Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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7 answers

The polymath's dilemma...?

The main character of a YA story I am working on is fast becoming a polymath, i.e. someone with a broad base of skills and interests across unrelated areas of endeavor. I really like how this character is developing; I feel that the experience of…
HedgeMage
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How to come up with a good title?

I'm done with my first novel, and I'm about to start writing to agents/publishers. The only detail I don't have yet is a good title! I have a couple of ideas but both suck. I had the illusion that after three drafts the name would be obvious, but...…
ggambetta
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8 answers

Initial Writing Medium

I am curious which is better for a beginning writer (or writer) starting a new story. Pen and paper or the computer? Pen & Paper is a lot more sketchy (like the layout of this site) which gives the feeling of a prototype and may allow ideas to flow…
Justin Svetlik
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13
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5 answers

How to write from the middle?

My biggest problem as a writer is that I always get inspired and then start writing from the middle, in particular scenes or moments which I think will be crucial. Climaxes. These scenes turn out really great, but then afterwards, when I try to go…
Alexander Gruber
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3 answers

Should I remove scenes that I myself find "boring"?

Sometimes, I find myself writing a scene that does everything I think it should do: reveal details about the protagonist, drive the plot forward, show other elements related to the story, etc. There's only one problem: I find the scene "boring"…
wyc
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13
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6 answers

Are music lyrics copyrighted?

I tried to find copyright information about music lyrics, but it is too confusing, because it is related to the usage. There are lots of websites providing lyrics, but it seems they are somehow illegal (though no complaint against them). Most of…
Googlebot
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3 answers

How do I properly present dialogue in a scene with two female characters?

When writing a conversation between two female characters, I found myself using their names over and over instead of using pronouns. If I use 'she' for both of them, it's confusing to read because it is unclear which character is speaking. How do I…
Elle. H.
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9 answers

Is there a way to make text feel like an unhinged rant while still being readable?

I want to write a passage of text that makes the reader feel like the person writing it is deranged or otherwise not in the right state of mind. It seems relatively easy to write incoherent, nonsensical text, but I still want the reader to be able…
Finley Baker
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5 answers

How do I make sure that a hook is not misinterpreted as a writing mistake or plot holes?

In a scene I had in mind, there's a tricky hook or unexplained event that happened, that I fear might be considered as a mistake or a plot hole. It is basically where a girl (one of the characters) is in a fight, she was cornered and was about to…
Crimsoir
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Is it better to slowly introduce a character's looks rather than describing it all in one paragraph?

I've been rewriting a book, and I've realised how blocky and kind of boring my character descriptions were in my first version of the book, and I thought that maybe instead of writing a character that is described with their physical looks all in…
HoomansRWe1rd
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4 answers

Does a Haiku need to have exactly 17 syllables?

Having 17 syllables is in the definition of Haiku, but does it have to have exactly 17 syllables? Is this usually followed strictly, or is it more of a guideline rather than a rule? I am asking about Haikus written in English, not Japanese.
Eduard Florinescu
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13
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9 answers

What counts as exposition dump and is it possible to do exposition dumps without affecting pacing?

One effective technique I was told to use is to integrate the exposition within the narrative, rather than presenting it as a separate block of information. This can be accomplished through various means such as dialogue that describes the world for…
user36239
13
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4 answers

How can I write anonymously (based on true experiences)?

I want to use an experience I had which is pretty unbelievable but true. The majority of the story will be completely true. It's not over yet so I want to use an ending which is NOT true yet works well with the story. I have had someone close to…
KHill
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What are the usual methods for getting a daily word count?

Do, normally, only words which are eventually to be kept count, or do you also count rewrites? For example, if I rewrite a 50 word paragraph 10 times, is my daily count up to 50 or up to 500?
blueberryfields
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5 answers

How much time do you spend writing one page on average?

I'm writing a technical book about one programming technology and would like to compare how much time other authors spend on one page (on average). I rarely write a page and am done with it, quite usually there is a lot of restructuring, refining…
Borek Bernard
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