Activity for DPT‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: How can I pinpoint a story's moral dilemma? We gabbed about this today in writers' club. One problem with the exercise is you can fit many suppositions, any manner of supposition, to a piece of expression (a novel). (Rose colored glasses and all that.) Lord of the Rings: Frodo can keep the ring OR save the world ... But... Frodo wanted a... (more)	—	almost 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is the first page of a novel really that important? The cover is important, the blurb is important, the reviews are important, the story structure is important. The first page is important. One of the best exercises I ever did was to bring home twenty books in my genre and analyze the first page of each. There is a pattern, even with the differenc... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I introduce dark themes? I don't disagree with the existing answers. The other answer (your additional tools) is to put the dark theme into the title, or cover art, or book blurb. We tend to think the document on our computer is 'the book' while forgetting there are other elements buyers will see before cracking the book.... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to convey the anatomy of a humanoid race? As a quick thought, many species lay eggs and are not birds. Personally, I would find a second feature from a non-bird egg-laying species (or a sporulating species, or an asexual species) and plant that feature first. Build your world so that they are cold blooded, and they sun, to warm. When the... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Detail vs. filler These are great answers. I'd just add (as a sub-answer) that a brown couch is sort of like a happy smile. The adjective doesn't add much of value. It implies nothing much about the couch, or the smile. But a well-loved couch, or a stained couch, or a threadbare couch, or a stiff, plastic-covered c... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it alright to add scenes that don’t move the plot forwards much but develop relationships/character? ANSWER: Yes, and an easy way to make this work is by accentuating 'other goals.' If the necessity of developing those relationships is clear (at least implicit) as character goals, and if we see the characters taking actions toward those goals (proactive), then it's fine. Bob needed Tim on his... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should one invest in a professional editor before querying? 1. I think the answer will vary on your specific situation. 2. There are many 'in-betweens,' between not hiring an editor and hiring an editor. 3. If you do hire an editor, that editor needs to be a good fit for you and your book. My answer to this question is to look at your budget and see wha... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Does a point of view need to be introduced when or right after the character is introduced? The new viewpoint must feel organic, that's all. A year ago I would have said you need to establish the viewpoint rules of your novel up front, but now I believe otherwise, based on re-reading Mistborn. In this novel, Sanderson brings in a new viewpoint, someone we've never met, around page 500. W... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to write an introverted main character with accidental charisma Your protagonist's description reminds me of Violet Baudelaire in the opening chapters of A Series of Unfortunate Events. She was an inventor, and she was well drawn. Which is to say, she had easily-envisioned personality traits and mannerisms, such as tying her hair with a ribbon every time she... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should a scene break always be put in place when there is change in location, times, and dates? You can do it either way--a formal scene break or through the use of transitioning language. I stewed hard over this because like you, I had seen scenes defined as a change in location, time, or characters. When you get down into the weeds with that kind of definition, you can start slicing and d... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are worldbuilding questions on topic? I'd love if world-building included was fair game for possible questions, on this site, both to draw from the obvious expertise from contributors, to run with the idea of being 'not SE,', and also to recognize that all forms of fiction (possibly NF too) involve some elements of world-building. I'... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: What's the difference between time-tested and formulaic? Without looking at the other answers, I'd say it depends on audience. Some people are happy with formulaic. Write what they want, regardless of it being a formula, and they are happy to buy it and read it. To a certain extent, I'd say the publishing world runs on marketing. Maybe it was not alway... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Introducing a new POV near the end of a story I recently re-read Mistborn in preparation to record a bookclub podcast on the novel. Imagine my surprise to discover a new viewpoint, from a character I had never met, named Walin, in the Pits of Hathsin, on page 543 of the the novel (total page count = 657). Walin's viewpoint only lasts for abo... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to start a story after the inciting incident? ANSWER: Best way to pull off an unusual structure is with literary writing, or with developing characters who are compelling on their own. 1. In Lolita, the seminal events are backstory. We open in the story at the trial of a child-molester, the protagonist. Why does it work? Because he is fa... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is there a formula for creating stakes? Answer: In a case like this, the formula is to use others--your character's relationships with his own past self and/or with those he cares about, to create stakes. Example: He wants to help others because if he fails to do so, his father will no longer approve of him. How can his father approve ... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I make a character sound uneducated? Question: Grammar mistakes. Low-level vocabulary. Are there any other tricks I can use? Answer: Yes. A. We can trust the reader. A very occasional grammar mistake goes a long way to get the point across, and the reader will hold the character image they form to inform the rest of... (more)	—	about 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Replacing Amazon's ISBNs The following is my understanding and some of my experience. I believe Amazon uses something called an ASIN, not an ISBN. Self-publishing on Amazon does not give you an ISBN, but an ASIN. That kind of number is specific to Amazon. If you wish to have an ISBN on your self-published book (that i... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: How does someone write a moving Declaration of Independence? I'm reading the question with an eye toward language rather than to the actual intent or ultimate purpose of the declaration you're considering, Becky. In other words, my answer has nothing to do with whether it's a good or bad idea to write a declaration of independence for a website. You asked:... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it a good idea to leave minor world details to the reader's imagination? It is good to have specific details that mean something to the viewpoint character. She listened to the music of LILLAHI birds, and it made her calm, perhaps because lillahi birds used to sing outside her nursery window. the flower pot was filled with BETTORNIM flowers. They were hard to com... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should you write character description points in bulk or spread them out? I struggle with this on an ongoing basis, though less than in the past. First of all, I notice that experienced authors using just a couple descriptors around the time of character introduction (ideally when the viewpoint character 'thinks about' the appearance), and that's it, and the descriptio... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: I want to make two of my characters fall in love I'd suggest asking yourself what it is that precedes the spark of attraction, and how that has differed from one instance to the next, for you. Is/was it a personality trait that attracted you to someone? A physical one? Something as simple as a nice pair of dimples? Maybe it was the scent of fine... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: What's a good market for experimental novellas? I believe Tor has open novella submission windows. Not 100% certain, but that's who I'd check first. (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is there any difference between these two sentences? (Adverbs) "Better" is subjective. Reading popular authors will show you that adverbs are OK--and sometimes quite good--to use. For example, it would be difficult to rephrase something like They rarely spoke in a way that was as succinct without adverbs. To your examples, it will depend on context. And on t... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: The excessive use of 'and' As an aside: There are proper and improper usages of the word 'and.' If the word's being used solely to lengthen sentences, there might be a problem. The purpose of the word 'and' is to connect paired clauses. This can be useful grammatically and rhythmically. Her hair was long, and she pinn... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Has self-publishing killed the in-person critique group? I'll offer more rambling thoughts, today being two years down the road from my previous answer. I still participate in the critique groups I belonged to two years ago, and I still find them valuable. However, each one has its own tone and style. I've tried out half a dozen in the area. Some I will... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Tools to overcome a block from: "My words are bad" I'll also answer the question. There's a common human experience of waiting til the last minute to tackle a job. Students are notorious for waiting until the last minute to turn in term papers, but this habit is shared by plenty of adults. Grant applications, tenure packages, articles for spe... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: What determines genre? Yes, there is an established definition for each genre. Here is a list: https://resources.writersonlineworkshops.com/resources/definitions-of-fiction-categories-and-genres/ To your larger question of how writing within a genre works in practice, it's my observation that new writers are usuall... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Question	—	Tools to overcome a block from: "My words are bad" It's said that writers improve through writing. Maybe true, but I've discovered the first draft of any new piece I write is still really, really bad. The characters are flat, the descriptions lacking, the motivations unclear, and so on. I'm curious what tools (or ideas, mantras, tricks--interp... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Questionable Promotions! First: Allow re-asking of old questions. I've always felt it was odd to say "that question has already been asked--search the archives instead of asking it again." If someone has a question, they likely have a shading of their question that is specific to their individual story or project. So, I'... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Question	—	Three vaguely-related bugs Hello. One. I entered some basic info on my profile, including my personal website which I'm glad to see we can have, here. However, clicking the link that resulted, led to a 'page does not exist' notice. Two. Also, while answering Tom's question about ACT II, I numbered my first answer w... (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why does the second act 'reaction' and then 'action' need to be drawn out? Hello. 1. Another angle to consider is that personal growth is easier to realistically portray through a series of try-fail cycles. There are multiple fails in Act II, and multiple successes. These show the character learning (growing). Characters don't usually grow from an inciting inciden... (more)	—	over 4 years ago