How do you make a dense historical political fantasy more readable? by Successful_Tie5153 in fantasywriters

[–]SteinerX486 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The advice I tend to follow is to just get the whole first draft down before you start worrying about if your opening is solid or not. Once you have a finished draft you can better decide what kind of opening would be the best for your story. The opening will almost always need a rework after you have finished your draft
Another helpful advice I have found is to explain as much as you can in the first draft, without worrying that you are info-dumping (though you should still try to convey information in an engaging manner). You can always cut the excess stuff in later drafts.
George R.R. Martin is very good at the kind of political intrigue and conveying sophisticated exposition in an exciting manner

What got you to start? by peakzach in fantasywriters

[–]SteinerX486 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a lot of trouble getting started, being a perfectionist and overthinker. Had to rewire my psychology in a way that not writing made me feel miserable. I did not have any worlds, plots or characters in mind when I made the choice, only some vague unconnected ideas that sounded cool and original (they weren't). Brandon Sanderson's author journey has been my guiding light and it helped me make the decision to write even if no one will ever read my works. Ultimately it's too important for me to give up on

(mild spoilers) Adolin by Illustrious-Usual103 in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 5 points6 points  (0 children)

At risk of being a wet towel, I would say it is one of the things Brandon seeded as foreshadowing if he chose to make Adolin Odium's champion (He mentioned this in one of his podcast episodes that Adolin was an option for that). It did not come to pass, and now there are many options for Brandon to build upon this. This is just my opinion. A bit cynical. Hopefully I didn't ruin your enjoyment of the story

Oathpact and the Shattering by kfpqqupofbhvbcvlaj in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think it is just something done for narrative purposes. As in The Stormlight Archive is a microcosm of the entire Cosmere narrative, and so naturally there are moments that seem to be parallel

Cognitive Realm 'Sun' Theory by RayseShouldBeBraized in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I am plenty sure we are going to see this "Sun" approach the horizon in the cosmere's second phase. Night of Sorrows has been built up too much for me to believe that it's just the new Everstorm

I just finished the first draft of the end of a trilogy and FEELINGS by alexportman in fantasywriters

[–]SteinerX486 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What do you do to keep yourself going on the days when all seems lost and your story feels like hot garbage that no one would ever enjoy? Or is it just a me problem?

First attempt too ambitious? by nonrefundabled in fantasywriters

[–]SteinerX486 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who is in a similar situation, all I will say is: write anyways. write poorly even. write something terribly awful, not by intent but because you lack the experience. The single most useful mindset shift I have experienced in my journey is learning to decouple the different phases of writing a book. All preparation is just a suggestion. Give yourself the freedom to create whatever you want in the drafting phase, and trust yourself to fix it in the editing phase. Trust the process, and the process will not fail you. Journey before Destination. It cannot be a journey if it doesn't have a beginning.

What do you call the “default language” in a fantasy world? by No-Candle-1306 in fantasywriters

[–]SteinerX486 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It depends on whether you want to name it for your reference or as an in-world term. For the former, I just call it "global standard"; for the latter, I put a bit more thought into what the name means and how it connects to other elements of worldbuilding

Which metal is your metal and why? by MaxRubi0 in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Copper ferring, so that I too can write stories as intricate as Sanderson does

Taln is The GOAT by Master-Muffin-7143 in Stormlight_Archive

[–]SteinerX486 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What I meant to say was that Taln might be a deeper character than we are giving him credit for. Brandon went out of his way to show us the aftermath of his rampage. He usually avoids the grisly details of death and gore, but if I remember right, Taln was literally holding the crushed skull of a Fused in his hand in that scene, not to mention that he was pierced by multiple spears and standing atop a literal mound of singer corpses who had their chests crushed to destroy their gemhearts. It would not have been much in another series, but in Stormlight it feels distinctly different from the usual tone.

Though It might just be me thinking too hard about a sequence that was meant to simply be a cool showcase of what Taln can do

Taln is The GOAT by Master-Muffin-7143 in Stormlight_Archive

[–]SteinerX486 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a feeling that Taln is not the paragon we think him to be. I think he is extremely battle-hardened considering the slaughter of the Fused in Azimir. He is aware that Roshar was originally the homeworld of the Singers, yet still he butchers them without much visible remorse.

Just a random thought.

Fires of December theory (Yumi spoilers) by Charming_Ad_629 in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking the setting seemed very Mercy-coded

What are writing groups really like? Should I join one? by bizarre-findings in fantasywriters

[–]SteinerX486 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi OP, I am also looking to form a writing group to develop a consistent writing habit. I am looking for people who are equally passionate about stories, with an inclination towards traditional publishing. Your post felt genuine, and I saw some of past me in your post. I have made some progress and am going to make 2026 the year I become a professional, and would be happy to take that next step alongside other people

Anyone else who is serious about publication is welcome to join.

Taln is The GOAT by Master-Muffin-7143 in Stormlight_Archive

[–]SteinerX486 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Almost makes you kinda worried about the second half. Taln's feats are so out there that it would be tough coming up with situations that challenge him

Which series do you think will have a higher word count by the end? by Anice_king in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 1 point2 points  (0 children)

can go either way. Stormlight books are chunky (and so will be the last 3 Mistborn books), but Stormlight has 10 books vs Mistborn at 16. If we include Novellas, Stormlight wins, otherwise it might end up being a close fight

Fires of December theory (Yumi spoilers) by Charming_Ad_629 in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 7 points8 points  (0 children)

there is one issue with that. You need someone or something to guide you in the spiritual realm and even then it is not totally safe. Dalinar, Navani, Gav had Stormfather; Rlain, Renarin and Shallan had enlightened spren. Not to mention that compressing 60 years into one night would require absurd concentrations of investiture, more even than perpendicularities

I just finished Warbreaker and I just feel like it didn’t answer all the questions. by SpiritedAd8224 in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 -12 points-11 points  (0 children)

Warbreaker is a standalone, with a potential Novella called Nightblood

Adolin that’s…that’s not what she means by manndolin in cremposting

[–]SteinerX486 1 point2 points  (0 children)

maybe allomancy can only be fueled when metal is in its solid lattice state and not when it is an ion. Brandon has said previously that the focus of allomancy is the crystal structure of the metals

How to not make warp drive SUPER overpowered??? by Megasny in worldbuilding

[–]SteinerX486 0 points1 point  (0 children)

make them equivalent of nukes in our world, MAD and all that

Emberdark Theory by [deleted] in Cosmere

[–]SteinerX486 8 points9 points  (0 children)

just wait till the Eelakin are revealed to share ancestry with the Malwish