Chapter Writing Department

**Jeff777** · 07-01-2009 12:21 AM

This forum is for the writers to talk amongst themselves in addition to posting their written progress thus far. Here, you all may collectively discuss what chapters you all would like to take on and write up. The basics are critical, but so is originality...keep that in mind.

Editing/Revisions Department: Writers, you are the center point of this project. Everything rises and falls on you. Consult the editing/revisions department and post things that need to be edited or revised. Be it sentences, paragraphs, or an entire chapter. Consult them and use their department for your benefit.

Research Department: Writers, use the research department for your benefit, should you want to research something or want something researched...be it stats, graphs, published experiments and everything in between...this is the proper department to consult for your writing.

Graphic Designs Department: Writers, if you'd like a certain image to coincide with your pages or chapter, feel free to consult the graphic designs department and they will assist you to the best of their abilities. Be very specific with what it is you are wanting.

Organizing Department: The organizing department more-so oversees the progress and organizes finished paragraphs/chapters so that things remain intact and befitting. Writers, should you have any questions on the proper placement of your paragraphs, chapters...consult the organizing department.

Research Department's Directory of Information: This thread directs our Writing Department to highlighted and suggested information that is extracted by our Research Department from sources collected in Kromoh's thread and in The Research Department's own thread. Our writers can use this thread to easily access the information they need for their assignments. DO NOT post general sources here; limit posts to either quoted or selected material from these sources, links to posts with the information, source descriptions, and discussions concerning the placement of material.

Department Leader: Department leader's are supervisors of a certain department. They make sure work is being done and has the authority to tweak, organize, call meetings etc. Staff may consult their department leader and department leader's may consult the Project Leader. Department leader's can hire additional staff members for their department at their discretion. Department leader's, if a staff member is not staying on task or doing what you are asking him/her for the benefit of the department (and ultimately the project) you can recommend them for termination to the Project Leader. Once again, I encourage Department leader's to hire more staff for their departments. To personally hire a new staff member, have them fill out an application and within that application in the additional comments section, have they say that you personally hired them.

The author of this post wrote this cognizant of the fact that staff members work in more than one department.

[Research Department's Directory of Information]

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Chapter Writing Department Staff

Department Leader: Naiya

Naiya (Completed Chapter III), Jeff, adrift, Beeyahoi (Writing Chapter II), Lunantidius (Completed Chapter IV), Walms, spockman, CoLd BlooDed, Banana, doktorj, Andywarski

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Edited by Naiya:

I wanted to put this in the first post where everyone could see it.

Okay, so as far as the writing goes, we'll be starting with the first three chapters. The Introduction will be more collaborative, and I'll make a thread for that in a minute here, so we can put that together. Chapters 2 and 3 have been assigned as follows:

Chapter 2 -- Beeyahoi

Chapter 3 -- Naiya

Thank you guys for being the first, and please get to work ASAP. Post your drafts in the forum here for revision and editing. Thank you.

There are some important things all writers need to know:

WRITERS, PLEASE CHECK IN AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK OR YOU WILL BE IN DANGER OF BEING DROPPED FROM THE PROJECT. All it takes is one post a week saying "hey I'm really busy right now" or whatever if things come up i your life. Or a post of "I'm still working on ____." It goes without saying that the people who post more and are most consistent with writing will have more opportunities to take bigger parts.

1. You will be edited. First will come small fixes in spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Second will be organization. Third will be major content additions and/or edits (AKA butchering your babies). The better you edit your own work for these things, the less chance they have of major revisions. Please check your work before posting or submitting; it reflects poorly on you if you assume that editors will fix everything and submit something incomprehensible.

2. Even if you are assigned a chapter or a piece, be aware that other people's contributions will be added. I will try to do this in a way that gives separation to each person's writing. One way to do this would be with a collection of short essays for some chapters. In the end, everyone will have their credit, but if you want your name on specific parts of the writing, speak now so I can try to make that happen. If you are fine just having your name on the finished product, that makes it easier. Let me know now.

3. Chapters and pieces will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis until I have a good idea of who comes up with the most writing and good quality work. If you are interested or knowledgeable in certain subjects in dreaming, let me know so I can assign to you things you'll be able to write about. Again, even if you aren't given a chapter you want to do, you can still contribute to it. But also be aware that there will be dry parts and someone needs to write them.

