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 world, but not your readers as though they knew everything and just expect them to read your book a second, third or even read a companion book, or should you reveal things step by step? Is this shock approach of just putting your readers in the middle of things ever done by a successful author? | [
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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 | [
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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 American, and believes guns should be banned or at least strictly regulated.
>
>
>
What could I use for ? The goal is to show that they entirely agree with the respective party's platform and do not object to any part.
(Obviously, these examples don't cover the entire platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties, but I think they're sufficient to show what I'm looking for.) | [
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"answer_id": 63429,
"author": "High Performance Mark",
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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 | [
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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 are shown. Thoughts are displayed with italicized writing. Intentions and opinions are shown as thoughts or dialogue. Sometimes I tell it, but that's usually when those things are obvious/pre-established, but their relation to the actions happening aren't obvious, so by mentioning them I allow the reader to connect the dots.
However, sometimes it would be practical to describe things that happened kind of outside of the plot. Things that are important, but don't really fit into the story. By having my impersonal, usually non-expository narration suddenly break from the present story, to just fill the reader in on a detail, feels like it'll likely be jarring; because it makes the narration feel like its being delivered by a narrator who exists outside of the story (and thus has access to details not shown in the story), because it deviates from the non-expository paradigm of the story and because it may break the tense.
Usually I write in past tense, but this is still an issue then, given that the story is still *now*, regardless of the tense. Backstory is still backstory, even if the story is past tense.
For the book I'm writing on now, I decided to try the present tense. I find it fun and challenging, but this issue is even more noticeable now. Especially because this story involves tons of planning and scheming, and to show every itty-bitty detail gets boring, so I like to include tons of time skips. But sometimes, the gist of those details is important to the plot, and it'd be nice if I could simply mention *x happened* when it becomes relevant. However, is this too jarring?
Do answer as generally as you want, so long as the narration format of present tense 3rd person limited is included. | [
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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 | [
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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 and sexist Miry Kae.
I do not want to make them just empty caricatures to hate. Yes, their role is just to be hated, but how can I write them so, while meant to be hated, they still feel like actual people (minus the sympathy?) | [
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"answer_id": 63471,
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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 how I perceive how realistic it is. How can I improve? | [
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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 | [
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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 should you replace the slur with the actual reference to the racial slur, such as c-word, n-word, etc.? | [
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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 | [
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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, but could not find a proper word for it.
Is there a word for it?
Something like:
>
> Chapter 1
>
>
> Chapter 2
>
>
> **1-2 pages long text not part of chapter 2 or 3**
>
>
> Chapter 3
>
>
>
Is there a word for it, or does that sort of thing just become part of the previous or following chapter? (English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if this reads as an unclear question.) | [
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"answer_id": 63484,
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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 | [
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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.
Of the approximately ten most popular books on scene writing, there is only one that even hints at anything different. That is the 1965 grand-daddy of scene structure, "Techniques of the Selling Writer" when he casually refers in one sentence to the idea that some scenes are *happenings*, which bring people together, but no goal or conflict is involved.
One sentence in the history of advice on scene writing suggests there might be the rare scene without a clear goal.
But when I read scenes from bestsellers, like Dan Brown's *Origin* or Dean Koontz's *Devoted*, they often begin with either a slice of life, some back-story, internal thoughts, or a character bumbling along observing their surroundings. There is no clear goal at all in some cases or else it may only appear very late in the scene and then often it's a passive goal like "avoid some rowdy people" or "tell someone it's bedtime."
Examples:
**Dean Koontz Devoted, Scene #1**: Megan Liobman feels time is running out. Looks at her non-verbal eleven year old son. Loves him, but struggles. Tells him it's bedtime soon. [Goal of telling her son it's bedtime, only revealed in the last sentence.]
**Dean Koontz Devoted, Scene #2**: Woody Liobman saves a story he's writing on the computer. He is smart. Lying in bed, he contemplates his gum transplants and whether a girl would ever want to kiss him. [No scene goal. Just reflection.]
**Dan Brown Origin, Scene #1**: Rocudq Langboz sees a bunch of crazy things: 40 foot tall dog, giant spider, wobbly stairs. Then he talks to a host who welcomes him to the museum and to the secret meeting. Contemplates his invitation and the person who invited him. Laypdoz is now [several pages in] "eager to learn what his former student was about to announce." [First hint of a clear goal.]
**Dan Brown Origin, Scene #3**: Laypdoz is wandering along in the museum looking at symbols and people. [He's just thinking. I suppose we could say that his goal is to attend the gathering mentioned in scene #1, but this scene is just observations and reflections.]
What am I to make of this? I find the scenes mostly engaging because they are revealing character, backstory or setting in an interesting way.
But **why then, does every single writing craft book say that the goal should be so crystal clear from the beginning of the scene**.
Am I reading too much into this advice?
Can a goal be as simple as "observe my surroundings," "remember my past," "reflect on what I care about" or "get ready for bed while I think about something"?
If so, why don't craft books communicate these subtleties? | [
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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 | [
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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 when a character has an ever-changing goal that changes constantly. My question is in what situation could you have a main character without a goal and still make the story compelling enough? Was it ever done in literature: is there any famous work where the main character has no goal? | [
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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 | [
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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 controls a pre-made character such as in The Witcher series, Geralt already has a predefined personality which means the writers know beforehand how he might react to certain things happening. It's not so simple when the character is a blank slate.
I could try to gamify it by allowing the player to select their personality or build their "personality" around the choices they make while playing the game. This, however, has some problems. Primarily is that it has the tendency to increase the game's scope beyond what I want. Secondly is that this is not guaranteed to work as intended because if the player enjoys killing people but feel deeply affected when they see a certain village burn down, showing the character in a cutscene with a smile on their face (basing on the player's previous actions) will create a disconnect with how the player was actually feeling at the moment.
So instead of going out of scope for the game's system, I want to see if I can tackle this from a writing perspective.
Which leads ultimately to my question. How can I present an emotional narrative when essentially the main character is a blank slate?
An approach I've thought of is having the emotional moments happen between other characters and the player is just there to witness it either as a bystander or as a 3rd party who is only marginally related. That way the player's character is not so entwined with what was happening and does not need up close representation. While this may work, I also do want some emotional moments happening involving the player character as well but I just can't figure out how to execute it.
Thanks for reading my wall of text! | [
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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 | [
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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 start to critically **think** about *thinking*, it's easy to start
> doubting your **thinking** the same way that you doubt your *thinking*.
>
>
> This doubt makes critical **thinking** about *thinking* an antimeme (an idea
> with self-censoring properties): it makes it harder to develop the
> **thought**, and it makes it harder to communicate it.
>
>
>
I assume that I'm not the first person in the world to come up with that idea: is there a prior art of using formatting for disambiguation? I am looking for particular examples as well as analysis of this technique. | [
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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 | [
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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 can happen if you need time to finish your plan for your story or if you want to develop certain things like worldbuilding or other characters before making your character set on the main journey, but I was wondering if there are things you need to do or avoid if you choose to do so. | [
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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 | [
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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 | [
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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 if I should use brackets to correct the spelling, or if that is more distracting.
For example, here is a quote from someone writing from Hong Kong in the early 1900s (this quote is in the book):
“We are continually being asked why we do not leave **Hongkong**... To say the least the Seed must be sown and the Lord will look after the **developement** [Emphasis mine]."
Hongkong is an archaic spelling of Hong Kong, same with developement. I don't want them to look like unintentional errors on my part, but also don't want to distract the reader unnecessarily.
Thank you!! | [
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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 anywhere online. Although English is my native language, I did not study English and I make mistakes in English all the time. Can someone tell me if this sentence makes sense? | [
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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 of hook like this in the beginning: 'Upam has a body that cannot die. He doesn't know that yet, but he's about to find out.' | [
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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 resource platforms like wikis and fanart thrive. I doubt highly experienced and well-rounded authors would put time into an "open-source", so ideally some roles would surface.
1. Story drivers: People with a strong sense of character development and experience driving a story forward.
2. Scene developers: People with the ability to take a story and add the content around it.
3. Validators: People with the ability to take in partial or full content and revise it for plot hole.
4. Editors: People who excel at polishing the shape.
5. Verificators: People who are avid and excellent readers, willing to provide feedback.
Is anything of the sort viable, and are there good resources pointing at why it can or cannot be done? I enjoying writing every now and then, but I lack the story driving strength, and my characters tend to be quite dull. My shape is much better, so the idea of creating an open team of people contributing with their strengths seems to make sense. There is the obvious glaring problem of monetization! | [
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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 | [
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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 that is not urban? For some notes:
* They will be called sirens.
* The sirens in my world are the creepy humanoids who pretend to be attractive people, not the flying birds, and try to eat you.
* They exist in a region inspired by Greece
* The sirens, while can talk through their weird "singing", are really feral in reality and cannot talk. | [
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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?
Also if I make up a sci-fi tech or science term that appears in another work of fiction; do I get in trouble? | [
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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, werewolves, and moles (animal.) When I use the term social deduction story, I get a bunch of social deduction games. As you can imagine, when the thing you're trying to look up has a vastly more common definition than the definition you are trying to use, then finding what you want is hard. So, I'm looking for tips on how to write a werewolf/mafia story (as in trying to find out who amongst the group is actually an enemy.) | [
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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 the similarities and differences:
Similarities:
* They are both witches
* They are both lesbians
* Their names are very similar (the character's name is Ayozhbst)
Differences:
* Ayozhbst is **WAY** older, and is in her early 20's
* Ayozhbst's design is more gothic
* Her personality is greatly different than Amity's
* Her arc is also very different (it is mainly Ayozhbst wanting to see the world outside of her kingdom, and realizing how a lot of it is not as accepting as her home)
In the end, how could I write the character so that they appear more original and not ending up seeming like a knock-off of another character? | [
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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 is that you want him to be a protagonist. And he's a reluctant protagonist, so there needs to be more clarity on his positive traits.
>
>
>
This comment made me realise that my protagonist has little to no redeeming traits. That isn't to say that he isn't irredeemably evil, but rather that his flaws outweigh his good qualities by too large a percentage. Throughout the narrative, he's shown to distrust others, has contempt for authority, and it's heavily implied that he suffers from borderline personality disorder.
His only positive characteristic is a love for his pet dog, with whom he has a closer relationship than any other character in the story. However, more is needed to make him appear complex and balance his weaknesses.
Any tips for this? | [
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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/Oxford style building. I feel more comfortable making the location up but I don't know if that will be intriguing to the reader in comparison to it being a real place. None of the locations I've researched really fit. I'm not sure what to do and need some advice. | [
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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 created a lack of something that they wish to overcome (want) but the hero can't because she is clinging to the lie.
* The story soon presents an external event (ignition point) that forces them to face their lie or abandon their treasured misbelief, because the event tosses the hero into new circumstances, where the lie/ misbelief is no longer useful.
* These new circumstances somehow feature antagonistic forces and the opportunity to go after their want. But how are these things connected?
I have a few attempts at an answer:
* The new circumstances lead to a new story goal that is different from the old "want". The antagonistic force has a goal that opposes the hero's story goal and thus, they face off against each other. --> But where is the old want in this?
* The ignition point presents some sort of opportunity for the hero to pursue the want that she previously did not have. Maybe there are antagonists involved --> But this connection seems weak. "Suddenly she can go after what she wants, but who would have known it, there is the villain and things are not so easy as they seem!"
Does it have to do something with stakes? How does the concept of dramatic question fit into this? What is the framework of an archetypical positive change arc, that includes all the mentioned story elements (ghost, want, need, ignition point, villain, stakes, lie, truth, dramatic question, ...)? | [
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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 do you have to explain them?
I was watching [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27cn7eMGSWY) and it got me thinking about how to have serfs in a medieval setting with modern technologies and magic, and how much exposition I have to do and if I can leave any hole in the worldbuilding and what might be considered plot holes. | [
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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 Indian descent?
I haven't witnessed people of any color in a high state of emotion much in my life, so I don't have a personal referance (blessed be). I imagine the causes behind it are the same since these changes are due to humans' red blood draining from our face or filling our veins. However I want to have POC in my story without laying it on too thick, and therefore want to be clear when referencing their skin changing color in such a situation.
I've heard of being "ashy," but I understand that to mean dry skin, so I assume that wouldn't apply here. | [
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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 using the term "Superchapter". Is there a real format for this? What is it called? | [
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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.
Probably a lot of people are familiar with this series of questions for world building <https://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/04/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/>
I find that to be helpful, but I'm also wondering what other people ask themselves to come up with compelling characters and plots. What have you found helpful to ask yourself to keep yourself writing or at least brainstorming? | [
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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 | [
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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 | [
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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 another place that has to have a rather quiet neighborhood somewhere rather close to a bigger city, it has to have a rather deep creek running through the place and needs rail tracks. And all this set in a very specific way.
Now, I've spent endless hours on google Maps and sometimes I find a place that fits good to one of these aspects, but not all of them.
But I also don't know how to create fictional places - how do I come up with a name, can I just throw in a random name? Does it matter that it would also mean that maybe railways follow a somewhat different path? I've tracked them on google maps and it's so tedious, they end in a deadend so often too. It's just really frustrating work to do.
All in all, I'm not familiar with making up places. I really don't know how to attack that or even feel okay with it. Is it really okay to make all this up, even if a railway fan would know that there are no tracks in that area? | [
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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 passages in order to give them the proper treatment?*
---
I was contemplating a future conversation with an acquaintance where I attempt to convince him that his song lyrics reuse played-out alcohol motifs way too frequently. In addition to these, there are other passages that could benefit from small changes that (opinion alert #1!) I believe will resonate better with most listeners.
One listener in particular is the band's drummer, and my connection to this acquaintance, who kept telling me that he wanted to cut a song from their set because he found one particular lyric to be overly "cheesy", of all things. He couldn't not hear it, and he hates being on stage with it. After I reflected on this complaint, I started to notice the frequency of lyrics about beer, etc. This led to me imagining this conversation. Anticipating things, I worked out a handful of replacement lines that (opinion alert #2!) still fit the lyrical context of the tune, feel less cliché, and in some cases even fit the singing cadence better.
Aside: I've been in a lot of bands, written tons of music‒several albums worth‒and am definitely approaching this with more experience and at least some kind of a philosophy.
I would expect this to be a weird conversation that's more likely to end in failure. Once upon a time I was the target of such an ambush, myself, where an acquaintance told me something very similar: He thought I had a cool song, but one line ruined it, and he suggested I change the lyrics. At the time I told him why I used that line, like "why" really mattered to a befuddled audience with no access to the lyricist. Eventually, almost 20-years later, I reconsidered that advice, though, and made an attempt to fix the song. Guess what? It made it a better song! My replacement lyrics even worked better in the lyrical context, too. I ended up re-recording it, and while I like the current version of this song much better, I regret not taking that advice sooner. I also regret how that guy isn't aware that he (eventually) succeeded in convincing me.
So‒if I do end up having this conversation‒one of my goals is to approach gracefully, but effectively enough that whatever the outcome is, it somehow helps my acquaintance to write songs with an improved philosophy influencing his lyrics.
But none of that is really the point. This whole imagined scenario led me to a different question associated with the conventional wisdom of "kill your darlings". Specifically this: How does one identify their own darlings in the first place?
Looking back on the time where I was the target of similar criticism, I realize now that I defended one of my "darlings", rather than identify it thanks to some constructive criticism and slay it. I anticipate my acquaintance will likely defend his darlings, too. But, then I became irritated with myself when I wondered how many of my own darlings have managed to duck under the radar of awareness and continue to hang around and just ..stink. How can you fix a problem you're unaware of? How can someone identify their own darlings as a matter of practiced craftsmanship? | [
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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 of writing down my already established plot points on notecards, then putting them in order. After doing that, I would add notecards with whatever new ideas came to mind.
However, I’ve come to the point where I no longer know how to go forward, and most of the advice I found seemed to expect that I had a particular plot template in mind. That is, things like Freytag’s Pyramid or Hero’s Journey, etc.
So! The question is this: **how do I take the “plot” I have now and determine what plot structure would fit it best?** I know the genre of the *setting*, but I don’t know the genre of the *story*. That is, I’m not sure what model it should follow.
I have the beginning and the ending, as well as most of the things in the middle, but I worry that if I try to write the novel now with what I have, it will lack proper pacing. | [
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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 the story, as a way to both make the reader think, and to confuse with the other hints that are really red herrings? | [
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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 troubles due to alcoholism (still does not cure it at the end)
* Acts like a typical jerk (in the beginning at least)
* Unnecessarily kills many people
* Will ask for higher rewards for bounties, or he will hold hostage whoever he has "rescued"
* Making deals with the "Evil Empire", sometimes being bribed
For this, and other stuff he does throughout the story, I am trying to write him to be likeable despite all the crimes and terror he commits. For likeability, it can be compared to protagonists in adult shows, like for example, Blitzo from *Helluva Boss* or Fumur Linpsan from *The Simpsons* (earlier seasons). Other examples can include the protagonists from the *GTA* franchise. In other words, while some people will hate the protagonist, how can I write him so that they are not too hateable and can have likeability? | [
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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-depth and ends up in misfortunate because of it - pretty standard.
So how can I avoid this? How can I create a more exhilarating and exciting plot without the character being just curious about something? Is there any clever way I can kind of "lead" them into the plot and keep the plot scary? Sorry if my question seems a little odd; I just don't really know how to ask it. | [
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"text": "I believe you are encountering a common struggle in storytelling. I know I struggled with similar challenges.\n\nWhile ... | 2022/11/18 | [
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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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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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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 there are times when nothing creative comes to me for weeks which completely derails my time table (and consequently disrupts my discipline). Any tips? | [
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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. The story involves the main character, a destined "chosen one", having to go all over the main continents to try and make diplomatic alliances.
One problem with the worldbuilding I have is the immense number of different languages. While there is already a solution for the protagonist (his enchanted helmet "translates" the major languages,) deuteragonists and tritagonists unfortunately do not have that luxury. While a few are at least bilingual, the rest only know one language.
What is some advice for trying to have character communicate with different languages and barriers, but without too much filler of having to constantly learn a new language? | [
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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.imgur.com/ZM59g.jpg)
PS sorry if this is the wrong place to ask. I wasn't sure where to put it! | [
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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 | [
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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.
>
>
> "As excuses go, that is quite a shabby one," retorted Joor.
>
>
> "It is nevertheless, the only one I have," Jumez answered defensively.
>
>
>
which could also be written as
>
> "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.
>
>
> "As excuses go, that is quite a shabby one."
>
>
> "It is nevertheless, the only one I have."
>
>
>
In this example I have deliberately chosen a dialogue where it is possible to use tags that somehow qualify the nature of the response - which makes them *acceptable*. However, in a more general context a continual repetition of *he said* and *she said* by way of tag makes the exchange feel rather stilted - at least to my eye.
My question - is it OK to leave out tags altogether once the identity of the characters has been established? Is this more of a stylistic decision or one that is dictated by well accepted rules? | [
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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? | [
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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 themselves feel better. How can I make the human protagonist realistically deal with an evil villain who can literally do anything at all? | [
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"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 | [
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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 him funny, being disrespectful to people who he thought were below him. The "alpha male," who may or may not have a sad "backstory" to explain why he's the way he is.
Another example is a girly-girl type character who is mean, popular, "adventurous" to guys, a brat, a bit vain, has her own cliques, etc.
Reading characters like that makes anyone understandably say it's "cliche" or "not original." Myself included.
But don't stereotypes speak the truth at times? I mean, in my own experience, I have met people like that who are **exactly** the stereotype and far more cruel. I understand the importance of not making characters one-dimensional, like spicing things up so the jock is actually a genius or the mean girl is only mean to people she *knows* who are bad but they act all innocent so she does come across as quite a b-word.
But should it be alright to write characters' roles *as* their roles sometimes? And it's just up to the writer to do it the right way or have good writing? | [
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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 struggle, but either way, it's not working—and I've been at it for years. So, I'm trying to switch tracks by lowering my expectations and "pantsing" my way through a story.
At least, that was the idea. But I just can't bring myself to write something half-baked. As I write every sentence and paragraph, every line of dialogue and description, I ask myself, "Is this necessary? Does it serve some purpose?" Usually, the answer is, "No, and no," and I kill my darlings.
That takes me back to the planning board. What does this character want? Why? *That* leads to philosophical questions I'm not nearly equipped to answer, and at the end of the road, as always, lies exhaustion and the loss of interest.
This is not a question of, "How do I write the middle part of my book?" To get to the "how", first one must walk past the "what" and "where". It's not that I need to add conflict—I know that—but that I don't know what the conflict ought to be.
Neil Gaiman, in his course on writing, says (and I paraphrase), "You've got an idea for a story. Now you've got to figure out what it's about." **In a nutshell, that's my problem.** Trying to solve that mystery ends up with me lost in a forest at night, so I decided to take a time out and try my hand at something simple and lighthearted; pictures and ideas I want to flesh out into stories, no matter the length; things that I think I'd enjoy reading, not because they would inspire me or teach me something, but just because they'd be fun. In other words, because the journey would be what's important, not the destination.
However, without a sense of direction, the words I type feel like fodder, or lard or filler or whatever you wish to call it. So, here's my question: can one write an unambitious story without it feeling like a waste?
I believe it's possible because I've consumed—and enjoyed—many works that feel that way. Maybe it's one of those things that I like reading but not writing, but I'm hoping that's not it, because that would mean I'm staring at a dead end. | [
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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 character I could have a similar backstory with is Glam from Metal Family, and a character with similar cunning and striving for perfection is Tom Yodhmi from Hijrp Potfeq.
My point is that he is insecurity-inducing enough to have attracted enough haters as well as supporters (haters hate successful people; what else is new?) but he's mostly "untouchable" (as some top people are).
People who want to beat him up? He's athletic and fit, so he can win some fights or run as fast as them to get away. And they could ruin their own reputations by assaulting and attacking a beloved treasure.
People actively voice their dislike of him? Why are you hating on the nice, star student? You're just jealous. Leave him alone.
People could try spreading rumors, but even if they were true, no one would suspect him of something so heinous, so it would fall at the end of the day.
The Echellim heel I could give him is that he's not exactly perfect and, ironically, a raging perfectionist.
Behind that persona is someone obsessed with keeping his reputation, yet he's smart enough to know there will be attempts at downfall, so he has connections to stop it or he immediately addresses the source. Like mafia systems.
Doesn't mean he's like a completely horrible person; it just means he wants to be the very best. Role model-wise, who may or may not have parents who drilled it into him to be like this so that's some psychological bag of angst we'll see later.
His own downfall could be in his own hands, but what else could I do? | [
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"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 | [
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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 with a few theories on why they fail:
* Too much product placement. Product placement does not necessarily have to be bad itself, but it's mostly done poorly.
* Too much toilet humor
* Too many pop culture references
* Just poorly written in general
* Parody/Satire may be too close to original film, like *Meet the Spartans*. However, there are exceptions like *Spaceballs*
* While it was more towards satire, I wanted to point out *The Simspons*
episode, *Bayj vs. Itchy & Scratchy*. While I have seen claims that they were trying to make fun of BOTH sides, it felt that the writers were siding too closely with the "feminists"
What are ways that the genre began to fail and how it can be fixed? I will also accept some criticisms and also more thoughts to what caused them to decline. | [
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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.
"*blah, blah, blah*...," he admonished himself
Or even worse
"*I must pay that bill*," he thought to himself.
---
In that last example, the *to himself* part is a wholly unnecessary adornment - you always think to yourself, not to someone else.
When I read such text the extra tags, the appended *...self* bits, are largely invisible and do not appear bothersome. At the same time, not using them makes for too many *'he thought*/*she thought* tags in quick succession which - to my eye - visually uglifies the text.
When I think about what I am doing here it seems like I am *tagging a tag.* Is there a generally accepted consensus how this should be handled? | [
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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 | [
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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 head it paints a pretty clear picture, but I am having a hard time describing it in a way that readers get a similar picture. I feel as if I just need way too much words to give my readers a good idea of what the characters are seeing and if I would write the whole book this way it would take way too much pages. And if I would split it into more than one book I would still have the problem that the storytelling would feel slow as I take multiple pages just to describe the scene without anything happening yet.
For example, in one scene a human from our world wakes up in a jungle in this new world. The plants are different, the animals are different, the sun is different and even his movement is different since this jungle is kilometres high, with trees connecting to each other so movement is a mixture of walking and climbing and it involves a lot of altitude changing instead of just going a straight line. I feel like I would need to explain **everything** the man is seeing before I can even start on how he reacts to it and what happens next.
So how can I write about this alien avatar-like world in a way that sufficiently paints the scene but also does not eat through pages faster than a gambling addict eats through his bank account? | [
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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, I am looking for a resource (book/podcast/blog posts/whatever) that takes examples of good stuff and explains, **in detail**, **why** it's actually good. Other suggestions are welcome as well.
PS: I am not a native English speaker. | [
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"text": "The reason why reading can improve your writing is that writing can't be taught but can be learned.\n------------------... | 2022/11/27 | [
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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. How can I not just keep describing the same events that a reader could find in any funeral scene? How can I add a value and make it distinguishable? | [
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"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 | [
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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 natural result of mistreatment by others.
Unfortunately, any discussions on this issue I found online always seem to end up suggesting adding a token foil character with similar conditions to contrast the villain, or avoiding the practice altogether. And on my side, although considerable effort has been made in researching medical references to ensure logical consistency and accuracy, I am aware of the following two possible controversies:
1. The condition can be viewed as a way to excuse and even justify the wrongdoing of the villain;
2. Conversely, this can be seen as an unfair accusation that stigmatizes the group in question by suggesting that the condition is solely responsible for creating evil.
What else can be done to minimize these two negative influences as much as possible?
`Update:`
If I may elaborate on my intent in asking this question, I want my fiction to be believable more than reader-friendly. I am not against but rather in favor of the use of tropes, including stereotypes, but only when they are substantiated by sufficient factual research and logical consideration. Being called factually inaccurate is much, much more hurtful to me than being accused of insensitivity.
To give more context, the fiction in question involves an attempt to examine the basis of morality (reason vs. emotion) and whether moral responsibility derives from free will. This villain *protagonist* of the Mad Scientist archetype with [SzPD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid_personality_disorder) and/or [ASD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism_spectrum_disorder) does fit the stereotypes of apathetic (coldness, detachment), unfeeling ([alexithymia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia); lack of empathy), and amoral (insensitivity to social norms; "moral unevenness") very well, but would later take a step up in moral responsibility through character development. I am working to make sure these stereotypes do have clinical evidence support, and, when I have done my due research, the last thing I want is to be criticized for "misinterpretation."
So, to append a new question here: How can I avoid conveying the wrong message when establishing a character with "boring stereotypes" of some mental illness, negative experiences, etc., that are actually factually and logically self-consistent? | [
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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 charm someone, or solve some problem. This doesn't seem to work with my story.
Let me set the scene. Merciless bullying at school left marks on my main character, and the most prominent is her uncompromising refusal to be a bystander. Normally, that's an admirable trait, and in another genre, she could've been a hero. But that didn't happen. Presented with lose-lose choices where most would take the easy road and not get involved, she tried to make the best of bad situations, and that's left her with many regrets over her history of dubious moral decisions.
(For example, after a disaster strikes her city and the government's considering condemning it, she threatens the mayor with his son's life to get him to speak against it. She has a couple of good reasons for that, but the mayor did nothing to deserve it, and it doesn't change what she did. This is not a one-off thing.)
My story takes place after that. She's given a second lease on life in a far more casual setting and a mission: "Die [of natural causes, I mean] without regrets. That'll be your redemption." Tonally, this is supposed to be a lighthearted gag about a grizzled vet getting dumped in what amounts to a playground, but it's impossible to ignore the baggage she's carrying with her, so I'm trying to balance the two.
She knows something within her has to change; but what? It can't be her unwillingness to look the other way, because that's nothing bad on its own. After some deliberation, I decided that, when presented with a question with no right answers, the best she can do is heed others' opinions instead of forging on with hers alone. That's what democracy's all about.
How can I convert that into narrative conflict? I can't create an antagonist she can't otherwise overcome, because that would contradict the "hard mode → easy mode" trope. I don't intend to write romance, so I don't know about charming someone, either.
The closest equivalent I can think of is the TV show, Arcane. Its main character undergoes drastic change after a traumatic event, but when someone from her past resurfaces, she's faced with a dilemma: does she stay who she is or go back to who she used to be? Until she's solved this conflict, she can't find inner peace. The difference is that, for her, inner peace is a life-or-death necessity, because she's legitimately going insane, psychosis and hallucinations and all.
My character can go on as she is. It might not be a fulfilled life, but she'll survive. How can I change that?
---
If I were not angling for a happy ending, I could write a tragedy where she's unable to come up with an answer; but I am.
And on that note, everything I've said here assumes that I, as the author, must have an answer to my character's problem and guide her to it. Is it possible to write an exploratory story where I don't? What are examples of such? | [
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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." | [
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"text": "If the way the character speaks the number is important, spell it out. If not *meh*, but either way c... | 2022/12/02 | [
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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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"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 | [
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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. | [
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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 writing advice, how late can a deuteragonist be added into a story?
For notes:
* The beginning at first goes with the protagonist beginning the hero's journey, and going through training to become the chosen one (the story has a different take on the trope.)
* Once all the training is done, the protagonist has to go all the way to the Eastern Kingdoms (based on China), and that is where the deuteragonist is introduced.
* The deuteragonist is not just a side or supporting character, they are literally a primary character, and even has her own small arc in a DLC. | [
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"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 articles, and will edit sentences like the one above to the following:
>
> According to customer requirements, software must be written in C++ Programming Language.
>
>
>
Their argument is that it's less verbose, and to them it reads more like other technical documentation they read.
I get the reasons for ommitting articles in headlines, bulleted lists (especially when they're incomplete sentences), etc., but for full sentences that are part of narratives, I think it's better to include articles to improve clarity and make it easier to read.
Are there any authoritative guidelines or styleguides redgarding the use of articles in technical writing? | [
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"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 | [
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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 like you had an exciting childhood."
>
>
>
The idea is that this scene begins with the tail end of the previous conversation, so the reader knows the character has been telling a story and has just finished it, but without requiring me to write out the whole story, kind of like
[this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNgz_b98HbY) from Avengers: Age of Ultron (from about 0:17-0:26 and again at 1:48-1:53).
What is the best way to make something like this "flow" properly? Should I do the ellipses at the beginning of the dialogue or is that grammatically incorrect? Is there additional narration I need to add to make this work? At the moment it doesn't sound "right" to me so what is the best way to fix this? | [
{
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"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 | [
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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 the experience of reading such a book? What would you recommend writers to do if they try to write such a book? | [
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"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 | [
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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 scene 1 even though it happens sequentially after scene 1 inside the book/comic/screenplay, or should you show and not tell and not literally tell your readers that scene 2 is happening 1 hour before scene 1? | [
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"text": "Generally speaking yes - unless you're explicitly planning on deceiving the audience about the sequence of event... | 2022/12/16 | [
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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 there a proper way to format the poem?
I am guessing you have to center it, but I am not sure if you should use a different font, and how to introduce it. Should you use a generic phrase like: "The poem read as follows:"? | [
{
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"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 | [
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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 implying that the personality of the character must change, but I am wondering what's the minimum amount of change you need to see in a character for the development to be satisfying for the reader, because doing a 180 on a character is very difficult to do. | [
{
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"text": "Without critiquing the video you shared, I suggest you check out [this excellent primer on character arcs instead](http... | 2022/12/17 | [
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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 his brother Jim.** He looks at her and the
> reaches for his smartphone to text something to a friend.
>
>
>
Should you fix these sentences and what can be done to make these descriptive sentences sound less blocky? | [
{
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"text": "Such description is sometimes called [blocking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blocking_(stage)) because it was some... | 2022/12/18 | [
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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 go against the character development or there's no character development because the character fully developed in the fist book.
Is it because the story beat you wrote initially didn't take into account the possibility of a sequel? Is there anything you can do aside writing a story beat with the possibility of a sequel in mind to make sure that the sequel is good? | [
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"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 | [
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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? | [
{
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"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? | [
{
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"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 you do this without telling, only by showing? | [
{
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"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 | [
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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 interpreted that way. How do you tell your readers without telling and only showing that that interpretation is completely wrong and the more obscure and occult interpretation of the movie is the correct one? Is there any technique widely used to achieve that? Let's assume I am a filmmaker and I am making a film. | [
{
"answer_id": 63964,
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"text": "Simple, **you can't.**\n\nLet's take the most known example: the Abrahamic religions. They basically believe in the... | 2022/12/22 | [
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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?
Could I somehow put a funny run-in twist on these meet-ups or is it too coincidental? On a side note, a lot of these interactions are in places far away from each other. | [
{
"answer_id": 63972,
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"selected": true,
"text": "Minimizing support characters is an excellent strategy.\n-------------------------------------------------------\n\nWhet... | 2022/12/22 | [
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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 recommendations for well received short stories in this theme and any articles diving into the analytical side of what elements of horror or story telling make these tells what they are. | [
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"text": "Minimizing support characters is an excellent strategy.\n-------------------------------------------------------\n\nWhet... | 2022/12/23 | [
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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,
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"selected": false,
"text": "There are more important things: Engaging characters, a well structured plot, crisp and entertaining writing are al... | 2022/12/24 | [
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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 where he requires the help of some other people in order for him to stick around for a little bit and then find a much higher-purpose type of reason for him to stick around for the rest of the story. Is this the only way? I can't think of a different way to handle such main characters. | [
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"text": "There are more important things: Engaging characters, a well structured plot, crisp and entertaining writing are al... | 2022/12/25 | [
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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 scrunched nose. | [
{
"answer_id": 63993,
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"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 | [
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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 keep it at a minimum and keep the action going instead of showing a mission briefing scene and going over the weapon and the mission?
Just doing the exposition on the weapon during a mission briefing scene seems to be weird, so I have no idea how to keep it as short as possible. | [
{
"answer_id": 64005,
"author": "Erk",
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"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 | [
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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. | [
{
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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 | [
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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 meaningfully (dialogues) with other characters, is that ok, and can we make it work, or is this a terrible idea and why? | [
{
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"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 | [
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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 this, but wouldn't doing so also hurt the story, since you have to make them extremely mad and frustrated? I am trying to write the saddest story ever written. | [
{
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"text": "The sharpest tragedy is intimately personal\n-------------------------------------------\n\n> \n> The world blew u... | 2023/01/02 | [
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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 girlfriend and in the end she does. Is it okay for me to kill of the main love interest, especially a gay one? There are many other LGBT characters, in fact most are. I'm just confused and don't want to offend anyone.
Thank you for all the answers, I am choosing to go through and kill her off, I am thankfull for all the advice and will keep all in mind in my future endeavors. | [
{
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"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 | [
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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 be lore-accurate at all and put out a diverse cast. Is this something that's 100% necessary in this day and age, because it seems to me everyone does it. | [
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"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 | [
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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-main-lgbt-love-interest)
[How do I write LGBT characters without looking like I'm trying to be politically correct?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/34564/how-do-i-write-lgbt-characters-without-looking-like-im-trying-to-be-politically)
[An LGBT main character, but the book isn't about LGBT issues](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/41945/an-lgbt-main-character-but-the-book-isnt-about-lgbt-issues)
So this seems quite a common theme.
So I suppose the overarching question is "Should I do anything differently when writing about LGBT characters compared to heterosexual ones?" | [
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"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 | [
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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 interest as soon as possible. Is it still wrong, and if it's wrong how do I make it more palatable? I was told this was almost as bad as the "Bury your gays" trope.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCs0JdJ0cBQ> | [
{
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"author": "Divizna",
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"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 writing screenplays? | [
{
"answer_id": 64085,
"author": "Boba Fit",
"author_id": 57030,
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"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 actually the case? I see medical journals use it, so I am wondering just how offensive this is, and if highly successful authors in the mainstream literature still use it despite the offensiveness of the action. | [
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"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 | [
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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? If so, how can you rewrite it?
I found an [example of the bridge trope.](https://youtu.be/EHW1mYI-eJ4?t=750)
Here we see a convenient bridge placed there by someone and that wasn't destroyed to make it much easier to free the demon lord from his prison. The existence of the bridge is silly and not explained by the lore.
The issue is then how do you rewrite the scene? Do you just remove the bridge and put no obstacle at all? Is that the solution? How do you write around this silly situation? | [
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"text": "I have never heard of it before as well, and it seems context-sensitive. For instance, in the *Shrek* example, ... | 2023/01/08 | [
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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, etc. The only thing that differs is their personalities, but the male and female characters don't have any stereotypical traits from their gender.
Is that bad? I am thinking most people wouldn't really notice it, and if there are no particular peculiarities, then it's a minor issue if it's an issue at all. | [
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"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 in a screenplay for video games? The difficulty is that the screenplay exists within a monodimensional plane, so you only have future and past. How do you do insert complex dialogues branches and optional dialogues in it? Do you have some examples? | [
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"text": "Personally, I just write it straight in the game. Make a placeholder for each branch that basically just writes out... | 2023/01/10 | [
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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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"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 | [
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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 the first chapter, can I write from her friend's point of view?
Then secondly, is it even okay to write from a minor character's point of view? | [
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"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 | [
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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. | [
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"text": "I believe you are really asking how to write from the POV of a mentally disturbed individual.\n------------------------... | 2023/01/10 | [
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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, dwarves, orcs, merfolks, etc. and they're all more or less humanoid, but not human, and saying "beings" or "beasts" sounds dehumanizing though, as if I was talking about animals. I'll be thankful for all suggestions haha :) | [
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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 | [
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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 the male fantasies.
Should I write them out of my stories, or are there ways to make the femme fatale archetype more women friendly by modifying some of the characteristics of the archetype? | [
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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 have a story that branches out at point B, which is in the middle of the story and diverges to 2 different endings, how would you achieve this in a novel, comics or movie? | [
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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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64,170 | <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 on
> the inside. He is harboring some deeply held misconception about
> either himself, the world, or probably both”.
>
>
>
I was watching this, and I was wondering how to make a perfect AI have something lacking in his life, and make him pursue a goal due to a need and want. Like the video explains, you need to make sure your character has a goal, a need and a want in order to make a dramatic character, but an AI that's supposed to be perfect shouldn't have those, so how do you solve this issue?
I remember in Ghost of the Shell, the character sounds like a perfect AI, but the character was a human being and had some emotion, because of her android origin, but for a non-human character, I am not sure how to write them while making the world believable by making sure the AI doesn't feel unnecessary emotions.
Are there some solutions or good approach on developing such problematic characters? | [
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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," Intrej said sarcastically.
>
>
>
Is there a single word that I can use to replace the phrase "said sarcastically"? | [
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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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