Writing Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
21
votes
7 answers

How to continually and organically let my readers know what time it is in my story?

My novel takes place in a big world, with MANY POVs. Although I know when things are happening, I am afraid my reader doesn't know, due to the aforementioned fact. I do not want my reader to be confused, and become unfocused on the story because…
A. Kvåle
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6 answers

Is there a writing software that you can sort scenes like slides in PowerPoint?

I generally use PowerPoint for outlining my scenes (prose, not script). I put a general description of what the scene is on the slide, and then give more details in the notes section. I like that I can see all the scenes and the flow of the story in…
anonymouswombat
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6 answers

Is it okay to majorly distort historical facts while writing a fiction story?

Suppose A is a famous historical character with a known history of emotional attachment with a particular set of people. If I would want to write a fictional story about character A that might involve distortion of the actual incidents of her/his…
Karan Desai
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21
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8 answers

What should be the ideal length of sentences in a blog post for ease of reading?

I have heard many times that you should always keep the sentence length to the minimum as possible, as it makes reading easy, fast and more important understandable to readers. I'm wondering: What should be the ideal length threshold to follow for a…
Prasad_Joshi
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21
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9 answers

Every character has a name - does this lead to too many named characters?

My tendency when writing is to give every character a name. Even the most minor ones. It says something about a nobleman when he knows every guard and stablehand by name, and it's something I want. So it's never "a guard" - it's always "Sergeant…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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21
votes
8 answers

How to write painful torture scenes without being over-the-top

I'm trying to write torture scenes but I'm not really all that confident about it since I've never written anything like it before and have never really witnessed anything violent. I know the methods and steps of the tortures I want to write about…
Tiana
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21
votes
8 answers

First quarter friends

As I've mentioned before, I'm working on a military sci-fi novel. Here's the trouble with the military: you don't spend all of your service, start to finish, with the same people. Not all the people you've done Basic Training with will proceed to…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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21
votes
6 answers

Should we add a character in a story for realistic effect?

In my novel, the protagonist is divorced and moves from London to another city in Britain. The setting is 2013. The protagonist is depressed and stressed out; in real life, such a person would see a psychiatrist. This will be a realistic…
White Cloud
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21
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5 answers

How to add depth to writing - turn a story into a book

I've had a few 'great ideas' for books. I'm a big sci-fi fan, especially Michael Crichton. I'm not sure if that's relevant but there it is. I want to write a full length book, not a short story, a full length hundreds of pages long book. I draw up a…
user6916458
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21
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11 answers

How to avoid writing irritating fan fictions?

I have recently started writing a fanfiction and I am posting it online as I write it. However, I often see in comments sayings 'This fanfiction gave me cancer','The writer of this crap should just kill herself.' and low ratings that accompany those…
Maiko Chikyu
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21
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13 answers

How to make side-characters look competent next to the chosen one?

I'm writing a storyline for a game where the forces of evil have humanity cornered. Truly everything seems lost, that is, until our main character decides to step in. Let's call him Bob. The Chosen. Bob is extremely strong and has a special ability…
Not A Vampire
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21
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10 answers

What is the most fundamental advice when it comes to writing?

Looking back on your career as a writer, what is the most fundamental piece of advice you wish you had known about – or that you had taken to heart – when you set out to become a writer? Before you answer, please note the career tag and the absence…
user29032
21
votes
9 answers

Is there a rule of thumb about the number of pages a work of fiction should have?

To be considered a "real" book, is there a rule of thumb about the number of pages one should have? If it has too few then people call it a short story (e.g., Fahrenheit 451) and if it has too many then it's either a Magnum Opus or split into…
Michael Stum
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21
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9 answers

How to prevent turning off the reader at first with a protagonist with unlikeable traits but that becomes better later on?

I have a story where the protagonist, who is a warrior meant to be the story's hero, has several unlikable traits. He is proud, kind of cold, has a hatred for the people of the enemy State (without exceptions, which makes him support war and sees no…
Yuuza
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7 answers

Stories with multiple possible interpretations: do you plan for it?

There are many stories out there that are open-ended, up for different interpretations. Many theories spawn around such stories, most of which sound possible/plausible, but are nevertheless only theories. I want to create a story like that myself,…
user23083
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