18 replies to this topic

[jalayna43]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum. I am in the process of writing my first novel and thought this would be a great way to get ideas, help and to interact with others.



Monica

[Orren]

jalayna43, on Jun 6 2010, 10:51 AM, said:

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum. I am in the process of writing my first novel and thought this would be a great way to get ideas, help and to interact with others.

Welcome Monica!

What is your novel about? What general genre would you put it in? Did you just start using Storyist, or have you been using it for a while now?

Take care,
Orren

[Marguerite]

Yes, hi, Monica, and welcome to the forums. Do tell us more. We love to chat about one another's books!

I write historical fiction and am currently working on an adventure romance set in 16th-century Russia (my specialty, believe it or not).

The Notebook alone made me fall in love with Storyist (I have folders within folders, with links and images and goodness knows what). But being able to display all my characters as Polaroids on a corkboard has won me over forever.

Have to go torture my hero.
Best,
Marguerite

[Thoth]

Hi Monica!

I have two novels growing simultaneously in the hothouse that is my fevered imagination. Both are what I call science fantasy. I create my own scientific principles-the science part-which, because these principles don't yet exist, makes the work a fantasy. I also tend to write from the seat of my pants (I'm a "pantser" in the Forum's vernacular) as opposed to someone who must outline everything in detail first (a "plotter"). Unfortunately, I'm also an inveterate "tweaker" (I'm constantly going back to change/improve things) which, combined with my pantsing style, tends to slow me down. NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy are slowly curing me of that habit (see those forums) so I am writing faster now (must resist urge to tweak this post...).

I've used a lot of different novel writing software packages and settled on Storyist because of the way it organizes my information (character, setting, etcetera). It gives me what I want in terms of adapting to my writing style, as opposed to forcing me to write in the software's style. But this doesn't mean we don't bug Steve with frequent feature requests. (I hear that Storyist 3 will have a "write my book for me and then publish it" feature.)

So tell us a little about your external and internal world, Monica. You don't have to tell us more than you feel comfortable sharing. I tend to play my cards close to the vest, myself.
- Thoth

[jalayna43]

Hello Orren. My novel is about a young woman working in a psychiatric hospital. I guess I would say it is fiction maybe bordering on science fiction. I am still working on that. I received Storyist last year as a gift and started using it shortly after.


Monica

[jalayna43]

Thank you Marguerite. This is my first attempt at writing a novel. The setting is a psychiatric hospital and a woman who works there. I am in the very early stages and am still working out a lot of the details.

Your work sounds interesting. I enjoy historical novels. I absolutely love Storyist; one of the best gifts I ever received.


Monica

[jalayna43]

Hello Thoth,

I have had to adapt my writing style a bit. I usually just go with it, but am learning to outline and bring a little more structure to everything. I have always loved writing and have done so for as long as I can remember. This is my first journey into the novel-writing world. Along with writing, my other passion is reading and I have recently taken up a little gardening. I live in Louisiana but long to live on the East Coast again. I look forward to being a part of the Storyist community.


Monica

[Thoth]

Hi Monica.

I'm glad you're enjoying Storyist. You might consider joining NaNoWriMo this November. (See forum) It helped me a lot.

jalayna43, on Jun 9 2010, 08:51 PM, said:

Along with writing, my other passion is reading...

Oh? What are you reading? I'm always looking for something new.

jalayna43, on Jun 9 2010, 08:51 PM, said:

I live in Louisiana but long to live on the East Coast again.

Again? Where were you from originally? I was born and raised in Da Glorious Bronx, with a temporary side trip to Connecticut.
Wait. Louisiana? Near the Gulf? Do you have any insights to share?

jalayna43, on Jun 9 2010, 08:51 PM, said:

I look forward to being a part of the Storyist community.

And we're happy to have you. (I suspect Marguerite thinks that the forum could use more women's voices.)
- Thoth

[Orren]

jalayna43, on Jun 9 2010, 05:37 PM, said:

Hello Orren. My novel is about a young woman working in a psychiatric hospital. I guess I would say it is fiction maybe bordering on science fiction. I am still working on that. I received Storyist last year as a gift and started using it shortly after.

Hi Monica,

Sounds very interesting! When you say "bordering on science fiction" are you talking about treatments (or tortures?) that are speculative in nature? I love stories like those. I have a bachelor's degree in psychology, with which I've done more or less nothing, but I did enjoy getting it because I enjoy psychology as a field.

My own novel (currently being shopped, to be sold on my own if nobody's interested) is an "urban fantasy" novel. Which means it takes place around now, but the protagonist is a vampire. Ironically, we're saturated with vampire "stuff" these days, but I first got the idea for this story about 15 years ago, long before vampires sparkled in the sunlight and were teenaged and sexy.

I'm from (and live in) Southern California. On a cross-country trip in the summer of 1994, we drove through Louisiana and stayed in Baton Rouge. I was nearly in awe of how green it was compared to California. And I got bitten by a chigger, which we don't have out West.

