Recent content by Marscaleb

The exactings of "how" may not need to be understood, but there are things I think the reader should know: 1) The limitations. In today's world there are thousands of smart-alec's who can point out massive problems and loopholes with magic systems. If a wizard can just summon limitless water...

Okay, I trimmed out too much context. I was thinking I should focus on the worldbuilding side rather than the story, but I trimmed out too much context. The character in question is learning the local language; when the other characters speak of "magic" they are using a word she doesn't...

I should probably rephrase the question I left in my post; I really don't have the context in here to "answer questions." I mean, I am left with the question of "does this lead to more questions?" and I do wonder if this selection does that, but I also know that the full context of the story is...

Of course it is "best" to show your magic, demonstrating how it works through practical examples as the story naturally progresses. But sometimes you need a good way to just openly explain your magic, laying things out in no uncertain terms, directly answering questions that the reader may...

At nine chapter in though, the reader has already seen a lot inside Amber's head. It makes it more interesting for a snippit like this, but would a reader still find that interesting? And yes it's about "what you do with those words" but that begs the question of "are those extra words doing...

I'm writing a scene; this is about 9 chapters into my work. The main character is introduced to several new characters; soldiers being placed under her command. I've got two different versions I have written. One describes the whole scene and gives dialogue between the MC and the new...

I had forgotten; I did make those changes I mentioned. Several months later, here's the updated version I never managed to share. I'm still not sure that this is *quite* where I want it to be before I pay someone money to redraw it in a proper art style.

It has a magic-powered ankle hinge, so his gait isn't terribly different, and Amber happens to never notice this. She does notice that he never goes on runs and rarely takes the recruits on marches, leaving that to the lance corporal. The mana actually goes into both boots like it does with...

I admit I do like that approach; make the seed be something else. That said, if she were to notice a detail about his boots, perhaps what she would notice was a leather strap peeking above one boot. For being a military setting, I think his boots being noticeably different would be a problem.

There is a section in my story that I don't like and want to revise, but I can't figure out how to do this. I decided to share it here and see if I can get some advice. The context: This is at a magic class at a military boot camp. Captain Mangold is teaching recruits about making magic...

Yeah; there's really no way to make it look like a jet pack from the angle I need. The only other thing I can think to do is show some other flying soldiers in the background, from some kind of angle that looks more like flying where you can see the jet pack. But that kind of thing also makes...

Okay so I made a few quick tweaks; nothing major but I'm interested in knowing if this helps. Particularly I'm curious if this helps get rid of the perception that she's a giant as some people have said, but I'm also curious about other changes in general. I'm ditching the whole "half the...

Right away what comes to my mind is you'll mostly get submissions from amateurs, beginners, students, etc. Anyone who is working professionally doesn't really have time to spend on a project that doesn't pay. I'm not saying you couldn't get good designs, but if you have money to offer as a...

Honestly, the idea that I would be cut off from the cover design is what makes me most apprehensive about attempting to traditionally publish when my story is finished. I dislike modern covers so much, and it's not just because of me as a fantasy fan, but also me as an artist. I don't know if...

Honestly, I've seen a lot of cover art like that across the past decade, and I hate those covers. Particularly, they are usually a photo (or photoshop work) of a character, just standing there, trying to look cool even though they are literally doing nothing, with a vague background that says...