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plot, plot, plot
Jul. 25th, 2025 12:11 amI've got to nail down how many villains are up to shenanigans. And establish what they are doing.
Then, and only then, can I work out how the heroine learns about them before the end.
Even though the story's working its way from her viewpoint.
sigh
Then, and only then, can I work out how the heroine learns about them before the end.
Even though the story's working its way from her viewpoint.
sigh
a time to heal, a time to talk
Jul. 20th, 2025 12:00 amgiving the manuscript the gimlet gaze.
Our heroine has met up with friendly people who have information that is useful to her and which would help them win her trust, which they would find useful.
Still finding it interesting to pry open the story and stuff the info in.
Our heroine has met up with friendly people who have information that is useful to her and which would help them win her trust, which they would find useful.
Still finding it interesting to pry open the story and stuff the info in.
knowledge and power
Jul. 9th, 2025 11:34 pmHow do the characters learn their new powers?
I scorn to use pop-ups. Besides, this isekai is not a RPGlit even if the heroine acquired a class, as many others do. So I say that the newcomers intuitively know what to do.
So now she has to learn subtle differences in what she had perceived as undifferentiated problems.
Intuitively.
sigh
I scorn to use pop-ups. Besides, this isekai is not a RPGlit even if the heroine acquired a class, as many others do. So I say that the newcomers intuitively know what to do.
So now she has to learn subtle differences in what she had perceived as undifferentiated problems.
Intuitively.
sigh
when do they learn
May. 13th, 2025 09:56 pmThe heroine knows something about a strange magic.
Two other characters at the spot know she knows something. One, in fact, was the person to tell her to hush it up.
( Read more... )
Two other characters at the spot know she knows something. One, in fact, was the person to tell her to hush it up.
( Read more... )
oh villains come and villainize
Mar. 31st, 2025 11:36 pmAh, inspiration. I have the villains of the piece. Poisonous people, literally. Using a world as their chessboard, and abducting people from other worlds to push about it as their chesspieces, having murdered a lot of people to clear the way, and slandered the survivors.
Now, oh villains of the piece, come out on stage. Show our heroine what you can do. Give her a reason to run away from the people you are deceiving. Make her think on how she has to help protect some innocents. I know that she rejects you all in the end, but give her a reason before you tell her that you have to use this world to protect your own.
Now, oh villains of the piece, come out on stage. Show our heroine what you can do. Give her a reason to run away from the people you are deceiving. Make her think on how she has to help protect some innocents. I know that she rejects you all in the end, but give her a reason before you tell her that you have to use this world to protect your own.
juggling knowledge
Mar. 10th, 2025 12:09 amHey character -- you there. I put you in already.
Come over here and eavesdrop so the hero can learn something that happened while he was dead.
Come over here and eavesdrop so the hero can learn something that happened while he was dead.
motives and knowledge
Jan. 24th, 2025 11:28 pmPlugging along in the story, comes to the point where the heroine joins forces with another wizard.
Wait a minute, why would the other wizard do that? How does she know what she needs to know to motivate her to do that?
That was an interesting piece of dialog. Hmm -- perhaps I need to play up two other characters. I didn't say she knew them, but I could say it.
Wait a minute, why would the other wizard do that? How does she know what she needs to know to motivate her to do that?
That was an interesting piece of dialog. Hmm -- perhaps I need to play up two other characters. I didn't say she knew them, but I could say it.
backwards runs the revision
Nov. 6th, 2024 05:44 pmOn both stories I am working on, I realize I must go back and establish things.
One is a magical bird. The characters have to have reason to think it is where they are going.
The other is trivial magical charms that the hero and his associates have to have because they do routine things to exclude many nuisances that I don't want to deal with.
Such is the life of a writer.
One is a magical bird. The characters have to have reason to think it is where they are going.
The other is trivial magical charms that the hero and his associates have to have because they do routine things to exclude many nuisances that I don't want to deal with.
Such is the life of a writer.
the empty house
Oct. 10th, 2024 11:21 pmHow quickly can a character determine a house is empty?
A hero recently ran through the entire thing to find this. (Later to find the bones in the yard.)
But now a heroine is going to glance at a kitchen and a stable to conclude that. I think it helps that she's more frightened than he is.
A hero recently ran through the entire thing to find this. (Later to find the bones in the yard.)
But now a heroine is going to glance at a kitchen and a stable to conclude that. I think it helps that she's more frightened than he is.
persuasion
Jul. 17th, 2024 11:50 pmOur hero is trying to off-load the children onto their families.
So, he has to find out he can't.
Took me a bit to figure out why not for one. The family would certainly reject her -- she would, indeed, be in danger of her life -- but what persuades him when he testes the waters is that they are eager to assure him that they drove her off.
So, he has to find out he can't.
Took me a bit to figure out why not for one. The family would certainly reject her -- she would, indeed, be in danger of her life -- but what persuades him when he testes the waters is that they are eager to assure him that they drove her off.
juggling times and knowledge
Jul. 9th, 2024 11:45 pmSometimes events dictate their order. This is useful. Because if they do not dictate it, you have to decide it.
This can be annoying. The heroine must learn of a spy and, indeed, be frustrated at the limits it imposes, but that could happen, if not at any time, at a number.
Everything the heroine synthesizes must be planted first, and subtly.
This can be annoying. The heroine must learn of a spy and, indeed, be frustrated at the limits it imposes, but that could happen, if not at any time, at a number.
Everything the heroine synthesizes must be planted first, and subtly.
juggling threads
May. 29th, 2024 12:46 amQuite as fun as the metaphor suggests.
The hero has done things, and I have let the rumor get back to the secondary hero. It helps that because both of them have white hair while rather young, the rumors said the secondary hero did the things.
BUT -- the hero is now dealing with other characters. It occurs to me that they may have heard the rumors, too. And being rumors, not perhaps the truth. Definitely not the whole truth. . . .
sigh
The hero has done things, and I have let the rumor get back to the secondary hero. It helps that because both of them have white hair while rather young, the rumors said the secondary hero did the things.
BUT -- the hero is now dealing with other characters. It occurs to me that they may have heard the rumors, too. And being rumors, not perhaps the truth. Definitely not the whole truth. . . .
sigh
Two characters talk -- mostly, one talks, one listens. Info-dumping occurs, even though the listener needs and wants to know.
To spice it up, the talker now doesn't want to talk. The listener must coax the talk out. Which means, which means -- the listener has to convince the talker that the information will convince the listener that it's as hopeless as the talker thinks it is.
To spice it up, the talker now doesn't want to talk. The listener must coax the talk out. Which means, which means -- the listener has to convince the talker that the information will convince the listener that it's as hopeless as the talker thinks it is.
plot devices and knowledge
Oct. 3rd, 2023 11:03 pmOne thing about an isekai is that the character seldom think about the plot device that got them into the world.
This can generally be granted as preventing distraction -- the machine to get them to the world is granted, and we get on with the fun stuff.
It is, however, a nagging annoyance if a character, stuck in a game, thinks that ending the game will get her back home. She should consider whether that's possible. If she does not know how or why she came into the game, she does not know how or why she could escape.
This can generally be granted as preventing distraction -- the machine to get them to the world is granted, and we get on with the fun stuff.
It is, however, a nagging annoyance if a character, stuck in a game, thinks that ending the game will get her back home. She should consider whether that's possible. If she does not know how or why she came into the game, she does not know how or why she could escape.
