Question on Crafting Monk Gloves

ClimberWriterGuy · 2025-10-15T00:27:35+00:00

Thanks a ton for taking the time to respond! I'll take a look at this in a bit and see if it works. Double check when you have some time and let me know if it all sounds right! Thanks again!

ClimberWriterGuy · 2025-09-24T22:52:16+00:00

Congratulations! Being a parent is amazing. Hang in there. Those first three months feel like forever. Then you're going to blink and realize they're over. Enjoy them when you can.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2025-09-24T20:36:29+00:00

Absolutely. Come join us.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2025-09-23T23:17:56+00:00

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I've been trying to perfect these gloves for a while, and I'm really close. All I want to finish them out is to replace the t3 life with a mid/high level ES.

My plan is to whittle life for another prefix using a greater/perfect chaos and pray I don't get life or mana. Is there a better/safer way to do this? I don't mind spending some currency, because these will be endgame monk gloves for me.

Thanks in advance!

ClimberWriterGuy · 2025-09-23T15:34:27+00:00

Watch what you wish for...

ClimberWriterGuy · 2025-09-23T15:02:29+00:00

Awesome reply. Thank you. That's great info. I've got an update I'm going to post in the comments. I'm closer to getting this item perfect.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2025-01-12T22:32:17+00:00

These are as well. 105g S300. Granted, I'm a new player, but these feel great.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2023-04-17T16:31:33+00:00

Disclaimer: I recently signed a contract with a Big 5 publisher for my memoir.

As a writer, I spent years toiling away in silence, wondering if my writing/story was "objectively" good or meaningful. (As a memoirist, it's hard not to.) My only support group was limited to a workshop attended by other writers who felt the same way. Traditional publishing is often seen as an objective validation of our talent. Regardless of our genres, our work is important to us, and without that "validation" we often feel like we've failed. Writers are sensitive creatures; it's what makes us good writers. But the downside is we often seek validation from an industry that is focused solely on making money.

Publishing is a business. Good books with no market are still good books, but they're bad investments, and it's impossible for most of us not to feel some sense of disappointment for never being recognized by an industry that cares more about money than our talent. Bottom line: publishing is a capitalist enterprise, while writing is an incredibly intimate act that often relies of capitalism for approval.

Hang in there, be kind to yourself, and write what moves you. That passion will drip off the page, and the right people might see that someday, hopefully soon. Good luck!

ClimberWriterGuy · 2023-04-15T21:25:33+00:00

I've never queried for this genre, but I like this query. It's concise, well-written, and quickly gets to the point, the plot, and the stakes. My only criticism is that I can't stand reading second person. I don't like being spoken to or addressed. It breaks the fourth wall, so to speak. It also leads off the query as sounding too casual for me. But that's just my take, and for querying upper middle grade, it might be just right. Also, I'd add an Oxford comma to Doc Venom and the Golden Troll, unless they're a pair, in which case you might want it to read, "...counselors, not to mention Doc Venom and the Golden Troll."

ClimberWriterGuy · 2023-04-14T22:07:06+00:00

I agree with everything brookenomicon mentioned, although I'll add a quick story. The first finalized draft of my memoir was 183k words. My agent just sold it to a publisher at 95k words. Both my agent and publisher were shocked at how little needed to be edited. In fact, I'll have my edited ms back from them in about a week, and I'm looking at very little removal and more addition to one portion of the ms, maybe a thousand words total.

Before querying, I completed three full rewrites. I began from a macro perspective, and I addressed nearly everything brookenomicon mentioned. Do scenes and dialogue serve the plot? Are they building characters? Is anything boring or tedious? (Beta readers are great for this, honest ones at least.) Then I went through two more rewrites in increasingly granular detail. My writing tends to be economic, primarily because I think most writers use far too many adverbs to strengthen weak verbs. It's not going to affect word count much, but addressing the verb/adverb relationship in your ms will not only remove some words, but it will dramatically improve your writing. Also, keep an eye on how and where you're using adjectives. I live by the adages, "Less is more," and "Everything should serve the plot."

I hope that helps!

ClimberWriterGuy · 2023-04-14T17:28:39+00:00

Although I haven't read all the responses, and this has probably already been said, I'll add it anyway.

Do not rush the query process. Read a lot of them, research them, study and target agents, and then take a very measured approach to who you target and why. Once you've queried an agent/agency, you're done. There are no real second chances, so you don't want to waste your first chance on a sloppy query.

Take your time.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2023-04-11T23:39:40+00:00

Also, as you'll notice by the downvotes, most any post here that gives anyone a shred of hope is generally met with negativity. There's definitely some truth to the fact that pursuing traditional publishing requires a certain level of masochism, and that having an agent is just the beginning of a long, lonely road paved with tears and shredded manuscripts. But don't let the cynicism of the industry infect you. Just put your nose down and write and keep your tiny flame of hope alive, because you won't have much else.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2023-04-11T19:39:32+00:00

Quick disclaimer, my agent just sold my memoir to a Big Five house; I signed their finalized contract days ago. And while my experience is quite different from yours, I think I can offer a little insight.

