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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 1706606" data-attributes="member: 63">Most novels tend toward 400 words per page, so it's still definitely under 250 pages.  As far as having blooded characters, it's my belief that WotC isn't going to be picky about what you use from the setting now, as long as you use stuff from the setting.  This will be one of the first stories set in the world, so nothing's cliche yet.  As Scribe Ineti said, just use what's good for your story, and make it make sense.They did say to make sure the story is in Eberron, not something generic, so while I do think that a lot of people will latch onto the "you can't do that" parts of the world, they're not off-limit now.  Just like how in Daemonforge you weren't supposed to try to open the Gates of Dawn and Dusk, but both me and the other guy had that as our plots, well, in Eberron, I'm sure you're gonna get a lot of submissions with people going to Dal Quor, precisely because the books say you can't do it.What it comes down to is who has the best idea and execution.  Heck, in modern fiction, you could write a story about ninjas assassinating the president, and if you had enough emotional depth and skill with words, it could still be a hit, despite having a cliched-sounding premise.My formula for a good adventure story:1. A villain they can't just kill outright, whose reasons for being a villain are tied to other characters.  Villains don't become villains in a vacuum.2. A character who has a nifty trick that'll be fun to write about, and who will be emotionally invested in the plot.3. A third party that can be enemy or ally depending on the protagonist's choices.4. A villainous plot that will majorly affect the protagonist, and then at least significantly affect a lot of other people.  Otherwise, stopping it isn't as heroic.5. Two locations that drip cool.  These places should be primary set designs in the eventual movie, because their concept is so visually exciting.6. 1/4 cup butter.7. Two cool action scenes, one of which should be at or near the climax.  These are your lightsaber duels on bridges over bottomless pits, or your one-katana-versus-88-crazy-dudes carnage fest.8. Have a point you'd like to make, even a mild one.  Be willing to let the point change, and turn out to say that the thing you wanted is not important.  Have hopes, so that there'll be emotional impact if they are realized, or if they are dashed. Like any recipe, cooking it requires some skill, and the best dishes have a lot of personal flourishes.  Presentation is also highly important.</blockquote>

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