David’s Comments (group member since Sep 19, 2013)

David’s comments from the Net Work Book Club group.

Sorry for the delay, Frenchie, in getting back. I'm going to work as long as it takes to get the first episode finished by the end of the night, even if it's not edited, and post it, so check back tomorrow and it'll be uploaded. At least that way you have the end of the episode (somewhat of a conclusion, with the 'getting safety' narrative of the episode concluded, though there will be plenty of dangling threads for later stories with already sowing the seeds for them in the narrative). After that, while I'm going to still be working on the story, updates will possibly be sporadic as my time's being diverted to web writing to try and earn an income, until I can focus on fiction again. Not really what I want, but we don't always get what we want.

I've gone into this in more detail on Facebook. I'm just finding it really hard at the minute, and it's not that I think the story's rubbish either or anything. Quite the opposite and I do have an ending in mind which I think has the potential to be quite touching, even if it's not well liked. I just need to fix my life, basically. (I can talk more privately if you want, though don't feel I need to talk to anyone. Not an emotional guy, I keep everything to myself and I've pretty much got everything off my chest.)

Edit: It's possible I'll find a way of making fiction and non-fiction work, but I don't want to still promise I'll keep to a schedule because of possible disappointments. I should know in about a week or two, I guess.

Nothing to apologise for, Frenchie, and you're welcome. :) As I said on Facebook, it's me that should be thanking you for the support. And if you want to share your writing, then definitely do post it up. The advantage to Wattpad is that people can't copy and paste from there, by the way.

Philip,

I appreciate the kind words. I can't say I have thought about writing scripts or stage plays. I guess I haven't thought about that or sending works off to publishers because of the wait and also financial reasons. While I'm not making money now, at least there's a possibility of things taking off at any point in time, rather than waiting at least a month, likely more, to hear a response about whether something's been accepted. I guess I like to have complete control of everything too without interference.

One thing I have been looking into of late are comics. I like the idea of applying the shared universe that DC and Marvel comics have, like Stephen King does for his own writing, to my own writing. I can marry it with the episodic style and have lots of connections between the stories while also having each individual title be standalone. There'll just be bonuses for readers of multiple stories. I might actually get started on that soon and get the groundwork laid for a world that can house fantasy, sci-fi, horror, dramas and gritty crime stories, then post it on Wattpad with that work being the central part of the 'mythology' or just post if for sale without posting on Wattpad. But I'll have to be careful about taking on too much at a time, and I'd need to vastly increase my output rate, especially with it being something that'd entail a lot of work and be complex in nature with things such as continuity and other stuff to consider.

Frenchie, my honest advice is not to do so. Everyone has to start somewhere (I say this as someone who's not yet looked at your work, but I'm sure it's fine).

I'm not someone who critiques content, so I'd probably just have good words to say and offer words of encouragement, unless something didn't make sense. But I do technical critiques a lot, so if you want that sort of feedback, I'd be more than happy to take a look.

Honestly, the only time someone should worry about sharing their stories is when said stories are poorly written (meaning typo ridden etc.) and they're charging money for it. There are plenty of people selling work like that and they call themselves a writer (I guess I'm of the old belief that a lot of care should be taken when you're selling work). The funny thing is some copies can be sold. (I'm not sure if they even know about the errors either)

So, yeah . . . this is turning into a rant, but don't think of yourself as a non-writer and don't feel you should take your work down. You like writing? Then you're a writer.

I noticed and left a reply. Appreciated, Philip. :) I mentioned that I'm trying to find the best time to post in order to find readers. According to what I've read, Friday or Saturday might be best for information purposes.

I'll try to get another update out tonight, though it might be shorter than others and it looks like it'll take 2 more parts rather than 1 to complete the first episode. I've basically re-written the 5 - 6 segments/scenes, changing the direction I was heading in, but the story itself is still sticking to the path I have in mind. It's just a minor detour for the episode in question.

And, Frenchie, as a thanks for supporting me and my writing, I think I'll dedicate the next part to you. It's nothing much, but yeah . . . one of the few things that can be done online to show appreciation besides saying thanks.

Thank you for the kind words, Philip. :) Always nice to hear. I'll try to have another update out today, though it might be shorter than previous ones.

I'd say you're doing well with those reads. I'm still trying to work out how to get reads and such myself. Heard Friday or Saturday is possibly best, for information purposes.

Hey, Philip, and welcome aboard. :) I'm also on Wattpad if you want to add me there. I added you anyway.

I'll add your book to my list, though I've not read much sci-fi. Shouldn't be a problem, however, as I'll read anything.

Oh and Frenchie, to save sending a private message or posting elsewhere, I'll try to get some time to look at your stories.

Thanks, Frenchie, and will do. :) I'll post here once I've updated The Deadlands. Might be as late as Friday or Saturday as I'm trying to find the best time/day to post and the next part's not finished yet. The part itself shouldn't take much longer though.

Michael,

It's pretty much a new thing for me. :) Since I started publishing basically.

I expected that to come up. ;) I wish I was!

Hey folks.

Well, I'm finally making a thread to promote my work. I'm not someone who likes to be a nuisance, but Frenchie has insisted she wants me to make a post, so . . . Plus I'm at the point where my work is going unnoticed and I'm pretty much out of options without promoting.

As an author and reader, I'll pretty much read and write anything. I'm mostly a short story writer at the minute, though I'm branching out into longer stories now with a serial story I'm working on (basically, one longer story comprised of shorter stories that add up to a cohesive whole, in an episodic format like a TV show).

