Activity for Stu W
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| Edit | Post #20709 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #20200 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
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| Edit | Post #19866 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
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| Edit | Post #17435 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
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| Edit | Post #16143 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #16137 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #15896 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #15781 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
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| Answer | — |
A: How do I write an uneducated character with a genius level intellect in a medieval society? Medieval men typically worked a trade. Make him gifted in his trade so that commoners come from miles around to acquire his goods. Even nobility have heard of his skills. You can add artistic mastery to the trade. Like a blacksmith who makes not only the mightiest swords but carves the most amazing ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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"The flux capacitor--it's what makes time travel possible." When to keep world-building explanations short Gosh, I really think I'm quite clever sometimes. But what about those situations where the readers (audience) can be told, and they feel completely satiated and entertained by not going into the nuts and bolts. There are tons of examples: How about all the James Bond gadgets? Especially the fireball-... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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Resurrecting a story: Rewrite or Edit? I started a book about 2 years ago, got about halfway through, and then got sidetracked. I know this is a typically bad habit of novelists... Fortunately, the book idea that distracted me made it to the finish line. Now, I want to return to the first book, but the energy of the book I carried around... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Can I have both a prologue and an introduction in my book? If this is fiction, and you are unknown, your book should start with Chapter 1. No matter how clever you are, readers don't really give a rip about your process. Just start the story the best you can. Prologues are common in certain genres like fantasy. You're far more likely to get readers who skip... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Do men fall "in love" (romantic, sensual or desire) with fictional characters? The good-girl-bad-boy thing has always bothered me philosophically. Yet, this scenario fulfills itself endlessly in real life. Perhaps it is a benefit to the OP she exercises this part of her psychology in a fantasy as opposed to an abusive relationship. Men have other problems. Don't get me wromg, ... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How much science/medical detail is too much? I think a better example of "what the people want" would be Tom Clancy. His research, whether it be military, medical, or engineering is meticulous, and its presentation is thorough. He's not afraid to spend thousands of words on intro explanation. But he's Tom Clancy. My suggestion is to start... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Introducing a plot-critical hallucinogen partway through a mystery? Describing a psychedelic experience is inherently difficult. You might try weaving in some behavioral changes seeming out of place as your hints something is amiss. If you wait to the reveal, you'll miss out on the fantastical and spiritual elements accompanying hallucinosis. Does your character know... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: PhD thesis: how to visually separate the "general conclusion" chapter from the last part Although different fields will assuredly have variation in formats, doctoral candidates are expected to design their own research protocols and report them in a meaningful way. As such, I don't think there's a wrong answer per se as long as it doesn't put off your Primary Investigator or thesis commi... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: How find an appropriate vocabulary Prose should slide off your fingers like warm butter. If your brain screams "discombobulated" at you, you don't have to ignore it because it's a big word. There is of course a limit based on your working vocabulary and the genre. Too many big words is snooty. I became a much better writer when I sto... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Where should I place a comma in this sentence? Punctuation is a style issue. As such, you can determine as the writer the message you want your readers to understand. A nonessential clause is an unnecessary piece of information which adds explanation to a sentence. It is separated by commas or em-dashes or parentheses from the rest of the senten... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Story Structure I'll be brief as the other answers are thorough and valuable. 1) Novels succeed because they are good stories. Three-act stories are consistently successful, but many books become bestsellers with alternatives. A good story envelops the reader in your built world and makes them care about the outcom... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: How can I create an inter-connected plot across a series? I would suggest working backwards following completion of book 1 after outlining book 2. This of course requires you to finish book 1 and make alterations before going into query mode (or self publishing). Essentially, you write book 1 as is. After plotting book 2, plant in talismans, characters, ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: How to write a scene where the villain meets the protagonist? Western audiences are into heroic self sacrifices in "brother v. brother" conflicts, such as the archetypal death of Ben Kanobi at the hands of Darth Vader in Star Wars, Episode 4. Some, like the "death" of Neo at the end of Matrix Revolutions or of Ripley at the end of Alien 3 include Christian sym... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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Describing laughter in dialogue? I'm having a problem that is not addressed by The Chicago Manual of Style or the AP Style Guide I have access to: How does a writer express laughter in fiction? I have seen no consistent answer. It seems playwriting and screenplays generally include it since actors are taught to say what's in front ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: How linear should I be in writing my story? Like many answers in life: it depends. I'm not sure how Ulysses works, but I imagine it can splice/paste ideas, keep virtual notecards, and whatnot Some writers draw out long outlines and try to roughly stick with them while others rely on stream-of-consciousness storytelling, at least for the firs... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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Plural of the scholastic grade A There's a similar question right now, and I have an issue: How would one write the grade of A in plural? For clarity, my smart device isn't smart enough for italics. I will use bold. In general, I use The Chicago Manual of Style. There is no problem with "I got three Bs and a C." (No italics recomme... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: How do I write sexual tension between two characters? Tough question--especially if you've never experienced that type of thing. You might get quite a few suggestions here. My own conclusion is to say that, by the end of the book, the reader wants them to get together: they have earned each other's love, respect, and admiration. There are thousands of ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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Switching to fiction software OK, I admit to dinosaur-era technology. My first computer was the Radio Shack Color Computer 2 with a tape deck for memory storage (seriously). Websites were in DOS (let's just say you were lucky to get both upper AND lower case letters). So I've been using Word for 20 + years (I don't remember when... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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Use of the Oxford comma The oxford comma is the second comma in the sentence I like the colors red, white, and blue. Every grammar textbook I've ever seen, as well as the major style guides, feels that this is "proper" despite the fact that most American periodicals exclude it. In fact, most Americans, even professionally e... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: Is it good/bad/neutral to introduce a character's day to day life if it's immediately going to be drastically changed? My favorite performance of this task was Magic Kingdom For Sale--Sold! by Terry Brooks. It spends about a chapter in the Ordinary World and then goes back a couple of times. To answer your question: It adds depth to the characters. It is good. Can it be overdone? Yes. (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: My Conflict Doesn't End at the Climax. What can I do? I thought of three things. From least to most appealing: 1. Letting it linger As you say, once person X is found, the story is complete. You can write an epilogue like you mentioned, but you can also just leave it blank-- either stylistically, or with a hint that there is a "part 2" yet forthcoming.... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
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A: When not to use commas before dialogue (and capitals) Difficult concept and varies with style guide. In general, 1) It Is appropriate to capitalize the first word of a full sentence within a quote (motto s have different rules). 2) All versions of TO SAY should be followed by a conma 3) Exclamations such as "Stop!" should be capitalized with an excla... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
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A: How can I convey something without going into details? Use your characters. What are their lives like? Working plumbing? Toilet paper? Are the streets safe? You can use dialogue rather than prose. "What do you mean there was no milk at the store? They said last week it would be here for sure." "The jerk behind the counter said, 'When it comes, it comes... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |