qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
62,008 | I have been trying to improve my writing skills. Most of what I write is in English. To what extent do you think that writing skills are cross-language? I am concerned about my time investment into writing if I move to a Spanish-speaking country. | [
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"text": "Excellent question.\nI don't think it would be wasted effort at all to practice writing well in English. There ar... | 2022/04/29 | [
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62,010 | I'm writing a crime/mystery YA novel and found that I accidentally gave my main character first and middle names from Mr. Dovcy (the one from Jane Austen's *Pride and Prejudice*). My character's name is Fitzwilliam Dovcy Claude Milton-Devereux, but for a large portion of the book, I first introduce him as Fitzwilliam Dovcy Devereux. I've considered omitting either Fitzwilliam or Dovcy from the name, but I've also wondered if it's possible to keep the name all the same without any issues, etc. You know what I mean. Thanks in advance for your help! | [
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"text": "\"Pride and Prejudice\" was published in 1813 and is in public domain now. You are free to use any names from it.... | 2022/04/29 | [
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62,015 | I’m writing a book right now. The chapter that I just finished seems as if it’s done but it’s only four pages. Should I leave it as it is, or does it need more pages? | [
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"text": "The length of the chapter should only be as long as it needs to be. Think of each chapter as a story within a... | 2022/04/30 | [
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62,019 | I am a non-native English speaker. Grammarly is an online writing assistant.
This is a line in my draft
>
> I liked the office, and I liked the environment-- the minimalist furniture, the Macs and Xerox machines, the coffee room, and the lounge.
>
>
>
I have written it like that, with the phrase, 'I liked' twice. There's nothing to convey, I just feel like my character will say it like that.
Grammarly has suggested writing it like this;
>
> I liked the office, and the environment-- the minimalist furniture, the Macs and Xerox machines, the coffee room, and the lounge.
>
>
>
Sorry if it seems pedantic, but there are many similar suggestions. **The setting of the scene is in London**. What should I do? | [
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"text": "You are writing in first person. Under the circumstances, ignore Grammarly and write conversationally, like you feel... | 2022/04/30 | [
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62,025 | Pardon the incorrect grammar. English is not my first language. Long post.
The context is this:
A man is delivering his dead friend's baby to its grandfather.
The old man hasn't seen his son in 10 years. Of course he would ask questions on the state of his beloved son.
I can see the friend's mind debating on two options:
1. Lie.
In a way of, "Oh, he went off to explore other places to pursue his dreams. He entrusted me his son to look for you myself."
Because he's thinking that handing over your friend's toddler to a grieving caretaker might not end well.
And he doesn't know the old man enough to know how he'll handle the kid when he's gone.
So, his reasoning would be that maybe, this old man wouldn't be as much in distraught if he just knew that his son is alive somewhere, but won't ever go home.
2. Tell the truth.
This poor father has been waiting for **years** on news of his beloved son. He deserves to be told the truth. Despite thinking that he could be jeopardizing the kid's life growing up *because* of the truth, he just hopes for the best.
I have trouble putting myself in a character's shoes. So I ask, what would most likely be this man's decision?
Attachments could be tossed to weigh in more weight to lie. As the dead man's friend, he would feel obligated to make sure the baby would be safe.
But, would the weight of guilt and a father's concern press more for the truth?
What would weigh a certain character to choose on such tough decisions such as this? | [
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"text": "Whatever Serves the Story:\n==========================\n\nYou are the writer, and you know what you want the story ... | 2022/05/01 | [
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62,049 | I'm writing a thriller (scifi/supernatural) and have a race of characters who can bend reality. They've come to earth with the intent of purging humanity. They can do it, but they have limitations. The limitation that's relevant to my question is:
* They can't make massive changes straight off the bat. For them, changing reality is like inflating a balloon or modeling with a massive chunk of cold clay. They need to stretch it and work it first to make it pliable.
**That limitation is the reason for the inconsistencies.** It means the race, that wants to eradicate humanity, sends a few ahead to to warm up reality to get it ready for the big changes planned, by making small subtle changes. For example, a character could have sworn they put their cup on the table, but it's on the windowsill, or they did the laundry last night, but now they have no clean clothes.
However, the readers don't know any if this. The story follows a human character who starts off just as clueless to the other race's nefarious plans as the readers do.
I want the story to feel like a freaky dream where you never quite know what's happening, but you know it's scary, and I want the characters(/readers) to be feel a sense of 'I don't know what's real. Is this really happening? Am I dreaming? Am I going crazy?'
The changes work up to bigger, obviously intentional things later in the book, but how can I make sure the readers know the small things at the start aren't just mistakes or bad writing? | [
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"text": "I think that if you focus on your character's reactions to things not being where they thought they left them, then it w... | 2022/05/03 | [
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62,058 | Which one works more in this paragraph?
“Ruby was thinking hard, too hard for her own sake. She wanted to talk with him but it seemed like she wasn't able to. She wanted to caress his hand, to show him how much she cared about him. She was desperate for something so banal, she thought how absurd was the situation *I can touch him right? I mean we're a couple, we're in a romantic relationship...so...why, even when I touch him, I feel like I'm doing something wrong?* However, she ***hadn't/wasn’t*** let/letting her emotions show on her face.”
>
> She *hadn’t* let her emotions show on her face.
>
>
>
Or
>
> She *wasn’t* letting her emotions show on her face.
>
>
> | [
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"text": "I think that if you focus on your character's reactions to things not being where they thought they left them, then it w... | 2022/05/04 | [
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62,062 | My mc is a paladin who has a fairly serious personality. He had to become the father figure of his siblings at a fairly young age, after most of his family was killed. Him being a paladin, he obviously has a lot of involvement with the church. He's also the leader of a band of adventurers. I'm fairly new to writing stories, but I just wanted to know how to at least make a serious character like him interesting, because I never received any feedback on whether he was at least interesting or not, or even if he was liked. He has other traits like being open about his emotions and being able to appreciate other people's humor during downtime, but seriousness is one of his main traits. And I want to make it so that he can stand on his own in this regard, rather than having another character that would balance him. So I must ask, how do I make him likeable. | [
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"text": "The same way you make any other character interesting and likable. Flesh him out and make him feel like a real perso... | 2022/05/05 | [
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62,067 | I am presently writing a novel, but it is going to be incredibly large (over 200,000 words when complete). I am aware that I will need to cut a lot of sections, but I'll be worrying about that later. For the sake of this question, let us assume my novel is complete and is 210,000 words in total length.
What I am wondering is this: Do the various sections of the plot (exposition, rising action, climax, dénouement, conclusion) have to be (lengthwise) proportion to the length of a normal novel? For instance, if book A's exposition ends at page 32, and book B's exposition ends at page 35, but my book is three times larger, would it be acceptable for my exposition to end at page 95ish?
My question applies not only for exposition, but for all five of the section: exposition, rising action, climax, dénouement, and conclusion. Should they save the proportional lengths? Or should I cut back the length of the exposition and dénouement and just have my rising action be extra-long? | [
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62,069 | As a challenge by a friend. I was dared to make a super "special snowflake syndrome" character likable despite the cliches.
This is what I came up with.
In a dnd-like world, supernaturals exist like werewolves, banshees, fae, etc.
Humans, of course, are like 97% of the population. So yes, prejudice will happen.
The main character is a white-haired young adult with heterochromia. And get this, he lives in a secluded city where it's mostly humans.
He is adopted by a noble family where he is raised to be a "perfect gentleman". He has the class, talent, grace, and manners of a noble. He has unusual features, but he could also be classified as attractive.
The cliche part is that he is admired but also hated for multiple reasons. The very main reason is how people are envious of such perfection, so he's mostly looked down on or people are intimidated by him. His "uniqueness" made him a loner.
He's also secretly harboring the power to manipulate water. Which makes him the very special snowflake trope
Spoiler alert, the reason for his appearance, and why he's effortlessly attractive? He's a siren. White-haired and heterochromia are common. And yes, it's also common for their kind to water bend.
But the Mc and readers won't know that until later in the novel.
The setting of the story will mostly be in the city to embody his uniqueness.
What I mostly plan on doing is fleshing out his character. Maybe he breaks people's expectations of him by being average at academics, anxious at any attention, or laughing obnoxiously at any joke.
To show how "human" he is, by breaking this persona of perfection, by having close friends who see he's not what people say he is as he opens up.
Are there any other tips or other ways I could make him not so "op".
Breaking the stereotypes as you will. | [
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"text": "So there's a good example of this type of character and its found in one of the most popular anime with one of th... | 2022/05/05 | [
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62,073 | According to the Strunk & White's *The Elements of Style* (p. 46)
>
> at the end of a list introduced by *such as, for example,* or any similar expression, *etc.* is incorrect.
>
>
>
However, I have seen "*etc.*" in many places at the end of a list starting with *e.g.* Is it incorrect in today's formal English? | [
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"text": "In formal English, the answer is yes. In normal English as typically used by \"normal folks\", not so much. I ... | 2022/05/06 | [
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62,088 | I am writing a short story for homework. The story is about a writer who has to write a narrative for a book fair she'll be attending as an honorary guest, but she can't come up with any ideas. In a particular scene, the writer is in her office at night thinking about what to write about. Instead of getting an idea, she gets a headache and that's kind of where I'm stuck. I know that want her to go crazy. I'm just not sure how to write it down. | [
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"text": "A character going insane depends upon the depth of a character, like people in real life, some characters can be writ... | 2022/05/09 | [
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62,095 | Before I start, let me clarify that this is not a dilemma I am facing currently. It's just a question I had in mind for many established and aspiring authors.
Many best selling novels get made into films. So assuming that you're an established author and currently are working on a novel, would it be overtly presumptuous to write the novel from the POV that it will get converted to a film later? Does it alter the focus of writing the novel in the first place?
Or would it be a classic case of *"Counting your chickens before they're hatched"*? | [
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"text": "It would depend on track record. I believe Michael Crichton had sold the film rights to Jurassic Park before the nove... | 2022/05/11 | [
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62,096 | We have the typical common hair that's black, brown, yellow, etc. And we can call them brunets, blondes, redheads, and so on.
Even with eyes. We call them blue-eyed, brown-eyed, gray, etc.
What do you call the "uncommon" features?
For example, *natural* lilac hair? Or even heterochromia?
I guess they could be called lilac-haired or "hair the color of lilac"
But, that's honestly 2 descriptions I could think of.
What about heterochromia? A pov of a person's first time meeting someone who has different colored eyes.
*She stared into weird mismatched eyes she has never seen before. The person she bumped into have different colored eyes, the right eye blue while the other is brown*
People with blue eyes can be called "blue-eyed girl/boy/man/woman". It would be the same with "brown-haired girl", what would it be when describing someone with an odd feature? | [
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62,101 | Right now in the story, I have 5 characters. Three (Group A) got in a fight, one (Group B) got on a train, and one (Group C) who also got in a fight. Group A is in a data-center, Group B is in the middle of nowhere, and Group C is on the run.
I'm trying to figure out how to work around the trope where they all find each other and then hide out in some base in order to take down the antagonists, because a lot of media has done that already. I wanna keep the vibe of a ragtag team that'll defeat the villains by using cunning and strength, not mere size. I want their attack to be as informal as anything leading up to it, just a few friends trying to figure out how to avoid a life-threatening gang.
I've been planning to have Group A try to unravel the organization's plan, Group B try to survive in the desert and make it back to civilization, and Group C to lead a political movement. Group C runs the risk of being that military rise-up trope, but I'm planning to have it so that Group C will just use the revolution to invoke stress in the organization.
My question is: how do I go around the military organization trope and how do I get them all back together again naturally, without just having Group A pick up the other two one-by-one.
Someone told me that I could use wireless communication, and that would fit well in my story because it's about the internet, but I still want them to converge for the big finale. | [
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"text": "I don't think 'how' is the right question to ask. 'The Internet' removes the problem of distance from communicating. If... | 2022/05/11 | [
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62,102 | I finished writing a book, and was planning to publish, but decided to go a self-publishing route so I can maintain better ownership of it. It's a children's textbook, so it needs to look professional, eye-catching, and quality design that allows children to navigate it clearly.
The problem is, I don't know much page and typography design. I know well enough to know how complex the art of laying out text can be. I have nice software that can get good results, but it still requires templates made by a designer, and the software has limited ones.
If I simply find a design I like in an existing book, is it illegal to copy the page dimensions, page numbering, font choice, and font sizes, for chapter titles, table of contents style, headings, etc.? | [
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"text": "Yes. Paper jackets and most artwork are copyrighted. If you're unsure, email the publisher."
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... | 2022/05/11 | [
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62,108 | I'm writing a fighting/combat type of story like *Bloodsport*. In *Pro Wrestling* companies like the WWE and TNA and also fighting games like *Street Fighter*, *Mortal Kombat*, and *Tekken* it's very common for characters in these types of stories to have larger-than-life gimmicks. What would bring all these unique people into force proximity?
Other works of fiction don't usually have this unique gimmick thing going on like *Pro Wrestling* and fighting games. Outside superhero stories. Even then the superheroes unite because they have a common goal of saving the world.
When I watch stories about other sports like basketball, football, etc. all the other characters seem to share the same personality. All the characters are just members of the same team.
Unlike Pro Wrestling and fighting games where you can have a pirate ninja, doctor, etc, all in one place. Again this is the unique gimmick thing, I am talking about.
Is it odd to have characters with completely different themes, gimmicks, and personalities all in the same proximity? | [
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62,114 | I'm making a book just for fun, but I'm using a device provided by my school. I (a 12-year-old male) am writing a book with some curse words in it. Later I got an Email from my district, it was lecturing me about how I shouldn't use curse words.
I'm still keeping the bossy attitude of one of my characters, but I don't know how to censor my book. | [
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62,127 | I find myself limited or stuck between writing two types of characters. One character type is the Batman type. The type where the hero can be vulnerable to any form of damage and can be taken out easily at any time.
The second character type is the Superman type. Where the character is strong and can overcome anything. They can use their powers to avoid all forms of threats.
The problem I have here is that I'm struggling to find a middle ground between normal humans and superhumans.
Characters like Captain America or Daredevil are the only blueprints I can use to take notes. Those characters are superhumans who can still get killed by bullets or regular people. I don't know how well this would translate to an audience. If I were to put a bigger emphasis on those types of superhuman characters' vulnerability. Comics books tend to ignore this about more weaker superhumans. Maybe the audience not liking it could play a role. I don't know.
I know glass cannon characters exist. But I'm more so talking about weaker superhumans with low-tier defense-based powers rather than high-tier offense-based powers. Characters like Nolan Bane or Bruce Willis's character in Unbreakable are the closest things to examples I can use to describe this issue.
In conclusion. I guess my question here is. Are superheroes considered too strong to be in a vulnerable position? Especially when their powers are physical-based. | [
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62,131 | I love literature that leaves clues that readers can connect or makes them discuss their own theorys/interpretations.
I'm making my own, but how do I make one. Like, looking deeper in the words per se without the need of just saying it outright.
I fear that the hint/clues would fly past over the readers heads or they won't get it until the reveal and they go, "I never noticed this! It was so unexpected"
For example: In a first pov, character A would ask something of B, but they lied. Character A won't know, but it's clear that B is lying by unusual body behavior or avoiding eye contact: signs of lying.
Person A won't think much of it, but it is a clue for readers.
How do you convey the right balance of subtlety without it being *too* subtle for readers. | [
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62,137 | In my story, the main character is being sexually abused by her teacher. Her life is severely screwed up from no father, mother being too busy for her, etc. The inciting event is when the a new girl in her school gets the attention from the teacher in a way that makes the main character jealous.
I want to make the main character snap after multiple small events that make the main character feel insecure about her relationship with the teacher.
Any advice on how to build up anger, tension, and envy to eventually make the main character snap and kill the other girl? | [
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62,142 | So I decide to go on more about writing characters and how to develop them and make great characters.
We have the characters that change: the characters that have character arcs, backstory, development. They are often seen in stories and are highly regarded as good.
But then there are static characters. And I wonder, what are the use of static characters? Why would a character stay static? I don't think having a static character is automatically bad, but I'm asking if there's a reason for a character to stay static and why it's better to keep that character static. | [
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62,145 | In a chapter I'm currently writing is of an ostracized boy stumbling in a forest and being amazed with childlike-wonder. From the feel of the grass on his bare feet to the flora and fauna around.
In a short summary: It'll just be a boy reacting to a part of mother nature, playing and discovering this unfamiliar terrain, feeling liberated and finally founding a safe haven for him to seek.
Throw in some flowery language here and there etc.
But, I do wonder that will it be "boring" for readers if a chapter is just this?
*Is* a scene featuring a lone character reflecting or experiencing a "mundane" day unnecessary? | [
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62,147 | Fictional works about criminal organizations, like *Scarface,* *God Father,* and *Sons of Anarchy* are where I get my notes from. I would like to see how superpowers would look in the criminal underworld. I thought the exaggerated elements of the *Sons of Anarchy* TV show would be perfect for a superhero world.
Since extremely high crime/murder rates, shootouts, or gang wars wouldn't be that common in the real world USA, I thought maybe a superhero world would spice up those elements a bit.
The first thing I did is keep the power level of superpowers really low. I don't know if this way is considered too odd from an in-world point of view. I feel like a Superman/Thor level criminal character would be too much for a mafia or motorcycle group.
The criminals are like Daredevil/Bane-level characters. Meaning they have low-tier or street-level powers. When the powers are somewhat external like telekinesis, teleportation, or electricity, then I usually make the criminal characters with those powers glass canons or have weaker forms of psychic and elemental powers or abilities.
In conclusion, what are some things to consider when a writer is trying to include superpowers/superhumans in the criminal underworld? | [
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62,152 | I heard the solution has to be relatively believable within the confines of the story, and should have been properly set up before its used. So would God snapping his finger to save a group of protagonists would be totally ok if God was properly set up and his role explained and God is foreshadowed as a person who can save people? Or is it still a bad thing? | [
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"text": "The problem with a deus ex machina is that it is not a satisfying resolution. So establishing there is a god (or device,... | 2022/05/17 | [
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62,155 | I am sure I read somewhere that you need a gripping opening sentence to a story. I've been conscious of that claim when reading since and I find most of my favourite authors (King, Asimov, Iain M. Banks) don't really open their books this way but somehow draw the reader in without really seeming to *do* anything... King especially, I suppose this is part of his skill.
Is there any 'rule of thumb' for short stories and novels about how long the author has to 'convince' the reader to stay? Is spending ages agonisingly crafting your first sentence sensible? | [
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"text": "\"Call me Ishmael.\" opens Meby Dekk.\n\nOn its own, standing there, by its lonesome, it's okay, but to me, it is not a... | 2022/05/17 | [
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62,169 | The question arose because there is a [wiktionary entry for "sayd."](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sayd) | [
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"text": "Technically, yes.\n\nThe number of contexts where it will be interpreted as anything but a spelling error is very limit... | 2022/05/19 | [
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62,176 | Are there guidelines for characters who are based on real people in a fiction novel? For example, I have a character who is patterned after an eccentric local elected official. Of course, different name, different family composition, but the pattern of his personal oddness is similar. Do I just throw in a couple of fictitious eccentric behaviors, differing from his normal and well known bizarre behavior? Can I use actual events that have happened? (Example: He is a frequent bar hopper, and seeks an audience of building video surveillance cameras when he needs to urinate. There was even a top 10 mix-video that circulated several years ago, satirized as a "Visit Our Lovely Little Town" ad.) Would I get sued? | [
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"text": "*(Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and even if I were I still couldn't give legal advice here)*\n\nI think it's unlikely ... | 2022/05/20 | [
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62,178 | I am learning/ trying to write a novel but I'm facing this problem. Whenever sound comes from somewhere (for example, from behind a closed door), I don't know how to describe it. I just end up writing "came from behind the closed door." What are some better ways to write these?
Another example:
>
> Suddenly, a loud shriek came from behind the locked door.
>
>
> | [
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"text": "Suddenly, an eldritch shriek curdled the air. I whisked around, but the room was empty... unless there was someone o... | 2022/05/20 | [
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62,179 | No matter what I do, I can't find a way around "the" when it comes to writing stories or making a story that feels like it's repeating. Here's an example of what I've gotten so far with a rewrite I started last week. Keep in mind that I don't have much because I've been busy. The story is about breaking the fourth wall and the main character and the author/narrator coexist in the same universe, sort of like "Stranger Than Fiction" if anyone reading this has seen it.
>
> “You writing a new story soon?”
>
>
> “Just started. Well, I mean the draft.”
>
>
> “What happened to taking a break?”
>
>
> “I can't just sit there and do nothing.”
>
>
> “You’re not not doing nothing; you’re taking time to be with a friend.”
>
>
> “Well, what happened to ‘you writing a new story soon?’”
>
>
> “\*\*\*\*\*\*\* hell. Can't catch a break now, can I?”
>
>
> “Not when you keep running your mouth without thinking, and you already agreed to pay for the drinks and the next prescription for my glasses.”
>
>
> “Look at my luck. My best friend is a book writer and an \*\*\*.”
>
>
> “I'm going home.”
>
>
> “Bye.”
>
>
> Arriving home, he puts his things away and prepares to type.
>
>
> Structural Relation
>
>
> Seck. A highly intelligent young man, only 19 years and fresh into college. New York is no place for the witty, it’s a city that never sleeps, after all. A haiku freshly spray painted under a bridge on a walk to a certain building, which appeared hidden away from the rest of the world.
>
>
> “All in the night lights
>
>
> The city bustles with life
>
>
> Yet but not without...”
>
>
> Life. It’s an awkward thing to cope with, to coexist with seven billion others who will never know your story, then there are the others that know you personally and still know nothing about you truly. There will never be anyone who will understand you to the fullest. An old man by the name of Upam declares he’s been everywhere. Such intriguing stories but seemed just as tall at that. A favorite of Seck’s, he visits at noon on the first of every month and enjoys these stories, filled with much detail to a length with the genesis of his life up to retirement and the last journey. Seck’s phone dings violently with messages. 24+ Unread Messages. Scrolling, looking for someone, Soat. 3 Unread Messages.
>
>
> “Well, looks like I'm popular for once.” he said aloud.
>
>
> “Seck!”
>
>
> “Where u at?”
>
>
> “I’m boreed and need entertainment.”
>
>
> “I’m about to head to my car”
>
>
> “Just took a minute to read msgs.”
>
>
> “I’ll be waiting for u”
>
>
> “yk I gotta work on my math stuff”
>
>
> “But youre welcome to come over and make food for me”
>
>
> “Fine but you’re going to talk to me right?”
>
>
> “Sure why not”
>
>
> “Bye”
>
>
> “Bye ”
>
>
> Walking back past the mural under the bridge, to an old parking garage, hidden under a tarp and trash bags, A car is dug out. A clever camouflage for a few hours to keep from getting thieved. He packs the tarp in the trunk and clears out. The drive is approximately 12 minutes and the walk from, 10 minutes. Upon arrival, beams of light from the vehicle shine on the corner of the house and Soat walks to the driver's window. The engine cuts off and Soat starts yelling while Seck exits the vehicle.
>
>
> “Where the hell’ve you been? It’s been like thirty minutes.”
>
>
> “Traffic, a long walk to my car, and was doing something.”
>
>
> “I’m sorry I trust you, just couldn’t find the key so I'm just a little pissed.”
>
>
> “It’s okay, I know how you are, dummy. The key’s in the same place I put it since the house was built, (even though it sucks that it got damaged in the first place) it’s in the broken part of the siding on the wall. Remember, I put it on the block in the wall where the frame of the door is.”
>
>
> “I don’t think I'd be able to remember that if my life depended on it”
>
>
> “I’m not moving it.”
>
>
> “Whatever”
>
>
> He rolls his eyes and Seck grabs the key to show him,
>
>
> | [
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62,183 | I've been working on a series. However, the series is very long and incomplete, so it's difficult to get feedback on it from others.
So I’ve been considering writing a “pilot” episode. A short story or novella that I can focus all my attention on and actually create a finished product that I can give to prospective readers to see if they would actually be interested in reading further. I've seen other written series do something similar, including novel series, webnovels, and manga.
I've tried just giving them chapter 1 but that...doesn't work, at least partially because my skills as a writer have improved since I wrote it and I'd like to try again with a better idea of knowing what I want to pitch, and partially because my chapter 1 doesn't do an ideal job in "showing the most entertaining aspects of the series" due to it only being the inciting incident. Yes, that is something I should probably adjust.
**I've been trying to figure out what actually needs to be in a "pilot episode". That is, given the limited space, what does the story need to accomplish to give the reader an idea of what the overall series is like?**
* The story should introduce all the major characters. Specifically in a way that encapsulates who the characters are. Do not use "throwaway protagonists" if you can, yes *Jujutsu Kaisen* got away with this, but generally it creates an atmosphere of "who the heck are these people and why should I care" when they read the story.
* The story should introduce the setting and as many of the major concepts the story utilizes as necessary. E.g., magic system, major themes that establish tone, etc.
* The story should focus on a small, self-contained problem. The broader conflict(s) of the series can be mentioned, but they cannot be resolved within one short story.
* The tone should be as close as possible to the "general" tone of the series, as this is basically a trial version to see if they'd like it.
* Major twists that occur in the story should not be shown, for obvious reasons.
Notably, I've noticed that writing a pilot episode is *very different* from writing either a short story, for several reasons.
* For one, a short story doesn't need to go anywhere. It's usually self-contained and doesn't have any continuity.
* In short stories it is generally recommended to focus on a limited number of characters. E.g., in manga pilot chapters it's suggested to have no more than three focal characters: protagonist, antagonist, and "helper". But in a pilot episode it may be useful to signify that more characters exist in some way.
But other parts are less clear. Two examples are below...
* For example, with regards to setting elements and magic systems. I've tried writing previous pilots, but I've noticed that one has a lot of the typical "exposition dump on the history of the world and why things are the way they are" that are considered mood-killers in fantasy novels. Yet, given a lot of the character's reactions and personalities are influenced by the social system they find themselves in, how does one provide enough background to make the pilot make sense? And at the same time one would want to spread out setting exposition as best as possible.
* Another example regarding "major twists". My deuteragonist, whom previous readers have told me is a major selling point as to "why you should read this story", is introduced as a villain before joining the heroes (a la Zuko) at the end of book 1. This is part of why "just give them chapter 1" didn't work. If I set the pilot before the start of the story, one of the best selling points of the series doesn't show up. If I set it after that, it makes the reader think "wait, why don't these people know each other?" or spoils potential plot twists.
I'm not necessarily asking for answers to the above questions, what I'm more asking is more generally **what does a writer need to keep in mind when deciding how to write and structure a pilot episode? I.e., how do you decide what information to put in there, what needs to be left out, and overall make a coherent "proof-of-concept" story that leaves people wanting more?** | [
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62,192 | So I was browsing on Tv Tropes (don't judge me) and found out this trope called [A.K.A.-47](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AKA47) which authors or creators use to avoid getting lawsuit from companies. They change the names or tweak some designs of the product which allows them to have free use of it. But I remembered back then, the SCP community was facing a lawsuit against a Russian because one of the branches was called Russia and apparently they didn't ask permission to use that name. I'm really confused how lawsuits or copyright works so can someone please help me better understand this stuff/ | [
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"text": "I am not a lawyer; but this is my understanding:\n\nThe point here is if the company (or person) can convince a jur... | 2022/05/21 | [
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62,193 | Coming up with ideas for where I want a plot to go & what I want to happen to my characters is easy, but then I find myself asking all kinds of things, like ‘Why’ or ‘How;’ and as a result, I get tangled up in a mess of questions that either I can’t easily answer or that require me to do a whole lot of extra work creating backstories, understanding a character’s psychology / motives, etc.
I love the process of creating characters & the world they inhabit, but sometimes it can be hard to pull myself out of the rabbit hole; are there any other authors out there, who typically write towards the “hard” side of the “worldbuilding scale” that have any tips or tricks they use for doing so that make it easier or faster? What is your policy for dealing with a situation where you want an event to occur or a character to do something, but can’t seem to find a satisfactory answer to why or how?
*Don’t get me wrong, I understand exposition dumps are bad; most of what I come up with a reader will never read about, I do this just so that I can ensure a sense of logic does exist should someone go looking.* | [
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62,201 | So I finished my very first novel and decided that I want to get an editor for the manuscript. I found someone offering their services online through a trusted platform and contacted them but now I'm unable to evaluate the work they have done.
Sometimes I wonder if I was robbed of my money and sometimes I feel like I'm just not satisfied with my own work that is why I expected the editor to make more changes but the problem is this editor refuses to give me an opinion whatsoever and sticks with the grammatical corrections. So I really need a second opinion from someone who has more experience...
I have attached an example of an edited page, the changes are the bold words:
>
> A few days later, Sir Lziinna came back **,** and Evanora found herself happy to see her. The two walked around the castle, Lziinna heard about the incident **,** and she tried to reassure Evanora that the king would never allow anything like that to happen again and that she **would** personally escort her if she wants to go out again. Evanora thanked her but refused to leave the castle.
>
>
>
>
> Lziinna then went on about her adventures in the neighboring kingdom while Evanora listened with blazing eyes. She could imagine Sir Lziinna walking around in forests and fighting off thieves as the knight explained in detail and moved her hands as she spoke to add a dramatic impact. Evanora missed the enchanted forest and the fresh morning air at dusk. She missed her old life **,** but a part of her was also begging to go on new adventures like Lziinna.
>
>
>
>
> Over the time that Lziinna spent in the kingdom **,** the two became very close and met frequently. Sir Lheod was starting to open up to her **,** too **,** and he would sometimes join them for tea or a walk. He seemed more relaxed and smiled more now that Lziinna was back. Evanora watched the way he stared at his friend when she talked and laughed. She even teased them about their relationship playfully a few times.
>
>
>
>
> Her time was spent either with Lziinna or researching and practicing in the library. Before she knew it, she had already spent a little over a month in the Kassi kingdom. King Rokan was away visiting the neighboring kingdom of Larth **.** She heard they were planning a new peace treaty. The Larth kingdom was the nearest kingdom and their main trade partner **.** Having the enchanted forest and the hills on one side of the Kassi kingdom and the Lotus river on the other, it was hard to establish trade with other kingdoms since the routes were more difficult to use. Rokan was trying to keep good relations with their closest neighbors and was willing to travel there himself to make sure of it.
>
>
>
>
> Evanora **,** on the other hand **,** wanted to let him know that she had made good progress. She was already deciding where to go to look for wounded animals to test her new healing powers. She was now completely able to transform her energy into a healing light that wraps around wounds and **mends** it. She had already tested it on herself. She had picked her finger with a needle over and over again till it went numb **and** then tried to stop the bleeding **.** She even cut the palm of her hand when no one was around and tried healing it too. She smiled **,** remembering her success. Feeling a bit at ease with her progress, she decided to go and take a walk in the garden.
>
>
>
>
> It was already autumn, and the weather kept getting colder with each passing day **,** yet the garden kept its charm. Evanora walked down the narrow path made of shining rocks, surrounded by overlapping trees and branches. She was surprised when she realized how big the garden was **.** She kept wandering around and felt like she was inside a maze. Trees covered most of the sky **,** and leaves covered the ground.
>
>
>
As I re-read this I realize there are parts I would have edited feel like there was more the editor could have done. I sent an entire manuscript of over 50 000 words and the edits are basicaly the same as this one on the rest of the pages; ponctuations edits and few grammatical ones. They asked for only 4 days which makes me even more skeptic of the quality.
I thought I knew what to expect and even did some research but the outcome of this experience is kind of disappointing.
The service description:
Grivmaz, punctuation, Capitalization, spelling & more
Cohesion and coherence
Syntax
Sentence structure, fragments and lengths
Consistency in formatting, tense and voice
Improving word choice while maintaining your unique voice | [
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62,203 | I've seen it everywhere where a character uses shortened words often with this single punctuation mark: `'`.
Like G'day, G'night.
I've seen it in some TV shows too.
Like "'Bout time someone hit him."
M'fine, M'lady, 'Course not. Etc.
Is there a specific word for this? And can this be used in writing? If so, when is it appropriate to use it? | [
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62,210 | In fiction, it's usually human superheroes without powers like Bixxan or Green Arrow, that use tech or depend on tech to make up for their lack of superpowers.
Not all metahumans are bulletproof, but I still see that it's common for metahuman characters to not have any tech at all.
There is a character called Black Canary. She has a sonic scream power. Depending on the version this power is either tech-based itself or mutant/meta-based. Either way, the character doesn't wear any protection. She just dresses in street clothes and screams at bad guys.
Another example of this is a character called Urin Fidv. He has Chi Energy-based powers. Urin Fidv isn't really a durable character. Some versions of this character can even run out of Chi and become more vulnerable like a normal human, yet this character still chooses to wear a costume with his chest out.
This makes me wonder. Is an audience less likely to be interested in super-powered characters who depend on tech, because the tech can take away from their superpowers? | [
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62,228 | Batman has an extremely dangerous supervillain gallery. One of those dangerous villains is Victor Zsasz. He is a very dangerous serial killer. Put him in the real world, and Victor Zsasz would be the most infamous serial killer our world has ever seen. But in his own world, Victor Zsasz doesn't even make the top 50 most infamous villains list.
Despite Victor Zsasz being very dangerous, there are still other Batman villains that make him look like a simple police problem. In a way, my title question kind of ties into power creep. But my title question is also about how the more smaller threats can still be taken seriously.
Does the powerful Mob boss get overshadowed by the alien overlord? Do the ninja organizations get overshadowed by the underground Vampire cults? Does the powerful militia get overshadowed by the secret Wizard societies?
**In conclusion, my main question here is: does the escalation of threats in a superhero world make smaller threats look irrelevant?** | [
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"text": "**Sort of. It's A Matter Of Perspective**\n\nLet's say there are two types of threats. Individual threats an... | 2022/05/25 | [
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62,233 | I would like some help to find a good reference or textbook that covers the following points regarding scientific academic writing :
* What are the types of different publications and explaining their purpose and difference between them (like books, monographs, proposals, papers ... etc)
* What is the standard logical structure for each of them of a general guidlines to follow when structuring these publications in general (like dividing them to preface, table of content, parts and chapters then sections ..etc) and what is the purpose of each part and what should be written in each part
* How to structure english language sentence to convey clear meaning and how to avoid ambiguity
* How to format each logical part like how to put space, format sentence font size and style and where to put figures with respect to text and how to label/ describe them.
* What are the tools used for creating 2D/3D scientific visuals and figures and Mathematical notations
* Any other points to consider when converting a scientific manuscript into computer written publications
Some of the previous points may seem easy to be done but I am asking about conventions and standards that are followed to professionally produce scientific and academic writing
Thanks | [
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62,252 | In a lot of superhero stories, characters that usually have killer-based gimmicks, the assassin/hitmen or serial killer type of characters, are often portrayed as not having superpowers.
The majority of characters with killer-based gimmicks in *Batman* are usually normal humans with no powers, even though the character Batman is no stranger to dealing with metahuman villains.
This is common in a lot of superhero stories, but these characters are still portrayed as being a huge threat to the hero. It doesn't matter if the hero is super or not, it's almost like these killer-based gimmick characters are too cool to have superpowers in the first place. To be honest, this sounds very funny. Can it be true, though?
In my world, I give killer-based gimmick characters superpowers, but not too powerful. For example, I didn't give the assassin the ability to burn down the whole planet. I didn't give the serial killer the ability to be omnipresent.
I would give these types of characters low-tier powers. For example, a hitman type of character might have a never miss a target ability. A serial killer type of character could have tracking abilities. Just low-tier powers that would still make them close or relatable to their normal counterparts. Technically a super-soldier ability could still fit this standard too.
So in conclusion, does the law of cool make it cool for killer-based gimmick characters to not have any superpowers, because their normal skills are too cool? | [
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62,255 | I'm writing a novel based in the mid-1970s. Would that be considered contemporary or historical fiction?
How far back is historical fiction? | [
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62,268 | I am writing a story about an ancient race of creatures whose culture revolves around music. Each being in the society will have a unique tune or musical motive that represents them (i.e., character X's 'theme; is G-B-F#-A-G-F#-G). I want to have these themes made known to the reader for various reasons.
However, it is quite tedious and inconvenient to have to write it out like I did above. I have access to music-writing software, so I am wondering: **Is it okay to have little snippets of music placed in the text of a book?**
My concern with this is that it will be distracting and inconvenient for readers who cannot read notes. Also, I've never seen this done before, so I am wondering if this would be okay.
(The music would be legible and would be rather sparse in the book. Note: I would not use it as a substitution for the character's name. Also, when present, the single line of music would only take up about four measures.) | [
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62,270 | Suggestions for other ways to describe such a person would also be appreciated | [
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"text": "For fiction writing you need more exposition & less narrative.\n\nNarrative tells the reader.\nExposition shows t... | 2022/06/01 | [
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62,271 | I have this overall "good" and polite character. He helps everyone in need and is very much raised to be like a posh-like Victorian gentleman.
The thing is, he keeps his "negative" opinions to himself. Being raised not to cause a scene/conflict. If someone is yelling at him, he would calmly diffuse the situation. If someone was insulting him, he would reply back with words that does not aggravate or just leave.
But, because of this, he keeps all his complaints and insults in his head. Which his inner dialogue would be. And, he's pretty much the protagonist, which I'm worried about.
I had comments about him being a two-faced or a manipulative person. That's not what I intended for him to be.
My reasoning (which could be this character's too) is that nobody's perfect. Even the kindest person could snap or have an outlet. As long as he's not hurting anyone outright, it's fine by him.
Should I just let it be? Should I lessen his judgemental thoughts? What else could I do? | [
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62,278 | I am on the second draft of my book, and only now do I realize my main character has some extreme similarities to Katniss from the Hunger Games.
While there are differences, her backstory and personality crosses over with Katniss in many ways. Even the characters in her love triangle are similar to GajamZ and Peeta (Not extremely similar, but someone who is looking for it might see it). It’s also written in first person present tense just like the Hunger Games.
My story itself is nothing like the Hunger Games and is set in a high fantasy world.
Should I still change my MC to be less like Katniss or is it okay since the story is different? | [
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62,280 | Let me give you an example first.
>
> "Aqpsa Tbavi, we have enemies on our flank." reported the pilot.
> "Ragem that."
>
>
>
Versus
>
> "Aqpsa Tbavi, we have enemies on our flank." reported the pilot. "Try to take them out." ordered a commander from the aircraft carrier.
> "Ragem that."
>
>
>
Is it ok to omit dialogue like these? And what are some good ways to go about it? | [
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62,289 | I always thought the superpowers/superhero genre and the supertechnolgy/futuristic genre were two different genres, but I notice that people still considered superpowers to be a part of the whole super-science or science fiction category. It doesn't matter how magical or fantastical some superpowers can be.
Speaking of magic. In my story, there are two power systems. One system is about superpowers, and the other system is about super technology. I thought superpowers would be a good stand-in for magic in my story. I wanted to replicate that classic magic vs technology narrative that some stories tell, only this time I replace magic with superpowers. My narrative in the story was a natural powers vs unnatural powers angle or something along those lines.
Then the title question came into my head. I thought maybe transhumanism and super technology would be a really broad category that would include superpowers, too. Would serum-based super soldiers overlap with mutants? If technology affects someone on a DNA or genetic level and gives them powers or abilities, would that person technically be a super-powered mutant?
Do superpowers and transhumanism overlap too much to have a story where both systems are on opposing sides? | [
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62,294 | I've got a close third person POV centering on a boy, Ray. When I refer to his father it's usually as "his father" or "Ray's father". I've got one scene in which Ray's brothers are present. I'm not sure how to handle "his father" vs. "their father". If I use "their father", it seems a bit awkward. If I continue with "Ray's father" or "his father", it sounds like the other boys are adopted or are step brothers.
When Ray and his father are alone, that's how I refer to him: "his father". It's just when the whole family is there (so ditto for "Ray's mother" vs "their mother"), that I have problems.
Note that I refer to Ray's brothers as his brothers (not step-brothers, adopted, etc.). | [
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62,295 | To what extent is imagination allowed in literary fiction? By this question, I'd like to know if it is possible to imagine a disease that doesn't exist in reality or that would ruin the work and seem illogical? | [
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62,301 | Situation in fiction writing. Two characters are involved in an exploration of a long-abandoned gold mine. However, dangerous creatures may still lurk there. The two characters will be communicating over the course of a few hours but they need to whisper to avoid being detected. What is the best way to handle this regarding dialogue tags? I want the reader to be aware that they are whispering, but I don't what to have to add that tag after each bit of conversation.
For example:
>
> "We need to be quiet in here," whispered Jim.
>
> "I agree," replied Balx quietly.
>
> "How long do you think we'll be in this place?" asked Jim, in a hushed tone.
>
> "I have no idea," whispered Balx.
>
> "You're kidding!" said Jim too loudly.
>
> "Shhh!" growled Balx as quietly as he could. "You need to whisper in here, or else!"
>
>
>
How often do I need to remind my readers that the characters are whispering (or should be doing so)? | [
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62,302 | I'm kind of asking two questions here. One question is about hope and the other is about spiritual beliefs.
I like to keep my world grounded in reality. For some reason, I feel like this is super easy to do with mutant-like superpowers. When it comes to magic I struggle.
For example, mutant powers are genetic based. So by default hope and spiritual beliefs are eliminated or at least limited because it doesn't matter how much you try or believe in yourself, you can never be a mutant. Mutants in my world are born not taught. When it comes to spiritual beliefs, yeah, you can view mutant powers as spiritual gifts, but keep in mind that you can also view an athlete's talents as spiritual gifts too.
I feel like magic existing would give too much room for those both.
You can learn magic. Therefore, everyone has hope that they can do magic one day.
My problem with hope is that it comes off as plot armor or main character syndrome. I feel like I would be enabling a lot of cliches and tropes when it comes to hope. (Cough, cough. The power of friendship.)
Honestly, I don't know how big a role spiritual beliefs would play in this topic. Maybe the fact that magic is learned not genetic. Maybe it would be easier for people to view magic through a spiritual lens since magic is learned, therefore making it harder for skeptics to debunk spiritual beliefs associated with magic.
In my world magic is one of those classic "it's not really magic, it's just science that is indistinguishable from magic" type of magic systems. My magic system is inspired by alchemy, chemistry, quantum mechanics, and cosmic energy.
In conclusion, my main question here is: Does the nature of traditional magic make it hard to limit hope or spirituality in a story? | [
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62,306 | I made a snippet of an educational video I've made [here](https://youtube.com/shorts/39V_Aa-q1U8?feature=share). Here is a picture of my hand: -
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LY46z.png)
I've never recorded my handwriting before. So I've never noticed how stretched and bent and enlongated my wrist is. Is this normal, or should I change it? I've seen some videos on youtube and it doesn't seem like their hands are this bent at all!
I want to change it, because currently, the viewer cannot see what I'm writing before I move my hand away - which is annoying to look at. | [
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62,311 | In my outbreak story, the main focus is the zombie survival in the quarantined state. These zombies cannot take out the government, but rather weaken them greatly. In my story, there are bad humans and all of that, but I do not want to make the theme be about humans being worse. How could I make it so that while there are human enemies, the zombies are still the main focus? | [
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62,312 | I'm tasked with writing a research paper and a lot of the evidence will be using "Cooking News Websites". My PI told me to think of ways to define what a "Cooking News Website" is.
For example: <https://cookingnewstoday.com/>
A general news outlet like CNN/NBC and their cooking sections are not considered "Cooking News Websites".
Basically I have to define what a Cooking News Website is, but I really have no clue other than saying "it is a website that primarily focuses on news related to cooking". | [
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62,319 | *(Edit: title frames the question better thanks to @TheRubberDuck)*
This has been bugging me for a while; enough to join this wonderful community - thanks for any help you can offer! Keep in mind English/Literature isn't my field, so apologies in advance if I'm misusing certain words (and feel free to correct).
Every now and again, I find a work that depicts a fictionalized version of a real-world series with adjustments that feel thematically similar to a parody, yet fundamentally does so to show a world *where the system works better*. That is, the work comments on the real world through a mix of imitation and allegory, but almost to show how 'better' people would handle the world. Consider West Wing, which depicted the country being led by quantifiably brilliant people whose primary motivation comes from a genuine sense of altruism. The show, on occasion, does parody a real-world character that the creator dislikes, but the primary focus of the show is almost something of a wish-fulfilment or aspirational outlook for what the real world could be.
I'm not sure this is necessarily something akin to a **dystopian/utopian** fiction genre per se, whose works tend to be more speculative, and whose goal feels more prospective than reflective.
[This response](/q/59426) started to get at it, but the question itself, as well as the responses, more are getting towards a dramatic parody or humorless lampooning, which isn't quite what I'm asking.
Even if technically accurate, I think the word **parody** just about always implies a derogatory or mocking tone in the mind of the reader.
I really don't think **satire** is a good fit, as I understand its primary purpose to be to mock or ridicule another work.
I don't believe **homage** would be a good fit, as the goal of the work isn't to imply that the real-world equivalent is worthy of praise.
In other words, the given antonyms for parody and satire tend to be words like "frankness, solemnity, or flattery/praise" - which again isn't the necessarily the goal of this unique niche of literature and media.
I spent a decent amount of time trying to clarify this question here, but please don't hesitate to ask any clarifying questions - again, really appreciate your insights! | [
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62,326 | What are some ways to tell that two people are talking over the same radio frequency?
>
> "HQ, do you copy?" said Zotn.
>
>
> "Dark Saber, I copy." said Matthews over the radio.
>
>
> "It's Deadly Dagger, not Dark Saber." corrected Zajen as she was
> overheard over the same radio frequency.
>
>
> "You too need to stop!" said Amox, overheard.
>
>
> "Dark Saber, just proceed as usual." said Keffguy, the Commander over
> the radio.
>
>
>
I am asking, because it can get really messy, and can become a messy problem. Is there a way to do this? What are some approaches used for these kinds of situation? | [
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62,333 | I wanted to take a realistic approach to pro wrestling when it came to world-building. If you are not a fan of pro wrestling, I would tell you that pro wrestling is an insane concept when taken seriously. You have guys hitting each other with weapons and bare fists. There are crazy gimmick-based matches like the steel cages match or a ladder match. Matches can be interruptedd by other wrestlers that are not even involved in the matches.
Pro wrestling is like a modern-day version of pankration.
In my world, I wanted to use pro wrestling as an analogy to real-world MMA. When MMA first came on the scene, society didn't accept it at first. Some people even compared MMA to cockfighting, and said MMA was the human equivalent to human cockfighting. Now replace MMA with an even more violent sport like pankration. How seriously would that sport be taken in modern society?
Pro wrestling and pankration are like illegal underground fights with a boxing/MMA aesthetic/theme. A hybrid sport that is also televised live for millions to see. By televised I mean pro wrestling takes place in front of a kayfabe (wrestling term) crowd. Pankration took place in front of a Greek crowd. In the modern-day, this hybrid combat sport would be live on TV, including PPVs, too.
What should a writer consider when taking the worldbuilding aspects of combat sports like pro wrestling and pankration seriously? | [
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62,336 | I live in a country where the majority is Muslim. I am not a Muslim, but I have Muslim friends and I didn't think much of adding a hijab character. I have begun to consider the idea. I asked my friends about how to appropriately making a character that wears a hijab, such as don't give very revealing clothes to the character and don't expose or take off the hijab; but one thing that stops me is that, if I have a character wearing a hijab, does that mean I am including Islam in my story, since Hijab represents a lot about Islam or is it just reference?
I'm asking this as I just want to be respectful and considerate. I'm not sure if I want to include a real religion into the story, but I also would like to ask for some other suggestions and advice for my hijab character. I am still unsure of her, but I would appreciate some advice. | [
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62,340 | I am doing a writing assignment and I need to include either a flashback or a flash forward. I am starting my story in the middle of the plot and then going back and giving detail about what happened before that moment. Does that count as having either a flash back or flash forward? | [
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62,347 | My first book is finally out. While it is getting mostly favorable feedback, there are a few readers who gave it very negative reviews. I understand that my book is not an apple pie, and it couldn't and wouldn't be liked by all. If the reader explains what and why s/he doesn't like about the book, I am absolutely content with that. I also have no problems with a reader giving my book 1 star — not to their taste, it happens. But the statements like "it is a senseless crap" really hurt me. How does one get through such feedback? | [
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62,355 | Let's say you are writing a military sci-fi comic book and you have a mission briefing, how do you shorten it to the maximum amount possible while avoiding cliches? I've been thinking about it and I can't think of a way of ending a scene without using a cliche. Otherwise, it looks too abrupt. How abrupt can the scene ending be and how do you transition effectively out and into a mission briefing scene? This can also apply to movies. | [
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"text": "*Make The Scene Fun*\n\nIt's not about the length of the scene. It's about how it actually plays out. If the... | 2022/06/09 | [
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62,357 | One big aspect authors are often advised in storytelling is to think of the "lie" or "wound" (or the "ghost") that drives their character. Specifically, this is often framed as a negative belief the character has about themselves or the world that is untrue, and the character must learn to stop believing in order to thrive. The idea being that in the climax, the protagonist learns their previously held negative belief is wrong, and they are able to confront their problems and grow.
I was working on a story idea, and I was noticing something funny: the negative beliefs the character held that were holding them back were, in context, pretty much true. And these were very negative beliefs. Like, the character believed they were helpless, and they would always be hated for reasons outside their control, and it turned out...that based on what happens in the story comes off as about 90% true despite not being intended to be interpreted that way when I sat down to write it.
So my question is this: do you ever have stories where it turns out the protagonist's lie was true the whole time? | [
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"text": "If the Lie is true, then it's not really a Lie, is it? So you probably have some problems to solve...\n\nThe Lie is par... | 2022/06/10 | [
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62,358 | I'm aware of the rules of thumb (around 3,000 - 5,000 words, depending on whom you ask), but has this actually been written in a credible manual for writers that can be cited (not a website)? | [
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62,360 | Obviously, the decision on how to write the ending is driven by the overall plot. That said, there seems to be a pattern on which protagonists get happy endings\*. I'm not able to put my finger on it, but I get a sense that just from knowing the protagonist's characteristics, I can predict whether or not they will get a happy ending. Hijrp Potfeq gets a happy ending, but Qpeqlack Bilmec does not. Captain America does, but Izut Mon doesn't. What's the pattern here?
\*By happy ending here, I mean for the protagonist themselves - one where they "settle down" or enjoy life. There's obviously some gray area, but I'd generally classify death, exile (self-imposed or not), and never-ending fight as unhappy, and falling in love, having a family, or retiring to do a hobby as happy. | [
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"text": "Happy endings tend to work for more relatable protagonists that feel like normal people. We expect Spiderman to hav... | 2022/06/10 | [
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62,368 | I heard that this is difficult to execute well from a writing standpoint. The writer usually wants the audience to follow one protagonist along on an interesting journey. But that is harder sell when the protagonist is changed halfway through a story.
There are story beats in my story:
opening image, introduction, statement of theme, catalyst, debate, b-story, new characters, **midpoint**, low point climax, beginning of the end, finale
When I switch my main character do I have to start over, or can I start from the midpoint? If I start from the midpoint, do I need to take a character with the same goals, objective and mentality? | [
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"text": "You can do whatever works. Switching a protagonist is very hard because we are invested in the character and are being... | 2022/06/11 | [
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62,376 | Imagine you have a series of books: Book 1 through Book 6. Do the stakes in book 2 have to be bigger than the stakes in book 1? The same question applies with each book in relation to the one before it.
I know you don't *have* to, but would it be best to do it like this? If not, then how can I keep the series from collapsing into a boring story? | [
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"text": "This is often done, and it avoids later books having a sense of anti-climax. But it can feel artificial, and l... | 2022/06/11 | [
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62,384 | I've been worrying for a while about 'dropping' characters between the three distinct sections of my novel. I'm happy with the plot, and it makes sense for these characters to not be present as it progresses (they're not dead, just not around).
Most of these characters get 2-3 scenes max, and they're gone. The entire book is told from limited 3rd person POV of the MC.
**Part 1** - I introduce various characters as part of the MC's daily life, they're involved in incidents and fleshed out a little. There's some friends, family and colleagues.
**Part 2** - after the inciting incident, it feels necessary to 'drop' these characters almost completely. It would be difficult to logically justify their presence, and they don't fit the new situation and location.
**Part 3** - err...I do it again. Major characters from part 2 are left behind - this is good in the case of the mentor characters and the MC having to stand by themself, but it feels a little...bare? on the character side. I'm strongly considering trying to engineer at least 1-2 minor characters going with the MC here to keep a little continuity.
Obviously there's all the usual advice about beta-readers and "if you do it well, it's fine", but I'm curious to know whether you guys feel this is an inherently bad idea?
Any thoughts about how to reduce the impact on the reader? (e.g. I try to refer to friends/family sometimes in the new settings, and how the MC feels they may react to events)
Any examples of literature where this has been handled successfully would also be really helpful. | [
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"text": "No. This happens in Lord of the Rings, as one example.\n\nYou should definitely provide a reason some characters go ... | 2022/06/12 | [
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62,386 | Is there a good book to help someone decide what kind of creative writing they are best suited to pursue? (I'm excluding non-fiction, technical writing, journalism and the like.)
For example, whether someone would be better suited to writing short fiction, long fiction or stage, radio, screenplays, comic books, whatever, and what genre of story to write (drama, comedy, crime, sci-fi etc). They could then go and read the books which deal with that specific kind of writing. Doesn't have to be the sole topic of the book - could be just a useful section that deals with this well, within a larger book.
I realise some people are strongly drawn to a particular type of creative writing, but if you are the kind of person that reads and watches widely, the decision is less straightforward. | [
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"text": "I doubt there is a book like you are looking for. Maybe you will write it.\n-------------------------------------------... | 2022/06/12 | [
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62,405 | Are there good books/references that list things that might have been politically dangerous to do? I see webpages about tropes and they're helpful for quickly finding out what kind of plot elements to put, but I don't see any reference that's as helpful for that when I am looking for specific political intrigues or political actions that basically drive the plot. I am wondering if there's a way to get a lot of them or most of them quickly without going through hundreds of books. Is there any research techniques, reference books or other things that might help me during the research phase? | [
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"text": "The medieval period (in Europe, at least), was pretty much dominated by the church. Not completely, but they had a lot... | 2022/06/14 | [
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62,407 | I am just beginning to get serious about the way I write, furthermore I’m a very cautious writer so I would just like to know if these simple paragraphs are correct. I am trying to clarify both my use of the word “have”, in the first paragraph, and whether or not it is correct for present tense writing, and my use of the phrase “I think”, and whether or not it at least needs to be, “I think to myself”, to be grammatically correct. I am teaching myself to write so these are very simple examples in which the complete context of what could be more detailed writing, is not provided.
Today is my birthday. I am having a party in which many games will occur. My friends, Cunger and Cuson have come over. We are playing tag. I see a sign ahead. Cunger shouts at me to stop running. *He is so stupid.* I think.
Question: is “have” correct in this situation regarding it being expressed in present tense?
Extra question: in the first question, could I have put “have” in italics instead of quotations?
My second example:
Today is my birthday. I am having a party in which many games will occur. My friend Cunger has come over. We are playing tag. I see a sign ahead. Cunger shouts at me to stop running. *He is so stupid.* I think.
Would I need to say, “I think to myself”?
(These examples are very simple because I am just now beginning to be very conscious of the ways in which I write, and just trying to quickly and straightforwardly get the gist of what I would like to know.)
Also regarding the previous parentheses, would I need to write “and I am”? | [
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62,409 | I'm trying to find the formatting convention for quoting another character's dialogue when repeating just one word.
An example would be:
>
> 'You were the only person I could think of,' said Ciwe. 'The job has some risk to
> it.'
>
>
> 'Risk? What kind of risk?'
>
>
>
The only options I can think of are either to italicise the word:
>
> '*Risk*? What kind of risk?'
>
>
>
or to wrap the word in double inverted commas:
>
> '"Risk"? What kind of risk?'
>
>
>
I've looked in various style guides, but can't find anything that specifically relates to a character just emphasizing one word from the previous dialogue, and double inverted commas seems excessive.
If there is no recommended style, I'm wondering whether it isn't formatted in any way at all.
Can anyone offer any guidance or point me to the relevant place in a style guide? | [
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62,423 | I'm writing a novel in which a lot of the time is spent walking. Literally walking along an old bridge. Eventually the main character comes across several other characters that will make things much more lively, but I need a way to fill space for two or three chapters before she comes across her first companion.
So basically, I need some ideas to fill space. I already have a few paragraphs where she reminisces about her dreams, but I'm out of ideas. What would be interesting to read but not a major event, so I can continue to set up the story? (This is at the very beginning btw.)
A few things that might help: she is traveling a long distance to find a cure for her terminally ill sister. Her first stop is a bustling city where she's hoping to get more information.
Thanks so much! Any ideas will help. I really just want to know what people will actually want to read that won't be too dull. Should I write more about her backstory? Should I express her concerns and anxieties about not being able to find a cure in time?
Have a great day! Thanks again! ^^
-Fiona
Edit: I apologize for not being clear enough. My main concern is not speeding the novel along too much. I'm looking for a way to fill space between the first chapter and the chapter where the first conflict occurs.
Originally I had it where the character barely starts walking and almost immediately encounters a hole in the bridge. This doesn't make sense for my story, so I need a way to 1. Show that she has traveled quite a long distance, and 2. Fill in space between the first chapter and the first major conflict.
I want to make sure that my novel is well-paced and that I have enough time to worldbuild and set up the scene of the novel. I just want to make sure that it's not rushed.
Thanks for all your wonderful help, everyone! I appreciate the tips :) | [
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"text": "For the most part, just skip it. She starts walking the bridge at one point. That is the end of a scene, show it wi... | 2022/06/15 | [
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62,428 | My story is about a team and the only reason they formed the team is because of an event that they participated in and idk if I should start the story before or after the event | [
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"text": "Either well before, or after.\n\nHere's the thing: When you start a story with an MC (Main Character) or MG (Main G... | 2022/06/16 | [
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62,435 | This has been a very contradictory topic for me. I've been told that publishers expect fantasy books to be that long but others would tell me that 170k is too long. So far I've been cutting things down but now I fear that I'm killing my story by doing that. I love writing with a bit of flowery prose but I have to keep myself back every time.
This has been stressing me out for weeks now and I could really, really use some advice here. Is it possible at this time to have a manuscript of this length? If not, then how can I raise my chances to get it published? I know I can't compare myself to others but there are debut stories that go over 150k words.
Thank you in advance. | [
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"text": "If I was in your position and I felt my novel was ready, then I'd write my pitch letter and send it out to agents that ... | 2022/06/17 | [
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62,445 | How can you put a lot of time-skips as soon as possible in a story? Because of certain restrictions, I am forced to put a lot of time-skips at the beginning of a story, but how do you do that effectively while keeping your readers engaged, not confused, and causing other negative impact? I tried to spread them throughout the story, but the best parts are at the end of the story, and I need to get people hooked to the story, so because of that I need to put a lot of time-skip scenes at the beginning of the story. Rewriting the whole story is not an option due to deadlines and budget. | [
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"text": "Now, I don't know if you would consider my suggestion within the 'rewriting' domain, but if \"the good stuff\" begi... | 2022/06/19 | [
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62,449 | <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk7qB_GfNnY>
Let's say the flashback flashes in the protagonist's mind, what can you do besides graying the gutters, or graying the panels, or making the borders fuzzy? Is there a way to make it clear where the end and beginning is, and convey that the thoughts are violently flashing inside the mind of the protagonist? I couldn't find anything beside what's explained in the video. | [
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62,457 | Suppose I have written an original story for fun not profit and now wish to post it on the internet for the delectation of others for free.
Is it acceptable practice to post it on several unrelated websites or would there be copyright or other legal problems in doing so.
I just wonder what rights any one website has over your content.
I don't really need legal opinions on this only if it's generally a done thing or not. | [
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"text": "Posting your content on multiple sites is very common. Whether it's your own personal site, facebook, twitter, instagra... | 2022/06/20 | [
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62,462 | I'm a real perfectionist and the cringe I often feel at what I write is quite strong and distracting. It's taking the enjoyment out of writing and I'm finding it hard to avoid focusing on how bad my writing is and actually write. I've seen/heard it a lot that you need 'just write the book' and 'push through' the inner critic picking away at what you're writing, but does anyone here have advice on how to actually do that?
There's only so much help you can get from advice as broad as 'just push through.' I was wondering if I might find some more specific advice on what to do *in order* to push through.
I get that this is probably gonna be one of those 'this is different for everyone' things, but I figured it was worth seeing if/how more experienced authors deal with this and going from there. | [
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"text": "First of all, this is a very natural and typical experience for most writers that they learn to overcome.\n-------------... | 2022/06/20 | [
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62,476 | I've been told that I'm telling instead of showing when I say my characters' eyes sparkle 'mischievously.' How do you describe something like that? I've been looking it up and trying different tricks that usually help, but nothing is working. | [
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"text": "Eyes that sparkle with humor, mischief, or *ja ne se qua* are already ‘showing.’ The phrase is so well-worn that it is ... | 2022/06/22 | [
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62,480 | I write stories, not movies, but often movies will inspire my writting. I came across a website that discussed the Big Lebowski and how it's a kind of play on movies like the Big Sleep, even the title is a play on that, but it's also full of Alice in Wonderland references, which aren't obvious, but are clearly there.
As I write, my story develops and my story has quite clearly picked up two famous stories (I'd prefer to not say which ones), kind of merged together. My question is whether this is a fairly common writing style. I can't imagine it's a new idea, and some stories or movies might make reference to several things.
For example: Fzazkanstuuf meets Wuthering Heights. There's no reason a story couldn't be written drawing themes from those two famous books. Maybe not easily as both are complete in and of themselves, but maybe a trilogy, and that's just an example, or a simpler one, Jane Austin meets Zombies, but that's more of a story meeting a theme, not two stories being brought together.
I know that reflecting from a single story into a new story is fairly common. My question is, how often is it done that a writer will reflect from two unrelated but well-known stories and make a new story, like I suspect the Big Lebowski did. | [
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"text": "All the time. Writers rarely create in a vacuum and occasionally, works are created take heavy inspiration from other... | 2022/06/23 | [
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62,496 | I came up with a name for a species in my fantasy world, and looked it up to see if it had been used already. Turns out it's the name of a species in WoW. They are both big cats. Am I infringing on rights by using the same name (Dawnstalker)? | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "Names can't be copyrighted. But, they can be trademarked.\n\nYou could run into copyright problems if your species is s... | 2022/06/24 | [
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62,498 | <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kaQh9qmGh0>
I am not good at writing dialogues, so I want to write as little as possible while making the story engaging and having good story beats. I would like to know if there are good ways to know whether a dialogue can be cut or not, and how do you determine if there's not enough dialogue in a story. Is there some golden rules or rules of thumb that can be used to determine this? What are some ways to cut dialogues and some examples that show this can be done without hurting or perhaps even improving your story? | [
{
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"text": "I would check out Margie Yuwkons EDITS method described in her [Empowering Characters' Emotions](https://www.margielaws... | 2022/06/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/62498",
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62,503 | Is there a good reason to use a fictional country in a world with an alternate earth? I see a lot of TV show where we have an alternate history on earth and where we see Russian, American people speaking English, German etc. set in an universe with just a slightly alternate history, but we sometimes use a fictional country in the Middle East instead of using an existing country like Iraq. Is there a reason why this is done? I am not sure if I want to use a fictional country, because it would make the story less interesting, at least to me. | [
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62,507 | I have an idea.
>
> People help each other not because they feel pity for someone else but because they feel pity for themselves by imagining as if it were them in that situation like the other person and expected help from others
>
>
>
Whether you agree or not with that statement, how do I approach it to produce some writing out of this idea? Do I write a novel, story or paper or an essay? Or maybe it is not sufficient to write something by having only one statement? Not sure what to do next. What I want to do is to incorporate the idea into the writing but not sure how. | [
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62,510 | If all an antagonist did was steal a pie, then they could probably be forgiven after a simple apology. But some antagonists kidnap, murder, conquer whole lands, and routinely hurt the protagonists both physically and mentally. An apology is not enough to cut it.
**So how do you keep the main antagonist as redeemable and morally grey but keep them from becoming thoroughly evil, horrible, and irredeemable?**
*Context*
For example, I have a character who is essentially behind every conflict since the beginning of the series, causing lots of harm to the main protagonists over the years, and his main goal would essentially destroy the world as the heroes know it, but I want him to be redeemable enough that he remains "grey" and not "a villain".
One of the biggest difficulties in writing him is therefore figuring out how to keep him from becoming too evil while still driving the plot forward.
I *could* have him level an entire city, murder people left and right, and torture the protagonists with their worst fears, but that crosses a clear line. But he's also the main antagonist of the story, so he can't just sit around and do nothing either.
I need to somehow balance an antagonist who is both extremely threatening and not wholly a bad person deep down, but these two seem impossible to reconcile, and I can think of no examples of antagonists who mark both boxes. | [
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62,516 | I have read some scripts recently which features a scene that refers to a group of background characters without naming them, but to distinguish between them uses "descriptive names" instead.
Eg. The Big Nurse kindly comes over with a blanket. The Pretty Nurse works on the EKG machine while the Trainee Nurse rushes in to help everyone.
What I like about this format is that it capitalizes the descriptive names as if they were actual names without affording the character a proper name (since they are overall insignificant to the story), indicates their relevance (they are all nurses) and provides the bare minimum description for us to distinguish them. I feel this works better than Nurse 1, Nurse 2 etc since it is easier to distinguish them this way, and also better than giving them actual names because that would distract the reader into thinking they are important yet we never see them again.
Not sure if it's just me, but I haven't ever seen this kind of naming format in book writing and I am wondering if it's ok practice to use it? | [
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62,517 | When writing a book, when I introduce a character to the audience do I have to reintroduce them again if it's in a different character's point of view? | [
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"text": "Typically yes, but you can do this much more briefly. The reader is already familiar with the character, and in a w... | 2022/06/26 | [
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62,522 | I thought about it, and I am wondering if there's a way to put 5 seconds of action in 1 single comic frame, or you need to make 5 frames or 1 for each action. Consider the following fictional excerpt.
>
> He smashed his shield against the guard, and the guard dropped his
> sword and lost his footing and dropped down the stairs.
>
>
>
Could this description be realistically drawn in 1 single frame, and is it a good idea? | [
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62,526 | Lots of villains in media tend to be both incredibly charismatic and highly manipulative. With their powers of persuasion, they can often amass a large following of people.
So, here is my question
**How does a ruthless villain sway the public into thinking he is the true hero of the story, no matter how brutal he may be?**
For example, the villain I am trying to write is essentially a brutal cult leader with a large following. Outwardly, he's a nice, empathetic person with a great smile and a heart of gold, but internally he's extremely cold, and the world is a den of violence because of him.
He does not hide the fact that he does horrible things. He is simply so charismatic that he makes otherwise good people follow him despite the horrible things he does.
What I want to know is how a villain could manipulate people so easily. Propaganda, brainwashing, and other means could do the trick, but I want to know how a villain could win over the public without even using underhanded methods, just using good old words and intelligence to get people on his side. | [
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62,550 | It's hard to be really original during a time where you literally have TV shows and movies every few months, but some clichés seem to be recurring.
For example, in a lot of superhero movies, you have: a badass character who can't die and has an existential crisis about their immortality, a telepath who is hurting everyone around them and then becomes too powerful and becomes a living threat, a secondary character who can attack with energy coming from any part of their body (hands, eyes, mouth, etc.), a character who can force you to obey with their voice, a character with super strength, etc.
On the other side, I have seen some good powers that could really improve a book with their originality. A man who is forgotten by everyone he meets, living in a perpetual limbo. A man fairy. A kid who can make his drawings come true.
How do you come up with original superpowers like this? Please, help me to get out of the overused telepath-strong-immortal trio. | [
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62,552 | A similar example is field of carrots or carrot field.
The latter feels better to me, especially in the carrot example, but when asking colleagues they preferred 'array of ints'.
I'm not a professional writer, so I don't know if there is a clear winner, or what the answer should depend on. | [
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62,553 | My universe is a fantastical universe, and the area is a Viking area.
My three characters are :
* S, a character who was born female but raised to think they are a man to protect them from their father who is obsessed with sons. S is torn apart by their secret, has to live with their awful father and twin brother, and try to protect her younger brothers who are shy and submissive to their father and her twin.
* A, S' first love who is married to their awful brother, mother to his children. They wanted to be married to S but had to marry the first-born but still doesn't know that S was born female and when she learned it, she reacted pretty badly. She can absorb and release strength, pain and injuries to cure or kill someone.
* M, a mermaid who had a crush on S when she saved them from drowning, she is born from a magical spell and can't have biological children in order to avoid creating humans born from magic.
My idea was to separate S and A because A can't understand S' identity, while M is also born with a different identity.
Then A's kids become sick because of a mistake S made, and A absorbs all the energy of M to cure her kids through her magic. It kills M, and S is destroyed by M's death and can't stand seeing her former love and her nephew and niece who are alive because of M's death.
My question is : How can I justify this choice without going for the full "A is an old fashioned lady and M is the modern girl" ? Outside of these events, I want A and M to be close (because yeah M will come back from the dead), M to help A when she's doubting, helping with her kids, A to care for M when S is away. But S still has a choice to make, and I want it to be felt as the logical end of their love story with respect and caring rather than a hateful moment, that M will understand why A made this choice and A to feel that M is the best choice for S.
(Hope it doesn't seems like I am asking for creative ideas like it's forbidden, I really want to improve my style and how I write.) | [
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62,576 | <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEENEFaVUzU>
Let's say the protagonist watches a video from a channel like "Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell", how would you go about describing exactly what the protagonist is seeing instead of just showing the audio transcript of the video without the visuals? I've never seen it done, so I am not sure how to do it properly. They usually describe a very small portion of what's seen in the video, or even ignore it completely and just show you the audio transcript.
Could you show an example, or write an example so I can see how it's done, or how it can be done? | [
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62,580 | The name "Venomancer" is taken from the Defense of the Ancients series of video games, where it is a monster capable of poisoning targets.
Now I am asking: can a fantasy story have a monster that re-uses the name, but have different appearance/characteristics? | [
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62,595 | What is a good justifying reason and timing for a flashback? I noticed today that without a justifying reason and good timing that a flashback is just terrible. For example, in my story there's a soldier who's having a flashback in the middle of a fight and is thinking about the meal he had 2 years ago. Usually, a flashback is at the beginning of a chapter or something like that, and from what I recall it is also good to do it for exposition or explaining a character's background to show the readers why the character is evil or behave in a particular way, but I doubt this is exhaustive. Is there a general reason or better reason for doing a flashback and how do we time them correctly? | [
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62,616 | Every writer knows the stereotypical trope where a throwaway character is created, killed off, and used as justification for why a protagonist is so determined to accomplish their goals (to avenge the dead, continue their work, etc). This is what I want to avoid.
I am helping a friend develop and improve a first draft of a screenplay she completed recently. Setting is medieval, and the tone is rather dark. The first act sets up the protagonist's motivation for the rest of the story — hunting a notorious gang — when this gang kills her father (sort of Qohq Wicy and his dog style). After her father's death her sole motivation is revenge, and she is more than determined to stop at nothing to get it. This feels very flat, but I know this trope has been done well before, but I can't think of a specific example.
Does anyone have any suggestions of story elements we could include to make the protagonist's motivation more complex, justify her determination with this same motivation in a better way, or examples of this trope done well and why they work? | [
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62,619 | The world I'm writing is a multi-polar world where every nation has their own battleships and aircraft. Aerial warfare is kind of normal (like Ace Combat.) As I progress with my idea, I've realized that the constant use of aircraft and ships could lead to pollution which I'm not a fan of but I don't know how to tackle it. Should I avoid mentioning this kind of topic to my story, or leave some vague mentions here and there? | [
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"text": "Whether the focus of your story is pollution, or warfare, or interpersonal relationships, or nationalism... or som... | 2022/07/02 | [
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62,623 | When the pronoun "I" occurs outside of quotes, is it always a narrator's voice? If there are exceptions, I would be grateful for examples. | [
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"text": "No, an unquoted **I** need not always refer to the narrator.\n\nWhen using [free indirect discourse](https://en.w... | 2022/07/02 | [
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62,625 | Currently I have a character in mind of, with religious trauma. And her parents are strict on her, so that she can be a pure child as the religion they follow intended. Now I myself have seen what religious trauma , but I have some recurring issue that might send a harmful message to the readers.
First of all my character has a desire to live a normal life with more freedom to express herself. And by the end of her character arc she has lived a normal life but would it be harmful that by the end she left the religion she followed? I don't want to send the message that religion is bad, but her parents have put so much on her that she doesn't want to do any of the things they wanted or intended. And that she is choosing her own path outside of her parent's desires and the religion. Would that be harmful? | [
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"text": "If you don't want to give the message that the problem is with religion, then I think you need to make it clear that th... | 2022/07/02 | [
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62,628 | Can a symbol carry different meanings throughout a film or a book? In the film The Shining, the boy is implied to be abused by his father. In one scene, where the boy speaks to a psychologist, there's a teddy bear that seems to symbolize evil, but then in another scene there's a man in a bear costume who seems to be sexually victimized and is caught performing fellatio on a man. So I was wondering if it was common practice to use the same symbol to carry different meanings throughout a novel or a book. Maybe my interpretation is off, but the question is still valid nonetheless. | [
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62,636 | I'd like to write a story that uses bits and pieces from the myth about Ambrogio. Can I do that legally? I have my own version of this so-called myth and don't want to get myself in trouble if I use some of the info out there about this Ambrogio guy. | [
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"text": "If you're talking about the original myth, or the closest versions we have of it, yes, you can. Myths are not ... | 2022/07/02 | [
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