"Old" People Writing for Teens V

justbishop

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I didn't think you could open an OpenOffice doc with Word. One of my betas said he couldn't open it. I opened his word doc in OO, but it's kind of jumbled. It made every sentence into a prargraph. I have a copy of Microsoft Office I bought, but can't get it to finish installing on my computer and the computer guru hasn't called me back. Might have to take it somewhere else.

I don't think Word opens .odt files, but OO should be able to save as a .doc.

Yeah, my CP sends me .docx files, I open and edit them, then save them as .doc (the latest one available in the list, I think the XP one) and we have no issues.
 

JustSarah

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How long is the beta project going on? I'd love to sign up, but I'm sort of introducing a character at the moment that might allow me to actually end the book. (I had one of those weird endings that just sort of stops.)

Edit: I wanted to add, do they need to be posted before the 15th, or right on the 15th?
 
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Sage

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I mean I've had scrivener for like eight years now. Is anything different? Do I still have the relevant tutorial?
I don't know, but you're saying that you don't understand how to export, so either check out the export section of your tutorial or go the scrivener site and get the tutorial there.
How long is the beta project going on? I'd love to sign up, but I'm sort of introducing a character at the moment that might allow me to actually end the book. (I had one of those weird endings that just sort of stops.)

Edit: I wanted to add, do they need to be posted before the 15th, or right on the 15th?
You PM me on or before the 14th and I post them on the 15th. That's just the hook and first 3 pages.

Then there are two more weeks before you actually receive beta requests, so there are actually 5 weeks from now until you need something betable (Yes, I did just make up that word).
 

JFitchett92

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Has anyone ever tried to edit using an ereader? I'm thinking of trying to do it to save paper and ink and prevent eyestrain. I'm wondering if maybe just using paragraph/line numbers would work, and making notes...

I use OpenOffice and just use the highlighter tool to select areas for editing (yellow for what needs editing, red for really cringey sections that have to go). Saves paper and it's very visual. In terms of notes, I don't really have any for edits. If I see a sentence that needs changing, I normally know what to do with it without having to look up notes.

Edit: This post now feels irrelevent as I didn't realise this was actually posted two pages ago. So now I'm going to try and sound topical.

The beta project sounds great! If only I could submit my MS >.< I'm nowhere near finished! I've been stuck editing chapter one for months because life is pretty tough at the moment and I can't even get 5 minutes alone. The good news is I've almost finished chapter one, but I'm scared of getting critique on it lol
 
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Sage

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So, I have a confession. I've let one of the reviews of LS get to me, but in a weird way. The reviewer liked it, but they called it cheesy.

I've never been able to put my finger on it, but I've always felt like (other than Fireflies) my books were fun but not quite...mature, writing-wise. But that word, "cheesy," has been floating around my head and kinda feels right. So when I reread H/V, all I could see was how cheesy it was (and, god, sometimes it is, and sometimes it's kinda meant to be to offset the disturbing bits, except I didn't have that word for it). The only part that before I would have identified as cheesy is the part that I refer to as the "Scooby Doo scene," which basically consists of my main characters running in and out of a room and missing each other every time, like the Scooby gang missing each other and the monster as we watch down the hall. One of my betas mentioned the Scooby Doo thing, and so I always think of it that way, lol. But now the whole thing seems "cheesy" and I can't get it out of my head.

So now I'm full of doubts about my novels. I've had so many requests and close calls and still no agent, and I'm wondering if it's the cheese.
object-emoticon-0076.gif
 

Netz

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Sage, I've read Taylor Made more recently than I've read Love Sucks and I don't remember either of them being particularly cheesy (where did you get the cheese smiley??!). Don't doubt yourself - it was just one review. :Hug2:
 

Sage

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Cheese smiley = smileyvault.com

Thanks, chica. :D I don't usually get bothered by reviews of LS of any kind (lack of reviews, otoh...). Mainly people complain about wanting Mailee to choose the other guy, which I guess is the consequence of having a love triangle where there's no obvious answer, but even when it's more than that, it's not a big deal to me. I'm pretty far removed from that book.

But that word just sort of resonated with me as maybe being the word I'm looking for when I think about why my writing feels different from what I expect to see on the shelves. It's hard to explain. Obviously I didn't have a word for it before.

ION, I've been rereading a lot of old stuff since November, and I have to commend myself now on being able to reread a part of an old novel (YA Trouble) I loved at the time and recognizing that it's just really poorly written. But I don't expect to ever resurrect YA Trouble, since I prefer Kidlit Trouble (which can totally be cheesy, if I want it to be, lol), so I'm taking that as a victory, not a source of angst.
 

Hapax Legomenon

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I want to write a story about a despot queen who controls the seasons versus a dragon mafia.
 

lisalulu09

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Sage, I have no idea what questions are going to be asked...

Speaking of betas, I got some notes back on my MG and because they weren't what I was expecting, I got emotional...

Ugh, technology is such a pain sometimes. For some reason, my iPod isn't syncing properly.
 

JustSarah

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Wait a minute, that beta requirement is words not characters. I feel redunculous now.
 

lisalulu09

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iPod STILL isn't syncing. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS IS HAPPENING.
 

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Try restarting the computer and rebooting the phone. That's what fixed it when I couldn't sync, Lisa
 

Sage

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Oh, yeah, Scrivener is going to be my best friend for the Beta Project.
 

JustSarah

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Evidently a late bloomer when it comes to becoming a YA fantasy writer. It still feel weird writing more far out epic fantasy and even longer work. I just can't put my mind around a three book scope, let alone one book. My scope is a "Have you seen my pet moose?" short story level.
 

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Well, as a YA fantasy reader, I really appreciate standalone novels. Trilogies are not my norm, writing-wise, but I usually have ideas for sequels. H/V is the first thing I've every had trilogy aspirations, and I wrote the first book 2 years before I knew something of a trilogy arc. And really it's been me contemplating the 2nd book for those 2 years, and just recently realizing where a trilogy would go (although I'm still lost on some things for book 3, and I have to make a major decision about the villain before tackling them all)

ETA: Two years? Sage, it's 2014. That's almost 4 years!
 
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lisalulu09

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I'm rebooting it. Please God, let it work.

Technology, I love you, but sometimes you're a right pain in the ass. ><
 

JustSarah

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The ending is the worst though, just something I've had trouble with. Looking at some of my older work, I end up cringing cause they end more like cinder block piling on top of each other rather than a skateboard on a ramp. I end up laughing at myself a little bit.
 

lisalulu09

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Rebooted the iPod. I have less apps on there than I did, but I can just download them as and when...
 

jtrylch13

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I want to write a story about a despot queen who controls the seasons versus a dragon mafia.

Pretty sure I've never heard of a story like that. Sounds interesting!



As to the sequel/trilogy discussion: Of all the many, many novel ideas I have scribbled down, almost every single one is a trilogy or series. I don't know, I guess I just think epic-ish when it comes to stories.
 

Hapax Legomenon

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Really?

I'm pretty sure it'd just be a cross between Frozen and Game of Thrones.

And tbh as a writer and a reader of fantasy I definitely do appreciate one-shots and wish there were more of them.
 
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JustSarah

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I had to resist the nerd, and briefly assumed you meant one-shot manga. (I also love one shots.)

I'm wondering if my recent writing ventures is because I'm warming up to reading fantasy? I'm craving more Australian 19th century fantasy for some reason.
 

JFitchett92

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Well, as a YA fantasy reader, I really appreciate standalone novels. Trilogies are not my norm, writing-wise, but I usually have ideas for sequels. H/V is the first thing I've every had trilogy aspirations, and I wrote the first book 2 years before I knew something of a trilogy arc. And really it's been me contemplating the 2nd book for those 2 years, and just recently realizing where a trilogy would go (although I'm still lost on some things for book 3, and I have to make a major decision about the villain before tackling them all)

ETA: Two years? Sage, it's 2014. That's almost 4 years!

I'm the opposite, I absolutely love trilogies and sagas (coming back to my former mention of the GONE series, which is 6 books long) especially when the plot progresses really well and keeps me interested. I've read a few books that I think shouldn't have been a trilogy, such as The Maze Runner and Wool, because they both had huge, intense build-ups that fizzled out into a weak ending.

For this exact reason I decided against turning my book into a trilogy (which is how it started out) and crammed all the good stuff into a single volume. I don't think I could ever write a trilogy or series, but if I could, it would have to be f***ing awesome to keep even my attention!

That being said, Sage, your H/V series does intrigue me. Could you shed some more light? Perhaps if you're looking for a beta I could be of service :p Never been a beta reader before so I don't know how useful I'd be.