qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
48,016 | How would a story flow if I made the secondary characters solely for the purpose of showing the reader how the main character has grown though the years? I'm thinking a 10 year span right now. They would serve as "learning tools" if you will, shaping the character into the man he will be when the story has finished. | [
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"text": "That is what secondary characters are for. If you conceive of a story as the arc of a principal character, then every e... | 2019/09/16 | [
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48,020 | If I think about the characters I came up with in my mind so far, I usually get a pretty big list: (Gyvaris *(ENTJ)*,
Marlyo *(ENFJ)*,
Upam *(INTJ. It's hard to describe that you're constantly seeing dead people from the future)*,
Anon *(ISTP)*
Anon Requiem *(ISTP)*,
Amrar *(ISTJ)*,
Cephit *(INFJ)*,
Koldryd *(ES... | [
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"text": "I'd venture to guess that you are caught in the worldbuilding trap. Worldbuilding is a perfectly fine hobby. You can ma... | 2019/09/16 | [
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48,028 | I am a reader more than a writer, and fantasy is my favorite genre.
I used to write short stories and poems. Some of them are published in magazines and get good reviews.
In 2018 January, I read the complete collection of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus (10 books in total ) in a... | [
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"text": "Especially for a discovery writer, the first draft of a novel is often as much an exercise in planning the fi... | 2019/09/17 | [
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48,042 | Conflict is one of the most important things in driving a story. I’ve been working on my particular story for a while now, and I finally seem to have worked out a good plot, and by that, I mean the big problem which needs to be solved. Only, I genuinely don’t know how to solve the problem.
I think it’s because the is... | [
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"text": "There are, fundamentally, two kinds of problem: technical problems and moral problems. A technical problem requires wor... | 2019/09/17 | [
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48,056 | I'm finalizing a single-paragraph summary of a multi-page research paper for school and I was concerned when I noticed that most of my summary was in my own words. I mean that most of what I wrote was not citing the original paper's author but rather their paper's idea summarized and re-formed by me. *Of course*, I inc... | [
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"text": "When I was a graduate student teaching undergraduates how to write research papers, the real problem was over-quoting. S... | 2019/09/19 | [
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48,066 | As a writer, I used to write short stories and poems. As a reader, fantasy is my favorite genre. And I am currently working on my first novel, an extraterrestrial fantasy thriller.
When describing something, I used to add a comparison to something in my fantasy world.
Eg:
* His purple eyes are glittering like THAJV... | [
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"text": "Your readers are not going to imagine what LILLAHI birds look like. At best, this sort of technique calls forth the imp... | 2019/09/19 | [
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48,074 | Although most hymns were written in earlier centuries, I notice that modern-day collections of them tend to keep the use of old English in them.
For example:
* Use of `Begger` instead of the more modern `Beggar`
* `Bethlem` instead of `Bethlehem`
* `Blessèd Savior` instead of `Blessed Savior`
* `o'er` instead of `ove... | [
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"text": "The language of old hymns is often richer and more poetic than modern hymns, that may be why their language has... | 2019/09/19 | [
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48,076 | **Changing is an important aspect of every character and is what makes them believable.** Yet, if **you** remember the ending of Game of Thrones,
>
> people weren't too happy about Dany going from "don't want to be the queen of ashes" to The 1666 Great Fire of London.
>
>
>
Don't get me wrong, as an outsider, ... | [
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"text": "First, TV serials are virtually impossible to end in a way that satisfies the audience. The whole dramatic structure of... | 2019/09/19 | [
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48,080 | How do you use the interjection for snorting? I was told that "snort" is an onomatopoeia, but I disagree. "Haha" and "Heh heh" would be onomatopoeia, because they are pronounced the way they are written. The act of snorting sounds like you are exhaling hair like "Pshht", but "snort" is not an onomatopoeia. That being s... | [
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"text": "It would look more natural outside of dialog, to me. Unless the character says \"snort.\"\n\n> \n> \"He's really at... | 2019/09/19 | [
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48,089 | In my post-apocalyptic story, the split of male and female main/supporting characters is 50/50.
The girls and women in the story, UrasMt, Marina, and Ezrith, display very little emotion--UrasMt represses her emotions so that they only come on rarely and in intense waves, Marina only shows emotional vulnerability to t... | [
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"text": "It's not that unusual. In fact, the dynamic is why Lulmir and Wcuhhy worked in the X-Files. Before the show aired, th... | 2019/09/20 | [
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48,097 | [Bathos](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Bathos) is a storytelling technique that consists in the rapid succession of 2 “moments” with conflicting tones. This trope occurs when a serious moment gets followed by a gag. One of the many, many reasons I see the *Marvel Cinematic Universe* as the embodiment of e... | [
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"text": "The most fundamental building block of a novel is the scene. A scene either reveals part of the plot or ... | 2019/09/21 | [
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48,104 | In my story, the MC goes through a number of events with a common theme, each told in separate scenes. At the end of the story, he tells a friend about the things he experienced. Both the events and telling the friend about them are central to the story. The story is told in 3rd person limited with only the MC's point ... | [
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48,110 | I feel like the title is worded really bad, but I seem to be unable to find a better way. I am not a native speaker.
Scenario A: A character is in an exceptional state of mind (i.e. drug use etc.) and envisions vivid imagery, sounds, smell etc.
Scenario B: The same character later encounters typical fantasy events - ... | [
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"text": "Think about how dream-like or drugged states are portrayed--hazy, halting, illogical. Nothing in an imagined state is s... | 2019/09/21 | [
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48,114 | Currently I am 22 years old. I have a very bad handwriting. Also, I kinda feel I write slow when compared to other students of my age.
Back in 10th grade, I was so slow that I was unable to finish my exam within the stipulated time despite knowing the answers. I was able to complete writing only for around 90% of the... | [
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"text": "I sat for nearly ten minutes trying to decide whether to answer or not, because yes, this qu... | 2019/09/21 | [
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48,122 | I'm writing a story where my lead character has two forms and he swaps between them frequently. I'd like to know the advantages and disadvantages of various kinds of triggers for the transformation.
Possible ideas:
* Time of day (every x hours)
* Emotional state (transforms when he gets angry)
* Verbal (some "magic w... | [
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"text": "A method like time of day is very constricting, and becomes more like a disability than an advantage. Consider werew... | 2019/09/22 | [
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48,127 | So, I was doing a writing excersie, I came up with, to help me with sentence structuring and developing my style. One thing, I ran into, however, was that I couldn't describe pain very well.
>
> The knight sunk the sword into the dragon’s chest. Gyvaris jolted back, his eyes widened in horror as he peered down. The s... | [
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"text": "I don’t feel that you have to experience intense near-death pain, describe it and be concerned that it would di... | 2019/09/22 | [
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48,137 | **How can I minimise the "filler" text that I end up writing when fleshing out a scene with detail?**
An appropriate level of detail seems to me to be a fundamental requirement for good prose. Whatever I may be trying to achieve in terms of characters, plot, etc., in the here-and-now of each paragraph, each sentence e... | [
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"text": "Setting is character. That is, setting functions in a story very much the way secondary characters function: it shapes a... | 2019/09/23 | [
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48,141 | Inspired by [this](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/48121/14704) question, a more complex question: how can I have two **simultaneous** sequences of footnotes?
For example, suppose I am translating a book. The book contains footnotes, numbered in sequence. But, I also feel the need to add the occasional "translator... | [
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"text": "I'm not sure that it is a given that the numbering needs to be different from the original footnote numbers. Footnotes ... | 2019/09/23 | [
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48,146 | My story involves a superhuman organization that aims to overthrow the main government, through any means necessary. This involves murder and some rather gruesome deaths. Additionally, there might be accidents involving dangerous animals, magical artifacts, etc.
How do I transition dark themes into a story that isn't ... | [
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"text": "Four chapters in, your readers should have an idea what they're in for. Not everything that'... | 2019/09/23 | [
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48,155 | Despite an identical title: This question is in no means duplicate of [this](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/14660/how-to-correctly-identify-publisher?rq=1) question.
In my local area, there have been various ads running on social media that invite novice writers to contribute their original writings for t... | [
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"text": "First, real publishers don't advertise. It is really as simple as that. No legitimate publisher advertises for submissi... | 2019/09/24 | [
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48,157 | I'm sitting with a bit of a dilemma.
I'm writing a novel and I'm struggling with the decision of whether I should use first or third person.
I prefer third person, also prefer to read novels written in third person, but this specific novel centres around a woman finding herself trapped in a world where she's the only ... | [
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48,164 | I am writing a extra-terrestrial high fantasy novel. The story is completely set in an alien world. No visits from Earth and no visits to Earth.
My characters are humanoids, who look like elves, but with different skin, eye, and hair colours. They lay eggs rather than give birth to children.
How can I prevent my rea... | [
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48,174 | We have written a custom software framework and it has grown to the point where we are ready for documentation. This documentation will be used by other developers to share knowledge. I am concerned with how to do the documentation for the features and descriptions.
My co-worker suggested a Word document with section... | [
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"text": "I would definitely not recommend using Word for this. It is just not what it was designed to do. \n\nThere are multiple... | 2019/09/24 | [
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48,176 | My protagonist lives with a deep lie that causes internal conflict and pain throughout the story but it basically cannot fuel any struggle to the external plot. This subconsciously motivates the character to leave a safe home and is somewhat prevalent later on.
I also introduced a flaw to the same protagonist (that i... | [
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48,188 | I have a prized e-book which I am submitting to a website for printing and subsequent courier. The website is asking me to select the quality of paper.
I would like the book to remain more or less the same, say 15 years from now. Is Matte finish a good option or something a bit less expensive can also be an option?
A... | [
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48,189 | Kurt Vonnegut has 8 tips on how to write a good story
1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence mu... | [
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"text": "Let's take Tolkien's Middle Earth, and the Lord of the Rings, as an illustration:\n\n**Not beginning at the beginn... | 2019/09/25 | [
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48,195 | Let's look at two characters who are generally considered to be iredeemable:
**The Diamond Authority (from Steban Ejavovse):** The extremely childish leaders of the race of spacefaring lesbian magical girl viruses, known as gems. They are responsible for the genocide of billions of organic life (for no good reason) an... | [
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"text": "Short answer: maybe nothing. Just because you \"hate\" two different characters doesn't mean you ha... | 2019/09/25 | [
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48,201 | *The Spy* is a Netflix series about Israeli spy and hero [Eli Sohin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Sohin). In a recent interview, Eli's widow Nadia expresses great dissatisfaction with the series: a lot of changes were made, ostensibly to "add drama", that in her opinion diminish him. She also expressed dissatisfac... | [
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"text": "You don't. Turning a life into drama will almost certainly cause pain to those who remember that life. Life is more sub... | 2019/09/25 | [
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48,211 | I am currently writing a story about eleven college friends and a child.
I don't want to just introduce them as "The Jock" or "The Delinquent," and I don't want to do a dry listing of "this is who they are, this is how they look, and this how they act."
**How can I introduce this large cast to the reader without bei... | [
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"text": "**Don't introduce them all at once** --that's not a story, that's a cast list. Bring them in one at a time, or... | 2019/09/26 | [
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48,216 | **TLDR**
How to keep a character's skillset hidden, when it will be key in the story later on? This must be done without magic and as subtly as humanly possible.
---
I am working on a medieval fantasy story, where there is a basic premise of magic - it has essentially all but gone from the world but a select few can... | [
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"text": "I'm going to pose to you that most of your question (especially all of the magic stuff and who your character is) is s... | 2019/09/26 | [
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48,242 | I am writing a book and I plan to call it "Legend of (name of the protagonist)". But I'm writing in first person (protagonist). Searching the meaning of the word "legend" in google I get: "a traditional story, sometimes popularly regarded as historical, but unauthenticated." So a legend is a story that is unauthenticat... | [
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"text": "I don't think the \"unauthenticated\" part is necessary, but a legend is a story told about somebody else, a **trad... | 2019/09/27 | [
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48,247 | Misinformation is an important element of my story as is pretty much kicks the plot in motion:
*Gyvaris, a young dragon, steals a sheep from a large flock since he's really hungry and just couldn't find a single deer, though he was sure there were more than enough for him in the forest.*
*A shepherd witnesses the eve... | [
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"text": "Panics have deep roots. They don't come out of the blue. They arise out of our need to make sense of our lives, to find... | 2019/09/27 | [
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48,252 | I am working on a novel inspired by the *[Shahnameh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnameh)* - a Persian epic poem by Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi. The Shahnameh (the title means "The Book of Kings") is structured as a series of interconnected tales: birth of hero Such-and-Such, heroic tale A about him, heroic tale B about hi... | [
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"text": "Interesting question! Here's what occurs to me as the first principle of distance: From a distance, you can't see the s... | 2019/09/28 | [
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48,256 | My main character is realistically flawed with a few good points. I'm very satisfied with where she is at. As I begin to connect the internal and external conflicts however, it seems that there is a limit to the number of flaws that can ultimately lead to the external conflict resolution.
Take the example of a paranoi... | [
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"text": "> \n> OP: Can all three of these character flaws be resolved?\n> \n> \n> \n\nProbably.\n\n> \n> OP: Is there a gene... | 2019/09/29 | [
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48,264 | Are there hard and fast rules for characters speaking to each other? As far as quotations, or without them? Are they hinged inside a paragraph or ruled to only be in a talking string? | [
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"text": "> \n> OP: Can all three of these character flaws be resolved?\n> \n> \n> \n\nProbably.\n\n> \n> OP: Is there a gene... | 2019/09/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48264",
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48,272 | I need to write an *opinion*, *narrative* of only 80 words in length.
Examples: write about your fondest childhood memory/comment: homework should be banned, etc.
How are short-short pieces like this structured in order to be both complete and successful with so few words? | [
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"text": "Any piece this short has to assume a lot of knowledge from the reader. \n\nTherefore: write your piece like your ... | 2019/09/30 | [
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48,275 | I'm currently writing a sci-fi/fantasy novel that mostly takes place on a star/space-ship but I'm stuck on if i'm available to use names of the propulsion drives, such as Warp or even Impulse drives.
I am however quite inspired by star trek, but I don't want to copy from their work but There's a lot of grey area on wh... | [
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"text": "Yes, it can be confusing. The basics are simple, through commonly misunderstood, but there are grey area along the bord... | 2019/09/30 | [
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48,277 | I’m asking about this not because I have a tendency to do so myself, but rather because I find it unusually aggravating when I come across it in other people’s works. I’m wondering if this sort of thing is acceptable, and if people like it. I’ll give a couple examples.
>
> I unwrapped a candy and put it in my mouth. ... | [
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"text": "Is this bad writing? Yes. A great description should be precise and evocative. Food neither runs wild not explodes (bot... | 2019/09/30 | [
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48,282 | [This answer](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/46139/averting-real-women-don-t-wear-dresses/48107#48107) to the question *[Averting Real Women Don’t Wear Dresses](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/46139/averting-real-women-don-t-wear-dresses)* introduces a distinction between *acts of patience* and... | [
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"text": "In order to answer your question properly I feel we need to focus on the sheer base of it, which you so kindly pla... | 2019/09/30 | [
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48,286 | Here's my question: can you pitch an outline of a novel to an agent?
I.e. you have two to three chapters complete to a high standard and at full outline of the rest.
