qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
46,543 | I began an assignment to write a short story for a Creative Writing submission to a publication and although it was accepted, I found that I struggled with the addition of dialogue to this first-person narrative.
I began by trying to avoid dialogue between the characters and kept the "dialogue" in my head as personal... | [
{
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"author": "Ash",
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"text": "There isn't one, fiction, both reading it and writing it is a subjective experience, everyone sees it differently so th... | 2019/07/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46543",
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46,546 | I would like to use the title of a TV sitcom *in* the title of my book. How do I find out if this is without legal ramifications? | [
{
"answer_id": 46549,
"author": "Cyn",
"author_id": 32946,
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"text": "There are [144 books with the word \"Seuzcelk\" in the title](https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=seinfel... | 2019/07/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46546",
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46,551 | When should a character refer his dad or someone close in third impersonal person? Let's say you have a character and his dad is the President of the United States. In what situation is it appropriate for the character to refer to his dad as "the President"? What if the dad isn't a President, but a musician, or another... | [
{
"answer_id": 46553,
"author": "Liquid",
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"text": "You refer to someone indirectly when you want to emphasize distance.\n-----------------------------------------------... | 2019/07/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46551",
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46,558 | Should we avoid repeating redundant information after a dialogue and is there a way around this? Sometimes, you feel prompted to write the description of an action that follows a line, but that also seems to be redundant, and it leads to some pretty bad prose. How would you work around this?
For example:
>
> "**Here... | [
{
"answer_id": 46559,
"author": "infinitezero",
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"text": "Why don't you paraphrase the action? Say what he is literally doing. How does he give the chip? Is it in an en... | 2019/07/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46558",
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46,565 | I've met a few of these but the most recent instance was two characters discussing buying a third character a drink when they all got home, on the first reading this is a simple moment of comradery and thanks giving for what they owe that person. When reading the series again this moment takes on a more poignant note, ... | [
{
"answer_id": 46569,
"author": "Liquid",
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"text": "What came to my mind immediately is \n\nForeshadowing\n-------------\n\nForeshadowing is the art of giving \"hints\"... | 2019/07/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46565",
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46,576 | (For reference, I am queer.)
In my post-apocalyptic novel and in the short story from the novel's antagonist's perspective, my MC, UrasMt' love interest, Caspian, has/had two mothers, Pastea and Ezrith (Ezrith is the antagonist). Pastea was his biological mom, and Ezrith is his adoptive mom. Pastea was accidentally ki... | [
{
"answer_id": 46577,
"author": "Ash",
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"text": "Would you kill them if they were straight? If yes then you're not being homophobic, whether you're seen as being homoph... | 2019/07/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46576",
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46,582 | Should a comma be used after a dialogue tag and before the word ”as”.
For example:
>
> ”I don’t like this at all, ” he said, as the door closed behind them.
>
> Or
> ”I don’t like this at all, ” he said as the door closed behind
> them.
>
>
>
Is the comma required? Is this proper to extend a sentence af... | [
{
"answer_id": 46583,
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"text": "It is fine to extend a sentence after a tag, and the first form is correct: \"he said\" should also be followed by ... | 2019/07/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46582",
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46,587 | I'm writing a story in first person, but with a third person narrator for the secondary character. I was wondering if there were any books or stories to research how the first person character could effectively address the narrator in a chapter with competing POVs without confusion?
Oversimplified:
>
> I thought he... | [
{
"answer_id": 46595,
"author": "Cyn",
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"text": "I'm in agreement with Amaheor here. It's just not a technique that is going to work. I'm trying to think of an exceptio... | 2019/07/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46587",
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46,589 | A story of mine has the following sentence:
>
> Atysri was possessed by a sudden, fierce urge to snatch the teacup out
> of her sister's hand and dump the contents into her perfectly arranged
> hair.
>
>
>
On further reflection, I realized this sentence is ambiguous: I never said which of the two gets the tea d... | [
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"answer_id": 46592,
"author": "EDL",
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"text": "If the object pronoun, ‘her’ in this case, doesn’t have a clear antecedent then the sentence will be ambiguous. \n\nBy ... | 2019/07/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46589",
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46,590 | I've been blogging for a while and I only write my thoughts and opinions on topics such as world peace, social matters, art & culture, and various other topics. I want to make a living writing from those articles and I want to know the name of those type of articles so that I can market myself to clients. Are they call... | [
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"answer_id": 46591,
"author": "Zeiss Ikon",
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"text": "I'm used to seeing them called \"opinion pieces\" when they run in a print newspaper. Very possible that term co... | 2019/07/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46590",
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46,596 | I'm writing a story, it's not focused on romance, but that's an important part as well. The point is that I have two characters and I ended up ("accidentally") seeing chemistry between them, they have a good dynamic. With that, I really want to know how to develop a romance between them without being obvious.
How can... | [
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"answer_id": 46599,
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"text": "I think it, sadly, depends on the genders of your characters. If it's a m/f couple people are much more likely ... | 2019/07/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46596",
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46,601 | I'm writing a satirical novella of sorts, based on the current American political climate. I'm exploring themes of race, political polarity, and youth. I do want to finish and possibly publish this novella, but I don't know *when* is a good time to do so.
If I publish it before the next election cycle, will it be too ... | [
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"text": "Satire is best served hot.\n--------------------------\n\nIn my opinion, you should try to publish it as soon as it's... | 2019/07/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46601",
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46,603 | In a post-apocalyptic novel I'm writing (which is the subject of many questions I've asked on Writing.SE), I recently cut out my entire Chapter 10-11. I was revealing the MC, UrasMt' finékinesis (death-force manipulation) to her love interest, Caspian, and her accidental killing of his mother and her own family, but in... | [
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"answer_id": 46605,
"author": "SFWriter",
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"text": "What is the emotional context of this revelation, **to UrasMt?** You have the option of her revealing her ability, ... | 2019/07/13 | [
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46,610 | How would you write do the dialogues of two characters talking in a chat room? I am seriously wondering about the format. Should it look like regular dialogues, what about emoticons like OWO and ;) and XD?
For example:
>
> "Bzle, you're so funny! XD" she wrote. "I can't believe you did that!"
>
>
> "Yeah, I am the... | [
{
"answer_id": 46611,
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"text": "Write it as it is.\n------------------\n\nWhen you write dialogue, you don't write it up as formal English (or another l... | 2019/07/14 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46610",
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46,617 | Ok, so, I am currently writing a book and 3 of my characters have the same name as in another novel. I didn't realize it until someone pointed it out to me. The names I picked are fairly common and used frequently in the real world. Is it a problem? Even though the books have absolutely nothing to do with each other? D... | [
{
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"text": "The answer to your question depends on how strongly the set of names is associated with the ... | 2019/07/14 | [
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46,621 | What effect does compounding bring when used in the title of a song, poem, story? Sometimes, you see word that are made of two conjoined words, and you wonder what's the point of it. Does it make a difference if the title of your song is "bathwater" instead of "bath water"? There's this song by Britney Spears that's ti... | [
{
"answer_id": 46625,
"author": "Amadeus",
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"text": "Inventing new words, including by compounding, is supposed to be clever, or indicate a new concept that *should* hav... | 2019/07/14 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46621",
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46,626 | I have 40,000 words of a novel and I am not sure at what point to ask for constructive criticism. | [
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"answer_id": 46627,
"author": "Ash",
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"text": "When you think the work is ready, probably sounds a bit daft but there is no hard and fast rule about when a piece is r... | 2019/07/15 | [
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46,651 | I've been working on a story for the last 4 years. It's just a personal project now and I've gone really in depth to clean up any plot holes I can readily see (thanks Cinemasins). I think I love this story almost as much as I love my boyfriend; it's a fanfiction (not the gross kind, a bringing-back-a-short-lived-90s-sh... | [
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"text": "When you think the work is ready, probably sounds a bit daft but there is no hard and fast rule about when a piece is r... | 2019/07/15 | [
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46,655 | In my exploration of story structure, I have encountered some conflicting advice.
In some instances, it has been suggested that the midpoint of a story represents the moment that the protagonist shifts from being a reactive character, simply reacting to whatever the story throws at them, to being a proactive one, choo... | [
{
"answer_id": 46662,
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"text": "For me, the midpoint is indeed when I shift from a reactive phase to a proactive phase, but I still need a scene, a... | 2019/07/15 | [
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46,659 | When I first learned about the "show don't tell" guideline, I believe it applied to everything. I have now learned there are many grey areas, like for example exposition, and that the most important thing to remember is that **emotions must be shown**, not told.
So, what about opinions? Attitudes people have, etc.? I... | [
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"text": "You're taking \"show, don't tell\" too strictly. **There's no rules in writing - they're mor... | 2019/07/16 | [
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46,672 | In ordinary English usage, one would refer to a knight called 'Forename Surname' as *Sir Forename*, not *Surname*, e.g. *Sir Forename is distinguished in ...* But in academic writing, one would typically refer to someone as *Surname*, e.g. *Surname (2019) suggests that ...*
Does that fact that Sir Forename Surname is ... | [
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"answer_id": 46674,
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"text": "Usage will vary based on the style guide. Some will ask writers to omit the title. Others will conform close... | 2019/07/16 | [
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46,688 | **When writing a story, how do you find a good balance between the significance of different elements, such as plot, themes, and bold settings and characters, and the character arcs?**
In my case I have a great setting for a minor part of the book, and it is threatening to become much more significant in the mind of t... | [
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"answer_id": 46715,
"author": "wetcircuit",
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"text": "Since it's an historical novel involving international politics, I'll assume that you can't change major events ... | 2019/07/17 | [
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46,689 | I have this duo in my novel, they're always together in chapters. Usually the story alternates between them within their plot, though mostly leaning to one of the characters, as he's one of the MCs and he's pretty significant to the plot and world.
