Posts by Tom
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 ow...
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 forgiv...
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...
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 Thron...
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. Th...
"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...
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 f...
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 th...
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 exp...
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, r...
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...
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 desc...
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 ...
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 acce...
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 worke...
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 in...
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 c...
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) s...
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 differ...
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 ...
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...
