Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
26
votes
11 answers

Should all books have page numbers?

I am interested in whether there are any compelling reasons why print books should always have page numbers. In particular, I am thinking of books comprising many elements that are each typically smaller than a page and each entry is itself…
Daniel Austin
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9 answers

Can I be a writer, with a mental illness?

I want to be a writer, but I have struggled with Schizoaffective Disorder for quite some time. Some of the symptoms of the disorder are amotivation and trouble with initiation (Getting things started). I have written many, many incomplete short…
Jared Eli Walsh
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6 answers

Is there any point in learning to write in cursive?

I remember learning it as a child, and I remember I was told it was important and every kid in the class had to learn it. But now that I think about it, I haven't used cursive for years. What was the point of learning it in the first place? What…
stickman
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26
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6 answers

How does a new writer keep from getting scooped?

I'm looking for a literary agent. I've never published before. 1) What's to keep an agent from taking my manuscript and publishing it themselves, or handing it off to one of their writer friends? 2) What's to keep an agent from taking my original…
Ken - Enough about Monica
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8 answers

How can I Avoid Being Frightened by the Horror Story I am Writing?

Yes, I have to admit it. I don't like horror movies because (shocker) I find them scary. Unlike other people in my house, I do not like being scared. Especially right before I go to bed. I dislike going into haunted houses. I also dislike being…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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6 answers

How to write a homosexual character, whose homosexuality isn't the point of the story?

I'm writing a modern fantasy novel, with a female protagonist whose principal romantic interest is another girl. How can I write her without having her homosexuality be the predominant aspect of her character? Her sexuality barely affects the main…
Silver
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26
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7 answers

Signs of Bad Character Development

When creating a character, what red flags would show me that I'm creating an unbelievable or unsympathetic character? I know that to be believable and sympathetic a character must not lean too much to a single extreme or be a caricature. Besides…
justkt
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11 answers

What's the best way to show a foreign language in a manuscript?

What's the best way to show a character speaking a foreign language in a fiction manuscript? Should the foreign words be italicized and include a translation? Should it just be included in the sentence and try and make sure the reader can guess at…
Ralph Gallagher
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26
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5 answers

How to avoid hearing "that's me!" from your friends when they read your characters, and that wasn't your intent?

I recently asked about getting inside of someone else's head for writing good characters who are noticeably different from myself and received some great answers. One answer suggested that you should absolutely not borrow traits from friends. On…
justkt
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25
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14 answers

How to deal with self-criticism?

I write non-fiction articles for my website and a weekly paid newsletter, and I’m doing that for some time now. However, I still struggle a lot with self-criticism, and find it hard to regard an article as “good”, let alone something I’m proud of.…
Jura
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25
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7 answers

What are the most common style manuals?

From Wikipedia: A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field. The implementation of a style guide provides…
Josh Leitzel
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25
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7 answers

How can one effectively organize scenes and snippets?

I tend to write bits of stories out of order. If I have a great idea for a scene, I want to get it down it while I have it, even if it doesn't come until three chapters later than the part I'm on right now. I also have smaller bits lying around --…
HedgeMage
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25
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16 answers

How can I write a bigoted narrator while making it clear he is wrong?

Edit: I'm a bit new to the site so I'll be fumbling around trying to respond properly, but thank you all for so many great responses! xxx This is a bit of a touchy one for obvious reasons, but the narrator of this story is a haughty academic who…
dweeblet
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10 answers

Not wanting to "spoil" a story due to lack of skill

I have a story that is dear to me and that I would very much want to write about. However, I don't have lots of experience in writing so I'm afraid if I do try to write it, it won't be as good "as it deserves to be" (at best) or I will botch it (at…
Totofofo
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7 answers

How to identify whether a publisher is genuine or not?

Despite an identical title: This question is in no means duplicate of this question. In my local area, there have been various ads running on social media that invite novice writers to contribute their original writings for their upcoming…
Karan Desai
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