Posts by David Siegel
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 ...
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...
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 la...
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 ...
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 mys...
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, th...
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 th...
