Snakenaps

Cool! I'm helpful!!! This makes me super happy!

Like normal, did not read the other critiques before I dived in. Pg 1, introduction: Something I have noticed since I'm kinda binging these chapters: sometimes Houses is capitalized in the introduction, sometimes it is not. I'm not sure if it varies on source material (kinda like the Bible vs the bible), or if it is something unintentional. Pg 1, introduction, "aspect of portals no one speaks of. They are slices out of the universe": I'm not sure if this is grammatically correct, or if it should be "aspect of portals no one speaks of: they are slices out of the universe," Pg 2, "pikes down and ready": Would they have pikes or muskets/blunderbusses? I feel like I'd want some long range artillery here, and I swear I can remember guns being used during the attack on the Assembly in Seeds. I may be wrong, though, and mixing up my literature. Still, pikes are better than swords. Pg 2, "Symphony as it if were paper.": Fix to "Symphony as if it were paper." Pg 3, "chunks of themselves, One glowed white.": Fix comma to period: "chunks of themselves. One glowed white" Pg 3, "ambient temperature with no ill effects": Noted: Elg not affected by severe heat or cold. Not affected by much at all. Pg 3, "The other creature was fileted from a hundred cuts": I Googled it, it should be filleted. Pg 3, " before dissolving into the ground,": Yes! First one killed! Pg 3, "they couldn’t protect two guards": This makes it sound like both guards died. I had to go back and double check. Pg 4, "M had known for more than fifty cycles": Oh man, that has to hurt. Losing a friend of five decades is hard, even if they weren't close. Pg 4, "So much for his new Society.": I would mourn less the Society than the people who just died. I'd expect that kind of callous thinking from WW, but not necessarily from M. Maybe I misinterpreted M's character. Pg 4, "completely filled with them in a ten-day": That is going to be an extremely high death toll. Pg 4, " he was drained by the death and loss": I want to see this more, rather than just be told. Pg 5, "She looked around as one might descend on them from nowhere": You were just talking about the masters who were either fleeing or evacuating people, and it took me a second read to realize that "one" referred to the Elg, not the masters. I would switch the "one" to a word describing the Elg. Pg 5, " He doubted all of Mid Imperium and Low Imperium were so deserted" We see so much of High Imperium and the Assembly, that it didn't even occur to me how the rest of the city might be faring. Pg 6, "His knuckles cracked as he clenched a fist.": Yes, I like this. Show us how you feel, M! Pg 6, " But he hadn’t thought it would be so hard.": Hindsight is 20/20, and old habits die hard. Pg 7, "he was not one to wallow in past decisions.": I was getting this feeling from M, but he at least has more emotions that the workaholic WW. It's funny, WW used to rub me the wrong way because of xyr's inability to pause for anyone's emotions, but I'm beginning to this xy will be very helpful in making sure that plans are logical and well-reasoned. Pg 7, " try not to spook it": I wonder if Elg need sleep. Do they eat energy or the Symphony? I kind of imagined them as a monster who never stops moving and isn't necessarily intelligent enough for sneak attacks, but now I'm revising those thoughts. Pg 7, "You, me, T.D, L, and G stay here.": Make note, if T.D. dies, I will be upset. Pg 8, "as if searching for something." Vibrations? Do they sense with vibrations? Pg 8, "Can it sense the traces of portals that have been here": Nope, not vibrations. Unless you count vibrations in the Symphony? Pg 8, "it sees the connections that have been there": Oh man, can the Elg somehow pick up on these connections to create portals to homeworlds it has never seen? If so...that is terrifying. Pg 9, "Faster than a cheetah charging an elk back on Not-Earth": On Earth, these two animals live in very different biomes. Is it different on Not-Earth? Pg 10, "He created the portal sideways, edge-on in the air,": That is freaking awesome. Pg 11, "It was as if the thing was solid purple flesh inside.": I am not sure why, but I pictured a Jelly Bean cut in half. I am not sure this is a helpful observation. Pg 11, "He liked those shoes.": I like little moments like these. A one second remark that makes a character less of a character and more of a person. Pg 11, "each half of the creature dug a hole of stolen ground before it disappeared": Great, they can burrow too? Man, I hate these things! Can they eventually recombine into one creature? Grow another half so that it turns into two creatures, like a cell splitting? Also, note: Elg can split themselves in half, forward and backside, and this causes them to die after a moment. Elg can split themselves in half, left and right, and dig a hole and maybe survive. Pg 12, "The group was moving quickly.": Fast walk, sprinting, dashing? Jogging from so much running? Pg 12, "a lone...guard, telling people to evacuate": This guard needs a raise and a metal of honor. Pg 12, " He reached out, trying to find something to steady him." Ah, poor M. My heart goes out to the old geezer. Pg 12/13, " Now—he wished he had pried a little harder." Pried a little harder because of the power of the diadem? Because of Eff's longevity? Because he should have gotten to know such a powerful person better? Pg 13, "—the deadly ones never taught by the Council.": I am very curious to see what can be done when nothing holds a master back. There was something about this chapter that was missing the tension from the previous chapter, which I nearly had to set down to give myself a break. I'm not skilled enough to know what is off, though. I'm hoping that will come with experience. The Elg weren't nearly as creepy in this chapter. I am beginning to like M more and more, though.

I wouldn't say that I have been bored, but I do feel like it is missing some of the awesomeness a final season needs to have. Especially since Steven Universe knocked its final season out of the ball park. Granted, it too had its slower episodes, but there was a definite sense of finality that I feel like Clone Wars is missing. I mean, if I didn't know that this was the final season, I would have guessed we had more coming simply from the pace. I'm hoping the last arc brings the epicness I so desire.

I'd like to give my parents a hug and jump back into DnD. I was playing a lawful evil necromancy wizard that I was really fond of (he just wants to raise his family (of undead) in peace).

My roommate has you beat. She goes to bed at 6-7am and wakes up around 3-5pm. I'm pretty sure I'm living with a vampire. Do you have Libby? It's a free app that links to libraries, and your library might be a part of it. It's like a digital library specializing in ebooks and audiobooks. Neither are nearly as wonderful as real, physical books, but it might be more entertaining than the wall. If it's sunny and you live in a good neighborhood, you could take your dog out for a walk and listen to an audiobook! Do you listen to podcasts? Also, from a purely selfish viewpoint, I invite you to post a photo of your dog at the "Spread Some Love" thread of pet photos: https://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/89195-spread-some-cheer-share-your-pet-photos/ I love dogs!

Do you have access to Libby? It is a free app connected to your local library. It is essentially just a digital library. You might be able to get The Bands of Mourning that way. Also, welcome!

As usual, I did not read the critiques of others before I began. Little late, still catching up! Thoughts as I go: Pg 1, introduction: I really like this series of facts. You didn't state who the (I would presume) book is by, and I'm not sure if this is on purpose or a missing piece of information. I decided to write this note in case it wasn't on purpose. Pg 2, "its Symphony running down": Running down, or being eaten? Dun dun dun. Pg 2, "Yet s-something has happened here": I love how T.D. stutters. I think I mentioned this before when I went through Facets. I think I have an extreme weakness for this particular species of alien. Makes me miss H.D. Pg 2, " looking for anything to give them clues": I am going to assume that the Dome is now empty again except for the Council, so that they have no one to ask on what happened. Also, that would be an awkward conversation: "Hi there, have you seen any peculiar, OP wise men from another dimension?" Pg 3, "a small sphere of off-white appeared": A void seed??? The beginning of a Drain??? M would recognize the bubbles of someone coming through a dimensional portal, like what he had tried to create before. Pg 3, "This was how it started before": I knew it. Wondering the same questions as M. Pg 4, "the off-white sphere tore": I went from going, "Drain is bad, this is a bad situation" to, "Oh snap, run run run run." I feel like an adequate example is kind of like those videos of people who are trying to get rid of one big spider, when suddenly the spider explodes into thousands of baby spiders. I am feeling that panic. Pg 4, "mismatched teeth underneath": There was a podcast on Writing Excuses that the best horror came from the mundane, and, boy, you definitely got it. Why did it have to be giant bugs with teeth. These Elg just keep getting worse and worse. *shutters* I mean, just the word, "splatted" gives me the heebie-jeebies. Pg 5, "Both it and the L melted into nothing": Are they dying, or being teleported...hmmmm. Pg 5, "The voids popped like pustules": You know, I was going to eat lunch after this chapter. Now I might not. Thanks. Pg 5, "One of the young [human masters]—M—ran for cover": Honestly, seeing another Terran name threw me off for a second, because my brain scrabbled with trying to remember is any other Specie M had Terran names, besides S, who is from Earth. Then I realized I didn't care enough to go double check because I had to know what happens next. Pg 6, "At his age, he didn’t have notes to waste": One gets notes by having experiences, right? So, theoretically, could a magic user hold onto all of their notes until they are old and full of experiences, and then just...I dunno, use all the notes in a giant flurry? One massive project? This is not a question I expect an answer to, more of where my own mind was going. Pg 6, "The other members of the Council were running,": This right here would be me, booking it away from these horrible, nasty Elg. This seriously might be my least favorite chapter out of all three books from the simple fact that these Elg really freak me out. My stomach is churning. I blame you, @Mandamon Pg 6, "but as then it twisted": I'd get rid of the "as." Pg 6, "In a moment, he was gone.": Seriously, I'm only half way through this chapter!? Is everyone going to die? I might have to take a break, I'm getting stressed. Pg 6, "caught the...Beast": Can K be affected? Do the Elg only affect organic matter? Would they recognize K as "living?" K does run on the Symphony. So maybe K just looks like a big metal snack? Pg 6, "M stripped excess words from his speech.": Smart man. Time is of the essence if someone is going to survive. Pg 7, "of course couldn’t hear any of the notes his friend changed": Unlike I and E. I like this part. It is giving me a nice moment to catch my breath before we jump back into the action. Good timing, since I was seriously tempted to put this aside for a moment and go pet my roommate's cat until my heartbeat lowered. It is way too easy for me to get sucked into a book. This is why I avoid grimdark fantasy, not to mention horror. Pg 7, "staggered back and to the side, shaking its fin.": HA! Take that, you overgrown centipede! Pg 8, "Each void seemed to contain two or three of them.": God forbid we ever get a portal scene like in Avengers: Endgame but of these buggers. Pg 8, "we assume he’d dead as well": Change to "he's dead." Pg 8, "We should trap it for study,": Logically, I agree. Emotionally, I say that killing it is just as good of a science experiment. Pg 9, "the creature ripped its front half free,": I verbally cursed here. Pg 9, "leaving a trail of purple chunks of flesh": I'm officially having lunch later. Pg 9, "They both halves of the creature shuddered": Fix to "Then both halves." Noted: Elg can split in half for a short period of time for a last second suicide attack. Pg 10, "Surely he or his staff will know what is happening": This isn't going to be a fun conversation. Pg 10, "The Eff was the only higher power." Prediction: now M is going to have to become the Council AND the Eff. More likely just the Eff, and then his allies the Council? Hmmm. Pg 11, "The profile was Specie K, but they were running": If I didn't know that O had gone through a portal in Facets, I would be panicking right now. Pg 11. " If this is our fault, we need to correct it.": I am of the opinion that it doesn't matter whose fault it is, but that it needs to be fixed regardless. However, I find it an interesting peek into G's thought process. Pg 12, "The Eff was likely to be in his palace": This entire paragraph made me soul hurt. Poor M is not going to find the answers he is hoping. Pg 12, "Must find highest authority to direct response.": I'm thinking this is M now the highest authority.

@Mandamon I actually 110% agree on it being a magic answer, and that it could be an easy, unsatisfying way out. In all honesty, if you did that, I'd probably be pretty disappointed. I love character development, and I adore struggling with a character as they have to come to grips with their own problems. So my hypothetical question is: if I or E knew that they could potentially take the easy way out, why would they not? Like S and his anxiety. S specifically chooses not to take the easy magic answer, and that makes him stronger for his choice. Food for thought.

*blinks* I hadn't even thought of that. @Mandamon Further more, if the diadem is capable of removing I and E's memories of being tortured, could it be used to remove the memories of the absorbed Ari? To reduce their power over E? Could the diadem store these poor souls, and remove them from E entirely? I don't expect answers, more of a train of thought I had that probably has no relevancy to the plot itself. Might be useful to you, might not. Anyway, I've got two pages left, which I'll edit into my critique above.

What can I say, I love books? Since Fall of the Imperium is going to be posting probably weekly for a long time, I knew in order to critique it well, I had to know what was going on. @Robinski That being said, if you want to DM me, I am more than happy to give a full critique of TCC, instead of just the ending chapters I've been sent since I joined. I'm trying to get caught up on critiques, since I fell behind while juggling the closing school district. I guess I'm using you all to keep the practice of grading papers. Keeps me from getting lazy. On the other hand, critiquing is a really good experience for me, because it is teaching me how to revise better myself. So if anyone has any tips on giving good critiques or revising, I am more than happy to hear.

That sounds amazing! And I didn't even know it existed! I live a couple of hours away from the Jelly Belly factory, if that counts for anything!

4, "but he pressed onPg 1, introduction: Wouldn't house(s) be capitalized? Pg 1, "He found many things harder to believe": Cynicism through experience. Unfortunately realistic. Pg 1, "Would that happen to him or E if the other died?": A concerning question I have, especially since their bond is closer than between the two Eff's. Pg 2, "rapped it back and forth on the silk, first one side and then the other.": I had to reread this sentence a couple of times. Is WW hitting with one side of the hammer at a time, or is xyr one side of the door and then the other (like the right side, then the left side)? This sentence is awkward for me. I feel like this just needs a little readjusting, like, "Xy rapped it on the silk, first on one side of the hammer and then the other." My opinion, though. Pg 3, "What has happened to you?": I am sensing that M is a bit of a jokester, considering they are asking this of an unconscious person. Are they saying this in a chidingly way? Sarcastic? Pg 3, the paragraphs about pronouns: At first I found the first couple of sentences to be confusing, because I was wondering why pronouns suddenly mattered. Historically, what I like most about your books was that they never really talked about the different pronouns, but just took them with the same stride as the sky is blue and aliens exist. Once I realized where this was going, I like how I. addressed how this Ari is genderless, rather than using "they" to refer to multiple instances absorbed. Pg 3, " affected the factions": I wonder, is one instance more likely to join on fraction, and the other the second fraction? For instance, if instances are like ying and yang, will one instance be more likely to join a certain fraction? Pg 4, "Roofs poked above rubbery plants fat with water.": Did you mean "Roofs poked above with rubbery plants fat with water?" or "The roofs above were poked with rubbery plants fat with water?" ...Does it rain in the Nether? Pg 4, " It doubles as a place for unattached Ari to stay while transitioning to new homes or life situations.": Are we talking more of a shelter, a hostel, or transitional housing? Because my brain hopped to shelter, which might be my own bias. We have a large homeless population in my city, and I come from a city with an even worse homeless situation. So I pictured the rather...rough...shelters of my city, and thought that it would be rather...questionable...to put a medical center so near a place that is the exact...opposite...of sanitary. Although somehow I doubt the Ari have anywhere near the drug abuse we have here. This might be personal bias shading my reading, though. Pg 4, " others sloping soft hats that fit between their upward-pointing and mobile ears": This made me rather happy because it made me think of horses with hats and I love horses with big droopy hats. Pg 4, "but he pressed on": *wipes tear* My little boy, all grown up. Pg 5, " assume his species’ traditional form." Oh man, I really want to see this. Somehow I think it will be E the first to change, and my guess is she won't be in control. Pg 5, "Why would their connection be so affected if they hadn’t seen each other in centuries?" I love it when characters ask the questions I am wondering. Pg 6, "M looked a question to her." Pg 6, "the stuff of the Nether" The crystal of the Nether, correct? "Stuff" throws me off. Pg 6, "We were quite the pair back then.": Oooooooh. Relevant gif: https://images.app.goo.gl/FpFpLc1GpQc7AsG87 Pg 7, "in order to protect us from them,": Them as in the memories, the history of the war, or the Ari enemies? Pg 9, " vital to the workings of your facet": Well, that's terrifying. Please don't loose what essentially is a hard drive full of state secrets. Pg 9, "though that was not why he’d asked.": What's your interest in this, hm? Wanting to find out more about the Ari? I wonder if the diadem could remove I and E's memories of being tortured. Pg 10, "used parts of their teachings.": Much more than their teaching. Used parts of their bodies as well... Ooof, gives me the shivers. I wonder if E will become ostracized for her actions? Pg 11, "but made no motion to restrict the doctor from hearing.": I hadn't even thought of the doctor being privy of that information. Good catch. I like this detail. Pg 12, "even before the war": I am sensing a link to the Dissolution. Pg 12, "she gestured with all three arms": Wrong pronoun for M. Pg 13, "even pretending": I am going to take this as pretending to keep busy, and not as pretending to heal V but actually not doing anything to save her. Pg 14, " I was willing to give up that part of himself for her": But would E be willing to make the same sacrifice? Pg 16, "How had they not heard each other’s music before?" I am guessing that this is an instance thing, since I don't recall it happening with O.C. or R.A. Pg 16: I just have to say, I really enjoyed the entire part of I and E using the Symphony together. I loved seeing the two siblings bond, especially after all the mess that they have been through. Plus, it makes me wonder how they can meld their music together in the future. Pg 17, " she ground out": Wrong pronoun for WW. Pg 18, "f the [masters] can’t handle it, I don’t know how we can help.": Good reasoning to stay behind and get stronger. I still worry that the party will assume them dead, but on the other hand, crossing the wall when there are known Elg on the other side immediately may be too rash. Excellent as always, and now I'm moving on to the next chapter! Slowly catching up!

I'm glad that they are helpful! I'm not skilled enough to catch many structural issues like others, but I'm a well-read young adult, so hopefully I give you a good look on what your target audience might think.

Welcome! I hope you enjoy everything this forum has to offer!

Welcome and hello! Oh man, I hope you enjoy Warbreaker. It was personally one of my favorites!

Pg 1, "she pressed against her other instance and S": I like the swap as S becomes more able to deal with crowds, and now E, with everything she has been through, is the one leaning on her brother and S. Pg 1, "It had been days": Man, those days felt like weeks. Imagine what would have happened to E if she had stayed there longer, like I. Pg 1, "It has happened before.": To other Specie A, not V, I would assume. Pg 1, "This was what they had to carry the E?": No Beasts? Maybe my thought of just getting far enough away from the wall to create a portal in the last chapter isn't feasible. Or at least as not as quick as I had thought. Also, no guards to protect their leader's body? Pg 2, "lay insensate": I had to Google this word (yay, new vocabulary!) Pg 2, "though he had not absorbed one of them": I am glad she is currently not thinking about absorbing him. Pg 3, "Was there no tram line here, as in her facet?" Is this facet newer than S's facet? Is it because it has less species that it is farther behind technology-wise? Pg 4, "the urges to rend and absorb threatened to push from her chest.": E is still my favorite viewpoint character. I love the conflict happening inside of her. She's become so...animal-lilke. Pg 5, "trade between the facets?": I wonder if that is something that will resume if/when everything calms down. Pg 6, "he was taking the lead": S always does better when he has someone else to focus on. I'm proud of how far he has come. Pg 7, "pinpricks of red on his upper arm": Oh man, E is like the Hulk. As the reader, I hope she'll be able to control her emotions and not seriously hurt someone. As a writer, I want to see what happens to her and others if/when she does completely lose control. Pg 8, "You’ve done fine so far.": Oof, ouch, that one made me wince. I noticed that E says that she didn't mean to, but that she didn't apologize either. I find this interesting. Pg 8, "He reached a hand out to her": Dude, don't prod the rattlesnake when its tail is shaking. This isn't the E you know anymore. Pg 9, "I need both of you": E needs both I and S too, not just S needing the two of them. Pg 9, "I want to learn about them": For the sake of helping your friends, or to learn how to stop the Specie A assassins from harming them again? Both? Pg 9, "saw when I stiffened": Nope, thankfully E is not eating S.

I'm reviewing this chapter again as I have now caught up on the previous two books. Thoughts as I go: Pg 1, the scroll's excerpt: Is this WW? I've been wondering the same questions, and am excited to see where this leads! Pg 1, first paragraph: It is so nice to actually know what everything is this time around. Much less confusing! Pg 1, "her mouth open at the collection of strange creatures": Poor E, dumped into a new facet with no explanation! Pg 2, "She was in A form, the only one of her species visible": I am curious to see how E reacts to seeing one of her kind, when the only other time she has seen A is when they have become murdering psychopaths. I can't remember how this chapter goes, it has been too long. Pg 2/3, as V finds out about her brother: She is grey with fear and worry. I understand that they have no seen each other in decades, but would she not even show a moment of grief? For her lost instance, for losing any chance that she might have ever seen him again? Regret for all the times they could have shared? Pg 4, "The being stamped": I am not sure if it the computer I am reading this on or what, but there is a large space between "Th" and "e" in "the". It looks like "Th e being stamped." Pg 4, " I suppose even the [Eater] couldn’t dissolve it": Does this mean that the Eater can't destroy the N's crystal? I'm going to call them the Eater so that I don't get my acronyms confused with E, the character. Pg 4, "it has not always been." Is the crystal used to help the species A keep their sanity with their long life spans? Does it keep their emotions stable when they change, at the cost of their memories? Pg 5, "I have been away from [Master] A...for far too long": Girl, you've been away from everyone too long. I fear for E. She's not stable anymore. E and I are broken in different ways, and I fear E will be much more violent than she normally is. Pg 6, "I have to make sure my friends are well first": I sometimes wonder how many friends WW has. WW is always down to business - which I strongly appreciate from a plot perspective - but, jeez, WW, let S make sure his friends are dead, or, you know, his entire world is not destroyed. WW strikes me as a workaholic. Pg 7, "And nothing happened.": And...the Eaters have escaped into the rest of the homeworlds, haven't they...or is the Symphony breaking to the point where it can't build portals? Pg 9, "Maybe the wall had something to do with it": That didn't even occur to me. Pg 9, "We must help our own facet guard against the [Eaters]": I agree with I. Make sure that everyone is still alive first! Stop the apocalypse before returning to genealogy! Pg 9, " diadem equal to the one I wear": I wonder how the diadem can help them? Can they pull up P's old memories? Pg 9, "was surprised to see her hands in fists": Here's that violence streak I was worried about. Pg 10, "better than the last ones I met?": I am excited to possibly meet more species A, but have the same worries as E. Pg 10, "We can learn so much about our people.": Like maybe how to control the desire to absorb, and learn how to change without becoming mentally unstable? Pg 10, "Did they do to you what they did to me?": Thankfully not, because I probably would have been absorbed, unlike E. I's power is charisma-based, not strength-based. Pg 11, "While we are here": I wonder how long the Symphony will take to repair itself from the Eaters. Can portals even be made anywhere near the medical ward now? If S even wanted to, could he travel through the wall? (which I don't recommend, as that would be going into hostile territory). Could S, I, and E go far away enough into the facet to cast a portal to D? Pg 12, "surge of anger that xy would so easily dismiss his friends" I continue to wonder how many friends WW has, considering WW is rather tactless when it comes to the emotions of others. Pg 12, "Maybe we should stay here": I'm still not sure why they wouldn't go farther into the facet - sped up maybe through a Beast - and then cast a portal. I am much more concerned about O, R, C, and everyone who has escaped to D. What if everyone else arrives at D, but there is no S, E, and I, and they are assumed to be dead? The collapse of V still makes them stay there, so would S, E, and I still want to leave, until V fell unconscious?

Dang! I love how Jim Butcher is such a consistent author. I love it when a world is continually added to, instead of just one book every five years. Two books in one year! I'm so excited!!!

Welcome! The beauty of you just discovering everything Sanderson, is that we get to relive it all through you!

I realized I never posted a photo of Virgil, my ball python and inspiration for my username. I put him under a spoiler tag because I know some people don't like snakes. But it's just a lazy snake using his own tail as a pillow.

I'll believe it when I see it. As much as I would like the Winds of Winter, I also don't expect it anymore. My guess is it'll be another spin-off/side book/encyclopedia.

I love how we have such a menagerie of animals! I am back home from petsitting, and managed to take one of the better photos of my roommate's cat, Batman.

I wish I could read Mistborn again with new eyes. Experience the shock, horror, and joy of a first read once again.

Hello and Welcome! I hope you thoroughly enjoy your time here!

First of all, you have my respect. Many people would have taken the doubts that you have, let themselves become overwhelmed, and disappeared. Instead, you reached out to Silk and you created this thread. I wish every single one of my students knew how to reach out for advice, just like you have, rather than struggling in silence, or worse, giving up. Everyone so far has written better advice on critiques than I can. So instead, I'm going to broach a topic that I think each of these responses touch on, but that is worthwhile to explore a little further. Perseverance. This is a key trait for anyone in any profession to develop because motivation can only get you started. Perseverance and discipline will carry you much farther than any other trait you can possibly imagine. The ability to get hit and choose to get up again, time after time after time. Because, frankly, you are going to get hit a lot in writing. Some punches will come from others: critiques, rejection letters, bad reviews. Others will come from the world: financial difficulties, struggling to find time, pandemics. Many will come from you: self-doubt, fear, hatred. These punches are going to come, and you'll have to learn how to roll with them, to dodge the ones that aren't important and aren't worth your time, and absorb the ones that you need to learn from. Then, once you've been hit, you'll have to learn the strength to persevere, to stay on your feet and keep fighting. Confucius said that, "It does not matter how slowly you get there, as long as you do not stop." Take that to heart. Even if it is the smallest step forward each day, each week, each month, take that step. There is this webcomic called The Art of Being an Artist, and I particularly like his message in Brick by Brick: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/the-art-of-being-an-artist/brick-by-brick/viewer?title_no=340626&episode_no=2 and Be Friends with Failure: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/the-art-of-being-an-artist/be-friends-with-failure/viewer?title_no=340626&episode_no=12 These are simple comics with an important lesson: to look at the opportunities failure can give you, and how to keep going, brick by brick, step by step. Everyone learns perseverance differently. I still am. I found success by recording my progress on Google Spreadsheets, step by step, so that I can see just how much I've achieved, even when I don't know how I can keep going forward. I keep everything I've ever written, I keep track of my word count progress, the books I have read, the podcasts I have listened to. Now, I hope I can offer one piece of solace: writing is a profession with no age limit. This is not a sport where you have to reach the big wigs by the time you're 30 or your body is shot. Anyone can be a writer, whether you are twelve (like Nancy Yi Fan) or forty-one (the age of Mark Twain when he published his first book) or even older. So don't feel like you are under a time crunch. No one is expecting you, or me, or any other writer on this forum, to become someone like Brandon Sanderson overnight. I don't know if you know this, but Brandon wasn't an overnight success either. He worked a nightshift at a hotel to find time to write and wrote something like a dozen books before getting published. That's perseverance. Dan Wells, author of the John Cleaver series and podcaster with Brandon, wrote at night because he had a full time job and children. That's discipline. Writing isn't a sprint, it's an endurance race. Learn everything you can here, and then take the next step. And the step after that. And so on and so forth. Don't give up, ever. Writing Excuses on Perseverance: https://writingexcuses.com/2011/03/06/writing-excuses-5-27-perseverance/