Activity for Amadeusâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | — |
A: How to compactly explain secondary and tertiary characters without resorting to stereotypes? Pick your stereotype. Use it. Break it. Do you need a dizzy party girl? Great. She dresses like a dizzy party girl. You've heard her talk like a dizzy party girl. But you see her at lunch, alone, scribbling and thinking and scribbling; then she rolls her eyes and scratches a long line through it; ju... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Avoiding the "not like other girls" trope? Embrace the opposite of the trope. Is there some reason Supergirl cannot love talking fashion, and own ten pairs of shoes? Is there some reason a brilliant chemist must also be mousy and withdrawn? There is no reason a brain surgeon can't be emotional about receiving unexpected flowers on her anni... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Shortening a title without changing its meaning Management Difficulties Scale with Headcount Titles follow the same rule as billboard advertisements: no more than 7 words; no matter what their size. Scientifically speaking, billboard comprehension rates drop off a cliff after 7 words. Apply the same rule to your titles. (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Can a third-person narrator ask questions instead of the characters? Yes, you can use a third person narrator in this way. In fact, this approach can be used somewhat liberally, to describe a thought process that may be difficult to form into distinct mental sentences, or feels too long when that is done, or feels artificial. An example might be to skip any internal ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Help/tips for a first time writer? I have two previous answers that will help you, Here, on the Three Act Structure and Here, on Getting the first 50 pages or so started. These are geared to discovery writers, like me, but if you already have a plot to follow, they can help you anyway. The biggest mistake I see beginners make is the... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Changing the meaning of well-established symbols If it is a well known symbol, I sincerely doubt it; unless you are writing a farce or comedy. The issue is I don't think the reader can divorce themselves from the symbol triggering the well-known meaning. As an example, for an American, "FBI" means one thing, it is a symbol. No matter what you do i... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is wanting to ask what to write an indication that you need to change your story? > When a writer feels the need to ask others what to write, is that truly a sure sign that they need to change their story to something where they know what to write? No. This is mostly a discovery writers problem; plotters can just follow their plot to the end. (Unless they have question marks in ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Should authors write books anticipating audiobook narrations? I don't think an author has to plan for an audio book, I would plan on getting published in print first. Trying to write a story that can be a book, a movie, an audio-book, a comic, and a Television series is adding enough handcuffs and shackles that Houdini couldn't finish a draft. That said, if yo... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Beyond letters and diaries—exercises to explore characters' personalities and motivation I suggest obsession. I write little or nothing about my characters before I begin writing. But I think about them, a lot, often for a week or more. I think about them as I get ready for my day, as I work, as I shop for groceries, as I eat lunch AND dinner, as I get ready for bed. Specifically, how ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do I differentiate characters in first person POV when the narrator doesn't know them yet? When the men first come in, have the women invent names for them, make it a game. > "Wow, what's his name, do you think?" > > "The dark haired guy? I say ... Richard." > > "No way, I say William. Definitely a Will. The other guy, a Maybe!" > > "Ha! Okay, Will, and, say, Mark." > > "Mark! Okay. W... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is a stroke of luck acceptable after a series of unfavorable events? I'd rather make the luck indirect, I think it works out better that way. So if my character is hungry, the lucky thing is they find a piece of discarded stiff wire, but THEN they sharpen the wire on a stone, and bend it into a fish hook, and make a lure from a feather, and use the thread from their s... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to write character's emotional reactions in a screenplay? Just say it. I suggest reading this: What Visual Storytelling Looks Like In a Screenplay. And this companion article: 4 Examples of Good Visual Writing In a Movie Script. I'd recommend giving the actor something to do besides "looking scared". > John, terrified, slowly raises one trembling hand t... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do I go from 300 unfinished/half written blog posts, to published posts? I imagine the issue is psychological, but not necessarily fear of public opinion. I would pick an endpoint for the post; just basically what you think you want to conclude. The result. The point you wanted to make; even if the "point" is "I had a great time at this party." Use that as a "compass" w... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Book/Novel About aliens fearing humans - perspective delivery IMO, as a believer in Evolution, aliens cannot be that much different than humans. There is only one reality; in order to become an intelligent, space-faring race they had to go through much the same things we did. In particular, our best understanding of evolution today suggests they would be relati... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Tiptoe or tiphoof? Adjusting words to better fit fantasy races I wouldn't shy away from "tiptoe", if I have a non-human species that has been around longer than humans, I consider everything I write about them translation of their language to English. If they have any posture or means of walking more silently, "tiptoe" is an appropriate translation. However, if... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do I keep an essay about "feeling flat" from feeling flat? I would go analytical on this one. Talk about the missed opportunities, the lack of conflict, what makes you not give a crap about the characters, or the issues being presented, or in fact the resolution of the issue. If a story falls flat, it is because the ending doesn't make a difference to the r... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Will it be accepted, if there is no ''Main Character" stereotype? I think you misunderstand the MC; the MC doesn't have to be extraordinary in any particular sense; and in most good stories the MC has weaknesses or flaws to overcome. The reason an MC is the main character is only because that is the character the reader most identifies with. That is the character ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Stereotypical names I look for popular names, but not the MOST popular names. For example, I just googled "most popular names in the UK" and found this at the top link. An excerpt: Boys Oliver - 6,259 Harry - 5,031 George - 4,929 Noah - 4,273 Jack - 4,190 Jacob - 3,968 Leo - 3,781 Oscar... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is it acceptable to use props I saw in a movie in my story? I am not a lawyer, so all of this is a layman opinion. If the design on the cups is something done by the set designers or artists employed by the movie, then they own the copyright on that design, as part of the copyright on their movie. You can't use it. An example of this might be the designs on t... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Switching tense and point of view between the chapters I don't think the problem is a "limited point of view", many good stories are told in first person; and many stories are told in third with a limited narrator: They only know the thoughts and feelings of a single character. I think the problem is that first person makes the reader feel like they are... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: I'm trying to figure out whether to discovery write or outline. How do I choose which is right for me? If you are having trouble outlining, or trouble following or completing a story from an outline that you wrote, you should try discovery writing. I am a discovery writer, and I finish books. In This Answer I give an overview of starting a discovery story. I do not outline. However, I know the "beat... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Delivering sarcasm In novels you can parse sarcasm because you know the characters, specifically you know what they know and how they think, so you know the difference between a serious suggestion and a flip suggestion. I've written a sarcastic retort by a character in one of my stories, and my first reader got it imm... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Prologue or chapter 1? I'm not sure I understand exactly. I guess you are not telling a time-travel story; so this sounds like a long flash-back. If it is a romance, I think you destroy much of the suspense in a romance by pre-telling how things turn out. Typically a book opens with "the normal world" of the protagonists.... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: When does a phrase change from "quote" to "expression coined by"? I think this is a matter of opinion; but you come close with In fact, not every person using the expression would be aware of its provenance. It becomes an "expression" or "colloquialism" when it starts being used as a figure of speech by people that heard it (obviously) but have no idea where it ca... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Future battlegrounds I don't think the soldier's presence on the battlefield should be contrived, but there is still reason for soldiers to be out there and in danger. The situation is kind of split. Primarily because the situation of war is, and will likely always be, actually ending human lives. It will not remain jus... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is there a market for all-ages novels? The marketing environment for books has become immensely more complicated and crowded than it was in the past. Partly due to the ongoing information explosion (which lets you and discuss this at all), marketing is increasingly "siloed", or targeted, because the sheer number of offers is now too much ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Given two alternative, strong endings to a novel, how to decide which one to use? Do you wish to sell the book? Happy endings outsell unhappy endings about 10 to 1. This has actually been studied to some extent, and the difference comes down to word-of-mouth: Even if people say they liked a book with an unhappy ending, they are much more reluctant to recommend it to friends, out ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Characterizing a sentient robot: inhuman PoV One way this has been done is by using a human foil; perhaps somebody that doesn't trust the robot. The way this works is the robot presents as a caring human you could care about. But the robot will answer honestly if the foil asks how it came to this decision, and the explanation can be much unlik... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Characterizing a sentient robot: sensory data I suggest this long answer of mine (90 votes) on a similar topic; it will define some of the terms you are using. A "sentient" or self-aware being (machine or biological) will have an internal model of itself in the world, and be able to model (or simulate) with relative success how its own actions ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: The three acts and their relative length Of the three acts, Act I, II, III, generally ACT II is the longest, ACT I the next longest, and ACT III the shortest. Roughly, you can divide Act II in half, Act IIa and IIb. And roughly, each will be 25% of the book. You could say the same about Act I and III, so all are equal. That is approximate... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How much character growth crosses the line into breaking the character In my opinion, a character needs some kind of impetus or crisis or catalyst or heartfelt realization to change their character. To me, that reflects reality. For a positive change of character, something has to cause the change, to make the character either realize they don't want to be the same pers... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: When must a character grow beyond their archetype? Personally, I go by the number of scenes they are in. Basically: 1. If they are in one scene, and neither mentioned or seen after that, they are one dimensional. They may not even have a name. Now, one-dimensional doesn't mean I can't describe them. My MC may see the young waitress flirting with the... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Does success imply validation and agreement? Yes, success implies validation and agreement by the author. I say that for the obvious reason; you wrote the fiction, you designed the plot, you let the bully win. Don't say, "That's how the world is." Reality is no excuse for writing bad fiction; and you are the God of the world you write, so the w... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How can I write humor as character trait? You prevent writing a comic-relief character by making them essential to the mission. And not shallow or dumb. Give him a skill (besides punning) that the others value, or even a trait: Perhaps he likes punning because he is also extremely inventive in a good way, for solving problems, for anticipat... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What is special in API documentation compared to general technical writing? I would say an API needs reasonable examples of use, and needs attention paid (or links provided) to other closely related elements of the API; even if it is just like "See xyyGraphInit". You want your programmers to be able to use the product quickly and without having to read the whole dang thing ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Does the reader need to like the PoV character? I think the reader has to like the POV character. Everything is seen through their eyes and thoughts and feelings. If those are repellent to the reader, they cannot identify, and without that, I think they will give up on the story. Maybe there are writers out there that could pull it off. I know I'... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Personal or impersonal in a technical resume I would skip the poetry, but use the personal approach. > Project X > > I had several duties on this project. My primary responsibility was mixing dangerous chemicals in a cauldron for various experiments, including an attempt to liquefy kryptonite. In my second year on this project, I joined a tea... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is there a place for an epilogue in a standalone novel? +1 Shadocat; I will expand on that answer with reasons. Epilogues are especially welcome if your story is strongly focused on characters, and throughout the story they (like most of us) have thoughts about their future, plans and fears. If your story centers around an issue in their present life, i... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What is the structure of a paranormal horror story? It seems to me many paranormal stories (like possession, or demons on Earth) just begin with the paranormal, period. In The Exorcist a child is possessed and must be cured. In The Omen, Damien (the child) is the son of Satan and the Antichrist. To me most paranormal stories begin very early with a ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Symbolism of 18 Journeyers You can use factorization. Some task takes 6 groups of 3, say making camp. Another takes 3 groups of six, say one group of six stands watch while the other two sleep. At some point, they divide into 2 groups of 9; maybe 9 males and 9 females, and in another 9 pairs of two. You can find ways to empha... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Do I need to convey a moral for each of my blog posts? No, you don't need to convey a moral. And probably shouldn't. Many blog posts are just informative and explanatory about what is going on in the world, from your point of view. The scope can be global (like global politics, or climate change effects, etc) down to private life; say you want to descri... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Should I use acronyms in dialogues before telling the readers what it stands for in fiction? I typically would not expand a single acronym, and would not use too many. I would give hints, but perhaps I wouldn't do even that. Consider the TV series "NCIS", you can go half a season without knowing what NCIS stands for. Something to do with the Navy, and Investigating. They have badges. The pe... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How specific should I get when brainstorming with what-if exercise? I don't think the specifics matter that much, what you are looking for is dividing lines that can create conflict. In your example, say you decide the son doesn't want to work with his father. That alone creates a conflict, a potential rift between father and son. As for the rest of your questions,... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to use deus ex machina safely? A deus ex machina actually does solve the problem. I can't tell, from what you have written in your question, if winning the lottery eventually does solve all her problems. If it does not immediately but does eventually there is no escaping that fact that you used a deus ex machina, and this is not ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Picking a good story goal for a morally neutral character I think there are subtle differences between "not caring what is right or wrong" and "only caring about myself" and "only caring about my own interests". A "self-interested" person sounds like somebody that can't love, or even have friends they care about. But a morally neutral character CAN love so... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Does it really serve a main character to give them one driving want? For me, my main characters want a dozen things; but the story is about them pursuing one thing that is important to them for one reason or another. Often this is a semi-existential reason. By "semi-" I mean she likely won't be risking her life (but maybe), but what is at risk is her normal life, at ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to answer questions about my characters? The "lie" can be just an untruth that she accepts. Here, the untruth can be that she knows the way to happiness. She thinks that by expanding her husbands land and wealth, this will keep her family together. But that might not truly be what her husband wants, or even if it is, it may not be what her... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Rules about breaking the rules. How do I do it well? I would say that in writing , in particular, we shouldn't break the simple rules of grammar and spelling and many other basics. My reason for that is quite simple, if you writer "gramer, speling, n simpel" most readers (and definitely most agents and publishers) are going to stop reading right there.... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to open a serious speech? I would begin with a story, about somebody you are memorializing. I'd expect it to be tragic, obviously, but the point of the memorial is to remember what was taken from so many. To prevent that from being a faceless crowd, we do what writers do: Focus on an individual. Photojournalists do the same: ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What to submit when asked for "sample chapters"? Typically agents and publishers want to see your first three chapters (or somewhere between the first 10 and 50 pages). Don't include extra. If you have a prologue, it counts as the first (since the first cannot be understood without it.) This is the opening of the story, and most consider this the ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |