JCC Hey, I wrote a book! [this is not an ad]

It's not published yet!

I've finished the first draft of a fantasy/sci-fi adventure with mythic/magical themes. 84,000 words. I wanted to share this on TFN because this website and its people has been influential in my creative development. So in other words....thanks ya'll!

I've been a member here for 14 years (holy cow!!!). I got real involved in the lead up to AOTC. The process of analyzing spoilers and reading some fan fiction led me to try my own hand, and since I've written several SW screenplays (including my own scripts for EpVII and VIII).

I finally decided to try to write my own original stuff and over the past 10 months I wrote the first draft of my book. I'll be editing/revising over the next couple months and then trying to submit to publishers.

So if this hits it big, I'll be sure to let you know. hehehehe (at the very least I will e-publish)

 

Nice going. Was this part of NaNoWriMo?

(Don't be awful, people.)

 

Nope. I never even heard of that until very recently. It's truly a coincidence I'm posting this on 11/30!

People here..awful? Never!

(So I hit 'reply' to quote and it's not quoting)

 

Who are your influences?

 

This may seem obvious and cliché, but it's true. My influences are Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and good ol' Star Wars. With Tolkien, specifically The Silmarillion moreso than LOTR. In some ways, my book is "The Silmarillion in Space." Also a life-long interest in the Bible/Theology (Master's in Theology) informs my writing.

 

I'll wait for the movie.

 

Can you give us your elevator pitch?

 

Well, it's still "under revision," so I am still working on the best elevator pitch. I started toying around with query letters and I realized that I have to be able to nail it down perfectly in a few short sentences--much harder to do than one might think.

Basically, there's one planet in a solar system that is the last bastion of good. The other six planets have been taken over by the evil bad guy. Events in Book I (hopefully a series) swirl around a grand scheme to finally take over the final planet. This is the home world where thousands of years ago humans advanced to space travel and settled the other planets from there. The main character is a cross between Han Solo, Aragorn, and Jack Bauer (yes, I said that).

 

Given your background in theology and your love of sci-fi, your main competition is likely to be the bestselling works of fiction "the Book of Mormon" and anything L Ron Hubbard wrote on Scientology.

I wish you well in constructive a more plausible narrative than either of these did. Though, I suspect you won't need it, as they're dreadful.

 

I've heard of one dimensional characters...but one dimensional planets?

 

sounds racist

 

Everyone knows Terrans are the only Good people. That's not racist. Martians are bad. Statistics!

 

The War of Martian Aggression!

 

If gross generalizations are good enough for JRRT, George Lucas, Gene Roddenberry and James Cameron they're good enough for this book.

 

Look at what Twilight or Eragon sold.

 

But does it pass the Bechdel test?

 

Someone was lucky enough to not be required to read Flatland for high school geometry...

 

If all of the characters get killed along the way and there are recipes for sister stew and barley bread then count me in.

 

Are you familiar with the works of Rennie Cowan?

 

I'm having some severe deja vu with this thread. I could have sworn I've read that exact OP before, with him listing his influences as the exact same authors before. Is this a copy/paste from the thread earlier this year? Are we making fun of it on purpose? Is this guy serious? Does he really think we're going to fall for this malarcky again?

 

This is not a duplicate thread. I remember awhile back somebody posted a thread similar to this, and I posted on that thread saying I had started my book. That might be what you're thinking of.

I've revealed very little about my book here, keeping it mysterious (not that anyone really cares yet ). The comments here are amusing.

 

This is actually a little different. The other guy had self-published his book and it was already out on e-shelves when he posted his thread. Still, finishing a first draft of a novel isn't nothing. My congratulations to you, Primetime, and unless you're some kind of experimental single-draft-only writer, I hope you know the real process begins now. Enjoy the rewriting.

I also don't think Primetime's pitch should be completely ridiculed. There's an audience for that kind of thing (maybe not most of us) and in that way, he's right on target and would be successful.

 

Congrats Primetime. The plot looks interesting.

 

Thanks. I'm a little confused as to what is so weird about my "pitch." (it wasn't really a pitch, just a bare description of the basic setting) Put in Star Wars terms, it's as if there is one planet that hasn't yet fallen under the Empire's domination. It's still holding out against the Emperor.