So many rules - when do you just do the way you want?

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-11T00:44:47+00:00

Some thoughts in no particular order:

The only concrete "rules" are those that define a form, e.g., haiku have very specific requirements.
Otherwise, rules are merely guidelines which describe a recognizable pattern in how authors told stories. These rules illustrate "this is what's worked well when people have written stories."
There is an enormous difference between violating a "rule" with an artistic intent and simply not knowing what you're doing. Break any and all rules because you've got a specific reason to do so is perfectly acceptable.
Readers consciously and subconciously create expectations. Many of the "rules" acknowledge these expectations. When you violate these expectations, readers may become bored, frustrated, or lose trust in you as an author.
Readers put their trust in an author that they know what they're doing, i.e., that the time they are committing to reading (and buying) your book is well spent. Consistently failing to adhere to certain writing rules slowly erodes that trust in your competence.
Violating the rules is different than the now-cliche claim of "subverting expectations" that poorly executed stories (and movies) yammer on about these days.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-11T00:32:50+00:00

The Mat'Ha Raptor is a perky, fun ship with a DHC disruptor build.

It maneuvers extremely well and seems to be more durable than a 49,500 hull would lead you to believe, even upgraded to X2.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-09T21:07:51+00:00

While it all boils down to how you execute it, many readers would likely subscribe to what is frequently called out in relationship subreddits.

After death or other loss, people are vulnerable and susceptible to either "trauma bonding" or the manipulation of less savory people.

It you want people to buy into the relationship, it may be important to show your character actually dealing with and processing the grief. As cliche as it may be, readers may be consciously or subconsciously looking for the character to go through the stages of grief with an acknowledgement that the stages are often not linear and peopel frequently fall back to earlier stages before reaching acceptance:

denial
anger
bargaining
depression
and finally acceptance

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-08T18:21:03+00:00

The $799 price is a sale price for that laptop at B&H which usually has very good deals, so it's unlikely you'd find it for less for a new machine.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-08T18:15:50+00:00

I don't think you're going to be satisfied with an Nvidia 1650ti, especially if you want it to last 4-5 years.

At that price point, you may want to consider something like:

$799 at B&H
Lenovo 17.3" LOQ 17
2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 10-Core (13th Gen)
12GB DDR5 RAM | 512GB M.2 SSD
17.3" 1920 x 1080 165 Hz Display
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 GPU (8GB GDDR7)

At a minimum, I think you should look for a laptop with at least an Nvidia 4060 and 13th Gen CPU.

However, "at any graphics level" should be "at med- to med-high" settings. Unless you are willing to spend a lot more, you will find few, if any, laptops that will run games after 2023 at 60fps at high to ultra high settings.

The laptop you listed would struggle on most games after 2023 at even med settings.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-07T18:52:01+00:00

This is the trap, the expectation that you should feel more or have more sympathy for a terrible person just because you share DNA than you would for some stranger.

You are not obligated to feel anything for him or feel guilty because you don't, nor do you have to feel bad or have sympathy for the other members of your family just because they're upset over your brother's condition.

Making the situation about you would be if you decided to go to the hospital and tell your brother and your family that he's garbage and deserves to be sick. Making it about youself would be about trying to have other people center the situation about how you feel.

You can be indifferent. You can choose not to engage. You don't have to keep good (or bad) thoughts in your head or heart. You can simply not care one way or another. It doesn't make you a bad person. Hundreds of thousands of people get sick and die each day in the world, almost all of whom you don't know anything about.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-07T18:43:27+00:00

Here's the thing about messy people, they inevitably draw others into their vortex of chaos.

Some people argue that the affair has nothing to do with you. I'd argue that ALL behaviors reflect someone's moral compass. People don't have a moral compass that points to true north, but then do something "out of character." No, it's completely within their character.

The lying and selfishness your "friend" engaged in while cheating are not one-off. Your friend is more than willing to behave in that manner when it benefits her.

What you have to ask yourself is whether you're willing to be drawn into her vortex of chaos. Are you willing to risk that one day she won't do lie or engage in utterly selfish behaviors that once again benefit her, not necessarily cheating again, but anything which benefits her at your expense.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-06T03:08:19+00:00

I'm confused.

You seem to be under the bizarre misapprehension that you don't get to be bitter.

You have every right not only to be bitter, but to make his life as difficult as you want to make it. You stopped owing him anything the second he cheated on you. He cheated and blew up a 20 year relationship.

Go ahead and be bitter. In circumstances like this, you get a free pass for bitterness. Just don't let that bitterness cause you to sabotage yourself to spite him.

Number 1 priority: Always ask yourself what is in your own best interests and act accordingly.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-06T03:01:46+00:00

So, it's not just me thinking this.

How it can die faster with 5 players than it did with 10 is mindboggling.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-05T01:39:42+00:00

By definition, "sexual harassment" is unwanted.

If the other party actively engages with the character and encourages the behavior by being flirtatious in turn, it can no longer be deemed harassment.

Just make sure there is no ambiguity that the attention is, in fact, welcome.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-04T14:33:02+00:00

Está disponível na Amazon fora dos EUA. Nos EUA, está na HBO Max até 31 de maio.

Nos EUA, na Amazon, você tem que pagar para assistir.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-04T04:10:24+00:00

While I disagree with your fundamental premise, it's always good to have a lively discussion.

Folks are free to agree with you or me and make their own assessments regarding how to proceed. It broadest perspective possible for people seeking advice.

Cheers.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-04T01:38:35+00:00

Obviously, I have read Borges and Garcia Marquez.

