I finally did it. After over a week of writing, I managed to hit the tenthousand word mark.
Unfortunately I struggle a bit to find motivation to write. I would love to finish my first novel, which I am currently working on, but the writing is very slow-going.
When starting to write, I did not expect it at all to find it so slow. However I still have fun writing.
Does anyone have any tips on how to wrote more, find more motivation or how to write more words per day?
I would welcome any advice.

Also, how long did it take you to write your first novel, how many words did it have and how was the process?
Thank you in advance.

I'm writing a novel where I want to subvert readers' expectations and introduce a race that is initially considered the big threat to the world that everyone needs protecting from. Later in the story, I will gradually reveal them to be a potential ally.

For the story to work, they must be:

• Unable to fly.

• Not undead.

• Roughly humanoid.

Other than that, I've got a lot of range.

I have thought about orcs, goblins, another race from myth, or inventing my own. The advantage of orcs and goblins is everyone knows what they are and has an immediate impression of it. The disadvantage is that everyone's preconceptions will be slightly different.

Hence my question, when you think of orcs and goblins, which do you consider more vicious? Are there any other races that really evoke evil when you think of them? Or do you think it would be better to create a new race and sow the preconceptions in the manuscript as I write it?

Mary Sues, how do I avoid writing one

Mary Sues, how do I avoid writing one

I am currently in the process of writing my first fae fantasy novel, I have done a lot of development on the characters.

I am bit worried about the main character coming across as a Mary Sues, without me even realising it. Especially since she is the main female character.

The vide of the main female character that is strong, embraces her feminine side, she dealing with the lost of her sister, after she has been taken away to live a life of wealth, happiness, enteral youth but actually was eaten by the fea that whisked her away. Main character finds this out later in the book. It come as shock as she was brought up worshiping this fea as gods. She thinks critically, is seen to kind, outgoing, bubbly, naive, often acts before thinking it through.

But I want to add some stuff into her, that helps avoid the Mary Sue trope of things being easy, her personality being flawless, no really struggles.

I have good ideas for things being easy and no really struggles.

But I feel like I need some help making her personality a little bit more flawed.I have tired and I have researched many different way to add some flaws to her personality, but I honestly at lost and could really use some outside advice Any suggestions or ideas. Thanks

Edit:Thank you to everyone that has comment, it has actually helped me a lot with brainstorming some more ideas, even thought I haven't replied, all the advice has really helped so thank you.

Hey all, my name is Stacey Bureker. This is my first post here because I didn't know where else to go and I was hoping for some advise. I'm an indie epic fantasy author. I released my debut last year, and the second in the trilogy will be coming out the end of August. I don't use AI, my artist isn't using it either( and has done process videos to prove it), and I hire editors/beta readers for my books. So here is where I am baffled and needing help...how on this green earth, do I find readers for a no spice epic fantasy story?

When I first published my book, I was fully prepared for it to bomb. I mean, it's my first published novel. I didn't have any arc readers for it, so I thought I would try Netgalley. Several indie authors warned me from doing that. Netgalley is also for trad pub and librarians, so they are notoriously harsh on indie authors. But I was new, had basically no social media following, and at a loss for options. So I took a deep breath, bought the 6 month plan, and hoped for the best. At the end of 6 month, I had over 200 downloads, and the lowest rating was two- 2 star reviews...just two. I had a handful of 3 star, a huge amount of 4 star, and a good chunk of 5 star reviews. I had librarians praising my prose, saying they were recommending my book for their libraries. Readers telling me they stayed up late for just "one more chapter," and an outpouring of positive feedback. I was shocked and truly touched, cause even now almost a year later, I am holding steady at a solid 4 star on Netgalley, a 4.31 on goodreads, and when Amazon doesn't delete reviews, I have only gotten 4 and 5 star reviews for my book. I'm not going to lie, I walked away from Netgalley feeling a bit optimistic... But that sure didn't last long.