Right, so . . .

You can find my serial story, which is currently 3,500 words or so and updated at least once a week, on Wattpad:

http://www.wattpad.com/user/David_Gil...

Feedback is very much welcome, but the nature of serial stories is that published parts are very much set in stone with the exception of minor tweaks. Mostly, feedback can be used to shape future parts as I'm writing it as I upload.

You can also find Gus, a published story of mine on sale at Amazon, now free to read on Wattpad. The story is complete there, but the bonus you get for purchasing it is an afterword, which I need to make a very slight adjustment to. (My amazon profile can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/David-Gilmore/e... & http://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Gilmore...)

I'd love it if you let me know what you think and if you want to support me and my writing because you've enjoyed the story, I'd very much appreciate any sales or reviews left on Goodreads or Amazon. I'll be making The Dead Should Stay Dead free to read on Wattpad in about two days as well, as Amazon won't have exclusive rights then. (I don't reckon it's as good as Gus, personally, because I feel I have a lot to say with Gus. The only downside with the story is its short length really.) I should note that stories already published, that are made free on Wattpad, will possibly only be on there for a limited amount of time. I'm not sure yet.

So, yeah . . . that's that. I've probably rambled here. If it's okay with folks and there's any interest, I can post here whenever I update The Deadlands on Wattpad. It might be easier to just follow me on there though if you have an account. That reminds me, if you're a member there, I'd very much appreciate votes on each part, provided the votes are deserved. Will help visibility.

I didn't, T4bsF. As it was so creative, 'A Christmas Drabble', I figured I'd leave it out. I suppose that if I add it in, I have my 100 words? ;)

And that'll excuse me from writing another drabble, while preventing me from being banned, Linda! I'll make up for it in another way. *nods*

Good, good. ;) I thought I was in trouble.

Seriously though, I did check the wikipedia entry again. I'd thought it had to be as close to 100 words as you can get. On checking it again, I did notice the 'exactly' part.

Writing's a funny business really. Stories should be the exact length they need in an ideal world.

I'm a bit of a rebel. Never been one for rules. ;) It's three words under, forgive me?

Might as well share my own. (Now at a 100 words after fixing one or two mistakes):

A Christmas Drabble

Snow falls. A dog, lame-legged, lies on a street corner. Fur partly snow-white. He looks up at passers-by with black eyes and feasts upon scraps. Either ignored or treated abhorrently by tormentors, he wishes for company. Someone to care for him.


Before Christmas Eve’s end, a father and his daughter pass him by, the daughter’s face red and showing disappointment. But they stop. The daughter turns, her face lights up, tugs on her father’s sleeve, points at the dog.


The father sighs, but smiles slightly, shaking his head. He kneels beside the dog, says, “Hungry?” and ruffles the dog’s fur.

I won't be, but I figure I'm probably best saving promotion for longer works. :) I do my best to craft good stories, but they're still short at the end of the day and I imagine quite a few people are reluctant to pay for single shorts, which is quite understandable. Wish I could offer them cheaper. :) I'll likely give one away though and post about it when the new one's finished in order to promote it, though it might take quite a while.

Hope you enjoy Earthman Jack if you give it a try, Frenchie. :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Earthman-Ghos... (80 reviews on www.amazon.com, with a rating of 4.6)

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18... (58 ratings, with an overall rating of 4.40.)

Book description from the product page:

Jack Finnegan only has to worry about dealing with school bullies, suffering through detention with his homeroom teacher, and getting noticed by the girl of his dreams... at least until an army of evil aliens invade Earth. Suddenly, this teenage slacker finds himself at the center of a galaxy-spanning conflict - where the lives of everyone on the planet are in jeopardy, soldiers use Quantum Physics to become superheroes, and the enemy uses some mysterious form of magic to make themselves practically unstoppable.

The secret to ending the conflict and saving the universe may lie in a powerful ancient spaceship, which it seems can only be flown by Earthmen. Now, Jack and a rag-tag group of allies must overcome impossible odds, defeat an unkillable enemy, rescue the princess of the galaxy, and save the universe from a threat more terrifying than any it has ever faced.

Can this underachiever rise to the occasion and become the hero Earth needs? The fate of all life in the galaxy may rest in his hands.

#

I've not read this one yet admittedly, but I purchased it after Hugh Howey made a blog post about the book. The author found success without any form of promotion really which is nice to hear. So, I imagine it's worth giving a try if you like sci-fi. It's cheap too for a novel, with being 77p/99c. Worth checking out the sample and reviews anyway to see what you think.

As my currently reading progress shows, I've not finished Riddle in Stone yet. About 57% of the way through. Yet I feel qualified to make a comment regarding it, as I trust my gut a lot and don't really need to read a book to the end to know whether I'll like it.

Anyway, Robert's someone I know from a writing forum and he's probably one of the nicest authors/guys you'll meet.

What I wanted to say though is that what Frenchie said is absolutely correct. However, I wanted to add to that and say it's also refreshing to find a fantasy story where it's dark and one where the common fantasy races are different. This extends to the main character making reference to how the world's not like it seems in tales. Like adventuring is not all it's cracked up to be. Basically, it's self-aware in some aspects.

That said, anyone who does give the book a try, you should be warned that it is quite dark and a bit gruesome in places. But it's something that's necessary for the story the author wanted to tell. According to Robert, the sequel which is due out in a few days is not as dark though.

Also, I would definitely recommend the book.