Posts by Lauren Ipsum
In a variation of "Keep it consistent," you may change the reference to the character from last name to first if: The character is not the main character, and the main character's perception of t...
Once your document is compiled, you can go through and change the # to three returns, which is what's usually used. (The only time I see multiple asterisks is if a scene end happens to fall at the ...
I would say no. Not for a book. Regardless of how you are defining cliffhanger, I don't think you need an aaiiigh!! moment at the end of every single chapter. A chapter should end for a reason, bu...
If you feel like your plot elements show too much of the author's deus ex machina, then go back and figure out a way to make them more organic. Sometimes this may mean backing up several scenes, ...
...it looks rude? I have never heard of italics being called "rude." Your friend is full of it. Both your examples are perfect exactly as they are. The first one is a brief interior monologue, se...
As I've said elsewhere, don't pad your stories with, er, effluvia. If your idea is a short story, leave it short. Not every writer has to write long pieces. I'm reasonably sure Shakespeare didn't w...
"Industry-leading" (please note the hyphen in the compound adjective) means "they lead the industry in this." So they claim they are offering royalties which are among the best in the industry.
How big is a Section? What's in it? I ask because if you can break it into sub-sections, you might have a review at the end of each sub-section, and then the quiz at the end of the whole section. ...
...actually, so far as I know, one does not have stylistic freedom in using single or double quotes as one pleases. (Not in prose, anyway — all bets are off in poetry.) In American English, dialog...
I was starting to leave a comment on this excellent question when I realized I had come up with a second question which was equally intriguing. If you're writing a story where 95% of the communic...
I commend you for wanting to improve your writing. :) You can look at how other people have edited your questions and compare the changes. For example, in your question above: I'm a member of some...
In addition to Kate's and Lucy's excellent advice about working on one project per work period, I suggest making sure you're "cleansing your palate." In between work sessions on Project A and Pro...
You could actually do this in Scrivener, if you break your jobs into individual Scrivener documents, use the Keywords function to tag each one, and then Compile in various combinations. I haven't u...
Short answer: cynicism is a version of "playing hard-to-get," which some people find attractive. You seduce by allowing yourself to be chased. Long answer: Someone who's cynical can be an attracti...
I think your distinction is perfect. That's exactly how I'd do it.
In addition to your guesses: A chapter break can also be mostly for dramatic purposes; the scene can continue over the chapter break with the same characters and POV. (Think of a commercial break,...
Robusto makes a good point about knowing your audience. Beyond that, I think caps and exclamation points are used for emphasis and attention. Try to find other ways to accomplish those goals. Spaci...
Buy a tape recorder, or Dragon Dictation (for PC, Mac, or iGadget). If your fingers are too slow, start telling your stories out loud. Let the computer do the typing. Talk until you don't want to t...
Re this specific piece of writing: like Standback, it didn't grab me either — it's not long enough. I didn't feel like I was being drawn into a setting, or a mystery. It's too brief and the protago...
Not an exercise book, but a reference: A Glossary of Literary Terms, M.H. Abrams. The current edition is about twice the size of the one I picked up in college... maybe I need to upgrade! :)
Yes. Write the summary. Write an outline. Write it on notecards so you can rearrange things and reconnect elements in different ways. Use string. Write up briefs of your characters. Know their...
You have two options depending on context: 1) If it's a quick exchange and can be figured out in context, put the foreign language in italics. "As-tu le livre?" "Yes, I have the book here." or...
The only thing I can see in this brief exchange to fix is: Line 2: Eh, adrenaline's unreliable. Might only give 'im a heart attack.
I Am Not A Lawyer, but so far as I know, you can make your will as formal or casual as you like. What matters is that it's signed as yours. I don't know the legal requirements for having it dated o...
If you go through the twelve slush books which Christopher Tolkien assembled from his father's writings (collectively called The History of Middle-Earth), you can see practically line-for-line how ...
