Amph The Writers' Guild

eeeeeeeek!! Jeez. I have to say, I was shocked at the end bit. I've never understood how people can throw away self interest for a cause like that. I like how todays "good guys" are clearly bad guys... makes you think. It's so easy to justify whatever you're doing, whether it's hurting someone else verbally, or actually doing something like suicide bombing.

I think Curtis should say more at the end though besides what he says. Maybe something like "It had to be done, he had betrayed our side... we can't let anything interfer with god's will" something to that effect... I think after witnessing the death of my best friend of 16 years, if asked if i was still with the side that just killed him, I'd need a bit more reminding why. Just a thought though.

Also, my least favorite part was the introduction. But I don't really have any suggestions Well, hmmm. I guess for me, the reason i love alternate history is because the smallest things can have the most profound effects. It's definitely not bad but any means, but it sounds weird to me. But maybe that's because i read a lot of alt hist. who knows!

I'm not a writer, so don't listen to how it sounds or anything, but this is my idea as to why someone should explore alt history, which sort of sounds like what your intro is doing:
Throughout history, the tiniest things have made all the difference in the world. It is easy to imagine different outcomes and wonder "what if..." In a second, a single bullet can kill a man or woman destinied to influence the world, and a nation that would have risen now falls. It is difficult to say what may or may not have been had things been different... but we can say that nothing's impossible. That a single small event can cause.... a reversal of fortunes.

Anyways i just always feel like i should come up with some things to comment on that i think could be improved. As always, you know way better than I do

 

Good comments droideka! I agree about the opening narration, that is something i have to work on for the next draft. I just thought I needed to kind of explain to the audience that they are seeing an alternate history thing. Some folk aren't really familiar with that idea. I just need to edit the wording probably.

 

I liked both of them, though the zombie one was my favourite.

 

Andalite, those are great

Warning, HTR spoilers ahead

The zombie one would make a good movie - about the right balance of gore and comedy. (Personally I think it was worth reading solely for "So, uh . . . you're a zombie." Deadpan hilarity is a rare thing ) I like the ending, in particular; you left it nicely ambiguous. Definitely room for Andalite's Zombie Movie 2.

As for the alt history one . . . whoa. I'm impressed. It's a really great idea, and has the potential to be a movie that makes you think. James and Curtis talk in true fanatical style, which is genuinely disturbing, and Brandon's abrupt death is a real shocker. Introducing a character sympathetically and then killing them is a bit of a gamble, but it works really well here. Overall I liked it very much. If anything, IMO, you should expand it, although maybe the opening narration could do with a little tweaking - not much, but a little.

Damn good stuff for a first draft

 

Well thanks for the nice comments everybody!

It turns out I probably won't be shooting that zombie script this semester, because I realized I am just too busy in April and there is no way I have time to cast this, rehearse, find all of the locations, shoot, and edit it without dying. I have too many other projects, presentations, and exams coming up. Bleh! So I might shoot it next semester. I am definetely going to shoot Reversal though, because it is a pretty small cast and I can shoot it in one weekend. Zombie movie will have to wait until September!

 

I apologise for my absence.



Good luck in September andalite!

-The Scummy-

 

Up.

 

So is anybody working on anything interesting?

I'm about to start my outline for my zombie feature. I just completed the first part of the assigment my advisor gave me, which was to write a character bio for each of the main characters and define what their spine is. Now I am going to write a 3-5 page outline. I'm supposed to have a completed first Act by the end of the semester. eek.

Spine definetely helps when it comes to characterization, I have discovered. If you are unfamiliar with spine, it is basically the one need or desire that is the main driving force in the life of a character, either conscious or subconscious. It influences all of their actions in some way. For example, the spine of my main character is "to find acceptance", which is going to bring about some conflict when his friends find out he is a zombie. Yay conflict.

