Location: A City So Dead...

Discussion: New direction for ACSD...Reported This is a featured thread

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AgEnT_GrEEn
AgEnT_GrEEn
New direction for ACSD...
Oct 29 2008, 6:43 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 29 2008, 6:43 PM EDT
Read what's there first, then continue reading this thread or you'll be lost otherwise. Basically, the story's gonna be about mall survival versus the crap that was there before. I'd like PMs or posts telling me what you like and don't like, what I could do better, things like that.


I look forward to the feedback : ) 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
IrishHitman
IrishHitman
1. RE: New direction for ACSD...
Oct 29 2008, 7:14 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 29 2008, 7:14 PM EDT
Looks good...... I think I'll give this a lash. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
SkipNChurch
SkipNChurch
2. Good "hook", work some on your setup
Oct 29 2008, 7:24 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 29 2008, 7:24 PM EDT
Situation, mental pic of actioned area, presuppositions are in place.

Make something happen that is just beyond most people's belief and run like you stole it from there.

SnC 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
AgEnT_GrEEn
AgEnT_GrEEn
3. RE: Good "hook", work some on your setup
Oct 29 2008, 11:08 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 29 2008, 11:08 PM EDT
Skip, the only difficulty I'm having is how I introduce the Skinnies...I want to take a more novel approach.

I'm trying to avoid the 'Main character stumbles across scene of a few Skinjobs eating a helpless person but blows it off until it's too late but miraculously is able to find some deathdealer gun or sword and knocks the Skinnies back to Hell' intro-middle-end scenario...

You said you've done fiction before; what would you do at this point? Anyone else's input right now is useful to me also :) Do you find this valuable?    
SkipNChurch
SkipNChurch
4. What would be interesting...
Oct 29 2008, 11:30 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 29 2008, 11:30 PM EDT
"Sourcing" your point of infection and turn.

I'm working on some information for a novelist, this line not used, and is my idea, you might try this...

WW2 produced millions of pounds of various chemical products for warfare. Germs-Bio, Gasses, Poisons.
After War, tons literally dumped anyplace that would hide and hold them. (You Tube has "Toxic Seas", get idea of amounts and kinds dumped in seas).

Think this: "Standing near a city service vent on sidewalk near Mall North entry.
Undergound **BOOM!**
Busy day, strange cloud exits large vents, encompassed people in a slick oily fog.."

Experimental gasses loosened by nearby construction, aged bottled chemicals, break open enmass, quickly filling entire City blocks with that unknown weapon...

Scenario quickly turns to organized chaos as people are called to event, and in turn are quickly affected by "whateritis". Fire, Cops, EMS are not immune to wht is happening, and in turn, as first person reporter sees from up above on second floor of mall, things go to hell all too quickly.

Immediate retreat, rethinking, and falling back to "ZOMBIE" thinking gets story going..

SnC 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
AgEnT_GrEEn
AgEnT_GrEEn
5. RE: What would be interesting...
Oct 29 2008, 11:47 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 29 2008, 11:47 PM EDT
Thank you so much,. I'll be sure to give credit where credit is due : ) Do you find this valuable?    
SkipNChurch
SkipNChurch
6. Add in..
Oct 30 2008, 12:16 AM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 12:16 AM EDT
Talking and writing about 50-60+ year old containers, disposed of in many places in methods that didn't care for the very long term..

"Baltic Sea Boils"
"Med Medicates"
"Atlantic Assimilates"
"Pacific Parboils"

Get idea.. Sudden wrenching explosions of to the unknowing public, "Changing Clouds". Walk in, you don't walk out *alive*.

You can use the Romero-esque lines, or Shamblers, Brain Eaters. What might be cool is to watch all those around you not_so_slowly turn. You could easily extend the Change into days or weeks of story line. Civilization as you thought you knew it starts to fall apart as people quit showing up for work. Industry and Infrastructure fall. Services are wiped out.

Putting persons into the once human Changlings, people you know, talk to, work with, then have to in their end, be destroyed can make for useful filler as you try and bend the evolving story to your wanted direction.

I suggest you "white board" story, put out big broad ideas, work towards an end, and then fill in all the myriad ideas and story lines that make good mind horror great to read.

You don't need to be gross and over descriptive with the tearing of heads and ripping of brains. That has been covered in flm and print *forever*. Folks already have that in mind, they have seen *it* in films.
Develop the story, fill the loose slack spots, put limited, too point dialog in where appropriate.

I am a great fan of Clive Cussler. His methods of starting out with half a dozen seemingly unrelated plots, blending as story develops, ending in a most unexpected manner.
His methodology and writing make for one hell of a readable story as those people and things cross ages and centuries.

Most of all? Enjoy what you are doing, and don't let critics sap your desire to pen good fiction!
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AgEnT_GrEEn
AgEnT_GrEEn
7. RE: Add in..
Oct 30 2008, 12:41 AM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 12:41 AM EDT
You gave more creative writing tips in that one post than my creative writing teacher did in one semester....I'm inspired to write more tomorrow as I need to rest my brain and refill the 'juices' for maximum output. Do you find this valuable?    
SkipNChurch
SkipNChurch
8. AG, let story sneak up on you, avoid...
Oct 30 2008, 1:19 AM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 1:19 AM EDT
"..AN THEN!!!!!!.."

"Ta-Da" in a story somewhat ruins it by suddenly just supposing that "IT" happened.

By building your "live fiction" with something that could, may. might happen, based on fact, built up and in turn twisted to the bents and directions you wish to bring your readers makes story believable.

With "Gas Release", you in turn can build a story that hasn't yet been examined by standard zombie stories. The TA-DA of ragers, the "oh shit" of infection, vampirism, monsters of all sorts been whacked to death.

In the Gas thoughts, I foresee a genteel dissolving of society as people first refuse to believe "in it". Those who get Changed, their minds and thoughts (think trapped inside ones own skull, living but not alive), incessant demand for say human flesh, or animal protein of any kind.
Whatever torments can happen will happen to those Changed.
I've read speculation if Zed could be trained.. This world, indeed. if the bodies are able, labor can be performed.. IF the Trainer has the guts and ability.

Working towards DayZed, the Day World Puked on Gas, changes, panics, and the possible Wars and Fights, you can go horizontally, verticially, and even regress in your story(ies) as you deem fit.

Knowledge gained form participants here at ZSW about "Living tough in Unkle Zed Times" will come in damn handy while you flesh out details, lines and plots.

Again, don't worry about "polish". Put up your ideas, let story flow, and let the crowd here answer back to what hits them.

Only other thing you can do is join hollis in the Barney suits..

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SkipNChurch
SkipNChurch
9. While I'm thinking...
Oct 30 2008, 1:29 AM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 1:29 AM EDT
It is never a bad idea to wrap up an idea, and in turn its "run".

Have loose ends, unsolved mysteries or things requiring more or deeper thought?

Feel free to start another chapter. AFAIA, there is no "Book of definite chapter length".

Is better to short run a subject than in long term beat it to death flogging all around subject, using 10000000000 words to say "Oh Charlie, I banged your sister right before the Change!"... Filler at this point, the fight, arguments, and pain can be exploited for good creativeness.

Tension, pain and expectation makes great horror reading worthwhile. If one has to "go short" do so, pick up, start again, and possibly on re-write, use that short somewhere else. Do you find this valuable?    
jugglaj
jugglaj
10. RE: While I'm thinking...
Oct 30 2008, 7:55 AM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 7:55 AM EDT
wow you gave him so many ideas that im going to have to re-write my story almost completely and use some
 Do you find this valuable?    
AgEnT_GrEEn
AgEnT_GrEEn
11. RE: While I'm thinking...
Oct 30 2008, 8:21 AM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 8:21 AM EDT
Shyte, I'm gonna have to let all that soak in over the weekend; you've successfully taught me my English classes in 4 posts what took 6 teachers the course of 5 years.

I'm also going to do some people watching ver the weekend too....helps me get the realism I need for the conversations as they'll be used to reveal key elements in the story, the recollections serve as the medium for the setting, current part of the plot and for giving background details...

I'm also going to do Amy's version of the story too, but after I finish Jack's part as that one will help me with making sure the facts are straight for both accountings. Do you find this valuable?    
SkipNChurch
SkipNChurch
12. Remember writers, too much rewrite silts story
Oct 30 2008, 11:19 AM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 11:19 AM EDT
Think hard on last personal experience when things went "Boom!". Kid fell off bike, family member involved in car wreck, you had a bloody nosed fight with former best friend.
Three people saw the incident, three totally different views of same incident, not ont fully agrees...

Been said that those seeing an incident have their own particulars, beliefs, and in turn stories. You might hear all three and think "This the same thing they are talking about??"

Try not to polish any horror-adventure story up too much at first. People who are initial survivors are in full fight or flight mode, not in "gee, lets take notes for posterity". Find time to put holes in story that can be filled in as people and things progress. Allows you fudge room for development and some "TA-DA!!!" as needed.

Always room to unscramble, fix, and sort out those lines well after your Survivors meet and have time to breathe.

Disaster story(ies) are fun in part to read because they are scrambled, take some time to sort out. Wondering what and where the next tripfall, engagement with those half Changed, and then being attacked and tried to be eaten..

No end to stories you can craft and put together. Do you find this valuable?    
AgEnT_GrEEn
AgEnT_GrEEn
13. RE: Remember writers, too much rewrite silts story
Oct 30 2008, 1:50 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 30 2008, 1:50 PM EDT
I'm taking all of this into account!! :)

I need to pump out some more, I'll get to that now. Do you find this valuable?    
SkipNChurch
SkipNChurch
14. Try not to re-write too hard..
Oct 31 2008, 2:41 PM EDT | Post edited: Oct 31 2008, 2:41 PM EDT
"wow you gave him so many ideas that im going to have to re-write my story almost completely and use some
"
Let your story flow as your mind perceives it happening.
Good writes sees story in his or her mind, then as things develop, puts those ideas to logical "flow" on paper or typed formats.

Often I'll wake up at night, have to make bathroom break, and as often ideas that were in dreams or semi-conscious thinking are fresh. May be TMI, but I've got a yellow legal pad and pen in the books and magazine pile..
"Sit and think.."

Let your ideas flow, see what fits, what works, what may need moving to another spot in story lines. Any ideas you've got, get them to a place. Thing is about fiction, you have the ability to make things move any direction your mind and inclination wants it to.

Get the "Big Ideas" in place, let mind wander and fill in those blanks that readers will want to have information on.

And again, do not worry about critics. Penning stories is hard work. Most folks can't slag two sentences much less many paragraphs together..

Have fun! We'll see and read your results on the *other side*.

 Do you find this valuable?    
comonsense
comonsense
15. RE: Good "hook", work some on your setup
Nov 30 2008, 7:18 PM EST | Post edited: Nov 30 2008, 7:18 PM EST
"Skip, the only difficulty I'm having is how I introduce the Skinnies...I want to take a more novel approach.

I'm trying to avoid the 'Main character stumbles across scene of a few Skinjobs eating a helpless person but blows it off until it's too late but miraculously is able to find some deathdealer gun or sword and knocks the Skinnies back to Hell' intro-middle-end scenario...

You said you've done fiction before; what would you do at this point? Anyone else's input right now is useful to me also :)"
um you could get a "prank" call that goes blank as a person screams in the background on your walkie talkie and ignore but it keeps on naging at you 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?