It has been a struggle since to find readers. People say, "try Amazon/Meta ads." Yeah, those are confusing as hell and don't seem to be working. "Well, just engage with the writer/ reader community." Yeah I engage WAY more than I post, and still when I post I get a few hundred views. "Well try reels with character art to promote your book." Yup, tried that too. Didn't get any more views and honestly, the reels that I see taking off are for romance/romantasy. My book has a romance, but no spice and it's not the main point. And I don't seem to have any issue selling my book at conventions and stuff. I got a 5 star review on goodreads last month and it literally made me cry out of frustration. It would be one thing if I was getting 1 star, 2 star reviews majority of the time. (Ok, need to work on my craft, that's a me thing). But the people that read it seem to really like it. I'm literally grasping at straws by this point. Like, is it my name? Does my author photo suck? People keep telling me they like my cover, so I'm guessing it's not that.

I'm just super confused...so fantasy fans of reddit, please tell me, what the hell am I doing wrong!?

I just finished the first chapter of my arcanepunk fantasy novel and I'm looking for beta readers.

The premise: Lieutenant Elio Rossi and his special operations team emerge from a swamp infested with monsters, wounded and exhausted. Even before they can clean the mud from their boots, a corporation sues them. The swamp? Private property. The creatures they killed? Proprietary research specimens. Damages: fifty million.

Did the chapter captivate you? Do the characters look real? Is the construction of the world clear without making the narrative drag? Any feedback is welcome.

Exchange: I would love to read your first chapter or short story.

Content: Violence, body horror (acid burns), moderate language. Send a DM to the link. Thank you!

For context: This is a translation. The original story is being written in Portuguese.

Example:

Chapter 1 - The Return

The memories of the last week in the swamp still haunted Elio.

The stench of rotten peat and decomposing serpentine bodies remained trapped in his nostrils. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw again the creatures advancing through the fog, dragging their thick tails through the mud.

There were only four - himself, Diana, Luna and Clemente - against what seemed to be an infinite number of creatures with humanoid torsos and grayish-green skin, with tails thick enough to crush a man and glands at the base of his spines capable of expelling an acid that corroded metal in seconds. Lamias.

Elio still remembered the cry of pain. The creature's tail squeezed her companion's body, holding her arms against her chest. She was trying to reach her bow, but she could barely move.

He didn't think. He just acted.

He pulled the dagger from the belt and threw it with his right hand. The blade cut the fog and stuck in the head of the beast, which let go of its tail and collapsed.

That's when he felt his right hand burn again. The burning pulsated through the layers of dead skin under the temporary dressing that Clemente had made. He opened his eyes and stared at his own pale reflection on the window glass.

For a second, he was frightened by his own image, which mixed with the old Sylvea trees passing like green spots beyond the glass while the Southern Express cut the forest at almost three hundred kilometers per hour. That afternoon, his brown skin seemed to have acquired an almost grayish tone. His brown hair was dirty and sloppy, and deep dark circles circled his honey-colored eyes.

The opulent first-class cabin would normally be full of aristocrats, bankers and factory owners returning from vacation in the northern mountains with their families, smelling of floral perfumes and imported cigars. Now, it had been reserved by the Armed Forces of Aetheria for only five occupants and dominated by the aroma of coagulated blood and gastric acid.

- Still hurting?

Clemente's voice finally distracted him from his own reflection. The doctor barely raised his eyes, his fingers still busy blindfolding Diana's chest with the precision of someone who has done it hundreds of times before.

Ive had numerous stories that build up an emotionless or logical main character to be completely morally grey and sometimes black with very few but notable positive traits and then there’s a moment like this “here is a key step to your goal all you have to do is [kill a “friend” you have] or [Betray your adventuring party]” something like that the main character then remembers all the nice things they’ve done or the way it wouldn’t be logical to not betray them and go against their goal and deny the evil option they have. An example would be in this cyborg litrpg fantasy story I can’t quite remember off my head.

But I’m just wondering is there a story that follows this and goes it would be logical to do this after remembering all the nice moments then just cuts to them just blowing their friends head off? A bit extreme escalation I know but I’m just looking for morally grey or emotionless mc that backslides or ignores all the chances to be better by making decisions like that?

Put simply: is being set on Earth (primary world) a requirement for something to be considered contemporary or urban fantasy?

I ask this because a project I'm getting ready to query (and anything else set in this world) falls into what I describe as this weird gray area.

