Disparia Books

I totally know what you mean! That's funny you mention Top Gun (not just because there's going to be a sequel), but because a song or a moment like that can immediately trigger something in your head and take you where you want to go creatively. And thanks...now that song's going to be stuck in my head all day

I've found that reading/watching/playing something you feel nostalgic towards really gets the brain going. By going back to something you love it not only helps you remember how you felt when you first enjoyed it, but gets your brain juices flowing again. If you're still stuck, try going back to something you haven't touched for a while and see if it doesn't kick-start the creative process.

I've run into that problem many times before. Want a little suggestion? Try writing the initial drafts in an email. Most email services auto save very often. If your computer dies for some reason, chances are your work will be saved as a draft. Or, you can email yourself a page at a time. Same goes for messaging yourself or someone else on something like the KSP website. Just send a friend a copy of what you write through the messages and it will be saved no matter what. Let me know if that helps-I had to learn that the hard way.

What are you working on next? Any specific issues or ideas?

Writers/readers/creators: I just wanted to let you know that the official discussion for the upcoming AMA/Stream has moved to my discord channel. The event will take place sometime between July 20th and August 3rd (picking a time that works for a global audience). I will host it on Twitch and through my discord server. You can find all the specific details HERE. This will be a fun way to talk about writing, creating, and stories in general, and all it requires is a connection to the internet. I'm currently building a list of talking points or ideas to address, so I encourage you to come up with questions you want answered or topics you want discussed (everything from how to write dialogue to the best programs and tools for creating a story). I hope to see you there.

Hey everyone, the writing/publishing AMA podcast is shaping up nicely. I've been working with a few others on the forum and Discord to get details, so thank you for your ideas. I have a FAQ page up that stays current with any changes. It's on my website and Discord if you're interested. In the meantime, for those of you who want to join in, let me know what types of topics or ideas you want to discuss or have covered. I'm creating a bit of a plan on what/when/where to address things. This can be everything from better sensory details in stories to grammar and punctuation. It can also include publishing options, formatting, cover design, etc. Really anything you can think of, we can cover (pun intended). For example, my book cover was designed and then hand painted. I have the original painting in my house. That process was really interesting and quite enjoyable. And remember, this will be a regular twitch/discord stream, so all you need to do to join is watch and chat, no payment or subs required. Cheers!

Spoke to my publisher over the weekend and he is on board for another AMA/video/chat session. He just left on a cross-country road trip with his wife so he will be gone for most of June, so it looks like the best time for the event would be July or August. Since it's early enough now that we can make changes and plan, I'd love to hear any feedback from those of you interested in joining in. Here are a few things to consider (and answer): 1. What time of day (using GMT so we can all easily convert) would you like? 2. What format would you like (Twitch stream/audio session in Discord/Audio and text chat in Discord/Something else)? 3. Would you like me to present specific topics or make it more open ended and just go off of questions? 4. Would you be able to help get other writers interested? This is obviously just a fun free thing I'd do, but the more people that join in the better the information would be for everyone. I spent my college years doing writing workshops and presenting because it's something I enjoy. This would be more of the same, and the more the merrier. Let me know what you think. Cheers all!

I thought they patched that out in a recent update?

Hey Kerballing (and others), Hmm, of all the reasons for scheduling to be hard, I think living in Hawaii is definitely the best possible reason. Lucky I will give plenty of notice and definitely try to work around the varied schedule of everyone around here. I'm in Mountain time, so you're way behind me. As for dates, I'm thinking July or August for the first one. That will give me and everyone else enough time to get a few people together for it and make sure I'm not rushing my publisher. Like I said before, if any of you have questions bout it or want to make time/date suggestions I'm open. Cheers!

Glad to know you'd be interested. I will start talking with my publisher to see if/when he'd be free later this year. I'd be SUPER happy to do this with everyone, but in order to justify it I'd need a few more people to be interested. Go ahead and spread the word to anyone else you think would like something like this (on this forum or in general). I would probably host it through my twitch channel and have you ask through chat, or a specific Discord channel (I'm still looking into what would be the easiest, so no specifics yet). The format would basically be my publisher on video/voice answering questions from chat, possibly while showing visuals or allowing visual questions (maybe you could upload a piece or paste some text we could look at, etc). Spread the word if you're interested and keep letting me know. I will check back often. Be sure to talk about it on my Discord server too, as I'm on there more than I am here

Hey @Just Jim@VelocityPolaris @SiriusRocketry, @Kerballing (Got Dunked On), @steuben and anyone else that's interested in talking about the craft of writing. I've got a question for all of you. A while back I had a live stream AMA session with my publisher talking about everything from writing ideas to getting published, where anyone watching the stream could join in and ask questions. Since this is a thread about...you know, writing, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in me hosting something like that again in the near future? It's a much more direct way of talking about stories and craft than posting to a message board once a week Let me know if there's any interest in something like that and I can look into it if so. Here's the link to the old one for reference: [snip]

Hey Velocity, I don't think this necessarily directed towards me, but I thought I'd give you a bit of tips I've found helpful. The first thing I would say to try when building a character is to find someone you know that is similar to them and go from there. You might find that it's not so much about writing as it is observation. Do you want someone quiet and sullen? Maybe you have a friend, family member, schoolmate, co-worker, etc that is like that. Just observe and see how they behave as much as you can (not in a creepy way, mind, just be mindful of how people act). Most of the time you're creating characters that are actual people-and people are already out there for you to effectively copy. Once you've taken that as far as you can, just start filling in the gaps in a way that fits. Second, try this, it's worked for me. To start, come up with a strange scenario (like a robbery at a grocery store, or a fire in a warehouse, or a sewer line break in a bank). Come up with one dimensional/flat characters to fill the scenario, like the hysterical lady, the angry man, etc. You can either write the scenario or come up with a detailed one in your head. Either way, make sure you know exactly how the entire thing will play out from beginning to end. THEN, and here's the fun part, come up with a character you are thinking of and insert them somewhere into the situation. You'll find that in extreme scenarios that you already know how they will progress, your characters traits and quirks will reveal themselves pretty easily. It's basically pushing a person to their limits, which is when you see their neuroses and problems, and you can begin to figure out where their quirks and features are. Third, do the wallet game. Just start by asking your characters what's in their wallet, then ask why. You can learn someone's quirks and features by seeing what's in their purse or wallet. And don't forget to ask them what their wallet or purse looks like. Ask your made up characters to answer that and pretty soon you'll understand exactly how to implement their traits because you'll know deeply who they are. Hope that helps. let me know if you have any follow up questions. Cheers!

Hey friends, for those of you who were interested in my official KSP novel but not following my other thread about it, I'm stepping away from using the KSP IP. I tried so hard to work with PD and T2 for permission to use it, even in a freely distributed capacity, but at the end of the day it was just too restrictive. That being said, I'm moving forward with a new project (Project Departure) through my publisher and will actually be able to publish, print, and distribute the book series beginning later this year. While it's no longer associated with Kerbal, if any of you have enjoyed my "Jeb's Life" missions or the discussion on the other thread, this project will suit you perfectly. Be sure to follow me and a few others over to Discord and let me know if you have any questions. Cheers everyone! [snip]

Hey all, Just thought I'd send one last invitation to join the Discord server and check out Patreon. It might not be Kerbally anymore, but the funny space book lives on as Project Departure. I plan on releasing the first book in the series by the end of the year and I'm several chapters deep into the book. if you want to follow along with my progress, stay in touch, read the demo chapters, or support it, I'd love to see you there. And once again thank you all for the Kerbal-style support over the past months. Cheers! [snip]

Yep it's an inside joke from when I used to stream KSP all the time. It became the thing that every mission was basically in search of or fueld by pudding. Figured I like it to stay.

Hey Rover, I will check out your website later this weekend; I always love some good FF I've got some really fun ideas for the universe/solar system/world now that I can go any direction. And no, they aren't humans, they will be a race of short, chubby, teddy bear-like creatures who love snacks and adventure. Their chubby and furry bodies make it easy for them to withstand impacts and explosions from inevitable mishaps and justifies their need for constant snacking. This should more or less give you an idea what to expect them to look like (though expect them to come in every color possible, from green and blue to pink and white:

Hey KSK, no worries about swinging around late. That's the beauty of forums, right Separating it from KSP was pretty easy, given that the story exists as an idea itself, it was only wearing a green skin. Switching required a few tweaks to overall themes, but it works. That being said, the hard part is, you know, building a new world and solar system. Since I can't use KSP now I need to go through and make my own planets etc. Luckily that's what I absolutely LOVE to do, so it's a good thing. As for the caffeine thing...I get it. Brain not work goodly in morning. If you want to keep in the loop I'd love to have you on the Discord (unless you're there now, because I haven't checked this morning...). Thanks for the support and we will stay in touch. Cheers!

Hey friends, I'm back. I've thought long and hard about this, but I've come to a decision. I've decided to go ahead and ditch the Kerbal IP and write an entirely new book series. I know, I know, none of you suggested that option...but yeah, that's the best bet for my future and goals. I'm going to take what I have written already and completely separate it from Kerbal in any way, and continue with my thematic elements in a completely new, unique, and original world (pun intended). I'm going to keep the humor, but start an entirely new book series, one that allows me to have more freedom to provide high quality content that will appeal to EVERYONE, not just KSP fans. That being said, I do realize I'm going to be losing a HUGE audience of KSP space nerds (like me). And I hope that those of you who have become interested in the project both understand why I'm doing it, and continue to follow it in its new setting. With that, i will be moving all discussion of the project off of the KSP forums (though I will still be around, so if you want to chat, ask questions, or anything else I'm here everyday) and onto my new Discord server [snip]. If you are interested in learning more I urge you to join up. In the coming days and weeks, as I shift focus and begin to plan my new strategy I will become more involved with Discord and have more information. I will also be starting a Patreon page focused entirely on this new work. The support prices will be small (1-5 dollars for basic tiers). And I encourage any and all of you who want to see this move forward to not only support the project, but tell your friends and family and some strangers about it. Look for info on the Patreon link both here and on Discord (and my website, and social, and everything else, naturally) this week. Know how much I appreciate the support I've had and all the kind words. I'm not someone who takes that for granted and I appreciate all my friends here. Thank you for all your support. --Bonn [snip] PS-----here's a quick teaser of the prologue to the new book. ------------------------------- What happens when you don’t like your neighbors? You move (or you take every opportunity to annoy them until you’ve worn down their will to live and they move before you do). But what happens when you don’t like any of your neighbors. Like, any of them? And then what do you do if moving halfway around the world is too close? Easy, you move to another planet. Or at least you would, if you could get there. Jumping can, at best, only get you a meter off the ground. Jumping off a cliff might technically make you feel like you’re flying, but that flight won’t last long. And you can’t really drive there since nobody’s built a road to the moon yet (and that sounds pretty difficult even if you use sticky tape and stuff). With enough mental fortitude, hard work, and determination you can do anything you want. If that thing you want just happens to be going to another planet, you’ll eventually do it. How? That’s the easy part, figuring out the technological bits. The hard part is the dream. Or is that the wrong way round? Is the hard part the technology and figuring out how to get there? Hmm, that’s worth considering. Either way, you’re bound to reach your goals eventually, as long as you don’t ever give up. Just don’t forget the pudding.

Hey friends, @Rover 6428 @KSK @Alpha 360 Thank you very much for the input and consideration. I can see that option two is definitely leading. I can certainly do that, it will just require me to figure a few things out before I hit it again (shouldn't take long). This isn't for a lack of trying, that's for sure. I've been working with PD/T2 for weeks trying to find the best way to manage this. And to their credit, I want to say everyone has been very helpful and considerate. It's that "you have reached an impenetrable wall of copyright protection. Your weapons are innefective" situation. I'm going to think on things for a few days and let you all know what I plan on doing. In the meantime I will see what anyone else has to say. But know how much I appreciate the feedback and support! Cheers all.

Hey all, I finally heard back from corporate about working with the IP and unfortunately it's incredibly restrictive. I understand why, but in keeping with the rules it would make writing the books incredibly difficult, as I could not even use a Patreon account with Kerbal-based rewards in any way. So in order to do this I would need to separate the KSP stories from my Disparia Books label completely, fund it out of pocket(and time), and only use Patreon for my primary novel series. That's fine, but it would make this much more time consuming and difficult. So I want to pose a few methods of achieving this goal to a few of you and see what you would like best. Any and all replies are welcome. Calling out @KSK, @SiriusRocketry, @million_lights, @Rover 6428, @steuben, @Alpha 360and others who have been supportive. 1. Cancel the project entirely 2. Write the KSP books but don't go through my publisher to Epub them, just PDF. This would take longer and I would have to put my day-job on hold, but it would get done without the bells and whistles. 3. Start an entirely new book series in the same tone/theme as the KSP project would go, but without using the KSP IP. Doing this would mean no attachment to Kerbal, so I would lose a huge audience, but it would give me more flexibility to do as I please AND I could publish them through my publisher in paperback and Kindle formats for legitimate sale. The style of writing you've seen so far would be the way the new books would be written, so rest assured they would be entertaining. This would require the MOST help from patrons/supporters however, as starting an entirely new book series isn't easy. 4. Continue with the KSP story, but make it isolated from my Disparia Projects entirely. Start a Disparia-only patreon page to help fund future "Day job" book projects (like the sequels to End of the Past and other new ideas) so I can have free time to write the stories you all enjoy and hope people support that and buy my real books. Phew. Anyway, I REALLY appreciate the advice, tips, support, and help from all of you, as well as the PD staff. Cheers to you all and I look forward to your feedback (and questions). --Bonn

Currently 6k words into the first book. Today I am working on the Scope and FAQs page which will cover everything from the world bible to FAQs and information for future Patreon supporters. I will post a link to it sometime later this week when I finish. This should cover just about any question you all might have. That being said, if there is something specific you want to know, please reply to this and I will be sure to include it in the FAQ etc. Cheers!

Here is a paragraph taken from the section where animals are mentioned. This is more or less how I thought to add them to the world. I know it lacks a bit of context, but you should at least get the idea. On another note, I've already got the Patreon page built, but I'd like to hear some ideas on what good $$$ tier levels would be and what you would like as benefits/rewards for this project and my writing in general (again, I have it all set and some good ideas I feel, but a bit of input might help me tailor it to your needs more accurately). ------------------------------------ Eddington was usually a quiet town where the locals lived off the land, worked as carpenters, electricians, or mechanics if they didn’t operate one of the few local businesses. Eddington itself was separated from the nearest major city, Rexburg, by 20 kilometers of rolling highlands and pastures. It was considered usually quiet because during the times other than “Usually” the air was rent with the sounds of Vlad and his various experiments. Hypergolic was another word for Tuesday in Vlad’s world, and orange mushroom clouds were almost as common a sight as non-toxic clouds. Normal cities saw children’s parents giving them barometers in order to help understand and predict the weather. Residents of Eddington gave their kids Vladometers. Vladometers were essentially clocks and Geiger counters packaged neatly in animal-shaped mounts where the clock face was on one side of a beast’s stomach and the eyes would glow according to radiation levels (pigs and cows were the most common, though some horses and sheep could be found too). The clocks were used to time the gaps between tests (and necessarily explosions). If you saw your Vladometer tick over a full rotation you could expect the ground to shake and the sky to light up at any time. The Geiger counters detected radiation, which was another way of saying they detected Vlad. Because if Vlad wasn’t already green thanks to being a Kerbal, he’d certainly be green from radiation. Some also said he glowed in the dark, so the Vladometer wasn’t as necessary at night. But that was mostly a rumor and not a fact. Regardless, when you saw a Vladometer’s eyes begin to glow you knew it was time to take a brief holiday out of town. The animals in the local fields and farms knew this, and at least once a day you could find a stampede of cows, horses, and even chickens sprinting across the countryside to avoid the inevitable charring, searing, or decapitation.

Noted an appreciated. When I am near my computer I might post a paragraph where I mention animals tobsee what you think. Thanks for the input!

**QUICK UPDATE** -Still no word on perfect conversions from my publisher. Without Amazon's formats it's more difficult to distribute traditional digital book formats. Ultimately there IS a way to distribute better than a word document, but my publisher is looking into the most efficient way. -3 chapters are written and the general story is outlined for the first few books. I will hold off on writing more until I know if there is enough interest. -My discord is setup, but I want to test it with a few close friends first because I'm a complete noob at using it. -I'm still waiting on @UomoCapra for a couple of legal questions regarding how I can use Patreon without breaking T2's rules (basically I can't profit from the KSP fan fiction, it has to be set up for my Disparia Books in general, but I'm waiting on a couple of specific answers on how to appropriately do that). -The last big question mark is interest. As mentioned before, this will be a fun out-of-pocket adventure. I also need to work on my DB books too, so unless a few of you are legitimately willing to support the process it won't work. So if you (or anyone you know) wants to see this go forward, please let me know (or let them know to come here and mention it). I promise to provide a high-quality, regular, and engaging work and to work with all of you KSP fans both through the forums and my various social outlets. I might not have the building and video editing skills of your Scott Manelys and Matt Lownes, but I can do every bit as good with the written word. I want to share something fun with friends and fans, so if you'd like to see it, now's the time to let me know Cheers all, I appreciate the support from all of you already. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to spend the day cleaning our garage *sighs immensely*.