Andres’s Comments (group member since Jul 29, 2020)

Andres’s comments from the Gathering Of Dedicated Scribblers group.

I'd love to read it as well but I have just received another's work. Since I am writing in the background my timeline is pretty slow. However, keep me up to date on how far your book is coming along. I wouldn't mind being a beta reader and helping you to edit your book in 1 shot.

I have a 116k words into this book but I had never taken a course in writing so I wanted to take something, anything that might help me feel more knowledgeable towards formatting or putting together an actual book. Coursera had the 2500 words per chapter which was something that I had never thought of. My book is an epic style fantasy so I am extending my chapters to 3 - 3500 range.

Thankfully the majority of it is laid out. Now I just have to go through it and make it read well while looking professionally done. This book should come out much nicer then originally intended but I do have my work cut out for me.

Amy wrote: "Hello! Happy New Year, everyone!

Also: are there other authors on here who are tempted to do major rewrites to their novels?

I a..."

Yes. I am actually doing a full rewrite of a book I had written before I took the Coursera class. Now that I have a better understanding of trying to make the chapters a bit more consistent, I think its going to read better if I reread it. Before some chapters were 5 pages while others were 30 and that is really inconsistent. So I'm hoping to make it read with more fluidity now. I am kind of stuck in chapter 2. But I had a great idea over the weekend so I'm going try attempt re-writing it again this week.

I hope everyone has a happy new year!

Happy Christmas to everyone. And a happy new year!

@Amy right now with the holiday season happening these next two weeks I'd hate to ask for your book and not be able to dedicate the time that it would require to give you a decent review. However, I have cleared up all the other reviews I was working on and will have availability to read your work early January if that works for you.

I myself am usually working within the fantasy genre but I am willing to read and review it if you need help.

Definitely crafting plots.

Welcome to the GODS Lisa!

Did you double post or should I read through this?

No worries I fight the same nemesis.

I feel as though the word 'muggy' doesn't sound as awful as it should.

The humidity was stifling today. The suffocation of heat and humidity was even too much for the bugs. Nothing stirs. Life itself seems to pause as though its holding it breath for this torturous day to pass. Only death himself moves happily among us.

I would place ' carrie turns back towards the front' after 'the pictures created by the kaleidoscope'

After carrie scans the room I think it flows better if both her and lisa meet eyes, then she goes into description of her. 'she seems even more fit then before...'

The rest is good. The entrance of the husband was very detailed. The crumb trail at the end is a great lure, really pulls me as the reader to continue on.

Arlu wrote: "Replotting my Middle Act because I kind of diverted from the original plot 😅

Also wrote a few hundred words today. Not much, but it's a start."

If you don't think that's a lot try asking a kid to count to a few hundred. You'll be there a lot longer than you think.

頑張って!!

I haven't had that problem. I did have an issue where we went to purchase proof reads and Amazon published the book. However, their support is very good and they were able to change the publish date to a later one when the book was ready.

Alright! Let's end this year strong! Kamehameha 2020 in the butt!

@Arlu, don't give up. There are 71 members in here and I guarantee your are doing better then 60 of them. Even if your chapter comes slow, let it. Its still coming.

Remember, in order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.

M.L. wrote: "What are you writing? A continuation of the last novel or something new? You already researched and wrote and outline?..."

I'm writing something new. Every time I get a crazy Idea I make a new folder in the computer. Whatever I dreamt, or however I came about that idea I write down in the first couple of paragraphs followed by a series of bullets for random events that would take place in that book. This allows me to come back to them when I get bored and add another paragraph or so until I'm ready to sit down and try to write out that book.

As of right now I have 6 story ideas. I've chosen to write a story about a warrior going into a dungeon. Much like Blizzard's 'Diablo' video game series. I'm currently world building but I just finished the first chapter yesterday. After this book I'm going to flush out a short story I wrote titled, 'The Dragon Prince.'

The dragon prince is kind of a mash between fantasy and mad max.

Arlu wrote: "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought if you enrolled the course for free, you can't have certificates even after finishing it, and you can no longer submit your chapters/assignments in the course."

I took my course for free. Actually, that was the only reason why I did it. You can pay a fee upfront, to try to commit yourself to finishing the course and not wasting money. However, you can still pay for your certificate after as well. Something about, the certificates from Coursera upload to your linked in account and blah blah. I don't really care for certificates so I didn't bother.

If your scholarship ends, quit the course, sign up for the next free one and resubmit your work.

@ Daniel, You can't be a perfectionist if you don't finish your novel. Keep your head up. I started Coursera back in April and I didn't complete the course until October. Also, I wrote an additional four chapters past the course requirements because I wasn't ready to wrap it up following the course. Another thing I did was skip the reviews to and from random people. In fact, I still receive reviews on my work and I'm already done.

My thought is this. Use Coursera for what it is, a tool. Attempt to finish the course by continuously submitting the next chapter until you complete the course. Ignore the reviews because you can get better quality peer reviews here. When you complete the course you will be well into the 20 chapters of your book. This is a great point to start thinking about the conclusion if you haven't already.

In honesty, its not worthy to read right now. You're not done. You not even close to being done. First you have to finish it. Then you need a few readers to comb through it in a full read. Once that happens, and you have their feed back for any writing inconsistencies, then you sit back and see how you feel about the book on a whole.

Don't lose heart. J.L. Doty has 15 published novels. He is an actual Doctor in Lasers. Way cool right! Well he told me when he wrote his very first novel he paid a typist to transfer it from hand written to print. I don't remember how big he said it was, some 44k words I believe. Once he got it back all typed up he sat down and read it. When he finished it, he threw it away and said that was the worst thing he has ever read. LOL.

We all have to start somewhere. And this book is going to be awful compared to the book your write in 10 years. One think you have that other writers don't, is the GODS. You and Elenor seem to be writing around the same pace. Keep each other going. Only worry about where your stories are taking place and feed off each other. Then when its finished, ask a few other GODS to review the entire book. But I urge you to keep with it. Hate it when its done if you must but not before then.

@Liavali, Alright. I'm glad your feeling better. Are you still working on the maleficent twist?

@ML, Awesome. How's the hard core branch doing? Are they a bit more active then our 71? What's ML stand for anyway, Miguel Luis?

I got a little over 700 words into chapter 1 yesterday. Trying to gather some traction into the direction I'm wishing to travel.

Whachu talkin' about, next project? Ready to jump in and write another book? Maybe a sequel?"

Yes sir. I'm ready to write another. I think I'm going to extend my word count to 3k per chapter. I'm in the GODS for the long haul my friend. Hopefully you're with me!