Strictly speaking, I have a habit of italicizing text to indict internal thoughts, letters or the like written from one character to another, or for emphasis on a single word. I don’t mind italics as a whole but they can be hard to look at depending on the font type. Not so bad in Arial but Times New Roman can be hard if the text is small enough.
7 Likes
There are some really poor authors who overuse italics a lot, but they can work perfectly fine if you’re formatting your work the right way.
Italics example
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin a enim ut mi varius ornare. Aenean in iaculis nisl. Ut urna eros, congue quis massa at, vestibulum luctus lorem. Mauris congue molestie nulla eu varius. Curabitur justo felis, cursus vel leo et, venenatis tempor nunc. In nec dignissim elit. Etiam nec faucibus sapien. Aliquam mollis dictum dictum. Maecenas semper mauris at dolor lobortis ullamcorper. Donec egestas tellus eget risus aliquam imperdiet. Ut ac ipsum dignissim dui rhoncus tristique quis vitae quam. Quisque nec sodales nibh. Sed consequat turpis ipsum, nec ultrices tellus facilisis sit amet. Vestibulum quis auctor magna, vitae euismod urna. Aliquam id placerat lacus. Integer fermentum tincidunt sapien vel euismod.Maecenas mattis lobortis elementum. Suspendisse potenti. Etiam feugiat pellentesque metus, vel dictum orci viverra vulputate. Proin pellentesque quam nulla. Aliquam nec condimentum risus. Nulla eu ullamcorper sem, vitae rutrum velit. Phasellus et euismod neque, eu iaculis turpis. Praesent lobortis, augue a mollis convallis, risus massa interdum ex, aliquam posuere odio erat eget ex. Maecenas tincidunt libero ligula, a vestibulum leo tempus eu. Ut placerat laoreet leo, eget faucibus purus pharetra vel. Sed nec lacinia ante. Aenean nibh eros, pretium vulputate felis a, convallis ornare orci. Aliquam finibus arcu justo. Praesent blandit varius sapien eget aliquet. Pellentesque pellentesque est in dui efficitur, sed consectetur risus luctus. Cras blandit lectus nisl, sed scelerisque lectus convallis id.
Donec euismod, risus nec porttitor elementum, lectus mi commodo felis, sed fermentum erat justo id turpis. Sed suscipit risus vel dolor tincidunt pellentesque. Vivamus sit amet mauris tellus. Donec quis ligula nisi. Sed vitae turpis fermentum, luctus tortor a, consequat justo. Aliquam scelerisque, dui sit amet elementum tincidunt, ex nunc elementum nisi, at convallis nulla ligula a lacus. Fusce pretium justo libero, vitae dignissim arcu ornare id. Pellentesque a posuere lacus, in volutpat lacus. Praesent congue neque ut consectetur finibus. Quisque semper tellus dui, dignissim consectetur ipsum varius nec. Phasellus convallis, elit et vestibulum dictum, massa nunc cursus est, a cursus purus lacus sit amet justo. Aenean vestibulum nisi in neque convallis malesuada. Nullam at sollicitudin nunc. Proin ac placerat justo.
Morbi gravida molestie eros rutrum luctus. Nulla est mauris, hendrerit a lorem bibendum, finibus suscipit justo. Praesent eu nisi sed odio commodo porttitor. Etiam fringilla porta ultricies. Nulla non arcu sit amet turpis convallis auctor. Morbi auctor pharetra sem, vitae vestibulum leo. Pellentesque congue justo ac nulla maximus elementum. Nunc vel mauris consectetur, aliquam mauris in, elementum risus.
Etiam sed orci in odio aliquam tempor. Aenean ornare eget nisi suscipit lacinia. Mauris efficitur sodales velit ut laoreet. Praesent nulla nisl, dignissim non diam eu, porttitor accumsan felis. Ut a vulputate purus. Vestibulum id mi diam. Suspendisse non vestibulum felis, at rhoncus lectus. Integer vel risus et justo placerat placerat in at turpis. Morbi ornare tincidunt mi, vitae imperdiet dui molestie at. Suspendisse a orci vitae nunc auctor ullamcorper at feugiat urna. Aenean consequat ligula ut odio rhoncus suscipit.
Point is, it’s not good. 
4 Likes
Oh man, that’s an eyesore, lol. Granted, it’s also nonsense Latin, so it’s not like it was grabbing my attention anyway.
Still, maybe put it behind a summary? For half a second I almost thought it was a spam post, lol!
6 Likes
Sorry. I think I got my point across.
4 Likes
Was thinking I’d work on a smaller project ahead of my one I’m working on at the moment, to try and brush up on my skills so I avoid making mistakes. So I wanted to ask, what setting for a story would you say has the potential to be the scariest?
- Deep Underground.
- The Seabed.
- Deep Space.
0 voters
Edit: Sorry, if you already voted! I just wanted to fiddle with the settings a bit so I had to reset it. 
