@Mendez196
Last seen: Mon 17 May, 2021
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: According to CMOS, can I change plural words in a quotation to singular, and vice versa? Consider, for example, that the following sentence is from an external source and that I desire to quote
Consider, for example, that the following sentence is from an external source and that I desire to quote it in my own work:
A and B originate from X in a peculiar way and nobody regards them as Y.
In light of the rules of the Chicago Manual of Style, is it permissible to quote the text in the first way (see below), or must I do it the second way?
According to my source, A "originate[s] from X in a peculiar way and nobody regards [it] as Y."
According to my source, A originates "from X in a peculiar way and nobody regards" it "as Y."
This source suggests that the things that I wish to do are permissible in MLA style, and I wonder if the same is permissible in Chicago style.
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: Re: How can I make the story less predictable? I'm working on my first novel. As I was going through the initial chapters, I felt that the story is quite simple and predictable (in the initial
I'm going to suggest a reverse deus ex machina.
The Empire Strikes Back (R) *
Instead of the MC always being the winner for their godlike powers of being able to always win, make them lose for no apparent reason. Give the "bad guy" the deus ex machina, at least once in a while.
Maybe the MC has everything planned out to the Nth detail, has the superior firepower, has superior strength and speed, has everything going for them, and then totally flops on execution for a defeat. Maybe it's crushing and they have to do a major retreat or they have to take a significant amount of time to regroup. Maybe it's just a "oh, crap" moment that they rethink on the fly and just barely get defeated.
If this was a war flick, it'd be something like a whole battalion against a single company, so the overwhelming forces just rush in and throw a lot of ordinance and soldiers at the enemy. Only to find out too late it's an ambush, where there's landmines, hidden bunkers and mortars, lots of air and artillery support, and it just becomes their own slaughter when it should have been an easy victory.
Or this could be as simple as the "bad guy" throwing a red herring at the MC and it being followed to it's "logical" conclusion. In this case, don't let the reader in on the red herring, like so many writers like to do. Make it seem as if it's 100% obvious it's the correct course, sort of like how Prof. Moriarty tricked Sherlock Holmes several times.
This could lead the MC to start doubting themselves to the point where they are chasing lots of leads with the idea that it's not just one that's correct. The MC getting frustrated and mad because of twists and turns can help endear them to the reader, too. A plot that has a well defined start, path, and finish can easily be predictable, pedantic, and boring. If it's obvious what the MC should do and they do it, it's easy to lose interest.
At the same time, though, the thing I didn't like about the Holmes books is that there was a bunch of things you "just had to know" in order to solve the mystery. And most of it was period specific or didn't age well, as science progressed. The other side of this coin is putting in too much info and doing it obviously, like it sounds like your first 14 chapters are trying to do. It's perfectly well and good to introduce relevant info about character's pasts as the book progresses. Talking about memories, past relationships, dream sequences, even flashbacks are perfectly normal parts of books. This doesn't have to be a perfectly linear account of the MC. It's not their biography.
One thing to avoid, which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Jules Verne didn't, are the rabbit trails about some of the minutia of the specifics. Sir Doyle Verne would talk for pages about the background of something that's barely relevant to the story. He'd mention something like a specific fish or bird, then go on a mini-thesis about how it came to be and why it's in that part of the world as well as how & why it's different from it's cousins. It really distracts from the story, which I have a feeling you are seeing in those first 14 chapters to a limited extent.
* Yes, I realize I didn't use any other Star Wars references in this section. Empire is a classic "bad guy wins" movie, so I thought it would be self explanatory.
Chekhov's gun
There's probably plenty of times the rule of Chekhov's gun applies in those first 14 chapters. You don't have to apply it absolutely everything, because sometimes that can lead to the unpredictability you are looking for, but it can help you figure out what stays and what goes. Leaving some irrelevant things in can be a source of comedy, too. In one series I read, there was a group of MCs, one of which had a thick Scottish accent. Late in the series, he's in a different part of the World/Universe and writes the main MC a letter. It's in perfect, unaccented English. The character even makes fun of the MC for thinking he'd write in the brogue. The letter was relevant to the story, but not the character's writing style. Still, it gave me a chuckle and helped lighten the mood a little, as they are getting ready for battle.
Writing is an art and not a science because it doesn't necessarily have to follow all the rules all the time. An action story doesn't have to be 100% action. In fact, the better ones aren't 100% action, since they reader needs to be able to catch their breath as well as the MC needing some downtime to deal with the next action sequence. You can't have them carry 10k 9mm rounds for all the shooting sequences in a 1000 page novel, nor can you have them always find a clip for their pistol just laying on the ground that magically fits. That might be a rule, too, but it could also be broken for a very short story where it is all action.
Since it's an art, you'll have to revise and rewrite until it's where you want it to be. It helps if your readers like it too, but maybe you just want the story on paper for yourself, not the reader. A writer can get into a rut by writing just what readers want, instead of what the writer wants.
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: Re: How do you make the reader root for the protagonist when the primary antagonist is more relatable and more likable? I said in a previous question that my protagonist "is a very shitty person
Make the characters in your screenplay as human as possible.
This is more important than making the audience like the character just because he is good or nice.
Ratabble chacaters should have a background story, fears, weaknesses... Show scenes where they are suffering.
An important thing also is to make them change. Let the character arc be drastic. This way the audience will understand why the character is changing and expeirnce his feelings.
In this article there are 9 ways to make the audience love your protagonist and how to create relatable characters. I think it could be helpful.
Other than these techniques, you can give the main character more screen time. This will help the audience identify with him more.
And make your story subjective to the character. In other words, tell the story from the perspective of the protagonist. Make the audience/readers know what the character is thinking and his motivation.
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: Re: If your Introduction can function as a Conclusion, isn't it redundant to write anything in the Conclusion beside "refer to the Introduction"? In the example below, I would state the Conclusion
All the material between the introduction and conclusion should be informing and/or persuading the reader in some way, which means that by the time they reach the conclusion, you should be able to tell them something that wouldn't have been meaningful, or wouldn't have been convincing, at the beginning. If the best an article can do for a conclusion is to restate the introduction, then the main body hasn't done its job at all.
It doesn't help that many students learning the mechanics of writing are taught to write essays in this format on completely trivial subjects, in which the introduction and conclusion really could be the same, because the content is so inconsequential. They have their reasons for doing this (requiring students to come up with an actually interesting thesis would be a distraction), but it can lead to some bad habits and some confusion as well.
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: Re: How to progress a fantasy novel that is also slice of life? I am currently writing a novel where I mix the genre fantasy, sci-fi, and slice of life. My plan is to make the main character
Sci fi and fantasy are blended together all the time. If it is a future tech setting with things like interstellar travel, but there is magic involved, it is sci fi fantasy.
Slice of life is literally a story that uses the mundane: the daily life and experiences of the characters, as the center of the story. To write slice of life you need to be very familiar with your characters, since the story centers around their lives. (Ideally you should be very familiar with your characters no matter WHAT genre you write, but some action type stories get away without it anyway...even though they would still be BETTER if they had more 3D characters! But a 2D character cannot be "hidden" beneath genre trappings when the genre is focused on the character themself, so you have to be extra careful here.)
Slice of life stories can be written in any genre. Just take interesting experiences, relatable human struggles, and joyful moments of a normal person in your setting and focus on those, and voila! you have a slice of life subgenre. In a sci fi fantasy, it would be about the life of an individual living in your sci fi fantasy world. Maybe about a struggling merchant who has a small space ship and makes his living running goods from one planet to another, or about a young lady in school for "inter species culinary arts" who dreams of opening up a restaurant someday featuring cuisine from around the galaxy and catering to people of all species! Or maybe a kid who has a talent for magic and is apprenticed to become a starship mage to keep all the magic components of the space ship (or space station, or futuristic city, whatever!) running!
All that matters is you have a character you are familiar with and invested in and a setting you have fleshed out enough to make it "real" to both you and your reader. Once you have those things, just write! You can plan your plot ahead of time, or you can just start writing and see where your character takes you. Your only real limitation is your own imagination. Anything beyond that can be fixed with proofreading, feedback, and revision!
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: I got a message from an Author Liaison representative. Can someone please give me advice on what to do? I have received the message below on Wattpad and I think it's a scam. I am not that
I have received the message below on Wattpad and I think it's a scam. I am not that good at writing and I doubt that anyone would come to me out of all people. Can someone please help me I don't know what to do?
Hello HaikyuuMultishipper9,
My name is Anna. I'm an Author Liaison representative, representing W
e b n o v e l. I've read the initial chapters and I feel that your
novel showcases your capabilities as a writer thus, I would like to
invite you to publish on our platform W e b n o v e l. You may find
our App on Appstore or Google Play, which has over tens of millions
installations.
We would like to offer a non-exclusive contract for your novels
currently on the site, this way, you can keep the novel on the site
but at the same time also help you tap on the large reader base of on
our platform with over 60 million unique user views, making it a
win-win situation.
Please feel free to reach out to me with regards to this, we want to
understand your needs first and foremost as an author to help you
reach the target market you want to hit.
If you want to reach out personally, You can contact me at： Facebook: www.facebook.com/WebnovelEditors Facebook Messenger:
WebnovelEditors (There should be a space between two words) Instagram:
WebnovelEditors (There should be a space between two words) Discord:
Anna#5681 Email: editorwn.anna@gmail.com
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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
Flip a coin. Heads he lives, Tails he dies. That way neither you nor your reader can predict if he lives or not.
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: From a challenge perspective, the villain should have some set of abilities or powers that make defeating them a real challenge for the protagonist. For example, The villian in "Iron Man
From a challenge perspective, the villain should have some set of abilities or powers that make defeating them a real challenge for the protagonist. For example, The villian in "Iron Man 3" is hard for Iron Man to defeat because he is really good at destroying Iron Man's suits. Scarlemagne presented a real challenge to Kipo in "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts" because he could mind control humans, and Kipo was a human. Ant-Man has trouble beating ghost in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" because he can't attack something that doesn't have solid form.
Making the villain simply a more powerful version of the protagonist also works. You can see this in "Shazam!", "Iron Man", "Star Wars" (Luke and Darth Vader), "Ant-Man", and "The Incredible Hulk".
From a character standpoint, great villains often act as the foil to the main character. That means that the main villain is like the protagonist in several ways, except in one key way, which makes the protagonist worth rooting for and the antagonist worth rooting against. This happens in "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" a lot: King Sombra wants order but not harmony, Queen Chrysalis wants to take love but not give it, Discord wants laughter but at the cost of order. Indiana Jones seeks treasure, but unlike his enemies, he wants to put them in a museum. In "Iron Man", Both Tony Stark and his business partner want to make money, but Tony decides to stop manufacturing weapons.
In order to be more compelling, the villain also needs to see what they're doing as right. The King Pin in "Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse" nearly destroyed the city, but was doing it to bring back someone he loved. Zaheer tried to kill Korra because he thought it would benefit the world as a whole in "Avatar: Legend of Korra". "Steven Universe"'s Diamonds blasted the Earth with a beam that corrupted the gems there because they were trying to squash a rebellion. Villains that think of themselves as evil are less compelling.
Additionally, the villain should win at least some of the time. It's not as intense if the protagonist wins every battle. I'm not saying the villain should win in the end "Avengers: Infinity War" style, but they should win at least a few battles, potentially all of them except for the final fight. This keeps the reader guessing as to what's going to happen next, and makes the stakes of each scene have more weight.
In summary: a villain should have powers that counter the hero's, or has the same powers but at a higher level. The villain is often the foil for the hero. The villain needs to see themselves as "the good guy". The villain should win some of the time.
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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
Heck yeah, you can kill a main character. If you've read the Harry Potter series,
Spoiler alert if you haven't
The Goblet of Fire opens up with a character who quickly becomes central to that books story line. Cedric Diggory was created as a mostly perfect character, (very likable, handsome, nice) specifically so that when he was killed at the end of the Goblet of Fire it set a precedent of how bad Voldemort really is and increases the seriousness in the books following.
Cedric of course was not a main character but quickly became an important character.
I would Definitely say that it's fine to kill a main character and there are a lot of other books out there that do it. Just make sure their death is impactful to the reader, the storyline and the other characters.
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: See examples 1 and 2 in section X - or - See section X, examples 1 and 2 Which form is more common when referring to examples (or, for example, tables)? Some text (see examples 1a and 2e
Which form is more common when referring to examples (or, for example, tables)?
Some text (see examples 1a and 2e in X).
or
Some text (see X, examples 1a and 2e).
X is the title of the section. The word "section" is not included.
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: Using real names in fiction I'm thinking of writing a fiction novel. The plot I've outlined so far centers largely around one possible path the future of our world could take over the next
I'm thinking of writing a fiction novel. The plot I've outlined so far centers largely around one possible path the future of our world could take over the next several decades. In doing so, the story revolves largely around the politics and policies of the United States and China. It may also connect to certain pseudo-governmental organizations, such as the UN, WTO, WHO, etc.
However, it will not be naming any real people, private businesses, etc; other than perhaps for some historical context.
I would make up names, but who they are in present day is a big part of who they will be in the future. The story doesn't paint them in a very flattering light; but the light will be consistent with the way they have conducted themselves out here in the real world. Warts and all.
What kind of liability would I be opening myself up to if I used the real names of these countries and pseudo-governments?
Edit to clarify: I'm mostly concerned about the real-life countries, governments, and pseudo-government organizations. The near-duplicate questions do indeed answer the question about real-life individual people.
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: 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
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 am trying to find the word, because there are no clear rules of how to use metaphors, except some people often agrees that metaphors used in a certain way is bad or improper or bad style.
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: Re: How to write in third person present tense without making it sound awkward? Generally it is preferred that one use present tense with POV, or at least it sounds organic. Are there any ground
The biggest pitfall I find with third person present tense is that it can start to sound like a movie script. Like stage directions.
He goes to the fridge and opens it. It's empty. So he closes the fridge and walks to the cupboard.
Feels kind of stale, doesn't it? It's just action beat after action beat.
My advice, therefore, would be to bear this in mind when writing. Include beautiful descriptions, plenty of dialogue, and plenty of inner thoughts. This will help to prevent this 'stage directions syndrome'.
He walks to the fridge, his stomach wrenching from the two days of starvation. The fridge is empty. A heavy disappointment shudders through him, making him gag on nothing. The cupboards. Please, he whispers, please let there be something in the cupboards.
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: Re: How can I handle a powerful mentor character without killing them off? I'm writing a book series that involves people with various superpowers. One of these characters and is more or less the
I want to propose another idea:
The hero and the mentor are both on the same side, same page, both capable.
But there comes a threat, a problem, that both cannot solve. Not alone, not together.
It's time. It's time to be the hero, someone has to save the day.
It's time to transcend, to get to a new state of being. The hero becomes greater than their mentor. Both tried to solve it and couldn't, it needed a change that only one was able to accomplish: the true hero.
This can all be mental, it can be a new superpower, it can be a trick. But when you understand, there will be something different.
Edit: more insight: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HeartIsAnAwesomePower
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: Re: How can I handle a powerful mentor character without killing them off? I'm writing a book series that involves people with various superpowers. One of these characters and is more or less the
The protagonist outgrows the mentor
The mentor can be great, but it doesn't mean the protagonist cannot become even better. This was the case with Obi Wan and Luke, just that Obi Wan didn't live to see it (but he did see it in the force-ghost form;)
Another example is Morpheus and Neo. In the beginning Morpheus is more experienced and capable than Neo (even though he believes Neo to be the chosen one). When Morpheus is captured Neo rushes to save him, and by the way discovers his own full potential.
Your mentor could be overwhelmed with problems/enemies, simply unable to help your protagonist, but your protagonist to their own surprise fares well on their own. The protagonist doesn't even have to become strictly better than the mentor, or face threats greater than the mentor does. It's enough to just be in the same league.
If you have several main protagonists then the same applies. You can make one of them grow significantly. You can have some of them, or all of them, grow. Or you can have them grow together as a team, which means that they are not that powerful individually, but as a team they are even more powerful than the mentor.
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: When vs. If vs. In situation where An excerpt from Microsoft Writing Style Guide, which I'm trying to follow: Use if to express a condition, use whether to express uncertainty, and use when
An excerpt from Microsoft Writing Style Guide, which I'm trying to follow:
Use if to express a condition, use whether to express uncertainty, and use when for situations that require preparation or to denote the passage of time. Examples:
If you don't know whether a network key is needed, contact your network administrator.
Use your BitLocker recovery key to sign in if you're locked out of your computer after too many failed password attempts.
When Setup is complete, restart your computer.
To find out whether TrueType fonts are available ….
Save a webpage to view it later, even if you're not connected to the internet.
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/style-guide/a-z-word-list-term-collections/i/if-vs-whether-vs-when
Here is an old version of my text; the version that I have written before trying to follow Microsoft recommendations:
When you need key–value pairs, use associative arrays.
Otherwise, use simple ones.
According to Microsoft recommendations, I changed it to
If you need key–value pairs, use associative arrays.
Otherwise, use simple ones.
But now it doesn't look syntactically correct to me. The problem is that I think that "if" must not be followed by a plural form. (My primary language is different from English.)
Here is the solution I came to, though I'm not sure it is really good or even correct:
In situations where you need key–value pairs, use associative arrays.
Otherwise, use simple ones.
How would you resolve such an issue? Is my solution good?
edit. Here is how simple and associative arrays look:
SimpleArray = ["Value1", "Value2", "Value3"]
AssociativeArray = ["Key1": "Value1", "Key2": "Value2", "Key3": "Value3"]
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: Is a Critique Group More Often Helpful or Not When Writing a First Draft? I am currently writing my first draft, and also happen to be in a critique group. It's my understanding a first draft
I am currently writing my first draft, and also happen to be in a critique group. It's my understanding a first draft is going to have lots of issues. This is where I am confused. While a critique group can offer some useful advice, can it also be a hindrance to just progressing with the story?
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: If unstated, do literary magazines generally publish work submitted by minors? Unless a literary magazine/journal is looking for work from a certain age range (ex. the teen experience, 20 to 30-year-olds),
Unless a literary magazine/journal is looking for work from a certain age range (ex. the teen experience, 20 to 30-year-olds), I rarely see age restrictions under submission guidelines. If unspecified, is it safe to assume that most literary magazines/journals publish will work submitted by minors? I understand that competition is steeper for young writers, but I am asking this question from a legal/technical standpoint as opposed to a competitive one. Additionally, if unstated, do literary magazines generally accept international submissions, or are submissions often limited to their regional area (ex. only residents of the United States)? As a novice writer, any information on this would be extremely appreciated!
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: Creating a unique spin on a nuclear apocalypse? Basically, my story follows a group of 6 people (and 1 mutant human) exploring a barren wasteland of what used to be the USA. The world they
Basically, my story follows a group of 6 people (and 1 mutant human) exploring a barren wasteland of what used to be the USA.
The world they inhabit was created through a nuclear war, that led to a nuclear winter wiping out a good majority of the population and and animal life, and completely collapsing civilization.
I want my setting to be unique from the Fallouts or Mad Maxs settings, but I don’t know how. I haven’t figured out what could to differentiate myself, so that is my question today. How do I create a unique spin on a nuclear post-apocalypse?
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: Realistically writing culture shock for this character? I want some help writing a character. Her name is Christina and she lived in an underground bunker, in a post-apocalyptic world, so she’s
I want some help writing a character.
Her name is Christina and she lived in an underground bunker, in a post-apocalyptic world, so she’s really sheltered. But she has to leave, along with a group of more experienced Wastelanders, and has to adapt to the surface.
In this world the bunker dwellers basically live in strict totalitarian-esque place, where the population are made to follow strict rules, upkeeping their shelter and society. The surface by contrast, is the opposite for the most part. Nomadic scavengers and raiders, with scattered farming settlements and more primitive tribal societies.
How do I realistically write the culture shock that Christina experiences on the surface?
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: How can one go about writing with a full time job? I'm a single working professional who after work, chores, and sleep can manage to find only a few hours to sit down and write each day.
I'm a single working professional who after work, chores, and sleep can manage to find only a few hours to sit down and write each day.
I do however try to religiously read everyday. Writing seems to take more effort from my part.
Can anyone share an outlook they developed to help them keep constant and focused in their writing habits?
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: How to cite a combination I expected this simple, but cannot find any good source. Assume there are two sources, source A and source B. Both are different from each other, that is A provides
I expected this simple, but cannot find any good source. Assume there are two sources, source A and source B. Both are different from each other, that is A provides some info on a problem, B provides other info. I would like to cite the combination. Something like: I do ... because ... (And, 2008; Byl, 2012). I realize I could split it somehow, but just assume that this combination makes sense in my context. Is the above way correct? I thought the ";" can only be used if both sources say the same thing. But here they are different parts, adding up together.
Thanks for any hints how to handle this correctly.
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: Where to draw the line between bloody and purely repulsive? Violence and gore are an integral part of my story. However, I can usually keep the focus on the emotions, and the reactions, rather
Violence and gore are an integral part of my story. However, I can usually keep the focus on the emotions, and the reactions, rather than the description of the injury.
My problem comes with one of my villains, Best Dad. His entire persona is as a performance artist in gore. You can't take that away from him; I don't want to diminish his image! Best Dad is supposed to be creepy, repulsive, and irredeemable to the point where his own teammates are scared of him.
Yet, I don't want to disgust the audience too much. How do I strike this balance?
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: What makes a complete monster fun? My metaverse is really short on villains. That's a problem as there are many characters whose heroism is defined by the enemy they fight. A noble savage can't
My metaverse is really short on villains. That's a problem as there are many characters whose heroism is defined by the enemy they fight.
A noble savage can't work in a setting where civilization and agriculture did more good for the overall morality of humans as they don't have to fight over resources anymore.
The same goes for those who fight monsters. If the best I can offer is a dragon who likes playing fetch with sticks, reads fantasy books, and occasionally steals apples from a lord's garden, no matter how strong he is, kicking his ass won't be cathartic because he isn't diabolical, just misbehaving.
Lizard people obviously won't make great villains, the Icon of Simp is too strong, etc...
So, I decided to offload the evil into a single character, a member of the major arcana Bondrewd Best Dad, the user of Death 13. His abilities allow him to infect up to 100 people with nanomachines. He, depending on how long the machines have been in the victim's body, can control a person's muscles and even blow them up. This ability is a gorier version of Hokuto Shin Ken with at-convenience remote activation and ranged attack added. However, that most likely won't be enough.
As you probably guessed, Best Dad is based-off of Bondrewd from Made in Abyss. That guy is hands-down the best villain ever. Despite being the epitome of evil and turning children into literal moe blobs to attain Scientific Triumph, he has been memed to pieces (spoilers) and was, you guessed it, nicknamed 'Best Dad' by the fans. Here's a short vid to catch you up on why Bondrewd is a monster.
I want to emulate his character, but I don't know why he became so popular, avoided becoming the next Umbridge, and attained meme status. How can I write a similarly engaging but clearly and irredeemably evil character?
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: Re: How do you make a realistic character? Ok, so I feel like my character is too perfect. I try to make her have flaws but it's not working so well. I reread my story so far and I found
Nel here! If you think the character is too perfect than, depending on the setting, she can be bullied for something like a visible scar(like on her face)from some kind of surgery. She could have a really meaningful flaw like, idono, rising slight paranoia! Yeah, probably not. Maybe Making her be insecure or having a deep change of heart.
Make sure she impacts the reader in some way!
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: Re: Wizardry before Harry Potter I'm writing a book about the hidden wizard world that spread and broke because of the fear of being shown up and it's the first book that starts the series, the
I think it's a great idea! You should definitely go for it! Just make sure you don't use too much of the Harry Potter series, though it's okay to get inspiration from it! The book that I'm trying to write, I started because of inspiration from the "Harley Merlin" series, so it's okay to have inspiration! Make sure to put a GINORMOUS spin of you onto it, okay?
Be you forever!
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: Re: How do I make a dialogue tag for a man speaking to someone behind himself Currently I have a very uncomfortable sentence: '#####' announced Graham behind himself, turning his head away as
Stop trying to do it with a tag; clarity is more important than brevity.
While looking out the window, Graham spoke to John standing behind him. "####."
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: Re: How to refer to siblings who are friends? Two of the MCs in the novel I'm working on are half-sisters, and also great friends. Currently, when referring to them, I alternate between using "sisters"
Two of the MCs in the novel I'm working on are half-sisters, and also great friends.
One is an objective fact, the other is an interpretation of their relationship. As an omniscient narrator, you should stick to the former and let the characters and their actions convince the reader of the latter.
In general, if you introduce someone as your friend, people are going to assume you're acquainted but not related or romantically involved. Calling your wife or sister a friend is more than just defining your relationship in absolute terms - it's making a statement on it and letting the other person know your thoughts on it. That's not the job of the narrator, that's the job of the characters.
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: Re: What is the publishing service for both blog and book I am planning to start writing material online. I need a single platform to host the following A regular running blog It should be easy
Since you are writing technical material (including code), you may have some experience with programming and related technologies. If so, I recommend Github pages.
Benefits:
It's free.
There are several clean templates available.
You have basic markdown (as used here on SE) for the simple styling and HTML for anything more fancy.
It's incredibly flexible because of its simplicity. Anything you can do with HTML and javascript, you can achieve in pages. It should be simple enough to organize a book with an HTML page per chapter.
Code snippets with syntax highlighting are supported by default.
All material is stored in a version control system by default, so you can always go back to earlier versions, or even make a branch if you want to try something that may not pay off. Contrast this with solutions like Wordpress where your content is stored in a database in a difficult to read format, or Medium, where it isn't stored in anything you have access to.
For more complicated things (tagging posts, blog posts sorted by date, etc) there are several Jekyll plugins. You can generate the site offline, and upload the generated site to pages.
The drawback is that you need to be comfortable using git, writing in markdown and using Ruby software.
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: Re: When and how to reveal the details of a protagonist's traumatic backstory I'm writing a screenplay. The main character has suffered a major tragedy, but we don't know that yet. This, of course,
It's probably helpful to look at two extremes.
1) Give everything away up front. Tell the story chronologically. This makes it a classic origin story: tragedy makes the (anti)-hero. Goes to get revenge/redemption. Anything from the original telling of most superhero myths (Batman, Spider-Man) to revenge exploitation films like Death Wish follow this structure.
This approach makes the story structure very straightforward, so the events themselves had better be interesting. On the other hand, if you have an interesting story, you should tell it in the most straightforward way.
2) Make the backstory the central mystery. Inception is a clear example. Cob is a man with a traumatic history, but we don't get all the details until the very end. A large part of the fun of the story is figuring out what is going on, as the plot unfolds, and seeing the pieces fall into place.
The main risk with approach 2 is that the character's actions won't make sense without their motivation. The audience needs to understand the actions of the character at least a little to stay with the plot (unless you're writing an avant-garde play). In inception, this is solved by disclosing Cob's motivation in different levels (which is apposite given the theme of the film): we learn very quickly that he needs to complete a complex heist, and that he has some important reason to take a big risk. This is enough information to follow along at the start. Then bit by bit, we learn more about what exactly he wants, how he got into this situation and why he makes certain odd choices (such as not designing the dream world himself). The revelation of the entire backstory is explicitly saved up as the big reveal of the film (taking precedence over the result of the heist itself).
Another common trick that Inception uses is to introduce a POV character other than the traumatized individual (in this case Ariadne). This gives the audience a character they can sympathize with while the protagonist is still ambiguous. Nick Carraway in the Great Gatsby is another example of this.
One of the main difficulties with option 1 is that the trauma isn't very meaningful until we're invested in the character. This is why it's so often massively over-the-top (home invasion, rape/murder etc) and still rings quite hollow. This is one benefit of the second approach, a much smaller trauma, that feels more realistic can be much more shocking if we already know the character. I can't think of any story that gives trauma up front and still manages to solve this problem.
In general I would say it's best to go for one of the extremes, rather than something in the middle. Once you've made your choice you know what your job is. Either you set up the stakes right away and slowly unfold the backstory step-by-step, or you set up the trauma right away, and you slowly let the consequences unfold.
As for finding the moment and the pace, you could start by breaking up your backstory into a series of reveals, and spread these throughout the story. Inceptions has its early reveals when there is a lull in the ongoing action, but the big reveal happens just as/before the heist climaxes. This is good for action driving development.
The Great Gatsby has more of a tragic structure, with the reveal in the middle, and the world unraveling slowly after. What works for you depends on the story and the genre.
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