I'm a hack (and slash) author.

[RangerWickett]

If Joss Whedon wrote novels, I'd read them.

I'm writing this story not as an adventure story (though it is that, because you can't stay unemployed forever), but as a character story where the characters happen to be larger than life heroes. It's sort of a tongue-in-cheek, semi-serious story that pokes fun at the state of fantasy. Also, they say write what you know, and I've been having trouble finding a job, and I play in D&D games a lot.

I read a novel every month or so nowadays. I got into the habit of not reading fiction on my own during college, when most of my time was devoted to reading assignments or the fiction of my fellow Creative Writing majors. Now I live half a block from a library, but I don't go there very often.

The last three things I read:

Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
Snowcrash - Neal Stephenson
Pattern Recognition - William Gibson

All of them were entertaining. I enjoyed the writing styles, and the settings. I didn't like Perdido Street Station's ending.

Before that? I read The Prydain Chronicles over Christmas and loved it, but kids literature is easier to read. Started Game of Thrones but thought it was too stuffy and slow after 150 pages; not bad, but not entertaining enough for me. Reread The Mote in God's Eye and enjoyed it a bit more than the last time. Before that? Whoo? I think it was Elaine Cunningham's "Windwalker," third in the Liriel Baenre storyline. It was okay, but I didn't like the ending.

I've seen more movies in that time than I've read books. Really, though, I want to spend more time writing, and I tend to get distracted by internet and TV.

Why am I writing the story? Because it entertains me, and I want it to entertain others. Heck, does anyone want to take a read?

 

[Wild Gazebo]

takyris : LOL...sorry. The paper really messed me up...otherwise I would have left it.

 

[Jupp]

My professor, Jim Grimsley? He writes sci-fi and fantasy. Though interestingly, the page that tells who he is at my university's website kinda glosses over that fact.

He's writing a Neverwinter Nights module.

You wouldn't happen to know his NWN nickname?

 

[Psion]

I don't think it's necessarily harmful to equate a campaign to a game. I mean, many story hours here have made better reads for me than hot selling SF/F novels I have read.

But I do think the statement has some merit in another vein, offered by some SF authors: many would be authors of SF/F were introduced to the field primarily by gaming. They may have a lot of good ideas, a good storyteller, etc. But they go into the writing field to discover than some neato idea that they came up with that they had never seen in gaming before has been done to death in the literary field.

 

[diaglo]

I mean, many story hours here have made better reads for me than hot selling SF/F novels I have read.

thanks. the story hour in my sig is just session notes from one player's point of view. it really isn't all that and a bag of chips. but it is still nice to hear praise.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

A lot of college creative writing professors don't like science fiction and don't know how to deal with it.

Ditto on that. I had a creative writing professor who told one student, in front of the entire class, to "Stop writing that fantasy crap, and write about the real world or you'll never be worth the paper you are writing on". Of course, I didn't see him selling any great works of literature, and all the stories of his own that he read to the class for examples of "good writing" were about playing golf... :\

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Before that? I read The Prydain Chronicles over Christmas and loved it, but kids literature is easier to read. Reread The Mote in God's Eye and enjoyed it a bit more than the last time.

Two of my favorites! More power to ya.

Good luck on your writing.

 

[jmucchiello]

Why am I writing the story? Because it entertains me, and I want it to entertain others.

Well, at least you are doing this part correctly.

I wouldn't worry about you calling your novel setting a campaign while talking about it on ENWorld. Only if you wrote it in the novel should your worry about it.

It's sort of a tongue-in-cheek

This is probably your worst hurdle. Editors are going to compare it to existing humorous fantasy, such as Pratchett, Aspirin, DeChancie and the occasional Zelazny. Notice that aside from Pratchett, the other authors were basically known for serious writing before jumping into satire. Starting out tongue-in-cheek while trying to break in is much harder than just breaking in.

Good luck.

 

[takyris]

If Joss Whedon wrote novels, I'd read them.

Unfortunately, what that statement tells me is that you'd rather write for TV than write novels. I mean, not for certain -- I don't know you -- but if, right off the cuff, you're thinking of Joss Whedon, who doesn't do books, that's a bit of a problem for writing right there.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to do both. But what author do you want to be?

(Wanting to write for TV is not bad. But writing books when you want to write for TV can be a problem at times.)

I'm writing this story not as an adventure story (though it is that, because you can't stay unemployed forever), but as a character story where the characters happen to be larger than life heroes. It's sort of a tongue-in-cheek, semi-serious story that pokes fun at the state of fantasy. Also, they say write what you know, and I've been having trouble finding a job, and I play in D&D games a lot.

Okay -- so who's your audience? Who wants to read about larger than life heroes who spend most of the novel doing not-larger-than-life things? (Again, this isn't meant as an attack -- I'm not saying "Who wants to read about ___" to say, "Nobody." I'm actually asking you.) Are we talking Live-Action Tick, here?

The last three things I read:

If I listed the last three things I read, you'd think I was a murderous marine biologist, which isn't really representative of what I want to read -- or write. So forget the last three things you read. Forget listing what you liked and what you didn't in general so-so terms. Make a statement. Tell me in three sentences or fewer what the experience of reading a novel by R. Wickett, Esq would be like.

(For reference: If I got to give a no-false-modesty-allowed elevator speech about myself, with a major editor in the elevator with me and with me having exactly 30 seconds to make this person remember me, it might go something like a more polished version of this: "I write humorous swashbuckling fantasy with well-reasoned magic, witty banter, and flashy fight scenes. My goal is to give a reader with a mind-numbing nine-to-five job an evening of laughter and excitement, and make them stay up late cheerfully to finish just one more chapter. If I were a combination of existing authors, I'd be the love-grandchild of Terry Pratchett, Lois McMaster Bujold, Emma Bull, and Christopher Moore." The second sentence is pure filler for marketing purposes, but it's an important one for me to keep in mind while I write. And I'd never actually say the last sentence, because it sounds massively egotistical, but it makes me remember whose writing I really love and what I should strive for in my own work -- as opposed to thinking that I actually have that level of ability, which I don't.)

Why am I writing the story? Because it entertains me, and I want it to entertain others. Heck, does anyone want to take a read?

How much do you have done? I'd be happy to read it when it's finished. And why do you want people to read it? If you want people to read it and say, "Cool, nice job," that's fine. If you want a critique, so that you can tune it to something that's got a better chance of selling, that's fine. But "it entertains me and I want it to entertain others" is why about 50% of novels are written (with the other 50% being to educate or argue), and that doesn't narrow it down. How will it entertain people? Is it going to make 'em laugh? Is it going to frighten them? Get their pulse pounding? Make them believe in true love? Make them more cheerful? Give them a cathartic vicarious release by watching someone take more punishment in the book than the reader is currently undergoing in real life? All valid, but all a bit different.

 

[Staffan]

I mean, not for certain -- I don't know you -- but if, right off the cuff, you're thinking of Joss Whedon, who doesn't do books, that's a bit of a problem for writing right there.

Well, he does comic books, but I imagine that's a lot closer to writing scripts than writing books.