 

Heh, I've noticed that too. I remember the first time I wrote a story. I had come more than halfway through the story when I realized that I had no idea what any of the characters motivation was. The main character just tagged along with a dwarf he had never met before for no reason. Heck, I didn't even know what the bad guy was planning. I just mentioned that he had some evil plan in the works all the time but could never figure out what it should be. I guess that's the reason I didn't finish it. Well, you learn from your mistakes...

 

I've been working on my zombie-outbreak novel...

 

I've been working on my English Language assignment and trying to write a story on the side.

Oh, and the second Writing Contest is starting - the thread's hanging somewhere on page 1 at the moment, or look for droideka's name - she started it

 

Where did everyone go?

EDIT: The apocalypse will start in...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...

 

Aw, that ruins my day. Sorry for not being around, three words.

World of Warcraft.

It's not a game, it's an addiction.

-The Scummy-

 

Am I the only one who's actually been writing here?

 

I am going to start writing my zombie feature soon, which I will be shooting in November/Decemnber. I have a meeting with my advisor tommorow where we will discuss my outline.

I am sure other people are writing too. People should post here more though!

 

I'll confess, I havn't been writing due to a combination of school, WoW addiction, and driver's ed. I have been planning my next story though. The Number Three, a psycho abducts 33 people and puts them in a giant inescapeable room, he claims that 30 of them were abducted and 3 were planted by him. If they cannot discover the 3 fake people in 3 days he will kill them, after 3 days of hell their have been suicides, murders, rape, all kinds of stuff in the last throws of these peoples lives. Even torture and an enquisition of sorts trying to discover the 3. In the end the people fail and the man tells them all 33 were abducted and he had lied about the 3 planted people and then he kills them.

-The Scummy-

 

Yikes, creepy. Reminds me of Battle Royale. Brr, it sounds so claustrofobic... You sure have material for a good (and disturbing...) story there.

 

Interesting idea.

 

Id like to get some readers soon for something Im writing

Im trying to get it done, but its not going fast, Im only on the 3rd chapter and I keep getting hit with other story Ideas (right now I have 3 going, My sci-fi original, a star wars fic novel, and another story) It gets really hectic sometimes, with school and trying to get my license and all

 

Hey, I'd like in on this. I'm a serious writer of fantasy/horror/sci-fi, trying to make it big, probably just like everybody else here

 

Welcome to the Guild!

 

Hey yeah! A very warm welcome to SFF and the Guild, TWS, t-wiz or whatever it is you're calling yourself these days. It'll be great seeing original work from you

 

Sanctimoniously



Welcome to the Guild!

Boy, that was easy



Nem

Hey yeah! A very warm welcome to SFF and the Guild, TWS, t-wiz or whatever it is you're calling yourself these days.

Great to see you here

And actually I have been contemplating getting another main user name, but both the ones I like are more than 20 characters. I know, darn!

It'll be great seeing original work from you

Feeling is mutual. So how do you go about that? I was reading stuff about first publication rights, so I don't want to put it here unless I can purge it later or something. But I definitely want to share from my backlog. Will PMs work? I could send whatever people would like to see that way.

Here are some titles

Sci-Fi Genre:

Taken
The Gaurdian at Sepulcron

Horror Genre:

The Descent to Power
Bleed for Me
I Like to Steal
The Family
Ritual

those are all short stories. There might be more I'd like to have people read but it's early and I can't think of them.

 

So...how are everyone's writing endeavours going?

 

Well, I got an idea for a story this afternoon; but I'm not sure it is any good. It's set about 170 years before the longer story I'm (kind of) working on. It's in some European capital, London most likely, and it's war and the city is being bombed while people plunder and riot etc. Someone invents a cyborg that is supposed to dig out people from bombed buildings and deal with plunderers and criminals. These cyborgs recharge their batteries by eating; and at some point they taste meat and goes nuts and wants more.

That's all I've come up with so far. Ok, so this is dangerously close to being a total cliché; but maybe I can figure out some nice twist to it.

The idea for the cyborg itself is old and belongs in the longer story. Here's a conceptart of how it looks: http://www.deviantart.com/view/32415235/