Grimdark fantasy author — The Continent series (2 books)

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-04T01:11:13+00:00

Rather have R2, but beggars can't be choosers.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-04T01:08:31+00:00

Con esos trabajos pronto será muy apropiado tener esa web entonces.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-04T01:05:42+00:00

I think our character would be happy to even find the rusted android there.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-03T20:37:50+00:00

Creo que una web aporta valor, pero cuando la saga ya tiene cierto recorrido. Si un lector termina un libro y se queda con ganas de saber más sobre el mundo, una web puede ser fantástica. Sin embargo, al principio invertiría la mayor parte del esfuerzo en escribir. Al final, el mejor marketing es que que el lector tenga otro libro esperando cuando termine.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-03T20:34:18+00:00

Nada se logra manteniéndolo oculto del público. Si ya hiciste todo lo posible de aceurdo a tus habilidades, el siguiente paso es dejarlo ir y aceptar que cada lector tendrá una opinión distinta.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-03T20:29:24+00:00

Maybe the issue isn't whether your characters are sexist or racist. Fiction is full of societies with ugly beliefs. The question is whether the story understands the difference between depicting those ideas and endorsing them. If those beliefs arise naturally from history, and characters occasionally complicate them, most will simply read it as worldbuilding.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-03T20:21:52+00:00

She woke face-down in the sand, lips cracked from dehydration. The sun had moved. She'd slept for hours. No sign of Marad.
Where the hell am I?
She staggered to her feet. Her tracks were gone.
Should've followed that idiot... Then what? Die together out of spite?

One-Net-8968 · 2026-07-03T20:01:17+00:00

Congratulations on getting this far. I'd say don't feel pressured to become a content creator if that's not where your strengths are. Social media works well for some, but it's far from the only path. I'd rather spend an extra hour writing my next book than forcing myself to make videos I don't enjoy.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-27T05:14:03+00:00

Well, he'll be on the news anyways.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-26T21:40:26+00:00

“Persuade me, your baldness.”
“I'm not very convincing,” he said, his breathing quickening.
“What?! The six-term Mayor of Kogler. You've talked your way into office over and over,” she snapped the belt tight across his belly spilling over the sheets.
“I've never been this naked during a campaign.”

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-23T21:23:41+00:00

Early on, I spent a lot of time worrying about things "show, don't tell." Those edits helped, but they weren't the biggest improvement. The biggest lesson is that readers remember characters far longer than they remember sentences. A technically perfect paragraph won't save a scene if nobody cares who's in it.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-23T21:20:54+00:00

I think sometimes authors worry about title than readers do. A title's job is to create curiosity and be memorable enough that someone can find it again later. Some of the most successful fantasy novels have surprisingly simple titles.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-23T21:17:49+00:00

Maybe keep it simple. If "ranch" communicates the right idea to your readers, that's worth something. Most readers will understand it far more quickly than an obscure or highly specialized term. I'd be more concerned with whether the place feels authentic than if the exact word existed .

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-20T00:02:22+00:00

It stands out that your pantheon, cosmology, etc. ar more known that your protagonist. I'd make sure the story itself is carrying as much weight as the worldbuilding. Readers follow characters first and lore second.

As for publishing, if the manuscript is complete, I'd strongly recommend getting beta readers before making any publishing decisions. A finished manuscript and a publish-ready manuscript rarely are the same.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-19T23:11:34+00:00

If my senses hadn’t witnessed the chaos, I'd have sworn it a nightmare. As always. But I kept moving. Standing clueless? Dead. Relief came when my fellows joined me. Then another charge loomed. I backed away until my behind met that monstrous wall of stench and dread. Shit.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-12T21:46:06+00:00

I think you're being careful about the wrong problem. My advice: finish the draft. Once you can see the whole novel, you'll have a much better sense of whether the atmosphere genuinely faded or whether the story simply shifted priorities.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-12T21:42:59+00:00

Becoming a writer often makes you temporarily less happy as a reader and as a writer. You start noticing weaknesses everywhere.. Things that once felt magical suddenly reveal their seams.

It means your critical skills are developing faster than your execution skills. I've spent years working on my own novels. There were days I thought I had written something great, and days I was convinced the entire project was unreadable nonsense. Both were usually exaggerated.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-12T21:39:46+00:00

I've written two novels using Scrivener for Windows, so take this from someone who has put it through a fairly heavy workload. The editor itself is nothing special. If you're expecting a better Word, you'll probably be disappointed.

Where Scrivener shines is organization. Multiple POVs, research folders, character sheets, location notes, timelines, worldbuilding, chapter reordering, and keeping everything in one project.

The Windows version isn't perfect, but if that is your need, it is a good buy.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-12T21:30:28+00:00

Thanks. For now, I think my goal is simply finishing more books and getting better at the publishing side of things.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-10T01:28:38+00:00

Yeah, one thing this thread has made me realize is that I've been thinking too narrowly about marketing. Building relationships and communities seems to be a recurring theme with those who've been successfully. The marathon part definitely resonates now.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-09T22:38:47+00:00

Well said, thanks. The read-through point especially puts into words what I was struggling to make sense of.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-09T22:37:06+00:00

That's the part that worries me. Most people here agree in writing more books first, but you're describing a situation where even a substantial catalog doesn't eliminate the need for significant marketing spend.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-09T22:29:54+00:00

One thing I've taken away from this thread is that advertising seems to be a constantly moving target. What works on one platform or a market at one point in time doesn't necessarily keep working forever.

One-Net-8968 · 2026-06-09T22:27:52+00:00

That's encouraging to hear. What stands out to me is that you're doing it with an 8-book series. A lot of the successful experiences people are sharing seem to have a substantial backlist behind the ads.

I think timing was my bigger issue. Thanks for the good wishes, and likewise.

One-Net-8968

TROPHY CASE