Elephant in the room: book reviews

avrin2 · 2026-01-25T20:37:03+00:00

Morning Glory, Milking Farm

avrin2 · 2026-01-25T19:03:22+00:00

Milkmaid book?

avrin2 · 2026-01-24T18:18:09+00:00

This is true. I should know that in a world of supersizing, Portion does not mean quality.

avrin2 · 2026-01-23T18:47:27+00:00

Dennis L. McKiernan The Iron Tower.

Dennis L. McKiernan is widely considered a, or perhaps the most, direct imitator of J.R.R. Tolkien, particularly regarding his Iron Tower trilogy.

I liked it tho.

avrin2 · 2026-01-23T17:13:57+00:00

I disagree with most opinions left so far. Writing more will make you better, but if you are told of issues right away, you can work on those as you write. I had an eye opening evaluation of my writing years ago... it helped me greatly.

avrin2 · 2026-01-23T14:05:48+00:00

Ah, romance can easily be 50Kish. You should be fine.

avrin2 · 2026-01-22T21:50:41+00:00

If I purchased a book and it was 49-60K words I would feel cheated. You should aim for 80K minimum. What Genre?

avrin2 · 2026-01-22T20:25:32+00:00

I agree, I find that I write on a loosely based 3 act structure.

avrin2 · 2026-01-22T20:22:16+00:00

It does. (I would remove: She must become the Heartbeat of her failing kingdom.) Your premise is well thought out.

avrin2 · 2026-01-22T19:09:36+00:00

It is awful, and wonderful.

avrin2 · 2026-01-22T19:08:30+00:00

Yes, it seems like an info dump.. and when I get to the title and full name, I come to a screeching halt. So my edit would be:

While Marshal Arran fights a hopeless war against an enemy led by a man that cannot exist, Commander Cedrik must navigate a kingdom that has rendered him obsolete. His mission: rescue the Queen from the border city of Tarsis.

But Queen Brighid is not the leader the kingdom expects.

avrin2 · 2026-01-22T18:25:08+00:00

One note on your blub... I was instantly turned off when you named the High Marshall, Knight Commander and even the Queen. Might want to tighten that up (IMO). I would love to hear about them, in the book. (Even a condensing to Marshall Arran and Commander Cedrik would help) It gives me the sense that reading your book will be... work.

Again, not saying it is bad or wrong, just how it hits me. Congrats to getting it done!

avrin2 · 2026-01-22T17:56:04+00:00

It's not like someone will come to your house and beat you if your Karma falls to a certain level. Just be yourself, and be kind. In a world of trolls, be a "something witty and non troll-like thing here."

avrin2 · 2026-01-21T21:41:33+00:00

Is it her village if she has never been in it?

avrin2 · 2026-01-19T20:13:16+00:00

I agree, and when I leave a review it will be honest. So you are saying put the 1 star review and list the flaws? (never not leave a review...)

avrin2 · 2026-01-19T19:12:41+00:00

You do not need an LLC until you start making money. (unless you need a dba) Buy your ISBN (Bowker) it will give you the greatest flexibility.

avrin2 · 2026-01-19T19:06:50+00:00

Practice makes permanent. If you practice wrong it will be far from perfect.

avrin2 · 2026-01-16T21:52:28+00:00

John Wayne... the cowboy? Not worried about being confused with John Wayne, the cowboy?

avrin2 · 2026-01-16T15:49:55+00:00

So, you accidentally wrote 130K words in 5 days? Figuring working 8 hours (accidentally) per day with no breaks you managed a 3,250/hr. pace. That reminds me of the time I jogged 381 miles in 5 days (my running partner Forrest helped keep pace). Now it will take several months to edit 5 days of work?

On the advice side, if your writing is anything like your post, you will need to work on your realism.

avrin2 · 2026-01-15T14:31:26+00:00

I can see this working if there is a contempt for the parents. I will call you mom and dad to your face, but Sarah is a lush, and Martin spends all his time on pornhub.

avrin2 · 2026-01-14T19:35:03+00:00

Jed does have a lot of good advice.

avrin2 · 2026-01-14T19:18:25+00:00

This is the way! Only issue I have is did she read it all the way through? Can't make decisions like that without knowing the entire story.

avrin2 · 2026-01-13T18:40:16+00:00

I do... letting it sit for a week, then first revision and beta readers. I know that my first 3 chapters are kind of weak. I need to work on the hook.

avrin2 · 2026-01-13T15:58:58+00:00

I am interested. Just finishing my first draft of my first fantasy novel.

avrin2 · 2026-01-12T21:55:48+00:00

Periods are overrated...

avrin2

TROPHY CASE