@Kristi637
Last seen: Mon 17 May, 2021
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: Is it a good idea to pause a plot while doing a few one-offs and then going back? This is for my webcomic, and I'm trying my best to keep it about writing, sorry if it's off-topic or something.
This is for my webcomic, and I'm trying my best to keep it about writing, sorry if it's off-topic or something.
Let's say I have 2 chapters of something that tie together and have a continuing plot and stuff. Then I do a quick one-off chapter because it seemed like a good idea. Should I not be doing this and just focusing on the plot chapters? About how many one-off chapters can I get away with before I need to go back to the plot chapters?
Plot chapters and one-off chapters have no interlocking details other than characters.
Webcomic link is in my profile page, I'd put it here but I don't want to seem like I'm advertising too much.
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: Re: Starting my second book. Would this be considered an info dump? I’m trying to open up the second book with the impact of the last book on my MC, but it looks more like an info dump. I
Technically, yes it is an info dump. But, you did it well, kept it pretty short, and I didn't feel like I was reading the instruction manual to my (insert appliance here) at all. In fact, you could probably get away with 2-3 times more information and call it a prologue if you needed to add more information. You also did really good on evoking the feeling you wanted, stressed out, insignificant and sad. I mean, I wasn't frozen with fear and bawling on the floor, but I felt it from the passage.
I like the spacing in the paragraphs too, where you put more emphasis on certain bits of information.
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: Re: My Fantasy Series POV I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series I have six main characters. If you have read my most previous question, I explained that I have six main
I can see why this would be annoying to some readers, but as with all writing its fine if you do it right. In the prologue/recap of last book, put something along the lines of
[quick recap of last book], [something about how they now have to do this other thing that is probably related in some way], [first MC's name here] set off with his friend, Jason. This is his story.
I should be maybe 2-3 paragraphs long, and it makes it clear that it's from Jason's POV. If you really need to make it clear it's Jason, in the beginning of the first chapter add;
Hi, I'm Jason. [short introduction by the character]. [Continue story]
Now there's pretty much no way the reader can mistake Jason's POV for other MC's POV.
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: Re: Why do all of my lyrics have 3/4 feeling I write song lyrics for fun and I always add simple music so the song can be performed. About 40% of my songs are in 3/4 (6/8) signature which is
Personally, I love songs in 3/4, they tend to be more rare in the bigger picture. But yes, there are several ways of translating a 3/4 rhythm to a 4/4 one.
The easiest, but least natural, is just to add a one beat rest at the end of each line. Another method is to sing in triplets over a 4/4 beat, which can be very compelling if done correctly. You can also do a clave beat, which is three unequal beats over a 4/4 base (usually 3/8, 3/8, 2/8). Finally, you can double the length of a beat in each line, either consistently, or randomly.
The thing about sung lyrics is that, unlike metrical poetry, which is very regular, lyrics tend to be rhythmically irregular anyway (otherwise they sound overly "sing-songy") and often have emphases or extensions that would sound unnatural or forced in spoken word. As an example, consider the hook of the song "Stressed Out":
Wish I could turn back ti-me. To the good old da-ays.
"Time" and "days" are both forced into two syllable words here --it's a major part of what makes the song distinctive.
It's a little hard to depict this in text, but consider a famous song in 3, the Beatles "Norwegian Wood"
I
once had a girl
or should I say
she once had me
You could put this in 4 by making "I", "girl" and "say" an extra beat, and singing "once had a", "or should I" and "she once had" with a clave beat.
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: Re: I developed this character in the second book instead of the first I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series, I have five main characters. Camryn, Dylan, Willow, Jason, and
Unless your first book is published, it isn't too late to make changes to it. I think it's a great twist for the second book that one of the heroes is a secret mole, but you'll want to make sure that everything he does in the first book is at the least consistent with that.