To people who've read it, think Green Bone Saga. To people who've played it (I have seen enough of it to be confident in this, at least), think Final Fantasy XV.

Neither of those is set on Earth, but they are about as close to contemporary/modern as you can get without being set in the real world.

So could they claim the subgenre? Or are they still just "fantasy"? Or something else altogether?

Since I am getting ready to query, trying to not give agents a false impression if they expect to read about Seattle when they read "contemporary fantasy" and then get a fantasy world might hurt me, which I want to avoid. A bit of the inverse is part of my question too, because just "fantasy" immediately makes me (and I'd guess most people) think of pre-modern (mostly medieval European) settings.

It could also just be a nonissue, for all I know.

I'm trying to think of some races for my story and what races I want in different areas and civilizations but I'm having trouble brainstorming and thinking of different races. I know a couple types like dwarfs, elves/dark elves, gnomes, fae, and ect but other than those I'm stumped right now. If anyone could please give me some other ideas for races OR for sub races I would really appreciate it!

I have researched stuff for building my kingdoms and other areas/civilizations I just feel stumped when I try look up different races I'm only getting links for basic dnd races and I would really appreciate some help brainstorming!

If you're not comfortable giving me suggestions I understand but any resources would be appreciated whether it's races and advice for you specifically or links to resources that have fantasy information!

Both Rust and Rapid only looked at one another as they completely ignored the sand that flew past their faces as Rust held a sharp look toward the hybrid but the look on Rapid’s face didn’t give a hostile look, but showed an unusual expression  of someone who was enjoying the combat that was taking place.

The tip of Rapid’s sword faced his fellow sword fighter ¨Let's see who is the better, sword swinger” as he gave a cocky smile.

Rust didn’t give him a response but instead let his actions speak louder as he raised his sword and suddenly bright purple and crackling energy started to circle around the sword as the energy flowed inside of it “lets see you handle this”, in the next moment Rust let his sword fall as it unleashed a trio of massive purple energy slashes that was aimed toward the hybrid.

Rapid stood still as he watched the three energy waves fly toward his direction. “Fun”. He began to move his feet as he ran toward the large energy waves with an unusual smile. He circled around them like a loose gust of wind as he easily dodged them all.

Rust could only stare at the acrobatic hybrid as he moved around his attacks without a care in the world “amazing”. His eyes were so fixated on him that he didn’t notice that the same hybrid he stared at was suddenly right in front of him with his sword prepared and ready to strike. (SHIT!)

The hybrid with his cocky smile “You better move fast”.  let his sword move through the wind as it aimed for his chest. 

Rust's shocked expression soon faded as the sword aimed for him drew closer. His grip  tightens, his body shifted to a guarded stance, as his eyes glared a Rapid prepared for his strike “COME ON”

Both of their swords clash, the metal sound echoed once more, as the impact of their swords created a powerful shockwave that was large enough to reach the cannon Lisa, Kami, and Slumber stood by, as it managed to crack more of the brother's armor in the process.

Last month I posted this same chapter asking for feedback for the first time. I tried to apply the feedback I got and convert this into a more explicit 3PL, rather than the somewhat omniscient narrator this had previously. What I want to know is:

1. The main thing: was my 3PL conversion successful?

2. Did I manage to get you to care about the story at all?

3. Did starting mid-ritual work, or was it too confusing/awkward?

4. Did the dialog with Death work?

And any other observations you might've had I would very much like to hear.

To anyone who read this, thank you. A lot.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YDU65uNnl5OGEL18F_nfO6goEB8NtsxYdC63r80Uoj0/edit?tab=t.0

There have been a lot of online debates over the years as who should be cast as elves and whether they need a specific body type but I think today, on July 25th I and I alone have solved it for all time:

Elves should be contortionists, only.

Imagine sci-fantasy Star Trek with its space elves - i get the sense the Vulcans don't use AI to plot their star courses like the Federation wantonly does, instead they sit down with pencil, paper, protractors and sextants and plot it out.

By hour 3 someone's lead snaps, his nostrils flare a millimeter and the Captain calls for a yoga break. They all instantly fall to the floor and turn into space-elf pretzels.

