Thank you!

Yeah I feel you man I have the same problem.

let’s talk about those things together guys

Man, I feel that - not because I have this issue right now, but because I was lucky enough to find someone like that and still have her as much alpha/beta-reader to this day, and I am aware that it is most definitely one of the things that saved me as a writer. People think you need to be told what is wrong with your story, otherwise you won't see it flaws - but imo, you also need to be told what works in your story, so you are able to see your strengths and take advantage of them, strengthen the parts that work best, etc. And it's so hard as a writer to gain confidence, and it can bog you down so much... Unfortunately, I don't really have tips on finding someone like that. I was lucky enough to make that friend online, even though I struggle to make friends... I guess, maybe finding someone on a website where people write? Just, making friends with a similar interest in writing, and then exchanging drafts? But you probably knew that already, and even then, it's such a hard thing to do (I got lucky because I'm a fanfiction writer, so I know where to find writers who write and read the same kind of thing I do, but I assume it must be harder when you write original fiction...) Either way, wishing you all the best

I could totally relate I wish I had someone like that too But hey..when you find the person but unfortunately he/she steals your ideas, all you have to do when you notice it is to limit the information you give out and try as much as possible to also gain as much insight a possible from him/her My thoughts tho🤷 Also, regarding the issue of not having someone to talk to about our writing ideas Why not create a platform of writers where we could do that? Maybe WhatsApp? What do you think?

@@user-tc4mu2pk6k The smaller the circle, the fewer the leaks. When you walk the road not traveled, it is sometimes necessary to walk it without the company of a group. Still, a muse would be nice for all of us once in a while.

I aim to do that in nine months

Jed's advice about researching how swords were used is subjective. In my book my protagonist uses a katana like weapon in a psuedo-medieval european ish setting. I think kananas are cool, so the rule of cool takes precedence above all else

​@@unicorntomboy9736if that's how you want to do it more power to you however melding both the rule of cool with realism might make it even better.

Rule of cool always wins

Fair point! I've played with a few real swords as well, but I probably need to do more practical experimentation

Yeah I’m pretty sure that’s Anduril from lotr which isn’t really a super realistic, well balanced, practical sword. Real swords are decently heavy, and as far as I’m aware, long swords are usually around 4 pounds (sorry I’m American I don’t know what that is in kilometers) which is a pretty awkward weight for something that long. What makes swords feel lighter is the balancing of them. A real sword can be moved extremely quickly without much strain on the muscles because of how well they are balanced. A wall hanger like that is probably not the best representation of what it feels like to swing a real sword.

@gooseguyfilms4460 Out of curiosity, were you going for a "wtf is a kilometer" meme or did you genuinely mean to say kilograms? Very funny either way.

@@101jir I knew it was kilograms, I just thought it was funny.

@@gooseguyfilms4460 It was indeed

Thanks dude, glad to know they're helpful!

​@@Jed_Herne I already do the "put yourself a little bit more in their shoes" technique already. If a character has their hair up, I have my hair up; if a character is breathing hard, I am breathing hard; if a character is crying, I will find myself nearly in tears. This is just how I create stories.

@heatherkline6766 Apparently Jonny Depp spent multiple hours in a very hot sauna to develop Jack Sparrow's legendary mannerisms.

By my understanding of his physical excellence advice you are meeting it. you are meeting your physical excellence That's not my physical excellence That's not Jed's physical excellence but it is yours and that's all that matters.

Thank you! I'm glad they've helped. It sounds like you are meeting your physical excellence goal - it will always look different for different people, and I imagine my own definition will change as I get older as well.

That's awesome

Glad you enjoyed it!

This is exactly what I wanted to say. I think he hasn’t got a real sword

This is an absolutely excellent point. It's a habit I try to follow myself, and it doesn't just help your writing, but it makes you a lot more understanding of other people as well.

Love this!

I would advise to not go for D&D. It is the most known due to product placement in tv shows and general marketing budget, but it is by far not the best RPG out there. If you want to have access to as many genres as possible with a single system, go for GURPS (Generic Universal Roleplaying System) or BRPS (Basic Role Play System). Or go for genre specific systems like Call of Cthulhu (cosmic horror), Cyberpunk (cyberpunk), Shadowrun (cyberpunk fantasy), Rolemaster (fantasy), HARP (High Adventure Role Play) (fantasy), etc... There is a ton of great RPG systems out there, something for every genre, and nearly all of them better than the D20 5e system.

@@StarlasAiko I know of a writer who is also a Dungeon Master in D&D, which helps a lot in their writing

I'm going to actually disagree with the first reply to a degree. There are quite a few d20 RPG systems and d&d 5e is a great place to start and get a foundation but after a while I would recommend switching over to another system because d&d 5e is not that good for long-term commitment.

@@robertpanasuk1156 If you really REALLY want to go D20, go for 3.5e or Pathfinder (technically 3.75e).

Let’s be friends. Lmao

Thanks for the advice! I am thinking of writing three different novels, and one of them would probably require me to do horse riding. The concept in nutshell: it's played in and around my hometown, which is filled with and surrounded by parks, forests, lakes, smaller rivers, mountains and even some caves. However the characters aren't humans, they are fairies, manós (manó means elf in my native language but I don't want people to think of Tolkien or DnD elves so probably I'll keep using this name even when I translate my work into English), and water-manós (that is just a placeholder name, I will invent something cooler later on). Fairies have wings and they are the smallest, they can ride bigger hornets, manós are a bit bigger as blackbirds are the smallest animals that can carry their weight, and water-manós live underwater (I know, you would never have guessed). The plot is mainly about the tiny kingdoms of these tiny creatures fighting massive wars against each other while remaining hidden in front of humans. Anyway, the characters would often ride animals which more or less common where I live. This is a pretty long list, some would be mainly used for war (like falcons, hornets, owls, praying mantises, snakes, catfish, etc.) some for carrying goods (like pigeons or mallards, among many others), some would be status symbols for royalty (such as kingfishers and golden orioles), and others would be simply for travelling (for example sparrows, squirrels, or blackbirds). It's hard to picture what can riding a turtle underwater or a bat in the sky feel like but if I restarted horse riding then maybe I could picture it more realisticly. Sorry for dumping the whole Bible on you, I just like to write about what I'm gonna write.

​@@hungariangiraffe6361: The best part of Intellectual Empathy is that it is the essence to Discovery Writing. There are two kinds of writers, Plotters that plan things out and Pantsers that 'fly by the seat of their pants.' If you practice Intellectual Empathy enough, your mind starts connecting details together on its own. This includes everything from description of 'objects' to the way things interact. It even includes inspiration. I have a story about a demon and a human woman that was inspired by Devil May Cry 5. She is similar to Nico. She's Cajun, with long, "obsidian-black" hair, and tattoos. He is NOT like Dante, though he does get stronger. In my interpretation of Hell, there are many species of demons that inhabit many different regions. In the "Bleached Wastes," which is a giant boneyard, the Veil Slithers exist. They are insect demons that obey their queen, and I imagine them like giant, bone-white, flying beetles similar to White (Kumoko) from "So, I'm a spider." Their particular ability lets them slither through the veil between Earth and Hell, hence the name. This region borders the Famine Sea, which will devour/degrade any non-rock thing that comes in contact with its waters. I have another about the unknown son of Hades and Persephone. As the instance of Chaos, he was largely overshadowed by his "Auntie Eris," and his essence is that cold dread you feel right before a big disaster. Now, there is nothing in the myths about him, but you can understand why. You can believe he could exist. As the "havoc of desolation," he doesn't have emotions. At one point, he didn't even have desire...then, he met Tantalus in Tartarus (the one chained in water under a fruit tree that would both recede when he reached for them). He didn't understand why Tantalus was put in that situation because 'we shouldn't want what we can't have.' When he couldn't give Tantalus what he wanted, he took Tantalus's desire for it. He recognizes that he can't feel like everyone else, and he has declared that he will have all of emotions that he can get...because why shouldn't he? As such, he walks through the human world in a disguise that hides his essence so he can learn all he can about emotions he cannot feel. The story is set in a high school, and he is a transfer student. His reason is adults are too burnt out to learn from while little kids are far too energetic for his patience. Teenagers are an acceptable balance. In the process, he meets a human female, and both life and family troubles ensue. This story started as a way for me to understand the basics of emotions and the ties they carry. If it takes off and sells, others can follow in that journey, too. Otherwise, my first goal of writing for me is met. Just make sure it is a story you want to enjoy.

@@DarkPegasus87 that sounds interesting! I'll definitely learn more about intellectual empathy, I really need it in my writings.

I've done a little bit of horse riding, and one of my cousins is obsessed with the sport - but I would like to do more. Great example of how you could draw from that to write about dragons!

​@@hungariangiraffe6361: Sadly, it isn't an official thing. It's something I discovered on my own, and the words are what I used to describe it as best as I could. It's similar to what Neil Gaiman described about where writers get their ideas from, the whole "What if a werewolf bit a goldfish" thing. Intelligence itself follows these rules as you connect details together, and the only difference between intelligence and creativity is the difference between logic and novelty. Once the details are connected, they are judged by the standards of logic and novelty. Logical thoughts are intelligent. Novel thoughts are creative. And, I know this isn't an official thing because Jordan Peterson is a clinical psychologist, and he says nobody knows what intelligence and creativity are. So, it can't be an official notion yet. He would have learned of it.