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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When writing in first person narrative, there are points when the narrator expresses their opinion on a situation, the emotions they're feeling and so on. I've read books where there are several pa...
When I write something, there maybe one or few grammar mistakes. Is there any online service like thing (for free) that can correct those for me? Just a curiosity to know.
I currently have the choice of two routes with my novel - to lead with a knives-and-poisons main conflict, with reference to the protagonist's emotional conflict, or to lead with him conquering his...
I'm a poet and I write small poems. I know there is a lot to learn and update in the works I make, but how can I copyright my works? Is it one time for all the works or does every work need to be d...
A story riddled with flashbacks is a sign of weakness, unless it's a device. But, I'm finding that for my MC, she's flashing back a bit to the past, a bit more than I'd like, and mayhap at too much...
I've written several scenes and reread them silently. Most times they sound rushed, unnatural and uncomfortable. This especially happens with action or other fast-paced scenes. How do I avoid this ...
I have a chapter outline for the novel series I'm writing, and I have a few 'blank' chapters where I don't know what to write in them. I need to do something quickly, because I've started writing t...
I'm currently a student and I write non-fiction every day. I've committed myself to writing 1000 words every day, and I am successfully doing this. However, I'm trying to improve a particular asp...
Being possessed by a foreign entity seems very tame in the stories where I have seen it. The event doesn't have the gravity that I feel it should, and the person usually goes back to living a norma...
This is not a question asking if I should add more or less to my chapters in terms of descriptions and so on to make them longer or shorter. It's more about grouping an already written story. I'm ...
I'm in the final stages of packaging the book and would like to start arranging pre-orders to help with the first week "bump". How far in advance should I allow the pre-order option, and is there a...
I am drafting a novel outline. The interesting part (and thus the part I should be writing) would come with several characters with preexisting romantic relationships. The choices they make will ha...
I have a collection of short stories. I want to publish them. I need help in this. Should I pay for publishing or are there any agencies that publish/encourage budding short story writers?
I have started writing a novel. I've done some character questionnaires for my main characters, and I've outlined the plot. I want to do this planning to keep my story from fizzling out, but I don'...
Becoming nervous in the heat of a situation. Perhaps you witnessed something not for the faint of heart. Like, how would I describe shaky legs without being so boring about it.
This topic has been discussed--but please advise me on this particular test case. The title of the fiction novel is "Shorter of Breath" -- a reference to a lyric in Pink Floyd's "Time." Chapter n...
Let's say two characters are conversing and one character interrupts the other in mid-sentence. How would that actually be shown in dialog? I have seen some use a hyphen at the end of the sentence ...
I'm writing a novel where a person who has decided to commit suicide can hire some murderers to kill he/him in the way he/she prefers. There are only two members running this service. A man and a w...
In the current draft of my book, the evil dictator whose body is encased in a silver alloy talks basically by allowing magic to move to seep into the silver shell, dispelling it and causing vibrati...
I've started to write my first Fantasy novel. But there's one question that always bugs me. If I were to have a Kingdom, of course I would have a fictional name for it. So if I have a non-fictional...
I'm just an amateur writer. One thing that's strange to me is that there seem to be "rules" about writing. The story should consist of five parts, etc. To my untrained writing brain this seems t...
In a situation where a POV character isn't lucid enough to see or interpret what's going on around them, I find myself constantly describing things either in passive voice, or by using the word 'so...
How does it change the writing process? Any suggestions on the various dictation software available?
I have read in a few books about writing science fiction that a compelling concept should override considerations for character, and possibly other things like setting or plot. I have the notion t...
David Jacoby writes: “Some of the best and most rewarding writing I’ve done has been ghost, because (in my case, anyway) the LACK of a byline allows my normally rather, ahem, obnoxious ego to take...
The character I describe is in fact reflective of somebody I know in real life--a kind of nihilist who finds all pursuits and goals "hollow and ridiculous", as the person says. This inevitably impl...
How can I portray a character who does not actively seek attention, but is still vain and self-superior? Since I don't know how much information you will need, I will list everything I think might...
I am currently writing a novel, and I am wondering how much a complete manuscript changes if accepted into a publishing house. I have heard from fellow writers that this may vary from publisher to ...
When I'm writing dialogue, I have a problem figuring out what is the appropriate thing to say in the conversation. Could you please help?
How psychopathic should a character be especially if they are one of the "good guys"? So, due to some vicious trauma in the past, the character has developed some pretty sadistic merciless tendenc...
I am asking about the keywords that could make anyone feel fantasy. it will be better if every one who will see this post could tell me what their feelings are or express their feelings in one key...
What do I have to consider when creating/inventing magic and magical elements for a fantasy novel? Are there do's and don'ts? How much do I have to explain to the reader? Just because I decide ...
I hate conclusions, but one thing I know about them is that you're not supposed to introduce new arguments. The theme of my essay is about how the class of characters in the work I'm writing abou...
In the Magic Tree House series, two ordinary English-speaking kids travel to different faraway lands through a portal. Every character they meet, whether it's ancient Greece or ancient China, speak...
I'm writing science fiction short stories and intend to later expand and stitch them together into a science fiction novel. My problem is that (e.g.) the scenery is left / the destination point is...
I've read a lot of the questions on here concerning naming characters and deciding on whether to use a fictional city. I have already decided to use a fictional city in the piece. But, my problem w...
I posted this over on the Eng Lang Stack, but they say it likely is more apropos here. Terms like 'make whole', 'encumbered', etc have both non-financial/non-legal usages and financial/legal usage...
My heroine is seriously ill with something that can sooner or later take her life away at any moment. She takes medication regularly but refuses to undergo anything hardcore (like surgery or chemo ...
Critics of my screen play tell me that I have done a good job of developing the story, less so in developing the characters. A couple examples follow: The main character is a woman who is the "fif...
I have a question regarding the legality of using a real museum and real artifacts in my Heist book which is almost ready for publication. Initially, it will be self-published via the amazon kindle...
I am writing a logline sentence of a query letter for my novel and used the idiom 'cat and mouse' as follows: A military bioweapons collector is forced to engage in a game of ‘cat and mouse’ w...
I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but these do exist. I have some examples here, and some of them include movies. Feel Good Tragedies Empire Strikes Back The Prestige Order of the Phoenix. De...
I'm not an author, but I often wonder if I was to write a novel would it be best in third person or first person? I like being able to delve into the main character's thoughts in first person, but ...
I want to have training in how to write fiction (particularly science fiction). I know that I can take courses (in my case online), and that I can join critique groups. I am on a budget, however....
I sometimes find myself with only one to three lines between the start of a paragraph and the end of a page when writing papers. When using the APA format, is it okay to insert a page break before ...
I have had several people ask me who is the main character of my thriller novel. But, the novel involves multiple characters working as a team who rise and fall as the need occurs. At first I thoug...
Having nearly completed the second draft on my 135,000 word novel, I am now seeking critiques of my query letter before I submit them to agents. I did find a forum at AQ Connect - Query Critiques ...
I am currently writing the first draft of my novel. I have its outline panned out, down to the chapters, even what should be happening in each chapter. I have written a rough draft, where I have de...
In my book, I am planning on having the main character be called "Samantha." However, she believes her name is too generic, so she goes by the nickname "Thana." My question: Is it bad to have a c...
I am currently working on a novel, temporarily titled "Broken Collections." It's a collection of different writings this girl suffering with Bipolar disorder has made. Most of this being her jour...
