System‭

I have a powerful antagonist perform important functions within my story. At the midpoint, he just leaves. Several Plot developments depend on this character. I tried replacing him with other char...

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

Think of how you talk about other species in reality. There are no "women" or "men" among dogs, chicken, or ants. The words "man" and "woman" specifically denote human males and females. But there...

posted 8y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

The question whether or not you may use ideas, characters, stories, and so on from other works has been addressed multiple times on this site; you will find them if you use the site search. The sh...

posted 6y ago by System‭  ·  edited 3y ago by Canina‭

I mainly write for academic journals (and creative writing for my own amusement), but from time to time, I publish opinion pieces in various mainstream magazines and newspapers, for which I am mode...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4d ago by Monica Cellio‭

Paul, thank you for asking this question. I have the same concerns, and thinking about them helped me clarify some things for myself. Maybe my thoughts can be of help to you, too. I assume that yo...

posted 9y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

This might depend on your field (or department/school/institution guidelines), but at least I simply insert the epilogue (because that's what it is) at the end of the last subsection. If your writi...

posted 8y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I think most people identify better with someone who has failings - as noted by other respondents. Keep in mind the trope "Jack of all trades, master of none". Most "average" people gain a little b...

posted 14y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I wrote a similar story recently, leaving the character nameless as a method of dehumanisation as opposed to implimenting mystery. I think the best way to do it is to use more thought-based 1st per...

posted 14y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

First remember that for many readers "Colonel" and "Sergeant" are just as alien as "Oberst" and "Feldwebel". A civilian who doesn't know rank may well assume both are just some kind of soldier. T...

posted 14y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I think part of the difficulty with the sentence can be corrected by emphasizing the problem being reported: Using the print functionality after doing a search in the Web Product Provider (...

posted 14y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I'm an online tutor. I don't know that online writing classes "do" help improve writing skills, but I know they can. It's a matter of finding a tutor who is not only skilled, but compatible with ...

posted 14y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Be sensual. Describe how thinks feel, look, smell. In a story, put the reader in a setting and make them feel like they're really there. Include small, realistic details to further the illusion. B...

posted 14y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

The odds are against you, but them some people do make it. They all use the hero's journey structure - see http://www.clickok.co.uk/index4.html

posted 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Of course there is narrative fiction without conflict. Example: Adalbert Stifter's novel Der Nachsommer describes the idyllic life and growth from childhood to maturity of a young man during Bied...

posted 11y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Sorry, I don't have answers for you, only more questions and a few thoughts: I think it doesn't have to be a waste of time, it can still be a really cool story - Game of Thrones was a hit TV serie...

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