Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RangerWickett 08-15-04, 05:38 PM	I'm just curious if there's been any discussion about the novel call WotC has made for their War-Torn series. I'm planning to send in my submission before I head off to GenCon, and I was wondering if it would upset anyone at WotC if we tossed ideas around. Sure, different writers are competing for the same prize, but I figure we owe it to WotC, Eberron, and Keith to submit the best ideas we can. If anyone's interested, we can exchange ideas and give feedback. Assuming, of course, no one from WotC comes in and says that's a no-no.
Red_Decker 08-15-04, 08:51 PM	While in general there's no problem collaborating with different authors about story ideas. Most of the writers on this forum are very secretive about their idea for Eberron. Also it might defeat the purpose of what WotC is looking for. They'd see you can write but that's only part of the package I imagine they're looking for someone who can write plot develop and tell a good story all at the same time. Also the idea that I'm writing and so is this guy and if he get's it because of one of my idea's we'd feel cheated almost. Human nature you know. There is also a thread about the open call on the once upon a time forum if you feel like taking a look. http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
ChrisTheS 08-16-04, 01:29 AM	Except that some people on that thread are getting a little bit tetchy. My submission's done, just needs editing and sending... though I've convinced myself that it's not going to be accepted, so I won't be disappointed. Although after the real finalist is picked, I may write the story anyway and just put it up as a really long fanfic :) . My fiancee tells me that it's a good story that ought to be told, whether or not I get paid for it...
RangerWickett 08-16-04, 03:52 AM	Well, I can use all the help I can get, and I'll trust people not to steal my idea outright. Any good writer will already have his or her own idea, and a bad writer won't do as good a job of presenting it as I would. *grin* Eberron - Passage Brief Description: House Orien, in the last days of the war, used its teleportation powers to steal huge caches of magical treasures, hiding them in a secret location even its own agents knew only by description, not geography. Now, in the aftermath of the war, Hawkins d’Orien, an outcast who bears the Mark of Passage, meets a wandering warforged with a clue to that treasure's location. Pursued by bounty hunters and agents of an evil cult, Hawkins must oppose family and old friends to find out the truth of House Orien’s last mission of the Last War. Full Synopsis: Our three main characters are Hawkins d’Orien, a human sorcerer who abuses his teleportation powers to live as a thief; Labeth Porter, a kalashtar warrior seeking a fortune so she can resurrect her husband who died in the war; and Alloy, a warforged paladin who tried and failed to find a simple life among the Talenta halflings. After a short vignet introduces each, Labeth meets Hawkins in a Brelish village when she tries to collect the bounty on him, but he evades her. She pursues him to Sharn, to a gala held by several dragonmarked families. Hawkins is looking for leads on things to steal when he sees an argument between a strange warforged and Hawkins’ father Ghen (whom he has hated ever since Ghen let Hawkins’ wife and son die). The warforged is trying to gain access to records of the dragonmarked houses so he can identify a body he found in the Mournland. Ghen will not allow it, but Hawkins becomes friends with the warforged, and agrees to help. The warforged paladin, Alloy, will not accept Hawkins’ offer to steal the records, so instead they set out to collect the bounty on a group of brigands in the King’s Forest – the Jungle Boys – intending to use the money to buy access to the records. During the hunt, Labeth first tries to attack them, then helps them defeat some of the brigands. They discover they have a common interest: Labeth overheard Ghen d’Orien mention “retrieving the cache during the transit,” and Hawkins realizes the person Alloy saw had a Siberys Mark of Passage. Hawkins admits that he was involved in stealing and hiding a great amount of magical treasure and dragonshards toward the end of the war. He wants to disrupt his father’s plans, Alloy wants to solve the mystery, and Labeth wants to get the treasure, so they join forces. Seeking clues, they sneak into the headquarters of House Orien in the city of Passage, and follow a trail that leads them to a few possible sites of the ‘cache.’ They find no treasure, but do cross paths with agents of Ghen – a fighter from House Orien, a House Lyrandar mage, and an Inspired monk – but Hawkins and company teleport away before the fight escalates. Alloy has spurts of dreams that suggest mysterious planar energies are at work. Using contacts Labeth has among various secret societies and conspiracy theorists, the group is directed to visit a planar observatory in the Eldeen Reaches, a few miles away from the battleground where Labeth’s husband died. At the observatory they learn that a rare planar transit will be occuring soon; Shavarath, the Battleground, will metaphysically pass in front of Dolurrh, the Realm of the Dead, eclipsing that plane and briefly cutting it off from Eberron. They are attacked at the observatory by the same agents of Ghen, and though they escape again, Alloy is affected by the psychic energy of the Inspired monk, and he sees a vivid vision. Ghen, he learns, is allied with the Dreaming Dark, attempting the pinacle of dimensional travel – accessing Dal Quor, the Region of Dreams – by means of an eldritch machine hidden in the Glowing Chasm in the Mournland. The planar eclipse will allow a resurrection spell to call a spirit from Dal Quor, rather than Dolurrh, and the eldritch machine will give it a body. Unwilling to teleport somewhere they've never seen before, the group hijacks a lightning rail train and ride into the Mournland. They discover that the spirits of the dead are appearing on the train, apparently drawn to the planar conjunction. But before Hawkins can reach his father's secret base, the train is attacked by a Lyrandar airship, and the group is taken prisoner. The ritual to open the portal to Dal Quor requires a body that bears the Mark of Passage, to focus the planar powers, and the body they have chosen is that of Kev, Hawkin’s dead son. Hawkins can only watch as they perform the ritual, but as the planar dream energies slip into the world, Alloy is able to bend enough of it to his will that he frees them, and they disrupt the last moments of the ritual, unleashing energy that twists people's dreams, killing them. Aside from agents of the Dreaming Dark, the only survivors are Hawkins and Labeth, who have lost too much to still have any hopes or dreams. The Quori that was intended to appear instead resurrects into Kev’s body, and with the newly awakened power of a Syberis mark, it flees to Ghen’s manor in Sharn, needing to rest until the planar transit ends. Hawkins curses his dying father in the ruins of the eldritch machine, and nearly gives up. But from the many spirits drawn by the planar transit, Labeth’s husband appears, giving her the strength to keep going. She convinces Hawkins to help her. They scry and teleport to Sharn, sidetracking briefly to get an ally with the Mark of Healing, Parison d’Jorasco. Together, they face Ghen’s agents and the dream monsters of the Quori, finally managing to drive the spirit out of Hawkin’s son just before the transit ends. The plans of Ghen d'Orien and the Dreaming Dark are defeated, Hawkins is reunited with his son, and Labeth, finally able to mourn for her lost husband, is healed spiritually.
EberronJunkie 08-16-04, 04:59 AM	i wont go into the details but mine involves a whole lot of vengeance, flash backs, crazy swashbuckling action, a vampire, a blind changeling wizard, a rogue on the run, several deaths, a sharn tower aerial battle, talenta halflings and in the middle of it is Rill d'Thuranni a half elf with nothing to lose, a thirst for blood that can not be quenched and a list of people he wants dead. well that was a bit more detailed but you get the idea.
Endless_Helix 08-16-04, 08:44 AM	I have no problems telling about my submission, becuase it can't be submitted. Yup, I'm Under 18. So anyways... Charrissa Ventrice, ranger in the service of the Children of Winter, renown undead slayer, victor at the Battle of Threestone, is now a nervous wreck. She just found out that some fool has kicked her out of her appartment and sold most of her stuff to a Rats Market. They left her some clothes and her adventuring gear only without her trusty maul or any other weapons. The message is clear. They want her gone. Now she has left and is currently trying to get a job at Morgrave and use the Forward to get some weapons. "Are there any parties going to Xen'drik? The Demon Wastes? Anywhere?" Charrissa stammers, sounding so pitiful the clerk actually cringeed and flipped through the thick sheaf of papers listing this months "Achaeology Trips". "I'm sorry lady, but everythings already left except... well, you wouldn't want to go on that..." "Where is it going? I'll go anywhere. I need the money!" "It's not the where that matters ma'am, it's the who..." "I'll go! Please, just sign me up!" The desperation in her voice cinched it. With a resigned look he handed her a quill and she signed her name beneath the three others. The clerk handed her the advance with a somewhat amazed look. "You're one brave lady, I'll give you that." ~ She got a note by owl from her party telling her to meet them at the Crumbling Scroll, a tavern of ill repute. Charrissa was starting to have second thoughts about this little adventure as she walked in the door. What greeted her was a chorus of cat-calls, which abruptly stopped when they noticed the large maul on her back, and all the throwing hammers in her belt. Well almost stopped. Precisely two continued. She realized that this was her new party expressing their opinion of her. It looked like she was in for it. She advanced toward the bar section with what appeared to be a half-orc fighter, a human cleric, and a halfling artificer. When Charrissa arrived the half orc turned out to be an elf of gigantic proportions, with bulging muscles and face with an easy smile on it. It seemed like he was the only remdeeming factor in the whole place. The beer was Horsewater, the Cleric was a drunkard and worshipped the dead, the halfling was a pervert with quick hands, and she was forced to go on an "Archaeology Trip" with these fools. "Hello, I guess I'm your new party member, Charrissa Ventrice, ranger of the Children of Winter." The Cleric looked at her fuzzily, as though focussing on something far away, and then collapsed off of his stool as he vomitted onto the floor. The Halfling laughed and poured him a new drink from the pitcher he ordered. The Valenar looked on, impassive. It was he who answered. "Welcome, Miss Ventrice, to the Adventuring party number 126, the Pure Hearts," He smiled at the obvious juxtaposition," Would you care to sit down? I am known as Xed, which is derived from something unpronouncable in the human tongue." Something with this explanation seemed to pat, but Charrissa dismissed it, as she drew up a stool to the bar... Well, maybe I'll continue it as fan fiction, all 100 typed pages so far.
Wraithverge 08-16-04, 09:03 AM	Nothing personal, but the stories presented thus far do not hold my interest whatsoever. This is not to say they are bad works of fiction, just not suited to my tastes. Good luck.
RangerWickett 08-16-04, 12:00 PM	Out of curiosity, may I ask what stories do grab your interest, as a point of comparison?
Atlictoatl 08-16-04, 12:50 PM	Where is the information about the novel search published? I don't see it on the main Eberron webpage.
RangerWickett 08-16-04, 01:06 PM	Yeah, it's a little backwards that they didn't post it there, but here it is: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/wartornguidelines It was in the books section. The deadline to get it in is just two weeks away.
Atlictoatl 08-16-04, 03:01 PM	Originally posted by RangerWickett Yeah, it's a little backwards that they didn't post it there, but here it is: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/wartornguidelines It was in the books section. The deadline to get it in is just two weeks away. Thank you.
