Agonizing over 2 story concepts

[ThrillingHuman]

The second one is further from most people's experience (...I assume),

as a witch... actually, forget it

 

[Succubiome]

This is a huge revelation for me what the hell
So SH allows it as long as the story doesn't glorify it or something? That's actually nuts

I think there's some that kinda glorify it inside the fiction, given their synopses-- but I haven't really read them, so several grains of salt. Also, that might just be they are breaking the rules but no one has complained, and it's not like Tony is reading every word of every novel (...I assume.)

 

[ThrillingHuman]

not like Tony is reading every word of every novel (...I assume.)

as a witch... actually, let's forget it too

 

[Tyranomaster]

If you really, actually, for real, want to watch numbers go up and not just be playing a lottery, you need more than these two basic premises. Write a basic outline for volume 1-x. Make sure that your story can actually go somewhere. I can't even begin to count how many stories I've dropped after a few chapters because the premise was interesting and then was poorly utilized.

 

[StaleRice]

If you really, actually, for real, want to watch numbers go up and not just be playing a lottery, you need more than these two basic premises. Write a basic outline for volume 1-x. Make sure that your story can actually go somewhere. I can't even begin to count how many stories I've dropped after a few chapters because the premise was interesting and then was poorly utilized.

So true
Well, what I usually do is make a literal map and write out every possible actor/faction's interests on it, then figure out background events, the major characters, and then write the story. Sometimes skipping one or two steps depending on how long the script is going to be.
Basically its good to make sure that something is always going on, not as in villain of the week plots, but a cohesive path from point A to B, C, D and E that makes sense and is done by someone with traceable agency. Ideally, the protagonist would initiate at least a third of these.

People can pretty much tell when the author is making stuff up on the spot i think

 

[BearlyAlive]

I'd personally love the first one on the basis that there are alarmingly few non-harem place-building novels. This is strange since you could literally go full Habsburg with it and write a whole dynasty of characters and pairings, but I suppose most readers on SH can't feel anything for characters they can't self-insert, so I don't believe it would be popular unless all generations of MC are more or less the same...

The second one has more hit potential because of its darker elements (and tentacles, there's always a market for tentacles!), more action, and a seemingly simple premise of "Monster go down tunnel, numbers go brrrrrr"

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

As long it's no loli and no rape, it's actually okay. And please make MC Mary Sue or Gary Stu, as there's always a room for them.

International English reader didn't have room for any sign of loser or pushover weak character (even if they're not), unless the character willingly getting pushed to the bed to fulfill their masochist urge fetish, which means go ahead.

 

[Onehand_Writer]

2 sounds infinitely more varied for smut. Tentacle faced mind-flayer would be a fun harem protag. Could be a total riot.

1 sounds like something that might have wider audience pulled if off well, but the premise has less instant attention grab potential.

 

[melchi]

Honestly, imo, the meta is any of the big three, and isekai is already one of those.

If you want to write smut, go ahead, but it is by no means required to do well.

The first story would do better.

I agree with this mind flayers are hard to write because they are so non human, almost a hive mind.

 

[Corty]

This is a huge revelation for me what the hell
So SH allows it as long as the story doesn't glorify it or something? That's actually nuts

Just don't go promoting it as something good and praiseworthy in real life. That is when it goes to the no-no section and gets you into trouble. Just think how many works have it in, even best sellers and well known books. Problems arise when you can tell the author tries to promote it as something that should happen for real.

 

[StaleRice]

I agree with this mind flayers are hard to write because they are so non human, almost a hive mind.

its actually ILLEGAL to include ANY Wizards of the Coast original content in your projects. I'm not sure if non-commercial projects are allowed, but thats how it is. WOTC have rights to that name (Mindflayer, Illithid) and the concept as described in Dungeons & Dragons and related WOTC products.

Now, what you can do, is simply subvert the concept and make it different. Then, pick a different name, like Brain-eaters as in Overlord, and you're good. In my case, I want to make these creatures more along the lines of Lovecraft's extended universe lore, as a sort of emissary or priest race for a spooky eldritch deity. And the way their mind powers would work in this specific concept, would prevent them from connecting their brains completely

 

[Cipiteca396]

I'd consider reading 2. 1 isn't bad, but the premise sounds very boring. You'd need a very strong hook to generate interest, and a hell of a lot of good advertising.

Also-

Content Guidelines | Scribble Hub

www.scribblehub.com

There's always a chance that a work violates the rules and simply hasn't been reported so if you see something like that, go ahead and report it. As long as you aren't doing it to harass people, there's no harm.

 

[melchi]

its actually ILLEGAL to include ANY Wizards of the Coast original content in your projects. I'm not sure if non-commercial projects are allowed, but thats how it is. WOTC have rights to that name (Mindflayer, Illithid) and the concept as described in Dungeons & Dragons and related WOTC products.

Now, what you can do, is simply subvert the concept and make it different. Then, pick a different name, like Brain-eaters as in Overlord, and you're good. In my case, I want to make these creatures more along the lines of Lovecraft's extended universe lore, as a sort of emissary or priest race for a spooky eldritch deity. And the way their mind powers would work in this specific concept, would prevent them from connecting their brains completely

Is it a psionic entity or an eldritch one? One of the reasons illithids pop so well is that they are well defined as psionic entities. Stuff that is too much of a mish mash tends to come across as meh to readers.

Like in one ra Salvatore book drizzt goes to a illithids settlement and it is a bunch of them forcing dark elves to massage a giant brain. In ravenloft, one of the realms is just a big cavern system with a giant brain controlling everything. The thing that makes them pop is going all in on psionics and showing it. That is all I was thinking.

 

[Maldrasen]

I mean, that is something to consider if you're considering selling it on Amazon one day or something, which is the big ebook place these days? Including rape in a smut story is absolutely against the rules there.

Well... I don't know about that. Stuart Grosse's books (Lewd Dungeon, Dark Fate) both explicitly include rape, so it must be allowed in some instances. But then I think that if it's only in a book, then everything should be allowed.

How far would you say the whole mind flaying thing should go, in this concept? Im sure things like mind control or body alteration, or full on body horror

In my personal opinion? Go as far as you're comfortable with. I'm a big fan of full on body horror and mind control myself, but then I require a high degree of perversion in anything I read, so my opinion is far from the norm of the average reader. Really, you should write whatever you like, the kind of thing that you want to read.

Don't worry so much about getting a lot of views and likes. In general what most people like is trash, but personally I would rather not write trash.

(Sorry, I spent so long replying that a dozen more people commented after all this)

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Give the married couple a kid, and I'll tell you about how to breastfeed it and how elimination communication is supposed to work in a world without diapers and all kind of other cool things.

 

[Succubiome]

Well... I don't know about that. Stuart Grosse's books (Lewd Dungeon, Dark Fate) both explicitly include rape, so it must be allowed in some instances. But then I think that if it's only in a book, then everything should be allowed.

From what I've read, re: Amazon: if you're writing a larger book, you can get away with more in sex scenes if they're a minority of the content-- doubly so if you're a famous author.

If you're writing sex-focused stuff, you should be really careful to follow their rules that are specifically for smut-- especially if you're not a famous author.

 

[WeissBlatt]

2nd obviously. I mean, a villager fucking his wife is objectively more boring that mindflayer fucking a demon cow.

Until you go full circle and start consuming vanilla porn with a psycho grin on your face.

 

[StaleRice]

Is it a psionic entity or an eldritch one? One of the reasons illithids pop so well is that they are well defined as psionic entities. Stuff that is too much of a mish mash tends to come across as meh to readers.

Like in one ra Salvatore book drizzt goes to a illithids settlement and it is a bunch of them forcing dark elves to massage a giant brain. In ravenloft, one of the realms is just a big cavern system with a giant brain controlling everything. The thing that makes them pop is going all in on psionics and showing it. That is all I was thinking.

Thinking about these in hard categories is counterproductive imo.
"Eldritch" is a descriptor relating to things like visual style, comprehensibility, etc. And if you dig deeper a specific story and a quality of resembling certain fictional creatures/things. This is just great when done properly, and adds flavor to any supernatural thing.
"Psionic" is just shorthand for any mind powers. Psychokinsesis, mind control, etc. It means something completely different academically tho https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psionics
In my case, I would give them powers mostly related to suggestion and literally controlling consciousness, in a more anatomical than abstract sense. Sort of like how squid and cuttlefish hypnotize fish and shrimp. So, you meet a spooky scary squid man, he points a finger at your forehead, and you smell mint and pass out.

Give the married couple a kid, and I'll tell you about how to breastfeed it and how elimination communication is supposed to work in a world without diapers and all kind of other cool things.

One of the least terrifying posts from this account
Maybe tho maybe