qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
53,332 | I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series, the main character has two different eye colors and looks down on herself because she thinks she is ugly. If people who also have two different eye colors were to read my work, would that be considered offensive?
I also have the problem of another character i... | [
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"text": "As long as you play it right, it should be fine. Most people will be rather forgiving with this stuff, unless... | 2020/10/26 | [
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53,338 | I've finally started writing my romance novel. There's a scene in the novel where the girl (KumaZd) is sneaking in from her boyfriend's house. Her dad, however, was waiting for her. The scene goes something like this:
>
> But that's not what her dad cared about. This specifically was a video of her and him... kissing... | [
{
"answer_id": 53357,
"author": "Chris Sunami",
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"text": "‽\n\nQuestion mark + exclamation mark is a relatively common combination of punctuation marks, although usuall... | 2020/10/26 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53338",
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53,348 | I am having the main protagonist find their imaginary friend that they had previously forgotten. How would I make some flashbacks without making the plot too confusing or sounding choppy and forced? How would I go about this in such a way that the reader will understand what's going on, without boring them? What point ... | [
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"text": "If you want to do the flashbacks, make sure the reader knows that it is a flashback. I would do this with a l... | 2020/10/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53348",
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53,349 | Basically what I'm wondering here is if it's distracting or poor technique to switch the view point character to one of the bad guys just for a few pages or a very short scene in a novel.
I'm working on a novel length piece of fiction and there is a time when the protagonist is captured by the antagonist. What happens... | [
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"text": "I see no problem with this and have seen it a few times before. As long as you make it clear that this new PO... | 2020/10/27 | [
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53,363 | I'm writing a short story told in **first person** by a character who, an avid book lover, is much more likely to grow her vocabulary by way of ancient books than by talking to other people. Because of this, she tends to use **rare or even outdated words** when telling her story. This is an important part of her charac... | [
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"text": "I see no problem with this and have seen it a few times before. As long as you make it clear that this new PO... | 2020/10/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53363",
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53,366 | I like writing, particularly on topics of realism and general self-help. Some of my posts are opinion-based, and some are emotive pieces. My attempt at sharing my work in [Quora](https://www.quora.com/) and [Medium](https://medium.com/) has failed miserably. My posts do not get appreciated (most of the times, they are ... | [
{
"answer_id": 53367,
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"text": "If you are writing as a hobby you should not write for an audience but for your own entertainment. But of course y... | 2020/10/28 | [
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53,368 | Currently, I am working on a paper. While writing, I noticed a problem. I used the word 'that' 78 times and 'which' 68 times in 32 pages. Will using these words so frequently affect the quality of my paper? What could be done to improve it? I feel stuck now. I am afraid I won't score well. What can you suggest? | [
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"text": "If you are writing as a hobby you should not write for an audience but for your own entertainment. But of course y... | 2020/10/28 | [
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53,377 | I am a young author writing a fantasy series and I am at the halfway point in my first book. I am so excited and absolutely terrified to write at the same time. Is that a regular thing?
The scene I am about to write is literally the turning point for the rest of the series, where my characters go from not knowing what... | [
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"text": "Yes this is completely normal. You're making a pretty big decision for the rest of your story, and you're pro... | 2020/10/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53377",
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53,382 | When it comes to common writing advice, the *Hero's Quurnep* and *Show, don't Tell*, are the most common ones.
The second one is not only very wrong but also misleading. You can only tell, after all. Telling the right details to evoke the intended feelings in people is an entirely different approach. Also, remember th... | [
{
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"author": "Mary",
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"text": "The important thing is to remember that you are telling the story you are telling, not some abstract Hero's Quurnep. I... | 2020/10/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53382",
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53,391 | Been reading through my stories, and I've noticed that there's a lot of shooty-shooty-bang-bang where people fight each other, but not a whole lot of drama which I feel like I probably should add so that the story slows down a bit. I think one of the two reasons I didn't put any is because I'm pretty bad at it, and the... | [
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"text": "You could add in more descriptive language or foreshadowing to your story to slow down the plot a little. You could ... | 2020/10/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53391",
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53,392 | I am currently writing a novel where I mix the genre fantasy, sci-fi, and slice of life. My plan is to make the main character to save the sci-fi city using fantasy. And beyond that, I also use slice of life genre to mainly get some drama between the characters, but I also use it to show how the world looks like, and a... | [
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"text": "Magical techies with a healthy serving of life? Sounds like a good balance right there but you're worried abo... | 2020/10/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53392",
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53,397 | I know you can switch between the 3rd and 1st and vice versa but how from one character to another both using the 1st person. I know chapter breaks would help but I only want to make a small story (1.5-2 pages). Wouldn't it get confusing using 'I' to mean 2 possible characters? I don't want this either:
Character A: M... | [
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"text": "Just make sure that the reader knows who 'I' is. The Kane Chronicles does this well, but they use chapters whi... | 2020/10/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53397",
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53,402 | I've heard the same thing from almost every writer whenever I ask a question or read an answer, and that thing is : "Just keep writing. It doesn't matter what it will be, because you can edit it later." I know it's the real strategy of writing, I can feel it. But honestly, I'm tired of hearing it.
And whenever I tried... | [
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"text": "This is going to sound very odd, but I've found it surprisingly effective: Figure out whatever time of day you'... | 2020/10/29 | [
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53,418 | I am doing a Practical Assessment Task for high school, and we have to use citations. I have a problem however, after page four, I am unable to use citations. The button is greyed-out. Any ideas? | [
{
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"text": "Welcome to Writing!\n\nI had to do some software sleuthing, and according to [this forum post](https://answers.micr... | 2020/10/30 | [
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53,429 | I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my story, my MC is strong, resilient, and always needs to look perfect on the outside. This is her biggest flaw, not telling the other characters about her feelings, injuries, illnesses, fears, weakness, etc. because she feels the need to look like a leader. She hates fe... | [
{
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"text": "**The MC needs motivation greater than her tenacity**\n\nOnce you get down the main points, we have her impen... | 2020/10/30 | [
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53,432 | I am currently writing a novel which I noticed is based on ideas from many books that I have read. I noticed that what did I do is get an idea from a book, get another ideas from (many) other books, tear them apart and rearrange it carefully so that it looks different and new, and then put it all together into a whole ... | [
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"text": "If you break it down enough, every story is built up of other stories. Chances are, most parts from your stor... | 2020/10/30 | [
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53,442 | I am a 15 years old boy who likes to read/watch/play anything that has a good story in it - especially fantasy. Everytime I finished one, I always feel like that I want to make people feel 'that way' as well, just like how I feel.
Every night when I went to sleep, I'd like to think about the stories that I readed, to ... | [
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"text": "Well I think I can help you out a bit- especially since I'm 16 and also pretty fascinated by coding.\n\nI sta... | 2020/10/31 | [
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53,454 | I'm not sure if this is best suited for Writing SE, or perhaps one of the science SE's. In any case, feel free to move this if fitting.
I've been tasked with writing a 20-30 page paper on the history of physics from a mathematical perspective. That is, to discuss the way math has influenced physics, and physics has in... | [
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"text": "Well I think I can help you out a bit- especially since I'm 16 and also pretty fascinated by coding.\n\nI sta... | 2020/11/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53454",
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53,457 | I'm writing a bit of fiction and what i have is an uncomfortable character who is clearing his throat before speaking. Is it better to say so literally:
>
> Luuos cleared his throat. "I'm not sure."
>
>
>
Or, in a quest for compactness perhaps:
>
> "Ahem, I'm not sure."
>
>
>
Is there a preferred method, ar... | [
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"text": "I personally would use the first option, but either would work. I think that some readers would read the dial... | 2020/11/01 | [
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53,458 | Okay, so in my story, a character goes missing, however you never *actually* meet them. How can I get readers to like them even though they’re never even introduced to them? | [
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"text": "*Warning: This answer contains a link to TV Tropes. Please be careful accordingly, or you will fall into a vortex a... | 2020/11/02 | [
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53,466 | I'm a children's writer and have always used, "W-Who," to a the character being scared. An example would be "W-Who's there?"
Someone recently asked if it would be more appropriate to use "Who-Who's there?" For traditional publishing, would both work, or is more appropriate than the other?
I did look through 'similar qu... | [
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"text": "Personally I do not like the W-Who construct.\nThe Who-who who's there is not much better. Too many whos for my taste.\... | 2020/11/02 | [
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53,468 | In my novel, there are three character perspectives that switch off every chapter. What are the ways to lead from one character perspective to the next and what are variables I should consider when using them?
For example, I was thinking to overlap the chapters so one character relives one scene from the last chapter ... | [
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"text": "No. Just build off of what the other characters have seen from their point of view in your next chapter. For insta... | 2020/11/02 | [
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53,479 | This is a highly specific scenario for which I haven't been able to find a concrete answer.
When you write the contraction 'Tis (It is), should the apostrophe be an opening or closing apostrophe?
A lot of typefaces have a mirroring design for apostrophes where the opening one curls one one way and the closing one cur... | [
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"text": "So first of all, you are correct that there are multiple types of apostrophes. In some typefaces, and in Unicode/UT... | 2020/11/02 | [
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53,484 | I'm a new writer, have been working on a novel length piece of work for the past couple of years, and I have always been the kind of person to just "wing it" and see what happens. After completing yet another draft of this book and feeling terribly disappointed by it, I decided it was time to do some research on how to... | [
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"text": "Sounds like you have already have a decent start from your few drafts. From there, I would polish it up and a... | 2020/11/03 | [
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53,486 | I hope you can help me. Back in 2018 I had my short story published by a publishing house. He insisted that there was no need for a contract even if I asked for one. He tried to print my book but after some failed attempts(bad printing and cut) and two years of patience I asked him to stop the process. The publisher ag... | [
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"text": "You need to see an IP attorney.\n\nWho was the publishing house?\nTheir refusal for any sort of written agreement says ... | 2020/11/03 | [
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53,498 | I have been trying to write a good plot that's strong for my first novel. However, I have a feeling my plot isn't strong enough. As I began writing, I figured out that a lot of things were just dragging and the pacing was unearthly slow.
My plot is that a teenager is an immigrant from Ireland who will do whatever it t... | [
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53,501 | For writers who are self-publishing to Amazon (especially for a global or US & UK audience) is there a style guide for "international" English? Or must one commit fully to either an American or British style when editing?
So far, I've only found [The Elements of International English Style](https://www.thriftbooks.com... | [
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"text": "American style and UK style are different.\n\nThe so-called international standard used to be taught in Russia but late... | 2020/11/04 | [
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53,503 | I want to publish one book with about 1,200 pages. We are talking about a book for daily use
My requirements are:
* Print on demand (POD)
* paper of "bible" type (to avoid a book with a too thick spine)
* paper with good quality (for resist daily use)
* hardcover binding (for resist daily use)
* Online sales platform... | [
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"text": "Your only option for printing with bible paper would be to find a true book printer who can use that paper. PODs and so... | 2020/11/04 | [
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53,512 | So I've started writing a book. It's set in present time, but is going to be interwoven with flashbacks to a few years ago to explain how the character(s) got to this scenario in present time. I was going to choose either first or third person but something weird has happened as I've jumped into the writing. I keep wri... | [
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"text": "There's no reason you can't do this. I have an (unpublished) essay that follows a similar format which garnered... | 2020/11/04 | [
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53,529 | In my story, there are quite a lot of characters. It can be difficult for me to give them dialogue. For example, let's say that there are a five friends at a party. I would run into a habit of having only two of the characters speak. Is there a way I can distribute dialogue when there is a lot of characters? | [
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"text": "They need to have something to say. You can't force it.\n\nReaders don't want to read a lot of small talk.\n\nIf it doe... | 2020/11/05 | [
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53,533 | Is it okay to reference material from a previous paragraph, like as follows "In paragraph 3" or "In the introduction"? Or do I have reassert the idea, if so does it have to require a citation again? | [
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"text": "They need to have something to say. You can't force it.\n\nReaders don't want to read a lot of small talk.\n\nIf it doe... | 2020/11/06 | [
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53,539 | I'm currently working on what I hope to be a near final draft of my first ever novel. Something I've struggled with through this writing process is **developing a voice for my narrator as well as my characters.**
My novel is a third-person narration and because of this I'm having a hard time figuring out the voice tha... | [
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53,546 | I have a main character out of 3 main characters in a Historical Fiction book. His name is Darius. I have planned for him to die in a POW camp during WW1, this will happen near the end of the middle/beginning of the end. The other 2 characters are not present at the time of death. I do want the 2 characters to be sad, ... | [
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"text": "For point A; Darius needs to have finished up most of what you want him to do. maybe leave a few loose ends b... | 2020/11/06 | [
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53,550 | I currently don't work with a writing mentor, and was wondering if I should worry about covering the same things in multiple books on the same subject for self help. I'm basically going through the Catechism writing on a subject. | [
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"text": "Well, it depends on exactly how much information is being repeated in your other books. For the most part, ... | 2020/11/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53550",
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53,552 | Writing dialogue for my novel has proved to be more of a challenge than I anticipated. It all seems clunky and unnatural. Any tips for writing natural sounding dialogue? | [
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"text": "Natural sounding dialogue is a contradiction in terms. Well written dialog is more like the 'Best of Conversation' rath... | 2020/11/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53552",
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53,564 | Journeying is a central part of my novel. However, it gets really boring really quickly to describe them walking through the same landscape for a few weeks. I want to skip to the parts that are interesting to keep readers engaged, but I am afraid this will limit the sense of scale of that journey. It's difficult to fin... | [
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"text": "Just say that they walked for two weeks, but throw in a few interesting tidbits about the journey. The longer ... | 2020/11/08 | [
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53,568 | There is this one author technique that I find a bit cliche, which is matching the mood to the setting. This means that for example, when one character is upset, the skies are grey to match the mood of the character. I wanted to add this technique to my story, but I don't want it to seem too cliche. Every time a charac... | [
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"text": "Just **don't.**\n\nThe weather (or other elements of the setting) can have an effect on the characters, but the characte... | 2020/11/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53568",
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53,569 | I think that it is too simple just to use "my heart pounded." I prefer something a little bit more elaborated. What sentence can I use besides from "my heart pounded?" Maybe you can include your own paragraph, or borrow a paragraph from a published work. I plan to use these answers for inspiration in my own novel. | [
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"text": "Other than synonyms (e.g. *thump* instead of *pound* or *gallop* instead of *race*), you could also use compariso... | 2020/11/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53569",
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53,570 | Im a Mexican/American by the border of South Texas. I have a real story to tell from crime to redemption what publishing companies publish these type of books? | [
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"text": "What you’re writing would be termed a memoir. What you’ll find is that in general, for publishing a memoir at a... | 2020/11/08 | [
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53,577 | 1. In the example below, I would state the Conclusion just once, at the beginning. I pick the sentence under Section 5 because it's more detailed than the sentence under Section 1. I find the second conclusion in CREAC superfluous. Why not just do CREA?
2. Even if you need CREAC, and the second conclusion, to signal th... | [
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"text": "You've almost managed to answer yourself - you have a 'conclusion' at the beginning and a different conclusi... | 2020/11/09 | [
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53,588 | I have always struggled with writing dialogue between my characters in my historical fiction novel. So, when it is possible to avoid dialogue, I avoid it. In the scenario I am writing, I have 2 characters who are meeting each other for the first time. Obviously, I need to have some dialogue, as there is no other way to... | [
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"text": "Before you read this answer, do something first; I want to find that rule book that says no small talk, set it... | 2020/11/09 | [
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53,591 | I think in terms of action. Whenever I am imagining any scene I am about to write, I see it as a movie playing in my head which I then pen to paper.
So naturally, action scenes (like a fight, chase or escape) are more my wheelhouse. The rush of the moment, the setting, the actions of the characters, their interactions... | [
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"text": "I get that same problem too, although I tend to get past it a bit quicker. Here's a few ideas that might help... | 2020/11/09 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53591",
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53,606 | I have an idea to write a story. How can I apply copyright to it after it gets written? | [
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"text": "Ideas are cheap. There are two important things to be aware of: (1) you can't copyright an idea and (2) no one'... | 2020/11/10 | [
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53,618 | Does the term "writer's block" refer to the condition in which the author not having anything to write, or has the material but unable to put it in words in the way he wants; or both? | [
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"text": "I'm 90% sure it means the first one, where you sit down to write, touch the pencil to the paper, and then you... | 2020/11/11 | [
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53,622 | Is adding new ideas to a chapter after finishing it a bad habit? It's my first time writing a novella, and English is not my native language. Is it ok to edit my chapters many times to get a perfect draft? | [
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"text": "For your first question, it depends. If the idea you add expands on the chapter and makes the story better, t... | 2020/11/11 | [
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53,624 | I'm writing most of my book in third person omniscient, but I think it would be better if I put the last few chapters in first person, that way the readers can better understand what's happening at that moment. Would it be okay to do this, or should I keep a consistent narration throughout? | [
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"text": "You can do anything if you can get away with it, but a shift in point of view is always tricky, and one that large is ... | 2020/11/11 | [
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53,627 | I know [cacophony](https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=cacophony) means "harsh or unpleasant sound", but I don't know what “egalitarian documentation” means. I can see it's poly-syllabic and long Latinate words. But why's it cacophony?
>
> I.USE FEW LITERARY DEVICES
>
>
>
>
> A plain style is usually the best st... | [
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"text": "“Egalitarian documentation” is a mouthful!\n\nThe \"sensory dimension\" of the words would be how they feel in the mo... | 2020/11/12 | [
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53,636 | I'm writing a novel and in the opening chapter, one of the main characters finds herself traveling by foot through a very severe sandstorm. I used the character's feelings of choking/suffocating to inspire urgency and tension in the chapter. I made the character think she is going to die if she doesn't escape the sands... | [
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"selected": false,
"text": "I've never been in a sandstorm either, so I don't know exactly how it feels or what all the risks of being stuck in... | 2020/11/13 | [
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53,641 | First off, I'm sure someone will direct me to [this question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/21968/how-to-express-character-thoughts-in-the-third-person-without-using-dialogue), and I want to make it clear that my question is different. I find myself using a lot of questions in my writing to express my cha... | [
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"text": "It really depends on your narrative voice (i.e. who is telling the story to the reader). This is fine for Third Perso... | 2020/11/13 | [
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53,646 | Me and my friend are currently writing a Sci-fi novel. When we publish it, we want both of our names to be on the cover. Do I have to put our names in alphabetically, or some order? | [
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"text": "It's complicated\n----------------\n\nUsually, on novels, *names go in order of importance or popularity*. It's good... | 2020/11/14 | [
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53,661 | >
> ### God does not play roulette
>
>
> — Avboyn Uunstoin
>
>
>
There are cases that I feel like a change in the original quote would make it more rhythm, poetic, or reflect the spirit of the quote better. How should I approach this? Should I:
* just cite the author as if they actually said it?
* go lengthy wi... | [
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"text": "If you want to make it a quote, your only choice is to give the **exact words**. The only leeway lies in quotes from a ... | 2020/11/16 | [
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53,664 | I'm writing a book and I'd really love to include a person with they/them pronouns. However, the novel takes place in a sort of medieval style fantasy world, and I don't think anyone would have used they/them pronouns in that time period. Am I still able to use they/them or is there something else I should do that fits... | [
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"text": "How fantastic is this world? Is it basically historical fantasy (i.e. it's earth unless otherwise noted differently) ... | 2020/11/16 | [
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53,668 | I am currently writing a "time-travel" themed story that is more of a first-person perspective of all involved characters, and I want it to include the before and after reactions to the "time-travel" event.
So as an example, the reader gets a look at the perspective of the time-traveler, perhaps preparing for his jump... | [
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"answer_id": 53669,
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"text": "Two things you should know about time travel; 1- it's confusing sometimes. 2- its really really confusing the... | 2020/11/17 | [
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53,676 | Now that my memoir is published, I notice how there are multiple chapters beginning sharing the same page that the previous chapter ended on. I don't like how it looks at all. Looking at other author's published books I notice that their book's are not the same way as mine, with multiple chapters sharing pages. Should ... | [
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"selected": false,
"text": "Two things you should know about time travel; 1- it's confusing sometimes. 2- its really really confusing the... | 2020/11/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53676",
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53,685 | I'm currently writing a story in a fictional diary format. This is proving challenging in several ways, but right now, my focus lies on **trying not to give away any "big news" at the start of a diary entry**.
From personal experience, when I write something in a diary, the most relevant information tends to come firs... | [
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"text": "Two things you should know about time travel; 1- it's confusing sometimes. 2- its really really confusing the... | 2020/11/18 | [
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53,686 | I wanted to share my true story as if I were writing a fictional story. For example, the author Terry McMillan's novel called, "Disappearing Acts", wrote a fictional story shared with her many readers while I am sharing my story as if it were a fictional story. Because my story is true, I made sure that all names were ... | [
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"author": "Mary",
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"pm_score": 1,
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"text": "What you are writing is described as an [autobiographical novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobiographical_novel)... | 2020/11/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53686",
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53,688 | I'm a young author writing a realism-fantasy novel. My "antagonist" is this man who sends the protagonist away against his daughter's wishes(this is the climax of the story). He does it sort of for the safety of his family, but also does it for money. However, the "antagonist" isn't evil; he is just a broken and cruel ... | [
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"text": "An \"antagonist\" is just someone who gets in the way of the protagonist reaching their goals. Someone can be an \"a... | 2020/11/18 | [
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53,694 | I'm writing a fictional novel in English and I have a mythical character who speaks a combo of English-Tamazight (80% English). For those who don't know, it's the native language of all North African people who are called Amazigh. It's considered by many historians to be the source of all languages. We can still see it... | [
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"selected": true,
"text": "An \"antagonist\" is just someone who gets in the way of the protagonist reaching their goals. Someone can be an \"a... | 2020/11/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53694",
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53,706 | I know to write, it is just that I am behind on my school work. Should I be writing a book? | [
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"author": "Alexandrang",
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"text": "You absolutely can write a book even if you are behind school work! I started writing my own novel when I was a... | 2020/11/20 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53706",
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53,720 | >
> *I've asked this question using many platforms and tend to get conflicting answers. **However**, I believe the users of StackExchange will provide a trustworthy answer.*
>
>
>
In the example above, my instinct is to combine the two sentences into one sentence. Would that be grammatically correct? | [
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"text": "You could combine the two sentences, by writing:\n\n> \n> I've asked this question using many platforms and t... | 2020/11/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53720",
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53,732 | My current project requires a lot of translation work, where the main character is slowly piecing together a language. I'm assuming that the best way to show the foreign language is with italics. What is the best way to show the translation? I've been using single quotes but I'm not sure if that's right.
Example:
"... | [
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53,734 | An important aspect of my story is the **dread** of my villain. He is slowly built up throughout the story, with a bunch of characters here and there talking of the terror he inflicts upon the world. People call the MC crazy for going after him. The villain is described with fearsome characteristics, and they're compar... | [
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"author": "MarielS",
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "A villain doesn't have to be *physically* present to be \"present\" in the story. From the sound of it you introduc... | 2020/11/22 | [
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53,735 | Years ago I invented a name for a kingdom/country in my YA fantasy novel, which I am on the verge of self-publishing. At random, I discovered a self-published author had the same invented name for her kingdom; only the spelling differed by one letter.
I really don’t want to change my kingdom’s name, but I also don’t w... | [
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"text": "Copyright does not apply to single words or even phrases (including titles). The only *possible* issue here is ... | 2020/11/22 | [
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53,744 | I'm working on my first novel. As I was going through the initial chapters, I felt that the story is quite simple and predictable (in the initial chapters) and picks up after 14 chapters are over. The story is feels like a slow burn, but being a revenge story, I feel I'm taking too long to set up characters and further... | [
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"text": "**And when all seemed lost, laser unicorns flew down from the sky and obliterated the fifteenth regiment and ... | 2020/11/22 | [
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53,752 | I'm writing a sinister story for school and it has to be 500-1000 words. But I only have 414 words and I don't know what else to add.
This is how it looks so far. How can I expand this to meet the 500-word minimum?
>
> **What happened to her?**
>
>
> My darling Lableno,
>
>
> I write to you in an assured knowled... | [
{
"answer_id": 53753,
"author": "David Siegel",
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"text": "I note a number of terse forms and contractions. For example:\n\n> \n> Last couple of months I’ve been sufferi... | 2020/11/23 | [
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53,761 | Is it okay if a short story's chapter's length is 450 words? If so, could you also have a chapter with 1000 or more words in the same story? | [
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"text": "Well, a short story should be around 1,000 - 10,000 words total. Also, short stories usually don't have cha... | 2020/11/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53761",
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53,768 | I need to write a letter asking for permission to enter a facility to get my things, which I left during the pandemic. Does anyone know how to write a good letter asking for permission for something? | [
{
"answer_id": 53771,
"author": "Ceramicmrno0b",
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"text": "I have a few ideas that might help.\n\n1. Don't try any form of negotiation or bribery or blackmail, they won... | 2020/11/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53768",
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53,769 | I am writing a story that has clans, apprentices, warriors and stuff like that from Warriors by Erin Hunter, but it has different plot, characters, ex. Can I still write it and publish it?
I'm also writing about my characters in Zootopia can I write it and publish it as well? | [
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"text": "I have a few ideas that might help.\n\n1. Don't try any form of negotiation or bribery or blackmail, they won... | 2020/11/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53769",
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53,777 | I wrote a story that I intended to be a one shot with three main characters, mainly to play around with a certain object within a world that suited it. When I was about where everyone was supposed to die, I realized that one of the characters had something I had a hard time writing; a personality. With a few quick adju... | [
{
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"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "Throw it all away and start over with those characters in a new situation.\n\nThis time, try planning first instead of ... | 2020/11/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53777",
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53,784 | I have a book that is nearing completion. Because the current circumstances might increase interest in the book and also the Christmas sale is coming, I would like if it would be a good idea to self-publish it now (e.g. on Amazon Kindle) and later send a *changed* version of the book to a traditional publishing house?
... | [
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"text": "I have no idea. BUT here is what I would think you could get away with.\n\nI would go ahead and make sure you... | 2020/11/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53784",
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53,792 | So I'm writing an "enemies to lovers" book. My two many characters have hated each other for 7 years, they make a dare to see who can hook up with the most people by New Years. Slowly they fall in love, and on New Years Eve he kisses her and she kisses him back. However, the girl's best friend is helplessly in love wit... | [
{
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"author": "DWKraus",
"author_id": 46563,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "***Make it Painful and awkward:***\n\nCheesy and out-of-place is stock for nice outcomes and happy endings. So if t... | 2020/11/26 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53792",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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53,793 | When debating with someone about how to write eloquently, I argued that one needs to learn grammatical structures so that grammar comes easily when writing, but he said that one should focus on content. But I think that no matter how much content you generate, you still need to have a large grammatical repertoire, so t... | [
{
"answer_id": 53797,
"author": "JonStonecash",
"author_id": 23701,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23701",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "The not-so-simple answer is both.\n\nThe key to answering this completely is to identify the audience to which... | 2020/11/26 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53793",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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53,795 | The character Lee in Steinbeck's *East of Eden* is a Chinese-American who speaks in pidgin — until he [explains to his boss, in *very* articulate English](https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/east-of-eden/lee), that he does so for reasons of his own.
In my Gold Rush story, the protagonist employs a Chinese m... | [
{
"answer_id": 53796,
"author": "Robyn",
"author_id": 30144,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/30144",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "I suggest having the narrator, and the reader, know almost immediately that he is playing this game, even if the prota... | 2020/11/26 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53795",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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53,804 | Today I am asking for something I've been stumped on: what is the "key" to an alien culture? Allow me to explain:
I am currently writing a novel about a stuck-up, prejudiced, bratty girl in the 80s who comes in contact with a literal alien. The alien apparently lives on the moon. However, it was somehow forced down he... | [
{
"answer_id": 53805,
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"author_id": 47279,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "Ok. This might actually be a problem for you. I'm not going to lie. Making a completely alien culture is g... | 2020/11/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53804",
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53,813 | I am new to writing and this is my first story. I want to make my story believable and was wondering if one book is long enough to make my character fall head-over-heels for someone. She has known the love interest for quite some time but didn't think much of him because she was in a relationship with someone else. She... | [
{
"answer_id": 53816,
"author": "ArtickokeAndAnchovyPizzaMonica",
"author_id": 44041,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It depends really. If this a book that takes place over a couple of days then it may not be ... | 2020/11/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53813",
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53,817 | I'm currently writing a realism fantasy novel targeted for a 9-12 age group. Since it became so long(the first draft turned out to be at least 90,000 words), I figured it would be best to split the book up into a series. Now after finishing the first book of the series, it somehow managed to be 70,000-80,000 words. Doi... | [
{
"answer_id": 53823,
"author": "S. Mitchell",
"author_id": 13409,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "It's not too long if it's good enough. I had a look on my shelf and I can see a couple of the Skullduggery Plea... | 2020/11/28 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53817",
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53,821 | First off, my question is not [this question.](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/31410/what-would-you-call-non-human-people) I am asking about a creature resembling a human and not a bug. Also, I put this question on World-Building SE and it was recommended I post it here, but if the question is still off-top... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "***Hey folks:***\n----------------\n\nI believe traditionally faeries were collectively referred to as \"folk.\" Co... | 2020/11/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53821",
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53,826 | The question says it all, but the only results I'm getting are battlefield scenarios that wouldn't translate well into the themes of my own story--which is more about escape, scheming, tactics, strategies, betrayal, the battle of the wits, over battle formations, bombs, and etc. Death can play a part in this kind of st... | [
{
"answer_id": 53830,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "You need to really understand the situation and your character to do this. I would first recommend reading th... | 2020/11/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53826",
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53,832 | So I’m currently writing a story where my character has emotion-based powers. When she is angry or scared she can do pretty powerful things, but they leave her completely weak and worn-out.
I’m not a very experienced writer, so I was wondering how exactly I could write her as weak and exhausted? In the part I'm writin... | [
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"selected": false,
"text": "You need to really understand the situation and your character to do this. I would first recommend reading th... | 2020/11/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53832",
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53,835 | Since I took up writing as a hobby, I've learnt that it's recommended to only use "say" and "ask" as dialogue tags, and to skip even these if the attribution can be supplied in another way. I realize that the abundancy of synonyms I used in previous texts is way over the top, and I'm working hard on toning it down. How... | [
{
"answer_id": 53837,
"author": "AnnWriter19",
"author_id": 46701,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "There are plenty of options out there. Here are just a few--\n\n**Action**\n\nLike you showed above, you can do... | 2020/11/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53835",
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53,836 | I have two characters in mind, both share many traits.
One of them is a side character (E) and one is a supporting (Z), but I'm wondering if I should mesh them together into Z.
E only appears in two scenes but is mentioned other times. Z is in a lot more scenes (I couldn't tell you how many), so to me, it makes sense... | [
{
"answer_id": 53856,
"author": "Chris Sunami",
"author_id": 10479,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "In general, **if you can combine characters, you should** --in my opinion. A story with a smaller cast is not ... | 2020/11/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53836",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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53,838 | I'm in my final stages of editing before I send my manuscript to beta readers. I'm wondering how I should format chapter titles. Do I put them as a header, or as a slightly larger, bolder font?
(This is the first thing I am sending out to beta readers, so I have never done this before and I don't know if there is a st... | [
{
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"author_id": 10479,
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"selected": false,
"text": "In general, **if you can combine characters, you should** --in my opinion. A story with a smaller cast is not ... | 2020/11/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53838",
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53,849 | I am a young author writing a fantasy series. When I was looking over my manuscript, I realized that in chapter seven I’d added a character named Autumn. She’s a tiny fairy who rides around on the MCs shoulder. She can’t actually talk though, because in my fantasy world fairies cannot be heard, similar to the fairies i... | [
{
"answer_id": 53850,
"author": "DWKraus",
"author_id": 46563,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/46563",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "**Subtlety is Key...**\n\nThis is entirely your call. Clean writing says eliminate anything that doesn't add to the... | 2020/11/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53849",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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53,860 | I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series, I have five main characters. Camryn, Dylan, Willow, Cuson, and Horah.
In the first book the main character of the six and the first person narrator (Camryn) went through extremely hard decisions,(that could get thousands of people killed) came to terms with t... | [
{
"answer_id": 53862,
"author": "Chris Sunami",
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"selected": false,
"text": "Unless your first book is published, it isn't too late to make changes to it. I think it's a great twist for t... | 2020/11/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53860",
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53,867 | Consider, for example, that the following sentence is from an external source and that I desire to quote it in my own work (please pay attention to the structure of the sentence, not its ambiguous or odd content):
>
> A and B originate from X in a peculiar way and nobody regards them as Y.
>
>
>
In light of the r... | [
{
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"text": "That is not a quote.\nYou can rephrase it that way but do not use the quote marks.\nJust say: A originates from X in a... | 2020/12/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53867",
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53,874 | I'm writing a short story in which my protagonist is a little boy. An unexpected event happens and makes his life upside down which is blindness. This latter causes him depression and now I don't know how to make him get rid of this depression.
How can my young protagonist overcome this depression due to their sudden ... | [
{
"answer_id": 53875,
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"text": "A good question this is, you just have to know how to empathize! As I was reading I could already tell, me... | 2020/12/01 | [
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53,881 | About a month ago, I stumbled upon a website that claims to pay writers fairly and transparently out of advertising revenue. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the site, and after trawling through my internet history and various Google searches, I cannot find it again.
They had a distinctive yellow webs... | [
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"text": "A good question this is, you just have to know how to empathize! As I was reading I could already tell, me... | 2020/12/02 | [
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53,884 | Let me explain.
My book is about a little boy directed by a "wolf" to burn his farm's sheep. Consequently, it burns on the grass and his house, making him kill or seriously injure most of his family. The facility takes him afterward. It's actually a place to raise children in an animal environment who were previously ... | [
{
"answer_id": 53890,
"author": "Chris Sunami",
"author_id": 10479,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "**No mainstream publisher would publish this as a picture book**, because this is not a book that parents woul... | 2020/12/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53884",
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53,885 | I write song lyrics for fun and I always add simple music so the song can be performed.
About 40% of my songs are in 3/4 (6/8) signature which is kind of unusual in the big picture.
It's just that lyrics coming to me already feel 3/4 and I'm unable to force them to be 4/4.
I feel like I'm getting kind of boring with 3... | [
{
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"selected": true,
"text": "Personally, I love songs in 3/4, they tend to be more rare in the bigger picture. But yes, there are several wa... | 2020/12/02 | [
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53,886 | Is this an acceptable introductory paragraph to a fictional character's memoir? I'm not sure if the first sentence should be in quotations or have its own line and be italicized..
How often do you get the chance to find your dream in life? This is what I was thinking when the rotten smell crawled into my nose inside t... | [
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"selected": true,
"text": "Personally, I love songs in 3/4, they tend to be more rare in the bigger picture. But yes, there are several wa... | 2020/12/02 | [
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53,893 | I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series I have six main characters. If you have read my most previous question, I explained that I have six main characters and want each book to put a different character’s loyalty/strength/will/courage/skills to the test.
I finished the first book, and now I’m worki... | [
{
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"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/46506",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I can see why this would be annoying to some readers, but as with all writing its fine if you do it right. In... | 2020/12/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53893",
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53,901 | Writing low-quality novels on my spare time is my hobby and I'm currently "working" on one where the story about a country with an ongoing civil war. I'd like to alternate between different narrators (a teacher, a farmer whose village was burned to the ground, a soldier and a high-ranking officer) to show a variety of ... | [
{
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"author": "Ceramicmrno0b",
"author_id": 46506,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I can see why this would be annoying to some readers, but as with all writing its fine if you do it right. In... | 2020/12/03 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53901",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39759/"
] |
53,904 | >
> Entering the park, a slight breeze rustles the leaves making them fall to the ground one by one. It was a small park with a jungly gym, a couple of tables and a few benches for people to sit in every corner and jogging tracks were all around the edges.
>
>
> Then I saw two tall figures.
>
>
>
---
She can on... | [
{
"answer_id": 53908,
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"author_id": 46506,
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"selected": false,
"text": "**Write a picture.**\n\nSure it doesn't make much sense, but that's what you need to do. Write what you see i... | 2020/12/03 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53904",
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53,905 | For instance, the author that is commentating on the primary source is named Fistad.
The primary source is Panpe's Inferno. I want to make reference to the primary source that Fistad is addressing in the in-text citation but I also want to reference Fistad.
In APA format, should the sentence look like this:
Fistad (... | [
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"text": "**Write a picture.**\n\nSure it doesn't make much sense, but that's what you need to do. Write what you see i... | 2020/12/03 | [
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53,927 | I am a young author writing a fantasy series. When I was writing the first book, it was easy and words literally flew onto the page. Now that I’m starting the second book (even though I know what it’s about) it’s a *lot* harder. Its like my writing’s constipated or something. I just can’t get the words out.
It’s not w... | [
{
"answer_id": 53928,
"author": "Alexandrang",
"author_id": 47474,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/47474",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Starting a book can be extremely difficult. So yes, it is very normal.\n\nSome books are just easier to start, ... | 2020/12/04 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53927",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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53,930 | I’m a young author writing a fantasy series. I decided to try writing the ending first because I was having trouble writing the first part. In my second book, they’re supposed to lose, and this guy’s girlfriend is killed after he’d betrayed everyone he knew trying to save her. The bad guy escapes after he kills the gir... | [
{
"answer_id": 53932,
"author": "DWKraus",
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"text": "**Go for it:**\n\nWhy not? People love a happy ending, but you can give them that in book 3. *The Empire Strikes Ba... | 2020/12/05 | [
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53,938 | I'm looking for another way to say, “I looked around, until my eyes landed on a man.” I’m sick of the sentence “I looked around”, but it’s important that she does since she wakes up in an unfamiliar place. | [
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"author": "Llewellyn",
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"text": "Instead of saying that your character is looking somewhere, you could use the opportunity to describe the situati... | 2020/12/06 | [
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53,945 | I wrote the first chapter for one of my stories in which I have a character who went through a bunch of training for a secret government organization and ended up an emotionless killing machine. Only problem is, I keep finding out that I'm not keeping him emotionless.
In the beginning of the 2nd chapter I'm sending hi... | [
{
"answer_id": 53946,
"author": "Kate Gregory",
"author_id": 15601,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "You need to give the character a reason for what he does other than acting on emotion. So if he saves someone, ... | 2020/12/06 | [
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53,947 | I'm trying to write a long dialog with multiple exchanges between characters. How can I keep it clear which character is speaking without filling the story without repeating 'he said/she said'. Repeating 'he said/she said' a zillion times just seems distracting.
I was thinking that I should to left justify the first c... | [
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"answer_id": 53948,
"author": "Hello.There",
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"selected": false,
"text": "Make sure the characters have their own voices. You can throw in accents, slang, formality, whatever. If they a... | 2020/12/06 | [
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53,950 | In the book I am writing, I have ran into a small problem. One character is retelling an event to a different character, but It's a somewhat longer explanation than I thought it would be. I'm happy with the actual content of the explanation, but looking at it, I see that it takes up quite a bit of space (350 word count... | [
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"selected": true,
"text": "**Simple Descriptions:**\n------------------------\n\nSo you have a person giving this long quote. Continuous talkin... | 2020/12/07 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/53950",
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