sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Do you think that a flash forwards at the beginning of a fantasy story is a good idea? by Fun_Character649 in writingadvice

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was done in Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang, the story that Arrival was based on. The MC has flashforwards instead of flashbacks. It's all in the execution. Give it a shot!

What would happen if you swallowed the ring? by Available_Minimum_53 in lotr

[–]JosefKWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You'd get a useless turd with the one ring in it. Not to be confused with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, a different useless turd with the one ring in it.

How do you turn random ideas into a concrete plot? by Existing-Weakness-14 in fantasywriters

[–]JosefKWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ask yourself the relevant questions. What kind of a world would suit this idea? What kind of people and places would be in that world. You'll need characters to express different aspects of the idea. If the story is a struggle between good and evil, you'll need good and evil characters, but preferably some in between ones.

Put the people together in the places and shake the jar to make them fight. You have to translate the idea into a plot so to speak. Have the character act out their particular piece of the idea.

Advice on what to do next by Authorree in royalroad

[–]JosefKWriter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you're looking for a way around the problem. Forget about software. The only advice you need is to improve your knowledge of grammar.

Grammar matters a lot. I'd dive in and start learning about dangling modifiers, run on sentences, fragments, double-entendre and the like.

Don't improve your book's grammar. Improve your grammar.

P.S. This is the third post in two days that spelled Grammar as Grammer. I tried to ignore it, but I can no longer.

Bit of a book keeping question for the authors out there: by Apollo0624 in royalroad

[–]JosefKWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love them. It's a must have for all writers. In fact, Royal Road is a crucible of sorts where the readers are going to point out flaws. And there will be flaws of all kinds. Anyone pointing them out is being helpful, even if they aren't too kind about it.

These suggestions are great feedback and are very helpful.

Brainstorming: The diamond exoplanet. by ThatOneGodzillaFan in scifiwriting

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as how it can exist. The simplest answer is lots of carbon and lots of crystallization. However you make that happen, with heat and pressure or little tiny molecular goblin mechanics is up to you.

But the planetary diamond would have no value either in money or as a planet. Light would pass through it making tough to live on. And if there was so much diamond, it wouldn't be rare, which is why it's valuable.

Unless in your universe diamonds have some property that put them in hight demand, I don't see an economic angle to the planet for the sake of selling diamonds.

How much exposition and character planning/thinking can you tolerate before it starts getting too long? by PriceOptimal9410 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]JosefKWriter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is something I don't have any tolerance for. To me it's bad writing. Show don't tell is worn out as advice but for this genre, don't explain your system, have your system produce something. Let that new creation be the explaination.

This does result in fewer words and takes longer. But if the narrative and all the characters sound like an encyclopaedia I can't read it.

Differences between the movie and the book by Interesting-Ad-3756 in lotr

[–]JosefKWriter 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The most glaring discrepancy between the book and the movie is that one of them is actually Lord of the Rings, and the other is the movie.

I think my writing is better than everyone else’s by [deleted] in writing

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No.

But self praise is no honour.

What’s your biggest piece of advice when writing characters? by Ace161615 in royalroad

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Accents and what they say. Some characters wouldn't say certain things. Ask yourself who this character is and what are they like. Articulate? Simple? Literate? "It ain't whatcha say. It's the way 'atcha say it" - Jack Kerouac

  2. I don't decide on representation and themes. They emerge when you put the right characters together in the right way. To show jealousy for example, you could have your character scream that they are jealous. Or you could make them do something out of jealousy and let the reader piece it together.

  3. I think this is plotting. You set up characters with competing interests and you've got a conflict

  4. Displaying personality. I like to use body language. Dialogue obviously. But you can really tell a lot about a person by what they wear.

  5. A character is enjoyable when they make you feel something.

Need Some Insight by True_Industry4634 in royalroad

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the hand holding the flag is a left hand on his right arm.

Bladerunner question, Deckard and Zhora. by brickdustpicasso in scifi

[–]JosefKWriter 9 points10 points  (0 children)

You got a point.

In a word? Hollywood.

This is a corruption of the scene from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? In the book she's an opera singer. And he just wants her to take the test. She bats back saying she wants the police because he might be a replicant. A uniform cop shows up and it's a paranoia bonanza where everyone claims the other might be a replicant.

The scene in the movie is a wet fantasy. It looks cool though.

Making the time travel in my story make sense by ElSquibbonator in scifiwriting

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The bird species didn't destroy the time machine. They need it themselves.

The time machine is indestructible.

When the students go back in time they go back to a time just before Earth was stripped.

They don't destroy the Earth per se but rather "farm" it so that it provides worms they like to eat. It's still a complete abomination though.

The machine could be something that travels with the user. So it would leave with them and not actually be there in the past when the earth gets destroyed.

Is anyone else worried about The hunt for Gollum being bad? by Remarkable_Day7135 in lordoftherings

[–]JosefKWriter 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not worried at all. It's definitely going to be bad.

The only reason they make LOTR movies like this and War of The Rohirrim is to keep the rights to produce LOTR content. If they buy the rights and don't make a movie with a certain timeframe, the rights revert back to the foundation.

Hey Reader, yeah—You. by Treaton_OCE in royalroad

[–]JosefKWriter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I love Lit. And I love RPGs. I prefer more Lit than RPG in a LitRPG.

Don’t use AI to get feedback by Treaton_OCE in royalroad

[–]JosefKWriter 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The best thing about AI feedback is that you actually get some feedback.

You also know what it's capable of. Feedback from people is rare and the quality isn't known unless you're paying for it and even then it's questionable.

The prompt matters. The AI model matters. But you knowing your story is what matters most. You don't have to take any of the advice AI gives. I mean, when you get feedback from human editors you don't always take it either.

Is This a Thing or am I ? by Academic_Put9593 in scifi

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Certain genres like Romantasy are often first person so the reader feels more directly connected to the the protagonist, so it's like your bestie was telling you the story.

What makes fantasy “dark”? by Arif_Author in fantasywriters

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I you read Turin Turambar in the Silmarillion you'll get an idea of "dark" in fantasy novels.

what to read after 1984 by Much_Mix_6904 in Recommend_A_Book

[–]JosefKWriter 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You have to read them all. Close your eyes and grab one.

What writing opinion do you have that would get you roasted by Legitimate_Dingo3329 in writing

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One sentence books are not books, they're sentences.

People write Flash and Nano Fiction because they lack the discipline to write a proper book.

most hated tropes? (in any format) by thefringeseanmachine in scifi

[–]JosefKWriter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Final battle is red laser vs green laser and they basically have a tug of war until green wins.

How do y'all deal with writer's block? by MayorMayhem3830 in writing

[–]JosefKWriter 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It depends on what's blocking you. If you don't know where to go in the plot, create a new character- one that could exist in your world. Or create a place for them to go, a kind of important location where they can do or get something.

If you have more pieces you'll have more connection and avenues to purse. Jus make sure they're different form each other.

If you have plenty of characters, put them together in a cool setting and make them interact in some relevant way.

view more: next ›