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I think there is a mixed use case. I think your Friend Frank can be smart enough to use formal addresses with Prince Peter if they might be overheard, and informal address when there seems no chanc...
Formality of address shows more than just the relationship between characters. How one character addresses another does show the level of intimacy between them. But it can also show: Their hist...
I think it depends on the character of your high born individual and the lower born (though not necessarily common) friend. If the higher ranking character is so used to hearing his title - essen...
I personally like design documents that are short and fat-free. What are you trying to accomplish? What is your main idea and why? Main decisions Main challenges you encountered What will I - as ...
This answer provides a lot of good information. I want to augment it, not compete with it. Over time, many organizations develop templates for various documents (design, functional spec, test pla...
I think that the biggest problem here is that this was not critique. It was unconstructive criticism. That reader didn't enjoy the mood you set in your piece. That is fine. There are styles of writ...
I have no advice about your mom. However, I notice that within the question you signal the story is not to your own taste, that beta readers held their noses but liked it ok, and that you are unsur...
Similar questions have been asked in the past, for example How do I make an ESL character sound realistic? and How to write dialogue for someone who is intelligent but barely speaks the language? Y...
I think of Steampunk as being science fiction (with some fantasy elements) based in the Victorian era. The term "punk" might turn off some readers. Simply being unfamiliar with it might be the t...
Amadeus's answer is great if your goal is story-driven-story. IF however, you're working with something more experimental, I think the nested allegories can work, just like a musical leitmotif for...
There are multiple hints of dictatorial times within the English language. For example, have you noticed how farm animals have Anglo-Saxon names (calf, cow, lamb, pig), whereas meat derived from th...
To the best of my understanding, the main problem with the zombie genre is that it positions decay-disease-disability as non-human evil to be eradicated, and as a threat to humankind. (I don't nece...
Write three drafts? In my 54-year career, I've written technical reports, technical manuals, a PhD dissertation, and now fiction, and if I could have done any of them in only three drafts, I would...
The point of "subsequent drafts" is that for 99% of writers, the first draft is weak. That's completely fine. The purpose of the first draft is to get the damn thing on paper. You can't edit an emp...
Yes, this is possible. It's called deeply nested fiction (and happens to be a particular interest of mine!). Many of the great classic works of world literature, such as the Arabian Nights, use t...
Understanding your characters is definitely important. I know that there are some authors who take specific events from main characters' lives -the types of events that shape who they are as people...
If your inspiration story is in the public domain (which all of Shakespeare is), you have no legal obligation to disclose your source material. Though with Shakespeare, people will of course figur...
A concordance lists every word used in a work (or across a series of works) alphabetically, so the link Concordance of Shakespeare's complete works from OpenSourceShakespeare will be helpful. Click...
I don't find this story credible. First, why in the world does the kid give up and kill himself after a few weeks on his own? He works at one job for a few weeks, gets fired, and kills himself? Th...
As long as you're not committing flatout plagiarism, it's not strictly unethical to write a story that is inspired entirely or in part by another work. It's no secret that character of Sherlock H...
As you have selected, it is not necessary to credit a story which is in the public domain. However, I notice that several of your questions have not been answered. I'll address them. Also, do y...
You could also start writing your story and retro-fit ideology and symbolism. That is how it often works in real life. It took a lot of wars to come up with the idea of uniforms and standards. En...
Because these features are so common in their world it would mean that eventually the characters' actions or thoughts would touch on these features a little at a time. So give your readers the deta...
If you are writing third person, you can always just provide a brief description up front if you really feel you need one. Otherwise, you'll need to find reasons for your POV character to notice t...
I don't think you HAVE to give a trigger warning, but if you want to give one, give it like we do on movies or television shows, up front, before the story even starts. This fiction contains s...
