Activity for Cyn
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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A: How to give characters a unique voice Find yourself a writer's group where you critique each other's work. Or a group of friends/family will work for this. Make sure it's in person (or by video/phone conference, if you must). Now, read your work out loud. Not the whole thing; maybe 10-15 mins. Even if you're writing work meant to be rea... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Names already used There are two separate issues here: 1. Are there legal repercussions if you do not change the names? 2. Should you change the names in the absence of legal issues? For the first, I don't know the laws in the UK (though laws in other countries may apply if the book is published there). In the US, it... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: When should a supporting character be scrapped? To make a supporting character more vital, give her her own arc. How does she grow and change over the course of the story? What does she really think about what the MC is doing? What backstories does she bring to the table? You don't have to use these things explicitly, but have them in mind. Have ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Writing a Non Fiction: Need to Format a Continuous Side Bar While I haven't done exactly what you're doing, I've often needed to format two side-by-side sections that are in precise vertical positions. Formatting for two columns does not work well. It's okay if you're making a brochure, because you don't change it often. But if you're writing and editing a st... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: I feel like my book is too similar to famous existing novels? I'm not familiar with every book you list, and of course I haven't read your manuscript. A lot of the themes of novels, and a lot of characters as well, are fairly universal. Or at least common. It's a lot more of a problem when you're finding your plot, your world, and your characters all seem to co... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to describe a horse from the POV of someone who has never seen one? She would focus on both the familiar and the parts that are out of place. Familiar: \ It's an animal (mammal) (4 legs, hairy) \ It works in a helper capacity to humans Bizarre: \ Its size! This is probably her first impression. \ It can be ridden. If this is part of her first view, it will... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to balance a character‘s duty versus his conscience There is no conflict between duty and conscience The man's duty is to neutralize the asset, with minimal loss of life and resources on his side. He would be doing his duty if he killed the asset or if he captured the asset. You're saying he prefers at this point to capture the asset. This is not c... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do you keep track of projects/ideas until you have time to write them down? Tell someone. The act of speaking (or writing) an idea will reinforce its memory. You can tell whoever you happen to be with. Or call someone and leave them a message. Or call yourself and leave a message (but that would fall into the methods you've already considered I'm sure). If you can only tel... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What means of publishing yields best reputation in scientific community? Get your best work published in the best journal you can manage. The "best" journal will depend completely not just on your field but on your speciality and the school of thought you subscribe to. Ask your colleagues if you're not sure. Also apply to present your paper (published or not) at the best... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Creating an incompetent antagonist People can be intelligent and competent yet still unable to do their job. The military might be underfunded (seems really unlikely but you can set your story up however you like). You might be the best commander in history but you are going to fail if your equipment and personnel are not at the level... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Why using the "It Was All Just a Dream" Trope? One example I have uses this trope for the benefit of the creative team. In the TV show Married with Children, the lead actor was pregnant. I've seen all sorts of ways TV has dealt with pregnant actors, ranging from adding a child to the show (I Love Lucy), completely ignoring it and pretending no on... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Shortening an already short story Some stories simply need more room to breathe. You might be having so much trouble because your story can't lose 1/3 of the words and still tell its tale. 1500 words is not huge to be begin with. My advice if you're going to go ahead and make the cuts is to take the original and do a save-as so you ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How should you use sexually deviant monsters in fantasy? So much of this depends on your ability as a writer. In the hands of one author, a monster like this could enhance the story, with a different author, it could cause people to throw the book across the room. The idea, in and of itself, can work, but it's tricky. What I think makes the biggest differ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How best to avoid the appearance of Deus Ex Machina with established character? Introduce TP earlier. If you don't want TP introduced by coming "on stage" as it were, you can have characters refer to her/him. These folks are in a battle. Not only does that tend to bring people closer together so that they'll talk about their lives and the people who aren't there, but it also me... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Citing and typos Are you citing the French edition? (the original) If so, it's perfectly legitimate to make your own translation. I'm not sure where the English translation is coming from. If it's a duel language book, you still have the right to do your own translation from the original. (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Footnotes for Translation purposes Welcome. You do not need to use footnotes in a novel. In fact, they're usually distracting. Sometimes you can do it, but it's pretty unusual. An example of one that worked was really a chapter endnote and it is for a book in the Little House series. It let the reader know that “fever 'n' ague” (which... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How much should you "guide" your audience with questions? I would progress with great subtlety. Drop the tiniest of hints here and there but, mostly, let the reader do all the thinking possible. When you've got your draft, send it to people to read. Ask them to make notes. When they've done that, you can ask them additional questions if they aren't in the ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Do I need to provide in-text citations in a news article for school? News articles generally put citations in the form of a quote. "The firestorms are challenging, but we don't foresee shutting down electrical service to areas near the uncontained areas at this time," Javier Sanchez, operations manager for Golden State Electric & Gas, told reporters at a press confer... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Should I write my story if I haven't established a plot? Which answer is the one that's going to get you to sit down and write? That's the correct one. It's way too easy to get stuck on process. "I just have to do X, then I can write!" When I finally sat down to write my novel (after writing it for years in my head), I wrote a chapter about 3/4 of the way... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to avoid mentioning the name of a character? Have the narrator tell the action in that place, not show it. Then show Old Man's reaction. Example: "Nothing gives you the right to do this." Old Man sat back down in his chair, hoping Taylor would take the hint and go. Instead, he bent over so close Old Man smelled beer and onions on his breath.... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Where can I find resources to look up Native American names? In the book I'm writing, a sibling group among my characters are 1/4 Native American. I first chose the tribe. Since I knew where they lived (a fictional small town outside a real-life larger town in Arizona), I looked up which modern-day tribes existed and picked the one that seemed most likely. N... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Ripoff Character It's not uncommon for people to start off writing works that are either straight up fan fiction or so strongly "inspired" by someone else's work that they might as well be. And that's okay. What's not okay is publishing it and calling it your original work. But if you're writing for practice or for f... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How can I describe nervousness? Talk to people about what happens when they get nervous so you have a strong database of ideas. And give every character a different set of reactions. The main character in the novel I'm working on likes to take leaves or flowers and slowly shred them with her fingers. Another character reacts physic... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Having Trouble Writing An Opening Scene With A Shy Character If your premise is that she's really good at certain things and awful at others, your opening scene should show both. Without explaining it! Just show. I'd open with a scene of her at her best. Then weave in some of the places where she struggles. (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do you construct a thesis statement? I am pretty sure this isn't a proper question for this site, but I will answer. First, it's "I will argue" and not "I will arguing." Second, it's "cause unemployment" or "cause increasing numbers of unemployed workers" or "lead to a higher rate of unemployment." But that's just grammar (I assume E... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How can I avoid a predictable plot? Sometimes a predictable plot is not a bad thing. If you choose to go ahead with it, you can still shake things up. Take something like the modern movie Titanic. We already know the boat is going to sink. And that most of the people will not survive. We know why the boat sunk. We even know a fair num... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to sell your book? The reason to have an agent is to get a publisher. The publisher may or may not do a lot of this marketing but they will take care of the release dates, getting the book into stores, number of copies, etc. Agents don't do marketing, though they might either refer you to a publicist or help you out, ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Does this scene fail the Bechdel test? The Bechdel Test (which was originally about movies, not books, not that I know which your work is) is meant to apply to the work as a whole. It's not about individual scenes. Look at your work as a whole. Are female (and/or other non-male) characters well represented, in a variety of positions as a... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Portraying the Brutality of War Events will have less emotional impact on the reader if you write them in the background and not for specific characters, especially not your main characters. For example, compare a scene describing a violent rape to one of your characters vs a scene where a character is in police station or a milit... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to avoid basing an autistic character too much upon myself? Are you happy with your story and character in other ways? Is the only problem your worry that she's too much like you? If so, then I suggest you just keep writing. I assure you that the character you described isn't routine and boring. You're still using your imagination, even if you draw on your ow... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is it much costlier to self-publish a 6x9 book than a 5x8 with a POD printer? I'm going to complicate this even more for you. Every printer is different! So, yes: More pages cost more. More copies costs less per copy. A larger page costs more. So you're going to have to contact several printers and then take a lot of notes. I started doing this myself for a project an... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How should I calculate the rate for a book I am writing as a co-author? Something in the range of $50/hour (assuming US dollars within the US or the equivalent in industrial countries) is reasonable for professionals. It's about what artists charge to do illustrations and the like. Some charge more, some charge less. My guess is anything from $20-70/hour is what people m... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How can I make a character who isn't a jerk seem like one? I like this version of the question better than the last one. There are many ways to be considered a jerk. The most common is someone who deliberately says or does things that are cruel or obnoxious. But another is to be unthinking about people around you. You might be off in your own head, or have ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Can I use an abbreviated two-digit format for year in a resume? Like others, I don't recommend it. Why? Because people who read resumes do not treat them like a book. Your resume will go into a big pile (or the electronic equivalent) that someone has to go through. They're going to skim each one to give a rough yes or no and then they'll go through the yeses more... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Point of view switching Make sure you start a new chapter or section when you make a switch in either direction, unless it is short. Make it obvious to the reader. In some cases you might want to set aside the page with the first person and use a different font or a box or a background shade. You can also set text in a box ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to introduce multiple outfits in a short amount of time? I would do this the same way you introduce multiple characters: slowly over time and as needed. If you give the reader too much information up front, they will not remember it. It's hard to remember a lot of details before you can even tell the characters apart. To you they're individuals with their ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to introduce a large amount of characters in the first chapter? I have 25-30 "main characters," (feel free to quibble over the definition) and more supporting ones, though of course only a few are really central. Two of the main 5 characters I don't even introduce until the 4th chapter, and it's quick and not very deep. That comes later. No one is going to remem... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to hide a character's identity from the audience? You do it by limiting the narrator's gaze. You can describe things from the point of view of one or more characters, who haven't yet figured out the secret identities of the celebrity characters. Or, if you have a broader narrator, you can simply turn away when the secret identities of the characters... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How long does a first draft have to be if the essay i'm writing is 300 words long? What kind of a writer are you? I tend to write more than I need, then I hone the work in the editing process. So for a 300 word essay, I would probably first write a draft of 600 words. I wouldn't double every draft I write, it's just that this is super short. If you're someone who writes a solid o... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Am I using too much exposition here? The amount of exposition appears totally fine to me. But I think you're using more words than you need to in order to provide it. I would cut the length of the section in half, and probably put it into a single paragraph. You're giving good background and insight into this character, especially that... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Writing a cancer survivor The same way you write about anybody, from personal experience. That experience doesn't have to be your own, but you should go out into the world and meet people with disabilities. Online as a second choice to in person. There aren't a lot of people out there who are mute but hearing and without a n... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How best to prevent a protective response from overshadowing a heroic act? Don't make it about him. If it works in your story, switch to her point of view. If you need to stick with your main character's point of view, then focus on him describing her actions as a narrator would and don't focus on what he's feeling. Some feelings will come across and that's fine. Just mak... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: "Cease and Desist" for a pen name Yikes! Does Amazon allow you to change your name after you've put up a book? You may want to add a middle initial or middle name. People who choose pseudonyms have an ethical responsibility to make sure that name isn't already taken. Especially if they're going to write something that is controversi... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Need advice about changing character's gender I agree with others. Don't change your story to remove diversity because you are worried you can't write those characters. Embrace diversity in your writing and your life. The best way to write a character that is different from you is to meet people and research. Maybe your character works in a fac... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Facial expressions as part of dialogue - getting rid of a verbal tic Noticing it is the first step. Your line: “I- I thought I was being polite,” he mumbled. is enough. You don't need to say the prince looked abashed. You are already conveying his uncertainty and concern over having done the wrong thing. He's stuttering a bit and mumbling. So leave out the abashed b... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Introducing characters in a screenplay Wetcircuit is right. Use the person's name. Even if it's never stated out loud in the entire screenplay. Because the role still needs to be cast. (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to research publishers by subject I don't know about the user reviews but a very good source of publishers is the Writer's Market (by Writer's Digest). There is also a version just for fiction. The publishers are in alphabetical order but there is an index in the back where they are arranged by subject. The listings aren't just cont... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to insert music lyrics on an book Write up the lyrics in the usual poetic style (with line breaks and also stanza breaks). Insert in the text by starting a new paragraph then indenting the lyrics on both ends. In a published book you might italicize or change the font, but don't worry about that in your copy. If the lyrics are just ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: If I use a quote followed by a citation, then a small sentence from the cited material, should I include another citation? So why is the first half of that sentence a quote and the second half your paraphrase? That's the part that seems odd to me. I would either make it all a quote (using ... to indicate that you left out words or more material, or using [] to put in clarifying words that weren't in the original quote) o... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: I cannot figure out the exact genre (and target audience) of my book Yeah, you have to plainly label this as fantasy. Not science-fiction. Because the fantasy elements are ones that would jar the reader if they were expecting reality. And I think it will turn off anyone accessing your book if it wasn't stated upfront. Your queries can talk about "a mystery" without s... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |