Anyone writing dystopian fiction?

[stripyeyes]

My novel is set in a modern dystopia, where the details of how society is ordered is gradually revealed.

The story centers around a young man and his boss, who has a not-insignificant power over him. She asks him to take actions which are increasingly morally and legally ambiguous and it is the consequence of this which makes the story.

My current issue is I've read the damn thing so many times, I've lost the ability to "see" what a new reader would know, and whether the implied threat is great enough to affect his actions. Does anyone have any tips? Or fancy a read?!

I'm reluctant to give it to friends and family to read at this stage due to all the usual issues regarding biased or kindly reviews!

Hope NY goes well Get!

Can someone chuck some motivation my way? I've barely written anything this week, DS is napping and I want to too :( I fear that the battle between sleep and writing is the defining struggle of my lifetime.

It's hard isn't it Spider? That's why my daughter was 9 months when I began writing this book... She's 4 1/2 now I went for long periods without doing anything as I need uninterrupted time to get into writing properly so never wrote during naps.

Can u try and set aside certain times or evenings to write? And be kind to yourself- they grow up (slowly!)- and you will eventually get more time and sleep!

Kids are just not conducive to writing I find. In the time I've written this I've had to stop my 2yo eating paint, put him on the potty and then dunk him in the paddling pool as he stood in the potty. And now my 4yo is naked?!

Yeah, that's what I'm finding stripy. I never realised how much time I had! I try to do 400 words a day, and use my lunchbreaks at work. But its never enough time to get stuck in :(

I can't even imagine writing with two of them...!

It is so hard when they are little - I really admire you mums of young ones finding time to write - I really struggled when mine were small. They're 15 and 12 now and it's so much easier(although harder mentally, both had big dramas today and dd had tears at parents' evening and it's all just exhausting sometimes) - but easier in general terms to sit and write. They don't follow me around the house or want constant attention, it's hard to tear them away from their bedrooms/phones/ipads...

Hope you find some motivation soon, Spider, if you find some throw a bit my way, mine's gone to pot recently. Have job interviews going on with dh atm which will mean a move in near future so that's pretty unsettling. Not been well lately and would prefer to watch Wimbledon than sit and write of an evening.

Keep on going, 400 words is still 400 words, it all mounts up and you will get there :)

I've now done 500 today. AND that includes a cheeky 1.5 hour nap earlier (DS had his Men B jab today, so was rather sleepy as a result).

I'm at a point where I need to carefully plan things so it feels realistic. Event A has just happened, and I need to get my protagonist to Event B - and I know that thing 1, 2 and 3 need to happen along the way. It's just fitting it all together in this alternate world which I'm struggling with. UGH. Why couldn't I just write an easy book?! WHY?!

After three days of meetings ( well actually more waiting than meeting. Pitch meetings are unbelievably short), I'm on my way to meet DH and DC who are in Miami. Can't wait.

Although I know that I won't be able to just put my feet up. Questions, comments and the interminable 'notes' have already started coming in from the networks.

At least no one has actually said no so far ( though no one has said yes eithet).

Well done Get! Enjoy Miami :)

No bad news is good news... right?

DS has decided to bless us with a lovely 2 hour nap this morning, which means I've hit 45k! Finally!

I'm stitching events together, which feels boring but hopefully isn't.

I also need to start finding more inventive ways to say 'my heart pounds'. It's beginning to feel like a Twilight novel.

Well done, Spider!

hehe at the my heart pounds thing - I often think it's a wonder all these poor characters haven't dropped down dead with all the shenanigans their hearts go through. Pounding, throbbing, leaping, dropping, ending up in throats or stomachs.

Have you seen the emotion thesaurus ? It's one of the best books I've found to help with this kind of thing - lots of different ways to describe various emotions, physical reactions, internal feelings etc.

Well done, Get! Hope you hear something soon :)

Oooh thanks Mad! I'll download that book later :) I'm fine describing emotion when its a one-off reaction, but when its a prolonged feeling that spans the majority of the novel? Not so much

After three days of meetings ( well actually more waiting than meeting. Pitch meetings are unbelievably short), I'm on my way to ...Miami. Can't wait.

Aww, Get a Haircut, you don't know (or perhaps you do :)) know how jealous that has made me.

helmet don't be jealous. Nowt's perfect - never is, is it?

These meetings are likely to come to sweet FA. It's a numbers game after all and most of us won't succeed.

What I'm desperately trying to do us enjoy the ride and learn what I can so that I can do all this better next time around .

But Miami is nice . Time for a sun downer soon.

I'm editing chapter one today; what's the best way to share/upload? Can it be done via Goodreads?

(All of sudden I've turned into my mother when it comes to technology...)

spider have you joined the group on GR? Just cut and paste on to a post on the thread there-should work. PM mad if you haven't joined

Warning: self-indulgent post ahead...

I've only just realised that today is 14 July, and therefore the last day of my (self-imposed) 100 day novel writing challenge.

Can't believe it! When I started I thought I'd maybe get to 10/20k. And here I am at just under 50k. Bonkers.

That's brilliant, Spider! You're very rightly proud! :)

Anyone else want to join our GR critique group - finding it so helpful already. if you'd like to, PM me and I'll send the link.

I haven't written much today, simply because I have discovered Pokemon Go, which is all DS's fault

Kind of got me thinking of a storyline about a virtual reality game set in reality and how that could go very wrong in a darkly dystopian setting....hmmm....

Thanks Mad! DH has discovered Pokemon Go. He's currently tracking a wild zoobat. What on earth..?!

I've gone a bit rogue this weekend, and have started writing some snippets of book two.

Please tell me that I'm not the only mad person, and that others have started sequels before they've finished the first one?!

I didn't as poor planning meant I was too vague on how the book ended! I don't think it's mad because I always prioritise enjoyment- but I suspect it may make the task of finishing and editing book one harder so depends on your determination to see book one through and get it finished!!

spider be sure it's not just a diversion tactic on your part.

I regularly get ideas that seem so much more interesting than any WIP. But I do my level best to ignore them. Finishing the project in hand is always number one priority.

A good idea will still be a good idea when you go back to it.

Spider when I get the urge to do that (quite often) I try an capture the scene/plot and get it down in note form so I can come back to it. I then add to it whenever I think of new things to put in, so by the time I come to write it I have a lot of detail. That way it's still fresh and exciting enough for me to want to write the thing. But I could easily get distracted then never finish the preceding book!

I am writing book three now but still editing book two - if I don't write, I will lose the creative flow, and I need to edit as well....it's kind of ok doing both.

But we all work differently!

Hello fellow quichers (sp).

Back home now.

My update is that we have had a flat refusal from one network. Endless notes/questions from three. And a positive response from one ( with endless notes and questions).

Apparently I am now to write the series 'bible' plus the first two episodes ( again!!!!!). Though these will be slightly different for each network depending on their notes/ questions.

God. Really? This process is weird. And will probably still end in naught. All this time and energy and money spent on stuff that will never make the small screen!

Sorry, I missed these replies - DS managed to trash my phone, so been a bit out of the loop.

I'm back on Book 1, and have around 1,000 words on Book 2. I have such a wandering mind, I could never write chronologically.

Sounds positive Get! Good luck on the Bible .

Thank you spider.

Fortunately, I at least know what the bible should contain as the production company have kindly given me two (for existing shows).

I think it needs to convey the detail but also the tone.

How is everyone doing up in the quiche?

I've had a rejection that partied strong prose and stand alone chapters but advice that it needed some work to pull everything together into a cohesive piece. I'm getting some editorial advice and will start a re-write once I've got that because want to be sure I'm headed in the right direction. The rejection had deflated my efforts with the second instalment. I am going to wait for the editor's advice before I make any strong inroads into the back.

Having been on holiday and having kids milling around half the week interspersed with work is not helping!

Get, endless notes/questions sound like a pain. Oh, the unseen work that goes into projects and we just casually watch them on screen!

Spider, my iPad, my holy writing instrument has been trashed by my 'D'S this week too, I know how you feel!

Mad, I do that too! brief scene with he said, she said and then embellish it later with detail.