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Q&A How do we write a story about genocide committed by a fascist government without falling into the "Nazi Germany" cliché?

You need to distinguish allegory and applicability. Tolkien wrote on the subject: I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and th...

posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Documenting story in a videogame

A lot of this depends on what kind of game you are creating. For example there is software that is specifically designed to help you with non-linear story design. See my answer to the question " Wr...

posted 5y ago by Secespitus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do we tell someone how to sing a lyric?

Lyrics are not lyrics until they are set to music. At which point, they are sung to the music. They appear on the sheet music. Like so: (source) Alternatively, the lyrics can be placed not over ...

posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Problems with picture alignment in Microsoft Word - which other DTP software can I use?

It likely depends on the field you are in and the amount of work and money you want to put into learning a new tool if you have only used Microsoft Word so far for this kind of task. For example i...

posted 5y ago by Secespitus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How many words do visual novels contain on average per hour of gameplay?

Very short and incredibly rough estimate: 10.000 words are around 1 hour play time. After some research I've found that the answer is... even more difficult than I had first imagined... First of ...

posted 5y ago by Secespitus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A When a story is longer than a book, is it best to wait until the entire story is done before completing the first book in the story?

If you already have the outline of the final story and haven't done major rewrites of that for some time you could think about splitting it up. Some details will surely change, but in general for t...

posted 5y ago by Secespitus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Help! My Character is too much for her story!

If your givens aren't working, change your givens. If Vampirella McExplosia is dominating every scene she's in, then she's too big for this story. Save this draft (so you aren't putting a stake in...

posted 5y ago by Lauren Ipsum‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Including disabled characters without "inspiration porn"

Show us she's capable, not someone to be pitied. If she's blind, she would have to learn how to better use her remaining senses. So when someone wonders "How hard can it be to rob a little old blin...

posted 5y ago by Evil Sparrow‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A What exactly is the difference between Wordpress.org and Wordpress.com and what should be used for self publishing?

There is an in-between. Many ISPs have Wordpress as part of the package you purchase from them. I use a great local company who offers both internet access and online accounts separately. The ...

posted 5y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Too soon for a plot twist?

I would foreshadow the fundamental corruptibility of the hero first. He cheats at a game, gets caught, and is unrepentant. He chases and stops the robber of a rich man -- then demands half the loot...

posted 5y ago by Amadeus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Too soon for a plot twist?

There's no such thing as "too early in the story for a plot twist". There's even a trope called "First-Episode Spoiler", for when the very beginning of a story contains a plot twist that's pivotal ...

posted 5y ago by F1Krazy‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Including disabled characters without "inspiration porn"

Is this character the only blind one around? Did she go to a mentor to learn how to navigate efficiently? Is there a school for the blind? How old was she when she lost her vision? (I read a ...

posted 5y ago by April Salutes Monica C.‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to cue in our readers that we are using an uncommon symbolism?

One way to do it subtly might be to show the character's reactions to the symbols. For example: John was about to enter the room when he noticed the tulip painted to the side of the door. He he...

posted 5y ago by celtschk‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Do we need to make consistent use of archaic English in our poem/novel?

Regardless of what you're writing, if you use an archaic form readers will notice, and if you use an archaic form only once and not everywhere it applies, readers will notice that too. If you're d...

posted 5y ago by Monica Cellio‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I write for the majority, without alienating my minority?

Amadeus and Logan's answers are already good. I'd like to expand a bit about the "no explanation needed" that Logan presented. Your assumption is that the majority-readers needs explanation. This...

posted 5y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A What points should a "Character Interview" method for character building hit?

Expanding on what I said in a comment to @Amadeus's post, I don't like thinking of "talking" with my character as an interview. A character might not want to answer a journalist, an interrogator, e...

posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A What points should a "Character Interview" method for character building hit?

...? Why? To me one of the most important points of the this style is the follow-up question: "Why?". Sure it's great to know that one specific detail about a character but if you can't answer the...

posted 5y ago by linksassin‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write a chaotic neutral protagonist and prevent my readers from thinking they are evil?

I think the problem is that for somebody that doesn't care, Banshee gets awfully worked up about not caring, and this emphasizes an evil side, not a neutral side. I think you are trying too hard to...

posted 5y ago by Amadeus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write a chaotic neutral protagonist and prevent my readers from thinking they are evil?

You need to figure out what your story's theme is. And then you need to take Joyce on a journey that forces her to make decisions about that theme. That will define whether she's good or evil withi...

posted 5y ago by Kevin‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Fictionalizing firsthand accounts from history?

In my own novel I have two settings: The (more or less) modern world with some historical backstory but 100% fictional characters. Set in the U.S., the country I live in. Ancient Egypt as based ...

posted 6y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Show applied preset where the cursor is?

Not yet on Windows - Scrivener 3 (Q2 2019 for Windows) will have this I looked through the documentation that I could find and apparently there is no such feature right now for the windows version...

posted 5y ago by Secespitus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Do I need to get people to sign a waiver to include their content in my book?

I agree with El Cadejo, it is always wise to have a contract in place. This covers you legally (and to some degree ethically) if: You have a falling out with one of your subjects who wants to pu...

posted 6y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I start in media res and provide enough back-story to hook people, all in the first chapter?

Give the location of the scenes as the chapter/scene headers. If the present-time scenes are in MC 1's house and the flashbacks are in a local coffeehouse (for example), your readers will be able ...

posted 6y ago by Cyn‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A Latin names of European places

As it turns out, Wikipedia has your answer: List of Latin place names in Continental Europe, Ireland and Scandinavia List of Roman place names in Britain Wikipedia also has the "external links"...

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

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Q&A How do you prevent whiplash when transitioning between comedy and tragedy?

The problem with a mood whiplash is: one of your characters just experienced something tragic, your readers are with the character in that tragic moment. If you want the readers to experience that ...

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

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