WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”1: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Wanderer, what are you doing?! You have no idea the danger you court if you step away from the marked paths.
RIGHT NOW, you are off the path.
The bones of wanderers such as yourself are scattered like pebbles on these paths. If you are not careful, yours will join them!
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”2: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
[The Guardian stares at you and shakes her head. She says] “You shouldn’t be here…
“I mean… Seriously? Are you mad? You have no idea the danger —”
[She stops. Stares back over her shoulder, and then looks at you with fear apparent on her face]
Oh, no. Good luck.
<The Guardian steps quickly aside and a cloud of darkness in which only two eyes are visible moves into view. From inside the darkness, a voice growls…>
“I’m the Dungeon Master, and you do not wish to encounter ME again.
“No good dungeon master guides an adventure in sequential order, because from time to time we have to feed to dragons those folks who won’t listen, or drop them off of flying carpets, or throw them into lakes filled with piranhas.
“So we mix things up to weed out those who aren’t actually… playing.”
Very large, sharp, white teeth glitter from a suddenly enormous grin. Then vanish again.
“Do stop poking through and reading bits ahead of time. INCREDIBLY BAD things happen to folks who jump ahead before they have the necessary armor, tools, spells and, oh, yes… the Dungeon Master’s good will.”
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”3: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”4: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
- Half of dialogue is what people say
- Half of dialogue is how they say it
- And half of dialogue is how what they’re thinking and doing while they’re speaking doesn’t match
And if you’ve done the math and realized that doesn’t quite add up, welcome to the Magic of Dialogue. To write compelling, story-moving dialogue, you need to juggle not just the words coming out of your characters’ mouths, but the conflict coming out of everything they’re NOT saying.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Fascinating-Dialogue Casting.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”5: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
So it’s to be Flash Wizardry, is it? Tiny, delicious bites of yummy adventure, spun out within complete little worlds, with tight characterization, and a tasty surprise at the end?
I LOVE flash wizardry… And it’s excellent for both learning AND selling.
This is quite the adventure for a beginning Word Wizard.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll collection for your new Scroll of Fiction Magic in a FLASH. And begin your adventure right away.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”6: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You drop through the portal and fall onto a soft, lush green lawn of remarkably tall grass. Before you, right out in the open, stands a magnificent treasure chest of solid gold twice as tall as you. It’s covered in gemstones, and gleams in the sun.
You step toward it, and notice something that looks remarkably like a foot…
Only its the size of a bus. Cross-town, NOT VW.
Far, far above your head, something growls, “Fee, fie, fo, FUM…”
The Guardian says, “Imagine that. I always thought the Beanstalk was a fairy tale. I didn’t know it was a real world. And you discovered it!
“And now the giant has stepped on you. You’re going to have to develop some faster reflexes if you want to survive around here…” The Guardian leaves, giggling just a bit.
[You scrape yourself out of the dirt, grateful the giant had apparently just watered the bejeezus out of his lawn. You’re soggy, but at least you’re only bruised, not squished. You contemplate the wisdom of staying on the marked path.]
As you make your escape, the voice of the Guardian echoes after you. “I did warn you, didn’t I?”
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”7: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”8: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”9: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Welcome, Romantic Suspense Reader
As befits a bold and passionate soul like you, you’ll discover a mystery within a mystery waiting for you in your Magic Box of Scroll Collection. Along with hidden face, a secret disguise, and danger, passion, and some pretty spicy romance.
Check now in your Magic Box of Scroll Collecting for your Scroll of Romantic Suspense.
And read all the way to the bottom to discover two special invitations.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”10: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Ahh, a fellow Adventurer.
I’ve wandered the World-Rift Forest since before I could even read, and I will never leave it. It is the first and best home I have ever known, for even though it is full of danger, in its infinite variety it has allowed me to discover wonders I wished for, explore worlds beyond my physical reach, and understand people in ways I never could have othewise.
But of course, not all dangers and all adventures appeal to all adventurers.
So now, in your Magic Box of Scroll Collection, you must look for your Adventurer’s Scroll of Path-Naming, where you’ll be able to select the sorts of Adventurers you prefer.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”11: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Sometimes characters need to be SMOTE. Not smitten. SMOTE. Pounded flat by lightning, boulders, giant Thor Hammers, runaway busses.
Helps keep the other ones in line… But maybe that’s just me. Look for your Scroll of Character Wizardry in your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now.
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”12: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Really? You didn’t believe the Dungeon Master?
Okay.
Spot, bite off that wanderer’s left hand.
<Spot, the Guardian’s dragon, bites off your left hand>
Don’t say you weren’t warned.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”13: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”14: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Short fiction, while an art form in itself, is also the ideal form for quickly improving your plotting, characterization, and storytelling skills, and in learning to plan, create, finish, and revise work.