Though, since they're so much together, they get a lot of attention a... | [
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"answer_id": 46692,
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"text": "Break the chapter into three scenes. Each scene has a POV character. First and last scenes have one POV charac... | 2019/07/17 | [
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46,699 | I have in mind a character who is the protagonist's trusted ally throughout the story, but it is revealed at the end that he was the primary antagonist for most of it. This kind of thing has, of course, been done many times in the past, most recently in:
>
> *Spider-Man: Far From Home* with the character Quentin Beck... | [
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"text": "One such strategy is to have your villain, on more than one occasion, actual act against his own best interest and... | 2019/07/17 | [
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46,705 | In my story democracy crumbles in a nation, replaced by a powerful dictatorship. Our world has been invaded by servants of the elder god, Nyalathotep. Governments have been fighting back for years, only delaying the inevitable loss of our species. The only one successfully holding its own and representing some bastion ... | [
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"text": "There are dozens of ways to handle this. The question for you is, how do you want to compare democracy to fasc... | 2019/07/17 | [
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46,719 | In an omniscient third person, I have 8 (practically unrelated) events going simultaneously in different parts of a large mansion. I want to present these events as they happen, but I feel jumping around every two sentences is bound to cause confusion!
Are there any prose or typographical tricks I could use to make th... | [
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"answer_id": 46720,
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"text": "If your goal is hectic momentum, then two-sentence paragraphs with a visual indicator of \"scene chang... | 2019/07/18 | [
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46,728 | I'm writing some short stories that are all connected and are set in the same universe, because I planned to put them together into a novel later. My question is: If I publish those short stories, can I later modify and extend them into a novel, even if they have been published before? Is that considered self-plagiaris... | [
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"text": "Consider [Nightfall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightfall_(Asimov_novelette_and_novel)) by Issac Asimov &... | 2019/07/19 | [
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46,732 | Sometimes, it so happens that I do some research for a story and find that a major plot point could never work in real life. At this stage, I can either continue with my impossible (for a non-fantasy, non-scifi setting) idea, or scrap it completely.
This happened to me earlier while I was writing fan fiction - given t... | [
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"answer_id": 46733,
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"text": "I've read a few books that had an \"afterword\" section at the end, where the author would address the reader direc... | 2019/07/19 | [
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46,735 | How important are the author's mood and emotions while writing a story or describing a scene?
For example, while writing an erotic scene, is it important for the author to feel the same way as they expect the readers to feel when describing the scene?
Or for another example, should the author also feel happy, sad, et... | [
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"text": "It is **not important, unnecessary, and in fact utterly impossible**. You need to put yoursel... | 2019/07/19 | [
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46,749 | A short story I'm writing involves a stage in which the male protagonist talks to a stranger with the intent of asking them to do a favor for his friend. I want them to start having strong feelings for each other in the course of their conversation.
The challenge is that I don't want the reader to scoff at an unreali... | [
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"answer_id": 46752,
"author": "NofP",
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"text": "The tropes\n==========\n\nIn my opinion this is a variation of [love at first sight](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwik... | 2019/07/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/46749",
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46,766 | I am a little bit paranoid about plagiarizing, and I am confused since I have found two seemingly contradictory answers for this.
Suppose source X says "source Y says blah blah blah."
**One Answer**
From my google searches, it seems like it is always encouraged to go directly to source Y and cite that. If you do no... | [
{
"answer_id": 46908,
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"text": "What about option 3?\n\nGo to \"Y\" read it yourself, and ensure it hasn't been taken out of context and its conte... | 2019/07/20 | [
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46,774 | The participants describe everything needed for the story to continue, within the conversation. The environment, the emotions, everything. The reader gets to "see" it all through their words.
Has it been done before?
EDIT: I have written 5 chapters of a dialogue-only book. It started off in the usual format, until I r... | [
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"text": "The short story *Orange* by Neil Gaiman, from his collection *Trigger Warning* takes your ide... | 2019/07/21 | [
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46,777 | I am writing a rather dark, grey fantasy story. It is supposed to feature a twist that turns the antagonist's goal to not to be evil at all (just misjudged) and really trivial (despite requiring large dose of effort). The protagonist changes for the worse, but I still get the feeling that that kind of twist will underm... | [
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46,780 | I finished my novel and realised that I never mentioned my main character's age. In chapter two I said that she in in her twenties, but that's the only mention of her age.
I know that she is twenty-three, should I state this in my novel, or is it okay to leave her age vague? | [
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46,786 | I have to following tools available, looking for other options.
* Microsoft Word
* Sublime Text Editor
* Atom
* Visual Code
I'm a Software Engineer, who is interested in writing.
Thanks in advance. | [
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46,790 | Do we have to introduce the character's name before using their names in a dialogue tag? I am wondering if we can use the names without saying it's a man or a woman, and then making the characters introduce themselves and name themselves before using their names in dialogue tags.
For example:
>
> "My name is Zotn!" ... | [
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46,795 | I can't remember where I had read it, but somewhere in Christopher Hitchens' catalog of essays is him saying that good authors usually begin by copying a better one, and then developing from there. He had chosen, probably for the best, Orwell's style.
I looked over the questions on this site and found no satisfying a... | [
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46,808 | Is selling individual chapters a valid marketing scheme? Is there anything against it or examples where it worked to sell a whole novel? | [
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"text": "Serializing a novel has been done before - traditionally this was done as part of periodic publications (so you... | 2019/07/22 | [
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46,811 | It feels silly to say, but I've got myself into a bit of a bind of a side project.
In a three-act structure (not what everyone uses, but a good reference point) you generally need to set up all expectations and major setting truths in the first act--preferably in the first half of the first act. At least, that is the ... | [
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"text": "To my way of thinking this is basically \"it was all a dream\" redux. I say that because you're effectively saying igno... | 2019/07/22 | [
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46,816 | TLDR: Tips and Tricks for storyboarding a novel? For someone who can't draw well enough to do the "Draw and describe method"
---
Hello, having read the "[Storyboard a Novel?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/10938/storyboard-a-novel)" as well as some sources online and numerous failed attempts to write a c... | [
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"text": "First thing I just *have* to address \"I have a great idea too long for a short story\" you do realise there are length... | 2019/07/22 | [
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46,825 | Can we have too many dialogue tags and follow up actions? I am trying to think of a situation where it might make sense to describe everything the people do while talking, but it also feels overkill, because there are too many actions being performed.
For example:
>
> "Is that your dream job? Being a cop." he said a... | [
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"text": "Short answer: yes!\n\nThere are a number of related questions on the use of dialogue tags and pauses in passages ... | 2019/07/23 | [
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46,827 | In my post-apocalyptic novel, there are two "twists", but they're mostly tied up in each other. The first is that humans have developed different kinds of kineses, like hydrokinesis, telekinesis, and so on. The second is that the MC, UrasMt, has finékinesis, the ability to manipulate death, and she killed innocent peop... | [
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"text": "To your main question, no, **a plot twist is only effective and enjoyable if it is not obvious to the reader**, ... | 2019/07/23 | [
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46,842 | I've been reading a lot of books about plot and character arcs. Most structures—and I believe this is generally good and true—require that the character come back from their journeys changed, usually for the better, by overcoming the very things that hindered them at the beginning of the story. But what if the characte... | [
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"text": "**A character coming to understand that what they want is impossible and instead learning to... | 2019/07/23 | [
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46,854 | **The seven archetypes are as follows:**
>
> Overcoming the Monster.
>
>
> Rags to Riches.
>
>
> The Quest.
>
>
> Voyage and Return.
>
>
> Comedy.
>
>
> Tragedy.
>
>
> Rebirth.
>
>
>
But surely, there are more? For example, *riches to rags*? That is one, right? Or would that go into another one, like ... | [
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"text": "No, they are not all of them. This is a common game, there are many books claiming there are 3 plots, 7 plots, 12 p... | 2019/07/23 | [
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46,857 | I am on the hunt for software options that may have gotten drowned out in my google searches by emacs, vim, and wordgrinder to use as a word processor in a Raspbian Terminal environment.
The goal has been to have a 'minimal distraction' writing environment running on a lightweight raspberry pi configured with little e... | [
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46,858 | So far, all of the fiction I've written in my life has been short stories given as writing tasks in school. However, I've always enjoyed reading/watching/experiencing fiction and for the last few years I've slowly gotten more and more attracted to the idea of writing my own work(s) of fiction. After some hesitation, I ... | [
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46,860 | I asked my friends this question, they say being a plotter is better for a beginner, then once you get good you transition to pantser. I ask here because I hope to get advice from professional (or at least experienced) writers. I feel as though I lean more toward panster.
**How do I find out which is better for me?** | [
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"text": "Well honestly, it all depends on what it is you want. I tend to use both methods, (Plotting half) outlining ... | 2019/07/24 | [
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46,863 | I am writing a book in which one of my main characters is a devout Catholic. His struggles with reconciling his religion and his experiences in life are crucial to his character and I'd like to portray them as unfiltered as I reasonably can through close 3rd-person limited narration. (He'll be my POV character perhaps ... | [
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"text": "Save the cat\n------------\n\nAll the standard tricks will still work. Readers can like the protagonist through ... | 2019/07/24 | [
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46,872 | Arguments, discussions, disagreements
-------------------------------------
In my script I have a lot of "arguments" – loose definition: **long discussions where characters disagree about what to do**.
These arguments don't escalate to a full-blown fight, rather they are more like sparring and **establishing dominan... | [
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"text": "Defensive language shifts, the character who is \"winning\" will be using assertive, even aggressive, language while th... | 2019/07/24 | [
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46,883 | So, I have this little story I would like to tell.
It's about a girl and how she's forced to take a journey with the man who has just killed her father.
I'll skip the details. The point is I'm not interested in the figure of her father; for what I would like to tell this is not important. So I've considered starting ... | [
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"text": "Obviously the little girl is doing the hating, and her father is not a stranger. You want HER to hate the killer. Y... | 2019/07/24 | [
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46,888 | I am writing a document for my project, and some information is from another website, I didn't copy the text but use their data, do I need to write that website in references? If so, how to?
And that website is not in English.
Thanks! | [
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46,902 | A character's name starts with a hard G, as in **Gary**.
Another character (dismissively) calls him by his first initial "G", said with a soft G, as in **gee whiz**.
I've been using the letter G, but it's giving me the willies in formatted text. I don't know that it's wrong, but it pings wrong to my eye. Is it better... | [
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"text": "I would write it G, but you could write it Gi or Gee, if you like either of those better. This may be a \"matter of... | 2019/07/25 | [
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46,913 | So I'm writing a short story based in a WW2 American military base camp stationed in Germany. It's about A Jewish Soviet soldier that, with the help of an American soldier and a series of coincidences, switches his identity and slips into the American base and 'becomes one of them'.
When I started writing this it was... | [
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"text": "The honest truth is that sometimes characters will do what they will, regardless of what you had in mind for t... | 2019/07/26 | [
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46,940 | I've been reading and writing for a long time. Last year, I was introduced to Haruki Rurijamu.
I don't know if it's case for every writer trying to figure out their voice, but for me, once I read his novels, I clearly and determinately said, "These are exactly the kind of stories I want to tell. And these are the fee... | [
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"text": "I don't know Rurijamu, so I think it depends on how \"trademark\" his style is.\n\nIf it is particularly unique, I ... | 2019/07/26 | [
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46,943 | **From an analysis standpoint, I'm trying to determine what classification the antagonist and protagonist in my story would fall under in terms of the classic literary labels of "hero," "villain," "antihero," and "antivillain" (or whether they fall under something else entirely).**
In my story, the primary antagonist... | [
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"text": "I think this is an opinion piece, but IMO the protagonist is a hero, and the scientist is a villain, and the ending... | 2019/07/27 | [
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46,947 | I'm currently writing a story in which our protagonist is trapped in a labyrinth of sorts. The twist here is that she is the monster within this maze yet she does not realize it as she has no memory of any recent events and simply woke up there. Over the course of this short story, she learns of what she is and slowly ... | [
{
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"text": "You can play about with consciousness so that she has flashbacks into actions performed in an unconscious state.... | 2019/07/27 | [
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46,955 | In a story I am about to write the best friend of the protagonist is a good, caring and benevolent person, lets call him Zotn. The antagonist is not really a bad person but because of the circumstances in which he was raised is the villain, at least in the beginning of the story. Lets call him Bob.
Through some action... | [
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46,968 | I am in the process of editing a short story. It is science fiction of the "if this goes on" kind: I take a social trend I see, and paint its event horizon - a troubling future. *1984* and *Fahrenheit 451* are classical examples.
I have received two seemingly contradictory critiques from beta readers: one says
>
> ... | [
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"text": "**Answer #1** is a comment/question: \n\nCan you ask them the sorts of books/stories they'd each recommend to help... | 2019/07/28 | [
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46,970 | I have a hard time coming up with original worlds and plots, but I need a portfolio of original work. Any thoughts on how to come up with ideas? | [
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"text": "I will answer this question quoting Neil Gaiman. Here is his complete answer to the question... | 2019/07/28 | [
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46,974 | When building a scene at the beginning of a chapter for instance, before character interactions take place, **what are the important elements to consider, and how long should the description be**, before getting on with the narration? | [
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"text": "Each chapter will open on something that sets the scene to come.\n-----------------------------------------------------... | 2019/07/28 | [
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46,981 | I grew up in Germany, where we were required to write in fountain pen from second grade on (fourth grade for math). I do dip-pen calligraphy and various kinds of ink-based artwork, as well as writing. I like fountain pens and am reasonably familiar with their functioning, and I have an assortment of them at home. I wil... | [
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"text": "Each chapter will open on something that sets the scene to come.\n-----------------------------------------------------... | 2019/07/29 | [
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47,002 | I am working on a formal essay where I have to quote a few American English speakers, but my essay is written in British English. Should I change terms like *color* to *colour*? | [
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"text": "You could use [sic] in the quote, this identifies that the mistake is intentional. For example\n\n> \n> I don't like ... | 2019/07/30 | [
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47,007 | Right now I'm writing a novel in which I use the changing perspectives of two main characters with limited information each to slowly unveil the whole plot to the reader. Both use the past tense and first person (i.e. "When I woke up that morning, rain was pouring down the sky"), as if they were telling pieces of the s... | [
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"text": "If you're internally consistent this can work.\n----------------------------------------------\n\nA variety of books ar... | 2019/07/30 | [
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47,012 | [Always Chaotic Evil](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AlwaysChaoticEvil) denotes an entire species in a fictional setting as outright evil - no matter how one treats them, they reward kindness with treachery and violence. Frequent recipients of this trope include but are not limited to aliens, demons, vampi... | [
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"text": "> \n> *... an entire species in a fictional setting as outright evil - no matter how one treats them, they reward k... | 2019/07/31 | [
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47,017 | I am 20% outliner and 80% discovery writer, (I know many will object that this is not possible) meaning, I have a very brief outline of what is going to happen in the end and then I go on filling the story in discovery writing way.
At the moment I have almost finished my novella but the last two chapters are not comi... | [
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"text": "I skip to the next event.\n\nYou are saying that you are only struggling coming up with the finale but you ... | 2019/07/31 | [
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47,021 | Suppose I would like to create a text adventure game, but my imagination is not sufficient for creating a whole game. But there are fiction books (in the public domain) that are very imaginative and could potentially make a great game.
The main problem is that, a standard fiction book is sequential, while in a game th... | [
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"text": "Creating a branch is the easy part\n----------------------------------\n\nTo create a branch... | 2019/07/31 | [
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47,027 | The plot in my story revolves around a certain ability of the MC that is normally not available, unless the circumstances are just right. Therefore, it is not mentioned in the story as a solution to the MC's problem, as the ability is considered to be something from a legend and not really an option.
I want to avoid to... | [
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"text": "You needn't reveal that the character has the ability, but you need to reveal the fact that t... | 2019/07/31 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/47027",
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47,049 | Hello masters of geographic eloquence,
A rock arch bridges across to a rock formation
seen in the screen right of the image/photograph.
It's not an independent 'island'.
What word(s) best describe this isolated rock outcrop ?
Thanks for any suggestions.
[](https://i.s... | [
{
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"text": "The word you're looking for is 'peninsula'.\n\n<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peninsula>"
},
{
"answer_id... | 2019/08/02 | [
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47,050 | I've canceled my job to move on. Now I was asked how I want my Job description for my employment reference.
My first draft was one full page... This is too much. Now I've reduced the long version to a short version with 4 bullet points. But I'm not happy with this version. I've read lots of things about the usage of a... | [
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"text": "In what context did you work?\n=============================\n\nThose interfaces have probably been in the conte... | 2019/08/02 | [
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47,054 | A person holds a stone object in one hand.
They throw it up and down in the air,
in that hand, a few times,
to judge the weight/feel/impact of the object.
Does this particular physical action have a
(preferably non-sports-related) description?
"Vana 'popped(?)' the stone in her hand to judge its weight." | [
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"text": "Unless you are writing a police report or a scientific article, where telling the facts is of paramount importance, I ... | 2019/08/02 | [
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47,062 | In my novel, the MC goes to a resort and at the resort, they offer two types of Buddhist meditations. Those meditations are from another book and I cannot fiddle with the meditation steps without taking the main point of the meditations away.
I want to include these steps in my book, and I can't change them, but I do... | [
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"selected": true,
"text": "**Don't plagiarize, paraphrase**. Take the paragraph, figure out the main idea, and express it in your own word... | 2019/08/02 | [
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47,071 | I am writing a five-page essay about a novel my literature class has read. I do not want to post my thesis or any snippets of my essay for fear that a plagiarism checker will flag my paper.
My paper's thesis should be about some arguable point in my novel, and I chose to write about gender inequality. The requirement... | [
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"text": "If you show excerpts and cited the book, it is obvious you are crediting the book, and it is not plagiarism. You are... | 2019/08/02 | [
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47,074 | This is really a dumb question but as a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I have watched Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame so many times. One of the most interesting things that popped out were Thanos's quotes. His quotes have gained so much popularity in the MCU fandom that an entire subreddit ([r/ than... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "Eliminate everything irrelevant to your message.\n\nRough example:\n\n---\n\nThanos's statements are like p... | 2019/08/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/47074",
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47,082 | In my novel I have written this line;
>
> At your deepest core the **buddha nature** is waiting quietly for you.
>
>
>
Now Buddha-nature is a complex concept to understand. If the reader is not savvy about religious concepts it might confuse the reader.
However, a prior explanation would make the novel like a te... | [
{
"answer_id": 47083,
"author": "Robyn",
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"text": "Here are some questions that I would consider:\n\n1. Will the reader be able to enjoy the story without understanding... | 2019/08/03 | [
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47,087 | While writing a first-person singular novel, is the MC all-knowing? How do we handle plots which do not include the MC, like something happening with others but not including MC? Will it be taken as granted that as the story has already happened MC knows it all.
**Edit:**
In my novel, the characters are playing an o... | [
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"text": "No not at all. The narrative is limited to what the main character knows. If something happens off page without th... | 2019/08/03 | [
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47,094 | I love following writing prompt blogs and accounts on social media because they really get my creativity flowing, my favorite being Writing Prompts on [Tumblr](https://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/writing.prompt.s/?hl=en). I've never actually incorporated any of the ones I find... | [
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"text": "Yes and no. The thing about copyright is that applies to the form of expression. This means the actual words used ... | 2019/08/03 | [
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47,095 | I talked to a critique partner not too long ago about an angel in my book. I said, he was a subversive character, in the way that he wasn't 100 % pure and good, like angels in theory are supposed to be. This angel was a cynical, harsh, capable of evil for the greater good character. He is also narrative-wise one of man... | [
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"text": "The beauty of fiction is that it can be whatever you want it to be. It's your story, your world, you character... | 2019/08/04 | [
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47,098 | The consequence of some ideas can be so distant in the future or so foreign to most people that creating a relatable setting or character to exploit them can be hard, I'm being told.