2 Likes
Can I vote for space and the ocean? Large expanses of nothingness scare the crap out of me.
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I voted for deep space, but thought I should add that, for me, it’s much to do also with whatever is lurking in those environs. And the circumstances of your being there. All horror has to achieve some kind of isolation against a disproportionate force. To me, I’d consider the level of technology in each of those places. E.g. with space ships, you often have to disable monster-eating lasers to achieve fear. But there’s way more environmental factors that can kill you than anywhere else, even the sea. Good platform for psychological horror in that, where desperate people are the monsters in a survival situation. Lastly, all sub-genres tend to have different traditions. If you’re thinking of space it helps to study up on the landmarks: Event Horizon, Lovecraft, Pandorum . . . I love horror, so sorry if I’ve overspoken. Feel free to DM me if you want to rap. @Autumn19
5 Likes
I voted for seabed, but now I’m not sure which would be more horrifying: Drowning or being crushed to death underground…
Getting frozen in the void is also pretty bad, but my sensibilities tend somewhat towards claustrophobia. At least space is open.
2 Likes
Polls, data, science, woo! 
Preface
ROs tend to fall into two general categories—emotionally warm and emotionally cold (decided by my incredibly accurate methods).
Emotionally warm ROs are the kind that you’d betroth in real life—think N and F from Wayhaven, or the best-friends-to-lovers trope. (Usually) minimal angst, healthy romance, sunshines and rainbows. Pure, fluffy escapism. Unless they’re a yandere.
Emotionally cold ROs are emotionally-constipated and either can’t spit it out or won’t spit it out—or perhaps they are simply unaware. A and M (Wayhaven, again) are good examples. Can become emotionally warm as a relationship develops (but not always), but they start off distanced or closed off in some way from the MC.
Now…here be thy polls, serrah:
The Best Flavour of ROs…down to a science (totally true!)
- Emotionally cold ROs (more of a struggle than a romance).
- Emotionally warm ROs (less of a struggle than a romance).
- Both. Both are good.
- I take it on a case-by-case basis.
- Other?
0 voters
Best Kind of Warm RO?
- The goofy/sarcastic ball of sunshine who befriends you at record speeds. You’re practically already married. (Usually your best friend.)
- The enigma who’s already proclaimed their undying love, and means it wholeheartedly.
- The realistic romantic who is emotionally mature and practically your soulmate.
- The asshole who’s rude to everyone but you.
- The yandere, duh.
- None of these appeal to me.
- Other. (Do share! Or not!)
0 voters
Best Kind of Cold RO?
- The stoic ice queen/king/majesty who is both mysterious and has a habit of silently glaring at things.
- The charming, affection-starved flirt/social butterfly who’s missing something…or some one, wink wink. Tends to be ironically oblivious.
- The arrogant rival who has your back when things get real.
- The flustered disaster who is terrified and/or unaware of their feelings. Also known as a tsundere.
- The pining romantic who could treat you right…but can’t right now, for some reason or another.
- None of these appeal to me.
- Other. (Do share! Or not!)
0 voters
7 Likes
Emotionally Warm ROs: I take it on a case by case basis. I love N as a romantic interest but F is always gonna be my best bud whom I love platonically.
Cold ROs: My brain is mush so I can’t think of how to describe my preferred cold RO. However @wildelight’s K is my current fancy right now. So something something including dogs and apparently no sense of modesty Basically, there needs to be a soft side to the cold ROs.
6 Likes
Sorting ROs to just these two groups is limiting, to be honest. Seeing ‘yanderes’ as one of the sub-categories in emotionally-warm ROs alarming to me too, unless it meant to be a joke option.
5 Likes
I don’t agree with the premise. While you can (obviously) divide ROs into these two categories, it’s not a neat fit, seems very arbitrary, and doesn’t give us a new perspective or tell us anything interesting about these character tropes.
That said, I think it’s interesting seeing how many people enjoy the friend to lover trope. I think that’s really cool and interesting to know.
For me, it really depends on the character I’m playing, and how the RO matches with that character. Sometimes I want a best friend to snuggle with… and sometimes I want a stoic badarse who will have my back… and sometimes I want something else. It depends on my mood and how I’m playing a particular game.
7 Likes
It’s mostly for shits and giggles Characters tend to be more multi-faceted than ‘cold’ and ‘warm’ or any number of singular descriptors (yeah, duh), but maybe one day we’ll unlock the secret of what makes characters so lovable while also arbitrarily forcing them into neat little boxes? 
1 Like
…but is there a reason the stoic one couldn’t be the best friend? 
(I mean… best friend isn’t a personality type, is it?)
Although maybe it’s just me. I personally, for example, hate a forced rivalry, and prefer rivals who aren’t (necessarily. It’s fine if it’s a player choice) arrogant jerks. And if you can decide you don’t care to compete. (Or if it’s the MC who is the arrogant jerk.)
1 Like
Hello! I’m creating these polls to put some of my concerns about my WIP to rest. I’ll try to make it more inclusive so it could also be helpful to others as well. 
Is the title important to you when checking out a WIP? (I’m talking about checking the thread, and not the demo itself.)
- Yes. I’m more likely to pass on a WIP if the title doesn’t interest me.
- Not really. Genre is more important to me.
- I check out every WIP as much as I can.
0 voters
How often do you leave feedback in a WIP? (Select the best applicable answer)
- As much as I can.
- I would do it more often if I have the time.
- Sometimes, especially if I like it.
- Sometimes, especially if I dislike it.
- Only if I have something positive or constructive to say.
- I mostly provide bug and typo reports.
- I mostly lurk. I give likes sometimes, but that’s it.
- Other.
0 voters
Do you like it if the Main Character has sibling(s)?
- Yes, I like sibling relationships.
- Depends on the relationship.
- Not at all.
0 voters
Would you be more likely to check out a story in a non-Western setting?
- Yes.
- No, it’s not a factor to me.
- No, I have little to no interest.
0 voters
PLEASE DON’T VOTE ON THE POLLS BELOW IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED THE SURVEY IN MY WIP.
I’m not asking anyone to check mine, I just want to compare the results since I know the results of my survey is biased.
Are you interested in playing as a preteen (9-12 years old)?
- Yes.
- Depends on the genre/premise of the story.
- Only if it’s at the start of the story.
- I’ll pass.
0 voters
If so, would you be interested in crushes/puppy love?
- Yes.
- Maybe?
- No, that age group is too young for that.
0 voters
(Oops, I can’t edit the poll anymore. Pick “No” anyway if you are not interested in romance at all.)
Do you like musical scenes?
- Yes.
- It depends.
- Get them away from me!
0 voters
Anyway, thanks for taking your time to vote! 
5 Likes
Since I don’t want to misinterpret, do you mind clarifying what you mean by musical scenes?
Scenes that play music files?
Scenes where the characters spontaneously break out in song?
Scenes that write song lyrics in between the lines of prose?
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Scenes where the characters spontaneously break out in song, yes. The lyrics of course would also be included. (I don’t have music files, but that would be a pipe dream.)
1 Like
Title:
For me, an interesting title isn’t always “catchy” or a single word or two words or something a bit longer. It’s more ‘does this sound cool?’ and ‘does this sound professional?’
Professional being no spelling/grammar errors and something that can be show to any age group without issue. Sorry if that’s not very helpful, I can’t really pinpoint why titles are eye-catching to me.
If it’s a longer title (4 words or more), I prefer it when the title is a phrase used in speech, like a saying or something. If it’s a specific reference to something in the book or something like “How to Save the World in High School” I’m put off since in the first case I lack context and the second is just wordy and unoriginal/not meant for fiction IMO. That sort of “How to” titles are reserved of manuals in my mind so it’s odd seeing it paired with a fictional book.
Feedback:
I said Other because I leave feedback if the WiP left an impression on me. Good, bad, somewhere in between, doesn’t matter. I’ll leave feedback which can consist of typos, bug reports, what I liked, what I thought the author did a kick ass job on, and what I felt they missed the ballpark on based on the summary of the story/how the story set up my expectations.
Sibling Relationships:
Depends on the sibling. I really love Nick from @wildelight’s Mind Blind but other siblings have just… bleh in WiPs/published stories.
Nick strikes the perfect balance of feeling like a real character/sibling by not only loving Button but also teasing the ever loving crap out of them too… because that’s sibling-hood in a nutshell lol
I don’t like the sibling rivalry. It’s just… not done well in the stories/fiction/tv shows/movies I’ve consumed and I just want something sweet. Plus I think another reason I love Nick is because he’s not the asshole sibling, Button can be which is a change from the usual sibling relationship dynamic in IF. Bonus points for Nick rightfully calling Button out if Button absolutely despises him too.
Preteen:
70% no, I’d say mainly because I like darker stories which don’t mix well with children, but 30% yes but that highly depends on the genre/premise. If it’s fantasy and I get a dragon, I’m in.
Puppy Love:
Maybe. No romantic gestures/actions beyond sweet stuff (like cards, stuffed bears, candy, etc.) and probably no kissing. At most, hand holding. I feel like the relationship is much more enjoyable if it’s implied that the act of making it an official dating couple happened when the characters were older, so still acknowledging that the characters are children (and a bit young for that) but respecting the reader’s decision.
Honestly, I’d just go for the friendship route every time since there’s never not a need for good friendship stories at that age.
Musical:
I like them in musicals lol
I need to hear the song being sung because otherwise I’ll probably mentally sing it on a different beat than whatever the author imagined.
5 Likes
To the feedback question, I leave less feedback, If there are more posts in a thread, since that implies for me that there is already a big crowd to give feedback. I like to help Out, where it is more needed.
1 Like