The Official Weekly Single Thread

[Paul_Denton]

Thanks faq for this gif :)

[pcottraux]

I wrote an enormously long vanity. It's 5 pages, single space. I'm going to post it tomorrow, but I'm trying to cut the length down.

[Rainbow Rising]

Hi, Paul. I left last night without realizing that you'd asked me about my novel. Sorry about that. Well, briefly, it's about a young man who joins a religious cult and slowly gets sucked into the cult leader's violent, paranoid vision of the world. I put in about 130 pages before getting bogged down in all kinds of problems. I couldn't figure out how to end it, and after a while I put the whole thing on the shelf.

[Rainbow Rising]

Would you ping me when you post it? I'd like to read it.

[tuliptree76]

I just thought I'd stop by and say hi before I go to bed in a little while.

[pcottraux]

Sure, definitely.

It's on the anti-war movement in America. While reading it, I came to some stunning ideas and theories about war protesters.

[pcottraux]

Hey, tulip.

[tuliptree76]

Hi Rainbow Rising.

[Rainbow Rising]

Hi tuliptree76.

[Paul_Denton]

Cool :) I like that idea of a story. Joining a religeous cult then fining out its evil. What better way to take down an enemy then being a defector who knows everything :) I hope you finish it. It sounds like it has the sort of suspense you see in a robert Ludlum novel :)

[Rainbow Rising]

Sounds like my cup of tea.

[Paul_Denton]

Hi Tulip :)

[Rainbow Rising]

Thank you. Those are very encouraging words. I really would like to finish it. I guess my biggest problem has been finding an ending that hasn't already been done a million times.

[pcottraux]

Yeah, but I'm just worried about the length. I doubt most vanities here are NEARLY this long. Five pages...that's too much. But I can't seem to cut any of it.

[Paul_Denton]

Yeah my main problem is sort of self-made but for me I am making everything as original as possible. That and keeping it 'hard sci-fi' (based on real world physics) make a difficult mix.

Hardest part for me is character development though. And making them convincing. Making them lively, making them like humans. Making them realistic.

[Paul_Denton]

mnaintaiing two focuses at once. You have thos huge war where the enemy's goal is purging of those who corrupt the 'sacred planet' and the the enslavement of the rest of the people who inhait the other Colonial Federation world (Earth mostly uninhabitable but it is also essentially the new jerusalem. The plot goes deeper than that though. Much deeper). At the same time it also focses o this suad of Marines fighting this evil enemy. The story is about fighting for freedom at its core.

[Rainbow Rising]

Yeah, you'll probably get some static if you post a really long vanity. Maybe you'll be able to see things to cut if you walk away from it for a short while and then return to it with fresh eyes. Usually works for me.

[Rainbow Rising]

That sounds like a nicely layered plot.

[pcottraux]

Yeah, I guess I should try that. I'm an obsessive artist: whenever I start working on something, I can't put it down until I'm finished and it's absolutely perfect. I should probably go take a breather.

[Paul_Denton]

Thanks :)

[pcottraux]

Well, we've made it to 300 posts Paul, roughly 100 per night.