Activity for David Siegelâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit | Post #34651 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34522 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34461 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34214 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34202 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34148 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #23604 | Initial revision | — | about 5 years ago |
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A: How to use deus ex machina safely? It seems to me that the sort of faux deus ex machina described in the question is perfectly acceptable. As to whether it works for readers, or is sufficiently foreshadowed, that requires reading the whole work, and is a question for the author's beta readers. But then, I don't agree that a true deus... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: What should I call a short book about my life? First of all, is this a short autobiography? Or a work of fiction with a protagonist based on yourself? In the first case, I would jsut call it a short autobiography. If this is to be fiction, than you could use one of those terms.This question and the one linked from it give some standards for term... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: Are major mystery subplot(s) in a fantasy story distracting or do they make a story more appealing? A number of works of Fantasy have been basically structured as classic mysteries. Randal Garret's "Lord Darcy" series, particularly the novel Too Many Magicians comes to mind. That is a murder mystery, in fact a Nero Wolfe parody, as well as a spy thriller, in a world where magic substitutes for sign... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: Flash-forward as Prologue and then Flashbacks too complicated? Starting "in the middle of things" is an absolutely classic technique, and i see it done quite frequently in published fiction. I would prefer not to label such a thing as a Prologue, unless it is really outside the main story. Simply make it chapter 1, and start chapter 2 or 3 with your flashback. I... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: Can metaphors be used for other purposes than for stylistic effect and to form an allegory? A metaphor can also be used to explain something in familiar terms. For example, when a popular science book describes Eisenstein gravity due to bent space by using the metaphor of a rubber sheet indented by various objects, with the dent representing the "gravity well" around a body. This particular... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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When can characters be reused? Can one legally include a reference to, or an appearance of, a character from an existing work of fiction? How much of that character can be used? What makes this permitted or forbidden under US law? (This question is to allow answered focused on the specifically legal aspects, additional to those i... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: How should we write a passage where a character sings? I would say that quite a few different methods are possible. I have read books where a few lines are given, followed by paragraphs or even pages of description of how the characters react, followed by a few more lines, and so on. I have read examples where the entire lyric is given in one place. And ... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |