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1500 questions
16
votes
4 answers

Is omniscient observer POV really dead?

I am in the midst of reworking my latest manuscript into a shape that someone might be inclined to publish. To help me along I hired a professional editor and writer, whose comments and suggestions, for the most part, have been very helpful.…
Candon
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10 answers

Do I need to cite ChatGPT in published writing?

If I use ChatGPT to generate the initial prose for, say, a 2 paragraph introduction (where I modify and rephrase a little) do I need to cite it or somehow give credit? This article implies "no" World's largest academic publisher says ChatGPT can't…
CJ Cornell
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16
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9 answers

Do "unlimited ammo" or "bottomless magazine" tropes ruin storytelling?

I was thinking this for a while. When I watched John Wick back then, I really like how he has limited ammo making the scenes tense and thrilling. It was such a cool detail that I wanted to add in my stories but I feel limited when writing it and…
IseedeadpeopleNOT
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16
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5 answers

How can I learn how to outline, so I can write like an architect?

I've just watched one part of Brandon Sanderson's lecture on writing, the section entitled Gardeners & Architects and I realised I'm a Gardener, almost exclusively. This often ends up with me writing very weak plot with no direction. From the…
ProseFerret
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16
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3 answers

Learning storywriting for videogames - where to start?

Over the years, games that affected me emotionally convinced me that storywriting is a very rewarding work. I thought about learning from novelists. But it seemed that some of the skills, i.e. expressing ideas through writing, won't translate well…
CaseOfInsanity
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16
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4 answers

Is it typical to add variation to the words used for a character's name to keep it spicy?

A friend has asked me to read through a chapter of his story and give my opinion. Lets say he has two main characters Mr John de Havilland and Mrs Sally de Havilland. I've noticed that the author sometimes uses the full name, Mr John de Havilland;…
JW.
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2 answers

How can I avoid overusing "I" and "I'm" in a first person short story?

The story I'm writing uses 'I' and 'I'm' way too much, and it's really obvious. The problem is that I cannot find words to replace the two, and when I do, it always changes and bends what I'm trying to portray, making it extremely difficult and…
Rose
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17 answers

What should step one in writing a novel be?

I have had an interest in writing for years, but I don't know where to start or how to organize the process of "becoming a writer." I have plenty of time, but don't know what to do first. This past week, I decided that I want to try to write…
user153
16
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7 answers

How should my protagonist refer to my male character who is 18?

I am writing a part where the sixteen-year-old protagonist meets a male character who is eighteen-years-old. I am not sure how to refer to him - boy or man. The male character is legally an adult, he has a job and makes his own money. The chapter is…
user48742
16
votes
6 answers

How do I cleanly show the passage of time, with multiple, varying time scales?

I was re-reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone recently to get a feel for the way J.K. Rowling passes an entire year in a fairly short book that feels content packed, and I noticed something very common which I hadn't previously put any…
temporary_user_name
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13 answers

Am I bringing my character back to life too much?

This story is about a person in a sort of technologically advanced secret government organization that is basically SCP. The organization is very advanced and, in most cases, can revive dead people. I haven't yet published a chapter in which any…
Ceramicmrno0b
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8 answers

Does the main character have to be likable?

I am often hearing / reading that the main character of your story should be likable or even if flawed should be something about them to get the reader behind them or to "root" for them, or they should learn and be redeemed by the end - whatever…
komodosp
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4 answers

How to figure out if an agent is "on the straight" or "shady"?

Are there any specific signs (singular or groups of) that I should pay attention to when it comes to agents? I have read about agents who work for less reputable publishing houses, charging fees for representation and then just passing the submitted…
Vatine
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16
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7 answers

I can't write without an inspiration

I've been writing a book for almost a year now. But it takes so long because I have to wait for "inspiration". Sometimes I will get an idea that makes me excited and want to write. Mostly it's a piece of scene or dialogue. I don't know if this is an…
Neon462
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16
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8 answers

How can I show time passing with no way to measure time?

In the writing, I was doing recently, a character is locked up in a wagon and dragged across the country by rich slavers. How could I show the reader that time is passing when the character wakes up only occasionally, seeing very little of the…
ArtickokeAndAnchovyPizzaMonica
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