Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »

Activity for Graham‭

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Edit Post #34889 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Edit Post #32820 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Edit Post #29802 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Edit Post #27464 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Edit Post #26670 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Edit Post #26490 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Edit Post #26475 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Edit Post #23657 Initial revision almost 5 years ago
Answer A: How can I write humor as character trait?
For me, the annoying thing about "funny" characters is where that the humour gets injected artificially, and for some reason they decide they have to tell a joke out of nowhere. That's great for a stand-up routine, but it doesn't make for a good story. In real life, what you want to be emulating is n...
(more)
over 5 years ago
Answer A: Story that's too depressing?
You've certainly ramped up the grimdark a bit! That said, I can think of a number of successful fantasy series which aren't a million miles away from yours. John Wyndham's The Crysalids is almost the scenario you describe, except that mutants are executed (although torture for information is a thing...
(more)
almost 6 years ago
Answer A: Is it considered lazy writing to have a dry prelude at the start of a book?
A feature of modern SF and fantasy is that readers are expected to tolerate not knowing the details of the world at the start, and to pick up these details as they go along. Instead of an info-dump at the start, the relevant information is presented more naturally as the story unfolds. This requires ...
(more)
over 6 years ago
Answer A: How do I find logical errors in my novel?
In addition to the points raised in other answers, I'd also mention that if you're going to include something you don't know about, then you really need someone knowledgeable in that subject to give you guidance. If one of the characters is a martial artist and there's a fight scene, find someone who...
(more)
over 6 years ago
Answer A: How to invest readers in a story that (initially) has no clear direction?
What do you do during that time? Worldbuilding. Show us the world the character lives in. If it's different to ours, show us how it's different, and make us care about it. If the character is on the run, there must be an organisation she's on the run from. What's her understanding of that organisat...
(more)
over 6 years ago
Answer A: What are the standard genre characteristics of contemporary women's fantasy
As my name probably makes clear, I'm not female. However I'm a keen reader of fantasy and SF, and I'm particularly interested in anyone with new things to say, because the power of fantasy and SF is the ability to run fascinating thought experiments. So some of my favourites are from Sheri Tepper, Ur...
(more)
over 6 years ago
Answer A: Am I describing a zombie?
Definitely not a traditional zombie. There are alternative depictions of zombies which you might want to draw on, but all of them have more zombie-like characteristics than you describe. Still, the film Warm Bodies) and the British TV series In the Flesh) are worth looking at, for characters who star...
(more)
over 6 years ago
Answer A: Rewriting a scifi story to fit with actual science, should I do it as I go?
Whose laws of physics...? You're writing this world. If you can make it internally consistent, that's what matters. It doesn't have to follow our physics, so long as everything hangs together. If the plot needs a certain thing to happen, then a certain thing happens. The rest of the world just has ...
(more)
about 7 years ago