qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
48,773 | Two people are dating, and one of them wants to tell the other they are humble, which they genuinely are. But I don't want it to seem like they're bragging or showing off about it.
In normal conversation, this might work out depending on the tone of voice. How can I show this through writing? | [
{
"answer_id": 48774,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I just wouldn't say \"humble.\"\n\nFind a situation in which they have done something that is obviously humble, lik... | 2019/10/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48773",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41921/"
] |
48,786 | More specifically, consider the following examples:
1) Say my protagonist is a boy who has a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, wears round glasses, and has dark hair and green eyes. His name is NOT Hijrp Potfeq, he is NOT a wizard, and he DOESN'T attend Hogwarts.
Would this be considered copyright? After all, it's... | [
{
"answer_id": 48787,
"author": "nijineko",
"author_id": 19658,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/19658",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Copyright law varies by country, so there is no simple answer. \n\nBut if the first thing readers think of after r... | 2019/10/31 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48786",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41931/"
] |
48,795 | As a writer, I used to write short stories and poems. As a reader, fantasy is my favorite genre.
I created some what of a language for my (first ) novel. It's phoneme, pronunciation, rules and a set of words.
The outline / first draft of my novel is also completed. It is an extra terrestrial fantasy story.
I am de... | [
{
"answer_id": 48799,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "So, there are several ways to do this: First, translate into English everything except proper nouns (specific names o... | 2019/11/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48795",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/40446/"
] |
48,805 | Let's say you decide to claim that time is absolute and not relative as Oonhtain said. Can you still use a title like "Oonhtain's time", "Relativity of time", "The geometry of time", "Time dilatation", etc? Why? I sometimes feel there's a gray area where it could be alright, but it's hard for me to identify them, but f... | [
{
"answer_id": 48799,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "So, there are several ways to do this: First, translate into English everything except proper nouns (specific names o... | 2019/11/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48805",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/36239/"
] |
48,806 | can anyone tell me whether the written Chinese name should be in the order of "surname + given name", or another way around? And of course, in academic writing. I am a PhD student in Bristol, I receive the report from my examiners saying that I should put surname in front for Chinese names. I've been awarded that some ... | [
{
"answer_id": 49886,
"author": "amanasci",
"author_id": 42921,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42921",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "Chinese names are generally written like this **\"surname/family name + given name\"** ,for example: **Yang Ming**... | 2019/11/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48806",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41957/"
] |
48,810 | >
> In the dark alley of my youth,
>
>
> **light, it shone from the cloud-ladden sky**.
>
>
> I've been listening to the chirping in the trees.
>
>
> Lately, I felt a bit more free.
>
>
>
I am wondering if this is acceptable. I am not sure if this is just called an inversion or there's a more specific techni... | [
{
"answer_id": 48813,
"author": "Cuthbert",
"author_id": 41959,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41959",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I think the name for what you want to do is [Hyperbaton](https://literary-devices.com/content/hyperbaton/)\n\nFrom... | 2019/11/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48810",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/36239/"
] |
48,817 | Does a script usually have to come out like a play? Or, there should be a difference? | [
{
"answer_id": 48818,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "A \"script\" is general; a \"screenplay\" is something to be filmed. A \"play\" is something to be performed on a s... | 2019/11/03 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48817",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41963/"
] |
48,821 | The premise of my scene is basically that MC is electrocuted by scientists trying to trigger some sort of power in him. I've been writing his view (3rd person) the whole time before, alas I'm only describing things he notices.
And there's the part I'm not sure about. He wakes up by being electrocuted and basically can... | [
{
"answer_id": 48832,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I would advise a dream like haze of blending reality. Dreams can be influenced by real world stimuli (I once had a dr... | 2019/11/03 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48821",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41968/"
] |
48,822 | There is a short story contest where the limit is five hundred (500) words and I want to know if that is a possible limit for a short story? | [
{
"answer_id": 48823,
"author": "tylisirn",
"author_id": 33602,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/33602",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": false,
"text": "Easily. There are entire categories of [\"flash fiction\"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_fiction) that are e... | 2019/11/03 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48822",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41948/"
] |
48,833 | I was wondering if there is a list of ideas on how to add beats to dialog. For example:
>
> "Listen to me!", `Zotn said excitedly.` "We can sell all these coins now
> and get rich today." `He got closer to Horah.` "Let me take care of it for you, ok?", `he said as he lowered his voice.`
>
>
> "But what are the ris... | [
{
"answer_id": 48835,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "You are trying to describe two talking heads. Or One talking head.\n\nDo not replace \"said\" with anything else th... | 2019/11/04 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48833",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/8611/"
] |
48,840 | I've heard a lot of people saying they skip descriptions if they are written as one bulk list, but others say it's important that we let the reader know what the character looks like and include all the intended details we want to reveal about their looks as soon as possible.
So, when describing a character, should yo... | [
{
"answer_id": 48841,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "In general, do not give a laundry list of features. The reason for this is you are asking the reader to *memorize* a... | 2019/11/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48840",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/27138/"
] |
48,842 | I wouldn't feel comfortable asking friends and family to read my work and getting their feedback. And I don't have an online platform to ask strangers.
What are my other options? | [
{
"answer_id": 48857,
"author": "MyGamebooks",
"author_id": 34427,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/34427",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I presume that the social networks can be a good starting point\nSubscribe to some niche Facebook groups that m... | 2019/11/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48842",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/33321/"
] |
48,843 | I’ve managed to write a fantasy book, *Lord of the Rings*-style. That is, a single story that would almost certainly be published as three separate books with multiple branching plotlines. Or at least, I’ve written the rough draft of one. Having more-or-less completed the rough draft, however, I’ve noticed a potential ... | [
{
"answer_id": 48905,
"author": "cmm",
"author_id": 32128,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32128",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It seems to be a problem of packaging, and setting up expectations for readers. If I read the \"high level\" of your co... | 2019/11/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48843",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/36336/"
] |
48,845 | I am writing a detective novel and wanted to include two best friends who are working together. Eventually they fall in love but one of my readers said it's too boring and cliché. Is that true? Should I avoid this? | [
{
"answer_id": 48846,
"author": "Chaotic",
"author_id": 11352,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/11352",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Yes, it is a cliché. I can list in my mind more than ten instances where work colleagues fall in love.\n\nBut if you... | 2019/11/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48845",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41948/"
] |
48,852 | Sometimes (as an intelligent species, and therefore creative, speculative about reality and so on...) we want to experience some situations which aren't possible at all. Then as a writer you can create a character who "lives that cool stuff which I (the writer) WANTED but isn't possible." Well, this thought defines the... | [
{
"answer_id": 48853,
"author": "Klara Raškaj",
"author_id": 27138,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/27138",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "You can definitely have characters that fulfill your fantasies. You can even have a character that represents y... | 2019/11/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48852",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/29628/"
] |
48,874 | I would like to write a children's story which is appealing to both children and adults. However, the world in which the story takes place requires the use of higher vocabulary and slang (it is a real world, for example, the petroleum industry). Most adults know the words, but children don't. Can I use footnotes to def... | [
{
"answer_id": 48875,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24645",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "I don't think this is the right way to go about it.\n\nI have to say I'm not a fan of explanatory footnotes in *... | 2019/11/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48874",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25437/"
] |
48,881 | I have been editing scrivener across devices, and when I edit text across multiple devices, the text appears midway between the lines. I can find no way to prevent this from happening in the first place, nor any way to fix it in documents I have already edited.
Here is a picture:
[![enter image description here](http... | [
{
"answer_id": 48875,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24645",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "I don't think this is the right way to go about it.\n\nI have to say I'm not a fan of explanatory footnotes in *... | 2019/11/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48881",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42040/"
] |
48,886 | I'm new here, but I really want to make a question about using real name order like Templar, Teutonic, Santiago, etc in my fiction but not as an Order, but a name for a Cult.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yxtw.jpg)
To make my question become more understandable, I... | [
{
"answer_id": 48889,
"author": "M. A. Golding",
"author_id": 37093,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/37093",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "As I remember, the Templars were accused of heresy and disbanded 700 years ago, so the Templar organization w... | 2019/11/09 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48886",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42047/"
] |
48,887 | I have read many books where the character is in one place at a certain time and, without a scene break being utilised, they are all of a sudden in a different place at a different time, *but* it works smoothly and doesn't given the readers whiplash. Is it always necessary to use scene breaks when the character transit... | [
{
"answer_id": 48888,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It is permissible, as long as it is obvious to the reader that is what happened.\n\nThat said, personally, I put in... | 2019/11/09 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48887",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41687/"
] |
48,891 | I'm looking for a tool, that lets me enter and rearrange plot points into an outline and link them to other events and storylines in a graphical way.
Traditionally done with post-it's on a whiteboard.
Also I want to be able to use it on the road, without access to the internet, so it shouldn't be web based.
Is there... | [
{
"answer_id": 48899,
"author": "swinefever",
"author_id": 13109,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/13109",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "You could use either YWriter or Shaxpir to move parts of a manuscript around and rearrange things.\n\nNot strict... | 2019/11/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48891",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23468/"
] |
48,893 | I'm currently writing a story taking place in the recent past in which (aside from the main plot) my characters get to spend some time in a big city. They end up visiting the tourist joints but also visit some museums/concerts, go to the cinema etc. In my first draft, I've left all that terribly vague, and on rereading... | [
{
"answer_id": 48894,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "I don't know if it exists in your country, but as a graduate student in the USA, I once researched 3 years worth of... | 2019/11/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48893",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/27572/"
] |
48,896 | Suppose my fictional character is a plastic penguin which happens to be very pompous. What do you believe is a better way to name a character?
1.A name which describes them physically
Ex. Plastic Penguin
2.Or one based on their personality?
Ex. Pompous Penguin
Thanks | [
{
"answer_id": 48902,
"author": "Lewis",
"author_id": 40463,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/40463",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I think the most important way to go about naming a character at it is to think which aspect of the character is more... | 2019/11/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48896",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25437/"
] |
48,907 | When someone says that writing is good or bad, better or worse, is it merely a way to talk about whether something is popular, or interesting to you? Or is there more to it than that? Compare the two passages:
>
> Where dips the rocky highland
>
> Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
>
> There lies a leafy island
> ... | [
{
"answer_id": 48908,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Writing is judged both objectively and subjectively.\n\nBad grammar, bad spelling, generic labels, clichés, etc can... | 2019/11/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48907",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/33711/"
] |
48,919 | I am a discovery writer. I wrote more than 50% of my first novel's first draft.
I got really confuse about some aspects of writing, so I took a break and analysed my plot. I've started developing my world much better and made an outline for the remaining story.
But once I finished it, I couldn't start writing the rema... | [
{
"answer_id": 48920,
"author": "tylisirn",
"author_id": 33602,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/33602",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Your brain is convinced it's done with the first draft, which means it's time to start the second draft on the sto... | 2019/11/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48919",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/40446/"
] |
48,923 | I have recently finished my 25,000 word novella and contacted some publishers and agents about a month ago. I have only heard back from a couple rejecting me but considering the format of my book as well as the fact that it is highly experimental and does not fall into any specific genre, I do not find it highly probab... | [
{
"answer_id": 48925,
"author": "Liquid",
"author_id": 25517,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25517",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "> \n> I have recently finished my 25,000 word novella and contacted some publishers and agents about a month ago. I ... | 2019/11/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48923",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42080/"
] |
48,924 | Is it possible to build a new character and/or world in a science fiction under a tight word limit? What aspects should be covered and what avoided? Also are there some similar previous examples to get inspiration and to learn from?
The main thing is that we cannot express the full thought process of a new character ... | [
{
"answer_id": 48926,
"author": "Liquid",
"author_id": 25517,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25517",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Narrow down.\n------------\n\n2000 words is a tight constraint indeed. While you **can show something** in that limi... | 2019/11/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48924",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42077/"
] |
48,929 | [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dXaFg.png)
So if I later refer to figure 2 (i) or figure 2 (ii) would it be better for the figure to be labelled as is Figure 2: Figure (i) shows cycle C? or
Figure 2: (i) shows cycle C or
Figure 2: Subfig... | [
{
"answer_id": 48931,
"author": "Chenmunka",
"author_id": 29719,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/29719",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "Using the simple expression: \n\n> \n> Figure 2(i) shows cycle C\n> \n> \n> \n\nis succinct and conveys the requi... | 2019/11/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48929",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41633/"
] |
48,933 | Is writing a fantasy novel with no mages, witches, wizards or anything remotely magical a waste of time? Can it still be classified as fantasy? | [
{
"answer_id": 48934,
"author": "BKlassen",
"author_id": 32186,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32186",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "I believe low fantasy can encompass stories which have no magic. \n\nIn some examples I've seen of low fantasy the... | 2019/11/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48933",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/-1/"
] |
48,943 | When writing a series of fiction books in which characters, universe, and events are closely related, is it a common practice in English publications to provide a footnote kind of reference, for example:
>
> A key character A meets a key character B in volume 1.
>
>
> In volume 2 character A is telling C about meet... | [
{
"answer_id": 48934,
"author": "BKlassen",
"author_id": 32186,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32186",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "I believe low fantasy can encompass stories which have no magic. \n\nIn some examples I've seen of low fantasy the... | 2019/11/14 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48943",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42094/"
] |
48,947 | Most of the characters in my story are well thought out and have realistic motivations and backstories, as I think most people agree that believable characters are important in writing (if you’re going for that sort of thing.) There is, however, one character which isn’t realistic and I think he reads as a caricature o... | [
{
"answer_id": 48948,
"author": "AmaiKotori",
"author_id": 42084,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42084",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It's generally fine for minor characters to be *shallow*, especially if their impact on a scene is minimal, and ... | 2019/11/14 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48947",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/40766/"
] |
48,968 | Cwukk Palahniuk is an author quite well known for writing first-person stories. He has a simple piece of advice for others who wish to do so as well: "Have your narrator say 'I' as little as possible." To my knowledge he doesn't elaborate on the quantity of "I" that is allowable.
After diving into a first-person story... | [
{
"answer_id": 48970,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Is \"my\" and \"me\" prohibited?\n\n> \n> I stood up and began to walk across the room. She turned away at my appro... | 2019/11/15 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48968",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/12658/"
] |
48,979 | I hear this advice a lot: "Treat your writing as a job." But it seems to me that this is easier said/done when it is actually paying off and, thus, one is encouraged to do it. But what if one is being discouraged by painful (even bewildering) rejections? How then does one 'treat it as a job' when it isn't even paying i... | [
{
"answer_id": 48980,
"author": "Ray Butterworth",
"author_id": 39872,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39872",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Some people are volunteers, and they never get paid (except with a verbal or written thank you).\n\nSome pe... | 2019/11/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48979",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32086/"
] |
48,986 | Can I say:
While for theorist A, this is perceived differently.
Ultimately, I'm asking if I can start my sentence with 'while' in this fashion.
Thanks! | [
{
"answer_id": 48987,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I don't see why not. Personally I'd go with 'whilst'. You are using the term as a conjunction so we probably need t... | 2019/11/17 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/48986",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42124/"
] |
49,011 | Every time I write and read the 'she's and the 'he's especially in the same paragraph it confuses me and that worries me if the readers will get confused.
Obviously through different actions and dialogues peppered through one would be able to differentiate the two same gendered characters from each other but it gets t... | [
{
"answer_id": 49013,
"author": "Liquid",
"author_id": 25517,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25517",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "You just need to get a better grasp on when using context is enough and when it isn't. \n\nQuoting from your examples... | 2019/11/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49011",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42168/"
] |
49,024 | There are some words and phrases in my manuscript that I think are used in America. However, a beta reader tells me my character sounds British. Are there any online sources I can use to check the popularity of a word or phrase and/or where it is used?
Thanks. | [
{
"answer_id": 49030,
"author": "AmaiKotori",
"author_id": 42084,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42084",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "[Google's Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams) can be used to show the relative popularity of a word o... | 2019/11/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49024",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25437/"
] |
49,027 | I want to be able to correctly categorise and identify different characters in a story, predominantly fiction. I have read a lot about different types of characters--flat, round, static, dynamic, protagonists, antagonists, hero, and so on--but I find it all so overwhelming.
Can there be more than one main character? ... | [
{
"answer_id": 49028,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24645",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": true,
"text": "> \n> Can there be more than one main character? \n> \n> \n> \n\nAbsolutely!\n\n> \n> can their be a protagonist... | 2019/11/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49027",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41687/"
] |
49,038 | I am an aspiring author, trying to get my 80,000-word traditionally published, though I will self-publish it if that doesn't work out.
[this](https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2017/02/18/avoid-overwriting/) article suggests that we avoid it altogether.
I've used Microsoft Word's clarity and conciseness tool to refine wo... | [
{
"answer_id": 49045,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "You're conflating two unrelated issues. When it all boils down, a first person account is basically all dialogue (o... | 2019/11/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49038",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/28802/"
] |
49,044 | Last year, I worked for an organization that published a weekly blog on its website. The blog was also published as a newspaper column and was included in a weekly e-newsletter.
One day, the owner/director of the organization, who regularly wrote for the blog, asked me to write an article on a topic of my choice. He e... | [
{
"answer_id": 49047,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "There were multiple proper courses of action.\n\n1) Refuse to let him publish it under your name, and retract permi... | 2019/11/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49044",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42201/"
] |
49,046 | How can you write a book from the point of view of a character who is not the main character and introduce the main character later on, who you want the story to focus on? How do I do this in an organic and yet plot twisty way so that the audience says wait he's the main character?!
If you need any more explanation l... | [
{
"answer_id": 49048,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I don't know. Maybe the first line could be 'Call me Ishmael'. There is no requirement for the narrator to be the m... | 2019/11/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49046",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42193/"
] |
49,053 | The plot of the novel is the following: The villain has body-swapped with the MC and I want to keep this hidden and reveal it as a plot twist in the middle of the story.
If MC real name is Zotn and the villain name is Ciwe and I start calling the MC as Ciwe, once I reveal the body change, should I keep naming MC as Ci... | [
{
"answer_id": 49059,
"author": "MyGamebooks",
"author_id": 34427,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/34427",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Interesting intrigue.\n\nWhen YOU write about the 2 characters, you should willingly mislead the reader by calli... | 2019/11/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49053",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/34123/"
] |
49,062 | I always face the problem of word limit. How can I shorten a piece of writing without causing its original essence to mar? How can I be effective in doing that? Are there any general rules?
For example, I need to write 50 words. NOT MORE. Now, that I've written 57, it seems impossible to me to cut the words to reduce... | [
{
"answer_id": 49059,
"author": "MyGamebooks",
"author_id": 34427,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/34427",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Interesting intrigue.\n\nWhen YOU write about the 2 characters, you should willingly mislead the reader by calli... | 2019/11/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49062",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41421/"
] |
49,065 | In academic writing, several articles on the topic of writing papers denounce the practice of "announcing" the topic.
As an example, if a paper were to read...
>
> The goal of this study is to not be a study at all but to be a fictional paper of only one paragraph included as an example on stack exchange to demonstr... | [
{
"answer_id": 49066,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 6,
"selected": true,
"text": "In this answer, I am going to explain to you why you shouldn't announce what you are about to write anyway.\n\nIt is... | 2019/11/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49065",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/17984/"
] |
49,070 | I need to learn Spanish and German for my short novel and I need to learn the language fast.
One thing I wanted to do is to learn the 100 most used connector words and learn to write short and simple sentences with them.
My character is an American in Europe and he speaks in broken German and Spanish, but in order to... | [
{
"answer_id": 49071,
"author": "MyGamebooks",
"author_id": 34427,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/34427",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I'm not sure if it's exactly what you searh for but there is this website for the top 1000 words in [german](ht... | 2019/11/26 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49070",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/36239/"
] |
49,081 | I watch Isaac Arthur and John Michael Godier; I’m looking for a site to help me write an online blog, that talks about a future science tech or idea every week (or every month; depending on my schedule). The site should
* be ongoing and consistently at once a week or month with new ideas, and
* postulate SPECIFIC and ... | [
{
"answer_id": 49083,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I would also look into searches for terms like \"Emerging Technology\", \"Near Future\", and \"Futurism/Futurist\". T... | 2019/11/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49081",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42230/"
] |
49,102 | I have a serious problem. I am going to start writing a novel which includes a character called Ravana, from the Hindu literary text called the *[Ramayana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana)*.
Now, if I were to publish this, would it be illegal? I live in India, where the *Ramayana* originated. | [
{
"answer_id": 49104,
"author": "tylisirn",
"author_id": 33602,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/33602",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "It *may* be illegal in some parts of the world if the material you're writing can be considered [blasphemous or he... | 2019/11/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49102",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42200/"
] |
49,112 | I am writing a novel (it will eventually be a series of five novels) and there are multiple first-person narrators.
Each chapter starts of with the character's name in parentheses after the chapter number (ie: Chapter 6 (Tessa)).
In the first book, there are only two narrators and there is a mostly predictable patter... | [
{
"answer_id": 49113,
"author": "Ray Butterworth",
"author_id": 39872,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39872",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "With only two characters, alternating between roman and italic fonts would be fine.\n\nBut with five charac... | 2019/12/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49112",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39506/"
] |
49,134 | This concept is based off of an scp foundation wiki monster. <http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-231>
The birth of a POV character causes the deaths of tens of millions of people. As that character matures and learns what the devastation they caused, he feels terribly guilty and ashamed, and he has to come to terms with the ... | [
{
"answer_id": 49113,
"author": "Ray Butterworth",
"author_id": 39872,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39872",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "With only two characters, alternating between roman and italic fonts would be fine.\n\nBut with five charac... | 2019/12/04 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49134",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32030/"
] |
49,145 | I just wrote a long way into a first draft for Nanowrimo before realizing my villain’s evil plan kinda wasn’t interesting at best (and at worst was something we’ve all seen a thousand times before).
It’s a long story about the worldbuilding but it basically involved kidnapping and using the descendant of an ancient sp... | [
{
"answer_id": 49147,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "This may not work for everybody.\n\nThe key to villainy is that the villain is acting in their own selfish interest... | 2019/12/04 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49145",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42293/"
] |
49,148 | If you have a character who is mute and uses sign language, how would you write what they’re saying?
I don’t know if it’s literary appropriate to use quotes or narrate.
Example.
Jon looked at the group of people in front of him and began to sign. “This is an example of a Christmas tree.”
Or
Jon began to sign that what... | [
{
"answer_id": 49151,
"author": "TheMP8",
"author_id": 42287,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42287",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Maybe something like\n\nZotn signed, “The lights on the Christmas tree are very beautiful.” \n\nHonestly, just repla... | 2019/12/04 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49148",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/41912/"
] |
49,158 | When I want to abbreviate the words "Equations" and "Recommendations" in a text, how can I do this?
**for example**
*Solving the above **eqs.** / **eq's.** is not possible unless by computers.*
*After discussing on the research results, we are going to present our **recomms.** / **recomm's.** .*
**Questions**
... | [
{
"answer_id": 49159,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": true,
"text": "Typically for any abbreviation or acronym, one should write the full word out the first time, followed by a parentheti... | 2019/12/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49158",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42303/"
] |
49,166 | Background
==========
I am writing a non-fiction book on epistemology. After my book's introduction I have included a note to my reader where I have briefly described my motivation for the layout of the book and my style of writing and my approach to research. I end it with an encouragement to the reader to join me in... | [
{
"answer_id": 49180,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": true,
"text": "To quote my high school biology teacher (and please understand, this was an all boys school and we all know what biolo... | 2019/12/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49166",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/3004/"
] |
49,173 | I started buying storage auctions in the middle of this year. In the third one I bought I ran across an unpublished manuscript for a fiction book U Boat treasure by Czakfas Hafd.
He has no published works besides a boar hunter magazine, he was not an author. But this is complete 250 pages, never published. Like everyt... | [
{
"answer_id": 49175,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": false,
"text": "You cannot publish the work without permission. It was copyrighted the moment it was written. The fact that you 'pu... | 2019/12/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49173",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42322/"
] |
49,183 | I am curious if this is a positive, negative, or neither here nor there. The analysis was done by Wattpad and it also included that fact that I write more like a journalist above anything else. The analysis was done by taking the first 3,000 words from my YA/Teen fiction novel and analyzing it. It's a new Wattpad featu... | [
{
"answer_id": 49184,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24645",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "There's a certain amount of subjectivity to this, but on the whole a straightforward style is viewed largely po... | 2019/12/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49183",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/33805/"
] |
49,194 | I have been writing a story about a young pianist living with the great composers. After the composers have a meeting, it is decided that Mozart should be her first teacher. My main character's name by the way, is Lrcia. Lrcia and Mozart have lunch together and it turns for the worse for Mozart. He goes from his happy ... | [
{
"answer_id": 49184,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24645",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "There's a certain amount of subjectivity to this, but on the whole a straightforward style is viewed largely po... | 2019/12/07 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49194",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/8607/"
] |
49,212 | I know for certain genres, agents and publishers will only consider manuscripts that fit within their expected page count ranges. What's a good target for a standalone mystery novel? My current draft is sitting at around 70,000 words but I feel like the book would be stronger if I trimmed some of the fat. | [
{
"answer_id": 49214,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24645",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "There's not really an \"ideal\" count.\n\nHarry Bingham (whose had some success in selling crime/mystery novels... | 2019/12/09 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49212",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42328/"
] |
49,216 | I have some scenes in my novel that have nothing to do with the main plot, it's just to show the character development and the development of the relationship between two characters. Is this okay since the development of the romantic relationship is a sub plot of the novel?
For example, in my one scene the two charact... | [
{
"answer_id": 49217,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Yes, absolutely. Every scene should advance **something**, but that includes the main plot,sub plot, characterizatio... | 2019/12/09 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49216",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42349/"
] |
49,220 | Which of these is correct? The first? The second? Both?
verb then name:
>
> "She's late again," said Cuson.
>
>
>
name then verb:
>
> "She's late again," Cuson said.
>
>
>
I have almost always used the first version, but an editor said I should use the second version. She claimed the first version is gramm... | [
{
"answer_id": 49221,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "The answer to your question is that both formats are in popular use. Neither is correct or incorrect. It is simply ... | 2019/12/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49220",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/18199/"
] |
49,229 | Let's say I'm working on a fantasy series called MyWork, that is set in the present in a small town in the US. I have a fantasy series that I take inspiration from, InspirationWork, that is set in the present in a small town in France. Logically, the events that take place in that small town in France in InspirationWor... | [
{
"answer_id": 49230,
"author": "s.anne.w",
"author_id": 30558,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/30558",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "First, please take this answer with a (big) grain of salt. I'm not a publishing or legal professional, so if you r... | 2019/12/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49229",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42373/"
] |
49,236 | I have been trying for a long time to figure out if my story is just considered Dystopian or Fiction.
It has things that are not in real life situations but it is also relating to an imagined society where there are great suffering and injustice. But yet it does not relate to any main futuristic points or into space a... | [
{
"answer_id": 49237,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "Dystopian is, by definition, a society that is as dehumanizing and unpleasant as possible.\n\nIf the themes in your boo... | 2019/12/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49236",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42381/"
] |
49,241 | There is a novel-writing contest, from a native publishing house in my country. I would love to participate. Submissions are due in four month's time. I have an outline of my story.
Can anyone help me to find out how to effectively use that time for writing - editing-rewriting, which results in a better manuscript? I... | [
{
"answer_id": 49242,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Per National Novel Writing Month, a novel will have a 50,000+ word count and, if you make adequate daily contribution... | 2019/12/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49241",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/40446/"
] |
49,244 | I have a story I want to write and I have the scenes in my head. Because of this, I keep judging and rewriting the first part because I'm never satisfied with it. How do I get over this perfectionism to keep moving forward? | [
{
"answer_id": 49245,
"author": "AmaiKotori",
"author_id": 42084,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42084",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "There's nothing inherently wrong with perfectionism, but you can try to channel it in a more effective way. Cons... | 2019/12/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49244",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42386/"
] |
49,249 | So, I was thinking about one of my little worlds, when I stumbled into an interesting problem.
At first, this is a run-of-the-mill isekai (trapped in another world) story. The protagonist, an average high school student, is "transported" into a fantasy world. What's the catch? The description IS the catch, let me elab... | [
{
"answer_id": 49250,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Look at Indiana Jonif. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jonif doesn't really DO anything important to the plot, he is ju... | 2019/12/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49249",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25507/"
] |
49,253 | Example:
>
> I said "Go Away"
>
>
>
versus:
>
> "Go Away", I said.
>
>
>
Which should come first?
I am writing medieval fantasy and stumbled across this problem. Speakers tend to speak a whole paragraph at times, and therefore which should come first? | [
{
"answer_id": 49254,
"author": "Zeiss Ikon",
"author_id": 26297,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26297",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "My own preference is to completely avoid dialog tags where possible. Some of my favorite authors (including the ... | 2019/12/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49253",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42392/"
] |
49,257 | As a non-native Anglophone, it can be a bit more of a challenge to do creative writing in English. Thesauri have helped me a lot, improving sentences like "Sokka caught his boomerang" to "Sokka snagged his boomerang out of the air". But there's only a limited amount of words related to the concept of catching something... | [
{
"answer_id": 49258,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "You seem to be going about this in a writer-centric fashion - which is probably not the best way forward. \n\nThe m... | 2019/12/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49257",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32012/"
] |
49,266 | A sub-plot of my story, is that the protagonist is struggling with addiction to alcohol due to past events (which happen in the book). I'm worried that all the scenes will come off the same because he is always drunk. How do I show that he is drunk every day (or almost every day) and spiralling down into a full blown a... | [
{
"answer_id": 49272,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Without knowing more about your character I cannot be specific but the revelation is probably dripped . . . similar ... | 2019/12/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49266",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42349/"
] |
49,274 | I'm trying out a style where I switch POV very often. It's written in third person, but everything described is things that are visible to the POV character, and you can hear their thoughts.
Now, because the characters are in a group of five, I thought that it could be interesting to keep switching between them. Somet... | [
{
"answer_id": 49277,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "You can switch POV as often as you wish. Talented writers can pull off virtually anything. However, without knowing... | 2019/12/14 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49274",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32012/"
] |
49,288 | Setting is standard space opera.
I am writing a story in which 2 characters are crewing a spaceship. The characters are:
(1) the captain, a female in her early 20s, who has grown up on the ship and recently taken it over from her parents.
(2) a crewman, a male of indeterminate age, who represented himself as an itin... | [
{
"answer_id": 49289,
"author": "Ethan Bolker",
"author_id": 18269,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/18269",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "Create a minor emergency that can be resolved only by two people working together. Perhaps the fix calls for re... | 2019/12/15 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49288",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42413/"
] |
49,297 | I want to use the name Leonardo da Vinci name for a presentation, but I I can't fit his whole name and would only like to use "da Vinci"
My question is...which is more proper, using "Da Vinci" with a capital "D" or "da Vinci" with a lowercase "d"? | [
{
"answer_id": 49300,
"author": "HallowCraft",
"author_id": 42392,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42392",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I'd use Da Vinci since it seems more formal. \nLeornado Da Vinci simply means Leornado the Vinci. So if you ar... | 2019/12/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49297",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42416/"
] |
49,302 | According to [Plagiarism.org](https://www.plagiarism.org/article/what-is-plagiarism#main-content),
>
> copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not
>
>
>
is considered plagiarism.
Now let's say that I am writing a novel about a certain p... | [
{
"answer_id": 49303,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "You seem to have got yourself lost in the weeds somewhere. A **novel**, by definition, is a *fictitious* account. ... | 2019/12/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49302",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42420/"
] |
49,305 | Due to the evolution of modern media I prefer to depend on exposition through dialogue. I try to avoid *telling* the reader anything. With simple plots this is easily achieved (often through the romantic sub-plot):
A meets B. The characters are new to each other and therefore disclose a plethora of information; backst... | [
{
"answer_id": 49314,
"author": "AmaiKotori",
"author_id": 42084,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42084",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "A viewpoint character isn't necessarily a protagonist, no matter how ubiquitous. What marks a main character, ev... | 2019/12/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49305",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878/"
] |
49,321 | I am writing a novel which is about a naive, good-for-nothing boy who is also suffering from low self-esteem. One day, due to some events, he gets some special powers and is unwillingly forced into a war which he never wants to fight in, and faces many dark and harsh aspects of today's world (as I want story to be pret... | [
{
"answer_id": 49314,
"author": "AmaiKotori",
"author_id": 42084,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42084",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "A viewpoint character isn't necessarily a protagonist, no matter how ubiquitous. What marks a main character, ev... | 2019/12/17 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49321",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42433/"
] |
49,331 | I've looked at other posts here, but none really get to the bottom of it, and none are specifically like my question.
I'm writing the same story from two different perspectives. The first one is in 3rd person, and one of the characters often laughs. It might be described something like this:
**Chorkia laughed. "That... | [
{
"answer_id": 49332,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Perhaps you are approaching story-telling from a narrow, direct approach. The third-person account of events already... | 2019/12/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49331",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39272/"
] |
49,340 | I am working on a book is going through the typesetting stage for self-publishing. In order to keep page count down, is it acceptable to typeset poetry with about a dozen of stanzas in more than one column?
The work at hand is a fantasy novel where there is about a dozen of songs ranging from 4-6 to 10-20 stanzas embe... | [
{
"answer_id": 49332,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Perhaps you are approaching story-telling from a narrow, direct approach. The third-person account of events already... | 2019/12/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49340",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42404/"
] |
49,345 | To elaborate, this is a quote from a question regarding this that I have found:
"(Dean Wesley Smith) basically advises writers to just fly by the seat of their pants (without even having the slightest idea what the story is about) from beginning to the end, and then, when they are done, edit for punctuation, grammar a... | [
{
"answer_id": 49348,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "There's plenty of writing advice out there none of which will guarantee you a place in the promised. Beyond a comp... | 2019/12/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49345",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32086/"
] |
49,350 | I am setting up my story setting, a sci-fi story, and the people that I work with have created their own lore(s). Some of them conflict with one another. How might I combine these lore(s) into one, unified, lore?
For example:
[Mirexon] They were oppressed by a group of people which, in all essentiality, were like ano... | [
{
"answer_id": 49352,
"author": "AmaiKotori",
"author_id": 42084,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42084",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "So, it appears you have multiple, conflicting stories about the same general events.\n\nSounds like most of hist... | 2019/12/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49350",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42460/"
] |
49,357 | In technical writing the phrase "best practice" is often used to suggest that something is more accurate than other things. However, that's often very subjective, requires specific context, and suggested practices change over time.
In the software development field, there have been some [strong arguments against ever u... | [
{
"answer_id": 49358,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "The most common practice, or a common practice.\n\nIt may be instance specific: The \"best practice\" on one instanc... | 2019/12/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49357",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42462/"
] |
49,379 | I've been trying to write a good romance but it's falling a little flat. I think it might be because I've never been in love before. My favorite genre is romance (for reading and writing), but I'm kind of bad at writing it. I think it might be because I don't know how to write entertaining banter or deep conversation. ... | [
{
"answer_id": 49380,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24645",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "While it's certainly easier to write about things you've had personal experience of (\"write what you know\" an... | 2019/12/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49379",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42488/"
] |
49,382 | I'm sure we have all heard people say questions without putting the tone inflection on the end. I am writing a novel and I have a piece of dialogue where a character says:
>
> “Why are you here.”
>
>
>
because he's exasperated with the person he is talking to.
Is it acceptable to leave off the question mark at t... | [
{
"answer_id": 49383,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "For me the answer is no. You're asking a question mark to perform a task for which it was not designed.\n\nThe cont... | 2019/12/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49382",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/30918/"
] |
49,387 | I would like to hear opinions about the use of parentheses around a word or part of a word to allow for more than one reading of a sentence.
I see this quite often in scientific English written by non-native researchers, mostly from Germanic Europe, although not exclusively.
Examples:
(1) We argue that one should ... | [
{
"answer_id": 49444,
"author": "user42524",
"author_id": 42524,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42524",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "It depends on why you’re doing it. If you’re writing this in ordinary text in a novel, then yeah, that’s fuzzy. B... | 2019/12/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49387",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42489/"
] |
49,390 | Prior to asking this question, I have found and read similar questions posted by other people and I have come away each time deeply dissatisfied and frustrated by the responses given. Here’s an [example](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/10667/does-self-publishing-via-amazon-or-similar-services-make-your-book... | [
{
"answer_id": 49392,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "In a nutshell, yes, self-publishing does all but eliminate the chance of the same work being traditionally publishe... | 2019/12/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49390",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32086/"
] |
49,396 | I'm prompted to ask this question because I was troubled by some answers to questions about punctuation in rhetorical questions. The solution also calls into question the notion that 'said' is the only acceptable dialogue tag.
Barii folded her arms and raised a single eyebrow before turning away. "If I'd known you we... | [
{
"answer_id": 49399,
"author": "Arcanist Lupus",
"author_id": 27311,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/27311",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "English sarcasm is primarily conveyed through tone\n--------------------------------------------------\n\nA ... | 2019/12/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49396",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878/"
] |
49,397 | Why is it in the end, I see this often after reading the material. The definition is too long, didn't read, but by the time I see the tl;dr, I've already read it. It breaks the flow of the whole story and becomes redundant if the entire article is read. I have no idea why so many writers continue to put it in the end. ... | [
{
"answer_id": 50041,
"author": "user3482749",
"author_id": 42873,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42873",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It's targetted at people who won't read the thing. Given that you read the thing, you aren't its target audienc... | 2019/12/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49397",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42504/"
] |
49,398 | >
> "Oh for God's sake, get on with it!", the half-elf's scream boomed
> through the fort. The uneasines was palpable, you could probably even
> slice out a big chunk and eat it. [Name] glanced back at the commander
>
>
> While her slender form stood out from the rest of her legionaries when
> he looked at her, t... | [
{
"answer_id": 49400,
"author": "ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere",
"author_id": 26729,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26729",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "> \n> I used to be a visual thinker like you. Then I took an adjective to\n> the knee.\n> \n> \n... | 2019/12/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49398",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25507/"
] |
49,407 | I am working with a beginner writer to help typeset their book for self-publishing. They would like to include an appendix which would explain the pronunciation of the numerous proper nouns that they had invented. It is the later word which is in question: is it more appropriate to refer to them as 'made up' or 'invent... | [
{
"answer_id": 49408,
"author": "Ethan Bolker",
"author_id": 18269,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/18269",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I don't think either is \"more appropriate\" in every situation.\n\n\"Invented\" is somewhat formal. It sugges... | 2019/12/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49407",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42404/"
] |
49,413 | I was a researcher for many years and it is a habit that has its usefulness in writing but also some serious drawbacks.
The usefulness is that it helps create believable plots and functional physics in your novel. Nothing irritates me more than reading a science fiction story that seems more magic than science. If you... | [
{
"answer_id": 49415,
"author": "Robin",
"author_id": 42374,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42374",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "You can’t publish that story without lawyers involved\n-----------------------------------------------------\n\nYou’r... | 2019/12/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49413",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/22690/"
] |
49,414 | The sentence is "How calculating are you?". I am simply wondering if under standard conventions of the English language, that this sentence ought to be perceived as being correct. | [
{
"answer_id": 49417,
"author": "S. Mitchell",
"author_id": 13409,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/13409",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "This sentence is correct. In may not be considered formal English but it is Standard English."
},
{
"an... | 2019/12/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49414",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42520/"
] |
49,421 | We are interested in naming a Foundation by name in a fictious novel. The novel does not state any official positions the Foundation has taken with regard to parapsychological work. However, we would plan to list the organization by name, and that the researcher conducted work at a University supported by the Foundatio... | [
{
"answer_id": 49422,
"author": "Arcanist Lupus",
"author_id": 27311,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/27311",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "As a general rule, it's fine to use real organizations as part of a fictional story. Your characters can eat... | 2019/12/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49421",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42523/"
] |
49,423 | I’m kind of in a dilemma. If I was to write a prologue to a fantasy story about the history of the kingdom and the political scope of what is happening there, is it necessarily a bad infodump? All of this knowledge is incredibly important to understand the context of the story, even at the beginning, and I make the nar... | [
{
"answer_id": 49426,
"author": "SuperAl",
"author_id": 42404,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42404",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "You will likely receive answers along the lines of that as long as it is appropriate, does not spoil, and does not ... | 2019/12/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49423",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42524/"
] |
49,430 | If my main character goes to a new building – let's say in the beggining of a short story – and I describe the facade and the design of the building, is this exposition (i.e. information that is not part of the story, in this case of setting, location), or is this just description in this particular scene? Let's consid... | [
{
"answer_id": 49440,
"author": "Surtsey",
"author_id": 24878,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "What you describe is description (and probably unnecessary). However, I feel you are seeking labels without underst... | 2019/12/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49430",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42526/"
] |
49,432 | I have read through a lot of questions regarding questions of a similar nature, but all of the questions I looked at involved fantasy worlds that were removed from the "real world." In my novel, I have five main characters, who are essentially kidnapped by scientists, given superpowers, and they basically try to preven... | [
{
"answer_id": 49435,
"author": "Kai",
"author_id": 42529,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42529",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "Assuming your main characters haven't been in a regular society for a long time, I doubt it is necessary, however since... | 2019/12/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49432",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39506/"
] |
49,434 | I've gotten pretty far into a story that I'm writing, but I can't for the life of me think of a name. I've never really been good at making names. Any tips on how I can come up with a good name for my story? It's a Fantasy if that helps. | [
{
"answer_id": 49439,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Look at existing names, and try to figure out how they came up.\n\nOne strategy is to name it after your main charac... | 2019/12/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49434",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42529/"
] |
49,448 | The other day, I was working on a Supernatural Fiction genre and I was stuck in a dilemma. I had two choices, whether I could focus on one trope, that is, just the vampires and their conspiracies or I could introduce other tropes like, werewolves or maybe Satan. Also, more tropes meant more introduction of characters w... | [
{
"answer_id": 49454,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "I think adding more \"tropes\" will just make it confusing, unless you have a plan for how to use them to create con... | 2019/12/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49448",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42534/"
] |
49,451 | Instead of explaining this whole practice, I'll rather give an example. In a scene in my book, there is this character. This character is pompous and arrogant. I describe their gait shortly after their introduction, where using "pompous" would've been very informative (and concise). Instead, I describe their whole pomp... | [
{
"answer_id": 49453,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Sorry, I did not get \"pompous\" out of the description; nor do I know how one \"pompously\" approaches a desk with... | 2019/12/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49451",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/30157/"
] |
49,455 | Is it legal to rewrite news reports for commercial use?
I've noticed the following information, and I'm wondering whether it applies to other news agencies as well.
>
> Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, **rewritten** for broadcast or publication or r... | [
{
"answer_id": 49453,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "Sorry, I did not get \"pompous\" out of the description; nor do I know how one \"pompously\" approaches a desk with... | 2019/12/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49455",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/32767/"
] |
49,461 | The Ugly Sisters were ugly, everybody knows that, and in visual media they portrayed that way. I'm not going attempt to the original conflation of ugliness with evil.
The sisters are no longer ugly. Somehow they have become 'cosmetically challenged' or 'aesthetically challenged'. These descriptions affect characterisa... | [
{
"answer_id": 49463,
"author": "Robin",
"author_id": 42374,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42374",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Political correctness—the term—is a distraction. It was coined in Nazi Germany to describe what would *not* be censor... | 2019/12/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49461",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/24878/"
] |
49,474 | I am not sure if the word fairies should be capitalized. I have not tried anything, I'm just confused and want this to be correct. | [
{
"answer_id": 49490,
"author": "NomadMaker",
"author_id": 28812,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/28812",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Proper nouns are capitalized in English. In this world, fairy is not a proper noun and should not be capitalized... | 2019/12/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49474",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42565/"
] |
49,478 | I have to write my fathers obituary. I am not sure when it is proper to use a full name. We have kids, grand kids, and great grand kids. Are there rules or guidelines for using full names and what might they be if so? | [
{
"answer_id": 49485,
"author": "sara",
"author_id": 36479,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/36479",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "It is proper to use his full name, including a well-known nickname if he had any, middle names and extensions such as ... | 2019/12/31 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49478",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42574/"
] |
49,483 | I am writing my novel in first person singular in the past tense as narrated by the protagonist. So obviously the narrative is in past tense, but I am confused about how to write dialogue, whether it is as was said or it will also be in the past tense.
For e.g. I have written;
>
> “You don’t understand, Ella is my g... | [
{
"answer_id": 49486,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "First of all, dialog is a bit looser than narrative language because people do not use perfect grammar when speaking, ... | 2019/12/31 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49483",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39018/"
] |
49,511 | Ok, so I feel like my character is too perfect. I try to make her have flaws but it's not working so well. I reread my story so far and I found that most of them are all kinda typical and the same as any other cheesy story. | [
{
"answer_id": 49512,
"author": "S.Alvi",
"author_id": 42592,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42592",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "One: the most common mistake is to confuse personality flaws for character flaws. Personality flaws are superficial e... | 2020/01/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49511",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42589/"
] |
49,518 | I'm in my mid 20's and all my life I have avoided reading books and writing because of how bad my dyslexia can be. Up until 2 years ago when I found out how fun and interesting this hobby is.
I want to enter short story competitions but what I'm afraid of is my spelling and grammar mistakes I make will send my submis... | [
{
"answer_id": 49527,
"author": "Arcanist Lupus",
"author_id": 27311,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/27311",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Find a proofreader\n------------------\n\nWhile you undoubtedly are facing a larger problem than most, nobody... | 2020/01/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/49518",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/42596/"
] |