4. If you disappear after having been given something to write, even if you have already written some content, your work will be assigned to someone else. We may or may not use your material--if you drop out of the project and say so, we can keep what you did, but if you never come back, we will probably scrap your work.

5. Please collaborate with the guys i the research team on your given work. When asking them for help, be as specific as possible. Give them the basic rundown of what you want to say in points. Give whatever sources you already want to use. After you finish a draft, I will ask the Research Dept. to go over it to make sure that it is all factual.

If there are certain things you WANT to write about, post it here, the sooner the better. Or PM me. Whoever posts first will get first dibs until I get to know you as writers, and after that work will be assigned based on what you've done previously.

**Jeff777** · 07-01-2009 12:27 AM

Staff, please use the original chapters as a base platform. If not all of it, use some of it.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: History of Lucid Dreaming

Chapter 3: The Many Aspects of Dreaming

Chapter 4: Lucid Dreaming

**ThreeLetterSyndrom** · 07-03-2009 09:07 PM

Introduction: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddm75ss6_29d5r3n7d4
As you can see, it isn't finished, but I figured we could work on it together. I need to find a way to make it publicly editable.
For now, if you want to help, you can just send a pm.

I'm planning on outlining the general structure of the book and the basic 'journey', and I don't think there's anything more that the introduction needs. Again, open for suggestions

EDIT: So I've basically finished it, but it's still wide-open for revisions. It's my opinion that a group-product is better than the product of a single person. Also, I think that the introduction shouldn't be a chapter on itself, but just what it's meant to be, an introduction.

**Kromoh** · 07-03-2009 11:22 PM

Wow, I didn't remember that dream of mine. It was awesome.

Many propositions about the introduction follow:

----

Hey TLS, why not make the reader just slightly more paranoid at the beginning? More or less like this:

You're reading this book. You look around, and everything feels so perfect and real. "Of-course this is reality", you tell yourself. But for some reason that doesn't convince you. After thinking for a while, you come up with a way to test reality - to do something which would only work if you were dreaming. You take the magic wand off your pocket (was it there in first place?), and say "abrakadabra". Suddenly, all objects around you start levitating. By this time, you can barely believe it: you are in your dream, inside your own head. Yet, everything looks so real you could have sworn it was reality. Still in awe, you think about the limitless possibilities the situation offers: you can fly above the clouds, swim beneath the waves, cross walls, and explore the simulation game your own mind created.

After a while, you wake up from that dream, in shock, knowing this was no regular dream. You were right - that is far from being just another dream. You were in control, you were conscious of the whole experience: you were having a lucid dream.

Many people have already experienced dreams like this in their childhood. Etc etc etc etc.....

-----

I don't want to criticise at all. Your introduction is great. But I think that making the reader ask himself if he really could be in a dream by the time of reading the book would be just perfect.

Just after that part, talk about how lucid dreaming is scientifically proven and explained. That is paramount for many people.

Also before Dream Recall, I'd suggest talking about how the certainty of waking life gets transported to the dreams, too. Of how we're always so adamantly sure we're awake, that when we're dreaming, we think we are awake too, and that makes our dream unconscious.

-----

I have met MANY people who think they didn't have dreams at all. In fact, most adults think that. I believe it's fundamental to explain, in the introduction, that everyone has several dream each night, and only don't remember them. An uninformed person could think "how the heck will I have lucid dreams, if I don't dream at all?".

-----

When talking about techniques, start off by saying something like:

Many people have lucid dreams naturally. Unfortunately, the most of us don't. Whichever you case is, don't worry: there are several methods to induce this kind of experience. They are all based on different concepts, but all of them have a scientific explanation. Testing reality, looking for dream signs, self-suggestion, controlled sleep: there is surely one technique that will fit you the best.

-----

Let the acronyms for later on in the book. Having them so early would be too much information for the reader. Instead, I think it'd be a good idea to mention how the first researcher to study lucid dreams with scientific rigour was Stephen LaBerge, and how he helped shed light onto an up-to-then obscure area of the mind: dreaming.

-----
----
---

Sorry if I proposed too many changes to your piece. I think the book is still very premature and that this will happen a lot. Also, thanks a lot for getting the ball rolling - I couldn't have started it myself.

**Banana** · 07-03-2009 11:58 PM

I'm not sure where i chapter about placebos and their effects would fit in any existing chapter

Ill type it up and show you it when im done

Then when we have an appropraite section, we can put it in there

**Kromoh** · 07-04-2009 12:15 AM

Banana, I think in the very chapter explaining lucid dreaming science it would fit. I could be wrong though.

**ThreeLetterSyndrom** · 07-04-2009 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by Kromoh

(long post)

I don't mind at all, those are some great ideas. Just let me get started on them

However, I do think that the reader needs to be told about the acronyms beforehand. It's an important part of the community and helps the dreamer to get started quickly.
Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate it.

EDIT: It automatically republishes when I edit it. As of now, I've made some small changes. Maybe we should explain the really scientific concept of dreaming more?
http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddm75ss6_29d5r3n7d4

**Kromoh** · 07-05-2009 03:43 AM

Well, I just meant that it'd be better to explain the acronyms as they are needed, e.g: teach the DILD acronym in the DILD-related chapter. I mean, acronyms like VILD, DEILD, WBTB, WILD and DY are all different variations of the wake-induced method - and for that reason I believe they should be grouped into a single chapter.

**mrdeano** · 07-07-2009 12:31 PM

Just wanted to remind everyone that when you write this book, you are writing to someone who doesn't know what lucid dreaming is.

Keep that in mind.

**Banana** · 07-07-2009 05:51 PM

ok, that is good info

**Naiya** · 07-10-2009 03:05 AM

Originally Posted by ThreeLetterSyndrom

I don't mind at all, those are some great ideas. Just let me get started on them

However, I do think that the reader needs to be told about the acronyms beforehand. It's an important part of the community and helps the dreamer to get started quickly.
Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate it.

EDIT: It automatically republishes when I edit it. As of now, I've made some small changes. Maybe we should explain the really scientific concept of dreaming more?
http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddm75ss6_29d5r3n7d4

So far this looks very good. I think it deserves its own thread, though.

I love the webcomic, but do we have permission to use it?

As a general (and very important) question to all our writers--how long to make these chapters? If they're only a page or two each, this will be more of an e-book or pamphlet.

If we want to make this a full length book, these chapters need to be at least 10-20 pages each, depending on how many chapters there are. The introduction doesn't need to be as long, but it should be at least 1-3 pages.

**ca1um132** · 07-10-2009 03:33 AM

I think It would really depend on the subject within Lucid Dreaming you're writing. If it's a big subject then it should be pretty detailed meaning more pages. If it's smaller then you wouldn't have to write as much as you would for the bigger subjects.

**Jeff777** · 07-10-2009 05:53 AM

Originally Posted by Naiya

If we want to make this a full length book, these chapters need to be at least 10-20 pages each, depending on how many chapters there are. The introduction doesn't need to be as long, but it should be at least 1-3 pages.

Agreed.

To all: This is one reason why thoughts of lengthening the chapters (already completed by the original staff ) have crossed my mind more than once. Either we can do that or nitpick at what they have and just finish off the rest ourselves. But the chapters already in place...are hardly chapters at all. Therefore what I'd like to do is start assigning chapters and subheadings to the writers in our department and have them get started on that. First, we'll need to know (and probably figure out first) what chapters it is that we're going to write about exactly. Delphi's outline was great and I love it, however, - I think it could use a bit more polish.

Let's get some thoughts flowing in here guys, it'll be time to start assigning chapters pretty soon. =)

**ThreeLetterSyndrom** · 07-10-2009 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by Naiya

So far this looks very good. I think it deserves its own thread, though.

I love the webcomic, but do we have permission to use it?

As a general (and very important) question to all our writers--how long to make these chapters? If they're only a page or two each, this will be more of an e-book or pamphlet.

If we want to make this a full length book, these chapters need to be at least 10-20 pages each, depending on how many chapters there are. The introduction doesn't need to be as long, but it should be at least 1-3 pages.

I'll send the author a note

I was wondering about the length, too

**Jeff777** · 07-10-2009 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by Naiya

So far this looks very good. I think it deserves its own thread, though.

I agree. Once all the necessary revisions have been made and the way it has been set up has been agreed upon, we can lock it (and finished chapters in the future) up in a thread of its own.

**Naiya** · 07-10-2009 09:04 PM

Okay, so as far as the writing goes, we'll be starting with the first three chapters. The Introduction will be more collaborative, and I'll make a thread for that in a minute here, so we can put that together. Chapters 2 and 3 have been assigned as follows:

Chapter 2 -- Adrift

Chapter 3 -- Calum132

Thank you guys for being the first, and please get to work ASAP. Post your drafts in the forum here for revision and editing. Thank you.

**Naiya** · 07-10-2009 10:29 PM

Writing Process

I'm seeing that a few people have already started writing some pieces which is awesome. Thank you guys for taking some initiative!

However, at this point I want to ask that we hold off on posting pieces until they have a chapter or context in progress at the same time. This will help the editors keep track of everything a little easier.

Right now we're working on the first few chapters. As soon as we have some early drafts, go ahead and post what you think you want to add to it or anything you have written on the subject. We will be going along through the chapters that way, which will keep things more organized and also allow everyone the chance to contribute to every chapter.

**adrift** · 07-11-2009 09:55 PM

hey, reporting in. I am honored to be chosen to take on chapter two and will happy contribute sections of the chapter but I don't think I am capable of taking on writing the whole chapter. I would be better at accumulating an editing the information we want to use. i'm also entrenched in the organization dept, trying to come out with the best plan to make this the best LD book out there.

**Jeff777** · 07-12-2009 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by adrift

hey, reporting in. I am honored to be chosen to take on chapter two and will happy contribute sections of the chapter but I don't think I am capable of taking on writing the whole chapter. I would be better at accumulating an editing the information we want to use. i'm also entrenched in the organization dept, trying to come out with the best plan to make this the best LD book out there.

As Naiya said, the person writing the book wouldn't necessarily be writing the "entire" chapter since it'd be a collaborative effort from all of the writing department, however...I can understand your hesitancy and your reasons for wanting to devote more time to the organization dept. With that being said...

Naiya, do you have someone else specifically in mind you'd like to start writing chapter two?

**Naiya** · 07-12-2009 09:30 PM

Calum132 is going to take over Chapter 2, and I'll be doing Chapter 3 now.

**ca1um132** · 07-12-2009 09:42 PM

Hey, just dropping by.

Since I will be taking over Chapter 2; I will begin gathering information and then write a first draft.

**Banana** · 07-13-2009 07:31 AM

ok im working on the drug stuff and some other things maybe

just posting so i dont get dropped

**ray** · 07-13-2009 07:11 PM

Hey checking in, just letting you know this week is going to be a little crazy for me because of summer job issues. (yay, farm hours

) Next week i can start to actually write some things. I would be interested in writing about natural lucid dreaming and the blending of techniques, nightmares, and interpretation of dreams. These are just some subjects that i think would be easier for me to write about. I will add to other chapters, of course. Just tell me what to do.

**Jeff777** · 07-15-2009 03:15 AM

Originally Posted by ray

Hey checking in, just letting you know this week is going to be a little crazy for me because of summer job issues. (yay, farm hours

) Next week i can start to actually write some things. I would be interested in writing about natural lucid dreaming and the blending of techniques, nightmares, and interpretation of dreams. These are just some subjects that i think would be easier for me to write about. I will add to other chapters, of course. Just tell me what to do.

Hi ray

Could you elaborate on what your definition of "natural lucid dreaming" is? I hope your summer job issues pan out to your benefit. As for adding to other chapters goes, that's something all of us (writers) will be working on very very soon and will definitely need your help.

**Naiya** · 07-16-2009 01:22 AM

Thanks for the heads up guys.

And as for my own, I may not be around much until the end of the week. I've got a lot to do as far as college bullshit.

In the meantime, Jeff, Delphinius, and Dreamingofdreaming, please help out by doing some editing and revising to what we have for the Introduction so far. Spockman and Banana have a few things that could use editing as well. Jeff, maybe you can delegate editing tasks on that.

Research Dept. is supposed to be working on chapters 2 and 3. I'll start writing Chapter 3 this weekend if we gather enough material for it by then.

See you guys in a week.

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