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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2020 13:32:04 GMT
Husley, I can't find your tips thread. Give me some tips please on how to start a novel. I got the title and subject matter and characters and setting two days ago. It's all there. Not 100% sure of the plot but I have a general idea. I'm tempted to time travel.
Anyone, actually. Just one sentence or two on how to start. I'm nervous, and so badly want it to be good.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2020 13:33:03 GMT
Where could I time travel through. I don't want to copy Outlander or any other book.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 4, 2020 13:42:17 GMT
Try the far future, where a student of dead languages finally finds a use for 21st Century English [at that time a dead language].
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2020 15:54:55 GMT
I meant a rock or something. I would like to travel to the year 0.
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Post by hulsey on Feb 4, 2020 16:26:26 GMT
Sci-fi is not my genre so I wouldn't be of much help. I usually have the ending and the basic plot, and introduce some twists to my story. I just write and the plot comes to me. I'm not sure what you mean by my tips thread. I would start with conflict or something that will lure the reader. I have exhausted so many plots that it's becoming difficult to create something original. If I can help you in any way, Maggie, let me know.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 4, 2020 17:42:45 GMT
I meant a rock or something. I would like to travel to the year 0. Year 0 can cover a lot of territory, depending on what you're referencing.
In Islam 2020 CE is AH 1441 - 1442 while for the Jewish faith 2020 CE is Year 5780.
The earliest known written Chinese records date back to around 1250 BCE.
Then there's the city of Babylon, founded around 2300 BCE.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2020 18:50:24 GMT
I meant a rock or something. I would like to travel to the year 0. Year 0 can cover a lot of territory, depending on what you're referencing.
In Islam 2020 CE is AH 1441 - 1442 while for the Jewish faith 2020 CE is Year 5780.
The earliest known written Chinese records date back to around 1250 BCE.
Then there's the city of Babylon, founded around 2300 BCE.
Cameron, if I knew all that it would make me a historian. I'm thinking take our 2020 and go back 2020 years.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2020 18:52:43 GMT
Sci-fi is not my genre so I wouldn't be of much help. I usually have the ending and the basic plot, and introduce some twists to my story. I just write and the plot comes to me. I'm not sure what you mean by my tips thread. I would start with conflict or something that will lure the reader. I have exhausted so many plots that it's becoming difficult to create something original. If I can help you in any way, Maggie, let me know. Thank you, Husley. I just got an idea while reading your response. I have tp know the ending...that is good information. I never ever would have thought of it. Ok, I'll think some more on it.
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Post by ronmiller on Feb 4, 2020 18:58:58 GMT
I meant a rock or something. I would like to travel to the year 0. Year 0 can cover a lot of territory, depending on what you're referencing.
In Islam 2020 CE is AH 1441 - 1442 while for the Jewish faith 2020 CE is Year 5780.
The earliest known written Chinese records date back to around 1250 BCE.
Then there's the city of Babylon, founded around 2300 BCE.
The pedant in me is forcing me to do this... There was no year 0. The year following 1 BCE was 1 CE. I think the confusion comes from thinking of years like a list of numbers that would run like this: -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3 or perhaps like the degrees on a thermometer. But years, like the inches (or cms for my non-US friends) on a ruler, don't work that way. Unlike numbers, inches and years are spans, one of space the other of time. For instance, the first inch on a ruler would be the space between the left end of the ruler and the mark labeled "1." There is no "Zero inch." Likewise, 1 AD would be the span of time separating January 1 and December 31. If you were to take two rulers and butt the one-inch ends up against one another, you would get the equivalent of BCE and CE years. One ruler would be counting down to 1, the other counting up from 1. There is no zero inch between them. In the same way, the last year of 1 BCE would be the span of time from January 1 to December 31. The day following would be January 1 of 1 CE.* (* I'm pretending for the sake of argument that this dating system was in use 2000 years ago.)
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 4, 2020 19:01:58 GMT
Year 0 can cover a lot of territory, depending on what you're referencing.
In Islam 2020 CE is AH 1441 - 1442 while for the Jewish faith 2020 CE is Year 5780.
The earliest known written Chinese records date back to around 1250 BCE.
Then there's the city of Babylon, founded around 2300 BCE.
Cameron, if I knew all that it would make me a historian. I'm thinking take our 2020 and go back 2020 years. If your time traveler goes back 2020 years, you'll need to research the cultures / societies of you target area in order to make the story plausible.
Think of history as a tapestry, where some threads have been lost or obscured by time because people often don't record what they think of as common knowledge. Check out a book or two on archaeology for the area of interest as well as some in-depth history.
Prepare to be a student of history, which when done for your own purposes is a lot more enjoyable than sitting in a class memorizing dates and names. It's worth the time spent.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 4, 2020 19:17:14 GMT
Year 0 can cover a lot of territory, depending on what you're referencing.
In Islam 2020 CE is AH 1441 - 1442 while for the Jewish faith 2020 CE is Year 5780.
The earliest known written Chinese records date back to around 1250 BCE.
Then there's the city of Babylon, founded around 2300 BCE.
The pedant in me is forcing me to do this... There was no year 0. The year following 1 BCE was 1 CE. I think the confusion comes from thinking of years like a list of numbers that would run like this: -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3 or perhaps like the degrees on a thermometer. But years, like the inches (or cms for my non-US friends) on a ruler, don't work that way. Unlike numbers, inches and years are spans, one of space the other of time. For instance, the first inch on a ruler would be the space between the left end of the ruler and the mark labeled "1." Likewise, 1 AD would be the span of time separating January 1 and December 31. If you were to take two rulers and butt the one-inch ends up against one another, you would get the equivalent of BCE and CE years. One ruler would be counting down to 1, the other counting up from 1. There is no zero inch between them. In the same way, the last year of 1 BCE would be the span of time from January 1 to December 31. The day following would be January 1 of 1 CE.* (* I'm pretending for the sake of argument that this dating system was in use 2000 years ago.) A pity there was no zeroth year.
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Post by ronmiller on Feb 4, 2020 21:03:05 GMT
"Zeroth" sounds like a Japanese movie monster.
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 4, 2020 21:14:03 GMT
"Zeroth" sounds like a Japanese movie monster. Per Oxford a word originating in the mid-19th century, adjective, meaning "Immediately preceding what is regarded as first in a series."
A novel 'zeroth' in its series would essentially be a prequel [or backstory] serving as the basis for the first book in a series.
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Post by ronmiller on Feb 4, 2020 21:46:57 GMT
Would still look better as "Godzilla vs Zeroth."
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Post by Retread-Retired-Cameron on Feb 4, 2020 21:59:05 GMT
Would still look better as "Godzilla vs Zeroth." "Godzilla vs Turritopsis dohrnii" might work better as it's hard to kill the biologically immortal.
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