qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
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64,179 | I think I asked a question that was similar, but this question is different, because the context is completely different. One of the issues is that sometimes you waste 10 panels doing a simple exposition, like when you write a scene for a mission briefing. Could you do a one panel flashback to a scene that was never shown after the first panel of a mission?
Let me illustrate both options:
Option 1:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (mission briefing) > 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 (actual mission)
Option 2:
11 (actual mission), 5 (flashback) 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 (actual mission)
Option 2 saves you 9 panels. Panel 5 is shown as a flashback in option 2 even though it was not shown before. Is this totally ok? I think I remember seeing something like this before, but I don't clearly remember it being an actual thing. I am not 100% sure. | [
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"answer_id": 64180,
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"text": "I think it is quite common to do flashback to a time before the start of the story. You really don't need to... | 2023/01/13 | [
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64,189 | I was thinking of making the characters use racial slurs, because there's no way that in a fantasy setting people are progressive and respect people of every group, but I wasn't sure what would be acceptable and what would be unacceptable given the current culture of wide acceptance and zero tolerance for racism.
In Skyrim, humans refer to Orcs as "Pig men", Khajiits as "Cats", and I think those are fine, but I am not sure what to make out of "darkies" when referring to a dark elf for example. It seems to close to comfort to real racial slurs used in our world, and I feel like it's probably not something most authors would use today. | [
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"text": "First, the assumption of lack of tolerance among people of different ethnicities was surprisingly varied depending on... | 2023/01/13 | [
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64,200 | I'm nearing the end of my story, and I'm trying to tie it all together. I've read books that are great, but when you come to the ending, it's extremely disappointing because nothing in the ending connects to anything in the earlier story. But in some stories, it all ties together so you think "ohh, that's why they put that! This is amazing it fits perfectly." I don't want my writing to end up like the former, so I was wondering if anyone has any tips to help avoid that. | [
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"author": "Divizna",
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"text": "I'm going to disappoint you greatly.\n\nThis is generally something you should have figured out before you even sta... | 2023/01/14 | [
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64,202 | I've heard that a mistake that people often make is that they put 100% of their effort in building a character that they like and based on their own world views and philosophies and then end up writing an antagonist who is weak, one-dimensional and clearly evil.
Is this really a problem? Because you could say that Sauron is a weak, one-dimensional and clearly evil character to the point he's somewhat of a caricature of a character, and yet LOTR is considered a masterpiece. When is it ok to not write a strong antagonist with a strong belief, strong and who is not clearly evil? | [
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"text": "The Lord of the Rings is (IMO) not really ***about*** Sauron; it is a *character* story about people struggling to ... | 2023/01/14 | [
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64,206 | A friend and I are writing a manga, and there is this mc(main character) that is having the speech disorder - she stutters.
---
Writing the question directly to avoid confusion.
Afterwards providing some attempts to clarify both what the question is about & details.
Finally I will add *Background*, and then some *Context* and *References*.
---
#### Question
How should I write a character - that suffers from a speech disorder (stuttering)?
I'll add some examples below, as the question might seem broad.
---
### Examples
Some previous attempts of mine have been:
* To write about how I myself as a stutterer feel (that is, I write on my phone).
+ However, other (stutterers) might disagree(everyone is different) other stutterers maybe, don't use any help at all (and talks either way)
* Because we all are different I try to be "inclusive" or, how to put it. I try to make it more "general" Instead of only writing how I myself feel about stuttering.
---
### Background
I have this speech disorder myself, I stutter so much so I write on notepads/my phone and show it to the person instead of talking in real life.
**What does this have to do with the question?**
It is, that I am unsure how to write the person (*not the stuttering-itself*).
---
### Context and References
**I have tried to search for specifically writing about the speech (disorder) and not the usual, brief stuttering one might get when scared or surprised.**
Like 'wow!'
>
> "Ww-w-wow!"
>
>
>
or 'really'?
>
> "r-really?"
>
>
>
What I actually mean is more like, actually **having difficulties**(actively struggling) to say the word "wow" or, "really".
---
#### A more concrete example
My real name is Curliam. So I often have (major) difficulties saying my own name because of the 'W'.
So I end up just saying
>
> my name is W-www-w (...)
>
>
>
And then - after a few attempts - literally writing on my phone "Curliam" and showing.
**But I didn't find any question** that is directly about what I am asking.
Note: some might think stuttering appears when there is a stressful situation, like "introduce yourself in front of a class" but, my stutter is, regardless if I am stressed or not. **that is, I stutter as much as alone as if I would be in front of a class**.
#### Comments
One thing I considered doing is, having the character just write on phone, (in some anime/mangas they write in notebooks so it's - kind of the same but different)
We can also of course use sign language; (both of which has been in manga before)
As a attempt to re-phrase what the question really is asking it is:
* How should I go with writing how the character feels, but so it doesn't feel as a cliche, because I guess writing about myself is not that good (I think?) this is my first question so sorry if trivial parts is missing.
---
### Internal References
Some references that were (in)directly helpful were:
Indirectly helpful:
* [Is there such thing as too much concept at a character and how do you know so?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/63204/is-there-such-thing-as-too-much-concept-at-a-character-and-how-do-you-know-so/63242#63242)
* [How does one write a character smarter than oneself?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/6670/how-does-one-write-a-character-smarter-than-oneself)
Directly helpful:
* [Should you always write a strong antagonist?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/64202/47418)
* [How to make sure that you don't end up writing a Self-Insert?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/26748/47418)
### External References
* <https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/stuttering>
* <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttering> | [
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"text": "So if I'm interpreting this correctly, you want to write a character who stutters based off yourself, but want to know h... | 2023/01/15 | [
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64,223 | How can I build a realistic friendship that utilizes emotion? One of the main problems in my writing is characters not seeming to be as emotional or have real seeming connections to family or friends. | [
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"text": "Friendship is a combination of similarities, and differences that create synergy.\n\nWe become friends with those t... | 2023/01/18 | [
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64,225 | I am writing a story with some of Rick Riordan's Peryy Yiwfsan characters in it like, Pedcn, Annabeth, Grover,Leo, Hazel, Piper, Cuson, and much more other characters in his story. I wanted to make a "pretend" story of technically me if I were a half-blood - and I really don't want it to be copyrighted. | [
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"text": "Usually, good stories give inspiration to the reader. He/she wants to continue the imaginary trip with the story cha... | 2023/01/18 | [
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64,226 | Some say that a paragraph should have (only) one idea (or subject or topic). In that case, what constitutes an idea (or subject or topic)? And how might one verify that a putative paragraph possesses but one idea?
I will put forth two examples, for the purposes of discussion. The first, a one-sentence paragraph [Carroll](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11/pg11-images.html) *might* have written:
>
> "What a curious feeling—I must be shutting up like a telescope."
>
>
>
And another thing (it *looks* like a paragraph), of [Swift](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/65473/pg65473-images.html):—
>
> It would not be proper, for some reasons, to trouble the reader with the particulars of our adventures in those seas; let it suffice to inform him, that in our passage from thence to the East Indies, we were driven by a violent storm to the northwest of Van Diemen’s Land. By an observation, we found ourselves in the latitude of 30 degrees 2 minutes south. Twelve of our crew were dead by immoderate labor and ill food: the rest were in a very weak condition. On the 5th of November, which was the beginning of summer in those parts, the weather being very hazy, the seamen spied a rock within half a cable’s length of the ship, but the wind was so strong that we were driven directly upon it, and immediately split. Six of the crew, of whom I was one, having let down the boat into the sea, made a shift to get clear of the ship and the rock. We rowed, by my computation, about three leagues, till we were able to work no longer, being already spent with labor while we were in the ship. We therefore trusted ourselves to the mercy of the waves, and in about half an hour the boat was overset by a sudden flurry from the north. What became of my companions in the boat, as well as of those who escaped on the rock, or were left in the vessel, I cannot tell, but conclude they were all lost. For my own part, I swam as fortune directed me, and was pushed forward by wind and tide. I often let my legs drop, and could feel no bottom, but when I was almost gone, and able to struggle no longer, I found myself within my depth; and by this time the storm[8] was much abated. The declivity was so small, that I walked near a mile before I got to the shore, which I conjectured was about eight o’clock in the evening. I then advanced forward near half a mile, but could not discover any sign of houses or inhabitants; at least I was in so weak a condition that I did not observe them. I was extremely tired, and with that, and the heat of the weather, and about half a pint of brandy that I drank as I left the ship, I found myself much inclined to sleep. I lay down on the grass, which was very short and soft, where I slept sounder than ever I remember to have done in my life, and, as I reckoned, about nine hours; for when I awakened, it was just daylight. I attempted to rise, but was not able to stir; for, as I happened to lie on my back, I found my arms and legs were strongly fastened on each side to the ground; and my hair, which was long and thick, tied down in the same manner. I likewise felt several slender ligatures across my body, from my arm-pits to my thighs. I could only look upwards; the sun began to grow hot, and the light offended my eyes. I heard a confused noise about me; but in the posture I lay, could see nothing except the sky. In a little time, I felt something alive moving on my left leg, which advancing gently forward over my breast, came almost up to my chin; when, bending my eyes downwards as much as I could, I perceived it to be a human creature not six inches high, with a bow and an arrow in his hands and a quiver at his back. In the meantime I felt at least forty more of the same kind (as I conjectured) following the first. I was in the utmost astonishment, and roared so loud that they all ran back in a fright, and some of them, as I was afterwards told,[9] were hurt by the falls they got by leaping from my sides upon the ground. However, they soon returned, and one of them who ventured so far as to get a full sight of my face, lifting up his hands and eyes by way of admiration, cried out in a shrill but distinct voice, Hekinah degul! The others repeated the same words several times, but I then knew not what it meant. I lay all this while, as the reader may believe, in great uneasiness; at length, struggling to get loose, I had the fortune to break the strings, and wrench out the pegs that fastened my left arm to the ground, for, by lifting it up to my face, I discovered the methods they had taken to bind me, and at the same time with a violent pull, which gave me excessive pain, I a little loosened the strings that tied down my hair on the left side, so that I was just able to turn my head about two inches. But the creatures ran off a second time, before I could seize them; whereupon there was a great shout in a very shrill accent, and after it had ceased I heard one of them cry aloud, Tolgo phonac; when in an instant I felt above a hundred arrows discharged on my left hand, which pricked me like so many needles; and besides they shot another flight into the air, as we do bombs in Europe, whereof many, I suppose, fell on my body (though I felt them not) and some on my face, which I immediately covered with my left hand. When this shower of arrows was over, I fell a-groaning with grief and pain, and then striving again to get loose, they discharged another volley larger than the first, and some of them attempted with spears to stick me in the sides; but by good luck I had on me a buff jerkin, which they could not pierce. I thought it the most prudent method to[10] lie still, and my design was to continue so till night, when, my left hand being already loose, I could easily free myself: and as for the inhabitants, I had reason to believe I might be a match for the greatest army they could bring against me, if they were all of the same size with him that I saw. But fortune disposed otherwise of me. When the people observed I was quiet, they discharged no more arrows; but, by the noise I heard, I knew their numbers increased; and about four yards from me, over against my right ear, I heard a knocking for above an hour, like that of people at work; when turning my head that way, as well as the pegs and strings would permit me, I saw a stage erected about a foot and a half from the ground, capable of holding four of the inhabitants, with two or three ladders to mount it: whence one of them, who seemed to be a person of quality, made me a long speech, whereof I understood not a syllable. But I should have mentioned, that before the principal person began his oration, he cried out three times, Langro dehul san (these words and the former were afterwards repeated and explained to me). Whereupon, immediately about fifty of the inhabitants came and cut the string that fastened the left side of my head, which gave me the liberty of turning it to the right, and of observing the person and gesture of him that was to speak. He appeared to be of middle age, and taller than any of the other three who attended him, whereof one was a page that held up his train, and seemed to be somewhat longer than my middle finger; the other two stood one on each side to support him. He acted every part of an orator, and I could observe many periods of threatenings, and others of promises, pity, and kindness. I[11] answered in a few words, but in the most submissive manner, lifting up my left hand and both my eyes to the sun, as calling him for a witness; and being almost famished with hunger, not having eaten a morsel for some hours before I left the ship, I found the demands of nature so strong upon me that I could not forbear showing my impatience (perhaps against the strict rules of decency), by putting my finger frequently to my mouth, to signify that I wanted food. The hurgo (for so they call a great lord, as I afterwards learned) understood me very well. He descended from the stage, and commanded that several ladders should be applied to my sides, on which about a hundred of the inhabitants mounted, and walked towards my mouth, laden with baskets full of meat, which had been provided and sent thither by the king’s orders, upon the first intelligence he received of me. I observed there was the flesh of several animals, but could not distinguish them by the taste. There were shoulders, legs and loins, shaped like those of mutton, and very well dressed, but smaller than the wings of a lark. I ate them by two or three at a mouthful, and took three loaves at a time about the bigness of musketballs. They supplied me as fast as they could, showing a thousand marks of wonder and astonishment at my bulk and appetite.
>
>
> | [
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64,240 | I often see mute characters just gesturing and a person who can talk translating the mute person, but I would like to have both my mute and non-mute characters speak with sign languages without wasting a dozen of panels. Is there a way or standard on how to write dialogues from two mute persons in a comic book? What formatting and text bubbles are used for this purpose? | [
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64,241 | My fantasy story is about an 18-year old knight who was trained from 5-years old to 18-years old as a knight. He is an expert when it comes to using a two-handed double-edged longsword as a weapon. He is also an expert when it comes to empty-handed martial arts such as ones that involve punching, etc. Currently, he is continuously training as a knight in order to be the best warrior he can be in his whole life. Age 15 was the age he began fighting in battles. He also frequently hunted and killed dangerous criminals(such as bandits, street gang members, pirates, etc.) in villages and in city streets. There were evil knights that often challenged him to duels to the death and he defeated and killed all of the evil knights that challenged him. He also defeated many criminals, invader imperialist emperors, barbarian savages, terrorists, etc. when it comes to duels to the death. He was one of the best martial artists and individual warriors in the entire world. He hopes to retire as a knight at the age of 40.
This 18-year old knight is a nice person. From the time he was born to his current age, he never bullied people physically, emotionally, and verbally. He hates the idea of committing immoral deeds such as theft, rape, pimping, murder, etc. He hated gangsters, brutal imperialist conquerors, brutal uncivilized barbarians, and terrorists very much. This is why he loves being a brutal vigilante towards criminals such as bandits, pirates, street gang members, etc. He often captures criminals(such as bandits, pirates, street gang members, etc.) alive and brutally tortures them to death.
My story is set in a world where various nations are brutally conquering each other. In this world, demons and vampires are widespread all over the world that they present so much threat to humanity.
Also, the 18-year old knight doesn't want to get married. He wants to be single and virgin forever. But his 40-year old father wants him to marry and have children. His father was somehow a bad person because he pressures the 18-year old knight to marry and have children by saying to the 18-year old boy that he will have him killed if he didn't marry and have children. The 18-year old knight's father is a very powerful political person in the government. The 18-year old knight's father is also a very skilled and very respected military commander in the military of the nation where the 18-year old knight is from. The 18-year old knight's father uses his political power in order to pressure the 18-year old knight to marry and have kids.
The 18-year old knight's father doesn't just pressure the 18-year old boy into marrying and having kids. He also pressures the boy into how many he should marry and who are the ones he should marry. The 18-year old knight's father wants his son to marry a group of 30 sacred temple warrior maidens and have kids with all of them. He pressures the 18-year old boy to do this by threatening him with death. The 18-year old knight said to his father that marrying more than one wife and having more than 3 kids is too much for him but his father was persistent on him marrying all of the 30 sacred temple warrior maidens and him having children with all of them to the point that the 18-year old knight can't do anything to go against his father's wishes.
The group of 30 females that the knight boy is forced to marry are very skilled warriors when it comes to protecting sacred temples and their nation. Sacred temple warrior maidens are not part of the military of the nation that the 18-year old knight is from but they act as a sort of special elite warriors for their nation in some times. They are special elite warriors because they possess battle skills that are exclusive to them and they are one of the best groups of warriors in their nation. Sacred temple warrior maidens are basically females. Aside from being warriors, they are also dutiful servants of sacred temples. They also engage in exorcism against evil spirits as well as spreading religious messages in sacred temples towards common religious people who are temple goers.
Normally, sacred temple warrior maidens are virgins who do not marry, have lovers, have kids, or have sex but they are allowed to. Once they marry, have lovers, have kids, have sex, or all of these acts, they are no longer allowed to be sacred temple warrior maidens. Sacred temple warrior maidens must always be virgins.
The 30 females that the 18-year old knight boy is forced to marry eventually decided that they want to marry and have kids. They don't want to be sacred warrior temple maidens anymore. All of them want to marry the 18-year old knight boy and have kids with him so they all agreed to the decision that they will share him together. No one knows why they like the 18-year old boy. Anyways, polygamy is normal and legal in the culture that the 18-year old knight boy is from. In his culture, only rich males practice polygamy but the 18-year old boy is not rich so he is kind of angry towards his father for forcing him to marry all of the 30 sacred temple warrior maidens. Eventually, he is forced to find a way to get a job that will make him rich.
The group of 30 sacred temple warrior maidens that the 18-year old knight is forced to marry are platonic friends toward each other because they have been friends with each other since they were below the age of 11. They were raised to be sacred temple warrior maidens since they were below the age of 11. They are nice people in that they do not commit immoral acts.
In the end, the 18-year old knight boy married all of the 30 sacred temple warrior maidens. By the way, no one forced the 30 sacred warrior maidens to marry the 18-year old knight boy or have kids with him. All of the 30 sacred warrior maidens were virgins when the 18-year old knight boy married them.
When the knight boy married all of the 30 females, the age range of the 30 females were from 18 to 22. In this group of 30 females, there are:
* 7 eighteen year olds
* 5 nineteen year olds
* 7 twenty year olds
* 5 twenty one year olds
* 6 twenty two year olds
There are also females who are a bit taller than the 18-year old knight boy and these are them:
* 3 of the eighteen year olds
* 1 of the nineteen year olds
* 3 of the twenty year olds
* 1 of the twenty one year olds
* 2 of the twenty two year olds
The rest of the 30 sacred temple warrior maidens are the same height as the 18-year old knight boy.
The relationship of the knight boy towards his 30 wives(who are former sacred temple warrior maidens) is fine. He was forced to marry all of the 30 females but he began to like and love all of them in the end. All of his 30 wives are submissive and loyal to him. They do household chores for him like cooking, etc. Before the 30 females became pregnant, all of the knight boy's 30 wives are addicted to having sex with the knight boy which is why they demanded that he always have sex with each of them. The knight boy was forced to comply so he always had sex with all of them. After that, each of his 30 wives demanded to him that he should have children with each of them which resulted in the knight boy's 30 wives having enlarged pregnant bellies.
When the 30 wives of the knight boy were still sacred temple warrior maidens, they all wore the same dress and that is a long elegant sacred dress but after they stopped being sacred temple warrior maidens, they started becoming individualistic in their clothing so they wore different clothes.
Then they all started wearing the same specific combination of clothes and that combination is made up of:
1. A buttoned dark-blue feminine lightweight blazer.
2. A buttoned light-blue blouse.
3. A light-brown long skirt. The long skirt's bottom edge reaches the ankles of the 30 females. The long skirt is not pleated. The long skirt is soft and relaxed which means it does not gradually widen from the waist to the bottom edge. The long skirt is straight which means it does not gradually widen from the waist to the bottom edge.
4. A pair of short pure-white socks that never reaches the upper halves of the 30 females' lower legs(the legs below the 30 females' thighs).
5. A pair of dark-brown shoes.
The knight boy always gets turned on when his 30 wives are wearing this same specific combination of clothes while the buttoned dark-blue feminine lightweight blazers of the 30 females are unbuttoned and his 30 wives have enlarged pregnant bellies due to him impregnating all of them. He always loves to hug his 30 wives' enlarged pregnant bellies. When the 30 females are wearing this same specific combination of clothes, the buttoned dark-blue feminine lightweight blazers of the 30 females are unbuttoned most of the time.
This same specific combination of clothes did not come from the knight boy because it was the idea of his 30 wives. Before the 30 females wore this same specific combination of clothes, they were individualistic in what they wear which means that they wore clothes that are different from each others'. Many people and the knight boy then felt weird about the knight boy's 30 wives beginning to wear this same specific combination of clothes. Eventually, many people and the knight boy realized that the knight boy's 30 wives made the idea of this same specific combination of clothes as a symbol of their wifehood and femininity towards the knight boy. Many people and the knight boy also realized that for the 30 females, this same specific combination of clothes was also a symbol of the sisterhood that the 30 females have for each other. The knight boy was confused by all of these at the start but he liked all of it in the end.
By the way, none of the 30 females are wearing objects that tie their hairs or are on their hairs. Their hairs are all free and relaxed which means their hairs are straight due to their hairs being naturally straight. Also, none of the females are wearing make-up. Also, none of the females have nails that are painted.
As for the biological looks of all of the knight's 30 wives, these are their characteristics:
1. All of them have long straight deep-dark-brown hairs but each of their hairs have small differences with each other.
2. All of them have pale skin.
3. Many of them have different eye pupil colors from each other.
4. All of them are physically fit. None of them are fat or overly thin.
5. All of them have the same body shape.
6. All of them are tall.
7. All of them are in good shape.
This is the combination of clothes that the knight boy wears in times when he is just a civilian and not in service as a knight:
1. A pure-white lightweight hoodless jacket.
2. A pure-white T-shirt.
3. Pants. The color of the pants is light-grey.
4. A pair of short pure-white socks that never reaches the upper halves of his lower legs(the legs below his thighs).
5. A pair of pure-white shoes.
6. A pair of pure-white thin gloves.
As for his biological appearance, here are his characteristics:
1. His hair is short and black. His hair is short to the point that it never reaches his shoulders.
2. He has pale skin.
3. He is tall.
4. He is muscular.
5. He is physically fit.
6. He is in good shape.
The knight boy and his 30 wives live in a village. In the village, he hunts and kills vampires and demons that try to harm his 30 wives, the babies in his 30 wives' pregnant bellies, and other innocent people.
So what do you think of this warrior fantasy story of mine? How can I further develop this? What should I add? What mistakes does it have? | [
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64,252 | I am currently writing my PhD thesis and found a very helpful illustration of the human brain which is distributed under a CC license. I made some minor changes to the image, but of course I still have to give credit to the original authors of it.
Here is a [link](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dopaminergic_pathways.svg) to the resource in question.
I am really unsure about how to correctly mention the authors in my thesis, as for two of them, I only have their user names. This might look a little odd: Slashme; Patrick J. Lynch; Fvasconcellos
Can this still be considered a valid attribution? I don't know how else I could do that. | [
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"text": "Credit the (user)name you see.\n------------------------------\n\nFrom the [CC Wiki](https://wiki.creativecommons.org... | 2023/01/20 | [
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64,262 | I am currently writing a story for fun and was looking for some advice on a scene. The scene involves two lovers having an exchange that goes something like this:
>
> Character A smiles warmly. "You know, you're really a very kind person."
>
>
>
>
> "Lies\*." Character B immediately responds, voice deadpan. He flips a page from his book casually. "I save your life and here you are trying to ruin my reputation?" Despite his words, Character A could see his lips quirk a bit.
>
>
>
The exchange works as is, but I feel like there's a synonym for 'lies' that fits better. I tried Google but the closest I could find was 'slander' and although I could use that I was looking for something a bit more...harsh? A word that not only implies defamation but also that the idea goes against the natural order.
Thank you! | [
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64,266 | When your main character is a misogynist or a racist, how do you tell your readers that you don't subscribe to his racist views by merely showing? The only way to kinda do this in my opinion is to make him learn from his mistake and develop him into a non-racist or non-misogynist character, but what if you don't want to change that because it wouldn't be realistic or historically accurate or plausible? What are some other ways? | [
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"text": "The other way is karmic. You control this universe and what happens in it. Including good luck, bad luck.\n\nHave y... | 2023/01/22 | [
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64,270 | I want to write a review of a novel, but I want to ask if there is a time limit for the book about to be reviewed. For example, can a book written in 2000 be reviewed in 2023? | [
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"text": "Of course you can write a review. It's perfectly possible and doable.\n\nBut there's little demand on the market if... | 2023/01/22 | [
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64,273 | How do you make a story as scary as possible? The two things that I've been told is to make the story suspenseful by first making sure your readers know something terrible is going to happen, but not know what exactly is going to happen and when it's going to happen. The second thing is by making sure that the threat or monster has some kind of human feature and looks like a human but doesn't look completely human. I feel that comibint the two is not enough to write the scariest story possible. There's something like a secret sauce that you need to add to make it really scary, but I don't know what it might be. | [
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"text": "Might be counter intuitive, but make it **hopeful**. Maybe I am a bit of a sadist, but when I watch a movie where ... | 2023/01/23 | [
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64,285 | I am currently writing a story for an RPG I will make. For this RPG, it is supposed to be a sandbox and open-world game. It also gives the player multiple choices and pathways as they play, giving it a lot of replayability.
However, there's a problem I face. For the story, I am trying to give it a strong narrative. It does, though, contrast with the multiple choices idea. Parts of the narrative that contradict it include:
* The option to let the deurtagonist to tag along. She plays a MAJOR role.
* The character growth of the protagonist from being a miserable drunk to a full on hero (though he is more of an anti-hero)
* The arcs of multiple characters
* Certain events that occur with the storyline
* Side characters who play a major role
As for the main quest, I do not have to worry about it so much since the game is a little more story-oriented than say, Skyrim. As for sidequests, they are optional and just add on for worldbuilding.
In the end, how could I balance both a strong/linear story while offering multiple choices, free decisions, and not creating a lie or illusion like Telltale? | [
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"text": "Macj Rtoni and Trey Parker, the inventors of South Park, have some writing advice that may apply here.\n\nThey are ... | 2023/01/23 | [
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64,291 | >
> it states that every scene should (must) change something in your characters' lives. Otherwise, it's a "nonevent" and should be cut.
>
>
>
I got this advice in the past. One of the things I like to do is to introduce a new character by having them engage in small talk with one of the main characters. If I trim out the nonevents, though, there's no easy way to introduce new characters. How would you introduce new characters, especially minor characters, if you trim out the fat? | [
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"text": "Don't introduce characters through meaningless smalltalk. Introduce them through events that either provide plot-cr... | 2023/01/24 | [
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64,294 | I don't want to get into the details of everything for the sake of time. An upcoming personal essay requires me to talk about how I feel about nature and how I feel as if it has defined me. This would be fine, yet, I'm required to also use an **actual experience** in my life that includes nature so I'm not just saying general ideas about my relationship with the outside world. This is where my problem comes in. I'm not an outside person, and I don't enjoy the outside world either. I don't know how to swim or ride a bike, because I didn't spend any moment of my childhood outside. Are there any general experiences I could use while being entirely generic, that is still helpful?
While I sat here writing this, *maybe* I could write about how nature is very unknown to me. | [
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64,303 | How do you make a "bad" ending satisfying for the readers? I want to write a story where the protagonist dies without achieving his goals, but I am not sure if it's possible to write such an ending while making it satisfying for the readers. The only way I think I can make it work is by writing a terrible main character, anti-hero, like the Joker, but I am not sure if there's a way to make it work while writing a generic main character who is not a anti-hero or is at least morally grey like Geralt from The Witcher. | [
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"text": "The goals of the protagonist may be different from the goals of the story.\n\nSuppose that all that the protagonist r... | 2023/01/25 | [
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64,315 | Can you ignore your own death flags and spare a character if you changed your mind? I am wondering if ignoring a bunch of death flags you set up for killing a character can backfire if you change your mind as you're about to kill him in the story. Is this a violation of the Chekhov's gun? I am wondering if there's a purpose in ignoring your own death flags just to tell your readers, gotcha. Is it a bad idea, or is it often done and thus is completely fine? | [
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"text": "Depending on what kind of story you write it could work as a \"teachable\" moment. Having a character face her or ... | 2023/01/26 | [
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64,317 | Is there a way to write an endless story with the same protagonists without the story feeling like it has overstayed its welcome? I think this isn't possible, especially if you already wrote a story beat for the story. Technically, you can only add fillers within the story since you can't put a story beat after a story beat without it becoming a sequel, so technically it would be one story, just like *One Piece* is one story, and if there's a new story beat after *One Piece* ends, it would be a sequel to *One Piece*.
Is there a way to write an endless story, and if that's the case, how do you do it? | [
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64,332 | ***EDIT***: Today was the day of farewell. There were nearly 6-7 performances, and based on the audience' reactions, mine definitely makes in top 2, maybe even best. Most others were copied from internet, and that's why mine was completely different from rest! Thank you all guys. The speech did make the event memorable for me.
>
> Background:
>
>
>
Currently I am in my last year of school life (junior high school). My school is organising a farewell ceremony in the next month. I have been studying in this school since 8 years (this is my 8th year - from grade 3 till 10). So, I genuinely want to end my journey in this school on a high note, doing something that I'll remember for my lifetime. I have decided to give a farewell speech during the farewell event.
There's good time for the event, and I am pretty sure I'll come up with a unique speech that all the listeners, which include my friends, classmates and teachers, would remember for the time to come!
The problem is I have never wrote a speech myself before. So I am not sure how to proceed. Once I have an idea on *what things to include and what not to* in the speech, i.e. the content I can come up with something on my own. I'll be really grateful if I am helped with the following:
>
> 1. The beginning:
>
>
>
I don't want the beginning to be boring and predictable, and want something unique. By predictable beginning I mean something like this:
***Good morning/noon, my dear friends, and teachers. Myself XYZ and today I'll be giving a farewell speech!***
I want that the audience should connect with me from the very beginning, and not get bored.
>
> 2. The main content:
>
>
>
I am confused on what all things to mention and what not. I sure should include my 8-year long experience in the school. But should this be done by telling some incidents that took place? Something silly I did with my friends that caught us off guard in front of the teachers? Or should only the *good stuff (incidents) be mentioned?*
Should the speech revolve a lot around me, if yes then till what extent?
Also, what else should be included, that will make the audience go roar, whistle, and not just those complementary clapping.
>
> **Humour**:
>
>
>
What would be the appropriate way to use humour in my speech? Sure I can't curse in front of all the teachers and the school principal! Also, how much of humour is sufficient?
>
> 3. Conclusion
>
>
>
I want the ending to be as good as, if not better, the beginning.
Should I quote a poem at the end? Or some sort of couplet?
Once I know about the above mentioned criteria, I'll present the draft of the speech here, for further improvements and corrections, if any.
Edit: Even if someone provides a link to the kind of speech I am seeking, that would be helpful. | [
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64,335 | * Using first label as the full name - first, middle, maiden/birth name. (Margaret Anne Fewxen was born on November...)
* Discuss early achievements by referencing only birth last name - Fewxen. (Fewxen graduated from college...)
* After marriage reference only married last name - Jilloomx. (Jircon married John Jilloomx in... Jilloomx was awarded...
AP rules say to use only last name as reference, which would be Fewxen in her early life, then Jilloomx after she changes her name. Since her last name changes during her life not sure how to address this without confusing the reader.
---
Every way I try it just doesn't seem right. If I use her married name (death name) throughout, then quote from awards given to her earlier which state her maiden name it is confusing. If I use her maiden name (birth name) throughout, same problem, but with the awards given after marriage. Looked at AP style and Strunk and White, don't really give specifics for biographies. Don't know that picking one name to use based on if she accomplished more while single or married is the way to go? Looking for answers and examples. | [
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64,344 | Can your character gain crucial knowledge off-screen? Let's say your character is a young adult and doesn't know anything about geopolitics, and then there's a 2 year time skip and he's a ruler with a lot of geopolitical knowledge gained off-screen, and knows exactly the political working of a country. Is it ok to do that, or should you somehow show how he gained that knowledge or how he came to learn this? When is it a bad idea to do that? | [
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"text": "Probably, if you set it up properly. If we know he's going to become a ruler, and be educated for it, it may be wise t... | 2023/01/27 | [
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64,351 | Does it make sense to reset your characters' development in a episodic show like South Park or Family Guy?
I often see that the characters ignore some of the things that happened in previous episodes. Is it a good idea, or is it something that can alienate your viewers? Why is this often done? What are the pros and cons? | [
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"text": "It is my opinion that every episode in a long running and episodic series should be considered to happen in a... | 2023/01/28 | [
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64,352 | To make an otherwise long winded story short, I have an uncommon tale of survivorship.
*Context: From child runaway, to kidnapping victim, to an escape ten years, ten months, and 23 days later.*
For the last two years, I’ve had a willingness to talk it through and answer questions people may have, only elusive to specific happenings to spare them grisly details. Each time, I’m told I should write a book about it, or that they would like to read the full story. I’ve never taken it as a compliment with bias because these were complete strangers. (I’ve told my story here and there anonymously online.)
The thing is, I associate autobiographies as a whole to people who had prior fame. Although I suppose Albert Woodfox, or Aran Ralston were both regular men prior to what they were subjected to, I have a hard time believing I am on that “scale,” so to speak.
While I do think it would be nice to put it all down beyond my regular journaling, and while I have considered that this may help *other* people who have been through, or are presently going through, similar circumstance - I feel a lot of hesitance. It’s hard to see it beyond being narcissistic.
I’m afraid there is no true conclusion, as it wouldn’t end with “and then she bought a home, got married, had children.”
Likewise, I recall how it felt to read a lot of “You are not alone,” motivational hooplah when I was still in my ache, and how little it does for someone in their present situation.
So. What determines the value or worthiness of an autobiography? When it has its happy ending? When it offers subtle tips and tricks should the situation arise? Motivation? Solely to get it off of my chest? Or just to satiate someone’s need to read a true crime?
I am okay with working on this for years to come, and I am okay with publicizing it, but I am otherwise not sure what “my point,” would be outside of wanting to comfort others who have faced what I have. | [
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64,364 | In my fantasy epic, the protagonist is a destined chosen one who will defeat the dark lord (at least that is what the sorcerer propaganda says.) About 3/4 into the story, he eventually meets the previous "chosen-one", who is now just a rogue mercenary who beats and kills people for money (or just for enjoyment.) At first he seems like that cool, edgy kind of character, only to subtly reveal that he is just an evil and malicious S.O.B.
For all of his crimes, atrocities, and acts:
* He abuses his given magic powers for.
* When he "rescues" a community, he ends up looting and pillaging them himself.
* He could have ended the war, but did not to get money.
* He has committed multiple war crimes (and never shows any remorse or guilt.)
* He views his own party and friends as disposable pawns.
* He attempts to physically and emotionally take advantage of the protagonist himself.
* Though not directly revealed, it's implied he has committed some form of rape.
* He has perverted fantasies; there are implications of bestiality, and he has committed voyeurism towards couples having sex.
* Overall, he has little to no redeeming qualities, and at no point will he get a redemption (or even try.)
I am writing him to be the kind of character who, despite just being horrific and evil, is still likeable and entertaining.
For a character that is really evil like this, how could I write them so that they are still enjoyable in the story? | [
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64,365 | How do you introduce acronyms in a comic book? For example, CIA means Central Intelligence Agency, but no one will say "Central Intelligence Agency", they will say "CIA". Likewise, the characters when they speak, they will say "CIA" so how do you properly introduce acronyms to imaginary organizations without making your characters say what it means in a dialogue? | [
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"text": "I will gamble with this answer :)\n\nVery easy. Evil actions (sins in general) are very tempting and enjoyable or wh... | 2023/01/30 | [
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64,367 | * This [study](https://www.blog.theteamw.com/2009/12/23/100-things-you-should-know-about-people-19-its-a-myth-that-all-capital-letters-are-inherently-harder-to-read/) show that all caps is not harder to read than lowercase.
Engineers and architects often write in all caps. Does this increase the legibility and visual impact of text? | [
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64,374 | If I use ChatGPT to generate the initial prose for, say, a 2 paragraph introduction (where I modify and rephrase a little) do I need to cite it or somehow give credit?
This article implies "no"
[World's largest academic publisher says ChatGPT can't be credited as an author](https://www.ghacks.net/2023/01/27/chatgpt-cant-be-credited-academic-author/).
Does anyone have specific guidance, perhaps from a publisher? | [
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"text": "> \n> do I need to cite or somehow give credit?\n> \n> \n> \n\nNo, except if your [jurisdiction](https://l... | 2023/01/30 | [
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64,385 | My handwriting is very bad on unruled paper. How can I learn to write straight and nice on blank paper? | [
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64,393 | I suffer from “villain shows up out of nowhere syndrome”. My story involves a group of survivors trying to trek through a wasteland and reach a safe zone while my reoccurring main villain continuously attempts (and fails) to stop them due to their hatred of the protagonist.
No matter how I write their appearances, it always feels like they keep jumping out of bushes Team Rocket-style and then fail to do the one thing they set out to do every time (which is kill the protagonist). That would be fine if I was writing an episodic comedy about a group of teenagers discovering the power of friendship through forcing their pets to fight each other, but I’m going for survival horror so it doesn’t really fit right.
Where I am right now:
An eldritch god appears out of nowhere, mutating and wrecking havoc across the world. After almost everyone has been killed, a smart, emotionally detached woman tries to reach the city where the god first appeared in a desperate attempt to understand what’s happening. She’s a foreigner though and requires a young, physically disabled child to translate and be her guide throughout the journey. In this case, the eldritch god is more of a force of nature. It has no obvious motivation and is relatively aimless in its destruction so I need another antagonist to keep things spicy.
What I’m working with currently is a person that the god corrupted into a monster. Most people lose themselves on the mutation process but the villain managed to make it to the other side with a clear head. They were abused as a child and hated everyone except their mom who was the only one to show them kindness growing up. This led to sociopathic behavior and indiscriminate killing once the apocalypse hit both out of fear of them hurting their mom and to indulge their power fantasies. Through a series of unfortunate events the protagonist kills their mom and the villain becomes committed to revenge.
My biggest problem is that since my villain’s goal is to kill the protagonist they are never able to achieve it and therefore seem incompetent. Every interaction feels repetitive. (Villain shows up, villain fails to kill protagonist, protagonist gets away, repeat) | [
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64,398 | How should you name an imaginary machine? I was thinking of naming a time-machine/transdimensional teleportation machine Proteus, but I am not sure if giving it a generic name like that makes sense. It's because the time machine allows you to travel in time, travel at any location in the present and change dimensions, so I was wondering if there's a better way in naming it. I can't refer to it as a time-machine, because it's much more and describing it as a "time-machine/transdimensional teleportation machine" is a mouthful and sounds weird. | [
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"text": "I would name it \"Tuurge.\"\n\nJokes aside, it's a fantasy machine. You can name it whatever you want, even if it... | 2023/02/01 | [
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64,404 | If an author of a book is trying to convey that someone exists for a reason, would this mean the individual has "purpose" or "a purpose"? Or are the terms interchangeable? Here are two similar sentences to illustrate:
>
> The young man came to believe that he was a tool with **purpose**.
>
>
> The young man came to believe that he was a tool with **a purpose**.
>
>
>
Does the first sentence indicate the young man has resolve while the second sentence means he has a reason for his existence? Or, alternatively, do the sentences mean virtually the same thing? | [
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64,427 | From the [Wikipedia page on Japanese punctuation:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_punctuation)
>
> Double quotation marks (二重鉤括弧, nijūkagikakko) are used to mark quotes within quotes: 「...『...』...」 as well as to mark book titles (Japanese does not have italic type, and does not use sloping type for this purpose in Japanese.) They are also sometimes used in fiction to denote text that is heard through a telephone or other device.
>
>
>
Wikipedia says that these quotation marks are used to mark Japanese books, so I was wondering if I should respect Japanese punctuation rules when providing the English and the Japanese name of the book when the Japanese book was traanslated into English so that the people reading my text can immediately read the Japanese book to see if the quoted passage in my book or my own interpretation might be wrong due to translation errors. | [
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64,452 | Should I change the name of fictional companies when they were created after I published my book?
Let's say that one of my company names is "Cetus Industries" and Cetus Industries is responsible of making deadly weapons using artificial intelligence and are terribly immoral in the story. If a company under the same name was founded after the publishing of my book, do I have to change the name of the company inside the book or not? Can there be a legal consequence for doing so? | [
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64,453 | Let's take an example. Let's say I have the following foonotes. "Here, the author is making an indirect reference to the expression "(something) fighting" often used in esports."
and then put a footnote on "something fighting" that say: "In a nutshell, ‘Fighting!’ (pronounced as “hwaiting” or “paiting”) is a word of encouragement. With your fists pumped high, it’s used to cheer someone on, wish them luck, or express your support. Think of saying ‘Good luck!” or ‘You got this!” in English."
Is this ok, and how do you do footnotes for footnotes, do you have to put in a section below footnotes or what? | [
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64,456 | In my fantasy world, there are various religions and beliefs. To not get too obsessed with the worldbuilding (it is already pretty thick and heavy,) I was thinking of, in terms of their religions, including gods from real-world cultures. For more details:
* **This Story is not Urban Fantasy!** Forgive the bold, but this story takes place in a completely different world, such like ATLA, Skyrim, or the Witcher.
