I'm in the home stretch.
The first draft of The Clone Alliance is done. I finished about two weeks ago. I have two guys who proof my stories for plot. They have finished and given me suggestions. They pretty much agreed on most things.
The next step is the second draft. That is the draft in which I try to rectify inconsistencies, remove unnecessary characters, and comb out stupid twists. I am about one-third of the way through this draft, but I am also working on my third draft at the same time.
There is a reason for this. It's called a deadline. I have until October 31 to turn in a completed book--completed meaning scanned for punctuation, spelling, and inconsistancies. It also means sans all stupid plot twists. What do I mean by stupid plot twists--here's good example spotted by T.M. Wagner of SF Review--the exploding gun trick in The Clone Republic.
In The Clone Republic, General Amos Crowley sabotages a Marine's gun simply by pinching the barrel in a peculiar way. Why, asks Wagner, would the Marines use weapons that are so easily sabotaged?
I can answer that question. It's a stupid plot twist. I was so wrapped up in the idea of this gun being sabotaged that I never stopped to consider the ludicrously easy way in which it was done.
If you think that stupid plot twist is bad, you should see some of the ones I catch... and my editors catch. They have a very professional crew at Ace Book. Thank goodness.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
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7 comments:
Reminds me of some game design today. For example, let's take a look at BioShock.
Who the hell puts the security control switch for a camera on a pillar RIGHT NEXT to camera? Obviously, the people in "City Under Water" (whatever it's called) were taking far more than Adam when they built the place.
Good luck with your deadline.
Best
Robert
Did you ever play that Myst-like game set in the tomb of a Chinese emperor. I think it was QIN. Been a long time.
That game had the most insideous puzzle I have ever seen. you had to catch a fish. No matter what you did, you could never catch the damned thing.
You know what the solution was? You had to do nothing. If you settled in on the stream and did nothing for a length of time (I think it was two minuts), the fish would jump out and it was yours. BUt here's the catch, every time you touched your mouse or your keyboard, the time restarted.
Do you know any gamers who can enjoy themselves sitting still for 2 minutes? If they could, they'd probably read book instead of playing games.
By the way, I ADORE BioShock and I consider BioShock 2 to be one of the greatest computer games I have ever, ever played. I tried it as both the Marine and the hacker!
Steven,
Just wanted to post how much I've enjoyed "The Clone Republic" and "Rogue Clone."
I just finished reading "Rogue Clone" last night and had to search the web today hoping there was a sequel planned. Let's just say I was pleansantly surprised! Thank you again.
Thank you. I'm very glad you enjoyed the first two books. I have good news and bad news. The good news is that book 3 is done and I have even started on book 4--the last and final note in this 4-book trilogy. The bad news is that Ace Book informs me that their 2007 schedule is filled and the books will not be released until 2008. My apologies.
I was surfing the net about the new consoles and the next generation of first-person shooters. Then I came across your book in this month's Game Informer. I'd never heard of you or your sci-fi before, do you have a sight that highlights your books?
The Populist
http://thepopulist.libsyn.com
...
My only site is SadSamsPalace.com. If you are a gamer, you may be familiar with my book on the history of video games, "The Ultimate History of Video Games."
My science fiction is a new phenom. My first books came out in March and my second in Sept. I have some stuff on Amazon and SciFiReview has reviews of my novels on its website. (If you google "The Ultimate History of Video Gamws, you will find all kinds of reviews.)
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