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Showing posts from September, 2013

How to Write: The Best Stories, Part Two - 'The Name of the Wind' by Patrick Rothfuss and Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'

Listening to:  Final Fantasy 7  soundtrack ____ This is the second installment of my favorite stories series. A glaring gap in my prior entry was of the literary breed. How can an author not have a book on his list of favorite stories? Unbundy your undies and read on. THE NAME OF THE WIND Cover of "The Name of the Wind," by Patrick Rothfuss.  Source. " I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.   You may have heard of me. " -From the book jacket of  The Name of the Wind The Name of the Wind   is New York Times bestselling author  Patrick Rothfuss's  first novel. And what a novel it is

An Autumn Veil: What it Means to Write 200,000 Words

Current Word Count of Autumnveil: ~207,000 ____ It was within the first year and a half of writing that I realized telling the whole story of Autumnveil would take over 200,000 words. Even at that time I knew this would be a hurdle to publishing for an unpublished novelist. As common knowledge goes, sci-fi/fantasy works for new writers shouldn't exceed 125,000 words. I wonder sometimes if I should try to divide the story differently in order that my first publishing attempt might go easier Act I, which concludes with a climax and rapid falling action, is about 100,000 words and could probably stand alone if it absolutely had to. But dividing the story there doesn't feel organic to me. There are so many questions left over. Maybe that's good. Maybe those questions will keep readers begging for more, but so much of my maturing as a novelist really started happening in Act II. This is when the fruit of historical and language studies, traveling during my summers, reading