Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Maybe I'm closing in on this. Version #666: Dear Mr./Ms Agent, Ted is a 17-year-old 21st Century boy. Gifted with intelligence, he should know things – like his name and his past. The gods, whose origins lie in an alternate future, kidnap Ted, wipe his memory and enslave him in their effort to add a...

At first I wanted to say near future sci-fi, but I think it crosses the line into distopian.

Thanks y'all. Hopefully this is a step forward. Maybe I'm just too caught up in trying to capture the essence of the book in three short paragraphs. I'm not sure about the part in red, but I want to put across the idea that the historical aspects aren't just made up - I might just leave that bit out...

I know it's taboo to talk about a series, but if I take the first book out of its context, it's nearly impossible to convey a sense of what the book itself is about. Dear Agent, A slave can’t be a god -- can he? Kidnapped from his kitchen, an inter-dimensional war slave starts Nero’s infamous fire a...

I’m posting this here because this is where I like to hang out, and I need a favor. All my queries suck. No-really. That’s one of the reason’s I don’t critique them (the other reason is that my eyes limit my screen time), which is why I get no responses. But I think I’ve figured out why my queries s...

Well, here goes nothing. This is my baby. Rip her to shreds while I cower over there in the corner. ________________________________________________________ Anika twirled her labret between the fingers of her barcoded hand. Through the passenger window, she scanned the area, noting the number of gu...

What do you call high school boys in a query? YA males? YA men? YA boys...?

Very funny, and it gets my vote - I just wonder if y'all understand if I get the hoodie instead. http://www.cafepress.com/+awesome_writer_mirror_hoodie_dark,342880788 How else are we going to recognize you if you don't have a hood? Absolutely! We'd be like "who's that random person invading ou...

I know I'm double posting, but this thread has me thinking about "world building" and why I don't think it should be called that. World building? Building? Really? Buildings are built, planets and universes take shape, but worlds grow and evolve. If a world is part of my story then it’s ri...

Personally, I'm not a big fan of writing classes so I can't say one or another whether a class is a good idea, but I will say I once took English and History the same semester so I'd only have to write one research paper. If you do take a course there's no reason you can't apply the exercises to you...

Thanks for sharing, everyone. It's fun to hear everyone else's process and seeing how titles develop and are chosen. Watcher, I particularly like Nine Days in July. What did you end up settling on for that ms? That's interesting that you consider how it matches up with your name; I hadn't given tha...

It's usually best to start with the simple things. Your two characters are in the middle of chaos/void/hard-drive. That means that the laws of physics as we know them only exist within the realm of their immediate influence. That being the case, any metaphysical effects will have to begin with their...

If you've researched agents you may have noticed that that one of the big thing they look for is voice. I think voice is key when you're trying to balance show and tell, because voice is the element that "tells" the story. I have a couple of techniques I use. Segues at the either the begin...

BTW, I vote that this is the official shirt of our meet n' greet. :D http://www.cafepress.com/+awesome_writer_mirror_womens_long_sleeve_dark_ts,342880791 CV Oh my gosh Charlee, that is freakin' hilarious!!!! Oh, I'm gonna be giggling about that one for a while. :D Very funny, and it gets my vote - ...

Thanks y'all, that's kinda what I guessed - but guessing always get me in trouble. I'll just go with 51 pages which covers the last four lines of chapter 8, and like Quill pointed out, the agent can stop reading whenever he wants. Thanks again.