Matthew Dave‭

While the other answers are great and focus on tangible assets of the world, I'll try and find an answer that focuses instead on stylistic elements. I would say that a good way to get across apathy...

posted 5y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

If you want special areas to denote onomatopoeia, I have a great new medium for you to discover: The comic book. Unfortunately, the narrative medium was not made for the purpose you're proposing. ...

posted 5y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

A simple answer for a simple question. Yes, at the end. That's how mysteries work. Edit: I'll elaborate. Mystery, as a genre, revolves around building suspense around an unknown factor, and the p...

posted 5y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

One way to do it is to write a novel that doesn't have the big bad as a crutch, or the sole instigator of conflict. Perhaps the consequences of the big bad's actions, like a long-standing distrust ...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Make the gestures culture-neutral, or describe the intent of the hand gesture. For example: He gestured across his neck with a cutting motion. This generally implies decapitation, meaning any...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

According to the linked website you provided, the points are pretty self-explanatory. Copy-pasting from the site: The character’s name A one-sentence summary of the character’s storyline The char...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Shippers will always mistake close friendships as homosexual, because of all the natural chemistry that comes with written close friendships. Folks will have 'shipping goggles' on no matter what, a...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

If you want to be truly neutral about these things, just say 'She had notably large breasts' and leave it at that. However, plenty of other users have brought up an excellent way to do this while a...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Ensure there's enough objective external cues to indicate precisely that. For example, did his throat start to sting or his eyes tear up when he saw his enemy in pain? In addition, perhaps have him...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Well, remember, many totalitarian regimes are in fact woefully inefficient. Largely because the emperor/fuhrer/first citizen needs to make sure the people beneath him are either not ambitious enoug...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

As long as the words are used correctly and, as you put it, for precision's sake, it should come off as naturally high-brow. One can tell a thesaurus junkie from one simple aspect; the writer doesn...

posted 6y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I find it somewhat problematic that people seem to desire fantasy books not merely about relatable protagonists, but them in particular. I personally shrug it off; I don't think there's ever gonna ...

posted 5y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Harry Potter was not the first book series to have wand-wielding magicians, and it won't be the last. The best thing to do is just give your own world's wands an identity. My own world has wands/s...

posted 5y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Self-publication, alas, often ends up making a black mark on your track record to traditional publishers, as it says the following: I don't want to go through the quality checks required to get t...

posted 5y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I think my answer may be a tad tinted by my atheism, as I believe every faith and pantheon operates as a function of how a culture interacts with nature, the difficult-to-predict, and the unknown, ...

posted 5y ago by Matthew Dave‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