tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post6792793253317756375..comments2024-02-26T00:27:47.712-08:00Comments on Cross-Up: A Very Special (Deadly?!) PostVoltechhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01038586008627390463noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post-43129792120584699342014-09-08T21:38:25.588-07:002014-09-08T21:38:25.588-07:00Ah, I had a feeling you'd pop in eventually --...Ah, I had a feeling you'd pop in eventually -- as the voice of reason to my voice of, uh, hot dogs, I guess. I want to say "madness", but come on. That's a little on-the-nose, isn't it?<br /><br /><br />In any case? Yeah, I probably need to take a good, hard look at what needs to go. Historically my strength has been getting ALL OF THE WORDS on paper; the problems come in when it's time to start cutting them out. I'll have to think hard on what needs to stay and what needs to go (if anything, but I suspect there is). Still, I'd like to think that I've made things at least a LITTLE easier on myself than I have in the past. If nothing else, I don't need to cram in chapters to try and develop characters or events.<br /><br /><br />Seriously, man. Xrd'ing this story was practically a necessity. You don't even know.<br /><br /><br />Well, whatever. I should be able to sort things out...though looking at the totals of the fantasy epics you posted here, I have to wonder where I got my numbers from. <br /><br /><br />*checks bookmark*<br /><br /><br />Oh, I see. I guess my eyes glazed and I misread; LOTR weighs in at 473k altogether, not just the first book. So I was using the wrong point of reference this whole time. Uh, whoops.<br /><br /><br />Well. There's never been a more appropriate time to deploy this song.<br /><br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPqRBsXS0iQ<br /><br /><br /><br />Well, whatever. Thanks for the praise and the well-wishes. And the offer, by extension. I don't know how many times and how many ways I can say "I appreciate your input" before it actually takes on physical form and showers you with crystallized miracles, but until that day comes, all I can say is thanks.<br /><br /><br />Good luck on your end. Now excuse me while I go find a banana peel to slip on. For science -- or something.<br /><br /><br />Also, Kamen Rider is (also) too damn stronk. Just thought I'd leave on that note.Voltech44noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post-52664797444471776482014-09-08T12:00:34.259-07:002014-09-08T12:00:34.259-07:00First off, congratulations! Second off, 500k? ...First off, congratulations! Second off, 500k? Yikes. <br /><br />Real talk here. As someone that's been in your shoes. My first draft of my work in progress was 500k+. Once I got off the high of realizing I had something pretty good I poked through it, realizing it had a lot of content. About three or four books worth. <br /><br />The first thing you should do is figure out what happens in it. 500k is nothing to sneeze at, but you may be looking at only 100k of usable material. Usable is a harsh word, so let me clarify.<br /><br />Let me use Two Destroyers as an example. It has four POVs and when it comes down to it, it covers Derrek's arrival to Pange, the realization the sun is gonna blow up a city/the world and the resolution of this earth shattering kaboom. The other three POVs want to resolve the same issue but they each have their own personal conflict to endure and overcome.<br /><br />That's a lot of ground to cover in 120,000 words. <br /><br />Book one of LotR -- The Fellowship of the Ring: 187k<br /><br />Book one of A song of Ice and Fire -- A Game of Thrones: 298k<br /><br /><br /><br />See the issue? These are Fantasy Epics. If you've read either of these bad boys a lot happens. <br /><br /><br />My advice? Get in touch with what is accomplished in the book and what stops along the way need touched on. Let me know if my developmental stuff would help you organize those 500k words.<br /><br /><br />P.S. In Two Destroyers I 'used' about 200k of the 500k draft, but almost none of it ended up seeing the light of day. I almost completely rewrote the material and turned it into a 'bible' for the final product. Food for though. :)Eric R. Jacksonhttp://dimanagul.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post-66077639736805110092014-09-07T22:16:56.656-07:002014-09-07T22:16:56.656-07:00Given some of the stuff I've talked about here...Given some of the stuff I've talked about here on Cross-Up, I would be a filthy damn hypocrite if I let the first or even the second draft slip out into the world. Cripes, did I make some big mistakes there. But they've been pounded out with Dead on Prime, so I'm hoping that I won't have to do a fourth version of the story, because A) in spite of my fervor, I suspect that I literally can't start over again, and B) I want to move on to something that's even better. <br /><br /><br />Here's a fun fact: this story here was supposed to be the thing that got my foot in the door, and earned me the leeway to work on my dream project. So the fact that I'm still putzing around with some story about ghost-punching frustrates me...but I guess it'll be worth it in the end.<br /><br /><br />In any case, you and I aren't the only ones who've lamented the state of the entertainment industries. I've heard the theory that people buy into the lesser fare because even if it IS lesser fare, it's still catering to the basest desires and tastes. There's an audience and (shallow) success in doing that, even if it effectively costs a creator his soul. But there's a much BETTER audience out there when a work actually has...you know, WORK put into it. Call it "creative justice" if you will -- if only because it sounds freakin' cool.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, thanks for the well-wishes. I've still got some work to put into it, but for once I'm confident that it'll get there. Or somewhere in general. Likewise, good luck with things on your end. You can take it as far as you want, but the fact that you're willing to give it your best -- to try and right the wrongs you've perceived -- has to stand for something. No doubt about that.<br /><br /><br />"I'm not 100% sure what inspired you to write Dead on Prime"<br /><br /><br />It's because all my stories are built around certain themes and superpowers, and none of them (at the time) dealt with ghosts. That's pretty much the gist of it. Well, there is more that I can say, but I'll get to that another time.<br /><br /><br />Actually, I just remembered that I started doing blog posts on the shift from the earlier versions to Dead on Prime. I should probably get back to doing that again; it actually helped me out in a couple of spots. I don't know why I dropped it.<br /><br /><br />...But I'm going to blame Watch Dogs for it. You should, too.Voltech44noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6904713839696769313.post-32917461201536275322014-09-07T09:09:39.674-07:002014-09-07T09:09:39.674-07:00"I don’t remember the exact word count, but 5..."I don’t remember the exact word count, but 544K comes to mind here. Somewhere around 2800 MS Word pages, setting aside formatting needs."<br /><br />Damn. My Persona 3 fanfic is getting that long - word count-wise.<br /><br /><br /><br />I'm proud that you're working your ass off on Dead on Prime (or Time? lol). You really seem to want it done and out there to feel that you accomplished something, and maybe show others a thing or two about how hard work kicks the ass of cheap shots. The fact you went through three attempts at the same story is both overkill but very useful. Can't expect the first draft to go well, y'know?<br /><br /><br />After reading this, I'm re-reevaluating how I'm gonna finish my fanfic, as it's one draft (with extra Word doc with nearly 200 scrapped scenes) and I'm the only one working on it. You can be your own worst critic, and I've found myself debating on whether or not I should re-write everything to condense things, reduce repetition, and remove pointless details. A few times I have asked a friend to bounce ideas off of but otherwise this was a solo project. Dunno if your story is also a solo job, if it is, I wish you a ton of luck my friend. But again, at least you have three drafts of the story unlike my one.<br /><br /><br />Sorry if this turned out more of a me-centric comment, but I can relate and understand a bit of your dilemma about the state of things (gaming, entertainment in general). Hard work seems frowned upon and we're left wondering why the hell cheap, unimaginative crap gets all the glory and attention. We both don't want to run into the same pitfalls and cliches that are used to death and often don't consider any negative implications. I'm not 100% sure what inspired you to write Dead on Prime, but I know one reason I started my fanfic was to try to put in writing certain story elements that some people don't seem to get right. Is it arrogant of me to admit that I want to fix things? Probably. The story might not be great but at least I'm trying to put effort into it.<br /><br /><br />So again. You deserve a pat on the back for your extra effort. Keep at Dead on Prime, dude.Melanie Lightnoreply@blogger.com