Posts by Surtsey
There is no correct answer. As some have intimated a character's description is only necessary if it's relevant to the story. My personal technique involves giving a reader a vague enough descript...
There are technical differences between a play and a screenplay. Amadeus has set you on a good path. The, often overlooked, important difference between a play and screenplay is the required loca...
As others intimated you can do pretty much anything you want with ancient / mythological characters. However, what you cannot do is use a representation from a film. e.g. You can use Thor but you m...
Yes. There're a couple of things to unpack here. The general rule is: a new subject requires a new paragraph. A character or person qualifies as a new subject. It is important to remember: dialogu...
The answer is no. Simply because there are no elements that should or should not be included within a novel, mystery or otherwise. There are no correct formulas. This is evidenced by Dwight Swain's...
It is generally taken that if I tell you a joke, then have it explain why it's funny - it's not probably not funny. I continually return to one of my own short pieces. If I submit it I believe it ...
The process isn't the big deal others seem to think it is. I don't believe there are hard and fast rules to writing but I believe an author should apply a set of rules to a particular work. Ask yo...
Your question is moot because you're overthinking your issue. There is no 'general reader' because we all live in different bubbles and have different knowledge bases. For example: I'm currently wr...
It alarms me that you've written a novel and then opened a new document to start again. The best advice I can offer is to leave your novel for a month - don't even think about it. If you're itchi...
If English if not your first language the usage of "now" is difficult to fully comprehend. It has many nuanced translations but is most often used to mean "in this moment". It is also used to empha...
There are several adequate answers already provided. However, you are presupposing that their is a way of writing that pleases every reader. There is not. I, generally speaking, do not appreciate...
Because I think you're possibly on the wrong track, I'll weigh in four or five areas for you to think about. (1) Writing your experiences isn't fiction. It may be good practice for writing in gene...
Poetry has no specific definition. In the modern commercial era it has no value. On the one hand it can be described as 'short literary fiction'. The other view is that poetry is simply song lyrics...
I have a series in which one of the main characters dies at the end of book one. From book two the dead character becomes to first-person narrator (Part of the plot - she wonders how she's around t...
I'm sorry but I don't think your example works. You're in first-person but you're not in the moment. You're switching between an internal and external view of the scene which makes it disjointed W...
Is 'creative writing' simply a synonym for 'fiction'?
As a novelist my preference is for what I call an 'active narrator'. The terminology confuses most as they think I'm talking about sentence construction and the benefits of 'active' or over 'passiv...
I'll go right ahead and declare that you're far too versed in 'writing theory' than the practise of writing itself. All the writing techniques being questioned are related. Once you understand tha...
I'm going to go against the grain. I'm going to give you some advice that you probably won't want to hear. You say you've only been writing for six months and your mention of 'chapter' indicates y...
Firstly, you don't say what type of editor you are. Different editors perform different functions. Before continuing with my answer I must admit to my own bias. Based on experience: independent ed...
Yes, I'd pretty much go with your ear. I could explain the technicalities of cadence and pacing but it's pretty much like dancing - if you think about too much while your doing do it . . . it's rar...
Yes, you may use prominent people in history pretty much any way you choose. Obviously libel laws apply. Generally you cannot libel the dead, however some US states permit lawsuits where the descen...
"Then" is not really required in the examples you show. "Then" is only really required when the previous sentence or clause indicates further actions or items. "First, the Earth cooled, then the d...
I've just thought . . . In the opening of "Millennial" I attempted animate inanimate objects. Whilst it may not specifically answer your question it may give you ideas on how to set up a suitable e...
Dialogue a very difficult subject for a 'typical' writer. Dialogue needs to heard and cannot really be learned from a book. And unless you've a diverse group of friends you've no source material. ...
