writting idea

Nathan · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:44 pm

For years now I have been thinking of writting something. Perhaps I will put my ideas to work. Often I daydream about things. Naturally they pertain to air combat. One of the ideas I had was to write stories based on real accounts but with a twist....."what ifs". I am not thinking comic book here but more a book filled with "what if" stories based on real air combat events. It would be fiction naturally. But I want to make it as if the reader was there witnessing the event. To change the way they already knew about a particular event. And give the read an idea as to what could have been.

I am trying to think of a title but I know I want "Ghost" in with the title somewhere.

To give you some idea as to what I am thinking about. Example:

On December 8th, 1941....while the Japanese where bombing Clark Field the 17th PS where flying overhead not noticing the destruction below. 'What if' they had seen the action below and dived down into the fight?

Stuff like that I would be interested in writting about. So before I head off to work I was just wondering if this idea would be good or not? Would you guys be interested in such a thing?

thanks,
Nathan

Hellcat · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 2:50 pm

"what if's" have been covered here before.... be careful ... :wink:

cozmo · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:00 pm

I say, good luck...and get spell check.

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:05 pm

Read: 'The Shepherd' by Frederick Forsyth

'Declarations of War' by Len Deighton

There are many other books of alternative history et al, but those two, while short, are by master writers and if you analyse them (rather than daydream, like we all do) you'll see what goes into it.

Rudyard Kipling said you have to take on board before you can put out for writing.

John Dupre · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:06 pm

I sometimes want to be a writter too... :wink:

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:29 pm

Dont worry about the spolling. Some very suckessful writters have been awful spollers.

You'll need to be able to clean it up when it counts though.

The real issue is poor earnings and it's H A R D work.

Chicoartist · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:55 pm

I agree - the little bit of writin' I've done convinced me to NEVER put down my brush and roll up my canvas for good. It is very hard to do well.

That being said, over the years I've been forming a fictional story in my head which one day I WILL commit to WORD file. A few months ago, I actually got 'semi-serious' about it - at least how to get going - and one site I ran across is that of Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook). Sappy stories or not, he's a good writter (and quite rich :lol:

), and his site has some good advice on the craft - FYI, and FWIW:

http://www.nicholassparks.com/WritersCorner/Index.html

Wade

Chris Brame · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:35 pm

Quote:

Dont worry about the spolling. Some very suckessful writters have been awful spollers. You'll need to be able to clean it up when it counts though.

You can always hire me to do that...

Rob Mears · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:16 pm

The gold in that concept is going to be how you play out the fight. Build an interest the the specific aircraft ,tactics, numbers...real specifics, and then apply the factual talent of the pilots at that time period. How many planes might the 17th PS have had up that day on average, if they had been flying? Would their planes have been armed? Where would they have been operating, and from what direction might they have been traveling, and what altitude?

The value in this kind of fiction writing is how many actual facts the reader is able to learn about that environment, limits of machine & pilot, intriguing specifics about the squadron operations, the actual pilots, etc. The fictional story then becomes almost an irrelevant backdrop in relation to the richness of the rare facts and perspectives .

OTOH, there are sooooo many real combat situations that you could research and write about, and plenty of otherwise unknown pilots you could raise the world's awareness of as a byproduct. There was some seriously real, hard core action going down in the SoPac and European Threatres. Finding a way to capture and relate that in a way that doesn't just sit there on the page would be a good carrot to chase IMO. I'd prepare to settle in for the long haul if you really want to impress yourself with the result, but don't let the "it's hard" statements stop you from gertting started and getting your momentum up, if it's something you really have a passion for.

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:32 pm

Excellent post, Rob.

The 'it's hard' was raised because some people think it's indoor work with no heavy lifting. It is all that, but it takes graft to actually complete anything. Then you've got to get it edited, take critiques on the chin, and (maybe) sell it. It can be done part time, but it's not a passtime.

While the publishing industry is built on authors, it's the worst paid job in the businesses.

The meanest thing you can do is write something half-arsed and force your friends to read it, rather than trying to publish it. Should be illegal.

And beware of vanity publishers. You'll not sell anything, be broke and have a garage full of books.

If you want specific advice it's easy to get.

Cheers,

(The above is based on 20 years in the book trade doing everything you can do with books.)

TonyM · **Posted:** Fri Nov 21, 2008 11:20 pm

Stick to real non-fiction for a first project. Fiction is very difficult and hard to sell. Writing a "What If" (alternate history) book is probably one of the most difficult projects a first time writer could choose and would be a real hard idea to sell to the cold hearted editors at the established publishing houses. Writing books is difficult, but don't let that stop you if you really think you got something. I am a published aviation author and I am working on/writing two books right now simultaneously; it takes up a lot of my time (when I can find the time to work). And as stated above--stay away from vanity presses, go with a publishing house. Be prepared to be turned down by the publishers. A great pitch letter is very important but still won't guarantee success. I got my first book deal on the first try, but that is out of the ordinary I am told by many. Go buy the "Writer's Market" book published by Writer's Digest for tips on writing pitch letters and finding the right publishers. Good Luck.

Tony Mireles

Nathan · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2008 7:44 am

Wow..thanks guys for the comments. Yeah I know about my spelling. It's not the best. :oops:

My ideas are open to options. If I even plan to seriously do something.

But thanks again.

Chicoartist · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:07 am

JDK wrote:

. . . The 'it's hard' was raised because some people think it's indoor work with no heavy lifting. It is all that, but it takes graft to actually complete anything. Then you've got to get it edited, take critiques on the chin, and (maybe) sell it. It can be done part time, but it's not a passtime.

While the publishing industry is built on authors, it's the worst paid job in the businesses.

The meanest thing you can do is write something half-arsed and force your friends to read it, rather than trying to publish it. Should be illegal.

And beware of vanity publishers. You'll not sell anything, be broke and have a garage full of books.

If you want specific advice it's easy to get.

I'll bet some of what you wrote above applies to writing, also! :lol:

Heh heh, seriously, we creative types who are passionate about our work pour our hearts and souls into our creations, and we certainly don't do it for the obscenely-high pay scale! We do it because we love it - no, we do it because we must - our DNA screams to release the creative forces. Yes, some of us 'lucky' souls are paid pretty well (now) for a piece of canvas or for a stack of otherwise blank paper (or CD, what have you), but in relation to the numbers of hours spent, I think a fast-food job would pay better per hour.

The challenge - and motivation - is to get better with each piece. The satisfaction from a job well done is something that cannot be measured, and to take a blank canvas, a blank page, or an otherwise dumb instrument and create something that puts a smile on others' faces (and a tear, sometimes) is pure magic, and I'd do my part for free if I were able, and as I used to for oh-so-long before a few precious people thought my work worthy of compensation. There were a lot of menial jobs in the meantime. I strive to be worthy of that trust before it's decided by the One upstairs that the fun and 'easy' life is over!

Wade,
the indoor, brush-lifting artist ...

PS: Well, if I drop my can of W & N Oil Painting Primer on my foot, it'll hurt! :cry:

fritzthefox · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:38 pm

I second that. I have yet to complete a single piece of artwork that factored down to a worthwhile hourly rate.

It's more of an illness than a profession.

I think writing is similar.

k5083 · **Posted:** Sat Nov 22, 2008 8:38 pm

Well, if you are writting/writing a novel in this country, the real purpose of it is to attract Hollywood's attention and get your first movie deal. That'll set you on the path to your own P-51 within a couple of years.

So whatever novel you write, always make sure to create characters with the cast of "High School Musical 3" in mind.

August

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