Posts by Henry Taylor
You say that this supporting character has little "screen time" but that they are a major motivator in the mind of your primary character. You also say that this character is the cause of a lot of...
Are randomly generated names copyrighted? ...maybe. A random algorithm can generate a sequence of alphabetic characters which spell out a copyrighted name. The fact that the name was randomly ge...
One defend-able use of the "It was all a dream" trope involved sleepwalking. I forget the medium where I encountered it, but I remember a story in which the point of view character wakes in an out...
Consider making the entire story into a flashback, told by the more refined and open minded narrator whom the "hero" will someday become. In the opening pages of the story, have this refined narra...
Both of the previous answers are right, but throw in someone to handle social media, advertising and reader-relations, and a part-time copyright attorney to protect you from idea theft. Then, unle...
Welcome to Possibility Paralysis Anonymous! My name is Henry and I suffer from having too many ideas... You are correct in identifying that this is more than a writing issue but perhaps a little ...
The least obtrusive way to deliver background information is to leave it out. ...for now. You are painting an action scene with your words. Your goal is to keep the reader spellbound, excited ...
You appear to be a nonfiction or science fiction writer, attempting to create a work of fantasy. In either of the former disciplines, critics will come out of the woodwork to spotlight every inacc...
It is probably impossible to fact-check magic because, at least for most of us, magic is not real. You could study existing fictional or mythological systems of magic, but the "facts" you find abo...
Have you considered having the act of time-travel be your decision-locking event? Under normal conditions, while all of us are riding along with the current of time, it doesn't matter whether rece...
Since you are writing in the fantasy genre, is there any reason that the poetry needs to be in a human readable tongue? I can imagine that humans, living among other older species, might know j...
The best way to illuminate a boundary is to cross it. Barring that, the second best way is almost cross it. Have your characters accomplish some major task together, despite long odds. Then, a...
I think it is a world building question, but I'll answer it here because I'll be sleeping by the time the site police move it over to the worldbuilding SE. How you communicate with your Higher Bei...
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 a...
Revealing that your characters are AI comes with a great deal of risk. Up to the point of the reveal, (if you have handled the early chapters properly) your readers will relate to your characters,...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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 B...
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 ...
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 wit...
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 wh...
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...
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 ...