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: Re: How do I write a character who is exhausted? So I’m currently writing a story where my character has emotion-based powers. When she is angry or scared she can do pretty powerful things,
Have you ever been completely exhausted? If so, you can draw on that experience to see what would be realistic.
If not --or if it's not fresh in your memory --it's an easy enough experience to create. Just go online and find a difficult workout video. Once you get done working out for 30 minutes, you'll know what exhaustion feels like. Just be sure to take notes so you don't forget the immediate sensations.
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: Re: How to write a letter asking for permission for something? I need to write a letter asking for permission to enter a facility to get my things, which I left during the pandemic. Does anyone
I have a few ideas that might help.
Don't try any form of negotiation or bribery or blackmail, they won't like it. Just say 'please' and wait for a response
Compliments are nice but don't overdo it (1-2 at most)
Ask nicely
Don't keep bugging them, letters can take some time
If it's an email, check back in a week if no response. If you're using this weird thing called the postal service then maybe wait a few days longer
Keep it short, it shouldn't be a full page unless you're asking for money
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: Re: Can I use they/them pronouns in a medieval style fantasy novel? I'm writing a book and I'd really love to include a person with they/them pronouns. However, the novel takes place in a sort
Realism is just a style, and accuracy is just a technique --meaning, you should do what best serves your story. There are historical pieces --the current Hulu series The Great is a prime example, and the classic fantasy novel The Once and Future King is another --that are presented in a contemporary style, and where the illusion of historical accuracy is not important to the story being told.
On the other hand there are pieces where historical accuracy are expected or demanded --although the irony here is that things that are authentically historical may seem anachronistic if they don't match the reader's preconceptions. Historical societies were often actually MORE diverse than they are typically portrayed. For example, if you depicted black citizens in Ancient Rome you might be accused of political correct tokenism. But the historical fact is that there WERE black citizens in some times and places of the Roman Empire.
Using "they/them" will tend to make your piece seem more contemporary, because that's a relatively recent convention in modern English, one that still is not universally accepted. But this is your fantasy world, and if you want there to be a recognized place in it for non-binary people (and language to match), all you have to do is imagine it.
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: Re: How long can a prologue be, and what should you not do? A while back I wrote a prologue about the beginning of time and space and all that. One thing I noticed later is that between the
You have correctly identified your issue: Your prologue has cannibalized your main story. A prologue should generally be brief, otherwise, your reader may grow invested in it to the point that they reject the switch to the main narrative. I've read books by very good authors where the extended prologue was great, but I barely even made it through the rest of the book (Enchantress of Florence, Rushdie, Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, Delany).
Now for solutions: A) Omit the prologue, and think of it as world-building. Most great writers understand that some of the necessary writing you do on a book project is for the readers, and some is just for you, the author. If you have all of this information in your back pocket, you can draw upon it whenever and wherever you need to, in order to make your story more rich and three-dimensional. B) Stop thinking of this as the prologue, and find ways to make it work as the first section of the main narrative. (If it's the prologue mainly because it doesn't actually advance the plot then go back to choice A.)
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: Re: Is there a limit to how much I should edit my work? Is adding new ideas to a chapter after finishing it a bad habit? It's my first time writing a novella, and English is not my native
For your first question, it depends. If the idea you add expands on the chapter and makes the story better, then it would be good to add it. If it interferes with the flow of the chapter or makes the chapter too long, then maybe put it somewhere else or give it its own chapter.
As for editing, this is perfectly fine and this is good. Editing is something you'll have to do eventually, so getting it done right away is great. Although, I would recommend finishing the story first before any major editing so that you don't accidentally edit out anything important.
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: Re: When to be literal and when to be metaphorical? I tend to chide myself when I explain things very literally. However, I've noticed some excellent literature uses some very literal explanation
Think of it as a continuum. The more literal the description, the closer you bring the reader to the raw sensory data of the scene. The more metaphorical the description, the more deeply you are in the POV of the main character and/or the narrator.
People almost never experience the world directly --it would be too overwhelming and confusing. So we experience it through mental constructs --or in other words, metaphors. Thus, metaphors are a perfectly appropriate way to depict the world as seen though either your eyes, or your character's eyes. You'll want to push more to the literal end of the spectrum for things that are unexpected and unfamiliar; or in times of high danger or emotion. In other words, literal descriptions are good anywhere the POV character is more likely to be doing more direct observation and less interpretation.
There's some famous advice, by the well-known writing coach Dwight Swain, that when you depict an experience, you can depict a range of aspects of it. You don't have to include them all, but it's important to have the ones you do include in their natural order: Direct impression --> reflex response --> interpreted impression --> considered response. For example, here's a brief passage in a reversed order: "I knew I would only have one chance to escape. The thing glowed like a whole army of angels, causing me to squint my eyes against how blindingly white it was." It doesn't have any flow, and is likely to annoy the reader. Now, here it is in a more natural order: "The light was blindingly white, causing me to squint my eyes against it. It glowed like a whole army of angels, and I knew I would have only one chance to escape." That's not necessarily great writing, but it has some flow, because the order aligns with how we actually experience the world.
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: Re: How to write natural-sounding dialogue? Writing dialogue for my novel has proved to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. It all seems clunky and unnatural. Any tips for writing natural
You have to really love conversation and the way people talk to write good dialog. So doing a lot more close listening is a good start.
One thing you'll notice is that people are very rarely direct in their communication. There's a ton of context and allusions, hidden meanings, repressed emotions and so forth. So you want to make sure your characters aren't too direct in their dialog, or it will sound clunky and too on-the-nose.
Conflict also helps a lot. Conversations where people agree too much sound fake. And real people tend to talk past each other. Realistic conversation has a lot of seeming non-sequiturs.
Her: It's such a beautiful day!
Him: Is it?
Her: Geez, when did you turn into such an old man?
Him: Careful, you're not that far behind me.
Her: That's a lie, you robbed the cradle when you met me.
That's what real conversation sounds like. Trivial on the surface, but there's a lot boiling underneath. Even in everyday smalltalk, people have hopes, fears, goals, schemes, vulnerabilities and so forth.
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: Re: How to improve writing non-action scenes I think in terms of action. Whenever I am imagining any scene I am about to write, I see it as a movie playing in my head which I then pen to paper.
I get that same problem too, although I tend to get past it a bit quicker. Here's a few ideas that might help;
write everything else first, then go back and make the less intense parts however you need them to fit into the rest of the story. This way you don't mess yourself up because you said something you shouldn't have at some point and you can just get all the hard stuff out of the way at the end.
maybe think of it as a figurative battle. Sometimes you can fight people over the phone and you both get beat up in the end.
As for travel scenes, answers to this question might help you out.
just push through it. You won't like it, but you can always come back later.
Good luck!
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: Re: Giving journeys a sense of scale Journeying is a central part of my novel. However, it gets really boring really quickly to describe them walking through the same landscape for a few weeks.
Journeying is a central part of my novel.
A good, traditional theme from the Odyssey to Tolkein.
However, it gets really boring really quickly to describe them walking through the same landscape for a few weeks.
Well, then your job is to make it interesting. There's an entire genre devoted to making travel interesting: nonfiction travel writing.
Travel is a great opportunity to see various sides of your characters. How do they deal with adversity and being stuck with each other? Adversity doesn't have to be big, but it can trigger character faultlines. Who has to do the cooking, washing up, horse maintenance, railway scheduling, or whatever minor domestic details get in their way? Do they meet anyone along the road?
What happens if the characters get bored? What do they talk to each other about? Do they miss their homelands? Do they anticipate or fear the destination? Do their buried worries surface? Do they fall in love or grow to hate each other?
Do they tell stories to one another? (Canterbury Tales). Do they sit around the fire and sing songs to one another? What about? (Don't put the actual songs in unless you're Tolkein)
Remember that one of the great plays could be accurately summarized as "two old men sit on a bench and wait for someone, who does not arrive". External action is not required to make something interesting.
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: Re: Developing Voice for a Third Person Narrator and Multiple Characters I'm currently working on what I hope to be a near final draft of my first ever novel. Something I've struggled with through
This question has some good answer that might help.
Anyway, my suggestion for making your characters unique is to write down their personalities, take a look at the situation, and then just role play. Whatever you/the character does, write it down. Might require some imagination, but if you've written a book already then you've got that covered. This should take care of the characters, and if something they do goes against the plot, then you might need to play around with the situation a bit. Whenever you're changing voices, just do a quick skim over the new characters personality and then get right back to role playing.
As for the narrator, personally I don't think they really need a voice, but you do you.
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: Re: Scientific Research Paper Is it okay to reference material from a previous paragraph, like as follows "In paragraph 3" or "In the introduction"? Or do I have reassert the idea,
I would think it would be okay to reference previous paragraphs, but if you can try to put the information close to the point where you reference it to minimize paper flipping.
You could probably also just reference the idea, like 'this is possible thanks to X, which blahblahblah'. Not really linking back to another paragraph, but bringing that information of the paragraph back to the front of their minds so they know what you're talking about without telling them to flip around your report.
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: The pacing was unearthly slow When people disparage stories as "too slow" what that often translates as is a lack of engaging content - the stuff that makes you feel that the story
the pacing was unearthly slow
When people disparage stories as "too slow" what that often translates as is a lack of engaging content - the stuff that makes you feel that the story is going somewhere and you want to find out where that is.
Putting your characters into situations of conflict is a tried and tested way to do just that - sure, you can take the word "conflict" literally but it doesn't always mean kicking posterior and taking names. The obvious "conflict" candidates in your plot are between your activist character and those he targets, and between the character and the authorities. But they aren't the only ones he can have conflict with - for example there's nothing to stop him having heated debates with other activists about the "right" way to go about their cause, where the line is etc. Similarly he can wrestle with his own morals about whether what he is doing is justified.
I just don't know how to make it exciting for the reader without adding super action-filled scenes that will ruin the feel I want for this book
"Action" is one way to make a story exciting - but it's not the only way. There's nothing to stop you spinning out tension and excitement by taking the reader along for the ride with what the main character is experiencing. Even if nothing much objectively happens that doesn't mean there isn't strong material to work with. Having a large incident that provokes say a large police presence or public reaction early sounds like it would shift gears in the story in a way that you are looking to avoid. But you can create a dramatic moment through a near miss.
Have the character do something and nearly be discovered - not by someone who is hunting them but by an incidental toss of the dice, a security guard turning back just before shining their torch into the character's hiding place that sort of thing. Written well you could have the reader's heart racing right along with the character's as they contemplate discovery and it's consequences - but because they don't get discovered it's drama without the action. No bad-guys get kicked, no ghosts or monsters are defeated, no damsels are saved.
The beauty of that sort of thing is that because it has no "real" action associated with it you can have it happen more or less as early in the plot as you like without having to escalate the wider situation earlier than suits.
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: Re: Is it bad practice to use "ahem" in dialogue? I'm writing a bit of fiction and what i have is an uncomfortable character who is clearing his throat before speaking. Is it better to say so
I personally would use the first option, but either would work. I think that some readers would read the dialogue, and instead of substituting ahem with a small cough or something, might just read it as ahem. Maybe every few times combine the two into:
"Ahem, " he cleared his throat, "I'm not sure. "
Just to make it clear that ahem = throat clearing.
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: Re: What is the best way to plan a series? I am a young author writing a fantasy series. When I first started writing, I had nothing more then a sentence of an idea, but I went along with
To answer your questions quickly; Not sure if there's a certain term, it's perfectly fine, if you want a complicated series then yes, depends on what you want.
