Writing Description Notes:

Some resources for those writing medieval-type stories:

list of medieval jobs

more medieval jobs

lords of the manor

ladies of the manor

medieval ladies

medieval weapons

medieval names

more medieval names

guide to medieval terms

more medieval terms

how to write sword-fight scenes

armor

Just realised that Cale was the only "regular" human to ever notice Raon when he was invisible. Even back when Raon was first following him around.

Like, quite a few characters have noticed him throughout the novel, but Cale was able to figure out where Raon was located only using the skills he picked up as Kim Rok Soo.

Its pretty impressive and looking back on it, it could almost be considered foreshadowing.

hey i don't know what writer needs to hear this today but you can have characters in your work who exist only to move the plot forward. you can create an oc for a fanfic who exists to ask a question at the right time and is never seen again. you can create a novel and have random characters that exist to move the story. characters are elements of narrative. not every single one has to have a whole backstory and a life fleshed out. sometimes they can just be there for a scene and then never be involved again. isn't that how life works? don't we meet people and then they vanish? aren't our lives simply moments spent to drive forward the plots of others? your character can be pointless. you character can exist in a moment. your character can take up space. your character can exist, even if you don't know their birthday and their mother's favorite song.

characters are not people. you do not have to make them into people unless you want to. you owe them nothing. use characters however you want in your story. develop them as is relevant. otherwise, it literally does not matter.

Fanfiction Authors: HEADS UP

(Non-authors, please RB to signal boost to your author friends!)

An astute reader informed me this morning that one of my fics (Children of the Future Age) had been pirated and was being sold as a novel on Amazon:

(And they weren't even creative with their cover design. If you're going to pirate something that I spent a full year of my life writing, at least give me a pretty screenshot to brag about later. Seriously.)

I promptly filed a DMCA complaint to have it removed, but I checked out the company that put it up -- Plush Books -- and it looks like A LOT of their books are pirated fic. They are by no means the only ones doing this, either -- the fact that """publishers""" can download stories from AO3 in ebook format and then reupload them to Amazon in just a few clicks makes fic piracy a common problem. There are a whole host of reasons why letting this continue is bad -- including actual legal risk to fanfiction archives -- but basically:

IF YOU ARE A FANFIC AUTHOR WITH LONG AND/OR POPULAR WORKS, PLEASE CHECK AMAZON TO SEE IF YOUR STORIES HAVE BEEN PIRATED.

You can search for your fics by title, or by text from the description (which is often just copied wholesale from AO3 as well). If you find that someone has stolen your work and is selling it as their own, you can lodge a DMCA complaint (Amazon.com/USA site; other countries have different systems). If you haven't done this before, it's easy! Here's a tutorial:

HOW TO FILE A COPYRIGHT COMPLAINT FOR STOLEN WORK ON AMAZON.COM:

First, go to this form. You'll need to be signed into your Amazon account.

Select the radio buttons/dropdown options (shown below) to indicate that you are the legal Rights Owner, you have a copyright concern, and it is about a pirated product.

Enter the name of your story in the Name of Brand field.

In the Link to the Copyrighted Work box, enter a link to the story on AO3 or whatever site your work is posted on.

In the Additional Information box, explain that you are the author of the work and it is being sold without your permission. That's all you really need. If you want, you can include additional information that might be helpful in establishing the validity of your claim, but you don't have to go into great detail. You can simply write something like this:

I am the author of this work, which is being sold by [publisher] without my permission. I originally published this story in [date/year] on [name of site], and have provided a link to the original above. On request, I can provide documentation proving that I am the owner of the account that originally posted this story.

In the ASIN/ISBN-10 field, copy and paste the ID number from the pirated copy's URL. You'll find this ten-digit number in the Amazon URL after the word "product," as in the screenshot below. (If the URL extends beyond this number, you can ignore everything from the question mark on.) Once this number has been added, Amazon will pull the product information automatically and add it to the complaint form, so you can check the listing title and make sure it's correct.

Finally, add your contact information to the relevant fields, check the "I have read and accept the statements" box, and then click Submit. You should receive an email confirmation that Amazon has received the form.

Please share this information with your writer friends, keep an eye out for/report pirated works, and help us keep fanfiction free and legally protected!

NOTE: All of the above also applies to Amazon products featuring stolen artwork, etc., so fan artists should check too!

A More Compassionate View: The Red Soul is Here to Help

Or “Gaster invited The Red Soul in to save the world of Deltarune, and he specifically wanted a Post-Pacifist Red Soul for the job”.

Keep reading

hi, so... um... who is "megabird"? I was going trough your blog and saw it mentioned a lot of times. At first I thought that it was just a meme, but apparently it's not??? I'm new to the fandom, so sorry for dumb questions, and sorry if this has been answered before...

please don’t worry it isn’t a dumb question! megabird is only mentioned by name in tom zhao’s concept art, but long story short, she’s basically a divine entity of the flame and the creator of sky kids. (putting a read more in case this gets long, and of course, game spoilers ahead)

so she’s a god in charge of the reincarnation cycle of light creatures, including sky kids. her presence isn’t restricted to the concept art, of course; we see the megabird in the wind vanes in the prairie bird’s nest as well as the prairie temple entrance, and a popular speculation is that megabird is the one narrating at the beginning of sky (the whole fall of the stars and “if only they had listened” spiel describing the destruction of the sky kingdom).

in the concept art above, the holy site refers to the eye of eden, so it’s pretty safe to say we fly into megabird during the orbit sequence.

probably the most important bits of megabird lore come from the concept art timeline, though. it’s a bit hard to read because of the low quality, and i might put a transcription in the next ask for anyone curious, but i’ll just take the bits related to megabird and type them below:

Fire Era

- All souls are part of the Megabird. Each soul cycles through the Human and the Sky. World gathers experience before returning to Megabird. We are all one and one is us all.

- Megabird grants flame to Prince and Creatures.

- Megabird is at her strongest and all life is connected by light.

- Both Ancients and Creatures worship the fire, migrating to the holy land to die and be reborn.

Dark Stone Era

- The Ancients enter a golden age and the Prince is crowned King. However, dark matter begins to corrupt the Prince and Ancestors.

- Ancients become indifferent and disconnected from the Megabird. The Ferryman Ancestor (Isle Elder) retires with no new souls to shepherd.

Post Storm Era (after the Sky Kingdom is destroyed)

- In dismay, Megabird blesses the sky Kingdom with a new Descendant race (sky kids) in the hope that they will reconnect all souls.

it’s important to note that lore stated in concept art is not necessarily canon, but there are plenty of safe assumptions we can make based on what’s in game that are basically accepted as fanon. megabird is indeed meme’d though. if you ever hop into the official sky discord’s lore channel, you might see her get called megan or described as a bunch of noodles because of her appearance. i also personally like joking that any mysterious source of light in the sky (such as the sun) is megabird. hope this helped :]

if anyone has any tips or resources for writing pitches, taglines, etc, please share them with me and i will post a photo of my gremlin cat in whichever state he happened to be in the last time I took pics

On Editing

This was forwarded to me by a former colleague who attended a course on how to publish/edit a book. You probably already know most of these tips, but there might be something you’ll find helpful, who knows…

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING FIRST PHASE OF EDITING

GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK (what the story is and how it is being told):

What is the book about? What is the driving force behind the narrative?

Who is the audience for this book?

Is it based on real experience?

Does the story work? Are there any parts that feel unconvincing or where the narrative drags? 

Are there any parts I don’t understand?

What is the trajectory or the shape of the story?

Does the story start in the right place?

How quickly do I become immersed in the book?

Are there any points where my immersion in the story is broken, or I lose interest?

Do I believe in what I’m reading?

How satisfying is the ending? Does it feel inevitable?

Does it feel like anything is missing?

Is there anything extraneous (characters, detail, unnecessary plot points)?

What is the narrative point of view (first person, second person, third person)? Does it change? Is it consistent? Does it work? What might be lost or gained if the story were told another way?

Is the tense consistent? If it changes, is it necessary?

Does coincidence feature as a plot device? If so, is there another way to engineer the same events?

Keep reading

it is canon that:

Noelle would mercilessly grind her Catz to get the right combination, eliminating all Catz that strayed from her path

Noelle has a morbid curiosity, and it gives her the determination to see scary and messed up things, like videogame creepypastas, despite her emotional response to cry and fear

I conclude that:

Noelle could complete an Undertale No Mercy route

Noelle would stream her No Mercy Playthrough and be an instant hit, because everytime someone dies, Noelle spends 5 minutes grieving the person she just killed

Reactions to grief

Denial and Disbelief: Initially, a character may struggle to accept the reality of their loss. They might refuse to believe that their loved one is gone, clinging to hope or desperately searching for any signs of their presence.

Emotional Turmoil: Grief often brings intense emotional upheaval. Characters may experience profound sadness, despair, anger, guilt, or a mix of conflicting emotions. Their moods may fluctuate drastically, leading to outbursts of tears, frustration, or numbness.

Withdrawal and Isolation: Some characters might withdraw from social interactions, seeking solitude to process their grief. They may isolate themselves from others, finding solace in their own thoughts and memories.

- Physical Symptoms: Grief can manifest in physical symptoms such as loss of appetite, insomnia, fatigue, headaches, or other psychosomatic manifestations. These physical reactions can reflect the toll that grief takes on the character's overall well-being.

Immersion in Memories: Characters may immerse themselves in memories of the person they've lost. They might seek comfort in looking at old photographs, listening to recordings, or visiting significant places that remind them of their loved one.

Guilt and Regret: Characters may grapple with guilt and regret over things left unsaid or unresolved issues with the deceased. They may blame themselves for not being able to prevent the loss or feel remorse for any negative actions or words in the past.

Seeking Closure: Characters might actively seek closure by investigating the circumstances surrounding the loss or searching for answers. This could involve conducting their own inquiries, talking to people connected to the situation, or even pursuing spiritual or metaphysical avenues.

Attempting to Fill the Void: Some characters may try to fill the void left by their loss by immersing themselves in work, hobbies, or other distractions. This can be a way to cope with the pain or to create a sense of purpose in the absence of their loved one.

Rediscovering Meaning: Over time, characters may go through a process of reevaluating their own life's purpose and finding new meaning or direction. This can involve pursuing new interests, engaging in charitable acts, or dedicating themselves to causes that honor the memory of the person they've lost.

Healing and Acceptance: Eventually, characters may find a sense of healing and acceptance. While the pain of the loss never fully disappears, they learn to live with their grief and carry the memory of their loved one with them. This can lead to a renewed sense of purpose or a deepened appreciation for life.