Activity for Tom‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Edit	Post #38558	Initial revision	—	about 5 years ago
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Answer	—	A: What makes a character irredeemable? Short answer: The Writer Long answer: No character is beyond redemption in fiction, though some will be a much tougher sell to the audience than others, because some things are more easily forgiven. While many redemption arcs are set up early and a careful reader, especially one who knows about wr... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I make names more distinctive without making them longer? You've dug yourself a hole there with the two-syllables-starting-with-vowel rule. The main trick used in many places for distinguishable character names is to have them start with different sounds. And you've just cut that selection down to about 20% of the vocabulary... Names, in real life as in s... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Question	—	Given two alternative, strong endings to a novel, how to decide which one to use? I'm in the final polishing stages of a novel and I have two endings that both blow me away and I feel are very, very strong. Obviously, I can only have one ending. The story doesn't lend itself to a trick where I can write both into the book, but one of them turns out to be a dream and then the real... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Question	—	Non-trope happy ending? This is in the idea stage, but I was wondering... In stories involving multiple protagonists (4 or more) that make and end relationships, date each other, etc. during the course of the story, the typical happy ending happens when everyone has found someone else. It does seem to be the case that unt... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Sometimes a banana is just a banana I'm wondering why you want to ensure that readers don't interpret. Readers, and especially fans, love to discuss fan theories and interpretations. The discussion of fan theories about Game of Thrones on YouTube probably fills ten times the running length of the show. People want this, and no matter h... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it bad to have no gender variety? The main problem with gender bias in books or movies is not so much about parity or percentages, but about force. Whenever it seems forced is when things tend to go wrong and be received badly. That is why most stories have a fairly even spread of genders, as something similar to our everyday experi... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Narrative arc in erotica? "Dangerous Liasons" (1988) and the modern remake "Cruel Intentions" (1999) show example of how it is done. The beginning is stronger in Cruel Intentions, where the main character basically just had sex (off-screen). The trick in both of them is that they make a difference between the sexual climax a... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Choosing between two people in a romance? To answer the actual question that you asked: > how do I, who have grown attached to both of the characters and want them both to succeed, do so in a way that doesn't seem like I'm settling for one or the other? by walking yourself and the reader through the process. Being in love with two women ca... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can you write when you're upset? angrily Seriously. When you are upset, write like an upset person. If you don't have a story where the piece fits in, shelve it for further use. Emotions are incredibly powerful in writing, and the strongest writing often comes from authentic emotions. When you are upset, write about something upse... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: I want to start writing again: original project or new one? First, congratulations for coming out of that hole and taking up writing again. It can be worthwhile to take up an old project. You can look at it again from your current perspective with fresh insights. Be ready that you might want to do extensive editing. I wrote a novel to about 90% of the first... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Writing about a topic which you don't have personal experience in Research is your friend. Most of the (fiction) books that I enjoyed the most show how thoroughly researched they are. On virtually every topic you can find first-person accounts describing the experience. Read them, compare them, distill the essence from them. And yes, this includes death experience... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Thoroughly Despicable Characters There is a phrase that I picked up somewhere and integrated into my life. It helps tremendously with interpersonal relations, but it works for writing as well: > Nobody is the villain of their own life story. Everyone, even the outwardly most evil person, has some internal logic behind their action... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I show the confusion my character feels? In addition to the good answers given so far, confusion can manifest itself literally as confusing the unexpected information with the more familiar. For example: > He told me he currently worked for the NASA. > > I smiled. "Yes, the NSA, that fits him well. He loved spy stories as far back as I k... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Just how Different are Male and Female Readers? Your question mixes two different perspectives. The IMDB stats are aggregates, not only of a population but also of a movie. Two people can give the same movie the same score for completely different reasons. For example, one thought the story and characters were great, but the directing and visual ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Writing a Super Intelligent AI Take a very close look at pets. The main thing about AI is that we cannot imagine at all how it would be or think. We can imagine someone being smarter than us along the same line , but not someone smarter in a completely different way. That is why you should look at pets. I have two cats, and typ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can I make a character make a philosophic observation or say their opinion, even if it's unnecessary for the plot/story? Yes. These observations may not advance the story, but they are a part of this character. They contribute to fleshing out the character and are your version of "show, don't tell" - instead of describing that the guy is always philosophizing, you show him doing it. Also yes , if you, the writer, fe... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I write LGBT characters without looking like I'm trying to be politically correct? There are two types of LGB (and to a much lesser extent, T) characters in stories, be it books, movies or otherwise. One kind where their sexuality is the primary defining character aspect. These characters tend to be one-dimensional, have little depth outside their sexual identity, and are generall... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I translate into a gendered language where the gender would be a spoiler? While my knowledge of hebrew is exactly zero, my native language is also gendered and also uses the male as the "fallback" option. 10+ years ago, using the male would have been the normal and accepted solution. Recently, with the introduction of heavily gender-normaled language constructs, this migh... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I keep the gender of my main character purposely ambiguous? You didn't say why you want to keep the gender ambiguous. That might help in giving a good answer. One possibility that doesn't deceive the reader would be to write 1st person and make your main character himself confused about his gender. Maybe he grew up outside his society where androgynity was n... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do you write boy & girl protagonists without turning them into a love story? You have two options to deal with the situation, which will be on the mind of readers. One is to blatantly ignore it. This is the post-feministic way: Treat the boy and the girl as human beings, romance between them simply never happens, describe their friendship and - through the telling of the sto... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: The protagonist can't defeat the antagonist without the antagonist being stupid It much depends on the story that you are trying to tell. The quest for something (item, allies, knowledge, etc.) that levels the playing field and gives the hero a chance against an (initially) superior enemy is actually at the core of many stories. Overcoming a great, even impossible, obstacle by... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago