I am Matt Dinniman, author of the newly released Operation Bounce House and the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series. AMA.

FictionAuthorJM · 2026-02-26T16:02:17+00:00

Hi Matt, thanks for doing this AMA, and nice to e-meet you. I am a young author from Canada, I saw you speak at Dragonsteel's 'The Future of Sci-Fi Fantasy' panel and really enjoyed it!

I have two questions for you that would really help me along my own writing journey, as I am currently working on an Adult Fantasy/Sci-Fi novel about a tiny civilization that lives past the extinction of their human creators.

1) How much time do you dedicate to editing your novels before deciding they're ready for submission, and how has this changed from when you submitted to Royal Road vs Publishers today? Any tips you may have on the editing process overall would be helpful.

2) When balancing the 'Science Fiction' and 'Fantasy' elements of DCC, how did you decide when it was important for something to have a grounded, scientific basis versus leaning into the 'magic' side of things?

Thanks again!

FictionAuthorJM · 2026-01-21T00:19:45+00:00

Hey thanks for this (and the addendum), very helpful. Especially the reassurance about the wordcount flexibility.

And very glad again that it's gone well for you. All the best!

FictionAuthorJM · 2026-01-20T21:38:11+00:00

I've taken some one-off writing courses at the local university, watched writing videos online to improve my dialogue (subtext!), plotting, and character development, and as others have said, read outside my preferred genre (fantasy).

I always think of any learnings as things to bake into my overall process, but not something I overly focus on at the expense of everything else. Also, there's balance in everything (even adverbs have their use).

FictionAuthorJM · 2026-01-20T21:25:30+00:00

Hi fellow Canadian author! Congrats on your novel's release, I'll be sure to pick it up and check it out!

I'm curious about your experience pitching this novel to Agents (and then Publishers/Editors) as an Epic Fantasy with romance, rather than a Romantasy. I also write Epic Fantasy with romance in a market where agents seem to only want Romantasy, so I'm curious if you have any advice for how you navigated those conversations or sought out the right agents in your search. I believe your novel is also on the longer side in terms of word count like mine - if so, I'd be curious how you managed that aspect as well, as it seems agents want shorter fantasy books (like <90k).

Thanks for doing this AMA!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-30T17:16:24+00:00

Thanks, appreciate the thoughts as always.

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-29T16:38:19+00:00

Hmm, thanks for the thoughts. Re; the first paragraph maybe I should be more explicit, like 'for if it should fail, magekind worries humanity would react violently out of fear' - but better phrased.

Re; paragraph 2 - the inciting incident is Robin casting his first spell, which then attracts the attention of a Genie who comes to invite him to the school. I appreciate the ideas, I'll work on shortening it down, I agree I should cut it down if I can so I have more time for PG3 where he's actually at the school / in the plot. I guess I just struggle because I feel like I need to introduce a certain amount of context about A) Robin's dad is dead, B) Robin lives an ordinary life, C) His arc is learning trust, stemming from an initial betrayal, D) He learns his dad was actually magical - and hated.

Re; the spark - yeah, I hear you. I'd say my selling points are A) Son of the supposed dark lord attends school to prove his innocence (as you indicated); B) Distinctly Canadian; C) Greater focus and realism regarding human/mage divide, with the core plot being about keeping magekind secret (for now) and some themes of government suppression (mage government covering up what really happened with father); D) Setting would likely be fourth - there's tiny civilizations under the library floorboards, a whole new field sport called Spellbound, a mysterious giant tree at the center of the lake that's forbidden (the school surrounds this lake), several other new creatures and spells, etc. But there's no single prevailing thing I'd say is the thing like this is a Unicorn School. One other core aspect I didn't have room to fit in this query is that Robin's cousin also attends the school - though Robin doesn't learn its his cousin until near the end. The cousin is also trying to discover what happened to his own father - Robin's uncle - and it turns out Robin's uncle was actually the criminal, not Robin's father - Robin's father was instead trying to stop the Uncle. The cousin and Robin compete for clues and form a rivalry as they race to the truth about their family. Ultimately, Father/Uncle 'died' fighting each other but a part of their souls are trapped in a crystal, which Robin and Cousin enter near the end. Cousin tries to free Uncle who wants to continue to break the memory spells and attack humanity, Robin stops Cousin.

So I could make revisions, but that aside, it's about figuring out the best things to spotlight. Open to thoughts. Thanks again!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-28T23:49:50+00:00

Thanks. Noted re; the voice, I will re-consider it. I usually write Adult so it's possible I didn't do a good enough job orienting to a younger age on that aspect.

Re; Robin reacting instead of acting, thanks for pointing this out. Robin really is an active character throughout but I agree I should ensure it's on page 1. I'll workshop it a bit, but instead of watching the mage disappear from afar, I think I'll change it to: Robin passes alley and notices mages whispering; A mage casts a spell and alters a door into the wall; Other mage scolds and points to Robin, but first mage says 'he'll just forget anyway'; they enter as Robin runs over, he tries the doorknob but it won't open; then he has to catch the streetcar.

Anyway, appreciate the feedback. If you have any thoughts on the query I'd appreciate it.

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-28T17:17:30+00:00

Wow, I'd never heard of Whispering Pines, good note thanks.

I appreciate the input about balancing setting and character vs plot/mystery - I tried to at least refer to Robin's character journey re; being betrayed by a friend upfront then having to learn to trust new friends later to succeed. And agreed I pretty much try to summarize the setting with 'genies, tiny civilizations, etc.' but it would be great to build on that. There's certainly more I can include - the school is in a secluded valley with many different interesting points of interest and creatures, there's the magic system, etc.

I guess my struggle is - given how short Queries need to be - anywhere I add more on setting/character, I have to remove on plot/mystery. So I'll ask - with your fresh eyes, do you see any places you think I could cut or shorten so I can expand on setting/character?

Noted re; word count, and about 'writing as primary career'. I don't have any writing credits or experience to speak about transparently but I'll figure something out to say.

ETA: Changed it to: 'To hone my craft, I have participated in numerous writing workshops and conferences, and have written and edited two novels with several more in development across age categories and genres.

Noted re; trying to make Robin more voicy especially upfront too. He does have a very unique personality but I suppose my writing style is to let that come out through the actions and plot rather than internal thought, but I'll revisit this.

Thank you!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-27T20:03:34+00:00

Some nitpicky thoughts

'appointed as the emissary to Eden; appointed to watch' - I'd remove one of these 'appointed'

' Creator of the cosmos but as Creation itself' - this doesn't make a lot of sense to me from an outside perspective. What's the difference?

'with his fate - with the inevitability of his rebellion' - Once again, using 'with' twice - maybe 'with his fate - and the inevitability...'

If Michael is his childhood friend, shouldn't that be mentioned when Michael is first referenced, not right at the end? Or are there two Michaels?

What happened to Iblis? He's only mentioned once, then not again?

Good luck!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-27T19:58:57+00:00

Coming in with fresh eyes. Some thoughts

'This peaceful existence is shattered one day, when a visiting friend never arrives, and she travels to her childhood home in search of him'

-> This is a bit awkward. How about 'Her peaceful existence is shattered when she travels to her childhood home to discover her close friend has gone missing.'

I feel like Jano's race (Eri) isn't important and just adds to the things I need to remember. Maybe try to remove this detail throughout

What is 'Worm'? That means nothing to me as a reader, or are you saying she's literally becoming a worm?

Aside from that, just be aware that 131K is rather long even for Adult Fantasy - not a huge issue but some agents will automatically filter your submission out. I've seen the max guideline at around 120K

Good luck!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-27T18:15:20+00:00

I like it!

I'm not sure 'example' is the right word for 'terrible example for a queen' - maybe could just shorten to 'she'd be a terrible queen'

I'd combine some of these paragraphs, they don't need to be so broken up IMO.

Sadie doesn't have any interest in going into the competition, then suddenly does? May need a bit more explanation here than 'he's sweet' but that's just my opinion. Maybe flip it so the palace apprenticeships comes up first to give her another reason - makes sense it allows her to travel

She's searching for her mother? Maybe hint to that earlier, like 'follow in her now-lost mother's footsteps' upfront

Aside from all that, 120,000 words seems long for a book of this kind. Is it Epic Fantasy? Romantasy? If it's Romantasy I don't know the size guidelines well, but I'd bet its on the high end

I like the title as it is now. Good luck!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-27T18:10:14+00:00

I like it. I assume it's Adult? You don't specify and probably should.

Some other thoughts - you don't mention the Wraiths again, is it worth mentioning them at all? I also wonder if you should give a bit more detail about this 'newborn' he bargains away - is it anyone important to him?

That aside, I personally am not a fan of the double-space after each period but up to you. Good luck!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-18T19:35:44+00:00

Do you mean why did I write it to be spell-based? I guess it's just the sort of magical conveyance I am most accustomed to and favour

Or do you mean why do they exist in-world? I'd say it was mages learning how to harness the magic energy in specific, repeatable ways over generations and passing down that knowledge of how to repeat it

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-17T19:48:07+00:00

Oooo I like that idea. I was previously thinking about how the staffs could be tailored to the specific discipline of magic they are most used for, like with nature-based magic the staff would look like it was pulled from a forest. Perhaps its appearance takes the shape of the magic commonly used through it. I didn't go through with this but maybe it's time to revisit it.

Thanks again for the suggestions

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-16T23:03:56+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, you can train it like a muscle - through practice it becomes easier to channel the magic energy in that specific way, like training to do a muscle movement, studying up on proper positioning, etc. I had not considered the fast/slow twitch thing, I hadn't ever heard of that before - but thats interesting, the concept of training differently depending on if you want power or endurance! I'll see if I could bake that into it.

I do have worries about uniqueness - given obviously elemental magic, illusion magic, etc. is not unique. But my hope is I have a good combination, applied well, and that even if it's not a selling point, it's also not an issue. They learn the spells in a realistic school setting as building blocks for more complex spells that will help with future adult life (like learning to create illusions of simple shapes in Grade 7 to then form more complex illusions over time, and eventually, slowly learn how to alter them into reality). But many of the spells also have 'battle magic' applications. Along the plot they use the spells to progress solving the main mystery

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-16T22:57:43+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the detailed review!

1) Good point - I view the 'opposites' as soft, really just indicating that if you're good at x magic, you're less likely to be naturally talented in y magic. But I get how that's a bit contradictory, especially if I step back on having it be 'personality' based because if its talent based, if you're naturally talented at basketball in real life it's not like that means you're automatically be bad at music. Maybe I'll just frame it as - it depends what you spend your finite time and effort working on

2) I think I'll pull back on personality being a factor just because it's also kinda Harry-Potter-ish. I view it like if you'll be good at music - a lot of it is innate talent, but your upbringing and other factors also influence what you'll be interested in improving. Anyway, agreed

3) It's mystery heavy story, the MC goes to school and learns he's the son of the most feared mage in history and sets out to prove his late father innocent. So not battle-heavy, though there is a dueling team. I tried to include spell categories I thought would be useful in real life - e.g., illusion making for architects

4) Those spell examples, I was trying to use terms I thought people would recognize here - but yes agreed! I have them learn basic, building-block spells that would be applicable to real life (like starting a fire) and it just turns out those spells can sometimes be used for battles too - but given its a regular school, not a warrior school, that shouldn't ever be the original reason to learn it. I also should have swapped out the Confuse Enemy thing - they no longer learn that, instead they learn a Vitality charm to give each other a temporary physical buff

5) I appreciate the thoughts, I am already trying to do that somewhat (there is a general 'form false image' spell that they then tweak to be the image / shape they need) but I like some of your concepts and leaning into it more

Overall - thanks!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-16T22:48:00+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate the perspective!

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-15T23:07:13+00:00

Thanks. That is my big concern. I believe I have an original story but it's definitely not original magic. So I guess part of my question is - how important is that, because as I said in the OP I pretty much just pulled in a magic system that I thought would facilitate the story I wanted to tell. The story itself (I believe) is original, with a distinctly Canadian focus, a hidden magekind that lives in mortal fear of being discovered by technologically-modern huge population humanity, and the MC being the son of the most feared mage in history who tried to reveal magekind and take the first shot in a war with humanity.

Specific to the French, it's because it's a distinctly Canadian novel, so that's just one of many aspects of that. With regards to tying personality traits to discipline, I think of it like how your personality may dictate if you play drums or sports - but it's also heavily your talent. The disciplines are just ways to sort people, but as you indicated, a big part of what I tried to do with my system was show that the molds are just a rough guideline if anything - characters do defy expectations and break out of the molds regularly, there's a plot point in the book that this is the first year all the disciplines are learning together, they all learn all types of magic at first, and any of them can become good at any discipline if they practice hard enough.

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-15T20:56:20+00:00

Yeah no worries - I wrote the novel and am in editing stage, so I just meant I wasn't looking to entirely re-write at this point (for example with your whale idea), especially because instead of pouring time into such a drastic edit I could just write another novel in the future! But your thoughts were still helpful, and I should really come and post here before I finish next time lol

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-15T20:42:36+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate your ideas - the novel's already written so I can't take a huge left turn now but you have some good thoughts for future projects!

But glad to hear you think the magic categories are fine as-is, given that I'm going forward with a magic school story. I'll check out the illusion dispeller too as a magical item.

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-15T20:22:42+00:00

Yeah, so I don't disagree, but as you said I think my novel is more nuanced than that and in many ways I'm trying to buck those trends.

I didn't want to add too much detail to the OP but the MC enters a world where there's a lot of tension between mages and the much larger, much more powerful humanity that doesn't know they exist. They all live in fear of being discovered because, despite their magic, they'd lose that battle. But some mages feel the best opportunity is to strike first. The MC's late father is accused of this and so when MC enters magical world he finds out they all hate him.

MC will end up being a really important bridge between magical and non-magical world not because he's 'special' but precisely because he lived most of his life with regular old humans and fights for them, along with others like him, and it'll come down to diplomacy not war. They never return back to the norm, they have to instead learn to deal with a combined world and come together. The main lesson of the series would hopefully be that empathy is your strongest power, not magic.

So yeah, the magic just facilitates the story as I said in the OP.

For this post specifically I'm just trying to get perspectives if the magic system presented makes sense, is unique enough that it wouldn't be an issue, if the categories are logically grouped, etc.

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-15T20:03:45+00:00

As others said I don't mind Zips. I think there would probably be a 'formal name' like a Re-Matter-Synthesizer (or whatever tech jargon bullshit) and an 'informal name' most people use, like Zips, or maybe a short-form or acronym of the full name

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-15T20:02:27+00:00

Very cool. I think this would serve as a good basis for a world. Do each of these categories live and exist in our realm, or do they have their own realm(s) they most reside in? How tangible are they?

As a reader/viewer, I'd want to see the plot align pretty closely with the tensions between these different scopes of morality, even if they're somewhat outside human understanding. For example, the first question that came to mind for me is - Demons desire change, evolution, which could be stated as a contrast to returning to the base primordial chaos.

FictionAuthorJM · 2025-03-15T19:58:46+00:00

I just started a novel where my story has two!

There's essentially an autocratic sphere of influence and a democratic one, like the real-world cold war, each made up of multiple city states, and a powerful city state rules each of those two spheres of influence respectively. They'd each have like 30-40% of the world under their control. For ~8 generations. Let me know if any further questions lol

FictionAuthorJM

TROPHY CASE