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Is it a copyright violation to have the character share some characteristics with a known character? More specifically, consider the following examples:1) Say my protagonist is a boy who has a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, wears round glasses, and has dark hair and green eyes. His name is NOT Harry Potter, he is...	But if the first thing readers think of after reading the character description is someone else's character... then you are in dangerous territory, and could absolutely be sued for infringement or get a Cease and Desist court order levied against you, among other things. Copyright law varies by country, so there is no ...
Is it okay to put an inversion in a song lyrics? In the dark alley of my youth, light, it shone from the cloud-ladden sky . I've been listening to the chirping in the trees. Lately, I felt a bit more free. I am wondering if this is acceptable. I am not sure if this is just called an inversion or there's a more spe...	As for putting in three unrelated sentences in the same verse, I would say that’s completely fine, as long as they are related to the subject of the song they don’t necessarily need to line up with each other.
Is it possible to write a short story in 500 words? There is a short story contest where the limit is five hundred (500) words and I want to know if that is a possible limit for a short story? <Q> Easily. <S> There are entire categories of "flash fiction" that are even shorter, even down to just six words (famous exa...	So, it's quite possible to write a short story in only 500 words; it just depends on how quickly you can say what you need to say.
Books in a trilogy are significantly different lengths. What to do? I’ve managed to write a fantasy book, Lord of the Rings -style. That is, a single story that would almost certainly be published as three separate books with multiple branching plotlines. Or at least, I’ve written the rough draft of one. Having mor...	Work on until you think it is ready to publish, then try to publish it. I really think readers will be disappointed if every new book is significantly shorter than the previous book. The temptation is to drop the weakest subplot, but consider splitting one of your strongest storylines into a before and after , accordin...
Is it cliché to have two best friends fall in love? I am writing a detective novel and wanted to include two best friends who are working together. Eventually they fall in love but one of my readers said it's too boring and cliché. Is that true? Should I avoid this? <Q> Yes, it is a cliché. <S> I can list in my mind ...	In a way, it is implausible if they are BEST friends, that implies they have known each other a fairly long time, and therefore if they were sexually compatible in the first place, they probably would have explored that already. You should try to make it original enough not to be boring. Yes, it is a cliché and yes you...
How to identify a (personal) Canon Sue? Sometimes (as an intelligent species, and therefore creative, speculative about reality and so on...) we want to experience some situations which aren't possible at all. Then as a writer you can create a character who "lives that cool stuff which I (the writer) WANTED but isn't p...	But above all, no matter what, make sure your character is interesting to read about. Ensure that the character is somebody you can empathize with, but somebody who is fundamentally and emphatically not you.
Using footnotes in fiction: children's book which can be enjoyed by adults I would like to write a children's story which is appealing to both children and adults. However, the world in which the story takes place requires the use of higher vocabulary and slang (it is a real world, for example, the petroleum industry)....	As for how to go about introducing the vocabulary of the "world" to the younger reader an audience surrogate can be extremely useful here. If you are talking about children who have a minimum 4-5 years of schooling, I’d suggest considering a glossary as a section either at the front of the back of the book. If you need...
Are there any free offline outlining tools? I'm looking for a tool, that lets me enter and rearrange plot points into an outline and link them to other events and storylines in a graphical way. Traditionally done with post-it's on a whiteboard. Also I want to be able to use it on the road, without access to the inter...	You could use either YWriter or Shaxpir to move parts of a manuscript around and rearrange things. You can install Minder from the AppCenter (if you use a Linux-based OS).
Are competitions worth it in order to get published? I have recently finished my 25,000 word novella and contacted some publishers and agents about a month ago. I have only heard back from a couple rejecting me but considering the format of my book as well as the fact that it is highly experimental and does not fall in...	More and more, as I understand it, publishers do look for the author to have a platform and followers (to make them confident there will be buyers) and a part of that platform will come from people reading your short stories.
In academic writing why do some recommend to avoid "announcing" the topic? In academic writing, several articles on the topic of writing papers denounce the practice of "announcing" the topic. As an example, if a paper were to read... The goal of this study is to not be a study at all but to be a fictional paper of ...	Don't talk about your paper in your paper, get to your paper! Try to tell them everything they need to know in the title
Is it illegal if I use religious material in my novel? I have a serious problem. I am going to start writing a novel which includes a character called Ravana, from the Hindu literary text called the Ramayana . Now, if I were to publish this, would it be illegal? I live in India, where the Ramayana originated. <Q> I...	Unless it is portrayed as blasphemous by the authors of the religious material and the ruling body of your area, it shouldn’t be illegal to use certain religious material in writing. As a rule, most majority Christian nations tend to no longer have blasphemy laws, so there shouldn't be any issues. So don't worry as lon...
How can I abbreviate "Equations" and "Recommendations" in a text? When I want to abbreviate the words "Equations" and "Recommendations" in a text, how can I do this? for example Solving the above eqs. / eq's. is not possible unless by computers. After discussing on the research results, we are going to p...	"Equations" should not be abbreviated unless it is appearing with an equation number, in which case the standard abbreviation styles are "Eq.
When should I include a ''Note to The Reader'' section of my non-fiction book? Background I am writing a non-fiction book on epistemology. After my book's introduction I have included a note to my reader where I have briefly described my motivation for the layout of the book and my style of writing and my approach to ...	A note to the reader should be right before or right after this part.
Want to publish unpublished work found in an auction storage unit I started buying storage auctions in the middle of this year. In the third one I bought I ran across an unpublished manuscript for a fiction book U Boat treasure by Charles Hand. He has no published works besides a boar hunter magazine, he was not an au...	You cannot publish the work without permission. Assuming US copyright law applies here (you don't mention a locale so apologies if that is incorrect) then, unless some other entity had acquired it, ownership of the copyright passes to the author's heirs on their death
My writing analysis came back with a report of "Straight forward writing style". What does this mean? I am curious if this is a positive, negative, or neither here nor there. The analysis was done by Wattpad and it also included that fact that I write more like a journalist above anything else. The analysis was done by...	My first impression of "straight forward writing style" was that it'd be good for a report but that I might want something more imaginative for YA/Teen.
What is the requirements for a book be considered a 'Dystopian'? I have been trying for a long time to figure out if my story is just considered Dystopian or Fiction. It has things that are not in real life situations but it is also relating to an imagined society where there are great suffering and injustice. But yet...	Dystopian is, by definition, a society that is as dehumanizing and unpleasant as possible.
How do I write romance if I've never been in love? I've been trying to write a good romance but it's falling a little flat. I think it might be because I've never been in love before. My favorite genre is romance (for reading and writing), but I'm kind of bad at writing it. I think it might be because I don't know how ...	Another key thing is that if you don't have them already you need some reliable beta readers - find some folks you trust to give you honest feedback and appreciate the genre and have them read your stuff.
Questions with flat tone in dialogue I'm sure we have all heard people say questions without putting the tone inflection on the end. I am writing a novel and I have a piece of dialogue where a character says: “Why are you here.” because he's exasperated with the person he is talking to. Is it acceptable to leave ...	, my answer is no, it will always be no.
Why is sarcasm so hard to write? I'm prompted to ask this question because I was troubled by some answers to questions about punctuation in rhetorical questions. The solution also calls into question the notion that 'said' is the only acceptable dialogue tag. Maria folded her arms and raised a single eyebrow before t...	English sarcasm is primarily conveyed through tone A great deal of vocal communication is done through tone and body language, rather than the words themselves.
What tense should the dialogues be in a first person singular write-ups? I am writing my novel in first person singular in the past tense as narrated by the protagonist. So obviously the narrative is in past tense, but I am confused about how to write dialogue, whether it is as was said or it will also be in the past t...	I say you should write out the dialogue, the same one, a few times until you find the one that sounds right to you.
How can you insert more emotions in scenes? I have a scene where my character has to feel scared, sad and alone. I'm good at describing her surrounding but describing feeling are a bit harder for me. I also have scene where she has to be heartbroken but I feel like it sound stiff and simple. <Q> Hemmingway has some so...	Don't describe the emotion, describe the thing that caused the emotion. Imagine a young couple, expecting their first child, and suffering a miscarriage.
Thinking About Fantasy Names One of my favorite parts of writing is naming my people/places/systems. I look up synonyms of common words and add prefixes, or base things off of Latin roots, or just pull some cool letter combination out of my butt. For some reason, it is very enjoyable for me. But when others read my sto...	I love unique names, but they need to be easy to read.
