Activity for Galastel
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | — |
A: Should I write a companion book/blog? A companion book - it's way too early to think of that. There's no sense in writing a companion book when you haven't written the main book yet. A companion to what would it be? Once you've published your story, if it sells well, there might be a market for a companion book with additional informatio... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Every character has a name - does this lead to too many named characters? My tendency when writing is to give every character a name. Even the most minor ones. It says something about a nobleman when he knows every guard and stablehand by name, and it's something I want. So it's never "a guard" - it's always "Sergeant such-and-such". Another effect that I like is that of... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Should I include an appendix to reference words of an in-universe language for a fantasy novel? A "dictionary" for your fantasy language should never be needed by the reader. If the reader has to learn a language, or flip back and forth to a dictionary, the flow of the reading is broken every time, reading becomes too much "work", and chances are the reader would drop your book. Thus, every ti... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Injecting creativity into a cookbook Your cookbook's primary function is being a reference book: providing clear recipes. My personal preference is to always have a picture of the final product, and preferably also intermediary stages, especially if the process is complicated. Everything else, every bit of writing creativity, is seconda... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Write for an audience or find an audience for your writing? Let me expand on @Cyn's answer. Tolkien wrote for himself. He was sure there would never be an audience for the Silamrillion, and was surprised by the wide acclaim of The Lord of the Rings. So were the critics, by the way. What happened is, Tolkien wanted to read a certain thing. Because it wasn't t... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Writing a character who is going through a civilizing process without overdoing it? There is a surviving account of the first meeting between Portuguese sailors and Japanese locals. What's interesting about it is that accounts of the meeting survived from both sides. The accounts go something like this: > Japanese account: Those barbarians! They eat with their hands! > > Portugues... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Making him into a bully (how to show mild violence) The scariest bully, I think, is not the one who beats you. A punch only hurts for a short while. T he scariest bully is the one who humiliates you in front of everyone. What he says, and the others' laughter - it keeps on echoing in your head and hurting. And you're helpless - the teachers who would ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Coloured comments in a word processor [Word/Libre/OpenOffice] - is it possible? Is there a way to have comments in different colours , in Microsoft Word, Open Office Writer, or Libre Office? (I am currently using Open Office, and I'm happy with it, but I am open to making the switch if need be.) If that would require installing some additional widget, but won't cause the file (... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Consulting experts - why should they talk to someone who isn't a published writer yet? Whatever subject I am researching for my story, the common recommendation is "talk to the relevant professionals". If I need medical information, talk to a doctor. If I need information about the military, talk to soldiers. Talk to scholars, talk to museum curators, talk to designers, dancers, securi... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How would I extend a line in poetry? A line that refuses to be the right length is one of the struggles with writing poetry. Here's how I (try to) deal with it. Consider what it is you're saying, in that line, and in the lines around it. Can you use different words to express the same idea? Can you replace a word with a longer synonym?... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How does one write from a minority culture? A question on cultural references Christian culture is dominant. Thus, even without being Christian myself, I can recognise, understand and appreciate references that are within that culture, like the Pietà: > Sam sat propped against the stone, his head dropping sideways and his breathing heavy. In his lap lay Frodo’s head, drowned ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What language shall they sing in? Here's an idea: for long periods of time, we spoke Hebrew alongside other languages: Aramaic, etc., and Hebrew was in fact spoken only be the educated elite. In particular, in the Haggadah, the passage "Ha lachma ania" (הא לחמא עניא) is in Aramaic so everyone would understand (because Aramaic was the... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: The English language, if England had a dictatorship There are multiple hints of dictatorial times within the English language. For example, have you noticed how farm animals have Anglo-Saxon names (calf, cow, lamb, pig), whereas meat derived from the same animals has French-derived names (veal, beef, mutton, pork)? That dates back to the Norman conque... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
What are the meta considerations when writing a play? What are the considerations one has to take into account when writing a play, that are imposed by the format of a play, a.k.a by the fact that it is played on stage? For example, in Shakespeare's time, all "corpses" had to be carried off stage, because there was no curtain and no lights that could b... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Crossing the line from Middle-Grade to Young-Adult Aged 10-12, my understanding of sex was "that's how you make children". It didn't sound like fun, so my understanding of why people would do it, other than to make children, was rather in the "adults are weird" realm. (Adults were also weird in other ways: they drank bitter coffee, and sour wine, and... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Writing dialogues for characters whose first language is not English Similar questions have been asked in the past, for example How do I make an ESL character sound realistic? and How to write dialogue for someone who is intelligent but barely speaks the language? You might take a look at those. Let me give you a different approach, however. Unless the way the chara... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What are some ways of extending a description of a scenery? When describing the scenery, your goal isn't only to convey dry information (there are houses, there are trees, etc.). Your goal is to evoke some emotion, some feeling. Your key to extending the description of the scenery is therefore in what feeling you wish to evoke. For example, I look at a deser... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is Jaime Lannister a "telling not showing" example? There is an element the other answers do not address. Jaime has a reputation as being a great swordsman. We are shown, not told, that he has this reputation. A character's reputation is as much an attribute of his, as any skill or trait he might possess. Now, a reputation can be true, or false, or s... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Showing friendship between people of different ranks - maintain formality, or drop it? There is a prince. (Or some other person of high rank.) And there is that prince's good friend, who, naturally, holds a somewhat lower rank. There are two ways I could show the close relationship between the two: 1. They can maintain the rank distinction. Horatio addresses Hamlet "good my lord" and... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is time travel science fiction or fantasy? Time travel can enable the plot - appear as a plot device once at the start, and never show up again. Time travel is part of the setup, not part of the story , as it where. This is the case of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Michael Moorcock's Behold the Man. Those storie... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Third wheel character I have three characters, who are supposed to be good friends. Athos, Aramis, and Porthos, if you wish. Instead, I have two characters who share a strong Frodo-Sam relationship, and the third guy, who is almost a "third wheel". It's not that my "Porthos" is less developed than the other two. But he i... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Materials to promote my book in person Thinking a bit further on the comment I've made, I think bookmarks are the most effective. Here's why: I'm offered a flyer, if I take it, I read, then throw away. Or, I find it interesting, stuff it into my bag, and forget it's there. Same with brochures, or any other object I have no immediate use ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is it possible to narrate a novel in a faux-historical style without alienating the reader? There are many elements of style, of the narrator voice, that have changed over time. @ChrisSunami talks about this, and brings the example of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel - one example I was going to bring. Let me give you some other examples, with the various effect they produce. The translation ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Finding out about other countries' military day-to-day Where does one go to find out about the day-to-day of military life? In countries other than my own? I don't mean combat - I mean the boring routine. Basic training. What kind of food is served in the mess. How soldiers address each other, how one speaks to a superior or a subordinate. Who cleans th... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How do I avoid the "chosen hero" feeling? To answer this question, I think it would be useful to look at The Lord of the Rings. We are explicitly told that Frodo is "chosen" for the task: > Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, book 1, cha... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Describing sex in a non-erotic fiction Let me start with an example, a famous one: > Then there was the smell of heather crushed and the roughness of the bent stalks under her head and the sun bright on her closed eyes and all his life he would remember the curve of her throat with her head pushed back into the heather roots and her lips... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Why write a book when there's a movie in my head? I agree with all the other answers so far, but let me take a different perspective on the whole thing. If you wish, read this answer as a frame challenge. You say "there's a movie in your head". What do you mean? Is it really a movie - does it fit into 2 hours, do you see each frame and how it's sho... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to write painful torture scenes without being over-the-top You might find it helpful to look at the Torture Porn trope, to have a clearer idea of what to avoid. A work would be called "torture porn" when it appears to seek to disgust the reader/viewer while at the same time giving visceral thrills. Consequently, it would be full of "lovingly described" detai... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is it plagiarism to use Google Translate? Translating your own work using GoogleTranslate is not plagiarism, any more than hiring someone to translate your work would be considered plagiarism. (In the latter case, you would insert a line stating "translated by...") While Google does store what you write, it's not a dump of "everything ever ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How can I add more depth to my poem? In my own very brief experimentation with poetry, I always found it helpful to start with the image , the symbolism, as it were. So I wouldn't be "giving my poem more symbolism" - I'd start with the picture in my mind, and write the poem around that. In that fashion, I could replace words with synony... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Do I write the entire series and edit, or edit the books as I go? In theory, @LaurenIpsum's answer makes perfect sense. However, is we look at the market, we see this is not how things are done in practice. For example, J.K. Rowling planned from the start to write seven Harry Potter books, and certain plot points were planned from the start. For example, Voldemort... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What are the things to consider when writing a sequel to a novel from another author? First thing you would need to decide is what you actually want to do with that sequel. Do you intend to write something that is basically "more of the same"? "More of the same", but more modern? Or do you want to deconstruct the source material in some way? All are viable options. In either case, th... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Writing a short story in the same universe as my novel Writing your short story as a standalone is highly useful. You want your story to be readable by as wide an audience as possible, so you don't want to depend on readers having already read your novel. In fact, a short story can serve as a sort of "advertisement" - if the readers like it, they would c... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How can I portray body horror and still be sensitive to people with disabilities? To the best of my understanding, the main problem with the zombie genre is that it positions decay-disease-disability as non-human evil to be eradicated, and as a threat to humankind. (I don't necessarily agree with that statement, but that appears to be what the guy in the video you link to is sayin... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What are some ways to implement multiple endings in a novel? By offering multiple endings to your story, you are distancing the reader from the story, and breaking their immersion. In effect, you are saying, very loudly, as the narrator: "it could be that X happened, or Y, or Z, but I won't tell you which." So, you're moving the focus from the story to the nar... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to tell readers your story is a re-imagination of a popular story? Romeo and Juliet is in the public domain. And it's not even the source material - Shakespeare borrowed the story from somewhere else, (Pyramus and Thysbe is one very similar story, and Ovid didn't invent it either) and retold it in the form of the famous play. That means you're free to rework the sou... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: To translate a novel with Westerner's point of view Translating another writer's book, you are limited: you have only the words that the author wrote. You get to move them around, because grammar has to match. You get to look for expressions in the target language that match expressions in the source material. You get to struggle with semantic gaps, a... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Does symbolism have only one level of depth? Here's the problem with what you are proposing: What you should be telling, what your readers want to read, is your actual story. Symbolism is a tool you use to tell that story: by using the symbol, you shed light on your story, you show and accentuate something that you couldn't have shown otherwis... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Time gaps in a novel Skipping hours, days, months, even years, is standard in fiction. In fact, it is narrating non-stop through the tedious everyday that's non-standard. How do you skip time then? Think of every scene as a mini-story. It should have some sort of opening, some "meat", and then it gets wrapped up (as @A... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to make a grieving father less vengeful and see reason? It is a long way from wishing someone dead, to being able to actually do it. Even having set out to kill that company-owner, can your businessman really pull the trigger? Based on this, I would expect that on some level, your businessman would expect someone to stop him, even want someone to stop hi... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How do I write different factions with ideologies, philosophies, and symbolism? You want a group's symbolism and ideology to mesh together. That's not hard at all. Start with the group's core idea. What is it that they are, most of all? If you could sum up their "ideology" in one word or phrase, what would it be? (Examples could be: honour, wisdom, survival, paying your debts, ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: I am afraid some scenes in my novel are too graphic for some people (Trigger warning: Sexual Assault) In Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane, chapter 7, the MC is seven years old, and his father attempts to drown him. > 'I'll apologise,' I told him. 'I'll say sorry. I didn't mean what I said. She's not a monster. She's...she's pretty.' > He didn't say anything in response. The bath was ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Semicolon or better prose? Word's grammar checker is calibrated for documents, not for fiction. And even for documents, it is a bit of automated software, that is bound to make mistakes. You shouldn't trust it implicitly, and you shouldn't let it bully you. As @DoubleU states in a comment, your original sentence is perfectly ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to fill novel if you have just some moments prepared? You've got a plot planned out, you've got several scenes that you see vividly, you want to get them on paper, because they burn like a fire in your bones. Great. Now that you've done that, you must look at everything else. There are two ways you can approach this: you can plot what happens between y... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Writing a trilogy and editing Trilogies are rarely, if ever, published back-to-back. Instead, first one book is published, then, if it is successful, the second one, then the third. What this means is, when you query an agent, you have Book 1 finished to a T (as you would with a stand-alone book, when querying an agent). You als... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to write characters who hate when you don't understand it? You say you've been lucky - nobody has given you a cause to hate them. Now imagine someone, or some group, laid deliberate, continuous, unjust abuse on someone(s) you cared about. Or imagine your own welfare and happiness being continually put under threat by a person's or group's deliberate actions.... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Latin names of European places As it turns out, Wikipedia has your answer: - List of Latin place names in Continental Europe, Ireland and Scandinavia - List of Roman place names in Britain Wikipedia also has the "external links" section for more details. (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to describe skin colour, if "white" is not the point of reference? A character looks at another character, skin colour creates certain associations. A character looks at himself, and associations would be shaped by society, and by what is "normal" in that society. What we refer to as "black", for example covers a huge range of brown shades, that would only be jumble... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is bigotry always necessary in a story? Conflict makes the story interesting. If there's no conflict of some sort, if everything your characters want - they get handed on a silver platter, then you've got no story. Does the conflict(s) have to include bigotry? Not at all. Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series, an Urban Fantasy set in modern-... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Writing a fiction novel with poetic verses and handling dialogues Novels in verse, like Yevgeniy Onegin subject everything else to the structure of the verse. This means that instead of following the usual format of starting a new line for each character's line of dialogue, a new line or a new paragraph would be started according to the demands of the prosody. It m... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |