Activity for Amadeus
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
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A: How to deal with moral/legal subjects in writing? In your comment to @tryin, You say "It is a non-debated social perception the character would be fighting." I am not a lawyer but I believe in the USA at least, and possibly elsewhere, there actually are some of these that you can get into trouble for; should your work be judged child pornography fo... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to build up towards a "Moment of Reckoning" when my story is told in the first person? > Is she supposed to be aware of everything happening around her and to her if I'm writing in the first person? Yes. But she can be aware and not understand. She can see and describe things she doesn't understand, but perhaps the reader does. Likewise, she may be involved in conversations, or overh... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do we handle pauses in a dialogue? You indicate pauses with action, even mentioning the pause. (Or, as Cyn says in comment, with other exposition or thoughts). > Chad said, "Was the computer software hacked?" > > Bryce shook his head. "No, it was a bug caused by legacy software. Any other question?" > > Bryce waited for somebody to... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Why is it that when I get to the end of writing my book, I get discombobulated and want to give up? Endings are actually the biggest problem that discovery writers face. Plotters usually have the most trouble in the middle; discovery writers tend to progress fluidly through the middle (because characters are just being who they are), but that creates many complications and they have trouble in brin... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Writing an ace/aro character? A Master for your Student I would solve this issue by creating a Master for your Student. Either a new character, or re-purpose an existing character. In The Karate Kid, Daniel (Student) is a new kid in town, and getting picked on, escaping a few fights. But he gets cornered by six teens taking Kar... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Tips on writing author bio I don't think there are standards. I would NOT include any personal information that doesn't add to your credibility in the main topics you write about. In the modern world, I would not even include the town I live in; perhaps the State or region. But if someone writes about homosexuals and is one,... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Sense of humor in your sci-fi stories Humor in fiction, sci-fi or not, needs to feel organic and natural occurring, like something that might actually happen or be said spontaneously in real life. If it is a joke, it must fit the character telling the joke. If it is just a humorous situation, it needs to seem likely or probable that the ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: I don't want to be introduced as a "Minority Novelist" Narrating what she did, instead of where she is from, is always a good idea. Here's why! What she did (and what she experiences) is immediate, we can imagine the scene. If she is bullied, or discriminated against, we can identify. Where she came from doesn't really tell us much, it is indirect and ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What exactly makes a story interesting? (philosophical) > What makes us as humans interested in reading about the suffering of the characters in the story? In fiction, they don't expect that suffering to last, at least not for the main characters or heroes they are identifying with. The suffering justifies what the heroes must do to overcome whatever evi... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How important is it for multiple POVs to run chronologically? I don't think it is too important. I read a story (can't remember the name) in which two POVs were presented, one from like a century ago, and one in the future! The early POV was an ancestor of the later POV, and his descendant was unraveling a mystery about his ancestor, while the early POV was act... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What are some bad ways to subvert tropes? I think the problem with the blue-pink subversion is that there is no clear reason why; other than the intent to surprise the reader. And secondly, it is not clear this trope subversion has any actual story consequences. Normally, trope inversions have at least some rational reason for existing. e.g... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Are there stylistic overlaps between novels and comic books? > Was it a short lived trend to write novels this way? I don't believe so. I've been reading novels for over fifty years, I have several hundred of them on my home bookshelves. I would have noticed a trend like that if it appeared since about 1965. As for your title question: Yes, but not so much t... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is it bad to suddenly introduce another element to your fantasy world a good ways into the story? > OP: So, will suddenly adding this species to the mix over twenty chapters in throw the reader off (in a bad way)? It certainly can do that, but you might get away with it. One way is to spotlight the fact that you haven't previously mentioned them, if you can think of a reason nobody has mentioned... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: When should the dialogue reference be written, before or after the dialogue? It depends on the context. If you think it is clear to a reader who is speaking, don't use a tag. If you think it will not be clear who is speaking, put the tag first, to orient the reader, so the speech is not disembodied until the end. Also put the tag first if you will use something besides "sai... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Any Tips On Writing Extended Recollection In A Novel That's tough, it sounds like a hundred page wall of dialogue to me. To eliminate most of it, I'd resort to flashback. Flashbacks are not that popular anymore; but they would be better than an endless wall of dialogue or thoughts. For flashback, write the recollection as a story, with a neutral narr... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Does it make sense to (partially) create a conlang that you don't intend to actually use in the story? I think instead of creating the language, you can save a lot of time by just doing as you did in the question: Decide on features of the language that will make a psychological difference in the character's communications, how they think or feel. You can read some tutorials on creating a conlang, bu... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do I present a future free of gender stereotypes without being jarring or overpowering the narrative? While the answers thus far are good, and match my advice (just do it), they seem light on the mechanics. For the writing process it is important that you show and highlight unusual features of your society early in the story , specifically in the first 15% of the story. At the beginning of a story, ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Can I use spoken English at some places over 'technically accurate English' in a general fiction? Yes, that is acceptable. In dialogue, the only thing I'd say is unacceptable is trying to duplicate "sound effects" in the speech itself.Like if somebody is speaking with a mouth full of sandwich; just say so. > Bob mumbled around a mouthful of cereal, "I don't want any." Don't try "I doh wah enna"... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Can a successful book series let the bad guy win? No, I don't think it would be okay for a bad guy to win in the end. Readers don't like it. They read for fantasy fulfillment. Happy endings outsell unhappy endings ten to one; publishers and studios don't like unhappy endings. They want something positive in the end. Especially from a writer that h... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Alternatives to second-person POV narration in RPG settings I'm not a RPG player, but it sounds to me like you are engaged in standard fiction writing with a 3rd person neutral narrator; perhaps unlimited (knows what all characters think and feel). The player are the "characters". The only thing I see out of place in that regard is the opinion phrase: > Aft... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Preferred word for "preferred", "target", "chosen" in end user support documentation One possibility is to not use the adjective: "Select a printer". Another is to use the adjective appropriate to the action: Sometimes you mean "Select a disk", sometimes (like for formatting) you mean "Select the target disk", sometimes (for installing an OS) "Select the desired boot disk", etc. I ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How can I write a panicked scene without it feeling like it was written in haste? You write slow. It is fine to put yourself into the character and see how you would react, but take your time describing that. Get into the details. This isn't a "real time" exercise, the length of the writing does not have to reflect the length of the action. The only time that is true is during di... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to describe POV characters? +1 wetcircuit; my initial thought as well (have other people comment on their appearance). So, something different: You don't need a mirror for the MC to comment on themselves, particularly with friends. The key here is that if her/his looks matter to the story, there are consequences (and if there ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to keep my ideas organized and respecting a timeline? I am an old-school writer without fancy software (I have tried it and don't like it). So if I realize a previous event could have been explained better, I will back up and do it. However, I have a special notation in my writing; "NOTE:", and I will usually record one at the point I am NOW and what i... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is it bad to describe a character long after their introduction? I think it is a job for rewrite. I do not even THINK about my character's physical traits very much until such a trait becomes necessary to the plot -- Say for example I have actor characters, and I want my male character to be rejected as the romantic interest. One way of doing that is by making him... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What does the death of a fictional character mean? Killing a character and killing the protagonist are two very different things. The death of somebody close to a character is obviously life-changing and can set them on a new course. It is the death of Bruce Wayne's parents that motivates him to become Batman. Or the murder of Luke Skywalker's paren... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to pick a proper pen-name for online writing? Do you have a favorite character in your web comic? Perhaps you can use her name as your pen name. Make it a name that can't be real, and Google it and make sure you get no hits. (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to positively portray high and mighty characters? I wouldn't call them "High and Mighty"; that is automatically pejorative and carries the air of "haughty", and disdain for commoners. I'd portray such people as intelligent, insightful, and perhaps describe them as "Accomplished", "Brilliant", or "Skillful". There are plenty of sports stars, actors... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How important is payoff? I'd say, make sure her central dilemma is NOT exactly about where her brother is, but about what her brother does for her. A good analogy would be Dorothy in the movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She seeks the Wizard, to get her home, and goes through all sorts of trials and meets her friends, but i... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Averting Real Women Don’t Wear Dresses I don't understand the dilemma, just write it the way you want. Ultimately if you want a strong women that embraces her femininity, you are going to put her in a dress, have her pay attention to her grooming, skin, hair, makeup, etc, all the clichés of being a girly girl. So she needs to express her... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How can I convince my reader that I will not use a certain trope? I would not exactly try to convince them, just make sure they have some doubt. I would do that by having (or inventing) a conflict: One character that believes the opposite of another character. Have one of them just "believe" the Evil One is still alive, kind of like a religious belief, while the o... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: When is it ok to add filler to a story? > "if it's not advancing the story and can be removed without affecting it, then it shouldn't be there". That has to be taken in a more general sense. Showing things about how a character thinks, feels and behaves is all "advancing the story", the story is about PEOPLE and showing them as people is ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is starting In Media Res compatible with a Three-Act Structure? > Can it be effective instead to move the Inciting incident to the very beginning? No. Obviously that is my opinion, and you may find some decent writing that has done that; good writers have broken just about every rule in writing. So instead of "rules" maybe we call them "guidelines" and common c... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Why do authors use variations on a character's name within a single story? Most of us have answered to different names at various points in our lives. Why We Have Multiple Names Take my nephew's name; Robert. Robert is his formal legal name. A common nickname for Robert is Bob (I don't know why, but it is), and that is considered a casual name. Bob is name #2. Rob (a fir... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: how to make enemy of mc to fall in love with him? If the female enemy is immature, make the male be emotionally more of an adult, even though they are about the same age. He is merciful; despite her apparent anger or hatred. Invent a situation in which he captures her or disables her power, but instead of harming her, lets her go. Then another incid... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: If I wouldn't want to read the story, is writing it still a good idea? I am a discovery writer, for two reasons. First, I have tried plotting out stories, and for me that takes all the creativity out of writing, I stop caring about the story and give up. It feels like a job, and I think that shows in my writing. I don't feel I write authentically about the character's e... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to help the reader wrestle through historical atrocities which would be considered normal to the POV character I would say, trust the reader, and trust your character. Although these things may not be "discussed", they can certainly be thought about by your POV character. She is doing something highly unusual, there must be (and have been) something highly unusual about her thinking. What was that? Is she f... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do we write a movie script with a view towards establishing all of the visual symbolisms and how they should be interpreted? Sorry, you simply do not do this. Your script is a blueprint for the director to build a house; the blueprint doesn't contain instructions on painting and decorating the house. The director will determine the camera angles, how long an object appears on screen, IF your scene as written appears on sc... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do I make the downfall of a character moving without being cliche? As others have said, you need to make the bad decisions believable by the reader. The easiest way to do that is to make the hero struggle with terrible consequences for doing the right thing. An example of this is given in a preview (of some series I am not watching, and cannot recall the name) in ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: In a stage play, how should the script refer to minor characters whose names are irrelevant? +1 Cyn, however, typically you use a designation (Woman #1, Cop #1, Kid #1) and always number sequentially from 1, using '#', and don't not use random numbers like 5 or 9. If you want to be specific on the crowd size, if you think that makes a dramatic difference, then be specific. (It can, a crowd o... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Starting from future smoothing your way to present > "We have done it, friends, we are henceforth functionally immortal." -- Josh Briggs. > > Josh had no idea he would say this, someday. In fact, he had no idea he'd go into research medicine; right now he was just trying to figure out why the left front wheel of his skateboard kept sticking, so he c... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to write a nice frame challenge? I write some frame challenges; I suppose the technique I'd advocate is "teacher." Basically a frame challenge is necessary if somebody is asserting something that is false, or too narrow an interpretation of a rule, or a misunderstanding of a rule (such as 'show don't tell'). The point definitely I... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Forming a strong relationship between 2 characters The essence of a good father-son relationship is sacrifice by the father on behalf of his son, it must be a truly altruistic sacrifice, with no reward expected. The essence of a bad father-son relationship is the opposite; the father is selfish and demands (or forces) sacrifice from his son to meet ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do I become a better writer when I hate reading? Obviously you have to read, but you don't have to read a LOT. The lessons for writing are distilled into non-fiction books on writing, usually by authors of multiple best-sellers. It is actually a little difficult to extract rules of plotting and characterization from reading books, the plot and ch... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Would it be appropriate to end a side story as soon as a character is killed off? Although it IS okay to end a side story as soon as a character is killed off; it is NOT appropriate (i.e. seen as good writing by readers) to end a story without resolution of the character's arc. The "surprise" ending of this POV you outlined will be seen as crappy writing, it will not evoke any of ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Breaking dialogue with actions from another character You format it with tags, it won't interrupt the flow. > "What?!" Marcia said. > > I laughed, giving her a minute to process my words. > > "You're getting married?" she said. "I never thought I'd see the day!" (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Ending a PhD thesis by saying "there is more to do" (I know this is an old question; and this answer will be no help to the OP.) Speaking as an academic (with a PhD), it is not unusual for a research paper to end with a section called Future Work , which details what else can be done based on this research. This can follow or precede a section called... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Should I explain the reasons for gaslighting? I believe you have to explain it, somehow. There is nothing worse than an unexplained major action that determines the outcome of the story, especially when the outcome is sad. It seems arbitrary and fickle. And no, you can't rely on the audience to be thinking and rationally analyzing clues. You hav... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to represent jealousy in a cute way? Why this is difficult. Jealousy is a natural trait, nearly everyone that falls in love is subject to it at some time. The reason is that the extremely high emotional value of the love interest creates all sorts of effects. Obsessive thinking about them, extreme focus on minor clues of behavior or pa... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to write a convincing religious myth? I'd say the central component of a religious text is an element within it that is magical and unexplainable, and somebody is a subject of that (whether they like it or not). The pagans believed everything had a soul and agency, not just all animals but rocks, the sky, trees and plants, rivers, mount... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |