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I am going to refer you to a question on WorldBuilding.SE: What software is available for keeping and organising notes about your world?, specifically the accepted answer: It sounds like what y...
In my opinion, when we read --or watch--, we are looking to learn something of value to our lives. We don't want a didactic lesson, but a visceral one, an emotional one. So we need a character an...
Some very good information already in the existing answers so I'll try and avoid repeating it but here are some thoughts on how to position a morally grey character.. The Ends Justify the Means I...
Publications don't explain why they reject things because: a. It takes time. b. If they do, people will argue with them and call them names. c. If they do, people will try to fix the piece and s...
are there cases where it would be frowned upon using something like that? Not that I'm aware of. If you are talking directly to your reader, there is a big chance you are already using a co...
Stop trying to save characters typed. You can characterize the tone of the sentence with another entire sentence even longer than the uttered words. Bill closed his eyes for a moment, his lips ...
First things first: let's get our terms straight. DISCLAIMER: I understand that most of my quotes come from Wikipedia. If you find a better source that succinctly explains the terms and makes sens...
I usually use the present tense. Future tense works too in the way you've used it, but I would use it sparingly. This might be a "know your audience" answer, and I have more experience in technic...
As one who has experienced three (fairly mild) motorcycle crashes (two front-wheel lockups, and one caused by changing lanes over a lane divider curb), one with mild injury, I can tell you one fair...
I agree with those who say the briefer you are the better. You want to make it realistic, you need to keep it short. A paragraph, maybe two (for me 1 is enough), imo. An accident is an action scene...
I prefer the type of universe you describe wanting to do. I lean towards those sorts of series, because I can enjoy the worlds more fully. Such a structure allows you to broaden the scope of issues...
Generally the manner of publication makes no difference. If you have published it, you are its author and have the right to get credit for it. This is actually one of the rights that are covered by...
With lighter stuff the trick is not to play down the importance - someone thought it significant enough to write about it, so thinking of it as fluff could be counterproductive. It could be someth...
Why not combine the two methods... "You have to get to the counter behind the yellow stripe. They served Jake and me there." He smiled, and for a moment Laura almost lost track of his real messag...
Just my opinion, but I think it depends on how many readers you have. Correcting actual errors in grammar or spelling is always useful. The same goes for other errors: I once almost missed a line ...
I would say I specialize myself in first person short stories narrated in past tense where the narrator abruptly dies at the end. It's kind of specific, but oh well. In my experience, most people ...
"Show don't tell" doesn't mean that for every feeling there is a periphrasis that expresses it better. So there is not a specific phrase to use for each case. It's never about single expressions, b...
I will start my answer from a slightly different angle than the question originally proposed. You are asking whether or not you should write a novel, and specify the purpose as writing a book with ...
Although the other answers here are great, I feel a more direct answer to your question is important. Should you write, even if you have not read many books? Absolutely! Write to your heart's co...
I think the only postulate of literature, by which I mean an axiom, by which I mean something that must be self-evidently true and does not have to be proven, is that literature must have content a...
Based on my experience in other fields that do have postulates, I'd say the sign of them is that they're positions which enjoy a consensus, seem too fundamental to be provable as such, and are a ba...
The interest, I think, will be in the context around the game: What's at stake for her? What makes this game so important to her? What makes it so important now? Who is her opponent? What's at st...
The more decisions to make in the game, the better - focus on the risk Describe each decision the character makes in detail. What is the most useful move your character could make in this moment? ...
Try coming at the number limit from the other side. Rather than trying to think of a story you can condense to 100 words, which can feel as though you are having to cut out and sacrifice too much...
"...I'm so cold, p-please... I don't, I don't want to go.." is a stock phrase because anyone could say it, so everybody does. Instead, make it personal. Make the character say something that only t...
