Favorite Books

[Ungtar]

Do any of you write?

[Maetha]

Do any of you write?

I started several novels, and I've written fanfiction before. My muse is so fickle and unfriendly that I never finish anything, though.

[Ungtar]

Do any of you write?

I started several novels, and I've written fanfiction before. My muse is so fickle and unfriendly that I never finish anything, though.

Can't rely on the muse. The muse is supposed to just show up and give you ideas. The rest of it is HARD WORK that you have to do.

I write science fiction/science books for young adults. It's lucrative enough to keep us fed (but not much more). Always hoping to get nominated for some award and hit the big time but so far no. Newberry is not knocking on my door.

[Danik]

I write science fiction/science books for young adults. It's lucrative enough to keep us fed (but not much more). Always hoping to get nominated for some award and hit the big time but so far no. Newberry is not knocking on my door.

Would you be comfortable sharing the name of some of your books?

[Maetha]

Do any of you write?

I started several novels, and I've written fanfiction before. My muse is so fickle and unfriendly that I never finish anything, though.

Can't rely on the muse. The muse is supposed to just show up and give you ideas. The rest of it is HARD WORK that you have to do.

I write science fiction/science books for young adults. It's lucrative enough to keep us fed (but not much more). Always hoping to get nominated for some award and hit the big time but so far no. Newberry is not knocking on my door.

The issue is, I get to writing and don't know where the story should go. Then I lose my interest because it's honestly a real struggle to do more than flounder forward.

Of the novels I started / brainstormed:
A young German teen commits suicide, and discovers himself as a ghost- watches the effects of his actions and discovers the things he didn't know in life. (Kind of a thriller / drama novel)
A period piece on a French fantasy town about a man who lost his wife and child to the witch-hunts taking in a young woman (also a witch) as a maid and falling in love with her- alongside his experiments with necromancy and occultism which he uses to bring a young girl back to "life" to act as a surrogate daughter. (Fantasy "Horror/Romance" novel)
A sci-fi fantasy novel focused in the year 2025, kind of inspired by MechWarrior / Armored Core in that it's based around the business of mechanoid warfare in space- with Earth trying to retake the "liberated" colonies of space- following an older gentleman who is considered one of the best- and was around for when the colonies declared independence from "the tyranny of Earth."
A fantasy novel following a dragon and his machinations controlling an entire country- alongside his dalliances with the Princess and the nature of good and evil as both a provider and puppetmaster.

[Ungtar]

I write science fiction/science books for young adults. It's lucrative enough to keep us fed (but not much more). Always hoping to get nominated for some award and hit the big time but so far no. Newberry is not knocking on my door.

Would you be comfortable sharing the name of some of your books?

In a PM, sure. I don't want the googlebots picking it up and then when readers research my work they find my postings here.

[Ungtar]

The issue is, I get to writing and don't know where the story should go. Then I lose my interest because it's honestly a real struggle to do more than flounder forward.

Outline the book as soon as the idea hits. All the story arc(s) get put down. Then when you start doing the grunt work, the ideas are captured.

It's work. The butt-in-the-chair-writing work is the most crucial to a writer. The world is FILLED with unrealized talent ... half-written bestsellers, beautiful symphonies left unheard, and magnificent paintings that exist only as a sketch on a napkin.

I put about 1-2 hours into it every day. It's my job. I don't go to an office or a factory or anything ... I sit down at the keyboard, log off of FK, and hammer out the storyline.

[dolifer]

I do short stories, mostly sci-fi horror and fantasy... Lovecraft, maybe my favorite author over any other, is a huge influence on my topics and style. Yeah, a little cliché, but at least I don't try to copy every last thing he does.

And I have to admit... I do a lot of academic essays and papers... Just for the fun of it. I'm so into philosophy it makes my GF want to pound my skull into a fine powder sometimes. Various sciences, maths, and classics studies are some of my other favorites to research/write on.

Nothing published, though. It's all for my own amusement and that of whoever feels like suffering my writing. I've always felt that writing for one's self is so much nicer than doing it for others, as when, fe, I took a fictional writing class here at FSU and completely butchered everything they had me do, because it just wasn't fun for whatever reason.

Ungtar, I'd also love to get a few titles of yours if possible! Always looking for new things to occupy me during those sad, sad times when I'm not on FK.

[Ungtar]

I tend to read both fiction and non-fiction as the day progresses. I'm all over the place in tastes and interests.

You should consider the world of self-publishing. Seriously. I tried for over 20 years the traditional model where you sent your stuff in and wait for the rejections. I had a few short stories published in Europe in the 90's but nothing really solid.

Then my wife and I switched over to self-publishing for our works. Both Amazon and Lulu have good models for that. I'm not exactly rolling in cash, but I make enough now to not have to have any other job.

[Maetha]

I tend to read both fiction and non-fiction as the day progresses. I'm all over the place in tastes and interests.

You should consider the world of self-publishing. Seriously. I tried for over 20 years the traditional model where you sent your stuff in and wait for the rejections. I had a few short stories published in Europe in the 90's but nothing really solid.

Then my wife and I switched over to self-publishing for our works. Both Amazon and Lulu have good models for that. I'm not exactly rolling in cash, but I make enough now to not have to have any other job.

I looked into that, but the honest killer for me is that you have to register as an LLC unless you actively "own" a business for writing books so you can be taxed appropriately. And I have no clue at all the safety or work to deal with all of that jazz.

[Ami]

My favourite set of books in the fantasy genre is a series called the Young Wizards, by Diane Duane. The books are all based around the concept of wizardry as a way of delaying the eventual death of the universe for as long as possible.

Duane turns The Art into a language, and in the manner of a great linguist, a powerful wizard can unravel and reweave the world around them, always in the cause of Life. Highly recommended.

The other book which taught me about the need for Evil in a setting is called 'Villains by Necessity' by Eve Forward. The world has been taken over by the forces of good, and without a plucky band of villains, it will end up being burned in a saccharine-sweet holocaust as the world slips into what I imagine is the positive material plane.

Those books are my favourite, but if you want to learn about Forgotten Realms, nothing can beat old AD&D 2nd edition sourcebooks. I've read my sourcebooks so much that the bindings are breaking on my favourites. I think I have something like a hundred of the bloody things in my collection.

Good luck finding all you want to find!

[Danik]

I looked into that, but the honest killer for me is that you have to register as an LLC unless you actively "own" a business for writing books so you can be taxed appropriately. And I have no clue at all the safety or work to deal with all of that jazz.

I'm pretty sure you could just register yourself as sole proprietor for tax purposes. I think it costs about $15 to get a number/licence. Also if you're not making a bunch of money you can just include it as a hobby income and deduct hobby expenses. I"m not an expert (yet) but taxes for something like this shouldn't be difficult. A quick talk with a tax preparer should clear any questions up.

[Maetha]

I looked into that, but the honest killer for me is that you have to register as an LLC unless you actively "own" a business for writing books so you can be taxed appropriately. And I have no clue at all the safety or work to deal with all of that jazz.

I'm pretty sure you could just register yourself as sole proprietor for tax purposes. I think it costs about $15 to get a number/licence. Also if you're not making a bunch of money you can just include it as a hobby income and deduct hobby expenses. I"m not an expert (yet) but taxes for something like this shouldn't be difficult. A quick talk with a tax preparer should clear any questions up.

I've never done my own taxes- literally up to this point I've never even had enough to -claim- taxes. So I have no honest clue how any of it works- I was very sheltered and not taught how to do much of anything. And for all that people tell me I'm intelligent- I continually have no clue what people are talking about or how to do things.

[Ungtar]

Take a wee bit of cash to a tax preparer and ask them some questions. Or research it online. I'm not going to say American tax code is "easy" because it's not.

However it can be managed. The publisher of digital or print takes out most of the appropriate taxes before I ever see a check and I'm nowhere big enough yet to have to do much else. As far as the government is concerned it's just hobby money.

If Disney calls tomorrow and wants to buy movie rights then I'll go pay an actual lawyer to set up whatever I need.

[Yemin]

Solution. Move to England.
.... Done
Harry lives there

[Ungtar]

If I could move to the "All Creatures Great and Small" England I would in a heartbeat.

[Lirith]

It's no better here to be honest! Self-assessment is the devil.

[Ungtar]

It's no better here to be honest! Self-assessment is the devil.

I have considered moving to Guatemala. It's easy to move to, land is cheap, and there's plenty of remote places. Crime is a factor, but we've got that here in the Comancheria as well. Plus an equatorial growing season is ... outstanding. Picking bananas right off the tree? Walk down to the ocean and go fishing?

Heaven.

Ah well. Maybe when Disney calls.

[Yemin]

Can anyone suggest any FR novels that have Sun, Moon, wood elves or any elf in good standing with Corellon at all as the main character or as one of the main characters?

I usually use novels as my resource to find stuff out. The FR wiki is kinda ok but it doesn't really have a lot on things like funerary rights, marriages, Blood fudes, What elf friend actually means. How Corellon interacts with the eldarin lords since in the one Novel I read with an Eldarin main character they do have their own domains and royalty in the feywild, so on and so forth...

[Aishe]

Can anyone suggest any FR novels that have Sun, Moon, wood elves or any elf in good standing with Corellon at all as the main character or as one of the main characters?

I usually use novels as my resource to find stuff out. The FR wiki is kinda ok but it doesn't really have a lot on things like funerary rights, marriages, Blood fudes, What elf friend actually means. How Corellon interacts with the eldarin lords since in the one Novel I read with an Eldarin main character they do have their own domains and royalty in the feywild, so on and so forth...

For elven stuff (even if it's based around a half-elf) I like Elaine Cunningham's series featuring Arylin Moonblade. Elfshadow covers lots about interaction between races, Silver shadows features wood elves and more.