u/shapedbydreams

I admit I forgot about it for a few months, but I responded to the author in August (V.M. Nelson) and now it's October. She was very responsive in our chat so I'm just a little confused. Maybe it's my own fault for forgetting about the kickstarter for as long as I did? I just sent her a polite reminder so hopefully she forgot just like I did lol.

It's been 20 years since I published it on Amazon. Finally, after doing zero marketing before or after, I sold a copy! I knew this writing shit would be easy.

Source

In my book, the devil is rarely seen until a scene towards the end. One of the characters, Gabriel, has been cursed to be forgotten by the world after he dies. Cecilia is tempted to make a deal because she desperately wants to remember him. However, I don't think I've properly conveyed the emotions or tension here, and I would really like to know how I can fix that.

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Shadows engulfed the house, as if the sun had suddenly vanished. The logs in the fireplace were set alight by an invisible hand. Then, from down the corridor, came the sound of footsteps. I stretched out my hand, just managing to touch the knife with my fingertips, and pulled it towards me. With a shriek of pain, I pushed myself to my knees.

The sconces lining the hall lit themselves as the figure moved toward me. I stood up and stumbled back, keeping the knife pointed forward.

Most of him was obscured by shadow, but I could make out a deep blue coat and a white rose pinned to his lapel. He looked me up and down, and with a simple flick of his fingers, the knife was pulled from my hand.

“What do you want from me?”

“What do I want?” he shook his head. “I’m here to help you get what you want.”

His accent was American, which took me by surprise. Of course, I had never given any thought to what the devil might sound like, so perhaps it shouldn’t have been.

I looked at Gabriel’s body. His eyes were still open, yet they saw nothing. Blood had completely stained his neck and soaked the front of his shirt. I swallowed my nausea and looked away.

“I want to remember him,” I said.

“So you do.”

He sat in the leather armchair by the fireplace and leaned forward, interlocking his fingers as if we were about to make a business agreement. As his face came into the light, I was surprised to see an older man. He appeared to be in his mid fifties, with curly black hair that hung just above his shoulders. I could have passed him on the street and never even noticed.

Or at least, not the main villain. I'd prefer if the humans were the true evil in the story. Another good example of what I'm talking about is The Shape of Water or Crimson Peak. We can call this category "Misunderstood Monsters".

I've read classics before. Dracula, Frankenstein, Carmilla, Wuthering Heights, but Pride and Prejudice is absolutely kicking my ass. The English in that book honestly seems like a completely different language, and it makes me feel so stupid. How did you guys get through it? English is my native language, btw, which makes me feel even worse about it.

I can never seem to keep it perfect, even if the brand promises no fading. Any tips?

As I work on draft 3 of my gothic horror project, I'm wondering if the format of diary entries and letters is going to be boring for readers, because for the first couple of chapters, it details the character's ordinary life in extensive detail. The entire plot is slow-burning, but I'm wondering if even this is too slow for slow-burn lovers. I was someone who got bored reading Jonathan Harker's diary in Dracula, and now I'm afraid I'm going to be boring in my own book. Would adding more than one perspective help?

Theory 1: The easiest way would have been to take old man Steve and put him in the machine that turned Ant-man into a baby. It could be genuinely funny if they had a scene messing around with that.

Theory 2: They took him from another timeline. Since he has the Infinity War beard, they could have picked him up from an alternate timeline and promised to take him back later.

Theory 3: That's not Steve at all. It's Loki, using a disguise to get in the Avengers facility, before ultimately proving his trustworthiness by summoning Thor's hammer.

What do you think?

I'm 30 and never saw a single Star Wars movie before. I can't even say why. I just never got around to it. Started with A New Hope, going in order of release.

Edit: lmfao "Only an Imperial Storm Trooper could be so precise."

I'm really curious to see what other people think are the worst of the worst.

Edit: Some of mine are Ad Astra, Friday the 13th Part 8, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and Son of the Mask.