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will beta humor, need skimmers for light sf/f/h...

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blackpen

Bizzare in Berkeley
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to let me know if it's too out there or the exposition drags on. i'd like as many skimmers as possible.

i'm also open to betaing pieces that might make me laugh here and there.

i'm really big on exposition, i tend to never let it end. i have posted on syw, but for this piece i'd like someone to read the whole thing so they can get a feel for it. the plot is too weird if i take certain parts out of context.

right now it's about 10,000 words, but i only ask that you skim the first half and let me know if it works, or it's too weird and confusing. what i'm really trying to do is see if the informational bits do what they're supposed to do. i would like to ask some specific questions about the text to see which parts need work and whatnot, if you understood what i'm trying to convey, if it's too boring, etc.

this story has its darker moments but it's mostly a tongue in cheek rewrite of greek mythology. think xena, shrek, and disney minus the singing and dancing. this is not a straight and serious historical like mary renault or david gemmel.

if you're a sucker for absolute historical accuracy, then this might throw you off because i don't think there were many gods running around on the earth in 1537 BCE, or maybe there were, who knows. i'm going for a paranormal alternate history slant.

basically, i like the way gregory macguire puts fairy tale plots in a concrete historical setting. i'm trying to do the same, only it's a little more complicated because according to my story, the gods are about a couple millennia ahead of humans in terms of technology, for lack of a better word.

i also incorporate historicized mythology into the timeline. so if you're an ancient history fan who can stomach deliberate anachronisms and necessary inaccuracies here and there, you may like the other chunk of this novel/whatever this is turning out to be.

if you're a stickler for mythological accuracy, then this isn't for you either because this is more like greek mythology remix 2.0 rather than a faithful retelling of a familiar story. the initial plot itself is probably unrecognizable as the particular myth to which i draw allusions, sort of in the style of ella enchanted by gail levine carson. the characters, however, are definitely greek gods.

however, if you have a general knowledge of history and mythology and you can take a joke here and there, it may enhance your enjoyment of this piece.

i'm afraid the entire piece isn't a polished final draft. the first half, the part i'll be showing, is pretty much as good as it will get without any further critique. this first half is prob about 5000 words.

if you have any humorous or satirical short pieces of any genre, (keep in under 6000ish please) i'll gladly take a look. my general preferences: i despise slapstick, i love esoteric little jokes, and i like clever allusions to literature, history, mythology, and pop culture. if you have a historical setting, i also like funny little anachronisms. i also prefer pieces that just happen to be funny, i don't like forced humor. so for example, i prefer to see quirky little remarks or scenes rather than a comic stand up in writing.

now that i feel like i've just finished writing both a query and a submission guidelines for a magazine, pm me if you're interested!

hopefully this long post will save you from agreeing to read something you're utterly not interested in.
 
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