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More from Kaa Bakensobek
This is what was supposed to go with that computer render I posted yesterday.
I suck at drawing weapons; Sobek's gun is supposed to be seen at an angle rather than completely sideways. And he's not wearing a boot; I just didn't draw his toes.
This is one idea I certainly would like to write as a novel, but I'm having lots of trouble trying to come up with not only an interesting plot, but making the concept stand strong -- a requirement for (most) books nowadays. I'm not lucky enough to be named J.K. Rowling. =|
The idea is that in a future Earth, things are rather dismal, and someone has the idea of summoning ancient powers as a way of helping the planet. But the first invocation made things much worse, and any further attempts are banned. That doesn't prevent some woman (the female lead) from secretly looking into trying. Yet she's trying to avoid the mistakes of the first summoning.
But eventually Sobek gets summoned -- the details I have yet to come up with, other than that it requires a willing sacrifice of a human that the summoned spirit will inhabit. Rather than a god, he's more like an elemental spirit, just like his brethren in the Egyptian pantheon. He has memories of the past, and is extremely confused about his current incarnation. And he's not as strong as he once was, as crocodilians are nearly extinct; a pool in a guarded facility houses the last remaining crocs.
Eventually he gets himself going, along with his human partners, in his battle to save the world. While the humans are armored, he goes about in scant gear that resembles the ancient Egyptians. Being of supernatural origin, he has great resistance to weapons like bullets, though he is not completely invulnerable.
There is more to come, once I get around to design it.
Category Designs / Doodle
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 729 x 1200px
File Size 126.1 kB
Very nice. I won't give that desperate one dimensional rant of *OMFG! YOU NEED TO FINISH THIS!* because I know you have a life outside of your computer and I respect the fact that most of us are only human. But I do live this and would love to see it finished on your own time.
Looks pretty cool, a good plan, but there is the whole fun fact of needing to flesh things out more.
Stories are rather.... difficult to work with, as with most pictures, you take a snapshot of a small part of a story, with Comics you have to develop out that story further,
With stories, you don't have the luxury of pictures to help you along, and often you have to spent more time describing the event than saying "so-and-so arrives and kicks ass".
Makes it fun, but if you don't exactly have a good deal of creativity to begin with, there's always times when you run out of ideas and just kinda float. 'though from your art you've got plenty of ideas.
Best bet, start with a flow-chart, who knows whom and does what. Jobs, backgrounds. that kind of thing.
not exactly the best when it comes to ideas for the most part, but some times I get imspired enough to pull something out.
Best of luck, and I think it looks pretty good overall.
Stories are rather.... difficult to work with, as with most pictures, you take a snapshot of a small part of a story, with Comics you have to develop out that story further,
With stories, you don't have the luxury of pictures to help you along, and often you have to spent more time describing the event than saying "so-and-so arrives and kicks ass".
Makes it fun, but if you don't exactly have a good deal of creativity to begin with, there's always times when you run out of ideas and just kinda float. 'though from your art you've got plenty of ideas.
Best bet, start with a flow-chart, who knows whom and does what. Jobs, backgrounds. that kind of thing.
not exactly the best when it comes to ideas for the most part, but some times I get imspired enough to pull something out.
Best of luck, and I think it looks pretty good overall.
would be cool :) but honestly, some times you just have to plough through it, and some times you have to wait until you have the energy and inspiration to work on it.
with me, all my stories have been done relatively quickly. I get an idea, work out a few fine details, then just let it flow.
I've got another story i'm working on, but since I ran out of energy half-way through, I've been unable to pick it up again. mostly due to lack of ideas or inspiration.
with me, all my stories have been done relatively quickly. I get an idea, work out a few fine details, then just let it flow.
I've got another story i'm working on, but since I ran out of energy half-way through, I've been unable to pick it up again. mostly due to lack of ideas or inspiration.
There are a few animals I draw that just flow out of my pencil -- besides crocs, there's raptors, T.rexes and a few other dinosaur species. Not surprisingly, they are my favorites.
Maybe you could get your wish at the next Anthrocon, but I still am not 100% sure I'll be there.
Maybe you could get your wish at the next Anthrocon, but I still am not 100% sure I'll be there.
Research on background topics you'll cover in a story never hurts. If you don't use it, at least you've learned something. Take notes or whatever might be useful when you get to the story-writing part.
There is no shortcut to writing well. Just like learning to play a musical instrument, it takes LOADS of practice. Write tripe you'll never show to people. NEVER feel that writing tripe wasted your time or proves you suck. It will always be a learning experience. You'll slowly hone your skills by doing it.
Jenifer Roberson (whom I used to correspond with, and who's been on various writing panels) said she needed to write 1,000,000 words of prose before she got good at it. After FOURTEEN novel manuscripts, starting from age 14, she finally got published - and then, just by a romance publisher. (Most in the industry agree that romance novels are formulaic.)
Jenifer is a very good fantasy writer (imo), and has an 8-book series known as "The Chronicles of the Cheysuli" that grew out of a single notebook she kept with her ideas, background, etc., for what she thought would be just 1 or 2 books.
Don't fret about the plot or characterizations for now. Just write and write and write. The more you write, the sooner you'll become decent at it. If you get lazy and write only once a week, then it will be like practicing piano once a week. You'll end up spending a lifetime trying to get good. Really TRY to write SOMETHING once a day. Not a whole story, just a paragraph (more is better).
Collaboration in writing can be very helpful, too. Be harsh criticizing each other's work. Agree with each other that you can take the hits to the ego. This helps sharpen 2 people's skills at once, and prepares you for the cruelest people on earth - publishing editors.
When you get ready to submit something to a publication, don't just send some story you felt like writing and think they'll even READ it. Rather, ask for a writer's guide from the publisher, and if it's a periodical, ask the editor for a story want list. Then come up with a synopsis, write the editor about it, see if they want you to proceed, then write and submit that.
If you follow that procedure, you'll get read, criticized, and most importantly, GROOMED to write better. And if you address every point the editor made, including the grooming advice, and re-submit the manuscript, you're almost GUARANTEED to be published.
I know all this from personal experience. I'm professional, but only to the tune of about $40 total thus far over several years. (I write a lot just to get printed even if it pays nothing.)
Once you have a relationship with an editor (or editors), THEN you can write them about the original manuscript you wrote that grew out of your personal interests. If they like the synopsis, then guess what - the process that you're familiar with will happen, and finally you'll publish what you wanted to get into print.
Unless you have a very strong tie with an editor, as far as I can tell you, it will be IMPOSSIBLE to get something published through unsolicited submissions. MAYBE if you have a manuscript and get an agent to represent you, that agent can find you an editor. However, fresh writers have a lot of trouble finding agents (I never did).
Generally, you have to publish magazine stories for a year or two, then certain agents will recognize your name, and if you contact enough of them, you might hit it off.
Regarding the art, I still really like the bare feet. (I deny being a pawslut, but damn me if some scaly and other digitigrade feet don't really pique my interest.) I like the snout, definitely says croc to me. The muscles, abs especially, attract my attention. I like the apparent backward bend posture. So many scalies are hunched over, and this is a nice contrast. It seems to be body language that shows pride as well as perhaps broadcasting some sexual potency.
There is no shortcut to writing well. Just like learning to play a musical instrument, it takes LOADS of practice. Write tripe you'll never show to people. NEVER feel that writing tripe wasted your time or proves you suck. It will always be a learning experience. You'll slowly hone your skills by doing it.
Jenifer Roberson (whom I used to correspond with, and who's been on various writing panels) said she needed to write 1,000,000 words of prose before she got good at it. After FOURTEEN novel manuscripts, starting from age 14, she finally got published - and then, just by a romance publisher. (Most in the industry agree that romance novels are formulaic.)
Jenifer is a very good fantasy writer (imo), and has an 8-book series known as "The Chronicles of the Cheysuli" that grew out of a single notebook she kept with her ideas, background, etc., for what she thought would be just 1 or 2 books.
Don't fret about the plot or characterizations for now. Just write and write and write. The more you write, the sooner you'll become decent at it. If you get lazy and write only once a week, then it will be like practicing piano once a week. You'll end up spending a lifetime trying to get good. Really TRY to write SOMETHING once a day. Not a whole story, just a paragraph (more is better).
Collaboration in writing can be very helpful, too. Be harsh criticizing each other's work. Agree with each other that you can take the hits to the ego. This helps sharpen 2 people's skills at once, and prepares you for the cruelest people on earth - publishing editors.
When you get ready to submit something to a publication, don't just send some story you felt like writing and think they'll even READ it. Rather, ask for a writer's guide from the publisher, and if it's a periodical, ask the editor for a story want list. Then come up with a synopsis, write the editor about it, see if they want you to proceed, then write and submit that.
If you follow that procedure, you'll get read, criticized, and most importantly, GROOMED to write better. And if you address every point the editor made, including the grooming advice, and re-submit the manuscript, you're almost GUARANTEED to be published.
I know all this from personal experience. I'm professional, but only to the tune of about $40 total thus far over several years. (I write a lot just to get printed even if it pays nothing.)
Once you have a relationship with an editor (or editors), THEN you can write them about the original manuscript you wrote that grew out of your personal interests. If they like the synopsis, then guess what - the process that you're familiar with will happen, and finally you'll publish what you wanted to get into print.
Unless you have a very strong tie with an editor, as far as I can tell you, it will be IMPOSSIBLE to get something published through unsolicited submissions. MAYBE if you have a manuscript and get an agent to represent you, that agent can find you an editor. However, fresh writers have a lot of trouble finding agents (I never did).
Generally, you have to publish magazine stories for a year or two, then certain agents will recognize your name, and if you contact enough of them, you might hit it off.
Regarding the art, I still really like the bare feet. (I deny being a pawslut, but damn me if some scaly and other digitigrade feet don't really pique my interest.) I like the snout, definitely says croc to me. The muscles, abs especially, attract my attention. I like the apparent backward bend posture. So many scalies are hunched over, and this is a nice contrast. It seems to be body language that shows pride as well as perhaps broadcasting some sexual potency.
One thing you need is a good nemesis. Someone he really struggles against. I'd imagine he isn't the only being of his kind to have been summoned into this new age. Yes, I know, if Anubis shows up he'd just rape him, and I can't see Anubis as being evil.
Something big like Set. Some big plot where all the actions have a purpose and goal. Just what is the "bad" side trying to accomplish? What would propel them to do these things? What internal struggles would Sobek have to face, and what problems and flaws would he deal with on a daily basis?
I know your level of creativity, and as such I don't have any doubts that you'll make this work. Just don't give up on it. If it just doesn't seem like enough, keep building onto it.
I've been working on my own story for nearly a decade, and it all started with my interest in dragons and digimon (laugh if you must! ), and has, over the years, slowly grown into something I can barely keep track of.
Keep us updated, and thankyou for sharing!
-Dalamin
Something big like Set. Some big plot where all the actions have a purpose and goal. Just what is the "bad" side trying to accomplish? What would propel them to do these things? What internal struggles would Sobek have to face, and what problems and flaws would he deal with on a daily basis?
I know your level of creativity, and as such I don't have any doubts that you'll make this work. Just don't give up on it. If it just doesn't seem like enough, keep building onto it.
I've been working on my own story for nearly a decade, and it all started with my interest in dragons and digimon (laugh if you must! ), and has, over the years, slowly grown into something I can barely keep track of.
Keep us updated, and thankyou for sharing!
-Dalamin
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