Writing Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
38
votes
11 answers

Self Editing tips/tricks

I write a daily piece and have been doing so for over 8 years. I think my writing has gotten better, but I still find mistakes at times, or more likely, my readers find mistakes. Does anyone have good tricks for self-editing? Any tools? I spell…
way0utwest
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37
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10 answers

Protagonist's race is hidden - should I reveal it?

I'm currently on the fourth draft of a novel I'm writing, which features two protagonists. One of them, is, in my mind, black. I say, "in my mind" because at no point in the story do I ever explicitly state her race, although there are some hints if…
Hyperion
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37
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9 answers

Can I write a book of my D&D game?

I am a long time Dungeon Master of Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder. My games run in a custom world of my own making. However, I utilise a lot of the traditional lore and races of D&D. I'm quite proud of one of my current storylines and have been…
linksassin
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37
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17 answers

How can I avoid a predictable plot?

When writing a novel, authors generally don't want the reader to know how things will end. This is especially true of mystery novels, but obviously applies to any creative story. (A few stories show the end, and then the main question is how that…
Thomas Reinstate Monica Myron
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37
votes
10 answers

How to write female characters with agency?

I'm attempting to write a novel, an historical fiction with a small fantasy component (time travel through a portal). The travelers (main characters) are a young couple from the late 23rd Century who are (without preparation or intent) transported…
J.D. Ray
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37
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7 answers

Should software product release notes be in marketing voice or technical voice? (software documentation)

Typically, the voice of marketing content doesn't match the voice of technical content -- marketing is trying to persuade you that you need something; technical writing is generally instructing you how to use something. (I'm specifically talking…
Sharon M
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37
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12 answers

Want to write, have ideas, no story telling techniques or experience, feeling lost?

I have developed a sci-fi/fantasy mixed universe with many characters, good amount of background lore and I have a plot for at least two different stories each for a single/multi novel length. So far all of this is standing simply written down as…
Bojilov
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37
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8 answers

What is the balance between 'stating a problem clearly' and Hemingway's literary iceberg?

At a writer's critique group, one piece of feedback to me was: people didn't understand where I was going until the very end. They suggested stating something explicit at the very beginning so they knew what it was I was trying to convey. My…
SFWriter
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37
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6 answers

Writing a novel, can I do [this or that]?

I want to write a novel about [something or other] and now I wonder if it is possible to do [this or that].
user5645
37
votes
16 answers

Is it okay to publish a book at a young age?

I am writing a novel. The only big problem I have is that I am 12. I want to know if I am too young to write a novel, or get it published. My family (most of them, anyway) support me, but I don't think they know that I am very serious about this. Is…
user14862
36
votes
4 answers

Should I self-publish my novella on Amazon or try my luck getting publishers?

I have completed my novellas first draft which is 32k words long. For all the reasons, I was doing research as to whether self-publish or try my luck getting a publisher. I should tell you that I am a complete novice at writing fiction books and…
The White Cloud
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36
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12 answers

Are there advantages in writing by hand over typing out a story?

I'm a member of a Discord server for people interested in completing an entire novel during NaNoWriMo (and Camp sessions). At one point, a discussion arose around writing by hand vs. typing out your story. Someone mentioned that they prefer writing…
Mithical
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36
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12 answers

Is it true that good novels will automatically sell themselves on Amazon (and so on) and there is no need for one to waste time promoting?

This is what Dean Wesley Smith teaches in his articles and workshop videos. He says that all you have to do is just write and publish your books on kdp (Kindle Direct Publishing, the self-publishing platform on Amazon) and just let the money come as…
user394536
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12 answers

How should I respond to a supervisor/editor who thinks my technical writing is "too conversational?"

My team and I are drafting a technical report to summarize the methods and results of a pilot study we recently conducted. After drafting a handful of sections, I passed them off to our supervisor for revisions and suggestions. One comment he…
Anson Call
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36
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15 answers

"Real people don't make good fictional characters". Really true?

I came across such statement here on Writing SE and I don't agree much with it. But what I'd like to know is why would it be "impossible" to make good characters using real people. Searching about this, I found that one of the reasons that it's not…
Yuuza
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