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Posts by System‭

350 posts
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Q&A Letting a (secondary) antagonist leave mid story - Should it be avoided?

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 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by celtschk‭

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Q&A I feel like I'm plagiarizing my story?

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

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Q&A Should I use the terms "people" "person" "man" and "woman" in fantasy setting?

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 7y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to move back to main section after finishing a sub-section

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 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How does one avoid imposing one's own voice and preferences in critiques?

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 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Should I start work on a sequel before I have sold my book?

Brandon Sanderson in lecture 13, Brandon's Revision Process (which is online on his YouTube channel), explains his process thus: First draft Continuity Polish Give to Alpha Readers --------------...

posted 9y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is the genre 'fantasy' still fantasy without magic?

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 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Problems with past tenses in formal paper on a novel with MLA Format

I have been writing high school English paper on a novel in MLA format. Is there any rule about using past participle or past imperfect? Throughout the essay there have been many places that can ...

0 answers  ·  posted 11y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question style tenses mla
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Q&A Deaf speechmarks? [closed]

Possible Duplicate: How does one present spoken dialogue as a secondary language to signed speech? I want to write a novel and I was thinking of including a deaf character. I want to kno...

1 answer  ·  posted 12y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question technique style
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Q&A Is Scrivener involved in the editorial process, or is it strictly a writer's development tool?

I downloaded the trial version of Scrivener and began toying with it in the fall of 2011. I initially used it for outlining, I loved the corkboard feature. I then decided to give it a try for NaNoW...

posted 12y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to develop a story for a novel?

Looking back at my own writing, my recommendation is: You'll have to find out yourself. There are two main directions writing can take, often called "outline" and "no outline". The no outline app...

posted 10y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Tense of Literary Essay

When writing a literary essay in English what tense should be used: Past as in: Gatsby’s parties were ostentatious and exquisite Or present as in: Gatsby’s parties are ostentatious and e...

1 answer  ·  posted 12y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question tenses essay
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Q&A Which English grammar should be followed when writing for a global audience?

Native speakers of English tend on the whole to write in the "written standard" of their native variety of English. Speakers of different varieties, or at least those who are "well read", are gene...

posted 12y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I better handle my nameless main character when trying to retain mystery?

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 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How does the 10,000 hour rule apply to writing?

The thing is that people tend to confuse writing with writing. Think, for a moment, of winning a marathon or singing an opera. Everyone can hurry along to a degree or sing under the shower, yet no...

posted 9y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Can a book be written without an antagonist?

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 10y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Does a technical writer need a technical background?

From my experience, not explicitly. But a technical writer does need to understand what they are writing about in order to communicate it effectively. If you'd like a book on the subject, Technica...

posted 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Hardware-based Word Processor

Do they still make hardware-based word processors? I would like a portable, no-frills dedicated machine for writing. The Neo from Alpha Smart looks close but $150 seems excessive for calculator p...

2 answers  ·  posted 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question mobile mobi
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Q&A How difficult is it to break into screenwriting?

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 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What makes writing emotional?

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 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What can I do to improve my concentration when reading?

I'm reading one of those accounting books that is best described by a reviewer who said it was like "going through WWI trench warfare". So here is what I did thanks to a friend who suggested this ...

posted 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Do online writing classes really help?

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 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What to do about noun clusters

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 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to handle foreign military ranks?

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 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I better handle my nameless main character when trying to retain mystery?

Well, there is a book and a movie adaptation :- '12 Angry Men'. That one exactly does what you have in your mind. none of the character's names are used. there are 12+ characters in the plot! Hope ...

posted 13y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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