The Anti-Guide

How do you try to improve your writing?

I try to avoid old, stupid things.	17.5%	[ 2370 ]
I add new things.	14.7%	[ 1993 ]
A combination of both (if one more than the other, pick it).	67.8%	[ 9169 ]
Total Votes:			[ 13532 ]

[DarknessofHeavenandDreams]

Kokiko-chan

Oh! Oh! Let me try! ;w;
If your character is anything but human then they must have some exotic mating ritual that is very close to assault. It's okay, they go into heat and can't help it. The other character must always love it. Seriously this is way sexys.

The ritual must involve 'claiming' their mate. This will never be taken as offensive.

[Kokiko-chan]

DarknessofHeavenandDreams

Kokiko-chan

Oh! Oh! Let me try! ;w;
If your character is anything but human then they must have some exotic mating ritual that is very close to assault. It's okay, they go into heat and can't help it. The other character must always love it. Seriously this is way sexys.

The ritual must involve 'claiming' their mate. This will never be taken as offensive.

It's always asserted by the male, it's just expected of him, and the other should feel honored. Don't worry about the shouting/fighting/bleeding ahead; that's just the sexual tension building from you suddenly sharing each other's emotions.

[Kokiko-chan]

A character's eyes must always speak more than their mouth. If they are the chatty type, then they must be lying and only their eyes, the deep pools/orbs of sapphires, can show their true emotions.

[marshmallowcreampie]

Archers never try to retrieve arrows. That doesn't look cool. Instead, they just have an endless supply.

Your characters should never even think to take supplies off a dead enemy, even if they could really use it.

[DarknessofHeavenandDreams]

Kokiko-chan

A character's eyes must always speak more than their mouth. If they are the chatty type, then they must be lying and only their eyes, the deep pools/orbs of sapphires, can show their true emotions.

This must happen always. Not some of the time, not just when they're emotional, but always.

[Alberic of Krufton]

Your MC must always be physically distinct in ways unusual to their race or station, with a clear symbolic indicator of their personality or alignment. Visual shorthand is super important, even in this generally non-visual medium!

Likewise, scars are ugly, so they're a perfect accessory to reflect the ugliness in your villain's soul!

Have your character pick up new skills or abilities fast, so they can get on with kicking a** and we the reader don't have to wait for them to go through all the usual tedium that comes with mastering martial prowess or magical ability or language comprehension. But remember to make them good at it, too; this is our wish-fulfillment, dammit, and no one wants to be mediocre at stuff.

Other characters exist for your precious MC to react to. That lovely family of frolicking farmers, who even got chapter facetime? Not important except to kill gruesomely so your MC can angst about it. Bam, character development.

((Hey guys, guess who's been reading R. A. Salvatore! xd ))

[DarknessofHeavenandDreams]

Alberic of Krufton

Your MC must always be physically distinct in ways unusual to their race or station, with a clear symbolic indicator of their personality or alignment. Visual shorthand is super important, even in this generally non-visual medium!

Likewise, scars are ugly, so they're a perfect accessory to reflect the ugliness in your villain's soul!

Physical differences should never actually be the slightest bit important, such as being the butt of racist remarks, having natural sunblock, or requiring aid to reach top shelves.

Scars should be something done by a good character to a bad one or self-inflicted. Scars should never be indicative of abusive treatment the character was powerless to stop. Women don't get scars, save for mystery injuries hidden under an eyepatch.

[marshmallowcreampie]

Having magic exist in your story is an unlimited license for deus ex machina.

[DarknessofHeavenandDreams]

marshmallowcreampie

Having magic exist in your story is an unlimited license for deus ex machina.

It doesn't need to make sense. It's magic.

[Kokiko-chan]

DarknessofHeavenandDreams

marshmallowcreampie

Having magic exist in your story is an unlimited license for deus ex machina.

It doesn't need to make sense. It's magic.

Don't worry about Gods or the place of religion in your magic society. It's magic so absolutely no one will need to believe in a supreme power.

[Kokiko-chan]

If you want your main character to be female, she must always be feisty and have a bad attitude! Find the most powerful, dangerous person around and insult them to make it clear how different and special she is!
The person will only be mad for a while, though, because no one has ~ever~ talked to them like she did and then they fall in love.

[I_Write_Ivre]

People can only get sick from cancer or something that sounds poetic or badass. It must have no known cure until the very last second before they die, or a cure that's on an unclimbable mountain in an unswimable lake past an desert no ones ever crossed (even though people know about the lake and mountain and the cure).

No one has asthma or pneumonia.

[Alberic of Krufton]

I_Write_Ivre

No one has asthma or pneumonia.

Or myopia.

And everyone has all their teeth, except maybe old geezers.

[Kokiko-chan]

Alberic of Krufton

I_Write_Ivre

No one has asthma or pneumonia.

Or myopia.

And everyone has all their teeth, except maybe old geezers.

Or children who are always super adorable and instantly become attached to the main character, often giving them petnames and wishing they could become their new mommy/daddy/sis/brother.

[I am The Compendium]

Kokiko-chan

Or children who are always super adorable and instantly become attached to the main character, often giving them petnames and wishing they could become their new mommy/daddy/sis/brother.

These are never annoying, specially in a fight.