I'm thinking of writing a book. Do you think I should? Here's the plot...?

Question:

I'm thinking of writing a book. Do you think I should? Here's the plot...?

On a far away planet, there was one continent, divided up into six countries. A country of Ninjas, one of Elves, one of Birdmen, one of Faeries, one of Centaurs, and one of Dragons. The story is about a young elf with horrible parents, who discovers that he is "the key" mentioned in a well-known legend on the planet. The legend is banned from libraries. Tenawe (the elf) must travel through all six countries to find suppport, and to find information on what he must do.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: So many young people turn to fantasy because they think it's the easiest thing to write. You just make all the stuff up and nobody is any the wiser because it's your "world" and your story. Not so at all. It took people like Tolkein and Anne Mc Caffrey a very long time to perfect their "worlds" and in fact certain aspects of those worlds are based on Christianity, Eastern Religion, the history of law and many other things.

They didnt just sit down with a plot that was one part Lord of the Rings, one part Maximum Ride, one part Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one part Harry Potter, one part Dragonriders, and one part Walt Disney, one part Oliver Twist and one part New Testament/Matrix and start writing.

That is what you have going here. To do such a book and carry it off, I would estimate it would take you at least a year before you got a single word on paper. You are creating a world. You cannot cheat your readers. You have to make up the complete world. For instance ...

What are the names of the countries?
Is there war on the planet or do people get along?
How do people eat on this world?
What is their mode of transportation?
What is their currency?
What kind of homes do they live in?
What is their government?
Do they get sick - if so how do they get well?
What is the weather like?
How do they communicate?
Are their animals?
What problems do they have on the planet?
What do they wear?
What do they believe in?
Do they have religions that are unique to that country?

Those are just some of the questions you need to know the answers to. In addition, you need a detailed map of the planet. From there, you need very detailed character studies and analysis of all the characters in the story - including what are the differences between the 6 different types of people - socially, economically, physically, geographically and so on.

With me so far? Then you have to work on a detailed outline of the story. You will need a very good strong plot, plus several backstories and sub plots. Each of those plots has to be very well planned and blended into the main plot of the story.

When you have worked all of this out - which should take you between six months and a year, and filled several notebooks with copious notes (probably at least one for each type of people) THEN you are ready to write the first sentence.

Fantasy is not a simple genre as people think. It is a very complex and detailed genre. It isnt like writing fairy tales. Your world has to be precise and your details have to follow through the story precisely. You cannot change things to make your plot fit. No Deus ex Machina segments where something suddenly falls out of the sky to work you out of corners. It is a ton of hard work.

Believe me - what I write is murder mysteries with a touch of the supernatural. I would estimate that I spend 5 times as much time researching than I do actually writing. That is about average. I also have a team of consultants - a doctor, an lawyer, a cop, a nurse, a forensics person, a weapons expert and many others. I spent literally hours on the internet researching the tiniest details. It is not easy work.

A book like this should take you between 2 and 3 years to write at best. If you have to go to school or work, even longer. What you have to ask yourself is - are you prepared to make that kind of commitment?

Then expect to spend between 1500 and 5 thousand dollars to have it edited. And that is only with a low end editor. A really high end editor will cost you 20 thousand plus a percentage of your royalties. Then, if you do sell it, the publisher will have the right to re-edit it and even change the title, all without your permission. Pax- C

After that, expect to spend another 2 years or so sending it to agents and publishers looking for someone to buy it. James Patterson was rejected over 70 times. Gone with the Wind was rejected 50 times. And remember that agent you finally get is going to take 15% of your royalties, charge you for printing fees, mailing fees, long distance calls etc. That is standard. It will be a very LONG time before the book sees any profit - if at all. Most first books never do see a profit. Not when you consider the amount of hours you have put into them. You will probably be working for something like a nickel an hour over the time you work on the book. Plus every one of those letters you send out to an agent will cost you about 2 bucks in printing and postage. It all adds up.

If you sell it, you will probably have to hire a publicist to put together a marketing plan for you. Even the A List publishers dont do very much to publicize a first novel. Figure another 10 - 20 thousand for a good marketing plan.
This will eat up every free waking moment you have. Weekends, nights, holidays. You will alienate friends and family because you will not have any time for them. If you a kid, forget parties and dating - no time.

This is how it is writing a book like this. Quite honestly, I am underestimating the commitment required. Before you consider doing this, you have to consider all this. I am not trying to discourage you, not in the least, I am just telling you truth about the world of authors. This is how it is - for real.

The ball is in your court, kiddo. This is the tip of the iceberg. Think about it a lot. And remember that many agents are going to see right through this and recognize the books you lifted the various elements from. That is a big negative for you.

If you decide to proceed, good luck to you. I will look for the book in about three years. Pax- C