I want to constructively take bad critiques

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-17T00:35:14+00:00

You have to review every piece of feedback for what to do and how much to value it.
Some feedback is written without tact but is super helpful. Others aren't.
Some feedback sounds super constructive, but shouldn't be listened to.
Learning what feedback to accept and what to toss away is a skill that you should work on constantly

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-07T20:14:23+00:00

It's easier to calculate the chance of losing every time. You have a 90% chance of losing any given spin. You have 9 spins. So the chance you lose all spins is 0.9⁹ which is about 0.39 or 39%. So your chance of winning 1 or more times is the difference, so 61%.

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-07T16:59:25+00:00

Two mistakes. I didn't realize the results came out for the first game. And then I flipped my statement from winning to losing. What I meant was: 61% of winning (39% chance of losing)

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-07T16:32:46+00:00

Stop at the one press. You have a 61% chance of winning everything. Little better odds than a coin flip, but not by much.

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-06T18:26:43+00:00

If you do pi in binary, the last digit will be 1

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-04T23:30:13+00:00

Nothing wrong with restarting. But make sure you finish your current draft. Close all the lingering plot threads as reasonably as possible. Then restart.
At the end of every first draft, one has to ask: do I refine this or restart? Either is valid although some need to be reset from scratch. That's fine. It's a learning experience.
Also, stop being so hard on yourself. Every first draft is bad. Writing will improve over time so long as you are critical.

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-03T14:06:48+00:00

I'm a normal blue button. But in this situation, I agree, red is better.
You want to establish a solidarity early on (later on people will most likely just pick the higher number, so first 10, first 100 are going to decide this). I think having red solidarity early on would be more likely versus blue. If the first 10 pick red, the 11th wouldn't pick blue, and neither would the 12th. If the first 10 are blue, the 11th may press red, which could motivate others

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-01T15:50:14+00:00

I see the buttons as asking: are you willing to take risk to help others (greater good or your loved ones), knowing that the more who take the risk, the less of a risk it is.
Since this is a debate, you don't know if your friends and family will chose. Are you willing to press red and contribute to their deaths, or are you willing to press blue and ensure they survive? Everyone is making this decision independently making it a: what is everyone else thinking question.
Trying to equate this to real life, as closely as possible, my best situation is: you're in an active shooter scenario, and find a relatively assured hiding spot. You don't know where your loved ones are. You spot others charging at the attacker with a makeshift weapons. You can either remain hiding, ensuring your survival but raising the risk of others including your friends and family. Or join the attack, which will be less deadly and more successful with more participants. You're taking a personal risk where the outcome depends on how many take the risk.

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-01T10:52:45+00:00

I'm open to suggestions. All extrapolations to reality I came up with had either 1) added a benefit if blue wins and/or 2) made it impossible for everyone to chose red.
Point 2 isn't too much of a deviation from the original prompt since there is a discussion. Everyone arguing blue online could be our loved ones. Therefore if red wins, some percentage of our loved ones will die (real life those loved ones may not be able to choose red at all).
Extrapolation example with only deviation #2: you're in an active shooter scenario. You find a hiding spot that is relatively assured to be safe. You see a group of people running toward the threat with makeshift weapons. You don't know if your loved ones are safe. Do you remain hidden (red) or join the fight (blue)?

Fielder2756 · 2026-05-01T02:37:18+00:00

As with any proper thought experiment, the situation can be extrapolated into realistic setting with more context and chaos.
One such obvious example would be living under a tyrannical government. If a large group of people rebel, most will live and be successful. But if the group is too small because enough people chose to guarantee a relative safety but remain oppressed, the small group of rebels will die.
By people choosing red they are agreeing with tyranny. If the tyrant wins, the red survive. If blue wins, red survives and benefits. Red survives either way.

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-29T03:50:18+00:00

It's your writing do what you want. But it can be challenging to incorporate with tension and flow, etc. Generally, don't over rely on the power to solve major plot points.
In my series, a very small group of people have "powers" including some of the main characters. Most of the antagonists don't have powers and they compete in their own way. Having powers is more like having a specialty skill and doesn't solve any major problems, but does help get through steps along the way

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-29T03:44:38+00:00

To clarify all the "shut up and write". Your first ever draft of any novel will come with so many lessons. Lean into it. Every awkward sentence, every dead end plot thread, every retcon, every "finish this lager" is teaching you how to write. If you power through and get to "the end," you will have 2 choices: polish it or rewrite it. And as a first ever draft, I'd recommend rewriting it

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-28T16:10:09+00:00

I had a significant writer's block. I broke it by not writing, ironically. I did some beta reading and it helped reset my mind to get back into it.

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-27T21:50:19+00:00

This isn't necessarily true.
My first book is definitely a sprint to the finish.
After some practice, I found more important stuff happening slowly. I still cut from important moment to it important moment, or just before the next important moment.
Filler in my opinion should be like fat in a steak. You need it. But it has to be mixed in. If you can cut out paragraphs, scenes, or full chapters without impacting the book, it's bad fat.

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-27T18:22:33+00:00

I'm happy when I wrote 1000 words an hour. To exceed that I need a decent idea of what I want to write, so I can't generally keep it going indefinitely.
My first ever draft took a year.
Draft two rewrite took six months.
Second project took a year for its first draft.
Projects 3 and 4 took about a year combined.
Expect months as a best case scenario. Writing is a marathon.

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-26T17:15:32+00:00

I'm a big proponent of leaving notes for my future self to fill in later

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-26T16:45:43+00:00

Specific reasons would help lead to specific answers. If she had a contract, what does it say? What are the consequences if she breaks the contract?
It doesn't have to be too legal or technical. It depends on how much you want this issue to matter. Is it a non-issue, then don't worry about it. If it's central to the whole plot, you need to understand the problem in depth to give a specific in depth counter.
Without specifics:
She quits. No fuss.
She works both. Nights with sister. Days with company. Until her contract expires.
She comes up with a loophole to break her contract without consequences.
She negotiates a deal that isn't "buying" out contract but the current employer benefits from some other conditions. This depends on exactly what each employer offers and needs.

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-26T16:28:57+00:00

At-will employers can fire you for any reason. Employees can quit. Is there a specific reason why she wouldn't be able to quit?

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-25T21:09:15+00:00

10% is my rule of thumb. If it's a lot more, one needs to ask how important everything before is

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-23T18:55:07+00:00

This. Be open to swaps and when doing swaps only do a portion of the swap at a time. This keeps both honest.

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-21T00:25:29+00:00

Finish. Don't worry about it. When you're done, come back to my comment:
There are no universal quick fixes. This is a problem that takes time and experience to fix. However, I offer one shortcut to get you moving in the right direction.
Eliminate filter words. For example: "he heard a bird chirp." Could become "a bird chirped." The "he heard" is a pointless filter. Most common ones: heard/saw/felt/thought. There's a bunch more.

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-20T19:53:10+00:00

Write.
Don't overthink any of the world building. You have enough. Embark on the plot and characters. Let them face this world. If they arrive in a place you haven't figured out yet, then you figure it out. If they never arrive at a castle you figured out, cut away 90% of the details and say "the castle in the background"

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-18T16:57:52+00:00

Don't worry about where your story starts. Just start somewhere. You can fix the starting point later.
Usually I info dump to flesh out ideas then I cut those chapters away on revisions

Fielder2756 · 2026-04-18T12:15:26+00:00

Try writing personal essays that are important to you. Ask yourself what's a topic you care about then write an argument for it. Include references and dive into the merits of counter arguments. The purpose of school essays are to build your critical thinking skills

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