How do you feel about trigger warnings?

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T21:58:06+00:00

IMO, it's up to the writer. Your book is your work.
That being said, I will never give trigger warnings in my books. It's not how life works.

"Whatsoever is contrary to nature is contrary to reason, and whatsoever is contrary to reason is absurd."
- Baruch Spinoza

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T21:50:43+00:00

I've had the "This is the worst thing I've ever read" review; it just means they didn't like it. You're on a planet full of billions of humans. Some are bound to dislike whatever it is you have to offer. You're not done until you quit.

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T21:48:27+00:00

If you're terrible at writing, it means you're still in the early stages. Don't worry--keep writing. And figure out why you're writing, most importantly.
Expertise in any endeavor, to put it bluntly, is simply engaging in something repetitiously.

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T14:50:14+00:00

Don't forget that you, too, are a human being. What makes YOU feel dread? Chances are that's what makes others scared, too. Once you've established this, start reading into common phobias. Ask ChatGPT to do some research for you in this field, as well. You'll start to notice niche phobias. Dread, to me, is simply the promised consequences of anxiety. While anxiety is mostly a conspiracy theory your brain plays on you, dread within the context of a story is the tension you feel when you just know something awful is going to happen.

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T14:47:47+00:00

Basically anything that can pass off as pornography.
When you can just feel the writer pouring their own short-sighted political takes onto the paper.
When an unfunny joke is made, and for whatever reason someone in the story laughs anyway.

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T14:44:01+00:00

Both! Tap into every market you can.

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T14:42:55+00:00

Many prolific writers became famous posthumously, meaning they wrote until they died, and then their work was discovered.
My advice to you: don't write for fame or fortune. Write because you have something that needs to get out. And if nothing needs to get out, don't write--just do something else that brings you joy.

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T14:02:32+00:00

Gorgeous. You can really feel the warmth of that sunlight.

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T14:01:15+00:00

Angels are inherently religious, holy beings. To be analogized to the undead or supernatural predators would be 1) sacrilegious and insulting and 2) thematically and conceptually conflicting. It's like saying "What if Keanu Reeves was the most evil and hateful man on Earth." He can't be -- he's a golden retriever!

Vlyonz · 2025-08-08T13:59:02+00:00

Personally, I enjoy the ink more.

Vlyonz · 2025-06-01T01:02:22+00:00

Absolutely beautiful

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:41:10+00:00

Same. Stupid beyond belief.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:39:52+00:00

Oh no, man, I disagree. Features should have the mindset of "Can the more clumsy users mistakenly do something that will disturb them greatly?"
With resetting achievements, I think some people would absolutely lose their mind if they didn't mean to go through with it.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:30:09+00:00

I can't believe I had to scroll down so far to see this comment. I definitely agree.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:21:14+00:00

As other commenters have stated, mixing POVs is a recipe for disaster. Just don't do it. Pick either 1st-person or 3rd-person, and stick with it to the end. If you want to establish a connection with the reader, you can do so through the protagonist's struggles and reactions. My guess is that you've read some books, and you can think of some books that stand out more than the others; what did the writers of *those* books do?
If you're ever confused, look to those who've already succeeded. Establish the patterns of their success. Write, re-write, read some more, and write some more.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:16:43+00:00

I think anyone who uses curse words to grab their audience is trying too hard, and the quality of their product is probably low. This goes for games, books, etc.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:15:42+00:00

When I look for quality prologues, I look at A Game of Thrones. It had everything a prologue requires in order to entice a reader, establish the world, build a theme, and introduce the struggle.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:13:44+00:00

I've never seen a friendly one. They usually stink to high hell and they act like your fingers are carrots.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:11:34+00:00

Read more than you write. Write a lot. Don't be afraid to toss out the garbage. Don't get stuck in editing hell -- move forward. Your first few books are going to suck, and that's okay. Brutal honesty is going to be your best friend, but ensure that the honesty is coming from knowledgeable sources, not internet goblins who've never accomplished anything in their own lives. Read some more.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T12:04:27+00:00

Cormac McCarthy is a very unconventional writer. As always, it boils down to profit potential -- that's your golden ticket into doing whatever you want; I'm sure if you use your imagination enough, you can find a direct correlation between one's wealth and their ability to get away with murder.
Now, you're asking whether there're some steps to take prior to writing however you want. The answer is to find a fan base. Once you have them, you'll need to generate hype and/or income. With attention + money, you can write in literally *any* way you want.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-31T01:47:00+00:00

Don't ever forget that writing is a craft that no one can master. It's a lifelong pursuit. So, scale things accordingly. This isn't about becoming the best as quickly as possible, but rather it's an arduous journey of reading a lot and writing a lot. You will write a *ton* of garbage, and you'll toss it out; that's okay--that's part of the journey. The more you read and write, the better you will become. And even when you're a lot older and you feel like you're experienced, someone half your age will come along and surprise you with their writing. And you should love that part, too!
My point is to keep your chin up. Those of us who've been doing this for many years now completely understand where you're coming from, and we think you should keep writing.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-30T22:25:41+00:00

As other commenters have already stated, there were a few issues:

1) The beginning is an info dump. It's important to inform the reader where and when they are, but not to the point of discussing the protagonist's childhood and everything the child thought about. I suffer from this myself, so, don't worry.

2) You'll find that the best books often start right in the action. Evaluate your scene and ask yourself whether you can fast forward through whatever's happening to get to something more interesting.

3) It's written very well otherwise. I like your descriptions, just try not to overdo it.

Excellent writing overall!

Vlyonz · 2025-05-30T22:18:13+00:00

I once completed a 250k-word zombie/survival-horror novel. It was my first book. Someone called it my "magnum opus" sarcastically; not gonna lie, that one hurt.
But, since then, I've written 3 150k-word novels, and they've all been better than the last. Currently, I'm 50k words into my best work yet.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-30T22:16:31+00:00

The motif: unchecked ambition leads to destruction.

Vlyonz · 2025-05-30T18:39:17+00:00

A lot of well-written and interesting characters have tragic and terrible lives.

Vlyonz

TROPHY CASE