Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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9 answers

Do publishers really need to translate between UK and US English?

Is there really a need for a book to be translated from UK to US English? I'm nearing completion on my own great work, and just want to know if it is truly worth doing a British and an American version, or just release the current version in its UK…
Starkers
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10 answers

Effective techniques for describing pain

I've noticed something in writing: it's difficult to convey pain, and even specific types of pain, to an audience who's comfortably sitting at home in an easy chair. I can hardly imagine pain until I'm injured myself, in fact. The sting of freezing…
ElizaWy
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5 answers

How to include deliberate inconsistencies without it seeming like lazy or bad writing?

I'm writing a thriller (scifi/supernatural) and have a race of characters who can bend reality. They've come to earth with the intent of purging humanity. They can do it, but they have limitations. The limitation that's relevant to my question…
aurorajack
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5 answers

Writing a programming book: how to present directory structures

What is good/preferred way of presenting directory trees in programming books? My main criteria are following: It should be readable and intuitive It shouldn't take too much page space It shouldn't require too much effort from author to create…
Piotr Sobczyk
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7 answers

What makes an ending tragic?

There are questions like, ‘What makes an ending happy?’ Or ‘What is considered a happy ending?’ That’s obviously not what I’m looking for. It’s more the opposite. Tragic love plots gives me cringes while endings like, ‘They live happily ever after.’…
Artemis Silver
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6 answers

What are some ways to get to know your characters?

For example, I have recently taken to analyzing all my characters within the scope of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. I already had my characters in place; I just used this test as a tool to get in their heads, to try to understand how they…
StrixVaria
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13 answers

How do I provide exposition on a magic system when no character has an objective or complete understanding of it?

I'm writing an urban fantasy series in which like many urban fantasy series there is a magic-and-powers system hidden from the broader world that the supernatural phenomena of the series run on. However, I'm having trouble providing exposition as to…
user2352714
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6 answers

Will blogging my fiction limit its ability to be traditionally published later?

Somewhere, don't ask me where, I picked up the idea that publishers don't like works that the public has already been able to access. When a family member suggested I post short pieces of fiction to a blog to help myself get motivated, I hesitated…
Sheelawolf
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5 answers

Current events may have ruined a name I was going to use

In the middle-grade series I'm working on, there are two organizations: one led by the antagonist, and one that opposes them, which the protagonists join. In the setting of the series, a very small percentage of the population are born with genes…
Just some random person
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12 answers

Is the genre 'fantasy' still fantasy without magic?

Is writing a fantasy novel with no mages, witches, wizards or anything remotely magical a waste of time? Can it still be classified as fantasy?
user42083
20
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10 answers

Why are one-word titles so dominant in books, film, and games?

Something I talk about with friends when planning and sharing our projects & media we like is titles - and specifically my disdain for one-word titles. They seem to be more than dominant in multiple entertainment industries. Twilight, Injustice,…
Swanijam
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10 answers

Does my protagonist need to be the most important character?

In my fantasy story that I'm slowly getting into, my MC Sirena is an apprentice witch. Her two fellow apprentices, Aster and Keeva, study alongside her under their High Priestess, and they all somewhat cooperate with the king of the lands where…
user34214
20
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7 answers

When is it ok to add filler to a story?

After a couple iterations I came up with the "skeleton" or summary of my story. I have read many places and guides saying "if it's not advancing the story and can be removed without affecting it, then it shouldn't be there". The problem is that if I…
Exe
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12 answers

How do I become a better writer when I hate reading?

I like telling stories, but I don't care so much for reading them. It's not for me. But the number one advice to become a better author is to read a lot. Is there anything else I can do? EDIT: Thanks for all the responses! After reading through…
klippy
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9 answers

Can non-English-speaking characters use wordplay specific to English?

Would it be jarring if in an original (non-translated) story, the characters, who don't speak English in-universe, use "untranslatable" wordplay/puns that are specific to English? By "untranslatable" I mean that if a pun is translated literally into…
Friendly Neighborhood Demon
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