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Depending on what kind of writer you are, you might benefit from creating an outline, and trying to hang your cool scenes on that. Writing scenes which aren't connected to anything can be fun, an...
There is no standard definition. And not just for historical fantasy. Give me a definition, and I will show you a best selling book that doesn't follow it. If your book has both historical and fan...
you should try mind mapping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mind_map), it is a great way to explore ideas. there are lots of applications available for desktop as well as tablet. I personally use fre...
Recently, I found a short story that I had written many years ago when computers were not that common. It is 25 pages of handwriting. Obviously, I don't want to spend hours typing it. My typing spe...
If you publish the initial chapter, there's one thing you should make damn sure: That the readers are guaranteed to know up front that they are reading only a part of the story. Nothing puts you do...
It is not ungrammatical to use two absolute phrases connected by a conjunction (like "and"). Long sentences can be more difficult to read and tend to slow the pace of the narrative, but in this cas...
I am unsure if I adequately understand the concept of first electronic rights. If I post a story on a writers' website for free but also publish it through Amazon, will it affect me?
I'm writing a book – more as a hobby than anything else. As an amateur I often get lost regarding the extent I should include in the chapters. But the greatest problem for me is that I did not de...
The reference documentation for an application programming interface (API) is, in modern systems, usually generated from the code itself automatically. For example, for Java interfaces a typical t...
As far as creative writing is concerned, nothing is right or wrong. It's entirely up to you, the writer, to describe the scenes in your own way. That said, writing just "Jennifer walked inside th...
I am working on my first novel which is a collaboration with a friend. We both have no experience and no contacts within the industry, so we are realistic about the prospects for the first novel an...
There were a couple of other questions about this, but they were asked many years ago, so I thought I'd start a new one. For a long time, I used Wiki on a Stick to organise my worlds and allow for...
Just wanted to put in a word for the Novel Factory (http://www.novel-software.com. Disclosure, I am the creator). It's aimed at organising all aspects of a novel, including locations, characters, ...
I use Google Sites for my worldbuilding. If you need an example, view my page here. It takes time and effort, but you can design it like a wiki. Google Sites is extremely user-friendly and best of ...
Evernote I personally have 2 (free) accounts on Evernote, that share almost all notes, meaning I can use them on all my devices. There are online and downloaded versions of the notes application f...
I had a quick question in regards to using P.S. I just finished writing up a formal follow-up email for an interview. I touched over a lot of information and brought up some new topics. Anyway, I...
Consider general problems/trends/concepts instead of specific realizations/models, then think up techs that resolve/accentuate the general ideas you started with. Techs here don't have to be elect...
In many movies and novels there is a scene where the heist is planned. Bankrobbers don't usually spontaneously draw their guns when they pass a bank on their way to the supermarket. They have to ha...
I'm working on a fantasy series and have been keeping a Word document full of backstory, character/location information, and other world-building elements. At 160+ pages, it's reached the point whe...
I suck at writing. There, I admitted it. More often than not, I find my self staring at a blank moleskine page, or the blinking cursor. You see, the problem lies not in writing itself, but wri...
I need help with the concept of my story: My protagonists live in a mild dystopia. Think of your own country today ;-) They have the opportunity to kill about 20 persons, which will cause a fundam...
When it comes to fiction there is no accepted tense. As long as you don't change tense, perspective or person midstream you're fine. Yes past tense is most common but I've read future, present, a...
I currently earn a little extra money by doing freelance journalism on the side, in addition to working a day job. This is professional, paid work from more than one outlet so I would hope I could ...
I proofread technical documents that have been translated from Japanese into English. The translations must be "literal." I cannot, generally, make them more concise. One thing that pops up over...
Yeah, mileages do vary, and your friend might just be an oddball reader. Don't worry about it too much. Just write your story the way you want to write it, and see if it works. That said, it's q...
