Posts by alex
Example from my own writing: I cupped my nose—when I should have covered my ears. To block the wicked mocking of my classmates. I was told by another writer that I should avoid this kind o...
Here are the examples. The first version is the simile and the second the metaphor (I'm not sure, though, what kind it is). We faced away from each other awkwardly, as if we were on the first ...
They are the good in lyrics and poems, but what about prose? An example from my own writing: I fall to the ceramic floor, blood and bile dripping from my lips, my stomach full but my muscles...
Scribophile. You critique other people's work and people critique yours. You can get 10 critiques in a month. The final product is very close as what you get with a professional editor.
Here's an example from my own writing: Watching the ceiling fan stir my thoughts, I said, “His favorite thing was to tell me about his day.” Mrs. Saeki gawked at me behind her square gla...
I'm writing a novel where a person who has decided to commit suicide can hire some murderers to kill he/him in the way he/she prefers. There are only two members running this service. A man and a w...
Example: I shook my head unbelieving. Could someone I barely knew know so much about me? No, impossible. Could someone I barely knew know so much about me? The first example uses externa...
Example from my own writing: One time, I sent letters, pretending to be a god. I spent last week sending letters, pretending to be a god. The recipient of these letters was Aiko Kobayashi...
This is a bit hard to explain so here's are are two examples: She let out a sigh of relief. He arched an amused eyebrow. My theory is this: you only need to directly state the emotion wh...
Example in my own writing: Kazumi didn't reply to her boyfriend---or rather ex-boyfriend's---message. Instead, she stayed at Burger King, reanalyzing Kouta's abandonment over a coffee. No, ...
We ordered pork belly, beef liver, and lamb slices—a selection that made our tongues melt and our stomachs heat up. Rattled by a sound or shake that only Sumire had detected, she picked ...
One of the answers to this question movitated me to ask this. I don't agree 100% with the answerer, however, I think he has good points. Do you really weaken the focus if you mix dialogue and acti...
I find myself writing these a lot: "Thanks." She tilted her head shyly to the side. As soon as she did, her chin-length hair slid off her face, revealing the bowl-sized bruise that made her...
Example from my writing: Not everything was rainbow and roses, of course. Sometimes rain would fall on my head or a thorn prickle my finger. Of course, not everything was rainbow and ros...
“Check this out, Daichi.” Kiyoshi waved the letter at me. “From a girl.” [I looked at it.] A rabbit sticker sealed the manila envelope. Graceful handwritten words read: To Kiyoshi. Th...
I find myself writing "Then, ..." a lot. Example: As soon as she found my letter---or rather, Kiyoshi's---she widened her slitted eyes and pressed the letter against her chest. Then, as tho...
In other words, is it strange/confusing to do this? For the next few seconds, I watched Aiko read the letter with her lips agape---lips that steadily curled up into a smile. A contagious one....
In a story I use the Japanese words konnichiwa and kawaii: "Konnichiwa!" greeted a voice. "Wanna cuddle with a cutie for a couple of minutes?" She beamed a kittenish kawaii smile. I t...
I'm writing a short story structured like this: Character A's POV * * * Character B's POV * * * Character B's POV * * * Character A's POV * * * Character B's POV * * * Based on the firs...
Say, I mention the following equation in a novel/short story: (Direct Cost / (100 - Desired Profit)) * 100 How should I format that in narration? In capital letters? Italics? First variab...
For example, should I italicize words like neg and kino? Words created by the pick-up artists/seduction community? (I'm writing a novel where I use these words.)
For example, what's the difference between: She closed her eyes and thought about her life. He was so confident and handsome women circled him like vultures. And this: Closing her ey...
I'm writing a story which starts with the birth of the MC; the scene just shows the parents talking with the doctor. The MC enters the picture in third person limited in the following scene (and th...
