@Holmes449
Last seen: Mon 17 May, 2021
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: What could be the turning point for the protagonist? / () ( ) ? [ .]
/ () ( ) ? [ .]
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: Re: Is it all right to write a memoir like a novel? I wanted to share my true story as if I were writing a fictional story. For example, the author Terry McMillan's novel called, "Disappearing
What you are writing is described as an autobiographical novel. There have been many, so they are indeed all right.
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: Re: What can be the guideline for modifying quote? God does not play roulette — Albert Einstein There are cases that I feel like a change in the original quote would make it more rhythm, poetic,
If you want to make it a quote, your only choice is to give the exact words. The only leeway lies in quotes from a foreign language, where you can pick and choose translations, or proverbs, where you can see if there is a variation that says what you want.
A paraphrasing requires at the very least, "Einstein said that this is true," and it may be wiser to say, "To paraphrase Einstein, this is true."
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: Re: 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
It is perfectly possible to add extensively to any work, or any part of it, after you write the first draft. Many writers have made major changes to works in the revision process, including changing the basic theme, shifting which characters are the main ones, altering large portions of plot, etc.
This takes up time. This may be unavoidable, but there is also the real peril, in that there are many writers who endlessly revise a work, never to go on to another, and never to publish. However, that tends to be people who revise a work twenty times. (If you find yourself endlessly revising, you may want to recruit beta readers.)
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: Re: Terminology: writer's block Does the term "writer's block" refer to the condition in which the author not having anything to write, or has the material but unable to put it in words
It can mean either. Therefore, it's unwise to merely speak of "writer's block" unless either meaning can apply, or it's clear which you mean.
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: How to improve writing non-action scenes I think in terms of action. Whenever I am imagining any scene I am about to write, I see it as a movie playing in my head which I then pen to paper.
I think in terms of action. Whenever I am imagining any scene I am about to write, I see it as a movie playing in my head which I then pen to paper.
So naturally, action scenes (like a fight, chase or escape) are more my wheelhouse. The rush of the moment, the setting, the actions of the characters, their interactions, what is going through their head, it all comes easily to me for such scenes since it is running off like a movie in my head and I rarely have to spend much time writing those.
In contrast, when it comes to non-action ones (like characters travelling somewhere or interacting with each other to convey some plot point), I find myself floundering, to the extent that I start procrastinating just to avoid it. It is not that I do not understand the scene but since the scene is devoid of action, I seem to hit a mental block. I struggle a lot with setting up the scene, showing body language and visual cues, the extensive inner thoughts of the character, conveying the right tone of voice, their interactions.
Thinking about it, I feel that the reasons are -
In the action scenes, since the action takes centre stage, the rest are smaller pieces which fit into the bigger picture and come naturally, but in non-action ones, devoid of action, these interactions become the focus and thus daunting. I find myself struggling with the description the most.
In action scenes, since the action is driving the scene, everything happening is part of the flow (or action and reaction) and thus feels proper but in non-action ones, it becomes about driving the plot in a particular direction which makes it feel contrived and forced.
I find myself getting stuck for weeks (if I am lucky) and do not know how to solve this problem. Can anyone suggest some good tips to improve ?
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: Re: A good way to transition different character perspectives In my story, there are three character perspectives that switch off every chapter. What is a good way to lead from one character perspective
Showing the same scene twice, from two different points of view, is a rare technique for good reason. Only do it if for some reason it is vitally importantly that the reader know about the subjective reactions of both characters, and it is not feasible to use an omniscient point of view that can depict both at once. It can be hard to pull off even then because it's rehashing the same territory. Also, in my experience, it can be hard to pull off without being jarring.
The important thing to remember is to make the point of view clear when it switches. This is more important the larger the chunk in each point of view is. When it's as large as a chapter, you can do it by something as simple as putting the point of view character on each chapter. Another technique is to put the point of view character's thoughts on something in the opening paragraphs.
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: Can the Hero's Journey be detrimental to the process of storywriting? When it comes to common writing advice, the Hero's Journey and Show, don't Tell, are the most common ones. The second one
When it comes to common writing advice, the Hero's Journey and Show, don't Tell, are the most common ones.
The second one is not only very wrong but also misleading. You can only tell, after all. Telling the right details to evoke the intended feelings in people is an entirely different approach. Also, remember that people do speak their minds on how they feel sometimes.
As for the Hero's Journey, nailing down its core problem has been difficult. I know there has to be something, but most of Campbell's criticism was that his structure was too vague, but that is not a problem for writing advice. I can feel I'm missing a big part of why it's secretly a trap, but I can't pinpoint it.
What is the important thing to keep in mind when using the Hero's Journey in drafting a story?
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: Re: Minimum (realistic) word count of non-fiction book What is a reasonable estimate for the minimum length, in word count, for a non-fiction book? I'd guesstimate that non-fiction books "generally"
I'm expanding on the "it depends" approach. If you are assuming trying to get publication from a regular publisher and putting your book on store shelves, what everyone has said pertains and makes sense. You do have the option to self-publish and to publish digitally. Some books in that category come out smaller. As @steven -drennon said, the length should be determined by the content. The same way fiction can be a novella instead of a novel, non-fiction can be shorter. My only suggestion is to price your book accordingly. People get annoyed if they pay expecting a full-length book and then get something 20K words instead of 150K words.
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: Re: Got a message from an Author Liaison representative representing Webnovel about the story I wrote. Any advice? I just published a story on fiction press, and although it only has 9 views, someone
I got this message just today on Wattpad. I'm not doing it.
First, I saw that the word 'offer' had been glitched out, which not only can change the meaning of the contract, it can also be used as a valid defense on their case if you decided to bring them to court on the fact that what they did went against the contract you signed.
Furthermore, the site holds a series of translated stories rather than original writings, and upon more research on the site, I've seen a series of stolen and plagiarized content from other fanfiction websites, primarily Wattpad, AO3, and Tumblr.
I decided to contact a different Wattpad author and ask if they had received a message similar to this, and when they confirmed it, I compared the messages and they were exactly the same, besides our usernames. This shows that the website, or this 'author liaison representative' did not, in fact, read my story or their story, which proves that they have no interest in the story itself; rather, they have interest in getting more content on their website, and taking content from Wattpad and other big fanfiction networks.
I'd advise you not to sign this contract, as you'll probably come to regret it.
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: Re: Improving my story opening? I'm writing a story about a woman driving cross-country in search of her childhood home. There, she discovers the small town has grown to a suburban sprawl, and she's
I will attempt my own rewrite to achieve what I will later call.
However I'm not a native English speaker so grammar will suffer.
Grace came here expecting changes. The lines at her face, the way she wakes up tired even after a full night's sleep, the way her
interests waned in saving the world. She herself changed so how much
did the world change?
She came fully prepared, yet that helped little. It is like reading on
a piece of paper the destructive power of nuclear explosion and
actually witnessing one with your own eyes.
Thus the sight she did behold was like dropping a nuclear bomb at the
cradle of her childhood. The Dangerous highway 9 that she was warned
countless time not to come close to, and as an ever shy child she was
to happy to oblige her mom, now avoids town and makes all those
warnings meaningless. She looked at curved places that was etched in
her own imagination as straight and would not have crossed her mind
the can be changed. And perhaps the greatest horror of all to the mind
of her 9 year old self. The saltwater pond that she and her friends,
and perhaps half the neighbors children, used to gather around like a
sacred shrine dedicated to amusement. That most important landmark
that children flocked to day and night is now reduced to a mere pond.
She squeezed her cellphone in her hand in a nervous gesture that she
herself was not certain what it meant. A quick open and close of it
proved useless. Taking a deep breath she continue her journey. She
has never being a quiter, when she did X [Honestly just introduce
whatever you feel like here. For example she did a difficult task at
her job] And she won't back off now. It is too late. Too late to look
at the old sights again and too late to turn back.
Even with the help of he phone she was not certain that she will be
able to find her birthplace at a such alien land to her, especially
given the late hour that as always made her long for sleep that would
abandon here whenever she lied in a bed and night or tried to catch it
in a morning nap.
She searched and searched. A woman of X age frantically looking for
her home at 3 AM in the morning. And finally a recognizable feature
greeted her, and to her troubled and exhausted state it seemed like a
lighthouse beckoning her home.
Now let me try to explain what I did.
First I tried to express what she is. Whenever you write something it must build the world and characters. You can't simply be like: she worked as a programmer at X. It's like: she liked the flexibility and pay of her programming job, but as someone who believed they can change the world with her codes she detested the mega-corporation mentality that prioritized money above all else.
Again the first is what you would do introducing her to people. The second does exactly that but also gives you an insight into who she is. I think the second is obviously how writing can be.
So after reading my own rewrite we communicated several things.
She is changing, and she is getting older.
She is shy.
She is a determined person.
She suffers from insomnia or something similar.
The first thing is that he is aware that she has changed. Which I touched lightly upon with comparing her to the place. I also sat up that changed is going on and still made it impactful. It's like I was ready for a beating but man I was not read for that.
And I have tried to weave emotions with vivid images with memories all into the passage so that it is reasonable to follow the writing and understand what is going on and get a glimpse into her world and emotions. Again you can be like: she feels sad, she found the place, she remembered it differently...etc
Again I love vivid images and ideas. That's why the pond line, in my opinion, makes so much sense. What you wrote is a mere description like a crime scene. But she came back to experience the loss and changes of that place and so adding on stuff about how those things changed from such a sensitive period of her life, again that is me, adds a lot of punch to the whole thing.
Now this did take me time, again writing in English takes me more time, but I actually think that we can even improve on the opening but I'm a bit too lazy to do so. Also it is all about your intent.
Anyway always continue to connect things. The highway line was given but also in a way the tells she was shy. The part about not finding her house easily is also given but again we remembered her doing X.
And the sleep part I think again is connected to the overall story as the late hour is making her yearn to sleep but she is actually denied sleep.
Personally I think there is a flow to writing.
Overall I think I feel that what I wrote is not very catchy which is actually intended.
I have a story about a very strong young wizard that starts with him doing chores for his teacher at school and him complaining for a bit of the first chapter.
I like the opening because things will get crazy, like real crazy, later.
I refuse to believe that all stories need to have super duper catchy lines and neon lights and super heroes fighting against immortal aliens and stuff like that. If the tune of your story is X then write and opening that is X and be simple and honest.
Anyway this is my very first attempt to do this here, so I really don't know what I'm doing. However if it helps then please tell me and in what way.
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: Re: Does this genre/setting have a name? So, I'm tryng to figure out if there is a name for a specific sort of genre I've seen around. Well, it's more of a setting oriented subgenre, I suppose
The suffix "-punk" has come to mean "uses this level of technology."
A setting with cars probably is either "dieselpunk" -- technology level about that between the two world wars -- or "atompunk" -- technology level from WWII to about the 1970s.
Neither term is as common in usage as cyberpunk or steampunk.
(More types here.)
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: Re: Is it okay not to write something you feel you don't want to write? Okay, the title is dumb, but let me elaborate. When it comes to scenes in books or movies, show me a character's family,
Whatever you feel okay with! If you don´t want to write scenes
you´re uncomfortable with making, then don´t! You are the writer my friend, you make what happens, you are in control. As long as
you are happy with yourself and happy with what you´re writing, that is all that matters!
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: Is this couplet in iambic pentameter? Is this couplet in iambic pentameter? Sir thou are in love, take Cupid's wings fly to acquire the source of that feeling.
Is this couplet in iambic pentameter?
Sir thou are in love, take Cupid's wings
fly to acquire the source of that feeling.
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: Re: What are some good (free) writing communities? I'm new to writing, I just finished the first draft of the first novel I've written (yay!) and I'm looking for writing groups or communities that
Scribes and Scribblers is a good Discord server rife with artists and writers where you can share your works, get feedback, and even generally converse about your respective craft. However, I will say that you must critique at least one other person's story on the server before you can post your own, which I believe is a fair requisite. I've been in it for a couple of years and it has aided me tremendously. Here's a link for it below. discord.gg/Z8kkby I'm not sure if this link is permanent or not, but regardless, I've told you the name of the server to look up if necessary.
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: Re: How to call a paper or book holding charms/incantation/magic formula? Hope the title is clear enough. I'm also looking for any vocabulary related to the act of writing magic ( 'runes' as a
"Runes" such as the Elder Futhark are alphabets which we tend to think of as used for magic, although that wasn't their only purpose. "Rune" has been used more generically of late. But that is an alphabet or set of symbols - but it sounds like you are looking for a term for the act of writing? Like "inscribing"? I second @chenmunka that the term is "grimoire" for a book of spells and rituals.
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: Is it true that the need for marketing/promoting one's books is a "myth"? For indie fiction authors, is it true that if one simply writes and publishes regularly, one will begin to see sales
For indie fiction authors, is it true that if one simply writes and publishes regularly, one will begin to see sales (as Dean Wesley Smith proclaims), and that book marketing/promotion is actually completely unnecessary?
Here is an example of an article that endorses this claim. According to Dean, the 'need for marketing' is simply a myth.
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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
It's a perception and a vocabulary problem: it appears flat because you are describing what the characters are doing but there's no emotions or sensation involved. Among the things that I humbly suggest to correct it:
Enlarge your vocabulary to describe your character's actions ("dart" instead of "run", or "he flopped on the chair" instead of "he sat down")
Describes actions that tell something about who your characters are, put aside the everyday tasks that you characters do, if you can.
Make the characters react to their environment and stimulus: if a guy is walking in the rain, don't just write that it's pouring and he's walking in the rain, but have him wiping his face, try to cover his head with a jacket too small, maybe trembling because of the freezing wind, etc... The reader must feel it through your character's senses, and that means mixing not only what the character sees but what he feels or smells.
Refrain from using too much adjectives or adverbs (Things like "he answered angrily"), try to convey the emotion to your reader through indirect means (Maybe he can answer while pounding on the table instead).
Short sentences tends to quicken the pace of the action, while long sentences do the opposite, use that to your advantage.
Hope it helps.
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: Re: How to write realistic injury scenes? I'm currently writing an apocalypse themed story. As with the territory, death and/or injuries happen. I'm wondering how other writers write these scenes
Considering you are describing situations where serious injuries happen without the proper equipment (or people) available to treat them, there is a field of expertise very familiar with this problem: military field medicine. Soldiers get injured all the time on patrols or in the heat of battles, sometimes very far away from the medical facilities that can treat them in time.
That's not post-apocalyptic setting, but it is as close as it gets.
Start your research with keywords like "battlefield medicine" or war-veteran stories. That may give you the insight you need before having to dive into medical jargon.
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: Where to indicate per figure if it is a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image? I would like to submit my manuscript in ecology, containing Figures. However, in Author guidelines, I found that
I would like to submit my manuscript in ecology, containing Figures. However, in Author guidelines, I found that I have to
Indicate per figure if it is a single, 1.5 or 2-column fitting image.
But I was wonder where should I put that kind information ?
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: Re: How exactly does a book go from typewritten pages into an actual mass-produced unit ready for the consumer, and do authors have any control? I want to be clear that I'm asking about this both
Let us first of all note that this scenario assumes a writer who has a contract for the book. For that, the answer is, yes, the publisher can edit to the book to its standards, and generally does. This is not only formatting, from the font onwards, but can be other alterations to the book. (And nowadays, the publisher expects it in electronic format.)
Alternatively, the writer can self-publish. Then, if he goes for a reputable self-publisher (as opposed to a vanity press), he can control a lot more. However, that will require specialized formatting skills.
When dealing with bringing into a print a public domain book, there's a lot of things a publisher can do. For instance, using OCR on a copy and then cleaning up the mistakes and formatting it to the standard they want. Photocopying would be unwise because of blurring and needing it to get the right page size and all that, except when offering a facsimile edition.
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: Re: Can I have a non-living thing with its own perspective? We typically have third person or first person narratives in literature. I have a requirement - to unveil the suspense, I want a non-living
There are two potential problems with having a non-living thing share its perspective in the last chapter.
The first is that you are switching your point-of-view scheme at the last moment. This is often jarring even with ordinary characters. If the entire story is told from John's point of view until the last chapter is Jack's, readers often are disoriented.
The second is ensuring that your readers are aware that the object is, indeed, non-living. If a security camera shares its point of view, the readers might think that the entire story was master-minded by AIs that have not been revealed to the readers.
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: Re: Naming Side characters So, basically, how do you name side characters? I get that you should give the main characters meaningful names, but finding suitable names for all of my characters is
I recommend a book or a website designed for naming a baby. I have found them very useful, especially for minor characters.
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: Re: How to care about the characters more than the world? I have a very well-built up world with politics, religions etc, that I've built up over the course of my writing. But I have recently
Sounds like you need a new character to me.
What I would do would be revisit the worldbuilding and look for something that would cause a deep issue for some character, and reinvent a story about that character.
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: How to make a conflict seem more complex, despite the story itself being rather one-sided? So, one of my story ideas involved werewolves. In the setting, they were a minority, much like most
So, one of my story ideas involved werewolves. In the setting, they were a minority, much like most non-human races.
Now, of these werewolves, turned (as in a human who became a werewolf) ones only go through the transformation once, later generations (werewolves can reproduce) are born as werewolves. The whole beast-side-aking-over thing is only true for the duration of the full moon.
Werewolves have more keen senses (especially their smell) and stronger and slightly more agile bodies, but it matters little in a world where the existence of artifacts easily levels these differences. After all, an explosive arrow can still kill them in a single hit, so...
Werewolves usually live in tribes (don't tend to move) or families (tend to move).
The story itself takes place during and the day after the full-moon festival. Simply put it's a social event with some eating and drinking towards the end, the food is spiced up with some anesthetics and the festival is geared towards calming down their beast-side by satisfying its needs beforehand. It works pretty well.
Now, the bad guys are a human terror group, the monster hunters, who are dead set on eliminating creatures like werewolves as they are "perversions of humanity". They're depicted as cruel, illogical, cowardly, and plain repulsive people with no redeeming qualities. They're basically the protagonists of the book The Camp of the Saints, but in a story that isn't grounded in paranoia.
You guessed, they attack the tribe when they're snoozing.
Sure, humans aren't depicted as monsters either. The nearby city which is very liberal by the setting's standards sends out guards to protect werewolves during the night of the festival, as the city regularly trades with them, plus the city council isn't a bunch of douchebags. The guards also get attacked by monster hunters, as they are "race traitors", and aren't reluctant to fight back.
As far as other elements go, we do hear about segregation (of most non-humans) and suppression of information on monster hunters by authorities to maintain a false sense of peace.
The monster hunters might look like caricatures, but the truth is that I'm having a hard time viewing these types of groups as anything more. If you've read The Turner Diaries or the aforementioned The Camp of the Saints, you know what I'm talking about.
Okay, simply put: they either enjoy killing those they consider inferior (the worst type) or live in a false dichotomy (something similar to the white genocide conspiracy), where it's either kill or be killed, something that can easily be disproven.
In paper, there is a werewolf group that does terrible things too, like biting people on purpose, killing innocent humans, etc... The problem is that in the story we only hear about them from the main character (a werewolf who is sympathetic to their cause) when he's having a quarrel with his grandfather over his views.
Now, his grandfather is described as a kind and intelligent person, but lore-wise, his daughter, (almost) his grandson, and a few of his tribe had died because of monster hunters. So it makes little sense for him to be so adamantly pacifistic, and the events make his ideology look dangerous. Sure, they're ultimately the right call, but that only becomes apparent in hindsight.
Still, it feels disingenuous to throw in a werewolf terror group to explain some of the racism, yet the only time they "show up" is when the mc talks about them, and even then, the most harm, he causes with it, is making his granddad cry, which is awful (gramps IS his only living relative) but he does feel bad about it.
I planned on throwing in an arc for the mc where he's injured and has to put his trust into a group of humans, but an individual's journey does little when the werewoof terror group is still out there.
So, is there any way to make a conflict seem more two-sided, even though one of these sides is almost completely irrelevant/inconsequential in the plot?
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: How to improve my Dialogue Writing? This is one area of writing that I find myself struggling a lot. I usually divide my chapters into scenes and each scene has a goal(s) that I have to
This is one area of writing that I find myself struggling a lot. I usually divide my chapters into scenes and each scene has a goal(s) that I have to achieve. And I have found that even though I know what the goal of a dialogue between certain characters is, I am not able to convincingly pen it down. I get lost in writing convincing dialogue to reach that goal.
Some of the feedback I have received is -
The segue from one topic of conversation to another is not fluid.
The dialogue sounds wooden or stilted or unnatural at certain points.
If I'm trying to present information (like two characters discussing history or a war in the past), then it sounds like an interrogation.
I am not sure how to improve this or what steps to take. If someone can suggest some good books or videos or any good tips that they use, it would be useful. Thanks in advance.
Edit - As requested, I am attaching four excerpts from two of my chapters. I will also include the goals I try to achieve from that dialogue.
To help you you understand the excerpt. The flow is that Adam meets with the Taoi twins and explains them the history of his world. He has a vision there about the death of him and his brother (Brendan) which freaks him out. Adam is now trying to get Brendan (the chosen one) to return back but Brendan does not want to leave.
Excerpt 1
Goals -
Humour
To show the Taoi twins share a mental connection (not to state
it explicitly yet)
The twins have kind of a Idiot Savant or Rainman type personality.
“So what?†Taoi shrugged, “Age does not drive skill.â€
“Besides, we have put in the effortâ€, the other twin said. “We have
trained in multiple disciplines to qualify.â€
“We are good at thisâ€, the other twin nodded as if it was fact. “It is
the reason the elves turn to us.â€
“If something needs fixingâ€, Taoi said.
“We fix itâ€, the other twin said.
“If something needs inventingâ€, Taoi said.
“We invent itâ€, the other twin said.
“Basically anything that needs experimentingâ€
“We experiment with it. You can call us...The…umm...â€
“Scientists ?†Adam supplied.
“We don't like that wordâ€, Taoi said, turning to the other twin. “We
actually prefer...â€
“Experimenters?â€, the other Taoi said with an air of sudden
inspiration.
“Experimenterist?â€, Taoi said just as brightly.
“Experiment artists?†The twins looked at each other and shook their
heads.
“Experiment enthusiastsâ€, they said in unison, heartily agreeing with
each other.
“You both are bad at naming thingsâ€, Adam observed.
“It is our greatest flawâ€, Taoi lamented.
Excerpt 2
Goals -
Show the vastness of the city and the other industries
Show how the cities function
Show the people don't really have a choice
Show the Empire's dependence on the population
The eight cities were quite distinctly visible on the map. “The cities
sure are vastâ€, Taoi said, eyes glued to the map.
“When the cities were unveiled, they were not as vast. Survivors were
rounded up and brought in and yet the cities were overwhelmingly
empty. Over the course of time, the survivors thrived, in a way, and
the cities grew, extending to accommodate the growing population. What
you see on the map is not their entire extent though. For some of the
cities, depending on the environment around it, a large area outside
the walls of the city but inside the dome are dedicated to various
industries. There are large farmlands near a few, mines near some.â€
“That is good, right?†Taoi asked tentatively.
The other twin nodded. “People have the means to earn their own
livelihood.â€
“Not exactly.†Adam shook his head. “Everything belongs to the Empire,
whatever the results of the labour of the residents. It is one of the
conditions of being allowed to live in the cities. The Empire claims
everything you create. In return for the contribution‟, every resident
gets access to food, clothing and medicines, and protection from the
dangers outside.â€
“And what if someone is not able to contribute?â€
“Everyone contributes. One way or another.â€
“Ominousâ€, Taoi commented.
“What do you mean?â€, the other twin asked.
“Well, if you are able and willing, you will be given a choice to
enrol in the army or find work in the fields or in the mines or any
other industry. But if you are not able or unwilling, then the Empire
will make the choice for you and there is a single option. You will be
mutated into Clamors, genetically modified creatures which serve as
the Empire's first line of defence.â€
“That's horribleâ€, Taoi said.
“The Empire does not value human lifeâ€, Adam shrugged. “To them, the
humans are just mulch they feed into the machinery to keep it
running.â€
“If the Empire does not care about the people, then why does it bother
with them?†Taoi asked. “Why build cities to accommodate the
populace?â€
“Why set up the dome to safeguard them? Why not let everyone else
die?â€
“There is a reason for thatâ€, Adam said. “The same one which caused
the wars.â€
“Energy?†Taoi's brow furrowed in thought. “Of course, the cities, the
dome, they all would require a large amount of energy to sustain
them.â€
"And they need the humans to mine them", Adam agreed.
Excerpt 3
Goals -
To show Adam is concerned about the whole thing but Brendan is not.
The oath which Brendan took in an earlier chapter was not really his idea.
"You saw those orcs we fought-"
"-and defeated. Single-handedly, if I might add."
"But there will be more of them."
"Some hundred orcs have escaped in all. There are more elves than
that."
Adam opened his mouth to counter but Brendan cut him off again. "You
know you need to loosen up a little. Let go of the worries."
"I would, if you would not keep making hasty decisions."
Brendan stared for a moment before he comprehended Adam's words. "The
oath ? Wasn't it quite something?" he said proudly. "I have lucrano
to thank for that.
Excerpt 4
Goals -
To highlight Adam's concern with staying and wanting Brendan to
return back
Brendan still is not concerned about the whole thing
What happened in the council
Adam became the leader (but he does not know
it) and Brendan is angry at him but can not outright say it. (That is
a reveal for later)
"I am not giving all this up just because you had a bad dream", Brendan said.
"It was not a dream. It was a vision", Adam repeated."And don't you want to return back to Medullia?" he asked.
The words brought a bitter taste to Brendan's mouth. "There is nothing for me there."
"Why do you say that?"
Brendan did not answer.
"It's because of the council, isn't it ?"
Brendan did not say anything.
"They rejected your claim again?"
Brendan shook his head. "They reached a decision", he said.
"And it's not you", Adam was genuinely surprised.
Anger burned in Brendan's eyes as he looked at Adam. "The blind bats on
the council decided that I, the prince, was not fit to be the leader
yet.They felt that I have not been able to prove my abilities.
They...they...would rather-" Brendan stopped suddenly and breathed
deeply. "You know what, it does not matter."
"I am sure we can make them see reason-"
Brendan interrupted. "I do not care anymore. The council can select
whoever they want", he spat. "This is where I belong. It is my destiny."
Adam wanted to make him see reason but Brendan raised his blade. "I am
the salvation of the elves and this is the weapon with which I shall
achieve my destiny", he declared.
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: Re: Should an emoji come before or after a full-stop? When I make a hilarious joke on social media it's easy to put an emoji/emoticon/smiley on the end. But sometimes I want to set the context
There are two cases here:
One if emojis in isolated sentences within a chat. In this case the stop is usually omitted, and the emoji is just at the end of the sentence. Not before, or after, or replacing it, because there is not a point anywhere.
The second case is the less common use of emojis in a paragraph, with full sentences, stops and grammar. In this case, they should go before the full stop or any other punctuation mark. I am basing this answer in the common usage of the question/exclamation mark inside two parentheses: (?) and (!). This is not very widely used, and is ugly, but it exists and have done for some time. They are used in a way similar to an emoji, and are written before the punctuation mark.
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: Re: How does one avoid inevitable influences being obvious when writing something like superheroes? So I have been debating writing a story idea I have had swimming in my head for a long time.
Dmann's answer has already done a good job addressing some general points about writing genre fiction and getting test readers, and nick's answer covered changing aesthetics. But I wanted to mention one aspect of superhero fiction specifically (as well as fantasy hard magic systems) that can help avoid drawing undesired comparisons with prior art. Namely: don't underestimate the freedom you get by making powers weird.
If I tell you I have a character who can climb walls and trap opponents with spider webs—you are going to think "Spider-Man", even though Spider-Man has a bunch of other powers besides those. But what if I tell you I have a character who can make building materials sticky, so he can climb walls by making the wall adhesive, and throw bricks at his enemies to trap them? No one is going to think that character is Spider-Man.
If I tell you I have a character who can fly anywhere on Earth in seconds, is immune to bullets, and can punch you hard enough to turn you into red mist—you are going to think "Superman," even though Flying Brick is an entire trope. But what if I tell you I have a character who hovers constantly in midair and can teleport from place to place instantly, but can only move by teleporting and never touches the ground because any solid matter that touches his skin is instantly teleported into the Earth's core? Well, he can get anywhere on Earth in seconds, he's immune to bullets, and he can kill you with a touch… but no one is going to think "Superman." (This description also suggests some dramatically-convenient weaknesses that arise more naturally than Superman's kryptonite. He's immune to solid objects, but what about liquids/gases/plasma?)
Those are just some examples I made up on the spot. Rather than creating characters that have the same set of powers as some character you are already familiar with, consider whether it would work better in the context of your story to create a character whose powers fill a similar functional role to another character you are familiar with but that work very differently in the details.
If you are short on ideas for "weird powers," it might help to spend some time surfing around on sites such as r/whowouldwin and r/respectthreads, and to read some works that are known for off-the-wall superpowers such as Worm or JJBA. Or just take a handful of powers from DC and Marvel and try to figure out ways to twist them.
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: Re: What's An Acceptable Word Count for a Debut Novel? I decided to ask this question after finding no other similar questions to mine. But anyway, I have a portfolio of unpublished novels that
Your word counts all seem reasonable except perhaps the 56k for the coming-of-age story (might be too short depending on the target audience).
There are no definitive ranges when it comes to word counts. It largely comes down to the preferences of the agent or editor based on their experience selling the genre.
A smart approach is to use QueryTracker when building your agent list and reference the Manuscript Wordcount report to see what length books they typically acquire in each genre.
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: Re: Will I have to pay royalty or fee to illustrator Will I have to pay a fee or royalties to the illustrator of my first book that I hired from a freelance service?
That should have been negotiated with your illustrator up front; typically you pay for all rights to their drawings. Usually they are allowed to claim credit for their illustrations and perhaps use them in their self-promotion, but not cannot re-sell them to anybody else, your contract with them signs over the copyright to you.
There are standard contracts for this; if you didn't get one or research this business agreement up front, your illustrator may still own the copyright on their drawings, you don't automatically get it if they weren't an employee of yours. (A contractor is not an employee).
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