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1500 questions
42
votes
16 answers
How do I convey that a relationship is platonic?
I've been toying around with the idea of writing a novel. The story revolves around two characters, one male and one female, and the perspective will shift between them.
One of the central ideas of the story is that the two characters couldn't be…
Belgabad
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42
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5 answers
Editors: Edit on first read, or read and edit on second round?
I edit novels (among other works). I was having a discussion with someone (not an editor) who didn't understand my technique.
What I do is read through the document, and the moment something occurs to me — whatever reaction I'm having for good or…
Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum
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41
votes
8 answers
When is it okay to "tell", instead of "show"?
One of the major mantras of writing fiction is "show, don't tell".
Is it ever okay to tell? When?
StrixVaria
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41
votes
12 answers
Is there a need for better software for writers?
Software developers don't ever work in text editors, instead they use IDEs (integrated development environments) full of code assistance tools, etc.
Why don't writers use similarly advanced writing environments full of writing assistance tools, text…
mauleros
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41
votes
13 answers
Avoiding the "not like other girls" trope?
The "not like other girls" trope is pretty common in young adult fiction, arguably misogynistic, and usually applied to a female protagonist or love interest. Attempts to make a female character strong and unique can very easily end up in this…
user34214
41
votes
12 answers
How do I recover my confidence after a harsh writing group?
Having majored in writing in my undergraduate studies, I spent lots of time getting critiques from my fellow students, some of whom are now published and many of whom were excellent writers. The group dynamics of some of my classes could get quite…
justkt
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41
votes
11 answers
How do I construct a plot out of my many setting/character details?
In my creative writing, I typically am inspired by short interactions between things: An overheard conversation. A person's jealousy of a friend's talent. A humorous misinterpretation...
I tend to begin with isolated "scenes" and generate a story…
JYelton
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41
votes
7 answers
Getting Inside Someone Else's Head
A common problem for novice fiction writers, and one that I feel that I myself haven't quite graduated from, is always writing characters who are like the author. Each character is merely some facet of the author, at worst a caricature and at best…
justkt
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40
votes
6 answers
Is it expected that a reader will skip parts of what you write?
I have given multiple things I have written to a friend of mine, who is something of a writer himself, to get feedback on them from him. One of these was a piece of mystery-style fiction, and the other was an article about gaming.
I have noticed…
Phil
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40
votes
8 answers
How do I stop using 'the' to start sentences so much?
Something that always bothers me in my writing is how often I start sentences with the word "the".
A terrible nonsensical example:
The dog ran through the rain-swept streets, chasing a ball he thought he'd lost. The ball was just ahead of him,…
linksassin
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40
votes
10 answers
Is it bad if I don't like the "best" books in my chosen genre?
(This question is about reading but it pertains to writing as well).
I write fantasy, and as a result, I've read a lot of fantasy books that are supposedly the "best," that are beloved by all fantasy fans ... except me.
Some examples:
Lord of the…
souzan
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40
votes
6 answers
How do you make characters relatable if they exist in a completely different moral context?
Usually when I read books in ancient-like settings (settings that are either in real ancient civilizations on Earth, or fantasy settings similar to those), there are relatable characters who employ modern humanitarian ethics such as caring about the…
Bridgeburners
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40
votes
7 answers
How often should I remind my readers of the setting?
My story takes place in a city during a hard winter: streets are covered with snow, the wind is blowing, the river is frozen. I describe all the setting in the very first scene. My character leaves his coat behind in a closed pub and later suffers…
vojta
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40
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15 answers
Is it acceptable to use words like "heaven" and "god" when the narrator is agnostic?
The main character, and the person whose viewpoint the story is told from, is a scientist and subscribes to agnosticism.
And there are sentences in my story like:
"Trees stretched into the sky forever, like the stilts of heaven."*
Is this…
SealBoi
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40
votes
12 answers
How can I explain my world if the character is technologically not yet capable of understanding it?
One feature of my world is a plant that lives in a magmaous (rather than "volcanic") cave. It photosynthesizes by absorbing infrared radiation from the magma.
However, the world is roughly at a medieval technology level, so telling that this plant…
Vylix
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