Now that I'm almost done with the final project, I can say that it's actually been surprisingly straightforward. Originally, I planned to make a 3D endless runner game like Temple Run, but I soon realized that that would be too beyond the scope of my abilities, so instead, I decided to make a simple multiplayer checkers game instead. (I didn't go with chess only because I don't actually know how to play.) I've had a lot of tutorials that I've been following along with to help me in the process, while at the same time making sure not to just copy everything straight from them. Making original 3D assets is really, really difficult, so instead I decided to just use free bear pieces and checkerboard models that I found online. I'm about 90% done with it at this point, all I need to do is add some touches to make sure it doesn't crash after a certain number of moves.
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My short story, Storm of Stone, is finally in print and available on Amazon for both kindle and physical. It's been a long, long process, but in the end I think it was all worth it. I'm really fortunate to have found my artist friend and be able to commision them to do the art. The formatting in Adobe Indesign took a while because I hadn't used that program since freshman year, but I picked it up fairly quickly, and was able to do things that I didn't even know were possible in the program. Probably the hardest part though, was actually getting it on Amazon, not because the process of doing so is actually difficult, but mostly because I didn't actually know what I was doing. The kindle version was especially hard to figure out, because you can't just upload the PDF file straight to the site for some reason, so I had to try and copy and paste the entire book into a word document. When that didn't work, I eventually figured out that Amazon made this program called Kindle Kids Book Creator, which even though it's primarily designed to create picture books, it can also turn your fully formatted PDF files into ebooks that look the exact same. I've sent a lot of copies out to family, friends, teachers, and even several of the LGBT centers in the state due to the subject matter and the characters in the book being who they are. I'm currently writing the full-length SKINWALKER novel, which naturally takes place before Storm of Stone. SoS was 19.3k words in total when I finished it, and SKINWALKER is already larger than that in half the time because SoS allowed me to grow so much as a writer.
Some things that helped me out Kindle Kid's Book Creator How to use Kindle Direct Publishing CreateSpace Formatting After almost three months and several delays, the project that I've been working on is finally almost fully complete. My part of it has been done for a while now, but the person I've been collaborating with has been having problems. First with their internet, then with their computer itself, and I'd be lying if I tried to say that I haven't been frustrated. I only need one more thing from them, and if everything goes right, the project should be done by the end of the week. I'm extremely proud of it to be completely honest, and it's actually given me confidence to continue in the field that I want to pursue. I refuse to spoil what the project is until it's actually done, because I've learned in the past that promising people that you're going to make something and hyping it up only leads to them constantly pestering you about whether or not it's done, and I haven't been in the mood for that kind of badgering for months. Getting this project finished will be a life-changing experience for me, especially once I start marketing and spreading it around. Even if it doesn't reach huge amounts of success, it'll still be enough to reaffirm the idea to myself and anyone who may have doubted me that this path is actually right for me, and that's something that I think is incredibly important.
Some things that helped me do research on my project Flaws to make a character realistic Bad writing index Formatting tutorial So, I commissioned my friend to draw the art for the big project I'm working on, and it's been an eye-opening experience. The first and most important thing that I think I've learned so far, is to set deadlines way in advance. This will save both you and the artist from a lot of headache. The second thing I've learned is to figure out your artist's schedule, so that way you can actually set reasonable deadlines around it. The art is coming along pretty nicely now that the most complicated pieces are done, so it shouldn't be too long until all the rest is finished too. You should always be extremely specific with your artist on what you want them to draw you, and provide them with appropriate references to make things easier on them. For example, if you want your artist to draw a unique monster that's never been seen in any other visual form, you should provide them with multiple images of characters with different aspects of that creature that you want them to mix together. For example, I sent my artist Japanese manga and American comic book artwork so that they'd know how I want them to draw a big, buff character with four arms. It also helps if you're friends with the artist beforehand, because then that person will have an easier time knowing what you want, and won't be afraid to constantly keep contact with you in order to see if what they drew is up to your specifications.
Some Videos I Watched to Learn Commission Etiquette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5k7KWZo00U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVyArmfx4Xo So for the past few months, I've been furiously writing out a short story. So far it's about 24 pages, and will probably be around 32-33 by the end. When I'm done writing and editing it, I'm wondering if I should print the final product. I wouldn't sell the printed copies, instead I'd print the for the purpose of giving out to my friends and people that I've used as beta readers, but while thinking about that, I realized that I may have the opportunity to get my story published. I think that my best chance at publication would be in a literary magazine given the length of the story, but I'm not sure if publishers will actually go out of their way to publish a short story if they think it's good enough. I've been doing research, and found that there are websites where you can submit a story to try and get it published, and you'll hear feedback for it within two weeks. There's also the option of entering a writing contest since those always seem to pop up around November. I haven't taken creative writing since 9th grade, and I haven't wanted to write anything outside of school since then. I'm not sure where the urge for me to tell stories again came from honestly--maybe the fact that I'm not getting graded on writing a short story is why I'm able to put so much work into writing it. I spend 2-4 hours on a daily basis trying to write through walls no matter how bad I'm feeling, and it's one of the few things that helps to cheer me up, especially when I send an update to one of my beta readers/friends to hear their feedback.
Summary: I want to get published but I'm not sure what kind of steps I should take in order to undergo this process. I'm considering going to a publishing website, entering a writing contest, or attempting to have my work published in an anthology of short stories. Research: http://www.writersdigest.com/uncategorized/how-to-get-a-short-story-published-like-a-pro http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/how-where-to-get-a-short-story-published https://thewritelife.com/where-to-submit-short-stories/ |
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