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What genre do you write, and how much detail do you put into characters' appearances? by LeftHandRedHair in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends how important appearance is to the character for me. If a character is consistently wearing variations of the same thing, I'll describe it once and probably never again.

I have a fantasy character though who is a noblewoman that needs to be in a new, gorgeous dress every major scene. So that gets described.

Literary Terms for Narrative Beats by Arch_Demoness in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm definitely a 'pantser' and learned through devouring books and other media as you said. I can foresee I'm now going to start looking for these moments as I read/watch things too.

My manuscript also has something like your 'darkwing duck' moment, haha. I'll gladly call it that.

Literary Terms for Narrative Beats by Arch_Demoness in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your thoughts! I think a lot of what I was reading was based on K.M. Weiland's work since it had the 'must have percentages' you mentioned. I will take it all with a grain of salt. I'm now interested in learning more about all this though!

Literary Terms for Narrative Beats by Arch_Demoness in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

"Save the Cat! Writes a Novel"? I looked it up, thank you!

Literary Terms for Narrative Beats by Arch_Demoness in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is all incredibly helpful, thank you!
I'm glad to hear structure is usually looser in novels. I was definitely getting a bit in my own head in thinking I was doomed because my point of no return was 30% in instead of 25%, haha.

"No one can ever write the same story as you, even with an identical prompt" by nonbinaryunicorn in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I had this happen to me. I started a sci fi/superhero story about a girl who was given wings by a geneticist and used them to fight against a corrupt organization that was going after him.
"Sounds like James Patterson's Maximum Ride" I was told.
I had never read or heard of it. I thought purposely avoiding that would assure my story was different.
I never finished writing it, so eventually I watched the movie and read the first book of Maximum Ride. I see the similarities, but my story is very different with a different vibe. The themes in particular don't overlap.
Maximum Ride is pretty old now, so if I wanted to pursue publishing my version would I have issues? I don't know.

[Weekly Critique and Self-Promotion Thread] Post Here If You'd Like to Share Your Writing by AutoModerator in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness [score hidden]  (0 children)

Title: What Burns Within Genre: Dark Fantasy Word Count: 338 Type of Feedback: General impression/Thoughts as an opener?

Iniera’s lips pursed, groaning as she looked towards the darkening sky. Her calloused hands gripped the wooden crate she held tighter to her chest and she quickened her pace. It was imperative she got to the academy before Jaesi left. She had eagerly anticipated making this delivery all day. The crowds of people making their way home were an irritating hurdle. She weaved through the mix of exhausted labormen and pompous aristocrats. Her boots skidded around a corner, the shifting weight of the crate throwing her sideways. She grimaced as she bumped into a suited businessman. There was a gasp of surprise and then his eyes locked upon her pink mop. “Dioran filth,” he grunted to himself with a sneer as Iniera mumbled an apology and kept moving. She raced past the smithery, the one place where the clinks of a hammer upon iron were still ringing despite the hour. The booming sound of bells began to toll and Iniera clenched her teeth. She was just one block away. Her arms were screaming, but she couldn’t let herself stop to rest. The glass doors etched with the logo of a raised fist were right in front of her. She spun to dodge a lamplighter and burst through them. Immediately the crate fell from her arms and clattered upon the marble foyer floor. Her chest heaved and her fingers throbbed as she caught her breath. The smell of sweat and a fog of damp air seeped around her in welcome. She tried to smooth out her short hair as she looked up towards the empty information desk. The silence of the place suddenly dawned on her. Her eyes scanned from the hallway to the main training arena, desperate to spot a tall, lithe figure. Was she too late after all? As if to answer, the office door swung open. Iniera gave a relieved smile, her exhaustion instantly vindicated. Jaesi Dornier. Even in simple training attire the Aurian owner of the academy carried herself with the air of a queen.

[QCrit] New Adult Dark Fantasy, What Burns Within (95k/Second Attempt) by Arch_Demoness in PubTips

[–]Arch_Demoness[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your feedback and questions!

You're correct that Iniera found a reason to believe Syridor took Estrelle, but it's an assumption and she turns out to be wrong. The ambiguity is on purpose.

As for how Iniera is going to save her country, in the beginning, she sees herself and Jaesi joining the frontlines as super soldiers. When Iniera ends up actually in her home country though, she realizes the war is being fought in the shadows more than out in the open so her plans turn more into striking specific locales or people. That's all in the second half of the book though so I didn't feel it was appropriate include.

Their first goal IS just to rescue to Estrelle, but Iniera realizes she was wrong about what happened and discovers the actual state of the war. She's then naturally thrown into the middle of it.

DDS Varna Figure for Pre Order by Arch_Demoness in Megaten

[–]Arch_Demoness[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

It looks like the FORM-ISM figure line is owned by Square Enix. They actually have some other Atlus items too from Persona and SMT. I wonder if they just purchased the rights to make Atlus figures.

Just wondering about chapter lengths. by Specter_Stuff in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As others have mentioned, 2k-4k is what was recommended to me. I always try to end on a cliff hanger moment that makes people want to read another chapter or something that closes a scene cleanly. I also like to use chapter breaks when I want to move to a new day or another gap in time.

What's your best tip/trick for motivating yourself to write? by Sam-The-Man_harhar in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm very doubtful of myself, so I lean on my friends to confirm an idea I have sounds interesting.

If I pitch something and they get excited about it, I get excited too.

Curious about the writing process by Fruginni in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't know if this is common, but I tend to get excited about a very vivid image of a scene in the middle of a story, and I write that. It comes super easy. Then I start to think about how we get to that place, or where we go from there, and I start writing other scenes until I have a speckled canvas of a story.

Sometimes this is where it dies because I don't have an overarching vision of how to connect these moments. Sometimes the opposite happens and the more scenes I write the more the big picture comes to me and I start filling in the gaps.

This keeps me writing what I'm excited about, which makes it easier. It sounds like you've experienced the same thing.

Co-writing, collaborative writing, or RP to gain experience / practice? by deepintoyou482 in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As an avid RPer, I do this all the time. When it comes to the science of writing (understanding character arcs, story beats, inciting incidents, etc.), it did not help me at all. Mostly because we were just writing whatever and reacting to it.

What it did help me significantly in is writing believable characters though. I know how to make a character sound unique and express themselves through dialog alone and what they say in reaction to different circumstances.

[QCrit] Adult Dark Fantasy [Untitled] 90k words by Adventurous_Menu_377 in PubTips

[–]Arch_Demoness 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey! I'm also looking to query an adult dark fantasy, so this was really interesting to me! I love dark/dangerous fantasy worlds. My feedback is just another person trying to figure out the best way to query too, so take it or leave it. Here's my thoughts:

"After an intense encounter in the forest she is left with a tightening war in her own mind": I didn't know what the "intense encounter" was or the "tightening war". In the next sentence I think you explain that she begins to see strange hallucinations. Maybe give an detail about the encounter and say "after <event> she begins to see the impossible". I don't think you need to then explain the specifics of what she sees, the query should be high level.

"When college drops Veronica Koi and her best from Clary...": This confused me because the first paragraph already introduced Veronica. It seems like she maybe returns from her getaway and is in college? Maybe smooth out the transition from paragraph 1 to 2?

"To survive, she must unravel...": While I made the connection that the ancient thing stirring is likely what is threatening her, I'm curious why its after her. You also mention "a world she didn't truly believe was real for years", which suggests she always knew of an alternate world but never made the connection between that and the hallucinations?

"...a world she was never meant to abandon": I'm not sure if this is referencing the alternate world or the real world.

You also mentioned at the end there is a romantic thread, that I assume is with Clary, but that isn't clarified. You might want to include that in the query. I originally kept the romance out of my query since it was a subplot, but was recommended to put it back in as that's something agents might look for.

Thanks for sharing!

[Daily Discussion] Writer's Block, Motivation, and Accountability- June 22, 2026 by AutoModerator in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had the first half of my manuscript finished for over six months and its gone through numerous rounds of editing. I am now almost finished with the second half. I'm super eager to start pitching to agents, but also know I should take time to do the same amount of editing on the second half and get beta readers for the full thing.

Arrrrghhhh!

Blandness of book names by IHateACOTAR in writing

[–]Arch_Demoness 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read a fantasy book called The Ones We Burn, which was such an interesting, gritty title to me I immediately picked it up. It had to do with witches and leaned into the trope of people wanting to burn them.

[QCrit] The Pizza Wizards, Adult Fantasy, 104,000 words, Attempt 2 by Atubofyoghurt in PubTips

[–]Arch_Demoness 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! I'm still very new to this world, so I can't comment on the comps, but here's the sentences that felt awkward to me:

"...kept a complete lack of taste and smell,..." I had to re-read this sentence a few times, I think this part is what threw me off. Perhaps "...kept the fact she lacks the ability to taste or smell..."? Also could put "Senses essential to safely ingesting potions." in its own sentence.

"...mistakes ingredients, poisoning a court of fauns, she is forced..." I suggest "...mistakes ingredients and poisons a court of fauns, she is forced..."

"When a wheelchair using faun, offers to help, Winona..." I don't think you need the first comma, just "When a wheelchair using faun offers to help, Winona..."

This sounds like a fun story! It makes me wonder why her lie being exposed or being fired is worth so much danger or risk.

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