Activity for DPT
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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A: How do I know if my cast is diverse enough or too diverse? Welcome to the SE. What is the story? The gayest drag queen in the world would probably watch a story about the Vietnam War as long as it was done well. I'm certain there's at least one or two LGBTQ folks out there who enjoyed Good Morning Vietnam. Everyone was straight in that movie. You make you... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
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A: How to ensure that neurotic or annoying characters don't get tiring in the long run +1 Mark Baker. In addition, you can pad a character with other characteristics. Don't make A's special ability his only reason to be in the story. Give him a personal goal he's working toward. Give him a charismatic or otherwise appealing ability to go hand in hand with his super-power. Write a subp... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
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A: What's the point of writing that I know will never be used or read? Writing is not a passion for me, not at all. I never wanted to be a writer. I wanted to be a scientist, and I became a scientist. As a scientist, I spent much of my life learning. Through learning (whether through direct learning or through teaching which is also a form of learning), I came to see t... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What is a good way to come up with original world building ideas? Love Galastel's answer. There's an anecdote out there about some writer or other asking an audience for five items that could not possibly be worked into a good story, with the challenge that he would write a story with those elements and sell it. I don't recall the entire story, but 'smurfs' was o... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: When to ask for constructive criticism? I'd say that you would do well to compile a list for yourself of the type of criticism that you are looking for. Because what you'll get, if you throw your work out to readers without a specific task for the reader, is everything ranging from people deciding not to read it alt all, people saying 'Loo... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Averting Real Women Don’t Wear Dresses You dress the women however you like, and have them take whatever role they wish in their life. You pay them the same (or more) than their male counterparts for equal work, and most importantly, you have men and women alike look to women with respect. Ask their opinion. Listen to it and follow it. Co... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How can I convince my reader that I will not use a certain trope? Readers establish a sense of the story they are reading in the opening pages. That's where you set the contract. If you open with the death of this evil being, the readers will expect that being to be important and assume that the evil being will return. But if you tuck it in after the contract, mayb... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Writing the dialogue of two travelers who dislike each other Augment your dialog with narrative and action. What is the most extreme thing he can do and/or say to communicate his dislike of her? Would he hurt her? Verbally abuse her? Why or why not? Write such a scene. What is the most extreme thing she can do? Go ahead and write that scene too. Or turn it... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: I wrote a scene that the majority of my readers loved. How do I get back to that place while writing my new book? What did you think when you first wrote that scene? Was it easy or hard? The best scenes in my complete novel are the reveal scenes, because they are fraught with emotion and interpersonal dynamics. To craft a reveal scene, you need to obscure effectively beforehand. I like both of the answers, and... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to write a vulnerable moment without it seeming cliche or mushy? There is a trick for this in The Emotional Craft of Fiction. It's called ' me centered narration.' Essentially, you have the character express at length in narrative (protest too much) what she wants everyone to think about her, in this case the opposite attribute of what she is actually feeling. ... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: Where's the line between confident and upfront and being a jerk? Question : What is the difference between an up-front character and an jerk? Answer: For any individual regardless of gender, the difference is between acting in a way that is true to core values, along the lines of showing integrity (and this might manifest as forthright, outspoken words and dee... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to create a plot given theme and settings? It's OK to start with characters who are not yet fully fleshed out, because characters tend to develop as you write. one thing to keep in mind is that your characters should have goals at the outset (your emperor already does.). They should take actions toward those goals (sounds like your emperor wi... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How to find different meanings behind metaphors used in speech writing? Hi Gunny and it's nice to meet you. Standard exercises--I'd suggest a couple. 1. Join a writing group that shares excerpts. Share your excerpts. You can ask for feedback specifically on your metaphors, if you like, asking what the group thought. 2. Find a list (or other resource) of metaphors suc... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: What's wrong with impersonal and lifeless descriptions in a novel? I'll add something I see my favorite authors use. Basically, you can draw a reader into a scene by doing a three-stage description. Or four. 1. The night was gloomy. (General.) 2. So gloomy, in fact, that no light at all could pierce the ground-level window to the dusky basement. (tighter focus. Now... (more) |
— | almost 5 years ago |
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A: How do you cope with rejection? Several thoughts to consider: There is no reason to expect an agent's opinion to be a better assessment of your writing than a beta reader's opinion. Agents are business people. They pay their mortgages by finding the manuscripts that will sell, and then selling them for the best price they can. Th... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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What are the components of a legend (in the sense of a tale, not a figure legend)? I'm compiling in-world legends for my built world, and would like them to feel like established legends from our own human experience. What should I keep in mind while writing these legends? What elements, styles of prose, turns of phrases, structure, length, and so on are more likely to be found in... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Picking a theme as a discovery writer I have floundered a bit on my second novel and finally realized I did not have a central heartstring, a big question. I had the 'good guy' and the goals; I had antagonizing forces, but no big question to provide depth. Actually, let's back up. I started my second novel as a follow-on of the first. ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Abandoning the Ordinary World My advice is to be certain these characters show up again, either as characters or as something else --like an idea, a value, a representation of those characters. I always fall back to Luke in Star Wars as an example. We meet his aunt and uncle in Act I. They die and we "never see them again." But... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Mortal danger in mid-grade literature I think it is often cloaked. Bambi is an animal. Hobbits don't actually exist. Look at Narnia--real kids and heavy themes, but they're in a wardrobe so it's all imaginary. Even the memory of Narnia fades for Susan. Bridge to Terebithia (etc) are dealing with real, human kids. So those are different.... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Best practice for academic writing: write and cite or write first? My answer is that you should read widely and then write and cite , because you want the foundation you're building upon to be rock solid. The risk of writing first and inserting later (which is a common approach and easier) is that if you write your paper first, (telling yourself you want the flow of... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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Does it really serve a main character to give them one driving want? I often feel that we fall into a trap of believing that we must provide a driving goal for a main character at the outset. And yet, as I look at compelling fiction, main characters do not have the same simplicity of a single defining characteristic as does the supporting cast. Main characters are mai... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: How to answer questions about my characters? Caveat: I have not read the book but I've thought about wants and needs in the past, and I typically see wants as external (e.g. money) and needs as internal (e.g. love). You said: > In my character's case I know she's a mother that wants to keep her family together by helping the husband expand hi... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Do I really need to have a scientific explanation for my premise? Without reading the other answers, my answer is that your premise is fine as long as you set the contract with the reader. The reader is fine with your premise if you do not promise a science-based story. Imagine this. Imagine you start your novel with the story of the navel-lotus of Vishnu. Or the... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: Every character has a name - does this lead to too many named characters? Simple--Metrics. Count the number of named characters and the number of acts/chapters they are in. Named characters should appear in at least two chapters, to reward the reader for learning them, better yet they should appear in at least two acts. If you have fewer than 25 named characters and eac... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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A: How much description is necessary? A complaint from readers if description is not sufficient goes something like: "It felt like floating heads were talking in a white room." Readers wish to feel grounded. You don't necessarily need to do this with external detail and description (but there is a quick work around for that, below the f... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do you describe sentimental human physical interactions? Answer: There are many tricks. But beware of symptomology. We are told that phrases like the examples below are 'showing,' but they are not the mark of good published authors. They are symptomology. Some is OK, but try to dig deeper. Her cheeks grew wet. He clenched his jaw. She took a shudderin... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Characters jumping out of their stories Question : What's the best way to channel, handle, or survive this part of the writing process? Answer : Keep a notebook handy. Always. And, set aside time to spend with that character. But additionally, set time aside for the other characters too. Give them one-on-one time. The characters that ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: First quarter friends +1 to both suggestions. In addition: 1. Play with an alternating viewpoint. There can be rich potential in viewing the same scene or battle from two different perspectives. 2. Have the MC develop a relationship with a staff secretary or pilot or supplies transport chief or other non-boot-camp stab... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Is no religion a bad thing? It will really depend on the story itself, the tone of it, how you present the story. The Lord of the Rings, for example, has a 'diverse' fantasy cast and no religion. It depends on the contract you set up with the reader. You may have readers asking if your characters believe in God. (I had reader... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Adding breaks in a novel—spaces, asterisks, or a chapter break? It's not clear if the OP is referring to self publication or seeking representation. My understanding is the industry standard (when subbing to an agent, for example) is defined. It may vary by agent, but I think industry standard is to place a hash mark (centered) between scenes. Also, I believe c... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: Writing a crying scene I think Standback has a great perspective here. Answer: Symptoms of crying are one thing. But you can do other things with this emotion, and you should. You can go into the character's thought process. If the character is crying because of a death, that grief will dredge up every other death the c... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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Is there a balance between a page-turning read and an exhausting 'too much' reading experience? I have learned over the past fifteen months of writing fiction that every scene needs to have tension and advance the plot. This is good. But, I find that as I read my novel (again and again) to identify and address weaknesses, I become sort of... overloaded on any given day. Like the advancement of... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: What are the chances that agents or publishers will accept my manuscript if there are some grammatical errors in it? For the agents--You will only need a perfect query letter and opening pages. If you find an agent that requests the full manuscript, you can explain your situation. If they find your story compelling, I believe they will work with you. So, my best answer is that some errors is not ideal, but also no... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How do you make a scene "tasteful"? I think the nude scene in Titanic is 'tasteful' because of the motivations of the two characters. Sure, they are attracted to each other, but Rose at her heart is rebelling against her mother and her fiancé--and we all agree that that man is horrid. Jack has been established as a good man. He's an ar... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to introduce multiple outfits in a short amount of time? I'd suggest grouping them into manageable sizes, making some sort of joke out of it, and making mnemonics with their names. Here is a very bad example. It's only to make the point. Finding good names and strategies will take time, but seven is way too many without some memory aid for your reader. >... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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What are key features and pacing in a satisfying ending to a science fiction novel? My novel has been through multiple drafts and beta reads, and by and large is in good shape. I've learned how to cure a saggy middle, how to stay in point-of-view, how to keep the protagonist driving the action by working toward their want. And so on. The shape of my novel is generally OK, but by the... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How to sort out a confusing storyline? It sounds as though this is your first novel. Congratulations! You have accomplished something very few people ever do. To answer your question, consider these points. What is the arc of your story? Is there a main character, does he or she begin with a goal, is the goal evident up front, and does ... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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Are chapters with a single character inherently more difficult for an average reader to connect with? (And do you have any tips.) On the topic of keeping a reader engaged: Dialog is a great way to balance out a scene of description and action. Dialog allows conflict, information, reveal of character, and so on and so on. My main character spends two chapters (Ch 2 and 4) alone in the wilderness. (Chapter 3 is in another poin... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
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A: How can I stop overusing "I" in my writing? You go through piece by piece because you will want to assess each instance. Sorry. That's my answer. Someone may have an easier answer, but easy does not mean better. Look at each instance. Just do it. Start a list of phrases to swap. i'll edit your piece and bold the edit's. This is one quick pass... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: How to survive editing Ditto to the other answers. I break it down into specific goals. Each pass requires about a week. Check commas and other grammatical issues. Fix instances of passive voice. Make character voices consistent. Add more sensory details. Tighten. Check for adverb abuse. Map to the three act structure. H... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: Is it important to describe every character of the storyline? It depends. Are you in an omniscient perspective? Are you in a limited perspective? If limited, you'd only describe those attributes that the point-of-view character notices. So, if the point of view character was color-blind there'd be no color described. If the point-of-view character was a thief,... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: Is writing big facts about a character's background good when first introducing them? Yes, your instincts are correct. You are outlining your characters, which you need to know for yourself as the author, but you are putting that down on paper within the story - and - we do not need to know it any more than we need to know the town he was born in, or how long his mother's labour was, ... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: First Chapters protocol Don't toss out any literary device you have. Yes, this can work, and work well. In TV it's called the "How we got here" trope. Some examples are The Emperor's New Groove, Fight Club, Inception, and Matrix Reloaded. I believe one of the Terminator movies did this as well. Memento is a famous example ... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: Restarting a Novel This may be opinion based. My advice is to at least finish it - and here's why. If you allow yourself to not finish, you are setting a precedent for yourself. You are patterning to you that you don't need to finish. Likewise, if you finish it, even if poorly, you are disciplining yourself to finishin... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: Dealing with inability to sustain interest in an idea The advice is simple. Nail your butt to the couch and type. It won't always be fun, and your first draft will be very bad. If your expectation is to finish a beautiful story painlessly with a blissful experience throughout ... :-) You see from experience why this isn't what happens. Also, each par... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: What are the Pros and Cons of long names? We are good at pattern recognition and if you keep the bizarre names to a minimum you should be OK. Long is fine, so long as they can be scanned and not confused with one another. I rather like Tey-filen as it suggests a compound word, and for whatever reason evokes the adjective-noun construct. It... (more) |
— | almost 6 years ago |
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A: How do you deal with Chapter 2 when Chapter 1 is a volcano opening? I've been reading a book about a related topic and the author touches on this. They refer to James Bond as the example of this type of opening: the opening to every movie is a fast paced action scene, the ending to his most recent case. And that's followed by the next goal, right away, him seeing M ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How to add depth to writing - turn a story into a book You definitely don't pad. If you are starting with plot, it sounds as though you may not be getting into the characters as much as you might need to. Here's an idea: Take your favorite Crichton book. Write a quick outline (one page) of what happens in the book: Ex: Jurassic Park : My quick outline ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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A: How do I make "foreshadowing" more relevant in the early going? I've had a similar problem and here's an orthogonal answer to what you probably expect ... : "I don't know what your main character wants." ^^ Has anyone said this to you? ^^ Some thoughts that may relate to the question: I believe readers are willing to be told who to root for and why, but it ha... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
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Does the degree of immersion in the character alter the extremity of plot points used? Star Wars IV: We never really get to know Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen, and so when they're burned to a crisp, little pieces of human toast, it's horrific but yeah OK. Not as horrific as if we saw Obi Wan go up in flames and reduced to char. No, Obi Wan gets to vanish into the Force Ether. My latest dra... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |