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Q&A

Posts tagged setting

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Q&A How to convey the anatomy of a humanoid race?

I am writing a extra-terrestrial high fantasy novel. The story is completely set in an alien world. No visits from Earth and no visits to Earth. My characters are humanoids, who look like elves...

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

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Q&A Transitional sections

As I mentioned in my other recent question, my novel in progress has three main locations. I feel those three settings are strong, fully imagined places, with interesting storylines. However, the...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Chris Sunami‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Mark Baker‭

Question setting transitions
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Q&A Is having elaborate metaphors ever a bad thing?

Is having elaborate metaphors a bad thing in a short story (for the purposes of the story being accepted by a magazine)? How can I know if my metaphors are too elaborate?

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

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Q&A Describing big cities and using slang words while writing [closed]

I've been trying to write a book that takes place somewhere in America, maybe New York, Chicago, or another large city. But the problem is, I live in Hawaii and have never been to a city that large...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by M. McGarry‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Best blind sequence? [closed]

I'm trying to write a story in which the sun has essentially gone out and visibility is constantly limited, and sometimes completely gone. Being a very visual person, I'm finding it hard to describ...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by A Blue Shoe‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to come up with the setting for the fiction novel?

I have this problem - I generally dislike fantasy worlds and science fiction set up in space or different planets. So I don't want to write about such things. I always loved more grounded stories a...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Anton‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question novel setting
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Q&A What are the ethics of using real-world house addresses in historical fiction?

I am editing a novel manuscript for a client of mine. It's a historical fiction set in 1948, so not that long ago. The main character lives in a house above a cafe that I believe is fictional withi...

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Jerenda‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is having a specific town for a setting in a young-adult novel a bad thing?

I'm writing a young-adult story, that is quite clearly set in my home town, because this is where I grew up as a young adult and it is easier to write about. Everyone speaks English, but speaks Fre...

2 answers  ·  posted 10y ago by Seanny123‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A In a thriller, should my famous cities be familiar, or fresh?

The bigger, and more famous, a city, the more it tends to show up in thrillers. The biggest ones - New York, London, Paris, Tokyo - have been set-pieces in any number of thrillers, and I can assume...

1 answer  ·  posted 10y ago by Standback‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question setting thriller
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Q&A How to tell or retell basic character and setting information in a series?

I am writing a short children's novel and I want to expand this into a series made of several short novels. I intend to write the whole series at once so that the internal universe is consistent an...

2 answers  ·  posted 11y ago by Village‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Deciding the setting: real or invented?

I'm preparing some material because I have the intention of writing a book. I'd do this in every type of work, but considering that I'm writing Crime Fiction, this is even more important. I've dec...

2 answers  ·  posted 11y ago by Alenanno‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I make description more natural to me?

Description is a weakness in my fiction. My understanding is that the first priority in fiction is to tell the story. Setting does this by providing props and indicating character mindsets, either ...

2 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Sheelawolf‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I break up a lengthy explanation?

I have a setting in one of my stories where a character has to describe a very long series of events, giving the history of an object so that others know more about it. This not only provides the r...

3 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Steven Drennon‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question setting dialogue
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Q&A When writing in a school context without ever having been to school, how do I make sure that my story is accurate within school context?

I read a lot of YA fiction, a lot of which happens to take place in schools. Recently, an idea jumped into my head for a YA-ish story and told me that it was going to take place in a school. The i...

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

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Q&A Writing short stories in an original world setting [closed]

I'm writing short stories in a Fantasy world setting I have created — medieval times, magic, dragons, etc. People who are familiar with such a world may not find a problem reading a short story set...

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

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Q&A How do you normalize a taboo custom in a setting that most readers would not agree with?

This setting' world is populated by witch covens that function as both royal houses and political entities. They are matriarchial, with witches had the head of families who directly control their h...

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

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Q&A Guidance on pacing the introduction of new characters

I'm adding a qualifying question to the end of this question. So I have (let's say) two types of feedback in my beta critiques and real-life writing clubs. One is that I have floating heads syndr...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A I'm writing a thesis/novel. What should I pay attention to on a possible research trip?

For my BA degree, I am required to complete a thesis project in the field of fiction writing, and I plan to write a novel. With the idea I'm pursuing right now, I plan for it to have elements of fa...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by ArtemisPondering‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Horror story for a game - how to create dread?

I am trying to devise a short story for a 3d horror game. Here are my requirements: There must be no tangible people/creatures for the player to interact with (the player can be any sort of liv...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by Mir‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to make a setting relevant?

One piece of feedback that I got on a story I wrote is that my settings feel irrelevant, or that the entire book could have been a phone call. I am not sure how to go about fixing this. The charact...

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

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Q&A How do we write a story about genocide committed by a fascist government without falling into the "Nazi Germany" cliché? [closed]

Too often, when people make a story about genocide committed by a fascist government, the story often devolves into a Nazi Germany cliché, especially when the story is set in a modern or futuristic...

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

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Q&A 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

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Q&A 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

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Q&A How important is the apocalypse in a post-apocalyptic story?

I am writing a story set after an apocalyptic event that has left only 0.1% of the world population intact. I originally wrote a zombie-like apocalypse but simplified it to a plague-like disease, a...

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

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Q&A 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

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Q&A 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

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Q&A What are the advantages and disadvantages of setting a story in a made up country, compared to a real one?

I have story ideas that involve civil wars or revolutions happening while a character is travelling. I was wondering what would be the advantages and disadvantages of setting such a story in a made...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Empress Molly‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction setting
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Q&A Writing a short story set in a place I’ve never been

I’m writing a science fiction type short story set in Germany (actually Stuttgart). To some extent the location isn’t that important- it could be set anywhere but setting it there appeals to me and...

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

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Q&A Is it Ok to make up places if I want the reader to think it’s set in the real world?

What I’m doing is making a story in the medieval times and I wanted to make up a village and have my characters be there and travel around there but do I have to make everything around there in the...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Angel‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to revise your "setting bible"

When it comes to revising/reformatting a setting bible (for a video game) to make the setting more internally consistent and better organized, which place is the best part of a setting bible to loo...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by InterstellarTK‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Referencing modern pop culture in science fiction

A geek today is quite likely to reference the pop culture of 30 years ago: "Do or do not, there is no try", "Beam me up, Scotty" and "Ground control to Major Tom" are easily and commonly recognisab...

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

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Q&A Is it acceptable to use props I saw in a movie in my story?

I was watching a movie and, in multiple scenes, the characters were using a set of coffee cups that I haven't seen before. I realized my Main Character is the type of person who would have and use ...

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

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Q&A Can I use prominent people in history to as characters in my fiction?

I am a little puzzled. I want to set my story in a real era that happened; like say, the American civil wars during Lincoln's time, and involve the then prominent figures like Lincoln and McClellan...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Felix Abonyo‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Balancing setting, theme, and character arcs: how to deal with a setting that carries emotional weight but is left behind?

When writing a story, how do you find a good balance between the significance of different elements, such as plot, themes, and bold settings and characters, and the character arcs? In my case I ha...

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

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Q&A Is calling this process a "convergence" accurate and clear?

I planning to write about the convergence of our real world and the computer reality world. My plan to develop on this idea is to describe this convergence as a "merger" between our real world and ...

1 answer  ·  posted 12y ago by xenon‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I strike a balance between setting and plot?

I'm not a fan of Tolkien's work, but it's relevant to my question, so take it as a reference point. I love linguistics, culture, and worldbuilding, but sometimes have difficulty focusing on specif...

3 answers  ·  posted 13y ago by Jon Purdy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I make a setting which shows something?

I am trying to write novels where the setting plays a large part. I want the setting to naturally and passively show a truth to the reader. Sometimes it is easy to create such a setting, and other ...

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

Question setting
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Q&A Finding a thematic setting

Allow me to explain what I mean by 'thematic setting'. I'm talking about a setting which, simply by having the story located in it, shows the reader something: ideally a message - or theme - that y...

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

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Q&A What makes a bestseller - Writing or Setting?

Note: I define 'setting' as where and when a novel takes place, as well as what the genre entails. It is the background to the picture of the story. I realize there are a lot of factors that cont...

4 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do sci-fi stories hold up if their premise or details become discredited?

I've been playing with the idea of writing a sci-fi story that would resemble those written roughly 50-100 years back: Things we normally would laugh out of court today, like Jules Verne's moon tri...

3 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Henrygale‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Real-Life Setting versus Fictional - Can They Attain the same Realism?

My assumption here is that a novel set in the current time and world seems more realistic to a reader than a novel with a fictional setting. The reader has the ability to say, "that could be true."...

0 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction setting
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Q&A Housing fictional characters

I am writing a fantasy book based in the present day New Orleans, LA area and I was wondering how authors create real setting homes for their fictional characters. I've tried putting my fictional c...

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

Question setting
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Q&A How can I effectively research for a high-fantasy setting?

When you write in a modern day setting, you research the culture, climate, location and history of that setting. You can do the same for historical fiction or low-fantasy settings based on real pla...

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

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Q&A Why are names in fantasy novels often "original"?

In the vast majority of fantasy novels, the characters' names are somewhat original (Bilbo, Kvothe, Daenerys, Pug and so on). Some authors use special naming convention, like Robin Hobb who uses a ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Shan-x‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question naming setting
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Q&A Can I say this about real countries in my fiction?

I am writing a visual novel and use a fictional country in "real-world" setting. Some cases have been bothering me and I'm not sure if it's legal to write this because it might be insulting(?): ...

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

Question fiction legal setting
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Q&A Magic is the twist

It feels silly to say, but I've got myself into a bit of a bind of a side project. In a three-act structure (not what everyone uses, but a good reference point) you generally need to set up all ex...

4 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Weckar E.‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A what techniques or approaches can I use to explore distasteful concepts while also making them necessary?

In my story democracy crumbles in a nation, replaced by a powerful dictatorship. Our world has been invaded by servants of the elder god, Nyalathotep. Governments have been fighting back for years,...

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

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Q&A Exhaustive research vs artistic license?

I'm working on a post-apocalypse novel set all over the world. I'm fairly flexible on where some of the events take place, but there are often specific requirements on the look, layout, general reg...

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

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Q&A Any advice on creating fictional locations in real places when writing historical fiction?

I am currently working on a historical fiction novel set during the tail end of the Harlem Renaissance, in the 1930s. As such, I would really like to have the story take place in Harlem. However, t...

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

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Q&A How do I write real-world stories separate from my country of origin?

I live in India. And the stories I write don't want to. The thing is, as you all might already know, my country has an extremely- excessively, perhaps- rich cultural and historical heritage. It's...

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