I have something to ask about getting started

by Vadim
(Bucharest, Romania)

Hello. I am from Romania. Your website it's awesome, so helpful.

I recently decided I want to become a science fiction writer and I planned some plots, ideas and stuff for something to be my first book.

I want to make a science fiction novel. The plot is that an ordinary 25 year boy like myself makes a wish and starts to dream about his past lives, which are totally scifi. I want to write about 3 or 4 past lives, to include in one, a world run by monsters like dragons and hydras, another past life with space exploring and life on other planets and another one with super power abilities. They all will have the same character, the boy that is remembering them. These lives they don't have much in common besides the main character. What do you think? Is it too much for a book?

I kind of want this book to have all so I kind of don't want to focus on a single story. On the first chapter I want to point out the normal world and that he wishes that much more would exist in life besides what is known and after he begins to remember the stories. I think 10 pages or so until the science fiction begins it's enough. Or should i go on more about the normal world?

If the book will be okay I also really want to start a big series of science fiction books. I have so many ideas, I could write like dozens of books, I am sure of this but I am really afraid of this first book. What if it's the wrong choice to start with? I read like hundreds of scifi book from authors of all periods and countries and I decided I could do this, my biggest problem is that here, unlike the US or UK few people are into fiction, but also means that the competition is less.

Is this fear of mine about not being in a region that appreciates this style a founded one or is like if a book is good no matter what style and gender it would be successful?

I read 90 percent of the books in English but I gotta write in my language cause well I live here, so my dream is to be publish in English and have success over in the US and UK. Last question, I am not sure if I should write from the narrative perspective or from the first person point of view yet, really debating this, do you have suggestion? what appeals more to the readers, narrative or first person writing?

Hope you still reply on these questions and I look forward for an answer, I read most of the questions and I will begin in the next days to make a detailed plan for everything I want to write.

Regards.

Response: Have you ever read the short story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"? It is about a man who leads a dull life but has daydreams of being the hero of various adventure stories.

It occurs to me that you might look to that as an example of how these various alternate lives can be incorporated into one story.

However, your project sounds more ambitious.

One question I think you should ask yourself is what the overall Story Goal is. How might all these past lives and the man's current life fit together as one overall story? Why is he remembering them now? Is there something he must do in the present that requires him to remember these other lifetimes? Might the memory of these lives help him deal with problems in the present?

Remember, the novel should propel your main character towards an important decision or action at the climax that will determine the outcome of the overall story.

It may turn out that you don't have to write a complete novel for each lifetime. But there may be some key events that the man remembers from each that would be stepping stones towards the overall story goal.

It sounds as though you are also wrestling with how to reconcile your desire for commercial success with your desire to write the story that you want to write.

Everyone has this dilemma. The best approach to take is somewhere in the middle. Learn to write the best book you can, which may mean taking your original idea for the story you feel you want to write now and making it better.

If you write a great book, if you're persistent (very persistent), and you have luck on your side, your work has a chance of finding its audience.

As for narrative style, I'm personally fond of 3rd person limited narration because it is very flexible. You can write from the point of view of the main character, but it's easier to manage than 1st person, and easier to change points of view.

On the other hand, 1st person narration allows your narrator to talk to the reader directly, making the reader his confidant. This style is quite popular with young adult novels right now.

The choice is yours and depends on what sort of voice you want to give your narrator/main character.