Activity for Standback‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: When to accept an editor's rewrite request? This isn't a binary choice. You don't need to view this as a "take it or leave it" decision - this is something you can talk to your editor about. And you don't need to choose between your ending and your editor's proposed ending - you can write a third ending, a fourth, a fifth, a sixteenth if need... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Where can I publicize a website I have developed for writers? Why, wherever writers can be found. :) Various writers' forums will have places for announcements. You could try approaching writing blogs - emailing blogger, asking for a link to your site if they find it useful. There's magazines like Writer's Digest where you can advertise. Here on Writers.SE, th... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it wise to publish a novel as an e-book, and how would I do it? Should I e-publish? It depends heavily on your goals, on the effort you're willing/interested in investing, and on your skill with the various abilities involved with e-publishing. - If you aim to eventually sell your book to a traditional publisher, then do not e-publish. Traditional publishers wi... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Will the word "seek" be associated with the word "sick" if it is present in the title of my book? I see no reason for concern. The two words don't look the same, or even really sound the same. I don't see any reason anybody would get the two confused, certainly not on a scope that should worry you. Maybe if your novel gets turned into a multimillion dollar film, "Taiwan Sick" could be the title ... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why do writers use pseudonyms? Zane hit the main ones: desire for personal privacy the other primary reason I know is marketing - same as actors, some authors will adopt snazzier-sounding names to sound good on the bookshelf. Beyond that, you've got a lot of exceptional cases - Joe Hill is a pen name to avoid the otherwise-painfu... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I strike a balance between setting and plot? You're looking for balance, so the answer is double edged: - Stay compelling by avoiding drifting off on tangents; don't explain about your world where it isn't relevant to the story at hand and to the readers' interest. - Convey your world by choosing a structure and a plot where the elements you w... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How it's better to format links to Internet in a text written on paper? The immediate thing to bear in mind is that the use you're describing is something very specific and unique to hypertext documents. You might as well ask "onstage I can wink at the audience, how can I do that in text?" or "I want my screenplay to be filmed with some equivalent of footnotes." You're n... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it safe to create a wiki for a book (or something featured in it) before the book is published? I'd be very wary of trying to create buzz and a community around an unsold novel. Here are possible issues I see: - First and foremost: you can run into copyright problems if it is not plainly clear that you are the author of your creations. For example, if anybody could edit the entries, your copy... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I check if an ISSN is properly registered at issn.org? Based on their guidelines for requesting an ISSN, I would try their contact email and ask for confirmation: issnic@issn.org . Let us know if that works :) (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do all main characters require equal development? Complex, well-rounded characters can add a lot to a story; on the other hand, lots of good stories manage without them. What you want to avoid is characters that feel flat, unbelievable and/or cliche. That's because if the reader feels that way about a character, he feels that the story is false, ar... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Does my story structure for an ensemble zombie story sound effective? I've got a lot to say in response to this, but I won't get around to it in the next 24 hours. Until then: - The Jane Austen Book Club has a structure extremely similar to what you're describing. (Other ensemble casts I can think of are more typical of series, but this book is an exception, methinks.... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Mixing topics in a blog It depends on what your blog is trying to achieve. I agree with this much of your quote: readers come back most consistently to a blog that is focused, that offers one thing consistently. The reason is that, the more you switch around the key element of your blog posts, the less likely each individu... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: It is unprofessional to use double exclamation marks and CAPS in a product or service? Yes, it is absolutely unprofessional. I won't say it's never effective, but that's not what you asked. Professional design avoids those devices - for several good reasons, some mentioned in other answers, but give special attention to this one: unprofessional advertising overuses CAPS and exclamatio... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Example of a fictional story without any characters (the story being 1000+ words) There's certainly a fair number of science-fiction and fantasy stories that describe a world, a society, or some other concept, without relying on individual characters. Talking about a people, but not about anyone in particular. Similarly, a lot of Jorge Luis Borges stories are about describing a f... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can a book be written without an antagonist? Certainly stories can be written without a "traditional" antagonist. An example that popped to mind was Daniel Abraham's The Curandero and the Swede: A Tale from the 1001 American Nights; this story meanders between fable-like stories, all basically dealing with how people cope with the troubles life... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Vision/dream as an effective opening? On the general topic of opening with a dream, I'm going to second Kate's excellent comments: it's a technique that's heavily predisposed to backfire, because you're explicitly kicking off with something that is not part of the actual story, of what's actually going on. Even if there is a clear conn... (more)	—	almost 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Best way to Write a Table of Contents for Awkward Pagination If you want to look up by both title and date, I'd list each entry as: > [Entry title] [Entry date] [Page Number] where "Page Number" refers to your existing 2-page numbering. You'll have no trouble finding the entry you're looking for once you've opened up the right 2 pages... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Question	—	Does this convey that I recommend the anthology I'm reviewing? Here's a snipped-up version of a review of an anthology I wrote a while back (full original review here). Most of the stories were pretty good, a few were superb, and there were a few poor ones. For an anthology, I consider that to be nothing short of spectacular, but some tepid responses gave me the... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Question	—	Complimenting on solid structure with no major flaws When reviewing fiction, there's a certain quality that's very important to me, which I can best describe as being "solid." By which I mean: the story is well thought-out, well constructed; it flows naturally and believably; I'm never struck by something that seems overly absurd, implausible, contrive... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What breaks suspension of disbelief? Basically, anything that the reader considers implausible when he's already suspending disbelief, can spoil the illusion and break that suspension. The key issue to understand is that up to a certain point, your story is exposing the world of the story, and explaining what's allowed and what isn't. A... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Preventing genre-savvy second-guessing in murder mysteries A popular variant of the whodunit structure is the howdunit or the howcatchem , in which the question isn't who committed the crime - it's how he managed to pull it off, and/or how the detective succeeded in conclusively proving the culprit's guilt. I find that this neatly sidesteps the problem, bec... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Question	—	Preventing genre-savvy second-guessing in murder mysteries In a murder mystery, most of the story is generally focused on figuring out who the murderer is; in "Fair-Play" mysteries, it's assumed the murderer is a significant character in the book, and the fun is in figuring out which of them it is. This being the case, readers familiar with the format gener... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do you avoid the problem of all the characters in your story sounding the same? I believe in creating dialogue touchstones : find each major character a couple of lines that they would say, that no other character would say. Some of these might be catchphrases, or might sound like catchphrases ("Elementary, my dear Watson," "Le- gen- wait for it!", "Everybody lies,"). That's fi... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the ingredients for a good book review? - Distinguish between a review and a critique. A review is meant for people who haven't read the book, and is largely intended to help them form their opinion of it; a critique is a discussion of the book which assumes the reader is familiar with the book (or, at least, is willing to read significant... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Will my readers feel like they are reading a children's storybook if there are illustrations in my novel? I don't think you need to worry about "seeming like a kid's book," I think you need to worry about making a professional submission. On two points: - Why do you think your novel should have illustrations, when most don't? Do they add anything more to your story than similar illustrations would to ot... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: In what order should I describe a setting? You almost certainly want to avoid a shopping list of details about the park. You're not describing the wind and the trees and the building and... You're describing one unified moment in space and time. You want to focus on what the reader needs to know for the story to make sense (he needs to know ... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Has this dialogue enough suspense to engage the reader? Suspense is all about anticipation. What you've done very nicely is set up an immediate problem, probably a threat - the missing girl. You've also established a mystery - the guy's past and present relationship with the girl. The reader can anticipate both of these being developed and, eventually, r... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Potential confusion: referring to home planet as "Earth" Rule of thumb: you want to avoid confusing the reader. A confused reader is not enjoying your story. But, that doesn't mean "never do anything that might confuse the reader." It means, "if you want to do something that might confuse the reader, make sure to take steps to make sure it's not confusing... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are tips / techniques to manage the consistency of a plot encompassing several subplots ? Well, here are my own suggestions - I hope they're helpful :) - Keep a timeline for every character (or small group). Keep track not only of what's going on onstage, but also what's hidden from the reader - if the hero thinks his wife is dead, but actually she's studying with Tibetan monks and engin... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Where can I find paying markets for flash fiction? I'm not familiar with markets that specialize in flash fiction, though these may exist. However, if you feel you've got a worthwhile, marketable story, I think most venues are happy to consider flash fiction submissions. So if there's a market that would be appropriate for a story "if it were longer,... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to obtain a thoughtful critique of a job application cover letter? I think you're in a bit of a bind here. I think you'll have an easy time getting "does this work for you?" feedback, which is crucial. However, I think you'll find it very difficult to find constructive, "here is how you can make your letter awesome" feedback. Let me explain. You're trying to be att... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should you read your own genre? Your considerations are spot-on. Very nice question. You should definitely be familiar with your genre. If you know enough to place your work within a specific genre, then it had better fit there well. Each genre has its own rules, guidelines, conventions, expectations, cliches, and fatal faux pas. ... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why is "It was a dark and stormy night.." not a good opening? It's an unsubtle cheat. (That doesn't necessarily mean it's not good. Bear with me.) The author wants to get across that Really Important Things are Happening. He wants to hook you with the beginning of his book. How does he manage to impart the tremendous significance the reader should be seeing r... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Guideline on turning points in a novel? I know it's frustrating, but in general, I'm not familiar with many resources that go into a lot of detail about abstract plotting and story structure. That's because plot varies so tremendously between stories - the twists and turns of a mystery story are worlds apart from the twists and turns of he... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: 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'? - Finish them anyway. You get good by writing; plotting alone isn't enough. And yeah, your first novel or two will probably be unpublishable. That's fine - those will be your practice novels. If you never write anything because they'll be less than perfect, I'm afraid you're likely not to write anyth... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Sample Metaphor for Cycling A few examples: - Pedaling uphill is like swimming against the current; downhill gives you the brief instant of going over the waterfall. - Uphill is like a sweaty, physical manifestation of how I felt dragging myself into the office every morning for five years. Down is the horrible moment you real... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to improve this introductory paragraph (to fit writing standards and grab the reader's attention)? - 4AM at a psychiatric clinic packs a fair punch as an opening. Nothing interesting should be happening there and then, but if something did, it would probably be awfully interesting! The improbable hour is a very nice touch, IMHO, that potentially takes this a step above merely using a clinic to sho... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: What exactly do I do to get published? There's a good essay by Malinda Lo on the process. One of many, I'm sure, but that's the first good one I found on a cursory browse. I'd like to point out that knowing the general process is probably not enough; at every step along the way, you should read and research and learn as much as possible.... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to make easy and fast money selling a short book (which is available for download)? While there are various venues and services which make it possible for you to make a bit of money off your book, it is unlikely in the extreme that you actually will. The only way any of these services will return any significant cash is if your book becomes wildly, extravagantly popular - which is u... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Does giving away free stories boost sales? Tread with caution. A lot of caution. Free stories to promote the author is a marketing strategy. As such, there are situations where it can be wonderful; situations it can be disastrous; situations it can be utterly harmless and entirely insignificant. I think these are the central questions you'v... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Question	—	Sympathetic portrayal of devout, rule-abiding characters I'm having trouble portraying religious, devout characters as protagonists or viewpoint characters. When I try, I get the sense that the reader - not sharing the characters' beliefs - will have trouble accepting the characters' non-rational beliefs and obligations. More crucially, even if he accepts ... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to describe the point-of-view character without using mirrors This isn't really any different than any other important information you want to get across early. Here's a few thoughts: - A character considering how s/he might look to others is classic and pretty non-intrusive - e.g. "Somehow, people just see my blond hair and my perky smile, and never imagine s... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Signs of Bad Character Development Well, first and foremost - do you believe in the character? Do you think he/she is sympathetic? If so, you're already in a good position - because you have a believable, sympathetic character, you just haven't convinced your readers of that yet - meaning, if you get negative critiques on the point, y... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Dialog, just what's the best way to write it? The other answers are absolutely correct about the use of action tags, but I think there's a larger issue here. You don't really want to write "just" dialogue. That would be a screenplay. Action tags certainly help, but if the remain at the level of "the character's physical expression or action as ... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I construct a plot out of my many setting/character details? A few strategies: - Until you have a great plot, try writing "good-enough" plots. Better to be writing something with a cliche plot, than not to be writing at all. ( Edited to add: Also, sometimes once you've got an initial "good-enough" plot in place and fleshed out, that gives you enough substance... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Different kinds of editors Formal definitions vary. Here are some resources explaining various versions of the distinctions: - An editorial services guide. - An editor's blog. - Another editor's blog. (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do episodes of the show House follow a constant structural pattern? Ralph certainly covered the structure of individual episodes: the patient's symptoms escalate; the team tries one treatment after another (with dramatic results, in some direction or another); House solves the case. That's a fair description of the single-episode plotline, but there's a lot of other... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why does an author need an editor? Let me ask a question right back: Why does an author need/want to show some friends or workshop members the work he's done? It's not required, sure. But somehow everybody does it anyway. And they listen to what the friends have to say. Because they want and need constructive feedback. Well, an edit... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: Editors: Edit on first read, or read and edit on second round? I haven't done actual editing, but I've done a fair bit of critique and review. I think the issues are pretty much the same. Standard proviso: everybody has their own system. Of writing, of reading, of editing. Obviously your system isn't "wrong," even if nobody else does it; nor is it "right" merel... (more)	—	about 13 years ago
Answer	—	A: How difficult is it to break into screenwriting? It's extremely, extremely difficult. Not too many people making movies. Lots of people writing screenplays. Gargantuan investment to get a movie made. Not an easy sell. Now, it depends to a large extent on what kind of screenplay you're writing, and what kind of scope you're looking for. If you're ... (more)	—	about 13 years ago

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