy desease that some people have whereas they grow dependant on blood for energy (like a drug), or feed off the heat around them from other people (which would be psy)... both are not really 'Vampires' per say... but a people with energy deficiency problems. Whether it be hereditary or not... no one knows for sure.

So if i was to go off that, it would not make for a very interesting story. I want the mythical creatures in mine. And i have deffiently totally changed things to the way i like it, because no matter what i decide... someone out there will say, "not true".

However, i am curious about you see the vamps and lycans being in a good novel of this kind? What would you keep treu to the myth, and what would u discard? Help me out, it might influence my decision... and i have struggled with this issue some.

At 6/14/05 06:57 AM, Myst_Williams wrote: I have no idea what that is, but then again, i dont play video games either.

it isn't a video game. Its a traiditonal pen and paper roleplaying game like DnD is. Quite a good one at that. It is basically the modern world but there are Vampries, werewolves, ghosts,mages,monster hunters that hide from everyday people and tyr to do their bit to survive or whatever.

Plus, i like werewolves. : )

No other explanaion is needed then.

However, i am curious about you see the vamps and lycans being in a good novel of this kind? What would you keep treu to the myth, and what would u discard? Help me out, it might influence my decision... and i have struggled with this issue some.

The wya I look at oit with thigns like this is that its your world so its your rules. If you wanna messa round with the mythology do so. As logn as you can come up with soemthing original and inventive to replace the common mytholgy then you are fine.

But personally I'd nick the world of Darkness mythology to do with werewolves and vamps and tweak it. i like the idea of the Werewolves being the protectors of the world (Gaia) and fighting against the evil corruption of mankind(sort of). So i'd take thta and just tweak it a litle to suit my own needs so to speak.

At 6/14/05 11:25 AM, -Manic- wrote: it isn't a video game.

Oh okay. It was ignorant of my to assume video game when you said game. I am going to loo kit up and see how they decipher the mythology for their own needs.

No other explanaion is needed then.

Ha, ya. : )

The wya I look at oit with thigns like this is that its your world so its your rules.

Very true. And i dont plan on 'messing' it around too much... just more a long the line sof simlifying it. Taking some of the myth out of it, and trying to make it more realistic/believable.

But personally I'd nick the world of Darkness mythology to do with werewolves and vamps and tweak it.

Great idea. I will look into it, and at least get ideas if i dont like their concepts. : )

At 6/14/05 03:39 PM, Myst_Williams wrote: Great idea. I will look into it, and at least get ideas if i dont like their concepts. : )

That's a really good idea. You''ll find that bits of it are a bit similar to Underworld at times but World of Darkness was there first :P

I can't see you wnating to go out and buy the books but they are bound to be somewhere online.

The two main books you will be wnating are Werewolf the apocalypse Vampire the masquerade. there are a few more books which I'll list aswell if you wanna try and find em and take a look but seeing as Vampires and Werewolves are the main thing in your story I wouldn't worry to much about them.

The other books are

Mage the awakening
Demon the fallen
Kindred of the east( this one might be of interest to you as its Oriental Vampires basically)
Werewolf the darkages
Vampire the darkages

Those books will be somewhere online, I guarentee you.

But all this tlak of world of darknes sinspire dme to write a bit of an intro ( I needed a break from bloodline) to a story. The intro is a old werewolf explaining what it means to be a Werewolf to a new pup and explaining about the world they live in. I might psot what I've done later.

At 6/14/05 05:13 AM, -Manic- wrote: She started reading it apparently and got hooked and wanted to keep on reading it to find out what happened. She even took it upstairs to read in bed(shock horror).

!

I can't think of a time when a teacher of mine took anyone's work to bed, but I do know of a few times that Mrs Fawcett pulled all-nighters, because she was into reading through ALL of our work. We had an A4 book, which we started in year 10 and carried through until the end of our GCSEs (year 11). By the time I was done, I had gone through 3 books and had a lengthy appendix of all my brainstorms from the IT lab at lunchtimes (see above.)

At 6/14/05 04:56 PM, Coop83 wrote: I can't think of a time when a teacher of mine took anyone's work to bed

I'm special like that you see <winks>

I had gone through 3 books

Bloody hell. 3 books? That's a lot.

At 6/14/05 03:51 PM, -Manic- wrote: The two main books you will be wnating are Werewolf the apocalypse Vampire the masquerade. there are a few more books which I'll list aswell if you wanna try and find em and take a look but seeing as Vampires and Werewolves are the main thing in your story I wouldn't worry to much about them.

Ya, I might get those two books. And ya... 1993 it came out... I am surprised it is so old this WoD.

So I was thinking about it. And here is what I have come to so far (subject to change):

Vampires are generally known to be weak to light (and other Christian things which I am ignoring)... well, I am cutting it. I am also cutting the 'without blood I die' bit as well, because real 'vampires' aren’t at all dependant on blood, and even the ones who are will still live... at least a lot longer than myth makes it seem. So weaknesses to light and lack of blood are both gone.

Werewolves are most well known for being afraid of running water, or silver. Both I am cutting. Why is running water different from normal water?... and man can swim if he chooses... hence the Old English 'were' or 'wer' in werewolf or werwolf. And Silver... my God... I hate it! Silver and the full moon were not introduced until 1941... they had nothing to do with original myth. So they are both cut also. I hate the western rendition of modern werewolves. Not every powerhouse has to have a weakness.

Then I started thinking... hey... ya, 'not every powerhouse has to have a weakness' therefore... I conclude... they will have none. They will be like any other being or creature. If in human form, a werewolf can die as easily as human (though minor things like advanced healing I may play with). If in Lycan form... then hell, try and stab its heart, but you’ll fail with their strong chest cavity... but shoot it in the brain... and its down for the count. For vampires... blood vampires will still be dependant on blood, but not life dependant, but energy dependant (like a psi)... and sure, some may be vulnerable to light, but they aren’t going to burn away or combust because of it.

See my novel is more based around the story and not the gothic vamps or lycans. Truly I am not even into that whole Goth thing, though some of it I find interesting. It is more around the legend versus the truth… the believable versus the myth… the bible versus modern man. You know what I mean. It is not like I am trying to scare people like the myth were derived from. I am not trying to explain the myth in modern day, like The Wolfman of ’41. I am trying to make it believable and realistic as much as you possible can in such circumstances. Now, I am still going to play on old myths and modify them to today’s age. Like I did with the blood being more about energy than it is in past novels or tales. It is just how far I am going to go that I am modifying. The old myths are fun, and interesting, but it is not today… I am more scared of a terrorist than I am a wolf.

So anyway, those have been my thoughts the last hour. Who knows if I stick with it, or if it even goes anywhere… but all this made me think pretty good about it. I am going to sit on it and see how I feel tomorrow. Lol.

At 6/14/05 04:59 PM, -Manic- wrote: Bloody hell. 3 books? That's a lot.

That was over 2 years of school, with all the notesa and exersizes I did, this wasn't such an achievement. I deplore the practice of putting notes inside the book itself, when we studied a text. I would write detailed notes, with everything I needed to know in my workbook and on the eve of my Eng Lit exam, i used Post Its to put the important stuff in the right places.

At 6/14/05 06:28 PM, Coop83 wrote: That was over 2 years of school, with all the notesa and exersizes I did, this wasn't such an achievement. I deplore the practice of putting notes inside the book itself, when we studied a text. I would write detailed notes, with everything I needed to know in my workbook and on the eve of my Eng Lit exam, i used Post Its to put the important stuff in the right places.

Any teacher that makes you write in a book deserves to be shot.

At 6/14/05 05:26 PM, Myst_Williams wrote: Ya, I might get those two books. And ya... 1993 it came out... I am surprised it is so old this WoD.

WOD is fairly old. Its one of the most played traditional pen and paper RPG's. White wolf(company that make sit) are really good game developers and have some really good ideas. Although the layout of the books sucks at times.

Its a good idea I think to look into the WoD books. They have some really nice ideas about the werewolves and vampires.

So I was thinking about it. And here is what I have come to so far (subject to change):

What you have is pretty damn good. Just make sure when you ditch the Light weakness for vamps etc get rid of the garlic crap as well. Or if you insist on keeping it explain to me why on earth vamps are supposed to be weak against garlic.

but I had a nice idea about the werewolve sbut I'm not gonna share it with you :P Cause I'm gonna use it myself in something >:P

At 6/15/05 01:42 PM, -Manic- wrote: Any teacher that makes you write in a book deserves to be shot.

Exactly. I still have my copy of Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. It's an excellent read and still in top-knotch condition.

At 6/15/05 01:42 PM, -Manic- wrote: What you have is pretty damn good. Just make sure when you ditch the Light weakness for vamps etc get rid of the garlic crap as well. Or if you insist on keeping it explain to me why on earth vamps are supposed to be weak against garlic.

Garlic is gone as well... a stake to the heart will work.. but a stake to anyones heart would. lol.

but I had a nice idea about the werewolve sbut I'm not gonna share it with you :P Cause I'm gonna use it myself in something >:P

And, haha, i dont blame you, but if you asked me to, i wouldnt use it anyway.

At 6/15/05 06:13 PM, Myst_Williams wrote: Garlic is gone as well... a stake to the heart will work.. but a stake to anyones heart would. lol.

It all depends on the type of steak. Rump is a little tough, Fillet is too expensive. I'd reccomend either a nicely matured Sirloin or a Ribeye. Both ahve excellent flavour and succulence.

Mix a bit of garlic in and you're cooking on gas!

I might want to join, I'm just not sure which to choose. I know I would rather be suited as a writer or an animater. I can write good storys, but I don't want others drawing and animating for me since I have a different sort of art style.

I'm not sure which to choose, I can draw, but not animate very well. Can somebody suggest what I should go with? I want to have control over the story, but the art as well.

How do you guys go about writing books? At this writing forum I post at I made a thread asking this same question, and most of them gave me the same answer. It seems everyone basically comes up with a very general idea, and they just start writing... They don't take notes, or come up with deep plot twists, character development, or even how the story will end. They just WING it. They say they let the characters develop themselves, just as they let the story unfold itself.

That sounds a bit messy and unorganized, and I would probably think that's an insane way to go about it... But a lot of these guys have published books. So they obviously know what they are doing to some extint.

Also, many of them said they come up with the general idea of the story, and also the name of the book. I always thought naming the book was something you do at the very end, or at least halfway through the story. I've always done the same thing though. I would come up with the basic idea, name of the story, and then I would wing it... Though I would always feel like I was doing it wrong. I felt I should have taken note after note before writing, and I figured since I never did that, my story was poorly written.

One thing they all said though, was they go back and fix things a lot. So while they don't take notes, they do edit their writing quite a bit. They spend a lot of time re-thinking ideas, plots, events, and characters, and then they go back and change stuff. Perhaps that's the price you pay for not taking notes. You have to go back and do a lot of editing.

So now I'm asking you guys what your process is. Do you take tons of notes? Do you wing it? Do you know the ending before you write the first paragraph of the story? Do you know the name of the book before you finish it?

At 6/16/05 10:14 PM, VolcanoBoy wrote: I might want to join, I'm just not sure which to choose. I know I would rather be suited as a writer or an animater. I can write good storys, but I don't want others drawing and animating for me since I have a different sort of art style.

I'm not sure which to choose, I can draw, but not animate very well. Can somebody suggest what I should go with? I want to have control over the story, but the art as well.

So do both... I'm confused where you're going with this. Are you talking about making Flash animations, or are you talking about an actual career out of writing/animating? All I can say is, as for now, do both. You're only 14 so have you time to think of what you really want. I can tell you it's best not to ask other people what you should do, especially when you haven't shown any of your writing or art. How can we give you a critique on nothing?

I write and draw, but I can safely say I'm a better writer. I'm mediocre at best when it comes to drawing. However, I would like to better myself as an artist, and would enjoy working on webcomics or flash animations.

most people like that just got lucky, or most of the time just have a creative mind with origanal ideas.

anywho, I just wanna produce SOMETHING that I be proud of and say "hey, I made this piece of crap full of spelling errors ^_^"

I never got to submitting anything to newgrounds, I'd love to do so and submit something I'm proud of. Most of the time school and stuff gets in the way. Of course, I dont want to be a hermit sitting at a computer all day, I'd rather have a life.

I'd love to just participate in something, the writing, the drawing, something that I can contribute to a flash animation.

At 6/16/05 10:41 PM, VolcanoBoy wrote: most people like that just got lucky, or most of the time just have a creative mind with origanal ideas.

I have no clue what you are referring to because you didn't quote anything... Are you are talking about my question asking if people take notes or just wing it?

Sorry to say, but I don't think you have the right to say the people who "just wing it" are lucky, because you are young, and I highly doubt you have anything published. Whereas these people are 30 - 60 years old, and many of them have published literature. I wouldn't call them lucky by any stretch, I would call them experienced. And you didn't even post how YOU write. Do you take notes or what?

At 6/16/05 10:37 PM, DirtySyko wrote: How do you guys go about writing books? At this writing forum I post at I made a thread asking this same question, and most of them gave me the same answer. It seems everyone basically comes up with a very general idea, and they just start writing... They don't take notes, or come up with deep plot twists, character development, or even how the story will end. They just WING it. They say they let the characters develop themselves, just as they let the story unfold itself.

That is what I do. I sort of plan out what I wnat to happen but i don't decide" right I want this many characters. This one is gonna be the hero,this one is the comedy relief etc" or anything like that.

Also, many of them said they come up with the general idea of the story, and also the name of the book. I always thought naming the book was something you do at the very end, or at least halfway through the story. I've always done the same thing though. I would come up with the basic idea, name of the story, and then I would wing it... Though I would always feel like I was doing it wrong. I felt I should have taken note after note before writing, and I figured since I never did that, my story was poorly written.

In all honesty if you think that making notes will help you write betetr then by all means start making notes. I do make a few notes although msot of the time I do wing it with my stuff.

You have to go back and do a lot of editing.

Any story or book will need editing. If you think it doesn't need editing then your going to be in for a bit of a shock. Every time I read somehting I've written I can see soemthign I change. Whether its a grammatical or spelling msitake there is always something to change.

So now I'm asking you guys what your process is. Do you take tons of notes? Do you wing it? Do you know the ending before you write the first paragraph of the story? Do you know the name of the book before you finish it?

I wing it,make a few notes, and I don't name the story untill I get writers block and can't think of anything else to do(this normally happens about 3 pages into the story :P) and I know what i want to happen at the end of the story. Its always a good idea to have the begining and the end mapped out in your mind, I think. As for the middle just let the creativity flow. Make a few notes here and there is you want but making too many notes spoils the fun of writing for me. And that is the sole reason I write. For fun. If I get a book published in the process then that's great but I'm only ever going to write for me. If people like what I write then that is an added bonus.

This is Bloodline from the beggining to where I've got to now with it.

The candles in the throne room flickered gently as the ancient oak doors swung open. A weedy man stepped into the room, his clothes were ripped in various places and his eyes were a cold shade of blue. They showed the depression and fear that echoed throughout his mind.
His hair fell to just below his shoulders in oily waves. His green tunic, which was embroidered with a sun that was partially being obscured by a Harp, was covered in stains that looked as though they were dried into the very fabric itself.
“It is as you predicted my Lord. Two people have been sighted in the forest outside the village but they managed to elude the men I sent out to capture them.” he said tentatively.
The cloaked figure that sat on the throne moved his hand slowly, and eloquently towards a goblet that was positioned near the edge of the table which stood next to the throne.
It reached for the goblet and its pale skeletal like hand grasped the goblet in its pale bonelike fingers as it began to speak.
“It matters not” it said “They shall return and when they do I want them brought to me” it paused and embraced the silence that nestled within the room “I have use for them, so make sure your men understand that they are not to be harmed.” He continued in a snake like hiss as it held the jewel studded goblet.
The brown haired man nodded once and turned to leave but before his feet hit the stone floor the figures snake like voice rang out.
“I did not tell you to leave Garret.” The cloaked figure hissed “You shall remain here and attend to me for a time. They will not return for some time yet”
Garret turned around to face his master. His face echoed the thoughts and emotions that swam through his mind. The fear twisted inside him until it formed into the sweat that ran down onto his brow. His heartbeat raced faster and faster until it was a continuous drum roll. The nervousness writhed within him before it emerged as a stutter in his voice.
“What do you require my lord?” He asked.
“Sustenance, Garret. I require sustenance. Go find me something to replenish my energies. And when you have it, make sure it is prepared as usual.” It replied.
“Will there be anything else my lord?” inquired Garret.
There was a pause. The only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the candles that lit the dim room. This was soon joined by the sound of Garrets’ feet nervously shuffling on the spot and the sound of the whistling wind that blew through the windows. The silence was abruptly broken by the hiss like voice of the cloaked figure that Garret called Master.
“No Garret there is nothing else. Now go and bring me my nourishment.”
Garret turned quickly and walked to the wooden double door that stood between him and his escape. He reached his hand for the handle and grasped it between his fingers. It was cold to the touch like everything else in the castle that had been touched by the hand of his Master, and there were few places in the castle that the master hadn’t touched.
He turned the handle and left the room as his Master sat, and watched him intently. He lifted the goblet he held and brought it to his lips. The candles continued to flicker across the room and for a split second revealed a smile on His face.
The Master rarely smiled. At least few people had ever seen him smile but then again few people even knew he existed and those that did know were under his control, as Garret was, or they were buried underground with the weapons they had thought to slay him with. None had succeeded in their attempts and the sight of the Master smiling was the last sight they ever saw before he turned his vengeance upon them and drained away their very life essence.
The Master placed the goblet onto the table and turned to the window that looked out over the lands that were soon to be his. Lands filled with riches and resources. But the thought of the one thing that was abundant in this land and nowhere else had kept the master alive for so many centuries. The Magic. It ran through the very soil of the land. The Magic was what he craved and when the Master craved something, the master got it.
Garret watched as the golden leaves danced across the air and came to rest upon the ground with the same grace it had possessed when it was carried by the tune that was played by the whistling winds that echoed around him.
Thoughts stirred inside Garrets mind. He began to think of what life would be like if there was no Master. He wondered what it felt like to be able to dance like the leaves did.
Garrets mind began to wander as he started to make his way across the courtyard. He started to whistle a tune from the very depths of his memory
He stopped. The tune rang out as he whistled it but his attempts to recall where he had learnt it came to no avail. He shrugged and continued to whistle the tune to himself as he walked in the chilled autumn sunshine. Even outside the castle the Masters presence could still be felt.
His feet came to a stop as he reached the gate that led to the road. He reached out his hand and touched the portcullis that blocked his path. It was one of the few places that the Master had never touched. It was as cold to the touch as the very stones in the castle itself.
He reached out to his side and pulled the lever to his side. The gate started to open slowly. Garret didn’t know how the gate worked; all he knew was that it was from a time long before the Master.
Garret walked through the gate and stepped onto the weather beaten path that led to the village that lay in the shadow of the Masters’ Castle. The path was wild, and the vegetation that grew around and on it was like a jungle. The flowers that lay in scattered clumps sat shrivelled and dying as the long grass towered over them blocking them of the nourishing sunlight that they needed to survive.
Garret began to think of what would happen to The Master if he did not return to him with nourishment. Would the master wither like the flowers did?