@Eichhorn147
Last seen: Mon 17 May, 2021
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: Is there a limit to how much I should edit my work? Is adding new ideas to a chapter after finishing it a bad habit? It's my first time writing a novella, and English is not my native
Is adding new ideas to a chapter after finishing it a bad habit? It's my first time writing a novella, and English is not my native language. Is it ok to edit my chapters many times to get a perfect draft?
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: Switching Between First and Third Person So I've started writing a book. It's set in present time, but is going to be interwoven with flashbacks to a few years ago to explain how the character(s)
So I've started writing a book. It's set in present time, but is going to be interwoven with flashbacks to a few years ago to explain how the character(s) got to this scenario in present time. I was going to choose either first or third person but something weird has happened as I've jumped into the writing. I keep writing the present timeline in first person but the flashbacks in third, but its the same main character's POV. Is this gonna work as a model for the story?
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: Re: What really is considered as plagiarism? I am currently writing a novel which I noticed is based on ideas from many books that I have read. I noticed that what did I do is get an idea from
In short: Everything you just listed is completely fine.
There's nothing wrong with taking a specific plot point in a book and then having your own unique spin on it. Nobody can plagiarize you for having a similar plot in the story. If this were the case, most fantasy-based or sci-fi genre boarding schools could be copyrighted by J.K Rowling, places on surreal adventures can be taken down by Lewis Carrol's family, and any books dealing with unfair racism in the 20th century can be struck down by Harper Lee (or Scott Rudin).
The thing you don't want to do, however, is take the whole thing and just make your own story out of it.
By this, I mean literally taking the world the author already had and making a slightly different story. I'm actually going to use Harry Potter for this example because it's a classic.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Let's pretend that you're inspired by Harry Potter and want to make your own boarding school for magical people. The idea itself is completely fine because no author owns the idea of schools for students with superhuman capabilities. What they do own, however, is the world themselves.
So if your story is:
A girl named Rebecca is destined to be a part of the magical school Noah's Academy, founded by the world's greatest wizard. After thirteen years of anticipation, she is finally accepted. However, she finds that the magical place also has a deal with keeping only the best of students: the ones with wit, creativity, and ways to get past life and death situations
Then you won't be subject to plagiarism. The reason being is because, despite Harry Potter and your book having similar schools (heck, even semi-similar origins) it's your own unique spin on a less unique concept.
WHAT YOU CAN'T DO
BUT if your story is:
A girl named Rebecca is thrilled when she gets an announcement to be in Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! She meets Harry Potter and Ron Weasley on the way (Hermione had lost her spot to the much wittier girl) and they both travel across the world to unlock the magical secrets of Africa.
Here, you're using the plot from an established story and just adding characters and making up your own story. This story would definitely be subject to plagiarism.
BUT
If you do it in the form of fan fiction, then this work would be tolerated. As long as you do not attempt to publish the book and put it on a website without intending to make money off of it, you can probably do it.
(Sometimes authors may not permit fanfictions of the world, but this varies from author to author.)
The takeaway: Authors don't own things such as "character takes the sword from a stone" or "a child goes to a magical boarding school", but they DO own "Dillain takes a sword from the mouth of the Chilianed Dragon in the depths of the waters" and "Harry Potter is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Basically, they own the world, not the skin-and-bones concept that the world is based on.
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: Re: Is having major anxiety before writing a huge battle a thing? I am a young author writing a fantasy series and I am at the halfway point in my first book. I am so excited and absolutely
Yep, I'd say that's very normal. I even find myself sweating or getting jittery if I'm working on a nervewracking part. Recently I got anxious to write a scene that wasn't even a huge battle, it was just an argument - but it had a lot riding on it, as it fleshed out an important character's family history and give insight into why she views herself the way she does (that's what I was hoping it would do). Two things helped me out of it -
One, getting somewhat of a plan for a scene before diving in, so I didn't feel like I was throwing myself into a dark open space, if you know what I mean.
Two, just sitting down and starting. Remember that no one will see what you're writing until you decide to share it with them, and you can always go back and edit before that happens. Sometimes getting the words flowing helps you find a groove, and you can nail the scene. And if not, again, you can always edit (maybe ask for someone else's opinion if you're stuck on something).
Also, you can try to ride your anxiety. Like, if your characters are about to go into a battle, they're probably freaking out a little, so you can tap into your own emotions to write theirs.
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: Re: How can a "hero" with blue and orange morality be made relatable? Nyarlathotep, the Black Pharaoh, seeks to enter the realm of Earth to rule over mankind. Unfortunately, he is prevented from
DISCLAIMER: This is going to be more of a way to help you understand how other places have a blue and orange morality and how the main character's goals still make some sense using a children's movie. I won't be able to link everything from your story to the example, but I'll try my best to explain.
WARNING: Spoilers for The Nightmare Before Christmas
Think of it with The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Just in case you have never watched the classic movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas takes place in Halloween Town, where Jack, also known as the "Pumpkin King", scares children every Halloween. However, he grows "tired" of scaring children "every year". Sometimes they even physically harm humans or animals:
Robin Thomas (Mayor): ... most of the blood drained in a single evening.
This was rewarded to the vampires, so as you can see, their morals are certainly more alien than ours, which is the point of the Blue and Orange Morality concept.
So why do we root for the main character, Jack, if he's scaring children, or understanding his morals?
Motivations
One of the reasons that Jack is such a great example of a well-created Blue and Orange morality character is because his motivations are reminiscent, but not complete, with our (human) motivations.
For example, Jack tells his dog Zero that he is tired of scaring children. This is the core of his motivation for the whole movie. I'm going to write this down to resort back to for this section:
Jack the Pumpkin King has grown tired of scaring children year after year, and wants to do something new.
No, he did not have a change of heart and decide that it's morally wrong to continue to torment innocent mortals. Instead, he just got tired of doing it. It became repetitive, a chore that he has to do every year. Notice how the concept itself, on a literal meaning, is really insulting to the children themselves. He gets bored of doing something that could leave a child traumatized for life. But, really, if you think about it a little more, the situation he's in is more relatable.
The situation for the reader who is (probably) human isn't getting tired of scaring little kids. Maybe it's just being tired of school or work. Maybe it's feeling like your schedule is the same one over and over again. Even though a human wouldn't like the torturing aspect of it, they can relate to feeling like they're forced into one thing forever.
Moreover, Jack is looked up to by the Townspeople because he's by far the most frightening. Obviously, not many humans look up to being frightening, but maybe they can relate to the concept of the feeling. For example, a child may feel like they relate to Jack because their family looks up to them to be the next best doctor when really they feel like doing grades is a chore. Both characters feel backed up into a corner. It's just they both have different morals or "extremes".
Overall, when trying to pull off motivations with an Orange and Blue morality, don't think literally, think more abstract. Find the theme of their motivations.
The surface-level motivations for Jack would be that he has grown tired of scaring children year after year, and wants to do something new.
The surface-level motivations for the student are that she has grown tired of working on her grades for her parents, and wants to try new things.
However, at their core, they both share the want to do something they've never done before, instead of feeling trapped to do one thing forever.
Judgements
Let's go back to The Nightmare Before Christmas. When Jack finds Christmas Town, he reacts to everything like he had been transported to a brand new world. He has never seen festivity before, so of course, he explains how interested he is in it. What this results in, is him trying to understand how to use something so foreign, and jumping to conclusions as to how to do it. In fact, I'll go through the two that really explain his judgment, and how well the writers did what they did.
1. He thinks he can just steal Christmas
Once Jack realizes that Christmas spreads positivity to children every year by giving them presents, he thinks he can do it himself with the help of Halloween Town. Now, this may sound stupid on his end, but the audience can actually see why he would do this. It's paired with his judgment and motivations. We already know that Jack wants to try new things, so motivation is down. However, his judgment is clouded.
Jack has been known as the 'leader' of Halloween Town for years. He had no prior knowledge of the doors and therefore doesn't understand how each place has its own ruler. He has just learned about Christmas. Jack has been put on a pedestal for years and never really told to stop, so he thinks that it'll be the same for Christmas. He thinks that, like those in Halloween, that he can direct what goes on in Christmas Town. He vaguely knows there is a man in charge (Santa Claus), but he thinks he'll treat him just like his Mayor, who also puts Jack on a pedestal and listens to whatever he (Jack) tells him.
This isn't surprising, though. While it's hardly to this degree, this is one of the causes of narcissistic, "bratty", or whiny behavior: having no real respect for authority because you were never taught to.
Therefore, we can see why his judgment is this way here.
2. He Tells Three Children to Kidnap Santa Claus
This goes with #1 , but I felt like this really reflects more of the Orange and Blue Morality in this particular action. You can really see his judgment is clouded when he tells Lock, Shock, and Barrel to get Santa Claus and tell him he's going on a vacation this year. We know that Jack is in the wrong, of course. This is Santa Claus' holiday. But when you think about it, it makes sense! He lives in a world of Halloween, where the torment, stealing, and killing are real. This is what he thinks is right. It's no different than a child screaming at their mother to let them use the shopping cart in a store. Just to a degree that most humans wouldn't agree with.
So, what about judgment? It can be (humanly) morally irrational, but make sure it's supported by motivations, character upbringing, etc so that your character isn't viewed as plain evil.
Hopefully, this helped answer some of your questions!
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: Re: Is it okay to kill a main character? I am a young author writing a fantasy series. I started this book with a light bulb idea late one night while reading Peter Pan. I didn’t know anything
Simply put, it's okay to kill the main character.
There's just one thing to worry about, make sure that you don't make it to where the character dies because they die. The reader shouldn't walk out thinking "What was the point of reading the story if he was going to die?". If this is what you get out of readers, then your character, no matter how well built and complex they are will fall flat to some degree.
In short, don't make the character die meaninglessly.
First, there has to be a reason the character died. This isn't exactly a spoiler since the character says they'll be killed at the beginning of the book but in Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer, Magnus Chase dies in the book. This sets up interesting plot points in the rest of the series and actually makes sense.
While you don't necessarily have to use death as the reason the book is the way it is, it should still affect other characters in some way and not be pointless. There has to be a reason a character dies, and it's difficult go back. While resurrection can be done well, for the most part, it's just completely anti-climatic.
Think of the following questions:
Why does the character die? What does it do to the plot and does it make sense? If I were to incorporate the character's resurrection, can I do it well? Will this be a better conclusion for the character than an ending where they are alive?
In conclusion, it's completely fine to kill the main character of your book. Just don't let it be meaningless.
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: If I use a real building in a real city could I be liable for some sort of lawsuit? I want to use a real building (skyscraper) in a real city that will be the subject of a terrorist attack
I want to use a real building (skyscraper) in a real city that will be the subject of a terrorist attack and partially brought down with disastrous effect on the surrounding neighborhood. Good idea or bad? Could I be liable? How can I avoid liability?
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: Re: Should I change my point of view? I am not very familiar with "point of view". From my understanding, (correct if I'm wrong, but I looked it up so I think I'm right) 1st person
Things that work well in a first-person POV:
Everything the reader needs to know is seen or done by a single character.
You want to use less formal language in the narrative.
You want to get into the main character's head.
If there are things the reader needs to know, but the viewpoint character either won't do them or won't see them, you can use some form of exposition to overcome this limitation, but if you find yourself having to write entire paragraphs to make this work, then you will probably be better off to employ the third-person POV.
Note that many stories could be told from either POV without substantially altering them. The Harry Potter series is an example of this; the overwhelming majority of the narrative is told from Harry's viewpoint, and so it could easily have been written from a first-person POV.
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: What's a better way to say "I've knocked it out of the park..." I have ONE SHOT at getting the CEO to read further in my cover letter to a new company that has complicated operations and
I have ONE SHOT at getting the CEO to read further in my cover letter to a new company that has complicated operations and is going to build out their national footprint. I didn't want it to sound boring and common so I'm taking a bolder and more conversational style. But I really don't like "I've knocked it out of the park for other companies..." because it sounds WAY too informal.
This is 100% of the opening, before I start talking about my qualifications.... this is the one shot:
Hello Mr. Anderson, and the AmeriSuites Hotels team.
I would drive AmeriSuites to exceptional success as your COO.
I’ve knocked it out of the park for other companies, and I want to come do the same for you.
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: Re: What do you call the act of "misusing" metaphors? What do you call the act of "misusing" metaphors or using it in a way that's not accepted or considered wrong by most authors. I
I've typically heard the word "malaproper" or "malapropism" are the correct word to use for a misuse of a metaphor or other type of sentence (simile, allegory), though I may be wrong.
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: Avoiding tenses problems I think I'm facing many problems concerning the use of tense when I write things..so is there any app or website that can check my mistakes and correct them?
I think I'm facing many problems concerning the use of tense when I write things..so is there any app or website that can check my mistakes and correct them?
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: How to construct the "inner layers" of a character: a doubt on construction of the psyche of fictional characters and bibliography suggestions First of all, this is a question that was asked
First of all, this is a question that was asked aiming good bibliography suggestions and tips.
Secondly, my question could be cast into the famous interrogative sentence: "How can I construct good characters?". Furthermore, this is one of the first general questions which an beginner writer asks after reading some references on creative writing; the writer, then, begins to realize how complex and labourious is the task to construct a fictional character.
Well, I'm a "freshman" in creative writing for sure. But my tendency on searching a more technical literature, drove me to read (partially) my very first text on creative writing: Mckee's STORY. After that I began to realize that the external world of a story is, somehow, superfluous without a "character with a story", and "a character with a story" is, in my opinion, some sort of an "emergent structure" which emerges from the deep layers of the psyche of a particular character, after some event (possibly); that's the main point of this question.
I think that there's two things happening in the process of creating a character for a novel: the "construction of the character" and "the author's history". By "author's history" I mean: the particular experiences of (real) life that he or she have had; the "construction of the character" I mean: tools and faculties (like semiotics, psychology etc...) that helps the writer to perform a yelding between primitive concepts like "happiness" and the "first layer"("deep reason that drives the character"/"the innermost conflict"/"the reason that even the character doesn't knows that exists") of the character psique. Furthermore, I don't know if is paramount that to write about the happiness of a character the author must have lived this feeling; for instance, can the author construct the deep layers of the character using just theoretical descriptions of happiness?
MY QUESTION:
Beyond all that digression up above, I would like to ask: which "technical tools" (for instance, the study of semiotics, psychology, etc...) could help the author to explore, create and define the inner layers of the psyche of a character? In other words, how can I construct a whole psyche of a character out from just a barely, raw and nebulous idea of his primitive feelings?
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: Can a writer change the perspective of a story? Is it a bad thing if someone writes a story in the third point of view, then he changes the whole story into the first point of view where
Is it a bad thing if someone writes a story in the third point of view, then he changes the whole story into the first point of view where the protagonist himself tells the story?
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: Re: How do you make a complex but unlikable character? I'm at the point in my story planning where I need to develop all of the characters. I want this character to be just be a complete asshole,
It is highly likely, that you either end up with a 2d character OR a character that people do not actually hate (or dislike).
Look at it this way:
If we (the readers) understand a character's motives and background, we are way more likely to relate to or at least understand (maybe even defend) that character's actions - Even if these actions are perceived as 'bad'...
So, if we do not get insight into what lies behind the character's actions, we are more likely to simply perceive that character as bad/evil...
Therefore, when you talk about this character being 'an asshole', have you yourself worked out why?
Of course, every person/character is unique, but if they do not 'suffer from' some disorder that makes you lack empathy, you most likely try to be a good person or treat people well - UNLESS they've been treated in a certain way, or have experienced some traumas.
In reality, there are close to infinite reasons why someone becomes an asshole... If you want your character to be authentic, they should have a reason for being it.
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: Would having two time skips close together be weird? There's a story idea I've been playing with for years now but I feel like I need to do two time skips one after the other which may
There's a story idea I've been playing with for years now but I feel like I need to do two time skips one after the other which may be weird for readers. I have a prologue where she talks to her father who's in prison (death row) for the murder of her mother, which he denies commiting. I feel this scene is important as it explains a lot of her situation and I'm a sucker for dramatic scenes. The next chapter takes place a year and a half later. Trying to simplify things; she meets these people who reveal a whole new world to her and ask her to join their group. I want to jump forward two years after that instead of spending the time on her learning and training as I think that might be kind of boring. Would it be better to have her meeting the guys in a flashback? I've been holding off on this story for years since I just can't think of how it would be best to handle these two time skips.
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: Re: How do I write less like a screenplay? I've come to notice I have a very specific manner of writing. Specifically, I've noticed that while I'm writing a book, I tend to pace and set up things
I had a friend a few years back who had a very similar issue. The advice I gave him was to focus less on what is happening, and more on how it is happening and the feelings around that.
Perspective changes are a huge help with this. The issue you are having is really prevalent with a third-person, omniscient or semi omniscient perspective. You are telling the audience what is happening from a very technically analysed viewpoint. To counter this something I have done is change to the view of an onlooker or another character (possibly minor or insignificant). Personally I am fond of putting this especially to use with deaths, having the character either describe their own feelings as they die to make it more personal, or by switching to an omniscient view to downplay a tragedy as a small part of a larger disaster.
Using similes and metaphors may also be really helpful in this situation, but that does need to be carefully managed as it can be easily over done. So, instead of saying exactly what something looks like, describe what it resembles.
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: When writing a piece that will be published in multiple languages, are there any concessions a writer should make in tone, word choice, or style? The piece in question aims to be accessible,
The piece in question aims to be accessible, informal, and conversational. A bit of slang strikes the right tone to my American ear. Will it come off alright to other English speakers? Will translators be able to deal with what might be called Americanisms? It's literature for a self-help group. Translations are accomplished by members of a language community who work with a professional translator.
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: Re: What to do with a story fragment? What should I do when I write an idea, for example a fight scene, but then I find it difficult to write a solution or way to switch from that idea? Should
What I do is write the idea itself. By the time I have done that a solution or the next idea usually suggests itself. If it doesn't, I go for a walk and try putting random ideas or words together to find a solution.
In the rare case that these don't work, I revise something else I have written and then come back to the piece. At this point I sit there until I have something sensible to write, or, very rarely, decide that the idea can't be progressed.
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: What is the proper way to insert a subsection into a section / end a subsection within a section? Not sure if this belongs here, or math.stackexchange but what's the proper way to do a special
Not sure if this belongs here, or math.stackexchange but what's the proper way to do a special case subsection in a section? This is mostly in a proof/logical statement context
i.e. To show ...
begin{subsection}{If A was true}
...
end{subsection}
continuing the proof ...
begin{subsection}{If B was true}
end{subsection}
...
In a real writeup I'm not sure about titling a section end of previous section or returning to the main case...
Any suggestions?
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: How do I write a "suboptimal" fight scene? For my story I have been doing research on fighting in order to better write the fight scenes. However, once I got a better handle on how fighting
For my story I have been doing research on fighting in order to better write the fight scenes. However, once I got a better handle on how fighting in real life works I've noticed I've started nit-picking actual fight scenes in movies.
I'll watch choreographed fight scenes and cringe at how the characters leave themselves wide open, or they'll ignore an opening that would result in victory, or refuse to fight dirty in a matter of life or death (and they aren't written as some paragon who would avoid stooping that low). Especially fights that in-story are supposed to be matters of survival rather than non-lethal. Of course, taking that logic to its fullest conclusion results in a brutally efficient method of fighting like "kick them in the crotch, cut their throat while they're reeling, boom, dead in two moves", which isn't very interesting to read. And unfortunately that kind of mindset is the kind of mindset I feel most of my characters have.
It’s also pretty unrealistic because for a fight to be prolonged that long requires both combatants both be equally matched in combat skill (or, alternatively, equally incompetent to avoid noticing openings) in order to appropriately match blow for counterblow, which almost never happens in real life. Someone would get tired or accidentally let down their guard.
I understand there are very good narrative reasons for doing this. For one, in real life fights usually only last about a few seconds and one person is either dead or incapacitated within the first couple of blows (with the person who strikes first usually winning). Not very dramatic. On top of that writing every fight scene “perfectly†wastes potential characterization. A lot of fight scenes use individual differences in combat style and their approach to fighting to reveal character, as shown in every martial arts movie or shonen anime ever made. That includes experience and skill level. Writing every character as a technically flawless combatant is unrealistic. It's the combat equivalent of every character, from gutter urchins to upper-class snobs, speaking perfect RP English with no variation in slang, accent, or personal tone.
As a result, fight scenes generally have to be "suboptimal" and not flawless on a technical level in order to be interesting. And, in fact, my fight scenes are pretty boring because there's little variation in how the characters approach the problem. When I try to choreograph fight scenes I tend to think "what would I do if I was in the character's position" and that tends towards brutal efficiency. In fact, it makes the characters who are supposed to be "brutally efficient" not stand out. I think a lot of it is my plot was originally written as a screenplay and so focused on visual spectacle, whereas in writing the draw of fight scenes is primarily (that isn't to say screenplays can't have fights reveal character, just that the crutch of visual spectacle isn't there). I just have trouble getting out of the brutally efficient "point A to point B" mindset and allow myself to write something flashier.
I understand that fiction does not reflect reality, and reality can often be less believable than fiction. What I’m trying to figure out is how can I write my fight scenes to be dramatic without cringing at how sloppy the characters are fighting (i.e., breaking suspension of disbelief)?
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: Re: How to make a world building reveal relevant to the plot I am writing a story that is based on mythology. I have my own characters which have their own voice. One of those characters, the
I think @Chronocidal poses an important question - in short;
"Is it actually relevant or just 'a nice idea'?"
If you find that it is an important part of the story that a link be made between a character and mythology, you can try going about it in the following ways;
1: Have your main character remember stories (because he was raised with them, for instance) and then tie some clues together that make that character seem 'oddly similar to a mythological one' - this would be based on your main character's own experiences with that character.
2: Have other people talk about that character - Either in conversations overheard by your main character or in dialogue with him/her. These conversations can be about "how he's definitely not ____ because ___" or "how he's oddly similar to ____". If your main character has a companion, the companion could be the conversation-partner with whom the similarities and differences are discussed.
Things that could make 'the reveal more difficult' could be;
The old man actively tries to build the image of not being 'the mythological one'...
The mythology's authenticity is questionable for X reasons - either to your MC or anyone else.
Things that could make the reveal realistic;
Your MC / the companion is curious and attentive.
The same or the other character is knowledgeable about mythology (if the character(s) close to your MC have different ideas/experiences/beliefs, it makes for greater conflict, big or small - conflict drives the story forward.
In either case, it can still seem a little 'forced', if it's not a truly important piece in the overall puzzle of your story.
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: Re: Maintaining consistent style in a translation When translating something, how do you maintain a consistent style throughout? I'm concerned about starting off in my own style, then gradually slipping
In my opinion the true kernel of one and every translation is to deliver original author's idea by using your own unique style and signature. All the translations of original works to Russian I've ever seen carried some sort of original rework and refinement to make author's idea clearer to reader, to bring those emotions, thoughts and feelings author (or characters of his book) described and experienced.
This is not an easy task for sure. Many books were written in ancient times in a very complex and sophisticated language, many of them describe events, people and appearances that are not obvious to current people and in some cases neither they were to the contemporaries.
They need to be adapted and should be adapted.
And they are often adapted by historians and scientists like it supposed to do, by the people who know the epoch and who can translate those circumstances to the modern language. The perfect example is 1984 by George Orwell. Though it is a dystopia, it perfectly describes after-war state of minds and Cold War espionage mania and suspicion among people. For non-English natives it had required a fair piece of effort to translate all those Newspeak figures he used in this book.
Naturally translation of fiction literature should not be literal and it is wonderful.
