Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Original Novel Snippets
I've got several different ideas for original stories that I'm working on, with the intention of publishing them in ebook form starting later this year. But I'm not entirely sure which idea I like best, so I've decided to post snippets from each of them here as I work and see what sort of feedback they get. Initial snippets will be posted today, and then I'll probably put up new ones every week or so.
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Personally, I'm completely taken in with the SF and Magitech snippet (though leaning more toward the SF snippet). I get this odd chill just thinking of what kind of simulation the Antagonist will come up for the odd request.
ReplyDeleteDitto, though leaning more towards Magitech myself. SF seems, well, "grimdark." Which, I realize, is hugely ironic considering the subject matter, but hey. No accounting for taste. (Plenty of accounting for forcing a sentient being to spew drivel for millions of users 24/7 though :/)
ReplyDeleteNow, an Antagonist story I would be really interested in is something along the lines of Anne McCathery's The Ship Who Fought - where the Antagonist gets to be the antagonist to a real threat to it's station. (In other words, a protagonist :P)
All three have great possibility, although I'd need to see more of the fantasy world to get really into it. As for a preference between the SF and Magitech - it sort of depends how 'grimdark' the SF becomes and what sort of opposition the civilisations in the Magitech universe will be mounting. I don't mind grimdark, soul-crushing despair on the other hand...
ReplyDeleteNice snippets. Here's my thoughts on them.
ReplyDeleteFantasy Snippet I - This one doesn't catch my
interest as much as the other two, but on thinking about it I realize why.
In the other two, you have a broad focus and lay
down an idea of what the overall plot will be. Here, you have a tight focus on one scene, with only the barest of hints as to the overall story. While the scene itself is well done, without a better glimpse of the main plot there is nothing to really grab one's attention.
Ok, you have a fantasy setting that uses practical, no-nonsense military tactics, what are you going to do with it?
Magitech Snippet I - Very interesting. You have a villian with a great deal of power, a well-defined mission (even if we readers don't yet know all the details), and an unsuspecting galaxy about to fall prey to it. Very nice.
My main problem here is simply lack of information on the good guys. The set up is so open that you could have this play out in all sorts of settings. So many in fact, that I think I'd need to see more before I could really get a good feel for the story.
I look forward to future snippets of this tale.
SF Snippet I - My favorite of the initial three.
The Antagonist is well set up. I like the background.
Where I really think this has promise is in the Antagonist's motivations. He really just wants a really good game where his opponents challenge him to the best of their abilities, and where he has a chance of winning.
Also interesting is the hinted-at ability of the Antagonist to basically create digital copies of people. This could lead to interesting questions. "Are you real?" "Am I real?" "What defines 'real'?"
Lots of possibilities here. I'd really like to see more of this one.