How to write a good eulogy I'm writing a book centred on loss and heartbreak and I keep getting stuck at a point where the main character has to give an eulogy at a funeral. I'm hoping I can get some help or tips maybe? Thanks <Q> Keep in mind that writing a "good" eulogy is a different task than writing a eulogy that...	I would start by deciding what you need for your character and plot at this point, and then build the eulogy around it.
would this be considered fantasy? I am wanting to write a short story in the fantasy genre maybe genre blending. but I'm not sure if my idea is still considered fantasy. an example of what I was kind of thinking is: a man is walking along late at night and sees a bright flash of light coming at him its moving around e...	Contrary to the answers claiming the contrary, this is in fact a well-recognized subgenre of fantasy, known as posthumous fantasy , a narrative whose most prominent fantastic element is that it takes place in an imagined afterlife.
Limited 3rd Person: How to reveal character's black skin? I have a scene that I'm working on. The character in the scene is an actor who's black wearing a black face. At the end of the scene I have him wiping the makeup and resolving not to wear it again. Here is the closing paragraph. Things were bubbling inside of...	He might contrast the ugliness of the makeup with the beauty of his own skin, or ponder the irony of having to dress up as a stereotyped version of what he actually is. The direction you go should match your themes, message, and character development . Second, drop a "bomb" - a clear and unambiguous reveal of actor's r...
In fiction, what is meant by phrases such as "his eyes flashed anger for a moment"? I've read a lot of such phrases, but that one in particular doesn't make sense to me. Physically, what is supposed to be described here? How long is the moment? I've personally tried to make my eyes "flash" as quickly as possible and...	Taking this phrase at face value, I'd assume that the area surrounding the character's eyes (and not just the eyes themselves) show a very brief sign of anger that the character then manages to get back under control.
What's An Acceptable Word Count for a Debut Novel? I decided to ask this question after finding no other similar questions to mine. But anyway, I have a portfolio of unpublished novels that have been thoroughly edited. One is a piece of Christian literary fiction + suspense, a literary suspense while the others are the...	Your word counts all seem reasonable except perhaps the 56k for the coming-of-age story (might be too short depending on the target audience). It largely comes down to the preferences of the agent or editor based on their experience selling the genre.
Help! How do I transition from a character voice to a narrator? How do you successfully transition from a first-person narrator, who is present only for the first few chapters of a book, to a different narrative voice that will continue for the rest of the book? I start off my novel with a boy setting the stage and a ...	In other words you start with a brief intro featuring your narrator, explain how he meets the boy, offer a pretext for the boy telling the narrator his story, and then continue with the main narrator after the interruption.
The use of elipses in writing a novel I am a little confused and need some help in clearing things up. In writing dialogue and the speaker pauses how do you show this. Now, from my understanding you use ellipses(...). If this is true, how are they used? A space after the last word with the last word being "going" ("We ...	I use no space before the ellipses, so that they don't get broken apart, and you end up with just ellipses at the beginning of the line -- you always have at least one word preceding them -- and one space after, for consistency with commas and periods. Either is fine, as long as you’re consistent.
How a character displays disdain for someone I am struggling trying to get one of my characters to display disdain for someone. I've tried him "snorting", "twisting his lips", "rolling his eyes" but it isn't coming across well. Can anyone give me better suggestions?Thanks much! <Q> In the right context, wincing or cr...	Contempt is also related to disgust , and someone feeling contemptuous of someone else might briefly show traces of disgust on their face (so-called "microexpressions"): wrinkled nose raised upper lip
Can the first book in a series have a sad ending? (The antagonist wins) I have an idea for a series, but I want the protagonist to die at the end of the first book, and make it seem like all hope is lost, and then in the second book others (one of his other relatives) rise up and finish what he started. I was wondering...	Pass the torch in the first book, and give the reader some sort of win, no matter how small to keep reading forward. Give the reader closure on something. But generally speaking it is possible by just adding/revealing variables that were first unknown to the reader.
How do I ensure that my temper is not affecting my writing? Usually, when I read my old blog posts, one thing I evidently observe is that my posts are affected by my temper at that time. I feel like I could have written them in another way (maybe due to my current temper). This leads to my next question: how do I ensur...	The simple answer is, "don't write angry."
At What Point Does a Writer Need Validation to Confirm They've Done Something Right? I have been thoroughly editing four unpublished novels during the fourth quarter of 2019 and in January 2020. I think I finally got my books to where they need to be. I even decided to go on UpWork and pay for a thorough review of my w...	If your goal is to write something that people will want to publish and read and enjoy, and find valuable, get feedback on it.
Current events may have ruined a name I was going to use In the middle-grade series I'm working on, there are two organizations: one led by the antagonist, and one that opposes them, which the protagonists join. In the setting of the series, a very small percentage of the population are born with genes that enable the...	Give yourself some time to wait until the current crisis is past and the media frenzy has died down, then give your book to beta readers and see if they comment on the name. "Coronavirus" is the temporary, generic name.
What do I do with this short story? I wrote a really, really, good short story recently, with an amazing main character. I want to use her again, but it doesn't feel right to put a character from a short story into a long series! should I write a series of short stories about her? <Q> If you're wanting to go with a lon...	While it is absolutely possible to convert a character from a short story to a novel form, I do believe that it might be necessary to provide more backstory.
How to avoid being overwhelmed by your stories when you write them When I am writing a very intense and dramatic scene, I often become overwhelmed by it and have to stop writing. Any tips on avoiding this and on focusing on writing. <Q> If writing it is causing you to feel things, then it probably is translating to rea...	Then, when you're in a good headspace, use that overwhelming feeling to your advantage to get neck-deep in the emotion. Get everything that could be weighing on you outside of your story out of the way (do everything you must do for that day, settle things, etc.). But if it's really overwhelming, like in a bad way, may...
Why would a someone desecrate a pharaoh's tomb? I'm trying to find a believable reason for someone to open a clearly cursed tomb for my short story. I'm finding myself between the silly-but-different and believable-but-boring spectrum. For example, a historian or researcher might open it just for scientific reasons. Bu...	He purely want's to desecrate it because his is a highly religious person of a other faith who thinks that Pharoahs who functioned as a bridge between the (in his eyes false) gods and the people is heresy. He is being chased and believes that entering the tomb would be the only safe spot (Because the chasers believe in...
Rules of Misdirection in Stories I am wondering if there are any rules for misdirection like how would you tell if a misdirection was done right or wrong in a story? Are there do's and don'ts or a point where you can over do it when misleading readers and if so why? <Q> This should follow the same rules as for making a...	The best misdirects are the small aside events in a story that be confused with revealing character or establishing setting and scene.
I find it tough to write my fictional stories in anything other than past tense, why is this? I would like to venture out into present tense, but it is so hard for me to do. How can I work on this to be able to actually write a full book in the present tense? <Q> Just try to write in present tense, and then when you're...	As such, picture the story in your head, and as it materializes before your eyes, write it on the page in present tense .
Searching for a word about a particular feeling I'm trying to find a very specific word for a very specific feeling, and have had zero luck other places on the Internet with finding even a reference to this. I'm hoping to invoke this particular emotion in a short story, the details of which I don't think are terribly i...	It sounds to me like you're describing the phenomenon of being focused, entranced, enthralled, compelled, or captivated by something persuasive or compelling .
What makes something "anime"? I read the following question on WorldBuilding.SE last week: What early middle ages weapons would suit an extremely strong child? I thought the premise was interesting, but I noticed a comment that stated: First of all, this is the most anime thing I’ve ever read. (source) And then,...	I would say when people use the word 'anime' as an adjective they're specifically referring to the extremity that anime and its tropes are associated with.
How to write about characters interacting with family? In regards specifically if you don't have any positive relationships with relatives yourself to draw from. I'm assuming writing only about characters who have negative familial experiences would become one-note rather quickly. <Q> Watch movies and read books that ...	Hang out with friends who have have positive relationships with their family. If your personal experiences aren't giving you what you need, copy authors that do what you think is a good example of it. Alternatively, you can use the inverse of your own experiences.
How do you deal with burnout? How do you break through writer's block? I've been working on a book for about four years now. Every time I reach the middle, I get stuck and I go back and edit and rewrite everything. I've probably rewritten the whole thing at least seven times now. At first it was just editing out parts ...	What I do when I have a writers block is just stop. The second 'act' of a book is easily the hardest to get right, and when you feel like your efforts are going towards a part of the story that feels like it's just going through the motions until the climax, it can kill your motivation entirely, leading to burnout. It ...
How to Keep Your Novel Writing a Secret What is the best way of keeping your novel writing a secret, without making people concerned that you are a loner. Because writing requires you to have solitude and to be mindful (I actually imaging scenes in my head before writing) Also, if you tell someone you are writing, it...	If you're worried about jinxing your project, just find something steadfast to motivate you.
Repeated Use of Short Sentences I am confused about why the repeated use of short sentences is read quickly when there's a period at the end of every sentence that should make the reader stop for a second or two every time? <Q> Short sentences are short. <S> Simple. <S> They don't tend to be that complicated. <S> Yes, ...	If you want to use short sentences and not have it read aloud faster, put a really long sentence in the middle. They're easy to understand.
How do you write long, nonconvoluted sentences? Sometimes, when I show others a long sentence I have written, I am told it is convoluted due to the chaining of dependent clauses. Is there a way to keep tacking on modifiers and dependent clauses to a sentence without making it convoluted? In general, how do you write ...	Break the really long sentence down into smaller sentences using punctuation and check the Thesaurus all the time for correlate words, they are powerful and choosing the right word that can imply more meaning with less keystrokes, like a site where I found short horror stories.
How to NOT get sad when writing I am writing historical fiction novel. Some parts are very sad. I am identifying with my characters to develop and write about them. How to move past the sadness and write about ill-fated characters. Remember, you cannot have rainbows without rain. <Q> Marium, As writers, we often f...	I found I got over it a lot quicker, if you just let yourself cry, be sad, and then you feel better.
How Much Can I Reasonably Expect To Earn in Royalties For My First Book? I recently sent a book proposal for one of my books, a Christian fantasy, to a publisher named SUNBURY PRESS, and I was wondering if they take me on. How much can I reasonably expect to earn off my first book? I have did some research about author...	A few authors manage to earn more, but only if the book is a success, has been republished a few times, has been translated in other languages...
Where can I find a beta reader for grammatical issues? I’m looking forward to finding a beta reader to help getting me past my grammatical inaccuracies during my attempts at writing short stories. I’m not a native English speaker, so I found myself lacking knowledge in regards to grammatical rules and usage of slang t...	Well, when it comes to people critiquing your work, any critique site will do (like Critique Circle), but you really should let them know you're interested in grammar checks, and not a substantive critique of your work. I'd suggest that you skip the beta-readers if you're going to give them a rough draft.
How many pages is a 90,000-word manuscript supposed to be? I use white space in my novel. Right now it's 5000 words in 30 pages in MS Word. Font is Times New Roman, 12 pt, double-spaced. At this rate, my 90K novel will be about 500 pages. How many pages should a 90,000 word novel be? Steven King's Carrie ( link ) is...	The generally accepted standard is to consider 250 words one page
how do I tell my main character’s backstory throughout the book? I'm loosely working on a trilogy. Book One and Two are supposed to contain the main character’s backstory, divided by two parts that will be exposed accordingly: on book One, the first half, on book Two, the remaining part. I have three "main characters...	What I think that you need to do is to decide what the story is about, and eliminate or minimize everything that the story is not about. Your first chapter either needs to be a 'prologue' of sorts - either starting before Character A goes missing, or outlining how Character B and Character C meet up with Character A ag...
What is the best possible way to improve one's vocabulary? During my highschool days, the subject of vocabulary had not been enforced or rather most students were lazy about expanding their vocabulary not until in the final year when our school principal asked to see our vocabulary book.I'm putting this question out he...	Read often and invest an effort in searching the words you don't know.
How would I go about censoring adult language in my book? I have to present my book(s) to a Christian publisher and I was wondering, how would I go about censoring adult language or should I just put a warning label on the title page? <Q> I like the technique that TvTropes calls the " narrative profanity filter ". <S...	Your publisher should have guidelines about this.
How to keep yourself from writing the same story? I've been planning out the same story and revising it over and over since I was a child (that makes it 10 years now) and finally after so long I'm happy enough with it to consider finally writing the final script and I really, really like it. This is a darling that I ...	If you feel like you're writing the same fiction over and over, consciously pick different characters and different conflict. As Fast As You Can If you're worried about wasting time (this is the root of Writer's Block in many writers) then do a quick outline type of thing and then write it in pure stream-of-consciousne...
Would it be bad taste or honoring to name a Starship after historical places, ex: Pompeii? In my book, Earth is gone and are all the counties and a majority of the population and cultures. A small population is left and they make a home on another planet. Now, just under 200 years later, they're a space-faring group bu...	What they would probably not be named after, however, are places and events that have negative connotations. Chinese naval vessels are almost all named after cities or landmarks. Some names will have a sound or shape that conveys the intended message.
Would you advise against having a fictional continent as the setting for a Science Fiction story? Let me elaborate. In things such as Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings (so, high fantasy), fictional continents are quite often the setting. I don't recall ever seeing this in Science Fiction. My world does include bo...	In secondary worlds inventing your own continents is simply par for the course.
Looking for a better word than "Yikes" I'm trying to find the right word to use in a (serious) comic I'm writing. The character is an eighteen year old American girl, talking to some older women who she's just met. Suddenly, in mid-sentence, she sees someone entering the room who surprises and scares her. What does sh...	After the character's initial reaction, some characters would then go on to first apologize to the elderly for the use of foul language, and then ask "what the hell" that person was doing there / why they burst in, or tell them that they scared the "crap" out of them... To me, this shows character, and a scene like thi...
Which plot should I use while outlining my plot beats? I'm writing a crime/mystery fiction novel. The main plot involves a murder at the start, a case that my protagonist, a police detective, has to solve. He faces conflict and difficulties along the way, until solving who did it and making an arrest. At the inciting ...	Regardless, plots and subplots normally feature all or nearly all the usual beats, otherwise the subplot is really just an obstacle in the main plot.
Are illogical comparisons permitted? "Clouds soared high into the sky like raging horses." Horses don't soar, but is it ok to use "like raging horses" after "soar high into the sky"? I am wondering if this kind of comparison is permitted. The direction is "wrong" and the verb is "wrong", so I am wondering if the use ...	There's no law against it, so of course it's permitted .
How can I show time passing with no way to measure time? In the writing, I was doing recently, a character is locked up in a wagon and dragged across the country by rich slavers. How could I show the reader that time is passing when the character wakes up only occasionally, seeing very little of the outside world, and ...	If it were a film, you might likely see a montage of the prisoner waking and each time either falling back into a stupor, being drugged, or beaten, or fed. Dialogue can be a natural way to push information you want the reader to have. If your character is a man (in the sense "not a boy anymore"), you could use his bear...
How can a portal be hidden for 5 years but found by children? I am writing a story in which two children, ages 12-14 years old, discover a portal to another dimension. The portal is roughly the size of an average door and has existed for five years prior to their discovery of it. The location of the portal must fit a...	Accessible through a crawl space that only the children can fit through.
How do you prevent a character from being a creator's pet? I have a character that I really like. They were originally intended to be the main villain for a particular story arc and then get killed off for good at the end, but I felt they were really interesting and had a lot of potential that wasn't being utilized and...	I suspect one problem may be your other characters, they simply aren't equally interesting. As for your "beating up the outsider" problem: try refactoring it so that violence isn't the heroes' first resort: they are forced into it to make the villain stop, listen and realise.
TW: child abuse, Is it ethical for me to write a book centered on child abuse despite not experiencing it? It's my first attempt at trying to write a long length story of my own and so far what I've come up is a story that is to be centered around child abuse (sexual abuse) (the psychological and emotional impacts of i...	It's not necessary for you to have experienced everything you write about. There is a risk of causing pain to those who have already suffered However, what you're talking about is a particularly sensitive subject, and if you don't want to cause pain and hurt, you need to think very carefully about what you're doing - w...
How do I write characters that aren't just a copy of myself? I am finding it difficult to create fictional characters with personalities that are not a copy of myself. I'm having trouble trying to understand what others a character would do in certain situations and why. Does anyone have any tips to help create realist...	Another tip: Be consistent with personality types with your characters. Think about other people that you know, and how they would react in a certain situation. Slow, conscious reflection on the matter may be the only way to start out.
Alternative to "it is commonly said" I have a sentence I am trying to write that just doesn't feel right. It currently reads "It is commonly said that X, but the truth is that Y." The second part feels okay, but the first part feels like something you have to climb over to get to the point. I've tried a couple other a...	"It is commonly believed, that ____. What you write depends on what you want to say, and who is saying it.
What is the literary form or style of a story with no heroes? I have a piece of non-fiction to write that I'll be doing by telling a story. It's somewhere between a news report, op-ed, and historical lesson, but told as a short story. In this story there are no good guys, nobody who fell from grace, and nobody to sav...	This is slice of life , a storytelling technique that depicts a period of time without a conventional narrative or plotline, and potentially without an identifiable protagonist.
If you're writing a story where the location is based in the USA, should you adapt your spelling to the American way, rather than British? If an Australian writer writes a story based in America or another country that uses American English, should you change your spelling to American English, or continue using British...	If you are writing for people who are reading British English, use British English.
How can I introduce a new POV late in my book? In the book I am writing, the first seven chapters are from the POV of one character. In chapter 8, I am planning to add a second POV character. I will probably also add a third POV character in chapters 15 through 20 (I hope for the book to be around fifty chapters). I wi...	One thing you could do is divide the book in Parts that encompass several chapters and possibly even label them by the point of view character.
How to make a weak character fight in major battle My character is about to fight someone that really strong but he believes that he is still weak. So how can i force him to fight. (For plus note: i make a fantasy story like magic and stuff) <Q> I think you might be focusing too much on a plot device and not enough on ...	A character may be forced to fight if he's cornered, i.e. he has nowhere to escape to.
How can I show a character's emotions through a phone call? When writing face-to-face dialogue, I like to give clues as to what the non-POV character is thinking and feeling through their actions. Not all the time, but whenever it feels appropriate. They might be pacing or go completely still. Maybe they're scratching ...	You can use body language of the POV you're following
How to refer to a crowd of many different species? How could I say the equivalent of "A pouring wave of humanity," when there are more than one species in the scene being described? <Q> Use a general word that includes them all. " <S> A wave of creatures", "a wave of beings", etc. <S> If it's necessary to identify the ...	how about "a horde of people of many different species", or "A dense crowd with members of all six species who lived in the city".
How do I create a mysterious character? What personality traits and ways does he need to be mysterious? What attitudes must he have to be so? How do I create a mysterious character? What personality traits and ways does he need to be mysterious? What attitudes must he have to be so? <Q> You'd be surprised by how many...	A key trait for being mysterious is just simply not being open about yourself to others or your hobbies.
How can I indicate time passing? There is a scene in which my main character is hiding from the villain while they are both in the same room. I want this to be a suspenseful and agonizing stretch of time, but I’m not sure how to show how long it feels for the character without it becoming boring or using cliche phrases...	My favorite way to pass time to to make the characters get lost in their thoughts. Another possibility is to fill the time with action.
How to show a character with multiple personalitites? To preface this, I have seen the question multiple personalities characters speech in text and I feel that my question is different enough, to warrant a separate question. In my book, a character has multiple personalities. In one, personality defining scene, wh...	If for example a character switches part way then show a distinct difference based on their personalities. Furthermore, you could have Niar talk about Suoti in 3rd person to make sure the reader understands the change of personality.
How can I write a hand-to-hand combat scene that is not too brief or detailed? When I describe hand-to-hand combat, I include EVERYTHING that's going on, EVERY action and motion the characters make. I know this is exhausting for readers. However, if I'm not descriptive, the result is too brief and lifeless. How can I s...	Dialogue can break up a clunky fight scene and make it a little more interesting. The most powerful tool you have as a writer is the reader's imagination : all you need to do is prime it.
Inhibitions when writing personal experiences I write for myself and have no intention of publishing anything. However, I still become uncomfortable writing about events in my life because I think about how people who are involved or who know me would react if they ever got the chance to read it. I also feel bad for r...	Try writing how your life would have changed if you had taken a different choice, such as telling someone you had a crush on them. It's likely that, if you keep private writings around, someone will eventually read them. The knowledge your notebook is nothing more than a collection of pages bound between two covers and...
What to do with a story fragment? What should I do when I write an idea, for example a fight scene, but then I find it difficult to write a solution or way to switch from that idea? Should I cancel the whole idea or what, knowing that I have no outline before for that story but I just started writing it. It's kind of ...	I've had success fitting similar fragments of narrative into larger projects by looking at what part of the circle the particular story fragment naturally fits into. Use a twist were _________. If you have what seems to be a good idea, your mind won't let it go.
Will people always compare a magic school idea to Harry Potter? My story includes a magic school wherein students aged 12 learn magic. The sorting Is based on abilities, Meaning that if a student has thirst for dark arts, there most concentrated subject becomes dark arts and so.The students learn wand and hand magic. T...	Indeed, you can't even write a school for supernatural beings book series in general without being compared to Harry Potter.
My protagonist being needed for my story is a life changing event, does that mean the event needs to be in my story? My protagonist is a first-generation native on a colony world. The general culture of the colony makes it clear that everyone must contribute to the colony in a meaningful way. But instead of following e...	In my experience, when your backstory is really solid, it will find its way into the story without being forced. The reader needs to experience this gloomy state of being an outcast, and then experience the thrill of finally being accepted again, as well as the thrill of proving everybody wrong by the MC showing their ...
Is there a way I can print a book only for myself? As selfish as this sounds, I’m really interested in having my own book printed physically for myself. I don’t intend to sell it or distribute it, and I’m primarily interested in having my book that I’ve been writing printed. I’ve started off with writing my stories on...	Just to offer an old-school solution, you could always print and bind it yourself! Yes, this is relatively easy to do these days through Print On Demand services.
Can I have a non-living thing with its own perspective? We typically have third person or first person narratives in literature. I have a requirement - to unveil the suspense, I want a non-living thing to share its perspective in the final chapter. Is this permissible, justified and/or sensible? <Q> Permitted by whom? ...	You can use any POV you feel comfortable with for any reason or none at all.
Misspelling and punctuation how to improve? Love telling/writing stories except I am the absolute worst at both spelling along with punctuation. Normally I care less about these things because I can still read them although many people get extremely angry and dislike that I do this. I currently use the free version of ...	In general, using good grammar will improve your writing. Not only to read but to take it slow. For example, if you are concerned about using commas, read about commas and try to find places in your text where commas should be.
What is the problem with starting a sentence with “and”? Few months ago, in my school, someone checked my writing, and said, “I’m not a big fan of starting a sentence with ‘and’,” and I don’t see a problem with it. Can anyone answer why some people dislike starting a sentence with ‘and’? <Q> I agree with the first comm...	Starting several sentences with "and" can be a sign of very lazy writing, or a compulsion.
How can I overcome that paralyzing fear that my writing isn’t good enough I've written a large section of my book. The questions that keep haunting me are: Is this story unique? Will people like it? I think it's becoming repetitive. Will the characters be loved? And a lot of questions. <Q> Author critique groups are va...	Hearing what other writers have to say about your writing is useful because writers, in my experience, tend to be able to give a little more explanation of the reasons for their opinions than readers at large can. It doesn't matter if what you write is terrifically bad, short, if it has lots of errors in it; because th...
How do I write less like a screenplay? I've come to notice I have a very specific manner of writing. Specifically, I've noticed that while I'm writing a book, I tend to pace and set up things more like I'm writing a screenplay than a novel. The way I've often described it to myself is it's like I'm watching an episode ...	Using similes and metaphors may also be really helpful in this situation, but that does need to be carefully managed as it can be easily over done. Among the things that I humbly suggest to correct it: Enlarge your vocabulary to describe your character's actions ("dart" instead of "run", or "he flopped on the chair" in...
How do you make a complex but unlikable character? I'm at the point in my story planning where I need to develop all of the characters. I want this character to be just be a complete asshole, but have more than that one trait. I'm not sure how to write her out. You know what I mean? She's not the protagonist but I sti...	Many a book, series or movie has built its popularity off a villain that people love, despite [he/she] being [a cannibal, a murderer, a mean girl, a serial cheater, a dark wizard, etc.]
How to write a character with an accent One of my characters is Russian and speaks English as a second language. I know that people with Russian accents tend to leave out words like “the” and “a” because they don’t exist in Russian. My question is, would it be annoying for a character to always speak like that? Would ...	You can achieve the affect of an accent by slightly tweaking words. I know people who always speak with such a heavy accent that they are hard to understand.
How to make "new apprentice" type info-dump less boring I'm writing a story wherein a teenager X gets suddenly and involuntarily enlisted in an sci-fi army. I need to explain certain technology to the reader, and the army needs to explain certain information to X, like how their FTL communication device works, why they...	To avoid that info-dump, only tell the reader what the character absolutely needs to know , and only at the point he needs it. Use action - instead of a lecture, have your character figure it out for themselves or through discussion with other characters. Spread the information out, intersperse it amongst the narrative...
How should I write two huge evil reveals in one climax? I am only plotting my story as of right now, and I'm trying to put together a good climax. So far, A's parents were murdered by C. A is best friends with B, who actually works for C. Evil reveal #1 : B is finally admits to A that she's a traitor. Then C goes thro...	If you want people to sympathize with B afterwards, two betrayals at once pretty much kills that (pun intended).
Authenticity and writing under a pen name My question is about marketing and using a pen name. Ofc I want to connect to readers, but I wonder if it's possible to be authentic if you're not revealing your 'true' identity. Is this a matter of 'do what feels right to you'? Edit: I'm not asking about why authors use pen n...	Authors use pen-names for all sorts of reasons, marketing, because they think it sounds cool, because they want to separate the different styles and genres of their works.
How to call a paper or book holding charms/incantation/magic formula? Hope the title is clear enough. I'm also looking for any vocabulary related to the act of writing magic ( 'runes' as a magical writing system for example). <Q> To answer your main question. <S> A book containing spells and rituals is a Grimoire ....	I second @chenmunka that the term is "grimoire" for a book of spells and rituals.

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