Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Sit back and smile.

Then maybe go and drink some chocolate milk.

Kenpochick, I'm finally coming round with the idea of changing tea (it's just what a lot of people say up here in the north-east, when they mean dinner). A shameful admission, but I only just read Alice Through the Looking-Glass this weekend! I know, it's terrible of me to neglect it for so long (I ...

I have exactly this problem, but like you I'm ignoring them and staying true to the course of finishing one story before I start another. Some days are harder than others, but writing them down, however patchy the outline and then saving them off seems to do the trick for me. I say Ignore their pesk...

Hi Nathan, I’m writing an MG contemporary fantasy in first-person present tense. Would a story told in that fashion be less likely to catch your attention rather than the usual third-person, past style? Does POV and tense matter much to an agent/publisher when considering a submission? I know Chuck ...

Thanks Stardog911, I think you might be right, the reference to 'tea' is a bit limiting as it pins the story down in a place (UK), that it doesn't need really (since the vast majority of the story takes place over there). But homework? Nah, Sarah doesn't fancy that, not one bit. She tells me it'd ha...

I stick WMP on random and start clacking away, though sometimes i skip tracks until it's a song that suits the scene I'm trying to write. Sometimes, songs have given me ideas for shorts.

Thanks Beth, I'm right in the middle of slogging through revisions, and glad to hear it sounds like something someone/anyone would want to read!

Thanks for the comments Rainbowsheeps, JoelQ and Chomsnumnum. Rainbow - the hidden mansion and teddy exist in our world and are kind of the guardian of the gate to the other side (so they come first). I've also tried to tighten that tricky second para. JoelQ - tea is dinner, as in tea-time. I guess ...

Thanks Justine, great comments and suggestions. Okay here's #3. Thanks for the patience everyone: Twelve-year-old Sarah doesn’t believe in any of that guff about magic or the supernatural, but that all changes when her little sister, Jane, disappears before her eyes during a game of hide and seek. S...

Thanks loads Emily, for both the kind words and the constructive comments, here's the revised version: Twelve-year-old Sarah doesn’t believe in any of that guff about magic or the supernatural. Maybe that’s because she’s never had to sneak into invisible houses, step through ancient magic mirrors, o...

Erm, here we go. I'm in the middle of revisions for my MG novel and I would like some fresh eyes on my query for it please. Any feedback is of course, welcome. Twelve-year-old Sarah doesn’t believe in any of that guff about magic or the supernatural. That’s because she’s never tried to sneak into in...

Man, I feel like such a noob using MS Word!

I'm glad to have company here.

On first draft, I'm all, 'This is freakin gold!'
On revision it's, 'What a pile of drivel.'

But then the two keep changing and I get awful moments of self-doubt where I want to chuck the MS.
I don't though, I'm still going at it now.

The best reader is another writer who understands the craft, reads and enjoys your genre or area, and is both honest and encouraging. I like praise as much as the next person, but I want someone who will point out problems (and knows enough to recognize them). Good luck! Completely agree with you H...

I'm revising an MG contemporary fantasy and have a half-written 1st draft of a YA fantasy sat on my computer gathering dust.