Activity for Standback
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | — |
A: Does this beginning hook the reader? So here's a question I'd like you to consider. You're trying to grip the reader. What, in this passage, do you expect/hope will manage to do that? I'm afraid I didn't find this opening to be very compelling. Sorry to welcome you with negative feedback, but I hope you'll find it helpful. This openin... (more) |
— | almost 13 years ago |
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A: Fiction writing book recommendation for a 10-year old First of all, it's great of you to take such an interest in your niece's passion for writing! I'm sure it's much appreciated :) To the main point, I'm not finding much in the way of books on writing for children. And I think that's for good cause: nobody's trying to get children to write fiction par... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Spaceships - It or She? The way a character thinks of a ship tells a lot about the relationship between the character and the ship. For example: - Someone who thinks of the ship as an inanimate tool will naturally tend to refer to it as an "it" - Thinking of a ship as a "she" implies a more sentimental approach, pretending... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: What is a log line, and why are they bad? What Query Shark Says Let's take a look at what precisely QS has written there: > This is a log line. Avoid them. > > Think about it: it `[refers to: they must decide whether to resign their lives to inertia or fight for uncertain freedom]` is a false choice. If they resign their lives to inertia,... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: I have compiled a poetry book with poems of 4chan users. It has a lot of vulgarisms, is it possible to publish something like that? There's no real limit on what can be published, and I don't think vulgarity is a barrier on poetry (in some markets, sure, but far from all). The question is who exactly you're aiming this proposed book at. Is it a humor/gift item ("The Poetry of 4chan!")? Or is this serious, "artistic" poetry? Or p... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: How do I re-interest myself in a plot I am working on? It's possible that all may be lost; on the other hand, maybe not. Distinguish between losing interest in the project and merely losing interest in its current state. The latter is somewhat more salvageable. - Do you remember what, in your initial writing, you found exciting about the book? That's th... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Should the secret antagonist have dual goals set in the ending of Act I? The way to play this depends heavily on what you're trying to achieve with your antagonist's secret goal. The key concept here is that every major thread should have some set-up and introduction in the first act ; how precisely to accomplish that for the "antagonist's goal" thread depends on the spec... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Organization for epic fantasy writing The method I'm familiar with is a writing bible - a document where you're constantly recording any new information you add to the world; any new detail you want to be committed to throughout the book. At its simplest, this is literally jotting down any new concrete detail you add. If your write `"Ju... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Are fantasy books expected to be trilogies? I think the reason for the popularity of the trilogy structure in the fantasy genre is compelling, but far from expected or mandatory. It's simply that fantasy novels tend to be long , for many reasons, including: - Fantasy novels typically require lots of world-building exposition , explaining the... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Is it OK to refer to some characters by first name and to others by last name? Here's a set of guidelines I really like: - You can refer to each character by the moniker most appropriate to him, so long as you use the same one consistently. Readers will happily accept any name that seems appropriate; the important thing is not to confuse them by referring to one individual by ... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Good examples of fear/terror inducing techniques used with enemies Try tackling some appropriate pages from TV Tropes, and just branching out from there. That should give you about a gazillion times more examples than you'll know what to do with. :P (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: What's "fair use" for borrowing someone else's invented term? Kindall tackled the legal aspect. As for reception/perception considerations, here's the rule of thumb I'd use: If you're using the same word in the same way for the same thing, and your story is about that thing (or concept, or whatever) - you're crossing the line. That's like saying "I'm writing a... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: What's the most marketable title? I would definitely avoid Tooth and Nail - it's already heavily overused. I confess, all three titles sounded very generic and indistinct to me. They tell me this is an action-packed thriller, but nothing more specific than that. I'd recommend you consider what you find to be the most interesting, im... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: How to fix awkward "sufficiently... that..." sentence structure? Here's a simple reformulation which breaks you out of the structure you dislike: > Since the database layout is sufficiently similar across all source data formats, we can write a single SQL query to export each output data format. You could also rephrase for clarity, if you feel the original isn't... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Dialogue writing practices? Jim Van Pelt has a great one: > In a nutshell, two students talk to each other so that each speaks twice. One of them records what they said. That produces four lines of raw dialogue like this: > > “Are you practicing with the band tonight?” > > “Yeah, we qualified for state, so we’re doing extra ... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: On copyright laws and plots > CAVEAT: I am not a lawyer. At the level you're describing, yes, this is copyright infringement. Basically, if it's easy to demonstrate that your work is "substantially similar" to another piece, to which you had access, then infringement can be proved. Working with similar themes, plot elements, ... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Can a likeable character be unsympathetic? I would say this is extremely common in comedy, and much more difficult in drama. And even in comedy, a likable character can win sympathy very very easily even if he's totally unsympathetic - in fact, the moment he does anything that isn't actively unsympathetic, we'll probably find him sympathetic.... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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I'm not a great pantser; what kind of preparation do I need for NaNoWriMo? I'm very appreciative of NaNoWriMo's "your first step is writing a crappy first draft" credo, and I like the motivation that NaNoWriMo encourages. I'm precisely at the point where what I feel I need most is some serious butt-in-chair routine, with less emphasis on writing well, so this credo suits me... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: How can I break up a lengthy explanation? It sounds like you're describing an infodump (warning: TV Tropes), and that's a phenomenon best avoided. The issue is this: by your own description, the explanation is not interesting enough to hold the reader's attention at length; its purpose and significance will only be clear to the reader later... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: A letter of recommendation I don't have much hands-on experience with recommendations. Here's my thoughts from a writing perspective. The role of a great recommendation is to explain what makes a particular person stand out. That means you need to be able to describe, at least to yourself, what makes this one person special. ... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: How could my friend publish his Steve Jobs biography? Look for an agent. Don't give up until you've exhausted everybody who's a good fit. And look beyond Australia. Be sure you're querying agents that actually represent the type of book you're trying to sell. Google found me a list of agents who represent biographies; you could start there. Another gre... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Does this FAQ accurately convey the mission of DIY.SE? I really like that you open with "Questions you would typically ask a home contractor." That's a great way to get across, very simply, what type of questions you deal with. You avoid needing to define specifics (though you do that to); instead, you're focusing on the type of expertise you're offering... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: Finding words through meanings OneLook's Reverse Dictionary seems to offer precisely the kind of tool you're looking for. However, I don't know that they're very good - I tried `get on a plane,` but `board` came back as result #96, well after `slip` (#3), `touchdown` (#50), `precession of the equinoxes` (#66), and `fayez banihamm... (more) |
— | about 13 years ago |
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A: "All of a sudden..." ? I felt this was best answered by examples. A lot of examples :P "Sudden" does not guarantee surprising This is fundamental "show, don't tell" - describing something as being "sudden" doesn't mean the reader gets a sense of surprise while reading it, any more than you'd laugh at reading the line "Bo... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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What's the distinction between "vanity publishing" and "self publishing"? This question came up on the pros and cons of publishing avenues question; when I tried to look it up, I found the results confusing. For example, SFWA's explanation of publishing types gives the following distinction: > A vanity publisher prints and binds a book at the author's sole expense. Costs... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Pros and Cons of different styles of publishing Traditional Publishing Pros - If you're in, you're doing good. If you've got an offer, that says a lot about your writing ability. Not that all good authors get published or all published authors are good, but being published serves as a sort of indicator that you're at least at a certain level of ... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Do you need to get author's permission to quote him in a non-fiction book? > Proviso: I am not a lawyer. Here's a good article on Fair Use; it might answer your question. You say you'd like to use many quotes from the same author; if you are writing a critique of the author's work, or a biography of him, or some similar piece about the author which you are backing up usin... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Magazines taking submissions for short stories? Duotrope's Digest is just that. (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Advice on interface text in a videogame > [X]'s chosen move requires [n] MP. > > [X] cannot afford MP cost for chosen move. > > [X] doesn't have enough MP for that. Clear, simple. Although frankly, the examples OP gives of his own attempts look fine to me too (besides referring to the PC as an "it"). (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: How do you develop a strong female character? > WARNING: This answer contains numerous links to TV Tropes, an irreverent taxonomy of common tropes in film and fiction. TV Tropes is highly addictive, wasting hours of "just checking the definition of one more term." You have been duly warned. Obviously, "strong female character" can cover a lot o... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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What are examples of fiction books picked up by publishers after being self-published? I've seen some references to commercial publishers picking up a self-published novel if it's been selling well. Can you point me to a few specific examples of this happening? Fiction only, please. I'm particularly interested in cases where the author had no popular platform independent of his writi... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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Querying for a setting-heavy speculative fiction novel I'm an attentive follower of Janet Reid's Query Shark, and I've learned a lot. But Reid doesn't represent speculative fiction, which seems to present wrinkles of its own. Particularly, Query Shark often stresses the importance of quickly introducing the main characters, and describing what happens i... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Sending a children's book manuscript to an agent or publisher with illustrations Before you start querying, you must, must, must familiarize yourself with submission guidelines - for the field in general, and for the specific agents and publishers you find are appropriate for you to query. With the strategy you suggest, you're running smack into two common guidelines. And even... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Publishing a Children's Picture book -- Question about an App and a Printed version I think you're going to need to figure out which is more important to you - getting traditionally published, or keeping dgital rights. Not that you can't necessarily manage both, but it'll be a long shot at best. A couple of considerations I can offer: - Contracts are negotiable. You can shop around... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital rights management for self-published authors? This is basically a question of marketing strategy. The major pro of DRM is that it helps avoid pirating; the major con is that it limits accessibility and portability, and can annoy readers and users. So it seems to me that the primary consideration should be: "Is pirating going to cost me so much... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Does this paragraph make you want to keep reading? There are two hooks here I find compelling: - The first two lines give this great, "Why, of course we remember every toy you've ever played with, Sir" vibe - it's like a toy store crossed with Wodehouse's Jeeves. That's both unusual and kinda creepy. The concept of a huge organization cataloging eve... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Is there anything wrong with saying "Thanks" several times in the same email? If not, how could I correct it? Emails saying "thank you" for something are generally informal; style is less of an issue than simple gratitude and sincerity. So there's really no problem with your email, unless you've got a particular reason to be concerned about eloquence. If you do want to work in more variety, some good altern... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Referring to oneself in first vs. third person in online profiles I think a major difference is: do you want to give the reader the sense that you are speaking to him , or do you want to give him the sense that he is reading about you? First person can feel more personal, more informal, as if an actual person is standing in front of the reader - "Hi, I'm Ray!". Th... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: How can I create drama in a story that is mostly political and procedural? I think Kate's answer covers this nicely, but I just saw an Israeli film called Footnote which, IMHO, does exactly what you're asking about. There are great examples here for your question (and in line with Kate's answer). Spoilers for the film (highly recommended, I'll add) follow. The film is abou... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Anybody know anything about examiner.com? 1 is correct. See this overview on Examiner.com, and individual user experiences. It's a pay-per-click site - it's not going to earn you fame, fortune, or even a respectable line for your CV. If you want to write such content anyway, then the platform and pocket money might be nice; if you think you... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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How can I create drama in a story that is mostly political and procedural? I'm writing a fantasy story about whether a teacher should be fired or not over teaching competency; most of the story revolves around the politics and the procedural process of the decision. So much of fantasy seems to be about exceptionally high stakes, starting with the end of the world and going... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: How little "fantasy" can be in a story and it still be recognizably fantasy? I think the key question here is: what element in your story do you see as being a "fantasy" element? There's no denying we've seen plenty of fantasy published that skirts the edge of mainstream. I've seen this pretty frequently in F&SF, in several flavors; I've seen magical realism in Fantasy Magaz... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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How little "fantasy" can be in a story and it still be recognizably fantasy? How little "fantasy" can be in a story and it still be recognizably fantasy, and not mainstream fiction? The "recognizable fantasy" question is one I struggle with all the time. Fantasy exists on a continuum of clearly fantastic material (supernatural beings, magic spells, etc.), to stuff that might... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: How often do writers develop characters before plot, and why? This can really change very drastically from author to author and from story to story. There's no doubt that developing characters and then building a plot around them is a great way to come up with a story. Characters are compelling; interactions between them are interesting; put the characters as ... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: What is Literary Fiction? Here's the money quote from a good article on the subject: > In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more on style, psychological depth, and character and tends to be multilayered stories which wrestle with universal dilemmas rather than with plot. They usually provoke the readers beliefs and thoug... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Use of past vs. present tense in works of fiction Here's what I'm familiar with: a lot of people see present-tense as a description of something happening right now, while past-tense is a narration of events that have already concluded. So: - Some readers find present-tense more immediate and, well, tense. - Some readers take issue with past-tense... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: How should this ‘be going to’ be revised? The English is fine, but as Janet at EL&U said, it does feel artificial. Not because of the phrasing, but because of the content - C is announcing her intention to do something very uninteresting (sit down and read), and is pointlessly explicit in describing the sofa. Most people wouldn't feel the ne... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: How does the 10,000 hour rule apply to writing? Writing, of course. If you want to write fiction, then writing fiction. Anything else might be helpful, but it's not practicing the actual thing you want to be getting good at. Reading might give you ideas, familiarity with structure and narrative convention, etc. etc. And writing emails and blogpos... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Do Fantasy novels have less readership than a Realistic Fiction novel? "Realistic Fiction" isn't a single genre. You've got literary fiction, thrillers, mysteries, romances, and more. Each has its own target audience, some wider than others. Moreover, bestseller lists might be interesting, but they may also be misleading - because most books aren't bestsellers, aren't ... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |
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A: Formatting blog posts like the pros On bolding: Assume that on a casual browse, the reader's eye will always leap first to headers, and to words in bold. They'll help him understand the structure of your piece, and the most important bits. Here's a simple example - the bolded opening lines give structure, and a few key concepts are bo... (more) |
— | over 13 years ago |