Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
11
votes
7 answers

How should I introduce new and complex technologies or tools?

I'm writing a Science Fiction book. While this book doesn't push reality very far, there are some new technologies and tools that I have added. One tool is used more frequently than all the others, and it has a very complex system (although there…
JMcAfreak
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4 answers

How can I translate my poems in English that it doesn't sound odd/non poetic for English speaker audiences?

There are many translated Persian/Farsi poems in English like The Rubaiyat, by Omar Khayyam, the famous Iranian poet, philosopher, and mathematician, translated by Edward FitzGerald. Unfortunately these kinds of translations were shallow and…
Persian Cat
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6 answers

How can I convey dates (with ordering) for events happening under different dating systems, e.g. a Sci-Fi story spread over the galaxy?

So I want to write a Sci-Fi where humans have spread across the solar system and into the galaxy. There are multiple stories going across at several different times. E.g.: Aliens attack Pluto 3 weeks later, aliens arrive at Mars Flashback scene to…
Shantnu Tiwari
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5 answers

Is It Okay to Write Chapters of a Story Out of Order?

I'm writing the chapters of my story, and I wanted to know if I can skip a chapter that I don’t yet know the details of, and move on to other chapters that are already developed Let’s say I’m on chapter 4, but I haven’t developed chapter 6 yet, so I…
stories of the world
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8 answers

How to use magic in your story without it burning your plot?

I’m creating a story about magic for a contest, and I wanted to know if magic should or shouldn’t be used to solve problems. Some people say no, while others say yes – because we should know which problems we want to solve through magic. Problems…
stories of the world
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11
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4 answers

How "alien" must an alien language be?

I have some characters in my story that are aliens. They are reasonably similar to humans in that they have a shared culture, talk to one another, have distinct personalities with likes/dislikes. They are also significantly more technologically…
trubliphone
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11 answers

Does using real-world month and day names invalidate the believability of a world that never had those cultures?

In a world that does not share our history or cultures, it seems false to use words like Tuesday or September, yet by that standard, every word is in question and I am not trying to go full Tolkien and write another language. How distracting would…
Paul Miller
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8 answers

Very simple markup language for writing fiction

I'm using a plain text editor (Vim) to write a fiction piece (chapter book), and I'm wondering what markup languages others use for such a task? I'm looking for something exceedingly simple, it does not have to be powerful at all. Minimum…
brianmearns
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11
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5 answers

How many short stories make a collection

I would like to know, from someone who has marketed a collection of short stories (or is otherwise knowledgeable in these affairs), about how many short stories a publisher is looking for to constitute a collection. Let's assume all the short…
tylerharms
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Is it morally wrong to use tragic historical events as character background/development?

I'm writing crime fiction. The current scenario is that I have a main character (late 20's) who is Algerian but the story is set in Chicago. He lives in the United States because, as a baby, he fled Algeria with his Uncle after his parents were…
MikeS
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11
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6 answers

Why is it generally important to be consistent with the tone and style of writing?

I was thinking of writing a story that starts out as a serious drama, but suddenly shifts to a comedic tone without any clear reason or transition. I thought it would subvert expectation and make the whole story more funny, but I am not sure if this…
user36239
11
votes
4 answers

Issues to avoid when writing military sci-fi?

As I plan to write a war story, I'm considering issues I should try to avoid. Few that come to my mind already: Glorification of violence, meaning depiction of violence in a positive way, ignoring ethical issues involved and ugly side effects on…
Krišjānis Liepiņš
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11
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9 answers

Is it OK to have a main character without a goal?

Is it OK to have a main character without a goal? I was told that a good protagonist needs to have a strong goal. It's considered to be a common mistake among aspiring writers. This seems to happen when a character is part of a larger group, which…
user36239
11
votes
7 answers

Spiritual elements in a science-fiction novel

Does using unexplained spiritual elements (soul, "spiritual"/non-physical beings, afterlife, God, etc.) in a story with a futuristic setting make it science fantasy rather than science fiction?
Jonas Arcangel
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2 answers

Do I always need a comma after a person's name?

This is a big issue between my husband and me. He says always put a comma after a name, I say only when a break is needed. Example: A review of the complaint filed by Andrew, shows that Linnea, and John, did in fact violate state laws when they…
A. McGowan
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