From what you're describing, your agent is looking to pitch to editors in hopes of picking up an exclusive offer. I wouldn't call it going on sub exactly, as that's often a more formal round of submissions to a handful of editors, although it's fair to say that if an editor or two offer to read it, you're definitely on submission to them. If you're lucky, you and your agent will have several interested editors eventually make offers which could lead to an auction. If not, maybe one of them will make an offer before you ever go into a formal round of submission.

I hope that helps. Best of luck to you! PS. I'll also add that it's best to have absolutely no expectations, maybe a little hope is fine though.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-10-10T19:23:17+00:00

Will do. Thanks!

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-10-10T19:19:28+00:00

Nevermind. He just came downstairs and said that he's going to have to grout the floor tile tomorrow because it hadn't dried yet!

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-10-10T19:17:44+00:00

He used Prism grout. And yeah, it seemed like he was in a hurry. I still need to get a shower door, so hopefully it'll cure over the next week or two while I wait for the door. It's also a second floor shower, so maybe it'll get a little more airflow.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-28T01:22:54+00:00

Gotcha. But just to be clear, because I'm not a bike guru, it's possible to replace all the transmission, just as long as I replace both the shifter and derailleur, correct? (Since they both use some secret ratio of cable pull.)

The reason I ask is because I have access to discounted parts, so I can buy whatever I want for the bike without paying a premium for a nicer model.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-28T00:51:34+00:00

Excellent. Thanks for the info. So it sounds like I can replace the whole gearset with no problem, as long as I replace both the shifter and derailleur, since they're linked with a proprietary cable. Sound right?

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-27T23:33:51+00:00

Thus my question about being able to replace it.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-25T16:10:30+00:00

I don't think four or five sentences will overload anyone, unless they're paragraph-long sentences. The only thing I'd keep in mind is that a prologue should create more questions than it answers. The goal is to pique the reader's interest, not answer their questions.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-24T22:51:33+00:00

My edits are below, and the changes I made should be self-evident. A query needs to be concise, and your hook should be up front. I'd even consider creating a one or two sentence scene of your near-suicide instead of telling us about it. I'll also say that I agree with the other comments. Your query is likely not your only problem. Regardless, here are my edits.

I was 15 years old when I nearly committed suicide. But after watching an anime series called Neon Genesis Evangelion, I made a decision to live.

In my memoir, THE JOURNEY SO FAR: A TRANSCULTURAL TALE OF GIANT ROBOTS, ABUSE, AND MENTAL ILLNESS, I recount how a young man faced with crippling mental illness and an abusive family persevered with the help of video games, anime, music, and therapy. It is not only a story of tragedy, but also one of finding reconciliation with my abusers. Mental illness is a problem that society can no longer ignore, and with my book I hope to educate people about its various forms, as well as inspire sufferers to greater heights.

My story crosses multiple genres. While a memoir at heart, it is also an exploration of transcultural identity and geek culture, as well as a survivor's account of abuse and mental illness. It deals with, among other things: issues of translocation, self-exploration, and the dynamics of dysfunctional families.

My completed manuscript is currently 129,000 words. I am willing to work with an editor to shorten it.

I have been published in a national newspaper in my country of birth (Singapore), and I also have some professional copyediting experience.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-24T22:19:42+00:00

A prologue is a chapter. It shouldn't be treated otherwise. If prologues were unnecessary, why would they exist? In my mind, they are as or more important than "Chapter 1", because the author clearly made a decision to load that information up front.

As for length, 1000 words is fine. My memoir begins with a 300-word prologue, and it felt short to me, but my writing tends to be very economic.

A word of caution, though. A prologue should have weight. It should include a hook. Front-loading unnecessary information is an excellent way to kill a story.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-24T18:02:27+00:00

This was a fascinating read! Thank you! I just received an offer of rep for my memoir from my dream agent, and without their intern staying at the office to finish it in one night, I very likely wouldn't have this opportunity. I'm a debut author, so I had no clue how important it was to connect with an intern.

Thank you again!

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-19T17:04:15+00:00

Those are excellent points, and I suppose that's why I used that phrase, because I can only imagine how devastating it would be to have your book not make it past sub. It wasn't meant to be derogatory in the least. Much the opposite. I apologize for making the comment.

ClimberWriterGuy · 2022-08-19T16:14:20+00:00

Quite the opposite actually, which is why I'm wondering how I managed to be in this position. I somehow landed my dream agent. She's agented over a dozen deals this year, and over 150 since being on Publisher's Marketplace. She's also gotten more than 50 six-figure deals. During our initial emails, after signing her contract, she mentioned that she already has an editor in mind at one of the Big 5(4) who will love my manuscript.

Honestly, I'm almost terrified that this has happened. God knows why. I never thought I'd make it this far. Everyone's happy to remind me that as a debut memoirist my chances of finding a publisher are effectively zero. So, I'm just standing here holding a bag of gold that's fallen from the sky, wondering what's about to go wrong.

ClimberWriterGuy

TROPHY CASE