15
votes
170k debut fantasy story. Is it possible?
Don't kill the one story. Expand until it is two:
Slightly contradictory, but consider if your story is too long. Does it keep focus throughout the work? Are all areas of those pages equally relevant ...
- 12.9k
12
votes
Is it an odd concept for a superhero with superhuman powers to use technology/gadgets and also rely on tech?
Magneto's helmet:
It is not really shocking for a character to have a combination of physical and technological/magical enhancements to "raise the bar" on what they can do. Magneto has a ...
- 12.9k
10
votes
Can I use pre-existing mythological characters in a story that isn't about any mythology?
There are existing book and TV series which do this. The issue is that generally a divine being makes sense within its Pantheon — in the Hercules TV show Aphrodite is Hercules's 1/2-sister (and acts ...
- 645
8
votes
How do you describe/insert an "uncommon" feature?
I think it is useful to distinguish two different cases:
the feature is uncommon in our world, but common in the world of the story (think of fantasy novels).
In this case, I would explain it in a ...
- 181
8
votes
170k debut fantasy story. Is it possible?
Every single debut fantasy writer I know personally who had a long debut novel queried a shorter novel. They might have queried a 120K novel, landed an agent, and in revision with the agent, ended at ...
- 23.5k
7
votes
I want to explain something in a novel that shouldn’t exist in it
Keep it simple:
An island is still an island, since a country could be part of an island, or several islands. Don't confuse the issue by using clever, cryptic language. If you never refer to anything ...
- 12.9k
7
votes
How can I make my story's worldbuilding magical but not too far from realistic?
I think the key to realistic world-building is having coherent details that impact the character's every day life.
Pretend your world is 'The Flintstone's' for the sake of argument: literal stone age ...
- 7,925
6
votes
Should I start my book with a declaration of undying love between my two protagonists in the very first chapter?
The answer to "Should I?", is always "Yes, if that makes for the better story".
One reason love is usually found at the end, is because the journey to get there is a subplot. And ...
- 1,975
6
votes
Should I start my book with a declaration of undying love between my two protagonists in the very first chapter?
I'd recommend against this, although it is possibly okay at the end of the first chapter.
The reason is quite simple story mechanics. At the beginning of any story, your audience does not feel like ...
- 92.4k
6
votes
Is it odd to have a bunch of characters with unique personalities and gimmicks in one place?
I think one answer to your question is found in comic books. Would there have been a Lex Luthor without superman? Would the molemen have attacked if it weren't for the existence of the Fantastic ...
- 7,925
6
votes
Is it an odd concept for a superhero with superhuman powers to use technology/gadgets and also rely on tech?
No, I don't think so; it's not automatically bad to have a superpowered character to be relying on tech. But you have to show why they rely on their tech. Example: Spiderman, he has the superpowers of ...
- 915
5
votes
Accepted
How do I describe an accent from our world in a non-Earth fictional world?
An author can't really show an accent, except via spellings intended to suggest pronunciation, and in my view only a very little of that is enough to annoy many readers.
You can describe a character's ...
- 4,034
5
votes
How do I describe an accent from our world in a non-Earth fictional world?
There's phonetic description, there's even phonetic spelling if you are feeling ambitious. Like "Sumsing iz wrong ’ere." for a French accent. Most find it distracting. Phonetic description ...
- 643
5
votes
Is it an odd concept for a superhero with superhuman powers to use technology/gadgets and also rely on tech?
There at least 4-5 superheroes at I know, that are both depending on Tech and are still frontrunners in their respective shows.
Captain America
The first Avenger uses the rarest metal on Earth to ...
- 151
5
votes
In a story where magic exists, does magic leave a lot of room for hope and spiritual beliefs?
There are many ways that magic can work in a story (as far as I know there are no ways for it to work in the real world). In some stories magic is only available to those born with some special ...
- 4,034
5
votes
170k debut fantasy story. Is it possible?
If I was in your position and I felt my novel was ready, then I'd write my pitch letter and send it out to agents that rep my genre. If they think the story has potential, then they will most likely ...
- 7,925
4
votes
I struggle to make characters emote during dialogue
A few pointers that might be helpful :)
1) 0-0-1-0-0 (No Action)
I personally find this quite helpful, since I have a habit of overusing tags as well. Usually during dialogue between two characters (...
- 68
4
votes
Accepted
How can I make my story's worldbuilding magical but not too far from realistic?
Realism has nothing to do with magic. You can write unrealistic police-procedurals, or unrealistic kitchen-sink dramas, or unrealistic hard-sci-fi. What makes something realistic is much simpler than ...
- 2,286
4
votes
When it comes to superhero stories, would an audience be accepting of a weak character that is superhuman?
No, in fact to me, the more god-like and invulnerable a character is, the less heroic he is.
What do they have to be afraid of? What makes them struggle? If you are invulnerable, it is not "...
- 92.4k
4
votes
Accepted
What to expect from the editing process
What in the world? What editor would leave spaces before punctuation? You don't put spaces before commas, periods, etc, that's insane.
That said, I think you expect too much from this kind of ...
- 92.4k
4
votes
Is it an odd concept for a superhero with superhuman powers to use technology/gadgets and also rely on tech?
I don't think it's silly at all, nor odd.
I once created an RPG superhero character who had the abilities to become invisible, phase through solid matter, and levitate -- but his forward flight ...
- 4,616
4
votes
Is it an odd concept for a superhero with superhuman powers to use technology/gadgets and also rely on tech?
Thematic harmony is needed in order for a superhero to become iconic.
There's no particular reason, in the Marvel universe, why Spider-Man couldn't acquire a jet-pack, a magic ring, and an energy ...
- 226
4
votes
170k debut fantasy story. Is it possible?
A good long story will work better than a story crammed into a length too short for it. (Not that there's any guarantee for even a good story.)
Perhaps you should rope in beta readers. If other ...
- 5,408
3
votes
Should I use real world names for specific objects in my fantasy world based on history?
Go ahead and use the Burmese words. How many English speaking readers do you think will recognize the Burmese words for what they are? They look "fantastical" enough as they are.
Some (few)...
- 1,590
3
votes
How would I ease into a transportation to another world?
In a plot relevant manner.
For instance, if the characters are needed to face some evil that managed to immunize itself from any character from that world, a wizard might come and persuade them to ...
- 5,408
3
votes
Can I use pre-existing mythological characters in a story that isn't about any mythology?
Of Course!
I've done it myself, and it's a great way to integrate lots of different elements into a story. You can draw on and allude to many mythologies, lending depth and character that would take ...
- 12.9k
3
votes
How do I accurately write a prologue, which also works as a character introduction chapter?
This is a paragraph telling us how one character feels about the other. Convert it into something showing that instead, and everything else will fall into place. Namely, set up a situation with your ...
- 3,573
3
votes
I want to write a magical story about witches and wizards but not make it like harry potter
If you steal from one person it's plagiarism, if you steal from 5 it's research.
This question keeps coming up on forums, and it's almost always about HP. There is something about HP that seems to ...
- 3,729
3
votes
Accepted
How do you decide to include a character if you have other characters similar to them? Or when they feel not complete or appropriate for the story?
Central characters need to play a role in the plot. The girl is only needed for the plot if there is something that only she can do (good or bad) to advance the plot, for good or ill.
Perhaps she ...
- 92.4k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible