Activity for wetcircuit
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: Books in a trilogy are significantly different lengths. What to do? I'll give another option: 8) Split a major (sub)plot in half, and move the 2nd half into to a later book. It will definitely take some re-writing, but your 1st book seems overloaded. The temptation is to drop the weakest subplot, but consider splitting one of your strongest storylines into a before... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
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Character is called by their first initial. How do I write it? A character's name starts with a hard G, as in Gary. Another character (dismissively) calls him by his first initial "G", said with a soft G, as in gee whiz. I've been using the letter G, but it's giving me the willies in formatted text. I don't know that it's wrong, but it pings wrong to my eye. I... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: The seven story archetypes. Are they truly all of them? Do you want the most stories, or the least stories? The ad infinitum of plot lists is probably the book Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots by William Wallace Cook. It's a manic collection of (often bizarre) story vignettes, with an algebraic formula for how to string them together. It claims to of... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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In a script how can I signal who's winning the argument? Arguments, discussions, disagreements In my script I have a lot of "arguments" – loose definition: long discussions where characters disagree about what to do. These arguments don't escalate to a full-blown fight, rather they are more like sparring and establishing dominance. It affirms characters... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to write a sincerely religious protagonist without preaching or affirming or judging their worldview? Save the cat All the standard tricks will still work. Readers can like the protagonist through some simple actions that show he he is a kind person. Allow him to help someone in need, show a kind heart, concern for suffering, and consideration for those who would go unnoticed. Make him relatable A... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Is an easily guessed plot twist a good plot twist? I'm going with a frame challenge. Not all reveals are a "twist" A twist is new information that changes the meaning of earlier events. This is done by writing 2 plots with the same events. The MC believes the 1st plot until the twist when the 2nd plot is revealed as the true version of events. Read... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Magic is the twist You need a major twist earlier in the story. The promise to the reader is that there is a debate about the strange events, and that things don't always turn out as they appear. That makes your ending "fit" within the possibilities defined by the story. > Strange events have happened and have been s... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: I don't want to be introduced as a "Minority Novelist" Author talking points and author background might give a reviewer or journalist something to write about. 1st-time fiction authors are – publicity wise – a dime-a-dozen. If there is a way to talk about the book and it's author, some "angle" that suggests the main character is unique and authentic be... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Sense of humor in your sci-fi stories > My question has been provoked by the fact that I have a very spicy joke for a specific situation in a sci-fi story and I'm not sure how readers would react to that. I'll stick to this specific situation. A discussion about what is funny, and how humor works is way too broad. "No movie is worth a ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Should fiction mention song names and iPods? It tells us nothing The phrase Gary Jules 'Mad Mad World' has no emotional resonance with me whatsoever. It is not shorthand for "a specific emotional state". Popular music is not a universal experience. It can signal to your "tribe": people who are the same age, gender, financial tier, and probabl... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Averting Real Women Don’t Wear Dresses Inanna's Journey and "girly" heroes There are traditional "girly" heroes – often they take the pattern of Inanna's Journey. Rather than "leveling up" like a plucky male hero, Inanna's Journey is about maintaining wits/dignity/femininity while losing or descending in status. Once she's lost everythin... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Should I explain the reasons for gaslighting? I have an ambiguous script situation, 2 co-protagonists begin gaslighting the MC. They each have ulterior motives which they don't say. The reader is intended to infer the lies through contradictory statements, and the abrupt character change. The shift is so extreme it calls into question everything... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to represent jealousy in a cute way? Acknowledging that the top answer cautions controlling another person is abuse , and abuse is never cute , I'll try to suggest ways to minimize the issues. - Avoid Blame : The lover is not at fault and clearly not doing anything wrong. The protagonist can see this, and trusts the lover, but can't he... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to write a convincing religious myth? You might want to present the in-story text as a parable which means the story has a teachable message, rather than words like "mythology" or "religion" which imply a spiritual calling. > the role of the text in context, and the protagonist's reaction to it are the important points The protagonist ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How do I indicate a superfan review vs a social-criticism essay? I occasionally write short essays about classic films, and have been thinking about converting them into video essay for YouTube. What I observe are 2 very different types of essay – I'm not sure what to call them. One type approaches the work as a superfan. The canon story is revered, and the deta... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How is character development a major role in the plot of a story Orson Scott Card described 4 types of story he called M.I.C.E. The goal is not to exclusively write 1 type of story, but to be aware which type your story is, and then work to include some of the other types as support. The technique is called M.I.C.E. Quotient. M.I.C.E: - Milieau ("big genre" set... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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How do I subvert the tropes of a train heist? What are the recognizable tropes to a "train heist", or more broadly the action sequences where a protagonist boards a moving train in order to stop it? My protagonist is the unreliable guile heroine who has been playing at hero the entire book. She typically over-inflates intrigue, misreads clues, ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Plot twist where the antagonist wins Hero-always-wins is a trope I wouldn't call this a plot twist. A twist is a reveal. It changes how events earlier in the story are perceived. This is subverting a trope. The trope is an expected cliché: "the hero always wins", but then you break or subvert expectations. (See 2016 for middle-aged me... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How do I write real-world stories separate from my country of origin? Allow me to introduce you to a game-changing author who at age 19 wrote a morally complicated "pot boiler" about a privileged jerk who plays god then abandons his responsibility. This novel has everything: an anti-hero who fails his redemption arc, a villain who is articulate and sympathetic, and a h... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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Many sexual situations, but no actual sex scenes? My guile heroine's character arc is almost entirely sex and manipulation. I tell (not show) she was a sex worker in the past, it's left ambiguous (likely) that she still is. She has powerplay scenes with multiple characters where she is able to change the stakes during a sexually-charged situation. ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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Is every story set in the future "science fiction"? Science Fiction is a "big tent" genre, and we all know it when we see it. Even if we argue about the specific tropes – and what might make something lean heavily towards another classification (science-fantasy, speculative fiction, etc), is every story that takes place in the future "science fiction... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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Can I bring back Planetary Romance as a genre? This question is about genre and reader expectations. I'm not trying to change my story to fit a mainstream genre. I have already taken steps to broaden it's appeal, but it's too late to create an entirely different type of story. I'm writing and illustrating a graphic novel. My difficulty is that I... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: How to balance the agendas of co protagonists that periodically conflict? > How best to keep these occasionally polarizing aims balanced without creating reader whiplash? This is character conflict and it's a good thing I think it's not about which character is "winning" at any given moment, but about this trust dynamic between the characters. Over the course of the plo... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Does success imply validation and agreement? Yes. It's your main character, who is a bully, and wins. There is nothing ambiguous about this. 95% of people are already well aware of it. This is only a story to the children of wealthy people, and the 5% who are already the bullies. (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Does the reader need to like the PoV character? Some people need to like the MC, yes. And they don't seem to change their mind just because the writing is good or the situation is original. Me, I need consistent characters that have believable actions. I can put up with a lot of plot contrivances if the characters are well-written and their moti... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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What is the structure of a paranormal horror story? Building on the definition of a Paranormal Story (as opposed to Dark Fantasy) described in the answers here: What are most common tropes of a paranormal book and dark fantasy book?. A paranormal story is about a phenomenon that cannot be explained in-world. It defies natural laws, probably logic and... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Mortal danger in mid-grade literature In Star Wars , Luke Skywalker murders an estimated 250,000 civilian employees aboard the Death Star. The same source says there were over 1.5 million troops aboard who we learn from the sequels are not all evil – many have a moral compass, disagree with the Empire, and can be turned to the "good" sid... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: When should a starting writer get his own webpage? Every non-fiction writer should have a blog covering the topics they write about. You are trying to establish yourself as an authority on the subject, an influencer of ideas and opinions, or a curator of taste. If you write about historical subjects (or tea, or cocker spaniels), a blog about your to... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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How do I mix linear and non-linear "choices" in an interactive novel? In my interactive novel , I'm trying to keep the word count between choice prompts fairly short and consistent, but that means sometimes breaking up longer text into a few sections…. I've been using a single choice to indicate when the story is linear, and 3 choices when there are actual non-linear ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Too soon for a plot twist? Hero 1 goes through the gauntlet to become a hero, and it's left him bitter. He's angry at how unfair it was. How many good men died just to prove purity (or whatever). He is a hero, but he's broken. Hero 2 goes through the gauntlet to follow in his idol's footsteps: Hero 1. He gets through the gau... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: What points should a "Character Interview" method for character building hit? 5 Hours, 5 Days, 5 years (ago) Unfortunately, I don't remember where I read this, but an author/writing guide I read suggested a simple rule of character interview 5 Hours, 5 Days, and 5 Years. Ask what they were doing at those 3 times and that's all you really need to know about them (according to ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Should an author include user-interactive sections in his website? > An author website supposedly has a lot of functions, such as: > > - Promoting one's latest book; Keeping one's audience engaged with weekly updates; > - Keeping track of events or conventions where the author will be; > - Presenting additional materials, such as cut drafts, character descriptions... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: When does inspiration across artforms become plagiarism > Do Songs and Paintings have the same rules and protections as Books and Film for copying (into written form). Songs and paintings are protected under copyright laws, but it might be helpful to understand what copyright is meant to do. Copyright is not intended to rob you of your creativity under ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: How large should photos on my blog be? Any online image can be scaled to 100% of the width of the webpage, that means it will always fill the available width, regardless of the actual pixel size. compression is more important than pixel size Somewhat more important than pixel size is compression. TinyPNG, pngquant, ImageOptim, and other... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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How can I get readers to accept more than 1 "buy" in worldbuilding? An alternative "Occult Universe" I open my occult detective novel in what is ostensibly a "noir" style, but through worldbuilding I attempt to show that the story is set in an alternate occult universe which diverged from our own sometime during the early 19th Century, along with the rise in Victori... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Making him into a bully (how to show mild violence) Joe is insecure and craves approval Joe has a deperate need to be looked up to. It is more important to him than other people's feelings, or even his ability to read the room. Joe hangs out with 2 morons because they laugh when he makes jokes, and respond to his displays of power imbalance, which t... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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Should I signal completion of a decision point in an interactive novel? In my visual novel (an interactive, narrative-based video-game), I have a detective character who decides whether he believes interviewees controlled by the player. The detective doesn't explain his reason but it's buried in the choices. The reader can't anticipate which choice-combination will conv... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Sugar-coating a niche genre I have no advice about your mom. However, I notice that within the question you signal the story is not to your own taste, that beta readers held their noses but liked it ok, and that you are unsure what genre it might be and even if you did know it is obviously "just a niche". This is not selling ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Using time travel without creating plot holes Time travel is cheating. You are already cheating. Even if you come up with a worldbuild-y excuse how your cheat works or what limits it, you are already cheating, so just accept it. Plot holes are not created by time travel, they are created by poor writing – like inventing "rules" for something th... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: How to write painful torture scenes without being over-the-top All scenes have more than one thing going on. Scenes are never just a series of sequential facts, there are negotiations and compromises, misdirections and sacrifices – yes it's all scaled down to the one scene, but there is still the thing the character wants conflicted with the thing the character ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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How can I portray body horror and still be sensitive to people with disabilities? Building on my answer in Proven psychological or scientific means of scaring people?, I'm working on a universal horror-theme structure for a branching-narrative series with an occult detective. I won't discuss the whole system, but the idea is that each story has multiple themes that progress increm... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Is it bad to have no gender variety? It is such a wonderful idea, I am doing it right now. My story is 3 female protagonists who uncomfortably team up – frenemies. I made them all women because I wanted to see more women adventurers in sci-fi. And probably because I watched too much Charlie's Angels as a child, so … 3 women in spaaaace... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Creating and keeping track of characters Logistics and Blocking What you are describing is logistics and blocking: > Colonel Mustard is in the Observatory with the Revolver. Adding the who-where-when details to a scene is no different than plotting the current location of a MacGuffin, or pacing the reveal of a plot twist. This informatio... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Should I add racism in my book's world or have my world have no racism? > So should I use racism as one of the parts of my worldbuilding? Or write a story without racism as part of my worldbuilding? Yes, you should add racism to your worldbuilding. Wait – hear me out. Racism is real, and it's an "ism" – I mean, it's a society-shaping force. Racism is not neighbor squab... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to present an alien culture with different morals, without it coming across as savage? Have an "authority class" We have a society that tends to view a certain type of tall, blue-eyed, grey-haired male, in athletic shape for his age, as authority figures. If you've ever been in the upper corporate sphere, you encounter these men everywhere – far beyond their representation within the ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Convincing argument about something I don't agree with Give him a compassionate reason, even if it is wrong Like maybe mutants sometimes murder their friends in uncontrolled rages. Day believes (correctly, from one of your other questions) that these mutants don't have control over their emotions. Day's father seems stern and heavy-handed, but it's bec... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: I'm afraid that my setups will be overlooked SHOW, DON'T TELL Avoid "prophesies" or "maid and butler dialog" about those almost-forgotten immortals that would telegraph what is coming. This is "telling, not showing". It should be a surprise to both the characters and the reader if it is meant to have any narrative impact. The first time he is... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Flashforward Tense The story's tense is all about your narrative voice. It can't orient the reader to a larger timeline structure because no matter what tense is used the reader's now is where they are reading. The narrator and reader exist in the reader's present. The narrator can use tense to indicate events in the ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to write a good MacGuffin? the MacGuffin joke I've never understood Hitchcock's "joke" about the MacGuffin on a train. It's clear that it's some kind of nonsense diversion but the punchline just doesn't make sense: > “It’s an apparatus for trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands.” The first man says, “But there are no lions... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Creating an incompetent antagonist > Alternatively, am I approaching this from the wrong direction, and need to have the Empire represent legitimate antagonistic force? You've got plenty of answers here so I'll offer a different approach. > The "real" tension in the story, and where most of the conflict will arise, is between the re... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |