Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Most Popular

more tags
1500 questions
11
votes
6 answers

The opposite sex in first person?

I have been writing about not just one, but two females; sisters. I've toyed with different methods/persons in this, but it seems I've come to an obvious roadblock. I wouldn't call it "writer's block" because I haven't stopped writing. But I've been…
Matthew Paul Chapdelaine
  • 667
  • 1
  • 6
  • 12
11
votes
6 answers

How do I write for the majority, without alienating my minority?

This is something of a companion question to How does one write from a minority culture? A question on cultural references I have recently had a somewhat unpleasant experience reading Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver. (Loved the book, but still.) My…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
  • 58,107
  • 12
  • 176
  • 303
11
votes
4 answers

Everyone is beautiful

I've noticed a quirk with the narrator voice of one of the two novels I'm working on. This narrator only describes the beautiful aspects of every character's features. You might think the women are all beautiful, the men are all handsome - this one…
Galastel supports GoFundMonica
  • 58,107
  • 12
  • 176
  • 303
11
votes
4 answers

Writing a character who is going through a civilizing process without overdoing it?

In my planned novel the main character is essentially from a less technologically advanced society and is learning about the "civilized world" beyond their village. He has above average intelligence, but everything is going to be 'new' to him. It is…
Seanchaí
  • 661
  • 5
  • 10
11
votes
2 answers

Out of this world... Giving it time?

I am starting to write a fantasy story. For the first time, i am using computer software to help organize my story. The program confronted me with a question. What is the birthday of a character? It's a fantasy world, swords, bows and axes style. So…
Joel
  • 980
  • 8
  • 13
11
votes
1 answer

How to write a Stack Exchange comment?

We all do it. We do it quite often. Some of us too often, to the chagrin of the mods who have to clean up after us. Many people out there have autocomments but I try not to. I find them impersonal and cookie-cutter and I like to interact with other…
Summer
  • 4,481
  • 2
  • 22
  • 60
11
votes
7 answers

Writing dialogues for characters whose first language is not English

I am seriously wondering how to go about writing dialogues for characters whose native language isn't English and who aren't very fluent in English. It's very hard, because people have different levels of fluency, and it may also be kind of…
user36239
11
votes
1 answer

Symbolism of number of crows?

After having read a few books with themes of witchcraft in them (ie. Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum), I have come to want to use some of the symbolism found in those books in my own writing. What I really would like to use is the symbolism behind a…
user38728
  • 113
  • 1
  • 1
  • 5
11
votes
7 answers

How do I write a MODERN combat/violence scene without being dry?

Warning: I have ADHD and this might be a little ramble-y, sorry. I'm completely stumped. I'm trying to get into writing fiction but I feel that I've hit a roadblock. My story is told from the first person in a "diary" format. Well, not a "dear…
Carlos Cienfuegos
  • 667
  • 5
  • 8
11
votes
3 answers

Are there situations where using an anastrophe is ill-advised?

I wrote a (unrhymed) couplet, because I couldn't find a good enough example: She ran the comb through her hair ebony As the night fell upon the land of light. Is there a situation where reversing the natural word order is ill-advised or…
puffofsmoke
  • 1
  • 4
  • 18
11
votes
8 answers

Are fantasy books expected to be trilogies?

Lately, more and more fantasy books I've seen are part of a trilogy. Is this because readers like it, or is it a cynical plot by publishers to draw out the story longer, so they can make more money? :D I'm worried if I follow the market, I may be…
Shantnu Tiwari
  • 6,923
  • 4
  • 30
  • 57
11
votes
6 answers

Write now or learn?

I have a story that I wish to write. I like my story and genuinely believe it to be interesting. My issue is that I have never really written anything before. When I have read advice in the past, I have often been told that your first few stories…
Edgar Gordon
  • 173
  • 6
11
votes
5 answers

Should I start a new paragraph after a dialogue if the action is being taken by a new person?

I am currently editing an original work of fiction, and one of the things I'm having the most trouble with is dialogue and paragraphs after certain character's actions. I know it sounds a little confusing, but I'll try my best to explain. In this…
Naomi
  • 113
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
11
votes
10 answers

1000 words a day for a part-time writer

I've got a 40h, full-time job, as many do. Yet I'd like to become a writer someday, or at least, bring a novel through the first draft. This considered, I'm trying to give myself a daily target of 1000 words to write each day at least. I'm starting…
Liquid
  • 15,895
  • 4
  • 52
  • 117
11
votes
6 answers

Is accurate human nature required for good writing, even in fantasy scenarios, or with fictional species?

I don't know if this is something that is established in the discipline of literature. However, I have found that in any fiction, with all else being equal, the more the characters behave like real humans, the more I enjoy it. Perhaps because I find…
Bridgeburners
  • 683
  • 6
  • 13
1 2 3
…
99 100