Speaking Of Books....

[ZurdoDev]

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.

[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

[Ennis Ray Lynch Jr]

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

[Gregory Gadow]

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:

[Gregory Gadow]

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.

[mikepwilson]

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

[MacSpudster]

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

[Ravi Bhavnani]

+5 :thumbsup: /ravi

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

[Christopher Duncan]

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

[Christopher Duncan]

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

[Mycroft Holmes]

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

[ks_rayisa]

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

[Mike Winiberg]

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...

[Member 8969931]

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

[GenJerDan]

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.

[Lost User]

I've been involved in writing two books, neither was fiction so my experience may be different from what you are about to embark upon. The writing was hard enough, although cathartic. This process proved a saying I’d heard years before, “You don’t really know a subject until you teach it to someone else.” Getting the works through multiple rounds of editing was painful. Some of the editors were awesome, but others were not. Correcting an editing mistake for “rogue” (meaning rascal, scoundrel, etc.) which changed it to “rouge” (ferric oxide for polishing metal, or a red makeup, etc.) too far too long. Don’t count on spell checkers. Having gone through a publisher and gone the self-publishing route, there was far more freedom with self-publishing although you are assuming a lot more work for things like cover design and finding your own editors (friends are not editors, use a professional). With a publisher, these things were taken care of for you. Another valuable service a publisher provides is distribution, if you self-publish all distribution is up to you and you alone. Write for yourself; there’s no one else more worth writing for.

[BrainiacV]

Unless you plan to self publish, step number one is to get an agent. After that write some sample chapters and outline for him to shop around. Look around for some writer's groups and hopefully find one that has a published author leading it or lurking around it. Assuming you are a programmer, let me warn you of the culture shock you will probably find. Programmers like to share and collaborate, book authors tend to have raging egos that do not like to share and believe they possess an intellect unmatched by mortal man. Otherwise they wouldn't be writing books.

Psychosis at 10 Film at 11 Those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it. Those who do not remember the past, cannot build upon it.

[thomas michaud]

--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. I've seen a number of self-published authors put out stuff with lots of spelling and grammar issues. When you publish via a normal publisher, editors and proofreaders are automatically part of the process. However, getting someone to proofread/edit isn't hard. Friends will do it for free (usually). If you want a professional job, there are those on the internet that will do this for a small fee.

[B Clay Shannon]

If you mean self-publishing, it's easy - I've used lulu the most: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/blackbirdcraven[^]

[vaderjm]

To Quote the Late and Great Tom Clancy: “I do not over-intellectualise the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story.”

Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.