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I'm working on a query right now in my head. I'm having troubles, and I think it might not work. I never have any problem coming up with THE crazy monster. That's the easy part.
It's the story I end up bashing my head over. And the mechanics to some extent, but mainly the story. I can't make the story fit into something that could go into the magazine.
I drive to Wal Mart and pick up one or two things, and walk around, thinking and muttering things to myself, "yeah YES! That'll work. That's why he's...no NO, you stupid, no..." and it doesn't matter too much. 10 p.m. at Wal Mart just about anything goes.
Then I turn into a major jerkwad. Anything I say comes out all jacked up and after about a week I have to just stop it; I bet I know EXACTLY how R. E. Howard felt. I don't know how Kafka held down a job and wrote all those books. I bet he wasn't employee of the month ever. Not to say I am anywhere in either of their ballparks, but I know how they felt.
Does everybody who attempts to write turn into a major arse? How do you do it and not end up a hermit?
I'm the opposite, I have plenty of story, but the exact details of the critters and encounters leave me scratching my head a little. I can come up with cool stuff as I write, but it's hard to articulate and explain it sometimes, especially in a query, which is like writing an advertising flyer for your adventure.
All my queries have been heavy on story, light on details as to what's going to happen, exactly...so they all got shot down.
I've worked on improving my style--less "novelly" and more "technical" but I do so much heavy technical writing at work that I enjoy the stories a little too much, I think.
I haven't sent in a query to Dungeon in two months. I'd like to, but I can't get anything half-way decent hammered out.
Sounds good.
LOL; I have to many stories, to many plotlines; to many monsters and not enough play time; sheesh I dream up these really cool adventures and what I think will take a few weeks ends up taking half a year. Sometimes I think my group is the classic guys with a finger in their ear or nose, waddling through life. Sure we all have a good time, but sheesh. I am talking these guys have very little drive and are scared of everything. You would think some 18th to 20th level guys that can really lay the smack down and who in most battles have several players who end up not even getting scratched would have developed some balls by now; but no. I must be running the most dipolomatic party on the planet. They talk to everybody regardless of race, class, alignment; religion; hehe guess they are just good U.S. citezens.
So there I am; whole storylines; subplots; tertiary threads all mapped out ready to go, npcs and mobs generated and they spend all night talking to the first npc story starter. Thank god they bring me beer. Six months later, they tell me; wow that was a great story and that was cool and wow that would look good on film and stuff; but heck; I already have a dozen more things all ready to go; drives me crazy.
I have always been kinda curious about stuff sent to Dungeon magazine. I have read a lot of them, but have only run like 3 or 4 since the magazine started. It always has seemed to me that the stuff in Dungeon is primarily for a one or two night play of non campaign style gaming whereas you just get together to do a short quest or dungeon. I haven't played in a game like that in like 20 years or so; do you gms out there still run games like this often?
Well, it's up to the DM to weave the adventures together. Some players will be all too happy to accept an adventure where the DM simply throws out a plot hook and reels the player characters hundreds of miles to the dungeon. Others will need even less encouragement.
For players who demand a coherent, planned storyline and DMs who lack the time or skill to weave together adventures from their old Dungeon adventures, we have Adventure Paths™.