Should I write a book?

[PHAT NINJA878]

Im thinking about writing a book because i have this plot-line in my head and think if i can get it in text it will be pretty good. its about zombies. should i go for it?

[Ray]

Of course! If it's your thing, do it. Besides, we don't get that many zombie books, either (though, there has been quite a surge recently).

Sounds juicy, any details? Or is it secret?

[PHAT NINJA878]

well its gonna take place 3 months after a man's life (named Richard) was wrecked by a zombie attack killing his wife and kids when he wasnt home. His wife was bitten by a 'psycho' and doesnt think anything of it. But Richard leaves town and comes back and she devoured his kids, leaving him to kill her. him and his alliance of 4 people must try to survive as he tries to find out the source. im trying to make it multi-novel. i really dont know how to set up a book but i have a super good idea on how to do it.

[Ray]

That's nice. Leaves a lot of room for character development.

[Shadow Stalker]

Im thinking about writing a book because i have this plot-line in my head and think if i can get it in text it will be pretty good. its about zombies. should i go for it?

Go on with your bad self PHAT NINJA878.

Speaking of books, I'm writing a book myself. I don't know when I'm going to finish it, or how long it's going to be. But I can tell you that the storyline is inspired by the Resident Evil series and the Metal Gear series.

Anyway I wish you luck.

[Alzaire]

Not to shoot down your aspiration or anything, but as someone who's taken multiple stabbings at writing a novel and done research and gotten advice, you need to be more elaborate on what exactly you want, what you're expecting, and what you are capable of.

What do you want and expect out of this "book"? A 300~ page novel professionally published and out in retail stores? An online novel? Are you wanting to make money off of, or get recognition for it? You mention multi-novel. Do you have enough real substance to support multiple books? Do you have enough to really support even one? Do you want the story and what you've written to satisfy others, or do you just want to see a story you wrote in book form?

Before thinking about the above though, you should consider asking yourself what you're capable of. What experience do you have with writing? Have you written a short story before, or a fan-fiction for something? If so, did you submit it anywhere and get any feedback? Have you managed to complete any writings longer than that? Most importantly, do you have confidence you have enough substance within your story to achieve what you want, -and- finish it?

I don't know your experience, so it's hard to give you an answer. It's tough writing a novel/book - tougher than you'd expect if you've never finished a project and know your own capabilities. It's easy to think you've got a good plot, but getting it on paper can be a nightmare; not to mention having it meet your expectations.

My advice, if you have little experience, write out this story as a short story at first. Let the writing flow, but shoot for ~20 pages or so. Write it well, pace it well, keep your mind open to consider it a broad brainstorm or a finished product. If you find you can keep going after 20 pages, do so, but be careful about dragging things out or adding filler to try and write a novel if your story really just can't support it. A couple of my old projects turned out where I imagined the stories as sounding like they could span a novel, but were paced better and worked out great as short stories.

Get feedback often, don't keep your work to yourself the whole time. Let some people (family and friends are good, but strangers who are less likely to be more lenient on judging your work is better) read a chapter or two as you progress. Especially if you want to have your work impress others, then you need to be ready to be told your story isn't good (whether it be just how you've written it or the story itself) or other criticism and suggestions.

And I'm gonna be honest, just from my own opinion and experience in reading zombie stories, the best are usually short stories. I've read one online fan-novel trilogy that I thought was good, and maybe two or three general novel-sized stories (between 2-300 pages) that were not bad, but lots of fairly good short stories. Longer zombie stories I've read tend to come off as trying too hard to extend it more than it should have been. i.e., I've seen many that you can read it and tell what the writer wanted his story to be but decided to create filler because he/she realized their story didn't encompass the scope they wanted, and as a result there are parts that are noticeably not written as well and tacked on, making the whole work look sloppy.

Good luck.

[Shadow Stalker]

Thanks for the information, Alzaire. I'm planning on writing a short story first anyway. Just to be safe.

[TheBatMan]

Can't agree more with what Alzaire said. Writing a book is extremely hard. Having a great idea is just the first of hundreds of different elements.

[TheSelfishGene]

I'm trying to write at the moment. I've had the basic plot in my head for at least 3 years, but have been toying with ideas. I think that novel is the right format for it, but haven't written all that much.

