Posts by Amadeus
I would suggest you read this link (with actual lawyers responding). Basically if you are not infringing on a copyright, you don't have to say anything. Your example of Romeo and Juliet is in the ...
I set "levels," and don't include technology beyond the level. Often I only research a word, in an online etymology dictionary, to see when it originated. e.g. "linen" comes from "linum" which is t...
Added due to comments: I use LibreOffice Writer. My comments below reference it, not OpenOffice Writer. I believe these were derived from the same original code, but apparently they have diverged s...
+1 SF, emotional impact is important. But basically the advice is the same: Stay technical. If on first impression, you "don't like" a poem, ask yourself if you weren't intended to like it. To tak...
I don't buy any of the "ask an expert" notions either; although here on StackExchange you may find some experts in certain fields, I've been impressed with a few here on Writing, and others on Worl...
It isn't exactly empty; a spreading circle of fire might look like a growing crown; with high fire on the perimeter and no fire in the middle. (But ending with "on its way" throws me, it should be ...
Ignore It. The anonymous person in question didn't understand the task. The objective is to criticize your writing, not to psychoanalyze you and recommend a therapy. It doesn't make a difference ...
+1 Galastel. I would add to her answer memories. If my MC has never seen it before, how does what she see connect in her memory? What has she been told about this place? By whom? If she has bee...
The easiest way to time-travel without paradoxes is the rewind universe. Think of the time-machine as a bubble that preserves your body and mind. The entire universe around this bubble reverts to ...
I agree with Galastel. Time Travel is usually classified as "science fiction" because, unlike fantasy, science fiction doesn't introduce magical powers or beings, everything is supposed to be withi...
In general, sex is a very repetitive act, and describing the sexual action is as difficult to do as any repetitive action, like a character digging a hole for an hour, or a character searching thro...
Read my answer to your question yesterday about copyright. The courts will look at the totality of your work. If they find the work is "substantially similar" then you infringe copyright. So if yo...
I've had very good luck with fiverr.com (yes, two r's). It is called "fiverr" because the artists are supposed to be able to do some (relatively small) thing for $5 US. I have zero financial intere...
This is an opinion based answer, my opinion is I would put it down pretty quickly. Anything that is made intentionally difficult to read slows me down, particularly if misspellings don't sound any ...
I'm a discovery writer (no plan!) and I seldom have this problem. I would suggest actually writing less on the plan. The issue, which discovery writing takes care of automatically, is that main c...
There is no fixed number of drafts. I go through several drafts, (I've done twenty, in the past), to correct problems I know I have persistently in writing. 1) Writing off the top of my head, I te...
You must completely finish your manuscript, and be ready for it to be published as-is. There may be some changes requested, they may fix things, but don't submit something you think needs work. Sub...
I think you need to do light research, unless you already know the answers. For example, suppose you thwart the assassination of JFK (Stephen King already wrote that book). We know what happened (...
+1 DPT, +1JBiggs. Remember battles are local and personal. What I mean is that in a fight, there is no big picture, there is your picture, a tight focus, the people around you, the immediate enemy ...
This is fiction, and a cartoon for kids, no less. And the point is to meet interesting people, I don't think what is "interesting" has to be about racism, oppression, or any social aspect of their ...
Both Magic and Science provide constraints. I think one problem with mixing magic and science fiction is that science fiction readers prefer some whiff of plausibility in however science is extend...
It is hard to answer from what is in your question, but scenes you feel are too short are (in my experience) under-imagined, or under-conflicted, or you are engaging in too much 'telling' about how...
I would use the first method, but underline or bold the code words, italicization is too subtle. We (the reader) are supposed to be in on the trick, so it should not be so subtle that we miss it.
You can skip the "Colin smiled." line, and just imply it, using the tag. "I'm sure the other patients will appreciate that as well," Colin said, pleased. "You been to the children's ward yet?"...
A lighthearted story is generally one where the consequences of failure are mostly the status quo. The MC isn't going to die or go bankrupt if they fail. They must have something at stake (money pe...
