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1500 questions
19
votes
10 answers
Effective hero journeys that don't kill the villain?
Are there good examples of the hero's journey that don't include any physical deaths within them?
My hero has crisis and 'death' of self/ideals/psyche; hero prevails in the end, all good. But, I just can't seem to bring myself to killing anybody.…
SFWriter
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19
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8 answers
Worth writing, if end is obvious
I am currently sketching a novel about people at the end of time, some months or years before the Big Crunch:
There is a space station full of people who can only sit and watch as their final moment draws closer and closer. There are several…
Alexander von Wernherr
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19
votes
8 answers
How to introduce alien flora/fauna without turning the fiction into a biology book?
Got advised on Worldbuilding’s Sandbox to post here, so here I am.
I don’t even know if the word “alien” applies here because to the eyes of the characters, those animals and plants won’t be alien at all.
I’m thinking about creating an unique…
rschpdr
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19
votes
8 answers
How to show a brief hesitation around a word
When we speak, there are often small pauses between syntactic units such as sentences. In writing, these pauses are signified by punctuation:
I can come if you want. (without pause)
I can come, if you want. (with brief pause)
I can come. If you…
user5645
19
votes
7 answers
How many words/hour should you aim for when writing your first draft?
A couple of axioms here. Firstly, most people agree that you should write your first draft quickly, without too much care on quality, and get something down on paper first. The real writing begins with the second draft. This is the approach that…
Panda
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19
votes
7 answers
Taking notes while reading
I read books for fun and to help my writing. I want to remember the cool things I read, but I don't want to distract from the enjoyment of reading.
Any suggestions on how to take notes or better recall plots/characters/interesting facts/random ideas…
snitzr
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19
votes
6 answers
How to deal with a story that 95% of it takes place in a different language country and the protagonist speaks in it?
The protagonist is from a certain country, and in some point of the story he moves to another one that speaks another language. The protagonist learns their language and talks with them in it.
Movies (usually North American ones) set in another…
Yuuza
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19
votes
7 answers
How rough should a rough draft be
For a long time I would edit chapters as I wrote them, to make them as complete as possible. Unfortunately this often resulted in me running out of steam and never actually finishing them.
I've recently started trying to allow myself to write…
Michael B
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19
votes
9 answers
Resources on plotting mystery stories
I'm looking for books, essays and articles on plotting mystery/detective/investigation stories (and novels). The type of story I'm aiming for is in the vein of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, or Asimov's Robots/Elijah Baley novels.
It seems to me…
Standback
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18
votes
3 answers
When do I explain my created world scenario in a prologue vs. letting it unfold in the story?
Let's say I'm creating a unique world for my book. New planet, maybe new species, complex society with complex rules, history, government, and so on. Some of these details are absolutely necessary to understand the plot of the story.
There are two…
Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum
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18
votes
7 answers
Problem: Scenes that are unavoidable, but boring
More specifically: Two of my book series' main characters are (temporarily) diplomats. It's unavoidable to the progress of the plot. But diplomacy is inherently slow and boring. So, the general question is: How does one handle boring but…
dmm
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18
votes
8 answers
Writing Multiple Novels Simultaneously
I am, at present, 50% of the way through my first novel (17 chapters (and counting), ~55,000 words, ~100 A4 pages) and yet I also had many other (what I think are) wonderful ideas pop into my head for new stories.
Therefore, I have also begun…
M.Y. David
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18
votes
7 answers
Can I self-publish on a reputable publishing platform, and how much would it cost?
With the barrier to having a publisher sign a new author seemingly high, especially without prior success or experience, are there any good author-funded alternatives out there to the repeated mailing of manuscripts out to additional publishing…
QuickerSnarkerBacker
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18
votes
5 answers
What does active voice mean?
I was reading on here about passive voice but didn't really know what active voice was. I read some examples but was hoping for more insight. What does it mean to write with the active voice?
johnny
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18
votes
9 answers
How can I learn to write straight on blank paper?
My handwriting is very bad on unruled paper. How can I learn to write straight and nice on blank paper?
22flower
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