230 replies to this topic

[Jim]

For those who are interested/give a tuppeny damn, the next bit of this piffle is pretty much done - sorry about the delay, but obvious reasons why.

NB: Mr* - should be on its way to you in middle of next week.

The title remains the same. And it's cataclysmically violent.

[clinkeroo]

Excellent news. Very much looking forward to it. If you're going to be able to turn out this kind of quality, take your time.

[Xenobia]

Glad to hear you are still writing! I look forward to reading it soon.

Just so you know Jim, my fanfic will be appearing here shortly, with revisions influenced by your comments and those of others...

-- Xen

[Mister Asterix]

Well, now I’m excited.

[Fawn]

Ah, Mr. *, and you said you'd read my first chapter someday....I haven't gotten any new feedback in, like, forever...

*loses will to live*

[Jim]

You know, I lied when I intimated the next chapter was done.

The next two chapters are done; the message is in the bottle, the bottle committed to the waves.

Fancy that - two for the price of one. Your statutory rights are not affected. After all, you might want to invoke such rights once you've read the twaddle.

[Mister Asterix]

And the bottle has been received. Now as soon as I can get this cork off and read the note through the sand, I’ll pass it on to the rest off you. Personally, I’m excited.

[Mister Asterix]

Chapter 3 is up.

And I am going to rave on about exactly how fantastic this story is shaping up to be. Now Jim could still screw this story up by having Bond saved by an army of lilliputian teddy bears or something similar (Please don’t, Jim), but so far this book has the the potential to be the best Bond novel since You Only Live Twice. Yes, I am serious. I love this story, and Jim’s magic of Her Majesty’s language is... well, I can’t think of a word that is worthy to describe it so I’ll settle for... fantastic.

All literary Bond fans must read this story.

(Sorry I haven’t got Chapter 4 up yet, but I will very soon.)

[Jim]

Originally posted by Mister Asterix
Chapter 3 is up.

Now Jim could still screw this story up by having Bond saved by an army of lilliputian teddy bears or something similar

Damn; bang goes Chapter 5.

Umm...lost for words (this happens rarely) on the endorsement. Wow.

[Simon]

I'm a late comer to this, thinking, with inexcuseable rashness of thought, that all fanfictions would not be worth the time of day. Some sort of belief that officaldom and worth went hand in hand.

I've only read the first chapter and as I am also reading the TMWTRT by Benson in paperback (as above, I am latecomer) I am amazed by what young Jim has produced. Tattoo has unfortunately paled.

Truly a talented force - superb reading.

I'm off to chapter 2.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by Mister Asterix

so far this book has the the potential to be the best Bond novel since You Only Live Twice.

Based on what little I've read so far, I'd have to agree.

Jim, why the people at IFP aren't beating down your door is anyone's guess.

A couple of questions: when writing "Just Another Kill", to what extent do you attempt to make your style "Flemingesque" (as opposed to, well, Jim-esque)? And have you ever had, or are you planning to have, any non-Bond writing published?

Anyhow, I'm thoroughly enjoying JAK (as well as having fun trying to predict upcoming chapter titles - "Stairway To Heaven"? "How Soon Is Now?" "Welcome To The Jungle"?).

Oh yes, another query: is there any way we can copy JAK to our PCs? I'd love to have a hard copy. In fact, is there any chance whatsoever of a private printing? (I'm sure many of us here at CBn would jump at the chance of being able to buy a copy.)

[marktmurphy]

Originally posted by Loomis


Oh yes, another query: is there any way we can copy JAK to our PCs?

Right click> save as. Yours forever.

[Loomis]

Thanks, marktmurphy.

[Mister Asterix]

Originally posted by Loomis (edited)
Oh yes, another query: is there any way we can copy JAK to our PCs? I'd love to have a hard copy. In fact, is there any chance whatsoever of a private printing? (I'm sure many of us here at CBn would jump at the chance of being able to buy a copy.)

Sorry Loomis, but this will never happen. In order to keep this truly fan fiction, we will and can never charge money for the stories hosted here on CBn or even for the paper it would be printed on.

That said there is nothing preventing you from printing and binding them yourself. I have made a half-dozen bound copies of my fan fic and—as soon as I get a free weekend—I will be making a few bound copies of Thomas Clink’s From Death’s Door (one for myself, and two to send to Thomas). And, of course, there will be a hard copy of Just Another Kill on my shelf, and a couple going to Jim after the book is finished.

What I may try to do is create ‘Printing PDFs’ and write directions on how to do the binding. The books I created for my fan fic very much had the look and feel of a true paperback. It did end up costing me a little over ten dollars each to make these books plus a little under an hour’s time of the labour to put it each together. Well, I’ll do this if there is enough interest. Eventually.

[Loomis]

Originally posted by Mister Asterix

What I may try to do is create ‘Printing PDFs’ and write directions on how to do the binding. The books I created for my fan fic very much had the look and feel of a true paperback. It did end up costing me a little over ten dollars each to make these books plus a little under an hour’s time of the labour to put it each together. Well, I’ll do this if there is enough interest. Eventually.

Thanks, Mr A. That would be great.

[Xenobia]

A while back Jim and Bryce003 were giving me some advice about how to improve my own work, and I was told to make parts of my story have more of a travelogue feel to it. I couldn't understand why I should do that....until I read chapter three of "Just Another Kill."

The opening description of Deverontown is written in the same chilled perfection of language that makes "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote a perfectly written thriller.

In Jim's case the violence of Deverontown and of Deveron himself is never bloody to the point of gore, but it is chilling to the point of casting a long shadow over the history of the town that Bond must contend with. From that opening the reader understands why Bewick is pleasant enough to Bond but wants no part of Bond's mission.

And lest you think that this work is simply a work of fanfiction, read again the opening pages of this chapter and you will read what is probably one of the most profound and yet simple explanations of the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the world. Better to read Jim's work than any Anthropology or Sociology textbook at the uni.

I am stunned by how good this is, and join in the chorus that the IFF would do well to hire Jim to replace Raymond Benson.

-- Xenobia

PS: Ah yes, the nod on page 78 was lovely.

[Simon]

This is top notch stuff - looking forward to tomorrow.

[Mister Asterix]

Chapter 4 is online.

And once again, brilliant. Read it.

[Xenobia]

Once again I concur with Mr. Asterix...it is brilliant. And, I do believe, or though I could be completely wrong, we could be looking at the rebirth of magical realism, in a way Marquez and Borges never imagined...

And yet the results are chilling in their execution.

Tim Dalton should have you writing scripts for him Jim. I think you would have liked his movies better if you had.

-- Xenobia

[Blue Eyes]

Making another pass through Jim's work and more than impressed with this little piece;

[quote]Taking the knife in his right hand, Bond drove it into the side of the man

[Jim]

A comforting image for a sunny day.

[Blue Eyes]

I'm not sure I'd say comforting. But I did say beautiful didn't I?

[Matt Helm]

[quote]What I may try to do is create

[clinkeroo]

Originally posted by Matt Helm


On a second note, do we know how long JAK is going to be.  I'm afraid to start reading it as I don't want to torture myself anticipating each chapter the way I did for FDD.  Serials are great but I don't know if I can handle it.  

Sorry about that. If it's any consolation, Jim has done the same thing to me with JAK. Every time I start reading it, and am really enjoying it, I think, "What if this is all there is for quite some time? What if I have to wait for months for the next one? What if he decides to bag the whole thing and I'm left dangling like a teenage kid after a heated session of heavy petting?" Then I stop reading not wanting to gobble it all up at once. It's a sad, sad state of affairs.

You'd better finish, Jim. I am from Detroit, you know. If you stop writing...I'll...I'll...I'll...

I'll convince Eminem and Kid Rock to leave the Motor City and move across the pond.

[Jim]

Hmm - the cliffhanger routine has its drawbacks, patently.

If it's any sort of consolation, the aim is 13 - 14 chapters of roughly 30 - 35 pages each. It should, better health willing, end up at about 420 -450 pages of guff.

The next two chapters I hope to have to Mr* by the end of July, the following 2, which will end the first part of the book, by the end of August. This is more aspiration than guarantee, though but ideally, by December - and I know that seems a long way off - about 3/4 of it will be done.

I've already written the final chapter, if that's any further sweetening of the pill. There is a story. There have already been clues as to what the plot is.

Edit: In the original post I was graceless and forgot to thank people for the feedback thus far, which has been extraordinary.

[Simon]

You've written the final chapter? Is this standard, or at least known, practice in writing?

Only reason I ask is because JK Rowling admitted to having written the final chapter of the final book.

Cheers.

[Jim]

Well, it's more a reaction to my feeling that with the majority of the later Bond books - particularly Gardner - the writer didn't know how ("how" in terms of story, not ability) to end the narrative. A number go in very odd directions, and there's no sense of the books having built up to a structured climax (fnarr).

I'm not saying the final chapter can't change the odd detail here and there - but I anticipate 90% of it will remain, otherwise the remainder of the book won't make much sense.

I understand JK Rowling wrote the final Harry Potter chapter quite early on but then changed it - significantly - sometime into writing the third book. If The Order of the Phoenix is anything to go by, that third book is the most important by far in terms of getting to the heart of the overall story. The advantage of having children is that I've now read these books out loud a number of times - you can definitely see where they're going - the clues are there.

As for it being a known practice - although I work for an academic publisher, where the requirement for narrative drive isn't really that great, I know that sensible fiction editors will require a full plot treatment, at least from authors whose names aren't enough to sell the books. This might not be an actual final chapter but sufficient detail to see the story entire - like a screen treatment, I guess.

[Simon]

Indeed Gardener was the reason for asking as I believe he had been quoted as writing his books with no notion of final outcomes.

So with regard to sensible editors, how did Gardener manage to survive 14 books without offering treatments? This is probably a rhetorical question.

Anyway, looking forward to the ensuing chapters - good luck with all.

[Jim]

Originally posted by Simon

So with regard to sensible editors, how did Gardener manage to survive 14 books without offering treatments?  This is probably a rhetorical question.

The phenomenon is more notable in some of the books than others - I'd say Licence Renewed, For Special Services (especially), Nobody Lives Forever and Brokenclaw (even if it is a rotten book) all seem pretty well thought through - probably because they're far more linear narratives which, by and large, avoid the more desparate twists that damage books like Icebreaker and The Man from Barbarossa.

The twist thing may add to instant surprise, but when thinking through a twist laden Gardner as a whole, they tend to detract from the overall effect - Icebreaker just ends up utter nonsense, on reflection, although it's not unenjoyable to read. (Perhaps, then, it is an ideal film)

As for the sensible editors - without wishing to appear churlish, frankly the thought appears to have been "slap "James Bond" on the cover and any old fool will buy it because...they will" (and we did) - hence the wild overpromotion of the words "James Bond" on the covers of the Gardners and Bensons, at the expense of the author's name (note the general absence of this on the hardback Flemings and the new US versions).

And without wishing to appear spiteful, this belief that if it's got "James Bond" in thirty foot high letters on the cover, we can say it's a James Bond novel and the fans will buy it, may go to explaining the incident of hiring Mr Benson to write them.

It's a bit like saying because Die Another Day has James Bond in it and has the 007 logo stamped all over its poster - as with GoldenEye onwards - this is a James Bond film.

It is marketing over content, spin over substance, soundbite over structure (although, oxymoronically, "soundbite over structure" is itself a soundbite)

I think we can consider ourselves soundbitten. Another word is "conned".

[Simon]

Originally posted by Jim

And without wishing to appear spiteful, this belief that if it's got "James Bond" in thirty foot high letters on the cover, we can say it's a James Bond novel and the fans will buy it, may go to explaining the incident of hiring Mr Benson to write them.

So from some point, the normal rules ceased to be followed because of the reliance on, and belief in, the marketing? And history has shown us the outcome. I'm not a big believer in rules but sometimes they do offer the correct guidance. (I believe the rules went out of the window with the mass hysteria in the dotcome investments.)

So the question from me is, how many of the other fan fiction writers here follow this modus operandi of treatment and final chapter writing?

It's a bit like saying because Die Another Day has James Bond in it and has the 007 logo stamped all over its poster - as with GoldenEye onwards - this is a James Bond film.

Indeed from LTK onwards, more so in the UK perhaps, but nonetheless dated from '89.