wellpleanty of people on this site are writting novells so i thought why dont we all give a very basic out line of what the book is about.... i got the idea from another post, i have only been here a couple of weeks and i wanna get to know you all more seeing as i can't chat on sundays....

ok i will begun... although my book might sound like harry potter it isn't!!!!

cherake strone (main character) lives in australia and her mother is dead. she finds in the bacement a book and it ends up taking her to britain ( i won't tell you how now just wait for the book...) she finds her self out side the gates of a castle.... it is a school for knights and mages .... then the adventure begins... i would love to tell you all in much more detail of what it is about but... we all know idears and other stuff and court so yeah that my novell .... the one thing i really find hard when writting are charaters names! i need a name's book.

Hi Cassie,
Well, my novel is about an irish family who go through a lot of tough situations together. Joseph O'Connor escapes paying taxes and so, causes the family to almost lose everything they have. The parents separate, this being unheard of, as in Ireland anytime before 6 or 7 years ago now, divorce itself was only introduced. The children experience mixed emotions, for each of their parents, and find that their next door neighbours, once experienced something similar! The novel is about lost hope, the fear of losing something you love most and gaining ground. Perhaps I could just sum it up by saying it is a drama/romance, but that would be two boring words, compared to the post I have writen lol. I've got a website (not as great, compared to Louise's but feel free to visit. http://www.geocities.com/kl_flanagan

Kerrie :oD

Great idea Cassie. Okay, my novels are fantasy but not the goblin, elf sort. They're really "Alice in Wonderland" for grownups. The first novel, "Destiny of The Light" is about Khatrene coming from our world into the earthworld of Ennae. The second "Daughter of The Dark" follows a young Champion, Pagan, and his journey from Ennae back to our world with a royal baby he must guard and protect. The third novel "Glimmer in the Maelstrom" which I am just finishing, is about the little baby grown up and how she baulks at her destiny to join the four worlds. That 'slip' in time changes everything and creates the dilemna of whether the four worlds will be destroyed and all life in the universe lost forever...?

(sounds like a back cover blurb, doesn't it?)

In bookstores June 2003

ok well my book is a psychological thriller. rather complex and hard to really explain tho so i will probably leave out some of the major events...mostly the stuff relating to dissociative amnesia and other psych terms lol but mostly its about a woman with a traumatic past who is kidnapped by a psychopath. he keeps her captive, leaving her near death through most of it and she begins to hallucinate and see things from her past she had forgotten. near death she is rescued and her rescuer becomes her love interest... a cop. she then helps to find her kidnapping. its alot more complex than that but theres a rough outline. very confusing i think. ive been trying to explain to people all night! lol

well, my current book, Dream Hunters is set in the future in Canada. The species of wolf is extinct, yet dreams start to form in the minds of the local towns people, so they organise a hunt. The Key character is an Australian bestseller author suffering from writers block. She goes to Canada to stay in her uncles' cabin, where she finds someone else (a closet wolfologist) is living. (yes, the author is female, and the wolfologist is male)
Thats all i know so far! Strange how things move on isn't it!

It's funny how long we've been together and we know titles and the like but not the crux of the books we're writing. And now they all sound so wonderful. So imaginative and exciting. I am terribly impressed with all of you!

I am writing a trillion books of course. Concentrating on Romance but I have a couple of mainstreams: 'Tremont Street', set in Boston, about a writer who befriends a policitcal candidate - a bit of a murder mystery. 'Operation Gloria', set in LA, about a dental nurse to the stars who becomes the most powerful person in Hollywood. 'Dreaming of Dragons' a YA fantasy. Set in times of villages, and castles and dragons about a quiet unassuming boy who is set to be the greatest warrior of all time, problem is he'd rather be climbing trees and helping his mum but circumstances fly out of his control and he finds himself saving the world whether he likes it or not.

And many many more....

wow guys, i didn't expect all the replys ... but every one has really vivid imaginations!!!!!! my books will be fantasy and i need more info on elves!!!! not the anoying crapy christmas ones but more like the tolkien ones... i have a besteriy (bad spelling!) on creatures in his book ... elves are so long and far to complex to understand!!! oh well. by the way how are you guys going about hinking of names for your books??? i am totaly lost for a series name or a title name for that matter ... and now i am making my book so complicated i think i mught add some religion to it but being the non-religious person that i am it mean more researck (sigh) ... oh well. i want to tell you all more about my book i feel that i have not given enough infomation. ok cherake strone ... main character is at the castle school for knights and mages its called raventreen ...(i love the name!) ok then other characters get involved ...there are ten houses of nobles and a royal house that rules the whole of britain. the royald are all dead at that point so britain is in trouble. cherake is the first student ever to become a mage and a knight ... to complex to explain how have to wait for the book. ummm.... i will think of more to write later..

Lou, playing a boardgame called 'Balderdash' the other night, where you have big words and have to make up a meaning for them whilst one person knows the real meaning. Very fun game. Anyway....the first word was 'INCUNABULA' which turned out to mean books written before 1500s (perfect for my castle keep books. the second word was 'LUCHORPAIN' which meant 'sea dwarves of Irish legend' and I though of your sea story. I kept getting up from the table to write these cool words down as they were so apt!!! Though you could use it maybe

Sounds like I need to get that board game, Alyson. Thanks so much for telling me about it.

On the subject of Elves, my son has the Dungeons and Dragons Core Rule Books which I bought as research material and they have heaps of references to every sort of mystical beast and race you could think of. In the end I didn't use any of them, but it could kick-start your imagination to make up your own, or give useful info if you want to use exisiting creations like Elves.

I also own the Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference by Writer's Digest Books (bought it at the American Bookstore in Brisbane) and I can recommend that as a very useful reference for all things fantasy that a writer needs to think of - creatures, religions, castles, weaponry, clothing etc. I also have some lovely books on myths and ancient civilisations which I find helpful as well

Regarding elves, Cassie. You do not necessarily have to write about mainstream run of the mill elves. Sometimes it is just as good to create your own version of the fantasy races.

While the typical elf is reported to be long lived, reclusive, bound to the natural forces of the earth (or planet they dwell on). They generally live in densely wooded areas are wary of outsiders are good trackers, hunters and have basic levels of magic - often to do with nature and or manipulating nature.
They are wise and do not mature until they are quite old by human standards. They have the typical shell like, swept back ears that end in points at the tip. They are slender, tall, graceful, and have delicate finely boned faces.

Now you could also make up your own version. Just let your imagination go wild, Cassie! They could be rogues with primitive magic that they use on unwary travellers to rob them. This is the way they subsist along with living off the land. (An idea I just thought up then! I quite like it and might use that one myself ) See...

I like putting a new slant on the old versions of the elder races.

And to do with my novel...it has no name - yet - and I don't tell anyone much about it. !!! LOL!!! SHHHH! It's a secret. All I ever say is that it is an adult Fantasy novel. LOL!

deb

I agree with Deb, Cassie. In history, elves and faeries or that kind were found to have the same description. Most faeries were beautiful, tall and very kind and usually protected a princess of somekind. As far as I can recall, I used to think Elves just came out along side Santa lol though I can tell you now.. my fascination is with the goblins! I once read a great chidrens book.. hmm, let me do my research as I have seemd to forget the author's name.. No, I can't seem to track it down. Though in this particular childrens novel, goblins were very evil creatures who kidnapped little kids! For instance, the movie, The Labyrinth - a must see, if you insist on using goblins or elves!!

Though remember, too, that Deb has some great advice! Why not add your own characteristics to the personality of elves and allow them to do, what no other elve has been able to do in other novels.. make them fly, or sing or dance each time they do something that deserves praise.

Think about it
Kerrie

well all your info and advice on elves has been very usefull... i pretty much figure i will stick to the average elf type ... and throw in an original udea every now and again, this system had worked well so far ...

I'm working on one main piece and half a million little ones; some for school, some for pleasure. My main piece is about dwarves and magik and being an average mage in a world gone mad. It's not really working all that well and I'm inclined to drop the dwarves altogether. If I had more time to spend on it, I think I could make it happen

Deb, you secretive thing you! Actually, I know quite a few authors who won't talk about their current plots because if they do the idea will lose excitement for them. However your mind works is what you have to accomodate. We'll just all have to wait until it's published to be surprised and delighted

Sounds like you've had lots of elf input, Cassie. No doubt while you're writing it you'll think of things too.

Mick, do you really think the story is not working, or could it just feel that way? We have discovered a phenomena here called "Muddy Glasses" which appear to be the emotional opposite of Rose Coloured Glasses. When you're stressed or feeling down, the Muddy Glasses seem to appear by magic and make your writing look bad when in fact it might not be at all. Even as a published author, I have days when I think all I'm writing is crap. Then the next day, or a week later, I read it and think "Hang on, that's not so bad" and with a bit of rewriting it turns out to be quite good.

The main problem I've discovered while working with aspiring writers is the perfection thing. I think it must be inbuilt along with the writing talent. We want what we write to be perfect. So when we get half way through and strike a problem or it's not looking perfect, there's a very strong temptation to give up on the story and move on to something new and fresh.

My advice is (and always has been) FINISH THE BOOK.

Even if you're not happy with parts of it, write to the end because getting to the end of the story almost always shows you what was wrong with it further back. If your characters aren't 'real' yet or the plot seems boring, maybe you don't know them well enough, and a good way to learn more about them is to write more about them.

That isn't to say that you can't stop to evaluate the plot so far and make changes etc. But giving up on a story means you miss out on an important learning experience. Writing is like an apprenticeship, you can't expect the first thing you make to be perfect. Sometimes you have to write several books before you get to publication standard. But writing them to the end helps you learn far more quickly.

So, Mick, this might not be your problem at all, but it's given me a great opportunity to give another of my patented "finish the book" lectures.

Thanks

I am just getting the hang of the concept, "give yourself permission to write crap".
By letting go of the need to write a perfect first draft you allow the story to tell itself until the end. Then you can head towards perfection - if there is such a thing.
But if you write and rewrite the first few chapters of the story it will never get written and you run the risk of bleeding the life from the plot with cynical perfectionism.

Mick I am the one here who dons the muddy glasses the most. I don't know why but maybe it's just my nature to see my own work in a bad light half of the time.
But I keep slogging on anyway...call me an optimistic pessimist. I hope you keep at your novel.

deb

you certainly are a saint this week deb!! your encouragement and support are never far away and we can always reley on you to brighten the prospects for us Just to give thanks, i thought it would be nice to think up of a nice way to reward the people who help others out most.

AWARDS DEB WITH FLOATING FLOWER FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT SUPPORTER

With that floating flower, you may not need to wear that tiara for a week

Kerrie.

Gee shucks, Kerrie Blush thanks for the lovely flower. It drifts so delicately amongst my crystals above my desk.
Only happy to help you feel better about your dreams.

Louise, you are right, I don't talk about my plot much to anyone because whenever I do some of the magic slips away.

deb

Yes, Deb is being very secretive...but her reasoning seems untrue. I think the truth is she is hiding something from us all, something deep and dark which must be found out!!!

Hee!

I know what you mean about magic slipping away. That's the main reason why not may people know about my novel writing exploits. Everyone and their dog knew about my screenwriting and it was a case of constant, 'how's your film?' 'what's it all about?', 'haven't you finished your script yet?'.

You find yourself excited at first, and you get more and more apologetic and unhappy with your responses and it takes all the fun out of the project. And most people don't know how long it takes to write a complete MS. As you guys all know it takes a long long time!!!

Yes, Alyson maniacal laugh I am hiding something - something dark, sinister and world threatening. So watch out, my tiara's loaded and I am not afraid to use it!

deb

Oh Deb. I really needed a laugh today. Thanks

I knew it!

hey. i managed somehow, to write 3.5k in one day around my working hours. I found though that i had to be writing for most of the spare time i had in the day, so i think i should only do it this way every few days.. giving me some time to go out and relax a little. i've got just over 15k done now and feel great about it. Kate what kind of MS are you working on? And Cassie.. let us know how it is coming along!

hope you all are enjoying it,
Kerrie

what does (amount of words)k mean???? well you guys on this site are so crazy!!! but a good kind of crazy i been here for 3 weeks and now im picking others names...(bout time!)i dont have the net at home so i walk to the library every 2 days to come here ... soon i'll be back at school then i can come every day. my mum had a friend who talked to me about writting the key word was 'grants' he said i shouyld try to get grants but get this! i called up and they said 'you have to have somerthing published before your eligiable for the best and only grat we have now...sorry' i wanted to yell about fairness ... cause i need my own computer but i tried to be normal. louise i have taken your writting tips and sinse my book has been zooming along THANKYOU!!!!! it means a friend of mine has a book going no where and i told her some of your advice and added some of my own ... but she is probably not going to get her book published... she wants only a couple of copys ... ummm this is a long msg isnt it!!!! i am so stuck for idears in my second book i have so many for number one but ive got the main character with an elf and thats it... maybe i should read some folk storys and get some idears...

cassie.. we celebrate a 'K' each time we reach a 10,000 mark.. i shouldn't have put it after my word count really.. though i'm on my way to another 10,000 thats all lol.

so when you reach 10,000/20,000 and so on.. just write it as 10k or 20k.. and so on. a bit easier, you see.

Kerrie

ohh.... that makes sence...good idea.
deb: is your book a fantasy book??? and hey i know what you mean by the magic slipping away ... i let my friends read the first few pages of my uneddited 1st chapter ... people would say write more!!! or... mmm thats nice. it is really hard to get an honest opinion and i have taken louises advice... no one exept elise(my best friend) will be reading my book untill it is fully complete and eddited!

Yes, Cassie, my book is a fantasy novel. I am aiming towards the adult audience and it will either be an extremely long winded book or a trilogy...have not worked out which yet. It will work itself out as it gets written I guess.

deb

Cassie, I don't know who you rang, but there are grants you can apply for if you're not published yet (not sure if they'd give you a grant for a computer - usually it's to attend writing workshops etc). Try ringing your local Writer's Centre (NSW?) and ask them. Grants are available from the Regional Writer's Fund, as well as state and national organisations. Most of the grants are for published authors, though, which is fair enough. There are some people who write one year and then go on to do crocheting or tapestry the next - it's just a hobby to them. So you need to prove that you're serious before they give you any money.

Before I was published I received funding to attend a writer's conference in Sydney (professional development through Arts Queensland) but I had to pay part of my costs. I proved I was serious by showing how I'd written and submitted manuscripts to publishers over several years and the rejections I'd received. If you're just at the start of your career and haven't submitted anything, it would be hard to prove that you're serious about writing.

i got a booklet of grant they were all crap! none of them i could enter!!!! i simply dont think its fair! that if your your your not worth it yet!!!!

Talk to your English teachers Cassie. There are soooo many writing comps for high school kids that I knew nothing about at your age. Millions and trillions of them! And talk to the Qld Writers Centre. They will be able to tell you about comps and grants and courses and all sorts of goodies.

im not in high school. im in college and bacically there its fend for your self! a teacher of mine is planning to let me write in class caus its a writting cource and shes prepared to letr me book a computer so i can work on my novel! i will call the writters centre but usually competitions are for short storys and poems

cassie, what college are you attending?

Kerrie.

Sorry Cassie, pictured you studying and thought high school! Maybe don't worry about comps and grants just yet. Just write and write until you're finished, then edit then sell! In the meantime if you stumble upon a comp or grant that suits you go for it.

im in canberra so you probably dont know my school its called lake ginnindera college ...cause its next to lake ginnndera(how predictable)lol did i tell you all ive got the main role in my schools drama production? i am line recitning and lines are hard to remeber!!!!!

Congrats CAssie - you should have stuck that in the Happy News section!

thax alyson i already did:)