qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
42,961 | In a short story I am writing, I have this misogynistic character who keeps saying misogynistic stuff, and I thought it would be a bad idea to give him dialogue lines. I was thinking that, because I thought the readers might think that I, the writer, is expressing my voice through him even though it's not the case. So how would you do it? | [
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"text": "I would use a [Foil.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foil_(literature)) From the link:\n\n> \n> In fiction, a foil is... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,963 | I often write short poems and quotes here: <https://www.mirakee.com/atd>, but I really want to hear from someone professional to give their valuable feedback on my work, so that I know where exactly I stand in the world of poets and poetry and improve myself at the same time.
How can I connect with someone like that? | [
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"answer_id": 42969,
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"text": "Go to a local university and speak with a writer in residence or a professor who is well-respected. Take creative... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,984 | As I already mentioned [in my previous question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/42213/how-to-fill-novel-if-you-have-just-some-moments-prepared), I'm writing a novel with personages both that I created and some already created by others (well, I wrote that when I was younger and now I just digitalize it). There are de facto two storylines.
1. Party of characters from various universes, which is interrupted by enemies.
2. Story of bunch of kids attending that party and which solve problem in 1.
My question is about the second storyline.
Now I'm thinking about *reducing the number of characters* (now I have 9 main characters, not including characters from 1).
But on the other hand, almost everyone brings something special to the story and also there is a moment, where a group of kids plays a football/soccer match against enemies to escape from kidnapping and for that a team is needed.
**What would you recommend?**
Here I will describe the main characters (names were changed):
**Seck** - Leader of group. He is able to solve every problem and has practical skills.
**Hivs** - Sometimes he says or does something very silly, but in other cases he invents genial solutions. Lover of statistics.
**Lolj** - Very lively girl. Main source of fun.
**Nallii** - Very shy girl. Speaks rarely and fears from joining something. Together with Lolj she makes blonde-brunette BFF duo.
In story, something strange happens and in some moments Lolj behaves as Nallii and Nallii behaves as Lolj. This leads to both jokes and problems.
**Dived** - Lively younger brother of Nallii. Has silly ideas - f.ex. he wants to win over car in race. Loves sports.
**Jürgen** - Guy with not stable attitude.
**Wiaru** - Younger sister of Hivs. Lively.
**Vanessa** - Older sister of Seck.
**Martin** - Also loves sports like Dived. | [
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"text": "**I have 107 characters.** \n\nIn a single-book, standard length, middle-grade novel. There are a small handful of auxil... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,991 | I'm boring and just use Word and Excel for writing my novel and keeping track of stuff. I've tried a couple others, including Scrivener and Evernote, but never got into it. I like the idea of specialized tools (and use them for genealogy and other things) but don't like to give up control over my content and formatting (not to mention, I have used specialized software in the past then discovered that I no longer had access to my files when I upgraded my OS and the software wasn't updated).
I just saw a promo for a bundle of [Mariner Software](http://marinersoftware.com/) products. I've heard of them and may even own the main program (I like buying bundles). (I'm not linking to the sale because I don't want this post mistaken for spam.)
In this case, the bundle is 6 programs they sell all geared for writers: Mariner Write, Contour 2, Narrator, Puryono, StoryMill, and Montage.
**How well do Mariner Software products work for writers?** | [
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"text": "**I have 107 characters.** \n\nIn a single-book, standard length, middle-grade novel. There are a small handful of auxil... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,993 | When writing there is one area I am not great at leveraging. That's rhythm or meter. I don't *hear* meter naturally like some people do so I have to really break down the meter in order to work on it. And then what? I'm not even sure what I'm going to convey if I do manage to restructure the writing in a particular way. However, I am aware that it is a moderately useful tool and so I'd like to add it to my bag.
For instance, I know that very quick paced writing can add a feeling of breathlessness that can evoke excitement or anxiety.
Then what? I don't really know any others. That's the only one I've ever used.
**What are some ways I can use the rhythm and meter of the words to evoke emotions beyond just what the words say?** | [
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"text": "**Take a dance class.**\n\nI'm not joking. If you feel the rhythm in your body, you will be better able to evoke it on t... | 2019/03/04 | [
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42,996 | Would it be a violation of copyright and/or plagiarism to “borrow” a character from another novel?
For example, I have a short story and want to include as a side character Ewger (of Ewger’s Game). I would preserve Ewger’s name, family, personality, etc. But Ewger would only play a small part in the story.
It’s not the brightest idea, but I’m curious if it’s legal in the US. | [
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"text": "This is *de facto* fan fiction, which seems to be in a legally gray area, where it's generally ignored UNLESS ... | 2019/03/04 | [
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43,000 | Are there any software tools available that will help me dissect my meter? I have always been extremely poor at scansion and while my writing doesn't suffer terribly for it, it makes writing strict meter very difficult for me. In fact I don't think I've ever managed to write a sonnet in strict iambic pentameter. | [
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"text": "This might help with the identifying-meter educational part of it. [For Better for Verse](https://p... | 2019/03/04 | [
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43,003 | EDIT: Many people who are attempting to answer this question are severely misinterpreting the circumstances and setting of the book, so here is some information about UrasMt that I thought I had included but actually forgot to. This novel is *post-apocalyptic*. UrasMt killed her family as a child in an accident, as she possesses the ability to manipulate life force. She blocked out the memory and had convinced herself that she was the last person on Earth until a group of survivors, including Caspian and Marina, arrive and take her in. UrasMt has literally never known anyone. She cannot remember her family. **I am trying to portray her attraction to both boys and girls in the context of her not having any past experience, and only just meeting people that she finds attractive.**
My main character, UrasMt, in my post-apocalyptic novel is queer. Her first love interest, Caspian, is male, but further on in the story I'm going to introduce a secondary love interest, Marina. As far as the reader knows, UrasMt is straight, because the only person she has expressed romantic interest in is Caspian, a guy. So how can I believably and casually show that UrasMt swings both ways without the reader being confused by the time she, Marina, and Caspian are in a love triangle?
I want to make clear: this is not *sexual*. UrasMt is 16, Caspian is 17, and Marina is either 16 or 17. I will not portray explicit sexual content to show UrasMt' completely innocent and newly blooming romantic feelings. | [
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"text": "### So how can I believably and casually show that UrasMt swings both ways ...\n\n***EDITED:*** After clarification... | 2019/03/04 | [
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43,008 | In this comments of [How many elements can you focus on during worldbuilding?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/42913/33442) a conversation arose about the usefulness of non-genre savvy beta-readers.
Another question [Are "non-readers" useful beta readers?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/36683/33442) discusses the topic more broadly in terms of how useful non-readers are as beta-readers.
**Should beta-readers have experience in the genre of the work they are reviewing?**
Are there advantages to having a non-genre-savvy reader review your work? | [
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"text": "Both are useful.\n\nSomeone who is genre-savvy will already know the rhythms and tropes of the genre,... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,012 | I am wondering how to do this in a novel. Do you write the song (lyrics) in its entirety in one single spurt, or do you spurt a verse at a time interspersed with descriptions of the surroundings/actions/emotions? I really want to write a scene in my novel where the female character sings, but I have no idea how to do this properly. By the way, I am not asking how to format the lyrics. | [
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"answer_id": 43015,
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"text": "I would say that quite a few different methods are possible. I have read books where a few lines are given, fo... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,014 | I thought about spreading a story across a video game, comic book and novel, but I am not sure if doing this will alienate my readers, because I don't believe people want to spend a ton of money to experience the whole story, so how do you manage to do this without alienating your readers? Is there some kind of guideline or rule for this? | [
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"text": "Make each medium a complete story in it's own right\n===================================================\n\nThis ... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,019 | My father wrote a book in Word and I have edited/formatted it so it looks clean in PDF, but now I know that was a bad idea because when we put the book on Kindle all the formatting was lost and the images/text are all over the place. I am now trying to reformat the book using Scrivener and I plan to compile it into a few different formats for ibook/ebook/kindle/whatever else there is!
We had originally inserted full-page images throughout the story, on the parallel page to their relevant text. So on an A4 PDF the sentence was interrupted at the end of a page, followed by a full page image on the next page, then the sentence would continue on the following page.
I'm wondering if that's possible to do now, or where else I should insert the images to avoid troubles with formatting when compiling?
I'm picturing someone using a tablet/book reader to read the book, and I'd like a full page of text, followed by a full page image, followed by a full page of text. But if ebook etc just have a flow on format with no 'pages' per say, how do I know where to put the image to ensure the text and image fills a whole page? or will the e-reader format it to fit? Is this even possible or do I need to reconsider my image placement and just have images at the start/end of the chapter? We also had some smaller images with text wrapped around them but I've read that's also not going to work in Scrivener?
Sorry for the long winded question - any answers hugely appreciated! I am a novice at this and just want to help my dad get his amazing story out there! | [
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"text": "You can insert a page break under Edit –> Insert –> Page Break. There should be a key shortcut too depending on ... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,024 | I have the habit of using paired adjectives in my writing:
>
> * The noise from the engine lulled her with its **slow and monotonous** rythim ...
> * ... the lights on the ceiling filled the room in a **soft and warm** hue ...
> * ... his skin was **smooth and thin**, like paper ...
>
>
>
The examples may be not 100% accurate since I don't usually write in english, but let's pretend.
Now, sometimes even single adjectives are frowned upon ([What's with all the hate on adjectives and adverbs?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/8082/whats-with-all-the-hate-on-adjectives-and-adverbs)) - so by logic paired adjectives shouldn't be any better.
I remember reading reviews criticizing this very aspect in published novels, but I never understood if there are solid reasons to back up this opinion.
So, are paired adjectives bad style - and if so, why?
-----------------------------------------------------
Addendum: I'm specifically asking about novels and fiction.
**Related question, in technical-writing**:
* [How do I get rid of the tic of paired adjectives, predicates, etc.?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/18810/how-do-i-get-rid-of-the-tic-of-paired-adjectives-predicates-etc) | [
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43,026 | I know a writer, who claims to have developed his own style of poetry, called Mirror Alphoppbet poetry. This new style looks a bit odd to me but he seems to spread it all over and encourages others to use it in their poems.
How do I validate that this new form of poetry actually makes sense? Are there any parameters to judge? | [
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43,032 | I want to give credit to a source without stating their full title again, because the full title is a mouthful.
Earlier in the paper, I had quoted them saying:
"So-and-so states...[direct quotation]" ²
Now I want to quote them saying just:
"[direct quotation]" ²
I'm going to use their exact wording (in the second attribution), but only attribute it with the "²". In other words, it's a direct quote, but I'm not *saying* that it's a direct quote, I'm only listing the "²". Is this OK from the angle of professional attribution? | [
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"text": "Assuming it's an academic paper, it's perfectly fine to just add the number to the quote. \n\nThe number will redirec... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,056 | Let there be a character. Let the character's name be, for example, Aletuydor.
Now, Aletuydor's parents call him 'Sasha'. His friends call him 'Xander'. His girlfriend calls him 'Alex'. In formal circumstances, he's 'Aletuydor, son of Hhigipm'. To himself, he is all of those - they are, after all, variations on a theme.
**What should the omniscient narrator call him?** That is, if the omniscient narrator sits on the parents' shoulder, Aletuydor is called 'Sasha'. If the omniscient narrator sits on the girlfriend's shoulder, Aletuydor is called 'Alex'. But what if the narrator is sitting on Aletuydor's shoulder, or on no shoulder at all? | [
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"text": "I have a character named Aletuydor and the name form he thinks of himself as at any one time reflects his mood and... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,060 | I was thinking about writing about the Holocaust, but I am not sure if it's a good idea since I am not sure if people would feel offended if I exaggerate certain events or facts even if it makes the tragedy look more horrible. How can I go about setting my story in the midst of this event without causing too much offense (and assuming I don't want to do a lot of research first)? Are the considerations the same for other historical events? | [
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"text": "In general, avoid writing about things you don't know\n=====================================================\n\n... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,061 | I have a villain. The villain is the hero of their own story. The villain starts off as good, looking to overthrow a monstrous leader. They were once in the same shoes as the heroes. Part of the heroes' journey will be to not fall from the heroes path the same way the villain did.
Is there something that can make the reader sympathetic to the villain as they make the cruel choices. I don't want the reader to love the villain or agree with them, perhaps just be a little sad that they gave up their humanity along the way. | [
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"text": "**You don't need to do much to make a reader sympathize with a villain.** As you said, a reader doesn't have to **li... | 2019/03/05 | [
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43,068 | Can one legally include a reference to, or an appearance of, a character from an existing work of fiction? How much of that character can be used? What makes this permitted or forbidden under US law?
(This question is to allow answered focused on the specifically legal aspects, additional to those in the linked question.) | [
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"text": "Don’t do it. Characters are protected and the use of another author’s creation will have consequences.\n\nThe gen... | 2019/03/06 | [
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43,077 | **Context**
In my fantasy novel-in-progress, one of the two main characters has a close friend he's known since childhood. Both of them are greatly developed by their interactions with each other throughout the story, and this character is critical to the story as a whole.
The story takes place in a very restrictive Victorian-esque setting, the character's full backstory is only revealed much later as part of a major plot sequence, and he presents himself as masculine (by which I mean that he dresses in traditionally masculine clothing and refers to himself as male). For all of those reasons, it is not immediately obvious to the reader that this childhood friend is a transgender man, and the character himself does not explicitly spell it out until a conversation with the main character a few chapters in.
In other words, this character being transgender is only one part of his character, and thus far I have not focused too much on this aspect of him; however, lately I have begun thinking about developing him more and giving him more scenes and dialogue, and that has led me to this question...
**Question**
As part of developing this character, I have been thinking about how to accurately portray the *thoughts* and *internal struggles* of a character who has gender dysphoria in a way that is accurate to people who have gender dysphoria in the real world. Specifically, as part of a scene later on, I would like to write a brief POV scene of a traumatic moment from this character's childhood that involves his feelings being belittled and challenged by his non-accepting mother.
However, I do not have firsthand experiences with the thought processes involved in gender dysphoria and how a person would mentally and psychologically experience it.
**How do I portray the thoughts and feelings of a character with gender dysphoria in an accurate, sensitive and positive way?**
**Edit: Additional information**
I would like to clarify that the reveal is not sudden, unexpected or "out of the blue" - it is made fairly clear when the character is introduced. When I say that it is not explicitly stated until later, I mean that the character does not make an outright reference to his status in dialogue until a few chapters in, since the main character has known him for a long time and I didn't want them to exposit their backstories at each other in their first conversation solely for the reader's benefit.
I would also like to clarify that I use gender dysphoria as a general term for a person who feels that their gender identity does not match their physical characteristics, and do not in any way suggest it is a pathology or disease. That would be horrible, obviously. | [
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43,085 | I was wondering if there were other uses for metaphors other than forming an allegory and for stylistic effect, that is, adding more flair to a description that would be otherwise dull. I've done some research and honestly I wasn't able to find anything that would suggest me otherwise. | [
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"text": "Your two categories cover a whole lot of ground between the two of them. But there's at least one other usage t... | 2019/03/06 | [
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43,096 | End-of-line hyphenation is the process of breaking words between lines to create more consistency across a text block. ([source](https://practicaltypography.com/hyphenation.html)) A long word is broken across a line-break by means of a hyphen. It helps justify a text, along letter spacing and kerning. A word processors can do this automatically, if one so desires.
In Russian and French printed literature, hyphenation is very common. In Russian in particular, it is not uncommon to see even a four-letter word broken in twain. In English, I have never seen hyphenation in literary texts at all. I have sometimes seen it in academic articles, breaking uncommonly long words like 'deoxyribonucleic'.
Are there commonly used standards for end-of-line hyphenation in English? Any reasons for me to use or not to use hyphenation in my manuscript? Why is it that hyphenation is very rarely used in English literary texts? | [
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43,099 | Too often, when people make a story about genocide committed by a fascist government, the story often devolves into a Nazi Germany cliché, especially when the story is set in a modern or futuristic setting. Are there ways to avoid that? I feel it was done so many times that doing so would reduce the value of the novel you're writing. | [
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43,101 | By unnatural, I don't mean ungrammatical, but something people wouldn't really say. For example, in many fictions, you find yourself in very weird situations and it's hard to know how a person would react and what they would say in such situations. Often, I feel people would stay silent and say irrational or dumb things, but that cannot really happen, but often when you make your character say something relevant, it often sounds very unnatural and sometimes even cringy. Let me give you an example:
>
> Natalia: You turned me into a monster, how could you do that to me?
>
>
> Rumerz: It was the only choice! You think we could have survived
> otherwise? I made the call, because of that we're both alive. How
> can't you see this!?
>
>
> Natalia: You made the choice without letting me
> decide my own fate. I cannot ever forgive you for this!
>
>
> Rumerz: I don't care! Do as you want. If you want to die, go ahead, kill
> yourself. It's as simple as it gets. No matter what you tell me, it's
> not going to do any good. What's done is done!
>
>
> Natalia: You pig!
>
>
>
As you can see, it kinda sounds awkward and ridiculous, but often it's not quite black and white, and it can be hard to tell especially if you've been writing a lot. So is there some kind of test or thought experiment you can use to make the determination that a dialogue is bad? | [
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43,107 | We all have seen the headlines: "Touching Moment Where Autistic Boy is Asked to Prom", "Watch This Child With Downs Win Her Heat During a Swim Competition", etc., that are touching at first glance, but in actuality, embody the objectification of disabled people by society, the pity able bodied shower them in, and the habit that able bodied people have of patting themselves on the back for including disabled people or being nice to disabled people.
Of course, overcoming physical or mental impairments to go on and do great things as if you weren't impaired *is* inspiring; but there is a certain point where congratulations on achievements morph into sympathy, pity, and repetitions of "you poor thing".
I want to avoid this feeling when I write a future character for one of my books, a witch who is blind and has two prosthetic legs. This character overcame a lot and although they exist in a fictional fantasy world of witchcraft and demons, their struggles are very real, and their blindness and physical limitations made things hard for them, just as they would for anyone.
***How do I affirm that this character is strong and made it through the struggles of their disabilities, while avoiding the "inspiration porn"?*** | [
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43,122 | I drafted a book two years ago that I'm now polishing to publish. When I drafted it, for speed's sake, I named one of my primary characters after an old school friend who I'm still in contact with on Facebook. The character's personality isn't him (though he does look a lot like him), I've just used his name. Let's call him Bob Snow.
I don't know whether this happens to other writers out there, but after living with this character through several drafts, he has thoroughly become Bob Snow.
I've tried, over and over, to rename him to Jim Snow, Bob Potts, any number of iterations and new names, but none of them fit because he has become a real person to me. It feels like your best mate saying, I've changed my name by deed poll and you need to call me FlameBoy from now on.
Every beta reader has LOVED this character, he's a really good guy, so there are no issues with defamation. And I'm sure, if I asked Bob's permission, he would probably be flattered. It's a thriller series with 3 books in the offing, so Bob will show up a lot.
Are there possible bumps down the road that I can't see?
Has anyone else faced such a dilemma?
>
> FOR CLARIFICATION (AFTER SOME COMMENTS BELOW): "Let's call him Bob
> Snow." seems to be causing some confusion. His name isn't Bob Snow, I
> just used that as an example to keep his real name out of this post.
> For clarity: I don't just want to use his first name. If that were the
> case, I wouldn't worry. I want to use his full name.
>
>
> The character is a Muslim, Indian man. That complicates things
> because, I can't just change his surname to any Indian surname, it has
> to be, specifically, an Indian, Muslim surname that fits perfectly
> with his first name, otherwise I could have backlash from readers
> asking why he has a Muslim first name and a Christian surname.
>
>
> Without this added complication, a world of name combinations would be
> open to me. But, my options are partially limited.
>
>
> | [
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"text": "Ask Bob for his approval. \nThis is the easiest and fastest way to clear this up."
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43,138 | I've come across a problem with one of the main characters in my book. The "heroine" of my story starts out as an apathetic self-absorbed hacker, who seeks adrenaline thrills to find meaning in her life. With that in mind, I tried to show this kind of outlook is not evil, but neutral instead (the theory that all humans are self-interested). To make a point that she's not evil, I've shown that she refuses to cause physical harm to anyone, and won't work with a hacker organization that kills people. At the same time though, she didn't care about their agenda to expose a company that exploited child workers, because it doesn't affect her at all.
Here's a little exchange she has with another hacker, whom she helped to expose a corrupt organization (The MC is Jayse, aka Banshee\_Harvest)
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: The infiltration went without a hitch, I managed to copy their entire database onto my hard drive. I’ve sifted through the code too, you were right. They were exploiting children for labor.
>
> G00fy: That’s what I thought. I’m impressed Banshee, the TLF were ready to sift through that code with you. I’m glad that it ended up being so easy. It’s just another domino in the effort to free the people of these corrupt corporate executives.
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: Save your preaching for someone who actually cares. I was in this solely for the thrills. I’m uploading the files now #2\_files\_attached (New\_labor\_contract.pdf, Redacted\_labor\_contract\_CONFIDENTIAL.pdf)
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: I’ll send the rest of the content if you’d like that, but I think that’ll be enough.
>
> G00fy: Aren’t you the one who is always complaining that they need a cause to join? What’s so bad about the TLF?
>
>
> Jayse swiveled in her chair, tucking her legs in, remembering the uneasiness she felt earlier.
>
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: I don’t like the rumors about you guys. You’re not afraid to hurt people to get what you want. And I don’t want to end up on that side of the fence. The ends don’t always justify the means.
>
> G00fy: Lol, yet here you are, working as one of the most profitable hackers in the country, if not the world.
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: I don’t throw people under the bus to get what I need. You do.
>
> G00fy: Listen, we do what we have to, no more, no less. The sacrifice of the few, or the one is for the good of the many, am I right?
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: Don’t try to push your fascist beliefs on me, I’ve heard about what you’ve guys done.
>
> G00fy: We’re only trying to help. And I do mean that.
>
>
> Jayse sighed in frustration. G00fy could be annoying at times. She didn’t want to join them. This was a one-time thing, and she meant it.
>
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: As I’ve told you many times before, NOT INTERESTED!
>
> G00fy: Okay, you don’t have to shout. Thanks for your help, btw.
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: Np. However, there is the matter of paying me still. I think I should negotiate my price considering all that I was able to do, don’t you agree?
>
> G00fy: I’ll have to talk with the other members about that, but you did agree to a 25 bitcoin price, which is a fair sum of money.
>
> Banshee\_Harvest: But I think, with all that I’ve done here, I do deserve a 5 bitcoin bonus, don’t you agree?
>
> G00fy: That’s pretty hefty, like more than I can vouch for at least. Like I said, I’ll have to talk to the others about this. Thanks for your help though. The 25 should have already been sent to your account.
>
>
>
One of my reader's described Jayse (Banshee\_Harvest) like this, "I'm hating Jayse right now. Her character is contradictory. She's selfish and a criminal. And she deserves to be in jail. Plus she's apathetic and arrogant and I don't see any redeeming qualities to her. So if I'm supposed to feel this way, you've succeeded. But I don't think I want to live with her as the protagonist of this book. I'll just want to keep shooting her in the head."
The purpose of this novel is to show her transformation from someone who is chaotic neutral to lawful good. However, I can't begin that transformation if my readers hate my character. **How can I portray a chaotic neutral character as sympathetic and avoid making them seem evil? Or how can I make a selfish character relatable?**
I understand that morals can be ambiguous, but it's important that my readers can at least relate to this character so they give her a chance. However, my character is really self-absorbed (she really doesn't have anything driving her other than thrill and money: at least at first.) | [
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43,139 | What should a character interview contain to be successful where the goals are: characters with strong voice who are established with a distinct 'personhood' (?) and are generally interesting to follow?
==========================================================================================================================================================================================================
### Why I'm asking
A common weakness in my writing method is that my characters don't "pop" when I start. I've had a few successes, but its hard to tell when I start a book who those will be. But, I've worked with writers whose characters do pop right away; sometimes immediately in brainstorm sessions, so this is pre-revision. The answer for me is that I clearly need to change the way I think about people or do more upfront work. I'm aware of some basic strategies: give them quirks, do a character sheet, etc.
But, what I think I'm sorely lacking is character *voice*. I have heard of methods where you "interview" your characters. You have a series of questions and you write in first person as if you are your character, responding to those questions. By the end you have a maybe twenty page document that covers a lot of the things you'd see in a character sheet, but it's in that characters voice.
I'm hoping that a good checklist of points will help me draw out character weaknesses and start differentiating my characters so they aren't all Mary Sues or the same person wearing another hat.
An interesting character is better than an interesting plot. So if I want to write, I need to master this.
Sub questions
-------------
Are there known interview methods I'm unaware of? (Books/websites) I've done some googling in the past and never really come up with anything satisfying or intriguing.
### Plot/POV/Circumstance Not Enough
I've been writing long enough to understand that you can play with conflict, pov, and all sorts of other things to shift the tone of a book. In my opinion, these are often patch jobs to cover up weak characters. When you read something like Confederacy of Dunces (which if it's good at anything, it's good at characterization) within a few pages you know who these characters are and what direction they'll stray in in most situations. The author of that book is stretching in ways I'm not; and while plot is certainly an element of the final product, the humor, the whatever -- it's not the source of the identity or voice.
### What isn't helpful at this time... for this question.
If you have a method that isn't the interview method that would help me I'd like to know about it, but not as an answer. Leave a comment with a link or enough detail and I'll ask a separate question if I need more info. | [
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43,144 | I would like to edit all of the dialogue of a specific character in my book.
Then I want to repeat this for other characters.
I think this would help to give each of them a unique voice.
Of course I could mark the dialogue with different colors in the manuscript, but then I also still have all the other dialogues inbetween.
Ideally, I can extract only the dialogue and edit it. And then it should automatically edit it across the book.
Does a tool like that exist? | [
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43,151 | This is something of a companion question to [How does one write from a minority culture? A question on cultural references](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/42655/14704)
I have recently had a somewhat unpleasant experience reading Naomi Nevij's *Spinning Silver*. (Loved the book, but still.) My first response upon meeting the Jewish protagonist was "ooh, finally! A fantasy book about me!" However, very soon I saw that the book might be *about* me, but it is not *for* me. For example:
>
> My people didn't make a special virtue of dying for our religion -- we found it unnecessary -- and you were supposed to break Shabbat to save a life, including your own. (Naomi Nevij, *Spinning Silver*, chapter 11)
>
>
>
The first-person narrator isn't speaking to me when she says "my people", though she is speaking about me - she is speaking to a presumed Christian audience. The explanation would indeed be needed by the non-Jewish audience, but when the narrator says so loudly "this story is not for you", it's jarring.
In other instances, Nevij over-simplified Jewish ritual to make it easier for the presumed Christian audience to grasp, but making it in fact patently wrong in ways that are very obvious even to an unobserving Jew. (She states she is half-Jewish, so this has to be a conscious choice rather than a mistake.) Again, this does make the story more accessible, I can't deny it, but at the same time it says "you're not the target audience of this story". When the story is about a Jewish girl.
How do I avoid this in the story I'm telling? **How do I provide the majority-reader the information they would need, without suggesting to the minority reader that I'm not talking to them?** How do I avoid "here we observe the common Jew in its natural habitat"?
(Question is not restricted to the Jewish minority, but about any cultural minority. This one just happens to be mine.) | [
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43,157 | **Premise:** I believe that breaking genre expectations can alienate readers. If you go into a book expecting one thing and get another thing out of it - especially if that other thing is the complete opposite of what you were expecting - then you didn't get what you signed up for. Readers generally don't like this.
**Example:** As an example, I think this was a major contributor to the fan displeasure over *A Phantom Menace*. People wanted action, battles, force powers, all that. They got some, but they also got a lot of political intrigue and debate, which they weren't counting on and therefore didn't appreciate.
I think the same thing can happen in fiction. If you write what is technically a fantasy book, readers go into it assuming you have elves, dragons, knights, battles, etc. You can of course control their expectations with things like the title, but the general idea remains. If your book then turns out to be, say, a tale of two aged farmers living their last days, and there are no elves, dragons, or battles to be found (even though the setting is definitely fantastical), the readers will feel cheated and generally dislike the book, no matter how well it was written. (If this was indeed the case, you would obviously re-brand the book. This is an extreme example.)
**Assumption:** What I'm trying to say is: readers want what they are promised.
**My Problem:** Here's my problem: what if, out of necessity, you are writing a book (or series) which contains aspects of TWO genres. What if, for example, you write a fantasy book about two aged farmers, but there's also a side plot involving dragons battling knights in the next town over? Or to use Star Wars again, what if you have a movie which contains both political intrigue and gripping space battles/lightsaber duels?
**Question:** Is there a way to both prepare the reader for **everything** in your story, *and* keep them interested in both 'genres'? | [
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43,159 | We all know some common symbolism: For instance, red stands for anger, blood, and violence. The cross stands for martyrdom and sacrifice. Common symbols are easy to notice, but what if you decided to use uncommon symbolism, how do you cue in your readers that you are using a symbolism for a meaningful reason? Is there a way to do this subtly? Is there a way to do this at all? What do you think? | [
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43,162 | Let's say I am thinking about making an Indian protagonist who lives in India when I've never lived there, don't know anyone who is Indian and don't know anything about Indian culture. Should I even consider it? The book I would write could end up being extremely offensive. I can think of some situations where it's ok. For example, if my protagonist is stranded on an island and lives by himself, then I think it's safe to say it doesn't really many which ethnic group my protagonist would belong to, but if there are many characters and the story is set in India, it could spell trouble for me. | [
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43,167 | In my story, I will have a [hero](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/43061/30375) begin a journey. It will be the underdog story as well as good-vs-evil story. Think Frodo vs Sauron for massive oversimplification. Except in my story the hero becomes corrupt. The hero wins. The hero becomes the villain of the next story. And this all happens fairly early. Approximately one-third of the way through the story.
Then the new hero has to overcome the old. They have a journey that parallels the villains journey only they retain their humanity. The second journey needs to take at least as long as the first and I want to develop that journey equally (if not more.)
Should the twist be left out? Make it clear from the beginning that the first hero is going to be the villain? **Is it too soon in the tale for a reveal?** | [
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43,173 | I recently came to know that wordpress.com and wordpress.org are two different platforms for publishing. But despite browsing on various links I am not able to fully understand the actual difference between both in terms of blogging. I am a hobbyist blogger and my requirement is just to increase outreach and readability and not in customizing the publishing themes etc. Since I write only as hobby, I'd like to use free one - so I have currently picked up wordpress.com since it takes care everything without paying. | [
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43,179 | I know it normally takes several months to get an agent and then a contract. But are there any shortcuts, any particular companies that one can submit to directly and get a much faster evaluation? Or can it only happen by luck?
Note: by 'finished writing' I mean you've finished writing, revising and editing it. | [
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43,181 | A while ago, I started writing a short story for a competition. It was supposed to be about four girls in a shared student apartment. The plan was to have everyone conflict with everyone until they united against a common enemy (the landlord or the exams - I haven't reached that far), and learnt to put aside their differences.
I soon ran into a problem: one of the girls, a vampire, had much more oomph than the others. She was in conflict with the werewolf girl because werewolf, she was in conflict with the Ifrit girl because the latter belonged to the nationality whom the former blamed for being dead, she was in conflict with the religious vanilla POV girl because a religious issue is how she ended up a vampire instead of being dead-dead. Most of all, she was in conflict with herself, because dying and waking up a vampire really threw a wrench into the plans she had for her life. She was a walking-talking explosion.
The other girls had their conflicts, but those conflicts were mundane. Vampire - she was boiling over, which caused her to dominate every scene, and every scene without her became drab by comparison.
I tried to amplify the others' existential anger, but then there was so much conflict that the story got mired down in arguments, and wouldn't progress. I tried to make it Vampire's story and get rid of the others, but that didn't work either - she needed the other girls to bounce off, they allowed her to let out some pent-up rage. They "represent" in a way the people/bodies/situation she's angry with.
**How can I address such a situation, when one character in a group is drastically overshadowing the others?** Please note I am interested in general approach answers, in the spirit of the two examples I presented in the previous paragraph. I am not looking for specific "write this" answers - those are off topic, and wouldn't help anybody else, nor me when I run into such a character again. | [
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43,184 | In the writing practises guides, it is usually mentioned that use of ellipsis is a bad practice.
But I have come across certain usages in professional writing.
To give an **example**;
In the novel **Eat Pray Love** by **Liz Gilbert**, following is usage;
>
> On the other hand, he might just kiss me right now, tonight, right here by my door ... there's still a chance ... I mean we are pressed up against each other's bodies beneath this moonlight ... and of course, it would be a terrible mistake ... but it's still such a wonderful possibility that he might actually do it right now ... that he might just bend down ... and ...and
>
>
>
This is a sole instance, but she has used this as a part of the story itself.
I think it is usually used to convey that, 'there is a lot to tell, but this is what I am telling'. But in this case, she is expressing her desires.
**What are the ideas that are conveyed implicitly using an ellipsis? In what instances should they be used?** | [
{
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43,192 | I've edited the question for clarity following some unexpected comments in the first answer.
I submitted my latest novel to a handful of agents, and had a request for a full manuscript.
On almost all of the agency's submisson guidelines, they state that if they haven't got back to you and another agent shows interest, to please let them know asap, so they can check to see if they might be interested as well.
Supporting info - I've read from several sources in the industry that although it's easy to get very excited when an agent first shows interest, it's important to make sure you end up with the right one - as it should be a lifetime, career affecting relationship. In much the way that you don't marry the first person who says they fancy you. So it seems sensible to maximise your chances of being able to meet a few different ones and see which one is the best fit.
So, I informed the agents that hadn't got back to me yet, but one of them has replied asking me to tell them which other agent I submitted to.
Presumbly they are asking to check that I'm not just making it up, or that it's not some hicky nobody agent.
It is a very well known and respcted agency who has asked for the full, so that's not a problem from that point of view - but my question is should I tell them anyway?
Is it really relevant? Either they want the read it or not, right?
My feeling is that if the only reason they're interested is because someone else important is interested, then they're probably not the right one for me anyway. | [
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43,196 | I understand that a prologue is meant to open up a story and introduce characters, themes, and the world to my audience. It is not supposed to be a long length of text. At the same time, I find my Prologue is more appropriate in length to that of a Chapter.
Here's the problem: my Prologue needs to introduce a set number of things to the story before I move onto the story proper:
1. My main character ("MC") and their relationship with their guild
2. MC's familial and social status (basically to show readers this isn't your typical NEET-isekai)
3. The video game that becomes a foundation for the "rules of the world" (i.e. like physics)
4. The NPCs (non-player characters) "owned" by MC's guild (for those who read Light Novels, think of the Floor Guardians from *Overlord* by Maruyama, so not actual ownership per se)
5. A specific quest that plays a MAJOR role in the story at large
6. A specific "item" that plays a frequently recurring role in the story
7. A specific event that plays a critical part to the overall story
The problem is, writing this out, it's as long as my Chapter 1 which involves my MC committing manslaughter (in self-defense) against a slave-owning nobleman who tries (and fails) to force them (MC) into being one of his slaves. I feel like this is wrong though.
---
Keep in mind ***I am not writing the Prologue to over-explain anything nor because I feel like "the audience is kind of dumb, and I need to spell things out for them."*** I am only trying to express things that I feel are relevant for the story to make sense to the readers at a foundational level. I do not plan on teaching them about irrelevant mundanities. I plan on teaching them the things that matter like, "This is what the world is like under normal circumstances. This is how you know everything that is about to happen is NOT normal." It's not handholding. It's a basic explanation showing how things are so that nothing comes out of left-field leaving people wondering, "Wait what?!".
Because points 1. and 4. are so closely tied together, they share the same text. Points 5.-7. are all intertwined and share the same scene. Points 1. and 4.-7. as a result are all rounded together under point 3. because you're inherently going to learn about the world being experienced as a result. I list these things separately because the individual points express specific things separate from the others, no matter how intertwined they may be. I am not so bad of a writer that I tackle each thing individually.
Functionally, this results in 3 main themes being expressed: The MC's relationships in the game, The MC's relationships in the real world, and what the game is like as a basis for understanding the new world and the level of strangeness to the MC. The "Cataclysm" (to borrow from *Log Horizon*) itself is just the final sentence at the end of the paragraph. This is similar in many regards to the Prologue from *Overlord* or the Prologue from *That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime* (with Rimuru's coworker taking the place of a Guild).
Additionally, the fact that these are things that are supposed to be in the prologue should be more than a sufficient explanation that *this is all background information relevant to the story proper, but the information won't fit into the story proper.* I cannot expound upon any part of it across a great berth of chapters because doing so would pull completely away from the intended point of my story. Yes the Quest plays a major, critical even, role in the story - as a catalyst. It's like the [Zul'Gurub raid in WoW](https://wow.gamepedia.com/Zul%27Gurub_(original)) which led to the [Corrupted Blood Incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrupted_Blood_incident). The Zul'Gurub raid was merely a Prologue to what happened as a result of the Zaad. In fact, my story's situation is highly similar since a Quest leads to a Zaad resulting in contact with an "Item" that causes an Event. As far as the story goes, the Quest/Zaad never were intended to be completed by my MC's Guild because the Guild-Master (*NOT* my MC) realizes VERY quickly that something isn't right and orders the raid to evacuate while he figures out what is happening. The details of what all happened are supposed to be an overarching mystery within my story, but it takes a backseat to the immediate circumstances as a result of the situation.
There will not be opportunity to show my MC's relationship with their Guild beyond infrequent flashbacks for the longest time of the story. The rules of the world being explained are just what are relevant at the time (nothing overly technical).
***Please do not ask me to make any of these points into chapters of their own as that goes directly against the premise of the originally asked question*** where I asked how to shorten the Prologue. ***I do not wish to expand the Prologue into being its own novel as that would turn into something which has little to do with the story's intended premise.*** (Like how the *Warriors* series by Erin Hunter frequently starts with something going on in Star Clan, the afterlife, for the Prologue; but, the story itself has very, VERY little to actively do with Star Clan.)
Forgive me for over-explaining this section, but it became a necessity. Nothing against the users who showed me this was a necessity, but it did show the need existed, hence why I am over-explaining now.
---
So, here's my question:
How can I shorten my Prologue without losing important information or context? Or is having a longer-than-normal Prologue okay as long as it serves a specific purpose in doing so?
===================================================================================================================================================================================
---
Before I get asked "Why don't you just make it a part of your Chapter 1?", I can't do that because of the flow of the story. The story has two main characters (yet at the same time 1 main character, hence the earlier singular word usage,) and I have a certain way of switching between their perspectives that I am doing. Consequently, pushing part of the prologue into Chapter 1 will be enough of a disruption that it'd feel unnatural compared to the rest of the story.
---
>
> *If you say that a longer Prologue is okay, I need reasoning that fits around the "[Good Subjective, Bad Subjective](https://stackoverflow.blog/2010/09/29/good-subjective-bad-subjective/)" guidelines. Pull from past experiences or from actual literary works please.*
>
>
>
In case it's relevant...
Story Genre: **Medieval High Fantasy**, **Isekai** ("In Another World"), **Action**, **Adventure**, **Political** (in the sense the characters will be forced to deal with politics, not in the sense that the story discusses real world politics), **Romance** (later into the story, but not right away)
The Story Premise: Shortly after a raid party interacts with an already dead raid boss that was glitched out due to a strange poison from a previous group, the Virtual Reality MMO (VRMMO) they are playing updates. Instead of logging the MC out like normal, they collapse to wake up trapped in another world similar (yet different) to the game they were playing... trapped both as themselves and as their avatar as separate entities! As for the rest of their guild, they're nowhere to be found (at first).
Perspective: The readers will be dropped into the plot from the MC's perspective. I write in a character-driven style meaning while I have major plot events in mind, the characters will shape the story more than the story will shape them, like One Piece, Hijrp Potfeq, and Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Abridged (by BlazingAzureCrow). This also means the audience will be seeing things from the MC's understanding (not in an instruction-manual manner). What the MC knows, the audience will know as it comes up. (I may write out the game's details in an "instruction manual" style for fun, but that'd be supplementary material, not part of the story proper.) | [
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43,210 | Is there a way to make sure that what we write sounds consistent with the style adopted by the majority of editors? I am not sure how people do it, but almost all articles seems to have been written by the same person whenever I pick articles at random just to read them. How do you ensure that the edits you make sound consistent with the style adopted throughout Wikipedia, and what are the other steps that need to be taken in order to ensure that your edits won't be reverted back, because I remember in the old days I did a few edits and a lot of them got reverted back to how it was before somehow (usually after a few days). | [
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43,235 | Since I'm writing a paperback, not an e-book, I wonder if and how I can teach Scrivener to use chapter numbers and/or page numbers when I insert a hyperlink.
As a non-fiction book, I have quite a few "see chapter 12 for details" or "as discussed in chapter 4" references. By default, when I enter these references into Scrivener, it will use the title. But I'd like to give my readers something they don't need to search for. I searched and couldn't find that option. Where is it hiding? | [
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43,244 | People usually use a musical sheet to tell how a song should be sung, but when you read a lyric you have no idea how a song should be sung without having the musical sheet in front of you, so is there a notation system that exists that allows you to know how a song should be sung? The pacing is very hard to determine unless you hear the song or look at the musical sheet, but there must be a way for people without musical training to determine how a song should be sung.
Here's an example:
>
> [Verse 1]
>
>
> Breath, should I take a deep?
>
>
> Faith, should I take a leap?
>
>
> Taste, what a bittersweet
>
>
> All my, all my life
>
>
>
I rewrote the above into this:
>
> [Verse 1]
>
>
> Breathhhhhhh, should I take a deeeeeeeep?
>
>
> Faiiiiiiiiiith, should I take a leaaaaaaap?
>
>
> Tasteeeeeee, what a bittersweeeeeeeet
>
>
> All my, all my lifeeeeeeee
>
>
>
This is something I just came up with, but as you can see it's not perfect, because still even now it's hard to know exactly how it should be sung. It gives you more of an idea, but it's still hard to know what the exact pacing should be. | [
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43,246 | I am not sure if people would agree, but I think because there were some authors who coined terms and idioms, anyone could create their own idioms. The questions is if there's a guideline, and if there's not what should be common rules our coined idioms should meet. Often idioms are rather simple and don't need any explanation. For example, **"like a mad dog"** can be understood easily, but what if I coined an idiom like **"itching to raise my hind leg"**, which means **"I need to go to the bathroom and take a leak"**? Do you think there should be some sort of rules, and how do we go about introducing them in a novel? | [
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43,256 | Unknown by the characters involved and hidden from the readers, there's this ability of one specific character that allows him to hear/perceive the truth from anyone's speech. If they're telling the truth, what he hears/perceives is what the interlocutor is saying. If there's lies or hidden meanings, he'll grasp the truth in his own interpretation and knowledge of the facts.
I'll exemplify two ways:
>
> Surface POV: I joined the military so I could defend my kingdom from
> foreign invasions.
>
>
> Perception of character POV: I joined the military so I could leave my
> town and follow my own path.
>
>
> Truth: I was scared of being the same old shit as my father, from a
> shitty town. I chose the military career just because it would drag me
> the farther away from all that misery.
>
>
>
There's also a possibility for:
>
> Perception of character POV: I joined the military so I could defend
> my kingdom from foreign invasions. - Riwhurz said, but it was not
> confidence and selflessness that burst out of his mouth. There was
> fear and resentment lingering around his lips as he said those lies.
>
>
>
Important points:
* The speech for the speaker is different from what the special character perceives and hears.
* The special character perceives both the truth and the false speech, the examples are how he process the information.
* This ability is not revealed through the book, nor I plan it to be revealed later on, just perceived by the reader as he drives through the story.
**Question: How to hint that ability to the reader apart from using different POVs of the same scene? What devices might be used to enhance the classic "show don't tell" in this situation?** | [
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43,269 | I have been struggling to write a book on my 14 years research. I have used Microsoft Word exclusively, but I have a problem that the book uses lots of pictures, sometimes six per page and this is where I cannot seem to have a stable document. I place the pictures in a Text Box as recommended by Microsoft. Having placed these text boxes relative to the text I find either that the pictures will not stay where they are placed or having closed the file and then re-opened the file, the text boxes are not in the correct place.
What DTP should I use as Microsoft Word does not seem to be appropriate. | [
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43,277 | I have been working on a *story* for several years. The manuscript is now currently longer than 1,000 notebook pages (roughly 615 pages in print by my calculations) and it’s only a third of the way through the plot. So, I’ve known for a while that this is going to end up being multiple *books* when it’s completed. I recently decided to take a break from writing the *story* to finish the first *book* in what will likely be either a trilogy or tetralogy. This first *book* is around 315 pages. So my question is, **Is it a good idea to self-publish a completed first book in what will be a longer series even though the remainder of the story has not yet been written?**
To add some clarification, I am not writing the story as if it is going to be divided into smaller books, I’m writing it as if it is one really long book. I’m dividing it wherever it seems logical to do so based on plot and book-length. At this time I know where I want the story to go, I have an idea of what information I want to be covered in each book, and I’ve even gone as far as to create a detailed plot chart outlining what is going to happen and when. Most sections of the story I’ve already written and re-written in my head hundreds of times so now it’s just a matter of putting it all to the paper, which I fully intend to do. | [
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43,281 | Let's say I am writing a fantasy book where magic users doesn't use something called "magic", but use something called "Hermetic". Where in the book should we redefine (give a new definition to the word) the word "Hermetic", and should we redefine through a dialogue, through a descriptive passage and what should the POV be when we do it? | [
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43,282 | Let's say that a novel consists of three parts: introduction, climax and conclusion. Is it ok if the conclusion is much shorter than the climax. For example, can the introduction be 20% of the novel, the climax be 78% of the novel, and the conclusion be 2% of the novel? Is it a bad thing? You would think a better distribution would be 20%, 60% and 20%. Not sure what the usual distribution is, but I am really wondering if it's ok to have a short and abrupt ending. | [
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43,289 | So, in my post-apocalyptic novel, the world was caught up in an international war (basically WWIII), and all the world's nuclear superpowers launched their warheads and killed much of the global population. Ambient radiation from the nuclear fallout has caused humans to develop supernatural abilities.
And that is not science.
I totally get that radiation just hurts/kills people, it doesn't give someone the ability to manipulate life force or become pyrokinetic like I assert in my story. That's not scientifically possible.
But does my story *need* to be scientifically accurate or plausible? Will I lose readers because all they can think of is "that would never happen"? Can a story like mine with inaccurate/nonexistent science still be appealing? | [
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43,291 | I'm setting the book I'm writing in the 1900s ~ 1950s, in the central states of the US: Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. I'm having difficulty getting the language for narration and dialogue correct for the period. Does anyone know of resources that would help in that regard?
A disclaimer: I'm a beginner. Additionally, English is not my native language, but here we are, I'm attempting fiction in a foreign language. | [
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43,295 | I want to write travel story novel.
My plan is to have 4 characters (2 guys and 2 girls), which decided to visit 4 European cities (probably I will choose Frankfurt - Germany, Reykjavík - Iceland, Uzhhorod - Ukraine and fourth must be invented).
I want to show culture and details of not very well known cities (that is why I did not chose London, Paris etc.) and in every location highlight one of four heroes.
All 4 heroes would be special, but I am aware that novel can turn to something like documentary film (which is not bad, but probably the reader would excpect some action, which is missing in my idea for now).
What would you force to read such novel to the end? | [
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43,305 | *Sorry if this is an ancient solved problem to ask in 2019, but I googled about this and [Quora](https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-most-appropriate-way-to-describe-a-fictional-black-character-in-literature-other-than-being-black) isn't really answering me. I searched for the words **black** and **race** and **politically** as key-words on this website but still not a satisfactory answer.*
The **setting is 2013 in the UK**, and my character is approaching three people two of them are sitting on a bench in a garden and one guy who is an elderly black man is standing.
As my character is approaching them, my novel reads;
>
> I walked towards the trio who looked like they were having a conversation. They all seemed welcoming. A teenage looking girl and elderly women were sitting on the log and an **elderly black man** was standing in front of them.
>
>
>
I don't want to say it as **black man** and I am not sure of using the word **African** (*will that clearly indicate without being broad*). I want to express this just to mention the diversity in that environment although later on in my novel I have clearly expressed him in detail. | [
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43,328 | After I lost a large segment of my novel, I started writing a prequel to it.
I began it differently from the original, planning on this story being one of five shorter stories published as one volume. Surprise, surprise, the characters have other plans. This is evolving into a prequel novel.
In my original novel, the reader meets the MC behind the scope of his sniper’s rifle - it is a training run. In the prequel, I begin with him fleeing after a successful operation, but everything else has gone sideways. I was content with that, but then something my MC said gave my Secondary Protagonist a mystery to solve.
She needs to investigate and this will take time. I already have fifty pages and that is not looking like a short story anymore.
I now believe that I should, as with the first, start with the assassination and show the wheels fall off.
Would starting with the assassination scene add symmetry and balance to the prequel and render it more of a stand-alone novel or is the scene with his flight and references to what happened before sufficient? | [
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43,337 | Describing mixed races in this way would be too broad. [How do I say that someone is black?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/43305/how-do-i-express-some-one-as-a-black-person)
How do you describe somebody of two or more races?
Word like mixed and biracial do not depict that person's unique features.
Some books that have the main characters on the cover so you have an idea of what the characters look like but some books do not. | [
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43,339 | I tried to find sales figures about printed fantasy novels and how they compare among different countries, but I couldn't find anything in that regard.
I can find generic statistics about [how the American market for SF&F is evolving over the past years](https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamrowe1/2018/06/19/science-fiction-and-fantasy-book-sales-have-doubled-since-2010/#32600b2a2edf). Or [how the European book market grew in recent years](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/78890-europe-s-book-market-grew-slightly-in-2017.html). Or [country specific information without any details about the specific sales per genre](https://www.dw.com/en/german-book-market-between-crisis-and-hope/a-45813315). Or [comparisons between a few selected countries for book prices](https://www.bookwire.de/fileadmin/customer/documents/Barometer_Brochure_18_10_01_kl.pdf). This last one gives me the sort of information I am searching for, but only for the countries Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain, where "Fantasy & Science-Fiction" has the highest percentage of sold units in Germany though this is only about e-books. But nothing that specifically tries to compare the sales in different countries grouped by the genre of books and whether they are digital or printed.
Therefore I am asking here: in which country do printed fantasy novels sell the most?
As I have seen many statistics that put Science-Fiction and Fantasy together answers to this question can also assume that they can be put together. Answers that find statistics solely about the fantasy genre will be rated higher though. Ideally an answer would provide me with a source that regularly posts statistics comparing the book sales per genre and category (digital/ printed) on a per-country basis with lots of countries being looked at so that I could look up the current statistics in the future.
Total numbers would be preferrable, but if you can find information on a per capita basis that would be very interesting, too. | [
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43,348 | How do I present a nameless character in a 3rd person narrative who has never known his parents? And has never had extended human interaction with anyone long enough to even be called “Boy” or “Child.” What would the narrator call such a character (until he has a name)? Can anyone provide examples? The only thing I’ve thought up is “Nameless Boy” and other simple titles along those lines. | [
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43,350 | I am not sure if this is true, but I heard there were short poems in the beginning of each chapter in Lord of the Rings. Although, this could be done fairly easily, I am wondering if there are any other way to incorporate poems in a novel. I am thinking there are many instances of it in the rich history of literature, but because I haven't read a lot of books I am curious to know if there are ways of enriching a novel with poems that I am not aware of. | [
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43,358 | Is it too distracting to include a major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story? I mean a complete subplot or subplots that the character solves. Perhaps the examples below do not qualify as mystery subplots.
I realized that, among many other methods, George R. R. Martin utilized mystery subplots effectively in his books to help hook the readers. I do not know if these would be labeled traditional "mystery" subplots though or simply plot twists or subplots with an element of mystery.
Examples of Game of Thrones mysteries (spoilers):
>
> * The mystery of who pushes Bran Stark.
> * The mystery of the murder of the King's Hand.
> * The mystery of who poisoned the King.
> * The mystery in the show of who is holding Theon Greyjoy hostage.
> * There is the supernatural mystery element of the White Walkers and Children as well as the abilities of Bran Stark.
>
>
>
>
The characters and their arcs are generally thought to be the hook for Game of Thrones but we see where mystery reaches some readers another way.
Thoughts? | [
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43,359 | I couldn't find anything on this one, so maybe someone has a good idea on what would be considered good practice in a scholarly context.
**Background**
For a semester project, I have to observe an online newspaper and summarize their weekly topics.
Each week I have to submit a short note containing my findings and analysis, and of course quote the source properly according to the Chicago style.
However, the website was down for a day or so and I would like to have that documented. But how to document and cite absence? | [
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43,367 | I'm an amateur writer from the Philippines. I am writing a novelette for an international writing contest. My story is written in English, but is set here, in my country, with my POV character being a full blood Filipino. My question is, is it unnecessary to use my country's dialect as my characters' dialogue? should I just make it simple and just use English for their speech?
All of the conversation between the characters in the story is technically being said in my language. After all, English is not our main language. I myself think it is unnecessary to write the dialogue in our language, and then write the English translation afterwards. But I still did it anyway.
So am I doing it wrong after all? I need and expert's opinion about this. I feel like I should just write the dialogue in English, but I need an assurance if I really should. This is my first time writing a story. That's why I am a bit anxious about everything that I do. | [
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43,372 | My MC - who has a dangerous reputation - is captured by a member of Bolivian Security, who decides to take him to her father in-law (who also has a dangerous reputation)to be questioned instead of going straight to HQ.
DaedUW father in-law is a semi retired master of manipulation and torturer extraordinaire. She only knows from his stories that he always got to the truth.
He takes the prisoner, she starts to tell him what she wants but he shuts her down - never in front of the prisoner - it pollutes the process. He just gets started and then goes to her to learn what intel she needs to confirm. When he learns that she wants to know if the prisoner can be trusted he finds himself in a bit of a bind.
He is shifting him from torture victim to houseguest but finding a considerable cynicism regarding this apparent change. He has never had occasion to even attempt to essentially befriend someone he started working on - unique situation.
I am not asking what to write - I am in the process of writing it. I am only wondering at what point would it be reasonable for said character to wonder if this might be a genuine approach and not something from chapter three, subsection 12 of Advanced Technique and Methodology: A Handbook.
This is a clash of two dark reputations, both are aware of the other and that is the difficulty in that the MC knows he cannot believe one word.
Edit:
He will never believe the father in-law, but how many stages should it realistically take for him to go from ‘not killing me’ to ‘I will help her’? | [
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43,385 | (EDITED TO MAKE IT LESS BROAD AND MORE CLEAR).
I recently [asked a question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/43289/do-i-really-need-to-have-a-scientific-explanation-for-my-premise) about if I really need to include scientific proof for my mostly-non-scientific post-apocalyptic novel, and the [best answer](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/43299/34214) I received told me that I didn't need to back up my premise with science ***as long as I set the contract with my reader that science is not my promised topic.*** The answer I accepted told me to establish *early on* that science is not what I'm promising. Here is my issue:
In my book, I show in around the 8th chapter that my MC has supernatural powers, and I think it's clear to my reader that I'm not searching for a scientific explanation for this. The closest I get to this is later on in the story, where the characters surmise that radiation gave them their strange powers. *But I don't know if this is early enough.* My novel's first five approximate chapters are the closest thing I have to a final draft, and I don't know if or how I could incorporate the idea of non-science any earlier.
How do I set with my reader the promise that my story isn't scientific, if the first mention of anything fantastical occurs maybe 25% into the story? | [
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43,387 | I'm experimenting with writing nonbinary or generally gender-ambiguous characters in my writing. The most recent example of this is in an urban fantasy story I'm currently working on in my spare time, where the first character is introduced using they/them pronouns. Their pronouns are revealed to be those other than they/them later on, but I'd like to know if the neutrality reads well and, if not, how it could be expressed better.
I want to introduce them neutrally even though they are not a nonbinary character because it lets the reader identify with the character initially and then learn more about them as the story goes on, including their pronouns and gender identity. I'm trying to be inclusive without writing a character in a stereotypical way, and I'm avoiding the pronoun 'it' for humanoid characters to avoid potentially degrading nonbinary characters. Below is my intro to the story which I mentioned above:
>
> *“I wake up every morning / With a big smile on my face / And it never feels out of place”*
>
>
> Groaning came from the bed as a hand groped for the source of the music. Grabbing a smartphone that sat on the bedside table, the hand unsuccessfully pushed at the screen, the movements getting more and more frustrated.
>
>
> *“And you’re still probably working / At a nine to five pace / I wonder how bad that-”*
>
>
> The music cut off, prompting a sigh of relief from under the blankets. “Why’d I choose that ‘s my alarm…” The voice sounded more animal than human, a low growl. A bundle of hair appeared from near the pillows at the top of the bed, followed by another hand that flung the blankets off, revealing more limbs that promptly got caught in the sheets, slamming the ball of hair into the floor. “Goddamnit!”
>
>
> After some more flailing, the...person? Being? Eventually made their way to the room’s door, slamming it behind them. A crashing noise came from the bedside table, and they sighed, then walked down the hall. Pulling some of their hair aside to reveal a tired pair of hazel eyes, a pug nose, and a downturned mouth, they spat some strands out of their mouth and sighed again.
>
>
> “Anyone in there? Helloooo?” With no reply from the door, they shrugged and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind them before starting to brush their hair.
>
>
> “Goooood Morning!~” A perky young woman with platinum blonde hair, green eyes, and a smile almost as wide as her entire head slammed the door open, making them jump.
>
>
> “Lily! What the hell!” They growled. Lily looked innocent.
>
>
> “What? Can’t say good morning to my big bro?”
>
>
> The man grumbled as he brushed the hair out of his face. “You know how I feel about the door slamming.”
>
>
> | [
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43,394 | In film-making, some people consider a copy of an action scene scene-by-scene to be a homage. Is it any different in literature; how do you distinguish the two of them? If, for example, we take the final scene in *Romeo and Juliet*, and decide to let a scene play out in the exact same way, but reword everything so that it's not in the same format and is not using the same words, is it considered to be plagiarism or a homage? | [
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43,396 | Is there any complication that can ensue when you seek to have a story you've published in a free domain website, and then have it published through a conventional publisher? What if I were to modify it? I published a lot of short stories in forums in the past, and I thought I could use the material and have something published by the end of the year. | [
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43,406 | For a submission (to a grant program, competition, agent, or publisher) that asks for sample chapters, which chapters do you choose?
For example, a grant program for unfinished works I'm interested in wants 3 sample chapters. They don't specify which ones. Do you go in order? Include the prolog? Add another chapter if one is quite short? Do three consecutive chapters that aren't from the beginning? Is it better to skip around, to choose the best chapters even if they lack context? Or better to show a story progression?
**What chapter choices lead to the strongest submission?** | [
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43,426 | I missed my chance to write for About.Com when it was TheMiningCom and now it's DotDash and seems to be under different rules. Suite101 has become Suite.io (blocked from my work, so that's all I know.)
I know at one point I had bookmarked Squiddoo, HubPages, BellaOnline and others to write for. Are they still around? No idea - possibly in some form.
I'm talking basically about sites that pay at least a little, and they're not totally anonymous content farms, but by-line linked, and you theoretically develop a little community.
**Why would I want to write for one?**
I do well with peer pressure/**incentives**. The Rep/Badges system here is a great gamification system that works.
**Community** is helpful -- I am recognizing names of frequent contributors. If any of them post a link to their published work or blog, I'll check it out and hope for vice-versa, even if it's not normally my cup of tea. I know the '00s were the decade for non-facebook/IG community-building, but there may be some.
And beyond Writing.SE, an external, regular **deadline** is good for me. I can't seem to set my own deadlines and stick to them, so my blog/site is blah. But if I have a promise to BellaOnline for 2 short articles a week about Board Games *(not my proposed topic)*, that rebuilds my regularly-writing-for-an-audience muscle.
They reward **moderate expertise** -- I don't feel expert enough about coffee or whatever to propose A Column to A Coffee Magazine/Site. But I feel I know more than the average bear, and can quickly research things that the average reader would want to know more about. It always seemed that the "experts" on these sites were Pretty Good, but not Great, and that's what I wanted as a reader, and what I can deliver as a writer.
---
**But are these sites dead?** Will I make $5 from them, or should that energy go towards really good ebay descriptions of shoes I want to sell? Will I get readers? I'm not trying to poll-for-experience, but if anyone has statistics on these sites, or which are still thriving without a massive pivot-to-video, that would be helpful. Thanks! | [
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43,428 | In my post-apocalyptic novel, my protagonist is not necessarily "good", and although the antagonist is an honest and kind person, my protagonist perceives her as "evil". My antagonist is the leader of a group of survivors, and cares deeply for her family and group, and is extremely suspicious of my protagonist.
The way I constructed the antagonist's character (and according to the results of an alignment test I took from her point of view), she's lawful good. That aligns with how I see her, and how I'm writing her right now. I still want the reader to resent and sometimes hate her, just like my protagonist does, but I'm afraid my readers are going to start sympathizing with her when I want their loyalties to lie with my protagonist, no matter how bad she is.
Can I still make my antagonist an effective "bad guy", despite the fact that she is, truly, lawful good? Can I keep my readers' loyalties with my protagonist, not my antagonist? | [
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43,430 | I want to write a very short book of 100 pages. I want to put into it what I've suffered throughout my life: Hardships, failures, disappointments.... as an inspiration that, despite hardships, I survive!
And, at the end, I want to add conclusion that the protagonist (which is me, who had been bereft of every thing) ends up in the belief that he wouldn't let others suffer, who suffers more less like the protagonist....
**Now the question is what do I call it: a novel, novella, short story...how to start; where from to start?**
Please I seek your guidance..... | [
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43,436 | According to [this wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constrained_writing), *Constrained writing* is a literary technique in which the writer is bound by some condition that forbids certain things or imposes a pattern. The same link also provides examples of constrained writing. I will mention a few for reference:
>
> Ernest Vincent Wright's *Gadsby* (1939) is an English-language novel
> consisting of 50,000 words, none of which contain the letter "e".
>
>
> *let me tell you* (2008), a novel by the Wemst writer Paul Griffiths,
> uses only the words allotted to Ophelia in *Hamlet*.
>
>
>
How do readers come to know about used and hidden constrained a work has used? Do authors openly promote or do marketing of the same? What is the proper way to notify readers from the work itself that it has used some constraint? | [
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43,444 | I use [Ulysses 15](https://ulysses.app/blog/2019/03/ulysses-15-released/) for my writing. The tool has a robust global search but, to my knowledge, it does not provide a replace function (only the sheet search has a "find and replace" function).
**Does anyone know how to use the global search, with all of its powers, to also replace content?**
**Note:** I'm aware of the local, in-sheet search. What I'm looking for is global, library-wide search and replace. | [
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43,452 | I have two POV (3rd person limited) characters and they start the story as complete strangers and far apart. They don't meet for some time and they have very different experiences.
Now I want them to meet and live through some intense, important event. How can I choose whose POV to take during the event? They would have very different views of the same event and I want them both to convey their version to the reader. But I don't want to tell the same event again.
What should I base my decision on? | [
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43,466 | I am wondering if we can use footnotes to describe technologies used in a science-fiction novel instead of describing it by switching from an omniscient POV, that describes everything in a poetic way, to a "historian" POV. I understand this is not something we see usually in a novel, but I am wondering if there are historical precedents for this, and if you think it's perfectly reasonable to do so. | [
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43,469 | I need to speak at the unveiling of a memorial plaque ([this one](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/41549/14704), incidentally).
I have an idea of what I want to say, and how I want to arrange it. My struggle is with the opening.
I have spoken in public before - in academic settings, on fantasy/sci-fi conventions. In all those circumstances, my go-to strategy has been (introduce myself, then) "start by saying something funny". When I've got everybody laughing, I've got everybody engaged, and it helps me get over the first moments of petrifying stage-fright.
This approach isn't going to work here: the holocaust is not funny. And the people who are going to be in attendance are not the friendly geeks of sci-fi conventions, which doesn't help the stage-fright one bit.
**How do I open this kind of speech?** How do I start strong, and engage the audience at once? I can't afford to stand there and blabber. | [
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43,471 | This is an offshoot from a comment exchange on an unrelated question. [What to submit when asked for "sample chapters"?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/43406/what-to-submit-when-asked-for-sample-chapters/43417?noredirect=1#comment71442_43417)
I know a large percentage of traditionally published fiction authors, especially newer ones, have degrees related to writing or similar extensive education. And many people here talk about formal structural writing with terms I understand immediately (usually) but haven't ever heard before. I find it interesting and sometimes helpful.
But I was a bit surprised to have the above exchange where the other person assumed I knew this "basic" stuff. I don't mean the real basics like beginning-middle-end and so forth, but specific terminology and details like:
>
> For the reader, an "inciting incident" does not have to be perceived
> by the MC as a big problem, it can start small. It roughly occurs
> about 1/8 through the story (by word count), and then grows for 1/8 of
> the story, to the point that when Act I ends (25% through the story)
> it is a crisis the MC must deal with. This later point (25%) is when
> the MC "leaves their normal world" (either physically or mentally) and
> begins to deal with their problem, usually reactively and
> unsuccessfully at first. (As opposed to proactively, starting around
> 50% of the story). *(From @Amadeus)*
>
>
>
I have no objections to using methods like this, I just never learned them. I took fiction writing and technical writing in college and, in grad school, I wrote tons and I also taught writing to undergraduates for 4 years, all essay writing of various types. I've been published here and there and haven't published something large because I never pushed myself to finish a huge project before. My critique group loves what I've got so far, but I guess I won't know until a professional editor gets ahold of it whether it's structurally sound.
I'm well into middle age and feel pretty confident about continuing to write without more formal training, though I've considered taking some classes (more for the deadlines than anything else). But I'm curious to hear other experiences.
**QUESTION: In someone with a strong general educational background, what is the importance of formal fiction writing classes for writing a novel?** | [
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43,477 | As a self-taught developer the only requirement documents I've ever been privileged to read are those of hackerrank and the sort. However the more and more I create my own increasingly complex programs, apps and sites the more I feel the need for a good requirement document. Since most of what I work on is my own work, I need to write those requirements.
What is the process for a software requirement documentation. I imagine it will describe what the product should provide to the end-user along with any perfermance/memory constraints. I also assume that it will have other constraints, such as where the data will be provided from. And it is probably independent of solutions. That comes later.
**So am I on the mark, or missing anything? What do these documents look like?** | [
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43,479 | I am about 3/4 finished with the first "volume" of a novel I desire to serialize. Not for the money really, though I won't lie that it'd be nice, but more for the fact I can get my name out there. Now, I already know how to go about Print-On-Demand, e-Books, publishing in magazines, and online-distribution to various sites like Wattpad. This is more for the sake of having the route of "Traditional Publishing" available to both myself and others without the need of such other methods, especially since I didn't see a question asking for this, only for poems which would not help me.
I'd like to know how I could get a fantasy novel serial published traditionally, if at all, without relying on publishing it chapter-by-chapter in a magazine. ***Is it possible and how/through whom?***
---
>
> From here on out, the rest of the question is non-mandatory. It's more to address my specific circumstance, but the best answer NEEDS to answer the preceding question no matter what.
>
>
>
Extra Credit: ***Would it be possible for MY specific story to be able to and how/through whom?*** (This is not necessary for a best answer, but would give bonus points to answers that meet the main question's criteria.)
My story has some key marketability issues for the west that I already understand and acknowledge, but I think can be worked as features for the right publisher:
1. The genre is niche. It's an "in another world" series that I am writing. For those familiar with Japanese, the genre is called "Isekai".
2. I am writing it like a Light Novel. This means each volume is about a novella-to-novel in length, would be interrupted by scene-appropriate illustrations periodically, and would be generally designed to be easy-to-read.
3. One of the two main characters is Japanese and is told halfway from his perspective. Otherwise, western-style names (but not necessarily real names) populate the majority of characters. Meaning: the idea of having to read "hard-to-read foreign names" too often would be subsided.
4. My story deals with controversial topics including slavery, the sex-trade, cults (in the Jonestown, not D&D, sense), racism and bigotry, fighting and violence, and so forth. While I would never go *graphic*, I still touch deeply enough on the topics in order to leave a strong-enough imprint on my readers to express a given message. For those who are too young to understand the subtext, they'd see the battered and bruised female slaves as victims of violence, whereas a person who is older (or at least more knowledgeable about the evils in the world) would be able to understand what *kind* of violence. Basically, *A Song of Ice and Fire*, but less explicit in this sense. (The story is NOT dark fantasy. It just had some dark fantasy tones to it.)
5. It would most likely appeal largely to anime fans due to the other variables, regardless of the art-style employed for the illustrations.
That said, is there a publisher in the West that I can publish this through? I did consider re-writing it in Japanese, which would certainly be possible, but it would not be favorable. While I could get it published in Japan (even despite the "isekai-ban" now employed by many Japanese publishers), I'd rather not do so someplace where the genre is a dime a dozen. | [
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43,480 | I ask mostly out of curiosity. Obviously, a proper cookbook would involve real ingredients and not fantasy creatures. There's such a cookbook for Skyrim and Lord of the Rings. What I am curious about is this: **what challenges are there in writing a fantasy cookbook *where creatures that don't exist in real life* are used as the ingredients?**
Having trouble following along? In 1998, a [Pokemon cookbook](http://suslick.scs.illinois.edu/pokemon.html) was published online. No, it wasn't a cookbook where it shows you how to make the food shown in the show of Pokemon. It was a cookbook where the writer, K.S. Suslick, used Pokemon *as the ingredients*.
Now in my case, I have no interest in making a cookbook involving Pokemon... but what about a cookbook where the recipes are inspired by my own fantasy world? Obviously, in order to make the cookbook be valuable to anyone aside from as a random merch item for my story, I need to include recipes that can be made with real-world items... but what about if I get to a recipe where it calls for 8 ounces of dragon steak (for example)? This is obviously just one example, but what challenges are there for such a cookbook? Assume I'm wanting it to be sellable as its own thing, not attached to a given story, so it's just a cookbook for a fantasy world. | [
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43,486 | >
> If there is a gun on the mantelpiece in the Act 1, then in Act 2, that gun must be fired.
>
>
>
### Background
I'm a big believer in Chekhov's Gun. I try not to do anything or introduce any new plot point without first foreshadowing it, no matter how subtly.
This is easy in film. A lazy way to do it is to have some object appear in the background, or perhaps briefly show it on TV. A watcher who's paying attention gets the reference, a watcher who isn't, doesn't.
It's harder in writing. Every single thing that you mention, for at least a moment, is right in front of the reader's eyes. There's no such thing as background text here - everything is in the foreground.
Sometimes, I want to show the reader that there's a gun on the mantelpiece, without saying "Hello! This is a gun!" - because if I do that, the reader will think "*hey, the writer wouldn't do that unless that gun is going to be fired.*" Sometimes I don't want the reader to know that there's going to be a gunshot in Act 2 - but I also don't want my character to pick up a gun that the reader didn't know was there.
### Specifics
In my specific case, MC's house has a basement, and late in the story he gets locked within it by his housemate. The basement door is locked with a coded padlock to which only the housemate knows the code. MC is not, and has never been, allowed to go inside the basement.
I need to foreshadow the existence of the basement (and the padlock) before this scene.
However, before this point in the story, MC and the housemate do not actually meet beyond letters written to each other. I can't image the housemate would explicitly write "*Remember, you're not allowed into the basement!*", not least because that would be whacking the reader over the head with an obvious Gun. So MC should probably notice the basement of his own observation.
The story is written 1st-person, from MC's perspective, in a train-of-thought fashion - that is, everything he thinks is there on the page. So I can't have him suddenly jumping to think about some random basement door. And I'm trying really, really hard not to bash the reader over the head with obvious foreshadowing.
### Question
What should I do here? How do I hide a Chekhov's Gun such that it's obscured under the bedsheet but, upon later reflection by the reader, was obviously a Gun? | [
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43,508 | There are rules to writing and we often talk about them here. But sometimes a good writer will break the rules. And to be honest some of my favorite pieces of writing are from when this is done well.
So how do we do it well? Is there some way to measure whether our own application of rule-breaking is done well? Or is it a mostly intuitive process?
I am not concerned with the reception of publishers. I am concerned with the reception of readers and the idea of creating good work. I am just interested if there is any type of guideline that can be followed to writing good creative works.
I have heard two rules about this in the past:
* You need to fully understand a rule before you can break it
* Only break one rule at a time
**Are there any others? Does it change for rules of grammar as apposed to the rules of style? Are these rules about breaking rules as equally breakable as the rules that are being broken?** | [
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43,519 | I'm reading KM Weiland's [Creating Character Arcs](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B01M6VC68U). In it, she lists:
>
> **Questions to Ask About the Thing the Character Wants and the Thing the Character Needs**
>
>
> 1. How is the Lie holding your character back?
> 2. How is the Lie making your character unhappy or unfulfilled?
> 3. What Truth does your character Need to disprove the Lie?
> 4. How will he learn this Truth?
> 5. What does your character Want more than anything?
>
>
> *Weiland, K.M. Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author's Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 7) (p. 37). PenForASword Publishing. Kindle Edition.*
>
>
>
In my character's case I know she's a mother that **wants to** *keep her family together by helping the husband expand his land and wealth*, and she **needs to** *accept that people need independence and her kids may choose their path regardless of her efforts.*
Now, my problem is that I have no clue what is the lie is or how is it holding her back, before reading that I thought I would find out as I write, now I fear I might compromise the story because of missing a foundational piece of information about my character. How deeply should I understand my character before writing her?
**Update:** To further clarify my main character to the reader:
* She's 42
* She loves her husband deeply and he loves her back, but he's older than her (10 ~ 15 years).
* She has three children: one stepson, and two biological children (a son and a daughter).
* Her husband is self-made, and she was there from the beginning.
* In their backstory, she had a relationship with someone of her age, but that didn't manifest as conflict before the story proper.
* **Want:** her children to pursue futures of her choosing that will help advance the family legacy (but, think Eastern mothers in the US pushing for doctors and engineers).
* **Need:** to allow her children (and, to an extent, her husband) their free will and independence. | [
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43,530 | I often feel that we fall into a trap of believing that we must provide a driving goal for a main character at the outset. And yet, as I look at compelling fiction, main characters do not have the same simplicity of a single defining characteristic as does the supporting cast. Main characters are *main* characters. They are complex. There is room to explore their inner conflict. We are often in their point of view, and everything--the entire world--is seen through them.
At the end of the day none of us 'real people' have single goal--life is messy. And so, distilling a **main** character to **one goal** seems like a bad idea.
A few examples:
* The main from *How to Stop Time*. He purportedly wants to 'find his
daughter.' Well, he's doing nothing about that. He's lived for 500
years without taking out a single want ad or filing a single missing
person's report.
* Frodo. Does he want to carry the ring? I don't think so. If anything
he *wants* the ring. The ring 'wants' more than Frodo does.
* Hijrp Potfeq wants his parents. That's stupid--they're dead. On the
other hand Deybue, a rather two dimensional character, wants to keep
Herrl safe and also wants to be free.
* Luku Htyqalnef wants a bunch of stuff, in just the first movie. To
save the princess. To *kiss* the princess. To join the rebellion. To
master the force. To blow up the death star. Etc.
* The protagonist in *A Fault in our Stars* either wants the boy, or
wants the boy to live, or wants to meet the guy that wrote the book
she likes (and the boy likes too), or wants to live herself. I'm not
sure. Love the story, though. What is the girl's *initial* want? I
could not tell you.
* What does Jese want in *Titanic*? Seck? To rebel? To get away from
the man she is engaged to? If the answer to this example is that her
want changes through the story, then what is her initial want?
* *The Martian* may be the clearest example of a main character 'want'
and driving need. He wants to get back to Earth. Funnily enough, all
he can do is survive. (And he does a fantastic job at this.) Getting
back to Earth requires *everyone else*.
I understand that 'character' has room to develop (and wants have room to change), but the idea that we must shoehorn stories into a main character that has one driving want (or even one starting want) seems counterproductive to good fiction.
**Question: Does it really serve a main character to give them one driving want? Please explain why, or why not.** | [
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43,536 | I am a new writer. My work is focused on real people. I ask a series of questions and go from there. Its all about their personal journeys with health. I like to capture the feeling of what people have gone through, and put it into words. I have no problem telling a great story. The problem I'm running into is word criteria. I have a limited 750-word count. I always go way over (3,000), then I just can't seem to trim and still be proud of what I have written. How do I achieve both? | [
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43,537 | A blogger with the name of Glen C. Strathy said the following:
>
> The first and most important element of any plot is the Story Goal or
> Problem. This is the organizing idea around which the entire plot of
> your novel will be based.
>
>
>
Now, my problem is I want to try to create a character who is morally neutral, straight in the middle, but that restricts my ability to choose a good story goal for my novel.
Why? Well, I am not sure, but when I think of someone who is completely neutral (neither good or bad and right in the middle), I think of someone who only values his self-interest, because I am caught in this assumption that character who are neutral have to have this archetype, I can't really think of a good story goal.
Can these two objectives be reconciled, do you agree with my assumption, if not can you explain why, so I can pick a good story goal for my story while keeping my character as morally neutral as possible? | [
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43,540 | I'm writing a story that I'd like younger readers to pick up. I and they know and understand that some situations are far better expressed with one f-word than a thousand milder ones. I'm keeping my narrative clean, but when I write the dialogue, I don't know what to do.
Should I:
1. describe, as in:
>
> Taymy slammed the door on Chorkia's fingers. Chorkia exploded with profanity that pierced their mother's ears downstairs.
>
>
>
2. or should I use made-up terms, such as *frak* from [Battlestar Galactica](https://youtu.be/r7KcpgQKo2I?t=19):
>
> Taymy slammed the door on Chorkia's fingers. "FRAK" Chorkia exploded. The eruption pierced their mother's ears downstairs.
>
>
>
3. also, I could use a milder word like *crap*, *shoot*, and the likes.
4. replace with a place holder, as in:
>
> Taymy slammed the door on Chorkia's fingers. "< EXPLETIVE >" Chorkia exploded. The eruption pierced their mother's ears downstairs.
>
>
>
**Note**
I've read answers like [this one](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/16783/37111) ("you have to eat before you [defecate]".) But that waters down the expression a lot for what I want. | [
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43,549 | This is what Dean Wesley Smith teaches in his articles and workshop videos. He says that all you have to do is just write and publish your books on kdp (Kindle Direct Publishing, the self-publishing platform on Amazon) and just let the money come as people discover them; and promoting is unnecessary and a waste of time. In fact, he calls the requirement/need for marketing a "myth". | [
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43,556 | Short-stories are a nice format to write. If you have been an aspiring writer for at least one year, it's quite probabile that you've got at least three short stories drafted out, sitting in some drawer or some hidden folder on your computer.
Let's imagine now that you want to publish those stories, bundled together in a book format. **What should tie them together?** How do you choose which story "belongs" to the collection?
Of course, the stories will have, at least, the common denominator of having the same author. But - due to marketing reasons, I suppose - that isn't often a viable option for a new writer.
Again, for marketing reasons, it seems to make more sense to clump short stories of the same genre together. Sci-fi readers will be more likely to buy a sci-fi short stories collection, rather than a book that mixes up thriller and fantasy.
**Should the stories in a collection have a common genre? Should they share a common set of themes, or even characters?**
In short: what should tie a collection of short-stories together?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
**Related:**
* [How many short stories make a collection](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/6712/how-many-short-stories-make-a-collection)
* [How to publish a collection of short stories?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/27609/how-to-publish-a-collection-of-short-stories) | [
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43,557 | In the IT industry, we often write a lot of technical documentation meant for internal use only. Those documents are often stored in an internal wiki and accessed when the need arises.
The content of the documents is not relevant here; the only relevant fact is that in the IT field you are not supposed to [*reinvent the wheel*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinventing_the_wheel). When writing a piece of code, or documenting a procedure, you are in fact supposed to search on Google (or SE sites, nonetheless) for others having faced a similar situation.
So, when it comes down to actually documenting what you have done,
What is the best way to cite external references?
-------------------------------------------------
I often include a small list section with links at the end (or at the start) of the page, but I'm not sure it is the best method.
Keep in mind that internal documentation is not supposed to be read, ever, by customers. It usually stays private between colleagues. | [
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43,577 | I have been communicating with three PoD companies.
I was considering the first, it has been in business for years and provides a certain number of copies to the author, the rest are sold from their site.
I have since discovered a company that, for a considerable outlay, will do multiple rounds of content edit and then offer your work to many stores as well as online through various outlets. The royalties are higher with them, so I was considering them. They primarily print in Canada.
The third company, which contacted me believing I had written a children’s book, does a round of copy editing and publishes the book as the others do - however, they assign an agent to try and find one of the big five who might take you on. If potential in other media exists, they will also seek out producers etc and try and get a deal.
The third company does less to the actual book than the second does, but seems better in the distribution and promotion aspects. It also costs about a third of what the second one does.
My question is, how likely is a literary agent who is part of a self publishing company to be someone who actually knows the people who should see my mss?
If the agent is an effective professional, my choice seems clear, but how likely is it that such a person could compete with those who are purely literary agents and know the editors of the various houses well?
The third company has an A rating on BBB otherwise I would not have considered it. Now that I have checked, all three have A ratings on BBB.
The first one does not try to sell your book and the quality of their PoDs is less than I would like. A friend used them and gave me one copy of her first book. | [
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43,580 | By "ununderstandable" I mean that this character I'm thinking of isn't human. He's more of a devil sort of thing. Of course he still has his motivations, goals, etc, but he's more of a tool rather than a force in the story. He just wants his thing and has basically no emotions or humanity. ***He doesn't care about the main character or what happens to him,*** be it good or bad.
He's like the bus in that Sandra Bullock movie hah
Right now I'm in the planning stage. My question is 'Should the conflict include this "tool-character" and be something like "devil against man", or should I consider the conflict to be "the internal struggles of the actual character, which are caused by the tool-character's actions" ?'
*Note:* I'm fairly new to all this, so I try to grab on to concepts like conflict and theme to better understand how to write | [
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43,585 | One of my main character's traits is that she has some superstitious beliefs. That trait is not essential to the MC, but everyone in the era of my story is. I'm contemplating a plot point near the end that the reader might perceive as deus ex machina, but the plot point isn't the actual climax, it's a *faux* climax.
To bring the idea home, my MC is one who believes good people are afflicted with calamities, only to be corrected and restored by a superpower without much effort on one's behalf. Then an event happens (like some relative wins the lottery and promises to help) that the MC thinks is the solution to all problems, only to discover this solution is not happening, *or it made things even worse*.
If the reader knows that the MC is superstitious would that be enough foreshadowing for the faux climax I'm considering? Or, would they think its a cheap shot on my part? I'm thinking of this because it could be the last lesson my MC needs to finish her arch. | [
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43,589 | I am planning to write a book about a life of a person. However, the protagonist is a black person. The main plot is not about ethnicity things, but where the plot happens I have to talk about some situations. The book is about romance, but the protagonist is poor and goes to a university to study medicine (in my country we have great public universities).
I'm white, and my life is very different of the protagonist; I don't personally know what it's like to suffer hate due to ethnicity. In my mind, if I write a book about this character, I will be committing cultural appropriation, and people won't take my book seriously.
How can I manage this? Do I write the romance ignoring ethnicity problems and suppose this doesn't happen in the story's world, or do I talk about this theme (even a little with a lot of research) and be judged by others people saying I'm not capable write about this theme? | [
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43,595 | My story is broken into 8 sections. Sections 1 and 2 take place simultaneously, in two different worlds. The other 6 continue in a linear fashion (switching back & forth between the two worlds as needed).
Right now it's not particularly obvious that 1 and 2 are happening at the same time. There's only 1 character who appears in both (he appears towards the end of each section).
What can I do to make this more obvious to the reader?
Some options I've already considered:
* **Give up and merge 1 and 2.** I'm really trying to keep 1 and 2 separate - otherwise I'll be introducing about 20 different characters and worldbuilding info for 2 separate worlds all at once.
* **Put dates on each chapter.** This feels heavy-handed, and the two worlds aren't supposed to be using the same calendar.
* **Leave it as is.** Hopefully, the shared character gives enough information for the reader to figure it out. (The trick here is to make it look less forced.)
**Edit:**
Time flows at the same rate in both worlds. Sections 1 & 2 last for 1 month.
There is one event at the beginning that affects both worlds, but it doesn't look the *same* in both worlds. | [
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43,606 | I was seriously wondering if it's a problem to use the antecedent, which is "Mr Shuonur", after the possessive pronoun "his". Also, I am wondering if we can use "his" without ever using an antecedent.
>
> **His** blue eyes starred at the sky
>
>
> Under the bridge to nowhere
>
>
> **His** garment was gray as the sky
>
>
> Below **his** house in the desert
>
>
> **Mr Shuonur**, he was called
>
>
> **His** profession, unknown
>
>
> **Mr Shuonur** crossed the street with a wooden cane
>
>
> With **his** old dog Pavlov
>
>
>
I am not sure if there's an historical antecedent for this, or not using an antecedent at all. I don't remember having seen something like this in a famous poem. Anyway, I don't want to be the first person to break a "grammar" rule that no one ever breaks. | [
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43,612 | I am not sure if this is possible. I would like to use a metonymy with an idiom, and it doesn't seem to be something people ever did, so it feels wrong.
I have the following sentence:
>
> He was in the middle of our fedora hats celebrating our victory.
>
>
>
I am using it to mean the following:
>
> He was in the middle of our (mafia) family celebrating our victory.
>
>
>
Not only it sounds weird, but it sounds wrong. I don't think there's something I did wrong, but the combination of the two makes it really weird. So can we combine the two or not? | [
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"text": "I don't think the problem is the combination, it is the unfamiliar metonymy. The use of \"fedora hats\" to mea... | 2019/03/16 | [
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43,617 | I had a few experiences with what-if style brainstorming technique. In those exercises, I found I got lost in minute details. I'd like to know if this is a good price to pay for the thought pouring that happens? Or is it more effective to try to limit my brain dump to generic thoughts?
For instance, I once wrote:
>
> What if...
>
>
> * The son doesn't want to work with his father?
> * The son wants to pursue his talent?
> * The son wants to become a writer?
> * The son wants to become an actor?
> * The son wants to become a programmer?
> * And so on, and on, and on...
>
>
>
I could've stopped at *"The son wants to pursue his talent?"*, and I would've gotten to the same conclusion when I got to potting the plot together.
**Tangent question**
Is the what-if exercise a *brainstorming*, or *brain dumping* technique? | [
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43,622 | I think my writing tends to be too serious/intense or whatever, so I'm wondering how writers create humorous writing. I'm interested in writing some humorous short stories in particular.
What language features or structural techniques help make writing humorous?
Some of the techniques I've used so far include using long, overly-exaggerated and outrageous descriptions. | [
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43,627 | I have a scene in a upcoming novel where two people play a game of chess, and I realized how difficult it was to describe it. The problem is due to the fact that there are many pieces and you can't really tell your readers where every pieces are at a certain point, and you also need to make sure that the location of the piece is possible.
Anyway, here's an excerpt:
>
> Due to the exchange in the centre, Black was in a difficult situation.
> White had a comfortable situation against the isolated pawn. White
> placed his rook on c1, the usual in this situation, waiting for the
> opponent to make a move with his queen. Was this the right move? White
> thought for a moment. He realized he would need to move the rook to b1
> in case he would need to revert back to the Carlsbad structure.
>
>
>
The problem is it's very hard to understand where the pieces are exactly, and I can't just describe where every pieces are in a particular situation. It would take way too long, so I will probably lose my reader. It's a sort of lose-lose situation and I can't think of any good way to get out of this situation. | [
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43,633 | I am seriously wondering what the limits are concerning the use of elision. It seems from the definition that elision is the omission of one vowel, consonant or syllable:
>
> In linguistics, an elision or deletion is the omission of one or more
> sounds (such as a vowel, a consonant, or a whole syllable)
>
>
>
Now, the questions are:
Can we use two elisions in a single word?
For example:
>
> Tuurge used an apostrophes
>
>
> Tuurge used a 'postroph'
>
>
>
Can we use an elision in the middle of a word?
>
> Tuurge used an apostrophes
>
>
> Tuurge used an apostr'phes
>
>
>
Almighty seems to be an edge case, because it's the fusion of all and mighty, so we sometimes see a'mighty, but I am not sure if you can use it in the middle of any word.
Last question is do we need to use an apostrophe when we omit a vowel, consonant or syllable
>
> Tuurge used an apostrophes
>
>
> Tuurge used an postrophes
>
>
> | [
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