Activity for Matthew Brown aka Lord Matt‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Edit	Post #38142	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #36800	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #36700	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #36662	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #32188	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #31973	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #25403	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #23101	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #21943	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #21168	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #15150	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Edit	Post #12513	Initial revision	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Rapid change in character I am a big fan of the four-stage thought process. In my writing group, we call it the story cycle. We start with an event (an inciting incident for the current moment) 1. Emotion (reaction) 2. Reasoning (logic and "in-character" attitudes) 3. Anticipation (expectation of good or bad outcomes) 4. Ac... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I convince my reader that I will not use a certain trope? This sounds a little like, how do I subvert or avoid some common fantasy tropes? (This question, I asked, deals with subverting a trope). The reason I do not think this is a duplicate question is unless I am mistaken, you are asking about establishing expectations within the reader that run counter ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is a sequel allowed to start before the end of the first book? As has been pointed out, there are no "rules" stopping you from having a sequel starting within the time frame of another book in the series. "The Horse and His Boy" takes place wholly within the last few chapters of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe", for example. Thinking like a reader, if I ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I become a better writer when I hate reading? As a dyslexic, I understand the general aversion to reading. As someone who loves storytelling, I nevertheless want to be exposed to stories. There are some life-hacks for the reading adverse that want to write. Get the audiobook Not only does an audiobook outsource the reading to someone else, bu... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: The problem with beginning It sounds like you are grappling with the finer points of opening In Medias Res - right slap bang in the action. This is a tried and tested opening move. What you will be looking to establish right away is the source of the menace (threat). Every scene you write must answer the question, "why should... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Writing a crying scene This looks like another job for our friend Stanislavski. Stanislavski had this idea that an actor should observe themselves through reflection at the end of the day to see what they were doing with their body while they experienced different emotions. That way they could portray those emotions more c... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to increase my readers base for my blog? There is only one thing you need to grow a blog. It must be remarkable. By that I mean it must be worth remarking upon. This can be because it is great, solves a problem, is notably bad, or anything else. The only thing it cannot be is average. No one remembers average. SO grows because whenever a d... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	What does it mean to subvert a trope? Recently, I've been seeing a lot of discussions about works that subvert a given trope. I think I have an understanding of what this means (from context) but can someone offer a clear definition or explanation? (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Where do I write 'The End'? Putting "The End" at the end is a trope that played out in early cinema and, for no reason, I can decern, children's stories (usually as a variant of "they lived happily ever after, the end.") There is a discussion "The End" on TV Tropes (time suck warning). It comes up less often than you would ima... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Seeking advice on establishing the emotional impact of backstory I am drafting a novel outline. The interesting part (and thus the part I should be writing) would come with several characters with preexisting romantic relationships. The choices they make will have a massive impact on those relationships, especially after the final reveal. The emotional tone of th... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Question	—	Having a character quote an entire stanza of a poem I am working on a long form fiction item. In this one of the characters will quote the first stanza from a poem. Normally with speech, one opens quotes, adds the text, and closes quotes. However I do not wish to run the lines of the poem on to each other as I would like the reader to be able to appre... (more)	—	about 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I demonstrate ideological differences between characters who are politically not too different? It should go without saying that some of these other answers have very valuable advice that is definitely worth reading. When people "debate" it is rarely calm and cool headed. It rarely stays on topic and quite often comes from the fact that the basic assumptions which each has hitherto assumed the... (more)	—	over 9 years ago