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1500 questions
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4 answers

How to write two seemingly different characters that are actually the same person?

I'm currently working on a book with two protagonists and switching the perspective between them. They have quite different plotlines, but actually they're the same person. English is not my first language, and in my language a subject always has a…
gibihakkasy
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4 answers

Are "morning pages" useful?

I've found an interesting private online journaling website: 750words.com From "About" section of the website: I've long been inspired by an idea I first learned about in The Artist's Way called morning pages. Morning pages are three pages of…
rem
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5 answers

Can I use my legal name as the protagonist if I'm pitching my book to traditional publishers under a pen name?

Can I use my legal name as the protagonist if I'm pitching my book to traditional publishers under a pen name? Would I be rejected for doing this?
writersam
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6 answers

How to describe an everyday routine?

I have a character who is living through a very regular everyday routine for a longer time, let's say a couple of months. How do I describe this routine and give the impression of time passing by in an interesting way?
Lukas D. Sauer
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Where can I find resources about writing "Choose your own adventure"-style books?

I have read/played a couple of "Choose your own adventure"-style book and am interested in the process of creating one. Where can I find (preferrably free) online resources, such as How-To-Write or styleguide articles and blogs, about writing a…
Secespitus
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When publishing a Fantasy novel, do I look for a specific Fantasy-only publisher, editor, and/or agent?

When attempting to publish a fantasy book, how will I go about selecting a publisher? Is it possible to find a list of publishers that publish specifically fantasy books? Similar to publishers being genre-specific, does this apply for agents?…
bdrelling
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9 answers

How to expand my vocabulary?

I wanted to write something for a long time. But what I think is, in writing the choice of words plays a very significant role. From where I can learn this thing? I think I don't have enough words in my active vocabulary to write what I feel or want…
Harshit kyal
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5 answers

Do modern readers believe the first person narrator can't die?

Back in highschool in the 90s we had an assignment to write an extra chapter for a book. After some discussion the teacher told us that under no circumstances can we kill the protagonist as the book was being told in first person and therefore the…
Andrey
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7 answers

What's gained from NaNoWriMo?

Generally, I understand NaNoWriMo to have the goal of writing a complete novel (at least a first draft) during the month of November. To reach "novel" word count, this requires writing approximately 2000 words per day, on average, for the entire…
Zeiss Ikon
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Are tables of contents mandatory in novels?

I've had several people ask me why my fiction story does not have a table of contents. I never really thought about it, seeing as plenty of fiction stories do not have one either. Is a table of contents mandatory or 'traditional' in fictional…
Jerad Meterko
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6 answers

What is a good daily word count goal?

As a NaNoWriMo participant, I've been trying to meet a rather ambitious 1667 word/day goal. I've heard that professionals do a lot less, but the first two days of this month, I actually wrote 5000 words/day, so I know it's possible. Quantity over…
Johnny
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Example of a fictional story without any characters (the story being 1000+ words)

Guessing that there is no such example, but if there is, I'm very interested in knowing about it. Just as a short example, just to make it clear it's possible; the example is not intended to be a work of art, but a proof of concept: "The sun set in…
blunders
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9 answers

Should I translate my own writings into a second language I also know well?

Nabokov was very discouraged when he translated his Lolita into Russian. And he spent half a year on it. So should I try the translation myself?
Dan Ganiev
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9 answers

When can You Pause the Story and Speak Directly to the Reader?

Note: This question was previously about breaking the fourth wall. I discovered that my interpretation of that phrase was wrong. I have therefore rewritten the question. (The above is in place to explain the number of answers and comments about the…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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Killing off a character

What are the long term effects of killing off a main character (early into a series) that represents someone you'd like to move on from? Would that be cathartic, or detrimental to a writer?
Rusty Denise Hale
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