A Science Fiction Book to Read

The publishing world can be hard, and most people today go with self-publishing their work. The following book "Icarus Falling" followed that path. From the blog site Parking Orbit Publishing, here are few statements about the process:

This last week the book proof for Icarus Falling  arrived for preview. . . Most of the edits are word choices, grammar errors, and missed paragraph indention. After the book proof has been read and adjusted then a more solid date of publication can be announced. 

 Layout is complete and with final editing still to be done.

After the book proof has been read and adjusted then a more solid date of publication can be announced. 

Because of unforeseen circumstances the release date has been temporarily postponed. This is to give a chance to improve on the customer satisfaction in the ordering processes. Changes will include how the product can be obtained, an easier check out process, and improvement to the text for an even better reading experience. An online book trailer and added online content is also in the works.

Icarus Falling was prepared almost entirely with open source software. . . Open Office . . . Scribus  . . . Gimp . . . Inkscape . . .  PDF Shuffler . . . In any event Amazon makes the process look very simple and it isn't really. At least if you want something that looks good and is easy to read.

 Of Course, that last statement is where NDM Writing Service can come in to help with the publishing process. Having already had experience getting a book ready for publication, it is a job that we can do for those needing the help.

You can also order the book at the Parking Orbit Publishing website or click the book cover to order directly at Amazon.



A simple video Youtube trailer was made for the book's release, but it is dated. Another one was created to update the feel and the acceptable quality:

Keep watching the skies! Don't forget to ask for NDM Writing Service for help with your writing and editing needs.

How to Come Up With Story Ideas

Probably every successful writer gets the question from someone. The more creative the writer, the more insistent the question. Where does the idea(s) for a story originate? To those who don't write, it all seems like such a mystery. For them life is one day after another of the same boring experiences. They don't realize that story ideas can be found anywhere and in everyday circumstances. All it takes is putting unrelated things together to form a new combination. There are times when a concept doesn't work out and is abandoned, but when it does come together the results can be satisfying.

A fictionalized biography of J.K. Rowlings, Magic Beyond Words (2011), tried to portray the creative inspiration for her Harry Potter book. Despite an otherwise interesting movie, the situations that sparked her imagination felt false. The movie's representation of the creative process didn't come off as believable. Too many of the inspirations were over simplified coincidences. An object or person seen for the first time doesn't suddenly become a large part of the story, although they can have an impact. There is history behind creative ideas.

The truth is most creative ideas boil together and ferment over time, coalescing into a single narrative structure after lots of thought. Before that can happen, the writer must pay attention to their surroundings or look back on long lost memories. Consider that “creative work comes from noticing. You are being given a warning, an intimation of something, and that something is the creative urge, sometimes buried deep in your subconscious . . . material to uncover there, memories and associations to explore.” (Alice LaPlante, The Making of a Story. W.W. Norton & Co., 2007. pg 36). This can take conscious work. For instance, the movie scene where J.K. Rowling sits in a café with a writing pad presents too casual an instance of inspiration. She watches two people playing a chess match and then carefully writes a scene that would become famous. In real life she would feverishly be jotting down a spur of the moment idea. She wouldn't want to forget what came to mind, and it certainly wouldn't be seamlessly flowing from the previous text of the book on the same page.

More likely she remembered playing or watching others play chess over several years. Seeing two people playing the game while concentrating on the next story idea probably brought back memories that inspired her to incorporate into the book. There is also, for those who know the scene, a hint of Alice Through the Looking Glass that came to her while devising the living chess game. The importance of one chess game are exaggerated for story telling, but distorts true genius.

The history goes that J.K. Rowling was sitting in a commuter train gazing out of the window. She came up with the idea of Harry Potter while delayed for four hours returning to London from a trip. Apparently there are those who doubt the book idea came to her while on a train, although no other credible alternative is put forward. Her explanation of when and how the book idea came to her is realistic. To be sure, it didn't come all at the moment in full bloom. The kernel probably existed floating around since childhood. Whatever set the spark to set fire on the accumulated debris, there is no reason to disbelieve a train ride set the creative blood flowing and brought the book series to life. Stephen King, another bestselling author, wrote, “good story ideas seem to come seem to come literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky; two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn't to find those ideas but to recognize them when when they show up.” (Stephen King, On Writing. Pocket Books, 2001. pg. 37). It is often during moments of reflection and boredom that daydreams can become projects given the right circumstances.

There is a common saying told to budding writers to “write what you know” as if it was a truism that could bring success. Whoever says this is either lazy in answering the concerns of new writers or deliberately wanting to avoid a deeper discussion. To become a good writer, a person should write about what they don't know. This might sound counter-intuitive, because if a writer doesn't know the topic then how can the information be accurate. Better advise would be write what you are interested in, and study if the topic is unfamiliar. The idea of fiction, for instance, is writing about not only something that we don't actually know but that is not real. Research is the busy and time consuming companion for any creative process. To write is self discovery for charting the unknown made knowable. The best words for generating story ideas is “what if” and then seeking to answer that question.

Getting at the heart of where story ideas come from; there is no magic formula. They can come from other books a writer enjoys, a dream that cannot be left alone ( like the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer), a conversation, a person's life, an experience to remember or reinterpret, a challenge accepted, new knowledge expanding old, and the list continues. A better question to ask an author, because it means having actually taken time with their work, is where did “that idea” or “that scene” come from. They will more than likely be happy to answer more specifics. Chances are there is going to be an illuminating description of the back story to the text. Still, don't be upset if the author responds a few times with “I don't know.” They probably don't. Sometimes the subconscious is a powerful tool in generating story ideas. All an artist can do is go with the creative flow. For those who are trying to come up with a story idea, it is best to ask themselves for what reason they want to write. Examine the details of past and present. Work with whatever comes comes from the answer, because that probably is the future story.