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Writing Structure - Building an Anthology Outline Hi more experienced writers than I, I have been struggling to figure out how to outline a story (script) I am writing to put all my ideas together. I would like to make an Anthology where it starts off with my main character placing the setting, and then over the cours...	If you'll break each item into it's own component you'll find that you will be able to manage the story and then weave it together. List what each character wants.
How do you construct a thesis statement? I have read any essay making tips and they said that the thesis statement is key to the thesis. So I tried to make one based on a question. So assume question like this: Overpopulation of urban areas has led to numerous problems.Identify one or two serious ones and suggest way...	The thesis statement should be specific .
Having Trouble Writing An Opening Scene With A Shy Character I'm having a bit of trouble coming up with the opening scene for a fantasy story I'm writing, about a mousy but passionate girl from a family of entertainers who inherits the entertainer's blood. She is bold, daring, and inspiring when lost in her performanc...	People are shy of other people, if she is alone she has nothing to be shy about. Put her in situations that make her uncomfortable and go from there. After this introduction of your character, then you can get to the "inciting incident", whatever happens to her that really is a plot point, whatever problem or mission s...
Hint to murder in a dramatic monologue? I am making a dramatic monologue for a school project in this my character has committed a murder and during talking to his brother lets it slip but in a no direct way (straight up saying I killed him), how would I hint to it so that the reader would have to "read between the lin...	You could have it alluded to as a solution to a problem. I think the "his death is not a great surprise" angle would probably work best, it doesn't necessarily say "I killed him" but it does say "of course someone killed him".
How to avoid mentioning the name of a character? I am writing a short story which features a character known only as Old Man, but there is a part of the story where someone calls the Old Man by his name. Only once, and I was wondering if there was a way to have it so that the name is said but not mentioned in the story...	I think a good way to do this is to simply said "(person) called his name." Have the narrator tell the action in that place, not show it.
How can a main character in a visual novel attract people of different personalities besides having a single trait each of them is attracted to? Ok, so I currently have a visual novel (For those who do not know, it's a video game that's almost all story. The character may have a few choices in the matter, but most of i...	The same person can be attractive to multiple other people for various reasons. The MC could be a good listener, a single trait that leads to each woman opening up in different ways.
How do you make a scene "tasteful"? Let's say you have a scene that contains nudity. There are many ways to do it wrong and have it just be a pervy scene, but there are also ways to make it "tasteful" in a way where it's slightly less awkward to accidentally watch it with your parents. Now I don't really know how to de...	Speaking purely to nudity, without sex, implied or otherwise, the less attention the characters pay to their clothing, or lack thereof, the more tasteful scenes tend to be. I think the nude scene in Titanic is 'tasteful' because of the motivations of the two characters.
Phrasing to balance immense speed with boredom Through much of my novel the protagonist spends considerable time cruising over various landscapes at speeds exceeding 500 km/h. To you or me this is significant but to the character, it's "just a job." The obvious phrases like "he sped" or "they raced" are going to get o...	If nothing changes about the speed, it is boring to describe it in detail the second time.
How should you use sexually deviant monsters in fantasy? terror is a real and powerful thing. A monster is ever-so-slightly scarier if it violates you in some way. there have been many of these types of creatures seen in myths and fairy tales. This goes beyond the cliche succubus concept, and includes monsters such as ...	If it is there just to shock and titillate with power fantasies against "empty skirts", it will deservingly get eyerolls from anyone who doesn't share that fantasy, and sees it as a Mars Needs Women trope . You can write whatever, so long as it is engaging.
Ensemble cast novel - pitch and synopsis My mystery novel features an ensemble cast of seven characters. Since I can't talk about all of them in the short span of the query letter, I've decided to focus on the antagonist. He's the main driving force behind the plot and despite appearing the least, he's ever-present in ...	Bring in the characters as you need them to illuminate the story.
Should I write my book in first person's POV or third person's POV? I'm an author, but recently I started this book, but I had to put it on hold it's a Nigerian/American book and mostly I write in 1st person's pov but I'm thinking if I should write the book in the 3rd persons pov, and I've never written a book in 3rd P...	To find out what works best for you, you'll have to try different approaches.
Why would someone in an apocalypse travel with a person who is totally dependent on them? So, a story idea I've had for a long time is set in an apocalypse (cause not explained), and the two main characters are vastly different. Tyler is 20 years old, he watched his parents killed in horrible fashion, and turned into ...	He knows life is a gamble and this girl is his way to hedge his bets as he might be able to trade her for something useful. Especially if said vulnerable person isn't harming anyone in their existence, humans (especially 'stronger' humans) tend to feel a protective instinct for these kinds of people. I feel like, if yo...
How do you keep track of projects/ideas until you have time to write them down? I've read the answers to this question but they focus on getting ideas written down pretty much as they occur, that's not my issue, I have both digital and analog methods for doing so with me at all times. But I can't always use them ri...	If you can only tell yourself, do it, just say it out loud.
How to balance a character‘s duty versus his conscience I have a character, a secondary antagonist who is following his sense of duty and pursuing a former asset. Said asset is injured, tired and cornered, seriously considering making a stand and going out taking as many of the hunters as possible. The secondary anta...	His conscience tells him to fulfill his duty. He would be doing his duty if he killed the asset or if he captured the asset.
How to describe a horse from the POV of someone who has never seen one? In my story, my narrator has only recently met other humans and the biggest creature she has ever interacted with are dogs. In the survivors' camp, she encounters their horses and is pretty freaked out, but I don't really know how to describe them ...	So, if your narrator is mentally immature or doesn't much care about animals she might first think the horse is a big kind of dog and call it "dog".
Glossary in my book While writing my book, I have noticed that not a lot of people, that read my draft understand half of the things I'm talking about. So I added a glossary at the end that they could reference via a link directly there. I do tons of research for this book, many of the things I have included into it i...	Ideally the glossary should not be necessary - try to write in such a way that on the one hand, those who don't already have the intuitive understanding from the words themselves will be able to glean it from the context, but on the other hand, don't browbeat your audience.
Effectively conveying an unreliable narrator I have been working on a post-apocalyptic novel for about a year. My female narrator/protagonist, named Eris, was isolated for almost all of her life until meeting a rogue group of survivors and having to assimilate into their world. It's the year 2212 and this world was d...	Depending on how thoroughly she has convinced herself that she does not have powers, you can have her argue with herself while narrating. One method would be to have her narrate things* in a straight-forward way
Should the name of a mythological creature be capitalized? The name of the mythological creature in my novel is "manananggal". When I'm referring to it, should I capitalize what it is? <Q> Yes, if it's the Grinch A unique creature, which is the Manananggal (effectively THAT creature's name), should be capitalized. ...	Even if your creature is rare, if you are likely to ever refer to it as a manananggal (a member of a group or species), then don't capitalize it.
How do I make my characters sound British? This might sound silly, but I am trying to make one of my characters British and I have a hard time portraying that idea on paper. My novel is set in a fantasy land, nothing like this world and I am trying to make all my characters sound different and unique... any tips or adv...	First, I would say, settle on an accent and a manner of speaking that are a bit more specific than "British" .
Writing a story about a immortal character I have a character that I want to have live for 200 years. I've used the beginning to fill out his backstory with events that are critical to the story, including how he became immortal. How would I write a time skip ahead? I do have events kinda planned, like I want him to ma...	Also, don't cram all the excitement of who and what this character has been into the opening chapter, and then feel like you have to awkwardly skip a bunch of time. When necessary, use flashbacks
I noticed that several already-existing poems used the same highly specific puns and phrases that I used. Is this unintentional plagiarism on my part? A bit of context: Exhibit A) I wrote a poem that had the line "crystalline crystal lines." I googled this phrase, just to see if it was out there, and I saw that it w...	Plagiarism is, most of the time, a deliberate decision; being inspired by others is another thing entirely, and using expressions already used elsewhere is almost unavoidable.
Do I quote the author or artist from a comic? MLA I'm kind of confused on how to quote a scene in a comic/graphic novel. I understand that if you are quoting something that a character said, that you would do the usual (Author's Last name, Page number), but what if you're quoting a scene? Would I then use the artist,...	But for shorter citations, the general rule is to cite the writer and primary artist, sometimes with full names, sometimes last names.
Can I give a lecture about my book without disclosing my real name? I have a non-fiction book about language learning, entrepreneurship, productivity and personal growth in general. The problem is: I have published this book using a pen name (pseudonym). I would prefer to keep myself anonymous, as the book is filled ...	None of your marketing materials need give your real name.
How do I know if I should be a writer? I have been writing on and off, without really paying attention to it, almost impulsively, since I was sixteen. It's been mostly therapeutic, for me. I found recently that putting dreams to paper helps flesh them out and give them life. The themes in the dreams are recurring, and ...	But to be a writer, you have to really love to write, and would like to write all day, and you are willing to give up your mornings or evenings and use your entertainment time to write because for you writing is entertainment.
Should I change my method of indicating internal monologue (parenthesis) to something more conventional? I am writing a fantasy novella that ends up using a lot of internal monologues, often mixed with dialogue, descriptions, and other character's monologues. For example, this excerpt from the first chapter Yoshida’s...	Parentheses will signal something other than you intend and could be distracting. The standard is to not mark up internal monologue because internal monologue is readily apparent by first person pronouns and thought-verbs within the narator's passages, but many contemporary novels, especially in the Young Adult segment...
