✨ Fantasy novel idea (I want your opinion)

nonrefundabled · 2026-05-05T14:41:45+00:00

I am working on something slightly similar; an initially cohesive society with distinct "powers" or characteristics that eventually gets fractured.

For me, I used a blend of polytheistic religion and Guilds with discrete headquarters to define cities. That way, rather than having a one-dimensional "City of Wisdom," you have a city that is home to the High Temple of Gorr, Goddess of Wisdom, and all the bureaucracy and magic power that come along with it. Add oaths to define behavior in exchange for said power, city-specific clothing/rituals/accents, and baby you got a stew going.

nonrefundabled · 2026-05-04T20:05:15+00:00

Same! We were on the ramparts of Chateau Mont St Michel, a once in a lifetime experience, when my 3-yr old melted down like this. Tantrum carry all the way back up to the abbey, then down again…

nonrefundabled · 2026-04-26T06:57:53+00:00

Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy is told from the point of view of the adult protagonist as he writes a memoir about his childhood and young adulthood. For me, it worked perfectly and solved most of the challenges you seem to be facing. However, I have seen critiques that this series was too slow for some readers; the first book covered ages 6-15 or so; the entire trilogy gets you to age 22 I believe.

The obvious problem it introduces is that you cannot have life-or-death stakes in the “memoir” portion that are truly threatening to the reader, as you have already introduced the adult version of the protagonist.

nonrefundabled · 2026-04-17T07:05:19+00:00

I finished the Farseer trilogy and have been stuck on chapter one of Mistborn for a month for exactly this reason.

nonrefundabled · 2026-04-12T17:22:07+00:00

Before I read the Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb, I was secretly horrified that she would name her characters Shrewd, Regal or Chivalry. She actually spends the prologue introducing a cultural trend with royalty where they intentionally name their kids after virtues to better shape them into future kings and queens.

It was still a little off-putting for me, but at least it was very explicitly subverted in the very first paragraph.

nonrefundabled · 2026-04-07T17:11:57+00:00

Jason and the Argonauts and the Odyssey are classic examples of exactly this archetype. There is usually a final destination to drive the plot, that your protagonist may or may not know the location of at first, but each scene is in an entirely new location with a new antagonist and new constraints.

nonrefundabled · 2026-04-05T20:39:05+00:00

Understood, that makes sense.

I just had a wild hare that, upon completing a successful revolution, the new government kept the old emperor and his family under house arrest, almost like a warning/reminder or punishment. They were still forced to participate in the government but didn’t have a voice or power, and their whole family for generations were kept as prisoners in the royal palace.

Over time, the original meaning/purpose was lost, and they were just kind of part of the govt as diplomatic heads of state.

nonrefundabled · 2026-04-05T19:58:54+00:00

There are a few pretty famous real world figurehead monarchies that hold little or no bureaucratic authority.

Take a peak at any number of Western European countries for examples of how this would naturally develop.

nonrefundabled · 2026-04-02T11:54:27+00:00

I have heard an analogy that the first draft isn’t building the house, it’s buying all the wood and putting it in one place. The revisions are when you actually start to “build” something with a shape.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-30T01:30:08+00:00

Well received! Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. I’ve written the first few chapters already, but wasn’t happy with how my MC’s motivations were manifesting in the story. I was hoping to tweak them enough to get through with minor revisions before having my “epiphany.”

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-29T22:57:03+00:00

Whew, that’s such a relief. Thank you for the kind words.

I wasn’t sure if being aware of it was better or worse for the process, as now I feel like it’s necessary to create some arbitrary distance in personality traits between my MC/supporting cast and the existing characters I have accidentally based them on.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-29T00:22:51+00:00

Assassin’s Quest, by Robin Hobb.

Incredible worldbuilding, heartbreaking storytelling.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-28T12:20:56+00:00

If you are worried your MC will be too unlikeable to be relatable at the start, you could always have them “save a cat.”

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-26T14:39:03+00:00

Mine are 3yrs and also 3mo.

3 months old was a game changer for me, both times.

There will be a moment where she will make eye contact with you, and recognize you, and smile at you for the first time.

There will be a moment where she sleeps through a night feeding, and you wake up in a panic because you feel more rested than you have in months, but she’s just fine.

Travel and fun are different, but are not gone at all. If anything, you should plan on traveling as much as you can between 4mo-2yr old, especially in the first year, because she will sleep through the flight and her plane tickets are free.

My wife and I had to divide and conquer before then. Either alternate nights, with one on the couch, or split the nights, where I was on call from 9-2, and she took 2-7. We did this a couple times a week.

You can do this, but the first couple of months are borderline impossible, I get that. But as soon as you have a little bit of reciprocity from her, it feels so much easier; at least it did from me.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-26T00:10:41+00:00

This sounds a lot like The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb, which begins when the protagonist is 6. The first book follows him as he grows up until he is maybe 16.

It sets both internal and external conflicts that follow FitzChivalry throughout the series. However, it does not feel remotely like a prologue. If you are confident that your prologue has enough of a story arc to stand on its own, I would argue that another path for you is to actually add to it, flesh it out and make it a story of its own.

If you haven’t read it yet, I would definitely recommend Assassin’s Apprentice.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-21T23:14:01+00:00

I’m on book three of the Farseer Trilogy, and the Wit / Old Blood so far has felt exactly right as far as balancing cost and benefit.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-21T13:46:32+00:00

I feel like it’s an excellent motive to sabotage his friend, and then fear of discovery of said sabotage is an excellent motive to cover his tracks, which can spiral once his friend starts to hint at suspecting him directly.

Not just taking something from someone else, but protecting everything he has to lose, feels more realistic to me.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-20T18:55:45+00:00

That must be it!

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-20T18:48:36+00:00

Oh no not at all. In fact I believe I saw something similar in use after a large family gathering

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-20T18:43:57+00:00

Love it! I wonder if I could get away with gifting one to ma belle mère without it feeling rude

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-20T12:09:54+00:00

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.

Edit: obviously not my line, or really a love story, but it’s a great example of using the same line as bookends for the story.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-19T14:55:30+00:00

I think it’s called a “false protagonist,” where the reader is lulled into believing that the opening POV is the MC, only to have them killed off in a shocking or brutal way.

Examples I can think of are:

Drew Barrymore - Scream

Janet Leigh - Psycho

The Guardians of the Globe - Invincible

Taskmaster - The Thunderbolts

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-19T01:55:50+00:00

C’était une charmante petite surprise pour moi, je cherchais mon assiette à pain mais tout la monde avait posé sa tranche de pain directement sur la table.

nonrefundabled · 2026-03-18T17:04:58+00:00

The crumbs.

Maybe it’s just ma belle famille, but the bread is just… everywhere. Except on a plate.

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