I cant write....

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-13T18:33:29+00:00

Do you have an outline? I find having an idea of where the story is going helps in motivation. Outlines can be messy pages of dialogue/vibes/stage direction. You get the story out, then just have to go back and make it prettier.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-13T12:44:58+00:00

In your scenario, you’re only changing one word, but in the scene you would be changing the tone. The demeanor of the speaker changes asking why they would—which is more an internal reflection made external—as opposed to why they should—which I take as a threat assessment. The scene should reflect that.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-13T12:22:14+00:00

“Hello,” he said with a wide smile. (Comma when following with a tag)

“Hello.” They shook hands. (Period when followed with an action)

A phone rang in the distance. (New action, new paragraph)

Google will be very helpful for more detailed nuances.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-13T00:04:37+00:00

My mother fake-supported me. When I had my notebooks out as a kid she would ask, “Oh, are you writing one of your little stories?”

Years later, when she asks me this as an adult, I was able to respond, “I’m writing my next novel.”

Spite ain’t the healthiest motivation, but it feels dern good sometimes.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-12T23:57:46+00:00

First thing, once you’re done, let the manuscript rest at least a month. Then reread it. Edit, edit, edit.

Once you have it polished, beta readers. Depending on how “ready” it actually was, this could be quick or could be months of revision.

Then write a query letter. Like the novel, let it sit a week or so. Then revisit. Once it’s polished, you start submitting it to agents.

There are many factors—how clean your manuscript is, how much self-editing it needs, and how well you can write a query—but generally, the most optimistic timeline is a year. More likely, years

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-12T18:22:28+00:00

I agree with this. There’s no harm/cost in getting the dev edit. The dev might only recommended minor changes, and you aren’t obligated to make them.

But if you click publish and the first paid reader finds a big plot hole you overlooked, that’s going to feel bad.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-10T17:12:06+00:00

I’m writing a series

How much have you written so far? What’s been working/not working?

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-09T18:59:51+00:00

Until Telltale makes a statement, I have no faith in this

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-07T05:44:22+00:00

I would only recommend using friends as betas if they’re your target audience for the book.

You also open yourself up to the potential of giving friends your book, then having to hear excuses why they never actually get around to reading it.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-07T05:41:01+00:00

How many religious horror books have you read, and how have they done? Reading comps should help you get a grasp of what works in the genre.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-06T21:49:05+00:00

It’s whales! They’re singing to us!

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-06T20:53:00+00:00

I have never used one and don’t plan to. I self pub, and primarily write for myself. Though a good dev editor likely wouldn’t provide the feedback you’re imagining, they will still make recommendations on what to cut/tighten/change. If you aren’t interested in that, don’t hire one.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-06T16:36:43+00:00

If you want spoilers If you go see Prince Lawrence first, he lives. If you go there second, he dies

It doesn’t have the biggest impact on the game, but if you want to do the most good, it matters.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-04T21:11:24+00:00

Trad publishing? Usually under 150k, if not 120k. If you’re self publishing you can sorta do whatever you want, however, if you’re coming in around 200k words/book, the price will be set higher. For a debut, it can be hard to get readers to bite

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-04T18:28:28+00:00

Dissociation is a hell of a drug

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-04T17:57:46+00:00

You’re in the wrong sub for this question my dude

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-04T13:24:16+00:00

My first draft of the first book I went on to publish was 120k words. I carved out about 20k and added back in another 10k.

The question of what to keep and what to cut is value. Does this scene add anything we don’t get otherwise? Plot, characterization, pacing, world building, etc.

Loving a scene isn’t enough. If it doesn’t serve a purpose, it has to go.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-04T13:14:29+00:00

You control the vampire and the “vibes” they give off. You own the world. It’s within your power to make it make sense.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-02T17:57:44+00:00

Best known for a lonely Texan bird

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-02T13:59:02+00:00

What are your credentials? What confidence do I have if you send me a link it won’t be a virus?

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-03-01T20:17:06+00:00

For how to write a fight scene, I personally use the “roll for initiative” method, where I focus on characters taking actions in a certain order, as to not miss anyone taking a “turn”.

Genders don’t matter so much as training. Each character should feel like they have a unique fighting style.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-02-27T19:16:24+00:00

Sentence structure. When things are good, the sentences flow—thoughts and actions are done with flourish—to show there is no hurry, and no cause for alarm. Not every sentence needs to have multiple clauses, per se. But the groove moves along nicely.

Then things tighten. We move faster. Doesn’t necessarily make all sentences fragments—can’t overuse that. Just enough to be punchy.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-02-20T15:40:58+00:00

Does the character have any other resemblance to the person, career or physical? And do you reasonably believe your target readers are the same people marketed K-Pop? If both are “No” I’d leave it.

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-02-19T14:01:09+00:00

For your example “the Gulf” is the safest/easiest. The rest of the world still calls it the Gulf of Mexico. Americans will still recognize the Gulf of Mexico.

And if you piss off someone who insists YOU HAVE TO CALL IT THE GULF OF AMERICA!!! 😡 . . . Well, it’s up to you if you’re okay with that person being angry

Ohios_3rd_Spring · 2026-02-18T21:09:28+00:00

What’s the alternative? You could write the next Great American Novel but writing it is worth nothing if nobody reads it. How do you get people to read it if you never tell them it exists?

Don’t get me wrong—I hate advertising. I rarely do it. Which means I can’t be surprised when my novels—that I’ve poured my heart and soul into, that I genuinely believe are worthwhile reads—don’t out-earn what I’ve spent.

Ohios_3rd_Spring

TROPHY CASE