Firaga 08-16-04, 10:46 PM	While I feel uncomfortable simply spouting my idea off for anyone to see, I will say that it would be cool for someone start a site for failed submissions. I for one would love to post my story (or at least my ten page submission) somewhere, and I would love to read some other people's stories. If there are others who agree with this idea, and are mature enough to politely critique the work of others, it would certainly do everyone a service to work together to make everyone's writing at least a little better. After all we are the readers, who better to help the authors of future to rise to the occasion. Thanks for listening.
Red_Decker 08-16-04, 10:57 PM	Originally posted by Firaga While I feel uncomfortable simply spouting my idea off for anyone to see, I will say that it would be cool for someone start a site for failed submissions. I for one would love to post my story (or at least my ten page submission) somewhere, and I would love to read some other people's stories. If there are others who agree with this idea, and are mature enough to politely critique the work of others, it would certainly do everyone a service to work together to make everyone's writing at least a little better. After all we are the readers, who better to help the authors of future to rise to the occasion. Thanks for listening. After rejection letters start being sent out you see these pop up on the Once Upon a time forum. An excellent place for striving authors. http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
Ch@pel 08-16-04, 11:06 PM	Nothing personal, but the stories presented thus far do not hold my interest whatsoever. This is not to say they are bad works of fiction, just not suited to my tastes. Good luck. Out of curiosity, may I ask what stories do grab your interest, as a point of comparison? This could get ugly...
Wraithverge 08-16-04, 11:14 PM	Out of curiosity, may I ask what stories do grab your interest, as a point of comparison? The Elric Saga - Michael Moorcock Earth of the New Sun Series - Gene Wolfe Game of Thrones - RR Martin The Black Company - Glen Cook Riddlemaster of Hed - Patricia McKilip Seventh Sword - Dave Duncan The Gap Series - Steven Donaldson The Chronicles of Thomas Coveneant - Steven Donaldson The 1st three Shanara Books - Brooks The Chonicles of Narnia - CS Lewis Earthsea Series - Ursula Le Guin David Gemmel's works in general LLoyd Alexander - The Black Cauldron Series Tolkien Watership Down - Adams Le Morte D'Arthur - Mallory Once and Future King - White Man of Gold/Flamesong - MAR Barker Myth Series -Robert Asprin Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett Thieves World - Various These were all great reads and stories I enjoyed and did not mind purchasing.
ChrisTheS 08-17-04, 12:17 AM	That's a pretty elite crowd, but I think the point is valid. Those stories hook the reader and drag them along to the finish, using a combination of a unique concept and boldly definitive writing style to accomplish it. They are also largely based on relatively simple concepts that turn out to have extensive ramifications. Those are probably criteria that the Wizzes are going to be looking for in these submissions. There's a lot of pressure on this one to present the world well to the public, and I expect the standards are higher than they would be for Just Another Realms Book. My method is to focus on one particular aspect, examine it from all angles, and build a story out of that: in this case, I'm working with the sudden change in the warforgeds' legal status, examining some of the major philosophical issues about them, and building a story out of the prejudices that each side has about the subject. As a result, the story will be more focused than if I were to come up with a plotline that could be equally well applied to an adventure; the downside is, the way I write it'll end up reading more like 19th-century English literature than it will a traditional D&D novel (hence, I very much doubt that my submission will be accepted).
RangerWickett 08-17-04, 12:48 AM	Originally posted by Wraithverge (Many great books). These were all great reads and stories I enjoyed and did not mind purchasing. Good list. I only have read about a quarter of them, and recognize only half. It's hard to quantify what makes for a good novel, especially one that, if I'm reading WotC right, is supposed to have a lot of action. Action blockbusters are easy to come up with, at least with the action scenes. But I don't know what they expect from the story. High drama? World-shaking epic? Personal growth? A meditation upon the quality of life? Like everyone here, I'm pretty confident I have a good story. The characters suffer because of their character flaws, and are forced by the conflict to change. The villain's plot is unusual and I hope original, and I feel it juxtaposes aspects of the setting in an interesting way. There are cool action scenes, like stealing a lightning rail train and fighting off attackers, and a battle full of teleportation in Sharn. But it's so hard to capture all of that in a one-page synopsis and still have room for all the plot info they request. I'm hoping my 10-page sample is enough to show them what I'm capable of, because man, I'm having a hell of a time making a novel synopsis sound cool with the word limit I have.
SurfMonkey 08-17-04, 01:14 AM	I just finished writing my proposal, so I figured I'd jump in and show it off for everyone since some of the rest of you have done the same. And actually... anyone on here want to read through my 10-page sample and proofread it for me? I'm sure there's a few mistakes in there I missed, and I don't have anyone here that I can ask to look at it for me (none of my friends are supportive of my writing)... Here's my proposal for my story, which is call "Thief of Years:" * A prisoner for longer than he cares to remember, Tolwyn Dunain -- one of a dozen men accused of war crimes and sentenced to a stay in the underground prison known as the Bowels of Khyber -- is finally free. When the Last War ended, they should have been freed. However, the warden, a human man named Skeren, discovered rare ores in the caverns near the prison, and saw an opportunity to line his pockets. Erasing any evidence of the prison's existence, as well as silencing those who might speak of it, he set his scheme into effect. The prisoners were then forced to mine the ores for Skeren, who smuggled them to the surface. This continued for many years, until finally an adventurer exploring the Dragon's Crown discovered evidence of the prison hidden beneath the surface. When word of its existence spread, forces were amassed to finally shut the prison down and set the inmates free. * In an attempt to help the prisoners readjust to life on the surface, all twelve are granted transport to Sharn and are given enough gold to get back on their feet. Upon arrival, Tolwyn is dropped another bombshell: his sister, his only family and closest friend, believes he is dead. As part of his plan to use the prison for his personal gain, Skeren informed the families of the prisoners that they had been slain during the Last War. * Not believing this news, Tolwyn immediately boards a lightning rail heading to Rekkenmark, Karneth. From there, he makes the brief trek to the village he and his sister called home. While on the lightning rail, he finds his mind wandering back to the last time he saw Aerlyth, his sister. He remembers telling her that he had to travel to the lands near Sterngate for a few weeks, and he promised that he would be back and wouldn’t leave her alone... * Arriving home, he immediately makes a beeline for the home they had shared. Having not even taken the time to clean up before setting out, he looks almost nothing like himself. As such, no one recognizes him. Rounding the corner nearest his home, he sees his sister kneeling on the front lawn, possibly crying. In front of her is a tombstone, with his name on it. In shock that what he had been told was true, he turns to walk away, banging into the wall in the process. Aerlyth, hearing the noise, turns her head to look -- but he is already gone. * Having nowhere else to go, Tolwyn returns to Sharn. Here, while staying at an inn, he sets about cleaning himself up. And to go with his new look, he decides to take on a new name as well: Galvan Rigstone. Satisfied with his new identity, he settles down for the first good rest he’s gotten in years. * The next morning, he sets out to find work. After all, the gold he was given to get back on his feet will only go so far. While he bounces from mundane task to mundane task, he finds himself flashing back on his last job – the one that landed him in the Bowels of Khyber for all those years. He had been hired to assassinate the leader of Sterngate. In retrospect, he probably should have asked a few more questions on the whys and wherefores, but the pay was good. If only the job had gone right. But instead, he was arrested and sentenced to prison. * While he is wandering through the streets of Sharn, Galvan brushes past a woman that seems oddly familiar to him. Stopping at an inn for a drink, he is approached by a mysterious man who introduces himself as Ganrick and offers him a job. There is an artifact known as the Eye of Tethines, believed to be somewhere in the Demon Wastes. Still settling into his new identity, Galvan tries playing dumb about why he was sought out for his job, but Ganrick cuts him off, leaning in and telling him “I know who you really are. If anyone can find that artifact for me, it’s you. If you don’t do this for me, I can ensure that the man you tried to kill years ago finds out you’re still alive.” * Gathering supplies for his journey, Galvan learns that he is not alone in seeking the Eye. There are three other groups seeking it as well. Boarding the lightning rail in an attempt to gain some ground on the competition, he again encounters the familiar-looking woman, whose name is Jeyura Arrick. She is a powerful psionic and former partner of his, whom he believed to be dead. He learns that a) she recognizes him for who he really is, and b) she seems to want him dead! Narrowly escaping with his life, he finds himself remembering the circumstances of her “death.” The two of them were exploring the Demon Wastes, trying to locate an artifact. When they did in fact find it, her greed got the better of her, and she tried to turn on him. In the end, she fell down a pit to her apparent death, taking the artifact with her… * Arriving in the Demon Wastes, Galvan manages to locate the dungeon where the artifact is believed to be hidden; the same one he’d explored before. The other groups arrive on the scene as well, and the race to reach the Eye turns deadlier as the traps scattered throughout the dungeon start triggering. * Finding his way to the base of the pit from before, Galvan locates the Eye. However, he loses it to Jeyura, who has arrived on the scene thrilled the competition! A battle of wills between the formers allies ensues, which triggers one of the many traps and brings the cavern crumbling down around them. Galvan barely manages to escape with his life, but Jeyura and the Eye were both presumably crushed by the debris. The Eye of Tethines is lost to him a second time, and he still has no idea exactly what it was or why the men who hired him wanted it… * Sometime later, he is home, looking once again upon his former abode. Walking up to his sister, he introduces himself as Galvan Rigstone, a “friend” of her brother’s. He tells her that he promised to look in on her, and that if she’d join him for supper, he’d love to hear about what she’s been doing for the last several years…
SornDuskryn 08-17-04, 01:14 AM	I just finished the first draft of my 10 pages the other night. Still haven't touched the synopsis. I'm dreading that. As for mine plot... Well delving into the emotions of the warforged and going from there. But I hope that it will be something WotC would like to see....
UMCorian 08-17-04, 03:15 AM	I'm hoping my 10-page sample is enough to show them what I'm capable of, because man, I'm having a hell of a time making a novel synopsis sound cool with the word limit I have. Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one in that HELL. :) Yeah, I've got the entire thing done... but damn, I started with an 18 page synopsis and gradually cut and cut and cut until I got 1 page, 10 font, single spaced, three paragraphs. And, god, it's not boring but it is really just a plot outline. I certainly hope they aren't looking to be wowed in the synopsis with story telling techniques, 3D characters and literery techniques because if someone can actually FIT those and still have room for a plot, I know I'm beat hands down. lol
RangerWickett 08-17-04, 03:56 AM	Well, the advice I can give right away is that after you get your synopsis done, close the file and wait a day. Then open a new file, and write a new synopsis. Your first run through will have given you a sense of how to pace the synopsis, and gotten you to see what is most important to the story. If you write it again, without looking back at the original, you'll probably come up with something much more readable. I know, because I just did it. By the way, pay attention to the fact that WotC says the pages should have one-inch margins on all sides. I originally had 1.25 inch margins, and getting the right specs made things so much easier. Now, Surf Monkey. The synopsis you present has the basis for a fairly solid story, but nothing really makes it stand out. The "returning home to family who think I'm dead" thing has been done before, and while that's no excuse not to use it yourself, you need to make sure it doesn't come across as cliche. Think of motivation. What is really important to the character? That should be the driving focus of the story. The novel will be very different if his goal is to make amends for his crimes as opposed to if his goal is to find a place in the world. For the synopsis, I suggest you focus less on the backstory of why he was in jail, and more on the main plot. The backstory doesn't seem to play in very much, so it just takes up valuable space. Beginnings are vitally important, and you need to have action to draw the reader's attention. Good luck.
The Rooster 08-17-04, 04:20 PM	Could someone please post a link for the call for novels? Rooster
q'afuu 08-17-04, 04:32 PM	The link has already been posted here. But here it is again: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/main/wartornguidelines
The Rooster 08-17-04, 05:04 PM	Thanks, I missed it.
Harsk 08-17-04, 06:54 PM	Originally posted by SurfMonkey * A prisoner for longer than he cares to remember, Tolwyn Dunain -- one of a dozen men accused of war crimes and sentenced to a stay in the underground prison known as the Bowels of Khyber -- is finally free. I have an uneasy feeling that they're going to get a lot of "fresh out of prison, the characters are in for a surprise" plots. ~Harsk
q'afuu 08-17-04, 07:14 PM	They'll be seeing a lot of things in duplicate, I guess. They expect a lot of proposals, after all. I hope mine won't have too many scčnes in common with the upcoming Eberron adventure - that 'flight across Khorvaire' mentioned lends itself to several ideas I've got floating around in my proposal as well (I wish I'd checked out the info on that adventure sooner). But this is a pulp/noir setting - both those genres are practically defined by clichés, if you ask me. It's what you do with them, how you bring them and what kind of twist you play on them that'll determine whether your proposal is run-of-the-mill or something special. Not to mention the two requirements specifically mentioned: the story must be firmly rooted in Eberron and should highlight the war-torn aspect of the setting.
NOOC PHD 08-17-04, 09:31 PM	Speaking of duplication, I haven't read too many ideas that don't include Sharn - which is why it won't even be mentioned in my submission. Don't ask what will be in my submission yet, though, because my plot's gone through four iterations in the last two weeks. So many options.
hiryuu 08-17-04, 10:28 PM	The plot I sent has to do with a miniscule town in the middle of nowhere that practically nobody's heard of and most likely never really will. It's not about saving the world, it's not a sweeping epic. There's not much swordplay action, and the true villains are only within. It's about one man dealing with everything he's lost and maybe finding a way to live again amidst the rubble of the Last War. Can a man whose life is so thoroughly and ruthlessly destroyed even find a way to live again? Is it even worth living? As the color and sounds of the world flow away, dribbled out bit by bit with the blood of family and friends, with no place to turn his anger, his pain, his outrage, is there somehwere he can turn to find peace again, or will the screams of the battlefield and the blooming of death across his homeland cause one man's candle to flicker out, forgotten amid the countless graves of unnamed soldiers?
ChrisTheS 08-17-04, 10:30 PM	Sharn was in my first idea, but I decided against it after discovering that a sourcebook on the city was due out in November, and I'd prefer to work with a location that hasn't been developed as much (so I switched to Thrane). Ok... my outline is done, and now that I've added in every plot point I could think of, it doesn't sound quite as bad. Not sure if it'll be any different from all the other 'in-depth look at the warforged' submissions, of course, but it does contain most of the design elements that I've found make good fantasy. Also, anyone who would like me to look over their stuff and make suggestions, feel free to email them to me (christhes@dromaskald.org). I promise to be impartial, since I'm pretty sure that mine doesn't have enough violence in it to make the cut. I've been told that I'm a pretty good writer, so you won't have to worry about proofreader incompetence :)
About Yea High 08-18-04, 01:11 PM	My proposal didn't have anything to do with Sharn either. It's an Aundair/Thrane story about two different families coming to grips with an arranged marriage of convenience. Of course the families have ... issues. Sort of a Romeo and Juliet without the Romeo and Juliet. If that makes any sense. So no Sharn here! Yea
RangerWickett 08-18-04, 04:07 PM	I sent mine off today. They got 11,000 setting submissions, each one page. Hopefully they won't get 1,000 novel proposals, each 11 pages. Actually, I'm betting it's going to be much more modest. First, people are being actively discouraged from submitting more than one proposal. I know a lot of people for the setting search sent in 3 or 4 world ideas. Second, they're asking for a lot more effort for the first submission, and not as many people are confident in their ability to write a 90,000 word novel. Third, they aren't advertising a $100,000 prize. Even if WotC is really really generous and goes for, like, 10 cents a word, that's still just $9,000. I'm guessing there'll be 400 submissions. Who knows, though? Four hundred or four thousand, the competition is still pretty stiff. I wish you all luck.
hiryuu 08-18-04, 04:58 PM	Novels don't normally pay per word, usually it's a contract deal.
NOOC PHD 08-18-04, 08:04 PM	The MoP open call got around five hundred submissions. I suspect tht the War-Torn will come in under that so I think 300 to 400 is a good guess. I have no idea what the final contract's worth though.
EberronJunkie 08-18-04, 08:19 PM	i scrapped my story, the more i looked at it the worse it seemed to get, the characters were cool and indiana jonesy but the story was a bit one dimensional, and lets face it the last thing we want in another subpar fantasy novel, theres enough of them already. plus living in australia even if i conjured up another story, it takes a week toget to the good old US
NOOC PHD 08-18-04, 08:42 PM	DHL can get a submission from Perth WA (Australia) to Seattle WA (USA) in three days - I know this from experience. Don't let time force you to quit yet.:)
SurfMonkey 08-18-04, 10:58 PM	I think I'm scrapping my idea, too -- just doesn't seem to be very well-received. I thought I had a decent character piece, but oh well. So for those of you who were worried there'd be tons of subpar submissions, there's now one less. Best of luck to those of you who have actual good ideas... wish I was among you. But I digress. Best of luck to all who've entered.
Harsk 08-19-04, 12:25 AM	Originally posted by SurfMonkey I think I'm scrapping my idea, too -- just doesn't seem to be very well-received. I thought I had a decent character piece, but oh well. So for those of you who were worried there'd be tons of subpar submissions, there's now one less. Best of luck to those of you who have actual good ideas... wish I was among you. But I digress. Best of luck to all who've entered. Send it in. The worst that can happen is, you get a rejection letter. The only way to become a published author is to submit stuff, even when you aren't sure the idea is the best. Persistence is, in the opinion of many, much more important than talent (though having both helps!). :) Mine's going out tomorrow. Is it perfect? Nah. But it's much better than what I sent in for MoP. I figure, there should be about 300 or so submissions (Eberron has nowhere near the fanboy following of FR), so the odds aren't too shabby. Best of luck to all - and seriously, SurfMonkey, send it in. My comment about the prison stories wasn't meant to discourage you - I just know at least one other person who's going that route. Your stories are very different. Very. ~Harsk
Alac Luin 08-19-04, 11:53 AM	Even if your idea gets regected, it's worth the effort to send it in. Worst thing that can happen is you get a rejection letter. In all honesty, that alone can be worn as a badge of pride. Frame it, and hang it on the wall!!! It will show that you took a chance. It will also bring you into the brotherhood/sisterhood of authors, who typically receive many rejection letters before they ever get anything published. I'm kicking myself in the but for not submitting to the MoP open call. I don't intend on letting this one go by, if only I can choose which 10 pages to send in. I’m going to have half the scenes of my book started before this all over.
Atlictoatl 08-19-04, 12:00 PM	Another thing to consider is that they are looking at these sumissions for possible future contract work. Even if you aren't good at structuring a novel (few are), your writing submission or character ideas may result in being asked to work as part of an authorial team on a supplement or adventure. It never hurts to try.
Alac Luin 08-19-04, 12:06 PM	Or an anthology. About a dozen MoP finalists are working on short stories for the Realms. Ironically, it looks like the anthology may be released earlier than the novel they entered to write. (I may be wrong on that point).
q'afuu 08-19-04, 01:09 PM	Originally posted by Alac Luin I don't intend on letting this one go by, if only I can choose which 10 pages to send in. I’m going to have half the scenes of my book started before this all over. I hear you, man. Decisions, decisions...
michiganlaz 08-19-04, 05:13 PM	Hello all: I was excited to discover the Eberron open call. I didn't think I'd have time to read up on it and get an idea... but with that stinking standardized rejection letter from MoP staring at me by my PC, I decided to give it another go. The winner of the Maiden of Pain open call has a blog, and in it he gives some inspirational thoughts on what he thought he did right. The blog entry is called 'Open call: a winning proposal' and it can be found at http://www.kameronmf.com/archives/2004_06_01_archive.htm I agree that there will likely be only 300-400 submissions for this open-call. One thing I took away from my rejected Mop proposal was that D&D books are about cinematic excitement. That means over-the-top characterizations, a fast-pace, extensive use of monsters and magic from the setting, and- naturally- a catchy story. Oh- and action- lots of action. I think my proposal will meet those objectives. I hope all of you make this a tough decision for WotC. I plan on doing my part!
Ashron 08-19-04, 07:44 PM	So, I'm just curious. I've got my synopsis (which starts in Xan'drar, not Sharn) and my ten pages, but I was curious what ten pages people are sending in. Are you writing scenes from somewhere within the book and focusing on action, or are you starting with the beginning? Personally I went ahead and started with chapter one, where I intro the four main characters, and the end of page 10 has a line of dialogue that promises a hell of a fight to start chapter two. And to those who are thinking about not sending in their ideas, go ahead and send them in. Never let fear of rejection stop you. I have a scrapbook full of rejection letters (at last count it was 64) and it hasn't stopped me. Every rejection hurts, but you dust yourself off, full of conviction that you're as good or better than half of what's being published, and keep going. One thing good about WotC is that they will often tell you why they rejected you and offers ways to improve things. And there's always that "we'll be looking for future stuff" thing, too. So send them in. You may get a pleasant surprise. Of course, I hope I beat you to it. :D Paul Barrett Charlotte, NC Indievision (paul@indievision.com)
Pallis 08-20-04, 02:41 AM	I sent in ten pages of action, action, action... got to hook the initial reader!
hiryuu 08-20-04, 10:10 AM	Originally posted by Pallis I sent in ten pages of action, action, action... got to hook the initial reader! Ah, but it's not always best to use action - that can sometimes make someone put the book down. The true art of hooking the reader is to make nothing happen but for it to be intriguing enough the reader doesn't put it down. That's not the first ten pages, that's your opening line. Too much action to start can actually overload your reader and leave them too tired to continue before the story even starts. Check out "Metamorphosis" by Kafka for a great opening line, one of the best ever. "When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin." Not only do we know what the story is about, we're intrigued - we want to read on, to find out the details of Gregor's loathsome and strange predicament.
dvsman 08-20-04, 10:11 AM	Yup, Pallis' action hook sunk deep into me and tore my flesh when I pulled it out. I split my ten pages up with action and description plus dialogue. Whatever you send in, make it strong! Good luck to all.
Ashron 08-20-04, 10:24 AM	I tend to agree that it's best to start with a little build up before you launch into the action, so that you get to know the character's and can care about them. Leave starting with action-heavy set pieces to the movies :) (Although one of the best action movies ever, Die Hard, had no action in the first 20 minutes, but I digress) Now I've got another problem. I've come up with a second idea that I think might be as strong as the first, so I have to decide if I want to invest the time to write a synopsis and ten pages and then determine which one to send. Ah, decisions, decisions. But I guess it's better to have too many ideas than not enough.
michiganlaz 08-20-04, 11:33 AM	I'm sending in a scene that is at least near the beginning of my book. It's a mix of scene-building and action. I don't think that WotC cares where the scene occurs- or even if the scene would ultimately make it into your novel. They are strictly interested in "Can this prospect write, and are they on the same page that we are". I think it's best to simply stick your principle character(s) in a situation and show how they react- be it action, dialogue, whatever. Just be sure to write it to the best of your ability- you're auditioning, not writing the novel- yet! Emphasize your strengths. Concentrate on making that ten pages the best you've got, no matter if you're in the middle, end or beginning of the story. If you're good with dialogue and scene building, do that. If you can craft exciting prose describing an intense fight, show that. Show your strength, in the context of their needs, and you'll have a shot.
ChrisTheS 08-20-04, 06:21 PM	Done... sent... now all I have to do is wait for the rejection letter :P
Alac Luin 08-20-04, 07:48 PM	Originally posted by Ashron So, I'm just curious. I've got my synopsis (which starts in Xan'drar, not Sharn) and my ten pages, but I was curious what ten pages people are sending in. Are you writing scenes from somewhere within the book and focusing on action, or are you starting with the beginning? Personally I went ahead and started with chapter one, where I intro the four main characters, and the end of page 10 has a line of dialogue that promises a hell of a fight to start chapter two. Read the Open call agien, they don't want anyplace other then then Khorvaire and Aerenal. So haveing the story start in Xen'Drik may be grounds for regection. Personally, I have 3 samples started. one is like chap 2, another about chap 4 and the third is chap 5. I'm looking for section that is about half char building/ dialoge and about half action. Like I said in another post, I have to deside which one to send in. :D
Harsk 08-20-04, 09:49 PM	Originally posted by Alac Luin Personally, I have 3 samples started. one is like chap 2, another about chap 4 and the third is chap 5. Go with the one that comes earliest in the story. You set your story hook early on, and you need to hook the editors similarly early. Show them that what's happening early in your story is interesting enough to draw them in - the earlier, the better. I sent in a chapter 5-6 sample last time. I didn't make that mistake this time around. The sample is scene 1. And if I can't hook them with that, well, then mine is not the novel they're looking for. ~Harsk
Pallis 08-22-04, 01:55 PM	Out of interest, how long would you assume it takes after the deadline for Wizards to let the winning author know their sumission has/has not been successful?
Ashron 08-22-04, 02:04 PM	Originally posted by Alac Luin Read the Open call agien, they don't want anyplace other then then Khorvaire and Aerenal. So haveing the story start in Xen'Drik may be grounds for regection. No, I said Xan'drar, not Xen'Drik. Xan'drar is a small town in the northwest part of Breland, near Silver Lake
Red_Decker 08-22-04, 03:27 PM	Originally posted by Pallis Out of interest, how long would you assume it takes after the deadline for Wizards to let the winning author know their sumission has/has not been successful? Last time it took a few months. It ended in july and we found out the winner, and sorry if I'm worng, October. He actually found out in september but they wanted to get the rejection letters out first. Otherwise it'd be kinda like your best friend telling you sorry about the break up before she told you herself. http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
Alac Luin 08-22-04, 06:31 PM	Originally posted by Ashron No, I said Xan'drar, not Xen'Drik. Xan'drar is a small town in the northwest part of Breland, near Silver Lake Oppsy, nevermind. I didn't recall that town. I just assumed a misspelling. Good luck then!!!
Ashron 08-22-04, 06:35 PM	Originally posted by Alac Luin Oppsy, nevermind. I didn't recall that town. I just assumed a misspelling. Good luck then!!! Thanks, you too. Ironically enough, I've changed my story idea to something I think is more in line with what they would like, and it starts in Sharn (but it doesn't stay there.)
SornDuskryn 08-23-04, 08:31 PM	Is there anyone else submitting something from Canada? And if so, have they had any problems with Canada Post in them saying that they can't give you postage for WotC to send you the self addressed envelope? I'm hoping the chick was mistaken in what I ment, and though that I was refering to my package. If not, then I'm screwed, because I can send my submission in, but won't be able to give them a stamped self addressed envelope. :(
Ashron 08-23-04, 08:50 PM	You may want to double-check with someone else. I think there's something called International Return Coupons (IRC) that you can use for such things, but as I've never had to have anything returned from another country, I'm not sure. I do remember hearing about them, though. I'm sure there must be a way. Good luck. Paul
SornDuskryn 08-23-04, 09:19 PM	Thanks for the advice Ashron. I got the same advice from a good friend as well. Going to go try and get an International Reply Coupon tomorrow before I mail my submission off.
Ashron 08-23-04, 09:32 PM	Of course, if I had been thinking, I would have told you that you were screwed and to forget even trying to send it. One less competitor :smirk: Just kidding of course. Best of luck to all of us who submit. Paul
Girtnu Shav 08-23-04, 11:34 PM	Some more advice for those who haven't mailed their submissions yet. Have someone proofread *everything* before it goes out. There's a tendency among new writers and especially "amatuer" authors going for an open call such as this one to think "My idea's so awesome that one or two little mistakes won't matter." This is WRONG. All editors want authors who can proofread their own work and send in polished material. If they spot one or two spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes in a 10-page sample they're going to wonder how many will be in your 90,000 word story. Everyone makes mistakes, have a friend or relative help spot yours. (I'm 26, a published fantasy author, and my mother is still my best proofreader. That's also why I was on the phone yesterday explaining what a shifter was while she explained how I should have used a semicolon.) Just for some credentials to reinforce my advice: I've had one short story and two spells published from d20-based open calls like this one. Yes, the big companies have editors and proofreaders of their own, but that short story has a mistake I'd missed that wound up making it to print. They can miss things too, which is part of why they want you to catch it before it's even in the mail. Luck and Lollipops, folks.
MavrickWeirdo 08-24-04, 12:30 PM	Originally posted by Pallis Out of interest, how long would you assume it takes after the deadline for Wizards to let the winning author know their sumission has/has not been successful? According to the "Wizards Book Submission FAQ" How long does it take to respond to submissions? The Wizards Book Publishing Department has a policy of reading each submission. That is why even though we say in the guidelines that it takes 18 weeks, it can actually take closer to 20 weeks to receive a response.
Pallis 08-24-04, 12:44 PM	Yeah, I'd noticed that, but was under the impression that - what with the November deadline (or thereabouts) for the first draft - they'd be looking to give as much notice to the winner as possible... 18 - 20 weeks takes a huge chunk out of that timeframe... I thought that this would be suited for general submissions and not a specific open call. What's everyone else think?
ChrisTheS 08-31-04, 02:54 AM	Well, it seems to me that if they want a rough draft in November, then they can't very well pick a winner in January :)
NOOC PHD 08-31-04, 03:37 AM	Well, it seems to me that if they want a rough draft in November, then they can't very well pick a winner in January :) I think that's a November 2005 deadline for the first draft, not 2004.
kroh 08-31-04, 07:22 AM	Hey there all... Just wondering if Keith Hellcow himself will be judging any of the entries... WalT
Mister Underhill 08-31-04, 11:54 AM	A friend who entered the MoP contest told me that there was a turnaround time of close to three months for that one. If the winner of the War-Torn call is announced in late October or November, that would leave roughly a year to write the book, which ought to be more than sufficient.
Atlictoatl 08-31-04, 12:21 PM	Anybody else notice that we're missing a week's worth of posts on this thread?
Mister Underhill 08-31-04, 12:44 PM	Hmm... I seem to recall an announcement on the temp boards that any posts made on them during the transition would not be saved.
kaiscomet 08-31-04, 04:16 PM	Just wondering if Keith Hellcow himself will be judging any of the entries... Hellcow reported on the Once upon a Time Thread that he is not going to be a judge.
Alac Luin 08-31-04, 07:45 PM	The MOP submision deadline was on 31 july, he got the call on 22, oct. So useing that as a guide, the winner of this one should know about 22, november. Not that this in set in stone, but something close to look at.
resistor 08-31-04, 08:37 PM	I wanted to submit my idea, but I just didn't have the time to write it up. I was just too busy these last 5 weeks. Here's a summary of it though: The main characters are a human fighter and a half-elven arcane trickster. The fighter, named Jav, was a mercenary during the Last War, but went mad when his party was ambushed while he was sleeping on guard by Karrnathi skeletons, and he saw his twin brother slaughtered and his corpse dragged away to become a skeleton. The arcana trickster, Twil, is a a boisterous, energetic fellow with a ridiculous amount of impractical ideas. He's currently imprisoned in Karrnath because he was caught trying to break into the throne's records. Jav, who has become wild and barbaric since the end of the war, wandering the edge of the Mournland, resolves to make one last kamikaze attack on the Karrnathi. His attack is fortuitously timed just as Twil is attempt his 498th break-out attempt (yes, he counts). Twil saves the man by knocking him off the wall of the fortress outwards and using his Aberrant Dragonmark of feather fall. Twil leads Jav, who is still dazed from the whole experience, across country to the nearest lightning rail track. En route, Twil introduces himself (at length), and explains that he is an "Unmarked." Before Jav can absorb this, however, a lightning rail comes speeding by. With fast running and a good jump, Twil gets up on the caboose and pulls Jav up after him. The caboose-worker gladly lets them come aboard, since it's such boring, lousy work back there that he's glad for the company. They ride the lightning rail all the way to Sharn (with a brief interlude of an attack by a living spell). Just before pulling into the central station, Twil and Jav jump from the bridge the train is crossing and use Twil's aberrant mark to skydive to the lower levels of Sharn. Twil leads Jav deep into the bowels of Sharn, where they meet up with the other "Unmarked": it is a loose-knit brotherhood of those bearing aberrant marks. They specialize in magically-assistedt covert-ops, especially tasks that are too secretive for the Houses. Jav sees the great city with his host, Twil, and slowly forgets the horrors of his past. Twil gets a commission to steal an artifact from a moving lightning rail train. He recruits a cleric of the Traveller to help them, and acquires the services of an old artificer who has built a make-shift lightning rail vehicle. (A certain amount of "proving-himself" activities are involved.) They insert the vehicle onto the tracks, and take off after the train. Because their vehicle is so light, they catch up, and begin to climb along the roof of the train. They break in through the roof into the cargo car where the artifact is, but as they're coming down, they are ambushed by Karrnathi soldiers who had been waiting inside. The cleric (who was the only one still on the roof) takes a crossbow bolt, and falls off the train. Twil and Jav are captured. They are brought before the Karrnathi commander who is in-charge of the protection of this artifact, who turns out to be none other than Jav's twin: Arln. Arln was not in fact killed by the skeletons, for it was he who betrayed the patrol group to the Karrnathi in the first place. He had sold his friends and his twin brother's life for rank in the Karrnathi military. He offers Jav pardon if he will join the Karrnathi forces, but makes no such offer to Twil. Jav is astonished to see the man whose death had driven him nigh-insane. But as he listens to Arln's overtures of friendship and brotherhood, he realizes that this monster is no longer his brother, and that Twil is now more to him than Arln ever was. He goes into a rage, breaks the bonds holding him, breaks open the side door of the car, and throws himself and Twil out. Fortunately, Twil has the presence of mind to activate his aberrant mark as they fall.
JesseDennehy 08-31-04, 10:13 PM	My wife was planning on submitting a proposal but she lost data on her computer yesterday. She took off from her day job and spent the whole day trying to retrieve and recreate the file to no avail. I think the laptop got a virus and trashed the data. So no matter what happens with your submission, look on the bright side. At least you were able to get yours in by the deadline.
Atlictoatl 09-01-04, 12:40 PM	I wonder what this means: 8/30 Submission sent to listed PO Box by overnight mail, US Postal Service. 8/31 8:58am Notice left by PO in the PO Box that my overnight mail was waiting to be picked up. 9/01 8:14am Package picked up/delivered Technically, it wasn't in their office at 5pm 8/31, but that's because they didn't seem to pick up their mail after 9am on 8/31. Odd. *crosses fingers*
kroh 09-01-04, 01:21 PM	I would assume based on what the message said, that they didn't pick up that batch of mail until 9 am that next morning. I would have to assume that your submission is probably on the top stack of the pile. if you're not sure and are that worried about it, give the postal service a call and they could tell you what it means. WalT
Alac Luin 09-01-04, 02:26 PM	No need to call the posties. They picked up the mail at 8:14 Local WotC time. I would assume that since they did not pick up before close of business on the 31st, that they are considering it on time. I’m almost surprised they did not open a separate PO box for this. Anyways, good luck.
q'afuu 09-01-04, 03:53 PM	My wife was planning on submitting a proposal but she lost data on her computer yesterday. She took off from her day job and spent the whole day trying to retrieve and recreate the file to no avail. I think the laptop got a virus and trashed the data. I had a similar problem. I retyped the whole thing in under 8 hours, but it turned out nowhere near as good as what I had at first. Still, I sent it in. I'd rather give it a shot and get a rejection letter than not try at all. Anyway, tell your wife I'm sorry for her. Life stinks sometimes.
Smart 09-05-04, 05:04 AM	Well, I sent mine off the friday before the deadline, but I'm not too far away, so I'm sure it would have been there by tuesday. Start to finish, it took me one week... I just found out about it the week before. But I felt pretty good about the experience, overall. Can't wait to see if there are any comments on the submission.
michiganlaz 09-27-04, 05:22 PM	Please post it here. I've not heard anything, but I imagine they've probably narrowed the selections down big-time by now and would start sending out those standardized rejection notices next month at the earlist, November at the latest. They'll notify the winner ahead of time and swear him/her to secrecy. Anyway, good luck to all. I'm curious to hear the number of submissions. They've got another open call out there for Magic. I think I'll skip that one, though the brand would certainly catch the eye of alot of readers. I just don't know anything about the setting and I don't care to do all the reading necessary to get there.
Jasnkat 09-27-04, 07:58 PM	Actually, with _Maiden of Pain_, they didn't send the rejection letters out in phases--they all came at the end of the process. Jason H.
michiganlaz 09-29-04, 01:28 PM	Actually, with _Maiden of Pain_, they didn't send the rejection letters out in phases--they all came at the end of the process. Jason H. No, they didn't do phases, but they did contact the winner well before the other letters went out. I think they also sent a separate batch out to the 'promising' contestants a little after the flat-rejections went out.
Jasnkat 09-29-04, 01:47 PM	No, they didn't do phases, but they did contact the winner well before the other letters went out. I think they also sent a separate batch out to the 'promising' contestants a little after the flat-rejections went out. Right on both counts (though "well before" was, I believe, no more than 10-14 days, if that much). What that means is, if other people start receiving rejection letters and you haven't heard anything, the odds are good that you were not chosen for this particular open call; but you may still receive a letter inviting you to future, not-so-open submission calls, giving you perhaps an inside track on a future book. Jason H.
Mister Underhill 09-30-04, 01:19 AM	Out of curiosity, does anyone have an idea what sort of money the book deal pays? Obviously it won't be quit-your-day-job money, but I'm wondering what the ballpark is.
NOOC PHD 09-30-04, 07:07 AM	Out of curiosity, does anyone have an idea what sort of money the book deal pays? Obviously it won't be quit-your-day-job money, but I'm wondering what the ballpark is. The last figure I heard as a going rate for manuscripts was $10,000, but that's some years ago and wasn't specific to WotC, so take that figure as you will.
michiganlaz 10-01-04, 03:03 PM	The last figure I heard as a going rate for manuscripts was $10,000, but that's some years ago and wasn't specific to WotC, so take that figure as you will. I don't think its that high. It all depends on how many copies they think they can sell. According to Lawrence Watt-Evans, the normal range for a first time paperback SF/Fantasy author is $1500-$5000 advance against 4-6% royalties. That sounds about right since Kameron Franklin said in his blog that he has to sell 15,000 copies of Maiden of Pain to see any royalty checks. That's alot of books!
NOOC PHD 10-01-04, 06:04 PM	I don't think its that high. It all depends on how many copies they think they can sell. According to Lawrence Watt-Evans, the normal range for a first time paperback SF/Fantasy author is $1500-$5000 advance against 4-6% royalties. That sounds about right since Kameron Franklin said in his blog that he has to sell 15,000 copies of Maiden of Pain to see any royalty checks. That's alot of books! I'm not surprised - my figure was very rough. I'd be curious what sales numbers Wizards expects from a standard imprint.
Mister Underhill 10-02-04, 01:27 PM	Yeah, if you run the math on a $5000 advance with a 4% royalty on an $8 paperback price, it comes out to 15,625 copies to break even on the advance. Then again, the Eberron winner will have a considerable advantage marketing-wise over the novice sf-fantasy writer trying to get the word out on original material.
Aris Stormdragon 10-03-04, 03:11 AM	One question for all of you that submitted for both the MoP and the WTS. Did you stat your characters beforehand, and if so, how far did you go? Did you create them as if you were rolling up a character for an adventure, or did you just create an abbreviated version, with just the essentials? Also, does anyone know if they are accepting general submissions for Eberron? Ones that don't have anything to do with the War Torn series? Any help here would be great. Thanks for your time A.S.
Jasnkat 10-03-04, 10:31 AM	One question for all of you that submitted for both the MoP and the WTS. Did you stat your characters beforehand, and if so, how far did you go? Did you create them as if you were rolling up a character for an adventure, or did you just create an abbreviated version, with just the essentials? Also, does anyone know if they are accepting general submissions for Eberron? Ones that don't have anything to do with the War Torn series? Any help here would be great. Thanks for your time A.S. Stats? Heavens no. Stats are a pain, and since they're not necessary for a novel (and certainly not for a novel excerpt) I didn't do any stats. Stats are neded for gameplaying, but in a novel the last thing you want is for a combat scene (or any scene) to be at least partially determined by the roll of a die. AFAIK, WotC is always willing to look at ideas that authors submit. However, when there's no open call on, that makes the hill the new author has to climb a little bit steeper. Jason H.
MavrickWeirdo 10-03-04, 02:59 PM	One question for all of you that submitted for both the MoP and the WTS. Did you stat your characters beforehand, and if so, how far did you go? Did you create them as if you were rolling up a character for an adventure, or did you just create an abbreviated version, with just the essentials? Also, does anyone know if they are accepting general submissions for Eberron? Ones that don't have anything to do with the War Torn series? Any help here would be great. Thanks for your time A.S. Yes I stated all my main characters. It helps me to imagine what they would do in a situation if I know what their skills and abilities are.
ChrisTheS 10-03-04, 03:30 PM	I statted my main character for WT just for my own amusement. Surprisingly, it turned out that the character could actually DO most of the things that I had planned for her to do (except, possibly, play a tinwhistle: I'm still trying to figure out how a warforged, sans lungs and a full complement of fingers, would be able to play a wind instrument). But I statted her AFTER I'd written the synopsis; I have no intention to actually USE the stats, unless by some freakish chance I get accepted and the character appears as an NPC in some future article or supplement (excuse me while I go to laugh at the absurdity of even considering such an outcome).
Red_Decker 10-03-04, 07:42 PM	I didn't stat mine out perse I keep a good mental reference in my head. Would my character be able to do this? Yes, okay go with it. http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
Ashron 10-03-04, 09:33 PM	I didn't stat my protagonist, since I'll have him do what the story requires and then make sure it works with what is possible in the rules.
SornDuskryn 10-04-04, 03:19 PM	I didn't give mine stats either, though it wouldn't be that hard to do it, going on what I have him like in my head. Though the thing with writing, you always want to push your characters, even more than you would in a pnp game.
ChrisTheS 10-04-04, 11:21 PM	Bearing in mind that PnP characters don't always follow the rules to the letter either. One thing that people often forget when the subject of statting book characters comes up is that book characters generally follow the same sort of development as real in-game characters more than devised NPCs do; that is, they often include houseruled anomalies that develop out of the storyline. For instance, in a game from a few years ago, we had a player who grew tired of playing his character, so (being possessed of a Ring of Elemental Command: Earth) he used the item to create a fortress for us (out of mud; we built it in a swamp, and it DIDN'T sink :P ), and then merged the ring and his soul with the fortress, effectively turning castle and character into a single living artifact. By the rules, that would be impossible (or at least extremely difficult) to do. But it worked for the story, so we did it (the campaign ended one session later, but that's beside the point). Sometimes statting out the character like this can help identify things that should happen in the story which the author might not have thought of yet. For instance, my main character is a warforged bard, who is not only superior to any other warforged bard but also to a great many human and demihuman bards. Since warforged are handicapped in this regard by their Charisma penalties, I realized that I had to do something within the story to overcome this natural deficiency. So I came up with a way, added it to my outline, and then came up with some houserules to justify it in the stats (and I'm glad I thought of it, because it adds considerably to the characterization of both the heroine and her nominal 'master'). Some might argue that characters shouldn't be customized this way, or if they do then they should be done through custom feats rather than GM fiat, but I'm not one of those people :P
hiryuu 10-05-04, 05:04 AM	Hmm. Statting characters. No, no, I didn't. They'll do whatever I need them to do. If I had to, though, maybe Warrior 2/Fighter 2, Druid 3, Psion 6, and Rogue 4, and Rogue 3...hmm, that seems about right.
michiganlaz 10-07-04, 02:14 PM	No statting here, but I did pay close attention to what the characters would be capable of in game terms. I think I even may have slotted one character at 6th level to be sure he could use a certain ability.
Alac Luin 10-07-04, 02:27 PM	I didn't "stat out" intire charicters, but I did keep in mind a general feel of levels and possibilities of actions. One of the largest complaints I ever heard is something like "Hay, acording to suchandsuch rulebook a 9th lvl whatever could not do that!"
Radiating Gnome 10-07-04, 05:41 PM	Actually, I did stat out my characters -- and some of the NPCs. Not all in the sort of detail that I might if I were using them in my home game, but enough that I would know what the characters were capable off. At the same time, I think it's a terrible idea to try to play out scenes and then write the results up as a narrative. Once I had the stats, I use them as a rough guide for the writing. -rg
About Yea High 10-07-04, 07:57 PM	I did not stat out the characters in my proposal, but assuming I get the win (Hey, sure, let's assume I do!) I would. Just because. Yea
kroh 10-08-04, 10:04 AM	Statting out a character in order to fit game guidelines when writting a story is probably a very limitting factor story wise. Consider that everytime you add a rule to something you ensure that you confine it to a set group of parameters. One of the best examples of this is that I see all the time is in " Mixed Martial Arts." One of the draws of this style of combat is the fact that there are supposedly no rules. One can do anything one wants to in order to deal with an opponent. But when watching these matches (be it the home grown stuff or whether it is the "Ultimate Fighting Championship") there are rules that are discussed when the fighters enter the ring. Eye gouging, certain strikes, and biting are all considered illegal techniques and cannot be used. This limits the fighters in terms of what they can do and how they deal with the opponent. This is diferent from competetions such as Vale Tudo (brazil) where anything goes and as a result they are much more interesting and there is a sense of urgency to the matches. This applies to stating out the characters in our stories in terms of story driven characters versus rules driven characters. In rules driven stories, there are clear cut rules for what the characters can and cannot do. This means that cinematic feel that Eberron is striving for is hindered. Lets take the flagship example used for Eberron, Indy. Take all the knowledge, ability and know how of that character combined with his phenominal luck and you have a character that can be easily statted out and yet defies those rules time and again. One might say that this is where the use of action points comes in. If one looks at how characters in other genre's as well as people in real life deal with situations... the stats can give you an idea or guideline but they can never truely define. The real interesting charcters always think and act "outside the box." These are always the characters that are most interesting. Just my two coppers...Whatever that's worth...
RangerWickett 10-16-04, 05:55 AM	What I'm more interested in is, if you were to stat the main characters, what level did you make them? I've got a 10th level character, one at 7th, and one at 6th. Well, the level is only really obvious on one of the characters, because I wanted teleportation, and you can't get that at low-level.
MavrickWeirdo 10-17-04, 10:08 AM	Central Character: L5 Cleric Major Characters: L1 Fighter, L3 Aristocrat, L3 Commoner, L1 Artisan, L1 Sorcerer, L2 Fighter Supporting Characters: L3 Fighter, L3 Rogue, L4 Bard, L3 Magewright Bad Guys: L3 Rogue, L2 Wiz/L2 Rogue, L1 Fight/L2 Rogue Plus various background characters, for example I decided the train crew consisted of Orien Conductor (Human, M, L2 Aristocrat) Orien Engineer (Human, M, L4 Artificer/L1 Dragonmark Heir) L3 Magewright, Human, M, assistant engineer (DrM) Head Porter, L3 Expert 2 Warriors, 4 Commoners, However I never bothered to name them
NOOC PHD 10-17-04, 07:29 PM	What I'm more interested in is, if you were to stat the main characters, what level did you make them? I've got a 10th level character, one at 7th, and one at 6th. Well, the level is only really obvious on one of the characters, because I wanted teleportation, and you can't get that at low-level. My main character was somewhere between 8th and 12th - I kept it deliberately vague.
Euangelion 10-18-04, 12:53 PM	It seems to me that anyone writing an Eberron D&D book should pay close attention to the rules, especially spell effects, character development, monster capabilities, and faithfulness to the Eberron setting. Think about it this way, let's say your Eberron book is going to be published. Who's going to be reading it? Well, if it's a NY Times bestseller, lots of different kinds of people. But more likely the primary audience will be D&D fans, and even if it is a best seller, then the D&D fans are still going to be reading it. If you're like me, when you read you're doing more than seeing the words on the page, you're thinking about the story even as you read it. You are having a conversation with the book itself. If a supposedly low-level bard uses the suggestion bardic music ability 8 times in one day, it will take away from my enjoyment of the book, by all means. If monsters fail to make full use of their game-given abilities, then that will be annoying as well. If someone uses a lightning bolt spell to blast through adamantine, then I'm going to be more than a little bothered as I read the story, even if it is otherwise a very good story. Sure, Joe Schmo might not care, but don't neglect the core audience, who tend to be very literate and intelligent. They will notice!
Jasnkat 10-18-04, 01:34 PM	It seems to me that anyone writing an Eberron D&D book should pay close attention to the rules, especially spell effects, character development, monster capabilities, and faithfulness to the Eberron setting. Think about it this way, let's say your Eberron book is going to be published. Who's going to be reading it? Well, if it's a NY Times bestseller, lots of different kinds of people. But more likely the primary audience will be D&D fans, and even if it is a best seller, then the D&D fans are still going to be reading it. If you're like me, when you read you're doing more than seeing the words on the page, you're thinking about the story even as you read it. You are having a conversation with the book itself. If a supposedly low-level bard uses the suggestion bardic music ability 8 times in one day, it will take away from my enjoyment of the book, by all means. If monsters fail to make full use of their game-given abilities, then that will be annoying as well. If someone uses a lightning bolt spell to blast through adamantine, then I'm going to be more than a little bothered as I read the story, even if it is otherwise a very good story. Sure, Joe Schmo might not care, but don't neglect the core audience, who tend to be very literate and intelligent. They will notice! Actually, to me what you're saying seems to be more about consistent character development than about game rules. First of all, remember that characters are not going to go around identifying themselves by their level--this is not the D&D movie (at least we hope not). So really, the actual level of the character can be somewhat vague. Second, game rules or no game rules, if you identify someone as a novice in their class and then all of the sudden have them extremely proficient at their abilities and able to act seemingly without limits, everyone, D&D fans or not, is going to notice. If a character is clearly identified as a novice bard but can use the ability like an expert, your character development has fallen on its face. As far as monsters and spells--yes, naturally they should be consistent with the game. But I hope most submitters already took that as a given. Jason H.
NOOC PHD 10-18-04, 08:05 PM	When RAS created Drizzt there was no rules basis for dual wielding weapons - he just made it up. It's entirely plausible that if Drizzt had never been written then the dual wielding feats might not even exist in 3e. Back when the FR Novels board was still going the concensus amongst the FR authors (the ones Wizards was already publishing) was that stats and rules were for the game. They knew the basics of the game (types of spells and their effects; races in the setting and their abilities) and other than that, they ignored the game in favour of the story. After all, how many times have you read special rules (say in Dragon) to cover a character or situation in one of the novels?
Radiating Gnome 10-26-04, 09:34 AM	Soooo . .. . anyone hear anything yet? I haven't. -rg
kroh 10-26-04, 09:56 AM	Not I
Jasnkat 10-26-04, 09:57 AM	Soooo . .. . anyone hear anything yet? I haven't. -rg I think it's still a little too early for any decisions to come out. However, if any of the Powers That Be want to let a little information slip out--like approximate number of submissions and/or a loose estimate of how much time before a decision is made--I'm sure most of the lurking submitters here would be grateful. Jason H.
michiganlaz 11-03-04, 04:50 PM	Nothing here... Anyone going to enter any of the other Open Calls- the Magic novel or the new imprint call? I'm contemplating the new imprint- what an opportunity that would be! I'm sure a previously published author will win that one, but what the hey.
Ashron 11-03-04, 04:58 PM	I'm definitely going to try for the new imprint call. I don't think a published author has any better chance than anybody else here, since WOTC seems keen on new people.
Alac Luin 11-03-04, 05:10 PM	It may not go to already published author. It will (realistically) most likely go to an unpublished author that at this time already has the novel written, and will have the time to polish it up before the call ends. They do want a completed manuscript when asked for it (presumably not long after the closeing date of that open call). Don’t let that stop you from trying. Any writing / submitting experience you get under your belt is good. :)
Jasnkat 11-03-04, 07:01 PM	The Magic world is too big for me to try to get into on relatively short notice, so I'm out of that one. However, I've already got 20,000 words of a novel (and the first three chapters have already been revised a couple of times), so I'll be continuing that and sending it in come March. Jason H. P.S. I saw a comment on ENWorld estimating that about 500 people entered the Eberron open call, which seems like a low number to me. Anyone hear any other numbers? Anyone with official knowledge care to say anything?
james bierly 11-03-04, 07:13 PM	I know it's too late to submit for the War Torn contest... but is Wizards accepting other submissions for the Eberron world, like they do FR and DL?
Ashron 11-03-04, 10:12 PM	On a somewhat related topic, does anyone know if the website has information about submitting module ideas, or is that all done strictly in-house and/or on assignment?
HeartlessDM 11-08-04, 06:25 PM	P.S. I saw a comment on ENWorld estimating that about 500 people entered the Eberron open call, which seems like a low number to me. Anyone hear any other numbers? Anyone with official knowledge care to say anything? Also on ENWorld is a msg from someone who heard the number of entries was about 400. When I was at GenCon I was told that the last time Wizards held a contest, it was for a Forgotten Realms novel and they had about 500 entries for that one. So, it seems like the numbers match. <shrug> Spiros
Jasnkat 11-08-04, 07:57 PM	Also on ENWorld is a msg from someone who heard the number of entries was about 400. When I was at GenCon I was told that the last time Wizards held a contest, it was for a Forgotten Realms novel and they had about 500 entries for that one. So, it seems like the numbers match. <shrug> The official release from WotC at the end of that last one (the Maiden of Pain open call) said the winner was selected from "nearly 500" entries. I don't know if Eberron, with a shorter history and probably smaller fan base (for now) attracted that many, fewer, or more (since it was a little easier to get up to speed on Eberron than it was on FR). Jason H.
michiganlaz 11-09-04, 04:23 PM	I believe they'll look at any submissions that meet their criteria, but they also are quick to say anything set in an existing world will be very difficult to accept, since they have arcs planned for years in advance. You'd probably have much better luck writing in relatively newer worlds, like Eberron. That said, I believe the new imprint will open the doors to new talent, even beyond the open call.
RangerWickett 11-12-04, 10:31 AM	I'm trying to recall, did picking the top 11 of the Campaign Setting Search, which had 11,000 entries, take this long? *grin* Does anyone have the ear of a staff person in the books division at WotC?
Radiating Gnome 11-12-04, 11:11 AM	I'm trying not to let myself believe that they're already talking to the writer the've selected, and they're just waiting to announce the winner until the deal is ironed out. But they wanted this novel to hit the shelves a year from right now . . . so they'd better come up with something soon. -rg
Jasnkat 11-12-04, 12:47 PM	I'm trying not to let myself believe that they're already talking to the writer the've selected, and they're just waiting to announce the winner until the deal is ironed out. But they wanted this novel to hit the shelves a year from right now . . . so they'd better come up with something soon. Actually, on at least three different occasions I've been approached about starting books that were scheduled to come out within 6-8 months of the date I was approached. True, all three were somewhat odd situations, but from others I've spoken with, a well-under-a-year timeline from contract to publication is not at all unusual. So don't despair yet! Jason H.
Alac Luin 11-13-04, 06:16 PM	Just a piece from the Open Call Announcement The book itself will be 90,000 words in length, with a first draft due somewhere in the neighborhood of November of 2005. Please be realistic about your ability to do the writing. We're very deadline-driven here, and there's rarely any room for authors to run late. So, it’s not going to be on shelves until mid 2006, at least. I’d almost expect the new imprint to be on the shelves before this Eberron book.
St. George 01-14-05, 10:55 AM	just bumping this 'cause I'm curious if anyone's heard anything - I read in the interview that they were reviewing the submissions late in December, but wondered if there had been a decision made. thanks in advance!
Ashron 01-14-05, 11:25 AM	As far as I know, nothing's been decided. I certainly haven't gotten a phone call or a letter. Even if they don't send letters back, I would hope they would at least make some sort of general announcement on the main site or here in the forums, so we would all know and could quit biting fingernails and pulling hair out :P Not that I have much hair left anyway :(
Jeremymc 01-14-05, 11:28 AM	Well consiering the sheer-amount of printed tree-flesh that comes out of Wizards on a yearly basis in the form of novels, it probably isn't so important that you have your submission done on a deadline as that you have the talent to create something good enough to be published. If you're a month or two or three later than the call date, you might as well submit it anyhow. If it's good enough to be published, it'll eventually get published. As a matter of fact, even if it's NOT good enough to get published, it might still get published....
St. George 01-26-05, 07:46 AM	*punt* so... anyone heard anything? anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? (now I just feel old...) :P
kroh 01-26-05, 08:35 AM	Nothing in the mail yet... Maybe they got some really good entries and they are having a rough time deciding. Regards, Walt
Ashron 01-26-05, 09:19 AM	Nothing in the mail yet... Maybe they got some really good entries and they are having a rough time deciding. According to a web chat with Peter Archer about a month ago, that's exactly what's happened. They have so many good entries that it's making it tough for them to decide. I've tried my best to move on (after all, there's the other open call to get ready for) but it's tough. I'm ready to hear something, one way or the other, preferably the other :)
Alac Luin 01-26-05, 01:20 PM	I've just seen something on the WorldsofDnD boards, the finallist has been selected, just waiting for an official announcement. Heck, I don't even know if the winner knows yet :)
kaiscomet 01-26-05, 01:46 PM	I didn't see that there. Mark Sehestedt, the editor of the Eberron line was very good at answering several questions. Looks like there were "almost 300" submissions, and they mentioned that we should be hearing something "soon." http://worldsofdnd.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=128&start=45
Alac Luin 01-26-05, 01:51 PM	Edit: Removed link, same thread as above. Schedules always change, but right now Book 3 is scheduled for July 2006. However, Book 4 is the one we did the Open Call for. It is scheduled for September 2006. This all may change 50 times over the next year, but that's the plan for now. strahd wrote: I know the open call was for one book of the War Torn series, but do you have authors lined up for the other two? Yep. All four titles have authors.
Ashron 01-26-05, 01:56 PM	Yes, it does sound like the author has been picked. Guess I'll be keeping an eye out for the rejection letter :(
St. George 01-26-05, 02:13 PM	well, I hope it shows up this time - I didn't get one for the Maiden of Pain even though I sent a SASE anyway. *grumble* congrats to the new author, anyway - good to have one of our own out there, if ya know what I mean... *slinks off to think about doing the darned book anyway...* :D
michiganlaz 01-26-05, 05:25 PM	I'm three for three- three attempts, three rejections. Here's to many more. Nothing's official until it's officially announced, but it sure sounds like they picked the author and are just waiting to sign the contract before announcing. I imagine it's safe to assume that if you didn't get a call by now, you're not it. Here's hoping I've at least moved up to 'while we didn't accept your proposal, we may consider you for something in the future'. It's hard not to be disappointed, but it's the hallmark of most authors to be rejected countless times before finally breaking through. I'm glad Wizards is actively searching for new talent, though- it gives one hope.
Jasnkat 01-26-05, 07:34 PM	FWIW, here's an attempt at encouragement for those without good news--I haven't heard anything yet, leading me to assume I'm among those who weren't chosen. But that's just a part of the business. I just had a MechWarrior novel published in December, and the reception has been pretty good. I mention that to point out that rejection from this or any other open call does not necessarily mean that you're not good enough to write a novel and have it published. Keep working at it--the right editor for you is out there somewhere . . .
Macho Duck 01-27-05, 09:37 PM	That's depressing. Yeah - it certainly does look like the person has been chosen. Damn. Oh well, I guess the next best thing is to be asked to contribute to a short story anthology (for some of those just missing the cut for the open book call). Or, I guess, being encouraged to keep submitting, if your entry was good enough (does anyone know how this works? Has anyone on these boards recieved a 'good effort - keep submitting' type letter? Do they specifically ask you to submit stories for specific projects, or merely to watch out for future open calls?
kroh 01-31-05, 07:56 AM	ALright the waiting is killing me so I thought I would come on and vent. Although I have already signed on with another publisher on another project, I still would have liked to have been a part of this project. On another note...Is anyone going to submit anything unsolicited to WotC anytime soon to enhance the world of Eberron? I was thinking of posting some shorts (with attached adventure freebees) on the Story threads here at Wizards. How about the rest of you waiting with baited breath... Anything on the horizon? Regards, Walt
Nosfredatu 01-31-05, 08:51 AM	I'm bitting my fingers, trying to finish projects on stand-by just in case something interesting comes out of this open call... But the worst is that the letter, good or bad, will be sent to my parents in Canada (I'm currently in France...) I just hope they call me as soon as they get it, for better of worst. Anyway, it gives me a boost on other projects. I just hope I won't have to trash all those wonderful Eberron characters I created for the call. Maybe my players will meet some of them someday... they already have !
Ashron 01-31-05, 09:28 AM	First off, Kroh, congratulations on getting another project. Since most of the indications are that the author has been chosen and it ain't me :( I'm taking the story I sent it, making adjustments in the plot, shifting it to my own created world, and I'm going to continue writing the story. Of course, if by some miracle WOTC calls and says "we want yours too," I can quickly shift back. In the meantime, I'm also polishing up my novel for the next open call in March. Paul
kroh 01-31-05, 11:30 AM	Thanks on the Conrats... On a related note...good luck with your projects....Just think how good it will feel when we are finally published and can say it was all worth it. Regards. Walt
St. George 01-31-05, 12:28 PM	probably get a faster and more informed answer here, with such knowledgable peeps around me... if I write a story in the Realms or in the Eberron world, is there ANY place to sell it other than as a novel to WOTC? I know that Dragon magazine publishes fiction monthly, but other than that... are there any markets that will take FR or E-based fiction without violating that nasty law about trademarks and the like? not complaining, but if I spend the time either writing a novella or a novel or even a short story using the ideas I used in my proposal, I'd like to have a bigger market than just putting it up here. And maybe make a buck or two; I'm selfish that way. thanks in advance and good writing to you all!
kroh 01-31-05, 01:36 PM	probably get a faster and more informed answer here, with such knowledgable peeps around me... if I write a story in the Realms or in the Eberron world, is there ANY place to sell it other than as a novel to WOTC? I know that Dragon magazine publishes fiction monthly, but other than that... are there any markets that will take FR or E-based fiction without violating that nasty law about trademarks and the like? not complaining, but if I spend the time either writing a novella or a novel or even a short story using the ideas I used in my proposal, I'd like to have a bigger market than just putting it up here. And maybe make a buck or two; I'm selfish that way. thanks in advance and good writing to you all! Copyright laws are strict for a reason and as such limit the way that a person (such as yourself) can profit from the franchise of another. Anything that you produce from either of those settings is considered a "derivative work" and still falls under the copyright laws in that you need permission to publish it. Even if you are not making money from "said enterprise" the laws state that the owner of the original idea has creative control over where his "product" leads. Ever notice that no one has put out any derivative Middle Earth Stuff ( there have been limited licenses granted over the years to enable RPG's and other such products to make sure the world stayed in the mainstream, but no one has really gone beyond the original fictions and works of the tolkein family <lumping Christopher in with this>). Trust me...that is not a road that you want to travel down. If you have a great idea and want to run with it and cannot get permission to publish it "wizards' style" then change the names to "protect the innocent" and go to another publisher. But, if it is really that good that you have to publish it...submit it to wizards and see what happens. The worst that can happen is that they say no and you have to go back to the drawing board. At least you now have that experience to draw from. Just out of curiosity, how long have you been writing? Regards, Walt
St. George 01-31-05, 02:09 PM	oh, been writing for years in original mode - but just wondering about the legalities and all dat stuff... got some published, but nothing to brag about... yet. ;) thanks for the info - it's what I expected, but I did want to check just in case something had changed along the way in the past few years...
SurfMonkey 02-02-05, 02:53 PM	Like the rest of you, I've not yet heard anything. This, of course, leads me to believe that I, too, have not been selected. Of course, this isn't entirely unsurprising. I feared that my proposal was a little complex, almost convoluted. Oh well, there's always next time, right? Good luck to all, as it's not completely over until the winner has been announced. Maybe it'll still be one of you guys yet.
Nosfredatu 02-08-05, 08:38 AM	The writer selected through the open-call has been announced on this WOTC webpage. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/eb/wartornselection :weep: Congratulation Mr. Davis ! Hope you have fun writing his novel !
St. George 02-08-05, 08:54 AM	yep, congrats! so where the *bleep* is my rejection notice? this is the SECOND time I've failed to get one... come on, WOTC - toss the losers a bone, will ya?
kroh 02-08-05, 09:02 AM	Nicely done Mr. Davis! Congrats! Regards, Walt
Euangelion 02-08-05, 04:47 PM	I'm not surprised it was someone who was already published, and with D&D experience. I'm looking forward to reading his contribution to Eberron. It must have been a good concept!
Alac Luin 02-08-05, 06:25 PM	yep, congrats! so where the *bleep* is my rejection notice? this is the SECOND time I've failed to get one... come on, WOTC - toss the losers a bone, will ya? Give it time, they just haven't made it to the mail yet. or thier printer broke agien. Congrats to the winner!!! I'll go wait at my mail box for the regection letter, it will be a change of pace from standing next to my phone. I could use the fresh air. :)
Valheru 02-18-05, 11:50 AM	Anyone get a rejection letter? Sending a SASE should at least consitute them using it right? :(
Ashron 02-18-05, 01:13 PM	You would think so. I could have used that stamp for my collection. :P
MavrickWeirdo 02-28-05, 08:01 PM	My SASE for the War-Torn novel search arrived in my mailbox today. Inside was (of course) a generic rejection letter. I guess I was hoping for a checklist with the things that made my entry lame checked off, but I did't even get that. Most of what it said was "read the guidelines carefully", "many of the Fantasy genre's beloved staples don't hold true in the world of EBERRON", and "utilizing the character classes, races, and spells of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game, and we're pretty strict about maintaining the way those things work." Now I am sure, that there probably were entrys who decided that they didn't really need guidelines, or to have things in the story work like their "house-rules", but little of that applied to my enrty. (Whatever else was wrong with my enrty, I paid attention to the details.) The most useful part was at the end. "In most cases, we prefer the EBERRON novels to be written in third person, past tense. Always concentrate on The Three Cs: conflict, character, and climax." As a final note, I was bothered that there was no signature. I realize that there were hundreds of entry's, but they could have at least included a rubber stamp of a signature. Hope I didn't spoil the surprise for those who didn't get theirs yet.
phantarch 03-01-05, 02:04 PM	Yeah, I got mine on Saturday, and exact same thing. I had hoped for some small amount of feedback, but I took it that if I got the generic letter, mine must have been bad enough that it wasn't even worth responding to. Not necessarily the case, but I would imagine that the "Top Ten" or something like that got personal feedback. I think I would have even preferred something less generic and optimistic. Like 3 checkboxes... 1. We liked it, please submit again. 2. There's potential here, work on your technique. 3. Maybe you should explore other talents. I mean honestly, where's the Simon Cowell of writing? :D
Ashron 03-01-05, 02:20 PM	Well, I haven't even gotten one yet of any sort. Does that mean I'm so bad I don't even warrant the cost of the piece of paper? :P
phantarch 03-01-05, 02:30 PM	Well, I haven't even gotten one yet of any sort. Does that mean I'm so bad I don't even warrant the cost of the piece of paper? :P Nah, I'd take it to mean that it took longer to make a decision on yours, as opposed to the immediate "bad story, send rejection letter" reaction. ;)
z_rampage 03-01-05, 06:09 PM	Got my rejection on Monday, 2/28. It was mailed on 2/25. As stated above, twas a form letter. For all the blood, sweat and tears I put into this (okay, so I spent four days crafting it.... :-) I was hoping for something a little more detailed. I was also somewhat disappointed, though not surprised, that a person with prior writing experience with Keith got chosen. I was hoping an unknown would break through and give some hope to the rest of us. Congratulations and best of luck to Graeme! Now I've got to get back to work on my next proposal.
Valheru 03-01-05, 07:33 PM	Mine also arrived yesterday, talk about the epitamy of form letters. Not only did they not take the time to include a rubber stamp or digital copy of a signature, they couldn't even be bothered to copy paste my name nor the name of the editor. :P Oh well. The thing I found most interesting is the comment at the end, "We prefer third person past tense" (I wrote my sample first person) I thought they were going for a Noir genre? While not a rule, most Noir Novels I've read are told from a first person perspective. (And even several movies/TV shows, in the form of Voice Overs)
fhilbrandt 03-02-05, 01:34 PM	It's official! My rejection letter showed up yesterday.
RangerWickett 03-02-05, 01:42 PM	Interestingly, my SASE has the number 71 written in the bottom right corner in black magic marker. Someone on the EN World boards mentioned that theirs had 49. We're guessing it's probably just a form of keeping track of when each one arrived, but who knows. Did anyone else have numbers on their SASE?
Siduakal 03-02-05, 01:49 PM	Or it could be a score. They may score it like a test. -shrug- Never know.
Alac Luin 03-02-05, 01:55 PM	Mine had the number 248. Reasons that it just may be the order they received them. I sent mine out late, I was almost afraid they weren't going to get it on time. Either that or I finished 248 out of 275. :D (just making up a number here)
Red_Decker 03-03-05, 06:39 PM	24 on the bottom of mine. I know where I made the mistake, I wanted my submission to be exciting so I did an exciting combat instead of focusing on the character aspect. I think I have the "Three C's" in spades though. So, I get'em next time. http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
Ashron 03-03-05, 07:09 PM	Boy, I haven't gotten my rejection letter yet. I'm beginning to wonder if my submission even made it on time.
Alac Luin 03-03-05, 07:23 PM	Boy, I haven't gotten my rejection letter yet. I'm beginning to wonder if my submission even made it on time. You just may be one of the luck ones. If it was late, it probobly would have been returned a long time ago.
Red_Decker 03-03-05, 07:35 PM	You just may be one of the luck ones. If it was late, it probobly would have been returned a long time ago. I'm fairly certain they would have just shredded it. There is a reason they said no paperclips, staples or other metal connectors. http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
Pallis 03-04-05, 01:00 PM	I'm in the UK and I haven't received a rejection letter yet. Just wondering whether any other budding overseas authors have received a formal notification...? :weep:
Grimmlock 03-04-05, 04:28 PM	I was in the same boat as many of you. I had not received a rejection letter, so I emailed WoTC to find out where it was. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had made the "short" list of prospective authors. I was informed that the "short" list authors will all be receiving personal letters with specific feedback. Be patient, it's a good thing that you have not received anything yet. =)
HeartlessDM 03-19-05, 12:34 AM	I was in the same boat as many of you. I had not received a rejection letter, so I emailed WoTC to find out where it was. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had made the "short" list of prospective authors. I was informed that the "short" list authors will all be receiving personal letters with specific feedback. Be patient, it's a good thing that you have not received anything yet. =) Well, it's March 18th, and I haven't received anything. I'm in Ontario, though, so does that make a difference? Anyone else in Ontario receive a letter? HeartlessDM
Nosfredatu 03-19-05, 11:53 AM	Well, it's March 18th, and I haven't received anything. I'm in Ontario, though, so does that make a difference? Anyone else in Ontario receive a letter? HeartlessDM I'm in Quebec and I received my letter... I sent an internationnal reply coupon or something like that. Nosfredatu
HeartlessDM 03-19-05, 01:24 PM	I'm in Quebec and I received my letter... I sent an internationnal reply coupon or something like that. Nosfredatu That's what I used, too. When did you receive it, if I may ask? HeartlessDM
Nosfredatu 03-20-05, 04:37 AM	That's what I used, too. When did you receive it, if I may ask? HeartlessDM I received it something like february 28 plus minusa few days. Nosfredatu
Grimmlock 03-22-05, 03:49 PM	I was told in an email that those who did not get a form rejection letter would receive a personal letter "soon." That however was 3 weeks ago now. I am in the same boat as the rest of you who haven't received anything. I will be sure to post as soon as I hear anything, and hope others will do the same.
HeartlessDM 06-16-05, 12:12 AM	I was told in an email that those who did not get a form rejection letter would receive a personal letter "soon." That however was 3 weeks ago now. I am in the same boat as the rest of you who haven't received anything. I will be sure to post as soon as I hear anything, and hope others will do the same. Have you received anything? I'm still waiting. I'm starting to suspect that my entry was tossed. H-DM.
Pallis 06-16-05, 02:32 AM	I'm in the UK and I got the 'short-list' letter about five weeks ago now. I used international reply coupons to cover the cost of a reply. Having spoken to the Wizards team, they are aware of several short-list letters having not arrived at their intended destination. You'd be as well to email the book department and see what happened to your entry. Best of luck!
Ravenscroft 06-16-05, 06:56 AM	It was a dark and stormy night in Sharn as Kalak of the Branta Clan lounged beneath the rain-shrouded glow of an Everbright Lantern. "The break-out is planned for 4am." "Maybe the Storm Elementals will prove enough distraction for the Guards" Just felt i had to post something , i will now go back and read the 05 pages i skipped. :D
MavrickWeirdo 06-16-05, 08:48 AM	It was a dark and stormy night in Sharn as Kalak of the Branta Clan lounged beneath the rain-shrouded glow of an Everbright Lantern. "The break-out is planned for 4am." "Maybe the Storm Elementals will prove enough distraction for the Guards" Just felt i had to post something , i will now go back and read the 05 pages i skipped. :D Lounged? If you had said "Fretted" you might have won. Who wants to read about hero's who lounge? :P
About Yea High 06-16-05, 04:45 PM	Random aside: Kameron M. Franklin's "Maiden of Pain" (Forgotten Realms) was recently released. Congratulations to him - it was the Maiden of Pain search that first brought me to the author "short list", thereby introducing me to this burgeoning new world known as Eberron. Getting sourcebook information via FedEx - six months before a release - doesn't exactly suck. It's been a hella ride from there. So support all the "open call" authors out there and grab Kameron's book. Without breaking any WotC rules I can say you won't regret it. Yea
HeartlessDM 06-29-05, 09:06 PM	I'm in the UK and I got the 'short-list' letter about five weeks ago now. I used international reply coupons to cover the cost of a reply. Having spoken to the Wizards team, they are aware of several short-list letters having not arrived at their intended destination. You'd be as well to email the book department and see what happened to your entry. Best of luck! I also used international coupons, but still have not received a reply. I e-mailed Peter Archer last week, but he hasn't replied. I also e-mailed him about six weeks ago, the same time you received your letter. Is there a generic e-mail address to use? Should I call? I don't want to annoy them. It'd be nice, though, if I had a simple yes or no. I think my entry must have been tossed, otherwise I would have received a rejection at least. Last year, just before the deadline, I e-mailed Mr. Archer and asked permission to use Purolator to courier my entry direct to their street address. I had just discovered that it would take about seven business days to send the entry by mail from my area to Wizards and would miss the deadline unless I could use a courier. Mr. Archer said, sure, go ahead. Now I'm wondering that because the entry didn't go to the post box as required by the entry rules, my entry was tossed as soon as it was delivered. I don't mind being rejected if they didn't like my entry, but I hope it wasn't a matter of the delivery method especially since I had permission beforehand. <shrug> I've pretty much given up on hearing anything. Oh well, onwards to future submissions. HeartlessDM