Activity for Alexandro Chen
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
Does this text flow smoothly (description of suicidal thoughts)? > So how did this animal suicide thing start? Ironically, it began with my own death wish. But why? I had perfect health, friends and family who cared about me, plus I had just been admitted into college. > > Well, basically, I stopped finding meaning in things. Not in a spiritual or philosophical w... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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Does the following opening grip you? > Of all the people who wanted to join the trip, Paola was the the last I expected would come. It surprised me. We barely knew each other at school, and I was pretty sure she wasn't interested in me. I didn't pride myself on being a ladies' man. But if all my rejections had taught me anything, it was... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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Tension built upon whether the main character will commit suicide or not. Problem: I'm using first person narrative I'm writing a novel, called Animal Suicide, about a girl who tried to commit suicide but then postponed the plan after a phone call she received. Everything OK. But then I realized...wait a minute...this is 1st person narrative, obviously she cannot die. Can I still create tension (will the reader ev... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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When does repetition start becoming tedious (especially metaphors)? I always find myself using CTRL + F to remove the words/phrases I think I'm repeating too much (most of the time they are metaphors). In the following passage, however, I'm not very sure whether the repetition is apparent: > Despite my efforts to resist, I couldn't help catching a glimpse of her si... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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Should I change POVs in the following case? I'm writing a story where later on (three or four chapters after) a second main character is introduced. And after that the chapters will alternate between the first MC and this second one. At first I thought of keeping the POV of the first MC since this second character is actually someone the first... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Pros and cons of using real brand/company names? Examples: > Mary sat in front of the computer and fired up Google. > > Mary sat in front of the computer and fired up the search engine. > > Jack started up his old car. > > Jack started up his old Subaru. > > Bob nodded and took a sip of his Budweiser. > > Bob nodded and took a sip of his beer... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Is it a bad writing practice to end a paragraph with question? I'm not sure where I picked up this habit. Here are two examples: > I pictured An-Mei’s slim fingers running across their smooth surface, her hand, and then the body connected to it. But try as I might, I couldn’t recall her face. All I saw were scattered facial features that, no matter how hard I t... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Is it OK to have two different POVs in a same paragraph (third-person omniscient narrator)? This is my first time writing a third-person omniscient narrator. And just got stucked in a dilemma. This is the opening of the story: > Once again Kuo found himself standing face to face with Mei-Ling at the airport. He looked to his side. Sunlight poured in through the window of the observation ar... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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How does the placement of transition sentences affects the meaning/tone of a piece? Example: > Finally, I began questioning the kid. What was her name? Where were her parents? And most important, what was she doing outside in this horrible weather? She replied to none of that. In fact, she didn’t utter a single word; all she did was to stare at me with her uncanny eyes. Luckily, I ... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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Listing items in fiction What sort of criteria should I consider when listing items in fiction? For example: > He was wearing a knit cap, a flower-patterned shirt, and faded jeans. I ordered the items from top to bottom. (That's what makes most sense to me.) Or maybe I should order them in a way it sounds better? > He wa... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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Should I make the gender of the narrator more obvious? This is the opening of a short story I'm writing: > 1996 was the year I became obsessed with animal suicide. I guess you can say it became my reason to live—the sun in my sky, the very air I breathed. I talked about it the all the time: at home, at college, at parties, even at family reunions. So I ... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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"Where did X go?" vs "where had X gone." Which one should be used for a story written in the past tense? Example: > But just as I was about to consider that possibility, I spotted something: a blood-stained feather. It was caught between two strands of grass, a few inches above the ground, beating in wind like a little flag. I knelt down a... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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Using "he/she" instead of "it" for animals I'm writing a short story. The main character is visited by a strange black bird during the night (first draft): > I glanced around but there was no sign of the bird. I didn't spot it in any nearby trees, street poles, or roofs. It had dissolved into the darkness. Just like that. > > Had it been a ... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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Is the following passage confusing? They following is from a short story I'm writing. The main character and his friend are sitting in a bar while discussing about the the former's wife: > “I see,” he said, thinking this over, as if trying to solve an intricate puzzle. “You must have really upset her. But weird, it seems like she hasn... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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How can I get rid of the "things" in the following passage? > “Good. You've done your homework.” The girl turned around and started inspecting a decaying tree, as if checking its health. “Funny, isn't? How nature can make us do things that don't benefit our survival. Things that are just a complete waste of time and energy. Or even worst, things that may hurt... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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I feel my protagonist is too "detached" from the main plot. What should I do? Here's a summary of the plot: The main character goes to a mountain to visit his half-sister. He hasn't seen her in years. She went there to undergo a spiritual healing. Later he discovers her wound has something to do with their elder brother, and that she needs him (the protagonist) in order to ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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What can I use instead of "but" and "however"? I just noticed I tend to use "but" and 'however" in almost every paragraph. Examples (all of them are from the same story): > I almost let everything out. But , funny, I didn't. I didn't want him to feel bad. Which made me wonder if maybe I enjoyed punishing myself. But what for? > > > > This ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Is it bad idea to directly state the message/moral of a story? I realized I tend to state directly the message/moral of the story in my stories (as dialogue in most of the cases). My plots are rather ambiguous, though. And I use a lot of metaphors/symbols so the connection is not always clear. Few examples: Ghost Earthquake The story is about a girl who misse... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Is the following extended metaphor/group of metaphors too overwhelming? > I bought a box of sushi, and sat at the round table beside me. > > Opening the plastic container made me feel as though I was unlocking a treasure chest. I peeked inside to admired its content. Under the store's lamp, the mini-eggs glistened like pearls. The red, white, and orange fish slices rese... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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When to use pronouns, and when to repeat yourself? This is a quote from one of my favorite movies: > "There are nearly thirteen million people in the world. None of those people is an extra. They're all the leads of their own stories." - Synecdoche, New Work (2008) Why didn't he just write: > "There are nearly thirteen million people in the world.... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Procrastination on a Crucial Scene in my Book I think there are two reasons you might be procrastinating on the scene: 1. You are afraid of doing it wrong (in that case follow Lauren Ipsum's advice). 2. It's boring and you don't feel like writing it. If it's the second choice I suggest the following: a. Remove the scene. I know it hurts. But ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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What gender do you think the narrator is? > Once again, I traveled three hours only to eat sushi, alone. Cars passed by and people streamed along the sidewalk. Hanging in the air, I could feel the faint scent of spring. Or maybe it was just the smell of the lilies in the flower shop next to me. Their stem curved ever so slightly, and their o... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Do characters sound too similar if they use the same words/expressions? This is the draft of a story I'm writing (I removed the descriptions): > “Sure they allow visitors?” I asked An-Mei as we headed to the pond. > > “It's OK,” she said. “It's not solitary confinement, you know.” > > “I admit you surprised me,” I said. “Inviting me here. After not seeing each other a... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Should I italicise when the protagonist quote other character's words? For example in a story I'm writing a character says the following: > “Be careful,” An-Mei said, ignoring my question. “No matter what, don't get close to her.” Later on the protagonist thinks about this: > I had decided to avoid the mountain at night. Be careful. Don't get close to her, An-Mei had... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Should I get rid of short sentences that don't provide much information? I realized I have the habit of adding small sentences that don't provide much information: > Eri searched her memory, but came out blank. She couldn’t even remember what she was doing at that time. Which was odd. She didn’t consider herself particularly smart, but when it came to remembering things,... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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As an new author, how important is to have a personal website? I'm planning to create a Facebook page where I can (hopefully) build a small fan base. I've seen many authors who have a personal websites. I'm not very sure, though, how important this is, and whether it is necessary for me considering I've only published two short stories. Is it important for a ne... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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How to format and where to place the "thanks" section for websites in a book? I just finished a "long" short story. And I want to include a section where I thanks Writers SE for the writing advice and Scribophile for the critiques and feedback. How is that properly done? What's the format and where should I place it? (Right now, the pages are like, page 1: book cover, page 2:... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Should I edit the first draft until I'm totally satisfied or should I leave that to the third draft? After having waited for three months for the first draft of my novel to "cool off," I've finally decided to work on the second one. But now I'm presented with who options: 1) edit the this first draft until I'm totally satisfied2) edit the first draft, skip those parts I'm having problems with, and ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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How can I avoid word repetition in the following paragraph? > Eri knelt down slowly and thought about her world. The one with the solid ground in which she had stood all her life. Would that surface break apart one day? And when it did, what would happen to her? Perhaps she would end up floating aimlessly in a vast nothingness. Her feet never touching the gro... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Rhythm in a list I think I don't have problems establishing a rhythm in a "normal" paragraph. I usually just go: short, long, long, long, short, long or something like that. But when it comes to lists, I always get confused. Example: > For the first time today, she became aware of the familiar sights; the zelkova ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Mixing dialogue and action tags In my case, I never use dialogue and action tags in the same unit of dialogue (sorry, I just call them units because I had no idea what they are called). So I would never write something like this: > Jane heaved a sigh, finally giving up. Then she raised her eyes with a warm smile. “It's nothing, D... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Usage of commas in poetry I wrote a piece of poetry for one of my short stories (the main character, Eri, writes poems). It's the following: > Eri, did you feel the earthquake last night? > > Are you really sure your apartment's alright? > > In which planet where you wandering when it came? > > Is reality and the world as... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Should I use present or past tense when the narrator talks about an universal/most-often-true statement? > Eri raised her eyes to the screen again. What a terrible thing it must be for an earthquake to hit right on your birthday. She wondered how often that happened. Maybe earthquakes are completely indifferent to what's important to us. People, special days. Perhaps to them, we're no more than little a... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Ways to replace the phrase "after all?" I recently noticed I use "after all" very often. But unlike other phrases, I never seem to find a way to replace it. Some examples: > Like the books, they hadn't moved a single inch. Erin found this strange. Even the tiniest shaking would have been enough shift their position. Aluminum was as light ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Is repetition justified in the following piece? > Eri kissed her dad on the cheek, and waved goodbye to him. He entered back into the car, and then drove off, disappearing gradually at the far end of the street. Once he was gone, Eri glanced around. For the first time today, she became aware of the familiar sights; the zelkova trees behind the hou... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Is it better to have a deadline? A lot of writers I admire say: "I didn't know how long the story would be." Me too, I'm the kind of writer who don't know where (and when) the story is going to end. So I'm confused—is it better to have a deadline? By better I mean: more likely to finish something. And that something to be of good q... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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When to use semicolons and when to use em dashes? Sometimes I can't decide whether to use a semicolon or a em dash. Usually, I start with semicolons and, once I notice there are too many of them, I start replacing a few with em dashes (as I read somewhere they are interchangeable). I also use em dashes to replace parenthesis. What other criteria sh... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Does it sound more natural to use the character's way of speaking while describing his/her inner thoughts? In the following example, the character is a five-year-old: > Saki stared at her side. Her cousin was right: she had indeed an extra digit on one hand. How come she hadn't notice it before? Maybe it'd been there all along; it's just that she hadn't paid attention to it. But her mother had never said... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Should a piece of fiction be made of 100% concise writing? I recently finished reading William Strunk's Elements of Style. The book mostly teaches how to write concise paragraphs (e.g. by removing, changing, and rearranging words). So I decided to apply that to my writing: > Saki practically spent everyday absorbed in other of her favorite pastimes: making... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Variation in paragraph length I've learned that variation in sentence length is good. How about paragraph length? I always end up with paragraphs like this: > Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim ve... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Does the country matter in a story if it is set in a real one? So far I've been setting my stories in the country I live: Taiwan. Not because I love my country. In fact, I'm not fond of patriotism. I just figured out it would be easier to describe surroundings that I'm familiar with. But I've been wondering lately whether I should set them in places that have to... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Opening a story with a reference to what someone just said followed by a setting description An example: > Naomi's words hung in the air as I gazed out of the hotel window. The mountain lay quietly in the dark, like a calm, sleeping giant. A cluster of city lights glittered beyond. In the forest nearby, pine trees bowed slightly in the wind, and the loud cries of cicadas reverberated among ... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Does the following piece have too much dry narration (mundane tasks, moving about)? > Tsuki woke up to the morning sun that entered through the window. She yawned and sat on the side of the bed, rubbing her eyes. The clock on the wall said half past ten. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then went downstairs. When she reached the dinning room, she realized that there was n... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Is it a bad idea to use a culture-specific word in the title of a story? I wrote a short story long ago called The End of the World. I thought the title was too common so I renamed it to The Kid with the Gigaku Mask and the End of the World. But then, I found that title to be too long, so I just left it as The Kid with the Gigaku Mask. I'm clear that no Western reader wo... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Is the following allowed under the ungrammatical exceptions in fiction? I wrote the following: > Under the shelter of the inn, a barbecue was taking place, red coal glowing in the dark and tiny sparks fluttering around from time to time. or should I change it to: > Under the shelter of the inn, a barbecue was taking place. The red coal glowed in the dark and tiny spar... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Is it correct to use verbs like "sighed" and "laughed" as dialogue tags? In other words, is it correct to write something like this: > "Oh," he laughed. "Sorry, I'm not sure what's with me today." (Every time I see something like this, I think: "How is this peson laughing an talking at the same time? But other times seems OK for me. Strange.) as an shorter version of t... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Placing similes at the beginning and at the end of a sentence Would the following sentences have different effects on the reader? > He washed his hands thoroughly, like a surgeon after an operation. > > Like a surgeon after an operation, he washed his hands thoroughly. Full example: > After pouring the last ingredient, he washed his hands thoroughly, like a... (more) |
— | almost 11 years ago |
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Is it strange if a novel starts the first chapter without one of main characters? I'm writing a novel with the following structure (I'm not very sure what's the technical term): > Chapter One (based on the POV of Character C): C sees B for the first time > > Chapter Two (based on the POV of Character A): A hears about B for the first time > > Chapter Three (based on the POV of ... (more) |
— | about 11 years ago |
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Using senses and similes in descriptions I'm trying to make my descriptions to look less like a bunch of bullet points. So I decided to use more senses and similes. This is something I wrote: > The sun hung in the cloudless sky, like a sentinel looking over the world, welcoming the starting day, warming every plant and creature on earth. ... (more) |
— | about 11 years ago |
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Tips for writing sentences like a native speaker English isn't my native tongue, but I've been writing novels in English for a while. Most of the time, I can be aware of what's grammatically correct and what's not. But making sure that a sentence sounds like one written by a native speaker is a harder task. I've been trying the following: - Writi... (more) |
— | about 11 years ago |