Tags:
  1. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States

    New and so many questions!

    Discussion in 'New Member Introductions' started by Kingdomall, Oct 23, 2018.

    Hello fellow writers! I'm quite new to this forum (registered last night). I have quite a few questions since I haven't had the chance to ask anyone else who is experienced in this kind of work.
    I'm a hopeful and young writer who asks for insight.
    1. Is Google Documents a good online writing website? I use it all the time.
    2. Should I use quotes and a different font for telepathic conversation? I heard that using italics is improper and using only quotes makes it confusing for the reader.
    3. Is it true that only history-surrounded and children's books have illustrations on the pages?
    4. Is there a simple way to find out if my novel is similar to others?
    5. Would my stories be more interesting if I split it into two or more books or just keep it as one?
    6. How many pages should a book that's aimed for teenagers and adults be?
    I hope that all of my questions can be answered soon. Thanks for reading!
    I apologize if my topic violates any of the rules. This is the second time I'm posting and couldn't find any rules besides the General Writing uses.
     
  2. Necronox

    Necronox Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2015
    Messages:
    724
    Likes Received:
    802
    Location:
    Canton de Neuchatel, Switzerland
    Hello and welcome, I am by no expert but I will just give my opinion on your questions or at least the one that I know an answer to.

    1. I do not use google docs, but from what I have heard it is pretty good. I, however, disagree with their terms and conditions and business practices of google.

    5. That really depends on your book(s). Some books are long enough to be split into two, others are not. It really depends on your story and books and there is no simple or general answer to this.

    6. Books for younger audiences tend to be low on word count. Page count is not a reliable way to tell the length of a book as it changes based on formatting, font size and page size. But generally, i would as anything over 70k words to be a bit long. But again, I am no expert on this. Some of the more experienced or veteran writers lurking around here may give you a better answer. I am a hobbyist at best.
     
    Carriage Return likes this.
  3. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    Thank you for your reply :D
     
  4. Necronox

    Necronox Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2015
    Messages:
    724
    Likes Received:
    802
    Location:
    Canton de Neuchatel, Switzerland
    I would actually add that the younger the audience, the less words the story [should] contain. 7oK words for a story for children is perhaps a bit like assigning war and piece to someone with Alzheimer’s
     
    Some Guy likes this.
  5. Laurin Kelly

    Laurin Kelly Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2016
    Messages:
    2,521
    Likes Received:
    4,054
    You would have received an email after registering that outlines the Forum's rules. I believe it links to here: https://www.writingforums.org/rules/

    There is also the FAQ: https://www.writingforums.org/faq/
     
    Iain Aschendale likes this.
  6. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    Just read all of the rules and it seems reasonable. I'll make sure to follow them.
     
  7. GlitterRain7

    GlitterRain7 Galaxy Girl Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2017
    Messages:
    639
    Likes Received:
    904
    1- I have never used google docs, (so I don't know if they offer this or not) but you should have at least a backup copy of your work stored somewhere else. My impression is that google docs is "cloud" storage. That's okay, but if your work would for some reason get deleted, you need a backup on your computer's hard drive or a flash drive.
    2- I don't think this really matters until you get to the point where you want to publish. Then, I think it would just be the publisher's decision.
    4- Go to your local bookstore and read the backs of books in your genre. They won't have every book, but that would be a start.
    5- This is based purely on if you have enough to tell to split into two books. If you think you don't, don't push it; just keep it at one book.
    6- Teenager is YA fiction. 70 to 90k is what they typically sit at. Some are a little higher, some a little lower. Adult fiction would more than likely be 80-90k+
     
  8. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    Google Docs has served me well since the moment I started using it. Even documents that I haven't written on for years still exists. But I probably do need a more reliable storage place.
    That's a lot of words! Thank you for answering these.
     
    GlitterRain7 likes this.
  9. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2017
    Messages:
    5,864
    Likes Received:
    10,738
    Location:
    The great white north.
    Hello!
    Hey, if it works for you and you don't find anything wrong with it, then that's what's important.

    There are actually already a couple of threads on here already asking that very same question. This one is probably the best so far.

    To be perfectly honest, it probably is, but that's not a bad thing and you shouldn't let it worry you because none of them are your novel.

    To be honest, I still haven't finished either The Dark Tower or Harry Potter series' just because I didn't feel like picking up another book. I know trilogies and duologies and grand sprawling multi-tome adventures sound cool, but taking one solid story and cleaving it in two just to have a series does not appeal to me as a reader. I also seriously doubt that arbitrarily chopping your story in two will make it any more interesting and leaving unresolved arcs can leave readers feeling frustrated and could come across as a cheap attempt to sell more books. Maybe I'm just the wrong target audience.

    That kind of depends on your genre and who your demographic is, but 75,000 to 100,000 is about average. Of course there's a great deal of leniency in this. The low end being around 45-50,000 (anything less being a novella) and at the high end are books like The Lord of the Rings coming in at just under 500,000.
     
  10. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    I wanted to know if Telepathy (as in the form of a character speaking to another through minds) had a specific and appropriate way to write.
    Thanks for your answers!
     
  11. Necronox

    Necronox Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2015
    Messages:
    724
    Likes Received:
    802
    Location:
    Canton de Neuchatel, Switzerland
    I do mine in italics mostly Because I do not know how else do to it.
     
  12. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    People say that italics for telepathy is improper
     
  13. The Dapper Hooligan

    The Dapper Hooligan (V) ( ;,,;) (v) Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2017
    Messages:
    5,864
    Likes Received:
    10,738
    Location:
    The great white north.
    You should check out Anne McCaffery's "Pern" books. In is she has all sorts of telepathic communications between characters and dragons and such. I can't remember how she did it exactly because it's been a while and I don't have any of her books close at hand, but it probably wouldn't hurt to research them for style.
     
    Last edited: Oct 23, 2018
  14. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    oooooh thank you! I'll check her books out.
     
  15. DK3654

    DK3654 Almost a Productive Member of Society Contributor

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2018
    Messages:
    1,244
    Likes Received:
    1,384
    Location:
    In the vibe zone
    I use it. I like it. Why not?

    It shouldn't make too much of a difference as long as it's clear.
    I think italics make sense. Telepathy is more than just characters thoughts.

    No.

    Not really? I wouldn't worry about that much though.

    Depends on the story and the target audience.

    Teenagers and adults is a large range. There's no page limit within that.
     
  16. Some Guy

    Some Guy Manguage Langler Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    May 2, 2018
    Messages:
    6,738
    Likes Received:
    10,227
    Location:
    The kingdom of scrambled portmanteaus
    I've only a few answers.
    I vote yes for Google Doc's - just download your docs once in a while. It also logs changes, so making it possible to show original ownership, along with downloads.
    A long story does not need to be long-winded. Convey ideas, show emotions, make your points... then play a game of 'shortest possible sentence' - the reader will fill in a hell-of-a-lot for you, in their minds, just as you want, when you pull it off. At that point, you're an awesome writer!
    Tolkien had so many awesome ideas, but belabored many of them also. He almost lost me in the grinding journey to the black gate. So, awesome story, good but laborsome writing. 500k words! Mine's a slog at 225k! Definitely gonna pare that down!
    I would love to use illustrations in my story! Just have no talent for it. Let me know if you've seen a s/w that let's you take multi pics (like at increasing age) and filter them into a new character, morph, all that kind of stuff. That's my only hope.
     
  17. jannert

    jannert Retired Mod Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2013
    Messages:
    17,674
    Likes Received:
    19,889
    Location:
    Scotland
    Hi, @Kingdomall , and welcome to the forum. You have asked some really good questions. Some of the 'answers' or at least the topics have been discussed on the forum already, so I would advise you to browse the forum and read a lot of what is there. You'll discover that many of the questions you're asking also concern other people!

    The one bit of advice I would offer you is this: whatever writing programme you choose (GoogleDoc or whatever) make SURE you can back up your work OUTSIDE of the cloud. Do not rely on the cloud. It is not infallible. It's handy when it works, but heartbreaking when you depend on it and it lets you down.

    Invest in a few flash drives (not just one, but several) and back up your work every time you make changes. Carry at least one of these drives with you at all times. Another good way to back up your work is to email yourself with the documents attached. I also have a hard printed copy of my stuff as well ...which was, interestingly, suggested by the then-editor of MacFormat Magazine as the most reliable fall-back way to ensure you don't lose your work. I have actually had to rely on my printed backup once ...because the file I created for it got corrupted and wouldn't open any more. Thankfully, although I had to reenter all the words, I didn't actually lose any. Of course I had backed it up on several devices, but I had changed all of them at the same time. Lesson learned. Keep a succession of backups, so if a file fails, you can revert to an older one.

