The Adventurer's Guild [Creative Writing]

[Tormsskull]

Hi everyone,

I had a couple of ideas, follow with me and see if I am making any sense:


It is very difficult for a new writer to break their way into the mainstream.
Most people don't like to purchase books on faith, they'd much prefer being able to preview a book and then see if they like it.
People like free stuff.


So with those thoughts in mind, what about publishing a booklet of teasers, in .pdf format? The Adventurer's Guild is the first name I thought of since most people who might be interested in writing would probably want to write science fiction (guessing here).

The booklet would open with a brief explanation as to the purpose of the booklet, and then would start with the first story in the booklet. The author's name, titile of the piece, and perhaps e-mail or website where the reader can learn more about the writer would be listed. Then there would be an excerpt of a story. Maybe a chapter or 2 (depending on length).

Once enough excerpts were collected to make for a decently sized booklet, it would be converted into a .pdf and given away for free online.

What would this accomplish? Writers would be able to give a preview of whatever they are working on, or have finished, and then be able to provide the reader with a way to get ahold of them. If a writer got a lot of positive feedback about his passage, it might encourage him to move forward with it.

Anyhow, this is my initial idea. Anyone have any thoughts or ideas on this?

[MrEdwardNigma]

This is a brilliant idea, and it does happen sometimes that these kind of books are published, though often in relation to some kind of contest where the writers are competing with each other. Are you suggesting we make one of these booklets out of writings from people on Giantitp? If so, I hereby declare my interest. And I call dibs on the first page! :smallbiggrin:

[Tormsskull]

Are you suggesting we make one of these booklets out of writings from people on Giantitp?


That is precisely what I am suggesting. So here's the deal:

If you want to submit something to this, post it here or send me an e-mail [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]). Your submission should be proofread, edited for content, etc, and contain the name you want listed as the author, a title for your piece, an e-mail address when you can be contacted (if you choose), and a website link (if you choose). Once enough submissions are received, I'll put them all together in a .pdf file, send a copy to each author, and then spread it around to the general online public.

[Brickwall]

Well, if I do end up actually writing a novel, I'll be sure to keep this in mind.

[MrEdwardNigma]

So, what kind of stories would be expected? Short stories? Or the beginning of a bigger story?

[hyperfreak497]

I'm interested in this (I need something to regain my footing as a writer after I bombed my first round of IA through procrastination...) if there are enough other interested people. I've got the prologue and first few chapters to something I'm writing done, but it still needs to be brushed up (fleshed out, proofread, checked over by my various peer editors). How many stories do you need?

[Blayze]

I'm up for this. I've got a novel written, and any extra publicity can only help (As at the minute, I've sold nothing).

[rubakhin]

Cool. I'm in. Like everyone seems to at my age, I've got a novel, too.

^ what's your novel about?

[Tormsskull]

To answer some questions/comments:



Well, if I do end up actually writing a novel, I'll be sure to keep this in mind.


That seems like a daunting task, doesn't it? But remember that this is a collection of teasers, so in theory, your novel wouldn't have to be 100% complete. In fact, wouldn't it be quite motivating to have readers send you an e-mail saying that they can't wait to read the rest of your story?



So, what kind of stories would be expected? Short stories? Or the beginning of a bigger story?


Either or. A teaser would generally be a portion of a larger work, as a way of interesting readers in purchasing your novel. But a short story could do the same to entice readers into looking for other works with your name on it.



How many stories do you need?


At least 3 or 4 I think, but the more the better. I'd like to have 6 or 7 stories in truth. I plan on submitting one, and I have 1 other submission so far (as soon as I download Open Office and check it out that is). I'm going to talk to one of the authors I am currently working with and see if I can use an excerpt from one of his books and put it in there too.

In other words, plenty of space left available.

[Blayze]

and I have 1 other submission so far (as soon as I download Open Office and check it out that is)

Yeah, sorry about that. :P I don't have access to Word.

[MethodicalMeat]

This sounds promising, I've got a novel I'm working on and a short sort of intro into the world and the characters. It's a short story, so I'd like to submit that, now I just have to find it...

[Elvaris]

At the moment I fall into the "interested with no novel" category, though Nanowrimo may change that (although it hasn't the last two tries...)

Question: Hard SF? Soft SF? Fantasy? All of the above? None of the above?

[hyperfreak497]

I guess I fall in the same category as Elvaris. I already have a beginning, middle, and end to my book, I just need to put it on paper. I only have about five chapters done, and it's shaping up to be about 20 in the first draft.

[Tormsskull]

This sounds promising, I've got a novel I'm working on and a short sort of intro into the world and the characters. It's a short story, so I'd like to submit that, now I just have to find it...

Sounds great.



At the moment I fall into the "interested with no novel" category, though Nanowrimo may change that (although it hasn't the last two tries...)

Question: Hard SF? Soft SF? Fantasy? All of the above? None of the above?


Hehe, I'm all excited about Nanowrimo myself.

As far as what type of genre, I think we should stick with Science Fiction (which is pretty flexible). That way there is at least a general theme to the overall package.



I guess I fall in the same category as Elvaris. I already have a beginning, middle, and end to my book, I just need to put it on paper. I only have about five chapters done, and it's shaping up to be about 20 in the first draft.


Based on how many entries I receive, I may only need 5 to 10 pages per author. If we get 5 entries at 10 pages each, we're looking at a 50 page .pdf. I'd say that's decently sized for a collection of teasers.

Also, I am very open to suggestions/ideas from everyone, so if you have any please feel free to share.

[rubakhin]

As far as what type of genre, I think we should stick with Science Fiction (which is pretty flexible). That way there is at least a general theme to the overall package.


Eh, I'm probably out, then. I've written only two SF stories in my long and miserable life, one to amuse a girl of mine and the other for an anthology. I did recently begin a satirical novella that takes place in the year 2147, but it's about as SF as Mayakovsky's Bedbug.

I could write something SF specifically for the .pdf, but it wouldn't be representative of my usual output. Which defeats the purpose, yeah?

[Blayze]

I think we should stick with Science Fiction (which is pretty flexible)

Mine's a fantasy story where science and logic rule. Does that count? :P

If not, then I'll have to grab myself a Pro Plus and a Relentless and go at a couple of ideas I currently have floating around the place.

[purepolarpanzer]

I'd be interested in this, but is it possible to have science fiction and fantasy? I bet alot of people would prefer this.

[Tormsskull]

I'd be interested in this, but is it possible to have science fiction and fantasy? I bet alot of people would prefer this.


Most definitely!

I'm using Science Fiction as a very general term. Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Space, Aliens, etc. Anything that remotely fits in there should be good.

I just want some kind of a general theme for it. I wouldn't want like a section of poems, then a murder/mystery, then 2 fantasy stories, as an example.

Maybe I'm using the term wrong, but the Science Fiction bookclub is why I was thinking of the general term "Science Fiction". And they basically sell everything from Robert Jordan to Star Wars to romance type setting with a sci-fi twist (vampires or lycanthropes involved as an example).

Great question since I probably confused other people with that term.

[Lord Iames Osari]

I'm interested. I have a couple chapters of a fantasy novel I could send in, once I do a bit of rewriting.

[Blayze]

Excellent. It's just that when I think Science Fiction, I think "Captain, I appear to have divided by zero" and lasers. :P

[MrEdwardNigma]

So, when do we send our stores in, in what form, and how will we know you won't steal 'em?:smallbiggrin:

[Tormsskull]

So, when do we send our stores in, in what form, and how will we know you won't steal 'em?:smallbiggrin:

You can send your stories in whenever, to the e-mail I listed in the OP, or you can post them here (which would should you had created them first), and I can copy paste them.

About stealing, I don't intend to, but I don't see how I can show that to you. Again, maybe post them here which will show that they are your original creations?

[The Neoclassic]

It sounds like a cool idea, but if you're going to publish, may I throw in my nit-picky comment? I'd recommend making it "The Adventurers' Guild", since your current placement of the apostrophe means that it is the property of a single adventurer rather than a collective of them.

[hyperfreak497]

THREAD RESSURECTION!!!

Unfortunately, that was ressurection, not true ressurection, so this thread owes me a page of experience. However, it has not advanced to its second page of experience yet, so instead it owes me the soul of one of its posters.

But, seriously, what happened? I'm still working on mine (I just recently got incredibly inspired, leading me to check back with this thread), but what about everybody else? I think I'm going to finish mine as my unofficial NaNoWriMo contribution (although it won't be entirely written in November...).

[Blayze]

I'm still interested. It's good to know that I'm not the only one who wondered about what happened to this topic.

[Sir *TIM!!!!!!*]

New to this forum, but I would be interested in this. I have an opening chapter/intro written up already, which is posted in this section of the forums (Dogs Of War). This seems like a great idea, maybe it should be sectioned off somewhat (i.e. have Starships and Space in one section, Swords and Sorcery in another, etc.)

[hyperfreak497]

"Starships and Space" would be sci-fi, "Swords and Sorcery" would be fantasy, just to let you know.

I started reading Dogs of War; it shows promise, but I haven't finished, so I'll decline to comment yet.

Tormskull, should I post just the bit that I want in the publication, or the whole thing?

By the way, Tim, welcome to the boards! If you're as interested in writing as you seem, maybe you should check out Iron Author. It could be quite awhile before the next one starts, but it's a lot of fun.

[FoE]

When would you need these by?

[Sir *TIM!!!!!!*]

hyperfreak- Good to know it's not a piece of crap and that I didn't make a hughe mistake by posting it. Thank you for the welcome to the boards by the way. I've already looked at Iron Author, and it looks fun, but it really isn't my type of thing, I prefer to be able to write without a strict time/word limit. Maybe once I develop a bit more.