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I'm tempted to tell you that writing some short stories is the "right" way to proceed, but the reality is there is not "right" or "wrong" on this issue. You need to find what works for you. The m...
It seems to me that you might have begun to over-construct your characters (and maybe other parts of your narrative as well). Many aspiring writers look for rules and guidelines in how-to books or...
So, I would categorize three possible real life organizations: Government Agency i.e. a Government of a country controls this agency as part of it's administration. Political Organization i.e. An...
It is legally unproblematic to use institutions that are of a quasi-timeless nature such as the catholic church, the United States, or the egyptian pyramids. If you have "a president of the USA" i...
Given the reason you gave up, I'd say continue with the same story. I would regard depression as an illness or at least similar to a car accident. I have never been disabled by such a thing, but if...
I think, it fairly depends on how much you "remember" your original story. For instance, when I do battles in X-Com: Long War with long breaks, it usually results in a gigantic mess-up with destro...
Just because the reader knows the reason for the Bridging Conflict doesn't mean the characters will be able to overcome it. In your example, even if the reader knows all the extra security measure...
Dialog in writing is not the same as dialog in writing between two people. Usually the dialog is shorter. However, it is possible that to convey a specific character's attitude "filler" words like ...
In general (and in your question and example) it makes the text feel friendlier and more conversational. In some contexts, a more conversational tone can make your ideas less persuasive. Whether i...
Successful example: Arthur C. Clarke's Rama series. The first book, Rendezvous with Rama, read to me like a history book written 50 years from now. Very hard sci-fi, technical, a bit dry. The next ...
It seems to me to mostly depend on your target audience. Scientists of this field will want full throttle facts, General scientific types will expect to be convinced by strong backable data In...
Placeholders. (I'm explicitly focusing on my own reaction on this first point, because what I'm saying is very much a matter of personal taste.) I shudder at the idea of leaving placeholders in a m...
"The openings of my novels seem fine. This may be because they are generally only one scene long. But it may also be because I develop them differently than the rest of the plot." In that case, tr...
The reflection character, as I understand it, is literally someone who reflects the protagonist: someone who echoes parts of the protagonist's character or situation to expose the subtext and make ...
Check the manuscript guidelines of where you're submitting. Anything else is a personal style preference. Some manuscript guidelines require straight quotes, some ask for curly quotes throughout....
The use of active or passive voice is dictated by where your focus is: on the subject or object of the actiin. Who is your sentence/paragraph/chapter about? John or Bob? If it is about John and w...
I think this all depends on how common the metaphor is. Some metaphors are so common that speakers don't recognize them as metaphors any longer, and replacing them is unnecessary. A very common m...
The published research is usually the other way around, that is "who reads what?", not "what is read by whom?". The best researched group of readers is children and adolescents. Results are usually...
I totally agree with the answer given by Tommy Myron, but I think there is one thing to add about the way you look at this question. I think whether you decide to use your ideas now depends on whet...
If Li-Mei gets laughed at the Animal Behaviour class and gets attention of the founder and if all of this happens right before the first act ends or the first 20-22% of the novel which sets her sto...
In a sense, this is the whole point to an epilogue --if it had the same feel as the main narrative, it would just be the last chapter. Epilogues exist solely to solve the problem of authors wanting...
I think everything is doable, if the reader gets the feeling it is fitting. I see no problem in the approach to have the book in first person and switch to third for the finale.
(Disclaimer: I'm not a writer…) Is it possible that some readers don't see the point of those chapters because they don't have a lasting effect on the story? If so, then the solution may be to gi...
In general it is good to write when ranting. You get to capture your thoughts and ideas. This makes for a great way to get them out of yourself and into a form that allows you to process them bett...
I believe in your case writing was the medium to express those strong emotions. In case the emotions felt were towards a known person in your life, its better to share it with a few or the intende...
