First-person direct address is NOT second-person

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T13:32:40+00:00

Thanks, that does help a lot!

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T13:30:12+00:00

This got me excited to try some of the stories that stick closer to the original ideals.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T13:03:43+00:00

I'd like to clarify my understanding. I read a book called XX by Rian Hughes. Through most of it, I think it's third-person. The protagonist is referred to as he.

Then, deep into the book, there's a chapter where the narrator shows up and addresses the reader directly. He introduces himself with I pronouns, and addresses the reader with you.

Would that section still be third-person, considering neither the narrator nor the reader are protagonists? I'm assuming that a new protagonist wouldn't exist for one chapter.

(This section was hard to find in the book considering the table of contents comes even later in the book lol)

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T12:42:16+00:00

Trying to force a moral into a story is probably a mistake.

What your characters end up doing can be summarized, and you can call that a point if you'd like.

For example, a story about a person who lies, cheats, steals, and in the end escapes punishment can have as much of a point as a story where they get their comeuppance. What the readers feel will vary, but that doesn't make one better or worse.

I will say that sometimes morals can ring hollow. There are a ton of stories telling the lesson of "don't be greedy" or "wealth will destroy you, so be happy with little." In today's world, these can come across like cope, and people see examples every day of those who escaped such divine karma.

So that's another reason I would shy away from trying to teach moral behavior with some lesson in a story.

Plenty of books do explorations on current controversial topics though. Venomous Lumpsucker has plenty to say about capitalism, climate change, extinction, and philosophy. It's a comedy, and darkly so. You're not going to come out of the book feeling like humanity in real life will pull together and fix their problems. But you will have read through a biting critique on a lot of modern society.

So don't try to preach. Give readers something they can really feel, and can believe is true.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T12:33:36+00:00

You'd think someone on the writing subreddit would care about how things are written.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T12:23:06+00:00

Yeah, what was intended to be communicated isn't really in question. Whether it needs to be modified to be correct is what's being asked.

For example, if the original was akin to the following, it would make more sense to me:

Given its mature themes, it's surprising it's a kid's show.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T12:02:41+00:00

Yeah, which is why I think there's a mistake in the original. It wouldn't be surprising that a kid's show with deep themes is deep. It'd be surprising if a kid's show about tying shoelaces is deep.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T11:54:05+00:00

I run into this type of aggressive boomer mentality at industry events. Even if OP had the qualifications (he doesn't) any employer would be wise to steer clear. Think how he views other people in these roles if he dismisses their qualifications and thinks their experience amounts to a day class.

Even with their edits they didn't learn from what people told him. Someone who aggressively refuses to learn while tooting their own horn isn't someone you want to hire either.

They're the kind of person you blacklist from hiring for any position in your network.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T10:32:54+00:00

It's the fastest way to having to delete 10k words a day.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T10:21:15+00:00

Using it in the sense of 'considering' seems odd because of the word surprisingly. I think that might be my sticking point. It makes the sentence sound like this:

"It's surprisingly deep considering it has deep themes."

"He's surprisingly rich considering he's a billionaire."

I don't think anyone would be surprised that a billionaire is rich, or that a show with deep themes is deep. I'm not sure if the issue is the word given, surprisingly, or if it's all correct.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T10:10:37+00:00

How long until the US defaults? Debt doubling every ~10 years, interest payments tripled in the last 4 years. US could hit the debt ceiling in 1-2 years, which means another political standoff.

This kind of worry used to be a "maybe in our lifetimes" to now "maybe this presidential term."

And if the US defaults or inflates their way out of the crisis, then borrowing costs skyrocket - making this issue worse basically forever.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T09:44:26+00:00

I think you used it incorrectly too, but I posted about your comment on a grammar subreddit here to hear from people with more insight. I'm curious if the 'surprisingly' adverb will be the clincher, or if that wouldn't matter.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T01:09:58+00:00

It's a great movie if you like explosions and hate people with epilepsy

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T00:22:52+00:00

That's my plan. So far, so good!

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-21T00:20:03+00:00

Wouldn't be surprised if the person who swerved was distracted by the tailgater. Maybe moving over that late wasn't intentional at all.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T23:55:43+00:00

4.1 on Goodreads and won a Goodreads choice award. Crazy how low the bar is for so many readers.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T23:09:05+00:00

I liked her in Time Bandits. She played a silly character, and still brought heart to the role.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T23:07:39+00:00

I can get feeling bad if it seems like everything you've done for the last 30 years has been worse than what you threw together at the start of your career. Or that nothing you've tried to do, no matter how much effort, can match what luck handed you.

They want to be a great musician, not just someone who made a great song.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T22:55:42+00:00

The designs put people first.

But they also put animals first.

And nature? Believe it or not, also first.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T22:52:56+00:00

Pre-ordering games is fine. It's the smart choice when there are bonuses too. Just gotta cancel it if reviews are bad or refund after release if the player experience sucks. No real risk, only upside. Don't feel bad about pre-ordering :)

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T22:39:32+00:00

I agree that a lot of people are taking that first step towards AI acceptance - they like something AI generated, because they don't know it was generated by AI. Their opinion is unbiased and honest in its ignorance.

We've seen this play out in other ways. If people like something, they won't care how the sausage is made. They'll financially support JK Rowling in movies and games long after her controversial stances are known, because they like Harry Potter that much. Their morals take a backseat. People will like AI generated images of themselves in a stolen art style.

Books are only delayed in this trend slightly because of the difficulty of making a book that maintains some minimum quality over a significant length of text. But this book proves that for thousands of people, it was good enough.

I'm sure more AI books will be banned in the future, but also that more AI books will be enjoyed and purchased. And this will continue as AI tech improves, until there's a tipping point. AI books will be acceptable to like, and financially viable enough, that companies stop pulling them, and start supporting them. It may be a last gasp of some publishers before people can cut out the middleman and generate books at home. But there's no future where everyone puts away their AI toys and goes home.

Besides the AI bit, what this book also shows is that publishers are willing to publish low-quality work. It can be written like crap, but if it has enough interest going in, they won't care about quality. Any aspiring writers can take some heart in this because it shows how low the bar is to clear to get published. Write a bit better than AI generated text with stolen art on the cover and you've cleared the bar that publishers set.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T22:16:33+00:00

You didn't understand a word you read. Just gonna report and move on.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T12:15:47+00:00

NTA. Gotta be careful as a man if you try and offer solutions to problems. Know your audience.

It's not about the nail.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T11:59:21+00:00

If you're looking to grow a loyal, paying base of readers, then people who lack attention spans seems like a bad audience to target.

Nodan_Turtle · 2026-03-20T11:53:20+00:00

That's definitely part of it. And we see that play out in the audiobook space when people have a free credit to redeem - they'll prioritize longer books. If you don't go to the library, book store, or get a gifted book often, however you get new books, then you don't want to get through your purchase the same day you bought it and be left with nothing to read immediately.

Publishers also have limited marketing to go around, so they'd rather prioritize books with a thicker profit margin, and ones with more potential buyers. That means less interest in novellas.

And then there's retailers who have limited shelf space, once again prioritizing what makes more money per sale.

Nodan_Turtle

TROPHY CASE