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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 11h

'if you write “a bird sat on a branch nearby,” how does the viewpoint character know this?'

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How to Use the Five Senses in Your Description

Writing sensory language helps immerse readers in the story world.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 1d

Writers, please. If you’re going to have a character say “this isn’t a story, this is real life,” at least make sure the thing they’re describing actually is like real life.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 2d

oh god the number of puzzles I've had to change in real time cause the instructions just didn't make sense

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 2d

This isn’t because readers are stupid or lazy, it’s because writers can see the whole picture. They know what a clue leads to so the connection feels obvious. But to readers, the clue is just one among many pieces of info they have to sort through.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 2d

It’s interesting to read arguments for “trusting your reader,” aka not worrying about how clear you are in the story, since readers can figure it out. It’s true that no one likes being bludgeoned with info, but our experience is that nothing is ever as obvious to the reader as it is to the writer.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you to Chelsie Elaine, our newest patron! Your support is another elf warrior to help us in this fantasy siege which isn’t realistic but is very exciting. Would you prefer everyone camping out until one side runs out of food? Didn’t think so.

Elf warriors lined up on the Deeping Wall in The Two Towers.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 4d

"Now explaining runes 20-26, of 5,000"

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 4d

Realize I should have specified: this is a thing that we're starting to notice now, not necessarily a thing only new books are doing. We might just have missed it before.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 4d

yeah if the romance is mostly what people are there for, it the external plot could certainly suffer. Ideally you'd have both but it doesn't always work out that way

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 4d

Interesting, I admit I'm not entirely sure what that means 😅

On our end, LotR can be slow at times, but I wouldn't say it suffers from the specific issue I was talking about. We see quite a lot get done over those 480,000 words

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 4d

Someone's gotta get em but maybe it could just be a side quest?

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 4d

A new thing we’re noticing is books where way less happens than you’d expect for their length because of worldbuilding info dumps or long scenes of explaining plans. You get through a 100,000 word novel and realize the whole story was spent picking up magic groceries.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 5d

"I would have one faction that just won’t shut up about free speech and just screams about it, and every time someone mildly criticizes them they scream about free speech and then when they’re in power they immediately start trying to ban peoples’ speech."

mythcreants.com/blog/podcast...

556 – Societies That Ban Things

No fictional society has banned podcasting. Yet.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 6d

"I was shocked when a recent Strange New Worlds episode showed Ortegas receiving a stern lecture after she disobeyed orders and nearly got everyone killed. That’s more follow-up than we usually see!"

mythcreants.com/blog/three-o...

Three Options for Heroes Who Disobey Orders

We can break the rules a little, as a treat.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 7d

"Before I dig in, I’d better debunk the idea that people have to use AI because real art is just too expensive. Sure, theft will always be cheap and convenient, but it’s hardly the only option."

mythcreants.com/blog/slop-is...

Slop Is Sneaking Into Book Covers – but We Can Stop It

It's time to get better at crediting artists.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 8d

The nice thing about Lord of the Rings being so influential in high fantasy is that you can blame it for just about anything that upsets you about the genre. Elves and dwarves are stale? LotR. Everyone’s obsessed with kings? LotR. Didn’t finish your manuscript on time? LotR is once again to blame.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 9d

Oh thank god, was worried for a minute

Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 9d

This is especially helpful if you’re familiar with how much dialogue these books tend to have. Scalzi fans know.

Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 9d

Listening to the new Old Man’s War book, The Shattering Peace. It’s too early to judge the story, but the audio narrator, Tavia Gilbert, is really good. She does a bunch of distinctive voices for the various characters, both humans and aliens, without ever sounding exaggerated.

Cover art for John Scalzi’s The Shattering Peace, showing a space ship hovering above some crashed debris.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 10d

The Empire of Silence protagonist is like a mirror universe Kvothe. He’s writing his memoir after getting famous for doing something both cool and terrible, but instead of being amazing at everything without trying, he routinely fails up. Just completely botches the job and then gets a promotion.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 11d

Nothing worse than someone making a critique you agree with but badly. “Yes, the Star Wars sequels are badly plotted, specifically because they ignore the heroic sacrifice of DASH RENDAR.” Sigh.

Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 12d

"your world is complex because it has an intricate magic system that is inextricably tied to the plot and upon which everything depends, and it has consistent rules that people can learn. My world is complex ’cause it’s full of silly bullshit. We are not the same."

mythcreants.com/blog/podcast...

555 – Explaining Complex Worlds

Divert all power to the exposition array!

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 13d

"Yay, the rich mastermind added a few zeros to their bank account. Who cares?"

mythcreants.com/blog/the-pro...

The Problem With Heist Novels

When stealing a plot from a different medium, start with the perfect plan.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 14d

'Bilbo says something in The Fellowship of the Ring that has stuck with me to this day: “I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”'
mythcreants.com/blog/five-au...

Five Authentic Depictions of Chronic Illness in Popular Stories

Long-term conditions can be part of who a character is.

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Mythcreants @mythcreants.bsky.social · 15d

does that mean combat mechs should be doing sexy hip sways? Cause if so we withdraw the critique

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