Activity for motosubatsu‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Comment	Post #37713	@ab2 that's very true - of course it's easier said than done! (more)	—	over 4 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the different types of characters in a fictional story? > Can there be more than one main character? Absolutely! > can their be a protagonist and other main characters that the story focuses on? Yep, and that sounds like what you are describing in your "Lisa" example - there's one key protagonist (Lisa) but the other main characters are also significan... (more)	—	almost 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Using footnotes in fiction: children's book which can be enjoyed by adults I don't think this is the right way to go about it. I have to say I'm not a fan of explanatory footnotes in fiction, it's far too much of an immersion breaker. In fact I'd go so far as to say they are flat-out awful and should be avoided wherever possible. It's a mental load having to go down to the... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to write characters doing illogical things in a believable way? As the other answers have pointed out the key to not breaking immersion is to have the actions be in character and consistent with previously established traits the character has. You can have a character make decisions that seem incredibly stupid either in hindsight or to the observer but that made ... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Introducing evil characters before the evil deeds take place It's certainly possible, but it's not always easy to do in a way that doesn't feel forced. If you look at it from the perspective that "evil" is more of an attitude than a specific act you can show that the character might possess that attitude in various ways: Their reactions Have something happen... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Rapid change in character If I understand you correctly you are in A's POV when they have their change of heart, this means you can you can show what's leading them to having this change and make the change consistent with them: > B's words struck me like a freight train hitting a hay bale. I'd started this interrogation so ... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is there any popular wisdom on the word "seem"? The thing is the two say very different things, this one: > I stumbled to the ground and hit my head. I got back up. The walls and floors seemed to be moving makes it clear that for the POV character they are aware that the walls and floors aren't really moving even as they are experiencing it. Wh... (more)	—	about 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are good ways to improve as a writer other than writing courses? Other answers have already covered rather well the benefits you can get from both writing and reading so I won't rehash those but rather to add another - get feedback. Join a local writers group or an online one where you can get regular feedback from others on your work. If you keep writing the sam... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Suggestions on fine-nibbed fountain pens that retain moisture well, or trouble-shooting of mine, which don't I've always had good experiences with my Pilot Capless as something of an infrequent user (since I only use my fountain pens for pleasure writing rather than work) I've often gone several weeks without using it and always found that it "just worked" as they say. You can use it with pilot cartridges o... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Self-Publishing Chapters Serializing a novel has been done before - traditionally this was done as part of periodic publications (so you would get say a chapter per issue of a magazine) but it has been done outside this environment as well. The only recent notable example that comes to mind is Stephen King's The Green Mile)... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it bad to suddenly introduce another element to your fantasy world a good ways into the story? There's nothing inherently wrong with this at all - the important thing is that the introduction seem organic. Is there a reason why the existence of vampiric creatures wouldn't have come up (or even been known) to the existing POV characters before this point? If so, and it's in keeping with your wo... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What can a novel do that film and TV cannot? I think in recent years the gap between what is "possible" in a prose vs. film (both cinema and TV) has narrowed significantly - historically the limitations and expense of things like CGI and practical effects made some of the more exotic genres such as Sci-Fi and Fantasy difficult to translate onto... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can a successful book series let the bad guy win? I think Amadeus hit on the core of the issue with doing this - "good" ultimately triumphing over "evil" is by far the more popular archetype, and for very good reasons. Setting aside the idea of "good guys" and "bad guys" for a moment but thinking about it in terms of "protagonist" and "antagonist",... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should fiction mention song names and iPods? There's nothing wrong with mentioning specific songs or tech in this way. And while it's not lazy writing to use songs as a tool for conveying a character's mood it is to rely on them solely. Expecting the reader to take them listening to a particular song as meaning they are sad just isn't going to... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why is "Ser" used in Game of Thrones rather than "Sir"? To look at this from a more general writing perspective it enables the author to convey the "strangeness" of their world without compromising the readers ability to understand what they are conveying. You know that in English the same title is "Sir" so when you see "Ser" it clearly tells you that yo... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to avoid drifting into a different genre? Firstly don't get too hung up on the genre - it's a very fluid concept that doesn't have to be anywhere near as strict as you are imagining. Write the story and let it be what it is - if after writing it you want to reduce the legal elements then you can do that then. Even if it ends up being more o... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Creating character imagery without describing their physical looks > This is more for my own curiosity than anything else but I was wondering if when reading about a character with no specified gender and no description of their looks, does the choice of words used to describe their personality affect what your mental image of who you think they are? If personality... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can disgust be a key component of horror? As a component of "horror" it has a role to play - and it can be quite effective. On it's own? No. Seeing internal organs up close can as you say invoke a disgust/repulsion response. But context will determine whether we are likely to have a horrified response as well. A dish in an operating theate... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are friendly writing contests a useful exercise? > Are friendly writing contests a useful exercise? Yes they can be - not everyone is going to find them useful, but in the majority of cases it's more writing practice which is good. My writing group does a similar exercise - we do it in-session as a "20 minute challenge" and I've always found it's ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Personal or impersonal in a technical resume While I get the feeling this might get deemed "opinion based" I've reviewed a few hundred technical CVs in my time (for my sins) so here goes nothing! Personal Use of "I.." or "My role.." type statements a) humanize you so the person reading the CV can see you as a human being rather than just the ... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: What type of pen is being used here? Hard to say from just the pics but almost certainly it's a gel rollerball pen with a very fine nib, probably 0.5mm. Looks very much like a Pilot G1 to me. (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is a lawful good "antagonist" effective? The answer to this lies in (frustratingly) another question: Why does your protagonist consider them "evil"? If you can come up with something plausible and relatable for the answer to this you might just have a shot. If the reason is due to a misunderstanding (or similar) on the protagonist's par... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can metaphors be used for other purposes than for stylistic effect and to form an allegory? A metaphor allows you to explain something complex, abstract or unfamliar to the reader in a way that they have a good chance of understanding or relating to. You can also use them to evoke sensory memories to better convey a more realised experience, humans rely extensively on episodic memory and me... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How does one write from a minority culture? A question on cultural references Yes. Both of the examples you gave (more so the LotR one) "work" in their own right without the need to "get" the reference in order to continue understanding the story. The more likely a reader/viewer/etc is to "get" a reference the more you can lean on it in the story, the same is true for pop-cu... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Question	—	Using a different POV just for the opening line I'm currently working on a short story with a dramatic "twist" ending. I use the quotation marks because, unlike a conventional plot twist aimed at surprising the reader, the intended target of the twist is the protagonist. The intent is for the reader to be able to figure out the "twist" themselves... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it possible to narrate a novel in a faux-historical style without alienating the reader? There's multiple pitfalls to consider here: The first is the Uncanny Valley concern you mention in the OP - actually being able to write in the style of the time period to a suitable level of accuracy. Depending upon how far back you go it's not going to be far off attempting to write in a foreign l... (more)	—	over 5 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to incorporate a silent protagonist into a chatty world? In visual media - there's been a few that have worked quite well (either with limited vocalizations, indecipherable vocalizations or none). Some noteworthy examples - Groot (from Guardians of The Galaxy), and Chewbacca (from Star Wars) both have limited vocalizations that are indecipherable to the v... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do hard to pronounce names break immersion? While it's going to vary between readers whether it bothers them or not I have to say I'm firmly in the camp that it can ruin immersion. I'm not too worried about whether I "pronounce" a name "correctly" or not - but if the way the name is written doesn't parse easily then I find it incredibly hard ... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Story that's too depressing? To a large extent this is will be dependent upon the taste of the person reading - so you have to work out who your target audience is and how you're trying to make them feel. There's nothing wrong with dark or "depressing" material but it won't to be everyone's tastes but what is? What I would say ... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Do authors often base their characters off of themselves? While I couldn't give you statistics on how prevalent it is, certainly it is not especially rare. I can think of a few major, bestselling authors who have done this off the top of me head easily enough: - Kathy Reichs -\> "Temperance Brennan" in the Bones books is an obvious one - Lawrence Durrell -... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Could the cast of my book be more unique? It's difficult to answer this definitively since there's information you've been unable to share thus far. So for more of a general "how to approach answering this for yourself" answer - I tend to apply a rule of thumb that properly interesting characters for a story are ones that you should be able... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is no religion a bad thing? There's two levels to consider here - setting/story and character. Story Some post-apocalyptic settings have introduced religious organisations in, either pre-apocalyptic holdouts or new cults (e.g. the Fallout games) but if your story doesn't need them then there's nothing wrong with them not bein... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What website for posting writing is going to give me the least grief? As a writer if you want to share your work with people at large you need to develop a very thick skin. The nature and to a certain extent culture of the internet in particular means that people feel little to no compunction to wrap what they say in polite niceties which is very different than what t... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Convincing argument about something I don't agree with The best way to try and understand how someone might have arrived at different convictions/beliefs from yourself is to go back into their history and see the incremental steps and events that lead them there. For example: Day believes his father is a good person While his day job might involve ple... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it bad to project myself into my story? In addition to Matthew Dave's excellent answer.. Whether a character/story is interesting or not is more about the character/story themselves rather than where the inspiration for it comes from. An author projecting themselves onto a character is not automatically going to be boring, if they are pr... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Will it push away a reader if I start my book with the frame story? Like any similar technique the outcome of using a frame story depends on the quality of the execution. If the frame ties well to the main narrative and the switch in perspective makes sense to the reader - IMO it also needs to bring value to the telling of the main narrative. Whether that's simply t... (more)	—	almost 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can you write when you're upset? Speaking as someone who has struggled with the same thing.. \If you are someone who can effectively channel upset feelings into your writing and you have something on the slate that would benefit from the emotion then perhaps shift around your writing schedule to work on that now, it may end up a bi... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can the prologue's POV be different from the POV of main story? As other answers have stated a different POV for prologues is quite a common technique, particularly in SF and Fantasy (George R.R. Martin, Robert Jordan, David Eddings and Brandon Sanderson have all used this to one extent or another) Changing to first person vs third might be a little clunky thoug... (more)	—	about 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Pitfalls of morally grey protagonists? Some very good information already in the existing answers so I'll try and avoid repeating it but here are some thoughts on how to position a morally grey character.. The Ends Justify the Means If the aim is to write a morally grey protagonist that the reader still "roots for" a good way to achieve... (more)	—	about 7 years ago