In particular, the real human life expectancy is about 80 years (lets round it to 100). So, any consequence on much larger scales (for e... | [
{
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"text": "You've just done it. Maybe we're not all fighting for immortality, but your character in the last ... | 2019/08/04 | [
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47,099 | A big piece of criticism I've seen directed at the last season of *Game of Thrones* was the fact that
>
> they killed the Nigqv Dudg before the finale, and the last episodes had Cersei, a mere mortal, as the enemy. Considering the Nigqv Dudg wanted to instate an eternal night, and Cersei just wanted to continue her ... | [
{
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"text": "In *Game of Thrones* there were two sets of stakes: the magical Night King, and the mundane power stru... | 2019/08/04 | [
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47,102 | I am reading in a few blogs like [this](https://www.harpercollins.com.au/blog/2019/04/09/first-page-manuscript-important/) that the first page of the novel is really important if it has to get published. Is this true? Can a good story not compensate for an ordinary first page.
I have a first page which is the introduc... | [
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"text": "This is the first time I've ever seen that position espoused, the first chapter is always touted as vitally important t... | 2019/08/04 | [
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47,113 | For the writing challenge, I'm currently writing from the point of view of a robot. Also another robot is frequently addressed. However I've hit a problem: Referring to the robots as “it” often gives confusing sentences.
It probably doesn't help that one of the robot acquired a human male name (which it read from a cr... | [
{
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"text": "While it's okay to gender your robots if you really feel the need, it's not necessary. The first version with \"it\" in... | 2019/08/04 | [
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47,125 | In my novel, MaxyXv's girlfriend Ella gets kidnapped and MaxyXv is held responsible by the kidnappers. As it wasn't for ransom but as a revenge of something MaxyXv did. And then MaxyXv storms into my MC's office and there he explains how much innocent he is and starts telling why there is no reason for Ella to be kidna... | [
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"text": "If your MC is some kind of detective or police officer or whatever, somebody that addresses crime, and MaxyXv is se... | 2019/08/05 | [
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47,126 | In my novel, at the point where the MC meets her would-be boyfriend, Rufus, I have added a small backstory about his job. Later on, the story is almost entirely focused on the MC and what happens to her with a very little mention of Rufus' backstory.
Now, IMHO, being a lead character, his backstory is something the r... | [
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"text": "A backstory needs to matter to the story; in this case it probably matters to the MC; few people fall in love with a... | 2019/08/05 | [
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47,139 | I'm wondering if there's a technical writing term for when an author uses purposefully misspelled words to mimic the sound of the speaker? This has the effect of "forcing" the reader to hear the dialogue as it may sound to the writer.
An example would be a character who has, say, a cold or sinus infection whose dialo... | [
{
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"text": "Phonetic spellings.\n-------------------\n\nOr something similar to that. Phonetic rendering. Spelling phonetically. Etc... | 2019/08/05 | [
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47,144 | I am in the middle of writing a scene between two characters, a cello player, Lofa and her friend from college, Seck. Lofa has recently lost her sight, and Seck is trying to encourage her back into music.
The following piece of dialogue is spoken entirely by Seck, but the POV is from Lofa (so I'm limited to how I can... | [
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"text": "The general rule is to start a new paragraph for dialogue or action by a new character. Everything you wrote here is Lof... | 2019/08/05 | [
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47,151 | In my novel, the MC goes to a Russian mafia in Moscow. Now before the MC character introduces herself as an English speaking person, will the Russian character start the conversation in Russian or as the book is in English, they will speak in English. **Also, how will the mafia talk with each other, English or Russian?... | [
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"text": "For the reader it is of utmost importance he understands the significance of the scene. Why is the MC in th... | 2019/08/06 | [
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47,167 | What sites, libraries, or other organizations have strong, easy-to-browse collections of letters, diaries, and other primary sources that are great for authors doing research for historical fiction characters?
If you know of any specific libraries, archives, or websites to recommend (for instance, the Library of Congr... | [
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"text": "In [my answer](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/47169/40570) to your second question I propose literary writings as ... | 2019/08/07 | [
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47,177 | The protagonist of my trilogy-in-progress suffers from a serve case of Borderline Personality Disorder. Among his symptoms are continually splitting, unstable self-image, chronic feelings of emptiness, promiscuity, distrust of others, impulsivity and body dysmorphia (worsened by the fact that he's ashamed by magical ma... | [
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"text": "You portray the mood-swings of a character with BPD believably in the same way that you portray any other emotion of an... | 2019/08/07 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/47177",
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47,188 | I have completed my novellas first draft which is 32k words long. For all the reasons, I was doing research as to whether self-publish or try my luck getting a publisher.
I should tell you that I am a complete novice at writing fiction books and publishing. This is my first book. The genre is general fiction, a self-h... | [
{
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"text": "You say that this is your first book.\n\nAbout 16% of writers manage to get their first novel published traditionally (... | 2019/08/07 | [
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47,200 | As a novice writer to improve my writing I have taken one online course. I want to ask, what are good ways to improve as a writer other than writing courses? | [
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"text": "The first thing that comes to mind is probably something you've heard a thousand times already: PRACTICE. Pretty self-ex... | 2019/08/08 | [
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47,207 | >
> "Uhbekt, you're already drunk! Stop it!" she implored him.
>
>
> "Nah, if I stop drinking, I won't have an excuse to miss work
> tommorrow!" he joked around.
>
>
>
I am wondering if it's possible to use phrasal verbs like "joked around" in our dialog tags. Also, aside phrasal verbs, is it possible to not ev... | [
{
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47,216 | My legal name is Banberi but I have gone by Babs since I was in the 4th grade. I have written a children's book and wanted to list my name as Banberi (Babs) but my editor said that it might not appear very professional. She has never heard or seen anyone use parentheses as an author. Would the use of parentheses in an ... | [
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"text": "If your editor says something might look unprofessional, you should listen to your editor. Y... | 2019/08/08 | [
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47,218 | I wonder if someone can tell me whether there is a convention when laying out a lyric to show different parts (or even a chorus). In my novel, there are a number of poems and lyrics. They are set in the usual style of indented and italicised. However, some of the poems/lyrics are sung by different people and it's impor... | [
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"text": "This is how Tolkien solves a similar problem in *The Lord of the Rings*:\n\n> \n> ENT. \n> ... | 2019/08/08 | [
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47,221 | When a piece of writing has a quoted sentence followed by a dialogue tag, the sentence is usually ended with a comma (inside the quotation marks) and the dialogue tag is in sentence case, like this:
>
> "Look," said Hermione.
>
>
> "I never pegged you for a fan of the obvious, Sam," she said.
>
>
>
The above is... | [
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"text": "The conventions in prose have the purpose of making the writing invisible. Prose writers all use the same convention to ... | 2019/08/09 | [
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47,233 | I've come up with a good title for my story, but it would also work really well as the title for the first chapter. However, I wonder whether it's at all advisable to do that. Do other stories do that?
For what it matters, the title has a slightly different meaning for the first chapter vs. the story as a whole.
Woul... | [
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"text": "In my opinion,\n\nI would use the story title as a chapter title if that chapter explained or in some other way made se... | 2019/08/09 | [
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47,243 | Let us suppose an unmarried female author. She publishes something. Then she gets married, and chooses to change her surname to her husband's.
Obviously, she can choose not to change her surname. And she can choose to publish under her maiden name, using it as a pseudonym of sorts. But let us suppose she actually want... | [
{
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"text": "If you can avoid it at all, ...\n\nDo not change an established brand name!\n========================================\n\... | 2019/08/10 | [
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47,248 | I find myself using words like "kiddo", "bullshit" and "badass" in the more comedic side of dialogue/thoughts in my fantasy novel. At first it was simply me not paying attention, and not caring as I knew I'd edit it out in a later draft. But upon reading it, I found myself liking the contrast between modern speech and ... | [
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"text": "Quite a few narratives with a historic (or historic fantasy) setting employ modern references. An example is [this intr... | 2019/08/10 | [
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47,251 | <https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/The_Edge_of_Dawn_(Seasons_of_Warfare)>
The following is the short version of "The Edge of Dawn".
>
> Reach for my hand,
>
>
> I'll soar away
>
>
> Into the dawn
>
>
> Oh, I wish I could stay
>
>
> Here in cherished halls,
>
>
> In peaceful days
>
>
> I fear the edge of... | [
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"text": "The basic strategy of poetry is the purposeful (and skilled) breaking of rules. Poetry is based on the rules the govern... | 2019/08/10 | [
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47,254 | Okay, there is some preliminary information for you to be able to answer this question: There is a sword of great power, a McGuffin, and a *destined one* who wields it. The *destined one* has two companions. These three we'll call **Gang 1,** for simplicity.
Then you have the King's Guard, who want to retrieve the sw... | [
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"text": "It really depends on how you write it, how important all the components are, and if you can construct a consistent n... | 2019/08/10 | [
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47,258 | There are multiple examples of works of fiction using for their title a quote from another famous work: Aldous Luxjiy's *Brave New World*, Ernest Hemingway's *For Whom the Bell Tolls* and more.
The advantages are clear: by means of the quote, one can hint at the work's subtext, say something about the work on a meta l... | [
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"text": "When authors use quotes from another work as the title for their own work, they use quotes from works that are *familia... | 2019/08/11 | [
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