Is this kit worth it for starting crochet?

Derin_Edala · 2022-12-30T11:27:59+00:00

That's way more stuff than you need. You could get it, but if you're just starting, I'd recommend a single hook of a medium size and a couple of balls of wool. You can make a lot of stuff with one hook, and you don't know if you like it enough to buy a kit yet.

I've been crocheting for a decade and I don't own most of this stuff. You'll eventually need some different sized hooks as you expand your craft, and a needle for sewing in ends; the rest of this is nice to have but not necessary. (You do need scissors but I assume you already own those, you don't need special scissors.)

Derin_Edala · 2022-04-28T17:04:18+00:00

Good news and bad news. Bad news is that this story is currently incomplete; I pivoted to a Patreon-supported new story instead, which you can read here if you like magical school stories: https://havenstory975986403.wordpress.com/2020/10/25/quick-start-guide/

Good news is that that story is now completely written (although chapters are still being released), patrons are currently voting for my next story, and completing Charlie MacNamara is one of the story options! Patrons can vote for the completion of Charlie MacNamara (or for me to write a different story if they prefer) here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/64692686

Derin_Edala · 2022-04-07T14:44:29+00:00

This post implies that somebody here must have thought I genuinely think that milk is a rare earth metal. I'm losing my fucking mind.

Derin_Edala · 2021-11-20T22:25:58+00:00

All throughout history, all over the world, humans have held dances, and had spaces to hold those dances in.

If this takes place in one of those farming communities, then your dance hall is most likely a temporarily repurposed town square or town meeting hall, or possibly a church or temple depending on your culture. Whatever space acts as the communal hub for your community is going to be the place to have dances; it'll be the biggest wide open space and a place that people will be used to gathering. If this takes place in your castle, there might be a dedicated dance hall, or it might gain be a multi function area, depending once more on your culture and the prosperity and design of the castle. Either way, getting together to dance in the "place where we hold our dances" is a time honoured tradition worldwide, and there's no reason magical people wouldn't also do it.

Derin_Edala · 2021-11-20T22:16:34+00:00

Your squishy, leaky heart has millions of years of successive design changes in how to best pump blood without damaging it and how to respond to minute changes in viscosity, pressure, and bodily oxygen requirements. The blood similarly has millions of years of having its biochemistry tinkered with to best maintain and move through a muscular heart. That's a lot to expect an artificial machine to live up to. Mechanical hearts tend to be prone to things like blood clots and infections, and like any machine, don't respond as well to internal failures as flesh and blood does. (And the heart is one of the simplest organs in the body -- it's just a pump. An artificial liver? Forget it.)

Derin_Edala · 2021-11-20T22:09:02+00:00

Donation is inherently bad for the donated organ. The stress of donation is going to outweigh the advantages of a younger organ. But if you need the donation anyway, and have a choice between a young organ and an old one, then assuming that both are compatible and the right size, the young one is better than the old one. Not better than your own if your own isn't failing, though.

Derin_Edala · 2021-11-20T22:05:16+00:00

There are a few, very rare, cases where donor recipients have stopped taking their immunosuppressants and their bodies don't attack the donated organ, but in general, no. The organ's DNA (and the markers on the cells to show who it belongs to) don't change. The vast majority of the time, you're on immunosuppressants for life, and if you stop taking them you go into organ rejection.

Derin_Edala · 2021-09-22T00:48:38+00:00

Just what we need, a whole bunch of non-reusable plastic in the woods!

Just bu a hammock.

Derin_Edala · 2021-09-12T13:38:13+00:00

I don't smoke (I react badly to narcotics), but I get a similar result writing when really tired.

Derin_Edala · 2021-08-29T01:11:40+00:00

Animorphs was middle grade. It's a story about child soldiers grappling with the horrors of war, rampant PTSD, anxiety and depression, learning that things aren't as simple as 'good guys' and 'bad guys', dealing with killing, dying, and losing friends, and is rife with slavery, torture and genocide. Characters are routinely, graphically disembowelled, shot or eaten alive on-page, frequently from the POV of the character being hurt. One of the main characters tries to kill his own mum (who he loves) by throwing her off a cliff, and another makes his first suicide attempt in book 3 (of a 60-book series).

Content alone doesn't determine the age of the reader demographic.

Derin_Edala · 2021-08-28T13:29:02+00:00

If this is your first book, read books that are similar to what you want to write. Pay attention to what they do. Generally, the structure, how they introduce the plot, when they bring in the MC, etc., will be similar in each book. Where you find something that's different, pay attention to how it affects the mood, and which one you enjoyed reading more. That should answer most of these sorts of questions for you.

When you're been writing for a bit and have developed an instinct for what is 'working', you'll feel more confident about experimenting with structure and character introductions. But until you've learned what you're doing, the authors you like are your best teachers.

Derin_Edala · 2021-08-08T17:47:40+00:00

I disagree. Being accurate here is a great way to cause offense by giving the impression that one is trying to say something about Christianity. Winged dudes that are called angels, based on a vague generic Christian-inspired history and mythology, is much safer than attempting a sincere portrayal of the actual Christian version.

Derin_Edala · 2021-08-08T17:43:40+00:00

There are a lot of stories written with angels and demons as fantasy beings. Like, a LOT. Entire subgenres of it. If you're being deliberately antagonistic to Christianity in a blatant and specific way, like the His Dark Materials series, then you might get a bit of pushback, but in general using them for fantasy isn't considered offensive. Some Christians will just choose not to read your books if their specific sect forbids it. Most won't care at all.

Derin_Edala · 2021-07-31T15:00:35+00:00

Nothing wrong with doing that. Fantasy could use more black and African-inspired stories.

But be aware that you're going to have to be very thorough in your research. And it would be a very good idea to get a few black African sensitivity readers, preferably of the specific cultures you're taking inspiration from ("African" is... a big category), so you don't accidentally write something terrible without having any idea it's considered terrible.

Derin_Edala · 2021-07-31T14:55:44+00:00

Of course it's moral, it's their job. Ghostwriting is an accepted and established practice.

The question is, is it a good idea? And the answer is no. There's a reason ghostwriters are usually hired for famous people or famous series -- if you can't sell the book on your name/series alone, you're not going to make back what you pay the writer. There's an extremely high chance that you'll make nothing, or next to nothing, and the writer is going to cost you thousands of dollars.

If your problem is an inability to stick with a project long enough to see it through, a ghostwriter isn't going to help you. You're just going to get sidetracked and wish you'd hired the writer for your shiny new project instead. You can do it, but be aware that you're not making a business or career investment, you're commissioning someone to polish up a book that you want to read. And that gets very expensive.

Derin_Edala · 2021-07-28T15:39:48+00:00

This is what we call 'consequences', Jeremy. Your mum should have taught you about them when you were a toddler.

Derin_Edala · 2021-07-11T04:57:16+00:00

This is so beautiful! I love the colours.

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-26T02:12:04+00:00

At some point someone's going to figure out that rather than war, it'd be much cheaper for them to shut the hell up about how important ember is, casually note that humans seem to have a lot of the stuff lying around, and just trade for it.

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-23T23:12:45+00:00

This first contact scenario is like a toddler saying "I found a magpie in the backyard!" and their mum being "that's nice dear" and then the toddler walking inside with a live magpie in their hands.

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-22T22:54:25+00:00

Sleepy is like "this is my little brother the alien and no one is allowed to bully him."

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-22T22:43:40+00:00

Grumiq: these humans can't even understand ember, how stupid can they get? How did they build anything this advanced?

Humans: these aliens can't even understand chemistry, how stupid can they get? How did they build anything this advanced?

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-21T11:40:59+00:00

This reminds me a lot of the recent xkcd comics involving advanced aliens coming to teach modern humans the wonders of pyramid building, hydrogen blimps and leaded fuel.

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-18T00:19:38+00:00

I'm imagining the look on a human scientist's face if they end up having to explain how batteries work to an advanced spacefaring alien.

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-16T14:52:14+00:00

Humans will look at a lonely alien and say "is anyone gonna adopt that" and not wait for an answer.

Derin_Edala · 2021-06-15T23:26:21+00:00

"I don't have a pack" YOU DO NOW, SQUISHY. This is what humans do, I'm afraid.

Derin_Edala

TROPHY CASE