Important (to me) Poll; respond please.

[NewMaxFranklin]

Do you guys read novels?

I don't. Not since I left school. Now, I'm considering writing one. But my target audience would be guys like you. Hence the question. Thanks in advance.:D

[Clayface]

I read a lot of things! And yes, I do read novels - though I'm curious how a novel by someone that doesn't read novels would turn out.

[Jowy Blight]

Depends on what the novel is on, but yes, I do enjoy reading novels every now and then.

[Colin]

Originally posted by NMaxFranklin
Do you guys read novels?

I don't. Not since I left school. Now, I'm considering writing one. But my target audience would be guys like you. Hence the question. Thanks in advance.:D

I never had time to read for pleasure while I was in school... and now that I'm out of school, I still find it difficult to find the time, however I do read novels when I can. I'm currently in the process of finishing "Wizard and Glass" book 4 in Stephen King's Dark Tower saga... got a couple books lined up for my reading enjoyment after that, including Timeline by Michael Chricton, the novelization of Batman: No Man's Land and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy....

[Scythemantis]

I do! Lots!

[TuffyCatt]

Yep, as long as it's about something that I find interesting.

[batboy2001]

Yup, have read hundreds of them. They don't have to be action packed to be good, if it is well writen it doesn't matter.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Yes, but now I'm trying to broaden my tastes beyond fantasy, as fantasy is becoming very generic these days, even though it is my favourite genre.

[Bird Boy]

I read novels occasionally. I usually like reading the small books that continue on (Harry Potter). I love to read..just as long as the story isn't dull..

-BB

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

I love reading novels a LOT, especially Tom Clancy and Mike Chriton when I began reading novels in the first place. But now I've brodened my tastes a lot; just read some book called 'The Quiet Game'...(forgets author's name) it's about a case of a car bombing from 1960 being solved today...

'Course, anything interesting will do for me. Read, read, read....doesn't even have to be a novel. ;)

[Failure]

Yes, but not really during the school year, but I do read a bit during the summer.

[redDragon]

I love books, though I haven't been reading as much since school started

[optimal321]

That's kinda the same w/ me. I like reading and all, but don't have time to read for fun w/ all the stuff i have to read for school. So thank school for ruining another good thing.

[The Mad Hatter]

I can understand how school can dampen a pleasure reading interest. When I was getting a Master's in English, I had to read an average of 2 1/2 novels per week. Yikes! After two years of that, I didn't read for a long time. But after a year or so, I picked it back up again. How long have you been out of school, Franklin? Maybe you just need time to recover...

[NewMaxFranklin]

Originally posted by The Mad Hatter
How long have you been out of school, Franklin? Maybe you just need time to recover...

Never went to college. I graduated from highschool in 2000 and moved to Hollywood six months ago, to become a screenwriter/animator. I still might go to college, but it's a long-shot. I've never been a school person. And I wouldn't want my parents or grandparents to shell out thousands upon thousands of dollars for an education I'm not sure I want or need.

I like to learn by doing. Hence, I read tons of screenplays and write almost every day. But, recently I've been loosing faith in the film industry and wondered if I should be writing novels instead. With a novel you get a lot more room to work with and you story is takend directly to the public, without rewrites by other writers, actors, producers, directors, etc.

I read novels in high school, but haven't read them lately.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Writing novels is not an easy thing to do, from what I've seen. There are thousands--millions of people out there who want to write novels, so it's a competitive field, and more often than not, you can expect rejection.

Moreover, while popular writers can get away with hack writing, it takes that first good novel before you can slide on hack works. The first novel almost always has to be GOOD, but popular at the same time. Most people fail at either one or the other, though I'm suspecting that you would prefer to make a living out of this, hence be POPULAR, rather than critically acclaimed.

Maybe we could recommend to you some novels to give you ideas on structure. How about it?

[NewMaxFranklin]

Originally posted by Leaping Larry Jojo
Maybe we could recommend to you some novels to give you ideas on structure. How about it?

Please do.:)

[batboy2001]

Well my 2 cents again is it doesn't have to be action packed. If the story is written well it should go smoothly and not have an abrupt ending. Characters should be deep, by that I mean be like real ppl, so the reader can relate to them and understand. The plots should be believable.

[I.R Joey]

I disagree Batboy, charecters should not always be realistic in personality, sometimes the best villans have such unrealistic tendincies ya know. It's up to the writer to make people believe that this persons personality is really that evil.


And I can tell you first hand that writing novels is hard work, sure the first draft is kinda fun, coming up with ideas for good stuff to write is even fun, but the editing....ughhh...do you know how tasking it is to try and descide between whether your charecter would say insect or bug? Then there's the thin line between filler and charecter development material...it can be hard trust me. It's like giving birth to a child (which I can't tell you about first hand.)

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

The thing about novels is that you have to keep track of so much stuff...charts, diagrams and lists will start piling up. Moreover, if you finish writing a first draft and notice a continuity error in the middle, you have to rewrite the whole last half AGAIN!

As IRJ said, it's the editing.

I'll come up with a list of books soon.

[joker]

yeah i like to read novels. i like long ones

[Calhoun07]

Now and then. Depends on the author and if I think I will like the subject matter.

[Maxie Zeus]

Are you aiming at Henry James territory, or John Grisham? A genre work (e.g., a spy thriller) or a character study? Until we know what you're aiming at, I'm not sure we can offer really helpful comments.

[NewMaxFranklin]

Originally posted by Maxie Zeus
Are you aiming at Henry James territory, or John Grisham? A genre work (e.g., a spy thriller) or a character study? Until we know what you're aiming at, I'm not sure we can offer really helpful comments.

Good point. Everything I've written has some sort of fantasy element to it. I find the standard genres to be to limiting and often combine a number of them. But, all my stuff could be categorized as "fantasy."

I start with an idea or a personal experience, then, I either let the story dictate the setting and characters, or I put fleshed-out characters in a situation and they create the story.

I like my stories to be escapist. I don't write contemporary work. It's all period stuff, often taking place in a purely fictional setting.

I always write with a message for the audience in mind. I don't write anything light. I want my work to have meaning and depth. I try to incorperate a moment of comedy and drama into everything I write. I feel that in life comedy and drama are constantly present, and a written work lacking either is unnatural.

I also keep my dialogue sparse, focusing on visuals; action and physical description. When I give my characters a lot to say I find themy sound like me and not themselves. So I pay close attention to what is said and make sure that it fits the character.

Well, hope that helps.

The real reason I've consudered novels over screenplays recently is that I find myself writing interlocking stories that are to dense to fit into 120 pages. I don't know if I can write a long book. But, I'm pretty sure I don't want to write a nine episode film series.

Also there's the "artistic vision" factor. If I write a novel I don't have to worry about my story getting lost in rewrites.