How do I stay motivated while planning a series of novels? I've been working on a fantasy series for the past few years. When I first started, I wrote my first draft (for the first book) in one go without any planning at all. Even though I enjoyed myself, once I was done I felt like the book wasn't good enough and coul...	Just stay organized so your out-of-order inspiration sessions and random plot notes can be accessed and edited quickly. Periodically read sections to check for flow and keep going. Ideas almost always improve if you return later and spot the clichés that need to be subverted. The Snowflake Method is a process where a l...
A Market For Long Narrative Poetry? In spirit I have struggled long to find A manner fit to hold my roiling thoughts; A way to slowly pour them to a mold - And happily that manner has been found. A writer long, inclined to stories long And intricate, my poetry is not Of brief and shining moments, gilded-gold; But na...	I have just had a long, narrative poem accepted for publication in Piker Press. When you search "market for poetry" in your favourite search engine, you'll find a couple of webpages that list venues that pay for short poems, mostly periodicals such as Christian Science Monitor or Slice .
Different methods of incorporating Korean into English text I have a Korean character in the novel I'm working on, and it is fairly important to the plot that she has some dialogue in Korean. Korean isn't a language where you can say what you see, if you understand what I mean. I'm undecided between a few approaches: ...	If the character understands the words, then it's fine to just italicize, or even to simply skip the quotes.
How best to recover from catastrophic text loss? This morning I had an accidental select all delete followed by auto save, which prevented me from just hitting undo. My novel became an empty file. I use MS Word. I had emailed a copy of it a few weeks ago, so was able to retrieve 628 pages. I must now reconstruct just ...	Until another file overwrites the original, it is perfectly recoverable. Or, if you're utterly depressed over the loss, you could set aside that work, write something else, and maybe come back to your current project later. Write from the gut. If you have the energy to rewrite, it's quite possible that your second vers...
Are paragraph spaces used for emphasis? I am writing a story and I have these 3 sentences that elaborate on the ending of a first page. This way the reader will continue to read my story. My question is, am I allowed to place paragraph spacing in between these sentences to create spacing? Are there any other stories ...	So, the answer to your question is yes, but please read some of your favorite books to get a feel for how often to do this, and with which types of sentences. Of course you can deviate from convention in your writing.
Library of Congress filing: answering "intended for children or young adults" I'm going to submit a request for a Library of Congress Preassigned Control Number (PCN). One of the questions on the form is: Is this title intended for children or young adults? Because of the "or", I assume the book doesn't have to b...	If your book is such that it would be inappropriate for most (or even some) teenagers, then it's definitely not aimed at the young adult market. Most non-fiction and a large number of fiction books geared for adults are appropriate for teens.
Character is onscreen for three seconds I have a character Joe who leads the task force hunting my MC. His reputation is known to the MC and he is well aware of how effective he is. Joe is also a good friend of another character, Fred, and it is decided to try and tranquilize him, instead of kill him, out of respect bo...	In the case of a movie, you'd want to establish the character early, so the viewer recognizes him and knows he's important to watch.
How to write in a more conversational tone? I come from an academic background. Writing has always been an easy thing to me, but almost all of my practice outside of poetry has been in academic writing. I'll find myself writing in the way that I think, with all of the hedges for the sake of completeness, and realize ...	It can even be good to imagine a person who you're explaining something to - and to write down your arguments or points as if you were walking that particular person through your reasoning. Be aware of the audience you wish to reach and see what effect that has on your style. One exercise you can try is to imagine a fr...
Should I change from past to present tense to state a fact that continues into the present and is unyielding? Within narration in past tense, should a statement of a universally true fact be in past tense or in present tense? For example, in the short text: It was late afternoon in Zubrin. The air was perfect and the...	When you switch from past tense to present tense for universal truths, you explicitly talk to the reader and refer to their f.
Is it bad to project myself into my story? After reading that a Mary-Sue often is a projection of the author, I realized most of my stories are. Is it a bad thing? My MC aren't Mary-sues (at least I hope so), they're the opposite of perfect and always succeeding: I focus on flaws and illnesses, making some bad decis...	An author projecting themselves onto a character is not automatically going to be boring, if they are projecting interesting traits and elements onto the character then they are going to be interesting. The problem with Mary-Sue is a lack of conflict and thus boredom with the character.
MC doesn't know something that's obvious to the reader (Another post-apocalyptic novel question! I'm just full of them.) My MC, Eris, has the power to manipulate life force. As a child, she accidentally killed her family and other survivors who investigated the commotion she caused while killing them, and has semi-s...	A tension-building question that would engage the readers could be who / how many would get hurt because Eris refuses to realise what she's doing.
Should I start a new paragraph after a dialogue if the action is being taken by a new person? I am currently editing an original work of fiction, and one of the things I'm having the most trouble with is dialogue and paragraphs after certain character's actions. I know it sounds a little confusing, but I'll try my best...	Not only should you start a new paragraph for every character, but you need to be clear about who is saying or doing what.
Third person story, containing a first person backstory In several third person (usually limited) stories that I've read, there comes a time when one character shares some of their backstory to one or more other characters. This backstory is always (or almost always) shared with the reader in third person. I tend to ...	Think of your Third-Person story as being told by a single narrator. It's fine to use first person for an entire novel, or for a piece of it, if it suits your purpose.
How do I make my character be a part of something without it seeming forced? I'm writing a Star Wars fanfiction because I wanted to practice my writing on something I love, and I decided to make a character named Alexander Ray Rullero. He's not the main character, as in he is not the character you will be following mos...	He has certain skill set or knowledge that make him one of the few people to pull something off. Consider Han Solo in the original trilogy; he was a smuggler who was only in it for the money at first, got roped into something much larger than he had anticipated, but eventually came around to the Rebellion's side in ful...
Unfair Motivation for a Judge to Dislike an Accused I have a scene where a character is applying to be released from prison pending trial. I want an arbitrary / unfair reason for the judge to dislike him. It has to be something that is not justified to keep him in prison (ie, risk of committing further offences, runnin...	You can throw in whatever you want the readers to not like about him in the story..
Planning story using layers, compartmentalization, and time Plot, environment, characters, each one is a layer in a story. Each layer is also a compartment for further layers that are internally affected by external changes in their own, unique way, and each will be affected differently by the same stimuli over the dev...	Another program you may find useful is Archivos.
Is it ok to use "aluminium" in an otherwise American English text? I am not an American English native (I'm actually a German native speaker) but, when I write, I use the American style of words predominantly. However, I always use aluminium instead of aluminum , following the nomenclature that is used by all the re...	If it is a scientific article, or scientific text, then by all means use the most precise term.
Should I cite a source that cites an older source? I am writing a scientific research paper and one of the sources I am using introduced a concept which I am using within the paper. The source I read (published in 1969) credits this concept as being coined by a different source (published in 1944). I do not have access...	It might depend on the institution, but often times it's fine because it's your personal source for information, and if your reviewer looks at the source they will see where it comes from.
How to show the same emotion multiple times? I think everyone has heard the "show don't tell" rule. My question is how can I show same emotion multiple times without the description being the same. For example if my character is scared I can write how his heart raced, his hand where shaking etc. If the character is sca...	If you tie the (scared) reaction that the character exhibits to the particular event each time then your writing will portray a scene which feels real. Characters might have a habit, and you show their emotions by using that habit.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of copying writing styles? I come from a non-native English speaking country and, from my own analysis, I will say I have an intermediate level English fluency (IELTS score 7). Some of the articles on my blog were chosen by an international magazine (free of course). But now I ...	Imitating styles is a valuable learning tool . If you can write a tribute that is recognisably in the style of the author you wish to write a tribute to, think of it as a gift from an admirer. Plot, character descriptions, turns of phrase, are all things you can copy enough to get in trouble for it (either legal troubl...
Is this an oxymoron, and what would be the purpose of making seemingly illogical statements in writing? Here's a piece of writing I came up with: The rolling billows rocked the mighty galleon cradling it madly as if it were but a mere child. There are many seeming contradictions: When we think "billows rocked" we...	The meaning of Oxymoron is the juxtaposition of two seemingly contradictory concepts to create a third .
How to identify paper which will blot fountain pen ink? These days, with fewer people using a fountain pen to write, many notebooks/paper you find blotting the ink . If I am at a store and contemplating to buy a notebook or writing/printing paper, how can I check if the paper blots or not? Most of time, it is not m...	If your pen isn't too wet, you can use almost any reasonably hard surface paper, but generally those made for ink jets will be problematic for wetter writing nibs, because the paper is made to quickly absorb the liquid component of the ink from a printer (xerographic paper often doesn't have this quality, so doesn't wo...
What are some good ways of switching from third-person limited point of view to third-person omniscient point of view? I am thinking of writing a short story which starts with a character narrating then ends up being narrated by an omniscient character. What are the best ways of making this transition? I can't think of...	The important page is to make it clear that the context for narration has changed. In a novel you could make a Book One vs Book Two split.
Could I have some characters reveal more internal monologue than others? For context, I am writing a graphic novel. I always used to imagine I would have some characters (mainly protagonists) reveal their internal monologue while others (mainly the antagonists) don't. They just express themselves with speech/actions. I...	I'd personally handle this by using internal monolog to provide lots of internal thought and keep the important nuggets to the characters that I want. It's not favouritism that some characters get more spotlight than others. Do not let worries about "what will readers think" stop your creative process in this moment.
Characters jumping out of their stories I just read an article online and thought "this is great, I should forward the link to Phoebe." Phoebe is one of my characters. I've already had characters tell me how they would speak or dress, what their underlying motivations are, or who they are when they grow up (the main...	The characters that arrive fully-formed may well be a part of yourself that is within your core personality.
Are there situations where using an anastrophe is ill-advised? I wrote a (unrhymed) couplet, because I couldn't find a good enough example: She ran the comb through her hair ebony As the night fell upon the land of light. Is there a situation where reversing the natural word order is ill-advised or completely wr...	It's never good style to depart from standard usage without a good reason . So there are certainly cases where anastrophe completely obscures the meaning of the sentence.
How do I stop using 'the' to start sentences so much? Something that always bothers me in my writing is how often I start sentences with the word "the". A terrible nonsensical example: The dog ran through the rain-swept streets, chasing a ball he thought he'd lost. The ball was just ahead of him, always out of reach...	I would suggest reading more English poetry to pick up some techniques. Adding to the collection of amazing answers already written here, I would advise you to restructure your sentences to express a more personal view after you have already written them. Start with a preposition (so a prepositional phrase).
Is using an online name generator a good idea? When I'm stumped for a planet name or an organization name or something, I usually search on Google for a free name generator. But are the names in random generators copyrighted? If I used a generated name in a published work, would I have to credit the generator? Is us...	The fact that the name was randomly generated neither guarantees that it is not copyrighted, nor protects you from the consequences of violating that copyright or trademark.
Sentence starters for summaries? I'm writing a technical book (step-by-step sort of book) and noticed that all my summaries start with 'In this chapter we ...'. What would be some other sentence starters that I could use to make the summaries more interesting? <Q> "Now it's time to talk about... <S> " <S> "Next we w...	I'd suggest reading abstracts from articles on the subject.
Finding resources for sci-fi writers on Quantum Mechanics I don't have the financial resources to hire a scientific consultant to ask him whether my science-fiction plot is realistic, so I was wondering if there were any resource that teach Quantum Mechanic without the math well enough so that aspiring authors can writ...	In more than one occasion I've found Khanacademy to be a good place to jump start a subject.
How do some self-published books on Amazon get lots of sales without any marketing whatsoever? I get confused with this whole indie-publishing thing in terms of the advice I keep hearing from experts. On one hand, people say that no matter how great your book is, no one is going to read it or even know it exists if you...	So no, there’s a lot of marketing behind those self published books, just not of the traditional kind.
Is it true that writers don't really need agents and they can just query publishers directly, as Dean Wesley Smith says? While I tend to agree with the writer & publishing guru, Dean Wesley Smith, that agents are usually a liability and that it is wrong for writers to hand over their royalties to them, I am not sure ab...	Just ask the publisher to recommend a good agent that they like working with to represent you, after they've already accepted your manuscript.
Scene & Sequel in exposition or world building I have been trying to practice the scene and sequel structure, including the use of MRUs and I find it alternately natural and frustrating. I understand that the goal of this structure is to keep the story moving, but I've seen some pretty extreme opinions expressed about...	Use as much exposition and world building as required. No writing system is 100% perfect for all situations so you are obliged to make exceptions as needed for your story. The idea of Scene & Sequel is to minimize, if not completely eliminate, everything that does not directly serve the current scene.
How to search for titles of novels that are or begin with a word or phrase previously used as the title of many nonfictional works? Say I have a possible title for a novel I am writing, and it's a word or phrase that has been used in the title of quite a large number of nonfictional works, sometimes as the whole of the...	Type in what you want in the search engine, search by database, and narrow your search. NoveList - This is a very good resource for finding books.
Writing short stories in an original world setting I'm writing short stories in a Fantasy world setting I have created — medieval times, magic, dragons, etc. People who are familiar with such a world may not find a problem reading a short story set in an unknown world. Since short stories are usually very condensed and...	In other words, all the elements that come to play in your short-story arc should be somewhat understandable to the reader. Remember: you don't have to "explain" everything. What you want to avoid at all costs is useless exposition.
Is my work fiction or non-fiction? I am currently working on a story. I would like to publish this on a literary magazine website, and this website has only three categories - fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. My story is probably not poetry, even though I do pay attention to form and word choice and extreme personif...	This is "autobiographical fiction," which is a very common subgenre of fiction.
Are fictional inventions trademarked? I am wondering if I can include fictional inventions like the power suits in Iron Man. I believe that "power-suits" are used legally by a lot of media; however, what if the power-suit you're describing is very similar to the one in Iron Man? Let's say there are jets on both hands a...	Here's a common sense rule: if it has ever been mass-manufactured as a toy then it is licensed property and has IP protection. So if your suit is exactly the same, YES, you probably infringe; Iron Man's suit is a product of somebody else's imagination,
Writing a short story in the same universe as my novel In my post-apocalyptic novel, the MC Eris navigates the world of survivors and grapples with her newly discovered abilities. The leader of the group of survivors, and the book's antagonist, Ezrith, had a wife named Saskia who was, unbeknownst to everyone, killed b...	In fact, a short story can serve as a sort of "advertisement" - if the readers like it, they would continue to the novel. In general, the length of the piece doesn't really matter. Let the reader empathize with your character and they can even hate that kid who kills this woman - though they won’t because it is difficu...
How can I add more depth to my poem? I used to write poems. I was in 4th grade, so I just wrote for fun. They didn't have any figurative language or symbols. My only goal was to make them rhyme. Here is an example of one of mine: The topic was risky The judge wasn’t blank, but picky. My stomach was getting really ...	In my experience, you'll typically do better in poetry with an emotion-driven topic than an intellectual or conceptual one.
Is it plagiarism to use Google Translate? This may be a very very stupid question but I need to ask it. I have written my dissertation in my mother tongue first, then began to translate it as I will submit it in English. While doing so I used Google Translate from time to time. I didn't copy anything from anybody, only...	Using Google Translate is not plagiarism, but it's not automatically free and clear either. There is no way in which anyone would be able to present a convincing case that this is plagiarism.
Pairing poetry with original artwork: is this done? As a novice writer of poetry, I am eager to grow in my understanding of that mysterious line between complete abandon within freedom of expression, and writing which acknowledges standards on what actually makes a poem “good,” set by those who have gone before. On...	Some famous poets have paired their poems with their own artwork (e.g. William Blake) .
Can we "borrow" our answers to populate our own websites? Second Edit -- to try to expand the scope BEYOND W.SE and to cover any CreativeCommons work, not just here. Deleted part about the badges. -- Edit -- to clarify it's not quite a BLOG, more a portfolio of teaching resources I've developed. My website (on a Wo...	So nothing legal would prevent you from reposting your own contributions elsewhere, even under a different (non-exclusive) license.
Should I signal completion of a decision point in an interactive novel? In my visual novel (an interactive, narrative-based video-game), I have a detective character who decides whether he believes interviewees controlled by the player. The detective doesn't explain his reason but it's buried in the choices. The re...	Signals make it easier for the player to explore all content and all branches in the game, should they wish to do so. I'd suggest giving him some info-bearing "tells" that a savvy player can pick up on (change in expression, drumming fingers, etc.). Since you appear to be writing an occult detective mystery, I'd say th...
Is It Legal to Use Military Insignias of Defunct Nations? I'm writing a novel, and the plotline has military terminology and insignias. The basic plot is that there are two continents in my world: one capitalist and allegorically like the US and NATO, and the other communist and allegorically like the former USSR. Is...	Under US copyright law, anything created by the US government is not protected by copyright. Legally I believe you're in the clear.
Is using an 'empty' metaphor considered bad style? I just had this sentence off my head: A crown of fire spread through the country consuming everything on its way. What I mean by empty metaphor is a metaphor that doesn't really have any meaning or even purpose. The same sentence could be replaced with the followi...	More generally there isn't really such a thing as "bad style" just different style.
How do I introduce this character? I am writing a story these days and I want to introduce a character who is similar to a king. This character is introduced with heavy announcements by his minions who scream out words of admiration and basically annoy everyone in their path. How do I introduce the character in such a ...	You don't want to actually annoy your readers.
Coloured comments in a word processor [Word/Libre/OpenOffice] - is it possible? Is there a way to have comments in different colours , in Microsoft Word, Open Office Writer, or Libre Office? (I am currently using Open Office, and I'm happy with it, but I am open to making the switch if need be.) If that would require i...	So one way would be to change your user id for each comment; that is possible but seems tedious.
Write for an audience or find an audience for your writing? I've never written for anything other than personal enjoyment or for a predefined context before. I have ideas and partial drafts for several books and want to finish at least one this year. My concern is about how I need to change my writing when I intend for...	If you write for the joy of creation through the exercise of the writing craft, then who cares who else reads it, other than to validate that you have mastered the craft.
Always sounding idiomatic as a non-native English speaker A lot of people use Google's n-gram to see if something is idiomatic, but for a lot of non-native English speakers even that doesn't really help, so what would you suggest non-native speakers to do so that everything they write sounds 100% idiomatic? <Q> Beta re...	When you've completed the next several rounds of editing, hire an excellent proofreader who is a native speaker.
How can I write an annoying character without annoying the reader? My story has a group of five refugees traveling across the kingdom. One of them is preachy and pretty much useless (unused to physical labor, trying to convert the heathens in the group). She's driving three of the others (including the MC) completely c...	What the other characters find annoying need not be annoying to the reader, the reader might even appreciate it.
Is it okay for the final chapter to be a lot longer than all the other chapters? In one of my novels (it's a middle grade fantasy novel) the chapters average around 2,000 words. But the final climactic chapter is currently almost 7,000 words. I am considering splitting it into two because it feels unbalanced to have it...	Although I don't personally do this, I think some readers use chapters as a kind of progress marker, and don't like it when they are too long. Dedicate readers will go from the second-last chapter to the final one without even noticing the split.
Should the average length of a chapter depend on the length of the novel? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_count#In_fiction This Wikipedia page tells you under which classification a fictional work falls under depending on its length, so we have 3 I am most interested in, namely: novellette, novella and novel. We co...	There are no hard and fast rules about how long a chapter needs to be, or should be.
How to write exciting updates? For my Pathfinder campaign I write an update each session which I share with my players. The goal for these updates is: Provide a brief recap of the previous session Get people excited for the next session Be entertaining Provide some additional lore Here is an example from earlier...	You could also drop little temptations that appeal to your players motivations.
Translating non-English lyrics to English I am wondering what are some guidelines when translating the lyrics of a song to another language, because lyrics depend a lot on musicality (rhymes, syllables), it's very hard to maintain the same meaning across languages, so should you try to keep the meaning as much as possi...	You want the audience in the target language to understand the original lyrics (for instance, for liner notes, or a song lyrics website).
How to tag distinct options/entities without giving any an implicit priority or suggested order? An example of the problem in an aggravated form surrounds the controversy of France changing ‘mother’ and ‘father’ to ‘parent 1’ and ‘parent 2’ in official paperwork - where the controversy suggests the new standard impli...	Full names and arbitrary names are good solutions to the question you asked.
Should I write a companion book/blog? As a spinoff to this question: Incorporating research and background: How much is too much? I'm writing a middle-grade fantasy novel with a historical fiction component based in Ancient Egypt. I'm doing enormous amounts of research on both the history and the religious aspects (i...	If writing the blog helps you write your novel in some way - helps you arrange your thoughts, get over a writing block, gives you some sort of encouragement - then go ahead and do it.
Do British publishers change US English spelling to British English spelling? I have read the Red Rising trilogy as paperbacks published by Del Rey, a US publisher. (I bought these books while in the US.) Now being based in Europe, I want to starting buying the follow-up trilogy, and noticed there are two versions o...	You would probably end up with two identical books that have the names of different publishers on them. So I think it totally depends on the writer and/or the publisher whether they think the changes are needed or not.
What is the best way to simulate grief? I am new to the art of writing and have been wondering if there is a way to introduce the grief of loss(character dies) in my story, inturn while making the reader feel the grief. Is there a good method to go about doing this (Making the reader feel the grief a character feels)? ...	What you need to inspire in the reader is genuine sorrow that said character died balanced with caring how the others will cope without him/her.
What are the key elements of a humor story? I've always loved humor stories, and relish the idea of making one. But the thing I cannot grasp is the key elements of one. Are the key elements the same as a normal story (Problem, Solution, etc.)? Or are they different? <Q> Same elements, but funnier. <S> A humor story w...	But that said, a comedy story is the same as other stories, but usually using characters with noticeably unusual personality traits, as a device by which the author(s) can create the unexpected outcomes necessary to get the audience to laugh.
How to turn an antagonist into a protagonist? In a piece I am writing, I want to turn an antagonist into a protagonist. I know that numerous ways to accomplish this are somewhere out there, but none of the help with a smooth transformation. Is there a way I can turn an antagonist into a protagonist in a smooth fashion?...	My biggest idea is, in whatever method you see fit, make the current protagonist fall in love with the antagonist, now they do everything together seeming like there are two equal protagonists.
Writing as a second job A lot of people here aren't professional writers, but write in their own free time or for their own pleasure.It's not uncommon, though, wanting (or dreaming) to make "something more" out of it, whether that something more is getting published or getting some extra cash in one's wallet. This con...	You can profit from your writing, but it will be harder to.
Terminology in sociology & statistics What is the word commonly used in statistics when the thing that you want to measure cannot be (or was not) measured directly, so you assume that another thing that can be (or was) measured gives an estimate of the frequency of the thing that you want to measure? For a (silly) exa...	I'd call it a "proxy", often computed or logically inferred.
How large should photos on my blog be? I sometimes post photos on my blog, like when I'm blogging about food . I've been shrinking the huge pictures my phone takes down to a size that fits more reasonably in a browser window -- my browser window, so far -- because I don't want my posts to require a huge window. Re...	Any online image can be scaled to 100% of the width of the webpage, that means it will always fill the available width, regardless of the actual pixel size. In general it's better to use relative sizes and not absolute ones. It depends on the kind of information in the photo, your website design, and the user device wh...
As a new poet, where can I find help from a professional to judge my work? I often write short poems and quotes here: https://www.mirakee.com/atd , but I really want to hear from someone professional to give their valuable feedback on my work, so that I know where exactly I stand in the world of poets and poetry and i...	Poetry is intrinsically an oral art, so participating in live readings will help you improve as a poet anyway, but you'll also get feedback both from your audience and your peers. Join a writers group - but remember, being told that your work is far from perfect is the point.
How do we spread a story across several different media without alienating our readers? I thought about spreading a story across a video game, comic book and novel, but I am not sure if doing this will alienate my readers, because I don't believe people want to spend a ton of money to experience the whole story, so how...	It may be a good idea to decide on a core medium for the main story and then use other formats to add lore or side plots that aren't required to enjoy the main arc. You could bundle all three forms into a single package with a single price.
Are paired adjectives bad style? I have the habit of using paired adjectives in my writing: The noise from the engine lulled her with its slow and monotonous rythim ... ... the lights on the ceiling filled the room in a soft and warm hue ... ... his skin was smooth and thin , like paper ... The examples m...	Overuse of that single technique - even if you choose the perfect pair every time - will turn you into a one-trick pony. If the double adjective helps you get through the first draft, and you change it on the re-write, that's a normal part of writing. As a reader, I think that adjectives are helpful in making a better ...
What should the omniscient narrator call a character? Let there be a character. Let the character's name be, for example, Alexander. Now, Alexander's parents call him 'Sasha'. His friends call him 'Xander'. His girlfriend calls him 'Alex'. In formal circumstances, he's 'Alexander, son of Philipp'. To himself, he is al...	I would think Alexander would think of himself with the name he first learned and responded to as a child; likely this was what his mother called him on a daily basis It depends on whether or not how he identifies himself is a big part of the plot.
End-of-line hyphenation - how should it be used? End-of-line hyphenation is the process of breaking words between lines to create more consistency across a text block. ( source ) A long word is broken across a line-break by means of a hyphen. It helps justify a text, along letter spacing and kerning. A word processors ...	It seems to mostly be a thing to use to prevent full justifi- cation from making a line especially spaced out due to a long word being wrapped close to its end. Your style guide will tell you how to hyphenate (if you don't have one or it's not specified, you can follow a style guide that does have such instructions).
What would you expect from travel story? I want to write travel story novel. My plan is to have 4 characters (2 guys and 2 girls), which decided to visit 4 European cities (probably I will choose Frankfurt - Germany, Reykjavík - Iceland, Uzhhorod - Ukraine and fourth must be invented). I want to show culture and deta...	I am not sure of what you expect from a travel story, but after what you described I would think of a coming of age story: characters are naive and learn valuable life lessons throughout their adventures.
What to call a nameless character in a 3rd person narrative? How do I present a nameless character in a 3rd person narrative who has never known his parents? And has never had extended human interaction with anyone long enough to even be called “Boy” or “Child.” What would the narrator call such a character (until he h...	The conclusion seems to be, whatever your character is called in the brief interactions that he has with people - that becomes his name. There is a Russian children's story about a dog named 'Shoo' - the dog has been shooed so many times, that by the time it was adopted, it thought 'Shoo' was it's name.
How can we incorporate poems in a novel? I am not sure if this is true, but I heard there were short poems in the beginning of each chapter in Lord of the Rings. Although, this could be done fairly easily, I am wondering if there are any other way to incorporate poems in a novel. I am thinking there are many instances ...	I have seen works that use verse as chapter epigraphs, and works where "ancient" verse is quoted by the narrator. The Lord of the Rings has poems of various length (up to several pages long), when characters sing, recite poems, or find them written somewhere.
How to document and cite website downtime properly? I couldn't find anything on this one, so maybe someone has a good idea on what would be considered good practice in a scholarly context. Background For a semester project, I have to observe an online newspaper and summarize their weekly topics.Each week I have to su...	As a former university professor at one university, and now a full time research scientist at another, I would just add a footnote for any weeks in which the site was down.
How to open a serious speech? I need to speak at the unveiling of a memorial plaque ( this one , incidentally). I have an idea of what I want to say, and how I want to arrange it. My struggle is with the opening. I have spoken in public before - in academic settings, on fantasy/sci-fi conventions. In all those circum...	I would begin with a story, about somebody you are memorializing.
What challenges are there in writing a fantasy cookbook? I ask mostly out of curiosity. Obviously, a proper cookbook would involve real ingredients and not fantasy creatures. There's such a cookbook for Skyrim and Lord of the Rings. What I am curious about is this: what challenges are there in writing a fantasy cookbo...	A common issue across the associated books is sourcing the ingredients .
How can I trim my word count and still be proud of what I've written? I am a new writer. My work is focused on real people. I ask a series of questions and go from there. Its all about their personal journeys with health. I like to capture the feeling of what people have gone through, and put it into words. I have no p...	If you can shorten your word choice further, do so. There is an art to capturing the feel with only a piece of the story to work with. Focus on making your word usage intentional and as direct as possible. : Find places that accept 3000 (or maybe 2500) word pieces. Try not to simplify: you just can't document a large j...

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