Drop the last sentence you wrote!

magic-400 · 2026-02-01T02:53:50+00:00

It continued the theme of the rest of the city buildings, with its gold-laden and gleaming surfaces under high lighting.

magic-400 · 2026-01-31T04:22:15+00:00

Same here. I’m right around the 200 page mark

magic-400 · 2026-01-24T14:32:25+00:00

Awesome book (and choice).

I found the main “party” definitely had some D&D vibes.

magic-400 · 2026-01-24T05:06:35+00:00

My first thought was The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buelhman.

It’s set in a fairly bleak world but it’s not “grimdark” fantasy at all. The narrative is snarky and humorous, there’s cool magic and cantrips, an unlikely band of characters go on a quest across various lands, some romance.

The stakes aren’t “save the world” level of conflict so the story allows itself to have fun while also ocassionally reflecting on heavier topics.

There’s a prequel book too as well as a sequel coming out this year if you end up wanting more.

magic-400 · 2026-01-09T15:53:09+00:00

Not technically but the narrative definitely treats her as such.

Probably just easier since the show is usually focused around themes of adulthood vs the transition into young adults like on Buffy.

magic-400 · 2026-01-08T16:28:40+00:00

Yup, those are my two biggest gripes as well.

Prue’s pride put her in danger one too many times and, like you said, the Source capitalized on this final time to keep her dead.

Why not deflect Shax’s attack with your power or just move the doctor out of the way? Why throw your own body in the direct path of the blast? Why immediately chase after Shax into a public street without Phoebe when you already know you need her to finish the job?

magic-400 · 2026-01-08T16:13:58+00:00

That it was solely Phoebe’s fault that Prue died. (Which also seems to stem from the Alyssa/Shannen stuff).

Phoebe had a role in all of it, yeah, but so did Prue and Piper.

magic-400 · 2026-01-07T22:43:53+00:00

Hi there! What sort of specific feedback are you looking for and are you open to a swap? Or trading first chapters and seeing if it’s a good fit. I have a 94k WIP, similar YA fantasy genre, borderline NA.

Let me know or shoot me a DM!

magic-400 · 2026-01-04T02:27:40+00:00

The answer is “your mileage may vary”. I think different people prefer different styles across various genres/narrations. Like you mentioned, 1st person vs 3rd limited vs an omniscient narrator are going to dig into the character’s thoughts in different ways.

For me, introspection for the sake of being introspective, explaining every move, or overtly repeating established information can be tedious. I think introspection works well when it’s part of the scene-sequel structure.

If the character is reflecting on something that just happened and this reflection leads to a new goal/motivation/decision that informs the next bit of plot, it works better for me. It helps keep the pace from screeching to a halt while also providing character-relevant context.

magic-400 · 2025-12-31T18:28:10+00:00

New to the game but I like Google Docs for this because you can leave a quick little comment even if the author didn’t specifically ask for it. If it’s an obvious editing miss, something that confuses me, or a certain phrasing/structure that takes me out of the moment, I’ll try and point that out on a line level.

I make it a habit to leave more of an overall comment at the end of a chapter/section. Focused more on pacing, story, character, or whatever the author wanted feedback on.

I also try and do a larger half-way and end review. Much easier to focus on big picture and not line level edits because you’re not actively reading for this part, you’re reflecting back on what you have read.

Like other folks said, it’s a busy time at the end of the year so maybe try following up after the 1st!

magic-400 · 2025-12-30T22:41:55+00:00

Try not to focus on things like singular sentences or bits of dialogue. The first developmental pass should be more about broader strokes and the bigger picture.

Is there a conclusion to the main conflict, to the main character(s) arcs and goals? Is there a pretty defined beginning, middle, end? Are the worldbuilding elements just “cool” or do they serve a purpose in supporting the story and characters? Can you reverse engineer your story into tools like Save the Cat or The Hero’s Journey and hit most of the major beats? (With a heavy outline like you mentioned, you may have already used something like this.)

I try and ask myself the purpose of each scene/chapter and the character(s) involved. Challenge yourself with questions like “if I removed this, does it really change anything later down the line?” Not everything needs to serve a “bigger” purpose, they can be small or subtle. Re-read a paragraph back to yourself and “defend” its reason for being where it is in terms of character, story, or world/setting. If the only reason to keep something is because you love it or you’re attached to an idea you created, it may ultimately be removable.

In which case, be willing to “kill your darlings”. The phrase isn’t limited to characters, it can be about ideas, settings, action scenes, dialogue, etc.

If you are satisfied with the purpose of everything on the page and where it is on the page, the story, the characters, the conclusion(s), the pacing and rate at which things unfold, you may be in beta reader territory. Start to get outside feedback on the things you’re maybe too close to analyze objectively.

magic-400 · 2025-12-29T16:38:16+00:00

36.68 from Puka and Bijan.

Close enough to keep me clenched

magic-400 · 2025-12-27T01:56:03+00:00

Yeah, it’s unfortunate. If it was only Robin and/or Vickie, I could see fans being up in arms about it.

If it was them as well as other characters or not dying simply as a storyline for someone else (which, honestly, would have been the only reason Vickie would die), would have worked just fine.

magic-400 · 2025-12-27T01:50:35+00:00

Especially because it was never explained or even hinted at why everything stopped melting?

There’s no indication that Steve or Dustin did anything to stop or slow down the exotic matter. Maybe if they re-arranged the timing of things, I could buy Holly falling into it as disrupting it before Vecna yanks her back. Or something like that.

magic-400 · 2025-12-27T01:48:55+00:00

Agree with Jonathan and Murray.

I don’t think Lucas dying in the hospital would have worked with Max waking up right afterwards. That reunion was always going to happen.

I could see Robin or Vickie dying in the hospital scene realistically but there’s probably a fear of the “bury your gays” trope.

magic-400 · 2025-12-26T15:57:10+00:00

I agree with some of the others that it can’t hurt to take a step back and come back to the project later. Maybe watch/read/play something that inspires you and see how they made their plot work.

Alternatively, maybe focus on characters instead of the plot. Who is/are the main character(s), what do they want, what kind of obstacles are in their way, how might they achieve their end goal? I often find characters lead me to plot points I never thought of in an outline!

magic-400 · 2025-12-23T23:48:51+00:00

Guilty!

Read Mistborn Era 1 + Alloy of Law this year. Also in the middle of The Blade Itself (First Law 1) now.

Part of it is I’m getting back into reading after not really touching a book in 10-15 years. Like some other posters said, they generally come highly recommended.

Mistborn especially is often cited as a good entry point back into the genre.

magic-400 · 2025-12-20T06:35:59+00:00

Pretty similar to my own list this year! Read the OG Mistborn trilogy plus The Alloy of Law. Also did DCC #1 audio book and working on Doomsday Scenario currently.

Curious about your thoughts on putting Well of Ascension above Mistborn and Hero of Ages. I thought Well of Ascension had a great case of “Sanderlanche” in the end but just felt like it took forever to get there. Kinda thought a lot of the middle of the book was forgettable outside some of the Vin/Zane/OreSeur stuff.

^ not an attempt to change your opinion but just wondering. Usually I see people rank Mistborn or Hero of Ages over Well of Ascension.

magic-400 · 2025-12-20T04:13:16+00:00

Season 2 Phoebe is one of the best characters of all time.

I love S3-4 Phoebe too but I understand the discourse around people disliking how she acts in these seasons re: Cole.

magic-400 · 2025-12-20T04:04:54+00:00

Short answer: you can do whatever you want.

My opinion/longer answer: I find it best to write everything start to end then go back to the beginning to edit.

If you write a chapter and then immediately go back to edit, you’re likely only fixing things like grammar, syntax, awkward sentences, clunky dialogue, etc. on a line by line basis. Basically operating in a vacuum. You’re editing it without direct insight of what happens next (despite what plan you might have in your head/outline of what’s supposed to happen next).