Take care,
Orren

[Marguerite]

jalayna43, on Jun 9 2010, 08:51 PM, said:

I have had to adapt my writing style a bit. I usually just go with it, but am learning to outline and bring a little more structure to everything. I have always loved writing and have done so for as long as I can remember. This is my first journey into the novel-writing world. Along with writing, my other passion is reading and I have recently taken up a little gardening. I live in Louisiana but long to live on the East Coast again. I look forward to being a part of the Storyist community.
Monica

And, as Thoth says, we look forward to having you. Your book does sound interesting. How maybe science fiction? (If the answer doesn't require you to reveal more than makes you comfortable sharing.)

On writing style, me too. Like Thoth (and you, it sounds like!) I am a pantser by nature, but I tried out Script Frenzy this year as a way of bringing my historical novel to a conclusion (I'd left my poor characters dangling 50 pages or so from the end). With only 30 days to write 100+ pages, I decided I had to know where the script would go before I began. So I really used the plot outline for the first time in three years.

Of course, as soon as I started writing, I changed things, and the ending turned out not to be quite the one I had originally planned, but I did get there (130 pages, 20 of them added after the contest ended). So once a pantser, always a pantser, I think. But the plotting was helpful, even so.

There is a "What Are You Reading?" thread under General Topics as well as one on recommendations for books on writing in Writing Resources—both a bit moribund at the moment. Why don't you hunt one or both of them down and give it/them a new lease on life?
Best,
Marguerite

[Joolissa]

A big welcome to the forums from me too! I've been away at the shore the past couple days so I'm just catching up on everything. Your book does sound interesting. I wish you the best of luck with it!

- Jools

[Callista]

Welcome!

[jalayna43]

Orren,

When I say "bordering on science fiction" I mean there will be things going on within the hospital that are in the supernatural realm. I almost majored in psychology.

There does seem to be a fascination with vampires. Movies, books, and television shows.

I live closer to New Orleans. I have never gotten bitten by a chigger, if I did, I don't remember :-)

Monica

[jalayna43]

Good morning Thoth,

Thank you, I will definitely consider NaNoWriMo, I could use some help.

I am currently reading a few books. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep-Philip K. Dick, and The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri, and
Women Who Run with Wolves-Clarissa Pinkola Estes


I am originally from Louisiana. Yes near the Gulf. It is such a mess with the oil spill, it is sad to see once seafood places being shut down. It just seems to get worse by the day and I am not hopeful about the outcome.

I am happy to be here, thank you.

Monica

[jalayna43]

Hello Marguerite,

My book "maybe science fiction" because some things going on will be supernaturally based.

I have always written and just let the story take shape as I write. I never really questioned this way of writing until someone asked how the story would end. After that
conversation I began to outline and map out the story in greater detail. I am getting comfortable using both methods.

Thank you, I will check out those links.

Regards,

Monica

[jalayna43]

Julia Grace, on Jun 11 2010, 04:48 PM, said:

A big welcome to the forums from me too! I've been away at the shore the past couple days so I'm just catching up on everything. Your book does sound interesting. I wish you the best of luck with it!

- Jools

Thank you so much for the welcome. I appreciate it a great deal.


Monica

[jalayna43]

Callista, on Jun 17 2010, 08:07 AM, said:

Welcome!

Thank you very much.


Monica

[Orren]

Hi Monica,

jalayna43, on Jun 27 2010, 08:50 AM, said:

When I say "bordering on science fiction" I mean there will be things going on within the hospital that are in the supernatural realm. I almost majored in psychology.

Sounds interesting! Depending on the specific happenings, "supernatural" can be the realm of fantasy as much or more than science fiction. Both are my faves.

Quote

There does seem to be a fascination with vampires. Movies, books, and television shows.

Which actually makes it tougher to sell stories in that genre, unfortunately.

Quote

I live closer to New Orleans. I have never gotten bitten by a chigger, if I did, I don't remember :-)

I don't think you're missing much.

Orren

[Thoth]

jalayna43, on Jun 27 2010, 12:02 PM, said:

Good morning Thoth,
Thank you, I will definitely consider NaNoWriMo, I could use some help.

You're welcome Monica. But please note that even if you don't join NaNoWriMo you're allowed to use their Writer's Resources. They're very useful.

jalayna43, on Jun 27 2010, 12:02 PM, said:

I am currently reading a few books. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep-Philip K. Dick, and The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri, and
Women Who Run with Wolves-Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

Good choices! Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) is a seminal work. (Think Blade Runner, 1982.) Clarissa Pinkola Estés is a fascinating writer. Her parents couldn't read or write and she was raised in a purely oral tradition. It makes her writing style unique. I think you'll find that there is no shortage of Self-Help Writing books. I suspect that there are a lot of writers out there who have gained more success writing about writing than writing novels. (The same analogy hold true, I believe, for folks who write about investing or real estate.)

jalayna43, on Jun 27 2010, 12:02 PM, said:

I am originally from Louisiana. Yes near the Gulf. It is such a mess with the oil spill, it is sad to see once seafood places being shut down. It just seems to get worse by the day and I am not hopeful about the outcome.

Louisiana has been having the worst luck lately. There was a time back in the 80s when Ohio was largely under water and it barely made the news. People care about Louisiana.

jalayna43, on Jun 27 2010, 12:02 PM, said:

I am happy to be here, thank you.

And we are happy to have you.
Bonne chance.
- Thoth