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mellosdrawings · 3 months ago

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Not sure if it can be done but a tutorial on glasses (like with Azul) would be fantastic. Also one on the nightmare that is Azul's hair. Please and thank you in advance.

One tuto for glasses!

I will do Azul's hair in another post :3

Warning: I don't have the vocabulary for glasses at all. I did my best to make it understandable but don't hesitate to ask for clarifications if you need TwT

Here's our two glass boys. I looked for mostly similar glasses online to use as reference.

Azul has thin frames, rectangle glasses. Trey has heavy frames, square glasses with rounded edges.

Glasses have a LOT of different shapes. Don't hesitate to look online for references on round/oval/etc glasses to help yourself. Website that sell them tend to have pics of the glasses under several angles, which is very practical when you draw anything that isn't front facing.

Step 1: drawing zone

The most important thing to figure is where to place your glasses. Anything else can be yolo-ed and still work, but badly placed glasses will make everything look weird (though it can be used for comedic effect).

Simply put: the higher part of your glasses should reach right below your eyebrows (on realistic proportions). Otherwise, use your eyelids as ref. Place your frames a bit above your eyelids. The sides of the glasses will (usually) reach the sides of the face. That's the case for both Azul and Trey.

The bottom part is where you get to choose the size of your glasses. That's where you decide to elongate them to get square/round glasses instead of rectangle ones.

Step 2: Tracing the glasses

Within the drawing zone, simply draw the general shape of the glasses. A rectangle, a square, a circle. Keep about a finger-width size gap between your two glasses.

Step 3: Details

Draw your main shape first (rectangle, square, oval). Then remove space for your nose. The glasses will tend to leave a triangular zone free in most shapes to make space for the nose (except on round glasses). Here you can add the bridge and where the arms of your glasses connect with the actual glasses.

Step 4: Frames width

Now that you have your elements placed, you only need to draw the actual frames. In most glasses the upper side will be slightly wider than the rest. Don't hesitate to only draw one side and simply copy paste and flip it to get the other side. Glasses are symmetrical so it can be a hassle.

Once there you can decide to add the thingies that keep the glasses secured on the bridge of the nose. This step can be optional if you don't go for hyper realistic glasses.

3/4 and side view

3/4: The same steps from before can be used here. Put your drawing zone first, upper frames right under the eyebrows. The side farthest from us should reach the bridge of the eyebrow (for realistic proportions). Otherwise, leave about a finger-wide space between the face and the glasses. The side closest to us will depend on how much the character looks to the side. On regular 3/4 views you can place it right on the side of the eye. For the center part, follow your nose and place the triangular hole on top of it. Part of your glasses will be hidden by the nose.

You can decide to draw your glasses in front view on another layer first to get the symmetry right, and then to move and stretch your layer until it fit in front of the eyes. It's a perfectly valid strategy!

Side view: Here the only thing you need to draw is the side of the frames and the arm reaching to the ear. You can place the arm first, mostly parallel to the ground. The frames should be put right in front of the eyebrow bridge and at least cover the whole size of the eye. For bigger glasses, add volume on the bottom.

And that is mostly that? Glasses are mostly about where you put them and giving the illusion of symmetry.

After that you can have fun with the shapes (personally I love drawing round glasses), the size, you can decide to draw the thingies that hug the nosebridge or not, you can decide to draw the arms or not, you can add accessories, etc.

You can even decide not to draw parts of the glasses to keep a clear view on your eyes. Yana has a note for Azul and Trey that the glasses should always be full even if they hide the eyes. For me it depends on my mood and what is most important in the current art.

As you might see here, I tend to add a white edge to give actual presence to the lenses and separate the eyes (or hair) from the frames. It's your choice whether you want to erase anything to make things clearer or to keep it all as is to make it realistic.

And I guess the last thing I have to say is... look at refs online. I think that's how I finish most of my tutos lol

#hopefully that's not too messy #I haven't done tutos in a while I forgot how hard it was to explain things properly in another language #mello's drawings #twisted wonderland #twst #azul ashengrotto #trey clover #original characters #glasses #tuto #step by step #tutorial #art tips #drawing tutorial #ask me anything

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stockmarketdailyupdates · 7 months ago

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Options Selling is a popular option trading strategy since it can generate premium income. However, before getting into the details of this trading, understand how it actually works.

#options selling #options trading #options trading strategy #stock market #stock trading #elearnmarkets #stockedge #stockstowatch

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champstorymedia · 6 months ago

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Fast Track Your Property Sale: Proven Methods for a Speedy Transaction

Introduction Are you looking to sell your property quickly and efficiently? In today’s fast-paced real estate market, time is of the essence when it comes to selling your property. From staging your home to pricing it right, there are proven methods that can help you fast-track your property sale. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore some strategies and tips to ensure a speedy…

#benefits of owning rental property #Best real estate investment opportunities #current real estate market trends #finding the right real estate agent #guide to property management.#home staging tips for sellers #how to sell your property fast #navigating the home buying process #real estate financing options #real estate investment strategies #real estate market analysis #tips for buying a home #top cities for real estate investment #trends in commercial real estate #understanding property valuation

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somepsychopomp · 2 days ago

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Tips for Writing a Good Fic Summary:

I firmly believe that no writer should ever have to say "I suck at summaries", "my summary is bad but my story is good", "idk what to put in my summary" etc.

Why?

It makes you seem unconfident or disinterested in your own writing, which therefore puts off a lot of potential readers

It can come off like you didn't try

When tons of people say "I suck at summaries", it lowkey lumps you in with all the other writers who also don't know how to write summaries, and can make the premise of your fic seem less interesting or unique as a result

And quite frankly, I think every person who's ever slapped this kind of disclaimer on their fic absolutely can write a good summary if only they had some guidance and practice!

So, here are my go-to strategies for how to write a summary that functionally conveys the premise of your fic while also making it sound fun and interesting:

(Disclaimer, a lot of fellow fic writers out there have already internalized at least a good portion of what I've written below. This guide is designed for fanfic newcomers who may or may not still be learning how to write, largely because I most often see them posting the dreaded "I suck at summaries" as a shield, excuse, or preemptive defense of their works. I also want to say- no shame. We all have to start somewhere, and I just want to help out as much as I can.)

1) The In-Universe & Out Strategy:

I'm explaining this one first because if you've ever spared even a passing glance at Ao3, you've definitely come across this summary archetype before. And I'm super guilty of using it, too. But hey, if it works, it works!

This strategy is actually two summaries in one, the first being a blurb explaining the plot in a way similar to those you'd find printed in published books, with the goal of highlighting the drama or central conflict in the story and/or main character(s).

But it's also combined with an "out of character", typically much shorter summary that explains the premise by referencing its tropes or general format. The example below is one of my own fic summaries:

Let's start with the easier "out of character" component of this two-parter, that being the very last line of the example summary. This portion is technically optional in any summary, but has its many uses. The most important of which is that it offers clarity and guidance for your readers, and informs them of what exactly they're getting into if they were to click on your fic.

Also, it always comes second because the technical, "out of character" component is not you as a fandom participant trying to sell your story in an engaging way, it's you as the author explaining what it is you've made using familiar terms like "pre-canon"/"AU", etc.

And to be clear, I personally believe it's always better that your potential readers' first taste of your story (that being your summary) is immersive and enticing rather than plain and technical. So this smaller blurb should always go after your actual summary. Think of it as the cherry on top.

And you can make this portion of your summary very easily. Just state if your fic is an AU, if it's a "5 times X happened and the 1 time Y happened" fic, etc. All you have to do is tell your audience plainly what the main draw of the fic is, and all that takes is 1 sentence.

Aside from that, why does this format work and why is it so common in fandom spaces?

Well I referenced it before, but it offers something that most summaries in published books do not: clarity.

Yes, a good fic summary should tell you who the central character(s) are and a general idea of what happens in it. But summaries are also often used to build intrigue. You want your audience's curiosity to be piqued, so if you make your summary (and by extension your story) sound cool and mysterious, or full of adventure, or intensely cerebral and thought-provoking, readers will be inclined to click on your fic to find out how it ends.

But also, mystique offers uncertainty. And some readers might not like a fic if they can't quite parse out what exactly it'll be about. So, having an additional line or two after your "real" summary to explain the premise the way you might quickly explain it to a friend, gives that balance of intrigue and clarity.

But how do you write that first part? The actual summary?

2) The Cheater's Strategy:

It sounds a little dramatic, but honestly I consider this my "cheat sheet" way of making a summary because it's very much a shortcut that works.

And that strategy is: you sum up the first chapter of your fic. Nothing more. You do not allude to what the overarching plot is, you act as if chapter 1 is all you've got. But why would you do that?

Here's the thing about fanfics, based heavily on my experience in both writing and reading them. When you've got a fic that's more than 5-8 chapters long, or it stretches beyond 10-15k, oftentimes the first few chapters are all set up for your premise and the real meat of the story (the solving of the mystery, the big battles, the winding adventure, the burning portion of the slowburn) will come after.

When it comes to the cheater's strategy, you're going to ignore all the best portions of your story just so you can explain the boring set-up period where you position all your characters in the right places so they're ready to go on their (mis)adventure.

If you think that sounds like a bad idea, let me ask you this: When you pick up a mystery novel at the bookshop, does the summary give away who did it?

No! And you're not going to, either.

Also, it's implied and expected that the longer your story is, the more it will develop, change, and grow. So if you can sell your initial concept idea enough for a reader to click and read the first chapter, you very well could hook them and keep them seated for the rest of your story.

And remember what I said about building intrigue? This strategy is designed to build intrigue by suggesting there's more than what meets the eye.

Here's another example:

That might sound dense. And it's long. And it sounds like maybe a lot of stuff goes on in chapter one, but literally all I've done is explain the initial premise of my fic. (Note- this summary is for an Epic the Musical fic, which is a musical based of the Odyssey. Would highly recommend but that's beside the point)

The point is, this is an AU. But I didn't employ the Out of Universe strategy this time around and say it's an AU because it's obvious to anyone in the Epic fandom and it does not need to be further clarified.

What mattered to me in this scenario is that my potential reader sees my summary and knows that Odysseus the main character is a man who is married to the goddess Calypso, and is currently living in paradise. But in canon (both in Epic and in the actual Odyssey), Odysseus rebuked Calypso's advances because he wished to remain faithful to his actual wife Penelope.

The suggestion or implied understanding here is that something bad happened that caused Odysseus to discard Penelope in favor of Calypso. (Spoiler alert: the bad thing was him being brainwashed by a woman who would eventually become his abuser.)

And in this case, it's the suggestion of something gone wrong that builds the intrigue and curiosity for me without me having to add anything extra.

In the bulk of King of Ogygia, Odysseus goes on a strenuous mental journey to rediscover his true self with the help of various Greek gods, while also physically fighting back against his abuser. That all sounds pretty important to the story, right?

And it is! But I didn't want to include any of that and risk spoiling the overarching story. Anyone who'll be interested in chapter 1 will probably willingly continue reading to see how the story develops because that's just what you do when you find a story you like.

But let's say you're not writing an AU or a complicated, multi-chapter story spanning tens or hundreds of thousands of words.

If your fic is short and sweet, your summary should be as well. Next up,

3) Keep it Simple Strategies

(Yes, plural. This section is more like two different ideas lumped into one sum, but it made the most sense to put them together so please bear with me.)

Maybe you've got a neat little one-shot or a short fic (like 10k words or less) and you're not sure how to write it's summary precisely because it's so short. Or maybe you just prefer simple, direct summaries as opposed to the lengthy, dramatic kind.

Here's my next example from a 3k one shot I once wrote:

To be clear, this is a NOT an ideal summary. Far from it. But it's from a fic I wrote 6 years ago and I've definitely grown and changed as a writer since then. Let's dissect and rewrite this summary together.

Firstly, it does the bare minimum of telling you who the main character is (Kirishima), who he's being shipped with (Izuku), and the setting (a gym). And from a technical standpoint, that's almost all you have to write in order to reach the textbook definition of a summary.

But I didn't even really explain what the conflict or actual plot is, only suggested that that plot would be Kirishima trying to get together with another character who, in this setting, is a personal trainer.

It's succinct, I can at least give it that. But it's so short and plain that it doesn't really spark much imagination, does it? In all honesty, if I saw this exact summary posted at the top of Ao3, I'd skip right past it because it's so unimaginative and bland 😭

But the fic itself is only 3k, how do you build intrigue for a story that most readers can digest in about 30 minutes or less?

Let's start by identifying the main character and make a short list of their most important emotions or characteristics. Here, I would characterize Kirishima as being hopeful (that he can score a date), in love, and active (in a physical sense).

So I should try to channel these primary components into my summary. I could say something to the effect of:

Kirishima has been hitting the gym a lot more often, but it's not to improve his strength. There's a new personal trainer and he's got Kirishima's heart rate spiking better than cardio day. But can he work up the nerve to actually ask Izuku out?

Obviously, he'll ask out the cute trainer and they'll go on a date, but that's not what's important to a ship fic. It's the journey to the inevitable getting together that we want.

What makes this summary a little more engaging is that it's a lot more playful than the original. The gym pun and usage of "strength", "heart rate", and "cardio" really emphasizes the setting and premise. It helps sell the idea that this fic is a lighthearted romp while also hitting all the basics of who we're supposed to care about and where they are.

Here's a marginally better example summary:

Same fandom, different ship, similar premise. One character has a crush on the other, their crush is unaware of their affection at first, and the name of the game is winning them over.

But what makes this summary better than the previous example?

Well, it explains itself quite well by hitting all the minimum details. With four short sentences, it introduces who the two most important characters are and what their deal is. One of them is a god, the other is a mortal. It's a fantasy setting. The romance is one-sided.

But those minimum details coalesce into something greater than the sum of its parts. You also get the sense that Katsuki is dangerous and hot headed because he's the god of war, and you know that the object of his affections is more bookish and not quite interested in the brutish type.

How will they ever get along?

You thereby implicitly understand that the conflict of the story is figuring out how the ship will inevitably become a ship despite their initial differences. We could call this the Opposites Attract strategy, where the summary focuses on the juxtaposition between the two characters in the central ship, and makes that the central defining feature of the story. Got all that?

Good!

But making lists or divvying up character traits might seem confusing or tedious for some. (IMO if you're a new fanfic writer just starting out, it's worth a try to treat these simple strategies as writing exercises for your stories/summaries, even if you end up not using/posting them.)

If you as a writer want a more direct approach, try:

4) The Excerpt Strategy

All that stuff I said earlier about generating intrigue and hiding the meat of your story?

Well, you're still sort of doing that with this strategy, but not really. Instead, you're going to let the fic do the talking for you.

And by that, I mean your summary isn't really a summary at all, and is instead a brief excerpt from the fic itself. Here's some examples from various fandoms I've written for, including some where I've let the fic speak entirely for itself and others that I've combined with Strategy 1:

But how do you choose the right excerpt to represent your entire story?

In my opinion, a good excerpt needs to fulfill a few key requirements:

It has to convey who the main character is or what the plot is, so it will probably be from early in your fic.

Likewise, it can't give away the ending/big reveal because it looks careless. (And does not build intrigue!)

It can't be too long or else it'll seem bloated and readers might skip over it.

It also can't be so short that it ends up being confusing.

And most of all, it can't be so out of context that it ends up being baffling. Like if my fic's summary was just the line "And then all the kangaroos got wet" sure that could convey that my fic might be wacky and/or crack, but it's also distracting, uninformative, and doesn't really convey anything about your characters or plot.

Yes, oftentimes all of the above can be a hard checklist to fulfill, I know from experience. Hence why a lot of writers, myself included, combine it with a brief out-of-character explanation of the fic to cover all our bases.

The third and shortest example is arguably too brief for a proper summary, but it does one thing I really like by establishing the tone. It's sensual and a little sarcastic, offering a hint of danger, and is cushioned from failing by not fulfilling requirement #4 b/c of its supplementary summary.

So, why choose this strategy over any other?

Well, it advertises your writing style and unique voice more than a typical summary would. Sure, a regular summary kind of reflects who you are as a writer already, but I've definitely noticed in my own experience that the way I write a summary might be more formal, less formal, more dramatic, less dramatic, or just plain different from the voice/tone/perspective used in my actual fic.

And remember- that's because a summary is designed to GRAB attention. A fic is designed to MAINTAIN attention. They aren't quite the same and each has its own needs & goals.

And last but not at all least:

5) No man is an island

You really want to learn how to write good summaries?

Read more fics. Read more books. Read their summaries.

Go to your local bookstore or library, or visit your own book shelf, and study how others have written their summaries. What's important to each story in order to make a publishable summary? Is it the character's powers, the world they live in, the time period, the setting, their relationships, their enemies, their conflicts? Or something else? Or is it a combination of the factors above? And how do you make each factor as enticing as possible?

Does a sci fi novel have the same summary structure as a Jane Austin novel? Probably not! So if you have a sci fi fic in mind, it might do you some good to see how sci fi authors characterize their works. (Or maybe think outside the box and do take inspiration from an Austin blurb? Anything is possible in the world of fiction.)

Alternatively, go to Ao3 (or your preferred platform) and read how others in your community portray their fics. Comb through the fics you've bookmarked and study their summaries. Did they entice you? If so, try to figure out how and why. If not, what compelled you to click on the fic regardless?

And don't be afraid to draft out your summaries and revise them the same way you'd do so with your actual fics. Granted, I know there's lots of people out there that post fanfics without editing them, and that's fine. This should all be for fun, after all.

But if you want to put your best foot forward and give your story a strong advertisement, experimenting with the wording and structure of your summaries might do you some good!

Ultimately, when I say no man is an island, I mean it in the sense that artists study other artists all the time, and have been doing so for thousands of years. Crafting an effective and compelling summary is arguably an art itself. So, learn from those around you. Take advantage of your predecessors and the fellow writers in your community.

And that's that!

But we're not quite done here. My parting gift to you all is one last strategy, one that can be readily combined with nearly all others. It's called the Try & Try Again Strategy:

Start with a shitty first draft of your summary. It can be as bad and uninformative and bland as you want because it's just for you and no one else will ever see it. In fact, it should intentionally be as simple and plain as possible. Something like "Percy Jackson goes to the store"

Then tack on an extra detail, something to make it a little more exciting or elaborate. Maybe you've identified that your summary needs to convey what the initial premise or inciting incident is, as opposed to something like a romantic pairing or the setting. So you write a newly revised summary: "Percy Jackson goes to a store and a bomb goes off inside."

But you want to add a few more details to make it just a little more exciting and informative: "Percy Jackson thought he was about to have an ordinary day when he's framed for a pipe bomb explosion inside a deli market." (Now we have the central conflict- Percy is being framed for a crime! But how can we make it even better? How do we build even more intrigue?)

Keep trying: "Percy Jackson's day went from mediocre to horrible as he's framed for an explosion inside a New York bodega. Follow his misadventure as he runs from the local cops, finds the perpetrator, and most important of all- gets his groceries home by dinner time."

But wait, you might say. That's not a strategy. That's just doing the same thing over and over again to varying degrees of success.

To that I say yes, it most certainly is. And that's basically all writing is. It's trying to bring your idea to life, identifying what's not working along the way, and fixing it.

But starting with a seed is how you get a flower.

And if you've made it this far, I just wanted to say thanks for stopping by! Have fun writing! ♥️

#fic writing #writing community #writing advice #fanfic writer #fan fiction writing #fanfic ideas #writing tips #writers on tumblr #fandom culture #archive of our own #new writerblr #percy jackson and the olympians #epic the musical #BNHA #hadesgame

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thefrogman · 7 months ago

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Back in the olden days, if you used the "keep reading" function on a Tumblr-dot-com post, it would

not get very many notes.

At all.

I am not sure exactly why.

I think people hated pressing an extra thing.

But maybe it was also a psychological phenomenon where, given the choice, they were unwilling to trust me with their time.

But if I sucked them in with a good story or a compelling image, they would get serious FOMO.

When I created a super high effort post-of-length I would get comments like, "This was way too long but before I realized it I was reading the last sentence."

That was a really good feeling.

I used to do tests to figure out the best posting strategies and I think I figured out you'd lose about 90% of your notes if you did a "keep reading" post.

So that notion was ingrained in my brain again and again from when I was very note-obsessed and I have since avoided the "keep reading" option almost like a conditioned response.

Just seeing that squiggly line appear still induces a Pavlovian fear.

But that was probably a decade ago and I did a new experiment. My story about replacing my mailbox did reasonably well with a strategically clickbaity "keep reading."

This was a promising result due to the fact that some people like to send me hate for writing a lengthy post.

I recently got a death threat for writing too much, which was a fun reminder of my M&M days (I melted men's rights activists' brains with a poorly worded analogy and they launched a years long harassment campaign).

It seems in present-era-Tumblr-dot-com many more people prefer pressing an extra thing rather than scrolling a bunch on their smartphone. The collective behavior has changed. And maybe I don't need to use tricks and running gags in order to get folks to "keep reading".

Unfortunately I started writing that ring light post a few months ago so I wasn't able to include that in the experiment. But I am going to try using the keep reading function in the future and as long as the average number of folks that usually read my longer posts continue to read my posts, that will be the standard approach.

I also tag these posts with "long post" so you can flag that if you wish.

While I am no longer in the audience-building phase of my Tumblr career, these essays and stories and educational posts take a considerable amount of time and effort to create, so I do want to make sure everyone who wants to read them is able to. But posts without hearts and reblogs can quickly die a gruesome algorithmic death. Even my most ardent followers would tell me things were not showing up on their dash. (I think replies help mitigate that, so if you like a long post, you can help with engagement.)

The collective noun is a "business" of ferrets.

Do you want to see a business of ferrets ready to do some business?

KEEP READING

I love writing and it is a huge catharsis for me. And I love sharing any knowledge I feel like I have the earned expertise to speak on with authority (technology, photography, light, fun ferret facts, etc). I wish I had the energy to be a photography teacher, but long posts on Tumblr are probably the best I can do for now.

I know my posts are super long, but I try to make them as fun and informationally dense as I possibly can. I don't like wasting people's time if I can avoid it. Though maybe I should trust my follower's attention span a bit more. I have this fear that if I am not constantly entertaining, people will click away or unfollow.

I think a good business for a business of ferrets would be selling pool noodles that look like ferrets.

So as long as I get roughly the same amount of notes I will do the keep reading. And then maybe people can lay off on the mean comments and occasional requests to end my own life because I bloviated about soft light.

100% true ferret fact..

If you ask a ferret what their business is, they will crawl on your shoulder and whisper in your ear...

#long post #keep reading #ferret facts are fun

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theresattrpgforthat · 7 months ago

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How To Find Cool Games: On DriveThruRPG!

So disclaimer upfront: I don’t use the DriveThruRPG website nearly as much as Itch.io. Some of those reasons are practical (there’s no tagging system, the catalogue is rather D&D saturated,), while others are more… well, shallow (the website isn’t as pretty).

However, DriveThruRPG is a very good tool to have in your toolbox when it comes to finding cool ttrpgs, for a number of reasons, the primary one being that it’s for TTRPGS and only TTRPGs! Let’s get started.

The Search Bar / Categories.

You can start by doing a basic search for a game that you already know about, or by searching for a keyword, like “pirates” or “zombies”. You’ll get titles sorted by “relevance”, so things that have the keyword in the name will show up first. One of the biggest downsides of this strategy is that everything kind of gets lumped in here: supplements, maps, expansions, adventures, character sheets… the list goes on. However, you can narrow down what you’re looking for by using the toggles at the top of the website. I personally usually narrow down search results by selecting “Product Type” and then “Core Rulebooks”.

One nice thing DriveThru has compared to Itch.io is that you can combine categories, so if I wanted to brows say, Gothic Horror Core Rulebooks priced under $20, well I can do that! My favourite categories are for genre, but another set of categories that you may find very useful once you’ve familiarized yourself with some games is the Rule System category. There are categories for systems like the Year Zero Engine, Forged in the Dark, BRP (Basic Roleplaying), OSR, and so much more. There’s also “other systems” and “any system” categories if you want to find something that’s unique or that can be used across games.

DriveThru also has a lot of games published in different languages, and you can narrow your results to see what’s been offered in your language. I think there are more options on this website than there are on Itch, although you might benefit by finding one or two publishers in your language on DriveThru, and then check the publisher’s website from there.

The Homepage

Another reason to check out DriveThru regularly is the sales and promotions. The top banner of the homepage will typically advertise a few things: the Deal of the Day, current themed sales, and special offers that DriveThru RPG wants you to know about. Their homepage also has Bestselling Titles, Most Popular Games Under $5, Newest Games, Featured Titles, and, if you scroll down enough, Personalized suggestions. Unlike Itch.io, DriveThru does a lot of work to show you what’s new, what’s hot, and what’s a really good deal right now, which can all be really helpful things!

When you land on a game, you’ll be able to see whether or not DriveThru sells physical copies, some basic information like book size, rule system, publisher & author, and a blurb describing the setting and other general information about the game. DriveThru has a side panel with “Customers also Bought”, which is great for showing you things that you might like, either because they surround the same theme, they work for the same game, or they are in a similar genre. (Another thing that Itch isn’t quite as good at.)

You’ll also be able to see (and leave) reviews for game, including the ratings left by other people who have picked it up. Occasionally I’ll find really useful information in the reviews, as reviewers might talk about mechanics they love or loathe, or recommend styles of play that they feel the game matches.

Finally, like Itch, DriveThru will let you know if you’ve already bought the game, and provide you with a download shortcut.

Publishing House Pages

Larger publishing houses typically have their ttrpg content sorted very nicely for you on their publisher pages, to help you find the things that you want. Modiphius is a great example, sorting Star Trek, Dune, Fallout, and their 2d20 games all in special categories.

Many publishers also have a Community Content section, which is great if you’re looking for assets, new adventures, hacks of a game system and some very reasonably priced (or even cheap) game additions. Similar to Itch, DriveThru has a Pay-What-You-Want feature for many games, although, unlike Itch, most PWYW titles require that you pay a non-zero amount.

Newsletters

When you create an account on DriveThruRPG, you can sign up for various different kinds of newsletters. Some come directly from DriveThru itself: this includes the Follow Your Favourites and Deal of the Day options, as well as weekly/monthly newsletters carrying information about new releases, special promotions, and (often) a free ttrpg product of the month.

However, on top of that, when you purchase a game or follow publishing pages, you can also get emails about new releases specific to those creators, as well as updates if a new version of a game you bought has been added. Often if it’s a game you already bought, this means you own the new version too - something that DriveThru has in common with Itch!

The Follow Your Favourites announcements will line up with whatever you’ve chosen to follow on the website. I’ve asked for updates about new Core Rulebooks, and I also get updates from the Onyx Path and a few other places where I found games I really liked. I also check the Deal of the Day offers fairly regularly; sometimes there are really really good deals offered and if it’s a game you know or like, then you don’t want to miss out on a sale!

Wishlists

DriveThru allows you to add games to wishlists to look at later, and even gives you the ability to sort your wishlists, although the process feels harder to look through than Itch does; I think it might be a UI issue.

However, because it acts like a wishlist, you can move games from the wishlist into your cart and vice versa, as well as move the games to another list. One really nice thing about the wishlist section is that DriveThru will alway show you when something you want is on sale, and how much it is normally - Itch does this too, but in this case, DriveThru is much easier to read!

I mostly sort my wishlists into Core Rulebooks and Supplements, because I don’t have nearly as many games bookmarked on DriveThru. If it exists on Itch, I store it on Itch - but there are plenty of other, “someday’ games, that I want to be able to find again in the future.

Your Library

DriveThruRPG has an app that you can download onto your computer or your phone, and it basically acts as a library that you can look through. In both the webpage and the app, you can sort your purchases alphabetically, from new to old, by publisher, by whether or not they were updated, and using similar categories as the search bar on the store front.

Free things can definitely be found here, even if they’re harder to look for. On DriveThru, most free products are things like character sheets, playtest games, or Quickstarts. However, some publishers do put up their stuff for free. Whenever I can get a Quickstart of something interesting, or if I find something being offered for free, I add it to my library. Free games are how I got started in ttrpgs, and QuickStarts are wonderful introductions to a system that usually give you a good idea of what the game is going to feel like.

Conclusion

Overall, DriveThruRPG is great for folks who like certain big publishing houses, and folks who like a good deal. I personally usually end up on the site because something in my emails caught my eye, which is the opposite of how I navigate Itch. DriveThru was my home base before I discovered Itch.io, so I still have a little fondness for the website, even if looking through it is a little bit of a slog.

One thing that might be a bit of an annoyance is that if you own something from a certain company, they might be able to send you a lot of emails for every sale and new product. If this becomes too much, you can choose to opt out from those publishers.

If you don’t want to have to actively engage with the website as much as say, Itch, DriveThru’s email system is also a big help. You can customize your subscriptions to match what you’re interested in, and then just check your emails once in a while to see what’s on offer. After a while you’ll also learn about yearly events, like the Summer Sale, which often provides big discounts on a lot of different games.

DriveThru is also a great place to start if you’re looking for print versions of games: I don’t know what shipping is like to places outside Canada, but I definitely appreciate that it’s an option, and sometimes all you need to do is find a game or publisher - once you know that it exists, you can google that publisher, check out their website, and figure out the best place to order from there.

#how to #drivethrurpg #mint speaks #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #indie ttrpg #there's a lot of stuff to wade through on both DriveThru and Itch #but the email updates certainly feel like the easiest way to customize your experience #DriveThru's sales also do a good job of promoting things that you might otherwise not see

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sgiandubh · 3 months ago

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Not all kilts are created equal, either

At the rate things are drastically mutating, as far as cons and fan events are concerned, it would seem the most democratic way to meet, greet and grab an autograph from S is to swallow even the most remote idea of self-esteem and join the crowds on that Sassenach Winter Tour. Beat the pavement with the huddled masses and wait for Ginger Jesus to wink encouragingly, as your knees give way and you melt into a puddle of fuzzy love for... Ahem... no, let's hope not, my quill got the better of my reason, on this one.

This will go on and on and on, until the Last Living Woman on Earth ever to have been touched by JAMMF's self-evident charm will stop writing idiocies like this one:

You would never be able to compare Glenmorangie and SS, just like you wouldn't do the same about S and Harrison Ford, excuse me. At least if you would like to keep some modicum of integrity, here.

I am sorry, Ford and Glenmorangie did not copy anything. They just used a beloved piece of garment, the kilt, to their advantage. The rugged (but sexy and ultimately interesting and kind) Highlander in a kilt was not invented by Diana Gabaldon, nor definitively embodied by Sam Roland Heughan.

'Erself explained many times over she could have chosen anything else (aliens immediately came to my sick mind, but perhaps not the best option, after all) when she first started writing that damned book. But an old Dr Who episode, featuring a Highlander named Jamie McCrimmon and then a punctual subplot detail in Eric Linklater's book Prince in the Heather, mentioning Clan Fraser's only survivor after Culloden sealed the deal. I did not invent these, even Wikipedia knows 😉. In doing so, she simply (and wisely profitably, it would seem) chose one of the most popular and intriguing cultural tropes - Scotland. The rest was easy enough, but never forget that on a different inspiration whim, we could be talking all the same about Jaime, the Impetuous Pirate of the Caribbean (Voyager trivia, anyone?) or even Jacques, the French fin-de-siècle gentleman thief. That she chose Scotland is our delight (I doubt Shipper Mom wouldn't have zapped over a pirate series, after all), and S's lifetime lucky strike, that's all.

Scotland has been immensely popular and fantasized about, from The Borders to the Kamchatka Peninsula, ever since Walter Scott published The Lay of the Last Minstrel, in 1805, to rousing success. And even more so, since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert first visited and fell in love with it, in 1842. All things Scottish, from the tartan to the sense of honor, never ceased to fascinate people all around the world. The Outlander universe is just one of Scotland's latest representations in popular culture and, forgive me for being blunt, not even the best known one.

And excuse me once more, men in kilts have been around ever since, too. John Brown, Victoria's morganatic spouse, included. For better, rather than for worse. My own mind doesn't have to travel very far just to immediately remember Sean Connery, but here is an updated list of celebrities who apparently think the kilt is fashionable as hell and tells a very interesting story of virility and fortitude: https://help.scottishkiltshop.com/hc/en-us/articles/18545441581069-How-Hollywood-Celebrities-Embrace-the-Kilt . It's pleasantly enough written and makes for quite an instructive, updated overview of what the kilt really means in popular culture and how it is being constantly used to ventilate above positive messages & values.

To write that Ford used Heughan's persona in that #ad is akin to uninformed blindness. To go even further and talk with confidence about associative marketing is adding insult to injury and proving the person does not have the remotest clue of what she is writing about.

To cut the story short, associative marketing is simply a sales' strategy directed to minority groups and/or fringe communities. A classic example is Tupperware selling its plastic tchotchkes to moms all around the world and by doing so, peddling the dream of gifting them extra time for themselves (finally!). In other words, the focus of the sales strategy is being mindful about a specific set of needs and priorities that must be addressed. You are selling a product alright, but you are selling it to a niche. Glenmorangie is the opposite of that, in fact: it is a worldwide known brand, appreciated and enjoyed, sometimes excessively, by men and women (and frat boys and girls), irrespective of age, cultural context (yes, even in Tehran!) or social status. I honestly fail to see where the associative marketing can be found in Glenmorangie's poster and would rather think of Sassenach Spirits' own strategy in those terms. Especially when you think again about those huddled masses beating the pavement in front of a non-descript liquor store, on Main Street, America (or Industrial Zone, America, to be more exact).

Oh, well, she probably wanted to say Glenmorangie is coat-tailing Norouzi's genius ideas, which would be disingenuous, if not ridiculous, above anything else. But it surely is my deepest, secret and probably naively altruistic wish for this cheap Sassenach Tour gimmick to be shelved aside, before things become truly, heartbreakingly pathetic.

Make no mistake. I am such a loyal idiot that I am still confident. But the clock is ticking, and not to their advantage. So, is that it, is this how things are going to happen, from now on: extortionate fan events and #silly bottle signing sessions?

What would JAMMF, aka Jamie Roy, the Edinburgh spirits' smuggler, think about all of this?

#fandom #shitshow #booze #business #marketing #sales #Sassenach Winter Tour 2025

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novlr · 1 month ago

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What are backlist titles, and why do they matter for authors? I keep hearing people talk about them, but I’m not totally sure what counts as a backlist book or why they’re such a big deal.

If you’re new to publishing, you might hear experienced authors talk about their “backlist,” but what exactly does that mean? Simply put, your backlist is made up of all the books you’ve previously published, as opposed to your newest releases or upcoming titles (aka your “frontlist).

Something that every author hears constantly in the world of marketing and advertising is, “The next book sells the last book.”

The logic behind this is absolutely valid. Every new book released is a chance to pick up new readers, gain a boost with sales platform algorithms, and build credibility with existing fans.

But while a lot of focus is placed on the next book, many authors miss the importance of their last book—and all the books they’ve written. In other words, their “backlist”.

An author’s complete bibliography, organized chronologically and with series listed in order, is an incredibly useful marketing tool. As an internationally-published author of over 40 titles, I’ve learned a lot over the years of how important backlist can be to book promotion if it’s something you already have.

Of course, if you’re a debut author or just starting your publishing journey, you won’t have a backlist yet, and that’s perfectly fine! Everyone starts with that first book. But understanding the power of a strong backlist can help shape your long-term publishing strategy and give you something to work toward as you continue writing and releasing new books.

The top five reasons backlist titles matter

1. It establishes credibility

Every new book you release shows readers that you are the sort of author who won’t leave them hanging for years waiting for a new release. If they’re interested in your genre, writing style or one of your series, they’ll be excited for each new book you publish.

But for new readers, your backlist is your most important source of author credibility. There’s concrete evidence of your skills as an author in the form of beautiful book covers, star ratings, user reviews, and social media posts from people who’ve loved it. They can also see how prolific you are and gauge your general release schedule based on past performance.

2. It gives readers options

As a fantasy author and reader, I am a huge fan of Brent Weeks’ Night Angel series, but when I read his Lightbringer series, I found it wasn’t for me. However, preferences aside, I still think of the author favorably because my enjoyment of one series outweighed my lack of enjoyment for the other.

That said, authors who write fiction or nonfiction, multiple genres, and/or series offer readers multiple entry points. It also allows them to shift tones all while creating a dedicated fanbase. Some readers are looking for consistency, while others want variety. Your backlist lets them pick and choose the flavor of fiction or non-fiction that appeals to their current reading mood.

3. It’s a great money-maker

In that saying, “the next book sells the last book”, the crucial word is sells!

If you choose to publish commercially, books are products. They are written to be sold the same way sweaters are knitted, shoes are cobbled, and food is jarred or canned. At the end of the day, each book is published with the intention of being read and making money.

Being an author is a career, one that’s intended to generate income. While it’s amazing to see a massive spike of income from the successful launch of a new book, the truth is that the bulk of an author’s income will—over time—come from their backlist.

Backlist titles that are successful will continue to sell for years after they are released.

R.A. Salvatore’s early Legends of Drizzt novels are an excellent example. Even though he’s released close to a hundred titles across multiple series, the one that keeps drawing new readers is the Drizzt series. Readers looking to begin the series start with the original book, Homeland, released three decades ago in 1990 and still creating income today.

4. It makes marketing and advertising easier

Your complete bibliography lets you experiment with marketing and advertising. Maybe you find that one title or series appeals more to the younger audience on Instagram and TikTok. An entirely different book will likely appeal to older readers who frequent Facebook or Twitter.

Your video and photo content will change from platform to platform, book to book, series to series. But allows you greater reach to create that coveted fanbase.

For example, my The Silent Champions series’ audience is largely men who enjoy military fantasy with large-scale battles and detailed troop movements. I generally target them on Reddit and Facebook. However, my Queen of Thieves series appeals far more to female readers and those looking for a more intimate, darker story — perfect for Instagram.

The whole point of creating a backlist (and especially a varied backlist) is to appeal to more readers, establishing a larger, more diverse, fanbase.

5. It keeps you in readers’ minds

As a reader, I fall in love with writing styles and storytelling skills. I always want to know more and binge-read everything my favorite authors have published. I may not love everything they’ve written, but after reading their complete bibliography, I feel l know them; their voice, worldview, thoughts and opinions. It’s this connection that keeps me coming back in the future.

Your brand new book may not appeal to every reader, but your backlist is what cements them as true fans. And not just of your work, but you, specifically.

To flip the saying around, “Your last books sell your next book.”

answered by Andy Peloquin

#writeblr #writing tips #publishing tips #book marketing #writing community #writing resources #writers #writing #creative writing #writers of tumblr #writerblr #writers on tumblr #ask novlr

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