Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
15
votes
6 answers

How to find authenticity in a character of color

I am working on a book. I am aware that, being a white guy, I always perceive characters as white men. I want to push myself into building a character that is black. My problem is that most of the people in my world are white. The blacks friends…
Thom
  • 560
  • 3
  • 15
15
votes
3 answers

Lists of Suggested Magazines to Submit To

I recently began writing poetry again. I would like to look into submitting my poems to a magazine. Where can I find a list of literary magazines through which I could sort to find a possible fit?
justkt
  • 6,675
  • 2
  • 37
  • 53
15
votes
8 answers

What's the benefit of using invented languages in-story?

I'm working on a fictional story set in a fantastical (although coherent) universe. I'm used to seeing invented languages in works like this: Tolkien's languages for The Lord of the Rings, or Paolini's languages for his Inheritance Trilogy. So, they…
iajrz
  • 1,747
  • 9
  • 15
15
votes
9 answers

Writing from a hive mind POV

The story: Centuries ago, humanity have been incorporated into an alien hive mind, spread by a bacterial-like infection. The "bacteria" infects the blood and brain and allows the infected to join their minds together, there is no alien overlord,…
Babika Babaka
  • 964
  • 11
  • 26
15
votes
4 answers

What's a good writing software for Android phones/tablets?

Everyone once in a while while I'm out I come up with something I want to add to my story. Are there any good writing apps for Android phones and tablets? Most places that recommend mobile writing software recommend iPhone apps, but what about the…
Ralph Gallagher
  • 8,706
  • 5
  • 38
  • 61
15
votes
5 answers

How much time should you devote to learning the craft?

When is enough, enough? Some writers argue that you don’t need how-to books, just practicing writing. Yet, many writers write beautifully but are incapable of producing a publishable novel, while mediocre writers sometimes sprout best-sellers .…
Reed -SE is a Fish on Dry Land
  • 1,694
  • 10
  • 34
15
votes
5 answers

Methods for creating slang

I am interested in creating slang or a vernacular for a particular group in my story. I want it to be distinctive and a definite marker for in-group/out-group, but not incomprehensible. I'm not looking for industry jargon, and it's not extensive…
Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum
  • 74,970
  • 7
  • 123
  • 261
15
votes
6 answers

Time management for part-time writing

I'm currently writing a book, and would eventually hope to be a writer as a career. However, at the moment I'm struggling to find the time and the discipline to actually sit down and write consistently. I know that writing (and most other…
Mike.C.Ford
  • 5,280
  • 2
  • 14
  • 34
15
votes
6 answers

How can I turn my short story into a novel?

I just wrote last week about Sleeping Beauty but a different version of it. (I changed the characters, and the conflict, and mostly everything except the fact that one of the main characters is cursed and must fall asleep, only to be woken by true…
sarahellie
  • 151
  • 1
  • 3
15
votes
5 answers

How do you come up with non-fiction story ideas?

My biggest problem is that I'm often at a dearth of ideas. I can target a publication or radio show or whatnot once I've got it, but I'm just not good at coming up with them. Tips?
Kyle
  • 488
  • 3
  • 8
15
votes
7 answers

Does self publishing via Amazon or similar services make your book ineligible for later acceptance by a publisher?

I have a non-fiction book that is ready for publishing, and I am weighing between whether to self-publish via modern methods made available by the internet, or go the more traditional route of searching for some kind of agency or publisher. My…
Questioner
  • 826
  • 2
  • 7
  • 18
15
votes
5 answers

Writers' Communities?

I don't mean writers' circles, or "auditioning sites", although some of these have forums tacked on as a by the by. Usually places to talk about the beardy philosophy of writing are moribund places as many writers are just not joiners. Does anyone…
One Monkey
  • 7,916
  • 1
  • 25
  • 38
14
votes
6 answers

What makes first person plural a tricky narrative voice?

I absolutely loved Joshua Ferris's debut novel Then We Came to the End. Critics highly praised his use for the first person plural as a narrator. The work is set in an office and the "we" used represents the group of employees. I can think of…
justkt
  • 6,675
  • 2
  • 37
  • 53
14
votes
2 answers

Strategies for shortening texts

When reviewing a text to shorten it beneath a fixed, externally imposed word limit, which strategies are available for shortening the text? What kind of shortening can be expected? The most obvious is to find passages whose purpose isn't…
Charles Stewart
  • 1,247
  • 8
  • 19
14
votes
7 answers

How do you make a character witty?

How can a character be made to appear witty, or funny? That is, the character amuses other characters, not the reader, who should ideally be impressed with the characters wit. The only way that I can think of is to have the character be able to make…
naught101
  • 365
  • 3
  • 12
1 2 3
…
99 100