Doc Savage Group Novel

Posted by on Nov 11, 2005 in fandom | 8 comments

We could carry our discussion here….
All right…I agree this is by far the easiest, since we all have our
own careers. So, I have heard from a few people already who are interested
in co-writing an adventure. Let’s get to it!
What I need now is a suggested story. Anyone have a quirky event,
villian, or death-machine they’d like to suggest? Or a title or anything else
to spark the book. It doesn’t matter to me. I can write on any topic
(but let’s not make it a stupid one; please think of it as a legitimate Doc
adventure so let’s make it as cool as possible). I can also create the
topic myself, but thoguht it might be more fun if the group nominates some
potential villians/tales and then we jump from there. That’d be more
interactive and fun. But keep it original. Let’s not just rehash and
old tale or reuse old characters. Time to use your OWN imagination.
Then I’ll write the first chapter and post it here to see what happens
next. I don’t know how fast others writers write — I myself am extremely
fast and usually do chapters within an hour to a few hours. But, just to be
nice, I’m sure we could allow a week per chapter. That’d be more than enough for a few pages.
The main rules are this:
1) HONOR THE INTEGRITY OF DOC AND GANG, THEIR ERA AND MYTHOS.
2) WRITE A REAL ADVENTURE. CLIFFHANG EACH CHAPTER.
3) REMEMBER IT IS A TRUE STORY, WITH BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END. THIS MEANS YOU CANNOT ENDLESSLY INTRODUCE NEW CHARACTERS AND DEVICES. WORK WITH THE ESTABLISHED CAST AND PLOT.
4) IF IN DOUBT, DON’T. This means “I wonder if any will notice if I
kill off Ham?”
5) BE ORIGINAL. DON’T BE AFRAID TO IMAGINE. CREATE NEW, VIBRANT
CHARACTERS AND SCENES. DON’T REHASH THE OLD.
6) WRITE WELL. This isn’t the time or place to louse up a tale with
remedial grammar, spelling, etc. That’ll just ruin the book for
everyone. We’re all readers. Let’s do some justice to Doc and his fans.
Everyone gets their name on the chapter they contribute. We’ll post
the finale novel here or out at Hidalgo or wherever is eventually decided
as home.
I think I should add that maybe in case things don’t work out, as in no
one finishes the tale and it is left hanging at Chapter Ten or something,
maybe the core writers of the group like myself, Howard, Joe, Tom, etc.,
should agree to finish it. Maybe we’ll be the “editorial advisory board” or
some such, so we can tidy up the end mess.
Sound good (or good enough for something I just pulled out of a magic
hat)? Good.
OK, I’m ready for suggestions. Anybody have a character, villain,
place, color, event, or plot suggestion?
Cheers,
Thomas Fortenberry


We could carry our discussion here…. All right…I agree this is by far the easiest, since we all have our own careers. So, I have heard from a few people already who are interested in co-writing an adventure. Let’s get to it! What I need now is a suggested story. Anyone have a quirky event, [...]


  • Chuck Welch

    I think we should pick a year. The Doc novels change tone and feeling throughout the series. If we imagined we were writing the February 1934 issue it would make it easier to stay in the style.
    I’ve just spent the day reading Dent’s correspondance with Nanovic, Moran, and deGrouchy. They each had some very exact ideas about the series. I think we’d have to agree which “Doc” we wanted to feature.

  • Thomas Fortenberry

    This is fantastic! Many thanks, Chuck, for once again providing a safehaven for our discussions.
    And I agree with the comment you made in email: Since the style of the books and the presentation of Doc Savage varied greatly over the years, we should pick a year for the story or at least a “era/type” of Doc Savage we wish to write.
    As for me, I prefer the earlier Doc to the latter Doc, simply because he was more fun and mythic. The latter are hardcore, nailbiting spy/war novels, but I’m not a fan of the neurotic Doc.
    However, I can write anything (in fact my other Doc novel Overlord is set in the war years) so I will wait for the vote to come in and then write whichever Doc the group chooses.
    Which Doc should we write about? The superman or the human? Anyone want to nail down a year?
    Cheers,
    Thomas

  • http://www.tvcc.edu/brigdon Floyd Brigdon

    I was doing some brainstorming (which for me usually includes a little bit of research) when I ran across an interesting statement about the Philadelphia Experiment on a webpage (http://www.paranormalplace.com/page6d.html ). The statement was “The initial research that led up to this disasterous experiment in the Philadelphia naval ship yard in 1943 began years earlier by the famed scientists Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla.
    In the 1930′s Nikola Tesla got involved with a group that was experimenting with moving through the Time/Space continuum. The experiments started at Princeton University. There small objects were made invisible. This group presented their technology to the U.S. government. The military then decided to use this technology since we were at war. Tesla however, came to the same conclusion that Einstein did–this technology if developed would not be used for the benefit of mankind.”
    Now, I realize that this is just a starting idea, but isn’t a Doc story with a villain based on Tesla (or maybe Tesla is a supporting character and not the actual villain; maybe the technology got stolen) an interesting idea?

