Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
24
votes
7 answers

How do I know what I'm writing is interesting to the reader?

I'm starting to wrap up the gestation period of my first book - right now I have a notebook filled with a lot of observations of life and topics I want to deal with in my book. I'm now starting to piece these bits together into a bigger picture, and…
jack gallerdude galler
  • 404
  • 3
  • 8
24
votes
10 answers

Should I defend my character's appearance?

I'm in talks with a publisher about my comic book. In it, the main character is a hunter who hunts monsters, but in a way inspired by how real hunters hunt. My editor suggests that the character wears a hoodie whenever he is sneaking, to inform the…
M Arif Rahman Winandar
  • 509
  • 3
  • 11
24
votes
7 answers

What is the difference between writing in the first and the third person?

What kind of story is better suited for each point of view? Are there advantages or disadvantages inherent to them? For example, writing in the first person you are always following a character, while in the third person you can "jump" between story…
juan
  • 1,413
  • 3
  • 16
  • 22
24
votes
5 answers

How to describe the point-of-view character without using mirrors

In fiction, the main character is often the first person we meet in the story. Given that the story is written from his/her point of view, how would you describe what they look like? The classical tricks (they look in a mirror or see their…
Koen Van Damme
  • 960
  • 1
  • 6
  • 11
24
votes
10 answers

What can I do to make my writing fit the 1950s?

I'm working on a project (for a game) that needs to have a strongly 1950s feel. I, however, was born in the 1980s, so my writing has plenty of things that would sound out of place in the 1950s. For example, I used the work "backpack" in a piece set…
Joe
  • 351
  • 1
  • 2
  • 7
24
votes
9 answers

Why are papers printed in a two column format?

Is there a reason or is it arbitrary/tradition?
juan
  • 1,413
  • 3
  • 16
  • 22
24
votes
14 answers

How does a code monkey become a novelist?

I have always loved creative writing, but honestly do not see software engineers that write fiction all that often. Heck, I do not see software engineers that read fiction all that often either. To those who have done it: Did the transition from…
Victor123
  • 706
  • 6
  • 13
23
votes
15 answers

How much swearing is TOO much? (And how much is not enough?)

I've noticed that some of the most successful writers refrain from using profanity, such as Stephanie Meyer and Norman Mailer. Are readers turned off by swearing in books? More importantly, is it wrong to use profanity? Is it bad writing? Should I…
Ethan
  • 1,431
  • 10
  • 15
23
votes
3 answers

What's with all the hate on adjectives and adverbs?

Ok, I'm starting to get a feel for this, but I'm hoping someone can explain it more clearly for me. I learned in all my English classes that sensory imagery is important, which naturally involves a lot of adjectives and adverbs. I also learned that…
brianmearns
  • 786
  • 1
  • 8
  • 18
23
votes
8 answers

What can I do with a part that I feel is necessary to a story but it's an absolute drudgery?

I've just written such a paragraph: He turned around and started walking to the nearby store. He bought a bread and a yoghurt. Then he came back and gave the groceries to the homeless guy. There are several points to this text: I feel like all…
Rico
  • 609
  • 5
  • 13
23
votes
7 answers

Is there a "right" way to interpret a novel? If so, how do we make sure our novel is interpreted correctly?

Is there a "right" way to interpret a novel? If so, how do we make sure our novel is interpreted correctly? I have been told that there's no way of interpreting the true meaning of a book written by an author, because we don't know the intent they…
Sayaman
  • 14,844
  • 2
  • 69
  • 140
23
votes
7 answers

Using font to highlight a god's speech in dialogue

At one point in my story, the characters are addressed by a god. In the ensuing dialogue, this god has a more archaic way of speaking, but even so, I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to visually distinguish the god's speech from the other…
Llewellyn
  • 3,295
  • 10
  • 23
23
votes
11 answers

Don't look at what I did there

This question is about hiding from the reader the fact that I am skipping some steps. Worse, perhaps, I don't want to show them, and I may have no clue or intention of figuring out how these steps should go: I simply want to go from scene A to scene…
NofP
  • 10,625
  • 2
  • 28
  • 68
23
votes
6 answers

Is it uncompelling to continue the story with lower stakes?

A big piece of criticism I've seen directed at the last season of Game of Thrones was the fact that they killed the Night King before the finale, and the last episodes had Cersei, a mere mortal, as the enemy. Considering the Night King wanted to…
A. Kvåle
  • 4,033
  • 2
  • 22
  • 52
23
votes
2 answers

How should I quote American English speakers in a British English essay?

I am working on a formal essay where I have to quote a few American English speakers, but my essay is written in British English. Should I change terms like color to colour?
gen
  • 349
  • 2
  • 4
1 2 3
…
99 100