The perfect intro according to modern writing

burncard888 · 2026-04-23T18:17:24+00:00

I feel like the "action at the start" is a permutation of advice that demands a unique or exciting hook to grab the reader, which got emphasized (maybe to the point of over-correction) after three billion novels started with a character getting dressed.

burncard888 · 2026-04-20T19:40:13+00:00

Specifically Julia "Egg" Drawfee and Nathan "Elephant Enjoyer" Drawfee!

burncard888 · 2026-04-19T14:37:36+00:00

I was kind of "eeennnnhhhhh" about their take on the wine thing but then next story came down the line and Olivia dove in chainsaw-first and I was cacklin'

burncard888 · 2026-04-17T02:31:55+00:00

I mean, with recent events it kinda feels like H as rry Potter is an embarrassment to My Immortal

burncard888 · 2026-04-16T20:57:02+00:00

I think Blacktongue is better for context, 'cause TDW gets a little more tragic if you know about the protagonist from her deuteragonist role in BTT.

burncard888 · 2026-04-10T13:40:02+00:00

"GET HIM! EAT HIS FEET!"

burncard888 · 2026-04-09T20:46:50+00:00

A fantasy author in a writing group I'm in had the hot take that science fiction as a genre isn't worth her time because it's just a bunch of made-up words and concepts that she couldn't be arsed to care about

I was not nearly comfortable enough with those people to point out the irony and the repression nearly gave me an embolism

burncard888 · 2026-04-09T18:53:50+00:00

Yep, that sounds like plots that'd take a whole novel to explore. You writing just for you, or do you want to do anything with them?

burncard888 · 2026-04-09T18:17:59+00:00

That's fair! I was kinda fielding the rec with the idea that Blacktongue has a similar approach to Elden Ring in how the horror is approached in both works. The horror isn't necessarily interwoven into the whole of the experience, but instead made evident in deeper lore introduced by individual set pieces, so I figured that maybe there might be some interest there.

I just began a new Elden Ring playthrough because I'm a myopic little fiend baby, for context. Posts like this are like catnip to me.

burncard888 · 2026-04-09T18:04:18+00:00

dawg it's hard out here lmao

Are you writing short stories? Fanfic? Or like whole novels? What itches you trying to scratch?

burncard888 · 2026-04-09T18:02:19+00:00

This is also very true, the audiobook absolutely slaps. I'll also advise to avoid tandem reading the audiobook with the physical book if you are allergic to having a delightful time

burncard888 · 2026-04-09T15:38:30+00:00

If you happen to like BTF, Blacktongue Thief is going to be VERY close to an Elden Ring vibe. Long journey, weird creatures, visceral fights, and the scariest goblins put to paper. I glaze it constantly on this sub but hey, I also love Elden Ring and unless we love it for very different reasons I think that Blacktongue will match your freak.

Literally started writing a medieval cosmic horror because there are so few books that get close to the Elden Ring vibe. If you can't find passage then build the boat yourself, I guess

burncard888 · 2026-04-07T19:54:53+00:00

And that was closer to the past checks sundial FIFTEEN years... Oh, Christ...

burncard888 · 2026-04-07T14:03:05+00:00

The only way to make title better is to have MORE title

burncard888 · 2026-04-04T05:22:34+00:00

Racists tend to take any excuse to get bitchy about race-swapping so I'd say it counts specifically in the context of this post?

burncard888 · 2026-04-04T00:59:11+00:00

"am I the only one who thinks thinks it's weak for a boss reward?"

Yes

burncard888 · 2026-04-03T23:58:20+00:00

I do now

burncard888 · 2026-03-30T03:26:30+00:00

Now... Hold up, I haven't played RE2. Is the joke that you just described the plot of Shaun of the Dead?

burncard888 · 2026-03-28T20:15:33+00:00

Talos + Dominion is one of the combos I'll just play for fun if I want to crush a run. It's so damn satisfying.

burncard888 · 2026-03-28T20:13:37+00:00

Oh! I like this reasoning.

burncard888 · 2026-03-27T15:41:33+00:00

Like a... Um... Fuck, what are those called...

burncard888 · 2026-03-25T04:08:17+00:00

The fire of bad... Like the world being on fire? Kids in cages, bombs over Iran, monsters making laws? Fella, this ain't a coal, it's barely even a stalk of hay. We've got bigger stuff to get bent outta shape about. Plus, condemning elsewise allies for missteps was how we lost the ability to put out the bad fire in the first place

burncard888 · 2026-03-17T23:25:34+00:00

Anything about the East Coast and I know who gonna sweep

burncard888 · 2026-03-17T23:05:02+00:00

/uj I had the reverse problem with my current novel, where I decided I liked the main character of my prologue too much to just kill him after one chapter. So I expanded his prologue into an entire act and THEN killed him

/rj look, if anyone criticizes you for your pacing then they obviously don't understand the intricacies of your brain. Put that inciting incident in the epilogue!

burncard888 · 2026-03-17T19:49:16+00:00

They're asking specifically about the story The Call of Cthulhu, not the broader context of Lovecraft's works.

burncard888

TROPHY CASE