Posts by DPT
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 addit...
+1 to both suggestions. In addition: Play with an alternating viewpoint. There can be rich potential in viewing the same scene or battle from two different perspectives. Have the MC develop a r...
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 ...
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 a...
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 p...
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 ...
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 compelli...
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 h...
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 n...
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 st...
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 d...
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 c...
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 v...
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...
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, an...
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...
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 bli...
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 T...
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 sce...
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 ...
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 ...
In this case, think in terms of the process a draw-er would use to draw that concept. They would start with an oval, like an egg. "It was like an egg." In this case, it is longer than an actual...
In biomedical science, you have the opportunity to discuss the human health impacts (and bring in broader societal ramifications) of the medical issues you're covering. My guess is that you reviewe...
I've changed a secondary character into a murderer, and it changes everything. This change also opposes my core philosophies, that life and art should strive to reach something higher - not somethi...
Another trick that can help is to print it out. As soon as it is a hard copy, you will see problems that were not in the e version. Try it with a chapter or two. You'll see. I see the changes imme...
