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40,900 | In Robert McKee's book *STORY*, he says that a whole life story of a character must become a story well-told.
So, it seems that the concept of "story told" is a representation of a "life story" that fits in a finite amount of time (i.e. a book or a movie) compared to the whole lifetime of the character. Also, he says that the story told is a concept that expresses everything that the writer has left out from the whole life story.
Well, consider the short text of Philip Dipq, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". In that text we encounter an adult main character, without references to early days of his life.
Now, Assuming that Dipq wrote an entire life story for Douglas Quail (the main character of the short text) and then Dipq chose just a little part of Douglas Quail's lifetime to write the short text: According to McKee, this fits well inside the structure of transforming a life story into a story told.
But, that doesn't fit into the other aim of the concept of "story told" which is to try and express the other parts that the writer left out from the whole life story of Douglas Quail.
So my question is: How precise is McKee's advice in *STORY*, in order to write a book? | [
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"text": "I haven't read his book, but I suspect he is wrong. A character should have some story arc, which will have some sh... | 2018/12/26 | [
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40,908 | In [his answer](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/40330/34178) to [my previous question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/40327/narrative-arc-in-erotica), @Standback distinguishes two types of erotic storyline:
1. stories in which the stakes are romantic or sexual
2. stories in which the stakes are neither romantic nor sexual (e.g. an erotic thriller)
In an erotic novel, where the stakes are romantic or sexual – i.e. the story develops (to use @Standback's examples):
* from the first desire to consummation or
* from loveless sex to romantic love or
* from a lack of sexual experience to sexual empowerment
– what can cause conflict?
It seems to me that the development of a purely erotic plot, that is, a plot where the erotic storyline is not put into the context of a thriller, horror, romance (where a rival or differences in class stand between the lovers), or other non-sexual storyline, must lack all turning points and therefore all suspense.
Like the building of a house, unless you add an earthquake or financial crisis, a purely erotic storyline will unerringly build towards its climax. A purely sexual relationship will turn into love from time spent together alone, if love is at all possible. A person with no sexual experience will gain it if they have sex and nothing can keep that person from acquiring experience. Only the desire for consummation can fail because of one partner's shyness, and then the antagonist is that person's fear. In all other cases:
**What causes conflict in a purely erotic storyline?**
---
I'd like to repeat and emphasize that in the context of this question a "purely erotic story" is one where the protagonists aren't hindered from achieving their goals by external obstacles such as rivals or social segregation, as they commonly are in romance novels.
In a "purely erotic story", the obstacles and conflict are erotic or sexual.
---
I want to write an erotic novel (which does not contain rape) and am currently brainstorming story ideas. To better understand erotic storytelling, I wanted to understand which aspects are actually erotic in essence and which are not essentially erotic but sexualized. I want to try and build a purely erotic story fundament and then see whether I want or need to add non-erotic elements to that. If this approach doesn't work, I'll try another one. It is a writing experiment that I undertake to learn.
You may have a different concept of what is and what isn't erotic *to you*, but for the purpose of *my* question regarding *my* writing experiment, if you attempt an answer please respect the definitions I have given.
=========================================================================================================================================================================================================================
I'll try and explain my concept of "purely erotic" in more detail.
We can consider erotica as a continuum from stories that are purely sexual to stories that contain nothing sexual. On the one end of this continuum are depictions of sexual acts without any narrative as we find them in some pornographic movies. On the other end are stories without human relationships like some hard science short stories. In between, there are stories with differing amounts of sensuality, eroticism, and sex. And somewhere towards the pornographic end, there is a transition from stories that contain a non-sexual narrative to stories that are purely sexual:
1. Stories without sensuality, eroticism, or sex.
2. Stories about primarily non-sexual matters (a criminal case, a law suit, future technological development, history, family problems, etc.) with differing amounts of sensuality, eroticism, or sex.
3. Stories about love, eroticism, and sex with differing amounts of non-sexual narrative (e.g. an erotic thriller or an erotic romance).
4. Stories with a sexual or erotic narrative but without any (significant) non-sexual narrative elements. **These are the "purely erotic stories" that we seek!**
5. Depictions of sex without any narrative.
To better understand the distinctions between the third, fourth, and fifth story categories, let's define them in more detail and give some examples:
### 5. Depictions of sex without any narrative
This category is defined by the presence of sex and the absence of any narrative elements, sexual or non-sexual. Example:
* a porn clip that shows two people having sex; nothing else happens
### 3. Stories about sex with a non-sexual narrative
In this category, sex and eroticism are the main topics or themes of the story. The stories are *about sex*. But they **contain non-sexual narrative elements which could also be told without their sexual or erotic turn**. Example:
* a character desires sex with another character, but that other character desires sex with a third character.
This rival/triangle story can also be told without a sexual or erotic turn, for example: A child wants to be friends with another child, but that child is already best friends with a third child and seems to be disinterested. Here we have the same rival/triangle story, but without the sex.
* a character can stop time with her orgasms
This story can be told without the sexual turn, for example: A character can stop time with a technological device or with a spell from a grimoire. Here we have the time-stopping story, but without the sex.
In stories about sex with a non-sexual narrative, the connection between the sexual and the non-sexual narrative is not necessary. The non-sexual narrative can be told wihout sexualisation.
### 4. Stories with only a sexual narrative = "purely erotic stories"
**In these stories, the narrative cannot be told without sex.** Examples:
* a character is afraid of sex and overcomes their fear
* a character learns to have sex or to perform certain sexual practices or to enjoy them
* a character is raped or forced to have sex
* a character has sex in circumstances where sex is not allowed or taboo (in public, with a family member, etc.)
* etc.
All these stories *have a narrative* (which distinguishes them from category 5), and this narrative *requires sex* (which distinguishes them from category 3).
In these stories, the conflict is sexual and the antagonist is an opponent or obstacle in sex. In this way, these stories are "purely erotic" or purely sexual. | [
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"text": "> \n> (1) from the first desire to consummation or\n> \n> \n> (2) from loveless sex to romantic love or\n> \n> \n> ... | 2018/12/26 | [
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40,918 | My protagonist is a prince who was imprisoned by his uncle after his father died. This should happen at an age when he can vaguely remember his parents and the life he had.
He should be extroverted and sociable, but struggle with socialization, because his contact with people was restricted for a long time. He should have some narcisstic tendencies, mainly the need for approval and black-and white thinking.
He will genuinely care for other characters, but ultimately the trauma, distrust, fear need for approval will make him focus more and more on getting the throne and the wealth and power that comes with it.
The question is, what conditions of the prison could create a power-hungry narcisstic teen who can hardly relate to other people, but his intellect and social instincts are preserved? How long would the imprisonment "ideally" last and from what age?
Some info that might be relevant:
His uncle (the king) killed his father and stole his throne. The prince knows it and hates the king deeply.
The king resents ruling. He murdered his brother because he was destroying the country with his incompetence and he saw it as his moral duty to do whatever necessary to save it. They never liked each other, but even though the king wouldn't admit it, the murder weights a lot on his conscience.
He hid the prince away because he would likely turn out the same as his father, but adopted his younger sister, who could still be "raised well" and couldn't inherit the throne anyway.
The prince escapes/is freed as a teenager, max. 20 years old. | [
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"text": "Usually childhood trauma doesn't lead to a narcissistic character. Adults who have been abused as children usually have... | 2018/12/28 | [
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40,929 | I've been spiraling down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theory/mysterious event case study videos on Youtube lately, and have been inspired by an Internet scavenger hunt from a few years ago called Cicada 3301 to create a novel with cryptic riddles and secret societies. A few ideas I also want to incorporate are the Matrix-like premise of simulated reality, and the Black Mirror: Bandersnatch message about the illusion of control and choice.
I've got a plot forming in my head, and I have a million questions that I want to ask the reader within my piece. But the problem is, like most philosophical and metaphysical topics, there are no clear answers that I can provide. For instance, there's no answer to the question, "Is this reality a true reality or a simulated one?" I don't want to provide a clear answer or a clear conclusion, and I think that's the most effective way to go about writing this piece, but I don't know if my readers will be satisfied with almost none of their questions answered.
How can I keep my reader interested, invested, and not frustrated with me while still maintaining an open-ended, no-right-answer type plot? | [
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40,934 | I'm going to submit a request for a [Library of Congress Preassigned Control Number](https://www.loc.gov/publish/pcn/) (PCN). One of the questions on the form is:
>
> Is this title intended for children or young adults?
>
>
>
Because of the "or", I assume the book doesn't have to be appropriate for both children **and** young adults.
My answer would be obvious if the field were phrased as "acceptable for" or "intended *primarily* for". Unfortunately, I'm unsure whether "intended for" means the title is:
1. for members of this audience **and other audiences**
2. **only for** members of this audience
(To illustrate usage #1, consider the sentence, "Is exercise intended for children or young adults?" It is; to say "Exercise is not intended for children or young adults" would be false.)
I wrote the novel for general audiences and never even considered the possibility of YA readers. But one of my beta readers, who teaches middle-school English, assumed it was intended for YA readers of roughly 14+.
So if #1 is the right interpretation, I think that applies to my book. But if it's #2, the answer is absolutely "no" since I didn't write it primarily with young adults in mind.
To be clear: I'm not asking about the meaning of the word "intend", or for interpretations of the form by laypeople like me.
I'm hoping that someone with working knowledge can tell me the best answer for this entry field—based on the way that librarians, teachers, or others actually use this information. If you have working knowledge, please mention that in your answer for added weight. Thanks! | [
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40,936 | In the first 10% of my novel, my MC has a boyfriend. MC is accepted into the Space Corps (or he's summoned to fight Troy - the particulars don't really matter), boyfriend is sure he'll wait the required X years.
MC starts training, and already the forced separation, the change in their respective lifestyles, the separate new experiences - all of it draws them apart. There's friction, eventually they break up.
From a Watsonian perspective, the MC finds himself sacrificing a relationship that was important to him, for his chosen path. It's painful, he struggles with it, he tries to keep both, eventually he accepts it.
From a Doylist perspective, *of course* they're going to break up. From the beginning, a long-distance relationship isn't very interesting - having the MC meet someone new and exciting a bit further into the story has much more "meat". So it's just a question of when. Once the conflict appears, it's therefore rather obvious how it ends.
**I'm struggling to maintain tension in the struggling-relationship period.** On the one hand, the conflict needs time to develop - they wouldn't just break up at the first sign of trouble. That would feel unrealistically abrupt, and devoid of the related internal struggle for the MC. On the other hand, it is clear that they're going to break up. Not clear to the characters, but clear to a savvy reader. Since it's clear how the conflict is going to end, why would a reader be invested in it? **How do I prevent a "get on with it, break up already!" reaction?**
A particularly important element: boyfriend is not a schmuck. Rather, they both, and MC in particular, underestimate how hard the ordeal is going to be. Which is an important recurring theme I want to set up early. | [
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40,945 | I'm a man. Working on my sci-fi novel. It's meant to be a light-hearted heist caper. My main character is a woman. She's a strong and sassy character based on the women in my life, and the story follows all the rules about writing strong female characters. There are no men to save her, and the antagonist in the story is another woman who is her exact opposite.
However because the character swears, makes pop culture references and sexually objectifies men, some critics have commented that this makes it seem that it's a female character being written by a man.
I'm sure I'm not the only person who has gotten this criticism. Any ideas on how to fix this? | [
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40,956 | I have struggled with mental illness for my entire life. Writing has been an extremely helpful and important mode of self-expression for me, since I was little. But recently, I feel like my writing has reached a point where my stories are all iterations of each other, with similar characters, similar plot lines, and similar endings.
I think this is because the majority of my characters are mentally ill. MC will be full of anger and sadness, with low self-esteem and distorted self-image, just as I feel about myself. When I write storylines about these characters overcoming exaggerated struggles like defeating a supernatural force or surviving an apocalypse, it's analogous to the struggle against my illnesses that I face. And I think that's okay, except I do it for *every* single story. It's making me bored with my writing and discouraged with myself, because I feel like I can no longer write a character that is unique or layered.
How can I stop forcing my characters into my mold, and create differentiated storylines that don't focus around a mentally ill MC? | [
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40,967 | My MC is a woman who is shy, introverted, has a strong sense of right and wrong but also a doormat personality - basically, even if she sees a wrong done she would rather stay unhappy than speak up about it. Then she is thrust into a situation with an abusive husband, manipulative family and cut off from all her support systems. They expect some terrible things from her, and she does them, out of obligation, duty and fear. She is tied to the people around her, because she still loves her husband and has no other family apart from this one. She has accepted this as her lot in life. The thing is, at the end of the story, after something really bad happens to her husband, she breaks free from them anyway (with some personal losses).
My question is, is it possible for me to show realistic character development, within the space of a single novel, for my heroine to take this drastic a step, with no support system, no encouragement, and being who she is - not a risk taker? | [
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"text": "### You are writing political propaganda, stop\n\nYour character looks like ticking the boxes of PC list: female-chec... | 2019/01/02 | [
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40,968 | Regularly I find myself writing emails to my colleagues which include some form of "column explanation". Which is the best way to format a HTML email for readability?
**Example**:
I send out a link to an online table (created by someone else) in which you have to report the status of a complex process. The name of table columns is not self explanatory.
Usually I write an email with the following structure:
>
> Greeting
>
>
> Explanation of background, **deadline**, link to table
>
>
> column1: Please fill out this column if [...]
>
>
> column2: This column is only applicable if [...]
>
>
> columnX: 5-10 further columns [...]
>
>
> Wishes
>
>
>
**Further thoughts:**
Is a list in the email the best approach? Should I use a bullet in front of the column names? Should I emphasise (bold) the column names or does this detract from the “deadline” in bold? | [
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40,971 | In my novel, the protagonist is divorced and moves from London to another city in Britain. The setting is 2013. The protagonist is depressed and stressed out; in real life, such a person would see a psychiatrist. This will be a realistic scenario.
But, if I introduce a doctor, I will have to create a realistic dialogue exchange which will fill a few pages. This is fine, but not related to the central plot of the story. Dr. Jilloomx, as I am calling him, is not even a supporting character. It's just something I am thinking she will do to get help until the time the next part of the story begins. My protagonist comes out of her depression due to some other things she goes through.
Is it a good practice to introduce such a side story just to make sure the reader thinks the story is realistic? | [
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40,982 | I have a character Joe who leads the task force hunting my MC. His reputation is known to the MC and he is well aware of how effective he is. Joe is also a good friend of another character, Tted, and it is decided to try and tranquilize him, instead of kill him, out of respect both to his skills and for the mutual friend, Tted.
In this scene, I had Joe lead his men into the community hall and be shot by a well-prepared sniper from a catwalk, who darts him. Joe essentially steps across the threshold, gets shot, looks at the dart, looks up at the catwalk and points, losing consciousness. Temporarily sidelined.
Joe is later referred to by his lieutenant, Sam, and becomes an incentive for the members of the task force who have captured the MC to consider a trade. Sam comes to wonder what color his hat is when they came to eliminate him and were met by non-lethal force.
Joe is taken hostage, becoming a bargaining chip. In my original version, the first full scene with this character is a proof-of-life Skype chat where he is delighted the plan worked and livid that his men might throw it all away just to save him. They would have to start over, chasing him again. They have him and now they are thinking of a trade? Preposterous.
I can give Joe a bit more time before he is darted and temporarily sidelined.
Both are clear, but I feel the original has more tension and is more intriguing.
Would giving this character more screen time increase tension or reduce it? | [
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40,993 | Dystopian fiction is a big thing right now, and YA books like *The Hunger Games* and *Divergent* are pretty individual and subsequently are bestsellers. But a lot of stuff is also really cheesy and trite, and is only published to make money. But I really like reading dystopian fiction, especially stuff with political messages like 1984, and I love writing it too, but I can't seem to be able to tell whether my storyline is cliche.
I'm drawing inspiration from racial injustice and genocides like the Holocaust and the annihilation of Native American culture, and trying to send a message about the dehumanization of others through the oppression of mutated humans by a fascist dictatorship in my storyline.
These types of stories don't sound cliche to me, but would they to others? Or are they too cliched (and done before) to be interesting?
Is this kind of topic cliche? And, if so, how would an author fix it? | [
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40,997 | I have read a few non-fiction works (mostly scientific) where there is a quote at the beginning of each new chapter. Sometimes the quote related to the chapter along with the title, sometimes it was difficult to make out why its there.
I am assuming this is to set-up a mood for the chapter or even summarize.
I had followed suit for my novel. For an e.g. for the chapter where my MC recovers from divorce and starts a new life I have put the following quote at the start of the chapter. This quote I selected after googling quotes, I don't know much about the author but the quote suggests that she will recover in this chapter.
>
> Her fetters burst, and just released from prison,
> A virgin phoenix from her ashes risen. - Christiana Baldwin
>
>
>
Is this advisable for fiction novels? | [
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41,000 | In my novel, the MC is a woman from London who gets divorced and moves to Wales. Here she meets a Buddhist master with whom she has philosophical conversations about Life, Love, Relationships, etc.
I have written the questions she will ask and his answers in a separate Word document. It accounts for 17 pages, about 5800 words in total. The length of the novel I am planning is about 200 pages.
The meeting with the master happens about in the 4th chapter, a little bit after the middle of the novel. So, I am filling the space right in the middle with philosophical lecturing, which will be a little annoying, I guess.
Is there any work-around or alternate way to handle such monologues? Will it make any sense to start two stories at the beginning, separated in time? | [
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"text": "Philosophy and religion can be beautiful. Khalil Gibran uses strong imagery and beautiful turns of phrase in his ... | 2019/01/03 | [
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41,010 | In a story I'm working on, I'm adding a side character to travel with the two main characters because I realized I didn't have very much planned for actually showing who the main characters are and how they react to difficult people. So the character herself actually serves a purpose so that's not what I'm worried about, just thought I'd include that.
I'm worried about a major detail regarding the character. She believes she has an "evil spirit" attached to her, but he's really just a figment of her imagination. She sees him most nights in her dreams, and actually talks to him, grows with him, you know, like it's a real person inside her head. I was thinking she'd even occasionally see him in real life too.
This is where the issue comes up. In stories set in kingdom fantasy, readers tend to see certain things like imaginary friends and gods, as magic and assume they're actually real. So how could I make sure readers know that this "person" isn't really real? I'm worried that if I include this character with that detail then I might end up spending too much time or too little time trying to show that the spirit isn't real.
So should I spend time making sure readers know that the spirit isn't real, or should I just hope they can infer that the lack of other magic means this isn't magic either? | [
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41,022 | I have been creating a story in my mind from early childhood. Now, I am very talented in writing, so I decided to give it a try one day. It was awesome! The book I imagine in my head was being written, I was happy, it was just scaring me that it was set completely in the Wizirding World of Hijrp Potfeq. I don't know is that good and okay to do that.
The characters are very different, the place where the story takes place is in Southern Europe and not Eastern Europe, they speak another language and the book is written in another language. I planned on having some spells from her books be a part of my story too, it is only natural to have at least 10 same spells if the characters are from Europe, and that is the place where the spells were created. I have many things explained that Rowling didn't, I am planning on having a vampire show up in the story, where as they were just a chilling presence in her lovely books. I was, as well, introducing readers to new creatures, and even have complex characters, still very different from the master pieces she has created, some even with big traumas, some with happy lives.
Is it legal to have a story set in this same universe that Rowling created? Not one character is similar to hers, and many things are different. From culture to economics and religion in different parts of the wizarding world. | [
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41,028 | I am contemplating writing a fictional character [nerd] who speaks in a pop culture references. I appreciate this question somewhat overlaps
[Referencing modern pop culture in science fiction](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/35729/referencing-modern-pop-culture-in-science-fiction)
The concept is a period piece so I see the use of quotes dating the work as an advantage.
The character would quote single lines of pop songs, though probably not exactly. What I'm worried about is the legality of quoting copyrighted material.
Is a single line precisely quoted a copyright infringement?
What if it's approximately quoted?
What if there's a foil character who attributes the quotes?
For example, say something bad happens
A: They must be out of their brilliant minds
B: I heard that somewhere [thinks]
A: furniture
B: what?
A: [Hums tunelessly]
B: oh yeah... 1986. Peaked at 21.
A: [gapes] high five dude
Any thoughts would be appreciated. | [
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41,041 | I've got a 40h, full-time job, as many do. Yet I'd like to become a writer someday, or at least, bring a novel through the first draft.
This considered, I'm trying to give myself a daily target of 1000 words to write each day at least. I'm starting to find that I work best under some kind of stress, or commitment.
On the days that I reach the goal, I'm usually satisfied and I feel a small boost in motivation, so let's say this method is working for me.
Now, the question for you is this: **is writing 1000 words a day a reasonable pace for a part-time writer dealing with his first draft?**
The assumption here is to maximize commitment to a single novel in order to finish the first draft sooner (in months, rather than a year or years).
Related, but not overlapping:
[Time management for part-time writing](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/17168/time-management-for-part-time-writing)
**Additional information:**
I'm adding this paragraph after the comments and some of the answers.
* I commute to work on foot or by bike. It takes me from 15 to 30 min. to get there, but reasonably enough, no writing can be done. On "good" days I use this time to listen to podcasts or maybe outline the next scene as I'm walking.
* I try to make a stand and *not* overtime.
* Sometimes I'm able to squeeze some writing at work during lunch break, but that's a difficult one to pull off.
* Aside from working, I've got the basic stuff to do (chores, groceries, tending to my house and other off-work matters). I've got a SO that helps out with this.
About the writing itself:
* I'm a discovery writer. I have an idea of where the story is going, but I can't predict every turn of the page.
* My actual project is already started and well into its second act. Sometime I have to stop for research certain topics, or take notes about worldbuilding as I go.
* It takes me around 20 minutes (and a great deal of force of will) to shut off the distractions and get writing at a decent pace.
And lastly,
* yes, I can think about my writing while I'm doing other stuff. The sad thing is that what I think at other times of the day seldomly gets me inspired when I finaly sit and try to write.
I hope that those additional infos won't make the question too specific about me (I imagine there are other part-time writers out there interested in the topic). | [
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41,049 | In most books I read and movies I watch, there are rarely any LGBT characters, and the LGBT representation I do see is almost exclusively gay men, with a smaller amount of lesbians and a handful of bisexuals. I can't think of any books I've read with an MC who's transgender or nonbinary (neither male or female; not conforming to a gender binary). I'm not trans or nonbinary, but I am bisexual, and I want to casually make my characters LGBT without making it seem forced because I know how important positive representation is to people in my community.
I have a few OC's right now who I don't really have an assigned gender for, one of whom is a witch named Kem. I characterize Kem as kind of a [tsundere](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Tsundere) who enjoys attention and has few close friends. I don't know whether or not making Kem transgender or nonbinary is a good idea, because I'm not either of those things, I've never written a trans/nonbinary character, and I don't want to make Kem a walking stereotype.
How does one incorporate trans/nonbinary characters without making their gender the main focus? | [
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41,058 | I come from an academic background. Writing has always been an easy thing to me, but almost all of my practice outside of poetry has been in academic writing.
I'll find myself writing in the way that I think, with all of the hedges for the sake of completeness, and realize that what I've written would be very understandable, but would not give you the impression that I'm talking *to you*.
Perhaps I'm giving myself a harder time than I need to, but I feel that it is a worthy rebuke of my writing.
Edit: I write philosophical non-fiction papers on all sorts of things like religion, culture, politics, etc. | [
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41,059 | Within narration in past tense, should a statement of a universally true fact be in past tense or in present tense? For example, in the short text:
>
> It was late afternoon in Zubrin. The air was perfect and the breeze was light. The sky glowed with the brilliance of Saturn's exotic face, a face that hung almost directly overhead and moved very little. This was due to the fact that, like Earth's moon, Titan's rotation is synchronous in its orbit. One side always faces the planet. It was a spectacular sight when the climate shield was high.
>
>
>
Is "is synchronous" correct, or should it be "was synchronous"? And then, "one side always faces" or "one side always faced" the planet. | [
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41,071 | I'm writing a fantasy novel and one of my characters speaks in English, but sometimes utters single words in an ancient dead language, and I don't want to abusively use that language.
*For example:*
>
> "You're going to be dead SAHU²!"
>
>
>
Is using a footnote a good idea, since the words are not too many? Or is it preferable to write the translation in italic, like:
>
> "You're going to be dead SAHU! *pig*."
>
>
> | [
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41,078 | (Edit: I feel like I should clarify, these are the only LGBT characters in the story, and the only characters whose sexualities are even touched on, and they are part of a larger group of people, about 300. This story occurs in America near a large city, so the racial makeup of this group is very mixed.)
(I've asked quite a few other questions about this story, lol.)
In my post-apocalyptic story, my MC, UrasMt, is Latina and queer, and her love interest, Caspian, is bisexual and adopted by a black lesbian named Ezrith (who was in love with his biological mother). Caspian is romantically interested in Leo, a Qaniqo gay man who is in a relationship with Alexander, an Asian gay transgender man. This is my main cast, and they're pretty much a mixed bag of everything you could imagine.
I've written them to be as diverse as possible without forcing it. For example, I don't focus on the fact that Leo isn't white; I simply state in passing that he has dark skin and a lilting accent. I don't explicitly state that Caspian isn't straight, it's just to be inferred through his behavior around attractive male and female characters. I don't have neon signs screaming, "Ezrith is lesbian," I just have Caspian explain to UrasMt that Ezrith was in love with his biological mom.
I know minority representation is a good thing, and I'm not white or straight so I usually make an effort to incorporate minorities into my writing that aren't stereotypical. But is there such a thing as having a story that is "too diverse"? Is it unrealistic to have such a diverse cast of characters? Is it alienating to readers who are white and straight to be put into the shoes of someone who is drastically dissimilar to them? | [
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41,105 | I am writing a SciFi novel in which military officers have electronic lenses implanted in their eyes to act as a tactical overlay. It is likely of little consequence, but I am unsure whether or not to call these an Ocular Implant or an Optical Implant, as the words are similar in meaning, but one might imply that the implant is a replacement of the eye with a bionic implant instead of just the lenses.
**Is the wording of much consequence in this case?**
**If so, which would be more appropriate?**
To be a bit more specific, I have already written quite a bit using the words interchangeably. Recently it has come to my attention that it could be confusing if the audience thinks everyone is walking around with robotic eyes. I just need to know if it is a distinct enough difference to bother going back and changing everything to the same adjective. | [
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41,110 | I am seriously considering adding a character based on a man I know. This man is very irksome, rather pretentious and refers to himself in the third person.
He is flamboyant, opinionated and one thing that is very important to him is his sexual orientation - which he announces to anyone who will listen.
He is judgmental, though sees himself as a shining light of tolerance.
He is a pretentious jerk, but he is interesting in his certainty of so many things, including his own worth. My lack of pity, to him, he sees as failing to understand his situation or care about him. My empathy goes elsewhere and asking for pity is an odd thing.
I want to add him, but suspect that it might seem insulting if I make the character gay. I would rather just have him a pretentious twat and be silent on orientation.
The rest of my characters are either presumed heterosexual or nothing is said on the matter.
What would be the best course with this pretentious character? | [
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41,121 | So, for all of you who post your stories online, you may know my pain.
For those who don't, I'd like to post some of my writing online on sites such as Deviantart and Wattpad. However, I've been receiving a lot of grief for each and every site I go to.
I know most of it is assumptions and stereotypes, but does anyone know a site that I can post to that won't get my work criticized and disregarded for it's placement?
This isn't about how much criticism I'm going to get from users on that site, but more about how people in real life are going to view me if I post on x site. | [
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41,122 | In my dystopian novel, Day, the son of a fascist dictator, is trying to convince Analise, a young genetic mutant oppressed under said fascist dictator, that the dictatorship's laws allowing censorship of speech and press, imprisonment of genetically mutated humans, and rigid class structure are in place to keep the general population safe. Day says mutants are dangerous and subhuman, that too much freedom (i.e the ability to always speak your mind) is bad, and that his father's rule is benevolent.
Day's father, the dictator, is the villain of the story, and is an evil guy. The dictatorship sucks, and isn't benevolent. But Day is *absolutely convinced* that what his father is doing is right, and good, and justified. He's honestly naïve and brainwashed into thinking cruelty is salvation.
I am not a fan of dictatorships, I'm not a fascist, I don't agree with censorship or oppression of anyone. I don't agree with the villain I'm writing, which is why he's the villain! And I think that's why, when Day tries to convince Analise that the dictatorship is good, the entire conversation falls flat.
How can I write from the point of view of a character whose beliefs, at best, I disagree with, and at worst, view as immoral and inhumane? How can I give Day convictions in his beliefs when I myself have no such convictions? | [
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41,130 | I have been working on a poem for some time now. It is divided into various "Parts" and it will be a long one when completed.
Due to the very nature of what I am writing, I just let my thoughts and feelings come out, within stanzas that have at least a meter and rhyming scheme. However, I make absolutely no efforts to maintain a given meter or rhyming scheme across different stanzas.
Due to this, often the same "Part" of the poem will have occurrences of both iambic trimeter and tetrameter.
Additionally, I use all sorts of rhyming schemes - aabb, abab, abcb, abccb, abcbab and so on - even within the same "Part".
So, often, consecutive stanzas will end up having different meters and rhyming schemes.
Is this bad writing? I do think it will be a bit difficult for the reader to find his/her flow when reading my poem, but can't that extra effort be seen as a part of the experience itself of reading it? | [
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41,135 | After reading that a Mary-Sue often is a projection of the author, I realized most of my stories are.
Is it a bad thing?
My MC aren't Mary-sues (at least I hope so), they're the opposite of perfect and always succeeding: I focus on flaws and illnesses, making some bad decisions, paying the price and regretting them, running away from their responsabilites, etc.
But most of the time, "how my MC would react to this" or is very close to "how would I react to this". However this is only true for the setting, and character development is quite different.
I've also found a bunch of questions [(1)](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/40956/not-projecting-myself-onto-my-characters) [(2)](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/29716/how-to-stop-projecting-yourself-into-your-writing) asking how **NOT** to do it, making me think it's something I should avoid even more.
Is there something inherently *wrong* with it? Does it make my story less interesting to read? | [
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41,141 | I'm writing a light fantasy book. I think it will end up falling into the YA genre.
I'm considering making my own names up for the days of the week/months. The book is set in a fantasy world, so it would make sense, but I feel like I'm over complicating things if I do that. It also feels a little pretentious
Should I do it anyway? | [
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41,142 | (I believe I've asked about a half dozen questions pertaining to this post-apocalyptic novel, including my "[is this story too diverse](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/41078/is-my-story-too-diverse?rq=1)" question. This sort of pertains to that.)
Last night, I thought of something I hadn't before. My story has no mention of religion. I don't really think it's applicable, because these people aren't exactly focused on praying or worshipping, they're consumed with the daily task of surviving in a barren world. I'm fairly sure a character or two has said "Oh my God" or the like, but that's pretty much it.
But with the level of diversity that I include (which I *do not* plan on changing), is no mention of religion a bad thing? Does it seem as though I am ignoring religion entirely? Is it bad that religion has no place in this world?
(Final note, didn't know how to include this: I'm pagan, but up until recently I thought I was atheist.) | [
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41,162 | I belong to a terrific critique group (writing group) that has dealt with a lot of attrition. We started with 6 people and currently have 4, one who joined after the first month or two. We also had another new person that didn't work out. Some people weren't a good fit but others left because they moved or got too busy to write.
We decided it works best for us to meet once a month and have 3 people present each time (instead of the 2 we've done lately). So we've been looking for new people to join us. And someone will be joining us this month!
We communicate on an email mailing list where we discuss logistics only and also post our work several days in advance of the meeting. The meetings themselves are at a member's home and last 1-2 hours, depending on the number of presenters and how much time each gets. This includes schmooze time. Each presenter reads all or part of their submitted work (depending on length) then everyone talks about it. Each presentation runs about half an hour, give or take.
It was easier with the other newcomers because they could catch up, but now all but one of us are very deep into novels, presenting 1-2 chapters every other month. If the newcomer starts in the middle she won't know what the heck is going on, who the characters are, how they've changed, etc. I'm not looking for proofreading. I'm looking for folks who will tell me how my plot is unfolding, if the characters seem true to themselves, etc.
How do we make this work? Do we require the newcomer to read 3 half-novels? Do we just accept that she won't be able to give substantial critique? We're happy with the group in every way except that we need to incorporate a couple extra members.
**How can we keep our group both welcoming and effective?** | [
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41,164 | I am considering uploading a trio of related short stories to Dropbox as a quick way to share them with potential beta readers. Before I actually link them elsewhere, I feel I should have at least *some* details nailed down, just to give them a rough idea of what they're getting themselves into. As far as I can tell, something like the following would be necessary:
* Genre/potential target audience
* Title (still trying to decide on *this*)
* Rough overview (a paragraph at most?)
Is there anything else that would be required, or simply helpful? | [
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41,174 | I did an install of Scrivener Version: 1.9.9.0 - 03 Oct 2018 on a Windows 10 computer.
In the paste, I know I used to be able to copy formatted text from any source and paste it as plain text into Scrivener using Ctrl+Shift+V.
That doesn't appear to work in this install.
Is this some new 'feature' for Scrivener?
If not, how could I fix this?
It's horrific having all those different styles at once.
---
BKlassen suggested "a simple trick to remove formatting from text is to paste it first into a simple notepad application and then copy again from there." This worked without fail.
weakdna said it "should be under Edit>Paste and Match style." This works occasionally for some reason. | [
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41,175 | My OC Edsavr, who I thought of quite a while ago but haven't done anything with, is a professional cyber spy and hacker. He's employed by an organization (in the future, of course) that is basically trying to curate all the data in the world, including that which is not readily available, which is where people like Edsavr come into play. This organization hires people who can access hidden data, like unreleased tax returns of corporations or deleted emails of suspicious politicians, and cover their tracks so that there's no proof that the organization is invading privacy or doing illegal things, and then anonymously release the data onto a site called Vox Populi.
*Obviously*, I'm not a hacker or a cyber spy. **So how do I write this guy's profession?** I've tried to research hacking and cyber warfare before, but I mostly get fake BS on conspiracy blogs or cliched portrayals of hacking in the media (nerdy friend taps on the keyboard a few times and exclaims, "I'm in!). I'm excited to expand on this character and plot line, but I can't do it if I'm totally ignorant of the whole theme that the novel revolves around. | [
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41,187 | So can I write like this:
Example:
>
> Exercising (Goodman, J. 2010), laughing (Wilson, A. 2009) and studying
> (Mann, 2000) have all health benefits that may have positive effect on
> your life expectancy.
>
>
>
So the point is to state that the activities mentioned before the references are all separately studied by the scientists but the outcome (=longer life expectancy) is valid for these all. | [
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41,190 | Edit: After reading the question I've asked again and the answers I've gotten, I feel I should say that the descriptions of the characters here are definitely the bare basic. There is a full word doc with everyone's personal information and such on it. It isn't that well explained though. I also don't know how links work on this website...
To begin with, I've never asked a question on here before. So please don't be too harsh if something doesn't look right, I'm trying my best!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I currently am writing a book, Happy Apocalypse, and I feel the cast of MCs could be a little bland. Any advice about whether they should be changed or not is appreciated, as this is my first book.
A bit of information on them and the book as a whole:
• It's set a few weeks post zombie apocalypse.
• Follows a main group of 4 MCs.
• The genre is likely more of a adventure/comedy, as it's definitely got a few physics/logic breaking moments.
• The main 4 are Podia, a Japanese-English 17 YO; Jactsih, a transgender Scottish 18 YO; Stacy, a 19 YO black Brazilian and Faxix, 18 YO Russian-Canadian.
(Added starts here)
-------------------
• The main setting is Zurnwasb, but in a 'twisted version' where there is the main city of England rather than London. All four teens were around town when the cause of the zombie apocalypse broke out (didn't state the reason because of spoilers), with Seck and Faxix being together and Podia and Stacy being sort of nearby. There is a collection of shorts called "Before Chaos" which explains where they all were beforehand, why they were there, the mental state of each at the beginning of the story, etc.
• Podia. Her father is Japanese whilst her mother is English. She can speak both languages fluently but struggles with written English. She's essentially the 'Main MC', if that makes sense. She's the first character I made for this and the others were added to keep things interesting. She knew none of the others before the story.
• Jactsih. The poor lad had a troubled childhood and eventually moved to the UK, the main setting of the story, which is where he met Faxix and followed him like a lost puppy. He's pretty artsy and has a 'detective' mindset. He knew Faxix and had heard of Podia before the story.
• Stacy. She was born in Brazil but she grew up in the UK. She's got a "wicked death-glare!" (Quote from Jactsih) and tends to speak her mind without caring about others opinions. She had to take anger management as a kid because her 'free speaking' got her into a lot of fights, mainly with Faxix. She doesn't abbreviate words when she speaks. She knew Faxix before everything and had heard of Podia and Jactsih.
• Faxix. Faxix was born in Canada with one Russian parent whom he tries to forget. They essentially forced him into learning Russian (which isn't important to the story but it's fun to add details). He "swears like a sailor" (Also from Jactsih), and tends to pick on/bully those he deems weaker than him. He knew Jactsih and Stacy (as well as knew about Podia) before the story.
(End added info)
----------------
There is more information on the group, but the document contains some spoilers for late in the book. I wanted to ask this now before I get too far into the story to change it!
Thank you to all answers in advance! ~ Elil ^^
---------------------------------------------- | [
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41,204 | I have heard that authors can do 5000 words an hour with dictation. For a six-hour day writing, that is 30,000 words. Thus it would take less than three days to complete a standard novel manuscript.
Since I've also heard that writers produce much better quality work by dictating, this seems to mean that they wouldn't have to spend too much time on revision or editing other than correcting a few minor mistakes here and there. Even with normal typing, writers like Dean Wesley Smith don't do much editing and never use editors.
This obviously means that we can expect to see prolific writers churning out new 100,000 word novels every week (at least) as dictation technology becomes more widely used.
Am I right in this assumption? Or where am I wrong? | [
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41,217 | (I previously asked a related question about [projecting myself onto my characters](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/40956/not-projecting-myself-onto-my-characters).)
I've read just few books where authors use their own life experience as the basis for the characters and plot (most recently, *It's Kind of a Funny Story* by Ned Vizzini), but most books I read have characters that are nothing like their authors, whether that's in personality, physical attributes like race or sex, background, or life-altering/major experiences, and have plotlines that the author hasn't lived.
Is it common for authors, especially major ones with bestsellers, to model characters and plots after themselves? Perhaps I just haven't encountered many authors who do this? And would it be out of place for me to model characters after my own experiences as well, given however many authors do the same? | [
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41,234 | This story includes a select group of individuals who contain superpowers and the main character is obviously one of those few. I don't want to throw it out there straight away and am trying to hint towards it throughout pages and paragraphs, but can't figure out when to finally say that they contained this hidden power all along?
Any opinions and suggestions are helpful! | [
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"text": "**You'll need to establish that superpowers are part of your world early on.**\n\nWhether it's magical realism, urban f... | 2019/01/12 | [
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41,238 | I'm some sort of writer. if I start writing short paras it is ok. if I start writing poetry I kill it too. I'm a software engineer by profession, but I'm too confused about my passion. What should I do? | [
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41,241 | (Another post-apocalyptic novel question! I'm just full of them.)
My MC, UrasMt, has the power to manipulate life force. As a child, she accidentally killed her family and other survivors who investigated the commotion she caused while killing them, and has semi-suppressed the memory, causing the pain and trauma of the events to manifest in a recurring third-person nightmare, where she watches herself kill her family (but doesn't fully know that she's looking at her younger self).
Now she's a young woman, and has been found by a group of survivors and taken in. She feels out of place and is constantly afraid of being discovered as a killer, even if she herself doesn't quite know what she's done. Away from the others, unseen by anyone, and in a moment of rage, she projects her powers and fells a tree, killing it just by touching it. She's horrified and has only an inkling of the ramifications of her actions, and barely, if at all, makes a connection between the bizarre thing she just did and her nightmares of the girl who kills her family. I've previously talked about UrasMt having difficulty with acknowledging bad things she's done [here](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/40405/effectively-conveying-an-unreliable-narrator).
I'm maybe a quarter of the way through the story, and I think that the reader can easily stitch together context clues and figure out that the girl in UrasMt' dreams is her, and UrasMt is a killer and possesses superhuman abilities. To me, the writer, it's obvious, and when I share my piece with peers and teachers, they know what's going on and can easily put the pieces of the puzzle together.
But since it's so easy for the readers to get the background of UrasMt' character and figure out who she is and what she's done, would it be just as easy for UrasMt to do the same? Is it unrealistic for her to be unable to connect the dots and remember her actions? Will it bore the reader that UrasMt is missing something big? | [
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41,242 | The idea is simple: we intend to publish a **puzzle book** that contains a difficult enigma. The first one to solve this enigma will win a prize (i.e., $10.000). Some obvious rules:
* The solution needs to be validated by us (the authors);
* In order to be the first we are going to provide the means for proving
it (an e-mail address);
* After the prize is given, we need to publish somewhere (a website) that it has expired and we are not accepting new submissions.
My question is if we are the first to propose something like this, or if there are other books like this. I have found only treasure hunting books and stories like the Goonies, but nothing promising **real prizes**.
As a bonus: is there any law-esque problem we are not seeing? | [
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41,247 | Yes, you read the title correctly. It sounds sorta ridiculous, but I'm wondering how I can make my Scottish character in a story of mine sound more Scottish. He's a comedian who can rarely take something seriously, and I was hoping to...um...make his jokes sound more Scottish? Like, I just want to know Scottish slang and jokes. | [
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41,249 | I have a writing tendency where I get straight to the point, especially when I already have an amazing storyline. The ending goes especially quick. I need to figure out how to move the story along, in the beginning, to *get* to the end. But I don't know how to properly do that.
What are ways I can move my story along without making it boring, so I could increase my book length? | [
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41,256 | I have a low quantity book project that will need a book sized A3 with 1000-1500 pages. Is there a print on demand provider out there that could possibly handle that? | [
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41,261 | I am currently editing an original work of fiction, and one of the things I'm having the most trouble with is dialogue and paragraphs after certain character's actions. I know it sounds a little confusing, but I'll try my best to explain.
In this example paragraph, there are three characters: Nat (the narrator), Oddie, and Arden.
---
Would it be written:
>
> “We can just call her Jese,” Arden suggests, leaning back on his
> hands, any leftover semblances of sleep wiped clear from his face.
>
>
> “I thought you said that name was already taken?”
>
>
> He shrugs, toeing the remnants of his cloak over his lap. I throw my
> arms in the air, exasperated.
>
>
>
or,
>
> “We can just call her Jese,” Arden suggests, leaning back on his
> hands, any leftover semblances of sleep wiped clear from his face.
>
>
> “I thought you said that name was already taken?” He shrugs, toeing
> the remnants of his cloak over his lap. I throw my arms in the air,
> exasperated.
>
>
>
---
Basically, I'm wondering if I should start a new paragraph after the dialogue if the action is being taken by a person *other* than the one who just finished talking.
I know it sounds a bit confusing. I'm very sorry if I don't explain myself well. Still, I hope someone will be able to help me, as I'm having some trouble with this. The second option seems right to me, but in writing it like that, I'm afraid the reader might get confused about who's doing what.
Any help will be greatly appreciated! | [
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41,267 | In several third person (usually limited) stories that I've read, there comes a time when one character shares some of their backstory to one or more other characters. This backstory is always (or almost always) shared with the reader in third person. I tend to find this irritating immersion breaking.
The story is in third person, but I always feel that a backstory told by one character about themselves to other characters would be in first person in the story, and therefore the writer should share this backstory as told by that character, not from the third person narrator.
**Question**: In a third person story, should a backstory told about a character, by that character be shared with the reader in the first person point of view that the character is giving it in, or would it be better for the author to stick with the previously established third person point of view that the rest of the story is told in?
---
Note: Please don't use any visual medias in your answers. I get why it would be a bad idea for them to tell a first person story. | [
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41,268 | A popular writing theory states that any story worth telling describes the movement from one status quo to another, and that major uncertainties in the inception and conclusion should be avoided.
How does one break away from this mold, and could you provide educational examples of stories that have successfully done so? | [
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41,285 | (Question about my hacker (hacking??) novel.)
Just an FYI, I am a woman.
Edsavr is a cyber spy and works with an organization named Vox Populi to curate and release all data online, especially the stuff that shady people don't want others to see. Edsavr copies and releases data that a very dangerous group of people don't want in the public eye, and these people find his place of residence and kidnap his sister, Lolj, with whom he lives. With the help of his friend and *sorta maybe* love interest Thulos, he has to save her and dig deeper into the mess he's caused, to know the bigger picture of why these people don't want their info out in public.
I know the whole "action movie hero man saves helpless girl" trope is used often, and I'm not trying to make Lolj helpless or Edsavr morally untouchable. But is the use of this trope bad and/or sexist? Does it reinforce the idea that women need men to save them? If so, how do I avoid this? | [
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41,307 | I'm writing a Star Wars fanfiction because I wanted to practice my writing on something I love, and I decided to make a character named Alexander Ray Rullero. He's not the main character, as in he is not the character you will be following most of the time. He's the secondary main character and he will be someone who you'll probably dislike in the beginning. He's a pessimist and doesn't believe in what he's fighting for. He will always try and weasel his way out of anything dangerous assignments and will criticize the idealistic primary main character for their hopes of a better future. He dislikes the main character because he believes their optimism is out of place in a battle as futile as the one that is the Rebels against the Empire. At least, Ray thinks the rebel's fight against the Empire is futile.
Like, the main character says "The Imperial fleet won't notice us, right? I mean, we're hidden in the most tightly packed asteroid belt I've ever seen! We'll make it out of here without a scratch!", and Ray would reply with "They have radar technology, and when they do find us, those star destroyers will do much more than just "Scratch" this lump of glorified scrap metal that we call a ship".
As you can see, it doesn't exactly seem like he wants to be a part of the Rebel Alliance. Though Ray will grow as a character, gradually becoming less pessimistic, more supportive, and eventually he'll come to the point where he thinks the Rebel cause is something worth fighting for. He'd even encourage the main character to keep fighting the Empire when they think that all is lost at one point. But that's later, and I intended to make Ray a part of the Alliance off the bat.
I feel as if I've written myself into a corner here. I want him around so that he can tell the main character that what their fighting for his hopeless, only to encourage the main character to keep fighting and never give up hope when the main character loses all optimism and nearly gives up.
If anyone could give me any ideas as to how I can make this character a part of the Rebel Alliance without it seeming as if I've forced him to be there, then that would be greatly appreciated. | [
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41,313 | This question is not about syntactical correctness. I do not care about that. The only thing I care about is to be understood properly. That's why I'm asking it here and not ELL.
The meaning of sentence is "If you don't love yourself, you can love no one" or "To love someone else you should love yourself at first". So, does the given sentence associate with these sentences in the minds of English-speaking people? Or is it too unnatural?
So, the question is how to write that. As in the title or as an alternatives in the body? | [
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41,315 | I have been looking through various books with a dungeon being the main character.
Regardless of the book, however, the character had to gain a physical body in order to forward the plot, which I didn't want to write.
As a solution, I got together with a friend and we decided that I would write the dungeon part while my friend wrote the part of a character who advanced the plot out of the dungeon.
**How can we organize the book while both of us write different characters?** | [
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41,318 | Where can I publish my work online and get paid for it?
I'm just new to this and this is my first work and it's still chapter 1. It's a fantasy and mythical story. | [
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41,322 | **NECESSARY INFORMATION**
Recently I saw someone on the internet say that *Revenge Of The Sith* was so powerful because of an effect called "Emotional Projection." This means that when you see the movie, your brain is not seeing Obi Wan and Anakin fight, it's "replacing" them with you and your best friend. That makes it really emotional and powerful, even if the actual relationship between the Jedis is (sadly) not fully compelling.
I really want to know more about this topic from a screenwriting/production point of view. Specifically, how to actually write/direct something that triggers the audiences to project their lives in the film so they can have a way more powerful experience.
**ADDITIONAL INFORMATION**
I ask this because I am planning on doing a YouTube video explaining some of these concepts so aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters can use these techniques in their favor; so any additional information you might think is useful is much appreciated, along with some examples of writers/directors that have purposefully used emotional projection, if such cases exist.
**How is "emotional projection" created in screenwriting? Where can I find information and resources about it? What are some other good examples?** | [
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41,324 | If I write a page about a current pop star that talks about what they're doing, that is a fact such as dedicating themselves to Satan or involved in witchcraft, can I be sued by them even though it's a fact? | [
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41,333 | For a fiction story of mine (probably fantasy, if I had to categorize it), I've set it in a world that is in some ways similar to Earth, and in other ways very dissimilar from Earth. In place of humans, there's a race of sentient, intelligent creatures that have evolved from carnivores. In doing so, they have retained many traits of their ancestors, and many such traits (including the ability to hunt without anything more than one's natural weaponry) are held in high regard. I *don't* want to introduce humans, at least not generally.
If you want a more established comparison for the species, though that's not books, I guess the culture of the [Hirogen of Star Trek](http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Hirogen) is kinda-sorta similar, except that unlike the Hirogen, the species of my story is not a spacefaring species.
Particularly in this case, this species has morals quite far from what's normally seen in humans. For one thing, threats, even death threats, are far from uncommon in normal interaction, especially between individuals and groups that do not know each other.
What they *aren't* is savages. They don't go around killing just for fun. They do care very deeply about those close to them. And even when threats are made, the entire intent is generally to ideally *not* have to back them up with actual action; much of it is ritualized, but it is rituals with the knowledge that one *may* need to back it up with actual action.
So one individual may tell another something along the lines of "I will kill you", and while this might not mean literally "no matter what else happens, I will end your life", it can absolutely mean something along the lines of "I am ready and willing to end your life, unless you back down and show me that you recognize that I can end your life if I want to". All the above said, if at that point the individual being threatened decides to instead take their chances, *then* it becomes a fight to clear surrender or to actual death of either; if the individual who made the original threat misjudged the situation, it's their life that's on the line. So while not uncommon, such threats are not taken *lightly* by anyone involved.
That's all well, as far as that is concerned. But **what are good techniques to introduce traits like these to a reader,** **without** turning it into an infodump or making them come across as savages for the less-than-friendly parts?
I'm open to suggestions that only work in certain points of view, as well as general techniques. | [
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41,336 | In our world, we consider human life to be precious and valuable. It is meant to be preserved, and a deliberate act of taking a life is considered deplorable by society. This is considered normal. The people of this setting also consider life to be valuable, as it was given to them by the gods. As it is precious, human life is the only thing worthy of being sacrificed to them. This continent is controlled by a theocracy where self-sacrifice is revered and promoted. The gods demands tribute from their people, and being sacrificed to them is the highest honor one can achieve. However, only a select few are worthy of such honor.
Slaves, the destitute, and average people are not applicants for this. The gods want those of merit, who have great potential and have proven themselves through competition. This is done through ritual games similar to our Olympics. These games are often dangerous where warriors or athletes from respective states go up against each other. Those who survive will meet each other in a final contest where there can only be one winner. All those who die in these games would be honored by their families and society as heroes who defended the pride of their nation. However, the winner will be given the ultimate honor of having their hearts removed and their soul offered to the heavens, where they would achieve godhood. Because of these games, outright war among nations has been avoided for millennia.
The religion demands for society to kill off its best people routinely, but I don't want to portray it as evil. The people and their leaders genuinely believe in what they are doing, and they have normal rules against murder and crime, etc. These events also keep the peace on the continent, as these war game rituals have taken the place of war and conflict. How can I get this across to the audience? | [
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41,364 | My MC is going through boot camp. Physically and mentally, he goes from high-school boy to soldier prepared for combat. Along the way there's struggles, there's new friendships formed, there's the changing interaction with his family (we're talking Israeli boot camp - he's home every third weekend).
This is what I'm struggling with:
Coat camp is mostly very repetitive. So I show little flashes of it: first day, first time on guard, first Shabbat dinner on the base, first time firing a rifle. Then I go back to the same tasks a month later, and they're routine - they're happening in the background, while something else takes the focus of the scene.
Similarly, J.K. Rowling starts Hogwarts with a first Potions lesson, first Transfiguration lesson, etc. Problem is, Rowling can put all the "firsts" in the course of one in-story week. In boot camp, "firsts" are spread over a longer period of time. **I find myself with relatively short scenes, and time-skips of a week or two between them. The overall feel is very disjointed**.
To explain differently, when a movie shows a training montage ([example from Mulan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64)), it is understood that there are time skips between the short frames of training (not only between beginning and end). In a written medium, this doesn't work.
I could see those scenes working as short diary entries - in a diary format, you expect time skips when nothing interesting happens, and short entries when the character writing is tired. But I'm writing in third person limited, so a diary format wouldn't work.
**How can I reduce the "choppiness" of my narrative?** At the moment, I feel I'm giving my reader separate pictures, each framed and hung in sequence, when what I should be giving them is a movie, if that metaphor makes sense. | [
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41,372 | I have a scene where a character is applying to be released from prison pending trial. I want an arbitrary / unfair reason for the judge to dislike him. It has to be something that is not justified to keep him in prison (ie, risk of committing further offences, running away, or interfering with witnesses).
I was thinking something like he is rude to the judge/police, he has some character flaw that people don't tend to like etc.
EDIT: In response to the helpful answer below, it occurred to me that I should have pointed out that it would be good for it to be something that the readers wouldn't like either.
I'd really appreciate any ideas! | [
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41,378 | As I've mentioned before, I'm working on a military sci-fi novel.
Here's the trouble with the military: **you don't spend all of your service, start to finish, with the same people.** Not all the people you've done Basic Training with will proceed to the same Advanced Training as you. Not everyone who completes Advanced Training with you will be assigned to the same unit as you. In effect, after each transition, one is meeting new people and making new friends, keeping in touch with only a small sub-group of the friends from before. Like transitioning from middle school to high school, and from high school to university, only on a significantly shorter time frame. And that's before I so much as touch on drop-outs (and I do need those for tension - it could, theoretically happen to the MC).
The result of the above is **I'm asking the reader to get to know a set of characters, only to lose sight of them several chapters later.** The characters the MC was closest to in each stage do get further involvement in the story, but most drop out of sight. Similarly, in Victor Hugo's *Les Misérables*, we don't hear about Bishop Myriel, his sister and his servant after their scene with Jeic Volmaen, nor about Félix Tholomyès and his friends after he abandons Fantine. Only, I can't think of more modern examples, which troubles me.
I would like to give my first-quarter-of-the-novel characters as much loving attention as Hugo gives Myriel and Tholomyès (and it's the recommendation I receive [here](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/41364/14704)), but I fear to lose the more impatient modern reader's attention. Much like the MC, I expect my reader would be eager to get out of boot camp and into real battle. **How do I balance making the boot camp part interesting by way of having the MC develop various relationships with well-rounded characters, against the fact that most of those characters disappear from the story after the MC leaves boot camp?** | [
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41,384 | Let me explain: I'm writing a game where the Earth gets a massive biological attack from an alien race in the close future, and only a small part of the planet's life survived (few dozens of humans and animals).
The explanations for those events are discovered by the player during the game, and are:
1. The alien race is a [type III civilization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale), and eliminates all the intelligent life in the universe that achieves [quantum supremacy](https://www.alphr.com/the-future/1008428/what-is-quantum-supremacy-the-future-of-quantum-computers-relies-on-it).
2. This happens because the only possible way to detect life that is several light years in distance is through [quantum disturbance events](https://newatlas.com/quantum-entanglement-speed-10000-faster-light/26587/) that are caused by quantum processors, and can be captured by the type III civilization on the other side of the universe instantly.
3. The biological attack is a viral/bacterial weapon, and the reason why there are a few survivors is because their bodies achieved [symbiosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis).
The main goal is that the plot is the "solution" to the [Fermi paradox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox). Humans do not find any aliens that are close because all the life in the universe is constantly wiped out by the first race that achieved type III, to protect its monopoly, and they detect a rising intelligent race when it innocently creates quantum computers.
Avoiding plot holes and trying to explain everything to avoid being a "generic alien invasion" is the goal with all that sci-fi, and I think that I can't balance it correctly, because I want to hit a broader audience.
[This question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/33500/how-do-you-explain-the-details-of-something-technical-to-a-non-technical-audienc) relates a lot to my feeling, but the solution does not satisfies me.
My main concern is with the explanation 2. I feel that I need to give the viewer the reason why "only today" the invasion happened and why, and I can't find a better excuse to that. It seems solid, but a bit narrow and forced in my opinion.
I'm open to changing the plot as much as necessary.
**EDIT**
Thank you all for the answers. Every one of them contains important tips that I will consider when writing the game.
So, just to summarize:
1. I will put the deep sci-fi concepts into some optional lore, giving the player the freedom to read if he/she wants to
2. Focus on the gameplay, fun, battle system;
3. Avoid over-explanations, as this may cause more plot holes
4. I will remove the "how" completely. A type III civ is godlike to us and have unimaginable tech, therefore multiple ways to detect life on earth. How they detect is not important. | [
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41,386 | Not sure if this is a worldbuilding or writing question, but here it goes.
In this setting, gods of humanity are beings of absolute order that exist in another plane of existence. They are constantly at war with chaos, and defend the mortal world from that influence. As a result, they live according to universal laws that govern their actions. There are rules for how to interact with humanity, to what extent they can interfere with mortal realms or realms of other gods, etc.
These gods don't see themselves as individuals in the way humans do. They have their own thoughts and opinions and can act independently. However, underneath that independence is a divine will, or super-consciousness, that they are all connected to. This would be the main deity that created them, and is the source of these universal laws they must live by.
I am having trouble explaining what I want this concept to be in words. These beings aren't meant to be a hive-mind, like mindless slaves or automatons. However, they are not free to act like humans are. How can I make and show this distinction? | [
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41,398 | What is the best way to write a 40+ page story in 3 weeks? The story I am writing has to be spot-on and close to a professional level and is totally fictional. | [
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41,405 | What are the properties a generic main character from a character-driven/psychological novel should have? E.g. relations, motives, personality, knowledge. | [
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41,414 | (This question is about reading but it pertains to writing as well).
I write fantasy, and as a result, I've read a lot of fantasy books that are supposedly the "best," that are beloved by all fantasy fans ... except me.
Some examples:
* Lord of the Rings trilogy - I loved the Hobbit, but couldn't get through The Fellowship of the Ring. It was just too boring and it felt like nothing was happening
* Wheel of Time series - forced myself to read the whole series because a friend and I were reading it at the same time. Overall it was okay, but I felt like each book was way too long, and I couldn't keep track of all the characters. Did not particularly care what happened to the main characters. Would not read again
* Mistborn trilogy - read it several years ago along with a friend, overall it was okay, wouldn't read again
* Elantris - forced myself to read it for a friend, did not like the political elements
* The Way of Kings - was okay, wouldn't read again
* The Name of the Wind - was okay, wouldn't read again
* Shannara series - read a few books but felt like it took ages for anything interesting to happen (ages, as in 100+ pages)
* American Gods - liked it at first, quit about 80% in when it got boring and read a summary of the book online (after reading the summary, I was glad I hadn't finished the book because I didn't like the direction it took)
* Red Rising - quit because the main character was a Miry Kae
* Game of Thrones - couldn't really get into the first book (based on the little I know of it, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep track of so many characters, or if I'd care about them)
There are fantasy books I *do* like (it's not like I have a problem with the genre). Titles like:
* Sword of Truth series (I do have issues with the declining quality of the books, but I still like the books better than the books above)
* Earthsea Series
* Harry Potter Series (obviously)
* Hyperion Cantos
* Lunar Chronicles
I should also add that when reading fantasy (or any genre, for that matter), I'm not reading it for the fantasy elements, but for the characters. When I quit reading a book, it's for one of these reasons:
* Indifferent towards the main character / don't care what happens to them
* Main character is a Miry Kae
Is it a bad sign if I don't like the "best" books of my chosen genre? Is there something I just don't *get* about these books? Should I force myself to read them anyway in the hopes of learning something?
Note: I don't want to start any arguments here - I'm not saying that these books are bad, just that they're not for me. | [
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41,422 | Supposing a character or characters are watching a show on TV (news maybe) how should that be formatted in the text?
I've found some explanations on how to format TV broadcasts in a screenplay (in this website) but not how to do it for prose in a book.
Some explanations I've found around say to use block quotes for news paper articles. That seems like a start but there are some other things I'm not sure on. Like how are dialogue tags used for people speaking on TV? Or should a TV broadcast be treated differently than newspaper quotes?
I've done some searching but there isn't a whole lot of advice. A lot of people are saying formatting is often up to the publisher.
A similar question is [How to format news, poems, text messages, and other kinds of written text?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/9029/how-to-format-news-poems-text-messages-and-other-kinds-of-written-text) but how to format TV dialogue wasn't answered there. | [
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41,429 | Someone told me that it's incorrect or outdated punctuation to put a comma after "said" in dialogue tags such as the following (from an old book we're reprinting):
>
> “I shouldn’t wonder if you could come back here tomorrow if you like,”
> said Amanda, with a glance at Pyxie. (comma after "Amanda")
>
>
> "You’re tuckered out,” said Mrs. Badk, when supper was over. (comma
> after "said Mrs. Badk")
>
>
> "His folks ain’t ever coming back,” he said, with a shake of his head.
> (comma after "he said")
>
>
> “Let’s hear what he has to say, Mother,” said Mr. Badk, in his slow,
> easy-going way. (comma after "Mr. Badk")
>
>
>
I can't seem to find anything that discusses this particular question online. Can anyone verify if it's correct or incorrect to include these commas? Some authoritative links would be fantastic to back me up one way or the other. | [
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41,439 | My novel is written in the third person. When changing POV between different scenes (or chapters), is it OK if the parts for different POV characters use different tenses: some - the past tense, and others - the present tense? | [
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41,440 | English is not my mother tongue. I am completely fluent in English though, and I write my fiction in English.
Here's the problem: I live in neither the UK nor the US (nor any other English-speaking country), so I am exposed to both in equal measure (through literature, film, etc.) I spell the British way (American "looks misspelt" to me), but **my intuitive use of vocabulary and idioms is mixed**.
For example, I would naturally use 'lift' (British), 'cookies' (American), 'football' (British), 'throw pillow' (American), etc.
Most of the time, I'm not even consciously aware which side of the pond a word belongs to - they're just synonyms in my mind, so I reach out for whichever feels "more common" (a.k.a whichever I have encountered more often).
How much of a problem is it, considering neither of the novels I am working on is set in either the US or the UK? (One is a fantasy set in something inspired by 5th century Persia, the other is a sci-fi set mostly on another planet.) **Would narration that mixes British and American vocabulary sound "wrong" to a native speaker?** Is there any way for me to catch those errors (if errors they are), other than finding a native speaker beta reader? (I will do that anyway, but I would prefer not to rely on beta readers for vocabulary edits.) | [
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41,447 | I know that this idea is not totally 'revolutionary' as this type of narration has been used in *Breakfast of champions*, for example. But, Unlike Vonnegut, I want the 'Narrator talks to the characters and or reader' trope to be prevalent across the whole novel, where the Narrator interacts/gives opinions on/judges what is happening in the scene etc, and the characters themselves know that the Narrator is Narrating them.
(The narrator is just some sort of sentient... 'voice' that just narrates, but has opinions and judgements etc on things.) However, I cant seem to think of a good way of implementing this type of narration, and I'm struggling to not make it 'cheesy' or convoluted. I want to make it so that the reader does still feel immersed in my world, with the added uncommon experience of that type of narration.
**Question:** How can one write a narrator which interacts with the characters, but wont come off as UN-needed and wont ruin the immersion of the reader? | [
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41,452 | (Warning, mention of sexual abuse!!)
In the near future where humans have polluted and radiated the Earth so much that animals and plants have been going extinct at alarming rates and humans themselves are becoming genetically mutated and developing strange abilities, a fascist dictatorship has taken advantage of the growing fears of the common people, seized international power, and imprisoned millions of genetic mutants.
Analise, the main character, and her friends are mutants, and are housed in a remote facility in the Appalachian mountains, where they are brutally and cruelly experimented on by government scientists. When the son of the dictator arrives to oversee experimentations and threatens to have Analise terminated for mouthing off and basically causing a prison riot, she and her friends escape and take him hostage.
Analise's backstory is tragic, as are most of her companion's backstories. Her little brother was killed in a firebombing, and her parents were murdered by state police when she was collected and shipped off to be imprisoned. Many of her friends were willfully given up to the government by their families because of the fear and stigma towards mutants.
Chapter One begins with Analise comforting the youngest of the group, nicknamed Poet, because his friend, gifted with the power of foresight, broke out of her cell and allowed herself to be caught and beaten to death by guards.
The first chapter also details the intense trauma that one of the group members undergoes, being objectively the most powerful of the group as she is an atmokinetic. She is raped by one of the guards, chained by her limbs in her cell, kept malnourished and dehydrated so she cannot attack guards, and subjected to the most extreme physical experimentation and torture out of all of them.
~
TL;DR: MC and all of her friends are horrifically abused and oppressed since day one, Chapter One.
With all of that said, is my story and this premise too intense and depressing? Are these many layers of misery inflicted upon innocents too much for a reader to handle? Is there such a thing as a story being too dark? Is there a fine line between dystopia and downright too much tragedy and sadness, and have I crossed it? | [
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41,458 | Plot, environment, characters, each one is a layer in a story. Each layer is also a compartment for further layers that are internally affected by external changes in their own, unique way, and each will be affected differently by the same stimuli over the development of the story.
**What systems exists to keep track of story development on such minute level?** Or at least any that would be closest fit to what I'm describing? I'm looking for one where even if the first draft was lost it could easily be recreated from the planned structure.
I have arrived at a final iteration of my story concept, now I want to set up the framework to build it upon, like a mason building a house, I want to build a world.
Edit: Trying to clarify, sorry I'm bad at wording my thoughts and I'm struggling to wrap my head around what I'm trying to plan/ask/do.
* A story can be broken into common, independent collections of elements, like plots, characters, environments.
* These collections is what I refer to as layers. They share similar attributes and behavior, but apply them differently.
* Within the layer, each element has its own common attributes and characteristics that directly affect only itself, e.g. a character can have fears, strengths, weaknesses, but a plot would not and vice-versa, but it would not directly affect another elements's attributes.
* Each element is the default characteristics + culmination of interactions with other elements, resulting in development/changes of said element's attributes.
* In a single world, most if not all elements will be interconnected directly or indirectly, therefore any single event would have rippling effects on every aspect of the story.
+ E.g. an earthquake could cause a landslide that destroys MC's village, which forces them to adventure, which is attributed to goddess Tera, at the same time it changes the environment causing Dark Lord's army to lose their advantage and rebellion to prevail in their clutch battle. MC curses Tera while the Rebellion reveres, MC proceeds to kill Tera and sides with Rebellion because DL is BBEG, Rebellion swears to avenge Tera, creating a conflict when MC and Rebellion cross paths to defeat DL after finding out MC was Tera's murderer all along or something like that.
System I'm thinking of would keep help keep track of each compartment, relationship to other elements, history between it and other elements, direct and indirect effects of other elements on it, how it affects and its changes affect other elements, how these relationships change over time, how element can be expected to respond to change/interaction etc. The more I think about it the more it seems that to pull it off on this level I would need to write a program for this task.
**tl;dr I'm extremely meticulous and I'm planning a complex story which I will struggle keeping track of without efficient planning and tracking system in place.** | [
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41,465 | I am not an American English native (I'm actually a German native speaker) but, when I write, I use the American style of words predominantly. However, I always use **aluminium** instead of **aluminum**, following the nomenclature that is used by all the rest of the world save for the US and Canada. It is also was the only valid IUPAC name between 1990 and 1993, since when aluminum is allowed as an *acceptable variant*1, but IUPAC publications strive to use the official aluminium variant.
Is it ok to break with AE and choose the BE/international version with this one word only (in a non-scientific text)?
Non-scientific means in this context any text that is not a scientific publication, among others fiction or blog posts.
---
### Footnotes
1 - Connelly, Neil G.; Damhus, Ture, eds. (2005): *Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry: IUPAC recommendations 2005*, p249: Table I *Names, symbols and atomic numbers of the elements (see also Section IR-3.1)*
>
> Name Symbol Atomic Number
>
> aluminiuma Al 13
>
>
>
In said table's footnotes:
>
> a: *the alternative spelling aluminum is commonly used*
>
>
>
---
This is not [British / American language mishmash](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/41440/british-american-language-mishmash) as this one just aims at one specific instance of one specific term and not a general "mix and match". This one case also is not looked at in the other question. | [
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41,486 | My MC is a famous singer/songwriter who is bad at writing lyrics. Her goal is to write commercially successful, deep, serious songs. How do I design the character arc in relation to this goal? Also, The only obstacles I can think of are incompetence and living an easy life. Should the goal be tweaked? | [
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41,488 | I am writing a scientific research paper and one of the sources I am using introduced a concept which I am using within the paper. The source I read (published in 1969) credits this concept as being coined by a different source (published in 1944). I do not have access to the original source. Would there be a problem if I do not cite the original source because I do not have access to it? Or do I have to include the original author since everyone else credits the 1944 source? | [
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41,518 | I have story ideas that involve civil wars or revolutions happening while a character is travelling. I was wondering what would be the advantages and disadvantages of setting such a story in a made up country, compared to a real one. | [
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"text": "Create a fictional country if there are no existing ones that meet your needs. Or if you need to change things enough t... | 2019/01/23 | [
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41,531 | So far, I've only written one short story but I wish to write a novella. I'm worried, however, about the enormous work of marketing and contacting agents and publishers. I just want to focus on my writing and let someone else handle the that type of work. Can I hire a manager in my case? and how do managers get paid? | [
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"text": "**Probably Thinking of a Literary Agent**\n\nThe role you are describing is really that of a Literary Agent.\nPart... | 2019/01/23 | [
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41,532 | I think everyone has heard the "show don't tell" rule. My question is how can I show same emotion multiple times without the description being the same. For example if my character is scared I can write how his heart raced, his hand where shaking etc. If the character is scared twice in my book I can find some new thing to 'show'. But what if he is scared five or ten times in the book I will soon run out of ways to show his fear. How can I describe the same emotion without it being repetitive?
I am writing in third person limited POV if that's relevant. | [
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41,537 | Basically, all I want to know is how I can get my readers to root for a pairing where the difference in ages is about 15 years. I don't want them to spend the entirety of my novel pondering over the 'wrongness' of such a pairing; the characters involved can best be described as anti-heroes so they'll doubtless be doing a whole lot of questionable things, both to other people and to each other.
Of course I'll steer clear of things such as outright emotional/physical/sexual abuse, but they're still not going to be good people. And there's the age factor to consider. I really want to get this point across to my readers, that they'll be perfect for one another and could work really well as a couple under different circumstances but I'm having trouble thinking I'll be able to do so with such a glaring age difference, especially considering that they're not really good people.
Any tips? | [
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41,539 | >
> "The ship sailed through the billowing winds and the petulant waves."
>
>
>
Is it redundant? Because, if I say billowing, the reader would probably think petulant waves is too redundant. What do you think? | [
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"text": "**No.**\n\nWinds are not waves. You can describe each of them if you wish.\n\nBillowing and petulant have nothing whatso... | 2019/01/23 | [
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41,549 | I've been tasked with drafting the text for a memorial plaque dedicated to group X. Group X was big, diverse, and had several hundred years of rich history. Amount of space I have is 2-3 sentences.
I don't want the memorial to be yet another "a whole bunch of people died in the Holocaust". I'm looking to give group X some individuality. But how do I do that in so little space?
Ideally, what I'd want the memorial to represent is "there was a whole bunch of history and culture bound up with group X, and we should remember *that*, not just that # people were killed".
On a memorial to a single person, one writes that person's main achievement. If it's to an event, like a battle, it can be summarised too. But what do I do with a big group? | [
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41,557 | >
> The tall figure was overwhelmingly tall. It stood in the corner of the
> room. The skinny figure right beside him sat on a chair. It wasn't
> moving at all. The tall figure moved to the opposite side of the room
> and started palpating the wall as if it was looking for something. The
> skinny figure then started crawling and palpating the floor as if it
> were looking something. The tall figure then started laughing loudly
> and clapping his hands as if it were overjoyed. The skinny figure
> hearing this started doing the same.
>
>
>
How do I minimize the amount of repetition? Is there a way of doing this without changing drastically the sentences? What would you suggest? As you can see, I used "it" immediately after using the adjective-noun pairs but, when I switch person, I have no choice but to use the appropriate adjective-noun pair. | [
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41,563 | I heard from someone that in English, sentences with a long subject are considered confusing and hard to read. Is it true?
An example for such a sentence:
>
> ...(Some statements about how mathematics is related to computer science.) Therefore, the PhD courses about conducting research in mathematics I took during my master studies are also relevant for research in computer science.
>
>
>
The context is a motivation letter for a PhD application. | [
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41,571 | I come from a non-native English speaking country and, from my own analysis, I will say I have an intermediate level English fluency (IELTS score 7). Some of the articles on my blog were chosen by an international magazine (free of course). But now I am writing a novel.
The way we normally speak English is, of course, different from how it's spoken in native English countries. So the writing style for narration also is different. I have read a few novels from local authors and their (and my) style is really much different from the authors whose genre I aspire to write. For example, Elizabeth Gilbert, J.K Rowling, Dal Xmowf, Robert Ludlum.
I have read the books on writing style suggested by Spepfuj Kunw, and other good books suggested online. My writing fits the description of the usual things but, still, the style based on spoken narrative is way different.
It's very difficult to invent my own style which can match their styles, but I am trying to imitate their writing styles. The stories are different; I just mean the style.
I think it's easier and will be acceptable to a large audience.
**So my question is, what are the advantages and disadvantages of copying the styles of established authors?** | [
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41,575 | I've been writing a children's novel inspired by action cartoons, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, paganism/Wicca, mythology and Hijrp Potfeq. It's a very dark children's book I'll admit, but Hijrp Potfeq was dark for a children's book and it's popular. It's based on my make-believe with toys as a kid.
I've been basing my world-building in the novel off of America, England, Ireland, Viking countries, Greece, and Native American culture. However, as time went on I've been hearing discussions from most writers as to whether or not racism needs to exist in fantasy stories. Using racism can lead to it being hard to write. Not using racism can affect the mythology and culture.
So should I use racism as one of the parts of my worldbuilding, or write a story without racism as part of my worldbuilding?'
**Edit:** It's been so long since I've been on this site. I don't know how long ago this post was, but after some time I decided not to write about racism. The hard part is that there are races in my book, but there's no racism so that's going to be a bit tricky. | [
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41,580 | Here's a piece of writing I came up with:
>
> The rolling billows rocked the mighty galleon
>
> cradling it madly as if it were but a mere child.
>
>
>
There are many seeming contradictions: When we think "billows rocked" we think of a powerful motion, "cradling" goes against that, and then "madly" goes against cradling and finally "as if it were but a mere child" goes completely against the idea of a powerful "rolling billow"?
Is this just really bad style? It seems to have a poetic effect. Is there a way to leverage such inconsistencies to deliberately create this effect? And can it be used in novels, or only in poetry? | [
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41,581 | As I've mentioned multiple times, I'm writing a military sci-fi novel. The focus of the story is war, and that happens far away from Earth. However, I'm starting with my MC's "normal", on Earth. It is this "normal" that I'd like to ask about.
I've set the story in the future because for it to be possible, I need FTL, as well as the technological ability to start colonising other planets. To the extent that the MC is supposed to be "the boy next door", I don't need much of a technological or social change on Earth. Moreover, **significant changes from the modern life we know would distract from the story I wish to tell.**
It's not that I *cannot* accommodate change. I have my characters getting around on autonomous drones rather than cars - that's easy. And I can mention in passing that Manhattan is all underwater now, if I like, but it would serve no purpose in my story, it would just be there.
Basically, **if I set my story 100 years into the future, some things on Earth will have changed**. Quite a few of those things my characters would be aware of, but they do not serve my story in any way. Those changes include technology, society, politics, climate...
**How do I balance keeping my setting realistic** (that is - presenting the future as I imagine it is likely to be) **against avoiding flooding the reader with information not directly relevant to the story?**
For example, climate change is likely. During the MC's time on Earth, he would naturally see the effects of climate change, such as a different rain pattern from what we have today. He wouldn't see it as "different", he'd just have rain when the reader wouldn't expect that. However, such rain is not directly relevant to the story, and might be confusing to the reader. I can avoid having that rain, but then the setting is less realistic.
Each particular detail (such as the rain example) can go either way, but put together, they create a picture that I'm struggling to balance. | [
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41,587 | (For reference, I am not white. I've asked another question about race [here](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/41078/is-my-story-too-diverse)).
So I'm pretty far into writing my dystopian novel and I was reading over what I had. Something that helps me when I first start a novel is to get a clear picture of my characters in my head and put a face to a name, so I usually sculpt a personality and find a Google image of someone who I think matches that, and I put all of those into documents for my personal reference. I looked over my main five characters--Analise, Poet, Shove, Star, and Nova--and then suddenly something jumped out at me. Analise is Hispanic, Shove is Japanese, and Poet, Star, and Nova are all black.
I had forgotten about their races because it wasn't important to me and I had not noticed while I was writing, because the story isn't about their racial backgrounds. But is it, I don't know, somehow alienating or offensive to white readers that the characters aren't white, and that no main characters are white? | [
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41,597 | I have a specific way of writing when it comes to describing things in a visual medium, like video games, movies, or shows. I'm not a prose writer; I always wanted to write for visual media, not novels or short stories. I've been working on a hypothetical animated show. I doubt I would ever actually get to make an animated show with a dedicated team, but on the off-chance that I become happy enough with my work to at least approach someone, I want to give the right impression.
I've looked into screenplays and I have to say, it's absolutely not my style. I'm just not used to writing this way, so I have to force myself to rewrite a lot to get it in the right format. The way I write things is more like a transcript, [example here](https://transcripts.fandom.com/wiki/Avengers:_Infinity_War).
I know screenplays are the professional standard if you were to approach a studio, for example, but my hypothetical animated show would be a lot smaller in scale, more like a Machinima series (R.I.P) done by a few people who do this as a hobby and/or earn something on the side, specifically 3D animators. In my example, it would be *one* guy I would approach, specifically with a two minute short and the first episode.
**If you're a hobbyist and the people you want to approach are also hobbyists (in the sense that they are independent), is a screenplay really necessary? Or would most people be happy with a transcript style "screenplay"? Would a screenplay maybe even be overblown and actually turn off "non-professional" people?** | [
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41,605 | These days, with fewer people using a fountain pen to write, many notebooks/paper you find [blotting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blotting_paper) the [ink](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_pen_ink).
If I am at a store and contemplating to buy a notebook or writing/printing paper, how can I check if the paper blots or not? Most of time, it is not mentioned on the notebook or ream itself and I cannot test by writing on it. Please note that I am talking about office supply retail chains where the staff cannot answer in detail.
What is the best way to find out if paper of a notebook or paper will blot or not?
I am specifically looking for some physical attributes of the paper which I can check without starting a longhand penmanship. | [
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"text": "I'm a fountain pen user as well.\n\nIf your pen isn't too wet, you can use almost any reasonably hard surface pa... | 2019/01/25 | [
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41,610 | I am thinking of writing a short story which starts with a character narrating then ends up being narrated by an omniscient character. What are the best ways of making this transition? I can't think of any book that does it, let alone a short story. The logic gap would be such that it would create some discomfort to the reader. | [
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"text": "POV characters are not required.\n\nYou can always tell your story from the perspective of an omniscient narrator... | 2019/01/25 | [
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41,616 | I am writing a story set after an apocalyptic event that has left only 0.1% of the world population intact. I originally wrote a zombie-like apocalypse but simplified it to a plague-like disease, as I felt the images of crazed zombies were pointless in a story that is about the rebuilding of civilisation.
In writing the first chapter and getting the setup done, I wonder how much detail is really required. I want to have my character emptying his town of the dead. I want new characters to be introduced over time as the group grows and have a voice in the narrative. Should I be explaining everyone's backstory even though they are talking about events 30 or 40 years after it all happened? | [
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"text": "If it has an influence on the story and plot, then yes. If it doesn't, don't add it in.\nA backstory isn't neccesary... | 2019/01/25 | [
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41,618 | I have a story that I wish to write. I like my story and genuinely believe it to be interesting. My issue is that I have never really written anything before. When I have read advice in the past, I have often been told that your first few stories will suck and that you will have to move on to something new.
If I want to gain experience of writing, should I write a few other stories, not the one I am most passionate about, before moving on to the project I think is best? | [
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"text": "> \n> I have a story that I wish to write. I like my story and genuinely believe it to be interesting. My issue is t... | 2019/01/25 | [
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41,629 | I find this rather strange given that the English-speaking population of the rest of the world combined is much greater than that of the US (even though the US is the largest single market for books in English) and the fact that there are lots of extremely talented writers in other countries. I would have expected that at least a good number of Amazon bestseller indie authors I see would be people based in other countries, but it hasn’t been the case. I suspect it might be because books self-published by authors only tend to be visible within their own Amazon geographical sphere and are typically not displayed to US customers unless they are residing in the US. | [
{
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"text": "While a great many people speak English as a second language, and can thus enjoy reading a n... | 2019/01/26 | [
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41,630 | I am an author who wrote a biography on a singer. I want to turn the book into a screenplay. Do I have to get permission from the singer to do this? | [
{
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41,643 | For context, I am writing a graphic novel. I always used to imagine I would have some characters (mainly protagonists) reveal their internal monologue while others (mainly the antagonists) don't. They just express themselves with speech/actions. I wanted to do this for a number of reasons, one being I wanted some character's intentions to be hidden for awhile. I then realized this might seem like favoritism of certain characters and lead to the story seeming more black-and-white.
I thought one way to combat this (to an extent) is to allow all characters to reveal internal monologue, but some reveal all of theirs while others reveal less to varying degrees (maybe on a situational basis, such as only when they alone in their room).
I worry though that readers might get frustrated or confused by the inconsistency.
Is that something I should actually be concerned about or not? If so, what would you recommend I do instead? If you disagree about what I said regarding favoritism, let me know as well. | [
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"text": "By their very nature as being main characters, your main characters would receive more atten... | 2019/01/26 | [
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41,647 | I just read an article online and thought "this is great, I should forward the link to Mhuebo."
Mhuebo is one of my characters.
---
I've already had characters tell me how they would speak or dress, what their underlying motivations are, or who they are when they grow up (the main action takes place when they're teens/pre-teens in 1995, so they're in their 30's now).
In some ways, that's similar to the question [Characters that take on a life of their own](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/36357/characters-that-take-on-a-life-of-their-own). But that's still within the story.
Now my characters are jumping out of the story and worming their way into my life. What's the best way to channel, handle, or survive this part of the writing process? | [
{
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"author": "SFWriter",
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"text": "**Question**:\n\nWhat's the best way to channel, handle, or survive this part of the writing process?\n\n**Answer*... | 2019/01/27 | [
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41,654 | What I mean by "cinematographic metaphor" is that, instead of expressing metaphors using words, you use images that are imprinted in your mind through descriptions in a novel.
Here's what I mean:
We often say that vengeance is an empty thing. So we could have a scene describing someone drinking alcohol from a glass and drinking it all, and show that the glass is left empty like the person who consummated the vengeance. Is this a thing?
Here's what it could look like:
>
> Magthon sat alone in the room. It was midnight. He grabbed a glass of
> vodka. The ice had long melted away. He drank it all, and pounded the glass
> onto his desk. The glass, now empty, was sitting in the middle of the
> desk. The upper part was now broken and reflected his twisted visage.
>
>
> | [
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"text": "I suspect you mean allegory. It is an ancient device that can be traced back to Homer.\n\nIt allows for a deeper ... | 2019/01/27 | [
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