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16.1k posts
 
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Q&A What is the correct way to switch dialogue between two or more characters during a conversation without it being confusing for the reader? [closed]

When I use dialogue within the stories I write I have a bad habit of writing dialogue after dialogue without indication as to who is talking. An example is when I do this in a story “Arden! Dar...

0 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by P.L‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Writing Unequal Societies (Without Supporting Inequality)

Historically, most occidental cultures (and many other ones) were strongly biased against women. Women were effectively barred from the vast majority of occupations - sometimes actively, and someti...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Watercleave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to Win Short-Fiction Writing Competitions [closed]

I've written many stories and have received some good feedback but have never tried to compete with others. I've been thinking recently that it would be nice to enter a piece of my flash-fiction in...

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

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Q&A How to describe something, that would normally be shown by facial expressions?

When I think of a scene, I often think of little hints or gestures, to express certain things or thought processes. For example a character breaking eye contact, but quickly looking back to not sho...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Minix‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question description script
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Q&A Mentioning quickly repeated events in first person?

When writing in first person, is it better to mention as little repetition of events as possible? Or can it improve writing in some cases to have a character duplicate previous events and have them...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Jonathon D.‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question style structure
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Q&A Avoiding Slang whilst Writing

I sometime express my personality too much in my more creative fiction. When I get going, I include slang words and phrases that sound fascinating and are comprehensible to me, but may not be inter...

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

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Q&A Describing an important emotional turmoil in the character's life I've never been through

I have this young character who grows up to be very strong and powerful but while he was young he was still discovering how strong he was. This incident happened to a friend he's protective of. W...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Dorrien‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Why do most literature magazines take so long (several weeks or months) to respond to submissions despite having only a few hundred subs per month?

I have heard that the the editor of F&SF (Finlay) is the only one who reads all the submissions. Yet he always responds within a week! (With detailed comments on each story.) Clarkesworld is an...

4 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by user394536‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Too Many Goals?

Not unsimilar to myself, my protagonist potentially has too many goals. He's isn't a likeable character (which is how I intended him) so to keep reader interest, I would like them to become invest...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Chris Sunami‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A "Too modern" words

In a story set in a fantasy version of 5th century Persia, I've been told by a beta reader that a boy wouldn't call his father "dad", (would use "father" instead), wouldn't say "no spoilers", etc. ...

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

Question style word-choice
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Q&A First Chapters protocol

I am a first time novelist with writing experience. I have an idea for my novel that begins with an important scene which actually plays out in the middle of the novel. Should I write this as a pro...

3 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Del Barras‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I really drive home a character not being able to hold it together in the wake of repeated trauma?

A character in my story is supposed to be falling apart, for many reasons: He's 16 and is killing people, in a gladiatorial setting, of a similar age. He already died (possibly a few times), but ...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by weenmachine‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is writing big facts about a character's background good when first introducing them?

I hope this question is not mainly opinion based, I'm really just looking for a writer's handbook/source/acclaimed author saying this is either good, okay or bad. I think it might not be so good, w...

4 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by A. Kvåle‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to survive editing

I am currently trying to edit a one my most recent novel. Trying is the keyword. I asked a few people to read my book as beta readers, but all of them have been busy, so no progress on that front. ...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by White Eagle‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A What font is this [closed]

I like the font used on the picture above because it's easy on the eyes. Can somebody help me determine the font name used?

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by Jam Ville‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question style
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Q&A How to think of a good beginning?

I've been thinking about my story for a while now and the problem I've run into is that I'm not sure how to start it. It isn't that I can't think of how to start it, I actually have a million ideas...

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

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Q&A How can one provide more clarity and still be concise? [closed]

I am working on revising a petition because one of my friends said that it needs a lot of revision. For one, they said that it needed clarity, and for another, it needed to be concise. My question...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by HeavenlyHarmony‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question clarity
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Q&A Advice for a "Gift of Words" [closed]

So we have a friend, having a milestone birthday, and his wife requested that we provide a gift of words. This friend is about the age of my children, and a creative type person. The trouble is...

0 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Pete B.‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Writing: Self made logical issue with time travel in a story [closed]

So, I have not gotten anything published yet, but I have had plans for future novels including the one I am most way done with at the moment. As for the Details: It's going to be a multiverse exist...

0 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by ForrestEM‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Should I focus on ideas which the market enjoys, or ideas which I enjoy?

Two approaches to writing: Writing about ideas that are currently 'hot' in the market (a bit like when the Hunger Games came out, many authors quickly released books which incorporated the same s...

4 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Adi219‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Technique for naming a device used to transform objects [closed]

There's this device that I'm writing about which can be used to transform objects. It can transform anything into anything. This is in the fictional future where people learned to modify our real...

0 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Joshua Rajandiran‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Question technique naming
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Q&A Sending an email to follow up with the client about a project deadline [closed]

We are waiting on a document for a project from the client to complete. If we don't get it in 2 days we'll be unable to proceed until we do. When and how do you follow up with the client? Give a t...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by annett‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A 'for example' and 'e.g.' in a thesis

I'm writing a thesis in English (I'm not a native speaker) and I suddenly wondered: should I use 'for example' or 'e.g.'? should try to completely avoid both? There are no university specific r...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Cold_Class‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I structure branching-narrative choice prompts for limited 3rd-person?

Character POV My interactive novel has Old Cop, Young Cop protagonists with different skillsets, backgrounds, observation of details, etc. The POV switches between them using 3rd-person limited. B...

0 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by wetcircuit‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Writer's Block Help [closed]

I am in the middle of writing a book but I have serious writer's block any tips on how to combat this? I am only able to write poetry but it isn't as deep and meaningful as it used to be.

0 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Don_Marshall‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