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Posts by _X_‭

141 posts
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Q&A Don't look at what I did there

This question is about hiding from the reader the fact that I am skipping some steps. Worse, perhaps, I don't want to show them, and I may have no clue or intention of figuring out how these steps ...

10 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

Question fiction technique scene
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Q&A Avoiding racist tropes in fantasy

A world with races (or species) so dissimilar from one another, without a continuum between them, ought to be racist. Subverting the trope, which is a trope in itself, is going to just flip the rac...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

Answer
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Q&A At what point does a POV character noting their surroundings go from showing/telling to an infodump?

One alternative is to "postpone and dilute". It is in fact likely that a very small amount of all the infodump is needed to get the scene running. Add the other elements as you go. To think of a p...

posted 8y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Meta password recovery

I attempted a password recovery, but it does not seem to work. The error message was: The server encountered a configuration or processing error and was unable to complete your request. Please tr...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by ArtOfCode‭

Question bug-report
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Q&A "Dear Stack Exchange, I am very disappointed in you" - How to construct a strong opening line in a letter?

In light of recent events, I intended to write a simple letter of complaint to StackExchange. The obvious thing to do would be to write an opening with the fact such as It came to my knowledge ...

6 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

Question fiction openings non-fiction letter rhetoric
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Q&A Can we dialoguify sounds?

Onomatopoeia consists in creating words whose sound is similar to the sound you want to reproduce. For instant, an explosion could be replaced by a single Bang! or the barking of a dog could ...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A For HTML documentation sets, are there meaningful guidelines for topic length?

This is not based on studies. It is instead just the subjective experience of plainly and painstakingly having to read through documentations of different sorts throughout the years. Documenta...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write a "state of the art" chapter

I imagine that you Master Thesis is about something, which is presented in a consequential manner. I would take the same order in which you describe your work and write the state of the art, point ...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is there any chance a medieval princess can join the army? If so, how will she be treated amongst the men?

In general, no In German medieval times, it sounds unlikely that a princess, i.e. the daughter of a living king, would be able to join the army in any credible manner. The main reason is that she ...

posted 8y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to Paraphrase a narration which is written by a first person perspective

If the point of view is the same in the two types of narration, then keep it so. If it changes, then adapt the text accordingly. In your example, if you wish to rewrite: I went there. and keep...

posted 8y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write repeated actions

this is a slight variation on one aspect of Erk's answer. Place yourself in the situation of your character. You're forced by fear to go cautiously from cover to cover, perhaps moving slowly, care...

posted 8y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to realistically describe pain?

Show the visible effects of the pain. Let the reader feel it. I think the issue is that you're being sidetracked into trying to describe the feeling of pain. Pain is a very subjective feeling. It ...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

Answer
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Q&A Transitional sections

TL;DR The magic is not in the place, but in the characters' reaction to it. The story is told from the POV of the characters. They may find your three main locations interesting, and the places in...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

Answer
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Q&A What kind of name should a fantasy author go by?

The frame challenge of this question is whether you would like to be read by someone who considers your name to be an important factor in the decision on whether reading your book. If having the l...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I show and not tell a backstory?

The bare minimum is not the backstory The bare minimum that you need to show is not the backstory, but whether the MC is convinced about Matt's good character. For instance, Arthur Conan Doyle do...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A Job description for my employment reference

Q. Do I use active verbs or nouns in a job description? The key is brevity. You want your reader to remember the relevant information, without having to process loads of unnecessarily long grammat...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A Suggestions on fine-nibbed fountain pens that retain moisture well, or trouble-shooting of mine, which don't

After successfully using disposable fountain pens for nearly two years, I switch to a dip pen. When you consume a pen a week, the main reason was a question of costs and pollution. A dip pen has t...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I write a compelling villain-all-along twist?

The actual answer depends largely on the genre. In some genres a villain is simply an active impediment between the hero and his goals, e.g. conservative father vs. daydreaming son. In other genres...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A What effect does compounding bring when used in the title of a song, poem, story?

Amadeus's answer gives a very good insight in the general use of compounding. Strictly related to the use of compounding in titles, you may also want to consider rhythm. In your example, "everytim...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A Referring to different instances of the same character in time travel

This is a frame challenge. I think your issue could also be that your characters do not have a distinct voice. A 15 years old sounds different from a 20 years old. I am not referring to the timbre...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I present a future free of gender stereotypes without being jarring or overpowering the narrative?

Treat it as if it were normal Where I live slavery is not considered normal. The notion that my neighbour had a slave in their house would probably end up on national news and cause public stir. O...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to pick a proper pen-name for online writing?

As I mentioned in a comment, the chances that your name will be taken on future platforms, on which you have not yet registered, increase with your notoriety. As you mention, this often leads to t...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to write a nice frame challenge?

Be Socrates In my view the champion of frame challenges is Socrates. His famous method always starts with an attempt at a frame challenge. The success of the Socratic method stands on the basis t...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A Past vs. present tense when referring to a fictional character

A rule-of-thumb is that characters may become part of the past only in their universe, where they are a "real" person. In this case, you can use the past-tense if you are referring to a "previous v...

posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

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Q&A Revision secrets for keeping the meter and improving the beat

I sometimes write poetry. The creative process for the first draft can be summarized in these steps: I first choose a global structure (e.g. a ballad, a sonnet, a free-stanza-but-fixed-verse, etc...

0 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 7y ago by System‭

Question poetry rhythm