Gil Tov Ly (Areal)

Before enlightenment - chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment - chop wood, carry water

[Appcharge @appchargeHQ]

We just launched the first MCP server built for mobile game DTC monetization.

Faster integrations. Less operational friction. More time building great game experiences

More: https://t.co/YqJrP8zAAz

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@Xbox Finally
Welcome back

[Orson Scott Card @orsonscottcard]

You don't need advice from editors on rejected manuscripts. 

My short story “Ender's Game” was rejected by Ben Bova at Analog back when that was the top market for a sci-fi story. Ben gave me feedback. He thought the title should be “Professional Soldier” and he said to “cut it in half.”

But I knew he was wrong on both points and submitted it to Jim Baen at Galaxy. He sat on it for a year, and responded to my query with a rejection. There was some kind of explanation, but I don't remember what it was. I concluded at the time that Baen's comments showed that he had barely glanced at the story.

So … I got feedback both times, but it was not helpful. I looked at Ben's rejection again. What was it about the story that made him think it should, let alone COULD, be cut in half?

Apparently it FELT long. What made it feel long? Now, post-Harry Potter, I would call it the quidditch problem. I had too many battles in which the details became tedious. So I cut two battles entirely, merely reporting the outcomes, and shortened another. In retyping the whole manuscript (pre-word-processor, that was the only way to get a clean manuscript), I added new point-of-view material to the point that I had cut only one page in length. So much for “in half.”
But I already knew that my manuscripts did not need cutting — if it wasn't needed, it wouldn't be there in the first place. Even the battles were still there, but instead of showing them, I merely told what happened (so much for the usually asinine advice “show don't tell”), which kept the pace going.

Those changes made, I sent it to Ben again. I did not remind him of what he had advised me to do. I merely told him I liked my title, and said, “I have addressed your other concerns,” which was true. I figured he wouldn't remember what his exact words had been. My answer was a check. That revised story was the basis for my winning the Campbell Award for best new writer.

Did Ben's feedback help? Yes — but his specific advice was not right, and I knew it. On my next two submissions, Ben hated my endings, and I revised as suggested. The fourth submission he rejected outright, and the fifth, and I thought, Am I a one-story writer? I went back to Ender's Game and tried to analyze why it worked. Then, deliberately imitating myself, I wrote “Mikal's Songbird.” Ben bought it, and it received favorable mentions. I was afraid then that I had consigned myself to writing stories about children in jeopardy. But in fact I was writing character stories rather than idea stories. And THAT was how I built a career, not by self-imitation, and not by following editorial suggestions.

I did get wise counsel from David Hartwell on my novel Wyrms, but that was on a book that was already under contract, and it was story feedback, not style. I got wise counsel from Beth Meacham, too, on various books over the years — but again, only on books that were under contract. I also received appallingly stupid advice from the editor of my novel Saints, which temporarily destroyed the book's marketability; after that, I was allowed to go back to my original structure and save the book — now it's one of my best.

Editors don't know more than you about your story. They especially don't know why they decide to accept or reject stories. YOU have to know what your story needs to be, and take only advice that you believe in.

Your best counselor on a story nobody bought is TIME. Let some time pass and then reread the story. Don't even think about why it Didn't Work. Instead, think about what DOES work, and then write it again, a complete rewrite, keeping nothing from the previous draft. Find the right protagonist and begin at the beginning — the point where the protagonist first gets involved with the events of the story. Be inventive — the failed first draft no longer exists, so you're not bound by any of your earlier decisions. THAT is how you resurrect a good idea you did not succeed with on your first try.

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@Fragnancewow Congratulations to you and Meg!!

It's never too early to join the ranks of the Illidari... just saying

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@MrGMYT Congratulations!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

So happy for you!!

[Appcharge @appchargeHQ]

Last week: $1BN in annual DTC volume.

This week: we built it a home.

Our Press page is live — coverage, podcasts, interviews, and the stories behind the milestones. All in one place.

👉 https://t.co/2MiQjfcsIe

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

Hype is on!!!!!

Let's go one week!

[Project Hail Mary @projecthailmary]

Don’t forget to sparkle 💫 Project Hail Mary launches in theaters in ONE WEEK. Get tickets now at link in bio.

[Nir Eyal @nireyal]

After studying belief psychology 5+ years, I've discovered something counterintuitive:

High achievers don't have fewer doubts than everyone else.
They just choose different beliefs.

When faced with "I'm too old," they think "This is my starting point."

When they hear "You can't," they respond with "I haven't yet."

When obstacles appear, they see information (not stop signs).

I've mapped out 12 belief patterns that separate people who stay stuck from those who break through.

The left column are beliefs that cause us to quit.

The right column are beliefs that lead to sustained action.

𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗡:

1️⃣ Pick ONE limiting belief you catch yourself thinking this week.

2️⃣ Replace it with its empowering alternative.

3️⃣ Then act on it, even imperfectly.

That's how change actually happens.

Which belief pattern do you struggle with most?

P.S. If this idea resonates, grab a copy of my upcoming book BEYOND BELIEF to learn more: https://t.co/zE4t7sPAjs

It explores the science-backed approach to breaking through limiting beliefs and achieving extraordinary results.

If you get a copy before March 16, you also get a bunch of exclusive gifts.

To learn more, visit: https://t.co/GC95wBqexa

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@EchoGuild @okaymage @jdotb @cruelladk @FatbossTV @PreachGaming @MedicCasts @CaynaWoW Woowoo @MedicCasts is back baby!!! ❤️

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@Warcraft Is Alonsos voiced by same actor as Lorthemar?

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

Yeesssssss!!!!!!!
Carrick magic!!
@ManUtd

[Manchester United @ManUtd]

A MASSIVE RESULT IN THE CAPITAL 💪

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@AzaelOfficial @joanneofarc_ Congratulations brother!

Never too early to reserve a good summoner name for him, just saying

[Dean Takahashi @deantak]

Funny Appcharge promo

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@EchoGuild @okaymage @FatbossTV @MedicCasts @PreachGaming @JeathWoW @cruelladk @jdotb @MedicCasts is back baby!!! 🫡

Let's go Echo!!

[Appcharge @appchargeHQ]

Web stores are so...2023?

Here's our CMO @GilTovly at #PGCBarcelona explaining what he means by that - and why game studios should be doubling down on testing new DTC tools and strategies in 2025.

Welcome to DTC 2.0.

#mobilegaming #gamesindustry #apps #appstore #dtc

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@MrGMYT +1

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@TipsOut W

Let's go!

Wish I was still in B2C, would have loved working with you guys again ❤️

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@Naguura So happy to see you getting official recognition!

Fruits of the labor and all the hard work you've put in over the last couple of years

You're the GOAT! 🐐

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@Naguura Wow!

[Gil Tov Ly (Areal) @GilTovly]

@MedicCasts Is it tiring being so awesome every single day?