Writers' Ideas

[Chunk]

Ok, I did this a while ago to say what I was going to write. And this is the revised version...

 

West of Sinful

In the sleepy Welsh village of Blaryville, policeman David West is getting bored of there being no crime to fight. But when multiple reports of various sheep-shagging circulate, David is called into action to stop this spate of sheep violation. But before he can stop it, he has to find out what's causing it...

 

Memoir of a Crime

Nicholas Bogart is an old man, bitter from what he has seen in his long life. But now he's revisiting the darkest place in his life, investigating the unsolved murder of Mr Damon Blackheart, in his new book. But as he writes the book, he starts to relive it. But as he lives in the past, can he solve the case and change the future?

 

Weekend

The Dawson family are not a happy bunch. Mum has just tore the family apart by having an affair with an Argos delivery boy, the son, Jeremy, is a foulmouthed junkie who is hateful of the whole family. Dad is depressed and near suicidal, edged closer to taking his life by his wife going behind his back. The daughter, Jenny, is retarded and is hated more than anyone else by Jeremy. The family are trying to stick together and plan a weekend trip to Blackpool. But as they arrive in the seaside town, more than sunburn happens to the Dawsons...

 

Thirty

In the 1970's, Harry Desmond has just come out of the academy and has joined the police force. In 2009, Harry Desmond is a senior officer, but alot has changed in his 30 years in the force. He has became crooked and solves his cases by using brutal tactics. But alot has happened to the world as well as Harry. And as we flip back and forth from his first days to his present days, discover alot more has happened that you would ever have known.

 

Red

In a dystopian future, a psychotic mental patient escapes the Asylum, the most brutal place in the whole USA. With President Eden launching a war against Europe, the mental patient escapes to a changed world. Crime runs wild as the citizens take what they can to survive the oncoming war. As the mental patient,, Red, makes his way through the city, he discovers that the city he loved has changed and that his childhood home has been taken over by a gang of heroin addicts. Massacaring the junkies, Red wants his city back, and the only way to do that is by going on a rampage against the criminals that overrun the streets. With the help of Skids, a young junkie, the two unlikely heroes bond on a journey through the underworld, killing any bastard that gets in their way...

Edited March 17, 2009 by Chunk

[Typhus]

What's the point?

Edited March 15, 2009 by Typhus

[The Unvirginiser]

Piece of advice here for you lads...

A guy posted a San Andreas Stories topic in 'design your own mission', a direct copy and paste from mine; claiming it to be his own. If you feel your work is good enough for soembody to steal then copyright it! Put it in an envelope, then send it to yourself in the post. The validation on the stamp is proof of the date that you sent it.

[Eminence]

= "poor man's copyright"

 

= can be faked

 

= doesn't hold up in court, or any other institution

 

 

Plagiarism isn't something to worry about in that sense. If it's that good, you shouldn't be posting it on a public forum. If it's that good, you don't have anything to worry about, because you should get it published and then it's instantly copyrighted. If it's not that good (to be published), then, well, what does it matter anyway?

 

On this particular matter, though, did you sort him out? I trust he's banned now?

[The Unvirginiser]

No, just warned. And I'm sure that with a statement from a GTAF administrator, as well as the envelope and backed up files on your computer it would be enough evidence.

 

Edited March 15, 2009 by The Unvirginiser

[Eminence]

Hmmm, always annoys me, that. Plagiarism should equal instant banning.

 

Enough evidence against what? As I say, if something's that good, then it's simply a nonissue.

 

As for evidence alone, no, it wouldn't hold up. It's never been used as a precedent, and wouldn't hold up simply down to the fact that the dated envelope can be faked very easily. What would ultimately hold up, yes, is the combination of that, the original files, witness statements and database logs showing what was posted. But that's not the issue; you're talking specifically about the poor man's copyright, and it couldn't be used alone as evidence.

[The Unvirginiser]

Well completely disregard my advice then.

[Oxidizer]

Why not just post the stuff on here anyway? The date and time when posts are, well, posted should be proof enough. But realistically, no-one's gonna steal anything online and seriously try to pass it off as their own work, whether to get it published or otherwise. So relax.

[VCRules86]

Well not that anyone cares but after my sh*t got deleted I've finally kicked the subsequent writer's block and have a new idea that I plan to put much more revision and fine tuning into. I've typed up a short summary if anyone is interested. Kind of like a Carlito's Way meets GTA meets Kane and Lynch

[Oxidizer]

I care! Post the summary, I like the sound of this stuff already. I'm also glad you've shaken off your writer's block.

