lin

Like Zap Comix? I'm all for it.

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Shawn

I was thinking more of Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham was a masterpiece.

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If I'm online, be nice, I'm escaping.

p06e3

I was wondering what is the best way of putting a story together? How does planning and research come into play on this? How many characters should there really be in a novel and how should it be written where any publisher will say, "I LIKE IT!! Here is the contract!!"?

Best,
P.J.

Mike C

Best way is ass on seat, fingers on keyboard. Plan if you consider it necessary (some do, some don't), likewise research. There should be as many characters as you feel necessary, and it should be written brilliantly.

What did you want, a magic formula?

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lin

I don't get this question, and you see it a lot.
You never see, "how to I get to be a ballplayer" or "how to your learn how to play guitar" or "how to you organize a painting"

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JosephB

As far as a novel is concerned, I'm putting my time and energy into writing something that might be worthy of publishing.

I know the process is daunting, so I'm using a little self-psychology. I simply don't want to become discouraged at this point by worrying too much about getting published.

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-- Albert Einstein

"I am really only interested in a fiction of miracles."
-- Flannery O'Connor

Swamp Thing

I went back and forth before posting this, but there's a guy who used to run an online poetry magazine called TMP Irregular. Tim Gurney's the name, I think. He's got a great eye for poetry. Has published a number of up and coming poets including Barbara Jean Reyes and a number of established. He's got a good eye for poetry and likes to find new talent. Might toss him a submission. If he rejects you, he'll let you know why. Which is also valuable.

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To identify the elements of style, perhaps we should begin by eliminating the idea of correctness.

- Mario Vargas Llosa

Mr Sci Fi

Yeah. Dan Brown and Clive Cussler prove this.

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"The writer you envy today will probably have reason to envy you tomorrow." - Orson Scott Card

Jon1jt

Well, the easy answer is that your work will find its own home. The difficult answer is that if you don't pay to have your work published then you may suffer from feeling invalidated. So I say keep writing and fuck everybody, because in the end all we have is each other.

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"He was nauseous with regret when he saw her face again, and when, as of yore, he pleaded and begged at her knees for the joy of her being. She understood Neal; she stroked his hair; she knew he was mad."
---Jack Kerouac, On The Road: The Original Scroll

Malone

I like that strategy. Trying to write something worthwhile with the idea of pandering to a publisher in the back of your mind is horrible.

papertears

lin, clearly you have never been to "bring your dad to work day" at school with someone who's dad was in the Eagles or the Yankees.

Ziyad

To show what the vanity contests (poetry scammers) were doing, check out the Wergle Flomp contest. Inspired by this poem and the consequent letter, a contest is held each year to the worst poem that receives a lavishly praised letter back proposing publication... at a cost.
Find it here:
Winning Writers - Poetry Contests and Resources for Poets and Writers

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-Ziyad