In more detail;
Not sure if there's a certain term or something for this type of writing but it's what I do and it's been fine so far. Maybe spontaneous writing? Improvised writing?
I certainly don't see anything wrong with this unless you decide to make a very complicated series where everything interlocks nicely. The Marvel Cinematic Universe does a good job of this, but they had comics to go off of as a starting point.
Again, if you want a very intricate world then you need to plan out more. In most cases, you can probably hand-wave it or find an alternative if you realize that somebody did something they shouldn't have been able to. Keep track of who does what just in case, that way you can reference it later quickly if you need to instead of skimming through half your book to find something somebody said. Just keep a general outline of the book in your head, plenty of wiggle room if something needs to change.
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: Re: How to switch between characters in a first person story? I know you can switch between the 3rd and 1st and vice versa but how from one character to another both using the 1st person. I
This is a common technique, but one that I --speaking as a reader --personally hate. Multiple first person is very tricky to pull off well, because you need to maintain two distinct voices, and because switching viewpoints tends to endanger the reader's immersion and suspension of disbelief.
As @The -Huntress mentioned in the comments, switching to 3rd person POV would be the easiest way to resolve this. Another way would be to have one character relate their experiences out loud to the other one.
If you are going to just hop from head to head, there will be readers who are not bothered by that at all, but I am not one of them.
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: Re: How would you torture one of your MC without having a permanent injury? I am a young author writing a fantasy series. I have been thinking about this for a while. In my fourth book, one
Magic/Psychological
There is a scene from Eragon(book not movie) where the elf princess person(forget the name right now) is being tortured by the evil shade man(also forget name). The torture methods themselves were magical and physical, but you can torture with magic or just poking them a bunch with sharp objects. Once the MC is on the brink of death, or at least consciousness, heal them and repeat. Once you've done this as much as you want, have the rescue happen right after the MC has been healed, and he is completely fine.
For psychological torture, which will probably work better for you, I happen to know quite a bit on(don't ask why). One way which is kind of psychological but also physical, is to chain them to a wall and have a very slow drip fall on their head. Make sure it's a nice damp dark dungeon, and after they lose track of time, the drip starts to feel bigger and bigger until it feels like a sledgehammer. Will probably yield results in three-four days. I've never tried this method but it sounds interesting.
Two other methods I have in mind; one I read in a book the other is just my disturbed mind. The method I read from the book is;
Make them wear pink. This will start to make them feel degraded. You will need other prisoners for maximum effect. After you capture them, toss them into a cell and tell them that they will be killed in two days. Then start to play loud chaotic music through the speakers, do not show any signs of passing time in the cell. Feed the prisoner twice at three hour intervals, telling them that thanks to (insert evil leader name here)'s mercy, their fate is still being decided. At the nine hour mark remove them from the cell and tell them that they need to stay in this rehab facility until further notice. This rehab facility will be a brainwashing building, where they will attend classes with other pink-wearing prisoners about how (insert evil leader name here) is really not so evil after all and is in fact trying to save the world. Keep the prisoner here until they lose their mind or convert sides.
For my version, you shove them in a cell, do strobe lights with a shepherds tone for a day, no food or water, then open the door and say it's been three days and everyone they cared about is dead. Prisoner will be exhausted and nearly insane by this point, and if insanity is not yet achieved put them to work doing pointless tasks with no end(ie, remove water from this basement but the water is being pumped back in). Leave them there for a while but don't let them rest. One they have 'successfully' finished the pointless unending task, feed and water them and take them to another room and say they can sleep for eight hours. Thirty minutes later, resume strobe lights and play air horns to keep prisoner awake and sleep deprived. Repeat pointless task and strobe lights, and soon the prisoner will barely be able walk and will hate their new 'life'. Once they are just shambling zombies, tell them that if they give them important info, they can get a day off and actually sleep.
