Posts by System
I want to write a fantasy novel, but there are a few issues that I have with the way that I should write it. One of my questions lies in the problem of how I, the narrator/book-writer, can inform m...
I have a question on linkers and connectors. I'm from Spain, so I learnt English at school and all my English teachers have told me throughout secondary school that we always have to use linkers t...
Different tools use different algorithms to count words in a document. For example, Apple's Pages counts 2-7 mg/v as four words while Microsoft Word counts the same string as two words. Or if for ...
I do soft cover books and laminate the top side, and therein lies the problem. The cover keeps curling up too much. I have tried Ningbo 350gsm which works perfect except that now it's too stiff and...
Example of citation: Doe, Jane. “The House.” World Literature. Ed. John Doe. New York: Penguin, 1986. 25-30. Print. What I have in the text is the quote from the chapter in the textbook, the quot...
Some thoughts: I would ask the users instead of guessing whether they use the in-page popups. Do a (small) survey. Some users may not use the glossary because they are unaware of it but would if ...
It is legally unproblematic to use institutions that are of a quasi-timeless nature such as the catholic church, the United States, or the egyptian pyramids. If you have "a president of the USA" i...
When you cite from the Bible, Shakespeare, Homer, and similar texts, which are labelled by book and verse or section or chapter and these labels (and the text itself) remain the same across differe...
It seems to me that you might have begun to over-construct your characters (and maybe other parts of your narrative as well). Many aspiring writers look for rules and guidelines in how-to books or...
No. We always think of authors and other artists as people who were excited by some media experience (e.g. reading books, viewing movies, or playing computer games) and began a career in their med...
I'm a beginner writer. I have been focusing recently on giving my characters depth. Making them complex people with complex emotions and motivations. One of my characters is depressed. She's going...
I'm German. The process of submitting manuscripts is almost identical to the one in the USA. I assume it will be similar in Italy, too. What you are expected to do is usually: Find an appropriate...
A year or two ago I was leaning towards self-publishing, mostly to have more creative freedom over my work, but with how the market is so over satuated with books, I feel deterred because I see no ...
There is only one correct way to learn how to write and that is by trying out what works best for you. The mistake most aspiring authors make is to think that there is some kind of standard proced...
I know this isn't the conworlding forum, but I'm not asking for a critique on my conworld. I'm asking how people would receive such a thing as a constructed world not based off of ancient cultures,...
I think a good strategy is to pick (even randomly) a story you want to write and start sinking some cost into it. In other words before putting anything down, do a number of days of research on the...
I'm working on a matriarchal setting in which sex is viewed less stringently than our world. It is more acceptable, even expected, for women to be experienced in these matters. I am going for an in...
I notice in a lot of media there is a strong emphasis on the greatness of evil characters. They can often end up more popular than the good guys in the book or on the show, and overshadow everyone ...
I'm writing a story where a secondary story-line (it's about a companion of the main character) is basically about a fire mage and an ice mage. It fits well in the story and the fire/ice elements a...
I am currently learning Dvorak, and I wonder if it's worth it to switch. This question has been asked before, but the criteria were different. In those questions people said they went from 50 to 60...
In a novel I've been writing, I begin by introducing a character and describing her history and personality from a third-person perspective. Now, I want to start talking about a different characte...
Example 1: "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." Classic, or horror? Example 2: "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution." Mystery, or sociology? Example 3: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Sci-fi, or hu...
Many writers find that mastering a genre of writing, such as the novel, requires that at some point they break down other writers' pieces of work in the genre in order to study their structure: to ...
Consider the possibility of a Prologue, in which someone other than the (subsequent) narrator lays down the essentials. If you do this, be careful with your writing style, since many prospective re...
Both Henry and Mark are correct. To their responses, I add: Have a look at The House on the Borderland, by William Hope Hodgson. It is now in public domain, so versions are available online. Depen...
