Richard Nell

Announcement time: I'm launching a book today. It's under a pen name, and it's Litrpg/Haremlit, which means it's action-packed with video game stats and has sex scenes with wide open doors. It's awesome, and you will be entertained. Link is in the replies. But yeah...if you've been wondering what the hell I've been doing the last 2 years, besides being old and cantankerous...well. I didn't just write one book. I wrote ten books. Something like 800,000 words. And I'm working on number 11. So, if you like this book, prepare your eyeballs for more. There will be a new book in the series released literally every 2 months for the next...2 years. Take that, Brando. Now back to work...

@CosmicSkeptic Your error is assuming the final claim of the 'dad denier'. You may have a dad, but there is no good evidence it is the Italian or French man (call those 'religions') the others have invented. The only reasonable answer is to use the evidence you have, and go find Dad.

I’m getting a lot of hate for this reel. What do you think? (P.S.: if you say “but we have evidence for dads I believe you have missed the point.)

I made a video highlighting 5 *underrated* modern fantasy series. Includes series by: @PCQuaintrell @decastell @rnell2 . Check it out! (if you want to): youtu.be/xhntfPcxtqc

@Devon_Eriksen_ One day at a time, sir.

Getting easier to get my thousand a day again.

@andrewgillsmith Christ these people are tedious. I myself was forced to put down Children of Time because I could not relate to being a spider.

I hate that I even have to make this post. Another book is about to be eliminated from an indie competition I love (SFINCS) because the judges admit to being incapable of tolerating a sci-fi story that features religious characters who aren't caricatures. The reviewer praised the book's prose and plotting, then spent the rest of the review announcing her personal aversion to religion, which, apparently renders her incapable of judging a story on its merits. Nevermind the fact that the book is about the dangers of messianic fanaticism (wasn't there a beloved sci-fi classic that did that?) or that the "religion" in question is never specified. Nevermind that there isn't so much as a whiff of proselytizing in it. The mere presence of religious characters who don't *announce on the page that they are stand-ins for criticism of religion as an institution* was enough to give this reviewer a case of the ickies.

@SashSoulsmith @Devon_Eriksen_ Points accepted.

In attack of artists: You don't have to be empathetic to be a great artist, generally - imagine all the people making great music loved by millions of all different backgrounds who are utterly incapable of empathy. But they're good at expressing strong emotion. However you do need empathy for a story, because unless your writing prowess lies in banger tweets only, you'll have to do more than express a strong emotion. That said, I imagine more people can do this than you give humanity credit for. Even some sociopaths are great empaths, in the strict sense. They just don't feel sympathy as they premeditate something they know will make you miserable.

Why Wokies Can't Write Did you ever wonder why wokies can't write good fiction? No, it's not just because they insist on making every story a soapbox to deliver a lecture from. They do that, but it's covering up a far deeper problem. That's why they write stories that suck even when they are compelled to stop preaching for five minutes by the threat of immanent bankruptcy. Even when they try to write a story that's just a story, they're no good at it, because they lack the one most critical skill that a fiction author must have. Empathy. Yeah, you read that correctly. Wokies lack empathy. Yes, they say they have loads of it, they berate the chuds for lacking it, they talk about it constantly. But wokies are actually defined by their lack of empathy. Lacking empathy is the very thing that makes them wokies. And they are blind to this fact because they don't know what empathy really is. They think it means being nice to people or having sympathy for them or thinking well of them. But it means none of these things. Empathy means the ability to understand someone else's point of view. Doesn't mean you like him. Doesn't mean you trust him. Doesn't mean you want to invite him to your country or let him babysit your kids. Doesn't mean you want to excuse his crimes. It just means you know what he's thinking, how he feels, and why he does what he does. Wokies are wokies because they have little or no empathy. They don't understand other people. They only understand themselves. When they try to understand other people, they do so by assuming that everyone is like them. If they are nice, sweet, good-natured people, they will assume that George Floyd was just like them, and he only robbed people because he wasn't given enough money or hugs. If they are sociopathic thugs like George Floyd, they will assume that middle class professional are just like them, and the only reason they don't rob banks is because they are too scared to take the risk. But whoever they are, this is why they subscribe to blank-slatist theories of human nature. This is why they say dumb things like "there is only one race, the human race", when they would never say there are no dog breeds. This is why they want to invite Pushtun tribesmen to their nice middle class American neighborhoods and expect them to fit in. It's why they want to hug serial murderers and forgive them instead of hanging them from the nearest oak tree. It's why they insist every show on television has to include a character who looks and talks exactly like them. Because they can't identify with anyone who doesn't. It's why when they adapt, for TV, the story of a fantasy-world hedge knight, written by someone who actually read some medieval history, it's full of irrelevant brown people, childhood backstory inserts, saxophone soundtrack music, and snarky millenial dialogue. It's why when they have to write their own stories, they write snarky dialogue about minor Chinese-American intergenerational trauma that they have because their parents lacked empathy, too. This shit is fascinating to them, and they can't even conceive of the very obvious fact that everyone else in the room is stifling a yawn. And it's not just why they can't come up with interesting stories, it's also why they can't actually write. Empathy is the primary skill of a fiction writer, because every moment that you are actually sitting at your desk, banging away on your keyboard, trying to write something compelling about a fictional guy in a fictional situation, what you have to do is empathize in two directions at once. You must empathize with the character, who is a bit like you but not completely, to understand and convey what he's thinking, what it feels like for him to be where he is, and what he's likely to do. And you must simultaneously empathize with the reader, who is a bit like you but not completely, and isn't there for you to observe, so you can present all of the above in a way that's interesting to him. And wokies can't do either one, because they have no empathy, and can only understand themselves. So they write stories about carbon copies of themselves, for carbon copies of themselves. And no one is interested except carbon copies of themselves. Which is why even wokies don't consume wokie stories at anything like the rate that chuds read chud stories. Because wokies are not actually all the same except in their lack of empathy. They just think they are. So they get served stories that they ideologically approve of, and will write a social media post in support of, but they don't really follow those stories too much, because they're actually not that into it. After all, even if you choose to write a self-insert character, you still need the empathy to make that character interesting to someone who isn't a self-insert reader. Good authors can write stories about characters and situations that all compelling for people who like those characters and situations. Great authors can write characters who are understandable and interesting to readers who are totally different from both author and character. Wokies can only barely manage to entertain clones of themselves.

@GS3rdleg @Devon_Eriksen_ Appreciate it. And we have already arrived. First Texas, now in Virginia. An incredible country.

@rnell2 @Devon_Eriksen_ Hope you make it to America, good sir. A man like you is more than welcome in my country anytime

Those of us who lived next to them always knew. I once heard a left-leaning comedian say that nations have a character like individuals, and that America was like a testosterone-driven thirteen year old boy, and Canada like a smart, educated forty year old woman. I think this comparison was more apt than he knew. Because it precisely describes both the surface appearance AND the way that appearance falls apart when you look more closely, and discover that the thirteen year old boy rebuilds classic hot rod engines in his dad's garage, and just took the GED because high school is boring, and that the forty year old woman is, in fact, educated in some form of grievance studies, and is an insufferable self-righteous Karen, complete with that haircut. Naturally, these generalizations only stretch so far, but they kinda work, and one of the reasons for that is that Canada has a serious problem with its political philosophy and basic sense of identity. Canada has been defining itself as "We Are Not America". And gradually, any other aspects of Canadian-ness have been trimmed away, in the service of being Not American. Because Americans are exclusive, and insist on our own culture, therefore Canadians must be culture-neutral, and welcoming, and insist on nothing save being Not American. A fact which they remind Americans of without cease, whenever they can get our attention. It seems to be their favorite topic, or at least their favorite topic to talk to us about. But you can't base your group identity on a negation. Negations give you nothing to bind you together. It's why atheists don't have church communities. "Canadian" is ceasing to be a thing, or at least a thing that matters, even to Canadians, because Not American simply isn't enough. Nations need something to stand for. What does it mean to be Canadian, now? I'm sure that I will hear some answers, and not all of them will be trivial things like Tim Horton's, poutine, or ice hockey. And I'm sure these answers will be very good at distinguishing them from America (because they are Not America), but... will those answers distinguish them from Belgium? From Australia? From Iceland? What defines a Canadian? This question is especially relevant now, when Canada's political class seems determined to welcome infinite numbers of people who share no values whatsoever with the natives. Is there something? Can someone help me out here? Because if your only mission in life is not to be your obnoxious neighbor Steve, with his giant pickup truck and his noisy house parties, then how could you possibly avoid becoming just a bit more sanctimonious every day?

@JeremyScott_ @Devon_Eriksen_ I've been here with the wife and kids several years now. Spent a few in West Texas, which honestly kind of renewed my spirit. But we wanted to see more of this giant country and are now in Virginia. Absolutely beautiful place.

@rnell2 @Devon_Eriksen_ Well said. Your post articulated something far better than I have managed recently. I've been in BC most of my life and there is a very insular feeling to each of the communities I've lived in, lots of 'nice', but none where it counts. What area of the US are you heading to?

@GadSaad Hurray! Doing that audio is a real slog. You really learn to appreciate the actors/voice narrators haha.

Day 2 of narrating Suicidal Empathy is in the books.

@GadSaad Congratulations, Prof Saad! I look forward to admiring your dulcet tones with the audio.

@GadSaad @vsuresh74 @HarperCollins Unfortunately this is the new reality of publishing. Most writers have stopped returning fan email as well due to AI inspired phishing. I'm sure the new 'AI revolution' will do good things, but at the moment all I'm seeing is AI 'slop' invade everything.

@vsuresh74 @HarperCollins It appears to be an AI-generated book that takes all of my terms, concepts, and ideas without any attribution, and tries to ride my coattail. It is unconscionable. While this is regrettably to be expected, I have a hard time accepting such a reality.

The flap copy for Suicidal Empathy has been released. As has the subtitle (Dying to be Kind). Earlier today, the front cover was set. Pre-orders should be available soon!

@historyinmemes No matter how tough and competent you think such people are to survive in this, you have underestimated them...

What it really takes to survive -40°C temperatures

@BrentWeeks I don't know if this makes it better or worse, but this is the 'new thing' - they are the same old scammer, now using AI to personalize. A lot of writers are getting these (myself included).

Got a lovely fan email the other day that showed deep familiarity with my work and love for my characters. Then she delicately asked if I'd like to buy (fake) book reviews from her "community of reviewers". Kinda broke my heart.

@ScottAdamsSays Immunity? No. Resistance? Seems like yes. The decision to not take the shot (by a rational person) was a simple risk calculation. 1) Rushed vaccine by untrustworthy govts amped up by untrustworthy media VS 2) new disease (amped up by untrustworthy etc).

@Andrewnsnyder When it comes to art, I often say: there is what you try to make, what you think you made, and what other people think you made. These are rarely the same thing.

George Lucas doesn’t understand the significance of his own movies. The original trilogy is about Luke Skywalker’s ascension to heroism by descending into the underworld to rescue his father. It’s not a defense of commie terrorists.

To celebrate @JannyWurts’s amazing reviews for BOTH books of Obsidian, the series is ON SALE until the sale streak ends. Grab your copies of this 5x INDIE INK AWARDS WINNER & multiple book bloggers’ BOOK OF THE YEAR series now before they go back up to $12. Link & full review below:

Hello. I've written another Gunmetal Gods book, but this time it's a standalone horror fantasy prequel. Oh, and here is the cover.

@ItIsHoeMath This is basically the problem with modern stories. We always blame the artists, but...I'm a fiction writer. And I can take 2 years to write a great book, or I can take 1 month to write 'slop'. People pay me the same for both. The 'slop' even sells easier!

I really need to stop making high-quality videos. They take forever and they don't pay like the quick slop. THE INTERNET IS SLOP BECAUSE PEOPLE LOVE SLOP. MY AUDIENCE IS BEGGING FOR SLOP

@thevivafrei Absolute natural talent, sir!

For anyone who wasn’t impressed with me at 10 to 15 yards… This is at 50 yards!