I haven't actually tried any of these so I have no idea how effective they will be but something will work for you. Good luck!
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: Re: How to switch between characters in a first person story? I know you can switch between the 3rd and 1st and vice versa but how from one character to another both using the 1st person. I
Just make sure that the reader knows who 'I' is. The Kane Chronicles does this well, but they use chapters which you say you don't want to use, but that's fine. I think the best way would be to do a break of some sort, probably with the characters name in the middle. This way the character doesn't say 'I'm (insert name here)' every time you switch and the reader will know who it is right away. In most cases, you will be able to just pick up the new POV from the old one, IF the two characters were together. If they split up for some reason(I'll get his source of infinite power, you grab the source of infinite power destroyer) then pick up at the part where they split up or when they last ended their POV.
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: Re: Can I use two different types of Punctuation at the end of the same sentence? I've finally started writing my romance novel. There's a scene in the novel where the girl (Luna) is sneaking
I think that's fine for informal things, but if you were to write an English paper like this it would be marked down. For book writing though, I have mixed opinions. If it's in dialogue, then it would probably be okay but you could also replace it with:
"Is that what you call talking and stuff?" He yelled at the top of his lungs, face red and nearly steaming.
As long as it gets the message across I think it's fine. If you think the !? portrays the tone better than the added text, then go with the !?.
Not sure if there are some rules on this kind of things in books so if someone finds those please comment them below. But overall, I'd recommend following the rules if you find any, and as long as you get the point across I see no reason it would be bad.
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: Re: What kind of writing would be considered offensive? I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series, the main character has two different eye colors and looks down on herself because
As long as you play it right, it should be fine. Most people will be rather forgiving with this stuff, unless they had a bad day and just want someone to yell at. Definitely don't write with the purpose of being mean, else that will get people annoyed at you. I bet that just you writing without really paying attention to this kind of stuff will be fine, and you shouldn't need to do a whole lot of revising to stop things like this.
If you're really really really (add as many more reallys as you feel like here) paranoid, find someone who you're trying not to offend and have them read the story and then ask them what they thought. As long as they had an overall positive experience, I wouldn't sweat it too much.
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: Re: Referencing figures, tables, sections and chapters: When to capitalize and when to use lower case letters I know this question has been asked before, but I am still confused. That’s why I
Absent guidance from a style guide, the best rule of thumb I can think of would be to use the same capitalization in the text as appears in the caption of the figure: Figures 1 to 3; Figure 5, etc. In this way, you are treating the caption of the figure as you would the title of a book or even a chapter in a book, and thus you maintain consistency.
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: Re: What pronoun to use for a sentient, self aware AI? I have a sentient AI in a story. He sentience aspect is mostly an unexpected result and some characters in the story do not believe it.
In Dickens' David Copperfield, the protagonist, David, is given many nicknames by the other characters. These nicknames do not reflect aspects of young David's personality or actions, but they do tell the reader something about the characters who bestow those nicknames.
I think you might approach this question in a similar fashion. To those who do not believe the AI is sentient, the AI is an "it", while those who do credit the AI with sentience will also bestow on it a gender of their choosing. To a female character, the AI may be a "she/her", while a male character may call the AI "he/him" and a trans character (if you have one in your story) may refer to the AI as "they".
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: Re: How do I make an action scene based on a musical choreography work in a novel? I'd like to make one of the action scenes in my planned novel to involve a choreography to a medley of various
This is a rather interesting question you got there. I myself have never attempted something like this, mostly because i was pretty certain I would mess it up.
I would maybe try a few different way to see what you think sounds/looks/feels/is the best for your situation. I think your best bet would probably be to put the song lyrics in italics or parentheses or something to separate it from the rest of the story. After each action, put the lyrics in that would accompany it. Once you have the general thing planned out, play around with the words a bit to try and find a really good rhythm for everything. Here's a short example I just made up;
I rolled under the table and came up in a kneeling position, shooting both guards quickly. another on bites the dust. I whirled around and fired another shot at the guard pretending to be dead. another one bites the dust. With the immediate threat gone, I tossed a grenade into the closed room and waited. and another ones gone and another ones gone and another on bites the dust
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: So you've got a solo Zeus girl living in a New York orphanage, but you don't have a solo Zeus girl enemy. That can make for a rather dull story, so I'll try to help you out. The easiest
So you've got a solo Zeus girl living in a New York orphanage, but you don't have a solo Zeus girl enemy. That can make for a rather dull story, so I'll try to help you out.
The easiest way to do this is to decide what Zeus girl's personality and morals are, and make someone against those who happens to also be in New York, really open about their morals, and evilly inclined. If Zeus girl is the selfless defender-from-all-evil type(or something around there), all you need is the evilly inclined part and they'll eventually start fighting each other.
If you want to go through personality/morals/belief changing and stuff like that, have Zeus girl work with/near evil man, and once she gets fed up with all the evilness he's doing, she'll change from letting it happen to doing something about it.
Also sounds like a good setting for an unfortunate accident, so if you need deep rooted hatred and/or revenge, have Zeus girl's best friend be killed by evil man. Maybe this caused her to become the lone wolf type she is, and she finds a piece of information that says 'Hey I killed your friend hahaha signed evil man'. Well, maybe not exactly like that but it would have to be something that the police couldn't launch an investigation on (unless you want them involved) but enough for Zeus girl to know that evil man killed her friend.
Side note, but if you need beta-readers, this new chat could use some activity before I go crazy from the silence.
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: If you're a writer, you're probably aware that there are generally two ways you can create a hero/villain conflict: Active Hero, Passive Villain: The hero is trying to get X, and the villain
If you're a writer, you're probably aware that there are generally two ways you can create a hero/villain conflict:
Active Hero, Passive Villain: The hero is trying to get X, and the villain is trying to stop them. Maybe the villain also wants X, maybe the villain just doesn't want X gotten. Think Tony Stark vs Obadiah Stane in Iron Man or Frodo vs Sauron in The Lord of the Rings*. Is your MC trying to reach something? A good villain might be someone who wants the same thing.
Active Villain, Passive Hero: The villain is trying to get X, usually something bad, and the hero has to stop them. Think Aang vs the Firelord in Avatar: The Last Airbender, or the Avengers vs Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. This also covers heroes who are just trying to exist, and the villain wants them to not do that; think Snow White vs the Evil Queen in Snow White, or most horror movie protagonists. Does your MC live in a world at large that is hostile to people like her? A good villain might be someone who notices her powers.
* I realize Sauron's overall plan was to take over Middle-Earth, and the heroes were trying to stop him, but in Frodo's arc Sauron was more of an obstacle.
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: Re: What exactly is a beta reader list? Beta readers. I am asking this question for others benefit, because I feel it is an important part of writing. Everyone in their writing career at some point
Who are they- Beta readers are people who review your work and give suggestions before you go to publishers, where there might be an editor who will do the same thing.
What's their purpose- To review your work and make it better. Most people can do this, but people you know(family/friends) might just say 'that's great' to make you feel good so factor that into their reviews. Beta reviewers can pass that because you (probably) don't know them and they (probably) don't know you and will give an honest, or at least very minimally sugar-coated, review.
How to choose- I don't know. I haven't found any good beta review sites but this question suggests a few options that might help. I have no experience with those sites so go at your own risk.
what do I do with negative results- It depends. If it's a short 'you suck!' or equivalent, ignore it. If they keep coming, then maybe you do need to reread and heavily modify your story. Plot is probably fine but the rest of everything might not be. If it's constructive criticism like 'maybe fix this, add some stuff here, and do that', then do that and see if you like it better. If overall it makes the story better then say thanks and add it to your story.
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