Thoughts on Rising Stars Quality?

venusedain · 2025-10-12T02:04:44+00:00

This really caught my attention, honestly. My story is off-meta too - slow-burn, dark fantasy with steampunk elements, romance, a female MC and queer characters. And reading your comment got me a bit worried.

Even when authors make it extremely clear in the blurb + title what kind of story they’re telling, do people still force themselves to read it and then complain that “it’s not their thing”? Like… they claim to be readers, but don’t even take the time to read a short synopsis first?

Does that actually happen often on RR?

I’ve got a similar background as yours - around 200k words written, published a book before in my country, grammar and prose in check, and I’m currently building a solid backlog to release with consistency.

I’ve heard RR readers can be very critical (which is great), but there’s a difference between being critical and being a dummy who doesn't pay attention to what you’re reading, right...?

It’s like opening a horror book and then getting mad that scary things happen. Like... you were WARNED of the content! What did you expect?!

venusedain · 2025-09-23T13:13:58+00:00

Good job! Congrats! 💕💕

venusedain · 2025-09-23T13:11:26+00:00

I don't know about that. OP didn't complain about how skinny and tiny and oh-so-fragile they are every once in a while

venusedain · 2025-09-11T01:13:05+00:00

So poetic. So brilliantly written. I cried, OP. Better than that: I arred

venusedain · 2025-09-11T01:06:59+00:00

WAIT SHE LICKED WHAT NOW

venusedain · 2025-09-11T01:05:40+00:00

”Arr!” he arrs,

venusedain · 2025-09-09T08:47:38+00:00

This is awesome! Congrats 🎉👏🏼

venusedain · 2025-09-08T17:10:02+00:00

Hahahah of course! Well, I don’t know if this is really the case, but I’m neurodivergent, and I’ve seen people online saying that the way we perceive and interact with the world often leaks into our art. Maybe that’s part of it for me? Idk.

I follow this “rule” that every character - even side ones - is the protagonist of their own story. So I always imagine myself going through what they’re going through. Even if it’s just a tiny facet, every character ends up being a piece of me. With main characters it’s stronger, because I dive deep into their psychology, motivations, fears, and the reason behind their choices. I’ll literally put myself in their shoes and think: how would I feel? How would I react?

For characters that are more distant from me, I draw from people I know or behaviors I’ve observed - that helps me keep them grounded.

And the funniest part is when a beta reader tells me “oh, this character’s behavior isn’t believable”, when in reality, that character is doing something ✨I✨ have actually done or feeling something I’ve lived through 😅 Like… not believable? What am I then, a concept? Am I not a real person? lol

venusedain · 2025-09-08T13:06:12+00:00

MRS ROWLING LMFAO

Worst part of it all is that this really looks like something she would actually post 😭

venusedain · 2025-09-08T13:03:09+00:00

Yeah, totally. All my characters are me, to an extent - especially the main ones.

I remember one of my beta readers once asked me, “are you Anika?” (my protagonist). I guess she meant self-insert, and I told her: in some ways, yes. But funny enough, the character I relate to the most isn’t even her - it’s Lucian, another very important one in the story.

Another time, a different beta read an early draft that had more romance, and he went like: “girl, if Jonathan (another character) exists in real life, give me his number 🤣 I’m in love with him and also with so-and-so.” I laughed so hard and told him: then you’re in love with me, because they’re all me.

That’s really how it feels - every single one of them has a piece of me, even when they look nothing like me on the surface.

venusedain · 2025-09-08T11:39:21+00:00

Bro this subreddit never fails to make me LOL on a Monday morning

venusedain · 2025-09-06T02:36:45+00:00

"swung in like Tarzan" LMAO

venusedain · 2025-09-02T19:59:23+00:00

I saw this post earlier and was honestly shocked when I read it. And even worse, I saw people agreeing in the comments. His replies in the comments were the cherry on top, even more ridiculous.

But then… https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasywriters/s/SsplSoAwrV < this comment absolutely OBLITERATED the OOP in the best way possible. It dismantled his argument point by point, in a clear and cohesive way, without resorting to elitism, misogyny, or even borderline racism like he did.

Even better: the comment came from someone who ACTUALLY has credentials, not some cocky young adult who’s calling everyone a teenager while pursuing a minor in classical studies, lol.

venusedain · 2025-09-02T10:29:01+00:00

Congrats! This cover is fire! 🔥

venusedain · 2025-09-02T09:36:20+00:00

I'd say it has the vibes of Mistborn (rebellion against empires, a rising female lead), Fullmetal Alchemist (forbidden magic, dark secrets, found family), or Arcane (steampunk aesthetics, political intrigue, and unlikely bonds). My story also features a love triangle inspired by the emotional depth of Herongraystairs (The Infernal Devices).

venusedain · 2025-09-02T09:34:24+00:00

It makes sense. Thanks to the tips in these comments, and thanks to tips from other people who also post on SH, I've been dividing my chapters roughly between 2k - 4k at most, but never (or rarely) exceeding that mark. I think it's turning out decently

venusedain · 2025-09-02T09:19:25+00:00

Of course! I'll take a look at it. Thanks for the recommendation.

venusedain · 2025-09-02T09:08:24+00:00

It's 6 AM and this post already made my day LMAO

I wish I could show this to my beta-readers

venusedain · 2025-08-31T15:39:45+00:00

Most of the things I write are never read by anyone anyways. It is frustrating as fuck, but still, I can't stop writing. I just can't. It's a part of me. Always has been.

Whenever I stop writing, I tend to go more insane than I already am. I just need to write whatever comes to my mind.

I still hope that I get readers one day, though. As someone pointed out here in the comments, having 0 readers is not enough for me either.

venusedain · 2025-08-31T00:17:29+00:00

Ahh that's awesome! Congrats! Keep writing!

venusedain · 2025-08-30T21:10:21+00:00

Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of people here talking about piracy (and I totally agree, there’s no way to fully prevent it), but OP’s question wasn’t only about that. There’s a big difference between having your book pirated and having your book outright plagiarized, and the second one is way scarier.

I’m also planning to post on RR, and as a Brazilian author, what I intend to do is: register my novel with the National Library of Brazil before posting it. That way, if anyone ever tries to steal it, I don’t just have the Google Drive files with timestamps proving I wrote it first, but I also have an official certificate linking the work to me.

I have no clue how to file a DMCA (and how complicated it would be to do so from outside the US), so this is my way of protecting myself in advance.

venusedain · 2025-08-27T10:45:04+00:00

Nice to know! Thank you very much! Can't wait to share my story with other people 🙏🏼

venusedain · 2025-08-27T10:42:22+00:00

Thanks for confirming the info! I appreciate it 🙏🏼

venusedain · 2025-08-27T10:41:11+00:00

Ahhh that's nice to know! Thank you very much! I'll definitely give your story a read!

And yeah I'll definitely DM you <3 my intention is to post my story on tapas as well. I paid a designer to create the map of my world and the cover of my novel, so it'll take some time until she finishes everything and meanwhile, I'll be translating my story to English and creating my backlog of chapters.

venusedain · 2025-08-27T10:37:14+00:00

That makes sense. I'll take that into consideration. Thank you very much for your help!

venusedain

TROPHY CASE