@Vandalay250
Last seen: Mon 17 May, 2021
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: How To Make Something Straight-foward and Dark Into A Kid's Picture Book? Let me explain. My book is about a little boy directed by a "wolf" to burn his farm's sheep. Consequently,
Let me explain.
My book is about a little boy directed by a "wolf" to burn his farm's sheep. Consequently, it burns on the grass and his house, making him kill or seriously injure most of his family. The facility takes him afterward. It's actually a place to raise children in an animal environment who were previously tragically associated with animals. At the end of the book, our character is killed by being taken to an international children's' meat processor on an island.
I want to make this a children's book, but after looking at darker examples, the closest they get are hunted dolls with happy endings. I need help. Should my story be geared towards those who are older instead? Or should I try and find a way to make these hidden themes subtle? If so, what are some universal tips for doing so? Or is this plot just not suitable for children at all?
The book is aimed at children aged 5-9.
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: Re: I accidentally added a character, and then forgot to write them in for the rest of the series I am a young author writing a fantasy series. When I was looking over my manuscript, I realized
As Autumn appears as a token of the Queen's support and as the Queen comes to their salvation at the end of the tale, you could consider dropping in very small and perhaps mysterious comments re Autumn's activities and presence along the way. These could take very little effort to add but could add an (extra) element of mystery and you could if desired weave them into a very major component of the final outcome.
Maybe Autumn has been 'reporting back' throughout.
Maybe Autumn has a very special relationship with the Queen (daughter, ...?).
Maybe her role has been far more major than was realised throughout.
(While Strider morphs into Aragorn and is obviously important in the Lord of the Rings, it's relatively late in the tale that we begin to realise that he is THE King.)
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: Stuck with writer's block I'm writing a short story in which my protagonist is a little boy. An unexpected event happens and makes his life upside down which is blindness. This latter causes
I'm writing a short story in which my protagonist is a little boy. An unexpected event happens and makes his life upside down which is blindness. This latter causes him depression and now I don't know how to make him get rid of this depression !
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: Should multiple chapters share the same page? Now that my memoir is published, I notice how there are multiple chapters beginning sharing the same page that the previous chapter ended on. I
Now that my memoir is published, I notice how there are multiple chapters beginning sharing the same page that the previous chapter ended on. I don't like how it looks at all. Looking at other author's published books I notice that their book's are not the same way as mine, with multiple chapters sharing pages. Should multiple chapters be sharing the same pages?!
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: Re: Main Character Death I have a main character out of 3 main characters in a Historical Fiction book. His name is Darius. I have planned for him to die in a POW camp during WW1, this will
This could end very well or not, depending on how you write this.
The way you leave the reader satisfied is simply how your write. I know that you want more structural and helpful advice, but that's really it. If you can write well enough to leave the reader thinking that Darius died an honorable death, you're going to have to comb through your story multiple times to make it the best you can.
If you want your character to die an honorable death, you need to show how the character either gives himself up in the name of something greater (which I think is your plan, since he's a POW) or have him not "plan" to die, but die in a finite way. making it honorable is hard to do, so I would look to something like Harry Potter (bad example, but it's the first that came to mind) and look at people like Fred, Lupin, Sirius, and Harry's parents. These people all died honorably, and that can give you a starting point if you can figure out what they all have in common (hint: they all care about someone).
As for the other two characters getting on with their life, I think that's a good idea, but you have to remember that everyone handles death differently, even characters. Let your characters feel sad for a period of time, then show them slowly realizing they have to move on and still live life.
I hope this helps :).
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: Re: Character development. Do I need major events for changes or can it be more gradual I have this main character who is very academically gifted but has a bunch of problems. For example he is:
Does your main character have a backstory or reason to be this violent, blind, rude, and ill-tempered? If so then part of the story should be about him coming to terms with this reason, moving on, and changing. The changes don’t have to be HUGE, just big enough so that the reader recognizes that the character has changed, and has become a better version of the person he was before. If there is no dramatic change in the character, then the reader will loose interest.
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: How to start an argument between characters My problem here is that I have two main characters, who, in the future, will end up dating. I’m trying to create friction between them at the
My problem here is that I have two main characters, who, in the future, will end up dating. I’m trying to create friction between them at the beginning of my series so that they gradually fall in love. The best way that I see to do that is making them have arguments.
The only problem:
Arguments are out of Character for both characters.
They both are very selfless and kind hearted, but the flaws that they DO have don’t include quick tempers.
They both have tragic pasts where they let someone they love die, and they feel like it was their fault.
Thinking that the other character couldn’t possibly understand what they’re going through, they resist telling each other, even though the other character understands perfectly.
There is also and external conflict, but inner conflict makes it intriguing. The setting is a magical fairy tale Forest, except everything is trying to kill them, and they have no idea how they got there. All they are trying to do is go home, and they come from everyday life. The girl is seventeen, the guy is eighteen. And it’s not just them in the story. There are lots of other characters, but the guy is the first person the girl met in the Forest.
So my question:
How would I beat create conflict with these characters?
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: Can I write a different book before my sequel? I am just about done writing the first book in a series. I have an idea for the next book in that series (let's call it "book a"),
I am just about done writing the first book in a series. I have an idea for the next book in that series (let's call it "book a"), but I also have another idea brewing in my mind which takes place in another universe (let's call it "book b"). I want to write "book b" badly, but I feel I should get my first series over and done with. I feel like starting another before then might confuse me. To be clear, I do enjoy writing about the universe of "book a" a lot, so I'm not quite sure what to do right now.
Is it advisable to begin writing a book in an unrelated series before finishing my first series?
If my wording was too confusing, let me know and I'll try to help. :)
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: Re: How to separate scenes in a chapter? I have multiple scenes in a chapter, sometimes from different POVs, or different locations/times. Now I would like to make it clear to the reader that they
I was using three asterisks, centered, which worked well in self-published books. However, I recently posted a new work to Fictionpress.com in order to get some feedback on it. Fictionpress.com does not like three asterisks, centered. It does, however, accept periods, commas, and some other marks. I tried a line of periods, but the site condensed it down to an ellipsis. However, period space period ad infinitum works. So does a line of commas, but that's ugly. I would prefer to use ***, but . . . . . works just as well to let the reader know there's been a scene or time
change.
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: Re: Everyone has a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay. Does that apply to me? Everyone has a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay I'm not
You said that you would want others to read that, but you didn't say how important that goal was to you. I think that it's important to recognize that just like the world is flooded with mediocre musicians, it's also flooded with mediocre writers. If you knew that others would not care about reading it, would you still want to write it?
I suggest that you write a five or ten page "book report" of your story. This book report will have three sections. The first section is a description of the book as though you had completed and were very satisfied with it. This is a synopsis of the story. It should summarize the story in a way that causes someone reading the synopsis to want to read your book. So you need to understand that this is not an outline of every aspect of the book. It doesn't need to cover how all the transitions take place from scene to scene. But it does need to highlight several parts of the book in vivid detail, so that a reader of this book report would be wanting you to hurry up and write the book because they could hardly wait to read it.
The second part should be an overview of what made the story compelling or interesting to read. This part will be in the voice of someone who had read the book and was impressed by it. This section should cover things like if you were unable to put it down once you started reading, how immersed you were in the book, what parts of the book will remain with you for a long time, etc. This should be in the form of one friend telling another about a book that they had read and why they liked it so much. So it can touch on plot elements, but it can also cover things like writing style or anything else related to the book outside the plot.
The final part of the book report should be a section giving a brief overview of how you went from knowing nothing about writing to being an author. This part is written in your own voice. It should explain if you took writing courses, or joined writers groups, or exactly what tools and practices allowed you to become a writer. How many hours a day did you write? How did you get yourself to remain focused on completing the book and what period of time did it take you to write it.
Once you have the book report like you want it, get one of your friends to read it over. This needs to be someone you can trust to be brutally honest with you. You are having them read it for two purposes. You want to see how they judge the writing in the book report, and you also want them to say what they think about this book that you are writing about. Once they've read it over, listen to and accept any criticism that they may have without challenging them. Challenge any praise that they have for it and have them explain to you why they think the good parts are good. Thank them profusely for their input.
Incorporate any changes that you want to make into the book report and then repeat the process with another friend. I believe that as you go through this process, it will help you focus on the important elements of the story, and help you explore if you are really ready to do this or not. The nice thing about this is that you are not writing a book. You are writing about writing, and you can portray the most favorable outcome possible without encountering the limitations that you would actually encounter while writing the book.
In effect, the suggestion is to write three closely related short stories about the writing of your book. Doing this will allow you to flex your writing muscles slightly, but it will allow you to plan how you are going to accomplish this.
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: Re: When in the editing process should I edit characters and their arcs? When in the self-editing stages should I edit my characters? I have researched a bit on this but I haven't found any time
Editing character could be considered a part of the structural edit. Not before the structural edit, or after it, but during it.
According to this link a structural edit focuses on literary devices such as:
Character Development/Characterisation: Are the characters authentic?
Do they have realistic motivations and relationships with one another?
Which would seem to suggest, as I said, that editing your characters is **part** of the structural edit.
However, in your case, (correct me if I'm wrong on this) your editing seems to be a bit more fundamental. Maybe you want to flesh out your characters' likes and dislikes, tweak their personality, or changing their history to better fit the story. In a way that might not even relate to their character arc.
Enter **Developmental Editing**
While I've seen structural and developmental editing grouped together at times, [this site][2] breaks them into two separate stages. And, it puts developmental editing **before** the structural editing. According to the site:
Developmental editing checks concept, plot coherence, and character
development/arc.
Going with that, if the character editing you're looking for has to do with further developing your characters, the time to do this might be before structural editing.
I'd suggest you think what makes most sense to edit first. If editing your characters will likely cause major (or minor) structural changes, then edit your characters first. If, however, your structural edit might decide what you need to edit about your characters, do that first.
In any case, editing your characters will likely lead to another structural edit if you want to fully flesh out the connection between your characters and the story. So, if you're not sure where to start, I suggest you start with editing your characters.
Good luck!
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: Re: Is This a Bad Infodump? I’m kind of in a dilemma. If I was to write a prologue to a fantasy story about the history of the kingdom and the political scope of what is happening there,
I know the question is months old but you probably didn't yet finish writing the book and you certainly haven't selected an answer, so here's mine.
Prologues are stories, and stories aren't bad. What matters is execution.
Let's see what makes prologues bad so we can think about overcoming those aspects.
prologues are boring if/when, instead of immersing readers into the world, they work as a filter--like reading from a history textbook. The obvious solution is to use POV characters, dramatize the key points (throw away the non-key points or weave them later into the story), and use all-senses immersion to draw readers into the world as opposed to keeping them at a distance.
prologues are infodumps if they're written as exposition about a world no one cares about yet. The solution to this is to write the same information as action (i.e. dramatized scenes).
but if you write the backstory as dramatized scenes, the problem becomes that readers may bond with someone else than the MC, usually someone who'll die or be irrelevant to the story. This is more upsetting when there's a switcheroo where the writing makes them think the POV is the MC, and then backtracks on that promise. The solution to that is twofold: a) making the correct promise so readers know the POV is indeed a throwaway one, so they won't bond and be disappointed and b) immersive writing that makes reading entertaining enough to overcompensate (visceral all-senses details, characterization through action, interesting bits of inner monologue suggesting the worldbuilding etc). I'll return to this point.
Writing isn't an exact science so, rather than thinking in terms of 'bad' and 'good', I prefer to think in terms of 'what can I do to make this exact story work?' In light of that idea, here are execution tricks that should make your prologue work.
1). Dramatize it.
You already said you want your prologue to be somewhat of a montage.
Now, we're taught as writers that putting information on the page in the character's voice is already much more entertaining than writing plain exposition. But inner monologue still isn't the best way to write the backstory. For instance, I'm struggling to read Kingdom of Liars by Nick Martell (recommended by Brandon Sanderson). The problem is that the main character's voice is, at best, ponderous. It's unfunny, it's unfocused, it's long winded, and frankly the narrative doesn't seem to know where it's headed. This pile-up of negative qualities kills pacing (where pacing = the narrative seeming to progress in some direction). Kingdom of Liars opens to a long (or at least slow) internal narrative where the character outlines something about his father being a traitor, and him being judged at the time for some obscure act. The fact is the guy is in a courtroom but the narration is kept close in his head which makes it feel like nothing happens because the camera is angled inward rather than outward. So unless the voice is funny-as-hell Pratchettian and you have something interesting to say, inner monologue falls flat in comparison with action.
Returning to the idea of montage, what I'd do is write mini-scenes with the key points of the historical conflict I need to convey. No war to make it exciting? No problem. Equally well, I'd open with (I wrote this example on the spot--sadly I can't seem to format it any better):
Queen Galpharmina tapped her fingers on the cold golden ram head of the throne's armrest, keeping her face straight as she measured the Envoy. The sweaty itch under her klakhor wool wig made her scalp twitch--it turned out klakhor was as bad as sheep in this heat wave.
The Queen kept her unblinking gaze on the Envoy and gave the silence time to mount as the Envoy stewed. In the meantime, she made a mental note to try the peacock feathers wig tomorrow.
The richly clothed man standing before the throne's foot very slowly blanched under her stare. Worry lines deepened on his face and his hands shot up to grab onto the thick rings of his Baramettal collars, the insignia of his rank.
In the quiet, Galpharmina's words resounded like the new durasteel cannon she witnessed tested only yesterday. "Kill the Envoy."
The Envoy gasped, falling to his knees, and he opened his mouth in shock.
A deafening din erupted, filling the throne room as hundreds of voices whispered, shouted, and begged. At the back of the crowd, several courtiers shuffled hurriedly to the exits.
Galpharmina made another mental note with their names. Effortlessly, her voice covered the crowd as she breathed in and let her Power Octaves flow out her throat to amplify her sound. "Send his flayed carcass to Mad King Phear." She used that name on purpose, so he will hear of her contempt.
The Envoy's lips moved like those of a beached fish but no words came out. He placed his hands on the floor as if to stop himself from falling.
Galpharmina's trusted advisor burst out of the crowd and made for the throne, his white hair in disarray and his velvets disheveled as if he ran. He kneeled next to the Envoy, in an exaggeration of court manners.
"What is it, Treak?" Galpharmina asked as if she didn't know what he was about to say. As if they hadn't rehearsed this scene weeks in advance.
"My Queen," Treak gasped, "think of the consequences! King Phear will declare war."
On cue, Galpharmina said what she'd--quite literally--been itching to say for hours. "Then let him taste our new artillery."
The Envoy's eyes shot up at her, their whites bulging like those of frightened horses.
The crowd's din peaked and cheers rose from the throng of courtiers in the audience.
"She did it!"
"The Queen has durasteel!"
This scene can, of course, also be written as "The Queendom of Batakria developed new artillery in 1765 to face the threat from the north. Their breakthrough was based on discovering a new metal infused with magical properties".
Write these mini-scenes viscerally. Write them in super close POV to make the readers enjoy the throwaway characters and breathe the world. Use all-senses immersion to make the experience of reading these mini-scenes as much about being transported to that world as they're about the world information you want to convey.
Make the right promises. If you write mini-scenes dramatizing the key points of a long war, possibly one spanning centuries, all the POV characters will be dead at the end. Readers often hate prologues because they've been given the wrong promise. They dislike getting invested into a character only for them to die unexpectedly 2 pages later (unless it's a modern fantasy based on subverting tropes and hence is killing the Chosen One to show it). So make it obvious from the first lines that all these characters will die and this is for the story's benefit. In the example above, while readers are probably amused by Galpharmina and Treak's scheme to maximize the impact of the announcement, they won't be shocked to discover she's dead for 500 years when the main story starts.
Keep the mini-scenes short. The shorter the mini-scenes that dramatize the key points of the Ten Thousand Years War are, the less time readers have to become invested in characters, and they can have fun instead. Sure, you want readers be invested in your characters, but in the right ones, not the throwaways.
Keep it interesting. Give each mini-scene a payoff. A super cool artifact is found, or a key person is saved, or a disaster is stopped with the prices of the character's lives (so they die but they win), or a cool fact about the world is revealed. If you use worldbuilding information as payoffs rather than presenting it as exposition, its entertainment value increases tenfold.
Write interesting characters. This is a special point, because I just said that readers shouldn't get attached to these throwaway characters, and that's true because you don't want to put readers off before they start liking the book. But the POV characters should still be cool and interesting to read about. Opening with incompetent, unsympathetic characters give a tone to the book and that tone will feel like stale coffee that's been sitting in the mug for days. Sketching the characters lightly through action, and making them chase the key point of the scene will make them dynamic and interesting. You don't need fully developed characters, you just need to have them do little quirky things that make them stand out.
3). Give your prologue an arc.
Outline the key points of the Ten Thousand Year War of Heavens and make the scenes build on each other as if it's an episodic story with an opening, a plot, and a conclusion. Like Asimov did with the Foundation. This will give it the meaning and direction prologues often lack because the throughline of the conflict can be traced through the scenes.
3). Only write the interesting bits.
By which I mean the key highlights of the Ten Thousand Year War of Heavens that shaped your world. Start the scene at the latest possible moment and end it early.
I know, defining "interesting" is the hardest thing but here's my shot. Interesting means a) stuff that doesn't happen in our world, i.e. is unique to the secondary world you're writing and b) stuff that's outrageous enough that it makes readers think "wait, what? how does this work?" Anything that readers already read elsewhere is in the great trove of common knowledge. You can safely rely on that knowledge of readers and skip the parts they're familiar with from Game of Thrones or Lost or whatever. Skip to the good bits that make your world unique and stir curiosity.
4). Call it something else than prologue.
Why do you necessarily need to call it a prologue? How about "Before the Beginning"? Or "How the Helionisil Archipelago Got Destroyed". Or something quirky like "The Evolution of Battle Customs During the Ten Thousand Year War Before the Jade Emperor of Heaven Descended the Black Gate Carried by the Nine Winds of Perfection."
Whatever you name it, make that name to be a hook. Make it interesting such that anyone who picks up the book will read it and say "oh I gotta know what this is about". If you hook readers well, they'll cut you more slack and be willing to wait and see where you're leading them.
Writing is like stage magic. The essence of the story stays the same, whereas the entertainment comes from how you do it. You don't have to be honest and call it a prologue. Make like a magician and call it something enticing. Storytelling is like hiding your kid's spinach in their fruit juice because they find a green drink more exciting and you can trick them by blending spinach in. Hide the concepts in the storytelling in a way that makes them exciting.
If this is what you were already planning to do, you'll be fine.
Anyway, you can do it. Good luck!
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: How get rid of writer's block? Not long ago, I used to be a regular person with a normal office job, but one day I quit it and started writing articles, sharing stories, and useful tips
Not long ago, I used to be a regular person with a normal office job, but one day I quit it and started writing articles, sharing stories, and useful tips about life on a small farm. Later I became a writer for a gardening-related website. I adored my job and would never have thought I could burn out.
I'm sure that this year turned out to be very difficult for many of us, and I was no exception. Due to the pandemic, our family faced various problems, some of which we haven't yet resolved. And for about a month now I've been noticing in myself a lack of desire to do anything or write something. It became very difficult for me to concentrate or come up with any ideas for an article. And it happens only with writing. However, this state hasn't affected other areas of life and I feel happy (if I might say so).
Can you please tell me if you faced the same problems and how did you cope with them?
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: When editing, should I use track changes? I want to keep a file for each of my editing stages throughout my self-editing process. Should I use track changes when I am editing so that I can
I want to keep a file for each of my editing stages throughout my self-editing process. Should I use track changes when I am editing so that I can see what I have changed, and then when I am on the next stage of editing should I accept those changes? Or is there a better option? (This is for a novel if that changes anything)
Sorry if this is confusing at all, I can elaborate more in the comments if needed.
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: How do I know if I've introduced too many characters too quickly? In my book, I start out by introducing the main character, her uncle, and her mother in one scene. The next scene involves
In my book, I start out by introducing the main character, her uncle, and her mother in one scene. The next scene involves her grandparents, and the next is about five more characters after that. The first two scenes are in one chapter, but the five new characters are in the next. How do I know if this is too many characters introduced at once?
I've heard that you shouldn't introduce too many characters all at once, and I'm not sure if this falls into that category. Does this advice mean not to introduce ten characters in one scene, or does it mean over an extended period of time? If it means over an extended period of time, I'm not sure if I fall into that category or not.
For reference, my genre is YA fantasy and this is the first novel I've written.
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: How do I write someone in pain? I am going over my writing and found that all of my scenes where my main character is in physical pain are dull. There is one scene in particular, when she
I am going over my writing and found that all of my scenes where my main character is in physical pain are dull. There is one scene in particular, when she drinks a power-awakening potion. It's supposed to be super draining and it makes her pass out, but in the space where she is conscious, there isn't enough "oomph" in the text.
I didn't feel anything at first, so I thought Uncle's research was
wrong. Then I felt a tingling in the back of my throat. It grew into a
tingling down mt whole spine, and I felt like my body was on fire. I
must've screamed, because this...this was pain. Pure raw pain.
Consuming me. Overtaking me. I felt my head rush, and faintly heard
someone call my name.
But I couldn't do anything. I curled up into a safe space in my mind,
where it was comfortable and cold. Here was safe. I could be here. it
was safe here.
It was safe here.
It was safe here.
it was safe here.
As you can see, it's a little flat. I'm not sure what to do, but I know it needs to be more powerful when she hides in her mind (passing out) and when the pain is consuming her.
P.S. I'm a new member here, so if this specific question isn't one that the Stack Writing platform usually handles, please let me know and I'll take it down and put this out on another website. :)
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: How to write better introductory passages (usually the first paragraph in the chapter that introduces the setting)? Each chapter of a novel usually has an opening paragraph, or an introductory
Each chapter of a novel usually has an opening paragraph, or an introductory passage, that lends a flavor to the setting essential for the action that will follow.
How to make the descriptions more bang-on and flowing despite detailing?
I want to pull it off without sounding like a show-off or having plucked it off wikipedia.
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: Problems about making a story suspenseful I've been writing my first story for almost one year, and I am facing problems in working on suspense and that's why I'm slowing on it..I just present
I've been writing my first story for almost one year, and I am facing problems in working on suspense and that's why I'm slowing on it..I just present ideas, kind of explicitly and I don't know how to left the chance for the reader to think and to be excited ?
This fact unfortunately make me sometimes give up and think about stopping writing
How do I overcome this problem ?
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: 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
We typically have third person or first person narratives in literature. I have a requirement - to unveil the suspense, I want a non-living thing to share its perspective in the final chapter. Is this permissible, justified and/or sensible?
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: Re: When does a partially random event go from reasonably possible to contrived "deus ex machina"? There will always be some amount of luck, some amount of chance and randomness in any story. This
Author Shirley Hazzard:
I've thought that there may be more collisions ... in life than in
books. Maybe the element of coincidence is played down in literature
because it seems like cheating or can't be made believable. Whereas
life itself doesn't have to be fair, or convincing.
From The Transit of Venus, Viking Press, New York, 1980,
p. 62.
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: Re: Writing dialogues for characters whose first language is not English I am seriously wondering how to go about writing dialogues for characters whose native language isn't English and who aren't
This problem may be circumvented by instead writing the character's dialogue in English, but changing the tone to reflect the tone of his first language. To make my point clearer, you should note the difference between traditional English novels (whether American or British, for that matter) and Russian novels (translated by a good translator and providing appropriate English equivalents for Russian phrasing). Take Erast Fandorin, for example.
Most of the time, dialogue from such characters is avoided and instead conveyed in the third person. When two characters speaking the same foreign language converse, English may be used to write dialogue, albeit with a different tone, idioms, and style. Interactions between an English-speaker and a foreigner will have to be biased. In other words, one must choose a viewpoint to address the conversation. If not, the writer must possess at least basic knowledge of the foreign language (whether fictional or real!).
The same concept applies when we are writing within a fictional universe, where no English is spoken. You can write from one viewpoint; assign English to be used to convey dialogue in one particular language and treat other languages as one would foreign languages in the real world. Recall Star Wars?!
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: Re: The use of the tilde in English? The 'tilde' key, or (~) is commonly found in programming and in other languages to express repetition of characters, for example, 'Woooo!' would become 'Woo~!'
It seems that in old manuscript documents the tilda represented the repetition of 'm' or 'n' as shown in the example here (Susannah). [From parish register of St Mary-in-the-Marsh in Kent.]
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: I'm writing a book I recently quit my job and now I'm bored at home with nothing to do. So, I decided to write a book. There is an phone app I can upload it on... I want the main character
I recently quit my job and now I'm bored at home with nothing to do.
So, I decided to write a book.
There is an phone app I can upload it on...
I want the main character to be a woman in her 20s.
What I'm going for is that she is the sole child of a wealthy family, but she wanted to live her life as a normal lower-class civilian, so she moved out.
She wants to live on her own, find work, pay her own rent, so on.
At work she will meet a guy who is of lower-class and one of higher-class like her and will be at odds
What do you think the story should be named?
I would like it to be short and sweet and a little romantic.
Thank you..
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: Are there any good alternatives to "a fire inside" of someone? I'm trying to express the idea of a character undergoing a realisation, thus feeling an idea along the lines of a "fire being
I'm trying to express the idea of a character undergoing a realisation, thus feeling an idea along the lines of a "fire being ignited inside of him".
However, I was wondering, are there any better ways to express this? (I feel like the fire metaphor is slightly overused)
Thanks in advance :)
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: How popular is report type book? I'm professionally an engineer and though I've written a few articles for a website, it is nothing much. I quite like writing but I can't say I'm very skilled
I'm professionally an engineer and though I've written a few articles for a website, it is nothing much. I quite like writing but I can't say I'm very skilled at it, but I am good at searching things patiently.
So in this quarantine, I was thinking about writing a book on ongoing global pandemic in report format (perhaps monthwise), but I'm not sure how this type of book is received. It will be sort of written documentary type of work, but documentary is usually 'filmed' and not 'written'. I've perhaps never seen such type of a book.
I want an advice about whether it is worth writing this book from financial point of view, I don't expect it too be best-seller of course, a few hundred copies would be best achievement I understand. But still, how is the market for such type of book in general? Is the experience from this sort of work worth the time?
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: How can I succeed commercially if my idea of a great story is the audience's idea of a terrible story? This might be a silly question, I apologize if it's off-topic. I've noticed that audiences
This might be a silly question, I apologize if it's off-topic.
I've noticed that audiences and critics typically deeply dislike the majority of works of art that I like the most. Occasionally they may enjoy the work overall, but they still hate the specific elements that I consider the most compelling.
(By "elements" I mean anything like story ideas, worldbuilding, how a story is structured, how a sequel adds to a story or world, how characters are developed, how complex a plot is, how plot twists are foreshadowed and presented, how genres are blended, etc.)
As a consumer of works of art, I'm fine with my tastes and I don't need them validated. But as a creative person and aspiring writer, I'm a bit concerned. Do I stand a chance of succeeding as a published/professional author if my idea of a great story is (consistently) most people's idea of a terrible story?
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: Re: How do you show an introverted, socially awkward character is kind? I have a character for whom three of their most prominent traits are meant to be their kindness/high degree of empathy, social
Oblivious to social norms kind of makes it hard for them the know they should even act to be kind here. I suppose its about how oblivious they are ? Oblivious to holidays fine, oblivious to suggestive language like you being passive aggressive that so and so won't spend time with you can really harm your life with someone in the long run but if they can't figure out saying "hi" or a "how are you?" doesn't mean divulge your life story here to the rando who asked thats bad.
They have to have some idea of what is acceptable in polite society and at least be willing to mimic it to fit in. Unless its a hit you in the face is what allows this person to understand they crossed a social boundary or thirty.
If someone falls down or drops their stuff will so and so stop to help them? If they are too oblivious to social norms then no they won't. They'll shrug when called out and go, "But no one told me to help!"
So let's say they are a bit oblivious to minor things that won't hurt themselves or their relationships like they don't know or care about holidays but while they really can't remember birthdays they do write it down so they can seem like they did to others they actually care about so they can buy them stuff and be there.
If your person saw a person begging would they (A) go get them food and to hand through the window of their car with a, "good luck buddy" or would they (B) give them the change inside their car or pocket or (C) do nothing, say nothing?
If your person noticed someone wobbling would they (A) stop and stare with intent to help if this turned into a fall? (B) Stop, pause, notice the wobbling strange walk but move on, or (C) not notice?
If your character was broke or lost unemployment and had no future prospects of money coming in only of it going out and could really use money they are in the red finically and while walking one day a person oblivious to their surroundings drops a out of their pocket in the street all you character needs to do is scoop it up and pocket it. They can clearly see its a and they desperately need that money will they (A) pick it up and keep it? With minor or no guilt (B) pick it up run up to the oblivious dropper and given them their money back with an explanation of, "Hey you dropped this?" loosing their ability to pay a bill with the loss of the money.
Your empathy for others will move you when needed the social awkwardness will recede and you can go do the thing of kindness, especially kindness with no reward. The awkwardness doesn't shut you down if you've gone into adult hood its just you feel different a bit from others.
The empathy is double edged sword you feel for villains in your life unable to hate them even if they deserve it and you also feel it for randos who tell you about their health problems on the street you will stand and listen despite you have things to do!
Empathy can cause you to cry as others are crying if you have to handle their issue in customer service, empathy allows you to feel what others feel good or bad and in some cases take it into yourself unwillingly.
Empathy doesn't stop nice or kind, social awkwardness doesn't stop nice or kind, introversion doesn't even stop this it might however pause you longer but if you have a role model who demonstrates this is the right thing to do now! you will follow, and next time a similar event shows you will remember them and do what needs to be done. None of the traits you have listed stops kindness what does stop kindness is continuing to give it to bullies and those who do not thank you but mostly the former.
If you help someone without want of reward and they tease or belittle you it wounds you harshly inside so you won't help them again unless you have some type of trauma bound to that person and you think if I help one more time maybe then but thats a searching behavior in this case your character wants something the bully isn't giving and they may not know what that something is but their subconscious thinks that person is the one to provide it.
If this character however is looking for something the bully can provide emotionally or reaffirmation wise then if they feel say pressured to aid this will only occur a few more times if they are not given the thanks or at least not be stricken they won't help again or will think long and hard about it they aren't mosaicist here when you wound someone with the traits you described it hurts to the core and they won't put up with it they'll just walk way if help to that person is required. Days can be spent ruminating on the pain that person caused going over the situation again and again with them playing the role of the victor or the situation fixer but in time this goes away.
Someone who is empathetic, introverted, and socially awkward (in some limited ways) already has kindness installed as they come pre wired to feel and relate to others. If you don't personally have these qualities yourself just think of situations and that character to help find he scenes you want to show.
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: Re: Beginning a story in a bar, good or bad? Currently writing a novel about a man spiraling downward following a divorce, among other things. I want the reader to be grabbed by this man even
If you think it would illustrate who your character is, I'd say go for it. Just twist something up a little bit to separate your story from the others with the same beginning (like don't make what happens in the bar go the same way, give the setting a slight quirk, or something). And if it's just too similar, maybe use a different setting that serves the same purpose. Maybe he drinks at home. Maybe he's wandering the streets after being at the bar. Anything that shows what kind of person he is/what state he is in. Only you can know. Have fun!
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: Re: Character name change In my story I am writing in third person, my character is kidnaped and finds out his real name towards the end. Do I start referring to him with his real name or the
It depends on your character they don't have to assume a name they don't identify towards. I knew someone who changed their name we all assumed they where cohersed into it by their parental figure to gain their love even if it was true the person did not like us calling them by their old name & nick name even now as an adult a slip of the tongue shuts them down.
So this person wants to be the new name for whatever reasons they deem fit it would in essence work that way with your character do they want to be Calvin? Do they want to piss off their kidnappers and use their given name? Did they always hate their forced name? Or what about a third option if they don't want to be the forced name nor the birthed unknown name why not they give themselves a new name and in so doing a new identity they wish to forge in the spirit of the new name?
The media might call him by Calvin for their viewers that doesn't mean he has to let them do so in actual interviews (considering any arise at all). He'd just politely (or not depends on personality) correct them they may to his face call him the forced name for his comfort but print it as Calvin for their readers.
Names are huge deals to the soul it's different from being a kid who tries on the name brings life to who they are in that moment for that role. Your character's feelings need to be your guide here what is their personality like? A name change is a big deal to that person and those around them some people will abandon others for name changes. It changes how people perceive you if you were called Lettice that gives a different impression to another's mind then you being called Ty.
Your character also will need to know who their birth parents are and decide do they want to be theirs? In that changing the name or allowing himself to be called his birth name aligns him with them he is their property, their child, their blood is acknowledged. Did he like his forced name? If he did he'll insist his parents not just temporarily call him this but maintain it making apart of himself always aligned to his kidnapper especially if that kidnapper was someone he admired or liked well growing up in essence keeping the memory bond in this case it maybe love the sinner hate the sin. He may still love the one who raised him this taints his name on one hand it is a bind towards the kidnapping father he loved prior but on the other hand its now a reminder his formative years were at least in parts lies upon lies a pain will always be coupled with the better memories of the lying father.
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: Good authors usually begin by copying a better one, and then developing from there. He had chosen, probably for the best, Orwell's style. I agree with the statement that good authors
good authors usually begin by copying a better one, and then
developing from there. He had chosen, probably for the best, Orwell's
style.
I agree with the statement that good authors usually begin by copying a better one. In fact, I have done exactly that.
There was one time, back in 2008, I submitted an application to a "literate" role-playing forum. The forum had high standards of its own writers/role-players and graded applications by writing quality. Rejected applications meant that the user could not participate in the forum; accepted applications meant that the user was just accepted; and WOW! applications meant that the user went above and beyond than expected in the quality of writing. Basically, I achieved a WOW! application, and I did so by copying the writing style of another WOW! applicant.
How does one specifically copy a better author's style? As an example, I would like to write more like Christopher Hitchens. Not exactly like him, as I find that he has the habit of using too many useless, replaceable words, and that he tends to sneak in foreign words.
Exposure. You have to be exposed in that author's work, of course.
How would one analyze the writing style and then copy it?
Take a look at The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. You can read a ready-made analysis that someone else has written. A literary analysis would usually have some kind of thesis - the point of it all. The thesis may focus on a theme or some kind of topic. That is how you write a literary analysis.
In regards to improving your own fiction writing style by mimicking the work of another, you may take a look at the sentence structure. Hawthorne begins with "A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bare-headed, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes."
A group of chattering women, in flowery-patterned dresses and brunette curls and tresses, holding babies and the hands of little girls, some pretty and feminine, and others tomboyish and masculine, was formed inside the hall of the church, the walls of which were decorated with stained-glass windows and children's crafts.
Replace the original author's words with your own words.
Imagine the scene. Does it make sense?
Continue with the next line. Keep doing so until you get the hang of the author's writing style.
Take a break from the writing project, and re-approach your work with a fresh pair of eyes. Is there an interesting character? What do you think the plot may be about?
Jot down some notes pertaining to the trajectory of the story.
Continue writing in this style. Use the original author for inspiration.
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