Activity for Alexandro Chen
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
Putting a dialogue a tag before a quote Sometimes I see stuff like this: > X said, "..." > > "..." X did this, and then said, "..." Is it used to just vary sentence structure? Or to make dialogue more readable or smoother in certain situations? (more) |
— | about 11 years ago |
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Should dull dialogue be removed completely? The following dialogue is from a novel I'm writing (first draft): > "You're quiet tonight," Erin said to Benjamin, who seemed to be lost in thoughts. > > He looked up and took a sip of his drink. "I'm a bit tired, that all." > > "Too much work?" > > "Yeah, it's killing me, you know. My boss shoul... (more) |
— | about 11 years ago |
| Question | — |
It is a sign of bad writing to have many scenes that are disconnected with the main plot? So my novel look like this (I took this diagram idea from this site, but I'm not sure exactly from whom): The beginning and end focuses on the mystery that the heroine is trying to solve (main plot). The middle focuses on her relationship with the other characters. So I ended up with many random ... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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Do the characters in the following dialogue sound the same? The following unedited dialogue is from a novel I'm writing (which is based on a short story I wrote a while ago): > "I hope it's not an inappropriate question," Icaro said, after hesitating for a moment. "But is it true that you don't have a soul?" > > Ling stared down at her shoes, and then gave ... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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How to keep the reader engaged in a novel where "not much happens"? (Hope I don't get an answer like this). I'm writing a novel where "not much happens," instead, it focuses on things that could happen. In other words, the protagonist does not directly experience love, death, or heartbreak; these things are just about to happen to her (but the novel ends before they... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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Is it a bad practice to occasionally add first-person narrative to third-person narrative? This is a sample of something I wrote: > Erin watched Ruth as she disappeared between the cars and the multitude of people crossing the street. She stood there for a moment, staring at the city scene in front of her. A strange feeling of loneliness and alienation invaded her. Not long ago, there was... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is the first draft of a novel usually shorter than the finished work? I finished the first draft of a novel I'm writing. Right now, it has 17000 words. I've heard that novels these days range from 60,000 to 150,000 words, so I'm a little bit worried (I'm hoping to have 200300 pages). Is this normal? (I didn't stop and edit any single line. And I didn't describe action... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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When to use the em dash (—) in fiction writing? I always see the em dash (—) in fiction writing. Here are some example from Haruki Murakami's After Dark: > Komugi comes in and takes something from one of the cartons piled against the wall—a fresh bathrobe to replace the one from room 404. > > Mari says, "She told me he took everything—her handb... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is it really necessary to add things like "I thought, I wondered, etc," in first-person narrative? Example: > The whole thing sounded a bit strange. How had she gotten my number? I wondered. I didn't know anyone called Maria. > > The whole thing sounded a bit strange. How had she gotten my number anyway? I didn't know anyone called Maria. Another example: > I wondered if the person who called ... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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Deciding whether to use a dialogue tag or an action tag in a dialogue Example: > "I'm not saying you don't know what you are talking about," he said, then looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "But I don't know what you are talking about." > > "I'm not saying you don't know what you are talking about." He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. "But I don't kno... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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Writing a novel which has the same structure and a particular theme in each chapter I'm writing a novel that will have 9 chapters. Most of the chapters have the same structure: 1. The main character goes down a hole she found in her room. 2. She finds herself in a strange part of the city and has a conversation with a strange character. 3. She returns from the hole and discovers ... (more) |
— | over 11 years ago |
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Is going 'off-topic' a sign of bad dialogue? I always wondered if going off-topic in a dialogue is a bad or a normal thing. For example, let's say I'm writing a novel where the main theme is love and loss. Is it bad if the characters start talking about their favorite breakfast, or a cousin they dislike? Or maybe about another theme like alien... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Is it a bad idea to turn a short story into a full-length novel? I've written a couple of short stories. I'm really satisfied with some of them, and I would like to turn them into full-length novels. They were meant to be short stories from the beginning, but I feel I can still add more stuff to them (e.g. some part needed more details, and I didn't develop the ch... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Level of detail in description of character checking the news I'm writing a short story about a girl who has apparently 'missed' an earthquake. This is the beginning of the second scene (here is the first): > Erin was sitting on her bed, working on a new song. Becoming an artist wasn't something she had in mind; writing songs was just a way of putting her thou... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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How to improve the ending of this short story (final scene + flashback) This is sort of the continuation of this previous question. The full text is here (just in case). > Sophia grabbed her bag, and headed towards an entrance in the corner of the room. She walked in, and found herself inside a dark corridor, with a huge water tank at the back. A blue light was coming ... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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How to overcome the fact that I can't write long stories? I have written some short stories (in fact, they are flash fiction). When I'm writing short stories, the ideas and the structure come to my mind by themselves. Something different happens when I try to write long stories; It starts with something simple, but then I add more and more stuff until it g... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Is this dialogue and situation intriguing (short story)? This is the continuation of a story I mentioned in a previous story. I would like to know if the reader would feel intrigued by the dialogue and situation (a girl who seems to be a stripper is lying alone in the stage of a strip club). It used to be intriguing for me, but after editing it like 9 tim... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Is the opening of this story intriguing, "dark" and smooth? Disclaimer: I'm not an Native English Speaker. This is my fifth attempt of writing a short story (the previous ones are set in the same "universe" as this one). I would like to know if the reader would feel intrigued by this opening. I also wonder if he would feel that it has a "dark" atmosphere. ... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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How to effectively jump from one period of time to another in a short story? This is the first time I'm writing something that jumps from one period of time to another in a short story: > The field was vast and empty, like a green abandoned planet. Icaro and Maru were lying on the middle of it, sharing a joint, and gazing at the ocean of stars above them. Occasionally, a bre... (more) |
— | almost 12 years ago |
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Is it a bad idea to have all the action in the beginning and all the dialogue in the end? I wrote a short story. All the action happens mainly at the beginning of the story. You can see part of the beginning in this question, and the full story here). This is the dialogue and ending (just edited it once): > "Excuse me," he said, after gathering some courage. > > She widen her eyes as i... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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Tips for describing features of unusual place that I often visit I'm having problems describing certain parts of a place that I usually visit. Here are some pictures: Park at nighttime Park in daylight For instance, I have no idea how I should refer to the wooden platform on the left (so I just called it wooden platform). I'm also not very sure how to call the s... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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When to use the character's name and when to use she/he? This is the first short story where I'm using actual names for the characters. Here is a sample: > "Sorry for the question," Jun said. "But why don' you have friends?" > > Ling glanced at him, then opened her Asahi cocktail. > > "People are scared of me," she replied. "Others are angry." > > "Bec... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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How to improve the ending of my short novel (mostly dialogue)? In a previous question, I asked about how to improve the opening of my short novel. The following is the ending: > "Can I talk about something that makes me feel strange?" he asked while searching for a glass. She nodded and stared at him with her lips slightly open. > > "A thousand years from now,... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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Will this opening and dialogue grab the reader's attention? And how can I improve it? Disclaimer: I'm not an native English speaker Here is the first part of a short novel I'm writing. For the description I wanted the reader to have an idea of the place first and then let him know that there is people in there (and that they are alone). > The darkness made the bar look bigger than i... (more) |
— | about 12 years ago |
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Does it look unprofessional to have my name and all the titles of my website in lower-case? I'm planning to have all the titles of my website in lowercase, as shown in the picture: I did it to fit the design of the black circle in the top left (Yeah stupid I know, just a designer's obsession for perfection). I would like to know it it looks unprofessional (for instance, having my name w... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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Will the word "seek" be associated with the word "sick" if it is present in the title of my book? I'm planning to title a book "Taiwan Seek." The book is about starting a classified ads website in Taiwan. So I thought about short words that are related to classified ads: want, seek, looking for etc. I didn't want to use want because "Taiwan Want" sounds horrible. I wanted to have a word that is... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
| Question | — |
It is unprofessional to use double exclamation marks and CAPS in a product or service? I'm developing a website: http://alexchen.info/brianfunshine/ My customer wrote the following in the front page: > Hi, I’m Brian “Funshine” Alexander. > I offer professional Music, Voices, and Shows for kids and adults! > SCROLL DOWN HERE FOR MY DEMOS!! Does it look unprofessional? (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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How many words (or lines) are long enough to make someone think about his life but short enough to hook lazy readers? OK, I know that it depends of what it is written. But I believe that human brain responds to a certain amount of words in different ways. Based on that, how many words (or lines) you think are long enough to make someone think about his life but short enough to hook lazy reader? And what examples of ... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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How to attract the average reader to an "intellectual" novel? For instance, If I write a novel which has the following: > “The universe goes through a gradual transition from one condition, to a different condition, without any abrupt changes.” > > After reading the inscription, Maru closed her eyes, and tried to imagine that for while. > > “Things in the un... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Will my readers feel like they are reading a children's storybook if there are illustrations in my novel? I'm writing a novel. I also have good drawing skills. I would like to add illustrations of the setting, locations, and characters. I may include 8 or 10 illustrations (the novel is approximately 200 pages long). I have never seen a novel with illustrations. I wonder if readers will feel like they are... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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In what order should I describe a setting? For instance I'm describing the park of an art museum in a foggy day. I'm not sure if I should start with the fog, wind, grass, threes, walking paths, buildings, stairs or something else. Is there a good order rule to describe a setting (so that the reader get a clear picture of the where the story i... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Is a novel less credible if the dialogues are too perfect? I always find myself trying to make dialogues perfect. For example, the perfect advice, the perfect punch line, the perfect joke or irony. OR maybe if the characters talk continuously without stopping, without making coherent phrases or having breaks. I wonder if the reader feels that the story is k... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Is it possible that my short novel will be boring to my readers because it only has two characters and the location doesn't change? In my story, there are two characters: a schoolgirl and a strange person with a creepy mask who gives her a tour in an art museum at night. Well, actually there is a third character; the boyfriend of the girl, but he only answers the phone at the beginning to tell her that he will come later (but nev... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Has this dialogue enough suspense to engage the reader? I still have to make some grammar and writing corrections but I would like to know if this dialogue Has this has enough suspense to engage the reader (so that he or she wants to read more)? “Excuse me, have you seen a girl that looks like this coming here?” he said while showing the picture of the g... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Do writers use highlighting to clarify ideas in their work in progress? In programming we often use syntax highlight in order to have a better picture of what the role of particular bits of code is (using different colours). I wonder if writers do something similar - while writing a work-in-progress, using some unusual formatting (bold, italics, colors, etc.) in order t... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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What's the proper way of formatting writing from a character in a novel? I'm writing a story that constantly shows what the characters are writing. I would like to know how to format that. Right now I'm doing it like this (please ignore the grammar, it is a rough draft): > The young women dressed as a nurse goes to the bar and orders a sandwich. After that, she check aro... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Are there any techniques to arrange or list ideas from a short text? For example I wrote this: > !Paying! for exams, and also books > to pass them is only a small price / > to give poor people the opportunity / > ...to contribute for the MANSIONS of the people in charge of the edu|ca|tio|nal system There are some ideas there but since it is irony I'm getting a... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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What to do if I end up confused by my own plot because of 'trying to be original' or 'trying to make the story more deep'? Sometimes, I find myself in the dilemma that I come out with a plot that tells exactly what I want to say. But then, I try to modify it in order to make it more original (at least, less similar than current novels). Sometimes is the the way around (I come out with something original but adding 'more... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Is it a good idea to write a summary of a plot before writing the full version? Sometimes when I write a plot I get confused about the motivations of the characters and how events connect as I change elements. Is it a good idea to write a summary first in order to organise things in a simple way? And then writing the actual novel? (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Critique of short essay Basically I need some critics regarding the following points: 1. Does this description essay archive its goal (a creepy story with a 'sappy' ending)? 2. How is the 'rhythm' of the story (is there sometimes too sudden or too long?). > Pets make you feel safe, useful, and needed. Mine was an excepti... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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How to improve this introductory paragraph (to fit writing standards and grab the reader's attention)? > A clock is striking 4:00am at a psychiatric clinic. The darkness, the silence, and absence of people makes it look like a morgue. A young mental health professional is sitting in a chair drinking a cheap vodka alone. He doesn’t resemble a person who is certified in treating mental disorders. He has... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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First conversation scenes I've written (looking for errors, conventions, and improvements according to writing standards) I would like to know if I'm doing something wrong (according to writing standards) in the following conversation and how to improve it to help readability, quality and feeling (making it more interesting). Introduction part: > “Uhm...excuse me, are you Dr. Aide?” she asks with a shy voice. > > “Ye... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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Simple way/techniques of arranging all the ideas and scenes in a plot? Sometimes, I get confused as I add more and more ideas and scenes in a plot, is there any way of arranging these? (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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How to make easy and fast money selling a short book (which is available for download)? This is my first short book, it wrote it to give social awareness. But I would also like to make some money (to avoid dying of hunger). Any suggestions? (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |