I need help. Desperately.

Meilleures réponses
-
Skoob_ym Librarian
It's a workable idea, but I do see some issues. For example, what would it look like when trains "battle?" A train wreck destroys both trains -- consider the Russian movie "The Edge" for example, for a train on train "battle."
Trains are necessarily on tracks, and to permit access to your tracks requires deliberately connecting to the enemy's tracks.
Your trains might be metaphorical trains, such as large trucks with many connected trailers.
Or your story could be the tale of a group of post-apocalyptic survivors who use a train to escape a wasteland, rebuilding bridges and laying new track when the have to, so that they have hope of starting over in greener lands.
5 -
Ron Miller Bibliophile
I think the fundamental idea sounds pretty interesting. But, really, at bottom it is going to come down to how skillfully you tell your story. (I do have to agree with Skoob in wondering just exactly how trains battle one another!) The more extreme the concept, the more you are going to have to work in selling it to the reader. Believeability is going to be a key word here.
Just by way of inspiration, there have been train-based science fiction stories in the past (going back as far as 1836!) and there has been a very highly regarded recent SF motion picture that takes place entirely on a world-circling super-train: Snowpiercer. I highly recommend it.
A final thought: If you have been telling stories about trains from the train's point of view why not continue doing that? Make your novel about one among several sentient trains that are part of a system of defense. This sentience could be artificial---AI built into the trains---or even human brains transplanted into the trains' computer systems. You could then have a relationship between the sentient train and a human character (read, for instance, "The Ship Who Sang," by Anne McCaffrey).5 -
Paul_Lulu Admin
For further inspiration, I recommend Anne Leckie's (https://www.annleckie.com/) "Ancillary" series. Space epic with a "sentient" ship as the protagonist. This might provide a way in to using the train's point of view.
I would also think about what makes trains unique - the isolation of being on a train, the necessary consistency of following tracks, the ability to travel great distances, etc. - and look for ways that this aspect of trains might play into the development of the story.
5 -
john_m_haines_books Liverpool Creator
Also, don't be afraid to fail, everyone does at some point, especially at the start of their writing endeavours. No one really knows if some idea will fly or not, until they launch it, so crack on, give it a whirl, see what happens.5 -
Skoob_ym Librarian
It has some potential.
As others have said, sketch out an outline and dive in. You won't know if it's workable until you've written a few pages.
Some of my stories made me smile the moment I set them on paper. Others needed a few months -- years -- decades -- to rest in my sock drawer until they were ready to be fleshed out. You'll never know which it is until you set pen to paper.
I note in advance that you seem to have a decent command of grammar and English usage, so you're already ahead of some who try to write books. Just start at the beginning and see where it takes you. There is an "author workshop" area if you need advice on specific points, or even just want to show off a little.
5 -
Skoob_ym Librarian
One other thing -- a story only really needs to please one person, and that is you. Write the story that is inside you. Write it well and skillfully. Either others will like it, or they won't. But in the end, the story is for you.
5 -
Ron Miller Bibliophile
You have a really interesting concept...what you need to sit down and work on now is developing a story. You need to invent characters, situations and conflicts that evolve from the foundation you have laid.5 -
Papi_Soñoliento Southern Escarpment Hill Country Librarian
There are authors who enlist other readers at different stages, some after a chapter, others midway, others at the end, and various points along the way. Seek out other readers when you're ready.
R.F.G. Cameron a.k.a. Sphinx
My work can be found at:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/antiqua_sphingehttps://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00DDZJOT2
https://antiquasphinge.wixsite.com/books5 -
Ron Miller Bibliophile
Getting someone to read what you have written already might be the best idea: it might save you a lot of work later on if you can discover any problems at the outset.5 -
Ron Miller Bibliophile
BenIronton said:Ron Miller said:You have a really interesting concept...what you need to sit down and work on now is developing a story. You need to invent characters, situations and conflicts that evolve from the foundation you have laid.5
Réponses