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"Streamlined and useful"? Which means punctuation is useless clutter? Ask the legendary guy whose life was saved by Czarina Maria Fyodorovna's misplaced comma. ("Pardon impossible, to be sent to Si...
An excellent question. Since it's a plot or perspective technique which can be used in any kind of fictional story, I wouldn't call it a "genre." Science fiction, Western, soap opera, comedy, and p...
I think you have it written correctly. "I remember Eve" means that at the moment he's speaking, he does in fact remember her. To say "I remembered Eve" means that at some point (in the past) he did...
You're focusing on the wrong angle. Think about it this way: why would a potential employer care that you wrote a report? What skill set does it show you have? What does it prove you could do again...
I think it's going to depend on what the reasons are. If the antagonist (Andrew) is framing the protagonist (Peter), then Andrew wants Peter to take the blame for something which Peter didn't do. ...
I think the reason for the popularity of the trilogy structure in the fantasy genre is compelling, but far from expected or mandatory. It's simply that fantasy novels tend to be long, for many rea...
Isn't one of the non-Rowling definitions of "squib" "a firecracker which doesn't explode"? So Rowling took something which means "has potential or is expected to do something, and fails to deliver,...
Your story should be only as long as it needs to be, and not a word more. If your protagonist has a lot to accomplish, then sure, write more than one book. But for FSM's sake don't pad it thinking...
Yep, works for me. You're reproducing a speech pattern in which part of the word is emphasized.
I've been keyboarding for so many years that my handwriting has deteriorated past "chicken-scratch" into "hieroglyphics." If I write out a thank-you for a birthday gift, it's usually illegible by t...
No, actually, I think it's perfect. NaNoWriMo kills your excuses for Not Writing. You've done homework, you've done plotting, you've done character sketches, blah blah blah fishcakes, just start ...
Here's a set of guidelines I really like: You can refer to each character by the moniker most appropriate to him, so long as you use the same one consistently. Readers will happily accept any nam...
The method I'm familiar with is a writing bible - a document where you're constantly recording any new information you add to the world; any new detail you want to be committed to throughout the bo...
Far be it from me to let my fans down... ;) There is no one standard way. I have found that my old friend Scrivener is great for this. You start by gathering your information about your world (c...
I am a discovery writer. The main and broad definition is that a discovery writer does not outline stories beat by beat, or chapter by chapter, or even Act by Act. The reason for this, as I found ...
Misery. ETA Allow me to explain my facetiousness. Misery is a Stephen King story about Paul, a writer of a popular series set in Victorian times starring Misery Chastain. Paul finally gets tired o...
First off, unless "Mindblade" is a use-name he took or was given because he has some kind of esper abilities, give him a last name that doesn't sound like it was lifted from Shadowrun. Second, if ...
How much of this language are you going to use? Single words? Phrases? Sentences? Paragraphs? If it's just a few words or phrases, make up a few, be consistent in their usage, and call it a day. ...
The way to play this depends heavily on what you're trying to achieve with your antagonist's secret goal. The key concept here is that every major thread should have some set-up and introduction in...
If your plot is no longer interesting to you, let it go. It's the most extreme version of Kill Your Darlings. You haven't wasted the time you've spent. Consider it an exercise in plotting and dev...
It's possible that all may be lost; on the other hand, maybe not. Distinguish between losing interest in the project and merely losing interest in its current state. The latter is somewhat more sal...
My old friend Scrivener has a number of those features, although it's not freeware. But seriously, $45 is not expensive.
It's good that you're thinking about it, because men and women generally do have different voices, different concerns, and different ways of approaching the world and its problems. The key is whe...
If you are having a huge problem getting the stories on paper because juggling both at once is confusing, then yes. I would certainly outline them individually. I prefer to write linearly — in the...
If you're looking to sow a lot of suspicion, I think you should use single character POV (with a judicious number of scenes outside that POV if absolutely necessary). Harry Potter is a great exampl...
