Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
33
votes
5 answers

How does a writer go about consulting experts?

I'm writing a story that has a medical condition as a central plot point, and now I have questions to ask a doctor. The problem is, I don't know one. I could make up the details, but I feel like the narrative will suffer for it. It occurs to me…
IchabodE
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33
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11 answers

How many characters are too many?

I am plotting out a longish story, which would have the following number of characters: Main/ reasonably significant characters: Nine Characters still vital for the story to work:Thirteen Side characters, named, with a little detail because they are…
Jilli
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33
votes
6 answers

How to get my book taken seriously as a teenager?

I have been working on a book for a while, and I probably will be done with it soon. My work is very original in my mind and in the end, this book will be very high quality. But I have been wondering about one important aspect of publishing. I am…
lightofdeanthomas
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33
votes
10 answers

Organizing your Universe?

When writing, I always have tons of ideas about the universe I'm creating as a whole: People, Places, Timelines. I'm just struggling to organize it. I'd like to avoid inconsistencies in later stories, requiring the need for a retcon or embarrassing…
Michael Stum
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33
votes
11 answers

Should I indent the first line of the first paragraph in a chapter?

I was reading a thesis report of a friend and I noticed that he didn't indent the first line of the first paragraph in each chapter. I don't remember noticing it anywhere before until I saw it there and I have some OCD issues with reformatting the…
Lipis
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33
votes
14 answers

How can I get into the mindset to write?

Depending on the weather, the days events, and other factors, I find myself with a different emotion everyday when I write which I'm afraid is making my novel a little bit choppy. For example, one chapter might be portrayed in a light mood, while…
Clangorous Chimera
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33
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5 answers

Pitfalls of writing a main character of different gender to the author, specifically first-person perspective?

This is my first question on here, so bear with me, if you will. My question is in two-parts: a) When writing in first-person, is it wise to choose a main character of a different gender to yourself (the author)? b) What are certain pitfalls to…
DeVil
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33
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6 answers

Writing a novel, can I do [this or that]?

I want to write a novel about [something or other] and now I wonder if it is possible to do [this or that].
user5645
33
votes
3 answers

Explicitly correcting yourself while writing - how appropriate is it ?

Like so: He worries – well, not worries, but laments a little – that he senses people don't read Henry James anymore (sentence source: Monkey See, NPR Blogs ) I've used this style myself occasionally. But it really doesn't go well with the purist…
0xff0000
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33
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5 answers

How Much Can You Make From Writing a Book?

Obviously this question has a lot of different answers. I'm interested in the typical total profit that a writer might expect to see from: A NYT Bestseller A diet or self-help book that sells 100,000 copies A romance novel that sells 10,000…
John Shedletsky
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33
votes
4 answers

Dashes vs. Commas vs. parentheses?

Occasionally I write sentences containing subparts with extra information. I never know how to block off this information from the rest of the sentence. Three ways I have seen are dashes, commas, and parentheses. For example: When Bilbo sat down…
Wolf's Dilemma
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32
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7 answers

Writing a love interest for my hero

If I'm going to face down a dragon, Mob boss, evil corporation, or a demon from the 7 circles of hell or dystopian dictator, etc, it's not going to be to rescue my buddy Herbert, or cousin Jimmy. The best they are going to get are my harsh words and…
Ric Fuentez
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32
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10 answers

Is there such a thing as too inconvenient?

I find myself often being irritated at elements in situations that help characters succeed, elements which are also highly unlikely or even illogical. But often, if not more, I find myself angered by things that too inconvenient. Improbably…
A. Kvåle
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32
votes
9 answers

How do you cope with rejection?

I know that Bradbury was rejected about 800 times. I know the famous JK Rowling story. Yet the question is lurking in my mind, becoming stronger and clearer with each rejection: what if? What if I am really not that good, what if I am simply an…
kom
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32
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10 answers

How to write dialogue for someone who is intelligent but barely speaks the language?

I have a character who is a refugee from another country. She comes to the protagonist, and they have a couple of scenes together, viewed from the protagonist. I read about how important it is to make dialogue convey information about the character,…
KeizerHarm
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