Posts by Liquid
You're being overly sensitive. Any combination of two words, no matter how original, could be already used elsewhere. That's not plagiarism, that's statistics. The only slightly worrying case is ...
You have two feet. Any attemp to wear three shoes will end badly. I'm the kind of writer who finds starting new projects and exploring new ideas more fun and easy to do, rather than stick to an al...
I'll try to answer your question: Will computer virus characters tend to act like over-the-top villains? Is this the most likely way for them to act? With reasoning or not? Eh, no. There is n...
You are right: there is enough backstory to make a well built female character. I appreciated the contrast between the male protagonist, who lacks self-motivation, and your female lead, who seems t...
Yea, the similarities are there and they are evident. There's nothing wrong about being impressed with another author work. The point is that sometime some concepts and ideas influence us so deep...
I'd point you to wetcircuit answer since it covers the topic well. Yet, I wanted to add my two cents (and they didn't fit in a comment). Actually I feel we might be similar: I imagine my stories ...
However, is it really bad to include something just for fun or just because it conveys the rare (exotic and interesing) idea? It's not bad. Truth to be told, many successful authors do it to...
You could be vague and mention him feeling his trousers or pants "getting tighter", or something of the like. It's pretty much the standard imagery used to represent an erection without actually me...
As I see it, you're asking two questions: Do fictional stories need to have relatable characters in order to be good? And the answer would be a resounding Yes But regarding the actual title, Do...
I'd say that the qualities of motherly characters aren't inherently tied to being "able to bear children" or "old enough to be a mother". Aside from the fact that (as other noted) people used to ...
Your proofreader felt disturbed because there may be some inconsistencies in your story. I'll point my finger against the fact that you changed some country names. This - per se - is not a proble...
Galastel gave an already excellent answer about using the pain to propel the story forward. I'll add my two cents: What you want to avoid is showing the pain for the sake of it. As you said, y...
I don't think so. It's purely a literary device And an old one, at that. Some classical, widely recognized authors have used it in the past (Manzoni's Promessi Sposi - or The Betrothed comes to m...
I think we are dealing with a scale of greys here. It's true, as Matthew Dave mentions, that the audience will expect the protagonist trying to resolve at least one of the major conflicts in the st...
To me it seems that your main issue is not having decided a common background-language for your story. In fantasy novels, either you Invent a whole new language (cfr. Tolken) Borrow languages f...
how do I switch between these characters without it being jarring for the reader? Short answer: you don't. There will always be a moment, when switching from a PoV to another, when the reader will...
From the way you're telling it, I'd point my fingers against the time-skips. Apart from the necessary time-skip when the MC is unconscious (and you could fill it up with descriptions, dreams or may...
I mean exactly this. Writing needs focus, to some extent. Even if you may fall into a state were words flow naturally on the keyboard almost without effort, you still have to reach that condition....
I'm talking in a purely theoretical manner: what will I say is not backed up by direct experience Well, in theory, the skillsets you need to be a good editor and a good writer don't overlap comple...
Writing can be a very intimate activity: no wonder you might feel a bit anxious! But remember, first and foremost, you're writing for yourself, rather than for someone else. Chances are that writ...
Some people will always find ways to be offended in what is written and will accuse you of racism, and that's a fact. This can potentially happen regardless of your efforts, so, just ignore them. ...
Alice: Do you remember how the villain from a month ago always said how he wanted to kill us? Bob: Hm-mm? Alice: Well, this new villain wants to kill us ... and murder our dog, too! ...
This is maybe a question more apt to Workplace.SE, but here's my two cents: I woudn't mention the names of the agencies you're already working for. This for a few reasons: The other agencies may...
I generally agree with Galastel answer: since you are already questioning, in your novel, the morality of your protagonist choices, you are reasonably safe from the trope. Is all this enough to a...
In my opinion you already have your answer. As Galastel was pointing it out, this hasn't the connotation of ritual suicide, or cultism. Can it be portrayed in a "noble" light or would this be ...