 

 

We haven't had much material on the WD relating to Asian organized crime.

Word. I can't think of a single one come to think of it. Though I'm glad you approve of the idea; Killing Your Numbers is a sort of re-write/spin-off hybrid of something I wrote in '07 and never got around to completing, only KYN focuses solely on the Yakuza rather than a trio of different organized crime groups and organizations. It's still in the planning stages at this point though, but I've got a small cast of characters (the majority of which are redux versions of characters from the aforementioned incomplete story). I'll keep you posted on its progress. xD

[VCRules86]

Okay thanks for the support, here is the prologue, the story is in 1st person to add some uniqueness to it.

-----------------------------

 

My name is Jack Scifres, I used to be a mercenary. For 6 years I was a soldier in the U.S military, for 6 years I was told to do nothing more than follow orders and fire my rifle. After being discharged I couldn't simply return to normal life, the only thing waiting for me back in the states was a condo in New York City.

 

I have spent 2 months in the scorching deserts of Africa fighitng other people's battles, the wrong people's battles. I have killed many innocent people in the name of my bank account. I have done the bidding for countless murderous warlords across the country and I can't take it anymore. I wanted out, I couldn't handle the sight of a mother holding her dead son in her arms. It hurts worse when I'm the man who put the bullet in his head.

 

I go back to New York and find that not much has changed since I left 6 years ago. The place is still a haven for criminals. Whether they be gangbangers or mobsters, they are everywhere. I just want a normal life but soon enough I'm pulled back into the sh*t I tried to get away from, Carlito Brigante would be proud. Now I'm forced into working for terrible people, some worse than the Africans.

 

Things are about to go right down the f*cking sh*tter........and they're taking me with them.

-------------------

 

The tenses jumped around a bit but the actually story will be in present tense. This prologue takes place shortly after his return to NYC so you will see Jack's last operation as a merc.

[Typhus]

Thanks a lot.

Edited March 17, 2009 by Typhus

[Chunk]

Hey, could you guys do me a favour. I dunno what to write first out of my ideas on the page before this one. So, could you guys take a look at Red and West of Sinful and see what one I should write. I don't really mind as I'm eager to write both, but I can only handle writing one story at a time so I'm asking you good people to vote on what I should write first out of these two. Thanks.

[Oxidizer]

 

here is the prologue, the story is in 1st person to add some uniqueness to it.

I like the first person POV and think it works best with the type of story you're telling. Though you'll have to make Jack a layered character to carry the story, as he really does need to be in every single scene in order for the POV you've chosen to work, but I'm pretty sure you'll do fine; Scifres is already an interesting enough guy for the role of protagonist. I also like the ex soldier angle and look forward to reading more of that if you continue the story you've posted an excerpt of.

 

Plus, call me old-fashioned, but I didn't notice any tense switching. Probably 'cause I prefer to read the actual story being told rather than picking out your typoes. xD

 

 

So, could you guys take a look at Red and West of Sinful and see what one I should write.

I'm very fond of West of Sinful's premise(...), only I think something more serious would be better off, so I vote Red. But obviously it's up to you what you decide to write. Best of luck!

[Omnia sunt Communia]

I haven't written anything in ages... I feel dirty.

[Lethal Nizzle]

First chapter of my little project is coming together. Get ready to inhale the cannabis fumes and let your head roll back, seen?

[Oxidizer]

 

I haven't written anything in ages... I feel dirty.

Likewise. Last thing I wrote was in September, '08. I keep telling myself I'll write something the next day, but tomorrow never comes. I need to break this habit! I dunno what the hell happened, I used to churn out shedloads of stuff on an almost daily basis.

 

First chapter of my little project is coming together. Get ready to inhale the cannabis fumes and let your head roll back, seen?

Seen. Or at least it will be once you post the first chapter. Looking forward to it.

[Chunk]

I'm going to write Red first. I should have the first chapter up by the end of the month if I can get off my lazy arse.

[Oxidizer]

The good: I'm actually writing again. The bad: it's halted a little due to not quite knowing how much to reveal of the storyline(s) and when. And I can't continue writing until I've work it out otherwise the flow will be completely off.

 

Also: why is that Updates topic still locked?

[Rhoda]

Also: why is that Updates topic still locked?

It was noted as needless posting I believe. It got in a state when people would just arrive, post "chapter three's up", and leave. It looked pretty pointless to me anyway, as I can see what's updated and when by just looking at the page. Besides, WD Express now displays updated stories, chapters and developments. Seems to work the same.

[Oxidizer]

Ah! Makes sense to me. I only brought it up 'cause I felt like this wasn't the right place to be ranting about minor updates.

[Rhoda]

Ah! Makes sense to me. I only brought it up 'cause I felt like this wasn't the right place to be ranting about minor updates.

I think it's appropriate to banter about updates and the like in here, as there's usually ideas floating around too. It's posts like "look at chapter two" that aren't tolerated.

[mark-2007]

I haven't written in ages now. I never wrote much, for WD at least, in the first place, but have always had some ideas kicking around my skull.

 

Anyways, this particular idea which I'm planning on working on after I get schoolwork done, which should be about a fortnight from now, maybe more, maybe less. So, I have about three pages on MS Word written for this idea, and the first chapter is pretty gory. D'you reckon it's alright to set this kind of tone? I don't plan on making the story as a whole too bloody and gruesome, only the odd chapter and even then scattered about. So what d'you all think?

[Oxidizer]

Go for it. As long as it's done seriously, I don't see a problem.

[Rhoda]

So, I have about three pages on MS Word written for this idea, and the first chapter is pretty gory. D'you reckon it's alright to set this kind of tone? I don't plan on making the story as a whole too bloody and gruesome, only the odd chapter and even then scattered about. So what d'you all think?

Gore to me only works if omitted completely, or approached so relentlessly it makes you feel slightly sick just reading it; to me, I can't really get my head around mild gore as the very fabric of gore relies on approach. Gore is only really included as a means for setting a theme and through author preference.

 

For example, one of the most horrific films around, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (and one of my personal favourites) is noted for having little to no gore altogether, and that's what makes the viewing experience so uncomfortable and shocking for some; the fact that the very gore itself isn't even worth portraying says a little something about narrative and writing style.

 

On the other end of the line, we could use Hostel, or the Saw series, which takes pride almost in displaying a shocking array of traps, killings and (in my opinion) un-necessary scenes to display gore and what's going on. As the Saw series goes on, the more and more they're forced to raise the bar to continue to shock their masses.

 

But I digress Mark. It's all to do with your narrative and your preference. Do you want to disturb or unsettle us? Is gore the main focus? By omitting gore, you could say you're subconsciously suggesting your hero/villain (depends on who does the killing) is so relentless it means nothing to him... but the same could be said about the other end; you show us so much gore you want to suggest the hero/villain takes pride in his work.

 

tl;dr, it's personal preference really, elaborate please Mark? I'm interested.

[Oxidizer]

I agree with what Craig said and think that the gory aspect would have a far greater affect/impact if it's only used once in a while, and is mostly hinted at rather than depicted. That being said, I think it'll take quite a strong writer to properly pull something like that off.

 

 

Hostel

[Rhoda]

Another good trick to narratives involving gore is to go quite some way in using minimal gore techniques, such as the more suggestive writing, moving on to another chapter as the gore begins. Then, go into the gore with more depth, almost leaping from one end of the scale to another. I've seen this in films (which I can't say) and it's odd to be so comfortable watching a scene expecting it to cut away, only to see that said cut isn't going to happen, and before you know it you're looking at a severed leg in the grass with blood oozing from the wound like a clown's flower.

 

Yeah, bit of a mess of a post but I hope you get something from it.

[Omnia sunt Communia]

The simplest thing to do is to ask yourself: Does my story need this? Is it essential to the plot/narrative in anyway. You should be asking the same of yourself with every scene that you write. Every word should add to the story in someway, either by progressing the narrative, expanding on a character or by setting up a theme or themes.

[mark-2007]

Well, I guess gore was the wrong word to say. It's more just describing a murder scene in depth: should I go with a minimal description, or should I go overboard and describe it in quite a bit of detail. I've started out doing the latter for the first chapter, so set the scene of the story and show the villains to be the bad guys.

[Eminence]

The simplest thing to do is to ask yourself: Does my story need this? Is it essential to the plot/narrative in anyway. You should be asking the same of yourself with every scene that you write. Every word should add to the story in someway, either by progressing the narrative, expanding on a character or by setting up a theme or themes.

Quentin Tarantino begs to differ.