qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
42,327 | I am wondering if I can include fictional inventions like the power suits in Izut Mon. I believe that "power-suits" are used legally by a lot of media; however, what if the power-suit you're describing is very similar to the one in Izut Mon? Let's say there are jets on both hands and feet and, to take things even further, what if the color scheme is the same, and what if the mask looks exactly the same (but the rest isn't)? What about lightsabers?
To what degree does an object need to be similar in order to be vulnerable to a trademark lawsuit for a fictional object? | [
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42,341 | Building on my answer in [**Proven psychological or scientific means of scaring people?**](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/39358/proven-psychological-or-scientific-means-of-scaring-people), I'm working on a universal **horror-theme structure** for a branching-narrative series with an occult detective. I won't discuss the whole system, but the idea is that each story has multiple themes that progress incrementally. Choices take the reader deeper down a particular horror scenario, with branches to other juxtaposed themes.
One of my universal horror themes is strong, but problematic.
-------------------------------------------------------------
**Body Horror – this theme is a problem** because it plays into universal fears of aging, disability, amputation, disease, birth defects, injury, bad plastic surgery.... It's a legitimate horror theme that I can see escalating to its logical conclusion. Examples are Stephen King's *Thinner*, and Tod Browning's *Freaks*.
**I don't see a PC way to handle body horror tropes.** I don't think horror *needs* to be PC, but [a recent lecture about zombies by a guy in a wheelchair](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IMe4pwJ0X0) has made me question the whole theme as reenforcing a bad message. Nearly every *body horror* idea I run through my system reflects real world ablism, or a hierarchy that body-shames real people.
I'm not trying to be PC police of an entire genre. Body horror is legitimately scary. I would rather be able to tap into it.
How can I portray body horror and still be sensitive to people with disabilities?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have visceral fears about our bodies coming to harm or being consumed. Disease, decay, and body revulsion seem like a big part of horror, definitely one of the few *universal fears* that everyone shares. I've only identified 8 universal fears – losing 1 knocks out a lot of story possibilities. I could limit it to metaphor and abstraction (a decaying house), but it's not visceral and *personal* like the body.
Body horror is also the theme that sometimes knocks me out of the genre. Films like *Saw* become just so much torture porn. I wouldn't indulge in gore, but still the threat and consequences of physical harm works as a logical escalation of a horror theme. Horror without consequences is like Scooby-Doo.
Can I *raise the stakes* in a body horror theme in a way that avoids an inherently ableist message? Can I tap into this anxiety without simultaneously punching-down on real life disabled, sick, and differently-bodied people? This is not about putting a hero in a wheelchair to make an empowering statement. Rather this is about leveraging a particular universal fear, without crapping on people who already have it rough. | [
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"text": "### If you want to be PC, stick to symptoms of infectious diseases, where the sense of body horror would reinforce pre... | 2019/02/19 | [
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42,352 | In my post-apocalyptic novel, the MC UrasMt navigates the world of survivors and grapples with her newly discovered abilities. The leader of the group of survivors, and the book's antagonist, Ezrith, had a wife named Pastea who was, unbeknownst to everyone, killed by UrasMt. I want to write a short story that centers around Ezrith and Pastea's death and how Ezrith handled it when it happened, but I don't really know where to begin.
Should I call my short story a prequel, or, since its a short story, can it not be called a prequel? Should I write my short story so that it could be read stand-alone, without previously reading my novel? And since the short story is written about the antagonist, whose backstory is tragic, how do I keep the reader from piling all their sympathy on her? | [
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"text": "That is a lot of questions. I will answer the last one.\n\nYou have a human being who is grieving and as such des... | 2019/02/19 | [
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42,361 | I am talking about writing a sequel to a novel that's in the public domain. For example, Wizard of Oz. As far as I know, this is completely legal; however, the issue is how to deal with the fandom that exists. There are things fans want to see in a sequel and things that would be blasphemous to them, so how should you navigate this? Any guideline or procedure? I am thinking PunoOl has a huge fandom, although I am not sure if PunoOl is in the public domain. I don't think it's would be a good move to start your writing career with a sequel of PunoOl, wouldn't it? You can use any franchise as an example (even if they're not in the public domain) in your answer. | [
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"text": "First thing you would need to decide is what you actually want to do with that sequel. Do yo... | 2019/02/19 | [
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42,375 | I used to write poems. I was in 4th grade, so I just wrote for fun. They didn't have any figurative language or symbols. My only goal was to make them rhyme. Here is an example of one of mine:
>
> The topic was risky
>
> The judge wasn’t blank, but picky.
>
>
> My stomach was getting really funky,
>
> My mind was full of question,
>
> And when my belly was acting like a monkey,
>
> I was full of tension.
>
>
> Then it all struck me,
>
> Just like an earthquake,
>
> I wasn’t making a single mistake.
>
> The idea was as easy to find as in my pocket,
>
> The idea was obviously Sonny Crockett!
>
>
>
Now that we have read Nvikuspeara and Edgar Allan Poe, I know there is a lot more to writing a poem. For it to be a *good* poem.
So, I decided to write poems again, but it is really hard for me to think of a symbol, *and* put it into my writing without revealing too much, so I can let the reader infer, but revealing enough.
My question is: How can I give my poems more depth and symbolism? | [
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"text": "There is a character-building strategy that uses [Theory of Mind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_mind) ... | 2019/02/20 | [
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42,376 | I'm trying to write torture scenes but I'm not really all that confident about it since I've never written anything like it before and have never really witnessed anything violent. I know the methods and steps of the tortures I want to write about but it's more the description and how to write it without going too far that's hard for me.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can write these scenes in a way that the reader will wince in pain, instead of cringing from a bad scene? | [
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"text": "If the torture scene is happening to your MC or your current narrator, instead of focusing on all the blood and gore wh... | 2019/02/20 | [
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42,377 | (Kem uses they/them pronouns.)
I'm outlining a story about a witch named Kem who has to protect the world from evil. Kem befriends demons and other witches, but I don't want them to find a crush or anything and I want to keep their feelings for everyone are platonic or familial. I want the reader to understand that Kem isn't looking for love, they're just navigating the world of witchcraft and battling baddies. So how do I show the reader that Kem's relationships are entirely non-romantic, that Kem has no attraction to their friends, and that there will be no romantic sub-plots? I don't want people to ship Kem with other characters either, so how do I make it absolutely clear Kem is just there for friendship and companionship? | [
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"text": "Don't write it in.\n\nWhat readers do in their own fan responses is on them, not on you, and you can't... | 2019/02/20 | [
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42,386 | This may be a very very stupid question but I need to ask it. I have written my dissertation in my mother tongue first, then began to translate it as I will submit it in English. While doing so I used Google Translate from time to time. I didn't copy anything from anybody, only translated my own sentences. But I also read somewhere that since Google saves everything you write online, programs like turnitin detect them and take it as plagiarism. Is it? Or even if it is not plagiarism, would it cause me some problems? I really need to be sure about this, please do not answer if you are not 100% sure.
Edit: I want to add that I did not simply copy and paste everything from there, I just benefited from it **sometimes** and of course always correcting the dumb grammatical mistakes. | [
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42,401 | How explicit should the scenes be? When writing any type of fiction I just skip to the day after the sex took place and heavily imply that the persons in question had sex. Is this ok? Is it better to describe the scene as it takes place and how far should you go especially if you're writing a fantasy or a sci-fi book? | [
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"text": "What you are describing is often called a \"fade to black\" (after the movie technique of fading to a black s... | 2019/02/21 | [
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42,405 | Around a decade ago, I had a dream. An actual middle of the night dream. An entire movie played in my head, all I had to do was write it down. I did a fair bit of research on the topic then I spent the next 10 years working it out in my head but not writing much of anything down.
Last year, I joined a writer's group and began the arduous task of writing a screenplay. I have no idea how to write a screenplay.
One of the other members of the group has actually written screenplays and had them produced. Her advice to me was: don't.
If you write a screenplay, she told me, best case scenario is a production company buys it and makes it into a movie. But when they buy it, the first thing they do is fire the writer. Suddenly, it's not yours anymore. They'll rewrite it and you'll never see a dime (or credit) beyond the initial payment.
But, if you write a book, no one can take that away from you. With luck, it will become a movie, and they will hire someone who knows the form to write the screenplay. You will always have credit and royalties. The story will belong to you forever.
Now I'm more than halfway through a novel and very happy with it. Maybe it will be a published book and then a movie someday.
**My question is: How sound is this advice? Is it folly to write an original screenplay? Is adapting the movie in your head into a book the better choice?**
---
Notes: I am aware of questions similar to mine ([Should I be a Novel Writer or a Screenwriter?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/19046/should-i-be-a-novel-writer-or-a-screenwriter) and [Screenplay vs Novel](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/33996/screenplay-vs-novel)) but they're more about career paths and how to choose which medium suits the story best. That's why I focused my question on the publishing issues involved in the choice, something the other questions didn't address (even if a few answers spoke of it). | [
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42,406 | I read a lot of YA fiction, a lot of which happens to take place in schools. Recently, an idea jumped into my head for a YA-ish story and told me that it was going to take place in a school.
The idea came to me, and the only way it was working when I thought it out would be in a school setting. The way the story works simply wouldn't work otherwise - I needed a young adult setting, with other teenagers around, deadlines, coming back home every day, an opportunity to set up good and bad authority figures, over a story extended over a period of months. A school checked all the boxes. I chose the US because I *did* live in the US until I was around 8, and I'm a bit more familiar with US context than, say, Europe. (The story also wouldn't work where I currently live.)
So, listening to the demands of the story, I started to write the story. However, I ran into a problem: I've never *been* to school.
I've been homeschooled since first grade, meaning I've never been enrolled in school after kindergarten. I don't have first-hand experience with the school system. On top of that, my story is taking place in the US, and I don't *live* in the US, so my friends in the school system *here* don't know what the school system in the *US* is like.
How do I make sure that my story is realistic in a school setting, when I've never been in that school setting? | [
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42,414 | I am reviewing some research reports and found myself diving into the black hole of technical writing style.
My question is what is the best way to write numbers in millions? I am not writing a novel or story; I working on technical/scientific/academic reports.
1. Three millions
2. 3 x 106
3. 3 X 106
Should I use multiply symbol instead of letter "X"? | [
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42,418 | I'm writing a story where two lovers meet then I having one of them die at the end. I am curious to see how much imagery I should add. | [
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42,419 | The general rule I follow is to spell out numbers < 10. Also when use numbers before measurement I don't spell out.
For example:
1. I bought nine apples
2. We need 5 mL acid for this reaction
How about numbers before "days", "months" and "times"?
1. Seck, you already did it three times!
2. It has been five months since she left me.
Is spelling out better? | [
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42,422 | In many works of genre-fiction (I'm talking mainly about fantasy and sci-fi, but others genres can apply), and across many forms of media, the main characters ends up being *special* in some ways.
Maybe it's the *abilities* the MC has, maybe there is a *prophecy*, maybe it's something in his/hers *birth* or *upbringing*: it doesn't matter how, but often a character is, somewhat, "chosen". No one else could fill in his shoes because the MC is not-replaceable.
Sometimes this is played up straight. Sometimes prophecies are warped. Sometimes, the whole concept is subverted.
**My issue:** I dislike the whole chosen hero idea; I'm bored of it. Yet as I'm writing my novel I notice that, somehow, I'm falling into it (my MC will eventually get important thanks to the circumstances of her birth; she cannot, therefore, be considered an everyday woman).
So I'm finding myself in a contradictory situation - even hypocritical, if you may.
So, here's my more general question:
How do you avoid writing a chosen hero?
---------------------------------------
I realize that even when classic elements like manifested destinies and roboant prophecies are missing, you still kind of risk a "chosen" situation. We have the natural tendency to make our characters interesting - after all, we like to read about the struggles of extraordinary characters more often than not.
So, the real question is how to add quirks and characteristic to your characters without making the quirks overcome the whole characterization. Is there a point of equilibrium?
**Related:**
* [the-chosen-one-paradox](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/38331/the-chosen-one-paradox) | [
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42,456 | **Where does one go to find out about the day-to-day of military life?** In countries other than my own? I don't mean combat - I mean the boring routine. Basic training. What kind of food is served in the mess. How soldiers address each other, how one speaks to a superior or a subordinate. Who cleans the toilet. What regulations are relevant in the day-to-day. That sort of thing. **I am looking for (a) relevant resources and (b) relevant research techniques**, *not* "could you please tell me what it's like".
To clarify, I've done my three years in the Israeli Defence Forces, so I know what military service *here* looks like. Only, I also know that's not exactly how other militaries work. The big things are similar. The little details - not so much. As an example, the [Mildly Military](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MildlyMilitary) tv-trope lists under its real-life examples some elite units, and the whole of our army. (I guess we switch very easily between "civilians in uniform" and "soldiers". And "soldiers in plain-clothes", if need be. It was normal for me to tell my lieutenant "go to sleep, man. I'll take care of this [task]. I don't need a babysitter".)
What I'd like to find out is what military service in the US and the UK, for example, looks like. I mean, the "international space military whatever" most likely would not be formed and led by Israel, right? (Maybe the Israeli doctrine would be adopted worldwide, but that's a kind of choice I'd like to make *after* doing my research, not *instead of*.) To a certain extent, I'm looking for the things that are different - for the "culture shock" a soldier would experience, moving from one environment to another. At the moment, I've only got one point of reference. I want to have more.
So where do I go to find out about other militaries? There is the representation in films, but I don't know how much of it is true. (Then again, I was sure *Full Metal Jacket* was an absurd over-the-top caricature, turns out it was actually quite realistic.) I tried asking some friends who took part in joint training exercises; got plenty of stories about how "we're awesome" (it's informative, but doesn't actually tell me anything about the other guys - only that we like to pat ourselves on the shoulder).
(While I'm looking for information already knowing quite a bit, I expect answers would also be helpful to people looking to write about military settings, knowing little about military life at all.)
I am aware of the question [Character is an expert on something I'm not](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/41175/14704). The answer "research, research and more research" is hardly helpful with the question *how do I do this research*. What resources are available to me, in doing this research? Where do I turn to? "I need to research this" is the *premise* of this question. | [
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42,464 | One thing that often annoys me in historical fiction or fantasy books is the dissonance between the writing style and the events and historical period described in the book. The writing is usually very modern, it's fast-paced and uses modern idioms and phrases. By contrast, I love reading works from the time periods themselves, as they often have a very interesting style. Just think of *The Odyssey* and how weird it is in comparison to a modern novel, or the Old Testament or *Don Quixote*.
When writing my novel, I would love to emulate the style of the period that I am writing about. I would actually like my narrator to be a character within the world, a sort of historian who describes something that has happened in his world. And from time to time, he might add personal opinion etc. So this is even more reason why the book should be written stylistically fitting.
However, I am worried that this will be off-putting to readers, who might actually interpret this old way of writing as "bad style", or find that it borders on parody. I love the Khaavren Romances by Steven Brust, which are basically parodies of Alexandre Dumas' D'Artagnan Romances in a fantasy setting, exactly because the writing style fits the setting so well. But he gets away with it because it's supposed to be funny at times. I want to make a book that's more or less serious and dramatic.
So how can I avoid this uncanny valley and make it clear to readers that this is done on purpose, and how can I get them to like it? | [
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42,466 | I am publishing a book with an American publisher. My contract allows me to make a separate contract with one particular foreign publisher for a translation in his language. That foreign publisher wants to reverse the title and subtitle in the translation. I support that idea. Two questions. Is this legal? Do I need to get permission from my American publisher for this switch? | [
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42,470 | A while back, I redrafted my NaNoWriMo 2017 story, but it still needs another draft. This question is about one of the concerns I have.
The story takes place in a medieval fantasy setting, and the protagonist is a homeless orphan of about fourteen. As a result, she has a somewhat limited education, and at various points has to have long or complex words explained to her. At first I inserted these moments in order to underscore her limited education, but I kept on inserting them in order to pad things out just that little bit more.
An example: the villain, whose thieves' guild the protagonist has infiltrated, is describing their master plan, and refers to a "network of clandestine tunnels" under the city. The protagonist's partner notices her confusion, leans over, and whispers, "'Clandestine' means 'secret'".
I don't have access to the full draft right now, but off the top of my head, this happens at least six times in the space of 41,000 words, including once during what's supposed to be a very dramatic and emotional climax. I'm worrying that this is too frequent, and that it might get tedious or distract from the story somewhat. **Will it?** Or am I overthinking it? | [
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42,481 | Recently, I started writing articles about different subjects I learn on my own (programming, logic ...etc).
While writing, I have this tendency to overexplain, I know that readers are smart, but I still think that there is room for misunderstanding, so I tend to repeat myself and oversimplify things unconsciously.
Is is just a feeling? how do I know if I am over-simplifying and over-explaining the material?
**Edit**
This is an example :
>
> The first argument is a Deductive Argument, in that it has Premise 1,
> Premise 2, and a conclusion .. And we may also consider it an
> Inductive Argument, in that we can verify Premise 1 and 2 inductivly,
> by means of observation, to determine whether Socrates has a beard, or
> whether all Greeks have beards, and to conclude whether the conclusion
> is probably true or false.
>
>
> So, to some extent, we can consider some Deductive Arguments to be
> also Inductive Arguments. You can think of our argument this way
> inductively :
>
>
> Premise 1: Socrates is a Greek (Inductively Probably True, because
> most records and accounts about Socrates refer to him as a Greek, and
> his name is a Greek name).
>
>
> Premise 2: All Greeks have beards. (Inductively False, because many
> Greeks today apparently do not have beards, and many statues of
> ancient Greeks have no beards, therefore the statement is false).
>
>
> Conclusion: Socrates has a beard. (The statement is probably
> Inductively True, since we have statues, paintings and references
> depicting Socrates as a man with a beard, therefore we know that this
> is probably True). Notice that our argument, although deductively
> valid, has one inductively false premise (Premise 2), and this does
> not make the conclusion necessarily inductively false.
>
>
> Which means that the relationship between induction and deduction is
> very tricky.
>
>
> | [
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42,497 | As a novice writer of poetry, I am eager to grow in my understanding of that mysterious line between complete abandon within freedom of expression, and writing which acknowledges standards on what actually makes a poem “good,” set by those who have gone before.
One particular form of expression I have been enjoying is pairing my poetry with my own original artwork images, so that together the words and the image are one unified work of art. (I am not describing a “meme” or “inspirational saying” like what you see on Pinterest. Rather these are compositions which are the sum of their parts.)
I am not asking if this is right or wrong, as there of course is no such thing in self expression, especially if the poetry is just for myself and not for publication. Rather, my question is, am I helping myself on the path toward becoming a Poet who writes well and is interested in becoming a published writer? Is this ever done by well-known, respected poets? Do any of you Poets here on Stack Exchange ever do this? | [
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42,506 | (Heavily edited in a sincere attempt to reduce subjectivity / instigation of unwieldy discussion or chattiness:) As a novice writer of poetry, who lives with folks who smile and nod with the sound of crickets chirping in the background when I tell them I have written yet another poem, I am acutely aware that I am in great need of a supportive group or community who can, among other things, read my work and give me constructive or even destructive feedback. Because I live in a rurally isolated location, where support groups for writers is not a “thing,” I have been casting about online searching for a supportive community to fill this need.
AS [seeking advice on the editing process](https://writing.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic) is listed as an appropriate type of question, may I ask, what is the most productive approach for integrating into a remote (online) poetry writing community, in such a way that produces growth within your personal creative process and set of skills, toward the goal of writing “good” poetry?
(If this question is still too chat-oriented, I understand. I am finding it difficult to ask in the perfect way: maybe it is just not the right type of question... ???) | [
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42,521 | I have three characters, who are supposed to be good friends. Athos, Aramis, and Porthos, if you wish. Instead, I have two characters who share a strong Frodo-Sam relationship, and the third guy, who is almost a "third wheel".
It's not that my "Porthos" is less developed than the other two. But he is less cerebral. If I think of them as a [Freudian Trio](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FreudianTrio), he's the id. He loves physical activities, he's adventurous, he is the one who is ready with a joke to ease a tense moment, he is practical in his thinking, so if the other two get into arguing ideals, he's bringing them back into the here-and-now. If the other two are "Frodo" and "Sam" he's "Pippin".
To make things worse, the other two are both POV characters, while he's not, not until significantly later into the story.
Because "Porthos" is less cerebral, and because he's not a POV character, he gets less time in the spotlight, which, I think, exacerbates the problem.
**I'm *telling* they're 3 friends, but I'm *showing* 2+1. How can I change that?** | [
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42,527 | The line between science fiction and fantasy is often blurred. And that's okay. Genre is often more about marketing than anything else. As a general rule though: SciFi has science and technology and fantasy has magic.
This excellent question explores the distinction: [How to distinguish if a novel is science fiction or fantasy?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/5989/how-to-distinguish-if-a-novel-is-science-fiction-or-fantasy)
Time travel is usually considered SciFi, but can also be part of fantasy if the traveling is via magic and/or the rest of the story doesn't fit into SciFi. Many other sites focused on worldbuilding and literature and readers discuss this at length, but not from the point of view of *writing*.
**Within the Writing.SE world, where (or *why*) would we draw the line in deciding the genre of time travel? What are the implications for authors and publishers?** | [
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42,528 | I am a happy user of an [Underwood 5](https://typewriterdatabase.com/img/gunderwood%20_7909_1494352683.jpg), an old typewriter from the beginning of the XX century. I use it to type letters, short stories, greeting cards, and labels.
