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Activity for Chris Johns‭

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Edit Post #31797 Initial revision about 5 years ago
Edit Post #30920 Initial revision about 5 years ago
Edit Post #30889 Initial revision about 5 years ago
Edit Post #27556 Initial revision about 5 years ago
Edit Post #19449 Initial revision about 5 years ago
Edit Post #18638 Initial revision about 5 years ago
Answer A: How should a big universe be introduced without being boring?
It is generally not very effective to try an introduce big chunks of exposition, especially near the beginning of a story as it tends to be fairly dry information and gives the reader little incentive to continue reading. The first few chapters are what sets the tone of story and you generally want t...
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about 6 years ago
Answer A: What are the limits to description in story writing? How do I know if I have crossed them?
There is no clear rule sometimes detailed description does the job at other times you are better off evoking what you want with a few well chosen words. The first thing to note is that detail also has an effect on pace, more description tends to slow things down. there is also always a bit of a tem...
(more)
about 6 years ago
Answer A: Writing about a topic which you don't have personal experience in
It depends a lot what you are trying to achieve. Some things are very specific and you are going to need very specific research to convey them properly. Take drugs for example, different drugs have different effects and for obvious reasons writing about the inner experience of taking them is not goi...
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about 6 years ago
Answer A: Subplots better than the main plot
That's absolutely fine. As other answers have said the concept of a fairly generic plot where the sub-stories are the real meat is very old indeed and can work very well. Especially with the rise of long form TV series (Netflix etc) where you're trying to balance an overall story arc with compelling...
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about 6 years ago
Answer A: Why aren't detective stories written in the protagonist's POV?
One reason is to maintain suspense. A big part of the attraction of the detective genre is for the reader to try to work out for themselves what is happening with varying degrees of assistance from the writer. If written from the perspective of the detective then the reader has access to all their o...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Can Originality Sell a Book?
Originality tends to be judged retrospectively, it is at the best of times debatable and most people would agree that it its not something you can manufacture on demand. Similarly it is entirely possible for an author to have a very distinctive style without necessarily being highly original in term...
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about 8 years ago