Nathan Bransford - The Forums

So apparently I'm a cheater, cause I've heard of this study before. Fascinating, isn't it? When I first heard the results I was a little surprised, but then as I thought of it it really does make sense. After all, it's easy to assume you can always perform well, no matter how much effort you put int...

Well, most of the time when I'm ready to start a new novel I just pick the idea that seems the most exciting to me at the time, or the one I've been thinking about the most during the other project, and start running with that. While I worldbuild/plan (as much as a mostly-pantser does, anyway) I usu...

Hillsy wrote:...and even that is really going out of your way to spoonfeed (HA!) the reader.

<groan>

I have nothing of value to add other than I agree with all of the above and to point out that Hillsy just made a really bad joke...and I'm ashamed that I chuckled at it.

Um...yeah. I think so. Desperation makes you do really stupid things. Suppressed emotion like hurt, rage, fear, etc. only compound that desperation and therefore the stupidity of said actions. Accusing someone of something bad enough to draw attention to them and away from you would seem realistic t...

She said to me and I can't remember the exact quote, but it basically went when people say they really loved what you wrote or when they say they really hated it, and this applies to critiques by beta readers and by reviewers, ignore them both because they are both wrong. Basically neither can real...

Uh, yeah...can't delete the duplicate for some reason...carry on.

Umm...yeah. What Sommer said. :) I was in the same position after I finished my first book. I had a sequel come to mind as I was writing and I was all excited about it. I "finished" book 1 (note the quotes, because it is so not in any kind of good enough shape to truly call it finished) an...

Awesome topic. :) Best feedback: actually came from a fellow Bransforumer and a member of my critique circle. She was almost 1/4 of the way through of my WIP and I explained a certain element to her and she said "Oh Man! That is so cool. Your story just keeps getting better and better! I told m...

You might feel like you're the only one who has these kind of doubts and worries, but trust me, you aren't. I was reading through your post and I swear you took some of those thoughts straight from my brain! First of all, seriously, congratulations. Finishing a book, even just a first draft, is amaz...

Per 11,500 words, would 7 characters be considered to many? That's not a question anyone can answer, sadly. For any given story, that many main characters may be just right. But it could be too many for a sparser, more intimate storyline like, say, a cozy mystery. Or it could be too few if you're w...

I'm no expert in YA by any means, but just because a guardian disappears doesn't automatically change the age group of a book. There are plenty children's and YA that have characters dealing with these "grown up" issues for the first time, or trying to accomodate these new paradigms into t...

Guys!! GUYS!! I just broke my personal record for most words written in one day. I'm a slow writer, normally writing between 500-1500 words a day. Today I sat down, once again so close to the end of this story that I'm utterly, completely passionate about, that I've been trying to write for three ye...

Then I don't really know what you call it then, when your not suppose to what the characters thoughts are. Only I'm suppose to know the characters thoughts. Edit: Ah here we go, Distant POV. My question would be why do you want to write the story this way? Normally a character's thoughts and emotio...

My curiosity is getting the best of me here, so I'm just gonna go ahead and ask. In your WIPs, or finished projects, how large is your cast? I know some people have these massive casts, with lots of main characters and myriads of minor characters, most of them named as well. I am definitely not one ...

Beethovenfan wrote:Jane is a powerful musician who learns that her music can do more than simply appeal to the heart and soul; it can save them too.

Oy! You forgot the whole "Jane travels BACK IN TIME" part!!