    If this all sounds like paranoia, trust me. There is nothing worse than losing the work you've created over a space of weeks, months and years. We have heard sad stories about computers suddenly dying, laptops getting stolen, and all the work on these devices is gone ...and hey, the writer never made backups. I think that's a mistake you only make once.
     
  18. Komposten

    Komposten Insanitary pile of rotten fruit Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 18, 2012
    Messages:
    3,016
    Likes Received:
    2,193
    Location:
    Sweden
    Welcome!

    1. Is Google Documents a good online writing website? I use it all the time.

    Use whatever you find suits you best. Personally I prefer Scrivener, many here on the forum use Word, and others use Google Docs. If you want more detailed discussions I suggest you take a look in our Software forum.
    Whatever software you use, make sure to take frequent back-ups (and store them in a different location compared to your working copies!).

    2. Should I use quotes and a different font for telepathic conversation? I heard that using italics is improper and using only quotes makes it confusing for the reader.
    You've already been linked to the "Italics for thought"-thread, which is a (very) long discussion about this topic. Looking at existing books is not necessarily a good idea since there are so many ways out there (e.g. italics, different font, different quotation marks). I would suggest choosing a way that is easy to change, should you seek to have the book published and the publisher asks for a certain format. In Word, e.g., you can define a new format (font, style, size, etc.) and use that for telepathy, and then you can simply change that format and all instances you use it will be updated.

    3. Is it true that only history-surrounded and children's books have illustrations on the pages?
    No idea.

    4. Is there a simple way to find out if my novel is similar to others?
    Pretty much every book has already been written once at this point. So don't worry about whether your book is similar to others, because it will be, and instead just write your story. A thousand people can write the same story, but they will all come out different.

    5. Would my stories be more interesting if I split it into two or more books or just keep it as one?
    Never worry about how long your story will be or how you want it formatted in the end. If you do worry about this you might end up deliberately padding the story to make it longer ("Oh, it's almost enough for three books! If I just add a few hundred words here, a thousand there..."), and that rarely leads to anything good.
    Just write your story, and if you find that it grows too large for a single book you can split it then.

    But keep in mind that it's hard to sell a series for an unpublished author. If you end up with several books, and you want to publish it, you should consider trying to make the first book fairly complete (no cliff hanger at the end, e.g.).

    6. How many pages should a book that's aimed for teenagers and adults be?
    Others have already given you numbers, and there are resources out there (both in the forum and elsewhere on the web) that should be fairly easy to dig up with more details about this. A simple word count (e.g. 70k) is not always reliable, since different genre tend to have different word counts (fantasy tends to be longer than romance, e.g.).

    I apologize if my topic violates any of the rules. This is the second time I'm posting and couldn't find any rules besides the General Writing uses.
    Don't worry, you've done nothing wrong. :)
    You've already been linked the rules, but I also wanted to bring your attention to our New Member Quick Start. It's a good start to see what the forum has to offer.

    For the future, keep in mind that it is often better to make one thread per question (unless the questions are linked, of course). And always search before making a thread since most questions have already been answered at some point.
     
  19. DeeDee

    DeeDee Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2018
    Messages:
    562
    Likes Received:
    418
    1. Is Google Documents a good online writing website? I use it all the time.

    So, how do you like it so far if you use it all the time? Did you find features missing or not suited to your needs?

    2. Should I use quotes and a different font for telepathic conversation? I heard that using italics is improper and using only quotes makes it confusing for the reader.

    Nothing wrong with italics :twisted: Different font is about the same, it distinguishes the text visually. Quotes are used for regular spoken dialogue so if you use them for telepatic dialogue as well, there'll be no visual difference, see...

    3. Is it true that only history-surrounded and children's books have illustrations on the pages?

    No, but illustrations add cost to the printing of a book and readers don't like to fork out more money just for a few pictures. So it's not a popular thing. Besides, grown-ups don't really need illustrations in order to enjoy the book, so it ends up being money for nothing anyways.

    4. Is there a simple way to find out if my novel is similar to others?

    Read a lot and keep yourself updated about what's being published.

    5. Would my stories be more interesting if I split it into two or more books or just keep it as one?

    What's the connection between length and interestingness? :D Seriously, do tell if you have something particular in mind.

    6. How many pages should a book that's aimed for teenagers and adults be?

    Depends on the font size! :D
     
  20. Kingdomall

    Kingdomall Member

    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2018
    Messages:
    20
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    United States
    Thank you all for your helpful replies! I really appreciate it all
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice