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1500 questions
19
votes
7 answers
Alternatives to "he said" in dialogue
I'm working on my first fiction story. And one mechanical thing I struggle with is how to identify the speakers in dialog without constantly saying "Bob said", "Mary said", etc. Any ideas?
That is, I hate to write,
"I found an important clue," Bob…
Jay
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19
votes
3 answers
How do authors incorporate languages they don't speak?
In many, many English-language novels I've come across characters who speak other languages, most often French for whatever reason.
In many cases, such as with Ulysses and Lolita, this is a simple matter, because the author was multilingual. He…
temporary_user_name
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19
votes
9 answers
Should one use the legal "shall" in requirements documents and specification documents?
At least in the US, "will" has replaced "shall" in most every context, with the notable exception of the "legal shall". Shall is used instead of will in legal documents to indicate a sense of obligation or requirement; e.g. "the defendant shall…
Billy ONeal
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19
votes
8 answers
How do you explain that the people talking English in a comic book are talking in a language other than English?
How do you explain that the people talking English in a comic book are talking in another language that isn't English? Let's say that in panels 1, 2, and 4 the characters don't talk in English, but the dialogue is still translated into English…
Sayaman
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19
votes
2 answers
How can I contact JK Rowling for permission to publish my sequel for the Harry Potter series?
I recently watched the entire Harry Potter series in December 2021. I really loved the Harry Potter world and all the characters.
Even after days, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it and I'm pretty happy about the innovative idea that…
Sam N
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19
votes
4 answers
Should cliffhangers be used in every chapter?
This is not a great question but I use a lot of cliffhangers. And I have a habit of making cliffhangers in the end of every chapter that I write just to hook the reader. The question is, is it a good idea?
Won't it look monotonous after a while…
Amin Mohamed Ajani
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19
votes
12 answers
How to overcome the fact that I can't write long stories?
I have written some short stories (in fact, they are flash fiction). When I'm writing short stories, the ideas and the structure come to my mind by themselves.
Something different happens when I try to write long stories; It starts with something…
wyc
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19
votes
11 answers
How do you write about the human condition when you don't understand humanity?
I was talking with some writers, and they were mentioning how writing is fundamentally about "the human condition, our take on it, what we see in our world and experience. All stories, no matter the genre, are people stories. We're always writing…
user2352714
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19
votes
4 answers
Are agents too busy for new clients? What should I do next?
Most publishers insist that first-time writers approach via a literary agent. However, all the literary agents I have contacted claim to be too busy to take on new clients, as they receive hundreds or thousands of submissions every year.
I used the…
user3517
19
votes
4 answers
Can I have a non-living thing with its own perspective?
We typically have third person or first person narratives in literature. I have a requirement - to unveil the suspense, I want a non-living thing to share its perspective in the final chapter. Is this permissible, justified and/or sensible?
undocumented sophistication
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19
votes
8 answers
Is it a good idea to leave minor world details to the reader's imagination?
As a writer, I used to write short stories and poems. As a reader, fantasy is my favorite genre. And I am currently working on my first novel, an extraterrestrial fantasy thriller.
When describing something, I used to add a comparison to something…
Sangeetha
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19
votes
5 answers
The seven story archetypes. Are they truly all of them?
The seven archetypes are as follows:
Overcoming the Monster.
Rags to Riches.
The Quest.
Voyage and Return.
Comedy.
Tragedy.
Rebirth.
But surely, there are more? For example, riches to rags? That is one, right? Or would that go into another one,…
A. Kvåle
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19
votes
11 answers
How to write realistic female dialogue
I just can't make my dialogue sound like it's being said by a woman. As a friend of mine pointed out, "This woman talks just like you, Jack."
I tried imitating the speech patterns of various females I know, but it just doesn't work. Most women I…
Yehuda Shapira
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19
votes
5 answers
Term for a character that only exists to be talked to
I just saw a two-person play where one character did the majority of the talking and the other seemed to exist only to give the other character someone to talk to. I've seen this happen in books and TV as well, and sometimes a normally strong…
David K
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19
votes
9 answers
How can my story take place on Earth without referring to our existing cities and countries?
I come from worldbuilding.stackexchange because people suggested I post my question here:
My story shall take place on Earth with the human race as the dominant species. I imagine the technological and scientific progress to be 10 to 20 years in the…
Tom B.
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