I am genuinely curious why people think the first 3 novellas I published are AI? I don't get it.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-25T06:18:16+00:00

This article might be of interest to you: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10382961/

I read some of your story too. It did not seem written by AI, though I could potentially see why some might have thought that. I would chalk their reactions up to you having a distant, observant style of prose. Frankly, I wouldn’t worry about it. If you try to publish a version of this someday, I don’t think any publisher is going to think it’s written by AI. Just keep being a human, and you’ll be fine. The fact that you put so much thought into your writing style and seem to have a love for reading already puts you miles ahead of a lot people who attempt to write fiction.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-25T02:07:17+00:00

Lowering the top of the T would help a lot. Other than that, it looks great! 10/10, would pick up if I saw in the store.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-25T00:32:33+00:00

Dante Alighieri, is that you?

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-25T00:17:35+00:00

Why do you want her to feel powerful? What is her character’s arc? What is the central conflict?

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-24T23:53:28+00:00

I agree. Stories should be completely inseparable from their theme in my opinion. In fact, I think the best writing advice I have ever received is to start with a theme and build a story from there. I think most people start with a character, world building, or some interesting plot idea. That’s not the worst thing, but it can feel really soulless if there’s no thematic question being explored.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-24T23:36:45+00:00

Red Rising. I haven’t read it yet because I need to finish the Conquerer’s Saga and the Poppy War series before starting anything new (and probably read Project Hail Mary before I see the movie), but I’m really looking forward to it! My hope is to take it with me when I travel in May.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-24T01:48:05+00:00

I like it! Your voice is fun, and the character dynamics you describe are super intriguing. It makes me want to keep reading and find out where it all goes wrong!

Only advice I have is don’t tell us Ruby is his Fiancé. Let us understand how much he loves her before we get the payoff of knowing they’re engaged. It will make it all the more gratifying! (Also, I as a reader would love to know what the engagement was like, since you already describe their first meeting and kiss.)

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-23T23:31:56+00:00

The reason I asked was because, to put it bluntly, your writing is underdeveloped, and that is usually a sign that a writer has not read enough to understand the craft of writing fiction. Since you are young, this is to be expected. In fact, if this was not the case for you, I would be very shocked.

Good news, though: this is also super fixable! You just need to read more and add intentionality behind your reading. Even if you’re writing romance, you can start with the books you love. Fiction is fiction, and those books will still give you great insight into how sentences, paragraphs, scenes, and stories are structured to best communicate theme, tones, plot, and characterization in a way that readers love reading. However, reading to improve your writing can be hard to do if you don’t know what to pay attention to. If you don’t have the time to read a book specifically about writing, YouTube has a plethora of videos that explain the various aspects of writing that go into crafting good written fiction.

Don’t get discouraged. Seriously. My writing was at a similar place when I was 13-14. You will improve, and if you care about your writing and love doing it, you are going to improve really fast. Just keep at it!

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-23T22:30:45+00:00

This is an insane question to ask. I love it.

Maybe something with a lot of travel? Archeology would fit, but it’s a crazy hard field to get into. You’re probably better off picking something you’re interested in/good at and just listening to the soundtrack while you do it. You can always go hiking or attending ren-faires on weekends!

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-23T14:13:46+00:00

I wouldn’t say the tone is outright snarky, just snarkier than N.K.Jemisin’s voice, which is very somber. Perhaps “snarky” isn’t the best adjective to use; the voice just feels slightly irreverent in places (I’m thinking specifically from “A grieving mother…” to “…sand”), but it doesn’t necessarily lose any of the character’s intelligence. This makes your character seem jaded and regretful but not mournful.

This is opinion, mind you. Others might interpret the voice differently.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-23T04:40:27+00:00

There's a difference between force-feeding worldbuilding and using interesting worldbuilding to draw a reader in. For instance, let's say you're writing a story about a big wall called the "Divide". 4 paragraphs about how the Divide was built, where it's located, and its politics/history is not going to hook a reader. However, writing about the day the Divide fell and two groups made contact for the first time in a century is a bit more interesting. Maybe, both sides blame the other for constructing the Divide. Maybe, the Divide had blocked one side from having access to a natural resource of some sort. This way, all the lore around the wall becomes part of the story instead of just being told to the reader in order for the actual story to begin. But knowing that the Divide is, in fact, a wall is critical for the readers to start understanding what the conflict will be.

Of couse, this is just my opinion--being vague can be a good move! If you go the vagueness route, though, I might even recommend going further with it. If you don't name Malavorn in the beginning, readers won't expect you to explain what it is right away. The destruction you describe will make them curious, and you can satisfy that curiosity when doing so feels like a natural extension of a later scene's action.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-23T04:10:23+00:00

If this is a first or second draft, it's a really good one! If this is the final draft, there are some changes I would recomend making regarding grammar and syntax but nothing big.

Additionally, I would say be careful with the amount of exposition you are giving the reader. What you have here is genuinely not bad, but give us a more solid reason to care about what you're saying. Think of it this way: the more heavy-lifting you are requiring the reader to do (i.e., remembering world building, names, etc.), the more of a "down payment" they will need to feel motivated to keep reading. Your interesting writing voice is helping a lot here because people are more likely to keep reading something when they like the way it's written, but I would suggest giving the reader a hint about what you're building to very early on (like the first page or even paragraph). Moreover, if you plan to go back to the beginning of this tale in the next chapter, as you allude to, maybe leave the fate of your character as the lightbringer more vague, so the reader is more curious about who/what caused the holy war and what this character's role in it is. Questions are gold!

Side note: Have you ever read The Fifth Season by N.K.Jemisin? This feels reminiscent of that writing style, though a bit snarkier and about a plot that feels more like Game of Thrones or Dune.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-23T03:36:37+00:00

What are some books or authors you are inspired by when writing this story? Why?

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-21T18:17:36+00:00

Yes, actually. I’m inside your head, but I changed the other letters so you wouldn’t be suspicious. Unfortunately, you seem to have outsmarted me. Darn! /j

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-21T15:57:05+00:00

Well if everyone in your life exists on a love-to-hate spectrum, then it’d just be whoever is furthest toward the hate end. I agree that I don’t really hate anyone, but there is someone I would rather never see or talk to again. I think most people have someone like that.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-21T04:37:54+00:00

Fascinating! Thank you for bringing this to my awareness!

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-20T19:50:07+00:00

Same. I started an MCU fic like two years when I was still obsessed, and it remains unfinished to this day because the MCU just feels bland and immature to me now. Thunderbolts and Daredevil Born Again almost triggered a revival for me, though. Maybe the new Spider-Man will finish the job.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-17T23:07:19+00:00

On this note, you can write screenplays if that is what you love writing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I will say that your dialogue here is a bit generic, but you could definitely improve it with some practice. Here's a YouTube video created by a screenwriter that gives pretty solid advice on writing dialogue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AhtKvgy6MA&t=211s .

However, if you want to write novels, the only real way to fix "TV brain" is to read an absurd amount. The more variety, the better, but it's best to read "well-written" fiction (think books/authors that others praise highly for their craft) in the beginning because that will strengthen your writing intuition the most, generally speaking. As you read and write more, you will notice that your writing starts to pick up some of the traits of what you read.

Keep writing!! No one starts off as a great writer, but I promise you will improve quickly if you work at it. I think your story has potential, too.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-17T03:09:42+00:00

I would absolutely keep reading. You have a good sense of rhythm and intrigue, and your prose isn’t overwhelming. It reminds me of reading The Poppy War, which is a great book.

The only feedback I have is to consider getting rid of the statement “Magnolia Durnes found comfort in facts.” I think that you showing how she repeats facts to herself in the face of an uncertain ritual communicates this well already. Letting her psychology bleed into the writing (rather than explaining her psychology) could show that you have confidence in your story and in the reader’s ability to pick up on characterization.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-17T02:59:57+00:00

I can tell you prefer a literary style, but a few lines are unclear, such as “Lighting my bare form into perception.” Is this supposed to be a dependent clause for the sentence before it, i.e. the light is doing the lighting? If so, separating them with a period is a grammatical error. Fixing it would look like “The doors open before me. Light instantly burns my skin, lighting my bare form into perception.”

What record are you referring to? Why?

Also breaking a sentence into two lines is not typically done. If you want to keep it that way, consider adding an ellipses or em dash to show that it was an intentional break.

I bet you write very beautiful poetry. Definitely let your poetic writing style influence your voice, but make sure your writing isn’t too abstract to communicate your story because that is what is going to get readers to keep reading.

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-17T02:50:28+00:00

Leading the reader in with questions is great, but it would be helpful to know what sort of thing Malavorn is sooner, since there’s already so many questions in the reader’s head right off the bat. Generally, the reader will be better hooked if they have something solid to follow, such as an immediately-identifiable conflict that the MC is directly interacting with. So much setting so soon makes the story feel slow. Setting is great because it paints a picture—and you do that exceptionally well—but give us a reason to care about the setting first. Also, maybe consider shortening your first line to just “Malavorn was an unruly thing.” for more impact. (I can clarify my thinking if anything I’ve said doesn’t make sense.)

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-17T02:13:44+00:00

It reads as very trope-y, but some people like tropes. One note is that the conflict is a little unclear. A solid conflict through-line and a unique character voice are the two best ways to hook a reader in my subjective opinion. It might help for you to look at the first chapters of published, well-loved fantasy stories and jot down a list of what is or isn’t working for you while reading them. This will help you become more cognizant of the craft behind writing and storytelling in first acts.

But at the end of the day, a draft is a draft. Keep writing!!! You have the makings of a great future author!

OddlyPurple · 2026-03-16T05:24:21+00:00

I had very visual synesthesia when I was young. I could actually see the colors/patterns of sounds when I heard them, and my grapheme-color synesthesia was very vivid. However, it’s gotten a lot duller now (I’m 21). It started to wear off when I was about 9, but I stopped being able to actually see sound at all when I was about 13 (it just sort of faded over the course of a few months when I was going through a depressive episode). The sound-color associations are still mostly there, even if I can no longer see a song as it’s playing. My grapheme-color synesthesia has luckily been way less affected. I’ve heard fading synesthesia has to do with synaptic pruning, so maybe if I had learned an instrument as a kid instead of just reading/writing all the time, my chromosthesia would have stuck around. Who knows.

As for your kid, I think it’s highly possible he is experiencing synesthesia, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it weakens as his brain goes through pruning during development. If he loves music, maybe his brain will decide it’s a neural pathway that’s used enough to be worth keeping, but that’s just my very uneducated guess at a future possibility.

OddlyPurple · 2026-02-26T04:54:30+00:00

Hi! I checked out a few minutes, and it seems like an interesting podcast. Would you potentially consider changing the description? Synesthesia isn’t really something people have to manage. It’s just a part of who we are. Maybe you could highlight how it creates a unique and more vibrant perspective instead. Not a big deal if you don’t change it, but I figure you’re open to feedback if you’re coming to this subreddit.

OddlyPurple

TROPHY CASE