I'm writing the journal for a medieval high fantasy elf. Looking mostly for opinions on the three main characters in the snippet (including perceived character ages), and if they're curious about any of the less prominent characters. Would also appreciate knowing how well the words flow of if I'm being too verbose. General peer review would also be welcome.

A few mature themes here: romance, intimacy, and consent issues.

Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OxCaMjQwz65m8ofLvCNaMdpUsHcQLkmrq1mnyiVPhtU/edit?usp=sharing

Tonight I was presented to the Royal Court and instated as Chief Mane-Dresser for the Horses of Her Royal Highness Fürst Salme of the Elben. My wedding was held immediately afterwards.

The Presentation of new Elben, or "Elves", as outsiders tend to call us, is a solemn event. The Elben are led into the Great Hall by their sponsors shortly after they become conscious of themselves and the world around them. Dressed only in white silken shifts and black veils over their heads, they cross their hands over their chests and kneel, one after the other, before that splendid and dreadful sovereign, the Erlking, to receive from him their rank and occupation. Then they are gifted clothes suitable to their new station by their sponsor and led out of the Great Hall toward the residential quarters. There, they would change into their new clothes and spend a length of time contemplating the duties they would have to fulfil, until the sound of a drum summons them out from the room to assume their various occupations. Or a ringing bell would summon them back to the Great Hall for the Crowning of a new Holy Infant. Or a horn would summon them to the courtyard for the Arming of a new knight.

No mirth is allowed to mar the dignity of this ceremony. Indeed, no unnecessary sounds or emotional outbursts whatsoever. And yet by the end of the night, we were celebrating my wedding!

I write of these events at length because my thoughts have been pulled to one extreme and then another over the course of a single night, and are now tangled into knots that I must unwind into a coherent thread. Here I will make sense of myself, my actions, and my life.

I want to use rather underused animals. Not like wolves, cats, dogs, etc. (something not normally seen in animal fantasy, and ofc they will be anthropomorphized they won’t be companions they’ll be the main characters like Warriors for example) Any and all ideas are welcome.

I have posted this on a multitude of different writing subs and I’m hoping this gives me some ideas, thanks!

Fantasy struggled with front-loading information or overly setting the scene. I realized the first quarter of my first chapter is just a boy sitting on a beach, and not much happens. I know in media res is popular, but I didn’t love the idea of starting to heavy. Instead, I wanted to get to know my main character, and thought this would be a good entry to the world.

Now I’m second guessing myself. Would you be able to get through something like this, or should I just move the story forward to some immediate conflict?

Contract writing scene

So in the story I'm writing the protagonist makes a deal with an infamous mage known as the Curse Monger. To seal the deal they both sign a blood contract that harms them in some way if they violate it. Sounds tense and threatening, but I'm going for more of a Tim Burton dark comedy kind of tone

The joke here is that despite the stakes being very real, the protagonist finds the contract so long and boring they begin to skim read. I'm wondering what is the best way to write a skim reading scene.

I was writing it sort of like this " The contract was so long and dull, that despite thier better judgement, the protagonist began to skim read. In the event that party A is rendered comatose and is unable to uphold thier end of the- skip. If party B is unable yo hear instructions from party A they are not beholden to- skip Curse Monger 'you are actually reading the thing properly arnt you?' Protagonist 'Yes yes, I'm reading every word.' Two weeks notice must be given in advance before party B can use vacation- skip."

How does that read? I'm basically looking for an amusing way to skip all the boring details and if any reader tries to nitpick a problem with the contract they can know they never read the entire thing and thus any concern they may have might have been covered. Shriodingers contract if you will.

I'm brainstorming an idea for a hero that has lain in magic stasis for centuries, to awaken in an age when he is needed again.

(Think King Arthur)

How long would you say is the minimum for people to not be entirely sure whether he actually existed, and for the true story of his adventures to have gotten a bit muddled?

I had this idea for one of the peoples in my fantasy project. They live on a steppe and are predominantly a horse riding culture like the Mongolians or Turkic tribes (or Dothraki for a fantasy example) I have been thinking of things to make them more unique, and I had the idea of their army using atlatls on horseback rather than bows. There are many ways I could explain this in universe, but what I’m more worried about is if it’s actually feasible in real life. Though I am writing a high fantasy, I like to keep a degree of realism in my writing, so I like to test things like this before putting them in. I own and like using atlatls, but don’t really have a way to test them on horseback. Do you guys think this is an idea that makes sense?

Hi everyone! I wanted to get your expertise on how to write battle scenes. I'm a beginner in the writing field and wanted any tips or tricks you have felt helpful. For refence my antagonist is an otherworldly demon like ruler with hybrid wolves he has created to help him take over the world. I wanted to have some minor scenes with the wolves and the book climax with a major battle between the antagonist and the protagonist. Thank you advance!

When is the right time to get outside eyes on one's work?

If you currently have a WIP, or if said project is finished, what is your approach?

Beta-reader when you have a finished first draft? Posting to forum critique groups chapter by chapter?

While I do want the advantage of feedback from a reader who isn't in my head 😏 receiving feedback on something raw and unfinished is rather difficult.

Thank you for your thoughts.

1. They attach absolute importance to the logic of power and the fisticuff law, and the logic of power and the fisticuff law are the fundamental way of thinking and behavior of their species, as well as a common species principle. They divide areas (status) and ranks among themselves according to the logic of power and the fisticuff law, and the more powerful they are, the higher the status and rank they occupy.
2. Whenever they are dissatisfied with each other, they often or extremely common go to places where there is no intelligent life (humans or life forms similar to humans or with greater intelligence than humans) and nor animal life and fight or battle. This is because the basic common sense and principle of their species is to fight against themselves with force and win whenever they are dissatisfied with each other, and they have a nature that always chooses to resolve the issue with force whenever they are dissatisfied with each other.
3. They never listen to the demands of beings weaker than themselves and openly loudly speak to beings who are dissatisfied with them to fight and win by force if they are dissatisfied.
4. They only recognize as their own people purebloods with 100% of their own blood, and they absolutely do not recognize beings with even the slightest bit of blood from other species mixed in as their kind.
5. They never destroy or eliminate places with intelligent life or animal life, but they destroy or eliminate places (Ghost towns, deserts, uninhabited islands, wastelands, empty plains, planets, galaxies, universes, multiverses, etc.) without intelligent life or animal life without a second's hesitation, and they enjoy it very much. If such places (including planets, galaxies, universes, and multiverses) do not exist, they create them and then destroy or remove them.
6. They do not harm existing life forms with emotions, personality, and mind (limited to intelligent life forms and life forms of the animal kingdom) without any reason or for trivial reasons. But, they enjoy indiscriminately exterminating the artificial life forms (Artificial gods, artificial angels, etc.) they create that have no emotions, personality, or mind.
7. Their entire species indiscriminately annihilates or permanently erases all enemies in hostile act states who invade each dimension of them by force or attempt punitive act states, without a second of hesitation or guilt. They do not care whether the enemies who invade each dimensions of them by force or attempt a punitive expedition are humans or other humanoid species (gods, angels, etc.), and as long as such enemies are in a hostile act state, they must to annihilate them all.
8. Their entire species indiscriminately annihilates or permanently removes all enemies in a hostile act state in a wartime or semi-wartime situation without a second of hesitation or guilt.
9. They only defend each dimension of them, and are not interested in or interested in other dimensions, worlds, or universes other than each dimension of them, and do not interfere with or interfere with other dimensions, worlds, or universes. Unless beings in other dimensions, worlds, and universes attempt to invade each dimension of them by force or attempt a punitive expedition.
10. They also follow the territorial principle and nationality principle, and when they are in another dimension, universe, or world, they generally follow the laws of that dimension, universe, or world. But, if they are not in that dimension, universe, or world, they will never follow any laws of that dimension, universe, or world. Additionally, if that dimension, universe, or world is in a state of war with each dimension of them, they never follow any of the laws of that dimension, universe, or world. Additionally, if beings from another dimension, universe, or world kidnap them and try to imprison them, kill them, assault them, etc., they will never follow any laws of that dimension, universe, or world, and at the same time, they will kill them all.
11. They have an eternal and absolute species instinct to eternally hate and abhor perfect and faultless goodness, perfect morality, and pure goodness, and they absolutely prohibit such things as a principle of their species only within their own species. That will never happen, but if there is even one being within their species who is perfectly and faultlessly good, completely moral, or purely good, immediately the their entire species, excluding that being, will must try to eliminate that individual absolutely and permanently. It is forever and absolutely impossible for their entire species to be perfectly and faultlessly good, completely moral, or purely good, without a single exception. All causalities, laws, miracles, probabilities, possibilities, ways, future that make such things even remotely possible are absolutely nullified and deleted forever, never to exist again. In addition, all causation, laws, miracles, probabilities, possibilities, ways, future that make such things even slightly possible are forever and absolutely invalidated and deleted from the moment they are newly created, never to exist again. The moment they become perfectly and faultlessly good, or perfectly moral, or purely good, that perfect and faultless goodness, perfect morality, pure goodness is forever and absolutely nullified and erased. All of these things repeat absolutely forever. This principle of their species applies only to their species and does not apply to other beings.
12. As a principle of their species, they absolutely prohibit losing in a fight with beings or someone who is less power than themselves. If even one being within their species loses in a fight with beings or someone with less power than them, the entire species excluding that individual will inevitably punish that individual. This principle of their species applies only to their species and does not apply to other beings.
13. They are a species that has no soul at all, and all of them, without a single exception, have no soul at all, and without a single exception, a soul can never exist among them. All causation, laws, miracles, probabilities, possibilities, ways, and futures that make it even remotely possible for them to have a soul are absolutely and forever nullified and deleted, never to exist again. Also, the moment all causalities, laws, miracles, probabilities, possibilities, ways, and futures that make it even slightly possible for them to have a soul are newly created, they are immediately and absolutely nullified and deleted forever, never to exist again.
14. They can never be reincarnated, and all of them, without a single exception, can never be reincarnated. All causal laws, laws, miracles, probabilities, possibilities, ways, and futures that make reincarnation even remotely possible are absolutely and forever nullified and deleted, never to exist again. Additionally, all causal laws, laws, miracles, probabilities, possibilities, ways, and futures that make reincarnation even remotely possible are instantly and absolutely nullified and deleted forever, never to exist again, as soon as they are newly created.
15. All of them, without a single exception, can never be rehabilitated.

There would be no problem at all even if I setting gods or transcendent beings, transcendent beings like gods, or transcendent beings stronger than gods up like these in the work, right?

And they are the main characters of the work. Also, speaking of whether they are good or evil, the setting is that they are not evil. For your information, I never listen to people who want or demand perfect and faultless goodness, perfect morality, and pure goodness.

Hi all. In my book, my character is 21 y/o. In my writing class, my peers reviewed my story and one of them said they envisioned my character being around 12-15 years old. How do you guys go about showing or mentioning age without flatly stating it? Do you show it based on behavior or by physical description? I am at a loss.

I’m writing a high fantasy series, and usually on days I’m struggling to write, I’ll spent some time working on world building. Most of the time, the world building I do is deep histories and such that don’t really get mentioned in the series, because I’m hoping to explore them more in other books. Is it ok for me to do this, or should I focus on world building that’s more relevant to the series I’m writing right now?

You want to create and distribute a new newspaper criticising some influential people who are ministers and generals.

Advantages: 1- You are wealthy

2- You are royalty

3- You are famous with a good reputation.

4- You have a small information network under your hands.

Disadvantages: 1- The people you are criticising are all relatives of the king. And the king doesn't like his relatives criticised.

2- There is a Bureau of Censorship that inspects the publishings.

3- There is a non-religious inquisition that suppresses anti-nationalist works.

4- You don't want your name involved in this newspaper you are creating.

5- The king is already suspicious of you but doesn't want your name to be sullied either. He wants his surname pure and great.

How would you maneuver under these circumstances?

Idk if anyone has done this but my MC starts off as a very feminine lady in middle class. Then she goes through the story and is shown the darker side of this world which makes her go insane.

the end goal is her becoming a tyrant who is like the Queen of Hearts.

She’s mostly inspired by the quote “Not all villains are born, they are made,” (or something like that.

How do you make someone go slowly insane but it’s still obvious that they’re still the person you know? Something like subtle changes? A very slow change.

UPDATE: My version of insanity (Aka what the character is gonna go through) is most likely a close form of narssisicm?? Like they think that they’re right and everything is wrong. “I went through this you have NOTHING compared against me.”

My last few stories have all taken place in the real world, albeit with some magical or alternate-history elements thrown in. I'd like to go back to writing stories set in a completely fictional world of my own creation, but I'm uncertain about how to go about the preliminary world-building or if instead I should just world-build while I'm writing.

On the one hand, just as I would do some basic research about the time and place if I'm writing something set in the real world, I do consider it a good idea to have a handle on what my fictional world is like before I start writing. On the other hand, I've observed that when I try to create a world from whole cloth, I can't make up my mind on what I want the world to be like, especially if I don't already have a basic plot or characters developed yet. I might know a small number of things I want in the world, but I am far less decisive about other elements or how they all fit together.

This is particularly apparent when mapping out the world. For example, where do I put Region A and Region B in relation to one another, and what do I put between them? I might go through several iterations of the world's map and feel dissatisfied with each of them. And then, of course, there's good old-fashioned world-builder's disease, where I might get so caught up in the world-building that I don't get to the actual writing.

Given all that, how should I approach world-building for a fantasy story? Should I do all or most of it before the other aspects of the writing, or should I just world-build as I write? Or something else entirely?

Hi,

Many years ago I was a member of the Fantasy online writing workshop (SFF online writing workshop). I loved the process of helping others and in turn helping my own writing.

I recently rejoined and found the number of submissions and reviews submitted greatly reduced from what I remembered. Also the genres seemed more skewed away from the kind of fantasy I like to read and write, and the posts were much less chapters of novels and more short stories.

Does anyone have any recommendations of online groups where you can post chapters of Fantasy novels and receive critiques?

I’ve looked at critters and unfortunately that is closed to UK/EU members now.

Thanks in advance!

As far as big, intimidating creatures go, I feel like Dragons definitely hold the spot light in fantasy works. What are some different or unconventional mythological creatures that you feel can make a similar impact as Dragons do if written well? I'm looking to do something a bit different, seeing as Dragons seem to be the go-to badass thing in fantasy.

I'm currently in the beginning stages of writing a novel, basically just mapping out themes, plot points and timelines.

The setting is a medieval(ish) world that incorporates some magic and magical beings. The main plot centers around a young prince who never thought he would inherit the throne, because his older brother would naturally be in line before him. He's lured away from the capitol while a plot to usurp the throne unfolds. His whole family, other than his little sister who escapes, is killed and he's attacked and presumed dead. The story is essentially his journey to take back the throne from the tyrant that killed his family.

Without giving away too much of my ideas, does this main plot seem cliche or over done at all?

For those of you who are in writer's groups (or for those of you who tried it, and decided it's not for you) how do you decide when to submit something long-form (say, successive chapters of a novel). Do you avoid any type of feedback during your first draft? Are you up until late at night furiously typing away at your next brand-new chapter, so you can get it finished for writer's group? Do you let something "marinate" for a few weeks before giving it to the group? I'm just curious what approaches people take.

I'm asking because I've submitted a couple of chapters for a WIP where I'm still in the early stages of writing. I do try my absolute best to have a chapter be as technically sound as I can make it before submitting, even though I'm not at the end of my draft 1 yet, so I KNOW a lot has to change anyways.For example, the next chapter I want to submit will have an altered continuity from previous chapters (I want to just keep writing forward, even if that means writing a 2-paragraph retcon summary). Part of me says "yes, keep submitting even though you are still in early stages, there is useful feedback happening about your prose/scene quality or big story ideas" and the other part of me says "why the heck am I asking for feedback on something you know you will have to change?"

I have been thinking of a story I had for the longest time. I have posted this story and a problem I had with it to this subreddit a time ago. If there is more context needed I will post in the comments

So I wouldn’t call it a problem but a thing I am being thinking about. In the story I want seven characters that have been cursed by a divine power. You probably alright know but each is cursed with a sin. In this world there has been other people who gotten cursed like this and had mastered it. So with this there has been an old group that teaches how to control and fight it. But one of these teachers had ran away and became one of the main characters. They all believed that these curse can turned into blessing. For example, one of the main characters being nicknamed ‘The wrathful warrior’ can go into an episode destroying everything in his path.

But because they had went against this group, the royal had marked the main characters as criminals. So they were forced to colonize a new land to repay their debt. I would not explain much of the story mostly because I haven’t came up with it yet. But on this land, they came together to form a new group to govern the colony. The teacher, well teaches the rest of the group how to control and use their sin for benefit. My questions are that, is there any ideas for characters and their sin, and how to write them

Here is my characters: The wrathful Warrior- like I stated can go into an episode destroying everything in their way The lustful captain- Go into an episode which allows them to attached to another creature learning everything about them The envy teacher and prideful leader- if they both have not gotten to the to level that they want they will do anything to go to that level. But the leader wants the highest level of society coming from pride but for the teacher it just came from envy.

If there any ideas for new even for the ones I created I would love to hear. Also I would love to hear some advice to write these characters

As a reader and/or a writer, do you prefer a first person narrator, third person, or multiple? As a reader do you feel more attached to the character in a first person perspective? Or slogged down by the limitations of view?

I know the pros and cons of each, but am looking more for an idea of which seems to be the more consistent option with readers.

Major concept: a character -- essentially -- a half-demon (my tangible demons / half-demons represent more than seven things) but was raised by X, so is indebted enough to leave X alone. The story is about the character protecting X from them and their dangerous mind and powers. But from beginning to the end, the character is damned.

This is one of the major concepts I use sometimes.

Micro concept: X is the Celestial People, who are capable of evil (essentially becoming Dark Matter Creatures) but have light within them, which is dominant. In this era, Dark Matter Creatures are either destroyed or sealed.

The half-demon is unusual for not possessing any inherent light. Due to this, the half-demon is somewhat emotionless, behaves like a manipulative figure, uses magic powered by suffering, and is barred from true redemption. The character one day recognizes this is no way to behave around the people who mercifully adopted and raised them, and gives up a stable life to move into the underground.

The plot is about the mundane, but also sometimes epic, survival, hunting beasts, and exploration of the character. Sometimes there is trading, other times interactions with gnome-like (not actual gnomes) creatures that mine.

(This is One, lesser, story in the setting)

So I want to start writing a story by combining aspects of my life into making the story have stakes. When I was very young, I would often talk to family members about the world under my bed. This was purely in my head but according to people who remember my early years I created very detailed descriptions of what happened in this world and seemed to really believe it. Years later, when I was a teenager I had cancer, and had to have chemotherapy and some experimental treatments. I want to create a story about a guy who has a brain tumour, who starts to experience, living in a magical kingdom from his early childhood as a separate reality that might be hallucinations caused by his brain tumour and treatments. The idea is that the guy starts having to complete a quest in the magical kingdom with his successes and failures affecting how well his treatment is going in the real world. Firstly, is the idea to complicated? Also, is using my experiences to write a fantasy story, where reality is questionable, crazy?

I'm writing my first book, it's chiming along well but the setting is giving me fits. I want to do a "bombed back to the stone age" humanity after a nuclear war setting (original, I know)

The problem I'm having is the how and why, the fallout happemt cause that determines the aftermath of the fallout in some ways. Now I've considered solar flares that knock out the electrical grid which inevitably destroy nuclear plants that will explode if the nuclear matter won't maintain temperature. Again, inevitable once the grid goes down. Not sexy but its a legitimate thing that could happen at some point without setting off any bombs.

I've thought about global warming heating the permafrost and releasing some ancient virus that knocks humanity back, again, absolutely plausible but not very sexy.

Today though, I had an alternative history idea.

Years ago, I learned about Aum Shinrikyo, a death cult based in Japan that set off a gas attack in a Tokyo subway in the 90's with the intention of literally killing millions but ended up killing 11 and injuring thousands.

The thing about Aum Shinrikyo is that they are essentially a real life legion of doom, they actively try to start the apocalypse. I'm not talking theoretically like Charles Manson or Herbert Mullen or something, these guys have plots that they actually carry out to end the world.

Again, this is real, when the Soviet Union fell, a number of nuclear weapons were sold to other countries, Aum Shinrikyo tried to buy nuclear bombs with the absolute intention of starting a nuclear Holocaust. Now, they had the money to do so but that failed for a few reasons, mainly because the Japanese government actually started paying attention at last and stopped it. The cult instead took in a few of the nuclear scientists from the Soviets and with that, they continued to make weapons of mass destruction, but it wasnt nukes.

My alternative theory is this, what if Aum Shinrikyo DID get the nukes and used them? It's a plausible theory but the cult is still active in Japan, and I don't know if using an active death cult in the way I intend is...a good idea? Lol Would there be legal repracaussions? Could I be killed? Would my book be banned in certain countries?

Also Im thinking it's a possibility that after that nuclear fallout, some characters in the book would also be following the cults teachings, like in a misled kind of way. Kinda like how people in the Fallout games worship "the atom" for example

TLDR

I'm writing my first book and I'm not sure what liberties are allowed in fiction in regards to what if scenarios involving actual death cults that are sill active.

Edit

Thank you guys for the advice, you've given me a lot to think about

So I have a world for a grim dark / gothic / dark fantasy story, which include a mythology of various gods. The “gods” arrived on the planet frozen in an asteroid (because I love aliens in fantasy) but I have a dilemma. Did they arrived before or after the humans?

Long before the start of the story, a war begun between the various gods and they used humans as soldiers. So either they recruited humans that were already there, or they made humans for this purpose.

Which one do you think would fit the tone more / be the more interesting ? Don’t hesitate to ask me if you need more info

The point where I am currently standing at is this. I am worried about having the idea of mind-controlling cursed item in the novel. Is the idea itself overused? Or is it not? Or it is okay only if it was done in a very subtle way? I am not sure how to go forward with this.

The person handing the party the cursed objects is obviously pretending to be an ally. They have known him since they were children, so they trust him. So the items could be mentioned as regular items that can be gifted casually.

I would like to hear your opinions on this please!

I write for myself and my friends, so I have a tendency to just add in whatever things I like or give me inspiration.

But I often hear that truly great writers don't need a bunch of fluff and rule of cool to distract from the actually-important core of all fiction: interesting characters and their relationships and arcs.

For my current story I have:

1. three planet-bound hard magic systems and a few softer ones

2. jojo-style hard magic mindgames battles

3. magic demon mecha

4. Space battles where each faction has its own technologies and magic systems

5. Character drama, since I wanted to imitate Battlestar Galactica and Tokyo Ghoul's character-driven story approach

6. Democratic politics (each of the three planets has its own nations with differing factions) and economic conspiracies

7. World Trigger-inspired squad battle tactics

8. Red Rising-style ground battles but with Jujutsu Kaisen-esque martial arts

9. Angels and gods with grand plans. and also demons (Hell has several nations, one of which is basically cosmic horror-themed, and its own "livestock" economies)

10. A first contact type story where each society deals with the ramifications of discovering that complex life exists on other planets

All this while trying to avoid exposition dumps

I'm writing a novel in a polar setting, and I'm planning to have a giant friggin' wolf be a prominent creature, which inspires terror yet sometimes acts as a mentor for people. I was going to have this creature go by many names, such as the Roman Lupa, the Inuit Amarok, and the norse Fenrir.

Basically my justification is that various different cultures have encountered this big puppy in the past, had different names for it, and saw it in different ways, sometimes as destroyer, sometimes as protector, sometimes both. It's meant to be a clear combination of 'mythical wolf' legends from real-world cultures.

However, could this be seen in poor taste? Is it disrespectful to conflate the noble-yet-frightening Amarok from Inuit myth with the apocalypse wolf from Norse myth? Would this be seen as disrespectful or appropriation? I'm trying to go with an "all myths are from the same source" vibe, but I don't want to unintentionally disrespect real-world cultures.

I feel a bit like I'm walking on eggshells here, so thanks for your thoughts.

I have two openers I've been eyeing for a while. The story opens with the MC on horseback approaching a village at the break of dawn, and the sun is rising right above a horizon of glaciers, and the glaciers are kind of shining because of it. Hopefully that makes sense!

-The horizon’s glaciers seemed to glisten like dancing tongues of flame when silhouetted by a red morning sun.

-A red morning sun hung low in the sky, turning the horizon’s distant glaciers into glistening tongues of flame.

Are they two short? I'm sixteen and this is the first project i've ever really dug into.