We All Start Out New Sometime

[razredge]

Not sure exactly where to post this, as the author's hang out, how-to's and a few other sections I looked at didn't seem applicable to the questions I had. Feel free to point me in the right direction if there is a better suited place.

The story I have been writing would be considered nohuman, more focused on character development than purely sexual aspects. However, from having read several other stories on here, particularly of the nonhuman genre, I've come to realize the type of characters I have aren't nearly as sociable - (a defect due to my own thoughtful/intuitive nature... I'm not a social butterfly, so it comes as no surprise that my characters aren't either). Yet, I don't want this to be a drawback, as I can't help but to feel the journey to know these characters would be well worth the effort if I were to present the story in just the right manner. So I am curious if it would be possible for an editor who is interested in a more subtle approach to character development to offer some advice for a first time writer.

My schedule allows for brief times of great activity followed by times when writing will have to be put on hold, which means I will be less inclined to pester any editor. I am also open-minded to different perspectives, and not afraid to experiment with new ideas.

So far, the story is just over 10 pages (double-spaced), which means I am now starting on the second chapter. Any editor who is interested is welcome - I make no distinction between male or female editors, as it is much too early in the story to worry about gender-specific features which would require a unique perspective different from my own.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-- Raz

 

[sunandshadow]

If you would describe the story's genre more that would help people decide if they were interested in editing it. For example, I like nonhuman stories if they are fairly cheerful romances or comedic adventures and don't contain f/f content. I'm sure there are other editors or possible writing-buddies who like exactly the opposite of what I do.

Also just a general newbie writer tip, page count means nothing, use word count instead. If you ever send a manuscript to a publisher you will be putting the word count on the cover page because that's a fact they want to know right up front. Many publishers will even provide guidelines saying they only want novels that are longer than 50k or 60k words, or that they are unlikely to accept novels that have more than 100k words.

 

[razredge]

If you would describe the story's genre more that would help people decide if they were interested in editing it.

Also just a general newbie writer tip, page count means nothing, use word count instead.

So far, the word count is currently 3,500, and I am unsure what the overall word count of the story will be. I suspect there will be many other chapters as the outline for the story is complex - just takes time to put these ideas into words.

The genre, well it's not a cheerful romance or comedic adventure, although it would be classified as a romance. I'm not sure what "f/f content" means. The story takes place in Canada during the 1880's, particularly in the wilderness with little human contact (think Call of the Wild), although I do plan on having the characters visit some towns later on in the story (I'll need to conduct more research on towns from that era). It's not a horror story, as the point of the story isn't to scare or be exceptionally gory. Rather, if I can manage, I'd like for the story to be more of a thoughtful adventure - one that leans more towards a naturalist viewpoint but is ultimately tied together via a romance. I suppose the story would have a touch of literary naturalism in its construction even though it incorporates some supernatural elements.

Hope this clears things up. If not, feel free to ask for further clarification.

 

[sunandshadow]

f/f is female/female otherwise known as lesbian. m/m is male/male, m/f is male/female. Occasionally you might see herm for hermaphrodite paired with a female, a male, or another herm. If it is a threesome there will be three letters: m/f/m is a threesome where the males are both involved with the female, but have limited or no sexual contact with each other. m/m/f is a threesome where the males are sexually involved with each other. Similarly you can have f/m/f or f/f/m or m/f/f

 

[razredge]

f/f is female/female otherwise known as lesbian. m/m is male/male, m/f is male/female.

The story would be m/f ... pretty straightforward. Not to say I lack imagination in that area, since my orientation is flexible, to say the least, but I imagined the story playing out in this manner.

Anyone who is interested in editing is welcome to comment or send a pm.