: Re: Alternative sources of drama/tension when the setting is low-violence So, I think I might just have turned my fantasy setting into a Saturday morning cartoon. I just, don't want people to die

There are other stakes than death. From all of Jane Austen to some of Asimov, sometimes the world isn't about to end, and nobody is about to die. So what else is there?

First, your story can be small: will the guy get the girl? That's Jane Austen. Will things work out financially for the MC? Hector Malot and Charles Dickens. Will a criminal be caught (and order restored)? Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Asimov's Robot series. (Yes, those are simplifications - there's more to the writing of each.)

If those stakes are not enough, and you do want a world-shaping plot, maybe there's something threatening the peace of the world. Maybe the vegetables are demanding equal rights. Maybe some corrupt human is interfering in dragon politics, attempting to instigate a coup. Maybe an asteroid is coming towards earth, and the humans, veggies and dragons have to work together to deflect it.

The possibilities are endless. Anything one has, one can lose - not just one's life, but one's property, relationships, hopes, aspirations. One can want things and struggle to gain them. All of those are stakes.

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: Referencing modern pop culture in science fiction A geek today is quite likely to reference the pop culture of 30 years ago: "Do or do not, there is no try", "Beam me up, Scotty" and "Ground

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: How to plan a short story for a given word count? Many short story competitions, at least in Israel, set a theme and a word count: up to 2500 words, 2000-5000 words, etc. I often find myself

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: Establishing trust with a Shapeshifter Alright, I can't figure out how to write a scene. I have a character that has never revealed the fact that she can turn into animals, not even to her

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: Ideas for a twist or plot point involving adopted character's parents I'm writing a plot for a tabletop game, and one of my players is running a character who was taken from her home at a

: Re: Alternative sources of drama/tension when the setting is low-violence So, I think I might just have turned my fantasy setting into a Saturday morning cartoon. I just, don't want people to die

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: Referencing modern pop culture in science fiction A geek today is quite likely to reference the pop culture of 30 years ago: "Do or do not, there is no try", "Beam me up, Scotty" and "Ground

: How to plan a short story for a given word count? Many short story competitions, at least in Israel, set a theme and a word count: up to 2500 words, 2000-5000 words, etc. I often find myself

: Establishing trust with a Shapeshifter Alright, I can't figure out how to write a scene. I have a character that has never revealed the fact that she can turn into animals, not even to her

: Ideas for a twist or plot point involving adopted character's parents I'm writing a plot for a tabletop game, and one of my players is running a character who was taken from her home at a

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