RCMills

There are tons of books out there that address the various elaborate or simple techniques authors use to put a novel together. Elements of Fiction Writing is a decent start. A little research on amazon can turn up more, I expect. Writersdigest.com also has some interesting links and features from time to time. They also have a 101 Best Websites for Writers feature that picks out some of the best places online for that sort of thing. Just remember not to get too caught up in what other people do and forget to actually sit down and start writing (or plotting, as the case may be). As a bit of an aside...I find it difficult to understand that writing and researching about previous eras is any less trying or burdensome than writing about and inventing an era and people that don't exist at all (if we're speaking of doing either of them 'just right'). I've met fantasy writers who do an incredible amount of historical research before they even sit down to start building imaginary cultures and peoples and civilizations. But perhaps I've misinterpreted your emphasis on research and fantasy and work.

Thanks very much for reading! Anything for you heh

I use Throughlines for chapters to stay on track while I'm writing and scene analysis cue cards for pre-rewrite editing. I'd drive myself up the wall trying to keep track of everything in one go. Having an obsessive compulsive editor helps too.

I don't think someone's personality decides whether they become sympathetic to a character or not . Kenneth was one of the more subtle characters I've ever written. More for what he doesn't say than what he does say. ahem. And for the record. I like Kenneth.

Thanks for the comments so far! It's nice to know some people are reading it and maybe enjoying it. I think I spent more time laughing than actually writing this story, which worries me a bit, because I'm one of those people who laughs at all their own jokes .

Maybe this is a bit off topic (and forgive me if I've misunderstood your situation), but your problem doesn't seem have anything to do with an outline at all; but rather the fact that you've posted your story already and have forgone the invaluable tool called revision. It seems a bit backwards to me to start posting something without having seen where you end up--especially if you maybe don't have the knack for it some authors do. I don't know how many times I'll get to chapter 20x and end up changing half the story to accommodate whatever I've written up to that point; or cutting out large chunks that really had no business being in the story in the first place. It's the opposite of carpentry. You know, where you measure twice and cut once for every single board? I usually end up contriving the idea for a chapter once and writing it twice (or more if the situation is particularly vexing). Thinking about it in terms of revision means you've only ever 'screwed up your story', should you give up before you're satisfied. Of course, I consider writing linearly from a start to a finish to be a bit awkward in the first place, so what do I know. By writing the climax and epilogue first I usually end up there when I go back and start writing from the beginning. Outlines are bothersome because most writing (at least the creative conceptualizing and words put to paper) is done subconsciously--I've always found outlines hinder the process. It sounds a bit silly, but I hate thinking while I write. Maybe that's more a personal quirk though, not a rule of thumb. The single effort I made preparing an outline before writing a story ended in complete disaster. I mean, my outline was so fantastically written and had so many wonderful plot twists and characters and details, that by the time I got around to writing the actual story nothing I wrote could measure up to this wonderful outline of mine. I ended up spending more time consulting my extensive binder of notes than producing sentences to the point where I began dreading trying to keep track of everything I had thought up previously. The only thing I ever got was a headache. A month later I just threw everything out. It was quite traumatic. Let me tell you.

I don't think writing something that will be read by many compromises an author's moral soundness. Ideologically speaking, an author is just a name attributed to a penned work, it's not necessarily an individual. Changing the name, if not the person behind the author, changes the authorship. You can therefore think of writing two vastly different types of works from two authors originating from a single individual, as maintaining the integrity of each separate author. Whether that violates your own personal ethics is another matter entirely. And if you choose to pen a work that violates your own beliefs and sensibilities simply for the sake of making many people read your work, then I believe the answer is entirely obvious. However, I believe that writing stories that you enjoy, and writing stories that many other readers will read and enjoy, are not mutually exclusive events. Finding that wonderful grey area between is an art in itself; one I'm certain many authors struggle with all their lives. Speaking strictly outside the professional world, how many deeply impacted readers will it take to satisfy your ego? I consider one a stunning success. Is a work more successful when you receive fifty e-mails rather than a thousand? Or is it simply more satisfying? Expectations are better left at the door. Professional authors are often forced to write populist fiction until they make a name for themselves. But you can be certain they all have that magical work they wrote for themselves stashed away in a desk drawer, just waiting for enough leeway with a publisher before trying to push it into published form. I once heard someone introduce themselves in such a manner at a writing conference. To which another quickly replied, 'so is my mother! She writes wonderful shopping lists.'

This story has a sort of inexorable flow to it. I opened up the first chapter thinking I'd browse through it briefly. Instead, as anyone who's already read the chapters might attest, I ended up reading all seven quite thoroughly and enjoyed the experience immensely. Having read the original, this revision appears to have a depth and breadth to the story the first one lacked. On one hand I'm looking forward to more chapters very soon, and on the other I'm rather hoping they're few and far between. Stories like these are a bit too tempting when it comes to objects that incite long periods of procrastination.

...does it honestly bother you when a complete stranger who probably doesn't know the end of a pen from a penis tries to tell you your business? I think I understand a measure of your frustration, but be realistic; a review is only an opinion. It holds only as much power over yourself as you give it. Just like the one I'm about to give you! Personally, I dislike the practice of author's notes. You're posting a story for readers to read. The content should stand alone and speak for itself. If there's a problem with the clarity of your content, then your reviews will usually reflect that. I don't think getting annoyed really serves any purpose. If the German is rotten then the German is rotten (not to be mistaken with me thinking Germans are rotten, I love sauerkraut as much as the next person...). End of story. If you know, then why does it matter? Posting on fanfiction sites is often a hilarious practice, one I suppose that requires thick skin. Let's face it, this is the internet. There are a whole boatload of morons out there (I might be one of them!!! ). No sense getting worked up over them. You'll burn out. And on one last note: have you considered taking the fic down until you've finished the rewrite? If reviews pointing out mushy areas of your fic you've already stated you're going to rewrite bother you to such an extent, why not bypass the situation completely and finish the rewrite before posting again? Or...why not remove the German 'for now' and put in a corrected version 'later'? You can't stop people from voicing opinions. But you do have a measure of control over them. The latter, of course, is entirely dependent upon you, your writing, what you choose to post, and when you choose to post it. Good Luck!