The Diligent Wordcaster can spin dozens of complete tales in the time you can summon up a finished novel.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Short Story Wordcasting.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”15: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”16: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”17: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Inside this forest awaits the gate to the infinite spread of Settled Space.
To ships and stations, terraformed worlds, tiny settlements, outposts, origami points.
To the flesh-and-blood humans, somewhat less human body modders, and not at all flesh-and-blood but decidedly human AIs who inhabit this far-future civilization.
You have chosen danger, friend, but if you bring your strength and courage, you will come through the other side armed with the tools and skills of one version of Someday Perhaps.
Check your email now for your Scroll of Science Fiction (I am aware of the anachronism, but the game demands the preservation of the worldbuilding, and the Dungeon Master is a stickler for that sort of thing.
When your scroll arrives, you will find two special invitations which you may accept or ignore.
Your Guardian.
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”18: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”19: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Welcome, Master Wizard of Wordcasting. You’re completing, revising, and publishing now, and getting paid for your creations. What remains?
- Revising your masterworks more efficiently, more perfectly — and just once per story.
- Building interconnecting fictional series works that build your magical brand.
- Building a sustainable, understandable career that allows you to create what you love as your life’s work.
- And growing a network of colleagues and allies who will make your load lighter and your life more enjoyable.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Wordcasting Mastery.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”20: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Three immense ogres look up from their dinner of barrel staves and crushed carriages, and one of them growls, “Fresh MEAT.”
All three stand and leap after you, and one manages to grab your cap from your head (though fortunately for you, not your head itself) before you squirm through a narrow space between two boulders, slide down into a ravine, and cower amidst piles of cracked, bleached bones and refuse.
Ogres have keen senses of smell, though, so you might want to skitter away from there before things get…
Worse.
Things can get MUCH worse.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”21: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Oh, Brave Wanderer! Welcome.
It’s been quite some time since once such as you has dared the depths of the forest.
Before you go on, let me warn you…
Stay on the path.
Touch only the numbered signposts that lead you from station to station, for horrors and pain such as you cannot imagine await if you fumble without direction through the infinite forest of worlds.
And check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Choosing — Who are you, Wanderer?
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”22: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Wizard, eh?
Blown up any assistants lately? (That’s a little wizarding joke: Personally, I’ve leveled whole planets, but it was on purpose. Mostly.)
Well, welcome. Your next step is to let me know what sort of wizard you are, because this is MY planet, and I have a vested interest in keeping the World-Rift Forest intact and beautiful. My dragon gets cranky when folks start wrecking THIS PLACE.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Wizard Levelling.
And I’ll get you right into the hottest water you can stand…
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”23: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”24: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
From good ideas on tight deadlines to writing strong beginnings and gripping middles and great endings consistently, to working with editors and agents, and artists, landing your ending, hitting your deadline, and connecting well with your readers…
The Art of Thinking Sideways will give you the skills you need to succeed your way in your publishing career.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Your Scroll of Sideways-Thinking Career Wizardry.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”25: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”26: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”27: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
And now you’re a newt. You will NOT get better.
But just in case you think things can’t get worse, they can.
Oh, they desperately, horribly can. I have SEEN what your Dungeon Master does when she gets really creative.
Just a thought.[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”28: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
In the Infinite Forest, the tangled web we weave is everything. Well… not everything, but plotting our Wordcasting keeps our audience spellbound.
And discovering HOW to cast your plots is must less difficult than you imagine.
Check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Fiendishly Clever Plotting.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”29: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”30: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”31: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You always need to have a professional cover, compelling copy, and a GREAT title on your book.
But budgets don’t care a bit about what you need. If you’re constrained by a budget, you CAN learn to create AND TEST titles, covers, and copy that will help you reach readers, rather than turning them away.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Your Scroll of Budget Cover Wizardry You can do this.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”32: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Hello, beginning wanderer. This is your safe and friendly test path. NOTHING awful happens to you when you open THIS portal. Nothing good happens either. This is the portal with the safety rails and no monsters.
It is the ONLY such portal.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”33: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
With an abrupt KER-thud, a new portal opens and you drop into utter darkness. You hear an intake of breath, and then something very close to you whispers, “Lenny, is that you?”
Thinking that it might be safer to be Lenny than to NOT be Lenny, you say, “Yeah.”
“GET HIM!” the voice yells, and you are instantly covered by swarming, biting things tear chunks from your hide.
With Herculean effort, you leap straight up toward the closing portal and are flung back through it to your previous safe zone…
But you are missing a few bits and pieces of yourself.
The Guardian gives you a long, thoughtful look, but says nothing.
[You can go back to your previous saved point and try sticking more closely to the safer paths…]
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”34: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Sometimes you just want to wave a magic wand over your latest first-draft fictional creation and turn it into a chicken — so that at least you could cook it and eat it.
But before your start digging through arcane tomes searching for the Paper-To-Chicken Five-Step-Zap (when you see the ingredients list, you’ll realize it’s cheaper to buy a chicken farm), relax. Once-and-done revision is a learnable skill, and while the first time through is… well, challenging… you CAN do this.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Novel Revision Mastery And breathe. It’s gonna be okay.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”35: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
So… you have discovered that into every life some rain must fall, and into SOME lives, you’re neck-high in flood water before you know what happened.
Wizardry can fix a lot of things, but sometimes you simply need simple, practical steps for getting to high ground in one piece. This… is THAT.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Wizard’s Scroll of Fixes.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”36: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”37: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Oh, MAN! Really?! I was sure YOU were tough enough to do this!
Well, if you start feeling a little braver, you know where to find me.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”38: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”39: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
The world changes the instant your character steps into a supermarket, or a bazaar, or a thieves’ den, or a street fair. Each different way of acquiring goods suggests a different culture, a different clientele, a different way of moving through your story’s world.
And a well-crafted Spell of Culture immerses your audience in your story, creates BELIEF in the reality of your enchantment, creates stronger and better conflicts for your characters, and makes them MATTER far beyond the page you’re writing at the moment.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Extraordinary Cultures.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”40: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”41: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You walk into darkness… and nothing happens. That’s a scene, but it’s a bad one.
You step into radiant sunlight, and a giant eagle flies down, grabs you by the shoulders, and drags you into the air… And with that, you’ve set a scene that the reader is much more likely to keep reading.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Wizardly Scene-Craft.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”42: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”43: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You’re willing to be a Writing Class canary? Amazing!
If you get your application in quickly and are chosen, you’ll get all the bugs you can eat. And some nice things from the Dungeon Master.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Canary Confirmation. And then watch for messages from the Dungeon Master that include the header tag [CANARY].
And thank you!
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”44: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You drop through a hole in space-time right into the coils of a giant serpent that is sunning itself on a rock.
The serpent promptly eats you.
After a horrible trip through its digestive system, which you only barely survive, you are squeezed out the other end, definitely the worse for wear.
The Path. The Path. Remember your numbers and stay on the PATH!
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”45: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Welcome, welcome, apprentice Town Crier!
Your adventure begins with a gathering of information demanded by the Official Obnoxious Guild of Tax-Absconding Demons. It is a little-known fact that ALL Wanderers who find treasure must pay their tithe to OOGTAD, and that the nosy little demons get personal.
No matter what they tell you, leave your clothes on. That is absolutely, POSITIVELY NOT a part of their legitimate investigations. But you must be at least 18 years of age to be a Town Crier, because we don’t let children anywhere near OOGTAD.
OOGTAD representatives have been heard exchanging recipes for things like Roasted Stuffed Buttered Child.
The first step on your path is to check now in your Magic Box of Scroll Collection for your Official Town Criers Guild Scroll.
Follow the instructions on your scroll, saving the Next Step link at the very bottom of your scroll until you’ve finished dealing with the OOGTAD creatures.
And… Thank you. Seriously. From both me and the Dungeon Master. You cannot imagine what a difference your help makes.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”46: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”47: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”48: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”49: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”50: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
To write happily and well over long periods of time (the Dungeon Master has been at this for more than thirty years at this point), you need to develop a rhythm, learn to relax, discover how to get input from both sides of your brain, and in other ways connect with your words not as obstacles to be beaten into submission…
But as to friends who will show up when you need their help. And that’s what Finding Your Fiction Mojo is about. Learning to relax, trust yourself, breathe effortlessly, go with the flow.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Writing Mojo.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”51: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”52: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”53: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”54: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”55: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You have chosen the Adventurer’s Path of Fantasy, and now will face villages whose hearts hold forgotten spells, and cities so thick with magic it clouds the air and curls your hair.
In your Magic Box of Scroll collection, you should — in just a moment or two — find your Roadmap to the Realm of Fantasy.
And at the bottom of your Roadmap scroll, you will find two small invitations from the Dungeon Master, which you may choose to accept or ignore at your pleasure.
You may also choose to add other Adventuring paths to your quest, but if you do, the Dungeon Master recommends that you wait a few days, or even a week before doing so, to prevent your Magic Box of Scroll Collection from overflowing.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”56: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
…And then, oh questing wizard, there are Worlds. And you might say, “My fiction requires no world.”
But even if your characters spend every moment of their lives from birth to death in a single room, still that room is a complete world within itself. Worlds need not be immense. They can be tiny, and perfectly complete. Like culture, you cannot write a story without one, and if you know your world well, it creates for you conflicts that feed your characters, and gives them stories that will captivate your readers.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of World Summoning.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”57: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”58: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”59: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Writing voice is writing choice. The more fluent you become in writing in first person, third person, omniscient; the more you can step inside situations as if you were a stranger, the more quickly you can think and write in other voices…
The more fully you will be able to make your characters breathe like real people and command your stories to stand and walk. Command of Voice is a critical intermediate spell that all would-be wizards must master. And the most efficient way to master it is to practice — perfectly, with exercises designed to get out of your way while guiding you to the objectives of speed, precision, and fluid grace.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Fictional Voice Mastery.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”60: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”61: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”62: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”63: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Languages are their own special kind of magic, but tossing random letters onto a page and hoping these letters will convince a reader he has stepped into a foreign place does not work.
The thing is, though, creating a language, or even just some special slang for your story, will add depth and richness… and even places where you can twist your plot. And doing this is fast, and fun, and really cool.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Mystic Words and Ideas..
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”64: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
The gate to this world has not yet opened…
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”65: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”66: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Welcome to the Creative Group
You will from time to time receive an invitation to offer your experience or opinion in answer to various profound, compelling, strange, or simply silly questions.
You may reply only to those that interest you. And you will always receive a copy of the strange creation that comes into existence because of your contribution and the contributions of others both like and unlike you.
Also … The Dungeon Master says thanks… and if by any chance you’re missing a hand or have been turned into a newt while wandering around in here, she casts the spell that returns you to your normal form. You are once again made whole and human (assuming you were both to begin with).
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”67: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You yearn to stride though a domain that is yours alone, to spin a hundred adventures within its fascinating and tumultuous lands, but you have seen other wizards blow themselves to smithereens attempting the difficult Master-Level Spell of Long-Running Series.
And ending up as Browned and Toasty Wizard Bits on the side of the neighbor’s castle didn’t look entirely pleasant. Never fear. There are ways to cast this Master Spell and keep your hide uncooked.
Check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Bits-Free Series Wordcasting.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”68: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”69: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Snicker…
Caught you looking…
But since you’re here, a little ditty…
Sailors are mad about mermaids,
I really can’t understand why…
They’re not enough woman to make love to,
And not enough fish to fry.
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”70: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”71: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Somewhere between spineless wimps who turn into unlikable “sorta good guys” at the first hint of conflict, and mustache-twirling black-clad cackling monsters who eat babies for breakfast there awaits the right villain for YOUR story’s needs. Someone who lives, breathes, does bad things for compelling reasons…
Scares the whiskers off your cat, and maybe you, too. A SCARY TRUTH ABOUT VILLAINS: A story is only ever as strong as the strongest bad guy your hero has to overcome.
So check your Magic Box of Scroll Collection now for your Scroll of Believable Villainy.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”72: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You have chosen to warm up your skills on the Basic Writer path. Very wise.
You lose far fewer fingers that way, and if you keep up with your Wordcasting practice, will start seeing rapid improvement in your core skills.
As your Guardian in this tricky part of the Infinite Forest, I suggest that you take your time here, and pursue just one path at a time, rather than leaping into all of them at once.
You’ll find that if you move step by step through just one part of the adventure, all the way to its completion, what you discover will make the NEXT Basic path you follow easier and more enjoyable.
Happy Traveling!
In your Magic Box of Scroll Collection, look for your Compendium of Basic Wizarding Skills now.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”73: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”74: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”75: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
You have begun at the beginning, with the Beginning Wordcaster’s Tour of Basic Wording.
When you return to your Magic Box of Scroll Collection, you will find the following scroll, written in the language of Wizards: Welcome to the Beginning Writer’s Tour.
Every seventh day for nine weeks, you will receive a new scroll in the tour, and will build a strong foundation for your future adventures in Wordcrafting.
Welcome to Word Wizardry 101.
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”76: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”77: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Intermediate Wizardry? A daring and exciting choice! Welcome, seasoned writer to the steeper and more rugged paths that wander through the Infinite Forest.
In your Magic Box of Scroll Collection, look now for your Compendium of Intermediate Wizarding Skills. And… Have courage! You can do this!
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”78: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”79: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]
Welcome, welcome, O kind and skilled Bug Hunter. The Dungeon Master is not the fastest writer on the planet, so there will sometimes be long periods between bug-hunts. But if you read in the genre of the bug-hunt that comes up, you will receive an invitation.
And thank you. Good bug-hunters make for MUCH better books.
[/spoiler]
WARNING: Do not wander from your path. Do not poke, do not peek. Nightmares wait where you would step, and if you go where you should not… we are not liable for what will certainly be a series of increasingly unfortunate results.
[spoiler title=”80: The Guardian Says: Click this bar. This is the next step in YOUR adventure…”]The gate to this world has not yet opened…[/spoiler]
