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  3. Speaking Of Books....

Speaking Of Books....

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  • K Kevin Marois

    I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

    If it's not broken, fix it until it is

    C Offline
    C Offline
    Colin Mullikin
    wrote on last edited by
    #5

    Kevin Marois wrote:

    murder mystery ... don't have the first clue

    Was this on purpose...? :suss: If so, well played, sir. :thumbsup:

    The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin

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    • K Kevin Marois

      I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

      If it's not broken, fix it until it is

      P Offline
      P Offline
      Pualee
      wrote on last edited by
      #6

      Write an outline so you don't get lost in the details. Fill in the outline just enough to make a short story. Fill in more details of the short story to make it a longer story.

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      • K Kevin Marois

        I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

        If it's not broken, fix it until it is

        P Offline
        P Offline
        Pete OHanlon
        wrote on last edited by
        #7

        Time for my eye test. I thought the heading was "Speaking of boobs".

        Chill _Maxxx_
        CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

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        • K Kevin Marois

          I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

          If it's not broken, fix it until it is

          M Offline
          M Offline
          Maximilien
          wrote on last edited by
          #8

          (self) publising is the easy part. Writing and accepting user feedback is the hard part; have someone read and re-read whatever you write down. Keep a notebook with you at all time; you will want to write down ideas as soon as you have them. Have a plan, make a small synopsis of the story; split the story into chapters and sub-chapters Describe the different characters, write their bio and personal history; describe the relation between them. (how is the killer related to the victim, what is the murderer modus operandi, ... ) Do research on the location and/or era of the book (is it now, in the past or in the future) Define the atmosphere of the book. ...

          I'd rather be phishing!

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          • K Kevin Marois

            I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

            If it's not broken, fix it until it is

            J Offline
            J Offline
            Jorgen Andersson
            wrote on last edited by
            #9

            Start with the research, you need to try out your idea and see if it works.

            Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES! Abraham Lincoln

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            • K Kevin Marois

              I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

              If it's not broken, fix it until it is

              Z Offline
              Z Offline
              ZurdoDev
              wrote on last edited by
              #10

              Quote:

              but I don't have the first clue how to start.

              Perhaps start off with a murder in the work break room. The victim has purple on their face and a broken mug of coffee on the ground next to them. It can only get better from there. :)

              There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

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              • K Kevin Marois

                I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                D Offline
                D Offline
                David Crow
                wrote on last edited by
                #11

                Here is insight from one author.

                "One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson

                "Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons

                "Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous

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                • K Kevin Marois

                  I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                  If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                  E Offline
                  E Offline
                  Ennis Ray Lynch Jr
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #12

                  I have never been published but I have been rejected. At least I got a response.

                  Need custom software developed? I do custom programming based primarily on MS tools with an emphasis on C# development and consulting. "And they, since they Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs" -- Robert Frost "All users always want Excel" --Ennis Lynch

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                  • K Kevin Marois

                    I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                    If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                    G Offline
                    G Offline
                    Gregory Gadow
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #13

                    How do you mean, "start"? Are you talking about how to start writing, or how to get published? Are you asking about things like plot structure and story arc, or how to motivate yourself to writing, or how to find an agent? Your best bet is to track down a writers coffee-klatch or support group, and actually speak with local authors. A lot depends on where you live: in the US Pacific Northwest, where I live, there are a great many resources that range from weekly "type and gripes" to annual conventions and workshops of international repute. If you live in Kansas or North Dakota, there will probably be fewer options. If nothing else, get a few issues of Writer's Digest magazine, it usually has good articles suitable for beginners. Or go to a bookstore and ask for the Writing shelves, there are a number of good books that will outline what you need to know. As one aspiring author to another, good luck!:thumbsup:

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                    • M Maximilien

                      (self) publising is the easy part. Writing and accepting user feedback is the hard part; have someone read and re-read whatever you write down. Keep a notebook with you at all time; you will want to write down ideas as soon as you have them. Have a plan, make a small synopsis of the story; split the story into chapters and sub-chapters Describe the different characters, write their bio and personal history; describe the relation between them. (how is the killer related to the victim, what is the murderer modus operandi, ... ) Do research on the location and/or era of the book (is it now, in the past or in the future) Define the atmosphere of the book. ...

                      I'd rather be phishing!

                      G Offline
                      G Offline
                      Gregory Gadow
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #14

                      Self-publishing is a very tricky business. Since your work does not go through the extensive editing and review that it would get by using a publishing house, it becomes very easy to put out work that has lots of misspellings and is grammatically sloppy. I've seen a number of otherwise good authors tank their careers because of that. Promotion can be a real challenge too: without a publishing house backing promo tours, bookmarks and other forms of advertisement, chances of building up an audience large enough to make a living at writing is very small.

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                      • K Kevin Marois

                        I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                        If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        mikepwilson
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #15

                        Rule #1: Writer's block is a lie. It's actually just laziness.

                        1 Reply Last reply
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                        • K Kevin Marois

                          I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                          If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                          M Offline
                          M Offline
                          MacSpudster
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #16

                          This dude was born. Then, many years later, he died mysteriously. Now fill in the details...

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                          • D David Crow

                            Here is insight from one author.

                            "One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson

                            "Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons

                            "Show me a community that obeys the Ten Commandments and I'll show you a less crowded prison system." - Anonymous

                            R Offline
                            R Offline
                            Ravi Bhavnani
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #17

                            +5 :thumbsup: /ravi

                            My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • K Kevin Marois

                              I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                              If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                              C Offline
                              C Offline
                              Christopher Duncan
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #18

                              Hi, Kevin. While I have a few books on the street, I tend to write non-fiction. However, after writing a screenplay for a sitcom I directed, I started thinking about writing fiction as well. The rules are different in that field, of course, so I've been reading a few books to get a feel for that style of writing. This is by far the best I've read. How To Write A Damn Good Novel[^] And at the risk of offering tired old advice, the most important thing is to just write. Like coding or any other creative pursuit, you'll get better and better at it. People love a good story, so have some fun and write one!

                              Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers (2nd ed, just released) Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living With Your Creativity (Due Nov 2013) The Career Programmer: Guerilla Tactics for an Imperfect World

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                              • P Pete OHanlon

                                Time for my eye test. I thought the heading was "Speaking of boobs".

                                Chill _Maxxx_
                                CodeStash - Online Snippet Management | My blog | MoXAML PowerToys | Mole 2010 - debugging made easier

                                C Offline
                                C Offline
                                Christopher Duncan
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #19

                                Dude. You're spending waaaay too much time in front of that computer. :-D

                                Christopher Duncan Author of Unite the Tribes: Leadership Skills for Technology Managers (2nd ed, just released) Have Fun, Get Paid: How to Make a Living With Your Creativity (Due Nov 2013) The Career Programmer: Guerilla Tactics for an Imperfect World

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                                • C Colin Mullikin

                                  Kevin Marois wrote:

                                  murder mystery ... don't have the first clue

                                  Was this on purpose...? :suss: If so, well played, sir. :thumbsup:

                                  The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Mycroft Holmes
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #20

                                  I'm glad someone else had that thought as well, from the other replies I thought maybe he was serious :-O

                                  Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH

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                                  • K Kevin Marois

                                    I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                                    If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                                    K Offline
                                    K Offline
                                    ks_rayisa
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #21

                                    lately, i fell in love with Homunculus. It's a manga, tells about trepanation. Just try create a character, a girl. She is not good with math and computer, like the one of his old friend did. She always thinks she is a dull, so that's why she wants to put some trepanation surgery when she was seeking an internet. She takes too seriously that trepanation could make someone become smart, but she got to obsessed with it. Then she become smart, more than smart. it will be a great opening though

                                    KTBFFH

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • K Kevin Marois

                                      I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                                      If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                                      M Offline
                                      M Offline
                                      Mike Winiberg
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #22

                                      Take a look at critters.org I've taken part both as a critic and a submitter. Provides a friendly and honest way of trying out your work and getting very useful feedback on it... Lots of tips about writing available too...

                                      1 Reply Last reply
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                                      • K Kevin Marois

                                        I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                                        If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                                        M Offline
                                        M Offline
                                        Member 8969931
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #23

                                        I've just started one and found this really helpful: http://www.theguardian.com/books/series/how-to-write-a-book-in-30-days[^] Good luck with it

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                                        • K Kevin Marois

                                          I have an idea for a murder mystery. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have the first clue how to start. Anyone here published? Can you offer some insight?

                                          If it's not broken, fix it until it is

                                          G Offline
                                          G Offline
                                          GenJerDan
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #24

                                          Story[^] Seriously. It won't tell you anything you don't already know, but it will make you realize you already know it, why it's true, and what to do about it. And/or go to www.zoetrope.com, sign up and write write write and read read read.

                                          YouTube and My Mu[sic], Films and Windows Programs, etc.

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