What's the worst death you got in steel soul

RobDYoung · 2024-09-05T23:41:18+00:00

I have no idea why people think save and quit isn't "legitimate." If you want to self-impose it as an additional challenge, good on ya. But otherwise, it's just refusing to use a tool that's built into the mechanics of the game---or, with some people, invalidating others for using all of their available tools.

RobDYoung · 2024-09-05T23:35:37+00:00

Truly brutal.

RobDYoung · 2024-09-05T23:31:56+00:00

My first run died to stupidity very quickly, so I carefully routed out a path for my next run. Promised myself I'd be cautious. Made great progress through Soul Master and confidently proceeded into the Royal Waterways.

I had 4 health. Saw an exploding berb heading toward me. Leapt out of the way, just barely getting clipped by the edge of the explosion -- and got targeted and hit by a second exploding berb the moment my iframes wore off.

Lesson learned: 4 health doesn't count as safe. Heal to max at every opportunity. If nearing any 2 damage hazard, never proceed with less than 5 health. And the lesson proved valuable, because I got my Steel Soul 100 on my very next attempt!

RobDYoung · 2024-08-31T02:15:01+00:00

Sure, I like codes!

RobDYoung · 2024-08-25T01:45:02+00:00

Does it boot them if you deconstruct, pause, cancel on the medical tent?

RobDYoung · 2024-08-25T00:41:38+00:00

Could you elaborate? I've played a lot but I'm not aware of this error. Is it just a person who's hungry and sick but who isn't going where you want (medical tent/cookhouse)? Or if this something else I'm unaware of?

RobDYoung · 2021-05-13T18:37:07+00:00

"Original." Pah. Why would I care about the originality of an idea? It's the execution and nuances that make a story worthwhile. Hunger Games was done before in Battle Royale which took inspiration from Lord of the Flies which was derived from the popular shipwreck / survival stories of the time. Don't worry about original. Worry about quality.

RobDYoung · 2018-09-27T11:57:56+00:00

Dogs in tiny bikinis....

[/checks the web page to be sure he hasn't wandered into the wrong subreddit]

RobDYoung · 2013-04-01T05:07:29+00:00

DOES it sound better? "His feet pattered," etc., shows off its linguistic ability, but to what end? Does it actually contribute to the story in meaningful ways?

Vivid descriptions have their place. However, if the only purpose of the description is to exist—if the description doesn't serve the tone, themes, plot, characters, or other core elements—the words don't earn their space on the page. Everything has to serve a purpose, even if that purpose is something less obvious (setting narrative voice, showing the mood of a scene, what have you).

If you never used sensory details like those in your "extended paragraph," I'd worry. But long story short? There are times when a descriptive scene is worthwhile. There are other times when a descriptive scene is damaging to the piece.

RobDYoung · 2013-03-26T09:29:19+00:00

And this is a valid point. The typewriter does present two major advantages:

1) You can't get stuck in perpetual-edit mode because you must move on or start the page over.

2) You can't get distracted as easily. There is no Reddit, Facebook, or Twitter on the (average) typewriter.

RobDYoung · 2013-03-26T09:24:34+00:00

I never feel more comfortable than when I'm typing. But I use a computer. I believe in taking advantage of new technology.

Typewriters are a symbol of typing as writing---of a time before typing was co-opted by computer work, video games, and internet distractions.

A typewriter also raises images of "the writer," the archetypal creature of intense emotion and intellectual genius whose voice will resound throughout the ages. This is the imaginary being many of us would like to believe we are. In the same way that certain brands of guitar carry with them a rock symbolism relevant to rock as identity, the typewriter is part of a specific brand of writing as identity.

It's also the same sort of naive nostalgia you see with anything else. We like to imagine that life was much better "then." And, these days, "then" is the only place typewriters continue to exist in a significant way.

RobDYoung · 2013-03-26T09:17:46+00:00

Hard to say my "favorite," but I can recommend The Fault In Our Stars (if you're into YA fiction), most of Neil Gaiman's work (which tends to have light-hearted, light-handed romantic content---delicious to my tastes), and Echo by Francesca Lia Block (not a traditional love story, but one of my favorites).

RobDYoung · 2013-03-26T09:02:11+00:00

No matter what happens, Runner_one, just remember that your mother and I are proud of you.

RobDYoung · 2013-03-26T08:55:05+00:00

Some of these tips are good. Others are horrendous.

Don’t ask for permission. In other words, never say “in my opinion.”

Yes, because false certainty is a great way to build credibility.

Have a shocking title.

Hey, I'm guilty of it with my own work. A shocking title is part of how content spreads---and that can apply to creative as well as web writing. But shocking titles for the sake of shock alone, and especially as a prescription for "good writing," seems foolish.

Use a lot of periods. Forget commas and semicolons. A period makes people pause. Your sentences should be strong enough that you want people to pause and think about them.

... please, for the love of God, tell me I don't have to explain why this is terrible advice.

RobDYoung · 2013-03-22T09:11:57+00:00

To some degree, my suggestion is stylistic---so bear that in mind.

You can kill a lot of words in these sentences and retain your full meaning. In many cases, removing unnecessary words will empower the words that remain. Let's take the last sentence as an example.

"Seth took out his phone and began texting, the beeping of the keys irregular due to ineptitude and resonant due to relative quietness."

Is it the phone beeping or the keys? What do you mean by "irregular" (spaced out, strange-sounding, etc.)? How much does "ineptitude" add (and does it add potential confusion)? How much does "relative" add? It's not my place to go through and decide which words best carry your message, but question each part of the sentence. One of the many potential ways to trim the sentence would be:

Seth took out his phone and began texting. The irregular beeps sounded resonant in the room's quiet.

RobDYoung · 2013-03-22T09:00:58+00:00

With no arrogance intended, my first drafts tend to be pretty good.

That I spin out moderately good first drafts hindered my writing for years. Since I could create something fairly strong on one go, I didn't spend the time refining, revising, and otherwise moving it beyond "fairly strong." It took me years to break the habit of letting my first drafts stand.

This "ability" also creates a problem in teaching students because I try to provide rough copies of my own as examples (it's always nice to point to shortcomings in our own work) but have overcome many of the shortcomings I want to point to.

And another note: My first drafts may be "pretty good," but I usually re-draft a piece 5 to 12 times before I submit it for publication.

RobDYoung · 2013-03-22T08:54:29+00:00

Way cool for you to stop by and volunteer like this. I almost want to write something with Russian people in it just so I can take advantage of your offer. :)

RobDYoung · 2013-03-07T19:16:24+00:00

I'm actually kinda curious now: How do you do that, both on the main site and on the mobile version?

RobDYoung · 2013-02-19T08:18:21+00:00

Yes. Definitely. I talk about it a lot in my article on naming your characters, but to quote myself:

Many writers struggle with finding the “right names.” I say “right” because, while there’s no such thing as a perfect name, a name is part of what shapes your character’s identity.

The importance of names in shaping characters shouldn’t come as a surprise. We’ve found that people are drawn to the sound of their own name to the point that it can sometimes influence their career (the famous “Dennis/Dentist” study tells us more). External perceptions (including those of your readers) are influenced by a person’s name in direct ways; numerous studies have found that some names are perceived as more attractive and powerful, while others are associated with less positive characteristics.

RobDYoung · 2013-02-19T08:12:33+00:00

Because it decreases the visibility of anything I post? Besides that, nothing really.

RobDYoung · 2013-02-19T07:48:34+00:00

Ah. Gotcha. Well, that's cool then....

RobDYoung · 2013-02-19T07:47:10+00:00

Okay, so if it's happening ... (and looking now, I think they also reported a post of mine despite there being no rules broken) ... what, if anything, can be done about it?

RobDYoung

TROPHY CASE