[ghostthegreat]

I promised I would post this today after some requests for it yesterday in my introduction thread so here is the summary for my first book, Ruby of the Realms. I'll give you guys the longer one instead of the usual short back cover one.

Ruby, a small dog from the outskirts of Chicago, finds that her normal life is about to change. On one of her usual patrols around her backyard, she comes across a blue rabbit. In an attempt to stop the bunny from eating her family’s lettuce, Ruby corners it and gets a chance to talk to the bunny. Hearing the bunny’s story and feeling sorry for it, she decides to help the bunny return home by jumping into the family pool where it had originally come out of. In a strange turn of events, the pool pulls both the rabbit and dog underground and takes them into The Six Realms, a world underneath the earth’s crust. Ruby ends up far from home and her beloved family in a world that is completely foreign to her.

Now in the lands of Rocia, Ruby must find a way to return home while still trying to help Ortis the blue bunny return to his home of Frettonia. This new land is fraught with dangers, but there are allies along the way to help. One of them is Wortac, a stout Rocian who can form weapons with the molten iron that runs through his veins. A handy ability, especially when it comes to fighting the Rocians most hated enemies, the ball-like Ozzixites. But something strange is happening. A war party of Ozzixites larger than any Ozzixite army before is preparing to strike the Rocian capital, Stofia. What could be compelling the Ozzixites to attack in such great numbers? And what was it that allowed Ruby to be pulled into The Six Realms?


I was going to give a little longer synopsis but I didn't want to spoil anything for anyone that might decide to actually read it. Hope it at least sounds somewhat interesting and like I said earlier, it is available on the bn.com and amazon.com if anyone really wants to buy it.

That's enough promotion though, I'll hit up some threads later and contribute, maybe post a poem in the poetry thread.

[vanteya37]

Sounds cool. All I've had to read lately is paranomal romance,
fairly sick of the genre

[ghostthegreat]

Originally Posted by vanteya37

Sounds cool. All I've had to read lately is paranomal romance,
fairly sick of the genre

That is the new trend lately since twilight, everyone is trying to mooch of those books. (not a fan of them at all to tell you the truth). I've never been one to do that though. I will always write what I want to and not what's popular. I believe if you love writing a certain story: write it, have it published, and make it popular.

[vanteya37]

Twilight.... Urgggh. Noticed the trend too.
My writing toggles between high & urban fantasy.
Wasn't satisfied with what I had written so far
(I could totally draw exact parallels from other books )
Luckily, I've figured out what was wrong and it's back to work.

How do you write? I usually do all my writing longhand then type it up later

[UnknownFact2]

i'd like to read it lol sounds funny
tnx for posting this :3

[ghostthegreat]

I type everything. Never been the hand writing sort of guy, though I can see the benefits of doing a first draft longhand. I found a program called Scrivener that I do all my work in, absolutely love it. I start out with outlines and then move to the first draft all on the same file. So many great features. (and I hate word too, really hate word).

It does get frustrating trying to think up something "new." But you are never going to come up with something that has never been though up before. Like the story I'm working on now has some similarities to other urban fantasy/fantasy stories, but I've gone off a whole new tangent with a lot of the common themes like magic. Yeah magic has been done over and over again but when you come at with a different angle, it can become something fresh and almost new. So I wouldn't worry too much about your work having parallels with others, unless of course your story is near exactly like another. Hope that rambling mess makes some sense.

And quick question for you: do you outline your work before you start writing? I hate the thought of doing it, but boy is it nice not running into walls in the middle of a novel. Having everything thought out beforehand has been a life saver for me.

[vanteya37]

Originally Posted by ghostthegreat

I type everything. Never been the hand writing sort of guy, though I can see the benefits of doing a first draft longhand. I found a program called Scrivener that I do all my work in, absolutely love it. I start out with outlines and then move to the first draft all on the same file. So many great features. (and I hate word too, really hate word).

It does get frustrating trying to think up something "new." But you are never going to come up with something that has never been though up before. Like the story I'm working on now has some similarities to other urban fantasy/fantasy stories, but I've gone off a whole new tangent with a lot of the common themes like magic. Yeah magic has been done over and over again but when you come at with a different angle, it can become something fresh and almost new. So I wouldn't worry too much about your work having parallels with others, unless of course your story is near exactly like another. Hope that rambling mess makes some sense.

And quick question for you: do you outline your work before you start writing? I hate the thought of doing it, but boy is it nice not running into walls in the middle of a novel. Having everything thought out beforehand has been a life saver for me.

Scrivener, huh? I'll check it out. Hate word too though
I wasn't going for totally new but I'm picky about stuff like that.
Yup, I do. Unfortunately, when I do a chapter by chapter outline,
I have a tendency to pick the chapters I'm more interested in to write first.
Also, interested in writing for kids. Got lots of nephews, nieces & younger cousins.

[ghostthegreat]

I've been tempted to write out of order, but I try to find the fun parts in each chapter. Sometimes what you think will be the most boring chapters turn out to be the most fun to write, you never know. And another thing that keeps me motivated is to write the chapters that lead up to key points that I am really excited about writing, almost like they are a reward. But as long as you get the book done, it really doesn't matter which chapters you do first.

As for writing for kids, I don't find it too much different than writing for adults. I learned early on that you don't want to talk down to children, so the writing can be somewhat close to what you would normally write (save for graphic violence, sex, etc). The only real big difference is the length. Normal book for adults (can change on category, like romance is 70k) is around 100,000 words, while a middle-grade book is usually 30-40k (I fudged on that and did 53k words though)

[vanteya37]

I can't shake the habit + I'm not really known for my restraint.
You're right, there isn't much of a difference when writing for kids.
Feel better when I define my audience though, it's like mentally
cautioning myself to keep it clean.

[ssluffy]

sounds intersting love to chek it out