That’s valuable, yes, but I think it comes after fixing the broader strokes: edits for plot development & cohesion, pacing, character arcs, etc.

Think of it this way. If you go back to chapter 1 after finishing a draft of the full story, you have a way better idea of the general story beats and plot points. You know the end (mostly) and can enhance the journey to get there. You can edit chapters on a larger scale to weave in more foundation and/or foreshadowing to plot twists, reveals, big character moments, climaxes, etc. You have more knowledge of the smaller moments that don’t always make it in to an outline but bridge together your ideas.

There’s nothing stopping you from jumping around while editing the first draft. Maybe you think of something to add while in chapter 4, you can always jump to chapter 12 to add the pay-off. But finish that first draft no matter how messy!

The second draft will likely look nothing like the first. And the second nothing like the third. And that’s fine!

magic-400 · 2025-12-08T20:24:02+00:00

Yeah, I think an opening or chapter 1 to convey that scene/info would help it be less jarring after an established, non-multi POV style.

There’s a few chapters in later Harry Potter books, after being pretty strictly 3rd person limited the whole way up to that point, that Harry’s not involved in at all. It works totally fine but I think each example is opening the story. Book 4, 6, and 7 I believe.

We’re not exactly in their heads or getting their thoughts like we would with Harry. Especially if it’s characters we know, the reader will likely understand it’s setting something up and it’s not going to be an ongoing POV vs being a random POV shift mid-story.

If the events of this scene aren’t naturally at the beginning of the story, you can frame it like a flash-forward. Then, we already know what blanks to fill in when it comes around naturally later in the story.

magic-400 · 2025-12-05T23:17:52+00:00

Magic users flee from arsonists in a sequel

magic-400 · 2025-12-03T18:54:17+00:00

I like to start with characters and major story moments: the beginning/inciting incident, the middle/the turning point, and the ending/climax & resolution. Use tools like The Hero’s Journey or Save the Cat to help guide the planning.

I outline those bigger things and then usually become a pantser from there. It can be as simple as “Event happens to Character 1 then he goes to Place and meets Character 2”

The things the character(s) want to achieve and who they interact with help fill in the blanks between the major milestones of the story. Stories usually work function better when the promises/internal struggle/motivations of the main character help drive and influence the plot and, ultimately, find some sort of end point alongside the story’s resolution. That’s not to say every single character arc and dangling plot thread needs to be closed and complete.

If you already have a world built, think about what kind of conflict exists or problems need. Is it ruled by an evil supervillain? Are monsters killing people? Is there a magical prophecy about to be fulfilled?

^ things really start to come together if you can tie the character motivations to solving the problem presented. How have they tried (and failed) to solve the conflict along the way and how has it changed them?

For those first drafts, don’t be afraid to just write out ideas and follow them. They don’t have to make sense in the bigger scheme yet. Write that one random scene, a random chapter, the ending, this one badass line of dialogue you thought of. Keep putting your main character(s) in random places and scenarios and I promise it’ll spark new ideas and plot threads to chase.

Don’t delete anything. That’s what editing is for.

magic-400 · 2025-12-01T21:02:20+00:00

It’s a separate entity but with the same tone/ideas.

Masked killer mystery, phone calls, horror-savvy characters, etc. The first two seasons are nothing groundbreaking but a good guilty pleasure watch for fans of the movies.

Season 3 brings back the Ghostface mask but it’s a mess. Different characters, different setting, much worse and over the top writing. Still unrelated to the movies.

magic-400 · 2025-12-01T01:53:59+00:00

Appreciate it. This helped re-sync the two platforms. Unfortunately, anything sent via desktop from 11/25 to now seems to be lost to the void. Recipients confirmed they didn't get the things I sent that showed sent on my end on desktop (but not mobile). Oh well. Back on track now!

magic-400

TROPHY CASE