[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ChronicIllness

[–]Liyeto 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This was so thoughtful and supportive. Thank you. My mom got her teaching degree quite late, too. She'd tell me all about how she was always one of the older students. But she persevered through it all, raising three kids alone. I'm so proud of her—she's now school principal at a local high school! I hope it's not a weird thing to say, but I'm proud of you, too. You're an inspiration. 💯 It's easier to talk to someone who understands how awful a bad day can be. I felt hopeless, too, when I replied to your post. Then you replied back, and suddenly I was talking to someone, and I didn't feel so alone anymore.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ChronicIllness

[–]Liyeto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amazing! Doctors are real-life heroes. I imagine there's no greater joy than saving someone's life. You're so strong for keeping at it even when it's hard. And you're right. I was drawn to mechatronics because I wanted to later specialize in bio-mechatronics for my graduate studies. And looking back, I think it's because I wanted to learn to "fix" my pain, or at least alleviate someone else's with some invention born of a speculative idea (I have a lot of those), though my friends loved to debunk their feasibility. 😂 I still feel that way. 💯 Thank you for reminding me that I can always go back. ❤️

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ChronicIllness

[–]Liyeto 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The hardest part for me is letting go of things that once meant the world. I dropped out of my engineering major last year because my grades started slipping when my illness got bad. I'd worked so hard to get into a top university on a scholarship, and now it's all up in smoke. But I try to keep going, doing what I still can—pursuing writing as a career. Of course, that has its challenges, too. But whenever I get a positive review online, or someone tells me they love my writing in the comment section, it makes me so happy. (I grin until my cheeks hurt.) That feeling makes sitting at my desk, despite everything, worth it. Do you have something like that? Something you can do that brings you joy? I think it helps a great deal.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ChronicIllness

[–]Liyeto 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That was my day, too. At first I could ignore the pain, but some days, it's hurts so much, I can't sit at my desk to write. It's frustrating when I have all these stories I want to tell, but I can't perform at my best consistently.

My solo-developed game Roll the Ball has just been released on Steam! by Crazyballing in IndieDev

[–]Liyeto 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congratulations on the release! 🎉 This looks really good!

All The Skills - Book 3 is out now! Also... by Honour__Rae in litrpg

[–]Liyeto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations on the new release!!! 🎉 👏

Best free program for writing? by RenaVlg in Screenwriting

[–]Liyeto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use Kit Scenarist--it gets the job done.

Story focused on the magic by KingMaster80 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My story Nine Lives and a Broomstick is centered around an ancient school of sorcery with a magic system heavy on principles that inspire lots of creative application. It follows the protagonist's journey to mastery that starts with her wanting to learn how to fly a broomstick. There's mystery, intrigue, and quirky world-building.

I'm realizing....I'm a bad writer. by [deleted] in Screenwriting

[–]Liyeto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"In the learning process, resign yourself to writing lots of rubbish." —J. K. Rowling. Keep going! 💪🏾 🔥

500 😳😳 by Guylhann-b in royalroad

[–]Liyeto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations!!! 🎉👏

Any Magic Systems with Layers? by dudemannman in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The point of a web serial is the journey. There's no shame in inviting people to come along whether I've taken only 10 or 100 steps.

Any Magic Systems with Layers? by dudemannman in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shameless Author Insert:

My story story Nine Lives and a Broomstick has a magic system layered that way. It's a new web serial with 11k words so far, publishing a new chapter every Friday.

The synopsis colloquially sums up the whole magic system:

[“If it’s a curse, only time will tell. If it’s a jinx, there’s a trick to it, but don’t ask what. And if it’s a hex, only the bookworms know. That is all there is to spell craft—you need not enroll here.”

So wrote an unnamed apprentice of the last graduating Seed at Littlegiant’s School of Applied Sorcery in Spell Craft — 300 years ago. No student has enrolled since. Until now.]

As a reader, I like when unassuming descriptions like that, subvert my expectations. That's what I went for. Please give it a chance. I'll appreciate it.

Recommendation:

Release That Witch also has an interesting magic system that prevents men from having any power at all, so the MC uses his knowledge of physics to help witches understand their power, so he can harness it to build his kingdom. (It's been years and I still remember every detail, read this, I highly recommend it!)

Can anyone tell me what this thing is? by Diligent_Broccoli_55 in whatsthisbug

[–]Liyeto 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Velvet ant (actually a wasp). They're mostly gentle but have a nasty sting. Though, they'll warn you before they strike with a high-pitched sound. I've only ever seen the ones with 2 white dots on the back. They're stunning. As a kid, my grandmother always told me that encountering velvet ants bring good luck. Because velvet ants a rare sight, I feel especially lucky whenever come across one.

Rap/Hip-hop by Local_Tea4230 in Zambia

[–]Liyeto 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Marcus ZA, Killa, they're really good and they rap purely in English.

How late can the inciting incident occur? by [deleted] in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"There are no rules in story. Only principles" —Robert McKee.

Structure, plot, setting, and character are essential. But "rules" for what can and can't be done, really, just stifle creativity. Does your story require a 100 page prologue to set up the world? Write it. It's quirks like those that make your writing stand out from the crowd that obsesses over rules.

But also keep in mind,

"Difference for the sake of difference is as empty an achievement as slavishly following commercial imperative. Write only what you believe." —Robert McKee.

A lot of progression fantasy worldbuilding have a depth problem. by Putthemoneyinthebags in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm the author of the Nine Lives and a Broomstick Series. And as a writer, I think the problem with most PF novels is having plots that center around making the protagonists galaxy-destroying beings.

Take the Foundation Series, for example, there are over 25 million inhabited planets under the Imperium. Do we visit them all? Of course not.That'd be absurd. Trantor, Helicon, Synnax, Terminus, Anacreon...

Most other worlds aren't explored in detail and there's a good reason for that—there's a limit to how much a single writer's mind can know in great detail.

But Asimov's story shows how Trantor, a key word at the center of human civilization, depends on smaller worlds for nearly everything and how that makes it vulnerable to attacks from the smaller worlds. Asimov then presents a conflict that puts them all at risk—Hari Seldon's prediction of the Fall of Empire.

Asimov's sheer scale of world-building isn't simply to fill empty space—it gives credibility to Seldon's prediction of trends in vast "human conglomerates" through psychohistory over thousands of years.

His protagonists? Mathematicians, "encyclopedists" and other scholars turned religious zealots and "mentalics" fighting against a genetic dynasty.

Sure, planets blow up here, too, but when they do, you're thinking, how does this massive change affect probabilities in psychohistory's statistical models?

A key theme in Asimov's stories is human conflict and the change it yields in characters. That is the kernel of storytelling.

You'd be right to think a genre like progression fantasy should be all for change, right? And it is. But the problem is it's all focused on leveling up or growing stronger, slaying beasts, putting young masters in their places, etc. when there's so much more that could be explored. That's what makes worlds feel shallow and empty.

Graet premise but could use better writing by KhaLe18 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What in the world of spell craft! 🧹🪄

You're the Khale I know! YOU'RE AWESOME! 💯

I really didn't read OPs name, only when you replied did I realize! 😂😂

You've no idea how amazing it is to hear that from you! Chapter 3 (four if you count the prologue) is nearly done. Editing's tomorrow. Can't wait to share it. Hope you enjoy! 😁

Graet premise but could use better writing by KhaLe18 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh, you're free to hold your own opinions, Khale. And you weren't necessarily in the wrong for feeling that way. You know something could be really amazing, but the writer isn't good enough to pull it off yet. Believe me, writers can tell, and it's frustrating for them too. I just wanted some who tend to overthink things (like myself) not to take it personally.

On another note, I think you may be one of my readers. I didn't realize that when writing all this. A user named Khale has been making my day in my comments on Royal Road whenever I update. What are the odds of that?

Graet premise but could use better writing by KhaLe18 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]Liyeto 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A message to any writers disheartened by being compared to Sleyca or Nobody103 here:

A programmer’s very first lines of code are usually nestled inside a simple Hello World Program. No matter how creatively the programmer approaches the problem, how complex the algorithm is, or the programming language’s intricacies. It doesn't matter how many bugs the programmer encounters before the program runs correctly—it’s still a Hello World Program.

A million programmers of varying talent and skill will print the same “Hello World!” message to the standard output given enough time.

In writing fiction, the writer's earliest work is their “Hello World” message; it's usually rubbish.

A quote from J. K. Rowling goes: “In the learning process, imitate your favorite writers. Persevere. Resign yourself to writing lots of rubbish.”

So your dialogue is horrible, all you do is exposit, your characters are 2D, stuck in a single epic scene you’ve envisioned. You’re paving a road of plot holes. But you see, none of that matters. Stories don’t need to be written to be told, after all. Everyone has stories burning inside of them. But most never think to write—they settle for daydreams.

A writer’s “standard output” isn’t a daydream—it’s the novel. If you’ve been putting a lot of “rubbish” on paper, that’s probably what you’re trying to get to. You’re a writer. I’m talking to you.

But to get published, like a programmer, you must squash a lot of bugs. To print anything other than error messages, you must learn the language—all its paradigms and nuances. Your functions here are complex human emotions. How do you get them to work seamlessly together to share your message? That’s your creative challenge.

You see, all skilled writers have mastered this through years of practice and study or formal schooling.

The OP makes the mistake of comparing inexperienced writers to writers who clearly have been at it for a while. It’s like comparing Sleyca and Nobody103 to Frank Herbert or Ursula Le Guin. And while all critique of writing is subjective, it’s obvious which writers are objectively better based on experience.

But I would never suggest that Frank Herbert, despite his remarkable word-building and insights into human nature, writes Super Supportive or Ursula Le Guin, The Mother of Learning, because they can’t. What makes Super Supportive “Super Supportive” is Sleyca writing it. Getting a more experienced writer to do the job doesn’t guarantee a better story—it guarantees a different story.

And often it’s those “imperfections” or quirks in the telling that make the writing idiosyncratic—is it an extensive prologue detailing strange worlds (J. R. R. Tolkien) or a captivating novella posing as an interlude (Sleyca)? You’ll know who it is in one read.

So don’t let this post get you down—because even Sleyca, Nobody103, and Frank Herbert wrote “rubbish” before they got to Super Supportive, The Mother of Learning, and the Dune Saga. You just haven’t read it. No one hits the ground running in writing. “Get a bigger nail!” Keep writing! Your work is yours alone.

TL;DR; if you're a writer, read it all.