"Dinosauria" a novelette

[CarnegieCollector]

Hi everyone! I am working on a novelette titled "Dinosauria", and I thought some of you might be interested in hearing about it! My book centers around a female Dakotaraptor named Monos, and her daily struggle to survive.
My book will feature 10 species of prehistoric animals, Dakotaraptor, Troodon, T. Rex, Parasaurolophus, Quetzalcoatlus, Triceratops, Mosasaurus, Ankylosaurus, Alamosaurus, and Deinosuchus.
I am also incorporating some ideas from my thread on this forum titled "things dinosaurs may have had or did", such as Monos the Dakotaraptor having iridescent feathers and the Troodon having bioluminescence.
  As a novelette, it won't be very long. Maybe 7,000 words at the most, and around 10 chapters

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Tell me what you think!  if you have any ideas for my book, I'd love to hear them!

[DinoLord]

Sounds like a neat project; keep us posted!

However a couple of your fauna choices are anachronistic. Deinosuchus, Parasaurolophus, and Troodon lived and went extinct during the Campanian age, several million years before the Maastrichtian age in which the other genera you mention lived. There are scrappy remains (teeth, etc.) of troodontids and alligatoroids from that age, and rumors of a Maastrichtian-age Parasaurolophus, but nothing definitive.

Also, if I remember correctly from my grade school days fiction is generally written in the present tense, even if the setting is in the past. 

[CarnegieCollector]

Sounds like a neat project; keep us posted!

However a couple of your fauna choices are anachronistic. Deinosuchus, Parasaurolophus, and Troodon lived and went extinct during the Campanian age, several million years before the Maastrichtian age in which the other genera you mention lived. There are scrappy remains (teeth, etc.) of troodontids and alligatoroids from that age, and rumors of a Maastrichtian-age Parasaurolophus, but nothing definitive.

Also, if I remember correctly from my grade school days fiction is generally written in the present tense, even if the setting is in the past. 

Thanks!

Thanks for informing me on the time traveling fauna  I'll be sure too either exterminate or change those species before I'm finished. Deinosuchus can easily be removed/replaced, as well as Parasaurolophus. I just wanted a plain-Jane hadrosaur, and parasaurs seemed to fit the bill, but I can change them to something else, such as trachodon, er, anatosaurus, I mean, edmontosaurus, or what ever the current synonym is right now   
The Troodon however, will be hard to replace, as they're the secondary antagonists of the story.

As far as the present vs past tense fiction goes, I googled it and apparently either goes. It just depends on which sounds better. But just for fun, here is the same sample I shared, but written in present tense.

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[DinoLord]

The Troodon could be replaced with one of the described Hell Creek troodontid tooth genera like Pectinodon, or Acheroraptor (if you believe it to be distinct from Dakotaraptor).

I think the sample in present tense is much more engaging to the reader. Also, an important part of the writing process is really going back and nitpicking at your prose to ensure things are the best they can be. As it is, a lot of your sentences start very similarly, which gets redundant. Reading copious amounts of writing in your everyday life is another good way to help develop general writing skills. Keep at it; I'm sure this will be a great piece when you're finished. 

[Derek.McManus]

All the best with your project!

[CarnegieCollector]

All the best with your project!

Thank you! 

[CarnegieCollector]

The Troodon could be replaced with one of the described Hell Creek troodontid tooth genera like Pectinodon, or Acheroraptor (if you believe it to be distinct from Dakotaraptor).

I think the sample in present tense is much more engaging to the reader. Also, an important part of the writing process is really going back and nitpicking at your prose to ensure things are the best they can be. As it is, a lot of your sentences start very similarly, which gets redundant. Reading copious amounts of writing in your everyday life is another good way to help develop general writing skills. Keep at it; I'm sure this will be a great piece when you're finished. 

Pectinodon works just fine! Thanks for informing me on it!

I'm glad you like the present tense sample. I may go back and rewrite all of it in present tense. 
I know a lot of the sentences are a bit repetitive, I need to find a way to make them start differently. The reason I haven't changed em yet, is simply because I'm a lazy bum for the most part 

Thanks for all the advice! 

On a side note, I forgot to mention that emu style-Ornithomimus' and an alphadon also appear in my book, but they're insignificant so I didn't bother at first! 

[Dilopho]

Why have pieces of your posts been removed? 

[CarnegieCollector]

Why have pieces of your posts been removed? 

Sorry  they were removed to protect my work from pirates. Arrrrrg!

[The Atroxious]

Also, if I remember correctly from my grade school days fiction is generally written in the present tense, even if the setting is in the past. 

Just going to put this out there: The vast majority of fiction I read is written in past tense. It's been many years since I read a present tense book, and that was back in high school. I read mostly speculative fiction, so perhaps that makes a difference, but everything from Harry Potter to A Song of Ice and Fire are written in past tense. I was always under the impression that present tense was a rarely used literary device.

[CarnegieCollector]

Hi dinosaur forum goers! I have hit writers block when it comes to naming a certain character in my book, and I would love to hear some suggestions from y'all! (all credit will be given to the person who thought up the winning name)!

The character is a 38 foot long female mosasaurus. She is dark blue on top and peach colored underneath. She has black lifeless eyes...like a dolls eyes (congrats if you get the reference). She is intelligent and swift. She is quiet and lurks in the dark shadowy waters. She is the tertiary antagonist.

The person who thinks up the best name wins, and the name will be bestowed upon my mosasaurus!

Qualifications:
Preferred to be Greek or Latin
Must mean something fitting for a mosasaurus, a sly merciless predator, or a sea monster.
Added points if it sounds cool/is irresistible to the tongue

Ready.....Go!  I excitedly await your suggestions!