* The main gods from real cultures include but not limited to:
+ Norse/Germanic Pagan gods
+ Roman/Hellenistic gods
+ The Christian God (though he is called by his actual name, Yahweh, and has statues based on the old Canaanite version)
+ Egyptian Mythology Gods
+ Aztec Gods
+ Hindu Gods
* They coexist with my own made up gods, religions, and pantheons, sometimes even mixing
* Because humans are not the only intelligent in my world, certain gods have been changed to be like some fantasy races
* Certain parts of the mythology are the same (Creation stories, certain events, etc.), there are some that are either removed or myths I wrote, mainly to fit the world
* Their existence is left a mystery, though there are several clues and hints that imply whether they exist or not
* Most of the gods still use the names that we would call them in the real world
In a high fantasy setting, is it okay to use the gods from cultures and religions in real life and plant them in a fictional, rather than just creating a god "inspired" by them? I will also accept ideas on how to go with it as well. | [
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64,464 | One of my main characters is named Lucas. Lucas can turn into a cat. He struggles with controlling this power. He’s also from the bad side of town; his parents are neglectful and eventually disappear entirely, leaving Lucas to take care of his two siblings. He cracks under the pressure and attempts suicide eventually, but survives; he and his siblings go into foster care. Oh yeah, and Lucas is in a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy.
He has a happy ending, but I’m wondering if I should tone it down? He’s only fifteen, so the target audience is probably upper middle grade.. | [
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64,479 | Is it more challenging to write a good story where the gods are too powerful when they're not the main characters?
I don't think I've ever heard of a good story where the gods are omnipotent and they're the main characters of the story. There's always some restrictions that restrict what they can do in the world the story takes place.
For example, in *The Elder Scrolls,* the Daedric Princes have limited power over Tamriel.
What are the challenges that tend to arise when you make some of your secondary or background characters gods that are omnipotent? How can I address these issues? | [
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64,489 | I was watching [this review for the new Hijrp Potfeq game](https://youtu.be/F6dZxoob8CY?t=99), and it got me wondering if it might be considered a terrible plot hole when your character has a mysterious, unexplained power.
If you end up using the mysterious, unexplained power trope, do you have to 100% address it as a writer and make the mystery go away before the story gets wrapped up? If no, why is it ok for it to remain a mystery? | [
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64,490 | Right now, I have described the differences between the world the character lives in and the world the character is reading about, but it seems really rushed, like he'd only been reading for a few minutes.
I could write "He read for a few hours before..." but it also seems kind of hurried, if that makes sense.
Thanks! | [
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64,494 | If a person is giving instructions to separate individuals and it's all spoken in quotes, should the spoken words for each new person start a new paragraph or if the commands are connected to a single theme, should they all be together in a single paragraph?
For example, should this be in one paragraph:
Morp realized time was short. "He's bleeding. It's bad. Joor, go get the bandages from the cabinet. Skepe, look for a pair of scissors so we can cut open his clothes. Fesh, grab the bottle of Everclear from the bar. Oren, call 911."
or should each new addressee get a new paragraph:
Morp realized time was short. "He's bleeding. It's bad. Joor, go get the bandages from the cabinet.
"Skepe, look for a pair of scissors so we can cut open his clothes.
"Fesh, grab the bottle of Everclear from the bar.
"Oren, call 911."
I can't find anything in any style guide on this, so I suspect it's a matter of personal preference, but just as likely that I'm just not searching properly and missed it. If there is any general standard or rule on this, I have no need to pave new ground and would prefer to just go with the standard, recommended method. | [
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64,496 | I know that the following forms of *to carve* have lately become obsolete, but are they so archaic that I can even not use them in writing (books (not formal documents, indeed)); that is, would any of them not be understood at all?
The forms:
Past simple: carved = corve
Past participle: carved = carven or corven
1. My name is carven on one of those rocks.
2. I corve a craft for you.
3. This cat (craft) is for you, corven of wood by me personally. | [
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64,505 | I've written a dystopian story ~3000 words long. The story stemmed from a dream after having a dystopian unit and reading *The Giver* by Lois Lowry. When I started writing, it just seemed to flow, it took around 2 weeks to finish the first draft. However, I'm aware that the way I started and my laziness led me to not plan as much as I should have. There seems to be a lack of motivations and intentions in several characters, and overall just a not very dynamic story-line, though I felt the ending was satisfying. I tried to plan after I got some feedback from my LA teacher, but going off what the characters were already written to do was too little information. The characters are flatter than I thought! I feel I need to rewrite the whole thing after thorough planning, but there's a chance I get sidetracked and make it worse. I think the story has little meaning, the opposite of what a dystopia is.
I'm just wondering if I have to rewrite it, or can I just edit small bits. If I do have to rewrite it, how do I plan it well the second time around? | [
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64,511 | I've heard people talk about how they don't like the 'strong female character' story in hero movies because they're written bad, but how is a good strong female character written? | [
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64,526 | >
> Use ambiguity to your advantage. Don't be afraid to leave some things
> open to your audience's interpretation. This will allow your audience to bring their
> own experiences and interpretations to the story.
>
>
>
I got this advice when asking how to write a good story, but I am wondering if leaving certain things to ambiguity can backfire. For example, if you leave the ending open to the audience's interpretation, they may feel that the ending is unfulfilling or even frustrating. Is this a valid criticism of that advice? | [
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64,545 | I am in the process of writing a novel made consisting of a series of 'real time' scenes with heavy usage of dialogues and some narration. Some scenes are more heavy on dialogues than others.
Is it possible for a book to have a narration styles that goes like:
>
> A meeting was held in Tom's house. The sky was blue, etc, etc.
>
>
> Tom:
>
>
> I am against the plan
>
>
> Kanny:
>
>
> I am with the plan.
>
>
> A few moments later, everyone left the room. Tom murmured: "Everything is over".
>
>
>
What I am trying to achieve is to avoid the use of "he said, he murmured" etc when the dialogue is too heavy, and when there are more than two persons involved in the dialogue (otherwise, I would simply not state who is speaking), and to adopt a theater narration style, if the term is right.
What do you think? Will the book feel too weird to read? | [
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64,549 | How can you create a story that incorporates magical or supernatural elements in a way that is subtle and understated, without overwhelming the plot or detracting from the realism of the narrative?
I was thinking about writing a story about people who can alter reality at will, but I thought about it and I thought such a power would overwhelm the plot as the power would be just simply too powerful, and it would completely bend the story and worldbuilding around it.
Aside adding limitations to said power, are there ways to achieve this? I am thinking of adding a lot of limitations so that the magical and supernatural elements almost falls to irrelevance. Is this the right way, or are there other things we can do? | [
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64,555 | I'm writing about a person who writes in their journal like this:
**She wrote, "I went to the store today."**
But I have a feeling it's not correct. Should I use a colon?
**She wrote: "I went to the store today."**
or no quotes, italicized?
**She wrote, *I went to the store today.***
I tried googling this but couldn't find anything that helped. One thing I found in a style journal is that quotes should only be used for speaking, so I'm leery about using them for this. | [
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64,571 | I know what makes dialogue interesting is what characters don't say as much as (or more than) what they do. How do I achieve this with a character who prides herself on 'saying it like it is', and not beating around the bush. If she thinks something, positive or negative, she doesn't see the point in pretending she doesn't. She doesn't go out of her way to voice these opinions, but doesn't shy away from it, either.
It's both her self conceptualisation (maybe a little exaggerated to fit how she sees herself, tying into a strong sense of right and wrong,) as well as what she's actually like. It's also a source of conflict and something she learns to be a little more flexible on.
I figured it would make sense for her to have her limits about what she'll be honest about and how honest she'll be, although I haven't figured them all out, yet. One is repressed grief. She doesn't react well to people saying/doing things that make her confront it. Her coping mechanism is to take on loads of responsibility and subconsciously say 'I don't have time to grieve.' But if she doesn't have time to grieve, she doesn't have time for romance, no matter how much she likes the person - much to her love interest's frustration. Maybe there's a clue in the fact that that's internal truth.
Another idea is that her love interest is a character who's the exact opposite. He grew up in a political family. He's silver-tongued and double meanings and subtly are his first language. He isn't afraid to pretend to like you or tell you the version of the truth that will make it easiest for you to hear and will do it by default. I could maybe get something from the interaction between the 2 personalities...
There must be a way of writing straightforward characters who have subtext and interesting dialogue. I've also thought she could reference things that she knows but the audience doesn't. Maybe not technically 'subtext' but falls under the category of characters not saying everything, so I think it fits. Although this only works for as long at the audience doesn't know the things. | [
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64,572 | I'm currently writing a book in which one of the characters talks about using sleeping pills, which he overdoses on at the end. This is a really important conversation because it is the first foreshadowing I'm doing, but it always feels very rushed. This is the scene:
>
> He stretches out and grunts softly.
> 'I don't think I'm gonna sleep tonight...'
>
>
> 'Don't say that, you don't know that yet.'
>
>
> He reaches over to grab his bag only to take out a bottle of sleeping pills together with one of our bottles of water.
>
>
> 'You sure you want to take those again?' I ask him. He's been taking them a lot more often and it's starting to worry me.
>
>
> 'They help.' He says, taking a little pill with a big gulp of water. 'Besides, I've been prescribed these so it's ok for me to take them.'
>
>
> ‘Really, when?’
>
>
> ‘Before I came here I used to go to the doctor almost every week. After a while I got used to it, but they would always either ask me a bunch of questions or give my some medicine. They gave me a few bottles of sleeping pills for whenever I need them but I ended up needing them a lot more now than I used to.’ He takes a second gulp of water and I slowly take the pills from him and put them back in his bag as he’s talking.
>
>
> ‘Sometimes I wonder if I was really just saving them up. I used to lie to the doctors and tell them I’ve been taking them so they’d give me more and now I have a bit of a collection.’
> ‘Maybe it is better if you take a break off them for a while. I don’t know much about pills but I don’t feel like they’re making you get any better.’
>
>
> ‘I’ll be ok, if anything I’m not gonna be killed by a bunch of sleeping pills.’
>
>
> He laughs, but I can't get myself to laugh with him.
>
>
> | [
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64,576 | I have a question similar to [this one](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/10771/how-to-write-in-a-very-thick-notebook), with a subtle difference.
I've got quite a nice leather bound notebook. It's about 2 inches thick.
However, I find it very difficult to write on the left hand pages, because there's such a massive drop to the desk. Supporting them with my hand just leaves the whole thing a mess.
I've tried propping a calculator or something underneath it and that's better, but it's still not ideal, anyone got any better ideas? | [
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64,585 | I have never wrote more than a short story in my life yet. That being said, I am planning to complete a novel soon. I feel like I might have too many characters. I have around 28 minus the ones not a part of the group. I feel like focusing on 5 or or so might make for better writing, but my story is more so a mystery/scifi thing rather than a character focused work, so maybe it could work out.
Should I cutdown on the characters? | [
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"text": "The number of characters isn't, by itself, a good or bad thing. What you need is the ability to write characters t... | 2023/02/19 | [
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64,590 | If yes does this apply to historical deities/gods or only to fictional ones? | [
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"text": "I believe most ancient gods and goddesses fall under the public domain.\n\nMyths don't have a strict \"canon\... | 2023/02/19 | [
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64,592 | When would it make sense to have several beat sheets for several stories happening in parallel? I was thinking of writing a story where there are several stories happening at the same time, and three main characters would have his own beat sheets, would that make any sense, or is it always better to have one beat sheet for the whole book? | [
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"text": "Whatever you find useful.\n\nBoan sheets are not requirements, but analyzed structures that some writers find useful. ... | 2023/02/20 | [
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64,602 | How do you continuously add characters to a story that originally started with a small cast? Is there a way to do this organically while making sure their presence in the story feels natural and not forced? Is it something that needs to be inside the beat sheet when you plan out the story? Because there are a lot of characters introduced, and my beat sheet doesn't cover any character, so it's hard to plan out in advance and making sure that their presence is both natural and not forced. Also, I don't understand what "forced" means and what are the criteria for their presence to feel forced. | [
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"text": "To address your final comment first:\n\n> \n> I don't understand what \"forced\" means and what are the criteria for\n>... | 2023/02/21 | [
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64,604 | In the middle of my epic, the deutertagonist's love interest gets brutally killed off and she is forced to watch. For the third quarter of the story, she is trying to deal with the pain and trauma.
The story continues, but her character changes a lot. Examples:
* At first, when she is rescued and wakes up, she is in denial, claiming it was all a dream. Once snapping out of it, she just breaks down completely.
* She behaves and acts more edgy.
* She acts more aggressive and violent when somebody tries to bother or harass her (at one point, she almost kills someone.)
* She shows little to no interest in any activity.
* She tries to do multiple things to try and remove the pain (drugs, alcohol, sex with others, etc.)
* Throughout the story, she jokes around a lot, and is a bit sarcastic. After the tragedy, she will still joke, but her jokes are way darker, and many times insensitive.
* Her playstyle is rather more brutal, killing opponents who beg for mercy and completely looting them with no respect.
Eventually, she gets another love interest (who was already pre-established as a character,) but some trauma sticks on her, making her slightly overprotective.
In the end though, how could I write her so she is tragic and you feel sympathy for her, rather than the typical unbearable jerk the audience/player hates?
Bonus: If there is really no way, then how could I at least make her edgy persona entertaining and liked at least? | [
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64,607 | I'm working on a webcomic in which the main character has amnesia from head trauma. She was an experiment and when escaping she hit her head. She has one sentence of dialogue to the other main character saying that "she's in a hurry" before she passes out, and when she wakes up she realizes that she can't remember anything except she had a feeling that there's something important that she needs to do.
I'm having trouble writing the dialogue for when she realizes she can't remember anything from her life before this moment. I'm not sure what emotions I should channel as she's a very excited and happy character in general. | [
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"text": "Meet cute!\n----------\n\nBuild the chemistry between your 2 main characters. Amnesia or not, establish what mak... | 2023/02/21 | [
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64,609 | I'm considering the idea of the antagonist of getting the protagonist's girl (either temporarily or permanently). Various ideas I'm playing with:
* the antagonist uses non-consensual manipulation to get the girl
* the antagonist uses charm and charisma to get into a consensual relationship with the girl before she knows he's evil
* the girl is too emotionally attached to the antagonist (even when she finds out he's evil) after having a relationship with the antagonist to leave him, breaking the protagonist's heart
* the protagonist does get her back, extending forgiveness and grace.
These scenarios don't necessarily have to involve sex between the girl and the antagonist but they could. I don't want the relationship being sexual to be gratuitous but I feel that girls generally tend to be more attached to their man when sexual involved...so that kind of relationship may (or may not) make her attachment to the antagonist (and inability to leave him) more plausible. But if it can be argued that sex is not necessary to make the arc believable that she would want to stick with him, I'm open to that.
My questions are:
* whether this sort of situation in general would likely turn off most readers?
* would making their relationship a sexual one be more or less likely to turn off readers than a non-sexual relationship?
* if a sexual relationship adds more to this situation, to what extent should their sexual relationship be described? In passing as references? In slight more detail than passing references? The more detail (without being graphic), the better?
* if ok to pursue the general idea, which, if any, of the above scenarios you personally think might be worth exploring, and if there are any other ideas on this minor motif that might be interesting to readers? | [
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64,619 | Are there other ways to tie a character's name to a mythological character's name without using the same name or anagram?
Sometimes, we just use the same name like Loki, Detective Loki, or an anagram like Detective Kilo, or whatever you want, but what are some subtler ways to achieve the same thing, and could you give a few examples of those other alternative techniques to achieve the same thing symbolically? | [
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"text": "Sure, you can rhyme, or just spell it differently. Instead of Loki, use Moki, or Noki, or Loti, or Logi, or Lochee.... | 2023/02/23 | [
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64,620 | When writing stories, I tend to get really caught up in the small interactions and lives of my characters. I explore their state of mind, their relationships, their habits.
However, because of this; a story that by genre convention should be dense with action (read 20+ encounters over a novel) is struggling to get to its first after 10k words or more.
Diving into the action sooner or more frequently often feels forced or at least unnatural. But, at the same time I accept that the action is likely the main draw of the genre.
Basically, how do I get over myself and write the parts of the story people want to read? | [
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"text": "It sounds to me like you are caught up in exposition about character building. It is a little like World Building S... | 2023/02/23 | [
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64,631 | My villain is an animal-human chimera who was raised by a human. She will later hate humanity and want it extinct, but I'm unsure what would cause her to want to destroy the entire human race.
She lived with her brothers (also chimeras) and were kept hidden from the world.
What I have so far is that when she was 13 years old, she witnessed something that entirely skewed her worldview of people, but I don't know what exactly it should be.
Any suggestions on what would be so horrible? (and please don't just say "just write what you want to" because I legit don't know what to write) (also maybe not something too extreme) Constructive criticism would also be nice. | [
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64,635 | I’m writing about a certain scene where they find that one of the side characters has been hurt by bullies. I’ve tried to see if carrying bridal style would help, it didn’t help visually. Any suggestions? | [
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"text": "You don't need writing advice, you need to do research. How are people carried, when they have broken a leg? I'm sure w... | 2023/02/24 | [
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64,640 | I was thinking about writing my first book (*Blood on Her Hands*.) There will be a main character who has amnesia. That's a problem for the book because she can't remember her past and anyone in it (parents, siblings, lovers, friends, etc.) She probably shouldn't because she is an ex-assassin who would kill for sport.
How do you write a book in which the main character has amnesia? | [
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"text": "The same way you write any other book: Write down what happens to the protagonist.\n\nIf the person forgets things, the... | 2023/02/24 | [
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64,641 | I am just beginning my journey into writing short stories. When I have an idea, I can't get it on paper. Like, that feeling when you have this amazing story idea that you just need to get out, but when you finally get to the notebook, it's gone. This has happened to me way too often. I have dubbed this term "writer's forgetfulness". Does anyone have any tips on how to solve this? | [
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"text": "Yes.\n\nI find that identifying the three key features of the idea allows me to retain it:\n\n1. The main characte... | 2023/02/24 | [
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64,650 | I wrote a story that takes place in the middle of the action, and I am not sure if I started the story too late, because the world is completely different from ours and it would be hard to understand what's happening from the first 3 chapters, so how do you know if you started too late and failed to do important exposition, and how do you fix this without starting all over and starting from the very beginning? | [
{
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"text": "How do you know? You have some major turns in your plot, yes? When the family has to throw our hero out because... | 2023/02/25 | [
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64,652 | I'm a strictly-amateur author. I've written my autobiography.
I don't want to be paid but I feel it has value and would like it preserved online in some fashion for posterity.
How can I go about this? I can't pay anything substantial for the service. | [
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"text": "How do you know? You have some major turns in your plot, yes? When the family has to throw our hero out because... | 2023/02/25 | [
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64,656 | I'm writing a story about 5 characters without any recollection of their past and their journey to get their memories back.
I want to reveal their identity at the end of the story and I am struggling on what to name these characters in the meantime. Incidentally, their names are the main plot twist, so I need a placeholder name for all 5 that doesn't seem too out of place or to revealing | [
{
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"text": "What does the point of view character do to keep the others apart? Give nicknames? Think of descriptions? Do that. And... | 2023/02/26 | [
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64,664 | I'm currently writing up a sci-fi universe where humanity is the newbies to the intergalactic community. Because nobody likes stories of extremely slow yet realistic interstellar voyages (with exceptions) I've given humanity ships with FTL capabilities.
How do I balance the system not to make it too overpowered within the story?
Here's some details that I'm sure on:
* Jump drive system, you press a button, and your ship instantly goes from point A to B via punching a hole in space-time and converting matter into energy and information and slinging it through the fabric of space-time itself to the target
* doesn't need any sort of astral beacon or gate to function
**Disclaimer:** I'm not asking for ideas, I'm asking advice on balancing the FTL with other stuff in the story. | [
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"text": "Be consistent.\n\nWith faster-than-light you already lost me, a physicist.\n\nIf you want to „stick“ somewhat to rea... | 2023/02/27 | [
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64,666 | In a science-fiction story, the speed and ease of transiting from one star system to another should affect how the civilization works. I have read stories where different rooms in a house are in different star systems with instantaneous portals connecting the rooms. I have also read stories in which people commute from one star system to another on a daily basis. Then there are the FTL setups where travel can take weeks to make the transit. There is also the factor of the locations in the star system where FTL can take place. Typically gravity wells are bad and open spaces far from gravity wells are good. | [
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"text": "The best thing to do would be to compare how differing speeds affected civilizations on earth. The chief effects are, ... | 2023/02/27 | [
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64,673 | In situations where a character is an irredeemable and unrepentant villain (pedophile) but is just a regular everyman character in every other respect (he looks, acts, and speaking in an unremarkable way, doesn't have a dark back story, and there is no in universe attempt to justify his actions as being down to some form of trauma,) what literary factors or story telling techniques can be used to make him seem relatable to the audience who is fully aware of what they are?
The overall premise is the story of an unremarkable everyman trying to find evidence that another unremarkable everyman pretended to be a teenager online in order to entice local school children to send him indecent selfies.
Although the story features an obvious antagonist and an obvious protagonist in the traditional sense, the main character is a neighbor who knows both of them, and who acts an an audience surrogate. He sees events happening from the outside, and witnesses events rather than participating in them (he has zero agency.)
The story is viewed in hindsight after the events of the story have concluded and all the secrets have been revealed, with the main character (audience surrogate) mentally reviewing things that have already occurred trying to put the pieces that he was aware of into context. | [
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64,680 | So, the viewpoint and main character in my novel is a character who had a very bad beginning. Born as a slave, she was torn from her parents and subjected to many horrors, few of which I elaborate on, before being taken to her latest owner, the daughter of a prominent lord. The daughter is exceedingly kind to everyone, and to the MC, she is the only character that the MC can consider a friend.
Her father, however, bought her for an ulterior motive. The MC looks very similar to her owner, to the point the two could often be confused. The father bought the MC so he could also act out some...desires. I won't elaborate too much, as I want to get to the punch line.
So, after a long time of this, the MC lashes out when her owner was trying to comfort her, and injures her severely. The MC didn't mean to cause harm, as she though the person who approached her was her abuser.
Anyhow, the MC begins to believe that those close to her will suffer harm, and after escaping and fleeing the fiefdom, she becomes a pickpocket and manages to stake out a living before being recruited as an adventurer.
Here's the thing, I want her to be somewhat antagonistic. She's a bit of a bully, but she never wants to actually harm anyone. She's desperate for an emotional connection, a bond that she can cherish, like the one the other characters are forming with each other. But before she starts healing, how do I give off the impression that she's pushing others away not because she wants to, but is trying to keep them safe rather than any other reason? | [
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64,685 | I am designing a magical world for which I have plenty of ideas but I am worried if they are too much like Hijrp Potfeq.
Please look through this list and tell me which ideas are too much like Hijrp Potfeq, and what I can do with the ones that aren't so I can make them distinguishable, so it doesn't sound like I'm just copying.
1. **Wands and brooms** - I know wands are alright. I am going to give wands a base to be made from, and I am going to include a ritual to make them. but I want to add brooms as well.
2. **Robes and old clothes** - I want to add these clothes, because older style clothes and robes seem more fitting for magic.
3. **Old houses** - I want to have my sorcerers live in old houses and cottages from the early 20th century, Victorian era, or Tudor Era because it seems more fitting.
4. **Paper** - My sorcerers aren't going to have electronic equipment, no phones, no tv, no computers. So is using magical newspaper, letters and posters too much like Hijrp Potfeq?
5. **Hidden buildings** - I am not going to create an alley of shops, but I am going to make shops, pubs and villages in hidden locations throughout UK
6. **Set in UK** - My books are going to be set in the UK. I picked the UK because we have a wide variety of old buildings, houses and huts that I thought would be a good fit.
7. **Magical system** - I am going to create a magical democratic system of laws and rules. I am also going to create departments that deal with various things.
8. **Racism** - I would like to include racism towards, creatures, sorcerers with extra powers and those born from humans, or is that too much like Hijrp Potfeq.
9. **Prison** - I want to create a prison on a rocky cliff, but it is going to be different from Azkaban.
10. **Dark army** - My main villain is going to be female and I am going to brand her followers and I am going to give her a mark, but I am going to make it different and I am going to giver followers magical jewellery, that is branded with its symbol, to communicate
11. **Spells** - I am going to create some spells that do the same things, but I am also going to make different ones and I am going to give them all different names.
12. **Vaults** - I want to create a place of underground vaults, that are used to store precious and dangerous things, but I am not going to call it a bank.
13. **Bigger on the inside** - I am thinking of using, bags/structures that are bigger on the inside
14. **Creatures** - I am going to create beasts for my world, and I am going to make some of them ride-able, but I also want to create different species of dragons and I am going to make some creatures, pets.
15. **Vehicles** - I was thinking of using pirate like ships, and land vehicles (chariots, old cars etc.) that can fly and move on their own.
16. **Potions** - I am thinking having potions that do the same things they do in Hijrp Potfeq as well as my own, but I am going to give them all different names.
17. Portals/teleportation - My world needs some form of magical teleportation, but I am not going to call it vaporation. Can I include objects that can make portals?
18. **Tournament** - I am considering making one book about a magical tournament, but I am going to structure it differently and give it a different name.
19. **Non sorcerers** - I need a name to give to non magic people.
20. **Memories** - I am thinking of creating a way to see into people's memories, but if I can't use a pool, please give me an idea.
21. **Sports** - I want to create a magical sport for my world. Is that too much like Hijrp Potfeq? If it isn't then can you please give me a starting point?
22. **Wraiths** - I am going to create dark skeletal, cloaked creatures. They are going to be wraiths and they are going to feed on souls, not happiness, but can I put in the cold effect.
23. **Animals** - I am thinking of having witches/warlocks that turn into animals, but I need a different name for them. | [
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"text": "Hijrp Potfeq is the copyrighted work of J. K. Rowling, meaning effectively that others are forbidden from passin... | 2023/03/01 | [
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64,686 | When you write a plot that becomes so convoluted that it becomes impossible to resolve without resorting to contrived or unrealistic solutions, how do you write yourself out of a corner?
For example, let's say I wrote a mystery story with too many red herrings. How do you provide a satisfying resolution without feeling like you cheated? Is there a way to disentangle yourself from such a mess? | [
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"text": "Revision.\n\nGo back and decide which red herrings have to go.\n\nSometimes this, in fact, requires inventing new red ... | 2023/03/02 | [
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65,695 | Say you have a person 'Zotn Swoth', If you were to address him formally you would call him 'Zotn Swoth', if you were his friend 'Zotn', in an academic or military environment you would refer to him as 'Swoth, Zotn', but I've also seen instances where just the last name is used and he would simply be called 'Swoth', what is the proper term and situation in which you would call someone by just their Family name? | [
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"text": "I feel your question is missing one of the most common forms of address: \"Mr Swoth.\" You wouldn't normally address so... | 2023/03/02 | [
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65,704 | Red herrings appear to violate Chekhov's gun, but I've been told that not all red herrings are the same and it seems that some red herrings are OK if they serve some sort of purpose.
How do you ensure that a red herring doesn't violate Chekhov's gun? Can you give me a list of criteria a red herring needs to meet in order to not violate it? | [
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"text": "Red herrings do serve a purpose: they (ostensibly) make it harder for the reader to identify the true culprit. They ... | 2023/03/04 | [
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65,713 | Why is it bad to exclusively rely on plot twists to create tension? I was told that some novice writers often make that mistake, but I am not sure why it is considered a mistake. Why is that the case? What are other means to create tension other than plot twists in your story? | [
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65,721 | Is it bad that your characters don't have distinct voices or mannerisms?
I tried to give them some distinct voices and mannerisms, but they sounded too cliched or parodic in that they looked like a caricature we see in Kabuki theatre or a shonen anime. Is there a way to do this a lot more subtly? All my characters are somewhat cold and rational and don't show a lot of emotions except anger. I tried to some lighthearted characters who goof around, but they didn't seem to fit the story at all.
If it's bad, how do you solve this without making the story unrealistic or characters look like archetypal caricatures you see in shonen anime? | [
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"text": "You may be confusing speech patterns such as dialects as being the same as voice. Voice is as much what the cha... | 2023/03/05 | [
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65,733 | How can you prevent your characters from being too predictable? I am wondering how to do that, because if your characters have clear motivations and clear personalities, then it should make them rather predictable, so the only way I can make my characters unpredictable is by making them act out of character or making sure there's some kind of plot twist where an hidden agenda is revealed. Am I correct or are there other ways to achieve this? | [
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"text": "Recently I watched <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaway_Jury>.\n\nFutbh (Gene Hackman) is the predictable bad guy.... | 2023/03/07 | [
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65,737 | After writing the beat sheet, is there any preparatory document you can write before starting to write your story? I just finished writing the beat sheet for a story I wanted to write, but I would like to ensure I don't mess things up while writing it, is there any other document I can write to better structure and plan out how my story is going to pan out? Or should I just start? I am trying to see if I can write something that will be able to be used to sniff out issues before they appear. | [
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"text": "Recently I watched <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaway_Jury>.\n\nFutbh (Gene Hackman) is the predictable bad guy.... | 2023/03/08 | [
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65,749 | Sometimes, you write yourself into a corner and the only way to come up with a happy ending is to put a deus ex machina in the end, but the question is whether there's a middle ground and how you can make a deus ex machina more palatable to your audience. For instance, if you decided to foreshadow that deus ex machina or miraculous solution in the last 2 chapter, would that be a good compromise? What are the little things you can do to make it a little better for your readers? | [
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"text": "Having asked about deus ex machina sometime ago, I believe that it is 'never' a good idea to include any form of deus ... | 2023/03/09 | [
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65,750 | I heard that "the unstoppable force" trope is considered one of the worst tropes you can use, and you should avoid it at all cost, because there are many issues among which are the lack of stakes (outcome is predetermined), lack of character development (character doesn't have to develop), lack of conflict (no one can oppose him), lack of emotional investment (people know he can't lose, so they will lose interest) and lack of tension and suspense (no doubt as to whether the character will succeed).
How can you address all these issues? Are there some issues that can be resolved? If so, how? I am wondering if there's a complimentary trope that's used to address all these issues. | [
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"text": "An unstoppable force is nothing without direction.\n\nThe conflict of an unstoppable force character isn't against ... | 2023/03/09 | [
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65,756 | How do you quote someone whose native language is not English? Let's assume that the person make several grammatical mistakes, how should you quote them, do you quote them verbatim or do you quote them after fixing the mistakes, or do you put the mistake and put the words that should have been used instead in parenthesis? What's the gold standard here?
Here's an example:
>
> "The country's relation **to** China has been warming up in recent times." said Jozw Cie.
>
>
> | [
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65,763 | I am currently writing a story in first person and present tense. I've read a lot about what various people think of this perspective and I've heard many people say they enjoy it when it's done well, but hate it when it isn't. Does anyone have any advice on how I can write this perspective without it being annoying or distracting from the story? | [
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65,764 | I've been watching a lot of Krzysztof Kieślowski movies lately, especially Decalogue, and I've noticed how adept he is at using visuals to externalise the inner ideas of his characters.
How can I write screenplays that do that? | [
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"text": "It seems to me that you already have your answer: In the same way that Kieślowski does.\n\nYou will need to find visual... | 2023/03/10 | [
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65,777 | Is it possible to create unique voices in your story if all your characters use simple words and sentences in their dialogues?
I believe that simple dialogues may not allow for the same level of creativity and nuance when it comes to crafting distinct character voices. Characters who all speak in the same simple, straightforward manner can be difficult to differentiate and may lack individuality and depth. Is there a way to give them individuality and depth in other ways? I am trying to see what would be the best way to achieve this without using complex words and sentences in their dialogues. | [
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"text": "It's possible but more difficult. There are still grammatical structures that could vary. Complete sentences vs. sente... | 2023/03/11 | [
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65,782 | A common mistake in creative writing is to create a villain without a clear motivation for their actions. Every villain should have a reason for their behavior, even if it is not a justifiable one. There is, however, no clear guideline that tells you when it is too late or too early to reveal the motivation of a villain character.
I am guessing the beginning is too early, and the ending is too late, but I am wondering exactly when or preceding or following what event of the story it would be considered too late or too early.
Could you give me some guidelines or insights? | [
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"text": "Unfortunately, this entirely depends on what serves the story.\n\nIt is, indeed, perfectly possible to write a good sto... | 2023/03/11 | [
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65,786 | I've been told that you need to create a consistent tone when writing a story, because it shapes how readers perceive the story. Maintaining a consistent tone throughout the story by balancing the needs of the story with the expectations and preferences of your audience ensures a cohesive narrative. Consistency in tone can help create a sense of unity throughout a piece of writing. When the tone is consistent, readers can more easily follow the story and understand its underlying themes and messages.
I wonder if there can be a good reason to shift tone in the middle of your story.
If so, or even if that's not the case, how do you do this without alienating your readers? | [
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"text": "One type of point at which you probably should change tone is after some major event, especially one that massivel... | 2023/03/12 | [
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65,788 | Using a black cat to symbolize bad luck or evil, using a red rose to symbolize love or passion or using a white flag to symbolize surrender are all considered old too simplistic or obvious, so I was wondering if there was a way to use those symbols that lack originality and have become cliched and inject new life into them. Is there a way to do this? Do you have to give them new meaning, or is there some other way I haven't thought of? | [
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"text": "It all depends *how* you use the symbol.\n\nThere is a reason that a white flag symbolizes surrender. It is because whit... | 2023/03/12 | [
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65,791 | Unreliable narration refers to a narrative that cannot be trusted to give an accurate representation of events, due to the limitations or biases of the narrator. When using an omniscient narrator, I am wondering if it's still possible to make the narration unreliable since the omniscient narrator is all-knowing. Is there a way to make it work with the both of them at the same time, or do I need to use a different narrator who is not omniscient? | [
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"text": "First of all, you are talking about *omniscience* (all-knowing), not *omnipotence* (all-powerful).\n\nNow, how do we ma... | 2023/03/12 | [
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65,811 | In a sci-fi setting, I was told it was important to follow scientific principles to some extent. Neglecting these principles can create confusion and disbelief among readers or viewers.
For example, if you're depicting spaceships or advanced technology, I was told it's essential to explain how they function and how they operate. Doing so would, however, require me to tell and not show. If I add a scene where the characters talk about how it works, it also feel cliched. Is there some way you can do this, especially in the context where you have fantasy mixed with sci-fi, and which requires you to clearly state what's possible with magic and what's possible with technology? | [
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"text": "There's always the \"Star Trek\" version. If it makes the drama work, don't sweat it. Just be consistent across you... | 2023/03/14 | [
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65,816 | I’m stalled in writing the second novel in my series because I’m stuck on how to present the antagonist. I have an outline of his character, and know what happens, but I don’t know how to write from his perspective. Interestingly, this may be because I have some of his traits. Let me explain.
My character’s mother dies in childbirth, and he is raised in a Catholic orphanage. He’s “neuro-divergent” or “neuro-atypical” (what we would have once called Asperger’s Syndrome), though this manifests as him generally shunning social contact because he’s had a bad time of it, being “the weird kid” while growing up. He doesn’t react like most people do to emotional triggers such as seeing something tragic happen (as an adult, he works on the docks. I may have him witness a fight where someone dies and have him kind of shrug it off; just thought of this). People think of him as “cold”, but he’s not. He has terrible social anxiety, and doesn’t vocalize unless necessary. He’s happy to sit at the bar with a bunch of co-workers and drink beer, but doesn’t really interact with anyone, preferring to listen to them and not say anything. His internal monologue, though, is constantly going.
The ways Tafani is like me (and I think I can relate, so therefore write his perspective):
* Was “the weird kid” - socially ostracized during school.
* Is socially anxious when meeting new people.
* Doesn’t react “normally” to events.
Ways that I’m nothing like him (so blockages are created to me “getting in touch with him as a character”):
* I’m not quiet in social interactions. Indeed, I often think (here the social anxiety) that people just want me to shut up.
* I have a lot of friends, and know I can rely on them for support when I need it.
* I’m married, and so don’t spend my life alone. I’ve been married long enough that I can’t even imagine what it must be like to live like that.
Anyhow, if anyone has any tips on portraying the internal monologue of a neurodivergent person, please let me know. Even though Tafani is the antagonist, he doesn’t start out that way, and doesn’t see himself (really isn’t initially) a *bad guy*. Something happens when he tries to interact with the MCs. He’s built them up so much in his head that he makes a bad approach, it escalates, and turns violent. He escapes the situation, and the MCs become “enemies” that he convinces himself need to be “dealt with” rather than seeing how his actions could have been different and re-approaching to a) apologize, and b) establish good relations. | [
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65,831 | How do you properly plan for a very long story? I was thinking about *One Piece* and the fact it's still ongoing, and I am wondering how the author was able to plan for such a long story. Writing a single beat sheet wouldn't be enough to plan for it, and yet the story has been going on for years without alienating its large audience. How do you plan for such a long story? Is it even possible to plan such a story? What would you suggest people if they wanted to undertake such a large project? | [
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65,832 | I used the name Byron in my book stating it meant strong one. is that copyright infringement? | [
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"text": "Names can not be copyrighted. You can use Lord Byron or any Byron in your story. You need to be conscientious about two... | 2023/03/16 | [
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65,846 | I have a half-animal, half-human hybrid character who gets indoctrinated into a Nazi-like group of other half-animal hybrids who hate humans and want for them to be extinct.
She's a child when this happens and she later becomes the main antagonist who threatens the whole world yada yada.
What I'm asking is if it's wrong to portray her as a villain because she kinda got brainwashed or if it's okay because she chose to go along with it. | [
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65,860 | How do you work with a story with an ending that's obvious from the very start?
Let's say you have a story of a kid who wants to become a F1 champion. You know the ending from the very start.
Is that a bad thing? If it's a bad thing, how do you make up for the fact you know very well how it's going to end without subverting expectation and writing a bad ending or an alienating ending where his dream ends because of a car crash? | [
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"text": "When writing to a foregone conclusion, the story is in the *path*, not the destination.\n\nIf I choose to hike t... | 2023/03/18 | [
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65,862 | I was writing a mystery novel about a detective who is investigating a murder case. The detective has a partner, who is a side character in the story. The partner is not given much of a personality or backstory, and only appears in scenes where they are needed to help the detective solve the case. He doesn't have his own story arc or motivations, and his actions are solely driven by the needs of the plot.
The partner at some point suddenly remembers a crucial piece of evidence that helps the detective solve the case, and at another point he gets kidnapped by the villain to move the plot forward.
Is this a bad thing? Why? I feel like it doesn't make sense to develop that character too much because I wanted to focus on the bad guy and the detective, so I am not sure what's wrong with doing that. | [
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65,868 | As I plan to write a war story, I'm considering issues I should try to avoid.
Few that come to my mind already:
* Glorification of violence, meaning depiction of violence in a positive way, ignoring ethical issues involved and ugly side effects on civilian populations. Engaging but superficial action without reflecting on what hurting and killing people means.
* Opposite to previous would be a total condemnation of the violence that would be an overly simplistic and generalized view of violence as a bad thing in any case and ignoring nuanced factors that justify its use, i.e., self-defense or protection of one's family or other people unable to defend themselves, protection of one's country, use of force proportional to the threat, etc.
* Simplisticly depicted antagonists as purely evil. Even worse would be contrasting it with purely good protagonists.
* Hand in hand with the previous point: lack of rationale for the antagonists' actions. It doesn't have to be objectively rational; even the Nazi ideology of Lebensraum for their "superior" race was a rationale for WWII and the Holocaust. Also, the ongoing Russian-Ukranian war has a rationale on the Russian part, both the one stated in the official propaganda, however ridiculous, and the hidden agenda of control over recourses and territory. | [
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65,877 | *My apologies for potential errors, I'm not a native English speaker*
Hello. I don't really know, who else I could ask, so I'm putting it here.
First of all, I know, that my writing isn't something groundbreaking and 100% original. I just have to get this off my chest.
I always wanted to write a nice story, which could be enjoyed. To cut it short, one day I got an idea. The idea grew and grew. I began writing the story and even got help from few beta readers (who are helping me till this day, but for a reason I can't confess with this matter to them). Hours were, and still are, put into the characters, story details and research. I fell deep in love with everything in the book. And it helped me during difficult times, just to write and be with the characters. Basically the book became my second life, the characters my another family.
The thing is time. I'm kind of slow writer, school and work take time too plus sometimes, the block strikes. That results in the story being written for couple of years. And I know I won't be finishing soon. I'm okay with taking it another period of time, writing is a long(er) track matter.
Recently, I've met someone, who also writes. They are really nice person and we understand each other very well.
And not too long ago, they got a new idea for a story. Their story is in the same field as mine, same time period. That's fine, our story concepts are very different. But then there is one stage in our plots, where the surroundings are the same.
Here I'm beginning to panic. I've noticed, when we talk about our stories, how similar their events are. And not only events. Their characters do so similar things and have nearly identical behaviours and manners as mine, sometimes same motives too. A lot of times persons idea comes some days later, after we've talked about something similar taking place in my book. I blame a lot of it on coincidence, since the surroundings are the same.
Unfortunately, it's the part of the story, which I care about the most for, most effort went here and also, the character I've put the most effort in has their shining moments there.
The person is a very fast writer. I'm pretty sure, that they are going to finish earlier than me and publish it sooner.
I'm scared, that when I eventually publish my story, I'm going to be accused of copying that persons work. Even when I began writing so much earlier and had everything in place before they got their idea. The thought of being accused of copying their work terrifies me. Is there something, that could help me getting rid of this fear? | [
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"answer_id": 65879,
"author": "wetcircuit",
"author_id": 23253,
"author_profile": "https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/23253",
"pm_score": 3,
"selected": false,
"text": "a story is a gift\n-----------------\n\n**You cannot share a story and keep it to yourself.**\n\nYou have the go... | 2023/03/19 | [
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/questions/65877",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com",
"https://writers.stackexchange.com/users/55144/"
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