It sounds like you have an abundance of material that is ready to burst into stories! I'm particularly interested in the ideas for your Empire series. My actual professional/academic background is in international politics and international development, with a heavy emphasis on post-war...
This actually doesn't sound weird to me at all- I experience writing very similarly. I think for me it's kind of an iterative process...the seed of the story is very much like a stranger that comes to me seemingly out of the blue (I love this analogy you use!). This can come in the form of an...
That's very encouraging Russ! I love the phrase "outrageous pantser" :D Speaking of Stephen King, I wonder what his process is...I have his book On Writing but have not had a chance to read it yet.
I see...did you discuss with other authors in the series at all?
I write very similarly on an...
I was not aware of the genre fiction programs! Very interesting. I still don't like the idea of the hard line between the two, or having to choose one versus the other, but I'm glad to know those are out there.
Great things to keep in mind, thanks!
That is incredible! So it sounds like you are in a continuous cycle of planning and writing, planning and writing...is that right? How many books in your series so far?
This response made me really happy :D So, it can be done! Non-planners can write a series and survive! This gives me hope :)...
Oh wow! Are you planning to get back to your epic series at some point?
I feel like I've been writing in a similar way in some sense, although I'm less of a planner...as I write I get ideas, both for things within the same book (things that I can add in/change before where I am in the story...
I hadn't heard of Clarion, so will have to look into that one! Geographic location is a great point...I like what I've heard about Odyssey, but of course it would be easier and more practical if I found something closer to Washington, D.C. where I live. I'll do some research for sure.
I'm...
All great points! That's my biggest fear with a series- writing myself into a corner where later I have a great idea, but I haven't laid the groundwork to explore it. I like your idea of having multiple interesting things you could potentially tease out as the series goes on. I also don't like...
I'm curious for those who write novel series, to what extent do you plan out your series, and/or how do you go about planning? For example, if you anticipate writing, say, a four-book series, do you plan and outline all four books before you begin writing? Or do you just have a basic idea of...
Hi all! I hope I created this thread in the right area! I am curious as to whether anyone here has applied to or attended the Odyssey Workshop for fantasy fiction? A friend mentioned it to me and I was curious to learn more. It's a six-week intensive workshop, though I see on their site they...
Thanks so much for the encouragement noob :) And it definitely helps to hear that others, by hook or by crook, are getting it done. I do feel like I'm learning all the time with this thing they call writing, and revising my first draft feels like the next big step (or little step!) on that journey.
That's amazing A.E.! What a story...it warms my heart :)
I feel like being here is already having a positive effect on me- I'm really glad I found this community!
Those both sound like great ideas. I do have a sort of very messy list, but I should go through it and organize it as a first...
This is something I'm afraid of actually...that I'll start out feeling like I know what changes need to be made, then as I start to make them I'll realize that those changes mean a whole bunch of related changes that I hadn't planned for, and that the task will quickly spiral into something that...
Thanks Nimue, I will check this out! The person who wrote in the question sounds very similar to me. Thanks for your good wishes- it's taken me a long time to get to this stage and I'm not out of the woods yet! I definitely empathize with the rut. Maybe the community here can help pull you out!
I think that's why I wanted to start this conversation, and why it feels really helpful to hear what you all have to say. I really didn't even know where to begin, so it's great seeing what works (or doesn't work!) for other people, to give me some ideas for how I might try to go about this...