Recent content by MrBrightsider

People don't start doing the things they want to do because its hard work to accomplish anything of value, and most people in this day and age are FAR too lazy to put in the effort. We live in a world of instant entertainment and distraction, and occupying your time is as easy as flipping open...

Making up your own mythical creatures is legit one of the most fun parts of writing. But sometimes even more fun is hybridizing mythological creatures that have already been thought up. For example, if you want a sweet blood sucking creature that's sort of a mindless animal, make some sort of...

When you want to read a sweet book, but the link leads to an error thread. All my hearts, shattered!

Could go with the irish/celtic Puca! They're shapshifting, mischievous sort of things that can be either good or bad. Púca - Wikipedia

"The problem (in my humble opinion) is that the internet provides a voice to many who, to say it politely, are not qualified to speak up." Holy swag, so much this. 100% of this. "Negative feedback is just that, negative. There is no use for it, therefore it is irrelevant." Not so much that...

Hey man, if it helps, I think that's something we've all experienced. I think it goes without saying, but there are people on this earth who scoff at anyone trying to follow their passions. They're bitter, resentful, and want to make sure any bright-eyed hope and enthusiasm that they can see is...

That paragraph right there could be an entire novel. Who would have thought "Peasant gets lost in the dark" could be so compelling? The first ever serf psychological horror story, hah.

And can you imagine? That was every day life for that time period. No wonder they made up stories about all sorts of terrible things that lurk outside their little village. Like half the stuff out there wants to eat you.

I actually remembered this thread driving through a military base the other night. I was visiting a buddy, driving home around 10pm, and it was pitch dark. Raining, so it was cloudy. No lights since it's in the middle of nowhere. It was so dark that even with car headlights I couldn't see more...

Goddamn that's awesome.

Please tell me that that is a picture of goddamn Noah's Ark spitting out monsters. That would be the greatest thing I've ever seen. Also I dig the ink. I've never been able to draw with a pen.

You should worldbuild. It's fun, its exciting, and it's also your only chance to really play God, which in and of itself is a fun activity

I'll throw my two cents in here: mood is created by the reader projecting themselves onto a character (usually the protagonist) and feeling what that character is feeling. One of the reasons people read is to experience thrills and tensions vicariously through fictional people: it's a lot safer...

Showing vs. telling isn't really a 'tool': its a goal. It's something writers should strive to use in the correct circumstances. Practicing and mastering it will objectively improve your writing, and make it more engaging to read. I know writing is an art, and for the most part it's not...

Absolutely. History. All the time. What did buildings look like in the 900s? How many sets of clothes did a peasant have? How did their toilets work? How can I take something that was miserable in history and use magic to make it less gross. I'm with Hairyfoot: it's impossible not to use...