Andrew Moore's Blog, page 40

Addendum

It's the sword, but don't let that stop you from dressing up the other option. That's the core of fiction.

The Difference Between Intelligent Swords and Intelligent Armor That Sounds Like Your Parents

The sword wants more blood while the armor wants more grandkids. Which is the more terrifying?

Turning Your Series Around

Instead of calling your show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 3, call it Rings of Wisdom and Rings of Courage, and also put out a breakfast cereal based on it. People don't have to watch your show, but they do have to eat.

Activating Intelligent Armor That Sounds Like Your Parents

If in a science fiction setting, there's a good chance the main character will need to do some cat's cradle to get it working. To prevent your main character from looking like someone who plays cat's cradle, supply him with an assistant of some sort, whether a sibling or a straitlaced military officer who will delight by the contrast.

You Can Never Step in the Same Trend Twice

Obsolete: Non-horse riding animals
On the beat: Intelligent armor that sounds like your parents

Addressing an Earlier Topic

"Punch" kind of sounds like a punch as it is. I don't think we need to be gilding the lily here.

Necessity Is the Pretense for Invention

Professor D'Aramitz struggled to suppress his regret as he examined the diagnostics, an impossible task. Conceding for once to his feelings, he tilted back in his chair and looked at nothing in particular.
"I have finally constructed a robot capable of conquering our planet which is in such need of a masterful hand." Finally he looked at something: A titan of steel in its dock, a hundred cables affixed to it, bearing an attitude, it seemed to him, of the champion athlete eager to put the physical examination behind him and return to competition. "But it is not quite ethical, is it, to bring civilians into it, and that, my poor creation soon to be neglected, would be an inevitability. Without an excuse to deploy you, the world will never know your matchless power."
The professor wandered about his hidden facilities for a time, picking up this readout before throwing it down and settling down at that terminal, staring at the screen, and rising again. There was nothing to do, he convinced himself, but surrender the rest of the day to idleness, unless he was willing to begin the decommission process. He returned aboveground and abandoned his attention to the TV.
". . . Confirmation is coming in now that the destruction is in fact caused by alien invaders . . ."
The TV turned off again. Professor D'Aramitz stood. He stretched both arms, leaned back a little, and yelled, "Hurrah for unending strife!"
Finis

Kapow!

Wait a minute. I'm not sure punches sound like that at all!

Appealing to Different Markets

Suppose you have a game called Country of Dragons, and you want to sell it in English-speaking nations. A little research will show you the English don't care for either dragons or countries. They like empire, tea, and guardians, so call it Guardians of Azuma. Many overlook this important step in releasing your product.

What Fantasy MUST Keep in Mind About Science Fiction

The ancient super-civilization doesn't have to be us. You can just have double magic instead of having someone examine an object that's some kind of tube with a handle. I'm not saying don't do that. This is just a reminder to consider your options.