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Anyone here ever try to write science fiction?

Looks like it's only available for Kindle at the moment; will a paper edition be coming out on the 27th?
 
This has been a fascinating and interesting thread. :)

I've been working on a large space opera story told in sepoarate parts, based on an idea I've had in my head for several years. It initially started off as something to keep me occupied during university, then grew and became something bigger. Each part is developing in very slow ways - I'm still trying to outline much of it, but I have developed the characters, situations, and for the first part at least, a definite beginning, end, and several middles. The first part is definitely the most carpenterish of the lot, although required much gardening until I was satisfied with what I got, while the others, while having some form of outline (the last part I began with the End, then the beginning, then developed several plot checkpoints in between) are very gardenerish and where I'm not entirely sure where the plots are going.

Dialogue isn't something I'm good with, but I do come up with small snippets which might be used. So far I've outlined major plot strands, hinted at some future plot points with small seeds, defined the major and minor characters, and "checkpointed" major events in the story, with descriptions of key scenes out in full, but lacking dialogue - that will come later, hopefully. If I find that the plot strand doesn't work in one part of the story, I try and see if it will probably work better in a different part, or else I'll remove it entirely. (I had to remove an entire main character from the story as she didn't fit in at all with the plot - and seemed unintentionally unpleasant too.)
 
^^ Sounds epic, dude. Is this planned as a series of books, a TV show, or what?

Looks like it's only available for Kindle at the moment; will a paper edition be coming out on the 27th?

Yes, the paper edition has all four stories, and illustrations. Thanks for asking.
No problem. I'll order it when it becomes available. Be sure to Post a reminder here just in case my aging brain forgets. ;)
 
Matheson can't write for s**t, I've read most of what he has produced over the last few years and I can honestly say the films made from his stories are far better than the stories themselves.

So ... in your opinion Richard Matheson has never written anything worthwhile?

In the words of a famous fictitious Scotsman, "Don't ye think ye oughta rephrase that, laddie?"

Start your qualifying and backpedaling ... [checking watch] ... now.

--Ted
No qualifying and no backpedalling. Everything I've read of his has been sheer drivel...but granted there has been enough to make some good films. Somewhere in Time, Stir of Echoes, The Last Man on Earth/The Omega Man/I am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man/Woman (ok, maybe not so good), and What Dreams May Come to name the big ones. The books are pretty bad though.

Perhaps "over the last few years" was meant to modify "I've read" rather than "he has produced"?
All right, I will rephrase this: Over the last few years, I have read almost everything he has produced. And Greg, his latest novel, Woman, came out in 2005. Nothing original in it and nothing original in the portrayal of the subject matter either.
Have you ever considered not reading any more of his stuff? After the first few, I would have stopped.
 
^^ Sounds epic, dude. Is this planned as a series of books, a TV show, or what?
Thanks. I envision it would be epic in time scale and adventure, although compared to the classics, nowhere near their scale. :)

I had originally hoped it would be a series of books, but my writing skills might reach significant burnout.

I had considered a TV series, although if the full story is to be realised, it would be extremely expensive to make and difficult to keep consistent with actors being the limiting factor. (Perhaps an animated series or radio serial?)

On the other hand, because of the multiple threads and character arcs in the story, and as the actual story originally begins in medias res with a coldish opening, I was considering a 13-chapter mini-series to introduce the main characters of the first part, including their settings, backgrounds, motivations, and the various aliens involved, and provide a taster of things to come, which may or may not be considered as a pilot or one-off series.

It might even work best as a comic book series. Not quite Watchmen, but... :)
 
I'm curious, what do people do for names? I'm generally fairly good with them, especially people, but I'm having trouble finding a convincing name for a Spanish freighter that's just entered my story. Somehow El Hombre Gordo (The Fat Man) just isn't cutting mustard with me...
 
I'm curious, what do people do for names? I'm generally fairly good with them, especially people, but I'm having trouble finding a convincing name for a Spanish freighter that's just entered my story. Somehow El Hombre Gordo (The Fat Man) just isn't cutting mustard with me...
Most of the names I've chosen are either family, old school and university friends, and, in two specific cases, the names of pets. :D
 
I'm curious, what do people do for names? I'm generally fairly good with them, especially people, but I'm having trouble finding a convincing name for a Spanish freighter that's just entered my story. Somehow El Hombre Gordo (The Fat Man) just isn't cutting mustard with me...

I, too, suck at names. One tactic I use, for real-world stories, is to hit 'Random Article' on Wikipedia until I get names that work in the story.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
 
I can't really explain it, but since I started posting in this thread, I've now had a sudden urge to continue with writing my story. My writer's semi-block has been unblocked, in a sort of interesting way. Thanks, all. :)
 
^You're welcome. And good luck!

I've learned the art of disciplined writing from this thread, and it's going great.
 
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