Activity for Shantnu Tiwari‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	How can I convey dates (with ordering) for events happening under different dating systems, e.g. a Sci-Fi story spread over the galaxy? So I want to write a Sci-Fi where humans have spread across the solar system and into the galaxy. There are multiple stories going across at several different times. E.g.: 1. Aliens attack Pluto 2. 3 weeks later, aliens arrive at Mars 3. Flashback scene to a few years ago, when Earthlings missed sig... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What constitutes historical fantasy? There is no standard definition. And not just for historical fantasy. Give me a definition, and I will show you a best selling book that doesn't follow it. If your book has both historical and fantasy elements, you can market it as historical fantasy. If you think this will hurt your chances, feel f... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Question	—	How should I format a non fiction book with Scrivener? I have written mainly novels in Scrivener, and am now thinking of writing a small non-fiction work (which I will self publish). When writing a novel, you just keep typing til you reach the end, but non-fiction books have sections. The traditional method is to have space when a new section starts: >... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How much should I reveal of how the world functions in fiction? This will always be a matter of preference, but I'd err on the side on little exposition. As a reader, I get bored by an info dump and usually stop reading. The only exception is humour, like the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. Hannu Rajaniemi is an author who explains very little, yet his books ar... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Question	—	If I'm going to hire a copyeditor, do I need to do any proofing myself? For my book I'm planning to self-pub, I aim to hire a copyeditor / proofreader at some point. The question is this: Should I do any proofreading myself, other than using a spell checker? Currently, my eyes hurt from trying to find small mistakes (things using 'their' for 'there' etc). I'm wondering... (more)	—	almost 12 years ago
Question	—	How to separate scenes in a chapter? I have multiple scenes in a chapter, sometimes from different POVs, or different locations/times. Now I would like to make it clear to the reader that they have left a scene and are entering a new one. Now, Scrivener (which I just started using, so I'm not an expert), places a '#' between scenes, bu... (more)	—	almost 12 years ago
Question	—	Do I have to revise my book on paper? When I read books, blogs, or even answers like this, the advice is usually always the same: To revise properly, you must print out your manuscript, and revise on paper. The thinking goes that one cannot revise properly on the screen, and if you attempt to do so, you will miss things. My question is:... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Question	—	Self publishing: Do I still need to follow the arbitrary word count limits? I am thinking of going down the self publishing path. Now looking at most agents and publishers websites, it seems the expected word count for most novels is around 70-90K. Now these word counts may have made sense in the traditional world, where books had to be printed, bound and shipped all over th... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Question	—	My cool character is doing nothing for the plot. How do I deal with him? So I have this great character( not the main protagonist), who is funny and intelligent. Each scene I write for him is a delight. But the problem is, he is doing nothing for the plot. I have tried to fit him in a few places, but he always stands out, looking uncomfortable. I have tried reasoning wi... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I cleanly show the passage of time, with multiple, varying time scales? What you are talking about isn't "voice", but a scene change. If something is important to your to your scene, you need to describe it in detail. This is especially true in scenes with danger or suspense. So if your heroes are entering a dungeon, where you know there is a monster hiding, you may des... (more)	—	about 12 years ago
Question	—	What is a log line, and why are they bad? The question is as per the title. I read about log lines on Query shark. Now I know what Wikipedia says about them, but I'm still not sure what they are, and why are they bad for writers / queries? (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: Am I too prepared to do NaNoWriMo? There is no harm in starting Nanowrimo with a basic plot outline. Writing without plotting is very hard, and few people other than Stephen King can pull it off, as I said in another answer. The reason many people fail at writing is because they fail to finish anything. Everyone has great ideas, abou... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Are fantasy books expected to be trilogies? Lately, more and more fantasy books I've seen are part of a trilogy. Is this because readers like it, or is it a cynical plot by publishers to draw out the story longer, so they can make more money? :D I'm worried if I follow the market, I may be forced to unnecessarily drag out the book, in the way... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Is there a good project management software for writers? I would like something in which I can set targets - like write/edit 10,000 words a week, set a final end date for the project, set mini targets, track any lag etc. The only PM software I've used in Ms Project, and in my limited experience, is not very easy to use. I'm specifically looking for someth... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Can I write my sub stories separately? I am writing a novel with two groups of characters. They will have their own adventures, and meet somewhere after the middle to take on the main villain. Now in the book, the stories will be interspersed, as they are happening at the same time and roughly the same space. But I was wondering, will i... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	How do I start editing my novel? I had written the first draft of my book and put it in the freezer almost 6 weeks ago. Yesterday I took it out, and after going through a first read to note my reactions, I have decided to start work on the second draft. But it looks like a huge task- I'm not sure where to start. Should I go chapter... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is a discovery writer? Stephen King, by my understanding, was a discovery writer. I will paraphrase what he wrote in his book On Writing. You create some real, believable characters, put them in a challenging situation, and then let them decide where the book would go. If you have done enough work on character development... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	What is a beat? I keep hearing the word "beat" in Writers.SE, as in "... break your scene into beats" from this question. What is a beat? How is it different from a scene? (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	How to give the readers breathing space, without putting them to sleep? I remember reading somewhere that while plots should have tension, too much tension will tire the readers out, so there should be some breathing place, where the reader can get a chance to catch their breath. Unfortunately, in one or two books I read recently, right after a tense scene, the authors ... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	How do I keep the plot interesting in a humorous book? I am about to start writing a fantasy-comedy novel. A problem I found in 1-2 books of this genre is that the plot becomes weak, and the story starts to slow down. The reason I believe this happens is that there is no big struggle or evil villain. Since there is no tension in the plot (as it is a com... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Is there a quick way to know I have created a Mary Sue? For those who don't know what a Mary Sue is: see here. The problem is, there are far too many ways a character can be a Mary Sue, as seen here. Many websites that offer tests to see if your character is a Mary Sue give pages of questions as well. Is there a quick way to know I have created a Mary S... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Answer	—	A: What's a typical trilogy structure? I personally don't like books that force me to buy another 2 books to get the whole story (and maybe wait months or years if the books haven't been published yet). More and more, whenever I see something like "Part 1 of the Foo Boy trilogy" I just put the book back on the shelf, unless the author is... (more)	—	over 12 years ago
Question	—	Should I start work on a sequel before I have sold my book? I finished the 1st draft of my book, and have put it in the freezer(as I asked about in this question). I was planning to start work on a sequel of the book in the meantime. But I was told by someone that I should not work on a sequel till I have sold my first book, since if I can't sell the first b... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital rights management for self-published authors? It varies for each reader, but the majority(at least the vocal majority) say that if I pay for a book, I should own it fully. It should be mine to move to another e-reader, another PC/laptop, or anywhere else. DRM normally doesn't allow this. With DRM, you never really own any book, you just rent it... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	2nd Draft- Fix spelling/grammar or plot first? I just finished the first draft of my novel, and Im going to put it away for at least a month. The book has a lot of spelling / grammatical errors, as in true Nanowrimo style, I kept typing without fixing anything. When I return, what should I focus on: Fixing the spelling and grammar first? Or, s... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	How does the 10,000 hour rule apply to writing? The 10,000 hour rule, popularised by Malcolm Gladwell, says that: > the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours Now, to be a good writer, you need to be a very good reader, writer and editor. Most of us have been ... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do Fantasy novels have less readership than a Realistic Fiction novel? With realistic novels- I assume you mean thrillers. And not 200 pages on how Betty goes to work and comes home everyday. :) All selling novels have an element of fantasy and make believe. In thrillers, it maybe the hero taking on 200 Al Qaeda members alone while flirting with supermodels. In fantasy... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	Do all main characters require equal development? I have been doing some work on character development for my novel. I found that though I can write pages about the main character, other characters, who have an important role and will be there for most of the story(ie, they are not minor characters), only get a small paragraph. So my question is: O... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Question	—	Do books have to be written in sequence? So can we write the interesting action bits first, then add in the in between stuff, that maybe needed to understand the story or characters, but isnt so exciting by itself? For example the interesting scene maybe a scene where the hero fights ninjas and sharks(or ninjas on sharks ;-) ) , but there ... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago