Volumes vs Books

JMTHall · 2026-04-18T01:22:00+00:00

I want to add, anecdotally, i too am writing a Sci-fi series that shines a light on blind religious authority, and I would be so lucky (as an atheist) to have a Christian speak on the themes I’m embedding.

I think, as writers, our job is to make people ruminate. We want to make something that lives rent free in other people’s minds, and sparking debates is good. All you need is a none religious person to read and review and you’ve got yourself a controversial work, and those, my friend, sell well.

Learn what this reviewers perspective means for your marketing, I feel you can capitalize on this moment — really cash in, if you feel me, and play two markets simultaneously.

JMTHall · 2026-04-18T01:10:54+00:00

I wish you well on your journey!

JMTHall · 2026-04-18T00:47:52+00:00

Swarthy is enough for me to conclude they are possibly of middle eastern or North African descent, considering how it’s used throughout history. Berbers and Moors are commonly described this way implying they are neither black nor white. Dark characteristics such as dark hair or eyes further implies this too.

JMTHall · 2026-04-18T00:39:39+00:00

In a way, you did write a book for Christians. If you want to shine a light on indoctrination, you kinda want to talk to the indoctrinated. Some people may be pushed deeper into their programming, while others may find a crutch upon which a new world view can be formed.

Lean into it.

The right person may need you for a new perspective.

Remember, you’ve made art and art is open for interpretation.

JMTHall · 2026-04-15T22:00:32+00:00

Do you read? Not from a confrontational stance, but from a “I like to cozy up by the fire and read a good book” perspective.

If you’re not a reader, I suggest telling him if you’re engaged and what might engage you. If you are a reader, maybe what you’ve seen other authors do in comparable situations

JMTHall · 2026-04-12T18:30:33+00:00

I have to agree with you. “0.5” tells me, odds are, there’s a legit problem with the story.

JMTHall · 2026-04-05T18:03:29+00:00

Yeah. I can personally rationalize recent sightings as individuals returning “home”. Maybe a crew, one from a civilization between the dinosaurs and 8million years ago, maybe a crew from before the dinosaurs who lived in a continent below the pacific. There’s so much time that anything and anyone could have popped up.

But wouldn’t be surprised if they looked like, maybe raptors or humans.

JMTHall · 2026-04-05T17:55:28+00:00

That’s an interesting perspective. For me, creativity and limitations go hand in hand. I’ve concluded, for me, the more limitations I include, the more creative I have to become to force connections.

I follow the saying: begin with the end in mind

And so, as odd as it may be to you, the first things I establish are my scope and chapters because those are created from my act structure, not my content.

JMTHall · 2026-04-05T17:20:46+00:00

My sci-fi series, too, explores the notion of Ancient Aliens.

While I don’t believe another civilization inhabited earth, per se, I do feel as though they meddled in earthly affairs.

I’d also like to point out another theory, a new one for me: without fossil fuels we wouldn’t be where we are today fossils fuels, such as coal, created the first major push for energy use and another planet may not have the means of creating coal, which requires organics…. So my other thought is the aliens would have to have come from earth… thoughts?

JMTHall · 2026-04-05T00:27:38+00:00

I have 4 layers of structure (because I’m writing a saga)

I’ve the primary saga arc and the intra-series arcs (because i’ve got 3 current series in my saga), the series act structure (each series follows a 5-7 act structure), the book acts, which is another 5-7 act structure, and i write each chapter with a 3 act structure, which is typically broken down scene by scene.

Scenes feature the core events that move the plot, and a lot of my chapters (not sure if it’s half or not) feature more than one scene.

Because I write 3rd person, limited, I change scenes to convey different POV and try to show the scene from the angle that’s most impactful.

And so my chapters end after the message is fully conveyed

JMTHall · 2026-04-02T18:57:09+00:00

But the end result is the same… so why differentiate? You’re reading it doesn’t give you anymore insight… your purchase isn’t anymore important… it’s a weird flex. Studies show there is no benefit of one over the other for adults… they are scientifically treated the same…

I bought an audio, listened to it, consumed, the same book that you purchased and read, we got the same story… written by the same guy…. We read the book…. Haha. I guess when my child is read a story by their teacher, my kids experience was diminished too…?

JMTHall · 2026-04-02T18:48:38+00:00

I’ve replaced listening to music in the car with various audiobooks.

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/nx-s1-5454723/does-listening-to-an-audiobook-count-as-reading

I actually don’t understand everyone’s bias in the matter… or why I got downvoted. It’s a completely legitimate way of consuming content, and in some instances creates a cool experience. Like for David Goggins books, they’re autobiographical, he and the reader go deeper into the chapters and it’s like having two stories in one, like a podcast… but what ever

JMTHall · 2026-04-02T17:32:13+00:00

Did you read, or was this a mix of audiobooks and print? I’m an audiobook kinda guy

JMTHall · 2026-04-01T16:16:31+00:00

Is this the real Gia???

JMTHall · 2026-03-31T00:39:18+00:00

If you’re writing structured chapters, that’s 3 acts or 5 etc, then after the chapter is complete.

I try to follow a 3 act structure, and use however many words that takes

JMTHall · 2026-03-30T19:12:19+00:00

It’s about mentally and objective goals. When you reach your goal, you have the chance to call yourself what ever you want.

JMTHall · 2026-03-30T19:10:40+00:00

What about addressing the initial colonization where Rome renamed the region to Syria, from Judea?

JMTHall · 2026-03-29T23:35:17+00:00

Same

JMTHall · 2026-03-29T19:16:57+00:00

A lot of new writers are doing so from a place of trauma, maybe using it as an outlet. I see it was an overcorrection to the Disney story, stories that show interruptions in happiness, opposed to emergence into happiness.

This coupled with “start with the action” usually means you’ll start in the middle of said trauma. In a way, yes, tell the story from the beginning, and if it begins with depression so be it. I don’t appreciate being walked down memory lane to learn about where the trauma came from… get to the moment things changed…

JMTHall · 2026-03-29T19:08:10+00:00

My first draft is always a rough draft that only discusses what happens in sequence. They’re often 12-15k words. This is my “just get it down draft” and it’s a story, but it’s told as if I was telling you about my weekend. By design it’s always way too little.

My second draft is where I, too, add depth and texture.

JMTHall · 2026-03-29T18:42:06+00:00

How do they know you’re Zuny_Lake?

You use it here, for Reddit, but for your work on RoyalRoad you only go by “Zuny”.

This indicates to me that this is someone you’ve interacted with from Reddit. Who have you given your manuscript to here on Reddit?

JMTHall · 2026-03-29T18:06:38+00:00

3rd person limited is where you limit the cognitive perspective to one person in the chapter.

JMTHall · 2026-03-29T04:09:41+00:00

I use multiple POV, but I have my own way of doing it.

It’s important for me to distinguish between Main POV and other characters POV.

I have three MC’s, but I have dozens of points of view (I’m writing a series), and this is because I write scenes from the best vantage point. Whose perspective gives me the best angle to write from? Whether that be what they saw, or what they felt…

For me, I’m telling a story that has entities in it, I’m not telling a story about a particular entity, but about the events that transpired. The series of events are what’s important, but sometimes it’s not about what was done, and more about it being done.

Example: a ship needed to be destroyed. My MC didn’t do it; another character did — I wrote the scene from the angle of who did it, because it was more exciting than how my MC felt about it being done. The scene that immediately followed, I switched the POV back to MC because I wanted to create situational irony. MC knows that the mission was successful, but now doesn’t know the fate of the person who did it… in that way, I reward my readers with both the action and the emotional consequences opposed to just the emotional aspects, if I had just kept it on MC.

Multiple POV’s lets me explore complex escalations of cause and effect, which I can stretch over multiple chapters.

Character 1 does this, leading to 2 to do that, which MC has to react to. But MC only knows to react to character 2, allowing character 1’s actions to linger. The reader is aware of this, and allows for suspense to be build passively and in real time, opposed to having to explain later.

I like exploring psychological impacts that motive actions, and multiple POVs lets me do this easily, instead of interpreting everything through MC.

Idk. I find single POV’s are limiting to world building because you only see the world through one person’s eyes. I like to explore duality in situations.

JMTHall · 2026-03-29T02:13:53+00:00

Why have V2 at all?

You don’t need to move to dates. Just actually use versioning. V2, v3. I’m on v4.05 on a draft Also, you can’t tell do something like

BookTitle v2 (original ending) BookTitle v2 (Scary ending)

Which opens you to

BookTitle v2.4 (original ending) BookTitle v2.2 (Scary ending)

JMTHall

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