Boss, your "contractual obligation" is to write what you want to. You cost me less than a Big Mac a month and give me so much more value for the money. Figure out what you want to put out into public view, and I'm good with that. Hells, if you want to write about the Human/Rangora teamup against the Ogut "surprise safety inspection" I would have no problem with that, either. I'll not even mention Emperor Roger.
What he said. I think it's fair to say I'm invested in this story. It put an idea or two in my head that I had to write, and that's not ever happened before in 40+ years of reading. (Lots and lots of reading.) So if you want to write prequel scenes, I'm here for it. If you want to share stories from other series, go for it. If you just want to post something interesting that crossed your mind and spark a conversation in the comments, that works too. This is all fun and worth every penny I've spent on it.
That was my thought exactly. That said, John can still destroy it, but Michael can rebuild it. To quote the Million Dollar Man, "We have the technology."
I think John wants to destroy the world because that's what he's used to doing. This is probably an argument John is having with his muse, which is using Michael to do most of the "wait--I can fix this--just give me time" arguments.
I think John has "blinked" first, which is why he's trying to figure out how to help Michael save his world. It's quite possible that John and his muse have been going round and round about this for a while, and John finally cried "uncle!"
The Bandit 6 story is tied for my absolute favorite … with, well, the rest of your works. But still, my “favorite,” nonetheless. Gotta say, I loved the cultural trust content. Saw flashes of that already in this series.
I’m glad to hear the subscription income is useful, but I didn’t subscribe because of that or even that this series sounded oh so compelling. (It is ‘cause your stories always are)
I subscribed because it was the only way to get more Ringo storytelling.
Hell, you could fill in the blanks for ANY of your other series and I’d happily continue my subscription.
If someone described NTTKOGG to me, I'd say it wasn't my kind of story. Which is why I showed up late to this party. But I enjoyed the heck out of it, and that makes me willing to read whatever you toss to us.
“So I have to figure out how Mike keeps it from being destroyed. ”
Do you though? As a story, which is better; that Hypercompetent Mike once again saves the day… or Mike Truesdale, Stone Tactical, paragon of mankind, despite all his preparations, all his efforts, can’t beat the Storm. He can only endure it. And we follow him on his journey as he goes from “preserving the United States “, to “saving most of the US”, to “saving what I can, until the Storm passes.” I think that might be a much more interesting story.
Yes, so I’m picturing a situation where if there were say 50+ more US supers at Mike’s level, they’d be able to save most of the North American continent. But thanks to the Society’s fuckery, the resources just DON’T EXIST to do what needs doing. And Mike can only be in one place at a time. So he tries, but just can’t stay ahead of the damage. He has to shrink his area of responsibility to what he can actually accomplish.
Towards the end, what remains of Super Corp and the US Military are holding a bastion of survivors. They can occasionally sortie in search and destroy missions, but most of their efforts are just holding out against every beast that the Storm has been producing to date, while targeting any Behemoth that is getting too close to the Green Zone. Outside that area, the Behemoths are almost unstoppable.
In order for society to survive, the rebuilding must be an ongoing thing. Having people huddle in holes is a recipe for depression, which can be spread throughout the survivors. Giving them something to do -- grow food, tend flocks/herds, build barns/housing facilities, dig wells, read to children, whatever -- will bring hope and stave off depression.
Mike needs to take a step back. He’s so busy putting out fires he’s not looking for the arsonist. Take a visit to India and work with some of the Masters to find out how these inter dimensional monsters are being inserted. Take the fight back to the source. If they can be inserted then there must be a way to travel to the source. Mike has expanded his base power into so many associated powers he might be the only one who can link various powers into a way to travel there. Maybe the aura is the key. It can’t have been given just for it’s pretty lights. Have him learn to use it to create gateways to other dimensions.
I'm starting to wonder if the Fairy Queen isn't really an alien from a planet that was destroyed because the people weren't prepared. Heck, the FQ could be a super who managed to escape to find a planet that hadn't been destroyed and that the FQ could help/guide through the mess. I see that as one reason the FQ has glomed onto Michael, because he is special, works well with others, and sees possibilities rather than limitations.
Go ahead, but there's so little about her that I'm pretty sure that John hasn't dropped any clues. Maybe if you got into his hard drive. Anyone have any contacts in the NSA?
The statement John made above answered two questions we've had about the FQ -- (1) She's a woman, not a man disguising her voice, and (2) She's not an alien. That's pretty much the most John has ever said about the FQ, mostly because he doesn't want us to know about her, yet.
Oooo. Here's a thought. What if FQ was married to Alpha and that's how she got involved with Gondola, and how she got her hacking skills? She learned the organization first-hand, had her own ideas, then incorporated them when Alpha died and she runs the organization as a tribute to her husband. Heck, make Alpha protestant and FQ Catholic.
Sorry. I can get some strange ideas in me sometimes.
When I read the first sentence, I was going to ask if you knew who she is. I know from some of the stuff that you've said that you don't know who certain people are, so it was a possibility.
John, write what you want to when you want to. But since you asked... :)
I would dearly love to not only see Mikes back story but the written ideations you would love to share. Troy 4 really caught my eye. There's probably some virtue in having a group of your superfans alpha read what you have. Might tickle your muse , who knows? I know you had a continuation of Prince Roger, (which from what I understand David Weber decided he thinks the story is complete) that some folks never got a chance to see on Facebook. Tossing raw meat to the ravening horde... I mean story snippets and fragments to your most loyal fans is always a good thing.
I agree with daGrimmz. Cost is low and as long as you are producing good reads I don't care what the storyline is, Princess of Wands, Ghost, Prince Roger, and a couple of other series. Read them all will blithely try anything you write.
It's a rich world, and those lead us down the rabbit holes we can't resist. I wouldn't mind seeing whoever is sending the Shadow get an interstellar kick in the nads, but I'd also be perfectly happy seeing Montana fleshed out completely, as a redoubt of sanity in a sea of chaos. Or, you know, puppies. I'm easy like that. As for a refund, sure, that would be nice, but I'd just spend it on something silly like food. Don't judge me for having 9 cans of "Morning Moos' because one's chocolate, and that shouldn't count.
Sorry, this is my first time leaving a comment here, and it's very off topic, but I have been looking for a way to contact you. I have an idea for a movie based on the MCU. I've been told to "write a book first". I don't have any way to do that, and lack necessary knowledge to write this particular story. As a big John Ringo fan, I think you would be perfect for this story. Barebones outline, it involves a combat soldier in Afghanistan, and his subsequent missions and life story. He gets wounded, wife leaves him, a "Tony Stark" figure steps in and helps him, and he returns to combat with T S' help. Would any writer out there please help me make this story a reality, instead of just living in my head?
I did the 'I have an idea can you write it' thing to a writer I liked way back in the USENET days.
The reality is, the IDEA is easy. That sounds interesting and I'd like to read a well-written story about it.
But... the WORK is the problem. The moment to moment 'what is next?' of writing is the difference between 'I have a good idea' and 'I'm a writer.'
So... write it. And know that it's going to suck. Even on Substack I am NEVER going to reveal 'The Voyages of Arthur King' publicly. It was my first 'novel' and it sucks so bad it's a super massive black hole of suck.
My next was 'A Hymn Before Battle.'
Write it for yourself. Then show it to friends and expect criticism. (There are 'beta reader' sites. Don't go there. There there be assholes.)
And if it's any good, put it up as an Amazon e-book. Promote it. Hope that people read it.
The world of publishing has SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED in the last few years.
But being able to write a good story has not.
And it is work.
Work you can do. You CAN write it. But don't expect it to be good. Because becoming good at writing ALSO takes work.
(Eric Flint used to say that 'You'll have to write a million words before you get good at writing.' He'd add that stuff like this is 'words' so when you write even in comments do so clinically.)
Btw, I've read "A Hymn Before Battle" and the entire series multiple times. I've read almost all of your published works, including several collaborations. I'm a big fan. Love military sci-fi, as well as space opera. Some of my other favorite authors include Robert A. Heinlein, Elizabeth Moon, David Weber, and Robert Asprin, to name but a few.
I would need to get in touch with someone who has current combat/Army/Marine experience since I know neither the "patter" nor tactics. A "technical advisor" , if you will. How can I find such a person?
They are all over the internet. There are many here on John's Substack page. I don't know if you're familiar with Larry Correia's work, but he has loads of fans with military expertise. It's best to hang out with people like that, find a few who are willing to become friends, and just start talking and asking questions. BTW, you never want just one technical advisor -- three to twenty is a good start. ;)
In that case, would anyone here volunteer to help me with my book, as a technical advisor? I need info on current military jargon, equipment, and tactics. Preferably be current military or recent ex military member, either Army or Marine Corps. I'm former AF, but I got out about 40 years ago.
William, you need to write your story. You mentioned that you don't feel like you know how to write. None of us, including John, knew how to write good stories to start with. We learned. We wrote stuff that sucked, Eventually it didn't suck as much. Hands down the best writing resource out there is the free Writer Dojo podcast . Listen to it form start to finish. Another good resource is the Brian Sanderson lectures free on YouTube. Note I keep using the word "free." Because there's lots of folks out there who want to sell you the magic beans to be a best seller. Like Churchill, all I can offer you is blood, sweat, and toil to be a writer and story teller.
AI is surprisingly helpful in the 'learning to write' category.... if you can break down your idea into 2,000 word scenes or sub-scenes, all you have to do is tell the AI, in increasingly specific terms, what the next scene needs to include, and the AI will write a scene that includes it.
It allows you to turn 2,000 words of your own, badly phrased, very-meta, very-infodumpy, very aspirational scene descriptions into 2,000 words of AI-proposed dialogue that is mediocre, but at least looks like it belongs in a novel.
Then you get to enjoy learning how to EDIT....
AI won't write it for you, but it can almost do "this is how novel characters talk about what you're already describing in great detail".
Write whatever works. Throw it out there and we'll tell you what we think. Going in you said it would be raw and parts weren't done. Heck, you could trash all of Creep so far and start over if that's what has to happen and you'd still be doing what we're expecting: Writing stories and showing us how you do it. We'll read what you put up here.
Something else occurs to me about Centurion and the Bandit 6 character. Part of that character’s charm was the repartee between his story, and the modifications his wife makes. If you keep that facet, it will be intriguing to meet Mike’s wife years(?) removed from events. If she’s also a Super, decades(?) removed from events. Or, I suppose there’s no particular reason for it to be his wife. Could just be another Super. In any case, it’s an interesting concept to bring a Bandit 6 type event narration into a long lived character storyline.
John mentioned somewhere that he thinks he'll have Michael meet and fall in love with a Water super. I'd like that super to be either part or full Lakota because I'd like to see Michael have more tribal interactions. Just a thought.
Boss, your "contractual obligation" is to write what you want to. You cost me less than a Big Mac a month and give me so much more value for the money. Figure out what you want to put out into public view, and I'm good with that. Hells, if you want to write about the Human/Rangora teamup against the Ogut "surprise safety inspection" I would have no problem with that, either. I'll not even mention Emperor Roger.
Just write. I'm good with whatever.
What he said. I think it's fair to say I'm invested in this story. It put an idea or two in my head that I had to write, and that's not ever happened before in 40+ years of reading. (Lots and lots of reading.) So if you want to write prequel scenes, I'm here for it. If you want to share stories from other series, go for it. If you just want to post something interesting that crossed your mind and spark a conversation in the comments, that works too. This is all fun and worth every penny I've spent on it.
100% agree. Write anything you bloody well please.
I'd normally try to be more polite, but I'm sick and on the good pharma, so the filters are nonexistent.
Yup. What they said. Drive on, Charlie Mike.
Isn't it great when the character you've created has a few words to say?
'John Ringo wants to destroy the WORLD!'
'But one young man aims to stop him!!'
:-)
That was my thought exactly. That said, John can still destroy it, but Michael can rebuild it. To quote the Million Dollar Man, "We have the technology."
What I'm hoping to see is John keeps trying to destroy it and Mike keeps thwarting him.
That would be awesome!
:-D
Isn't that what this storm thing is?
I think John wants to destroy the world because that's what he's used to doing. This is probably an argument John is having with his muse, which is using Michael to do most of the "wait--I can fix this--just give me time" arguments.
I wonder which one of them snaps first?
I think John has "blinked" first, which is why he's trying to figure out how to help Michael save his world. It's quite possible that John and his muse have been going round and round about this for a while, and John finally cried "uncle!"
<SQUEEEE ALERT>
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Backstory! Yaaaaaaayyyy! Gimeeegimmeeegimmeee....
OK, I am slightly more composed, and am delighted to see the stuff you mentioned in any format.
Essentially, it's going to be Mike as Bandit Six. It's all 'tell' no show.
'No shit, there I was...'
And having written two so far, it works surprisingly well.
Mike has a fair hand for telling a story.
:-)
Perhaps you can incorporate it into Book 2. I know you don't like family scenes, but Poppa wants to hear these tales.
Oh shit! No way!
The Bandit 6 story is tied for my absolute favorite … with, well, the rest of your works. But still, my “favorite,” nonetheless. Gotta say, I loved the cultural trust content. Saw flashes of that already in this series.
He gets it from his dad. :)
Mike as Bandit 6? HOLY SMOKES! I'd pay extra to read that one!
Will their be Mermaids?
Is Mike going to get flag rank? I know that Bandit Six retired out, so...
Excellent!
Dude! Seriously?
I’m glad to hear the subscription income is useful, but I didn’t subscribe because of that or even that this series sounded oh so compelling. (It is ‘cause your stories always are)
I subscribed because it was the only way to get more Ringo storytelling.
Hell, you could fill in the blanks for ANY of your other series and I’d happily continue my subscription.
Do it!!
What Marc said.
If someone described NTTKOGG to me, I'd say it wasn't my kind of story. Which is why I showed up late to this party. But I enjoyed the heck out of it, and that makes me willing to read whatever you toss to us.
“So I have to figure out how Mike keeps it from being destroyed. ”
Do you though? As a story, which is better; that Hypercompetent Mike once again saves the day… or Mike Truesdale, Stone Tactical, paragon of mankind, despite all his preparations, all his efforts, can’t beat the Storm. He can only endure it. And we follow him on his journey as he goes from “preserving the United States “, to “saving most of the US”, to “saving what I can, until the Storm passes.” I think that might be a much more interesting story.
From what John has said the behemoths are going to be rather difficult to take out.
Yes, so I’m picturing a situation where if there were say 50+ more US supers at Mike’s level, they’d be able to save most of the North American continent. But thanks to the Society’s fuckery, the resources just DON’T EXIST to do what needs doing. And Mike can only be in one place at a time. So he tries, but just can’t stay ahead of the damage. He has to shrink his area of responsibility to what he can actually accomplish.
Towards the end, what remains of Super Corp and the US Military are holding a bastion of survivors. They can occasionally sortie in search and destroy missions, but most of their efforts are just holding out against every beast that the Storm has been producing to date, while targeting any Behemoth that is getting too close to the Green Zone. Outside that area, the Behemoths are almost unstoppable.
If it takes a year to be able to kill every Behemoth on the North American continent, how much is left? And then the rebuilding starts.
In order for society to survive, the rebuilding must be an ongoing thing. Having people huddle in holes is a recipe for depression, which can be spread throughout the survivors. Giving them something to do -- grow food, tend flocks/herds, build barns/housing facilities, dig wells, read to children, whatever -- will bring hope and stave off depression.
Concur--- I was sort of hoping as well we would see follow-on stories to the Black Tide Rising series.. 10, 25, 50, etc years later.
We can keep hope alive, as long as we don't harass the muse. 😉
Nothing like a good post apocalypse story.
You wrote it, I’ll read it. Simple.
"I built a world that Mike doesn’t want destroyed."
And a smart author doesn't want to annoy his characters. [Twisted Grin]
Seriously, it could be interesting to see some of the back-stories to these characters.
Mike needs to take a step back. He’s so busy putting out fires he’s not looking for the arsonist. Take a visit to India and work with some of the Masters to find out how these inter dimensional monsters are being inserted. Take the fight back to the source. If they can be inserted then there must be a way to travel to the source. Mike has expanded his base power into so many associated powers he might be the only one who can link various powers into a way to travel there. Maybe the aura is the key. It can’t have been given just for it’s pretty lights. Have him learn to use it to create gateways to other dimensions.