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: Re: Alternative to "it is commonly said" I have a sentence I am trying to write that just doesn't feel right. It currently reads "It is commonly said that X, but the truth is that Y." The second
"It is commonly believed, that ____. However, ____"
"It is a common misconception, that ____. In reality ____."
"Many believe it to be true, that ____, when in fact ____."
"You'd be forgiven for believing that ____ was what happened, as that was what we were told. The truth is that ____."
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: How do I write a computer-savvy/hacker character? I have a character in my story for whom being computer savvy is supposed to be a major personality trait. The character works with computers
I have a character in my story for whom being computer savvy is supposed to be a major personality trait. The character works with computers for a living (even if their side job they do as part of the plot is almost purely physical) and considers being a white-hat hacker as one of their hobbies. However, I have noticed this trait almost never seems to impact the story and as a result negatively impacts their characterization.
Given this, I have been trying to figure out how to write a character that is skilled at programming or a hacker and show how they would approach the world. Overall, I am trying to go for a more realistic depiction of a computer-savvy hacker, rather than the unrealistic "hack all the Internets by typing really fast and uploading viruses of laughing skulls to Area 51".
One would think that being familiar with computers and programming would affect the way a person/character sees the world, specifically how they approach problems, the personal skills they learn, and the points of reference they have (and the references they make), just like how being skilled in any given field makes people contextualize the world in terms of knowledge in that field. I've noticed something similar in how I see the world with my professional expertise versus how other people do with theirs. Being a fan of xkcd and familiar with that site's style of humor, it has become very apparent to me that being computer literate does affect one's worldview (xkcd comes across as funny, but very alien to me). However, I have been unable to find any good advice on how to depict a computer literate character on the Internet. Again, xkcd is about the closest I have come in terms of understanding the mindset. Compared to a lot of other subcultures, there don't seem to be a lot of guides to get into a computer literate mindset.
It's not even clear what a reader would accept as constituting being "computer literate". From my experience the way people define "computer literate" can be anything from "can use Powerpoint" to "can give you a detailed rundown as to the differences between Python and Ubuntu". As an example of how varied definitions can be: a lot of people in my life have described me as computer literate because I know how to use Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, but I wouldn't because I don't even know how to write a line of code! On top of that, it's not clear how to describe someone as computer literate without running the risk of horribly dating the character. One might depict a character as being savvy with a specific programming language or operating system that within five years of publication is completely dead.
Given these problems, how would one go about portraying that a character is computer savvy or a hacker?
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: Re: Do you include punctuation when a character cuts off in dialogue? So I have a question concerning punctuation. Let's say that Character A is talking to Character B. Character A, like most people,
I used to include it. However, after reading 'Self-Editing for Fiction Writers' I now don't. The writers of that book are professional editors. I took their advice.
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: Re: What is a good name for my fantasy species that's not too long? I made a fantasy species,a dragon. It's based off of a Siberian tiger, a bearded dragon, and a fruit bat. But the trouble
Like the comments to your post points out, your question may be too specific for the site here. Consider rephrasing it to be more generally useful - For instance; Strategies for naming fictional species.
Well, it wouldn't be unrealistic for it to be named by/after the person or people that discovered it originally or based on some of its traits...
Maybe come up with a background-story for the discovery of the species, and then you'll find a way to name it!
Examples;
The place; A cave, forest, sea, mountains:
Tarin Cave Dragon, Bamboo Forest Dragon
A distinct feature of the creature (physical or behavioral):
Blue Tongue Dragon, Black Throat Dragon
Jumping Dragon, Biting Dragon
Named after the finder:
Lucian Dragon (After its finder, X. Lucien III)
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: Is my work urban fantasy or paranormal romance? I have been writing a story that for a long time I considered to be an urban fantasy, with supernatural elements in a recognizably modern setting.
I have been writing a story that for a long time I considered to be an urban fantasy, with supernatural elements in a recognizably modern setting. However, while I thought I was writing a rather straightforward urban fantasy story, it’s become apparent that the story seems to share a lot of elements with a paranormal romance as well.