Would any agents agree to represent a book based on its premise ahead of its existence, with the probable understanding that you would complete the res... | [
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"text": "If you are a bestselling novelist, you can pitch an outline. Otherwise, you have to have a finished manuscript.\n\nNonfi... | 2019/09/30 | [
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48,290 | >
> The woman said as she pulled a small coin out of a small wallet ... The
> woman said as she pulled a small coin out of a small box **she
> opened/used** earlier.
>
>
>
I am wondering if "opened" or "used" is perfectly fine here, because the action used is vague when it shouldn't be (she took her wallet out o... | [
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"answer_id": 48299,
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"text": "Case 1: The opening of the wallet is irrelevant to the story\n========================================================... | 2019/09/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48290",
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48,330 | In light of recent events, I intended to write a simple letter of complaint to StackExchange. The obvious thing to do would be to write an opening with the fact such as
>
> It came to my knowledge that a long-standing member and moderator of the Writing.SE community, among others, has been dismissed in circumstances ... | [
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"text": "\"Dear SE, I don't even know how to express how disappointed I am in you--literally. Because I don't know al... | 2019/10/02 | [
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48,332 | I have some character stuff im trying to figure out for an AI antagonist.
In a game development project that I am part of, there is an artificial intelligence that speaks to the player character through messages that sound pre-scripted, despite the A.I being canonically fully aware of the player character and the stat... | [
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48,336 | I'm coming up with an outline for a cyberpunk story. I want to establish (at some point) that the main character has marksmanship proficiency by starting my cyberpunk story with a VR sequence, in which the character is firing arrows as an Elf/Orc/some other fantasy race (akin to World of Warcraft).
At first I thought ... | [
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"text": "There's nothing wrong with starting your story with a fantasy VR sequence. This is known as a [Fake-Out Opening](htt... | 2019/10/03 | [
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48,343 | My story is about two gang leaders. The female is the leader of the largest gang in the country. The guy is the leader of the 2nd-largest.
They meet at a café where the guy instantly falls in love with her, but she has been through too many heartbreaks to fall in love so easily.
How do I make the girl fall in love wi... | [
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"text": "There's nothing wrong with starting your story with a fantasy VR sequence. This is known as a [Fake-Out Opening](htt... | 2019/10/03 | [
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48,351 | In my post-apocalyptic novel, my MC UrasMt is severely traumatized by the death of her family at her own hands. Because of this, she has extreme aversion to social interaction and even physical contact.
In the real world, if something like this happened, UrasMt might be suffering from PTSD, depression, paranoia, etc.... | [
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"selected": true,
"text": "In my opinion: you should let the condition speak for itself. I agree with Alexander when he says that people who ho... | 2019/10/03 | [
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48,365 | I am a programmer and in the middle of developing a TBS (turn based strategy) computer video game. Those kind of games have a flow of what is commonly known to gamer as 4X, that is, explore, expand, exploit and exterminate, from a position of an empire/faction/race leader position.
So far so good for me, but i shall n... | [
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"text": "Most stories in the genre start with an inception and end with an enlightenment. What exactly these entail depend ... | 2019/10/04 | [
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48,367 | I'm proofreading a novel - the brief has instructed that I do not make any stylistic changes, and correct only the obvious errors that impede sense/clarity.
There are several places where I feel an exclamation mark is missing:
a) "Good God, I hope not," responded Sue.
b) Suddenly, one of the first violinists nudged ... | [
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"text": "I disagree, they are better if they are not exclamatory.\n\nIt is like saying \"Spare me.\" in response to an unfunn... | 2019/10/04 | [
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48,374 | Is it ever acceptable to use an exclamation mark following a question mark?
I am proofreading a novel and have been instructed to make no stylistic changes, only errors that impede sense/clarity. The copy-editing phase is complete, so if something is acceptable, I must leave it be.
At one point in the novel, one of t... | [
{
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"author_id": 553,
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"text": "It's totally fine. It expresses a combination of query and astonishment. There was even an attempt to... | 2019/10/04 | [
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48,379 | I'm a professional writer, but I've never written a memoir. I've been asked to submit a proposal to ghostwrite a memoir. The person whose memoir I would write knows I've not written a memoir before, but knows I am a journalist by training and [now] a marketing writer by practice—including much storytelling in the nonpr... | [
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"selected": false,
"text": "Most writers (though check yourself for variance) can comfortably write about 500 words an hour. If one adds in r... | 2019/10/04 | [
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48,401 | I have a powerful antagonist perform important functions within my story. At the midpoint, he just leaves. Several Plot developments depend on this character.
I tried replacing him with other character(s) or causes within my world, but I am getting into extremly convoluted territory with it and I am really uneasy and ... | [
{
"answer_id": 48406,
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"text": "Your story has to make sense, the plot has to make sense.\n\nIt has to seem like the characters are making realisti... | 2019/10/05 | [
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48,410 | So I have a character in a dystopian novel I’m working on by the name of Ttlir. He’s inspired by Alex Høgh Andersen’s portrayal of Ivar the Boneless, and his death... is interesting. He’s, for the most part, an antagonist in the story, and I really felt bad about how mean I was to him, so I created a character to love ... | [
{
"answer_id": 48412,
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"text": "It sounds to me like you have a complex character. Not a good guy, not a good person. Just a person with complex mo... | 2019/10/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48410",
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48,415 | Images, as I call them, are an important part of your prose.
Now, let's look at examples of bad images:
From [Onision's (from now on, Onii-san) book, Reaper's Creek](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFGMBvIJ0iQ) :
>
> Maybe that current lead him to a gathering of logs, and assuming he had not already drowned, he was... | [
{
"answer_id": 48474,
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"author_id": 10394,
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"text": "Descriptive Words\n-----------------\n\nYou are looking for descriptive adjectives and adverb... | 2019/10/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48415",
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48,419 | I have an IT textbook that is about 120,000 words which was accepted for publishing at several very reputable publishers. My goal is to get the text out to as many people as possible. My secondary goal is to make some money but that is not all that likely as far as I have heard. The audience is university students, res... | [
{
"answer_id": 48435,
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"selected": false,
"text": "In academia, traditional publishing is a signal to readers that a book may be trusted. When I'm studying scienc... | 2019/10/07 | [
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48,420 | So I’m currently writing a book that takes place in Finland, though I am American and speak English. My main character’s name can be used as a play on words, and people use it to mock him throughout the story (For example, the name Adam Zapel would be pronounced aloud as “Adam’s Apple”. Something along those lines). Th... | [
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48,422 | I was writing the other day and I used the word "ubiquitous".
While I don't think "ubiquitous" is the most egregious example of "Using Big Words To Sound Intelligent", and would be perfectly acceptable in most novels, it's just, my novel's demographic would be young teenagers, and I definitely did not know what ubiqu... | [
{
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"text": "I think this is a really interesting question - because if we avoid using advanced vocabulary with children... | 2019/10/07 | [
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48,430 | In my [fantasy story](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/47445/avoiding-racist-tropes-in-fantasy) that I'm slowly getting into, my MC Sirena is an apprentice witch. Her two fellow apprentices, Irter and Keeva, study alongside her under their High Priestess, and they all somewhat cooperate with the king of the ... | [
{
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"pm_score": 3,
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"text": "This is perfectly fine as long as your protagonist's character arc is satisfying and complete. If someone else is... | 2019/10/07 | [
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48,439 | There is a problem with a redemption arc:
AvinZi is an incredibly powerful god with powers of mysterious origin. In the story, he starts out as bad but is supposed to be redeemed later. There is a problem, however.
AvinZi's actions are understandable and nowhere near as severe as a typical villain's, however, **they ... | [
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"text": "This is perfectly fine as long as your protagonist's character arc is satisfying and complete. If someone else is... | 2019/10/07 | [
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48,442 | I have the same teacher for both a Journaling autobiographical class and a fictional writing class. While I expected to have to write about my personal life with one, she seems determined to have me gut my childhood with the fiction class as being necessary for fodder for eventual stories. I have no intention of ever w... | [
{
"answer_id": 48443,
"author": "James Axsom",
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "Chophousepop use this moment as an opportunity.\n\nI would say that for a writer to mirror a character in a sto... | 2019/10/07 | [
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48,453 | I'm considering writing my latest story in the style of a TV series. The plan is to write 13 episodes of 10-12,000 each. Episodes will be published weekly on Kindle over a three month period. If season one garners even mild interest, I will write season 2 in the off-season and repeat the procedure. At the end of each s... | [
{
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "The publishing model you're suggesting isn't actually all that new. \n\n[Serialised novels](https://en.wikipedia.or... | 2019/10/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48453",
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48,454 | I have my first draft more-or-less complete, and I've been working on editing it now. There is one big problem: I hate editing
I find editing to be so draining. I'll open up a chapter to edit and it'll turn into a endless spiral of finding problems with my writing. Badly worded sentences, sentences that are out of pla... | [
{
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"text": "See editing as a different form of creation: from something not so good you create something brilliant. Frank C... | 2019/10/08 | [
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48,455 | It would be nice to be a member of an online community of people who are knowledgeable about writing, willing to directly help eachother in a format such as Q&A (like here on SE), but also engage in activities out of scope for SE (which could range from general discussion about writing to arranging IRL writing groups),... | [
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"text": "See editing as a different form of creation: from something not so good you create something brilliant. Frank C... | 2019/10/08 | [
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48,461 | In my current project my goal is to go for the following narrative style within scenes:
* Show only what the POV-Char can see, hear,... sense.
* Show their emotional reaction (through body-feelings, reflex movements and thoughts)
This means that there is absolutly no explanation for some things alien to the reader in... | [
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"selected": false,
"text": "See editing as a different form of creation: from something not so good you create something brilliant. Frank C... | 2019/10/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48461",
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48,489 | Subverting expectations and suddenly aborting plotlines was a no-go zone for me for a while. The only time I could successfully abort a plotline was in a thought train.
>
> After watching *How To Train Your Dragon 3*, I wondered what would
> have happened if the antagonist *Grimmel* was replaced midway. I came
> up... | [
{
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"text": "> \n> how can one effectively ruin an arc for dramatic effect and to subvert expectations \n> \n> \n> \n\nIf you wa... | 2019/10/09 | [
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48,494 | I've been working on a paranormal/romance/mystery kind of novel for over 4 years now and still haven't finished it. It all started out as a fanfiction but I decided that it had too much potential (at least in my opinion) to stay a simple fanfiction.
As I kept on working on my story I eventually started plotting. I kn... | [
{
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"text": "You have to analyze your own writing.\n\nYou are weaving together three things.\n\n* The Plot, the basic events tha... | 2019/10/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48494",
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48,501 | My experience tells me that a disproportionate number of wannabe writers are prudes. I recently wrote a scene where a female character is watching TV. The build up is complicated so I'll have to explain: a traumatic event has eviscerated character's libido. After 'dirty dancing' with a girlfriend in a night-club, that ... | [
{
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"text": "> \n> In this day and age should the definition / categorisation of erotica be revised?\n> \n> \n> \n\nNo. Erotica ... | 2019/10/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48501",
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48,512 | I'll start with a clear example. You are writing an essay about the film *The Wizard of Oz*. Following the rules of titles, you put the film title in italics whenever you use it.
But then you use the words in the context of explaining the story, such as, "They tell her to seek help from the Wizard of Oz."
This is n... | [
{
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"text": "It doesn't matter whether or you use italics so long as you are consistent. The title of the story is irrelevant be... | 2019/10/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48512",
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48,516 | I along with my guide wrote a research publication, which had to be sent to a journal for the purpose of review. My professor wrote the cover letter of the paper as follows:
>
> Dear Editor in Chief
>
>
> You are requested to review the paper "Title of the paper"....
>
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
This cover letter is fr... | [
{
"answer_id": 48521,
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"selected": false,
"text": "\"You are requested\" does sound a bit commanding. Perhaps \"you have been requested\" would fit better, as it is a... | 2019/10/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48516",
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48,517 | I've been having an issue for the past few months where I'm writing along merrily and then my pen stops up and refuses to put ink down onto the paper, and the only thing that will get it working is a few seconds of intense scribbling. I'm using rather expensive paper and a highly-regarded pen (Uni-Ball SXN-210 Jetstrea... | [
{
"answer_id": 48524,
"author": "Paws",
"author_id": 41665,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41665",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "This may occur because of your palm's sebum. Try to put extra piece of paper under your hand so that your skin is not ... | 2019/10/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48517",
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48,529 | A significant antagonist in my trilogy is an omnicidal alien by the name of Lomo, whose characterisation borrows from [Griffith](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/BerserkGriffithFemto), [Kuezem Ghidorah](https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Kuezem_Ghidorah), [Rensavl Flagg](https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/... | [
{
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"author": "wordsworth",
"author_id": 40227,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/40227",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Why this is difficult: dramatic conventions\n-------------------------------------------\n\nIf a description of s... | 2019/10/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48529",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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48,537 | I'm writing my thesis, and I use some acronyms in it.
For example "MDBs" = "Multilateral Development Banks".
Usually, I write "Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs)" the first time I cite it and then use "MDBs".
Now I have the case where the first time I use this acronym is in a table. In the ordinary text following... | [
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"text": "Why this is difficult: dramatic conventions\n-------------------------------------------\n\nIf a description of s... | 2019/10/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48537",
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48,546 | Something I talk about with friends when planning and sharing our projects & media we like is titles - and specifically my disdain for one-word titles. They seem to be more than dominant in multiple entertainment industries. *Twilight*, *Injustice*, *Negation*, *Absolver*, *Bastion*, *Braid*, *Dishonored*, *Destiny*, *... | [
{
"answer_id": 48547,
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"selected": false,
"text": "The reason, as you guessed, is marketing. One word that sums up *something* memorable about a movie is a mental han... | 2019/10/14 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48546",
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48,552 | A personal point of view on the necessity of a new culture in fiction
---------------------------------------------------------------------
*"A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away"*, *"Pandora"*, *"Dune"*, *"Middle Earth"*. All quite different worlds compared to ours, but every single character (Alien or not) have... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "The new cultures stimulate the imagination. The problems are new, the ways of solving problems are new, what the cu... | 2019/10/15 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48552",
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48,557 | So I made a name for a character and his name is quite fancy so I have no idea what I should do with him. I named him, ready? Sir Nathaniel Charles III.
Without asking for specific suggestions on "what to write", I'd like to know how other authors proceed from an initial idea about a character to developing a plot and... | [
{
"answer_id": 48561,
"author": "Amadeus",
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"selected": false,
"text": "I'm not giving you examples because you cannot ask \"what to write\" here. So these are guidelines on writing, give... | 2019/10/15 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48557",
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48,573 | I put work into making up my own names for spells. However, I feel like they come across as childish when I read over my writing
This was also my impression when re-reading Hijrp Potfeq. It really took me out of it when adult characters were shouting these childish, made-up words. But then again, some of the spells us... | [
{
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"text": "The natural way of naming things is to use something unique about them that \"everybody knows\". For example, \"lin... | 2019/10/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48573",
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48,583 | I'm having trouble with a particular sentence in my book. I had originally written:
*Zonewa’s group of friends was a diverse mixture of race, gender, and background. Having once been described as looking like a United Colours of Benetton commercial, the group embraced the attempted insult and called themselves the CUB... | [
{
"answer_id": 48584,
"author": "Ray Butterworth",
"author_id": 39872,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": true,
"text": "Readers are either going to completely miss the point, or they are going to be confused about the mismatch.\... | 2019/10/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48583",
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48,586 | About 1/3 of the way through my story the main antagonist "wins" and is able to completely remake the world of the story into *his* notion of an ideal world.
The "new" world shares some elements with the previous incarnation but all are altered to some extent. Even character's recollections of previous events is limit... | [
{
"answer_id": 48597,
"author": "s.anne.w",
"author_id": 30558,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/30558",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "To be honest, I think if you were to do this, you would not have one story, but **two**. One, the story of the wor... | 2019/10/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48586",
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48,593 | Suppose we sing or rap about dark themes (similar to modern American music from 1970-present day) in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, or Malayalam over Indian classical music fused with Rock, Pop or Hip Hop. Could the lyrics sound similar in sound/delivery, flow/melody, and meaning compared to English lyrics; yet preserve its cu... | [
{
"answer_id": 48626,
"author": "wordsworth",
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "This answer is without specific knowledge of Indian cultures or languages, but I can offer some perspective on r... | 2019/10/17 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48593",
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48,602 | This question is strongly related to this one: [Balance between character's point of views](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/31822/balance-between-characters-point-of-views/31828#31828)
However, that question is asking about balancing POVs in general, whereas this one is about **potentially subverting reade... | [
{
"answer_id": 48604,
"author": "Jedediah",
"author_id": 33711,
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"selected": false,
"text": "It's absolutely fine to introduce a new POV late in a story IF:\n\n1. It's the POV of a now well-known character, ... | 2019/10/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48602",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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48,612 | Suppose then you have an story in your mind. Then, to write down this finite series of events, you have to translate your imagination into the paper. This process isn't trivial, of course and *plot* are just one of the "underlying structures" you may want (or, in most of the cases, should have) to use.
Now, again, sup... | [
{
"answer_id": 48613,
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"selected": false,
"text": "Every story is different (or it is just plagiarism); \"plot structures\" come from *generalizing* stories and the t... | 2019/10/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48612",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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48,614 | How to learn the powerful words, that usually gets the attention of readers first? | [
{
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"author_id": 26047,
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"text": "Every story is different (or it is just plagiarism); \"plot structures\" come from *generalizing* stories and the t... | 2019/10/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48614",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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48,618 | I need to know how to make my writing more brief without maring its original meaning and message. I have been struggling with that for a while, and still cannot do that. It simply seems to me that you cannot cast out any of the words without changing the meaning.
What can be the techniques of reducing the number of w... | [
{
"answer_id": 48619,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
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"selected": false,
"text": "Eliminate superfluous words; you are saying things with too many words. To demonstrate such a transformation, I wil... | 2019/10/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48618",
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48,635 | I wrote a piece of flash fiction as a mental exercise. I happened to listen to Clek Yilneg’s “Moonlight Serenade,” and happened to watch an episode of “Semurui Recz.” “Moonlight Serenade” is a song without words, though sometime later decided to add words, I believe, because they missed the point. “Seck” is a cartoon t... | [
{
"answer_id": 48636,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
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"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "> \n> What are the dangers of painting a sympathetic view of the killer through the family of the killer’s perspecti... | 2019/10/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48635",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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48,643 | It is generally taken that if I tell you a joke, then have it explain why it's funny - it's not probably not funny.
I continually return to one of my own short pieces. If I submit it I believe it will be viewed as a 'nice' , 'pretty' piece of literary fiction. But I also believe it is extremely clever. But if I have t... | [
{
"answer_id": 48644,
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"text": "Generally you are correct, your piece has to be judged by *readers* to be clever, in order to be *considered* cleve... | 2019/10/21 | [
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48,645 | For example, the man eats greedily, gradually, with no hesitation | [
{
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"text": "As commonly understood, \"gradually\" and \"greedily\" suggest completely opposite paces. \"Greedily\" implies quic... | 2019/10/21 | [
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48,650 | I’m trying to improve my writing skills, doing both original works and facfiction, but there is a peculiar limitation to what I achieve. Despite being male, I fail to write from a male perspective and shift to female protagonists as fast as possible.
Being concerned about the believability of my characters and situati... | [
{
"answer_id": 48654,
"author": "Amadeus",
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"text": "I'd say if you are inclined to write females, learn how to write females. Don't just read, but **study** how female... | 2019/10/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48650",
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48,661 | How free are we to write a story that is set inside another universe, that doesn’t necessarily mention anyone or anything specifically about said universe?
For example, let’s say that I want to write a story set inside the Hijrp Potfeq universe where I won’t actually mention anyone or anything, just simply allude to t... | [
{
"answer_id": 48663,
"author": "Weckar E.",
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"text": "This is the sort of thing where it is generally fine for non-commercial fiction (fan-fiction), while most agents ... | 2019/10/22 | [
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48,662 | I'm in the process of writing a mystery novel/novella and it conforms to the traditional/classic mystery novel, emulating that of Agatha Christie or A.C. Doyle. I'm having doubts as to the proper way to structure the mystery plot. I know the general principles regarding the incorporation of common plot structures such ... | [
{
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"author": "Surtsey",
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"selected": false,
"text": "The answer is no. Simply because there are no elements that should or should not be included within a novel, myster... | 2019/10/22 | [
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48,690 | For example:
"Move!" I immediately side stepped him.
OR
"Move!"
I immediately side stepped him.
I know a new line of paragraph is needed for each speaker, but does the same rule apply in this instance? | [
{
"answer_id": 48691,
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"text": "It depends on who said \"Move!\". If it is the person sidestepping, then no. But then you should have written \"Mov... | 2019/10/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48690",
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48,696 | The device or technique I'm looking for is used to describe something mundane or ordinary in order to make it seem alien or special.
For example, the following quote from *Slaughterhouse Five*:
>
> In a tiny cavity in her great body she was assembling the materials for a Graon Bateb
>
>
>
In that instance, a wom... | [
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"text": "I don't think it has a name. It's simply a minority or objective POV. It's a skill often used by comedians.\n\nYou... | 2019/10/23 | [
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48,700 | I wish to write an intercut scene for a novel, where two very contrasting things are happening at the same time. The technique works really well on the screen, but I think we can use the same technique in a novel - especially for a built-up moment.
Any examples of this in novels or suggestions to best write it?
Than... | [
{
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"text": "I do this all the time, and I tend to use short chapters that will contain one scene and break to the next chapter wh... | 2019/10/24 | [
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48,711 | So, I understand that ancient mythologies and their characters such as Zuub etc are part of the public domain. However, what happens to individual interpretations of ancient texts?
For example, a sacred tablet that has been translated from another language and interpreted in many different ways. Would these character... | [
{
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"author": "Amadeus",
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"selected": false,
"text": "> \n> if I were to write fiction with the same characters, same names,\n> \n> \n> \n\nSame as the mythology, or the... | 2019/10/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48711",
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48,714 | I am interested in how to write compelling schemes, large-scale strategies and tactics etc.
There are lots of fictional stories where the characters are amazing strategists, or incredibly intelligent. I doubt that authors, put into the same situations as these characters, would have the same incredible level of insigh... | [
{
"answer_id": 48716,
"author": "Liquid",
"author_id": 25517,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "The author doesn't need to have the same tactical genius of those characters, because the writer has a serious advan... | 2019/10/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48714",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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48,725 | I am planning to start writing material online. I need a single platform to host the following
1. A regular running blog
1. It should be easy to write and publish. Would prefer a simple near-vanilla layout and formatting.
2. As I will be writing technical material, I would like to be able to put in code snippets
3.... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "The author doesn't need to have the same tactical genius of those characters, because the writer has a serious advan... | 2019/10/26 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48725",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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48,731 | I have a piece of dialogue which sounds great in my head, and the way the character says it is important, but it never looks right when I type it out. At first I tried this:
>
> “Looking and looking... in all the wrong places.” He dragged out his words in a sing-song sort of way.
>
>
>
It didn’t sound like I want... | [
{
"answer_id": 48749,
"author": "Mindwin Remember Monica",
"author_id": 19292,
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"text": "Usually, that is left for the imagination of the reader. You might want to avoid misspelling on purp... | 2019/10/27 | [
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48,733 | I have been doing some research on citations and haven't been able to get a clear answer on this.
**When writing a project report, in which sections is it appropriate to include citations?**
In this context sections refers to; abstract, introduction, literature review, problem statement, etc... Can I include citatio... | [
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"text": "It largely depends on the style you're writing your paper in, but typically you would include a separate page called ... | 2019/10/27 | [
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48,737 | I'm writing a thesis about the Accords by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS).
If I put a table exactly from the Accords, I write in the table note "Source: BCBS (year)".
If I start from a table of the source but add something mine, I write in the table note that I started from BCBS (year) and I added s... | [
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"text": "It largely depends on the style you're writing your paper in, but typically you would include a separate page called ... | 2019/10/27 | [
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48,740 | I would love to have essays reviewed both in terms of quality writing and in terms of its content. I have researched a few sites but this service does not seem to exist. | [
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"author": "Community",
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"text": "I've never used any online service for reviewing, editing, and/or critique. **I always get it from peers and mentors.**... | 2019/10/27 | [
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48,753 | I'm struggling trying to write a scene (fiction novel). I want to know if it would be confusing to write it this way:
>
> Zeul shook his head, yanked away. “Sure it is, Ciwe. You left me there,” he looked out of the window, “with her.”
>
>
> He heard Ciwe sigh. “I’m sorry. Things between your mother and me weren’t ... | [
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"text": "I'd say no, it is not clear. Just include a tag. \n\n> \n> He heard Ciwe sigh. \"I'm sorry,\" Ciwe said. \"Things .... | 2019/10/28 | [
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48,754 | I'm working on a scene in a high-fantasy setting where the main characters greet each other for the first time. Part of the greeting is also a definition of what each of the characters mean to each other. In this case, a flourish of titles establishes expectations:
>
> Wordlessly, he presented his beautiful, shimmeri... | [
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"text": "I'd say no, it is not clear. Just include a tag. \n\n> \n> He heard Ciwe sigh. \"I'm sorry,\" Ciwe said. \"Things .... | 2019/10/28 | [
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