I am now planning to try and type the next Nanowrimo.
On a computer I can blob out 2000 words a day in 90 minutes. It is also easy to keep track of progress, edit and copy-paste sections around.
My worry is that the typewriter, besides being inherently slower than a computer keyboard, will have an added management overhead. Nanowrimo amplifies this issue by adding a time constraint.
I am looking for an efficient way, or some non-digital tools to manage writing a 60,000+ words novel on a typewriter while keeping the writing ordered.
For instance: I thought of having a printed Excel table on the side, where I plan the novel in advance, and write down the page numbers as I write. It sounds like a nightmare if I retrospectively insert a chapter somewhere.
To give an idea of the specific scenarios that I am worrying about:
* I need to add some foreshadowing before X happens: where is the page where X happen?
* Retrospectively inserting a chapter somewhere.
* I don't like this character name anymore, let me change it. | [
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42,531 | How could a movie be paired to coincide with a book and come out at the same time?
I would like to know if a book and a movie can be written to complement each other? Many times I hear how a book or movie has its faults one better than the other in an opinion so can a "bovie" can be written where both formats work together instead of having discrepancies?
A series or episodes may work better giving the reader a chance to read the section pertaining with the book. They would come out together but be understood apart. It would be like reading about something you just watched getting the book benefits.
[Why write a book when there's a movie in my head?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/42405/why-write-a-book-when-theres-a-movie-in-my-head) | [
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42,534 | There are different types of time travel (they have different rules and constraints) throughout literature, so I was wondering if you could list some of them here, and which ones are best for driving forward narration without creating plot holes. I would like a list, but I don't think it's good for a Q&A website, so I will just ask for the best or preferred way to use time travel in narration without plot holes, and which types of time travel are best or you personally like to use for achieving that. | [
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42,541 | There is a prince. (Or some other person of high rank.) And there is that prince's good friend, who, naturally, holds a somewhat lower rank.
There are two ways I could show the close relationship between the two:
1. **They can maintain the rank distinction**. Soretii addresses Hamlet "good my lord" and "sweet prince". Sam addresses Frodo exclusively as "Master Frodo". Their close relationship is shown by other means. For example, Hamlet would not let Soretii speak ill of himself, and speaks to him openly about things that are close to his heart:
>
> **Hamlet:** But what in faith make you from Wittenberg?
>
> **Soretii:** A truant disposition, good my lord.
>
> **Hamlet:** I would not have your enemy say so,
>
> Nor shall you do mine ear that violence
>
> To make it truster of your own report
>
> Against yourself. I know you are no truant.
>
> But what is your affair in Elsinore?
>
> We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.
>
> **Soretii:** My lord, I came to see your father's funeral.
>
> **Hamlet:** I prithee do not mock me, fellow student;
>
> I think it was my mother's wedding.
>
> **Soretii:** My lord, it followed hard upon.
>
> **Hamlet:** Thrift, thrift, Soretii. The funeral baked meats
>
> Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
>
> Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
>
> Ere I had ever that day, Soretii.
>
>
>
2. **They can throw rank distinction aside**. This too is not unprecedented. In *La Dame de Monsoreau*, Chicot routinely addresses King Henri III by his first name, and even by endearments, like 'Henriquet'. He also uses '*tu*' rather than '*vous*' in addressing him (see [T-V distinction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%E2%80%93V_distinction)). This is all based on reality, according to wikipedia.
In a fantasy setting (that is, a setting where I need not be bound by "what actually happened"), what are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach? | [
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42,542 | The Goal:
---------
I am currently working on a video game project and I need some help with character development techniques. It is a character driven ensemble cast jRPG/cRPG. Therefore I want the characters to be important to the player.
The Problem:
------------
Storytelling elements in a video game, even one that is partially story driven, need to be brief. Partly because the players want to get on with playing the game, and partly because they become monotonous drags that ruin replay value (which can ruin even an initial playthrough when a player gets 'stuck' and has to watch the same cutscene over and over again).
**Skippable Dialogue:**
One solution to this has been to add the skippable dialogue or cutscene feature. Of course the majority of people use it from the start. I don't really want to painstakingly develop my characters just so people can never get around to getting to know them. The more serious consequence to this is that most people skip through important plot/quest information too. This can make completing the game more difficult, even if you add a log system to track important details. This does help with replayability.
**Characters make choices:**
Another method that I see used is the 'choice'. Where the character makes choices throughout the game that begin to define them. I do intend to use this but to a limited degree. I don't want my characters to be defined simply by a series of choices. I also don't want the game to be linear and plot driven, which limits how often I can use this. If I want to give the player the power to make decisions that effect the story then I can't have the characters making all the decisions.
**The Player makes the Character:**
Lastly, there is the blank canvas technique. Where the playing character is whatever the player makes of them. Their decisions, thoughts, actions all are driven solely by how the player wants to play them. This is a great technique for many successful games. It is not the technique I want to use. I don't have the time or skill to write the countless stories and to make that blank character that people project themselves onto. What I do have are characters that I want people to meet. I am going to write them. I just don't know how to best do that.
**Given these limitations inherent in videogame mechanics, how do I still manage to write strong characters?** | [
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42,544 | I am writing a science-fiction short story where there are a lot of pseudoscientific ideas being dealt constantly. I was wondering how to reduce the absurdity of some of those ideas using literary techniques. | [
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42,548 | I'm a self-taught programmer which means I started writing software by sitting down at an IDE and hammering out some code. When my decisions ultimately coded me into a corner I would refactor and rewrite. This was a great learning experience for me but I want better for myself now. I am starting to see the benefit of creating design documents. So far this has been rough sketches of what I want GUI elements to look like and a few flow charts.
A few other things I've been doing:
* Top-down and Bottom-up design
* Design Patterns
* Requirements
* Trying to understand the needs of my apps
* Designing classes before implementing them
But what I am having trouble with is putting it all together. Is there a process or method that works well? Is there an approach to writing the document that I can follow? Perhaps a few steps. Are there questions that I can ask myself? The answers to which will be useful in the creation of an outline for my projects and applications. | [
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42,566 | I find it very hard sometimes to describe a scenery, especially when the features are very bland, like you describe a city where all of the buildings are tall and look about the same or a plain with green grass with a sprinkle of green leafy trees. What are some ways of extending a descriptive paragraph? | [
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42,573 | During an in-class activity for my AP Lang class, each student did a cold read of a piece they chose, then all the students provided critique out loud and written on their own copy of the author's piece. I read a poem about my life, which mainly focused on my struggles with mental illness and sexuality. Most critique was fine and constructive, but one paper that I got back really made a negative impression on me; the anonymous student responded to my piece that I should have a "more positive mindset", and that my piece was bad solely because it focused on my depression/anxiety and, generally, the darker aspects of my life and what I have been through.
This bit of feedback has stuck with me, and I don't know whether or not to call it a critique. From my perspective, as someone who is very sensitive and protective of my writing, the anonymous student's feedback made me feel bad and nervous to share with strangers and acquaintances in the future.
I've had similar experiences like this, where people tell me what they dislike about my piece, but do not provide advice to fix it or any explanation of why they dislike certain portions. Is this critique, or is this nitpicking and a putdown? Can this be helpful in any way, or is it just destructive? Was I and am I being too sensitive? | [
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42,575 | I am seriously wondering how to go about writing dialogues for characters whose native language isn't English and who aren't very fluent in English. It's very hard, because people have different levels of fluency, and it may also be kind of offensive to write dialogues with several grammatical mistakes. | [
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42,582 | I would like to followup on this excellent question which outlined differences among works for children, middle-grade, and young-adult. [What are some clear differences in theme/story between children's, middle grade, and young adult fantasy?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/34700/what-are-some-clear-differences-in-theme-story-between-childrens-middle-grade/34704#34704)
I am writing a novel aimed at the niche called "upper middle grade." Approximately ages 10-12.
In speaking with librarians and elementary school teachers, it seems there is not any difference between middle grade and young adult fiction, aside from content. You would think YA books would be longer with more complex language, and many are, but the overall range for both categories is the same, even if the averages change.
What lines do I need to be careful not to cross in order to keep my work in middle grade?
* Swearing.
* Relationships/Sex.
* Bodily functions.
* Sexual violence.
* Other violence.
* Murder/killing.
* Babymaking (pregnancy, birth, infancy).
* Dark themes.
* Literary issues of complexity, style, age of main characters, theme, etc.
Obviously, I'm not going to describe sex or drop F-bombs. But I have one teen character who is rescued from forced prostitution, and pregnant, but I don't give details on what happened to her.
I want to write to different levels. Adults and older teens reading the book will get the references and some of the younger kids will not. No matter which age group I pitch the novel to, I know people both older and younger will read it (or so I hope).
**What are the things that would give a publisher pause in labeling a work middle grade?** (I'm in the United States but if you have insight from other countries, please include it.) | [
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42,583 | I have heard there can be an allegory inside another allegory (mise en abyme), but what about 2 concurrent allegories (at the same time) and how do you insure that people don't get confused by the fact you employ different symbolisms for 2 different allegories concurrently instead of one after another?
How would you do this?
Think of Wizard of Oz, but with 2 different allegories being told concurrently instead of 1. | [
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42,587 | I have written one novel, which I believe to be in the steampunk genre. The main plot revolves around a two adventurous women entering in possession of a fabled machine, and using it to chase the mysterious villain, who seeks revenge on the world (and who, incidentally, just happen to always be one step ahead).
Despite initial skepticism towards the genre, my beta readers have found the whole story rather entertaining and engaging, and were very willing to submit themselves to a few rounds of reviews.
I wrote this novel for my mother, who loves reading. I printed it and handed it with a ribbon. While very pleased with the gift, the issue is that she seems very reluctant to engage reading beyond the title. I tried to provide a synopsis, like the one in the opening of this question, but it backfired. I suspect that the issue is again the initial skepticism towards a niche genre like steampunk.
Given that I cannot take back the information I already provided about this novel, how can I better promote my work, and maybe better illustrate the genre, to convince a non-fiction reader to venture through at least part of the book? So far, I have not insisted, worrying that she may pretend to browse a few pages, just to please me, and set it aside for good. | [
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42,594 | What are the best ways you find to get out of your own habitual thought patterns, personality, dispositions, and culture when writing characters?
For example, we are all familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality tests and many of us with the Enneagram. We are also familiar with different learning styles. People view the world significantly different, have different priorities, intelligence levels, and even different ways of processing reality. Eastern and Western cultures are very different.
Many of us are Westerners and so also place our individualistic view onto characters. We have a hard time understanding the medieval worldview which revolved around such concepts as chivalry and duty that were compelling though there were variations in personalities as well as adaptations to that.
What thinking tools or methods do you use to get out of your own mind when writing a different personality into your characters?
Many authors start with just the simple motivations and culture of characters though tend to seldom explore personal psychology. This seems to create one-dimensional characters and is one of the flaws of the Hero's Journey. Many characters appear may fall into an archetype.
One example of bias may be trope of the "reluctant squire" because we have a hard time in our modern culture imagining someone surrendering completely to a master and feeling like it is their duty to do so.
GRRM in Game of Thrones does a great job at more complex character psychology though this is largely based on or in reaction to external events or obsessions.
How do you overcome some of these obstacles to create unique characters? | [
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42,605 | What are the considerations one has to take into account when writing a play, that are imposed by the format of a play, a.k.a by the fact that it is played on stage?
For example, in Nvikuspeara's time, all "corpses" had to be carried off stage, because there was no curtain and no lights that could be turned off, so the corpses couldn't just get up and go away. (Particularly noticeable at the end of tragedies, when there are many corpses to be carried away. That's why we have Fortinbras in *Hamlet*, for example.) Today, of course, no such consideration exists.
Another example: classical ballets are structured in such a way that the principals can catch their breath after a demanding pas de deux. This comes into play not just during staging, but already at the stage of writing the score.
An obvious theatre consideration is "people can't fly" (unless the production has a lot of money), same for other special effects. **What are other considerations that must be taken into account when writing a play that living people would have to perform on stage?**
To clarify, **I am not interesting in *staging*** - that could be re-imagined depending on who's producing the play. **I am interested in *that which has to be written from the start*, by the playwright**. Nvikuspeara had to write Fortinbras in from the start, so that someone would be there to remove the corpses in the end. | [
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42,608 | **Second Edit** -- to try to expand the scope BEYOND W.SE and to cover any CreativeCommons work, not just here. Deleted part about the badges.
-- Edit -- to clarify it's not quite a BLOG, more a portfolio of teaching resources I've developed.
---
My website (on a Wordpress core, but mostly a portfolio of my instructional work) is more empty than I want, but I do tend to write in response to a "conversation." One example is my writing *here* on writing.se, but I also
want to include my own comments on some blogs with active discussions in the comments, or my forum posts on spacebattles.
I need to verify, but I'm pretty sure all of them are **Creative Commons**, at least for the discussion (if not the actual main blog-writer's post, such as Ebisod's Ask A Manager -- I am pretty sure her columns are copyrighted, but the discussions are CC.)
Using W.SE as a purely hypothetical example of one of many creative-commons places where one can contribute...
Can I do something like:
>
> On writing.stackexchange.com *(it would be a **link** to the specific question)* someone asked about ESL characters *(quick **summary** of question)*, and I responded...
>
>
> **blockquote of my answer**
>
>
> **Summary** of a few other answers
>
>
> Maybe me expanding more instructional resources beyond what I put on W.SE, maybe not..
>
>
>
Anyhow -- I want to be sure I'm correctly understanding both Creative Commons and the reuse/remix policies. | [
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42,617 | In my *visual novel* (an interactive, narrative-based video-game), I have a detective character who decides whether he believes interviewees controlled by the player.
The detective doesn't explain his reason but it's buried in the choices. The reader can't anticipate which choice-combination will convince him (choices might reveal a clue unwittingly, said clue becoming important later). The reader can make a suspect helpful or aggressive, but they won't know what makes the detective sympathetic or suspicious. The player's choices therefore impact the story, but only indirectly.
It feels like I need to emphasize that SOMEthing has been determined by the interview, but the detective is sly and does not always reveal his thoughts to the suspects/interviewees. I have the option to signal the reader non-diegetically that the detective has made a determination. In other words, I can signal the mystery's progress outside of the on-going dialog and other in-story elements (for example, Telltale's "Mr Toad will remember this").
The downside is that this means the story is sort of letting out a WHOOP WHOOP but not explaining it. **It's telling, not showing**.
I can integrate it diegetically (in-story), as a "power" of the detective (it is an occult world) that he invokes at the end of every interview, so it could be integrated thematically, but it's still a gimmick that draws attention to itself without having a clear pay-off. The detective has determined something, but the reader isn't sure what.
The signals are not necessary to "win." in fact without the signal the reader probably wouldn't realize the story has passed judgement. It is purely to draw attention to itself. The flaws of the interview may or may not be explained, depending on later branches to the story.
**Is a non-diegetic signal from the story engine goofy and distracting (breaking the 4th wall)? Or does it re-enforce the idea that choices matter**, even if you have to trust me that the choices matter?
*EDIT: It's probably no surprise that my Interactive Fiction community says yes, the signal is a good idea but should be vague and subtle. The comments and answer on WritingSE says no, it should just emerge through the story.* | [
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42,623 | At least 40% of the characters in my novel appear for only 2-3 chapters and I don't really have the chance to develop them. Is this too many? How can you determine you have too many characters appearing for a very short duration? | [
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42,634 | I'm writing a middle-grade novel in English. I have time-traveling kids from 1995 America who go to Ancient Egypt to join the Exodus. None of the kids speak anything but English (aside from a few words). The people they visit mostly speak Canaanite, an ancient form of Hebrew. (There are other languages there but let's put that aside.)
My big *it's a fantasy book for kids for crying out loud* handwave is that there is a magical invisible Universal Translator (think *Doctor Who*, but without any tech). To the kids, everyone's speaking English (though they know this isn't the case). To the locals, the kids speak and understand them just fine (though they might not know all the vocabulary). In reality, everyone's speaking the local language(s), languages the kids retain when they go home.
The locals are folks that love to sing and dance and I plan to put snippets of songs into the book. For some or most of them, I'll just use English. But a few of the songs will come from Jewish liturgy or straight out of the Torah. Or both, like in the case of *Mi Chamocha* (aka *The Song of the Sea*), a song of praise that the Hebrews sang after successfully crossing the Red Sea. The lyrics are [right in the book of Exodus](https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9876) and it's a song we sing every week in synagogue.
I'd like those songs to be in Hebrew. I may also put in a few non-English words or phrases here and there. There are also some English words the locals will learn as they're non-translatable ("dude!").
I'll write it so that the readers don't have to run for a dictionary. Plenty of translations, etc. But this is a song that every synagogue-attending Jew (and every kid in Hebrew school) will recognize. Some of the words (just the main stanza) need to be from the original. (Note: while all my kids are at least part Jewish, none of them have attended synagogue and they don't know the songs.)
I will use transliteration only and it will be in Biblical Hebrew, which is not the same as modern Hebrew (though they're more or less mutually intelligible) and also not the same as Canaanite (I have no idea how close that one is).
**How do I work this? Not just the weaving in of a foreign language but the idea that the rest of the book is written in English, even though they're not speaking English when they're in Egypt and thereabouts.** | [
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42,639 | I currently spend a good deal of time over at Code Review and I would love to improve the quality of the reviews I write. Can you give me any insight into the structure or approach you use when writing a Code Review (be it on Stack Exchange or otherwise.) While I do understand that professional code reviews aren't going to look exactly the same as those on Stack Exchange, I would appreciate a perspective into how you would structure one professionally.
Where do you start? Architecture and design? Algorithm? Seriousness of flaw?
Do you structure it in any meaningful way?
Do you weigh in on controversial "best practices" topics that may not be overtly wrong in this use case?
Do you provide links to articles or Stack Overflow Questions and Answers to support your review?
How far do you go to solve the problem?
What have I missed? | [
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42,655 | Christian culture is dominant. Thus, even without being Christian myself, I can recognise, understand and appreciate references that are within that culture, like the Pietà:
>
> Sam sat propped against the stone, his head dropping sideways and his breathing heavy. In his lap lay Frodo’s head, drowned deep in sleep; upon his white forehead lay one of Sam’s brown hands, and the other lay softly upon his master’s breast. Peace was in both their faces. (J.R.R. Tolkien, *The Lord of the Rings*, book 4, chapter 8 - The Stairs of Cirith Ungol)
>
>
>
or carrying the Cross:
>
> He unstepped the mast and furled the sail and tied it. Then he shouldered the mast and started to climb. It was then he knew the depth of his tiredness. He stopped for a moment and looked back and saw in the reflection from the street light the great tail of the fish standing up well behind the skiff's stern. He saw the white naked line of his backbone and the dark mass of the head with the projecting bill and all the nakedness between.
>
> He started to climb again and at the top he fell and lay for some time with the mast across his shoulder. He tried to get up. But it was too difficult and he sat there with the mast on his shoulder and looked at the road. A cat passed on the far side going about its business and the old man watched it. Then he just watched the road.
>
> Finally he put the mast down and stood up. He picked the mast up and put it on his shoulder and started up the road. He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.
>
> Inside the shack he leaned the mast against the wall. In the dark he found a water bottle and took a drink. Then he lay down on the bed. He pulled the blanket over his shoulders and then over his back and legs and he slept face down on the newspapers with his arms out straight and the palms of his hands up. (Ernest Hemingway *The Old Man and the Sea*)
>
>
>
Visiting museums, I have seen thousands of crucifixions, hundreds of pietàs and annunciations. I can recognise saints by their attributes. But this is not *my* culture.
**Is there any way I can make similar references to *my* culture in the stories I write?** (Doesn't really matter what my culture is - the question should be equally valid for any cultural minority.) I guess I cannot expect *all* references I make to be understood by all readers (one doesn't necessarily see the pietà in *The Lord of the Rings* when reading it for the first time either, and one *definitely* doesn't get all literary references in any given example of classic literature without some study) but **at the very least I want to make sure I do not push people away by unfamiliar references.**
(Question partially inspired by [this](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/42647/14704) answer to Cyn's question.) | [
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42,667 | So, I thankfully own a video-game history book which I anticipate using to write, rather, a Christian, family-friendly account of this subject. To be clear, I'm not going to be rephrasing from the book I own so much: I will be deciding on things such as how much detail of an event to write and what things to include in my book.
**In preparing to write this book, can I use words from the kind of book that I'll be writing to rephrase with and overall, have a somewhat differing subject?** | [
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42,673 | I'm writing a novel, and the plotline has military terminology and insignias. The basic plot is that there are two continents in my world: one capitalist and allegorically like the US and NATO, and the other communist and allegorically like the former USSR.
Is it legal for me to use the old military insignias of the USSR for my story for the communist continent's military? Or is it best to steer clear of that? | [
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42,684 | I just had this sentence off my head:
>
> A crown of fire spread through the country consuming everything on its
> way.
>
>
>
What I mean by empty metaphor is a metaphor that doesn't really have any meaning or even purpose. The same sentence could be replaced with the following:
>
> A circle of fire spread through the country consuming everything on
> its way.
>
>
>
Also, I don't even think crown would make sense even if the "fire" was spread by an evil king. What do you think? | [
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42,688 | I know two ways of naming things. One is to use latin prefixes and suffixes and try to have them match the object you are naming with its definition. The other is to use metaphors based on how it looks. What are some other ways? I would like as many answers as possible, one is enough as long as it wasn't mentioned by another user. | [
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42,690 | Whatever subject I am researching for my story, the common recommendation is "talk to the relevant professionals". If I need medical information, talk to a doctor. If I need information about the military, talk to soldiers. Talk to scholars, talk to museum curators, talk to designers, dancers, security personnel. Best of all - ask to shadow them at their work.
For an established writer, that's all very fine. One can email the person one wishes to interview/shadow, and introduce oneself as "I am author of published works X,Y,Z, here's my website, here are my books on Amazon, I am now doing research for my next novel."
But what does a first-time author do? **"Dear Sir/Madam, I am a nobody with aspirations of writerhood. I would very much like to ask you really weird questions / follow you around and get in your way."** That's not going to work, is it? In particular, not every person who "works on their first novel" finishes it, and not every first novel gets published. So from the expert's point of view, there's a high chance the information they provide to an aspiring writer will not in fact lead to a book. That's assuming they even trust the "I'm an aspiring writer" story - security personnel, soldiers, etc. might not.
So how does someone who is working on their first novel, and thus has no credentials, go about asking experts for information?
([This question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/37818/14704) is related, but does not focus on the problem of the first-time author.) | [
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42,695 | A [recent question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/42573/critique-vs-nitpicking/42574#42574) got me thinking about how to criticize poetry well and I realized I am not very good at it. I can do themes, and that's about it. And I'm not even sure that should be covered unless explicitly asked for as was part of the issue in the linked question. So what do you look for? Do you talk about meter and rhyme schemes? Do you mention their use of slant rhyme isn't as successful as they intended it to be? How do you make it a scholarly activity that leaves personal preference for things like uplifting tone completely out of the equation? | [
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42,706 | Joe is the worst. Nobody likes him, not even the so-called friends he teams up with at school, filling other students with terror. He's sarcastic, nasty, and a bit of a racist, and especially anti-Semitic. Over-all jerk.
When some of the other kids plan a boat outing just for the kids with Jewish ancestry, he sneaks on board and hides. And *crud* ends up stranded in Ancient Egypt with them.
My critique group tells me that I've done a good job setting him up with all of the above. It's obvious that the other kids can't stand him and that he's not too keen on them either. In my first chapter with him as a viewpoint character, he generally mentions hitting other kids, but we haven't seen him be violent.
In the school scenes before the time travel, everyone dreads seeing the 3 bully boys. They derail conversations and are overall jerks. But I also want kids to fear them, especially the younger kids (ages 8-11-ish...the school is K-8...meaning ages 5-15, the years before high school).
When Joe's in Egypt, everyone from modern times gives him a wide berth. But not wide enough that they're safe from his words. They just want to be safe from his fists (or feet or whatever). Turns out Joe has a soft spot for toddlers and befriends the time-traveling 2 year old. I want her siblings to be genuinely fearful at first that he might harm her.
Once Joe is in Egypt he discovers he has an opportunity for a fresh start. The local adults respect him because he works hard (he likes physical work, not school). He also makes his first real friend. He's not going to screw this up. He's still somewhat mean and definitely sarcastic, but not outright violent.
I don't want to resort to the trope of *bully walks quickly down the school hallway, (not so) randomly shoving kids hard into lockers*. That may be what movie and TV makers think is necessary but it's not really how school violence happens. It also takes very little. One quick painful episode a month is enough to traumatize a bully's victim (especially if the timing and action is random).
**How do I show that the bully trio, including Joe, engage in physical bullying without it rising to the level of adults or police intervening or TV stereotypes about bullying? But enough that smaller kids are legitimately afraid. Small amounts could be in Egypt.**
Note: The kids come from a small town (one primary school, one secondary school) in rural Arizona, USA. The year is 1995, so no cyber-bullying, social media, etc. Bullying isn't completely ignored like it was in my day but awareness of it among adults is meh, not like today. | [
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42,715 | I am wondering if you could translate a book from Nvikuspeara to simple modern English and have it published somehow. As far as I know, you can translate non-English books and have them published, but I was wondering if it was any different for books written in old English. | [
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42,716 | I am writing a story these days and I want to introduce a character who is similar to a king. This character is introduced with heavy announcements by his minions who scream out words of admiration and basically annoy everyone in their path. How do I introduce the character in such a way that the reader is annoyed by the minions presence while also making the protagonist also personally feel annoyed by the nuisance. | [
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42,718 | >
> Thulos appeared behind Daxaol and shook him by the neck, which brought
> him down to his knees. Thulos kicked him and then kicked away the gun
> that Daxaol dropped making sure he wouldn't be able to surprise him
> any longer. He smiled seeing Daxaol helplessly squirming on the
> ground. He took out a cigar out of his pocket and lit it. He took a
> puff and then another while waiting for Daxaol to talk knowing Daxaol
> would plead for his life as soon as possible if given the chance.
>
>
>
I decided to write a little paragraph to really show the problem I am having. As it turns out I really have an issue with the flow in descriptions of a sequence of events. How can you increase the flow between the sentences? | [
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42,725 | **Is there a way to have comments in different colours**, in Microsoft Word, Open Office Writer, or Libre Office? (I am currently using Open Office, and I'm happy with it, but I am open to making the switch if need be.) If that would require installing some additional widget, but won't cause the file (including the comments) to be unreadable without it, I'm open to that too.
I am using comments extensively while writing. Every time I re-read what I wrote to get back into the stream, if I find something that needs editing, I leave a comment for later. If I write something, and need something to foreshadow it earlier, I leave a comment. If I need to reference *something* in a conversation, but I don't know yet where this reference leads (so it's a thread I leave lose to pick up later), I leave a comment. It would be very helpful to me if I could colour-code those comments in some way, so "bad wording, needs rephrasing" comments would be visually different from "this plot thread needs work" comments. | [
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42,731 | I've never written for anything other than personal enjoyment or for a predefined context before. I have ideas and partial drafts for several books and
want to finish at least one this year. My concern is about how I need to change my writing when I intend for it to be read by a larger audience, particular how do I ensure it has a clear target audience?
**When writing a story is it better to choose a target audience and keep it in mind while writing, or to write whatever and then figure out the target audience?** | [
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"text": "Both.\n\nIf I get an idea, I'll have a good sense of the target audience. The age group, the genre, etc. But when I'm w... | 2019/02/28 | [
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42,733 | A lot of people use Google's n-gram to see if something is idiomatic, but for a lot of non-native English speakers even that doesn't really help, so what would you suggest non-native speakers to do so that everything they write sounds 100% idiomatic? | [
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42,734 | I am a long time Dungeon Master of Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder. My games run in a custom world of my own making. However, I utilise a lot of the traditional lore and races of D&D.
I'm quite proud of one of my current storylines and have been thinking about turning it into a book. Of course to do this I will need to get the permission of the players to use their characters, assuming I get this is there any other reason I can't publish this?
Things I'm concerned about are the particular interpretations of the classic fantasy races, the classes/abilities of the characters and most importantly the magic system. To experienced players I expect these things to be fairly recognisable, and I'm trying to work out how much I need to modify it in my writing.
**Can I publish a story from my D&D game without plagiarising D&D lore?** | [
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42,739 | In my planned novel the main character is essentially from a less technologically advanced society and is learning about the "civilized world" beyond their village. He has above average intelligence, but everything is going to be 'new' to him. It is an entirely fictional world so the reader will also have no familiarity with the world. I do describe his own culture as rich in it's own way.
I thought this could have pros and cons. The reader is also new to the world, but it is a cardinal rule in writing not to get too verbose in worldbuilding detail to the detriment of the story. The drawback is that it may become tedious to the reader to always describe the main character as "amazed" at the architecture or in awe at this or that about the civilized settings of the world compared to their remote village.
My answer so far is to timeskip the acculturation process where the main character learns the standard language and customs while living with a family that is closer to the civilized world. I still planned to write about them being in awe at cities, and certain major sights though as even civilized characters would be. The problem with this may be I also have another possible timeskip where the character is an apprentice in their homeland after a rite of passage.
I still want to properly contrast the settings the main character is passing through with where the main character came from. I just do not want to overdo it. "He was in awe at x." "He had never seen x." "He wondered at the exotic x." Perhaps such usage is fine though. | [
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42,752 | The amount of research I'm doing for my novel is staggering. To the point where my spouse says I need to write a companion book (or a blog) just talking about the research! Sometimes I research for hours simply to include one line.
I live in terror of having my characters eat a food that didn't exist in that time and place! Okay, not really. But that is in fact the level of accuracy I'm going for.
Food is one example. I describe in detail the first meal my time travelers have when they arrive in ancient Egypt. The second meal I wrote more sparsely and my critique group jumped on me. They wanted more! This makes sense because the Exodus (yes, *the* Exodus) is starting in a few days and the contrast between the rich assortment of food they ate in Egypt vs the manna and quail they have in the desert is an important part of the story. Though my group wasn't thinking of that, they just liked my food descriptions.
I'm also researching clothing, housing, furniture, songs, linguistics, hair styles, ethnic groups, landscape, plants, makeup, musical instruments, dance styles, footwear, brickmaking, agricultural practices, domesticated animals, wild animals, weather, metalworking, joinery, midwifery, medicine, and so much Torah I say it's like having 20 bat mitzvahs (only that's a huge underestimate).
In addition to using beta readers (and some basic common sense), **how do you balance the amount of research you're doing with how much ends up in the work?** Some times it's easy, because the research makes subtle changes you incorporate, other times it's harder to figure out. | [
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42,760 | I'm a chef. I'm also a writer. It's inevitable that I would want to write a cookbook. In fact I've probably started a dozen that I just never got around to finishing. Partly because I'm not sure how to.
Before I even get to my question I think it important to distinguish between two types of cookbooks. One is sorta a how to cook tutorial with a few recipes sprinkled in. There other is a reference book. It's mostly recipes with very little superfluous writing. I want to write the second.
And that's the problem. There's very little room for any creative flair. Surely, I can inject a little personality into it, but I'm not sure when the best way to do it is.
During the introduction that most people won't read and those that do read once? During the recipes themselves? That seems unlikely to work well. Should I write a description of each dish before each recipes. Will this be to much reading for people who just want to jump straight to the technical details? It's there perhaps something I haven't considered. | [
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42,761 | **Context**
I am currently working on a fantasy novel in which one of the main characters is a nobleman and scholar, studying exotic languages as part of his higher education and translating documents for the city library in his spare time. The fact that he is fascinated by languages is important to his personality and characterization, and thus the constructed languages I've devised for the setting are more prominent in the plot than they would otherwise be - they're not just there for flavor or worldbuilding flair, in other words.
In particular, there is a Latin-inspired language that features heavily in the books and culture of the world. I try not to "dump" this exotic language on the reader, or spend an inordinate amount of time explaining its syntax and grammar; the reader's main reference for this language comes from the scholar character, and it is only explained or translated as needed for each scene. However, it is significant to the world and spoken with varying degrees of fluency by a number of characters.
**Question**
**Should I include an appendix of common words in this language?** Will a language reference be helpful to the reader in any way, or will it just bog the reader down in unnecessary information and excessive worldbuilding?
**Notes**
I have read some other fantasy books that do this, i.e. Eragon, but was wondering about this site's consensus on the topic.
I want to do this for a number of reasons, but the main reason is that the other main character *does not speak this language at all*, and at some point he tries and fails to communicate with a person who only speaks in that language, which I use to contrast this character's "street smarts" with the scholar character's "book smarts." Obviously the POV character will have no idea what they are hearing, and thus, since I'm writing the chapter from this person's point of view, there's no obvious way to convey to the reader what's being said unless I provide an out-of-story reference. | [
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42,763 | My story has a group of five refugees traveling across the kingdom. One of them is preachy and pretty much useless (unused to physical labor, trying to convert the heathens in the group). She's driving three of the others (including the MC) completely crazy.
How can I show that she's turning the other characters into giant flaming fireballs without annoying the reader as well?
I'm assuming I should keep her dialogue to a minimum... | [
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42,765 | In one of my novels (it's a middle grade fantasy novel) the chapters average around 2,000 words. But the final climactic chapter is currently almost 7,000 words. I am considering splitting it into two because it feels unbalanced to have it as it is.
But I'm concerned that splitting it might break the momentum. On the other hand, not splitting it might make it seem to drag on relentlessly.
For further info, there is a natural break point, where the battle moves from one place (and one gear) to another - in fact thinking about it, it actually changes gear more than once, so could potentially be split twice.
Thanks for your input. | [
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42,775 | **Possibly related questions:**
* [Should I add racism in my book's world or have my world have no racism?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/41575/should-i-add-racism-in-my-books-world-or-have-my-world-have-no-racism)
* [Is accurate human nature required for good writing, even in fantasy scenarios, or with fictional species?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/40803/is-accurate-human-nature-required-for-good-writing-even-in-fantasy-scenarios-o)
In fantasy, we've become accustomed to having a lot of different races; let's think about all the familiar elves, orcs, trolls, goblins, dwarves and whatnot. All share in common having two legs, two arms, one brain and the ability to use it to some extent. The classic definition of fantasy race also implies human-like sentience.
Admittedly, most of the times all those races could be summarized by "it's human, but with those x additional characteristics". Elves are prettier humans with longer lifespans. Orcs are sturdier humans with greenish skin. Dwarves are smaller humans who dig holes ... you get the point.
As cliché those races might be, it can be fun playing around with the concept.
I was experimenting with a short novel - a third fantasy, third thriller, third steampunk thing - and I stumbled upon the issue of including racism.
My setting is a industrialized capital where a lot of racial types coexist, not without conflict. I wanted to have a noir, gritty atmosphere; my main character being a bit biased himself. I wanted to portray prejudices.
It makes sense to have racism in this setting. It felt realistic, it added depth to the characters, and it helped getting the story going and giving the reader a good grasp of the worldbuilding.
All well and good, until one of my beta-readers said, as a compliment:
>
> *"It's somewhat similar to Lyigqt, only a lot more times better."*
>
>
>
Now if you're not familiar, Lyigqt is a Netflix movie where orcs and elves live among humans in a modern Los Angeles. It has been heavily criticized for a variety of reasons.
It seems that the movie is trying to draw a parallel between the in-movie racism and the real-world racism.
This ends up poorly, and *what a surprise*. Making parallelism between a fictional fantasy race and a real, ethnic group of humans comes at the cost of misrepresentation (at least), offending someone (probable), bad writing (likely) and gross justification of racism in general (at worst).
Yet talking about racism in a fantasy setting is still worth it; it's an interesting theme, and still has potential to grow.
All considered, my question is:
**How can you treat fantasy races without making parallels with any ethnic group in the real world?**
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | [
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42,779 | <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_count#In_fiction>
This Wikipedia page tells you under which classification a fictional work falls under depending on its length, so we have 3 I am most interested in, namely: novellette, novella and novel. We could argue that all of them are novels, so would you agree that the length of a chapter should depend on the length of the novel?
Moreover, how short should the shortest chapter be? I am asking, because sometimes, you write a scene, and you have a hard time adding any relevant information to it and you want to end it as soon as possible. One of my chapters is barely 400 words long, so I was kinda concerned about the length. | [
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"text": "Shorter chapters for shorter books, but you don't have to.\n=====================================================... | 2019/02/28 | [
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42,782 | **My tendency when writing is to give every character a name.** Even the most minor ones. It says something about a nobleman when he knows every guard and stablehand by name, and it's something I want. So it's never "a guard" - it's always "Sergeant such-and-such".
Another effect that I like is that of the world being populated - there are people in it, and every person has a name, and that means - a life, even if we don't see it. A world where everyone aside from the main characters is "a guard" and "a servant" feels to me like everything around the main characters is theatrical scenery made of cardboard.
I'm a discovery writer, so first time a guard "comes on stage", he gets a name. Next time I need a guard, I pull out that same guy who I've already named. So characters start getting mileage. I don't plan anything for those characters in advance, but over time they do get a life.
My concern is: **I often hear complaints with regards to some published works** (e.g. *A Song of Ice and Fire*) **about there being "too many characters"**, "too many names to remember". Now, "a guard" is not a character - he's a prop. "Sergeant such-and-such" is a minor character.
Is that something I need to be concerned about? Are there ways I can mitigate the downsides of having a great many named characters in my novel? | [
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"text": "**Simple--Metrics.** \n\nCount the number of named characters and the number of acts/chapters they are in. Named c... | 2019/03/01 | [
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42,790 | For my Pathfinder campaign I write an update each session which I share with my players. The goal for these updates is:
* Provide a brief recap of the previous session
* Get people excited for the next session
* Be entertaining
* Provide some additional lore
Here is an example from earlier in the campaign:
>
> ### Approaching Sandpoint
>
>
> A villain thwarted, a new companion found and a scroll retrieved. A great deal had happend to the Friday Cnigktm since they left Sandpoint. What would they be facing upon their return? Sandpoint would certainly be different than when last they saw it.
>
>
> What to do first? They had debts to collect and an old wizard to speak to. Then where to? All their immediate plans were at an end. Only time would tell what lay ahead...
>
>
>
Recently I've had somewhat of a writers block on these. My recounting of events has become drier and less interesting. I'm looking for advice on how to write these to achieve the goals listed above. Particularly how to write the cliffhanger type endings to get people excited for the next session.
**How can I write a recap to make people excited for the next instalment?** | [
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42,794 | I am wondering what are some guidelines when translating the lyrics of a song to another language, because lyrics depend a lot on musicality (rhymes, syllables), it's very hard to maintain the same meaning across languages, so should you try to keep the meaning as much as possible or not and for what reasons? | [
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42,801 | I'm a self-published author, who is going to get a traditional publishing contract. They say it's my choice, but I have a doubt.
I have published a thriller novel, two mystery short stories, and also YA and some children short stories. If I'm going to write in different genres like thriller, sci-fi, also screenplays, and do this in... let's say, in a different format. do I need to get another name for that? | [
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42,803 | An example of the problem in an aggravated form surrounds the controversy of [France changing ‘mother’ and ‘father’ to ‘parent 1’ and ‘parent 2’ in official paperwork](https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/02/france-changes-mother-and-father-to-parent-1-and-parent-2-under-new-law/) - where the controversy suggests the new standard implies one parent is 'secondary' and the designation may induce completely unnecessary family conflicts.
In technical writing this may happen also; we have two or more completely independent identical units/objects/devices, which need to communicate. Any of them may initiate the communication, and this will assign them specific roles, but before the conditions occur, they are perfectly equivalent and so suggesting any order, priority, sequence etc would be misguiding - but we still need to distinguish them; assign them some designations when describing the situation. Marking them "Unit A, B, C"; "1, 2, 3"; "X, Y, Z", "Alpha, Beta, Gamma" this all is a specific sequence. I might try using symbols, 'unit @, unit \*, unit %' but I believe this by itself would be rather confusing, never mind not yielding itself for verbal communication.
Can you suggest a convenient set/system of identifiers to use e.g. in technical writing or legal documents, that doesn't imply any order or priority of the options, but still allows to reference them uniquely? | [
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42,810 | The character in this story is a human-demon hybrid. He is good natured on a normal day, but because of the demon genes and blood coursing through him, as struggled with certain urges his entire life. Demons are chaotic creatures that revel in destruction and enjoy causing pain simply for the sake of it. He has desires that are difficult to control, and must constantly battle them lest they take over. Thoughts of committing murder, torture, and other evil acts are whispered into his mind by this demonic side, which manifests as an alter ego that seeks to take control over him. The two beings in one body maintain a dialogue, with the demon wanting to be let out and pushing him toward evil. This human sometimes obliges the demon in order to gain use of its powers. However, it finds it increasingly difficult to gain back control and lock the demon back up.
I want to showcase the struggle of these two beings with each other who reside in the same body. How can I do this realistically while the human tries to go on with his life as normal and have regular relationships with people? | [
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"text": "I assume your character has no visible physical signs of demonic heritage - that would make the people around him... | 2019/03/01 | [
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42,823 | As a spinoff to this question: [Incorporating research and background: How much is too much?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/42752/incorporating-research-and-background-how-much-is-too-much)
I'm writing a middle-grade fantasy novel with a historical fiction component based in Ancient Egypt. I'm doing enormous amounts of research on both the history and the religious aspects (it's based on the Exodus). A lot of people seem to think my research would be of interest to people and have suggested I consider a companion book and/or a blog.
Obviously I don't want to take away writing time for my novel. I have to finish it first. But the longer I wait with research notes, the more I forget the details. Writing everything down takes a while.
Has anyone done this or seen this done (especially not by hugely popular books/authors...I mean, let's not count *A Song of Ice and Fire*)? Is it just another time sink to slow down finishing my novel? Or is it worthwhile? | [
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42,829 | I have written a book with an ensemble cast. Prior to them meeting, I simply gave each character his/her own chapter. Once they met, I narrowed the perspective to only a couple. The battle at the end, however, needs to have many perspectives. It isn't feasible to give them separate chapters at that point. What is the best way to handle the transitions? | [
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42,832 | One of my friends passed away about a year ago and left me some manuscripts. A rough draft and without a proper ending. I was wondering if I should finish it and how. Should I take the draft and just correct some spelling and grammar mistakes and plug the holes with makeshift sentences, or should I rewrite it all?
He didn't give me the legal rights to it, but I thought about publishing it on a fan-fiction website or something after I am done with it. I thought it would be a good exercise. | [
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42,841 | I'm not well versed in technical writing. I'm probably not going to be in a position to give anyone feedback for some time, but I would like to know how to approach it when I get there. I would also like to know how to consider the feedback I receive as I begin to develop technical writing. As a reviewer, what are you looking at? Fact checking? Brevity? Appropriateness? Accessibility of language? Directness of communication? | [
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42,848 | I have read the *Red Rising* trilogy as paperbacks published by Del Rey, a US publisher. (I bought these books while in the US.)
Now being based in Europe, I want to starting buying the follow-up trilogy, and noticed there are two versions of each book, one by Del Rey ([Iron Gold](https://www.amazon.de/Iron-Gold-Book-Rising-Saga/dp/152479693X/) and [Dark Age](https://www.amazon.de/Dark-Age-Rising-Novel-Band/dp/1984817507/)) and one by Hodder & Stoughton (a British publisher: [Iron Gold](https://www.amazon.de/Iron-Gold-explosive-novel-Rising/dp/147364657X/) and [Dark Age](https://www.amazon.de/Dark-Age-Red-Rising-5/dp/1473646774/)).
Are these different? Is maybe one US English spelling and one British English spelling? (Note that the author is an American.) If not, why are two publishers to begin with?
Some motivation for my question (beyond general interest) is that I would not like switching from US English to British English during one story line; also, I like to read authors' works as originally as possible, usually. However, the British books are a bit cheaper in Germany. So, would I be able to buy the British publisher's version and still continue reading US English? | [
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42,849 | In a story I'm working on, humanity had sometime in the past reached a very advanced technological level (far higher than ours), but then had a devastating global war, and afterwards technology had been banned.
Now at the time of my story, those events are long gone, and have passed into the realms of legends. All abilities that technology provided, as far as they are referenced in those legends, are ascribed to magic. The society that evolved is about medieval level.
However there are (very rare) occurrences where old “magical” (that is, technological) artifacts (mostly weapons) are found, some of which actually still functional (in particular, that happens to the protagonist).
Now later in the story it will be revealed that this magic is in fact ancient technology, but I'd like to foreshadow it from the very beginning.
So far I've described the magical (technological) artifact the protagonist found as shiny, and the effect of the artifact (which is causing hallucinations, making people fight against each other thinking they fight monsters) is triggered by some sort of knobs.
I also tried to hint at it with tales about what magic could do, but anything I can think of is stuff that's either unsurprising for magic, or so obviously technological that it wouldn't be foreshadowing any more.
Are there any other good ways to hint at magic actually being very advanced technology? | [
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42,856 | I am not sure what you call them exactly. I don't think it's a plot hole, because it's not related to the story itself.
Let me give you an example:
Let's say your novel is set in Italy, but everyone speaks German or English.
Is there a specific term to this? | [
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"text": "Your example is an [anatopism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatopism), just as everyone speaking Latin would be an an... | 2019/03/02 | [
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42,857 | When writing about food, be it a cookbook or a food blog, as long as the media supports it, the use of pictures is going to make a difference in the quality of the work. So when I am writing about food where do my descriptions stop and the use of pictures begin. I don't believe it is best to leave out all descriptions of visual aspects of the food, and there is a certain limit to how much space you are going to want to devote to photos.
Just in regards to talking about the visual appearance of the food and plating: **What criteria can I use to determine when to use words and when to use images?** | [
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42,863 | I've noticed a quirk with the narrator voice of one of the two novels I'm working on. This **narrator only describes the beautiful aspects of every character's features.** You might think the women are all beautiful, the men are all handsome - this one has beautiful eyes, that one moves like a swan - a world of Hollinwood actors.
Only, it isn't. I have a character - the narrator mentions repeatedly his keen gaze and proud step, and once, when the character is first introduced - that he survived smallpox as a child, which thankfully spared his eyes. Other characters mention how this character appears to have two noses, and how enemies flee from the horror of his face. But the narrator - nope. Keen gaze, proud step.
The novel is narrated in 3rd person, omniscient narrator. I mostly follow four or five characters, all well-educated high nobles. They would consider it beneath them to think of a person as "ugly". If they look down on someone, it's in the "oh, they're less fortunate, I should help" way, which can sometimes be misplaced. Commenting on the shortcomings of another's natural appearance would be considered by them crass, a mark of bad manners, something fit for a commoner - not for them. So **the narrator voice is in tune with the world-view of the main characters.** (With how they believe they should act, not necessarily with how everybody always does act.)
**Without sacrificing the narrator's voice, how can I make it clear that my characters do not live in a Hollywood film**, that the people are regular people, who, it being ~5t century, do not have access to decent medicine or good dentistry, and it is *a conscious choice* to only speak of beauty? | [
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42,869 | I am writing a short story, and the boxing match which comes after 2/3 of the story is likely to exceed the length of the entire story, so how do you cut the action short? Do you describe the match from beginning to end, or do you somehow describe the last 2 minutes, which is a lot more manageable? Do you really have to cut to the last 2 minutes or so? | [
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42,875 | What is a reasonable scholarly approach to breaking down short pieces of prose? Is it word choice? Is it structure? Is it themes, and how well they are used? Use of symbolism and its efficacy? CelerFZ, rhythm, style, verbosity? Are these all on topic? Do you have a rigorous guide you use to approach short fiction when providing feedback to other writers? | [
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"text": "I think all of what you just mentioned is on-topic for that type of critique. I also like to see if the author is... | 2019/03/03 | [
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42,884 | I am new to the art of writing and have been wondering if there is a way to introduce the grief of loss(character dies) in my story, inturn while making the reader feel the grief. Is there a good method to go about doing this (Making the reader feel the grief a character feels)? | [
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42,891 | I've always loved humor stories, and relish the idea of making one. But the thing I cannot grasp is the key elements of one. Are the key elements the same as a normal story (Problem, Solution, etc.)? Or are they different? | [
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"text": "**Same elements, but funnier.**\n\nA humor story will have the exact sames elements as a normal story. You will still h... | 2019/03/03 | [
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42,892 | How do you deal with frustration over a publisher's choices?
* All the stories and art for an anthology are in the publisher's hands—camera ready in digital form—and approved (deadline was 4 months ago).
* Publisher decides to spend *months* hyping the book and then they will start a fundraising page. How well it does there will determine the print run.
* Publisher is even doing a tour of potential customers (locations that fit in well with the theme of the book) in the hopes of building anticipation.
* Publisher wrote all contributors to ask us to do the same.
* There is no website, no pre-order page, and no fundraising page.
* There's still over a month left before the fundraising even goes live.
* Publisher is a single person, not a large house.
I have no reason to believe the publisher is anything but sincere and trustworthy. We all have signed contracts and have not given publisher any money. I also don't need any convincing that publisher is making a mistake here. I've told them so, but it did no good.
How do you cope with such unreasonable delays? | [
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42,894 | In a piece I am writing, I want to turn an antagonist into a protagonist. I know that numerous ways to accomplish this are somewhere out there, but none of the help with a smooth transformation. Is there a way I can turn an antagonist into a protagonist in a smooth fashion? | [
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42,906 | An alternative "Occult Universe"
--------------------------------
I open my occult detective novel in what is ostensibly a "noir" style, but through worldbuilding I attempt to show that the story is set in an **alternate occult universe** which diverged from our own sometime during the early 19th Century, along with the rise in Victorian-era occultism. Paranormal phenomena always existed but was ephemeral up until the industrial revolution.
In this world, paranormal phenomena can be induced in *steel* similar to magnetism. It's comparable to **steampunk** where steam engines and clockwork mechanics are handwaved into modern-day (or impossible) technology. Here, paranormal effects have been induced into mass-produced industrial items. The process is not explained but it's coded as bad for the environment, experimental, and generally unreliable as the phenomena uses poorly understood "occult logic". The worldbuilding also sets up a countercurrent motif that the paranormal on an industrial scale has undesirable consequences, like the backlash against nuclear power – it's a leap forward when it works, but you wouldn't want to be nearby in a catastrophe.
For the characters, these occult-powered industrial items (gasoline-free luxury cars, levitating trains, city power plants, military weapons) are a routine part of life, symbols of wealth and power-disparity that compliment the noir themes of political corruption, greed, abuse of power, secret societies, etc. I'm introducing them as "things that exist" matter-of-factly, and layering them with coded sinister adjectives: hovercar engines make disturbing human throat sounds, "ghost" trains slither in the night, etc.
The problem
-----------
My problem is that beta readers are questioning this aspect of the world and calling it "sci-fi". They aren't critical *exactly*, but it clearly feels *non-sequitur*. Rather than seeing the paranormal as a transformative "technology" that has corrupted society (a metaphor for pollution, industrialization, consumerism), readers see it as an extra "buy in" that doesn't fit the rest of the story. My plan was to have a naive character begin to question these "toxic" items, transitioning from symbols of wealth to symbols of moral corruption.
In the **Writing Excuses** podcast [How Weird is too Weird](https://writingexcuses.com/2019/02/17/14-7-how-weird-is-too-weird/comment-page-1/), they suggest the reader will accept 1 "buy" for the world and everything else should derive from that. A story with multiple unrelated "buys" will seem unfocused, trying to do too much at once. I've fallen into that problem.
My "buy" is that paranormal phenomenon can be induced in a manufactured object. The industrial machines exist, unexplained, but they are the logical worldbuilding conclusion of this idea. However, the story's MacGuffin is about a manufactured object with much smaller stakes, its purpose is evil but personal: an occult Maltese Falcon that might grant a kind of immortality. Immortality effects 1 person, flying cars effects all of society and seems like a much grander theme that is being ignored.
Part of the problem is that I am trying to introduce a sub-genre with unclear rules. There is no "occultpunk" for the reader to fill in the blanks about what is normal in this world. I have an 800lb worldbuilding gorilla that readers feel should have more of a payoff in the story. I would like to keep this aspect of my world, I think it is interesting, but not if it's a distraction.
How can I get readers to accept more than 1 "buy"?
--------------------------------------------------
Is there a way I can better integrate this concept into the story, or has my worldbuilding gone off the rails? Can I get readers to "buy" this grand concept as a backdrop, and still appreciate the smaller paranormal MacGuffin as a threat deserving its own story?
It also breaks my own rule that **paranormal stories need a firm normal to contrast against**, otherwise it obscures why the paranormal thing is suppose to be interesting. Maybe I should avoid grand-concept worldbuilding altogether? Readers calling it "sci-fi" indicates it's sticking out in an oddball way. They don't see the rest of the story as taking place in a sci-fi universe, but they mention those elements like they are refugees from the wrong genre. | [
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42,911 | A lot of people here aren't professional writers, but write in their own free time or for their own pleasure.
It's not uncommon, though, wanting (or dreaming) to make "something more" out of it, whether that something more is getting published or getting some extra cash in one's wallet.
**This considered, are there some opportunities where one could profit from his/her writing skills?**
I'm asking specifically about *gigs*, ergo side-jobs. Since most of wannabe-writers have, of course, a day-job to pay the bills. I'm not looking for a comprehensive list; I'm just curious of hearing out your ideas and compare them with my own.
I'm ignoring the difference between technical, academic and creative writing here for sake of the question; let's assume any kind of compensated job in a writing area is good enough for an answer. | [
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42,913 | **Possibly related:**
* [How can I get readers to accept more than 1 "buy" in worldbuilding?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/42906/how-can-i-get-readers-to-accept-more-than-1-buy-in-worldbuilding)
Worldbuilding is a tireless art; that's what our brother site Worldbuilding-SE is for, and why as a writer you can actually catch the infamous *[Worldbuilder's disease](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiG1ZSsvebgAhXD8eAKHTODD1oQFjACegQIChAL&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthewritersaurus.com%2F2015%2F03%2F06%2Fthe-dreaded-world-builders-disease%2F&usg=AOvVaw2EdsrIInG-ippQplvOfzGX)*.
A lot has been said on the topic. Brandon Sanderson, in the podcast Writing Excuses and in his lessons ([here, example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v98Zy_hP5TI&t=5s)) suggests focusing only on **three-to-five aspects of the worldbuilding of a given novel**, unless one is willing to spend 30 years in crafting the next *Lord of the Rings* series.
His advice is, roughly speaking: choose a subset of your world and characterize it well. For a novel, one could focus on weaponry, architecture and fauna; while working on flora, religion and politics in the next one.
Moving on, Herxeck's *Dune* (the first of the saga) could be seen as an extreme example of the aforementioned idea. While there are a lot of details in the book, I'd argue that the most worldbuilding revolves around the sandworms. Everything - from the native colture and religion, to major plot point in the book - falls in the sandworms extremely detailed and imaginative ecosystem.
From what I've gathered, it's either:
* Detail almost everything, Tolkien style, even if this delays enormously the publication of your novel;
* Focus on three-to-five subsets of the worldbuilding and gloss over the rest;
* Find a really cool idea and build around it until you've squeezed all the potential from it.
Of course this is nor a complete, nor a correct list; but it resumes differnt opionions on the matter.
thus said:
How many elements can you focus on during worldbuilding?
-------------------------------------------------------- | [
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42,915 | I recently [asked](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/42875/approaches-to-criticizing-short-fiction) about criticism regarding short pieces of fiction. What about longer works like novels? Surely no one can sit down and agonize over individual word choices in a larger work the way they can over something as short as three to four pages. So how do you approach longer works? What else do you do differently? What are your main concerns when reading over it to give feedback? Is size alone the only difference in such approaches? | [
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"text": "I tend to judge stories on the success of their **theme**.\n\n**Characters** create relatable and enviable *anch... | 2019/03/03 | [
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42,916 | What is the word commonly used in statistics when the thing that you want to measure cannot be (or was not) measured directly, so you assume that another thing that can be (or was) measured gives an estimate of the frequency of the thing that you want to measure?
For a (silly) example: You are interested in knowing how many Roman Catholics were in the survey but that question was not asked. Number of children in family was asked, so you use that figure as a (silly, I know) basis for inferring RC status, say when x>4.
I am pretty sure there is a term of art for this, something like token, substitute, stand-in, but can’t seem to recall it. | [
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42,917 | **Related questions:**
* [Should an author have one website or two?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/26423/should-an-author-have-one-website-or-two)
* [As an new author, how important is to have a personal website?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/9262/as-an-new-author-how-important-is-to-have-a-personal-website)
* [Pros and Cons: A blog to get feedback](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/29907/pros-and-cons-a-blog-to-get-feedback)
**A possible duplicate of**, even if I'd like the question to be more generic:
* [What should I include (and not include) on a book's website?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/34115/what-should-i-include-and-not-include-on-a-books-website)
Website is a pretty generic term that covers blogs and forums alike.
An author website supposedly has a lot of functions, such as:
* Promoting one's latest book;
* Keeping one's audience engaged with weekly updates;
* Keeping track of events or conventions where the author will be;
* Presenting additional materials, such as cut drafts, character descriptions and whatnot;
* Serving as a contact point for affectionate readers ...
and so goes the list.
A website design usually **highlights** some features and **suppresses** others. For example, a website where the visitors have no way of leaving comments has little to offer in terms of communication, and it's clearly not meant for that purpose.
Surfing the net you can encounter author sites from each side of the spectrum: some are only meant to promote a certain book (mostly cover art, some excerpt, and nothing more), others offer lenghty drafts and whole user-accessible forums, some others are daily-life blogs, and so on.
Roughly speaking, I can split those websites in two groups - promotional and interactive. Interactive websites have sections and built-in mechanisms to allow user interaction (be it through comments, reviews, topics, and so on). Promotional websites expose material and are meant to be read *only*.
Both are, of course, viable options. The question is:
Should an author include user-interactive sections in his website?
------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course while user interactive sections are potentially more engaging, they don't come without cost (e.g., they usually need moderation). | [
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42,923 | I sometimes post photos on my blog, like when I'm [blogging about food](https://cellio.dreamwidth.org/2048173.html). I've been shrinking the huge pictures my phone takes down to a size that fits more reasonably in a browser window -- *my* browser window, so far -- because I don't want my posts to require a huge window. Recently I've noticed that the platform I use (Dreamwidth) now has some degree of responsiveness; if I make a Chrome window smaller it scales the photos too, and my posts even look fine on a phone. This was not always the case, and is still not the case in Firefox for some reason. (I haven't tested additional browsers.)
That *some* sites and/or browsers do scaling suggests I could use higher-resolution pictures, but some browsers *don't* scale so I don't want things to be too huge. In addition, bandwidth might still be a concern; not everybody has fiber or a beefy data plan, after all. And on the proverbial third hand, there are now high-DPI displays on which the photos I'm using might be tiny (I don't have direct knowledge).
Putting all this together, what are *current* good practices for photo sizes on blog posts? Should I keep doing what I'm doing, which is to scale down the width to under 1000px (generally ~800px)? How do I trade off large high-res displays on the one hand and smaller displays with browsers that don't auto-scale on the other?
Note that I'm not talking about special photos where I might especially want high-res (like that gorgeous sunset photo taken on vacation or the like). In that case I'd make a higher-res version available behind a click, so it's opt-in. Nor am I asking about print publications where higher-res is important for production values. I'm asking about "ordinary" photos included in blog posts. | [
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"text": "Any online image can be scaled to 100% of the width of the webpage, that means it will always fill the available... | 2019/03/03 | [
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42,927 | Two other friends and I have been writing a fan fiction and we basically write a chapter each one after another every week. Now that we're nearing the end of the project, we've noticed that the writing style keeps changing and that's it's quite horrible, so what should we do? Should we elect someone to rewrite every chapter so that the writing style stays consistent or we should just roll with it and keep things unchanged for the most part? | [
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"text": "The first step is to work out some style guidelines among yourselves. Agree on what style you want the finished... | 2019/03/03 | [
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42,938 | Often reading analyses of books and films, I find that the analytics derive conclusions from the specific food or beverage that a character consumes. The food appears to *always* be symbolic of something.
Now, I'm not completely oblivious to what food says about a character. But here's the problem: in my fantasy novel, I have people eating fruit, decorating rooms with flowers, using plants in metaphors - I'm giving flora a strong presence, because I want to emphasise the society's strong bond to the earth and the earth's natural cycles. So, I am, in fact, using fruit as a symbol.
But then, exactly because that's how I use fruit, my character might be eating a banana because a banana is what's in season. No phallic subtext intended.
Which leads me to the question - can a banana ever be just a banana? Or do I always need to be aware of *all* the messages each bit of food brings with it, and write under those constraints?
(This question is not specific to bananas. Freud just made bananas funny.) | [
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"text": "I work with teenagers (language classes). 'Banana' is a terribly unfortunate word that will ... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,942 | My middle-grade novel is third person with one primary and one secondary viewpoint character. Sometimes the narrator hovers a bit more, sometimes the narrator is more in the character's head.
The narrator primarily describes things the way the character might. For example one character will refer to one of the younger children by name while the other viewpoint character calls him "that little twerp."
As these characters travel back in time and across the world, they encounter a lot of things they're not familiar with. Even things an educated adult from their time and place may not know.
Do I name them?
I don't want half the dialogue to be "oh what do you call that?" Nor do I want every description to be non-specific to their new setting. If there's an English modern version of the thing they're describing, I use that name. For example, one character talks about eating cheese that looks like feta and wearing a tunic, even though the local names are different (I'm not talking about translation here, I mean the correct names in English, which can be a loan word or not).
OTOH, I've also referred to the enormous tree in their courtyard as the terebinth tree (only when they arrive, after that it's just a big tree) and I name the cloth in use as linen, a fabric used in modern times too, but one the kids might not know.
**Where is the balance between allowing the narrator to describe the scene and keeping the point of view?** | [
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"text": "Describe the scene from a person's point of view. \n\nYou say this: \n\n> \n> these characters travel back in time a... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,949 | My novel so far only contains female main characters. There are some male characters, but they are few and far between, and only play minor roles.
Obviously it's hard to predict if any book is going to be successful. I just feel like if I include more male characters in it, it might be more accessible to young male readers (my book is probably going to end up as a YA novel)
However, anytime I try and come up with more male characters, it just feels forced and unnatural.
I feel like most responses might be along the lines of "if you're forcing it, then don't do it!" which is fair, but I noticed that there was a lack of diversity with my characters so I forced myself to make a character gay that I had originally envisioned as straight, and I'm okay with doing that.
So maybe I should just suck it up and throw in a few more boys? | [
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"text": "I'm not sure that gender diversity directly makes you more marketable to a certain gender. \n\nYou are already aware... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,957 | e*Spoilers for Green Book in the E.g. section*
I listen to a lot of music, and when I come up with stories, I often use songs as a source of inspiration.
However, what I was wondering is are songs and other artforms protected the same as writing and movies.
E.g., If I write a book about a racist white bloke driving around a black musician in the deep south and having a rethink about life, that would probably get me sued. (Green Book for anyone who hasn't watched it)
However, what would happen if I wrote a story about a woman whose child stood about to jump from a building, and when they jumped, they flew away. (Save the Life of My Child - Simon and Garwuntid)
TL;DR: Do Songs and Paintings have the same rules and protections as Books and Film for copying (into written form).
(Feel free to edit the post to streamline it or make it easier to read) | [
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"text": "One aspect is originality. When you describe a plot to someone, most are subconsciously mapping it to things the... | 2019/03/04 | [
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