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It is not redundant. You are providing information about the structure of your presentation to come, making a promise to discuss all of the possible classes of "a response". Such promises are recom...
You can talk about you. This is a sales letter trick, often used in manuals as well. Make all your "narrative" lines as "you," (the reader), or some equivalent. I will also try to show that t...
It's hard to build a recognizable identity while genre-hopping. The more successful you are with any one style or genre, the more both readers and publishers are going to demand more of the same. ...
I've read some books that open by introducing the main characters in their mundane lives by beginning each sub-section of chapter 1 with something like "3 days and 17 hours prior". For instance, th...
This is one of those instances where Show Don't Tell comes into play quite strongly. Not everyone likes Benedict Cumberbatch, and there are readers out there who won't recognize who he is straight...
I think it's a bad idea. Personally, I have no idea who "Benedict Cumberbatch" is. Maybe I've seen him on TV or in movies and don't remember the name, or maybe I've never seen him. The odds are t...
A good solution is to clearly show how the flaws are an obstacle for the character when they try to achieve their goals. For example, if the girl in your story manages to seduce the boy who is in ...
I'd leave it. As far as a 25 year old male "adopting" a 13 year old girl; my suspension of disbelief is already broken. Without a blood relation, I'd be amazed if any court allowed that, or closet ...
Tension is, technically, the struggle between protagonist and antagonist when they both want the same thing. Readers will experience a variety of emotions, vicarious and sympathetic, when they bec...
Great question! Don't worry too much, genres that we read are just an extension of how we feel about our history our future, and our day to day experiences. It furthers the mood of what you are rea...
The reader doesn't actually have to know that the father survives, not past a certain point anyway, if you don't specifically identify the MC's mother then the MC may already be on the way before w...
This might sound stupid, but... usually, if you think it's "as long as it needs to be", it's too long. You need an outside pressure to get you to the point where you're going to be tearing out your...
If your “series” is one story told in parts, then the answer should be obvious. You, however, are telling multiple stories set in one world. Here is what you need to keep in mind: If you do not...
As long as you find your character sympathetic, I think you are fine. However, here are some basic advice to advice build a sympathetic character: Make him suffer. We don't like to see someone i...
To me, the line you cannot cross is your hero intentionally harming an innocent for their personal pleasure (or irrational anger); that includes not just adults and children but dogs and pets. Rap...
The breaking point will be different for different readers, because it all comes down to what we can learn from the character. If we can genuinely put ourselves in the character's place, we'll hav...
These are the factors that influence where the line is. It will be floating, depending on context. The following would increase reader sympathy, given a morally dubious main character: Motivation...
Life and death is actually a pretty low-stakes conflict in my opinion. Yes, of course, it's the ultimate thing we all want to avoid, but when it comes down to it, how many of us have experienced be...
I read submissions to a literary journal. I never look at the cover letters. They probably matter to the editors if the piece gets accepted, but not to us, the initial readers. Keep them brief. Men...
I've read books written the way yours is currently set up, and I agree with your beta readers --some foreshadowing would help. However, I think you could afford to be fairly subtle about it. Th...
Personally, I start with nothing more than an interesting character and an overarching story concept. Those are the only two things I have in mind when I sit down to write. I seem to have three mai...
To add to other's answers, my own writing can be described by two loops: A. Creative loop: Excitement Exhaustion Writer's block B. Editing loop: Sensing flaws in my writing Revising While ...
Self-publishing is viable for all and only the people who are willing and able to personally sell every copy of their own book (or eBook). It's great for public speakers, relentless self-promoters...
Query letters are absolutely worth writing. I cannot say self-publishing is NOT viable, but I think the success rate is even more abysmal than finding an agent and getting "traditionally" publishe...
If you go back a bit further you will find the controversial story of the tennis player and doctor Renee Richards. One aspect that made her attempt to play in the Women’s Open controversial was the...
