Recent content by SineNomine

The novels that immediately leap to mind that use it are of course The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series and the Discworld novels. Both are incredibly popular and quite enjoyable to read. I'd say the biggest trade-off for using that style is that it tends to push things to a more...

I think this pretty much catches it. Subgenres will ebb and flow in popularity, but it will probably become much less distinguishable with the barriers to entry so low. Publishers are enticed to follow what is popular because they have to pursue profit in a way that individual authors don't...

I have Ulcerative Colitis so this topic is, of course, very near and dear to me...Hate the buggers. They are nothing but a pain in the ass. I think I overuse semicolons, but for some reason I have never quite succumbed to the same siren song with colons; they just don't appeal to me the same...

I personally think it can work...to an extent. But a major consideration is that true believers still need to have either a large self-interest or some strong event or people in their lives that tie them tightly to the cause though I'd think. It's easy to overstate the whole "decent people...

Find me someone who has never wondered "Why didn't they just fly on the eagles?!" at some point in their lives!

I just want to second that you really have to be careful with making sure there are no alternatives to achieve the same result. If your readers can think of another way that doesn't require the sacrifice it will negate the effectiveness of the scene if not sap the enjoyment of the entire story...

Great article, and gets to the heart of why I find some of the things discussed here a bit frustrating. I will say that we authors as a whole are very, very good at convincing ourselves of what they want to believe. We're an introspective lot, and a group that loves internal arguments. We get...

Great blog post, and gets to what I feel is the heart of the issue. Agency is absolutely the key. Strong female characters don't need to be hyper-masculine, they don't need to be physically imposing, they don't need to ignore romance completely. The biggest thing they need to be is capable of...

I wouldn't call it a "good" idea, but it is certainly workable and, if done right, could even add something to the story. Others have already covered the main objections, but to restate: it's awfully confusing. You have to work hard on making every POV character have a VERY distinct voice that...

Hmmm, somewhat. I can't stand to listen to music while I am writing simply because I find it too...overpowering, but there are definitely songs that have inspired scenes or plot points. Nothing as all encompassing as an entire story plot though, or a complete character based just on the...

This does touch on how I would define grimdark as a sub-genre as it were. It isn't really violence or gore per se, it's a total package outlook of the world. Grimdark stories are notorious and defined by having a crapsack world with very little to no redeeming features. There are no good...

It is a bit risky at the VERY beginning, but here it works perfectly IMO. Because you are immediately connecting it with the events of the previous chapter, you have the reader already invested in what is happening AND they instantly know who it is happening to because those very same words...

Well, there is always the option of using your magic to take control of the government by force and rule benevolently for the benefit of all your subjects as an enlightened despot! That is charity, right? :D

Personally, I'd rather just see less fantasy races used period in fantasy. Racial essentialism gets really old and few people choose to explore multiple cultures within a single race outside of humans. Most of what you can get from having humanoid races you can just as easily get from having...

I'd stick with Character 2 there. I don't see any natural way for Character 1's view to work due to the constraints you've laid out. But I think you shouldn't worry too much, inquisitiveness has to be the single easiest trait to have a non-viewpoint character express and express well. I mean...