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1500 questions
13
votes
4 answers

Getting an editor after the second draft

Losely related with my latest question: Should one invest in a professional editor before querying? I've finished - not without sweat - my second draft. While I'm satisfied with the overall result, I can't shake the feeling that something is not…
Liquid
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13
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11 answers

How to differentiate between two people with the same name in a story?

I am writing a story in which at some point two characters with the same name interact each other. I can't use their last name to differentiate because it's necessary for them to have no last name. There will also be no mention of the physical…
user6844744
13
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9 answers

Tools for generating characters' names

I found this name generator: http://www.fakenamegenerator.com And I'm wondering if maybe there are others? Has anybody found this kind of tool useful? What about tools for fantasy names? Should I think up names in a creative way, as answers for this…
Dan Ganiev
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13
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9 answers

What should come first—characters or plot?

I'm starting a new fantasy story, and although I had a loose idea of plot, I began sculpting my characters before writing anything. Creating images of them in my head, developing their personalities, mapping out their interpersonal relationships,…
user34214
13
votes
12 answers

Compelling story with the world as a villain

My main character is up against the world, or, rather, the world and reality are up against her. A good story is in some ways defined by its villain. 1984 personifies its villain by adding a representative of the oppressor, but in my story, there…
Calypso Writes
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13
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2 answers

How to show, not tell, a character has an accent in the narrative?

India has a diverse range of languages and accents. Moreover, people from different parts of the country have different accents of speaking the same language as well. For example, a person from Gujarat state tends to speak English in an altogether…
Karan Desai
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13
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5 answers

How to foreshadow to avoid a 'deus ex machina'-construction

The plot in my story revolves around a certain ability of the MC that is normally not available, unless the circumstances are just right. Therefore, it is not mentioned in the story as a solution to the MC's problem, as the ability is considered to…
Century
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13
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7 answers

Should I describe a character deeply before killing it?

So, I have this little story I would like to tell. It's about a girl and how she's forced to take a journey with the man who has just killed her father. I'll skip the details. The point is I'm not interested in the figure of her father; for what I…
Andrea Panda Zen
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13
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6 answers

How do I write a romance that doesn't look obvious

I'm writing a story, it's not focused on romance, but that's an important part as well. The point is that I have two characters and I ended up ("accidentally") seeing chemistry between them, they have a good dynamic. With that, I really want to know…
Ana Clara Moreira
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13
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4 answers

I don't want to be introduced as a "Minority Novelist"

I started writing a novel directly tied to my background in which the protagonist and her surrounding environment have many characteristics in common with mine. As I wrote the first chapter, I realized that my novel idea is heavily dependent on…
tawsonfield
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13
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5 answers

Sense of humor in your sci-fi stories

What kind of humor do you find appropriate for your sci-fi stories? I realize that the question might seem so broad, but I think the target group for most sci-fi stories has a sense of humor that could be specified to some extent. For example do you…
Javor
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13
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4 answers

Does it make sense to (partially) create a conlang that you don't intend to actually use in the story?

The story that I'm currently working on is in a very far future. Clearly, people will speak a different language then. Now, I wondered if it can make sense to (partially) create a conlang for the story even though I don't plan to write anything in…
celtschk
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13
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6 answers

How to write a convincing religious myth?

In my story the protagonist hears, in a temple ceremony, the reading of a religious/mythological text. Now in the actual story, I don't need the text itself (the role of the text in context, and the protagonist's reaction to it are the important…
celtschk
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13
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7 answers

Is it okay to have a sequel start immediately after the end of the first book?

The sequel to my first book is supposed to start immediately after the end of the first book. Zero time gap. Situation: At the end of book one a missing family member has finally joined the family. No interaction from the joining member occurs at…
Igor
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13
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9 answers

My characters sound too eloquent. How can I strike a balance?

Here's a critique I've received more than once: "your character talks like a character from a book. He's too eloquent, nobody really talks like that, unless they grew up in a library." Now, to some extent, characters not talking like we really do is…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
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