Activity for Standback
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
If magazine submission guidelines say nothing, are they expecting Standard Manuscript Format? A lot of current science-fiction and fantasy magazines have online submission systems, accepting Word documents. And where I remember, way-back-when, submission guidelines noting that (printed) manuscripts should follow Standard Manuscript Format, I'm now seeing a bunch of magazines that do not menti... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How to perpetuate the plot-driving riddle without frustrating the reader? A story should finish what it starts. You control what, exactly, you choose to start. If you're not going to be finishing a murder mystery with a solution, you need to be careful not to set the story up in a way that the story will be unsatisfying without a solution. You say that not having a clean... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: My readers are losing interest halfway through. What is a list of possible remedies? When a reader says "I'm reading (CHAPTER X), and I'm not interested", the first step to solving that is to ask: Wait a moment, what in (CHAPTER X) should be interesting? This is a crucial question -- and remember, it's not enough to answer, "Well, it's important for (CHAPTER X+3)." The reader isn'... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Should mystery stories have resolutions? A story should finish what it starts. You control what, exactly, you choose to start. If you're not going to be finishing a murder mystery with a solution, you need to be careful not to set the story up in a way that the story will be unsatisfying without a solution. Let's imagine you've got a myst... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Where do I go looking for an editor? I have several completed short stories, and I'm considering having them line-edited before I submit them. But I have no idea where to look for editors. How do I know who's any good? Where do I look, and what do I look for? (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How can you utilize taboo themes in a setting without alienating a modern audience? Lean into it. Don't treat it as shocking -- a reader too scandalized by your subject matter probably shouldn't be reading this book to begin with. Instead, use all the tools of worldbuilding and exposition to portray this world as it is to its people. It isn't taboo for them; and that's the society... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Is it a bad habit to cause too many deep permanent changes in the status quo of a story that envisions sequels? It's a balance. When readers look forward to the next book in a series, they're looking for an experience that's both new, and similar to the previous installments. That's a tough line to toe -- and you're never going to keep all readers happy. Some thoughts and observations: Start By Writing A Boo... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: show-don't tell with word limit Brace yourself for some serious realigning of your expectations. 5,000-word stories are their own form, and knowing what you've realistically got space for is crucial to using the form well. A good 5,000-word story is one that's very, very tightly focused. It's not a matter of coming up with a story... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: What do magazines mean when they say they don’t accept reprints? If they do not accept reprints, that means they are seeking first publication rights -- they're only looking to buy a story if they can be the first to publish it. The thing is, any sufficiently public place you've posted your story, counts as publication. It doesn't matter how many readers your sto... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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How do I judge the quality of a translation? I'm advising a translation project, translating some short stories from a foreign language to English. What I'm advising about isn't the translations themselves -- but seeing the translated stories, I'm concerned that some of them have been translated poorly. It's hard for me to put my finger on any... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Can a person get bogged down by science fiction research? Here are a few principles I think can help you in your present difficulty: - Research is great as long as it isn't blocking you from writing. - Assume your first draft and your final draft are going to be nothing alike. - Unresearched ideas are great stopgaps for researched ideas. - "Easy" answers t... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: Is it a bad idea to adopt an 'English' pen name as an Asian American writer to reach a wider audience? You needn't make that decision until you get an agent. You're quite right to identify this as a thorny situation, with strong considerations in both directions (and maybe additional options besides). If you have a strong preference one way or another, either way is certainly workable. But if you do... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Where would I find a Critique Partner or Group? Google Docs is an extremely helpful tool for Beta reading, and is used by several writers of my acquaintance. - It allows commenting on individual selections of text, so it's easy to comment on a particular snippet or section. (It also allows replying to comments, so people can discuss the comments ... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Is trying to write an entire novel in one month possible? It's important to understand what NaNoWriMo is, and what it isn't. One of the things that it is, is a powerful demonstration that yes, it is possible. If you write your words every day, they will add up. If you stick at it, you will reach novel-length. If you let the words flow, they will come, even... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Is it bad storytelling to have things happen by complete chance? At extremes: yes, relying on "chance" as a plot device can be very unsatisfying. The reader knows that "chance" isn't really a matter of luck; instead, it's the author manipulating events. The reader also knows they need to suspend disbelief -- so some level of luck and happenstance and implausibil... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Should i have four points of view for my novel? To decide how many points of view (POVs) you can handle, you need to take into account the demands a new POV makes on you. Each POV needs character and voice. When you have more than one or two POVs, then it's important that each one of the characters feels recognizable and distinct, with his own pe... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: How to write a gay character from a first person perspective (Twist: The person doesn't know that they're gay!) As in many such cases, the answer is to do your research. Speak with people who are gay, and ask them the questions you need. "How did your understanding that you're gay form?" "Was there anything that you later understood, oh, that was actually because I'm gay, that you didn't realize at the time?"... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Can I have both a prologue and an introduction in my book? You absolutely can have both an introduction and a prologue. Both are concepts which are well-familiar to readers; they will not be confused by it. If you do have both, the Introduction comes first, before any of the fiction begins. If there's any cause for concern, it's of wearying the reader befor... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Would Amazon allow sex between transformed humans (animal/object) with normal humans Amazon's content guidelines are notoriously nonspecific. > Offensive Content > > What we deem offensive is probably about what you would expect. I assume there are multiple reasons for this: - Offensive material is hard to narrow down to a set of well-defined guidelines (your question demonstrate... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: I have 97 pages in my book draft. Is it too late to swap to third person from first? That's a substantial bit of revision. It can definitely be done, but the question is if that's what you want to prioritize right now. During a first draft, there will be a lot of things you'll want to go back and fix. The problem is, go back for enough of them, and you'll stop making any progress at... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Why is there such strong objection to the use of said-bookisms? First thing first: Avoiding said-bookisms is a guideline, not a rule. Writers use said-bookisms all the time, precisely for the reasons you note. They're useful. Sometimes, they're the simplest, clearest way to get something across. The problem isn't use. It's abuse. There are multiple issues whic... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Vanity publishers - authors who have paid for a service- what are our rights? Vanity presses make money from authors, not from selling copies, so there's at least a decent chance you've kept or can get back your copyright. Unfortunately, if you didn't study your contract to begin with, and they've proven so very poor, they're probably optimized mostly to wring more money out o... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Writing a novel, can I do [this or that]? You almost certainly can. At very least, if this is a project that appeals to you, then you can try, and see how it goes. There have been stories and novels written in second-person future tense, written without the letter 'e', written in the form of a series of exercise and relaxation tapes, writte... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Do Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi books have inherently more descriptive language? Fantasy and science fiction books have a major additional task that other genres can avoid if they wish: worldbuilding. A story of any genre can devote a lot of attention to description and detail, but it isn't a necessity dictated by the choice of genre. But SF and fantasy, as a rule, need to estab... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Why are writers so hung up on "show versus tell"? "Show don't tell," as a three-word directive, is pithy and simplistic. But it's used because it's one of the fundamentals of writing well, and one of the things new writers understand least. As Lauren says,"showing" doesn't entail endless description of minutiae, or attempting to convey a cinematic ... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: MLA Background Research Paper: Noting a citation in the text? You have understood correctly. From the Purdue Online Writing Lab: > In MLA style, referring to the works of others in your text is done by using what is known as parenthetical citation. This method involves placing relevant source information in parentheses after a quote or a paraphrase. They give... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
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A: Avoiding -ly Words The difficulty with adverbs falls to the familiar saw about "show, don't tell": If the adverb is instructing the reader how to interpret the action, the implication is that the description itself is weak. Consider: > - "I'm ready to go," he said. > - "I'm ready to go," he said mischievously. > - "I... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: Is NaNoWriMo necessarily a good thing? It's important to understand what NaNoWriMo can and can't do. In a way, NaNoWriMo is all about quantity, and not at all about quality. That's really important, because quantity is something a lot of writers really struggle with - sometimes without even realizing it. Some of NaNoWriMo's big goals ar... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: What jobs or professions involve writing? There are few jobs that require only writing skills. Most jobs will want effective writing for some specific purpose, which requires specialization. - Journalism - Technical writing. - Translation. (Including academic, technical, or medical translation.) - Copywriting. - Publishing and publishing se... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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A: How do I handle teenage sex in books for teenagers? In general, YA books have become fairly permissive. You can get away with a lot, if it works within the context of your story. The important question you need to ask here is: What purpose is the sex serving in your story? If you don't know what it's there for, you'll have trouble writing the scene w... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
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How do I convey messages that are clear, but unspoken? So much of communication is nonverbal - facial expressions, body language. Often, it's entirely clear what somebody is thinking and conveying even if they aren't saying a word. How can I portray this in fiction? These can be such powerful moments (and, in TV and film, often are). But all the "easy ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Pitfalls for writing a talkative character? Your character can be boring, but your story shouldn't be. Here's the golden ideal: every line of prose and every line of dialogue should serve a purpose. If somebody is saying a lot of boring stuff, most of that stuff doesn't serve any purpose - and should be avoided in your final draft. But, ther... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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How do I gain experience in editing? After years of critiquing fiction as a hobby, I feel like I've gained some skill at editing. I'm now wondering how I can try my hand at actually editing fiction. While I've got a decent sense of how one starts out as a writer, I have no idea how one starts out as an editor. Editing seems to require ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Using "show not tell" while characters are planning for something that happens The pertinent question here is: what is it you're trying to show? In other words, you need to first understand what the focus and purpose of the planning scene is. Only then do you know what to show, and therefore how to do it. A few simple examples: - If the purpose of the scene is to set up a br... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: In character development for a screenplay, is it enough to present only a person's most salient characteristics? There are some stories where backstory is extremely important; there are some where it's entirely inconsequential. The easy answer is: If you know what kind of story you're telling, you know whether backstory is important or not. To take a few simple examples, in a light adventure, or a police proc... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Formatting Text from a Sign There are different ways to format written text. Examples include: Quotes: > A warning etched under the sign read “Electromagnetics strictly prohibited.” Italics: > A warning etched under the sign read, Electromagnetics strictly prohibited. Special formatting: > A warning etched under the sign ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: First person POV "mom:" vs. "mother" "Mom" and "mother" and the other variations are all common enough that alternating between them probably won't be disruptive. On the other hand, they are different, with nuances of formality and attitude - so if you're alternating between all of them, with great frequency, like you do in this sample... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How can I encourage conversation on my blog posts? There are a few related issues here, which are tightly intertwined: - How big is my readership? A small readership usually mean comments are few and limited. There's nobody talking, and there's nobody to talk to. - What's the character of my readership?"Fans of the blog writer", "professional expert... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: What is the quality (specifically acidity) of FSC paper? > FSC 100% means that all the wood in the product comes from FSC-certified forests. > > FSC Recycled means all the wood or paper in the product comes from reclaimed material. > > FSC Mix means at least 70% of the wood in the product is from FSC-certified material or recycled material; and 30% is co... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: what are some specific criteria for evaluating a piece of fiction that can be used repeatedly? The great difficulty here is that there are no absolutes. The same piece could be achingly poetic or achingly dull, depending on whether it's part of a literary drama or a high-octane adventure. That makes it very difficult to give "specific criteria" for evaluating. There's no rubric that covers ha... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to demonstrate an evolution of magic without it seeming like it is improvised? Another really useful tool here is foreshadowing and buildup. This is your first defense against the feeling of "awww, he just made that up": make it clear that the elements surprising the reader deep into the book, were present and significant right from the start. The reader only realizes that whe... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to demonstrate an evolution of magic without it seeming like it is improvised? All you need to do is establish the idea of progress in magic. You need to introduce the reader to the magic system as it stands at the beginning, sure. But for this case, you also need to demonstrate that magic is something that can be investigated, innovated with, used in new ways for new uses. A... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to write believable "Man vs self" plots The trick is to link his internal flaws and deliberations to clear, concrete details. That gives him something to do , something to engage with. It gives him a way to express his character. In this case, he's conflicted about entering the forest. That means you want one or two very specific things t... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Does the protagonist need a name? You can manage without one, but I'd recommend against it, unless you have a compelling reason. A protagonist without a name is often awkward to write, and certainly awkward to think or speak about. A character's name is a pretty basic, fundamental aspect of their identity; there's something weird an... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to keep a main character nameless? All the way back to A Wizard of Earthsea, the Names-Have-Power trope usually handles this by giving people nicknames for "public" use. Their real names are closely-guarded secrets. You can definitely give your protagonist a nickname; that's what people would do in the situation, because you have to ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to handle writing a romantic subplot when the main plot is very different? What you need to do is define the relationship between the subplot and the primary plot. In other words, you need to know what role the romance subplot is playing in your story. Almost any relationship will do (and you can use more than one), but knowing what you're aiming for will help you write th... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How to seek an audience? There is no perfect place. No social media platform is going to give you attention just by posting there. The internet is full of Stuff for people to read; they aren't queuing up to read your material. Anywhere. Wherever you're writing, you'll need to build up an audience. You'll need to establish s... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Submitting a partially complete draft? Do not try to query with an unfinished manuscript. > Dear Query Shark, > > I have an incomplete fantasy novel > > here's where I stop reading and send a form rejection letter -- Janet Reid, http://queryshark.blogspot.co.il/2009/09/134.html Google will find you this advice over and over: an unpub... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: How do I keep a journey sequence going? Your goal, as the author, is for the characters to bond over the journey. But what is your reader reading for? Your reader doesn't know that the characters are meant to bond by the journey's end. They might not even care, at this point, about the characters bonding. You've given the reader one thi... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
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A: Is there a hybrid novel writing method that incorporates both "pantsing" and plotting? I think you'll find there's no one "correct" way (or two ways, or three, or ten). Everybody figures out what works for them. There are many ways to balance between outlining and improvising, including: - Writing an outline as a starting point, then feeling free to diverge from it, to the point that... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |