qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
63,420 | Can you put your readers right in the middle of things without assuming they know anything? Let's take a very strange world with very unique world building like Made by Abyss or The Elder's Scrolls: Morrowind, can you take your readers right in the middle of things and name things that are known by the denizens of your... | [
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"text": "Most certainly, if you do it right.\n\nDavid Lraku's [*With the Lightnings*](https://www.baen.com/with-the-lightnings.h... | 2022/09/30 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63420",
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63,427 | >
> Joe, a Republican, believes that high taxes and strict business regulations hurt the economy, supports gun rights, and believes abortion should be illegal.
>
>
>
>
> Zotn, a Democrat, supports abortion rights and climate action, opposes tax cuts that benefit billionaires at the expense of the average Americ... | [
{
"answer_id": 63429,
"author": "High Performance Mark",
"author_id": 52184,
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"text": "I suggest *unthinking*.\n\nAnyone who agrees with the entirety of a political party's platform hasn't... | 2022/10/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63427",
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63,432 | I always try to keep exposition to a minimum; whenever there is any backstory or worldbuilding, I let it come out via dialogue. The narration is impersonal; I don't want it to feel like someone's telling the story, as I feel like that'd be breaking immersion. The narration is just describing objective things. Emotions ... | [
{
"answer_id": 63435,
"author": "Mary",
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"text": "It's not that it's exposition that's jarring. It's when it's not smoothly flowing, when it jolts and jars.\n\nThis kin... | 2022/10/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63432",
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63,450 | My story is an epic fantasy that, while it satires and mocks tropes, also still has consistent characters and worldbuilding. In the story, there is a group of minor-antagonists who compete with the protagonists. They are a parody of hated tropes, and they all get killed in the end. Some examples include the self-insert... | [
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"answer_id": 63471,
"author": "EDL",
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"text": "One method is to look to stories that you enjoy, with characters that you really like and identify those character trai... | 2022/10/06 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63450",
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63,452 | I find that in pauses between action and dialogue, my character's thoughts really don't seem realistic. I think I tend to mostly write questions for my character's thoughts. I also don't know if I'm biased because I'm the author when I read something I wrote for my character's thought process, and if that might change ... | [
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"text": "One method is to look to stories that you enjoy, with characters that you really like and identify those character trai... | 2022/10/07 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63452",
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63,455 | When quoting someone who used a racial slur, should you censor the racial slur, and how should you do so?
>
> I said that he's a \*\*\*\*\*. That's what I said.
>
>
>
When quoting someone who used a racial slur, should you censor it, and what's the correct way to censor it. Should you just use \*\*\*\*\*, or shou... | [
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"text": "One method is to look to stories that you enjoy, with characters that you really like and identify those character trai... | 2022/10/07 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63455",
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63,473 | ### Is there a word for when a text is between chapters that enriches the story but are not part of the previous or following chapter?
I'm writing fiction and wanted to have in-universe news articles from time to time that are between the character story chapters. I looked to see how others have done so previously, bu... | [
{
"answer_id": 63484,
"author": "Steve L",
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"text": "I'm not aware of a word that would specify textual content that lies *between* successively numbered chapters. I do... | 2022/10/11 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63473",
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63,483 | I've been reading a lot of books on scene writing. One thing in common--found in every single book--is that the main character in the scene should have a goal. That goal should be made obvious as early as possible and repeated often to make sure the reader has clarity. This is said over and over in writing craft books.... | [
{
"answer_id": 63486,
"author": "Kate Gregory",
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"text": "Characters have goals like \"be a good parent\" or \"find a stable relationship.\" The author needs to know th... | 2022/10/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63483",
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63,488 | Is it OK to have a main character without a goal? I was told that a good protagonist needs to have a strong goal. It's considered to be a common mistake among aspiring writers. This seems to happen when a character is part of a larger group, which has a goal, and that goal becomes the main character's goal also. Or whe... | [
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"answer_id": 63489,
"author": "Mary",
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"text": "The question is whether your story has any forward motion without such a goal. Aimless rambling is very difficult to m... | 2022/10/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63488",
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63,493 | I'm in the process of drafting a story for a single player game where the player controls their own made character.
I'm planning for the game to have an emotional narrative but I cannot wrap my head around how to execute it story-wise when dealing with a player-made character.
As an example, in games where the player... | [
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"answer_id": 63508,
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"text": "Some examples that come to mind:\n\n\\*The Ace Combat series (04 being a notable one in focus): Typically there are t... | 2022/10/13 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63493",
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63,510 | I've had an idea recently to use color in order to disambiguate several usages of the same word in a text which refer to two different instances of the same concept. Since StackExchange does not allow use of colors in formatting, in the reproduction of text below I use bold and italic fonts instead:
>
> When you star... | [
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"answer_id": 63512,
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"text": "That sounds confusing, no matter the formatting. It might be clearer to stick to longer descriptions (e.g. \"crit... | 2022/10/15 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63510",
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63,513 | If your main character gets a main goal in the middle of the story, are there things you need to do as a writer differently than you would have to do if you were to have your main character get a main goal at the beginning? I think this rarely happens, or at least I don't remember a story where this is the case. This c... | [
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"text": "I don't see a problem with that. Halfway through a story should be some sort of setback.\n\nYour hero can find out ... | 2022/10/15 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63513",
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63,525 | She heard a gunshot. Then the fell silent.
how would you improve this to make it sound better? | [
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"text": "Add Detail and Emotional content:\n=================================\n\nWhile functional, this statement is rather ... | 2022/10/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63525",
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63,527 | I just wanted to make sure I am approaching this correctly: I am working on a nonfiction historical biography about a missionary. When quoting sources which use archaic spellings of places/words, do I need to note the non-normative spelling at all? I assume that [sic] would be inappropriate in this case but am not sure... | [
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"text": "It's legible, comprehensible, no actual need to edit. I think it'll be best if you leave the quotes intact.\n\nI do... | 2022/10/16 | [
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63,545 | I have to check my company's English translations for a new product they have made. The product is an electrical wall box for charging electric cars. They wrote the following sentence:
>
> Ideal for classic electromobilists
>
>
>
I have never heard of the word electromobilists and I can not find the definition an... | [
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"text": "It's legible, comprehensible, no actual need to edit. I think it'll be best if you leave the quotes intact.\n\nI do... | 2022/10/18 | [
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63,555 | For example, let's say that my protagonist has a special ability that he cannot die, literally, but he has lived a peaceful life and never been in any critical situation so far.
I want to write his story in third person limited, but I also want to give this piece of information at the beginning.
Can I write some kind ... | [
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"text": "I wouldn't do that. If Upam doesn't know it, don't let the reader know it.\n\nIf you have ruined the surprise, any ... | 2022/10/19 | [
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63,556 | >
> Related: [Software for collaborative writing for a small team](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/7126/software-for-collaborative-writing-for-a-small-team)
>
>
>
I know there a few notable examples of open collaborative writing, but they haven't really taken off. On the other hand, collaborative resou... | [
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"answer_id": 63711,
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"text": "It's been done before with the book series [The 39 Clues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_39_Clues). I don't know... | 2022/10/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63556",
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63,565 | When describing the variety or contrast evident in a song we can compare the song sections. Variety adds interest to the song. We ask how is one section different to the next? | [
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"text": "I prefer \"between\" since a comparison requires two or more items to be compared. The first version \"how is variety c... | 2022/10/20 | [
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63,578 | In creating my world, I am trying to write down and create mythical wildlife and monsters. I had been thinking of using sirens as one of them. Not a creature based off of them, but the actual Greek fictional entity. Would it be okay to have specific mythical monsters from ancient mythologies, in a high fantasy world th... | [
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"answer_id": 63579,
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"text": "I think it is tricky.\nIt will depend on how much you describe them when they are first introduced. Make sure to tell... | 2022/10/23 | [
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63,594 | I want to write sci-fi and I love science fiction technologies. However I know you can trademark a name like Star Wars did with droid. Yet, speaking of Star Wars, Larry Niven’s Ringworld is trademarked but The Book of Boba Fett called their ringworld the Glavis Ringworld. Did they had to get permission from Niven?
Als... | [
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"text": "I think it is tricky.\nIt will depend on how much you describe them when they are first introduced. Make sure to tell... | 2022/10/28 | [
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63,607 | An important goal in writing is to avoid plagiarism. But does this mean we have to state every idea in phrases we've never heard before? | [
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"text": "No, it doesn't mean that.\n\nA key test of whether something is public domain or not is if it appears in multiple v... | 2022/10/29 | [
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63,613 | How can real life people have fictional relatives or relatives that doesn’t exist. Why is that? | [
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"text": "I, myself, am a real life person, and one of my alleged ancestors who would have lived only about 300 years a... | 2022/10/30 | [
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63,616 | I've been looking for tips on how to write a [werewolf/mafia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_(party_game)) story, but when I use search terms such as mafia, werewolf, or mole, I just get stories about the mafia, werewolves, and moles (animal.) When I combine those search term I just stories about the mafia, werewo... | [
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"text": "It's been a bit since I read their article, but TVTropes.org also has an article for Werewolf that got me hooked. Th... | 2022/10/30 | [
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63,617 | In my story, I am writing a side character for my fantasy epic. Originally, she was going to play a very minor role, but now she has more character and interaction. Unfortunately, I fear she may be too similar to the character Amity from *The Owl House*, which I had not yet watched while developing this character. For ... | [
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"text": "Stock characters look like stock characters\n-------------------------------------------\n\nGenre is filled with... | 2022/10/30 | [
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63,624 | Not too long ago, I showed a character bio that gave a rundown of my web novel's protagonist on a writing Discord server that I frequent. One of my fellow writers had this to say about my bio:
>
> You have much more depth on his negative character traits than on his positive ones. All I get from his positive traits i... | [
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"text": "First, those are not flaws that can't be worked around, but it's not likely a character that makes a good protagonist... | 2022/10/31 | [
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63,626 | I am a beginner to writing, so not sure exactly how to base the book I've started to write. I want it to be a real cozy romantic book where the characters kind of live in a cobble stoned village with more of countryside feel. They attend a university which is in a historic oldish building like a smaller Cambridge/Oxfor... | [
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"text": "A fictional setting is fine, many of the stories I write have entirely fictional settings.\n\nEven a fictional town... | 2022/10/31 | [
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63,638 | Typically book titles are ideally italicized or otherwise underlined. For example:
>
> In his book *Some Book Title*, Jozw Cie describes...
>
>
>
Is there any style convention for what to do if you are limited to unformatted plain text (i.e. italics and underlining are not available)? | [
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"text": "No formatting? All that leaves you is quotes:\n\n> \n> In his book \"Some Book Title\", Jozw Cie describes...\n... | 2022/11/02 | [
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63,639 | Here is what I have so far:
* At some point in the hero's past, the ghost happens, which leads to them believing a lie.
* Said lie leads to their life that they have when we meet them on page 1.
* When we meet the hero, we realize that they want something, but they are held back by their lie or the lie/ misbelief has ... | [
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"text": "Writing formulas without concrete examples are like recipes for food you've never tasted. Rote instructions do n... | 2022/11/02 | [
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63,647 | I wrote a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter consisting of two rhyming couplets followed by ten lines of blank verse. Would it be accurate to call this a sonnet? | [
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"text": "No, that wouldn't be a sonnet. A sonnet needs to have a given number of lines per verse. Italian sonnet goes 4-4-3-... | 2022/11/04 | [
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63,654 | Are unexplained or inconsistent worldbuilding elements considered plot holes?
Let's say that coal and railroads are used in a medieval fantasy world, but people are still serfs and poor. If you don't explain why people are poor although money, coins, and railroads were invented, is it still considered a plot hole, and... | [
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"text": "It is not a plot hole, it is just something that if the reader notices, it may break their immersion in your story.... | 2022/11/06 | [
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63,657 | Are there some words or phrases to describe a person of color, specifically darker colors, when their skin tone changes with emotion? Like for a white person, they'd turn pale when scared or turn red when angry. Even feeling sick is described as turning green. Is there a different description for people of African or I... | [
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"text": "There are numerous tells that are independent of skin color that can be used to figure out emotional states. Such as ... | 2022/11/07 | [
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63,660 | This is for fiction literature. I've got this story where the original chapters became so huge that I had to split them into 5 chapters each. But each original chapter is relatively distinct and isolated from each other.
So I would like to keep that format somehow, but don't know how to divide the parts. For now I'm u... | [
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"text": "I'm not aware of there being a universal convention about this, as most works don't use that many levels of organis... | 2022/11/07 | [
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63,670 | A lot of writers talk about how you can't wait for inspiration to hit, you have to just sit down and write. That's fine and all, but I can't just sit down and write without a method to attack my writers block. I need to have identified some problem clearly that I can brainstorm ideas to address. An ars poética.
Probab... | [
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"text": "Look for stories that touch you emotionally in some way. A newspaper can be a good source. Or everyday life.\n\nWhene... | 2022/11/09 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63670",
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63,671 | For science, my teacher wants us to write a children's book from the pov of a cell after a character gets hurt. I already wrote about a mouse breaking her ankle from ballet, but I now need to write from the pov of the bone cell. | [
{
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"text": "A good place to look is the film *Osmosis Jones* and it's spin-off TV-series *Izzj and Drix* did something similar. I... | 2022/11/09 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63671",
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63,680 | The story I'm writing takes place in the USA. I have a huge problem as my protagonist is crossing states and needs to end up at a place where a lot of things have to come together. Like there need to be parks/woods all around, there needs to be a tiny place with lots of diners and some 9-13 miles away needs to come ano... | [
{
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"text": "Yes, absolutely, don't worry about Railway fans.\n\nYou make places up by \"pastiche\". They don't have to actually ... | 2022/11/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63680",
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63,684 | **tl;dr;** It recently occurred to me that I don't have a good smoke test for identifying those passages we might call "darlings". It can be hard enough to cull even the obvious darlings, but it can be another problem entirely to recognize them in the crowd.
*What techniques can someone use to identify problem passage... | [
{
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"text": "When I write a \"darling\", it is the best line I can write. It fits my mood and my purpose. It pushes the lyric forwar... | 2022/11/12 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63684",
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63,688 | For quite a while I worked on writing a novel. After that went poorly, I tried to plot it. This too went poorly, but now, on the second attempt, it’s going pretty well. There’s just one problem.
I have no idea what kind of plot this is.
I didn’t follow any established plot structure thus far. My process has consisted... | [
{
"answer_id": 63695,
"author": "Erk",
"author_id": 10826,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/10826",
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"text": "It seems Freytag's Pyramid and the Hero's Quurnep may not work for you. That's ok. They are quite specific theories any... | 2022/11/14 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63688",
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63,689 | For my story, I am trying to write a mystery on the protagonist's sexuality. Throughout the story, there are subtle hints that he is either bisexual or gay, whether either past relationships or flirtation, but is revealed at the end he is actually asexual.
How could I insert some hints of their asexuality throughout t... | [
{
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"text": "When writers try to mislead me and then reveal a surprising truth, a mistake I see very often is, well, getting too... | 2022/11/14 | [
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63,712 | In my story, the protagonist is made as a destined chosen one to defeat the dark lord. He is not this "good" angel, but rather a murderous anti-hero. While he undergoes character development and growth, he still does numerous horrible things including:
* Scamming villages and small communities
* Extortion
* Numerous t... | [
{
"answer_id": 63721,
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"author_id": 14887,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/14887",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Here are some simple tricks to approach this problem. Use one of them or mix them up.\n\nMake the world more... | 2022/11/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63712",
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63,716 | I've started to write a lot more recently, especially in horror. And something that's been critiqued about my works is that they center around the whole "curiosity killed the cat" cliché. Guy finds something suspicious, and instead of calling the police or just forgetting about it, he searches this said thing more in-d... | [
{
"answer_id": 63718,
"author": "EDL",
"author_id": 39219,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/39219",
"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I believe you are encountering a common struggle in storytelling. I know I struggled with similar challenges.\n\nWhile ... | 2022/11/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63716",
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63,722 | When I apply to copyright my deceased brother's book, do I do it in my name? | [
{
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"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Not a lawyer, but in the USA one has a copyright as soon as a work is in written form (i.e. one cannot claim copyri... | 2022/11/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63722",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,724 | How would you adjust the western "hero's journey" story framework to make it fit the Japanese "[kishotenketsu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kish%C5%8Dtenketsu#Japan)" story framework? | [
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"text": "To be strict, it's difficult to answer this question. Both the hero's journey and kishotenketsu are differen... | 2022/11/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63724",
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63,725 | When it comes to creative writing, how do you create and then stick to a time table of milestones? I've created schedules a hundred times (e.g. this week I will have completed chapter number so and so), but finishing a chapter really depends on the flow of ideas in my head. Sometimes I finish a chapter in 1 day. Then t... | [
{
"answer_id": 63727,
"author": "S. Mitchell",
"author_id": 13409,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "I have tried things like sitting at the table until I have written 2000 words a day. I was disciplined and did ... | 2022/11/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63725",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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] |
63,728 | I am trying to write the story for an RPG I will make in the future. The world itself is huge with multiple continents and landmasses, but the current story takes place on the main four continents. While the third continent is an empire, the other continents have a huge, diverse amount of kingdoms/nations and languages... | [
{
"answer_id": 63754,
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"author_id": 26729,
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"selected": false,
"text": "The way this is often done (I'm inclined to say \"usually\", but I can't justify that numerically... | 2022/11/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63728",
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63,731 | Can someone please tell me what the white garment underneath his armor would be called in this picture? I'm trying to refer to a piece like it in my story, but I don't know the proper term for it. I'm guessing a tunic or a tabard?
[](https://i.stack.i... | [
{
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"text": "I can't really make it out from the picture, but the thing that one *should* wear under armour is a [gambeson](http... | 2022/11/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63731",
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63,737 | Is it acceptable to leave out non-conversational tags when writing a dialogue between two people. To take an example
>
> "I waited for you for a whole hour!" said Joor, as she entered the
> room.
>
>
> "I really am sorry. I was so engrossed in my book that I did not
> notice the time," replied Jumez, sheepishly.
> ... | [
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"text": "I can't really make it out from the picture, but the thing that one *should* wear under armour is a [gambeson](http... | 2022/11/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63737",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,740 | In my story I'm gonna have the main character's dog die. I want to make it seem like the dog's death is really quick, but the main character screaming is stretched out. What would the best way to go about doing this be? | [
{
"answer_id": 63758,
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"author_id": 57030,
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"text": "There are many possible \"businesses\" that you can apply.\n\n* Have there be some build up before the hero discov... | 2022/11/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63740",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,742 | How do I make a average person be able to cope with being tortured by a omnipotent being? I want to have an omnipotent villain, and a non omnipotent protagonist. I want it to be about how a normal person deal with an omnipotent being who is evil, sadistic and likes to take away everything the person can use to make the... | [
{
"answer_id": 63744,
"author": "EDL",
"author_id": 39219,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "This is the premise of the short story [\"I have no mouth, and I must scream.\"](https://wjccschools.org/wp-content/upl... | 2022/11/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63742",
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63,747 | Are stereotypical roles of a character at times right?
Speaking as an amateur writer, how exactly do I broaden characters beyond their roles? Or if an archetype is better off staying the way they are?
For example, antagonists who are bullies.
A typical D-average jock who would start fights with anyone who looked at ... | [
{
"answer_id": 63749,
"author": "Zeiss Ikon",
"author_id": 26297,
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"text": "Stereotypes exist because they reduce the effort (thought) required to make a judgment -- but this becomes the c... | 2022/11/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63747",
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63,755 | All of my attempts at writing devolve into overthinking plot, characters, and motivations, and the result is always burnout. I've yet to go deeper than a handful of chapters into a book.
Perhaps "overthinking" is not the right term and I'm simply a pea-brained dum-dum who gets overwhelmed at the slightest hint of stru... | [
{
"answer_id": 63756,
"author": "JRE",
"author_id": 40124,
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"selected": false,
"text": "There's your problem:\n\n> \n> pictures and ideas I want to flesh out into stories, no matter the length; things that I... | 2022/11/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63755",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,761 | Imagine every person you have been jealous/envious of because of their skills/reputation/family influence.
Combine all of that in one person, and you get my MC.
My MC would be classified as the poster child every parent wants and every cousin out there gets annoyed at because their parents always compare them.
A cha... | [
{
"answer_id": 63783,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
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"selected": false,
"text": "First thing's first, repeat the Qui-Gon Jinn mantra\n\n> \n> There's always a bigger fish.\n> \n> \n> \n\nEssentially... | 2022/11/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63761",
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63,766 | For a while, there were many good satires/parodies, such as *Naked Gun*, *Hot Shots*, and the early *Scary movie* films. However, we see them beginning more in decline, and also the rise of so many terrible "satires" such as *Disaster Movie* and so on.
Having ideas myself, and thinking about what went wrong, I came up... | [
{
"answer_id": 63775,
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"author_id": 52632,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/52632",
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"text": "The whole point of parodies and satire is that it pokes fun at a genre or specific story. Usually, they do t... | 2022/11/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63766",
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63,770 | In many ways, this question follows on from [one I had](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/63737/how-to-when-to-tag-quoted-text-in-a-dialogue) asked here just two days ago. When writing internal monologues I often end up using the *'...self'* tag. For instance
---
"*--- ... ---*," she said to herself.
"*bla... | [
{
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"text": "\"What an idiot,\" he said to himself, works in small doses, but as a general pattern is likely not effective.\n-------... | 2022/11/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63770",
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63,772 | I have a story in mind that I would like to put onto paper. However, this story takes place in a world vastly different to ours with complex wildlife. Think about the movie Avatar, something among those lines. The scenes I would like to get across to my readers are very visual.
Now when I think about the scenes in my ... | [
{
"answer_id": 63774,
"author": "Kate Gregory",
"author_id": 15601,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/15601",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "One approach many writers take is not to describe *the scenery* but rather *the character's reaction to the sc... | 2022/11/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63772",
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63,792 | It's fairly common wisdom to say that one must read to improve their writing style.
I am looking for techniques or activities to do while reading books. I mean, should I analyze the sentences' structures, the rhyme, etc., and most importantly how to it?
I am looking for resources that show how to do this. Typically, ... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "The reason why reading can improve your writing is that writing can't be taught but can be learned.\n------------------... | 2022/11/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63792",
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63,801 | I am dedicating a whole chapter for a funeral in a short story and there is no way to cancel it because that would leave a gap. Yet, almost every writing website warns about falling into a clichéd description and an overdramatic dialogue and they rather advise of adding any special thing that makes it feel non boring. ... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "I'm at a loss how to answer such a question when I don't know your story. At a risk of giving you banal basics, a f... | 2022/11/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63801",
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63,810 | Let us suppose that one certain villain's motives and actions can be mostly explained by a particular medical condition or other misfortune. Consider a tyrant who commits atrocities due to mental instability at the onset of paranoia, etc.: the condition itself is the cause, not their intentional exploitation, or the na... | [
{
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"selected": false,
"text": "The main thing to keep in mind is, characters never believe what they do is wrong. Otherwise, they would not do it... | 2022/12/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63810",
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63,811 | As I understand it, conflict means presenting a character with an obstacle that he can only overcome through change. The problem is that I can't think of such a thing. Nearly all conflict that comes to my mind, even internal, is expressed externally: perhaps the character is faced with an antagonist, or he wants to cha... | [
{
"answer_id": 63816,
"author": "Phil S",
"author_id": 52375,
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"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "I would suggest that you set sterner moral limits for how the character is allowed to achieve her objectives.\n\nThe... | 2022/12/01 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63811",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,815 | If someone is speaking the name of something that includes a number, should the number be spelled out or not? For example...
"I just bought a Mustang Boss 302."
Or
"I just bought a Mustang Boss Three-Oh-Two." | [
{
"answer_id": 63817,
"author": "High Performance Mark",
"author_id": 52184,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/52184",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "If the way the character speaks the number is important, spell it out. If not *meh*, but either way c... | 2022/12/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63815",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,828 | I'm editing a friend's essay for graduate school. They use the sentence:
>
> "I want to help patients have a moment of reprieve."
>
>
>
It feels odd to me, but I don't want to make an edit if it's not grammatically incorrect or misuses the word. Any input would be helpful - thank you! | [
{
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"author": "High Performance Mark",
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"pm_score": -1,
"selected": false,
"text": "No, it's a horrid expression. *reprieve* is a verb and you really need a noun in that position in th... | 2022/12/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63828",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,832 | I'm creating a character who's father was an alchoholic and he is deathly afraid of becoming one as well. He abstains from alcohol completely and never will try it. | [
{
"answer_id": 63833,
"author": "Mary",
"author_id": 44281,
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"pm_score": 0,
"selected": false,
"text": "Total abstainer from alcohol.\n\nOr abstainer from alcohol, which might include some lapses. But \"total abstainer\" c... | 2022/12/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63832",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,851 | In the fantasy epic I am writing, there is a deuteragonist that eventually becomes best friends with the protagonist. Unfortunately, due to the length of the epic as a whole, she is introduced way later, around the middle of the story. I am unsure about this though, and thinking about introducing her earlier. For writi... | [
{
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"selected": true,
"text": "While it is generally considered good practice to introduce major elements (characters included) sooner rather than ... | 2022/12/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63851",
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63,854 | When writing technical documentation, I commonly include articles ("the" and "a"), as I think it makes thigs clear and natural to read:
>
> According to the customer's requirements, the software must be written in the C++ Programming Language.
>
>
>
However, there's a tendency among others on my team to omit arti... | [
{
"answer_id": 63855,
"author": "Community",
"author_id": -1,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/-1",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Google's style guide mentions the use of articles, and is in favor of using them.\n\n<https://developers.google.com/sty... | 2022/12/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63854",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
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63,859 | I'm writing a scene where there is a time skip, and the reader catches only the end of a piece of dialogue when we jump back in. It reads something like this:
>
> By the time the sun had set, she had forgotten she had only just met him.
>
>
> "...And then he fell into the lake."
>
>
> Kirana giggled. "It sounds l... | [
{
"answer_id": 63862,
"author": "DannyL",
"author_id": 57175,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/57175",
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"selected": false,
"text": "If I understand correctly, you're talking about two separate scenes.\n\nIn that case, I would use structure to make ... | 2022/12/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63859",
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63,890 | Let's say we have 12 primary characters and they all get the same amount of coverage, none of them are good or evil, they in the gray area, all of them have their own goals, and all of them have their own beat sheet, is such a novel possible, or do they end up flat since they don't have any direction? Have you ever had... | [
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"selected": false,
"text": "It can be done, it has been done.\n\nI read many of the [Wild Cards](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Cards) books wh... | 2022/12/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63890",
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63,893 | Should you make it clear when a scene is taking place when you switch from scene 1 to scene 2 and scene 2 is happening slightly before scene 1?
Let's say that scene 2 happens slightly before scene 1, and scene 2 happening before scene 1 leads to a plothole, should you make it clear that scene 2 happens slightly before... | [
{
"answer_id": 63894,
"author": "motosubatsu",
"author_id": 24645,
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"selected": true,
"text": "Generally speaking yes - unless you're explicitly planning on deceiving the audience about the sequence of event... | 2022/12/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63893",
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63,899 | How do you format a poem inside of a novel? I am not sure how to go about it. What are some popular ways of introducing a poem inside a novel.
Let's say that the character reads a poem from a small sheet of paper. He reads it and then you end the paragraph and then just dump the whole poem after that paragraph. Is the... | [
{
"answer_id": 63901,
"author": "S. Mitchell",
"author_id": 13409,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/13409",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I wouldn't centre it but I would double indent it and then set it out like a poem with line breaks where you ex... | 2022/12/16 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63899",
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63,905 | <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSY43NNZdUI>
What are the things that need to change and what is the minimum amount of change necessary for character development to be satisfying? The person interviewed says that there are things that need to change in a character, but he doesn't really expand on that and seems to be... | [
{
"answer_id": 63911,
"author": "Erk",
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"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/10826",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Without critiquing the video you shared, I suggest you check out [this excellent primer on character arcs instead](http... | 2022/12/17 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63905",
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63,915 | I sometimes just describe where the people are located in a scene, but those sentences sound very blocky, should I change them and improve them or is it completely normal to do this in a screenplay?
For example:
>
> SCENE 1: **Anna stands next to the stairs. Migkaol stands right in front
> of her. Next to him, stood... | [
{
"answer_id": 63929,
"author": "BillOnne",
"author_id": 57182,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/57182",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Such description is sometimes called [blocking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blocking_(stage)) because it was some... | 2022/12/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63915",
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63,918 | What is the primary reason why sequels often suck?
I was thinking about this for a while, and I thought the reason was because you write a story beat for the first film, book, etc. and then because you didn't initially think of making a sequel, you need to come up with a different story beat for the sequel, and it may... | [
{
"answer_id": 63920,
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"author_id": 40124,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Sequels are often rather crummy because the author managed (by luck or intent) to write a good book or screen play that ... | 2022/12/18 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63918",
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63,922 | In the stories that I am writing, which are my loud house "Lomond" horror fanfics, there are lots of victims who are very bad/evil people, this makes me wonder this: do you believe that a person/character can deserve to be a victim? | [
{
"answer_id": 63927,
"author": "hszmv",
"author_id": 25666,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/25666",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "In the eyes of the law, the answer is \"No\" as Murder is illegal. Lethal Self-Defense as a defense to Murder only wo... | 2022/12/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63922",
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63,945 | A lot of people complain that DC comics book are pandering to the LGBT community by shoving LGBT characters into their faces. What are some tips and advice you have for not coming off as pandering when incorporating LGBT characters and themes in your stories? | [
{
"answer_id": 63946,
"author": "BillOnne",
"author_id": 57182,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/57182",
"pm_score": 7,
"selected": true,
"text": "Let's see here. (Looks at his extensive collection of comic books, novels, DVDs, etc.)\n\nFor the most part, when a... | 2022/12/21 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63945",
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63,960 | I have a character with multiple personalities, but the character is mute and cannot speak. He can only behave. Is there a way to show that this character has multiple personalities and is behaving differently not because the writer cannot keep his character consistent but because he has multiple personalities? How do ... | [
{
"answer_id": 63961,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Apart from the obvious \"do the research\", which I haven't and can't tell you what exactly you should learn, an int... | 2022/12/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63960",
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63,963 | How do you tell your readers without telling and only showing that the most popular interpretations of your work is wrong?
Let's say I am Tcoklef Kubdihk and I made the movie "The Space Odyssey", that movie is often interpreted as a Nietzschian allegory of the uberman; however, let's say I don't want that movie to be ... | [
{
"answer_id": 63964,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Simple, **you can't.**\n\nLet's take the most known example: the Abrahamic religions. They basically believe in the... | 2022/12/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63963",
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63,971 | My story has several occasions where the two main protagonists interact with background characters. I'd rather not make a different background character for each one, as each needs a decent amount of character building. Would it be too repetitive to include the same background character in each scene, with exceptions?
... | [
{
"answer_id": 63972,
"author": "EDL",
"author_id": 39219,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Minimizing support characters is an excellent strategy.\n-------------------------------------------------------\n\nWhet... | 2022/12/22 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63971",
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63,976 | I've been thinking about developing a small short story series themed around the deep sea (submarines, habitats, etc) and the abyssal void of such dark places.
I've been really struggling to find inspirational material as well as articles on what makes the best of them so good. I'd love it if I could get any recommend... | [
{
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"author": "EDL",
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"selected": true,
"text": "Minimizing support characters is an excellent strategy.\n-------------------------------------------------------\n\nWhet... | 2022/12/23 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63976",
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63,982 | I’m trying to write a new short story that will take place on a craft that is on Neptune (or “in”, depending on how you want to look at it since it’s an ice/gas giant.)
How important is realism to readers? How can I make the story as realistic as possible, based on how Neptune really is? | [
{
"answer_id": 63983,
"author": "James K",
"author_id": 18166,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "There are more important things: Engaging characters, a well structured plot, crisp and entertaining writing are al... | 2022/12/24 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63982",
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63,985 | I am wondering how to create a good plot for a hermit-type main character who just tries to survive and be left on his own and doesn't want to be bothered with the rest of society.
Because the plot requires the character to go out of his comfort zone I feel the only way to write such a story is to have an incident whe... | [
{
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"author": "James K",
"author_id": 18166,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "There are more important things: Engaging characters, a well structured plot, crisp and entertaining writing are al... | 2022/12/25 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63985",
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63,991 | I know there exists already "suppressing a smile" or "stifling a smile", but I feel that those phrases imply a lack of a smile.
In this situation, something is funny, but the character is trying to pretend that it is not in an almost sarcastic/playful manner.
A more visual description: pursed lips in a smile, with a sc... | [
{
"answer_id": 63993,
"author": "Amadeus",
"author_id": 26047,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/26047",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "Concision sacrifices clarity.\n\nOr, to be more clear, using an obscure phrase or adjective is likely to leave the ... | 2022/12/27 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/63991",
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64,003 | I thought that a mission briefing, match briefing (sports,) made perfect sense, but I think exposition like that is terrible.
In my story, there's a soldier who uses a special weapon purposed for a special operation, and I need to explain how the weapon operate. Is exposition required in that situation? How do you kee... | [
{
"answer_id": 64005,
"author": "Erk",
"author_id": 10826,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/10826",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "**Short version:**\n\nExplain what needs to be explained when it needs to be explained... Do it with action...\n\nFor in... | 2022/12/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64003",
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64,008 | The goal is simulate the idea "You are hearing but not listening". My first implementation idea is using subtitle on specific sentences/keywords to show what a character is actually listening but many people don't like subtitle. | [
{
"answer_id": 64009,
"author": "Nepene Nep",
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"selected": false,
"text": "Have a lot of action and description of something less important, and minimal focus on the important core of the... | 2022/12/29 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64008",
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64,023 | Is it a bad thing if there's no character development whatsoever within the first half of a novel? In my novel, there's this character who's just living alone and doesn't really interact with anyone or any animal whatsoever, and then later after the first half there's some character development as he finally interacts ... | [
{
"answer_id": 64024,
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"author_id": 57403,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "It is generally considered important for a novel to have character development, as it helps to engage the reader and mak... | 2022/12/31 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64023",
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64,033 | When I think of sad story, I think of Greek tragedies, so naturally they should have a sad ending, and the characters should not deserve what happens to them. So I was thinking that I simply need to make sure that the injustice is so great that it makes the readers extremely mad and frustrated. Am I correct to assume t... | [
{
"answer_id": 64034,
"author": "Jedediah",
"author_id": 33711,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/33711",
"pm_score": 4,
"selected": false,
"text": "The sharpest tragedy is intimately personal\n-------------------------------------------\n\n> \n> The world blew u... | 2023/01/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64033",
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64,035 | I'm a young writer and have only recently figured out about the "bury your gays trope". I'm writing a book and the main character is a lesbian and gets a girlfriend. Shortly there after the girlfriend gets killed for some plot important reasons. The story follows the main character trying to avenge and bring back her g... | [
{
"answer_id": 64036,
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"pm_score": 2,
"selected": false,
"text": "Short Answer: **Yes**\n\nLong Answer **Yes, because consider this:**\n\n**A:** It is YOUR story, so yes it is ALWA... | 2023/01/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64035",
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64,044 | When you adapt a story set in Medieval Europe should you still aim to have a diverse cast even if it's not historically accurate? When you adapt a book set in Medieval Europe, should you still aim to have a diverse cast even if it's not historically or lore accurate? I saw some LOTR adaptations, and they didn't try to ... | [
{
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Depends, on what you want. A good accurate story, or praise from a small but loud group who don't care if a story i... | 2023/01/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64044",
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64,046 | There are a lot of questions on this site about how to approach things specifically to do with LGBT characters, where the action/story in question isn't specifically about their sexuality.
[Is it okay to kill off a main LGBT love interest?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/64035/is-it-okay-to-kill-off-a-mai... | [
{
"answer_id": 64047,
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"author_id": 33204,
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"selected": false,
"text": "***TLDR: sexuality really isn't that important a character trait, don't make a big deal out of it unless i... | 2023/01/02 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64046",
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64,063 | I was watching some video about how to write LGBT characters and I was told that it's wrong to have your LGBT character magically find a LGBT love interest. However, my particular problem is that the fact my main character is LGBT is not the main point of the story, and I just want my main character to find a LGBT love... | [
{
"answer_id": 64068,
"author": "Divizna",
"author_id": 56731,
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"pm_score": 4,
"selected": true,
"text": "Is it \"as soon as possible\" from the perspective of the story, or the in-universe events? If the story, then I don... | 2023/01/04 | [
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64,080 | What do you have to focus on when reading other people's screenplays to improve as a writer? No matter, how many screenplays I read, I can't seem to improve in my writing. What are the most important aspects in a screenplay you should focus on when reading other people's screenplays in order to improve as a writer when... | [
{
"answer_id": 64085,
"author": "Boba Fit",
"author_id": 57030,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/57030",
"pm_score": 2,
"selected": true,
"text": "Round up the usual suspects.\n\n* How do they move the plot?\n* How do they pace the story?\n* How do they show cha... | 2023/01/05 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64080",
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64,099 | I was watching [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC5desrMzGE) and it seems like it's deeply offensive to people in the autism spectrum to read someone use functional labels for autistic people.
Examples of functioning labels are "high-functioning", "Asperger's syndrome", etc.
Is this something that's actua... | [
{
"answer_id": 64101,
"author": "astrophobic",
"author_id": 57490,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/57490",
"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I don't quite know if it's still used in modern literature. To some extent, it seems pointless to ask if someth... | 2023/01/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64099",
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64,100 | By [Bridge Logic,](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BridgeLogic) I mean a bridge that shouldn't be there, but is there for the convenience of the plot. I initially thought it was a Deux Ex Machina, but after reading what it was, I realized it was something else. Is this a terrible trope? Should I avoid it? I... | [
{
"answer_id": 64102,
"author": "astrophobic",
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"selected": false,
"text": "I have never heard of it before as well, and it seems context-sensitive. For instance, in the *Shrek* example, ... | 2023/01/08 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64100",
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64,112 | So my philosophy is "if you can't do it, don't bother", and I couldn't write realistic female dialogues so I decided to not bother at all with gender differences and make them sound the same. This leads to the broader question: is it okay if they sound the same? Same intelligence, same dialect, same level of speech, et... | [
{
"answer_id": 64113,
"author": "Divizna",
"author_id": 56731,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/56731",
"pm_score": 5,
"selected": true,
"text": "In your real world experience, is there a consistent difference between how men and women speak?\n\nI haven't notice... | 2023/01/09 | [
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64,114 | How do you write branching dialogues in a screenplay for video games?
I initially thought that when writing a screenplay for a videogame, it was the same thing as writing a screenplay for a movie or a TV show, but then I realized there are branching dialogues and optional dialogues in video games. How do you add those... | [
{
"answer_id": 64115,
"author": "Divizna",
"author_id": 56731,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "Personally, I just write it straight in the game. Make a placeholder for each branch that basically just writes out... | 2023/01/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64114",
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64,124 | I am writing a novel and I realized that I did not describe any of my characters, like practically, no reader would be able to place or imagine the character which I feel is not right. That is why I am placing the question to know if it is necessary to describe them. | [
{
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"selected": true,
"text": "No.\n\nIt is not necessary. If you feel no need to do so, your reader will probably not feel the need to hear. They'... | 2023/01/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64124",
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64,127 | I am writing a story. I actually just started and I am still writing the first chapter. Is it okay to write from a minor character's point of view first?
Simply put, the main character is unconscious and her friend is with her in the hospital. But since I decided to make the main character unconscious till the end of ... | [
{
"answer_id": 64130,
"author": "Divizna",
"author_id": 56731,
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"pm_score": 3,
"selected": true,
"text": "Sure, you can write a scene or chapter from a minor character's point of view.\n\nIf you're doing the **third person... | 2023/01/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64127",
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64,131 | The main character of my novel is suffering from depression which resulted in shock and she has attempted suicide twice already. All of this has made her unbalanced mentally. I was wondering if I can write from her point of view. | [
{
"answer_id": 64132,
"author": "EDL",
"author_id": 39219,
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "I believe you are really asking how to write from the POV of a mentally disturbed individual.\n------------------------... | 2023/01/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64131",
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64,135 | I've been creating this fantasy world where many different races coexist, so most aren't human. I'm trying to write all the worldbuilding details down, and I'm stuck on a phrase "*She is the goddess who blessed **[redacted]** with (...)*". So, I can't say "humans", because there are also other creatures such as elves, ... | [
{
"answer_id": 64136,
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"text": "Are you trying to get at [humanoid?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanoid) That would be critters that are basic... | 2023/01/10 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/64135",
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64,146 | Should I go out of my way to write certain female archetypes out of my stories? I think some archetypes for female characters are offensive. For example, there's the femme fatale archetype. The femme fatale generally reduces women to just their sexuality, and results in one-dimensional female characters that appeal to ... | [
{
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"text": "The main problem with archetypical characters (regardless of gender) is, as you mentioned, their one-dimensionality.... | 2023/01/11 | [
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64,155 | How do you write alternative endings to a novel, comics or movies? Video games do this, because they allow players to take decisions, but movies, comics and novels don't really allow for that, so taking into account that you can't take decision, how do you show alternatives endings and alternative timelines? Can you ha... | [
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"pm_score": 1,
"selected": false,
"text": "> \n> \"Video games do this, because they allow players to take decisions,\n> but movies, comics and novels don't ... | 2023/01/12 | [
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64,170 | <https://youtu.be/4BxfV1sBRJs?t=195>
>
> “In order for your character to evolve in a positive way, he has to
> start out with something lacking in his life, some reason that makes
> the change necessary. He is incomplete in some way, but not because he
> is lacking something external. […] Your character is incomplete... | [
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"text": "> \n> \"Video games do this, because they allow players to take decisions,\n> but movies, comics and novels don't ... | 2023/01/12 | [
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64,176 | Suppose that,during a conversation in a book, one character says something sarcastically. As the author, I want the readers to know that the character was being sarcastic, but I do not want to say the phrase "said sarcastically."
An example is below:
>
> "I'm glad to know that's what you think of my politics," Intre... | [
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"text": "Something I've found is that when you're trying to replace a phrase of the form *\"said Xly\"*, there often isn't a sin... | 2023/01/12 | [
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