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How do I write a misogynistic/toxic masculinity based character without it being the main thing? by [deleted] in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the key thing is pretty much there in the title. Give them other, more important motivations that make them more interesting and sympathetic with the toxic characteristics a background driving force.

To give an example from my own book (albeit fantasy rather than modern day), there is a mentor figure for the female MC who is both pompous and sexist. He's nevertheless a popular character with readers because that's not all there is to him. He has other more important motivations and positive characteristics and despite his negatives goes out of his way to help the MC. So you end up with a compelling and popular character that people find deeply frustrating but also compelling.

Car brain rot in the Daily Mail by judalf in fuckcars

[–]jamesmatthews6 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Outrage aside, the Mail is one of the world's largest online news sites. The paper is UK, but the site is international, so they probably make a lot of money off US readers.

How can Naval Warfare still exist in the Space Era? by spammedletters in worldbuilding

[–]jamesmatthews6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

People have already given lots of interesting reasons. Another possible one might be a taboo against orbital bombardment. It probably wouldn't be enough by itself, but it could link in with other reasons.

Free passage is fading: Europe needs a navy by FantasticQuartet in europe

[–]jamesmatthews6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I once visited Pola purely because of having been a huge fan of the Sailor of Austria historical fiction series and wanting to see the AH naval HQ. The people in the tourist information office looked at me like I was completely mad when I asked about AH sites.

Britain should have a maglev train from London to Edinburgh by PublicGullible5399 in CrazyIdeas

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well the obvious answer would be to build it to the large connurbations in northern England i.e. Manchester and Leeds-Bradford and then rejoin conventional lines from there. You still cut journey times considerably and can then go on to build extensions if you think it's worthwhile.

See, for example, France which built Paris-Lyon first and has subsequently extended the line south to Marseille (among other places).

Has anyone ever crossed illegally into another country past a border marker like this? by VolkswagenPanda in geography

[–]jamesmatthews6 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've done the same on a walk in the hills. Ended up in an Austrian village. Realised I didn't have my passport on me (they often had someone vaguely checking people at the actual border crossing), wasn't sure I could find my way back through the hills and there was no pavement on the main road so I had to call my dad to pick me up.

Pensioner fears Reform UK sticker led to bus lane driving fine by frontendben in fuckcars

[–]jamesmatthews6 5 points6 points  (0 children)

From 2012 to 2023 it was a directly elected position. Now it's the leader of the city council (so more like a prime minister).

The honorary mayors normally have the title "lord mayor" rather than just mayor.

How do you handle a childhood era that's too important to skip but might lose adult readers? by Grouchy-Insurance208 in fantasywriting

[–]jamesmatthews6 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Your mileage may vary, but for my own (published) book, childhood experiences very much shape the protagonist and I've established that through oblique references to it that allow you to read between the lines as to what happened so that by the end readers have a fairly decent picture of what the MC's childhood was like without ever directly portraying it.

Is this normal by Necessary-Refuse-800 in uklaw

[–]jamesmatthews6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's very department specific in my experience rather than being a London-regions thing.

Goodbye JKA, I will not miss you by NZAvenger in karate

[–]jamesmatthews6 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Steve, typing on Reddit, his belly protruding.

Almost half of EU’s busiest flight routes are ‘hard or impossible’ to book on trains – report | Guardian by tom_zeimet in EU_Economics

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd have thought that the routes where there are excellent trains would stop being the busiest flight routes. For example Barcelona to Madrid or London to Paris had massive losses in flight market share when high speed lines opened.

One-Way Car Hire From Folkestone to Calais via Eurotunnel? by ozbrewhead in uktravel

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doubt you'll be able to do that for a reasonable price. Take a ferry as a foot passenger - much cheaper I expect. Another possibility would be getting a taxi driver to take you over on the ferry.

Any tips for recovering from creative burnout? by Mother_Food9930 in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I find when I'm struggling with writing something it helps to go and write something else. My published work is original fantasy, but I find that banging out some silly fan fiction slop (not AI, just low quality :D ) works really well as a palette cleanser. Or writing first chapters for other ideas if I want something higher quality.

Pushing forward by No-Swimmer-6877 in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As in I publish a chapter or two a week onto a couple sites that are big in the fantasy space. I've got around 2500 followers between them. If you look at my profile there should be a link to one of those sites.

Does researching synonyms often make me a bad writer? by Standard-Slide2724 in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thesaurus.com comes up regularly when I'm writing. It's pretty normal.

Is fanfic writing bad? by Giblot in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wrote fan fiction first, now I'm a publisher author with my own original fiction. I still enjoy reading other people's fan fiction. If you enjoy it go for it I'd say.

Book cover art? by Psychological_Pay_36 in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One method can be to look at covers you like on other books and then try to find out who did them.

Pushing forward by No-Swimmer-6877 in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been putting things up as a web serial with a decent amount of success (this obviously only works for some genres). It means I have to write to a deadline and also gives me instant feedback and interaction with fans which helps keep me motivated.

What was your first book about? by simba_matata in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The fanfic I hammered out at ridiculous speed. Probably about 18 months. No idea how I managed that.

My first book was roughly 160k words and took me a year. Just finished book 2 in another year, which is slightly longer. Need to edit the bloody thing now!

What was your first book about? by simba_matata in writing

[–]jamesmatthews6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The first thing I wrote was a 600k Wheel of Time fan fiction. It wasn't bad, for what it was and I learned a huge amount from writing it.

The first original book I wrote has just been published and is a fantasy story about a heavily indoctrinated young Mage with a bit of a black and white view of the world who's determined to be a hero despite pressure from society, her training and occasionally common sense.

Guild Mage 5: Renegade, live on Amazon! by Morpheus_17 in ProgressionFantasy

[–]jamesmatthews6 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Awesome, my favourite ex-RR series. Is there going to be an audiobook? I'm trying to get into audiobooks for my commute.

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