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Activity for Lexi‭

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Edit Post #10542 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
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Answer A: Craft group exercises or chapters in critique groups?
Although Lauren and what have pretty much covered it, I also want to add - read. I don't mean craft books, either. I mean, read what you want to write. Read, and read a lot. Hell, read what you don't want to write, so you know what to avoid. Read a lot, and read widely. Writing is so subjective, and ...
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over 10 years ago
Answer A: How to write from the middle?
I had the same problem as well. I've got key scenes scattered here and there (though mine tend to be near the end) that inspire me, and no idea how to get there. Sad to say, the only solution I've found is to write, throw it all away, and rewrite. Rinse and repeat many, many times. Even if it starts...
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over 11 years ago
Answer A: How can I reconcile the exposition of the three act scheme vs. starting out with a bang?
A useful tip I read about (The Fire In Fiction, Donald Maass) is to use what he calls microtension to hook the reader. This is where tension is created by conflicted feelings within the characters. That is, what are they doing or saying that makes them feel upset, or uncomfortable? What are the feeli...
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about 12 years ago
Question Writing a Lullaby
I need to write a short folk lullaby as part of my story, but am having trouble getting the feel of it in my lyrics. What are the general conventions of writing a lullaby? Any general principles specific to lullabies as opposed to other types of lyrics?
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about 13 years ago
Answer A: How do you decide whether to dictate, type out or hand-write a piece of writing?
I oscillate between handwriting and typing. I find handwriting preferable for first drafts or for getting ideas out, as I can simply scribble on the nearest piece of paper or notebook, have arrows going everywhere - it's beautifully unstructured. I like it for first drafts as well for the same reason...
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about 13 years ago
Answer A: Single character POV vs. two POVs - how to decide?
I think OneMonkey's reply covers this very well. I just thought I'd add quickly that in the novel I'm working on, I started with one POV and ended up with two - the main reason being to increase the tension. The two main characters' paths cross because each have their own motives which they're hidin...
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about 13 years ago
Answer A: Good examples of fear/terror inducing techniques used with enemies
I've been reading 'The Fire in Fiction' by Donald Maass lately. What I found useful was the following tip (paraphrased): The character must believe the danger is there. If you can build up the character as someone the reader empathises with and can connect to, then when you start to build up their f...
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about 13 years ago
Answer A: How to give the readers breathing space, without putting them to sleep?
I read a book called The Poison Throne (part of the Moorehawke Trilogy) by Celine Kiernan recently where I felt this was done incredibly well. She would build up the tension by building up the atmosphere of distrust between characters and hinting at violence to come, which would climax in said violen...
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about 13 years ago
Question What's a typical trilogy structure?
Is there a typical structure for a fantasy trilogy? To be more specific, would they usually follow the three-act structure, with an act per book? And would each book need a self-contained story arc with a proper beginning and ending? Or could you get away without a proper resolution until the end of...
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about 13 years ago