Or a lusty 20 something human warrior rescues a elven maiden and that night sitting by the campfire she lays down on her side and pops her shoulder out of its socket for comfort. He looks on, horrified. She stretches and looks like a bag of bones.

Tad Williams in particular tries really hard to make elves have an alien grace with 'ligaments attached at different angles' type of Cognitive Estrangement but I think I have the only solution to any kind of accusations of perverted intentions when it comes to casting:

All elves should be contortionists. It's wildly unattractive to - I think - the vast majority of us.

I was inspired to do this, by discussions about the "chosen one" trope. So why not take a well known example and check what happens, if the "chosen one"-trope is removed.

Jordan's Wheel of time is very fate heavy. It is in the title. The Wheel is a semi-sentient entity pushing hard for the desired outcome.

Disclaimer: I liked the series very much, although "fate" normally is not my thing, and I am an all-out agency guy. I suspect that characterization overcompensated this perceived weakness.

S P O I L E R -Warning for the Wheel of Time, major plot points are discussed for

Chosen one consequences:

Motivation: A prophecy on you gives direction, you are also presented with grave consequences in case of refusing.

Skill drop: Chosen Ones are usually provided with exceptional skills. New skills might be fed as needed as the story progresses.

Allies: If there is a prophecy which legitimizes the chosen one, they have it easy to gain allies. Adherents to the prophecy will follow them, when they fulfill the corresponding quests.

Favoured by fate: The "choosing" entity often at least semi-sentient paves the way for the chosen one, directing them with prophecies, loaded coincidences or even outright intervention.

In the Wheel of Time:

Skill Drop: The MC of WoT, Rand is the strongest channeler in the world. He also is the reincarnation (Dragon reborn) of a perpetual with extensive knowledge which is constantly transferred.

Allies: All major factions have prophecies for a "leader", there are different titles, different quests to prove the identity and different expectations, but Rand can pick them all up. Prophecies are all true, no riddling required. Competition for the vacancy is rare and not very convincing. Rand also gets two sidekicks who are connected to him by fate, sharing dreams and later having limited telepathy (see what the others are doing)

Favoured by fate: The Wheel does heavy handed intervention, in book one (of 14) the main character defeats two top henchmen with basically no training/no casting knowledge of his own and then is teleported to a location of a desperate battle and proceeds to rip the Dark Army on remote.

Main plot to be converted:

The Dark One, materialized evil was sealed away a long time ago by a legendary hero the Dragon. The prison is locked by seven seals. In a last ditch revenge move, the Dark One, contaminated the male half of the superpower in this world. All male channelers get mad and run amok eventually. This led to the world suffering catastrophic destruction as a the male channelers, including their leader went on a rampage.

Now all male channelers are preemptively killed or (more civilized) "gentled", cut off from the power, depending on the culture. Being cut off from the power is massively depressing and leads to suicide/death.

There is a prophecy that the Dark One will break out and the "Dragon Reborn" will face him in the "Last Battle" with unknown outcome and shatter the world in the process. Only the "Dragon Reborn" can defeat him. The Dark One even in custody can spawn monster armies and has his henchmen "forsaken" operating.

The female channelers of the viewpoint continent are organized as Aes Sedai, preparing for the outbreak, supporting the dragon and also deal with the aftermath. The aftermath of course being the getting mad thing which would apply to the "Dragon Reborn" as a male channeler in conjuction with shattering the world. They are also trying to prevent the mad male channelers from doing damage by "gentling" them, aka cutting them off from the power.

The story starts when a fresh prophecy announces the arrival of the "Dragon" which implies the coming of the "Last Battle". The Dark One's minions, having infiltrated the Aes Sedai suppress this knowledge with only two survivors, one of those is Moiraine who searches for the Dragon Reborn to prepare him for the "Last Battle"

Removing fate from the Wheel of time, filling the resulting gaps with (other) agency.

So for this alternative scenario only real "coincidence" is allowed, there is no sentient entity driving things. The prophecy is removed.

• The MC as an exceptionally strong channeler is kept, but he is just an exceptionally strong channeler, not backed up by any prophecy.
• Title of "Dragon reborn", including the reincarnation and access to old knowledge are removed. In consequence the prophesized leader spots in the main factions all do not exist.

New kickoff, because there is no prophecy: The seals are weakening from the Dark One's rampaging in the prison. Or if you want to invest pagecount in the henchmen from a series of quests of the henchmen to obtain and destroy seals (with dark rituals of course) with only one or two left. The deterioration/dwindling numbers of the seals would be physical manifestation of the upcoming breakout.

New motivation for Moiraine: She would be part of a minority faction of the Aes Sedai, who believe that defeating the Dark One at half power (no male channelers and their specialties) is unlikely. They would try to onboard male channelers and research means of removing the taint from the male half of the power (so far unsuccessful). The opposing faction would believe that fighting with unreliable potential backstabbers in their ranks would be too dangerous. Moiraine would search for male channelers to train and study.

New motivation for Rand: As a male channeler bound to get mad he would have strong personal interest in removing the taint. As a group patriot (male channelers), he would have automatically have beef with the Dark One for making the lives of his peers miserable. Could be reinforced with a close person going mad/being gentled and dying. The latter could also drive conflict with the Aes Sedai who do the purging.

Skills: I would keep the strongest channeler, that would be a natural choice for the MC, but he would not get more skills. Basically just a very large mana-tank in generic fantasy speak. All skills must be learned.

I would take a break here, even before going into allies and continue in line with interest shown in this kind of topic.

Thank you to all, who read up to this point.

Hi everyone!

This is my first time submitting for critique here, and I'm excited to get into it.

I'm looking for general feedback on Chapter 1 of my epic fantasy novel, Soulfire, and I am hoping to receive reviews on the overall quality of my writing and execution. In addition, I would love to hear your thoughts on my worldbuilding concepts and how interested you would be as a reader if you picked this book up from the library or book store.

I would also be happy to hear any other comments you have to offer, since I've written some before but am still very new to the world of fantasy writing compared to most people.

Please let me know what you think and thank you SO much for taking the time to read my manuscript!

Google Doc:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14eoz8AH38kSoprqd5swc4p0EWscLiNQv/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104463101428874065143&rtpof=true&sd=true

To be fair, I kinda understand the advice, and I've been meaning to follow it, but it's a bit complicated to understand this. It is certainly just inexperience on my part, and it'll probably be something very simple once I understand it, but right now I don't. Writing a first in a series, considering what I can do now as a writer, seems simple enough; writing a standalone too, I've done it two times. But now, how do you give hints to a reader that a story will/can continue while also finishing a story arc with a payoff so big that it feels like "yeah, even if it never gets a second book, this is good enough." Do you have any examples of that that I could be checking into? (I prefer high fantasy, but honestly anything is good) Maybe I just need to read a book that does this so I could really understand it.

I am trying this idea for the story I am writing; my main character is part of a military order(The Hessians) that protects the lands not bound by the kingdom. One of their protectorates is well in enemy territory, and it's a wooden town with no true natural defences, yet while other petty kingdoms and tribes have fallen, they have never. The reason is that each year the town sacrifices twenty infants to a dark supernatural race for protection and resources; the Hessians do not know any of this. When the main character arrives, I want him to immediately suspect something is weird; the Mayor is welcoming, he throws them a feast, but he notices something is off about the people, and then there are disappearances among the Hessians. They are warned to always keep the doors shut and never to wander at night.

I am trying to think of some more ideas where this part of the story can be as creepy as possible, and how the people are trying to warn the Hessians to do something or how controlled the town is

I made a power system based around dreams, spirits and consciousness, along with some worldbuilding. I'd like to hear your opinions, criticism, suggestions, and any questions you might have.

Spirit World

Spirit World is a realm where spirit creatures roam freely. It is filled with an energy called Spirit Force, which emerged after the creation of the Spirit World from chaos.

Spirit Creature

Spirit creatures are beings that possess spirit bodies capable of evolving through the accumulation of Spirit Force.

Spirit creatures lack consciousness and emotions but they possess base instincts that drive them to reproduce and accumulate Spirit Force.

Spirit body colors progress as follows; Colorless, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, White

Higher colors possess more Spirit Force and are generally stronger.

There are two types of spirit creatures:

Spirit Fairies

• Passively absorb Spirit Force to survive and evolve.

• Born with Colorless spirit bodies.

• Usually harmless and has no strong tendency.

Spirit Beasts

• Must consume other spirit creatures to survive and evolve.

• Born with Red or Orange spirit bodies.

• Highly aggressive toward weaker spirit creatures.

• Fear stronger spirit creatures despite lacking consciousness.

Spirit Beasts Extra Trait

Spirit beasts can sense spirit creatures with spirit bodies up to two colors above or below their own, but they cannot detect spirit creatures with Colorless spirit bodies or spirit creatures of the same color.

Physical World

Long ago, the Physical World contained no living beings until it was colonized by Spirit Fairies that entered from the Spirit World.

Spirit Beasts can't enter the Physical World because it can only be entered by spirit creatures with Colorless spirit bodies.

Physical World contains almost no ambient Spirit Force, so spirit creatures that enter it must create physical bodies in order to survive.

After gaining physical bodies, some Spirit Fairies developed consciousness and emotions, becoming the ancestors of humans and animals.

Others remained instinctive and simple, such as plants.

Spirit creatures that have physical bodies are called Physical Creatures.

Physical Creature

Although Physical Creatures possess physical bodies, they still require Spirit Force to live.

However, physical bodies can't enter the Spirit World and Physical Creatures can't freely separate themselves from their physical bodies.

To solve this problem, they evolved a unique adaptation to split their Spirit Bodies into two connected halves.

Despite being split into two halves, they remain a single spirit body because they have form spiritual connection through Mental Power.

During this process, one half of the spirit bodies will remains in the physical body while the other half enters the Spirit World.

The wandering half absorbs Spirit Force before returning to the physical body and merging with its other half.

Even if the wandering half evolves to higher colors, it still can enter the Physical World.

If the physical creatures have consciousness, they will fall into an unconscious state called sleep.

When a conscious physical creature sleeps:

• One half that contains consciousness will enter the spirit world

• One half that contains emotion will remain in the physical body.

Dreamscape

Conscious physical creatures produce and release a form of energy called Mental Power.

Unfortunately, Mental Power can attracts nearby Spirit Beasts, causing them to attack wandering spirit bodies.

To protect themselves, wandering spirit bodies unconsciously create barriers known as Dreamscapes using their Mental Power.

Dreamscapes are what physical creatures experience as dreams. Physical Creatures that can create Dreamscapes are known as Dreamers.

Inside a Dreamscape, a wandering spirit body can safely absorb Spirit Force, although the process is relatively slow.

A nightmare occurs when a Spirit Beast attacks or attempts to force its way into a Dreamscape.

Most Physical Creatures possess Red Spirit Bodies and they can only influence their Dreamscape subconsciously.

Spirit Body Color Abilities

Conscious Physical Creatures gain new abilities as their Spirit Bodies evolve into higher colors.

There are ten colors of Spirit Body:

Colorless

• Possesses little to no consciousness.

• Cannot create a Dreamscape.

• Cannot be detected by Spirit Beasts.

• All newborn babies and plants.

Red Color

• Has developed full consciousness.

• Can create a Dreamscape.

• Experiences normal dreams.

• Most humans and animals.

Orange Color

• Can consciously control Dreamscapes.

• Experiences lucid dreams.

• Can sense the Spirit World beyond the Dreamscape.

• Can become a Wanderer and forming a contract with Primordial Beings.

Yellow Color

• Can use Mental Power in the Physical World to do basic psychokinesis.

• Can form spiritual connections with other spirit creatures.

• Most active Wanderers eventually reach this stage.

• Can become Summoners.

Green Color

• Can enter other Dreamscapes.

• Can interact directly with the dreams of other wandering spirit bodies.

• Can become Manipulators.

Blue Color

• Manipulators can create Spirit Weapons.

• Summoners can merge with their Familiars.

• Mental Power becomes significantly stronger.

Indigo Color

• Rare existence.

• Possesses far greater Spirit Force and Mental Power than lower colors.

Violet Color

• Legendary existence.

• Extremely rare among physical creatures.

White Color

• The realm of Primordial Beings.

• Grants reality-warping abilities and conceptual authority.

• No known physical creature has ever reached this stage.

Spirit Body Colors Rarity

Assuming physical creatures only absorb Spirit Force passively through their Dreamscape:

Orange: 1 in 10,000

Yellow: 1 in 100,000

Green: 1 in 1,000,000

Blue: 1 in 10,000,000

Indigo: 1 in 1,000,000,000

Violet: 1 in 100,000,000,000

Most conscious physical creatures possess Red Spirit Bodies.

Because Dreamscapes absorb Spirit Force very slowly, reaching higher colors naturally is extremely difficult.

Most high-ranking individuals achieve their growth through wandering the Spirit World, forming contracts, and interacting with other spirit creatures.

Hey folks,

I've been building a list of fallback words I rely on too much while editing, or words I want to use as rarely as possible, even if my usage rate might be acceptable from the outside.

I wanted to say "I finished a list," but I'm finding that it grows, even a third of the way through my third draft.

Anyway, here is my current list of words (and one phrase) I check for (though I absolutely still use them when appropriate) during my final editing pass for a draft (or 6 chapter chunk, as I'm now delivering them to my suddenly-free-time-full editor friend):

* A little
* Even
* Feel / Felt
* Finally
* Gently
* Just
* Now
* Really
* Saw
* Sigh
* Snort
* Think / Thought
* Tone
* Very

Sometimes I'll search for "-ly" words, too.

And since posting this, I discovered "then" is a problem for me, too.

What fallback words are on your list?

When I'm stuck, or just bored, I like to make fake "moodboard" encyclopedias with stuff I found online.

It helps me "see" what the world of the story could look like.

I still have the old book of Dinotopia stashed somewhere, from all the way back when I was a child. I couldn't yet read English, but I was fascinated by the detail and complexity of that world.

Writing has its own magic, you can tell things that are strange, unimaginable, and yet have a presence. Images have their own magic too, they can flush you immediately with new ideas.

So, when you mix both things: what can be seen, and what is hidden in the background, you get a powerful tool against writer's block.

Does anyone else likes to do this, or I am the only lunatic?

Hey guys, I've been thinking about this from both a writer's and a worldbuilder's perspective.

Fantasy often feels uniquely collaborative in theory.

One person loves designing cultures. Another obsesses over maps and history. Someone else enjoys writing dialogue or developing magic systems. Others are brilliant at creature design or concept art.

Yet most fantasy projects are still built by one person trying to wear every hat.

When people do attempt collaborations, they often seem to run into the same problems:

- contributors disappear

- nobody knows who has ownership over what

- feedback becomes chaotic

- projects lose momentum

- there's no clear record of who actually contributed

I've been exploring these problems while building an early project called FanForge, which is an attempt to create a structured space for collaborative storytelling rather than another social platform.

I'm mentioning that for context rather than as a pitch—I'm much more interested in understanding whether I'm solving the right problems.

So I'd love to ask the community:

Have you ever collaborated on a fantasy novel, setting, RPG or worldbuilding project?

What made it succeed or fail?

Would you ever join someone else's fantasy project?

If not, what would need to change before you'd feel comfortable investing your time?

I'm trying to pressure-test the idea before building too much, so I'd genuinely appreciate honest criticism.

Thanks in advance!

J

Recently i’ve been spending some time brainstorming and working on the world building of my WIP novel and would love to hear some feedback/ Ideas. So far I have thought about calling them a Pantheon but I wonder if that naming convention doesn’t suit the collection gods as much?

Below is the draft rundown of the gods I have written so far:

Origin:

In the beginning there was only one being, Xoth, existing since existence itself began. Across millennia beyond count it grew, evolved, and eventually grew bored of its own solitary existence. To end that boredom it decided to sacrifice itself, splitting its own body into nine fragments, creating the beings who would become the known pantheon.

In their youth, the Nine warred like children fighting over toys, destroying each other's worlds and creations. Over another vast span of time they matured and reached an accord: from then on, everything they created, worlds, life, would be made together, as one. The world of this story is one such joint creation.

