Activity for DPT
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
How does one gauge the strength of any particular adverb? I am now editing for adverbs, as silly as that may sound to some people. :-) I have learned, 'by ear', that the advice to 'avoid adverbs' is actually not bad advice. But I am also learning that certain types of adverbs are more bothersome than others. The worst are those following a dialogue tag. ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to come up with original ideas for stories? One suggestion: Go at it differently. Create two characters, completely made up or composites of friends and acquaintances. Then just start having them talk to each other. Don't worry what the story is. Make them talk to each other. Do that with a few different made up characters. See what comes out... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Character pivots, where to put them One 'classic' structure of a journey is to write 10-20% of the story establishing the character(s) and their original settings. A switch (marking a decision, a change, a new course for the MC) happens at that point, and the bulk of the ensuing story is 'adventure.' The MC learns the skills and so on... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Plot and characters conflict too much The provided answers are very good. As evidence of the importance of prioritizing character over plot, look at any good novel, or recall your favorite stories, and ask yourself what you remember about them and why you liked them. I have two additional thoughts. 1. The character who 'needs' to retur... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is the strategy described here an effective one, to distinguish character voice? I have roughly 30 speaking characters; about ten speak often enough that their voices should be well defined. I have compiled, from web sources, various considerations when building distinct character voice. Originally, they all sounded similar to each other and to my education and background. I did... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Using fake swear words without them seeming out of place to the reader This is not a question about slang, but about swearing and word creation. I have a character who uses swear words, and this is part of his voice. I do not use real swear words. I want the sense of those words in the story. But not the words. Other characters, in other parts of my world, simply use ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is it a bad habit to cause too many deep permanent changes in the status quo of a story that envisions sequels? I prefer the type of universe you describe wanting to do. I lean towards those sorts of series, because I can enjoy the worlds more fully. Such a structure allows you to broaden the scope of issues you explore. Brandon Sanderson has done this sort of time - jumping with his Mistborn series. I believ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Effective hero journeys that don't kill the villain? Are there good examples of the hero's journey that don't include any physical deaths within them? My hero has crisis and 'death' of self/ideals/psyche; hero prevails in the end, all good. But, I just can't seem to bring myself to killing anybody. The best I have been able to do is to make the villai... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Another question about two POV's and broken timelines My 26-chapter story alternates POV between the main woman and the main man. Early on, the characters are geographically separated and the 2 POV timelines are both progressing, roughly in sync. If I drew a single timeline and mapped the two POVs/chapters to it, they would overlap here and there throug... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Names and aliases In my opinion, if it was clear that you wanted the reader to be unsure, then there is no problem. For example, if Olivia did not always answer right away when someone said "Olivia!" then you are being fair. Or if she thought Dang, it's hard to remember to answer to that (although that's a little too... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Is it necessary to use words like "said", "asked," etc in dialog? It is necessary to use them, yes. You should, I think, use them - sometimes. It will be tedious if you use them too much. So, use them. Use them where you think you should, leave them off where you don't want them. Go away from your writing, come back days later, and see if you can follow who is spe... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
I have another question about adverbs. Can you check my instincts? I like adverbs, and I think they're a great component of language. I see them as a good means to communicate efficiently. I also understand that they can be a sloppy shortcut, and that writing that includes them, can perhaps be improved upon. I'm now looking for them in my manuscript, and using the... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Character feelings? The times I have fallen hard, the feeling took more than a chapter in my life. I pined for those soul mates for years, and they were usually unrequited. There are other times that I thought I was falling, but no, it was hormones. I could never really tell the difference on the front end. If you wan... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Writing garbage to see if the characters do something interesting? I need a change 80% of the way through my story. At the moment, I'm just throwing my characters into different combinations and seeing if they come up with anything interesting. Two of my characters don't want to talk at all. I threw them together, and they started yelling. On the one hand I think ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Where to put character responses in dialog? I am not certain of convention. Is one of the two of these correct? Or are they equivalent? > Jane said, "Let's chase the ball." > > Jack looked at her in disbelief. "We always chase the ball, Jane. We've been chasing the ball for fifty years. Let's deflate it instead." Or, > Jane said, "Let's ch... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: How to concentrate when writing? My mantra that works is "Nail my butt to the chair and write." Truly, it does not matter if it is garbage. You need to garbage in front of you, in order to improve it. I am hitting chapter 17 of my first draft garbage, now, in revisions, and although a lot is garbage, there are a few passages I for... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
"Group think" and least common denominator in writing groups? So, I knew my Chapter 1 would be tedious last night, but i was still surprised that everyone asked that it be, instead of a Chris McCandless-style solo exodus to the wilderness (which is how the thing starts), a fast paced action thriller. Put another way, the things that were requested in the next ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is it possible to read your own words too much? (and begin to hate them as a result) I'm working through my chapter 1 for about the 5th time. As a generality, I love my story and characters, all of them, even the psychotic ones. But, it is becoming more and more of a slog to make through chapter 1. I plan to do about 12 rounds of edits, each one geared towards a different aspect (ch... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
I am losing significant word count in the second draft of my novel. How might I use that space to deepen the characters and story? I have a word count goal for my fantasy novel (climate fiction/fantasy) of 100 - 120,000 words. It doesn't need to fall in this range, but that is the typical length of books I read when I pick up a new author. So it's a metric, and I am not wedded to it, but if I come out at say 50,000 words or 400,... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Classic fantasy races lazy or boring? My favorite series use novel creatures - but describe them with the traits that make them ... Elf like, ... Ewok like, ... Witch like,... Without using those labels. "The Hajarla had a wisdom in their eyes, and while not human, their intelligence at least matched that of man. But their abilities w... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What do sentences look like in a rough draft before they are combined into a cumulative sentence? I think if you can find a way to enjoy each part of the process separately, you'll be able to get past your concerns. Whatever works for you, write in that way. Outline, stream of consciousness, polish now or later, etc. I am now attacking the second draft of my first novel. For the first draft, it ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Should I make my prologue chapter 1? My prologue is set 17 years before the main story arc. I am reflecting on the discussion here, which was asked by another SE contributor. I'm trying to decide what to do with my prologue. Building a website for my world with minor character sketches, short stories, mythologies, etc and additional sup... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
What is the balance between 'stating a problem clearly' and Hemingway's literary iceberg? At a writer's critique group, one piece of feedback to me was: people didn't understand where I was going until the very end. They suggested stating something explicit at the very beginning so they knew what it was I was trying to convey. My thought at the time was agreement "Yeah, we can all use hav... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Has self-publishing killed the in-person critique group? I'm an aspiring novelist and will answer from my personal perspective. I've published scientific literature for many years. My experience with scientific manuscripts is that there are levels of critiques as a manuscript approaches the peer review process and final editing of the accepted version. Eac... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Common mistakes made by first time fantasy novelists? I'm in a writing group. I see repeating word-choice patterns among the fantasy writers. Example: frequent use of certain words (like 'utter,' everyone seems to use that word... ), or certain symptoms manifesting with magic (for example, illness, usually headache, always accompanies emerging psychic a... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Does a first novel in a fantasy trilogy have to end with a va-voom? I've devised a trilogy on an Earth-similar world experiencing Earth-similar problems. I am nearing the end of the first draft of the first novel. I am not certain how much of a bang needs to happen in this first installment. My instincts (and experience reading) say that the first and second novels ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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