Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
17
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14 answers

Is it okay to call the reader's target audience stupid?

I'm a tech genre author, and have already published one book on Android development. However, this book was focused more on the developer of the apps, than the user. Now I'm working on my second book, which is on app UI. In this book, there is a lot…
Raghav Sood
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Why would a character's parents allow them to go on a lethal quest?

In my fantasy epic, the protagonist meets a young, female thief who eventually become his partner in crime. She is part of a family business that involves theft, and she wants to go to give her family name a better reputation. In this case scenario,…
Crafter
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11 answers

How do you make characters sound like non-native English speakers without using any grammar error in their dialogues?

How do you make characters sound like non-native English speakers without using any grammar error in their dialogues? I don't want to make people uncomfortable by having a character speak like an idiot of some sort like they did during the 18th…
user36239
17
votes
5 answers

How many red herrings is too many red herrings?

Mystery novel with a cast of five suspects. The plot moves from red herring to red herring, making the reader suspect each of the five characters at least once. In principle, one could go in circles and make each character fall under suspicion…
NofP
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17
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4 answers

When to accept an editor's rewrite request?

So there's an editor who has accepted a story of mine for publication... but he wants me to change the ending. Normally I'm pretty open to editorial changes, but in this case the proposed changes alter the timbre of the piece by changing the ending…
JSBձոգչ
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3 answers

I thought I understood tenses

I'm writing a story in the past tense, third person, deep POV. Similar to the first person, that implies that some of the narration can be read as the character's thoughts. Here are two trite examples: Direct thought, e.g. these are the actual words…
Cobus Kruger
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16 answers

Is there any point where an overpowered main character could be an interesting one?

I just read a novel where the main character is overpowered: he has unbeatable superpowers, many girls that are interested in him, enemies that get scared just by facing him, etc. I find it annoying because it doesn't really provide any tension for…
Saika Infinity
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8 answers

I accidentally added a character, and then forgot to write them in for the rest of the series

I am a young author writing a fantasy series. When I was looking over my manuscript, I realized that in chapter seven I’d added a character named Autumn. She’s a tiny fairy who rides around on the MCs shoulder. She can’t actually talk though,…
Hello.There
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11 answers

As a young author, how do you make people listen?

I am an extremely young author. I don’t mean to sound like I’m bragging, but I think I am very good. They say the best readers are the best writers, in a single day I once read a 700 page book. I read every book in the house. Twice. I got bored. I…
Leila
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14 answers

Is it okay to use "It was all just a virtual world / dream" for a plot twist?

I am currently writing a novel where I use "It was all just a dream" (IWAJAD) plot twist, just because the main character needs it to change his personality and train his power to save the world when he wake up. But then, I heard that "IWAJAD" is…
Saika Infinity
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10 answers

What's the difference between Deus Ex Machina and coincidence?

I've read 1, 2, 3 and of course, 4. Then I read 5 and 6 and even 7. I was blissfully ignorant about coincidence, DEM and plot-convenience; but now, I'm just confused about the difference. I feel there is a difference though I suspect it's the…
ewokx
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6 answers

Is there a way I can print a book only for myself?

As selfish as this sounds, I’m really interested in having my own book printed for myself as the title entails. I don’t intend to sell it or distribute it or anything of that sort, but just something I could read for my leisure with a physical…
AcidicProgrammer
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17
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5 answers

How does one avoid bland, generic fantasy while they write?

I have been mulling over the plot and characters for an elaborate fantasy work for a number of years now. The longer I mull things over, the more possessed I am that this story is worth telling. The problem arises when I actually sit down to write…
Gabe Willard
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3 answers

In academic writing why do some recommend to avoid "announcing" the topic?

In academic writing, several articles on the topic of writing papers denounce the practice of "announcing" the topic. As an example, if a paper were to read... The goal of this study is to not be a study at all but to be a fictional paper of only…
Agriculturist
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17
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8 answers

Resolving moral conflict

Conflict is one of the most important things in driving a story. I’ve been working on my particular story for a while now, and I finally seem to have worked out a good plot, and by that, I mean the big problem which needs to be solved. Only, I…
Grace
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