qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
50,256 | My character is getting physically abused by her father . I tried writing fight scenes and violent scenes before but they always seemed .. very weird . Can you give me some advice on writing an scenes that include violence ? Any small tip is very appreciated ! | [
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"text": "There is not much to go on, but a \"trick\" to write about abuse/horrific acts is to not write about them at all, ... | 2020/02/25 | [
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50,260 | I'm trying to find a very specific word for a very specific feeling, and have had zero luck other places on the Internet with finding even a reference to this. I'm hoping to invoke this particular emotion in a short story, the details of which I don't think are terribly important for the question itself.
It is someth... | [
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"text": "I think your story will be more profound if you describe this feeling in more words. Like you wrote , it might help the... | 2020/02/25 | [
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50,262 | I read the following question on WorldBuilding.SE last week: [What early middle ages weapons would suit an extremely strong child?](https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/168720/42079) I thought the premise was interesting, but I noticed a comment that stated:
>
> First of all, this is the most anime thing I’ve ev... | [
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"text": "Extremely strong child characters is a common anime trope. \n\nFor example Dragonball Z."
},
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"answer_id... | 2020/02/25 | [
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50,280 | I'm in the middle of writing a book where the protagonist is a narcissistic psychopath, and while I personally am having a lot of fun with it and *hope* I'm doing it well enough, I understand this is a difficult feat to do without alienating the reader. So I was hoping to create this question as a repository of ideas p... | [
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"text": "This sounds like a type of [anti-hero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero) to me. That wiki page has a good h... | 2020/02/26 | [
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50,292 | I am writing historical fiction.
I am contemplating my character to compose a poem that was actually composed by someone in India, likely 1950s. This poet passed away in 2005.
How to attribute this in my novel? In other words, my novel should say this poem is from this actual poet, even though novel shows that fictio... | [
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"text": "This sounds like a type of [anti-hero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero) to me. That wiki page has a good h... | 2020/02/26 | [
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50,295 | What I want to know is if it is bad for the narrative to lie to the reader.
I get that using it in first person can be a good use for misdirection and such, but it does that by making the character whose perspective you are following be wrong and usually gives a reasonable explanation why. It's not lying to the reader... | [
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"text": "This sounds like a type of [anti-hero](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antihero) to me. That wiki page has a good h... | 2020/02/27 | [
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50,299 | In regards specifically if you don't have any positive relationships with relatives yourself to draw from. I'm assuming writing only about characters who have negative familial experiences would become one-note rather quickly. | [
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"text": "* Watch movies and read books that have positive family interactions.\n* Hang out with friends who have have posi... | 2020/02/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/50299",
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50,312 | I noticed that I use "she", "he", and "they" - and a lot of sentences also begin with the aforementioned pronouns. How can I steer away from doing this so often as I write in 3rd person fiction? Here is an example:
>
> RizaMe took off her shoes, and stepped onto the hardwood floors in the old Victorian home. She peer... | [
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"text": "Having read your example it seems to me that the reason it sounds like your overusing ‘she’ is because, particularly... | 2020/02/28 | [
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50,314 | I've been working on a book for about four years now. Every time I reach the middle, I get stuck and I go back and edit and rewrite everything. I've probably rewritten the whole thing at least seven times now. At first it was just editing out parts I felt were extra or amateurish or inconsistent but each time I do so, ... | [
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"text": "Other usefull ways :\n\n1. Using writing prompts\n2. Keeping a journal\n3. Attend writers conference\n4. Collabor... | 2020/02/29 | [
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50,317 | I know CMOS 17 section 6.2 says, "All punctuation marks should appear in the same font—roman or italic—as the main or surrounding text, except for punctuation that belongs to a title in a different font (usually italics)."
I understand how that applies to an italicized word or phrase within a roman sentence—"This is ... | [
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"text": "Other usefull ways :\n\n1. Using writing prompts\n2. Keeping a journal\n3. Attend writers conference\n4. Collabor... | 2020/02/29 | [
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50,326 | I am currently looking for an agent to represent a portfolio of books. But I was wondering, what is considered to be a large portfolio in that how many unpublished books ready for an agent is considered large or small? I have about five THOROUGHLY REVIEWED novels within the Christian fiction genre. They are not series,... | [
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"text": "The fact that you have five books completed is a plus point to literary agents and publishers, but it is not how ... | 2020/03/02 | [
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50,327 | When I wrote my first poem, I was very excited about it, and proud, and shared it among all my friends. However, now I don't often want to write about my feelings and experiences, and when I do, I'm not even sure I want to share them --I just feel that they are my emotions, and they are nothing to share. Whenever I'm i... | [
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"text": "I think that **writing --or any form of art --can be a way of working through the chaos** of emotions, and oth... | 2020/02/29 | [
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50,342 | How could one explain breathing when it's really cold outside and you can see your breath? I just can't find a good way to word it. | [
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"text": "It's called \"vapor\", \"breath vapor\", \"[they] can see [their] breath\", \"exhaled steam\", \"frosty breath\" ... | 2020/03/03 | [
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50,355 | I have written and thoroughly reviewed/edited three novels that I don't know if they would be marketed as Middle Grade or Young Adult. I am currently working on a fourth. Okay, the first novel is about a girl, twenty years of age, who enters Purgatory as she explores the meaning of life and everything in-between. While... | [
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"text": "Consider [this article](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/whats-the-difference-between-middle-grade-fiction-vs-you... | 2020/03/04 | [
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50,357 | I am writing novel where the main character has small conversations in a non-English language. This would really pull the reader into the environment.
When and how often should I provide translations?
So far, I italicize foreign words and put the translations in parentheses. I also have glossary at the end of the nov... | [
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"text": "Don't provide translations like that. \n\nFor single words (or short phrases,) make sure that the reader can understand ... | 2020/03/04 | [
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50,367 | I currently have 4 books all under one series that are self published. The way I have been setting up the titles through Ingramspark and under my ISBNs has been:
>
> Title: Name of the Book Series
>
>
> Subtitle: Name of individual book.
>
>
>
I'm wondering if that is correct at all and can't seem to find any i... | [
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"text": "What I did in my last book was this (this is an example, I didn't write this book):\n\nTitle: Name of the actual book ... | 2020/03/05 | [
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50,368 | What is the best way of keeping your novel writing a secret, without making people concerned that you are a loner? Because writing requires you to have solitude and to be mindful (I actually imaging scenes in my head before writing), how can I do this?
Also, if you tell someone you are writing, it may jinx the whole p... | [
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"text": "If you're worried about jinxing your project, just find something steadfast to motivate you. Who gives a crap what oth... | 2020/03/05 | [
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50,370 | I am writing a fictional historical novel. The setting is in another part of the world, nearly 100 years ago. I would wish to make the novel understandable to my fellow Westerner.
Understanding geography is the CRUX of this fictional novel.
What is the best way to include some maps at the end of the book so it:
* gi... | [
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50,372 | I don't no if this is a off-topic question but the main doubt, in my opinion, is solid on the *character development* tag.
So, maybe the concept of Conflict, which I'm comfortable with, will sound divergent from yours. I think that this is a technical minor aspect, but I feel that in my doubt this will make some diffe... | [
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"text": "One of the fundamental essences of Luku Htyqalnef is simple, it's even in the title of his debuting movie: Hope. \... | 2020/03/05 | [
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50,374 | My company is using Microsoft Word to manage thousands of documents that ultimately end up publishing only to a couple outputs: primarily PDF but also some web and we're moving toward an app. We need a single source solution equivalent to Flare - except we probably can't afford Flare. Aside from simple single source au... | [
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"text": "It's possible, but it might be difficult and more error prone. This is a big decision and effort. I would want to do ... | 2020/03/05 | [
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50,386 | I have been trying to find suitable literary agents for three years that feel comfortable representing Christian fiction. I have four unpublished and thoroughly reviewed novels ready to be published, but I would to publish them one-by-one. I was wondering if anybody can assist me in finding literary agents that feel co... | [
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"text": "You can do targeted searches on <http://agentquery.com> . It's a free service, and very comprehensive.\n\nMy ow... | 2020/03/05 | [
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50,387 | For example, if I've written a character that is supposed to be smart and uses a scientific theory as the basis for doing something interesting; does that theory have to be cited in the story. I don't think I've seen this happen, but I'd really would like to know. I know in certain research papers, there are certain th... | [
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"text": "I'm an Atheist, but the bible somtimes makes a good point:\n\n> \n> \"Even fools are thought wise when they keep s... | 2020/03/06 | [
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50,393 | I've recently started writing and I told my family. They said that they were proud and that they would support me but when they weren't paying attention I overheard them saying they thought I wasn't going to stick with this and that I'll soon go back to my school work and focus on getting into college. I don't want to ... | [
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50,410 | I am confused about why the repeated use of short sentences is read quickly when there's a period at the end of every sentence that should make the reader stop for a second or two every time? | [
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"text": "Short sentences are short. Simple. They don't tend to be that complicated. They're easy to understand. Yes, the period... | 2020/03/08 | [
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50,425 | Sometimes, when I show others a long sentence I have written, I am told it is convoluted due to the chaining of dependent clauses.
Is there a way to keep tacking on modifiers and dependent clauses to a sentence without making it convoluted?
In general, how do you write a really long sentence that is not convoluted? | [
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50,438 | So I have been debating writing a story idea I have had swimming in my head for a long time. I love superhero comics, and I love the more character driven aspects of the stories.
I have been tinkering in my mind with an idea for a story like this, a more character driven novel like story. It would be looking into the... | [
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50,455 | I am writing historical fiction novel.
Some parts are very sad.
I am identifying with my characters to develop and write about them.
How to move past the sadness and write about ill-fated characters.
Remember, you cannot have rainbows without rain. | [
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50,465 | Good day all. Hope the writing muses are with you all.
I was wondering what helps you to imagine details in a scene? I can't say that I'm a detailed oriented person so what I find acceptable as a description may not cut it for readers for the novel that I'm working on.
I have found that by using concept art found on ... | [
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"text": "You are not \"overthinking,\" though perhaps you are in need of encouragement to keep writing. Many others hav... | 2020/03/12 | [
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50,470 | I enjoy writing poetry in strict meter (example: iambic pentameter), but I keep running into an issue with word choice. I lack a reference for words and the way they are accented. I am wondering if there is a compendium that lists different types of words (in terms of stress). For example, the following words have troc... | [
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"text": "You are not \"overthinking,\" though perhaps you are in need of encouragement to keep writing. Many others hav... | 2020/03/12 | [
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50,472 | I am writing Historical Fiction novel.
I wish to add sub-plot based on actual events. However the sub-plot I add **may not** be consistent with what happened.
For instance, what if a real-life King never had a grand daughter, but my novel says this King has a grand daughter.
Is this acceptable?
Updating question wi... | [
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"text": "I am of the opinion that almost all fiction happens in alternate universes, different from ours. Certainly al... | 2020/03/12 | [
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50,490 | Given the ongoing efforts to reduce close personal contact with others due to COVID-19, I am seeking suggestions for the best way to conduct writing workshop groups online. This is usually a physical gathering for writers to brainstorm, share, and critique with guidance. I know that Zoom is free and could facilitate vi... | [
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"text": "Google Docs is a free and user-friendly way to share writing, collaborative edits, and comments. You could have... | 2020/03/13 | [
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50,491 | I am attempting to write a novel that is easy to read.
Totally understand people have short attention spans, hence I use many short paragraphs, rather than large blocks of paragraphs, such as ["Train to Pakistan"](http://punjabilibrary.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Train-To-Pakistan_Punjabi-Library.pdf?)
And **tota... | [
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"text": "You don't ever HAVE to get an editor. And if you're confident in your ability to edit your work yourself, you ... | 2020/03/13 | [
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50,495 | I recently sent a book proposal for one of my books, a Christian fantasy, to a publisher named SUNBURY PRESS, and I was wondering if they take me on. How much can I reasonably expect to earn off my first book? I have did some research about author earnings but most of the articles I've found is about those who decide t... | [
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"text": "They answer that in their own website...<http://sunburypress.com/faq/>\n\n> \n> We pay royalt... | 2020/03/14 | [
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50,501 | I am making a tutorial video on a programming language. During the video I want to ask questions to the audience.
My confusion is between 2 words: "I" or "you".
Let's see few examples.
After explaining something in the video I say
**Q 1:** *So, how am I going to do this. Any idea?*
or should I say
**Q 1:** *So, h... | [
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"text": "'We' is a better choice.\n\n'You' places you on a teaching pedestal, with the watchers being placed at a distance. It ... | 2020/03/14 | [
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50,509 | I am writing Historical Fiction Novel.
A Reporter is interviewing a Centenarian who narrates the story.
The Centenarian's hobby is closely related the novel.
The throat-clearing also introduces two Characters who are tied to the story, even though they appear much later in the Novel.
How much throat-clearing is all... | [
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50,516 | So yeah I have seen a situation where what the writer has put makes sense, but after thinking it through there are clear faults in the logic they used.
Here's my example
>
> A small team is advancing to and organisation. The leader brings in an
> experienced person to act as their second in command and help build ... | [
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"text": "This particular example is easy. The plot was apparently reviewed only from one viewpoint - the plot itself. Revi... | 2020/03/15 | [
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50,522 | If I wrote a book about how to do something that is legal in some places but illegal in others, would I get in trouble? What about if it included a disclaimer clearly stating that the information in this book may not be legal in the city/state/country where you are looking to enact it and it is best to consult with a l... | [
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"text": "In the United States, you can write a how-to manual for lots of stuff that's illegal to actually do. A famous us... | 2020/03/16 | [
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50,523 | I am writing a Narrated novel.
---
Here is my **1st Person Narration** followed by **3rd Person Account** of Same Incident
>
> *Grandmother was an old woman left to fend for herself.*
>
>
> Ranjho's Mother walked in a trance-like state. The
> villagers kept their distance and whispered amongst themselves.
>
> ... | [
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"text": "It sounds like what you are looking for is \"Close 3rd Person POV\", which is where you narrate as though you w... | 2020/03/16 | [
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50,530 | Writers always talk about the importance of sentence variety in writing, but they never say which sentence type one should use for a specific scenario. So when do I use simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex?
And how about the following example
"He rang the doorbell and looked around at the garden."
Do the 2 ... | [
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50,534 | So, I tried out a new thing. Take this segment from *The Eye of Argon*:
>
> The weather beaten trail wound ahead into the dust racked
> climes of the baren land which dominates large portions of the
> Norgolian empire. Age worn hoof prints smothered by the sifting
> sands of time shone dully against the dust sp... | [
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"text": "Personally I'd say that exposing yourself to other material (like you're saying you're doing) is always good because ... | 2020/03/18 | [
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50,539 | Teenage writer here! I have a bunch of great ideas for stories and such but I never really know how to add more fluff or detail into them to make them longer to where readers can read all day and still have more to read. Does anyone have any tips? | [
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"text": "**Don't.**\n\nHaving enough material that your readers \"can read all day and still have more to read\" should not ... | 2020/03/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/50539",
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50,541 | **I've been having great difficulty with transcribing an individuals "tone" in my meeting notes!!**
For context: Recently I've been charged with transcribing an incredibly tense litigious meeting. My transcription of this meeting will be submitted in the disclosures for an upcoming Due Process hearing. (Please note t... | [
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"text": "I've done legal transcription for a number of different jurisdictions and I've never seen a style guide that permits t... | 2020/03/19 | [
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50,553 | How does one come up with original ideas? Hamlet was amazing, but every time I think of a plot point or character, it just is not nearly as good as Hamlet or is a direct copy of the play.
Is there something I could read to help me work this out? If so, what is the source?
I'm aware that Nvikuspeara used the book Amle... | [
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"text": "This is what I've heard/learned:\n\nRead a bunch of different kinds of material. You'll get your creativity stimulated... | 2020/03/19 | [
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50,558 | Parts of my worldbuilding are critical to the plot. If readers don't understand the world, they won't understand the stakes for the protagonist and the failure conditions.
*Edit. Please don't assume this information is communicated as exposition. As I said, it's dramatized. But then again, one can't take endless pages... | [
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"text": "Both of your examples seem to have the same problem. You expect people to understand something is important bef... | 2020/03/20 | [
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50,589 | I’m looking forward to finding a beta reader to help getting me past my grammatical inaccuracies during my attempts at writing short stories.
I’m not a native English speaker, so I found myself lacking knowledge in regards to grammatical rules and usage of slang terms. I also have a rather limited vocabulary range.
... | [
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"text": "Both of your examples seem to have the same problem. You expect people to understand something is important bef... | 2020/03/24 | [
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50,593 | I use white space in my novel. Right now it's 5000 words in 30 pages in MS Word. Font is Times New Roman, 12 pt, double-spaced.
At this rate, my 90K novel will be about 500 pages.
How many pages should a 90,000 word novel be?
Steven King's Carrie ([link](https://ia800607.us.archive.org/22/items/CarrieStephenKing/Car... | [
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"text": "Common mass market paperbacks run between 250 and 400 words per page, so if you're aiming for the same density o... | 2020/03/24 | [
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50,615 | In my story I am writing in third person, my character is kidnaped and finds out his real name towards the end. Do I start referring to him with his real name or the name I used previously? | [
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50,623 | I have a growing non-fiction blog about challenging existing dogmas in my culture, and it has been attracting a good amount of readers. However its growth is still not optimal, as they just read or want to meet me, not really commit to help me. I don't want to be greedy or arrogant, but I think I can ask them if they c... | [
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"text": "Common mass market paperbacks run between 250 and 400 words per page, so if you're aiming for the same density o... | 2020/03/29 | [
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50,625 | I'm loosely working on a trilogy. Book One and Two are supposed to contain the main character’s backstory, divided by two parts that will be exposed accordingly: on book One, the first half, on book Two, the remaining part.
I have three "main characters", with one being more in display, as the epicenter of the story,... | [
{
"answer_id": 50626,
"author": "JonStonecash",
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"text": "For me, the key questions are: who is telling the story; when are they telling the story, and why are they tel... | 2020/03/30 | [
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50,628 | During my highschool days, the subject of vocabulary had not been enforced or rather most students were lazy about expanding their vocabulary not until in the final year when our school principal asked to see our vocabulary book.
I'm putting this question out here: what is the best way one can improve ones vocabulary? | [
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"text": "\"The best way\" is subjective because what is best for me, might not be best for you. Regardless, a generally good w... | 2020/03/30 | [
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50,629 | There is a veil which separates our reality from a parallel dimension that contains Eldritch abominations. An ancient empire has discovered that they can harness the power of this realm by summoning demons across the barrier. This is done through the use of human sacrifices.
A religion has formed with two separate mod... | [
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"text": "The first thing you need to do is drop all biases about what any of those terms mean. The term \"Demon\" alr... | 2020/03/30 | [
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50,640 | Recently I submitted a comic book story to a publisher, and they criticized that the main character is basically just a shonen protagonist (for example, Son Goku from Dragon Ball, Ash from Pokemon, etc.) in female form. They're interested in keeping the character female, but suggested that I should put more emphasis on... | [
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"text": "Well, do you have any female friends you could ask to review your writing? other than the genuine feedback that only... | 2020/03/31 | [
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50,652 | I am writing a story about a man who doesn't know his past, or his name. I have to reveal his name later in the story. Until then, how do I refer to him or narrate his dialogues? My story is in third-person view. | [
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"text": "Use his physical characteristics, like tall man or black robed person etc."
},
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"answer_id": 50655,
"autho... | 2020/04/01 | [
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50,661 | Is there a good book on sentence structure and variety?
My goal is to improve the way my sentences flow on the page and to improve the reader experience. | [
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"text": "A book that has helped me tremendously is *On Writing Well* by William F. Zinsser. I'm not sure if it is still in... | 2020/04/01 | [
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50,673 | One of my MC's is a decision maker to turn the tides of war, the enemies have brought hostages, he tells the other MC (who has principles on not taking innocent peoples lives) to not worry about it. When the other MC is not around, he orders to kill the enemies even if hitting the hostages.
Will this kind of personali... | [
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"text": "You've asked several questions. So I'm focusing on this:\n\n> \n> *Will this kind of personality be protagonist-l... | 2020/04/02 | [
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50,674 | Currently writing a novel about a man spiraling downward following a divorce, among other things. I want the reader to be grabbed by this man even though by all accounts he's a bit of an unsavory character (albeit as a result of his issues), I was considering beginning the story in a bar. Showing him within the proverb... | [
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"text": "If you think it would illustrate who your character is, I'd say go for it. Just twist something up a little bit to se... | 2020/04/03 | [
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50,685 | I have a lot of characters I’ve spent time creating and developing, but I cannot, for the life of me, develop an overarching plot. Anyone got any techniques or tips on this? I know the question is nonspecific, but anything helps. | [
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"text": "If your characters are good, you might not even need to develop a plot. But you do need to know your characters v... | 2020/04/03 | [
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50,686 | This is gonna be long before I ask the question itself. Here is a quick overview of my plot:
In the fictional world named Slavaz, there is a great danger appearing, and God Creator of Slavaz appears to a young, simple shepherd and calls him to be his prophet and lead the races o Slavaz against this danger. Apart from ... | [
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"text": "One option is to give your characters issues with each other that they have to figure out. In other words, give th... | 2020/04/03 | [
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50,689 | So, this happens to me all the time, and usually, when it does I get mentally frustrated and give up the story for a couple of days. This happens to me quite a lot, so I thought it was high time I did something about it. I'm currently writing a story, that I'm very passionate about and will hopefully be able to publish... | [
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"text": "It sounds like you are in draft mode either pick the most compelling one that moves the plot along in a way you prefer ... | 2020/04/03 | [
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50,703 | I have a character for whom three of their most prominent traits are meant to be their kindness/high degree of empathy, social awkwardness/obliviousness to social cues, and overall introversion. I am trying to show, not tell, that they are supposed to be kind, but I am running into difficulty doing that because of the ... | [
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"selected": true,
"text": "Perhaps the way to show kindness is to perform hidden acts of goodness. He gets up early to shovel the snow for... | 2020/04/05 | [
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50,719 | I'm making a book and want to illustrate it too. So do I have to copyright them seperatly or can I copyright them all together? And if I make them into a series do I need to copyright each book separately? | [
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"text": "Perhaps the way to show kindness is to perform hidden acts of goodness. He gets up early to shovel the snow for... | 2020/04/08 | [
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50,723 | I am describing an experiment for a scientific paper. In this experiment, I use a very well-known technique which I briefly describe, similar to the following variant (#1):
>
> In this experiment, we measured the performance of our machine using the well-known method B.
>
>
> B took the machine, turned it around th... | [
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"text": "The first sentence refers to the experiment in the past tense (\"measured\"). For the sake of consistency, the ... | 2020/04/08 | [
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50,736 | I have to present my book(s) to a Christian publisher and I was wondering, how would I go about censoring adult language or should I just put a warning label on the title page? | [
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"text": "You can do what authors like Robert Swindells do and substitute non-swear words for swear words. This way the di... | 2020/04/10 | [
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50,741 | I'm trying to describe a ring of broken, destroyed spacecraft. I want to use `wreckage ring` or `ring of wreckage` or `ring of wreckages`.
`Wreckages` is an interesting word that I'm confused about.
I've seen it used in books and publications. Online dictionaries specify `wreckage` as both singular and plural, howev... | [
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"text": "It would depend upon what you are trying to describe. If the spacecrafts are the remnants of a fleet, then I w... | 2020/04/10 | [
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50,751 | “He said, ‘spend a week more on the west wall and do your job diligently,’ and that at the end of the week, 'he would see,'” Yarpres said.
I did research <https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/quotes.asp> but I'm not understanding the concepts there, it's a bit confusing.
Any help would be appreciated. | [
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50,764 | Sometimes I read a **first person story** in past tense and I'm amazed at how much the main character is able to remember **in such detail about events that happen decades ago**. I know some books uses tools to explain the level of accuracy in the narration like a diary, letters, documents, video or audio recordings.
B... | [
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50,776 | This might be a silly question, I apologize if it's off-topic.
---
I've noticed that audiences and critics typically deeply dislike the majority of works of art that I like the most. Occasionally they may enjoy the work overall, but they still hate the specific elements that I consider the most compelling.
(By "elem... | [
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"text": "The key question is, why do you write?\n\nIf you write for the pleasure of writing, for the art of expression,... | 2020/04/13 | [
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50,777 | So, I wanted to spice up the MC in one of my stories by... making him into a stereotypical SJW. The catch is supposed to be why and when he's acting that way. I won't go into any detail because this question isn't about politics, so let's just say he has his reasons and is ultimately a good person, once everything is r... | [
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"text": "**You can't do what you're asking.**\n\nThere's not really a way to make a character like this *without* it coming ... | 2020/04/13 | [
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50,781 | Right before the climax of my scifi fantasy novel, there's a big reveal about who the bad guys really are and how they influenced the magic system -- *throughout history*. This reveal will be the much wanted answer to a big mystery arc, so I want to maximize reader payoff.
So the reveal:
1) Is *not happening in real ... | [
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50,795 | I've been planning out the same story and revising it over and over since I was a child (that makes it 10 years now) and finally after *so* long I'm happy enough with it to consider finally writing the final script and I really, really like it. This is a darling that I don't want to slay, and this is definitely a story... | [
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"text": "**Write the Story Out Completely**\n\nIt may be that you need to write the story and get it down and look at it on... | 2020/04/15 | [
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50,806 | I am writing a screenplay for a TV show in which a character who will become important later in the series has a line of dialogue in the opening scene. However, he is offscreen and will not be physically introduced for another episode or two. For the dialogue, is it okay if I have him named as “VOICE” or “MAN” even tho... | [
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50,813 | How long should character bios be for a TV treatment? 2-3 sentences? Or 2-3 paragraphs? | [
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50,826 | I couldn't decide what type of dragon I wanted to write, so I decided to do a *Rise of Skywalker* and now my dragon is all the dragons. This isn't actually hard to achieve. The key idea is a character that shows a different facet of themselves, depending on how people interact with them.
In practice, that means my dra... | [
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"text": "**The difference between childish and unsympathetic is defined by where the tantrum stops, and why**\n\nSmall chil... | 2020/04/17 | [
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50,829 | I have a deep-seated hatred for certain tropes and a special way to deal with them. Now, this is a loooong demonstration.
---
I have serpent men in my setting. Note though, the correct term is lizard people, as they clearly resemble monitors, several of which are mildly venomous, but not everyone knows that.
Just li... | [
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"text": "**Confusing the real-world and in story reason.**\n\nIn the real world these things exist because you hate the ... | 2020/04/17 | [
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50,836 | This is my first novel..i am stuck at two characters who already have a liking for each other and have exchanged numbers.
I have all the conversations they have, how they open up telling each other stories of their life. But this has to be when they meet personally.
How do i take this to where he asks her maybe out ... | [
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"text": "Write up a dozen or more possibilities. They do not have to be realistic. In fact, the more outrageous they ar... | 2020/04/18 | [
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50,843 | So, the rather controversial concepts of objective criticism and objectively bad art are a fairly hot topic, even more so nowadays.
Leaping past the massive flame wars around certain movies, this is the first time I felt like I had no clue to go on and reach a conclusion.
On one hand, there's the whole "Beauty is in ... | [
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50,853 | In my book, Earth is gone and are all the counties and a majority of the population and cultures. A small population is left and they make a home on another planet. Now, just under 200 years later, they're a space-faring group but they like to name their starships ( both colony and military) after old places of histori... | [
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"text": "Why would it be in bad taste? Allusions to real-world events have been a part of literature for as long as lite... | 2020/04/19 | [
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50,858 | When I write non-scientific articles or other kind of texts online, I often use italic to emphasize the names of non-fictional human beings when they are important and appear for the first time in the text. Is this considered a good/alright use of italics or is it weird/wrong?
Example: "The island of Pintada was first... | [
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"text": "It's unusual, but not entirely without some kind of precedent.\n\nFor instance, as expressed by [Zotn August]... | 2020/04/19 | [
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50,864 | I am currently writing a fiction novel. I have about 5 finished chapters. But, since English is not my native language, (it's actually my fourth language) I feel the urgent necessity of sending my work to someone abroad to give me some feedback (a native speaker, not that I don't trust him). However, I fear that my ide... | [
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"text": "It's unusual, but not entirely without some kind of precedent.\n\nFor instance, as expressed by [Zotn August]... | 2020/04/20 | [
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50,874 | I wanted to write a gay kiss at the close end of my third book. I already started their chemistry with each other on the first and more in the second now it's leading up to the kiss. I have a ton of readers and some already ship my characters together. Now if I write it I might be afraid people won't approve it. I'm sc... | [
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"text": "I feel like advice that was given to me about writing characters of the opposite gender also applies here. *... | 2020/04/21 | [
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50,886 | I am going to write a book about myself. I will be working on this for awhile and it most likely will not be published physically. But I want to say the name of my middle school/high school. I want to know if I can do that. I actually went so I think it is but I would like a professional opinion first. | [
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"text": "I would have thought that an autobiographical work didn't lend itself to this manner of editorialization, but... | 2020/04/22 | [
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50,892 | I like to read short stories, novels, documentaries etc.
I used to write a diary as well.
I am interested in beginning to write a short story or some other form of creative writing. But I struggle to think about how I can start this. After reading other writers I am amazed at how they look at their surroundings, the wa... | [
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50,893 | Let me elaborate. In things such as Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings (so, high fantasy), fictional continents are quite often the setting. I don't recall ever seeing this in Science Fiction. My world *does* include both modern technology (cars, computers) as well as futuristic technology such as advanced aircrafts... | [
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"text": "There's nothing wrong with doing so, and I can think of several examples where a sci-fi setting has been humans... | 2020/04/24 | [
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50,906 | I will start by saying this isn’t a romance, but has your classic love triangle within the plot
The problem is, within my writing, I got in too deep with my first two characters love story, and now he just seems too perfect
I’m at the point now where I’m introducing the second guy and, quite honestly, I can’t write ... | [
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"text": "First, consider how much you actually *want* the love triangle element. If you've managed to write a compelling,... | 2020/04/24 | [
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50,912 | One of my previous questions got [an interesting answer](https://writing.stackexchange.com/a/50908/25507). And posed an interesting problem. Namely, It will be difficult to make a parody of something without understanding why people like it. That's a fair point. **Though Springtime for Hitler and anything made by Qel B... | [
{
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"text": "I think it's all down to having an open mind and strengthening your grasp of what it means to be a storyteller. \... | 2020/04/25 | [
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50,915 | In writing a musical I have 3 primary and 7 minor characters - some of whom can be also used in the ensemble. There are four scenes in the two act play in which an ensemble consisting of, at most at this point ,13 people, appears ( have already cut three) They are not a chorus..I have named the people in the ensemble a... | [
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"text": "It's a straight question of economics. Thirteen actors plus musicians (you don't say what sort of music) is exp... | 2020/04/25 | [
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50,923 | I've thought for years that I was terrible at writing dialogue and any "dialogue" I've written would make the likes of Guojgu Lecav or Ehren Kruger burst out in gut-busting laughter at how awful it is. But, as of now, I've learnt that my dialogue writing skills are worse than I thought and I'm flat-out abysmal at creat... | [
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"text": "It's a straight question of economics. Thirteen actors plus musicians (you don't say what sort of music) is exp... | 2020/04/26 | [
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50,926 | How can I "show" that my character is saying "yes" as a respond from a question?
The only thing that comes to my mind is
>
> Ciwe moves his head, confirming that he is okay.
>
>
>
I think this is not good since I'm telling and not showing.
I also would like to say that English is not my native language so if yo... | [
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"text": "The word you are looking for is \"nod\".\n\n> \n> Mike **nods** his head, confirming that he was okay.\n> \n>... | 2020/04/27 | [
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50,937 | Following my sword and sorcery questions, I remembered I actually used to watch one and actually enjoyed it, despite its hamminess, Xebe: Warrior Princess. Now, I'm not gonna say I was wrong about noble savages (because I can't make mistakes, ya know) as she is more of a Miry Kae, plus she's usually the one who tries t... | [
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"text": "You appear to be only reading half the subtext of the myth of the minotaur:\n\nAs the Minotaur grew, he became ... | 2020/04/27 | [
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50,947 | As a way to show exposition of my characters background,In a dream sequence could I use third person POV? Just wondering if this could work, as Im an aspiring writer and i'm looking for a way to make my book unique. | [
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"text": "It wouldn't make it unique. Now that self-publishing has really taken off, people get really wild with POVs... \n... | 2020/04/28 | [
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50,949 | Is it wrong to have a preposition at the end of sentence?
In the context of writing a statement of purpose, I cannot of any substitute for the following sentence:
>
> I have made many small and big improvements in my life that as a
> Middle Eastern female, I’m very proud of.
>
>
>
I know I can say:
>
> I'm... | [
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"answer_id": 50951,
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"text": "No, it is not wrong. However, in a cover letter, you should strive for clarity and maybe objectivit... | 2020/04/28 | [
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50,955 | I have been writing a story that for a long time I considered to be an urban fantasy, with supernatural elements in a recognizably modern setting. However, while I thought I was writing a rather straightforward urban fantasy story, it’s become apparent that the story seems to share a lot of elements with a paranormal r... | [
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"selected": false,
"text": "'Romeo and Juleah' disguised as urban fantasy is still 'Romeo and Juleah'.\n\nNote that in Romeo and Juleah there are ... | 2020/04/28 | [
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50,961 | I notice that a lot of beautiful literature contains sentences that are not grammatically correct. Here are some examples:
>
> “Still, there are times I am bewildered by each mile I have traveled, each meal I have eaten, each person I have known, each room in which I have slept." [This lacks an "and" at the end of a ... | [
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"text": "An important purpose of writing is to organize thoughts and **communicate** them to an audience. You would not... | 2020/04/29 | [
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50,965 | I'm writing a book, and I feel like it would be right to include a sex scene.
Both characters are male, and both virgins as well, and I've never written a sex scene nor had sex.
I don't want it to be too detailed, and I prefer no talking, just describing how it was.
I can handle a post-sex scene, I just really need ... | [
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"text": "Don't worry about seeming foolish, just write a draft of the scene anyway. Share the draft with acquaintances who h... | 2020/04/29 | [
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50,971 | The 9th circle, aka, the deepest and worst part of Hell, in Panpe's inferno is dedicated to traitors (from the least severe to the worst):
1. Treason against one's **kin**.
2. Treason against one's **home** (as in city-state/kingdom/etc...).
3. Treason against one's **guest(s)**.
4. Treason against one's **benefactor(... | [
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"text": "Second Chances:\n===============\n\nYour character can be redeemed to the audience. Many horrible characters are ac... | 2020/04/29 | [
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50,975 | My job requires formal writing, however after self-review, I found that my writing does not have enough substance. This was confirmed as feedback from higher-ups implied that I use too many phrasal verbs or have a tendency to over-write things using unnecessarily lofty words.
I was recommended to read this essay by Or... | [
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"text": "'On Writing Well' by William Zinsser has some good advice about improving your writing. 'Elements of Style' is d... | 2020/04/30 | [
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50,981 | So I'm writing a story during the course of which my main, first-person-POV character learns another language, one used heavily in her surrounding. This generally works, but I regularly get stuck on dialogue for other characters when my narrator can understand some but not all of what they're saying. I have two main ap... | [
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"text": "I understand both of your approaches. Write your story in a way that the readers travel along with the main char... | 2020/04/30 | [
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50,990 | So, here's a scene idea from yours truly:
The giant ~~eagle~~ brown falcon, Horus, is fighting against a necromancer that can stop time. So the necromancer obviously stops time, pulls out an MG 42, and shoots at Horus for 10 seconds. Using the average rate of fire, that's 200 rounds shot.
Time resumes and the bullets... | [
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"text": "I may not be able to give a good answer because your question is missing a lot of context, and I cannot comment as I ... | 2020/04/30 | [
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50,996 | My organization produces technical reports and bases their style on Associated Press (AP) style. In one of these reports, I have a list like so:
Topics with permission:
* Publish — 3 topics
* Subscribe — 2 topics
* Receive — 2 topics
* AddPermission — 5 topics
My editor is telling me I must spell out the numbers, IE... | [
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"text": "I may not be able to give a good answer because your question is missing a lot of context, and I cannot comment as I ... | 2020/05/01 | [
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51,018 | Violence and gore are an integral part of my story. However, I can usually keep the focus on the emotions, and the reactions, rather than the description of the injury.
My problem comes with one of my villains, Best Dad. His entire persona is as a performance artist in gore. You can't take that away from him; I don't... | [
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"text": "**Nothing should be in your writing unless it serves the larger story**. It doesn't matter how cool a concept ... | 2020/05/03 | [
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