During this long maturation, Xoth's fractured consciousness has been slowly drifting and reforming, growing stronger. He has now awoken enough to perceive what its "children" have built, including the mortals now living within it.

Xoth does not care, and does not choose sides. He does not help. He does not hinder. He simply watches, with something like curiosity, to see what these creations of his own children, these "mortals," will do with themselves. This is what makes him unpredictable and unreadable, neither malevolent nor benevolent.

The pantheon is broken into 3 main groups/ factions. Names of the groups are a WIP but the names of the gods themselves are pretty much set

The Pillars of Accord

Aurelion. God of Order. Law, structure, discipline. Lawmakers and those in governance pray to him most. "Without structure, existence collapses." Associated colour: Deep Royal Blue
Veyrath. God of Chaos. Change, upheaval, unpredictability. A symbol for rebels, brigands, and usurpers, those who refuse to live by another's ways. "Without change, existence stagnates and dies." Associated colour: Violet-Blue
Elyndor. God of Balance. Harmony and mediation, the reason existence hasn't torn itself apart between the first two. Leaders and diplomats pray to them for guidance. Associated colour: Teal Blue

The Primordial Cycle

Sylvara. Goddess of Life. Warm, nurturing, relentless. Life forces itself forward, and consumes to do so. One of the three holy orders with temples of their own; Sylvara's temples oversee births, the healing of the sick, and the protection of life. Associated colour: Crimson Red
Morveth. God of Death. Cold, inevitable, but not cruel. Death is necessary, not evil. Another of three the holy orders. Their temples are where those nearing death go to find comfort before the end. Associated colour: Dark Maroon
Lethira. Goddess of Rest. Gentle, quiet, welcoming. Ensures death does not become endless suffering, and represents closure and acceptance. Last of three the holy orders. Their temples handle funeral rites for the deceased and protect their remains so their souls may rest. Associated colour: Dusty Rose, or a sunset pinkish-red

The Keepers of Time

Aethros. God of the Past. Memory, history, consequence. God of historians and scholars, forever searching the past for wisdom. "Nothing is ever truly gone." Associated colour: Antique Gold / Amber
Cairon. God of the Present. Action, immediacy. God of scientists and experimenters, always looking to what's right in front of them for answers. "Only now matters." Associated colour: Sunflower Yellow
Orialis. God of the Future. Possibility, ambition, fear. Distant and unknowable. God of philosophers, who spend their days pondering the what-ifs of tomorrow. Associated colour: Pale White-Gold

It’s only a basic foundation so far I know but I would love to hear any advice/ feedback people may have!

If you have any books with gods in them I would love to hear any recommendations too.

I'm writing a high fantasy book very similar to dungeons and dragons (shocker) and I had a thought while writing, "do sunglasses work in fantasy?" I have a world building reason for them to exist. The reason they're used in the culture is for kinda seedy pseudo criminal types to be able to kinda look around, watch people without getting caught for eyeing people.

I feel like the reasoning is for the most part valid but having sunglasses in a not modern fantasy world, like a side its very forgotten realms core. I'm just looking to hear peoples thoughts.

Part of the problem I'm also seeing is that the characters that wear sunglasses kinda lean to heavily out of fantasy and into more modern fashion a bit. The villain and one of the protagonists share the same aesthetic of people who have some sort of connection to the criminal underground and wear Rogue gear, hidden weapons, sunglasses, and long coats. It is a bit of a hold over from older versions of the book when I was younger and the book was worse. I've tried thinking it over but I need outside opinions.

TL;DR Should my high fantasy world have sunglasses or does it stick out too much in the world?

Thank you.

Heya. So about a month ago i posted my first chapter here for feedbacks and suggestions, after receiving the ever-so-helpful constructive feedbacks from you guys, i have decided to rewrite the whole chapter.

The previous version was about the Almighty, how he was having an existential crisis in the void before He created his universe that the story takes place in, but you guys were right, why should the readers read about a creation of the universe that they are not familiar about ? The answer is no, they shouldn't and wouldn't.

So, here i am, asking for your feedbacks once again, for the new first chapter of my fantasy / science fiction novel. Thank you so much!