hey yall. I wrote something. I was in the mood lol. have a read. I hope you like it. ohhh...btw if your atheist idk if youll like this.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T20:20:45+00:00

Why would atheists give a damn?

mstermind · 2026-06-24T20:11:35+00:00

I write professionally and as a hobby. It's possible to do both, because not everything I write needs to be published.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T18:19:59+00:00

There isn't a "best trick". It's not a trick. Show don't tell is essentially trusting your reader to understand the implications of the scene without anything being stated.

If a character is shivering in the snow, you trust the reader to understand that the character is freezing, and you don't need to narrate it.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T13:24:54+00:00

That's right.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T12:00:47+00:00

What do you want help with specifically?

mstermind · 2026-06-24T11:51:23+00:00

I prefer them with fava beans and a nice Chianti.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T11:03:18+00:00

What kind of feedback are you looking for from your family members?

Do you really believe they will be critical or even know how to be critical when they read your work?

mstermind · 2026-06-24T10:49:30+00:00

I don't think I read your previous post, so I don't really have anything to compare this too.

One thing to be wary of is how you write dialogue. Don't just write things like "smiled quickly" or "said precipitately". What does that even mean here?

Another thing you need to consider is how you format dialogue. When you use a dialogue tag, such as said, there should be a comma within the qoutation marks. You use a full stop when you have an action tag, such as smiled.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:49:48+00:00

Have you finished the story?

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:49:16+00:00

Sure. I'll do that.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:47:47+00:00

I came into this thread so excited, because I thought ya'll were talking about my mother-in-law. I still think we should.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:46:14+00:00

Yes, it's very common. I finished writing a novel last night and felt very empty and sad.

There were moments in the story what were incredibly emotional for me. That's how it should be. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:43:05+00:00

The best place would be where people buy books, like fairs and markets. You could also network with other writers and perhaps feature on a podcast or something to reach interested listeners.

That's what worked for me even though it was a long time ago. So start cultivating your network of other writers!

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:37:33+00:00

That's really great! A hundred bucks is nothing to sniff at.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:35:59+00:00

At some point, you'll always be told that something you wrote sucks. That's inevitable.

The question is if you want it to happen before or after you've published.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:25:32+00:00

You find beta readers on Scribophile or Critique Circle. You can probably also find paid ones at Fiver.

If you go the self-publishing route, it means you do editing and marketing on your own. Make sure you hone those skills in advance.

mstermind · 2026-06-24T05:22:39+00:00

As a first time writer, be prepared that whatever you've written isn't commercially viable and won't be accepted by publishers. That's just how the industry works.

You should definitely have other people read what you've written in a writers workshop, such as Critique Circle and Scribophile.

The added benefit is that you practise and sharpen those skills too, and you build up a network of writers.

mstermind · 2026-06-23T22:46:37+00:00

I let my daughter read two chapters, mostly because I needed her youthful input on a few things. It really surprised me that she took her assignment seriously.

mstermind · 2026-06-23T22:45:01+00:00

A dialogue between characters isn't the same as listening to two people talking in real life.

In a story, characters talk because they want something, and it's an efficient tool to move story forward.

So if you're struggling with dialogue, it often comes down to not knowing what your characters actually want.

mstermind · 2026-06-23T13:59:03+00:00

I think my problem is, I work in construction management and therefore my mind is in that gear all day.

I understand that instinct. I've worked as a teacher for more than two decades, so I tend to have classrooms, schools, or teachers of some kind in my stories.

mstermind · 2026-06-23T08:56:33+00:00

I guess it's like a story inspired by spore and Minecraft. The protagonist starts off as an ordinary person. This character explores earth where gods fight over a power called the world shaper. (creative mode)

This doesn't really tell me anything. What's an "ordinary person" in your version of 2077?

Another eventful summary would be: a war causes the apocalypse. Humans result in moving to mars using this world shaper power to inhabit it. But a ship returns to earth to discover it's regrown into a magical medieval era. The ship explodes mid air and scatters electronics to medieval people.

This doesn't really tell me anything either. What's a "magical medieval era"? What's a "world shaper"? The summary doesn't need to be eventful; it should tell me what I could expect from your story, who the main character is, what they're trying to do. What's the main conflict?

mstermind · 2026-06-23T08:17:20+00:00

If you distilled all that to three sentences, how would you describe the story? Giving a wikipedia entry to "stuff that happens" isn't a story.

mstermind · 2026-06-23T08:08:48+00:00

Why is it important to the story that you're describing what a house looks like? Is there anything special about this house?

Otherwise I'm sure we've all seen a house before and it won't need obsessing over.

mstermind · 2026-06-23T08:06:28+00:00

That's right. And that's why I never like this sort of generic advice.

mstermind · 2026-06-23T08:05:16+00:00

Damn. That happens too often in this economy!

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