Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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6 answers

Should important events that happen a long time before the rest of the story be in a prologue or in chapter 1?

Context: I’m currently writing a novel that has a built in prologue. I’m unsure if I should use the prologue as the first chapter. It involves the main character being sent away by his parents for his own protection. The rest of the book doesn’t…
user629
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4 answers

Can I keep my characters in my book or should I just give up with them?

My OCs (Original Characters) were stolen by an older person. She may or may not have copyrighted them. A few years ago I was like 13 and I posted some characters I made up and I really love them. One day I got on and saw someone posted the character…
Bree
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11
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7 answers

What are the things that only Stories can do?

I've once heard in a youtube channel that only games could do things such as: getting the player into a flux state (something like getting into a meditation while doing something) and when that happens, you have reflexes and movements that you…
Hanilucas
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5 answers

What does "juvenile tone" mean?

I often hear the word thrown around, but I don't have any idea of what it is, or how can it be avoided. So, what does "juvenile tone" mean and how can I prevent it?
Mephistopheles
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11
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5 answers

Is it really so "impossible" to get published by a traditional publisher?

I was an avid reader in my early years (as in hard copy - books), and I still am (just now via computer)... and I never got wind of such difficulties in publishing, until now. Is it like going up against a proverbial dragon dressed in nothing but a…
RolandiXor
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11
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7 answers

I have very little technical ability, will this hinder my ability to tell a story and how to improve?

Okay so I will get to the crux of it. I want to write. However that being said I have only a natural instinct as a native speaker and little technical experience in writing. Here are just some things that spring to mind: I don't with 100% accuracy…
Ryan
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11
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2 answers

Pros and Cons: A blog to get feedback

As a creative writer in my free time, I sometime suffer from a lack of feedback. To get some impressions on what I've written, I either have to ask my girlfriend (who acts as a sort of beta-reader) or some friend. Now, my girlfriend doesn't seem to…
Liquid
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11
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6 answers

How do you write an evil character without making him "sexy" or "cool"?

I notice in a lot of media there is a strong emphasis on the greatness of evil characters. They can often end up more popular than the good guys in the book or on the show, and overshadow everyone else around them. Darth Vader is a good example. He…
user24397
11
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6 answers

How Do you Stave Off Boredom While Writing?

I have about 20 half-finish novels sitting on my computer, in my filing cabinet, or under my bed. The story with each is the same - I start out with a full head of steam and great ideas, but about midway through I get bored. I've told the story…
EAMann
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11
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5 answers

How much of a character's past/background should I let on?

I've been starting something really interesting lately, which is writing each of my main character's back story before writing the main book (If anyone is having the dreaded block or is looking for a way to know their character's better I really…
J. Roberts
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11
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9 answers

A rhyming dictionary worth bookmarking online or purchasing?

Has anyone come across any really good rhyming dictionaries? If so, what makes it worth having/bookmarking? (eg. completeness/ease of use/absence of really sketchy suggestions)
mootinator
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6 answers

Is it a bad idea to write and edit chapter by chapter?

I am beginning to write original novels after writing fanfictions and posting them online for about six years. My usual process is: write chapter, edit chapter, post chapter, repeat. This means that once I reach the end, there is very little editing…
sudowoodo
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11
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7 answers

Does a story necessarily need a theme?

I'm writing a short story From what I understand, the theme is the message that I want to send across. Akin to Beauty and the Beast's "Don't judge a book by its cover" theme, or "Opposites attract." I have a story I am trying to write. Just a…
Dylan Beck
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11
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7 answers

What happens when I get bored of a story I'm writing?

I have several stories on hold because either I am not able to post them at the time, or they are incomplete and do not plan to finish them anytime soon. When it comes to the second scenario, what do I do with the story? Do I just leave it rotting…
Quinzel
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11
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4 answers

How do you avoid the problem of all the characters in your story sounding the same?

There's a common flaw that I can easily detect in amateur writing, (and of course my own) which essentially boils down to all the characters "sounding the same", dialogue-wise anyway. Trying to overcome this problem, however, I find myself going to…
Gabriel Goh
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