Recent content by deilaitha

I personally enjoy a rich, well developed milieu. I agree that characters are the most important--sort of how impressive acting and great story make a play great. Still, I would rather watch that same play with an amazing set than without one. It's the difference between saying, "That was a good...

I think those people don't understand that the creative process is different for everybody--very different. I was recently asked how long I'd been working on my WIP, and when I answered "six years," this guy implied I have focus problems. Some people can crank out a novel in a year; for me, it...

I want to say that Korra is 15 or 16 in season 1. It's been a while since I watched it. So yeah, with Aang being eleven...that's a difference of four or five years. They definitely make Korra a lot moodier--playing up the teenager thing, I suppose. Her conflict is also different from Aang's, and...

I don't mind "The Chosen One" type character arcs, but I like it when the choosing is more of an accident than the result of a prophecy. In many ways, every main character is a "chosen one" because you, the author, have chosen to make them the center of the story.

I remember a lot of people didn't like Korra from Nickelodeon's The Legend of Korra because she was too conflicted and scared so much of the time, despite her aggressive attitude. They perceived her as weak and said it made women seem like weak characters. But really, she didn't have that much...

I'm trying to design my own cover for my novel "Charybda." It's a fantasy novel (which I suppose goes without saying on this site). I'm just wondering if this is a passable cover or whether I should shell out the big bucks for a designer. I'm wondering if this is something you might pause to...

This is a stab at designing my own book cover before I shell out the big bucks on a professional designer.

My advice would be: under no circumstances should you take out a loan to self-publish a book. Instead, set aside a line in your budget and save up for your costs (cover artist, editor, etc.). Your ROI with a self-pubbed book is not likely to warrant a loan, especially if it's your first book.

I think people also connect with characters based on their flaws. It might not be a shared flaw, but most people have a sympathetic reflex, even if they can't empathize with the character. If you paint flaws as real and understandable, you'll immediately have a connection. When I read, the more...

As much as I am ruffled by that article, it is thought-provoking. It's kind of a good light-the-fire-under-one's-pants wake up call - if you want to call yourself a writer, then for heaven's sake, write. May I use this word, please? I want to make it the word of the week on my blog, even if...

That's a very good point, Phil, and I appreciate that you made it. Something I have run into in my life is when I tell people I'm a writer, their response is, "That's nice," until they happen to see me editing my 300+ page novel and say, "I didn't know you meant you were am actual writer! There...

Hey everyone! I like to frequent Derek Murphy's blog, CreativIndie, and he linked to this great piece he'd done as a rebuttal to this: War on #amwriting The article itself is a little discouraging, in my opinion. The author trashes unpublished fantasy and science fiction writers (but how exactly...

I just finished reading Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff, and I enjoyed it. I'm waiting till I can get my hands on Kinslayer and Endsinger. It wasn't a perfectly executed book (if there is such a thing) and I had a few complaints about it, but overall I recommend it for people looking for an...

I have seen a lot of comments around the interwebz regarding this topic, and opinions vary widely. Devor makes a very good point about blogs needing to be treated as a product. There are some people who suggest that an author provide short stories, etc. on their blogs to build their reputation...

This is a great thread. Advice is really easy to get caught up in (it's one of my own downfalls), and it's good to remind people that it's not the end-all be-all. If we're trying to come up with handy maxims regarding advice, (or is that advice in and of itself?) I have a couple of...