Activity for iamtowrite
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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| Edit | Post #35425 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #35349 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #35308 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #35172 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #35139 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #35002 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34860 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34821 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34737 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34734 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34729 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34678 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34648 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34609 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34586 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Edit | Post #34529 | Initial revision | — | almost 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to avoid drifting into a different genre? My intention is to write a novel that falls into the "contemporary fiction" genre. Also, maybe, the "family drama" subgenre, if such a thing exists. I have a plot point that puts one of my characters in legal trouble, in turn, this affects the protagonist and requires a large portion of her attention... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to identify target audience? And how much details do I need to know about my perfect reader? I'm identifying my target audience based on the experiment explained in the Snowflake Method book. The narrator describes it as follows: > “Now I want you to imagine that you’ve published your novel and it’s on the appropriate shelf at your local bookstore. Six people walk into the store. An older m... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Vague vs Specific: When to provide motivation details for action in a story? I'm reading Wired for Story, by Lisa Cron, where she writes the following about being vague or omitting information that the reader does not know: > ...being vague is never a good idea... > > ...Like most things, it can start off so promisingly: “Holly ducked into the alley, glad to have avoided Sa... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Should authors write books anticipating audiobook narrations? With the surge of audiobooks popularity and the dramatization of fiction and non-fiction recitations, do authors plan for their books to publish their work as audiobooks too? Additionally, if an author knows his book will be made into an audiobook, how does this knowledge alter the writing process? ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Why do professional authors make "consistency" mistakes? And how to avoid them? I'm currently reading a sci-fi book that has over a dozen characters. The author had written dialog for two different characters using the same odd idiom in two separate chapters so far. I cannot see this being intentional, and to me, it is visible and easily detectable by writing software like Scriv... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is it acceptable to use props I saw in a movie in my story? I was watching a movie and, in multiple scenes, the characters were using a set of coffee cups that I haven't seen before. I realized my Main Character is the type of person who would have and use such a set. Is it acceptable to use those exact ones in my novel? They would serve to highlight the tas... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Should I create a domain name using a pen name that is common with another person's domain name? I'm considering a pen name to use, and I wanted to see if its `firstlast.com` domain is available, but it wasn't. So, I thought I could change the domain to something like `firstlastwrites.com`, `authorfirstlast.com`, or `firstlastnovels.com`, etc. which is available. But I'm concerned that someone w... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is there a place for an epilogue in a standalone novel? By definition, an epilogue is an additional chapter after the end of a book. Also, it literally means "additional word". I can imagine a need for an epilogue in a series of novels when there is a need to prepare for a sequel. But are there situations that one would need to add an epilogue in a stand... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
When should a starting writer get his own webpage? I've heard and read from many vlogger and blogger authors that an aspiring writer should have his own webpage as early as possible. Being published or not doesn't come to it. Now, if I created a webpage for myself, I assume I need to post my writings on it. Do my posts need to be periodical, or at l... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Should I show the plot to my beta reader? My wife is the first one who reads my writings, and I'd like to keep her in the dark until I have a solid draft to show her. But I need a second set of eyes with my plot too. If I showed her my plot and asked for her help in choosing plot paths, would that jeopardize her role as a beta reader? (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Would it be believable to defy demographics in a story? My story is set in the US. Would it be believable to the reader if I deviated from the norm that is also supported by demographic data? How many of the following deviations can I get away with? - A female character marries an older guy and have a child before she's 23. Assume this happened in the e... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How specific should I get when brainstorming with what-if exercise? I had a few experiences with what-if style brainstorming technique. In those exercises, I found I got lost in minute details. I'd like to know if this is a good price to pay for the thought pouring that happens? Or is it more effective to try to limit my brain dump to generic thoughts? For instance,... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to use deus ex machina safely? One of my main character's traits is that she has some superstitious beliefs. That trait is not essential to the MC, but everyone in the era of my story is. I'm contemplating a plot point near the end that the reader might perceive as deus ex machina, but the plot point isn't the actual climax, it's ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to write cleanly even if my character uses expletive language? I'm writing a story that I'd like younger readers to pick up. I and they know and understand that some situations are far better expressed with one f-word than a thousand milder ones. I'm keeping my narrative clean, but when I write the dialogue, I don't know what to do. Should I: 1. describe, as i... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to answer questions about my characters? I'm reading KM Weiland's Creating Character Arcs. In it, she lists: > Questions to Ask About the Thing the Character Wants and the Thing the Character Needs > > 1. How is the Lie holding your character back? > > 2. How is the Lie making your character unhappy or unfulfilled? > > 3. What Truth doe... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to do a global find and replace in Ulysses I use Ulysses 15 for my writing. The tool has a robust global search but, to my knowledge, it does not provide a replace function (only the sheet search has a "find and replace" function). Does anyone know how to use the global search, with all of its powers, to also replace content? Note: I'm awar... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |