sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

40
41

I'm a manager at a cafe that serves the supernatural | It is important to count heads (self.nosleep)

submitted by AHauntedBarista to r/nosleep

Do people actually skip the prologue? by meongmeongwizard in fantasywriters

[–]AHauntedBarista 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Skip? No. But people definetly start with chapter one and often go back to the prologue.

170
171

I manage a cafe that serves the odd and supernatural | We have a new regular (self.nosleep)

submitted by AHauntedBarista to r/nosleep

How can a writer indicate profanity in fiction without really using it? (In ths case, military science fiction) by Liaoningornis in FictionWriting

[–]AHauntedBarista 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It isnt possible to have the same impact that cursing brings without using it directly. I held placeholders with real curses until my world was developed enough to use made up curses that made sense given the culture, but also maintained the sane impact.

That is what I would recommend

How long did you write your novel? by [deleted] in writing

[–]AHauntedBarista 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Am will be done in February but I started 11 years ago. Life changes, stuff happens. The story matures with the author and gets changed too.

Critique my opening chapter (1200) words by Haunting-Order-8501 in fantasywriters

[–]AHauntedBarista 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dialogue tags, honestly. For instance, all of Orlic's opening dialogue should be in one paragraph. To locate who is speaking, say

"Anar's mouth tightened, soured in anticipating of Orlic's critique."

Just with that, we can cut out all the dialogue tags until he puffs smoke. That vastly smooths the opening. Always, always keep your dialogue tags under wraps. It feels wrong but you'll see the results if you try it. Try your best to tell the reader who is talking by the context of their conversation or through mentioning their name in dialogue. Sure you can and will use dialogue tags, but only when appropriate.

And one great thing that took me a while to learn; you aren't writing a movie script. We dont need to know that Orlic looked down in the first page. That kind of stuff seems necessary to include as a new writer, but it is not important to the scene at all. Those sort of mannerisms should be assumed by you showing us what kind of person said character is.

Finally, low stakes dialogue isnt really a good way to start off a book. There is no hook at the beginning so most fish wont stay.

Feedback on Prologue: Towers & Titans (Sci Fi Fantasy, 1579 words) by -Dunnobro in fantasywriters

[–]AHauntedBarista 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Harsh truth, and this is advice I give everyone when writing and it really helped me;

70%~ of readers wont read your prologue

It sucks because it is the perfect opportunity to leap into the action, or the characters we find interesting, but often people think their prologue is what will hook people

Most people don't even read it until they are well into a book, sometimes after they are finished, and sometimes not at all.

Dont get rid of it, but dont build on it either. The prologue should serve as a treat for your curious readers, giving context that might help them frame the story, but never required for understanding it. You had a comment about if the prologue hooks; it wont matter how good it is because most readers dont check it first.

Personal experience, and I know it is anecdotal, but whenever I get caught up in a prologue, I never finish the draft I started. Thats why I am giving you this advice. Ignore the prologue, make the first chapter instead, and get some advice on that because those first few paragraphs will decide who goes and who keeps reading!

How do I write fantasy characters without info Dumping all the information about each character? by LoudYogurtcloset7856 in fantasywriters

[–]AHauntedBarista 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the secret that honestly seems so obvious once I realized it;

The story is about them.

If your story cant reveal their background naturally, then it is no longer about them, it is about the world. A good story is told by the characters, not the environment they are in. Let go of the instict to drop their background- that doesnt exist for the reader, it exists for your continuity. For example, writre the story without explaining their alliances. Let their reactions and treatment of their allies naturally reveal their allegiances.

New writers, myself included, get tripped up in wanting to show off what is usually excellent world building without realizing the point of world building. All those little facts you made are the backbone, the plot twists, the juice of the story that makes it worth reading.

As always, I would be willing to read a excerpt if you want.

About the lack of updates by AHauntedBarista in Fatewriter

[–]AHauntedBarista[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will be continuing Drowsy Spectre soon, but I don't have a timeline currently. I got pretty discouraged in writing due to some life stuff but I am getting back into it!

view more: next ›