New Writer, New Series

[smeos]

Hello, I'm smeos, and I guess like a lot of fanfic writers, I'm looking to hone my craft by writing ST stories (also because I like it). To that end, I've created my own stuff and have finally gotten around to making my own website to host them (the TWG is also working on getting a link up, too).

My series is called The Nomad Frontier, focusing on the crew of the USS Repulse. The first book, Baptism of Fire, is set in 2370. The sequel, Archangel, is up now as well.

The books are full length (100,000 words), and so far, they're the only project of this size that I've actually finished. I know it's a lot of reading, but if anybody gets a chance, I would love some feedback on them, regardless of what you have to say.


http://smeos.tripod.com/

Yeah, the site is fairly bare bones, but web design isn't really my thing. The stories are available in Word format only, so far.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Hi and welcome to the fan-fic board! I started reading "Baptism of Fire" and must say that what I've read so far is very good! I will definitely read it through.

 

[Gibraltar]

I've just started Baptism of Fire myself, and am enjoying it thoroughly. Welcome to the board!

 

[Mistral]

I am always looking for something online to read at lunch(these UT guys are good, but they just don't write as fast as I read)

Can't wait.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Welcome aboard and I'll be sure to check Baptism of Fire this weekend.

 

[bigguy]

I just finished Baptism of Fire and it was awesome. Your writing style is very good and your story flows very well. I also like the believable aspects of your characters, they seem more real life and flawed than canon characters.

These types of characters are very similar to the United Trek characters, and like in United Trek you address the darker side of human nature not seen in Trek.

 

[Mistral]

I'm on Chapter Nine. You are an excellent writer with a twisted sense of humor-I love it. That line about setting fire to her face and putting it out with a rake had me rolling!

 

[smeos]

I can't take credit for that one. I heard it from a friend's dad when I was in Grade 8 or something and it always stuck with me.

I appreciate all the feedback. I've done a lot of shorter stories for school and college, but I was somewhat worried about the pacing and structure of a whole novel.

 

[tenmei]

Quite possibly THE best fanfiction I've read in a while - one of the few that could probably pass for a Pocket Books novella if properly bound. However, I'm always curious, but were there any specific people you used to help visualise the characters - I want to know if I'm visualising them right.

 

[CeJay]

Just started reading this and I'm quite enjoying it so far.

You've given your version of Trek an interesting, contemporary feel which sets itself apart from the characters we've encountered in The Next Generation.

I like how you focus your story on the captain and show us the world out of his eyes, especially since he appears to be a somewhat conflicted character, balancing his new duties as a starship captain, explorer and diplomat with his seemingly less complicated, gun-slinging days as a soldier. This is a man who must have thought of a hundred ways to kill a woman he didn't get along with. Not very progessive of him but very entertaining.

The twisty kind of humor is a great deal of fun here. I'm looking forward to finishing this story which I'm sure will keep me busy for a while.

 

[smeos]

For the captain, I kind of had someone like Mal from 'Firefly' in mind. Loyal and dedicated, but not necessarily the sharpest or most polished tool in the shed. As well as having a good deal of regret over things that he had done in the past.

Baxter was originally supposed to be a "Jayne Cobb" kind of comic relief character, but I found that writing a really stupid guy was not terribly interesting, so I made him a smart man, but one of few words.

The chief engineer is based off of my brother in law, who is a union tradesman and pretty much shares his philosophy that after a certain point, it's time to let the young people do the work while you supervise.

If you're referring to a specific actor or famous person that I used as a template for what they look like . . . then not really, no. Except for maybe Dave, who I wrote as looking like Glenn Morshower from 24 . . . but with a radically different personality.

Nobody else really has any sort of real world inspiration. They're all kind of basic characters that I just tried to make interesting rather than overly compelling or dramatized.

Looking back on it now, I do realize that Farrell dominates the story, which I suppose works for a "pilot" novel. In the next one's I'm making more of an effort to balance out the perspectives.

 

[hellsgate]

smeos: May I feature your site as a link at "S.T.: New Worlds"? Your idea sounds intriguing.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Just finished reading Baptism of Fire and I am most impressed. Excellent characterization, a taut plot, and, as CeJay says, a wicked sense of humor. You did a good job with the pacing--and you're right, it is often difficult to get that right with a lengthy work such as this.

 

[Gibraltar]

I've never seen a character summed up so succinctly as you did with Killcreek's comment:

Killcreek shrugged, “The science officer’s got a nice rack.”

That sums up Killcreek's outlook on life very well.

Once again, terrific work.

 

[smeos]

smeos: May I feature your site as a link at "S.T.: New Worlds"? Your idea sounds intriguing.

Go nuts, the more people that see it, the better.

You're in Surrey? I'm rotting away in Richmond.

 

[hellsgate]

Ah, another local canuck? Yea, I work in West Van @ Park Royal Mall. I'd love to design you a fan fic website (for free, as a way to kill time on the three days off I have this week,) like I did for my own boredom projects, "S.T.: Avalon" & "S.T.: Vonnegut" at Geocities for you if you have a Yahoo mail account already. I seriously dislike Tripod.

 

[smeos]

I was in Kwantlen going to school here, but I should be moving back home to Terrace in July (hopefully).

Ha, tripod isn't my favorite, either. But like I said before, web design is not my specialty at all. If you want to do, then have at her. I have a yahoo mail account.

 

[hellsgate]

trekfan1975@yahoo.com

E-mail me your yahoo log-in/password, detailed list of crew, etc. & I'll whip up your new fan fiction website ASAP. Here's the one I did for "Star Trek: Avalon", (as an idea of what I intend to do for your "Star Trek: The Nomad Frontier" site.) Oh, and what real name or pen-name do you want posted as your author-name on the site I'm building for you and at "S.T.: New Worlds"?

http://www.geocities.com/trekfan1975/FanFiction_Engineering.html

 

[tenmei]

Hah, I used to live in West Van (until a year and a half ago), studied at Cap College and worked at Park Royal too!

On topic, this fic just keeps getting better and better - have to say that the First Officer is probably my favourite character outside of the Captain, at the moment, she really comes across to me.

 

[smeos]

@Hellsgate: Will do. I'll need a bit to do the character bios, but you should get it by today.

@tenmei: Ha, I was in the army up until a while ago. One day were were all sitting around, cleaning weapons and BS'ing. We got around to what schools we went to for our "regular" lives. I said Kwantlen, one guy said SFU, another UBC. The last guy said Capilano, paused and added . . . "It's a real school."

On topic . . . that's good to hear. When I was writing it, I was afraid that Grant would come across as too much like a bitch.