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Don't touch the train itself This might not be what you're looking for, but something to consider anyway. Remember that a train isn't an autonomous vehicle controlled by the driver alone. So hav...
There is a bunch of creative methods - some more than other - that can help you. Here are my ideas: Change the narration style One of the most clear ways to signal that something has changed is...
It's often a question of perception. Cultural expectations play a crucial role, because if in the culture the woman must kowtow to a man, then it doesn't matter what she does, if it isn't utter sub...
I believe your first two definitions are essentially in agreement. The most important characteristic of the "New Weird" is a fantasy story set in a fantasy world, where traditional fantasy tropes a...
On the other hand, to reveal that a hero always had a Machiavellian side, would require depth, and thus question their value as absolute reference. My question is: in the context of a mytho...
+1 Galastel; I would say one way to approach an answer to her question, "What is the meaning of your story", is to ask yourself What do my characters learn? Deep stories, at least by my definition...
I'm a professional scientist; my point of view might help. The only way I can think of is to approach it analytically. Body language is a language you don't know. There are books on it, some contra...
"Show don't tell" is a general rule which basically means: immerse your readers in your story. It's not meant literally (as others have pointed out) and it doesn't just apply to body language. Fo...
I have characters like this, and a lot of teen characters at that. There are teens who will talk like this (Nerds who read. Socially Awkward kids. Motivational speeches trying to sound important...
I have written a novel in which none of the characters are ever described. It started out by accident (3 chapters in when I realized). Question: Is this a good/unique approach or shot myself in ...
In my experience, it depends on what is being read. Personally, I often skim large parts of technical material. I am often reading for something specific and I skim until I find it. I often then s...
Obviously you have to read, but you don't have to read a LOT. The lessons for writing are distilled into non-fiction books on writing, usually by authors of multiple best-sellers. It is actually ...
There are multiple ways to approach this and any of them can work. The important thing is that it's very clear to the reader. My novel is structured as follows: Prologue set in 1939. Body of no...
Have you considered doing something like skipping, then describing? Something like (but do consider this first draft quality): The man kept the gun pointed at her. Jane had trained for years, ...
I am a discovery writer, for two reasons. First, I have tried plotting out stories, and for me that takes all the creativity out of writing, I stop caring about the story and give up. It feels like...
I would say, trust the reader, and trust your character. Although these things may not be "discussed", they can certainly be thought about by your POV character. She is doing something highly unu...
Literature offers many and varied examples to learn from. Study Tolkien. Many characters in The Fellowship of the Ring (and the subsequent books of the Lord of the Ring series) fit this descriptio...
I am not on the autistic spectrum, and I confess that it is not obvious to me to what extent and in what manner you plan to characterize your character. On the other hand, I think that your problem...
This depends on whether you're using past-tense or present-tense narration: whether the narrator is looking back at things that have already occurred, or describing events as they occur. If you're...
Most people don't constantly think about their own appearance, which can make first person appearance describing a little awkward. But there are some legitimate times we do think a lot about how w...
The 8th Edition of the MLA has changed the approach to citations: Like earlier editions, this handbook includes information on evaluating sources, avoiding plagiarism, using quotations, con...
The pros and cons of this choice are already covered in other answers from an objective perspective but I think it's important to consider the subjective assessment as well. Ultimately, the best s...
Here's an example of multiple timelines done in a way I found not just confusing, but random and unnecessary. Chronological can mean in order by date and time, or it can mean that the different PO...
More specifically, how can one write a novel that examines or even argues against cultural moral values and laws without... dealing with legal fallout as the author? I realize this may be asking t...
Ask the Hungarian TL;DR Unsurprisingly, this question has a mathematical solution based on the Hungarian algorithm. I have not done the calculations, but I imagine that1 the typical answer is: ...
