Writing Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
36
votes
5 answers

How do I find an agent?

I finished my novel, and everyone I've talked to says I need an agent. How do I find one?
Elizabeth Schechter
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8 answers

Where to draw the line between fantasy and reality in a story?

I realize this question may sound broad or vague, so allow me to explain. I never knew much about combat or dealing with injuries until I started gathering research for a fantasy novel I'm planning to write, which will have a lot of action and…
Summer
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16 answers

Is it okay to publish a book at a young age?

I am writing a novel that is called 'Murder' It's about a girl who almost gets murdered but then has to live with the murderers with almost no knowledge that they are the ones that killed her. (Amnesia) The only big problem I have is that I am 12. I…
user14862
35
votes
9 answers

Why do hardcover books retail for more than three times the cost of softcover books?

One thing I've noticed while browsing bookstores is that hardcover books tend to cost more than softcover ones. Oftentimes a hardcover book that's five times the price of a paperback doesn't have five times the mass of one. Is it the manufacturing…
Kalamane
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35
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8 answers

Decide on a theme/overarching meaning before writing a short story?

I want my short story to have a specific point, to highlight a certain truth. But I wonder in which order I should proceed: make the plot, characters etc. first and worry about fitting my theme into the story later, or start with the point I'm…
Qcom
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35
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13 answers

Should I use the words "pyromancy" and "necromancy" even if they don't mean what people think they do?

If you look up the exact definition for "pyromancy" or "necromancy" they refer to divination using fire and the dead, respectively. However, if you were to ask a layperson what those words mean, they would simply say "fire magic" and "death…
klippy
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35
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4 answers

Should I self-publish my novella on Amazon or try my luck getting publishers?

I have completed my novellas first draft which is 32k words long. For all the reasons, I was doing research as to whether self-publish or try my luck getting a publisher. I should tell you that I am a complete novice at writing fiction books and…
The White Cloud
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10 answers

My story is written in English, but is set in my home country. What language should I use for the dialogue?

I'm an amateur writer from the Philippines. I am writing a novelette for an international writing contest. My story is written in English, but is set here, in my country, with my POV character being a full blood Filipino. My question is, is it…
Jan Derick Malelang
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35
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15 answers

The psychology of starting a piece of writing

I have a problem when it comes to writing (blog posts, stories and novels). It might just be me, but maybe other people have experienced it too? When I come to start writing, my ideas before I sit down seem wonderful. But just recently, as soon as…
robertcday
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35
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8 answers

How to *show* a controversial reality without seeming like I'm treating it as acceptable and without stating that this is wrong?

I have a story which has some controversial social problems, and my intention is to just show these issues (for drama), realistically and impartially (i.e. just showing the facts, without imposing any opinion). But the problem is that, by doing just…
Yuuza
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35
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7 answers

Why does an author need an editor?

I'm firmly in the camp of "your novel needs an editor, and that editor better not be yourself." But recently I was asked why that was, and I couldn't articulate an answer that was passable. Young novelists often underestimate their need for an…
gmoore
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34
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4 answers

Referencing figure in text - capitalize the word "Figure" or not? Why?

I see it quite a lot. It looks a bit like this: It can be seen in Figure 3 that... My gut feeling is that there is no reason to scream in the middle of a perfectly calm sentence. I would like to write it like: It can be seen in figure 3…
jonalv
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34
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11 answers

Are illustrations in novels frowned upon?

Lately I've been thinking that I don't know of a single novel that has illustrations in it. I've tried finding out the reason why, and came across an article published in The Guardian in 2011, but it didn't arrive to any conclusions or provided an…
Valrog
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12 answers

How can I convince my reader that I will not use a certain trope?

Imagine a fantasy story in which there once was a very powerful evil divine being, but it was defeated long before the beginning of the story. For the story it is very important that it was defeated, and things would be really bad if it was still…
PoorYorick
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12 answers

An LGBT main character, but the book isn't about LGBT issues

So I'm in the very early stages of plot development on a new story. It focuses on a (nonbinary, hence the they/them pronouns) witch named Kem who recently discovered their powers and met some friendly demons. It's kind of an action-fantasy book,…
user34214
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