Posts by SC for reinstatement of Monica
I sat for nearly ten minutes trying to decide whether to answer or not, because yes, this question is off-topic. On the other hand, how we physically write can influence what we write (keeping in m...
Some time ago I came across a Beta reading worksheet. One common thing is to go through those (or other) points and tell the writer only the problems that one found using them. But IMO it's importa...
If you can make a good case, you could potentially group the short stories by whatever common thread you want, including author. You can also subgroup them. Some examples: Main point in common: ...
How many elements can you focus on during worldbuilding? From what I've gathered, it's either: Detail almost everything, Tolkien style, even if this delays enormously the publicatio...
I'm going to say that it depends. It depends on the message an author wants to transmit and how they write it. Let's say I'm writing a romance. X starts out single and looking for their soulmate a...
I believe the importance of chronological POVs is directly related to the tension of the story. My first attempt at a thriller required me to have everything in strict chronological order because ...
If you're writing from the patient's POV, it's probably easier. You can show the patient's unfiltered reactions and thoughts to the doctor's questions before writing the patient's answer. "So, ...
My suggestion is to casually alude to it. I'm taking up the 'men is dress' example you mentioned. If you have characters going shopping for clothes, you can have both men and women casually comment...
I'm going to focus on one single point: self-doubt. I suffer from self-doubt a lot, so I have come across a strategy to control it. What if I am really not that good, what if I am simply an acu...
If the idea is to have battles with a medieval feel, then the choice lies on Epitoma rei militaris by P. Vegati Renati (now better known as Vegetius). While Rome produced many excellent military ...
As a teacher, I never look at the examples given as 'correct answers' when we're talking about personal writing topics. Let me elaborate with two examples: a) Write an essay about Romeo and Julie...
In a series, I expect to find one of three approaches: a) One single plot that covers the entire series and which is divided into smaller parts in order to give each book some level of closure b)...
I suggest reading accounts of real sieges first of all. I read the siege of Lisbon in 1384, written by the chronicler Fernão Lopes, and it gives a vivid image. The way to portray a siege depends,...
I work with teenagers (language classes). 'Banana' is a terribly unfortunate word that will kickstart a flurry of giggling and joking. Woe befall the poor soul who says they like bananas! Hopefull...
I studied literature at school, and the most important thing I learnt is that the obejctive of a poet is to transmit something, whether an idea or a feeling. To do so, the poet uses a range of tech...
I think there are two steps: 1. Decide the character's philosophy of life I'm using the example of two medieval characters because that's my settings of choice. Imagine we need two female chara...
This started out as a comment, but got too big and I decided to change it into an answer, focusing on the OP's last question: But is it, I don't know, somehow alienating or offensive to white r...
properties [of] a generic main character of character-driven/psychological novel Short Answer: A very long list. Oh, and a degree in Psychology helps. Long Answer: Assume that you are an MC i...
Similarly, in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, we don't hear about Bishop Myriel, his sister and his servant after their scene with Jean Valjean, nor about Félix Tholomyès and his friends after he ...
I would suggest using a variety of methods. Allow the first conversation to be a bit longer than the rest (do notice the emphasis on the 'a bit'), for two main reasons: 1) You are presenting a ne...
Allow me to start with conflict. There are authoritative definitions of conflict out there, but let's keep it simple: conflict is an obstacle. Typically, a character has an objective and the obstac...
While I agree with @Amadeus's answer, I'd suggest thinking about three different points: 1. Style of the letter. Decide if you want to write it as a real letter or just a chapter pretending to be...
There are a few things that need to be made clear: 1: How are females seen in the story's society? 2: What age is one considered adult and can, therefore, legally decide for themselves? Scenar...
I've got a lot of particulars when it comes to writing. I find that what keeps me working can vary immensely depending on the language I'm writing in, the genre, being on holiday or having to manag...
My understanding is that most novels (specifically in the sci-fi/ fantasy genre that I'm writing in) introduce very early in the story at least some sort of notion of an antagonist, a plot or an...
