Writing Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
22
votes
8 answers

Occupational Hazards to being a Full-Time Writer

Every now and again I think to myself how nice it would be to give up my staid life as a Software Developer and start an exciting new career as a Novelist. But then I think to myself that there are surely drawbacks to that path and that I shouldn't…
robertcday
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8 answers

How to get readers to care about a dead character?

My story happens as a result of one of the main characters getting murdered. I'm wondering how to get readers to care about someone who's not even in the story (as far as the readers know anyway) or at least sympathize with the other main character…
Touchebag
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22
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9 answers

How can I improve my sentence construction or flow in general writing?

Can anyone suggest resources or techniques I can use to improve my sentence construction when writing? I am a native English speaker and fairly well educated, but confess I didn't pay much attention in English class at school, something that's…
Will Appleby
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5 answers

Can I use the name Valerian in my sci-fi novel?

I have an Ancient Roman theme with the names of my characters, however someone pointed out to me Valerian is already a scifi character's name. Are the french comics (which spell it with an accent over the e) and the movie THAT popular that I would…
S. N. Walker
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8 answers

How can I make a "meeting in VR" less dumb?

I've written myself into a sci-fi cliche which I have never seen done well: two characters meet in virtual reality. The gist of my scene is one character has been in a pseudocoma, more aware of her surroundings than anyone knew. Another character…
wetcircuit
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22
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5 answers

I'm getting tired of "he said" "she said" in dialogue; how do I get around it?

I get tired of "he said", "she said", "they replied". Is there a better, but still reasonable way, to indicate dialogue?
RolandiXor
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8 answers

How to be mindful of the reader when handling disturbing/distressing subjects?

I’m attempting to write some ‘difficult to read’ scenes such as violence, rape, trauma, etc. And I’m not talking about ‘good’ violence such as in Game of Thrones or a Quentin Tarantino film. The novel is about an abusive relationship, so I want the…
sudowoodo
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22
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6 answers

What books should have a sequel?

I wrote my very first novel several months ago and I sold it to a publisher two weeks ago. Now I am thinking of writing something new. The problem is I can't get the idea of writing a sequel out of my head. There are a few reasons why I should write…
vojta
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22
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10 answers

Act 3 totally broken...keep writing?

I'm ready to enter the final act, Act 3, of my (first big) story and by now I'm pretty sure I'll have to rewrite 50-70% in ACT 1 and 2. I outlined the whole story but it is clear that my main hero is boring, his motivations (and story arc) change…
Tim Dams
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22
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9 answers

What breaks suspension of disbelief?

So much of Sci-Fi and Fantasy requires the viewer (or reader) to suspend their disbelief: The speed of light can be circumvented, magic works, vampires are real (and may or may not sparkle), etc. What sort of things break suspension of disbelief? …
Jeff
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22
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3 answers

What is the difference between ISSN and ISBN?

Can anyone explain in layman's terms, using simple terminology, what exactly is the difference between ISSN and ISBN? There are lots of links on the internet, but they are complicated and use legal terms, and don't explain the difference very well.…
Karan Desai
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22
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16 answers

Can You Mix Readers of Fantasy and Sci-Fi?

In his book How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Orson Scott Card mentions the differences between fantasy and sci-fi readers, and even says that an author should stick to only one genre, as the readers of the other genre will not know who he…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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22
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17 answers

Are complex sentences uncommon or unwanted in English?

I wrote my opinion essay using a lot of different complex grammatical structures, linking words and so on, and some of the sentences were even over 4 lines long. However, I was afterwards told by my English teacher that this is a bad habit, and any…
Dafr
22
votes
4 answers

Feedback: What to use and what to ignore?

I posted my novel online for critique. And stumbled with the obvious question: when should I consider a feedback and when should I ignore it? This is what I'm doing so far: If more than two people point out an error, I think of fixing it. If more…
wyc
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3 answers

How do you make a character quintessential, but not cliched or cartoony?

I think it's hard to make a character standout and embody their traits without becoming cliched or cartoony. How do you do this? What are some tips to enlivening a character and making them memorable?
Slick23
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