It's a reality that you can't just completely ignore the "standard procedures."

I mean, there are some more or less genre-specific requirements for something to even be included in that particular genre.

I do sci-fi, so I have aliens and time travel and tectonic accelerators and secret government agencies and parallel universes and all kinds of weird stuff going on.

It's hard to do sci-fi without some sci and at least a little fi.

But that doesn't mean I have to do Star Wars or Star Trek or Asimov's "Foundation" or "2001" or Douglas Adams.

It's just my own take on a general theme -- what can I do to make it a little different, hopefully a little more interesting, so as not to provoke the "oh, look, here's another galactic war" ennui-laden reaction....?

So I add stuff that doesn't normally fit into pure sci-fi, like aspirin bottles being a major plot point, and people in the secret government agencies who really don't like each other, and maybe even some hints of one character falling for another....

And animals who have evolved the ability to time-travel as a survival skill, which is definitely sci-fi, but also something I've never seen used before.

There are things you can do, I think, in just about any genre, to make it "yours."

The trick is finding those things!

Agreed.

I am in the process ( trial and error, of course ) of trying to find those things that I can do differently that will allow me to stake a claim on the genre.

So far, so good...lol

Ok guys and gals.

I am once again going to ask for some input for the Writer's Site I am trying to set up.

I need to know what kind of features you all would like to have available.

All suggestions are welcome.

Well, I think the interviews and the authors' pages are obviously good ideas.

Maybe some excerpts from projects that have been completed or are currently being written.

Let people submit questions to the site for the various writers.

Links for people to click on if they want to purchase a book.

If you get enough people signing up, you could even set up forums to discuss writing, particular books, specific genres, that sort of thing. That's probably "down the road," though, because you would need a certain number of participants before something like that would really be viable.

Interviews....check. Already working on setting that section up.

Excerpts....check. Anyone who wants to put up something will be able to.

Submit questions....check. Working on that section as well.

Links....not sure how I should work that one. Would we be linking to specific authors? I was thinking that the authors, when they set up their pages, will have the option to link to where their books can be found. There will, of course, be links to Amazon and B&N and other sites where people can buy.

Forums...probably not as far " down the road " as you might think. Part of the layout I have in mind includes forums. They will be, by necessity, limited to a few subjects at first ( the Q&A would most likely be found there ), but will be added to by user suggestion.

Love the input. Thanks. :-)

Re: Links -- I do think it's a good idea to have individual author links on their respective pages. Mainly because it's possible that some may have outlets, other than what the rest of us use, for their work.

For example, most of what I sell, in terms of hard copies and Kindle, is through Amazon. But my books are listed on about 30 different booksites (that I know of -- I don't really check as often as I should). Some of those sites are "redirects," i.e., they just send you over to Amazon (or wherever) if you're interested in a book, and there'd be no point in having that link on the site if it's just shuttling you over to Amazon, anyway.

On the other hand, there are some foreign sites that appear to actually be selling the products. So here we have the issue of convenience for someone, say, in Europe. I think that sort of link might be useful, provided there's an international presence on your site!

Well...we'll just have to figure out ways to get our site " known " to get that International presence.

I think, if we do it right, keep the site user friendly, and have solid info available, the site could wind up being very popular.

I've found if you don't "force it", it comes easy. Of course, each person
has their own method for motivation. I've written three books (technical)
and never had "problems" getting through the process.

In these more modern times, I think it's probably a bit easier. In the
more traditional methods, where you're up against the publisher's
time-constraints, it's more difficult (my experience).

What was the most difficult process for me? Writing the first sentence
of a chapter. It could take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days to "perfect"
that first sentence. But when I completed it, it provided the outpouring
of thoughts required for the balance of the chapter. It was actually easier
to write the rest of the chapter than it was for that first sentence.

Exactly right.

Everyone has to do what works for them.

Exactly. Not everybody's creativity flows the same way -- I did about 60 pages over the weekend, and I probably won't even look at it for a few days now....!

I admire writers who can set up a "3 pages in the morning, 3 pages in the afternoon, every day" kind of schedule. I can't do it. If I'm not "in the zone," so to speak, it ends up as the most horriblest crap you can imagine.

I actually tried that at one point at the beginning.

I would tell myself that I was going to " sit down and write for at least an hour ".

That really didn't work well for me.

Now, I'll open up the file, and I am not " feeling " it when I do....I close it again.

Sometimes, I'll open it and get 100 words or so and that'll be about it.

Then there are times when I sit down, and 3 hours later I have a couple thousand words.

The other day, I sat down to write out a scene I had bouncing around. Worked on it for a couple of hours, and I think it's the best I have ever written, even though it's not a whole lot of words. Maybe 1500 or so.

Maybe I am fooling myself as far as how good I think it is...but it doesn't matter. I was definitely " feeling " it that day.

In talking with a writer friend, we wound up discussing the amount of Werewolf/Vampire books publishers are being flooded with by writers who are looking to have the next Twilight type rise to fame.

Me..I think it would be a lot better, and probably catch more attention, to find a way to parody the genre.

Someone walking around using a file on vampire teeth or whacking the werewolves on the nose with a rolled up newspaper might be pretty hilarious.

And now she tells me that I am now " officially " a writer because I have more than one idea floating around in my head....lmao

" Hello. My name ish Shteve and I would like to tell you about an exsh girlfriend of mine. I wish I could shpeak more clearly, but the bish pulled my teesh..."

LMFAO

I had this idea for a parody using a really dumb vampire who goes around biting trees and benches and billboards and things.....

....and maybe when he tries to turn into a bat, he turns into a llama instead....

A llampire....?

Cool idea Lex...

Sounds like it is, indeed, time for a parody....lmfao

Where did all our writers go??

Y'all have deserted me here...lol

I'm still here, just been spending a lot of time setting up a little website where I can shamelessly promote myself....not that I'm much for self-promotion....!!!

You?? Self Promote???

The HELL you say?!!! LMAO

It's cool. I just don't want to see this thread do a slow fade like so many others have.

Same here -- this has been a really good thread, lots of ideas and suggestions and things being passed around, and we really NEED to have a thread like this available....

I totally agree.

There are a lot of people out there who may want to write, but be a bit gunshy about actually doing it.

I think they need to be able to see the struggles that some go through to do what they love.

They need to know that there are other writers willing to help them along the way.

That's why I love this thread. It's also why I decided to start a website.

We are making progress on the site and should be ready for some Beta testing within the next few weeks.