I'm starting to wonder if the Fairy Queen isn't really an alien from a planet that was destroyed because the people weren't prepared. Heck, the FQ could be a super who managed to escape to find a planet that hadn't been destroyed and that the FQ could help/guide through the mess. I see that as one reason the FQ has glomed onto Michael, because he is special, works well with others, and sees possibilities rather than limitations.
The FQ COULD be the SOURCE of Superpowers!
But she's not. She's as human as the rest of us and currently her heart is breaking at the tragedy.
Oh, dear. Now we need a story of how the FQ got involved with Gondola, and how she ended up taking over when Alpha died.
Fighting urge to go reread and collect evidence on who the FQ might be . . .
Go ahead, but there's so little about her that I'm pretty sure that John hasn't dropped any clues. Maybe if you got into his hard drive. Anyone have any contacts in the NSA?
The statement John made above answered two questions we've had about the FQ -- (1) She's a woman, not a man disguising her voice, and (2) She's not an alien. That's pretty much the most John has ever said about the FQ, mostly because he doesn't want us to know about her, yet.
Don't fight it. Glory in your obsession. 😉
Rumor has it that designer Kevin is FQ...
Oooo. Here's a thought. What if FQ was married to Alpha and that's how she got involved with Gondola, and how she got her hacking skills? She learned the organization first-hand, had her own ideas, then incorporated them when Alpha died and she runs the organization as a tribute to her husband. Heck, make Alpha protestant and FQ Catholic.
Sorry. I can get some strange ideas in me sometimes.
When I read the first sentence, I was going to ask if you knew who she is. I know from some of the stuff that you've said that you don't know who certain people are, so it was a possibility.
Look into the legends, if the bad Vishnu were here before, how were they defeated or otherwise persuaded to go away?
John, write what you want to when you want to. But since you asked... :)
I would dearly love to not only see Mikes back story but the written ideations you would love to share. Troy 4 really caught my eye. There's probably some virtue in having a group of your superfans alpha read what you have. Might tickle your muse , who knows? I know you had a continuation of Prince Roger, (which from what I understand David Weber decided he thinks the story is complete) that some folks never got a chance to see on Facebook. Tossing raw meat to the ravening horde... I mean story snippets and fragments to your most loyal fans is always a good thing.
Off to scour Facebook
So, I have been scouring Facebook for several days. Can anyone help me out with where to find this?
I agree with daGrimmz. Cost is low and as long as you are producing good reads I don't care what the storyline is, Princess of Wands, Ghost, Prince Roger, and a couple of other series. Read them all will blithely try anything you write.
It's a rich world, and those lead us down the rabbit holes we can't resist. I wouldn't mind seeing whoever is sending the Shadow get an interstellar kick in the nads, but I'd also be perfectly happy seeing Montana fleshed out completely, as a redoubt of sanity in a sea of chaos. Or, you know, puppies. I'm easy like that. As for a refund, sure, that would be nice, but I'd just spend it on something silly like food. Don't judge me for having 9 cans of "Morning Moos' because one's chocolate, and that shouldn't count.
Now I want to see Ringo's puppy version of Bun Bun.
Sorry, this is my first time leaving a comment here, and it's very off topic, but I have been looking for a way to contact you. I have an idea for a movie based on the MCU. I've been told to "write a book first". I don't have any way to do that, and lack necessary knowledge to write this particular story. As a big John Ringo fan, I think you would be perfect for this story. Barebones outline, it involves a combat soldier in Afghanistan, and his subsequent missions and life story. He gets wounded, wife leaves him, a "Tony Stark" figure steps in and helps him, and he returns to combat with T S' help. Would any writer out there please help me make this story a reality, instead of just living in my head?
I did the 'I have an idea can you write it' thing to a writer I liked way back in the USENET days.
The reality is, the IDEA is easy. That sounds interesting and I'd like to read a well-written story about it.
But... the WORK is the problem. The moment to moment 'what is next?' of writing is the difference between 'I have a good idea' and 'I'm a writer.'
So... write it. And know that it's going to suck. Even on Substack I am NEVER going to reveal 'The Voyages of Arthur King' publicly. It was my first 'novel' and it sucks so bad it's a super massive black hole of suck.
My next was 'A Hymn Before Battle.'
Write it for yourself. Then show it to friends and expect criticism. (There are 'beta reader' sites. Don't go there. There there be assholes.)
And if it's any good, put it up as an Amazon e-book. Promote it. Hope that people read it.
The world of publishing has SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGED in the last few years.
But being able to write a good story has not.
And it is work.
Work you can do. You CAN write it. But don't expect it to be good. Because becoming good at writing ALSO takes work.
(Eric Flint used to say that 'You'll have to write a million words before you get good at writing.' He'd add that stuff like this is 'words' so when you write even in comments do so clinically.)
The questioner reminds me of a certain character in the science fiction convention storyline from Princess of Wands.
Btw, I've read "A Hymn Before Battle" and the entire series multiple times. I've read almost all of your published works, including several collaborations. I'm a big fan. Love military sci-fi, as well as space opera. Some of my other favorite authors include Robert A. Heinlein, Elizabeth Moon, David Weber, and Robert Asprin, to name but a few.
I would need to get in touch with someone who has current combat/Army/Marine experience since I know neither the "patter" nor tactics. A "technical advisor" , if you will. How can I find such a person?
They are all over the internet. There are many here on John's Substack page. I don't know if you're familiar with Larry Correia's work, but he has loads of fans with military expertise. It's best to hang out with people like that, find a few who are willing to become friends, and just start talking and asking questions. BTW, you never want just one technical advisor -- three to twenty is a good start. ;)
Who is this Larry Correia fellow you speak of? ;-)
An annoying nutter. Who is brilliant😎
In that case, would anyone here volunteer to help me with my book, as a technical advisor? I need info on current military jargon, equipment, and tactics. Preferably be current military or recent ex military member, either Army or Marine Corps. I'm former AF, but I got out about 40 years ago.
If you're on the Book of Faces a great place to check out is the WriterDojo group.
Not familiar with that, but will look into it
William, you need to write your story. You mentioned that you don't feel like you know how to write. None of us, including John, knew how to write good stories to start with. We learned. We wrote stuff that sucked, Eventually it didn't suck as much. Hands down the best writing resource out there is the free Writer Dojo podcast . Listen to it form start to finish. Another good resource is the Brian Sanderson lectures free on YouTube. Note I keep using the word "free." Because there's lots of folks out there who want to sell you the magic beans to be a best seller. Like Churchill, all I can offer you is blood, sweat, and toil to be a writer and story teller.
AI is surprisingly helpful in the 'learning to write' category.... if you can break down your idea into 2,000 word scenes or sub-scenes, all you have to do is tell the AI, in increasingly specific terms, what the next scene needs to include, and the AI will write a scene that includes it.
It allows you to turn 2,000 words of your own, badly phrased, very-meta, very-infodumpy, very aspirational scene descriptions into 2,000 words of AI-proposed dialogue that is mediocre, but at least looks like it belongs in a novel.
Then you get to enjoy learning how to EDIT....
AI won't write it for you, but it can almost do "this is how novel characters talk about what you're already describing in great detail".
Also, is there a way (other than open post) to contact you directly?
I'm willing to read whatever you want to write.
Write whatever works. Throw it out there and we'll tell you what we think. Going in you said it would be raw and parts weren't done. Heck, you could trash all of Creep so far and start over if that's what has to happen and you'd still be doing what we're expecting: Writing stories and showing us how you do it. We'll read what you put up here.
Yes. This is where the sausage gets made.
Something else occurs to me about Centurion and the Bandit 6 character. Part of that character’s charm was the repartee between his story, and the modifications his wife makes. If you keep that facet, it will be intriguing to meet Mike’s wife years(?) removed from events. If she’s also a Super, decades(?) removed from events. Or, I suppose there’s no particular reason for it to be his wife. Could just be another Super. In any case, it’s an interesting concept to bring a Bandit 6 type event narration into a long lived character storyline.
John mentioned somewhere that he thinks he'll have Michael meet and fall in love with a Water super. I'd like that super to be either part or full Lakota because I'd like to see Michael have more tribal interactions. Just a thought.
It sounds cool, and even makes sense in terms of the super type and Lakota spirits in general. Maybe a wakʽąpi water super.
https://aktalakota.stjo.org/lakota-culture/seven-lakota-values/