Personally, I'm finding that drawing concept arts and writing character bios really helps when it comes to actually writing. I find that having things pre-concieved helps to make the writing flow a bit easier, especially when it comes to descriptive things.

I've also found that what I've mostly written is not going to be used in that form. I've actually written out some plot points and scenes which I probably won't ever use, because they don't precisely show what I want them to show, or I've since found a better way to progress characters. I'd say don't be afraid to edit yourself harshly, or as Alzaire said, let someone else be a harsh critic.

Good luck.

[TheBatMan]

You've also got to be prepared to write draft after draft after draft, which is awfully tedious. And as Gene said, don't be afraid of harsh criticism and rejection. A few years ago I submitted an idea to a major UK sci-fi, fantasy and horror publisher. My idea was accepted and I was then asked to write a full chapter breakdown, character biography and sample chapter. That took me ages and I was eventually turned down. But I was told off the record by the editor that my work was good enough but they were not willing to take a chance with me because I was not an established author and I didn't have anything in print. So basically, I never had a chance from the start. At first I thought they had just fobbed me off but I later found out from other people that this guy told it how it was straight out. If he thought it was shit, he told you so. So after all that work I put in I could at least take heart that I wasn't a million miles away.

Had I been accepted, I would have been paid £4,000 upfront, then given a four month deadline to produce the final manuscript. If it was sent to press I would get another £4000 upon publication.

So it's definitely something I would recommend pursuing if you have the desire. But it is a very frustrating, tedious and boring road, albeit enjoyable at times of course!

[Darkmoon]

Well, first and foremost, you need to be a good writer. Not perfect, but good. Look at me. I have the most godawful spelling and quite often get words wrong or miss them out altogether. But I do know basic grammar, spelling and punctuation. I'm sure you know all this already, but since your forum posts are a little informal I figured I should point it out. No publisher in the world will read past page one if you have any simple errors, such as not capitalizing a word.

Second of all, you need to know that 90% of stuff that gets written will never, ever make money. So if your goal is to make a living off this, have a back up plan. If you want to succeed then you need to write pretty much for fun. I write stuff because I enjoy it. Sure, I'd love to have my own work published, and when it's done I intend to try. It's a life goal. But I know that it might never happen and consider alternative ways to get it out there...a weekly updated website with some images in the text, for example, could build up enough of a fanbase to do a limited printing run. Monster Island, I believe it's called, did pretty much that and now the books are in Waterstones.

Last, but not least, make sure you've read the competition. If you can't get the book at a library and get afford to buy it then at least read the summaries on Wiki and in reviews. It'll give you an idea of what publishers look for, what's been done to death and what gimmicks usually work. Always try and work in something a little different to the normal stuff. Nothing in your summary so far is especially new or different, alas.

Oh, and one other last thing. If you want to make this a series, fine and dandy, but make sure at least book one can survive on it's own. A lot of authors that do get published never manage to get the follow up published as well, and there's few things I find more irritating than getting a third of a story I enjoy only to never know the ending. It's why I only buy TV shows as box sets, and even then I seem to get the ones that are both awesome and canceled halfway through. Stupid Fox.

[REmaster]

Well hell, I guess I'll post the short story I've been trying to publish for awhile then. Just for the sake of conserving space(Silly idea right?), should I post it in here or start a thread? Of course you could always just tell me to go to hell and not post it at all...the choice is yours.

[Karui]

Also remember that details help paint the picture, so to speak. The greatest difficulty I found was patience. Just remember, you have a lifetime. There's no need to rush. Great in-depth characterisation also is a plus, as it makes the reader care. Think of RE and the way they characterised them, down from physical conditions like blood type to their past. I hope this helped. Just remember, I can only show you to the door, you have to walk through it.

[Carnivol]

Well hell, I guess I'll post the short story I've been trying to publish for awhile then. Just for the sake of conserving space(Silly idea right?), should I post it in here or start a thread? Of course you could always just tell me to go to hell and not post it at all...the choice is yours.

Go for a new thread of your own.

[REmaster]

Alrighty, I'll post in a few hours when I get on my labtop. Keep in mind folks, it has nothing to do with RE, horror, etc.