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1500 questions
19
votes
9 answers
Is it ok to reference something modern to give the reader a better idea of what something looks like if the book is set in the Middle Ages?
This is a random example but would it be bad if I said something like this when the book is set in a historical setting: “Edwards sword was black and shiny like a brand new car” is it not ok? Should I only reference things around that time period of…
Angel
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19
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8 answers
Characters that take on a life of their own
There are definite advantages to writing comprehensive character maps, but one downside that I've found is that when a character is fully fleshed out, she/he tries to take on a life of her/his own and sometimes this can be to the detriment of the…
robertcday
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19
votes
11 answers
How to avoid writing irritating fan fictions?
I have recently started writing a fanfiction and I am posting it online as I write it. However, I often see in comments sayings 'This fanfiction gave me cancer','The writer of this crap should just kill herself.' and low ratings that accompany those…
Maiko Chikyu
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19
votes
6 answers
Should I describe a person or a room first?
If you are introducing a new character and a new location, both are going to be involved for a while, which description should I put first?
The character becomes close friends with the protagonist and is significant throughout, the room is where the…
Ajnatorix Zersolar
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19
votes
7 answers
Pretty flowers with clunky Latin names
I am writing a fantasy novel set in the Middle East. For multiple reasons related to both plot and atmosphere, I'm using flowers and flowering trees a lot in both descriptions and dialogue. Trouble is, many plants that are very common in the Middle…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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19
votes
6 answers
Should technical writers illustrate their own documents?
In my opinion, visual material is of crucial importance in technical documents, especially in procedures, but paradoxically, technical illustrations seem to be a dying art.
Is it better for a technical writer to also do technical illustration, or is…
Federgraf
19
votes
11 answers
How do you know when to give up on a writing project?
Writing is rewriting. The first draft of a novel is commonly riddled with mistakes: the beginning doesn't grip, the characters aren't consistent, the plot has holes, the story lacks suspense, turns aren't foreshadowed and appear ex machina, the…
Sylvain Prudhomme
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19
votes
6 answers
Do editors rewrite?
I write fiction, I guess you could say experimental fiction, but I just feel I am more of a stylist. Every story of mine that's been accepted was taken as is. Now, for the first time, I am dealing with an editor who sent back a heavily edited draft…
August Canaille
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19
votes
5 answers
How do I make it so my story happens in an ambiguous time frame?
Nothing extreme, of course. No mentions of futuristic time-traveling gadgets or teleportation or the like. Or, conversely, nothing that smacks of medieval times or anything that immediately causes a reader to connect the dots.
I want my story to be…
Jack Rabbit
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19
votes
13 answers
Why do writers use pseudonyms?
It's common enough -- recently I was looking for Seanan McGuire's newer book only to find it was published as "Mira Grant".
Why would an author do this?
Billy ONeal
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19
votes
10 answers
Effective hero journeys that don't kill the villain?
Are there good examples of the hero's journey that don't include any physical deaths within them?
My hero has crisis and 'death' of self/ideals/psyche; hero prevails in the end, all good. But, I just can't seem to bring myself to killing anybody.…
SFWriter
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19
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8 answers
Worth writing, if end is obvious
I am currently sketching a novel about people at the end of time, some months or years before the Big Crunch:
There is a space station full of people who can only sit and watch as their final moment draws closer and closer. There are several…
Alexander von Wernherr
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19
votes
8 answers
How to introduce alien flora/fauna without turning the fiction into a biology book?
Got advised on Worldbuilding’s Sandbox to post here, so here I am.
I don’t even know if the word “alien” applies here because to the eyes of the characters, those animals and plants won’t be alien at all.
I’m thinking about creating an unique…
rschpdr
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19
votes
8 answers
How to show a brief hesitation around a word
When we speak, there are often small pauses between syntactic units such as sentences. In writing, these pauses are signified by punctuation:
I can come if you want. (without pause)
I can come, if you want. (with brief pause)
I can come. If you…
user5645
19
votes
7 answers
How many words/hour should you aim for when writing your first draft?
A couple of axioms here. Firstly, most people agree that you should write your first draft quickly, without too much care on quality, and get something down on paper first. The real writing begins with the second draft. This is the approach that…
Panda
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