Help a man with a dilemma will ya.

[Daniel]

OK, here it is. My New Year resolution is the get off my butt and finish at least one book. I've got three in the fire, so to speak. I'd like your opinion as most of you are either successful writers or at least successful readers. Here is a snap shot of the three books, please tell me which one I should focus on.

1. No title yet - SciFi novel. Far future, man is living in domecities, every need handled by the computer, for the most part man is domesticated (as in cattle). Hidden deep in mountain is a Lab. In this lab resides the "other half" of Man, the pure mind. Thye live in a virtual world and they are the ones who maintain the dome worlds, but they don't know this, they are simply doing things as they always have, no idea why. The story tells how a man from the dome discovers the virtual world and how they, the dome dwellers and the virtuals, are reunited according to a mystic plan, clean mind meets clean bodies so Man can reclaim its role as planetary steward.

Book two - Chasing Swallows, A semi-autobiographical novel. It details my journey from middle class America to Communist China. It's a romance, adventure, suspense novel dealing with issue such as internet dating sites, American marginalization of the middle class single white male, American politics and rampant predatory commercialism, Chinese culture vs American culture, Chinese one child policy (which, BTW, I took a risk and violated), and over all its a story of our times at opposite ends of the Earth.

Book three - Drops of Lucidity, a collection of poetry specializing in exploring the minds of people in the news. Not the stars but the school/mall shooters, druggies, war vets, romantics, sucidals, etc.

Also be honest, if none of these sound doable or readable, tell me so I dont waste a lot of time on it. Finally, offer some support cus I don't think I can do it...

[Daniel]

Thanks Emily. I want to write the Sci Fi as a tribute to my saviors, Heinlein/Asimov/Clark/Burroughs/etc. Chasing swallows however is an important story that I think needs to be told. Drops of Lucidity is simply the easiest of the three to write. I am concerned about potential marketability of the stories as well. I'm not looking for fame or riches but I would want to see a return on my investment of time and effort.

[Daniel]

Thanks Paul, Chasing Swallows has a lot of "baggage" involved in it but it has been nearly four years now so maybe it is time to check the scars and maybe dust off the outline. I have all the pieces, just need to put them together and fill in the chinks (not a chinese reference, lol)

[Daniel]

Whatcha talking about Paul? Dilemma. thats how I spelled it...

[Daniel]

Oh, so now you're saying I'm predictable. It's on now brother. Predict THIS with a ten foot pole.

Yeah I don't know what that means either...

[Trevor Mcpherson]

I think book two has some promise. If I were in your shoes, I would go full on autobiographical. Think of it almost as a travelogue, moving through emotions & thoughts, philosophies as much as crossing borders and confronting cultural differences.

A friend of mine from high school recently published a memoir of her year teaching in Guangzhou, Little Emperors (I included a screen shot in case the link gets ixnayed on your end). I enjoyed the book more than I expected, as I've never quite taken to travel writing.

[Jeanette Cheezum]

Daniel, hands down. Finish number two. You know this story backward and forward. It will be vivid, passionate and the taste of romance you want it to have. I have read many articles on writing and all the polls say that romance novels are number one on the charts as money makers. Not necessarily placement on the top ten list.

Once that's completed and you have the first one out there, take a break for a couple of weeks and finish number three it has an edgy slant on things and may get a lot of attention. If you get to a stopping point then re-read number one and make the decision wheter to finish at this time or shelf it until you know you have to complete the SCI-FI. Just my opinion. Good luck in your decision--but don't stop.

[Olive Rosehips]

Hi Daniel, great icon,
I like books two and three but that's what appeals to me as a reader. I would watch your SciFi on the big screen though.
And you didn't ask but lately I've been doing some research of my own and mostly discovering that
publishers don't want completed books initially. I'm presuming you want to go the agent, publisher route. They want your proposed book idea, an example of your writing, your publishing history. Then they want 6-8 weeks and your contact information.
Very best wishes,
Olive

[Daniel]

Wonderful info Olive, thank you. I need to figure out how to go about getting an agent/publisher interested in me, any tips in this area?

[Daniel]

Thanks IV, I agree that the cover must grab the readers attention, as the contents must grab their hearts. I know the story is an important one, one that should be told, I just hope I am up to the task. Thanks for oyur encouragement, teenage girls ROCK!

[LillyGirl]

pleasepleaseplease do number 2 :)

[Tess Dickenson]

I am already waiting for a release date for Book Two... want to read it... want to know more about how cultures blend...

[Daniel]

I've a story to tell, this is true. There are cultures that blend easily and then there are culture shocks like the one I live. But hey, guess what? Love conquers all and dreams don't come cheap. Stay tuned folks, Chasing Swaollows (or maybe Searching for Swallows) is now officially an active work in progress.

Another spoiler, sometimes you'd be shocked at your own culture...