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Q&A

Posts tagged getting-started

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Q&A How to organize ideas to start writing a novel?

Beginner here. So, I have tons of ideas for a novel, and in fact I want to write one (even a series), but I'm struggling a lot in actually starting writing the story. I have ideas for characters an...

7 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by KLTKGK‭  ·  last activity 2mo ago by Mithical‭

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Q&A Chapter 1 Problems

I've written for a year now(ish) and I've come along some great ideas I'd like to form into existence. But I always, always, ALWAYS have one problem. I can't seem to get past the first chapter or...

6 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by A.N.M‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Prahara‭

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Q&A The problem with beginning

I don't mean "sitting down to write", I mean the literal beginning. The story itself starts with my protagonist running. I need to get him to run, then I'll have the rest of it sorted. But won't st...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Irysik‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by Canina‭

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Q&A What should come first—characters or plot?

I'm starting a new fantasy story, and although I had a loose idea of plot, I began sculpting my characters before writing anything. Creating images of them in my head, developing their personaliti...

7 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by weakdna says reinstate monica‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by ab2‭

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Q&A How to start a story after the inciting incident?

My novel starts with the three heroes joining a cattle drive. When they talk among themselves, it's obvious that they have some kind of hidden agenda. We'll learn more about thier secret mission ov...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Shawn V. Wilson‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by DPT‭

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Q&A 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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Q&A Should I write something I don't care about first?

When I was 14, I had an idea for a novel but never wrote anything. I'm now 24 and just finished participating in National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org) where I wrote a 25k word "long outline"...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by sirdank‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is the first draft of a novel usually shorter than the finished work?

I finished the first draft of a novel I'm writing. Right now, it has 17000 words. I've heard that novels these days range from 60,000 to 150,000 words, so I'm a little bit worried (I'm hoping to ha...

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

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Q&A How much $ to calculate for an Editor

I plan to self publish a book (non fiction). Currently I have 150.000 characters, but when it's done I will end up with around 250.000. I am not a native english speaker but write the book in engli...

1 answer  ·  posted 11y ago by Christian‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I appreciate a subject matter expert's expertise?

Situation -A subject matter expert is helping me with something that, well, matters. (to me) I want to send a quick one liner thank you and let her know that I fully appreciate the time that she w...

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

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Q&A What are the key skills for a new technical writer?

For those that are just starting out, what are key skills they should have or learn to be a good technical writer?

1 answer  ·  posted 13y ago by Ralph Gallagher‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to shorten a prologue?

I understand that a prologue is meant to open up a story and introduce characters, themes, and the world to my audience. It is not supposed to be a long length of text. At the same time, I find my ...

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

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Q&A I have no artistic skill, but I want to write for animated shows/movies

See title. I love writing stories, but I usually imagine how they are like in show/movie form, specifically 3d animated ones. I don't feel like I have the skill to write a good book, but I do think...

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

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Q&A Where do I start?

Let’s say I’ve created an outline, have explored my characters properly, and have properly broken down each scene to an appropriate level of detail. I know the story, I know the pacing, and I know ...

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

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Q&A Do I need to start off my book by describing the character's "normal world"?

I know a lot of books do it (Harry Potter, LOTR, Wheel of Time). It's even part of the "Hero's Journey". However, my book starts with the "inciting incidient" i.e. my main charatcer begins her firs...

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

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Q&A Best way to write an article professionally

Is there any widely accepted step by step method for writing a creative article in a professional manner. I want to improve my English writing skills in relation to creative article writing. I rea...

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

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Q&A How should I start to write a flash fiction story?

I recently saw a contest for writing flash fiction - the contest rules were that it had to be under 100 words long. I thought "Hey, that's cool! I'll give it a shot." So I sat down, and tried to s...

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

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Q&A How do I write for webcomics?

I want to start a webcomic. For this, I expect I'll be doing a lot of writing. I once had someone draw a webcomic based on my writing and it was a nonsensical mess. The art was good, but nobody kne...

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

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Q&A How to write a non-fiction book? [closed]

I've heard that in order to write a non-fiction book I need to write notes and then put them together to make a book, but I'm writing notes from possible 4 completely different books, so when shoul...

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

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Q&A How to tell if my writing is nonsense? [closed]

So I am writing a book, the start of the book sounds interesting even to the my "board" of readers. After a while I had 586 words in total SO FAR,I am not sure if my writing is nonsense. This is my...

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

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Q&A Help/tips for a first time writer? [closed]

I’m starting to write a fiction novel. A friend of mine works in publishing and she thinks the plot for my book is great but I’m not sure how to start. I know a lot of the details and I’ve thought ...

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

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Q&A Research on an alternate history novel

I love alternate history scenarios; however, I just want to start writing. Should I do research or just start writing and go with it with some research along the way?

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Galactic5‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Providing context without getting lost in Description

I think one of the challenges I have faced the most often in writing books has been where to start. I tend to do a lot of flash forwards to jump into the action and follow it up with a chapter or t...

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

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Q&A Restarting a Novel

In 2015 I wrote the first two thirds of a novel (as part of NaNoWriMo). I stopped at that point because I had written the 50,000 words required for the 'competition' but the story is not yet comple...

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

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Q&A How do I start writing? [closed]

I have so many great ideas! I've completed several stories in my head but i've never put any to paper. How do I start? How do you start?

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

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Q&A Should I write a novel if I haven't read many?

I have heard people telling that they have read so many books and have a mini library at their houses. I did not read many books (I am 17 and do not have much time as I balance school, special clas...

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

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Q&A When to evaluate whether your book will sell?

For a new guidebook project (freelancing in IT) I wonder at which point I should evaluate the idea. I see these possibilities: Create a website with a newsletter subscription form and see if peop...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Zsolt Szilagy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Getting help and/or mentoring, later in life

For context, I am a forty-something male from the Great Lakes region of the United States. I work full-time as something other than a writer. About 25 years ago in high school, I was an almost-st...

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

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Q&A How to research and discover topic popularity and trends to determine topic selection for article writing?

I have been asked to write various technical and non-technical articles about computer usage, Windows usage (perhaps some Mac and *nix as well if they let me), Windows repair, and various other tec...

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