Activity for Henry Taylor‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: How do you use adverbs properly in fiction writing? Adverbs are not popular in modern writing, but one area where they are essential is in character development. If you are trying to present a character as effusive and excessively generous in their praise of others, you need to pepper that character's dialog with amplifying adverbs. A very striking d... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: My readers are losing interest halfway through. What is a list of possible remedies? Giving specific editing advice is difficult without first reading the work in question, but here are some additional thoughts for you to consider... - When the middle of a story stalls, it is often the result of mistakes made in the earlier chapters. Have you set the hook properly? Is the reader com... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can justifying "boobplate" armor in the fantasy genre damage its credibility as a serious setting? If you only need a few of these half-dressed femme fatales, you could make the exposed parts an illusion. The women might be warrior wizards who use a small part of their magic to bring an element of style and sexuality to the battlefield. The joke is on all the men. These women are fully armored an... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Set multiple Trilogies in the same timeline? As with any major writing project, I would suggest beginning with some reading. Some good examples of this kind of trilogy-spanning epics include... - Anne Mccaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series which has more than 20 books and several supporting short stories. The trilogies embedded within this ma... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How would a mature teenager behave? As Amadeus has stated, impulse control is the greatest attribute of maturity. Additional benefits include... - Being comfortable in your own skin, never acting defensive and falsely humble. - Being Patient - Having Emotional Stability (accepting personal failure without complete collapse) - Being Co... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to write dialogue where only some of the words matter? Why not combine the two methods... "You have to get to the counter behind the yellow stripe. They served Jake and me there." He smiled, and for a moment Laura almost lost track of his real message, hidden within his words and the rhythm of the pressure in their clasped hands. "They're great at cooki... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: To what extent do I have to explain certain reasons or choices to my audience? You can write the story any way you like, but you run the risk of breaking your reader's attention to your tale, by suddenly making changes to your method of telling. Instead about thinking about the welfare of your characters and the progress of your plot, they might start thinking, "Why the change ... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: What books should have a sequel? Check with your publisher and specifically with the editor who worked with you during final polish to see what they think. That editor is probably intimate with the subject matter of your story and simultaneously may have a more current, less emotional view on its suitability for continuation. They m... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to use short stories to explore a new setting and potential characters for a novel? I'm tempted to tell you that writing some short stories is the "right" way to proceed, but the reality is there is not "right" or "wrong" on this issue. You need to find what works for you. The most common path to getting the first full-length novel completed involves plowing right into it with litt... (more)	—	about 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do I promote a self-published book? Mark has covered your question admirably and I agree with everything he has said. I would offer only a few minor additions. If you want to write a successful book, you need to look at marketing before everything else. You need to consider how you can market your writing before you decide on what aud... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How could a paragon character be an antagonist? An additional option is to shift the moral compass of the story during the telling. If your story begins from a world view that celebrates Al's friendly generosity and warm kindness, but then slowly reveals bigger world issues which repaint that generosity as foolishness or worse yet deceitfulness; a... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: The protagonist can't defeat the antagonist without the antagonist being stupid If your hero can't possibly win, then don't have him win. Have him survive, but just barely! Then apply all of that effort which you were willing to invest in a total rewrite, into writing a sequel. In this second volume, you can strengthen the hero and weaken the villain or even change the nature of... (more)	—	over 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is 'temping' a culture-specific term? I believe the word "temping" is culturally-specific, but not along national lines of culture. An American with experience in corporate environments where temps are common would know the word. A Brit without that corporate experience might not. In either case, the word is pretty self-explanatory. I w... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Romance without cliche? A good way to avoid cliche in romance is to choose unusual characters as participants in the romance. - The love poetry shared between a pair of nuclear physicists could be very romantic without being at all cliche. - Escaped prisoners on the run from the Law might fall in love during a high tension... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I raise the stakes and make a character's decision compelling? Humans are not distinctly rational or logical. If your characters were vulcan from the Star Trek universe, their devotion to logic might shield them from some emotional backlash of their decision's down side. ...but they are not. Making a decision which affects the outside world, comes with the pote... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Describing big cities and using slang words while writing If you're having trouble making the city slang sound natural, or if you can't completely suppress your island slang in your narrative, you could always make your POV character a Hawaiian, visiting the city for the first time. (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: How Can I Reliably Find Well Written Novels? Forget looking for your list among the bookstores and libraries. They contain legions of pretty book covers, but within those covers hides the full spectrum of writing qualities. Look instead within the books you have already read. Think back across your history of reading and try to remember the ti... (more)	—	almost 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can you make multiple prologues in one book? Is it possible? sure. It is your novel, so structure it as you will. Is it wise? probably not. Prologues are theives which steal from their creators. They steal the backstory and motivations which defines who your characters are; leaving you, the author, with nothing except your characters' future ... (more)	—	over 8 years ago
Answer	—	A: Story Structure Plots are like skeletons. They're made up of individual bones called plot-points. You can look at any specific plot-structure and see how its plot-points are arranged. You can perceive where the high and low points are, and with a little study, you can even find out why those points are where they a... (more)	—	almost 9 years ago
Answer	—	A: How do you make a vague metaphor more easy to understand? Having read lauren Ipsum's comments, I am hesitant to build upon a metaphor you may be abandoning, still confronting obscurity in lyrics seems worthy of some effort. I disagree with the idea that obscurity should be welcome in lyrics. All writing, whether literary or lyrical, should strive to clearl... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to stay motivated while writing a story, after the initial burst of enthusiasm? This is a very common problem among writers and I personally experience it in two distinct flavors. Sometimes, I fall in love with a story idea and just charge into writing it without spending any time on story design, character development or plotting. When I give in to this temptation, the results... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the benefit of writing formally? There seems to be some confusion about what is being discussed here. Half of the answers are using the conventional definition of "Formal Writing", which involves the solemn and decorous application of language to convey the writer's authority as well as the meaning of their message. Formal writing,... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago

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