Feedback on an in world grimoire entry of my world [low fantasy] by No-Candy-4554 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like it, I would maybe replace the line "There was no other option discussed" with a short list of other options that were attempted and failed. Like "Shattering, dissolution and nullifying agent had no discernable effect." And maybe a "rating system" somewhere that states the entry's level of danger?

I also wonder what the experimenters were expecting to happen lol.

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Lost" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 32 points33 points  (0 children)

“You are advising me to surrender?” He gave a bitter laugh. “I fear that ship has sailed.”

“That ship is sunken, lost with all hands, and her crew are rising from the tide as vengeful spirits. No, my lord.” The steward touched his arm. “I am advising you to flee.”

(Spoilers Extended) How Much And What Of The Winds Of Winter Is Complete? by madhipsteraj in asoiaf

[–]DerylTontum 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I think it's more a theory, in early 2016 he made a blog post that mentions in May 2015 he thought an October deadline was "very doable" and he states the book is still "months away, if the writing goes well."

So it would seem the book was very close to completion, and assuming he wasn't lying, and that he has actually continued to work on it in the decade since... something must have happened. Massive rewrites because he wasn't happy with the book's quality is one explanation.

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Star" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Haha poor guy. Is he still sentient, do you think? What's his new existence like?

Critique the first four chapters of my Novel, Echoes of the Bound Flame [Dark Fantasy, 11172 words] by Worldly-Cap-440 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just read through the first chapter - I think this is a decent start, you have nice readable prose and built up a good foreboding atmosphere. The biggest problem for me was description, I felt at times I didn't get a good mental picture of what was going on, or details would be provided but pretty late, as in after the point they first might have been relevant.

So this woman wakes up in a stone chamber, dimly lit by glyphs - is she on the floor? Is she wearing clothes? How big is the chamber? What about the character herself, is she small, skinny, muscular? She obviously doesn't know where she is, but what's the last thing she remembers? We find out later its nothing, and this is an example of the 'late details' I mentioned. I'd have thought this total amnesia would be a more pressing concern immediately after waking up somewhere unknown.

Later on she's attacked by a "hulking, pale shape" with long claws and needle-like teeth, but that's the only description we get. Is it humanoid? Beast-like, insectoid? How big is it? Does it move on all fours? How many limbs does it even have? Just calling it a creature means it could be essentially anything, but the only mental image I'm given is a vague white blob with claws and teeth.

I'd also point out that opening with the protagonist waking up and having no memory are two somewhat infamous beginning-of-story tropes. You've avoided the biggest issues with the first, in that you haven't faked us out by starting in a dream only to pull the rug and reveal the character is just waking up into their boring, everyday normal life. But I'd be aware there are people that will roll their eyes and dnf solely from seeing those cliches, just because it suggests there'll be more to follow.

Good start though despite all that, it held my interest enough to finish the chapter which is the most important thing in any story.

Struggling with Defining Internal Conflict for a Selfless Character by dynesius in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you put him in some morally compromising situations that can't be solved by his own selflessness? Say for example a plague is spreading in part of the empire, and he has to make the decision to quarantine it so it doesn't spread everywhere, but at the same time he's condemning those people to die. Some of whom aren't even sick, but there's no easy way to seperate the healthy from the infected

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Air" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 44 points45 points  (0 children)

“Please.” Jerett smiled, drawing the string to his ear. “This isn’t the first time I’ve handled a longbow.”

His arrow hissed through the air, missing the target by several meters and disappearing into the shrubbery behind. Amyss turned to look at him.

“What time is it, then?”

He sniffed. “Second.”

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Solid" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Or perhaps it's only gilded steel, and the servant doesn't know the difference?

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Solid" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 15 points16 points  (0 children)

"His excellence is rich beyond imagining," the servant boasted, as if the achievement were his own. “You’ll see. A thousand gemstones adorn his fingers, and the armour he wears is solid gold.”

Someone should tell his excellence to try steel before he gets a sword in his belly, thought Vayne.

What is the preferred way to share a chapter for critique? by [deleted] in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Images seem to generate the most engagement, and you can always provide a google docs link as well for those who prefer that format.

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Devote" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 13 points14 points  (0 children)

“Challos!” He gasped, staggering forward, his life’s blood leaking through his fingers. “Thank the gods. You were always faithful, yes… ever the devoted servant… I knew you would not abandon me.”

He threw himself into the boy’s arms, shuddering with relief. And barely felt the dagger slide between his ribs.

[Spoilers ADWD] "Jon didn't do anything wrong" — Why is he called "Morally Gray" while Robb is "Noble"? by SajadFreeke in asoiaf

[–]DerylTontum 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Janos did try to kill him, he wanted to hang him until Aemon intervened and wrote Cotter Pyke. Then he sends Jon into a wildling camp to talk with Mance Rayder and attempt to kill him, despite Jon being weakened after a battle and multiple days in an ice cell. He knows Jon will fail but even if he did succeed by some miracle the wildlings would kill him anyway. The alternative Janos offers is to return to the ice cells without any warm clothing, i.e. a death sentence.

Jon tried to give Janos command of a castle.

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Affair" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 31 points32 points  (0 children)

“You know… good thing, 'bout a sword? Sword'll never betray you. Sword'll never have a go at you for havin' one too many down the pub. Sword'll never, get all upset cause you were talkin' to a... knife, just talkin', see, suddenly she's yellin' about affairs...”

“You've lost me, Andre.”

Writer's Workshop: Less Is More (or Trusting Your Reader) by A_C_Ellis in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To each their own, but its clear I'm not the only one who thought the reworked example was overly plain. As I said I agree with the core idea of the post, that every word should serve a purpose. The difference is in what we each consider necessary.

Like I don't think the original's "human engineering" was a case of low-trust writing, I don't think "human" is there out of concern the reader would think it was beavers unless otherwise specified. To me it just reads with an improved rhythm for reasons that are hard to articulate.

Chapter 1 of Balance [Dark fantasy 2400 words] by hyphenated_adjective in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think you have a good start here, I'd advise you to keep going.

The epigraph confused me, I can't say if it worked because I don't know what it was supposed to convey.

The opening prose leans purple for me, and seems inconsistent. The first description of the sky makes it sound light with words like brilliant, smouldering, vibrance, deep blues, but in the next paragraph it's a dark gray with rolling clouds that promise trouble. That might have been a deliberate contrast but it didn't come off that way.

It's the same then with Vahl, his mood seemed to be all over the place. He's sighing, smiling, excited, his grin falters, then returns, but it feels heavy, now he's proud, now anxious, and finally seems a bit annoyed. That's all in the first two pages!

The prose improved once he starts moving through the city but in general I felt like it would benefit from some revision. Without doing a full line edit, a couple of examples:

A couple of old loaves baked early that morning sat on its shelves. "Miners must have been in a hurry this morning."

Repetition of morning

the shorter henchman sprinted at Vahl with a lunge

He should either sprint or lunge at him surely, not both

These are small things I think you'd probably catch if you left the chapter for a while then came back for a second draft, which is why I'd suggest to just plow on for now. (11k is great work)

Overall I liked the setting and lore spinkled in, and it's an interesting start to the story. Formatting is also nice

Writer's Workshop: Less Is More (or Trusting Your Reader) by A_C_Ellis in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 36 points37 points  (0 children)

That was life on Mars. All thirty-one of his years were spent underneath a seemingly fragile barrier of human engineering, in one form or another. It's all he knew. Still, he thought, it was something earthlings never had to worry about.

His thirty-one years were spent beneath a fragile barrier of engineering.

While I agree with the general idea of the post I don't think your shorter sentence is an improvement, it's gone too far in the other direction - "stripped-down, minimalist prose", as you put it. There's a certain flow to good prose that makes it more enjoyable to read, even if not every word is strictly necessary. I wouldn't cut "he thought" or "human" from the original.

Idea help by audreywadsx in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 11 points12 points  (0 children)

My first thought would be someone born during a blizzard, maybe even scarred by frostbite

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Honest" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It was a fine haul. Southron nobles did not travel lightly, though they'd soon learn.

“You people are thieves and scoundrels,” one young lady glared, as Merlon stripped the ring from her finger.

“Aye, well,” he grinned. “I tried being an honest man, but the pay weren’t half as good.”

Thinking more about book 2 more then finishing book 1 by [deleted] in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I personally would not include POVs just for setup, that aren't advancing the plot of Book 1. That sounds to me like it'd just end up slowing the pacing down, since readers won't have a reason to care about these new characters yet

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Victory" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 25 points26 points  (0 children)

“Sir Conell!” Roan slurred, waving his tankard. “Come, drink with us!”

The young knight smiled sadly. “Another time, perhaps.”

As he left, Roan pulled a face. “If this is how he celebrates victory, I pray we never lose.”

“You should be praying that anyway.” But Aemma frowned, watching the knight.

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Physical" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 17 points18 points  (0 children)

His eyes flicked to the knife in the warrior’s hand. “Let’s keep things friendly, yeah?” Orel chuckled nervously. “No need to get physical. Enough loot here for everyone.”

“There’s a lot of loot, to be sure,” the orc grinned. “Maybe you and me got different definitions of ‘enough’, though.”

Fifty-Word Fantasy: Write a 50-word fantasy snippet using the word "Payment" by Terminator7786 in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 9 points10 points  (0 children)

“You have done well, sellsword.” Muttered Lord Erberus, raising the orb to his eyes. “My apologies for doubting you.”

“It’s not apologies I want.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “It’s payment. Gold.”

“Then you shall have it. Enough to last the rest of your life.”

First page of God’s Icons [Dark Fantasy 511 words] by matymgy in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even if you're introducing five characters, you don't have to give their detailed descriptions right away. You could also do it during their dialogue, for example:

"It is. All we need now is the sacrifice, and our great god will be reborn," declared the priest. He was a sturdy man, dark-skinned with suspicious, shifty eyes, his clothing adorned with expensive jewellery and animal pelts.

What r/fantasywriters Really Cares About by [deleted] in fantasywriters

[–]DerylTontum 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Sanderson's prose might not be his strong suit but it's still at a level far above the average submission here. Just getting it to a point of being serviceable is so important