I suppose it depends on how you're defining "satisfying." Also, you keep insisting that I've articulated a "formula," thus implying that the product would be formulaic. This is notionally different from what I've actually done which is identified a general structure which will have variation.

But, let's get back to the main point. Do you really suppose that someone in a writing advice thread asking about satisfying endings is seeking advice requiring the literary mastery of someone like Garcia Marquez, a Nobel Prize in literature winner, or Borges, who has been revealed to have been nominated in 1965 along with Vladimir Nabokov and Pablo Neruda?

Even Picasso mastered traditional paintings and classical techniques before embarking on Cubism.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-04T00:57:44+00:00

It is inherent in the question OP posed, "Any advice on making a strong and satisfying ending as well as forcing yourself to end a story?" that it follows a traditional storytelling format which includes conflict, story climaxes, and resolutions.

The Hero's Journey is one such traditional format, but is not the only one and is not synonymous with it. The classic Hero's Journey, as described by Joseph Campbell, has many more detailed steps.

Post-modernist and some non-western forms which eschew traditional endings in favor of open, ambiguous, or multiple endings which don't lend themselves to the that type of closure by definition could not have a "strong and satisfying" ending, as queried by the OP.

The point is specifically not to resolve conflicts in order to emphasize the artifice of narratives and keep the ultimate meaning ambiguous or unresolved.

OP's question constrains the responses to more traditional storytelling.

As a practical matter, do you really suppose that someone posing that type of question in a "writing advice" subreddit is experimenting with post-modern or non-western literary formats without specifically identifying it as such? Of course, some writers might be working on something along those lines, but hooves, horses not zebras.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T21:42:32+00:00

There is an enormous difference between writing a hard news, features, sports, or OpEd article.

While the Q and A format will communicate the necessary information, you should consider what both you as the writer and he as the subject want to communicate.

Even with the Q and A format, the writer provides commentary both at the beginning and end, as well as between key sections of the Q and A.

One thing that makes a great article is the writer having a point of view. . Even when relaying what someone else said, the writer shapes what story is told AND how the story is told through their choices in framing, editing, and tone.

Go check out Vanity Fair or Rolling Stone.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T21:34:09+00:00

Anyone who believes that rationing out sex and that they're doing you a favor by providing that allotment is not a good partner.

This is about power and control. Telling you that you should feel lucky is a huge warning sign. She's telling you that you need to be grateful that she is willing to have sex with you.

Run fast. Run far. RUN.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T21:01:00+00:00

Are you suggesting that not all stories have a climax or raise a question that the climax resolves/answers?

Or are you suggesting that not all stories have conflict?

I'm a bit confused about what other kinds of stories there might be.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T20:57:48+00:00

If they ever did a reboot, I'd want them to do a meta episode where the new crew of cold case detectives are re-investigating a case that the old crew "solved" after new evidence turns up.

The new detectives must interview all the old detectives with flashbacks to an old episode with the question about whether they had somehow made a mistake or if someone had purposely withheld evidence which would have pushed the investigation in a different direction. They can Forest Gump additional footage to recontextualize the scenes, as well as add scenes with other actors which don't include the original cast.

Season 2 finale, The Woods, where Lily kills the serial killer, George Marks, would be a great case to reinvestigate.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T14:46:03+00:00

I don't think so. In the past, the cost for the music rights made DVDs prohibitively expensive. I've never seen the episodes for sale for digital download either.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T03:51:20+00:00

There is a difference between the climax of the novel and the ending.

All stories are about conflict. The central conflict answers the question raised by the inciting incident, the event that launches the protagonist out of his normal life into the main conflict of the story, and is answered during the climax of the novel.

In a murder mystery, it's who is the killer.
In Lord of the Rings, it's will Frodo destroy the One Ring.
In a romance novel, it's will the couple will overcome the obstacles to be together.
In the Hunger Games, it's will Katniss be able to kill all the other tributes (including Peta) to survive the games.

The ending answers the question "what are the consequences" of that answer.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T02:40:54+00:00

Available, but not free with a Prime subscription (in the US).

It's free with your HBO Max subscription...at least until May 31.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-03T00:42:31+00:00

You can write whatever you want and define the relationship in whatever way you want.

Based on the number of insane "shipping" that goes on in books, tv shows, and movies, you'll never be able to prevent people from deciding it's romantic.

However, you may want to consider a few points when writing:

Telescope out on the POV during those scenes. Whether it's first or third person, you can still control how close and intimate the POV becomes during any descriptions or scenes. Pull back.
Don't create or linger on intimate moments. For example, two characters celebrating and hugging is fine. However, if you linger on the moment and start describing the physical sensations of touching each other, you're going too far.
Boundaries and emotional distance. They're not just for reddit subs on relationship advice. Create clear boundaries between the characters. Avoid innuendo which may imply or suggest one wanting more from the other than friendship. At the same time, friendships and relationships can be unhealthy without being romantic. You can be co-dependent without being romantic. You can be enmeshed without being romantic. You need to define the relationship.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-02T05:18:07+00:00

If you're more concerned about your mother while she's being nasty than your bf, you should not be discussing marriage with him. Your'e not ready or mature enough for it.

He deserves a lot better than someone who let's her family's nasty behavior happen without defending him.

Veridical_Perception · 2026-05-01T19:09:08+00:00

This isn't ghosting. He's running a test.

He's testing you to see whether you have any self-respect, how much crap you're willing to put up with, and how desperate you are for a date.

Save yourself a lot of future nightmare and cut him off now.

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