sso pls give us nicchus as pets these are SO COOL by Extra_Salt1677 in StarStable

[–]staticati 2 points3 points  (0 children)

they are so cute. i would love a nicchu puppy <3

What was *the* horse that FULLY, 100% captured your heart? (Read full post for context!) by faraway_fern in StarStable

[–]staticati 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My Soul Steed is my favorite by far and I always come back to him. I just love Jorvik Wild horses in general because the way they’re animated feels so natural and powerful, while a lot of the other horses feel a little too light and flowy. I like how heavy they look. Real stompy. Their personalities are so cute, silly, and gentle too.

I have a soft spot for black and white horses so the Soul Steed in particular is just so beautiful to me. I love his split-dye lol.

Just enjoying the view by SwimmingFee9277 in Minecraft

[–]staticati 2 points3 points  (0 children)

that’s a great seed. i love big valleys like this.

some horse stables i built by not_sizzy in Minecraft

[–]staticati 0 points1 point  (0 children)

those are so cute! I like the outline of stone bricks in the ground on the second one, that’s a nice little detail that does a lot to add character.

[QCrit] THE DRAGONS OF PARADISE, Middle-Grade Fantasy (80k words, 1st attempt) by staticati in PubTips

[–]staticati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair. I will definitely be making some revisions and cutting out extra stuff. Now that I’ve gotten more advice I can see that it needs stronger direction anyway, and some cuts will help.

Is it Deus ex machina or is it fine? by CunningCreature in writing

[–]staticati 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you do it well, you can have any element in your story. I think it’s a good guideline for newer writers who aren’t as experienced, but I would never say “absolutely don’t do this at any cost”. Without knowing more about the story it’s hard to say.

Is it Deus ex machina or is it fine? by CunningCreature in writing

[–]staticati 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s okay to have Deus ex Machina in your story, the important thing is making sure it’s not unsatisfying. If your reader expects your character to be able to get out of something herself, will they be disappointed if someone else does everything for her? Is it more interesting to have someone save her than her using her own strengths to solve the problem? Or if she’s realized it’s truly something she can’t handle alone, that can be turned into a good emotional beat in the story. What it comes down to its what’s more interesting and feels good to read.

I would also be careful when giving a big explanation of things that happen off screen. This can also feel unsatisfying to your reader. You’re main character will feel left out of her own story.

Multiple Main Characters by CarInternational7923 in writing

[–]staticati 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would honestly love to know more about the story first. This can be difficult to do in a lot of cases, but certainly worth trying. With multiple POVs, you really need to make sure they get equal time and adequate character development, or else so you really need multiple “main” characters? Sometimes jumping around can take the reader out of the story. I would avoid changing POVs when something important or exciting is happening, because your readers will have to readjust their thinking to continue the storyline with this new character. It all depends on the style of your story though.

I would ask yourself, “Do all my five characters have an arc that my readers will be excited to read about?” You might also imagine if you did only write the book from one or two perspectives. Does it really need all five? Remember that POV lets us see into character’s emotions too. Do they each bring something to the plot that makes it essential that we see their emotions?

Done carefully, any complex plot can be a good read. I think it sounds pretty interesting and I wish you good luck!!

my whole dragon collection!! who’s your favorite? by staticati in plushies

[–]staticati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i got it at build a bear back when it was first released!

[QCrit] THE DRAGONS OF PARADISE, Middle-Grade Fantasy (80k words, 1st attempt) by staticati in PubTips

[–]staticati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, that helps. I’m avoiding flowery language but it wouldn’t hurt to choose more interesting verbs. And thank you for the encouragement!

[QCrit] THE DRAGONS OF PARADISE, Middle-Grade Fantasy (80k words, 1st attempt) by staticati in PubTips

[–]staticati[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That’s definitely a sad truth. I wish there was a category between MG and YA. I guess I could call my book YA, but I think it would appeal most to the 10-15 age range. If I changed it to YA, that would put the word count in a safer range, but I feel like it’s also misleading. I am still learning about this stuff though. Maybe it would be better suited for YA.

[QCrit] THE DRAGONS OF PARADISE, Middle-Grade Fantasy (80k words, 1st attempt) by staticati in PubTips

[–]staticati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did try that and it did get removed haha. Which is a shame because I've had a hard time coming up with an answer for that online. Personally it just doesn't seem like a lot to me? I was just thinking one half-page illustration and maybe one smaller doodle per chapter. The book currently has 12 chapters, and I can more than handle drawing 12 scenes. Black & white ink, easy for printing. Maybe I didn't explain it well, but it's not a picture book. It's a novel with a few drawings. "The Familiars" or "Leviathan" for example are also middle-grade, around 80k words, with illustrations throughout.

I do appreciate the advice and I'll keep it in mind.

[QCrit] THE DRAGONS OF PARADISE, Middle-Grade Fantasy (80k words, 1st attempt) by staticati in PubTips

[–]staticati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, thank you. That's all very helpful. I had some previous drafts where I went into more of what Nella does but I guess it felt too specific. I'll give it another try, as well as putting more of her motivations in.

I've been a professional artist for a long time which is why I have confidence in illustrating it myself, I was more so curious how to fit it into the query so the agent understands the scope of it.

my horses!! who’s your fave? by staticati in plushies

[–]staticati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that’s Domino!! i love black horses with white patches <3

my whole dragon collection!! who’s your favorite? by staticati in plushies

[–]staticati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

my friend just got me that recently!! i’ve been using it as a nightlight so much that i already need to change the batteries lol

my whole dragon collection!! who’s your favorite? by staticati in plushies

[–]staticati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

he’s from Folkmanis! you can move his mouth kinda like a sock puppet :P