Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
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.

Filters (None)
60%
+1 −0
Famous mistranslations - correct them?

Often enough works of literature, particularly old classics, receive renewed translations. Sometimes, the older translation might contain mistakes. And sometimes, the work being an old classic, the...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Writing in a Christian voice

I'm Jewish. My middle-grade fantasy novel is very Jewish. Most of my characters are either Jews or converts/future converts or people with at least one Jewish grandparent. But some are not. My ...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How much character growth crosses the line into breaking the character

(not a duplicate of Character Development - How much is too much? because that one is more about "overreaction" to smaller events.) TL;DR: How much can a character change without becoming unrecogn...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by April Salutes Monica C.‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Showing mass murder in a kid's book

Galastel did a spin off question based on one of mine. Mortal danger in mid-grade literature. And hers has spurred a new one for me. This is an issue I've been grappling with for a while and I sti...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Mortal danger in mid-grade literature

In a comment to my post here, Cyn mentions wishing to avoid implying that the characters might all die, because she's writing for a mid-grade audience. Which made me wonder. I remember reading Th...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
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 ...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Map-making software

I'm looking for free software, preferably open-source, that would allow me to create maps for my story. I guess what I need is a tool that would allow some measure of 3D modeling. Features I would...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Sometimes a banana is just a banana

Often reading analyses of books and films, I find that the analytics derive conclusions from the specific food or beverage that a character consumes. The food appears to always be symbolic of somet...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Naming things the POV character doesn't know

My middle-grade novel is third person with one primary and one secondary viewpoint character. Sometimes the narrator hovers a bit more, sometimes the narrator is more in the character's head. The...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
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 ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
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 he...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Is there a way to break genre expectations successfully?

Premise: I believe that breaking genre expectations can alienate readers. If you go into a book expecting one thing and get another thing out of it - especially if that other thing is the complete ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
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...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Finding out about other countries' military day-to-day

Where does one go to find out about the day-to-day of military life? In countries other than my own? I don't mean combat - I mean the boring routine. Basic training. What kind of food is served in ...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Materials to promote my book in person

Say I have a book...or a comic series...or a podcast...or another published work. Marketing written or scripted works is perfectly on topic here, and most of the promotional materials are also wri...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Is time travel science fiction or fantasy?

The line between science fiction and fantasy is often blurred. And that's okay. Genre is often more about marketing than anything else. As a general rule though: SciFi has science and technology...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Showing friendship between people of different ranks - maintain formality, or drop it?

There is a prince. (Or some other person of high rank.) And there is that prince's good friend, who, naturally, holds a somewhat lower rank. There are two ways I could show the close relationship ...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Crossing the line from Middle-Grade to Young-Adult

I would like to followup on this excellent question which outlined differences among works for children, middle-grade, and young-adult. What are some clear differences in theme/story between child...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
The English language, if England had a dictatorship

European dictatorships left a profound cultural footprint in the local culture, to the point that a certain vocabulary, a certain manner of writing, and even a certain manner of speaking is evocati...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
What are the meta considerations when writing a play?

What are the considerations one has to take into account when writing a play, that are imposed by the format of a play, a.k.a by the fact that it is played on stage? For example, in Shakespeare's ...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
What language shall they sing in?

I'm writing a middle-grade novel in English. I have time-traveling kids from 1995 America who go to Ancient Egypt to join the Exodus. None of the kids speak anything but English (aside from a few...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Consulting experts - why should they talk to someone who isn't a published writer yet?

Whatever subject I am researching for my story, the common recommendation is "talk to the relevant professionals". If I need medical information, talk to a doctor. If I need information about the m...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
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 s...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
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 co...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by linksassin‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Every character has a name - does this lead to too many named characters?

My tendency when writing is to give every character a name. Even the most minor ones. It says something about a nobleman when he knows every guard and stablehand by name, and it's something I want....

7 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Latin names of European places

The novel I am writing is set in Europe. For the setting, I'd need to find the Latin names of places, e.g. villages and geographical features, in the regions corresponding to modern-day England and...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How to describe skin colour, if "white" is not the point of reference?

A character looks at another character, skin colour creates certain associations. A character looks at himself, and associations would be shaped by society, and by what is "normal" in that society....

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
In the background of the Future

As I've mentioned multiple times, I'm writing a military sci-fi novel. The focus of the story is war, and that happens far away from Earth. However, I'm starting with my MC's "normal", on Earth. It...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
How much description is too much?

A companion question for How much description is necessary, how much description is too much? I close my eyes, I can visualise my MC's bedroom (for example) in tiniest detail: the accent wallpaper...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How to get my characters' emotions out of the way so I can get on with the plot?

Setup: 18 kids (ages 2-14) from 1995 America time travel to Ancient Egypt just before the Exodus. The MC knew this would happen (or thought she knew) and told people, but no one believed her. Now...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Dead children in pre-modern setting

The reality of pre-Industrial Revolution times was that about half the children born died before age 5. It would be a mistake to think that parents cared less - we have multiple written records sho...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How to present an alien culture with different morals, without it coming across as savage?

For a fiction story of mine (probably fantasy, if I had to categorize it), I've set it in a world that is in some ways similar to Earth, and in other ways very dissimilar from Earth. In place of ...

7 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Canina‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Little disjointed scenes

My MC is going through boot camp. Physically and mentally, he goes from high-school boy to soldier prepared for combat. Along the way there's struggles, there's new friendships formed, there's the ...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
First quarter friends

As I've mentioned before, I'm working on a military sci-fi novel. Here's the trouble with the military: you don't spend all of your service, start to finish, with the same people. Not all the peop...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
British / American language mishmash

English is not my mother tongue. I am completely fluent in English though, and I write my fiction in English. Here's the problem: I live in neither the UK nor the US (nor any other English-speakin...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
How to write a memorial plaque?

I've been tasked with drafting the text for a memorial plaque dedicated to group X. Group X was big, diverse, and had several hundred years of rich history. Amount of space I have is 2-3 sentences....

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
The problem of the throwaway boyfriend

In the first 10% of my novel, my MC has a boyfriend. MC is accepted into the Space Corps (or he's summoned to fight Troy - the particulars don't really matter), boyfriend is sure he'll wait the req...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Coining words - when and how?

Writing an answer to another question, I stumbled upon a quote from The Hobbit: Bilbo rushed along the passage, very angry, and altogether bewildered and bewuthered - this was the most awkward ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
How can I avoid a predictable plot?

When writing a novel, authors generally don't want the reader to know how things will end. This is especially true of mystery novels, but obviously applies to any creative story. (A few stories sho...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Citing and typos

I am holding a book (novel) which I wish to cite, and I believe it has a typo. I do not know whether the typo was a spelling mistake in the original manuscript, or introduced during print. Other ed...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Facial expressions as part of dialogue - getting rid of a verbal tic

I noticed a verbal tic in my writing: He looked surprised He looked confused He looked abashed Sometimes twice in a row: The prince looked abashed. “I- I thought I was being pol...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Protective, not patronising

A character I'm writing about is a girl of 15, daughter of a nobleman, unable to walk due to having contracted Polio when she was 5. Being quite intelligent, she attracts some useful attention, and...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

60%
+1 −0
Noble styles and forms of address

Style is a manner of address, an honorific that comes with a noble title. For example, HM Elizabeth II is addressed "Your Majesty". In a fantasy setting that does not pretend to be Europe, I have ...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How does one discovery-write court intrigue?

Intrigue (any kind, really, but royal courts were particularly known for it) is a series of setups that lead to a pay-off. For example, a handkerchief moved from one room to another, a word whisper...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How can I indicate that a particular relationship between two male characters is purely brotherly (Philia) rather than romantic (Eros)?

One of the four forms of love Greek philosophy recognised, Philia is usually translated as "brotherly love". It is the love between true friends. It was considered a "higher form" of love than Eros...

8 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
What is genre, and why should we care?

Here I came upon an argument about whether a particular grouping is a genre, or a marketing term. Which made me wonder - what is genre? How strict is this taxonomy, and what purpose does it serve? ...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
Is head-hopping always bad?

The general consensus nowadays seems to be that being in the head of more than one character is bad. We should be "on the shoulders" or "in the head" of one character, and one character only, if no...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How to research sex for writing?

I'm not writing erotica - I'm writing fantasy and sci-fi. But sometimes my characters make love, sometimes in ways I cannot be familiar with. In one story, it's two guys (I'm a girl). In another st...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How to improve a scene where the drama is one-sided and not with the POV character?

I have a scene I struggle with: it has potential for inherent drama, but it reads as an info dump. In a high-fantasy setting (more or less), character Alpha, a 14-year old daughter of a nobleman c...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

50%
+0 −0
How do I create a custom dictionary in OpenOffice?

Writing fantasy and sci-fi, I grow a sizeable specialised vocabulary per story (names, locations, fantastical things, etc.) I grow tired of the autocorrect grumbling at this vocabulary, and would m...

0 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