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What are some disadvantages of writing fiction in a diary format?

I find writing in a diary-style is the easiest way to write fiction. The format is the same as a diary, with each entry beginning with the date, then describing the feelings or events of the character up to that date. Are there any disadvantages to…
Village
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What is the difference between "creative writing" and "fiction writing"?

My college offers many writing courses. I notice, one course is called "Creative Writing" and another is called "Fiction Writing". What is the difference between creative writing and fiction writing?
Village
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How to identify a scene type?

What are the main types in which a scene can be classified, and what are the key concepts for each type? I am thinking something along the following (guessing the descriptions): suspense - scene builds up to and ends with a situation where the…
slashmais
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Very long sentences: personal style or just bad writing?

I'm writing a story targeted towards children in which the protagonist is a young girl. I find that in writing her dialog and the narrative, I'm producing a lot of very long sentences, to the point that an entire paragraph may be seven or eight…
brianmearns
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Is it a bad practice to occasionally add first-person narrative to third-person narrative?

This is a sample of something I wrote: Erin watched Ruth as she disappeared between the cars and the multitude of people crossing the street. She stood there for a moment, staring at the city scene in front of her. A strange feeling of …
wyc
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Will publishing on Kindle, or making Audio Books, hurt my profits in the long run?

Should a self-publisher stick to just "hard copy" print-on-demand publishing of his books? Would adding Kindle, or hiring an "audio book" company, compete too much with the hard copy editions? Hard copies sell for more money than either of the other…
ray grant
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How do I write a sexist narrator without coming off as sexist myself?

I'm writing a script for a short movie, but I'm not sure if the introduction sounds clear enough. For context, the narrator is supposed to believe in "old-fashioned" values. Specifically that women are supposed to be polite, quiet, etc. Since I'm…
FMurphy
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How do I quote a graphic novel?

I am writing a paper for a Canadian Literature class, and want to quote portions of one of the graphic novels we studied. Do I quote the written portions as I would any other written work? I am using MLA, so would it be like (Author,Page), like a…
user2879
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1 answer

Expositing a lack of racial difference

I have a story set in a fantasy-Africa, in which the protagonist must make her way from her rural home to a coastal city in order to seek medical treatment that will save her life. One beta reader for the story was concerned about potential…
JSBձոգչ
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Paid beta seems to have skipped large portions of my manuscript

I feel terrible for having to lay this out there, but I'm a little frustrated following use of a beta reader service. I received a beta report on time this past weekend, but didn't receive my full manuscript with inline notes until today. The…
user60178
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When should you reveal the motivations of a villain?

A common mistake in creative writing is to create a villain without a clear motivation for their actions. Every villain should have a reason for their behavior, even if it is not a justifiable one. There is, however, no clear guideline that tells…
Sayaman
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Deciding the setting: real or invented?

I'm preparing some material because I have the intention of writing a book. I'd do this in every type of work, but considering that I'm writing Crime Fiction, this is even more important. I've decided already some things: main characters, victim,…
Alenanno
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In writing biographies how do you reference a change of last name?

Using first label as the full name - first, middle, maiden/birth name. (Margaret Anne Jensen was born on November...) Discuss early achievements by referencing only birth last name - Jensen. (Jensen graduated from college...) After marriage…
Michele Tombari
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5 answers

Is the first draft of a novel usually shorter than the finished work?

I finished the first draft of a novel I'm writing. Right now, it has 17000 words. I've heard that novels these days range from 60,000 to 150,000 words, so I'm a little bit worried (I'm hoping to have 200~300 pages). Is this normal? (I didn't stop…
wyc
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Is there a word that can replace the phrase "said sarcastically"?

Suppose that,during a conversation in a book, one character says something sarcastically. As the author, I want the readers to know that the character was being sarcastic, but I do not want to say the phrase "said sarcastically." An example is…
Mathematician
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