Activity for Amadeus
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | — |
A: What to avoid when writing a happy ending? A non-cheesy happy ending is generally a mixed bag; the hero may not get everything they wanted, but they did get what was most important to them. For example, they didn't get the treasure, but they found true love, and nobody else got the treasure. Or they succeeded in sending the CEO to prison, b... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How do I write gray vs grey stories? One approach to this is what I would call a "family first" story; it is a product of our familial and tribal instincts. The idea is that group loyalty trumps all law and morality. The "group" can be actual blood relations, or partners in crime, or the soldiers you fought with, or your classmates, or ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is writing literary devices in a narrative essay (reflective) always good? Writing can be fine without metaphors or similes or other "literary devices". Your particular writing has problems. Normally we don't do critiques here, but I think for your example this will benefit other writers. 1) Why resort to speculation that wolves faces cannot show sadness? Wolves and dogs r... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What are the components of a legend (in the sense of a tale, not a figure legend)? I think of legends and mythology (I took a college elective on it) as being about black-and-white extremes, like writing for children too young to process nuance, too young to appreciate flawed heroes or sympathetic villains. Hercules is the good guy. Heaven and Hell, Mount Olympus or the Underworld,... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Main male character description 1) unusually smart, I presume by "smart" you are not saying the same thing as "clever", "insightful" or "thoughtful", which IMO leaves an academic understanding of how things work. You show this by finding an opportunity to have the character explain something others (including the reader) may not u... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How do I write a "take action" scene for a play? Embrace the conflict. Just like a screenplay, a scene can have an ACT I, ACT II, ACT III. And people get absorbed in conflict, there should be some conflict in every scene, and your scene is built for conflict. The Acts within a scene are obviously much shortened, perhaps to a single scene, but the... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Many sexual situations, but no actual sex scenes? Although I personally have no problem either writing or reading explicit sex scenes (sex is a form of entertainment, after all), if you feel constrained by your distribution options, I would make the fact that sex occurred more explicit, and leave no doubt in the mind of the audience that yes, sex oc... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is every story set in the future "science fiction"? To be science fiction, the story must depend upon fictional science or scientific achievements. Although that is most plausible for the future, it could be set in the present or past; e.g. we could push some modern, actual scientific achievement back into pre-history; e.g. the Chinese invented gunpow... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: When do you stop "pushing" a book? The most likely explanation is that your queries are poorly written, or the agents you are querying are poorly suited to your work (or feel they are after reading your query). If you are getting rubber-stamp rejections, look online for lessons in writing queries; one example is at Query Letter, but ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: The unknown and unexplained in science fiction The easiest way to show your technology fits science fiction is to have it break, and then get it fixed by an engineer with a spare part or something. More generally speaking, in the reader's mind it will be "technology" if it is treated like "technology". In particular, show it can break and needs ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: In a series of books, what happens after the coming of age? Coming of Age is about becoming an adult. This is often for young adults the transition to a sexualized person; being interested in sex and romance, knowing what it is about, perhaps experiencing sexual attraction for the first time. Anthropologically speaking, we see the same story in apes and othe... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Picking a theme as a discovery writer I am a discovery writer; I don't usually look for a "theme", and my readers don't seem to miss it. There can be a problem with a story seeming to stall, and I don't know that there is an easy fix in identifying WHY it stalled. As I have written in previous responses; I have minimized the occurrence ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How important are good looking people in a novel/story? I don't think it is important at all for main characters to be outstanding in the looks department; if fact it can be a detriment. They can be more sympathetic to readers if they aren't that good looking, and know it. How many movies have you seen where the main character is NOT the best looking memb... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to write the action of someone reading in a story? An example, please I had a similar issue in a story of mine; a letter is the catalyst for the action that is basically the whole story. The way I approach this (and many other writing problems) is to remember the person reading the letter is processing the letter, mentally responding to claims in the letter, realizing... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How can I push a protagonist to a moral event horizon without making them a sympathetic Sue? You have a logic problem. If humans have no control over their destiny, then why does this human need to "make a choice?" He can't, his destiny is to "sacrifice everyone he holds dear". Period. In your words, it is arrogant and foolish of him to think otherwise. That said, the way to make somebody s... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What matters more when it comes to book covers? Is it ‘professional quality’ or relevancy? > Am I to believe that the person will move on and not check it out simply because it was clearly homemade? Yes, believe that. Of course, believe that on average, you will still get some percentage of people that will click on it, but most people won't. The quality of the cover art influences the p... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is my book too weird to be published? I'd say, for a short book, pitch it as a young children's book. Imaginative and silly are great for that. Get rid of your trademark issue with Fruit Loops, come up with some other name that doesn't infringe. e.g "Flavor Rings" or "RingaDings" or something (and Google whatever you come up with to ensu... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: About sound effects In a script, yes, capitalize anything the Foley artists (makers of common sound effects) would be interested in. Cheering is one of those things; the slamming or closing of doors or lids, thunder, rain, etc. Do not expect these to be picked up on a microphone; or to "sound right" to the audience wit... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: At what point does an interesting analogy become a distraction? If the scene is supposed to be dramatic, a joke is out of place. Personally I did not find it funny, I thought it cliché. As a professional author and teacher, I am NOT in favor of the idea that "one should not hold back from any good ideas, regardless of how it impacts the current end result". If ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Saying something reluctantly dialogue tag or 'said' synonym? I'm not sure what "hinted" means. Nevertheless, to get rid of "he said" tags and "-ly" adverbs, preface the actual dialogue (in quotes) with a description of what he is doing (that gets rid of "reluctantly") and then have the dialogue immediately follow; it will be attributed to the person automatic... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Opening chapter foreshadowing or not? I would not put the homicide in Chapter 1. I believe you are making the mistake of many beginning writers, thinking that you have to get to the action and the main conflict quickly to hook the reader. That is not true. The vast majority of successful stories use the opening scenes, even 10-15% of t... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is it advisable to begin marketing a book before it is published? You might be shooting yourself in the foot. This likely depends on high personal productivity of the author, and if you cannot sustain the pace, I think you will lose whatever audience you gather. It will also depend on your writing style: I could not take this approach at all, I cannot finish Chap... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: English words in a non-english sci-fi novel I think it is important to write what your intended readers will easily understand. If you are a native speaker and inclined toward English-sounding words; they are probably inclined to understand that perfectly, so go ahead. Otherwise, using your native language, you create a cognitive dissonance; ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How much episode recap is necessary in a tv-focused podcast? I think you see this all the time in "Previously on XYZ" segments of shows that have long plotlines (i.e. episodes are not self-contained). The only thing they recap is what you need to know for THIS episode, and then not the whole subplot, just the last thing that happened in that subplot. e.g. The... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Can the prologue be the backstory of your main character? Prologues are usually boring, because they are almost inevitably history lessons that have no suspense or action and they feel like a history lesson, right after lunch, and a snooze fest. You would be better off skipping it, and giving an actual origin story: Think, for example, of Spiderman. You st... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How is simplicity better than precision and clarity in prose? I'd reject the advice to write to a sixth grade level, unless you are writing for kids or young-adults. I've seen the stats on reading levels in the USA somewhere; they must be online. But as I recall, writing should be at about the 11th grade level. For one, in Hemingway's time, education levels we... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Scientific Reports - Significant Figures +1 user37826, that is my answer. I understand you are showing the +/- in the superscript and subscript, respectively, but I don't like this format at all; for one it doesn't give the confidence level being quoted. 90%? 95%? 99.9%? is that a 3-sigma or 5-sigma result? If I were your advisor I'd tell ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to handle characters who are more educated than the author? Teachers and professors often pick up the lingo of their students; part of being a good teacher is being able to understand their speech and slang. Not only to communicate with them, but to pick up on things they shouldn't be saying. I will also note that every generation, beginning around puberty t... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to create place names that feel like they belong to a culture? I would do this like names from the culture. Different languages have different characteristic sounds, rhythm, and accents. Although I don't speak Spanish, Italian, German, French, Arabic or Mandarin Chinese, I have been in places (various universities and countries and restaurants) where all of thes... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Correct punctuation for showing a character's confusion I use a double-dash, and specifically a double-dash (not an em dash), on both sides of the interruption. > The demon -- he? she? -- gestured toward the supply wagons. Although in your example, the interruption doesn't make sense; it would not make sense to say "The demon she gestured toward the sup... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How can I design a "rational" religion that eliminates faith as a requirement? Speaking as a research scientist, one major refinement you would need is rejection of your gods. In 400BC, Aristotle published his theory of gravity; based on the notion that objects were composed of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. His theory was that the Earth component of objects wanted to be closer ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Critique strategies to help improve someone's writing The main thing to remember about critiquing somebody's writing is to not critique the person. What the piece is about is not a topic for criticism; what you think it says about the person that wrote it is not a topic for criticism. If they write something dark and depressing, a writing critic must as... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Writing about oneself objectively I guess this is more of a psychology question; but -- as a fiction writer -- you can try writing about a fictional character. Change your name! It is a trick to distance yourself from the work; write about George or Mike instead of yourself, but using your own biography and accomplishments. In 1989,... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Elongated vowel sounds I don't believe there is any punctuation to accomplish what you want. I have seen it done as you have done it, but IMO this is effective but something that should be used very rarely; it gets tiring for the reader quickly (e.g. if you try to make this part of a character's accent). And because in Eng... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: The concept of description and the structure of Mckee's view of story design But something DID change, Tania's emotional attitude is changed in the last sentence, after the rain ends. The length isn't what makes a scene. Like the story in general, a scene has a beginning, a middle, and an end. You have those elements here. (1) You establish a setting and character problem: I... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: If you're not a professional, what motivates you to keep writing? What keeps me motivated is I like writing for its own sake, it is my hobby, it can make me laugh, it makes me feel good to have figured things out, and for crafting a piece of art. Like other people's non-passive hobbies (painting, woodworking, car restoration, writing music) it is an outlet for my i... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Characters based on Real People I am not a lawyer, so this is not legal advice, but my understanding as an author is if somebody else can convince a jury that, for people that know the real person, the character in the book could not be anybody else BUT them, then you needed permission. Note that this is specifically NOT some iron... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is Social Media Science Fiction? It isn't science fiction, it is just Contemporary fiction, aka Realistic fiction. A Science Fiction story must rely heavily on some non-existing tech or some reasonably plausible guess at a futuristic development; like being visited by aliens, or discovering them. In some scenarios (about the futur... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How do I create uniquely male characters? To me, uniqueness is not found in any one trait, but in the combinations of traits. You avoid writing a stereotype by acknowledging the stereotype exists, and then finding a natural way to subvert it. You can have a firm male commander that doesn't bark commands, but explains what he wants and why. I... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is a tag line useful on a cover? I don't think the tag conveys the fact that there is violence, as Cyn's comment says, it sounds "old fashioned". From "Gentleman" and "Never Tells" my mind jumps to sexual trysts some woman must keep secret. It doesn't jump to informing on a client (if that is even what you meant). And because it is... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is elaborating the opposite case in brackets acceptable and clear? It is acceptable, this kind of thing is done often in academic papers (to save space, there is often a page-limit in journal articles); but (B) is more clear than (A), that is probably why it was written that way. Unless saving a handful of words is very important, stick with (B). (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Does detail obscure or enhance action? In an action scene, short is better, and in a battle, people do not have time to reflect (unless they have magically fast thinking). IRL fight training, there is a strong emphasis on repetition to make your defensive moves "muscle memory" automatic, so you take care of that part subconsciously (as yo... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Creating character imagery without describing their physical looks I seldom describe my characters to the readers; other than traits that are important to the plot, or are already obvious by the plot. Even then, I strive to have other characters make comments on their appearance or looks, and those in somewhat general terms. Or their appearance enters into the thoug... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Are submission services worth pursuing? Trying it yourself is free. Don't send out fifty queries! Typically, the advice from agents is to find the agents that match your story (MSWL = www.manuscriptwishlist.com; another collection is agentquery.com). You may well find 50, but if you've never written or sent a query letter, send it to SIX ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Which techniques maintain reader interest when the POV is a spectator? (Sports story as sidequest?) Full Disclosure: I am not a sports fan; but I do have family and friends with that disability. Basically tension in a story is created by making the reader wonder "what happens next." That is why they turn the pages, you must interleave a few horizons in your story: What happens in the next few page... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Relationship Problems If they are teens, I'd suggest you make the breakup a clear fault in one of the characters; preferably the more main character. By "clear fault" I mean one that most readers will agree with; a wrong-headed assumption of youth about "proper roles" or something like that; and something that with time t... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to write about a homosexual relationship when I haven't experienced one? Personally, I think the emotions of love and romance are one thing and not gendered, that if we could discard the cultural baggage of what other people and institutions expect of us and think about us, we would find a commonality in what it feels like to be sexually attracted, infatuated, fall in lov... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Vague vs Specific: When to provide motivation details for action in a story? Being vague is usually a bad idea, particularly early in the story. In the example, it doesn't make a difference what the author is planning or intends, all that matters is what the reader reads. If all you get is that Holly is avoiding Sam, yes, it does fall flat for the reader. They can't sympathiz... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Fleshing out the character motivation from the plot I think an abstract goal needs to be more useful as a life philosophy than you can make "vengeance." If that is my life goal, what do I do on idle Sundays, ask neighbors if I can take some vengeance on their behalf? I'd come up with an abstract goal of a hero that allows them to do good for others e... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to prevent "they're falling in love" trope You cannot prevent that suspicion altogether; especially because that is your plan. Which means your two characters are heterosexual; so you can't really use homosexuality as a show-stopper. I would suggest you make it clear that one of them is already in love, and the other one knows it. If your gu... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |