| Whoa, shit. |
[01 Nov 2004|11:02am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
increasingly terrified, actually |
] |
If you just look at this journal and not my ranting at OMC -- oh ye thrillerites -- then you won't know that a romance writer was severely fucked under the terms of the patriot act for doing terror-related research for a novel.
Go here for a look: http://www.livejournal.com/users/oldmotherchaos/46259.html
Obvious, given that I'm currently researching a book that includes gang crime and links to past terrorists, I'm suddenly rather fucking scared.
This is not good.
Have I used the word "Jackboots" yet?
Thanks to Joey for the heads-up.
|
|
| Up and running |
[19 Oct 2004|04:55pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 excited |
] |
My first financed month starts *now*. WOOO! I'm well excited.
As I mentioned in my last post, I've spent the last week trying on concepts and outlines. I now have a first rough outline for the book, which has gone out to all the investors for a look-see. I can't really put it here openly, but it should be a reasonable foundation. It does need some tinkering and a bit more hard thought, but it's got a bit of bite to it, which is really encouraging.
My goal for this week is to put in that hard thought and tinkering, and to finalise a firm outline I'm happy to commit to.
|
|
| First notes on thriller structure |
[14 Oct 2004|02:23pm] |
Following on from Campbell's mythic model, a typical rough structure of a thriller could be skeletoned as:
1. Hero on another successful mission.
2. Hero asked to get Antagonist (doubt; mind change).
3. Hero finding a Helper.
4. Hero preparing for hunt.
5. Hero in a new place (often Antagonist's locale).
6. Tests by Antagonist's Helpers (Hero winning).
7. Tests by Antagonist (Hero winning).
8. Antagonist's capture of Hero - Hero near death.
9. Hero escaping.
10. Pursuit of Hero by Antagonist.
11. Hero's victory over Antagonist.
12. Final status of Hero.
Note that sections 5 through 8 here are typically the bulk of the book.
Successful recent thrillers generally have had a number of factors in common. These include:
* A series hero who readers can identify with
* Memorable secondary characters
* Hidden villains
* Lots of intrigue and plot twists (even really dumb ones seem fine)
* Staying personal in scope -- ie the story stays tight around the hero, rather than branching off in a big, epic international story
* Interesting expertise and/or depiction of semi-hidden official methods, processes or technology
None of that should really be any surprise, if you ever look at thrillers, but it is useful to codify. I _was_ interested to note that overt villains and broad stories are both out of vogue at the moment -- people seem to be more interested in other people right now.
|
|
| Daily update |
[12 Oct 2004|06:58pm] |
|
OK, I've now been through a dazzling array of successful thrillers in broad detail, and a hand-picked bunch in serious depth. I've isolated a couple of useful elements that I wasn't entirely clear on before. My task for the next few days is going to be to start sketching out the rough shape of a plot. I'll check back in here when I've got some ideas down...
|
|
| Peacock Garden kicks off! |
[11 Oct 2004|02:42pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
excited |
] |
Today marks the start of The Peacock Garden project. I'm out of my cubicle and back at the my own console, and thoroughly excited to be getting everything back underway.
This week's goal is to examine a few aspects of recent major fast-sellers that I want to swot up on, and then come up with three alternate broad plot directions that fit the story I roughly want to tell.
Today, specifically, has been investigatory.
Interesting fact of the day: in 2002, 30% of the top 100 fast-selling books were thrillers.
|
|
| Update: various projects |
[05 Oct 2004|07:42am] |
Now that I'm finally on my way out of Cubetopia, I'm getting back to being organised with my writing. Thank God. I have seriously missed it...
I've got several things on the go at the moment.
* Hoodwink -- the fantasy novel this Journal is named for :) A partial is out with a New York agent, although he's had it a while, and I'm not hopeful of actually hearing anything much from him. I should at least get it to TOR or something.
* The Peacock Garden -- the working title of a thriller I'm in the process of incubating. Development on it starts in earnest next week, when my six-month investment funding/patronage for the project kicks in. I'm really excited about this.
* Xaime -- a sci-fi RPG sourcebook for the game SLA Industries, which I am in the process of finishing up.
* Witches -- a pitch (requested by Carlton Books) for a sequel to 'Wizards', a non-fic book I did for them a couple of years ago that's done rather well.
* The War Machine -- a proposal (requested by a Brit publisher) for pulpy sci-fi novel based on a British comic line.
* Untitled -- a few assorted proposals for tie-in novels lodged & under consideration by a couple of RPG companies.
Obviously, given that I am accepting funding to that effect, I am going to be concentrating almost exclusively on The Peacock Garden for the next six months. As Hoodwink has to be on the back-burner for that time, I'll post Peacock Garden notes here instead for a while...
|
|
| How I got into this mess |
[20 Aug 2004|05:01pm] |
I posted this ramble as a comment in a friend's journal before it occurred to me that it might -- just might -- be of some sort of interest here.
So here ya go.
The story of how I got into writing.
---
I was lucky. Suspiciously so, actually. Writing professionally snuck up on me long before I got the guts up to write for myself.
My tutor at university was approached by a publisher to help research a ghost book for a pittance. She said no, but knew I was broke, and knew my essay writing style got positive comments, so passed them to me. That gave me leverage to get given an interview to do for the London Student newspaper (Terry Pratchett, of all people!), which in turn led a mate to pass my name to a family friend who needed someone to dash out cheap non-fiction direct-marketing books...
... cutting it short a bit, that work gave me enough of a history to swing a couple of pitches for more serious non-fic work -- guides for a game produced by a company I'd worked for (Alright, alright, it was Magic: The Gathering). The guides swung me a job full-time as an editor, and part-time work writing for RPGs. That's straying into speculative fiction territory, and some of the RPG work included short stories. By this point, my publication history legitimately carried 60+ items. One of the RPG companies decided to use me for an entirely in-character artifact (the diary of a mad visionary), and that actually worked really well. It's still the piece I'm closest to being happy with, I think. Then when the same publisher got let down at the 11th hour for a novella (the 11th segment in a 13-book story arc, ouch), the diary piece swung it for me. They liked the novella enough to give me a trilogy the following year, which brings me more or less up to date.
I got to the end of the trilogy worn out and mildly traumatised (it was a hellish year for many reasons), but having discovered that yes, I could write a novel. In fact, I could write three of them while also dealing with a whole shitstorm of life stuff, and while they aren't high art -- 3 novels in 16 months didn't leave time for that! -- the target audience seemed to like them (the first one has sold out).
Somewhere along the way, I picked up the confidence to admit to myself that yeah, actually I'm not all that bad at this lark. That was quite a surprise for me.
I am finding though that it's hard to maintain the discipline to write when it's for myself. It's a lot easier for me to write when it's the way I pay the rent than it is when I get home so drained I can barely talk...
I have many Evil Plans(tm) hatching to get back behind a keyboard of my own full time. I guess though that my acid test is going to be whether I can keep at it anyway, despite being exhausted, despite having a hundred other things I have to do, despite having no guarantees that the time and effort will fetch any reward, just because I've realised that I really, really need to.
In many ways, it's like being cast back to the beginning, having done the middle. That's the price I pay for my leg up, I suppose!
|
|
| It's Guess The Image time :) |
[19 Aug 2004|04:30pm] |
The last week has been a wash-out -- it was my father's 60th birthday on Sunday, and both he and my brother descended on Prague to celebrate. I haven't done a thing :)
In lieu of any developments, I'm offering up a snippet from the book -- any guesses as to the newcomer's image?!
Some time later, Willan became aware of another presence. He opened his eyes. A tall, cleanly handsome man stood in front of him, smiling pleasantly. He was an odd sight. His clothes were cut to an exotic pattern from some sheer, dark wool. A white under-tunic was visible in places, and there was a red slash running down from his neck. The outfit seemed both very simple and highly complex at the same time — it was undoubtedly very expensive. The hair was short, folded over his head in an unfamiliar style. It was difficult to tell in the dim light, but his face looked smooth and tanned, accentuating the gleaming whiteness of his teeth. Strangely, something seemed to be missing.
|
|
|
[10 Aug 2004|12:55pm] |
In the process of frantically preparing the pitch I mentioned over at  oldmotherchaos, I compiled a list of review excerpts that I've had for various bits and pieces. I know it's cheesy as all hell, but I figured I'd slap it up here to remind myself, in dark moments, that at least a few people think my work is OK :)
Some other -- more amusing -- bits from the pitch are going up Friends Only *grin*.
Hoodwink
"Well and intelligently written."
– John Jarrold, The Script Doctor
"Quality writing... highly inventive."
– Robin Wade, RWLA
Earlier Projects
"Slave Ring is an exceptional novel, with interesting characters, and even more interesting juxtapositions. It will have you reaching for the release schedule to find out when The Overseer is released."
– The British Fantasy Society on Slave Ring
"I was drawn into this book from the beginning... This is probably the best compliment I can give a book."
– SF Site on Slave Ring
"I just couldn't put this book down."
– The Dungeon Fiction Review on Slave Ring
"This story drew me in from the beginning... I tried to pick another vampire book up after reading this one, but it seemed to pale in comparison."
– Midnight Reviews on Slave Ring
"...written by the esteemed Tim Dedopulos, who delivers as usual. If he's guilty of any crime in this work, it's of not making it longer."
– RPGnet on Apocrypha
"A good job."
– RPG United on Glass Walkers
|
|
| Quickie update |
[07 Aug 2004|07:06pm] |
Been revising fairly heavily recently, trying to polish as much as possible.
In the end, I axed the passage I was asking for opinions about a few posts ago. It didn't fit well enough with the feel of the book. I expanded the chapter a bit instead, and I think it's stronger for it.
I've been challenged to write a couple of sci-fi shorts, with dangled carrot of a possible six-month patronage to develop a novel about the singularity, so Hoodwink may slip back a notch for a bit.
A partial is currently out with Rich Henshaw in New York, and I'm waiting for Simon Spanton at Gollancz to get back to me re: taking him up on an offer he made me a few years ago to read any fantasy pitch I developed *grin*. All wishes of luck appreciated, as always :)
|
|
| Chocks away! |
[27 Jul 2004|10:29pm] |
Hoodwink is now out with two more agencies -- Rich Henshaw Group in New York, who were expecting it, and Robin Wade Literary Agency in London, who were not.
*fingers crossed*.
|
|
| Hmm |
[19 Jul 2004|09:20am] |
Got a rejection from the agent in London this morning. He was fairly positive about it -- described the manuscript as "well and intelligently written", and said he had no editorial comments to make. The reason he gave for not taking it on was that it just didn't quite excite him enough. That's sort of thing is purely a matter of taste, and it's impossible to legislate for -- that's one of the main reasons finding an agent is so hit and miss. He didn't seem to have any objections to the manuscript being a partial sample rather than a finished novel, which was a relief. He also encouraged me to send other stuff to him if I develop any, and said he'd put me on his list of candidates for 'work-for-hire' contracts -- he also acts as a licensing agent for computer game properties, and when he sells computer-game tie in novels to a publisher, they often need an author for the project too. So I guess he really can't have objected to the quality of my work that much... Even so, it's still a bit of a blow.
Ah well.
The next targets in my sights are an agent in New York who has agreed to take a look; and a publisher in London who I've sent stuff to before.
|
|
| The News Is There Is No News :) |
[03 Jul 2004|12:06pm] |
No word yet from the agenty chap. I've had my head full of my new job-in-a-cube, so I haven't written anything either. So progress and development on Hoodwink over the last week has been zero! Fascinating, huh...
To make up for it, I'm going to post another little chunk of the MSS, and ask for your feedback on it :)
|
|
| Public vs Private |
[28 Jun 2004|02:02pm] |
|
When I post bits of fiction here -- as I just did -- they are going to be friends-only for reasons that should be obvious. If you want me to friend you so you can see, comment any post and I'll add you.
|
|
| The story so far... |
[27 Jun 2004|04:19pm] |
Hi. I'm Tim, and I'm a professional writer. Last year I did a trilogy of horror novels; I'm now working on a fantasy -- the subject of this journal.
I've been playing with Hoodwink as an idea for a couple of years now. My aim is to get away from as many tired fantasy cliches as possible, and turn out an action-packed story that's going to be a bit more inventive than the norm, a little dark around the edges maybe but never depressing, and above all fun to read. I'm kinda tired of fantasy having to mean elves and dragons and moody heroes describing themselves as they gaze into a mirror. My favourite authors are all a little more inventive than that -- think people like Roger Zelazny, Susan Cooper, William Gibson, Thomas Ligotti and early Sheri Tepper.
Anyway, I took a month or two earlier in the year to work out a synopsis and decent outline, wrote three sample chapters and a bunch of supporting material, and approached a slew of agents. The sample is with an agent at the moment, and there are two more waiting in the wings for a look.
Keep your fingers crossed for me!
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
|
|
|
|
