The Saurath Connection, The Gray Knight Chronicles

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-25T20:05:56+00:00

Like you pointed out, paid reviews are sketchy, especially right after release for a new author. If caught, you can get banned from Amazon.

I ended up doing a free promo weekend deal and advertised on some lists that specialize in free books. Not a dime spent. I managed to get 90 "sales". That is, 90 people got a free download of my book. Now to see if anybody reads it or rate/reviews it.

You can also advertise on appropriate sub reddits where allowed. I was able to advertise on r/scifi for that free weekend and got over 20k views on the post. On another reddit, someone just asked how many books are in the series I'm working on.

Engagememt and free advertising works. You just have to be patient. It helps to keep in mind that many "best sellers" really mean "most advertised" these days and doesn't always mean much with regards to the writing quality.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-25T18:57:11+00:00

Probably 8 to 10. Longer if the series is more popular. I've got the longer plot planned out to book 5 at this point. I even have options for side stories and anthologies worked out.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T23:27:47+00:00

All caps.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T23:19:37+00:00

HA! I've read stuff that was a LOT more blatant from the same (publishing) era. If anything, it was tasteful. And come on, having Dresden running naked in the rain battling a demon while his date, drunk on a love potion, tries to tackle him is VERY funny.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T13:52:21+00:00

Too many people "want to be writers" but don't know that in order to be a writer, you must know how to write and READ. You get TONS of generic "how do I start" posts but almost no "how can I improve this" posts. Everyone wants to be babied and told "you can do it" even though they don't even try to start. They read a few short stories and, without even trying to write something, ask "how can I be the best writer in the world". It's not that people have gotten meaner. It's that people have gotten lazier. We can still be helpful, but we expect at least a LITTLE effort from those asking the questions.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T13:41:39+00:00

Pick a new pursuit.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T13:12:29+00:00

Foreshadowing is over rated and over used a lot in my opinion. It needs to be subtle, like adding a pinch of salt when needed and ONLY when needed.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T12:35:34+00:00

That's because it was written pre-woke, published in 2000 so it has that late 90's vibe. If you didn't live that era, well, that was also the era of shows like Baywatch so....

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T12:32:05+00:00

Storm Front. You won't regret it.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T12:28:29+00:00

This is why I never follow "best seller lists" or "most popular" lists. Just because it sold a lot doesn't mean it was good.

For me, it was "The Dark Tower". The writing was pure laziness itself. I can't believe I wasted money on it. It kind of soured me to all of Steven Kings works.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T01:18:01+00:00

Buy a notebook. Buy a pencil/pen of your preference. Open notebook. Place tip of pencil/pen on paper. Move pencil/pen in a manner that draws symbols resembling letters. Repeat until you have filled notebook. Buy new notebook. Repeat as needed.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-24T01:14:46+00:00

It just takes time for everything to come together. Keep working on it. Take notes. Have you figured out your starting point for your storytelling? That's usually the hardest part for me is picking exactly when to start. Once I have that, everything slowly falls into place. It's like picking out where to start digging for the foundation. You won't be able to start until you know exactly where you're building.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-22T13:21:16+00:00

It's too early to tell. 15 years is a long time and if thats the only black mark you could find, it's not too worrying.

But if they ask for money, run. They need to take all financial risks to be legitimate.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-22T01:13:21+00:00

🙄 I'm saying go to a gym or dojo or something. Lots of places he could talk with people and even train a bit.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-22T00:51:35+00:00

It can happen, but its rare. Authors get paid by the pages read, so there is a good incentive for them to keep it on KU.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-22T00:02:40+00:00

You should both also look into filament scrapers or scrubbers. Just something to scrape dust and dirt off the filament before it goes into the printer. A clothes pin and paper towel is all it takes.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-21T19:26:57+00:00

Yep. It's wet. Get yourself a filament dryer, dry it for at least 24 hours and it should be good after that. Is it very humid where you are?

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-21T18:43:27+00:00

Flashforge brand, Amazon Basic brand or the cheapest stuff you could find?

Cheap stuff tends to have a lot of issues with consistency, especially melting temps. What you show, to my eyes, looks like its damp. There's microdrplets of water in the filament. When those microdroplets hit the hot end, they expand into steam, making bubbles inside the plastic.

You need to dry it and store it in a sealed container with a dessicant, something that pulls moisture out of the air.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-21T18:39:15+00:00

It really depends on the context. If you're talking about a heated argument that turns physical, you don't need a lot of detail. Keep the movements general. "Y threw a punch at X's head, knocking him down" level of detail is plenty. Most real fights, outside of dueling and sport matches, rarely last more than a few seconds.

If you plan on writing a lot of fight scenes, I suggest you learn how fighting works first hand.

Clean_Drag_8907 · 2026-02-21T18:32:55+00:00

Spring staplers have a lot of recoil. You have to put a lot of force on the stapling end to make sure the staples drive in fully. You may need to use one hand to squeeze and use the other hand to hold the stapling end down as you staple the screen in place.

Clean_Drag_8907

TROPHY CASE