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1500 questions
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4 answers

Is it okay to say what the character infers about other characters thoughts as fact in third person limited?

The story is third person limited to Bob's point of view. He is with Alice, and I have the following line. Alice sat up proudly, then shrunk back down, realizing where she was. Compare this to Alice sat up proudly, then shrunk back down,…
rtpax
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Is it possible for an author to release a novel every week using dictation technology?

I have heard that authors can do 5000 words an hour with dictation. For a six-hour day writing, that is 30,000 words. Thus it would take less than three days to complete a standard novel manuscript. Since I've also heard that writers produce much…
user394536
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7 answers

Is it a bad idea to have a character that has an "imaginary friend"?

In a story I'm working on, I'm adding a side character to travel with the two main characters because I realized I didn't have very much planned for actually showing who the main characters are and how they react to difficult people. So the…
M.Wallace
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17
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8 answers

The problem of the throwaway boyfriend

In the first 10% of my novel, my MC has a boyfriend. MC is accepted into the Space Corps (or he's summoned to fight Troy - the particulars don't really matter), boyfriend is sure he'll wait the required X years. MC starts training, and already the…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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17
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7 answers

How do you create a huge array of characters?

Suppose you are part of a development team working on a fighting game, and you're given the role of creating about 30 or 40 unique characters from many different backgrounds from the ground up. It's more story heavy than most fighting games, and it…
user23083
17
votes
7 answers

Facial expressions as part of dialogue - getting rid of a verbal tic

I noticed a verbal tic in my writing: He looked surprised He looked confused He looked abashed Sometimes twice in a row: The prince looked abashed. “I- I thought I was being polite,” he mumbled. “You were. You chose your words and your…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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17
votes
8 answers

How can I make an in-universe random event feel like it was really random instead of just RNJesus' will?

Some stories feature random events that bring about drastic change either to the characters or to the setting. A lottery draw, some gotcha that grants a special skill. Most of the times I find one of these in a story, they seem fake. Instead of…
Mindwin Remember Monica
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Is there a quick way to know I have created a Mary Sue?

For those who don't know what a Mary Sue is: see here. The problem is, there are far too many ways a character can be a Mary Sue, as seen here. Many websites that offer tests to see if your character is a Mary Sue give pages of questions as…
Shantnu Tiwari
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The role of the supernatural in hard science fiction

The response to this question makes it clear to me that I haven't quite asked the question I had intended, the answers are useful but not quite what I'm looking for. So different but related question; to what extent can one include events that can…
Ash
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Eliminating the Dash in Prose Writing

I have been accused — shock, horror — of using the dash (the one that indicates a three-quarters pause) too much in my fiction. Thing is — I quite like the effect (the space inserted in sentences by the slightly extended pause) it has on my writing…
robertcday
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8 answers

How do I know which elements I can use from the work which orginally inspired me?

I recently read the Blood on the Stars series by Jay Allan and really enjoyed the idea of a post-Golden Age human civilization that has splintered into factions and is now at war with itself. I really want to explore this theme further…
jwil408
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Where do I start with C++ documentation?

I am new to programming and am entirely self-taught. I have reached a point in my writing where a solid grasp of documentation standards would be greatly beneficial. My question is not how to add documentation, but when. And what to add. Doxygen…
Summer
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7 answers

Diversity conflicting with authenticity

This is not quite the same question as Writing Diversity because it's not my intention to focus too much on diversity for my story, nor am I struggling with new ways to represent more cultures/minorities/ethnicity. It's also not quite the same as…
HugoBDesigner
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5 answers

How can I convey an absolute truth from the author to the reader without a mentor character?

There are sometimes moments in works of fiction where the author needs to convey something to the reader without ambiguity. Let's say the situations around the characters get so weird that the author starts to worry that the reader will think it is…
Andrey
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5 answers

How do male and female writing styles differ?

Many of my stories have two protagonists, one male, one female, and are told alternately from both viewpoints. I don't find it difficult to show the differing personalities through the different ways the characters think and behave, but what I…
user29032
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