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  1. MFontana

    Thanks @Anonjohn20, @pangmida, @Playerkartik

    Thanks @Anonjohn20, @pangmida, @Playerkartik
  2. MFontana

    Need Help In my OP Side Character

    It really depends, like so many other things, on the execution. The question, ultimately, is WHY. What motivation, belief, or rules govern the character. And why did they even allow it to begin with. For a character with the psychology you described, they wouldn't reasonably obey or allow such a...
  3. MFontana

    How many levels of administrative division should an interstellar nation have?

    Personally, I referenced the Ancient Roman Empire for one of my own and designed a provincial-prefecture based imperial/feudal system. However, the governmental structure of the civilization would also be influenced by its culture and the scale/scope of its territory. From what you presented...
  4. MFontana

    When does a character go from flawed to unlikable?

    For me, it ultimately comes down to the execution. What role is the character meant to fill? Are they believable? Are they relatable? What is their psychology? What are their motivations/goals? Why do they do what they do? What are their conflicts? Do they have regrets? What do they believe? How...
  5. MFontana

    Have you ever gotten stuck on a specific writing style?

    I'm not really sure what you're asking, but if you mean have I ever struggled with any particular writing style, I'd have to say no. Mostly because I don't try to mimic any existing style. It's been a lot of time, work, and effort, to hone and refine my own style. If you mean struggling with...
  6. MFontana

    As a reader, what is your attention span tolerance for the minimum and maximum number of sentences in a paragraph?

    For me, it isn't a matter of attention span. It is a matter of what is visually appealing and an easier structure to follow. Towards that end, I tend to lean towards the standard range of 3-5 sentences per paragraph, with both my preferred reading, and my writing. 3 - 5 sentences per paragraph...
  7. MFontana

    The Art of Creative Insults: A Thread

    A personal favorite: "Your visage is so hideous, the last time you had a portrait made it needed neither hammer nor nail, as it hung itself."
  8. MFontana

    Question blind protagonist

    There are varying degrees of blindness. What degree are you asking about? And under what conditions was said character blind? The "tropes" you mentioned are realistic, and reasonable, in most cases. When one sense fails, the others often sharpen over time to compensate (not to superhero-levels...
  9. MFontana

    Writing Outlining: How Do?

    Short-form from my own outline. Story Title / Project Name * Initial Concept/Premise * Planned Length (Volumes) Volume # & Title - Number of anticipated "Arcs" or "Segments" Chapter # * First major story beat * Second major story beat * Third major story beat * Forth major story beat Rinse and...
  10. MFontana

    Writing Multiple POV vs. Single POV: Which fiction do you prefer to read as a reader, and which fiction do you prefer to write as an author?

    As an author; I'll tend to use multiple points of view; and often let multiple plot threads develop and progress in parallel, which is something that I have already begun laying the groundwork for in The Elarian Chronicles - Duskfall. As a reader, I tend to favor small-entourage casts and...
  11. MFontana

    Writing If your protagonist lived in the real world, what nationality might your protagonist be?

    Well seeing as how the real world is a part of my shared universe, this is easy. The protagonists of The Elarian Chronicles are American, of Western-European lineage. I don't go into much deeper detail than this because it isn't relevant to the story. Since Aestelle Nocte takes place (mostly)...
  12. MFontana

    World I Set up: How Rich you thinking?

    I'd say its a solid start. One thing to definitely consider; the Magic System of the setting (if it has one). Another, are the governments of the different kingdoms. (Their political landscapes). And lastly... Are they at war? and if not, Why not? Then, you'd want to consider the different...
  13. MFontana

    Why are writers fighting the future AI?

    To be completely fair, and honest, no existing "AI" tools are true artificial intelligence. People have just taken to calling them that without understanding how they function, and what the differences are. As they are now, they will never be able to replace human creators, because they are...
  14. MFontana

    Setting up Mystery novels is harder than I thought

    Good luck. And sure, go ahead and drop it (but if you do, be sure to include the link here for easy access to it).
  15. MFontana

    Writing What do you think about yandere villainess as an antagonist to the protagonist?

    Personally, I'm not a fan of relying on archetypes or classifications for any of the characters, because I find doing so to be very limiting, almost to the point the it stifles creativity for the character, and the narrative. To that end, I'd advise against relying on archetypes for any...
  16. MFontana

    What makes a work of fiction worthy of being called art?

    All forms of creative expression are worthy of being called "art". Whether they are "Good" or not is purely subjective outside of the extremely rare, genre-defining and timeless works of legends like Tolkien, Rice, Shelley, Lewis, LeGuin, and many (many) others. What I tend to look for though...
  17. MFontana

    Writing Prose quality check?

    Then you'll definitely want to read and study C.S. Lewis' style as a reference point. In particular, his Narnia series. He tended to favor a lighter style that was full of layered description, and could be a solid go-to stylistically speaking. The best advice I can offer is that description...
  18. MFontana

    Writing Prose quality check?

    Overall, there is no singular standard for quality beyond the intent and style you are trying to convey. That's part of the beauty of artistic expression in any medium. If you are aiming for a dense, detailed, descriptive and classical style, this sample would be horrendous, as it fails to...
  19. MFontana

    Do you ever ‘cast’ your characters?

    Even as a thought-exercise, I don't typically spend time with this kind of thing, because even in the infinitesimal chance of such a thing actually happening with my fiction, I'd probably tell most of those mainstream sources to either fuck off, or would ensure that I have full oversight and...
  20. MFontana

    When killing off an important character, friend, brother or someone important to The MC. How do you feel about it?

    As an author, I just do what is narratively fitting for the story. I do have a number of rules for my writing that I follow with all of my stories. First and Foremost is: "No Plot Armor". Toward that end, every action, or inaction as the case may be, a character takes will have consequences...
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