Posts by linksassin
They don't recognise each other as human It isn't uncommon for humans to disregard the humanity of races that don't look similar to them. With no shared languages and distinct physicality it is en...
Social media is no longer sci-fi In years gone past concepts like the internet would be considered sci-fi. Many book exist which use digital communication on a global scale as part of a sci-fi set...
All writing is, in some way, rooted in our experiences The story you want to write isn’t always the story you need to write. Before finishing my novel, I was under the impression that my charac...
Exact mechanics are less important than control No matter how the exact transformation works the key thing that matters is how it is controlled. A scientific device, a superpower, and a magic wand...
Balance is key There is a very delicate balance between a plot twist that feels contrived and unrealistic and one that the reader can see coming from a mile away. There is no exact correct answer ...
Not every chapter needs to blow the reader away No, not every chapter needs to blow the reader away, and you shouldn't be trying to. There are multiple reasons that this isn't something you should...
You can absolutely do this WARNING: This answer contains multiple spoilers, beware of things under the quotes You aren't the first to think of this. Often this is used to setup a sequel but you c...
When you write in a modern day setting, you research the culture, climate, location and history of that setting. You can do the same for historical fiction or low-fantasy settings based on real pla...
Search for localization tools I haven't personally used Visio in any formal capacity but have done translation/localization when developing web apps and other software. Most professional tools hav...
For my pathfinder game I write session updates after each session. I have previously asked about How to write exciting updates? This question is about the planning phase for writing these updates. ...
As somewhat of a follow-up to my previous question: How to create a consistent feel for character names in a fantasy setting? Once I have named the characters in a given setting, how do I create p...
Github or similar is a good choice I can't say I have used it personally for this type of work, however as a software engineer by day it is my collaboration tool of choice for most things. Unl...
Ditch the omniscient viewpoint Tension comes from the unknown possibilities. By using an omniscient viewpoint the readers don't feel any of the tension the characters do because they already know ...
It is harder to keep the reader engaged without one As you say a main character is someone for the reader to connect with. Ideally they will empathise with them and come to care about the characte...
Always This is somewhat of a frame challenge, but hear me out. You said: I need to know them better in order to know how they will act in the story Why is this any less true for minor charac...
...? Why? To me one of the most important points of the this style is the follow-up question: "Why?". Sure it's great to know that one specific detail about a character but if you can't answer the...
In general, avoid writing about things you don't know You are right to have misgivings about writing on a topic you haven't researched. There are a lot of risks involved in doing this. You risk of...
Make each medium a complete story in it's own right This can be done, though it is rarely done well. The most important part is to make each part of the story a complete story on it's own. Readers...
You're missing the explanation 'Occult Powered Technology' is not a unique concept. Many books, films and games have explored this concept. The Shadowrun series of both video and roleplaying games...
Shorter chapters for shorter books, but you don't have to. I mostly read novels on longer side, epic fantasy and similar. In these chapter length varies widely from author to author. The most comm...
Fantasy racism is normal In my experience of fantasy works as well as in my own writing racism does exist between the various races. Tolkien's Elves and Dwarves are the most obvious example. Dwarf...
I've never written for anything other than personal enjoyment or for a predefined context before. I have ideas and partial drafts for several books and want to finish at least one this year. My co...
Be concise, factual, polite, clear and sincere all at once I don't believe there is a single correct way to write a comment on this site. The help centre advice on comments tells us how and when t...
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