  • Andrew Salmon

    Hi,
    I’d like to write a chapter of this tale if it isn’t too late to climb aboard. The writing part I can handle well enough, but I don’t know how I’d go about posting it or whatever it is you are planning to do. I am somewhat new to computers and am still learning my way around. If you would like me to do a chapter that’ll be great but I’d appreciate any info on how to make sure you get the work. Please let me know. I like the idea of having Goblin in the title. I’ve toyed with the idea of Doc and the Fabulous Five travelling in time to the present. Just for a visit mind you, not for the whole book. Say they get caught by some energy field or something that hurtles them to today. Or the past for that matter. I don’t know if there has ever been a time travel Doc. Just an idea.

  • Joe Koomen

    Sorry I’ve been very busy at work, plus I’ve been puting new harddrives into the home computers so I’ve been away a while.
    I think we need to decide who is all participating and assign a chapter to each. I can’t possibly write chapter eleven without reading the first 10 if you know what I mean.
    I agree with most of what’s been said, although I’m a bit behind in my reading.
    I think the year, the number of chapters(participants) a name and m.o for the villain and a vague discription of the “threat” is all we need.
    Lets try to keep the number of suspects down to 4 and heave them hang with Doc’s crew as we se fit. Also we should decide how many aides will be along for the ride.
    Just my 2 cents.

  • Eric Seidel

    Here’s a recently unearthed Doc outline. It seems an unscrupulous 1930′s movie producer may have sneaked a peak at:
    The Titan Terror
    1930′s New York. Men of commerce are beginning their work-week when the ground shakes – a series of giganic explosions that sound like a giant’s footsteps! Around the corner of a concrete canyon comes what only can be described as a monster. The tremendous creature which resembles an ape is able to put a fist through the side of a skyscraper resulting in the explosions being heard. Strangely, with each appearance of the creature, though panic ensues and neighborhoods evacuated, the only damage, other than crowds trampling each other is to the walls of the skyscrapers where various valuables disappear, bank vaults cleaned out, etc.
    A greedy ape? A gang using an unknown species for it’s own ends? Doc’s research turns up a zoology expedition some years back to an island where native legends seem to indicate gigantism was prevalent in the animal population. He tracks down some of the survivors who returned, they’re usually killed or disappear before he gets to question them. This also has to involve a missing scientist who has a beautiful daughter Monk & Ham vie for.
    They take the Helldiver to investigate the island. After several red herrings, the bottom line is there are no giant apes. The scientist has been working on refractive light experiments, basically a before-its-time holographic projector which can enlarge an image infinitely – to be used for good science until it was stolen by the villain! THE VILLAIN: a big game hunter who came to the island initially to track down a new species of ape which DOES exist there! They’re not gigantic, but more intelligent and able to stand on two feet for lengths of time! The hunter is a powerful, muscular man who enjoys training by wresting his massive charges for sport! Using the island as a base, he has been planning to loot the cities of the world by using the “giant ape” distraction. Whenever the ape had appeared to punch through a building, it was actually a set dynamite charge (since the ape was a mere projection)! Doc had figured this out way in the beginning with samples he’d had Monk take at the scene which showed the residue!
    Of course, there’s the inevitable battle between Doc and The Hunter whose strength, tracking abilities and survival skills rival Doc’s own! Also, at one point, Chemistry proves himself a hero by taking on one the villain’s trained apes himself appearing to sacrifice himself for the crew!
    Please, brothers, feel free to take in any direction you like!!

  • http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/docsavage Mace Draper

    Hello,
    I have been writing Doc Savage adventures for a number of years and have three completed with a fourth one on the way.
    If you are interested in reading them, visit my site which is:
    http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/docsavage and email me what you think of them. The stories were slow in the making because I do have a job and responsibilities that hinder my efforts at times. Life as they say, does get in the way. Eventually, I shall finish the fourth adventure called: “A dangerous game”. That may not be the final title, but it will do for now.
    I have been a fan of the bronze guy for many many years. What started me on this journey, was when I saw the doc savage movie that appeared in theatres in 1975. It was in many respects awfully corny, and most of the music was dreadful. Yet, the sets in New York, etc. were very good. Most of the characters seemed authentic enough.
    Leaving the theatre, I vowed to write new adventures of Doc that to this day I have found not one writer had ever thought of. The mistake that many make is setting the stories in a by gone era. It took a while to devise a plot and to explain how Doc Savage arrived in the late 1980′s; and how his friends were still alive and kicking. But somehow I finally did. It isn’t perfect, yet it is original and I think entertaining.
    Please read the adventures and let me know what you think.
    I got a thick skin so blast away with your honest opinion.

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