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Recent content by AliceBaine

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    How does one avoid Tonal Whiplash?

    I suppose the amount of humour you want will always be subjective, but 'tonal whiplash' is almost self-explanatory. It's a spectrum, and the further you vary from the resting point of the spectrum, the more jarring the gag will be. In regards to movies, a masterful break of tension is the line...
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    Blurb Forum

    I think it would be really helpful. Sometimes it's hard to even know what the selling points of your story are, so you could even start off with rough drafts and receive help on pinpointing the themes of your story that capture people's attention before you spend hours/days polishing a dud. It'd...
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    Blurb Forum

    Hey everyone, I'm nearing the final stages of my book, and I'm down to the last hurdle: the book blurb. I was wondering if there was a spot people went for feedback on different blurbs (say I write five, I get feedback on the best one). Or even, if the devs would consider a forum thread...
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    Budget Tracker & Self-Pub Tips

    Hey everyone, After what felt like way too much time spent editing, I'm finally approaching the publishing/marketing stage with my first book. I've done lots of casual research over the years, but I was wondering if anyone has any go-to books/blogs/etc in regards to self-publishing. I'm also...
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    Money

    I agree with skip.knox on the relative unimportance of currency. As a reader, I've never taken the time learn the hard facts of monetary value. I'm a Dostoevsky fan, but I have absolutely no idea what the value of rubles are, especially in the 1800's. Same goes for fantasy novels. I'd rather...
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    How Many Answers Do You Need in Book 1?

    Thanks for all the advice, in spite of the sparse details of my story I've given. My editor has worked on lots of fantasy, so I don't think that should be an issue. I guess my problem is deciding what's the most engaging point to end the story. I do think Queshire and Finchbearer make good...
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    How Many Answers Do You Need in Book 1?

    Hey everyone, I'm working with an editor on my first book right now. A critique I received was that she didn't like where my book ended. To be brief, the story mostly revolves around the MC searching for a man he knows by Sog (I'm calling him Sog for clarity's sake). All he has is a name to go...
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    Thoughts on Adverbs

    I'm going to apologize in advance for this post. I feel like adverbs are the most overused topics of discussion in writing forums, and I know I'm the umpteenth person to bring them up, but I like you guys and want to know your thoughts. When I first started seriously writing, everything I read...
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    Secret Empire in a Medieval Setting?

    Thanks everyone, these are all great suggestions/ideas. Japan is definitely a better metaphor. After reading a bit about it, I could see my bad guy doing the exact same thing. Prince of Spires makes a good point, too. He needs 14 of the rare people, has 12 at the current time in my book, and...
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    Secret Empire in a Medieval Setting?

    Hey everyone, I hope the title isn't too misleading, haha. I'm a little stumped with a particular part of my story and how the world would react to the villain's existence. I'll try to summarize as clearly as possible. Essentially, the bad guy (we'll call him BG) has achieved immortality, so...
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    Types of Editors

    Thanks for the input, Ned. I agree 100%. Nobody's getting a dollar from me without a sample edit, though so far, everyone has been very willing to provide them. I'm assuming you self-published? Did you start with an editorial assessment, or skip ahead to developmental or copyediting? You...
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    Types of Editors

    Thanks everyone for the great advice. It sounds like an editorial assessment would be the smartest first step. I agree with Prince of Spires, in that whether it's intentional or not, an editor would be pretty dumb to tell a potential client not to work with them because the story isn't good...
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    Types of Editors

    Hey everyone, I've finally reached a point in my book where I've done all the editing I can do myself. As much as I want to say it's good enough, everything I've read says you have to get a professional editor to review your book. I'm leaning towards self-publishing, and have been using...
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    Status Titles

    Hey everyone, I'll try to summarize as best I can without getting to lost in the details, but essentially, my main character is fighting against two opposing sides. The leaders are both immortals with unmatched power (though they remain in the background and let their subordinates do the work)...
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    Really Quick Question.

    Thanks everyone. This one had me scratching my head. I think it's easier to write the novel itself than the stupid blurb, haha.
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