Activity for Jedediah‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Edit	Post #39084	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Edit	Post #38858	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Edit	Post #38588	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Edit	Post #38579	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
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Edit	Post #35846	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
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Edit	Post #32646	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
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Edit	Post #32198	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Edit	Post #31952	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
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Edit	Post #31299	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Edit	Post #29777	Initial revision	—	over 4 years ago
Question	—	Is quality of writing subjective, or objective? When someone says that writing is good or bad, better or worse, is it merely a way to talk about whether something is popular, or interesting to you? Or is there more to it than that? Compare the two passages: > Where dips the rocky highland > Of Sleuth Wood in the lake, > There lies a leafy isl... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Introducing a new POV near the end of a story It's absolutely fine to introduce a new POV late in a story IF: 1. It's the POV of a now well-known character, whose motives were already a significant plot point, and the clarification of those motives by seeing the world through that character's eyes serves the story you were always telling. (Say,... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Maintaining distance Distance is carving off the incidental details It's not the size of the details, but their relevance to the story. In Cinderella, it matters that she scrubbed floors, and that her sisters were ugly. In Arthurian legend, it mattered that Uther had a thing for Igraine. It matters significantly less w... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it the right call to title my romance a 'legend'? The Word "Legend" Evokes an Expectation Putting Legend into a title is fine, but it's a promise to your audience of something a bit larger-than-life. Given a title like "The Legend of [Protagonist]", I would personally expect something medieval, with a light touch of magic - like the Arthurian lege... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to "Start as close to the end as possible", and why to do so? Let's take Tolkien's Middle Earth, and the Lord of the Rings, as an illustration: Not beginning at the beginning At the very beginning, Eru created the spirits which would become the Valar, who would in turn create Middle Earth. Or something along those lines. This is described in the Silmarillion.... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Picking a theme as a discovery writer I would probably be categorized as a "discovery" writer. I certainly don't work from a formal outline, and only make occasional notes to remind myself of some particular minor detail or other I think would be interesting to work in later. That said, I generally don't start writing a story unless I h... (more)	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: The role of the supernatural in hard science fiction I would propose that there is a simple yardstick to measure whether your "supernatural" elements are making your story a fantasy story. Imagine stripping out the Sci-Fi elements and setting the story in the present. Is it a fantasy story now? That's your answer. A ghost story in space is not a fant... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Describing paralyzing fear in the first person Try stream of consciousness Fear is the most immediate of emotions. If you are not put into the moment, you don't really feel it. Consider: > I was so scared; I thought I was going to die. Compare that to: > I stared at the textured plastic of the tray in upright position in front of me. Would it... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I make my book longer? > A shepherd boy was bored of just watching sheep, so he cried out that there was a wolf, and the people from the nearby town came running to save him, but were angry when he laughed at them and called them all fools. The next day a wolf really came, but nobody listened when he cried out, thinking it... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Could the cast of my book be more unique? It actually takes very little to make a character unique It's not in the clothes, but it might be the clothes. It's not in the color or gender, but it might be the color or gender. But what do I even mean? Uniqueness is contextual Is a character the only guy in a crowd of C-suite folks who's weari... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Question	—	A Market For Long Narrative Poetry? In spirit I have struggled long to find A manner fit to hold my roiling thoughts; A way to slowly pour them to a mold - And happily that manner has been found. A writer long, inclined to stories long And intricate, my poetry is not Of brief and shining moments, gilded-gold; But narrative... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I know if I should be a writer? (Nearly) Everyone needs to be a writer Research mathematicians write papers. Corporate workers draft emails and reports. Software engineers write documentation. Basically any educated worker needs to be able to write clearly and proficiently. Very few people write as well as they should, regardless ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should the name of a mythological creature be capitalized? Yes, if it's the Grinch A unique creature, which is the Manananggal (effectively THAT creature's name), should be capitalized. No, if it's a fairy Even if your creature is rare, if you are likely to ever refer to it as a manananggal (a member of a group or species), then don't capitalize it. (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why do expert fiction writers often give conflicting and contradictory advice to novice writers? It's [not] a Conspiracy There are no simple, black-and-white rules to writing a perfect story; there is no secret. Writing is a complex endeavor, which different people approach in different ways, yielding radically different results. You have to use your own judgment If a particular piece of writ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are reactive protagonists inherently a bad thing? People want things A character is both more plausible and interesting if they have goals and desires which move them to a significant enough degree that the plot is impacted by those desires. Everyone is reactive to the situations around them; it would be unrealistic if your characters didn't reac... (more)	—	over 5 years ago