There's no completely concrete rule about what makes a 'good' story. Just like there's no concrete rule about what makes a 'good' meal. Every meal is different, made from different ingredients prepared in unique ways. It's the combination of ideas and execution that matter to the quality.

Worldbuilding isn't about creating every single possible detail in your fictional world. It's about laying a strong foundation and then highlighting the fun and interesting stuff about that world. We likely don't need to know about the tax laws of your fantasy world, for example.

A good story often starts with a strong fundamental idea. That could be a unique setting or a fun character or an interesting theme, but it's often a good idea to flesh that idea out first so that you have a strong foundation to grow from. It's like gardening, you need the right seeds to start with.

If there's one addition to Silksong that I really like, it's the new side quest system. It gives me a reason to revisit areas and there's actually new content waiting for me. In hollow knight, once you got all the collectables, you could usually skip zones entirely.

Writing fiction is both extremely easy and extremely difficult. On the one hand, you can literally create anything you can think of. On the other hand, you have to actually write it down.

While we often package up fiction into categories (fantasy, sci-fi, romcom, etc.) that doesn't mean you're limited to them. You can do a fusion, or create an entirely new category if you discover one. Exploration of ideas is how those categories came into existence in the first place. Explore!

You have something special to bring to your writing. Something only you have. What that is, I have no idea. Because everyone is different. But you have that special something you can put on the page that no one else can replicate. The hard part is finding it. That's where the hard work comes in.

Good dialogue is extremely hard to write in fiction because of character voice. We tend to write dialogue in our own voice and words, which can lead to two characters acting and talking identical to each-other. You need to visualize entirely different speech patterns per character, which is hard!

The funny thing about Silksong is that it gives you all these fun nifty tools and special abilities to play with... but I often end up ignoring them during fights. When you have a split-second to make a decision, fiddling around with the controls to use a special item is a good way to get hit.

Making your main character extremely overpowered, beloved by all, and incapable of making mistakes might feel awesome in the moment, but that also means that your story likely doesn't have anywhere to go. Your character can't grow because they're already perfect, in the worst kind of way.

I know some folks aren't a fan of the gauntlet arena fights in Silksong (That is, where you fight waves of normal enemies in a room). It happens a lot. But some of them are actually really fun, with the arena environments changing mid-wave or some very fun narrative moments. (Prison, looking at you)

Silksong's bosses are really good, but a lot of them rely on your low early-game health and the double damage they do to be a challenge. The best bosses I've run into so far were actually the easier ones, because the combat felt more like a dance rather than a slog from the bench one hundred times.

The only thing that didn't click with me in the Hades 2 endgame is that they brought back the endgame ranking system from Hades 1. That is, you spend a massive amount of resources after the end-game to get a 'ranking level'. However, that ranking literally doesn't do anything. It serves no purpose.

As someone who was aware of Homestuck but not a megafan growing up, the new animated pilot actually seems... really good. Strong dialogue, stellar animation, catchy music, etc. The videos I've glanced at claiming that it's a failure or disaster all feel odd. Like they're REALLY trying to hate on it.

It took a little longer than I was expecting, but managed to 100% Hades 2. And believe me, I don't 100% a game unless I love it. And Hades 2 is just as good (if not a little bit better) than Hades 1. It's a toss-up since they're both so fantastic.

Been playing Silksong recently and it is worth the hype. Can totally see what people are saying regarding the difficulty, though. I think too many of the bosses hit for double damage far too early into the game. The difficulty curve needs a bit of tweaking. But still really good!

There are an infinite amount of stories that could be told, in an infinite number of variations. The story you want to tell is out there, waiting for you to put the words together. It just takes time and effort. And while those can often be in short supply these days, the result is well worth it.

Time for some character creation mad libs! Fill in the following sentence and repost it! Get creative and have some fun with it! The main character of this story is (Name). They look like (Appearance). Their hobbies are (Pick 3). They have an irrational fear of (Pick 1). Good luck!

Storytelling is an art, not a science. It can be easy to get wrapped up in the whole 'this is the formula for how to tell a good story' and forget that this 'formula' is more of a 'common practice' rather than some hard-and-fast rule. You don't have to follow it to tell a good story.

The Kids on Bikes system has this wonderful section in the front of the book that's all about collaborative world building. It's an insanely useful tool for fleshing out your narrative world, be it a modern fantasy to sci-fi. Just a few tweaks and it works for anything!

Been thinking about ways to write interactive stories using social media. It's an obsession of mine lately, trying to figure out how you can include an interactive element from social media and transform that into a semi-coherent story. So far, nothing has stuck, but I keep trying!

You know, it's weird. I've been away from posting for a little while due to life stuff, but I'm still getting followers out of the blue, despite none of my posts getting likes. Is that just bots or something? It seems a tad strange.

There's nothing to be ashamed of if you believe your writing is sub-par. That just means you have more to learn! Everyone starts at zero, even prodigies. A good writer doesn't just spring up out of the ether. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to make a stunning piece of fiction.

Sometimes a change of scenery can help kickstart your writing in ways you don't expect. Bonus points if you can visit a location visually similar to the setting your working on. Not always possible (like when you're writing a sci-fi) but always a great option when you can do it.

A sign that you're a writer is when you're lying awake in bed at night because you just thought of an awesome plot idea and it's so exciting you literally can't get back to sleep. Or it could also be insomnia. But the two aren't always mutually exclusive.

There's no shame when writing to just stop what you're working on and begin another project (within reason, of course). Even hardcore fans of something will need a break from time-to-time, and they're not the ones writing it. Sometimes another brief project can be just the palette cleanser you need.

Writing Tip: If you think you've got a great idea for a story. Talk about it with someone! Preferably someone you know and trust. Just talking it out with another person can help determine if that idea you had actually was a good one, or only sounds good inside your head. Those happen!

At the end of the day, you as the writer know your work better than anyone else. While critiques and criticisms are often a good thing, don't obsess over them, especially if you think they're wrong. Consider, internalize, then make a decision. Even if that means ignoring said advice.

Writing Tip: As an exercise, try writing/rewriting a short scene multiple times, all while listening to different genres of music each time. You'd be surprised how much difference that can make to the tone. Music can be an extremely powerful tool to help set the tone of a scene.

Don't be afraid of mistakes in your writing. That is a paralyzing fear that can cripple even the most stalwart authors. Know that those mistakes can be fixed whenever you want to. Don't fixate on them to the point of madness. You'll know when you're ready to tackle them. So continue on!

Writing Tip: There are countless ways to tell a story without long and dry exposition. For example, a lot of video games have mastered environmental storytelling, where the placement of objects in a scene tell you a tale without a single line of dialogue. We can learn from that.

My favorite moment in horror is when the protagonist just says 'screw it' and decides to fight back against the monster. Call me naïve, but I'll always cheer when someone gathers up the courage to punch Cthulhu in his smug face.

Horror writing is often at its best the less you see of the monster. The less you see of it, the more your imagination can run wild with what it is and what it's capable of. The more screen time it has, the more mundane it becomes.

Writing fiction is a lot like trying to dive deep in the ocean or a pool. There's only so much oxygen you have before you need to come up for air. It's important to pace yourself while you write, and take those all-important breaks to prevent burnout. But with practice, you can go deeper for longer.

One of the funnier things about reality TV show competitions is the extremely obvious things contestants will say while trying to be dramatic. Like 'Someone is going to be eliminated tonight and it could be me.' Or 'this is a competition and only one person can win.' As if they completely forgot.

Took some time off from GM-ing D&D due to life stuff and while I do miss it dearly, It really was a good move. GM-ing is super stressful, and you might not realize how much you need a break until you've actually taken it. Let one of your players take the reins for a bit.

I've always felt that good horror fiction is a slow burn. A monster that jumps at you in the first five minutes isn't scary. That's just startling. Good horror fills you slowly with dread, making you scared that every shadow could hold something terrible. That's how I feel anyway.

One of the things I've never understood in fiction is the 'kill our own goons' trope. Like, okay. I get that you, as a villain, want to be scary and intimidating, but that goon you just tossed into your lair volcano now has to be replaced. That's a lot of pointless retraining/logistical costs.

You know, there's a reason that I'm playing the hell out of Silksong right now (beyond it being really good, obviously) and that's because supporting good indie games feels like the right path. A lot of 'AAA' studios just feel... bland lately. Like they've just given up on making anything creative.

You know, if there was one trope I could do without, it's the character that is super smart, but has the WORST personality (nihilistic/childish/always rude) and yet they get away with everything because they're smart. Sheldon from BBT, Rick from Rick and Morty, and Dr. House just to name a few.

Writing Tip: While it might be tempting to shirk real-life responsibilities so you can focus on your writing, that is a path that leads to despair. A solid work/life balance is essential to keeping your head above water, so that you're not stressing out while writing. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Trace the path of your plot. Create a rough map of your world and trace the path your heroes take. You might notice they get stuck in one place too long, or double back to the same place too many times. It's a good visual. #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Writing Tip: Networking is more than just reaching out to publishers or agents. Having friends in a bunch of different fields can help out your writing career in surprising ways. They might have insight for a research subject, or have useful contacts. Reach out! #writing #writingtips #Booksky

Have someone, ANYONE, take notes at your table. You're the GM, and if you like taking notes, great. But you might be distracted actually running the game. There's often at least one player willing to step up and keep the minutes. And they don't have to be complex either. #D&D #TTRPG

Rewarding players at your table is often more effective than punishing them. Rewarding teamwork or clever thinking encourages your players to do more of it, and can be a good tactic to help shy players come out of their shell a bit more. #D&D #TTRPG

While classic initiative in TTRPGs can be great, that's not the only way you can do it. Some more modern systems actually let players choose their slots in combat based on the group's initiative. It makes strategy and communicating with players all the more important. #D&D #TTRPG

Sometimes I feel bad during RPGs that give you too many party members to choose from, all so that some of them end up permanently on the bench. Sure, having character variety is good, but It feels bad when a party member you never used is now lower-level and stuck there forever. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

What really bothers me with some RPGs is when the correct strategy to beat the game is to ignore the mechanics. Just hit the enemies as hard as you can rather than use strategy and figure out how to use weaknesses or debuffs. It happens a lot more than you'd think! 🎮 #gaming #RPG

There's a point in every RPG where you hit item critical mass. That is when items you find are more of a nuisance than actually helpful. You open the 50th chest of a dungeon and find another healing potion you'll never use. Or those hyper-specific debuff removers that are everywhere. 🎮 #gaming #RPG

Writing Tip: Learn to promote yourself, not just your writing. Get yourself out there, be a fixture in the writing community. The more enmeshed you are in the writing community, the more people will pay attention when you've got something fun to share! #writing #writingtips #Booksky