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Q&A

General Q&A about the craft of professional writing, editing, and publishing. Questions about all types of writing are welcome -- fiction, technical documentation, scholarly articles, poetry, scriptwriting, blogs, and more.

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How to hint at an antagonist's identity?

A significant antagonist in my trilogy is an omnicidal alien by the name of Loki, whose characterisation borrows from Griffith, Keizer Ghidorah, Randall Flagg, Saruman and Hastur. Throughout the se...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Tiarnaard Cheannasach‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Is the phrase “You are requested” polite or rude? [closed]

I along with my guide wrote a research publication, which had to be sent to a journal for the purpose of review. My professor wrote the cover letter of the paper as follows: Dear Editor in Chie...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by ShiS‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Using a prominent phrase from the title of a film in the body of an article, essay or paper, without referencing the title

I'll start with a clear example. You are writing an essay about the film The Wizard of Oz. Following the rules of titles, you put the film title in italics whenever you use it. But then you use t...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Kat‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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In this day and age should the definition / categorisation of erotica be revised?

My experience tells me that a disproportionate number of wannabe writers are prudes. I recently wrote a scene where a female character is watching TV. The build up is complicated so I'll have to ex...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Surtsey‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Idea overflow in plotting?

I've been working on a paranormal/romance/mystery kind of novel for over 4 years now and still haven't finished it. It all started out as a fanfiction but I decided that it had too much potential (...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by AlexSkellington‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Kevin‭

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How to subvert expectations and abort plotlines without alienating the reader?

Subverting expectations and suddenly aborting plotlines was a no-go zone for me for a while. The only time I could successfully abort a plotline was in a thought train. After watching How To Tr...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How much uncertainity will the 'general (Non-YA) fantasy reader' tolerate?

In my current project my goal is to go for the following narrative style within scenes: Show only what the POV-Char can see, hear,... sense. Show their emotional reaction (through body-feelings, ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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I've just found that my character has similar characteristics to another with the same name

I have been developing a story for some months based upon a fictional character that i thought I had invented uniquely ... let's say a half zebra half elephant for example. I named it elezebra. I t...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by AgentDavid‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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What are good places (online) where a community of writers can get together and share their knowledge about writing?

It would be nice to be a member of an online community of people who are knowledgeable about writing, willing to directly help eachother in a format such as Q&A (like here on SE), but also enga...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by sesquipedalias‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Is there a way to make editing enjoyable?

I have my first draft more-or-less complete, and I've been working on editing it now. There is one big problem: I hate editing I find editing to be so draining. I'll open up a chapter to edit and ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by klippy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Would publishing my story like a TV series be successful? [closed]

I'm considering writing my latest story in the style of a TV series. The plan is to write 13 episodes of 10-12,000 each. Episodes will be published weekly on Kindle over a three month period. If se...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Surtsey‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Amadeus‭

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Is writing about your childhood in creative writing/fiction class necessary?

I have the same teacher for both a Journaling autobiographical class and a fictional writing class. While I expected to have to write about my personal life with one, she seems determined to have m...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Chophousekpop‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How can you redeem an awful character, who hits close to home?

There is a problem with a redemption arc: Anon is an incredibly powerful god with powers of mysterious origin. In the story, he starts out as bad but is supposed to be redeemed later. There is a p...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Does my protagonist need to be the most important character?

In my fantasy story that I'm slowly getting into, my MC Sirena is an apprentice witch. Her two fellow apprentices, Aster and Keeva, study alongside her under their High Priestess, and they all som...

5 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by weakdna says reinstate monica‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Should I avoid "big words" when writing to a younger audience?

I was writing the other day and I used the word "ubiquitous". While I don't think "ubiquitous" is the most egregious example of "Using Big Words To Sound Intelligent", and would be perfectly acce...

6 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by klippy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Awkward language translation

So I’m currently writing a book that takes place in Finland, though I am American and speak English. My main character’s name can be used as a play on words, and people use it to mock him throughou...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by T.Alb314‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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What makes a strong mental image?

Images, as I call them, are an important part of your prose. Now, let's look at examples of bad images: From Onision's (from now on, Onii-san) book, Reaper's Creek : Maybe that current lead h...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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I’m having a hard time deciding whether this is a redemption arc

So I have a character in a dystopian novel I’m working on by the name of Tyler. He’s inspired by Alex Høgh Andersen’s portrayal of Ivar the Boneless, and his death... is interesting. He’s, for the ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by L. Walker‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Letting a (secondary) antagonist leave mid story - Should it be avoided?

I have a powerful antagonist perform important functions within my story. At the midpoint, he just leaves. Several Plot developments depend on this character. I tried replacing him with other char...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by celtschk‭

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How to find an editor to my poems?

I have written some poems, is there a way to get them edited before I send them to publish. What services can be preferred for editing by a Publishing Company?

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Sarath‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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What is Documentation Design that I haven't already done?

I'm a contractor who has been working on a project (a developer guide website) for months with another contractor writer. We spent a lot of time: Interviewing end users Designing the deliverable...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by user2263986‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Correct use of "Call for Proposals" in plural context

I'm trying to correctly refer to several calls. Meaning, in a singular call, we invite several proposals. Therefore, it's a call for proposals. In the case I need assistance with, my gut tells me ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Ahmed Sagarwala‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How do I price the ghostwriting of a memoir?

I'm a professional writer, but I've never written a memoir. I've been asked to submit a proposal to ghostwrite a memoir. The person whose memoir I would write knows I've not written a memoir before...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Creative Chameleon‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Proofreading a novel: is it okay to use a question mark with an exclamation mark - "?!"

Is it ever acceptable to use an exclamation mark following a question mark? I am proofreading a novel and have been instructed to make no stylistic changes, only errors that impede sense/clarity. ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by user753711‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Proofreading a novel: when should exclamation marks be used? [closed]

I'm proofreading a novel - the brief has instructed that I do not make any stylistic changes, and correct only the obvious errors that impede sense/clarity. There are several places where I feel a...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by user753711‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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What are the top most important key elements for a computer game story?

I am a programmer and in the middle of developing a TBS (turn based strategy) computer video game. Those kind of games have a flow of what is commonly known to gamer as 4X, that is, explore, expand...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Stefanos Zilellis‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Secespitus‭

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What if a dark protagonist doesn't want to change?

Dark protagonists. Heroes who are evil, pure flaws, or exhibiting only weakness or darkness, rather than strength or light. There is one basic assumption I would like to make about such characters:...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Computer science academic conference paper using "randvar" instead of "random variable"

I am reviewing a computer science submission to an academic conference. The authors use "randvar" instead of "random variable" (as well as "logvar" instead of "logical variable"). I am wondering i...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by user118967‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Amadeus‭

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Giving a character trauma but not "diagnosing" her?

In my post-apocalyptic novel, my MC Eris is severely traumatized by the death of her family at her own hands. Because of this, she has extreme aversion to social interaction and even physical cont...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by weakdna says reinstate monica‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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I want to make two of my characters fall in love

My story is about two gang leaders. The female is the leader of the largest gang in the country. The guy is the leader of the 2nd-largest. They meet at a café where the guy instantly falls in love...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Hail‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by DPT‭

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Bad to start story with VR/non-real scene?

I'm coming up with an outline for a cyberpunk story. I want to establish (at some point) that the main character has marksmanship proficiency by starting my cyberpunk story with a VR sequence, in w...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Ninjalah‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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A.I character that talks using pre-scripted messages. How do i make it seem more relatable?

I have some character stuff im trying to figure out for an AI antagonist. In a game development project that I am part of, there is an artificial intelligence that speaks to the player character t...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Fennecai‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Kevin‭

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"Dear Stack Exchange, I am very disappointed in you" - How to construct a strong opening line in a letter?

In light of recent events, I intended to write a simple letter of complaint to StackExchange. The obvious thing to do would be to write an opening with the fact such as It came to my knowledge ...

6 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How can I make it so that my story isn't resolved so easily? [closed]

I'm writing a screenplay for a project in my film studies class and I'm close to resolving the conflict, but as I near the end, it feels like it's being resolved far too easily. In summary, the st...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Jodast‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How do I know if my cast is diverse enough or too diverse?

Basically, I am writing a story and I want to know if the characters are diverse enough or too diverse. If I just state the characters' races, sexualities, etc, it might seem forced but I didn't re...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by kaleidoscope‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Do we simplify descriptions when they sound weird?

The woman said as she pulled a small coin out of a small wallet ... The woman said as she pulled a small coin out of a small box she opened/used earlier. I am wondering if "opened" or "use...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by woxim‭  ·  reopened 4y ago by Amadeus‭

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Can you pitch an outline?

Here's my question: can you pitch an outline of a novel to an agent? I.e. you have two to three chapters complete to a high standard and at full outline of the rest. Would any agents agree to re...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by peanut‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How can I make "acts of patience" exciting?

This answer to the question Averting Real Women Don’t Wear Dresses introduces a distinction between acts of patience and acts of daring. [...] when it comes to telling a story [...] acts of d...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by sesquipedalias‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Describing the taste of food

I’m asking about this not because I have a tendency to do so myself, but rather because I find it unusually aggravating when I come across it in other people’s works. I’m wondering if this sort of ...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Grace‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Is anything like the propulsion systems (warp/impulse drives) copyrighted from being use in other sci-fi novels?

I'm currently writing a sci-fi/fantasy novel that mostly takes place on a star/space-ship but I'm stuck on if i'm available to use names of the propulsion drives, such as Warp or even Impulse drive...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by SKKennell‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by celtschk‭

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How do you write short-short nonfiction?

I need to write an opinion, narrative of only 80 words in length. Examples: write about your fondest childhood memory/comment: homework should be banned, etc. How are short-short pieces like this...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Stacy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Difference between Abstract, Introduction and Conclusion in a research paper

I have found some similar questions here but they were about the difference between Abstract and Introduction without the Conclusion. So, what difference between Abstract, Introduction from one s...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Leox‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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What are the rules for punctuating a conversation?

Are there hard and fast rules for characters speaking to each other? As far as quotations, or without them? Are they hinged inside a paragraph or ruled to only be in a talking string?

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by M.E. Rollins‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Is there a difference between historical fiction and creative non-fiction?

I have seen two similar terms, historical fiction and creative non-fiction. I'm writing some stories that are set during a real time in history, that might mention real events, real people, but tha...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Village‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How many character flaws can the main character overcome?

My main character is realistically flawed with a few good points. I'm very satisfied with where she is at. As I begin to connect the internal and external conflicts however, it seems that there is ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by MXMLLN‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

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Maintaining distance

I am working on a novel inspired by the Shahnameh - a Persian epic poem by Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi. The Shahnameh (the title means "The Book of Kings") is structured as a series of interconnected tales...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Galastel‭  ·  edited 4y ago by Monica Cellio‭

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I feel like that misinformation feels too artificial as a plot-driving force in my story, how can it be more natural?

Misinformation is an important element of my story as is pretty much kicks the plot in motion: Gyvaris, a young dragon, steals a sheep from a large flock since he's really hungry and just couldn't...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Is it the right call to title my romance a 'legend'?

I am writing a book and I plan to call it "Legend of (name of the protagonist)". But I'm writing in first person (protagonist). Searching the meaning of the word "legend" in google I get: "a tradit...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Vinicius Morais‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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What's a good, multi-platform writing app? (that's not Google docs or Evernote)

Sorry if this question has been asked a lot I've been writing for a year now and have used both Google docs and Evernote and found them both to be lacking Google docs: I'm a writer who likes to f...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by klippy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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How to plausibly write a character with a hidden skill

TLDR How to keep a character's skillset hidden, when it will be key in the story later on? This must be done without magic and as subtly as humanly possible. I am working on a medieval fantasy ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by J Crosby‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