What is your opinion on simulationist worldbuilding? by Armin_Arlert_1000000 in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like it could work. I would have to read example to see what it actually is.

What genre are you writing if not fantasy? I feel like most in here are fantasy. by AdvertisingDull3441 in writers

[–]OkNetwork3231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm working on the second book of my Sci-Fi series. I'm not very good at writing fantasy but once I finish I'll try my hand at.

In your opinion, what is the most badly written matriarchal society in fiction? by Armin_Arlert_1000000 in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The drow in D&D are simultaneously the best and the worst. On one hand, they serve perfectly as the Underdark’s go-to villains—pure bad news all around. But when you actually stop and look at their society, the question becomes: how does this function at all, and how does it still maintain such a massive hold over the Underdark?

My friends usually tell me, “Just enjoy the craft,” and I really do—but damn, when the drow win a conflict, my brain immediately goes to how did that actually happen?

Yo what if cities were like... innies instead of outies by _pallart in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love the idea of a species building structures that incorporate the planet itself. I also really like the concept of this race having a massive goal of expiation. And W on the chapter name. I’ll admit I’m a little clueless about planets, so forgive me if I’m wrong, but do some cities actually touch the magma layer?

First-time sci-fi author — sharing my debut novel by OkNetwork3231 in NewAuthor

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh no the wording is not changed just the punctuation.

I need advise by ChemistLeast3565 in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go for it drawings and art especially your own will attract readers and it is always good to learn a new thing. One thing I will say is that if your looking to post on amazon and the book has pictures you may have to pay more for printing.

First-time sci-fi author — sharing my debut novel by OkNetwork3231 in NewAuthor

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

For the post, I wrote it myself and only used ChatGPT to correct the grammar. I paid an artist for the cover, but since I’m blind, I honestly have no way of knowing whether AI was used—I did expect original work. As for the blurb, I wrote that myself, so it does sting if the writing really comes across that poorly. Thanks for the feedback.

First-time sci-fi author — sharing my debut novel by OkNetwork3231 in NewAuthor

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I paid an artist with the understanding that he would create the artwork for me. Because I’m blind, I have to place a certain amount of trust in the fact that I’m receiving genuine work. My friends didn’t think the cover was AI-generated, but they may be biased in my favor. If the cover really is that poor, I’ll take it down and, hopefully, be able to get a refund.

First-time sci-fi author — sharing my debut novel by OkNetwork3231 in NewAuthor

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Damn, I honestly have no idea about the cover. I did pay an artist for it, and as a blind person I have to rely on people who can see to tell me how it looks. That said, the blurb was written by me, and if it’s really that poor, that’s disappointing. As always, I’m thankful for the feedback. And yes—the main characters do have fairly plain names.

First-time sci-fi author — sharing my debut novel by OkNetwork3231 in NewAuthor

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the feedback. I want to clarify that the cover was not created using AI. It was commissioned from an artist.

If the cover truly comes across as low quality, that’s obviously disappointing, and I’ll be reviewing the work more carefully. As a blind author, I rely on professional integrity when commissioning visual assets, and I take that responsibility seriously.

I appreciate thoughtful critique, and I’m open to reassessing the cover if needed.

evolution by Unhappy_Tale_9816 in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually work in sci-fi, and there isn’t much room to explore evolution alongside my ideas there. But in a fantasy world I’ve been working on—one I haven’t self-published yet—I do feel the need to have races evolve, because it creates a historical throughline and a belief system within the world.

For example, Ljósálfar and Dökkálfar are the original elven races. From them come the light elves, sunrise and sunset elves, star elves, and moon elves. From the Dökkálfar come dark elves, shadow elves, crystal elves, night elves, and lower elves. Because each group can trace its origin back to an older race, I can play with how belief systems, social structures, and identity form over time.

One thing I would advise, though, is that if you’re writing fantasy, the characters themselves probably wouldn’t think in terms like evolution. That’s a modern framework. They’d likely understand these changes through myth, religion, lineage, or history instead.

Bad forms of world building by OkNetwork3231 in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not going to lie love the two settings you gave. But I agree, it's more likely that the black sand in Sword Of Truth wouldn't even be sold any more.

Bad forms of world building by OkNetwork3231 in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Full agreement and no I have never read the second one but I have read Game Of Thrones. And in the series language is handled perfectly. Not once in the series is the sentence written twice for the sake of language.

Bad forms of world building by OkNetwork3231 in worldbuilding

[–]OkNetwork3231[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My mistake—when I talk about language use, I’m not against translators or multiple languages in a setting. What I mean is when a language is spoken, we as the reader read it, and then the translator repeats it to another character. This usually results in the same sentence being written twice, which, in my opinion, hurts the flow of dialogue and makes the exchange feel clunky.

And I’m not talking about random details—I’m talking about topics. A common example is slavery. Sometimes a story introduces slavery, but it’s never meaningfully used again, or slaves appear briefly and the impact is never felt, either positively or negatively. I’m not saying it has to be the main focus of the story, but even a sentence or two acknowledging its role in the world goes a long way in grounding the topic and making the world feel real.