The story revolves around two star-crossed lovers from different supernatural factions, so it is difficult to say whether the A plot is the romance, the feud between the factions, or both. The romantic and non-romantic plot points are directly tied together. The individual story arcs are primarily driven by non-romantic conflict but the overarching meta-plot is definitely the story of the relationship between the two characters and to a lesser degree their relationships with family and friends. There are also a number of individual character arcs and subplots that have nothing to do with romance, but focus on things like platonic friendships and mentorhood.
The romance is not treated as a steamy, wish-fulfillment fantasy (contra something like Twilight), but is used to further the non-romantic themes of the novel about the human condition. There is no erotica, and cutesy romantic gestures that you would expect in a romance novel are virtually absent unless they further character development.
I've heard it said if you can remove the romance from the story and it still works it's not a paranormal romance. However, while the romance is key to the story, there's very little of the typical "they love me, they love me not" and "supernatural phenomena merely exist to get the characters to shack up" typical of paranormal romance.
I suppose a comparable analogy would be The Incredibles compared to your standard superhero fare. In contrast to most entries in their respective genre, the relationship between the two main characters is treated as a key part of the plot rather than a subplot, and there’s always this undercurrent of the events the characters are going through being akin to the trials and tribulations of a normal relationship albeit with a fantastic twist. E.g., a superhero going through a midlife crisis, or a heroine torn between "career versus family" except "career" in this case is being a werewolf alpha.
As a result, I have no idea if what I am writing is a very good urban fantasy story, or a very bad paranormal romance. I understand that categorizing works of fiction into genres is often arbitrary even at the best of times. I also understand that the boundary between paranormal romance and urban fantasy is hard to define and arbitrary even compared to most literary genres. As other people have said before “the only difference between the two is if a story has a half-naked woman on the cover, it is urban fantasy; if it is a half-naked man, it is paranormal romanceâ€. But I'm concerned if it falls too far on the "paranormal romance" side it won't be of interest to the target audience and I need to course-correct.
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: How to introduce a "fourth reason" after having stated that there are "three main reasons"? In an academic paper, I have written "There are three main arguments for why X is not Z."
In an academic paper, I have written "There are three main arguments for why X is not Z."
I have then discussed them like this:
"First, ....​ (of medium length)
The second argument is that ... (a bit long)
The third and most important argument is that ... (longer)"​ **
** I did not simply use "First,... Second,... Third..." because there is some distance between the arguments. For example, the second argument is two pages long. I think writing "The third and most important argument ..." reminds the reader what these arguments are for.
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Now I have realized that I have to make one more argument. And I want to start with "A fourth argument is that ..." after the third one.
Is it a problem that I stated in the beginning that I will give "three main arguments" but I give four? I don't want to say "four main arguments".
The three main arguments are widely discussed by experts in the field. The fourth argument is something that has only been pointed out (in two lines) by one author. Thing is, my supervisor likes this fourth argument and thinks I should include it in my essay. That is why I want to mention it. I don't want to say that it is trivial because it can become important sometime in the future - just that it is not a main argument (or widely discussed) for why X is not Z.
Question: What is the best way to introduce the fourth argument after the third while maintaining that the first three are the main arguments?
I think this has to do with style and organization and is perhaps on-topic for this SE.
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: Re: Use italic for people names When I write non-scientific articles or other kind of texts online, I often use italic to emphasize the names of non-fictional human beings when they are important
I have seen this plenty in textbooks for both names and of people and key events or ideas as a means of highlighting vocabulary(?). Given the context above, it just sounds like any middle school history textbook. I would completely expect assignments or tests at the end of the reading where I have to answer specific questions related to anything italicized. Some textbooks use highlighting or alternate text colors instead, but it is essentially the same thing. Just making that small part of text clear for future reference.
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: Re: How do I determine if a paper has been plagiarized? Is there a service which allows you to check if a paper/article was plagiarized? At this moment, I use Google to check if some papers are
There are a lot of plagiarism checkers and they show the score system. If you would get a 50% then this is totally plagiarized. 5-15% is the best what you can get as I tried some of student's papers here.
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