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JWZagst
Oct '20

I'm currently working on an ongoing science fiction superhero novel here on Tapas, but I also want to begin publishing an ongoing fantasy series as well. I have two main ideas that I want to work with, but I'm not sure which one would generate more interest, and thus which one I should cultivate first. I'll detail both ideas below, and I'd love to hear any feedback anyone can give me about which of these ideas they'd like to see first (these titles are not final):

Legend of the Round-Eared Warrior: An isekai tale about a crippled human who dies and ends up in a magical world of elves and fae where he has been reborn with a fully-healed body. In this world, there are ancient prophecies foretelling the arrival of a "Round-Eared Warrior," but depending on the interpretation, he is regarded as either a great hero or a terrible villain. Our protagonist meets people from both ends of the ideological spectrum on this, from obsessed followers who are convinced he is a messiah to those who merely understand his significance to those who make outright attempts against his life, fearing he will be the bringer of darkness upon the world.

How I Got My Dragonfangs: A modern-day fantasy about a teenager who always felt he was different, and then realizes he is actually half-dragon. His father is a member of a prominent dragon family who had no idea his affair with a human woman had resulted in a half-breed child. What's worse is that hybrids and half-breeds are frowned upon in dragon society, but our protagonist has to learn to control his powers so he doesn't endanger anyone, and thus he must navigate this new world as he becomes the apprentice to his eccentric aunt. In this world, dragons began masquerading as humans during the height of a centuries-long conflict with a powerful religious organization that hunted them to the point of near-extinction. After the Great Shift, as they call it, baby dragonlings were born in human form and only gained access to their powers upon reaching puberty.

I'd love to hear any feedback anyone can provide about which of these ideas they'd prefer to see cultivated first :D.

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    Oct '20

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Zaboem
Oct '20

A few community members here may vote A or B. I think a lot of us will advise you to develop the story that feels strongest and most ready to you.

Here is a part of Lonnie Ezell's Zero to Novel method. Take out a sheet of blank paper. Write down the titles of a few of your favorite books. Now draw arrows off each title leading to elements of those books you enjoyed and admired, like tone or specific themes or a type of protagonist. Circle any book elements that you listed more than once. Put those together. Now you have a description of the book you should be reading.

DualDragonsMaster of Yeet
Oct '20

They could both work, but (and that might just be me) I feel like there aren't really any stakes here. While you did note how the people and worlds react to the main characters of these respective stories and all the consequences that comes along with that, there doesn't really seem to be a threat outside of it. And the first one doesn't really seem to have a clear goal either.

I think adding stakes could be a great way to add a driving force to your stories, something that really helps push the main character.

JWZagst
Oct '20
Zaboem

They both feel very strong to me, but I'll keep that in mind :D. Thanks for the feedback.

JWZagst
Oct '20
1
DualDragons

I didn't reveal any major stakes to avoid spoilers, but I'll tell a little about it to give you an idea:

In the Round-Eared Warrior one, the immediate antagonists are the people who think he's darkness incarnate. The ones who make the attempt on his life that I mentioned. The ones who interpreted the ancient prophecies to mean the Warrior brings disaster. Without giving too much detail away, the Warrior's presence in this world ultimately leads to a religious civil war. Later on, other beings come into play, including those responsible for the Warrior's arrival, but I will keep that part secret to avoid major spoilers :D.

In the Dragonfangs one, the immediate conflict would be the protagonist overcoming the prejudice against him by the full-blooded dragons, with later conflicts circling around escalating tensions between dragon families and the eventual threat of the religious knights who first forced the dragons to commence the Great Shift. Again, don't want to reveal too much to avoid spoilers. My original descriptions were meant more to illustrate the initial pilot ideas for the story rather than a complete summary :D.

Also feel free to check out the 14 episodes I currently have up on my superhero novel to get an idea of my writing :D.

DeformedSunflower
Oct '20

With the current isekai fever, I think the first will garner more attention. The isekai game is still going strong right now, with many isekai comics and novels published both on online platforms and traditional media, so if you want to jump onto the wagon, now is the perfect time.

somekh
Oct '20

Truthfully... scrap the first idea. Throw it out the window and forget it.

Disabled people are real, and we live fine lives, and we are so, so, so sick and tired of stories where a hero can only be the hero after being "fixed". We're tired of fakeouts of "look, a disabled character!" where it's immediately taken away because abled writers can't fathom how a hero could possibly be disabled and solve the conflict through accessibility and adaptation, not because they've been "fixed".

There are plenty of stories like that. Too many. We don't need more.

JWZagst
Oct '20

I can see how that might come of offensive, and I should have clarified the illnesses instead of using the term "cripple." For that, I apologize. I do not mean he is a cripple as in someone who needs to be "fixed." I supposed my intention was for it to sound like "his body and mind are crippled, but death frees him from the prison he's been in his whole life." The idea behind him being disabled and horribly sick is that he spent most of his life in pain and barely able to live any kind of normal life. His condition is exactly why he dies at such a young age. In his final days, he is trapped in a hospital bed, dying away, with only the cold and distant nurse who oversees him but would rather be elsewhere. The idea is his old life was horrible, no family or friends, trapped inside a hospital room most of the time, dreaming of being able to breathe fresh air, walk and run, climb a tree, etc. The narrative motive behind that is to allow him to fully engage in his new world knowing that there was nothing for him in his old world.

domisotto
Oct '20

My personal preference is the second, because I don't like the premise 'you must die to live an interesting life'

somekh
Oct '20
JWZagst

This is a slur, so honestly please stop using it, full stop.

This mindset is based in ableism that disability is a prison. We're tired of seeing people in fiction that are trapped and suffering and unable to live because of their disability or illness. When was the last time you saw a hero who had a disability and still kicked ass??? I can only think of Taimi from GW2 and... yeah, that's it. Just Taimi.

I have fibromyalgia and POTS. I am in constant pain, often in joints most people don't know can be in pain, like shins and collarbones. Getting out of bed hurts. I am exhausted at all times.

I have 3 lucrative and well-paying jobs, make a comic, have a beautiful partner and a cat, make fursuits, am a published author, and a human rights activist in my spare time. I am a human with interests, hobbies, and a great life. I am also in constant pain and disabled. These things do not cancel out. Pain management exists. Acupuncture, massages, pain medication, blood pressure management, working from home, ergonomic office chairs - these are accessible solutions that help me manage my life and my pain and my chronic conditions. "Normal life" is available for disabled people.

We're tired of stories about miserable potato people in hospital beds lamenting about how their "body is a prison" (which, by the way, that phrase originated in the 1800s as a way of promoting actual eugenics). More stories about disabled people who cope and live fine, please.

And please no demonizing health workers. They're not all great, but media that makes them look shitty just makes real disabled people afraid to seek health or take advantage of inpatient programs. Media impacts reality more than you think.

But at the end of the day... James Cameron's Avatar already did this. A lot of things already did this. Why would you add a disabled character and make disabled readers excited to see themselves, only to quickly retcon and say "lol actually I won't write this", and erase that part of the character? You wouldn't write a character who starts the story off Middle Eastern, and then ten pages in say "they're reborn now and can experience the freedom of being American".

JWZagst
Oct '20

There's a lot to unpack there, but you're completely missing the fact that the things that are making him disabled are also killing him. He's terminal. That's like saying it's an insult to people with cancer to write about recovery. I wasn't going to name specific illnesses within the story, but the symptoms he experiences. Imagine someone having ALS and Cystic Fibrosis and severe allergies all at the same time. It would seem odd to have him die, appear in a world where he can use magic, but still have him needing a wheelchair and air tanks in a medieval fantasy world.

somekh
Oct '20

You're not writing about recovery. You're literally killing him off to retcon a disability and give him a "better life".

JWZagst
Oct '20

I'm killing him off because that's what a lot of isekai stories do. And if I don't "retcon his disability," then he would just die again in the new world and there would be no story to tell.