Activity for Amadeus
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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A: How to get opinion freelance articles accepted? Without seeing your articles, we can only guess. My guess is that you don't bring anything new and exciting to the table. I am an atheist and will be one as long as I can think rationally (and when that stops, I don't think that person is "me" anymore, since my rationality is central to my persona). ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Self education over college to become an author... connections? NO, do not go to college for that. I spent twelve years in college, I have five college degrees and the last is a PhD, I was a professor (and I am currently a research scientist at a university). I did that because I loved school and college, and I've never encountered a course in any topic I found... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: What should I do when I am stuck on names during freewriting? This is a useful book, Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook. Each name comes with its original translation of meaning (although some are just 'mythical mother of Jason', or a few per page 'unknown origin'.) This is a useful website of many links to online naming resources, baby names, charact... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How specific should descriptions of settings/appearances be? > Is there like a rule of thumb for these things? Three! I will take "rule of thumb" as meaning a rough measure that does not apply in all situations. It is actually hard for people to keep very many details in their mind, so when describing a building or room, for example, pick three important de... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How long should it take to Revise/Edit to get to Good Enough? I personally would NOT recommend writing a second book while revising the first. It is important to keep the first book in your head as a whole, a second book in my head would result in a jumbled and useless edit due to forgotten or mistaken plot threads and characters. Pro writers that do a book a ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Attracting Writers for Crowdsourced News App I think this is a "you can if you can" answer. If you have 500, put a billboard on your site that says > "Looking for writers, editors, research, moderation. > We want to crowd-source this site! Join us! > Any level of participation welcome; enjoy the warm > glow of satisfaction in a job well ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: What are ways to "Show, don't tell" without simply listing bodily actions? I consider the author's job to assist the imagination of the reader, so they can sense the scene and feelings of the characters. The difference between showing and telling is that showing describes a scene and telling gives us a fact and leaves it to the reader to imagine on their own. such "facts" ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Screenplay vs Novel Screenplays are rather short story, when you think about it. A typical screenplay is 120 pages double-spaced, and 25% dialogue and 50% action. That is 30 pages of dialogue, but the margins (2.9, 2.3) leave 3.3" space for the speech. So this is a total of about 15 minutes of speech in a two hour movie... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Introduce a character and forget about them until the last chapter? I agree with wetcircuit, this is a deus ex machina. I don't think it will help to show them more often, in the end they save the day and they are your heroes , not your MC. The hero is the one that needs to take the actions and make the decisions (and any sacrifices needed) that lead to and through... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Writing techniques or exercises to improve ability to show rather than tell? My exercise for this is forcing my imagination. First we must define the difference between showing and telling in a useful way for writing. Showing is writing that assists the reader's imagination so what they remember is a scene as if it were experienced. That is the job of the writer, to imagine... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How can one character narrate past events to another character? Create some conflict between the character hearing it and the character telling it. Don't just infodump the history. The exact nature of the conflict depends upon the relationship of the characters; but make the character hearing it question the decisions, the motives, ask questions to clarify setti... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: What is a good "to be" verb substitute in this scenario? > A significant scene in the novel occurs after ... Or > A significant scene in the novel takes place after ... Or > A significant scene in the novel follows [the previous reference action] ... All of these will read the same way; A follows B, A occurs after B, A takes place after B, etc. There ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How to invest readers in a story that (initially) has no clear direction? You say "the first quarter of the story". That is close enough to ACT I, the setup, and it ends with a crisis that propels the character into ACT II, in your case, capture by the government. You are probably writing to the Three Act Structure instinctively; we absorb this by examples of the tens of t... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How do you drop a reader in the middle of nowhere at the beginning of a story? how should I start the story? This is obviously a matter of opinion, the story I would write may be far different than the story you want to write. So this is basically how I would start such a story. (All elements can be toned down for a non-adult story.) You need to establish the little girl as y... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How do I translate into a gendered language where the gender would be a spoiler? I don't know Hebrew or gendered languages, but if the character does know who is behind the door, then perhaps rephrase the line to not USE the pronoun: "How is it going?" "Everything alright?" "Everything cool in there?" "No problems in there?" Or perhaps there is a similar Hebrew idiom to empl... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Is there a limit to the amount of books to a child? No, there is no limit, other than how fast she can type. To get published, she would need a parent or guardian to sign publishing contracts on her behalf. (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: What´s the best path to writing a blog about technology? In most technology books, a chapter tackles a single subject in depth. For example, "looping" in a language, the FOR loop; WHILE loop, DO WHILE, DO UNTIL, etc. In beginner books, syntax and the reason for it are discussed. What is the importance of the semi-colon in C, or the curly braces {}? What i... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Using colloquialisms the reader may not be familiar with I think this depends on your intended audience; if it is almost entirely Irish familiar with the dialect, leave it. It sounds authentic to them, and is not jarring. Even if it is just that story; which it may be if you are trying to get started by publishing locally, a short story in a magazine or so... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Writing diversity You have to work to play against stereotypes (without using another), because readers recognize stereotypes (even if they are not part of that group) and many of us are offended at the writing, on our own behalf or on behalf of others. Or in the modern world (I'm from the USA) often on behalf of peop... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Best alternate sentence for 'Please let me know if any questions/comments' Since Questions/Comments covers every possible response, perhaps "Please feel free to respond." Or "I welcome any feedback." (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How to balance respecting diversity and avoiding tokenism at the same time I think it is tokenism, by virtue of the fact that tokenism is indeed your stated intent! In fact you may weaken the tokenism by saying the character is also fastidious; most of us consider a high degree of fastidiousness a flaw or symptom of obsessive compulsive disorder, because most such fastidiou... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Should I capitalise the first letter of a title that an unnamed character has? I misunderstood, rewriting. Yes, capitalize it; it is essentially their name if that is how people refer to the character. (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Should I repeat character descriptions if a character reappears the second time too far into the story? I would not repeat the description in any precise manner, but the same kind of quick thought summary a normal character might have, after whatever length of time has passed. Just enough thread to remind the reader, that probably feels the same way (but read your description a few day or a week ago). ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How much "showing, not telling" is the best for character development? Begin with showing. That should be your default mode. It is better to write a "show" and delete it to replace it with a "tell", than vice versa. Telling is a kind of shorthand, a fact that has to be memorized, while a scene (though it may be a hundred times longer) is memorable, it is imagined. "Joe... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Character, plot, and setting conflicts I don't agree that all story conflicts are moral; I think that is a strange position. Here is how I understand Sanderson's theory. First, that each of the pairings can be used to create conflict. They do not necessarily have to be a direct opposition to each other. Disclaimer: I don't know what Sand... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How to write a 'fish out of water' character? Probably the easiest way is presume the character is intelligent, well read in history and sociology, and unencumbered by "stick in the mud" thinking. An obvious choice would be to make her a professor and inventor, capable of thinking out of the box, and understanding novel new problems or relations... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Is there a tool for determining the number of on in a word for the purpose of writing haiku? You can try Japanese Transliteration which will take English words and \transliterate them into Hiragana, which you can hear spoken (lower right hand option). This means it will show you the Hirigana spelling that most closely approximates the sounds of the English word. You can decide how good it is... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Can your narrator talk to the reader of the novel? You are writing a first-person novel; as a character in the story standing next to Penry and relating what happened at certain times. So you are speaking directly to the reader at all times. However, to say, "Don't worry; it's not a dream!" seems to jump your timeline forward to the present, and I t... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: What are the standard genre characteristics of contemporary women's fantasy What the female reader expects to see is a good story without gender stereotypes or sexism. Lauren's advice applies. Female readers are going to be very sensitive to sexist tropes and female stereotypes perpetuated by male-dominated religions, governments and other institutions, related to personal ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Am I describing a zombie? You could be describing an immortal, in many such descriptions it looks like they are killed, but they magically heal their wounds and rise. For example, the Outlander series. Usually they can only be killed by some secret formula (chopping off the head, a particular potion, or destroying Dorian Gray... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Is it acceptable to have the theme of a story remain hidden to its characters? > Do the characters or even the narrator have to understand that there is an underlying theme of the story? I think obviously not; neither the characters or narrator need to know the theme. Many books we feel to be "good" do have themes, either statements or topics, and the self-reinforcing nature ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How do you write a Stack Exchange answer? If I answer late, I only answer if I can think of something not already said. With an exception for things said, but I think poorly, or weighted with unnecessary baggage. I +1 anything said that I would have also said, unless that answer includes something I definitely disagree with. For normally an... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Prepare for more after the "ending"? I don't know about video game fiction; in novels and movies, epilogues are typically very short, and used for the explanation of the future. In a movie, just a few minutes (2 or 3 pages, about 2% of length), in a book, perhaps 4% or 5% of length. To accomplish what you want in a standard storytellin... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Is there any way to get around having everyone in the world speak the same language? Farscape Translator Microbes. In the SyFy series Farscape, Translator Microbes infected everybody, including the human thrust into this alien universe. In the pilot episode, John Crichton pops out of a wormhole and ends up on an alien ship. Everybody on it is talking gibberish. He clearly does not u... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How can I make a "meeting in VR" less dumb? Make your virtual reality less virtual and more reality. In Contact the 'mysterious stranger' is Jodie Foster's father, and the setting is a beach she knows from her childhood, and the VR is transparently VR, she touches the 'screen' and disturbs the image at some point. in Dark Matter the setting ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How To Settle On An Ending? I look for resonance, with the rest of the story, and I do my best to see what the reader will expect, and deliver that. I have mentioned in other answers I am a discovery writer, but I keep my endings in mind. Anytime my characters take me in some new direction that means my current ending won't wo... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: Coincidence of Similarity in Writing Don't Worry, and Don't Steal. If it is similar, don't worry about it. Approximately one billion articles have been written and published about the implications of various findings of Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump's campaign, and it may surprise you to learn the ideas, projections and pre... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: What's a shorter way of saying, "If you had asked me, I would have said, 'I suppose'"? It depends on the more subtle meaning you wish to convey. The obvious solution would be to combine it into one sentence: > Rebecca lived in the same building as my wife and I, and was one our closest friends. However, this makes Rebecca a "joint" friend of you and your wife together, not necessari... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How can I understand characters whose worldview is alien to my own? I reject your premise. For example, I am an atheist, 100%, to my last breath. However, I live amongst people I love, my own family, that believe in God. My parents did, one was a firm Christian, one more of a deist. Half my extended family is atheist, half are religious. I understand atheistic reas... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Realistic way to ensure letter is posted in 10+ years time If you trust safety deposit boxes to last for decades when paid in advance, then arrange this service with the bank. Hire a long established law firm (or two, for safety), that agree to a contract to perform this service for you in 10+ years. Pay for a safety deposit box in advance 10+ years; with ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Character crisis for a Science Hero? For what it's worth, I am a professor in CS and a mathematician, and I've published in peer-reviewed academic journals original work in the field of statistics, and worked extensively in AI. > her character traits are about dogmatic science, trust in law and institutions, and choosing the "safe" opt... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How to make the murder's identity less obvious, or make the obviousness not matter? I don't think this story will work, or your solutions are viable, for the reasons you wrote. You violate reader trust from the beginning, the first person narrator knows he intends to kill everyone and knows he is the murderer, how can you possibly relate the murder of the first person, with him tell... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Is it necessary to use chapters for fiction? Chapters are not necessary, but help readers understand what is happening. There ARE chapters in films, signaled by "establishing shots", the first orientation shot that tells the viewer the time/place has changed and a new scene will take place there. Typically the image fades out and fades in on a... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Guidance on pacing the introduction of new characters Names are not a problem, nor do I worry about naming characters that won't be used again. For "extras" I give them forgettably common names, but for characters that serve some dramatic purpose, I give them a more rare and memorable name, even if they won't appear again (or may only make one more appe... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How to *show* a controversial reality without seeming like I'm treating it as acceptable and without making it explicit that this is wrong? You do not have to preach they are bad. They are bad because they harm others in some way. If you wish to show reality, show that harm, whatever it may be, beginning or taking place or having already taken place with previous victims. Don't tell us they are bad, show us they are bad. As the narrator... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Is it okay to include world-building facts by "telling" instead of "showing"? I think that depends on the nature of your narrator. If it is third person limited (the narrator only described the thoughts and feelings of one character, and the story is told by following that character), then I think you break the reader's expectations by knowing something that character does not... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How can I make a case for toning down the "rah rah" marketing tone around technical content? I am both a technical writer and marketing writer (I am a PhD with a background heavy in CS, Mathematics, statistics and mechanical engineering, with 40 years experience). I have written manuals, spec sheets for products, instructional materials and advertisements for products and services, includin... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Should the documentation of a known issue change dependent on the stability of a product release? Beta or not does not matter, whether a patch exists does not matter, write it up. Document it. Like your previous question, this is a business matter, not a documentation issue you should decide for yourself. You should document it, even if you have just ONE beta tester, whether or not a patch exist... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How should I document a product release with an inherently flawed design? Absolutely document them and point them out to management. As Mark says, this is a business problem. As a coder myself with forty years of commercial experience, your problem is that almost any flaw can be exploited to the detriment and possible losses of your clients, such a password sent using GET... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How do I spot an unintentional promise in my story? Characteristics you introduce are often unintentional promises. To be too obvious here, if I write a character from the beginning that was a long distance sniper in the Marines, but he is leaving the military to become a safe boring accountant, readers are going to expect him to shoot somebody. Othe... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |